fibromyalgia news

Yes I am

2010-03-18T07:09:00.000+02:00

I’ve been thinking about disability a lot lately. Dancing around the word itself, never quite daring to apply the word to me. Never quite daring to dip more than a toe into the water, so to speak. I’ll use the word indirectly, by tagging a post with ‘hidden disabilities’ or by saying ‘I feel disabled by X, Y and sometimes Z’, but that’s about as far as I’ve gone–and even that fills me with doubt as to whether I have the right to use these terms.

I’m not open about this kind of thing offline, in the workspace, even though there are a few people who know I have (unspecified) health issues.

But I’m not doing myself any favours by denying it.

Here’s a bit of backstory: my partner (R) & I came down with the flu last week. Being a bit feeble in the whole immune system area, I had a somewhat more severe case than R did. For the most part, she’s fully recovered whereas I’m still dealing with some lingering nastiness (productive cough, etc). The flu has also upped the usual fibromyalgia fun so I’m still waiting to see if that will settle back down. Anyway, the point to this backstory is that I had to take time off work–something I hate doing and hoped I wouldn’t have to do now that I’ve gone part time.

I was absent on Monday and Tuesday, made it in on Wednesday (oh god, I felt dreadful by the time I got home) and then I did something really stupid.

Even though I had a medical certificate to excuse my absence, even though I wasn’t the only one off with the flu, I fucking well went and volunteered to make up some of the lost time by working on Friday.

Because I felt guilty. Because I’d had two days off out of the three I’m supposed to work. Because I have serious anxiety problems about being sick, and was so convinced that I’d be fired that I offered to go in on Friday just to convince management I’m not a complete liability. Because I’m used to hoarding my sick days like treasure, as I never know when something nasty will flare up. Because I’ve spent the last year working my socks off trying to make up for time lost at doctors’ appointments, running myself into the ground and making myself sicker because sick days are precious, dammit.

Because I didn’t want my manager to think I was skiving, or being a slacker.

And that’s the heart of it. I don’t want anyone to think I’m lazy. I’m already working part time because I simply cannot cope with full time work any more, and I can’t stand the questions I get about it. I’m not open about my health conditions, and I have no acceptable answer when I’m asked what I do when I’m not at work. I’m not studying. I’m not bringing up children. What’s my excuse?

I have been doing so much soul-searching lately, and trying to come to terms with all the changes that have been going on. Trying to come to terms with the word disabled. I still can’t say it out loud, you know, that I have disabilities. A workmate once laughed when I mentioned something about disability discrimination, because I’m not in a wheelchair or anything. Of course I’m not disabled.

But I am. I am disabled, and I’m fucking angry about the way the world is set up right now. I’m angry about the way people with disabilities are always pictured with a nifty mobility aid so that they’re easier for the Able-Bodied to spot. I’m angry about the constant stress of the train journey to and from work, because I can’t stand for the length of the journey but don’t dare ask someone in priority seating to move because I don’t look disabled (unless it’s a day when I actually need my walking stick. Then people are very Sympathetic. I’m angry about that too).

I’m angry about the lack of part time jobs, job share opportunities, and flexibility with sick leave so that people like me find it easier to support ourselves. I’m angry because I’m finding it increasingly difficult to cope without a car–my doctors are scattered around Brisbane and I have to travel by train then bus to get there. I’m angry because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to learn to drive (anxiety), and so a routine trip to one of my doctors takes the best part of a day. I’m angry because being sick is a full-time job and there aren’t any days off. I’m angry because I have to work twice as hard as any abled person just to stay afloat, and I’m angry because they take this for granted and praise me for being so brave and committed to my job.

I’m angry about the way I feel awkward and ashamed and guilty of appropriation when I mouth the words I am disabled silently, alone in my room, because I’d never dare say it in public, because there’s a nasty little voice in the back of my head going no, no of course you’re not disabled, disabled people are all paralysed and stuff like that, they have SERIOUS problems, YOU are just lazy. And so I read wonderful articles like this and this and this in an attempt to silence that little voice, and sometimes I get close to smothering it, and sometimes I don’t.

Maybe it’ll never go away completely. Maybe it doesn’t have to. Maybe that voice isn’t what matters. Seaneen Molloy, in her Ouch! article on disability, says this:

It’s less about having a right to refer to myself as disabled and more about what right I have as a human being living with an illness that causes me disability.

The right to take my sick leave without pressuring myself into ‘making up time’ would be a start, I think.

posted by jeneli

[Via http://jeneli.wordpress.com]

Back to reading “Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” by Dr. Rodger Murphree

2010-03-14T07:48:00.000+02:00

I am so sorry I have been not reading and updating you guys. Life got in the way, which made me too tired at night to read.

Well, I’m back to now. I really want to have this book read by March 25th because my support group meets and the topic is on books about Fibromyalgia.

Enough chit chat. Here we go!

Part 3: Your Path to Healing – Chapter 6: Why Conventional Medicine Alone Can’t Beat Your Illness

(portions of this blog came from Dr. Rodger Murphree’s book)

This chapter is very long so I will list some of the key points:

Conventional medical treatments of FMS and CFS focus on controlling various symptoms. Physicians generally rely on pain medications of various sorts, muscle relaxants and tranquilizers, antidepressants, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines. Unfortunately, as you already know, these drugs rarely yield lasting results.
But conventional medicine has its limits, and our quick-fix society has gotten out of hand. So much of modern medicine is about covering up our symptoms with drugs, rather than treating the causes that are to blame for the symptoms. This is like trying to mop the wet kitchen floor while ignoring the leaky roof.
Many drugs are associated with side effects, and the majority don’t actually cure anything. Treating symptoms doesn’t translate to better health. We’ve got to stop thinking “just stop the pain” and start thinking “let’s fix the problem”.
Short-term use of drugs to mask unwanted symptoms is certainly appreciated by both patient and doctor. But FMS and CFS are not short-term illnesses. And drugs used to treat these symptoms can lead to dependence and further complications. One drug’s side effects can initiate new symptoms, which must then be treated by more drugs.
With so many different symptoms, it’s no surprise that fibromyalgia and CFS patients are typically taking 6-12 different prescription drugs.
Many of the most commonly prescribed drugs for fibromyalgia have side effects that are similar or identical to the symptoms of FMS or CFS. These similarities can cause a lot of confusion when doctors are trying to determine the effectiveness of treatment.
It’s important to realize that your drug or drugs can be causing or contributing to some or all of your symptoms.
Drugs deplete essential nutrients that the body needs to properly function, but it can take weeks, months or even years for the drug to fully deplete the nutrient and for you to see the side effects surface.

One question and point made by Dr. Murphree was “How many folks with fibromyalgia get well under the care of a traditional rheumatologist? I speak to fibromyalgia support groups across North America, and I can tell you what the answer is: very few. The three-month wait for a new patient appointment typically ends in a two-hour interview and exam followed by a 10 minute visit to discuss test results, and then several prescription drugs and a follow-up appointment every 3-6 months”.

The next part of the chapter lists some drugs commonly used to treat fibromyalgia. Along with information on the drugs, possible side effects are listed. Your experiences may be different from what’s described, but be sure to read about the drugs you are taking. See if they might be causing some of your symptoms. If you suspect they are, work with your doctor to slowly wean off of them.

(unfortunately, this part was very long so you are going to have to read the book for information and side effects)

NSAIDS (Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
Narcotic Analgesics
Sleep Aids
Antidepressants
Tranquilizers
Benzodiazepines
Anticonvulsant Drugs
Beta-Blockers
Stimulants
Statin Drugs

The last part of the chapter is about Treating with Natural Medicine.

Natural medicine uses naturally occurring foods, vitamines, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and herbal supplements to augment the nutritional status, and therefore the health of the body.
Herbs have always been integral to the practice of medicine.
In general, herbal medicines work in much the same way as do conventional pharmaceutical drugs, via their chemical makeup. Herbs contain a large number of naturally occurring chemicals and those chemicals have biological activity.
Herbal medicines should be prescribed by a professional who is familiar with the actions and interactions of herbals and prescription medications.

I really liked this statement from Dr. Murphree: “Prescription medications can, in some cases, be helpful, but they can never take the place of our own self-regulating, God-given healing mechanisms”.

More and more doctors are turning to nutritional medicine. The tide is turning and conventional medicine is beginning to lose some of its luster.

The next chapter is: Chapter 7: Treating with Orthomolecular Medicine

[Via http://fibro2010.wordpress.com]

Pain is my new alarm clock

2010-03-13T15:17:00.000+02:00

Okay, this is really starting to make me mad… for two weeks straight now, pain has been my alarm clock… After an on-and-off tossing and turning- maddening kind of sleep I get woken up sharply (and way too early) by pain. There has to be a better way…

I am taking a boat-load of medication at night, and I am sure under normal circumstances it would knock an elephant out!! WHY oh why is it that I can’t get more than 3 hours of sleep?!? Grrrr…… it might be another long day.

Again this morning, pain had me out of bed before I could even open my eyes… It is so intense that I can barely breathe, and I am struggling to sit here at the moment… but I thought I would write SOMETHING down as I wait for my meds to kick in.. at least this way I have a distraction. I am MAKING myself go back to bed today… I really don’t want to, but I absolutely have to get some rest…. I am running on empty here, and the fumes are almost gone as well… If I stall out, it won’t be a pretty picture, THAT is for sure!!

On days like this, I try to remember what I was like BEFORE pain hit.. I know that once upon a time I didn’t feel this way, I slept like “normal” people do…. I woke up to my kitty scratching at my feet and the sounds of music blaring from my radio… I turned over and went back to la-la land on weekends… I coveted the “sleeping in” ritual…. I know I did, but I just cannot make a connection to those days anymore…. it all seems so distant and unreal to me now….. With each day that passes I remember less and less about what it was like to live a life with no pain.

I am not asking for much I don’t think…. 5 hours of sleep each night… peaceful, restful, healing sleep…. I would love to be woken up by my son at the bedroom door, or by my kitty wanting to get scratches and love… I would even be THRILLED to be woken up by the garbage truck outside on the street…. All the things that people complain about, I would LOVE to experience…. because it has to be better than what I’ve got now…

My meds are starting to work now, and the shock that I felt an hour ago is being replaced with exhaustion…. so I am heading back to bed…

Whatever it is you are doing this weekend, I hope you are doing it with a smile in your heart, and less pain in your body… You all keep me going some days… and I wanted to thank you for being my strength at times when I cannot seem to muster any up on my own…

Yawn… stretch… ouch…. time to go back to bed…

**If you are reading this anywhere other than www.gracefulagony.wordpress.com it is because this post has been stolen. Please click on the link provided to return to the site of origin

[Via http://gracefulagony.wordpress.com]

Bust a Move

2010-03-13T07:31:00.000+02:00

It’s time for me to bust a move, again.

Walking has always been my thing, whether it was my escape or my salvation. At first, I’d “take a walk” when I was running away from home, at age five, with a little suitcase in hand. Later, I learned walking would allow me the quiet time I craved to have my creative thoughts and bright ideas. I’d make my big plans, groove out to music, and perhaps most importantly, walking would calm me down when I was upset or pissed off, and being a Sicilian, I got PISSED OFF, especially since my life had thrown me a lot of challenges and obstacles. Walking just instantly makes me happier, and there has been rarely a day I haven’t walked in my entire life, except for this past year with some health things going on, like neuropathy pain and my hysterectomy recovery, although the hospital did have me walking at 6 am the following morning, those bastards. But you know what I mean – I’m … just a walker.

I learned to walk everywhere as a kid, mainly because I never had a bike until I was in college. When my friends would go for a bike rides, I’d have to walk or jog along side them if one of their extra bikes was already in use. My mom was not one of those mothers who would drive me all over the place, especially since she was a raving lunatic when it came to driving, and a nutty unmedicated bipolar the rest of the time. To this day she still brakes at every intersection, every single block. When she had to drive me to college at Michigan State, it would take us three hours to get there, more than twice the normal time. But as a kid, she seriously charged me $2 for a one-way ride, which I couldn’t afford unless The Big A was with me. But, when The Big A was with me, the price then went up to $4 total, $2 a piece, which of course The Big A paid, but we didn’t always get our money’s worth. My favorite memory of my mother’s driving was when The Big A and I had been stuck without coats on a cold and rainy November school night, about a mile away from home, and we were forced to call my mom to come get us. Not only did my mom’s 20-year-old car have no floor in the back seats, but on this night it did not also have working windshield wipers, so she and my brother had to roll down their windows, and pull the heavy rope that was tied to each blade. We got soaked from the open windows, and the ride took us like 30 minutes because she could barely drive with one hand, with all of her stops at each block, not to mention the water splashed up from the floor, where we already were holding on to our feet in the air above where the car floor was supposed to be. If we had walked home, we would have been drier, safer, and less soaked. I once told this story to a college friend who laughed for over an hour, so trust me, the story is even funnier than it sounds. So, needless to say, I learned sometimes it is just easier to walk than ask for a ride.

I walked everywhere until I was 25 years old and finally got my driver’s license. Oh, how I was terrified to learn how to drive, especially since I had been the passenger in a number of near-death car accidents. Plus, the first two times I ever tried to drive I nearly crashed both times, but I suppose it was because I was blind as a bat and went by the name Squint until I got contacts at age 16. Walking in high school wasn’t a problem, as my friends lived close and my boyfriends always had cars. But at college, I had spent years walking between 40 – 60 miles a week, walking all over campus, especially since I always managed to live far away from campus and work. I did get my first bike ever during my first week of college, but on the third day I was hit by a chinese dude in front of Brody Complex who managed to drag both me and the bike without noticing, and the bike was never the same since, very hard to ride. I mainly walked, or friends occasionally drove me to class or work. My last year at State I moved eight miles away from the bar I worked at, and my friends basically banded together and forced me to get a car, because they knew it was time. I was completely terrified, as I grew up with that crazy lady driver and had no idea how to drive, even though I somehow passed my driver’s test at Secretary of State. I think the guy just felt pitty for me because my friend forced her way into my driving test and she kept telling me not to crash her car since she had just crashed it drunk-driving three months earlier, and her dad would kill her if she had to get it fixed again. I lived at State just three more months before moving to Las Vegas, and I never once drove on campus or downtown East Lansing once I got that car.

Life has just come full cycle for me, because last month we had to go down to one car, and I am hoofing it back and forth to my volunteer jobs. With my husbands schedule, there really isn’t a way for me to drive him back and forth to work to keep the car at home, trust me, it is a long story. I don’t really mind that much, because I can walk anywhere in town if I need to go somewhere. When we have events, then it’ll suck trying to arrange four people’s schedules, but we will cross those bridges when we come to them. Truth be told, I’m having a really hard time walking right now, because my knees and back are killing me. But, I just tell myself “too bad” and I’ve begun my hard-core spring training this week, but I’m moving pretty slow, according to the hubs. I still walk, because I know walking will make me feel better in the long run.

I’m a little broken down these days since I have Degenerative Joint and Disk Disease, and it is everywhere – my feet, my knees, my SI Joint (The spot where a tramp stamp would go) my L-Spine, my C-Spine, and my hands. I’ve got bone spurs in both of my feet and one in my neck, and I need spine surgery in two places because I have seven disks that are torn, bulged, and/or herniated, and one of them is also pushing on my root nerve in my neck. I even wore leg braces for 18 months until my doctor found out it was making my knees worse. Oh, I have Fibromyalgia, too, so I have to worry about weird pains from things like my shirt and pants touching my skin. Seriously. I know that sounds nuts, and trust me, it makes me feel nuts, but it happens to me daily. Right now almost every piece of clothing I wear is plushy or soft or smooth. I can’t do heavy, tight or polyester. When I found this sports bra for $10, I could have died, because it is soft, supportive, yet loose, and still manages to give me a decent-looking rack. Thank you Walmart!

I had to update my walking clothes, because the last thing a girl wants is to feel more miserable when they already are miserable when they walk. I realized I had two pairs of Nike’s, and one pair was three years old, the other was five years old. I keep my clothing pretty nice, so you’d never know it by looking at them. I bought a new pair (at a bargain price, because I am the bargain hunter) and when I walk in them it feels like heaven. I had forgotten that cushion-y feeling Nike’s give me, and it was the best $ I’ve spent all year.

I also want to walk more for fun, because I am tired of being in this house. Naturally, my iPod died the same week I had to turn in my car, so I had to get a new one, because I can’t walk that long without music. I’m so mad, because this was my original iPod, so it was only a few years old. I suppose it was time for it to die, because they don’t build things to last. I have a stereo at my mom’s house that is twenty years old that had been moved all around the US, playing at 10 pretty much 24/7, with beer and booze spilled into it a million times. But an iPod that is built with ”modern technology” only last six years, so go figure. I got the iPod Touch, which is the love of my life, but the 8 Gig didn’t go very far, so now I’m mad I can only squeeze in 900 songs. Here she is, in my fancy arm band that was $5 and it fits people like me who suffer from “fat-arm syndrome,” or FAS.

And, here are the best pair of pants I have ever worn. I need like 15 more pairs and I really wish I was rich so I could buy some more. Since I lost some weight over the past year, all of my workout clothes are either from 2003, 2005 or are a size fat. I’m still wearing all of them because I don’t really care about them being faded or baggy, because no one sees me, but still, I needed one cute outfit, for those days when I expect to run into people, because, I always run into people. My goodness, did I ever find the best feeling pair of pants in my life. Nike’s of course, but they were also on sale, because who the hell can afford their normal $50 price tag? Nothing in my workout collection ever cost me more than $11.99 at Kohls, so I feel like royalty today when I put them on to work out. Oh, yes … one of my volunteer jobs has a gym and I can work out for free, which is so cool, but totally killing my arse.

Walking is like this free, magical drug that helps prevent all sorts of medical conditions. It improves a person’s health in so many ways, yet I don’t see enough people doing it, or at least in Michigan they aren’t, since we are a state that loves our cars and we don’t have trains, subways, or even extended bus routes. I’d have to walk maybe 10 miles until I could catch a bus, but then that bus would only take me to Detroit or by a mall or shopping center. I’d much rather live like a New Yorker, taking trains and hoofing it. I know some of you readers do walk or run daily, or do other forms of exercise, which is great, but I don’t understand why people, as a general rule, don’t walk more. Heck, even my own kids whine when I force them to walk to the ice cream place, and it isn’t even a mile away. Why have we moved away from walking and loving the outdoors to staying inside to exercise, or to just not exercise at all? I rarely see kids outside playing in my stepchildren’s neighborhood, and rarely in my own, and I think back to my childhood in the 70s and 80s, when as kids we were basically forced to stay outside and play until the streetlights come on. I’m not trying to be preachy, I’m just lamenting walking “falling out of fashion.”

[Via http://thegirlfromtheghetto.wordpress.com]

Could not Do It Again

2010-03-04T15:53:00.000+02:00

So, I am sad to say that today the illness has ruled me. When I got up this morning, I was in tears. I gave it my best shot to get up and get dresses. Even the hot shower did not do anything to aid in my relief, so I called in.

I really hate not being at work. I hate letting this thing beat me! I was doing so good all week. All I wanted to do this week is stay in bed and just feel like a person. I had 1 day this week were I didn’t feel like the living dead and that was Tuesday. The fates were looking out for me that day as far as pain goes.

So there may be many posts for the day, as I have nothing else to do but sit in bed watching TV or playing on my laptop.

[Via http://livingwiththepain.wordpress.com]

Having A Wonderful Supervisor

2010-03-04T07:06:00.000+02:00

I have a wonderful Supervisor at work.

She understands my situation with Fibromyalgia. She told me that she has a dear friend with it and helps her out when she needs the support to carry on. It really helps to have someone on your side that truly understands. She doesn’t know the extent of the pain, as she has never experienced it herself, but she can see it.

The other day I went to her office for a meeting and she was looking at her computer when I first sat down. When she finally looked at me, she said to me, “This is a bad day, I’m sorry let me know if there is something I can do.” I was amased because I was smiling and talking to her just with a smile in my voice.

She could tell by my facial expression that she actually knew, so she just said the “rocking.” I didn’t even know that I was rocking. It’s something that I have been told that I do when the pain gets really bad. Unconsciously, I rock because the motion actually helps ease the pain, even for just a moment.

Anytime I really need something that has to do with my pain, she is willing to help in any way possible. My boyfriend even has someone in another department that is looking out for me. It’s nice to know that people care, and I am glad that I am not taking advantage of the assistance that is offered. I don’t want them to think that I take things for granted and that I truly appreciate the things that they do, no matter the efforts.

[Via http://livingwiththepain.wordpress.com]

Acceptance? Maybe...

2010-02-23T15:47:00.000+02:00

Have I been judgmental of disabled people? I never thought so… but I’ve never been one either. Until the past few years. But I’ve been judging myself for my lack of ability to do anything. I’ve berated myself for my laziness and motivation, kicking myself… trying to make my body do what it used to… and it just doesn’t listen!

I have gone from an independent person, to an invalid. Basically that is the deal. And I’ve fought it…. to no avail. My body has not cooperated.

Whether this ends up being chronic fatigue or something else, I have not been able to do much of anything for nearly 2 years now. It has been longer, but the worst of it hit right after my father’s death the end of June, 2008. I am just beginning to be able to do some things if I rest up for it.

I’ve never been skinny… far from it… but I have enjoyed a very independent life. I’ve been able to do what I’ve wanted. I’ve never been in perfect health or shape… but I’ve always enjoyed exercise and weight training when I could fit it into my life. Right now, the old ladies in the arthritis swim class can kick my butt… I can’t keep up with them. Aaargh! And they go 3 times a week… I can barely handle once, because it takes me a week (no joke) to recover for the next class.

I was even too wiped out to keep up on here for most of it. It has taken everything I have to take care of my 4 kids… and even then, only the basics! I miss you all…

I’m seeing a new doctor, a neurologist, who is doing a slew of tests… so we’ll see what it comes down to. But I finally have to accept the fact that for the time being, this body has stopped working the way it is meant to work. I hope it starts again soon, because I am feeling just enough better now to be BORED SILLY!!!! And really depressed.

[Via http://tobeafool.wordpress.com]

Rain

2010-02-20T23:43:00.000+02:00

“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.”

~ Langston Hughes

It is pouring with rain in the city tonight and to hear that drenching sound is to have my spirit refreshed. After the humidity of the past few weeks, it is so good to have cooler nights.

I’ve loved nights like this since I was a little girl, when I would sit with my father on the front stoop, licking an ice block and thinking there was no one cooler than my Dad. I sat out on the balcony tonight thinking about him. His 71st birthday would have been last Tuesday. I miss him on when it rains, but I’m glad of it because it means I won’t forget him.

Rain is such a refreshing thing: the ground gets a good water, the dams hopefully get their fill, and the smell that rises up from grass is a potent summer memory.

It’s also an opportunity to rest. The past few weeks have been incredibly busy and on nights (and days) like this I want to snuggle up with a book and exert no more energy than I have to, maybe spend some time fixing stuff around house neglected during my working week.

Lately my home has looked somewhat dingy, just because I’ve not had the energy to clean it often. Often when I finish up work for the day, the choices are make dinner or clean up. Dinner comes first, and I tackle the clean up in the morning when my hands have eased off.

It’s been five years since the RA was diagnosed, 2 since the fibro. I realised the other day that I don’t remember what it’s like to live without pain. I was talking to a girlfriend about it (she has lupus) and we were discussing how different life is when you live with chronic pain.

She has had to give up work to ensure she can care for her young son, and she said, ‘I don’t envy people who have to work and run a household when they have chronic health problems. My choices are simple ones because I have a wonderful, supportive husband who knows what I need even when I don’t. And my family are brilliant at being there when I need them. Not everyone has that – I’m grateful for it.’

Sitting out here in the rain is meditative, which clears a calm space in my head. The visit with my friend had initially made me a little envious that she had such a great man in her life who supported her and such a close family. It got me to thinking about how fragmented my own support system is here, and the downside of independence being that often my relationships have been rooted in the knowledge that I will move on at some point.

So the question begs, when you can’t move on from chronic illness (even though you can manage it well), how do you develop an accepting, compassionate relationship with it?

[Via http://crackedbetty.wordpress.com]

Depression Problem what people can accomplish with it

2010-02-18T21:18:00.000+02:00

Well we collaborate more or less devaluation I hear a few of you believe that family that are sick but always thinking negatively. If we would have in support of a while more apprehension attitude towards family that suffer from depression, there should already suffering ago.

A neurotransmitter test is the best way to identify and correct neurotransmitter imbalances before they become authoritarian enough to cause symptoms such as Depression, Fibromyalgia.

Increased risk in support of depression and suicide is much publicized but probably bloody.

For several patients it is mildly annoying, in support of others it can be very distressing, withdrawal and depression and suicidal ideation.

There are a number of reported suicides and suicide attempts in people taking isotretinoin; however, the connection between isotretinoin and suicide or depression is not known.

Removing buffalo hide layers to halt wrinkles or alternating depressions is an high-spirited way to regain smoother, more youthful looking buffalo skin.

This approach is even more useful in treating depression caused by thyroid dysfunction.

If depression is accompanied by EDS, antidepressants with activating merits (eg.

In Reference to

Depression, Elaine Fantle Shimberg, 1996

Children of the Great Depression, Russell Freedman, 2005

How to Heal Depression, Harold H. Bloomfield, Peter McWilliams, 1996

If your adolescent has depression or bipolar disorder, Dwight L. Evans, Linda Wasmer Andrews, 2005

Depression, Steven Richards, Michael G. Perri, 2002

Depression, Edzard Ernst, 1998

Depression, Markus Gastpar, 2002

Approved Links

Depression

Living with chronic depression

Indianapolis Weight Dr

Counseling and Psychological Services

Depression

Atypical Depression

Chronic Depression

Depression Problem what people can accomplish with it is filed under Depression.

[Via http://kushmanda.wordpress.com]

Being a Parent With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

2010-02-16T23:27:00.000+02:00

Cover via Amazon

Parenthood is enough of a challenge when you’re healthy, and with an illness like fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, it’s especially difficult. I know it’s something I struggle with every day, and a recent comment left by a reader put our common struggle into words really well:

“I still feel like I’m letting my kids down because I’m not able to do/be/have enough energy to give them everything they need. But at least, I guess, they’re learning that when Mom says in answer to, ‘Can we go/do…….?’ ‘It depends on how I’m feeling’ really means just what it says. I try to say ‘yes’ some of the time for little things and make sure I’m able to follow through, but I feel like I’m saying ‘No’ constantly.

I’ve lost many so-called ‘friends’ because of my inability to make plans, but it’s with my children that I *really* feel guilty.”

-A.

Like her, I try to say “yes” and give my children fun times, but unfortunately they have to settle for “I’ll try” far too often.

I’ve said before that we have to learn to accept certain things, and this is another one of those things. It may well be the hardest one to accept, though, because we all want to give our children so much, and it’s hard to think about them missing out on meaningful experiences because mommy or daddy is sick.

While I can’t always choose fun activities for the kids over things like laundry and housework, I do put off the mundane now and then so that I have the energy. I also look for things that they can enjoy that are also low-key for me — a play area at a park or inside the mall, a children’s museum we have in town, places where I can sit and watch them. My kids are also lucky enough to have a dad who’s great about taking them to do stuff while I stay home, or who involves them in household projects and makes it fun.

I don’t know that any of us can ever truly get past feeling like we’re short-changing our children, but I think kids with chronically ill parents probably do learn some valuable skills. My kids have had to be especially self-sufficient and learn to entertain themselves. Having seen kids whose parents do every little thing for them, I’m proud that mine are able to do so much for themselves — and you know what? They’re proud of themselves, as well.

My kids have also learned early that illness is just part of life. They’re very compassionate, and they aren’t uncomfortable around sick or injured people. They’re at the doctor’s office with me enough that it’s not a strange or scary place for them. They’ve even seen acupuncture and cupping performed. I do think it’s possible, however, for kids who are around chronic illness to worry too much about their own minor illnesses and bumps and bruises — that’s something we’re working on with my son.

In some ways, I think it’s been easier on my kids that my fibromyalgia developed when they were little — my son was 4 and my daughter was 1.5. They don’t remember the year I spent laying on the couch in excruciating pain, and they don’t remember when I was healthy. This is just how mom is to them. In my forum, we’ve talked about the differences in how kids react based on age, and it seems like teenagers have the hardest time. That makes sense; they’re going through major changes already, and then all of a sudden a parent can no longer fill the accustomed role. That can create a lot of insecurity. No matter the children’s ages, though, family counseling might be something to consider, so that everyone can work toward acceptance of the situation.

I think we need to remember 2 things when raising children while living with a chronic illness:

1. We cannot judge our parenting skills based on other people’s expectations, and

2. We need to be honest with our children.

I know, number 1 is easier said than done, but it’s crucial. It doesn’t do us any good to beat ourselves up over what we can’t do. I’ve had to ignore my mother, who tells me I “just can’t be on the couch all day” when I’m home with my daughter. It’s easy for her to say that from 670 miles away, when she’s still has the energy at 64 to babysit my niece and nephew, but what can I do about it? Some days, it’s all I can do to provide basic meals for my family, and if I don’t rest in between I won’t even be able to do that. I have to focus on the basics, and anything beyond that is a bonus. Martha Beck, who’s now a life coach (you may have seen her on Oprah) and fibromyalgia advocate says she raised her children from a king-sized bed. Do what you can, and make sure they know they’re loved. That’s all any parent can do.

As for number 2, I think it’s important not to underestimate our children. Now 5 and almost 8, my kids can tell you a lot about anatomy because we’ve always explained as much to them as they could understand. They know I have limitations, they’ve seen what happens when I do too much, and they rarely seem upset when I say, “I can’t.” While just saying that makes me a little sad, I have to wonder if it’s not a good lesson, in a society where instant gratification is the norm.

How has your illness impacted your parenting? How has it effected your children? What has helped? Do other people give you guilt trips over what you can’t do? Leave your comments below!

Article source: Being a Parent With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

My First Award!

2010-02-16T07:11:00.000+02:00

Not too long ago I made a comment, in passing, that I have yet to earn any awards for my blogging efforts. Truth be told, I don’t really think I deserve any awards for my blogging. My posts are pretty splotchy as far as consistency goes as I am kind of scattered about with my time and commitments. My family, my passions, and my part-time job keep me away from indulging in my writing as much as I would like. But, as I visit other blogs, all very good ones, I can’t help but admire the badges and awards posted proudly on their pretty spaces. It feels good to be recognized, doesn’t it?

Well, today I received an unexpected and most delightful gift, that certainly put a smile on my face. A fellow blogger and individual who also happens to live with chronic pain surprised me with the gift of The Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award!

This is such an act of kindness on behalf of the giver, more so than I think they could even know! I am just joyful about it, it is such a warm fuzzy kind of feeling. So, it is with receiving this gift that I am also given the opportunity to share it with others. The rule goes that I must share 10 things about myself in this post and then spread the love with a handful of other bloggers, so here goes…

1. I am a hopeless romantic. You’d never guess it, because I frown upon most kinds of romance movies and the incurable disease of romanticism that they promote. I refuse to go see most… I think it is mean, to give our fragile minds the thought that movie romance actually exists, hmmpf! I don’t like sappy stuff so much, in regular life, but when it comes to poetry, art, or music… (oh wait, maybe flowers and jewelry, too) I am all sap. Romance has been infused, somewhere along the way, into my blood.

2. I can get along without (well, without name brands, etc)…I don’t need fancy stuff to be happy, but I secretly would LOVE to live extravagantly. I know, I know, it goes beyond all reason, it doesn’t even fit in well with my desire to be more aware of our environment and to live “green”, but it’s horribly true.

3. I can’t believe I am admitting this, but … I love the Jonas Brothers! Ha, I said it. I have followed the band with my 10 year old daughter, since they were just getting their start, and I just can’t help myself now. I think they are adorable and I truly do like a lot of their music. They get me pumped up and I have a great time listening to their music with my daughter.

4. I love my children with all of my heart, all of it. (This should be number one on the list!) They are so amazing and beautiful and just the most miraculous things to have come into my life. Because of them, I can find purpose when I feel that I have none. But, I often wonder if I am a good enough mom. It comes with the territory I guess…but I do sometimes wonder…

5. I am terrified of Statistics, as in the college course. I am approximately one semester shy of completing my Bachelor’s degree, but I have hesitated, in large part, to complete it because of this one coarse…”Psych 300: Psychological Statistics”. There have been other obstacles as well, but the biggest one between me and my degree is that one single course. It has held me at bay for 10 years now. I think it is getting close to time for me to face my fear, don’t you?

6. I am pretty introverted at this point in my life. Once I open up and get to know you…no longer an introvert. But I don’t like big groups, I much prefer one on one conversations and small gatherings. Large groups are very uncomfortable for me. I’m working on that.

7. If I could listen to live music (good music, of coarse) every single night of the week I would. That would really be the best thing ever!!!

8. I don’t like the cold. I want warmth. I want scenery. I want SUNSHINE.

9. I am afraid of never feeling “normal” again. I am afraid of failing at my goals to become more physically fit and to be well, to be free from fibromyalgia and mental health issues. I am afraid of my “flaws” haunting me forever… and I am afraid that I am my biggest obstacle.

10. I am a dreamer, I have some big (and some little) dreams inside my tender head, many of which I truly hope to realize. Dreams are good, so I will hold onto them.

And now the time to award the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award to other wonderful bloggers:

Marie @SpreadingJoy “Spreading Joy Corporation“

Jamie @fightingdepression “Fighting the Darkness”

Teia @vinamist “Just Breathe“

Kelvin @kelvinringold “Ramblings Lite” ( I hope he doesn’t mind being called a Sugar Doll, ‘cuz he sure is one, albeit a masculine one)

These are just a couple that I could come up with tonight, all special and unique. Every blog I seem to come across has something magnificent to offer and I am blessed abundantly by those who share through their writing. Please forgive me if I did not mention yours, because You deserve an award, too! =)

[Via http://unavitabella.com]

All the sitting you do is killing you, new research says

2010-02-11T15:16:00.000+02:00

How many articles can you find if you google sitting increase heart disease??? WOW too many. Egoscue Portland listed just a few: All the sitting you do is killing you, new research says

Bits from the blog: The studies found for every hour spent watching TV (sitting still) was associated with an 18% increase in heart disease deaths and an 11% increase in deaths overall. People who watched TV at least 4 hours a day were 80% more likely to die of heart disease than those who watched less than 2 hours a day. By the way, Americans watch an average of 5 hours of TV a day.

This is what Pete Egoscue has been saying for years: humans are build to move and move constantly. In The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion Pete says…

Take a moment to read this whole blog : All the sitting you do is killing you, new research says

[Via http://palmbeachegoscue.wordpress.com]

Smoking Cessation Therapy- What To "Expect"

2010-02-09T23:54:00.000+02:00

Pacific Laser Therapy Center’s smoking cessation therapy consists of three sessions. From my experience most clients require only one session (I have treated many clients successfully with a 92% success rate however since brain chemistry and initial response is idiosyncratic the protocol is three 60-90 minute sessions to quell any lingering physical withdrawal.

The first session consists of extensive intake (addiction inventory) where I investigate the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how” per their smoking behavior. I literally walk through an average day with a client and craft a “new daily life schedule.” This schedule empowers the client to create a new life routine which is very powerful in quelling the self-destructive addictive tendencies of the nicotine addict. I also teach my client powerful and practical CBT techniques which assist the client in “releasing” the cigarette (or negative or troubling thoughts or feelings such as doubt, etc) thought. The laser therapy session in itself only takes 25 minutes to complete.

All three sessions consist of: cold laser session, CBT-like “releasing therapy,” beta wave relaxation. Every client takes home a very informative and easy to follow-up aftercare kit as well as a positive affirmation CD in a cool tote bag.

[Via http://pltcsb.wordpress.com]

the state of things

2010-02-06T23:09:00.000+02:00

I haven’t been seriously depressed for about a month now. The Pristiq made me very-very-happy at first which lead to a minor burnout, but now everything seems to have stabilised and I haven’t had any strange thoughts or hallucinations or compulsions. Admittedly, I have been breaking down into hysterical tears & contemplating overdosing or stopping all my medication completely, but this isn’t depression–this is me being overwhelmed by everything and completely at the end of my tether with all things medical.

I have a swelling at the base of my spine.The swelling has gone down a bit now, but it’s been very painful and hot to the touch. I can’t bend properly. Sometimes I can’t walk properly because the stiffness radiates out to my hips. I’ve had stiffness and pain and spasms in that area for seven months, but this swelling isn’t likely to be fibromyalgia as that doesn’t cause inflammation. However, I’m not actually sure what it is and none of the options appear to be nice ones. When the first words out of your GP’s mouth are ‘Any history of ankylosing spondylitis in the family?’ you kind of want to just stab yourself and have done with it. (Incidentally, I almost died of shock when my mum said ‘oh, your granddad has that!’ yesterday. Turns out he has spondylitis in the neck, not ankylosing spondylitis–but omfg, almost had a heart attack.)

I’ve had an X-ray and an ultrasound done. They were both incredibly painful experiences, but the results were completely normal. So yay, I don’t have a tumour? And yay, my bones haven’t fused together? That’s something at least. But I’m still waiting for the results of my blood tests to see if my rheumatoid factor has gone up or if my white count is elevated as I could have a spine infection. My rheumatoid factor was normal last time I had the test done, in June, but apparently you can be symptomatic for a while before things show up in the bloodwork. Also, there is a family history of rheumatoid arthritis. That being said, the x-ray didn’t indicate any bone deterioration so maybe this is just a soft tissue problem.

So tired with all of this. I can’t face the thought of seeing any of my doctors. I burst into tears last time I saw the endocrinologist because she was talking about radioactive iodine therapy again as my thyroid just WON’T give up, and I can’t deal with that. I just can’t. I just can’t be bothered any more. I’m sick of things going wrong. I’m sick of being disappointed when tests come back normal–it’s not that I WANT a horrible disease because I don’t. I just want to know what’s wrong with me so I can fix it and move on.

posted by

[Via http://jeneli.wordpress.com]

Vi vs. the Deviant Septum

2010-02-02T23:42:00.000+02:00

Today, I received a call from my doctor, telling me I have a deviated septum and thats why I have been on the receiving end of a barrage of sinus infections. Due to having fibromyalgia (short definition Im in pain everyday; long definition click here lazy ass), I have to get MRIs regularly so my doctors can check out my joints, muscles and other stuff that I dont really understand or care about because bottom line, I still hurt every damn day.

Anyway, a combination of poor bone structure and breaking my nose 22 times while I was in high school (yes, even as a thin teen I was kluzty and accident prone), caused my septum to veer off course. It began smoking and abusing over the counter cough syrup, told its parents to shove MIT he was joining a motorcycle gang and would backpack across Europe.

My doctor suggested putting it in some kind of Christian reprogramming camp, I believe the medical term is “septoplasty”. Being a big ol wuss I am avoiding surgery like the plague or those little demon girls selling thin mints outside of Randalls.

before and my nightmare after

My doctor assures me that I wont look as plastic as Ashlee Simpson after the surgery, but Im not sure I can trust a man who always matches his tie with his socks.

And in before you assholes tell me “ASHLEE IS GORGE-OUS!!!!” I never said she was ugly, I said she looked plastic and frankly unnatural. Call me crazy but I find the beauty in the flaws.

[Via http://muyfabuloso.wordpress.com]

Problems with Diagnosis for Fibromyalgia Sufferers

2010-01-31T23:14:00.000+02:00

This week, after flipping through older posts and recently talking to one of my friends (I had a great night out Thursday without the boyfriend,) I realized that I mention fibromyalgia often without explaining what it is. I also remembered that most people probably have no idea what fibro is or isn’t considering most people’s interaction with the syndrome is drug commercials. So since fibromyalgia is a very complex syndrome with more theories than answers, I will slowly be doing a series of posts as crash course on the overall syndrome and my first hand experience with it. I also think that one of the things that’s hurting people with fibromyalgia the most (from limited research to not being diagnosed) is a lack of awareness and understanding in the medical community, people who have or have loved ones that have the syndrome, and by the general population. For this post, I’ll start with a brief overview, diagnosis and problems that face diagnosis.

Quite simply in medical Greek “fibromyalgia” means “muscle pain” and that is the only symptom that all fibromyalgia patients have in common. More specifically, fibromyalgia is chronic pain that is widespread throughout the body (has to be in all four quadrants.) However, most people with fibro exhibit at least one (if not many) of other symptoms from an extensive list of potential symptoms or related conditions (i.e. for me, chronic fatigue, gluten sensitivity, headaches, reactive hypoglycemia, nerve pain, mental fog also called fibro-brain, and muscle spasms.)

Fibromyalgia is a difficult condition to truly diagnose (no blood test, no x-rays, nothing conclusive,) and is thus a popular syndrome for hypochondriacs to mimic, which also hurts the overall credibility of the syndrome to many people. Another problem facing the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is that many people can go to many different doctors without being diagnosed. I remember having symptoms of fibromyalgia as early as 10, but was not diagnosed (despite going to many doctors) until I was almost 21. The reason for this is that fibromyalgia symptoms can overlap with other conditions that a doctor is more familiar with, and thus a patient can go for years misdiagnosed, or because there are no conclusive laboratory tests for fibromyalgia, many doctors assume that the patient’s pain is not real. I spent many years dealing with both kinds of doctors. My general doctor that my parents always dragged me to would test me for hypothyroidism, and when that came back negative, he would tell me I was just depressed and that all my symptoms were caused by depression, never mind that I clearly explained that I was starting to feel depressed from feeling like crap all the time and being unable to function properly. Many Orthopedists I went to assumed I was a hypochondriac or quite simply “didn’t know what to tell me,” instead of looking more closely at my chart, realizing I had been there more often than most people end up in their lives, and had me sent to a doctor that could have checked me for conditions that cause chronic (mostly phantom) pain.

Another huge problem with fibromyalgia diagnosis is the everyday treatment of the people who have it by their loved ones. Two of the biggest problems I had growing up was having symptoms that most people associate with illness, like headaches or feeling achy like the flu, but never coming down with anything and having very minor injuries feel like major injuries from anywhere between an hour and a few days. My parents assumed I was a hypochondriac that wanted attention or didn’t want to go to school, or that I was quite simply “a wimp.” As much hurt and pain their assumptions have caused me mentally and emotionally, the logical part of me does understand that they didn’t know better since no doctors had suggested it, the internet was in its infancy, and information about the syndrome was hard to come by. But it is because of this history of being called “a wimp” that caused me to assume that my pain was normal, that everyone always felt achy and slightly twisted ankles always hurt so bad. So I admit there was a period between the ages 16-20, I didn’t bother to mention pain since I assumed it was normal. It wasn’t until I started getting intense nerve pain and muscle spasm problems that I started to re-evaluate my pain.

The only criteria for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (which according to the American College of Rheumatology the doctor should be familiar with fibromyalgia) are a history of widespread pain for three months and the presence of pain at 11 out of 18 recognized “tender points” from 4kg of pressure. Even then these criteria are interpreted differently by different doctors. The last doctor I had before my current one, which was the first to even suggest fibromyalgia, simply poked my tender spots to see if there was any pain versus doing the actual “test,” and then told me that despite my history with chronic pain, I could not be diagnosed unless I had the pain for three more months. If you have exhibited symptoms of fibromyalgia for years if not a large portion of your life, and a doctor tells you this, tell him he should learn to listen to his patients and find another doctor. My current doctor accepted my personal history of pain as history, was horrified that another doctor told me I couldn’t be diagnosed for three months, and proceeded to do the “tender points” test properly. My doctor told me he was going to put 4kg of pressure on points on my body. He started by applying 4kg of pressure to the middle of my thigh so I could get an idea of how it felt; 4kg is almost 9 lbs, and really isn’t a lot of pressure, and did not feel like anything on my thigh. But when he applied pressure to the “tender points,” I was in so much pain I was uncontrollably crying; I’m not even sure if he did the full 18 or stopped at 11 because I was in so much pain.

If you think that you or a loved one might have fibromyalgia, instead of immediately going to your general practitioner do some research online (searching google, web forums, etc.) and find a doctor that has experience with fibromyalgia (they are probably the best people to diagnose you.) Also do extensive research on fibromyalgia (there are other chronic pain disorders.) And if you plan to get the “tender point” test done, expect that you could continue being sore from the test for at least a couple of hours (I think I was sore for 6 hours.)

[Via http://sententiaviridae.wordpress.com]

Ramblings of tonight....

2010-01-28T07:18:00.000+02:00

I have to admit, this is not what I expected from life. When asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” never in a million years would my answer be sick. The warped perceptions people have of chronic illnesses doesn’t settle well with me and it causes me daily anxiety. I feel like I lead this double life. On one hand I’m educated and appear to be put together, on the other hand I feel as though it’s all just pretend. I suppose some days it’s not pretend and I actually do beleive that I’m super-woman….yet there are so many days where the frustration takes me over that I can’t really be “normal” and never will be “normal”.

I had hoped that this last surgery would be the end to my pain, but also knew that my problems would be ongoing. what I didn’t realize is that within a year of this surgery I would trade my ovary for more diseases. Sure, I’ve suspected PCOS and some sort of autoimmune disease for a long time, but now it’s becoming a reality. And you know what scares me the most? Not what these things will do to me…but what OTHERS will think of me. How family, friends, co-workers will perceive me if or when they find out I’m still sick after all these health problems and that my last surgery just helped a bit but didn’t cure anything. I feel weird admitting that it’s about what others think of me, but it really is. To me a diagnosis is just putting a name to something I’ve felt for the last ten years. To others it lables me, and not in a positive way either. Yet because all of my problems aren’t apparent to everyone I feel like everyone thinks I’m full of shit or just pretending to be “sick”. That I’m a hypocondriac or that I’m overreactitng. Of course I have thought through all of these possiblities quite often and know they aren’t the case. Yet I know people think that about me. Or that I’m just lazy and that’s why I sleep so much. I could go on and on about what people think.

The question is…why do I care? and truly I don’t know how to answer that. I feel that I have lost a lot from being sick, but I also feel that there has been insight that I have gained. So there have been some positive benefits to what I’ve gone through even though I sense a loss of what USED to be my life. It seems like looking at someone elses life now. I am a completely different person than I was before. There is good and bad aspects to this so I try to focus on the good. I do end up greiving the loss of things that once were…friendships that are no longer, energy I used to have, optimism and so on. I greive these things like a death. Some days I’m angry, some days I’m sad, some days I’m ok.

I’m walking foreward and trying to be a little easier on myself. I keep trying to remember what I have gained by being sick not what I have lost. This is one of my biggest battles. I often focus on what I’ve lost, what people think of me and get sucked in and think those things of myself. I’ve always been hard on myself, so now imagine how it is to be hard on yourself when you can’t actually meet your own standards? physically I can’t do the things I want to, I run out of energy, I get sore, I get sick…..then I get frustrated because I have let myself down. For the longest time I thought things weren’t going well because I wasn’t trying hard enough, because I wasn’t working hard enough, because I just was being lazy or overreacting to situations. I had “friends” telling me that everyones life was hard, mine was no different, I just had to try harder and not be so depressed or anxious. Even though I was trying my hardest. I now know that advice was well meant, but came from someone who couldn’t comprehend what it was like to have a chronic illness AND deal with life at the same time.

Since then I have learned of the Spoon Theory, which explains what I go through in the most basic terms possible. I wish I had known it a long time ago and been able to show it to people who might have cared to read it.

Perhaps I will always care what others think about me being sick all the time. I hope that someday I won’t care, or the people that I fear view me as lazy or a hypocondiac will just not be in my life anymore. I would rather surround myself with support. I have enough skeptisism on my own to go around.

[Via http://moderatelyinconclusive.wordpress.com]

Fibromyalgia and Whole Body Vibrations

2010-01-27T23:11:00.000+02:00

Fibromyalgia is a very harsh disease to suffer from. Pain racks the bones and muscles. The ailments cause is not even completely understood. Even worse, relief can feel like a pipe dream at times. This is why so many sufferers try anything to relieve themselves from this unrelenting pain. New techniques are tried and tested on a routine basis.

One of the technologies, has gained success in the whole body vibration. This is a very passive treatment, it is easy to do, and seems to help. Patients only need to stand on a platform, income or body shook shaken up.

A recent participants were examined the effects of Whole Body Vibration. The aim was to determine whether it had any effect in pain relief. To ascertain this, the medical team reviewed three sets of participants. One group participated in the traditional exercises such as stretching and aerobics. The second group did this, plus Whole Body Vibration. The last group did not participate either in the form of exercise.

The results showed that the group the biggest advantage of traditional exercises, followed by Whole Body Vibration that saw. The proof is the fact that exercise alone is not sufficient to produce pain relief for those affected. These patients have also noticed less fatigue as well. There is enough evidence to support patients to Whole Body Vibration as an option for fatigue and pain to see.

Whole Body Vibration is a low impact way to work from the body. In fact, in some cases, the movement of the patient is not required. The patient must simply on a plate. Each position is acceptable. Sit, stand, it does not matter. Once on the plate, start the engine vibrations caused by the patient's body. You always enter from 30 to 50 times per second. The frequency setting is up to the doctor. The when is also behind this therapy, that the vibrations make the muscles or to work. The contraction guest machine, it is very difficult to replicate with other methods.

The vibrations of the muscles to work in a very creative way. As they shoot through the patient, the body begins to feel how it is unstable. To correct this, he begins to contract. Their natural instinct is to compensate for the vibrations. This reflex is a counterweight, which produces the results. Whole Body Vibration is good for anyone. Users range from professional athletes, patients must be helped where due to physical limitations. Since this therapy is low impact

Whole body vibration vibration also easily lead to brain waves. Researchers are studying this program is difficult. It is important to determine this treatment are also committed to the real health benefits. So far, the evidence is facing in the affirmative. It helps the pain, fatigue, stiffness and stress. Some patients have the additional benefit of a happy mood, the state of peace and calm.

[Via http://bldoflee.wordpress.com]

Searching......

2010-01-23T23:29:00.000+02:00

Never mind searching for who you were. Search for the person you aspire to be. – Robert Brault

Before pain, my aspirations for MYSELF were much different. I always knew that I wanted to be a Mother and a Wife. I knew that I wanted stability and success, but HOW that was to happen and WHO I aspired to be inside somehow changed when the pain seeped in. I prided myself on certain attributes that were robbed from me when I lost my health. And I think like many people who suffer from chronic pain, all of my personal wishes and dreams fell apart.

I have had to battle chronic illness for most of my life. I do not just have one affliction, I have many. In late 2006 when my life completely fell apart, I was set upon a journey to find a “diagnosis”, and because of my previous health complications, it was almost impossible for the medical world to differentiate where one “pain” ended and another one “began”…. It was like putting together a 5000 piece jigsaw puzzle, when ALL the pieces were the same color….. black…. It wasn’t like we could find the color of the “border” of the puzzle and start from there, working out way into the middle…. there were thousands of pieces looking exactly the same…. and with one arm tied behind my back, I set out to put the puzzle together.

or masking pain….

Emdometriosis….. Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome…… Severe Myofascial Disorder, Myofasciatis….. Severe Fibromyalgia….. Unclassified Nerve Pain….. Congenital Heart Disease……. TMJD…….. CFS……. Chronic Migraines……. SI Joint Disfunction……. the list went on and on and on an on….. One diagnosis bled into the other….. One Doctor’s appointment a week turned into three or four appointments a week…… One specialist turned into a multitude of white coats that completely overwhelmed me……

I now know who I AM…. And now I only have to search for who I WILL BE.

Pain…..

or fighting pain….

or explaining pain…..

or hiding from pain…..

This all became my life……

And I lost myself.

I completely lost ME.

I spent the first 3 years of this journey looking BEHIND me…. I was trying to figure out how all this happened?!? If I could ONLY just find that one missing piece to the puzzle, then maybe… JUST MAYBE I could figure out how I got here, and HOW to get back to where I was!! I needed to make SENSE of all of this, and the further the journey led me from where I was, the more I would panic, because all I really wanted was my life BACK… I wanted my life to be the way it was the DAY before my life fell apart. I didn’t want to move forward…. by doing so I thought that I would forget the person I knew I once was.

4 years later, I am in a much different place than I used to be. My body holds NO memory of what it was like not to feel pain. I honestly don’t remember. I held on to those memories of pain-free days for as long as I could, but it prevented me from accepting that I might never experience that again in my life. For as much as anyone can accept that they will live their life in pain, I accept that this is my journey. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my bad days…. I still pound my fists and say “Why me!”…. and I still sometimes go searching for that missing puzzle piece. But all in all, I have learned that I am no LESS… I simply different.

I grieved hard over what “once was”, and with that I wiped the slate clean, aspirations and all. And now I no longer have to search for what once WAS….. I now only have to look towards what WILL BE.

I lost ME…. and in doing so, I believe I found a BETTER ME.

[Via http://gracefulagony.wordpress.com]

Chronic Lyme Disease Treatment With Samento, Cumanda and Burbur

2010-01-21T15:06:00.000+02:00

http://www.bionatus.com/nutramedix/pdfs/L-townsendapr07.pdf

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

The Effectiveness of Samento, Cumanda, Burbur and

Dr. Lee Cowden’s Protocol

in the Treatment of Chronic Lyme Disease

by

Suzanne Arthur, Lyme Disease Research Database

The annual number of new cases of Lyme Borreliosis disease occurring in the United States is

unknown due to many factors, mainly under-diagnoses and misdiagnoses. Harvard researchers and

Lyme-literate physicians believe that as many as 200,000 new cases of Lyme occur in the U.S.

annually, and that the number of people infected grows each year. As reported in the Townsend Letter

article from July 2004, What Makes Lyme Disease Tick and How Samento Eliminates It,1 Samento was

the only herbal antimicrobial recommended for treatment of Lyme Borreliosis. Nutramedix now offers

many additional products, some of which are currently undergoing clinical evaluation for effectiveness

in the treatment of Lyme disease. Dr. Lee Cowden considers the use of Samento, Cumanda, Burbur,

Quina and other products to be a fine-tuned antimicrobial approach that addresses fungus and other

problems that accompany Lyme disease.2

Dr. Lee Cowden suspects Lyme Borreliosis to be root cause of many chronic illnesses;

recommends detox program and herbal antimicrobial protocol

Although many Lyme patients have had success with long-term antibiotics, Lee Cowden, M.D.,

integrative medical researcher and physician, believes many patients being treated with antibiotics have

recovered hundred percent for months or years only to suffer a recurrence.

“Lyme disease is an epidemic in this country,” says Dr. Cowden. He believes most of the diseases “that

are considered incurable by conventional medicine have some kind of Lyme component.” Many

chronically ill people have Lyme as a factor. Dr. Cowden not only suspects Lyme bacteria as a root

cause for autoimmune diseases, he also lists neuro-degenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases,

cardiac-arrhythmias, gastrointestinal diseases, MS, ALS, Parkinson’s, ADDHD, and autism. “I’ve found

that if you can start working on the Lyme and the toxins, then a lot of these labels go away,” he says.

Dr. Cowden says that through the studies he has discovered that “antibiotics do seem to work fairly

well in a lot of patients. But, if they’ve had the illness for longer than six weeks, the chance of

antibiotics getting rid of the infection, in my experience, is pretty unlikely, pretty remote. So, they’re

basically just guaranteeing that they’ll stay on antibiotics for the rest of their life.

“The problem with staying on the standard pharmaceutical antibiotics longterm is that you kill off the

friendly bacteria in your gut, and you cause an overgrowth of fungus in your gut, so then you trade one

problem for another.

In the pilot study in 2003, we used Samento quite a bit, and still use it. But we’ve found that there are

some other herbal therapies that have been brought from Peru by Nutramedix that work just as well or

better than Samento.

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

Cumanda is an extremely powerful anti-Lyme treatment, as well as an excellent anti-fungal. And also

is a pretty good anti-viral, and anti-parasitic. So you eliminate a lot of different bugs with one therapy.

It’s a different philosophy than the philosophy used by conventional medicine, which is one bug, one

drug. So if you have six bugs, you have six drugs.

Now, besides Cumanda we have Banderol, which is a very powerful herbal antimicrobial from Peru

also through Nutramedix, and Quina, which has been used in Peru for many centuries for treatment for

malaria, but is also an excellent anti-Lyme treatment as well as a pretty good anti-fungal and antiparisitic.

I guess the most important thing we’ve learned since the pilot study is that if you don’t continue to work

on getting the physical toxins out of the body, the few remaining microbes that can survive the

aggressive therapy with herbals or pharmaceuticals, or whatever is used, those surviving microbes will

usually regrow and form a completely new population of Lyme-related microbes in the body because

of the toxins stimulating their regrowth.

So, it’s so critically important, in my opinion, to work as hard on getting the toxins out of the body as

on working on getting the microbes out of the body.”

“The worst culprits usually are the heavy metals,” says Dr. Cowden. “The most common source for

heavy metals that I see usually is mercury from the silver mercury amalgam fillings in people’s teeth.”

The simple act of chewing releases mercury back into the body, where it stimulates the growth of

Borrelia and other microbes, and where, additionally, it “blocks the release of other toxins, including

other metals, pesticides, solvents, herbicides and so on,” says Dr. Cowden.

Dr. Cowden urges Lyme patients to have amalgam fillings removed “in a very cautious and methodical

way. Then, once the mercury is removed from the teeth, the patient must gear up the detoxification for

mercury, so that the mercury can be removed from the body over time.”

Mercury is just one issue that predisposes patients to microbial growth and poisons their systems. Other

metals such as aluminum, boxite, and copper are also found in high levels in Lyme patients. Pesticides

from household use and from conventionally-produced meats, and petroleum by-products from skin

care products and cosmetics represent further challenges.

“Once you get a lot of that toxic load out, then it becomes easy to get rid of the microbes,” says Dr.

Cowden.

“The other thing we’ve learned since the study is that enzymes are critically important in breaking up

the fibrin that covers over the bugs and hides them from the immune system. The fibrin is a protein

produced by the body in response to infectious illnesses. And those bugs can hide very well if the fibrin

is coating them over, but if you give a proteolytic enzyme about thirty minutes before food with water

only, a couple of times a day, enough of that enzyme gets absorbed and breaks down the fibrin coating

on the surface of the bug so that the immune system can find them and get rid of them.

In addition to that, the fibrin that is being produced gets plastered up against the capillary walls, the

blood vessel walls and restricts the movement of oxygen into the tissues. So the tissues become oxygen

starved, and start producing lactic acid and go into anaerobic metabolism and create all kinds of other

trouble from that. So the proteolytic enzymes have been very helpful to resolve that.

I use bromelain as a proteolytic enzyme. Bromelain is derived from pineapple. And also I use

Carnivora, which is derived from Venus Flytrap. These two seem to be fairly well-tolerated and not

likely contaminated and not very allergenic. A lot of the other enzymes that are on the market are either

contaminated or allergenic. But those two work really well.

We’ve found that if you rotate remedies, that you’re less likely for the microbes to develop a sensitivity

or resistance to the treatment, and less likely for the patient to develop an allergy or sensitivity to it.”

In 2001, Dr. Cowden co-developed a technique to remove toxins using the principle of complex

homeopathy and laser, called cold laser therapy. “That’s been a great advent in getting the toxins out of

the body, and the doctors I’ve taught how to do that are very impressed with their results,” he says.

“Unfortunately, there are so few doctors in the country that are trained in that technique, that there are

more people wanting it than doctors who can deliver it.”

Dr. Cowden currently leads seminars for physicians who want to learn how to use cold laser therapy for

faster detoxification.

Dr. Andrew Wright treating CFS and Lyme disease with Samento and Cumanda3

Dr. Andrew Wright sees patients in his private clinic in Bolton, near Manchester, UK. For the past

fifteen years he has specialized in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He believes that CFS is

mainly a chronic bacterial infection, and that Borrelia is one of the bacterias that can cause CFS.

“Clinically, CFS is identical to chronic Lyme disease in many ways,” says Dr. Wright. “I think there

are several reasons for why we should think that bacterias are the main causes of these illnesses. The

symptoms are similar to bacterial illnesses. The gene expression, in very carefully selected CFS

patients, appears to be identical to that found in Lyme disease. Many patients are positive for Borrelia. I

do microscopy and I find spirochetes in many people.”

Dr. Wright has treated five hundred or more patients with Samento, which he says is safe, and welltolerated

by most people. He believes that for treatment of CFS and Lyme Borreliosis, the best choice

is an integrated program if the patient can afford it.

“Often it comes down to what patients can afford,” he says. “Many of my patients are on pensions and

Social Security and can’t afford to pay for lots of herbs and supplements. They go for cheap antibiotics.

Some of them get better.”

Dr. Wright says that because Samento works very well in at least two thirds of his patients who choose

alternative therapies over antibiotics, it remains his first choice in treatment with Lyme Borreliosis.

Eighty percent of his patients who are on the antimicrobial treatments respond positively, with about

sixty percent of the patients declared clinically cured after a period of one or two years. He now uses

other Nutramedix products as well, particularly Cumanda, Quina, Burbur and also Amantilla.

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

In general, Dr. Wright says, he tries Samento first. If patients don’t respond he puts them on Dr.

Cowden’s protocol. He finds that about half the patients who don’t respond to Samento will respond to

the protocol. Some people simply do not respond, which, as he points out, is typical for any type of

treatment including conventional antibiotics.

The results of Samento treatment are varied due to patients’ spectrum of tolerance, in Dr. Wright’s

experience. “In general,” he says, “it is very well-tolerated. It’s very rare for someone to have to stop

treatment.” Some people are very sensitive and can only begin with one quarter of a drop. Others have

a greater tolerance and can build up their dosage more quickly, thus achieving quicker results. “The

fastest I’ve seen it work is in six weeks,” he says.

Dr. Wright typically recommends a dosage of five to ten drops, three times per day, working up to that

dosage over a period of a few weeks. Occasionally, he has put patients on sixty drops a day. In his

experience, if Samento is going to work, the patient sees a reduction in symptoms within three months.

“Certainly, Samento causes fewer side effects than antibiotics, such as gastritis, rush or irritable bowel

syndrome, and so forth,” says Dr. Wright. The only side effect from Samento that his patients have

experienced with any frequency is diarrhea, which subsides after about one week.

Dr. Cowden comments on why patients have fewer problems with herbal antimicrobial treatments than

with conventional antibiotics. “Fungal overgrowth can be just as bad a problem as Lyme disease,” he

says. “The herbal treatments we’ve been using don’t tend to cause that problem, because they kill the

funguses as much as they kill the Lyme-related bacteria and protozoa, without, in many cases, killing

the friendly bacteria in the gut.”

In treating CFS and Lyme, Dr. Wright would ideally employ a “combination of therapies,” he says,

“including Samento, nutritional supplements, dietary change, stress management, the whole thing,

because this is a holistic illness. I think we need to do more research, because long-term effectiveness

of these therapies is yet to be determined.”

Clinical Study currently evaluating effectiveness of Samento, Cumanda, and Burbur

In Fall 2006, pharmacist Philip Kielman of the Netherlands, began a year-long, random double-blind

placebo controlled study to evaluate the effectiveness of Samento, Cumanda and Burbur in the

treatment of Chronic Lyme disease.4This is a follow-up to the pilot study conducted with Samento in

2003. The twelve week preliminary report shows a sixty five percent reduction in symptoms in the

treatment group, and a twenty percent reduction in symptoms in the placebo group. EMPHASIS ADDED

Kielman says, “When we check with the Western Blot or ELISA and we get a negative result for the

disease, and there are no symptoms remaining, we conclude that it works. Of course, some people are

skeptics. They will say, yes, but you can’t cure one hundred percent of the people.”

“But I’m a pharmacist,” he continues. “And I know that I can’t cure anyone with any disease, one

hundred percent with ‘normal’ medication. When you have a thirty percent success rate with

pharmaceutical medication, everyone shouts ‘wow, that’s great, we have a new drug.’ But when there is

a natural product and people who have been given no hope with conventional therapy succeed at a rate

of fifty or sixty percent, well, I think that’s great.

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

Jean Reist, R.N., treats Lyme patients with help

from detox formulas Burbur and Parsley5

Jean Reist, RN, has treated over a thousand people diagnosed with Lyme disease in her Pennsylvania

clinic, Journey to Wellness. Nutramedix products Burbur and Parsley are in her arsenal of herbal

therapies for treatment because of their effectiveness in lymph drainage, which she considers critical in

healing Lyme. Reist believes that the most essential ingredient in her patients’ therapy is diet and

lifestyle changes.

“Lyme Borrelia will thrive in the presence of fungal elevation. Therefore, sugars, grains, can definitely

make the inflammatory situation a lot worse. Sugars will suppress the immune system. But what’s more

damaging, in our experience, is that Nutrasweet and Splenda are like poison and you want to avoid that

like the plague. Splenda will actually dry up the thymus and effect your T-cells in a way that you

cannot afford if you have Lyme disease. So, stay away from those artificial sweeteners. Just don’t do

it.” For her patients, Reist recommends Stevia as an alternative sweetener.

Bea Mistich6, success with herbal antimicrobial therapy

Bea Mistich of Colorado Springs, Colorado, spent nearly a decade dealing with serious health

challenges and was hospitalized and treated for pain, but not tested for Lyme disease until years later.

She now believes that many, if not all, the health problems that plagued her over the course of nine

years were caused by Lyme. During that time Bea underwent neck surgery for herniated discs, she

suffered back issues, cellulitis, depression, as well as severe flu symptoms. She also believed that she

was experiencing strokes.

For pain relief, Bea tried many types of therapies including acupuncture, with little success. Eventually

she received a positive diagnosis for Lyme from IGeneX in Palo Alto, California. She began a course

of Doxycyline prescribed by her Colorado Springs physician. In spite of an entire year of treatment, she

remained symptomatic. As her health declined, a friend who had heard about Dr. Cowden and

Nutramedix products urged her to look into it. Initially reluctant to try yet another purported remedy,

Bea eventually considered her friend’s advice, went to see Dr. Cowden and began his protocol. Since

then, Bea has become progressively healthier.

Dr. Cowden and his associates told Bea that she would start to feel better in about two months. She

reports that she had to increase the protocol slowly, at the rate of one drop per every five to seven days.

Although she had doubts and feared disappointment in the herbal therapy, she was impressed with the

results.

“Within three weeks, I was one hundred percent better. It was incredible. It was wonderful,” she says.

As most Lyme patients are, Bea was well aware of the magnitude of effect that her illness was having

on her loved ones. “My husband threw a party on my birthday recently, and announced to our friends

the party ‘wasn’t necessarily just to celebrate Bea’s birthday,’ as he said, ‘it’s to celebrate getting my wife

back, and getting her healthy again.’ It was great.”

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

Johnny Asia7 speeds his recovery from long-term illness after switching to natural protocol

Johnny Asia is healing from Lyme disease after a long struggle, made more challenging by the fact that

he is a professional musician. For a time, memory loss and rheumatoid arthritis, profound muscle

twitching and crippling fatigue robbed him of his ability to perform and earn a living. Johnny says his

healing progress intensified when he started using herbal alternatives Samento, Cumanda, and Quina,

In 1995, Johnny knew he was very ill but was informed by a doctor who was not Lyme literate that he

did not have Lyme disease. Eventually, Johnny did receive a positive diagnosis and was treated with a

two week course of antibiotics. In spite of his doctor’s pronouncement that he was then Lyme-free, his

symptoms did not resolve, but plagued him for many years.

Because he believed was Lyme-free, Johnny could not understand the persistent symptoms.

Discovering that he was experiencing many symptoms of Lyme, he realized that he may have chronic

Lyme disease.

In his research he came across positive reports about Samento from people whose symptoms were

similar to his. After beginning treatment with Samento and other nutritional supplements, he

experienced the Herxheimer reactions created by the die-off of toxins. After a few months, his

headaches subsided. The eyelid twitching stopped completely.

Beginning in mid-2006, Johnny began Dr. Cowden’s protocol and is now taking Samento, Cumanda,

and Quina. He expects to be symptom-free within a year.

How is Lyme disease contracted and spread?

The question only seems to invite more controversy to a growing population of Lyme sufferers seeking

answers. However, one thing is becoming clear. “Only a very small percentage of those have

contracted Lyme disease through a tick bite, the way conventional medicine thinks,” warns Dr.

Cowden.

Dr. Wright agrees. “It’s not necessarily transmitted solely by ticks,” he says. “There is evidence for

other means of transmission in the research literature.” He lists congenital and sexual transmission. “I

think the incidence of Borrelia is much higher than just Lyme disease,” he adds.

Master Herbalist and author Stephen Harrod Buhner author of Healing Lyme: Natural Healing and

Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis and Its Coinfections8, reports that although transmission through a tick

bite is still believed to be the most common way of contracting the disease, he notes, “little research has

been conducted on other routes of transmission.” As he states it, “spirochetes are passed not only

through tick bites but also through other mechanisms. Once they infect people they can be found in

breast milk, in tears, in semen, and in urine. Babies have been infected in the womb.”

Buhner says that while gathering research for his book he expected to find that nonpharmaceutical

alternatives were not included in any mainstream medical discussion about treatment of Lyme disease.

But he was surprised by something else he discovered, which is “that a significant amount of reputable

research is being ignored by the mainstream medical community.”

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

COWDEN LYME DISEASE PROTOCOL

Causes: Borrelia burgdorferi bacterial infection and usually one or more of the following

microbial infections; Erlichia, Babesia, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, Coxiella, etc. Heavy metal

toxicity (usually mercury) plus pesticides, herbicides, petroleum byproducts and plastics make

the patient more susceptible to these toxins.

For the first 3 days do only the following:

Mix the following 4 products together in at least a ½ cup (4 oz./120ml) of water and take 3

times daily immediately before mealtimes (whether eating a meal or not): BURBUR- 10

drops, AMANTILLA- 10 drops, PINELLA- 10 drops and TRACE MINERALS- 15 drops.

Continue this for the entire protocol unless the patient feels fairly well. If so, then the noontime

dose can be eliminated.

Then add the following……

Mix the following 3 products together in at least a ½ cup (4 oz./120ml) of water and take twice

daily 30 min before breakfast and supper: PARSLEY DETOX- 10 drops, TRACE MINERALS-

15 drops and CUMANDA – start with one drop adding a drop with every dose until reaching

30 drops. It should take approximately 15 days to reach the full dose of 30 drops. At the same

time take CARNIVORA- 4 capsules. If a dose of Carnivora is missed it can be taken at

bedtime when the other products are taken.

Mix the following 2 products together in at least a ½ cup (4 oz./120ml) and take twice daily

after mealtimes (whether eating a meal or not): ADRENAL SUPPORT- 20 drops and

BURBUR DETOX- 10 drops. If feeling toxic (headache, muscle ache, nausea, joint ache,

etc) take 10 drops of Burbur or Parsley in water or under the tongue every 10 min. until

feeling better and then resume the protocol.

Take 2-6 capsules twice daily of MAGNESIUM MALATE (only if kidney failure is not present)

with the liquid products before or after meals. Start with 2 capsules twice daily increasing the

dose until bowels move at least 2 times a day.

On day 18 of the protocol add the following products mixed together in at least a ½ cup (4

oz./120ml) and take once daily at bedtime: SAMENTO- 20 drops, PARSLEY DETOX- 10

drops, AMANTILLA- 15 drops and TRACE MINERALS- 15 drops. Every 3rd night take

ALGAS- 10 drops mixed with the Samento, Parsley-Detox, Amantilla and Trace Minerals.

After two months on full dose of Cumanda, start taking QUINA in place of Cumanda. Then,

alternate between Cumanda and Quina every two weeks for 4 months (some patients require

only 2 months of rotating therapy, but it may be more prudent to rotate for 4 months). Take

Cumanda for 12 ½ days stopping for 36 hours then, continue with the Quina for 12 ½ days,

stopping for 36 hours. Then, restart with Cumanda for 12 ½ days, etc. Most patients with

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

chronic, third stage Lyme Disease require four to six months of alternating treatment but

never less than two months.

If the patients suspects that a sensitivity or apparent resistance develops to either Cumanda,

Quina or Samento, BANDEROL can be substituted for any of these products.

For pain: CONDURA- 20 drops as needed placed under tongue and held for at least 2

minutes before swalllowing and apply topically on the site of pain using the number of drops

necessary to cover affected area. May be repeated every 10-15 min. as needed.

For Depression: AVEA- 15 drops three times daily 15 min. after mealtimes. If the patient

becomes suicidal, take Avea-15 drops and Pinella-10 drops every hour.

For Insomnia: AMANTILLA- 15-30 drops 15 min. before bedtime, can be repeated every 30

min. until patient falls asleep and if the patient wakes up at night. Amantilla can also be taken

every 15 min. for extreme anxiety or panic attacks.

Also recommended: Drink 3-4 liters (quarts) of water daily (clean mineralized, not

distilled or reverse osmosis), Avoid common food allergens- all cow milk and cow cheese

products, all corn products (corn oil, corn starch & corn syrup), peanuts and peanut oil (most

oriental foods), soy products (it is a common filler in fast food restaurants), black pepper,

white pepper, sugar (may substitute Nutramedix STEVIA) Take Proteolytic enzymes (such

as Carnivora)- 4 capsules two times daily- 30 minutes before food with water. Proteolytic

enzymes can be taken at the same time as Cumanda, Quina, Samento, Banderol. Consider

having silver (mercury) dental amalgams replaced with composites by a biological

dentist. Chlorella (if sensitive to Chlorella substitute with Spirulina)- build up to 1500 mg

daily before the mercury amalgams are removed and continue for 3-4 months after the

amalgams are removed. After all dental amalgams are removed, DMSA- 100-300 mg

depending on kidney function, age and body weight can be added every 3rd night for 2-3

months with 10 drops of Algas and 1500 mg of Chlorella or Spirulina.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The dosages recommended in this protocol are for an average size adult that weighs

between 120-170 pounds (55-77 kilos). Adjust the dosage according to weight; ie. a

patient that weighs 30 pounds would take one-fourth of the recommended dose.

Unless the protocol specifies that products can be taken exactly at the same moment,

it is best to separate the products by at least 10-15 minutes so that one does not clash

with another.

Unless otherwise specified mix all Nutramedix remedies with at least ½ cup (4oz. /

120ml) of water and wait at least 1-2 minutes before drinking. The products are most

effective when taken in water. The products can be taken directly in the mouth without

water, but this should only be done when water is not available.

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

13 PRODUCTS USED IN PROTOCOL WITH PRIMARY FUNCTION

Adrenal Support- replenishes the adrenal glands restoring normal function

Amantilla Relax- relieves stress and anxiety

Algas Metal Detox- mobilizes heavy metals out of the interior of the cells

Burbur Detox- aids detoxification of the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system and the ground

matrix

Carnivora- proteolytic enzyme that dissolves the fibrin coating around harmful microbes

helping the immune system to identify and eradicate them

Chlorella- binds heavy metals and boosts the immune system

Cumanda- anti-inflammatory, broad spectrum antiviral, antiparasitic, antibacterial and

antifungal- effective against Borrelia burgdorferi and the co-infections

Magnesium Malate- helps maintain normal cardiovascular, muscle, nerve, bone and cellular

function

Parsley Detox- aids detoxification of the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system and the ground

matrix

Pinella Brain/Nerve Cleanse- eliminates neurotoxins

Quina- anti-inflammatory, broad spectrum antibacterial and antiprotozoal- effective against

Borrelia burgdorferi and the co-infections

Samento- immune system modulator, anti-inflammatory, broad spectrum antibacterialeffective

against Borrelia burgdorferi and the co-infections

Trace Minerals Relax- restores depleted mineral stores in the body, helps correct tissue

acidity, aids in relaxation, aids in hydration, enhances the effect of the antimicrobials

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

Resources

Health care professionals can request product samples from Nutramedix, LLC, Suite 301, 900 East

Indiantown Road, Jupiter, Florida USA 33477; Tel. (800) 730-3130 or (561) 745-2917; FAX (561)

745-3017; Email: info@nutramedix.com ; Website: www.nutramedix.com.

For comprehensive scientific information about Nutramedix products and Lyme disease visit the

following two websites hosted by Bionatus Laboratories in Ecuador, www.nutramedix.cc and

www.samento.com.ec

For information about the author of this article and for access to audio interviews with Lyme literate

physicians on the Lyme Disease Research Database, please go to

http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com

1 . Morton Walker, D.P.M. with Randall S. Walker. What Makes Lyme Disease Tick and How

Samento Eliminates It. Townsend Letter, July 2004.

2 . Cowden, W. Lee. Phone interview, August 2006.

3 . Wright, Andrew. Phone interview, January 2007.

4 . Kielman, Philip. Phone interview, January 2007.

5 . Riest, Jean. Phone interview, December, 2006.

6 . Mistich, Bea. Phone interview, October 2006.

7 . Asia, Johnny. Phone interview, November 2006.

8 . Buhner, Stephen Harrod. Healing Lyme: Natural Healing and Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis

and Its Coinfections. (White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2005).

Townsend Letter- The Examiner of Alternative Medicine, April 2007

[Via http://stevensponaugle.wordpress.com]

Fibromyalgia Tender Points

2010-01-17T22:52:00.000+02:00

There are times when to have fibromyalgia seems worse than others. If you are feeling a sore spot it is just that. A place that is tender to the touch that there is no reason for the ache other than it was touched. Most people with fibromyalgia share the same tender spots in common. It is not clear what causes the tender points but they occur at anytime in the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. There is no understanding as to whether the tender spots diagnose fibromyalgia or the reverse. However if you visit a doctor for the first time with the pain from these painful areas it is important to ask about how they may relate or again the reverse if already diagnosed. There are many other symptoms of fibromyalgia. Your doctor will look for 11 of 18 points of diagnosis before making a legitimate diagnosis. In all the symptoms, primarily pain throughout the body must stay for a period of over three months. A dolorimeter or a doximeter regulates the true pressure or exertion of the tender points. Your doctor is trained to give this assessment for you . So how can you continue to care for yourself if you have fibromyalgia? There are several issues to discuss with fibromyalgia. First we have fatigue, muscle pain, ongoing depression and also periods of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). What may work; pain medication to relieve the muscle pain and antidepressants help both the depression and potentially the fatigue. Stress is often high so meditation or other relaxation techniques are important to learn in order to cut the stress of daily life and the on going pressures of the diagnosis. These techniques vary in how they help each person so it is important to know what works for you.

[Via http://treatingfibromyalgia.wordpress.com]

Fellow Fibromite Blog

2010-01-16T23:37:00.000+02:00

A fellow fibromite has a new blog that she could use some help with. She’s looking for guest bloggers, stories from other fibromites and chronic pain patients. Please take a peek at her blog : http://thefibrolife.wordpress.com/

She’s been ordered by the doctors to start looking for alternatives to income due to her illness taking it’s toll and she has two beautiful daughters to think about. Any suggestions, help or stories you have please send them on over to her to help her out. Good luck to you my fellow fibromite, I hope this post helps you out!

[Via http://thenaturalmama.wordpress.com]

Learning to take things easy

2010-01-16T07:30:00.000+02:00

I’ve been in a cycle of doing too much then crashing into a heap of pain and fatigue. Apparently there is another way, which is to pace oneself. As a chaotic and impulsive person this should prove to be an interesting approach. I’m going to try and live within my limits and not keep expecting to be able to do things just because I used to be able to.

I need to learn to enjoy the things that I do have and can do. If I can manage to take it easier and not push beyond my limits I should in the long run, feel better and be able to do a bit more.

[Via http://zhelan.wordpress.com]

Soda Pop Carton Day...by Lisa Harmon

2010-01-09T15:05:00.000+02:00

Kenai’s play day, 2 yrs old

Here is a classic puppy conundrum: he don’t like bathtubs, but he wants his soda pop carton. (The bathtub won btw). It’s been so cold here, 5-20 below zero, that there hasn’t been outside run time in several days. The boy funky’s been storing up, and they’re getting frustrated. Kenai actually tried to bull elephant smush me the day before. Twice. Big time trouble, bud! We’ve let them play tugs and nippy over the expen more than usual, for an energy drain. There’s no hearing the tv during that, but they have fun with it. Unfortunately the expen is still needed–the brothers grin get way too carried off in heavy duty horsing around without it. Kenai is so vigorous, with a preference for smash and smush, and BB is every inch the sore loser. Things get out of hand very fast. I know, something I need to work on. Just don’t have the stamina for it right now. Add to that the weak, depressive, cranky energy from Mom…BB’s actually returned to the old possessive/protective behavior about her. He nipped me the other day when I went to wake her up. Hum…that didn’t go without response, lemme tell ya. It’s all anxiety, and it won’t stop totally until Mom gets herself together. I can manage the behavior, but she has to end it. Dogs as sensitive as Danes go a bit loopy when a member of their “pack” is that emotionally unstable, almost without exception. All variety of not so good reactions come out of them. I hope Mom decides to pull herself outta the blue, but after so long, I’ll believe it when I see it. The thing about depression is medicine alone doesn’t really “fix” the problem. It takes the edge off, but it’s underlying beliefs and innate tendencies that keep us in a depressed state. Stuff like believing “that shouldn’t happen”, or the habit of withdrawing is what has to be taken on and dealt with to really end depression. I love her but Mom’s never been willing to deal with her internal self. Sometimes I get really frustrated with the, well bluntly put, cowardice. If something makes her uncomfortable, she throws up her hands and says I can’t, won’t even try. It’s always been there, just gotten much worse lately. That helpless game’s a deeply ingrained mechanism in Mom. It won’t change until she determines to change it. She has to be miserable enough to want to, and her misery threshold is absurdly high. She regresses to whining, demanding this or that, and generally acting like a baby. It wears thin. I blow off here, though, thanks to your tolerance of my own bit of whining. What’s the point of going off at her? Won’t do any good. Even pointing out the thoughts and habits that keep her depressed is pointless until she screws up the courage to make the changes she needs to. The boys are additionally stressed by Mom’s state, and no way to burn it off when the bitter temps keeping us inside. So I decided to let them take their frustrations out in a controlled way: soda pop carton shredding. They get to absolutely wreck something, without getting in trouble, AND they get some fun doing it. Add the chase me chase yous and you’ve got doggie exercise. Voila! Kenai was up first, in the master bath since his “messin with sasquatch time” in there has been boring him lately. (Brat?) Teasing and outright theft is encouraged–more the fun–as is keep away games. Snitchy snot! Anything to keep him moving, which slows down the shred. A run to the bed and back is also boy fun, especially if you goose the bottoms on the way by… When he gets a chunk ripped off I grab another peice and “paddle” him with it until he decides it’s too annoying to ignore. Oh the flusterations! I toss his carton in the walk in shower, trying to convince him the tight space won’t melt his parts or something, which occasionally works. He’s no dummy: he’s seen me get all wet in there! When the once intact carton is in a thousand peices, Brown loses interest. If he’s got more destrucion in him, I’ll let him have a go with a plastic soda bottle. Yesterday, though, he was satisfied. It was time for a cuddle and baby massage on grammy’s bed before BB had his turn. Kenai likes his front feet and legs rubbed, neck scratched, and long strokes down the back. He’s not much on tummy rubs, though. He also loves the cheek to check leans and hugs. Okay, who’s trained who? I seem to have lost track of that somewhere… Next was BB’s turn. Mr enthusiasm. He couldn’t wait to get his slobber on his very own soda pop carton. He knew what time it was–ran along all the way to the kitchen and pointed out where HIS carton was. Just to make the wait “worse” I carried it on my head all the way to the master bath. On the head!! Oh, no like!! Make a boy SILLY! The bathroom was on purpose too–he’s been shy of going in there for some reason, getting all anxious and puppy jumpy. That meant playtime in there to develop some good associations. The moment we hit the doorway he hesitated, and I threw down his carton. Play won. Playing with BB is a bit different than Kenai. Beebs will invent his own games if he’s bored with the usual routine. And to really get him playing requires very little increased excitement from you. He’s usually all over place happy. This time, he retained some skittishness of the bathroom, so we had to tone down the excitement to keep him out of that heightened state of nerves. We had gentle play times. Not like I haven’t had practice encouraging a nervous Kenai… I got on the floor with him, stroked his sides while he stomped his carton to mush, and generally kept it low key. No goosing for him. I also went into the shower with his carton, and gave him soft kisses when he came in to get his shredded cardboard. He’s not a big hugger, rarely still enough to want it, but he’ll let me do it some. Guess it was reassuring to him, and little bent bottoms hugged and ripped at the same time! A little chase me made things more fun, but chase yous made him too jumpy. He was even subdued about tug, which never happens. (platypus puppy with elephant ears…) Little lumps also discovered the joys of playing whack a mole, a game long ago adopted by big brother. I’d swish the carton around with my hand or foot and boy soon learned a foot on the carton didn’t win him the prize. Paw on the slipper did though! He he he, fun! Since being in the bathroom was stressful, even playing, I kept the playtime short. And to burn off the stress we got him running back and forth between Mom and I in a fun game of “find me” all over the rest of the house. He loves his find me games, and the running is a good outlet. That was it for my legs, though I let one or the other pup follow me when I’d get off the couch to scavange lunch etc. We’d do a little peek a boo or something, just for fun. The idea is to keep the brain entertained. It only sounds easy…THE DOGS ARE SMARTER THAN I AM!! At least during a fibro fog. Next week we’ll finally get above freezing, which means mud from stem to stern as the snow melts. Hence, play time will be in the morning when the ground is still frozen. But at least they’ll get out in the sunshine, right? And the furnace will be able to keep up at night, too. Love the little luxuries like warmth, don’t you? Until next week, it’s knitting weather and that’s what’s in the plans. Stay warm ya’ll.

[Via http://greatdaneservicedog.wordpress.com]

A friend recommends Gerson Diet for potential Breast Cancer Cure

2010-01-07T23:50:00.000+02:00

7 January 2010

A friend of mine, a registered nurse, recommends the Gerson Diet for a potential Breast Cancer Cure. She states, “It is a raw food/juice diet that CURES cancer.” She also states, “It definitely involves dedication but is about completely detoxifying the body to its pristine, healthy state.”

Her mother-in-law apparently suffers from fibromyalgia. My friend ordered the book and DVD for her as “it is proven curative for all kinds of degenerative disease as well.”

She shared the following two links:

1. The Gerson Therapy: The Proven Nutritional Program for Cancer and Other Illnesses (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 978-1575666280)

Amazon.com has the following product description:

“Cancer. Hepatitis. Migraines. Arthritis. Heart Disease. Emphysema. For years, the medical establishment has called these chronic or life- threatening diseases “incurable.” But now, the Gerson Therapy offers hope for those seeking relief from hundreds of different diseases. Juice your way to wellness. One of the first alternative cancer therapies, the Gerson Therapy has successfully treated thousands of patients for over 60 years. Now, in this authoritative revised and updated edition, alternative medicine therapist Charlotte Gerson and medical journalist Morton Walker reveal even more on the powerful healing effects of organic fruits and vegetables. Not only can juicing reverse the effects of many degenerative illnesses-it can save lives. “The Gerson Therapy” shows you: How to beat cancer by changing your body chemistry; Special juicing techniques for maximum healing power; and, How to combat allergies, obesity, high blood pressure, AIDS, lupus, and other diseases. This unique resource will help and inspire anyone who has ever said, “I want to get well. Just show me how.” “The Gerson Therapy” offers a powerful, time-tested healing option that has worked for others – and can work for you!”

2. DVD – The Beautiful Truth (2008) starring Garrett Kroschel and Charlotte Gerson. Director: Steve Kroschel (ASIN: B001J66JQ8)

Amazon.com has the following product description:

“Raised on a wildlife reserve in Alaska, 15-year old Garrett was interested in the dietary habits of their animals. After the tragic death of his mother, Garrett s father decided to home-school his son and assigned a book written by Dr. Max Gerson that proposes a direct link between diet and a cure for cancer. Fascinated, Garrett embarks on a cross-country road trip to investigate The Gerson Therapy. He meets with scientists, doctors and cancer survivors who reveal how it is in the best interest of the multi-billion dollar medical industry to dismiss the notion of alternative and natural cures.”

I am rather curious to view this movie. As for going on a raw food and juice diet, I do not currently think I would want to go to that extreme. However, I also perceived myself as ever being given a malignant cancer diagnosis. Therefore, I will not rule this out. I am still so much in the initial exploratory stages.

I am putting everything that I am learning out there as even if I don’t choose to use everything I learn about, it might be a great resource and the perfect fit for somebody else.

A final thought, I could potentially see that it might be something I decide to incorporate into my diet as a weekly tradition. As the old expression goes, I will take it under advisement.

The best of wishes to you all on your own journey through life, Healing Seeker aka Debbie

[Via http://healingseeker.wordpress.com]

Research Shows Relationship: Fibromyalgia, Widespread Body Pain, HPA Axis

2010-01-02T15:00:00.000+02:00

If you have followed my blog, or read my other posts on fibromyalgia, you know I believe that a disturbance in normal communication between the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal gland axis) plays a very significant role in the symptoms of fibromyalgia. I’ve referenced several other studies that demonstrate the disruption in the HPA axis, and how it wreaks havoc on the body. Research in 2005, shows a direct relationship in widespread pain and HPA axis function, in people with fibromyalgia.1 If you are being treated for fibromyalgia, and your doctor does not recognize the importance of the HPA axis in your symptoms, you should asking more questions to make sure you are in an office that understands fibromyalgia. Everything on this site is evidence based, and comes directly from research and clinical experience.

In our clinic we recognize the role of the HPA axis on the symptoms of fibromyalgia, and your treatment is designed accordingly. If you have fibromyalgia, or know someone who does, please contact our office for a complimentary phone consultation, or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Shook (828) 324-0800. We can also be reached by email at drshook@alliancechiropracticcenter.com.

McBeth J, Chiu YH, Silman AJ, Ray D, Morriss R, Dickens C, Gupta A, Macfarlane GJ. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis function and the relationship with chronic widespread pain and its antecedents. Arthritis Res Ther. 2005;7(5):R992-R1000.

THIS INFORMATION IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT AND IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR DUPLICATION. WE DO RANDOM SEARCHES FOR THIS MATERIAL ON THE INTERNET. IF FOUND, YOU WILL BE CONTACTED BY OUR ATTORNEY. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING OUR TIME AND WORK.

[Via http://drbradshook.com]

Trusting Your Doctor

2009-12-26T23:06:00.000+02:00

I was speaking with a friend who just got results from her doctor, saying her liver enzymes were raised. The doctor advised her not to drink any alcohol. I immediately asked, “Are you taking Ibuprofen?” I knew her knee had been hurting her, and she wasn’t one to avoid over the counter medications. Her response was, “but my doctor said Ibuprofen would not raise my enzymes like that.”

I feel like I’ve heard this type of story a hundred times. You or a friend go to the doctor and something is wrong, and the doctor never gets to the bottom of it. Why? I think the reason is because most doctors fail to listen or ask questions. They’re on a time schedule. They do a quick assessment. They make assumptions. Not all doctors are like this but I feel that far too many are.

Though I’ve had some great doctors in my life, I’ve been disappointed just as many or more times. One of these visits was when I was a fifteen years old. I had my wisdom teeth out. They weren’t quite in yet, but because of previous braces,it was suggested to remove the roots of the wisdoms before they formed, so my teeth wouldn’t become crooked again. And despite how many times I went to the orthopedic surgeon to tell him I was in severe pain, he disregarded it, handing me heavier pain medications. I was taking codeine. The codeine didn’t help much, the pain was so bad. Finally the surgeon on my last visit realized I had an infection and after a few days of antibiotics, my pain was gone! Had I simply believed the doctor was right and my pain was just a result of recovery, what could have happened if the infection had lasted longer?

For my friend, I knew she had gone in to see the doctor because her knees were bothering her. She’s a dancer and her dancing is very hard on her knees. I asked her how much ibuprofen she was taking each day. Knowing painkillers don’t work that great when you’re having chronic severe pain, I knew it was highly likely she was taking too much. It turned out she was taking over the maximum dosage. If the doctor had taken the time to really listen to his patient and ask questions, he would have figured this out. Instead, a patient with ill advice will continue taking the high dose of ibuprofen, further damaging her liver and her intestinal tract, later to find other chronic diseases up ahead.

I feel like our health system severely lacks preventative care. Without a doctor’s listening ear, problems go on unnoticed and as a result health care rises because ailments continue to spike. And when someone gets an ailment such as damaged intestines due to too much NSAIDs usage, autoimmune diseases like “leaky gut syndrome”, IBS, Crohn’s, Lupus, Fibromialgia and RA might be the result. Then what comes next? More painkillers, steroids and other various drugs that will further damage the body, causing more and more harm.

I’m not a doctor, so I can’t say what’s best. And because everyone’s chemistry is different, it’s hard to say how some people will react. But I do think that other choices are out there before you hit the drugs. Exhausting those choices first, in my opinion, is your best bet. For my friend, I can think of a few options off the top of my head that could help. Strengthening the muscles around the knee offer as a natural knee brace. I would suggest that she stops the painful movements in her dance class for a while and instead, works on reinforcing the muscles surrounding her knee. I would make this physical therapy a top priority and a continuous effort. Next, I would use a cream that’s great for the knees and will help bring down the inflammation. And when she’s resting at home and in pain, I would recommend that she elevates her leg and wraps an ace bandage around her knee to help push the swelling out.

Beyond that, of course there’s supplements that will reduce the swelling in her knee instead of using painkillers. For her liver, I would suggest considering three supplements that help the liver function. That I know of, those are milk thistle, N-acetylcysteine and SAM-e. SAM-e is particularly great because it would help her knee and her liver. N-acetylcysteine is a little more complicated because it pulls out toxic metals and requires additional vitamin C. Taking a supplement like Ultra Antioxidant from pro-health would cover the basics of what’s involved with this supplement in particular.

In the end, it’s important that you trust your doctor. If your doctor is not listening and not asking questions, life is too short…find one who will!

[Via http://gentlehugs.wordpress.com]

Really, another "cause" of fibromyalgia... how many can there be?

2009-12-22T23:45:00.000+02:00

Recent research hypothesizes that the abnormal pain processing associated with fibromyalgia actually occurs because of a problem with the healing process of fasica (the translucent connective tissue over muscle). 1 The idea behind this research is that fibromyalgia is caused by a dysfunctional healing response of injured fascia, that is characterized by inflammation, HPA dysfunction (Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Adrenal axis), leading to central sensitization (highly sensitized nerves that make every sensation painful).

This is a plausible symptom of fibromyalgia, but the question remains, why isn’t the fascia healing normally? If the answer is inadequate HGH (human growth hormone) production by the pituitary gland (which is mentioned by the author), then the next questions should be, well why isn’t there enough HGH? The questioning should go on and on until you get to a root cause. One thing you will discover as you learn more about fibromyalgia, there are probably 50 different hypotheses for the cause of fibromyagia. I encourage you, when presented with one of these ideas, that you always ask why. In this case, the proposed cause is the abnormal healing of fascia, but shouldn’t we be asking why isn’t the fascia healing normally? Always continually ask why until you are at the root cause, not just another symptom or side effect of a deeper underlying problem. I encourage you to go through this line of questioning, knowing that currently, there is not a completely agreed upon cause of fibromyalgia, but I think it is stress.

Stress in the form of chemical, physical and emotional stressors, that disrupt your body’s normal physiology/function. Once you have come to the conclusion that stress is at the root of your problem (and I firmly believe it is), your plan should be to figure out how to address the stressors in your life, and treat your symptoms without creating more problems as a result of the treatment, as some medications can do.

I’ve got a plan to help you begin tackling this problem, and to help you remove this stress from your life. I use all natural, drug free, neurologically based treatments to help you reduce stress. Here is an overview of the plan, but not very many specific. I designed a lot of this plan, and it’s my intellectual property, and part of the value in my care. It is also part of my competitive advantage.

1) REMOVE

Remove all possible chemical, physical and emotional stressors.

2) REPAIR

Repair your body…there is a lot more to this.

3) Maintain

Continue some aspects of the plan to maintain your health.

That’s basically the overview of how my program and is designed to help patients with fibromyalgia. This approach is also successful at treating other conditions because it focuses on reducing the cause of so many of our health problems, STRESS.

If you have fibromyalgia our treatment may be able to help you. Dr. Shook is available for complimentary phone consultations to see if you could benefit from our care. If you would like to schedule an appointment or if you have any questions, just give us a call at (828) 324-0800, or email Dr. Shook at drshook@alliancechiropracticcenter.com.

1. Liptan GL. 2010. Fascia: A missing link in our understanding of the pathology of fibromyalgia. J Bodyw Mov Ther. Jan;14(1):3-12.

[Via http://drbradshook.com]

God Always Provides a Light

2009-12-22T15:45:00.000+02:00

“You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28).

Seventy-year-old George went for his annual physical. All of his tests results were normal. Dr. Smith said, “George, everything looks great physically. How are you doing mentally and emotionally? Are you at peace with yourself, and do you have a good relationship with your God?”

George replied, “God and me are tight. He knows I have poor eyesight, so he’s fixed it so that when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, poof! The light goes on, and when I’m done, poof! The light goes off.”

“Wow,” commented Dr. Smith, “That’s incredible!” A little later in the day Dr. Smith called George’s wife. “Thelma,” he said, “George is just fine. Physically he’s great. I’m in awe of his relationship with God. Is it true that he gets up during the night and poof! The light goes on in the bathroom and then poof! The light goes off?”

Thelma exclaimed, “That old fool! He’s peeing in the refrigerator again!”

The Greeks had a unique race in their Olympic games; the winner was not the runner who finished first, but the runner who finished with his torch still lit. We’re often more concerned with the I-wants than with the journey.

There’s a fall season in San Diego when I want to light candles to create a homey atmosphere once the sun goes down. At the same time, the air conditioner still comes on, flickering the candles. I have to choose-do I blow out the candles or turn off the air? I can’t have it both ways. The illnesses in our lives can cause every bit of light within us to flicker and blow, attempting to put out our flame for Christ.

God, I can’t have it both ways; I have to rid myself of some of life’s luxuries and follow Christ in order to keep Your light burning. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path,” (Psalm 119:105). Poof! Turn my light on!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and has lived with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia 16 years. She is trying to figure out how to entertain her 6-year-old over the holidays as she recovers from joint replacement surgery. This is reprinted from her book Mosaic Moments: Devotionals for the Chronically Ill.

[Via http://chronicillnesspaindevotionals.wordpress.com]

Repetitive Motion Tied to Trigger Points and Fibromyalgia

2009-12-15T23:30:00.000+02:00

Repetitive motion can lead to trigger points, which are very common sources of pain for patients with low back pain, neck pain, headaches, and fibromyalgia just to name a few.1 Repetitive motion injuries are often referred to as cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs). CTDs are very common in jobs where you repeatedly perform the same movement for most of the day (manufacturing and keyboard work), or where you stay in a static position (working at a desk or standing) without having much variation or break. Identifying and addressing trigger points are an essential part of treating muscle, joint and nerve pain. At our clinic we take a comprehensive approach and work with you to reduce and correct the cause of your pain. If you or someone you know is suffering with pain, trigger points are a likely contributing factor that we have had good success treating. If you would like a complementary phone consultation with Dr. Shook, please don’t hesitate to give us a call and schedule a time. (828) 324-0800

Starlanyl, Devin and Copeland, Mary Ellen. 2001. Fibromyalgia & Chronic Myofascial Pain, A Survival Manual 2nd Edition. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

[Via http://drbradshook.com]

Well, Another Change

2009-12-08T22:50:00.000+02:00

I’ve decided to change the purpose of this blog to be information about Fibromyalgia, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and how I live with them day in and day out.

This will take all the whining out of the other blogs, put it here (where it will belong), and allow me to make the other blogs more internally consistent.

The next post will define Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis. The posts that follow that will detail treatments, medications, coping, etc., as well as my life with these two debilitating and crippling disease entities.

[Via http://turtlemom2.wordpress.com]

The Benefits of Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain Sufferers

2009-12-06T21:44:00.000+02:00

December 5, 2009 – Cannabis, otherwise known as marijuana (or marihuana), has been a topic of debate for many years, not only in Canada, but also in several other countries including the U.S. and the U.K. However, while marijuana for recreational use has not been legalized in Canada, medical marijuana use can be granted for medicinal needs.

The Definition of Chronic Pain

Although “chronic pain” seems all encompassing and thus easily used as a reason for medical marijuana use, the organization of Health Canada very clearly defines what can be considered severe enough pain for medical marijuana. With that said, there are many suffering from chronic pain – due to a variety of reasons – with grants for the medical use of cannabis.

Arthritis, headaches and back pain are the most common, but fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, neuropathy and phantom limb pain are also common reason for chronic pain. Continuing pain can also be caused by debilitating illnesses such as MS (multiple sclerosis), scoliosis, osteoporosis and others.

Original Treatments for Chronic Pain

For many, medical marijuana use is a “last resort”, used only after several pharmacologic treatments fail. Typically, the first treatments include pain relievers such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Unfortunately, long-term use can cause serious side effects; even if there is pain relief, it can only be in short periods due to the need for short-term use of the “first line” of treatments.

Should the first treatments fail, narcotic opioids such as codeine, morphine and oxycodone are generally prescribed. Although often highly affective, the concern for these types of narcotics is that they have a high possibility for addiction and abuse. As well, their use is also limited, due to possible side effects in higher doses. The withdrawal symptoms for addictive pharmaceuticals can be mild to painfully severe.

Medical Marijuana for Chronic Pain

For those that don’t respond to the first or second line of treatments, medical marijuana may be prescribed. As well, there are those who prefer not to use man-made pharmaceuticals that have a high rate of addiction or serious side effects.

According to Health Canada, “Dependence is unlikely to be problematic when cannabis is used therapeutically, although withdrawal affects may be uncomfortable. These include restlessness, anxiety, mild agitation, irritability, tremor, insomnia and EEG/ sleep disturbance, nausea, diarrhea and cramping.”

Relief from chronic pain, however, far outweighs the possibility of addiction for many:

- Migraines – Severe, incredibly painful and often lasting as long as 72 hours, migraines can cause serious debilitating issues such as nausea, vision changes, vomiting and a high sensitivity to light and sound. Many of the pharmaceuticals used to either stop or lessen the amount of migraines cause the same issues as the onset of the migraines themselves. Often, sufferers stop treatment because it doesn’t work or because the side effects are too severe.

Medical marijuana, on the other hand, has been a well-documented treatment for many years – even throughout the nineteenth century. Cannabinoids have often demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects, as well as dopamine blocking. It is believed by some that one of the causes of migraines is the lack of natural endocannabinoids in the body, which might explain why cannabis works to decrease the pain as well as the symptoms.

- Multiple sclerosis (MS) – MS is a degenerative disease that attacks myelin in the brain and spinal cord. If you imagine nerves to be like electrical wires, myelin is the insulating, protective sheath around the nerves. The autoimmune system treats myelin as a foreign invader, destroying patches of it and leaving nerve fibers exposed, interrupting their normal function. It is debilitating and painful, causing such symptoms as tingling and numbness, painful muscle spasms, tremors, paralysis and more.

Prescribed pharmaceuticals can cause severe, debilitating medical issues such as seizures, abdominal cramps, dizziness, mental disturbances and other problems. Many MS sufferers prefer to self-medicate with marijuana, and have noticed that cannabis helps them control tremors, spasms and bladder control. Tests have also shown that THC helps reduce pain intensity and sleep disturbance significantly.

Although these two illnesses are common for the use of medical marijuana in relieving chronic pain sufferers, the same can be said for rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injuries and even phantom limb pain. While more studies need to be performed to explain exactly how cannabinoids and medical marijuana work, the fact that they do work is clear. Source.

[Via http://hempnews.tv]

Hmph!

2009-12-05T15:30:00.000+02:00

So I finally relented and went to see the GP about the nasty acne on my back and he gave me antibiotics for it. Two months’ worth of nasty ones to be precise. And a steroid cream for the contact dermatitis on my finger that’s stopping me from wearing my wedding ring.

So now I feel sick. Damn drugs.

Aside from the annoying acne on my back and the irritating contact dermatitis, things are kind of ok. I have been very busy making Christmas cards, hence the recent absence, and only have one Christmas present left to buy. Still a lot of knitting to do though, so will have to get on with that shortly…

R is much better now, and we hope for more news on L at the end of next week, so maybe more info there in my next post.

Quite boring really…

[Via http://craftgirlfightsthefibro.wordpress.com]

I've said it once, and I'll say it again...

2009-12-01T15:41:00.000+02:00

The latest research shows that fibromyalgia is a disruption in the way pain is processed by the brain. 1, 2 If you have fibromyalgia, and you are currently being managed by a physician, therapist, or other health care practitioner, how are they treating you for the disruption in central nervous system pain processing? I hope your health care provider can answer that question, otherwise, your treatment probably isn’t going to change this very important aspect of decreasing, and normalizing your response to a pain stimulus.

We use brain based therapy (BBT), that is focused on strengthening and building the neural networks of the brain. BBT works, because of a physiological concept called neural plasticity. Neural plasticity is the brains ability to strengthen and rewire the existing nerve networks inside and between different regions of the brain. We identify weak areas of the brain, and use specific therapies to stimulate and strengthen these areas. BBT, has proven clinically, to be very helpful in the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome, and in the treatment of chronic pain in which states of central sensitization have been developed.

1 Burgmer M, Pogatzki-Zahn E, Gaubitz M, Stüber C, Wessoleck E, Heuft G, Pfleiderer B. “Fibromyalgia unique temporal brain activation during experimental pain: a controlled fMRI Study.” J Neural Transm. (2009) Jan;2(1):26-40.

2 McCabe CS, Cohen H, Hall J, Lewis J, Rodham K, Harris N. “Somatosensory conflicts in complex regional pain syndrome type 1 and fibromyalgia syndrome.” Curr Rheumatol Rep. (2009) Dec;11(6):461-5.

[Via http://drbradshook.com]

Holiday Stress Tips

2009-11-21T15:08:00.000+02:00

The holiday season is right around the corner and for some people the stress is too. There is a great article by the APA, it reminds us that stress leads to the unhealthy behavior. My favorite part:

“Take care of yourself — Taking care of yourself during the holiday season helps to keep your mind and body primed to deal with stress. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in holiday activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly. Eat healthy. Make sure you get enough rest and sleep.”

Taking care of yourself is key. Don’t forget to give yourself a moment to do your Egoscue workout, you will thank yourself later for it!! Happy Holidays!

Read the Whole Article : Holiday Stress Tips

[Via http://palmbeachegoscue.wordpress.com]

Draw Close to God

2009-11-14T15:01:00.000+02:00

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. (James 5: 7 & 8 NIV)

In serving those with Chronic Pain through ministry I have noticed that this is the time of year that so many get depressed and down. The holidays are are fast approaching us. Money may be short. Memories from the past that are painful may be haunting, or some have relationships with family or friends that are in dire trouble.

Where does one turn to in a world such as we live in today? With the economy the way it is and the news broadcasting sadness, crime and the lack of peace… one may have the tendency to be down and feel a lack of hope.

Dear friends our hope is in the Lord. When we draw nigh unto the Lord He has promised us in His Word that He will draw nigh unto us. We must resist those things that fill our minds with trouble and turmoil because we know they are not of God.

Leave God’s Word sitting near your favorite chair and every time you feel a negative thought of lack or fear… pick up your Bible and let it speak to your heart. God will speak to you through His precious Word. He will comfort you and give you peace in times that are troubling, and through your physical and emotional pain.

Let us look forward to the days and holidays ahead, being thankful that we have a God that loves us and cares for us, a God that will never leave or forsake us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pastor Nancy Dittert (Founder of Fibro/Chronic Pain Support Group Ministry) lives in a Berm home in rural central Iowa with her husband & soul mate Patrick. Nancy lives with severe Fibromyalgia, Absence Seizures and Neuropathy. She is still actively involved as a Christian freelance writer and works full time in Chronic Pain Ministry through the Internet. Write Nancy at… nancierose@msn.com and visit her Chronic Pain Web Site at… http://Fibromyalgiahelp.homestead.com/index.html

it's ironic: invisible disease, invisible people & social networking

2009-11-05T07:35:00.000+02:00

i found out i had fibromyalgia over a year ago… i started reading books and attempting to learn as much as possible, yet after a year has passed, i feel like i was not taking in as much information in as i should. in the last four weeks, i have learned more than in the entire year, not by books or doctors, but by social networking.

my name is “my foggy brain” and i am a fibromite. i have the “invisible disease” noone wants to believe and noone can see. the strange thing is, social media, by definition is “the unseen”. it is virtual. it is facebook… it is twitter… it is blogging. so i remain “invisible”. i remain invisible by choice. i admit i am new to this. i have only been doing the fibro twitter and blog thing for a month so maybe there is a time when people get together. i’m not sure if i’d be up to doing that… i mean by definition, we are a group of people who don’t travel well. i can’t fly and can’t see a time when that would be a good idea. i can’t ride in a car more than 45 minutes without major pain. soooooo where and how would a “tweet up” happen? don’t get me wrong here… i was just sitting here and found it ironic. invisible disease/ invisible people.

i have been doing the social networking thing for a long while now, i have two twitter accounts (probably not such a great idea for someone who can barely finish a sentence… but i digress). i have an account just dedicated to my fibro friends and it is the best thing i could have ever done. very focused, provides me great information and the people… the people are GREAT! the level of support that the people provide to each other is so nice… i would have never thought it would be so nice. it is like a 24/7 support group. i totally underestimated the value of twitter in this respect. i am kept completely up to date on the latest and greatest news, medications, therapies, etc. AND provided wonderful support… AWESOME!

with my blog… i love the comments. it’s nice to know i’m not alone. i have been reading other people’s blogs and it’s been inspiring… so many people are suffering from fibromyalgia and feel alone and many don’t have a lot of support. it’s hard to read, i want to reach out and jump through my laptop and help. this condition is so tough… it affects people in so many different ways… the worst part about it to me is that it seems to affect people who in the earlier years were HIGH HIGH HIGH performers. people who went out of their way to help others and were always doing too much and basically burned out their bodies. now when they need help, they don’t have a support system. just doesn’t make sense.

what do you think?

btw… if you want to follow me… i am @myfoggybrain

thanks for reading! stay cool!

Fibromyalgia-things that may help

2009-10-27T07:37:00.000+02:00

There are a few things that I have found very helpful over the last few years to help ease or at least distract myself from fibromyalgia pain.

hot water bottle
ice pack
epsom salts in the bath-eases my muscles and helps me sleep
tiger balm
essential oils
a good laugh!

These might not help everybody but they have certainly helped me.

How Can Global Warming Help Us?

2009-10-25T15:39:00.000+02:00

Sometimes it takes a drastic solution for a drastic problem. At the time it seems like the solution is the problem. Cataclysmic, even.

When Monsanto introduced its Frankenstein plants into our environment people wonder if they realized what would happen. Of course they did. They patented the genetics of their “products”–they patented life. They then sued any farmer that ended up having their “product” show up on their farm. Sued them for a LOT of money, threatened them, ruined them. Plants are funny. They are living things, and they tend to play by Nature’s laws, even when we don’t.

Pollen and seeds tend to be made to travel. That is how Nature made plants to spread. Monsanto genetically altered plants, and the new DNA has begun showing up not only in new places not originally planted, but through cross pollination. That’s right–Frankinstein’s dick works, and he knows how to use it.

So what, you say? Well the genetically altered plants cause all kinds of problems. They have already contributed to super antibiotic resistant bacteria, poison resistant pests, and herbicide resistant plants. They also cause health problems like tumors, organ dysfunction, and death. The geniuses at Monsanto put suicide genes in their plants, saying that that way they would die after being alive one year, and that would minimize the potential threat of cross-contamination. Great. Now that gene will spread as well, which makes plants infertile, which means that they cannot make seeds and fruit–you know, our food.

But, you might say, if they have a suicide gene, they won’t be able to spread. I would answer, yeah, and everything else they have done so far has worked so well. Guess again.

Did I mention that they have test plots of trees, as well as many other types of farm foods? Oh, and fish? Fish that escape into the wild population. These are freak fish.

I have not done a great job here of really shedding light on this–there are video documentaries that are very intelligent and thorough. Look for videos on Monsanto, and GMO and BT . Watch them. Then you decide.

Global warming may be our only hope, because that may be the only way to wipe out what they have done.

Autoimmune Disorders in Women: What to Look For and What to Tell Your Doctor - InjuryBoard.com - October 24, 2009

2009-10-24T22:34:00.000+02:00

Posted by David Mittleman

October 24, 2009 10:00 AM

Here is a daunting fact: one in five Americans has an autoimmune disorder, which occurs when the immune system attacks itself. Moreover, about ¾ of those with an autoimmune disorder are women, or about 22 million women total. However, there is an even more disturbing trend amongst women with autoimmune disorders: 40% of those who are eventually diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder were initially told that they were “too concerned with their health”. Essentially, a large percentage of women with serious immune problems are passed over and told they’re hypochondriacs.

However, armed with some simple information, you could prevent yourself from falling into the category of women who suffer needlessly. In fact, health experts say that the best way to protect yourself is to educate and empower yourself by learning names, risk factors, symptoms, and treatments for the seven most common illnesses women face.

1. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome—the most common type of hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, and one of the leading causes of infertility. It stems from having levels of androgens, a male hormone, that are too high. The most common symptoms are irregular periods (or none at all), more hair on the face, chest, back and limbs, moderate-to-sever acne, baldness, and rapid and substantial weight gain that seems impossible to control. There is no single way to diagnose PCOS, but your doctor can check your reproductive organs for signs of mass growths using a pelvic or vaginal ultrasound. However, it is your responsibility to first inform your doctor that you have the aforementioned symptoms. Otherwise, the doctor may never know that there is a serious problem because the illness is so easily written off to bad diet, lack of exercise, or other “simple” explanations for seemingly benign symptoms. While there is no cure for PCOS, it can be controlled with birth control pills and Metformin to help regulate the hormonal production.
2. Fibromyalgia—doctors aren’t sure what causes this painful disorder, which results in symptoms that include pain, numbness and exhaustion, and often begins in early or middle adulthood. While there is no lab test or physical exam that can find fibromyalgia, doctors can do a tender-point exam, which identifies places in the body that are painful to the touch despite no immediate physical signs. The test is positive if 11 out of the 18 spots tested come back positive. There is no way to cure fibromyalgia, but sufferers can take over-the-counter pain medications to quell the pain. Furthermore, stretching, exercise, and massage can ease pain as well.
3. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome—at least 1 million Americans are believed to have CFS. However, doctors are unsure what causes the extreme fatigue that is common to the disorder. Some studies indicate that it could be related to dormant viral infections, hormonal imbalances, and stress. The common symptoms include decreased physical or mental activity that doesn’t improve despite long periods of rest. Loss of concentration and unexplained muscle pains are also common symptoms. In order to diagnose a patient, doctors must rule out other conditions that cause similar problems, such as Lyme disease or thyroid problems. While there aren’t any treatments or cures, Ritalin has been effective in some patients in reducing fatigue. However, the treatment is still experimental.
4. Lupus—there are four types of Lupus, however the most common is systemic lupus erythematosus. SLE is a nightmare: a malfunction in the immune system causes the body to attack itself, including wreaking havoc on the skin, joints, lungs, kidneys, nervous system, and blood. Doctors suspect that hormones play a vital role in the development of the disorder, particularly because women are usually diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 45. Overall, lupus seems to strike during or following a pregnancy. The most common symptoms include fatigue, fever, joint pain and stiffness, chest pain, memory loss, and skin lesions. A diagnosis of lupus is confirmed if a patient has at least four symptoms: a facial rash after exposure to sunlight, painless mouth sores, kidney disease, swelling of the lining around the lungs and heart, and low counts of red blood cells, platelets, or white blood cells. While there is no cure for lupus, mild cases can be treated with over-the-counter painkillers. Moreover, anti-malarial drugs have proven useful in stopping the progression of the disease, while corticosteroids counter inflammation in the joints and lining of the heart and lungs. Overall, doctors suggest leading a balanced life since emotional stress seems to trigger episodes of lupus.
5. Multiple Sclerosis—MS strikes when the immune system attacks the protective covering of cells in the brain and nervous system. Eventually the destruction of the cells causes a breakdown in communication between the brain and body. Women are three times as likely to develop MS, and most scientists believe there is an environmental link like exposure to viruses or toxins. Classic symptoms include numbness or weakness in the limbs, dull pain, fatigue, and vision problems. Despite these symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose MS and to distinguish these symptoms from others that are related to other diseases like Lyme disease. However, tests for these other diseases can help rule out any other options and ultimately narrow the diagnosis to MS. Currently, those with milder symptoms from their MS are treated with corticosteroids. Other sufferers with more serious symptoms are put on an immunomodulator drug that helps prevent a complete relapse in muscle weakness and other symptoms. Exercise is also a crucial component in maintaining strength, muscle tone, coordination, and balance.
6. Rheumatoid Arthritis—RA attacks the lining of the joints through the immune system and can cause swelling, aching and potential deformities. The symptoms are easily detectable: simple activities, such as climbing the stairs or opening jars, can cause tremendous pain. It is difficult for doctors to diagnose RA, however, blood tests can reveal an antibody that is related to RA. Treatments include alpha inhibitors, or drugs that fight the inflammatory proteins. A second treatment is called DMARDs, which help to slow, reduce, and prevent joint damage. Finally, corticosteroids can cut inflammation around the joints, but become less effective over time.
7. Irritable Bowel Syndrome—simply stated, sufferers experience serious bowel problems including gas, diarrhea, and constipation, as well as abdominal cramping and pain. Doctors can usually pinpoint the problem by using the “Rome criteria”. In other words, if a patient experiences 12 weeks of symptoms out of 12 months, they most likely have IBS. The treatment is also very simple: eat more fibrous foods. Furthermore, some patients have found relief by using peppermint oil, a natural antispasmodic that can ease abdominal pain.

While most of these autoimmune disorders cannot be cured, they can still be controlled via simple methods. Be forthright with your doctor if you experience symptoms that you believe could be related to an autoimmune disorder. Most importantly, be persistent! If your symptoms bother you and interfere with your daily life, there is probably a more serious problem that needs further attention.

COMMENT: Posted by Joanne Drayson

October 24, 2009 3:49 PMYou can not rule Lyme Disease out by a blood test blood tests are only about 50% reliable for Lyme being antigen tests.

All the above illnesses mentioned in this article could be caused by Lyme Disease and with those symptoms should be checked out by a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor through ILADS.

Currently our doctors follow the IDSA 2006 Discredited Guidelines, these are currently being reviwed. Presentations shown at the July IDSA review hearing show considerable evidence proving seronegativity and persistent infection. Details on the IDSA website.

Food for Thought: Healing From Within...A Positive Diet & Positive Thinking for Better Health - David Martin, Executive Director, WPA Chapter

2009-10-22T14:24:00.000+02:00

“The Doctor of the future will give no medicine,

but will interest his patient in the care of the human frame,

in diet and the cause and prevention of disease.”

-Thomas Edison

That quote is from my recent Arthritis Radio guest’s website … Janet McKee, a board certified Holistic Health Counselor. Here is an excerpt from my intro to that show:

I don’t know if you’ve seen the iphone commercials – where the tag line in “we have an app for that” … want to order a pizza – we have an app for that … need directions … need to book a hotel – we have an app for that – amazing technology. It has changed society as we know it … something else that has changed are the levels of stress and anxiety … depression, obesity … overall wellness … are you stressed – we have a pill for that … depressed we have a pill for that – overweight, have pain – we have a pill for that … everything is quick – never enough time and one area that really suffers is what we eat and consume. Drive-throughs, coffee shops, energy drinks, processed foods, vending machines, microwaves – this has changed society too… and has changed our overall wellness.

I used to think my father was a “fanatic” over what I called his “health foods” … his attention to what he ate and how much of it always resulted in some good-natured jokes as the rest of us stood around with our quarter pounders … he was right. He was right and is now the healthiest person in my family. A family that has Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, JRA, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, auto immune disease, and more… is there a connection? If you ask Janet Mckee … you would get an enthusiastic yes!

Considering the pills and the drinks and the processed and fast food we consume — what we should be considering what is on the end of our fork.

Please let me know what you think of the interview on Arthritis Radio. Leave a comment and your personal story. I should add – Are we suggesting you drop your meds and eat “vegan”? No… but a better diet, a diet and lifestyle that suits our particular bodies can only lead to feeling better.

On part 3 of the interview we also touch on the power of your mind. I recently read a book entitled “You Can Heal Your Life” by author Louise Hay. She has a DVD of the same name and the potential that exists of how our bodies and life can change depending on our thoughts and outlook is simply astounding. How many times have we awoken to a gray, rainy day not having received enough sleep, dreading going to work, having too much on our plate, not feeling 100% and not looking forward to the day ahead. We plant the seeds for a miserable day – and that is what we get… What we expected from the moment we opened our eyes. What would have happened if we had greeted the day being grateful, thankful for the rain and our work day ahead and thoughts of how we expected to feel good. A different outcome, I suspect. Louise Hay has been quoted talking about “waking up and thanking the bed for a night’s sleep”! Now that is grateful. The idea has been around for centuries. I first heard of it as a child and came across the book, “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale. It’s been most recently brought back into popular culture through books like Louise Hay’s and “The Secret”. Organizations like Abraham Hicks and best-selling authors like Chicken Soup for the Soul’s Jack Canfield and Michael Beckwith have promoted positive thought for a better life. Our thoughts, expectations, imaginations and life-outlook can have an impacting effect on our health and how we feel. It’s a journey worth taking.

A better diet, positive thoughts, feeling better… sound good?

Check out the interview! To listen to Arthritis Radio Episode 11: Parts I, II, and III - please visit http://arthritisradio.podbean.com or simply search Arthritis Radio in the iTunes store to download it as a free podcast!

We have recently posted another AFWPA “Rheum for Wellness” blog entry about Janet McKee and the “food for healing” aspect of this topic.

View Ashley’s entry, “Food for Thought: Healing from Within” HERE.

To learn more about Janet McKee, holistic health counselor and drugless practitioner, please visit her website at http://www.janetmckee.com

Thank you, and be well!

- David Martin

Executive Director

Western Pennsylvania Chapter

Spas, concerts and coffeehouses

2009-10-18T14:30:00.000+02:00

The fibromyalgia has started to wear me down. I have pushed myself too much in the past week, but every experience has been worth it. Finally meeting my penpal after 15 years and seeing his country – worth every second of the fatigue and pain. The fibro has mostly asserted itself through my muscles and the bone-weary fatigue. My feet are especially stiff and sore; my lower back throbbing. Today I am also fighting a moderate fibrofog – head in the clouds, difficult to make decisions, takes me longer than normal to understand when people speak to me (and remember, they are speaking German and I have been trying to answer back in German…). It has only really hit today. I think the adrenaline of meeting Andreas and his family has started wearing off.

The spa on Friday helped immensely – I would be in worse shape today otherwise. Andreas, Stefani, and I spent a lazy afternoon at a spa. There are spas like this all over Austria. Envision a glamorized swimming complex. Not nearly as simple and plain as American community swimming pools, not as ritzy as American spas, not as big and loud as waterparks – a civilized combination of the three. The spa is situated over natural hot springs. For all the pools, the water is piped in as is, no tampering with the temperatures. It’s a massive complex compared to American swimming pools, yet still manageable. There are three big outdoor pools of varying temperatures, all of them hot. One is a salt water pool. Inside are a number of cold, warm and hot water pools, and a whirlpool (kind of like a hot tub). Rows of lounge chairs ring the pools. People will come for the entire day with a bag full of books and magazines.

We just spent the afternoon there, but by the end I was so relaxed and my muscles had untightened to the point my pain was less than it has been the entire trip. Soaking in the hot water, sleeping on the deck, people-watching…why don’t we have these spas in the States?

I am determined not to let the recent fibro flare impact my last couple days in Europe. I still managed to see a lot today, but I am trying to be smart about what I choose to do. I have had a classic Viennese day in a way that has allowed my body to rest. In lieu of a walking tour, I jumped on the tram that circles the city center on the Ringstrasse as a low-impact way to see and get around to some of the sights. Spent the afternoon sipping a melange (Like an American latte. Don’t ask for a latte or they will give you hot milk) in a classy but comfortable Viennese cafe. Vienna is rightly famous for its cafe culture. These classy coffeehouses are all over the city, holdovers from the glamorous days when Vienna was the capital of the sprawling Hapsburg Empire. Here you can sip a coffee all afternoon, read piles of newspapers and chat with new acquaintances. I found a cafe called the Braunerhof just a block away from the Hofburg. Caught up on the news and listened to waltzes from a live ensemble of musicians.

I also attended Mass at the Augustinian Church in the Hofburg neighborhood. This was an inspired idea on my part – I could sit for a couple hours in the splendor of the church and listen to the music of the organ and choir. This church is famous for putting on a musical Sunday Mass and the choir even sells CDs. Today’s music was from Hayden. I got shivers from the music – here I was sitting in a gloriously lit Gothic church as the heavenly church music of Hayden lifted my spirits, just as his organ and choral music was meant to be heard. Not in a concert hall, but here, in a church as the people celebrate Mass and the Eucharist. One of the most amazing concerts of my life.

Hopefully tomorrow I can start to hit the streets of Vienna in full sightseeing force, but for now, I am living Vienna through her coffee and music, and my body is all the better for it.

America’s sweet tooth

2009-10-15T13:47:00.000+02:00

Sugar. Also known as: Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup, Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Honey, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Lactose, Maltodextrin, Maple Syrup, Rice Syrup, Sucrose…I could go on all day, but I think you get the point – we’ve come up with over 50 names for sugar. Food manufacturers love this because they have to list ingredients in order by weight and many food makers use multiple sugars so sugar doesn’t show up so high on the ingredient list.

Thanks Egoscue Portland for a great blog…. Read the Rest of This Blog

Something got me yesterday

2009-10-11T14:17:00.000+02:00

Not really bad. But enough to make it into my dreams. Since I’ve been diagnosed with FM I’ve had nighttime bears clawing me, lions biting me and a host of weird situations reflecting my sleeping pain. Last night, my dream hips would not work; everywhere I needed to go (urgently) was like walking through thigh high slush. Fortunately I discovered a way to get around by sliding backwards on my rear dragging my useless legs along. That part wasn’t too bad as each slide got longer and smoother until it felt like I was flying along…backward.

Anyway…

What got me yesterday? I had no obviously big deviations from the diet. In fact, it was my brother’s birthday breakfast and I entered a restaurant for the first time since starting the Diet Experiment. I studied my options and came up with the idea of eating before I went and just having tea once I got there. That worked.

But then Jacob and I got in the van to go home and it wouldn’t start. Argh… Kevin was home and on his way in a matter of minutes. Leaving Jake and I sitting in a cold car staring at his leftover box. I knew there was bacon inside…I could smell it. So I ate it. (I asked politely first…but Jacob is pretty easy.)

We got home and I felt no ill effects from the single bacon strip. Okay. So far so good, I hoped.

Dinner planning was for a celebration. Kevin got notice of not one but TWO parts he’s been cast in! We decided on steaks. Beef steaks all around and I skipped the potatoes. Had a green salad with some new dressing. It was a vinaigrette with basalmic vinegar and it was organic and the ingredients didn’t list anything really bad. Except “organic sugar” and “organic spices”. Kinda vague.

So what was it that got me? Dietary? Corn in the bacon processing or maybe the nitrites? Something in that dressing…that tasted so sweet? Or was it mechanical since I’m working on painting three full sized papers; they are on my dining room table (my studio is too messy) and it’s just the wrong height. I have to bend over just slightly and reach as I paint.

Well…there’s nothing to do today but stretch it out, stay aware and watch my food. It’s still only about a 5 or 6 out of 10 but I’m greedy these days. I’ve had so many great days with pain hanging around a 3 that I don’t like going back at all! So we’ll see how it goes today.

Brain Based Treatments For Pain Not Previously Available

2009-10-10T22:35:00.000+02:00

We are now offering patients unique and previously unavailable treatments for many chronic conditions. Our three pronged includes: biomechanical, neurological and biochemical assessment and treatment of your health.

Our neurological assessment and treatment of your condition is what sets us apart from other doctors in the area. The nearest clinic to offer these breakthrough treatments is over 50 miles away, and it just happens to be our other office.

Conditions that have benefited from this type care include:

#1 Chronic back pain

#2 Chronic neck pain

#3 Chronic Sciatica or leg pain

#4: Spinal Stenosis

#5: Failed Back surgery syndrome

#6: Chronic shoulder and arm pain

#7: Fibromyalgia (FMS)

#8: Balance Disorders/Dizziness

#9: Numbness/Burning/Tingling

#10: Migraine or chronic headaches

#11: Hand or foot pain

#12: Restless Leg syndrome

#13: Insomnia/lack of sleep

#14: Tinnitus/ear ringing

#15: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

#16: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

#17: ADD/ADHD

#18: Peripheral Neuropathy

To find out if you or someone you know could benefit from our treatment, call our clinic at (828) 324-0800, or email us at drshook@alliancechiropracticcenter.com and schedule your free brain based, neurological examination. We are only extending this offer until November 1st.

**You must contact us in advance for an appointment due a limited number of available time slots**

A really good day

2009-10-08T14:22:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, I had Princess Ramsey over from 11:30 to 8:30. That’s a long time of babysitting plus to make things harder, she got sick during the day. Poor baby got so unhappy that she went to hide on the dog’s bed under my computer desk and fell asleep!

That’s the bad news. The good news is that my energy level outlasted her. I ate simply and cleanly with a protein shake for breakfast, leftover chicken soup for lunch and a crock pot roast with roasted veggies for dinner. Snacks were fruit. Easy, right? Plus before she got here I did some dishes, picked up a little and took a shower.

It was crazy.

When I was in the shower I lost my balance and fell over. Yeah, I’m so graceful. I rammed my back against the facet head. Ouch. I immediately panicked because these small falls have caused flare ups that last for days. But guess what? No big problems. It’s sore just where I hurt it but no “pain echo” and no flare. I just cannot believe the difference.

Some days I want to go on a speaking tour or write a book or something because I wonder how many other people are out there with fibromyalgia that could be helped by eating differently. It’s changing my life. Not just back to where I was BF (Before Fibro) but better than I remember feeling for a long time.

I’ve decided to try and focus on the big four; gluten, soy, corn and dairy. I know I can get away with eggs in small amounts…same with cheese but I’m still trying to avoid these for the most part. Soy and corn are the hardest because they sneak in the weirdest places. Like corn in my table salt (dextrose). And soy in the tuna fish. But compared to what I’ve been putting into my body for a long time, the idea is “progress, not perfection”.

And compared to how I’ve been living for the past 4-5 years, just avoiding some foods and focusing on others is pretty dang easy.

Hallelujah, can I get an Amen!

Long Time, No Post: a journey through work, school and life during 2009. Pt 2

2009-10-06T14:41:00.000+02:00

Days like today remind me why its so important to take my medication on a regular basis. I’m sitting at my desk and I’m so miserable I can barely focus on work. Without my antihystamine my hives flare up. I have red spots on my face and arms and its all i can do not to scratch. Without my antianxiety pill my tics are all over the place. My left arm keeps flailing and my fingers keep shooting out making typing very hard. I try so hard to reign it in so its not noticable but in the end that just makes it worse for me. Without my lyrica, my fibromyalgia sparks pain and discomfort in my fingers, neck and arms. I’m hurting today and I just want to roll up in a ball and cry and not be here. It makes it very hard for me to be the “Kim at work”, with the smiles and the offers of help and the getting my work done on time. I feel out of place, from my hair (can hair really hurt?) to my toes.

The last year has been a hard one for me. I have been diagnosed with a movement disorder called Choria, which was later changed to Motor Tics – TS. The medication that I was originally given worked wonders for about three months. After that not only did the movements come back, but they came back more often and in more limbs. My Neuro wouldn’t change my meds so I found a new one who specializes in movement disorders and we are working on finding the right combonation that will work for me. For the most part, we are on the right track. As long as I take my pills and try to stay unstressed, the large embarrassing arm waves and movements have declined. They have been replaced by small quick tics by my hand, wrists and fingers, as well as a small one in my face that i noticed yesterday. The doctor feels that this is an improvement though so we’ll see where it goes. I was also diagnosed with the Fibromyalgia, which explains why I was always in pain and why certain places always hurt when I was touched. There are a lot of people who do not believe in this disease and find it a cop out that doctors use when they aren’t sure what the problem is. To be honest, i dont’ care if the word or the disease is real. I’m in pain. Everyday. And if they can do something about it, I’m on board. I was crying in bed every night becuase my arms, legs, fingers and toes were on fire with pain, from joint, to muscle, down to the bone I could feel the pain. My Lyrica isn’t at the right dose yet but we are working on it. I was recently told about a Chiropractor that works with Fibro patients and I may look into it. I long for a time when mixing cookie dough with my boys or even just blow drying my hair doesn’t incompacitate my hands for hours or days.

In the meantime, I have had more blood tests, scans, exams, that one person should have to go through in one year. I heard once that it takes up to 7 doctors and 10 years for a woman, and a fat one at that, to find the right diagnosis and doctor willing to help with compassion. Since I have been complaining about some of my symptoms for well over ten years and I have seen about 7 doctors, I’m thinking they may have a point. I have a good team now though and I look forward to moving into 2010 healthy and heappy.

And my wonderful husband, who was working from home today, is driving in with my pills as we speak. I would never have asked (and didn’t) but he is there for me in amazing ways and so he makes the trip and I could be back on track by this afternoon.

I should mention that its fall now and I am so happy with the weather and the changing colors. I love autumn!

The chill in the air, the smell of wood burning, the colors! Its all something to smile about and I’m glad its something I can focus on when times are harder like today.

Documenting a bad day ...

2009-10-06T06:11:00.000+02:00

Owch I’m sore!

Yesterday was a really bad day ok? I tried to write about it but my brain was such mush all i could come up with was “I feel …….” My fingers struggled to type, my brain failed to compute and my whole body hurt.

I didn’t sleep well, or much, and got out of bed feeling like a sloth. My night time symptoms were still there, all bunched in with some bad-day morning symptoms and i just wanted to sleep. It might have been wise to just take the day off and rest but I had things to do, kids to get to school and besides.. I’m on this “DON’T TELL ME WHAT I CAN’T DO!” kick at the moment where i intend to show the whole world (or at least myself and my trusty sidekick) that i CAN do anything that i want to do! (admittedly, it’s not going well so far)

So i made the breakfast and the lunches, walked the children to school, saw zo to her classroom and spoke to my supervisor about when to start back, all the while concentrating very hard on looking and speaking as normally as possible, even though my brain had turned to mush and I was walking about in a complete daze. Then I walked home and proceeded to make the shopping list. Sounds easy right? On a bad day, nothing is easy. After the exertion of the walk and the ‘acting’, i was exhausted and just wanted to sleep but i had to force myself to sit quietly and focus on writing the list, it ended up something like this:

bread
milk
veg
dinner x 3
stuff for lunchboxes
baking
fruit

pretty vague huh? I just had to hope for some clarity to hit me before I entered the supermarket. Next was catching the bus and going to the furniture store – more having to speak to people -eek! What I do on a bad day is to practise over and over again what i’m going to say to people so that I don’t forget. I also think of how the conversation may go so that I have some words ready and don’t go blank when asked a question (how embarrassing) It went pretty well at the furniture store with my pre-prepared words, until right at the end when the store Guy said something that I hadn’t anticipated or prepared for. I don’t even remember now what he said to me but I know that I replied “phew”. This totally made no sense and store guy gave me a very strange look but In my mind, I was thinking “phew” because our transaction was complete and i could leave. Oops, I guess I said it out loud.

Next I had to get the groceries, and I completely wasn’t in the mood. What I really felt like doing was crying, curling up into a little ball someplace and sleeping for ever. My tingly foot was back and along with some calf muscle cramping, was making me walk slow and stupid. I felt as though all strength had drained out of my arms and legs. I did quite a good job of buying groceries, all things considered. It did however take a great deal of focus and concentration, which is just as exhausting as the being vertical and moving about stuff. I crept through the aisles methodically, list in hand, willing my mind not to drift or fuzz and hoping that I wouldn’t bump into anyone I know, lest I be expected to actually form words and make them come out of my mouth.

Amazing – I actually finished shopping just in time to catch the bus! (saving me cab fare home:) and I had bought just the right amount of groceries that I could carry them to the bus stop – just! I was sitting on the bus feeling rather proud of myself – I had done everything on my list and would be home by 11:30 – when suddenly I smelt a foul smell:( Harry had thrown up all over himself. Harry lives at the nursing home nearby and while he isn’t really that old, he is quite ’special’. Harry often shows me a picture or toy that he has brought on the bus with him, He also coughs when he is nervous and if he coughs too much he throws up. It’s never actually happened ON the bus before, I wonder why he’s allowed out without a carer? Anyway, the smell was putrid and I felt really nauseas and had to make a decision…

Get off at the next stop and call a cab (more $$)
Get off at P.St and walk a block home (less 15 min, more walking)
Do the full loop ( +15 min, dropped to my door)

I opted to get off and walk, which was fine at first but I soon realised that my Groceries were far heavier than anticipated. I ‘carried’ 6 bags, precariously wobbling and stumbling all the way. I stopped 4 times, three to rest and once to rearrange the contents of a busted grocery bag. In the end I was hurting, sweating and silently chanting ‘I can do anything’ as I crossed the finish line! Bleh, my arms were sooooo sore! Still, I had groceries to put away, washing to hang and children to pick up, so on I went.

By 4:00, I had fetched the children home, fed them home made caramel tarts (tin of caramel + bought pastry cases + sliced banana = easing of guilt feelings for not home baking for children) and lay on the lounge room rug, dying. Or at least making dying noises. I was hurting bad, my arms and back and shoulders and neck especially were aching and burning and throbbing and stabbing with pain. I was close to tears and couldn’t get comfortable, let alone rest or sleep and I resorted to paying the children in gold (in gold sounds better than 2 bucks) to come and massage their poor dying mother. Usually I would never ask them to do such a thing, but it hurt bad:( Luckily they have been quite competitive lately so they fought over who could massage me the best and the longest.

After an hour rest, I managed to take in the washing, cook dinner, and ‘bake’ some muffins (but mostly spray the kitchen with muffin mixture off the electric beater) with a whole lot of help from my wonderful girls (this time for free;) -they even helped me to do the dishes and went off to bed happily, insisting I go take a bath. THE BATH – yum. I figured if taking magnesium supplements was helping my muscles then soaking in the stuff must be good right? And it was sooo relaxing and I went straight off to bed feeling much soothed.

Now to today: I still didn’t sleep well. What’s new;) and I woke up feeling VERY VERY sore and sick but my brain is less mush today (I can mostly make and say words:) My back is very sore from where the girls rubbed it, It hurts to lift my arms, my legs and feet are very sore and I have a sore throat and sniffles but I am feeling somewhat more positive. On a bad day it is so easy to slip into doom and gloom thinking, worrying about the future, worrying about when I’ll feel well, how I’ll get things done. It frightens me a lot when I have trouble thinking and doing the simplest things, I feel like a little old lady, like i’m past my best; and that’s a depressing thought to be having aged 31.

I try to educate myself and read all I can about Fibromyalgia, M.E and Hashimoto’s but sometimes it serves only to frighten me more. Yesterday I read about women in their 20’s and 30’s who have given up work and driving because of these conditions, people who need help to shop and do housework, people who are housebound and can’t even go on holiday. I read about studies that show chronic pain like fibromyalgia causes brain shrinkage resulting in more often brain fogs and lowering IQ, It makes me very sad and scared and all at the same time I am struggling to explain to those around me just how I am feeling. Because it doesn’t show on the outside, people have no idea what it’s like to live in this screwy body of mine, how much pain and weirdy-ness can be going on while I appear and strive to look ‘normal’ on the outside.

I don’t want to constantly whinge about the things my body is doing to me, but at the same time I wish there was someone else who understood, who asked, who cared. It’s lose-lose;) anyways, enough wah wah wah, time to finish up with some positives:

today I completed my much hated subject ‘legislation’, assignments x3 done!
washing is done!
kitchen is cleanish.
bathroom is clean and cleared out ready for painter tomorrow.
I have wonderful children x2 who think i make the best caramel tarts and muffin/scone/thingys ever!

m:)

I keep thinking of that saying

“hope for the best but plan for the worst”

- I haven’t decided if i like it or not yet, kinda scares me.

And the Fibro Finally Rears Its Ugly Head...

2009-10-01T13:55:00.000+02:00

I arrived in Krakow on the night train from Budapest this morning, feeling a bit groggy and disoriented, but otherwise in great spirits. Found my hostel, got some breakfast, and strolled around the Stare Miasto (Old City) a little before the mad rush of tourists. Felt perfectly normal tired. Then it hit. A severe exhaustion and unbearable lower pack pain. 20 minutes from my hostel. In the middle of my wanderings of Kazimieriz, the old Jewish Quarter. Frankly, I am ticked off. (That’s the nice version – keeping it family friendly for everyone back home.)

I debated continuing with my sightseeing. There was a free 3 hour walking tour of Kazimieriz I desperately wanted to go on. There was a period film being shot in Market Square. I hadn’t even peeked inside the huge St. Mary’s Church yet. I debated, and realized that pushing myself today would mean bedridden tomorrow. So napped for 2 hours and now here I am, feeling slightly sore, but much improved. The lesson – ALWAYS listen to your body, even if you don’t have fibromyalgia.

A couple things of note: In Budapest, before catching my train, I visited the House of Terror museum on Andrassy ut. A somber way to leave a new favorite city, but I am glad I checked it out. It is housed in the former office and prison complex of two notorious agencies in Hungary: the Nazi-supported Arrow Cross (much like the Gestapo) and the Soviet-supported AVH (secret police). Here the people of Hungary were terrorized, tortured, and disappeared into the night. Just walking into such a building gave me the chills, but the exhibits furthered my horror. An impressive array of artifacts, photos, video footage, and art installations with powerful messages. For example, a maze of walls made of bricks of pig lard in a room about the shortages and rationing Hungarians experienced under Communism. Wandering the maze to find your way out, you contemplate all the invisible mazes they had to go through just to get the basics for survival. Another exhibit showed the two uniforms of the Arrow Cross and AVH back-to-back and spinning slowly, demonstrating how the secret police switched sides, or “turncoated”. Most powerful to see were the actual rooms used to imprison and torture Hungarians citizens. It is estimated that 1 in 3 Hungarian families had someone killed, tortured, questioned, or imprisoned by these organizations.

You may ask, “Why visit such a disturbing museum on your vacation?” I reply, it is disturbing, yes, but as members of the human race where we have perpetrated countless horrors on each other, it is important that we are witness to what happened, that it make us uncomfortable, and cause us to ponder and questions what happened. It is also an important piece to understanding the Hungarian people today.

On that disheartening note, I will head back out into the city. Krakow awaits my full attention and my back is at least 30% better.

Questions about posting

2009-09-29T22:40:00.000+02:00

You know, for the longest time I’ve refused to write in this blog. I didn’t feel like I should say anything as I was busy wrestling with unpredictable symptoms and fatigue.

Still managed to fly out to New York to hang out with my husband…but spent most of my time in bed. Bummer.

One of the other problems I have with using WordPress is that I generally have to write the post in Word (don’t trust my spelling or grammar!), move it over to Notepad to strip it of any coding and then post it in WordPress.

And if I want to post any links or pictures I have to wait until I’ve already got it into WordPress before I can do that (just remembered that) so of course there is always last minute editing!

Not exactly as organic as writing an email and hitting “send”, is it. I’ve still managed to send emails, pissing off kids, relatives and real estate agents with abandon, but no posts even though I have LOTS to say.

I’m curious. How do you write your posts? I’ve been looking but can’t find a whole lot of info on it…so I figured I’d just ask. What flow works best for you?

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU HAVE PAIN?

2009-09-28T14:43:00.000+02:00

DAY 33: I am glad I didn’t play it safe and stay home. It is also important to develop good memories during this time of illness.

So here’s the question, “Does it matter where you are when you are experiencing pain?” I have been thinking about that question since Friday while Greg and I were driving to Banff to meet our four adult kids and our grandson to watch our girls run in the Melissa 10KM run. I am still suffering from the effects of the treatment I had completed this week that pulls the mercury from my body so that I have even more symptoms to juggle. Fortunately, on Saturday I was still able to walk around the Banff area to cheer the girls while they ran. Our time here has been enjoyable but always requiring a concerted effort to “ignore” my symptoms. As I lay in bed last night with increasing pain, I began wondering if Greg and I were crazy to continue this holiday. But then I began thinking, “Would experiencing these symptoms be any easier if I was at home?” Yes, in many ways it would be! It is easier to go lie down at home and it is easier since I don’t feel the pressure to “push” as hard because I don’t want to jeopardize other people’s enjoyment. However, the flip side of those negatives is that I have the pleasure of being out of the house and the pleasure of spending time with my children and husband. Even though it has been a struggle, I now have memories that I would not have if I had stayed home. How sad to think I might have missed the following if I had chosen to play it safe and had stayed home rather than coming here for the weekend:

• Listening to a radio station that plays only 60’s music and seeing who could name the singer first – while Greg and I were driving to Banff

• Watching the girls participate in their run and to cheer them on

• Walking with my grandson who suddenly stopped to hug a tree

• Chatting with my son while he pushed the stroller; I especially enjoyed his story about a 3 year old boy who has 6-pack abs and can do chin lifts since his body has developed so much muscle

• Watching my daughter salivate over her pizza – dairy free that she hasn’t been able to eat for months since she has been on an elimination diet for health reasons

• Waking up in the morning and having breakfast with everyone

• Watching David show us how to do the Tree Pose since we girls were saying how hard it was to keep the leg from sliding down the leg

• Watching Greg try doing the Tree Pose, perhaps not quite as successfully!

• Listening to my son’s enthusiasm about the 100 Day Challenge that a motivational speaker has encouraged people to take by working hard to achieve a particular goal in a short period of time

• Appreciating my kids’ concern and kindness as they cope with a sick mom (or mother-in-law).

Today, Sunday, the kids return home and Greg and I begin our holiday. And even though I have considerable pain this morning, I look forward to sitting in the car with my seat slightly reclined and enjoying the drive. I think we will also listen to the radio station that plays only 70’s music to see if I can better compete with the driver when it comes to naming the artist of those songs!

A Cup of Joe In The Morning Talks To Egoscue

2009-09-26T14:45:00.000+02:00

Wednesday Sept 25th at 9:30am, Seaview AM 960 show Cup of Joe in the Morning had Egoscue Palm Beach Garden’s Clinic Director Shawn Taker on talking about Egoscue. Thanks Angela for taking a moment and calling in to talk with Joe and Shawn.

Check out the conversation.

Don’t forget to listen to Shawn, Wednesday Sept 30th at 9:30am on Seaview AM 960 “A Cup of Joe in the Morning”!!

If you can’t catch us on the radio listen in to the show live on the web.

From the brain to the heart

2009-09-25T12:55:00.000+02:00

whose that knocking on the door...

“We believe there is an invisible pathway from the brain to the heart,” a wonderful biofeedback therapist I worked with told me.

“We do not understand this theory yet, but we see changes, such as with lowering blood pressure and heart rate, along with reducing physical pain when people think of what they are most grateful for in life.”

She laughed and said she knew it sounded silly about there being a path from the brain to the heart, believed to be activated by thinking grateful thoughts, but I didn’t care if it was silly. If I can learn how to lessen the physical pain from fibromyalgia and calm some — my spirit; for there are many things that trouble and disturb my spirit, then I’m about trying it.

As I sat there connected to the computer, through a wire with a clamp on the end for my index finger, I was surprised how the graphs changed as my thoughts changed. Sure enough, when I thought about what I am most grateful for, the prettiest colors in the graphs would show up stronger; purple, violet, orange and blue.

My therapist would get so excited. “Look,” she would say. “Look how much the graphs changed when you talk about your dogs!” She was always surprised in our sessions. She said I could go from one spectrum to the other more drastically than any of her patients.

I would talk about upsetting issues or the pain I live with and then change to thinking of and talking about my dogs. The changes that occurred were visible on the computer screens, which I guess, is the essence of how biofeedback helps a person.

The right side of the computer screen is where the colorful graphs were and on the left side was one column, which was a light purple color, and when I talked about my dogs this graph would usually reach the highest peak.

“That is the invisible path from the brain to the heart,” she would say. She also said it barely showed up with some people and on average, a high peak was considered to be in the middle.

I could tell her about my 4legged Egyptian insect hunting dog and cause the entire screen to light up everywhere!

Once I began noticing on my own, outside of the sessions, the physical changes taking place in my body when I got upset, that awareness helps to back up for a second. Sometimes, one second is enough to change many minutes, hours or days.

If, as soon as I see the changes begin in my body when I get upset, I become aware of it, then it is possible to stop a cycle of thoughts that invariably and inevitably bring about what I don’t want.

It is my dogs I think of when I want to feel grateful. I am grateful for my human family too, of course, but dogs give me a unique sense of purpose and peace that I don’t feel anywhere else.

Maybe it is because I get lonely and they give me so much comfort that way. Maybe it is because they never get mad at me and are always forgiving when I am sick. Maybe it is because they never put me down or criticize me. And for sure, they appreciate anything I do for them. They trust me, they treat me with respect and they are never sarcastic.

My sweet girl dog does get mad if I spend too much time at my desk and will at times, come over and start barking loudly right in my face. The only time this causes problems is when I am on the phone with one particular friend of mine. He gets irritated and says it hurts his ears. She will sometimes do this when I get on the telephone.

I’m mostly glad that she barks in my face sometimes. It’s usually just what I need. Get up and go out.

Walking my dogs makes me feel good because it makes them happy. The girl dog that barks in my face also smiles a lot and I get the greatest satisfaction out of knowing that I can do something good and not fail.

“You have to think grateful thoughts though,” the therapist told me. “Positive thinking does not produce the same effects as does grateful thinking.”

Practicing feeling grateful helps me with depression and anxiety. It helps me not to feel so hopeless about the sad things that I cannot control. Feeling grateful helps me keep my chin up so to speak.

I’ve also been introduced to a series of books I like titled, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, the main character, Mma Romatswe, is a very grateful person. She is always talking about how grateful she is for her country, Botswana, and the cattle, the rain, traditional values, and any little bit of growth that comes from the long anticipated rains.

Some say you must play the hand you were dealt in life. Well, some of us got a pretty sad set of cards. The game we win is one where we continue to keep on going in the face of what at times seems completely unbearable.

Some say if you are having a hard time then think of someone else having a harder time. Well, sometimes this helps and sometimes it simply doesn’t. I always question the source of advice. I find that people who have not had to live with chronic severe pain cannot give advice on the subject. Not the kind of advice I need, which is the kind that could actually do me some good.

I recently read an awesome book that enlightened me about the people of present day Afghanistan. Reading the book definitely gave me a fresher perspective on my own life here in the US. The book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, just as ‘Mma Romatswe’ does in the stories from, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, helps me to be grateful for the basic necessities in life, such as shelter and food. I’m also aware that I can walk outside, go into town and not think about getting tortured and/or killed.

Reading these books has helped me to think of the simple things in life we can be grateful for. This is important for everyone I suppose, but I know it is important for people who face hard challenges every day they live.

I still have the same problems, even though I can say I am in much better shape and circumstances than so many people are. I just have to keep on doing the best I can with what I have and am capable of doing.

I remain grateful for all that I have.

Mostar, Bosnia - Off the Beaten Path

2009-09-24T13:06:00.000+02:00

I have returned from a walking tour of a small city called Mostar, in Bosnia Herzegovina, and I am still processing everything I have seen. It is a city in the process of rebuilding from the war in 1995. Restored, occupied businesses and homes sit next to blackened, looming ruins. Pockmarks and blast craters still mark even some of the restored buildings. Lush trees grow out of crumbling ruins, boarded up and graffitied with warning signs to stay out. Next door are bustling cafes and groceries. Young people stroll the streets. It is a fascinating juxtaposition, and a lesson in resilience.

My host’s mother drove me from the bus station to the hostel, and along the way she pointed out landmarks and explained what happened during the war, which she lived through. When Bosnia Herzegovina declared independence from Serbia during the breakup of Yugoslavia, the Serbian army attacked the town from the surrounding hills and mountains. At first, the Muslim Bosniaks and Christian Orthodox Croats fought side-by-side against the Serbs, but soon they also turned on each other. Heavy urban fighting commenced in the streets of Mostar, and we drove along what was the front line between the two sides, a modern street called the Bulevar. At one point, all three sides were fighting each other simultaneously.

The rebuilding continues. The first major rebuilding project was the famous Mostar Bridge, which was a city landmark that spanned the river dividing the Muslim Bosniak and Christian Croat sides of town for generations. It was bombed to pieces during the fighting, and the rebuilding was a symbolic healing process for the city. They rebuilt it with help from UNESCO and used the traditional building techniques. I walked across the Mostar Bridge today along with a herd of tourists, and found myself actually getting emotional. We take so much for granted in the States, and the news of war on TV seems so far away. This has been important for me to experience.

The city itself is a mix of Croats and Bosniaks. Both are Bosnians, but Croats are Orthodox Christian, and Bosniaks are Muslim. Mostar was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, where Christians and Muslims lived together side-by-side. It’s a European town, but not one we would normally picture. Cafes serve strong Turkish coffee (fantastic!), there are multiple mosques, minarets dot the cityscape, and calls to prayer echo out over the loudspeakers. There is even a colorful bazaar to haggle in.

Shed all your stereotypes about Muslims here – the women of Mostar walk around freely, dressed like any other European and talking on their cell phones. I did observe a few women wearing colorful head scarves, but Nina explained they choose to wear scarves as a visual show of their faith, much like many Christian Americans will wear a cross on a necklace, and Orthodox Jews will wear the skullcap.

I suppose I haven’t mentioned my health much lately. Rest assured I am holding up! The first few days I was constantly tired, but I allowed myself periods of rest, and even took a long nap yesterday afternoon. The fatigue has not been debilitating, and I hope to continue to pace myself so well. The physical aches and pains are another matter. My feet are sore, and I give myself foot massages every night. My back and shoulders are stiff, and I do stretches as much as possible to keep it from getting too bad. I will need a long massage when this trip is over!

Tomorrow I head back into Croatia. For now, I lunge back into the swirling sea of humanity that is Mostar.

Where I jump in and defend pills...

2009-09-23T14:01:00.000+02:00

When discussions arise of disability, especially, it seems, of invisible disabilities, someone will almost always jump in and start harping about Big Pharma and how they have certainly invented our illness or disorder just to sell us or get us hooked on some new fancy drug. Or, they will insist that we are just addicts who refuse to find ways to manage our pain.

And for some of us it is a type of shaming that is hard to get out of our heads. For me, personally, I have let not just that, but some people actually convince me that pills were so bad that sometimes I convince myself that I can manage my life without them. It usually takes a significant event (which I will leave out of this little anecdote b/c someone that I know reads this blog thinks these things are his business, but I assure you, they are not) to remind me and make me realize that I not only need them, but that it is in my, and my family’s best interest for me to use them.

I saw a doctor recently who took the time to have a real conversation with me about my health, my Fibro and my care. It was incredible and refreshing. She gently insisted and reminded me that I need to take some medications, and together we decided that, yes, some of them don’t hinder me, but actually give me parts of my life back. That while addiction and dependency are different things, real concerns, and things to consider, they are things that we need to weigh against the benefits of taking medications. She took the time to discuss side effects, interactions, whether I would need to take multi-vitamins, that I would need to watch my calcium intake (to avoid getting stones), and discussed lifestyle changes that I have either already made or would need to make to improve my quality of life, and that of my family’s. This is the kind of thing that needs to happen between pain patients, chronic illness patients, and pretty much any patient who needs to take medications and their doctors.

So, now there are pills. Seven of them. Only two daily use, and the rest to be used “as needed”, which is something I rather like. The Lyrica and the Topamax are gimmies, because I actually get some benefit out of them. They improve my quality of life in a general manner. Those are the the red and white one and the tiny yellowish one next to it (the jelly beans in the picture were my idea of a funny…HA! C WUT I DID THERE?). Lyrica helps me not want to throw myself out the window (which would be a feat w/ the window protectors on our sliding door-sized windows). In other words, it means mobility and movement, once I have adjusted to the side effects. Yes, it takes a while to adjust, but it is worth it. The Topamax, and anti-convulsant, is given to me off-label for the constant Not Migraines that I have (24/7 for almost 5 years now). It dulls the daily pain, and sometimes gives me mostly headache free days, which liberates me to do silly things, like stand up. It also has side effects, such as a metallic taste in my mouth. But I know this, so I expect it, and the benefits outweigh the gains, and eventually they fade. For now, I switch to plastic cutlery and all is well with the world.

Sometimes, though, the headaches still break through. That is where the pill above the Topamax comes in. If you have had major surgery you might recognize it. It’s Promethazine, or Phenergan, usually prescribed for nausea caused by anesthetic, but has an off-label use of relieving headache pain, and being a mild sedative. This I can cut in half and only use during those times I have headaches not held off by the Topamax, and greatly reduces my need for a narcotic pain reliever. Because it works as a pain reliever it also helps me sleep when the pain is bad. Always a good thing.

Which brings me about to the big pill…my buddy, House’s and yours, Hydrocodone, or Vicodin. I have given up any delusions that I can live my life without one, and my doctor gently agreed. She understood my concerns of addiction and dependency, but reminded me that regular OTCs won’t help me with the breakthrough pain that my regular meds won’t cover. Something I often forget is that Vicodin does something that a lot of scoffers don’t think about (something apparent if you watch House); it gives me some of my life back. It lets me do frivolous things like get out of bed, cook meals, go places with my family, and even have sex with my husband, which is something that many doctors don’t consider in patient care. People are too quick to assume that someone using Vicodin is automatically an addict, or that they aren’t “managing their pain”. But those of us using Vicodin are doing exactly that are managing our pain, with the advice of our doctor, in a manner that is right for us and our families and loved ones. That choice is between the patient and hir doctor, and family/loved one if zie chooses to share. If. A 30 day supply, thanks to the Topamax, Lyrica, and the as-needed Phenergan will last me about 90 days, give or take. It’s a total win for me. Plus, my doctor is so awesome that she has given me her email to allow me to renew the prescription without a lot of hassle.

The pink pill is Meclizine, or Antivert. It is an as-needed pill for dizziness and nausea caused by Labrynthitis. It is chewable, and I have to take it with a small amount of food. The dizziness was a new symptom, because for some reason my tympanic membrane has been billowed out for quite sometime, causing me intermittent vertigo. Again, since it is as-needed, I don’t mind it so much.

The last pill is for the chest pain I have been having, which is apparently the result of a suspected spastic esophagus, and is Zantac. It is another as-needed pill. The chest pain is rare, and new-ish, so there is no reason to have a regular med. I can also try to take Tums first, the doctor tells me, so the need for this med might be less than that.

There is also a cream for the inexplicable rashes that recently have developed on my arms and legs, which sometimes respond to a topical Benedryl, but sometimes doesn’t. It is a steroid, so it is another thing that I can take only if I need it, and only if Plan A doesn’t work.

I can not stress enough how wonderful it is to have a doctor who prescribes things that I can take only if I need them. This keeps me from taking too many things at one time, and reduces the chance I will have an interaction complication. I also can not stress enough that pill are not all bad all the time. It is certainly true that there are probably people out there who abuse pills and take too many of them. It is probably equally true that some doctors are too quick to prescribe too many meds too quickly to make a patient go away. But at the bottom of the medication issue is the fact that how much or how many meds a person takes is between a patient and hir doctor. It isn’t the job of a drive by concern troll to judge or offer suggestions on the care agreed upon by those parties.

Oh My Aching... Leg?

2009-09-21T14:13:00.000+02:00

Certain low back conditions give rise to more than just low back pain. For example, leg pain can be more intense than low back pain, even though the cause of the leg pain is coming from the low back. When this happens, many patients complain that they have “sciatica,” which refers to radiating pain that starts in the low back and extends down into the leg. When the intensity of leg pain is worse than the low back, it can make patients wonder, “…where is my problem really coming from?”

To understand this better, a short “anatomy lesson” is appropriate. The spine can be divided into two halves, front and back. The structures in the front half include the larger, heavier bones called vertebral bodies and the shock absorbing cushions that lie between the vertebral bodies called the intervertebral disks. The disk is like a jelly donut where the center is liquid-like and the outer portion is a tough, criss-cross pattern cartilage arranged like the rings on a tree stump. There are also ligaments that hold the vertebrae and disks tightly together. The back half of the spine includes the spinal cord, nerve roots, as well as the small joints of the back called facet joints. Every movable joint has a joint capsule that helps lubricate the joint and limits the amount of movement, along with surrounding ligaments. The larger, heavier vertebral bodies and shock absorbing disks carry the majority of the weight (approximately 80%) while the smaller facet joints carry much less weight (only 20%) but are more responsible for guiding the movements of our back.

When leg pain is present, it can be caused by either a pinched nerve, or, an inflamed facet joint.

When a nerve is pinched, the cause is usually from the intervertebral disk where the jelly-like center leaks out and presses on the nerve that goes down the leg, commonly referred to as a “herniated disk with sciatica.” This type of pain is quite specific, easy to describe and often extends below the knee to the ankle or foot. It can include muscle weakness, numbness in certain areas of the leg, and bending forward increases low back and leg pain while bending backwards reduces the leg pain (and sometimes the LBP).

When a facet joint capsule tears (technically, called a “sprain”), the pain is “referred” down the leg in a generalized, non-specific manner, usually described as a “deep ache,” often hard to describe and usually does not go below the level of the knee. Here, it feels better to bend forward and worse to bend backwards, of which neither movement changes or affects the leg in a specific way. Disk related leg pain carries a potential for surgery if all non-surgical approaches fail, while facet joint referred leg pain rarely requires invasive treatments or surgery.

YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE FOR CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR LEG PAIN FOR A FREE NO-OBLIGATION CONSULTATION CALL OUR CUMMING GEORGIA OFFICE 770-888-4288

www.backsmarthealth.com

2 months of time lost?

2009-09-17T13:29:00.000+02:00

Has it really been over two months since I’ve written on this blog? It can’t be . . . can it?

I guess it is. Let’s see if I can reconstruct that time. If I can, it means this fibro fog challenged brain has pulled off a minor miracle. What was the date of the last entry? Hmmm . . . July 3. It is over two months! I’d better get started.

July 4 – 11 was the rest of our vacation in Alaska. We spent 5 glorious days in Homer, AK – a place that actually felt like home to me. On the shores of Kachemak Bay, across from mountains that drop into the ocean and include volcanoes, Homer sits up on bluffs primarily. It does include a spit of land that juts about 4.5 miles out into the bay, only 19 feet above sea level. It is aptly called Homer Spit. The spit is lined with rocky beaches that include campgrounds – you camp right on the ocean. It is also lined with small shops and restaurants. Since the climate in Homer is not very much different from MA, I knew I could live there. The only fly in the ointment might be the light issue – the Alaskan summers are fine: daylight all but about 5 hours; the winters, of course, are the reverse. For someone with SAD (seasonal affective disorder), like me, it could spell trouble. Still, I think I’d move in a heartbeat if someone told me to.

The rest of July was a blur of laundry, catching up on mail and construction. We had our bathroom redone from the studs out. Our only bathroom! You see the problem with that, don’t you? We did have a portable toilet outside the back door. It wasn’t too bad except when you woke up in the middle of the night with an urgent urge and had to get dressed before you went outside. I doubt the neighbors would have been looking for a half-naked woman streaking to the porta-potty, but the neighborhood skunk might have. That wouldn’t have been pretty. It took nearly three weeks to complete the estimated ten day job. The joys of construction. Now that it is done, we love it and that has made the “patience” we exhibited worthwhile.

July 31 saw us attending a Gordon Lightfoot concert at the Twin River facility in Lincoln, RI. The concert was good, but we thought that he looked old and not really well. It turns out that, two years before Lightfoot had suffered a burst abdominal aneurism and spent a week or so in a coma. Put in that light, he looked really good for someone who nearly died!

We took a day trip to Maine. We went to Perkins Cove and walked the Marginal Way. I had never walked the whole way before, so I was proud of myself. My husband started having palpitations this same weekend. He was so unnerved by them that I had him call the doctor on a Saturday while I drove home from Maine. He had them during the week for three weeks, with exacerbations each weekend. Finally, the third weekend, the doctor told him to go to the emergency room to be checked out. They actually kept him overnight that Saturday and had told him they would do a certain test the next day. Great, except that the cardiologist had not shown up by 3 PM. They told my husband they didn’t see anything to worry about, so he decided to check himself out and do any follow-up testing on an outpatient basis. The “hospitalist” (new term for an attending physician who takes care of you for your doctor) must have been offended by the idea of this man deciding to take matters into his own hands and leave. He told my husband that he could be fine OR he could have a blockage, drop dead and die. That latter part was in direct contradiction to everything we had been previously told. Needless to say, we left anyway. Since even after testing, they told my husband they did not know the cause but the palpitations were completely benign. No treatment was necessary.

My husband would not have stayed in the hospital another night unless they’s told him he was dying. Why not? We had another concert to go to – the Moody Blues at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino. What a great concert they gave!! They sounded and looked as good as ever!!

I have a lot more to say and not much time left for it right now, so I’ll stop here with the concert and pick up tomorrow (I hope) with the rest of the catching up. Right now I have to catch my breath and let my fingers rest!

Things Lost and Things Found in the Fibro Fog..... part 3

2009-09-15T06:14:00.000+02:00

This is going to be a rough one to do….and keeping it honest will be painful in many ways and the boundaries of just what has been lost and what has been found can become blurred ….. even now I pause and think about deleting this and doing something else….. a sure sign I really need to do this one. So what have I lost that could be more painful than some of the things I’ve already posted? The core of my strength or was this what I found? That’s why the boundaries can be blurred……I’ve said before that my church had been there for me and their help was part of what kept me and my children with a roof over our head and food on the table….. with out their help I have no doubt that we would have been homeless after I became too ill to work and lost my job when my employer was told I was going to file a claim on my long term disability insurance that I had through them {whole another story}. So am I counting the help from my church as a found or loss? I am listing it as a loss….. a very deep loss. Everyone was willing to help us…… but the more involved they became the worse things got ….. they didn’t understand my illness…. they would look at me and see nothing wrong…… why didn’t I clean my house better? After all I’m there full time….. just what did I do with all my time? Why can’t I make it to church every Sunday? I was told to go back to my former employer and tell them I would go back to work and not have any sick time and would take any job they had open even if it was in housekeeping{his words not mine}….. just note I was a RN for 23 years and had topped out on my hourly rate…and the person at my Church telling me this worked in the administration of my former employer….. he just didn’t get it….just a quick note here so that I won’t forget this same person about six months later both his wife and daughter were diagnosed with FMS….. I pray for them….. but back on topic….. things got much worse when my COBRA insurance ran out and I needed help with my medications…..one cost over $500. for 30days and that one was a pain medication. I had finally gotten through to my doctor that I needed pain relief and over the counter wasn’t working and we had already tried everything else. NOW everyone at my church thought I was a drug addict and one also thought I was an alcoholic and would come up and smell my breath when she said she wanted a hug……the tremors in my hands can be really bad some days….I was told that it was only pain and I should just ignore it and keep on going…. I was weak…..one said he had cancer and went through chemo and THAT was pain….not what I have…. I was told that a person had cancer and worked up to the day before he died, never took any pain medication and never missed a days work…. I just needed to put my mind to it and try harder and just learn to live with some pain. Even after I spent a week in ICU tiring to fight off a viral respiratory infection …. not once but twice! Ended up with brain damage, diabetes, high blood pressure, COPD and on O2, sleep apnea, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and a whole long list of other stuff……then it was OK to take some medications to treat those things but not the pain medications…. for that you just must be tough. I lost a big support group that I thought would always be there and not be judgemental…. people who I thought knew me enough to know I wasn’t faking it just to get and use “drugs” pain medication….. people who now look at me differently when I do try and make it to church… the talk and whispers or the way they react when they see me and abruptly turn the other way and walk off at a brisk pace…{not an all out run but close!}. The one place I could always count on to feel peace, comfort and safety within the wall of that church building and I say that because no matter where I’ve lived and attended the church of my faith none felt the same as the one where I went the most while growing up and was baptized . {we attend a church based on where we live so if you move they will mail your church records to the church we will assigned } Now this is a lot about what I lost and if you are reading this you most likely are thinking is this a novel or a post and just how long is the “found” gonna be? Well, it will not be all that long because what I found was that my faith should not be about the people in my church because they are just that “people” no better and no worse than me…. yeah that’s right… no better than me. They have faults and are just as able to misunderstand things as the next person….. I had put them up on a pedestal and made them perfect and thought they had the power to read my heart and soul…. and I found I was wrong. I found that my faith and strength comes from a high power than them or me. I found that the feeling I got at church wasn’t because of the people inside the building but was the spirit of my higher power that resides with in those sanctified walls……. now if I could go and sit in a room alone at my church I’d be there in a skinny minute…… OK a very fat minute I know I’m slowwwww now. Also I can find my peace even at home as I study my church’s teaching. Yes, I miss the fellowship that I lost but I have found where my faith truly comes from and that is more important. Now that I purged this from my heart maybe someone else can benefit from this lost and found….. maybe that is why I have felt the need to tell this or maybe just needed to do this for me….. either way now I can move on in peace until our paths cross again…….. Lila

PLEASE NOTE IF YOU ARE READING THIS POST AND YOU ARE NOT ON THE WEB SITE “LILA LOST IN THE FIBRO FOG…” THEN WHAT YOU ARE READING HAS BEEN STOLEN AND IS BEING USED WITHOUT MY AUTHORITY AND I HOPE YOUO WILL COME TO MY WEB SITE BLOG AT WORDPRESS http://www.lilabyrdakabirdladybyday.wordpress.com

Today, Fibro might've won my body...

2009-09-12T21:47:00.000+02:00

“I like living.

I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable..

racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know

quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.”

~Agatha Christie~

Today… I think my body decided that it’s time to go down for the count. Sitting up is tiring! So this is going to be short in all likelihood. I did manage to work on a few things for CWL from my bed this morning then a fever came and now I’m fighting the urge to lay down & quit. I feel yucky and want to take a bath but I know that even changing clothes is going be a chore. This is when I really get frustrated with being sick. I can do without being able to do things I WANT to do in life most days.. but the things I NEED to do are harder to handle when I can’t. It really really sucks to have to find a compromise with your own freakin body…

Yes.. I know it could be worse.. a lot worse. Which is why I don’t post many negatives. I hate feeling like I’m complaining. There are times tho that I get so frustrated with the limitations imposed upon me that I just need to say “I HATE YOU FIBRO & stop dragging me down!” to get rid of the negativity that can often poison my thoughts.

Today, Fibro might’ve won my body… but I won’t let it have my thoughts too…

[Via http://sassynurse.wordpress.com]

AMALGAM FILLINGS: HARMFUL OR HARMLESS?

2009-09-11T21:14:00.000+02:00

DAY 16: Continue removing the amalgam fillings.

My doctor is very confident that as I lower my mercury levels, much of my health will return. He believes that removing my amalgam fillings is a significant component in this process. Obviously this topic is rather controversial especially if you talk to your own dentist!! Therefore, I decided to check out what the Canadian Dental Association has to say about this matter.

First, I learned that they confirm that “amalgam fillings release minute amounts of mercury vapour, especially with chewing, and that this mercury can be absorbed, reach body organs, and cross the placenta.” However they qualify that no study verifies that this amalgam causes illness in the general population. Notice the word, “general population” since that will be used quite often. They also acknowledge that mercury is a ”poisonous metal and that very small amounts of mercury vapour are released from amalgam with chewing.” The video I have included at the end of this posting will dispute their confidence that it is only very small insignificant amounts! They further acknowledge that “the mercury absorbed from all sources accumulates in body organs and tissues, mostly in the kidneys, but also in the brain, lungs, liver and gastrointestinal tract.”

I love the word “estimates” when they attempt to answer what amount of mercury does a person take into the body: “Health Canada estimates that for the average Canadian adult 20 to 59 years old the amount of mercury absorbed by the body from all sources is about nine millionths of a gram per day. Of this total, dental amalgam is estimated to contribute about 3 millionths of a gram per day. “ This sounds like a miniscule amount doesn’t it? However, I have recently learned how very little estrogen our body requires to operate normally and I realize that minuscule amounts of “extra” can completely unbalance how a system is supposed to work. Also, what number of amalgam fillings are they using and how big are the fillings that they are using to calculate this amount? I have 10 large fillings and two small fillings which is probably quite high particularly for young people who don’t have the same dental work done as was done forty years ago.

I was getting a little irritable when I read their answer to the question, “Is the mercury which is absorbed into the body harmful?” They write, “For the overwhelming majority of people no harmful effects are known to be caused by the average levels of mercury exposure from amalgam fillings. “ That is a confident statement worthy to be trusted as long as you believe that you belong to that general population. I was also frustrated when they attempt to use science as evidence of the harmless effects. They state that, “Scientific observation of patients over the course of 150 years of using ever-improving formulations of dental amalgam is the foundation of CDA’s confidence in this material for general use.” Tell me how patients would have been clearly observed when developing a pure science experiment to observe the effects of amalgams would be incredibly difficult. Could you find enough people who all have the same number of fillings, the same age of fillings, the same health issues? I don’t know how they would eliminate all of the spurious factors. I would have respected this Association more if they had admitted to the enormity of the task to effectively observe its effects on that general population, rather than trying to convince its readers that science also proves their conviction that amalgam fillings are perfectly acceptable.

Now tell me, if they are so completely confident of their past 150 years of untarnished record using amalgam, how could they also concede that “every time a foreign substance is used in the human body for therapeutic purposes, there is an element of risk.”

I actually think the real problem is that it is incredibly difficult to prove or disprove the effects of mercury. I also think that most likely that general population may respond beautifully to ingesting mercury. Or do they? The problem is that we expect each body to respond in the same way so that we can make broad statements about that general population. Unfortunately, most of our bodies don’t claim to be part of that general population. Some react to eating too much gluten, others to dairy, and others to caffeine. Some react to inhaling perfume, well you get my point.

For all of their confidence in amalgams, it is interesting that there is an openness to substituting amalgam fillings as they write, “the dental profession is aware of research to find more durable alternatives to amalgam and these materials may be available within the next decade.” I am left with the inference that they would then stop using amalgams even though they are so completely confident in its use and they would begin using something else!

The Canadian Dental Association admits that amalgam fillings are not safe for every patient. “It has been estimated that the prevalence of mercury sensitivity in the general population is approximately 3%.” What if they used different variables and eventually learn that that percentage is actually much higher than they were aware of? They state that “alternatives may be considered for individuals who are immunologically compromised or who suffer from a neurological condition.” What if there are many more people who are immunologically compromised and sadly the patient and the dentist are unaware of this.

Finally, it is also interesting that they quote Health Canada who states that while “the research evidence did not support excluding children, pregnant or lactating women…from receiving amalgam fillings…common sense dictated that pregnant women should avoid any elective medical or dental intervention until after delivery.” Should common sense also tell us that even the general population should avoid receiving amalgam fillings?

For more details see the following link for the Canadian Dental Association:

http://www.cda-adc.ca/en/oral_health/faqs_resources/faqs/dental_amalgam_faqs.asphttp

[Via http://gaylejervis.wordpress.com]

2am unmentioned tears

2009-09-11T06:44:00.000+02:00

what if I really wrote the truth about how I feel and what I think…

would that be OK?? would it be legal?? so long as they were just feelings and not plans, would it be safe to put those words out there? would I be loved more? would I be loved less?? could I be loved less???

something has been wrong with me all day and all night. tears keep coming out of nowhere the last few days. life, as I know it…is too hard for me the way things are. honestly, it is too fucking hard.

wish, wish, wishing again and wishing harder that I could explain what my illness(es) have done to me and how I am so much more limited now. nobody gets it. NOBODY GETS IT. worst of all, only really two people care.

even the therapists office that seemed so concerned in “saving my life” won’t even call or e-mail me to see if I am OK. all they had to say to me was, you owe us money. they fucking turned a most tragic day into a memory that will haunt me until the day I do finally die. and they somehow now expect I’m OK. NO!!!! now I am worse!!! well, they have their $25 dollars. and they have a file on a girl who is extremely FUCKED UP!!! and they have my phone number(s). they have my e-mail. and nothing. not one single card or note or voice mail saying I hope you are OK Kimberly, and we’d like to be of assistance to you again.

I kinda feel like nobody wants to deal with me again, after dealing with me for a while. unlike some ~~patients~~ people, I am not an easy fix. my problems cannot go away. the only method of help for me, is medication to calm my constant anxiety and tools to help me cope with things that will never go away, that will never be repaired…that will only get worse.

I tried. I tried so fucking hard. I want to scream at certain people for hours over how hard I myself have tried. I will continue to try.

but I would sell my soul to the devil (if only I believed in him) if just one person in my life could truly understand how hard my life will forever be, and how alone I will forever be…and what that does…

to only me…

[Via http://kimberlysawczuk.com]

The Heat Is On

2009-09-09T21:05:00.000+02:00

If you know me, then you know my passion for promoting suicide prevention…if you don’t know me…then you know this about me now!

My current endeavor involving these efforts to promote awareness and end stigma and prevent suicide involves the Kansas City Out of the Darkness Community Walk, a walk that benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and their efforts both locally and nationally. I am a big fan of AFSP and I am really excited about this walk that is coming up on October 17th. But, truth be told, I’m also feeling a wee bit of anxiety.

I am a part of the Walk Committee (a small group) of people putting this event together and I have some responsibilities that I can call all my own. These responsibilities include PR work and contacting local radio and television stations. I am not having the best of luck… it is difficult to get responses from the busy and hard workers in these media sources and it is difficult for me to find large chunks of time to get things accomplished. That being said…I need to make some more progress, and I’m feeling the heat, the pressure, of an event date that is quickly approaching!

So, if this is causing me some stress…why do it?

Last year I walked in this first ever event in my city. I did not know that it was a new event. I was inspired to take action in regards to this cause and I did an internet search that pulled up the walk. I was just in time to register with only a matter of days before the walk began…and at the time, walking the short 3 miles seemed like a really big effort for me, as I was dealing with severe fibromyalgia symptoms. I walked, I even raised a little bit of money, and I felt absolutely wonderful about what I was doing. I had a new source of hope for myself and a new hope that I could share with others.

After suffering from depression since a teenager and having attempted to take my own life in the past, I feel a great compassion for others struggling with depression and having suicidal thoughts. I feel like I have a way to help others who suffer by being a part of events like these and by helping raise awareness about the need for suicide prevention. Also, I have been given the opportunity to shed light on how a person who is suicidal is actually feeling and how their mind might be operating when an attempt it made, sharing much needed information to loved ones and family members who have lost someone to suicide. It is horrible to see the pain of those who have lost loved ones but it is a gift that I am able to share my experience and I hope that it may somehow ease that pain for them.

I, too, have lost loved ones to suicide. My grandfather died by suicide in 1998 and I have lost a friend to suicide as well. Recently, some friends of mine lost their brother to suicide. It is all around us, yet people often don’t speak of it. It is a tough topic, it is difficult to understand, and the reality of it is very sad…but being involved in promoting its prevention can be a beautiful experience and one in which peace and comfort is found.

I share this all with you as a glimpse into what is going on in my life right now, but also, on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day, I urge you to pay attention and take action regarding this cause. If you can help me spread the word, I would be overjoyed by the assistance. If you can donate to my fundraising page (as I am a walker in the event as well) I would be equally appreciative. If you feel led to look for a walk near you and register in one of the hundreds of walks going on around the country, that would be fabulous. And if all you can do, is tell yourself in a quiet place in your heart, that you are not alone, that others understand your loss or struggle…that is okay, too, and a huge blessing to me.

One of my new life tapes that I tell myself and sometimes others is “put your passion into action“. This is my passion and the action that I am taking about it. I want to reach others before they fall into the dark pit of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts…I want to help those grieving over losses by honoring the memory of their loved ones…I want to break down the silence and stigma surrounding this issue and it’s many ramifications.

Will you help me? The heat is on.

[Via http://unavitabella.com]

Qnexa, Glutamate, and Weight Loss

2009-09-09T14:29:00.000+02:00

CNBC reported today that a company called Vivus has a drug called Qnexa that reduced the weight of participants in a trial by 14% after one year of taking the drug.

I know a lot or research is being done on how glutamate regulates weight so I was curious on what was in this drug. I found it is a combination of Topomax (topiramate, an anti-convulsant) and phentermine (an amphetamine which was part of the horrible weight loss drug Fen Phen).

The amphetamine is only there to reduce hunger so it is not something I am interested in, but there it was, topiramate, which is known to reduce extracellular glutamate in the body. The topiramate helps restore function to the pancreas by stopping the destruction of beta cells in the pancreas caused by glutamate excitosis. The thing to note is that the trial was performed on obese people with type 2 diabetes. Qnexa helps restore pancreatic function by stopping the destruction of the pancreas by glutamate, that in turn normalizes blood sugar and helps return the body to homeostasis. But the point I want to make is that YOU DO NOT NEED QNEXA TO RESTORE PANCREATIC FUNCTION. You only need to reduce your levels of dietary glutamate. Or, you could take resveratrol which has the same action but with less cost and no side effects.

So, here is your choice, you can spend money on pharm drugs which will undoubtedly give you side effects. Or, you can choose foods that have low levels of free and bound glutamate. Because the only things these pharm drugs do is block the effects of the food additives in the typical shitty American diet.

[Via http://dietaryglutamateandhealth.wordpress.com]

Magnesium - the very important millennium mineral.

2009-09-05T14:05:00.000+02:00

65% of patients admitted to Intensive Care Units have a magnesium deficiency and up to 40% of the general population have also been found to be deficient in this very important mineral.

Magnesium is mentioned rarely (certainly not as much as calcium) and yet it is vital to so many functions in the body. Stress depletes the body of magnesium as well as the B vitamins that work with magnesium and therefore if you have been under a lot of stress it will be beneficial to supplement with both of these nutrients for a while. In this stressful era we need more magnesium, it is the mineral of relaxation, but we tend to get less because of our heavier reliance on fast foods and alcohol.

Magnesium – what does it do?

it aids detoxification
relaxes the system to diminish – irritability, anxiety, unstable emotions, muscle spasms, insomnia, low back pain, constipation.
it raises HDL (good) cholesterol and lowers LDL cholesterol
it lowers blood pressure – if given I/V as soon as possible after a heart attack it improves survival.
it is a useful treatment in Angina
helps lower eye pressure in Glaucoma
improves Insulin production and utilization in Type II diabetes
lessens headaches and migraines and is useful to aid coffee withdrawal.
works with calcium to maintain healthy bones
regulates the absorption of other nutrients and the action of enzymes in our bodies
is essential in the Krebs cycle (energy)
helps to regulate body temperature
it is essential for nerve and muscle function

Here are some of the symptoms that magnesium deficiency can cause:-

muscle weakness
abnormal heart rhythms or palpitations
tiredness
loss of appetite
cramps
fits
high blood pressure ( magnesium is the natural Calcium channel Blocker)
insomnia
sensitivity to loud noises
anxiety
difficulty swallowing

Anyone who has any of these symptoms or who suffers from Fibromyalgia, Chronic fatigue, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Heart disease, Kidney Stones or Attention Deficit Disorder could benefit from taking 400 – 1000mgs magnesium supplement but anyone with heart disease or kidney disease should discuss this with their doctor first. The most absorbable forms are citrate, glycinate or aspartate so avoid the cheaper forms that are not well absorbed. If you take too much magnesium it will cause diarrhoea.

Low magnesium and high sodium – a recipe for cancer.

Magnesium is essential in moderating the levels of potassium (high) and sodium (low) in all our cells. If you are low on magnesium and eat lots of salty foods then the cells can become poisoned, low on oxygen, low on potassium and produce less energy. The acidity within the cells then goes up which impairs the chemical reactions and reduces the oxygen even further. Cells reproducing in this toxic state are more likely to mutate.

The best sources of magnesium are:-

cocoa powder and dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids or more
seaweeds like Kelp, Nori, Dulse, Kombu etc.
Nuts – Brazil nuts, Pine nuts, Cashew nuts, Hazelnuts, Walnuts and Almonds
Seeds – sunflower seeds, sesame seeds.
Soya – mince and beans
Liquorice
Wheat germ and wheat bran
Millet
Rye
Brown rice
Dark green leafy vegetables
Figs and dates
Beans
Garlic

For a quick fix prior to going to bed try soaking in a hot bath with 2 Tablespoons of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate)added to the water and a few drops of a relaxing essential oil such as Lavender or Chamomile, the magnesium will be absorbed through the skin and you should sleep like a baby!

[Via http://millenniumhealth.wordpress.com]

A Special Cause for Special People : The Arthritis & Wellness Fall Walk, Arnold Palmer, and Celebrities with Chronic Pain - Ashley Boynes, Community Development Director, WPA Chapter

2009-09-04T14:09:00.000+02:00

Our first annual Fall Walk is an important event – it is at a very special location, during a very special time of year, for a very special cause, and, with a very special designated Honorary Chairman. The 2009 Arthritis & Wellness Fall Walk is at Idlewild Park during their festive Hallowboo celebration, and we are making the effort to not only focus on the walk itself, but also to promote the wellness aspect of the event. The Arthritis Foundation, Western Pennsylvania Chapter, has a very strong focus on overall health, physical activity, and wellness, for EVERYONE — not only those affected by arthritis. In addition to having Senator Kim Ward as an Honorary Public Leader, as well as two very special honorees, we’ve been lucky enough to have golf legend Mr. Arnold Palmer lend us his name as designated Honorary Chair.

Arthritis – the cause that is special to us – is also very special to him.

Arnold Palmer’s passion for golf began at the tender age of 4 years old. He focused on golf during his formative years, and by high school dominated the Western Pennsylvania region. In 1955, Arnold Palmer joined the pro tour. Since then, Mr. Palmer, now celebrating his 80th birthday, has been regarded as one of the most accomplished golfers of all-time. Not only is he an exquisite athlete and golf legend, but Arnold is also a strong supporter of many causes, ranging from cancer research and awareness to arthritis. Both of these causes hit close to the constant do-gooder’s heart. He himself has been touched by both illnesses. His first wife died of cancer, and he is actually a prostate cancer survivor and arthritis sufferer. Arthritis hits even more close to home for Mr. Palmer, though, when it comes to his late mother. Doris Palmer passed away in 1979 from what has been described as a cruel case of crippling arthritis. Her battle was brave, and her name lives on at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center “Doris Palmer Arthritis Center” where “healing and hope begin.” The Palmer family have been active in cancer and arthritis advocacy and awareness. Arnold Palmer’s legacy of being an upstanding citizen and outstanding athlete, along with his dedication to helping others, has made him the perfect Honorary Chairman to be affiliated with our 2009 Fall Arthritis & Wellness Walk. He fully encompasses what living a positive and healthful lifestyle of wellness should be!

However, that being said, Arnold Palmer is not the only celebrity who has battled arthritis. Singer, choreographer, and reality star Paula Abdul suffers from arthritis, carpal tunnel, and regional complex pain syndrome, which is similar to fibromyalgia. She encourages a positive outlook on life to lift one’s spirits and also donates her name and her time to causes that are related to empowering women, self-confidence for teens, physical disability and pain disorders. Actor Tobey Maguire – best known for his role as Spiderman – has severe and chronic back pain, as does screen legend Liz Taylor, who claims her scoliosis and chronic pain has “helped fuel her philantropic drive.” Athletes Joe Theissman and Shaquille O’Neal both have joint pain and confirmed arthritis. Emmy Award-winning talk show host, Montel Williams, suffers from arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis and has dedicated his life to helping create awareness on the subject of MS and other chronic pain and autoimmune disorders. Actress AJ Langer, best known for her role in the 90’s teen drama, My So Called Life, suffers from what she describes as debilitating fibromyalgia. She has taken it upon herself to speak out on the disease. Actress Jennie Garth (90210, What I Like About You) and husband, Peter Facinelli (Twilight, Nurse Jackie) have a daughter named Lola with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, specifically, Still’s Disease.

It is inspiring that so many famous people can shed some light on these debilitating and disabling conditions. It helps to have role models like Arnold Palmer, and the rest, to spread the word on arthritis, to promote wellness to encourage research, and to let everyday citizens of all ages know that they are not alone in fighting this battle.

So many people live with arthritis and other chronic conditions on a daily basis, hiding behind a smile, knowing that there is not much else that they can do but keep pushing on. “Success stories” from these celebrities, plus people such as Mr. Palmer, along with our honorees that you will be hearing much more about in upcoming weeks, can provide hope and inspiration to those of us who live with constant pain and chronic illness.

…Don’t Be IDLE, go WILD in the Highlands! ~ For further information on the 2009 Arthritis & Wellness Fall Walk, or to find out how to start a team or donate to the cause please visit: http://fallwalk.kintera.org

For more information on Mr. Arnold Palmer, please visit his official website, here: http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/

Thank you, and stay well!

Best,

~ Ashley Boynes

Community Development Director

WPA Chapter

[Via http://arthritisfoundationwpa.wordpress.com]

Registration. And more Suboxone Withdrawal.

2009-09-01T06:43:00.000+02:00

Look at me go! I’m now registered to start classes this Fall to become a chemical dependency counselor. I think it will take about a year of school, then a year of work to become fully licensed. I still plan to go on to finish my BA and hopefully grad school – but this is a quick(er) way to get a job skill that might actually net me a semi-decent paycheck and health insurance while I grind my way through the next ten years of college.

Thirty days have elapsed since my last dose of Suboxone. As I predicted, the past week, also known as the PMS week, has been the hardest. My hormone cycle seems intimately and intricately bound up with my fibromyalgia and as my estrogen drops my pain increases. And because I like to fuck myself even more royally, this is the time when I give up and sit around watching tv and reading instead of pushing on thru with the yoga and the walking and all those other things that I “know” would make me feel better. Theoretically.

Give into it I did this month. I fought so hard through the first two weeks of withdrawal that I was just spent by the third week and had fuck-all for the fourth. But hey, that’s why I quit a month early…to give myself time to get through this, right? And getting through I am. I hope.

Lack of sleep didn’t help the situation much either. Doc gave me ambien, which does put me to sleep but I think it messes with my daytime motivation. Seemed like I was actually getting more done before I started with the sleep-aid. Can’t win for now, but it will pass. Still, even with all this PMS bitching, this has been WAY easier than I was thinking it would be. I thought I would be in bed crying and screaming my hate of life but it’s been nothing that dramatic.

I predict that if I force myself to take a walk eery morning for the next 30 days, I will be feeling 100% better at the end of September. So that is what I’m going to do. Take a fucking walk.

[Via http://bottlecappie.wordpress.com]

Paleolithic Diet: Days 25, 26 & 27

2009-08-31T22:33:00.000+02:00

Day 25:

Day 25 was Friday… again I was far too busy to post before getting ready to go away for the weekend!! Therefore… no food log!

Day 26:

Breakfast: Bacon and 2 Eggs cooked in Coconut Oil

Snack: 2 Nectarines

Lunch: Fruit and Avocado Salad

- 1/2 cup Romaine

- 1/2 cup Mixed Greens

- 1 Nectarine, chopped

- 1 Handful Blueberries

- 2 stalks Celery, sliced

- 2 Tbsp fresh Coconut

Snack: 6 Figs

Dinner: N/A

Snack: 1 Apple

——————————————

Nutritional Analysis:

N/A

——————————————

Physical and Emotional Changes:

1. Not entirely sure, but I believe the salt content of the bacon made me puff up. My glands swelled up for a day.

Day 27:

Breakfast: 1.5lbs Fresh Black Cherries

Snack: 1 Apple

Lunch: 6 Figs

Snack: 1 Tbsp Coconut Butter

Dinner: Beef Patty w/2 Eggs and Salad

- 1 Pure Beef Patty

- 2 Omega-3 Eggs

————–

- 1/2 cup Romaine

- some Blueberries

- 1 Avocado

Snack: N/A

——————————————

Nutritional Analysis:

N/A

——————————————

Physical and Emotional Changes:

1. Have become slightly backed up.

[Via http://sassifer.wordpress.com]