Okay, so you have finished the first week of my 30-day November to Remember Challenge 2015. Excellent! However, some of you are having a healing crisis — you are getting better (healing), but you are feeling worse (the crisis). Today, you will learn why.
When you are doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®, you are getting better. Everything in the Recipe is designed to help you have a recovery from Parkinson’s. When you are having a toxin cleansing, which is a continuing process in this recovery, there are periods of time when you feel worse even though you are getting better.
Parkinson’s pollutes your body and that is why I am so focused on the liver…getting the toxins cleaned out. It is a double edged sword — first you have to break up the toxins, which causes them to release into your system, and then you flush them out, primarily with respiration, perspiration and urine, not primarily from bowels, so make certain you are drinking enough water. Quite frankly, this is one of the hardest parts because when you are succeeding in breaking down the toxins, you feel the worst of it as a result of how much toxicity is floating around in your system. This is where many people want to quit because they feel so poorly. This is where you have to be strong and have faith that what you are doing is correct. I know, this is contrary to everything we learn in life. Here, the better you are doing at breaking up toxins, the worse you feel, but then you get better. It is why I did not feel better for nearly the entire time I had Parkinson’s, and then when I started feeling better, 2 weeks later, I was better.
I know it is hard to believe that the better you are doing the worse you will feel for a while, but think about this: suppose a pool looks like it is filled with sparkling water, but the walls are completely covered in algae. If you scrape every wall from top to bottom, what will the sparkling water look like? Completely polluted, right? But aren’t you making progress in cleaning the pool? Don’t you need to get all the algae off of the walls to clean the pool? If somebody saw the pool and did not notice the algae covering the walls, they would have though it was a perfectly clean, sparkling-water pool. After you scrape the algae and before it is flushed out, the same person would look at the pool and wonder how it suddenly became so polluted. And such is the case with you. You have worked hard and were starting to feel a little better. However, this hard work released many toxins into your body, and this will make you feel “worse” or “more polluted” until you can release the toxins from your body.
When the water in the pool looks clear and the algae is stuck to the walls of the pool, how hard are the pool pump and pool filter working? Hardly at all — there is nothing toxic or polluted in the water, so they are on low and using very little energy. Once you scrape every wall in the pool and the water is completely cloudy with toxins and pollutants, how hard are the pool pump and pool filter working? Very hard, and overtime! They are turned up to their maximum power and do not relax until the pool is clear again.
Let’s apply this to your Parkinson’s body. When you first start doing the Qigong, particularly Medical Qigong for Liver, initially many people report an energy boost, bowel function improvement, and return of sense of smell. This is because you are cleaning toxins already floating around in your body, so you get an initial positive impact. However, as you work harder at the Qigong in the Recipe, you start to get into the deeper parts of the toxicity in your body (like scraping the algae off of the walls in the pool), and you put a load of new toxins into the mainstream of your body. Much like the pool pump and pool filter, your body then must devote a large amount of energy to getting the toxins cleansed from your body.
Since your Parkinson’s brain already is low on energy, and since you have been so successful in pulling these toxins out into the mainstream of your body, you suffer the appearance of worsening symptoms, such as increased tremors, slower movement and sometimes fatigue, and the Qigong becomes a bit harder to do — your body is prioritizing the use of its energy, and priority number one is not your tremors or rigidity or slowness…priority number one is eliminating the toxins from your body. This results in your symptoms appearing worse. However, you are not getting worse. It is just a shifting of energy to a higher priority. There is nothing to be afraid of. You are getting better, and continuing the Qigong assists your body in cleansing the toxins more effectively.
As I have mentioned before, when you fight Parkinson’s, it fights you back. When you are diligent with the Recipe and you have been feeling like you are making progress, it is a blow to your faith to suddenly feel like you are physically going backwards. Parkinson’s tests your faith. Parkinson’s tests your resolve. Parkinson’s tests you to the core of your being. And, you fight back! You start at the core of your being and chip away at Parkinson’s day after day after day until you recover. You have to be strong and you cannot lose faith in yourself.
You are a little over one week into the 30-day commitment you made to yourself to do the reduced version of the Recipe or to re-commit yourself to the full version of the Recipe. Good for you! Keep up the great work. I know you can do this!!!
Okay, everybody, put big smiles on your faces and chant together so the whole world can hear:
“Parkinson’s is curable.
I am my own Parkinson’s cure.
I am halting, slowing, and reversing the progression of my Parkinson’s.
I am extraordinary.
I am recovery.
I am doing great!
AND, I AM WORTH IT!!!”
Yes you are. Each and every one of you is WORTH IT!!!
All my best,
Howard
Phew! Thanks Howard I really needed to hear that. Though I had no intention on giving up on the recipe, my suddenly worsening symptoms have been very upsetting and alarming. Keeping on chipping away!
Hi Mayarita, you and me both. I have definitely hit the algae of my liver. Like you Mayarita, I am continuing to chip chip away. 🙂
Howard, can I ask you to explain, is it also normal that my left side, where I did not have symptoms is now not functioning well and I seem to have developed that inner tremor that you and Debbie had. I would love one of your factual explanations as it is alarming ( though I’m staying out of my mind and in my heart) that my good side is shutting down. This question might help others also. Thank you Howard, great start to the week, bless you. Xx
Karen xx
Hi Karen,
I recently posted “no fear of increasing symptoms” and it also had a part 2. Here they are:
https://www.fightingparkinsonsdrugfree.com/2015/08/14/fighting-parkinsons-and-no-fear-of-increasing-symptoms/; https://www.fightingparkinsonsdrugfree.com/2015/08/28/fighting-parkinsons-and-no-fear-of-increasing-symptoms-part-2/.
Love and blessings,
Howard
Howard, I know these two posts but it does not explain why my non Parkinson’s side suddenly has symptoms?
Karen xx
Also, the meridians run on both sides of the body, so when opening the meridians, symptoms that had appeared on one side only may also appear on both.
Ok, that makes sense. The learning continues. Thank You Howard, I appreciate your wisdom and your patience with me. I think the tiredness is a friend to Parkinson’s and a meany to the Warrior, a good nights sleep or lack of it, makes such a difference. Bless you friend. One day when I’m healed we can joke that I was one of your biggest warrior whingers! Lol.
Karen ( a really really sleepy Karen) xx
Dear Karen,
I do not think that you are a whinger . I think that you are a very brave warrior, fighting hard, with all that you have to obtain good health.
It helps me to always remember that my best is good enough. What my best is physically, mentally, and spiritually may vary from day to day. As long as it is my best, I need not fear.
When I started this program, I was always very hard on myself. I believed that my best was good enough; but I didn’t ever really believe that I was doing my best unless it was perfect. I thought I was always capable of more. Now I am more relaxed (funny word to use as it is so very hard to ever feel physically relaxed in this body of mine lol) and patient with myself. I realize that I am not perfect. I do not need to be, and that I am doing the best with what I can at the moment.
I also realize and have experienced first hand, the principle of cleansing reactions therefore; I am choosing to focus on what I am doing right now, and what I can do, instead of what my body or symptoms are doing. When things get really hard I remind myself that ” this to shall pass”, and that I will not always be feeling this way.
I am never alone. I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and will support me and me efforts..
I do not think I have told you anything that you don’t already know or have not already thought about. This is just a little pick me up, from me to you. From someone who thinks you are one strong lady, doing your best ! From someone who had a good nights sleep last night, to someone who did not. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hope you get some rest and have a great healing day. Sending a little sunshine your way. ( I know you would do the same for me or anyone else, as you often do.
Sending Blessings and Love
Debbie
Hi Karen, you most definitely are not a whinger! When something new happens which we’ve not experienced before its natural to want to know what it is and why it’s happening. You are a great encouraging brave warrior in this community! Howard, bless you, for always helping us when the unexpected crops up. Thank you for another very timely post, I think a lot of us needed it! X
Hi Karen, you are definitely not a winger. You say it like it is in this group, because you can, you know we are all here supporting one another, and that’s part of it. I have felt aches and pain in my good foot ad hand lately too, I was concerned at first but then gave it love and thought how hard it’s been compensating for my other side, I felt love and compassion for it. love and hugs Helen
Bless you Helen Gill 🙂
Karen xx
Hi Karen,
you are right to feel rattled by a seeming increase in symptoms but luckily, you know better…
I had something like that happen to my ‘good’ arm a while back, but it went again, now I come to think of it!
Please don’t say you’re a whinger, on the contrary: Parkinson’s is not for the faint-hearted, (more like the brave-hearted :-). As for your sleep problems, I rarely get them (sorry) but on those occasions that I do, I up my water intake like Howard recommended, to great effect.
It’s coming up to bedtime for us Europeans, so I’ll wish you a good (unbroken!) night,
Helen C
PS oh, and thankyou Howard for posting just what I needed to hear
Debbie, thankyou for taking the time to write so much from your heart to me. It warmed my heart and made me smile. Cynthia and Helen thankyou both for your lovely words too, encouragement and wishes. Thank God, for the most part I sleep quite well. When I have a bad night it really shows but I find a meditation before bedtime always helps. I do feel though that I have got to the wall of my liver and as Howard says, the extra toxicity is noticeable on the system. I’m working on surrender and acceptance and Gods schedule. All good. Bless you all for your kindness. Love to all warriors. Karen xx
I’m curious: does Parkinson’s pollute the body, or are you more likely to get Parkinson’s if your body is polluted?
Hi Sara,
I feel it is a combination. First, we are out of balance and polluted, soul, mind, and body. I feel the Parkinson’s was under the surface, but it was the imbalances that brought it to the surface as diagnosable symptoms. The challenge is cleaning up the toxins while keeping the new pollution (soul, mind, and body) from re-occurring.
Love and blessings,
Howard
Its very true, “YOU HAVE TO FEEL WORSE BEFORE YOU FEEL BETTER.” It’s hard to stay positive during that time for me it was pain non stop as my body was tightening up this lasted for 4 months, once that went away i had more slowness so i believe its just a part of the journey. Your body, mind and soul is repairing itself just like you were being reborn. When we were born we all came out screaming in pain we felt stiff, we were shaking and we were scared to death just like the way Parkinson’s makes us all feel. I’m proof in the process although i am not completely symptom free my recent visit to the Parkinson movement specialist resulted in no mention of Parkinson what so ever. I learned that you cannot focus on your symptoms although i know its hard to do focus your attention on your goals and live your life, do this with the recipe daily and Parkinson’s will fade away. its not a disease its a condition a result of you going off course…Get back on track your best days are not over, they are on there way!
Tony, your comment about being in pain all of a sudden hit a chord with me. All of a sudden I seem to have pain everywhere and I’ve been wondering where this all came from. I now feel better just knowing that others are experiencing the same overall body pain and it’s all part of the healing process. Thank you for sharing that experience and helping me to press forward in spite of worsening symptoms. Thank you Howard for this blog about feeling worse before feeling better.
I describe Parkinson’s as being undulating, up and down, in and out, backwards and forward, so variable day to day. Thanx to Howard’s kind and wise guidance I don’t experience the fear/terror I used to experience whenever there was a change for the worse. I have come to expect it. And, it’s temporary. And I sometimes tell Mr. Parkinson’s, “you are temporary, the cure is real”! Onward and upward, everyone!
Great comment Judy, parkinson’s is all over the place, and different every day. Knowing this makes it easier to not panic or get discouraged, knowing that it is actually a sign of healing !
Thank you Howard, it’s so good to read these regular updates. I often feel so good in my inner self I get a shock at my hobbling body, then I self talk and know it’s part of the process, and I try to remember let go, let God. When I got parkinson’s I moved from the country to a village, and the kindness and love people share with me here, continually bowls me over. It has been a great learning and gift to receive help, and be grateful and supported. I was so used to doing everything myself., and fast. I have had to learn slowness., and the peace in that. I feel loved from the inside, and out. Life is such a journey of discovery and healing, I am grateful for that.
Recipe,Day 12
This post hits the mark, again. Doing the abbreviated Recipe, keeping to a simple diet,am smoothie, evening steamed vegetables +condiment
accoutrement…-off the “bad” stuff, to help support the algae scraping energy. Drinking a pint (of water!:-) in am before exercises, then later in the day. Deep breathing, whenever.
Always look forward to these postings and comments, a mainstay in my journey to recovery. Growing in believing I’m possible…
Thank you,
Tom
All your comments are so helpful and inspiring sorry i can’t write so well at moment. Snap dear Karen- the exact same but opposite has happened to me! We are getting there! X
hola Karen usted siempre ha sido un apoyo importante para todos nosotros en esta comunidad sus comentarios alentadores. nos animan
ahora permitame regresarle a usted un poco de lo mucho que nos ha dado , atraves de este mensaje ,agradeciendole sus muestras de afecto y decirle que es un ser humano maravilloso.
mi lado menos afectado es el izquierdo pero muestra sintomas tambien no tengo miedo
Translation:
Hi Karen you have always been an important support for us in this community all their encouraging comments. They encourage us.
Now let me give back to you a little of how much you have given us, meaning through this message, thanking your displays of affection and telling you that you are a wonderful human being. less affected for me is the left side showing symptoms but also I’m not afraid
Bless you Jimmy. Love you too friend and thankyou for your lovely words.
Karen xx
Hello warriors, we are all sailing in the same boat, some nearing the coast and some of us still trying to get there. Me too, only had the right side involved first, now both sides. The most difficult part that I find is the soul healing (fear from people noticing me.) do any of you have tips how to overcome this public fear. I try hard , but find it very difficult. I know until I overcome this part I will not be able to achieve my full recovery. Does any of you have a mantra how to overcome it.
Wish you all A very Happy Diwali (it is known as a Festival of Lights in India) may God shower all his blessings on all the Warriors to overcome this monster Parky.
Howard wish you and Sally a very Happy Diwali.
Love to all.
Leena, I, too struggled a great deal with public fear, I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me and our wise and fearless leader Howard taught me to smile at people and they would feel compassion instead of pity! I tried smiling when out in public and then I get a totally different response from people which actually makes me feel good about myself. Try it Leena, it really does work.
Hi Leena,
Like Melanie, I found Howard’s advice about looking and smiling at people really helpful. I’m sure that when I was looking down and looking embarrassed people were much less likely to see beyond my “disability”. When I look up and smile and say “hello” to people I feel much more of a complete human being and I feel that, 9 times out of 10, that’s how people respond to me as well. I used to get very worried about dealing with paying for things in shops, putting things in my shopping bags, etc, and of course the more I worried about it the more my hands developed a mind of their own and the longer would be the embarrassed silence while I struggled. I’ve now learned to say – with a smile – “Would you mind putting the things in my bag for me ?” If it’s an occasion when I think my difficulty might not be very obvious I might add something like, “I don’t have very good co-ordination”. Without fail, I find the response is, “Of course”. Another smile from me and “Thank you for your help” and we’re done and dusted! On occasions when it’s something with which no-one can help me – e.g. someone has stood aside to let me go by first in a narrow space – I smile and say, “sorry I can’t go any faster” and the most common response is a smile and “No problem.” I’m learning that people are very kind! Some days I have to dig very deep to find that smile but it’s rarely failed to work for me. Whether it’s a good day or a difficult day, I find Howard’s mantra – “I have the power to heal myself” – incredibly helpful because it so simply reminds me that everything positive that I do, whether that’s doing the physical exercises or going out in public, is part of my healing. An added bonus I’ve discovered is that if I say the mantra rhythmically in my head and walk in time with it, my walking becomes a little bit easier.
I’ve found it really helpful to write this – it’s reminded me of some of the things I need to keep on doing and for which I can be grateful. Thanks for your post, Leena and take good care of yourself…
Anita
P.s. And Happy Diwali to you too.
Anita
Happy Diwali Leena, I feel Melanie and Anita have beautifully covered advise on being more relaxed in public. The only thing I will add is see the blessing that you can walk to get to do your bits of shopping. For now my mobility is too bad to go anywhere and I’m not ready for a wheelchair yet. I stagger to get around so I truly look forward to my mobility improving to get to the shops again. Smiling is definitely key, as people take their lead from how you are with you. Inspirational people are always the ones courageous and smiling in adversity. You are an inspiration to others that you are still getting out there and living. You go girl! Yes you can, yes you can, yes you can! 🙂
Karen xx
Hi Howard,
Thanks for this really timely post. Since I took up the challenge to do the full Recipe I’ve been feeling more stiff. I feel a bit like I used to feel after having been on a very long walk. (I’m so grateful for having had the experience of going on lots of long walks: I have lots of fantastic images stored in my memory…) I’ve been reminding myself that you’d say it’s a positive thing but it’s very powerfully supportive to have you pop into my inbox and confirm this, and to have my buddies here confirming the same thing.
Thanks and best wishes to all of you.
Anita
Hi Howard and Everyone,
Thank you for all the great posts! I, like Anita, have found it to be very helpful to be able to share my thoughts with each of you. It is almost like writing a gratitude list as it reminds me of all the wonderful things I believe to be true and am so grateful for. It clarifies my thoughts, and therefore helps to clarify my actions for the day. Thanks to Howard and all of you for sharing yourselves with me. You are all blessings in my life, and I am grateful.
Have a great day doing your best on the Recovery Recipe.
Like Howard has said, this is a doing Recovery Recipe. I am grateful to be able to go now and put into action all that I have been taught. It is a very colorful, beautiful fall day and I am grateful to be alive. 🙂 🙂
Love and Blessings to all,
Debbie
Hello Everyone
IT is Exactly What my hubby was worried about.
Now he and myself are feeling better.
God bless you all.
Hi Melanie, Anita & Karen. It’s great piece of advice. Will try to inculcate it in my being, just have to break the barrier. Shall try your inputs. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Karen you are a brave soul. Keep going, one day very soon all the symptoms will meltdown and you will again be rejuvenated soul as pure as you were born.
Thank you all very much.