FibroWHYalgia Summarized

As promised, over the next several posts, we’ll look at these items individually, starting with item #1:

1) Start somewhere. Wherever you are in your health journey, start TODAY to learn something new and put it into practice.

It doesn’t matter, really, if you were in better shape two years ago, or if you think you’ll feel better tomorrow, begin TODAY. Start small if you must, but just start. Go to a farmer’s market, try a new vegetable, try a new gym. Maybe you need to find out where the closest gym is or find something online or in a book or DVD to do at home – but that’s a start!

If you want hints on where to begin, make a list of what you’d like to achieve. Write down goals, and then backtrack to the tasks or activities needed to get there. If you want to eat better, make it a point to keep healthier fare in the house. If you want to exercise consistently, keep a record of your workouts and track your progress.

Want to feel less stressed? Try a few stress-relieving modalities such as meditation, journaling, tai chi, and/or yoga.

It’ll take effort on your part to figure out the “what’s” and the “how’s,” but “when” has already been established. There’s no time like the present.



 

2)  Become your own health detective. Find out what’s buggin’ you. What works against you from the inside (allergies/intolerances/toxins)? What works against you from the outside (toxins, etc.)?

It sounds tougher than it is. Becoming your own health detective doesn’t take any special skills, equipment, or even a Sherlock Holmes cloak. All it takes is a bit of self-awareness and tenacity.

Learn to read your own cues. Pay attention to what foods bother your digestive system. Take notes on when this happens and how often. Food allergies and intolerances can present other symptoms as well. Sniffles, rashes, mental fogginess, wheezing, headaches, and even bad breath and body odor can result from foods that don’t “agree with” your body. A little personal sleuthing should help you narrow down the offending food groups.

Also, be aware of what scents or smells affect you negatively. Are you bothered by candles, air fresheners, detergents, and cleaners? What about your skin care products? Learn to be choosey about your surroundings. From chapstick to dishsoap, you’re the only one who can discern what’s best for you.

Becoming your own health detective is more than simply taking a passing interest in your personal wellness. It might just turn out to be the best career move of your life.
 

Today’s post will take a deeper look at item #3:

3)  Have confidence in your decisions. Go ahead and seek the advice of experts, but you’re the only expert in “you.”

Have you ever felt completely in the dark? Like everyone else “got” something that you did not?

Some people feel that their health quests are like that — as if their health professionals hold all the keys. Doctors, nutritionists, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc. may have extensive knowledge in each of their respective fields, but none of them are experts in “you.” Their answers are only as good as the questions they’re asked.

To learn how to ask better questions of your health professionals

• Pay attention to your symptoms
• Analyze them. Can you find patterns? Frequencies?
• Record them. Log your findings into a notebook to carry with you. Keep your personal health notebook up-to-date and include data you come across from various sources. Tidbits of information come from both likely and unlikely sources. Tracking your health details will eventually help to fill in the blanks. It’s time well spent.

Collecting information is an ongoing process. There’s no “finish line” to cross where you’ll find a magical state of wellness. Instead, wellness will find you through a series of confident decisions you make along the way. Decisions such as the pursuit of various treatment options, or CHOOSING the right professionals to be a part of your wellness team.

This type of confidence is borne of self-education. And who better to teach, than you?
 

I put these together, as they are inter-related concepts:

4)  Do research. Self-educate. New ideas/information won’t reach you if you don’t reach out.

5) Be open to new ideas. Some of most important healing principles were once scoffed at. Stop scoffing. Start deciding for yourself what works and what doesn’t.

Have you ever noticed, that once you learn a new word or concept, you see and hear it a bunch of times right away? Or you immediately have an opportunity to put your new knowledge into practice?

That’s why research is so important. It exposes you to concepts and ideas that may be new. And if they’re not new, it deepens and strengthens your understanding of them.

Research isn’t something you do once. It’s an ongoing process. Encourage in yourself, a deep and abiding sense of curiosity. Take nutrition for example. Why is digestive health so vital to healing? Why are food additives and preservatives linked to poor digestive health? How do you go about healing your body from the inside out?

As you research, write down concepts and ideas that are linked to the topics you review. It’s likely if you look up an article on digestive health, you’ll find references to topics such as acid/alkaline imbalance, digestive enzymes, and probiotics. It’s also possible to find references to things seemingly unrelated such as acne, dandruff, or toenail fungus. It’s your job — as a "truth sleuth" — to fit the puzzle pieces together and come up with your own picture of wellness.

Once you make it a point to expand your search criteria, your healing and treatment options will expand in kind.

And, by the way, when you’re open to new concepts and ideas, they’ll find you, so get ready….

Excellent summary. I have just finished reading FibroWHYalgia - this very minute.

It parallels my experiences with Fibromyalgia over the past 24 years - with definite diagnosis in 1999, 11 years ago. I have cured myself with similar methods as outlined in book, and encountered exact same nutrition experts and exercise and other techniques. I agree wholeheartedly that finding the solutions MUST be done by the 'victim' of Fibromyalgia. This syndrome's cure is 'user action required' - and although other's paths can be followed in general, your own exactness must be made - as there are no rules that work for all exactly. Exercise and nutrition are the key players - but what exercise and what nutrition, works for me, may not work for others. Also we have to be able to change as our bodies change with age and experiences we encounter.

One statement stands out for me - from all others in the entire book:

"At some point we have to ask:
Are our expectations for improved health in alignment with our actions?"

Possibly, I wonder if it is a trait of the disease of this syndrome - that we resist taking action, for what we know we need to do, to get well? And often fall off the wagon once feeling well, only to find ourselves back in the same predicament, having to start over. I believe it is not, but just fact that we are human, and it is a normal trait, and often need to give ourselves a swift kick to completely change our lifestyles to benefit our health.

Challenge yourself to get well and find your solution.

Take Action to Wellness!!

Thanks

...darleen

I want to thank Darleen for taking the time to write such a thoughful and helpful Comment related to what resonated for HER in this book which is apparently QUITE well liked.    (So I'm so pleased Sue is part of Lumigrate's 'Grate Group' ... in under a day from when the series was completed this week, we're at around 400 reads of this series/Topic! )

Since I'd had fibromyalgia 'come on' about 15 years before I created Lumigrate, then went on to have a stream of patients with fibromyalgia literally ooze out of the woodwork here in Grand Junction when I was seeing patients with Chris Young and Paula King (psychologists who both have videos on Lumigrate.com), I foresaw the topic of 'resistance' as one which would need to be addressed. 

That is why "Strategies for Lasting Change" is one of the five videos that we produced to have on Lumigrate with it's launch in 2009.  (click on the Videos tab, where you can watch a five minute clip in order to get a sense of what the video is about).  It shows in a very interesting way, why it is it's so difficult for us to make changes (it doesn't feel 'normal') and give a guided imagery exercise to use as a tool to get past that and create lasting change. 

So Darleen's comment was a really interesting one to me, and I recall SO MANY times when I was reading FibroWHYalgia, that I was saying 'it's like she wrote the book I would have written about fibromyalgia almost!'....  right on Sue (and Darleen!) 

~~ Mardy

Here's a picture of Paula in our studio filming "Strategies for Lasting Change", and please check her out on our Videos tab ... (here's a link to the videos area for your convenience ... www.lumigrate.com/catalog/seminars).  We aim with Lumigrate to be valid, progressive, streamlined and FUN, and the way she teaches about resistance with a handwriting exercise is really fun.  I got to be in the room with a bunch of marriage and family therapists/social workers when Paula taught the handwriting activity to demonstrate incorporating change and the room LIT UP. As it had in our studio, but maybe that was the lights required for recording. 

Darleen,

Thanks so much for the lovely comment! You articulate your journey well and it helps for others to know that your experiences parallel theirs.

I especially like the fact that you bring up the topic of resistance to change and backsliding. I believe that it's human nature to resist change and it's something that's a struggle for all. Perhaps those of us with chronic illness lean more toward this tendancy than the general public. This might be so, because our body's have shows us (over and over) that change isn't easy and the results are sometimes, slow. It takes patience and consistency to make the change become a way of life.

Your questions are apt. I'm currently completing a workbook to accompany my book, FibroWHYalgia, and have written segments on the subjects of barriers to success, pitfalls, and setbacks. I'll be facilitating workshops based on the book and workbook in early 2011.

Thanks again, for your lovely comment and I'm very pleased that you enjoyed FibroWHYalgia and found the healing principles within beneficial.

Healthy Hugs,

Sue Ingebretson

This is amazing regarding the workbook, as that is only thing I found missing. Particularly when I coach friends and my mother - as I tend to make my own on computer within  excel etc, but others need a guide.

Great stuff!!

...darleen

 Look back here for a link when we post a new topic toward the end of February, with Sue's generosity of adding it at Lumigrate.com.  It is about the coolest thing I've seen about fibromyaliga since, well, I read FibroWHYalgia! 

Mardy