For those who believe small talk among strangers in a doctor’s waiting room is a waste of time, consider this: I heard about a non-surgical therapy for osteoarthritis recently approved for use at Mayo Clinic while chit-chatting with a nice woman in the Hearing Clinic there. She was interesting to me because of her knee-high boots with red leather bows on the back, her dramatic hair, and flashing eyes. She exuded positive energy, and I liked her immediately.

Turns out she lives on the beach with her husband and is a retired concert pianist who struggles with hand arthritis. While hearing aid mechanics worked on Buck’s Phonaks, she streamed out a breathy, punctuation-less sentence about signing up for Mayo’s new Low Dose Radiation Therapy treatment for osteoarthritis.

That got my attention.

According to a 2023 article from the Cleveland Clinic, LDRT has actually been around for many decades and was somewhat common in the United States until the 1980’s, when prescription drugs became more prevalent to control arthritis pain.

The process includes one session for a CT mapping of the hands, then six more, spaced out over several weeks, where photons (high-energy light particles) deliver very low doses of radiation that takes about 20 minutes each session, and then you wait about 3 months to find out if it worked to lessen pain and increase flexibility. I understand the same process appears to work well for knee arthritis, too. Some people need a second series for either of them to work. And for a few luckless souls, it never works at all. But there’s no cutting. No down time. And Medicare pays for it.

On the way home from the Hearing Clinic, I sent a note to my primary care doctor to get his opinion. Within a few days, I met with the consulting APRN, who explained it all.

I’m on the other side now, a little over two weeks from the last treatment. Walking into Mayo’s stunning Duan Family Building, which is dedicated to serving patients who need the most complex cancer care, was humbling to say the least. “Yes, I’m just here for my hand arthritis,” I said in a near whisper. During treatment, I couldn’t help but see floor to ceiling open shelves with whole-head radiation masks. The room I was in, the photon machine, the kind team of exquisitely gifted young professionals, all part of the life extending, healing where possible, treatment for brain and other tough cancers. I nearly felt like apologizing for being in that sacred healing space.

All that said, this process of photons delivered to my hands while I was prostrate on my belly on a narrow padded bench, arms stretched over my head like a swimmer, kibitzing with the team and listening to classic rock and roll was weird. It felt like Commander Troy was pointing her tricorder at my fingers, like “There! Now get back to that piano!”

I would say it seems a little smoke and mirror-ish, but Mayo doesn’t dabble in snake handling, (or snake oil, either). I trust them.