Holistic Healing with Pixie

Thursday, 3 October 2019

Photo | Spiritual

from Spiritual Seeker 77
https://spiritualseeker77.tumblr.com/post/188101776240

from https://spiritualseeker77.tumblr.com/

#spiritual

Wednesday, 2 October 2019

Use Creedite To Expand Your Awareness & Lift Your Vibration

Creedite clusters are high vibration crystals that bring joy, happiness and bliss, and expand your energy field. Their energy aids you to contact spirit guides and gain clarity from spiritual communication.

from Healing Crystals For You Blog
https://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/creedite.html

from https://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/healing-crystals-blog.html

#crystals #crystal #healing

The Undefeatable Campaign: “I Sometimes Feel Defeated By My Disability – And That’s Okay,” by Pippa Stacey | 02 October 2019

Russell Fleming, Content Manager, ME Association.

The following extracts have been taken from a new article published in the Huffington Post and written by Pippa Stacey who also works for the ME Association.

It relates to a recent campaign by Sport England, ‘We are Undefeatable‘, which is backed by 15 charities, and aims to encourage people with long term health conditions to be more active and to exercise in the belief that this increased activity is beneficial to their health.

The initiative wasn’t viewed positively by everyone, especially by those unable to do more because of M.E. or other medical conditions and who already felt they were doing as much as they could. It seemed to assume that disabled people weren’t or hadn’t tried to be more active and that we were all just sitting around waiting for someone to tell us to do it.

Russell Fleming, from the ME Association, and members of Physios For M.E. recently met with Sport England and member charities from the campaign to inform them about M.E., express our concerns about the campaign, and explain why it was excluding some of the very people they had hoped to engage with.

The summary from this recent meeting can be read below. But we begin with some extracts from Pippa’s article…

“I Sometimes Feel Defeated By My Disability – And That’s Okay,” by Pippa Stacey.

Our society labels the disabled community as either superheroes or scroungers. The truth is most of us are living somewhere in the middle, writes Pippa Stacey.

I was diagnosed with my long-term illness, ME/CFS, at the age of 19. However, my symptoms first began appearing in a much milder form during my early teens, after glandular fever and a severe anaphylactic shock sent my immune system into crisis.

Each time I approached my childhood GP, trying to find the words for the debilitating fatigue and pain that were gradually gaining control over my everyday life – the cause of these symptoms was very much placed on myself.

“The more I was trying to proactively increase my activity levels, the more irreversible harm it was doing to my body”

Due to a lack of understanding about the physiological markers of the condition that we now know to exist, I was kindly yet firmly advised to increase my physical activity level by walking an hour a day and increasing my activity – advice which ignored the fact I had been professionally training for a career in classical ballet for about 40 hours a week… for most of my life.

Read the full article in the Huffington Post

Ultimately, the reinforced idea that my life-altering symptoms could be overcome by pushing hard against what my body was telling me led to the rapid decline in my health: the relapse which swept away my mobility in my early twenties and saw me become an ambulatory wheelchair user. It’s incredibly difficult to think that this outcome could potentially have been avoided.

So, to see the new ‘We Are Undefeatable‘ campaign launched online, can you blame me for having conflicting emotions? While there are of course positive elements to the campaign, reinforcing the idea that small, individualistic actions are the way forward, my heart sank at the thought of how this campaign could be interpreted by the non-disabled public.

We unfortunately live in a society that continually splits the disabled community into two camps: the inspirational superheroes, ‘overcoming’ their ‘limitations’ to climb mountains and win Paralympic medals, and The Rest: the ones seen as benefits scroungers, as the ones ‘who don’t help themselves’, the ones who are a drain on society.

“Do people really think that the idea of exercising or getting more active simply hasn’t occurred to disabled people?”

All of these ideas are helpfully perpetuated by the media, as was delightfully demonstrated in the reporting of the Undefeatable campaign that I saw. There’s a remarkable lack of awareness of the grey area: the fact that disability is often fluctuating and highly individualised.

There are any number of factors that influence a person’s condition and their subsequent capabilities, something which consistently goes unacknowledged among the non-disabled chronically ill people’s voices and personal stories and consulting with them, rather than making blanket statements and assumptions.

Read the full article in the Huffington Post

Do people really think that the idea of exercising or getting more active simply hasn’t occurred to disabled people? Do they think it’s purely a choice, or down to sheer laziness, that those with long-term conditions are often not as visibly active? Did they really think that preaching about what we should be doing, as if they knew more about our own lived experiences than we do, was really the answer?

Launching a campaign encouraging people to get active, no matter how well-intentioned, isn’t going to take away the debilitating symptoms I and many others live with on a daily basis: the same symptoms that mean that rather than the intensive 14+ hour training days of my former life, even once simple household tasks become a challenge.

When your muscles feel like heavy blocks of concrete and all your blood pools to your feet when you stand up, simply making the bed or unloading the dishwasher can leave you struggling.

When you’re only granted a limited amount of energy per day, you have to make choices: and even when you err on the side of caution, there’s still no guarantee that you’ll get things right. One minor over-exertion could leave you insufferably unwell for days.

And if non-disabled people could experience that dark place themselves for even one day, they would understand why it isn’t a risk to be taken lightly.

I’ve come to learn that not pushing my body beyond what it’s telling me has been the key to successfully managing my long-term condition. The fact that I’m not well enough to participate in sport and activities I could potentially enjoy has nothing whatsoever to do with my own determination to succeed.

I wish the campaign well. Despite everything, I really do hope it improves the quality of life of those who are willing and able to engage with it. However, it’s vital that individual voices remain central to the process.

I’ve learned that I’m not undefeatable and that that’s okay: my physical capabilities don’t define my worth, and that fact simply isn’t up for debate by the non-disabled public.

Pippa Stacey is a writer living with ME/CFS. She blogs at lifeofpippa.co.uk, and you can follow her on Twitter at @lifeofpippa

Meeting with Sport England 12th September 2019

Russell Fleming from the ME Association, Michelle Bull and Natalie Hilliard from Physios For ME, met with Sport England and representatives of the participating charities to inform them about M.E. and raise concerns about the national campaign.

Sport England and the representatives were very receptive to our concerns and keen to learn about M.E. Copies of the MEA Clinical and Research Guide were distributed and we had a good discussion about the good and not so good elements of the campaign.

The following is a short summary statement issued by Physios For ME which appeared on their Facebook page recently.

“A few weeks ago we expressed our concerns about We are Undefeatable campaign. It is led by 15 partner charities and supported by Sport England, which aims to inspire and support people living with long term conditions to be active, in whatever way works for them.

“Whilst as physiotherapists we completely support the message that activity and exercise is beneficial for a range of long term health conditions, we were concerned that there was a very real risk this message would be transposed onto people with ME who have been shown to have an adverse physiological response to activity.

“We contacted the campaign to outline our concerns and were swiftly invited to meet with the team, including representatives from the charities including Age UK and Sport England. They were very receptive to our concerns and as a result of our involvement they have:

Reviewed their marketing materials and made tweaks where possible, e.g. to say “most” rather than “all and an ‘About the campaign’ section will be added to the website which highlights the health conditions which the campaign charity partners represent
Shared our initial email with key partners including Public Health England who are also supporting the campaign
Been proactive in researching the research around ME and physical activity to further their own knowledge base
Are keen to work with us and ME charities to provide signposting to people with ME or professionals working with this group, so that accurate information can be obtained

“In all we felt it was a positive outcome, and while the campaign remains active we hope that these small changes and the improved education of the campaign leaders will go some way to reducing the risk of harm towards people with ME.

“We hope to continue to work with the #WeAreUndefeatable team going forwards.”

The ME Association

Real People. Real Disease. Real M.E.

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 help ensure we can inform, support, advocate and invest in biomedical research, then please donate today.

Just click the image opposite and visit our JustGiving page for one-off donations, to establish a regular payment or to create 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 our exclusive ME Essential magazine.

ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279

from ME Association
https://www.meassociation.org.uk/2019/10/the-undefeatable-campaign-i-sometimes-feel-defeated-by-my-disability-and-thats-okay-by-pippa-stacey-02-october-2019/

from https://www.meassociation.org.uk

#cfsme

Tuesday, 1 October 2019

Black Moonstone Meaning & Use: Connect To Divine Feminine

Black Moonstone stimulates creativity, brings grounding and protection. Use in meditation to make a strong connection to the Divine Feminine. Potent stones to aid women, with good healing attributes.

from Healing Crystals For You Blog
https://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/black-moonstone.html

from https://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/healing-crystals-blog.html

#crystals #crystal #healing

M.E., Dysautonomia and Me by Naomi Gilchrist | 01 October 2019

Guest blog by Naomi Gilchrist.

I was officially diagnosed with M.E. (Myalgic Encephalopathy) in 2017 but I’d been ill for a while. Then earlier this year I was diagnosed with PoTS (Postural orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).

Basically, my heart struggles to pump blood around my body so it all sinks to the bottom reducing the amount of blood going to my brain.

This leaves me feeling dizzy, light-headed and prone to passing out. PoTS is diagnosed when a person’s heart rate increases by a minim of 30 beats per minute when they stand up.

Presently, it is not known what causes PoTS or the correlation between M.E. and PoTS. I also have other problems which interlink between my M.E. and dysautonomia.

Dysautonomia is an umbrella term and PoTS and orthostatic intolerance fall under it (basically my body doesn’t like to be upright for too long).

Another name for dysautonomia is autonomic dysfunction; where my body’s automatic functions such as temperature control, blood pressure, breathing, digestion etc. don’t work as well.

For example, when we had the heat wave back in the summer, it made me very poorly, as my body couldn’t cool down. This resulted in my heart going into overdrive and then causing a flare in my M.E.

It’s not uncommon for people with M.E. or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) to also have problems with autonomic dysfunction.

A lot of my autonomic dysfunction plays into my M.E. symptoms. I find being laid down a lot easier and more comfortable, plus it eases my M.E., as well as my PoTS symptoms.

Because my body has to work harder to do basic automatic functions, it exacerbates my M.E. I get tired a lot more easily and my headaches and migraines are worse, and I also have problems with my digestive system.

My life with PoTs

I spend most of my day laid down and this eases symptoms such as tachycardia (fast heart rate), my blood pressure is better, I’m less dizzy and my orthostatic headaches are eased.

I can be stood upright supported for short periods of time, such as the time it takes to make myself a cup of coffee, but that’s about it. Even doing just this leaves me dizzy, breathless and exhausted.

“I struggle to sit myself up so being able to do this electronically has made a massive difference to my life.”

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve passed out. I have to do things a lot slower and everything takes effort; sometimes I feel as though I’ve run a marathon.

For example, to stand up I have to go from laying to sitting up and then let my body adjust; I then pump my legs to get the blood flowing better and then I have to slowly stand. But it’s still a game of risk: will I or won’t I pass out?

My mornings are taken very slowly too. My PoTS is generally better then because I’ve been laid flat all night.

One of the most useful pieces of equipment my occupational therapist has provided me with is a mattress elevator. I struggle to sit myself up so being able to do this electronically has made a massive difference to my life.

In the mornings when I wake up, I spend a while laid there, getting myself awake enough to get out of bed. I then slowly elevate myself up bit by bit until I am sat upright.

I wait until the dizziness passes and my racing heart calms down, and my blood pressure adjusts. Then it’s time for the usual pumping of my legs and stretches before standing up. Again, during this process I am prone to passing out.

The stairs have become too difficult and dangerous to manage so I go up and down them by bum-shuffling. I then take the few steps to the sofa where I have to lay and rest just from getting out of bed and down the stairs as I find this process exhausting.

Because my M.E. fluctuates so much, some days this process is easier than others. Some days it’s not possible at all.

This is the reality of living with M.E. and PoTS that people don’t see – the not so simple effort of getting out of bed and down the stairs.

Hidden disability

And that’s what’s also hard about M.E. and PoTS: how invisible it all is.

You can’t see what’s going on inside me and because my body has to work harder to function it worsens my level of fatigue.

I try and take minimal trips from the safety of the sofa during the day. I use the term ‘sofa-bound’: when moving round the house is too difficult. The statistics are that 1 in 4 people with M.E. are house, sofa or bed bound at any one time.

I find when I’m going through a bad day or a ‘crash’ (a term used in the M.E. community when a person’s M.E. is worse than usual) that my dysautonomia and PoTS are worse too.

Even just sitting up in bed leaves me very dizzy, with a racing heart, feeling lightheaded and prone to passing out, and unable to stand.

Just like with my M.E. diagnosis, when I got my diagnosis of PoTS and dysautonomia I was given no further support.

I was left to manage this on my own. I’ve tried to get support from my GP but the feedback I receive is that it’s too specialised for them.

Visit PoTS UK for more information and suggestions for self-management approaches

I did learn some self-management from a hypermobility session I went to (another medical problem I have that also leaves me prone to developing dysautonomia and PoTS).

Other than that, I’ve had to learn how to manage things myself. Apart from concluding that my dysautonomia and PoTS are common secondary symptom to my other illnesses, I have no idea why I developed them.

My experience has shown me that more research is needed, and better support and management needs to be given to patients.

The ME Association

Real People. Real Disease. Real M.E.

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.

ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279

from ME Association
https://www.meassociation.org.uk/2019/10/m-e-dysautonomia-and-me-by-naomi-gilchrist-01-october-2019/

from https://www.meassociation.org.uk

#cfsme

Photo | Spiritual

from Spiritual Seeker 77
https://spiritualseeker77.tumblr.com/post/188060255223

from https://spiritualseeker77.tumblr.com/

#spiritual

New Free Leaflet: The 2019-2020 Flu Vaccine | 01 October 2019

Dr Charles Shepherd, Hon. Medical Adviser, ME Association.

Seasonal flu (also known as influenza) is a highly infectious illness caused by several types of flu virus. It spreads rapidly through small infected droplets that are coughed or sneezed into the air by an infected person. Even people with mild or no symptoms can infect other people.

As there is no simple answer as to whether you should have a flu vaccine if you have ME/CFS, the purpose of this leaflet is to provide information on all aspects of flu vaccination in relation to ME/CFS. You and your doctor can decide if you ought to have this protection.

Extracts from the free leaflet…

The 2019-2020 Flu Jab

Flu vaccine is offered free on the NHS to people in certain at-risk groups. These are mainly people who are at greater risk of developing serious complications if they catch flu.

The list includes people with a number of pre-existing health conditions – including neurological and immunological diseases, heart and respiratory diseases, pregnant women, obesity and the over-65s.

People who receive a Carer’s Allowance or are the main carer for a sick or disabled person, are also eligible for a free NHS vaccine.

For 2019-2020 there are three types of flu vaccine available. You will be offered the one that is most effective for your age:

Children aged 2 to 17 in an eligible group are being offered a live attenuated quadrivalent vaccine (LAIV), which protects against four strains of flu. This is given as a nasal spray.
Adults aged 18 to 64 who are either pregnant, or at increased risk from flu because of a long-term health condition, are offered a quadrivalent injected vaccine – the vaccine offered will have been grown either in eggs or cells (QIVe or QIVc), which are considered to be equally suitable.
Adults aged 65 and over will be offered either an adjuvanted trivalent injected vaccine grown in eggs (aTIV) or a cell-grown quadrivalent injected vaccine (QIVc) – both vaccines are considered to be equally suitable. An adjuvant is a substance that is added to a vaccine to increase the body’s immune response to the vaccine.

The best time to have a flu jab is in the autumn – from mid-September onwards through until early November. It takes two to three weeks for the vaccine to become fully effective.

Free leaflet and download

The full leaflet weighs up the pros and cons of flu vaccination for people with ME/CFS.

It contains updated information about the strains of flu that the latest vaccination is seeking to protect people against.

It is available to download and read online or print at home, and can be ordered from the website shop or as a hard copy from head office: 01280 818964 between 9.30am and 3.00pm, Monday-Friday.

Do people with ME/CFS meet NHS criteria for having a free flu vaccination?

Having a chronic neurological disease is one of the recommended criteria for NHS flu vaccination, and the classification of ME/CFS in WHO ICD10 as a neurological disease is fully recognised by the Department of Health.

The ME Association believes that people with ME/CFS should therefore qualify for a free NHS flu jab if they decide to have one.

Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health, has also stated in 2014:

“As you know, the risk of serious illness from flu and consequent hospitalisation and death is higher among those with underlying health conditions such as M.E.

“We know that people with chronic neurological conditions are approximately 40 times more likely to die if they develop flu than individuals who have no other underlying health conditions.

“The best way for people at risk from flu to protect themselves and their families is to get the flu vaccine. People with clinical risk factors are eligible to receive the seasonal flu vaccine free each winter.”

When it comes to flu jabs and ME/CFS, key points in favour of having this protection include:

Flu vaccination should provide a fairly high degree of protection against the strains that are likely to be around this winter.
Overall, the vaccine reduces the chances of catching flu by about two-thirds. However, the level of protection given by the 2014-15 vaccine was disappointingly low at around 34%.
Protection continues for about a year.
Anyone with serious health problems in addition to ME/CFS such as chest (especially asthma or bronchitis), heart, liver or kidney disease, diabetes, a weakened immune system, or who is taking steroid medication, is particularly at risk of developing serious complications from flu.
If you have already had a flu vaccine while suffering from ME/CFS, and not suffered any adverse effects, it is reasonable (but not guaranteed) to assume that you should be OK this time round (although the viral make-up of the vaccine is changed from year to year).
Serious adverse reactions are very rare with this vaccine although minor transient problems such as malaise, headache and muscle pain do sometimes occur. A full list of potential side-effects is listed later in this leaflet.
The only published research study into adverse reactions to flu vaccine in people with ME/CFS concluded that people with ME/CFS were no more likely to have a serious adverse reaction than people receiving this vaccine for recommended reasons.

The ME Association

Real People. Real Disease. Real M.E.

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.