vitamin D... continued

So, I was advised by a herbalist of where I could get a 'cheap' Vitamin D test done - City Hospital, Birmingham, for £28.  You can find it online, pay the money, and they send a kit.  You then need to prick your finger with a special blade, and drop 4/5 drops on their special sheet.  NB, the drop needs to be quite large, but shouldn't incorporate several drops - that may mess up the test somehow (it wasn't quite clear how unfortunately since I had small drops and added a bit of blood here and there to make the size bigger).  The website link is:  http://www.vitamindtest.org.uk.

You need to do the test on a weekday so that they can get it and return in the week.  I guess the blood may get too old and not fresh otherwise to do the test.  So, Monday to Wednesday are probably good days, and post as early as you can to have good chance of getting through quickly and for the next day.

I was heartened to get the result back (early August), with just into 'normal' range (51, and normal is 50-200).  This is encouraging since a test I had a few months ago was 35, and before that last year sometime 49.

It is hard to know cause and effect, but I have made a lot of effort to get in the Sun when it shines, with a fair amount of skin exposed.  I've also kept going with trying to increase oily fish (eg mackerel, salmon, sardines) and greens as well as seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame) in my diet.   I had already given up coffee, tea and alcohol round October 2016, in the thinking that that too might be having adverse effects in allowing for uptake of Calcium etc for bone.  (I have since gone back to having some of these 3 latter drinks from time to time, but so far not as frequently as when I gave them up last year).

I offer you these thoughts in case helpful.  It seems encouraging that the Vitamin D level has gone up to within normal range, if still rather low.  It's also worth noting we are now in Summer, so a concern that it will fall again in Winter.  Something to watch - perhaps I will have another Vitamin D test in about 3 months to monitor.

Next steps may be to review my exercise some more - eg include more 'weight-bearing' exercise which is meant to be good for bone.  This might include jogging; skipping is also considered to be very good for bone.  My herbalist also recommended mini-trampolining which has been fashionable, but I can't imagine how I could include that into the space I have so probably not an option.

Feel free to post any thoughts you have in the Comments section.

best wishes,

Catherine. 

getting older?

Most of us fear getting older, losing physical mobility, getting ill, and 'losing our marbles'.  Not sure how the latter would fare in a language/ political correctness test, but still.

How do we handle this - for ourselves, and for our friends or relatives?  Where is the conversation that tells someone they are going to have/ should have a mental health assessment?  Can they / might they refuse?  What to do if they do?  Where is  the conversation where we discuss with a parent that they may have dementia?  How to start such a conversation?  Should one avoid such a conversation?  Can it help to acknowledge this sort of thing?  Might it not be the end of the world?

More questions than answers, perhaps.

However, to consider some of these issues.

It seems to me important, and ethical, to inform, and consult, people of what is happening.  There is the issue of giving notice of an event - a week ahead, a day ahead, an hour ahead, a moment ahead.  And what it may comprise.  And could it be helpful to be accompanied.

Is there a definitive diagnosis for dementia?  Do people avoid the term?  Perhaps dementia is a collection of symptoms which when taken together is known as dementia.  Knowing this, can this help inform the best way to help someone manage and care for themselves as far as is possible.  Where is the boundary with 'no longer possible'?

I'm using this post as an opportunity to open up discussion and thinking around issues that have come up for me recently.  By discussion, we may find good ways to handle these kinds of issues, to go forward, and be the best support for people who may be struggling, consciously or not, with issues of mental health and dementia.

Please add any thoughts or comments below.

lavender .. for burns

Talking with some people yesterday, one said she liked to grow herbs, and froze some like chives for future use.  I asked if she used them for 'medicinal' purposes and she looked a bit blank.  Having burned myself recently, I've been thinking about natural ways to help post burn, and become aware of lavender being widely considered as 'good' for burns.

Discussing this with a colleague yesterday, she was completely familiar with the idea, and said that aromatherapy had got going on a case where someone burned themselves (about 200 years ago) and plunged their burnt hand into a bowl of what happened to be lavender essential oil.  (I wonder what he was doing that meant he happened to have that nearest to hand?).

Anyway, apparently his hand made a really good recovery with no scars.

I have also wondered how to apply - diluted? better as oil or water?  But not found really clear or consistent guidance on this.  So a bit of 'try it and see'. 

I put a few drops in a bath, and put the recovering burned foot in briefly (not for too long since the water was a bit warm), and that seemed OK.  Also added a few drops to a smaller jug of warm water, and dipped affected part in it.

I've been using fresh aloe a lot to help - this seems widely considered to be good for burns.  Today I put a drop of lavender oil on the cut open aloe, and applied it to the c 6 day old second degree burn - to the healing area - not to the area which I knocked the blister cover away from a few days ago, which seemed a bit raw.  I had thought it might be a bit 'strong', but it feels cooler and calming.  So, that seems a way to go until further inspiration strikes.

So, cut open a fresh aloe leaf,

let a drop of (organic) lavender oil fall onto it

apply to recovering burn area (but not where the burn is 'open').

hope this is helpful.  Do put any thoughts, wisdom, comments etc in the Comments area below.

bones - and diet

So, I'm writing this because whilst it seems to be my problem, I suspect this is also an issue that touches many others.

The issue is that of bone density - which seems to get lower as we get older, with increased likelihood of breaking bones [bad news].

So, to my surprise, never having broken any bones, I've broken three in the past 15 years.  And more recently discovered that I have low bone density (shown by something called a DEXA scan), in the form of osteoporosis of the spine and something called osteopaenia (not osteoporosis... yet) in one hip. 

I hadn't heard of a DEXA scan before, so for anyone who hasn't, it's a scan system for measuring bone density, and detecting low bone density.  It's quick and not painful, but does apparenlty involve radiation, which the medical profession deems worth having for the information it yields.  (They didn't ask my opinion on this however).

Anyway, blood test showed my level to be slightly low at 49 - 0-50 is low, and 50-200 or so is what's considered good. 

My first thought was to try to up this by improving diet and sunshine exposure.  So, I looked up what foods contain Vitamin D, or link to improved bone density - and upped my sardine intake (very good for the levels, but it's possible to get tired of eating them if too often).  Mackerel is also good as an oily fish.  Sunflower seeds are good too apparently. 

Anyway, I had a retest (for the princely sum of £120 around 6 months later - since I'm not obeying the NHS doctor's suggestion, I couldn't face asking for this test) - and regrettably it showed my bone density as lower at 35. 

So I looked at the numbers, and it does indeed seem very difficult to raise vitamin D level by diet.  Recommended daily intake is 600 units, and 2 sardines have 40.  Very dispiriting.  So I'm trying to think how to proceed.  Starting with giving more attention to being in the sunshine with skin exposed - easier as it's getting warmer following the cold winter months.

Anyway, I post this to try to explain about the difficulty of improving Vitamin D level by diet.  For me, and perhaps others, being told what to do or that something isn't possible without explanation isn't enough.  This might be something for healthcare professionals to consider - what kind of explanation would clients/ patients/ service users value, so as to proceed most effectively to better health - and this case better bones.

The units are quite confusing - there seem to be two main units (micrograms, and international units - IUs) which are very different.  One of the problems is that they are hard to type (on a keyboard), which makes it hard to use/ write about them.  My physio tried to help, and they admitted to finding it quite confusing too (which I found somewhat reassuring).

I'll let you know if and when I come up with any more information as to good ways to improve bone health, which seems to include Vitamin D levels among other things.

Feel free to post any thoughts or questions in the comments section.

Catherine.

Cushion Expert

yes, cushions are really important in shiatsu practice.

I have several cushions which I value for shape and size, texture of filling, and texture of the cover.  Generally natural fibres are good.

And then there is expertise in cushion management - a well kicked cushion can move into just the right place - either out of the way, or ready to support eg under the knees.

Sometimes people suggest that I don't need to bring my own cushions; they have pillows / cushions I can use.  But I always find I miss my own cushions if I follow this suggestion.  Some pillows are just reluctant to move, and of course I'm not familiar with them, and how they will respond.

Next time, I'll write about blanket expertise - a whole other, though actually similar :-) topic.

Yet another injury

Points pondering, linking to shiatsu and complementary treatment.

1. Initial bodywork/first-aid – a colleague kindly came over when I first fell over, and did very special bodywork on my forearm, helping to move the swelling just distal to the radius, in a way I wouldn't have imagined possible. Subsequent sessions also helped to ease pain, and swelling. It seems probable, on reflection, that it would have been wiser to go to accident and emergency and have an x-ray, which could have detected that there was a break in the radius, and bones misaligned. I was very shocked when this was discovered by chance two weeks later, and accident and emergency said they felt they could have got the bones back in place if I had come on the first day of injury. Having said that, my colleague is also clearly a skilled bodywork, and the work that was done to ease swelling seemed incredibly effective, and I don't think I've ever seen a western medical practitioner doing that kind of thing. Wouldn't it be great if they could learn from each other.

2. And so ended up having surgery, and metal plates inserted into my radius bone. Following surgery, I was shocked and in pain. I think they pumped me with painkillers until I stopped saying 'it hurts'.  The nurse instructed me to lie in what for me was a very uncomfortable position on my back with my arm high and elevated. Additionally, there was a cuff around my arm extending beyond my fingers, which was quite uncomfortable, because my fingers - my little finger - felt like it needed to wriggle. The kind and well-meaning healthcare assistant said she thought there must be a good reason for being restricted like that. However, I think there was a lack of understanding of what the purpose was. And I feel that often there wasn't quite enough communication between practitioners as well as patients to understand what the purpose was, and so allow for the best and most comfortable outcome. I felt my shoulder ached to be pushed back, in fact both my shoulders ached to be pushed back; and I asked the nurse to do this at least on the damaged shoulder. Rather reluctantly, she did various times through the night when I asked when she was doing her checks, and it did feel helpful. The nurse expressed concern that there was something else wrong with my shoulder, and didn't seem able to understand that the pressure could somehow help relieve pain in my arm. As a shiatsu practitioner, this seems intuitively natural that it could be helpful.

3. Post surgery intuitive body and finger work.

I was instructed by the consultant before discharge to keep moving my fingers, as well as to try to pronate and supinate my forearm. I somehow felt that I was being encouraged to force things. However, what I felt somehow was the need to acknowledge the presence of my fingers – and I found myself just working in to hold them in all sorts of different directions. So, the finger would be static, and my working hand would just hold each side of it. This felt like it could extend back into the tendons deeper in the wrist. Over the next few days, certainly some more mobility and flexibility has returned, and it feels easier to work with more movement. However supination and pronation still feel almost impossible. I find myself working with pressure 'the other way '. This is something we quite often do in exercises as shiatsu practitioners; thus, by example taking the forearm into the pronation it will do, putting the hand to secure it and then making as if to supernate may help with allowing little bit more pronation to happen. But, it seems to me needs to be quite gentle and careful so as not to over strain.

converting to Skype

so, I remember trying to use Skype some years ago with a professional group - I found the sound poor, and we kept on dropping out - not a pleasant experience, which put me off for quite a few years.

Subsequent to this, I discovered Apple's Facetime, which I really liked - discovering I could chat for literally hours with a friend in Canada for no extra fee.  Brilliant.

And recently, I re-visited Skype for a supervision session with someone in North America - me based in the UK.  And, actually, now, for whatever reason, I found it amazing.  We used webcams, which worked well.  It was a bit disconcerting setting up, and I found myself noticing my falling cheeks - but/ and I remember that video is apparently very ageing. 

I wasn't crazy about looking at myself talking the whole time, but mainly I saw my companion.  And, of course, talking from home, I became a bit aware of what I was wearing, and how tidy my sitting room was. 

And, really, I had a useful session; my companion even met my cat.  And it would be virtually impossible to have the same sort of activity - an international meeting, where I paid for my colleague's time, but with no need to pay for travel or communication costs (bar of course all my Apple kit, and Broadband costs...).

so, I am somewhat of a convert - probably behind quite a few people - perhaps those with children there to train them up, or to inspire them to meet up via Skype to see where they are and what they're up to.