by William I. Lengeman III

If you were to make the observation that tea can be helpful in reducing fatigue, you might be accused of restating the obvious – and rightly so. For so many people who drink tea the ability to impart a little bit of pep is one of the beverage’s most appealing features. Most of us attribute this to the caffeine found in tea, but there are several studies that suggest that it’s not just caffeine that gives you a boost when you drink tea.

A study conducted by Japanese researchers seems to have confirmed what for most people was already set in stone, that tea can help us relieve physical and mental fatigue. The results of the study, which appeared in the journal Nutrition in 2008, found that a green tea extract helped to counter the accumulated affects of fatigue.

The tests were carried out on rats and researchers discovered that those subjects that were fed a green tea compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) could exercise longer than animals in a control group. Researchers also noted that members of the control group experienced increased levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS). These were not as pronounced in the group that was given EGCG.

A previous study had suggested that green tea extract might help to alleviate chronic fatigue-induced oxidative stress in mice. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DePaul University estimate that more than one million people in the United States suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), so this is not an inconsiderable finding.

The study was conducted by researchers at India’s Panjab University. They treated mice with a combination of green tea extract and catechin, a compound also found in tea. The research team concluded “that GTE and catechin could be used as potential agents in the management of CFS and warrant the inclusion of GTE and catechin in the treatment regimen of CFS patients.”

The idea that tea and coffee might be an aid in reducing fatigue is obviously not a new one. As evidence, look to this 1989 article – Fatigue: Often Tea & Coffee Can Alleviate Symptoms – which first appeared in the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

GF was something I’d see on some packaging in supermarkets but never really known what it was all about.  GF stands for gluten-free.  If you have an ill effect from gluten found in wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats then you know to look for GF on packaging.

Celiac disease is the common name for this digestive problem.  It’s an autoimmune deficiency in which the small intestine is slowly damaged.  This makes a person malnourished because the body is unable to absorb the protein and nutrients from the foods eaten.  About 2 million people suffer from this disorder but are unaware or misdiagnosed.  Some patients can go ten years before knowing that celiac disease is what they have.   This condition can be passed off as other gastrointestinal issues such as lactose intolerance or IBS and only a blood test and a small intestine biopsy can verify this as celiac disease.

Celiac disease is a  genetic one so if a family member is diagnosed others may have it as well.  It’s interesting to note that Irish, Italian, and UK descendants are most affected.   Also, a trigger of stress, pregnancy, or exposure to gluten before three months of age can attribute to developing this gluten intolerance.  Symptoms include chronic diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, anemia, fatigue, constipation, and vomiting.

The only treatment for this, unfortunately, is to avoid foods that have gluten in it.  Easier said then done, I’m sure, because gluten is found in everything- pizza, pasta, cereal, and most processed foods… but if one thinks of gluten as a poison I guess this horrific task seems easier.  Not only does the celiac person have to read labels more than a mediocre health-conscious person does, they have to worry about cross-contamination and gluten in other products such as condiments, medicines, mouthwash and even cosmetics… Yes a person with a gluten intolerance has to be OCD because even the tiniest bit of gluten can explode into bloating, chronic diarrhea, and/or cramps for days or even weeks.

It helps that labeling for GF products started a couple of years ago, but it is still recommended to read all ingredients all the time.  The good news is that fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, and rice do not have gluten so ease and variety can be given to those foods.  And just because breads, pasta, and cereals may contain gluten, there are products made from soy, pea, potato starch, and corn that could be easily used instead.  Puffed corn, hot cereals made from soy or hominy flakes, and rice crackers and pastas are just a few examples of what a person with gluten intolerance will be able to eat.

Of all the disorders associated with food, I could see how being celiac could be a pretty bad one.  From my understanding there are many recipes for substitutions on the Web and even support groups with people experiencing the same type of thing.

I’d like to thank my source Celiac Disease for helping me to understand this condition better.

Leaders who live with power stress — chronic, intense pressure resulting from responsibilities, crises and demands — can easily slip into what is known as “the sacrifice syndrome.” Simply put, we burn up, burn out, and lose our effectiveness.

We know from neuroscience and psychology that when people experience chronic stress, cognitive functioning is diminished and we get sick more often. We lose sight of the big picture and make bad decisions. Our self-awareness dwindles, empathy is in short supply, and self management is compromised. We lose the emotional and social competencies that enable us to be successful leaders.

Paradoxically, the best leaders are most susceptible to the sacrifice syndrome. Why? Because we take our responsibilities seriously. We care. We strive. We try harder. What about you? Are you a bit on the edge, ready to slip into behaviors you know won’t work?

There is plenty that you can do about it. But first, you have to get over the fantasy that a nice summer vacation is going to fix everything. It isn’t. You are walking back into the 24/7 environment. The same pressures are there. They’re not going away.

Next: admit it. You aren’t a superhero and you never will be. Sure, you’re strong, resilient and clever. Good. Capitalize on these gifts. But you need to do more. You need to interrupt the sacrifice syndrome with real renewal. You have to build regular practices into daily life that spark psychological and physical renewal. It’s as important as eating, sleeping and breathing. Here’s how to start:

1. Listen to life’s quiet wake-up calls. Perhaps your wake-up calls aren’t as dramatic as some I’ve seen–the broken marriages, plateaued careers. But maybe you don’t laugh as much as you used to, you’ve quit going to the gym or don’t do things you enjoy most. Listen! Make course adjustments now.

2. Practice mindfulness. Pay attention to your mind, body, heart and spirit. This doesn’t happen by accident. Most of us need to develop and then practice the art of reflection. Try finding a few minutes of quiet time alone each day, even if it’s just five minutes before getting up in the morning, walking from the train to work, or a quiet moment in the park.

3. Find hope. Hope is a powerful force. On a neurological level, it actually helps us to counter the negative effects of life’s pressures and burdens. Hope–an image of a positive and feasible future–inspires us to dig deep down, to find the strength to move in the direction of our dreams. So imagine your life in ten years: what will you be doing? Who’s sharing your life? What will capture your passion?

4. Practice Compassion. Focus on the needs and desires of the people around you. Act on what you see–do something to support others achieving their goals. Make someone’s day better. Like hope, compassion engages positive emotions, which in turn engage renewal.

Change starts with you. And when linked to a meaningful outcome, change can be exciting and fun. Start small. Start today. But start. It will be worth it!! Anissa

adapted from http://conversationstarter.hbsp.com/2008/09/four_steps_to_beat_back_the_pr.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-WEEKLY_HOTLIST-_-SEPT_2008-_-HOTLIST0904

It started when I was little. I had two or three ear infections every year. I also had stomach problems, causing a lot of vomiting and…well, other unpleasant stuff. My parents took me to the doctors who prescribed me the medications that I took.

I grew up in a small town in New Jersey. Granted, the air is not very clean there (hahaha) and neither is the water. But that’s normal for our society, right? When you live within an hour of The Big Apple, you pay for the pollution. But, hey, it’s New York! Broadway, museums, art galleries, great restaurants…it’s worth it!

When I was 11, my family moved to a larger town in Sonoma County, California. Now, LA is infamous for its smog, but the San Francisco area is cleaner, right? Apparently not, because the next year, I was diagnosed with asthma.

And carpul tunnel syndrome. I am the youngest person my doctor has ever treated for that syndrome (yay, big proud record for me!) Sure, it’s common among people who spend a lot of their time on the computer, or writing, both of which I did (plus I played flute and piano, and I cooked). But those people are usually in their 30’s. I was twenty years younger than them. To make matters worse, none of the treatments worked. At 19, I had surgery to relieve the pressure. Luckily, that did work, and, 4 years later, I haven’t had any additional problems with my wrist, except a limited range of motion.

Throughout my teenage years, I still suffered from my stomach problems, and when I was 16, I was sent to a psychologist, who determined it was bulimia. Yes, bulimia! I wasn’t physically inducing the vomiting, but mentally I was. Along with the bulimia came the diagnosis of depression.

Two years of therapy had no impact on my depression or bulimia, so I was prescribed Prozac. Around the same time, I slipped on a wet floor at work (Starbucks) and hurt my back so badly, I needed physical therapy and Vicodin. The physical therapy only helped a little, and I am still dealing with back problems today. Also, the Vicodin use escalated into a dependency, which escalated into an addiction, just short of Dr House. (OK, that’s a bit of an exaggaration…I was only taking three or four pills a day, not three or four an hour.)

When I went off to college, I decided to move to the LA area. My conditions stayed the same. My depression did get pretty bad over the holidays when my boss told I couldn’t go home for Christmas, but the pretty decorations at Disneyland helped with that.

Anyway, I have now graduated from college, and I now live in Hawaii, where I am studying Organizational Change and Communications (both are Master’s programs.)

And nothing has changed.  I still have bulimia, I still have depression, I still have back problems, I still have everything. I have had my blood drawn for tests three times since I moved here in August, and I have missed three weeks of school and one week of work because I was too sick to go (that doesn’t count the other days when I was sick, but was still able to go.)

Three weeks ago, I had a migraine that kept me in bed for five days. I couldn’t watch TV because the light hurt too much. For the last week and a half, I have been sleeping 12-18 hours a day.

My friend, Mondy, who I met in a sustainability class, knows a lot about “clean living”, which basically means she knows how to never get sick. She lent me this amazing book by Kevin Trudeau, “Natural Cures ‘They‘ Don’t Want You To Know About”. Trudeau is not a doctor, and all his conclusions are opinions he’s reached after doing twenty years of research. But if 23 years of prescription medications and doctors haven’t cured me, and have actually made me feel worse, why not try some of those “Natural Cures”?

I decided that I am going to start doing so. I gave up eating meat three weeks ago and I threw away every single prescription and non-prescription drug in my apartment today.

Let’s hope this all works…But first, I know I have to deal with the backlash of drug withdrawal. After all, I’ve been on Prozac for 7 years…

Hopefully you’ll stay with me on this journey, and offer me encouragement, and maybe even take some of my advice. After all, who wouldn’t want to learn how to never get sick?

So, yesterday a new problem surfaced:  eye twitching.  As I was getting more and more tired as the day progress, my eyes were getting tired and I felt like I had to squint to see the computer.  Then my right eye started twitching.  Every once in a while it was like an uncontrollable spasm.  Immediately, I turned to my trusty friend, Google, to see what the problem was.

According to the article by the Mayo Clinic, included among the eight causes or conditions associated with eye twitching are:  caffeine, fatigue, lack of sleep, and stress.  Additional research found that the clinical term for eye twitching is myokymia.  According to another web site, one way to treat myokymia is:  ”Get plenty of rest, eliminate caffeine and alcohol and reduce stress.”  Well, duh.  But it’s not like that’s going to happen any time soon. 

I complained of this once before to a doctor, who said that it was caused by a quinine deficiency.  She recommended drinking tonic water.  I tried it back then, and occasionally enjoy tonic water with cranberry juice (which is also supposed to be good for you, except for when sugar is added), but apparently the condition returns when I’m overly tired, or spend too much time staring at a computer screen.

Interestingly, several blogs and discussion boards also noted that eye twitching can be related to a vitamin B-12 deficiency. 

Regardless of its cause, it appears to be yet another problem for the Princess to lose sleep over!

- La Princesa

We’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year. At this point I don’t know how we’re going to manage to get everything ready in time. I still need to clean the kitchen and dining room and I would really like to get some other things done cleaning wise around the house. I just have no idea where I’m supposed to find the time to do it. By the time I get home from work I’m completely exhausted and barely manage to make it though dinner, playing with my daughter and getting her into bed. Our mornings are a crazy rush to get ready and get out of the house. I could really use a day off of work, but if I take time off I don’t get paid.

Here are some of the items on my To Do List this week:

• Clean Kitchen
• Clean Dining Room
• Host Thanksgiving Dinner
• Clean up Thanksgiving mess
• Check Black Friday ads and see if I want to brave shopping that day
• Put laundry away
• Rest

To see more To Do lists, head over to Crazy Adventure in Parenting and check out To Do Tuesday.

Recently I’ve realized that the most popular search term that guides people to my website is “ileocecal valve” (and variations thereof). Because of this, I thought I should write a few more words about the significance of it. If you are not familiar with the ileocecal valve, please refer to this article first, which explains the basics.

As mentioned in the first article, the ileocecal valve can either be stuck “open” or “closed”. I put those words in quotes because that might not literally be the case; however, it gets to the point and keeps things simple. When the valve is causing a problem, it is usually found to be open about 95% of the time and closed about 5%. Symptoms of both can be similar, but constipation is certainly a hallmark of the closed variety.

The reasons for dysfunction are also similar, but a closed valve is basically caused a hypertonic or spasticity in the intestinal muscles. This can be caused by excessive abdominal workouts, especially if done isometrically (i.e.: simply contracting the muscles without moving the torso). The next most obvious reason is nutrient deficiencies that cause muscle spasms in the first place. Remember the intestines are made of muscle, not skeletal (or cardiac), but smooth muscle. The most common nutrient deficiencies would be magnesium, or lack of available/usable calcium, not necessarily a deficiency in calcium. Hypochlorhydria, or low stomach acid (and/or digestive enzymes) is also usually an issue. There may be other causes, but those are the ones I typically see.

Other issues that accompany (perhaps the result, not necessarily the cause of) a closed valve might be things like intestinal yeast overgrowth (or candida), parasites, protozoa, bacterial and viral infections in the intestines. This can be the cause or result of insufficient “good” bacteria in the gut. Think hypochlorhydria; excessive sugar, refined carbohydrate, and/or fruit consumption; food contamination, and drinking chlorinated water, when it comes to gut flora imbalances. Symptoms on the other hand would be anything that accompanies constipation, such as bloating, abdominal cramps, flatulence, fatigue, general poor digestion, headaches, halitosis, low back pain, etc..

An open ileocecal valve can be the result of poor abdominal or pelvic floor muscle tone, leading to a general ptosis (drooping) or flaccidity of the intestines because of lack of support. Usually however, this is also due to gut flora imbalances along with the presence of pathogens related to the reasons mentioned above. An open valve can also result from irritation to the lining of the valve and intestinal wall in general. This is mainly due to foods high in roughage such as: popcorn, chips, nuts, seeds, spicy foods, alcohol, and sometimes chocolate and caffeine. This is especially true if those foods are not chewed thoroughly. By the way, I’ve found an open valve in just about every person who adheres to a strictly “raw food” diet. Chew properly and thoroughly if this is you!

Symptoms of an open valve mainly include loose stools, bloating, flatulence, general poor digestion, low back pain and lumbar disc herniations (without an onset of obvious trauma – i.e.: not simply bending down to pick something up), fatigue, headaches, halitosis, etc.. Hmmm, sounds just like a closed valve right! Remember, this is essentially a digestive problem, just like the closed variety; with the main difference being a possible magnesium or calcium deficiency in a closed valve. Again, consider hypochlorydria and insufficient digestive enzymes as well.

Unresolved emotional issues should be ruled out in either case. And pelvic and lumbar spinal joint dysfunction must also be addressed because the nerves that control the intestines arise from those areas. The fist lumbar nerve root (or L1) directly innervates the ileocecal valve. But again, I would check the entire lumbar spine and pelvic joints, including the sacrum.

I hope this sheds some more light on the topic as it is an important one. I check it on just about every patient, every visit, and definitely in cases of low back pain, headaches, and digestive disturbances.

Dr. Robert D’Aquila – NYC Chiropractor – Applied Kinesiology

I feel like compared to what I hear from other ladies who have been pregnant that my pregnancy symptoms have been pretty mild. However, I have had a few, so here they are.

Cravings-

Anything sugar!  One night I had to have strawberry shortcake. I went to the grocery store with my dad at 10PM to get all the ingredients. Soft serve ice cream! We went to Vancouver and Seattle for our Babymoon, and that’s all I could think about until I finally found it. I think about soft serve almost every day. My anti-craving has been chinese food! It has sounded disgusting ever since about week 10 of pregnancy. The smell of it makes me sick. I usually really like chinese food so I’m hoping that this symptom is only temporary.

Heartburn-

I have had a couple of bouts with this. A little bit probably around 20 weeks for a couple of weeks, and it’s just started up again. It’s not fun and there’s not too much you can do about it. At least Tums have calcium.

Leg Cramps-

While sleeping. Probably started around 20 weeks. I feel like I need to stretch my legs and when I do I get a Charley horse. Some nights it happens a few times and it is not a good feeling.

Fatigue-

In the first trimester, all I could do was go to work and sleep. I literally had no energy, I couldn’t even make myself dinner when I got home. Thankfully my husband picked up the slack during this time and I didn’t starve.

Anemia-

Third trimester 28 weeks is when I found out.

Back Pain-

Around 20 weeks is when it was the worst. It was in my very lower back pretty much at the top of my butt. My chiropractor made it feel a million times better though and I have been feeling pretty well for the past few weeks. I haven’t had to make a trip to the chiropractor in probably 2 months.

Pregnancy Brain-

I seem to forget everything lately. The worst ‘pregnancy brain incident’ I’ve had so far was the weekend we moved 3 weeks ago (27 weeks pregnant)… I got off of work on a Friday when I realized that my gas tank was on ‘e’ and I needed to make a stop at the gas station.  Thanks to my wonderful husband I was balancing a beautiful bouquet of flowers and also realized that we were out of toilet paper at home and with the move wouldn’t have a chance to go to the store anytime soon.

I balanced the flowers on the seat, got out of the car, put the pump in the tank and ran in the store. I grabbed the tp, and got in a pregnancy conversation with a chatty clerk.

On my way out, I thought to myself, if my husband is at the new place I’ll stop by with these flowers so I won’t have to balance them when I have a car full of moving stuff later (I didn’t have keys to the new place yet).

I got in the car with the tp, put the flowers in my lap and dialed my husband and placed him on speakerphone. As I’m driving away I hear a loud noise, and wonder what it is… Well turns out it was the gas pump, I never took it out of the tank Out of nowhere there was a lady in an orange jacket taking the pump out of the car. Apparently I caused quite the scene as there were people running into the gas station ’she’s driving off with the gas pump!’

The lady in the orange jacket told me to go inside to give my information… I had to wait in line and of course everyone had something to say to me… I was mortified, but tried to compose myself. The clerk told me,’If I were you I would have driven off’ as she told me that it would cost $1,000 to repair the pump. Just what I needed.

I kept telling myself, s*** happens, it is what it is, there’s no way I can go back and change it, it was an accident. Despite saying this over and over to myself, I started to get a little teary eyed. When I arrived home my husband was chatting with the neighbors who didn’t know we were moving. Jon, my husband’s friend was helping us with the move and he said ‘Hey how’s it goin Lolls?’ very cheerfully. I just burst into tears. I told him that I was really crying for no reason, and started crying/laughing. I mumbled to him what happened and he kinda had a chuckle.

At this point my husband walked in and didn’t know what to think. He couldn’t tell if I was hysterically crying or if I was laughing. I mumbled the story to him as our neighbor peeked in to say congratulations as she didn’t know I was pregnant. She must have thought I was nuts….

Thankfully, here we are 3 weeks later and I haven’t heard a peep from the gas station. After talking with a bunch of friends I found out that this is pretty common and it should not cost $1,000, some gas stations just try to scam you.

**WARNING: this is the longest entry I will most likely ever write, and I promise it will get more interesting from here on out. All of the boring history is comprised in this one entry, and after that it will be nothing but fun! (…ok, maybe not.)

The first time in my life that I had what I would categorize as a health issue was at the age of 10, when I began having knee pain. It progressed through age 12, at which point my parents began looking for the source of the problem. Several X-rays and MRIs later, it was determined that there was no visible cause for my pain. I was given my first knee brace in seventh grade.

Around the same time, I developed pain in my stomach that was accompanied by mild nausea. Nothing seemed directly responsible for worsening the pain, but nothing eased it, either. I spent almost half of my time at summer camp in bed, unable to attend events or lessons. Later that Summer when I arrived home, we began seeing doctors to investigate the issue. I was given an upper-GI exam as well as a stomach X-ray, and put on medication to relieve what they determined was IBS. I was medicated for several months, ineffectively, and the symptoms later went away without correlation to the treatment.

When I was 15, I began having more severe pain in my knee, which was also accompanied by back pain, neck pain, and headaches. It was assumed that most of this was caused by wearing a heavy backpack – though symptoms did not improve or worsen based on backpack weight – or stress. Headaches would center around the temples, and often caused pain behind my eyes; this was mostly thought to be due to lack of sleep.

At the age of 16, I lost the use of my right arm for close to four months. I was in 10th grade, and had been developing pain in my wrist, forearm and hand over the course of the calendar year; one day, it got bad enough that I could no longer hold a pencil, brush my teeth, or fasten my pants with my right hand. Several doctors, including a hand and wrist specialist, examined it. I was tested for carpal tunnel, tendonitis, and several other conditions; they determined that there was nothing wrong. I was given a brace for my wrist, and a cortisone injection into my hand. Neither solved the problem (the latter made it worse) and I learned to write with my left hand in order to continue my schoolwork. I was unable to continue playing piano or violin, which I had at that point been playing for close to ten years.

Over the next two years, my symptoms worsened with the addition of sleep issues (severe night terrors, insomnia, restless sleep) and anxiety. I graduated high school with my class, at the age of 18, and moved to Indiana. While there, I frequently had episodes of anxiety, coupled with dizziness, nausea, and bouts of unprovoked depression. I began to have incidences of not being positive where I was – feeling “floaty” or “spacey” – though they were infrequent. I became more sensitive to the cold, and had frequent problems with circulation that resulted in parts of my hands and feet turning white and numb.

Symptoms continued to worsen through the age of 21. I had moved from Indiana back to Philly, lived in several different parts of the city, and moved to Portland, where I currently reside. Two months after my move, I was at work (Starbucks) when with no warning, I became unable to put weight on my left leg. I had shooting, burning pain down the entirety of my left leg, centered in my lower back/left hip area; it felt as though someone was holding one torch under my foot and a second one to my lower back. I was taken to the ER. After a series of questions, the doctors determined that I had Sciatica; I was given a muscle-relaxant and a narcotic and told to stay off my feet for the weekend. Though I don’t remember that weekend, the pain did not stop when the medication wore off.

When, after two months, I was still suffering, I found a doctor and asked for an appointment to assess my body and why I was in so much pain. Several co-pays and a few X-rays later, the doctor pulled out a medical encyclopedia to “show [me] what is wrong with [me].” They had found that the lowest vertebrae in my spine was partially fused to my tailbone, and partially had never formed into bone (i.e., was still cartilage). I will never forget the doctor’s exact words as he leaned against the table in front of me:

“The difficult situation you’re in is that you are going to be in a lot of pain for the rest of your life, and there’s not really anything that we can do to help you.”

After we left the office, my partner and I cried in the car for 45 minutes. In the next few months, I found a pain specialist, in hopes that he would give me more answers and better options for treatment. His theory was that my spinal condition was not responsible for the majority of my pain; instead, he diagnosed me with a combination of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Fibromyalgia. He refused to give me medication or physical supports, stating that it would only make my body weaker. He said that the only way to improve my condition was to be physically active despite the pain. I was running 15 miles a week and working two jobs; he said I should run with weights. I couldn’t win. At one point, I slammed my fist down on the table and told him that I was at the point of having to prop myself up on counters at work in order to remain standing (it was true), and that I wasn’t leaving until he gave me something to help with the pain.

That is how, at the age of 23, I began wearing a knee brace – sometimes two – a back brace, and a brace on one or both of my wrists. I should have been born a robot.

He also tried giving me Celebrex, an anti-inflammatory – which didn’t work – and Lyrica, an anti-seizure drug used occasionally to treat fibromyalgia – which didn’t work – and Tramadol, a mild pain medication – which also didn’t work. I was put on cyclobenzaprine (a muscle relaxant) as a sleep aid, which went quickly from putting me in zombie-mode to landing me in an addiction. I stopped taking it when I realized what had happened. I also stopped going to my appointments with him. In the interim, I saw an orthopedic specialist, a rheumatologist, a neurosurgeon, an infectious disease doctor, and one or two other specialists, none of whom had answers. According to my labs and all of the tests, I was fine. I still couldn’t stand at work without assistance. And at this point, I had paid close to $4000 in co-pays for appointments and medications alone, after insurance.

Midway through the runway march of doctors, I was recounting details of the trials and tribulations of being a medical anomaly when a friend, C, mentioned that my story sounded similar to that of her girlfriend, N. N had been through similar struggles and was diagnosed several years ago with chronic Lyme disease. C told me about how politicized the arguments around Lyme are, but at that point I had no frame of reference for anything. It wasn’t until I stopped seeing my pain doctor that I began to look into the possibility.

I found a doctor in the nearby town of Kennebunk, ME. After one visit, he told me that I exhibited a large number of symptoms of chronic Lyme, and requested to do deeper testing…but start treatment before we even got results. In the six months since I began receiving care from him, we have tried several rounds of medication, including Doxycycline; a combination of Biaxin and Plaquinil; a combination of Mepron and Zithromax, later adding in Flagyl; all with the additional use of Ambien for a sleep aid. Despite several rounds of medication over a six month period, I had seen no improvement of symptoms and was, in fact, getting worse. I had developed neurological symptoms as well, such as short-term memory problems, stuttering, stammering, and general confusion and spaciness. I also developed symptoms similar to those of acid-reflux, whereby any food consumption (as well as times in which I was not eating) caused moderate to severe abdominal pain. Additionally, fatigue had become so unbearable that I had begun spending between 6 and 8 hours a day in bed, not by choice.

After seeing no results, I finally listened to what C & N had been telling me for over a year: I made an appointment with N’s doctor in New York, who is a well-known name in Lyme research and a large believer in the existence of chronic Lyme disease. During my almost-two hour appointment, he took a full medical and personal history, and discussed my current state of being. He said that my history looks like a case file that a class would use for undiagnosed Lyme. He also believes that I have a co-infection called Bartonella, which affects the GI tract and makes it nearly impossible for the body to absorb oral medication, hence why none of the antibiotics had made a difference (he said that I had probably been absorbing around 10% of what I was putting into my body).  He ordered a few more tests, drew a lot of blood, and wrote some prescriptions.

He decided to keep me on Mepron and Zithromax at much higher doses to compensate for the absorption issues. He is also adding an intramuscular medication to bypass the GI tract entirely. Additionally, after arguments with the insurance companies are complete, I will be getting an IV port put in, and will be starting two different types of IV medication – one for four days at a time, the other for three – and will be doing daily IV treatments for probably the next year, depending on if and when my condition improves. I will also be on several supplements including Colostrum, fish oil, a multivitamin, and Diflucan (to decrease the amount of yeast buildup in my stomach from the antibiotics).

I am procrastinating on filling prescriptions, but will hopefully do it within the next few days and be starting the new round of meds within the week – minus the IV, which takes more negotiating. I am excited to eventually feel better, but not feeling too positive about the current state of things. I recognize, however, that I am lucky to have some amazing people in my life, including my partners and parents, who are willing to go to great lengths to make sure that I am okay. You are all amazing, and I am thankful every day for you and your presence. I love you. Thank you.

Next entry will not be NEARLY as wordy, I promise. Just had to get the history down at some point.

Best,
s

Debout devant ma classe, curieuse sensation. C’est bientôt à moi de parler, de raconter je ne sais quoi. Je n’en ai pas envie car je n’en vois pas l’intérêt. De toute façon, que je parle ou que je me taise, rien ne changera cette sensation. Les mots que je vais prononcer je le sais seront vides de sens. Mes phrases n’atteindront jamais leurs buts.

Je ne suis plus là. Enfin, mon esprit n’est plus là. C’est presque comme si je voyais cette scène à l’extérieur de mon corps, je me vois en train de. Je parle pourtant, l’air un peu absent certes, mon regard plongeant dans le vide. Plus rien ne peut m’atteindre, mes sens sont de toute évidence partis faire un tour.

Je me trouve ridicule à parler ainsi. Je trouve ce cours ridicule. Je trouve le moment déplacé. Je n’ai qu’une envie, rentrer chez moi. Réunir mon âme et mon corps comme auparavant, et sortir de cette léthargie post-travail, de ce découragement soudain. Juste rentrer, et dormir.

Mesdames, êtes-vous incommodées par des bouffées de chaleur?

Dr. Julien Lévesque, chiropraticien — La ménopause. Au fil des années, le corps ne cesse de se modifier et de se transformer. Cela fait partie de notre évolution bien que plusieurs personnes s’en passeraient bien. À partir de la mi-quarantaine, le corps féminin exprime une série de symptômes qui est spécifique à la ménopause. Trois phases se succèdent; la pré-ménopause, la ménopause et la post-ménopause.

La transition vers la ménopause, c’est-à-dire la pré-ménopause, peut se reconnaître aux signes suivants: chaleurs, sensibilité des seins, accentuation du syndrome prémenstruel, diminution de la libido, fatigue, règles irrégulières, sécheresse vaginale et inconfort pendant les relations sexuelles, fuites urinaires, changements abrupts d’humeur, etc. La sévérité des symptômes et leurs conséquences sur la qualité de vie peuvent être en étroite relation avec le niveau de stress et l’état de santé général.

Voici quelques signes et symptômes spécifiques à la ménopause;

Les bouffées de chaleur: Il s’agit du symptôme le plus fréquent, dû à l’arrêt de la production d’estrogène par les ovaires. Les bouffées de chaleur se manifestent par une sensation de chaleur parfois accompagnée d’une rougeur de la peau, qui commence au niveau du visage et du cou, puis s’étend vers le thorax et les épaules, et éventuellement se généralise. Chez certaines femmes, les bouffées de chaleur s’accompagnent de sueurs intenses (notamment des sueurs nocturnes). Elles sont sans danger mais peuvent être très incommodantes.

- Les troubles vaginaux: La carence en estrogène peut rendre la paroi vaginale plus fine, plus sèche et moins “élastique”. Les rapports sexuels peuvent ainsi devenir inconfortables.

- Les troubles urinaires: Le contrôle de la vessie peut être moins bon, ce qui peut provoquer de petites fuites urinaires, en particulier lors d’efforts (éternuements, rires, etc.). Il est important de s’occuper de ce problème d’incontinence dès qu’il apparaît afin qu’il ne s’accentue pas.

- La prise de poids: Souvent, au moment de la ménopause, les femmes prennent du poids et trouvent qu’il est plus difficile qu’auparavant de perdre ces kilos. La ménopause entraîne une modification dans la répartition des graisses : elles s’accumulent plus fréquemment au niveau du ventre qu’au niveau des cuisses et des fesses.

- Les troubles du sommeil (insomnie; difficulté à s’endormir ou longues épisodes de réveil au cours de la nuit).

- Les changements d’humeur, l’irritabilité, l’anxiété, les affects dépressifs.

- Une diminution de la libido

- Modifications de la peau; la structure et la texture de la peau sont influencées par les hormones sexuelles et par des modifications biologiques plus générales liées au vieillissement. Après la ménopause, la peau devient plus fine et plus fragile.

Comment votre chiropraticien peut-il vous aider?

Votre chiropraticien peut vous aider à diminuer ces symptômes par les conseils alimentaires, les ajustements chiropratiques, l’écoute et par la communication. Par exemple, si vous voulez réduire la fréquence et l’intensité des bouffées de chaleur, il faut réduire la consommation de viandes, d’alcool, de caféine et privilégier des produits laitiers faibles en gras. De plus, si vous voulez réduire l’intensité du stress dans votre vie, réduire les tensions musculaires et augmenter votre niveau d’énergie, les ajustements chiropratiques Network sont une solution très efficace et naturelle. Si vous avez des questions, parlez-en avec votre professionnel de la santé en chiropratique et il se fera un plaisir de vous venir en aide.

Le Dr. Julien Lévesque est chiropraticien à la Clinique MainTenant située au 1477 boul. St-Joseph Est, Montréal, (Québec) H2J 1M6. Vous pouvez communiquer avec lui au  514-910-7644. Si vous désirez en savoir s’il peut vous aider et sur sa pratique, visitez www.chiroenergie.ca.

Although these terms are written with the transport industry in mind, they are highly relevant and applicable for other industries as well.

Minimum continuous break in a 24 hour period for a solo driver: 7 hours in the Standard Hours option, 7 hour continuous break or 8 hours in 2 parts (islimited) in the Basic Fatigue Management option, 6 hour continuous break or 8 hours in 2 parts (subject to conditions).

Night sleep: At least seven hours continuous rest between 10pm and 8am.

Shift: The period of driving and work time between two periods of continuous sleep opportunity. A shift is deemed to have started at the end of the last continuous sleep opportunity and finishes at the beginning of the next continuous sleep opportunity.

Short rest break: Any rest break that is 15 minutes or more in duration, but less than seven hours. Means time at work provided for rest and meals after a continuous period of active work and does not include non-driving work time or time not working. Short rest is recorded in minimum 15 minute periods (i.e. any non-work less than 15 minutes does not counttowards rest, any period of non-work of 15 minutes but less than 30 minutes is counted as 15 minutes rest etc.).

Night work: Any driving or work undertaken between midnight and 6 am.

Hazard: A source or situation with a potential to cause injury, illness or disease.

Hazard identification: Process of recognising that a hazard exists.

Risk: The likelihood of an injury, illness or disease occurring and the severity of any injury, illness
or disease that results from exposure to a hazard.

Risk assessment: Process of working out how big a risk is present and what risk factors are causing the problem.

Risk control: The process of applying appropriate prevention measures to eliminate or minimise any
risks.

Circadian rhythm: Circadian rhythms or the body clock regulates physiological and behavioural functions on a 24 hour basis. Sleep and wakefulness are programmed and sleepiness is greatest between midnight to 6 a.m. and to a lesser extent between 2-4 p.m.

Fatigue: Fatigue can be described as a progressive loss of alertness that ultimately ends in sleep.

Sleep debt: Failure to have a normal sleep results in sleep debt that accumulates and can only be paid back by undisturbed, restorative sleep.

Schedule: The pattern of driving and work covering one or more trips. For operators with rostered drivers a schedule might operate over a week or a month. For less regular or predictable situations a schedule may refer to a single trip.

Source: NTC’s Guidelines For Managing Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue August 2007

Dupre´Logistics monitors it’s drivers.

Statistics suggest that a significant percentage of accidents are caused by human error. A major contributing factor in a number of these cases is fatigue. It is important to understand what fatigue is and how to deal with it. Dupre´Logistics hold their team accountable by measuring fatigue through Circadian Technologies’ CAS System.

Fatigue is more than just a general feeling of tiredness. It is a loss of our ability to remain vigilant, to perform a task, to maintain situational awareness, to think clearly and logically, to react appropriately and to maintain motor coordination skills. Very simply, when a person is fatigued, he is more prone to making mistakes. Fatigue affects everyone, even the most professional and dedicated people. It is not a question of mind over matter. Rather, it’s the body’s natural physiological response to working too much or getting too little sleep or rest.

Fatigue is monitored by examining the following 9 variables:

• Average sleep length per day
• Percentage of time below red and yellow thresholds on duty
• Average duration of episodes below red on duty
• Average alertness score while awake
• Number of recovery breaks per week
• Hours of work per week
• Hours of work per shift
• Biological limitations for sleep recovery
• Time of day activity occurs

Source:  Circadian 24/7 Workforce Solutions and Dupre´ Logistics

My current therapist tells me I should not work so hard. So do other people who care about me. I’m sure they mean well, but they cannot see how much work it really takes to make me as functional as I am.

I work my ass off. Regularly. As a matter of course. My body is dotted with little bruises from too much contact with my everyday life. And my head is spinning with the details I have to keep in order, and reminders to use the tools I’ve developed for myself to manage it all.

My head is a playground for efficacy and my body is a scarred-up old warhorse that has seen plenty of battles. The net result: tremendous success, by any measure. But plenty of pain and anxiety and suffering in the meantime.

I go out of my way to obscure the “clatter” of my start-stop-faltering-resuming life from the ones I love, because I don’t want to hurt them, and I know from experience that they feel pain when they see me going through things that cause them pain. So, I just don’t bring it up. And I work-work-work away-away-away, to get myself through life. I just want to get from Point A to Point B to Point C and so on, without the hindrance of other people’s discomfort. I sincerely don’t want to harm anyone who cares for me. And I keep the laborious nature of my adventures to myself.

It works for me — pun intended. Or is that a double-meaning?

Anyway, I’m feeling strong this afternoon. I work-work-worked this morning on some really important tasks. And I work-work-worked on tracking my progress, which I have not done in about a week. I’m thinking it would make sense for me to do my regular check-ins on weekends (preferably Sundays), so I can focus on them fully. The rest of the week, I’m too busy working, to spend a lot of time recapping and assessing and checking in.

Then, I lay down and took a nap, while listening to Belleruth Naparstek’s CD on “Stress Hardiness Optimization” for helping first responders and people in high-stress situations manage their stress level. My whole life is a first-responder situation — I’m the first on the scene at all my catastrophes, and I’m the one who has to pull my ass out of the fire or back from the brink, time and time again, before anyone has a clue that I’m as close to disaster as I am.

It’s one of the hazards of keeping your difficulties to yourself — you’re on the hook for fishing yourself out of the drink, if you go overboard in rough seas. You’ve got to make sure your life jacket is always strapped on tight, that you can swim properly, and that you haven’t eaten anything in the last 20 minutes that might give you the bends.

That takes work. A lot of work.

So what?

It’s not like it’s not worth it. It’s not like I have a choice. Oh, certainly, I could sit around and feel sorry for myself — Poor me! — and sit on that pity pot all the live-long day. Sure, I could rail at life for setting me up for failure. I could moan and bitch and complain at my crappy fate. I could resist with all my might, and refuse to do the Work that Life requires.

But where would that get me?

Nowhere.

And who would care?

No one.

All anyone would know — or see — is that I can’t manage to do a damn’ thing with my life, that I just keep screwing up, and what the hell is wrong with me, anyway, for having so much potential, yet doing so little with it?

I have a theory — everyone has great gifts, and everyone has great potential. It’s the people that have to work the hardest to bring it out, who experience the greatest payoff.

I want my payoff.

I have an evening’s worth of achievements waiting for me. Back to work…

My health is being threatened.

All through our lives we deal with circumstances that threaten our welfare. One of these is poor health. There are many variables to consider when pursuing the best possible treatments and causes.

Unfortunately, we are not always given the correct remedy, or advice from those in the medical field. Many times we are given routine prescriptions to try and ward off symptoms, but then are still left with wondering what is causing the sickness in the first place. Too often the symptoms reappear at a later date, and we go through the cycle all over again.

This is the second time in my life I am battling a parasite infection. The first time around (ten years ago ) I was to told that the extreme joint pain and fatigue I was experiencing was due to rheumetoid arthritis and to just take daily aspirin.

I decided not to accept that diagnosis and put my problem to prayer to the “Great Physician” – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It was “He” who led me to discover the cause and solution to my sickness. The cause was a parasite infection and the solution was the herbal cleanse and rebuild treatment that addressed the removal of the parasites from my body. My joint pain disappeared, and the other bonus was that my asthmatic allergies disappeared as well.

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray……..and the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up.” (James 5: 13-17)

Treating traumatic brain injuries @ the LATimes

They can’t be set like a bone or staunched like a bleed. They can be difficult even to detect, but the military and others are working to improve care.

Larry Ewing’s life changed last year on a construction site in Victorville; Larry Carr’s changed in 2004 on a road in Iraq. Unlikely brothers in arms, both men now share the same invisible wound — traumatic brain injury.

They tire easily, forget often and lose their balance and concentration without warning. They struggle to make peace with personality changes that have made them barely recognizable to loved ones.

Read the whole story here

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12)

Prairie dresses and bonnet strings flapped in the breeze as three girls ran barefoot down the trail behind our home. Our daughter brought the 1800’s pioneer life alive with a home fashioned from a tent, an outdoor church complete with a handmade cross, and of course, our dog Max, transformed into a pony.

Seeing the girls embrace a bygone era brought on my own form of nostalgia. Memories of healthier times rushed through my mind. Satisfying days filled with teaching and night classes. Needling pain as my sides cramped from running. Romantic nights savored with my husband. Talking and interacting with people all day long. Memories of every moment of every day being crammed with things I was able to do.

While it may be healthy at times to take a trip down memory lane, I find I am with Paul. He reminds us repeatedly to press on. “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13b-14).

Hanging onto the past keeps me from living contentedly in the present. I begin to yearn for what I can not have, and I find myself angry over all the losses. It’s easier to cope and thrive in a less than healthy body when I let go of desiring my old life before illness. By embracing the present, I am freed to soar on wings like eagles.

And, isn’t that what God desires for each of us?

Prayer: Father, God, help us to let go of the past and embrace our present. Living fully for you, even when that includes illness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dana Kennedy is a survivor, encourager, wife and mother. She writes a devotional column for Glory and Strength e-magazine. Dana lives with postural orthostatic tachycardia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. Her dream is to spread God’s hope through her life and words. She and her family make their home in Liberty, Missouri. Dana welcomes your contact at dtearosee@earthlink.net.

In 2004, if I remember correctly, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism.  That was the year my husband and I were married.  In January, I started getting this small rash at the base of my neck on the right side and occasionally it would show up on the left but never got as large as the right side did.  I also was complaining of being tired (fatigued) all the time.  I went to my family physician about the rash and he thought it may have been some kind of allergic reaction to something.  So he gave me a cream to put on it and it went away.  It would show back up periodically, but the cream always worked to relieve it.  I got married in June and a few months after the wedding, one of my older sisters mentioned knowing someone who had complained of the same kind of rash and of being fatigued regularly.  She told me that her friend had been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and she thought I should ask my doctor about it.

So I made an appointment and had some blood work done and, sure enough, my T4 thyroid hormone was a little low.  I was prescribed Synthroid and through out the next 4 years the dose changed a few times but I still always had the symptoms of hypothyroidism: fatigue, hair loss, forgetfulness, depression, dry skin, cold-intolerance, weight issues, etc.  It never dawned on me that there might be something else wrong and, apparently, it never occurred to my doctor either. 

In 2008, my husband and I had decided that we wanted to try and have a baby.  So I got off of my birth control, but we chose to just let things play out naturally.  We weren’t really “trying” but we weren’t preventing anything either.  No luck.  So this past summer we decided to get serious about trying so I checked with my doctor about seeing an endocrinologist about my hypothyroidism because it can cause issues with getting pregnant and in pregnancy itself.  He agreed and recommended Dr Rapp at Little Rock Diagnostic Clinic.  When they called me with the appointment information, I immediately had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I literally thought I was going to vomit when I hung up the phone with my family doctor.  I told my mom and husband about my bad feeling and they said it was probably just nerves but it never would go away.

I just knew that something was wrong with me.

listening to the whirring of my mini fan heater… i hate the heater, it gets so dry, my throat hurts, but i also hate the extreme wet cold urrrrgh… too many thoughts clanging around in my head again… the curse of asperger’s? very akin to madness for sure…

i got some chocolate today at godiva… i remember the time i was there with veronica and i bought her a bag of chocs… i really like veronica… wish i’d met her before i ever met him… it wasnt my fault, he’d lied abt veronica to me, i never found out till it was too late… but it was indeed my fault that, when i had finally met veronica, i complied with his demand to fabricate a story and i lied to veronica abt my past with him… but i just cld not carry on with the subterfuge and utter blatant disrespect of lying to the face of someone has lovely as veronica, and so i confessed… my apology was for lying to her, and not for my past with him, because i did not know the truth abt her at the time… and i hv never once regretted telling her the truth ever since…

how can u live with lying lying lying to the face of someone u respect?… i asked this question many times… i asked him… and i also asked little miss talented artist… but both cld not give me any answer… becos they live that way – they think nothing of lying to the face of ppl whom they say they respect… they say it is in the name of protecting that person from hurt, and of social politeness… how twisted…

and him?… veronica said something very profound – he has no emotional honesty… how true… how cld he say “i love u darling pie” to someone’s face and allow that someone to believe wholeheartedly in his words while he just played his own little game of “fantasy”?… hmmmm…

urrrrgh… it’s getting pretty hot… if only this silly heater cld be more regulated… ah well, at the price i paid, i shd not complain… it has served me well thru 2 winters already… how time flies… and i still dont kw for sure whether i wld accomplish what i came here to do after all this that’s happened to me… i feel as if i hv lost all ability to dream… my beloved little swallow said he hopes i will find back that spunky kid he once knew before this nightmare came upon me… i hope so too…

ok time to fiddle with that darned heater… whirring whirring whirring…