About Fibromyalgia

By Sher Smith


Fibromyalgia often begins after an acute bout with the flu or some other prolonged viral condition. Fibromyalgia refers to recurrent aches and pains among other symptoms and is often accompanied by an inability to sleep and fatigue. The symptoms are varied and tend to come and go in intensity.

It is a cycle where the pain inhibits sleep and lack of sleep leads to increased pain leading to decreased mobility.

There is a long list of possible and probable symptoms that include sleep disturbances, poor memory, inability to focus and concentrate, anxiety, depression, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, disruption to menses, morning stiffness, numbness, tingling, aches or pains, swollen lymph glands, and sensitivity to the weather. The pain comes and goes in intensity and duration.

When the nerves become oversensitive, the muscles can over react by remaining in a constant state of contraction and thus creating pain. These symptoms can last weeks, months, and sometimes years. Whenever this condition is suspected, it is advisable to consult with your doctor.

Diagnosis can be difficult. It has been found that people with Fibromyalgia have what are referred to as tender points in specific areas of the body such as behind the knees or the sides of the elbows. There are a total of 18 such tender points and people with Fibromyalgia usually have at least 11 of these 18 points.

This condition is also linked to stress and has become known as a condition prevalent among type A people. This refers to those people who are always on the go, know how to get things done but rarely take time out for themselves for rejuvenation. It has also been found to be more prevalent in women than in men since women more so tend to work inside and outside of the home.

Health professionals who deal with Fibromyalgia believe that inactivity is the worse response to the condition. The treatments are as varied as the symptoms with the best results occurring by the development of a program related to the specific needs of the individual. It is important to break the pain / fatigue / lack of sleep / pain cycle. Learning some useful relaxation techniques such as biofeedback, meditation, guided imagery: having bodywork sessions such as Polarity or Cranial Sacral Therapy and massage: or doing some gentle yoga, and a regular exercise program suited to your level of present capacity are all useful and helpful.

Vitamins that have been suggested as helpful are beta carotene, selenium, chelate zinc, and evening of primrose oil. Again it is wise to consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program or the taking of vitamins.

There are a variety of things that have been found to be useful such as watching your posture, alternating tasks, exercising at your level of tolerance, swimming, walking, and applying heat. It is a case of trial and error to see which activities will bring relief to the particular individual, as some of the ideas will work for some of the people some of the time. It is a case of getting relief from pain by first getting the muscles to relax and second from getting them retrained so that they no longer over react. Using self-accupressure on the pain trigger sites helps reduce and then relieve pain. Learn to listen to your body and when the tension is felt to be building in the muscles, take the time and stretch it out slowly.

Herbs that some people have found to be helpful include Valerian, which helps with sleep, Skull Cap which helps to relax muscles, Feverfew which has been found to be helpful with headaches, Echinacea and Golden Seal which are thought to help the immune system, and chamomile tea which is thought to have a calming effect on the body.

Treating oneself to reading an uplifting, happy, funny, novel or watching such a movie has a positive effect on the body by stimulating the release of endorphins. Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers.

Other helpful ideas include:

* sitting in a very bright room (e.g. full spectrum lighting)

* listening to classical music

* putting forth the effort to get well

* walking in water

* slow stretching of the muscles

* alternate nostril breathing

* taking a warm bubble bath

* setting realistic goals

* maintaining social contacts. Do so to the degree manageable

* establishing a regular exercise and stretching program.

Increase activities gradually over a period of time-too much too soon can cause a flare up and reoccurrence of symptoms.

Sher Smith is a Registered Nurse, Registered Polarity Practitioner, Registered Cranial Sacral Therapist and Educational Kinesiology Instructor who has been involved in the holistic health field since 1979. As a metaphysical graduate, the ancient rituals, esoteric teachings and healing practices of the ages continue to be ongoing areas of study and interest. Her professional training is varied and comprehensive (including studies in Cranial Sacral Therapy with Franklyn Sills and the Upledger Institute), and certification in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Educational Kinesiology, Reiki and Touch for Health.

For more on Sher and her classes and courses, plus private session visit: http://www.realizingyourpotential.ca

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Stop Spreading Your Germs!

Today I have spent the whole day at a downtown coffee shop watching sick people spreading their germs. No wonder there is so many sick people in this world!

It`s time that everyone took responsibility for their health and the health of others – and here are some tips to help do that.

1. If you work somewhere where you need gloves then wear them! - I have worked at many hospitals where the older women didn`t bother wearing gloves (too much work I suppose). Now that not only endangered themselves but also others.

I`ve been at hotels where the opposite situation was the case. The housekeep wore gloves nonstop until her break. This means she cleaned the room, bathroom, and made the bed without taking her gloves off.

If you work somewhere where you have to wear gloves to protect yourself then you should take some responsibility for other people’s health as well. Use your gloves responsibly!

2. Wash Your Hands – After sneezing, coughing, eating, going to the bathroom...come on, just wash your hands. I`ve seen doctors go to the bathroom and leave it not washing their hands. Disgusting! This is the most basic and decent thing you can do to protect yourself and others.

3. Cover Your Mouth – Today I`ve noticed taht about 1 in every 10 people cover their mouths when they cough. It should be 10 out of 10! Just because you are not worried about your own germs doesn`t mean you should spread them around to the people you don`t seem to care as much about. Just have some respect!


4. Don`t Spit On The Sidewalk – It`s so disgusting that I can barely stand it. My dogs have to walk through peoples spit and then possibly spread it to my family. If you have to spit then use a sink. Have some respect for other people!

These may seem like basic things to you and that`s because they are – but in my experience 90% of the population does not follow these rules and it`s making us (and me) sick. So chances are you are one of these people. Thinking about other people and their health makes you a better person. Just do it!

The Dash Diet - What Is It?

I've been reading a lot about the DASH diet lately and find it to be very similar to EATING HEALTHY! Surprise! They just seem to have labeled it the DASH diet. The principles of the diet are good - but really it's all about eating healthy and doing healthy things.

For me this is just another reason to be vegan! And I wouldn't call it a diet so much as a way of living. But if you need the structure of a diet to help you live well then you can check out the book at amazon --------->>>


Here is a good article I found on the DASH diet:


What is the DASH diet?

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches for Stopping Hypertension. It is a common term used by physicians all over the United States. Basically it involves a diet which consists of foods that have proven to lower high blood pressure, or hypertension. Of course, the DASH diet also calls for a minimization of foods that are well known to contribute to high blood pressure as well.

The DASH diet is not truly defined by any means, and therefore is broad in its various executions.

However, the guidelines that the DASH diet gives to people with hypertension have shown to enable them to lower their blood pressure in a matter of weeks, with drastic improvements for periods over six months of DASH dieting. This drastic improvement has led to its increased and continued usage of the DASH diet by physicians across the country.

The components of the DASH diet are very simple, and are easy to follow.

The major contributors to the lowering of participants' blood pressure are the fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, and nuts. The good cholesterol, fiber, and negative calories are all good components of a well balanced and healthy diet. Olive oil is also encouraged, and has shown to contribute lower blood pressures with studies throughout the Mediterranean countries and their inhabitants which use olive oil daily.

Another healthy change that the DASH diet brings to the average American diet are the low-fat items.

For instance, the DASH diet recommends low-fat dairy products and lean meats such as poultry and fish. Now, some fish contain more fats than others, so it is important for you to balance your intake between the two. Besides, the fattier fishes are actually more expensive on average! Finally, it is important for you to take in several whole grain products each day. Oatmeal for breakfast is a popular solution, as well as granola bars as between-meal snacks.

The most important step in the DASH diet is to minimize foods and items which contribute to high blood pressure.

The main contributors to hypertension are inactivity, excess sodium, excess alcohol, excess body weight, and inadequate magnesium, potassium, and calcium. If you also noticed, DASH diet foods are also foods that are recommended for weight loss diets. The reason that these foods are found in the DASH diet and in weight loss diets is due to the fact that most people with hypertension are usually overweight. The most effective treatment for hypertension, disclosed by most physicians, is weight loss.

One of the closest diets that you can compare to the DASH diet is the Vegan diet.

I was able to write an article recently, "Make The Vegetarian Diet Work For You", which explains the benefits and uses of Vegan foods towards your health. A lot of the foods that you see recommended in the DASH diet are also foods that are a part of the Vegan diet, which would explain the fact that Vegan's are very rarely diagnosed with hypertension.

Proper documentation on the DASH diet is available from your physician, as well as at several online dietary sources.

I would definitely recommend researching DASH diet foods and to start planning your daily diet around them immediately. The health benefits that you will see with the lowered blood pressure is important in the short term for better health and well-being, however it is critical in the long term. The DASH diet will help to extend your life due to your cardiovascular system's inability to operate for years under a higher pressure than what it is designed for. You also will be able to access dietary tips and extensive information at my website listed below. My free membership fitness tuning site focuses on dietary as well as fitness aspects in order to contribute towards a healthy lifestyle for people of all ages and body types.

Sebastian, John C. "Dash into the DASH Diet to Solve Hypertension." Dash into the DASH Diet to Solve Hypertension. 9 Jan. 2007 EzineArticles.com. 7 Jun. 2011 http://ezinearticles.com/?Dash-­into-­the-­DASH-­Diet-­to-­Solve-­Hypertension&id=413501

Secret of Happiness - Education and Self Improvement

There are certain factors that contribute to long term happiness. In this video Caroline discusses the factor of continuing to learn and grow as a person and remain active.

Caroline discusses points in her life where she lacked purposed, felt bored, lacked meaning and felt unfulfilled. Could these points in our life that lead to depression? How important is it to continue to study, learn, and acquire new knowledge. What role does self improvement have in happiness?

There is more to being happy than just taking an antidepressant. To be happy one has to organize their life, take responsibility for their life and do things which lead to happiness.

Caroline in a Ph.D. educator who has been training teachers how to teach as professor for many years.

Trying to Lose Weight? Here are Some Simple Truths

We look for the latest diet pill or diet craze to help us lose weight and after we have finished losing a few pounds on it we go back to life without the pill or diet - and guess what? We gain the weight back! Why?

Because hopping on board the latest craze is not affecting your entire life. It's simply affecting this moment right now.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off then you have to think long-term! There is no other way around it!

This means that you have to change your life.

Think about it. If you keep living the life you are now then you will not change your life. You have to take action and change the way you think about food and exercise and then start heading down that new path of discovery.

Three very simple truths about weight loss are this:

Exercise more - You have to get up and move around more to burn more calories.

Eat Less - You have to stop shoving a whole pizza into your stomach and start eating less of that pizza.

Eat Better - When you have the option to eat better - choose it. Even little changes can affect your weight and health.

Yes you've heard them before! That's because they are true. They are simple truths that we tend to overlook because actually noticing them and giving them the credit they deserve means we are going to have to change the way we go about life - and that takes a lot of effort.

But you will find that once you start exercising more, eating less, and eating better it will not take a lot of effort at all. It will just be the way it is.

So join a support group like the biggest loser, and start living your simple truths. 

Juicing Preservatives!

I’ve been off of my juicing kick for quite a while but today I decided to start incorporating some juicing into my diet again. Especially because the farmers market is start to inspire me to get creative with raw and fresh food.

Today I made a quick spinach drink with a bunch of spinach, an apple, and some pineapple. That’s all that went in but it was enough! Super sweet and good!

Spinach was my main concern for the drink as lately my husband and I have been trying to add more green leafy vegetables to our diet.

On doing some research into spinach I realized that it was reported as being one of the top 12 most heavily contaminated produce products. Yikes! This just warrants another reason to grow your own food or buy organic.

It’s so hard to know what to buy and what to avoid when it comes to pesticides and other chemicals. It’s almost like they don’t want us to know what is in or on our food ;)

In any case I found an article that I found pretty informative and may be of interest to you if you are trying to avoid chemicals, preservatives and such in your diet. The 7 foods Experts Won’t Eat.

The point is to be aware of your food and what you are putting in your body as often as possible. Even with the best intentions you can pick a food that is heavily contaminated with chemicals and preservatives.

I try to live by the rule that everything is okay in moderation, but I also try to live by the rule - if there is a healthier option then take it!