Discovering Body Logic study group

Although I'm being pretty vocal here in the early stages, I promise to step back when this gets going.
But I make no apologies for the strength of my convictions. I am directing this to people who are APPLYING the concepts.

CHAPTER ONE: MY STORY

Please don't just think this chapter is about me. Apply it to your own life. What is your motivation for buying this book? What are your 'harsh' realities?
Mine were:
1. There was no one to help me.
2. It was totally unreasonable for anyone to live with my level of suffering.
So I felt I had no choice but to look for my own answers.

How about you?

PS: If you haven't made a start, there will be many weeks before we get to the DOING part ... so I'd strongly suggest picking up at least one simple thing to focus on. If you're not yet up to dietary changes, I recommend the 'Legs Up' exercise on page 146. Don't underestimate the potential in this ... even elite athletes gain benefit even though it seems 'easy'.

 

Here is a question I just received via PM. I asked if the person wouldn't mind if I shared it on the open forum in case someone else is wondering the same thing (to which they agreed):

I have the legs up page... looking at fig. 9, I see the SCM outlined but I don't know how to work the points there while doing legs up. Do I need to follow instructions on pag. 113 for that and combine it with info on pags 146, 147?

The key is awareness. Recognising the tension is THE most important part. We can't correct a problem if we don't know it exists. So my answer will be not to complicate this part. Feel the tension and for now just focus on mentally relaxing it. Just touching the area directs the mind to the area needing attention.
The KISS principle of keeping it simple.

Hope that helps a little.

 

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My motivation for buying this book is because I witnessed Lee and Diane get better. Another motivation was that my doctors gave me multiple diagnoses (some of them verifiable via MRIs and other tests, some not). I figured that there was absolutely room for improvement given that I had so many "conditions"

The final motivator was watching my husband use that theracane every day and seeing how much his body straightened up, became more flexible, and in less pain. His golf game improved.

My strategy is overcoming the fact that, despite the pain, dizziness, and stress, I'm still functioning at a very high level at work. It has been very hard to change gears when I'm getting lots of professional recognition, salary increases, and awards. But I took another step last week. I said "no" again to a consulting engagement offer. And a friend is holding me accountable for resigning as Department Chair when my contract is up and returning to teaching faculty. This is not easy for me. It's every bit as hard for me to stop working as it is for others to stop smoking or stop eating.

So, I'm trying to follow my body's advice instead of the voices in my head telling me "just one more class", "just one more book", "just one more year of it". It feels like I'm at war with myself. I guess counseling will have to be part of my plan.

Sorry for the ramble but it helps to get it all out

 

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Lee and Diane

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

If you are back, maybe it is time for me to come back, too. At least on a part time basis.


Regarding intuition. I find it interesting that Edison used to sit on high stools situated on metal floor mats. He used to hold metal balls a little smaller than baseballs in his hands and go into a dream like state where he would picture inventions. If he fell asleep, the balls would drop onto the metal mats with a loud clank waking him up. You can still see them at his workshop at Greenfield Village. He relied heavily on internal direction, "hunch", intuition, etc.

Nikola Tesla who arguably was a greater inventor than Edison is regarded by many as being very intuitive: Tesla's intuition was absolutely unbelievable. -- Dr. Dennis Papadopoulos Professor of Physics, University of Maryland I believe that the idea of the carbon or benzene (?) ring came to him as a daydream of a snake eating its tail.

I think that "intuition" (meaning the less 'logical and based on previous empirical data' way of thinking) probably represents a great deal of the 90% of our brains we supposedly don't use.

I mean, think about it, without intuition all scientific, and therefore lifestyle, progress would be based on tight experiments meant to move empirical knowledge one small step further based only on the empirical data from the previous experiment, sometimes based on very invalid concepts that lead nowhere. While sometimes valid, this would rule out the leaps in knowledge and whole inventions that have drastically changed our lives from people like Edison and Tesla who used their 'intuition' and took a leap of faith based on that intuition. Even Einstein's theories on quantum physics which is the basis of our electronics today came from intuition based on information in the previous posts.


Regarding mindset. I attended a cancer survivor support group with a friend once. A woman there said, "When I was first diagnosed, I lived like I was dying. Everything I did was about dying: getting my papers in order, giving away things... I would look at something I liked at the store and I wouldn't buy it because what good was it, I was going to be dead in a few months anyway. And then one day I decided I had had enough and I started living like I was going to live. And here I am six years later."

Probably the 'biggest' case of mindset I know of was my friend who was dx with rare lung cancer. The first general oncologist she saw told her she probably had six months. She asked the second very credentialed doctor at a very prestigious clinic how long she had. He said it was in God's hands. She persisted. How long do people on average live with this form of cancer? Six months. How long did the longest survivor live? Two and one-half years. She took a leap of faith in his word and lived three years, but no longer due to mindset.

I think that in dire cases where we are faced with death, it is sometimes easier to affect a miracle cure because we are forced into believing we can cure ourselves. When the stakes are not as high, we don't allow ourselves the leap of 'faith' to believe we can 'cure ourselves'. But... what if we were like that woman with the cancer and said, "I am not going to live like I am sick. I am going to live like I am well (I have these symptoms - I am not the symptoms and the symptoms don't have me - therefore I can look for ways in which to take away these symptoms... DBL).

Spinin

 

Hey Byron, just wanted to let you know that I still have pizza, nachos and beer every now and then, but I just make sure it's the gluten free variety. A guy I know from the local surf club (an ex-iron man who still loves the challenge of marathons in his mid 40's) decided to try this for no other reason than he wanted to improve his performance. It has made a huge difference. Now if he gets a twinge in the middle of a race, he has the ability to stop and self-treat. So something that would normally put him out of race if he kept 'soldiering on' (or at best limit performance) can often be resolved within a minute! If you get onto things the moment they occur, they are so easy to self-treat. Last time I saw him at a barbecue we clinked gluten free beers at all we have 'discovered'.

My point is, rather than seeing lifestyle changes as restrictive, you can work out how to make it work for you with little fuss. And doing that opens up so many possibilities.

Lee.

 

Thanks for the support Gail, and yes it does represent an affirmation of your commitment to health. A support group can really help with the 'doing' part of this.

I used to wonder if people had to experience rock bottom lows to get the motivation to do this. But I now see that understanding/awareness can bypass that unnecessary suffering.
Interesting that elite athletes and very sick people can share the same kind of focus (a strong desire to be the best they can be) yet they are at totally different ends of the continuum.

The things that used to take me ages to do I now do very quickly. My mind is clear and my body happy. So I can now jam pack lots into my day - so long as I make sure health is at the top of my priority list. A shift in priorities. Honour that instinctive intelligence first and the rest comes. Absolutely it will be a challenge, but my best advice is to replace one bad habit with a good one (ie: don't leave a void). You'll get a double benefit that way.

 

Great to see you here Spinnin! Your thoughts on intuition are very interesting. My kids used to describe some people as 'smart-dumb'. They are often well credentialed, say all the right words and sound intelligent, yet they are unable to look outside of rigid parameters to problem solve. I am amazed at how often I come across people like this.

I love your thoughts on this Mary. The sole reason I attempted to present these ideas (even though at the time it terrified me to try to write a book) is because it doesn't have to be a leap of faith if we understand the underlying logic. But I know that it is so easy to just place a book to one side and forget about it. I'm hoping that little things will happen in the course of a day to remind people. Once you realize you are not listening to your body it is hard to ignore. Worth a go anyway!

[Back in editing out a spelling error. Wish I'd get into the habit of checking it before hitting that 'send' button! ;D]

 

I bought Lee's book because:

1. I wanted to support Lee in her efforts.

2. For the past few years, it's like all the research I've done on my own personal healing has given me one tiny puzzle piece at a time. I've held on to each of them, hoping that one day I'd begin to see a picture. Well, that day may be coming....so much of what I've learned lately just fits together...and I am hopeful that as I progress I will eventually see the whole picture that leads to healing.

BTW, I can only post sporadically. DH and I are on vacation at a resort where there is no wireless Internet service. I'm using the computer in the lobby.

Hey, it's a tough assignment, but someone's gotta do it!!!

Glad this thread has started!!!

 

Sorry, no techno queen here either. But I'm sure someone will come along soon to help.

 

Good luck with that tough assignment Deercharmer. The things we have to do!

Great to see you here. Now get back to all that fun!

 

OK, long time lurker here : to all of Lee's threads on DBL and I have a question ??? And after a lovely and very positive response to my PM by Lee, I decided to jump in ;D

I don't have Lee's book (financial issues) as yet but hope to get it one day in the not too distant future :

What is "LEGS UP" ??? The mental pic I get is probably not what Lee means ;D

As to why am I interested, much the same as all of you have stated. My "ear" issues have resulted in permanent severe damage though I am sure that the onging problems I have with them can be "healed" (a word I am having a bit of trouble coming to terms but am working on that one), ANY improvement will be a blessing, but I also have other heath issues that I am positive that DBL will help...I certainly don't want to go the traditional way with any of them....no one is gonna cut into this body again if I have anything to do with it.....no ,no, no.

DC...keep up the hard work on that uuuuuuuuuuuuummm "assignment"

I too am very glad this thread is here...Thank you Lee :-*

Maggie

 

Welcome Maggie!

Rather than focus on being 'healed', I prefer to think of healing as an ongoing process where we simply aim to be the best we can be.

LOL about the image of 'Legs up' ... told you it's not all hard work ;D Seriously, it is just one of several postural exercises. An inevitable dilemma here will be the gaps in knowledge for those who haven't read the book.

I'm off for a few days, but will look forward to seeing you around.

Lee.

 

Yeah, sorry about my long confusing, ambling, bizarre post. I was trying to say the following (and needed that detail to support it)...

If intuition or turning inward and looking at things differently than we are told to look at them (taking on a different mindset) was good enough for the THREE GREATEST INVENTOR/SCIENTISTS OF ALL TIME...

it is good enough for me to look past the 'this is idiopathic, there is nothing you can do' argument and to turn inward for answers. These men were very observant, then let their minds 'speak' to them and that is where they looked for answers with amazing results. With DBL, we need to be very observant regarding what is going on with our health and then let our minds/bodies 'speak' to us, looking there for answers.

Without getting into a discussion on belief, I think sometimes that that is why believing in a higher power is successful in miracle cures... it allows us to think outside the box... what we're being told about our illness, Meniere's or otherwise. It allows us to change our mindset.

Spinin

(revised)

 

My story

First dx of Meniere's in 2001. Vertigo attacks once a month for 18 months. Three year remission. In 2005, all h*** broke loose, vertigo attacks every two to three days.

Lee's and Diane's posts began to get my attention. Especially Lee's post about Meniere's being called the Watchmaker's disease, since I was slumping over fine illustrations about 18 hours a day, (and not eating right, not sleeping right, not working out, not taking vitamins/supplements.) Began NUCCA and went to one attack per week or longer. One month later added deep tissue massage with some trigger point and myofascial release (ouch!). Went one month between attacks. Went off gluten. Within two weeks attacks stopped.

Ten months later after doc took me off of verapamil for blood pressure, I began getting violent 'mini' attacks about 10 to 30 seconds each with bizarre visual disturbances and other symptoms. Flickering light, weather, and specific foods really set things off. Otoneurologist dx'd Migraine Associated Vertigo.. (Verapamil is used off label to treat migraines and evidently had been masking this)

Otoneurologist treated with anti-convulsant drug (also used off label to treat MAV) and physical therapy to "restore normal spinal/cervical biomechanics". Almost one year remission.

Like Rick, and I think Titus, have said, I have been one to do what is necessary to relieve symptoms but not do 'the whole enchilada'. I personally did not have the right mindset. I would definitely add to my recovery regime a new mindset of wellness (cure), not just one of improving symptoms. I think that is the main difference between the outstanding success that Lee and Diane have gotten and the good success I have gotten to date. The level of belief sets the level of commitment.

The rambling a few posts back was the whirring of my brain finally saying 'hey, I finally am beginning to get this.' I think it was Kass, responding to others, who said DBL is the kind of 'simple' that is not necessarily so simple to implement (without the right mindset and commitment).

Spinin

 

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Thanks for clarifying that Lee....being the "best I can" is a part of my philosophy to life, so I don't have to work too hard on coming to terms with that Mind, I don't always succeed at it : and have many days where where I totally forget all about that philosophy

Maggie

 

Although the discription of your suffering (pg 24, 25) was difficult to read....I relate to it all too well. "I couldn't get rid of the suffering nor could I bear to live with it." The thought of facing the following week was terrifying, and yet I had months...years...even decades of this. It was a confronting sensation to fear the length of my life."

I was 43 (April 2000) when this all consuming thing hit me full blast....working at full speed to complete projects b4 leaving for a wedding in Barbado's. I was knocked flat....needless to say I missed the wedding and was left to wait til Nov to see a specialist. Lee, you say it how it is ,and we share a common experience. That's why I bought the book and giving DBL a try. I know I will struggle,...feeling overwhelmed, but as someone here said ,"focus on what you can do" and celebrate the small victories.