Mindfulness
As I mentioned in the about me section, a major improvement in my health occurred when I began to focus on the underlying cause of the many of my health problems- my brain. More specifically the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls all of your bodily functions- food digestion, excretion, sweating, crying, blood pressure, temperature...etc. And it is broken into two parts 1) the Parasympathetic Nervous System and 2) the Sympathetic Nervous System.
The parasympathetic system conserves and restores. It slows the heart rate and decreases blood pressure. It stimulates the digestive tract to process food and eliminate wastes. Energy from processed food is used to restore and build tissues. Also known as "rest and digest".
Whereas, the Sympathetic system is involved in the "fight or flight" response. It increases heart rate and the force of heart contractions dilates the airways to make breathing easier. It causes the body to release stored energy. Muscular strength is increased. This division also causes palms to sweat, pupils to dilate, and hair to stand on end. It slows body processes that are less important in emergencies, such as digestion and urination.
The ability for your brain to properly switch between the parasympathetic response and the sympathetic response is paramount to optimal health. A dysfunction between the two is often a root cause of any autoimmune or chronic health disorder. If your body is constantly in a "fight or flight" response, even if a low-grade response which would likely be unnoticeable, it can wreck havoc on your health and render all other treatments useless. This is why "Mindfulness' is more important than "Supplementation" on my pyramid. As an example, you can take all the anti-candida, adrenal, thyroid...etc supplements you'd like, but if your body is constantly stressed, they have little use in the long-run, and in fact could be counterproductive. Don't get me wrong, supplements definitely have their place, but the underlying cause of the stress needs to addressed in conjunction. Sometimes this is a chemical or environmental stress, such mold toxins in your home (which should clearly be addressed) but more often than not it is overreaction of the mind -and therefore body - to stressors.
These stressors can be either external or internal. For example, the way you handle everyday external stress, such as work or family life stress has a clear impact on your health. But also, your body may be internally stressed without your direct knowledge. These internal stressors are often the source of the chronic conditions so many of us are plagued with, such as chronic fatigue brought on by the Epstein-bar virus, and many thyroid disorders would fall into this category. In these situations, your body overacts to internal stress and is constantly in some form of fight or flight. Therefore it becomes insurmountably difficult for your body to properly heal.
Fortunately, mindfulness techniques help address both the internal and external stressors. What I refer to as mindfulness includes a broad array of activities that calm the mind, relax the body, and optimize the healing process. They include the following:
Breathing techniques
Meditation
Yoga
Tai Chi - I practiced often during my recovery. The willpower to actually do it was difficult, but ultimately very rewarding at the end of the session. Other Mindfulness technique, such a just paying attention to your surroundings - stop and smell the roses, focus on your breathing..etc.
The solutions below will cost some money, but have found them all to be extraordinarily helpful in my recovery, include:
Neurofeedback - LENS neurofeedback for about a year, and now only use sporadically. LENS appears to be the preferred type for CFS, Lyme type conditions. Over the highly marketed NeurOptimal® system, which seems to have its own benefits, but I stuck exclusively with the LENS system.
Brain Entrainment - Centerpointe Research's Product with positive results. There are probably some less expensive options available as well. Sensory deprivation tanks - aka float tanks (see my book review)
The parasympathetic system conserves and restores. It slows the heart rate and decreases blood pressure. It stimulates the digestive tract to process food and eliminate wastes. Energy from processed food is used to restore and build tissues. Also known as "rest and digest".
Whereas, the Sympathetic system is involved in the "fight or flight" response. It increases heart rate and the force of heart contractions dilates the airways to make breathing easier. It causes the body to release stored energy. Muscular strength is increased. This division also causes palms to sweat, pupils to dilate, and hair to stand on end. It slows body processes that are less important in emergencies, such as digestion and urination.
The ability for your brain to properly switch between the parasympathetic response and the sympathetic response is paramount to optimal health. A dysfunction between the two is often a root cause of any autoimmune or chronic health disorder. If your body is constantly in a "fight or flight" response, even if a low-grade response which would likely be unnoticeable, it can wreck havoc on your health and render all other treatments useless. This is why "Mindfulness' is more important than "Supplementation" on my pyramid. As an example, you can take all the anti-candida, adrenal, thyroid...etc supplements you'd like, but if your body is constantly stressed, they have little use in the long-run, and in fact could be counterproductive. Don't get me wrong, supplements definitely have their place, but the underlying cause of the stress needs to addressed in conjunction. Sometimes this is a chemical or environmental stress, such mold toxins in your home (which should clearly be addressed) but more often than not it is overreaction of the mind -and therefore body - to stressors.
These stressors can be either external or internal. For example, the way you handle everyday external stress, such as work or family life stress has a clear impact on your health. But also, your body may be internally stressed without your direct knowledge. These internal stressors are often the source of the chronic conditions so many of us are plagued with, such as chronic fatigue brought on by the Epstein-bar virus, and many thyroid disorders would fall into this category. In these situations, your body overacts to internal stress and is constantly in some form of fight or flight. Therefore it becomes insurmountably difficult for your body to properly heal.
Fortunately, mindfulness techniques help address both the internal and external stressors. What I refer to as mindfulness includes a broad array of activities that calm the mind, relax the body, and optimize the healing process. They include the following:
Breathing techniques
Meditation
Yoga
Tai Chi - I practiced often during my recovery. The willpower to actually do it was difficult, but ultimately very rewarding at the end of the session. Other Mindfulness technique, such a just paying attention to your surroundings - stop and smell the roses, focus on your breathing..etc.
The solutions below will cost some money, but have found them all to be extraordinarily helpful in my recovery, include:
Neurofeedback - LENS neurofeedback for about a year, and now only use sporadically. LENS appears to be the preferred type for CFS, Lyme type conditions. Over the highly marketed NeurOptimal® system, which seems to have its own benefits, but I stuck exclusively with the LENS system.
Brain Entrainment - Centerpointe Research's Product with positive results. There are probably some less expensive options available as well. Sensory deprivation tanks - aka float tanks (see my book review)