My husband has had M.S. for over 20 years. He is confined to a wheel chair most of the time, and he suffers from debilitating fatigue. At the suggestion of a support group friend, he started using yoga videos. I personally thought this would be a waste of time, but he found Carol Dickman’s yoga especially helpful – both the Seated Yoga and the Bed Top Yoga.
I’m delighted to have been wrong. This practice has done him a world of good. He has more energy and strength, and his mood is decidedly better. It’s great to see his spirits so lifted.
I’m asking you to post this, to let others know about the benefits of yoga, as it is not something one would necessarily think of for someone with debilitating fatigue in a wheelchair.
We got this note and video clip from a friend, and it’s really a treat. He explains that in the lounges of various Mayo Buildings, there is often a piano, and sometimes people stop to play. This is an enchanting video of two older folks playing a duet in the Gonda Building, to an impromptu audience of delighted and appreciative people. Click here.
And for a double dose of ‘feel-good’ medicine, this is the story that generated the video.
Shortly after my mother died, I was sitting in church listening to the choir and thinking, "I wish I could do that." I have always loved to sing, but stopped about 3 decades ago because I'm not really a very good singer. In my own mind I compared myself unfavorably to the many talented musicians in my family, including my mother who was a pianist.
As you probably already heard, the newly excoriated enemy of good
health is inflammation – it appears to be implicated in a lot of heart
disease and cancers too, not to mention auto-immune disorders. Here’s
an abbreviated, quick-and-dirty list of Andy Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet which has been circulating in a lot of newspapers and magazines – it’s definitely worth repeating:
Eliminate cow's milk and cow's milk products (substitute other calcium sources).
Eat more fruits and vegetables (make sure that they are organically
grown - think berries, cherries, beans & legumes, walnuts &
almonds, dark green veggies & whole grains.).
Eliminate polyunsaturated vegetable oils, margarine, vegetable
shortening, all partially hydrogenated oils and all foods (such as
deep-fried foods) that might contain trans-fatty acids. Use
extra-virgin olive oil as your main fat.
Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Take two to three grams of fish oil a day.
He adds that supplements can also help:
Take anti-inflammatory herbs such as ginger and turmeric. Take
Zyflamend, a combination of ginger, turmeric and other botanicals with
anti-inflammatory properties.
Consider taking grape seed extract, a source of antioxidant compounds called OPCS (oligomeric proanthocyanidins).
OK, that’s enough advice for one day. More could get seriously annoying. You can learn more from Andy’s golden oldie book, Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self-Care for Optimum Health.
Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University study the effect of guided imagery on immune function in patients being treated for Stage I or II breast cancer..
Portals to the Self: A Women’s Circle by the Sea
is a powerful, unique retreat and personal growth experience for the dozen or so women lucky enough
to join each other and awesome goddess-social workers and facilitators, Ceci McDonnell
and Karen Rosenberg, on Isla Mujeres in the gorgeous Caribbean at the tail end of winter.
We got this note and video clip from a friend, and it’s really a treat. He explains that in the lounges of various Mayo Buildings, there is often a piano, and sometimes people stop to play. This is an enchanting video of two older folks playing a duet in the Gonda Building, to an impromptu audience of delighted and appreciative people. Click 
As you probably already heard, the newly excoriated enemy of good
health is inflammation – it appears to be implicated in a lot of heart
disease and cancers too, not to mention auto-immune disorders. Here’s
an abbreviated, quick-and-dirty list of Andy Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet which has been circulating in a lot of newspapers and magazines – it’s definitely worth repeating: 
Portals to the Self: A Women’s Circle by the Sea
is a powerful, unique retreat and personal growth experience for the dozen or so women lucky enough
to join each other and awesome goddess-social workers and facilitators, Ceci McDonnell
and Karen Rosenberg, on Isla Mujeres in the gorgeous Caribbean at the tail end of winter.