Soon after moving back to Colorado in early 2005, after fifteen years exile in California, I reunited with a dear pal, David Cuevas. David sells a nutritional supplement in addition to being a flight attendant for Frontier Airlines.

In the spirit of friendly support, I swallowed skepticism about nutritional supplements and agreed to swallow the one David sells. The price seemed high. Plus, I agreed to receive quarterly shipments billed to my credit card. I cringed as I signed on the dotted line, but what are friends for?

I began dutifully swallowing the supplements; two red capsules each morning and two green in the afternoon, mostly because they were not cheap and I am not the wasteful sort. Now and then David reminded me to stick with the supplement, which I did.

About three months later I glanced at my hands one morning while reading the paper and noticed something strange. The change probably had occurred gradually but I wasn't paying attention. My finger joints looked almost normal.

I have suffered swollen finger joints for several years; the onset of osteoarthritis, doctors say. I accepted the gradual gnarling of my hands and pretended not to notice. Now all but about three joints looked normal. I couldn't believe my eyes. I did not make immediate connection between the nutritional supplements and the restoration of my finger joints.

The past few years my feet have been painfully stiff during the first fifteen to twenty steps each morning. They had to work themselves back into flexibility, it seemed. Around the same time my finger joints lost much of their swelling, my feet stopped being inflexible at the start of each day. Those first steps in the mornings were painless. Finally I made the connection, or at least the connection I believe exists.

The nutritional supplement I am taking consists entirely of vegetable and fruit extracts. Could it be over the course of my life I had fueled my body improperly, which was causing middle-age onset malady, specifically osteoarthritis? Could it be by simply adding nutrients my diet has probably lacked for years and years my body was now getting more of the fuel it needed, lessening my symptoms of osteoarthritis? My Internet research shows I am far from alone in seeing such results.

One friend who shared skepticism asked, "Couldn't you just eat more fruits and vegetables and accomplish the same thing?" I am sure the answer is "yes". We could probably add six to nine servings of fruits and vegetables to our diets each day and restore our health. But, will we?

I believe most people, in spite of best efforts, do not put optimal fuel in their bodies. Eventually, inevitably (typically around middle age) the body starts to revolt, break down, and show results of chronic substandard nutrition and neglect.

What started out as a favor for a friend has proved a huge, surprise health benefit. I will not stop taking Juice Plus, thanks to my friend, David.