Fighting Parkinson’s, and control, acceptance, and surrender

I have read that one of the stereotypical behaviors of Parkinson’s sufferers is that they are wanting to be in control of everything, and that it is this type of self-driven, adrenaline-driven, perfectionism that helps lead people to Parkinson’s door. I cannot disagree that these behaviors help lead people to Parkinson’s. What is confusing to me is why so many self-driven, adrenaline-driven, perfectionists hear the words “You have Parkinson’s” and their immediate reaction is to feel defeated, to give up faith and hope, and to give up control of their lives. It doesn’t have to be that way!

Western Medicine says it does not know what causes Parkinson’s Disease. We do! These are the main causes that bring Parkinson’s symptoms to the diagnosable surface:

1. Qi and Blood Deficiency, which is caused by emotional stress, anger, frustration, and resentment.
2. Phlegm-Fire Agitating Wind, which is caused by dietary considerations such as consumption of too much greasy, fried or sweet foods.
3. Kidney and Liver Wind Deficiency, which is caused by overwork and insufficient rest which unbalances the body’s natural rhythm.

The reason I refer to these as the “main” causes that bring Parkinson’s symptoms to the diagnosable surface is because these are the causes over which we have control. Growing up on top of a buried waste dump, eating too many tuna fish sandwiches as a child, having lived in areas polluted with environmental toxins, etc…yes, they may also be involved in causing the Parkinson’s below the surface, but they are old and gone and out of our control.

“We can control efforts, not outcomes.” Dan Millman from Peaceful Warrior.

Now, let’s look at each of the three causes of Parkinson’s listed above.

1. Qi and Blood Deficiency, which is caused by emotional stress, anger, frustration, and resentment. Take a moment and ask yourself if these emotions existed in your life prior to getting Parkinson’s. I know they did for me. Now, ask yourself this: “When I received my diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and was told it was incurable, did I experience any or all of these emotions: stress, anxiety, anger, frustration, resentment, despondency?” Also, “How am I feeling now…am I still harboring those emotions?”

2. Phlegm-Fire Agitating Wind, which is caused by dietary considerations such as consumption of too much greasy, fried or sweet foods. For me, guilty as charged. This was an easy one to admit, and a hard one to change. Now, ask yourself this: “When I received my diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, did my diet include, among other things, a large amount of greasy, fried, or sweet foods?” Also, “What does my diet look like now…does it contain a large amount of greasy, fried, or sweet foods?” (Please note, the sweet foods I am talking about here are not fruits. They are white sugar foods like cookies and cakes and other snacks and desserts).

3. Kidney and Liver Wind Deficiency, which is caused by overwork and insufficient rest which unbalances the body’s natural rhythm. For me, guilty again. I had to be honest with myself and acknowledge that I had been functioning in high-intensity adrenaline mode for at least a decade before the major symptoms of Parkinson’s appeared. Now, ask yourself this: “When I received my diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease, had I been engaged in a type of ‘burn-the-candle-at-both-ends’ behavioral pattern driven by adrenaline, and had I been lacking in enough sleep?” Also, “What does my behavior look like now?”

“We can control efforts, not outcomes.” I believe this quote also means to take responsibility for our efforts because our efforts are the only things in life over which we have complete control, and our efforts begin with looking inside and deciding we need to make a change. We need to seize control of our lives, get them back into balance, and take our lives back from Parkinson’s.

The Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery^&#0174 helped me seize control of my life back from Parkinson’s. Why? The Qigong healed my organs and the meditation helped put my mind at ease so anger and frustration and resentment of Cause number 1 were removed. Changing my diet not only removed Cause number 2, but it made me healthier and stronger.

Cause number 3 is a tricky one (please look at two posts regarding your experience in the moment, part 1, and part 2). Overcoming Cause number 3 required accepting things as they were, accepting that I had Parkinson’s, accepting that all I could do against Parkinson’s was to give it my best shot, accepting that I really had little or no control over the outcome of Parkinson’s or the outcome of anything…this kind of complete acceptance and surrender gave me complete control…complete peace of mind in knowing that the only things I could control were my efforts, so why not make them my best efforts and enjoy the journey of life in the moment…each moment…moment by moment. That is what I did.

And, you can, too. The Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery^&#0174 contains the ingredients that resulted in my being cured from Parkinson’s as well as three others being cured from Parkinson’s so far.

Control. Acceptance. Surrender. Why not take control of your Parkinson’s by taking control of the one thing in life over which you have absolute control: YOUR EFFORTS! Okay, here’s the catch: Why not surrender and give up trying to control all of the things over which you have little or no control: EVERYTHING ELSE!

You can do it!

You are worth it!!!

All my best,

Howard