Archive for the 'pain' Category

Jul 20 2009

Pain and Parkinson’s Disease

Question:

Although this topic may have come up before, we haven’t gotten yet a satisfactory answer.  The question is whether you have found pain to be a significant symptom in people with other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, and if so, what they do to find relief.

The second question is whether in people who take L-dopa, it is common for them to feel worse 20-45 min after taking the medication before finding relief.  Any suggestions or information you have on these two related questions would be very much appreciated.

Response:

Pain:

Yes, I have received many reports from people who report pain is a very troubling symptom for them among others. First, from what I have learned, people get relief from pain by meditating. Meditation allows them to override all of the thinking that surrounds the “meaning” of the pain. We all put a head on top of our head, which makes the experience worse. That is one reason I have been motivated to record the weekly series of meditations.

Second, my observation is that there is typically a thought form that is buried beneath the pain. Once that is cleared and released, the pain resolves. I will be interviewing Deborah Russell on the radio program next month who will be explaining how quantum healing is useful in this regard.

Third, a source of the pain is often unreleased trauma. Using one body therapy or another (we use cranio-sacral) helps with releasing trauma. Other therapies are helpful as well. Once the trauma is released, the pain resolves (if trauma is the primary causal factor)

Fourth, I just interviewed Lee Bender this morning who has had a considerble challenge with pain over the years. It is interesting you just happened to write in today! Go to Lee’s website and you will see what he does to get relief from his pain. I will be airing his interview next month.

Timing of Medications

As for the timing of the medications – this  is a tough one. Most people tell me that when they work closely with their doctor, they can adjust their medications so that the down time is minimized. I wonder about the reason for the emergence of pain before the meditations kick in. Perhaps the body is in a suspended state of withdrawal until the  new dose starts to work. Perhaps there is a temporary flare up of inflammation.

I hope others have their own two cents to offer so we can shed some light on this particular challenge.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
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May 15 2009

Learning to Live with a Chronic Disease

Published by admin under Meditation,pain,painting

Florence Caplow is a conservation
botanist, Soto Zen priest, and writer.
For the last ten years her primary
practice has been learning to live -
with some kind of grace – with a
chronic and painful auto-immune
illness, diagnosed as Undifferentiated
Connective Tissue Disease.

The illness forced her to give up
full-time work. She has chosen to spend
several years without a home: in retreat,
in the mountains and deserts, and
wherever she’s called to be.

Florence talks about her interview with
Michael Sawyer, Zen priest with Parkinson’s,
who died in 2008. Michael told Florence that
the best years of his life were the last
five because of the joy he experienced
through his painting. Florence tells us Michael
was a true inspiration to everyone who knew
him. So is she.

EVENT: Learning to Live with a Chronic Disease
To hear the recording, click this link now …
http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=7282578

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery
www.parkinsonsrecovery.com

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Jan 25 2009

Pain in the Thigh. Pain in the Groin

Published by admin under groin pain,pain

Question:

My husband has been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease 7 years ago.  He is 80 years old. His latest symptoms are: burning and pain around the groin area, thighs and sometimes backside. The only way to make him comfortable is by taking Neurontin and Darvocet.  Confusion is then increased. Any suggestions?

Ready to give up,

Jeannette

Response:

First, let me give my customary warning: I am not a medical doctor and am not qualified to diagnose and prescribe. My response is founded on my research findings and should be taken to a medical doctor for further discussion and evaluation.

My first reaction to the description of symptoms is that the pain may be caused by lymph that is backed up and clogged around the groin area. The only way to move lymph out of the body is through exercise.

Does your husband get exercise every day?  I am guessing not.

What if exercising is too painful for him at this point?  It may be painful at the beginning, but if my guess is on target, the pain will subside when he begins to move. A great technique for moving lympth is to jump on a trampoline. Everyone should do it. You can purchase small ones for home use for $30-$40 in the U.S.

Another possibility is for him to use a body inverter which he can use to shift the body so that his head is lower than the feet. There are little valves throughout the lymph system that prevent the lymph from slipping back down, so when you place the body upside down, the lymph moves up and out. There is no organ that pumps the lump as there is for blood (which of course is the heart).

A total inversion would probably be unwise, but  positioning the body so that the head is lower than the feet can be helpful. Various health care practitioners might have such equipment you can experiment with. If he has other health problems, this idea might be unwise, so check it out with his doctor. 

The challenge for him is likely that the lymph in his body is a thick mucuous. Hydrating his body will be a great asset. Dr. John Coleman, ND,  recommends that everyone with Parkinsons hydrate their body using a homeopath remedy called the Aquas (www.aquas.us). The thirst mechanism for all older persons shorts out, so the body needs a backup signalling system that will helo the body tell him when to drink. At a minimum he should drink a lot of water.

My guess is that the more he can move his body, the more relief he will get from the pain. You of course might also want to examine very carefully the side effects of any medications he takes. This can also be a confounding factor which can directly contribute to the problem he is experiencing.

Finally, the sentence jumps out at me

Ready to give up.

I note that you do not say whether you are ready to give up or he is ready to give up. If he is ready to throw in the towel, then I would say to you – honor his wishes. A time comes for everyone when a decision is made to begin shutting down the body. Is this his time? If so, he will not move or exercise or do anything of the things necessary to relieve the pain.

Are you ready to give up? Believe me, this is totally understandable. It is so difficult to take care of someone you  love who is ill. If you are ready to give up, it is time for you to take a break from care taking. 

Take a short vacation with your friends. Get away. No one can take someone who is ill 100% of the time. Ill people take the energy away from healthy people. That is the natural process of what happens.

You need to get away to rejevenate yourself. This sounds counterintuitive, but by taking care of yourself, you are actually able to do a much better job of taking care of him.

My guess about the cause of the pain may be wrong and you will have to move to another possibilty, but I can  guarantee you that when he moves his body, he will feel better. It is the one surefire suggestion I can offer that I know will yield relief.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery  

© 2009 Parkinsons Recovery

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Nov 21 2008

Parkinsons Disease Diagnosis and Treatment for Pain

The following correspondence was
received from Marne. I thought this
would surely be of interest to others.

My husband was diagnosed in 2006 with PD. 
We had MRI’s, CAT scans, Xrays of his whole
spine & shoulder. Found several herniated disks
in the cervical & lumbar areas & arthritis
in his shoulder. For 3 years the neurologists
said there wasn’t anything we could do. 

We just recently (3 weeks ago) went to a pain
specialist who said the shoulder & right arm,
hip & leg pain (all of the right side) is
probably due to the herniations.  He recommended
an epidural steroid in his cervical spine area
to relieve the pain. 

My husband did the procedure & during the
injection he felt his entire right arm get
really hot as the medicine went down & he
even felt it in his legs.  He walked out of
that office being able to raise his arm & use
it for the first time in 3 years. 

He has no more shooting pains in his arms, neck,
back, shoulder, hips & legs.  What the Dr. said
was that his spine was really inflamed.  His only
symptoms are now down to a very slight tremor in
his right arm & not having full strength of his
right leg.  This may or may not be permanent,
only time will tell.  But what I now know is
that inflammation of the spine can be a huge
cause of the pain. 

And unfortunately once a Dr. knows your diagnosis,
he throws every symptom into the Parkinson’s bucket
& doesn’t look outside of the box.  This treatment
has been amazing overnight.  Now he can do the
proper physical therapy so that we can get his
body working again.  And, with God’s blessing, have
the pain stay away permanently.

Thanks so much for your letter. It is proven over and
over that everybody’s situation is unique.  It is
amazing what can happen when you begin considering
different causes for the symptoms and what miracles can
happen with a little experimention.  

PS:  My husband has been on Glutathione @ 4000 mgs/
push IV, 1X or 2X a week for almost 2 years now & that has
helped tremendously. A good website is
www.Glutathioneexperts.com
Take a look at the video by David Perlmutter. 

Another site that we are using is www.PDRecovery.org
Her treatment is quite simple and my husband is experiencing
some very interesting changes in his body…more feeling. 
The treatment is simple & FREE.  She has a very interesting
book that is available Free online on her site.  It’s worth
a read.

Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

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Sep 17 2008

Natural Remedies to Address Pain and Rigidity

Published by admin under pain,rigidity

Question:

I am regularly following your website and very good
information about alternative approaches to combat Parkinson’s.

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about 3 years ago.
For over a year I have been taking Syndropa  (a combination
L-dopa/carbidopa) and Zandopa. However, over a short time
the beneficial effects of L-dopa have diminished so that now
it sometimes doesn’t help at all and when it does, only for
a very short period of time.

Most of the day I am  feeling bad, with little relief from
L-dopa. I have made life style changes with healthy diet,
low saturated and trans fat, less refined carbohydrate,
no processed food with variety of antioxidants and chlorella
green algae, L lipoic acid, N acetyl carnithine, gingko biloba,
vitamin A, E, C, B complex, selenium, zinc ; mitochondria
energy boosters like Co enzyme Q 10, NADH  and Bowen therapy etc.

I know that body needs time to heal and recovery  process
is zigzag. I have also started Aquas.

In spite of doing this I feel that my rigidity, muscle spasms
are increasing in my neck, shoulders, back. This is accompanied
by a feeling of other unpleasant sensations which are difficult
to describe but are all the same extremely. I feel a continuous 
abnormal sensation which aggravates after noon & becomes worse
at night especially in my forearms and  feet. Due to unpleasant
sensations, I can not sleep well and remain disturbed.

I don’t have any tremor, good gait, normal hand writing, good gait,
good hand eye coordination, decreased facial expression, little
difficulty in speaking, no slowness, no difficulty in initiating
movement, can ride scooter, less energy. During night hours my
legs become very heavy and my body drags.

My questions are 1) have you ever seen anyone like this  whose
primary symptoms are pain and a very unpleasant internal other
sensation, rigidity with no tremor; is it atypical: and if so

2) what helped, or what treatment or other plan would you recommend?

Response:

I need again to put my disclaimer at the top.
I am not a medical doctor, so be sure and consult
with your health care provider/doctor before making
any changes to your health care program. Take my
comments as information only to be discussed
further with your doctor. I am not qaulified to
diagnose or treat Parkinson’s or any disease.

Have I seen anyone like you?

I continue to be amazed at the variety of characteristics for each
person’s symptoms. Everyone has a unique situation and a unique
body. From my interviews, I would speculate that 20 – 30% of people
have symptoms that are somewhat similar to yours (though not identical!).

As a side note, the literature is clear that many people are
misdiagnosed. Estimates vary, but studies indicate that 
at least one out of five people are misdiagnosed. Neurologists
have a tough job diagnosing this disease. Many tell their
patients – I do not know, but we can try medication if you wish to
see what happens.

What helps?

My initial answer (which is probably what you were not expecting)
is experiment. The people who are getting good relief
experiment. Through experimentation they are able to figure
out what is most helpful to them. Many of the alternative therapies
do provide relief. The challenge is to find the therapies that
provide good relief for you and to find therapies that are
cost effective for you.

My second general suggestion for you is to begin looking in
different places for solutions. Let me suggest just a few
possibilities.

First, consider the possibility that the side effects of the
medication might be creating some problems for you. It sounds
like the medication provided good relief initially, but
that now it provides little relief. There are over 40 hormones
in the body, so it is possible that your body is struggling to
maintain a good balance.

If you decide at any point to reduce the dose, be sure to
consult with your doctor very closely. The process of going off
the medication is very tricky and can cause serious health problems.
It needs to be a very gradual and mindful weaning process which
can take a long time.

I am no expert on drug – drug interactions or depletions, but
I will soon be interviewing an expert in this area – Randy Mentzer.
Be on the alert for my announcement of his teleseminar. He is
an awesome resource when it comes to issues revolving around the
side effects of drugs. There may be some harmful interactions
from taking the particular the supplements and medications you are taking.  

Second, you do not mention an exercise program, Do you have one?
It can be a true challenge with your symptoms, but any movement
during the day will help relieve symptoms. Exercise gets the lymph
system moving and helps strength the immune system.

Third, you might look into detox programs. I note that you are
taking Aquas which is a core approach for detoxing. Great.

There are other detox possibilities you might want to consider.
I will be interviewing a number of naturopaths over the
coming months who offer a variety of approaches to detox your body.
Be on the lookout for approaches that work gently and tenderly.

Fourth, it may be the case that all of the wonderful supplements
you are taking are not being absorbed by your body. In other words,
the primary challenge you may be having is actually digestive.

Many people spend a ton of money on supplements, but because their
digestive systems are compromised, the supplements go in and come out without being assimilated by the tissues of the body. The entire
field of Ayurvedics is dedicated to helping people get their
digestive system back on track. You might find some interesting
possibilities if you investigate approaches that help your digestive
system come back on line. 

Fifth, I am currently writing about the underling meaning of pain which
has an emotional component. Be on the lookout for this explanation
as well. 

Finally, rest assured that you are doing everything right. Searching
for answers that work for you will yield huge benefits. One thing
most people do not realize is that when you start on the road to
recovery, it is common that your symptoms will be worse on some
days before they get better.  
 
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Parkinsons Recovery

© 2008 Parkinsons Recovery

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