Tag Archives: Holistic Knowledge

Your Reflection . . .

16 Sunday Oct 2016

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Isn’t it strange when you ask most people to look in a full length mirror, they laugh, squirm, ask if they ‘have’ to and generally feel uncomfortable in seeing themselves in the way everyone else sees them?

When treating a patient, with say a back problem, it is important to assess their gait, how their body is contorting to accommodate the injury. You need to assess how they walk, bend, move, assess the level of the hips, the shoulders, and see any curvature in the spine. I always had full-length mirrors in the clinics I’ve had, so when explaining what has or is happening with a body, the visual imagery can help enormously in the patient grasping an understanding of what their bodies are dealing with.

But usually, with women, the suggestion of them having to look at themselves head to foot, in their underwear is not a happy prospect. I find this fascinating. It isn’t to assess whether you are beautiful, or that I’m asking you to be vain, it isn’t to study your attributes, nor criticise, it is to see the body you are in for what it is, and how it is physically adapting to the injury in question.

Within seconds the embarrassment and uncomfortable initial phase passes and they start to see their body in a way they have never seen themselves before. Seeing how potentially the waistline is more curved on one side than the other, the hip line may be higher on one side, shoulders the same, the head may be slightly turned to a side, off centre. The centre line down the front of the body may be way off straight. It is fascinating and to see the awakening of how their own body is in a patient’s eyes is a wonderful experience, they have seen themselves from outside their body’s maybe for the first time in a non judgemental way, and to add to that, in the company of someone who is just appraising the body whilst respecting the soul.

I keep threatening my yoga ladies that I am going to introduce full-length mirrors into our yoga hall to their many moans and trepidation! But most gyms are equipped with mirrors not only to help disperse the lighting to make the gym appear larger, and also make it easier to keep an eye on everyone for safety reasons; but also for people who want to visibly see they are lifting weights and exercising correctly; and yes ok, some people love to look at themselves too! But seriously, our minds can make us believe we are the most flexible person, who’s arms are always straight when they should be, who’s body’s ability to flex is the same left to right; who’s body is relaxed when it should be; but in reality the very opposite could in actual fact be true.

I usually ask anyone who wants exercises from me to be done at home, that they do them wherever possible in front of a mirror. Again, that concept is met with disapproval and negativity. But I am asking not for the vanity of how gorgeous you are, but to help you check your starting stance, and acknowledge the areas that become apparent from this appraisal. As a teacher, I can see your body, and when I ask you to stand up straight and relax your shoulders down and back, I can see that you are not straight, your shoulders are not relaxed, but in your head, we see ourselves in near perfect posture. It’s the same for me too.

To be truthful and seeing the true movement and shape of your body can be very liberating. It does help prevent some people from kidding themselves, because when the exercise they have been doing is actually seen, they realise their posture has been wrong, hence the benefits they have been expecting have never been felt.

To be able to see your body from an outward perspective has many benefits into its welfare. It also adds a dimension to yourself that may not have been recognised before. So when you next do some stretching, some yoga, or when you want to try and work out why your back hurts, or why you have regular headaches, spend a little time and look at yourself in a mirror. Look at your face, relax the frowns, soften the face, look at your shoulders, see whether one appears higher than the other, look at muscle definition and see whether a muscle appears tighter across the front of the shoulder than the other side, the same into the arm. Look at the waistline and see if there is a difference in the curvature of your outline; put your fingers on the top of the hip and see whether the fingers line up horizontally across your body or whether one side is higher than the other. Look at the knees; again do they look the same, look at the ankles and how the feet are rotating. Look at the spread of the feet on the floor, and the angle of the feet.

The body has a towering effect to keep us upright and functioning. If you have an ankle lets say that rotates slightly differently to the other, then the knees will be first to try and rectify the imbalance, then the hips will feel it, which in turn puts tension into the lower spine unevenly. This will tower itself, left to right, then right to left up the length of the spine, to the neck and shoulders. So no one place in the body works alone, the whole body works as one. Little differences are completely natural, but if the differences are because of injury, or are left to become bigger differences then at some point the body will manifest a pain or problem that will need attention.

So look at yourselves in that mirror; see your body; then see yourself; the ‘you’ inside and be proud you’ve ‘separated’ the two. Much can be achieved when the body is given what it needs, and you can see it as it really is.

Oh and, don’t forget to give yourself permission to be honest and not turn that into a negative mindset. If you can’t stretch visually as well as you can mentally, so be it, don’t beat yourself up, just lessen the stretch to the point of how it should be done, and with practice, the rest will follow to the best of your body’s ability, and that’s all you can ask of it. Be mindful of having fun when you exercise, whether it’s a daily practice or purely for a weekly de-stress. To have a happier state of mind to start with helps every body respond better. Of course we all have off days, and for some the daily schedule has to be adhered to, but generally speaking, mix the routine up a little, doing the same thing every day, can make the body lazy in assimilating the benefits of the what you are doing, and thus will be reflected in your image in the mirror. Plus mentally you’ll get bored and lazy in your approach, and then skip the next session, and then the next when something else sounds more exciting. We’ve all been there I’m sure.

Looking at yourself in a mirror not only has huge educational benefits; it can also fuel our confidence, help us rehearse how we deliver a presentation; help us decide on the best clothes choice. It allows us to communicate directly with ourselves, and the better we know ourselves the happier and fuller life we can live. We owe it to ourselves and our bodies, to know them and look after them the very best way we can. So embrace and enhance your image, give yourself the freedom to be you, and you are most definitely, allowed to admire yourself inwardly and out!

Druantia

 

Fragility Of Mind . . .

23 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in Ankylosing Spondylitis AS, Holistic Health

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Over the past few weeks we have had the pleasure of having family members coming to stay as part of their summer and school holidays. It has been brilliant but I must admit, my usual stretching routine has had to be shortened and somewhat rushed, the consequences of which was felt almost straight away.

The first morning of being back to normal, when I was able to do the usual longer exercise session, instantly reconnected me, and my mobility has felt freer again since. During this disrupted period I became aware again of the fragility of our minds. It is such a narrow line between coping and not coping.

To live in, let’s say a ‘normal’ body, you can get up in a morning, do what you want, eat what you want, and just get on with your daily life at will. You don’t have to think about it, your body just works and moves without having to give it any special thought. But when you have a body that has ‘quirks’, you do not have that luxury. You have to think about all the things you do, often from the pre ‘doing’, to the then ‘doing’, to the post ‘doing’ stages. And that process applies to everything you do, and I mean everything: getting in and out of bed, getting dressed, walking, sitting, standing, lifting the kettle, driving, shopping; every single thing, every day has to have a flash thought, to a considered thought, for a plan of action; it’s a constant reality. It takes mental strength and focus to keep the flow of your everyday life going, it can so easily become a heavy chore.

If you have pain, it can be the severity of which that stops you in your tracks and your daily life accordingly, but when it passes, life returns to normal. However, daily life for someone living with constant pain, even ‘low’ pain, or a body that does not function ‘normally’ is exhausting, as it never goes away. Having constant pain, be it an ache, or restriction that is always there is very mentally challenging, pushing you to your limits of coping. So pain is relative, bodily restrictions too, but whether severe or minor, they are hard to cope with, putting demands on our mental ability to keep living in a positive light. It is a daily challenge, and on some days, an hourly, even down to a minute-to-minute challenge.

People as you will have realised are all different, and their abilities to cope vary tremendously from person to person. Some soldier on regardless of their affliction, others sit down at the slightest hint of an ache and don’t move until the threat of it has gone. There isn’t a right or wrong, but the fragility of your mental state can make a world of difference to your quality of life.

I have been on the wrong side of depression before, brought on by having to cope with this constant challenge plus the challenge of some difficult life events combined. It has made me very aware of the scale of mental well-being a person can experience, and the speed at which it can change. It can feel very lonely, isolating and desolate when you know the problems you face are not going to go away. It can feel like you’re on a slide and no matter how hard you try to get a grip on something to steady the descent, it’s too slippery to be able to stop yourself sliding into a deeper, heavier place. A daily existence of living like it’s a real ‘Groundhog Day’. There are always ‘stages’ though, when the journey has easing slopes. Not that you can always see them for yourself at the time, but with knowledge, understanding and support, those ‘stages’ can steady the descent, enabling us to climb back to higher levels again; it isn’t necessarily a permanent one-way trip. Our mental strength is a huge factor on whether these opportunities are acknowledged in any way shape or form, never mind acted upon. To talk, share and ask for help and support are often incredibly hard acts to do. The feeling of failure and weakness having to ask, and thinking you could be burdening someone with your problems when they maybe have enough of their own, add to the scenario. You know that it could also alter the way that person then perceives you; you have no control over how they react. But that is down to the individual and who you feel you can relate and confide in, there will always be someone, either a friend, family, or a professional, a doctor, a counsellor, someone who will not judge you for who you are nor for what you are struggling with. It’s all relevant, no matter how large or small or trivial the problem may seem to be, acknowledgment of it is never a waste of time.

It is tiring mentally as well as physically to keep positive when you have a body that requires extra attention. And when you have a break from that programme of daily attention, you know it requires even more effort to get you back to where you were before, hoping that that is still possible. To live knowing you have to maintain the status quo, or suffer, is a gruelling mental state. When you want to be more active but have to weigh up the pros and cons to become so, is a mental process many people never have to contemplate, whereas others, myself included, have to consider it all the time, and I mean ALL the time.

There are times when you just want to stop the daily motivational pep talks you constantly give yourself for a while, and not feel like it’s an all consuming burden that engulfs you; it has no soft side. It is a reality that takes a lot of adapting to, and acceptance, some can adapt others cannot. Some are grateful for what they can still do; others pine for what they cannot.

For myself, even now all these years on, and with all the knowledge and experience I am lucky to have in my armoury, there are times when I can be momentarily overwhelmed by my own demise. It’s a flash of near dread that floods my senses, causing a wobble of whether I can cope with a future not of my choice. A time follows when I contemplate and reassess where I am mentally, and whether I need to search out another string in the bow of coping. Whilst my general health is excellent, my fitness is excellent, my quality of life is good – there isn’t an activity in my daily life that hasn’t been adapted because of my inflexible spine and neck. The process of wanting to do things I love is crippling, when you know you can’t do them. Even being able to freely play with young members of the family is extremely restricted. I have always loved being physical, through my work and leisure time, I loved the feeling of healthily ‘working’ my body. Despite pain, for the bulk of my life so far, I have been able to have a bearable mix of activity, and still do. But I know any sudden jarring to my body, could result in me being in the wheelchair I am told I would be in; and maybe not because I am in pain but because I would be paralysed. I could have a fall, a bump in the car with a whiplash type jar to the neck; I could do so many everyday things, that for me could paralyse me because I have no flex in my spine, it would, in essence, break and that is a very humbling but also a scary possibility. It is a scenario that any day could be my reality.

To allow fear, that foreboding emotion to come to the forefront of my mind is something I cannot afford. Knowing that any day a simple mishap could manifest in paralysis is a fear that has to be managed, never ignored but directed into a state in my mind that does not make me frightened to get out of bed. I have wobbles but so far not often and not for long. All I have been through has forged a strength I would never have been able to have had I not had my journey so far; it has been a process and still is. Ignorance is bliss as they say, but when you live ‘knowing’ something, it can be terrifying and the fragility of the mind is tested on a daily basis. Sometimes the analogy of keeping one step ahead of the fear feels very true, and a lapse, be it in the stretching routine, or a lapse in concentration when doing something can result in life changing circumstances. This creates an element of pressure on you, to keep doing the most you can whilst assessing whether it is enough or too much. The line between the two can be very narrow, and can vary from day to day. So you are always in a self-assessment mode, trying to evaluate the best approach for that day and time. Sometimes you want to stop the ‘ride’, have a break from the pressure of keeping it all up; and inevitably you momentarily start to wish. Whilst hope is fantastic almost essential, wishing for the impossible is costly to mind and body.

Mental turmoil is easily triggered; you need to be able to calm the effect before a calm ripple in the mind becomes a white water rapid out of control. Breathing, meditation, music and space help balance the mind, and I rely heavily on these disciplines and others to keep my mind stable at times of vulnerability.

Our minds are so fluid and fragile, at the same time, incredibly strong and utterly amazing. There is far more to be learned about them than we know to date. They are so precious and can define who we are over and above anything else. Take some time to evaluate your mental well-being today, don’t take it for granted because its equilibrium can change in a second. A healthy mind is invaluable to an able-bodied person but imperative to someone who has a body that doesn’t allow them to partake in ‘normal’ activities of life. It facilitates the quality of life in all of us; we all benefit from a fluid balanced mind. Maintaining the equilibrium is key to coping with the continual challenges we face in life’s learning curve. But the maintenance varies tremendously dependant on our individual bodies and minds.

The pressures and expectations put upon us from society is hard enough to mentally process, but when added to that all the other influences and pressures of life – the list is long, but to save you from the entirety – the concept that even a ‘normal’ fully functioning and able bodied person, can struggle to keep their mental equilibrium. For folk who have afflictions of one form or another, have a completely different perspective, ultimately the challenge of coming to terms with their own abilities on top of the afore mentioned. These minds need fine-tuning and in fact are often more in tune out of necessity than those of someone who hasn’t had to contact their inner strengths to cope and survive. To me, this can be seen as a positive slant, we tap into deeper depths of our survival instincts than most. The more we can use our inner strengths and intuition I believe leads to a more holistic life and many levels.

Despite all I’ve been though, and of course I wish I could do things I now can’t do, I am so grateful and thankful to have the mind I have today. How it is today has only come to be from all the pain and inner strength discoveries I’ve made on my journey through life so far. Hopefully I still have a long journey ahead of me, but one thing that is as vague as the day I started, I do not know what tomorrow will bring. Being mindful and aware are attributes that have enormous presence in my daily life. We have to allow ourselves the right to feel down, the right to feel sad, we need those emotions to balance us. Just like there is hot and cold, wet and dry, happy and sad, without one there isn’t the other, so hard as life often is, it could definitely be a lot worse. Being mindful of that helps keep me in a more positive vibe for the journey I am on.

Search out your inner mental strengths to help you cope with whatever afflicts you, emotionally, mentally or physically. My bias is to help anyone suffering from Ankylosing Spondylitus and the problems associated with it, but I hope it also resonates with everyone who reads it; we can all connect deeper with our inner strengths, always.

Druantia

 

 

Positivity

14 Sunday Aug 2016

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Holistic Health means you have to accept all aspects of our mental states, from happy to sad, angry to elated, depressed to ecstatic; they are all important states of being and play an essential role in our overall health.

Some people find it very difficult to connect with parts of their characters, and as such often deny themselves the freedom to explore who they are. They suppress thoughts and inner feelings which in turn can start to limit their lives and lifestyle.

The obvious ones are phobias. Whilst some are mild and make us wary of certain things, others have such compulsive reactions to situations or items, it can govern their lives. We also live with many ‘expectations’ of how we should and shouldn’t behave, and even think. We are creatures that live in close proximity to others so there has to be a code of conduct that is socially acceptable, but within that there, in my humble opinion, there should be phenomenal scope to be the person you want to be. We are fortunate in the West, in comparison to some nations, to have the freedom of thought and to an extent expression. We do need to appreciate the reasons we have our state of social etiquette as it is today, it was hard fought for and in today’s world is in some ways very under threat.

But keeping politics and religion out of the equation, looking more inwardly into our own lives and beings, let’s keep it simple. What we do on a daily basis, we breathe, we eat, we work, we communicate, we share, we exercise, we sleep. All of those aspects have polarity, a yin and yang principle to them. We can breathe healthily or not, we can eat healthily or chose to eat junk refined, nutritionally void ‘foods’; we can work well or not, be humble and articulate in our communication whilst expressing character and strength with respect, or be rude, aggressive, arrogant – you understand what I’m saying. These are down to us, we have the choice to a greater degree.

Every thought, expression and action has a reaction. Positive thinking is more creative and leads to a flow that otherwise would not happen. Negativity draws on negativity, and intact many say, it attracts negativity. If you walking around with a deep frown etched into your brow, not only will you be perceived by others as one who is not in a good place, and best be avoided, you will be met with more defensive attitude from those around you. Your body will take on the affect of ‘anger’, the tension will manifest in the muscles and develop into tightness, aches, stiffness – all of these create a negative flow within the body. The energy of life that circulates around our bodies becomes blocked and stagnant. Looking at a body holistically, that flow would need to be restored to become a balanced healthy happy person.

There are many depths to this principle but for now, have a think and if you feel you are becoming a manifestation of how you are feeling in a negative way, headaches, tension, stress, anger issues, lack of proper sleep, see if there is a simple ‘opposite’ you can introduce into your life. It will start to have a reaction, and bit by bit it will readdress the imbalance within. Find something to read, watch, listen to that makes you laugh if your day is particularly stressful and serious. Go for a brisk 10 minute walk, or go up and down the stairs a few times, to get that body pumping if your normal day is sat at a desk all day, or very sedentary. Stretch our your body when you’ve been sat awhile, just stretch up those arms, flex that spine, bend over and let your body dangle head down for a few seconds, get the pressure through the spine to work with gravity and give your brain an energy boost. So many simple things we forget to implement that cost nothing but collectively make a huge difference to our health or mind and body.

Think positive, be positive, speak positively for a whole day and see what you think . . . it won’t be as easy as you think!

To be mindful of what governs our moods, our bodies, our days and our lives is to be forewarned, and empowers you to be able to make the changes that will ultimately make life a whole lot easier, striving for that balance of an  holistic healthy life we all deserve.

Druantia

Thoughts About Food Shopping

03 Wednesday Aug 2016

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Everything we eat and drink has an effect on our bodies and minds. Some things we ingest have a quite neutral effect, some extremely healthy, good, positive response, but there is a vast amount of stuff – it’s hard to call it food – that we ingest that has no benefit at all to our bodies, minds nor general health, such stuff actually weakens us.

In many ways we have lost our way when it comes to what our bodies need as fuel, food, and sustenance, in other words – nutrition. No matter what day of the week it is, nor time of day, ‘food’ is available. We can eat virtually whatever we like, round the clock. The supermarkets of today have increased our bad eating habits and are relentless in advertising its products, all geared to make us part with our hard earned money, not geared to what we nutritionally need. They obviously do sell some nutritious foods and ingredients, but you do have to search for the healthy sections and even then read the labels, (which are being printed smaller and smaller!) as many what should be natural products are manufactured for a longer shelf life at the expense of its nutritional value!

Our TVs are full of programmes showing us how to create the most amazing looking dishes, and how quickly we can prepare meals, but how many of these programmes educate us in the nutritional values of what we eat? What nutrients our bodies need on a daily basis to maintain the best level of health we can have? What foods are rich in what nutrient, and how to best prepare that food to preserve those nutrients? The answer is none; I cannot remember seeing one programme, which educated me in the nutritional value of foods or prepared dishes. It’s the same in the dozens of magazines that are full of recipes showing us how to create wonderful looking dishes, but their nutritional value is often only listed as a Calorie number, or the quantity of sugar, fat or salt, that’s as good as the educational score gets.

Knowing how I like to keep things simple, try this analogy: when it comes to the fuel we put into our bodies, think of our bodies like a car. We put in either petrol, usually unleaded because it’s better in our modern engines, or diesel. There are electric and bio-fuel engines, but I’m keeping a simple line of thought in petrol and diesel. We use oil and that varies depending on the engine type, we would never dream of putting non-oil product in the engine, nor non-fuel in the fuel tank. Why do we not think the same when it comes to putting ‘fuel’ into our own living breathing bodies?

If you like gardening, you will want to produce the best possible show of flowers, or vegetables and fruit. We go to great lengths to prepare the soil, mulch in the appropriate food source at the appropriate time of year, and feed throughout the growing season; as well as that, we prune, dead-head, nurture throughout the plants cycle to get the best we can, and that means ultimately keeping the plant in the best possible state of health and strength. It’s a natural process of looking after the plant in the best possible way to get the best end result. Why does that policy not apply to our own bodies and our own well being? Could it just boil down to ignorance and being easily overwhelmed with choice and availability?

I could use the same analogy to our pets; sadly their diets are not great nowadays. Many pet foods and treats are made with horrendous toxic ingredients, and every now and again the media does report on such issues. The Daily Mail reported on some dog food in America that has toxic levels of chemicals including propylene glycol, which can be used as an anti-freeze and mycotoxin. (dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2986195/3m Purina Dog Food); why on earth would you ever consider putting such chemicals into something that’s going to be eaten by a living creature, it’s unbelievable, but sadly true. It’s usually only the conscientious pet lovers who do the legwork, look online, research, read the labels on the products before buying, who avoid these hidden toxins. Our pets are totally reliant on us for their food, it’s a serious responsibility we undertake as a pet owner; we should give them as near as possible to their real natural food for promoting and maintaining their well being too. But our supermarket shelves are stacked with pet foods that is cheap, that is nutrient void, with so little goodness that it leads to weak digestive systems in our carnivore pets, weakness in joint support, vision, coats and teeth; our pets would never naturally eat such stuff. We look after our cars’ fuel and oil needs, better than we do our pets and ourselves. Maybe it’s because we are not bombarded with other types of fuels and oils for our cars to the extent we are for our, and our pet dietary needs.

Shelves with products for human consumption are pretty much in the same bracket as the pet foods a lot of the time, i.e. natural nutritionally void, made from unnatural ingredients, processed and refined; or fortified with certain synthetic key vitamins. Whilst we are in many ways dictated to by what manufacturers can conjure up as ‘food’, and what the supermarkets stock, we have to remain realistic and understand that profit by far outweighs nutritional value in a product. There are some areas of food production that I think are almost criminal in their marketing. Cereals geared for children for example, they are full of sugar, and the other thing they do is fortify them with a few certain vitamins. You will then find the bread they eat, the cheese and yoghurt pots they eat, the drinks they drink, and lots of foods geared for children are all fortified with the same few vitamins! How can that be healthy? What about all the other vitamins and minerals they need? The needs of young growing developing children should be of paramount importance in the products formulation, how do they get away with it? The overall synopsis doesn’t bode well when this line of thought is applied.

Diet, calorie controlled drinks and foods are another field of foods that are not exposed for what they are. They are often sweetened with artificial sweeteners like aspartame – this particular sweetener has some alarming claims against it in America who have been into this unhealthy ‘Diet everything’ kind of food intake longer than us and in greater numbers than us. They have now got statistical proof of the side effects like cancer, brain tumours to name a couple of things linked to the high consumption of these unnatural ingredients. The sheer quantity of foods eaten with this sweetener accumulatively causes damage to the human body. The producers of such ingredients often rename the additive or sweetener to try and throw us off scent and keep ahead of the claims. In a country where we are trying to address childhood obesity, we erroneously let ‘diet’ labelled products dominate these vulnerable children’s food intake – it cannot be right. Sugar is ok for us, just reduce it to a healthy amount, it doesn’t pose the risks of these artificial sweeteners potentially do. They are not a natural substance for our bodies to assimilate, less so in children.

The only way to be as healthy as you can be is possibly to think of your body more in the way we think of our cars. Keep it simple, keep it natural, and keep it wholesome. Feed our bodies with the nutrition it needs to promote and maintain health. Reduce the refined and processed foods. Increase natural wholesome food, fresh and real food; it can and often is easy to achieve. If you put nutritionally ‘empty’ foods, junk foods into your body, how do you expect your body to have the fuel and energy it needs to not only continue functioning in your every day activities, but how is it supposed to keep mentally and physically well when you are not giving it the basic nutrients it relies on to survive. Think about your diet, how processed it is, how much do you eat – the more empty the food is of nutrients, the more you will eat, because your body will still be hungry – its ‘Nutrient Bank Account’ will be empty, and goes more into debt as it uses more energy overworking in an effort to absorb some nutrition from what you eat.

People often remark on how healthy people were after the War in the 1940s; there is truth in that belief, as the rations did limit food availability, and the foods that were available endorsed the wholesome, natural, fresh foods consumption on a daily basis. They didn’t have our disadvantage of all the sweet refined ready foods jumping off the shelves into our baskets, they made their own meals and baked with these basic ingredients and became very creative with it. Because it was simple food, the body was able to utilise most of the nutrients, so the body’s nutritional levels were met. They didn’t have endless adverts on the TV and magazines promoting these modern day processed foods, they didn’t exist, and frighteningly, we are not talking that long ago.

How our eating and shopping habits have changed; gone are a lot of the little individual grocery shops who had to buy fresh and local because they didn’t have the storage means supermarkets do; we do still have our little bakeries, and some of those do offer fresh made breads, unlike some of the supermarket bakeries who bake from frozen dough, and have shelves of rubbery sliced mass produced breads. We have local butchers who in an effort to pull back some shoppers do advocate locally sourced produce and its usually fresh and wholesome. Bacon from our farm shop might as well be a completely different product to the water, salt pumped bacon you buy at a supermarket. It’s the same with a lot of the prepacked meats in a supermarket; they are often pumped with water and additives to preserve its shelf life, and when cooked shrink away to a fraction of the size – none of that is the case with fresh butchers’ produce, it’s in it’s natural state and much better for you, should you want to eat meat.

So yes in my humble opinion, whilst we have a wider variety of produce available to us than ever before, and whilst some of that is excellent for the health conscious shopper, the vast majority of foods we fill our trolleys with are not chosen for their nutritional value, they are cleverly marketed products that we ‘think’ are good for us, when they are not. The foods that were very limitedly available Post War were natural healthy wholesome foods. And the meals made from those ingredients were free from additives, artificial flavourings, and were served in a quantity that didn’t cause obesity issues. There was less food around, but it was of better quality for our bodies to use. It’s a vicious world out there today, trillions are spent in advertising and marketing products to get you to buy them; you need your faculties about you. Having an understanding of the importance of what we eat, and which foods gives us health and which do not is the best form of defence against the marketing strategies. We can of course all have the occasional treat, but we need to address our body’s requirements to then know what food best suits it.

I, for example, am a vegetarian of over 30 years; I’ve had time being a vegan, and for awhile, a raw food vegan; I’m now happy being a vegetarian who does some dairy like cheese and yoghurt, occasional egg and milk in cooked dishes. I have loved the diets I have followed, and I have the experience of them etched in me. I also have the flexibility of mind to think if my body needs to be vegan again for a while, then that’s something I would do, without doubt. I would not however, concede to eating meat of any kind, white, red nor fish – that’s my personal choice. The majority of us do have the choice as to what we eat and to me I think it is an important part of who we are by taking responsibility for our choices. No matter what type of diet you follow, you still need to know what a balanced natural wholesome diet consists of, to satisfy your bodily needs and to suit your taste; hence it is so fantastically individual and varied!

Generally speaking the healthier the food, the less you will need to eat, the fuller you will feel, and remain feeling full for longer. The trouble is, it usually tastes so good, you want to eat more! It will generally give you more energy, improve digestion, reduce stress, improve skin, hair and nails, whiten teeth and eyes too often become whiter and brighter! It can help you sleep better, think clearer and improve memory. It’s all about balance as with most things in life; think about what you put in your shopping trolley next time you’re in the supermarket, and see if you can seek out the healthier alternatives to the overly processed nutrient deficient products you are bombarded with.

I hope this post has given you, excuse the pun; ‘food for thought’, I will be posting more articles on other aspects of what we eat and drink. It’s a vastly diverse subject and there are individual likes and dislikes, there are medical restrictions and needs, and there are availability and lifestyle influences to take into account. I’ll try and address as many slants as I can whilst hopefully keeping your attention!

Druantia

 

An Holistic Treatment

30 Saturday Jul 2016

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Holistic treatments in simple terms, means you treat the ‘whole’ person. You do not just look at the symptom presented to you and treat that alone. You take an overall appraisal of the patient. You need to take their full case history – details about the symptom in the patient’s words. You look at their general well being, take notes of any previous conditions, enquire about their lifestyle, their environment and job, and assess their constitution. Each of those points is multi layered, and depending on how Holistic you want to go, together with the expectations of the patient, depends on how indepth you go in the treatment plan, or indeed the treatment. There needs to be some form of diagnosis on the practitioners part.

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Druantia

 

Ankylosing Spondylitis and Me

25 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by in Ankylosing Spondylitis AS, Holistic Health

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One particular reason I wanted to start this Blog was to offer some help, hope, support and share first hand experience of having the genetic condition known as Ankylosing Spondylitis, AS for short. Simply, it’s a condition where additional bone growth connects the vertebrae of the spine, locking it together; it used to be also known as Bamboo Spine as it resembled a bamboo on X-ray. It generally starts in the lumbar spine (lower back), and spreads upwards, sometimes taking the whole spine including the neck. There are secondary conditions associated with AS like, Iritis (painful inflammation of the eye which needs urgent attention when it occurs). In the advanced stages, usually the spine is pulled over into a very bent state. Breathing is restricted, and there are often eating and jaw implications too. AS is a condition like many other conditions, that affects people differently. It is more common in the older population than the young, affecting more men than women, and for many of the years I was suffering, like many others, it was never diagnosed. Although it is a genetic disease, to suffer it in early life usually means there was a trigger that activated the condition. In my case I believe it was a case of Glandular Fever, which hit me quite hard when I was 18. My glands didn’t all recover at the same rate so left me with glandular imbalances. That kick started the AS prematurely, my glandular imbalance making my body think it was older than it was, otherwise like millions of others, my body may have grown old with the AS only manifesting itself in my later life.

But as it was it was a condition that plagued my twenties and thirties with a range from daily pain to severe ‘unable to move’ times. From my early thirties I have had a rigid spine from the base to the mid thoracic (between the shoulder) area. I initially I suffered on and off back pain from the age of 19 years old, having regular remedial treatments, which did help but never got rid of the problem for more than a few days. There have been some terribly painful, difficult times. For years I couldn’t sneeze, yawn, or cough because of my ribcage ‘fusion’ which meant I couldn’t take a sudden intake of breath. I walked by putting my tiptoes down first before lowering the heel, to help cushion any deviation in the level of the ground that could jar my back. The Sacroiliac Joints located at the base of the spine allowing the pelvis to pivot with the spine as you walk and move; in my body those joints fused, I do not have that pivot action of my pelvis. I had times where I would spasm, the pain so great I would literally get stuck, either in a chair, at the top of the stairs, in bed; in the kitchen once, and in that circumstance I was stuck where I stood for 8 hours unable to move from where my then husband left me that morning until he returned; I was so exhausted and cold; it was not a good time. If out and about, I would have to look at the ground, checking for unevenness, but also avoid people who may accidentally bump into me, or cause me to suddenly move out of their way in busy areas, these were all risk-assessed daily activities that potential were agony for me.

I had been very sporty in my teens and early twenties, but the pain in the back and hips made me have to give it all up. My whole life was being governed by my pain level and mobility of the day. I had lived free to do what I wanted, body fully capable and able, but that had all stopped by the age of 24. I felt I was being pushed into a box and someone was trying to put the lid on it, on me. I was losing a battle with a foe that had no identity, nor form for me to defend myself against, I couldn’t find answers; there was no rhyme or reason to the attacks. It was as challenging mentally as it was physically, pain that totally engulf you when it struck. It was a very mentally challenging time for me, because I couldn’t see a way forward, doing what I’d loved doing, I could only see a way ahead of not being able to do things, a very negative cloud loomed above me, I didn’t know what life had in store for me, and no one could tell me what was wrong with my body. But my natural optimistic persona kept that cloud above me, rather than letting it engulf me, it was a balancing act.

I had miscarriages throughout my twenties; one of which was an ectopic rupture, I was very ill from that episode. I regularly had very painful spasm in the lower back and hips whenever it was my monthly period. And when I did have cause to call the Doctor, they used to tell me, it was just a bad period; even though I often had to use crutches to be able to get around. It was a hugely challenging chapter of my life, because I always wanted to have a family. I could conceive but the inflammation in my body, and the internal pressure, even the natural swelling a woman’s body incurs during a period, would be enough to inflame me so much, it would be extremely painful, and in many cases enough to end my pregnancies. I always looked incredibly healthy though, so when doctors saw me, they never saw me as a person with a severe problem, they never offered me any tests, scans – nothing, I felt very isolated and very much on my own. The fact I was not going to be a mum was crushing. But, the thought I could pass this gene on to my child and give them a life of pain, was a bit of an antidote to my sadness, because I wouldn’t wish the pain I’d had on anyone, never mind my own child. So I did have to convince myself, against every cell in my body, not being a biological mum was actually for the best, the gene would stop with me. I resigned myself to the fact that as this was my body and it was down to me to cope with the peculiarities best way I could find.

In my mid thirties whilst working in the Midlands I had a major flare up, I sought help from an Osteopath who again eased the severe pain, but he realised there was something else going on. He referred me to a friend of his, a Chiropractor who had X-ray facilities, and I promptly had my first X-ray. The Chiropractic Practice had 5 practitioners, who were all asked to leave their patients for 5 minutes to consult on my X-ray. I was then summoned into the room and with their serious faces staring at me, looking at my every pained movement, was shown the X-ray for myself. It was an unanimous opinion that I should be in a wheelchair, and they would expect a person with the spine in the X-ray to be paralysed, I was a source of awe and astonishment, I was in shock.

I was rushed to hospital from their premises and given an MRI, CAT scan, blood tests, breathing tests; was assessed for my needs, observed at how I moved, how I got out of a chair, laid on a bed, everything. All of these activities I had to achieve slightly differently to the norm. It was a bit of a whirlwind to be honest, and quite scary. I had been treating people with Holistic Therapies especially Remedial Massage, and Body Therapies for 15 years, so I had a good understanding of how the body worked, and had used the knowledge from such therapies and Kundalini Yoga on myself to that date. Diet and supplements played an essential role too.

At the hospital I was asked if I’d attend a weekly AS Support Group. Specialists I saw were at a loss as to what to advise and couldn’t understand how I was still mobile never mind living a life like I was. I was a little like a guinea pig, shown off to give hope to newly diagnosed patients, and inspiration to fellow suffers. On good days, I could still touch my toes, which strengthened their message of how important exercise is with AS, and I could still breathe well. The reasons I could were because, with my back being rigid and being born with a straight spine, I flex from the hips, having long hamstrings. And because I breathe from my abdomen, I still have a good quality breath. My ribcage didn’t flex, I had the shallowest of breath if I tried to breathe from the chest, and it wouldn’t have been a realistic way to breathe to sustain life. I was also told one of the scans revealed there was some fibrosis in the upper lung due to the stagnation in the lung tissue. I remember one man in the group, who was in his 70s and was permanently attached to an oxygen tube because his AS was advanced like mine, his ribcage had fused and he was constantly breathless; he was also quite bent over creating more chest restriction. I talked with him at length and very soon he managed to breathe a bit from his tummy, releasing a different man. He laughed and smiled and whilst still in a terrible state, he felt he was recovering some ground with his demise instead of only losing more and more.

Breathing techniques are something so simple, we obviously all have to breathe, but literally breathing techniques can be life changing. Had I not abdominally breathed, I too would probably have been attached to the oxygen in a wheelchair. I was given a reality check too by attending this class. I saw people who were like me when I was in my early twenties, but they still had full flexibility in their spines. And the other end of the spectrum when the body had totally been taken by AS presenting the end result, that was the stage I will probably progress to next, and it was a very humbling stage of acceptance. Most AS sufferers in the latter stages become very bent over, as the AS pulls the normal curvature of the spine over. With my poker straight spine, the fusing has kept me upright so far, something I am very grateful for.

Thankfully I have an amazingly strong Faith that gives me an inner strength that just takes over. It is a Faith I have always had, it isn’t a religion, or a learnt belief, it has always been a force within me. Quite early on whilst being racked with pain, I gave my ‘inner force’ the reins when I was at a loss as to what else I could do. I couldn’t cope with the pain my body was in on my own, I needed to let go of the willpower I was using to hang on. It was like a literal conversation I had with myself, I handed myself over to ‘it’ to help me get through. I remember saying ‘it’s over to you, I can’t do this’, and I physically let myself go into an abyss, I had no idea what would happen next. I stopped physically fighting the pain and let my body go. It was the first time I truly felt the separation between the ‘spiritual self’ as I call it, and the physical body. It was a case of me looking at my body as a separate entity. In those days I still didn’t know what was wrong with me, so I was fighting blind so to speak, but this Faith kept me living my life as fully as I could up to the point of diagnosis in my mid thirties. That diagnosis gave me such confusion, elation, fear and loss. Finally I had a reason for my struggle, for the pain. My mind, which had always been strong, could now reassess how best to deal with a body that was uniquely challenged by a named disease. Like being told for the first time what brand of vehicle my body was and I now had to start to understand how it functioned and how to maintain it without a manual.

I was advised to use a wheelchair, because I would need it before long anyway, and told if I moved suddenly or bent over say to put my shoe on I could be paralysed in that second. I was given a very bleak prognosis. Naturally I had no idea what the future would hold, I was only being given very negative, very distressing news, which naturally was hard to hear.

I carried on with my life as I had always done, but with full respect of my condition. It wasn’t going to be an easy ride, and many, many times it was proved that I didn’t have a huge say in how my body was going to be. It was very humbling; it was also quite surreal, never knowing from one day to the next whether I could function relatively normally when I woke up, or whether I’d be in agony; whether the day would pass without incident or not. But life did indeed go on, and the years did go by.

There were so many instances, that looking back now I really do not know how I kept going. I think at times, it was harder for my family and friends who had to see me in agony and constantly struggling with regular things, and them being helpless to do anything about it. But regardless, my Faith and or inner strength made me face each day with vigour and determination. I’d heard people who had suffered near death experiences talk of similar attitudes to their daily lives. I always looked so well and healthy, I was a true conundrum, and happy to say still am.

I kept my life as healthy as I could, never deviating from the natural ways of healing that was my passion, my life; a vegetarian diet suited my body and me very well, being less acidic so lessening the inflammation in my body. AS is classed as an Auto Immune Disease, so the more I could do on a daily basis to improve my health the better. I am blessed to have good health, and it is something I do not consciously disregard. I did have some painkillers prescribed by my consultant, for the worse case scenarios, when the pain was just too much to keep moving, or even breathe. These pills would knock me out for 8 hours straight, and most times I woke up with a body that I could move, but granted it would be very fragile, I could carry on. A couple of times my abdomen went into spasm, very suddenly and severely, It was a fight to breathe. The paramedics were called, they were there for peace of mind really, as I had to draw on inner control to soften the muscles and get a breath for myself. Those around me at the time were terrified It happened in a flash as I was simply putting the dinner on the table, I froze mid movement, as the spasm gripped my abdomen, and as that was where I took my breath from, very soon my face and hands all stiffened and contorted, it was quite scary. But again I had to draw on that ‘other’ part of me to talk myself through the attack, keep calm, with no idea whatsoever how it was going to play out.

I took daily organic phytonutrient rich supplements that ensured my body was being given the best possible nutrition over and above what I ate and drank. It doesn’t make any sense to me to abuse yourself and then suffer because of it. We all have challenges in our lives, but some can be made better if responsibility is taken, and changes are made to improve how we look after our body and minds. And on the spin side, conditions can and are made so much worse by poor body management. The quality of life can be a case of what we give ourselves to live on, and how we breathe dictating our health.

I sought the advice of a fantastic friend and colleague who is a multi disciplined Natural Therapy Practitioner; he has been in practice for many, many years, what he doesn’t know, isn’t worth knowing, he is amazing. He used to give me acupuncture and he researched my AS diagnosis and how it affected my body. He gave me the homeopathic remedy Hecla Lava. It had been trialled in other countries on AS patients with some very good results, so he was optimistic it would help. It needs to be prescribed professionally to make sure it’s the most appropriate remedy for you, but thankfully for me, it was a miraculous remedy. Within a week I was feeling so much better. I kept taking the remedy for years, and it facilitated me having some of the best years of my life. I was fully active in every part of my life. I could move my ribcage again and there was ‘softness’ in the spine, it still didn’t bend but it no longer felt like a metal rod. I could breathe from my chest; I could sneeze and still love sneezing to this day having had years of not being able to. I can cough, yawn, could even do a short jog if needs must. Sure I have stiffness when I do something particularly physical, but so would anyone else.

I would see Consultants regularly and they always took a second look as I walk through the door, as their perception of the person my file portrayed to them, in no way should be as mobile as I am. I have been given no advice, no guidance, nor hope whatsoever, just painkillers and the impending wheelchair and operations to look forward to. No one has been able to explain how I still have the mobility I have, how I don’t live on painkillers, how I can still lean over and touch my toes, bending from the hips not the back you understand. They have shown no interest in asking what it is I am doing, which I was hopeful could be passed on to offer advice and hope to fellow sufferers who go to them, desperate for guidance and hope. It has frustrated me, and I have purposely mentioned the homeopathic Hecla Lava that I take, which has changed my life in itself. I wanted to be able to help in offering hope to AS sufferers. My quality of life is better than most peoples, I just have a rigid spine and have to move differently to accommodate that, be respectful of my body’s abilities but still live an active life.

I have had creeping on 16 years of wellbeing – in relation to my back, now, relatively pain free years I never dreamt I would be able to have. I have wondered many times, how I would be today if I had been given that Hecla Lava remedy in the very early days, before all the fusing had taken place. Some of the results in the trials had reversed the condition completely in fellow sufferers; by the time I started taking it, ¾ of my spine was already fused, I was at the wrong end of the scale to get the best possible result, but still, it helped beyond my wildest dreams.

I have always continued teaching Yoga classes, which give me a time to reflect and reinstate to myself the importance of correct breathing, taking time to quieten the mind and listen to yourself, coupled with disciplined exercise. It gave me the chance to prove to myself I still had a lot to give and could still help others. I had to improvise, be eloquent, inspire enthusiasm on the occasions I couldn’t do the exercise, I had to preach with a “do as I say, not do as I do!” kind of attitude, another learning curve. Yoga isn’t a case of having to have the most flexible spine you can imagine, as I can vouch, think of a plank of wood and you’ve got what mine’s like! It’s the whole discipline of mind, body and soul, finding that balance of harmony within that strengthens you in every part of your life, balance.

I learnt over the years to manage my pain and abilities very well. Many people who met me or came to me as a patient never realised I had my own spinal problems; they didn’t realise I had no flex whatsoever in my back, even to this day. As I treated patients with back problems, I was able to share empathy and understanding of the pain, the restrictions, the fear and desperation that can come with having a bad back. I had first hand experience of which areas of the back can and do affect another part, or another part of your body and your life. In many ways it gave me a fantastic sixth sense that cannot be taught or learnt. I also realised that a healthy attitude, managing the fear does make a difference to people’s tolerances of pain and restrictive bodily functions. I was able to inflict an enormous amount of physical power into the remedial treatments, far more than my slight framework should have been able to.

I am fascinated by our minds, they are so powerful and under used; they are so unique and can totally transform your life. Learning how to calm and clear the mind, to unwind and relax mentally is a very important part to well being; discovering who we are, and what we are capable of. To be able to listen to your intuition, and have the courage to follow your own thoughts is an amazingly empowering ability. A lot of physical problems and illnesses are exasperated and sometimes are even manifestations of mental imbalances, be they emotional irrationality or a fear from a known or unknown source. Our minds can be so complex but at the same time, so wonderfully simple. Learning how to breathe properly can quieten the mind, thus enable relaxing of the body. It gives us time to mentally process data that is constantly bombarding our bodies and minds, and when we are faced with a problem that isn’t going to go away, like AS. Having a mental ability to deal with reality can mean the difference of coping and not coping. It helps through the transition of change that inevitably will be needed.

Over the last couple of years I have noticed changes in my spine. Of course I am older, 50+, and in some ways I’m of the age when people first find out they have the condition of AS. My body is changing too due to hormonal changes which even without something like AS, affects the bones, but because of AS I am already at a higher risk of getting Osteoporosis over and above the norm. When I was diagnosed it was hard to find anyone of similar age that was as far on in the disease as I was. I was told my spine was like an 80 year olds instead of a thirty something year old it was. Today there is the Internet where it is much easier to find fellow sufferers who can share their situations with you, who can offer help, support and advice. There is so much advice out there; there are forums, you name it, and you can find it. I hope I will be one such ‘port of call’ should you think I can offer assistance in any way in helping you or a relative, friend, partner who has the AS diagnosis. When it all seems very daunting and insurmountable, don’t give up, there will always be an avenue yet to be explored, and there are always alternative ways of looking at the situation. The more information you have, the better armed you are for the journey ahead. Although the Internet is good for gathering information, you do need to seek professional advice and not take the Internet’s word as the only word, there are pro’s and con’s of such information, just be aware. And needless to say, some AS sufferers never experience the great degree of pain I endured, and some keep a good level of flexibility and mobility, not everyone suffers the full spinal fusing.

With my neck being the latest chapter of living with AS, it had stiffened a lot, and I’d started with referred pains and tingling into my hands. I had another MRI scan which showed my neck had already fused, apart from one joint. I was amazed because there hadn’t been the pain. I thought that was going to be the next chapter, but having been saved the pain, I was a lot further on the road to total fusion that I realised. After being referred to a Neuro-surgeon because of the seriousness of the MRI scan, I was informed that the additional bone growth that fractures off in the neck being much finer, had created bulging, and that is now pressing close to the Spinal Cord. It would only progress and lack of control in my feet would be an indication that the Spinal Cord is being restricted. Surgery will be required at this stage. The one remaining mobile joint is taking the brunt of all my neck movement, and the disc is bulging, impinging on the nerve rootlets, hence the arm referral. It wasn’t a rosy consultation, and the stiffness in my neck was affecting everything I did. My arms were tired and felt weak, so even less of the things I was still able to do, where now on the endangered list. My life plan was again under review, every aspect was running through my mind, and I was spending time thinking through the fuller implications that lie ahead. Advised against massage to save the remaining joint of ‘freer’ movement, the headaches were quite severe, and pains in the eyes, a general pressure and tension in my head were daily occurrences that tire you out.

My norm now, was that my head swivelled on the top of my neck so to speak, looking up was very restricted and down less so. I could still turn my head side to side, but any physical work I did, came at a greater cost and took longer in recovery time. Recently I had a trip to York Minster with my mum and nephew from Canada, and within a short period of time of being there, my neck let me know it was not at all happy with the looking head high and above. Half way round I could only look ahead and down felt good. By nightfall my neck was exceptionally stiff and painful, with more limited mobility. By the next day, my head had seized – no pain, but it just wouldn’t move from the looking forward position. It just would not move, full stop. After a few days, unable to drive and do very much, not even drink without a straw I had to try something. Whilst laid down I manually pushed my head, millimetre by millimetre as I tried to relax my neck muscles, until I had my head turned to the side. After an hour I could turn my head side to side as if in slow motion, so I had hope there was a chance of recovery, rather than the operation is nigh. After a couple of weeks, I was still struggling, and it was tough going, knowing it would hurt if I did anything and stiffen back up again, I wasn’t making any headway – excuse the pun, whatsoever.

Lethargy is not a trait I really adhere to, but I could feel myself resigning to this is how it’s going to be, and it didn’t bode well with me mentally. One Friday night I demonstrated to my partner, just how little movement I had, and I was going to have to rethink my life. He was naturally concerned, I am never usually defeatist, but he could see how little movement I had. Saturday morning, after feeling inspired having watched some Qi Qong, and my best friend asking ‘what are we going to do?’ I got up early, put some mediation music on the earphones, stood outside in the sunshine and started to connect with myself again. A practice I had stopped doing some years ago. I was back on the full dose of Hecla Lava, but I knew I had more inside that I needed to connect with to help me through this stage.

Feeling the sun on my face and body, letting the music fill my head and mind, I started to breathe and connect with my core. Eyes closed I let my body dictate the moves. Slow and gentle, building into powering energy into muscles then releasing it out, balancing all the muscles that pulled tight from my thoracics, into my shoulders and arms, up into the neck. After an hour, my neck was free enough to turn my chin to the shoulders; I could look down and look up at the sky. I felt I had worked and stretched out all the layers of muscles that had tightened over the years, to give me the mobility I hadn’t had in many years. My neck is still fused, but the muscles are no longer tight and pulling nor hurting. I ran upstairs and showed off my new mobility like a child on Christmas morning. The power I felt inside myself, the feeling of reconnecting to an energy source deep inside me, still brings tears to my eyes three weeks on. Each morning I do an hour of predominantly upper body stretching and the difference is nothing short of remarkable. Already my body feels like its changed shape, I feel slimmer, longer, my neck is definitely slimmer, I feel strength back in my shoulders and upper back. I feel so much better for the daily stretch out, and each morning I have repeated the routine, never consciously forcing the stretches, they seem to flow one into another of their own accord. If someone were to observe me, I guess they would think I was doing a form of Tai Chi. Half an hour each morning now is enough to keep the suppleness in the muscles, it has transformed my daily life once more.

Inspired and delighted, for however long this new state of being lasts, I can only chastise myself for letting so much time lapse without this disciplined practice, and secondly, be so proud of myself for having the courage to dig deep and unleash that power within; to reconnect, I feel like I’ve found a part of me I had lost. Thank goodness my lovely nephew came to visit, I’ll be eternally grateful!

I am, thankfully, still on my journey. I remain grateful for the years I’ve had out of pain, and realise in some people’s opinion, it was time I theoretically shouldn’t have had, I know that for myself. But at the same time there hasn’t been a day go by when the effects of AS haven’t been felt in one way or another, a hundred fold latterly with my neck. So as my journey continues forever changing, I have no option but to accept it and deal with it best way I can. AS isn’t going to go away by me being in denial of the facts, I am still theoretically on borrowed time, but at least I have been honest to myself and my own abilities; drawing on intuition and the strengths I hold most dear, up until I need intervention from another source. Having that mind set is a great comfort, but it does get tested, and there will be times when I feel down and overwhelmed by it; I hope as in the past I get the strength to pull myself up again. But I am only human and there are no guarantees, you can only do your best, that’s all I can ask of yourself.

I labour the point we are all unique and that we all need to deal with our challenges in life individually. If my life’s experience can help anyone come to terms with a similar scenario, then I am fulfilling an inborn desire to help others. The more avenues you have open to you, gives a freedom of choice. I am lucky for many reasons, but particularly because of my knowledge of the body and how it works. I understand the importance of diet, lifestyle, exercise and mental attitude. I am predisposed to a natural holistic slant to life, and was able to turn that inward to help myself. There is no guidebook as such, nothing is chiselled in stone, we need to find what works for us, and have the freedom, choice and support to follow it.

I’ve counselled patients over the years, when they start reaching their golden years, or when they have a condition that is life changing, and to admit they can no longer do certain things, no matter how much they loved doing them, is not giving up or admitting to failure. It’s the start of a new chapter of your life. It’s respecting the body you have, and accepting what it can and can’t do. The acknowledgment of your body’s abilities in the here and now, not living today wishing for yesterday and it’s abilities, and not to dread the tomorrows. I’ve talked to myself on this topic, because at my age you would expect me to be still very active and ‘normal’, yet I have to acknowledge and stop doing some things I love to do. Be it some aspects of gardening, some hobbies and exercise to mention just a couple of things. It’s the here and now that matters, it’s the only real time we have; yesterday’s been and gone, tomorrow is a day that never arrives, it’s only ‘today’ that is real. If you can do what you want to, then that’s great, if you can’t, don’t beat yourself up, it is as it is, it isn’t the end of the world. You’re body ages day by day, and what comes with that is changing abilities. It’s the same philosophy with certain conditions, not necessarily due to your age but the nature of the condition. There will be days when you can achieve more than others; it’s just the way it goes. But aging is natural, changing abilities is natural, both are inevitabilities of growing older, and we cannot stop growing older – well, not yet!

Please feel free to get in touch if you think I may be able to help in any way.

Druantia