About 9 years ago, with a move to a different part of the country and age, I found a knee in serious trouble. Osteoarthritis.

I instinctively started doing, coupla' times every day, an internal chi-kung I learned in Taiwan. The book presented here has the main jest, all practices in the book combined, sequentially, with the exception of the shell qigong, which was not a part of the thing. Combined, they represent quite a bit of ability:

I also had a dit-da-jow formula from a relatively obscure White Tiger clan on the Mainland filled by a Vietnamese herbalist who could read the Chinese Mandarin characters. Herbs and such soaked in vodka. Used externally by martial artists to heal. I believe this was absolutely essential to my recovery. The herbalist provided two separate packets. They were combined in a one gallon jar, covered with vodka to within a couple inches from the top of the jar, given a swirl with a chopstick. The top was lightly screwed on and left to soak in a closet without disturbance. Siphoned off and used a bit after three weeks. It was as good as it was going to get at six months, after which it was decanted, the liquid stored in bottles in the cupboard:

I put together a linament of Wood Lock oil from Hong Kong (from an Asian market) mixed, 50/50, with Wormwood Oil from a local Botanica.

Throw into the mix some personalized Tai Chi Chaun, and some glucosamine, and I dodged the bullet of a knee replacement. I applied the dit-da-jow, then the wood lock/wormwood oil on top of that, twice daily. Once I got to the point where the pain no longer kept me awake at night, I backed off on the wood lock/wormwood oil, using it only for painful flareups. I continued the dit-da-jow twice daily for a good year. I still use it as needed, which is dramatically less these days.The Tai Chi Chuan, everyday for about two years. It should be said, that the Tai Chi Chuan becomes so natural, that any and all everyday movements can and eventually do lend themselves to the principles. The glucosamine, every day from thence to the present.

I took up guitar again after an over ten year lay-off. Things are good. A little rheumatoid arthritis every now and again will swell some knuckles. It is a relatively rare occurence, but does come up. For which I apply the dit-da-jow, and bring things down internally, as in breath control, chi kung. Works every time.

I present this information as anectodal only. The practices have been extremely beneficial for me.

I should add, that I have a long history of various meditative practice, including pranayama, kundalini, a wide variety of Chinese chi-kungs, as well as magico-religious experience across a variety of cultures/times. This really needs to be said, as I'm sure some of the pathways and potentials already explored helped to facilitate effective utilization of the weapons I chose against arthritis. That being said, there is a history of healing with the mentioned chi-kung(s), dit-da-jow, wood lock and wormwood oils for many who have had no such previous detailed training/experience.

In the final analysis, healing self is a personal journey. What works for one may or may not be the ticket for another. Age, environment, stressors converged to throw me a curve, threatening to wreak havoc. I don't claim a complete cure, as we are born dying and one day the deed is finally done. I can say I have been victorious in recovering from the initial onslaught, taking a roaring enemy down to a snivel, regaining a greater quality of life.

Best,
Bill