Medications AND Alternative Choices (Healthy Habits #7)

As I have grown older, I have felt that everything we need to heal the body is found somewhere on this earth. Heavenly Father planned it that way. Now we need to find the cures. This leads me to say that I am a skeptical about some things, but lately I believe more and more that the medical field is going the wrong direction in many areas and that alternative medicine has some really good options.

When I moved to Utah, I was on one medication for high blood pressure. High blood pressure for me is hereditary. I have tried so many natural things including loosing weight and the blood pressure does not change. I am okay with that. I had an MD/ND in Washington and he worked with me trying things.  In one year of living in Utah, which is a proactive/preventive medical state in many ways, I am on 4 prescriptions.  My doctor freaked out that I wasn’t on something for my high cholesterol. He also felt I needed potassium and thyroid medication. So I don’t want to add more medication!

Now my important main medical issues to me are my bursitis in my hips and the osteoarthritis in my legs. Occasionally I have issues with my lower back and left shoulder. All of these issues are due to the 2002 roll over car accident I was in or just old age. Years of physical therapy and chiropractic work have helped some but often not completely. When you get older, you will try just about anything to see if it will work, especially when it comes to relieving pain.

I would guess most of my friends and family don’t even know I am in pain or when I am in pain. After awhile it is just part of life and we adapt to the pain and live with it. It doesn’t help that I have a higher tolerance to some pain than most people. I have been at levels 8-10 of pain and still out doing what needs to get done. A bit slower, but most the time I don’t say anything.

So when I found a new natural direction to go that has been working, I have been shouting to everyone that I have been pain free for 6 weeks! Like I said, most people didn’t know I was even in pain. I do not understand how energy works. I do not understand how pressure points, reflexology, or essential oils work, but I know in many cases they work. I chose to try Bowenwork. Like I said, I don’t get it but, during my first appointment with Andrea, a Alternative Medicine Practitioner, she picked up on a high school knee injury that no doctor has ever noticed. This is a description of Bowenwork:

“Bowenwork is a dynamic system of muscle and connective tissue therapy that was developed by the late Tom Bowen in Australia. It utilizes small but measured inputs to the body stimulating the body to heal itself, often profoundly.Bowenwork usually results in the relief of many specific injuries and other health problems, both acute and chronic. Signals are delivered to the nervous system at specific locations (on muscles, tendons, ligaments, or nerves) and the body does the rest.”

At my first appointment I laid on the bed wondering how it was even going to work. It was definitely new to me, but it made a few differences immediately and some over time. 

It has helped with my bursitis, osteoarthritis, digestive track, and amazingly my ear that has never popped well with elevation change. I just took a trip and my ear popped on its own for the first time since…I can even remember! 

Now this is not a one time cure all. It is a process. I had 6 weeks pain free then went on a road trip to Seattle where I slept on the floor, worked cleaning my aunts 1 acre property, demossed the roof, cleaned the gutters, and sat in a non-reclining seat for hours. My lower back is in excruciating pain as I write and I am going to see if my miracle practitioner can help.

So I will admit that I don’t understand the how and why, but I believe the body and mind are powerful. Instead of being skeptical about alternative medical choices, I am becoming a believer more and more every day and feel that medicine and alternative choices can work hand in hand.  And as I lay there on the table, I am learning to meditate for the first time in my life. That is an added bonus! 

 Andrea Jones Bowenwork in Lehi

One of the Quickest Ways to Start to Heal is Through Forgiveness (Healthy Habits #6)

One of the hardest things in the world to do is forgive, especially when you didn’t do anything wrong. Our mind and even the world communicates to us there is no need to forgive. I was right or I was the victim. When we hang on to what someone has done to us, it causes bitterness, anger, and resentment in our hearts. When we don’t let go our heart becomes darker. Here are three personal examples that I hope will explain what I mean.

When I was a young mom, there were two men at my church that held leadership positions that I had a difficult time with. They had said several things that really hurt my feelings. One day I walked into the church and one of the men said, “Hey you pregnant again or just getting fatter.” Now I don’t know how you would feel, but for me not being pregnant, that was a huge insult. I could go on and on and list the things that were said over the course of a few years that were so out of line. It made me angry. I had such feelings of bitterness and hatred towards these two men. What were they thinking?

Did they treat me like that every time I saw them? No. But the bitterness was already in me and it festered. I went on hating them for almost five years. Every time I was around them my mind and heart were filled with animosity. One day I noticed that they really had no idea I was angry at them. They were clueless and I was filled with bitterness. That is one of the first times I realized how this principle works. It is like I was drinking poison and expecting them to die. One day I saw them alone in a room together. I went in and told them I wanted to apologize to them for having negative thoughts toward them. They both looked surprised and asked me what they had done. I told them it didn’t matter and that I was sorry. It was like someone took a weight and lifted it off my back. This is a simple example that I allowed to last much longer than necessary and in the end it really only damage me.

Another example is when my daughter had a boyfriend who turned into a stalker. It put our family in an upheaval when I had to have her in hiding for seven weeks in another state. During that time I was angry at him for what he did and I did everything I could to protect my daughter, but I also prayed for him. He was messed up and really needed help from somewhere. Although I hated his actions, I tried to remember he was also a child of God. A messed up one, but one none the less. It took a lot of work, but it kept my heart from becoming bitter with hatred toward him.

Finally, after my mother died at 85, I went to her home to collect her belongs. She had been living with her elderly boyfriend for the last 13 years of her life. I knew him well and I had stayed at their home on several occasions with my children. He would dote over my mother and loved her very much but was very distraught at her death. That night I woke up to the horror of him naked in my bed. I won’t go into detail about what all happened and how things ended, but I was angry, violated, and disgusted. I drove the moving van the five hours home breaking down in tears and anguish as to why he would attempt to do what he did. I had always felt safe there or I would never had gone alone.

The feelings of anger, violation, and disgust did not last long this time. I went to an ecclesiastical leader of my church the next day and we talked and I cried. He assured me that it was not my fault and I did nothing wrong. Then he gave me a blessing and told me everything would be alright and to find forgiveness in my heart. It was easier this time. I was not asked to forget or to let him back into my life, I was asked to forgive him for his sins. When we forgive, we aren’t expected to forget. We often need to remember to keep ourselves safe from the situation repeating itself.

The lesson here is that when we are the victim, we are continuing to allow them to win when we become bitter and angry. We are giving them power over us. When we forgive, our hearts are softened and our healing can begin.

Author’s Note: If you are in a violent abusive relationship. Don’t remain in it. Get to a safe place. Even if you forgive a hundred times, the abuser will continue their abuse unless they get help and learn to truly change. Remember forgiveness is to help in your healing. It does not mean to continue to allow the abusive behavior of others to hurt you. (GMC)

Healthy Habits #5 Taking Control of My Life...Again

 Degenerative or Osteoarthritis

I have now been to three doctors in the last few weeks and have one more appointment in June. Things are progressing forward as I work to take my life back from pain. My family doctor diagnosed me with Osteoarthritis. Yesterday, I saw the orthopedic doctor who gave me an arthritis steroid shot in my hip. I have had cortisone shots in my hip for bursitis, but not steroid shots for arthritis. The pain was easily cut in half, but some still exists. According to the physical therapist  today, the pain that is left is being caused by the bursitis.

These shots are band-aids that can last for months or a year. They do not fix the problem. Degenerative or Osteoarthritis is a condition that involves the chronic breakdown of cartilage in the joints leading to painful joint inflammation. It is common with old age, but even more common if you have had issues caused from car accidents, improper cheer leading, and some of my other falls and injuries. 

The bursa is a fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between moving tissues of the body. There are two major bursae in the hip. Bursitis, or inflammation of a bursa, is usually not infectious, but the bursa can become infected. Unfortunately, both of my hip bursae are inflamed.

I was given the all clear to go do my 5K walks. The first one is tomorrow. I am not doing any permanent damage to the bursa or the arthritis by working it, but I am making it really mad so that it inflames or causes pain. The physical therapist said that cold or hot compresses are fine. So use what feels the best. They would like to see me do some swimming since that is the least impact on the area, but my elliptical and bike are also fine. 


Although the actual cause of osteoarthritis and bursitis are unknown and incurable, there are a lot of things you can do to ease the pain. The low impact exercise is one area to focus on. Another is to strengthen the core and the muscles around the area. Finally lose weight and take omega 3's. These will all help, but in the end when the pain gets too unbearable it will be hip replacement time. 

At least I know I am not causing more damage when I down the ibuprofen and push through the pain. So now I have 1 stretch and 3 exercises to do at home until my appointment next week. I am also going to see someone that is a Certified Bowenwork Practitioner. It is a unique form of neuromuscular re-patterning. It works primarily through the nervous system on both structural and energetic levels.

By taking control I am hoping to be able to alleviate some of the pain I have.  Especially the pain at night that causes havoc and keeps me awake. My advice to the younger generation: take care of yourself now so you don't have to go through what I am!

Enjoying Exercise #4 The Catch 22

I am overweight and I need to exercise. When exercising, I have a lot of hip, leg, and back pain. So how do I exercise to help with the weight and not aggravate the pains? This dilemma has been plaguing me for years. After a 2002 car accident, I went through years of off and on physical therapy and chiropractic work. I have dealt with pains from sciatica, the sacroiliac, and bursitis.  Cortisone shots have helped but you can only do that so many times. I have an elliptical and a recumbent stationary bike to minimize pain but lately they even  hurt to use.

So I went to the doctor today to see what he thought was going on. After x-rays, the doctor informed me that I have bad arthritis in my hip. I now have a physical therapy appointment  and an appointment with a specialist in non-operative treatment of orthopedic injuries. Maybe something here will help. I hope so because my first 5K of the summer is in less than two weeks!

On to the exercising. The best way to exercise is to make it fun and be with friends! I love to walk 5K's with a little jog every now and then. With my hip and knee issues, walking is best for me. This is the time to start looking for what is in your area. Then invite your family and friends to join in the fun. Such a healthy way to spend time together instead of socializing around a table of food. These 5K walks are fun and are a good way to bring family and friends together. Last year I survived my 2nd Dirty Dash and my 1st Hit and Run. Not bad for a 56 year old that is out of shape! The cost of doing these walks is worth the money. I have saved by not having a gym membership and you get a cool t-shirt!

This is what I have planned for the summer so far:

May - Color Me Rad 5K  (tons of fun with lots of color!)
June - Still looking but there is a run in my area put on by the local hospital
July -  Bubble Run (this one looks wet and wild with soap bubbles)
August - The Color Run (another 5K filled with color)
September - Obstacles of Obesity (we run the 5K in blow up suits)
September - The Walk for Suicide Prevention  (this is a fund raiser and I will post the link)


Having lost my husband to suicide, this walk is dear to my heart. I wish I had the support of a group that taught suicide education and prevention. If it was out there, I didn't know it. More people need to be aware of the helps available. That is what this fundraiser helps with. Please contribute to my goal of raising $1000. Every $5 or $10 dollar donation helps. Thanks

http://afsp.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=738997

What ever you choose to do, get out there and have fun! Here is hoping that I find a solution to my catch 22 and exercising won't hurt and I can lose some weight.

Sometimes Life Happens!

I have know Corinne since I was 3 years old!

I appoligize for not posting in a very long time, but sometimes life happens and we get very busy. I don't blog for money so the need to post often isn't a high priority. What is a high priority is the fan requests :) I get from my friends!

Life has been busy since last September. I have had one daughter's family move out of the basement to Oregon and another daughter's family move in the basement. At lease now I get to see the 6 month old twins more often!  I love being a grandmother and seeing the next generation grow and develop. I am so proud of the way my children are raising my grandchildren. I am actually working on my third book that will be interesting to all so being watching for future updates.

Iguazu Falls, Argentina

So what has happened in the last seven months? Well, I put on a mega reunion for my high school in California, traveled with my childhood best friend to LA and Vegas, the grand twins Boston and Lyla were born, I traveled with my travel buddy to Antarctica, Argentina, and Chile, and lost 5 pounds then gained 15! Life is so fun and full of changes.

Iceberg in Antarctica

                                                                      Since I like to focus on healthy living, lets look at the weight issue first. I love food and have a few food items I cannot control myself around. One of them is chocolate milk with Nestle's Quick. It is the bane of my existence. I cannot have it in the house because I will drink 2-3 glasses a day. I cannot say it is the reason for all the weight gain, but I traveled for almost the entire month of January and didn't gain any weight! I was eating out for a month. After arriving home, I have downed two large containers of Nestle's Quick and a lot more milk than I usually drink so what else could it be? Maybe the fact my exercise has been sporadic? Maybe because I only get 4-5 hours of sleep a night?

Healthy Habits and Enjoying Exercise:
Whatever the cause this has to stop because I have what I call my pain threshold. It is a specific weight that if I go above all the pain intensives by triple. I have more hip issues, more numbness in my toes, more back issues, and need a new wardrobe! So how do you take the first step to change? I started by signing up for a 5K for every month starting this month. I have actually gone to bed twice this week before midnight, and I am back in the books studying nutrition. I am way behind in my college independent study course on nutrition. It saddens me when my friends look at themselves in the mirror and see fat when I look at them and see beauty. I guess I need to apply that to myself because all I see is fat right now. With the weather so nice a good walk outside is one of the best things to do. I don't want to be skinny, I want to be healthy.

Fun Food:
I am totalling enjoying the meal situation here. I buy the groceries and my daughter cooks the dinners. She is a great cook and is trying new and healthy foods all the time. I think she needs to start a food blog. She has a great blog on her adventures with the blessing of her twins. Look her up at: http://littleivielane.blogspot.com/

So be watching for weekly blogs, I hope, on healthy habits, enjoying exercise, and fun foods. Maybe my daughter will  even let me share a few of her recipes. Better yet follow her on Pinterest, she has a board on the recipes she tries. Have a great week and remember "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page"        St Augustine

My beautiful twin grand babies!