Migraine Barometer

Ugh, this is me this week, this summer :/ I need to invest in one of these migraine/marine barometers. Has anone else tried one of these?

http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/barometric-pressure-headache.html

http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/digital-barometer.html

Vitamins for Pain Prevention

Wow, this is super interesting. I take all these vitamins,(B-complex, C and D) so I am glad to read this to re-affirm that they are indeed helping with my pain AND my health!

http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/27148/139891/vitamins

Relax

http://headacheandmigrainenews.com/1-thursday-relax-the-jaw/

This is great. I follow his blog and he just has awesome info all the time, but I really like this simple technique of relaxing the jaw and easing tension. I know I clench my jaw a lot, unfortunately especially when sleeping :/ But this technique helps during the daytime, esp at work :)

Benefits of ProBiotics

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/aznaturalremedyindex/a/probiotics_weight_loss.htm?nl=1

Has anyone else tried ProBiotics? I tried the pill forms, but didn't like so much. What I have found was easy for me is the YoPlus probiotic yogurt by Yoplait. It's healthy, low cal and just seems to keep me right and balanced :) Its a great little snack too to keep around for at work or before I head off to yoga. Satisfies hunger and keeps me on a healthy track :)

Yummy, Easy Mexican Dishes

I love Prevention magazine and prevention.com, they have great health tips an articles, and recipes! I also looooove Mexican food, and quick and easy recipes for Mexican! Yay! These sound SO yummy, I have to try!

http://www.prevention.com/health/cook/everyday-recipes/mexican-made-easy/article/3251872b789a2210VgnVCM10000030281eac____?cm_mmc=Spotlight-_-01282011-_-Cook-_-5%20One-Dish%20Mexican%20Recipes

Change Your Diet & Start Healing

A VERY good read. A lot of the foods are anti-inflammatory, so I think this is a good healthy diet for help with fibro too. And keep reading through the article, I guarantee chocolate is included!

The extensive research published in the last decade alone proves that what you eat can have a profound effect on your protection against cancer. But my doctor's answer was hardly surprising. It's a little-known fact that nutrition is barely taught in med schools, where the solution to most problems is a drug. And doctors don't trust patients to make lifestyle changes. I recall a conversation with a fellow physician at a conference after I spoke on the importance of a healthy diet in fighting disease. "You may be right, David, but people don't want to change," he said. "They just want to take a pill and forget about it." I don't know whether he's right, but after all the study I've done, I know it isn't true for me.

http://www.prevention.com/ediblehealing/index.shtml?cm_mmc=Spotlight-_-01282011-_-Health-_-Edible%20Healing%3a%20Health-Protecting%20Foods

New Diagnostics for FIbromyalgia

This is a SUPER interesting article about the development of NEW standards for diagnosing fibro, and how if doctors are informed more doctors can diagnose, not just rheumotologists.  My tender point test was pretty inconclusive, but my rheumy doc was still convinced I had fibro. He is right, as according to these new standards, I am a typical case, all except for the tender points!

This is a very good step in a positive directionQ

http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/news/20100526/a-new-way-of-diagnosing-fibromyalgia

Are You a Babe?!

ChronicBabe is now 1,000+ babes strong! Have you check out ChronicBabe?!

A snippet from the homepage:

"For Babes, who happen to have chronic illness...

If you're a sick chick in search of like-minded folks—the kind of people who are living well in spite of illness—you're in the right place! ChronicBabe offers hundreds of resources designed to help you keep on being a Babe, even with chronic illness. To get the most out of our site, sign up today for our free eNewsletter: Goodie Bag, and get dozens of tips delivered straight to you every other week. And when you sign up, you also get a free ebook, How to Be a ChronicBabe: A Beginner's Toolkit."

Happy with the Support

I visited my dentist a few weeks ago for my teeth cleaning. The dental technician is familiar with my fibromyalgia struggles and asked me how I was doing. I told her how I found a book (The Dental Handbook on Fibromyalgia) and discovered the benefits of taking the amino acid L-Lysine. I proclaimed how it has kept my mouth sores at bay! She was so glad, and told me she recommends L-Lysine often to patients, but people don't seem to trust in the alternative treatments and brush off her advice. It made me feel good to know that she is on my side and supportive of my choosing to use alternative treatments.

I also visited my neurologist a few weeks ago, he has treated me for years for my migraines, and recently also started helping with the fibromyalgia. I told him I had weaned myself off Nortrptyline (I took 25 mg nightly initially to prevent daily headaches, and then it seemed to help fibro too.) And that I no longer needed my Lunesta for sleep. He said that's great, but what has changed? I told him how I've been doing yoga, and massages, and taking supplements (esp magnesium). He was quite supportive of my new changes and my choice to use alternative treatments. He said if its working, keep doing it! And when I need him for anything to let him know. I continue to see him twice a year, for checkups and what not. But again, its just nice to know that my doctor supports my choice in alternative and complementary treatments.

After speaking with some co-workers this week about frustrations over health insurance coverage and recent (disasterous) changes, I am also glad that I am relying less on medications and such that require insurance coverage. I figure, the less I rely on health insurance the better off I'll be moving forward. Health insurance is headed for disaster, and I don't want to be caught in the middle and fighting for my health rights every step of the way!

ChronicBabe featured in the News

ChronicBabe was featured on the Chicago news! You go Jenni! Yay!

Watch the viedo clip here:

http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=wls&section=&mediaId=8059035&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&configPath=/util/&site=

Struggling with Fatigue

Lately I've been struggling more with my fatigue. I had a break in yoga classes, but will be getting back with them today, so I am looking forward to that and hopeful that will help. This is a good post that I found, has some good pointers. I'm going to take a better look and evaluation of my lifestyle lately and see where I can make some tweaks and improvements to get me back to being more energetic!

http://www.arthritistoday.org/symptoms/fatigue/coping-with-fatigue.php?WT.mc_id=64fatigue