New Age methods?

[sengels]

I read someone post that they were trying "new age methods" and another poster write that they decided against surgery because they KNEW that they would get better, and then they did. Well, I am going in for an MVD this Friday but still fully believe that we can cure ourselves via "new age methods".

I believe we bring on our illnesses by turning our frustrations inwards and also from the psychological pressure we put on ourselves by not "living in the now". Living in the "Now" is an extremely annoying concept that we should somehow not let the past effect our enjoyment of the present. Anyway, YES I believe we can cure ourselves by meditating everyday on having healthy glowing body parts OR since we do live in the physical world, we can just take the "quick and dirty" route of being physically manipulated with surgery.

Either way taken must serve to fully convince ourselves that we will continue to regenerate ourselves without any further flaws. And so we will slowly replace those cells incorrectly posisitoned to correctly posistioned (or continue to correctly position them as in the case of surgery).

The surgery "doesn't work" if we don't believe we have suffered enough for the original cause of stress.

So, I bet now you are wondering why they don't do psych tests before people are allowed to decide to go for surgery. :D Perhaps going in for surgery in two days has caused me to hang out on the edge of insanity this week.

Susan E of NYC

[argye]

I don't understand why you are having the surgery.

Anyway, current medical thinking is that there is an abnormal pain pathway as yet unidentified that develops in patients with chronic pain conditions. There is also another pathway that crosses it that is much weaker, but can interrupt the pain. This pathway is strengthened by "new age methods," so that eventually the stronger pathway is weakened or disappears.

[jaztsd]

Good luck, Susan - I am a great believer in a combo of new age and medical methods. One thing I find very helpful is brainwave entrainment - have a schumann resonance on right now.

Love,
Jan

[argye]

I've tried that. I've also used a sleep/relaxation program that you can download called Pzizz. When I had the worst of my shocks, I would lie in bed and play the sleep program over and over until the shocks would go away.

Argye

[EE03]

jan,

brainwave entrainment - what is that?

sorry to barge in here, but all this talk of complimentary medicine has me curious.

E!!!

[papadrew]

I've tried so many ways to calm this beast and my experience has been TN has a life of it's own. My life of surgeries started in 1967, was it my head injury, oral surgery or getting smacked in the face that caused this. Maybe it was just my luck. I'll do ANYTHING to avoid another zap including an MVD. I preached the acupuncture, chiripractic, sage burning all that and it works until it wants to come back. At least that's my experience. They are all a way to seek relief and to each their own. My hope is the MVD works longer then the GK did or any of the rest and if not I'm on to the next. We've made it this far and I've had a life of pain but this is a BEAST... Andy

[EE03]

I hear you Andy, but right now, I'm searching for coping strategies. My anxiety is really kicking me and I don't think alternative medicine is a cure, but anything I can do to help get through this @#$% and keep my sanity is worth a try for me.
Take care, Ellena

[papadrew]

Yea, sorry, I'm just so frustrated. On top of that, super sensitive. One day I was preaching acupuncture then herbs and everything else once the other went cold and now I'm doing this. Feel like it's square one again. I'm currently waiting for a call between 3:00-6:00 to to find out what time to show up for surgery monday in hopes that I should have done this years ago.. Everybody is on their own path so who's to say what's correct.

[EE03]

Andy,
No apology needed. I'm sure your ready to jump out of your skin and I appreciate that. I'm not in to preaching about whats good for anyone. I, like us all at some level, am just trying to cope. I'm not about to go off my meds unless my docs force me. I'm not looking for miracles where they can't be found. I trust my docs and my family, and as long as I get measurable relief, I'm sticking with status quo. It #&*#@ big time, but its working to a certain degree. Unfortunately, I've had experience with destructive nerve procedures(to an extremity) and know first hand that they don't always cure the pain, and can lead to more. So, for now, my fate is in meds, even though I hate the blasted things.

Take care and try to relax my friend, Ellena
You are on my good wishes list and my thoughts are with you!!!:)

[argye]

I had a severe attack at the beginning of June and went to the ER with a score of "10" in the pain dept. They gave me the usual narcotic meds that didn't help, sent me to a neuro who gave me Trileptal and Dilantin & recommended MVD -> ended up crawling on hands & knees with balance & double vision problems, memory like Swiss cheese -> went to second neuro who added Tegretol -> couldn't get out of bed or talk, husband stayed home to care for me, couldn't see where I was going, husband had to lead me, feed me, dress me. Went to ophthalmologist who dx'ed nystagmus & wanted to send me for surgery & referred to neuro-ophthalmologist etc. Said I was toxic from all the meds.

I decided not to have any surgery & to get off so many meds. I had read the "horror stories" both here and on other bulletin boards & mailing lists. I also read the medical literature and wasn't sure if any surgery would help me. I thought there was a good chance it would even make me worse.

So...I experimented with new age methods, tapping, chiro, diet, and food supplements. The outcome is that I'm now well, and I have been well for quite some time. I still take some Trileptal but it's rare that I get a solitary twinge (usually if I chew a lot).

I don't hang around TN groups very often, but wanted to post my story in case it helps other people. I know that some of you have been cured by MVD and that's great, but everyone considering surgery should realize that it's not a panacea and that even the best surgery may not work, or cause worse pain, or crippling side effects. OTOH, although new age methods might not be effective for everyone, they are non invasive, cheap, and harmless at worst. At best, they are effective and are a cure for our disease.

Finally, I think we should make a "sticky" for TN sufferers to let them know that there is an alternative to surgery. How do we do that?

Thank you.

Argye

[papadrew]

My experience with "new age" treatments has been good too. True TN goes into remission when it wants to. So who's to know what works and doesn't. I'm trying MVD now to see if it works any better or any worse. If you truely have TN hold on and just pray your in remission for good This is a beast with no boundry.

[argye]

Thank you, and I hope your surgery works for you too.

Argye