Fibromyalgia .......what did you think I was gonna say ? :)
On Saturday I attended a talk on Fibromyalgia. It was given by a local chiropractor by the name of Dr Helen E Cox. I found it quite informative & I learned a few things I didn't know. I appreciate that this Dr took time on her Sat. to try & educate the public. It was sad that only 5 people, including me, showed up .
She talked about 7 steps to help us have a better, pain free life. I was diagnosed about 2 yrs ago. I don't have it as bad as alot of people, but I do have interrupted sleep & wide spread pain.
The plan she suggests is quite easy to follow. I also like the fact that she said NOT to do it all at once, but to pick one thing each month to change. I have picked water this month. I am trying to drink at least 6 glasses a day, I've made it to 3 :) Dehydration is something we never think of & most of us are dehydrated. Being dehydrated also raises your blood pressure, I have high blood pressure, big surprise.
Here are the 7 steps, not as in detail like our handouts :
1) Sleep
Spending at least an hr before bed winding down, no tv, no cell phone, no computer. This will probably be the last step I work on lol!
2) Healthy Eating Habits
More fruit, cut out breads, rice, pasta, make homemade meals, etc. Eat 6 times a day. Use organic food when possible. Nothing here I didn't know already.
3) Nutrition
This is where all the water, fibre, fresh food comes in
4) Supplements
For pain, a magnesium and malic acid combination, natural anti inflammatories like glucosamine, chondriton, MSM, & flaxseed oil . I do this stuff for my dogs, why don't I do it for myself ???
For Stress & Anxiety, B Vitamins, calcium & magnesium, .
For Fatigue, Co enzyme Q10, Vitamin B12, the magnesium/malic acid combination
We also got a list of natural supplements for various things
Dr Cox did recommend talking to my Dr before starting any supplements as I am on quite a few medications.
5) Body Detoxification and Cleanse
Self explanatory
6) Stress Management
Napping if needed !, getting together with family & friends, I find this hard, I want to be home more often then I want to go out, going for a walk, that is my favourite thing to do, just me & my dogs
7) Aerobic Exercise & Conditioning
Sorry, ...aerobics & I broke up years ago when my hips & knees fell apart :)
Dr Cox also has this state of the art machine, the first & only chiropractor in Lethbridge to have it. It analyzes the spine and nervous system without the radiation of an x ray. Computerized sensors measure the motion of each joint and if an adjustment is necessary. The spine & the vertebrae show up in different colours depending on what is out of whack. Then if you chose to address the problem the machine does the adjusting with a computerized intrument using rapid, gentle taps until the computer senses that the joint is moving consistently which is specific to each person & the joint.
I am going for one of these on Wed. Dr Cox offers it for just $20 , not sure if I will have anything done after that. I am actually quite wary of chiropractors so I will have questions but it sounds amazing :)
At any rate I am slowly going to try & do these steps to see if one day I can actually be medication free, that is my goal .
7 comments:
You go girl!! This is good stuff and the biggest problem with it all is people don't want to do the work and that's why they rely on a drug. Drugs will never fix your pain, but this lifestyle of living will do a lot more in the long run. My favorite email/newsletter to get is from Mercola.com. I sent you a link yesterday.
I'd go to my chiropractor in a heartbeat over my regular doctor and he did more for me when I got kicked. I trust him and he always works with the real reasons we are sick, which it what will promote real healing. And, even if you are never "healed" from this condition, you will feel better. And that's for all diseases. Just my 2 cents!! Oxoxo!
and I appreciate your 2 cents!!
xoxo
Awesome! I like the way you are tackling one thing at a time although seeing as sleep is your biggest problem, you may not want to leave it until the very end.
Aerobic exercise doesn't need to be aerobics. :) It is anything that increases your heart rate. So you could do more biking with Kort or even go swimming - which would be incredibly low impact on your joints. I'd even go with you. ;)
Wow. I sound like a nagging mother. ha! Sorry about that.
lol you don't Wendy :)
I'm not ready for swimming yet, going in public in a bathing suit :)
Everything that Diana said!! I'm a big fan of Mercola too. Drugs mask the problems, they never heal the body. Up to 90% of diseases have their origins in the intestinal tract--so water is hugely important as are whole grains, veggies, and fruit. Try to drink water that has no fluoride or chlorine in it. Beware of bottle water like Dasani--it is nothing more than filtered tap water from whatever city the water is bottled.
You might want to think about chelation--I am going to be starting those treatments in May, so I can let you know how it goes. Good luck--I know you'll be feeling better.
thanks Dianne!
my Chiro/nutritionist got me on kangen water. off of all meds! stabbing shooting pains, GONE, Fatigue greatly improved and improving, no pain in the morning upon waking, no more brain fog in a.m.. Absolute miracle! I down a liter of kangen upon waking, before I even get out of bed and 2 or more liters throughout day. I feel like I have my life back!!
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