First of all I want to thank everyone who was able to attend today, I know how stressful the holidays can be and I appreciate that you were all able to make it. Also, I am grateful for the questions everyone asked on our note cards today and I will be either discussing them here in the future or in group meetings; for those who didn't attend I asked everyone to write three questions they would like discussed in group. If you'd like to do the same you can email your questions to me and I will add them to the topics.
Don't forget if you haven't already gotten your membership with Domingo Baca it is only $13.00 a year and would be a really great gesture of our appreciation for letting us use their facilities for free, plus they have a bunch of awesome programs and a membership there is valid at any community center in Abq.
Today was somewhat informal and we talked about our holiday experiences. I think in a future post I might talk about about care taking when you are ill as it seems a lot of our members are experiencing this for themselves.
Humidifiers and Air Purifiers:
A lot of us suffer from dryness and winter in the desert is harsh, humidifiers can help ease some of those symptoms, they can also help reduce electrical shocks. Also there seems to be a correlation between low humidity and weakened immunity, and a dry nose is a perfect atmosphere for chronic sinus infections and inflammation.
When you are looking for a humidifier your best bet is an evaporative cool-mist humidifier and not ultrasonic because ultrasonic or impeller humidifiers leave fine mineral deposit dust on surfaces and can be bad if they are inhaled, also don't clean your machines with harsh chemicals, vinegar will do. I use a small portable Holmes humidifier I picked up from target and it is more than enough for my bedroom. Keep in mind that you also don't want high humidity as that can introduce mold and can cause allergies to flare, the ideal is around 40% humidity. Some machines have a hygrometer that can measure humidity but you can tell if your humidity is too high if you're getting condensation on your windows.
We discussed air purifiers a bit today and Himalayan salt crystal lamps were mentioned. Here's a basic explanation of how those work; it's has to do with ion charges but basically the lamp absorbs water particles which have bonded with toxins; dust, pollen, smoke, mold, dander even EM radiation from electronics and when the water evaporates back into the air the particles remain trapped in the salt. That sounds pretty cool to me, here's the full article and its many benefits if you'd like to check it out here: http://www.naturallivingideas.com/himalayan-pink-salt-lamp-benefits/
I have been thinking of getting an air purifier but there are many types out there and I have to first know what I need to purify and if it's safe for me. Being chemically sensitive I am adverse to using an ionic purifier because they produce ozone as a by-product. A HEPA is great for allergens and spores but is not effective for chemicals and fumes, and can wipe out good bacteria leaving room for overgrowth of micro-organisms, a carbonizing filter is great for chemicals and fumes but no good for dust and allergens, and an ultraviolet is good for micro-organisms but no good for chemicals. So I'm excited to hear about these crystals and I think I may give one a go myself.
For those of you curious about the nose plugs I use for travel (and other things) here is the link: http://www.woodyknows.com they're a little strange at first but you get used to them and way better than getting harassed for wearing a mask, and awesomely they make a carbon filter version now if you are chemically sensitive. Yay!
Feeling Better on Vacation:
One of our members brought in some information on this because he experienced this for himself and was curious what that might mean. This experience can be extremely frustrating, it's wonderful but it can make you doubt your diagnosis and your sanity. So why does this happen??
I don't have a nice clean answer to that question, but my thoughts are this: it's a combination event. Your body is producing both adrenaline and endorphins, adrenaline to cover the doing part and endorphins because it feels good to be on vacation and at the same time many of your daily stress triggers have been removed like; morning alarm, bills, cooking and cleaning. You are literally breathing it all in which further oxygenates your cells, your likely getting more exercise and even sun-light, maybe you are socializing more, laughing more. There's is also the possibility that you are removing some other form of toxin or trigger in food or environment, like mold, allergens, bedding, pets or chemicals. I also have to think that since our problem is rooted in the neurological center of our brain that new stimulus can have strange effects on our bodies, our brain hasn't yet mislabeled them as a threat or our bodies are thrown into hyper-drive which masks the problems temporarily only to rebound harder after the fact.
Every vacation is different for me -sometimes I feel great and other times I feel lousy, but one thing always remains the same. On vacation I feel propelled forward like someone else is driving my body and even though I can feel exhaustion biting at my heels I refuse to quit until the vacation is over. Then whoosh all the air goes out of me and I'm taken by a flare or even a cold the very minute I step back on the Tarmac.
My advice is this: always question your diagnosis, learn learn learn. If you find vacation relieves pain or fatigue keep a journal and maybe you'll see why. There is always the chance that you have some rare disease or strange allergy and something about that place or that lifestyle relieves those symptoms. In that case RUN -don't walk, as fast as you can back to that place or state of mind. I think there is a very strong indication here too that your mental health plays a significant role in the way your body handles this condition and maybe some- thing -one -place, about your life is toxic to your health.
It's really hard to say why these things happen when we still don't know why fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue happens, maybe when we understand why that happens we'll better understand what role vacation plays. There is a lot of theory around chemical reactions in our brains and how they affect our body, your mood is just that- a chemical reaction. It's complex and nuanced and maybe vacation was just the right dose of just the right chemicals. Maybe we're all travelers at heart and haven't figured that out yet. Right now my guess is as good as anybodies, and yeah I do believe it's all in your head just not in away way you are in control of.
Random Bits:
Some of the supplements mentioned today:
Vitamin D- almost everyone is not getting enough Vitamin D that is especially true in people like us. Vitamin D is essential for cell communication, maintaining healthy defenses and breaking down nutrients, you can't absorb healthy nutrients without vitamin D.
Magnesium with Malic acid (Magnesium Malate) - critical for many cellular functions and energy production. Bleached, processed and chemically treated products leech magnesium from our systems. Magnesium is involved In the production of serotonin and activates ATP (adenosine triphosphate) a magnesium deficiency can mimic fibromyalgia and increase production of substance P. Tip: too much magnesium can cause diarrhea so start with one pill a day and increase, back off if you have bowel issues and raise slowly.
Vitamin E- which I suggest if you are taking anything that might irritate the bowels. Note: vitamin E can interfere with clotting at high doses, anyone especially those on blood thinners should consult a physician.
B 12- important in nerve function and red blood cells. Vitamin b12 deficiency is supposedly rare but a lot of FM or CFS people have it, I did.
Royal Jelly- used for PMS, hormone regulation, menopause, infertility, fatigue, insomnia, energy production, hay fever, asthma and bone fractures to name a few things. One amazing study showed that it inhibits cancer growth in breast tissue from BPA (plastic additive) exposure. Awesome?! Bees rock.
There are a million supplements and a million ways to supplement and it takes a ton of trial and error to find the right things for you. I recommend supplementing with individuals instead of multis for two reasons, you can't control the dosages or the fillers with multis and you'll never know what's actually working. Remember I'm not a doctor so, you know... Salt liberally applied.
Also I know that supplements are expensive but they can be worth it if you find the right stuff. Keep in mind places like vitamin cottage will allow you to return a product if you aren't satisfied even if you used the whole bottle! If you are familiar with/trust kinesiology you can have your practitioner test you for compatibility before taking the supplement. Maybe I'll touch on that another time.
Thanks again for coming out and I hope to see you all there next month!!!