Thursday 31 August 2017

12 tips to beat pre-menstrual blues with Ayurveda

Pre-menstrual Syndrome or (PMS) is a group of symptoms that women suffer a week prior to the onset of their menstrual cycle. For many women, PMS is not of serious...

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Healing Stone Meanings of Crystals and Chakra Stones

Lapis Lazuli

Discover the healing stone meanings. Since ancient times they have been recognized and used. Now you can use their metaphysical attributes to heal yourself.



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Doodh Peda Recipe, Benefits As Per Ayurveda

By Prof. Vd Rangaprasad Bhat. Ayurveda explains about Doodh Peda as a nutrition rich recipe, perfect for people seeking weight gain and energy. It instantaneously energizes you, helps to get rid of fatigue and depression.   Tamil Name – Tiratti Pal or Pal Gova Hindi name – Doodh Peda Sanskrit Name – Ksheera VatikaIt is […]

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Wednesday 30 August 2017

Many blessings and thanks to this beautiful soul! #louisehay...



Many blessings and thanks to this beautiful soul! #louisehay #rip #love #spiritualhealing #spiritualjourney #louisehayaffirmation #om #namaste



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Bonda Preparation, Benefits As Per Ayurveda

By Prof. Vd Rangaprasad Bhat. Ayurveda describes the modern day Bonda as Indrarika. Rarely, it is also called Idly in some places. It is prepared from black gram flour (Urad dal). The IndrArika is known by the following different names based on different regions and and local dialect popular in those areas as IdArika, IndrarikA, […]

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Sphalerite Creates Harmony, Spiritual Grounding Aids Creativity

Sphalerite

Sphalerite aka Zinc Blende grounds your nervous system, prevents fatigue after meditation. Harmonizes male-female attributes, enhances creativity. Helps you discern when a psychic reader is authentic.



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Listen. I am ecstasy. Passion blooms in my footsteps The sweet...



Listen.
I am ecstasy.
Passion blooms in my footsteps
The sweet pang of desire
The craving of creation
My petals open to the sun
I am the very heart
of Love’s work.This handmade Story Goddess carries the energy of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Also known as Venus, she is the embodiment of passion, ecstasy, creation, fertility, and romantic love. Perfect for a passionate, devoted priestess, she is cast in resin and colored with rich deep pink mica pigment. Her silver-tone belt carries a rose quartz gemstone bead and a silver-tone rose charm. Rose quartz is a stone of unconditional love and infinite peace. It helps to center you in your heart and the essence of love. It brings healing and self-love as well as compassion and love for others. It is also said to encourage self-trust and self-worth. Roses are sacred to Aphrodite, said to have been created from her blood upon the earth as she ran to her lover, cutting her feet on thorns as she ran, which then bloomed into the first roses. This goddess is meant to be a companion goddess either kept on your altar or your companion as you go about your day. Available during my private sessions, circles and events. Contact me for more info. #aphrodite #rose #love #moonmother #moonmothermiami #spiritual #spirituality #spiritualhealing #wombhealing #wombhealingmiami #wombhealer #priestess #priestessmiami #wombblessingmiami #wombwellnessmiami #goddess #divinefeminine #sacredfeminine #miami #miamilife #spiritualhealingcentermiami #wombhealingcentermiami #wombtemple #energyhealing #themoonismycalendar #yogini #crystalhealingmiami #om #namaste



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Listen. I am ecstasy. Passion blooms in my footsteps The sweet...



Listen.
I am ecstasy.
Passion blooms in my footsteps
The sweet pang of desire
The craving of creation
My petals open to the sun
I am the very heart
of Love’s work.This handmade Story Goddess carries the energy of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Also known as Venus, she is the embodiment of passion, ecstasy, creation, fertility, and romantic love. Perfect for a passionate, devoted priestess, she is cast in resin and colored with rich deep pink mica pigment. Her silver-tone belt carries a rose quartz gemstone bead and a silver-tone rose charm. Rose quartz is a stone of unconditional love and infinite peace. It helps to center you in your heart and the essence of love. It brings healing and self-love as well as compassion and love for others. It is also said to encourage self-trust and self-worth. Roses are sacred to Aphrodite, said to have been created from her blood upon the earth as she ran to her lover, cutting her feet on thorns as she ran, which then bloomed into the first roses. This goddess is meant to be a companion goddess either kept on your altar or your companion as you go about your day. Available during my private sessions, circles and events. Contact me for more info. #aphrodite #rose #love #moonmother #moonmothermiami #spiritual #spirituality #spiritualhealing #wombhealing #wombhealingmiami #wombhealer #priestess #priestessmiami #wombblessingmiami #yoni #yoniegg #wombwellnessmiami #goddess #divinefeminine #sacredfeminine #miami #miamilife #spiritualhealingcentermiami #wombhealingcentermiami #wombtemple #energyhealing #themoonismycalendar #yogini #crystalhealingmiami #om #namaste (at Kendall Lakes, Florida)



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Happy #wombwellnesswednesday ! Join me on the next new moon as...



Happy #wombwellnesswednesday ! Join me on the next new moon as we journey into our womb. A 5 week workshop where we will re-awaken to our womb, to our true nature! You will experience the awakening benefits of a womb blessing and the workshop includes a set of crystals for each of your female archetype phases, the moon is our calendar journal/calendar, and/or not a yoni egg! Contact me for more info! #moonmother #moonmothermiami #spiritual #spirituality #spiritualhealing #wombhealing #wombhealingmiami #wombhealer #priestess #priestessmiami #wombblessingmiami #yoni #yoniegg #wombwellnessmiami #goddess #divinefeminine #sacredfeminine #miami #miamilife #spiritualhealingcentermiami #wombhealingcentermiami #wombtemple #energyhealing #themoonismycalendar #yogini #crystalhealingmiami #om #namaste



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Join me tonight as we make a special crystal essential oil blend...



Join me tonight as we make a special crystal essential oil blend personalized to you as well as learn to use the moon is my calendar to track your phases. All will receive a download for this mooncycle of the moon is my calendar. Contact me to RSVP and for more info! #themoonismycalendar #mooncycle #healing #goddess #divinefeminine #sacredfeminine #moonmother #moonmothermiami #spiritual #spiritualhealingmiami #priestess #priestessmiami #wombwellness #wombwellnessmiami #wombhealer #wombhealing #wombhealingmiami #wombblessing #wombblessingmiami #wombwisdom #miami #miamilife #yogini #aromatherapy #aromatherapist #essentialoils #moonchild #om #namaste



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How I Turned Fear and Anxiety into Joy and Fulfillment

“The largest part of what we call ‘personality’ is determined by how we’ve opted to defend ourselves against anxiety and sadness.” ~Alain de Botton

I know fear and anxiety. We’re old friends. When I was fifteen, and school was over, I’d have to force one foot in front of the other. It was time to go home. I always kept going and with every step I’d psych myself up.

You see, once I’d gotten home, fixed my dinner, and finished my homework, my mother would come home. It was then that we would begin the nightly ritual of me talking her out of killing herself. I succeeded, but every day was a struggle.

As I got older I became terrified of leaving my room and fixated on studying so I could go to college and leave her dramatic mood swings behind.

I did get out. I went on to study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a highly ranked school, studied abroad in England, and even went on to get a Masters Degree in International Studies from the University of Sydney in Australia. I worked hard and climbed in my career as a humanitarian worker.

But the problem was that the fear and anxiety followed me. The chaotic energy of my childhood was still in every cell of my body. And as a result, I attracted people very similar to my mother and I was attracted to dangerous situations such as visiting former war zones for work.

After seventeen years of carrying this weight around, I buckled. My work suffered and I fell apart emotionally. I felt like a pilot trying to land an out of control jumbo jet with both engines on fire.

I just couldn’t carry the weight anymore, so I began to unload toxic relationships left and right—quite to the shock and dismay of my family and friends.

As I felt better and cracks of clarity began to seep through, the people around me pushed back. That’s when I made probably the biggest most dramatic decision I’ve ever made.

I sold my house in Washington, DC, worked out a part-time telecommuting position with my boss, and moved to Asheville, North Carolina. I knew that I needed space to figure out who I was and to spend some quality time dealing with my past.

Four and a half years later, I feel like a completely different person. I believe in myself, like really believe in myself. I meditate. I have clear boundaries that I stick to, and at a cellular level, I feel at peace.

Now, I still have work to do, but I don’t dread it. Instead, I look forward to my continued work and getting to the next level of fulfillment, and I see life as full possibilities and joy.

During this journey people have continually asked me how I did it. They’re amazed that every time they see me, I somehow have jumped to a more fulfilled level. Well, let me tell you.

1. I made personal development my number one priority.

Every time I made a leap, my relationship with myself improved, my relationships with others improved, new opportunities appeared in my life, and my business became less stressful, more streamlined, and more purposeful.

2. I embraced my emotions.

It was messy at first. I’m not going to lie. I cried every day for two years and I still cry fairly often, but it’s over quickly and I feel much better afterward. I understand now that I had to grieve for the childhood that I never had.

The two tools that kept me sane and helped me push through were a) a regimented and strenuous workout routine that allowed me to get my anger out in a physical way and b) Iyanla Vanzant’s online Forgiveness Workshop, which guided me through why I was angry, allowed me to get to the heart of my anger (and more importantly my hurt), and allowed me to let go.

3. I stopped identifying myself as a victim.

I’ll be honest, this one still comes up for me in surprising ways. I realized that I had been taking pride in being a victim. It had become part of my identity, and it was holding me back from believing in myself.

4. I embraced that it’s how I feel that is the most important thing in my life, not the amount of money in my bank account, the status of the people around me, or the car that I drive.

Danielle LaPorte’s book The Desire Map was instrumental in this mind shift. After reading it, I finally understood that when I coveted material things or relationships, I wasn’t coveting them; I was coveting how I thought they would make me feel. My whole life changed when I realized that I could have positive feelings now without these things.

I began to incorporate experiencing belonging, feeling loved, and feeling safe into my morning meditation.

There was a lot of reaching at the beginning. These weren’t emotions that I had ever experienced in a holistic and healthy way. But I kept meditating on them, and slowly, things, programs, podcasts, and people showed up in my life that showed me what those healthy emotions did feel like. And my meditations on them became more and more real. And now I know with certainty that my life will be filled with belonging, love, and feelings of being safe for the rest of my life.

5. I embraced affirmations and mantras.

I began to write down affirmations and post them throughout my house. When things were at their worst, I printed out on a piece of paper in huge font the words “I love you” and taped it to my bathroom mirror.

I still cry thinking about how lonely and unloved I felt when I looked at that piece of paper every morning. But I kept it up there and I even started to say “I love you” to myself in the mirror.

At first I could barely look myself in the eye, but after over five years, I look myself clearly in the eye and smile every time I say it, because I mean it.

I also started to identify how I wanted to feel so I could create mantras. I still do this. At the moment I’ve borrowed one of Gabrielle Bernstein’s favorites and adapted it. Every time I am at rest I repeat to myself “I am supported in my life and business” and everyday I feel more supported.

6. I got a dog.

It may sound simple to some, but getting a dog has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The obvious perks are the unconditional love, the constant shoulder to cry on, and someone who is always ecstatic to play with me.

But the actual reason goes much deeper. Dogs’ behavior reflects the energy we put off into the world, so they’re like an instant karma meter. If we’re feeling chaotic and unsure of ourselves, they might protect us by attacking other dogs or misbehave.

People always assume it’s the dog’s fault if he misbehaves, but the fault is almost always the human’s energy. Once I figured this out, I felt an even greater responsibility for the energy that I was putting out in the world. I now had to be calm, direct, and assertive so that my dog could have a happy life. During this process, he has helped me identify countless things to clear.

7. I set firm boundaries.

This one was and still is paramount to my happiness. I grew up in a family with essentially no boundaries. My parents would tell me about their love lives, their problems, and didn’t really allow me to have any material possessions that really felt like mine.

So as an adult I had very poor boundaries. I’d let people take advantage of me and then get mad behind their backs. I’d ask inappropriate questions. The list goes on and on.

One day my therapist mentioned boundaries in passing, so I looked on Amazon and found another life changing book, Where you End and I Begin by Anne Katherine. It rocked my world.

I honestly had never even realized that I was allowed to set boundaries. I started setting them right away and my whole world started to shift.

I now tell people when I don’t want to talk about a subject. I leave a party if I no longer want to be there and I only do things I want to do. As a result I am so much happier and grounded, and more importantly I am now free to explore what it is that I really want.

8. I understand that what people say often reflects what they think about themselves.

This was a hard one. I grew up thinking that everyone’s emotional state and actions were my fault.

As a result, I had a chronic need to please—and if I didn’t, I felt horribly guilty about it afterwards. As I worked through my own emotional chaos, I began to understand how the energy that I brought to a situation could completely shift its outcome.

I realized that I was creating a revolving mirror of chaos by projecting my own insecurities onto other people’s words and actions. Once I had reined in my inner chaos and could see the world with some clarity, I realized that most people do the same thing I was doing.

In some cases I realized it didn’t even matter if I was in the room; their insecurities were the only thing that mattered in their world. Whatever I had to say wasn’t going to change anything.

This realization was downright magical. I finally felt free. I look back and realize that so many situations that had made me feel bad had absolutely nothing to do with me. This has not only allowed me to forgive more people, but it has allowed me to more easily spot secure people who genuinely listen and gravitate towards them.

9. I expelled negative messages from my life.

I realized that the television shows I watched, the music that I listened to, and the furniture and objects I put in my house all impacted my subconscious.

As a result, I stopped watching television where the main character was on the verge of dying or the world was going to end in every episode. This doesn’t mean I switched to shows with unicorns and bunnies. I’m an intelligent person who likes complex plots. But what I did was make sure that the shows I watched reflected how I wanted to feel.

I started curating my music more carefully. If I loved the beat, but the song had negative messages about women, it got tossed. If the lyrics were about self-sabotage or unhealthy self-doubt, it got tossed. Or if I just didn’t like the beat, it also got tossed.

What is now left is positive, affirming music that actually feels like me. I’ve even had people comment that the music I listen to feels like my artwork.

I gave away or threw out all furniture or objects that I didn’t like or that reminded me of someone that I didn’t like. If an object made me feel guilty, it got tossed. If something was broken, it got tossed.

I even threw away my dining room table! Every time I would drive to the Restore or Goodwill with a full car I was filled with guilt, but then when I drove away empty-handed I always felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

I realized that I was so busy cluttering my house up with obligations and broken things that I wasn’t showcasing the things I loved and that brought me joy.

10. I believe in myself.

When I was trying to study abroad in England and get my Masters in Australia, I felt so sure of the outcome—in my mind there was no other outcome—and I felt so focused and purposeful. I realized this year that I had lost that drive.

Going through my past in painstaking detail in order to heal had really taken its toll. In some ways it had dragged me into a holding pattern and I couldn’t see a life beyond it.

Then I started to listen to the Tim Ferriss’ podcast. It’s a complex show hosted by a complex man, so you could take away any number of things. What I’ve taken away lately is that I need to start asking myself more absurd questions.

Essentially I need to start thinking bigger. So when Tim mentioned an old 1959 book called The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz, I devoured it. It is lifting me up in ways that I never expected (and making me chuckle at its totally 1950s take on life).

As a result of this book, I finally understand what Tony Robbins has been banging on about—successful people and businesses are successful because they truly believe they will be successful, and they’re willing to do any amount of personal growth work to get to their goal.

They are so sure of the outcome that nothing, not even their most horrifying ghost will stop them. They’re not going to push against the ghost, they’re going to embrace the ghost, feel its pain, and move through it.

I believe that I can. And I believe that you can too.

About Maggie Minor

Maggie Minor is the founder of Maggie Minor Designs, a resource for room designs and artwork that helps people surround themselves with inspiration. A former humanitarian worker, Maggie is also the author of Adventures of a Curious Sculptor, a memoir of her world travels and personal journey. To learn more, follow Maggie on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook.

Get in the conversation! Click here to leave a comment on the site.

The post How I Turned Fear and Anxiety into Joy and Fulfillment appeared first on Tiny Buddha.



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Tuesday 29 August 2017

Brazilianite Embodies Ancient Atlantean Energy Aids Manifestation

Brazilianite

Brazilianite crystals embody ancient Atlantean energy and can uncover past lives in Atlantis. These golden crystals boost manifestation and creativity, using the will. Blend energy of heart and solar plexus.



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Ayurvedic Way of Making Ghewar, Benefits

By Prof. Vd Rangaprasad Bhat. Ayurveda explains about a sweet dish preparation which resembles the sweet Ghewar, a dessert of Rajasthan. It is called Ghrutapura in Sanskrit and it is from a 14th text book – Ayurveda Mahodadhi.  The ingredients required :- Milk, finely powdered wheat flour, white candy sugar, Edible camphor Black pepper and […]

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Join me on September 6 2017   7pm $20 For my monthly womb...



Join me on September 6 2017   7pm $20 For my monthly womb blessing circle
In each circle we come together in sisterhood to connect with our Womb, our divine feminine power for healing , balance and awakening. I will guide you through a meditation to connect to our womb and receive a womb blessing. 
A womb blessing awakens us to our natural power as women. Each blessing is a re-awakening to our source of femininity bringing balance to our cycle and aiding in healing all feminine issues. 
Contact me for more info and to RSVP.Each circle you will have the option of taking a womb tea or yoni steam pack to aid in your journey to healing and connecting with our womb. #wombblessing #wombblessingmiami #priestess #priestessmiami #goddess #divinefeminine #sacredfeminine #wombhealer #wombhealing #wombhealingmiami #wombtea #yonisteam #healing #energyhealing #wombhealingcentermiami #wombblessingcircle #moonmother #moonmothermiami #love #meditation #yonishakti #shakti #miami #miamilife #yogini #om #namaste



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Join me Tomorrow for a goddess aromatherapy and moon calendar...



Join me Tomorrow for a goddess aromatherapy and moon calendar workshop! We will make our goddess aromatherapy blend. A blend unique to our divine feminine energy and learn how to track our female archetype phases with the moon calendar! Contact me for more and to RSVP! #divinefeminine #divinefeminineenergy #goddess #aromatherapy #themoonismycalendar #sacredfeminine #priestess #priestess #moonmother #moonmothermiami #yogini #miami #miamilife #shakti #wombwisdome #yoni #spiritual #spiritualhealing #wombhealing #wombhealingmiami #wombwellness #wombwellnessmiami #mooncycle #femaleawakening #om #namaste



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MEA Review: To the heart of the issue – new study on two-day CPET in M.E. and MS | 29 August 2017

 


Published in Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging, 07 August 2017.

The New Zealand pilot study on 2-day CPET is not the first to examine CPET results in ME/CFS, however it is the first to compare responses with MS (multiple sclerosis) patients.

The fact that similar studies have been carried out before, strengthens the emerging picture, providing good physiological evidence for what has become known as the characteristic post-exertional malaise (PEM).

Overview of the main results

 

MS patients performed worse on both days compared to M.E. patients and controls. However, they were able to reproduce the same results on day two, whereas M.E. patients performed considerably worse on the second day.

 

This demonstrates the effects that PEM has on a M.E. patient’s ability to exercise and separates M.E. from MS patients, whose symptoms may actually improve, following exercise.

 

 


Background

The 2-day CardioPulmonary Exercise Test (CPET)

The Two-day CPET generally involves two identical exercise tests, 24 hours apart, the collection of gas exchange and heart rate data and the use of a bicycle to measure work output.

This test has been used many times over the years (vanNess et al. (2003), Snell et al. (2013), Keller et al. (2014)) to objectively document post-exertional malaise (PEM) in ME/CFS and has been suggested as a diagnostic marker.

General findings from these tests show that M.E. patients perform adequately/well on the first day of testing but have reduced cardiopulmonary function on the second day and fail to reproduce their performance from the first day.

There have also been many one-day CPET’s carried out on M.E. patients, however results from a single test can be misinterpreted as deconditioning and can lead to inappropriate (and often harmful) exercise prescriptions.

The main benefit of the data taken in these tests is that they are measurable and objective, not self-reported, and so they cannot be ‘faked’ and the results cannot be deemed as being due to a “lack of effort” from the participants.

ME Association ‘ME/CFS An exploration of the key clinical issues (2017)‘, available from our online shop.

 


The study

The purpose of the study was to compare physiological responses in M.E., MS and controls to a 24 hour repeated CPET test and to determine any differences in the fatigue processes between MS and M.E. patients. The researchers also wanted to help develop an understanding of why M.E. patients experience worsening symptoms following exercise and find a way of defining and calculating PEM.

The study was a pilot study, meaning it was a small trial to “test the waters”, with ten ME/CFS patients, seven MS patients and seventeen controls.

⇒ The very small sample size does of course affect the significance of the results, however they were enough to show that the researchers were on to something and have led them to design a larger study over a longer period (see below)

Design

The overall study design was very good. The researchers were very thorough in recruiting M.E. participants – who had to meet all three criteria – Fukuda, Canadian and International – as well as DePaul Symptom and SF-36 (physical function) screening questionnaires.

Participants were excluded if they had any other health conditions or medication that may have affected the results. Also, the controls were well matched in terms of age and gender. Participants were told to avoid food, smoking, caffeine and exercise for appropriate time periods before testing began and were also given a 5-minute rest period before any pre-test measurements were taken.

⇒ Although each group had controls that were aged-matched, there was an age difference of nearly 20 years, on average, between the M.E. and MS patients, making direct comparison between these groups difficult. This could explain why the MS group had a lower performance in general, as their average age was higher.

⇒ Also, the average BMI of the participants placed them as “overweight” and after being categorized into fitness levels, 70% of them were classed as “poor”, which could have influenced the results. However, as this was the average of all of the participants, not just one patient group, it shouldn’t have had a great impact on the results.

Each participant completed an incremental (getting gradually harder) cycle test on day one and again 24 hours later. The researchers measured the participants heart rate, blood pressure, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), VO2 max, carbon dioxide production and workload.

 


Key Definitions

VO2 max = maximal oxygen uptake. It is a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen a person consumes during exercise. As you increase your effort as you exercise, the amount of oxygen you consume increases, however, this eventually reaches a plateau where increasing exercise no longer increases consumption. VO2 can reflect the aerobic physical fitness of an individual and can be used to compare performance capability.

Anaerobic threshold (AT) = The physiological point during exercise at which lactic acid (the chemical that causes aching muscles) starts to accumulate in the muscles faster than it can be cleared away. Generally, people who are less fit have a lower AT than say, endurance athletes.

RER = Respiratory exchange ratio is the ratio between the amount of carbon dioxide produced and oxygen used. This ratio increases as you exercise as more oxygen is used. An RER of 1.15 or more is often used as a secondary endpoint to VO2 max. RER can be used as a measure of fitness status under low exercise intensity.


 

The Results

On the first day of the test, there was no significant difference between M.E. patients and the healthy controls, showing that they were of similar fitness levels. MS patients were found to be considerably less fit than the controls and the M.E. patients on the first test.

But of the second day of testing, both the controls and the MS patients were able to reproduce their performance from day one, whereas M.E. patients were unable to achieve their day one results – they reached their anaerobic threshold faster and at a lower workload.

In a press release, lead researcher Dr Hodges said: “This suggests that even though [M.E. patients] were as fit as the healthy controls, PEM after exercise shows up by them not being able to achieve the same workload at anaerobic threshold or at their peak.”

 

The study concluded: “These results suggest that exercise exhibits a different physiological response in MS and CFS/ME, demonstrating repeated CPET as a valid measure for differentiating between fatigue conditions.”

 

 

An objectively determined maximal exertion was reached, with RER showing exhaustion of aerobic energy production. This shows that the reduction in workload on day two – as demonstrated by the M.E. patients – cannot be due to “slacking off” or deconditioning.

⇒ Interestingly, M.E. patients also showed a decrease in heart rate on the second day of testing. The paper therefore suggests that the cardiovascular system of those with M.E. may be compromised, which warrants further exploration of the role of cardiac output during exercise.

The main difference between the two conditions was that MS patients were able to achieve or even increase workload on the second day of testing, whereas M.E. patients could not.

This supports other studies that have found that exercise improves fatigue in MS patients (Pertruzzello and Motl, 2011, Pilutti et al. 2013). But is in contrast to the evidence for M.E. patients, with the researchers commenting, “This study provides caution for the use of exercise treatment of CFS/ME”.

The paper also highlights that PEM symptoms persisted for up to 2-4 weeks following repeated exercise tests in M.E. patients and so future studies should look at longer studies (48 to 72 hours), which is what the New Zealand group are currently working on.

⇒ Carrying out large CPET studies may be challenging as they are expensive and also it may be hard to find enough willing volunteers as the test itself is very hard and can take a while to recover from.

⇒ Future studies should also look further into the physiological reasons behind these responses – why are they occurring? – including cardiac testing, lactic acid responses and mitochondrial functioning during exercise.

 


What the researchers are planning next…

Dr Hodges is already working on another trial, looking at physiological differences in repeated exercise tests at 48 hours and 72 hours.

“We will be taking blood samples to examine markers of inflammation, blood pressure and heart rate, asking questions about fatigue, and participants will be asked to do simple computer tasks to examine cognition, as well as ultrasound to measure arterial stiffness, and the cycle test to examine anaerobic threshold. All tests will then be repeated at either 48 hours or 72 hours later.”

 

It would be useful to see 2-day CPET tests like this one in the UK to provide more evidence for its use as a diagnostic marker to distinguish M.E. from other fatigue-related conditions. Furthermore, such a study might interest specialists in the cardiac field to research the physiological workings of M.E. that may underlie post-exertional malaise.

 


Please help us continue our work

If you have found this review useful, then please donate – whatever you can afford – to help us continue with our work to make the UK a better place for people with M.E. Just click the button below to visit our JustGiving page:

Or why not join the ME Association as a member and become a part of our growing community? For a monthly (or annual) payment you will not only be helping to keep us doing what we do best, but will receive our exclusive ME Essential magazine.

 


Image copyrights: 1. wavebreakmediamicro/123RF Stock Photo, 2. wavebreakmediamicro/123RF Stock Photo, 3. flippo/123RF Stock Photo.



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Why Letting Go of Your Tight Grip Actually Gives You More Control

“Anything you can’t control in life is teaching you how to let go.” ~Unknown

I was growing impatient. I wanted an answer about something and it just wasn’t coming, no matter how hard I tried to prod it into happening. I was growing frustrated. And I was growing frustrated with my frustrations about it.

So I decided to take a walk. The act of breathing in fresh air and hearing birdsong is centering for me. Just putting one foot in front of the other in rapid succession for an hour or two always helps to clear my head. I receive answers and guidance to my greatest questions when I’m walking. Call it a moving meditation.

As I set out that morning, my eyes were drawn upward to three hawks flying overhead. While their aerial dance looked choreographed and elegant, I realized that the hawks weren’t instigating the choreography. They were simply letting go and floating with the currents. They circled and circled above me, wings outstretched, sailing and drifting.

It dawned on me as I watched the hawks in flight that I’m rarely successful when I try to push or pull something in order to make it happen. Making an effort is noble and often necessary, but forcing something or worrying about it seldom yields the results you want.

Sometimes, you just have to let go of your tight grip of how you think things should be or how quickly they should come together and simply let things run their own course. By releasing control and letting the currents carry you along, paradoxically, you gain more control—of your attitude and your reaction to what’s happening to you at the moment.

Never was this truer in my life than when my mother was dying of cancer. My husband and I had decided that having Mom live with us would be the best solution. So, we rearranged our home, making one room her little oasis where she would be surrounded by her lovely things. Mom still wanted her independence, but it was no longer prudent.

I worked well into the night getting everything ready for her arrival from the skilled care facility where she was rehabilitating after a hospitalization. No sooner was she discharged from the nursing home and settled in at our home than circumstances changed and she ended up right back in the hospital again and then back at the nursing home for more rehab.

Later that same week, the unimaginable happened. I spontaneously and frighteningly became paralyzed from the chest down. My husband and I had been working hard to clean out Mom’s apartment. We’d been dealing as best as we could with her boomeranging back and forth to the hospital and nursing home. Then, all of a sudden, I needed medical care myself.

At first, there were those medical professionals who thought I was simply exhausted and that my illness might even be psychosomatic. However, an MRI revealed a large benign tumor called a meningioma pressing so severely on my spinal cord that I suddenly became paralyzed.

I was whisked by ambulance to the nearest large hospital an hour away, where a neurosurgeon who inherited my case soberly delivered the news that he was only cautiously optimistic I would ever walk again. I underwent the first of two surgeries to remove the tumor and release its pressure from my spinal cord.

While in the hospital, unable to move, I realized that I had no other choice but to breathe, relax, and let go. I found it easier, then, to accept what was, even if I didn’t like it.

All of my plans to care for my mother in our home were dashed. My mother’s care would have to be handed over to others at the skilled nursing facility. Mom would accept the situation. My work would have to just pile up. My employer would cope. My life was pretty much on hold as we waited to see how my spinal cord would recover from the surgery.

I never once gave up faith or hope that I would get better. I visualized my return to my sacred evening walks. I saw myself strong and nimble and able to do what I could to support my mother on her final journey.

But, I couldn’t plan at that point. I had to give in and let go. Like those hawks I saw overhead recently, I couldn’t allow myself to become impatient or to force the outcome. I had to ride on the wind and let the currents carry my wings.

We all have those times in our lives when we want things to be the way we believe they should be—the way we planned them to be. Alas, sometimes life has another path for us.

I believe that those things that are meant for us have a tendency to come our way and those doors that are never supposed to be open to us simply will not open.

Some of our desires will take longer to manifest than we would want. There will be those things that will turn out differently than we anticipated—sometimes better than we could have imagined; at other times, not so much.

Our difficulties and disappointments, however, have the ability to serve as blessings. Those blessings aren’t always clear at the moment, but with time, they often become visible.

After months of physical therapy, I did indeed learn how to walk again. And now I walk every day because I can. I am blessed.

For those of us who like to have a semblance of control over our lives, we will at some point learn that there are those times when we don’t have much say in what happens or how it ends. All we can do is be patient, filled with faith and buttressed by hope.

Our letting go of the process or the outcome gives us more space to consider what’s happening at that very moment and to control our attitudes and reactions. By being mindful of our thoughts and attitudes, we can avoid getting stuck in draining emotions.

It’s quite freeing to not have any preconceived notions, to be patient and to just let things flow. When I get out of the way and allow life to happen, the end result is often much better than I could have planned on my own.

Surely, I want and need to have goals, plans and dreams. That’s what helped me recover from my paralysis and regain the ability to walk. But, I’ve learned that I can’t be shackled by my desires and plans. Instead, I’ve learned to stop the tendency to prod or push. I’ve found that I can ride the currents, allow them to sweep me along, and all will be well.

When you let go and allow the currents to carry you, you’ll still move forward in life. Things might not turn out exactly as you planned, but the journey may give you more interesting scenery along the way. And in the end, you’ll have mastered control of what really mattered all along: What you thought and how you reacted to your circumstances.

About Keri Olson

Keri Olson is the survivor of three cancer diagnoses and two benign tumors—one in her brain and another in her spine that caused temporary paralysis. Through illness, Olson has learned the beauty and blessing of each day. She blogs about joy at timetobe-keri.blogspot.com. The author of two books, Olson is currently writing her third. She lives in Baraboo, Wisconsin with her husband Larry McCoy.

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Monday 28 August 2017

Aegirine Gives Protection From Psychic Attack

Aegirine

Aegirine stone assists those with electrical sensitivity to man made radiation. Potent psychic protection stones that prevent psychic attack. Aids stress and helps you to deal with addictions and more.



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Join me at the Bodhi and Mind holistic festival @cauleysquare I...



Join me at the Bodhi and Mind holistic festival @cauleysquare I will have all my aromatherapy products, womb wellness products, goddess statues, orgonite and more during this amazing event! #bodhiandmindholisticfestival #cauleusquare #holisticfestival #holistic #wellness #mondbodyspirit #wombhealingmiami #wombwellnessmiami #spiritual #spirituality #spiritualhealing #spiritualhealingmiami #goddess #divinefeminine #sacredfeminine #yonieggs #orgonite #miami #miamilife #yogini #moonmother #moonmothermiami #priestess #priestessmiami #om #namaste



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Rose quartz yoni eggs! How amazing does that sound! Rose quartz...



Rose quartz yoni eggs! How amazing does that sound! Rose quartz is known as the crystal of love. This crystal brings a calming energy of unconditional love to your yoni and womb. Allowing you to be open and to receive love, teaches you how to unconditionally love all aspects of you! Opens the heart chakra which is deeply connected to our womb. The heart chakra is directly connected to our womb by one of our major energetic channels allowing for love to flow between both spaces for healing. Contact me for more info, available to purchase on my website, Etsy store and in person during private sessions and events. #yoni #yonieggs #rosequartzyoniegg #rosequartz #holistic #crystalhealing #wombawakening #wombwellness #wombwellnessmiami #wombhealingmiami #wombhealing #wombhealer #yonilove #yonipower #wombwisdom #moonmother #moonmothermiami #healing #energyhealing #miami #miamilife #metaphysical #spiritual #spiritualhealing #spiritualhealingmiami #yogini #om #namaste



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Embrace your natural rhythms and deepen your inner wisdom with...



Embrace your natural rhythms and deepen your inner wisdom with the New Moon Calendar/Journal. Available on my website and during my events and private sessions.
This simple and beautiful circular calendar and journal establishes the new moon as the starting point for each monthly cycle. By using a circular calendar you perceive time in relation to nature more clearly, and patterns in your own experience become more apparent. It provides a structure for connecting to your inner wisdom and natural rhythms.
The Summer Solstice edition contains six lunar cycles from June 2017 to the new moon before Winter Solstice 2017.
You can use the New Moon Calendar / Journal to:
Chart your energy level throughout the cycle to cultivate mindfulness of your changing needs
Record daily meditation practice
Track your emotional, physical and creative cycles over time to deepen self-awareness and a sense of your personal orbits
Choose a habit you wish to begin or an old habit you wish to break and allow the moon calendar to be the container to support your progress
Set intentions on the new moon to catalyze powerful change
Create moon mandalas to activate and empower these intentions as you move through each cycle
Shift your perception of time as linear and connect with lunar cycles
Take notes on significant astrological events
Create a routine of checking-in with where you are and where the moon is in her cycle
The moon is a beacon in the sky reminding us that everything is a phase. Seeds, buds, blooms and fruit show us the way life moves through phases as well. The moon embodies this eternal cycle, returning to darkness before growing light again in a constant measured rhythm of expansion and contraction, ebb and flow, and changing seasons. When we bring our awareness to natural cycles and those of our own bodies, we can begin to see connections, patterns and potential. We are nature. #themoonismycalendar #mooncycle #menstruation #divinefeminine #sacredfeminine #goddess #wombhealing #wombhealer #moonmother #moonmothermiami #priestess #priestessmiami #healing #energyhealing #wombwellness #wombwellnessmiami #miami #miamilife #yogini #om #namaste



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Sunday 27 August 2017

Use Crystals To Create Good Vibrations To Improve Health

Rose Quartz

Good vibrations within your etheric body will assist you to heal emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually. Using specific crystals will help you to change and improve your vibration.



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The divine feminine, her grounding, nurturing, creative,...

Septaria Enhance Privacy and Communication Abilities

Septarian Cabachon

Septaria strengthen group activities, improve communication and support public speaking. For privacy, keep Septarian stones on your body to dispel others personal interest in you. Strong earth energy.



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How Our Smartphones Are Disconnecting Us and What To Do About It

“These days, whether you are online or not, it is easy for people to end up unsure if they are closer together or further apart.” ~Sherry Turkle, Alone Together

There was rarely a time when my partner didn’t have her phone in her hand or, at the very least, in a place she could quickly grab it.

We’d go out for a meal and it’d be there by her plate, positioned so she could dip in and out at any lull in the conversation.

We’d take a walk and she’d have me in one hand and it in the other, ready to take a photo or catch the next Facebook notification.

Even when we were in bed, if it wasn’t glued to her face, it’d be right by her side, lying between us like a small child who’d snuggled in for the night and ruined any chance of intimacy.

It wasn’t good for our relationship, to say the least. Especially considering that, however unhealthy her relationship with her phone was, mine was worse.

I didn’t realize it at the time. But in hindsight, I can see that most the time she retreated into her phone was when I’d long zoned out and been absorbed by mine: some random article or new app I’d downloaded, updates on the game or a group chat with work colleagues.

In that sense, we were perfect for each other. And looking around us, there didn’t seem anything too strange or excessive about our behavior. All our friends and the couples around us were also interacting with each other from beyond their screens, and they seemed perfectly happy — at least according to their Instagram posts.

But something wasn’t right. Sure, we had our problems, I knew that. But it was something more than that: we were missing that deep feeling of connection. You know, that feeling you get when your partner understands you, without having to say a word. Or the fulfillment of being alone together and feeling like you’re the only two people in the world.

Surely this fundamental pillar of how you feel about someone had nothing to do with our little glowing screens. So, none the wiser to what was going on, things gradually got worse and, eventually, we broke up.

I wasn’t blind enough to see our phones had something to do with it, though. I mean, not being able to talk for two minutes without one of us phubbing the other was clearly an issue. And the non-stop messaging whenever we were apart couldn’t have been good for us.

So when a similar thing started to happen with my current partner—both of us spending more time with our devices than each other and a feeling of disconnection growing between us—I knew there was something going on. And if one thing was for sure, whatever it was, I wasn’t prepared to let it ruin another relationship.

I started to look more closely at our phone use and put it under the microscope: why was it happening? Why did I prefer Candy Crush over spending time together? Why did we talk more via text than real life?

What I found completely changed our relationship. Not only that, it changed my relationships with friends, family, and everyone I meet. And what’s best about it, I haven’t had to disconnect from social media or give up any of my beloved devices.

I discovered the real issue wasn’t the physical presence of the phone, but rather how it had changed our idea of communication and influenced how we interact together.

A prime example of this is phubbing — when your partner uses their phone while you’re talking.

This was an everyday occurrence in my relationship. My partner would often ask me, “How was your day?”, and start phubbing the hell out of me just moments into my response. I always thought she just wasn’t interested and was just being rude, but that wasn’t half the story.

Because instant messaging was now our primary mode of communication, we’d trained ourselves to take words solely on face value — like you would a text or email.

And so we would never stop to look beyond what was being laid out on the surface and consider all the other information-rich signals that make up the majority of communication—facial gestures, eye contact, tone, body language, and the emotions driving them all.

Whenever we spoke, it was more like a means to an end. Something we did because we had to. Conversation was a chore that consisted of generic, predetermined questions and equally humdrum answers. All delivered in a way that was monotonous and unappreciative of the other’s attention and contributions.

So it’ll be no surprise to hear our conversations were never stimulating and meaningful. And because of this, we robbing ourselves the chance to foster that deep sense of connection and understanding that’s so vital to a healthy relationship.

Phubbing was only the tip of the iceberg. But it was enough to realize the fundamental effects phones were having on my relationships and wake me up to how they were undermining my ability to connect with people.

Today, by simply being more aware of how we use our devices, me and my partner are closer than ever.

What’s more, now we don’t use our phones as much as the average couple, but it’s not because we’re following orders from a couples therapist or because some rule from a relationship handbook told us to. We do it because we stay up all night talking and forget about them. Or because we go on a long walk and accidentally leave them at home.

We do it because we’ve got back in touch with those deep, visceral feelings that nothing on Twitter or Facebook could ever come close to. And because there’s no way we’re going to let them fade away again.

About Joseph Pennington

Joseph is a Freelance Writer & author of the new Ebook: Your Relationship Is Phubbed: 14 Ways Smartphones Are F*cking Up Your Relationships, Why It's Happening & How To Reconnect Without Disconnecting. Download it here for FREE, for a limited time only!

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Join me August 30 for a goddess aromatherapy and moon calendar...



Join me August 30 for a goddess aromatherapy and moon calendar workshop! We will make our goddess aromatherapy blend. A blend unique to our divine feminine energy and learn how to track our female archetype phases with the moon calendar! Contact me for more and to RSVP! #divinefeminine #divinefeminineenergy #goddess #aromatherapy #themoonismycalendar #sacredfeminine #priestess #priestess #moonmother #moonmothermiami #yogini #miami #miamilife #shakti #wombwisdome #yoni #spiritual #spiritualhealing #wombhealing #wombhealingmiami #wombwellness #wombwellnessmiami #mooncycle #femaleawakening #om #namaste (at W Kendall)



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Join me tomorrow for An evening of meditation, relaxation and...



Join me tomorrow for An evening of meditation, relaxation and healing for mind, body, spirit. Contact me for more info. #meditation #meditate #meditationmiami #meditatemiami #priestess #priestessmiami #yoga #yogamiami #miamiyoga #yogi #yogini #wellness #healing #holistic #holisticmiami #spiritual #spiritualhealing #spiritualhealingmiami #spiritualawakening #spiritualguidance #spiritualjourney #metaphysical #energyhealing #miami #miamilife #om #namaste (at W Kendall)



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Join me @iunify Tuesday at 6:00pst/9pm EST for a global drum...



Join me @iunify Tuesday at 6:00pst/9pm EST for a global drum prayer. Unite as One Family for the
Global Synchronized Drum Circle. Hundreds of locations will Unify and tune into a live prayer amplified from the heart of Burning Man. Indigenous Wisdom Keepers will be at the center of this prayer leading the drum circle and uniting the world into one heartbeat. This prayer is for purification of every heart, mind, and spirit on this planet. It is for the evolution of peace, harmony, and compassion for future generations. #globaldrumprayer #unify #prayer #worldhealing #spiritual #spirituality #spiritualhealing #spiritualhealingmiami #energyhealing #metaphysical #love #miami #miamilife #om #namaste



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Saturday 26 August 2017

Libyan Desert Glass Has Highly Protective Mystical Energy

Libyan Desert Glass

Libyan Desert Glass embodies golden ray, highly spiritual energy, aids past life healing. Aka Libyan Gold Tektite, aids manifestation, guards against negative psychic energy.



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Learn Clairsentience And Psychometry For Psychic Communication

Blue Apatite

Clairsentience is the psychic power of sensing or feeling psychically or spiritually. Psychometry is touching an object and doing psychic reading. See list of crystals to aid the process. Creates clear feelings to use and follow in your life.



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spiritualseeker77: spiritualseeker77: I love it! Just about... | Spiritual



spiritualseeker77:

spiritualseeker77:

I love it! Just about says it all…

T-shirt available at http://ift.tt/2rIEplV 😊



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Join me on September 16 weeks for this awesome festival!...



Join me on September 16 weeks for this awesome festival! @cauleysquare #spiritual #spirituality #spiritualhealing #bodhiandmindfestival #cauleysquare #reiki #crystalhealing #orgonite #energyhealing #divinefeminine #spiritualhealingmiami #spiritualhealingcentermiami #wombhealingcentermiami #metaphysical #yoga #yogini #holistic #holisticmiami #yonihealth #wombhealingmiami #wombwellnessmiami #wombblessing #moonmothermiami #priestessmiami #miami #miamilife #om #namaste (at W Kendall)



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Friday 25 August 2017

Exploring meditation, with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

Exploring meditation with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche and learn how to integrate meditative awareness into your everyday life. About 1 hour 45 minutes

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Fuchsite Crystals Have Sparkling Radiant Energy!

Fuchsite

Fuchsite or Green Muscovite Mica known as the Healers Stone as it aids healers in their work. Helpful to use in meditation. It assists allergy, encourages restful sleep and aids contact with nature spirits.



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MEA Review: Cytokine responses to exercise and activity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome | 25 August 2017

 


Published in, Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 05 August, 2017.

Cytokine responses to exercise and activity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: Case control study

Authors: L.V. Clark, M. Buckland, G. Murphy, N. Taylor, V. Vleck, C. Mein, E. Wozniak, M. Smuk, P.D. White.

We recently published a comprehensive review of the large cytokine study from Prof. Jose Montoya and colleagues at Stanford. This review of Clark et al. relates to a much smaller UK study, that set out with very good intentions but encountered difficulties processing samples which some have said should have resulted in the paper not being published.

As Charlotte said in our previous review:

“Clark et al. recently carried out a study in the UK looking at cytokine levels before and after exertion. They concluded there to be no differences in expression and that cytokine levels in general (with the exception of our old friend TGF-β) to be no different to that of controls.

However, the Clark study has been criticised for its poor execution and scientific errors, such as dividing the samples into batches that were looked at years apart by different lab technicians! It would have been far more useful if this study had not been published, but had been repeated once the problems had been identified and corrected – enabling more accurate conclusions to be reached.”

Introducing Dr Barbara De Barros

In this review of the UK study, we would like to introduce Dr Barbara De Barros who is a doctor specialising in infectious disease, and who is researching the Zika virus with colleagues at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine where she developed an interest in ME/CFS and came into contact with Dr Luis Nacul who is head of the UK ME/CFS Biobank team, and with whom she is currently working on a dissertation.

“Back in Brazil I was working as a MD, had my private office, worked with the justice department with HIV/AIDS disability and in an emergency department. Nowadays, I want to get more involved with research, if I can stay a little longer in the UK.” She is currently working on another project for the ME Association – the details of which will be announced in due course – but has kindly made herself available for research reviews.

Unlike Charlotte, Barbara is of the opinion that the Clark et al. study should have been published, “I always think it is good to publish papers with negative results so other researchers can learn from them, avoiding repeating the same mistakes,” she said – see below.

Cytokines and CFS

The immune system is a complex network designed to protect us from both external (e.g. infections) and internal threats (e.g. malignant gene mutation).

Cytokines are important mediators of immune responses that allow integration of behaviour of a cell in time and geographical location as immune responses are generated. The immune response can be pro- or anti-inflammatory.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is an established condition of chronic and disabling fatigue which is not caused by an obvious medical disease or psychiatric illness. The causes of CFS are still a mystery and there are no markers to help diagnosis.

Groups of researchers are looking into abnormal regulation of cytokines as being part of the pathophysiology (the cause, or part of the process) of CFS. Previous studies have shown changes in the serum levels of a few cytokines at rest and after exercise in CFS patients compared to healthy individuals.

⇒ See also: MEA Summary Review: Cytokine signature associated with disease severity in ME/CFS, published, 18 August, 2017, for more of an overview about cytokines and how they may play a role in this disease.

The hypotheses

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that cytokines are excessively expressed (concentrations are higher in the blood) as a response to physical activity in patients suffering from CFS. Other hypotheses posited by the authors were as follows:

  1. Aerobic exercise and commuting to hospital induce greater increases in serum protein concentrations of transforming growth factor (TGF-β), tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8) and their RNA in cases of CFS compared to healthy sedentary controls
  2. Perceived effort with exercise and post-exercise increases in malaise, fatigue and pain are associated with increased serum protein concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF, IL-8, IL-6 and their RNA in cases but not controls
  3. Increased post-commuting malaise, fatigue and pain are associated with increased serum protein concentration of TGF-B and its RNA in cases, but not controls.
  4. Depressed and anxious mood, physical deconditioning and sleep disturbance are mediating factors in the increased protein concentrations of the cytokines TNF, IL-6, IL-8 and TGF-B in cases.

Because cytokines can be active or not active, or linked with platelets, for better accuracy RNA of these cytokines were measured. RNA is a genetic material, like a recipe, and it comes from a part of our DNA, and with that our cells know what to produce depending on the type of cell and what we need from it.

Therefore, if the cell is producing more cytokine, there will be more RNA of that cytokine around. It doesn’t matter if the cytokine is linked with something or active or inside or outside the cell.

The problem is that some laboratory tests can measure active cytokines differently. For example: TGF-β is a cytokine linked with platelets, and depending on the speed and time of centrifuge, it changes the concentration of TGF-β, and can change the result of the test.

 

Methods

The group of CFS patients were selected from consecutive new adult (aged 16-65) outpatient attenders at the CFS clinics at St. Bartholomew’s and the Royal Free hospitals in London.

Inclusion criteria: Patients with CFS diagnosed by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (international) criteria, with the modification of not having any concurrent co-morbid psychiatric disorder:

‘We excluded those with comorbid psychiatric disorders (with exception of simple phobias) in order to reduce the heterogeneity of the patient sample and reduce confounders, since certain (non-excluding) comorbid psychiatric disorders such as non-melancholic depressive disorder may also be associated with abnormal cytokine concentrations.’

The control group were 21 healthy but sedentary volunteers (engaging in moderate-intensity exercise or physical activity, for 20 minutes in a single episode, less than once a week). The group matched controls by age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and distance they lived from the hospital.

They were recruited through CFS patients and patient groups (healthy but sedentary friends or relatives that were not blood relatives), hospitals and medical schools (employees or their friends or family), and people living or working locally.

It was a 16-day study whereby participants (both patients and controls) attended the hospital on four occasions, with blood samples taken over a 9-day period from day 7 to day 16. A baseline assessment on day 1 mainly comprised obtaining written informed consent, and self-completion of questionnaires.

A commuting challenge was completed on day 7, which included the participant having blood drawn at home after a night’s sleep/rest, before they rose from their bed. Another blood sample was taken when they arrived at the hospital. An aerobic exercise challenge was completed on day 14. On this day blood was drawn before, immediately after, and 3 hours after exercise. On day 16 a final sample was taken at the hospital and follow-up questionnaires were administered.

Results

A total of 24 patients (cases) and 21 controls were recruited into the study. Gender, age, smoking status, distance they lived from the hospital, amount of physical activity they undertook and time spent sitting were not significantly different between the groups.

There were no statistical differences in the use of antidepressants, antihistamines, oral contraceptive pill and thyroxine, but cases were generally more likely to be taking vitamins, minerals or other complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) and spent more time in bed each night.

As expected, cases had significantly worse scores for fatigue, physical functioning, mood (anxiety and depression), pain and sleep measures than controls. Perceived exertion was significantly higher in cases compared to controls.

 

There was no significant difference between groups in the number of detectable versus undetectable levels in any of the cytokines (in analysis of the proteins or RNA results).

 

The researchers concluded that they could replicate the finding of consistently higher circulating TGF-β at rest in cases of CFS compared to healthy controls, but deeper analysis showed this to be a spurious finding, due to laboratory variation between different assay batches.

 

Post-exertional symptoms and perception of effort with exercise were not associated with an increase in circulating cytokine protein or RNA concentrations in patients with CFS.

 

 

A failure to replicate?

This result contradicts the authors previously published pilot study which also examined cytokine expression before and after physical exertion, although they don’t seem to have any particular concerns in drawing this latest conclusion despite the processing problems.

However, we must surely question just how seriously we can take these recent findings in light of the processing errors and following other cytokine studies in ME/CFS, including the more recent and larger study from Stanford.

Observations

  1. I always think it is good to publish papers with negative results so other researchers can learn from them, avoiding repeating the same mistakes, however;
  2. The sample was relatively small, and the number of cytokines investigated was large, it would be better in my opinion to study only TGF-β and TNF. Also, they could have done with more controls.
  3. The laboratory technician’s differences, the findings were different depending on the person who did the assay. It would be better if the same person did both tests and the testing was done within a more reasonable timeframe – not separated by several years.
  4. Cytokine responses to exercise can vary a lot from person to person and can be increased even if the patient has some viral subclinical infection for example, so measuring that and establishing that this is higher in CFS patients is challenging, so I believe a larger sample would be better.
  5. Another problem with cytokines is the availability in the circulating blood. To capture them can be complex, time and speed of centrifugation of the blood sample interferes in the quantity of TGF-β. And there are the active and inactive cytokines, which one is necessary to be measured?
  6. The diagnosis of CFS is difficult mainly because there is no biomarker. But will there ever be one? There is not a specific cause, many factors can be involved, most likely there will be many biomarkers associated with clinical criteria.

 


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Changing Karma

Buddhism lessons for Beginners

Zen masters say that daily meditation practice could turn bad karma into good karma. I always chalked this up to a quaint moralistic sales pitch. It took me years to get the point. I guess that’s my karma.

Karma means that this happens because that happened. B in some way connects to A. Every effect has an antecedent cause. And every cause an effect that is its measure and its consequence, at least at the non-quantum level. Overall, when we speak of a person’s karma, it means the sum total of the person’s direction in life and the tenor of the things that occur around that person. They are caused by antecedent conditions, actions, thoughts, feelings, sense impressions, desires.

Many often mistake Karma for the notion of a fixed destiny. It is more like an accumulation of tendencies that can lock us into particular behavior patterns, which themselves result in further accumulations of tendencies of a similar nature. So, it is easy to become imprisoned by our karma and to think that the cause always lies elsewhere-with other people and conditions beyond our control, never within ourselves. But it is not necessary to be a prisoner of old karma. It is always possible to change your karma. You can make new karma. But there is only one time that you ever have to do it. Can you guess when that might be?

Watch Your Impulses

Here’s how mindfulness changes karma. When you sit, you are not allowing your impulses to translate into action. For the time being, at least, you are just watching them. Looking at them, you quickly see that all impulses in the mind arise and pass away. They have a life of their own. They are not you but just thinking, and you do not have to conform to them. Not feeding or reacting to impulses, you come to understand their nature as thoughts directly.

This process actually burns up destructive impulses in the fires of concentration and equanimity and non-doing. At the same time, creative insights and creative impulses are no longer squeezed out so much by the more turbulent, destructive ones. Mindfulness can thereby refashion the links in the chain of actions and consequences. In doing so, it unchains us, frees us, and opens up new directions for us through the moments we call life. Without mindfulness, we get stuck, all too easily, in the momentum coming out of the past with no clue to our own improvement, and no way out.

Our dilemma always seems to be the other person’s fault, or the world’s fault, so we always find a way to justify our own views and feelings. The present moment is never a new beginning because we keep it from becoming one.

All Too Common

Karma, in one form or another, you see it over and over again in relationships gone sour or missing something fundamental from the start, the absence of which invites sadness, bitterness, hurt. Sooner or later, we are most likely to reap that which we have sown. Practice anger and isolation in a relationship for forty years, and you wind up imprisoned in anger and isolation. No big surprise. And it is hardly satisfactory to apportion blame here.

Ultimately, it is our mindlessness that imprisons us. We get better and better at being out of touch with the full range of our possibilities and more and more stuck in our cultivated-over-a-lifetime habits of not seeing, but only reacting and blaming.

If we hope to change our karma, it means we have to stop making those things happen that cloud mind and body and color our every action. It doesn’t mean doing good deeds. Instead, it means knowing who you are and that you are not your karma, whatever it may he at this moment. It means to align yourself with the way things actually are—It means seeing clearly.

Where To Start

Where to start? Why not with your own mind? After all, it is the instrument through which all our thoughts and feelings. Impulses and perceptions can translat into actions in the world. When you stop outward activity for some time and practice being still, right there, in that moment, with that decision to sit, you are already breaking the flow of old karma and creating an entirely new and healthier karma. Herein lies the root of change, the turning point of a life lived.

The very act of stopping, of nurturing moments of non-doing, of simply watching, puts you on an entirely different footing vis-à-vis the future. How? Because it is only by being fully in this moment that any future moment might he one of greater understanding, clarity, and kindness, one less dominated by fear or hurt and more by dignity and acceptance. Only what happens now happens later. If there is no mindfulness or equanimity or compassion now, in the only time we ever have to contact it and nourish ourselves, how likely is it that it will magically appear later, under stress or duress?

[This story was first published in 2008

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BBC Radio: After Martine McCutcheon – an interview with Colin Barton from Sussex & Kent M.E. Society | 25 August 2017

 


We recently featured local radio coverage of M.E. in Norfolk and Suffolk, and on Monday, 21 August, it was Sussex and Surrey’s turn. And unlike the situation reported in Norfolk and Great Yarmouth – where attempts to get good NHS provision for ME/CFS have been ongoing for more than seven years – the situation in Sussex at least seems better.

Following an interview with Martine McCutcheon, it was Colin Barton (pictured below) who was brought in to help explain what M.E. is, how he has coped with the condition for over thirty years and how things have improved for people in Sussex.

Colin is chair of Sussex and Kent M.E. Society, and this year they celebrate their 30th anniversary. You can read the many tributes paid to the charity on its website, including from ME Association chairman, Neil Riley, and patron and MP, Caroline Lucas, who commented:

“As a patron of the Sussex & Kent ME/CFS Society, I am delighted to be able to join you in marking the organisation’s anniversary.”

 

“With over 12,000 adults and children affected by Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Kent and Sussex, and around 3,000 of these thought to be virtually house-bound, the Society’s work has never been more necessary.”

 

“Through providing key services, information and generating new strength… the organisation continues to play a crucial role in the lives of patients across the region. And in this, your 100th newsletter, I wish you all the best for what I’m sure will be a very successful future.”

 


BBC Radio Sussex and Surrey

You can access the iplayer recording of the Danny Pike show, broadcast on Monday 21 August, 2017, by clicking the link above – for as long as the recording is available. What follows is a transcript of those parts that relate to M.E.

Transcript by Russell Fleming, Content Manager, ME Association. All errors, omissions, and some slight edits, are my own. russell.fleming@meassociation.org. uk

Martine McCutcheon

1.40.00

Danny: Now, on my Saturday show this weekend… was actor and singer, Martine McCutcheon (pictured), who lives in Surrey at Hampton Court – she was talking about her new album, ‘Lost and Found’ – but also she was talking to me about living with M.E. or chronic fatigue syndrome. So, I thought we’d spend some time this morning talking about that – what it is – and perhaps demystifying it a bit, because I think perhaps it is a bit misunderstood. So, here’s just a little bit of me at the weekend, talking about M.E. and also her new record, ‘Lost and Found’, with Martine McCutcheon.

Martine: ‘It’s absolutely amazing. It’s so good to be back, doing what I love and I am so, so, proud of this album because it comes from such an honest place. It wasn’t written to be a hit album. We didn’t even know it would be an album – it was just songs I’d written during a very difficult time in my life and I’m just so glad people love it and the reviews have been so good.

Martine: ‘It’s kind of about the fact that I lost myself, and found myself again – over an eight-year period. I was diagnosed with M.E. and Lyme’s Disease and was trying to have a baby and couldn’t; and it was a really dark, difficult time. And then I got myself better over a period of time, and got inspired again, and the whole journey – of the good and the bad – is on the album.

Danny: You mentioned earlier the illness you had been through, and I wonder whether your fame – your profile – makes it more difficult to cope with, you probably just want to shut yourself away but people still expect things of you. How difficult was it going through your M.E. with your profile?

 

Martine: ‘Yeah, it was a lesson I really needed to learn, and an obstacle I had to overcome. I had to start by realising I couldn’t always put on a brave face, I couldn’t always be what the public wanted me to be. And sometimes it was OK to be in the petrol garage or on the street, not feeling one hundred per cent, and not giving everybody what they wanted. It was a valuable lesson and I think that nothing else could have stopped me really – I don’t think anything else would have made me take stock and just enjoy the simple things in life, and ‘smell the roses’.

 

Martine: ‘I had to have quite a harsh lesson I think to come at life from a healthier angle, because I was ‘all-or-nothing’, I was constantly in ‘fight-or-flight-mode’, I was constantly running on adrenaline; and it’s no way to live long-term. That’s why people burn-out. And a lot of people with M.E., a lot of them are sport’s stars or big politicians – people that constantly push, push, push. And I think, in a way, being in the public-eye, it was a bigger bump when I fell – don’t get me wrong – and it was a more difficult journey for me to get better, but I think it actually gave me the lesson I really, really needed. Which is that what I think – my opinion of me – must come first.

 


1.43.24

Danny: That’s Martine McCutcheon speaking to me earlier. Congratulations to her by the way, top 20 for her new album ‘Lost and Found’, when the charts came out on Friday. But what exactly is M.E.? And perhaps it is quite misunderstood by those of us that don’t have it. In the studio now is Colin Barton who is chairman of the Sussex and Kent M.E. Society and lives with the condition.

What is M.E.?

Danny: What is M.E.?

Colin: Well, M.E. is a neurological condition that can come on sometimes after a viral infection or a trauma, and this would manifest itself in physical and mental debility, and any type of stress would affect it as well and so people can’t sort of function physically or mentally for any useful period of time. With some people it’s quite severe – with a few it can lead to being bedbound for a long time.

 

Danny: Martine was suggesting at the end there that people who were functioning at quite a high level in terms of sport’s stars and people with a high profile – would it disproportionately affect them or can it hit anybody?

 

Colin: Well it can hit anybody, definitely. It’s likely to show up more with people who are particularly active and professional and such-like and high-achievers – it obviously shows up more then with more active people; but in actual fact it does affect people of all types.

 

Danny: And how long have you been living with M.E.?

Colin: I have been living with M.E. for over thirty years now, because it did take a long time to diagnose and it was in the dark old days when it wasn’t recognised as easily.

How does it affect you and what of those who don’t understand it?

Danny: And how does it affect you?

Colin: Well affects as far as physically and mentally, I can’t function for any useful period of time and I also have to avoid stress and such-like. So, you have aches and pains, and stomach problems as well can come into it, and also eyesight difficulty.

Danny: So has it affected all areas of your life would you say?

Colin: Oh definitely. I’ve been unable to function really for the last thirty years. I used to be a successful hotelier at one time, until I came down with a severe form of glandular fever. And that – as well as some stress that was being created by having the roof put on in the hotel – I found myself bedbound for nearly three months.

Danny: Tell me about people and their misunderstanding of this condition, because we can’t see it, what sort of things would people say to you or to others who have M.E.?

Colin: I suppose some people do find it difficult to understand, people would say, ‘Oh you get a bit tired’, and this type of thing, and this can be quite hurtful to a number of people with M.E. – it doesn’t bother me too much and hasn’t really, I just sort of get on with it. And also, some of the symptoms – if you’re sort of mildly or moderately affected – these things become part of your life and so it’s part of you. Even though you can’t really function one hundred per cent in society, you can sometimes function reasonably well.

Danny: So you’re left somewhere between being really, really ill and being perfectly well, and you can’t shift yourself out of that?

Colin: Well that is certainly a problem. When one gets to a stage where one is sort of mildly affected, and you’re not either very sick or non-sick shall we say, and that can be a bit difficult actually.

Have things improved for people with M.E. in thirty years?

Danny: And so you’ve been living with this for thirty years Colin. Is diagnosis better and is there more effective treatment these days?

 

Colin: Oh things are a lot better than they were thirty years ago. I mean locally, in Sussex, we’ve got a specialist NHS centre, and that’s been going since 2005 – and which we helped set up – and has dealt with over five thousand referrals from all over Sussex. And they’re quite successful. They’ve got a good team there.

 

Danny: And there was no need in our conversation with Martine for her to talk about her condition, but her being open and willing to talk about it publicly like that, is that useful?

 

Colin: Oh definitely it is. We do need more high-profile people to speak out – but it does take a while. And also with some people once they’ve had the illness and they’ve been very severe with it, once they come out of it – which a great number of people do – then of course they don’t want to be hanging around (if you see what I mean). They want to carry on with their lives and be active again… etc. etc.

 

Sussex and Kent M.E. Society

Danny: And what do you do in the Sussex and Kent ME/CFS Society? How do you help people?

Colin: Well, we do quite a lot actually. We have newsletters that come out quarterly, we’ve got twenty telephone helplines, we’ve got e-groups, website, hold meetings, medical conferences, etc.

Danny: And I suppose that can help people feel less isolated and think ‘Oh I am the only person with this’, if you are talking to other people who know what you’re going through. Because if you are having misunderstanding from other people, and saying you’re making excuses, and things like that – really hurtful things – talking to people who actually know, is probably a good thing?

Colin: Oh yeah, definitely, yes. They pick up a lot of information from each other and support etc. and you know our area is quite well covered for that type of thing, but it does also mean there are a lot of very seriously ill people around and I wouldn’t like to forget that.

Danny: OK. Colin, thank you for talking to us this morning. Nice to meet you. Thank you. Colin Barton there, chairman of the Sussex and Kent M.E. Society, and here’s a telephone number for you if you would like to get in contact with them: 01273 674828. They are online as well at measussex.org.uk

Danny: And if you have M.E. or are perhaps still living with it, then call me: 08495 70057 Do people misunderstand your condition?

1.49.24


2.36.49

Danny: Earlier in the programme, we were attempting to demystify M.E. or chronic fatigue syndrome, because it came up in my conversation with actress and singer, Martine McCutcheon, who lives in Surrey, when she came on the programme on Saturday. Tokie in Brighton, good morning:

Tokie: Hi there, good morning

Worst flu ever – every day of your life…

Danny: You have M.E. Tell me what that’s like?

Tokie: Oh it’s become part of my life now as you were saying on air earlier, but it’s kind of if you’re having the worst flu you’ve ever had, every day of your life. That’s the only way I can describe it really.

 

Danny: OK, so if we can kind of imagine that feeling – or being drained, of feeling washed-out – for years… How long have you had it now?

 

Tokie: I’ve had it since I was sixteen and I’m nineteen now – it’s been about two and a half years, so…

Danny: What a time of life to have it as well. Do you know what triggered it?

Tokie: I had glandular fever. I was hospitalised with glandular fever over Christmas one year, and was left with it after that.

Danny: And that seems not uncommon, from what I have been hearing today.

Tokie: Yeah, a lot of the people I have spoken to – because I am in a lot of M.E. support groups and things like that – and a lot of the people I’ve spoken to, it started with glandular fever.

Danny: Do people misunderstand your condition?

Tokie: Oh entirely. I mean I’ve had tutors at college, I’ve had friends and family, even doctors misunderstand it. They’ve got these preconceptions about it that they can’t let go of and, yeah…

How does it make you feel…

Danny: So help us. Explain to me how it makes you feel on a day-to-day basis and your ability to study and whatever it is that you’re doing.

 

Tokie: Well, I’ve just got accepted into university but I’m having to do my first year from home to get enough credits to actually go to a university because I had to leave college – I didn’t get any A-Levels – because I just couldn’t focus, I couldn’t stay awake.

 

Tokie: I was going into college and going home early everyday because I was getting sick in between lessons. As well as the physical there’s a mental side to it, where you get what we call ‘brain-fog’, where I can’t put words together, I can’t read properly – it’s really, really bad some days.

 

Danny: It sounds miserable. I bet it’s easy for people to dismiss it and say, ‘pull yourself together’ or, ‘put yourself in gear…’.

Tokie: Oh, Oh, definitely. And I think that’s why a lot of us prefer calling it M.E. now because when it’s referred to as chronic-fatigue, what does that literally translate to? Just being very tired. And a lot of people say, ‘Oh yeah, I understand, I’m always tired’.

Danny: So it’s pretty unhelpful other people judging you?

Tokie: Yeah. Definitely.

Danny: What treatment are you able to have, if any?

Tokie: At the moment I am just taking painkillers and vitamin supplements, and things like that to try and help myself get through the day, but it’s really difficult with what was being said earlier, it’s so difficult to diagnose. I got diagnosed by one doctor and had the diagnosis retracted by another one! And no treatment offered.

Lightning Process…

Danny: I am always wary about passing on tips and tricks, from others, but an emailer from Worthing, Denise, said earlier in her note that her daughter had M.E. from the time she was eleven, eventually had something called ‘The Lightning Process’.

Tokie: Yeah. I personally don’t think… The Lightning Process is sort of a way to change the way you react to things, and the way you view things, so that when you are getting sick – at least from my understanding of what I have heard of it – when you are getting sick, when you are in a flare-up, it’s knowing how to deal with that, knowing how to lessen that. But I feel like if you have severe M.E. it’s always going to be there, you’re always going to get these flare-ups and knowing how to deal with them, knowing how to make them a little bit better when it happens, is a great thing – but I feel that it’s not going to be a cure for M.E. If that makes sense?

Danny: It does. And Denise said it has made a contribution to her daughter. OK. So, listen, thank you for giving us a further insight Tokie. Take care. And I hope you get better sooner rather than later. That’s all I can offer you really.

Tokie: Thank you very much.

Danny: OK. But also if you have helped the understanding of this condition, you have helped others. Thank you for that.

2.41.44


You can listen to the broadcast for as long as it is available on iplayer: here.


The Lightning Process
The ME Association is not aware of any independent clinical trials to assess the efficacy of The Lightning Process. There is anecdotal evidence that some people diagnosed as having M.E./chronic fatigue syndrome have improved but others who have attended the training course have reported that either they felt no improvement or relapsed. As in all such unproven treatments, the ME Association makes no recommendation and advises patients to make their own enquiries and discuss possible treatments with their medical adviser.


 



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