The Benefits of Physiotherapy

Today, Thursday, is physio day.  For the past three years I have been going to St. Joseph's hospital here in London for a half hour physio session.  This is supplemented by having my support worker repeat the stretches in my home, also once a week.  

There is evidence that regular physio sessions may be able to maintain the range of motion scleroderma patients have in their joints and, in my case at least, it seems to be working.  Twice a year, usually in the spring and fall, my physiotherapist measures the range of motion in my major joints and overall results indicate no significant change.  Keep in mind that these measurements are not terribly accurate so there is some allowance for measurement error which is why I use the phrase 'no significant change' as there are minor variances from time to time.

Of course, regular exercise is important as well in helping maintain mobility.  But don't forget to check with your doctor and physiotherapist if you have one before beginning a program. 

Time to go catch my ride so will close for now.  Have a great day.

Happiness and the Brain

This video includes information on how meditation affects our mood for the better and is well worth a watch.

Meditation and Scleroderma

This could just as well be titled Meditation and ______ (pick a disease) because meditation has been proven to be effective in the treatment of any number of chronic diseases, arthritis  being the most studied.  Jon Kabat-Zin is undoubtedly the best known researcher in this field and has authored several books on the topic as well as founding The Center For Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts.

On a more personal level, I have been meditating for about twelve years and I am convinced that this practice has been instrumental on both the psychological and physical levels.  Firstly, it has been the most important tool I have for stress reduction.  Of course I'm stating the obvious when I say that having a chronic disease such as scleroderma can be extremely stressful.  Meditation can help by making you more aware of your emotions.  The more you meditate the more you are able to see negative emotions as soon as they arise and, like the proverbial  snowball rolling down the hill, it's easier to stop emotions at the early stages before they grow into something that's harder and harder to control.  Meditation accomplishes this through the practice of watching and quieting the mind.  There's nothing mysterious or mystical about it. At the simplest level, it's sitting quietly, paying attention to the breath, watching distractions, both internal and external, as they arise, acknowledging them and then going back to watching the breath.  This ' watching of the mind ' make us more aware of our emotions and how they operate and we thus gain more control over them.  

As a concrete example, I am constantly dropping things on the floor because of poor mobility, strength and grip in my hands.  This can be doubly frustrating because I am unable to bend over to pick anything up off the floor which means every time I drop something I have to go get my reacher to pick it up.  Now this often becomes frustrating with the potential to make me angry which, in turn,  could lead to a high level of stress.  But it doesn't.  And that's because I am able to spot the anger at that very first instant just as it begins to arise and before it gets any worse, I simply acknowledge it, stopping it in its tracks before it takes me over.   Without my meditation practice I am absolutely certain that all the hurdles I face each day would make my life much more unpleasant.  

It's also common knowledge that stress contributes to the level of pain that we experience.  Meditation, as noted above, can decrease stress and that means less pain.  It's as simple as that. 

Again, based on my own experience, I believe that it may be possible to directly influence things like Reynaud's.  Initially my Reynaud's was quite painful and I would spend several hours a day holding onto one of those microwavable heat bags to keep my hands warm and ease the pain.  But then I started a visualization practice, a form of meditation, where I pictured the blood flowing through the vessels in my hands and after I'd practiced this for some time, I can't be more specific than that I'm afraid, my Reynaud's symptoms started to lessen to the point where I no longer needed the heating pads.  That was over three years ago now and nothing has changed.  Of course this is totally anecdotal and not proof by any means that it was my visualization practice which caused of the lessening of my symptoms.  On the other hand, it certainly didn't do any harm and I continue to use a modified version of this practice for other symptoms.

Sorry for being so long winded here but, as is probably apparent, I truly believe that meditation can compliment the other treatment options available to individuals with a chronic disease and the only side effects are that you will be a happier person for it.   If you've never tried it, please consider giving it a chance.  You've nothing to lose.  Here's a link to some simple guidelines for establishing a meditation practice.

Quarterly checkup

Had an appointment with my rheumatologist, Dr. Pope, today.  Nothing new really aside from some very slight softening of the skin on my forearms and backs of my hands.

The meeting was fruitful in other ways however in that Dr. Pope has agreed to speak at the AGM of the Scleroderma Society of Ontario in September.  She also agreed to do a spot on the local cable channel to promote scleroderma awareness and, finally, to distribute a letter composed by one of our members to new patients promoting the local branch of the SSO.

This is, indeed, one very special lady.  Not only is Dr. Pope in demand by the international scleroderma community but she always finds time to do what she can locally and all this while raising six(?) children and maintaining a very busy practice at St. Joseph's Hospital here in London.  We are very lucky to have her.

Scleroderma Society, London Chapter - 2009 Events

Here, we are, another year has come and gone and a new one has just begun.  I don't make new year's resolutions but there are a number of things I want to accomplish this year.

First off,  as one of two key contact people for the local chapter of the Scleroderma Society of Ontario (SSO) I am organizing  an awareness/fund raising event to take place in June to coincide with scleroderma month.  The tentative date is Sunday, June 7 and the event itself will take the form of a music concert with the help of  three or four local blues and rock bands.   I have never done anything like this before but with the help of my daughter, Lisa, and her partner Dave, who are very much a part of the local music scene, I think we're up to the challenge.   Who knows I may even work up the courage to join in on a song or two myself - no promises though.

London has also agreed to host the AGM of the SSO which we will combine with our fall meeting in September.  We are hoping that Dr. Janet Pope, our local and internationally recognized scleroderma expert, will be able to take time out of her busy schedule to be guest speaker.  

And then there's the spring meeting to plan for as well.  Exciting times for the London Chapter of the SSO.

Happy New Year everyone.