I thought: About alternative medicine. I was called into school because my son was suffering so badly with spasms, and the regular doctors say there is nothing more they can do. I just feel tired at the thought of trying the often slow possibilities other modalities offer :/
I slept: 8 1/4 hours in 3 chunks. You'd think I'd wake feeling rested, but I didn't. I think it might be due to the excess sugar last night :(
I worked out: 62 minutes of ballet with Jennifer Galardi's Ballet Body. At first I didn't really want to do this workout, but I'm glad I persevered. I think it's just because it takes longer to warm up that I felt tetchy at the outset...
I ate: 29g of biscuits after lunch, and 180g cake after dinner - total 209g. Bad, but much better than yesterday!
I am grateful for: The reminder of why I haven't gone back to work full time.
Hug...oh I am sorry! Ugh.
ReplyDeleteYes. I hate that cry of, 'There is nothing more we can do.' And furthermore I don't believe them! Actually, I guess if I am being honest in a negative way, I feel they can't do more than what their training is limited to.
I remember feeling miserable and helpless when my daughter became a vegetable on seizure meds and had terrible side effects, both cognitive and physical, but I was expected to be happy simply because she was seizure-free. But I saw that her quality of life was very bad and so was mine.
When the neurologist found out about me being interested in alternative approaches he seemed annoyed and also skeptical that it would be a 'real doctor'. The only way that he have the okay to the psychiatrist (who was an integrative psychiatrist) was because he had a traditional degree.
Soon enough, though, I ditched the neurologist and conventional docs and regained my daughter's health with alternative, holistic approaches---a biomedical regime. I will always consider this one of the best decisions I ever made.
It isn't perfect, her health, but it is a ton better. I know my situation is not the same as yours but hopefully you can find some better solutions for your son. I have seen and experienced some amazing things with a holistic approach.
For me the main downside is that it costs so much and is not covered by insurance. I want to take my daughter back for retesting and consultation but I can't afford to at the moment. But if she was doing worse than she is I would beg for the money...it was that helpful!
I can relate to the sugar thing...I go back and forth with it. They say it is as addictive as heroin! Wow! But one thing I have noticed in myself is that if I stop myself as I am eating (ideally before) I can recognize some emotional triggers that cause the eating. Stress, stuffed down feelings, fatigue...all contribute. I have found the best option is never to have it around. If I have packages of sweets around I will eat them. At the same time find lots of non-food treats to give to yourself. Martha Beck said in one of her books that if sweets are given too frequently as a treat to the self it soon becomes the only treat you want--which I am assuming is because it is so addictive). I know what you need more than anything is relief!
Sorry...this is all pretty obvious and much harder to do than suggest, but it is what helps me.
Finally, you could make GAPS or paleo-friendly treats, which are low in sugar and high in healthy fats and protein. If you do a search for paleo or GAPS desserts you can find some recipes out there that make you feel good when eating them and don't spike your blood sugar.
http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/dessert/20-paleo-dessert-recipes/
Sorry if this comment sounds bossy...I hope at least it sounds concerned and supportive!!!
Big hugs,
MM
P.s. I also agree integrative and alternative healing takes more time and effort...and upkeep, but I think that us part of why they are so effective. Kind of like a crash diet vs. a lifestyle change.
ReplyDeleteHug...
Oh this looks tasty and also healthy:
ReplyDeletehttp://fragrantvanillacake.blogspot.com/2013/10/raw-mini-snickers-bars.html?m=1
Sorry!!!! I just realized how annoying unsolicited advice is, so I hope you will forgive me! Hugs...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comments, MM! Far from being unsolicited advice, they feel really helpful and empathic :)
DeleteWhile I'm not into peanuts, so the raw snickers bar is out, it's true that healthier, protein-y snacks are probably a good idea. I'd heard that about sugar being as addictive as heroin - scary thought :o
As for my son, we already do several alternative things with him: flower essences, cranio-sacral osteopathy and some herbal supplements. It just feels like we need to do more. There's a desire in me to find a solution, but I'm not sure any such thing exists. Still, I keep thinking we may find something that helps more, as we've been doing all those things, some since birth, and some for about a year now. I'm thinking Chinese medicine, but my DH is extremely skeptical. So, it all lands on me, having to push it and explore it, and I just don't feel very energetic right now.
Still, your comment about what a difference it made to your daughter's quality of life spurs me on, I shall try to make an appointment for him soon.
Grateful hugs,
Kxx
Yes, absolutely...it made a huge difference. What we did specifically (one of the main things) was to go to a DAN doctor and get lab testing. The most important test we got was Genova Labs ONE Nutreval test, which tests vitamin levels, amino acids, bacteria, yeast, co-factors and on and on. We found out her B vitamin levels were at critically low levels, which he believed caused the seizures. Later on we found out that she had MTHFR, a gene that makes conversion of b vitamins in food very difficult and incomplete, easily leading to deficiency. Not only did it stop the seizures to treat her (not without some struggle and figuring out, but it was worth it) and allow us to remove medication, but other family members with various problems, likely relating to the MTHFR, began supplementing and looking at lifestyle changes.
ReplyDeleteOther things we did include dietary changes (tested her and removed gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, etc) and also doing periodic yeast/candida diet and treatment. These things were it quick but they made a notable difference, and I still have to watch her diet and give her dome supplements daily, but the difference!!!
I have heard very good things about TCM and I think if you are interested in trying it for your son then you should do it...a mother's instincts are very strong.
My husband has been supportive, but I have done all of the footwork and upkeep--I was desperate for answers and I knew I was the only one who could get them because it didn't occur to my husband to do it. Even after I began the journey of the alternative approaches I still did all of the work--he admits he wasn't very helpful. Oy...haha! Of course I realize that this is because I have always been more interested in this topic than my husband has. But now that he sees the difference it has made he is totally for it.
I wish you boat loads of good will and solutions. Hugs!!!
Dome=some
ReplyDeleteTyping on my phone again