Fighting Parkinson's Drug Free

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote “Fighting Parkinson’s, and COVID-19.” In that post, I recommended that we share love, not fear, as relates to the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Thank you all for sharing love with each other and to those around the world. Today, I want to discuss ways to heal your Parkinson’s while most of us are on “stay at home” restrictions.

Ten years ago today, I began this blog. Much has happened over these last ten years, and I thought it would be helpful to go back to the beginning as a point of reference for today’s post. Here is my first blog post, March 25, 2010.

As I sit at home amid the fast-spreading COVID-19 Coronavirus outside, I am grateful to be healthy, and I am grateful for my life. Also, I am grateful for all of you. We will get through this together.

Doing. Taking action to create a strong foundation in your recovery is what it takes to move forward in a positive direction in your recovery journey. Today, we discuss this in-depth.

Every now and again an issue will come up on a number of coaching calls in the same week, so I write about it because if that many people are raising the issue with me, then there are probably many others facing the same issue. The question: “How do I keep a good attitude when the symptoms are increasing?”

My feeling about this is rather simple: If you are doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® then you are getting better on the inside. Your body is low on energy, so as it is putting more energy toward healing you on the inside, there is less energy to hold your symptoms in check, so they increase temporarily.

Here is what I did. I looked at the increased symptom and said:

“I know that the energy is being used for a healing inside me so my symptom is temporarily increased. Thank you for the healing. I am not going to worry about this today. I will see how it is tomorrow.”

By saying this, I removed worry and fear in the moment because “I will see how it is tomorrow” did not allow worry and fear. The nice thing about Parkinson’s is that by the time the next day arrived, some other symptom was bothering me and the one from the day before had improved, so I repeated the same thing with whatever was the temporarily increased symptom that was bothering me.

As always, the critical component here is repetition. You have to repeat it again and again and again, each day, with every temporarily increased symptom. First, the statement is true, a healing is occurring and there is nothing to worry about. Second, by pushing the “worry and fear” to the next day, you not only remove negative thoughts, but you enhance the healing by not blocking it with negative energy.

That’s it!

You are worth it!!!

All my best,

Howard

You may look at today’s blog post title and ask yourself, “What do healthy eating and loving yourself have to do with each other?” Everything! Read on…

Changing one’s diet is a difficult topic for many people. I have had quite a few people tell me over the years that if they had to change their diet, they would not be doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®. As a result, I will begin as I generally do when discussing healthy eating, with this quote from Margaret Mead:

“It is easier to change a man’s religion than to change his diet.” (This goes for women, too).

For a little assistance with healthy eating, Sally started an Instagram account a while back and she has been posting the very healthy food that we eat. You do not need an Instagram account to access the information.

Here is Sally’s Instagram account, with pictures and recipes:

https://www.instagram.com/sallyseverydaykitchen/

If you have an Instagram account (or wish to get one, it is free), you can click and follow Sally, sallyseverydaykitchen, and you will get an update in your account every time she posts a new recipe.

Last weekend, Sally and I were watching again the very informative food documentary entitled, “Hungry for Change.” In this documentary, people healed themselves from many diseases, in large part, by changing what they were eating — the leap from unhealthy food to healthy food.

However, when it came down to the “why,” the “what got you to make the decision to change your diet and get on a healing path,” each had the same answer:

SELF LOVE!

This is followed by a psychologist discussing the connection between self love and healing, including mentioning Louise Hay’s six powerful words:

I accept myself unconditionally right now.

I was able to find a 2 minute and 44 second You Tube clip with Dr. Northrup’s explanation of self love and health. Here is is for all of you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pcXlw_0KQM

How powerful is that!

Okay, everybody, let’s do this together for those who need a little support from their brothers and sisters around the world:

I accept myself unconditionally right now.

You are worth it!!!

All my best,

Howard

Last week when I posted, “Fighting Parkinson’s, and more to learn from the tortoise,” I was not anticipating a part 2. However, after a week of very lively conversations about that post, I felt it would be good to share additional lessons from the tortoise.

There are things we can learn from the tortoise every day. Please remember, when you proceed like the tortoise, slow and steady, you tend to see many beautiful things in life that you used to just walk passed without noticing. And the joy you feel in living opens your heart and your dopamine as you are working on your recovery.

It occurred to me that when you are moving like the tortoise, slowly and steadily, you also have more time to notice all of the subtle unpleasant changes that are happening to your body. How do you put fear to the side and deal with those changes?

Faith that you are recovering. And action…doing the positive things in the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® toward your recovery. That is how you put fear aside and deal with those changes.

One of the greatest difficulties in this recovery is not being concerned about the subtle, and not so subtle, changes that occur day-to-day. Since the Parkinson’s body has limited energy, you have to trust it to know where you need the healing the most. Some days that means you walk a little slower, some days it means you tremor more, some days it means you have a headache.

Here’s a new look at acceptance of these matters:
“Okay. Apparently, I am supposed to be walking slower, because if I wasn’t supposed to be walking slower, I would not be walking slower.”
“Okay. Apparently, I am supposed to be tremoring more, because if I wasn’t supposed to be tremoring more, I would not be tremoring more.”
“Okay. Apparently, I am supposed to have a headache, because if I wasn’t supposed to have a headache, I would not have one.”

The power of “Okay. Apparently…” is representative of true acceptance of what the Universe is offering, and it defeats anger and frustration and resentment and fear. Instead of looking at something and getting upset, just say, “Okay. Apparently, that was supposed to happen” or “Okay. Apparently, I wasn’t supposed to be doing that….” I think you get the picture.

The more unpleasant things that occur that you can look at and say, “Okay. Apparently…” the more calm you will be and less angry and fearful you will be as you continue your recovery.

And, the one thing you need to keep constant in your recovery is the Recipe.

That way your soul, mind, and body can say, “Okay, I know you are doing these things, and I know you are generating this energy, thank you, now I can start fixing this mess.” Failure to accept what is occurring with your recovery causes problems down the road.

When people change what they are doing to meet up with the day-to-day healing nuances when they really do not know what is occurring on the inside, then they undo the benefits the soul, mind, and body have achieved thus far. Faith, plus action, is key to this philosophy.

And with the Recipe, faith plus action looks like this:

I have faith in my recovery. Plus, I am taking action to heal my organs by doing the Qigong exercises. I am recovery!
I have faith in my recovery. Plus, I am taking action to generate more brain activity and energy by doing the Brain Vibration Chanting. I am recovery!
I have faith in my recovery. Plus, I am taking action to make by body healthier by eating better. I am recovery!
I have faith in my recovery. Plus, I am taking action to balance my internal energy by doing Jin Shin Jyutsu. I am recovery!
I have faith in my recovery. Plus, I am taking action to calm my mind by meditating. I am recovery!
I have faith in my recovery. Plus, I am taking action to connect my Inner Divine to my Higher Power by praying, opening my heart, feeling love and joy and laughter and gratitude, and by keeping the faith that I am safe and secure. I am recovery!

The hare views “recovery” as winning the race, only…symptom-free recovery. He fails to understand that, in and of itself, recovery is participating in the race. So when the hare gets off the path toward what he sees as recovery, the destination only, he never finds his way back to the path and he never wins the race.

The tortoise is recovery. The tortoise views recovery as each small advance toward the symptom-free recovery at the finish line. However, the tortoise, by its very nature, has to move slowly and steadily, and the tortoise cannot worry too much about the bumps in the road. The tortoise sees the flowers, the birds, the mountains, the sunshine, and beauty of life.

The tortoise knows that every step toward the finish line is recovery, in and of itself, and the tortoise sees love and joy and laughter and gratitude and fulfillment on the entire journey.

Oh, yes, and then the tortoise wins the race. There is so much we can learn from the tortoise.

How about taking a lesson from the tortoise, grab onto the Recipe, and add in some faith, action and acceptance! How about being recovery!

You are worth it!!!

All my best,

Howard

I have written in the past that your recovery is won by the tortoise, not the hare…slow and steady…nothing happens fast. There are always more lessons to be learned from the tortoise, so here we go!

I have been traveling this week, so today you will be receiving an “oldie but goodie” re-post on attitude with a way to tie it into “2020…the year of gratitude.”

Life is happening. Parkinson’s is happening. How you deal with your Parkinson’s symptoms has much to do with your recovery. Your attitude is a major factor in your recovery. Attitude, attitude, attitude!

I will begin today’s discussion with a quote from Jack Sparrow, that is, Captain Jack Sparrow from the Disney movie series Pirates of the Caribbean:

“The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Do you understand?”

I would imagine that Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow) had no idea he was talking about Parkinson’s recovery. I will paraphrase so you will understand my point better:

“The problem is not your Parkinson’s symptoms. The problem is your attitude about your Parkinson’s symptoms. Do you understand?”

Your symptoms are happening. Your attitude about what they mean can dramatically change your recovery. If you can view your symptoms with a positive attitude from your heart instead of a negative attitude from your mind, then you have the greatest opportunity to move forward in your Parkinson’s recovery.

Here are some examples of how a shift in attitude changes your recovery.

Event: An increase in tremors while doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®.
Mind: Oh no, I am getting worse. Better stop the Recipe and look for something else.
Heart: Excellent, I am getting better. I am generating more internal electrical impulses and they temporarily cause me to tremor more while they are opening blockages in my system. Thank you. I am grateful.

Event: An increase in stiffness while doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery.
Mind: Oh no, I am getting worse. Better stop the Recipe and look for something else.
Heart: Excellent, I am getting better. I am generating more internal electrical impulses and they temporarily are shocking the muscles more as they look to open new energy passageways, causing me a little more stiffness in my system. Thank you. I am grateful.

Event: An increase in slowness while doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery.
Mind: Oh no, I am getting worse. Better stop the Recipe and look for something else.
Heart: Excellent, I am getting better. I am generating more internal electrical impulses and they temporarily are shocking the muscles more as they look to open new energy passageways, causing me a little more stiffness in my system, and this stiffness is making me move slower. Thank you. I am grateful.

Attitude, attitude, attitude.

The mind views an increase in a symptom as “getting worse, only getting worse.” The mind follows the current medical model for Parkinson’s, you will be “getting worse, only getting worse.” With your mind’s attitude following the “only getting worse” medical model, your Parkinson’s symptoms get worse because your mind is filled with fear, anxiety, worry, anger, frustration, and stress…all of the things that helped bring your Parkinson’s symptoms to the surface in the first place. If you stay in your mind, you defeat your own recovery because an attitude filled with this outlook and these emotions, feeds the Parkinson’s symptoms and ultimately makes you stop doing the Recipe and quit your recovery.

The heart views an increase in a symptoms as “progress in recovery, everything is progress in recovery.” The heart follows the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery model for Parkinson’s, if you are doing the Recipe you are making “progress in recovery, everything is progress in recovery.” With your heart’s attitude following the “everything is progress in recovery” Recipe model, your Parkinson’s symptoms eventually get better because your heart is filled with faith, hope, love, joy, happiness, gratitude, contentment, vulnerability, and forgiveness…all of the things that get your dopamine flowing and rid you of your Parkinson’s symptoms. If you stay in your heart, you enhance your recovery because an attitude filled with this outlook and these emotions keeps you doing the Recipe and ultimately defeats the Parkinson’s and leads to your full recovery.

And all along the way, you stare down those increasing symptoms and from the depths of your heart and soul, you say, “Thank you. I am grateful.” And you mean it! You are worthy.

Attitude, attitude, attitude. Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude.

When you have increased symptoms and you give gratitude, most people will think you have lost your mind. In light of that, I will finish with another quote, one I have mentioned before. This time from Socrates in Dan Millman’s Way of the Peaceful Warrior:

“Sometimes you have to lose your mind before you come to your senses.”

Lose your mind…find your heart…have your recovery.

You are worth it!

All my best,

Howard

We began the year as 2020…the year of gratitude! Today is the last day of January, bringing to a close the first full month of the year in gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you for opening your hearts for a solid month of gratitude. I am grateful for you!

Some people have had a difficult time this month because of the constant reminder of symptoms. In the middle of Parkinson’s symptoms’ discomforts, people may struggle with their ability to express gratitude. Some have told me that they see nothing for which to be grateful. Let’s talk about that.

Gratitude. Let’s see where we can take this.

If you are reading this post, please give gratitude to your eyes and for your eyesight.
If somebody else is reading this post to you, please give gratitude to the person, to your ears, and for your hearing.
If you are doing any of Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®, please give gratitude to your liver, gallbladder, kidneys, bladder, stomach, spleen, small intestine, large intestine, heart, lungs, and brain.
If your hands are struggling to do your buttons, please give gratitude to your hands for trying, have compassion for their weakened state, and offer them this healing: Put hot water, not too hot, in your sink. Submerge your hands for 2 minutes. While your hands are submerged, for 1 minute alternate making fists and stretching your fingers. Leave your hands submerged for 2 more minutes (total time 5 minutes).
If your feet are struggling with numbness or cramping, please give gratitude to your feet for doing their best with your walking, have compassion for their weakened state, and offer them this healing: Put hot water, not too hot, in a bucket or tub. Submerge your feet for 2 minutes. While your feet are submerged, for 1 minute alternate clenching your toes and stretching your toes. Leave your feet submerged for 2 more minutes (total time 5 minutes).
If you are breathing deeply (click here for instructions on how to breathe deeply), please give gratitude to the Mother Nature for filling your lungs with fresh oxygen to feed your cells and help you recover, and please give gratitude to you lungs for participating in the process.

If you are sitting zazen, practicing acceptance, getting rid of negative emotions, refraining from self-judgment, self-criticism, not having guilt and regret, and working to get rid of fear and anxiety, please give gratitude to your mind.

If you are feeling love, joy, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, happiness, and contentment, and if you are smiling more, please give gratitude to your soul for opening your heart and uplifting your spirits.

Are you getting the picture? Every one of your organs and every one of your limbs is doing its best to help you in your life and in your recovery, and your mind is getting quiet while your soul is shining brightly. If you are doing the Recipe, you are supplying your soul, your mind, and your body all of the tools they need to bring you to your full recovery, your cure.

Gratitude is your way of saying to them: “Your best is good enough. I am compassionate to your situation, and I am so grateful that you are trying so hard on this journey to my cure.”

When you are consumed with your symptoms, it is like being ungrateful to your soul, your mind, and your body. You are sending a message that says, “Your best is not good enough and I am disappointed in you.” I think all of you know how that feels, when somebody indicates to you that your best is not good enough and that they are disappointed in you. It is debilitating, and so is your Parkinson’s if you are not grateful for how hard your soul, mind and body are working to cure you.

Instead, find a place of true compassion and gratitude. Gratitude is your way of saying:

“I am grateful for being alive, even in a Parkinson’s body. My best is good enough. I am bringing my life back into balance. I am recovery. I am worth it!”

Every day, I begin my day giving gratitude for being alive and my soul being in a human being. I began doing this gratitude when I had Parkinson’s. I was healing my body and calming my mind, and it was gratitude that helped open my heart and soul. I became so truly grateful for my life, even in a Parkinson’s body, that I became overwhelmed with joy.

And the joy was so powerful, I completely stopped caring about the Parkinson’s. I knew my full recovery would come one day, so I just accepted it as true and continued doing the Recipe every day. But I was different and I knew it…I was experiencing joy from the inside, and it was overwhelming.

Your symptoms are nothing more than a notification system to let you know you have Parkinson’s. That is all. So, why be ungrateful or bitter because you have symptoms. You have the Recipe, so be grateful that you have in your hands the one thing so far that has been proven to slow, halt, reverse, and even cure Parkinson’s Disease.

Don’t look back with guilt and regret…don’t look forward with fear and worry and stress…adjust your thinking…see your recovery in your future and be grateful for where you are going. You are on the path to your recovery. See it. Be it. You are your own cure…be grateful for that!

Oh, yes. Every morning I give gratitude for all of you. I give compassion to all of you and gratitude to all of you for your hard work and dedication doing the Recipe and working on your recovery. Also, I give gratitude to all of you for allowing me the privilege of serving you. Thank you. I am grateful!

Keep developing your attitude of gratitude. It will change your life and your recovery.

You are worth it!!!

All my best,

Howard