This evening I scheduled my first holistic massage with Sheila at the Remedy Clinic. I was in a lot of pain when I went and was really looking forward to it. Sheila was very thorough regarding my medical history and spent a while talking to me. She was very knowledgeable and quickly found the areas where I experience most of my pain without me telling her.
To be continued...
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Massage Therapy
This evening I scheduled my first holistic massage with Sheila at the Remedy Clinic. I was in a lot of pain when I went and was really looking forward to it. Sheila was very thorough regarding my medical history and spent a while talking to me. She was very knowledgeable and quickly found the areas where I experience most of my pain without me telling her.
To be continued...
To be continued...
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Who am I and why am I blogging?
As mentioned in my bio, my name is Amber. I am a daughter, friend, wife, mother, former elementary teacher, and homeschooler. Like most women, I wear a lot of hats and I am my own worst critic. Yet, I continue to get up each day to tackle it all again not because I am a glutton for punishment, but because each of these roles brings a unique value to my life.
However, as blessed as I may be to have these wonderful experiences in my life, I fail to truly enjoy them or learn from them due my health problems. What started out as back pain has lead to a myriad of other problems and a vicious cycle that keeps me from successfully performing all of the roles mentioned above or performing them at all depending on the day. For example, after years of dealing with excruciating back pain, I have had to limit my activities which in turn has lowered my energy level and caused me to gain weight. In addition, my lack of energy has caused me to become unmotivated which in turn has affected my patience as a wife and mother. The lack of motivation coupled with the weight gain brought about depression and low self-esteem which in turn lowered my sex drive. So, as you can see the start of one health problem slowly added layer after layer of other issues.
When I finally found out that I had a ruptured disc, I honestly thought the doctor had found the key issue that had caused my life to spiral out of control. I remember thinking, "I am going to get my life back" and was beyond ready to see the results. In fact, I had convinced myself that after recovering from surgery everything else would fall into place. Unfortunately, I was sadly mistaken. In fact, I still struggle from back pain. I did not experience the instant relief that other patients spoke of which ultimately caused more depression and added of anger on top of it all.
After a year of self pity and growing regimen of medications, I have finally decided to take back my own life. I literally woke up one day and realized that I had reached the point in which I was allowing my pain to control my life and I wanted it back. So, I forced my self loathing fat ass out of bed and began researching alternative treatments. Furthermore, I decided that I needed to heal more than just my physical being, but my mental and spiritual self as well. When I say spiritual self, I do not mean that I decided to brush off my old, dusty Bible and join a church nor conform to a specific doctrine or religion. Rather, I realized that I had lost important emotions and characteristics that are nurtured by one's spirit or soul such as hope, respect, compassion, and most importantly love.
Therefore, I have decided to explore the various aspects of eastern medicine, philosophies, and practices. I have my first appointment with an acupuncturist and holistic masseuse this week. In addition, I will be studying different meditation practices, yoga forms, reiki, aromatherapy, and diet and nutrition recommendations. This blog will serve as my journal so that I can reflect on my experiences and log my progress.
So, stick around...it should get interesting! :)
However, as blessed as I may be to have these wonderful experiences in my life, I fail to truly enjoy them or learn from them due my health problems. What started out as back pain has lead to a myriad of other problems and a vicious cycle that keeps me from successfully performing all of the roles mentioned above or performing them at all depending on the day. For example, after years of dealing with excruciating back pain, I have had to limit my activities which in turn has lowered my energy level and caused me to gain weight. In addition, my lack of energy has caused me to become unmotivated which in turn has affected my patience as a wife and mother. The lack of motivation coupled with the weight gain brought about depression and low self-esteem which in turn lowered my sex drive. So, as you can see the start of one health problem slowly added layer after layer of other issues.
When I finally found out that I had a ruptured disc, I honestly thought the doctor had found the key issue that had caused my life to spiral out of control. I remember thinking, "I am going to get my life back" and was beyond ready to see the results. In fact, I had convinced myself that after recovering from surgery everything else would fall into place. Unfortunately, I was sadly mistaken. In fact, I still struggle from back pain. I did not experience the instant relief that other patients spoke of which ultimately caused more depression and added of anger on top of it all.
After a year of self pity and growing regimen of medications, I have finally decided to take back my own life. I literally woke up one day and realized that I had reached the point in which I was allowing my pain to control my life and I wanted it back. So, I forced my self loathing fat ass out of bed and began researching alternative treatments. Furthermore, I decided that I needed to heal more than just my physical being, but my mental and spiritual self as well. When I say spiritual self, I do not mean that I decided to brush off my old, dusty Bible and join a church nor conform to a specific doctrine or religion. Rather, I realized that I had lost important emotions and characteristics that are nurtured by one's spirit or soul such as hope, respect, compassion, and most importantly love.
Therefore, I have decided to explore the various aspects of eastern medicine, philosophies, and practices. I have my first appointment with an acupuncturist and holistic masseuse this week. In addition, I will be studying different meditation practices, yoga forms, reiki, aromatherapy, and diet and nutrition recommendations. This blog will serve as my journal so that I can reflect on my experiences and log my progress.
So, stick around...it should get interesting! :)
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