SCENAR What?

You may have read of a therapy, called SCENAR therapy, on this blog in some of Lauren's posts. I thought I would post a bit about my experience with SCENAR, so you could understand a bit more about it.

SCENAR was developed in Russia over a 25 year period from the 1970's after a research company was commissioned to invent a therapy to keep the cosmonauts healthy in space. It was a combination of Ancient Chinese energetic therapy with modern bio feedback technology. It has been used in Australia for the last 6 or 7 years.

I was introduced to the therapy when I attended treatment for the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I was suffering. After the first session I felt different. Brighter, less fuzzy in the head and I started to wake up in the morning feeling somewhat refreshed for the first time in many years.

After I'd had 5 sessions, Lauren (who was quite pregnant) started to kick me to get up to our 13month old instead of her (I was that good I could do this with no real problem). I was also sleeping in the multi layer therapy blanket (more about this in another post).

I was able to exert my body in exercise & be recharged after only a short rest. I could do a lot more in a day without getting sick the next day. All this after 5 sessions of therapy over only three weeks. All the other therapies I had tried had taken months if not years to make an effect. The improvements I have made with SCENAR have been permanent & I continue to improve.
It has made a HUGE improvement in my health.

I subsequently trained in SCENAR therapy & use it in my physiotherapy practice for the effective treatment of a very wide range of complaints. Many, many problems are resolved quicker & more fully than with conventional techniques.

Good websites for more info are SCENAR HEALTH USA & SCENAR HEALTH CANADA & SCENAR HEALTH AUSTRALIA.

SCENAR HEALTH Australia was where I went for treatment. SCENAR is also in other countries just not with SCENAR HEALTH, you could Google it.

Cancer Info Part 1

I received an e-mail this week from a friend with information about cancer in it that we have known for years now. But it was always considered "alternative weirdo" stuff.

The info was claimed to have comes out of John Hopkins University. So I thought oooh - it's gone main stream! However, the University denies this & says the e-mail is a hoax. See the following link for their response: (http://www.hoax-slayer.com/cancer-tips-john-hopkins.shtml)

They do admit though that it includes information that is "true" or partly "true". "True"in my experience with specialists generally means "clinically tested" not just anecdotal evidence.

It is information that is well worth passing on as it has helped a lot of people fight cancer & helped us fight CFS. Even though it might not be true yet!

I'll break it up into smaller blog size chunks.

The Cold Shoulder Shower.

One crazy remedy we tried, that stuck, was making the last minute, of your hot shower, cold.

Fully cold.

Refreshing in summer. Breath stealing in winter!

But we found (& still find) it does invigorate. It wakes you up very quickly (and it makes you braver!).

We heard something about leg therapy - walking in hot, then cold, then hot, then cold baths would increase blood flow to the surface of the skin and then restrict it & this would kick start a healing process. We also read about some crazy Russians who swam every morning in the frozen lakes & how healthy (& old) they were.

The Bondi Icebergs would agree I'm sure.

Why doesn't everyone have CFS?

Watching T.V. last night, (Top Gear & Desperate Housewives are our two shows for the week - both on Mondays) I couldn't help but wonder that everyone doesn't have CFS?

Every other add was for some kind of 'mask your pain' medication, or 'kill the bacteria the toxic way' cleaner or 'get your vitamins & minerals the cheats way' food. ie eat ice cream for your afternoon calcium!! What is that?

Do people believe these adds?

Or do they believe the ones for preventatives; fresh food, quality supplements, exercise & health, products that do not harm the environment or our health?

It is so confusing when people can basically advertise whatever they want and everyone is trying to 'educate' through their 30 second grab. Why on earth would you believe any of it!

When everyone has an agenda or a sales pitch it is so hard to know who to believe.

There is a great website called the Campaign for Truth in Medicine you might want to check out. Interestingly they say their campaign is being hindered by people with alternatives pushing their own barrows a bit too much rather than cooperating for the truths' sake. (These are the guys who wrote ABCs of Disease that helped us so much with a good diet.)

http://campaignfortruth.com/home.htm

Wouldn't it be awesome if we didn't have this problem. I often wonder what it would be like to live in a time when environmental illness wasn't an issue. But I guess living in a fallen world we'd have some other issue.

Exercise... is this really happening?

Craig has had some pretty huge exercise breakthroughs in the last two weeks. (Just in time for the new baby to stop him in his tracks!)

Last week he played an impromptu, Sunday afternoon, game of soccer with our church. It was perfect for whetting the appetite for more 'aggressive' participation in sport. It was about 25 a side with lots of kids on the field. So nothing too tiring. But there was opportunity for the occasional burst of un-heart monitored 'speed'.

Then 2 nights this week he has managed 60 laps of the 15m pool in our complex without negative after-effects. The second night he says he pushed a lot harder.

So far so good.

Exercise is the last frontier for Craig. He has always tried to do something to be 'active' & maintain a basic level of fitness. Starting at walking from the bedroom to the bathroom and reaching about 20 slow laps of the ocean pool or a medium paced, heart-monitored walk.

We've heard success stroies from two monitored, exercise programs;

1. Start at 1minute of activity a day & add a minute every day for ten weeks. This one has succeeded in getting people back to pre-CFS jogging levels.
2. Start at 1 minute of activity (walking, swimming, cycling) per day. Build it daily by 1 minute until you are up to 24 minutes. Then have a day of rest. Then continue at 24 minutes every second day for 30 days. Then increase as desired.

If you've tried any others with success (or without success!) or have any other suggestions for people, please comment.

We never bothered with a monitored program. Craig just did it himself. Being a Physio he knew the benefits of movement &, being Craig, has been diligent throughout his time with CFS with gentle aerobic exercise and strengthening exercises so his muscles don't atrophy (Way more than me).

I read a book at one point about starting a walking program that said just get up 30 minutes earlier every day & start walking. 30 minutes moving will be better for you than those last 30 minutes of sleep.

So once Craig was at a point where he could exercise, beyond work, we started a morning walk routine which became 45minutes of medium paced walking with a heart monitor. That lasted until our second son refused to sit in the pram & since then we have struggled to exercise together. Craig has been swimming, on the way home from work, with varying regularity.

Craig has needed to maintain a strong body so that he can work. He has a physical job so his motivation is huge. His problem has been getting his heart rate over 120bpm. If he ever pushed himself a little too hard the result was always sore throat and big glands by morning.

But these last two weeks have been different & that's in spite of a very recent, severe virus. He reckons it is all because of SCENAR. He has been working really hard to treat himself since he got sick last month. He says that if he didn't have SCENAR he would be still flat on his back and sleeping 20 hours a day. But, because we started treating him the moment he got sick, he has had a really fast recovery. It seems that possibly it has helped him get over the lingering post exertional malaise dimension of his CFS.

Lets hope this is for real! We'll keep you posted.

If you want more info about SCENAR this is the web address for the people who treated and have since mentored Craig. http://www.scenarhealth.com/ Really nice people & very passionate about making SCENAR more accepted in the mainstream medical world. (In Russia it's used in hospitals but here they think we're weirdos - typical)

And they call us hypocrites.....

I have no idea how I will bring this idea for a post around to CFS but let's see if it can't be done!

I actually spent time in a shopping mall by myself a couple of weeks back. I had a limited time but no children who needed my attention. So I spent a bit of time "just browsing" in shop windows as I ticked off my "to do" list.

Two windows stood out. I was so shocked by what I saw & read that I didn't take in the name of either shop so I can't name & shame them. Both dress shops. However, I remember their advertising a little too clearly.

The first targeted teens, early 20's and fashion victims in general. Filling one floor to ceiling window was the picture of a 14 - 15 year old girl. Wearing more accessories than dress, her make up & posture conveying naive but unmistakable intent, she was accompanied by the slogan 'Meet me behind the bike shed.'

The second targeted 20 - 30 somethings, so the clothing had generally more surface area. A large, half window, photograph showed smiling 20 somethings, 3 females & 3 males of the attractive variety, in politically correct hair & skin colours, laying intertwined on a bed. The slogan read "Love more than one".

Now, it may be just me but, isn't there something slightly hypocritical about a society that allows advertising like this in its malls and then turns around & sacks a soccer player for underage sex one week and an ex- footballer loses his television career the next week because he 'loved more than one' 7 years ago? The media claims they should have known better & they can't be our role models. But where, I ask, are they meant to get these high standards from? It is definitely not from the mall.

Personally, I suggest that the footballers & soccer players, the teenagers, 20somethings & 30somethings, the advertising companies, the dress shops & the mall owners would all profit from reading Proverbs 5 before they follow the advice of the dress shop windows. Then they may be saved from ever having to admit "I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly."

I guess for all CFS sufferers & spouses Proverbs 5 is good reading. Working out your sex life to honour your marriage partner (present or future) and to honour the Lord is vital in any one's life so that the devil will not get a foothold.

For many, living with CFS, "Not tonight dear, I've got a headache" - can be a painful truism. I don't have all the answers for couples. But I recommend prayer Phil 4:6 and making your spouse a priority 1 Cor 7:2-4 while at the same time adjusting your expectations to suit your situation, less T.V, more bible, taking advantage of good days & good hours to work on your marriage in this way & working on improving your health & your godliness so you can serve your spouse in this way.

Aren't all Probiotics the same? Probiotics - Part 3

Ellerman says (& he names the researchers etc);

"many so-called probiotic species on the market actually stimulate bad bacteria, rather than suppress them which is what we want them to do."

When I saw him speak he also said that a lot of strains are dead before you buy them. So you must make sure that the one you take is a survivor!

"Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI strain L10 (good bacteria) has been shown to switch the immune system away from an inflammatory response and toward an increased resistance to infection, presumably by inhibiting and displacing bad bacteria.

The result is that asthma, hayfever and eczma can potentially be significantly reduced. The same strain has been shown to reduce the duration and severity of bouts of the common cold and to reverse chronic fatigue in athletes."

"......combinations of the resistant starch, Hi-maize 958 and Bifidobacterium lactis LAFTI strain B94, facilitate the deletion of cancer cells in the rat colon."

So probiotics are important for maintaining good health but they are not all the same and they are not all effective. So choose carefully.

On Never Having it Easy

We've been flat out this week, hence no blogging.

I'm tempted often to complain about things being too hard. If we're not too sick we're too busy, too tired, too poor or too something else.

But, as Craig gently reminded me this week after we'd done our budget for the year, if things got "easy" we wouldn't be living the life that God wants us to live. Whenever we put God first we will be aliens in this world and most likely be under greater temptation to sin & spiritual attack.

A few verses have encouraged me to stop complaining and repent before the devil gets a foothold. Here they are, hope they encourage you too.

Isaiah 30:15
This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.

Philippians 2:14
Do everything without complaining or arguing,

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

Allergies & Detoxing

We've been inspired this week to include a section about "causes & triggers" of CFS in our e-book. We've had a nephew undergo allergy testing for nuts who needs an epi-pen. This is the 3rd child in our very close circle of kids (neighbours & family) who now has an epi-pen for nuts and it's just made us realise how common these allergies have become.

Allergies are often part of the symptomatic make up for a chronic fatigue sufferer(& other chronic "western illness" sufferers). We have both developed allergies far worse, than we ever had as children, following CFS. We both were mildly allergy prone as children so for those who say it's all genetic, We do not deny that genes play a part.

However, from what we've read, allergies, and many of the other symptoms of CFS seem to be at least triggered, if not caused, by the following 3 things in the body;
*toxic chemicals
*other toxins caused by fungi & bacteria overgrowth
*heavy metals in the body (including the mother's body for babies, both through breast milk & the placenta).

These can all damage or change cellular structure or function, disrupt the endochrin system by upsetting hormone producing glands, even change DNA, and wear down the major organs of the body.

How do they get into our bodies?

Many of these toxins & heavy metals are;
*ingested in contaminated foods(ie pesticides, insecticides, animal medication & air & waterborne pollutants)

*ingested in drinking water (we have read statistics from UK that claim 700 chemicals/heavy metals in one glass of unfiltered tap water - we will find out the Australian stats for our book)

*breathed in from our environment.

*absorbed by the skin from personal care products or cleaning products at home or in work environments. (Your skin is an amazing organ it absorbs so much that is then sent off via the blood to other organs. Rub garlic or onion on the sole of your foot, it will be absorbed into the bloodstream and you'll be able to taste it within about 5 minutes)

*caused by overgrowth of candida and other "bad" fungi & bacteria in the body that exhausts the immune system & produces a bi-product that toxifies the system, causing allergies & skin irritations (among other things). The overgrowth can be caused by: carbohydrate (sugar) heavy diet, too many antibiotics & medications (eaten in meat as well as prescribed), stress, toxins & heavy metals.

The body is like the proverbial camel's back. There will be signs that things are getting heavy as we overload it but it will keep going until that final straw. Allergic symptoms are often a sign that it is overloaded. Plus they contribute further to the overload of the immune system so it becomes a vicious cycle.

We've talked a little on this blog already about detoxing your home and your body through diet. This blog outlines a bit more thoroughly one of the reasons why we think detoxing is important.

We'll outline heaps more of this in our e-book & include more more ways to detox.
We will make it available for free on this site soon. Probably chapter by chapter due to the iminant arrival of Baby #3. So keep a look out.

How are you Coping?

If you were to notice me, reading the ingredients on a packet, in the health food aisle of the supermarket, you might stop for a concerned conversation with an opening line like, “How are you going these days?”

If you kept going past the standard response,
“Oh I’m fine, and Craig’s doing so much better, he’s working full time now,”
you might even think to ask something insightful like,
“You’ve been dealing with this for years now. How are you coping? Do you miss..(large pause, into which you can insert the words “being normal?”)...anything?

I’d probably answer with a genuine smile, “Oh God is great. He provides everything I need. He has really grown me through this time. In fact I’m grateful for it. I don’t miss anything of consequence.”

And all that would be true, overall.

But you’re not God.

And if you were the answer would be different.

The list he has heard is is as long as my arm:

I’m not coping, I miss being be able to cope.
I need to stop, I miss being able to keep going.
I’m not strong, I miss being strong, How will we survive if I am not strong?
I’m lonely, my husband’s asleep again, I miss him, I miss my social life.
I’m bored, I miss being creative and artistic and musical.
I’m exhausted, I miss having energy to do things.
I’m messy, I miss having the energy to be tidy.
I’m frustrated, I miss exercising, I never work up a sweat anymore.
I’m angry, I miss being calm and unaffected.
I’m sad, I miss having a husband who can join in.
I’m worried, I miss the confidence that comes with health.

The list goes on.......

But it always starts with “I”...... and what would you say to me if I were to hand it to you in the supermarket?

It’s a fine line to tread when you have a chronic illness, or you are the carer for a loved one with chronic illness, or when you’re suffering in general. (This morning I was suffering with chronic pregnancy and sleep depravation due to small children.)

Where does expressing your feelings and expecting others to understand your circumstances morph into plain old selfishness?

When I talk to God I’m like David in the psalms. I can rant and vent about my circumstances and my feelings. I can wail and sob. God listens and Jesus feels my pain and by the end, through his Holy Spirit, He always turns me around to himself. He opens my heart and my eyes to his kindness and goodness. One by one he picks up all the pieces and puts me back together with His glue. Stronger because of my weakness, powerful because of His Spirit in me.

But when I rant and vent to you, I cannot be so sure of the outcome. So I try to tell God first. Then I can tell you the outcome of those conversations. Which is the truth.

Maybe this is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.....(part 5 SCENAR)

Craig returned to Physiotherapy part time in June /July 2004. In October he began looking to buy his own practice so he could be in charge of his own hours permanently. In December 2004 we purchased a small practice on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

At this point Craig was at about 85%. Able to work and rest and play a little. Over the next 2 years focusing on his health he made it to about 95%. Able to exercise regularly but still needing a heart monitor to avoid a sore throat after exercise. In May 2006 we had our first son. A wonderful answer to prayer and possible due to our healthier lives. However, as most parents know, with this great blessing comes a new kind of exhaustion - sleep depravation.

Craig’s CFS symptoms worsened. We negotiated that Lauren would do the night shift & week day shifts alone so that Craig could have extra sleep. When our son was 6 months old we fell pregnant again. Enabling Craig’s extra sleep became difficult with the new pregnancy. So when we heard through the Physiotherapy Association of Australia (APA) about a new kind of treatment out of Russia called SCENAR, that helped the body to heal itself, we decided to give it a go. We longed to get Craig’s CFS get out of the 80-90% rut.

Craig had 5 sessions of SCENAR treatment and purchased a multi-layer therapy blanket to sleep in. His therapist said his condition appeared to be the result of his body being “stuck” on “fight and flight mode” and being unable to switch on to “rest and recovery mode”. He said all his efforts to care for his body naturally had been worthwhile and his body was in great condition, just needed reprogramming! After the treatment he began to be refreshed by sleep for the first time in 8 years! One day after the fourth session, he ran up the stairs. He started telling jokes again. We knew things were different when we went to a social event with strangers soon after the treatment. For the first time Lauren could remember there was no need to negotiate or plan how Craig would recover from the event. We simply enjoyed it.

Lauren also now sleeps in a multi-layer therapy blanket as she found it helped her be refreshed by sleep, despite there not being a whole lot to be had with 2 boys under 3 and being currently 7 months into our third pregnancy. Craig has trained as a SCENAR Therapist and uses SCENAR in his practice. He now treats a much broader range of patients.

Maybe this is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.....(part 4 Becoming Alternative Weirdos)

At this point we decided to become proactive - Lauren started reading, reading, reading. We went to our first Naturopath we listened to tapes/CDs & watched videos/DVDs and went to seminars about health. We decided that we already knew what would happen if we didn’t do anything besides listen to GPs and Specialists.

Strangely enough it was at this point of research that we discovered Lauren also had diagnosable Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. We were surprised because Lauren’s symptoms were manageable with our slower lifestyle at the time and compared to Craig’s were nothing to complain about so she had never sought medical help. We found out by doing a questionnaire, like the one on the CFIDS Association of America website.

So what did we have to lose? We became alternative health “weirdos” and we started to see results. We got rid of all chemicals in the house, our food, our personal care products. We changed our diet cutting out sugar, yeast, lactose and gluten. We went as raw as we could and we started taking supplements.

Lauren’s results were much faster than Craig’s understandably. But Craig’s return to work this time was a lot faster and more permanent.