Well, today my LLMD told me I need to be seeing a local doctor for my thyroid meds. He is a Lyme specialist, so I knew this day would come, but nonetheless, moving on is always hard. I knew who I would see when the day came - www.colecenter.com - so in a way I'm excited, in another way, nervous.
All in all, it will be a good move. This new doctor is covered by insurance and is a natural, holistic wacko just like I like. He does energetic testing and treatments. He uses natural thyroid, which I was thinking I'd be able to switch to anyway. My TSH was 0.60, so I'm right at a good point with it and I'm on very low doses of Synthroid and Cytomel.
I had to can my gyno during Lyme treatment because he more or less made fun of me for thinking I had Lyme and for going to a Lyme doctor. I'm sure I wrote about it previously, so I won't rehash it here. Fortunately, this doctor does pap smears, treats Lyme, and treats thyroid, so I'm covered on all fronts. He will also refer me to someone who does thermal imaging for my breast exam instead of a mammogram, which is just what I was looking for.
Remember back to school days when you recovered from an illness and on the one hand were excited to go back to school, but on the other were hesitant to leave the sick bed? Remember that feeling that you know you should be happy to be well, but weren't quite sure how you felt moving on, getting back into "normal" life? That's how I feel right now.
I know I still have toxicity issues, and I've been addressing them somewhat on my own, so I guess it will be good to have guidance with detox. His energetic and muscle testing will be able to point the way. I also know my adrenal glands need more recovery. Even though I'm feeling really well, I don't want to quit trying to resolve all issues, no matter how minor, because I don't want to have the terrain that allowed me to get so sick to begin with.
I was into natural health care, good diet, and exercise when I got sick, so there are other underlying issues I want to be sure to address so this doesn't happen again.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Massage
Since I have been getting chiropractic adjustments so often recently, I stopped getting my bimonthly massages. I belong to one of those places where you pay a monthly fee and one massage comes with it, then your other massages are at a deep discount. It's really a great deal and the therapist is wonderful and well-trained.
Since the month is almost over (well, for massage purposes the month starts on the 11th), I went. He used to feel all kinds of "crunchy" stuff in my shoulder muscles. He also, if you remember from previous posts, told me I was twisted starting at my right foot.
Yesterday, he didn't feel any crunchies and my lymph nodes were as small as they've ever been since I've been seeing him. He said he felt threatened. I said, "Threatened by my chiropractor." He said no, that he told me from the beginning that if I needed bone moved that I needed to see a chiropractor, but that he felt threatened by the Pilates! He feels that I hardly need him anymore. He was very excited to see me doing so well, but at the same time felt like I might not need to rely on the massages like I did before.
I assured him that I've been sore every minute since starting daily Pilates for this teacher training, so I would definitely need him, but maybe more for a relaxation massage. I won't need them twice per month though just to keep functioning.
I knew I felt better, but it's great to know that I objectively AM better!
Some of the lymph clearing may also have to do with the Dr. Natura cleanse. As usual, no way to tell what improvement comes from what treatment.
Since the month is almost over (well, for massage purposes the month starts on the 11th), I went. He used to feel all kinds of "crunchy" stuff in my shoulder muscles. He also, if you remember from previous posts, told me I was twisted starting at my right foot.
Yesterday, he didn't feel any crunchies and my lymph nodes were as small as they've ever been since I've been seeing him. He said he felt threatened. I said, "Threatened by my chiropractor." He said no, that he told me from the beginning that if I needed bone moved that I needed to see a chiropractor, but that he felt threatened by the Pilates! He feels that I hardly need him anymore. He was very excited to see me doing so well, but at the same time felt like I might not need to rely on the massages like I did before.
I assured him that I've been sore every minute since starting daily Pilates for this teacher training, so I would definitely need him, but maybe more for a relaxation massage. I won't need them twice per month though just to keep functioning.
I knew I felt better, but it's great to know that I objectively AM better!
Some of the lymph clearing may also have to do with the Dr. Natura cleanse. As usual, no way to tell what improvement comes from what treatment.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Chiropractic care helps!
I've finally gotten around to my promised post on chiropractic care. As you know, I had been struggling with shoulder pain and had been thinking it was fibromyalgia caused by Lyme. Originally, I guess it probably was.
I had two things going against me structurally - Lyme toxins and weakness on my left side due to Lyme. My chiropractor (http://www.drmurphydc.com/) told me that toxins can cause subluxation, or places where the bone is not in the proper place. The subluxation causes a stagnation, which in turn gives toxins and pathogens a place to hide out.
Think of a pond. If the pond doesn't get a breeze or have a fountain to keep the water moving, it gets a nice coat of slime. The stagnant water gives a nice growing place for all kinds of unwelcome gunk.
Same thing with a subluxation.
So, back to my shoulder. Because I was so full of toxins, I had several subluxations in my neck and lower back. When Dr. M adjusted my neck, I felt a pull all the way to the exact spot in my shoulder that hurt. Remember, all the nerves go through the spine, so this is not surprising.
At first Dr. M had me coming in twice weekly (for four weeks), then we switched to once weekly. In the beginning the adjustments would only hold until the next day. Well, he doesn't like the term "hold" because the spine is supposed to move .... so the more proper way to say it would be to say my spine would remain free for the rest of the day but would be locked up again by the next day.
The first time that my spine didn't lock up for several days in a row, my shoulder started killing me worse than it had in months! He was surprised that it hurt so bad since I wasn't all locked up. I consider it to be a healing reaction due to the toxins finally being released from the area. My shoulder has not hurt at all since then. My back has mostly remained free to move, not locked up.
Dr. W in Germany is an MD, but he also is a trained chiropractor. He was of the opinion that you had to be adjusted for the photons to work. It makes perfect sense now. How could the energy move through the body if there are stagnant areas? I am fortunate to have Dr. M because much like Dr. W, he adjusts the entire body, not just the spine.
In other news, I'm still doing great! I'm doing pilates for 7+ hours per week and seeing amazing changes in my body even though I worked out for almost the same amount of time before. For one thing, Pilates focuses on alignment, so my bone structure looks better. I'm not holding my shoulders up so high anymore. My deeper muscles are getting worked, so I feel strong.
The bad news is I have a bad cold. I know where I caught it .... chaperoning the band for two nights till midnight when it was chilly and damp .... plus being around someone with a cold. I've been doctoring it with Vitamin D (both from Mercola's tanning bed and D3 pills), kombucha, rest, chicken soup, neti pot, and colloidal silver (the past two days). So, it's day 4 and I'm feeling like I have the upper hand. It has not disabled me like colds previously did. I have been active and haven't even missed a Pilates class. I am sitting around a little more, but still get everything done. And the great news - no Lyme symptoms at all (Lyme used to always flare with other illness).
But, if it weren't for my cold, I might not have gotten around to blogging. :)
I hope you're all feeling well. Leave me a note, I love comments!
I had two things going against me structurally - Lyme toxins and weakness on my left side due to Lyme. My chiropractor (http://www.drmurphydc.com/) told me that toxins can cause subluxation, or places where the bone is not in the proper place. The subluxation causes a stagnation, which in turn gives toxins and pathogens a place to hide out.
Think of a pond. If the pond doesn't get a breeze or have a fountain to keep the water moving, it gets a nice coat of slime. The stagnant water gives a nice growing place for all kinds of unwelcome gunk.
Same thing with a subluxation.
So, back to my shoulder. Because I was so full of toxins, I had several subluxations in my neck and lower back. When Dr. M adjusted my neck, I felt a pull all the way to the exact spot in my shoulder that hurt. Remember, all the nerves go through the spine, so this is not surprising.
At first Dr. M had me coming in twice weekly (for four weeks), then we switched to once weekly. In the beginning the adjustments would only hold until the next day. Well, he doesn't like the term "hold" because the spine is supposed to move .... so the more proper way to say it would be to say my spine would remain free for the rest of the day but would be locked up again by the next day.
The first time that my spine didn't lock up for several days in a row, my shoulder started killing me worse than it had in months! He was surprised that it hurt so bad since I wasn't all locked up. I consider it to be a healing reaction due to the toxins finally being released from the area. My shoulder has not hurt at all since then. My back has mostly remained free to move, not locked up.
Dr. W in Germany is an MD, but he also is a trained chiropractor. He was of the opinion that you had to be adjusted for the photons to work. It makes perfect sense now. How could the energy move through the body if there are stagnant areas? I am fortunate to have Dr. M because much like Dr. W, he adjusts the entire body, not just the spine.
In other news, I'm still doing great! I'm doing pilates for 7+ hours per week and seeing amazing changes in my body even though I worked out for almost the same amount of time before. For one thing, Pilates focuses on alignment, so my bone structure looks better. I'm not holding my shoulders up so high anymore. My deeper muscles are getting worked, so I feel strong.
The bad news is I have a bad cold. I know where I caught it .... chaperoning the band for two nights till midnight when it was chilly and damp .... plus being around someone with a cold. I've been doctoring it with Vitamin D (both from Mercola's tanning bed and D3 pills), kombucha, rest, chicken soup, neti pot, and colloidal silver (the past two days). So, it's day 4 and I'm feeling like I have the upper hand. It has not disabled me like colds previously did. I have been active and haven't even missed a Pilates class. I am sitting around a little more, but still get everything done. And the great news - no Lyme symptoms at all (Lyme used to always flare with other illness).
But, if it weren't for my cold, I might not have gotten around to blogging. :)
I hope you're all feeling well. Leave me a note, I love comments!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Kombucha and Pilates
Things are going great! I've been so busy I haven't had much time to write.
The sauerkraut with carrot, garlic, and onions was phenomenal! My 11 year old eats it all the time, tons of it! My 21 year old was even putting it on her english muffins! We really use it on everything. I just bottled 7 quarts that I made last week. Maybe some of it will last so we can taste what it's like after continuing to ferment for a few more weeks.
It took me about a week to make the scoby from a bottle of store bought kombucha. Now I've made my own batch with green tea. It's great!! I love it! My 11 year old loves it, too, and my husband told me to put his name on a bottle so when he wants some it's still there. With six people living in our house right now, things don't always last long in the refrigerator .... you think you will get to eat some of something and then it's gone.
Kombucha is supposed to be wonderful for you. It's a strong detoxer, so it helps with general health and all kinds of illness. I read that Ronald Reagan took it to help his battle with cancer back in the 80's, and if you remember, cancer was not what he ended up dying of many years later. Also, the man who makes Synergy Kombucha has it printed right on the bottle that he started bottling it because of the role it played in helping his mother heal of breast cancer. I am happy to be adding it to my health regimen.
I notice if I drink kombucha early in the day it makes me a little tired. I'm thinking it must be the heavy detox abilities. Simple solution .... my sleep is light anyway, so I drink it later in the day, so if it makes me tired, that's just a bonus.
My digestion has been great! Food has been digesting. Amazing. The Dr. Natura cleanse has really been doing its job, too. I won't go into the stuff I've seen .... let's just say, it's about time to be getting rid of it.
So, onto the really fun stuff .... pilates!! I started my first teacher training class today!! After the administrative stuff, we talked about who we were and why we were there .... also, a little about our bodies. I told about my Lyme and how my left side was more affected and weaker. The teacher and her #2 were really excited to see how I moved because of the noticeable difference in strength that I mentioned I had. I wasn't sure what that meant .... till later.
Later they chose two of us to walk across the room a few times while the rest watched. Then I stood there and they showed where I was out of alignment. They found the same twisted body my massage therapist and my chiropractor have found (stay tuned for the next blog on what chiropractic has done for me the past few weeks).
Because of the way pilates is done lying down, the focus can be on proper spinal alignment. Because of this, you work out with your bone structure in the right place, which strengthens and stretches the muscles properly as opposed to when you work out standing up and with your improper alignment, which just reinforces the problems.
I have been taking pilates twice weekly because it's so much more expensive than just going to the gym. With the teacher training series, you are expected to work out as much as possible and it's all included in the price, so now I get to do it every day! I am really, really excited about this.
Dr. W in Germany really stressed how the body needed to be aligned properly for the energy to flow. Since the light treatment is energy, it's essential to Bionic treatment. He even is a licensed chiropractor in addition to being an MD so he can do these adjustments. Pilates is all about restoring proper functioning and alignment of the body. This will certainly be good for me.
More to come later on how much chiropractic adjustments have helped me.
The sauerkraut with carrot, garlic, and onions was phenomenal! My 11 year old eats it all the time, tons of it! My 21 year old was even putting it on her english muffins! We really use it on everything. I just bottled 7 quarts that I made last week. Maybe some of it will last so we can taste what it's like after continuing to ferment for a few more weeks.
It took me about a week to make the scoby from a bottle of store bought kombucha. Now I've made my own batch with green tea. It's great!! I love it! My 11 year old loves it, too, and my husband told me to put his name on a bottle so when he wants some it's still there. With six people living in our house right now, things don't always last long in the refrigerator .... you think you will get to eat some of something and then it's gone.
Kombucha is supposed to be wonderful for you. It's a strong detoxer, so it helps with general health and all kinds of illness. I read that Ronald Reagan took it to help his battle with cancer back in the 80's, and if you remember, cancer was not what he ended up dying of many years later. Also, the man who makes Synergy Kombucha has it printed right on the bottle that he started bottling it because of the role it played in helping his mother heal of breast cancer. I am happy to be adding it to my health regimen.
I notice if I drink kombucha early in the day it makes me a little tired. I'm thinking it must be the heavy detox abilities. Simple solution .... my sleep is light anyway, so I drink it later in the day, so if it makes me tired, that's just a bonus.
My digestion has been great! Food has been digesting. Amazing. The Dr. Natura cleanse has really been doing its job, too. I won't go into the stuff I've seen .... let's just say, it's about time to be getting rid of it.
So, onto the really fun stuff .... pilates!! I started my first teacher training class today!! After the administrative stuff, we talked about who we were and why we were there .... also, a little about our bodies. I told about my Lyme and how my left side was more affected and weaker. The teacher and her #2 were really excited to see how I moved because of the noticeable difference in strength that I mentioned I had. I wasn't sure what that meant .... till later.
Later they chose two of us to walk across the room a few times while the rest watched. Then I stood there and they showed where I was out of alignment. They found the same twisted body my massage therapist and my chiropractor have found (stay tuned for the next blog on what chiropractic has done for me the past few weeks).
Because of the way pilates is done lying down, the focus can be on proper spinal alignment. Because of this, you work out with your bone structure in the right place, which strengthens and stretches the muscles properly as opposed to when you work out standing up and with your improper alignment, which just reinforces the problems.
I have been taking pilates twice weekly because it's so much more expensive than just going to the gym. With the teacher training series, you are expected to work out as much as possible and it's all included in the price, so now I get to do it every day! I am really, really excited about this.
Dr. W in Germany really stressed how the body needed to be aligned properly for the energy to flow. Since the light treatment is energy, it's essential to Bionic treatment. He even is a licensed chiropractor in addition to being an MD so he can do these adjustments. Pilates is all about restoring proper functioning and alignment of the body. This will certainly be good for me.
More to come later on how much chiropractic adjustments have helped me.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Quick update
Adding fermented foods is going very well. I am surprised that the taste of all of them is growing on me .... I am starting to like the Komubucha, and I'm loving the homemade sauerkraut .... a totally different beast than store-bought, pasteurized stuff. I eat it with things you wouldn't think of, like in a veggie burrito, or topped on a homemade pizza made with a pizza crust from the health food store, olive oil, organic cheese, chopped up bratwurst (be sure to put the sauerkraut on after the pizza comes out of the oven). I think I might make reubens this weekend if the new batch is ready by then.
I tried a batch with green cabbage, onion, garlic, and carrot .... can't wait to taste it! A second batch with red and green cabbage, which is turning a pretty fuschia color as it ferments.
My bottles just came in today that I ordered for my homemade kombucha, so I'll be making it soon!!! I'll keep you posted on the progress.
I started the Dr. Natura cleanse three days ago. It's going well, and I'm feeling GREAT lately!!! All I'm taking is - KPU protocol, iron, magnesium, Dr. Natura, and sleeping herbs. I started a multiple vitamin, but I don't really seem to want it ... I know how weird that sounds, but I just don't want it when I go to get it out of the jar.
I'm really excited about what I have decided to do with my time now that I'm feeling better. The problem with chronic illness is you are out of touch with the world for so long that when you get better, you are really in the habit of doing nothing. I am going to be training to teach pilates!!! I'm so excited! I've spent enough time laying around and I find it astounding that I am even able to think about taking a pilates class much less training to teach classes myself! I will be in 10 hours of training per week .... I'm excited.
I tried a batch with green cabbage, onion, garlic, and carrot .... can't wait to taste it! A second batch with red and green cabbage, which is turning a pretty fuschia color as it ferments.
My bottles just came in today that I ordered for my homemade kombucha, so I'll be making it soon!!! I'll keep you posted on the progress.
I started the Dr. Natura cleanse three days ago. It's going well, and I'm feeling GREAT lately!!! All I'm taking is - KPU protocol, iron, magnesium, Dr. Natura, and sleeping herbs. I started a multiple vitamin, but I don't really seem to want it ... I know how weird that sounds, but I just don't want it when I go to get it out of the jar.
I'm really excited about what I have decided to do with my time now that I'm feeling better. The problem with chronic illness is you are out of touch with the world for so long that when you get better, you are really in the habit of doing nothing. I am going to be training to teach pilates!!! I'm so excited! I've spent enough time laying around and I find it astounding that I am even able to think about taking a pilates class much less training to teach classes myself! I will be in 10 hours of training per week .... I'm excited.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Fermented foods
Since I'm going to be working on my digestive system with the Dr. Natura cleanse, I thought I'd do more for it so I'm going to try fermented foods. I've read how good they are for us, so I thought I'd give them a try.
I went to Whole Foods and bought four bottles of Kombucha. The guy checking me out asked me if I liked it. I told him no, it was vile stuff!! He seemed relieved and said when he first started working there a couple weeks ago he bought some, took a sip, and threw the bottle out. It is vile, but honestly, you get used to it. Also, if you need it, then you will find the taste easier to swallow. :) I drank a bottle yesterday and one today. It's actually refreshing after a workout.
Today I made sauerkraut and fermented beets .... well, I prepared them and now I'm waiting for them to ferment. We'll see how it goes. The sauerkraut in the store is pastuerized, which defeats the purpose of eating it entirely!
I chopped up a head of cabbage, I salted it, then I squeezed it with my hands until water was coming out of it .... I did this in a big bowl so I didn't lose the water. Then I packed it into a jar and pushed it down tightly ... by the time I got it all in the jar, the liquid covered all the cabbage. Now I just leave it sit out on the kitchen counter for a few days so the bacteria can grow. Ewww.
For the beets, I sliced three of them, put them in a jar, then covered them with brine made from four cups of water and one teaspoon of salt.
As usual, I will keep you posted with my progress. Mentally I'm done trying different herbs for killing bugs. I'm just ready to move on to better health!
My shoulder has been absolutely killing me the past few days. It's been sore for a couple weeks, but the pain has been so intense that it keeps me up at night .... so I took a painkiller for it. The last one I took was at 9:30 this morning and now it's 5:30 and I have little pain, so I think it's letting up. I'm thinking this is a healing reaction. My shoulder pain dates back to high school, so it was bound to be something my body had to go back and fix .... it was bound to have pockets of bacteria, or be lacking minerals, or be loaded with toxins/heavy metals, or whatever it was that caused the pain.
My massage therapist could feel the swelling yesterday, but could feel no reason for it other than a series of muscle issues starting at my right foot. He suggested maybe I walked with my foot turned out and that it may be causing the shoulder pain. Interesting because the pain started in High School, after I broke my leg and have walked with that foot turned out ever since. Since bacteria and toxins are opportunistic, perhaps they took up residence in my shoulder. I'm going to work on walking correctly now.
Well, I'm off to have some apple cider vinegar in water .... another source of fermented food rich with probiotics.
I went to Whole Foods and bought four bottles of Kombucha. The guy checking me out asked me if I liked it. I told him no, it was vile stuff!! He seemed relieved and said when he first started working there a couple weeks ago he bought some, took a sip, and threw the bottle out. It is vile, but honestly, you get used to it. Also, if you need it, then you will find the taste easier to swallow. :) I drank a bottle yesterday and one today. It's actually refreshing after a workout.
Today I made sauerkraut and fermented beets .... well, I prepared them and now I'm waiting for them to ferment. We'll see how it goes. The sauerkraut in the store is pastuerized, which defeats the purpose of eating it entirely!
I chopped up a head of cabbage, I salted it, then I squeezed it with my hands until water was coming out of it .... I did this in a big bowl so I didn't lose the water. Then I packed it into a jar and pushed it down tightly ... by the time I got it all in the jar, the liquid covered all the cabbage. Now I just leave it sit out on the kitchen counter for a few days so the bacteria can grow. Ewww.
For the beets, I sliced three of them, put them in a jar, then covered them with brine made from four cups of water and one teaspoon of salt.
As usual, I will keep you posted with my progress. Mentally I'm done trying different herbs for killing bugs. I'm just ready to move on to better health!
My shoulder has been absolutely killing me the past few days. It's been sore for a couple weeks, but the pain has been so intense that it keeps me up at night .... so I took a painkiller for it. The last one I took was at 9:30 this morning and now it's 5:30 and I have little pain, so I think it's letting up. I'm thinking this is a healing reaction. My shoulder pain dates back to high school, so it was bound to be something my body had to go back and fix .... it was bound to have pockets of bacteria, or be lacking minerals, or be loaded with toxins/heavy metals, or whatever it was that caused the pain.
My massage therapist could feel the swelling yesterday, but could feel no reason for it other than a series of muscle issues starting at my right foot. He suggested maybe I walked with my foot turned out and that it may be causing the shoulder pain. Interesting because the pain started in High School, after I broke my leg and have walked with that foot turned out ever since. Since bacteria and toxins are opportunistic, perhaps they took up residence in my shoulder. I'm going to work on walking correctly now.
Well, I'm off to have some apple cider vinegar in water .... another source of fermented food rich with probiotics.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
ONE YEAR OFF ANTIBIOTICS!!!
I can't believe I missed it! I was off antibiotics for one year August 12th! I was thinking it was August 18th, but it was the 12th.
I am doing better, still improving, still a ways to go. I'm not tolerating the Triphala or Red Root. I have been a bit sluggish since starting both of those .... seems to be both of them that bother me. So, I eliminated them .... I'll start the Dr. Natura cleanse when school starts the end of next week. It's time to do Humaworm again, but I thought I'd give the Dr. Natura one a try.
I'm thinking maybe my immune system is still a little hyper-active? Perhaps it's a cytokine response any time I use herbs that increase the immune system? Here's an interesting article that talks about this - http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?id=3748&t=CFIDS_FM
Nevertheless, I'm still overall improving. I have these delusions in my head that I felt perfect when I returned from Germany, but I looked over the beginning of the blog and realized that I only felt 70% during my last days over there. That was such a huge improvement for my "bad days" that I felt at the time that I was doing great .... and I was. Now a bad, bad day is about 80%, but typically I'm closer to 90% .... except on these herbs I've been trying to force on myself. I'll have a rest from the herbs this week and next, then I'll probably feel bad as I adjust to another cleanse .... but I know I need the parasite cleanses ... I still have a die off when I start them and I still have a few digestive issues.
I am doing better, still improving, still a ways to go. I'm not tolerating the Triphala or Red Root. I have been a bit sluggish since starting both of those .... seems to be both of them that bother me. So, I eliminated them .... I'll start the Dr. Natura cleanse when school starts the end of next week. It's time to do Humaworm again, but I thought I'd give the Dr. Natura one a try.
I'm thinking maybe my immune system is still a little hyper-active? Perhaps it's a cytokine response any time I use herbs that increase the immune system? Here's an interesting article that talks about this - http://www.prohealth.com/library/showarticle.cfm?id=3748&t=CFIDS_FM
Nevertheless, I'm still overall improving. I have these delusions in my head that I felt perfect when I returned from Germany, but I looked over the beginning of the blog and realized that I only felt 70% during my last days over there. That was such a huge improvement for my "bad days" that I felt at the time that I was doing great .... and I was. Now a bad, bad day is about 80%, but typically I'm closer to 90% .... except on these herbs I've been trying to force on myself. I'll have a rest from the herbs this week and next, then I'll probably feel bad as I adjust to another cleanse .... but I know I need the parasite cleanses ... I still have a die off when I start them and I still have a few digestive issues.
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