We just got back yesterday from the conference. It's always a let down right when we get home especially since we miss seeing everyone and connecting so thoroughly. Yet we are glad to be home and are a bit willing to relax and catch up and recharge our energy. It was an amazing time. Kai was always with friends - old and new. We barely saw him the entire time we were there. I think the only funshops he went to were the balloon sword madness (thanks Gillian!), the Nintendo ds funshop, the everything that rolls funshop, and the Pokemon funshop. The rest of the time they were playing with light sabers and just finding/creating things to play with each other. Kade was really free this year. He went around chasing the older kids and making friendships along the way. Cameron and Kade really had a great time together and Kade really liked having someone he knew around. Jeff and I missed many of the speakers and just hang out with in the lobby talking with those who sat near. I know there is plenty of time to get to hear those talks we missed when they come for sale in the conference store. This took the pressure off going to "do" things. Instead I focused on my first need which was to connect with like minded folk and talk about things that mattered to me. I did miss talking with some of our friends this time around. I'm hoping that the momentum given by Life is going to get me to emailing. I am here...so it is a start.
Forgot to mention they were able to tour the pirate ship that Johnny Depp was on for Pirates! Cool, yes?!
For those who weren't there, we didn't take pictures, but hope someone caught our kids on film. Here is the flikr link to those pictures: http://www.flickr.com/groups/lifeisgoodconference/
Take note that there are 2 years worth of pictures there...and we were only there this year.
Also, you can check out the conference website: http://www.lifeisgoodconference.com/
Sunday, June 1, 2008
February/March/April/May 08 : Yet more catching up...
These months seemed to fly by. We spent time with Auntie Mary. The boys love to "crash" her place and stay the night. We get to do this pretty often, so everyone is happy. Thankfully, Auntie Mary loves having us. We even get to see our 2nd cousin Sarah and she and I have be crafty together. :) I've truly enjoyed that! Other than that, we have been taking advantage of our Lego Land pass (they have homeschool days, too), we had a wonderful raw dinner party at our friends' house, a dinner party with a Mexican theme at Cameron and Ella's house, our 2 park days and our karate classes. Kai tested into an orange belt (4th level of belt given) and was also invited to the black belt club. This is a huge honor and means he has the focus and motivation needed to train at a faster pace than the regular class. It also means we go 3 days a week, instead of the 2.
February seemed to be the month of cookies. Kade really enjoys snickerdoodles and asked for them at least once a week. His catch is he enjoys the dough, not the baked cookie! So, we had much in our fridge ready for him to nibble on.
March/April found us traveling to see Annie's class project! She made this awesome dress where she had to adjust a pattern and make it all work. It was a gorgeous deep purple and really showed off how incredibly beautiful she is. We got to see our friends Jessi and Luke, once more, too.
April/May came with many sad moments for me, too. My dear friend, Anne Benton, passed away. She has such a beautiful soul and her glow of radiant love always warmed those around her. She left Paul with us. I can't imagine what it would be like to face life alone after having shared it with her for 72 years. Then Clem, or Donny as some knew him, passed away in April, too. I set out for Yreka to attend the service. After flying up to Sacramento, I rented a car and started my unexpected journey back toward where I grew up. Clem was such a huge part of our lives (my bro Andy and I) while we were in high school and a tad before. Clem and Paula were our safe house who just happened to be our MYF(Methodist Youth Fellowship) leaders. They always listened and were just there. Always there. We got together as a group every week, but we also got together more than that. I house sat several times and just enjoyed hangin' out with them. Yearly they took us to Agate Beach where we got to camp. We had the Shasta camp where we learned about who we were and where we fit into this massive world that was making itself known to us. As I drove, it didn't hit me hard until I got to Mt. Shasta. How that mountain really brings my emotions out. It's hard to explain. I just started balling my eyes out...and had to pull over for a bit. Clem's service was great. I got to spend time with Paula and talk at her house after the service. I'm glad Andy let me steal a bit of floor at his house! I truly enjoyed seeing my niece, Mads, and nephew, Nick. They are precious beings so full of energy and love. We have had so little time together with them. Before I knew it, it was time to catch the plane home (a quick 2 night stay...not long enough to see anyone). When I got back, there was a note in the email inbox. My Uncle Bob was struggling in his renewed fight with cancer. He got to see his foal born and I know it meant much to him. Once again I found myself on a plane headed for Sacramento. This was an even shorter trip, as the boys were with Jeff (who had to work from home). I did see our Matteson friends (a bright spot of the trip) and chatted with my cousins that I seem to see only every 5 or so years. It was truly great to hug each one of them and see their precious kids. I felt overwhelmed with the volume of emotional trama, and don't know that I did more than show love and support for those I love.
In this April/May mix, we did have a visit from Baba. It's great to see her often, and I know the boys enjoy the few days she stays. Our kids are at a tough stage, in that they really like games on the Wii and DS. Because they are passionate about them they want you to watch them play. This can be challenging for those (like me) who really don't see the attraction to those types of games. This doesn't mean I don't like Wii sports - it just is tougher for me to get into Star Wars and Super Mario where there are many buttons that do many more things! My brain can't follow that fast! We did, however, get to go to the beach, the pool and try to see the sunset over the beautiful flower gardens that are planted on the hills on the east side of Carlsbad. We missed the best bloom time, but did get a sense of the feel it could have! We were also able to take her to our favorite park in Encinitas that has sand, water, grass and play structures. We had a great time with Baba.
May was ended on such a great note. LIFE is Good came at the perfect time. Thanks, Mary, for rounding us all up and providing us with a place to land! I know I made new friendships that will last a lifetime... How good is that? Mmmm...
February seemed to be the month of cookies. Kade really enjoys snickerdoodles and asked for them at least once a week. His catch is he enjoys the dough, not the baked cookie! So, we had much in our fridge ready for him to nibble on.
March/April found us traveling to see Annie's class project! She made this awesome dress where she had to adjust a pattern and make it all work. It was a gorgeous deep purple and really showed off how incredibly beautiful she is. We got to see our friends Jessi and Luke, once more, too.
April/May came with many sad moments for me, too. My dear friend, Anne Benton, passed away. She has such a beautiful soul and her glow of radiant love always warmed those around her. She left Paul with us. I can't imagine what it would be like to face life alone after having shared it with her for 72 years. Then Clem, or Donny as some knew him, passed away in April, too. I set out for Yreka to attend the service. After flying up to Sacramento, I rented a car and started my unexpected journey back toward where I grew up. Clem was such a huge part of our lives (my bro Andy and I) while we were in high school and a tad before. Clem and Paula were our safe house who just happened to be our MYF(Methodist Youth Fellowship) leaders. They always listened and were just there. Always there. We got together as a group every week, but we also got together more than that. I house sat several times and just enjoyed hangin' out with them. Yearly they took us to Agate Beach where we got to camp. We had the Shasta camp where we learned about who we were and where we fit into this massive world that was making itself known to us. As I drove, it didn't hit me hard until I got to Mt. Shasta. How that mountain really brings my emotions out. It's hard to explain. I just started balling my eyes out...and had to pull over for a bit. Clem's service was great. I got to spend time with Paula and talk at her house after the service. I'm glad Andy let me steal a bit of floor at his house! I truly enjoyed seeing my niece, Mads, and nephew, Nick. They are precious beings so full of energy and love. We have had so little time together with them. Before I knew it, it was time to catch the plane home (a quick 2 night stay...not long enough to see anyone). When I got back, there was a note in the email inbox. My Uncle Bob was struggling in his renewed fight with cancer. He got to see his foal born and I know it meant much to him. Once again I found myself on a plane headed for Sacramento. This was an even shorter trip, as the boys were with Jeff (who had to work from home). I did see our Matteson friends (a bright spot of the trip) and chatted with my cousins that I seem to see only every 5 or so years. It was truly great to hug each one of them and see their precious kids. I felt overwhelmed with the volume of emotional trama, and don't know that I did more than show love and support for those I love.
In this April/May mix, we did have a visit from Baba. It's great to see her often, and I know the boys enjoy the few days she stays. Our kids are at a tough stage, in that they really like games on the Wii and DS. Because they are passionate about them they want you to watch them play. This can be challenging for those (like me) who really don't see the attraction to those types of games. This doesn't mean I don't like Wii sports - it just is tougher for me to get into Star Wars and Super Mario where there are many buttons that do many more things! My brain can't follow that fast! We did, however, get to go to the beach, the pool and try to see the sunset over the beautiful flower gardens that are planted on the hills on the east side of Carlsbad. We missed the best bloom time, but did get a sense of the feel it could have! We were also able to take her to our favorite park in Encinitas that has sand, water, grass and play structures. We had a great time with Baba.
May was ended on such a great note. LIFE is Good came at the perfect time. Thanks, Mary, for rounding us all up and providing us with a place to land! I know I made new friendships that will last a lifetime... How good is that? Mmmm...
January 08 : more catching up
January found us going to karate 2 days a week, meeting up with our friends at the park days 2 days a week, going to the library as a family and playing on the Wii. It also found me pain free! I had been getting cranio and massage done by Prana. With his help I was able to break through to the next level of healing. Now I am able to do so much more! All of us are benefitting from this and we are loving it! Other happenings: Annie came to visit us and allowed us to bore her to death! Other than these, January was a pretty mello month.
December 07
December 07: Now we were decorating our pad for the holidays. Kade and Kai loved putting up our rescued fake tree (which I just can't bear to throw into some landfill, even though we are its second owners and has seen much better days)! It requires some attention to detail if one wishes to have it look semi like the real deal. The boys both donned on gloves and helped spread the branches and put them on in order. Decorating at our house is a hoot...because the kids do most of it. This means that our decorations a few years ago were all located about 2 feet of the floor. This year we managed to have things between 3 and 4 feet up (depending on who held the hammer!) and they were more spread out! The tree looked great once decorated. The walls looked great because there was nothing on them to interfere with the kids' creativity of design (and today we still don't have pictures up!!!) We also were blessed in having all our new friends over to help us bake cookies...and did we ever have fun! We even managed to make some raw gingerbread cookies (which although they didn't get crunchy were gone in short order with that luscious raw frosting dolloped on top).
Kade found Lynn Forbes Studio this month. If you follow the link and go to the side bar, click on 'Youth, Family, Homeschool' Kade is in the first picture there! At the time, we were checking out the karate studio across the way, and Kade walked into Lynn's space and made himself at home. He spent a total of 90 minutes working with clay and she was great enough to let us sign up for week/by/week lessons. This lasted for a while until Kade decided he missed family time on Saturdays. We really appreciate his priorities! Eventually he may decide to return to the clay work and I hope he does, because he was quite good.
We found a Karate Studio for Kai! Kade decided he wanted to try it out too, so we had 2 boys in for the first 3 months. Thankfully, our true lessons waited till the first of the year to begin.
Christmas came and found us the proud owners of a Wii. SO, we lost the boys for at least a month in between the cool gifts and the cool Wii.
Kade found Lynn Forbes Studio this month. If you follow the link and go to the side bar, click on 'Youth, Family, Homeschool' Kade is in the first picture there! At the time, we were checking out the karate studio across the way, and Kade walked into Lynn's space and made himself at home. He spent a total of 90 minutes working with clay and she was great enough to let us sign up for week/by/week lessons. This lasted for a while until Kade decided he missed family time on Saturdays. We really appreciate his priorities! Eventually he may decide to return to the clay work and I hope he does, because he was quite good.
We found a Karate Studio for Kai! Kade decided he wanted to try it out too, so we had 2 boys in for the first 3 months. Thankfully, our true lessons waited till the first of the year to begin.
Christmas came and found us the proud owners of a Wii. SO, we lost the boys for at least a month in between the cool gifts and the cool Wii.
November 07 : catching up
November 07: Found us getting ready for the holiday season. Holiday letters and holiday gifts were begun (since we like to make most of them...and the shipping time has to be included!). As Thanksgiving came around, we were able to share the time with our wonderful extended family, the Jenkins/Zevon crowd. We were able to meet up with them at Auntie Mary's house in Laguna Niguel and then we headed out of her cozy 800 sq ft home to Marie Calendar's. There were cousins galore...and Kade and Kai were in their element. Kade just attached himself to the lovely/beautiful teen girls! Then there was cousin Rob - who listens to them AND knows magic tricks. Can't get much cooler than that! Anyhoo, that is when the our family photo was taken (the one up at the top right of the blog).
October 07 : catching up
October 07: Mid month we were visited by Baba - which we all enjoyed. We were able to hunt for pumpkins! We ended up at a cool farm that had tons of activities and tons of pumpkins. We opted for one huge pumpkin rather than 4 little ones. I tell ya, this is the way to go! It was a sinch to clean out and carve, unlike the smaller ones. We discovered this year that if you mar the surface, it glows when lit from inside. This added a lot to our designs and expanded our desires for carvings. Kade wanted a crazy face, so made tons of marks on his side, Kai chose Naruto, so I helped out with his side. Jeff made a face on his side and it let a lot of light through. I took the top and made a spider web design to incorporate the lid. It turned out great. Here's some pictures!
The fires started just after we got home from the pumpkin farm and we were jolted into a reality that things are just things and that natural disasters can happen anywhere you live. I will say that the threat of wildfires seemed more appealing to me than the threat of tornadoes (like we had in TN). Anyhoo, Baba got to 'enjoy' our packing the overnight/day bag and making sure we knew what our evacuation plan was. Our area was under a voluntary evacuation order, but we chose to stay. Jeff was super good at work handling all the HR things that go into an emergency situation. I know some workers were under mandatory evacuations. Too scary. However, the winds died down enough for the firefighters to be able to do their thing. Time cleared the air of smoke and we continued on with our lives.
Other things that happened? Well, I remember only tid bits: looking for a karate studio for Kai (we tried 2 before we found the right one...and that wasn't till later), finding other groups of kids (we ended up finding two great ones!) and trying to meet up with them. We finally did and are still enjoying every minute we spend with our new friends. Our big event was our trip back to Nashville. As part of the moving deal, we promised the boys they could go back to TN to be with our friends Samuel, Benjamin and Caroline for Halloween. This was decided mostly by the kids - since they had made Halloween plans way before we even started talking about moving. I piled on the plane with 2 really excited boys and we headed off to see our old hometown - costumes in tow. The boys decided to be Star Wars characters and so I sewed together some robes, tunics, belts and boots to make them actually appear to BE those Star Wars characters. The TN boys were also getting their Star Wars costumes together as well. Kade changed his mind and wanted to be Yoda Halloween day. So, I took Caroline, Kade and Kai with me to Michael's and purchased material that would help Kade look like Yoda. We got back to the house and started working on the mask and hands. The kids found the perfect Yoda walking stick in the yard, and Kade finally had his costume. In the mean time, Caroline helped sew things together and she was able to make a great little blanket out of the mask/glove trimmings. As well, we got some paper and made more Halloween decorations, we got to carve some pumpkins and we really had a blast walking around the neighborhood and seeing familiar faces. All in all, the visit was incredible. We really connected with our cool friends and enjoyed our time immensely. As we left, we made plans for the next year...
The fires started just after we got home from the pumpkin farm and we were jolted into a reality that things are just things and that natural disasters can happen anywhere you live. I will say that the threat of wildfires seemed more appealing to me than the threat of tornadoes (like we had in TN). Anyhoo, Baba got to 'enjoy' our packing the overnight/day bag and making sure we knew what our evacuation plan was. Our area was under a voluntary evacuation order, but we chose to stay. Jeff was super good at work handling all the HR things that go into an emergency situation. I know some workers were under mandatory evacuations. Too scary. However, the winds died down enough for the firefighters to be able to do their thing. Time cleared the air of smoke and we continued on with our lives.
Other things that happened? Well, I remember only tid bits: looking for a karate studio for Kai (we tried 2 before we found the right one...and that wasn't till later), finding other groups of kids (we ended up finding two great ones!) and trying to meet up with them. We finally did and are still enjoying every minute we spend with our new friends. Our big event was our trip back to Nashville. As part of the moving deal, we promised the boys they could go back to TN to be with our friends Samuel, Benjamin and Caroline for Halloween. This was decided mostly by the kids - since they had made Halloween plans way before we even started talking about moving. I piled on the plane with 2 really excited boys and we headed off to see our old hometown - costumes in tow. The boys decided to be Star Wars characters and so I sewed together some robes, tunics, belts and boots to make them actually appear to BE those Star Wars characters. The TN boys were also getting their Star Wars costumes together as well. Kade changed his mind and wanted to be Yoda Halloween day. So, I took Caroline, Kade and Kai with me to Michael's and purchased material that would help Kade look like Yoda. We got back to the house and started working on the mask and hands. The kids found the perfect Yoda walking stick in the yard, and Kade finally had his costume. In the mean time, Caroline helped sew things together and she was able to make a great little blanket out of the mask/glove trimmings. As well, we got some paper and made more Halloween decorations, we got to carve some pumpkins and we really had a blast walking around the neighborhood and seeing familiar faces. All in all, the visit was incredible. We really connected with our cool friends and enjoyed our time immensely. As we left, we made plans for the next year...
September 07 : catch up time
September 07: Off to the Live and Learn Conference we go...and we get to celebrate Kade's birthday while there! We have an amazing time and are thrilled to be with like minded folk. Of course, our lives are made a bit better for the people/friends/chats/presentations/campfire songs/funshops/activities we participated in. I can't believe we had the nerve to go flying over our household goods as they were being transported toward our new home. I do remember how much of a challenge it was packing for the trip 2 months in advance! We also had to make sure we could fly with it stuffed into the limited number of bags we could carry. Fun times there! I have to include in here that the boys were definitely exploring their surroundings. As can happen when you are in an exciting place, sleep was something you did only when absolutely necessary. Thus, the boys were out and about at 9:30 pm when they found the game room. There, Kade saw the Wii in action...and became a Guitar Hero junkie! The boys were in there until 3:00 am enjoying the heck out of the new found gaming system...and were still up early the next morning to start their exploration all over again! Kai surprised us by volunteering to be in the talent show - and did an awesome karate demonstration with Devon. I'll try and post the video so that you can see it! Kai is in the green shirt and Devon is in the white. They really worked hard on making sure they knew what moves each was doing so they didn't end up hurting each other. Amazing that they thought that far in advance, no?
Our pictures, I think, are all on this flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/groups/72039428@N00/
After we got back, we had our things delivered. Yeah! Unpacking began and we started settling in. We didn't have too much time before we were traveling north. Annie turned 18 (can you believe it?) the end of September. We were able to head up to the Monterey/Santa Cruz area to help her celebrate! While there we got to see our friends Jessi and Luke and play at the cool Dennis the Menace Park and go to the downtown street market. The boys had a grand time, as did we. Stokes Adobe was kind enough to allow us crazies have a special desert (thanks Kirk!) and I highly recommend the restaurant to all who go through (though kids may need to be a tad older and less picky eaters than ours to actually eat there!) 'Nough to say, we truly enjoyed celebrating Annie's 18th birthday
Our pictures, I think, are all on this flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/groups/72039428@N00/
After we got back, we had our things delivered. Yeah! Unpacking began and we started settling in. We didn't have too much time before we were traveling north. Annie turned 18 (can you believe it?) the end of September. We were able to head up to the Monterey/Santa Cruz area to help her celebrate! While there we got to see our friends Jessi and Luke and play at the cool Dennis the Menace Park and go to the downtown street market. The boys had a grand time, as did we. Stokes Adobe was kind enough to allow us crazies have a special desert (thanks Kirk!) and I highly recommend the restaurant to all who go through (though kids may need to be a tad older and less picky eaters than ours to actually eat there!) 'Nough to say, we truly enjoyed celebrating Annie's 18th birthday
August 07 : a synopsis
Know that I have undoubtedly forgotten some of the things...but I've tried to include all I remember...
August 07: We move to this beautiful area! We arrive before our cars and are put up in temp housing by Jeff's employer (thankfully). Our cars are delayed by a few weeks, so we are without a car (the kids and I) for a bit and find that we are still enjoying our time! We get to swim at the pool, had friends from out of town over, convince our friends (Kate and kids) to meet us for the first time for a swim at the complex pool, Auntie Mary and Uncle Jimmy come and see our temporary pad and have dinner with us!! How cool is that! Most of the month is taken up with finding a place (thanks to Toni who showed me many houses and condos) getting details of our car delivery, household goods delivery and adjustment to the new area stuff. We do have the chance to get to Lego Land - and promptly get passes because it's so cool - and because the kids love it! Both Jeff and I are amazed at how well the kids are doing. We do, however, talk about and call our McGreevy friends in TN quite often because we do miss them terribly.
August 07: We move to this beautiful area! We arrive before our cars and are put up in temp housing by Jeff's employer (thankfully). Our cars are delayed by a few weeks, so we are without a car (the kids and I) for a bit and find that we are still enjoying our time! We get to swim at the pool, had friends from out of town over, convince our friends (Kate and kids) to meet us for the first time for a swim at the complex pool, Auntie Mary and Uncle Jimmy come and see our temporary pad and have dinner with us!! How cool is that! Most of the month is taken up with finding a place (thanks to Toni who showed me many houses and condos) getting details of our car delivery, household goods delivery and adjustment to the new area stuff. We do have the chance to get to Lego Land - and promptly get passes because it's so cool - and because the kids love it! Both Jeff and I are amazed at how well the kids are doing. We do, however, talk about and call our McGreevy friends in TN quite often because we do miss them terribly.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
My healing journey
I am only posting this because I was asked at the conference what I went through. For those who already know, just skip it! I have been pain free since 1/16/08, so feel like I'm on top of the world! I still have some sensations, but it is few and far between. I wish I knew how to link to a document, but don't so here it is...
March 22, 2007
I’m hoping to get this all together. Not just for you, but for others out there who are suffering from this disease and can’t find any information on alternative treatments.
I was diagnosed with RSD/CRPS about 3 months after an injury to my foot. That was in October of 2004. By the time of the diagnosis I was unable to walk for any period of time. I could not wear shoes and had to make socks that would not fit snuggly and were extra warm. I was in searing pain 24/7. I was not able to have anything on the foot that had weight (such as a blanket while sleeping). I was having intense flare-ups after each shower I took due to the difference in temperature of the water and the air hitting my foot. I was feeling heightened pain sensations when I was near any electronics (so much so that we had to take everything out of the bedroom – including the clock) and I could feel when the refrigerator began running even when sitting in a different room.
In a nutshell, I believe RSD afflicts us because our bodies and minds have been overtaxed and our bodies can’t handle any more traumas. One has to stop exposing the body to toxins as well as stop putting things into the body that are hard for the body to process and eliminate. If more good things go into the body and less bad, the body will be able to cleanse and heal. With this in mind, I have done things to cleanse both my body and spirit – to visualize and see myself as whole and able to maintain balance within. I constantly visualize myself doing everything I wish – pain free and without repercussions of those actions. One of the biggest right now is being able to ride bikes with the kids. I see myself able to run around with them at the park without any hesitation. I have certain shoes I feel on my feet in comfort. Sand in between my toes feels soft!
I have tried many things that have failed. Pain killers only helped for a very limited time and did nothing but take the edge off of the pain. They also made it easier for me to do more than I could reasonably expect and I often paid dearly for it. Pain killers did nothing for the swelling and ultra-sensitivity to touch my foot seemed to have. The warm/cold water baths the physical therapist suggested were absolute torture. It took me at least 2 weeks to come down from those flare-ups (I only did it twice). Most of what the physical therapy did was not effective for the disease, but may have helped keep the muscles from total atrophy. I stopped all formal and/or conventional therapies within the first 4 months. I used a special herb blend to take down the swelling called Bio-Inflammatory Plus by Biogenesis. I was able to get these through a nutritionist in the area.
In my meditations (5 minutes before bed is all I have carved out for myself so far) I confirm that I am whole and complete and healing. I am finding the positive mental healing is there if we dwell in it.
There are things I have physically tried that have helped. These are lymphatic drainage, detox-ing via juicing, quantum touch energy healing, craniosacral work and raw foods.
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE:
Most massage places will have someone that does lymphatic drainage. It’s the only system in our body that doesn’t have its own pump. When I first went in to get the lymphatic drainage massage, the practitioner said my lymph system had a light pulse at the groin, had no pulse at the knee and was trying to go backwards at the foot/ankle. I went to several sessions until the system was going in the right direction. I have since found those mini trampolines. Bouncing (just an inch up and down) create the ‘pump’ for the lymphatic system. I started with 50 bounces every time I went to the restroom. This meant that I was ‘pumping’ my system many times a day. It’s an amazing feeling and you can tell immediately that it is working because your whole body tingles. You don’t need the trampoline, either; it just makes the bouncing easier when you have RSD in your lower extremities.
DETOX-ING VIA JUICING:
The next step I took toward healing is a whole body detox. I first tried the Master Cleanse by Peter Glickman. I recommend you buy the booklet before trying this one. It’s worth the money to have it on hand. I started the Master Cleanse and within 2 hours was vomiting. My body was so overwhelmed with toxic stuff that it couldn’t handle the onslaught of junk in my system. I stopped immediately and looked for a more gentle start to cleansing. I then found a good juicer and started juicing vegetables 2 times a day and eating a vegetarian dinner. I stayed away from sweets and from anything white (flour, pasta, rice and potatoes). The juicer I started with was the Champion, but I have since been using the Green Star Juicer. I highly recommend the Green Star since it does everything you can ask a juicer to do and does it really well. It will also help you if you decide to eat more of a raw diet. The Green Star will also juice leafy greens and wheat grass. I highly recommend the wheat grass juice for its healing qualities. When I began the juice detox, I started with carrot adding in one of the following: fresh ginger, beet, kale, cucumber or celery. I used the carrot as a base for the others, but you may find in your research that you prefer another juicing method. I was on this juice fast for 21 days. Thereafter, I juiced once a day for about a year. I still try and juice at least 3 times a week.
QUANTUM TOUCH:
Quantum touch has changed how I see healing. When I first heard of the workshops, I told Jeff that it was either the biggest and saddest scam ever or it would be exactly what I needed. Quantum touch funnels life force energy (which is all around us) through one person into another in order to heighten the vibration of the one being ‘worked on’. This heightened vibration amps up the healing ability of the receiver’s body. I took the class the weekend before Halloween 2005 and by the end of the workshop I was able to walk and wear my tights and go trick or treating with the boys. I was totally pain free for almost 2 full months. It did come back, but it has never been as intense as it was. I am not able to run energy on myself effectively, but know that I get some healing as I work on others. I choose one person to work on every day (distance healing) and I have a friend I work on every week in person. I do not put limitations on this type of healing. For some, it heals quickly and they have immediate tangible results. For others, it may take more time for the body to heal. This modality can never hurt you and at a minimum will relax you more so you can deal with the pain. Yet it has the potential to completely heal you.
CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY:
This modality has done tremendous things for my body. I can say it has literally changed my body for the better. I have been able to let go of so much emotional baggage through this and feel as if my soul has been lightened of its load. I believe our body holds onto emotions we haven’t dealt with as well as physical things. Our body has cell memory. We have the ability to let our body go back and heal itself until it has returned to its true state. Craniosacral therapy has healed me both emotionally and physically.
RAW FOODS:
I have come a long way from where I started. Most days I am pain free. I get flare-ups when I do too much, do something new that I am not used to, or when my foot gets chilled/cold. I would say I am 85% pain free at this point. Besides the almost 2 months of pain free time mentioned above, I have only been totally pain free while on a 100% raw foods diet. When I came off the raw foods, I could tell immediately that I was no longer on them. The area on my foot that has RSD was sensitive to the touch again and I began to have flare-ups again. I can’t say enough for the raw foods, as I know my health is and has improved. It is a challenge to maintain a 100% raw diet. I have been raw for 2 months solid and am currently trying to get back on it 100%. It takes great dedication, but must be a bit more doable without having to serve others who are not 100% raw! Most people, from what I gather, fall out of the raw habit about 4 times before they are able to stay 100% raw. There is more out there than just salads and the like. Many recipes are available for free and there are some fabulous raw recipe books. It is so worth the time it takes to change. The recipes are often no more work than a regular cooked meal would be, and there are no pots or pans to clean. For equipment, I recommend getting a really good blender (like KTec), a food processor, and a food dehydrator (9 tray if you can find one). All items can be frozen after prep and then eaten throughout the week. I have to stress this – it’s the only time I have been completely pain and sensation free!
I hope this helps those who are looking for something other than the conventional treatment of RSD. I know our bodies can heal themselves and with help we can cure ourselves of horrendous disease. Believe and live in that reality.
In peace.
March 22, 2007
I’m hoping to get this all together. Not just for you, but for others out there who are suffering from this disease and can’t find any information on alternative treatments.
I was diagnosed with RSD/CRPS about 3 months after an injury to my foot. That was in October of 2004. By the time of the diagnosis I was unable to walk for any period of time. I could not wear shoes and had to make socks that would not fit snuggly and were extra warm. I was in searing pain 24/7. I was not able to have anything on the foot that had weight (such as a blanket while sleeping). I was having intense flare-ups after each shower I took due to the difference in temperature of the water and the air hitting my foot. I was feeling heightened pain sensations when I was near any electronics (so much so that we had to take everything out of the bedroom – including the clock) and I could feel when the refrigerator began running even when sitting in a different room.
In a nutshell, I believe RSD afflicts us because our bodies and minds have been overtaxed and our bodies can’t handle any more traumas. One has to stop exposing the body to toxins as well as stop putting things into the body that are hard for the body to process and eliminate. If more good things go into the body and less bad, the body will be able to cleanse and heal. With this in mind, I have done things to cleanse both my body and spirit – to visualize and see myself as whole and able to maintain balance within. I constantly visualize myself doing everything I wish – pain free and without repercussions of those actions. One of the biggest right now is being able to ride bikes with the kids. I see myself able to run around with them at the park without any hesitation. I have certain shoes I feel on my feet in comfort. Sand in between my toes feels soft!
I have tried many things that have failed. Pain killers only helped for a very limited time and did nothing but take the edge off of the pain. They also made it easier for me to do more than I could reasonably expect and I often paid dearly for it. Pain killers did nothing for the swelling and ultra-sensitivity to touch my foot seemed to have. The warm/cold water baths the physical therapist suggested were absolute torture. It took me at least 2 weeks to come down from those flare-ups (I only did it twice). Most of what the physical therapy did was not effective for the disease, but may have helped keep the muscles from total atrophy. I stopped all formal and/or conventional therapies within the first 4 months. I used a special herb blend to take down the swelling called Bio-Inflammatory Plus by Biogenesis. I was able to get these through a nutritionist in the area.
In my meditations (5 minutes before bed is all I have carved out for myself so far) I confirm that I am whole and complete and healing. I am finding the positive mental healing is there if we dwell in it.
There are things I have physically tried that have helped. These are lymphatic drainage, detox-ing via juicing, quantum touch energy healing, craniosacral work and raw foods.
LYMPHATIC DRAINAGE:
Most massage places will have someone that does lymphatic drainage. It’s the only system in our body that doesn’t have its own pump. When I first went in to get the lymphatic drainage massage, the practitioner said my lymph system had a light pulse at the groin, had no pulse at the knee and was trying to go backwards at the foot/ankle. I went to several sessions until the system was going in the right direction. I have since found those mini trampolines. Bouncing (just an inch up and down) create the ‘pump’ for the lymphatic system. I started with 50 bounces every time I went to the restroom. This meant that I was ‘pumping’ my system many times a day. It’s an amazing feeling and you can tell immediately that it is working because your whole body tingles. You don’t need the trampoline, either; it just makes the bouncing easier when you have RSD in your lower extremities.
DETOX-ING VIA JUICING:
The next step I took toward healing is a whole body detox. I first tried the Master Cleanse by Peter Glickman. I recommend you buy the booklet before trying this one. It’s worth the money to have it on hand. I started the Master Cleanse and within 2 hours was vomiting. My body was so overwhelmed with toxic stuff that it couldn’t handle the onslaught of junk in my system. I stopped immediately and looked for a more gentle start to cleansing. I then found a good juicer and started juicing vegetables 2 times a day and eating a vegetarian dinner. I stayed away from sweets and from anything white (flour, pasta, rice and potatoes). The juicer I started with was the Champion, but I have since been using the Green Star Juicer. I highly recommend the Green Star since it does everything you can ask a juicer to do and does it really well. It will also help you if you decide to eat more of a raw diet. The Green Star will also juice leafy greens and wheat grass. I highly recommend the wheat grass juice for its healing qualities. When I began the juice detox, I started with carrot adding in one of the following: fresh ginger, beet, kale, cucumber or celery. I used the carrot as a base for the others, but you may find in your research that you prefer another juicing method. I was on this juice fast for 21 days. Thereafter, I juiced once a day for about a year. I still try and juice at least 3 times a week.
QUANTUM TOUCH:
Quantum touch has changed how I see healing. When I first heard of the workshops, I told Jeff that it was either the biggest and saddest scam ever or it would be exactly what I needed. Quantum touch funnels life force energy (which is all around us) through one person into another in order to heighten the vibration of the one being ‘worked on’. This heightened vibration amps up the healing ability of the receiver’s body. I took the class the weekend before Halloween 2005 and by the end of the workshop I was able to walk and wear my tights and go trick or treating with the boys. I was totally pain free for almost 2 full months. It did come back, but it has never been as intense as it was. I am not able to run energy on myself effectively, but know that I get some healing as I work on others. I choose one person to work on every day (distance healing) and I have a friend I work on every week in person. I do not put limitations on this type of healing. For some, it heals quickly and they have immediate tangible results. For others, it may take more time for the body to heal. This modality can never hurt you and at a minimum will relax you more so you can deal with the pain. Yet it has the potential to completely heal you.
CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY:
This modality has done tremendous things for my body. I can say it has literally changed my body for the better. I have been able to let go of so much emotional baggage through this and feel as if my soul has been lightened of its load. I believe our body holds onto emotions we haven’t dealt with as well as physical things. Our body has cell memory. We have the ability to let our body go back and heal itself until it has returned to its true state. Craniosacral therapy has healed me both emotionally and physically.
RAW FOODS:
I have come a long way from where I started. Most days I am pain free. I get flare-ups when I do too much, do something new that I am not used to, or when my foot gets chilled/cold. I would say I am 85% pain free at this point. Besides the almost 2 months of pain free time mentioned above, I have only been totally pain free while on a 100% raw foods diet. When I came off the raw foods, I could tell immediately that I was no longer on them. The area on my foot that has RSD was sensitive to the touch again and I began to have flare-ups again. I can’t say enough for the raw foods, as I know my health is and has improved. It is a challenge to maintain a 100% raw diet. I have been raw for 2 months solid and am currently trying to get back on it 100%. It takes great dedication, but must be a bit more doable without having to serve others who are not 100% raw! Most people, from what I gather, fall out of the raw habit about 4 times before they are able to stay 100% raw. There is more out there than just salads and the like. Many recipes are available for free and there are some fabulous raw recipe books. It is so worth the time it takes to change. The recipes are often no more work than a regular cooked meal would be, and there are no pots or pans to clean. For equipment, I recommend getting a really good blender (like KTec), a food processor, and a food dehydrator (9 tray if you can find one). All items can be frozen after prep and then eaten throughout the week. I have to stress this – it’s the only time I have been completely pain and sensation free!
I hope this helps those who are looking for something other than the conventional treatment of RSD. I know our bodies can heal themselves and with help we can cure ourselves of horrendous disease. Believe and live in that reality.
In peace.
Things...
Since it appears my brain is not quite empty enough to get to sleep, I will choose to spend my time here. There are still things I wish to add to this blog: 1) a digest of things that have happened to us from the original posts back in Aug 07 till now, 2) my health things that might be of interest to some, 3) individual happenings/interests of each of us, 4) what we have done since we got back from LIFE, 5) pictures added so you can see what we have done and are up to.
Now...to get started!
Now...to get started!
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