Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Sexual Intimacy and Chronic Pain

 

I have Degenerative Disc Disease with Sciatica. This causes daily pain in my lower back, legs and hips. It also affects my neck and shoulders. This condition makes it difficult to pick up anything heavy, twist at the waist without causing muscle spasms, sit cross legged, sit on hard surfaces, go from a supine position to a sitting position without assistance, and much more. It also makes sleeping comfortably in bed for the whole night next to impossible. 

And yet, I’ve learned to make accommodations in my daily life so that I can continue in a somewhat normal manner. Instead of carrying in groceries, I put them in a little cart and push them in. Instead of standing in front of the sink and leaning over to wash dishes, I have a stool I sit on. I have also learned to make accommodations so that I can have a satisfying sex life.


One day my back was acting up, and my partner wanted to have sex. It had been acting up for several days, but I just didn’t want to put off having sex any longer, so we went ahead, with a few modifications. Lying on my side put less pressure on my back, so we opted for that. The rhythmic pelvic motions seemed to gently massage my lower back. As my partner caressed my skin, my pain seemed to recede into the background. 


After a few days of this, my back didn’t seem to hurt as much, and seemed stronger. Could it be that sex is a good way to manage chronic pain?


I went looking for support for this idea. It turns out, there is some. According to Psychology Today,

“…research consistently shows that oxytocin not only increases emotional connection, it also promotes a sense of calm and well-being, and reduces the effects of stress (as measured by blood pressure and cortisol), all of which are relevant in reducing perceptions of pain. In fact, oxytocin is currently being tested as an avenue of treatment for neuropathic and inflammatory pain.” (1)


Oxytocin is released when the skin is caressed or massaged, and during orgasm. Also released are serotonin, phenylalanine, and natural endorphins, all of which increase feelings of satisfaction. 


Even if we just lay in bed, hold each other and caress each others’ skin, this produces a powerful sense of well-being. And for the 30 seconds or so that it takes to have an orgasm, your pain will be totally forgotten. In the minute or two following orgasm, there will still be decreased levels of pain. At least, that’s been my experience. 


And if you are alone, without a partner, well,  orgasm is still possible. Invest in some “toys” and have a go at it. I have found orgasm followed by meditation helps prolong my feelings of physical well-being.


1.  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/paintracking/201111/the-healing-powers-sex


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Sunday, September 26, 2021

Natural Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy


Diabetic Retinopathy, a condition in which tiny blood vessels of the retinas leak, is one of the major causes of blindness in the U.S. It can be avoided by carefully controlling blood sugar. In my case, since I was an undiagnosed diabetic for many years, high blood sugars have caused me to contract this condition.

I am now carefully controlling my blood sugars, but the damage is done. Normal medical therapy for this condition is laser treatments to seal up the bleeding blood vessels. I had this treatment in 2010. I can’t say I was all that pleased with the results. 

I went to a retinal specialist and he said “Now we are going to give you one treatment on your left eye this week, then next week one on the right eye, then the next week, another treatment on the left and then another treatment on the right.” And I said “No.”

“Doctor, I can’t let you work on both eyes at once because if something goes wrong, I have to drive for my job, and I won’t be able to work, and then I will have no insurance and no money to pay you for these treatments.” 

He looked at me with this stone cold look on his face and said, “Well, you could always go on disability. “ 

I said to myself, this guy knows nothing about what it’s like to live on disability. First of all, getting approved is difficult. You can’t get approved if you are still working, so I’d have to quit. Then after you get approved, you aren’t eligible for Medicare for two years. So he wants me to take a 3/4 pay cut and get no medical treatment for two years so I can take his treatments.

“What are the possible side effects from this procedure?”

“None,” he says. 

“Doctor, there is no such thing as a medical procedure without possible side effects.

”He says, “If your vision worsens, it will be because of the progression of your disease, and not because of anything I might do.”

“I am not saying you would do anything wrong. But even if everything goes right, there could still be side effects. Pain, redness blurred vision, anything like that?”

“No.”


I didn’t believe him. “Well, this is my offer. You can work on the left eye, and if that goes all right, then you can work on the right one.”

He says, “I think that is an extraordinarily foolish decision. If you don’t take these treatments, in a year you’ll be blind.”

It has been 11 years, and I am not blind. Is my vision perfect? No, but I’m not blind.

He finally agreed to work on one eye. After the first treatment, the whole top half of my field of vision clouded up. After the second treatment, the bottom half clouded up, and I had no usable vision in that eye for six months. I had been right. There was pain, swelling, and blurred vision, just the side effects I had been afraid of. I didn’t go back to have the other eye done.

The eye he worked on had no better vision than the other one. Then they wanted to do a vitrectomy, a procedure that terrifies me. No, not for me.


So I have started to look for alternative treatments. One of the functions of Vitamin C in the body is to strengthen the walls of veins and capillaries. So I am assuming I need more Vitamin C if my tiny blood vessels are leaking. In any other part of the body, leaking blood vessels would be called a bruise. What can you do to heal bruises naturally?

According to Fergon.com, “ Individuals who have low iron levels are more susceptible to bruising and experiencing bruises that last a long time. Therefore, it may be beneficial to take iron supplements…Other recommendations include… Eating a healthy diet with iron-rich foods, as well as foods with vitamin C and vitamin K, aid the reabsorption of blood and the healing of bruises as well.”

According to an article in BioMed Central’s Journal, Eye and Vision, 

Nutritional and medical food therapies for diabetic retinopathy,

“We have reviewed the literature for nutritional interventions that support conventional therapies to reduce disease risk and severity. Optimal combinations of vitamins B1, B2, B6, L-methylfolate, methylcobalamin (B12), C, D, natural vitamin E complex, lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-lipoic acid, and n-acetylcysteine are identified for protecting the retina and choroid.

Large doses of B6, B12, and Folic Acid have also shown to lower homocysteine levels, thereby limiting damage to blood vessels by homocysteine. 

So I am starting a regimen of the above vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Webber Naturals Supervision 50 Plus

Kai Nutritional Yeast Tablets

Ancestral Supplements Beef Liver for Iron

Vitamin D with K2


I have also been doing the Keto Diet and have lowered my A1c from 7,9 to 6.7 without medication.

I will let you know how it goes. 


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