As we head into the end of the year and the joyous holiday season, I want to provide you with more tools for repairing your Parkinson’s, which I see as a symptom of a life out of balance…physically, mentally, and spiritual. Today, I am re-posting my explanation of how Parkinson’s is a symptom of a life out of balance.
From my 2012 post Fighting Parkinson’s, and tremors three years ago:
“Three years ago today, I got my final wake up call, my body’s final notification to make me sit up and take notice that there was something dreadfully wrong with me…tremors. As I pointed out recently, for the previous 7 or 8 months, I had received polite, and not-so-polite, notifications that my physical body was falling into disrepair. I chose to ignore these. Tremors got my attention. I have discussed that the symptoms are not the problem, but instead, they are the messages that there is a problem, so we have to look behind them as to why we have them. This morning I realized that Parkinson’s is a symptom…a message that says, ‘your life is out of balance.’
Parkinson’s…the symptom reflecting a life out of balance. Physically, you are off balance. You move slowly and cautiously, often looking down instead of forward. What does that do? It puts your body in a posture that makes it virtually impossible to walk balanced. Your neck is bent, your spine is bent, the fluid in your semicircular canals is moved, and your visual frame of reference (important for balance) is your legs or the floor, and you acquire what is often referred to as a Parkinson’s gait. Mentally, you then become off balance because you are afraid of falling or freezing, and you are afraid of the future with Parkinson’s. This is right where Parkinson’s wants you…not living in the moment, but instead living in the past (getting Parkinson’s) and being fearful of the future (life with long-term Parkinson’s). Spiritually, you give up hope that you ever will get better. At that point Parkinson’s is winning.
Essentially, when you stare at your legs and feel unbalanced, you are looking at the past. When you feel unbalanced, you fear the future. How can you move forward in life in a balanced manner if you are staring backwards and it makes you fearful of where you are going? Faith.
Faith in yourself that you are the cure to Parkinson’s, and that you can see your recovery through to the end. Yes, that carries a lot of responsibility, but you have help. You have the Recipe for Recovery. The Recipe for Recovery is your road map to bring your soul, mind, and body back into balance.
Over time in my recovery, I came to see Parkinson’s as a grand opportunity to fix the things in my life that had gone out of balance. The Recipe provided me with the physical tools to re-balance my body, the mental tools to calm my mind and re-balance my emotions, and the spiritual tools to re-balance my soul and find again the essence of who I am.
Am I grateful for having had Parkinson’s? Yes. Through that bump in the road in a life already out of balance, Parkinson’s stood as a bump at a fork in the road leaving me two choices: 1. Fix the imbalances in my life and it would go away; and 2. Do not fix the imbalances in my life and it would stay with me forever. I chose the road less traveled, I had no plan B, and every day I did the Recipe for Recovery to find balance in my life. And every day that I awoke with Parkinson’s still there, it was a reminder I still had more work to do.
However, in the end, when I awoke on June 12, 2010 with no Parkinson’s, I knew it was not coming back — I had re-balanced my soul, mind, and body, and I no longer needed the message or symptoms known as Parkinson’s as a reminder that I had more work to do.
I was finished with that part of my life, and I am grateful for that as well.”
You can do this, too. I know you can.
Make the commitment to bring your life back into balance!
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 bringing my life back into balance.
I am slowing, halting, and reversing the progression of my Parkinson’s.
I am extraordinary.
I am recovery.
I am doing great!
AND, I AM WORTH IT!!!”
All my best,
Howard
NOTE: Thank you to all of you who have ordered my book Fighting Parkinson’s…and Winning. As a reminder, Amazon ranks books based upon purchases and reviews. Once you have read the book, I would ask that you go to the Amazon page that contains my book, rate the book and give it a review. Also, this will assist others in deciding whether or not they wish to order a book. Click here to go to the Amazon book page, where you can read the wonderful reviews that already have been posted as well as posting a review yourself. I am grateful for those who have posted reviews, and please remember, the more reviews, the more opportunity we have to change the current view of Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s recovery. Together, let’s change the world’s view of Parkinson’s and spread the message of hope.
The clearest and simplest explanation of how Parkinsons comes about and the most helpful pathway to recovery I have come across, as someone who cares for someone with Parkinsons. Thank you Howard
Dear Howard
Always a clear explanation to look forward to the recovery path!!
The “moment-life-style” has to be learnt. Thanks dear Howard
for your big help during the whole year!
Without you we couldn’t celebrate X-mas in the same way, you give us
hope and faith, THANKS!! Have a wonderful Christmas together with your family.
THANK YOU HOWARD..MERRY CHRISTMAS FOR EVERYONE,,,,,,,,,,,,HAVE LOVE AND PEACE
I needed to see this post. It is exactly what I needed for reinforcement! Thanks, Howard! Thanks to everyone in this blog so we can all stand together. I thank you for the strength that you have shared with me.
Hugs and love to all
Thank you Howard… I am back from vacation. .. Merry Christmas 😊
Merry Christmas everyone. .. hugs😊
Cut down on meds by 1/3; I think this is a conservative step. Howard, aware of your cautiousness regarding pill reduction. I’m doing the physical part of Recipe, more and more, though still far from completely.
More conscious of spiritual work in progress.
Thanks for guiding us and to all bloggers here.