I feel funny saying anything about winter here in Southern California, but it’s been kinda cold and dreary lately. Especially since the time change. I was doing really well on getting out for afternoon walks, but that was when it was still warm and sunny when I got home from work. Now it is overcast in the morning and dark when I get home. Getting out for a little sun and fresh air was part of my motivation for walking. Now I’m trying to get myself into a different frame of mind because I’m not getting as much walking in. Meanwhile on the YOU: Staying Young special, it was suggested to take cod liver oil as a good source of vitamin D. I decided that I would try it since I’m not getting as much sun right now. It’s day two. I had it once on my salad and once mixed with vegetable juice.

After years of dealing with debilitating pain, I have accumulated my best ways to relieve the pain and help my body heal (YMMV):

1. Sleep: Generally, my pain levels are in direct proportion to my quantity and/or quality of sleep. For someone with fibromyalgia, this is a significant challenge. One of my symptoms is that I have difficulty reaching the deep level of sleep where your body heals itself. At the very least, running on little sleep is no longer an option for me.
2. Vitamins/supplements: I consider vitamins to be essential and regularly take what I found to be very good ones: multi-vitamin for women, calcium-magnesium and B-complex. During the “flu season,” I take additional supplements to strengthen my immune system. I also regularly take an herbal anti-inflammatory and essential fatty-acid supplements. (Most of my supplements are from New Chapter.)
3. Exercise: Getting consistent exercise is one of the main challenges of dealing with chronic pain, but it is important to helping your body function at its best. I recently read in “You on a Diet” that missing your daily walk is like missing a night’s sleep. Wow, that hit home for me! Also, I can immediately feel the circulation increase when I do my favorite gentle yoga DVD. Pilates has also been making a difference in body’s resiliency. Group mat classes do not work for me unfortunately, so I do as many private sessions as I can “afford.”
4. Miracle Balls: When the pain gets bad, I spend a lot of time on my miracle balls. I also have some pillow props that help my body rest in ways that promote healing. An important part of this is the deep breathing and relaxation.
5. Heat: For me heat is a godsend. I personally haven’t had much luck with cold packs, but I imagine that hot/cold therapy would be good. I have a number of microwavable heat packs/pillows, including one for my neck that I keep at work. Hot showers help too. I dream of the day I will live somewhere with a tub that I can take hot baths in.
6. Hellerwork: Private hellerwork sessions are another costly option that made a huge difference for me and I hope to do them again. However, I was also introduced to some helpful self-care techniques that I wish I had found when I first developed a repetitive strain injury. I have Sharon Butler’s program for thoracic outlet syndrome.

I would love to hear what works for other people. I hesitate to mention the fact that a glass of organic red wine in the evening can help me bring the pain down a notch, since I know that for many alcohol is a problem. I’m fortunate that it isn’t for me and I prefer the anti-oxidant filled option to taking pills that can adversely affect your stomach. I try to save my pain pills for the days when all else fails and the pain is keeping me from sleeping. This also keeps my body from building up a tolerance for them. I’m now headed back to more resting…

P.S. Just thought of a few more…

• Water: I try to drink lots throughout the day to keep my body hydrated. I also drink herbal teas. Cinnamon tea and Green tea are two of my favorites.
• Arnica Gel: I rub some on the sore areas for some topical relief.
• Getting some sun and fresh air: When I’m having bad days, it is easy to curl up and just stay inside. I try to remember to get myself outside during the day, preferably for a walk of course!
• Positive Vibes: This is another ironically tough one, happy moods fill your body full of good healing chemicals. However, when you are in pain and especially when your life has been turned upside down by illness or injury, you are much more likely to feel scared, worried and generally stressed out. This floods your body full of healing inhibiting chemicals. So I usually let myself have a good cry if needed and then try to shift my focus to more positive thoughts. I use music, books and favorite movies. Anything that promotes positive thoughts or a good laugh. I once read about a study on horror movies depressing the immune system.

When I am taking pretty good care of myself, I can usually survive the cold & flu season using herbal remedies. My favorites are New Chapter’s “Sinus & Respiratory” and “Host Defense” plus Airborne when I’m feeling run down. When a bug got the best of me, I would usually take Nature’s Way’s “Sinustop” but I couldn’t find it this year and tried their “Umcka ColdCare” instead. (No verdict on Umcka yet.) Unfortunately, my symptoms got severe enough that I sent my husband out for some standard expectorant and cough suppressant at the drug store. Those nasty bugs are in full effect every year, but I find that how well I’m taking care of myself is an important part of how vulnerable I am to them. This year I’ve been spotty on self-care and the two weeks before I became sick were especially stressful. I remember from a college class on stress management that our immune systems tend to be vulnerable after stress. During these recent miserable days, I’ve been contemplating the consequences of not putting my health first. I’m not getting any younger either! The days of infinite energy are gone and I’m hoping the grip this bug had on me will be a catalyst to make self-care more consistently a priority. Improving my self-care is a refrain I keep repeating, but I find that repeating it is necessary as there are so many messages in my head to contrary. Both in terms of my individual personality and as a woman, I am fighting programming that puts my own care last – after work, after family, and after the latest techno-geek distractions