Staying Happy with Fibromyalgia

Staying happy with Fibromyalgia can be extremely difficult. Every day there are new road blocks and the possibility of leading a “normal” life seems to only get farther and farther away. It seems like new symptoms pop up every day and no one can figure out why you cry and why you get so distressed. They have no idea how bad life with Fibromyalgia is and the bottom line is they probably never will, so you can’t rely on other people to make you happy. You may have a few close friends or family members that understand Fibromyalgia enough to improve your mood on those bad days, but the rest you must seek out for yourself.  Read More: Staying Happy with Fibromyalgia

Learning to Live with Fibromyalgia

A Fibromyalgia diagnosis changes everything, but not all of those changes have to bad.  It’s hard to adjust to not being able to always do the things you’re used to doing, like going out with friends, cleaning, cooking and taking a shower without feeling like you’ve just ran a marathon.  It’s easy to let yourself get depressed, but a pity party only makes things worse.  So what do you do?  Suck it up buttercup.  This is your life now so it’s time to embrace it and make it work for you.

The first thing to do is make sure you’re as healthy as possible, because other illnesses and afflictions will have a negative impact on Fibromyalgia and make you feel way worse. You already feel bad enough so there’s no need to add to it.  Taking care of yourself and exercising is a way to have some sort of control over this evil illness.  That in itself will make you feel a little better.

Read More:  Learning to Live with Fibromyalgia

Ten Unusual Headaches

Life is full of headaches, literally. Most headaches are caused by a stressful day at work or because the kids have refused to listen to anything you have had to say. There are many different kinds of headaches and while most headaches are a harmless nuisance there may be a serious underlying cause, therefore all headaches should be taken seriously. Tension headaches and migraines are the most common type ofheadache, however there are ten other types of headache that are often deemed unusual.

PRIMARY COUGH HEADACHE

A primary cough headache is a head pain brought on by coughing or other valsalva maneuvers. They are not brought on by prolonged physical exercise in an absence of any intracranial disorders. A primary cough headache is considered a rare condition. It accounts for 0.4% of all headaches. It is a sudden-onset headache and it lasts from one to thirty seconds. It tends to be bilateral and posterior. This headache happens only after fifty years of age and is more frequent in men.

Read more:   Ten Unusual Headaches

Health Benefits of Bachelor's Button

Bachelor's Button is a daisy like plant that produces small flowers that are shaped like buttons and look like miniature carnations. They are usually blue, but some plants produce pink, purple or white blossoms. It is a perennial member of the aster family. Bachelor’s Button are treated like weeds in some areas because of their ability to self-seed. 

Bachelor's Button is also known as feverfew, Tanacetum parthenium featherfew, flirtwort, altamisa, featherfort, febrifuge plant, midsummer daisy, nosebleed, Santa Maria, wild chamomile and wild quinine. More common names are Basket Flower, Blue Bonnet, Blue Bottle, Blue Bow, Blue Cap, Cornflower, Boutonniere Flower and Hurt Sickle. 

Bachelor's Button has been used for over 2000 years for medicinal purposes. The uses of Bachelor's Button can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks who used it for headaches, joint pain, stomach aches and fever. It can also be used for migraines, as a slight sedative, dizziness, arthritis, colds, fevers, cramps, worms, menstrual cycle regulation, as an antiseptic, psoriasis, toothaches, insect bites, labor pain, infertility, asthma, allergies, tinnitus, nausea and vomiting. A tea made of the leaves or flowers can be used for colic, colitis, indigestion, colds, arthritis, osteoporosis, bursitis, alcoholism, flatulence, menstrual cramps and tendonitis. The dried leaves of Bachelor's Button are used to make supplements that include capsules, tablets and liquid extracts. Sometimes the leaves are eaten fresh.

Bachelor's Button has side effects that include canker sores, swelling and irritation of the lips and tongue and loss of taste, nausea, digestive problems and bloating. There is also a possibility of allergic reaction. Bachelor's Button has not been evaluated by the FDA for safety effectiveness or purity.

Alcoholism and Diabetes: The Conclusion

Two of my previous posts have included the research I have done in order to find the link between Alcoholism and Diabetes. Although I am yet to completely confirm if one actually can cause the other I am concluding my research with this post. I have found enough information to satisfy my wonder for now.

I have found that Native Americans are particularly vulnerable to adult-onset diabetes early on in their drinking careers. I have not been able to find a definite answer as to why, so if anyone can better inform me on this it would be appreciated.

 

Diabetes is often found in a grandparent within an alcoholic family. Again, I was unable to find out why.

Diabetes and Alcoholism are both related to problems in blood sugar regulation. I found this interesting. This proves that Alcoholism is a physical disease, which is sometimes hard for people to understand. This shows the relationship between the two, but it still wasn’t what I was looking for.

An elevated insulin response to carbohydrates exists in both pre-diabetics and alcoholics. This is really interesting, but it still just shows the relationship that the two diseases have, unless I’m missing something somewhere. Anyone have any ideas?

As I may have stated in my previous posts 75% to 95% of alcoholics are hypoglycemic, which means they have low blood sugar. This doesn’t mean that they are diabetics. This also doesn’t mean that all people who are hypoglycemic are or will become an alcoholic or diabetic. Dr. Douglas M. Baird stated that he has never seen an alcoholic who wasn’t hypoglycemic. He also stated that this isn’t something that just happens but that it is actually the same problem. 

Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous first established the link between alcoholism and hypoglycemia. He also established the need for biochemical treatment using Niacin and B Vitamins. This information, for whatever reason, was never incorporated into the present AA practice.

Scientific research demonstrates that the physiological effects of sugar, caffeine and tobacco are the major causes of alcoholic relapse. This doesn’t really have much to do with my initial research, but I found it very interesting and so I thought I would throw it in.

Alcoholism and Type II Diabetes Part 2

Studies have shown that low blood sugar can induce the craving for alcohol. The studies also show that a craving for sweets may be an early indication of alcoholism. I had no idea that a sugar addiction could actually predict an alcohol addiction. Reducing the intake of sugar and maintaining a stable blood sugar level can lower the cravings for alcohol. It is important to also reduce caffeine intake because it hinders the ability to stabilize blood sugar levels.

I also found out that nutrition therapy can aid in the recovery from alcoholism. Two study groups were developed. One study group was given traditional therapy while the other group was given traditional therapy and nutrition therapy. The second group had a greater number of participants to stop drinking than the first.

Alcoholism and Type II Diabetes Part 1

My sister is an Alcoholic and a Type II Diabetic and so was her father. This has often lead me to wonder if the two are related in some way. I’ve done a lot of research in an attempt to confirm my suspicions and although I haven’t found exactly what I was looking for I did find out some interesting things.

Between 75% and 95% of Alcoholics are hypoglycemic. This is interesting, but I’m still wondering if any percentage of these people were hypoglycemic before they were Alcoholics. I can understand why a person who be hypoglycemic after becoming an Alcoholic. I really want to find out if having Diabetes can increase the risk for Alcoholism.

Alcoholism is a physical disease like Diabetes. Alcohol is treated as an emotional problem but the base of it is physical. As with any illness, there are mental, emotional and spiritual components. For instance, I have chronic pain and while the pain is physical, it has caused me to suffer from depression and anxiety. The same is true with Alcoholism. Many people, my husband included, don’t understand Alcoholism and don’t view it as a physical disease. They view it as a lack of will power and overall selfishness. 

Part 2 will cover the relationship between sugar addiction and alcohol addiction.