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Archive for September, 2010

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Ginger Tea to Reduce Inflammation that Causes Pain

September 28th, 2010 by Karla Setchel

Hi Folks,

I hope this note finds you continually doing better  :-D .  I read an article online about ginger reducing inflammation which in turn reduces pain. Since even small amounts of inflammation cause pain for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue patients, I keep on the look out for natural ways to reduce inflammation. The article said you could either take capsules (my Dr. recommends New Chapter brand) or use organic raw ginger root to make a tea.  I chose the ginger root tea (recipe to follow) because I already take so many supplements, in addition to being expensive they’re like having to eat an extra serving of food!  The recipe is too strong for me to drink without adding 3 parts water too it.  I drank about 1 cup of ginger tea every day for a week in addition to everything else I’ve been trying and had a very good week.  I ran out of tea and didn’t get around to making more for a week during which time my muscles were more achy than the prior week.  So, I made more ginger tea yesterday and while I’m not pain free, I definitely have less pain and stiffness.  I may get some of the capsules to see if they work better and to have on hand when I don’t have the energy to peel and slice raw ginger root.  I know that doesn’t sound like much of a task, but when you have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue everything takes “energy” and you have to choose what task is most important to use your energy for at that moment.


Here’s the recipe if you would like to try Ginger Tea.

4 cups water, 2 inch piece of fresh organic ginger root

Peel ginger root and cut into thin slices.  Bring the water to a boil then add the sliced ginger.  Let simmer 15-20 minutes.  Strain.  Add honey, lemon or stevia to taste.


Here’s to Feeling Better!

Karla Setchel

(540) 366-6134

www.KarlaSetchel.com

Posted in Uncategorized | 19 Comments »

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Using Visualization to Reduce or Eliminate Pain

September 21st, 2010 by Karla Setchel

Hi Folks,

I hope you’re having a good week.  I had used a technique in the past called “visualization” or “guided meditation” to reduce and sometimes eliminate pain.  I had always paid for someone to lead me through it and never had lasting results, but temporary relief was better than no relief at all!  I was talking with my friend, Donna Merrill, on facebook recently and she reminded me of visualization through some of her experiences. I hadn’t thought of it in a long time and it never occurred to me to walk myself through it.  But I’m in the “do whatever it takes to get well” stage right now, so I thought “What do I have to lose other than a few minutes of time?”.  Even though fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue affect my entire body, I decided I would start with an area that was giving me the most pain at that time — my left SI joint.  I told it ( yes I talked to the pain and my SI joint ! ) that I remembered when I first injured it 26 years ago and that I appreciated the pain being there to protect me from further damage but that it was time for it to move on and for my SI joint to be strong and flexible.  I imagined the pain as being the size of a grapefruit, then told it to become the size of an orange, a plum, a cherry, the cherry pit, then the cherry pit disintegrate into a powder and be washed away by cleansing water.  The process took about 10 minutes and the pain was gone!  When it started to come back, I imagined the water washing away the powdered cherry pit, wiggled a little and the pain went away again.  I’m impressed — I didn’t have to pay anyone, I can use my brain to do this myself!  How long will it take until my SI joint is completely healed, strong and flexible?  I don’t know, but I know how to take care of it better now.

Movement is important for our whole body. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue often reduce activity which leads to muscle atrophy and less ability to be active without causing more pain.  If using visualization can help reduce or eliminate my pain, then I can be more active and well on my way to recovery.

I hope you’ve found this information helpful.  Please feel free to re-tweet it, put it on your facebook, pass it on to your friends and family and contact me if you have any questions.

Here’s To Feeling Better!

Karla Setchel

(540) 366-6134

www.KarlaSetchel.com

www.facebook.com/karlasetchel

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Posted in Managing Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue & TMJ, Pain Relief, Reducing Impact of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue, Survival & Recovery, exercise | 21 Comments »

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What Affects Your Body More, Your Thoughts or Your Actions?

September 12th, 2010 by Karla Setchel

Hi Folks,

I hope this weeks post finds you doing better than last week!  I started on The Wellness Prescription Diet in May of 2010 to see if it would improve my health.  My health has improved, but is it the diet or something else? My Dr. did start me on hydrocortisone  2 weeks ago because my cortisol was low & that can mimic FMS/CFS symptoms, but he was surprised that it would have made the improvements I’ve experienced so quickly — usually takes months.  I was talking with my new friend, Kellie Hosaka about being “stuck” after vacation.  I couldn’t seem to get back into my work routine (being your own boss can be complicated! ).  She told me  (paraphrasing here) that if a caterpillar stays on the ground, it can never become a butterfly — and that’s OK if you are happy being a caterpillar, but if you want to become a butterfly, you must be willing to get off the ground, make your cocoon and have faith that when the time is right, you will be a beautiful butterfly, able to fly. She told me that my biggest obstacle was my analytical mind having to understand each step of the process instead of just trusting in the process.  She asked me if I had watched the movies “The Secret”, “What the Bleep Do We Know ?” and “Down the Rabbit Hole” — I had only seen the first one and so I ordered the next 2.  She sent me video clips of Dr. Wayne Dyer & Dr. Bruce Lipton talking about epigenics ( you can google that to get more info ).  She talked of Louise Hay and how much she overcame.  I have her book “You Can Heal Your Life” which I had used in the past without any apparent benefit but hoped that since I had grown emotionally and spiritually since the last time I tried, that this time I would see a definite benefit — and I have!  From the very first day that I started saying the “New Thought Patterns” or affirmations out loud, I have had less pain and more energy than before and I’m recovering faster from activity.  So I’m going to keep saying them!

So I went to a picnic 2 1/2 hours from my home back in May before I started The Wellness Prescription Diet or saying Louise’s affirmations ( I was saying plenty of other affirmations — did they help along the way? ) and I was so exhausted from the fibromaylagia and chronic fatigue symptoms that I could barely take care of myself the next day.  I went to another picnic Sept. 11 to the same area, and the next day I didn’t feel any worse for wear than if I had stayed home!  What made the difference?  Was it the diet, the affirmations, a combination of both, would the improvement have happened whether I had done either or just a fluke that I had a “good day” for the past 4 days?

Please leave a comment and tell me what YOU think! :-D

Here’s to Feeling Better!

Karla Setchel

(540) 366-6134

www.KarlaSetchel.com

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Posted in Managing Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue & TMJ, Pain Relief, Reducing Impact of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue, Survival & Recovery | 30 Comments »