A Great Read! "All in My Mind" by Jennifer Busch

I had the opportunity to speak with Jennifer Busch, the author of "All in My Mind." She has Adrenal Fatigue, Chronic Fatigue, and Fibromyalgia. Her book is a very honest recount of her recovery. She shares her good days and bad days, revealing her inner self. I found it to be a book written from the heart and I even teared up a bit at the end. It is also very insightful in many different ways. I feel it is a must read for anyone living with a chronic illness. It will give you insight to some areas we are all probably aware of yet might deliberately avoid. I know for myself I have thought about some of those things, yet hesitate to act upon those feelings sometimes. Thank you Jennifer for sharing with us.

Sore No More

If you haven't heard of "Sore No More" or "Sombra" Warm or Cool Therapy Gel for pain relief you should check it out. Both products are made by the same people. Sore No More is the retail product line and "Sombra" is usually sold via health professionals. Either one works good for pain relief. I often rub it all over my left leg (which is the side I have RSD on) and it helps with the pain and allows me to sleep better. I have had several friends in the pain support group try it and they too like it so I thought I would share it with you.

Have you Heard of Curamin?

I don't know how many of you have heard of Curamin.  It is an herbal analgesic and several people I know have tried it and thinks it works great!  I have tried it and if I need to take something I prefer to take something naturally so Curamin works for me.  You can check out more information if you are interested and locate a store near you at http://www.curamin.com/

Hypnosis - An option for Chronic Pain

With advances in science, we have learned many things on how our brains experience pain.  We have learned that our brains do not have a "pain center".  Our brains are more like a "pain matrix" because multiple areas of our brain become active when we experience pain.  We have also learned that input from outside of the brain can and often does play a role in how we experience pain.


Science can now observe the direct effects hypnosis has on brain activity and how this can also affect the areas and structures within the pain matrix of our brain.


The pain matrix includes the sensory cortex (the area of the brain that is active when we feel sensations); the anterior cingulate cortex (the area involved with processing information about how pain makes us feel); the insula (the area that beomes active when something is perceived to be wrong with the body); and the prefrontal cortex (the area of the brain that is likely involved in the meaning we give to our sensations and experience).


These areas of the brain can also influence each other.  So when we think that our pain may indicate something is broken or breaking (prefrontal cortex), the pain can increase in intensity (sensory cortex) or can worry us more (cingulate cortex).  This influence allows a new understanding about our brains and can also explain how the same level of stimulation can be felt differently by different people.  It also explains how hypnosis can also effect our experience of pain.


Controlled clinical trials have shown that hypnosis is consistently "more effective" than no treatment and is either "more effective" or "as effective" as other effective pain treatements, proving that hypnosis has more than just a placebo effect.


Hypnosis in itself is not complicated.  It is simply defined as an induction followed by a suggestion or a set of suggestions.  The induction focuses ones attention on a voice, a point of light, or a mark on a wall.  This focused attention or awareness has been shown to make people more receptive to suggestions that can change their experience.  In dealing with chronic pain the induction is usually followed by suggestions to feel pain sensations differently, to be less bothered by these pain sensations, to think differently about pain, to be better able to ignore pain, or some combination of the above suggestions. 


The hypnosis session usually ends with the suggestion that provided relief during the session will last beyond the session.  Hypnosis is not receommended as a sole therapy for the treatment of chronic pain due to its complexity, but can work as part of a comprehensive pain treatment program.


I have used hypnosis and positive visualization as part of my pain treatment program.  I have found it to be successful in helping me sleep and to relax me while I am using the chi machine. 

Reference:  "Hypnosis for Chronic Pain Management: New Evidence for an Old Treatmet" by Mark P Jensen, PhD

Chi Machine on The Doctors

You can even hear a woman with Fibromyalgia give her testimony on how the chi machine has relieved her pain.