I know, you are thinking, “What do Fighting Parkinson’s and reducing holiday stress have in common?” Being perfect. If you can give up the notion that everything has to be perfect, including yourself, then you can be recovering from your Parkinson’s and reducing your holiday stress at the same time.
Continue reading
Today I am posting my third video in my Parkinson’s Disease Symptoms Relief video series. The video focuses on strengthening your voice and improving articulation so you can face the world with confidence.
Many people with Parkinson’s find it difficult to go out in public or be in other social settings because they have a weak voice or feel like they are not able to correctly articulate their words. This is the worst feeling.
It is important to be able to go out into the world with confidence and a fully articulate booming voice. It is one of the things by which others judge how you are doing, and nothing says “I am getting better” more clearly than your voice.
1. Inhale deeply, and on the exhale say aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh loudly for as long as possible. Repeat this 5 times in a row two or three times per day. This will shake phlegm loose and increase voice volume as well as raise your internal vibration.
2. Repeat the following for one minute each:
Lalalalalalalalalala
Nanananananana
Tatatatatatatatata
You can do this 1-3 times per day. These are exercises for the tongue, and they help with articulation.
Here is a video for further explanation and a demonstration:
Okay. One last thing. I could not hear any of you. So, take a deep breath right now in the moment, and let me hear a big, booming aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh. Okay, okay, okay…I am hearing you now. Good for all of you.
Now grab onto the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®, go out and be with other people, and be your own cure for your Parkinson’s,
I know you can do it.
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
Last month, I made a big push with my November to Remember, No Excuses November, 30-day challenge 2018 to do a modified version of the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® for 30 days. The 30 days ended yesterday, November 30, 2018. So, what’s next? Where do you go from here?
Yesterday was November 30, 2018 and today is December 1, 2018. We have a way of putting labels and limits on our lives based upon what somebody at some previous time decided was correct. Theoretically, if somebody’s decision had been different, today would be November 31, 2018. What I am trying to point out to you is that much of what we think is real is a script written by somebody else, and we have been following the script and its rules without question.
If you want to be cured of Parkinson’s, then today, you need to begin breaking the rules, clearing out the illusions, and writing your own script of where you want to go in your life and your recovery. It is time to choose to start truly being your cure and living your cure!
Faith says “I know I am going to be cured of Parkinson’s, and I will do the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® every day until I am cured!” That’s it! So, what are you doing in the moment RIGHT NOW?
Where is your mind? Is it looking back at November thinking good thoughts? Is it looking back at November thinking self-criticizing thoughts about how you did with the 30-day challenge? Is it looking forward with excitement? Is it looking forward with fear?
As you can see, the mind pulls you away from what is going on RIGHT NOW! What is going on right now is you are reading this post with your fellow travelers on this path to your cure…be in the moment, gather strength and perseverance from each other, connect to each other through the universal energy…draw energy from inside yourself, share it with the others, and draw their energy into you as you feel this moment, RIGHT NOW!
And smile. We all are in this life together. We are drawn here together for a reason. Being as we all are here together, why not make the most of it and help ourselves by helping each other.
Where is your mind? When you are sharing the universal energy with each other, bringing yourself into the moment RIGHT NOW, and feeling each other’s love and compassion, you cannot answer the question “where is your mind,” because your mind leaves, and your heart controls the moment.
Yes, when you are in the moment RIGHT NOW, you are in your heart, and for that flicker in the moment RIGHT NOW, your mind does not exist in the past or in the future…there is no judgment, no regret, no criticism, no fear…no deceptive, illusion-filled, Adrenaline-driven mind.
In the moment RIGHT NOW, as we gather together and feel each other’s presence, there is love, joy, compassion, contentment, gratitude, forgiveness, happiness, and simply being.
Where is my mind? I do not know. I am in my heart.
And, where is your mind? The more you are in your heart, in the moment RIGHT NOW, the more you will be able to answer the question “where is your mind?” with the answer “I do not know.”
Today is December 1, 2018. How about that. What are you doing in the moment RIGHT NOW?
How about letting go of your over-thinking mind in favor of your loving, compassionate heart. How about making the commitment to yourself to cure yourself from Parkinson’s, and then living your cure in all you do, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
You can do this. I know you can!
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
As we enter the final day of my November to Remember, No Excuses November, 30-day challenge 2018, I am happy to have heard that many of you had very positive experiences, including when seeing family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday. This is quite wonderful. So, you wonder, what’s next?
Continue readingLast week, I began my video series for symptom relief. Today is the second installment. Two things that bother most people with Parkinson’s are stiff shoulders and tremors. Today’s video helps with both.
I feel that a blockage in Gallbladder Meridian point 21 creates rigidity in the shoulder area and interferes with a smooth flow of energy down the arm. This leads to stiff shoulders and/or shaky arms and hands. Here are three exercises to assist with these issues.
Stand and lean over slightly, allowing your right arm to hang down. You can brace yourself by placing your left hand on a table or chair for support. Swing your right arm in a small circle — about a foot (1/3 meter) in diameter. Perform 10 revolutions in each direction, once or twice per day. Do this on the other side as well. As your shoulders loosen up, you can widen the circles.
Hold one end of a small towel behind your back and grab the opposite end with your other hand. Hold the towel in a horizontal position. Use your left arm to pull your right arm upward to stretch it. Do 10 repetitions once or twice per day.
Sitting or standing, use your left arm to lift your right arm at the elbow, and bring it up and straight across your body, exerting gentle pressure to stretch the shoulder. Do 10 pulls once or twice per day.
Today’s video is a video of these three exercises. It is entitled, “Parkinson’s Symptoms Relief Part 2 — Loosening Shoulders and Lessening Tremors.” Here it is:
If you know somebody with Parkinson’s, please provide them the link to this post to assist them. Also, as I complete new videos, I will upload them to my You Tube Channel, and they can be accessed there.
Here is my You Tube Channel link, youtube.com/c/HowardShifke. If you subscribe to my You Tube Channel, you will receive an email notification each time I upload a new video. Or, you can wait until I write my next blog post and see it here on the blog.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in the States. Among the many things for which Sally and I gave thanks was all of you. We are grateful for this beautiful community of people fighting Parkinson’s and are inspired by your hard work and dedication in your recoveries. Thank you.
Okay everybody, grab onto the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® and take action! Get up from your chairs, follow the video, loosen your shoulders, lessen your tremors, and know that you are one step closer to your full recovery. Never lose faith in you!
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
As all of you know, the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® is designed for healing Parkinson’s, not designed for symptom relief. However, there are many alternative things that can be performed for symptom relief and getting along better in day to day life. Today, I begin a video series presenting things to do for symptom relief.
To provide you additional support to help make this your November to Remember, I am providing my first video in a planned series of things to assist with symptoms.
Today’s video is entitled, “Parkinson’s Symptoms Relief Part 1 – Fine Motor Skills Improvement.” It will help you with eating, brushing your teeth, shaving, and handwriting. Here it is:
You can see from this video that when you relax your locked-up shoulder, you will be able to perform many more fine motor tasks than you thought you could. This is where “I can’t” becomes “I can!” Yes you can!!!
If you know somebody with Parkinson’s, please provide them the link to this post to assist them. Also, as I complete new videos, I will upload them to my You Tube Channel, and they can be accessed there.
Here is my You Tube Channel link, youtube.com/c/HowardShifke. If you subscribe to my You Tube Channel, you will receive an email notification each time I upload a new video. Or, you can wait until I write my next blog post and see it here on the blog.
I am here to assist all of you, and I am hopeful that the symptom relief video series will elevate your faith and your recovery.
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
WOW! Marie is seven years symptom free. How inspiring is that! Seven years ago, in the middle of my November to Remember, No Excuses November, 30-day Challenge 2011, a comment was posted on the blog that Marie would not be accepting the 30-day challenge because she was fully recovered. How inspiring is that!!!
Continue readingIT IS HERE!!! Today is the kick-off of my 30-day November to Remember, No Excuses November, Challenge 2018! Click here to review the challenge. I am so excited about how many of you I have heard from who are making a commitment to yourselves to do the scaled-down version of the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery® for the 30 days of November. Congratulations to all of you on giving yourselves the gift of working on your Parkinson’s recovery. To kick-off the challenge, here is some inspiration.
In my previous post announcing the 30-day challenge, I encouraged those of you already doing the Recipe to share how you were doing to inspire the new people. Veterans to the Recipe and some new people taking on the challenge posted comments to that blog post. I share them with you here for inspiration to kick-off the challenge.
Jan – UK says:
I found Howard in August and tested out the 30 day challenge – I now try and follow the full “recipe” for at least 1 hour a day and will be signing up for coaching very soon. The website and blog are an incredible resource, and fellow travellers give love and encouragement. Don’t hesitate – give it a go if you are new to the recipe – renew your commitment if you are already on the road. It can be life transforming. Howard – thank you yet again for your kindness and belief – and for helping us to “fight the foe!” Jan UK
__________________________________________________
Lohren Christie says:
Thanks Howard for your generosity! All of your recommendations are so relevant and healing. I find it helps to “know” that you are already healed, to realize that we need nothing and that we can do it. The subconscious controls me and doesn’t know the difference between what is “real” and what is not! So coming from the standpoint that we already have healing is the focus.
Love to all,
Lohren
__________________________________________________
Tery and Werni says:
Howard, with a big heart, tireless to help and support us!! We experience it again with today‘s blog!!! We can‘t find very often human beings like you, Howard, in our ‘money-thinking-world’‚ we only can say: THANK YOU!
__________________________________________________
Chris Meyer says:
All –
This is a wonderfully comprehensive set of materials. It’s so rich it may seem daunting at first blush. Just pick up on the simple theme Howard weaves throughout:
1. Take and use what you can.
2. Do your best.
3. That’s good enough.
Best wishes to everyone,
Chris Meyer
__________________________________________________
Berni says:
I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2016 given a recommendation for medication and told to read about it on the internet! Finding this site was like a breath of fresh air after so many others fixated on symptoms and medications. I have always believed that the body can heal itself and here was proof.
Within a couple of months of starting the Recipe I regained my sense of smell and other improvements have followed such as being able to shower myself again and all without medication.
I would say to anyone new give it a try what’s a month out of your life? Don’t worry about being able to perform the Qigong perfectly. Your best is all that’s necessary.
To all the ‘regulars’ I wish you a Happy November !
We are all worthy and deserving of a full recovery
Berni x
__________________________________________________
Chuck Rigney says:
Hello everyone, I want to share 10 things I’m grateful for this morning
1 I woke up
2 opened up two Beautiful gifts from God, my eyes. From birth I am Almost totally blind in my left eye , But I am so so grateful to have one good eye To see all the beautiful things God has made
3 my awesome, incredible, beautiful wife Stacie
4 morning cup of coffee
5 Cool rainy day here in Kentucky
6 I still have hope and faith that I will fully recover
7. I’m grateful for Howard, the recipe, and everyone on this blog
8. I’m grateful I don’t have to be perfect , And my Best is good Enough
9. I’m grateful that my family is healthy
10. I am grateful to be alive
Anyone else want to share 10 things you’re grateful for?
Love and blessings to all
__________________________________________________
Victoria says:
Hi Everyone!
It is with excitement and renewed faith that my body will heal from Parkinson’s!! I’ve accepted the November challenge, starting today!
I am grateful for:
Waking up today
Finding Howard and the Recipe
Howard’s realistic encouragement
My mom whom I now live with
My daughter and 2 granddaughters
What I’m learning about myself in this journey
The generous, gracious family I worked for before I had to quit
This group support from all of you
A comfortable home to live in
High quality food to nourish my body
May you all feel love, peace and faith today.
__________________________________________________
For further inspiration, Click Here to see the picture gallery we have started. These are the New Faces of Parkinson’s!
You are not your Parkinson’s symptoms…you are something more than symptoms…you are the loving, beautiful, caring, grateful essence of who you are. The symptoms may go up and down, but you remain strong, solid, and ready to cure yourself from Parkinson’s. Some of the people who posted these comments are just a bit ahead of you on this path toward recovery, and some of them are just like you getting started right now. They are committed to curing themselves from Parkinson’s!
Now it is your turn. Jump in with both feet! Accept the challenge…make the commitment to yourself…grab onto the scaled-down version of the Recipe…make this your November to Remember for your Parkinson’s recovery. And, if you have been doing the Recipe already, re-commit yourself, challenge yourself…make this your November to Remember for your Parkinson’s recovery.
One more bit of inspiration:
Some people may say that it is impossible to recover from Parkinson’s. To them, let’s say:
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” Audrey Hepburn
“I have the power to heal myself.” And I did.
“You have the power to heal yourself.” Marie did. Pratima did. Betty did. Helen did. Tony did. And you are.
“Together we have the power to heal the world.” Every time another person starts down this path to recovery, together we are growing in numbers and we do have the power to heal the world from Parkinson’s.
Make the commitment to yourself for recovery!
Okay, everybody, put big smiles on your faces and chant together so the whole world can hear us kick off the best November to Remember ever:
“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!
I’m possible!
AND, I AM WORTH IT!!!”
All my best,
Howard
Welcome to the eighth annual 30-day November to Remember Challenge. The 30-day challenge is coming to you in two parts: 1. to those of you already doing the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®; and 2. to those of you new to the blog and to those who have been inspired about recovery, but who are still thinking about whether or not to do the Recipe. The last seven years have turned out really well for those who decided to accept the challenge and either re-commit to doing the Recipe or begin an abbreviated version of the Recipe. So, here are some thoughts, followed by this year’s challenge.
Continue readingI have written in the past about self love, feeling worthy and deserving of your Parkinson’s recovery. Today, I will share a method of helping re-program the mind chatter that may be telling you that you are not worthy and deserving.
Recently, a person told me that feeling worthy and deserving of a Parkinson’s recovery was a big undertaking, particularly when the subconscious voice was telling him otherwise. He told me what he was doing and it made sense.
As he does things during the day, he tells himself “I am worthy and deserving of __________.” (the blank being whatever it is he is doing at the moment). Over time, the voice in the subconscious will be telling him that he is worthy and deserving of whatever it is he wants out of life, including a Parkinson’s recovery.
For all of you, here are suggestions of how this looks:
I am worthy and deserving of a hot cup of coffee.
I am worthy and deserving of a nice cup of tea.
I am worthy and deserving of a healthy breakfast.
I am worthy and deserving of the beautiful sunshine.
I am worthy and deserving of _________. (the blank being whatever it is you are doing at the moment).
As you go through your day and through your life, you will keep reminding yourself that you are worthy and deserving of everything you are doing in your life. Eventually, the old-habit “you are not worthy and deserving” will be replaced by the new habit “I am worthy and deserving.”
And then, you will feel it and it will resonate with you:
I am worthy and deserving of my Parkinson’s recovery!
Now, grab onto the soul, mind, and body healing of the Parkinson’s Recipe for Recovery®, and, with confidence and a firm conviction, keep moving toward your full recovery.
You can do it.
You are worth it!!!
All my best,
Howard
