This isn't exactly about food outside the fact that changing my diet has been one of the single most powerful tools that has improved my well being. Like many people with Fibromyalgia, Adrenal Fatigue and digestive issues, I have tried many things that haven't worked. Add to that attention deficit/executive functioning issues which make it very difficult to start and stick to anything, and even things that might work in the long term are very difficult to maintain. Turns out though, when something makes a serious and immediate impact, it is much easier to stick with! I have had very few of these, but I thought it was worth sharing those things that have.
Nutrition - I've tried all sorts of nutritional theories over the years and nothing really seemed to make a major difference until I tried eating Paleo/Primal. I had gone gluten free before with no noticeable change, but cutting out all grains gave me more energy than I've had in my adult life for the first few weeks. It went down a bit over the winter and with work stress, but as the sun has been out more, my energy has picked up more. I've experimented with different foods, and discovered that the Perfect Health Diet has been the best fit for me so far, which includes white rice and is a little less restrictive. When I had a ton of non-gluten grains and some legumes for my son's birthday, I felt like a mac truck hit me the next day. I hadn't realized how much better my fatigue had gotten until I remembered having that feeling all the time! If I have too much sugar I tend to get brain dead in the evening and just veg out. I do plan on doing some experimentation with sprouted or fermented beans and non-gluten grains, but for now it's working for me pretty well. If I choose to eat something "forbidden," I don't stress about it. I enjoy it with the awareness that it's worth it in the moment. I'm not often tempted by most grains though, since it's rarely worth the way it makes me feel!
Acupuncture - I first started acupuncture about 13 years ago, and woke up for the first time pain free in years. I got rear ended that day and it started to loose it's effectiveness. I do believe that it was responsible for me getting healthy enough to have my son and a very healthy pregnancy. In fact, it may have contributed to the fact that pregnancy was the healthiest time in my adult life. I have had the occasional pain free moment following acupuncture, but not always. It does, however, consistently reduce my tension and pain, especially when cupping or scraping is used.
Myofascal Stretching - I was a chronic physical therapy dropout until I was trying to get pregnant and stuck to it until the physical therapist gave up on me. At that point, I got referred to acupuncture. However, there has been one stretching tool that made such a difference that I did them religiously for about 5 years. These stretches targeted my chronic headaches that I had had about 50% of the time for at least a year. The headaches stopped, and as long as I kept them up, they didn't come back. After a while I got out of the habit, and it probably took another 5 years before the headaches came back. Now I'm back to doing them every night. I have searched online for something describing these stretches, but can't find anything that does. I decided to share here what worked for me.
Fascia is the connective tissue surrounding your cells. The way it was described to me, if you over stretch, the fascia can snap back like a rubber band. Myofascal stretching uses micro stretches that you hold for a minute or so until you feel a release. The ones I did focused on my neck tension. It is important to note that the pictures below are exaggerated to show the difference in each move. When I actually started doing them, you could barely see my head move. The key is to stop the second you feel a slight stretch - not pain. Then hold for a minute.
Nightly headache prevention stretches:
1. Look down - hold
2. Tilt head to the side - hold
3. Keep head tilted and look down - hold
4. Keep head tilted and look up - hold
5. Repeat steps 2-4 on other side
The above stretches worked most of the time and kept not only headaches at bay, but also improved my tendency to get car sick. I have, on occasion though, experienced nauseous headaches or motion sickness. The following stretches help with nausea so much that I stop and do them any time I feel it coming on, and they stop it in its tracks!
Anti-nausea stretches:
1. Lean head back with head support, either behind your head upright, or laying down (a towel behind your neck to support is helpful)
2. Look to one side - hold
3. Look to the other side - hold
This concept can be applied to other areas of tension by just passively stretching the area that is tense and holding for a minute or until released. I have done this when my jaw is tight by simply holding my mouth open. Just remember to stop and hold at a slight stretch sensation and before it feels like pain.
Movement - This has been something I get glimpses of every now and then, but with my past fatigue, it's been hard to get myself moving. Now that I have more energy through diet, I'm getting into yoga. I could see a difference doing hot yoga the last month, but as it's getting hotter outside, I haven't wanted to increase inflammation. I'm working on finding good routines I can do at home, and hope I can maintain it since I'm starting to see the benefits. I think the hot yoga was a good way to start for me, since it's a more immediate impact. I do believe though that regular practice on my own will be a good thing. Another thing that has helped when I do it is a daily 5-10 minute walk. Recently, I've found a free app on my iPad called "Office Fitness" that gives a reminder at a set time of day to take a 5 minute guided movement break on an area of focus of your choosing. I'm not using it every day, but when I do, I notice a difference!
In thinking about this post, I asked my friends "What healing approaches/techniques have had an immediate impact for you (difference within 2 weeks or so)?" Some of the answers I got included: Ancestralization/ Dagara Rituals, meditation, yoga, studying nonviolent communication, kickboxing, high dose vitamin D, crystals and stones, acupuncture mixed with cupping, compassion practice and mindfulness.
What strategies have had an immediate impact for you? Comment below:
