The mother with crippling arthritis who's now running a half marathon - all thanks to a pair of copper insoles

• Helen Basson, 39, feared she would end up in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with arthritis in every joint of her body
• But three months after inserting the copper insoles she astounded doctors by beginning to walk freely
• Mother-of-three now planning to run a half marathon

By Anna Hodgekiss
PUBLISHED: 14:45, 9 November 2012 | UPDATED: 15:12, 9 November 2012

Helen Basson, who had arthritis in every joint of her body five years ago, can run pain-free thanks to a copper shoe heel

A mother-of-three is training for a half marathon after beating excruciating arthritis - thanks to a pair of £30 copper insoles.
Garden designer Helen Basson, 39, feared she would end up in a wheelchair after she was diagnosed with arthritis in every joint of her body after the birth of her third child.
Her condition was so bad she was unable to lift her baby out of his cot or get into the bath unaided.
But within three months of inserting the copper insoles, recommended to her by her mother-in-law, Mrs Basson astounded her doctors by beginning to walk freely.
She is now planning to take part in a half marathon in February.
She said: 'I couldn't do anything. I had to be helped off the toilet and getting in and out of the bath was extremely difficult.
'It was terrifying - I was a young woman and I feared I would end up in a wheelchair.
'The low point was a check-up at the hospital when they inserted a fluid into me and discovered I had arthritis in every joint.
'There was a time when I thought I wouldn't be able to walk again, so running a half marathon will be incredible.'
The apparent healing powers of copper were first pioneered by the ancient Greeks who used copper bracelets to ease aches and pains (the insoles claim to contain 14 times more copper than bracelets).
Copper is an essential mineral in the body and is thought to keep blood vessels, the immune system and bones healthy.
The Arthritis Foundation reports there is no scientific research to prove the effectiveness from copper bracelets. However it also says there is scant research to prove there are no benefits.

Mrs Basson, with eight-year-old son Theo, feared she would end up in a wheelchair. But within three months of inserting the copper insoles she could walk freely again

Mrs Basson first noticed something was wrong after her son Theo was born in May 2004 and she was unable to straighten her left arm.
It wasn't long before the discomfort spread to her knees, wrists, hips, elbows and ankles. She went downhill so quickly she was unable to walk more than 100 metres.
Mrs Basson, who lived in Devon before her children were born but now lives in France, was shocked when a rheumatologist at her local hospital in Nice told her the arthritis was in every joint of her body.
The agonising condition left her in too much pain to vacuum, iron or clean the house - meaning her husband James had to do everything.
Then late in 2007 her mother-in-law recommended the 'copper heelers' which had eased the pain for her some months earlier.

The mother-of-three has astounded doctors with her progress and now plans to run a half marathon

Within three months of inserting them into her sandals Mrs Basson, who refused drugs prescribed by doctors, began to notice a difference.
Setting herself small goals she started to walk more, building the distance up gradually.
When the condition eased she started training for the Rock 'n' Roll Nice, a half marathon around the streets of the city in southern France.

She said: 'As well as inserting the copper heelers I changed my diet and stopped having dairy, alcohol, caffeine and gluten. Now I am able to do everything I want to do. I have even started sailing again.

'The doctors are amazed. They cannot believe I have managed to control the arthritis without any drugs.
'I still get a few aches and pains, but I have learned to manage the condition now.'
Tony Andrews, of The Original Copper Heeler, the company which invented the copper insoles, said: 'I was passionate in finding a completely natural, drug free solution to stop the torturing pain of this 'quality-of-life' destroying disease. People from all walks of life are wearing the copper heelers.'

The Folks at Fifty-Eight by Michael Patrick Clark

I have just finished this book, it was ok, but not brilliant.

Gerald Hammond is the exception to the rule; an honourable spy, whose lofty principles have brought him nothing but loneliness and isolation. Catherine Schmidt is the stunning young daughter of an assassinated spymaster, whose murderous quest for vengeance has left her at the mercy of the infamous Head of Soviet State Security.
On a covert operation, in Soviet-occupied Germany, Hammond has no knowledge of the unseen forces that sponsor and oppose his mission. He only knows that he must somehow save her to save himself, but, as ever-more disturbing revelations come to light, begins to wonder which poses the greater threat; the enemy he runs from, or the friend he runs to?
Set against a factual background of government conspiracy, and one of the most audacious espionage coups in history, the Folks at Fifty-Eight is a beautifully-paced tale of seduction, betrayal, blackmail, and murder that blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction.

All Change

For good reason Jen and Andy will now only be doing Calendar Club on Sundays, which means Steven doing Saturday, and leaves me and Bob to cover the rest of the week, it is going to be tiring and i am wondering about how i am to cope, with the pain and exhaustion, but i guess needs must.

It has bought into question my 'other' job, I have been disatisfied with it, for several reasons.

I am not happy at having to source my own customers.
I am not happy about the travelling expenses
I also think it is very expensive for the customers (and i am only on minimum wage)
I have now been with them 3 months and there has been no increase in customers, and a couple have decreased their hours.

The advantages are

It is a reputable organisation and people trust the name, and if something goes wrong there is someone to discuss things with.

Before all this happened with Calendar Club i had been wondering about going it alone anyway, if i have to source my own customers why not for me, supplementing it with Manor Park in the season.

Steven suggested Dawn's Dusters  not bad eh.

However, i have to give 1 month notice, oh what to do.

Red Mount, Kings Lynn

Another one bites the dust :)

Difficulties

Thursday 8^th November 2012

My quality of life and living is so  bad I don’t know what to do or where to turn.

Knees and Hip - I am in constant pain in my knees and left hip, at times my legs become hot and throbbing like they are on fire and running a temperature on their own.

Mobility and Balance - I have little mobility every movement is stiff and painful, my balance is very precarious and I am always bumping into things, tripping over and nearly falling over.

Right Hand - I often have very painful numb tingling right hand, which leads to pain in my right arm and shoulder, this can be caused by repetitive jobs like sewing, ironing etc and is often bad during the night.

Weight  - I am seriously overweight, and nothing seems to work, I have fought this battle for many years with little help and support.

Exercise – You need to exercise to lose weight, but the more exercise I do the more pain I am in, and the pain could last for several days.

Cold – I get very cold, this could be because we have no central heating.  But when the pain is at its worse I get very cold.

Teeth - I have broken, falling out teeth which makes my mouth uncomfortable, as well as making me self conscious about my appearance. We just can’t afford the dentist and I am nervous of attending.

Exhaustion – I am completely worn out and exhausted, I have never felt this tired.

Depression – I am depressed and lonely, I am miserable, lethargic and cannot concentrate, tears, anger and frustration are becoming part of every day life, I lack coping skills, I miss doing the things I used to like going for walks.

Doctors – I know I should go to the Doctors more, but am afraid to do so.

Home – I have a lot of difficulty getting up and down the steps to get in and out of home, I put off going out, because I know I will have to go up the steps again. To manage the steps I lean heavily on the step rail and when it is wet, it is very slippery and is an accident waiting to happen.  I also have difficulty opening the van door when holding a bag. It is a long walk to get to the shops, it is too much for me.  The Council will not house us as we are too young and have no dependants.

Work – Work is a struggle, some days I do not know how to cope with the pain and agony and getting through the day is a trial.  I suffer badly when I get home from work, and the pain lasts for several hours after work and at times can last for days.

Finance – We are living below the breadline, we cannot afford to realistically live and are not entitled to benefits, either housing or income support.

Potential solutions

Give up work – I enjoy work it keeps me active gives me purpose, I meet people – alternative sit at home feeling sorry for myself and my worse nightmare watching daytime TV, however financially we just could not cope.

Faith – Put my Difficulties in Gods hands, through prayer and Faith.  This is what I want to do and should do, but I find this difficult when coping with the here and now. However, it does not undermine my commitment to my Faith.

To sum it up

Why Live when my quality of life is non existant and there is not likely to be any improvement.

As part of my morning routine I take the following Supplements

Soluable Vitamin C

Multivitamins

Glucomsomine Sulphate

Cod Liver Oil

Vitamin D

Apple Cider Vinegar

Prescribed Medication

Naproxen 500mg

Co-Codamol 500mg (Solpadol) as and when needed

Steven still not well

Since Steven has come out of hospital he has not been well

He is diagnosed with non iron defiency Aneamia.

Symtoms include

Lethargy
Tiredness
Lack of concentration
Cannot formulate sentances properly
Restless at Night
Falling asleep at odd places and at odd times and then cannot be woken up.

Today he saw Dr Summers who has scheduled several blood tests for tomorrow, Steven is to go back for the results on Tuesday.

The Dr said the the symptoms seem to indicate the Spleen producing too many blood cells which may affect his heart valve.

What is the spleen?
The spleen is an organ about the size of a clenched fist found on the left-hand side of your upper abdomen. Its main functions are to filter your blood, create new blood cells and store platelets. It is also a key part of your body's immune system.

Where is the spleen found?
The spleen is found on the left side of your body, behind the stomach on a level with the 9th to 11th ribs. It is similar in structure to a lymph node, and is the largest lymphatic organ in the body. The spleen containstwo main types of tissue - white pulp and red pulp. White pulp is lymphatic tissue (material which is part of the immune system) mainly made up of white blood cells. Red pulp is made up of venous sinuses (bloodfilled cavities) and splenic cords. Splenic cords are special tissues which contain different types of red and
white blood cells.

What does the spleen do?
Blood flows into the spleen where it enters the white pulp. Here, white blood cells called B and T cells screen the blood flowing through. T cells help to recognise invading pathogens (germs - for example, bacteria and viruses) that might cause illness and then attack them. B cells make antibodies that help to stop infections from taking hold.
Blood also enters red pulp. Red pulp has three main functions:
It removes old and damaged red blood cells. Red blood cells have a lifespan of about 120 days. After this time they stop carrying oxygen effectively. Special cells called macrophages break down these old red blood cells. Haemoglobin (a chemical which carries oxygen) found within the cells is also broken down and then recycled.
Red pulp also stores up to one third of the body's supply of platelets. Platelets are fragments of cells circulating in the bloodstream that help to stop bleeding when we cut ourselves. These extra stored platelets can be released from the spleen if severe bleeding occurs. While the spleen performs a number of important functions, it is not essential to life. Other organs such as the liver and bone marrow are able to take over many of its jobs. Your spleen may be removed (splenectomy) for various reasons - for example, because of an illness that affects the spleen, or if it is damaged by an injury. Also, the spleen may not work well in some diseases - for example, sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, and lymphomas.
However, people who have had their spleen removed are more likely to get infections and may be put on long-term antibiotics to prevent this.

Morning Regime

Well, i am beginning to feel like a walking pharmacy, I now take the following supplements every morning.


Soluble Vitamin C
Multivitamins
Glocosomine Sulphate
Cod Liver Oil
Vitamin D
Anti histimine

If in pain (which is usual) 2 Aspirin.