Nirvana Quartz is a high vibration crystal from Himalayan mountains in India. It has powerful properties to attract support of spirit guides, makes a connection to Divine mind and aids spiritual growth.
Tony Britton, Fundraising Manager, ME Association.
Our #GoBlue4ME Challenge for ME Awareness Week, 11th to 17th May, has inspired two once-a-lifetime events that meet all the social separation requirements of the nationwide lockdown.
When it comes to imagination, verve and sheer determination, Sarah Phillips and her mum, and Dawn and Graham Brown have got it in shedloads.
Here are their stories…
Scaling Everest with Sarah Phillips
Teenager Sarah Phillips will be taking on the biggest challenge of her life when the climbs the height of Mount Everest for the ME Association – without leaving the comfort of her own home.
Sarah, who will be 17 in June, has volunteered to step up to the challenge of going up and down the stairs 3,871 times. The 58,070 steps involved will equal the height of Everest, the world’s highest mountain.
“She’s adamant she is going to do this and wants to complete the challenge in five days”, said her mum Jackie at the family home in Old Coulsdon, Surrey. “I’ll be here as a reserve in case she needs me.”
The family say they owe a lot to the ME Association who have been there for them ever since Sarah went down with M.E. three years ago.
“At first we didn’t know what was wrong with her and thought she was just being lazy. It wasn’t until she got her diagnosis at University College Hospital in London that we began to understand more about this illness and what exactly we needed to do to help her manage the symptoms.”
On her fundraising page, Sarah paid tribute to the help and support she has received from both her consultant and therapist at UCH and “a huge amount of support from the ME Association over the past two years as they have helped me find a way to cope, taught me to stay strong and get through this”.
Sarah has been able to keep attending her first year at college but has had to drop a subject in order to keep up. She hopes to get back for her second year there once the current restrictions are lifted.
The stair climb will take place during ME Awareness Week. “She knows she can take more than five days if she wants,” said Jackie, a part-time home help with Age UK. “And Sarah knows I’m here to help if she wants to turn this into a relay.”
“Either way, we’ll definitely need a new stair carpet when this is all over.”
Please help Sarah get ready at base camp by putting some money into her fundraising account. JustGiving have waived all fees they would normally charge for an event like this.
Swimming the Channel with Dawn and Gordon Brown
Dawn and Graham Brown are already swimming 21 miles across the English Channel – in the pool at Tillington House, the Christian-based retreat centre they run at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset.
“We have this lovely blue swimming pool at Tillington House, which is our home.
“Normally, we would have two or three people staying with us in retreat. But the pool was getting so little use during the lockdown that we thought we could put our normal daily exercise to some good use for the charity that has helped us so much”, said Dawn, who was ordained as a Baptist minister 15 years ago.
Dawn and Gordon, and their 25-year-old daughter Charlotte who has M.E., are counting down to the day they will have swum the equivalent of the Channel – 2,834 lengths of the pool.
They are swimming something like 40 lengths of the pool or a little more between them every day and reckon they’ll crawl ashore at Calais on day 36.
Charlotte became ill in her first year at university and has had to put a career in the performing arts on hold.
If you would like to support this energetic couple, please visit their fundraising page for more information and to make a donation. Facebook has waived all fees for use of the page.
The ME Association
Please support our vital work
We are a national charity working hard to make the UK a better place for people whose lives have been devastated by an often-misunderstood neurological disease.
If you would like to support our efforts and ensure we are able to inform, support, advocate and invest in biomedical research, then please donate today.
Just click the image opposite or visit our JustGiving page for one-off donations or to establish a regular payment. You can even establish your own fundraising event.
Or why not join the ME Association as a member and be part of our growing community? For a monthly (or annual) subscription you will also receive ME Essential – quite simply the best M.E. magazine!
ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279
The post Our #GoBlue4ME challengers are on top of the world for ME Awareness! | 30 April 2020 appeared first on ME Association.
Dr Charles Shepherd, Hon. Medical Adviser, ME Association.
We are starting to receive reports about previously healthy people who have had (or probably had) coronavirus infection and have not been able to return to their normal level of health and energy levels in the weeks following the onset of symptoms.
These reports are largely from people who have managed at home and not had a more serious infection that required hospital admission.
Some reports are from health professionals. It seems likely that some of them are experiencing what is called post viral fatigue (PVF), or a post viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS).
We are also receiving reports from people with ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) who have had this infection and now have a significant exacerbation of their ME/CFS symptoms – especially a further reduction in energy levels.
The ME Association has a lot of experience in dealing with people who develop prolonged and debilitating fatigue (sometimes with other symptoms as well) following a viral infection – as well as people with ME/CFS who relapse following another infection.
We are now expecting to see a number of new cases of ME/CFS that follow coronavirus infection fatigue.
This is why we have produced some guidance on how we feel that convalescence and good basic management of post-infection fatigue can lessen the chances of this turning into a more permanent and debilitating illness.
Leaflet Contents:
Leaflet Extract:
What is Post-viral Fatigue (PVF) and Post-viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS)?
Some degree of post-viral fatigue (PVF) or debility is a fairly common occurrence after any type of viral infection.
Fortunately, in most cases, this is short lived and there is a steady return to normal health over a period of a few weeks.
However, in some cases, a full return to normal health takes months rather than weeks.
Additional symptoms may also develop, where the term post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS) may be a more appropriate diagnosis.
The situation with persisting fatigue following coronavirus infection appears to be rather more complicated than what happens with other viral illnesses. It could also be more serious – as fatigue and lack of energy are turning out to be a very characteristic symptom of coronavirus infection.
The precise explanation for what causes post-infection/viral fatigue remains uncertain. But one of the reasons why people have fatigue, loss of energy, muscular aches and pains, and generally feel unwell, when they have an acute infection is the production of chemicals called cytokines by the body’s immune system.
These immune system chemicals form part of the front-line attack on any viral infection. And it is interesting to note that in people who develop serious respiratory complications from coronavirus infection, this may be due to an overactive immune response involving what is being termed a ‘cytokine surge’.
When fatigue and flu-like symptoms persist for a longer period of time once the acute infection is over, as they do in ME/CFS, there is research evidence to indicate that what is a perfectly normal immune system response to the acute infection has not returned to normal.
It is also possible that, as happens with ME/CFS, there is a problem with the way that energy production is taking place at a cellular level in structures called mitochondria.
We are still on a very steep learning curve when it comes to understanding how the coronavirus behaves. However, there is no evidence to indicate that it persists like hepatitis C infection or HIV.
So, the continuing fatigue does not appear to be due to a persisting viral infection. Consequently, people who have continuing fatigue, but no other coronavirus symptoms, are no longer infective to others in our current state of knowledge.
While most people with post-infection fatigue will improve and return to normal health, good management during the very early stage is an important factor in trying to help any natural recovery process take place. And patient evidence also indicates that good initial management of post-infection fatigue lessens the chances of this turning into an ME/CFS-like illness.
Related information:
Physios 4 ME
You might also be interested in reading the latest statement from a group of physiotherapists who are working to make others in their profession more aware of the challenges faced by people with M.E.
This statement appeared on their website yesterday and the content was produced in association with The ME Association.
Extract:
“During this national crisis many physiotherapists have been redeployed to front-line services, but as time goes on our attention will shift to the rehabilitation of survivors.
“COVID-19 is a new virus so rehabilitation can only be based on generalised experiences. Universal presentation after a period of critical illness includes significant muscle loss and impaired cognitive function, with the standard approach to addressing such deconditioning involving mobilisation and exercise.
“Once medically fit many patients will be discharged home as quickly as possible, with community teams picking up the remainder of the rehabilitation process.
”It is vital for physiotherapists (and any other treating health professional) to understand a potential complication of a viral infection – Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome (PVFS)…”
The ME Association
Please support our vital work
We are a national charity working hard to make the UK a better place for people whose lives have been devastated by an often-misunderstood neurological disease.
If you would like to support our efforts and ensure we are able to inform, support, advocate and invest in biomedical research, then please donate today.
Just click the image opposite or visit our JustGiving page for one-off donations or to establish a regular payment. You can even establish your own fundraising event.
Or why not join the ME Association as a member and be part of our growing community? For a monthly (or annual) subscription you will also receive ME Essential – quite simply the best M.E. magazine!
ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279
The post Covid-19 and Post-viral Fatigue Syndrome by Dr Charles Shepherd | 30 April 2020 appeared first on ME Association.
Caroline Cavey, Editor, ME Essential Magazine.
We know that caring for a friend or relative who has M.E. can be just as isolating as the illness is for the patient. Carers do an incredible job and yet they are so often forgotten about.
This year we are launching the equivalent of the popular ME Essential New Friends Club and are offering the opportunity for carers to get to know others in a similar situation.
ME Carers Connected
ME Carers Connected is open to all carers who would like to make new friends with other carer’s.
To get involved, please send in some information about yourself and your situation, along with your email address (or postal address if you do not use email). We will then help to connect you with other carers.
Who knows, you may even meet someone local to you, or at the very least someone who has lots in common with you.
Please email caroline.cavey@meassociation.org.uk or send by post to Caroline Cavey at The ME Association, 7 Apollo Office Court, Radclive Road, Gawcott, Buckinghamshire MK18 4DF.
Carers Week 2020 (8-14 June)
We still very interested to hear from carers who have a story to tell about caring for someone with M.E.
It is Carers Week in June and we will be featuring stories in ME Essential magazine, online (website and social media) and in the press.
If you’d like to send in your story, or require more information, then please contact Caroline.
The ME Association
Please support our vital work
We are a national charity working hard to make the UK a better place for people whose lives have been devastated by an often-misunderstood neurological disease.
If you would like to support our efforts and ensure we are able to inform, support, advocate and invest in biomedical research, then please donate today.
Just click the image opposite or visit our JustGiving page for one-off donations or to establish a regular payment. You can even establish your own fundraising event.
Or why not join the ME Association as a member and be part of our growing community? For a monthly (or annual) subscription you will also receive ME Essential – quite simply the best M.E. magazine!
ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279
The post ME Carers Connected: Let us put you in touch with other carers | 30 April 2020 appeared first on ME Association.
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Tony Britton, Fundraising Manager, ME Association.
Sarah Freeman was planning a break from her hectic job with Liverpool City Council by leading an expedition up Ben Nevis during ME Awareness Week – until Covid-19 ruled it out.
But rather than giving up on the idea, she’s simply parked it until May next year when her six-person team will take on Britain’s highest mountain to raise money for the ME Association.
“I’m the type of person who can’t sit down. I always want to be busy,” said Sarah, her warm Scouser accent as incandescent as a rainbow seeking out that pot of gold.
She now works from home as one of a team of 80 customer services advisers. They’ve been coping with a flood of inquiries from Liverpool businesses and workers desperate to know how they can keep jobs going through the coronavirus crisis.
She used to commute daily from her home in Huyton to the council’s call centre. It was an hour’s travelling each way – hardly ideal for someone diagnosed with M.E. five years ago and sick for longer than that. In March this year, that all changed. The council ordered the team to work from home.
“It’s so much easier now without the travel. I’m enjoying the job much more,”, said 33-year-old Sarah, who has a home-share with her sister Danielle.
“Before I became ill, I was very, very active. I worked full-time, went to the gym once or twice a day and had a second job in Ladbroke’s, working 6-10pm every night. I was never tired.
“Then one day, right out of nowhere, I had this huge attack of adrenaline which didn’t go away. People first thought I was having a breakdown. At one stage, I found I could not even speak, which for me was just inexplicable.
“If I put the dustbin out, that was me for day! Danielle, bless her, had to do everything for me.
“I went to the doctor and was put on anti-depressants, which I stopped taking very quickly. I told my mum I wasn’t anxious or depressed and I shouldn’t be taking them.”
Within a year, she’d been to the ME/CFS clinic in Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool, and got her diagnosis.
And, although good health couldn’t come wrapped up with it, she now knows pretty much how to manage her symptoms. She’s also remembering the lessons of three relapses – the last one occurring in January 2018 when pain was huge issue.
But she’s decided that – through careful harnessing of her energy levels combined with a little bit of low-impact yoga – nothing, but nothing, is going to keep her away from that mountain.
She and her team will travel to Ben Nevis in a couple of cars and she won’t be driving. After talking to an MEA team member who happens to be an old hand at organising trips to Ben Nevis, they’ve decided not to drive there the morning of the climb but go up the day before and stay overnight. They’ve already booked an Airbnb in Fort William.
In the party will be sister and carer Danielle, school chum Sarah and her husband Dewi, Jenny from university days and ex-flame Alan, who remains a good mate.
There’s already £500 waiting for the ME Association on their fundraising page. “I’d like that to be a little more”, said Sarah. “We’re only sorry we couldn’t do the climb this year. We were so looking forward to it.”
If you would like to speed then on their way, please pop a couple of pounds on their fundraising page.
Editorial note: Sarah has had long discussions with the ME Association about the exercise challenges that she will face while she is climbing Ben Nevis, and fully understands the risks involved. We are pleased that she’s not attempting the climb by herself but will be part of a highly supportive group.
The ME Association
Please support our vital work
We are a national charity working hard to make the UK a better place for people whose lives have been devastated by an often-misunderstood neurological disease.
If you would like to support our efforts and ensure we are able to inform, support, advocate and invest in biomedical research, then please donate today.
Just click the image opposite or visit our JustGiving page for one-off donations or to establish a regular payment. You can even establish your own fundraising event.
Or why not join the ME Association as a member and be part of our growing community? For a monthly (or annual) subscription you will also receive ME Essential – quite simply the best M.E. magazine!
ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279
The post An irrepressible woman but the mountain will have to wait! | 29 April 2020 appeared first on ME Association.
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Ann Innes, Welfare Rights Adviser, ME Association.
Topics discussed in this new leaflet:
It’s a different world – so what exactly are we talking about?
It is important to note that whenever you see the words “affected by coronavirus” on anything to do with DWP benefits, this means that you must ‘self-isolate’.
For benefits purposes, there are important distinctions between ‘self-isolation’, ‘shielding’, and ‘distancing’.
You are only required to ‘self-isolate’ if you or someone in your household have symptoms of the coronavirus or have actually contracted the disease.
You are not deemed to be self-isolating if you are staying at home due to concerns about contracting the disease.
For people with a “very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus because of an underlying health condition”, the Government has deemed them ‘extremely vulnerable’ and recommended they adopt ‘shielding’.
This means they must not leave their home or have face-to-face contact (except for care or medical needs) for a period of at least 12 weeks. Again, this does not constitute ‘isolation’ for DWP benefit purposes.
In addition, there are only a very limited number of conditions that fall under the heading of being advised to adopt ‘shielding’ measures. M.E. is not one of them.
For everyone else, including people with M.E., here’s how the government defines the vulnerable and ‘social distancing’:
Leaflet Extract:
What can you claim?
For people who are unable to work because they are self-isolating, as of 13 March 2020 they may be able to claim either:
They would still need to meet all the other conditions for those particular benefits.
They may be automatically treated as having “limited capability for work” without the requirement to provide a fit note and will then be contacted at regular periods by the DWP to assess whether they are still required to isolate.
Presumably, they would still have a duty to inform the DWP as soon as they are no longer required to isolate.
For people who are already claiming New-Style ESA or Universal Credit and either providing fit notes because they have M.E., or have passed the work capability assessment, this will make no difference to their claim.
This guidance is for those people who are not already claiming New-Style ESA but who meet the conditions of entitlement for that benefit at the point of having to self-isolate, or for those who are claiming Universal Credit and not already being treated as having limited capability for work.
The only case I can see where this might apply to someone with M.E. is if they are required to self-isolate and if they were either working and not claiming benefits or are claiming Universal Credit and had been placed in the “all work requirements” group (i.e. not having to provide fit notes or found fit for work after a work capability assessment).
If you are working and required to self-isolate, please seek advice from a welfare rights specialist straight away as to what you should claim as claims for Universal Credit can put an end to claims for certain other means-tested benefits, such as tax credits and Housing Benefit.
If you are currently on Universal Credit and in the “all work requirements” group you should contact Universal Credit straight away to inform them via your online journal.
For people receiving Carer’s Allowance, their Carer’s Allowance will continue as of 30 March 2020 if they take a temporary break in caring (England and Wales) if they or the person they care for is required to isolate.
The ME Association
Please support our vital work
We are a national charity working hard to make the UK a better place for people whose lives have been devastated by an often-misunderstood neurological disease.
If you would like to support our efforts and ensure we are able to inform, support, advocate and invest in biomedical research, then please donate today.
Just click the image opposite or visit our JustGiving page for one-off donations or to establish a regular payment. You can even establish your own fundraising event.
Or why not join the ME Association as a member and be part of our growing community? For a monthly (or annual) subscription you will also receive ME Essential – quite simply the best M.E. magazine!
ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279
The post ME Association: Coronavirus and Welfare Benefits – Free Leaflet | 25 April 2020 appeared first on ME Association.
Tony Britton, Fundraising Manager, ME Association.
Hang on to your hats, it’s going to be a fast ride! The ME Association’s 2.6 Challenge starts tomorrow (Sunday), finishes at the end of next week and here’s the low-down on how you can get involved.
Think of something you can do to help your charity get through the coronavirus crisis. Work out how it can be moulded into anything to do the magic numbers 2.6, 26, or even 260 and launch your fundraising challenge.
If you’ve got a challenge, but you haven’t got the numbers, then we can still offer you the perfect solution. Come join us in our #GoBlue4ME event, which is aimed at ME Awareness Week from Monday, 11th May.
Whatever option you choose, your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Play the Numbers on Sunday 26th April
This is an event put together by the creators of some of the biggest mass participation events in the world and it begins tomorrow – the day the 26-mile London Marathon should have been held.
It’s a fun event and we are asking you to dream up an activity based round those numbers – the dafter the better – and then fundraise for us next week.
You can join in the event by visiting the official 2.6 Challenge website and/or by making a donation to the ME Association. JustGiving have waived all their fees for the event.
#TwoPointSixChallenge
Here’s the sort of challenges that are already proving popular:
Local Landmarks 2.6 Challenge
If you are active enough, you might like even like to take part in the Local Landmarks 2.6 Challenge.
Work the magic numbers into one of their walks, jogs or runs round landmarks in your neighbourhood, send in a picture afterward and you qualify for one of their exclusive medals.
The 2.6 Challenge is open to anyone of any age, The main requirements are that your activity must follow the Government guidelines on social distancing, and you must stay local. Video everything, take selfies and load them up to your fundraising page.
ME Awareness Week #GoBlue4ME
The ME Association’s annual fundraising extravaganza from Monday 11th to Sunday 17th May is back on – with a vengeance!
After the lockdown a month ago when Go Blue events tumbled like tenpins, many people have got used to living quieter lives at home and are working out how to help their charity through to better times.
Just yesterday, we heard about two amazing events:
Scaling Everest
Jackie Phillips and her daughter will be climbing 3,871 flights of stairs at their Surrey home. Why? Well that, and the 58.070 steps involved, is the height of Everest, the world’s highest mountain.
And once they’ve planted a metaphorical flag on their top landing, all the money raised will be coming to the ME Association. We’ll add a link to their fundraising page as soon as they have established base camp.
Swimming the channel
Dawn and Graham Brown are already swimming 21 miles across the English Channel – in the swimming pool at Tillington House, the faith-based retreat centre they run in Sussex.
Their daughter Charlotte who has M.E. is counting all 2,834 lengths. Their fundraising is already under way and Facebook are waiving all fees for the event. Visit their fundraising page for more information. Please try and support them if you can.
Other events are once again now also stacking up nicely.
Blue Sunday Tea Party
ME Awareness Week will end on 17th May with Anna Redshaw’s iconic Blue Sunday Tea Party – with virtual participation from around the globe.
Please support Anna’s efforts by visiting her fundraising page. It’s time to polish up your best china and eat plenty of cake!
If you need help and support then contact Tony Britton, Fundraising Manager. Telephone: 01406 370293 or 07946 760811 or Email.
Whatever you choose to do, big or small, we are incredibly grateful for your efforts. Thank you!
The ME Association
Please support our vital work
We are a national charity working hard to make the UK a better place for people whose lives have been devastated by an often-misunderstood neurological disease.
If you would like to support our efforts and ensure we are able to inform, support, advocate and invest in biomedical research, then please donate today.
Just click the image opposite or visit our JustGiving page for one-off donations or to establish a regular payment. You can even establish your own fundraising event.
Or why not join the ME Association as a member and be part of our growing community? For a monthly (or annual) subscription you will also receive ME Essential – quite simply the best M.E. magazine!
ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279
The post Work the Magic Numbers or Go Blue 4 ME. Help us make it to the other side! | 25 April 2020 appeared first on ME Association.
Bauxite mineral has useful metaphysical attributes for obtaining answers. It helps you to let go of angry feelings & helps you to release emotional issues. Stimulates feelings of happiness.
Afghanite is a high vibration crystal, that stimulates the brain. This aids problem solving and clearer thinking. It boosts psychic gifts, aids communication, helps insomnia and eases pain.
I’m SUPER excited to announce that we’ve just expanded our Tapping Solution App collection to include more tapping meditations for kids.
These 4 new ones by my brother Alex were specifically recorded to help your children go to SLEEP.
Calming the Body and Mind: Ages 5 and Under
Calming the Body and Mind: Ages 6 to 8
Calming the Body and Mind: Ages 9 to 12
Calming the Body and Mind: Ages 13 to 17
We’re making these free in the app for a limited time, so be sure to try them out.
Helping to relieve stress and anxiety for everyone during these uncertain times is our primary goal, so we hope these meditations will be helpful. 
Until next time…
Keep Tapping!
Nick Ortner
The post Tapping Meditations to Help Children Sleep appeared first on The Tapping Solution.
