Podcasts about Spondylitis

Welcome to the Saffron4Health podcast! In today's episode, we're diving into the world of Gout, Arthritis, and Spondylitis.Join us as we explore the causes, symptoms, and natural remedies for these common conditions. Whether you're seeking relief or just want to learn more, you're in the right place! Let's get started!”

Welcome back to the Saffron4Health podcast! This is Part 2 of our deep dive into Gout, Arthritis, and Spondylitis.In this episode, we'll continue our exploration by discussing effective management strategies, lifestyle changes, and natural remedies to help alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. If you're looking for practical tips and insights, you're in the right place! Let's jump right in!

Listen By:Season 7Season 6Season 5Season 4Season 3Season 2Season 1Podcast Categories:Fertility and pregnancyGuest interviewsInfectious diseaseRespiratory healthSkincareSkincare for babiesMy somewhat political views!Listen By:Season 7Season 6Season 5Season 4Season 3Season 2Season 1Podcast Categories:Fertility and pregnancyGuest interviewsInfectious diseaseRespiratory healthSkincareSkincare for babiesMy somewhat political views!Listen By:Season 7Season 6Season 5Season 4Season 3Season 2Season 1Season 7Season 6Season 5Season 4Season 3Season 2Season 1Podcast CategoriesGuest interviewsFertility and pregnancyInfectious diseaseRespiratory healthSkincareSkincare for babiesMy somewhat political views!John Test PageGuest interviewsFertility and pregnancyInfectious diseaseRespiratory healthSkincareSkincare for babiesMy somewhat political views!John Test PageA WonderCare PodcastLiving with... Ankolysing SpondylitisPlay EpisodePause EpisodeMute/Unmute EpisodeRewind 10 Seconds1xFast Forward 30 seconds00:00/00:39:46SubscribeShareAmazonApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyRSS FeedShareLinkEmbedDownload file | Play in new window | Duration: 00:39:46 | Recorded on 23/02/2024Subscribe: Amazon | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify Amazon Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Living with… Ankolysing SpondylitisThe ‘living with' series hears the challenges people living with a healthcare challenge face on a day to day basis.We often hear about certain medical conditions but actually understand very little about them.  It seems rude to ask sometimes!This mini series will follow personal stories including the highs and lows, all the time raising awareness and being advocates for those who may not want to share their story – but need the same support.Season 7 Partnership – Salin Plus (available here!)I am so thrilled to be partnering with Salin plus  This 100% natural salt therapy device is suitable for both adults and children!  Tune in to learn more!Support this PodcastSimply following and reviewing this podcast can make a huge difference!  If you enjoy this episode I would be so grateful if you could follow or subscribe to the show!Sale!Salin Plus Air Purifier (Salt Therapy) – Respiratory Health€117.45 €160.00Add to basketSale!Salin Plus Filter€37.50 €45.00Add to basket Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I discuss an article from myspondylitisteam.com that discusses some things that may be causes of spondylitis. As always, this is designed to help you plan the conversations you may need to have with your doctor(s). Here is a link to the article . Here are the links to the YouTube channels for:Yoga for ASAlex Levine, Fitness Alex's Full Workout VideoHere is the link to Michael Mallinson's episode: Episode 51Here is the link to Dr. Napier's interview where she discusses research she is doing: Episode 187All the below links are affiliate links. If you purchase any of the items, I may earn a small commission. It does not change the price of items. Get paid to take tests. Here is a link to Rare Patient Voice. If you take participate in a study, you can get paid (amount varies). https://rarepatientvoice.com/TheAxialSpondyloarthritisPodcast/Here are some links to Amazon showing some of the items I discussed. Ankylosing Spondylitis and Axial Spondyloarthritis The Facts Series by Dr. KhanUberlube - https://amzn.to/3i604N2 Here is the Bean Bag neck warmer https://amzn.to/3uN6mcgBiofreeze - https://amzn.to/33gygBSCane - https://amzn.to/3uN9ftsHeating Pad - https://amzn.to/3Bjd5vzWeighted Blanket - https://amzn.to/36RCdi7Steff Di Pardo's new book - I Am Not Invisible - https://amzn.to/3JpDScAAll My Ankylosing Spondylitis Shit: Pain and Symptom Tracker by Kinsella Love https://amzn.to/34CHhpx

In this episode I discuss an article from the website My Spondylitis Team. It looks at managing spondylitis pain. Here is a link to the article.Interview with Alex Levine on exercise - LinkAlex Levine YouTube episode - LinkYoga for AS episode - LinkAll the below links are affiliate links. If you purchase any of the items, I may earn a small commission. It does not change the price of items. Get paid to take tests. Here is a link to Rare Patient Voice. If you take participate in a study, you can get paid (amount varies). https://rarepatientvoice.com/TheAxialSpondyloarthritisPodcast/Here are some links to Amazon showing some of the items I discussed. Uberlube - https://amzn.to/3i604N2 Here is the Bean Bag neck warmer https://amzn.to/3uN6mcgBiofreeze - https://amzn.to/33gygBSCane - https://amzn.to/3uN9ftsHeating Pad - https://amzn.to/3Bjd5vzWeighted Blanket - https://amzn.to/36RCdi7Steff Di Pardo's new book - I Am Not Invisible - https://amzn.to/3JpDScAAll My Ankylosing Spondylitis Shit: Pain and Symptom Tracker by Kinsella Love https://amzn.to/34CHhpx

When he was in his 20s, Garrett Vogel from Virginia started suffering from serious spinal fractures: 15 in total over the years. He also suffers from spondylitis, degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, sciatica, osteoporosis, along with numerous other health issues including seizures. He was taking fentanyl but his quality of life was deteriorating until he started taking cannabis. Since then his health has improved and he has not had a seizure in a year. 

In this episode, Dr. Gladden interviews Scott Bertrand, a chiropractor, Chief Research Officer for AllCore Holding, and inventor of AllCore360. Scott has over 35 years of chiropractic experience. Scott shares his own personal story, epiphanies, and more about creating something really helpful to many people. Dr. Gladden introduces Scott Bertrand and talks about how they met at a Longevity conference (2:03); Scott talks about how the developed the AllCore equipment after a trauma he suffered from a skydiving injury (3:09); Spondylitis is a trauma to the nerves (5:34); Scott explains how he was put in positions he didn't normally use during therapy and how that spurred him to come up with the AllCore (7:23); Scott mentioned that as healthcare providers it is important to know what the body is doing to survive and assist the body in doing it (9:42); The core is a muscular device that assists the body move gracefully and efficiently through space against gravity (11:10); Dr. Gladden describes the AllCore360 as a chair suspended inside of a cage, the chair is computer operated and also has the ability to be upright or tilt back (13:59); Scott describes how the AllCore360 works and how it works on different muscles and improves coordination (15:47); Scott goes on to explain how using the AllCore360 affected his spondylitis and how it resulted in a rapid increase in his stability (18:15); Scott talks about how safe the AllCore360 is and how you are safely strapped in and can't get out except someone helps you out (20:01); Scott believes that the core is the background of music of movement and Dr. Gladden emphasizes that the stronger your core the more weight you take off your joints (23:20); Scott clarifies that there are some people that may not benefit from the AllCore360 and that includes recent post-traumatic fracture patients, those who have done recent spinal surgery and pregnant women (28:00); Scott talks about how he is constantly on the lookout for feedback to keep improving the AllCore360 (31:20); Scott talks about the number of times the AllCore360 needs to be used to get the needed benefit and emphasizes that it depends on the target in view (34:33); Dr. Gladden mentions that the core is misunderstood piece of anatomy (37:20); Scott mentions that having a strong core is important for living till 120, he also mentions the importance of respecting your body and keeping a good posture (37:54); Dr. Gladden mentions that having a strong core is really important to avoid hurt and body damage. He also describes the body as the central core and everything coming off that (40:30); Dr. Gladden thanks Scott for the interview (42:00);    To learn more about Scott and about AllCore360: https://allcore360.com/   Visit our website, www.gladdenlongevitypodcast.com for more information on this episode and other episodes as well. Follow us on social media! Instagram: @gladdenlongevitypodcast Twitter: @GLPodcast_ Facebook: @GladdenLongevityPodcast To learn more about Gladden Longevity and how you can become a client, visit www.gladdenlongevity.com today!

Medical gaslightingWhat happens when your coping mechanism is removedReligion and Ableismbeing the good friend, daughter, daughter in law, wife.The exodus of family and friendsHow medical gaslighting keeps you from medical care and endangers lives (tiktok nurse)Job impact of chronic illness ADA needsSetting boundaries with family and friends when discussing illnessThe grieving process for chronic illnessThe importance of online advocacy ie keyboard warriorsThe cost of health and life goalsWebsite/Blog, Twitter, & Instagram HandleInstagram: @autoimmuneabbeyName *Autoimmune AbbeyDisorder InfoWhat is your disorder? *Chronic migraine, POTS, undifferentiated spondylitis, generalized anxiety, OCD, gluten intolerance, IBSAt what age did your disorder become a daily issue? *22Who were you before your illness became debilitating? *I was a long-distance runner who loved marathons and ultramarathons and felt completely invincible. Although I was always a bit of a sick kid and teen - I had episodic migraine, a dairy allergy that I eventually started to outgrow at around 12, and a long history of painful periods - I took my health for granted. I was only sick a handful of days each month, and I was ambitious, mentally healthy, and had lots of close friends.What would you do if you were not dealing with your disorder and/or disability? *I would certainly still be a long-distance runner, and I would also be doing triathlons. I would probably not have lost so many friends and would have a better relationship with my parents and in-laws. I experienced the typical quiet mass exodus of friends and family that many other disabled people also experience upon becoming ill. Thankfully my spouse and a few best friends stuck around.What would you like people to know about your daily life? *Chronic illness is isolating, exhausting, and often traumatic. It's really hard to stay mentally healthy when you're fighting daily symptoms but you constantly feel like you have to prove your symptoms to everyone around you. Being gaslighted on such a grand scale, especially by doctors, has a serious impact on a person's health.What would make living and moving in the world easier for you? *The biggest thing that would make the world more accessible to me would be less fluorescent lights. Chronic migraine and POTS make me sensitive to sensory overload, and fluorescent lights are impossible to deal with as a migrainuer. I have turned down jobs simply because of the lighting in the workspace. People think my intolerance for bright lights is just a preference, but it's definitely a non-negotiable accessibility need.Do you have any life hacks? *Write EVERYTHING down in your phone calendar to help compensate for brain fog. It's a game-changer.What kind of support do you get from family or friends? *My spouse and a few of my close friends have been amazing at supporting me through my illness. They are curious about my symptoms and experience with chronic illness, open to learning about ableism and medical gaslighting, and willing to make sure I don't go hungry at social events because of the gluten intolerance. Unfortunately, my family and my spouse's family have not been so supportive. For a while, I tried to be assertive with them about my needs and limitations, but at this point, I'm setting clear boundaries with them - I will not talk to them about my health anymore, beyond just sharing my diagnoses. And of course, like most chronically ill folks, I've lost a few friends since becoming ill.Have you ever had someone, or a medical professional, not believe you have an invisible illness because of your appearance and if so are there any examples that stand out? *YES. This is what I refer to as medical gaslighting. In my experience, the majority of doctors will begin to doubt my symptoms the moment they realize they don't know how to explain my symptoms or treat them. For example, when I asked my OBGYN about Endo, she did an ultrasound and found nothing. Now she blames my pelvic pain on the fact that "redheads have a lower tolerance for pain." My first neurologist told me my chronic migraine was all in my head. And several specialists have blamed all my symptoms on my anxiety disorder.How has your chronic illness affected your relationships? *It has strengthened my relationship with my spouse and a few close friends but has alienated me from most of my family and some friends.Is there anything you are afraid to tell people in your life? *I'm afraid to tell them that I'm still grieving the loss of my health and I badly need their support.What is your best coping mechanism? *My Instagram advocacy work has provided me with so much comfort, community, and a sense of purpose again. I can't imagine dealing with chronic illness without the Instagram community.What are you the most concerned about and the most hopeful for in the future? *I'm most concerned about and hopeful for my future career in therapy. I feel called to the field and I want to specifically work with disabled people and other marginalized groups, like the LGBTQ community and racial minorities. But I'm scared that the stress and exhaustion of grad school may harm my health and that I might fail to complete my degree.Is there anything you *don't* want to talk about? Is there a subject we should avoid during the Is there anything you want to make sure we talk about during the interview? Like an organization you want to promote or something specific that you deal with.Medical gaslighting. It also may be interesting to talk about ableism in religion. I'm an ex-Christian who ultimately left the faith because I found it incompatible with my progressive values and because I got burned by religion and religious people when I became chronically ill.What makes you energized or enthusiastic? What drains you?Watching Netflix with my husband, training my puppy, doing disability advocacy work, and going for walks when I'm able to all energize me. Big social events and traveling with chronic illness all drain me.Any favorite books or shows?On Netflix: Sex Ed, Working Moms, Stranger Things, Glow; On Hulu: The Great; Books: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, of course Harry PotterWhat is the hardest and/or best lesson your condition has taught you?That you never know how strong you are or how much pain you can tolerate with a smile until you become chronically ill.What is the best purchase under $100 that helped your lifeThe Headache Hat on Amazon is a lifesaver for migraines. I own three now, and I rotate through them on a regular basis. It's a wearable icepack.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT (please forgive the errors!)Monica: [00:00:26] Well, "Autoimmune Abbey",thank you so much forcoming on. And you've filled out this incredible form and I kind of thought I knew, like we're just going to talk about medical gaslighting, and we're definitely gonna talk about that, but you brought up so many really important things in your. Your form, like from like religion and abelism,Abbey: [00:00:46] which hitMonica: [00:00:48] the cross hairs.And, yeah. So where do you want to start? Do you want to start with medical gaslighting or do you want to start with, yeah, I have a list, so anytime I canAbbey: [00:00:58] evolve it to things to talk to you about. Yeah. Let's start with that. Cause I think that's definitely really important, but the. The ableism and religion is something I've been looking forward to talking about.And, haven't really talked about on Instagram very much yet, cause I'm not very open about that with a lot of friends and family yet, but it's the thing that's important and harmful. So yeah, we should definitely talk about that too.Monica: [00:01:24] And if at any time you feel uncomfortable with that line of questioning, just raise your hand and I will switch questioning, like no problem.but you also had brought up, boundaries and I totally want to talk to you about boundaries. So I guess we'll start with medical gaslighting. Kind of move through. do you want to give just like a quick account of what you have so people know who aren't familiar with you and if you're not familiar with auto immune Abby, I have been stalking auto-immune Abby on Instagram for a very long time.And then, please go to Instagram and follow autoimmune. Abby. I will refer to you as Abby from now on, but I want to make sure everyone had to get your handle.Abbey: [00:02:00] Yeah. So, I have chronic migraine, which was, the first illness that I developed, like back when I was 22, I've had episodic, migraine, my whole life, but the chronic part started very suddenly, and inexplicably.And so that was really disabling for a long time and really my first experience with the gaslighting. and then. Symptoms just kind of started to quickly snowball after that. So then I started having like a lot of the pots symptoms, which I know you also have, so you can relate to how, like, I don't know how odd all of those symptoms seem individually and how like doctors are just like, I don't know what this is, is probably anxiety.Like. Go see someone else. So, yeah, the pots is really the second thing. And then, undifferentiated spondylitis, which is, an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks your ligaments, especially in large joints, like the knees and Achilles and back and neck and that sort of thing. So.So that was the, the third thing. and then of course, along with all of the physical stuff came the anxiety and, I mean, mental illness is pretty much in my opinion, like impossible to avoid when you're like disabled and you don't know how to explain your symptoms. So, so yeah, all that fun stuff came along with the physical symptoms.So. ByMonica: [00:03:30] the way, if I laugh and someone says that it's at a wrong point, I just need to explain she's the cutest cat on her lap right now. He keeps jumping up and batting and I swear I am notAbbey: [00:03:39] laughing at anythingMonica: [00:03:40] inappropriate. And if, if you're okay with me putting it up on YouTube, you'll see exactly what's going on.Abbey: [00:03:45] Yeah, that is so cute.Monica: [00:03:46] It is hurting. you're right. Like if anyone can figure out how on earth you can get through chronic illness and the diagnosis process without getting a mental health. Issue. I need to hear how, yeah, I will, I will take notes. We could write a book together, but I don't know how you get through that without it.How did it was that the medical gaslighting that really solidifiedAbbey: [00:04:08] that for you? That was really the thing that kind of, I mean, I had always had some anxiety symptoms growing up, but it never became like a disabling. Mental illness like diagnosable mental illness until the gaslighting happened. And that just really like messed with my head.Like, I didn't know what symptoms I was experiencing were real. And what were psychosomatic. Like I was just constantly doubting every moment of my lived experience with symptoms and that like messes with a person's head so much.Monica: [00:04:45] And how did that manifest for you? Or do you, with it started with the migraines when you would go in to, did you go to like the, the college health place or did you go to family?Doctors areAbbey: [00:04:56] so when I was a kid and I was just having episodic migraines, my pediatrician told me that they were like sinus headaches and he blamed it on allergies and kind of like dismissed it. So I went my whole life thinking like, Having migraines three or four times a month was normal and having chronic headaches was normal.And then, so when the chronic migraine started, I still, I didn't even know that they were migraines. I just thought like, Oh, I'm having like bad headaches. Then I also feel nauseous all the time. And I didn't like understand what was going on. And then, I kind of started out in the university health system, but then.Eventually after a few referrals ended up in neurology. And the first neurologist I ever had told me that chronic migraines were, basically all in my head and that migraine drugs are all placebos. So I basically ought to start exercising more and worrying about my symptoms less and like medications weren't going to help me.Monica: [00:06:07] I don't have words for that one. I just, yeah. Yeah. IAbbey: [00:06:13] hear you. Yeah. I was.Monica: [00:06:15] That's the part that people don't get is so insidious is they have the white jacket on, they have the degrees on the wall and you don't know different you're you're pretty much just trained to look at them as an authority figure and nod.Abbey: [00:06:27] Yeah. Yeah. Only ever been to like one specialist in my life prior to that point. So. I thought that a neurologist would be qualified enough and authoritative enough to, to be able to trust. I mean, it didn't ever even occur to me like that. This is someone I should be skeptical of. And I didn't see the red flags.I just like took everything he said to heart. I met, like was devastating because I went untreated with chronic migraines for. Probably like eight more months after getting diagnosed before I finally found a new neurologist and she was like, he told you that medications are all placebos. Like we have like 15 medication options that can help get you your life back.Monica: [00:07:20] If you just think about, like, how scared would you have been if you were having a headache to end all headaches, which could be an aneurysm and you wouldn't go into the doctor because you're scared. Or like, I was told that my parents were told I should be put in an institution because I had a CRPS and they didn't know.Yeah. It's I couldn't walk or stand. And so they said she's 16 and she can't walk, obviously she's insane. And so they're recommending that IB put. In an institution like that's, that's how intense the, the ramifications of gaslighting and then you don't go in,Abbey: [00:07:54] right? Yeah. I've been, you, you think that your symptoms aren't worth medical care or aren't real, so you just like avoid the medical system because you don't think you deserve help and that's really damaging.Monica: [00:08:07] Alright. Right. Yes. And then there's the fear of like the, tic talk nurse that everyone was talking about before, you know, when that was the biggest controversy that was newer for that back then. and those of us who are on like, opioids and those of us who have like, conditions that could be seen differently.Like if you get put on the list of you're a drug seeker, that's real world ramifications, your pills get yanked. No one will, will give you medication for anything. So like you have a tick tock nurse. He was like being cute. And trying to be funny and that's like, okay, but now I have chest pains. I have pots.Do I even go in because my blood work will show opioids in it and what will happen then? Because I'm too young for a heart attack. Well, I'm not too young for heart tech. Now you would be, but yeah, at least I'm old enough that they go, Oh, you are supposed to be sick. It's the good thing of aging into, into chronic illness and disability is suddenly, they're like, Oh yeah, you're old enough for this now.It's like, thanks.Abbey: [00:09:00] Yeah. Last spring, I had a bad case of pneumonia and. And I had pleurisy with that, which causes a lot of severe chest pain. And I was like, so terrified to go to the ER. my husband was like, no, seriously, we need to go to the ER like severe chest pain is something that you should always go to the ER for.And like, this is new and this isn't normal, but I was just like, They're going to call me crazy. They're going to tell me it's all in my head and they're going to send me home and I don't want to waste, you know, hundreds of dollars at minimum on an ER visit that is going to just end with me being told I'm crazy and sure enough, I had pneumonia.and you know, it was treatable and all that, but yeah, they don't understand that when you constantly gaslit patients that has. Really serious impacts on not only our mental health, but also our physical health going forward. Because if you don't, if you're too scared to seek medical care that can lead to life threatening emergencies.and just unnecessary sentence.Monica: [00:10:07] Yeah. I like tell me if you're like this. I always think maybe I'm just crazy, but, Do you ever get like a weird high when the doctor tells you something's wrong and actually shows you the lab results? I was like, yeah. And here I can. I have receipts. YouAbbey: [00:10:19] are sick. And it's like thisMonica: [00:10:20] weird, like, Oh, my God.Like I almost get happy and then I'm like, but this is a lifetime of pain and there's no treatment for it, but why am I so happy about this?Abbey: [00:10:29] Yeah. Yeah. I've I felt like tremendous relief. I mean, getting the spondylitis diagnosis and the pots diagnosis was a very long slow process for me and a lot of being unbelieved along the way.And the moments when I got diagnosed, I was elated. And very soon after, you know, I had to deal with all the grief and the ramifications of finding out that you have an incurable illness. But in the moment when I got the test results, it was like, yes. Now I have the proof that I'm not making this up. It's not hysteria.It's not all in my head. It's real. and now I can prove it.Monica: [00:11:09] When I got the Eller stainless diagnosis, you would have thought I got into Harvard. I was sitting in the parking lot sobbing and calling my mother, like,Abbey: [00:11:17] yeah,Monica: [00:11:17] It was that excited? Cause I was 36 when I finally got my diagnosis. So I been sick since I was eight.Like, and my mom had been the one who would tell doctors, no, she's not going to a mental institution and fight for stuff. So like, it was like this weird, like almost like you got into Harvard moment, I was like, we're both so elated that there's actually a thing. And it had a name and it wasn't that we were both crazy.Like.Abbey: [00:11:43] And conversely, whenever a test result would come back negative along that process, it, that feels horrible. And I, I remember one neurology nurse telling me, no, you should be happy. Like this means that you don't have a disabling chronic illness. And I was like, no, this just means we don't know what disabling chronic illness I have yet.Like that one here, just because the test result came back normal.Monica: [00:12:13] Oh my God. Yes, no, like you said that, and I'm not kidding my chest tightened up. Just remembering that feeling of waiting for them to tell me that I was healthy. Like, I literally felt that chest tighten and like blood pressure go up. Like, I feel like I just read like a tweet, you know, political tweet right there.Abbey: [00:12:30] It's like, yeah. But yeah, that's. That's when this brutalMonica: [00:12:35] under discussed things. Like if we were ever going to do a TV show with chronic illness, like we would have to show that like, that's what I wish people would understand and believe is like, well, the doctor's side, but you don't haveAbbey: [00:12:46] this, you should beMonica: [00:12:47] thrilled.And it's like, no, this just means that we don't know what it is and how serious it is.Abbey: [00:12:51] Yeah. They don't understand that. Getting it. Test result is the key to getting a diagnosis and getting a diagnosis is the key to getting accessibility, accommodations, and treatment, and being believed by all your other specialists.Then it's, if you don't have that, you're just kind of stuck and you just have to wait for it to get worse before you can ever figure out what's causing it.Monica: [00:13:16] It's a lot of the, the question that we're having in society right now, which is if the gatekeepers don't have the problem they're solving, you have a huge issue.And to be in the medical world, it would be, it's very hard to be disabled and be a doctor or be a hospital administrator, or like you're finding out with your own job searches, the ADA doesn't go far enough in protecting you for what you need to be in this field.Abbey: [00:13:41] Yeah. Yeah. That's why I don't include my last name on any of myMonica: [00:13:46] end.We will not.Abbey: [00:13:48] Yeah. On any of my internet advocacy work, I mean, justMonica: [00:13:52] realize we can't release this video. I was like, I was going to say, we can really say they never could see the cute cat. I'm like, no, we can't sorry. There will be no video of this. My apologies, everyone, IAbbey: [00:14:02] guess, I guess that could probably be covered up, but.But I thought that, yeah, nextMonica: [00:14:07] time we'll do with masks and like the whole changing voice thing. But this time we'll just, I'll be the one you saw the cute cat and you're just got to believe me. I do not inappropriately laugh at people. Just take that one as is. So you've been looking for, you, you're talking about like the accommodations that people couldn't make and just kind of pushed off as like eccentric.Abbey: [00:14:26] So, yeah, this is something that I've struggled. I mean, I'm not working at the moment, but I am going to school now, but, I struggled with this in both my previous job and, and, my education, fortunately now everything's online, so it's not an issue, but, with chronic migraines, like my number one accessibility need is no fluorescent lights, but people think that's just a preference when I.Talk about that. and they don't understand like, no, these lights are physically painful to me and I won't be able to stay at work all day. I won't be able to stay in the classroom, in person with the slating situation. So you can either allow me to do work in school from home, or you can help me try to make this a little less painful.So that that was an accommodation that was really hard to get. You would think it would be simple. It's just a matter of like changing the light bulb or like turning off a couple of lights. But, for some reason, people are really resistant to making a combinations for migraine.Monica: [00:15:34] If for anything. I mean, trying to get, trying to explain to someone who's parked in the disabled parking spot, who's working in the building.Like not just someone, who's just like, I'm parking here. It's like a person who's working for the building and parking their giant truck through the disabled spots, how angry they will get if you ask them to move. So you can park in a handicapped spot. Insane, like, just, and I'm thinking like for school, it's like you had to go through elementary school, middle school, high school, those are all fluorescent lights.Yeah. LikeAbbey: [00:16:03] it didn't really become a serious issue until I had . So I was like almost at the end of my first degree. but I chose the job I did out of college specifically because of the lighting situation and the work environment that I was. Working at there. I was like, great. It's it's dark in their workspace.This job will work for me. Like,Monica: [00:16:28] I find it so interesting. How many of us who get sick during formative years choose our careers based on illness. I actually had to walk away from the job I wanted because I'm not going to statistics. It wasn't even a health thing. I wanted to be a therapist. I had to pass statistics.It was never going to happen. So I chose a different path, but like all of us seem to choose things based on like what we think will actually be. What we can do and what already has the setup for it? Like, if you want to push against that and become a doctor, it's going to be so many more barriers. Like,Abbey: [00:16:58] yeah, I'm actually I'm planning on becoming a therapist.So, and, and part of that decision was a large part of that decision was based on my experiences with chronic illness and disability. One, I get to make my own hours and my own workspace. if I own my own practice, but too, like I know how dramatic the gaslighting is and April ism is, so I really want to work with disabled, people in the mental health field.Cause I know there are many of us who go to therapy and who also have mental illnesses. So, so the disability definitely played a huge role in my career choice. Now at thisMonica: [00:17:40] point, It's like, you're going to do some really wonderful things for a lot of people.Abbey: [00:17:45] I'm excited for it. It's I mean, I, I just want to help people avoid the same level of like anxiety and trauma that I went through when I was in the diagnosis process, because I think it only takes like a couple of people in your life saying, no, you're not making this up.This isn't psychosomatic. this is real and you deserve medical care to kind of like change. I don't know, to change the way you feel about your illness. Cause I had a friend who was disabled at my previous job, who was the one who told me, like, I think you're having an autoimmune disease. Don't let them tell you that you're crazy.Like don't give up. And that really like changed my life. So.Monica: [00:18:34] I'm just wondering if this is the segue into religion or the segue into boundaries and family. I'll let you decide which one you go either way with what you just said.Abbey: [00:18:43] I guess, like, I guess let's talk about religion max, because I feel like that's super important to me.so I used to be a Christian and I have now deconverted, and. There were a lot of different factors that played into that. Obviously like politics was a huge one, but, it, it didn't become like, I dunno, faith didn't become impossible for me until I realized how serious of a problem ableism is in Christianity.And then I was just like, I can't have any part of this anymore. Like, I can't deal with it. And the biggest, the biggest thing that troubles me in Christianity is the notion of faith healing. a lot of people believe that you can, can, and should pray your illness away or other people should be able to do that for you.And unfortunately that doesn't work when you have an incurable chronic illness. So I got really burned by all of that because, I, I felt like. The Christians, some of the Christians in my life believed that I would be healthy if I just had more faith or was less than full or believed more strongly, that I could be cured.And that didn't work for me. So. Yeah, that, that, thatMonica: [00:20:08] hits the crosshairs for me. I have a very interesting journey and religious belief in my own family and myself, but I will say that this is not just a branch of Christianity. This is, if you look at kind of like the, The sort of modern goop or Daniella port or these like spiritual gurus right now, it's the same brand.It's just a branded of, if you aren't joyful, if you aren't committed to your healing, if you are, you know, not drinking these juices that I sell for a hundred dollars a month or a week. Sorry,Abbey: [00:20:44] juice. And I mean,Monica: [00:20:46] I don't, I don't knock religion, but I do knock cruelty and I knock, I knock not being compassionate.And when a religion stops being compassionate and starts blaming the illness, whether that be, you know, these modern day gurus or, and I've certainly had my issues with the faith healing, believe me, we have some very similar backgrounds. yeah. very much. it just, it can be so. So traumatizing when your, your people turn to their faith for, for comfort and for community.And when that turns on you, that's, that's lonely.Abbey: [00:21:21] Yeah, it really is. And I just constantly felt like within the religious sphere, my symptoms were blamed on me and very little attention was paid to like, Why isn't there more scientific research and these illnesses that may be curable if we just like put some research money into them.And I don't know, I just always, I was always thinking about the systemic issues and the, the ableism and the prejudice that was keeping me sick, but all they wanted to talk about was how I needed to just. Needed to just believe that I was going to get better and then it would happen. And, and there that prejudice is biblically based, like in the new Testament, Jesus blames most of the disabilities, he encounters on demon possession.Monica: [00:22:17] whichAbbey: [00:22:17] ones, once you really start thinking about that, how, how that those. Faith feeling stories are central to the religion. It's pretty hard to continue to stay in the faith as a disabled person.Monica: [00:22:31] Yeah, I hear you're frozen right now. There you go. yeah, that's a. I have so many, I was raised in two different religions at the same time growing up.So it was, it was more of a, Oh God, the cat is cute. I'm sorry. It's very hard to concentrate as a very cute cat. I, I'm going to have to post pictures of your animals on the show notes, just so peopleAbbey: [00:22:51] don't like, they're like, what isMonica: [00:22:52] wrong with this woman that she can't stay professional for five seconds?I can't, by the way, I can't stay professional. but to animals, I can't, I just fall apart. Please do. I'm sorry. I'm trying to bring my brain back on online.Abbey: [00:23:08] It's so hard because there's soMonica: [00:23:09] much about Christianity. I deeply admire, like in my heart and soul, there's so much of that message of loving thy neighbor of, of compassion, of radical compassion.but the mr. Rogers brand of Christianity is kinda like where I'm at. I'm like, this is, this is beautiful kindness andAbbey: [00:23:26] love andMonica: [00:23:26] compassion to all, but then there's another side. If someone's using a bronze age text as. The be all and end all without looking at other aspects of the world. And when you can use that to see the, the movie saved.Abbey: [00:23:41] No.Monica: [00:23:42] Okay. It's one of my favorite things ever. It takes place in a CA a Christian high school. And I went to a Catholic high school and there's a scene where the girl throws a Bible at the other girl who picks up and she's like, this is not a weapon. That's,Abbey: [00:23:54] that'sMonica: [00:23:55] kind of the problem. I feel like there's a lot of, not just Christian, but there's a lot of religions that have gotten weaponized against.Their own members, be it ableism via homophobia. Be it other, other ways that you can, other people like once you can decide that these members of our community, aren't really a member of our community, they haven't hit this purity test that makes them healthy and a part of thisAbbey: [00:24:16] community. Yeah, I completely agree.And for a long time, I kind of. Looked past those darker, more harmful sides of Christianity, because I was like, Oh, I'm a progressive Christian. And I don't take old Testament. Laws are laws from the apostle Paul as like laws that are applicable today. And as long as I only believe that the compassionate parts of the Bible and the just parts of the Bible, then it's not harmful.But. It was the moment that I realized like that Ables them is in the gospel is the one part that as a Christian, you're not definitely not supposed to like question. Then I just realized like even the progressive brand of Christianity can be really harmful to, to some people. So that was the moment where it was like, I can't like I can't do it anymore.I can throw out so much of it, but if I'm now throwing up the gospels too, there's really no point for me to still be in the faith and I feel much better having left it. It's a relief.Monica: [00:25:31] I will not comment on your religious dirty, but I will say that it's, it's so hard when you get marginalized by your family and by your community.That's, that's a brutal thing.Abbey: [00:25:43] Yeah,Monica: [00:25:44] I think.Abbey: [00:25:46] That was, that was just something that I like. I can't ever fully forgive that like being ostracized from family that's that's not. Okay. So, so that leads into the question of boundaries. I mean, at this point I just don't, I don't talk about my illnesses to the family members that I know I can't.Trust to talk about that without being either given unsolicited medical advice, orMonica: [00:26:19] we'reAbbey: [00:26:19] told to pray more like it's, it's, it's a firm boundary that I've set now. And it really, it stunk tap to do that. But I feel like sometimes some people just don't earn the right to hear that story. So that's theMonica: [00:26:39] beautiful thing to underline a few times.No. One's given the right to hear your medical story. No, one's given the right to hear any of your story. That's that's saying that you trust someone enough to share. Yeah. I want to underline that one tattoo it, put it across the sky because you're right. If you start explaining beyond your diagnosis, then that opens the door.More, a lot of, unsolicited and sometimes very cruel advice and advice put in quotations. It's always the, if you just people.Abbey: [00:27:10] Yes. Yeah. But unsolicited medical advice was so frustrating. And I finally realized, I mean, I, I don't owe it to them to explain. Oh, I've already tried X, Y, and Z. And it didn't work for me.And I don't have to like justify my treatment plan to anyone who, who wants to give me unsolicited medical advice or, or tell me if I only did this, I would get better. Like I don't have to justify why I didn't get better to them. I can just say, no thanks. I'm not looking for advice. And then like, move on.Monica: [00:27:50] I'm so impressed. I'm in my mid forties, I'm just starting to work on boundaries. Like just, you know, if you feel like you've already been rejected by your family and you've already felt like you're on tenterhooks, like you are trying to earn your place in your community, your family, which is like, I've been dealing with my whole life with my family.The idea of like creating more boundaries is so scary. Like that is, that is hardcore stuff too, to have that bravery to be like, I am actually going to define how you interact with me. Yeah. That is always to find it as care. And I never understood that. Like, there are some people in my life who I know when they're saying, if you just, they, they literally are just scared for me.And they're trying everything like my mother, I love her. And I know she never means it badly, but you know, up until about two years ago, there's a lot, if you just, but there's also people in my life where I know it's, it's, it's a claw out thing. It is not meant kindly.Abbey: [00:28:44] Yeah. I found. I mean the way I see it, if someone says, Oh, if you just tried this, maybe that would carry you.And I say like, Hey, I'm actually not looking for medical advice. I already tried most of the things that you're going to find on Google. If I tell them that, and then they're like, Oh, I'm sorry. And then don't do it again. Going forward. Then that's someone I like. That's someone who didn't mean any harm by it, and I can still trust going forward.But if I. You know, explain why I don't want their unfiltered advice once I shouldn't have to keep reminding them like again and again and again, like not looking for advice. SoMonica: [00:29:31] I think the difference is this there's the person who genuinely cares about you and is scared for you and thinks that there might be just something they could do to make it better.And those are lovely people, slightly misguided, but lovely people. And then there's the ones who are either egotists that are going to save you. Yeah. Or there are the people who feel like your disability and chronic illness is an inconvenience to them and they would like that part of your life to be over.So things get back to normal. Yeah. Yeah. So those are the three camps. I've I've I found,Abbey: [00:29:58] I completely agree with that. I think that's pretty good summary. yeah, but the people who are, are just ready for you to be not symptomatic anymore, so that. They don't have to deal with it. Those are the ones that are, to me, feel the most hurtful because it's like, don't you understand?Like this isn't ending anytime soon, I need support. A lot of people really don't understand, like when someone is grieving or going through something, like you just need someone there to support you where you're at and not try to like save you from it or fix it for you. some people are. Good. I understand that.And some bargeMonica: [00:30:42] that's been a, quite the discussion with my husband and I. About do I want to be saved or do I need to unload and that's yeah, we've come to a place. Actually. It's worked with my kids too. If anyone wants a quick note on how to parent teenagers and stay married, do you want to talk and have me listen, or do you want, my advice has been like the best questions to ask before at discussion.Abbey: [00:31:02] Yeah, that's a great idea. I usually just tell my husband before we have that conversation, like. I just need to vent and yeah. And I don't need any solutions right now. And I feel like he usually responds really well to that. Yeah.Monica: [00:31:20] That's, that's actually been the most helpful thing for me is my husband's a tech and that's his job.If someone says they're complaining about something, it's his job to fix it. So it's, I always have to like, go, Hey, this is, I just need to bitch for a while. Like I just have to let me spin. Especially things like that, that even doesn't have a basis. In fact, usually when I'm spinning from anxiety.Abbey: [00:31:42] Yeah. I totally feel you the air.Monica: [00:31:45] Yeah. Yeah. His, his ability to try to talk me down three o'clock in the morning has been, yeah, we also have teenagers, so there's a lot of three o'clock in the morning, me whimpering and being scared. SoAbbey: [00:31:57] that makes sense.Monica: [00:31:58] Yeah, it's, it's lovely. And, now he's all in my son just moved out. So it's now just him with, with me and our teenage daughter.So he's, he's learning a lot about just stop, listen to what's being said and just hold it like. That's a crash crash course for him right now.Abbey: [00:32:17] It's a good skill to learn.Monica: [00:32:18] It's been my favorite one. My, yeah, that's that's what's kept us out of, out of therapy and married. It's not a divorce court right there.Sorry. My dogs are going nuts.Abbey: [00:32:28] that's okay.Monica: [00:32:29] Yeah. So you'd also talked about like the boundaries with your, like one of the things that always strikes me. And I, you know, speaking as a cisgender white woman queer. Yes. But like just in my own little box that I've, I have experienced them is that there are expectations I grew up with.Of the kind of woman I'm supposed to be, what I'm supposed to want and how I'm supposed to be as a daughter, a daughter-in-law a sister, a friend, there is like a really high bar of caregiving I'm supposed to give even as a disabled woman. Like how do you handle that with like the in-laws I might in-laws are amazing.Please. Let me just underline that a million times. My inlaws are at the most. Loving caring and understanding people. I hit the jackpot in Las, but I've talked to a lot of people that haven't, and I really would love your take on like how you handle a new family's expectations. AndAbbey: [00:33:21] I definitely feel the pressure with them.They, so they are the more, so my parents are not religious and I've had lots of issues with them, Abel, and, but, My husband's parents, they're the more religious conservative side of the family. And they have a lot of like gender role expectations. And I mean, Christianity is a very patriarchal system and they have a lot of expectations for me that I am just not able to fill anymore.Like I constantly feel like. By even having an advocacy project, I am like ignoring their expectation that I be submissive and sweet and gentle and, non opinionated. I really feel that pressure and that frustration from them that I'm not filling those expectations. And the being disabled only adds to that because you know, I'm not, I'm not the only person in my marriage who was cleaning the apartment and cooking dinner and like, Taking care of the animals.Like there are most days we split things, very egalitarian lead very equally, but there are some days when I can't do any of those like expectations and he does all of it and he's happy to do it, and it's not an issue for him, but I feel that pressure from them, like every time, you know, they see Erin cooking.My husband cooking instead of me, it's like, there's just that little bit of like a tension. And I find that really frustrating because those roles are very, I don't know. Very outdated and very harmful to women. SoMonica: [00:35:28] men and, and trans people like there's no aspect, this doesn'tAbbey: [00:35:33] hurt.Monica: [00:35:34] Right. And if you're looking at a partnership,Abbey: [00:35:37] a partnership is supposed to be someoneMonica: [00:35:39] who helps shore up your weak side.And help celebrate your strengths. And that needs to go both ways. If your weakness is I can't clean, then your partner should be like, I'm going to be cleaning right now that shouldn't even be a question like aAbbey: [00:35:52] partnership is about,Monica: [00:35:53] you know, you've got each other's backs at all time. Like you should always be able to lean backwards and have someone there.Abbey: [00:35:59] Yeah. I'm, I'm really grateful that my husband has been awesome at dealing with chronic illness and disability and totally on board for. Like having an egalitarian relationship and also being willing to pour, pull more of the weight than I am when I'm not able to. So I'm super grateful for that, but I wish I wish there wasn't this expectation that, you know, he shouldn't be, he shouldn't be doing that stuff.He's, he's going above and beyond their expectations for him by ever cooking or ever cleaning. It's just crazy to me that that's still the expectation and the norms.Monica: [00:36:46] The bar is set so different. Like no one can deny it. Like I haven't talked to my husband about, you know, like his he's amazing, but he doesn't always see stuff because he, he isn't that person, he hasn't grown up with that.And so I showed him a man's magazine men's life or something like just a general like men's magazine and a general women's magazine. And I just showed them the headlines. I'm like, if you look here, it's all about what you can do for others. How to be a better mother, how to be a better wife, how to be a better friend, how to be a better.You know, daughter, sibling, whatever, how to cook better, how to clean better. And then by the way, you also need to take care of yourself because then you're not taking care of everyone else. If you're not taking care of yourself properly. And the men's magazine was how to get rippedAbbey: [00:37:27] steak dinners, you can makeMonica: [00:37:28] for yourself.Here's some cool culture stuff. Here's some, like it was all about like yourself. It had nothing, nothing to do with like how to be a better dad. Projects you can do with your kids. Hey, this is how you can go on a really good date. This is, you know, how you can take care of someone else, like nothing about taking care of anything else.And, you know, I showed him like five different magazines like that. And he was like, okay. Yeah, that's, that's pretty brutal. And we're not just fighting against our bodies ourselves or try explaining to our spouse or our own friends. You know, we have a whole peanut gallery that is ready to keep us in check in our roles.Abbey: [00:38:02] Yeah. Yeah, it seems very unfair.Monica: [00:38:06] It's it's it gets, I found it got harder as a mother.Abbey: [00:38:10] Because the expectationsMonica: [00:38:12] for me to be considered a decent mother were light years away. Like if my husband picked my child or our child up from daycare, he was a God amongst men.Abbey: [00:38:23] LikeMonica: [00:38:25] absolute God if my child and I dropped my child off and she did not have a lunch prepared the way they wanted it prepared.If her hair was not done, I'm not kidding about that one. If she was wearing an outfit that didn't match, if, you know, there's like a whole list of things, they would just sign by me and be like, and the daycare director actually took me to task for like stuff. And I'm like,Abbey: [00:38:46] you know, there'sMonica: [00:38:46] another spouse here, right?Like a healthy one too. Like it's pretty intenseAbbey: [00:38:51] what we're expected to live up to. Yeah. It's very obvious double standard. Like I always get that sense that any time. my husband is observed like cooking or cleaning or doing anything it's that is supposed to be my role. It's like, wow, he's the best man ever.You're so lucky. Like, I believe you found him and then it's like, it's just assumed that I'm going to do that stuff. And if I don't, then I'm like not a good enough wife or daughter or daughter-in-lawMonica: [00:39:27] I also, that you're lucky. Yes, I am. I found the most amazing, wonderful human to share my life with.Abbey: [00:39:33] IMonica: [00:39:34] am super lucky for that, but that I found someone who was willingAbbey: [00:39:38] toMonica: [00:39:38] meet me and help fillAbbey: [00:39:40] in my, myMonica: [00:39:40] weaknesses.Oh my God. That's I mean, that's a really kind of cruel space to put things. And also the divorce rates for women who have chronic illness or a people who present as female who have chronic illness is so much higher. The divorce rate is so different for anyone who's female presenting, who has chronic illness versus a male presenting.It's like 60% for myAbbey: [00:40:06] illness. Wow. I do remember. I dunno, I just, I remember in one of your previous podcasts, you were talking about how, I mean, kind of that same thing, that same like reverse. I don't know, like the, the unequal expectations and chronic illness. How, like, if a. Man stays married to a, someone with a chronic illness and helps be a caretaker he's seen as like, heroic for doing that.But it's, it shouldn't be like he does such a major sacrifice on his part for just not leaving someone who's disabled or chronically ill.Monica: [00:40:48] All you have to do is look up breast cancer, survivor stories, and you will see a whole bunch of, of, wives who have been left at hospitals after their surgery, where they were to serve with the worst.There is a whole subgroup that you will findAbbey: [00:41:01] it's,Monica: [00:41:02] it's disgusting, it's intense. And like someone of might, I won't call it who it is, but some of my own life, her husband who, her ex husband for the last, like 10 years just got injured. She's taking care of him right now. I have never heard that story in reverse.Not once. I I'm sure it happened.Abbey: [00:41:18] And if you are thatMonica: [00:41:19] person, I mazal talk to you as bless at B, but, it's not the story we expect. You hear that story and you're like, Oh, that's really kind of her, but it's not a shock.Abbey: [00:41:28] Yeah. Women don't get congratulated for like, not leaving someone who's chronically ill or disabled.CanMonica: [00:41:37] we underline that wine women don't get congratulated, female presenting people do not get congratulated for doing heroic acts or very high level acts that, and I say heroic, because if male first ending people did it, they would be given, standing ovations. There would be newspaper articles. Like that's, that's a big disparity of like the level of compassionate and caregiving we're supposed to give as.A gender role, like,Abbey: [00:42:05] and that's damagingMonica: [00:42:06] to everyone. Like there are so many compassionate, loving, wonderful male presenting people who are, I know a lot of them, they are wonderful and they get shamed for doing that.Abbey: [00:42:17] Yeah. Well, yeah, like treated like or whipped or something like, like their partner has control.I don't know, as like controlling them or something just by expecting like an equal partnership orMonica: [00:42:35] if you just watch kids, like, if you just want, like how we treat like. A, you know, a little boy who is compassionate and caring and the word second associated there with a male presenting child versus like a female presenting child who is like bossy,Abbey: [00:42:51] right?Like,Monica: [00:42:52] not that she's a leader, not that she's strong, she's bossy, you know, and a boy who is drinks is soft and we have to toughen him up. Like this is ingrained and so much. And so many cultures, like it's not. Kind or caring or compassionate or making a better society for anyone? Exodus of family and friends.Abbey: [00:43:14] yeah. That's I know that that happens to pretty much everyone who becomes chronically ill or disabled, like as an adult or as a teenager. But I, it still shocked me when that happened. Like I. I mean, and I have so many great friends who have stuck around and I'm really grateful for that. And I don't want to, like, I don't know.I don't want to ignore like how kind and awesome the friends that I still have are, but. All of the people who just kind of like ghost you eventually you've been ill for too long. Like, I don't understand what that's about. Like, I don't understand what I did wrong to, to deserve that if it's just that, you know, being chronically ill makes us less fun to hang out with or less dependable or what, but I really never dreamed that I would.Just have so many friends kind of like slowly disappear after awhile and family too,Monica: [00:44:23] that I don't know about you. But do you ever wonder, like how much of your personality is based around singing for your supper? Yeah. Like being entertaining enough for someone to still want to hang out with you, even though you're sick.Abbey: [00:44:34] Yeah. Yeah.Monica: [00:44:36] I'm always curious about that.Abbey: [00:44:37] You feel like you have to make it worth, worth that to them, to stay friends with you or stay close to you by like, I don't know, by going above and beyond, what's normally expected of a friend just to prove that you're worth still being friends with, even with a disability.Monica: [00:45:02] Yeah. So it was like, you know, we're marked downAbbey: [00:45:03] goods, like, right.Monica: [00:45:05] And that's thing that you internalize, like that's, you know, if you, if you are listening and you have not internalized this, please contact me, tell me what I can do. I need the help. But yeah. And the ghosting is almost more curl. Like I've, I've had it both ways.I had, someone I was, engaged to leave because they couldn't deal with the illness. And they were honest about that. and that was easier for me in some ways, because it's like, okay, there's nothing I can do about the illness. You got to go, ah, that hurts andAbbey: [00:45:32] that's bad rejection, butMonica: [00:45:33] the people who just, I thought I would do anything for them.And I thought they were on the same board and then they're just gone. That was what are you going to call them out on? Like, you know, what are you going to,Abbey: [00:45:45] and it's hard to even know for sure if it was the illness that made it happen or was it something else? Cause they never really. Yeah. I don't know.They never explain why they disappeared and it's, I'm left to assume that it was probably because my needs have changed and I'm a different person now because of the illness. But, it still hurts even if, you know, like, even if you have a feeling. Okay. It's because I'm chronically ill and clearly this friendship is not meant to be because I can't be friends with someone who doesn't, accept my chronic illness, but it's still painful.And I think that's where I'm having this Instagram account and advocacy project has really like. Helped me a lot, because it's been really great to make friends with other chronically ill and disabled people. cause then I know that they're not going to just stop being friends with me one day because my illness has made me less fun to hang out with or whatever.and plus being able to connect with people over the internet is fantastic because you never have to leave your apartment or home to do it. I want to do a quick energy check onMonica: [00:46:59] you cause we hit an hour and I don't want to over exhaust you, but I really want to talk about keyboard warrior. And, if you want, we can move this to another day if you're getting tired, but if you got a little energy and you want to keep talking about that, I definitely want to get into that.Abbey: [00:47:12] Okay. I'm good.Monica: [00:47:13] Okay. Yeah. I just, I always want to check on people cause like I will just keep talking and then I'm like, Oh my God, I need to lay down for the next four weeks. soAbbey: [00:47:21] check in with you.Monica: [00:47:22] I really want to talk about this because the word keyboard warrior, that's used so derogatorily and that's really upsetting when that's all you have.Like I'm super into black lives matter. I am super into LGBTQ. Like I like literally, if it's about like protecting someone's right to live and exist happily I'm there. I cannot March I cannot doAbbey: [00:47:43] this.Monica: [00:47:44] So like, keyboard is kind of all I've got.Abbey: [00:47:46] SoMonica: [00:47:47] talk to me about your advocacy that you do online. And let's, let's kind of like start dispelling this idea that like, that's nothing like that really upsets me.Abbey: [00:47:56] I mean, Having that having social media as a tool to tell your story and to connect with other people is huge when you're chronically ill and disabled, because otherwise, how would I ever meet other chronically ill and disabled people who share my experiences? Because we're not often out protesting or marching or, even hanging out.And I mean, even in Precoa days, we're not often like going out and I don't know, like having chronic illness, meetups or something, like we're all kind of homebodies. So having a platform to talk and meet other people is just fantastic. and then. The biggest or the most rewarding thing for me has been just, having other people comment and say like, I've experienced this too.Or like, I can completely relate to this or just share their story, with me, because prior to having this account, I thought that my experience was something unique. And like, it was something about me that was making doctors treat me badly and friends disappear and all this kind of stuff, all this bad stuff that was happening.I just. I didn't understand that it was something that was universal to chronically ill and disabled people. So I think social media is an amazing tool to connect and to advocate. And it's also been a really great way for me to learn, more about movements like black lives matter and the LGBTQ movement and like be a better ally.Because I constantly get exposed to perspectives that I've never heard before, because I'm in my little, like Kansas suburbia, rural Buffalo. You are,Monica: [00:49:53] I didn't know. Yeah,Abbey: [00:49:56] yeah. Yeah. I grew up in a small town in Kansas. now I live in Olatha, which is a suburb of Kansas city, but I mean, I. I'm still in a bubble even though in the Kansas city area, because I live in like white, relatively wealthy suburbia.and you know, this, I don't know, social media has been really eyeopening for me.Monica: [00:50:24] All right. I cannot agree more. Like I live in the Bay area. I live in California. I've, I've always lived in California and I have a bubble in the other way, and I find it really important to not have an echo chamber. So Twitter, while it's one of the worst places I've ever been in, that is a, a place to guard your mental health.It allows me to see other people's perspectives. It allows me to get other news sources that I don't agree with and that I do like. I can at least look at and say, okay, this is what other people are thinking and feeling, okay, now I've got this and I've been able to follow advocates that I wouldn't have understood that perspective.Yeah. And that's been really helpful.Abbey: [00:51:03] I don't have Twitter yet, but IMonica: [00:51:06] don't know, run, runAbbey: [00:51:08] away because of that exact thing that you just described, how it's like a definite, mental health, challenge sometimes just because people can be kind of like. Me and on Twitter. and I have, I have dealt with a few like trolls and bullies on Instagram too.And, and I'm always surprised by how much that like affects my day or my week when, gosh, one time I had some random person just like, it's going to be like seven comments or something long of just like, insults and like. I don't know, like insulting my future therapy, practice, insulting my, disability activism at all, all this stuff.And so there are moments when like social media, even on Instagram is like, Oh, a little bit scary or a little bit like unkind, but for the most part, Instagram, I feel like it's pretty, pretty kind and pretty gentle compared to Twitter. AndMonica: [00:52:11] Facebook, Facebook is where you go to dislike the people, you know?Abbey: [00:52:15] Yeah. LikeMonica: [00:52:16] I'm always just in shock at like family members and like people I've known for years and like, this is, this, this you've got, this was saying to publicly say, Oh my God,Abbey: [00:52:28] I feel you there. Because being from a small town in Kansas, like I. It's the, a lot of super conservative perspectives that I strongly disagree with from people.I had no idea they were so, racist or homophobic or transphobic or abelist or, or whatever. Like I just, I see a lot of stuff that's like very disturbing, especially right now in the middle of COVID and, The black lives matter movement. Really finally catching the attention of white people everywhere.Monica: [00:53:06] I can't believe it's taken this long. I can't like I remember the Rodney King riots. I was, I think it was a teenager when they happened. And I remember being shocked because I grew up in a pretty, like, I grew up in a weird area, but I didn't know, like I was taught. Police are always good. Just like doctors, like police, doctors, your teachers.pastor's like all these people are authorities, I say goes, and by the way, they have your best interests at heart at all times. And Rodney King was such an awakening, for, for me and by, and my parents and the people around us who just had never really thought that this could be a question Mark. And that was decades ago.How do we like just shuffle that off to the side and stop considering that that was. You know, it's still happening and how are we still making this question in suburbia of, because we can call the police and we can expect to be helped.Abbey: [00:54:05] Yeah.Monica: [00:54:05] That other people are yelling at us telling us, no, that's not how that works for us.If we call the police, we get hurt or killed or arrested. Like why can't we listen to, to a large group of people telling us that this system is only working for one group.Abbey: [00:54:20] Yeah,Monica: [00:54:21] sorry. That was my tirade. I'll get off. I totally feel like yelling on Twitter too much.Abbey: [00:54:26] I've been sitting here wondering like, how did I not understand how bad things were like so much sooner?I mean, why did it, why did it take all of these videos of police violence for me to really like, understand how serious the problem is that I, I think, I mean, I grew up in a town where we were taught whitewashed history and we were taught that everything, all racism ended after Jim Crow. And everything's great now.And we're in Kansas that we're on the rightMonica: [00:55:01] side of the racial now.Abbey: [00:55:02] Yeah. Yeah. That's what we were taught.Monica: [00:55:05] Oh, wait, that hurts.Abbey: [00:55:06] I mean, yeah. And I'm only like, in the past few years now starting to comprehend like how far from accurate any of that was and. So I've been trying to like incorporate more black lives matter and black disabled lives matter advocacy into my advocacy work online because I mean, I feel like if we're not, if we're talking about disability, but we're not talking about racism and transphobia and homophobia and all of these other intersecting issues, we're not.That's really doing the work. but it's, it's messy and painful. And, definitely I feel like that white fragility, kinda coming to the surface sometimes and when I'm challenged on my own privilege. So I'm trying really hard to work on that.Monica: [00:56:05] And that's, you know, I think there's a big misunderstanding and white fragility of like,Abbey: [00:56:10] you have to takeMonica: [00:56:11] guilt and responsibility for what people did.And it's like, what's my understanding of this. And what I've been holding very close is that it's my responsibility to understand the privilege. And it's my understanding, my, my responsibility to see what it was. See who didn't have it. And if I have aAbbey: [00:56:29] voice or a chanceMonica: [00:56:31] to advocate as hard as I can to level that playing field.And that's what I keep seeing my family mentioned is things like, I shouldn't feel guilty for slave owners. I wasn't a slave on it's like, no, you weren't. And no one said you were, what we're saying is if there has been a systematic issue of keeping black people, not only from gaining wealth, but the second they did murdering them.Abbey: [00:56:52] Yeah. And we're still benefiting from that system, even if we're not actively, we don't think we're actively contributing to it. ButMonica: [00:57:02] we are benefiting from it. And that's the important thing to understand. And, you know, you feel, however you need to feel about that. That's a fact, and then you need to work on creating a level, playing field, creating, you know, a sense of fairness instead of a sense of equality.Like you need to, I may have missed that boat, but it's the idea of like, you give people what they need to get to the point they need to be at. You know, that's going to be different for different groups. Yeah. That's yeah, I've been, I've been on the internet a little too much in the last 48 hours, if you can't tell.Oh my God. Yeah. That's a, you know, and you're right. We can't leave people behind and that's been the problem with advocacy in the FA, especially in feminism. That's been one of the most dark disgusting parts of the feminist movement is the removal of black and trans people from this advocacy. We can't do that.Like it's, it's not acceptable, like to say I deserve rights, but you not so much, like that's just unacceptable.Abbey: [00:58:01] Yeah. What JK Rowling has been daring right now is like,Monica: [00:58:09] Do you know how much I loved Harry PotterAbbey: [00:58:12] loved. And now I'm like, youMonica: [00:58:14] are destroying.Abbey: [00:58:16] Yeah.Monica: [00:58:17] But I think that, like I was talking to my, my daughter has no interest in Harry Potter. Like she's totally disgusted. Like her mind is so much smarter. What are we doing? Like, why are we doing this? Like, and, I think a lot of it was that it was a time like when, when that came out, it was one of the first books that actually like gave credit to young people for being intelligent.Abbey: [00:58:38] Yeah.Monica: [00:58:39] And it really like was interesting to read and fun to read. And there's a lot of problems with it now, reading it again. I'm like, I missed a lot. I really, Oh man. How did I, how did I miss that? But it was, you know, the thing was, is there, wasn't the large awareness to remind us what we were missing.Like my husband, I were just watching on my favorite comedy shows. Like I love stand up comedy, never listening to one of my favorite standup comedians of all time. And it's my favorite set. I laugh until my kidneys hurt with a set and they were listening to it last night. I looked at him and like, how did I not care?I've heard this 50 times. How did I not catch that? And then like we have a 13 year old who reminds us all the time. Like when we're watching a star Wars, the second one, she loved the first one, lay us a badass. Second one. Oh, my God, like what happened? And she was like, that's assault. She said no to him. He pushed his hand against her face there on a spaceship.Where's she going to go and forced her to kiss him? That's assault, mom and dad. And we're looking at you. They're going. Yes, that is. How did we not, you know, and then we want to be in a Jones, all live Indiana Jones, and we're like,Abbey: [00:59:49] that's crazy how much you miss? And then now with, I don't know, but with all the access, we have to understanding other perspectives and being more socially aware, it's crazy to rewatch stuff now and be like, wow, that was super messed up. And I didn't even notice. ButMonica: [01:00:09] do you think that part of it is that the bar got raised for everyone, including cis-gender white male filmmakers and producers too.Like the bar was so low before that it was like, they have a woman and she's not cleaning.Abbey: [01:00:25] I feel like our bar gotMonica: [01:00:26] raised. So like before we were so expecting something, even though it was bad that when it wasn't like, as bad as we were expecting, we were super celebratory. Yeah.Abbey: [01:00:37] Definitely.Monica: [01:00:38] Yeah. What else was I gonna ask?I had oneAbbey: [01:00:41] other thing before I like.Monica: [01:00:44] Hi, I'm so sorry. I have not been able to actually keep food down in about four days. So I'm a little loopy right now. So please forgive. noAbbey: [01:00:51] worries.Monica: [01:00:52] Oh goodness. What was I going to? Oh, I know the last time I talked to you about, and then if you have anything else, please jump in.B

Jason Webb is a 42 year old father of 3 daughters who has lived with inflammatory arthritis for 38 years. He’s also an artist, chef-educator (27 years), stock trading coach, and mentor to other single fathers. Jason is a creative with a flair for wit and humor. He understands that  what works for him might not work for you, but he's there to help you through, so don’t be shy to reach out. He is currently working on a culinary education program and children's book series.Cheryl Crow is an occupational therapist who has lived with rheumatoid arthritis for seventeen years. Her life passion is helping others with rheumatoid arthritis figure out how to live a full life despite arthritis, by developing tools to navigate physical, emotional and social challenges. She formed the educational company Arthritis Life in 2019 after seeing a huge need for more engaging, accessible, and (dare I say) FUN patient education and self-management resources. Links to things discussed in the podcast episode:Jason’s website: Chefscookies.caJason’s Instagram:Instagram.com/thejazzyjayInstagram.com/jazzycharts Instagram.com/chefs_cookies  Instagram.com/jazzyjayfoodJason’s Facebook accounts:www.facebook.com/TheJazzyJayFB @jazzychartsFb: @chefscookiesFree Handout: Cheryl’s Master Checklist for Managing RACheryl’s Facebook group: Arthritis Life Podcast, Practical Tips & Positive, Realistic SupportThis episode is brought to you by the Rheumatoid Arthritis Roadmap, an intensive online education and support program Cheryl created to empower people with the tools to confidently manage their social, emotional and physical life with rheumatoid arthritis.Medical disclaimer: All content found on the Arthritis Life public channels was created for generalized informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.Here's the show breakdown:1:09- Jason’s diagnosis story (also known as a journey or saga): from juvenile idiopathic arthritis to ankylosing spondylitis.6:00 - How Jason copes with gray areas and identify his flare triggers.8:40 - How Jason manages his physical health at this time.11:18 - What helps Jason manage Ankylosing Spondylitis: staying “safe, smart, strong, sweet and silly,” plus adaptive aids, massage, knowing his flare cycles, knowing diet and food triggers and more.16:30  – Coping mechanisms for chronic illness and chronic pain 19:25 -  Cheryl once again brings up Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - ACT21:30 - How Jason’s challenging upbringing taught him how to be adaptable.23:45 - How Jason learned the importance of self-education.26:00 - Jason’s reflections on the positives and challenges of parenting with a chronic illness.29:30 - Jason’s past experiences as a chef & how he experienced cycles of stress, physical challenge and financial challenges as a single father.32:30 - Jason’s experience mentoring other single dads on Facebook32:30 - Jason reads his letter to single dads and others who are struggling.37:00 - Jason’s advice for newly diagnosed patients: educate yourself about the disease, listen to your body39:00 - Jason reflects on the connection between his emotional state and physical symptoms, how stress has caused flare-ups for him.42:00 - Jason & Cheryl’s parenting and stress-management advice

Happy Hump Day! Happy Wednesday! We are so excited for the beautiful weather outside. Even Junior was riding around with his windows down this morning! We have a fabulous show for you today with Cody Myler and Deborah Keston of Whole Person Integrative Eating, so stick around and let's jump right in! Cody Myler Cody Myler, also known as the Keto Cowboy, is a health & fitness expert, trainer, instructor and business owner. He holds a Bachelors in Exercise Psychology, a Masters in Sports Management and over 20 different fitness certifications. In 2019, Cody founded the National Athletic Keto Association, or NAKA, hosting the first Keto/Carnivore Bodybuilding Competition. He is the owner of NXT Rep Fitness, a 24hr. workout facility offering specialized workout and nutrition programs designed around an individual’s needs and fitness level. The Do’s and Don’ts of Exercising after a Back Injury Some people confuse Spondylolysis and Spondylitis. Spondylolysis is the actual fracture in one of the vertebras. Spondylitis is inflammatory arthritis, but Spondylolysis is the injury on the vertebras. Bernadette raises the point that you can pull your back out doing even the simplest of things! Bernadette says if your abs and glutes are not strong, your back is not strong. Cody says that it is the intercostal muscles that are underneath the transversal dominus. Do planks to strengthen the intercostal muscles! Put a stability against the wall and put your arms out. Push the ball against the wall as hard as you can! Check out our Instagram to see the workout from Cody Myler himself! Get a piece of PVC pipe and sit down on the floor or on your couch, and reach it behind your back and roll it all around your shoulders! Follow Cody on instagram @Myler_Flex to see more of Cody and his motivational fitnesses videos! Keep your body spry, so keep moving those muscles! Avoid workouts that are hard on the back. Cycling, walking, and swimming are some of Cody and Bernadette's favorite low impact workouts. Cody takes collagen every day to help pad his vertebra and avoid vertebra on vertebra pain. Deborah Keston Deborah Kesten is an international nutrition researcher, award winning author and medical health writer. She specializes in in preventing and reversing obesity and heart disease. Kesten has published more than 400 nutrition and health articles. Her latest book, Whole Person Integrative Eating has been honored with the #1 gold, best-book award in the Health category by the Book Excellence Awards. She is a VIP Contributor at Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global. Deborah is married to behavioral scientist and co-author of Whole Person Integrative Eating, Larry Scherwitz, Ph.D. How to Build a Healthier Relationship with Food, Eating and Weight Deborah Keston's book helps you find a way to eat and keep your body and mind health at the same time. In her book, there is a 76 question quiz that can help you find your over-eating style. Deborah based her eating styles she highlights in her book by doing in depth research on the eating styles and medicinal habits of ancient people and cultures all over the world. Most people before us ate with the three spiritual thoughts on their plate. Mindfulness, appreciation, and loving regard for food. Eating with a mindfulness consciousness can have you lose weight, so just be mindful! Eat with others! By eating around others, you will be subconsciously more mindful of what is going on your plate and into your body. Deborah and her co author and husband, Larry Scherwitz did a study where they found that men who spoke with narcissistic tendencies were more likely to have a heart attack. How interesting! Go back to the blessing of food that your ancestors one cherished. Quit thinking about food in terms of "carbs" or "fats" but rather food. That will reduce your odds of overeating and gaining weight. The ancient food wisdom approach to eating is what Whole...

Welcome to this week's episode of The Ankylosing Spondylitis Podcast. This week's topic is something has been a huge challenge for me this week fatigue. But first, I want to welcome the new listener from Guatemala, which marks the 95th country that the show has been downloaded in. And also, don't forget to head over to spondypodcast.com to sign up for the Whenever I feel like it newsletter. I'm hoping to get one sent out next week. And check out the T-shirts and stuff available on the website. The items are at this time available in the United States and Europe, with more countries coming soon. Also check out the new facemasks I made available. I also wanted to thank a couple of companies that I've partnered up with to bring some great CBD based products. The first is Joy Organics. They're an awesome company that makes CBD based products made from 100% hemp from America that has all been organically grown. Also wanted to welcome Foria which makes an amazing CBD based intimacy oil. These two companies are fantastic partners with the show and I can attest to the benefits of each company's products.  So let's talk fatigue. This week has been just quite the challenge. I've been just tired and worn out all week regardless of the amount of sleep I get. I do wear part of the night of C-pap machine when I sleep in my bed, but there's times when I get up and I go out and sleep in the recliner that I have. So I don't have a C-pap to wear out there. But I'm looking at like a mobile travel c-pap option, a smaller machine that I can keep in the living room so that I wear when I'm sleeping in the recliner. And it's just been an amazingly challenging week, even to the point where the thought of recording the podcast has just been really hard. Part of it is probably being cooped up from the COVID stuff and top that off with some fatigue and it's just been really a rough week. And I noticed that I'm not alone in those thoughts. I was going through the different boards on Facebook. And I noticed there's a lot of question about how do I deal with fatigue? What do I do? I can't get any energy to do anything. And so I was thinking about that and I came across this article on tips for beating Ankylosing Spondylitis fatigue. Some of these we may be doing as a collective group. Others might be something new for you to try. So let's see what we got here.  Ankylosing, Spondylitis and fatigue. Well, Ankylosing Spondylitis is known for all the complications related to inflammation, the spine, the hips, you know, basically any of your joints that it can affect but primarily spine and hips. Well, the pain and discomfort may disrupt our daily activities. You could be contending with another debilitating side effect, which is fatigue. According to the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society, fatigue is one of the most common complaints among AS patients. Excessive tiredness can be attributed to AS, but it can also be a side effect.  Inflammation and Fatigue. The biggest culprit behind AS related fatigue is the inflammation. Inflamed tissues, whether it be in your hips, your spine, ribs wherever release a small protein based chemical called cytokines. Considered to play a major role in fatigue, pain, psychological disturbances, these cytokines are produced by cells in your immune system react in your body similar to those produced when you have a cold or a flu. This is why you may feel like you have a viral illness when you really don't it's just the fatigue. Treating inflammation with medications can help to reduce the excessive fatigue, but keep in mind that prescription drugs that contain opioids or coding may increase tiredness. Aim for sound sleep. In some cases, fatigue isn't exactly related to the inflammation. You know, the pain and discomfort can make it difficult to fall asleep at night, adding fuel to the exhaustion. Your pain may also cause you to wake up during the night. Here are a few ways you... Support this podcast

Autoimmune Abbey: #BLM, Medical Gaslighting, Religion and Ableism, Keyboard Activist, Chronic migraine, POTS, undifferentiated spondylitis, Mental Health, and IBSMedical gaslightingWhat happens when your coping mechanism is removedReligion and Ableismbeing the good friend, daughter, daughter in law, wife.The exodus of family and friendsHow medical gaslighting keeps you from medical care and endangers lives (tiktok nurse)Job impact of chronic illness ADA needsSetting boundaries with family and friends when discussing illnessThe grieving process for chronic illnessThe importance of online advocacy ie keyboard warriorsThe cost of health and life goalsWebsite/Blog, Twitter, & Instagram HandleInstagram: @autoimmuneabbeyName *Autoimmune AbbeyDISORDER INFOWhat is your disorder? *Chronic migraine, POTS, undifferentiated spondylitis, generalized anxiety, OCD, gluten intolerance, IBSAt what age did your disorder become a daily issue? *22Who were you before your illness became debilitating? *I was a long-distance runner who loved marathons and ultramarathons and felt completely invincible. Although I was always a bit of a sick kid and teen - I had episodic migraine, a dairy allergy that I eventually started to outgrow at around 12, and a long history of painful periods - I took my health for granted. I was only sick a handful of days each month, and I was ambitious, mentally healthy, and had lots of close friends.What would you do if you were not dealing with your disorder and/or disability? *I would certainly still be a long-distance runner, and I would also be doing triathlons. I would probably not have lost so many friends and would have a better relationship with my parents and in-laws. I experienced the typical quiet mass exodus of friends and family that many other disabled people also experience upon becoming ill. Thankfully my spouse and a few best friends stuck around.What would you like people to know about your daily life? *Chronic illness is isolating, exhausting, and often traumatic. It's really hard to stay mentally healthy when you're fighting daily symptoms but you constantly feel like you have to prove your symptoms to everyone around you. Being gaslighted on such a grand scale, especially by doctors, has a serious impact on a person's health.What would make living and moving in the world easier for you? *The biggest thing that would make the world more accessible to me would be less fluorescent lights. Chronic migraine and POTS make me sensitive to sensory overload, and fluorescent lights are impossible to deal with as a migrainuer. I have turned down jobs simply because of the lighting in the workspace. People think my intolerance for bright lights is just a preference, but it's definitely a non-negotiable accessibility need.Do you have any life hacks? *Write EVERYTHING down in your phone calendar to help compensate for brain fog. It's a game-changer.What kind of support do you get from family or friends? *My spouse and a few of my close friends have been amazing at supporting me through my illness. They are curious about my symptoms and experience with chronic illness, open to learning about ableism and medical gaslighting, and willing to make sure I don't go hungry at social events because of the gluten intolerance. Unfortunately, my family and my spouse's family have not been so supportive. For a while, I tried to be assertive with them about my needs and limitations, but at this point, I'm setting clear boundaries with them - I will not talk to them about my health anymore, beyond just sharing my diagnoses. And of course, like most chronically ill folks, I've lost a few friends since becoming ill.Have you ever had someone, or a medical professional, not believe you have an invisible illness because of your appearance and if so are there any examples that stand out? *YES. This is what I refer to as medical gaslighting. In my experience, the majority of doctors will begin to doubt my symptoms the moment they realize they don't know how to explain my symptoms or treat them. For example, when I asked my OBGYN about Endo, she did an ultrasound and found nothing. Now she blames my pelvic pain on the fact that "redheads have a lower tolerance for pain." My first neurologist told me my chronic migraine was all in my head. And several specialists have blamed all my symptoms on my anxiety disorder.How has your chronic illness affected your relationships? *It has strengthened my relationship with my spouse and a few close friends but has alienated me from most of my family and some friends.Is there anything you are afraid to tell people in your life? *I'm afraid to tell them that I'm still grieving the loss of my health and I badly need their support.What is your best coping mechanism? *My Instagram advocacy work has provided me with so much comfort, community, and a sense of purpose again. I can't imagine dealing with chronic illness without the Instagram community.What are you the most concerned about and the most hopeful for in the future? *I'm most concerned about and hopeful for my future career in therapy. I feel called to the field and I want to specifically work with disabled people and other marginalized groups, like the LGBTQ community and racial minorities. But I'm scared that the stress and exhaustion of grad school may harm my health and that I might fail to complete my degree.Is there anything you *don't* want to talk about? Is there a subject we should avoid during the Is there anything you want to make sure we talk about during the interview? Like an organization you want to promote or something specific that you deal with.Medical gaslighting. It also may be interesting to talk about ableism in religion. I'm an ex-Christian who ultimately left the faith because I found it incompatible with my progressive values and because I got burned by religion and religious people when I became chronically ill.What makes you energized or enthusiastic? What drains you?Watching Netflix with my husband, training my puppy, doing disability advocacy work, and going for walks when I'm able to all energize me. Big social events and traveling with chronic illness all drain me.Any favorite books or shows?On Netflix: Sex Ed, Working Moms, Stranger Things, Glow; On Hulu: The Great; Books: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, of course Harry PotterWhat is the hardest and/or best lesson your condition has taught you?That you never know how strong you are or how much pain you can tolerate with a smile until you become chronically ill.What is the best purchase under $100 that helped your lifeThe Headache Hat on Amazon is a lifesaver for migraines. I own three now, and I rotate through them on a regular basis. It's a wearable icepack. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Now that you have made your decision to DO something to reduce body pain and lose excess weight, how do you get started? In this episode, I cover 5 easy steps that you can do starting today! For more information and how to implement these steps in even more detail, head to www.thepathforhealth.com

Now that you have made your decision to DO something to reduce body pain and lose excess weight, how do you get started? In this episode, I cover 5 easy steps that you can do starting today! For more information and how to implement these steps in even more detail, head to www.thepathforhealth.com

Premature cell death leads to premature aging. Let's talk about the why and the how of a nutrient-dense diet and how it can help you live the life you WANT to live.

Premature cell death leads to premature aging. Let's talk about the why and the how of a nutrient-dense diet and how it can help you live the life you WANT to live.

In this episode, we review the high-yield topic of Rheumatoid Cervical Spondylitis from the Spine section. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/orthobullets/message

In this episode, I compare thoughts and feelings regarding Faith in Action and Surrender. I discuss how I determine what actions I should take and when and how I surrender to things I can't change.

In this episode, I compare thoughts and feelings regarding Faith in Action and Surrender. I discuss how I determine what actions I should take and when and how I surrender to things I can't change.

RheumNow Podcast Dos And Donts In Spondylitis (9.5.19) by Dr. Cush

In this Podcast we speak with someone who has lived with #AS for over 10 years. She offers some suggestions that have worked for her on putting AS into #remission, some suggestions for the medical community, and a view of what someone living with AS goes through.

What Is The Best Treatment For Cervical Spondylitis? || CERVICAL SPONDYLITIS KE LAKSHAN AUR ILAJ? #CervicalSpondylosisHomeTreatment #CervicalSpondylosisDizziness #CervicalSpondylosisSymptoms #CervicalSpondylosisExercises #CervicalSpondylosisSymptomsDizziness #सर्वाइकल_स्पॉन्डिलाइटिस_एक्सरसाइज #सर्वाइकल_स्पॉन्डिलाइटिस_होम्योपैथिक_ट्रीटमेंट #सर्वाइकल_स्पॉन्डिलाइटिस_क्या_है #सर्वाइकल_का_अचूक_इलाज #सर्वाइकल_सिर_दर्द #सर्वाइकल_पेन_ट्रीटमेंट_इन_होमियोपैथी #सर्वाइकल_को_हमेशा_के_लिए_खत्म_करने_का_तरीका #XzimerMedicare ke Cervical spondylitis kya hai, kyon hoti hai Cervical spondylitis, lakshan ko kaise pahachaanen, kya hain upachaar, praakrtik chikitsa mein kya hain upachaar, kya Karen, gharelu nuskhe, yog kare, kya parahej Karen, vitamin D ka rakhen dhyaan, pain killer kab aur kitana khayen, pain killer cream ya jel kitne hai asaradaar ye aur iske alawa aur bhi bhut kuch hai is podcast me apke liye …. Subscribe the channel. It's free- https://www.youtube.com/channe/UC5IcI... Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/XzimerOn/ Twitter-https://twitter.com/xzimer?s=09 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/xzimer-medicare/message

This Podcast is brought to you by: Picmonic - USE THIS LINK TO GET 20% OFF ANY PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP: https://www.picmonic.com/affiliate/medspirationLDW19 Picmonic has a visual learning platform that will help anyone in healthcare learn more in less time, so they can rock course exams, boards, and become more competent providers! Using their learning tools has been proven to increase long term memory retention up to 331%! Picmonic helped me with my USMLE Step 1 studies & can help also help student NPs, PAs, Pharm Ds, RNs, LPNs, paramedics & those in premed. We've partnered with them to bring you an INCREDIBLE OFFER:  You can check them out @: Picmonic.com & sign up for FREE & you’ll get instant access to a free video and quiz questions every day - no credit card required.  Use the promo code Medspiration for 20% off any Premium subscription!  According to the Proceedings of the National Academy for Sciences (PNAS) of the United States: It has long been presumed that it was NOT possible to voluntarily influence the Autonomic Nervous System & Innate Immune System. In 2014, a peer reviewed study that was published after Wim Hof demonstrated that through practicing the Wim Hof Method (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzCaZQqAs9I&t=1s), a self developed technique that involves a combination of breathing, cold exposure & meditation, the sympathetic nervous system & immune system CAN indeed be voluntarily influenced. Here is the link to this study:(https://www.pnas.org/content/111/20/7379). In today's episode, we're sitting down with the Ice-Man himself! Wim owns 26 official Guinness World Records, all of which are beyond comprehension to most who hear them! In 2007 he climbed 22,000ft up Mount Everest in only shorts & shoes. In 2009 he ran a full marathon in the Arctic circle in temperatures close to -20°C, wearing only a pair of shorts and having not trained at all. In 2011, Wim broke his own cold-endurance record, remaining submerged neck-deep in an ice bath for 112 minutes. The same year he completed another marathon without training, this time in the Namibian desert in temperatures of up to 40°C, without drinking a drop of water!  I made sure to study EVERY peer-reviewed study ever published on Wim before this interview (links to these studies are below). Wim & I discussed how he is revolutionizing medicine & medical science through meditation; How it is possible to use the mind to control the immune system & nervous system; mental health; epi-genetics; & the Science of the Wim Hof Method. P RESEARCH: 2018 Article: “Brain over body”–A study on the willful regulation of autonomic function during cold exposure Authors: O. Muzik, K. Reilly, V. Diwadkar - Wayne State Univeristy School of Medicine Summary: In this paper, a brain imaging study was conducted to measure the relative contributions of the brain and the periphery that endow the Iceman to withstand the cold using his Wim Hof Method techniques. The results provide compelling evidence for the primacy of the brain (CNS) rather than the body (peripheral mechanisms) in mediating the Iceman's responses to cold exposure. They also suggest the compelling possibility that the WHM might allow practitioners to develop higher level of control over key components of the autonomous system, with implications for lifestyle interventions that might ameliorate multiple clinical syndromes. 2015 Article: The Role of Outcome Expectancies for a Training Program Consisting of Meditation, Breathing Exercises, and Cold Exposure on the Response to Endotoxin Administration: a Proof-of-Principle Study Authors: H. van Middendorp, M. Kox, P. Pickkers, A.W.M. Evers - Radboud University Medical Centre Summary: This paper adds to a previous study, published in 2014, on the ability to voluntarily influence the physiological stress response in healthy men to experimentally induced inflammation, after WHM training. It is a proof-of-principle study that investigated how one’s expectancies might play a role in treatment outcome. Indications were found that generalized outcome expectancy optimism is a potential determinant of the autonomic and immune response to induced inflammation after training. 2014 Article: Voluntary Activation of The Sympathetic Nervous System and Attenuation of the Innate Immune Response In HumansAuthors: M. Kox, P. Pickkers et al. - Radboud University Medical Center (published in PNAS) Summary: In this paper, the effects of the Wim Hof Method on the autonomic nervous system and innate immune response are evaluated. A group of twelve people was trained with the Wim Hof Method before undergoing an experiment to induce inflammation, normally resulting in flu-like symptoms. Compared to a control group who were not trained in the Wim Hof Method, the trained participants showed fewer flu-like symptoms, lower levels of proinflammatory mediators, and increased plasma epinephrine levels. In conclusion, the trained group was able to voluntarily activate their sympathetic nervous system.   Article: Controlled Hyperventilation After Training May Accelerate Altitude AcclimatizationAuthors: G. Buijze, M.T. Hopman Summary: This report deals with the effects of the Wim Hof Method on acute mountain sickness (AMS). During an expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro, a group of 26 trekkers who were trained in the Wim Hof Method used the breathing techniques to largely prevent and, if needed, reverse symptoms of AMS.   Article: Frequent Extreme Cold Exposure and Brown Fat and Cold-Induced Thermogenesis: A Study in a Monozygotic TwinAuthors: J. Vosselman, W.D. van Marken-Lichtenbeld - Maastricht University Medical Center Summary: This study tested the effects of a lifestyle with frequent exposure to extreme cold on brown adipose tissue (BAT) and cold-induced thermogenesis (CIT). The experiment compared Wim Hof, who is used to extreme cold exposure, to his monozygotic twin brother who isn’t. Both used a g-Tummo like breathing technique. The results showed no significant difference in BAT or CIT between the two subjects. However, Wim’s core temperature dropped less compared to his brother and his subjective response to the cold temperature was more positive. Furthermore, the body heat generated of both brothers was considerably higher than the average person. Thus, it seems that g-Tummo like breathing during cold exposure might cause additional heat production. 2012  Article: The Influence of Concentration/meditation on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and the Innate Immune Response: A Case Study Authors: M. Kox, M. Hopman, P. Pickkers. et al. - Radboud University Medical Center Summary: This case-study research was conducted after Wim Hof claimed he could influence his autonomic nervous system and thereby his innate immune response. His inflammatory response was measured during an 80-minute full body ice immersion and practicing the Wim Hof Method concentration technique. In addition, an endotoxemia experiment was conducted to study Wim’s in vivo innate immune response. The results showed how the techniques of the Wim Hof Method seemed to evoke a controlled stress response. This response is characterized by sympathetic nervous system activation, which seems to attenuate the innate immune system. Here, Wim Hof proved he was able to influence his a 2009 Letter: Blood tests during meditation and breathing exercises in New York led by Dr. K. Kamler & G. Stewart Summary: During Wim’s world record attempt of full ice immersion wearing only shorts, he swallowed a vital sense monitor capsule to measure his core temperature. His core temperature started at 98.6 °F and dropped to 88 °F after 75 minutes of cold immersion. Remarkably, his temperature rose again to 94 °F within the next 20 minutes. Standard medical dogma states that once your core temperature falls below 90 °F, your body is not able to warm itself again. Thus, if no external source of heat is provided, your temperature will continue to spiral downward and you will eventually die of hypothermia. However, Wim proved he was able to raise his core temperature from 88 °F to 94 °F by using the Wim Hof Method techniques (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4034215/)   2019 - Research currently being conducted: Motivation and Experiences of WHM PractionersRMIT University in Australia has conducted a survey study, exploring the motivation and experiences of Wim Hof Method practitioners worldwide. This will offer insight into 1) the positive impact of practicing the WHM on health & wellbeing and 2) any potential adverse effects, which in turn improves safety protocols. The data is currently being analyzed. Inflammation & PainIn the Netherlands, Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen is completing a new study about the effects of the various components of the WHM on inflammation and pain. Metabolic ActivityKenkodo Metabolomic Discoveries in Germany is working closely with Radboud UMC. They are analyzing blood samples that have been taken by Radboud UMC in previous studies. Using this data, they seek to deepen the understanding of the metabolic activity in blood cells when practicing the WHM. Its various parameters can provide new insight into shifts in metabolic rate. Auto-immune DiseaseThe Amsterdam Medical Centre (AMC) in the Netherlands is conducting a study into the effects of the WHM on inflammation and quality of life of people with Spondylitis. Brain ActivityWayne State University in Michigan, USA, is measuring the effect of the WHM on brain activity. This research consists of 2 parts: 1. Effects of isolated cold exposure 2. Effects of cold exposure combined with WHM breathing exercises and mind-set Hof wore a water perfusion suit, which continuously pumps ice cold water in and out of tubes in the suit, while lying in fMRI and PET machines. They also monitored his heart and metabolic rates. “I was heating the water at first,” he said.  Please subscribe to our podcast & rate it 5 stars!  You can find Wim Hof on Social Media: Instagram: @iceman_hof YouTube: Wim Hof Facebook: Wim Hof Wim's website: https://www.wimhofmethod.com

We've all been in pain at one time or another. But for some, pain is a regular part of their everyday life. There is no escape. There is no cure. There are only degrees of how bad the pain may be from hour to hour. This week, Teresa Page-Ayala returns to discuss her own battle with chronic pain and the ways that has shaped her faith and her ministry.  Chronic pain is on the rise. Tune in to hear one woman's story and learn how you may be able to help someone you care about. Find out more about The Road Home to You and additional resources and links at our website.  To find us on social media click the links below: Facebook  Instagram  Pinterest  Drop us an email with questions or show ideas HERE  Special thanks to James Swanson and James Page for their help on our theme song, "The Long Road Home" written by Brandy J. Goebel. Copyright 2018. Recorded on location in Seaside, Or. Edited and produced by Brandy J. Goebel at 4Gs Studios in Sandy, Or. 2019.

Today's episode talks about an invisible demon that affects our daily lives. Gnawing pain, sharp pain and everything in between.  Jael gets sick with swine flu and never fully recovers.  He talks about his frustrations with his day to day activities and is diagnosed with fibromyalgia.  Kate develops ankylosing spondylitis which shatters her career. She discovers a creative outlet that she can do from home.   #fibromyalgia #ankylosing spondylitis #swineflu

I wanted to let you know what this new episode up front I screwed up a little bit and I used the wrong microphone to record it. So when you hear this it's going to sound a little distant because I was using a microphone a little bit farther from me than my normal microphone. So I do apologize about the sound quality of this particular episode. Enjoy.  Hello, Happy New Year and welcome to this episode of The Ankylosing Spondylitis Podcast. In this latest podcast, I want to do something a little bit different today and I was searching around on the internet and I came across from a website called healthline.com and article by Elaine Rushnell.  No, not really an article but 29 things only someone with Ankylosing Spondylitis would understand. So I thought I would kind of review this and go through it and apply it to myself hoping that when you hear listen to it, you can take these 29 items and apply them to yourself if they've affected you, or somebody that you know, one. Number 1 First of all; learn how to pronounce it is kind of important. I've had AS for 35 plus years, and I've said it wrong for most of that time, it is Ankylosing Spondylitis. I've said it many years for Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is wrong. It's Ankylosing Spondylitis. So I've had some feedback on that to the folks that have listened to it and heard me say it wrong. I apologize. I am trying better. It's an old habit that I'm trying to break. But it is, you know, one of the main things is first learning how to pronounce it so you can better educate anybody that's you're talking to. Number two, and I kind of liked this one. It made me laugh, “Is learn to spell it will make you feel very smart. ‘That's the truth. Nobody could spell this correctly. I shouldn't say that, it's challenging when people that don't have it or have never heard of it see it written out. They all kind of just take a look at it, like it's a dinosaur. Something that you're writing like, you know, some major Latin sentence. What it is that and even if you go to try to put something on Instagram, you'll notice that there are two hash tags for Ankylosing Spondylitis, one of them with the L and the Y reversed. So both come up. You can use both. I do, but it is Ankylosing, and then Spondylitis, as I'm sure most of you are familiar with. Number three; you can make 1 and 2 a whole lot easier by calling it AS. Most of us do, It's a lot easier and people don't necessarily know what AS is. But that's where you can go in and explain what 1 and 2 a whole lot easier by calling it AS.  Number four. If you have as you could try to blame your Uncle Joe or your Aunt Mary or anybody, if they have it, it's sometimes genetic. For me. I'm like, really the second-generation family member here in the United States. My family hasn't been here that long, since the early 1900s. So we don't know anybody going back or we don't know very much about it. But from talking to folks, that doesn't appear to be anybody in the past that has it. So was I just a lucky one? Who knows? I'd rather be lucky and get a Powerball ticket. But hey, I guess got this. So you just take it and do what you can do with it. So if you have family history, diagnosis, if you had an aunt or an uncle that always had a sore back, maybe they had it if they walked hunched over, or had a sore hip all the time or got confined to a wheelchair and the family, never do Maybe it was Ankylosing Spondylitis and you can better look back at what they dealt with lack of meds or any issues they might have encountered. So for your family, if you do have it, keep track of it going forward so that anybody at the future might know what's going on. Really also be interested has anybody done any of these genetic testing's, 23 and me or any of them to look at any in depth of genetic information? If you've done them, I would love to hear from you. Let me know what the results were what they were... Support this podcast

It was a shared love for the 70s rock band, Dire Straits, that first formed a friendship between Dr. Nigil Haroon and UHN’s Dr. Robert Inman. At the time, Dr. Haroon was finishing up his rheumatology training in Lucknow, India. Dr. Inman was visiting the country for a rheumatology conference and when Dr. Haroon told him he had no strong plans for his next move, Dr. Inman asked him to consider coming to Canada. “Now, our labs are together,” says Dr. Haroon, who is currently a scientist at the Krembil Research Institute. “Most of our projects are interlinked, and our lab meetings we do together, so we bounce ideas off each other. It's a great environment to be working with the Spondylitis team and Professor Rob Inman.” You are listening to UHN Home, where we're telling stories to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. Every week, we'll tell you the stories of people who came from all around the world and stories of people whose families have called Canada home for thousands of years. They all work at the nation's largest research hospital: the University Health Network. Produced by: Ana Gajic and Andrew Berthiaume Cover art by: Jose Ongpin Editing, production and storyboarding support for the series: Jarrett Churchill, Brianne Tulk, Danielle Pereira, Jessie Park, Jolson Lim, and Erica Ngao Theme Music:  Royalty-free from: Whitesand

Overview of Low Back Pain Dr. Rosenblum gives a preview of his Premium Low Back Pain Board Review Podcast This Free episode features terms relevant to identifying and treating painful back disorders. Disc Herniation Disc Extrusion Protrusion Mobic Changes Sponylolithesis Spondylitis   Download our iphone App! Download our Android App! For the Full Version Click Here For more information on Pain Management Topics and keywords Go to PainExam.com David Rosenblum, MD specializes in Pain Management and is the Director of Pain Management at Maimonides Medical Center and AABP Pain Managment For evaluation and treatment of a Painful Disorder, go to www.AABPPain.com 718 436 7246 DISCLAIMER: Doctor Rosenblum IS HERE SOLELY TO EDUCATE, AND YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL YOUR DECISIONS AND ACTIONS IN RESPONSE TO ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. This podcasts is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physician to a particular patient or specific ailment.  You should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to yours or another's health.  You understand that this podcast is not intended as a substitute for consultation with a licensed medical professional.    Copyright © 2015 QBazaar.com, LLC  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.           References Benzon, HT.  Essentionals of Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia. Second ed. 

Different approaches can offer new perspectives on healing autoimmunity. Acupuncturist and herbalist Anne Angelone shares ideas from both Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine. From the inner tradition of Chinese Medicine comes the idea of medicine as an aid to spiritual evolution and the importance of looking at what you are identified with. Functional Medicine brings in the physical testing to find and address underlying causes. Practical tips include using breath to regulate chi and use the autoimmune protocol to address nutritional imbalances and help heal the gut and mucosal immunity. Anne shares her own personal experience of struggling with undiagnosed ankylosing spondylitis and what has helped in her healing journey. Show notes available at http://aiadventures.com. Support the show by subscribing in iTunes and leaving a review. Thank you! Julie Stiles, creator and host of Autoimmune Adventures

THE HEALING AND MIRACLE PODCASTwith Prince HandleyWWW.PRINCEHANDLEY.COM HEALING FROM BACKPAIN~ A MIRACLE PODCAST PRODUCTION ~  You can listen to this podcast NOW. Click the center of the Libsyn pod circle at top left. Listen now ... or download for later  Or, LISTEN HERE >>> LISTEN NOW  After you listen to this message, you can scroll down for all messages previously in the LibSyn Archives (with Show Notes).  Email this message to a friend!  24/7 release of Prince Handley blogs, teachings, and podcasts >>> STREAM   Text: "follow princehandley" to 40404 (in USA)  Or, Twitter: princehandley  Subscribe to THE APOSTLES E-zine newsletter: princehandley@gmail.com  _____________________________________________________________  DESCRIPTION: There are many types, as well as causes, of back pain. Also, there are severities ranging from moderate to extreme … and some, life threatening. Many people suffer for years with a condition that could have been taken care of in a short time … and some, instantly. God is the Healer and the Creator – and by virtue of this fact – He knows exactly what you need. There is nothing wrong with going to physicians or seeking medical help or advice.   But what we should do is seek the LORD first to see what He wants us to do. He may want to heal us by His sovereign power, over a period of time, or instantaneously. _____________________________________________________________  HEALING FROM BACKPAIN~ A MIRACLE PODCAST PRODUCTION ~ MUSIC / INTRO There are many types, as well as causes of, back pain. There is neck pain, upper back pain, mid and lower back pain, and then the sacrum related coditions at the base of the spine. You have probably heard someone complain of sciatica which is caused by irritation ot the nerve roots that lead to the sciatic nerve coming out of the spinal cord in the lower back. A bulging or ruptured disc is usually the primary culprit is such a condition. However, there can be other conditions involved. Arthritis can cause bone spurs which can cause or exacerbate sciatica. Also, an injury can cause compression of the nerve roots. There are several other causes for sciatica, and the source of the irritation will usually dictate the treatment prescribed: physical therapy, medicine and sometimes surgery. Be very careful of exercise regimen with any type of back condtion, especially spinal related, as you could be aggravating the situation. Always check with your medical professional concerning any type of workouts, exercise and even stretching. CAUTION: There is a condition known as Cauda Equina Syndrome which you might think is sciatica; however, it is very dangerous and without a MIRACLE from God may require urgent surgical treatment. It's symptoms can be similar to sciatica, and causes can be: A severe ruptured disk in the lumbar area (the most common cause). Narrowing of the spinal canal (stenosis). A spinal lesion or tumor. A spinal infection, inflammation, hemorrhage, or fracture. A complication from a severe lumbar spine injury such as a car crash, fall, gunshot, or stabbing. A birth defect such as an abnormal connection between blood vessels. There are types of bone pain attributed to bone fusion or where the vertebrae grow over. One such conditon is known as Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). It affects the spine with pain and stiffness from the neck down to the lower back and does not necessarily confine itself to older people; it happens most often to teenagers and men in their twenties, and is characterized by stiffness from the neck down to the lower back, and can result in a rigid spine. Back pain can be caused from injury, work, poor posture (sitting or standing), sports and recreation. But … the Good News is that YOU can be healed of back pain! You may be thinking … or saying … “I've had this condition for years!” Well, let me tell you, my friend, that Jesus, the Healer, has been healing for years! There are some practical things you can do to help your situation: 1. Exercise (check with a medical professional before starting an exercise or stretching regimen); 2. Take proper nutrition and supplements; 3. Get the required amount of sunshine (for Vitamin D); 4. Rest your body and your mind. 5. Take advantage of physical helps like the “Teeter HangUps” inversion table. This helps reverse the effects of gravity and disc compression. (Check with your medical professional before using.) The scope of this teaching is NOT to discuss specific types of therapy or treatments, but rather to present an alternative solution to problems that you or a loved one may be experiencing with back related issues.You can be healed today...NOW...by calling on the name of the LORD:  Who forgives all your sins, and Who heals all your diseases [Psalm 103:3]  The LORD's healing nature never changes.  It is God's will to heal you! Remember the lady in the Bible who was bent over for 18 years? “And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together (bent over), and could not in anyway lift herself up. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” (Matthew 13:11-13) _____________   MY TESTIMONIES I am completely back pain FREE at this time in my life … and I have been on Planet Earth for quite a while! My advice to you – especially if you know the Great Physician, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus, the Messiah) – is: NEVER GIVE UP! I went for 13 years with terrible back pain. I don't know what caused it. I was a varsity wrestler in school, but I don't remember any happenings that would have caused (the devil's) pain. (I say “the devil's pain” because it was NOT my pain; it was pain the devil wanted me to have!) Also, I had been in NO serious accidents, not even small ones. By God's grace I have never had a broken bone in my lifetime. I have claimed the scripture for years (a prophetic one about Messiah Jesus' death on the cross) that says, “He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.” (Psalm 34:20) Here is how I was healed. My pain was so bad and so aggravating. I had been to a chiropractor years before and had learned or remembered how he had “fixed” my back to alleviate pain. So, I would lie on the floor and try to “fix” my back the way the chiropractor did. I was miserable, and it got worse and worse! I was addicted to”cracking” my back. I probably was compounding the situation. It was such a miserable condition … and, to make matters worse, at that time in my life I did NOT know about the healing power of Christ! Finally, I began to wonder if the situation was NOT a physical problem, but possibly a “spirit” problem; in other words, a “spirit of affliction” sent by the devil to plague me while I was trying to do God's work! To give you an idea of how bad the situation was, if I were in a business environment where I had never been before, I would look to see if the receptionist stepped out of the office so I could lie on the floor and “crack” my back. I was miserable! One day as I was on the floor ready to “crack” my back, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said, “Why don't you let me take care of that for you?!” Wow! I knew exactly what He meant. Instead of ME trying to fix the problem and compounding it each time I “cracked” my back, the Holy Spirit wanted to FIX it. It was such a temptation because when – and immediately after – I would “crack” my back, I would feel so much better … until it started hurting again! I really had to resist “cracking” my back … but realized at the same time, I didn't want to go through that all of my life. So … I said, “OK, Holy Spirit, I give this problem – this back condition – to You!” That was it, it was over. PRAISE GOD! That was many years ago. Another time, I experienced extreme pain in my upper back below my shoulder. It was not a spinal problem, but it would hurt so badly that I would cry. I asked God different times to either heal me or take me home to Heaven! I went to medical doctors, I went to specialists, I went to physical therapy … nothing worked. I even told two of the doctors I had that I asked the LORD, “Either heal me or take me to Heaven,” so they would know how bad the situation was. Nothing worked! Finally, one night while travelling in another area of the country, before I went to bed, I prayed to God and said, “Father, you can just send an Angel to touch me and I will be healed.” That night, while I was sleeping, I was awakened with a loud “POP” in my back where the problem had been. It was so loud it awakened me. And I was perfectly healed. I have never had that problem since, and never will, thank God … and thank the Holy Angel that God sent to touch me. Yes, “Touched by an Angel” has a special meaning to me! _____________ PRAISE is also an important remedy for back pain. 1. It lifts up and straightens the spinal column and relaxes it from a “stooped” condition. Learn to practice praise to God several times a day for at least 30 seconds. 2. God lives in the praise of His people. “But You are holy, O You that inhabits the praises of Israel.” (Psalm 22:3)3. The anointing breaks the yoke. Since God lives in the praise of His people, there is an anointing present with true praise, which can break an “assigned” attack on the body, mind or spirit. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” (Isaiah 10:27)4. Praise brings victory. King Jehoshaphat and the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem won a large battle utilising praise. (Read 2 Chronicles Chapter 20, verses 1-30 in the Tanakh.) _____________ CHECK THIS OUT:  An Egyptian friend of mine, Magdy Girgis, was a member of our Board of Directors. He worked for Hughes Aircraft as did several Christians who had been Baptized in the Holy Spirit, all of which spoke in tongues. They had Bible studies together every morning before work and also at luch time. One day a man named Warren Meisenbach, who worked in the Engineering Department, came to their Bible study at lunch. Warren was NOT a believer and he asked them, “What's this born again stuff you keep talking about?” Warren had been a “hunch back” for 15 years (like the lady in the Bible I discussed earlier who had been bent over 18 years). Warren received Christ as his Lord that day, and asked the men to lay hands on him for healing. Instantly … they could hear his back "cracking' like: POP, POP, POP. He was perfectly straightend in a normal position. (See Note #3 at bottom to listen to a podcast of this MIRACLE.) When he went home his wife was dumbfounded because he was not only “straightened” but smiling for the first time in years! Jesus is the Healer … the Great Physician. Will you let Him heal YOU? If you want to meet the Healer, Yeshua HaMashiach – Jesus the Anointed One – NOW is the time!  Invite God’s Son, Yeshua, to come into your life by praying the following prayer: "Messiah Jesus, I know that you are The Great Physician. You loved me enough to shed your sinless blood and die for me on the cross stake that I might be healed.   I know you are alive. Please forgive my sins, come into my life, and be my Master. Help me to live for you, and take me to Heaven when I die." _____________ I have selected three (2) books which will help you to know how to deal with back pain, and any type of pain – so you can live PAIN FREE and serve God – and enjoy life the way God wants you to. Here they are … just click on the image.     _____________ ADDENDUM I have seen many people healed by the LORD of back pain, back conditions and paralysis. I have witnessed many people walking out of their wheel chairs. I was holding a three day seminar and I had asked the people present to join me in prayer and fasting for the last day as I was going to teach on healing. A man was present who had been in a wheel chair for nine years due to two conditions: 1. A large 18 wheel semi-tractor truck had run into his automobile and he had five breaks in his spine; 2. He had muscular dystrophy. During Holy Communion he walked out of his wheel chair and never went back! Two years later, he gave his testimony in a large Presbyterian church and hundreds of people fell out of their seats under the Power of the Holy Spirit. NEVER GIVE UP! _____________ Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai Your friend, Prince Handley President / Regent University of Excellence MUSIC Podcast time: 17 minutes, 45 seconds (with music) NOTES: 1. Healing and Miracle Podcast – Source A: www.healing.libsyn.com 2. Healing and Miracle Podcast – Source B: www.hmpodcast.wordpress.com 3. To listen to the account of the hunchback being healed, go here: POP-POP   Copyright 2014 Prince Handley All rights reserved. ________________________________________ Real Miracles ResourcesPrince Handley BooksFree Bible & Rabbinical StudiesFAST READS24/7 Prince Handley Blogs, Podcasts & Teachings _________________________________________  Handley WORLD SERVICES Incorporated Box 1001 Bonsall, California 92003 USA NOTE: Scroll down for ALL previous podcasts.    

Matt Pressman, an Alexander Technique teacher in Delray Beach, Florida, talks with Robert Rickover about his experience with spondylitis, and how the Alexander Technique helped with relieving chronic pain. Matt's website: decompressbackpain.com Robert teaches in Lincoln, Nebraska and Toronto, Canada. Website: alexandertechniquenebraska.com. More information about the Alexander Technique: alexandertechnique.com

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden therapeutische und immunmodulatorische Effekte einer TNF-Blockade bei Patienten mit aktiver Spondylitis ankylosans untersucht. Hierzu wurde an 10 Patienten während einer 60wöchigen Infliximabtherapie eine Evaluation von Therapiewirksamkeit und -sicherheit, sowie eine durchflusszytometrische Analyse der HLA-Oberflächenexpression auf Lymphozyten vorgenommen. Von 8 Patienten wurde die Therapie ohne ernste Nebenwirkungen gut vertragen und führte zur raschen und dauerhaften Verbesserung der klinischen, laborchemischen und radiologischen Verlaufsparameter. Ein Patient entwickelte nach initialer Wirksamkeit ein sekundäres Therapieversagen, bei einem weiteren Patienten wurde die Therapie unter dem Verdacht eines medikamentös induzierten Lupus-Syndroms abgebrochen. Gegen Mitte des Behandlungszeitraumes konnte ein am deutlichsten auf den B-Lymphozyten ausgeprägter Anstieg der HLA-B27- und MHC-Klasse-I-Expression beobachtet werden. Die Expressionszunahme ist möglicherweise Ausdruck immunmodulatorischer Effekte, die mit der langfristigen Therapiewirksamkeit assoziiert sind. Für die Zunahme der Oberflächenexpression kommen folgende Mechanismen in Frage: 1. eine vermehrte intravasale Kompartimentierung primär hoch exprimierender Zellen oder 2. eine durch die TNF-Suppression induzierte Hochregulation einer zuvor niedrigeren HLA-B27-Oberflächenexpression. Angesichts unserer Ergebnisse und der aktuell in der Literatur verfügbaren Daten halten wir letzteren Mechanismus für wahrscheinlicher. Innerhalb dieses Erklärungsmodells ist die bei Therapiebeginn niedrigere HLA-B27-Expression bedingt durch die Expression einer verminderten Anzahl von HLA-B27-Molekülen oder aberranter β2m-freier Varianten, die durch die von uns verwendeten konformationsabhängigen Antikörpern nicht detektierbar sind. Unter Hemmung des TNF-Einflusses kommt es schließlich zur schrittweisen Wiederherstellung der physiologischen Prozessierung trimolekularer HLA-B27-Oberflächenantigene mit konsekutiv vermehrter AK-Bindung. Eine verminderte oder aberrante HLA-B27-Expression ist möglicherweise mit immunmodulatorischen Effekten im Sinne einer erhöhten Zelldepletion assoziiert. Durch die Reexpression trimolekularer HLA-B27-Moleküle wird die Interaktion zwischen immunkompetenten Zellen und HLA-B27-positiven Zellen beeinflusst, wodurch das Zellüberleben begünstigt wird. Dieser Erklärungsansatz ist vereinbar mit dem gegenwärtig favorisierten pathogenetischen Modell der fehlerhaften HLA-B27-Prozessierung und der derzeit diskutierten Beteiligung von TNF bei der Manifestation der AS.