ME/CFS Holistic CoachThe way I manage my energy nowadays has become pretty unconscious. If you count both episodes of this illness I’ve had over 8 years of practise. But it all comes down to a few guiding principles. 1. Awareness of energy level Because of the way my energy level can change on a daily basis, … Read more
Here are another couple of breathing and meditation practices taken from my book. Deep breathing is the foundation stone for relaxation and can be a very useful skill to employ at times of stress and anxiety. It is also the basis for more complex breathing exercises such at the complete breath and rhythmic breathing which … Read more
Following on from last week’s theme of acceptance I want to explore the concept of hope. I believe that it is possible to reach an acceptance of a long term debilitating illness whilst retaining hope that one day your health and quality of life will improve significantly. Hope and acceptance are not mutually exclusive. In … Read more
The word acceptance often prompts very mixed reactions amongst sufferers of ME/CFS. Many people argue that we should fight for better medical treatment and more research, not just accept that we have a long term illness and get on with it. Others confuse acceptance with resignation and see it lying hand in hand with misery … Read more
How many of us used to eat on the run? Walking along the street between meetings? Standing up in the kitchen? Gulping food down quickly without really chewing it? Or munching on something whilst focusing all our attention on something else, be it work, a computer screen or a TV? Digestion is a complicated … Read more
It’s hard to understand the value of health until it’s lost so when it is, it can be hard to imagine what role gratitude has to play. But for me gratitude plays a really important role in choosing to be happy despite having a long term illness. Happiness isn’t about what life throws at us; … Read more
Following on from my post about the benefits of mediation I’d like to share with you the basics of my meditation practice. I always start with a breathing exercise called ‘alternative nostril breathing’ to help settle me down ready for the meditation proper In a comfortable straight backed position (lying or sitting) use your right … Read more
A couple of weeks ago I was tweeted by a 14 year old who’s consultant wanted her to return to school 3hrs a day and who was worried she wouldn’t cope. Because of the 140 character limit to tweeting I asked her if I could email her more suggestions, as I still haven’t received her … Read more
I became suspicious that a yeast overgrowth might be involved in my gut problems (see previous post for a full discussion of ME/CFS and gut health) when I became immediately windy and very soon bloated after eating anything with sugar in it. I soon started to have a similar reaction to wheat with the addition … Read more
There has been quite a lot of confusion about the involvement of gut problems in ME/CFS. Many, but not all, sufferers report problems with food intolerances or IBS, and both Coeliac disease and Candida overgrowth have been claimed as the cause of ME/CFS. When I was first ill I read a book claiming candida overgrowth … Read more
