In this episode we talk about food additives and chemicals to avoid when chronically ill. Not only can food additives and chemicals cause chronic illness symptoms to be worse, for some it is the source of their chronic illness so it should not be something to ignore. Continue reading
As I was packing to move I found this old poem I wrote when I was very very ill. For those of you that are new here to FibroTV, I have made many lifestyle changes which have helped me manage my long list of symptoms associated with fibromyalgia and lupus. (To read about some of these changes I made click here) When I wrote this poem I was in bed most of the time, had just lost my job working at Disney that I worked at for 10 years, on 12 medications, and living with my parents waiting for my SSDI to be approved. Writing helped me cope and was a great tool to help me express myself during this time of struggle. I thought I would share it with you all.
With Love,
Jen Reynolds
The reason I wanted to post about this is because abusive people and sociopaths look for venerable people that they can control. Being chronically ill can make you vulnerable to these types of people and it is something you need to be aware of to protect yourself.
Being emotionally healthy is very important in order to have proper symptom management when chronically ill. You can be eating the perfect diet but if you have negative, emotionally draining, and/or abusive people in your life, not only will you have more pain but your physical condition will decline rapidly.
Everyone has a bad day, we all complain, and vent. It is very normal and emotionally healthy in fact! It becomes a problem when people are fixated on all the negative in their life and want you to be a part of their misery (because when they are having a bad day EVERYONE is having a bad day), when they blame all their misfortunes and hard times in their life on others or you, they do not take personal responsibility for any of their own problems/issues, or they are verbally/physically abusive or controlling over you or situations when you are around them. Continue reading
The human body is very complicated. We are not just physical beings. Emotions, beliefs, and relationships you have with others and being authentically you all have physical affects on your body. For someone that has chronic illness emotional pain, Anger, resentment, and having people in your life that are emotionally draining can be devastating to your health and can cause your condition to decline rapidly. For SOME these negative emotions can actually be the cause of some illnesses.
HOW BIG IS YOUR SACK OF EMOTIONAL PAIN?
grief ~ anxiety ~ depression ~ saddness ~ self-pity ~ bad luck ~ unfullfilled dreams ~ shame ~ humilation ~ unhappy relationships ~ betrayal ~ regret ~ loneliness ~ low confidence ~ guilt ~ frustration ~ feeling stuck or held back.
Adrenalin releases when you feel fear, anxiety or stress. It causes blood vessels to dilate, making your skin flush. Rapid, shallow breathing ensues. Muscles tighten, especially around the stomach and shoulder area. A slight sweat may break out.
In this video Dr. Robert H. Lusting MD talks about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup and the impact it has on your health. It is very important to learn about the dangers of refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup if you have a chronic illness. Sugar that is not natural causes major inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation throughout the body causes most diseases and cardiovascular issues. Educate yourself with this video and make the best decision for your own personally health and your families health.
Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.
I think one of the most difficult issues to deal with when you are diagnosed with a chronic illness is acceptance. For the first couple years I was angry, in denial, and did everything I wanted to and paid big time every time I did. I was very young (18) when I was diagnosed and I just wanted to do everything my friends were doing. It was almost like I had to prove to them and myself I was not going to change and would even push harder than a healthy person. I was working fulltime, taking care of my boyfriends 2 kids 3 to 4 days out of the week, keeping up a 3 bedroom house, and keeping a very hectic social calendar. This is when I started taking a lot of medication to cover up the symptoms of the poor choices I made that affected my health and began to decline rapidly.
There is almost a mourning process when you get diagnosed. On one hand I was happy they figured out what was wrong but on the other, all I wanted was to be normal again. I held on to a lot of anger because I wanted my life back the way it was. I would try to stay busy every second of the day because once I stopped the pain would be unrelenting and I would think about it more if I did not keep busy. I felt that accepting I was ill was giving in or giving up. What I later realized is that acceptance was key to begin my journey to wellness. Continue reading
There are many myths surrounding the difference between Addiction and Dependency not only with those that do not suffer chronic pain and chronic illness but those that do suffer from these conditions. In this podcast we touch base on this very emotional heated subject among the chronic illness/pain community and even doctors.
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Lissa Rankin, MD is an OB/GYN physician, author, keynote speaker, consultant to health care visionaries, professional artist, and founder of the women’s health and wellness community OwningPink.com. Discouraged by the broken, patriarchal health care system, she left her medical practice in 2007 only to realize that you can quit your job, but you can’t quit your calling. This epiphany launched her on a journey of discovery that led her to become a leader in the field of mind/body medicine, which she blogs about at OwningPink.com and is writing about in her third book Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof You Can Heal Yourself (Hay House, 2013).
She teaches both patients and health care professionals how to make the body ripe for miracles by healing the mind and being healthy in all aspects of life, not just by promoting healthy behaviors like good nutrition, exercise, and adequate sleep, but by encouraging health and authenticity in relationships, work, creative expression, spirituality, sexuality, finances, and living environment. She is leading a revolution to feminize how health care is received and delivered by encouraging collaboration, fostering self-healing, reconnecting health care and spirituality, empowering patients to tap into the mind’s power to heal the body, and encouraging women not to settle for being merely well, but to strive for living vital, joyful, authentic lives full of “mojo.”
When not spreading the word, she chills out, paints, does yoga, and hikes in Marin County, CA with her husband and daughter.
We have all done it. Stayed up into the wee hours of the night because of insomnia and pain. When it gets to about 3AM the infomercials start coming on and we are faced with the decision to buy into these what they make seem AMAZING products that you have to have and can’t live without! Sometimes they are purchased out of complete boredom. The rest of the world is sound asleep and lets face it, when you are sleep deprived and bored you will grasp for anything that will at least give you some peace and comfort. Most of the informercials I am not interested in, in fact I maybe watch TV once a week but when I do it seems to be when I can not sleep in the wee hours of the night. There was one informercial I kept going back to. The Nutribullet. There is a lady in the informercial that has fibromyalgia and she seems very authentic with her words. She even says ”Thank you Nutribullet for giving my life back.” as she fights back the tears. I have been disappointed with several products I have purchased via informercials but I know that using this product would have health benefits and sure would not hurt anything! Getting more fruits and veggies will only benefit my body! I felt I could not lose with this one so I went to Target and purchased a Nutribullet. Continue reading
We live in a society that tells us that we need to please others. We start out by pleasing our parents when we are young and it goes into pleasing our bosses, spouses, and children ect ect. as we grow older. Taking care of yourself is not a selfish thing to do like you might have been told in fact, it is natural to put yourself first and take care of yourself spiritually, emotionally, and physically before you care for others. It is the HEALTHY thing to do for yourself!
