Does Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy  get
better results than Antibiotics treating Lyme Disease?

Sandsie in London -- The 'Games delayed the post

YES!

 A Letter from London, and 

American Health Scientists Agree!

Sandsie's Comment:
    Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy ("HBO") is essentially an application of a "drug" of high density or pressurized 100% oxygen administered in a hard -hulled chamber at the appropriate pressure. The drug classification is only  in the United States and by the FDA which means that you must have a prescription from a Medical Doctor - M.D., or a Doctor of Osteopathy - D.O. Naturopathic Doctors (N.D.) or  Doctors of Chiropractics CANNOT lawfully write a prescription for HBO.
    In essence, any hospital-quality HBO center is a dispensary, not a "treatment center." Just as you local drug store dispenses M.D. Rx. HBOT  is a valid and lawful "off-label" Rx. for the treatment of Lyme disease.

    Lots of questions that Lymies want answered and some will be on this posting. Here are some Answers before you think of the Questions

Q: How does HBO compare with antibiotic therapy:?
A: "To date,there have be 4 double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized controlled trial of antibiotics thery in individual with chronic Lyme disease. (Fallon et al, 2007; Klempner et al 2001; Krupp 2003.) Unfortunately, no trial has demonstrated a sustained improvement in benefit; moreover, potentially serious adverse event have occurred  (Marques 2008.)" 1  . . .  "The most recent study which employed  of 10 weeks of intravenous ceftriaxone in the treatment arm, also showed no sustained improvement in cognitive improvement," 2

Q: Is HBO more effective and faster than an antibiotic response and will it "cure" Lyme disease?

A: "It cannot be stated that HBO cures or permanently suppresses chronic Lyme disease, although it can be said that the HBO protocol used in the preliminary study at Texas A&M reduced the symptoms and greatly improved the quality of life among  this series of very ill paatients . . . . It does seem clear that HBO improves or eliminated the symptoms in patients who have been treated with antibiotics for several years and have shown no further mitigation of disease symptomology. Moreover, the results described here suggest that  the further improvement observed is due to HBO, which is the only factor that changed in the long-standing treatment regimen" 3

1,2,3  Quotes from KK Jain  HBO Therapy in Chronic  Lyme Disease -- William P. fife and caroline Fife --Texas A&M 6 year study commencing 1990

Sandsie's Comment:
    After more than 70 Lyme disease patients where most claimed  "cure" at the end of a series of HBO Tx. (between 26 and 40), I had formed the opinion that the Centers that participated had over a 90% (or better) success rate.
  However, note from the chart above, of 91 patients in the "Fife" study, 12% said that they had "Zero improvement." 
   Since  patients travel from all over the World, even the low prices at the HCI centers (a twitch under $200.00 per Tx session), the overall costs can be significant. I worried for those that traveled, spent and felt that it had failed.
   Allow me to introduce a young man from England. We will call him "Sean" He called the Healing Chambers "San Diego Hyperbarics Gateway Medical Center."

Sean was a professional dancer, had performed in most Mayfair musical productions and classical ballet. 

Where only the best get to perform, One of Sean's favorite roles was in the musical "Cats."

If you have had the pleasure of  being in the audience, you will know how strong 

and vigorous the dancers have to be.

Sean's Story:

   Just a voice on the telephone with a posh British accent . . . from London. "I have been sick for three years. How much are your sessions? I will be there next week."

   On arrival, Sean explained that, since a trip to India with a troupe of dancers, he had been so ill and consulted so many Harley Street Medical Specialists. "They all denied that there was such a thing as Lyme disease. In fact, last week, when I told a top British infectious disease specialists he actually threatened me with a lock down and told me that he was going to recommend psychiatric treatment and hypnotherapy."

   I may look strong right at the moment. But I have lost almost thirty pounds and have zero strength . . . you try spending a day at rehearsal, lifting a 130 lb female over your head and, especially if she misses her leaping cue. I can no longer dance."

Sandsie's Comment:

   Sean spent a month in San Diego. He was taken regularly over the Mexican boarder into Tijuana by another well-meaning patient who held the conviction that some of the American "Doctors" who lived in the U.S. but had offices in that city (to avoid the FDA) could assist with Sean coping with his Herx' reactions. Because of heavy traffic, not all of Sean's HBO Tx. were on consecutive days.

   Sean went back to London, somewhat disappointed. I came to believe that he was one that we "missed" and part of the 12% "zero results." I was sorry for his wasted efforts. Then, about a week ago, Sean managed to get a message through. His comments are high-lighted in yellow:

Bob

   So great to hear from ya. Glad to hear you raising hell from Hawaii and also taking it sort of easy and enjoying life must be a beautiful place to live. I agree you have to make changes in this world but boy there is so much stuff set in sludge, wading through to even get anywhere is so hard and time consuming, people are asleep, sleep walking through life and out for nothing but money greed and personal gain - we have a lot to battle against daily with our senseless systems we created – I’ve learnt so the last few years so much dose not work! lol! I guess you have to forgive it all and try to except everything has limitations - but we can still forge forward to create better systems for ourselves. 

   Aloha Sean . . . 

   Interesting to me that there is a change taking place in Medicine - at least in the U.S.  The Economist talks about "Medicine and its Rivals" 

http://www.economist.com/node/21552554  

   You will find it interesting that the most determined not to  see any complimentary medical alternatives are the Brits and the Aussie medical fraternity. We get a lot of Australians coming to our centers. The HBO Medical "Powers-that-Be" Down-Under have a firm grip on HBO. And they all sing the same song that you have heard constantly --'THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LYME DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA." I am beginning to believe that there is a world-wide conspiracy to hide something that is modified by crazy scientists and in so doing, shift the blame from themselves. 

   In  a nutshell, any ailment, disease or trauma needs to have an interdisciplinary approach -- there just is no such thing as a "magic bullet" Rx. So, while HBOT is a solid adjunct, there are heaps of other things needed (including iron grit) and the loss of friends and relatives who say "Get a life -- you do not look sick."

   My journey has been long and tough since I saw you but there is no denying you helped me really so much with the great treatment and life lessons and positive attitude. I’m so glad I came to San Diego met you and had hyperberic, it has profoundly changed me as a person and the way see life now in so many ways.

"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."  Albert Einstein. 

   I was recently asked why I became an American and did not stay in Australia. My answer was about the same as Albert's thought. This is why you want so to return to San Diego. In essence, I was too good, too creative in Australia and its cronyism – many in Government have a total acceptance of mediocrity and a deep suspicion of excellence. That's you in Britain.

   Since then I have pushed every day to get my health back - the chambers really only kicked in about a year after for me but it did, along with a whole 12 months of antibiotics here in the U.K. It took me up a big level for sure. I have bout 75- 80-90 % of life back and some days it feels like I’m me again totally - amazing really 6 years nearly since I fell ill so its been a long battle. I weight train 3-4 times a week now - lol!.       I remember you made me use that long wooden stick at the chambers - I was so ill I could hardly get on that shaker machine! Now I'm lifting iron - still have a fatigue and swelling in places pain most days in located areas but that’s lyme for ya but I’m on top of it now. 

   Interesting about your experience. You are not the first. Remember your mate (I forget his name for the moment) who would make the journey over to Mexico with you? Same thing with him. He called in at the clinic a couple of months ago, TOTALLY well. Took about a year for him also. He is healthy - and like you - pumping iron. 

   Yes, it was fun to bully you with Freddie's Polynesian Gymnasium. But it did stop a lot of the pity-party stuff. One of the things with Lyme is the negative changes in  mood and mentation. When you go on their pages, all of these poor folk are so sad. As a supporter of these patients,  need to bully, kiss-up and cajole them . . . kindly  -- they are often at the point of sticking a musket in their mouth and then their families calling in the decorators.

   LD patients that work to get better -- surely they have my hat off to them. It takes determination and courage. Unfortunately not all of them have that relentless drive you do.

   Anyway Bob I can’t thank you enough for your work. You know what you do is so much more than offer a treatment for many illnesses - you offer Hope. That is priceless. You gave me hope I could get back. From my tiny flat in the miserable rain trodden Britain I searched for something to get me better and I found your centre, your web site (www.hboinfo.com) - and it was the only offer of hope I was given in the years of darkness. thank you mate.

   Keep going and spread that message. thank you for time, effort, care in my personal journey to getting better and your support when I was alone in the States. I still can’t believe I got on a plane and came all the way to you guys alone sick as a dog.

   Keep in touch keep strong and I send Kind regards from bloody rainy Surrey!!! Bloody chucking it down here today here lol!

Sandsie Learned:

• Fife et al is correct and NOT ALL Lyme Patients get better immediately on cessation of HBOT Tx.
• After the Bb bacteria is killed by the bactericidal action of HBO, the Lyme patient requires a period of rehabilitation -- with some needing a year or more of hard work to wean off pain-killers and recover from other bPHARMA insults to their immune system of many years. ("70% continued to improve at six year follow up" see Fife chart above)
•  THAT HBO IS FASTER AND MORE EFFECTIVE THAT ANTIBIOTICS IN ERADICATING THE SYMPTOMS OF LYME.

     Please remember that the results as shown here and demonstrated by the Fife study were in hospital grade 100% hyperbaric chambers. You cannot expect and will not get the same results from a a 4 psig air inflatable bag chamber. In fact, there are now hundreds of hospital quality chambers  in U.S. free-standing centers (no, your hospital will not treat you for Lyme in their chambers) that you can actually be treated for about half the cost of purchasing one of these so-called mildHBOT(bag) chambers.

Mahalo

Sandsie

"Courage . . . Lyme is just a bug and can be eradicated. YOU CAN AND WILL GET YOUR LIFE BACK"

Lyme spirochete is an "Equal Opportunity" bacteria.

                                        Young and Old, Male or Female . . .

When this patient staggered into the Clinic, she  was just out of a wheel chair.
In AussieSpeak, she did not have the strength to pull the skin
off a rice pudding -- let alone pull a 40lb bow.

The bug does not belong in you, 

                          time to take your life back . . .

After about 20 HBOT treatments, Vickie came into my office and said "Sandsie, the brain fog is gone . . .  my languages are back." And she immediately translated "For God so loved the World . . ." into Hebrew, Greek and French.

Now fully recovered and healthy, she now lives in Monaco. Yes. THAT Monaco.

Sandsie's Comment:

      At the outset, you will think that I am biased for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. You are correct. High density oxygen is a powerful bactericide. I have personally witnessed more than 85% of Lyme patients regain their lives using HBOT. The eradication and the rehabilitation of a Lyme illness requires a  multidisciplinary approach and HBOT should be under the purview of a Lyme Literate Doctor. 




To quote Dr. Caroline Fife from the Texas A&M pilot study on Lyme:

• "It remains to be seen if HBOT can be considered as a adjunctive treatment to a rigorous regimen of antibiotic therapy. It does seems clear that HBOT improves or eliminates the symptoms in patients  who have been treated with antibiotics for several years and have shown no further mitigation of disease symptamology. Moreover, the results described here suggest that the further improvement observed is due to HBOT, which is the only factor that changed in the long-standing  treatment regimen."

     This posting of three such patients (two of  which had many years of IV antibiotic therapy with no gains) shows that. five years later, these patients are taking their lives back and their life-style activities show that they have actually eradicated (killed) the Bb bug along with its little shirt-tail riding co-infections. I have already talked about Megan Guthrie's happy recovery in a previous post.

    So, let's just have a pictorial look at a young woman who, like Vicky, did not have the strength to walk properly. Her story  at a later date. The  pictures show her NOW

Cute as a button --
"Being this well Never looked or felt so good."

"Why do Cowgirls and other horse riders get Lyme?
The ticks fall down their collars going through the brush,
land at the top of your jeans and settle right in."

Don't try this at home you other Lymie's. This should encourage you to believe that
THERE IS LIFE AFTER LYME DISEASE.

 Sandie's Comment:

    So, now you have met with Alisha. Time to meet with Caz. His personal story will sound just like your own. I might mention that he was at the San Diego Center at the same time as Megan. He had an IV and Megan was done with antibiotics. 

    Caz says some nice things about me and the San Diego Center. Thanks heaps Caz. Remember, I am retired, One thing that we found is that Lymies are so emotionally fragile and arrive feeling hopeless, we have to give them lots of TLC and make sure that they get their emotional support in a friendly environment at no extra cost. Why? By the time Lymies finally find out what works, they usually do not have enough dollar resources to feed their pets.

       In Feb of 2007 I was diagnosed with stage three chronic Lyme disease after 3 years of intense illness. At the time of my diagnosis I was bed-ridden and emaciated, pain-ridden and miserable. Over the next two years I underwent antibiotic treatment under the care of a Lyme-literate doctor, slowly recovering to a point where, in early 2009, I could function almost like a normal person, leaving the house and running errands, etc. However, although I could function well on a basic level in regards to these everyday tasks of work and chores, I was frustrated by how fragile my functionality seemed to be- for after two years of treatment, I was still unable to exercise, miss sleep, or exert myself in any way without immediately feeling ill again.

     It was because this frustration that I decided to embark on a more aggressive treatment plan (consisting of a combination of IV antibiotics and Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments) in attempt to break through the flat spot in my recovery. Enter Bob Sands and 2 months at the San Diego Gateway Center for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. 1-888-691-1482

   Upon arriving at the clinic in June of 2009 I was immediately struck by the atmosphere of the place. Rather than being rushed in and out for my appointments, I was encouraged to stay at the clinic, relaxing and sharing knowledge and support with other patients. Every single staff member wanted to hear my story, know about my lifestyle, ask what I had tried before. It became clear after a few days that the San Diego HBOT center wasn’t just a clinic treating patients with Hyperbaric Medicine, it was a social hub for patients and caregivers dedicated to improving the quality of life of its patients by whatever means possible, supplementing Hyparbarics with healthy helpings of moral support, real-time assistance, and advice on alternative treatments. I was consistently struck by just how comprehensively dedicated everyone at the clinic was- more times than I could count I witnessed staff and patients (including the technicians and even the front desk attendant) having long discussions on how they were going to make it possible for a severely ill patient to attend the clinic, developing a ride schedule in which they would personally pick up/drop off the patient, make sure they were fed and had all the proper meds, etc. All of this was done for free, with never a single comment as to whether or not it was necessary, or a complaint as to who would pay for gas. It was just accepted that these things were too important not to be done. They will even provide locations of non-affiliated centers at locations near you if you call them.  

      And of course, let’s not forget the effectiveness of the treatment itself. After 3 weeks of combined hyperbaric and IV rocephin treatment at the San Diego center, I was shocked to find myself PLAYING SPORTS again with no lasting pain, breaking through that plateau of health that had limited me to every day basic activities. After 20 treatments I had joined an intramural soccer team, and was regularly attending the gym. My body felt stronger, my mind felt clearer, and I found myself enjoying better health than I had experienced since first becoming ill in 2003. By the time I left the clinic (after 40 treatments total) I was confident enough in my health to register for classes the following term, and subsequently returned to my academic career. In fact, I was so impacted by my treatment at the San Diego HBOT Gateway Center that I changed my scholastic goals, and after a year of schooling I am now a registered EMT and a Hyperbaric Medical Technician Intern at a San Francisco area Hyperbaric clinic. I am happy, healthy, and dedicated to paying forward the spirit of proactive healing I learned from Bob Sands and all of the staff at the San Diego HBOT center.

"Sailing the World, spearfishing and enjoying life. Hard to believe!"

Caslin Tomaszeszewski

Sandsie's FINAL Comment:
    Plenty of testimonials out there attesting to what help Lymies to recover, along with the photographs. In the instance of those of this post, you might notice that Caz has sailed around the World, speared fish, and had wonderful pain-free adventures. And, five years later, no signs of relapsing into Lyme.




In the next post I will answer some serious scientific questions about HBOT and Lyme.  Keep the faith in yourself, you Lymie's and also you fibromyalgia and CFIDS foks. 

YOU CAN AND WILL GET YOUR LIFE BACK

MAHALO -- Sandsie

     Please remember that the results as shown here and demonstrated by the Fife study were in hospital grade 100% hyperbaric chambers. You cannot expect and will not get the same results from a a 4 psig air inflatable bag chamber. In fact, there are now hundreds of hospital quality chambers  in U.S. free-standing centers (no, your hospital will not treat you for Lyme in their chambers) that you can actually be treated for about half the cost of purchasing one of these so-called mildHBOT(bag) chambers.
    The ONLY inflatable chamber in the entire world that   is the British   HyperLite SOS chamber. It has code approval  and provides 100% Oxygen and appropriate pressures  that can eradicate bacteria and fungi. 

No matter how Brave the Face . . .

Janine . . .  sleeping on her feet in 2005

Lyme and Fibromialgia show pain and fear in their eyes. PART 2

The Survival Diary of Janine Thill

Sandsie's Comments:

The latest post is an echo to the last one on Lyme disease.  Two comments trigger this post:

The first: A female Lymie  went beyond scolding me to an all out attack of the nasties. The woman claimed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy does not work in curing Lyme. She ranted at me accusing me of having zero  experience in medicine. Then she made the comment that only a person with Lyme could understand and cure a Lyme patient.  In truth, she was not doing such a good job on herself  . . .

It made me think of Janine Thill.

The second: This morning’s email was an enquiry: “the folks giving me hyperbaric therapy said that I have to have chelation before starting  hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), since the pressure of oxygen forces the heavy metals deep into the cells’.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. This demonstrates that many,  who claim to know about and dispense HBOT, are profoundly ignorant of the mechanisms of gas effects on mammalian physiology. 

Again, I thought of Janine.

Janine in 2012 . . . No  longer in Lyme Green.
What are those patches on her lab' Jacket?

Excerpts from the Survival Diary of Janine Thill . . . . 

“In 2003 .. I started developing extreme fatigue, neuralgia, muscle spasm, acute joint pain in multiple locations.  Depression followed, along with chemical sensitivity, extreme cognitive and memory problems.

Finally in the beginning of 2005 I was tested for Lyme Disease. I was POSITIVE. Three of the four members of my family also tested POSITIVE.

We all started treatment as recommended by the doctors which included many drugs: Doxycycline, Flail, Amoxicillin, Zithromax, Mepron, Ketec, etc, . . .  The list goes on an on . . .  We did months of IV treatment. Our livers swelled, we had extreme headaches, sweats and fevers, lost vision, had tremors, lost muscle control.

Sandsie’s Comment:

After dispensing HBOT to more than seventy Lymies in San Diego prior to my retirement it seems to me that patients that have had extensive antibiotic treatment  prior to commencement of HBOT (with the same comments as Janine)  have a longer rehabilitation period after the HBOT has eradicated the Lyme spirochete. “It is crazy to poison and compromise the immune system with antibiotics” (from Dr. JW -- HCI Science Advisory Board)

If any of you wish to have a list of antibiotic side-effects sent to you electronically, you can email me at info.hboinfo.com.

 Excerpts from the Survival Diary of Janine Thill . . . .

My husband was so sick my fifteen year old son would drive him to work (we are self employed) and then do the work for him while he laid in his work truck. My daughter and I were both so sick we had to drop out of a nursing Program at the local College, after attending four and a half years. This, after a year and a half of conventional antibiotics.

Finally, in 2005, a friend told me about Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (“HBOT”.)  I was skeptical but started my research. Around that time a childhood friend tried HBOT and got his life back. It was an amazing transformation.  I decided to try myself. It took a little while but I raised the funds and credit to have my daughter and I to travel to San Diego for HBOT.

At San Diego Hyperbarics, the staff was excellent and the treatments were comfortable. In the beginning it seemed like NOTHING was happening except I felt toxic, as usual. I was very fatigued and emotional the first half of my treatments. By the 15^th treatment my husband noticed that I had more energy and was more positive (I did not realize it at the time, but he did!)

Then by the 21^st HBOT treatment I noticed that I started to remember phone numbers. I had my ups and downs with Herxing, and I still  had some neurological symptoms with spasms of  weeping in frustration at my slow progress. Little by little the pain disappeared in my joints and then finally the muscle spasms were gone. 

By the 26^th treatment that when I came out of HBOT, I felt good and had more energy than when I went in. At the end of the week, my sister visited  – after a day of working – for dinner and a movie at night. It was the first time in years I could function and night and we had a great time. And I haven’t stopped since.

Sandsie’s Comment:

Janine followed a typical recovery path with Lyme and co-infections. Depending on how entrenched the bacterial load is, the more HBOT Tx. it takes. Lyme differs from chronic fatigue (“CFIDS”) and its neurological pains. In the instance of CFIDS, the patient gradually curves upwards, with less pain and more vigor to the point on a chart in which the patient claimed “cure”

On the other  hand, since Bb is a gramm-negative bacteria, it gives off endotoxins in death. Thus the patient has a bad Jarische Herxheime’rs reaction during treatments and then up to three days before the proverbial “make-up attack” (with females) the patient still feels that all the money and time has been wasted.  Typically, the elevator ride of  “I still have Lyme” to  “It’s over, I am well again” is about three days.

From memory, Janine was distraught two days before her last treatment over “not all that much has happened,” when she bounced in and said “Sandsie, I went to the movies with my sister last night – first time in years, and this morning I just feel great.”

 Excerpts from the Survival Diary of Janine Thill . . . .

I am so thankful. Although everyone’s response can be different to HBOT, some patients may need more treatments then others, why wouldn’t you want to stop suffering and be the BEST you can be. Do it now! I only wish I done Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy sooner!”

Sandsie’s Comments:

Dr. Oz recently made the observation that  once a patient survives a serious or life threatening illness, they are never the same. 

So too with Janine. 

She opened her own hyperbaric oxygen therapy center in Marin County!

One of the classiest and  the highest award-winning free-standing hospital-quality oxygen centers in the State of California.

I retired as you all know. I do not need to beat the drum for any particular HBOT Center. In this instance I am. Especially in view of my comments at the start of this post. Janine really has first-hand knowledge of the misery of Lyme and has a high end scientific understanding of the disease.

One thing worse than being put into second place . . .
Getting a good pinching in front of 250 people.
The look in Janine's eyes? You tell me. No longer a Lymie in 2008.

  

Phone: (415) 785-8652  Email: 

I just love the YouTube presentation  from one of Janine’s physicians  since, while you watch it, you will see the chambers I designed and then, in the background while  Dr. Ekolm explains the science, there is a large screen and you will see me being featured in the Discovery Channel’s “The Healing Chambers” special of  2002. Ego. It squares away for the public pinching (actually I deserved it.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T-u-w1Wi8c&feature=player_embedded#!

Sandsie’s Final Comment:

About chambers: You CANNOT get the same results an inflatable chamber. They do not work, and I hold the very strong opinion that they are a sham and a waste of time for any chronically ill patients. If you do your due diligence on me, you will see that the very first chamber that I applied for a patent on was an inflatable in 1983 for the Australian Government. Science could  not prove them as useful.

Important Note:     

 Regarding inflatable air-bag chambers: Recent media attention to the so called “mild HBOT” inflatable air-bag chambers is misleading.  I believe these devices cannot be adequately pressurized  and are a waste of time and money to their users in treating infections. They ARE NOT hyperbaric  oxygen chambers. They CAN NOT provide the healing effects of hyperbaric chambers where the patient breathes 100% oxygen.

1.3 ATA on Air (21.7% O2)  F.D.A. rules.
Raises  O2 saturation to from 21.7% to26% .

Sandsie with a bag chamber  . . .

"I have strong opinions on the uselessness of these about 

treating   Lyme and other infections.

There is now some scientific opinions that breathing 

compressed air  

for long periods of time, 

in

creases nitrogen loading to the patient's soft tissue 

and may be subtly detrimental"

  If you are looking for Lyme Info' . . .

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"The Kiss" Norman Lindsay 1932

How to navigate through Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”) caused by a health crisis 

Thirty years ago, I worked briefly with a medical scientist who made said to me: “You can keep a patient alive sometimes with procedures that will deprive them permanently of one of the three basic human appetites -- sleep, food and sex. If you do, the patient will almost always self-destruct – suicide. These are basic hungers that must be satisfied”

Your physical journey from health through the misery  of chronic ill health and back to health again will leave you changed forever. Emotionally and mentally. I have relied on some really bright men and women of different ages, from health professionals to lay persons, from the healthy to those in constant pain and distress, to offer constructive criticism in the preparation of this post. I do claim to know a lot about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and more than a little about navigation, mentally, emotionally and actual.

My  generalized observations is these:

·         Parents, siblings and once-close friends distance themselves,

·         female care-givers tend to stand by their ill men-folk for the duration of the illness,

·         male care-givers have a much shorter time-line.

All too often chronic illness shatters relationships.

YOU WILL GET BETTER BUT YOU WILL NOT BE THE PERSON YOU USED TO BE.

Having raised a family and having worked with chronically ill and challenged children for over twenty years, some “human economic” subjects are a bit heavy for young people under eighteen years of age. This is most likely one of those subjects.

It is 2012 – a “new age. ”  Navigating our emotional environment when chronically ill, we must add science to intuition and observation.

“You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss” from the 1942 movie “Casablanca.” An old song, written by Herman Hupfield in 1931, leaving an indelible mark. As you read this, no matter what your age, you mind has already got the melody in your brain and the next line of words . . .

                A classic example is the emotional ups and downs of “finding” love, Usually we blunder along on intuition until we find the one we think is right for us. However, we could  add some science to our intuition. Here is an illustration of intuitive observation: About fifteen years ago I had a  Clinic patient earned his living as a pimp. One day, he blurted out “I forbid any of my girls to kiss clients. ” I asked why? “They fall in love with them. When they give passionate kisses, that is the end of their working life – they fall in love and they’re gone . . . ” An intuitive observation from a 1990’s version of navigator  Álvaro de Mendaña  (more about this unfortunate navigator shortly).

Fifty years later, Mary Chapin Carpenter wrote an intuitively lovely song “Passionate Kisses”  

“Shouldn’t I have this? Passionate kisses from you.  ”

 Am I going overboard to want that touch
I shout it out to the night
"Give me what I deserve, 'cause it's my right"

“Give me what I deserve, passionate kisses .  .  . from you.” [i]

Hit the link  right now and listen . . . and watch the lovely images. Just three minutes of you time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=_rvt5kPlUyY

Let us stay on the subject of actual navigation and sailing uncharted waters.

1500s – a “The Age of Exploration”  Observation  and Intuition to navigate a  “New World”.

In 1566 the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was searching for the fabled Terra Australis, sailing across thousands of miles of trackless Pacific Ocean from Peru. His two-year voyage was grueling and perilous. By chance, in 1568, he became the first European to land on the Solomon Islands, a bedraggled cluster  -- Guadalcanal and others. Hoping to lessen the King of Spain’s anger at the cost of the expedition without financial gain, he named them Islas Salomón.

Finally before his King, Mendaña claimed to have found the legendary King Solomon’s Mines. “Go back” instructed the King . . . unfortunate Mendaña. He tried but could not find the Islands again despite a larger two-year expedition that lost three ships and over one hundred of his crew. Mendaña  was actually sailing on his own “sea of heartbreak and finally lost his own life.

Sounds a little like the search for true love.

1700s – a “Newer Age of Exploration. ”  Adding Science to Intuition, to  navigating the World.

Captain James Cook rediscovered the Solomon Islands about two hundred years later. Mendaña relied on his intuitive observations” whereas Cook used his uncanny abilities of observation as well intuition. . . then added the latest science of his day. Cook had the newest navigation equipment, -- a chronometer (invented by Harrison in 1761) a sextant (1767) a nautical almanac (first edition – 1767). Adding  scientific equipment of that time to a keen eye enabled future navigators to arrive on the Islands from that day forward.

Today the World has satellite navigation – Global Positioning Satellites or “GPS”

2012 – Chronic Illness dumps you into uncharted waters, a  “New Emotional Environment.” Brain scans  can be the GPS of emotional navigation.

When a newborn arrives, it is a tiny lump of protoplasm and its little head is filled with neurons. Trouble is none of them – well very few of them – are wired together. Humans have a DNA structure that is extremely sparse when compared with the fruit fly or a wild duck. You can hold the baby upside down and the little bubs does not know it. All it can feel in those first hours are its lips, instantly ready for suckling.  

Humans enrich themselves  with life’s experience, both good and bad.

When navigating the brain we have known from long time that we have two very precise connections crossing both hemispheres.  Picture a plastic half-headband, the sort that women keep their hair back with – stretching from temple to temple. Right on the surface of the brain that first one is known as the sensory cortex and the one just behind is the motor cortex. Of interest is that in both, over 45% of sensory and motor input and output is devoted to our lips. This never changes in our entire lifetime.

Scientists from Rutgers University, New Jersey, used scans to monitor women’s brains during orgasm and found that different brain parts are activated when various parts of her body are aroused. “Lips are packed with nerve endings — 100 times more than the fingertips. As a result, kissing kick-starts multiple mechanisms in the brain, releasing chemicals that lower stress and boost mood”, says Chief researcher, Dr Ghosh.

Mary Chapin Carpenter knew something. Male or female, feeling stressed?  Go look for some passionate kisses – and your stress will melt. Not the Hollywood peck-on-the-cheek, with the empty “remember, I love you”  tag.  Not the usual screen-kiss where the two actors finally kiss,  both missing each other’s lips, either the top or the bottom. I am talking about a really passionate kiss, smack on the lips.

Whoa, there! We all remember high school and at seventeen, the sweetness . . . and where a passionate kiss might lead.

The Rutger’s research indicates that leading up to orgasm women receive a huge surge of a hormone called oxytocin. Orgasm and childbirth. This neuromodulator, oxytocin, causes women to be more trusting, more relaxed and it creates a bond. Produced by so much pleasure,Oxytocin is known as the cuddle or bonding hormone.

According to Professor Deb Laino, of Philadelphia University and Willmington University who has meticulously analyzed positron emission tomography (PET) scans:

“In females something even more interesting has been found. Female brains go what might be called silent during orgasm. Specifically, the left lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, areas seem to deactivate. Surprisingly these areas are involved in things like self-control and social judgment. ”

            Yes, men get some of this too during smooching and eventual horizontal pleasure. However the male brain gets a much larger dose – in fact huge release of dopamine -- and this is not a bonding hormone but a simple “pleasure” hormone. Thus the female is more vulnerable and more devastated when even a short-term intimate relationship ends (resulting in PTSD?), whereas the male just goes off looking for the next Carnival Ride with the nearest susceptible female.

Unfair? You bet!

"Desire" 1919 Norman Lindsay

Emotional Navigation . . . Knowing your new emotional location is vital!

Dr. Anne Moire, the founder of “Brain-Sex Matters” made a perceptive comment after her seminal 1992 book and television show “Brain Sex.”  She clearly identified that men’s brains are not the same as women’s. Intuitively she hit the target. However, despite the differences, like the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle, men and women  can fit snugly together. The “human givens” that she mentions can be distilled down to the basic appetites of food, sex and sleep.

“The starting point to understanding these ramifications is a profound truth: that every living thing has to take nutriment from the environment to develop and sustain itself - something inanimate matter doesn't do. We can easily identify each nutriment because Nature makes us feel a need for it - we are all born with essential physical and emotional needs. These needs have evolved over millions of years and, to help us fulfill them, Nature has also given us innate resources, or guidance systems.

These needs and resources are our common biological inheritance, whatever our race or cultural background. Thus, they are called 'human givens' - they are the givens of human nature and common to every human being. Whenever our emotional needs are not met, or when our resources are being used incorrectly, we suffer considerable distress. And so do those around us.”

At this point, do not go rushing off to the nearest medical laboratory for a brain scan  . . . do some research.

Global Positioning Satellites that help us find our way from one side of town to another were put into the sky at unimaginable expense. Primarily, GPS systems were put there for military use. Imagine you are the Commander of a nuclear submarine and your orders were to lob a missile at a hardened target – say, 2,000 miles away. Your accuracy must be within three feet to be effective or you might hit a school or a hospital. Thinking that you have your own location spot-on is not good enough. You must know exactly. If your launch site happens to be half a mile from where you think you are, your missile will land half a mile wide of the target.

With the latest understanding of how our brains work and the need to have our emotional needs satisfied, some self examination is needed. Time to put aside the “I am a bird with a broken wing” syndrome. Examine the way you brain works, decide where you are and what you need emotionally. Then fire that rocket and hit your target.

Ladies, it is your turn!

Before we get to launching rockets in any direction, a little bit of honesty is required. And to prove this up, we will fix our bearings on the pornography industry and its effects on both men and women. In the year 2006 statistics showed that a new pornographic video was produced in the United States every 39 minutes. No, not just in the U. S., pornography is all over the world. Hold on to your hats.

In 1996, the pornography industry was larger than the revenues of the top technology companies combined: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix and EarthLink:

·         South Koreans were the big spenders at $526. 00 per capita annually,

·         Australians (blush – the author was born in Australia) come next with $156. 00 each person each year,  

·         Americans are way down the list with $44.00 spent each year per person with what amounts to one-dimensional pleasure,

·         The Dutch, are the lowest on the scale with $12.00 each per year (the liberated and famously uninhibited - horny Dutch men and women appear to prefer 3-dimensional sex . . . the real thing.)

Now, let allow the  careful statistics as compiled by Family Safe Media, a U. S. based research organization to knock your sox off:

WOMEN WATCH THE SAME AMOUNT OF PORN’ AS MEN!

Feeling guilty if you do? No need at all. Pornography thrives because of what Dr. Anne More observed were the unmet emotional needs of people. Is it harmful? Probably not. Lonely? Certainly.

However, Porn’ creates some level of timidity with both men and women, once the screen is turned off. The women performers had flawless skin, no cellulite, tight buns. Is this what men expect of me?

The males were all “flatbellies” with pumped muscles and six-pack stomachs. Will women find me acceptable?

Play Mary Chapin Carpenter’s song about passionate kisses again and remember the fire it lit when you were an awkward, self-conscious teenager. Nothing has changed since those days for you.

The best advice the author can give is to find out where you are in the so-called emotional geography of your life, and then target where you really wish to be. Otherwise, you will wander the emotional oceans of life, and perish, unfulfilled, as did the Spanish navigator of the 16th century.

Women, Men, PTSD and . . . The Tyranny of Geography, Distance, and Chronic Ill-Health

Another of my patients - a vibrant young woman in her early thirties, a diminutive bubbly Sprite with the figure of a Cirque du Soleil acrobat – recently asked me “Sandsie, tell me about men. Why is it that my man cannot accept that all of my sexual experiences prior to meeting him – the man of my dreams – made me the person that he fell in love with?” The result of course is a little bit of fPTSD and mPTSD – both sides were hurting.

My response was “well, if this fellow does not value what he has in you, then you are teamed up with the wrong man in your life. Go find another with some degree of maturity. ”

Easier said than done? Not really. You have to know where you are emotionally and if your “village” is not an actual location – say a church-group, family clan, or an unhappy relationship . . . you can always shift, either physically or mentally. Pioneering women advocate this. Helen Gurley Brown is one of them. Born in 1922 and growing up in a prudish time, she eventually took control of the Magazine “Cosmopolitan.”

Commenting on her magazine, Ms Brown said

“the message was: So you’re single. You can still have sex. You can still have a great life. And if you marry, don’t just sponge off a man or be the gold-medal-winning mother. Don’t use men to get what you want in life - - get if for yourself. ”

"The Kiss"  Auguste Rodin, 1886  -- Tate Gallery

Brown's famous quotes fill volumes of feminine minds and enraged American men . . . (or so they claimed): “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.”

No, God, (“The Universe” or “Great-Spirit-in-the-Sky”) did not turn Helen into a pillar of salt. The elfin-like woman turned 90, in 2012. Just before her birthday Ms. Helen G. Brown and her beloved husband donated thirty million dollars to the Columbia and Standford Schools of Journalism . Why? To assist women to be equal to men.

In an interview with the British Guardian newspaper (February 19, 2012) the current editor of Cosmo’. Ms. Louise Court fixed her piercing blue eyes at reporter Emine Saner, and reflected on 40 years of trying to establish feminine self-confidence there is still much that hasn’t changed . . . “ There are still sexual inequalities. There are still pockets of society that judge women’s love lives in a way they would dream never of judging a man’s”

Easier said than done when chronic illness chains you . . . How to change you physical or mental location.

Things are changing in this world – The authors mentioned in this  blog positing are all splendid reading. Western attitudes are slowly changing to be more akin to other cultures where the concept of Yin and Yang never judges you. If you live on the East Coast of the United States, move to California or go in the other direction if you can and avoid those that are constantly judging you.

However, most chronically ill folks have exhausted their funds and even their ability to borrow from institutions, relatives and friends. So giving advice about packing up and leaving a location is not all that helpful. “Sympathy without relief is like mustard without beef,” so observed the Scottish poet, Robbie Burns.

If you cannot change your actual geographic location, you can at least change yourself or Heal Yourself as Louise Hay pointed out in 1976 in her pamphlet which later became the 1984 blockbuster “You Can Heal Your Life”. Her work was originally ridiculed by religion and Western medicine -- who would take notice of a tall, elegant and beautiful blonde woman that had been a Bill Blass model? While the pundits rejected the concepts she espoused, her work resonated with women all over the world. Over 40 million copies were sold.

The essence, of Hay’s philosophy was “go join a different tribe -- even if it is inside your head. ”

Louise is a friend of mine. Highly intuitive, she reminds me of the Polynesian navigators of the 16th Century. While Álvaro de Mendaña was blundering around the vast Pacific Ocean, those Islanders, using observation and intuition alone, could repeatedly sail two thousand miles and arrive on the same island time and again. A decade ago I asked LuLu the secret of her health and success. She responded “Sandsie, it is all in your mind and the people you choose to be your friends. I chose wise partners in both business and personal relationships.” Today’s science proves up LuLu’s observations.

Doctor Mark Hyman, M.D. recently commented on a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in a piece he wrote for Huffington Post (February 19, 2012) -- if you hang about with fat friends, you are likely to also be a fatty. However, when you join a “community” that promotes a healthy lifestyle, with group support you too will shed those excess pounds. He goes on to link health and longevity to shedding relationships and quotes his colleague Dr. Christine Northrop in the newly revised edition of her book The Wisdom of Menopause:

“What is rarely acknowledged or understood is that as these hormone-driven changes affect the brain, they give a woman a sharper eye for inequity and injustice, and a voice that insists on speaking up about them. In other words, they uncover hidden wisdom -- and the courage to voice it. As the vision-obscuring veil created by the hormones of reproduction begins to lift, a woman's youthful fire and spirit are often rekindled, together with long-sublimated desires and creative drives -- if it does not find an outlet -- if the woman remains silent for the sake of keeping the peace at home or work, or if she holds herself back from pursuing her creative urges and desires -- the result is equivalent to plugging the vent on a pressure cooker: Something has to give.”

“Very often what gives is the woman's health, and the result will be one or more of the "big three" diseases of postmenopausal women: heart disease, depression, and breast cancer. On the other hand, for those of us who choose to honor the body's wisdom and to express what lies within us, it's a good idea to get ready for some boat rocking, which may put long-established relationships in upheaval. Marriage is not immune to this effect. "

Dr. Hyman commented on his friend’s science . . . . “And neither are your relationships with other family members. Relationships change as we evolve. Sometimes changes you are trying to make cause the people around you to feel uncomfortable. This is especially true when you are working on profound dietary and lifestyle changes -- changes that are often needed to heal your mind, body, and spirit. Your friends and family may wonder how your newly adopted lifestyle will affect them. They may ask: ‘Are her dietary choices a subtle judgment on me? What if I don't want to eat the same foods she does? (This one especially comes up in families.) What will we do together now that she has chosen to spend her time doing new activities?’ Sometimes even changing your hairstyle is enough to stir the pot!”

With all of this 2012 New-Age Science . . . Ready to sail uncharted waters and heal your PTSD?

Is all that oxytocin generated by your last love like a tattoo . . . a permanent reminder of a temporary sensation? The answer to that is a resounding NO. However, science indicates that the fastest way to get over man (or woman) is under the next one that we take a fancy to, since oxytocin is equally an enabler to uncouple the bonding process in our mind. It is important to remember that life is just a carnival ride and that all appetites can be indulged in, sensibly, without shame or guilt. In truth, they must be sated.

I am not advocating a promiscuous lifestyle, philandering or cheating. It is all about science and science also teaches us that chronic illness or age can reduce or evaporate our libido. That is OK too. You just might need a hand to hold for the moment

A rear-view mirror on the negatives of our lives – particularly during the terrible years of chronic ill-health -- really stops us from adding quality of life for ourselves in the future.

However, a sure sign that a female patient recovering from a lingering chronic illness is seeing her wear her jewelry, or her “main squeeze” walking around in the Clinic with a bemused happy smile, or having the patient comment “I slept like I was shot last night.” The health scientist that I met thirty years ago was correct.

Mind you, something must be said about romance, flowers that arrive when you least expect them (yes even men appreciate a bunch of flowers), candlelight dinners etc. Viva the difference between sexes. Women are not to be idolized, men are not to be attributed as a woman's sole source of support or pleasure -- we should accept the difference between each of us and respect and forgive each other abundantly. Different jig-saw puzzle pieces that fit so neatly together, emotionally and physically. If that concept won’t work for you at this moment, time to find another tribe or another tribal-mate. Time to change what is going on inside your head.

So how can you manage these situations? Here are some ideas from The Wisdom of Menopause that men and women can also apply in their journey back to good health: 

1.       See life for the Petri dish it is. Experiment and expect resistance!

2.       Remind yourself that it's okay not to be the good girl (or boy!) who sees to everyone's needs except her (or his) own. This goes for any pattern you're trying to break.

3.       As you end or update some relationships, you may feel a little sad. That's okay. Grieve and let go. By doing so, you'll be protecting your health for years to come.

4.       Laugh. Bringing humor into a situation as it almost always eases tension.

5.       Distance yourself -- even if it means skipping the traditional family get-together -- so you don't become emotional or stressed by others' behavior.

Not quite ready for your next Voyage?

Sooo . . . You go and look in a mirror. Don’t measure up the physical perfection that you once had or that of  folks that have not endured chronic ill health? Or, perhaps the ravages of age have left some wrinkles and sickness as left surgical scars? Or, back from the war – male or female – you may be missing bits and piecess?

Relax. Mr. Right is out there for you. Or a Mr. Right-Now. For the PTSD sufferer, a Ms. Right or a Ms Right-Now. 

Go to your computer, and YouTube Mary Chapin Carpenter and listen to the words. You deserve passionate kisses. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=_rvt5kPlUyY

Out there, just somewhere, a set of sincere lips are waiting for yours. What are you waiting for? Trust me, those kisses will be just as sweet at seventy as they were when you were seventeen.    

Thus we introduce a verse of the 1931 hit  “As Time Goes By” . . . a verse that few have heard:

We get a trifle weary 
With Mr. Einstein's theory. 
So we must get down to earth at times 
Relax, relieve the tension . . .

You must remember this 
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh. 
The fundamental things apply 
As time goes by.

The world will always welcome lovers 
As time goes by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d22CiKMPpaY

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[i] http://www.jango.com/music/Mary+Chapin+Carpenter?l=0

^[ii] © 1931 Warner Bros. Music Corporation, ASCAP

[ii] http://www.jango.com/music/Mary+Chapin+Carpenter?l=0

[ii] Interested in the subject of orgasm – and who isn’t? – what Whipple and  Barry Komisaruk, a neuropsychologist at Rutgers–Newark, share in their new book, The Science of Orgasm (Johns Hopkins, 2006), is nothing less than a comprehensive survey of everything scientists know about the complex biological processes leading to orgasm. http://news.rutgers.edu/focus/issue.2007-05-29.3499861600/article.2007-05-30.5568864748

[ii] Dr. Laino is a Psychology Professor at Philadelphia University and Wilmington University where she teaches courses ranging from Group Dynamics, Interpersonal Communication, Abnormal Psychology, Lifespan Development, Human Sexuality, Human Sexuality Counseling, Theories of Personality, and a host of other regularly taught courses every semester. http://delawaresexdoc.com

[ii] Dr Anne Moir, founder of Brainsex Matters, is an internationally recognized and widely published authority on the rapidly developing science of neuropsychology. She is an award-winning documentary producer/director/writer and is the author of three international best selling books. http://www.brainsexmatters.com

[ii] http://www.familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html

[ii] http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/feb/19/interview-louise-court-editor-cosmopolitan

[ii] http://www.louisehay.com/

[ii] Mark Hyman, M.D. is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a four-timeNew York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos onYouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter. http://drhyman.com/

[ii] Dr,. Northrop was  a practicing physician in obstetrics and gynecology for over 25 years, Dr. Northrup has dedicated her life to inspiring women to flourish. She encourages women to create health on all levels by tuning into their inner wisdom. http://www.drnorthrup.com/about/

Learn more about navigating your own "change" in The Wisdom of Menopause. Dr. Northrop’s books are published by Loise Hay’s Hay House Publishing. http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=3647