Find your pulse in your wrist. I use two fingers to find the pulse as it is a bit easier and doesn't require so much painstaking situation of one finger to get it right.

Relax and count your pulse. Continue trying to relax however you find the best for you. I can reduce my pulse by 5-10 bpm by concentrating on it. It is a form of meditation, mindfulness. There are definite health benefits to even just 5-10 minutes daily of meditation. You can work this into your routine perhaps at bedtime.

Sometimes just the mere fact of focusing awareness on your pulse will help you begin to control it.

I can't say specifically how you should relax as everyone has a different technique. I just say in my mind, "relax" 'Slower" "calm" And visualize the bpms getting slower. That works for me. I also close my eyes and visualize everything relaxing comfortably.

You will find that working on your pulse will get you into a meditative state and your BP will also likely decrease.

I'm sure you've also heard of progressive muscle relaxation. There are different forms of it, in one I know of, you tense and release the muscle group you're focusing on. In another, you just focus on relaxing the muscle group.

I find that tensing and releasing allows one to actually notice that the muscle is tensed already. It's amazing how cumulative bits of stress (and it sounds like you have a significant amount of stress right now) will wreak havoc on the muscle and skeletal system's tension.

I start at the toes and tense and relax my way up, from side to side. So many people have their tension in the lower backs, and shoulders and even in their arms so it is very relaxing to feel the tension ebbing.

There are also meditations that you can get that are great for assisting in visualizing relaxation. I'd have to look it up, but I think one guy's last name is Zinn, appropriately enough.

Jon Kabat-Zinn is the narrator's name.

What you described sounds exactly like a fancy way of describing meditation haha. You know I've always preached meditation and training your mind. Buddhists and Monks who have trained long in meditation can change their body temperate at will, incredible mind power.

What wynne said is a great healing way of meditation. It's great for after exercise, during injury, or before bed. Whatever it is you want to heal, you put full concentration on, and have a strong mind connection to allow the mind to heal the desired area. Meditation like everything else requires practice. No one hops into being a great meditator, or controller of the mind, it requires many, many hours of practice. But really anyone who has ever gone far in meditation, will talk the world about it, says a lot. Look around your area for practices in meditation, classes and such. Could change your life.

Good luck with your mom and yourself.

When I meditate, I either keep my pulse, or count the seconds I inhale and exhale. When I first started, I realized how bad I was at controlling my breathing; I was exhaling too hard, the rhythm felt unnatural, my counting would get off, things like that. As I began to practice, in my deepest meditations I can inhale and exhale 30 seconds each, and I'm honestly no zen master by any means. It gets easier with practice! Here's an excerpt from Ted Grossbart's book, Skin Deep. He's an awesome Harvard Psychologist that's worked with a lot of patients with skin conditions, and these exercises will benefit anyone, skin condition or not.

Utilizing some form of biofeedback in addition to these exercises (or any sort of meditation) is a great way to relax, reduce stress, and improve overall health. Eventually, you won't even have to sit down and concentrate to bring about the meditative state, you'll be able to assume the state (at least partially) by will. Best wishes to you and your mom!

These exercises are based on the power of belief, but it's difficult to believe

they'll work until you've seen some results. Self-doubt will creep in as you learn this

unfamiliar process, and healthy skepticism is only realistic. As you learn to

coordinate parts of yourself you've never used before, there's bound to be a

discouraging period when nothing comes together. Imaging is a skill; like playing the

piano or windsurfing, it improves with practice. If you haven't felt a bit foolish at

times, you're playing it too safe. If you haven't quit in discouragement, then started

over a few times, you haven't really started.

 

If there's a single key to making these techniques work, it's making sure they

don't become work. Keep your eye on their gamelike quality. They're a productive,

grown-up version of "Let's pretend" and they shouldn't be drudgery or a struggle.

They're not a prescription to be swallowed, not an exercise to do for me, your

dermatologist, or your family, but something soothing and enhancing to do for

yourself.

Thanks. I will try taking my pulse and slowing down at bedtime and maybe a few times per day.

I prefer walking to meditation, but have been meaning to make chanting ohm during the walk a habit. It's good for the sinuses.

Since you've provided biofeedback info, here's the wiki on autogenic training and the autogenictraining.org site. I haven't read them yet:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autogenic_training

http://www.autogenictraining.org/

Wow that was long, some good points in there. It's a really interesting concept, imagining the strong forces inside you physically battling your disease in a physical form. However which way, either actual battle like the one man, or shooting arrows and each individual antagonist like the woman, or the other woman who used a maid to clean up all her "trash" lol.

Using the mind to combat your problem is a really great approach. After reading the thing that came to mind, was that the first killer of these experiences would be a mirror. Someone who goes through an intense session of this meditation, then awakens, looks in a mirror and doesn't see the instant progess like in the meditation, will get turned right off.

This would work best if you were away from all mirrors for a couple days, a week, or whatever, longer the better. Say camping for example. Daily you have these meditations, and your mind never has that mirror to shut down all its progress. Your making your own mind believe your having amazing success, and then through those couple of days/week, your mind finally has the time to REALLY combat your problem. I bet people could have amazing success through that. Man I'd like to open up my own dermatology clinic haha.

FYI:

QUOTE

In a report published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers found that almost 11 percent of seemingly healthy, middle-aged study participants had some brain damage from one or more aoesilenta strokes. The researchers also found a correlation between silent stroke and cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, and thickening or partial blockage of the carotid arteries.

Also known as silent cerebral infarction, a silent stroke is a true stroke that causes actual brain injury without any noticeable symptoms. People whoave had a silent stroke have a higher risk of having more strokes, and are more likely to suffer from vascular dementia later in life.

This finding may sound ominous, but the studyas authors point out the good news: Early detection and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors can decrease the risk of stroke.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/reduce-ri...l#ixzz1UjJx7HHf

Also, as further proof that you can't follow FDA or other conventional guidelines for info on health, food and safety:

 

The federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest an upper limit of 25 percent of daily calories come from added sugar. Doesnat that seem really high? If you have an extra 500 calories to spare, wouldnat it be wise to spend it on something with some nutritive value? Aside from a waste of calories, a new study shows that adults who consume high levels of sugar have significantly elevated levels of several risk factors for heart disease....

 

As described in the UC Davis news, the researchers examined 48 adult participants between the ages of 18 and 40 years. For five weeks before the study, subjects were asked to limit daily consumption of sugar-containing beverages to one 8-ounce serving of fruit juice. The participants were then divided into three groups, each group consuming 25 percent of their daily calories as fructose, high fructose corn syrup or glucose. The researchers found that within two weeks, study participants consuming fructose or high fructose corn syrup exhibited increased bloodstream concentrations of three known risk factors for heart disease: LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and a protein known as apolipoprotein-B, which can lead to plaque buildup in arteries.

 

The American Heart Association recommends that people consume only five percent of their daily calories as added sugar. How much added sugar do you consume?

you said she had to have a coke a day right?

i think i remember hearing from some studys about negative effects on triglycerides and hdl/ldl ratios from the overconsumption of high fructose corn syrup.

these claims may need to be verified, but here is just some information about fructose.

What happens if I consume too much fructose?

 

Most of the carbohydrates we eat are made up of chains of glucose. When glucose enters the bloodstream, the body releases insulin to help regulate it. Fructose, on the other hand, is processed in the liver. To greatly simplify the situation: When too much fructose enters the liver, the liver can't process it all fast enough for the body to use as sugar. Instead, it starts making fats from the fructose and sending them off into the bloodstream as triglycerides.

Why is this bad?

 

This is potentially bad for at least three reasons:

High blood triglycerides are a risk factor for heart disease.

Fructose ends up circumventing the normal appetite signaling system, so appetite-regulating hormones aren't triggered--and you're left feeling unsatisfied. This is probably at least part of the reason why excess fructose consumption is associated with weight gain.

There is growing evidence that excess fructose consumption may facilitate insulin resistance, and eventually type 2 diabetes. However, some of this effect may be from chemicals in soda which reacts with the high fructose corn syrup.

you said she had to have a coke a day right?

 

i think i remember hearing from some studys about negative effects on triglycerides and hdl/ldl ratios from the overconsumption of high fructose corn syrup.

Yep. Also likely affecting her bones as her fractured ankle isn't healing at all yet and it's been nearly 4 weeks. She hasn't been allowed to put weight on it slowing her rehab and release. It had been in a cast boot and yesterday they put a cast on it and in another 2 weeks if there's no healing, they want to do surgery to put in screws to pull the bones together. Which she really didn't want, but maybe now the fact that she isn't healing will changer her mind. Hopefully about the coke too, as I keep telling her she needs more vitamin D, magnesium and other nutrients besides her calcium supplement and to not do things that deplete calcium from the bones.

They scanned her carotid artery and aorta to look for plaque/clogs and I've been told by a nurse that it looks 'fine' but I haven't spoken to the doctors as that was done at a different hospital from where she'd doing rehab and the doctor here overseeing her rehab is of no use.

I'd like to try to teach them to make curry as I think the only tumeric they eat is from mustard (and she usually uses mayo) and pickles as it's a spice used in pickle making. There's all kinds of anti-inflammatory foods/herbs she could be eating much more of. I've told her that chamomile tea has the added benefit of thinning the blood but she's always claimed to not like herbal tea. Period. Like she's tried them all and found that there's only one plant in all the world that can be used to make good tea. She's on a blood thinner, and her brother is on one as well and has been told to avoid foods with vitamin K! I tell her not to take medication that means you can't have important nutrients. Except temporarily in an acute case, of course.

you said she had to have a coke a day right?

 

i think i remember hearing from some studys about negative effects on triglycerides and hdl/ldl ratios from the overconsumption of high fructose corn syrup.

 

Yep. Also likely affecting her bones as her fractured ankle isn't healing at all yet and it's been nearly 4 weeks. She hasn't been allowed to put weight on it slowing her rehab and release. It had been in a cast boot and yesterday they put a cast on it and in another 2 weeks if there's no healing, they want to do surgery to put in screws to pull the bones together. Which she really didn't want, but maybe now the fact that she isn't healing will changer her mind. Hopefully about the coke too, as I keep telling her she needs more vitamin D, magnesium and other nutrients besides her calcium supplement and to not do things that deplete calcium from the bones.

 

They scanned her carotid artery and aorta to look for plaque/clogs and I've been told by a nurse that it looks 'fine' but I haven't spoken to the doctors as that was done at a different hospital from where she'd doing rehab and the doctor here overseeing her rehab is of no use.

 

I'd like to try to teach them to make curry as I think the only tumeric they eat is from mustard (and she usually uses mayo) and pickles as it's a spice used in pickle making. There's all kinds of anti-inflammatory foods/herbs she could be eating much more of. I've told her that chamomile tea has the added benefit of thinning the blood but she's always claimed to not like herbal tea. Period. Like she's tried them all and found that there's only one plant in all the world that can be used to make good tea. She's on a blood thinner, and her brother is on one as well and has been told to avoid foods with vitamin K! I tell her not to take medication that means you can't have important nutrients. Except temporarily in an acute case, of course.

 

i think i remember hearing something about people who are on blood thinners for a long time have calcium regulatory/transport issues because the of the mechanism of action of blood thinners on certain vitamin k proteins. or rather, to thin the blood they must deactivate some clotting factors, which i think are vitamin k dependant enzymes, which i think the same enzymes transport calcium into bone and discourage deposition in the vascular system. so they should not ever be considered long term, but im not sure if this applys to this particular situation and this particular blood thinner, just trying to pass some general info your way. also dont quote me word for word, this is all from my memory which may not be that reliable at the moment. i wonder if the delayed healing of the bone that is broken has anything to do with this. look for studies showing any link between rates of osteoperosis/bone loss/reduced bone density and blood thinners.

aspirin is another blood thinning option that is super safe.

fish oil is also another option.

here is a cool study on vitamin c and its ability to lower ldl cholesterol and triglycerides.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2682928/

also niacin has been used to raise hdl for many years, i think its actually more effective then any of the statins on the market, from what i remember reading anyways, as well as safer then statins. One of the prescription brand names is niaspan, they have commercials for it once in a while.

here is some more info, im interested in this stuff too so i suppose ill help gather info.

Vitamin K, Warfarin and oral anticoagulants

Vitamin K is an essential co-factor for the synthesis of several coagulation factors. Oral anticoagulants competitively inhibit enzymes that participate in vitamin K metabolism. Vitamin K intake of more than 250 mcg/day decreases warfarin sensitivity in anticoagulated patients consuming regular diets. For each increase in 100 mcg of vitamin K intake, the INR may be reduced by 0.2. Some over-the-counter multivitamin supplements contain enough vitamin K1 to significantly alter coagulation parameters.

The long-term use of warfarin, known as the product name Coumadin, a drug commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of blood clots, appears to increase the risk of fractures associated with osteoporosis, a bone-thinning condition that usually increased with age. Warfarin prevents coagulation by blocking vitamin K, which is needed to activate certain clotting factors. Because vitamin K is also used to activate proteins involved in bone formation, drugs like warfarin may increase the risk of fractures.

A dose of 1-2.5mg of oral phytomenadione ( vitamin K1 ), reduces the range of INR from 5.0-9.0 to 2.0-5.0 within 24-48 hours in those who have had excess anticoagulation. However, I suggest you also review the study below:

Although it is safe, low-dose vitamin K used to treat warfarin recipients with high INRs (international normalized ratios) does not reduce episodes of bleeding. "Our results support the practice of treating patients with INRs between 4.5 and 10.0 with simple warfarin therapy withdrawal and reinstitution once the INR has decreased into the desired range," says Dr. Mark A Crowther, at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The investigators note that warfarin's dose-response characteristics are highly unpredictable, frequently leading to elevated INRs and increased risk for bleeding, particularly intracranial bleeding. They studied the effects of oral vitamin K on clinical outcomes in over-anticoagulated patients with INRs between 4.5 and 10. The subjects were instructed to withhold warfarin for 1 day and were randomly assigned to vitamin K 1.25 mg or to placebo. The day after treatment, mean INR had decreased significantly more in the vitamin K group than the placebo group. However, there were no significant differences in the percentages of patients who had at least one bleeding complication within 7 days (8% in the vitamin K group vs 9% in the placebo group) or within 90 days (15% vs 16%). There were also no significant differences in 90-day rates of thromboembolism or death. Similarly, the number of patients experiencing a major bleeding event -- defined as fatal bleeding, bleeding requiring therapeutic intervention or transfusion of 2 or more units of red blood cells, or objectively confirmed bleeding into an enclosed space -- was similar in the two groups at day 90 (2.5% treated with vitamin K vs 1.1% treated with placebo). Dr. Crowther's team cautions that their findings "should not be applied to patients who present with active bleeding, those who require acute normalization of their INR (because of imminent surgery, for example), or those with INRs greater than 10.0." Ann Intern Med 2009.

Thanks for all that research. She's only been on the blood thinners since the stroke so I doubt they they are to blame for the fracture, but maybe it's affecting the healing, along with the calcium depleting sodas. She claims she's been taking fish oil. She used to take aspirin for frequent headaches, but i only see tylenol around the house. But I think she's been doing the low dose aspirin thing. And in the hospital they give her calcium and a multi plus the drugs, but no fish oil, no other nutrients needed to use calcium like D and magnesium of which there is usually very little in a multi. And there's probably no where near the C needed. And the veggies served are not the most nutrient dense and are overcooked. I bring here raw stuff-berries, tomatoes, spinach, etc.

I know she wants off all the drugs, but she said that about the prednisone when she was first prescribed it for polymyalgia rheumatica and I told her to eat more anti-inflammatory foods, take fish oil and cut out the soda. And yet she's still on it. And prednisone side effects include osteoporosis, high blood pressure, poor healing and muscle weakness. But her doctors aren't concerned about it.

Thanks for all that research. She's only been on the blood thinners since the stroke so I doubt they they are to blame for the fracture, but maybe it's affecting the healing, along with the calcium depleting sodas. She claims she's been taking fish oil. She used to take aspirin for frequent headaches, but i only see tylenol around the house. But I think she's been doing the low dose aspirin thing. And in the hospital they give her calcium and a multi plus the drugs, but no fish oil, no other nutrients needed to use calcium like D and magnesium of which there is usually very little in a multi. And there's probably no where near the C needed. And the veggies served are not the most nutrient dense and are overcooked. I bring here raw stuff-berries, tomatoes, spinach, etc.

 

I know she wants off all the drugs, but she said that about the prednisone when she was first prescribed it for polymyalgia rheumatica and I told her to eat more anti-inflammatory foods, take fish oil and cut out the soda. And yet she's still on it. And prednisone side effects include osteoporosis, high blood pressure, poor healing and muscle weakness. But her doctors aren't concerned about it.

i was going to say that about the prednisone as well, ive heard that negatively affects calcium balance and such. looks like there are multiple challenges to building that bone back up for sure.

if the polymyalgia pain is not too severe, perhaps it would be good to stop pred for a few weeks to see if that helps. but if the pain interrupts sleep, then it may be better to stay on it, or even perhaps switch to some other type of pain killer for a while like an opiate, asuming the side effects arent the same, besides potential addiction. or maybe a stronger form of tylenol is something to try instead of pred.

Back to biofeedback.

Yesterday on Dr. Oz Deepak Chopra had a meditation to get rid of headache that I thought was a good technique. He said to hold out your hands palms up and close your eyes, breath and focus on your heart beating for a bit, then move to the tips of you fingers and supposedly you can focus on the pulse in your finger tips. And supposedly this takes all the energy away from the headache. And even if not, I thought it was as good a way as any to meditate.

I've been taking my blood pressure every day for the past few weeks and it hasn't been high again. But my pulse is high. Today I took it after eating without getting up. So I had been sitting still for at least 20 minutes. This is usually a sign of poor fitness level? That it's high while resting or doesn't return to a low pulse quickly after activity ceases?

What annoys me is that I talked my older brother into checking his since it's the 'silent killer' and he had just been running upstairs and out to the car with his luggage when he did it and his BP was something like 109/60 something. And a pulse of 67! Like an pretty serious athlete. And he doesn't eat well, drinks several sodas a day and has been eating Subway sandwiches everyday lately. He works nights, drinks alcohol quite a lot. On the other hand, he doesn't have a sedentary job. And is and always has been all lean muscle even though his only exercise is physical labor (and not all that physical), chores, hobbies like woodworking and auto repair and walking.

Edit: It's occurred to me that I was taking my BP after breakfast, so perhaps I was eating something I was intolerant to.

Emotional Freedom Technique aka EFT

An acupressure technique involving tapping in certain places in a certain order:

simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest while you think about your specific problem - whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, pain, etc. -- and voice positive affirmations.

This combination of tapping the energy meridians and voicing positive affirmation works to clear the "short-circuit" - the emotional block -- from your body's bioenergy system, thus restoring your mind and body's balance, which is essential for optimal health and the healing of physical disease.

This is so interesting to me. I have panic disorder, and the more panic attacks I have, the more breakouts I have. It would be so amazing if I could do something that would help with both of those things, because they are the two biggest problems in my life... I have heard great things about biofeedback for anxiety disorders, but I was under the impression that that was typically done with a psychiatrist who monitors you using a computer? Or maybe it doesn't have to be, I don't know.

The trouble with these treatments is that you really have to be committed to it and you have to make sure you're doing it right. It would probably work better for someone who is not trying to control anxiety, since anxiety tends to take control of the brain so you're not really operating at your full capacity... for other, physical-based illnesses, it would probably work very well.

Jon Kabat-Zinn is the narrator's name.

 

Do you make sure you get the nutrients that help with anxiety, mood and stress? Do you sleep well? Get outside into the light daily?

Deep breaths inhaling through the nose increase nitric oxide in the blood. This relaxes blood vessels, lowering blood pressure. Humming is even better:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/14636292

Humming is supposed to be good for the sinuses and I have been trying unsuccessfully for years to develop the habit. I do hum happy birthday twice when washing my hands since that's how long you are supposed to wash.

I mentioned these drops before but just in case you forgot my mom and dad have been taking them for years dad is 87 and his health is great and mom is 75

they really work read the testimonies.

https://straussheartdrops.com/

Don't miss this post as its specific to skin problems.