Awesome EDS article

http://www.thefightlikeagirlclub.com/2010/07/eds-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-my-story/

I looooove this article! I especially like this part:

I now get that life is too short to put up with toxic people and toxic situations. Negativity spreads like wildfire and it can really affect your health. One of my favorite quotes is “When you’re up, your friends know who you are. When you’re down, you know who your friends are.” This can not be anymore true then when you are sick with a debilitating disease.

This really describes my mindset also. Negativity is really poisonous to people with chronic health conditions and must be avoided at all costs!

Product review - ALCiS pain cream

(First a disclaimer - ALCiS is not paying me to say this. All I received from them is a small sample of their product. I am neither a scientist nor a health care professional, just a consumer :))

I am really impressed with this pain cream! http://www.alcis.com/

We received free samples at the EDNF Conference last month. We received several different samples, so I didn't try it right away. I took it to work a couple weeks later and tried it on my shoulder. WOW!!! My shoulder muscles immediately relaxed and felt warm and cozy! I was quite surprised it worked so well. I've never tried BenGay or Aspercreme or any type of topical pain ointment as I didn't want to smell like an old person. Plus, I have co-workers with very sensitive noses and I don't want them to have one more reason to think I'm odd. This ALCiS smells really nice - like a high quality moisturizer. It feels like a moisturizer too! Leaves your skin soft and smelling nice. Now, my only problem is finding it. Our local Walgreen's and Meijer stores did not have it. I need to check at CVS and Amazon.com. My little sample tube is almost empty :(

Celiac Disease and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

Very informative article: http://www.clinmedres.org/cgi/reprint/5/3/184

Ear acupuncture

Well this week I got my first taste of "ear acupuncture." I'm not sure if my treatments will always be given by ear (played by ear - hee hee). But the few minutes I got were pretty impressive!

What is ear acupuncture?
Ear acupuncture, also known as auricular therapy, is based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Auricular therapy is widely used for many conditions, including addiction treatment, mood disorders, obesity, pain, and other conditions. This medical system emphasizes a holistic approach to medicine, an approach that treats the whole person. The acupuncture points found on the ear help to regulate the body's internal organs, structures, and functions.

- From http://www.acupuncture.com/education/tcmbasics/earacu.htm

Basically we went over all the issues I was having. Then, he put this little electrical stimulator on my ear. After awhile I could feel some of my neck muscles loosening. And the next day my neck was still loose! He also put "ear seeds" on 2 points on my ear. He told me to massage the seeds every hour, and it would help the treatment last longer. I'm telling ya it worked even better than anything I've ever tried. My insurance doesn't cover it but I don't CARE - I just want to feel better!

The other amazing thing was he knew what Chiari was and said he even had some patients with syringomyelia!! He said that the Chiari is probably what is causing the spasms. I STARED wide-eyed at him and said, "Do you think so?" And he said "Yeah I really think so." It was one of those wonderful moments I'll never forget. There are lots of other doctor moments I'd like to forget, but not this one. I can't wait until my next treatment which will be much longer!! The right side of my neck is still doing GREAT. Left side is another story but I'll save that for next week!!!

An embarrassing condition - Vulvodynia

OK this post is for the ladies - and I'll try to make it less embarrassing. But it is a real problem I am dealing with, called Vulvodynia.

The word "vulvodynia" means "painful vulva." Your vulva consists of the pad of fatty tissue at the base of your abdomen (mons pubis), the labia, the clitoris and the opening of your vagina.

The main vulvodynia symptom is pain in your genital area, which can be characterized by:

■Burning
■Soreness
■Itching
■Stinging
■Rawness
■Painful intercourse (dyspareunia)
■Throbbing

The pain you experience may be constant or intermittent and can last for months or even years, but it can vanish as suddenly as it started. A similar condition, vulvar vestibulitis, may cause pain only when pressure is applied to the area surrounding the entrance to your vagina.

Vulvar tissue may look minimally inflamed or swollen. More often, your vulva appears normal.

- From http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vulvodynia/DS00159/DSECTION=symptoms

I've had sensitive skin "down there" for years, but I didn't really know the name for it until now. When I have a flare, it is very uncomfortable and almost drives me insane. I try lukewarm baths, aloe, ice packs and try to wear loose clothing. I think certain things in my diet are irritating me as well, but I'm not sure what. The D-Mannose supplements help A LOT; when the irritation goes up into my bladder it really calms down the burny feeling. I've noticed that if I do not do these things to calm it down, it will progress into a UTI :( I've had enough of those and I am afraid they will send me to a specialist if I get any more in the near future :( But, this time I was able to control it with the things I just mentioned, and I am feeling better. Thank God.

Junk food linked to intestinal disease and allergies--study | The Money Times

Junk food linked to intestinal disease and allergies--study | The Money Times

Acupuncture next week!

I am so excited about trying acupuncture. I've not really investigated the realm of Chinese medicine; however I learned a lot about it at the EDNF conference last month. I figure my options at this point are: treat each individual body part separately (worst pain areas first) OR treat the whole body with acupuncture :) The lady who gave our talk was really inspiring to me. She has EDS and had been very sick, but she tried acupuncture as a "last resort" and today she is very healthy! She was just a bundle of energy. It made me really excited that maybe it could work for me too.

Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia
Chinese medicine views fibromyalgia as a condition resulting from general weakness of the liver, kidney, spleen and heart, caused by emotional stress, over strain, lack of adequate sleep and nutrition, and disturbed body rhythm - in other words, the body is out of "sync."

A Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner completes a full assessment of a patient in order to accurately determine what imbalances are present. There are a number of different patterns that we see frequently with FMS and treatment should be tailored to each patient's pattern. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help control pain, increase energy and improve sleep and other symptoms. Fibromyalgia symptoms are greatly influenced by stress, amount of activity, and environment.

From http://www.acupuncture.com/conditions/fibromyalc.htm

Interesting this site mentions to avoid all the things I'm already avoiding like caffeine, alcohol, and junk food. However they also mention tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. I do feel pretty yucky when I eat eggplant, and I try to limit tomatoes and peppers. But I really like 'em :(