[MelodyL]

It was a good meeting. Learned quite a bit. Also took my Flip camcorder and with everyone's permission, made a video so all of you can see what the Neuropathy Support Group meeting looks like. I'll post it when I finish editing the mini-movie. I mean it's only about 90 seconds or so.

What I really want to do (maybe at the next meeting) is if we have guest speakers, maybe I'll film some segments that I think you guys would be interested in. Hopefully there will be some NEW info on PN that I can share with all of you. That would be really cool.

Now here's a another reason I am posting here tonight. We just came home from the meeting and one of the men there had a book titled EARTHING. He explained it and we all took a look. What a fascinating concept.

I don't know if I believe all of it, but you have agree that we don't walk on the earth, walk on the grass, well, we all live in a completely different way than man did thousands of years ago.

I went to this website and learned about Earthing. Fascinating stuff

http://www.shop.earthing.net/

And they have earthing products to use if you can't go and walk barefoot on grass or anywhere else.

I have only looked at the earthing bands so far. I can't believe that if we plug ourself into an electrical outlet, it will STOP PAIN.

But that is what many of these products claim to do. They have banding mats, sheets, rods that go in the ground. And the owner of this website says there is science behind all of this. It's about the electricity of the earth and how we can tap into it and HEAL ourselves.

I want to know what you all think of this website.

I'll post the video when I get done editing.

Melody

[daniella]

Hey. Do you feel you benefit from these groups? I wish there were more support groups for chronic pain even. I am interested to see the video.

[MelodyL]

Originally Posted by daniella

Hey. Do you feel you benefit from these groups? I wish there were more support groups for chronic pain even. I am interested to see the video.

Yeah, we most certainly do benefit from going to support group meetings. My husband is now more sociable. He realizes he is not the only person on the planet who had this kind of pain.

And when we sit around and discuss, we can ask questions, we can find out the LATEST info on Neuropathy. In December, in Washington, DC, I believe, there is going to be a BIG symposium with all kinds of experts, and it's run by the Neuropathy Association. The leader of our group, Steve, is going to be there.

He is always finding out neat stuff to share with us.

What I find (and I've been going to meetings for 10 years), is even if there is no news to be learned from a particular meeting, we all join up and gab and talk and ask each other, "how are you doing, have you tried this for your pain, have you tried that".

Friendships have been made.

And sure, we have had a couple of odd people come and then they go. There are negative people, there are grumpy people, there are opinionated people, there are compassionate people, ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE.

We usually met (a few of us), one hour before the meeting at a nice place across the street and we have our dinner. You can grab any kid of food you wish because they have various display counters (Japanese, mexican, american, italian), etc, and you can take what you want, go over to a table and join the group.

Alan and I always go Japanese. It's fun to sit around (before the meeting), eat a meal, share some conversation), then we all go across the street to the meeting.

Many of these people are older people and need the socialization. Some are really disabled from their neuropathy. But all have something to share, and we can all learn from each other.

And the coffee and cookies ain't bad either!!!! lol

I shall finish editing the Flip video and post it later. I'm just waiting for approval from some members on the final cut of the 90 second video. It's one thing to say "Sure, I'll be in a video, but it's another thing to see the video and say "oh I don't like the way I look, get me out of this video".

So I'm respectful of the feelings of others.

Be back later. Melody
P.S. why not go to the Neuropathy Association home page, look up Support Groups, put in your zip code and see if there is a meeting near you?

[daniella]

Thanks. I looked and there is one I think in my area. I remember when I was at Cleveland Clinic the support of others helped a lot. Glad you and your husband have benefited.

[finz]

Hello Melody,

I don't have PN, but do have TOS, RSD, and fibro. My sister just gave me an Earthing kit for an early xmas present.

I am about half way through the book and using the pad a few hours per day. I don't have 3 prong outlets throughout my house, so I am limited to where I can use it.

First night, I swear I felt better.......and that was Thanksgiving night. I usually need extra pain meds after being up and about, but I didn't that night. I also made it to Walmart 4 to 6 am without meds. I went to bed again at 6:30 and woke up later with a miserable cold (my kids were sick earlier in the week. So......it's hard to tell now how/if it's working. I am a skeptic by nature. I'll keep you posted.

[MelodyL]

Hi.

I have something you might like to try. Before I tell you what it is, let me tell you how I found out about this.

I am a person who grows her own food in the kitchen. I'm a sprouter. This, by the way, is not about sprouts.

It's about drinking a shot of wheatgrass juice every morning.

All my fellow sprouters grow their own wheatgrass and they juice it.

It's cheaper than going to a juice bar and paying $5.00 for a shot of wheatgrass.

I never really know about the benefits of wheatgrass until the other night when I was on the phone with a friend I know and we were talking about wheatgrass juice.

She told me the following:

"I have a friend with fibromyalgia, and she started taking shots of wheatgrass juice before her morning breakfast. Do you know her fibromyalgia stopped bothering her. She so greatly improved in her pain level, that a day doesn't go by that she doesn't take a shot of wheatgrass juice".

See, I never knew this. I just had my sprouts and I have felt great for two years.

But I thought I would have to be growing trays and trays of wheatgrass and then buy a juice, etc. Not for me.

So I went to the various places on the internet that sells the dehydrated wheatgrass powder, that you just take a teaspoon and blend it in whatever you are drinking and it becomes a power-house in your body.

I am now looking on the internet for a wheatgrass juice powder that I can use myself.

I went to Vitacost (they have the best price), and then there is iherb.

Now I have no idea if you have ever tried this stuff, but I'm the kind of person, who when I find something that worked for other people, then I have to share the information.

So go online, look up benefits of wheatgrass juice. (It also helps with skin diseases, keep you bowels up and running, ALL KINDS OF GOOD THINGS.

I'm going to buy some.

Let me know if you think this might be up your alley.

Take care,

Melody

[Marlene]

I decided to go ahead and try Earthing for the both of us. It totally makes sense to do, especially since neither of us go barefoot anymore nor do we live with access to the ocean.

I received the 1/2 bed sheet which came with a copy of the Earthing book, as well as the accessories to hook it up and test it to make sure it's working.

I went ahead and put my feet on the sheet for about 20 minutes when it arrived. It did create some tingling in my feet (I don't have PN) and seemed to relax me.

When John came home from work (he has PN), he took a nap with sheet hooked up at the end of the bed. It caused his feet and calves to throb a bit. So I figured we need to move the sheet up higher off his feet. Solved that problem.

So after our first night on the sheet, we both slept very well but were still tired when the alarm went off this morning. We are up way too early...5:45 am. I am assuming there will an adjustment period. I've had a stiff neck/shoulder for over a week now and finally, today, it feels the almost resolved. And those pesky hot flashes were less intense also.

So the journey begins...I am not very disciplined when it comes to documenting our progress, but will try to report our experience on a regular basis. I'm not expecting miracles, just want to support a healthy environment for our bodies so they can do what they want to do naturally and that is to heal and repair itself with less interference from this highly charged world we live in now.

Marlene

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by Marlene

I am not very disciplined when it comes to documenting our progress, but will try to report our experience on a regular basis.

Would setting yourself up a little spreadsheet (computer type - not the earthing kit type) or something akin to a pain journal help? You might include the weather for each entry, including your local relative humidity. I ask that because weather & humidity have an effect on electrical fields and the static contained in your body (like ststic shocks being more common in cold dry weather than humid summers).

I heard about earthing some months ago before I heard about NT. Gotta admit I'm more than a little skeptable (like with that Rebuilder gizmo), OTOH, I'd never discount the placebo effect - I'm all for it if/when it works.

Doc

[mrsD]

I do believe there are electrical fields around our bodies.

I think this is why magnets work at times for some people.

The Chinese have long believed that energy flows thru the body's meridian points.

[Marlene]

Thanks Doc...The spreadsheet is a good idea. It would be good to have a list of "stuff" that influences how I feel that I can easily check y/n. My symptoms come and go, and I have yet been able to tie them to anything at this point. Before I started menopause, everything could be predicted based on my cycle. Not so any more.

BTW....I too am a skeptical on many things. But with Earthing, they are not trying to cure you of anything. It's more about restoring a basic need that we've lost. Good nutrition, good sleep, less stress, meditation, exercise and good air/water....and now grounding to the earth. And, you don't need to buy anything to do it.

Now, on the rebuilder...it was a godsend for John in the beginning. Dropped his pain level dramatically. I know it doesn't work for everyone but it did for him. And anything that helps him, helps me .

Mrs D...I have been working at an acupuncture clinic doing reflexology and the most potent stress reducer for my clients is when I work the Kidney 1 point on their feet. An interesting connection with Earthing, is that they use the K1 point when grounding people. Seems the feet are most sensitive to electrical fields and that point is very potent to the overall production of energy/chi in the body.

It's all very fascinating.