*** DOMINIE'S NEWSLETTER ***
JUNE
2005 - PAGE 2
DISCLAIMER: I am not a
medical doctor. I am a fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome survivor. The
purpose of this newsletter is not to diagnose or cure any disease or malady, but
is presented as food for thought. This information cannot take the place
of professional medical advice. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness
should come under the direction of a physician. No guarantees are made regarding
any of the information in this
newsletter.
20. NEW
CFIDS BOOK BY DR. SHARON KIRK
I received this important information
from Janet--
"I learned about the Million Letter Campaign www.fms-help.com/letter.htm from a friend
through
www.Care2.com, just in time to
participate. I will gladly be mailing out
letters on May 1. I also
wanted to let you know about two new campaigns, and I'd like to
ask how we
can best use these campaigns to help you keep the momentum
of your campaign
going:
1. Dr. Sharon Kirk,
who has suffered from CFIDS for 19 years (a former
psychotherapist who
treated 300+ CFIDS patients and is now on
disability), has just authored a
new book on CFIDS, called When I Cry
Wolf: A Society Lost to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
& Mold. The trade
paperback will be released on May 12
(hopefully!). The e-book package
(which contains related e-books) is
available already, and will soon
be linked to another fundraising e-book on
Environmental Illness.
Dr. Kirk is using this book launch as an immediate
call to action for
greater CFIDS awareness. Proceeds will go to CFIDS
research, patient
care and a project near and dear to Dr. Kirk's heart:
Construction of
a CFIDS respite house out in the countryside, where PWCs can
stay and
receive counseling while they decide the next step on their
journey.
Dr. Kirk is going to give as many interviews as possible (not easy
in
her current condition, but she is determined!) to raise CFIDS
awareness
and to call for immediate action.
2. In support of Dr. Kirk's efforts, I
have just launched a campaign
to End Environmental Illness.
I've suffered from CFIDS and related
illnesses for 13 years and I am sick
(literally) of the environmental
triggers that keep worsening people's health
and compromising more and
more people's immune systems. The problem is
getting worse and worse
and worse...
At the center of this campaign
will be a free online journal where I
hope people from many different
disciplines, along with the general
public that is tired of being sick, will
come to post articles. I will
provide online support for the discussions I
hope these articles will
create. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, and I'd
like to help
everyone bring those pieces together.
As part of this
campaign, I am also busy at the moment writing as many
e-books as I can that
I will sell to raise awareness and funds for
several organizations that
support research and advocacy for
environmental illness, including the CFIDS
Association of America and
the National CFIDS Foundation. It's very easy for
me to write e-books,
it's what I do best, so I hope to reach out to a lot of
people this
way.
I am in the process of putting this campaign
information on my website
this week http://www.jwrites.com - you'll see
it's undergoing a
metamorphosis right now). I already have monthly
subscribers and I'm
sure that list will grow, so please tell me how I can
best support
your efforts. Would monthly follow-up letters to the 5 prime
targets
be helpful? I am going to include on my website letters people
can
modify and print out and mail. I'd be happy to add letters to
those
targets. How else can I help? Please let me know. I am 100%
committed
to these campaigns, I'm devoting nearly all of my time to this
right
now, and I will do whatever I can to help make some noise so
this
problem is finally addressed - as I know it can be! It's high time
for
this."
Janet Helin
21. VITAMINS
UNDER ATTACK
From a reader--
Vitamin Freedom Update
Antivitamin Durbin Senate Bill to Be Reintroduced; CAFTA
Set for Vote
by James South,
M.A.
Lee Bellinger, editor of The American Sentinel, reports in his March 2005
edition, that Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain are joining forces with
Sen. Dick Durbin to reintroduce his failed S.722 legislation that would weaken
DSHEA (the law that protects vitamin freedom) and allow FDA to regulate
supplements as drugs based on a few (anonymous!) consumer complaints.
If you contact him at: Lee
Bellinger, 1000 Water St. SW, #54, Washington D.C. 20024, or lee.bellinger@gte.net he’ll send
you a free information kit on how to get involved with medical freedom groups
actively working to combat efforts
to weaken DSHEA.
CAFTA on the Fast Track
CAFTA (Central
American Free Trade Agreement) is set for a vote in June or July (when many
people are on vacation, not paying attention to Congress), as a prelude to
passing FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas). These bills are on “fast-track”
status, meaning no debate—just a “yes” or “no” vote. Codex is built into these
agreements as the standard to regulate foods and vitamins.
Immediately
call or write your U.S. Senators and Representatives and tell them you’ll vote
against them if they vote for the Durbin-McCain-Clinton bill that restricts
vitamin freedom, or if they vote for CAFTA or FTAA.
You
can call your Senators/Representatives through the Capitol switchboard at
1-202-225-3121.
E-mails don’t count. John
Hammell reports Congress has special e-mail filters to screen out most e-mails.
Just send them a postcard with two or three handwritten lines making the
above points. Even a brief handwritten postcard (not a form letter) gets their
attention. Let them hear from you today!
22. RADON
THERAPY
Interesting!--
"Radon therapy is found to induce
beneficial long term effects for many who suffer conditions of chronic pain due
to disease or injury. Additionally, this modality is effective for - but not
limited to - the following immune system conditions and symptoms: [Fibromyalgia
is listed]."
23. FATAL
INSOMNIA & MAD COW DISEASE
From a reader--
"Fatal Insomnia is a disease with a protein
in the brain that causes the body to shut down. Alzheimers too is a disease where a protein is destroying the brain.
Parkinsons also. Now I am
beginning to think that M.E. (CFIDS) is also a protein disease from a
defective gene." [SEE ARTICLE BELOW...]
Family battles
fatal insomnia
"Just imagine what it would be like one
day to wake up and never fall asleep again, to be tortured in a
twilight world of perpetual insomnia, lying in bed, exhausted but with
eyes wide open, listening to the groans and whispers of the
night--sleepless, until death mercifully claims you."
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6822468
Medical researchers believe this condition is
related to Mad Cow Disease. See www.mad-cow.org/jul99_mid_news.html
"It is clear that the prion strain causing bovine spongiform encephalopathy
(BSE) in cattle has infected human beings, manifesting itself as a novel human
prion disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
(CJD)."
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: From
the MSN article above, click on the video called
"DYING FOR SLEEP." It's
about a family in Italy who are carriers of the fatal
familial insomnia gene. There are 25 families worldwide (4 in the
U.S.) who have this disorder which causes rogue proteins to form in the brain.
The brain of a man in this family who died in his 50's from fatal
insomnia was sent to the U.S. for examination. There were many holes
in his brain tissue. This family has watched loved ones turn into zombies
who can't sleep, yet they are conscious. Eventually they get trapped
between waking and sleeping and death comes suddenly. Fatal insomnia
is caused by a mutated gene and there is no cure, but research is ongoing.
Having been awake most of 20 years prior to finding help for my relentless and
ravaging insomnia, I am very interested in this. I felt like I was
dying. Many long-time readers know that there is a sleepless man on
our mailing list whose body has been shutting down for years from severe
insomnia, yet doctors have not been able to help him. I am immensely
thankful for being able to get restorative sleep once again. This simple
body function that most people take for granted can go awry and cause torturous
misery--if not early death. To read what I use for sleep now, see www.fms-help.com/sleep.htm
]
24.
FIBROMYALGIA - A DISEASE OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS
SYSTEM
From a newsletter
reader--
"Recently The Wall Street
Journal published an article on fibromyalgia stating, and I quote 'Until
recently, scientists thought fibromyalgia may be a problem of the muscles and
bones, or inflammation....With modern brain-imaging techonology, researchers say
they have shown fibromyalgia to be a disease of the central nervous
system in which pain-processing system between the brain and spianl
cord is out of whack.' It also talks about studies of medications
companies are researching and trying to get approaved for treatment for
fibro. I would also like to quote form the article 'A fraction of
physicians remains unconvinced that fibromyalgia really exists. Nortin
Hadler, an immunologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a
prominent skeptic, calls the disorder a sociocultural phenomenon. But
most doctors today accept that it's a true distinct disorder.' So while
this doctor may be a know-it-all-idiot, he may be right about the thinking
to change it to being a neurological disorder. I talked to my
rheumatologist about the Wall Street Article. My rheumatologist said yes the
medical profession is now viewing this as a problem with the nerve endings
getting messages to the brain. Who knows but if brain imaging
techonology can help the cause, so be it. This doctor should have
to spen a day in one of our lives." [NOTE
FROM DOMINIE: See the link on my site about autonomic nervous system
dysfunction and FMS www.fms-help.com/dysautonomia.htm
]
25. "ALL NATURAL" SLEEP PRODUCTS
REVIEWED
Alternatives to prescription sleep meds--some might
work for you, some might not!
26. SAVE
MONEY ON PRESCRIPTIONS
From a reader--
27. UPDATE
FROM THE SLEEPLESS MAN
Here is the latest
update--
"Still no good sleep. EBV titers not
falling although 6 months on Valtrex/Valcyte."
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: He does not
write much--feels his body is shutting down. Is now
divorced. Scorned by doctors. Was once an admired professional
in his field. This sure sounds familiar..... Keep him in your
prayers.]
28. WORK FROM
HOME?
Debra dap17@atvci.net wants to know if there is any work she can do from home.
Please write to Debra
directly.
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: Those of us
with FMS/CFIDS are almost always highly intelligent, articulate, responsible,
and have good computer, communication and writing skills.
Most of us are former professionals who were used to working many hours and
being very productive. I see a huge amount of untapped talent and
employment potential in our group! Even working around flares, we can
still get a lot done...the Million Letter Campaign volunteers proved that during
the past 8 months! If a company will hire us, we can work from home
via computer. Anyone have an idea about this??]
29. ADRENAL
REBUILDER
From a newsletter reader--
"I'm still taking my adrenal rebuilder and it
is a wonderful product. I
stopped taking it for awhile because I felt
that I could handle the stresses
of everyday life without it. Recently,
my son and his family came to live
with me and now I'm moving so I started
taking one tablet a day and what a
difference it makes. It definitely
does help you handle stress and I pretty
much have no aches and pains.
I can carry boxes down 2 flights of stairs
from the attic and then carry them
up again to the attic at the new house.
There is no way I could do this if my
adrenal wasn't functioning properly or
if I had aches and
pains. I sleep at night and wake up
refreshed in the
morning. My mood is better and I can think much more clearly
now. I have no
side effects from this at all. I know I wrote
to you about this before for
people who have FM or CFS because of the severe
stress it puts on the body.
Any serious illness such as this is going to tax
the adrenals like nobody's
business. Here is a link: www.adrenalfatigue.org/adrenal_function.php
Hopefully, someone will try this product and see
for themselves how much
better they
are going to feel."
30. BETTER
SLEEP
From a reader--
"I have used the Cuddle Ewe mattress pad for two
years, with wonderful results. Bought a California King size and use it doubled
on my twin bed. Luxury and refreshing sleep till a long bout of shingles
interrupted my healing. 5-HTP is helping me get back on track now. Am following
the excellent advice of Dr. Rodger Murphree, in TREATING AND BEATING
FIBROMYALGIA AND CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME." [NOTE FROM
DOMINIE: I tried a Cuddle Ewe mattress pad several years ago, but didn't
sleep well on it. I gave it to a friend who has lupus and she loved
it! We are all different! I have been using a magnetic mattress
topper and magnetic pillow for years that I am very happy with. I am now
reading Dr. Rodger Murphree's excellent books! He has a lot to say on
many subjects that I mention in my 100 Tips for Coping with Fibromyalgia and
Insomnia at www.fms-help.com/tips.htm]
31. GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR
THE ILL
From a reader--
32. HHV-6A VIRUS
& CFIDS
From a reader--
Health Supreme -
www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp"What do people suffering of AIDS and those suffering of CFIDS -
chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome - have in common? Apparently
more than immune trouble. There is a virus that seems to be present in both, but
is almost never tested for. HHV-6A, thought to be a genetic cross www.bulkmsm.com/DMG/web12.htm between Cytomegalovirus and African Swine Fever
Virus, is found in both www.immunesupport.com/healthwatch/wtr98/98wtr006.cfm AIDS and CFIDS patients. HIV instead, a relatively harmless
retrovirus that cannot cause the symptoms of Aids, has been given all the blame.
The hypothesis that HIV = AIDS has been scientifically and quite thoroughly
discredited www.buildfreedom.com/tl/tl09a1.shtml by Peter Duesberg in his book 'Inventing the AIDS Virus',
although officially it is thought to be rock solid and today, highly cytotoxic
anti-retroviral treatment is almost universally recommended for AIDS sufferers
by health authorities around the world, while those suffering of Chronic Fatigue
and CFIDS are told that 'it's all in your mind' and are given psychological
treatment or prescribed psychiatric medication. June 2004: Enter a new point of
view... In June last year, Jonathan Campbell www.cqs.com/aidstherapy.htm introduced me to a new and - I must say - intriguing angle to
the AIDS catastrophe, which we will explore further in this article. (4/28/2005
12:45:50 PM)"
33.
GOOD TV SHOW ABOUT FMS/CFIDS
From a reader--
"With all the 'Bad Press' for FMS lately on TV
shows, I thought I would share this with you. It is an old one, from Strong
Medicine on Lifetime. I saw this episode, it was good and they did NOT portray
FMS as a waste basket DX. YAY for Lifetime! We should probably also be writing notes to thank or commend the programs
that are depicting FMS appropriately. It is easy to act upon the bad ones, but I
don't think we give Kudos enough to those that do support our
plight."
34. COMPASSIONATE LETTER
BY A DOCTOR
From a reader--
Sick and
Tired by
Dr. David Saul
"I feel ashamed to be a member of the medical
profession when I hear from my fibromyalgia (FM) patients that they left
in tears from a doctor's office after being addressed in a rude and
abrupt manner. For doctors who are skeptical about the diagnosis of
FM—this article is for you......'Pain is exhausting. It is an overwhelming
feeling of incapacity, of being spaced out all the time, of being neither awake,
nor asleep.'" Read more at http://www.medicalpost.com/mpcontent/article.jsp?content=20050411_161246_4696
35. NASTY
PHARMACIST
From a
reader--
"I had a VERY
unfortunate experience with a
Pharmacist at Million Letter Campaign
www.fms-help.com/letter.htm time.
I see now that at least I was given an opportunity to give her my letter.
I asked her to please educate herself and her staff. She gave me such a
terrible time in filling my prescriptions, as they were controlled substances.
No kidding! I got the usual judgmental looks and stares from both her and
the staff in the Pharmacy when I dropped them off. I told her I have lived
with this disease for over 4 years now and am well aware of how to take my
medications!
She refused to fill my prescriptions and
asked me where I had gotten them and that she was calling my doctor
immediately! She implied, VERY strongly, that I had taken a
prescription pad and wrote these myself! I was VERY angry and felt VERY
degraded! People really need to understand, this type of treatment needs
to stop, now! I am praying that we get a tremendous response from the
Campaign. Thank you for making this Campaign
happen!!
Believe it or not, the only reason I went to that pharmacy, which was my
first time there, was to get the $25 gift card by filling my
scripts there. You know how tight money is when you cannot work. I
saw a way to make a quick $25 so I took it. Dummy me! I will
NEVER make that mistake again. Yes, I did speak to her store supervisor
immediately after the incident and also went into the store and saw her store
manager, who said that he had spoken to her. He really didn't seem
to care very much either. Does anyone really??
I was also told by my doctor that the 'medication agreement' I signed with
him instructs me to always go to the same
pharmacy. Oops, I didn't know that. Have you ever
heard of that? He was furious and took it out on me in front of
everyone, when I had to go to his office, for him to re-write the scripts
the other nasty pharmacist wrote all over. Once again, mortified! I
called him later, as I could not face the people in the office any longer, and
asked him if he still wanted me as a patient because I was SO ready to make a
move. He said he loves having me for his patient. I AM a good
patient Dominie. He has always been a good doctor and very empathetic to
my needs and condition. When I spoke to the medical assistant afterwards,
he told me to just, 'let it go.' I know my doctor was so mad because this
nasty pharmacist called him continuously on Friday, which was his day
off."
36. FREE
MEDS LINKS
From a
reader--
37. PSYCHOLOGY TODAY???
This has been called to my
attention.....GRRRRR!!!!!--
From Psychology Today at end of
readers' Feedback section:
"Speak UP! Send feedback to
letters@psychologytoday.com Please include your city and state of
residence. PT regrets that we cannot respond to individual letters or
queries.”
Editor in Chief: Kaja
Perina
Psychology Today
Sussex Publishers,
Inc.
115 East 23rd Street, 9th
Floor
New York, NY 10010
212-260-7210
Fax 212-260-7566
June 2005
Cover storyline:
"Chronic Fatigue: How Your Mind Makes You
Sick"
Article
title:
"Is it all in my head? With diseases like
chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, what you believe about your illness
influences how sick you become." By Melissa Schorr
Photograph of doctor with stethoscope on
patient's head.
Here is another letter from a
reader about this subject--
"I am so angry I could
scream! Apparently Psychology Today has done a very destructive article
about CFIDS and Fibro, suggesting strongly that it is psychological! You can
take action by going here: http://capwiz.com/cfids/issues/alert/?alertid=7635331&type=CU
All you have to do is sign the letter that has already been written- you can add
you own comments to it if you wish. I sure did- lol! We cannot sit
back and let arrogant and ignorant doctors say incorrect things about us, and
let Psychology Today make money off our pain. Please take action today, by
signing and sending this letter."
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE:
Are we going to let this one go by??? I have a B.A. in psychology from
U.C.L.A. and I think this article in Psychology Today is an affront to all of us
with FMS/CFIDS. We were the "movers and shakers" in society before our
illness struck. We did not CHOOSE to live like this....it chose us!
Articles like this "add insult to
injury!"]
38.
HISTAMINE
From a reader--
"With confidence, I can now tell you that I have been taking
honey bee venom shots for almost 3 months. I live normal life. I
still love my coffee,but now just drink it for pleasure, while before I would
need 5-6 cups to drag myself through the day. The main ingredient in venom
that gives effect is histamine. I talked to many people while in the
office and recommended two friends of mine to go their. One had hives and
did not know what caused them. She does not know now but got rid of
them. The other had CFS with fybromyalgia plus asthma. She is better
with the first and does not have asthma. I am talking about the same
doctor (Ravikovich) who wrote the book The Plot Against Allergy and
Asthma Patients. I feel sorry for people who cannot get good
therapy, for I know how miserable it is not to be able to get up in the morning
and go to work. Try this therapy. The effect is very solid."
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: Do a search on my site for histamine and
also the book, The Plot Against Allergy and Asthma Patients. Lots of
intriguing items on my site. Go to www.fms-help.com and click on the search link
in the yellow box.]
39. LAB TEST FOR FIBROMYALGIA!
From a reader--
|
The patented Anti-Polymer Antibody Assay, or APA Assay, detects
anti-polymer antibodies in the blood of most patients with fibromyalgia
and fibromyalgia-like symptoms. Research has shown that the titers of
these antibodies correlate with various clinical measures of fibromyalgia
severity, including headache, fatigue, anxiety and depression. This and
other research data strongly suggests that fibromyalgia is associated with
an abnormal immune-system response in these patients. Autoimmune
Technologies believes the APA Assay to be the first practical
laboratory test for fibromyalgia. The Company expects the test to be
useful (i) in assisting physicians in diagnosing fibromyalgia, (ii) in
assisting physicians in differentiating fibromyalgia patients from
patients with lupus (SLE) and other disorders having similar early-stage
symptoms, and (iii) in identifying those fibromyalgia patients in whom a
symptom-associated immune response is present so that physicians can
further monitor immune-system involvement and consider attempting to
modulate it using existing drugs or other
means.
|
Fibromyalgia was defined in 1990 by the American College of
Rheumatology (the "ACR") as a syndrome characterized by widespread
musculoskeletal pain and the presence of tenderness or pain in eleven or more of
eighteen specific "tender points" on the body. Nearly all fibromyalgia patients
also experience severe fatigue, stiffness, skin tenderness, fragmented sleep,
and pain that follows physical exertion. Many fibromyalgia patients have other
symptoms as well, including tension-type headaches, cold intolerance, poor
memory, dryness of the eyes, mouth or other mucous membranes, unexplained
bruising, fluid retention, chest, jaw or abdominal pain, irritable bowel
syndrome, bladder irritation, breathing difficulty, dizziness, paresthesias, and
low-grade depression and anxiety. The ACR criteria do not address any of these
other symptoms because their presence was not found to assist significantly in
establishing a fibromyalgia diagnosis in severe cases.
The research conducted by Autoimmune Technologies has shown that the APA
Assay detects anti-polymer antibodies in the blood of the majority of
fibromyalgia patients and that the titers (amounts) of these antibodies
correlate with the severity of a variety of the patients' fibromyalgia symptoms,
including headache, stiffness, anxiety and depression. The presence of these
antibodies is the first evidence to indicate that fibromyalgia patients mount an
immunological response that is associated with their disorder, and the
antibodies represent the first objective laboratory marker for fibromyalgia.
Indeed, the discovery of these antibodies will
probably help convince skeptical physicians that fibromyalgia is a "real
disease" and not a psychologically-based condition as many now believe it to
be.
40. LYME DISEASE
OR FMS/CFIDS?
From a newsletter
reader--
"I can't figure out how two illnesses can have the same symptoms and not
be
the same disease. Everyone person I have known that CFIDS and
fibro, when
they were tested by Lyme literate physicians with proper and
sensitive tests
showed positive to Lyme disease. To me CFIDS and fibro
are two parts of
Lyme disease."
41.
BODY PILLOW
From a
reader--
"I would
like to share with you the type of pillow I find incredibly comforting at night
AND during television watching or lounging on the couch. For several months now
I have been using a body pillow I purchased from Linens and Things. Although it
is expensive ($100), it is absolutely wonderful! It utilizes the Tempurpedic
technology of NASA (that's how anyone could locate it once inside the
store, since I no longer remember the exact title of its brand) so it
will literally conform to support any weight placed on its surface. It will also
bend, fold, twist and then simply bounce right back! I have even been able to
place it along the top of my bed if I'm having a bad toss and turn night and
then find that I have wonderful support no matter how much I flip and flop.
According to the tag this pillow is made of 100% polyurethane
foam. Anyway, combined with my Select Comfort mattress, this is almost the
perfect combination for someone with a lifetime of
insomnia."
42. JUST SAY
"NO!"
From a website
reader--
"I am
learning to slow down and say 'I can't' instead of 'Sure, I can do that!' and
it's hard. But it's necessary!"
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: This is GREAT advice for
all of us "Type A" fibro
folks!]
43.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFT CORNER
From a Million Letter Campaign
worker--
"When we can take our mind off us, and
put it on Him, it makes for a better day!!"
I asked
God to take away my habit.
God said,
No. It is not for
me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked
God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said,
No. His
spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.
I asked
God to grant me patience.
God said,
No. Patience is a
byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.
I asked
God to give me happiness.
God said,
No. I give
you blessings; Happiness is up to you.
I asked
God to spare me pain.
God said,
No. Suffering draws you apart
from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked
God to make my spirit grow.
God said,
No. You must grow on your
own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked
God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said,
No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all
things.
I asked
God to help me LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God
said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
"I am convinced
that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither
the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation will be able to separate us for the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
[NOTE FROM DOMINIE: Nor
fibromyalgia!!]
44. DOMINIE'S PERSONAL UPDATE
HERE'S THE EXERCISE THAT GOT
RID OF MY LEFT SIDED HIP, KNEE, ARCH & TOE PAIN:
An older man in our Sunday School class told me that this
simple exercise helped his heel pain. I was skeptical but tried it and
surprisingly was pain free the next day after suffering for 2 months and limping
around. Chiropractic visits hadn't helped and I had to take pain
killers in order not to limp when I walked, but they wore off. I rented
a TENS unit and it helped the hip pain, but the problem returned when I
couldn't use it--and I couldn't use it in the arch/toe area. I have been
doing this exercise a few times a day this past week and have remained
gloriously pain free. Here's what to do: Take a thin bath towel
and fold it up narrowly the long way. Sit in a chair. Put the center
of the towel under your arch and pull back on the towel with both hands while
lifting your leg. You will feel a stretching sensation in the back of your
leg. Do this a few times. Then put the towel under the ball of your
foot and do the same. That's it! (I showed this exercise to my
chiropractor and he said it stretches the hamstrings and might have broken up
some adhesions.)
I am still using the immune balancing product, the
alkalizing sachets in my drinking water, the natural antibiotic as needed.
See www.fms-help.com/what.htm for
a complete list of things I use. Lately I have been feeling exceptionally
tired. A blood test showed that I am now post-menopausal.
Could I be growing old???!!! My husband says my
fatigue is from the emotional pressures I'm under with the recent death of
my father www.fms-help.com/eulogy.htm and
concerns for my aging mother, etc. I know I should
be glad simply to be functioning again after so many years as a chronic
invalid - see my personal story at www.fms-help.com/fibro.htm. My
husband has (wisely!) recommended that I don't take on any new projects for
awhile! I think my body needs to catch up with my busy
brain....
Well, I hope you have a great summer and take
good care of YOURSELF! My father used to say that if we
don't take care of ourselves, we won't be able to help others. How
true--although it's difficult for those of us who are Type A, overly
responsible, workaholic, caretakers by nature! I'm trying to remind
myself that BURN OUT IS NO FUN!!! (I plan to slow down my
pace this summer and start saying NO to any additional commitments for
awhile....)
Love to all,
Dominie Soo
Bush