A good friend sent me this article and while I find it very exciting I also find it very unlikely that a true "Cure" will be introduced anytime soon.
I wanted to share it with you - please share your thoughts on this with me, I'm curious what others think:
Fibromyalgia Finally Solved
This week has been a better week than last week, I'm not nearly as tired as I was and am feeling ok - of course still tired just not to the extreme I was.
I hope you are all doing well and depending on where you are, enjoying some warmer weather.
To your health!
Gerri
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Tired is an understatement
Those of you who suffer from Chronic Fatigue know what I mean. To just say "I'm tired" isn't really giving a good indication of how you really feel. Exhausted is a good word but even that doesn't do it justice.
Quite frankly, I'm tired of being tired! This week my CFS has been in overdrive - I was doing good for quite a while but last week was on the go for several days in a row - late to bed, early to rise and now I'm paying for it with extreme sleepiness even after 9 hrs of sleep for several days in a row this week.
My body aches are present and I just feel out of sorts. I hate this! I hate this disorder, I hate feeling useless and being useless. Hate it all!
This is an interesting article HERE - I might need to find a functional medicine Doctor to get me on back on a good path with a cleanse and immune system treatments.
Has anyone ever done anything like what is mentioned in this article? If so I would love to hear about it!
Quite frankly, I'm tired of being tired! This week my CFS has been in overdrive - I was doing good for quite a while but last week was on the go for several days in a row - late to bed, early to rise and now I'm paying for it with extreme sleepiness even after 9 hrs of sleep for several days in a row this week.
My body aches are present and I just feel out of sorts. I hate this! I hate this disorder, I hate feeling useless and being useless. Hate it all!
This is an interesting article HERE - I might need to find a functional medicine Doctor to get me on back on a good path with a cleanse and immune system treatments.
Has anyone ever done anything like what is mentioned in this article? If so I would love to hear about it!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Wow, time sure does fly!
Hello!
I'm still here! I can't believe it's been a few months since I last posted. With the holidays things got crazy and they just haven't slowed down yet. I hope everyone had an incredible Christmas and New Year Celebration!
I'm doing just fine these days. Of course with Fibro, everyday is different and we have "those days" but all in all I am doing great. I really can't complain about the minor set backs because they seem to be few and far between anymore. My chronic fatigue seems to be bothering me more than anything else but I think I've grown accustomed to it and just deal with it. I'm always tired, I always have been as long as I can remember so it's just something I have learned to deal with. On the rare occasion that I don't feel like I haven't slept I feel like what I imagine everyone feels like after a good nights rest. On average I get somewhere between 8-9 hrs of sleep but feel like I have only had 2-3.
I'm still seeing my chiropractor pretty regularly, usually once a week sometimes once every 2 weeks. It's the one thing that keeps me going and I really believe it's the regular adjustments that are keeping my Fibro under control. Now if we could just figure out this Chronic Fatigue I might just feel normal again! Heck, I don't even know what "normal" is.
Speaking of Chronic Fatigue, here is a great article about it - What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? For anyone reading this, it should shed some light on the disorder for you. For those of you who might have it - I think you'll agree with what the article says.
When it comes to symptoms, I tend to have them all most of the time. Below are a set of common symptoms, I've highlighted the ones I have almost constantly:
Symptoms include sore throat, flu like symptoms, problems with balance, sleep problems, dizziness, sweating, muscle and joint pain, un-refreshing sleep, cognitive difficulties, physical and mental exhaustion, tender lymph nodes and headaches. With time the condition gets severe and you could become depressed or have mood swings. I often get dizziness and headaches as well but the ones I highlighted are pretty much a constant in my daily life.
That's about all I have for today - one of my goals this year is to post a little more than I have been and keep you all constantly informed about Fibro and CFS. It took me a really long time to get answers and if you or someone who knows someone who could benefit from it then I've done what I originally set out to do.
I hope this finds you well, happy and enjoying life as much as possible.
Gerri
I'm still here! I can't believe it's been a few months since I last posted. With the holidays things got crazy and they just haven't slowed down yet. I hope everyone had an incredible Christmas and New Year Celebration!
I'm doing just fine these days. Of course with Fibro, everyday is different and we have "those days" but all in all I am doing great. I really can't complain about the minor set backs because they seem to be few and far between anymore. My chronic fatigue seems to be bothering me more than anything else but I think I've grown accustomed to it and just deal with it. I'm always tired, I always have been as long as I can remember so it's just something I have learned to deal with. On the rare occasion that I don't feel like I haven't slept I feel like what I imagine everyone feels like after a good nights rest. On average I get somewhere between 8-9 hrs of sleep but feel like I have only had 2-3.
I'm still seeing my chiropractor pretty regularly, usually once a week sometimes once every 2 weeks. It's the one thing that keeps me going and I really believe it's the regular adjustments that are keeping my Fibro under control. Now if we could just figure out this Chronic Fatigue I might just feel normal again! Heck, I don't even know what "normal" is.
Speaking of Chronic Fatigue, here is a great article about it - What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? For anyone reading this, it should shed some light on the disorder for you. For those of you who might have it - I think you'll agree with what the article says.
When it comes to symptoms, I tend to have them all most of the time. Below are a set of common symptoms, I've highlighted the ones I have almost constantly:
Symptoms include sore throat, flu like symptoms, problems with balance, sleep problems, dizziness, sweating, muscle and joint pain, un-refreshing sleep, cognitive difficulties, physical and mental exhaustion, tender lymph nodes and headaches. With time the condition gets severe and you could become depressed or have mood swings. I often get dizziness and headaches as well but the ones I highlighted are pretty much a constant in my daily life.
That's about all I have for today - one of my goals this year is to post a little more than I have been and keep you all constantly informed about Fibro and CFS. It took me a really long time to get answers and if you or someone who knows someone who could benefit from it then I've done what I originally set out to do.
I hope this finds you well, happy and enjoying life as much as possible.
Gerri
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Another great article about Gluten intolerance
Those with auto-immune issues should really check this out and take it seriously. I think I'm pretty close to being gluten free - am going to really make sure not to consume any for the next couple weeks to see if my symptoms continue to improve. Overall I feel pretty good as long as I continue to get adjustments weekly and eat a raw healthy diet.
Check it out, and I would love to hear from anyone who IS gluten free and finds that it makes a difference in their symptoms.
10 signs you are Gluten intolerant from Healthy Holistic Living
As always, to your health!! Take care of the body you live in - if you don't, who will?
Gerri
Check it out, and I would love to hear from anyone who IS gluten free and finds that it makes a difference in their symptoms.
10 signs you are Gluten intolerant from Healthy Holistic Living
As always, to your health!! Take care of the body you live in - if you don't, who will?
Gerri
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Interesting article about Gluten....
This is a quick post to share this article with everyone - more and more people are going "gluten free" - this article share some interesting information about gluten sensitivities including several autoimmune diseases:
Gluten connected to 55 diseases
Gluten connected to 55 diseases
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
I'm still here!! So much going on, so much happening and the best part of it all..........
I'm feeling GREAT!!
I have a new position at the school I work at that has me very busy - I'm in the literacy department and just love it!
Outside of that, I'm still maintaining my weekly chiropractic appointments to maintain myself and to keep my body in optimal health. I firmly believe that with the weekly adjustments my body has put my FMS down and has helped me stay feeling good. I still get minor aches and pains in the same areas (hips and shoulders) but nothing even close to what I use to experience. When I feel overly tired, I go to bed. I've learned through all of this that listening to my body is the most important thing I can do. And when I feel tired, I make sure to handle it instead of ignoring it.
Over the past 3 months I did a weight loss challenge with 3 of my friends using a program called Body By Vi (Vi is short for Visalus). It's a 90 day challenge and it's simply, amazing. Since getting sick back in 2010 I have gained 55+lbs - I finally got sick of the weight, sick of putting on my clothes that were too tight and finally just had it when I had to purchase a size that I swore I would never be in again (after losing weight in the past) Depression was setting in again and I knew I had to take a stand before things got worse.
The 90 day challenge consists of replacing 2 meals a day with a healthy protein shake meal replacement. It's packed with vitamins, has less than a gram sugar and tastes like cake mix - NO JOKE! A lot of people say "once you start eating again you are going to gain the weight back" to which I have to laugh. Don't think I'm not eating - in fact, I'm eating quite well. I have a shake for breakfast, and every two hours another small meal consisting of a protein and vegetable - I eat all day to the point that I'm stuffed when it's time to eat again! It's not a "fad diet" - it's a way of life - re-training yourself to keep your body fueled so it burns fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. It takes a little getting use to but now, it's just the way I do things - I eat small meals every 2 hours. Think portions too - portion control is where it's at. Once you get use to measuring out your portions you get pretty good at knowing how much you can have at any given time. I think a huge part of America's problem with Obesity is the fact that our portions are double and triple what they should be all the time - that means we are taking in double and triple the calories we should be on a daily basis - which in turn is going to be weight gain. It's pretty simple really.
Exercise is suggested but not something you have to do too strenuously or even at all if you don't want to. As we all know, exercise is another thing that those of us with FMS need to do so it should be incorporated anyway.
So after 3 months I am down 26 lbs and over 27 inches!! I feel great, am wearing my clothes much better and am actually going to be entering to win the team challenge on a national level!! Between myself and my team mates we have lost over 200lbs combined! It's inspiring really.
Currently I'm doing another challenge to drop the rest of the weight I gained. It's really just a way of life, eating clean and making smart choices. Through all the struggles over the past few years, my weight shouldn't be a reason I'm feeling sick. I've slowly come around full circle and can honestly say that I'm feeling like myself again - feeling healthy, happy and full of life again! I never thought I would be able to say that! I really thought my life would be full of pain and suffering and never again be the same. It's been 3 yrs and while the road has been a tough one, it's taught me so much about myself and others.
I hope my journey so far has made an impact on others and I hope my continued journey will as well - I am living proof that you can go from literally wanting to die to enjoying life again! Please, if you have anyone in your life who is like me, share my blog with them, encourage them to follow me, encourage them to NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE IN and do what it takes to find the right mixture that will help them get back into the game of life! Remember back when I first started this journey to find my health? I was a research freak - researching and researching until I was blue in the face - but it was all worth it - I have found what works for me, what makes me feel good and what keeps me going - you too can find it if you haven't yet - just keep on looking! I promise it's out there!
To your health and until next time!
I have a new position at the school I work at that has me very busy - I'm in the literacy department and just love it!
Outside of that, I'm still maintaining my weekly chiropractic appointments to maintain myself and to keep my body in optimal health. I firmly believe that with the weekly adjustments my body has put my FMS down and has helped me stay feeling good. I still get minor aches and pains in the same areas (hips and shoulders) but nothing even close to what I use to experience. When I feel overly tired, I go to bed. I've learned through all of this that listening to my body is the most important thing I can do. And when I feel tired, I make sure to handle it instead of ignoring it.
Over the past 3 months I did a weight loss challenge with 3 of my friends using a program called Body By Vi (Vi is short for Visalus). It's a 90 day challenge and it's simply, amazing. Since getting sick back in 2010 I have gained 55+lbs - I finally got sick of the weight, sick of putting on my clothes that were too tight and finally just had it when I had to purchase a size that I swore I would never be in again (after losing weight in the past) Depression was setting in again and I knew I had to take a stand before things got worse.
The 90 day challenge consists of replacing 2 meals a day with a healthy protein shake meal replacement. It's packed with vitamins, has less than a gram sugar and tastes like cake mix - NO JOKE! A lot of people say "once you start eating again you are going to gain the weight back" to which I have to laugh. Don't think I'm not eating - in fact, I'm eating quite well. I have a shake for breakfast, and every two hours another small meal consisting of a protein and vegetable - I eat all day to the point that I'm stuffed when it's time to eat again! It's not a "fad diet" - it's a way of life - re-training yourself to keep your body fueled so it burns fat while maintaining lean muscle mass. It takes a little getting use to but now, it's just the way I do things - I eat small meals every 2 hours. Think portions too - portion control is where it's at. Once you get use to measuring out your portions you get pretty good at knowing how much you can have at any given time. I think a huge part of America's problem with Obesity is the fact that our portions are double and triple what they should be all the time - that means we are taking in double and triple the calories we should be on a daily basis - which in turn is going to be weight gain. It's pretty simple really.
Exercise is suggested but not something you have to do too strenuously or even at all if you don't want to. As we all know, exercise is another thing that those of us with FMS need to do so it should be incorporated anyway.
So after 3 months I am down 26 lbs and over 27 inches!! I feel great, am wearing my clothes much better and am actually going to be entering to win the team challenge on a national level!! Between myself and my team mates we have lost over 200lbs combined! It's inspiring really.
Currently I'm doing another challenge to drop the rest of the weight I gained. It's really just a way of life, eating clean and making smart choices. Through all the struggles over the past few years, my weight shouldn't be a reason I'm feeling sick. I've slowly come around full circle and can honestly say that I'm feeling like myself again - feeling healthy, happy and full of life again! I never thought I would be able to say that! I really thought my life would be full of pain and suffering and never again be the same. It's been 3 yrs and while the road has been a tough one, it's taught me so much about myself and others.
I hope my journey so far has made an impact on others and I hope my continued journey will as well - I am living proof that you can go from literally wanting to die to enjoying life again! Please, if you have anyone in your life who is like me, share my blog with them, encourage them to follow me, encourage them to NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER GIVE IN and do what it takes to find the right mixture that will help them get back into the game of life! Remember back when I first started this journey to find my health? I was a research freak - researching and researching until I was blue in the face - but it was all worth it - I have found what works for me, what makes me feel good and what keeps me going - you too can find it if you haven't yet - just keep on looking! I promise it's out there!
To your health and until next time!
Monday, February 11, 2013
Abundant Nutrition = Abundant Healthy life!
I wanted to share my new find with you all in hopes that you too will find it, get it and use it!
You may have heard of this "Nutribullet" - it's an offshoot of the MagicBullet. This machine is a godsend! It's like a juicer, blender, chopper, dicer all in one compact little machine! You can make soup with it, you can dice veggies with it, you can purify with it - I'm not sure what it can't do! It basically extracts the nutrients from what you put into it so you get more of them in a digestible form. You can also add nuts and seeds to get even more powerful nutrients into your body.
If you've been reading my blog, then you know I love to make fresh juice - over the course of time I have gotten away from juicing due to the sheer hassle of it when you are really busy. From the prep to the clean up I found it was a lot of work and slowly got away from doing it. Unfortunately this means that I was no longer feeding my body with the amazing nutrients that are found in drinking freshly made juices. This also means I am not getting the powerhouse of nutrients that are essential in maintaining my health and keeping my FMS and CFS under control. Through all the research I've done regarding these two conditions, I am beginning to really see the link between nutrition and a healthy body overall. I think with proper nutrition, meaning nutrients in your cells, you can overcome a lot of problems. This isn't to say that all illness is caused by lack of nutrition but I would say that a good majority of problems, especially those that Dr's seem to be unable to pin point a reason for, are due to lack of the right things in your body over a long period of time as well as other factors person to person.
With the Nutribullet there is no major food prep other than the normal cutting, no major clean up as it doesn't leave behind ANY PULP and it takes a max of 10 minutes from start to finish to make a super nutritious smoothie or juice. I'm really excited about this as it allows me to get back on the juices without the time as well as no waste so I feel that I'm getting even more of the goodness that those fruits and veggies provide. I struggled for a long time with all the waste I was throwing away after making juice. I tried to figure out how I could use it but never did - all that vegetable and fruit material just down the trash.
I think juicing is great, please don't get me wrong - and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in it. The NutriBullet I believe is the new generation of juicers. It allows you to make a tasty nutrient rich drink in minutes. It also allows you to consume a lot more vegetables and fruits than you would normally consume in a day. This alone will increase your health with the added benefits. One thing I have found with juicing is that it does make your blood sugar spike from the natural sugars in the items you juice - with this nutribullet you are also getting all the fruit and vegetable materials that will help even out your blood sugar, fill you up and keep you level.
I can't say enough about this compact yet powerful kitchen machine. It's $100 at Bed Bath and Beyond, use the 20% coupon you probably get in the mail and it is even cheaper! It's worth every penny!
I have read some reviews on it that say the machine stops working after about 3 months - so be sure to keep your packaging and receipt handy just in case this happens, then you can return it as faulty and get yourself a new one!
It's been one week now since I've been using this machine, my husband makes himself drinks as do my kids! It is so worth it just to know they are getting good things into their bodies without the hassle of "eat your vegetables" or "make sure you get your fruits in" and whatever else us moms tend to say to our kids to keep them healthy. With the Nutri-Bullet they WANT a smoothie! Maybe not a GREEN one but anything is better than nothing!
For instance, my son LOVES bananas so I make him a smoothie that consists of 1 banana, 8oz milk or soy milk, 1 TBSP banana cream flavor pudding mix and 1 container of banana yogurt - all blended into a rich thick smoothie. You could also use banana flavor extract.
My daughter on the other hand loves Strawberries - so hers is Strawberries, milk and a container of strawberry yogurt and a vitamin rich protein powder if I can get it in there. The yogurt provides the protein and the strawberries are a great source of antioxidants and are actually considered a superfood. They also act as an anti-inflamatory, help fight the onset of Cancer, prevents age related eye problems, full of vitamin C, 1 cup provides 21% Manganese which also helps with bone support.
I'm telling you, if you want to feel great and get your daily dose of vegetables and fruit in your diet, get this machine and give it a shot. You won't be sorry!
If you do get it, please let me know!! I would love to hear from you about it! OR anything else for that matter!
Until next time, stay healthy and happy!
Gerri
You may have heard of this "Nutribullet" - it's an offshoot of the MagicBullet. This machine is a godsend! It's like a juicer, blender, chopper, dicer all in one compact little machine! You can make soup with it, you can dice veggies with it, you can purify with it - I'm not sure what it can't do! It basically extracts the nutrients from what you put into it so you get more of them in a digestible form. You can also add nuts and seeds to get even more powerful nutrients into your body.
If you've been reading my blog, then you know I love to make fresh juice - over the course of time I have gotten away from juicing due to the sheer hassle of it when you are really busy. From the prep to the clean up I found it was a lot of work and slowly got away from doing it. Unfortunately this means that I was no longer feeding my body with the amazing nutrients that are found in drinking freshly made juices. This also means I am not getting the powerhouse of nutrients that are essential in maintaining my health and keeping my FMS and CFS under control. Through all the research I've done regarding these two conditions, I am beginning to really see the link between nutrition and a healthy body overall. I think with proper nutrition, meaning nutrients in your cells, you can overcome a lot of problems. This isn't to say that all illness is caused by lack of nutrition but I would say that a good majority of problems, especially those that Dr's seem to be unable to pin point a reason for, are due to lack of the right things in your body over a long period of time as well as other factors person to person.
With the Nutribullet there is no major food prep other than the normal cutting, no major clean up as it doesn't leave behind ANY PULP and it takes a max of 10 minutes from start to finish to make a super nutritious smoothie or juice. I'm really excited about this as it allows me to get back on the juices without the time as well as no waste so I feel that I'm getting even more of the goodness that those fruits and veggies provide. I struggled for a long time with all the waste I was throwing away after making juice. I tried to figure out how I could use it but never did - all that vegetable and fruit material just down the trash.
I think juicing is great, please don't get me wrong - and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in it. The NutriBullet I believe is the new generation of juicers. It allows you to make a tasty nutrient rich drink in minutes. It also allows you to consume a lot more vegetables and fruits than you would normally consume in a day. This alone will increase your health with the added benefits. One thing I have found with juicing is that it does make your blood sugar spike from the natural sugars in the items you juice - with this nutribullet you are also getting all the fruit and vegetable materials that will help even out your blood sugar, fill you up and keep you level.
I can't say enough about this compact yet powerful kitchen machine. It's $100 at Bed Bath and Beyond, use the 20% coupon you probably get in the mail and it is even cheaper! It's worth every penny!
I have read some reviews on it that say the machine stops working after about 3 months - so be sure to keep your packaging and receipt handy just in case this happens, then you can return it as faulty and get yourself a new one!
It's been one week now since I've been using this machine, my husband makes himself drinks as do my kids! It is so worth it just to know they are getting good things into their bodies without the hassle of "eat your vegetables" or "make sure you get your fruits in" and whatever else us moms tend to say to our kids to keep them healthy. With the Nutri-Bullet they WANT a smoothie! Maybe not a GREEN one but anything is better than nothing!
For instance, my son LOVES bananas so I make him a smoothie that consists of 1 banana, 8oz milk or soy milk, 1 TBSP banana cream flavor pudding mix and 1 container of banana yogurt - all blended into a rich thick smoothie. You could also use banana flavor extract.
My daughter on the other hand loves Strawberries - so hers is Strawberries, milk and a container of strawberry yogurt and a vitamin rich protein powder if I can get it in there. The yogurt provides the protein and the strawberries are a great source of antioxidants and are actually considered a superfood. They also act as an anti-inflamatory, help fight the onset of Cancer, prevents age related eye problems, full of vitamin C, 1 cup provides 21% Manganese which also helps with bone support.
I'm telling you, if you want to feel great and get your daily dose of vegetables and fruit in your diet, get this machine and give it a shot. You won't be sorry!
If you do get it, please let me know!! I would love to hear from you about it! OR anything else for that matter!
Until next time, stay healthy and happy!
Gerri
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