Health: Live Daily - Breast Cancer

Another lost to Breast Cancer… There are some things we get to choose in life and so many others that we don’t. It is our responsibility to ourselves, our spirit and our development to make wise decisions with every second. Time is not to be wasted. Breast Cancer took another beautiful light from our world yesterday. She was a Mom and a friend. Seconds count. Those seconds lead to minutes, to hours, to days, to months and yes to years. Live your life with authenticity and be true to yourself, your values and what is right every second of every day.

• Who are you? Who do you want to be?
• Where are you in life? Where do you want to be?

If the answers to those two lines of questions do not sync, then begin today to change that.
It has been said so many times but bears repeating, “tomorrow is not promised, so live today to the fullest”.
 
Note: This article is also posted on my new blog site http://www.windycitydivahealth.blogspot.com/ where all health related articles will be moved to.

Biofeedback - A New Experience

I attended a BioFeedback session today.  When I shared a brief version of the result to a great friend who is knowledgeable in physiology she responded as if was a "good" thing that I was in parasympathetic mode. That was not the way it was described to me by the doctor who had performed the BioFeedback analysis.  While I was already planning to research it, this confused me.

 

This started because last year I experienced an infection of some sort in my colon/stomach area.  It remains undiagnosed beyond a belief that I picked up a parasite during my time in Mexico and it resides in my ileo-cecal valve.  I call it my stomach critter.  I have been managing it with natural supplements.  I thought I was better so I laid off the supplements.  It seemed to be alright for weeks, but it is currently irritated again.  I decided to try this biofeedback analysis since I saw a location where the analysis was free.

It was an interesting experience.  She put a band on my head to measure brain waves and a fiber optic electrode which I was to hold in my thumb & forefinger tips. The point was to measure blood flow starting at the base of the brain moving through the various sections of the brain. Next would be organs.

• My blood flow was so low throughout my brain that it did not measure, or meet the threshold. She could see it, but it was not strong enough to ring the bell, shall we say. (Needless to say, it is good she was not measuring my blood pressure because it must have skyrocketed.) The doctor said this indicated to her that my body was in repair mode as if I were sleeping, or parasympathetic mode.
• The same was the case when it measured blood flow near my major organs. She could see the blood flow but it did not reach the threshold. She said it was suppressed by inflammation that was creating friction which will not allow blood to flow normally.  This lowers oxygen to the body,
• We covered my lack of sleeping recently, waking still feeling tired, low energy, more than 10 pound weight loss since July 26th or so and the various pains that pop up out of nowhere.
• With that in mind, she believes the ileo cecal valve in my colon has a fungus rather than a parasite, virus or bacteria. She believes when I stop with the supplements which keep a flora balance in my colon and keeps down inflammation naturally, that the fungus grows and creates the inflammation.
• This lead her to my ask about acidic levels and cancer in my family, which I have quite a bit of.

For now, she gave me (free) some acid strip tests to see what the levels are, some Kosher Baking Soda to try to calm the acid in my gut (which I do not feel), and said my supplements seem to help me, but the goal is to find the fungus and kill it.

 

The parasympathetic nervous system seems to be the healing one, rather than flight or fight (sympathetic), so I am not finding the correlation to what she described in my research. It makes sense in theory, but I am still looking for the scientific links, which I may have just come across, but I need to qualify it. This parasympathetic part of the nervous system and biofeedback seem to be psychological in nature that manifests physically but I could not manifest fungus in my gut from my brain.

Still looking...
WCD

Allergies in Children, per a Parent

I want to share with my readers an experience about allergies in children and maybe it not only applies to your children, but maybe to you.  My son has a history of spring allergies since he was 2 or so and Zyrtec-D was used to manage them for 5 or so years and then they seemed to just go away.  Well, they are back but they are no longer spring allergies.  Saturday he was suddenly sniffly and whiny as only a teenage boy accustomed to feeling healthy can.  I gave him an Allegra which has been our daytime "allergy cure all" as needed.  He complained bitterly hours later that nothing worked and was sneezing out a fur ball again.  The Allegra is a 12 hour dose so I made him wait the appropriate time and promptly forgot. 

A side note about the offending allergen.  He had spent the night at a friend's house who has a cat, so I suspected his mild allergy had been violently shoved into a true allergy.  But that being the allergen could mean the reaction would subside now that he was away from the cat, ergo the forgetting. 

Sunday morning was harsh.  He hadn't slept and was CRANKY.  I gave him liquid Benadryl thinking this would allow him to clear up and function.  The liquid one is supposed to be the non-drowsy formula.  Note: IT'S NOT!  He did not wake up until almost 2:30 in the afternoon.  I administered another Allegra thinking this could easily be just left over from the interaction with the cat.  Monday, I treated it with Allegra as needed.  Then today, Tuesday he was a gut-wrenching, fur ball hacking, stopped up, runny nose, sneezy mess.  In passing, my cousin told me it's ragweed season and it is high right now.  I spoke with my mother within five minutes of that conversation and she is or was also allergic to ragweed.  Fortunately, my younger cousin is also allergic to many things and takes Zyrtec.  That reminded me that my son took Zyrtec when he was little and it worked wonderfully.  I practically ran to Walgreens for Zyrtec-D.

I am delighted to report that within an hour of him taking the one 12 hour tablet (with Gatorade, yogurt and chicken broth/noodle soup - homemade, no preservatives), he was wandering the halls again! 

My message... know what's in your family, know what works for your kids and be prepared for "childhood" illnesses to rear their ugly heads at random, unspecified times.

11/9/11 Editor's Note: This article is repeated in the health blog.

10 in 1 Liquid Vitamin

I started the vitamin 3 days ago, well 4 but somehow I missed a day in there. It has an interesting orange vitamin flavor.

Last night I slept pretty well, and woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed more than 2 hours before I normally wake up. I was productive today without an energy lull. Was that the vitamin? I don’t know. But I am guessing we will be able to tell through this journal.

I still have the headache (it is at 45 days now with several at migraine level). I am looking forward to that being relieved by any means necessary.

I researched many of the ingredients in the vitamin and they are very potent and pure. No sugar added and no artificial sweeteners like aspartame which I am allergic to. That is a different blog tangent for a different day.

So the short list of my health issues – asthma, headaches, sleeplessness (generally related to the asthma) and some joint issues from early sports injuries. I will track the progress of these specifically.

This article is part of my blog challenge and this is DAY 3.

Windy City Diva

Vitamin Supplements that WORK!

Arthritic knees – lubricated; restless sleepy nights – eliminated; lulling energy because of restless nights – energy up! Here’s how!


I recently learned about a new vitamin supplement that has real potential to be beneficial (another health topic). With all of my recent health challenges my mom went seeking a liquid multi-vitamin. (Liquid vitamins as many of you may know have a higher level of absorption and for those of us with aversions to pills, are easier to take.) She not only found one for me, but found some healing for herself.

She has been taking this supplement for 3 weeks now and is already feeling benefits. First her knees, which are typically stiff from arthritis have been easier to move standing up from low places or after sitting for extended periods.  Since she has been taking this super powered liquid multi-vitamin, she can stand without getting stuck.  My mom reports that she is sleeping through the night and waking up feeling the best she has in years.  Typically, she has to take a sleeping aid once or twice a week to sleep through the night.  She is the most well-rested and has more energy during the day.  I have placed my order and am looking forward to starting on it myself.  I will certainly blog specifically about it as I start taking it in a week or so when I receive it.

Windy City Diva

Patient Advocacy

Health is not something we should ever take for granted. I have seen very ill people in my family and in my general surroundings. One thing I truly value is my health, although sometimes it seems very fragile. One lesson I have learned through all of my experiences with health and hospitals is, understand your diagnosis. Understand, not know what the doctor said, but actually understand it. Ask questions until you do, no matter how long it takes, or how many different ways you have to ask the question.

From many medical, social studies it is determined that certain age groups, races and genders are the ones least likely to not only seek health care, but to ask questions and even to seek out a second opinion. Older generations tend to see physicians they have a standing relationship with as the one and only answer. This can really be a death sentence.  Additionally, women tend to be more likely to take care of their families rather than themselves. And finally, minorities are the highest group that will postpone seeing a doctor and therefore potentially receive a life-saving early diagnosis, but compound that with not receiving treatment timely to save their lives. There are of course cultural dynamics that I am not bringing up here, this is more or less the summary of my years of not only personal experience but the research I have gathered through my hobby, patient advocacy.

I implore you as you read this… take your own symptoms seriously and encourage your family members to do the same. Once you get yourself to go to the doctor, ask questions until you understand. If you think you may not be following, ask to reschedule a consultation and take someone with you. I attend my mother’s appointments periodically just to make sure there is a “second ear” in the room. It is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength.  Your physician should NOT mind.  I will recommend this (with a heavy breath), please be sensitive to your appointment time, and if you have many questions that are not immediate to your care, it might be better to schedule a consultation time.  That is not to say walk out of the office not knowing how to take a prescription later that night or what follow-up tests to schedule.  But, if there are dietary changes, or habits then it is probably best to schedule another appointment.

Happy health to all.
Windy City Diva

Migraines - Where do they come from? & What to do with them?

I have a migraine today. When the pain started, it was sudden and out of the blue. I had a mild one last night, but I seemed to have slept it off when I finally got up this morning. It had been a rocky night but it all worked.

Earlier today... I was going about my day normally, working on my computer. I was placing a Mary Kay order on line and BAM there it was! Blinding pain across my face like someone hit me in it with a blunt object. Oh and there is the other component… the sharp, tightening pain shooting up into my skull along the back of the neck. Oh yes, this is a migraine. The computer screen is bright, too bright, that confirms that it is a migraine. I think holding my face will work. I think my brain is trying to escape. I don’t know where it’s trying to go, but it certainly is making a break for it and taking my eyeballs with it. 
Meds, I need meds and wait, I have to finish what I’m doing. Oh no! Bright computer screen, bad bright computer screen! I wish I could see it well enough to turn it down. That is not going to happen. Meds, hot tea, darkness, quiet, power nap… that is the prescription. If it wasn’t 4:30 in the afternoon I would just go to bed.

So, where do migraines come from? Some people say it’s hereditary, if it is in your family you are doomed. Okay, but then what makes them strike? There timing seems to be random. I have had migraines since I was a teenager. They seem to have interesting triggers like flashing lights from a camera, or a light reflecting off of a mirror, or oh better! Those new halogen lights on cars really hurt especially at night with foggy conditions. The other trigger, the main trigger is stress. So, now that I am awake and it feels a little better, not completely relieved, but certainly better, writing will have to help relieve some stress. If I could walk without wondering why the world is shaking, I might exercise a bit. But alas, sitting in my bed writing, er typing will have to suffice.

Windy City Diva

Obesity in Children Let's Talk Truth

Many years ago I wrote an Op Ed piece about an article, “Happy Birthday! Have Some Carrots”. It is another manifestation of the obsession our society has with weight, without being willing to look at the root cause of the problem. Maybe we should consider finding the root causes of obesity. 

Let’s take a look at funding in schools for physical education, which has progressively decreased since the late-1980’s. What about funding for park districts that formerly provided after-school programs with physical activity and academics? The schools and park districts in Chicago have experienced more than 85% in budget cuts within the last 10 years. I attended public high school in Chicago. We had junk food, pizza parties and cake for birthdays; but we also had gym 5 days a week instead of 2 like my son does now. We had a Health class that educated us about food groups, the effects of certain foods on our systems and discussed the benefits of running and playing. We played running games outside with our friends after school, instead of lying on the floor playing video games for hours. 

As the parent of a teenager, I believe it is my job to ensure that my son eats a balanced diet, plays outside on a regular basis, participates in sports, understands the importance of balanced meals, knows how to select proper foods and portion control. America is fat beginning with our children, because of our over-indulgence, our “right now satisfaction” mentality and funding being cut at every level for physical education. 

Can we stop blaming the end results and start truly breaking down and attacking the root causes of the obesity levels in the United States? I agree that Type 2 Diabetes in children is deplorable, particularly at the current levels. However, I believe some alternate solutions to serving carrots at birthday parties and putting only healthy snacks in vending machines would include: putting the funding back in public school physical education and extra-curricular school sponsored/organized sports activities, after-school fitness activities at park districts and continue the health education in the school and with parents. Certain types of education begin at home and healthy eating habits are some of them. 

Windy City Diva