Fiends and family know NOTHING about autoimmune disease if they tell you to exercise through the fatigue! That can make things worse!!! that is dumb advice. It shows the lack of understanding of what happens when your body goes autoimmune. Often the things that are good for you- vigorous exercise, immune stimulants, sunshine- are actually quite harmful when you're in the midst of an active autoimmune disorder.
i will tell you this- i've had lupus since 1992, and i feel my best when i get acupuncture. when i'm in an active lupus flare, i get acupuncture once a week. i can back off to every month when i'm stable. it boosts my energy, helps me sleep, reduces headaches, and helped me heal from the stroke. I also take medications, but the acupuncture also helps me reduce the doses.
Not all acupuncturists are the same. Go after one who is trained in both acupuncture and herbs (you probably don't want the herbs but you do want someone who has the extra training), and ask around for a recommendation, like you would for a mechanic. Plug in your zip code here and search: http://www.nccaom.org/find/index.html
i've had this thing for 16 years so i've tried a lot of things- chelation, bodytalk, electronic biofeedback, lymphatic massage, herbs, vitamins, dental procedures... i swear by acupunture. that and diet modification. google "anti-inflammatory diet." generally, you want to eat as lowfat and vegan (no animal products) as possible, also avoiding processed sugar and junk food, such as sodas, esp. diet soda.
when i was off sugar and on acupuncture for 18 months, i felt like me again. i really gotta kick sugar again... meanwhile though i am getting acupuncture and i do chi gong in between visits, something easy, simple, and free i can do at home in any weather that only take 15 minutes a day.
3 comments:
Enjoying all your recent posts, and have to comment on this one because someone just loaned me "The Way of Qigong" by Kenneth Cohen and I've already found it beneficial--as a relaxing read, for starters. (I haven't actually tried any of it yet.) I'm wondering if you learned from a book or a teacher?
I also have a meditation CD by Bodhipaksa, a Scottish buddhist with a charming brogue, which never fails to calm and comfort (it passed the acid test on Nov. 3 all right). I've also been doing a little yoga and find it's great for social purposes but way too hard on my inflamed joints and sore muscles. Qigong sounds like a gentle variant combining the best (for me) of yoga and meditation. So your mention of it particularly caught my attention.
It's great having the benefit of your broad-ranging curiosity and long experience in dealing with lupus.
hey wendy
from my somewhat limited experience with yoga, i've found it can be anywhere from gentle to excruciating, and there seems ot be no way to know which you're going to get until you're in the class.
i've certainly been in yoga classes where i had to just stop and lie down at different points because it was so difficult, and at times uncomfortable. And I don't think the "no pain no gain" motto works when you have lupus. Pushing yourself to hard just ends up setting you back when you've got active disease going on.
But Chi Gong- Well, be warned there is a "warrior" Chi Gong, and that's not what you want. That involves holding long difficult poses for excruciating periods of time. You want the healing chi gong.
I haven't been at the chi gong long enough to tell you how ot find the right kind, btu fortunately, i think teh warrioir chi gong is a little harder to come across.
I had one class in chi gong, then used the handouts to do those 5 healing movements. My hubby has been doing martial arts for 20 years, so he guides me through the Chi Gong and makes sure I'm doing it right.
Unfortunately, the handouts not for sale on amazon.com, and niether is my hubby.
I've tried a couple books and videos. I found the class most helpful. Once you learn a routine, you can just don it on your own. the whole thing takes me 15 minutes, so there's really no excuse not to do it just about every day.
Well thanks for the additional input. I've sent a note back to see if the gal who loaned me the book knows anyone who teaches it. According to "The Way", proper qigong teachers don't solicit. They wait to be asked to bestow their wisdom. We haven't seen any ads or flyers, so that's a hopeful sign.
Our yoga teacher started "Gentle Yoga for Healing" specifically for me and a few others with health issues. We gave it a good try at least.
We're just about to drive down to Boulder. We'll say 'howdy' to your old neighborhood for you. If you ever perform there, let us know. We'd make the trip and bring a nice little crowd too. Going to see Nellie McKay in Denver this weekend.
'Namaste'
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