Alternative Medicine - scary words for some, ridiculous to others. To be honest, I never dreamed I would be an advocate of alternative medicinal therapies, but, I have changed my mind. I started this year off with a reboot theme, and I am not straying from that. I am working on finding better ways to treat my Lupus and the depression and anxiety that go hand in hand with the flares that arise from this horrible disease.

I have to be honest, I just ended a round of antibiotics and prednisone because my Lupus decided that my kidneys were a foreign object to be attacked & the infection was pretty unbearable. I wasn't happy about it, I hate taking the stuff, but when I have to I do it. These kinds of drugs throw my system out of whack and this time was no different. Because the antibiotics kill ALL bacteria, good and bad, and because prednisone shuts down your immune system, I ended up with a nice little e-coli infection. BUT, I am attacking that with essential oils and my homeopathic remedy and lots of rest.


Let's talk about stress, and what it can do to our bodies. I never believed this either, but have learned that stress is a huge factor in our over all health and that learning to control it can be a benefit in the long run. It certainly is a factor in this most recent flare. I haven't stopped running since September. Between taking care of Gramma while performing in a pretty high demand show, saying goodbye to Gramma, the holidays, selling Grammas house and everything in it, getting a new job, and working on my credential & CBEST studying - yeah, I am exhausted - from the stress of it all. The physical and emotional stress have hit this poor body hard. Those of us with Lupus will always suck it up and push through and tell you we are fine, until we aren't. Anyway, stress:

Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price.

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger—whether it’s real or imagined—the body's defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight-or-freeze” reaction, or the stress response. The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life—giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. (Or giving you the stamina to climb out of a demolished car that has trapped you in... true story!)

But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life.

Because of the widespread damage stress can cause, it's important to know your own limit. But just how much stress is "too much" differs from person to person. We're all different. Some people are able to roll with the punches, while others seem to crumble in the face of far smaller obstacles or frustrations. Your ability to tolerate stress depends on many factors, including the quality of your relationships, your general outlook on life, your emotional intelligence, and genetics.

Some typical responses to stress:

Physical:

• Aches and pains
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Nausea, dizziness
• Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
• Loss of sex drive
• Frequent colds 

Behavioral:

•  Eating more or less
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Isolating yourself from others
• Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
• Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
• Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

Emotional:

•  Moodiness
• Irritability or short temper
• Agitation, inability to relax
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Sense of loneliness and isolation
• Depression or general unhappiness

 Being aware of the signs of being over-stressed is important.  Taking the proper steps to avoid being over-stressed, and/or to treat the stress is just as important. How does alternative medicine play into this? Here are a few ideas: (in no particular order.)

Acupuncture 
Yoga
Massage
Homeopathy - (find a good homeopath, Homeopathy First in Exeter CA is fabulous!)
(my homeopathic remedy has gotten me off of Xanax completely! there are some great otc remedies, Calms works well!)
Essential Oils - (I am using lavendar and Lemon and Bergamot - diffused and topically)
Music
Exercise - (When I feel anxiety coming on, I try to get out and walk - it helps!)
Meditation
Prayer
Biofeedback - (just learning to breathe in a certain way when I feel anxious helps a lot!)
AND talk to someone, anyone!
Find what works for you and make no apologies!

Most especially, LET IT OUT! That stress has to go somewhere and if you bundle it all in and don't let it out it is going to manifest itself in all kinds of ugly ways.

More on homeopathy next time, I have an appointment next week and am staying to listen to a lecture after. :-)

HOMEOPATHY

Wait, don't stop reading! Keep an open mind and read about the LaMar's adventures with homeopathy. I might just change your mind.

Our first experience with Homeopathy was 23 years ago and it centered around our then 7 month old daughter Tracy. Poor Tracy was born with Eczema and ear infections. We kept taking her back to the Pediatrician and they kept putting her on creams for her skin and antibiotics for her ears. Nothing was working and the poor baby wasn't sleeping, she cried all the time and she was just miserable. Throughout all of this she never ran a fever - this is important and I will come back to it later.

The Pediatrician told us we had no choice but to have tubes put in Tracy's ears. The problem with this "solution" was that there was  no guarantee that the tubes would solve the problem, in fact there was only a 40% chance that they would help. AND, she wouldn't be able to get her ears wet, AND, if she did get an ear infection it would be twice as bad with the tubes. Then our Pediatrician told us to look at alternative options, mainly Homeopathy. Living right in our little town of Three Rivers was a nationally known Homeopathic Doctor. Dr. A.J. Rice was not only a Homeopath, but also an MD and the former director of Kaweah Delta Hospital's Trauma Unit. Yes, he was a bit of a hippy - he wore Birkenstock Sandals no matter what the weather and actually lived in a Teepee for several years - but he had a reputation for helping people, so we decided to take Tracy to see him.

Now just for a moment, put yourself in the position of the patient. A typical visit includes the Doctor, hopefully one that remembers your name, going through a checklist of symptoms, giving you meds and sending you on your way. Homeopathy is different - the doctor actually listens to you! Imagine that! Of  course he had to talk to us about Tracy, since she was far too young to talk, but by discussing her symptoms, her behavior, her preferences and her personality Dr Rice was able to formulate a remedy for her. It took a few tries, a couple of months of trying, but when a body has been that sick for that long miracles don't happen overnight. He tried a few different remedies and finally tried a combination that worked. The key was getting Tracy's body to spike a fever - once that happened we knew that her immune system was once again functioning properly. Tracy is now 24 years old and I am happy to say that she has had very few ear infections since starting homeopathy.  The rest of us have been seeing Dr. Rice and now Dr. Torey Ivanic ever since. (Dr Rice passed away a couple of years ago.)

What is Homeopathy?  Founded in the 1700's in Germany, homeopathy, or homeopathic medicine, is a medical philosophy and practice based on the idea that the body has the ability to heal itself. A homeopathic health practitioner (homeopath) uses pills or liquid mixtures (solutions) containing only a little of an active ingredient (usually a plant or mineral) for treatment of disease.

I know it sounds crazy, but there is so much more to it than that. Homeopathic doctors listen - they really listen to you. I have never had a homeopath give me any guarantees, in fact, Dr Rice told me that he certainly couldn't cure Lupus, but he could treat my symptoms. Well, modern medicine can't do any more than that, and let me tell you that steroids, anti-malarial drugs and chemotherapy drugs are a real bummer! I haven't taken an antibiotic in over 5 years and in today's world that is saying something. We are becoming resistant to antibiotics because of over-use, isn't it time to explore other ways to be healthy? 

Re-boot. A simple word with so many meanings.
According to dictionary.com it means to restart - as in restarting your computer. But for me, it means new beginnings. Not that I want to erase the past, because it is through our trials, successes and failures that we learn and grow.

2014 is the year for me to reboot. These are NOT resolutions - I am pushing the restart button. I turn 50 this year... YIKES - and I want to be healthier by May 25.

1) I have struggled with Systemic Lupus for over 15 years, perhaps longer. I have tried pretty much everything offered by modern medicine - prednisone, methotrexate, anti-malarial drugs, anti-inflammatories, etc. Honestly, I am done! None of these medicines will cure this disease, there is no cure. They are only meant to control. Well, there are other ways to control my symptoms, therefore, unless my condition becomes life threatening, I am not taking any of the above listed meds again. It is time to explore alternative therapies - accupressure, acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, essential oils, massage therapy, nutrition, exercise, meditation, yoga....  

I am tired of looking and feeling like I do and I am the only one who can make the necessary changes to look and feel better.

2) I am a sugar addict. They say the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem - I am a sugar addict. And processed sugar is not good for our bodies.

3) I firmly believe that we are what we eat - and when the foods we are eating are laden with chemicals, additives, steriods, & antibiotics AND genetically modified - how will our bodies respond? 

5) Exercise - enough said

6) Read my bible, devotionals and books that will help me stay on track

7) Although this isn't the point of my blog, I will probably mention it here and there. I have recently completed the teaching credential program and will be taking the CBEST in February. It is time to get back into the classroom. When my program was cut 10 years ago I thought teaching was behind me. I tried lots of other 'careers', but teaching is what I love.

Throughout 2014 I am going to blog about my adventures with alternative therapies and nutritional adventures. I am going to scour the internet for articles about nutrition, foods, alternative therapies, etc. and write about it.  I might even plant an edible garden! (for those who know me, you know this is a big deal because I don't like gardening and weeding makes me cranky!)

 I hope you will find the info I write about interesting and at times possibly comical. With any luck we will all be healthier by the end of 2014. And by following my adventures you will help to keep me accountable - Lord knows I need it because it is easier to be lazy when no one is watching.

Happy New Year!