A few weeks ago, I got stung six times by yellowjackets. The rest of that day it felt like they continued to sting me. The next day was less painful, but then the itching began. It was like five mosquito's intensity, in patches from about one inch to about two inches in diameter. The itching took most of a week before it began to subside, and though they no longer itch, the patches are still visible.
The week it happened, I wrote about the use of bee venom as a therapy for inflammation, pain, and other issues. At the time, my 30-ish year old hip bursitis and long-standing pain along my IT band in my left leg were gone. On the seventh day, God rested (oh, wait, wrong story). On the seventh day, there were twinges in my bursa, and by the twelfth day, my leg was back to its usual self.
That was wonderful week without one of my main sources of ongoing pain. On the other hand, The itching caused its own form of discomfort. I am still unsure if I would be willing to get bee venom therapy, but I am now thinking of looking into it, whether it is available near home, how much it costs, does insurance cover it, etc. I would not get it on my arms, where the itching was the worst, maybe on my back, where it wasn't as bad. Maybe. Just maybe.
On another topic, I discovered a new product a month ago, Gluten Cutter. I tried it, and it worked, so I used it to pigged out on gluten on a vacation. (Wrote about it here.) Since being home, I eat less gluten, so I am using it less. Sometimes now, I get a stomach ache/acid reflux either that day or the next, symptoms I used to get from gluten. I have been experimenting with taking two Gluten Cutter capsules, and also with trying other products on the market. I am also limiting myself to 1-2 gluten items per week. Apparently, I can eat some gluten, if I am careful, I just haven't found the magic threshold yet. If you do try Gluten Cutter or another product, leave a comment. I'd like to know how it works for you.
BUTTERFLY BANNER
Papercut and colored pencil art by Sheryl Aronson X 5
Monday, August 19, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Bee Venom Therapy
Last Sunday, my husband and I were hiking out near our cabin, and had a once in a lifetime (I certainly hope) adventure. I was talking about something, when I suddenly interrupted myself with "I just got stung by something! There's another one!" My husband replied "I got stung too! Run!!!" We descended the mountain the fastest we ever have, slipping and sliding on the leaves, I fell on my butt a couple of times. All the way down I whapped the side of my head with a large feather I had found a few minutes earlier. I kept hearing the angry buzz of a bee, apparently caught in my hair. Alternating with this, I flapped my shirt, being unsure if the stinging sensations I felt in my back were new stings, or just the ongoing zinging of the stings I already had. When I got to the bottom, I thrashed my head and back with the branch of a tree to remove any cling-on bees.
Once inside the cabin, we both removed our shirts to assess the damage. My husband had four stings, one on his hand, three on his side. I had six, one on one forearm, one on the other upper arm, and two on each side of my upper back. The rest of that day and night, they stings stung and hurt. Starting the next morning, they itched, swelled up (1-2 inches across), and were pink and warm to the touch. Just yesterday (Wednesday) they began to subside a little. I am very relieved. The constant itching was wearing me down..
This experience reminded me of an article I had read a couple of years ago about bee stings as a potential therapy for pain and inflammation. I thought it interesting to write about. Also known as 'apitherapy', bee venom therapy is used more in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America than in the US. There is evidence that it was used thousands of years ago in ancient Greece and Egypt. More recently, its benefits came to light by way of beekeepers who discovered that their arthritis pain disappeared when they got stung.
Scientific studies have been inconclusive about whether it works, but there is anecdotal evidence that it does. Among the many components of bee venom are strong anti-inflammatory and pain blocking substances.It may also help with blood circulation and reduce swelling.The condtions that may have potential for treament with bee venom include osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, chronic fatigue, Multiple Sclerosis, and asthma, among others.
I seem to have improvement in my chronic hip bursitis, and the IT band (outer thigh, hip to knee), that usually hurts, doesn't. I am not convinced that the hip/thigh improvement is worth the pain and itching of the stings for me. It depends partially on how long the improvement lasts. Also, from what I read, treatment is done in multiple sessions. That I would not do. One session, a few days of discomfort, I could handle, but not ongoing.itching. Some people have milder reactions, some stronger. You might tolerate it better than me. My husband says he did not get any benefits from his stings, and would not want to get apitherapy.
If this piques your interest, you can get more info at: Bee Venom Therapy or Apitherapy Wiki. A note of caution: if you are considering this- get tested for allergy to bee venom before starting the treatment. An allergic reaction could be deadly. Also, I recommend looking for a trained apitherapist. Doing it the way we did it, it is very hard to control the dosage.
Once inside the cabin, we both removed our shirts to assess the damage. My husband had four stings, one on his hand, three on his side. I had six, one on one forearm, one on the other upper arm, and two on each side of my upper back. The rest of that day and night, they stings stung and hurt. Starting the next morning, they itched, swelled up (1-2 inches across), and were pink and warm to the touch. Just yesterday (Wednesday) they began to subside a little. I am very relieved. The constant itching was wearing me down..
This experience reminded me of an article I had read a couple of years ago about bee stings as a potential therapy for pain and inflammation. I thought it interesting to write about. Also known as 'apitherapy', bee venom therapy is used more in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America than in the US. There is evidence that it was used thousands of years ago in ancient Greece and Egypt. More recently, its benefits came to light by way of beekeepers who discovered that their arthritis pain disappeared when they got stung.
Scientific studies have been inconclusive about whether it works, but there is anecdotal evidence that it does. Among the many components of bee venom are strong anti-inflammatory and pain blocking substances.It may also help with blood circulation and reduce swelling.The condtions that may have potential for treament with bee venom include osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, chronic fatigue, Multiple Sclerosis, and asthma, among others.
I seem to have improvement in my chronic hip bursitis, and the IT band (outer thigh, hip to knee), that usually hurts, doesn't. I am not convinced that the hip/thigh improvement is worth the pain and itching of the stings for me. It depends partially on how long the improvement lasts. Also, from what I read, treatment is done in multiple sessions. That I would not do. One session, a few days of discomfort, I could handle, but not ongoing.itching. Some people have milder reactions, some stronger. You might tolerate it better than me. My husband says he did not get any benefits from his stings, and would not want to get apitherapy.
If this piques your interest, you can get more info at: Bee Venom Therapy or Apitherapy Wiki. A note of caution: if you are considering this- get tested for allergy to bee venom before starting the treatment. An allergic reaction could be deadly. Also, I recommend looking for a trained apitherapist. Doing it the way we did it, it is very hard to control the dosage.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Track and React the Impact of Arthritis
I get Arthritis Today, the magazine published by the Arthritis Foundation, and I generally read it cover to cover. The July/August 2013 issue has several things I plan to share here. The first is an online tool called 'Track and React'. As the magazine says, "Track which daily activities impact your arthritis with the push of a button". When you register to begin using the tool, it asks if you have arthritis, then gives you a long list from which you choose the one type that affects you the most (tough decision for those of us with multiple issues).
In the 'Profile' section, besides basic identification, this is the place to enter all your meds, so you can keep track of taking them. There are fill-in-the-blank fitness goals, and a space for other goals.
The 'Track' section is the the meat of the tool. There are six pages, for nutrition, fitness, sleep, meds, your day, and symptoms. On each page are several questions, with slider bars to give your responses from low to high. Each page also has a space for your own input. There are also links you can click on for more information about each topic.
The 'Results' page creates graphs, showing the relationships between what you do, and how you feel. You can choose a graph based on nutrition, fitness, meds, your day, or all of these combined. You can also choose a single day, or a span of any number of days to be calculated into a graph. The graph is fairly basic, with just a bar representing how well you are caring for yourself, and a line indicating your symptom level. Over time, you may notice trends in how the bar and line fall. The 'Track and React' tool can't tell you how a specific food or activity is affecting you, but it can indicate if things are going smoothly or if you might need to change your diet or exercise routine, or see your doctor.
I think this is a useful tool for keeping tabs on how you are doing. When I first read about it in the magazine, I thought the graphs would be really informative, and the reason I would use this tool. Now I think the real benefit of this tool is the 'Track' section. It is a quick and easy way to check in with yourself in multiple areas on a daily basis, the graphs are an added bonus.
Give 'Track and React' a try at www.arthritis.org/trackandreact. It is also available as an app, so it can go with you anywhere. When you are done with that, explore the rest of the Arthritis Foundation website.They have so much useful information, and so many useful tools, it can keep you occupied for hours.
In the 'Profile' section, besides basic identification, this is the place to enter all your meds, so you can keep track of taking them. There are fill-in-the-blank fitness goals, and a space for other goals.
The 'Track' section is the the meat of the tool. There are six pages, for nutrition, fitness, sleep, meds, your day, and symptoms. On each page are several questions, with slider bars to give your responses from low to high. Each page also has a space for your own input. There are also links you can click on for more information about each topic.
The 'Results' page creates graphs, showing the relationships between what you do, and how you feel. You can choose a graph based on nutrition, fitness, meds, your day, or all of these combined. You can also choose a single day, or a span of any number of days to be calculated into a graph. The graph is fairly basic, with just a bar representing how well you are caring for yourself, and a line indicating your symptom level. Over time, you may notice trends in how the bar and line fall. The 'Track and React' tool can't tell you how a specific food or activity is affecting you, but it can indicate if things are going smoothly or if you might need to change your diet or exercise routine, or see your doctor.
I think this is a useful tool for keeping tabs on how you are doing. When I first read about it in the magazine, I thought the graphs would be really informative, and the reason I would use this tool. Now I think the real benefit of this tool is the 'Track' section. It is a quick and easy way to check in with yourself in multiple areas on a daily basis, the graphs are an added bonus.
Give 'Track and React' a try at www.arthritis.org/trackandreact. It is also available as an app, so it can go with you anywhere. When you are done with that, explore the rest of the Arthritis Foundation website.They have so much useful information, and so many useful tools, it can keep you occupied for hours.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Gluten Capsules Work for Me
I walked into my local drug store last week and found not one, but TWO brands of capsules to help people with celiac or gluten intolerance digest gluten.They are Gluten Cutter, from Healthy Digestives, and, surprisingly, Glutenaid, which is the store brand (CVS). They were both the same price, $12.99 for 30 pills, to be taken 1-2 as needed when eating gluten. I am not going to get involved with the science of gluten digestion. Basically, gluten is a protein, people with celiac or gluten intolerance are missing or have deficient enzymes needed to digest it. These capsules provide the needed enzymes. These two products have slightly different active ingredients, but are very similar.Gluten Cutter also contains lactase, the enzyme needed to digest dairy products.
I asked the pharmacist what she thought or the two pruducts. She looked at the ingredients, and said, "They both have the enzymes needed to digest gluten, they should both work. Its the same idea as the lactase pills people take to help them digest milk products." I had been skeptical before, but I have been a fan of those lactase pills for years. This put the gluten capsules in a new light for me. Since they were both the same price, I decided to try the brand name, Gluten Cutter.
I don't have celiac, but I generally get a bad stomach ache about an hour after eating gluten.I left the next day for a wedding in California. On the plane, I popped a capsule, and ate a bag of Cheese Nips. NO STOMACH ACHE! During the vacation, I kind of went hog wild (how's that for a description of a good Jewish girl?) I had a hamburger on a bun, bread, and on one day, I had pasta for lunch and pizza for dinner. No stomach ache the whole time!
Now that I am home, I plan to be more sensible. I will go back to eating mostly gluten 'lite' (I eat foods made with regular soy sauce, which has some wheat in it, etc, but I otherwise avoid gluten.) I know I can have some gluten on occasion, without getting sick, as long as I take the capsule with it. Part of me wants to just go back to eating anything, and take the capsules whenever I eat gluten, but I am hesitant. I know that for people with celiac, gluten actually causes damage in their small intestine. I have gluten intolerance, I don't know if gluten causes any damage for me or not, and if it does, I don't know if the capsule stops the damage.Also, a gluten-free diet is supposed to be good for people with auto-immunity. I don't know if these capsules affect that or not.
Most of the reviews I read for these two products, and for a third product,GlutenEase, by Enzymedica, are positive. A few people said the product they tried did not work for them, but it did work for the majority. My suggestion is to give it a try if you are gluten intolerant. Talk to your doctor first if you think that would be the wise thing to do in your situation, especially if you have celiac. I don't know if these capsules control the aspect of gluten that is damaging in celiac.
For those of us who are helped by these capsules,just knowing we can have gluten sometimes makes being gluten free easier. Do a search online of recent research, and print some out to show your doctor, if you think it would help. Start small, just a snack. Good luck and good eating.
I asked the pharmacist what she thought or the two pruducts. She looked at the ingredients, and said, "They both have the enzymes needed to digest gluten, they should both work. Its the same idea as the lactase pills people take to help them digest milk products." I had been skeptical before, but I have been a fan of those lactase pills for years. This put the gluten capsules in a new light for me. Since they were both the same price, I decided to try the brand name, Gluten Cutter.
I don't have celiac, but I generally get a bad stomach ache about an hour after eating gluten.I left the next day for a wedding in California. On the plane, I popped a capsule, and ate a bag of Cheese Nips. NO STOMACH ACHE! During the vacation, I kind of went hog wild (how's that for a description of a good Jewish girl?) I had a hamburger on a bun, bread, and on one day, I had pasta for lunch and pizza for dinner. No stomach ache the whole time!
Now that I am home, I plan to be more sensible. I will go back to eating mostly gluten 'lite' (I eat foods made with regular soy sauce, which has some wheat in it, etc, but I otherwise avoid gluten.) I know I can have some gluten on occasion, without getting sick, as long as I take the capsule with it. Part of me wants to just go back to eating anything, and take the capsules whenever I eat gluten, but I am hesitant. I know that for people with celiac, gluten actually causes damage in their small intestine. I have gluten intolerance, I don't know if gluten causes any damage for me or not, and if it does, I don't know if the capsule stops the damage.Also, a gluten-free diet is supposed to be good for people with auto-immunity. I don't know if these capsules affect that or not.
Most of the reviews I read for these two products, and for a third product,GlutenEase, by Enzymedica, are positive. A few people said the product they tried did not work for them, but it did work for the majority. My suggestion is to give it a try if you are gluten intolerant. Talk to your doctor first if you think that would be the wise thing to do in your situation, especially if you have celiac. I don't know if these capsules control the aspect of gluten that is damaging in celiac.
For those of us who are helped by these capsules,just knowing we can have gluten sometimes makes being gluten free easier. Do a search online of recent research, and print some out to show your doctor, if you think it would help. Start small, just a snack. Good luck and good eating.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
What if's
I had a recent health scare, which, thankfully, has resolved. I went to my rheumatologist last week, and he took some blood for routine lab-work.Only this time, it was not so routine. My kidney labs were off. I had to stop taking my NSAID's, the category of pain meds I take. (This is the category of meds that includes aspirin, Advil, Ibuprofen, Aleve, as well as a number of prescription strength meds).I had to get my blood retested. I was only off the meds and waiting for the test results ix days, but it seemed longer, as such episodes tend to do. A big part of the issue here is that without the pain meds, I am in more pain. My whole body felt ornery and irritable, and both hips were downright cranky.
I sometimes found myself falling into the trap of "what-if's" What if my kidneys were permanently damaged? What if I could never take that kind of pain meds again? What if we never got my pain under control again? What if I'm in pain like this when we go on our trip to California? What if...? What if...? What if...?
"What if" thinking has no outlet, and no direction other than down. There is no definite answer (at least, not at the time of the question), so all it does is stir up worry. One possible option on how to handle "what if" thinking is to take the next step, and ask "Then what?" What if my kidneys were permanently damaged? Then I would discuss with my doctor what the options are, do my own research online, as I always do, explore what meds I can safely take that won't compromise my kidneys further, etc. Once you think it through rationally, it usually isn't as scary, even if it is bad news.
I prefer to take it one step at a time. When I catch myself what-iffing, I politely ask these thoughts to leave, and I find something that will fully occupy my mind, so they can't slip back in.Puzzles or tasks that require following directions are good for this, or anything else that requires focus. I think everyone "What if"s from time to time. When you catch yourself doing it, try to either use it to motivate you to seek solutions, or get involved with anything that requires your full attention to get the "What if's" off your mind.
I sometimes found myself falling into the trap of "what-if's" What if my kidneys were permanently damaged? What if I could never take that kind of pain meds again? What if we never got my pain under control again? What if I'm in pain like this when we go on our trip to California? What if...? What if...? What if...?
"What if" thinking has no outlet, and no direction other than down. There is no definite answer (at least, not at the time of the question), so all it does is stir up worry. One possible option on how to handle "what if" thinking is to take the next step, and ask "Then what?" What if my kidneys were permanently damaged? Then I would discuss with my doctor what the options are, do my own research online, as I always do, explore what meds I can safely take that won't compromise my kidneys further, etc. Once you think it through rationally, it usually isn't as scary, even if it is bad news.
I prefer to take it one step at a time. When I catch myself what-iffing, I politely ask these thoughts to leave, and I find something that will fully occupy my mind, so they can't slip back in.Puzzles or tasks that require following directions are good for this, or anything else that requires focus. I think everyone "What if"s from time to time. When you catch yourself doing it, try to either use it to motivate you to seek solutions, or get involved with anything that requires your full attention to get the "What if's" off your mind.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Health Monitor
I found an unfamiliar magazine in the waiting room at my Rheumatologist the other day: The title is Arthritis Monitor, and when you flip the magazine over, starting from the back of that magazine is another one titled: Health Monitor. I was intrigued by this set-up. My doctor was doing some tests both before and after seeing me, so I had time to peruse the entire magazine, from both covers in. The focus of the Arthritis section is Rheumatoid Arthritis, while the focus of the Health section is Diabetes.
The magazine was well designed, with a variety of coping tips, personal anecdotes, short news and research related articles, and other items related to the topics. the RA section was much longer than the Diabetes section. On the cover was a notation that this was a take-home copy, which I did not do, since I had already read it all (though I did enjoy reading it), and also to visit their website, www.healthmonitor.com , which I did when I got home.
At the website, I found a much greater resource, on many more topics than just RA and Diabetes. I looked up 3 topics of specific interest to me, and these are the results I found: for Sjogren's Syndrome, there were 2 articles, for Fibromyalgia, 87 articles, and Gluten free, 27 articles. RA and Diabetes are their 'Super centers', the areas with most in depth info and resources, there are 9 'featured centers' and info on many more topics. Besides the articles, the website has patient stories, celebrity stories, recipes, motivation, and much more.
You can get a free 2 year subscription of the magazine delivered to your door, but you need not only your own name, address,etc., but your doctor's as well. (The Monitor is supposed to be from your doctor.) You can also sign up for newsletters on health, diabetes and/or RA
Check out the Health Monitor website. Poke around a bit. Do searches on whatever topics interest you. I think it is highly likely that you will find something that you can learn or use.
The magazine was well designed, with a variety of coping tips, personal anecdotes, short news and research related articles, and other items related to the topics. the RA section was much longer than the Diabetes section. On the cover was a notation that this was a take-home copy, which I did not do, since I had already read it all (though I did enjoy reading it), and also to visit their website, www.healthmonitor.com , which I did when I got home.
At the website, I found a much greater resource, on many more topics than just RA and Diabetes. I looked up 3 topics of specific interest to me, and these are the results I found: for Sjogren's Syndrome, there were 2 articles, for Fibromyalgia, 87 articles, and Gluten free, 27 articles. RA and Diabetes are their 'Super centers', the areas with most in depth info and resources, there are 9 'featured centers' and info on many more topics. Besides the articles, the website has patient stories, celebrity stories, recipes, motivation, and much more.
You can get a free 2 year subscription of the magazine delivered to your door, but you need not only your own name, address,etc., but your doctor's as well. (The Monitor is supposed to be from your doctor.) You can also sign up for newsletters on health, diabetes and/or RA
Check out the Health Monitor website. Poke around a bit. Do searches on whatever topics interest you. I think it is highly likely that you will find something that you can learn or use.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Strawberries Anyone?
It is strawberry season around here, and I love it. We can get strawberries all year round now, but it isn't the same. Most of the berries we get are large, have white centers, and often yellow areas on them, because they were picked too soon and are not ripe. They have a mild strawberry flavor.It is a pleasant taste, but not too interesting.
For about 3 weeks early each summer, my local produce store gets Amish-grown strawberries. They are more expensive, but so worth it. They are small, generally 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, so they are also more work to prepare. This is where I have some issues. These strawberries are so, so good, red all the way through, with a real intense strawberry flavor. (I'm getting hungry, anyone else?)
I was told this is the last week they would be available this year, so I wanted to hoard the strawberries, to get extra so they would last. So instead of buying one quart, I bought two, telling myself I would make strawberry jam. Three days later, I haven't made any jam, and I have a feeling I won't. The idea of hulling that many strawberries overwhelms me. I can easily do 10-12 berries at a time for breakfast or a salad, but 150, or whatever number it would be? My body aches just thinking about it.
On the other hand, I will need to hull them to do anything with them, even to freeze them for later. Oh, what to do, what to do. As my mom used to say, "May that be the worst of your worries." to quote a Yiddish saying, "From her mouth to God's ears." Amen
For about 3 weeks early each summer, my local produce store gets Amish-grown strawberries. They are more expensive, but so worth it. They are small, generally 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, so they are also more work to prepare. This is where I have some issues. These strawberries are so, so good, red all the way through, with a real intense strawberry flavor. (I'm getting hungry, anyone else?)
I was told this is the last week they would be available this year, so I wanted to hoard the strawberries, to get extra so they would last. So instead of buying one quart, I bought two, telling myself I would make strawberry jam. Three days later, I haven't made any jam, and I have a feeling I won't. The idea of hulling that many strawberries overwhelms me. I can easily do 10-12 berries at a time for breakfast or a salad, but 150, or whatever number it would be? My body aches just thinking about it.
On the other hand, I will need to hull them to do anything with them, even to freeze them for later. Oh, what to do, what to do. As my mom used to say, "May that be the worst of your worries." to quote a Yiddish saying, "From her mouth to God's ears." Amen
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