Staying Hydrated

I found this great information on the Invigorated site:

Staying Hydrated with Parkinsons: Going Beyond “Drink More Water”

glass of water with orange slices

“You need to drink MORE WATER!”

You’ve heard it a million times.Every health practitioner worth their salt has recited these words hundreds if not thousands of times to their clients. However, there is more to staying properly hydrated than just chugging 8 glasses of water every day and the implications can be life changing.

Imagine the potted plant in your home that sits in the corner.

Similar to a water-starved plant, your cells can become chronically dehydrated . Re-hydration has to be strategic.

Similar to a water-starved plant, your cells can become chronically dehydrated. Re-hydration has to be strategic. If it hasn’t been watered in a while the soil gets dry and crumbly. When you add water at this point the soil isn’t able to absorb a majority of it and it slips through the cracks and out the bottom of the pot. No matter how much water you pour over that poor guy he’s not going to re-hydrate properly!

This is similar to what happens to your cells when you have been chronically dehydrated. Our cells are less able to properly absorb the water we put into our system. This excess of water in our digestive tract leaves us feeling water-logged and making frequent trips to the bathroom.

Similar to the wilted plant, our body can’t perform its daily functions without proper hydration to your cells.

Proper cell hydration is a fundamental issue in wellness. Without it:

  • You can’t get proper nutrients into your cells (here come achy joints and painful muscles)
  • Your mitochondria (which are the energy-producing “powerhouse” of each cell) can’t produce the energy you need to heal and function
  • You can’t make digestive enzymes or hormones (hello constipation, nutritional deficiencies, and anxiety)
  • You can’t repair your DNA (fast track to looking and feeling older than you are!)
  • Your neurons are less efficient at sending electrical signals to each other (brain fog, anyone?)
  • You can’t flush out nasty toxins that contribute to disease and disarray.
  • As you can imagine, regaining the ability to properly hydrate can have a drastic impact on how you move, think, and feel on a day-to-day basis. Implementing the following into your daily hydration routine is an important part of regaining your vitality:

Balance Your Sodium

Adding 1/4 tsp of Celtic or Himalayan sea salt to a quart (32 oz) of water helps assist your kidneys at properly absorbing water from your bloodstream. Specifically using Celtic or Himalayan sea salt offers 60+ trace minerals and electrolytes that assist your cells in absorbing the water molecules and using them to your advantage.

(Afraid of overdosing on sodium? 8 ounces of this cocktail contains 115mg of sodium compared to 8 ounces of Pedialyte that contains 260mg.)

Use a Water Filter

It’s important to remove them from your daily routine whenever you can. Remove toxins and chemicals from your tap water with a filtration system.

Hydrate in the Morning

Start your day with a glass of water as this is the time of day where your body is housing its highest concentration of toxins and is most dehydrated. (Add a squeeze of lemon if you’re feeling fancy and want a digestion boost.)

Pick the Right Water Bottle

Avoid plastic water bottles whenever possible (even if it says it is BPA-free) as chemicals released from these bottles can also contribute to your daily toxin load. Choosing stainless steel or glass bottles are best.

Cheers to your most hydrated self!

Give Yourself Permission

Give yourself permission to celebrate Every Victory … every moment, regardless of how small, when you were able to overcome a symptom.

Give yourself permission to brouse the INDEX of my blog, to find entries which may be of interest to you.

Healthy Parkies give themselves a break if they’re having a difficult day. They don’t view their lack of efficiency as negative or need to take an afternoon nap as lazy. They don’t compare themselves to their Pre-Parkinson’s self. They accept that they might not be able to complete all the tasks that they attempted to do but in turn, celebrate what they did get done that day. 

Part of my protocol

Besides Exercise… in conjunction with WBV & Tandem biking . Diet… focusing on gut health, bone broth, fermented foods, . avoiding white flour, white sugar . Infrared Sauna . Alternatives… Oxygen, Amino Acids, Frankincense oil . Nutrituinal supplementation… Three Kings, (see the blog post) , Mucuna Pruriens ( a medicinal herb famous for it’s neuro- . transmitter and hormonal balancing properties) . Serropeptase (as recommended in the link below)

 Serropeptase & Parkinson’s

12/29/18 Dr. Berg recommended … Serropeptase  3 x’s a day on empty stomach  suggesting enzyme may break down or dissolve build-up of protein (alpha synuclein) in the brain

This is the only place I’ve even heard of serropeptase, but I was able to find it at the recommended strength… . I’ve only been on it a month and 1/2 but I feel like it is helping.

I found this additional insight on ‘MyParkinsonTeam.com’: “Now known as Lewy bodies, these deposits of alpha-synuclein (aS) protein are understood to be one of the most common causes of dementia in people with parkinsonism.”

Routine Variations

When I first joined the community (probably 5 months ago) I posted my exercise goals for accountability. In January, I posted my routine in this blog as I described my Ruby Slippers and WBV routine. I inclued a photo of my ADMI Fitness exercise platform at that time.

I have altered my exercise routine. I appreciate having the bar across the front for gripping as I do 5 sets of twenty squats (100) and 5 sets of twenty knee lifts.. raising each knee high enough to tap my arms holding onto the bar. I took a note from the rocksteady boxing and exercise my voice… LOUD counting with each squat and each knee lift. Then I strive to pull my chin in and attempt to tuck my shoulder blades into the back pockets while doing the last three minutes of higher vibrations for freeing up sluggish lymph through out my system.

I thought you might like to see some of the benefits I found claimed on the internet sites of makers of whole body vibration platforms.

From ADMI Fitness

“How can ONE HOUR at the gym be compared to 10 MINUTES on the whole body vibration machine? Whole Body Vibration has the name for a reason! When your body engages 97% of muscles in the same exercise your results are accelerated. At the gym you spend your time on your different individual muscle groups. It would be incredible to see someone working his or her abs, arms, legs and calf’s at the same time at the gym! As wild as that picture is in your head Whole Body Vibration does exactly that and more. “

“Balance: About 30% of people over the age of 65 lose their balance and suffer a fall each year. Whole Body Vibration is an effective way to maintain or enhance skeletal mass in low-mobility individuals without the risks associated with high-impact exercise. WBV stimulates the primary endings of the muscle spindles, activating alpha-motor neurons resulting in muscle contractions. Studies have shown that WBV is associated with increases in lower limb muscle strength. WBV also delivers mechanical loading to the skeleton, which increases bone mass and improves postural balance by strengthening skeletal muscles. Balance and gait are improved by enhanced muscle control effected by routine WBV exercise. Strengthening skeletal muscles has a direct effect on coordination and balance “

‘ Parkinson’s: Researchers from Germany compared the effects of Whole Body Vibration and conventional physiotherapy on levodopa-resistant disturbances of balance and gait in idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease. Gait assessments and upper limb control tests showed significant improvements on gait stability and posture, a significant decrease in tremors and less rigidity in PD patients receiving whole body vibration therapy compared to a control group with no therapy ‘

” The Health Benefits of WBV-Training are many, and the reason for this is because WBV stimulation affects not only your musculature but also your internal organs and glands, including your brain”

Increase muscle strength, especially explosive strengthPain reduction (such as with fibromyalgia)
Increase hormone secretion: IGF-1, testosterone, and human growth hormone (HGH)Counteract age-related muscle wasting  
Increase fat loss; WBVT in conjunction with resistance training improved fat loss in menopausal women.8Other research9 found WBVT was 54 percent more effective than traditional aerobics and strength training in producing visceral fat loss.Those using WBVT were also less likely to gain the weight backReduce cellulite; 8 to 13 minutes of WBVT, two to three times per week for six months was shown to reduce cellulite by 26 percent. When combined with 24 to 48 minutes of cardio, cellulite was reduced by more than 32 percent10
Increase bone mass and mineral density, thereby decreasing risk of osteoporosisImprove in blood circulation, which can also stimulate tissue healing. Three minutes on a vibrating platform doubles mean circulation for at least 10 minutes11
Increase flexibility and mobilityIncrease secretion of serotonin and norepinephrine
Improve proprioception and balanceIncrease lymphatic drainage
Decrease cortisol levels  Speed up recovery from injury
Improve fitness in the elderlyImprove neurological conditions

 

The Spoon Theory

A recent dialog at “The Invigorated Community” an online group for Parkies or their care givers… the question was posed. “How do you get people to understand the fatigue we experience and why we can’t do everything we used to?”

Mind you, I’m the eternal optomist and believe the therapies I have adopted will give me many years of productive living… but I wanted to share what others have said, to answer the question.

Quote from MJFF “One of Parkinson’s more insidious symptoms is fatigue. This is not your garden variety bone-tired. This is fatigue on a cellular level. Your body is working overtime to accomplish the simplest of tasks: Taking a shower, answering the phone, pouring orange juice. In addition, you may be coping with the combination of possible cognitive problems knows as “Parkinson’s apathy”. These problems include difficulty initiating projects, inability to follow complex instructions, short-term memory loss and difficulty in switching gears midstream.

You can fight Parkinson’s disease apathy by exercising, trying to get regular sleep, taking short naps, and making sure you do not isolate yourself.”

I’d like to share a link from… ButYouDon’tLookSick.com It explains the Spoon Theory… a concept developed by Miserandino and frequently referenced among those with chronic or invisible illness. Many people living with conditions ranging from fibromyalgia to anxiety to depression to parkinsonisms self-identify as “Spoonies” and use the theory to explain their lives to people who may not understand the scope of their illness. (Miserandino’s diagnosis is Lupus)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn5IBsm49Rk

 

 

Infrared Sauna

Both movement disorder neurologists I’ve seen indicated … although not enough data has been gathered, to allow them to prescribe infrared therapy, they had heard some positive feedback and encouraged me to “feel free to try it.”

We read the claims:
“Infrared sauna surrounds you and penetrates deeply into your joints, muscles and tissues increasing oxygen flow and circulation.”
“Helps to remove impurities from your cells, specifically the cells inside our fat where our body stores waste and harmful toxins such as cholesterol and heavy metals.” 
“As your body increases sweat production to cool itself, your heart works harder to pump blood at a greater rate to boost circulation. This increase in your metabolism will burn calories.”
“Infrared sauna therapy can help keep blood pressure within healthy levels, lower cholesterol, reduce chronic pain and be of therapeutic value to patients with chronic congestive heart disease.”

“In animal models of Parkinson’s, near infrared treatment has been shown to rescue dopaminergic neurons, … In addition, near infrared light treatment corrects the abnormal firing activity of neurons in deep subthalamic brain regions that occurs in parkinsonian conditions. Various animal models of Parkinson’s disease shown improved motor control and locomotor activity, as measured by both mobility and velocity, after near infrared is applied.” 

We tried the infrared sauna at the gym. Although our insurance provides a membership at no additional expense to us, there were draw backs. We had no control over the temperature. If we went in the morning, it wasn’t warm enough to produce any sweat. It was twenty minute drive each way for 20 minutes of heat. John is waiting for the VA to schedule hip surgery, so if my chauffeur didn’t feel like exercising, it was just shower and go home.

So, because I intend to leave no clue uninvestigated… we set up our two person Infrared Sauna into a sweet place in John’s workshop. It also has
Chromotherapy, also called color light therapy, which is the process of restoring balance to the body by applying color.

My Essential Oil story

To explain my love of the essential oil of frankincense, I need to share a little of my history. In 1992 I was experiencing repeated urinary tract infections. It was determined I needed surgery to re-attach my bladder. Next thing I knew, while the doctors were working on fixing me, they had also removed my uterus, reporting it had been full of fibroid tumors. And then, they told me I would need to have annual mameograms because of the large number of fibroid tumors in my bosom.

I had just been introduced to essential oils, and more specifically, I’d learned that frankincense is anti-tumoral. Being pro-active, I began putting two or three drops of frankincense on the bottom of both feet each evening.

Why the feet, you may ask? Because the foot has the largest pores and I was given to understand the oils would be absorbed and disseminated to all the cells in the body within twenty minutes.

I was totally convinced… Frankincense is the reason, just a few years later the mameogram report was… “You have no fibroid tumors. You have the smoothest tissue I’ve seen”

In my search for brain health for people with Parkinsonisms I found the study below. I aim to begin applying essential oils to my feet again!

In studies performed in Vienna and Berlin Universities, researchers discovered that sesquiterpenes, a natural compound found in essential oils of Vetiver, Patchouli, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, and Frankincense, can increase levels of oxygen in the brain by up to 28 percent

Not all essential oils are created equal. Not all are cold pressed. Some are cut with harmful chemicals. or diluted. If you find a cheep version, you probably are not getting a good product.

I was recently invited to join a ‘shopping club’ with a focus on helping us save money while eliminating products that contribute to pollution. They focus on products for our health, our environment and our quality of life. I placed my first order last night. And I was delighted to see they have included essential oils in their product line. And I’d be delighted to send you an invite to join the ‘shopping club.’ If you want to know more, simply message me on the ‘contact form’ page.

Marilee wanted to see

Marilee had such an impact on my attitude, I’d like to share her message.

To set the stage…We attended church in Brownsville, Texas. At the time of my ‘training’, John & I had seven children, John was a member of the ward Bishopric and a great deal of his Sabbath day responsibilities kept him busy.. out of the home. The boundaries of the McAllen Texas Stake were large. Our home was 60 miles from the stake center. I, as one of Marilee’s Stake Primary Counselors, had ridden with Marilee on assignment to visit a branch on the other side of the stake. I took the youngest two children with me.

Both of the children were asleep, as Marilee pulled the car into our drive. [This was in the days before seat belt restrictions] The three year old was asleep on the back seat, and the infant was asleep in my arms. Full well knowing what to expect after the oldest five had been home for several hours without adult supervision, I said, “I’ll take Stephen in and be right back to get Emily.”

Marilee alighted from the drivers seat, volunteering, “I’ll bring her in for you.”

“NO,” I protested… “You don’t need to. I’ll be right back for her”

After a couple more exchanges, Marilee explained. “You don’t understand. I WANT to SEE! Then when I get home, I won’t feel so bad about the condition of MY home.”

I laughed, and accepted her help. I made a mental note…”Let people see your messes, if it helps them feel better about themselves.”

Trust me.. I’ve helped lot of people ….feel really good about themselves or their efforts. We all love to give service to others… but when the table has been turned… and WE NEED a helping hand, accepting it graciously can be a challenge to learn. I hope each of us can remember something I learned from my father-in-law, Wally, when I offered assistance (service); ” you don’t have to do that, BUT who am I to deny you your blessings.”

“Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.” – Anthony Burgess