Re: anxiety reducing tools

[Guest guest]

Green Tea or coffee beans fresh ground at the moment of French press

brewing, then drinking - all decaf all the time. In all consumption of

any kind. Like salt, the taste buds adapt fully and fast. IMHO, using

any form of caffeine is silly with PA, or any anxiety or sleep

disturbance. Caffeine is irrelevant to taste & smell, where all the

sensory pleasure (that is not anxiety-producing) comes from. Now, with

Peet's and other HQ water processes, better than ever.

Of course even the most advanced decaf processes have traces of

caffeine, and that turns on the receptors, but nowhere near the anxiety

effects of beforehand. Milk warmed to near-hot releases amazing

relaxation. I'd remove all caffeine and other mood-altering substances

for a time before worrying about anxiety (did I say that? :-) ).

I use 'rebounding' to mean the compensation my body does for any

physical or thought excitation, or dulling which is deliberate as in

drugs for mood-altering : alcohol caffeine, tranquilizers (including

L-theonine as in green tea), meditation, self hypnosis, etc. Push, and

it springs back an equal amount past midline, then equalizes back to

midline. The " price " is the opposite direction of the mood-altering I

applied originally. Any movement above or below center.

Stanford's Behavioral Medicine Dept calls the midline " baseline. " You

have used the term " normal. "

My PA anxiety would include the same phenomena you describe, of special

interest is the weak heartbeat with higher BP. This seems to indicate

worse circulation to the extremities, as one can feel a strong pulse

closer into the heart, but apart from the episodes it is stronger

feeling at the wrists, ankles, etc - and BP is lower. I think of this

circulation reduction as a product of sedentism. Whether it is or not,

it gets me moving.

My episodes slowly went away when I stopped all thiazide or diazide

related diuretics (including the pernicious and to me, dangerous

ameloride, with its PA-irrelevant " potassium-sparing " feature apparently

effective for non-PA people), and then any stimulant or depressant of

the nervous system (mood-alterer; substances, things, people or events).

I am a trainer of cognitive therapy, emotive, behavioral and other

relaxation response methods. It was interesting that because I knew

some methods I would not do them. I'd think I was immune. PA showed me

wrong.

From psych. tech. training, I learned that busy makes for less

anxiety. The formula for most people, with PA or not seems to be

sedentism(x) = anxiety(y). Or the more inactive, either mentally or

physically, the more anxious.

I have back surgery rehab, and another more serious surgery impending,

so I can't be as busy as before. I know this un-busy-ness is the root

of much anxiety. Psychologically, being 'engaged' in productive

accomplishments and relationships that require exertions of body and

mind keep me nearer baseline or " normal. " Since PA got bad (1990, Dx

and Tx not until 2005 due to doctor ignore-ance sometimes made

militant), anxiety is capable of making 'me' stop breathing whenever I

start to worry. I also have COPD, so some (pulmonary rehab) pursed lip

breathing was necessary to get it going again. As in OCD therapeutic

training, " the worry zone " is one that may be exited by distracting

oneself with something else which is engaging. I have a collection of

exercizes and films for this.

MEN-1 is a controversial and difficult area - especially as you're back

with the least PA-knowledgable group of specialists (least likely to own

to ignorance). " Endocrinologist " is a worry zone all by itself. Until

you get with a primary who will order things like this for you, I would

consider avoiding the worry zone until then. Get it scheduled and

forget it. Your thyroid problem sounds controllable. So, how about

some relaxation?

One mental exercise that my teacher Emmett MD used was a

hypnagogic inspired by Milton kson (1) that goes something like " . .

..OK, now I am taking a breather to get away from my worries and cares

for awhile. . .nothing more can be done for the moment. . .so I am going

to choose where this moment takes me. . .and give myself permission

within. . .to relax. . .I have nowhere to go, nothing to accomplish,

nobody to convince, nothing to need now. . .just a time to relax. "

As in the ancient Greek methods, reversing what you just said to

yourself can be amazingly helpful : " . . .relax time. . .now need

nothing. . .convince nobody. . . accomplish nothing. . .go nowhere. .

..within. . .permission. . .relax. . . "

etc, etc. Accompanied by systematic flexing and releasing of muscle

groups from the fingers down through the arms, neck, head, shoulders,

chest, back, etc down to the toes can assist. Contemporaneously

watching one spot on the ceiling and slowly blurring it out until you

eyes close helps too. This is the setup for guided imagery, but can be

used to distract oneself from worrying. Of course some strong,

sweat-breaking work can too. Or an engaging film.

Knowing a beloved film well - all the dialog, etc - is a good thing for

sleep or hypnogogic induction. The memory banks stop trying to intake

and relax instead. This is only a mental image, but functional.

My daughter is in her 2nd trimester of pregnancy, and because it has not

equalized but raised BP, and produced multiple kidney stones and other

hypercalcemic signs, we await the birth to do A/R testing. 2 weeks

spiro too. She worries so much about me that she must block me out to

avoid problems. This is not emotionally pleasant for me even though I

know and support the reasons. So, I create relaxation responses to

combat the impending anxiety.

" You have nowhere to go. . .nothing to accomplish. . . " Then breaking a

good sweat.

Dave

__________________________________________

(1) Phoenix's wizard of 20th Century psychotherapy - a quite accurate

Wiki, the 'guy behind the guy' :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._kson

Valarie wrote:

>

> Ohhh, Dave! Coffee is one of my extreme pleasures. Lately, there haven't

> been many others. We even got an in-the-wall, plumbed-with-water pot.

> Maybe I'll cut it to half decaf and then to straight decaf. Do you see any

> problem with decaf? Does your green tea have caffeine?

>

> Other times, when I've had these episodes, I normalize back to the old

> " feelin' awful all the time " but this time, this episode has gone on since

> September. I've always attributed the " feelin' awful all the time " to

> inadequately treated hypothyroidism. To her credit, my GP doctor said, " It

> is more than thyroid; something else is going on. " I've felt awful all the

> time since 1985 except when I take a T4/T3 combo thyroid med.

>

> I get at least 800 - 1000 steps/day inside my house, have been doing light

> lower body exercises, and walking some outside. I increase the outside

> steps by 100/day but some days don't go (its been snowing and blowing, off

> and on here). When I haven't slept well, I find it difficult to go walk. I

> don't get winded or have any heart pain, and I don't go when I'm feeling

> anxious. I am better, but still not " normal. " I've been down for a long

> time and thought starting slowing would be good.

>

> I started feeling low blood glucose a bit ago and ate 6 dried fruit (good

> for the bones). The LBG didn't materialize into anxiety. I still think it

> is the hit of 350 mg Na that causes the anxiety feeling, but I don't

> really

> know. Hell, I'm anxious about everything going on anyway. I'm sure some of

> what is going on is purely psychological; i.e., not knowing, indecision,

> seemingly inadequate care, etc. Still haven't heard anything on my request

> for MEN1 testing.

>

> What do you mean by, " . I pay the price in rebounding. " ? What are you

> feeling then?

>

> Speaking of pleasures, some of my children came for dinner a while back.

> They know I'm sick so brought everything needed. I've been so numb for so

> long and that night I actually felt love for them. While I know I love

> them, I haven't had " feelings " in so long. Maybe its depression but I

> don't

> want to take any other drugs. I think getting some resolution would lift

> things considerably.

>

> Val

>

> From: hyperaldosteronism

> <mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>

> [mailto:hyperaldosteronism

> <mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>] On Behalf Of Dave

>

> Since I started my PA regimen, all caffiene and alcohol were removed

> entirely. Anxiety and " gripping " disappeared. Green tea or Basil tea

> works for relaxation - so long as I walk at least 2000 steps on my

> pedometer in any day. Alcohol and caffiene do many things, but most

> obviously, artificially suppress and stoke up the mood and alertness

> levels of the limbic system, which makes the body compensate

> (homoeostasis). PA I reason, does this by itself, so why aggravate it?

>

> Whenever I " slip " and use one or both of the drugs (let's be honest), I

> pay the price in rebounding.

>

> It works for me. I have absolutely no idea why. If it were entirely

> psychosomatic, who cares?

>

> Dave

>

> Valarie wrote:

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Dave, you're a dear. Your posts are packed with such good information.

I only drink two cups of real coffee in the morning but will start tapering

that off.

I realized something else today. I had gone nearly off all T4 thyroid meds

for a couple of weeks. Anxiety started getting better but also started

showing hypo symptoms. I've been back on a full dose now for six days -

just long enough for it to be showing an effect. Hypo symptoms had started

to lessen as well. I'm thinking I'm getting resistant to the T4 I need.

More and more, I think the body becomes intolerant to substances as a means

of trying to find homeostasis. When it gets resistant to enough, or when

you give it the substance anyway (salt), it dies. I think that's why my T3

stays so low and rT3 stays so high. I think my imbalance is a symptom of

disease, rather than a cause. Anyway, that's my theory for today (not an

original discovery). I'm going to drop back on the T4 to about 50% of what

I need and see what happens. I think I remember someone posting a while

back about not being about to tolerate much T4.

If your daughter's high calcium continues after the birth, certainly, she

needs a thorough parathyroid evaluation. Her kidney stones are a key

tipoff. I think this doc is the world's expert: www.parathyroid.com He

has a page that talks about Vitamin D.

http://www.parathyroid.com/low-vitamin-d.htm He says that low Vitamin D

levels are the result of the disease, not the cause of it.

I wish you well with the issues you have yet to face. Sometimes, I get a

little embarrassed about my whining when others have so many challenges. I

am grateful you all bear with me. I wish your daughter well, too. So far,

none of my three daughters has had a child. I imagine that, even if

uneventful, it would be a very trying time for me. The one born on Conn's

birthday is having knee surgery later this month - snowboarding spill.

Just took a walk. I am stronger since spiro. My muscles are working

better.

Dr. Grim, I called National Jewish and they will call back.

Val

From: hyperaldosteronism

[mailto:hyperaldosteronism ] On Behalf Of Dave

Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 10:52 AM

hyperaldosteronism

Subject: Re: anxiety reducing tools

Green Tea or coffee beans fresh ground at the moment of French press

brewing, then drinking - all decaf all the time. In all consumption of

any kind. Like salt, the taste buds adapt fully and fast. IMHO, using

any form of caffeine is silly with PA, or any anxiety or sleep

disturbance. Caffeine is irrelevant to taste & smell, where all the

sensory pleasure (that is not anxiety-producing) comes from. Now, with

Peet's and other HQ water processes, better than ever.

Of course even the most advanced decaf processes have traces of

caffeine, and that turns on the receptors, but nowhere near the anxiety

effects of beforehand. Milk warmed to near-hot releases amazing

relaxation. I'd remove all caffeine and other mood-altering substances

for a time before worrying about anxiety (did I say that? :-) ).

I use 'rebounding' to mean the compensation my body does for any

physical or thought excitation, or dulling which is deliberate as in

drugs for mood-altering : alcohol caffeine, tranquilizers (including

L-theonine as in green tea), meditation, self hypnosis, etc. Push, and

it springs back an equal amount past midline, then equalizes back to

midline. The " price " is the opposite direction of the mood-altering I

applied originally. Any movement above or below center.

Stanford's Behavioral Medicine Dept calls the midline " baseline. " You

have used the term " normal. "

My PA anxiety would include the same phenomena you describe, of special

interest is the weak heartbeat with higher BP. This seems to indicate

worse circulation to the extremities, as one can feel a strong pulse

closer into the heart, but apart from the episodes it is stronger

feeling at the wrists, ankles, etc - and BP is lower. I think of this

circulation reduction as a product of sedentism. Whether it is or not,

it gets me moving.

My episodes slowly went away when I stopped all thiazide or diazide

related diuretics (including the pernicious and to me, dangerous

ameloride, with its PA-irrelevant " potassium-sparing " feature apparently

effective for non-PA people), and then any stimulant or depressant of

the nervous system (mood-alterer; substances, things, people or events).

I am a trainer of cognitive therapy, emotive, behavioral and other

relaxation response methods. It was interesting that because I knew

some methods I would not do them. I'd think I was immune. PA showed me

wrong.

From psych. tech. training, I learned that busy makes for less

anxiety. The formula for most people, with PA or not seems to be

sedentism(x) = anxiety(y). Or the more inactive, either mentally or

physically, the more anxious.

I have back surgery rehab, and another more serious surgery impending,

so I can't be as busy as before. I know this un-busy-ness is the root

of much anxiety. Psychologically, being 'engaged' in productive

accomplishments and relationships that require exertions of body and

mind keep me nearer baseline or " normal. " Since PA got bad (1990, Dx

and Tx not until 2005 due to doctor ignore-ance sometimes made

militant), anxiety is capable of making 'me' stop breathing whenever I

start to worry. I also have COPD, so some (pulmonary rehab) pursed lip

breathing was necessary to get it going again. As in OCD therapeutic

training, " the worry zone " is one that may be exited by distracting

oneself with something else which is engaging. I have a collection of

exercizes and films for this.

MEN-1 is a controversial and difficult area - especially as you're back

with the least PA-knowledgable group of specialists (least likely to own

to ignorance). " Endocrinologist " is a worry zone all by itself. Until

you get with a primary who will order things like this for you, I would

consider avoiding the worry zone until then. Get it scheduled and

forget it. Your thyroid problem sounds controllable. So, how about

some relaxation?

One mental exercise that my teacher Emmett MD used was a

hypnagogic inspired by Milton kson (1) that goes something like " . .

..OK, now I am taking a breather to get away from my worries and cares

for awhile. . .nothing more can be done for the moment. . .so I am going

to choose where this moment takes me. . .and give myself permission

within. . .to relax. . .I have nowhere to go, nothing to accomplish,

nobody to convince, nothing to need now. . .just a time to relax. "

As in the ancient Greek methods, reversing what you just said to

yourself can be amazingly helpful : " . . .relax time. . .now need

nothing. . .convince nobody. . . accomplish nothing. . .go nowhere. .

..within. . .permission. . .relax. . . "

etc, etc. Accompanied by systematic flexing and releasing of muscle

groups from the fingers down through the arms, neck, head, shoulders,

chest, back, etc down to the toes can assist. Contemporaneously

watching one spot on the ceiling and slowly blurring it out until you

eyes close helps too. This is the setup for guided imagery, but can be

used to distract oneself from worrying. Of course some strong,

sweat-breaking work can too. Or an engaging film.

Knowing a beloved film well - all the dialog, etc - is a good thing for

sleep or hypnogogic induction. The memory banks stop trying to intake

and relax instead. This is only a mental image, but functional.

My daughter is in her 2nd trimester of pregnancy, and because it has not

equalized but raised BP, and produced multiple kidney stones and other

hypercalcemic signs, we await the birth to do A/R testing. 2 weeks

spiro too. She worries so much about me that she must block me out to

avoid problems. This is not emotionally pleasant for me even though I

know and support the reasons. So, I create relaxation responses to

combat the impending anxiety.

" You have nowhere to go. . .nothing to accomplish. . . " Then breaking a

good sweat.

Dave

__________________________________________

(1) Phoenix's wizard of 20th Century psychotherapy - a quite accurate

Wiki, the 'guy behind the guy' :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._kson

Valarie wrote:

>

> Ohhh, Dave! Coffee is one of my extreme pleasures. Lately, there haven't

> been many others. We even got an in-the-wall, plumbed-with-water pot.

> Maybe I'll cut it to half decaf and then to straight decaf. Do you see any

> problem with decaf? Does your green tea have caffeine?

>

> Other times, when I've had these episodes, I normalize back to the old

> " feelin' awful all the time " but this time, this episode has gone on since

> September. I've always attributed the " feelin' awful all the time " to

> inadequately treated hypothyroidism. To her credit, my GP doctor said, " It

> is more than thyroid; something else is going on. " I've felt awful all the

> time since 1985 except when I take a T4/T3 combo thyroid med.

>

> I get at least 800 - 1000 steps/day inside my house, have been doing light

> lower body exercises, and walking some outside. I increase the outside

> steps by 100/day but some days don't go (its been snowing and blowing, off

> and on here). When I haven't slept well, I find it difficult to go walk. I

> don't get winded or have any heart pain, and I don't go when I'm feeling

> anxious. I am better, but still not " normal. " I've been down for a long

> time and thought starting slowing would be good.

>

> I started feeling low blood glucose a bit ago and ate 6 dried fruit (good

> for the bones). The LBG didn't materialize into anxiety. I still think it

> is the hit of 350 mg Na that causes the anxiety feeling, but I don't

> really

> know. Hell, I'm anxious about everything going on anyway. I'm sure some of

> what is going on is purely psychological; i.e., not knowing, indecision,

> seemingly inadequate care, etc. Still haven't heard anything on my request

> for MEN1 testing.

>

> What do you mean by, " . I pay the price in rebounding. " ? What are you

> feeling then?

>

> Speaking of pleasures, some of my children came for dinner a while back.

> They know I'm sick so brought everything needed. I've been so numb for so

> long and that night I actually felt love for them. While I know I love

> them, I haven't had " feelings " in so long. Maybe its depression but I

> don't

> want to take any other drugs. I think getting some resolution would lift

> things considerably.

>

> Val

>

> From: hyperaldosteronism

<mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>

> <mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>

> [mailto:hyperaldosteronism

<mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>

> <mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>] On Behalf Of Dave

>

> Since I started my PA regimen, all caffiene and alcohol were removed

> entirely. Anxiety and " gripping " disappeared. Green tea or Basil tea

> works for relaxation - so long as I walk at least 2000 steps on my

> pedometer in any day. Alcohol and caffiene do many things, but most

> obviously, artificially suppress and stoke up the mood and alertness

> levels of the limbic system, which makes the body compensate

> (homoeostasis). PA I reason, does this by itself, so why aggravate it?

>

> Whenever I " slip " and use one or both of the drugs (let's be honest), I

> pay the price in rebounding.

>

> It works for me. I have absolutely no idea why. If it were entirely

> psychosomatic, who cares?

>

> Dave

>

> Valarie wrote:

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Be sure to mention that one of your consultants Dr. Grim has contacted

Dr. Weinberger and he is expecting your calling and scheduling.

On Apr 9, 2008, at 1:56 PM, Valarie wrote:

> Dave, you're a dear. Your posts are packed with such good information.

>

> I only drink two cups of real coffee in the morning but will start

> tapering

> that off.

>

> I realized something else today. I had gone nearly off all T4 thyroid

> meds

> for a couple of weeks. Anxiety started getting better but also started

> showing hypo symptoms. I've been back on a full dose now for six days

> -

> just long enough for it to be showing an effect. Hypo symptoms had

> started

> to lessen as well. I'm thinking I'm getting resistant to the T4 I

> need.

> More and more, I think the body becomes intolerant to substances as a

> means

> of trying to find homeostasis. When it gets resistant to enough, or

> when

> you give it the substance anyway (salt), it dies. I think that's why

> my T3

> stays so low and rT3 stays so high. I think my imbalance is a symptom

> of

> disease, rather than a cause. Anyway, that's my theory for today (not

> an

> original discovery). I'm going to drop back on the T4 to about 50% of

> what

> I need and see what happens. I think I remember someone posting a

> while

> back about not being about to tolerate much T4.

>

> If your daughter's high calcium continues after the birth, certainly,

> she

> needs a thorough parathyroid evaluation. Her kidney stones are a key

> tipoff. I think this doc is the world's expert: www.parathyroid.com He

> has a page that talks about Vitamin D.

> http://www.parathyroid.com/low-vitamin-d.htm He says that low Vitamin D

> levels are the result of the disease, not the cause of it.

>

> I wish you well with the issues you have yet to face. Sometimes, I

> get a

> little embarrassed about my whining when others have so many

> challenges. I

> am grateful you all bear with me. I wish your daughter well, too. So

> far,

> none of my three daughters has had a child. I imagine that, even if

> uneventful, it would be a very trying time for me. The one born on

> Conn's

> birthday is having knee surgery later this month - snowboarding spill.

>

> Just took a walk. I am stronger since spiro. My muscles are working

> better.

>

> Dr. Grim, I called National Jewish and they will call back.

>

> Val

>

> From: hyperaldosteronism

> [mailto:hyperaldosteronism ] On Behalf Of Dave

> Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 10:52 AM

> hyperaldosteronism

> Subject: Re: anxiety reducing tools

>

> Green Tea or coffee beans fresh ground at the moment of French press

> brewing, then drinking - all decaf all the time. In all consumption of

> any kind. Like salt, the taste buds adapt fully and fast. IMHO, using

> any form of caffeine is silly with PA, or any anxiety or sleep

> disturbance. Caffeine is irrelevant to taste & smell, where all the

> sensory pleasure (that is not anxiety-producing) comes from. Now, with

> Peet's and other HQ water processes, better than ever.

>

> Of course even the most advanced decaf processes have traces of

> caffeine, and that turns on the receptors, but nowhere near the

> anxiety

> effects of beforehand. Milk warmed to near-hot releases amazing

> relaxation. I'd remove all caffeine and other mood-altering substances

> for a time before worrying about anxiety (did I say that? :-) ).

>

> I use 'rebounding' to mean the compensation my body does for any

> physical or thought excitation, or dulling which is deliberate as in

> drugs for mood-altering : alcohol caffeine, tranquilizers (including

> L-theonine as in green tea), meditation, self hypnosis, etc. Push, and

> it springs back an equal amount past midline, then equalizes back to

> midline. The " price " is the opposite direction of the mood-altering I

> applied originally. Any movement above or below center.

>

> Stanford's Behavioral Medicine Dept calls the midline " baseline. " You

> have used the term " normal. "

>

> My PA anxiety would include the same phenomena you describe, of

> special

> interest is the weak heartbeat with higher BP. This seems to indicate

> worse circulation to the extremities, as one can feel a strong pulse

> closer into the heart, but apart from the episodes it is stronger

> feeling at the wrists, ankles, etc - and BP is lower. I think of this

> circulation reduction as a product of sedentism. Whether it is or not,

> it gets me moving.

>

> My episodes slowly went away when I stopped all thiazide or diazide

> related diuretics (including the pernicious and to me, dangerous

> ameloride, with its PA-irrelevant " potassium-sparing " feature

> apparently

> effective for non-PA people), and then any stimulant or depressant of

> the nervous system (mood-alterer; substances, things, people or

> events).

>

> I am a trainer of cognitive therapy, emotive, behavioral and other

> relaxation response methods. It was interesting that because I knew

> some methods I would not do them. I'd think I was immune. PA showed me

> wrong.

>

> From psych. tech. training, I learned that busy makes for less

> anxiety. The formula for most people, with PA or not seems to be

> sedentism(x) = anxiety(y). Or the more inactive, either mentally or

> physically, the more anxious.

>

> I have back surgery rehab, and another more serious surgery impending,

> so I can't be as busy as before. I know this un-busy-ness is the root

> of much anxiety. Psychologically, being 'engaged' in productive

> accomplishments and relationships that require exertions of body and

> mind keep me nearer baseline or " normal. " Since PA got bad (1990, Dx

> and Tx not until 2005 due to doctor ignore-ance sometimes made

> militant), anxiety is capable of making 'me' stop breathing whenever I

> start to worry. I also have COPD, so some (pulmonary rehab) pursed lip

> breathing was necessary to get it going again. As in OCD therapeutic

> training, " the worry zone " is one that may be exited by distracting

> oneself with something else which is engaging. I have a collection of

> exercizes and films for this.

>

> MEN-1 is a controversial and difficult area - especially as you're

> back

> with the least PA-knowledgable group of specialists (least likely to

> own

> to ignorance). " Endocrinologist " is a worry zone all by itself. Until

> you get with a primary who will order things like this for you, I

> would

> consider avoiding the worry zone until then. Get it scheduled and

> forget it. Your thyroid problem sounds controllable. So, how about

> some relaxation?

>

> One mental exercise that my teacher Emmett MD used was a

> hypnagogic inspired by Milton kson (1) that goes something like

> " . .

> .OK, now I am taking a breather to get away from my worries and cares

> for awhile. . .nothing more can be done for the moment. . .so I am

> going

> to choose where this moment takes me. . .and give myself permission

> within. . .to relax. . .I have nowhere to go, nothing to accomplish,

> nobody to convince, nothing to need now. . .just a time to relax. "

>

> As in the ancient Greek methods, reversing what you just said to

> yourself can be amazingly helpful : " . . .relax time. . .now need

> nothing. . .convince nobody. . . accomplish nothing. . .go nowhere. .

> .within. . .permission. . .relax. . . "

>

> etc, etc. Accompanied by systematic flexing and releasing of muscle

> groups from the fingers down through the arms, neck, head, shoulders,

> chest, back, etc down to the toes can assist. Contemporaneously

> watching one spot on the ceiling and slowly blurring it out until you

> eyes close helps too. This is the setup for guided imagery, but can be

> used to distract oneself from worrying. Of course some strong,

> sweat-breaking work can too. Or an engaging film.

>

> Knowing a beloved film well - all the dialog, etc - is a good thing

> for

> sleep or hypnogogic induction. The memory banks stop trying to intake

> and relax instead. This is only a mental image, but functional.

>

> My daughter is in her 2nd trimester of pregnancy, and because it has

> not

> equalized but raised BP, and produced multiple kidney stones and other

> hypercalcemic signs, we await the birth to do A/R testing. 2 weeks

> spiro too. She worries so much about me that she must block me out to

> avoid problems. This is not emotionally pleasant for me even though I

> know and support the reasons. So, I create relaxation responses to

> combat the impending anxiety.

>

> " You have nowhere to go. . .nothing to accomplish. . . " Then breaking

> a

> good sweat.

>

> Dave

> __________________________________________

> (1) Phoenix's wizard of 20th Century psychotherapy - a quite accurate

> Wiki, the 'guy behind the guy' :

>

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_H._kson

>

> Valarie wrote:

> >

> > Ohhh, Dave! Coffee is one of my extreme pleasures. Lately, there

> haven't

> > been many others. We even got an in-the-wall, plumbed-with-water

> pot.

> > Maybe I'll cut it to half decaf and then to straight decaf. Do you

> see any

> > problem with decaf? Does your green tea have caffeine?

> >

> > Other times, when I've had these episodes, I normalize back to the

> old

> > " feelin' awful all the time " but this time, this episode has gone

> on since

> > September. I've always attributed the " feelin' awful all the time "

> to

> > inadequately treated hypothyroidism. To her credit, my GP doctor

> said, " It

> > is more than thyroid; something else is going on. " I've felt awful

> all the

> > time since 1985 except when I take a T4/T3 combo thyroid med.

> >

> > I get at least 800 - 1000 steps/day inside my house, have been

> doing light

> > lower body exercises, and walking some outside. I increase the

> outside

> > steps by 100/day but some days don't go (its been snowing and

> blowing, off

> > and on here). When I haven't slept well, I find it difficult to go

> walk. I

> > don't get winded or have any heart pain, and I don't go when I'm

> feeling

> > anxious. I am better, but still not " normal. " I've been down for a

> long

> > time and thought starting slowing would be good.

> >

> > I started feeling low blood glucose a bit ago and ate 6 dried fruit

> (good

> > for the bones). The LBG didn't materialize into anxiety. I still

> think it

> > is the hit of 350 mg Na that causes the anxiety feeling, but I don't

> > really

> > know. Hell, I'm anxious about everything going on anyway. I'm sure

> some of

> > what is going on is purely psychological; i.e., not knowing,

> indecision,

> > seemingly inadequate care, etc. Still haven't heard anything on my

> request

> > for MEN1 testing.

> >

> > What do you mean by, " . I pay the price in rebounding. " ? What are

> you

> > feeling then?

> >

> > Speaking of pleasures, some of my children came for dinner a while

> back.

> > They know I'm sick so brought everything needed. I've been so numb

> for so

> > long and that night I actually felt love for them. While I know I

> love

> > them, I haven't had " feelings " in so long. Maybe its depression but

> I

> > don't

> > want to take any other drugs. I think getting some resolution would

> lift

> > things considerably.

> >

> > Val

> >

> > From: hyperaldosteronism

> <mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>

> > <mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>

> > [mailto:hyperaldosteronism

> <mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>

> > <mailto:hyperaldosteronism%40>] On Behalf Of Dave

> >

> > Since I started my PA regimen, all caffiene and alcohol were removed

> > entirely. Anxiety and " gripping " disappeared. Green tea or Basil tea

> > works for relaxation - so long as I walk at least 2000 steps on my

> > pedometer in any day. Alcohol and caffiene do many things, but most

> > obviously, artificially suppress and stoke up the mood and alertness

> > levels of the limbic system, which makes the body compensate

> > (homoeostasis). PA I reason, does this by itself, so why aggravate

> it?

> >

> > Whenever I " slip " and use one or both of the drugs (let's be

> honest), I

> > pay the price in rebounding.

> >

> > It works for me. I have absolutely no idea why. If it were entirely

> > psychosomatic, who cares?

> >

> > Dave

> >

> > Valarie wrote:

> > >

> >

>

>