This is a transcript of a Dr. Jay Show broadcast on 1560TheGame in Houston, TX. Dr. J. Michael Bennett is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon and a Fellowship Trained Sports Medicine Physician serving patients from Katy, Fort Bend County, Metro Houston and Southeast Texas from offices in Richmond and Sugar Land, TX. Dr Bennett is will begin to see patients at a new office in Houston on May 3, 2012. Call 281-633-8600 for an appointment. Our special guest is Dr. Mark Vann, a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in foot and ankle injuries.
Here’s the transcript of the eighth portion of the Show:
Are There Omega 3 Benefits?
DR. J. MICHAEL BENNETT: Speaking of pills, supplementation. Now Danny Arnold mentioned in his show that nothing substitutes a well-balanced diet and I agree 100 percent. I think in regards to having a well-balanced diet including protein, vegetables and fruits, nothing will substitute for that. Now on top of that there are some things you can do regarding anti-inflammatories. And some of them are Omega 3s – I think there is some cutting-edge information out there regarding Omega 3 fatty acids and I believe you’re going to hear more and more about it in regards to brain health, concussions, joint inflammation and heart health. More information is coming out regarding Omega 3s and how helpful they are in the long run. But you’ve got to be careful when you’re buying this stuff. Do you due diligence, research it, make sure you’re getting a good product that’s absorbable, and make sure that it’s actually from the right kind of fish.
Are There Glucosamine & Chondroitin Benefits?
Other supplements that you may hear about or know about are glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. I see about 50/50 in regards to seeing any results with that in the general patient population. I think some of it is placebo effects while some of it actually makes a difference. But it doesn’t hurt the patients and if they’re happy taking it I don’t have a problem with them doing so. Do you have any personal opinion, Dr. Vann, regarding supplementation?
DR. MARK VANN: I typically recommend that if it’s helping you or you believe it’s helping you then by all means continue taking it. I think it’s one of those areas where the research does seem to show some benefit although it’s pretty inconclusive. But, again, it’s one of those things similar to PRP – no negative effects have been noted.
DR. J. MICHAEL BENNETT: Unfortunately regarding supplementation there is no regulation or standardization and there’s a lot of people out there selling snake oil that can take advantage of you and charge you out the wazoo for what you’re going to be paying for and a lot of that you’re just going to excrete. You need to check up on that, ask your friends and family about it and take all those opinions and make your own educated decision about what you want to do about it. There’s a lot of information out there and you have to siphon through it all and some of it’s not true. The Internet, although it can be your best friend at times, can also be your worst enemy. You’ve really got to do your due diligence and discuss it with your physician, too. This is a team effort, it’s your body, and if your doc is on the same page with you then it makes it a much better situation.
I wanted to go ahead and give a shout-out to Texas Sports Medicine Institute and thank them for sponsoring the show. It is the one-stop shop regarding orthopedics, sports medicine, pain, and foot podiatry. We’re located between Sugar Land and Katy. They’ve got everything from surgical suites to physician offices to sports medicine and wellness. The majority of people there are sub-specialty trained regarding sports medicine, foot and ankle, podiatry, pain and spine.
Once again our number here is 281-633-8600 and this is Saturdays with Dr. Jay and we’re coming at you live. We’re talking about foot and ankle injuries and we appreciate you tuning in.
