I'll be honest, my body responds unhappy to most pharmaceutical medications. Then I have to deal with not only side effects but allergy control too! and drug interactions? No, not venting or whining. I feel I am blessed on so many levels.
Does anyone here use functional medicine, CAM, or holistic treatments, and what is most helpful to you? Our private insurance won't cover these, so it's best to do my homework before attempting to use any, my primary doc has no issues with it, though he's a throw pills at you type.
Thanks to a highly skilled Dr. who is my physical therapist, I learned about acupressure and it's benefits. Easy to do, effective especially for muscle spasm and long term contractures, as well as headaches for me.
Would love to find something that BALANCES, not boosts, my immune system. Also interested in stress reduction beyond what I've learned on my own (positive affirmations and visualizations, breath control and meditation, stretching, chair yoga, and doing something daily that brings me joy). Alright, I admit, I can get a little high strung and all kinked up when chaos is running amuck all around me.
Anything you can share would be very appreciated. I'm open minded, but no access to a rich bank account.
Thanks, and warm hugs,
Perplexed
I have used barley grass juice for years to lessen my pain and it works wonders!!! It tastes like grass, but I mix it with fruit juice and then it is wonderful. It's full of antioxidants and vitamins and stuff like that.
I don't have much money, either. I was buying this stuff (it comes in a mixable powder) from Halleluiah Acres, but they are expensive. I looked around and found Sunburst Superfoods. They are the most cost effective barley grass juice I have found. If you want to look at it, here is the URL: http://www.sunburstsuperfoods.com/organic-barley-grass-juice-powder/ A 1 pound bag lasts me about 2 months. I hope this helps.
Gentle hugs, Kimberly :)
Thanks Kimberly!
I will check that link you posted out. I use ginger root tea to help with inflammation, which in turn helps with pain. I've been pricing and looking for a juicer, but they can be expernsive. Someone also told me to get what is called a magic bullet and you can put even your tablet supplements like magnesium in it, and it will do the job.
I'm headed to toss dinner in the oven, and hit the couch and make like a potato. Our first freeze of the fall is coming tonight, and my body says it's on strike, lol.
gentle warm hugs back to you!
perplexed
I hope the barley grass juice helps you. It also helps with imflamation and detoxifies.
The Magic Bullet does great for fruits, but you may have some problems juicing veggies with it. I especially would not recommend trying to juice greens.
I have a juicer and the juice is great, but the preparation and cleaning is a pain. I just buy cold-presssed carrot juice (don;t get the stuff in cans, it is awful get the stuff that is kept cold in the dairy case), and add the barlet grass posder and beet juice powder too--that helps with IBS.
Champion and Green Star are the best juicers for veggies, Green Star does a better job with greens. Don;t get a cheap juicer (I had a Jack LaLanne)--they do not get much of the juice out of the veggies, even after running the pulp back through a few times, and the cleanup is a mess!! Check out eBay for the best prices.
Good luck and gentle hugs, Kimberly :)
Thanks for recommending specific brands on the juicers. You rock! Now where in the world will I keep a juicer, my counter top is full! Maybe get a small table, like a microwave stand.
Nic, thanks for your reply. Too much cortisol production is exactly one of the things known to be an issue because of my central sleep apnea. I eat clean and healthy, but like a bird, but pounds simply accumulate from the stress of my breathing stopping as often as 1 time every 60 seconds. My brain short circuits for lack of a better term, and there is not an obstructive tissue element. If that was the case, surgery would be a possibility. Used a bypap , not cpap, to try and help, but they could never get levels right for me. I have a couple of challenges besides weight stemming from the cortisol. I agree it's effects are underestimated.
I'll have to look up Glutathione. Heard of it, but my brain is spaghetti at the moment. More when able, hand challenges insist I stop typing. .
reviving this thread with a bit of info.
a lot of people neglect to appreciate ancient wisdom traditions and how helpful they can be for us today. Yoga is one practice many use, not even realizing in pure form it is a religious practice.
am waiting now for two dvds to arrive. Qi Gong basics by two different and well respected teachers. This practice helps you deal with ridding yourself of negative energy, and increasing more positive life force energy or Qi (chi). It is to me like a moving meditation, and looks to be slow enough for me. I can't keep pace any more with the chair yoga for seniors. and no, not a senior yet!
wanted to share in case anyone else might benefit. will post back how this, and my pharma drug detox goes - yep, another one has ravaged me and left me more unwell.
love and peace and joy to everyone.
I am just as sensitive as you to medications and with allergies. I have also found additional relief from other methods. Changing my diet helped with severe hives I was having (auto immune symptom) and removing certain meds (not for fibro) actually helped clear up infections that were not responding to prescriptions. I have found a connection between Candida and fibromyalgia and immune disorders. Personally, I reduced inflammation and several fibro and immune symptoms when I went on a strict Candida diet. Not saying everyone with these disorders have a Candida overgrowth problem, but if someone is prone to yeast, UTI, and bacterial infections, as well as chemical sensitive and mass allergies, then it’s something to look into.
Like you I improved when I removed inflammatory foods and made lifestyle changes to reduce stress. Stress causes more muscle tension and therefore more pain for us. It also raises cortisol levels that can interfere with our sleep, which contributes to the chronic fatigue several of us suffer from.
Btw, I have eaten organic for a long time; however, I still would go out to eat with conventional foods and was not avoiding inflammatory foods whether organic or conventional. It was when I changed my food choices that my symptoms improved.
Now, I’ve returned to school to become professionally certified to support and coach others who want to improve their health and happiness through nutrition and lifestyle adjustments. It’s a very exciting time for me. Look forward to helping others suffering and making a difference 
Btw, I just noticed this was an older post. Hard to notice thru phone app. Did you find those qi going dvd.s helpful? If so, can you share which ones you got? I am familiar with it, but have yet to try it. Learning in my home would allow me to adjust as needed for my pain level and would be more comfortable when trying something new like that
Hi hope4it,
I have tried a dvd called Tai Chi for beginners, put out by element. You can do a full hour long tai chi session, or it has the option of just doing the 20 min Qi Gong section. I find I can manage this section despite my pain (as long as I remember to put the dogs in another room- they think leaning forward is an invitation to lick and play, which is very distracting!) As I’m in Aus, I got the dvd from ebay, but from memory there were many there at the time, most of them with US region.
Hope this helps!