Chiari - Improving Overall Health
Some of this was already covered in Reducing Triggers.
Some of this is just common sense.
All of it makes a difference.
You want to live better with Chiari? Live better everywhere else.
Meditation:
If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times. Meditation is good for you. It’s not a woo woo thing. It’s a creative thing.
My first real experience with meditation was with Dr. Joe Dispenza. His book You Are the Placebo was the catalyst that started me down another road--one that didn’t involve doctors who didn’t know what to do with me, and reliance on prescription medication.
The catalyst for major change in my life, and my introduction into healing myself.
If you haven’t heard of Dr. Dispenza but you’re at all interested in changing any facet of your life, health, personality, or habits, he’s worth Googling. The guided meditation that accompanied You Are the Placebo was intended to change something about my health by helping me create and connect with the version of health that I wanted to experience instead. Every time the mediation ended, I felt strong, empowered, and hopeful. And I don’t think it’s any coincidence that today I feel (almost) as good as the version I created in my own mind, long before I saw any physical change in my body.
We forget--especially when we are sick and in pain--that we have so much more power over our circumstances and our bodies than we realize. Dr. Dispenza seeks to remind us of who we are and what we are capable of, and show us how to actually change our minds to change our health.
You don’t have to get on board with Dispenza (though you can find his free meditations on Youtube). Admittedly, his work goes deep, and you might not be interested or ready to go there. Any meditation, even sitting for five minutes of quiet breathing is going to help calm your raging thoughts and the body that’s probably feeling too much.
Hydration:
Simple, right? Drink more water. Fluids in a well-hydrated body flow better, and let’s face it—for those of us with crowding at the back of our skulls, flow is vital. Flow is life.
Put Good Stuff In:
Fruits and vegetables
High quality vitamins/supplements—the best you can budget
Detox—naturally with food or with the help of a detox program. I have done Alejandro Junger’s Clean program a few times, and felt amazing afterwards. It’s an easy to follow program outlined in his book Clean. You don’t need to buy the food/supplements from him (I didn’t) but that used to be an option—not sure if it still is. I also use the supplement Clean Slate by Root.
Juice—and not the kind out of a bottle. Juice your own fruits and vegetables for a nutrient bomb to your cells. Check out the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead if you want to see how beneficial fresh juice can be.
Smoothies—some would argue it’s better than juicing because with smoothies you keep the fiber. I like them because they are a great way to get nutrients into my body quickly.
Limit the Bad Stuff:
This should be a no-brainer, but it’s very easy to get caught up in habits and not as easy to change them.
Prior to the Chiari diagnosis, I smoked for a few years. I’m not proud of it, but there you have it. As soon as the Chiari pain started—which was triggered by coughing—it was easy to quit. I haven’t smoked a cigarette since.
Alcohol was a different story. I have a long, complicated history with alcohol. For part of this journey, red wine actually helped relieve the coughs, and that’s part of why I drank 1-3 glasses every night for years. I kicked that nightly alcohol habit in January 2024…long after it stopped being necessary to keep me from coughing. Now I’ve noticed that if I do partake in a few drinks, the Chiari wakes the fuck up with a roar. It honestly takes the fun out of a cocktail! I had to be several months out of that habit, though, to realize how much better I felt on a daily basis without it.
I know, I know, they aren’t for everyone. But they’ve helped me so much that there is a separate post outlining how I use them with Chiari.
Enzymes:
I debated mentioning this because I know they won’t be available for everyone. Since they do play a significant role in my overall health, it wouldn’t be right not to talk about them.
The enzymes I’m referring to are made by Loomis, a company that specializes in enzymes for nearly every organ and system in the human body. The catch? You need to order them through Loomis practitioners. Until a few years ago, I happened to work for one. If you’re interested, you can search for a practitioner near you from the Loomis website.
These aren’t your average digestive enzymes (though the importance of a healthy gut cannot be overstated). Mostly I use certain formulas to help ward off that old familiar foe: the cold bug. Just as I never go a day without essential oils, I never miss a chance to take certain enzymes at the first sign of trouble. And like the oils, they’ve done exactly what I need them to do.
You are capable of more. And there is better for you than the way you probably feel if you found this post.
This is just the beginning. It’s true that nothing changes if nothing changes. And changes—even positive ones—can be hard, especially when living with Chiari can suck the life right out of you.
I feel better. Genuinely better. Most days I don’t experience any symptoms. It’s not magic, but I had to pull myself out of the dark and make some changes. If I can do it, so can you.
While we’re on the subject of improving overall health, we need to talk about your ENVIRONMENT.