Today I went on a Walk for Farm Animals. This is a walk to raise awareness of the plight of farmed animals, and it is the third year in a row that I have done it. Our local walk simply makes a loop around the downtown area, and takes about 45 minutes. With stopping at stoplights it takes a while to get anywhere. I'd guess the route is about a mile or a little more.
I was still in some pain when I got to the start of the walk. I had just returned from a trip south last night, driving both ways, and trips do make me stiffer than usual. Still, I thought I would relax a bit and get more comfortable as the walk went on. It didn't. It was painful from start to finish. I focused on walking on the inside of my feet and holding myself as straight as I could but it was clear I was limping a little and that I was in pain. I had really hoped that by this time I would be walking more easily but it is not to be.
I have been reading a book about the lives of some individual farmed animals who were rescued. Because of the way chickens and pigs are bred, they gain weight rapidly and their bones cannot take the weight easily. The factory farms where they are raised are not concerned with this condition because they slaughter the animals when they are still babies - six weeks to six months old. But the lucky ones, the ones who are rescued, are left to suffer with the results of this breeding. Turkeys, chickens, and pigs reach a point when their fragile bones cannot support their weight. The hens are further depleted by the egg-laying. A factory-farm hen lays several times as many eggs per year as a hen who has not been bred for this purpose, and the laying depletes the calcium in their bones.
Thus all of these animals have trouble walking, too. I can relate. I don't carry as much weight as they do relative to my bones but I can relate.
Journal of experiences and experiments with arthritis
4 comments:
I have RA, and thought I'd see if there were blogs about arthritis. Then I came on this article. I was so tickled. We are not "farmers" per se, but we do have chickens (and a huge garden, and many fruit trees). I was so pleased to see you get out (painful as it was) and help to raise awareness of the plight of many farm animals who are raised in poor conditions.
Thanks for your wonderful blog. I'm off to read more on here. Best wishes, and I hope you're able to walk for many years to come. (I use a cane, or a walker, depending on the day. Some days I can't even get out of bed. But it's been a very happy life.)
Now that I've found your blog, I'll be back! (Writing/typing is even painful, but I think this is going to be one blog I'll want to comment every once in a while. It's wonderful to find a "kindred spirit.")
- David
Aloe Vera Juice Benefits
Holistic Nutrition and Health
Thank you, David! It's nice to get comments from someone else living with pain. I am glad that mine is not RA. I think you have a tougher road. But attitude really does help.
You're so welcome Judith. I'm glad yours isn't RA too. It is tough - it's overcast here in Phoenix, AZ (rained heavily a couple of nights ago) and my hands, feet, well - all joints, are swollen and in lots of pain. I'm preparing a garlic drink. Have you heard of it? I put a few cloves of garlic in a blender and blend them into little bits. Then let it sit for about 15 minutes to oxydize. Then put in V8 (low sodium) and blend that all up. Then hold my nose closed and gulp it down. Sounds crazy, and maybe it is, but it really seems to help. Other things, such as aloe vera also help a lot too. But I do think the garlic, which is very inexpensive and available in all stores, something people already have in their homes too, helps as much as anything else. (But wow is it nasty.)
I love your blog - read pretty much all of it. Was so happy to see a reply to mine.
We can be "arthritic e-friends!"
I do hope you post another article soon - your blog gives me hope. And you're absolutely right, attitude really does help. Reminds me of a saying, "Your attitude determins your altitude!"
- David (your arthritic e-friend!)
Aloe Vera Juice Benefits
Holistic Nutrition and Health
Thanks so much, David! It helps me to know there are others experimenting and finding their own way. I haven't had a lot of success discussing this with doctors, even sympathetic doctors.
As for garlic and other home brews, I tend to stay away from "magic foods" and eat a wide variety of whole fresh foods as much as possible. I think this serves the same purpose in the end.
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