I Don't Identify with Disease

(SOURCE)



When someone is given a diagnosis after many years of suffering without a label to wrap around his or her symptoms, the diagnosis is often met with a sigh of relief and an exclamation of "see, it's not all in my head!" Shortly after (say, two minutes later), for me, the novelty wore off, and I was faced with the fact that I now had a "progressive and incurable" neurological disease to contend with and a miracle healing to shoot for.

I heard through the RSD/CRPS grapevine yesterday that the disease was going to be featured on Dr. Oz's show this afternoon, and while I am thrilled for the awareness the appearance will bring to the disease and the many who are suffering, I did not tune in to watch despite being homebound while doing the castor oil treatment portion of Gerson Therapy today.

Let me explain why. Although I have a blog where I discuss RSD/CRPS amongst many other topics, including health and diet, veganism, animal rights, mental health, spiritual development, etc., I have always attempted to keep myself comfortably removed from identifying too strongly with the disease. For the same reasoning, most of you were unaware that I also have diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease until I added my "disclaimer" tab not too long ago, and some of you may have just found this out while reading. I've always pictured myself to be temporarily stuck with these diseases while on my way to a miraculous healing, and for me to heal fully, it is important that I be part of the disease community as a helper to others who are suffering but not so much as a sufferer. Identifying too strongly with disease might have the ability to put me in the victim role, and that is a place where healing often does not occur.

Not identifying with disease does not mean I am in denial because I am doing more for my health and gaining more ground than most people who are healthy, which can be shown by the fact that I am no longer taking any medication for pain (while once on fentanyl and ketamine). However, it does mean that I choose to see myself as strong, fit, healthy, and all of the positive descriptives you can come up with on your own.

Perhaps when I am healed, I will become more involved in fundraising, research, public speaking, book writing, etc., but for now, it is necessary that I keep a healthy distance between myself and the diseases I have been diagnosed with, almost like an outsider looking in rather than a patient at times. I believe it is part of what allows me to maintain sound emotional and mental health despite chronic disease and what has allowed me to move forward in my life and attain my goals while riding the not-so-pleasant ride of chronic pain and illness. This, of course, is a personal choice, and we each must do what we feel in our hearts to be right for us as individuals.

Happy Healing!

 

 

P.S. Castor oil treatment day is an unpleasant but necessary part of Gerson Therapy. I'll be doing it once a week instead of the usual twice a week routine. 

P.P.S. My chronicbabe.com guest post will be up on October 7th.

Great Expectations

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Most of us have expectations. They are created and designed to help us attain peace of mind by predicting how the near or far future will unfold. They also help us make sense out of a world that is so often quite frightening and uncertain. When our expectations are fulfilled, we feel pleasantly surprised or satisfied, but when they aren’t, we often emerge bitterly disappointed and possibly traumatized because we have attached emotions to neutral outcomes. Everything is this world is neutral (no, it was not made by the Divine and then labeled “good” or “bad.”) and we take liberty and assign negative or positive meanings to situations, people, and outcomes, ultimately affecting our health and well-being.

Inevitably, expectations lead to disappointment, especially when you are dealing with a chronic health condition like RSD/CRPS. I used to wake up every morning expecting to be healed, and morning after morning, my condition remained the same or worsened. It wasn’t until I surrendered to what is that I let go of expectation and subsequently disappointment, sadness, and frustration. Your expectations, be they realistic or unrealistic, are the only causes of your disappointments and become the fertile grounds for which let downs can and will flourish.

Concerning relationships and expectations, it is important to understand that certain people have limitations, whether they be mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical, and that setting unrealistic expectations of others will end in nothing but bitterness, resentment, blame, feelings of let down, and even hatred. Understanding the limitations of others will allow us to circumvent disappointment by not setting unrealistic expectations that these individuals, even on their best days (perhaps, even in this lifetime), will not be able to meet.

Instead of focusing on what you don’t have or what you wish could happen, focus on what you do have. Stop living in the past or future and start focusing on the present moment. Have gratitude for the abundance in your life, and if you can’t find anything to be grateful for, look harder. For most of us, we are accustomed to a culture of deficit, of wanting more. What if you have everything you already need? What if you stopped longing for more, more, more, and started seeing the blessings in your life? Not only will you be happier and more at peace but you will also attract more abundance to you. Remember, like always attracts like.

Happy Healing and surrendering!

Why Forgive?

"What you need is more understanding, not more battle plans." -Guy Finley

Life is ALWAYS teaching me. It’s a beautiful thing to have self-awareness and be able to take a good, hard look at oneself to move to the next stage of personal and spiritual development and transformation. Here is my latest learning experience: Forgiveness (this one took me several days of meditation – they aren’t always easy).

When we feel someone has wronged us, our first reactions usually come from our human, lower-level ego-selves and consist of anger, resentment, blame, bitterness, and even hatred, but if we can come full circle and learn how to forgive and even love those we feel have wronged us, lessons can be learned and personal-developments can be made. Where people seem to become stuck is in believing that by forgiving someone, they are saying, “What you did to me was acceptable.” This is not so. Forgiveness is an act of letting go and releasing all of those unhealthy emotions you have been carrying around. It is an act of great love toward yourself and your future health and well-being and the future health and well-being of any and all subsequent relationships you may enter into. If bitterness, anger, resentment, hatred, and blame are in our pasts, then they will inevitably sabotage our futures. Allowing yourself to feel the pain of hurt and loss without defending yourself against the wrong actions of others allows you to grow and mature without hardening. You have the choice to become stuck in your past or become better for experiencing it, learning important lessons about yourself, others, and the world around you.

Through a recent personal experience and after much prayer and meditation, I have come to the conclusion that it is best and healthiest to forgive AND forget when you feel someone has wronged you. In doing so, you are fully releasing any negative emotions you might be consciously or subconsciously storing in your mind-body-spirit. Remember, stored negative emotions create mental and physical dis-ease. Since everything that happens to us in this lifetime is a lesson to be learned, never forget the lesson that particular personal experience taught you but do forgive and forget the rest.

A Course in Miracles says, “As you see him, you will see yourself.” Love those who have wronged you for, as Jesus said, they know not what they do. Have compassion and full acceptance for the divine in those who have hurt you because they are usually suffering deeply and in need of our loving thoughts and actions versus our hatred and resentments. Be the bigger person. Always. If you can’t say, “I forgive you,” then at least let the individual know, “I care for you, and I send you love and healing.” It’s the right thing to do for yourself (it will set you free) and for the person who you feel has wronged you.

Happy Healing and forgiving.

The Energy Sucking Narcissist

To find inner peace, happiness, contentment, and emotional freedom, we need to stop being naïve and come to terms with the unhealthiness of certain relationships in our lives. The presence of certain individuals can elevate your mood, and on the other hand, some individuals can literally suck your energy reserves and optimism dry.

Today, I want to discuss the individual that displays narcissistic personality traits – that positive energy sucking vampire that everyone has come in contact with at one point in their lives. You’ll be able to spot narcissists from miles away because their way of relating to others is distinct and profoundly disturbing. The first and most obvious trait to be aware of is the “me first” attitude – everything is all about them and others are just a means to an end for this troubled, self-serving individual. They have an utterly warped grandiose sense of self-importance and entitlement, crave constant admiration from others, are manipulative, selfish, aggressive, cocky, and impulsive (sexually promiscuous, substance abusers, etc.), are concerned with power motives, and lack empathy, which makes them particularly dangerous to your emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental health and well-being. If you don’t follow their rules, which simply put involves their way or the highway, they become hostile and punishing. Related personality traits can include psychopathy and sociopathy (scary!).

So, how does one relate to the good ol’ narcissist in his/her life? If possible, dodge that bullet and run! If that isn’t in the cards for you, it is important to understand that these are emotionally limited individuals who cannot tolerate true emotional intimacy and will continue to have shallow and limited personal relations with others for most of their lives. Your best bet is to avoid falling in love with the narcissist because true, unconditional love is impossible without several strings attached and tedious ego-stroking. Most importantly, DO NOT allow your self-worth to become tangled up in how the narcissist views you or relates to you, because deep down, these individuals are deeply disturbed and contending with profound feelings of inner emptiness.

Should you have compassion for the narcissist? Yes. Should you do it from a VERY FAR distance? DOUBLE YES!

Happy Healing and emotional well-being!

Take care of yourselves.

Cute Pictures

Hi, healers! Here are some cute pictures we took yesterday with the baby. It was UMiami's first football game day, and we wore our matching UMiami shirts. She is getting so big! Her third birthday is at the end of October. Time sure does fly!

Cheering on the 'Canes with our orange and green pom poms:

Showing off our matching shirts:



Throwing up The U:



Happy Healing!

Gerson Therapy

Hi, healers! As you all know, I have been a raw vegan for about 3.5 years (the lifestyle has maintained me beautifully) but have recently embarked on Gerson Therapy for its ability to cure the incurable, specifically degenerative diseases like RSD/CRPS.

Healing the Gerson Way is a great book that outlines the therapy for home use, and here are some frequently asked questions answered on the official website (which is where you can get many of the products - including the enema kit).

Here is the link to the PDF that explains in detail Gerson approved foods.

Jessica Ainscough, The Wellness Warrior, discusses Gerson Therapy on her website and also provides Gerson approved recipes.

This website and this website outline and summarize the therapy pretty well, too.

The whole goal of the therapy is to rid the body of disease through correction of bodily toxicity (coffee enemas and avoiding as many toxins as possible in all forms - beauty products, food, water, etc.) and nutritional deficiency. The therapy involves drinking somewhere near 100oz of freshly made veggie/fruit juice a day (I drink about 75oz), avoiding salt, caffeine, sugar, alcohol, and all processed foods, pushing potassium (potatoes, bananas, potassium powder/salts), and staying low-fat and low-protein (low but adequate through plant-based sources, especially oatmeal and all the veggies). I feel like there is so much I could write about the therapy, but that is a good summary. Don't forget to click on all the links I provided for more and detailed information. Since RSD/CRPS is not a malignant disease, I have a little wiggle room as far as some things go (and I continually adjust as I see or don't see results), but those with malignant conditions need to follow the exact therapy.

Of course, don't forget about the coffee enemas. They are absolutely necessary for detoxification. I do 2-3 a day. I usually throw in the third one if my pain is a little higher as they are a way to lower pain without medication. Healthy folks should do 1-2 a week to maintain their wellness.

Since this post was requested by many of you, why don't you write me specific questions you have about the therapy. You can use the comments or my formspring page.

Happy Healing (pooping and juicing)!!!!