Acid reflux is in the news again

Acid reflux has been in the news again. A few years back I used to wake in the night with a terrible burning sensation at the back of my throat. It used to make me cough and feel nauseated.

My GP sent me for a procedure at hospital known as Endoscopy. This is when a small flexible tube is sent down via your esophagus into your stomach to see what the problem is. In my case it was a stomach ulcer, which can be treated with this hospital procedure followed by some medication, and everything was then fine.

If anyone is about to have this procedure and your are worried or anxious about it please let me know, as I can reassure you that there is no need to worry.

So what can you do from a natural point of view to help acid reflux?
If you want to eliminate acid reflux, start eating more food that has living enzymes. Eat organic, fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.

More Myths About Illness and Couples

More myths about illness and couples

I eagerly invite you to add your myths to this list. Maybe when we make them visible, we won't feel so constrained by them.


1) Grief happens after your partner dies.

So very not true. Grief becomes a part of the ongoing illness experience - at first diagnosis, with each little slide downhill, with each recurrence of symptoms, each time you can't do what you used to do together. And grief takes a different shape at all of these moments of awareness of loss. Grief after death has its own shape and may be different for each person.

2) Don't tell the children, protect them from the reality of the parent's illness.

It all depends - on their age and maturity and their history with loss. However, children KNOW! They are empathic sponges and absorb tiny changes in the family ecosphere. The know something troubling is happening -- they just don't know what it is. Finding the right way to tell them can be healing for all. It allows the family to join together and find strength in each other instead of standing apart protecting a secret.

3) Don't tell your partner how bad you're feeling, it will only make it harder for him/her.

It depends on the relationship. If it's a suck-y one and telling won't get you any compassion or may result in your partner mocking you for your "weakness," then not telling may be the right thing. But if this is the kind of relationship you're living in, perhaps the harshness of it is only adding to your stress. It may be time to consider therapy.

If your relationship is generally a close, supportive one, then your partner already KNOWS something is wrong. Like the children in myth #2, your partner can probably tell from the way you breath or move that something is going on -- he/she just doesn't know what. By not telling you cheat both of you of the opportunity to hold each other, comfort each other, and carry the worry together (which usually tends to make it lighter).

4) Retreating from the relationship means rejection of your partner.

Au contraire. Who can be with their partner all the time - in health or in sickness? The ill partner may need some alone time to focus all their energy on getting better - physically, emotionally, or spiritually. The well partner may need some alone time to regenerate and engage in activities to restore his/her stamina. The trick is to make sure you tell your partner, out loud, that you are taking some alone time so you can get stronger and have more to bring back to the relationship. Putting this into words will help prevent your partner feel accompanied, not rejected.

Seven Myths About Couples and Illness

I first blogged the 7 myths on this list a year ago. Since then I have stumbled over several more which I'll post over the next few weeks.

I eagerly invite you to add your own myths to the list.

7 Myths About Couples & Illness:

1. Love is all you need (sorry, not true John Lennon)
2. It's better to keep busy and not dwell on the illness (sometimes yes and sometimes no. Partners need to cue each other when they need distraction and when they need to talk about illness)
   
3. Talking about suicide only makes the possibility of doing it stronger (if your partner alludes to suicide and you ignore it, those self destructive feelings won't go away; they'll only go underground)
4. It's better to face the harsh truth rather than sustain fading hope (no one has the inside track on truth or hope)
5. If you cater to your ill partner's needs, you'll be fostering an unhealthy dependency (the dance of couples and illness is about perpetually seeking a balance between meeting each others' needs and supporting each others' strengths and autonomy)
6. Illness trumps intimacy. If one of you is sick and in discomfort, sex drops off the list (intimacy does not de facto equal intercourse. You and your partner need to talk about what is comfortable and what is not)
7. If your partner is sick it's your obligation, your vow, to stay by his/her side, no matter what (this is a very painful issue, and there is no one size fits all answer. Some couples stay together through illness and find new dimensions of loving; some couples stay together and make each other sicker, or at least miserable; some couples who separate find that the physical distance permits greater emotional closeness).

Caregivers and Suicide

excerpted from the Tampa Tribune:

Caregivers may look to suicide

By Gary Joseph LeBlanc

The rate of homicide-suicide in senior adult couples is 50 percent higher than younger adults. Those who suffer from Alzheimer's, the so-called Caregiver-Dependent Homicide-Suicides make up a large percentage of senior deaths. When a couple who has been married for a long period of time becomes totally dependent upon one another and one or both become irreversibly ill, homicide-suicide may appear to be the only answer. Periods of deep depression may trigger feelings of utter hopelessness, especially on the part of the husband who feels helpless in realizing he can no longer fulfill what deems to be his husbandly duties. This usually has the husband initiating the act. Do not interpret this as a suicide pact; this is an act of desperation and hopelessness.

One caregiver resource report showed nearly 60 percent of caregivers experience clinical signs of depression and 40 percent of former caregivers have mild to severe depression which can last up to three years after the patient has died.

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My Commentary:

Honestly, who doesn't think of suicide when you're living with a debilitating chronic condition that sucks the joy and vitality out of your life - whether you're the patient or the caregiver. I know I have found myself in moments of unrelenting pain thinking about death as the only cure. Having the option of suicide always available ironically allowed me to chose life -- because I knew that death was within a few pill's reach away. I could always swallow that handful tomorrow.

I would really like to know - have you ever considered suicide as your "cure?" What kept you from doing it? What thoughts ran through your mind that made you chose life?

More natural cures for disease

Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) is a natural healing spice traditionally used by both Indian and Chinese systems of medicine to treat inflammations and cure sprains. It contains a yellow pigment curcumin, an active ingredient that has been used for centuries.

The curcuminoids in Turmeric are a group of phenolic acids that have been found to have unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They retard age-related diseases by preventing free radical damage, inhibit the growth of cancer cells, protect the Liver from toxins, help to dissolve gallstones, and alleviate joint swelling.

Studies with HIV patients have shown that turmaric also has a beneficial effect in the treatment of AIDS.






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What are the Little Things that Make a Big Difference?

The long haul of chronic illness can be back breaking work, for both partners. It certainly takes a physical toll. Couples know too well the exhaustion of dealing with symptoms and daily responsibilities, which don't wait for flare ups to quiet down. Illness certainly takes a psychological toll as roles shift and communication channels get clogged with emotional static.

Sometimes it doesn't take a big thing to break the tension and reduce the stress. Sometimes a very little thing can create a momentary oasis whose restfulness and beauty can then trickle back and lighten the ordinary for a while.

For me it's making sure we always say good night to each other, out loud and with intention. It's also laughing together, about anything, especially something silly or raunchy.

What about you? What are the little things that make a big difference?

Yet another possible cancer cure

Scientists in the Department of Urology at the New York Medical ­Collegehave found that the Maitake Mushroom can shrink tumours by as much as 75%. The latest study is published in the ­British Journal of Urology.

The breakthrough could have major ­implications for two of Britain’s biggest ­cancer killers and lead to new treatments. It is hoped that the mushroom could help victims of prostate and bladder cancers, these two cancers claim the lives of 15,000 victims every year in the UK. Maitake mushrooms are common in Chinese and ­Japanese cooking and have also been used to treat blood pressure and liver disease.