HEALING JOINTS

Someday, medical science will allow us to infuse damaged or aging organs with new cells, or to manufacture made-toorder organs on a 3-D printer. These emerging techniques to revitalize worn-out body parts are on the drawing board in the field of regenerative medicine. However, for the injured college athlete or the grandmother with compromised joint function, healing and pain relief can already be found in the form of prolotherapy and other non-invasive approaches that stimulate the body to heal itself. by Marlaina Donato

Injection therapies using dextrose or the patient’s own platelets or stem cells are being used to naturally stimulate the body to produce collagen and rejuvenated tissue, offering hope to those with soft tissue injuries, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease and even pain syndromes like fibromyalgia. A recent review in the British Medical Bulletin of 10 high-quality studies of dextrose prolotherapy in adults with mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee showed patients experienced significantly

Controlled Inflammation A type of regenerative medicine innovated by osteopathic physician Earl Gedney in the 1930s, prolotherapy induces low-grade, temporary inflammation with the intention of triggering connective tissue cells called fibroblasts in and around the injection site. “If you cut your arm or twist your ankle, various immune cells rush to the area to begin the repair process. This is a very basic comparison of what prolotherapy does with injections directed to specific anatomical points,” says Ross A. Hauser, M.D., founder of Caring Medical Regenerative Medicine Clinics, in Fort Myers, Florida, and Chicago. “Prolotherapy is used to treat osteoarthritis because it helps correct the underlying reason why it has occurred, which is joint instability. The body overgrows bone as a long-term response in an effort to stabilize an unstable joint,”Hauser says. Naturopathic physician Brent Cameron, of Aurora Natural Medicine, in Gilbert, Arizona, suggests individualized treatment plans for best results. “My recommendations are very patient-specific, which is an important piece in prolotherapy.” Cameron says his patients are likely to start seeing relief in the first week. “In many instances, they experience complete relief and mobility after a series of treatments.”

While Cameron attests to the efficacy of dextrose prolotherapy, he is cautious with recommending it for people with systemic inflammatory conditions. “Someone MicroOne/Shutterstock.com

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Harris subscribes to the power of persistence. “Don’t give up. With proper treatment there is a strong likelihood that you can live a happy, healthy life free from chronic pain.”

Marlaina Donato is the author of several books and a composer. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.

by Suzie Agrillo

Those searching for the perfect gift this Valentine’s Day may want to skip the banal box of chocolates and opt for one of Lisa Agababian’s colorful and evocative ceramic hearts. Agababian, born and raised in New York City, is a selftaught ceramic artist. She has been honing her craft since she started her journey with clay at the age of seven, at an Armenian summer camp in upstate New York.

Initially, Agababian utilized clay studios and attended workshops in Tucson to satisfy her passion for art. The death of her mother in 1993 awakened a desire to create her own low-fire ceramic studio where she had more freedom to curate her skills and techniques. Years later, the loss of her father motivated her once again. After letting go of her career as a mathematician and computer consultant, Agababian decided to make a courageous leap to fulltime artist. “I had a wakeup call and I listened, trusted and allowed that light within to guide me. It is in all of us. It was all about tending to my own heart now, which Lisa Agababian needed my attention, and healing my grief from losses,” she explains. “I’ve changed. I can’t go back and I don’t want to. My hearts have taken on a life of their own, and I’m living my dream.”

The gallery is warm and friendly, just like Agababian. In addition to the larger heart sculptures, she offers smaller, more affordable gifts to carry a message of love for all occasions. These whimsical, one-ofa-kind hearts are the perfect gift for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new homes, Mother’s and Father’s Days, encouragement and condolences.

Agababian’s art is also exhibited and sold at The Blue Willow, It’s a Blast, Moonlight Creations, Petroglyphs and the Tucson Museum of Art. Notably, she has been invited to showcase her hearts at the Tucson Sculpture Festival in April 2020. An ardent outdoorswoman, Agababian loves participating in outdoor sports, such as skiing, surfing, hiking, kayaking and biking. She recently started volunteering for the Mt. Lemmon ski patrol. She appreciates wilderness and untouched places one can’t reach with a car. Nature is an inspiration for her hearts. “Clay comes from the Earth. When you work with clay, you are connecting with the Earth. I am inspired by everything I see and experience. I feel connected to nature, the sun, the moon and the stars,” she remarks.

Her clay hearts are also her way of bringing attention to concerns affecting the greater whole, as well as a means to inspire, uplift and awaken others to the magnificence within and all around us. As Top left : Saguaro Twinkle; Second Row: Listen and Prana; Third Row: Ripe and Fountain of Love by Lisa Agababian

Agababian finds both relief and inspiration in creating her art, it also brings her joy in connecting with others.

She feels an intense, deep connection with people. Her intention is to spread “peace, beauty and love”—a mantra she inscribes on the back of each of her unique hearts. “We are all connected,” Agababian notes. “My visions and ideas for my art are personal expressions and come from my life experiences, through my outdoor activities, travel adventures and daily relationship with myself and others,” she says. Initially, Agababian’s pieces start out with a specific vision, but can easily evolve in another direction. She has learned from experience to go with the flow. “I will re

glaze a piece and change its colors until the end result moves me,” she states.

Speaking as a successful entrepreneur and a seasoned artist, she advises, “Follow your bliss. Listen to your heart and your own inner voice because heart (LOVE) matters. You matter.” One of her favorite quotes is a twist on John Lennon’s “Imagine” lyrics: “You may say that I’m a dreamer, but THANKFULLY I’m not the only one.”

Lisa Agababian can be reached at Fuchsia Designs Home Studio and Gallery (by appointment) at 226 E. 5th St., Tucson. Connect at 520-603-1374, Lisa@FuchsiaDesigns.com or FuchsiaDesigns.com.

Suzie Agrillo is a freelance writer in Tucson and a frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings Magazine. She focuses on writing about the arts, inspirational people and the human connection. Connect at Suzie@ComedyForCharity.org.