Important Things You Should Know About Hip Joint Soreness

Hip joint pain is fairly common, making even the easiest strains arduous. Comprehending the causes, symptoms and remedies helps to deal with it and to do one's best to avoid it. More frequent in elder people, hip joint soreness could be a part of life of young persons equally. Part of the nuisance is the reduced blood flow; the blood circulation can not keep up with our bodies requirement for nutrients, joints having a lot less veins than the rest of the body. Blood circulation getting even more reduced as we age and mixed with the repetitive strain, the joints become depleted of the synovial fluid, making the joints touch each other and causing soreness.

Another explanations of hip joint discomfort may be injuries with deep bruising, hairline fractures, as our bones start losing calcium, or stiffening of the joint as a result of arthritis, pinched nerves or problems with tendons. It is imperative to consult a physician specializing in hip joint pain to find the exact cause. Following the primary exam and tests to find out the free calcium in the blood and the total calcium in the bones, an X-ray followed by a MRI would plausibly be used as a part of investigation. Knowing the exact reason of hip joint tenderness will predetermine the treatment one will have to observe.

The first things doctors have an inclination to recommend are anti-inflammation medications and if the hip joint discomfort is still present a cortisone prescription is commonly the following stage in the therapy. As a worst case scenario they advise to get hip replacement surgery. Being aware that pharmaceutical medications have many bad impacts on our bodies, and getting more than one cortisone shot is undesirable, using alternative supplements in conjunction with exercise to speed up the blood circulation to the joint is a more desired approach.

Ask your medical practitioner to give you the range of motions exercises planned especially for the hip, as this will strengthen the circulation and deliver the nutrients where they are most important: your hip joint. You can find them likewise on the web. The process of taking the natural supplements is easy: A natural supplement to kill the hip joint tenderness, wait till the discomfort subsides, followed by one of the natural supplements formulas of your choice and ending with the range of motions exercises. After the exercises elevating the hip and icing it for about half an hour is a must. You can find a lot of natural supplements for joint tenderness on the market, and between the best, if not the best ones, are Eazol to alleviate the pain fast and Joint Kote or Joint Advance designed to restore the synovial fluid, stop inflammation and repair the ligaments. Many times using Joint Kote or Joint Advance for a continued amount of time helped so much that even a hip replacement surgery considered by the doctors could be avoided.

Sharp Knee Pain When Walking Up Stairs - Is it Keeping You Down? - Knee Braces That Can Help

Do you envy people who can bound up the stairs three steps at a time, with relative ease?

Do people shake their heads when you take the elevator to go up one flight rather than climbing the stairs?

Does the sight of the stair machine at your local gym make you break out in a cold sweat?

If so, you are not alone. Sharp knee pain when going up a flight of stairs is a problem that is shared by many people today. You may feel fine while standing, walking, or even running, but as soon as you begin walking up the stairs, sharp knee pain begins.

Sharp knee pain when going up a flight of stairs can be a real problem (for some of us that might be quite an understatement). It can limit your activities of daily living and can hurt your overall quality of life. This can be an obvious challenge for you if you live in a house that has many stairs to climb.

Sharp knee pain when going up the stairs may come on all the sudden, or it may happen each and every time you climb a stair. Sometimes you may find that your knee pain is not as severe. You may have suffered through knee pain for quite some time, or it may be a new issue that you are now faced with.

The causes for your pain can vary. Any number of medical conditions such arthritis, tendonitis, chrondromalacia and bursitis, to name a just a few, can all result in sharp knee pain when walking up stairs. It is important to present your complaints to a medical professional for evaluation and advice. Still, whatever the particular cause of your sharp knee pain, aside from whatever medical treatment your doctor recommends, you may find relief through the use of a knee brace.

Knee braces do not necessarily have to be custom made to be effective for you. In fact, non custom knee supports can be found in a variety of styles and sizes suitable for the majority knee shapes. Knee braces that are not custom made are readily available, affordable, and easy to use, plus they may help relieve the sharp pain you experience when walking up stairs. You should not over look the support that they can provide.

A properly fitting knee brace will help lend support to the knee joint, and help to keep your knee properly aligned as you climb a flight of stairs. This may help lessen the sharp pain when walking up stairs so that you can start living normally again.

Physical Therapy Exercises for the Knee After Surgery

Physical therapy exercises are an important and imperative aspect of rehabilitation for the knee after surgery. In the period after the surgical procedure, the recuperating patient would have to start such exercises under the guidance of a professional. Whenever muscles are unused, they tend to become weak and do not properly perform their function of moving and supporting the body. The patient may have not used his leg muscles much because of the knee problem, thereby causing the weakness. By performing the recommended exercises, strength can be restored.

Objectives of Post-surgical Rehabilitation

The muscles most affected by the surgical procedure are the quadriceps muscles (vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and vastus medialis). Physical therapy rehabilitation following surgery of the knee is carried out to achieve certain objectives:

• Independence in walking and getting up and down the stairs

• Getting the knee back to the suitable range of motion because the muscles and tendons might have become stiff due to limited movement during and after the procedure

• Protecting against further injury

• Re-establishing strength in the joints so that the patient would be able to support his weight for the customary everyday tasks

A supervised and regular exercise program would help to achieve these objectives. People of different age groups can benefit from such a program.

Physical Therapy Exercises Adopted after Knee Surgery

Stretching - Fundamental stretching movements would help to relax the front portion of the leg and also to enhance general lower extremity flexibility.

Isometric Strengthening - This helps to develop strength by the contracting of muscles in such a way that there is no flexing of the knee. The patient may be able to improve and feel the force of the contractions for a deconditioned or weak muscle.

Quadriceps Strengthening - The quadriceps are a group of four muscles in front of the thigh. These muscles should be in a good condition to effectively perform their function of moving and strengthening the knee.

Isotonic Exercises - These movements effect alterations in muscle length and are normally done to achieve stability and strength. Effective movements of this kind would be targeted at building the hamstrings and the quadriceps. These are the muscles that enable extension and flexion of the knee.

There are limitations in trying to perform physical therapy exercises for the knee following surgery at home. So, it is better to go to a center specializing in this area and get help from the specialists. Ask about the various medical insurance plans that the center supports.

Knee Replacement Rehab Exercises - From Surgery and Beyond

Total knee replacement surgery is a major surgery performed only after various other methods of conservative treatment have failed. During the surgery cuts are made in several areas, starting with a long longitudinal incision down the front of the knee at the top of the patella (kneecap), extending down to the tibial tubercle. A cut is then made deep into the capsule to reach the knee joint.

At this point, the knee is entirely exposed. Smaller cuts are made to eliminate cartilage in the bone and to correct deformities before trial hardware is fit inside the knee and test for range of motion. When the right fit is made, the permanent pieces are moved into place and sealed there with bone cement. Knee replacement rehab exercises will begin immediately.

On the day of the surgery, the leg with the new knee will be placed in a CPM, or continuous passive motion machine, that will gently start range of motion therapy for 4-6 hours. This will be repeated each day the patient remains hospitalized, usually three. Physical therapy will begin the next day and happen twice daily, with knee replacement rehab exercises including motion exercises, stretching and strengthening, and beginning to walk with the aid of a walker. The patient usually goes home on the 3rd day post-surgery, although depending on their recovery, they could go for a short 5-12 day stay at a rehab facility.

At a skilled nursing facility, if this is where the patient is moved to before home, knee replacement rehab exercises will continue twice a day, with general nursing care provided around the clock, including any dressing changes, administration of pain meds and other medicines, and any assistance the patient may still require. If the patient has gone home, they will have a home health nurse who will visit them 3 to 4 times a week to do the same things that the patient in the rehab facility would be doing, including physical therapy that may, at first, be painful, but ease with each successive week.

At about week 6 to 12 post-operative, most patients will be able to move on to knee replacement rehab exercises that include focusing more on rebuilding strength in the knee. Pain should be decreasing just about weekly at this point and the patient should be able to start coming off the more intense pain medications to using a NSAID or Tylenol. Around weeks 12 to 16, the patient should be resuming most of the normal activities with only the occasional swelling and tenderness and after six months, patients should definitely be feeling like a new person, with full healing taking about one year, give or take a few weeks depending on rehab tolerance.

All About Heart Valve Replacement Surgery

Your heart is basically a pump with four valves that keeps your blood flowing in the right direction at the proper rate. With each heartbeat, your valves open and close. But if something has caused your valves not to open or close properly, you may be a candidate for heart valve replacement surgery.

Valves can become damaged through disease or aging. When the valve does not open properly, the problem may be stenosis - an abnormal narrowing of the aortic valve. You need the valve to open properly so the right amount of blood can pump through it. If the valve doesn't close properly, the condition is called regurgitation, which is a problem because the blood leaks back into other parts of the heart. The type of treatment your doctor will recommend depends on the heart valve involved and the type and severity of the valve disease:

Aortic valve disease
Mitral valve disease
Pulmonary valve disease
Tricuspid valve disease

Some of the tests and procedures that your doctor may order to assess the condition of your heart include:

resting and exercise electrocardiogram (ECG)
Holter monitor
signal-averaged ECG
cardiac catheterization
chest X-ray
computed tomography (CT scan) of the chest
echocardiography
electrophysiological studies
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart
myocardial perfusion scans
radionuclide angiography
ultrafast CT scan

The doctor may decide that the diseased valve can be repaired using a ring that supports your original valve. Or the decision may be to remove the entire valve and replace it with an artificial valve. Artificial mechanical valves are made of metal or plastic or tissue from animal valves. Doctors also use human valves taken from cadavers.

Years ago, this type of procedure meant open-heart surgery. There was no other way to get to your heart than by opening your chest, cutting the breastbone or sternum in half and spreading it apart. Once the heart was exposed, the doctor would insert large tubes into the heart that pump the blood through your body during the surgery. The tubes, part of a cardiopulmonary bypass machine, keep the blood flowing while the doctor stops your heart to replace or repair the valve.

Today, there is often another alternative - minimally invasive heart surgery. The cardiac surgeon is able to make small incisions in the right side of your chest, instead of opening up your chest cavity, to get to the heart. The surgeon maneuvers to work between the ribs. The result is a far less painful recovery and a quicker recovery. The surgeon will still have to stop your heart to repair or replace the valve, but with this less-invasive procedure, the doctor actually has a better view of some parts of your heart than in the more invasive approach.

You need to talk to your doctor to find out if minimally invasive heart surgery is an option for you. Generally speaking, people who have already undergone heart surgery or have certain heart diseases will not be a candidate for less invasive heart surgery.

Symptoms

So how do you know if there is a problem with your heart? Usually a person with a damaged or diseased heart valve will experience the following symptoms:

Dizziness
Chest pain
Difficulty breathing
Heart palpitations
Swelling of the feet, ankles, or abdomen
Rapid weight gain due to fluid retention
Risks associated with heart valve replacement

No surgery is without its risks, including heart valve replacement. These risks can include, but are not limited to:

Bleeding during or after the surgery
Blood clots that can cause heart attack, stroke, or lung problems
Infection at the incision site
Pneumonia
Breathing problems
Abnormal heart rhythms

What to expect after the procedure

You can expect to remain closely monitored for several days, including time spent in the intensive care unit. Your doctor will keep you connected to monitors that constantly monitor your heart, blood pressure, breathing rate and oxygen level.

It is important that during this time that you cough and take deep breaths. While this may not feel very comfortable because you are sore from the surgery, it is extremely important so mucus doesn't lodge in your lungs and cause pneumonia. And of course, you will be offered pain medication to help keep you comfortable.

Do not expect to come out and eat a four-course meal. You will start with a liquid diet and advance to more solid foods as you can tolerate them. Gradually, as you recover, you will be moved to a room and encouraged to get out of bed and walk the floor.

When it is time to go home, your doctor will give you specific advice regarding activity, medications and wound care. You probably will not be able to drive for a period of time. Follow your doctor's advice and return for all follow-up visits.

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice. All medical information presented should be discussed with your healthcare professional. Remember, the failure to seek timely medical advice can have serious ramifications. We urge you to discuss any current health related problems you are experiencing with a healthcare professional immediately.

Is Knee Arthritis Inevitable With Aging

This is the common perception of Knee Osteoarthritis in our country where Primary Hip Osteoarthritis is rare. However in the recent past, it has been realized that not only are the elderly at definite risk of Osteoarthritis but many more of the middle aged and even young. Osteoarthritis is the commonest form of joint disease (arthritis) and is a leading cause of disability in older individuals in India and many countries. It is the common perception that wear and tear inevitable with aging alone leads to Osteoarthritis, but this is not the whole truth. As we shall see not only the elderly, but others are also vulnerable to Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) in peripheral joints, most frequently involves the knee joint, and the disease may affect one or more of the three compartments of the knee. The knee joint acts to transfer force from the thigh muscles to the leg to move the body. Loads exerted on the surfaces of the knee during normal daily activities are two to seven times the body weight. It is therefore no wonder that the knee is so vulnerable to wear and tear (Osteoarthritis). Osteo-arthritic changes in the joint decrease the effectiveness of load transfer during these activities. Overall health is impaired and Knee OA has been to shown to account for more limitations in walking, stair climbing or other daily activities than any other disease. The form of the disease in the elderly is called primary osteoarthritis whereas the affliction of the young and middle aged is called Secondary osteoarthritis. Let us take a look at the risk factors for developing secondary osteoarthritis, which encompasses other age groups of people in the general population.

These are of two categories, General or systemic and local risks.

General risks

Evolution

Man along with two more mammals, the Elephant and the bear are the only animals to have straight knees. Evolutionarily straight knees are invaluable to minimize energy expenditure during walking so that the body does not tilt from side to side as it would do if the knees were bent in a two legged creature. The price or side effect of the erect posture is weight transmission occurring through the inner half of the knee joint. Therefore the inner half of the knee is susceptible to wear in the normal course of time.

Genetic factors

These play a major role in a generalized form of the disease known to affect some communities and families. Research is on to identify the exact genetic location that increases the susceptibility to OA.

Diet

Many degenerative diseases like Osteoarthritis are the result of tissue damage from "Free Oxygen radical" attack. Normal cartilage cells are known to reduce free radicals. Anti oxidants such as Vitamin A, C and E have the potential to protect against such tissue damage. It was found in a study that people consuming High amounts of Vitamin C have a 60- 70 per cent reduction in risk for progressive OA. High vitamin C intake levels were also found to be associated with a reduced risk for knee pain according to the same study.

Vitamin D plays an important role in bone mineralization. Results from the above study show that high levels are protective against progression of disease.

Bone mineral density

About three decades ago surgeons removing the head of the upper end of the thigh bone from elderly patients with hip fractures in the operation of partial hip replacement, observed that the end bone rarely showed arthritic changes. Since then, many studies have confirmed the inverse relationship between Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis. Currently research is on to determine if the medicines prescribed for Osteoporosis such as Calcitonin and Bisphoshphonates prevent the x- ray changes of OA and prevent cartilage breakdown.

Female hormonal deficiency (estrogen)

The incidence of Knee OA increases in Post menopausal women suggesting that estrogen deficiency might be a risk factor and that post menopausal women are more susceptible to osteoarthritis. Despite the obvious correlation, more research is needed to understand the relationships between bone mineral density, estrogen and OA. As females are the preponderant sex to suffer from OA knees, Female specific Knee implants or Prostheses have been developed for a Total knee replacement as the majority of people (two thirds) undergoing a knee replacement are women.

Local risk factors

Obesity

Increased body weight contributes to the increased load transmitted across the weight bearing knees by a factor of three to seven times the body weight and leads to accelerated wear of the articular cartilage. The relationship between obesity and Osteoarthritis is stronger for bilateral than unilateral disease and is greater in women than men. Since the load transmitted to the knees varies between three to seven fold the body weight, one fold reduction of weight leads to a three to seven fold decreased pressure on the knees. In addition the knee alignment may affect the impact of body weight on the knee joint. Knees with bow legs are more stressed by body weight resulting in more severe inner compartment arthritis.

Physical activity

There is no evidence that participation in light or moderate levels of physical activity (walking, running, dancing, cycling, gardening, and outdoor sports) throughout the life cycle will increase an individual's risk of developing knee OA. This means that even middle aged people can safely participate in these activities without risk of developing osteoarthritis.

However participation in high intensity contact sports is strongly linked to development of knee OA in elite athletes. Many tennis players, runners, professional soccer players are more likely to suffer from knee arthritis and Patello-femoral OA than age matched controls.

Occupational activity

Men in occupations that require repetitive overuse of the knee joint for example, carpenters, painters, miners, dock workers have an increased risk of developing knee OA. Crouching, kneeling, squatting, climbing stairs and lifting heavy loads all cause abnormal joint loading across the knee joint and lead to cartilage damage. The risk factors are similar in both men and women.

Injury

Several studies in Europe and America have confirmed that knee injury is a strong predictor for the development of knee OA. Most Knee injuries involve the ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament and ACL rupture is often associated with meniscal damage or a tear in the medial collateral ligament. ACL injuries occur after two wheeler accidents, domestic and outdoor accidents. Both ACL deficiency and meniscal rupture are strongly linked to early degenerative arthritic changes. Although at present it is not clear to what extent the common operation of ACL reconstruction can delay the onset of arthritis, some studies show that early ACL reconstruction with meniscal preservation and not menisectomy provides the greatest protection. A poor outcome after knee injuries is seen in patients who have undergone a partial or total menisectomy an operation which is commonly performed by surgeons. Meniscal suture and Meniscal transplant are ways to protect against osteoarthritis. The former operation is available but the later is yet to kick off from early teething problems. A meniscal transplant facility was announced in Chennai last year but supply of grafts has not been forthcoming.

Mechanical environment of the knees

It is easy to comprehend how any joint or bearing can wear out quickly by understanding what happens to your car tyres if the alignment and balancing is not perfect or if the pressure is more or less. The treads on the overloaded portion of the tyre wear out more. The same analogy applies to the knees. Knees which have a bend like the one shown in the picture will wear out faster. Increased joint laxity an accompaniment of age contributes to OA.

Muscle strength

It is a well known observation that people with OA have weakness of the quadriceps muscles. It was assumed that decreased muscle strength is the result of disuse atrophy secondary to knee pain; however it has been noted recently that many patients with asymptomatic knee arthritis have weak muscles. Therefore it makes sense to develop the thigh muscles to prevent arthritis or ameliorate the symptoms after its development, but is to be noted that increasing muscle strength will not arrest progression of the disease.

In summary Knee Osteoarthritis once considered an inevitable consequence of aging is now recognized to be multi-factorial, resulting from the interaction of a variety of general and local factors like age, genetic predisposition, obesity, trauma and mechanical properties of the joint. The traditional surgical treatment of OA "a total knee replacement" is the best long term cost effective solution. However other operations like an osteotomy to correct the alignment of the bones around the knee, ACL reconstruction, cartilage surgery, medications are available to different affected groups of patients. They will not condemn the patient to developing Osteoarthritis in earlier age and become a candidate for a total knee replacement.

War of Wars

God gives us the spiritual armor of Ephesians chapter 6 for one reason and one reason only. WE ARE AT WAR! This war makes all the wars of man as child's play. This war started before the first man Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden. It started with Satan's five I wills of Isaiah 14:13 and 14. This war is the:

"The War of Wars"

The battle has begun. Spiritual wickedness is out in force. The rulers of darkness has this world on a destructive evil course. So girt your loins about with truth, filled with the Living Word. Put on your breastplate of righteousness, living the Living Word you heard. Be sure to shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Sharing the good news of the Living Word you heard, with everyone you meet. With every step you take, and everywhere you walk bring glory to our Lord and God with every word you talk. We must put on the warriors armour, for sin is but a thought away. We must put on the full armour of God every morning of every day. Your enemy is as a roaring lion, and it's you he wishes to devour. Hold high your shield of faith every minute of every hour.

We're in the middle of a war, greater than any that came before. We're soldiers of this final war already won from time forever more. Proudly wear your Holy armour, for you're on the winning side. This world has no power stronger then He that inside you resides. Satan takes no prisoners, His only joy is devouring the souls of man. But remember oh ye Christians Jesus put a weapon. . , the Bible in your hand. There's an evil empire coming, filled with death. . tears . . . and pain An empire filled with the lies of Satan And the governments of earth give him total reign.

To understand each piece of armor, we need to first understand the war we are in. This war of wars is really the only war there has ever been. All the wars man has been in are only battles in this war of wars. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 This war we are in is not against flesh and blood. It's against principalities, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. This war is a spiritual war, it is fought with spiritual weapons, and we are protected with spiritual armor. I know everyone says there are six pieces of armor in Ephesians 6, and for much of my Christian life I believed this also. Numbers in the Bible as with everything has deeper meanings. Examples; 4 has to do with the Earth, the 4 winds, the 4 directions etc. 7 is God's number of completion, 7 days in a complete week. On the seventh day God ended His work He had made and rested (Genesis 2:2). 8 is God's number of new beginnings, the eighth day is the beginning of a new week, and 8 people were on the ark to build the new beginning. 9 is the number of fruit, a woman is pregnant for 9 months before she bares her fruit in a new born baby. There are 9 things that make up the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Numbers in the Bible is a study in itself, one if the Lord is willing I may write in the future. I only brought this up to help show how many pieces of armor there really are in Ephesians 6, and why.

After the Lord opened my eyes to numbers in the Bible and their meaning, whenever I read Ephesians 6 the armor seemed incomplete to me, but I knew it wasn't, because God is complete in all things. Then one day in my daily reading I was reading Ephesians 6 it was like a light filled the page as He opened my eyes to the complete armor, all 7 pieces. The pieces of armor are modeled after a Roman soldier's uniform, because they were the known soldier of that day. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Ephesians 6:14

First we are told to girt our loins with truth, we are not told the name of this piece of armor, it is called a balteus. The balteus and its hanging apron was the soldier's mark of pride. It also had the important function of holding his weapon. This should be the very same mark of pride to us Christians as it was to the Roman soldier. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is the way the truth and the life. This piece of armor has become known as the belt of truth. Well Jesus is our truth, and we should have pride, not in ourselves, but in that truth Jesus Christ our Lord.

The second piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness. This piece of armor was designed to give protection to the whole upper part of the body, from the neck and shoulders down to the waist. The most important thing this piece protected of course is the heart. In Matthew 15:11-20 Jesus tells us that it is not that which goes into the mouth that defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, defileth a man, because what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart. We are told over and over in the Bible to keep our hearts pure, because the heart is evil. Now that we have the truth of Christ within us we need to be covered with the breastplate of His righteousness, so that what comes out of our mouths honors Him. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Ephesians 6:15.

This piece of armor is to shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. This of course is the soldier's foot ware. Like the cleats on the shoes of modern-day football players, the Roman military sandals used small iron like nails as treads. This gave them sure footing in battle, and was a great help on long marches. As a soldier for Christ we are to prepare our feet with the gospel of peace. Why on our feet? Because the good news of the gospel was not made to stay still, it was meant to be taken out and shared. For this reason we need good foot ware for sure footing in battle and protect our feet on those long marches. After all remember our marching orders Jesus gave us in Mark 16:15 ... Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Ephesians 6:16. This fourth piece of armor the shield of faith we are to be using this above all. The Roman shield was a great design, it was a long curved shield that when used covered most of the body. A soldier when standing up straight, the shield would cover from just under the eyes to just under the knee. The shield could be moved up or down very quickly to cover whatever part of the body that needed to be protected at that moment. It's curved shape help protect better than the flat style of their enemies, because it allowed more arrows, spears and blows from enemy swords to just glance off it.

Why do we need to use the shield above all? The world is throwing spears, arrows, fiery darts and much more at us 24 hours a day 7 days a week. From cartoons, movies and books teaching our children witchcraft, and more, to being bombarded with Satan's signs everywhere we go. All the major companies are using satanic symbols in their logos. Just a few examples are the yin-yang symbol in Pepsi, Texaco's Freemason Northern Pentagram, Oldsmobile's upside down broken cross, Time Warner's all seeing eye of the Illuminati looking out through three 6s. I could go on for days showing satanic symbols in corporate logos and just be touching the tip of the ice berg, but that's not what this study is about. I just pointed out these few to show how important it is to be using the shield of faith. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Ephesians 6:17. The fifth piece of armor is the helmet of salvation. The Roman helmet is amazing in style. A few extra little things added a lot of extra protection. The Roman helmet had pieces that hanged down the side to protect the sides of the face, and though it didn't cover the ear, it did come out enough to add some protection to the ear also. It had a rim that went around the front of the helmet. This rim gave added protection from upper and forward blows. Jesus is our salvation, it is He that protects us from the forward blows from the rulers of the darkness of this world, and it is He that protects us from the upper blows from spiritual wickedness in high places.

Another great thing about the Roman helmet is it has 2 curved rims, one over each ear. These add much more protect to the ears. We are told many times in the Bible to give ear to God's Word. Eight times in the book of Revelation it says "he that hath an ear, let him hear". We are told in Roman 10:17 that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. We are warned to be careful what we listen to, because it will affect what we believe. It may even be a good idea to wear your helmet to salvation to bed. Example of this, at night I play CDs of the Bible when I'm sleeping. The sixth and what most believe is the last piece of armor is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. We need to be reading our Bibles every day. We need to be filling ourselves with as much of that Bible as we can. The first 5 pieces was for protection, this one is a weapon. For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

We are told the Word of God is sharper than a twoedged sword, it cuts through the bone, it cuts the heart and changes what it believes and feels. Yes much of the time the Word of God cuts and wounds, but much of the time that is what we need. But this sword does what no other can, it comforts and heals. I tell people that the Bible is my 66 caliber, and that I'm not afraid to pull it out and blow away the enemy. You want to give an answer to every man that asks, read your Bible. You want the Holy Spirit to give you the power to go toe to toe with a Satan worshiper, an atheist, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a JW, a Mormon etc and etc. READ YOUR BIBLE! Now the piece of armor most people miss. 7 is God's number of completion not 6. Why would God give us an incomplete suit of armor? He wouldn't. This last piece of armor is probably the most important piece and most people over look it. At first you may wonder how this is a piece of armor, but before you decide give me the chance to explain. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:18 Prayer is a very important piece of our armor. I don't want to get into a study on prayer at this point, but I do want to point out how it is one of the pieces of armor, and what piece of armor it is.

When we pray for the most part we are on our knees, when we are on our knees the legs are protected from the knee down. There is a piece of armor that is over looked, it is called a greave. The greave is a metal shin guard that protects the leg from just above the knee to just above the ankle. I find it very interesting that the greave covers the same part of the body that prayer covers when we are on our knees. You may say that prayer is not named as a piece of armor. Remember that first and third pieces are not named either, but we know what pieces they are.

The reason I believe prayer is the most important piece of armor is because I believe it plays 2 rolls in our armor. It is used for protection as I just showed, but it also does much more. When we pray we are asking God to do battle for us in some way or another. We are asking Him to tear down the strong holds that we can't. So from that stand point prayer is not just for protection it is a weapon as well. We can call prayer the heavy artillery, the catapult of that time, the nuclear bomb of today. As it is written all things are possible with God. Nothing is beyond God's power, and we reach God through prayer. So what weapon do we have more powerful than prayer? Answer NONE. There you have the complete armor of God all 7 pieces. Wear it every day, because believe me in this world we need it.

So put on your helmet of salvation, bought with the blood of Jesus' love A gift so freely given us from our Loving Father up above. This helmet will protect you from every lie that Satan has said keeping your heart clear and pure for the battle just ahead. Remember where you were when God pulled you from the swine's pen A God of such Grace and Love no power is greater than that which comes from Him. So take your sword of the Spirit boldly to the battle on the front lines. The Holy Spirit will watch your back, don't worry about what's behind.

Clothed in your armour, now fight like a man and get on your knees and pray. Pray without ceasing, every second of every minute, every hour of every day. For no battle can be won, without God leading the way. And if you want God to lead you then pray . . . pray . . . and pray. For we're in the middle of a war, greater than any that came before. We're soldiers of this final war already won from time forever more. Proudly wear your Holy armour, for you're on the winning side. This world has no power stronger then He that inside you resides. Though it seems Satan is winning the battle and at times that's the way it may look. But remember oh ye Christians Jesus has shown us the ending of the book. There's a whole new world coming, no death. . . no tears. . . . . no pain A world where our precious saviour Jesus as King of kings forever and ever reigns.