Daniel Neuffer, the author of CFS Unravelled, has released a new CFS recovery program based on his theory that CFS is caused by an Autonomic Nervous System dysfunction. I have spoken to Daniel several times over the last few years Read more…
I was recently interviewed by another life coach about how I work with my coaching clients, and thought you might find it interesting. The interview focuses on healing emotional trauma: As always, I’d be interested in any feedback you have Read more…
I get my fair share of hate mail on this blog, which I find unpleasant but not entirely surprisingly. Given that CFS appears to involve the emotional centre of the brain, it tends to generate a lot of anxiety and/or anger. Many people aren’t good at expressing their anger cleanly, and some of them choose to channel it into hate mail directed at me.
Say “No!” to Other People’s Anger
Being on the receiving end of somebody else’s hostility can be stressful, so it’s important to be assertive with these people to stop their stress from entering my emotional boundary.
He’s an example from last week: I got an email from a female ex-friend who I initially met through this blog, which began:
“I don’t read your shit, but…”
… and went on to give me some unsolicited advice that I didn’t find particularly helpful.
If the theory about CFS being caused by an infection of the vagus nerve leading to chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system is correct, then it should show up in Heart Rate Variability measurements. HRV is supposed to correlate with parasympathetic nervous Read more…
Warning: this post may contain graphic depictions of bodily fluids.
I’ve been slowly working through all the things that I put off because I’ve been sick, to reduce my sense of overwhelm. One of the things that I’ve been putting off for a long time, is going to the dentist to have a regular checkup and clean.
Three things prompted this: the first was simply that I haven’t been to the dentist in many years even before I became ill almost seven years ago, and I certainly haven’t been since.
Secondly, my gums of started to bleed during brushing lately and that bothers me.
Thirdly, the tension headache that I have most of the time tends to move around and often settles in my teeth, either on my upper jaw, my lower jaw or both at the same time. It occurred to me that the symptoms that I have in my head could be related to toothache or gum disease, and I have also heard theories relating migraines and even CFS to dental or orthodontic work; so I thought I should probably check that out.
Going to the dentist has never felt like much fun for me, so I was feeling pretty anxious. My previous experience of dentists had always been pretty painful, and they keep reminding me that the evil guy in The Little Shop of Horrors who chose to be a dentist so he could inflict pain on other people.
I felt like this guy
I’ve been learning Tai Chi lately, because I find the gentle movement more engaging than sitting meditation. It’s relaxing, and since it’s a very light form of exercise, I find that I don’t overdo it. I did some local classes early in the year, which was good in terms of getting out and meeting other like-minded people, but I found the teacher frustrating and nights still aren’t great for me.
So I decided to learn at home using this YouTube video Chris Pei. Tai Chi For Beginners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfm75f1zkjo
At four hours long, it’s an epic undertaking; but remember that learning Tai Chi is a life-long process, and it’s not like something you just master first time. I suspect that my old attitude that life was about pushing through to the next accomplishment is part of what made me sick, so now it’s more about enjoying the learning process.
Just wanted to get in early on the bandwagon and wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you get to spend the day having fun with people you love, in a low-stress symptom-free way. Cheers, Graham
Unfortunately the article mentioned below is no longer available, but check out this one with neuroscientist Dr. Michael Van ElZakker linking Chronic Fatigue with Vagus Nerve Infection, which covers similar territory. One of my clients recently put me onto Stephen Porges’ Polyvagel Read more…
I had a question via email about the supplements that the friend I mentioned in [intlink id=”902″ type=”post”]my previous post[/intlink] is taking to boost his acetylcholine (the vagus nerve neurotransmitter). Here’s what my friend sent me: As you know, I’m Read more…
A relatively new friend who I told that I’m now coaching people with CFS just pointed me to this interview with Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Michael Van Elzakker, who hypothesises that CFS might be caused by an infection of the vagus nerve. Listening Read more…