Uggghh. Aunty has recently had bouts with vertigo. I try to “ride” it out – the way you ride a rollercoaster and try to just go with the flow of the ride rather than jump off. I know it will stop soon, and then I can relax.
The wonder of our bodies is that it gives us signals when something is not right. I usually don’t go to the doctor, but this made me go get a checkup. Dr. Lana Arakaki (great new doctor) did a simple test in the room, and yup, I had BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) on one side. The good news is that it is treatable with exercise (the exercise that makes it happen will help it go away) and she gave me little pills that help with motion sickness.
I always have had anemia, and thought that was the problem. However, my blood sugar and cholesterol levels are now quite high. I also have horrible calcium levels of an old lady with osteoporosis. Very strange – could it be my poor eating and exercise habits as well as my near addiction to chocolates, cheetos, and coca cola are wearing on my poor body? Boohoo. It is time to pay attention.
One of the BEST suggestions was to get massages to reduce the stress in my body. I went to Dick Murakami of Hikari Massage on King Street. 955-5125. OMG, he is absolutely the best shiatsu masseuse I have ever had. I plan on returning, and making massage a part of my life not only for the benefits, but for the sheer and wonderful pleasure of it. Heaven on the floor.
My TaiChi sensei sent me info from Master Hong. According to Master Hong , vertigo is due to lack of oxygen to the brain. One should check sugar level. Kidney and Liver – imbalance. Kidney- on the physical level –affects bone marrow–bone–oxygen to the bain. Liver -is in excess (migranes) deficiency – dizziness. Recommended exercise : Liver, Gallbladder and Kidney Healing Qigong exercises. I shall be looking into these.
I will now dig out my Nikken machine that whirls water into a tornado and oxygenates water. I used to drink that all the time, but stopped for a few years. There may be a lot of truth in my body and brain needing oxygen. The oxygenated water makes me fart for the first week or so, and then it gets used to it. Good stuff.
Dietary changes, exercise, oxygen, and massage. It’s about time I started doing what is good for me, not just what I like to do. For this, too, shall pass. Thank you body, for the wake up call.
[after about a week, I feel back to normal with just slight episodes of vertigo when I turn a certain way on the bed or get up from the bed or chair. It feels great to be near normal again. It is like being given a second chance to do what needs to be done.]
Here is my daily regime. I still have my coffee with cream (a little less cream now) and my bowl Honey Bunches of Oats cereal for breakfast like I have for the last 20 years. I now eat fruit if it is on the table that Uncle cuts. With my breakfast, I take one tablet of Super Food 100 from the American Botanical Company. This provides me with the good green nutrients that I lack because of my lack of vegetables in my diet, as well as vitamins. Very natural stuff.
I need to do more exercise, so I shall, though I am taking a little break from TaiChi right now until I feel 100% stable. TaiChi and Master Hong’s Body Pyramid exercises are my kind of speed, since I am not a aerobics kind of person (though it would be good if I were).
Midday, I take one tablet of Protect, again from the American Botanical Company. Protect is for people like me who do not eat the proper diet, and don’t exercise as much as they should. It is cheating in a way, but it suits the situation for now. We also give the dogs some of it sprinkled on their food every day. I have noticed that they seem to be younger – more spring in their step, more alertness, less sluggishness.
In the afternoon, I take another Super Food tablet (if I remember). I also try to eat healthier – less fatty stuff, cut down on my Coca Cola addiction, eat more vegetables, limit my candy eating. I am not doing it cold turkey, but just cutting back and improving my habits a little. Maybe a little more next time if my physical exam does not show enough improvement.
I also go out and water my grass and garden more – good to get away from the computer and workroom and gets some sunshine and fresh air. A daily walk shall become part of my life soon.
At dinner, I take a capsule of Intestinal Correctional #1, again from the American Botanical Company. This is one of the absolute best thing I have found that has probably kept me healthy for all these years of poor eating, pooping and exercise habits. I have adjusted the daily dose down to one capsule – and I am good to go every morning. You know what I mean when I say “go”. I go to the toilet. Good stuff.
I still have to figure out what to do for my very low calcium levels (-3.9) which is osteoporosis. I shall start to drink black tea from Master Hong to lower my cholesterol. [I have also discovered Strontium, recommended by Aunty’s professor of nutrition friends.]
Update: Aunty’s vertigo has gone away. Massages every three weeks have made Aunty feel pampered and spoiled. I do believe the vertigo was brought on by a slight cold and a stressed out body. My routine massages are the solution, and I am sticking to that story with pleasure!