Re: Ask a doctor...
Your anecdotal stories are incredibly unrelated to the article. Did the whole building have similar symptoms as yours? Did all your friend's neighbours suffer from the knees and then got an operation? The key difference, and it's not a small one, is the number of people impacted by similar symptoms.
Also, doctors saying that "it's in your head" does not mean doctors saying "it's not real", that's pop culture. Psychosomatic symptoms are real, and treated in the best way they can by doctors. It's just not something you can pour antibiotics on.