My Stupidity Gene

I have always practiced mindful living towards my good health despite my multiple sclerosis and preach that this is and should always be an ongoing process.

Well, I momentarily stopped practicing what I have always preached.

My move to Nova Scotia has had its challenges and almost two months later, I still do not have the order and organization I desire. This disorder has taken its toll on my eating and drinking habits and I am now paying the price. My consumption of water was reduced drastically just because I was careless and did not remember to drink it regularly. My consumption of potato chips and processed carbohydrates increased, while my intake of protein and vegetables decreased. My stress levels increased, breathing exercises, yoga, meditation and regular physical workouts were all considerably decreased and even almost non-existent.

Last week I noticed a significant decline in my overall well being. My tingling was back and worse than it has ever been, the tightness in my calves and feet was back and worse than it has ever been, my balance was as bad as it was six years ago and I found myself walking into walls and constantly holding on for support, My mental state was and still is........how can I put it...............down in the abyss of the dumps.

Could it have just been a coincidence that my carelessness in eating and drinking and ignoring my mental state, and my poor physical condition were not connected in any way? Definitely not! They were and are completely connected. It is a cause and effect. Action is equal to reaction

I found a lab that conducts the live blood cell analysis and just had a test on Friday. Did I expect a good result? Should it have been a good result after all my carelessness and mindful ignorance? Whom am I kidding? I got exactly what I deserved. The blood showed that the red cells had excessive clumping leading to poor circulation (thus my tingling and pain), the drastic increase in existence of bacteria increasing my craving for snacks and foods that were bad for me, and I paid the price for my ignoring my health by getting and feeling worse.

There are no reasons only bad excuses.
Do we ever learn from our mistakes? Human beings have a ‘stupidity’ gene and mine just became dominant.

Now begins the arduous task of fixing the wrongs. It is not easy because bad habits are easy to form while changing these into good habits takes time and conscious effort. Righting the wrongs is not an impossible task but an unnecessary exercise which could have been easily avoided with a little more care.

24 hours after trying to make things better by increasing my water, eliminating all carbs, increasing my meditation and exercise, I already felt better. One guess as to what I did next? Eat corn chips (!&%!&%!&%) and today all my pain has returned.

This stupidity gene has to be crushed! This is a hard lesson and I wonder if I or anyone else, will ever learn from these mistakes!

Politics and Toxicity

The other night I was listening to Talk 1010 radio as I was preparing to go to sleep.

The host was talking about women in politics and I could not have been listening intently as I did not quite get what he was saying. I think he was talking abut the role women play in politics and shy they were more men than women in politics.

What got my attention is his use of the work "toxic" several times in his monologue. Mind you, I only heard this for about ten minutes but in that ten minutes he used the word "toxic" several times to describe the political environment.

I wish these same radio announcers would acknowledge that the whole world has become toxic. Not as a metaphor when talking about politics but in the true sense of the word. I guess more importance is placed in using the term 'toxic' so that the listener could understand what he was referring to.

What about the toxicity of our world and the illness it causes?
What about the toxicity of our values and the effects on the youth who are going to be the leaders of the future?
What about the toxicity of the environment?

These are questions neither the media nor the politicians will ever tackle. If they do, they give a long term plan (by2050). By then, most of us will already be dead, becoming victims of toxic environment we live in.

Never say Never

As I disembarked the Norwegian Gem in Sydney Nova Scotia, in the Fall of 2011, I was filled with a meditative sense of peace and calm and instantly knew in my heart, that Nova Scotia would, someday be my home. I recalled feeling like this way once before. It was when I first landed in Canada in 1989. I knew then like I knew now, that I was home.

When would this happen?  That was just another one of a billion unanswered questions, in my life.

I was on a New England cruise with my parents and my caregiver. It was a surprise from my parents. We had travelled from Toronto, by Greyhound coach to New York and taken the cruise to New England, Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. What was funny was that the trip to and from New York and the cruise, cost less than flying directly from Toronto to Nova Scotia. The airline companies seem to have gone a little mad with their prices! Not to mention we also received accommodation and food!

On returning to Toronto, I could not stop thinking about moving to Nova Scotia.  My research took me from looking for homes, exploring the various climatic conditions, the availability of medical practitioner and naturopaths and of course some proximity to an Ismaili Muslim mosque and community center.

I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2006 and have been treating the illness without any prescription drugs but with natural therapies, diet, nutrition and the whole mind, body and spirit approach. My illness was not the focus in my life but even then, it seemed that everything else in my life revolved around my illness. I had to plan my days and my activities around my energy level and the ability to cope with the mental and physical strain of each task. A big part of my life was the community center where I was a story teller, a religious teacher and a teacher of English to immigrants. My doctor was only a thirty minute drive from home. The pharmacy was another forty five minutes away. These conveniences had become a big part of my life and any change would disrupt my otherwise well planned perfect routines.

The day I set foot on Nova Scotia soil, I was fully prepared to give up these conveniences. I was in love with the openness of the land, with the kindness and warmth of the people, and with the peace and tranquility of the life there. The difference was like night and day. I was to break free from being at the mercy of neon signs invading my sight, forcing my gaze to the ugly advertising and the billboards. I was never again to be a victim nor give in to road rage, I could drive the speed limit and would not be chastised or insulted and the best part of it all was that I would not have to put up with people who were in a constant hurry, who were in competition with the world around them as well as with themselves. Just this stress in Ontario was enough to give me an MS attack!

In the Winter of 2011, I drove to Nova Scotia with my caregiver and my mother, from Ontario, a mere 21 hour journey, to search for a home. Today, four months after I first set foot in Nova Scotia, I have put my house up for sale and have purchased a home that closes in a couple of months.

 The Annapolis Valley is to be my new home. Green pastures, fertile lands, the north and south mountains, the snaking Annapolis River, and clean air offer the right scenic and climatic and environmental condition (not to mention tranquility) suited for healthy, stress-free living, especially for me, living with multiple sclerosis. It offers the best climatic condition for living with MS Its peaceful setting made it an ideal environment for starting a new life in a new province I am soon to call home.

Now begins the arduous task of packing.. I was sure my previous home was to be my last home. Here I am once again, preparing to move to yet another home, in another province.

I guess, the idiom “Never say never’ really is true!

FOOD INTOLERENCE TEST REPORT

I have just got back from a two week vacation.

On returning, I realized some of my symptoms were stronger and I was a little worried that all my bragging about Natural remedies had caught up with me and the disease was finally taking over my life. My skin irritation, increased tingling in my feet, poor balance and gait, frequent headaches, emotional instability, restlessness and increased fatigue are some of the symptoms that have increased.

I was quite concerned. My first thought was that the travel, along with the food, air and water, and being exposed to increased levels of toxicity may be the reason for my feeling worse.

It has also been over two years since I took the food allergy test. It is recommended that I take this test regularly every two years because the environment changes, our bodies change and the body’s needs changes. I took the test the same week I left for New York and I just got then test results yesterday.

To my great disappointment a lot of things changed. I lost a lot of foods and got back a lot of foods I could not eat before. I was upset at losing some of the foods I have become accustomed to eating like peanuts (and therefore peanut butter), mushrooms, cumin,  some curry spices, white beans, red beans,  nectarines, corn, carrots and a few others.

I got back garlic, baker's yeast, green peppers, cauliflower, and a few others.

No wonder I have been felling worse and my symptoms are stronger. I have been eating foods I should not be and this was obviously causing my body harm and exacerbating my symptoms.

I have to say one thing that is really clear -there are a lot of people out there that are awfully unhappy with their current situation, or who are incredibly frustrated that the medications just aren't making them feel better.
For those that are suffering from MS, you would think with all the information out there, it would be a little easier to find something that actually could help get rid of your fatigue, pain,  numbness, and balance problems...and point you in the right direction.
But it just seems like most doctors just want to give you meds that don't make you feel better or that make you feel worse and send you on your way.

It's not really their fault. They are conditioned to prescribe drugs, which half the time, do not work and half the time have such severe side effects that we end up taking more drugs for the side effects. We then get stuck in the vicious cycle of symptom, drug, side effect, more drugs, more side effects, more drugs and round and round we go.

Isn’t it just typical of the medical profession to simply prescribe drugs instead of asking why a certain ailment or symptom is occurring?

A simple thing like the food allergy test is enough to set me on the right path towards healing and feeling better. The medical profession will never acknowledge this and continue to pan all foods (grains, greens, fruit and vegetables) for all, without specifying that each person’s needs are as different and individual as the person himself.

I am no doctor but I can attest that the food test saved my life and has enabled me to live with this terrible illness. People often question me as to how is it that despite the MS, I still lead an almost normal life. The food test determines the foods I can and cannot eat and I stick to that list. I also take the test every two years, religiously.

I have to re-invent my diet and eating habits and have started by eliminating all the foods that I should not eat. Miraculously, all the symptoms that had re-emerged have now calmed down. If I was seeing a neurologist, he would have probably increased the dosage of the prescription drugs or changed them when all that was required was to change what I eat.
Imagine what this can do for most illnesses in the world today!

That is my two cents on our eating habits and how we are misinformed by the medical profession and the food industry.

LATEST UPDATE

I had an appointment with Doctor Chang this week. My appointments are now approximately once a month as opposed to twice a month.

All my appointments begin with a scan that measures my inter-cellular water, muscle mass, body fat, weight, waist and hip measurement. The water count was up. (It was low the last time).

This week she also asked for an impromptu blood test. The results were great. The blood cells were perfectly formed, they were not clumped and there was not a sign of any bacteria in the blood.

She noticed that my gait was not as good and I complained that I was tiring sooner and my stamina and energy level were low.
She increased my B12 intake, I get an injection three times a week and it was still not enough. She has now given me a spray once a day. She also asked that I take some protein vitamin, MAP to increase my strength.
She asked about the other areas I have complained before and they are doing just fine. My tingling is under control, my mood is stable and calm, I have good appetite and good sleep and bowel movements. It is just my gait and fatigue. But she has given me stuff to help the body cope with this.

Thank God for Doctor Chang. Thank God for her probing ways to help determine why a certain ailment is prevailing or why a certain symptom is more dominant and then she recommends a course of action based on what I am experiencing.

Enlivening Our Health

By Doctor Sheila Patel - Staff Physician and Director of Health Programming
- The Chopra Center for WeIlness.

Our health is a constant interplay between body, mind and spirit.

An imbalance in any of these areas of our lives can lead to dis-ease and can potentially keep us from feeling vital and healthy.

By harnessing our body's innate healing abilities, we can move closer to health. In fact, even with the most powerful medical treatments, we also need to engage our natural healing in that process in order for it to be successful.

To move more toward more healing, we first must identify and acknowledge what is that is currently challenging us - whether it is emotional, physical or spiritual. Once this is done, we can then engage in practices to release theses challenges.

Through the active process of release, we then open up the space to bring in healing and nourishment. This brings us closer to a state of complete balance of body, mind and spirit.

Through meditation and other practices such as yoga and mindful eating we allow our body mind and spirit to exist in their natural state of balance where health is then revealed.



I am participating in the Chopra Center's 21 Day Meditation Challenge. This was the Day 9 Pre-Meditation intro.
They have a 21 Day challenge every season and it really is always great!

It is all in the breathing...............................

A follow up appointment showed a great improvement in the rate of breathing and the ability to bring down the heart rate.

She taught me a technique to help me breathe more smoothly (for lack of a better term).
Think of a person, in a combat zone. High adrenalin, heart pumping, always on attention, cannot drop his guard. Take this person and put them in an exact opposite environment of calm, peaceful serenity and this drastic change may not bring about a change in responses.

It is important to take a few moments during the day to calm the breathing which in turn, enables the body to come out of panic mode.

Breath in , 2, 3, 4, 5, breath out 2,3,4,5. and think of yourself in a zero gravity environment. As you breathe in, feel yourself rise and as you breath out, feel yourself come down gently.

Keep the breathing smooth and flowing like a butterfily in slow motion.

I do this, everytime I take a break, when I sit to watch TV and whenever I take a moment, I remind myself to breathe in a smooth flow rather than sudden errativ ins and outs and finally, when I am in bed trying to fall asleep.

The results in just one week , no in 5 days, were remarkable.

All my MS symptoms that had re-emerged, have since subsided and are now either gone or reduced. Eat your hearts out Neurologists!

Try it!