iCOPE (blue) T-Shirts and Gift Ideas Design

Anyone who must deal with a disabling chronic illness, chronic condition, or chronic pain needs to develop coping skills to help overcome their situational depression and improve their personal well-being.

These suggestions will help:

Dave Roever’ Message of Hope
by Spc. John S. Wollaston
3BCT PAO

Loneliness and Your Immune System

“Support” and Muscle Spasms: A Comfortable Bra Alternative
by Pamela Rice Hahn

Meditation and Pain Management
by David L. Hebert

Coping T-Shirt and Gift Idea Designs

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Coping Skills for Personal Well-Being is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

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T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this “RA Sucks!” graphic T-shirts & Gift Ideas Index featuring this “Rheumatoid Arthritis Sucks!” design Help raise awareness for arthritis and show your frustration about your arthritic condition with this “arthritis sucks” gift idea. T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this “Arthritis Sucks!” graphic T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this “Arthritis Sucks!” graphic Index for this “Have Hope” T-Shirts & Gift Ideas Design Index for Disabling Chronic Condition Warning T-Shirts and Gifts Index for T-Shirts and Gifts that feature this “Disabling Chronic Pain Warning” Design T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this slogan Read the “I’m a Pain When I’m in Pain” essay that inspired this slogan Mini Poster | Small Poster | Camisole | Mug View Entire Gift Gear Index for this Comic View Full-Sized Comic T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this slogan Related Designs: View Full-Sized Comic View Placebo Effect Gift Gear View Placebo Effect 2 Gift Gear (that feature this graphic) T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this graphic “My To Do List” Index T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this graphic T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this graphic Chronic Condition Serenity Prayer Designs: View Pink Chronic Condition Serenity Prayer Gift Gear Index View the Chronic Condition Serenity Prayer (multi) T-shirts & Gift Gear Indexto gift ideas that feature this Chronic Illness Serenity Prayer To see the full beauty of the letters in this design, CLICK HERE to see a full-sized sample image View Disabling Chronic Condition Serenity Prayer (Clouds) Gift Gear Index Graphic on the back of these Disabling Chronic Condition Serenity Prayer (Clouds) gift items View Blue Chronic Illness Serenity Prayer Gift Gear Index Whenever Clock Humorous Disabling Chronic Condition Quote Designs: View entire T-shirts & Gift Gear Index (that feature this graphic) View Entire T-shirts & Gift Gear Index (that feature this graphic) T-shirts & Gift Gear Index featuring this slogan View Entire T-shirts & Gift Gear Index (that feature this graphic) Chronic Illness Realities Comic Strip Designs: Mini Poster | Small Poster | Camisole | Mug | View Gift Gear Index for this Comic View Full-Sized Comic View Full-Sized Comic | View Gift Gear (that feature this comic strip)

Chronic Illness Realities Comic Strip Calendar
(This is a direct purchase link, and not an index on this site)

Chronic Illness Realities Comic Poster Calendar
(This is a direct purchase link)

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Designs is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

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Chronic Illness Realities Comic Strip Calendar

Chronic Illness Realities Comic Strip Poster Calendar

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Chronic-Illness.org T-Shirts and Gift Shop Index

Chronic Illness Realities Comic Strip Calendars is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

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Article by David L. Hebert

Meditation, in its simplest form, is simply a way of calming your inner mind and bringing it into balance with your body. This balance can let your body ease its way into providing you with relief from the pain associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, arthritis, and other disabling conditions.

Often, because your days are hectic and you have so many thoughts running through your mind at the same time, your body can go into sensory overload. As a result, it can feel like your body just wants to shut down, similar to the way a marathoner can seemingly hit a “wall” where it seems he or she just can’t go on anymore. (The 24/7 flu t-shirt compares the fatigue and pain of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia to how one feels after running a marathon.)

By practicing daily meditation, you can help your mind and your body find quiet time to mend and re-establish a sense of equilibrium.

There really isn’t a wrong way to meditate. As long as you’re letting your mind rest, you’re probably accomplishing your goal. If you find that as you try to meditate, your thoughts keep running to how you’re ever going to find the energy to get the dishes done or deal with any of those other things that coping with a disabling condition makes seem overwhelming, just gently push those thoughts away.

A particularly beautiful way of dealing with thoughts like this is to picture the thoughts being wrapped in a clear bubble — a nice soap bubble with an iridescent rainbow that shimmers on the surface. Imagine the thought inside the bubble, bouncing around lightly inside that clear, shiny sphere — and then imagine that bubble just floating lightly upwards, bouncing slowly to and fro in the breeze — until it climbs so high you can’t even see it anymore.

You don’t have to sit in a yoga position and have absolute quiet to enter a meditative state. You can meditate while walking, or bathing, or even — heaven forbid — doing the dishes. The important thing is that you let your mind take that important relaxing break.

And while you’re doing it, use your imagination to help heal your body, too. One particularly effective way is to envision your body being wrapped in a gentle pink cloud. (One of my favorites is pretending that it’s a nice big wad of sweet, pink cotton candy.) Pink is a soothing color, and you can let yourself feel the warm sensations of the color spreading through your body and carrying a nice healing glow along with it.

If you have a part of your body that is being persistently painful, send an extra bit of this warmth and color to that part. Imagine it spreading a healing energy throughout the area, and be thankful that your body has the time to indulge itself in healing. You don’t have to believe in the process whole-heartedly; you just need to go through the actions. Your body and your mind will do the rest.

Try it for a week or two. At the very least, you’ll find that you’ve been able to enjoy some nice quiet moments to yourself. More than likely, you’ll find that the pain has started to dissipate, and you’ve discovered a new way to bridge the gap between mind and body and have found a way to help the body heal itself.

This is by no means the only way to meditate. It’s just one of a million. But it’s a great start, and it really is fun to try. Let yourself indulge in it, and then hop onto the Chronic-Illness.org Forum to share your results with others.

David L. Hebert is a lawyer and writer from Manitoba, Canada. He is the author of The Everything Learning French Book, the upcoming Speak French (In No Time) (available in 2006), and Freedom of the Press . For more information about the author of this article, you can visit his Web site — Lurquer.com.

Meditation and Pain Management is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

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Coping with back pain and getting a good night’s sleep is never easy. The difficulty is often compounded when you must deal with the migrating pains associated with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Arden Gifford, M.D. has found an inexpensive solution for easing his back pain and improving his sleeping habits: a LoungAir — a multipurpose twin mattress that can convert to a chair or lounger.

Dr. Gifford likes the convenience of the LoungAir. “It is excellent for travel purposes,” he says, in part because of its convenient carrying case with an easy-to-use drawstring and heavy-duty strap. In a way similar to how he uses his LoungAir at home, Dr. Gifford enjoys that comfort of home when he stays in a hotel room because he simply places the LoungAir on the floor “in a portion of the bedroom away from the bed.”

When asked why he places his LoungAir on the floor, Dr. Gifford said, “I use the floor [as a] back brace.” He said it’s a continuation of the self-therapy he recommends for patients with back pain in which he suggests that they “lean against a wall or lie on the floor with knees bent to remove the curve in the small of the back.” Dr. Gifford further insists that “there is nothing at all wrong with the floor. People before the 20th century slept on the floor all the time; many still do. The bed is a 17th century wealth concoction, [that resulted] from the same thinking as McDonald’s Hamburgers and other convenience and luxury items in life: They are nice to show, and may taste or feel good, but they are not good for you.”

Dr. M. J. Gimeno (The Stress and Phobia Center, Clearwater, FL) treats “a variety of patients — some with panic attacks, anxiety, chronic pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, depression, and other conditions.” He “recommends the Loungair … for patients who need to be in a comfortable position for meditation, musical meditation, and directed imagery.” He likes the LoungAir because “for patients with chronic pain, it relieves a lot of pressure.”

For his patients with Fibromyalgia, Dr. Gimeno recommends a program that includes a “Fibromyalgia diet and supplements such as Co-Q10, Alpha Lipoic, [and] Benfothiamine as well as daily relaxation [and] meditation.”

As for himself, Dr. Gimeno says, “I own a LoungAir that I use to practice my own meditation to the sound of Mozart, and as an extra bed/chair for visiting friends and relatives. I like the flexibility that this unique item provides. It is not an inflatable bed! It can be adjusted to different positions and is easily transported from one room to another. It provides relief by decreasing ‘weight pressure’ on those sensitive trigger points.”

Dr. Arden Gifford also says he recommends the LoungAir because it is “small, portable, convenient, flexible, and medically and orthopedically sound in helping people sleep well and combat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.”

Dr. Gifford also recommends the LoungAir for GERD reflux patients, in part because it is something they can take with them when they travel.

Overall, Dr. Gifford likes the LoungAir because it’s “simple to put away” and is comparable to alternative options that can “cost two the three times as much.”

When I mentioned my frustration that putting the LoungAir on my bed made it too high for me comfortably climb onto it, he said, “The use I put to the [LoungAir] bed it not to put it on the bed. I place it on the floor [for the] firm underlying support; the sagging of the support of the bed is one of the features of a bed that contributes to back pain.” He also said that “the conformity of the air support is better than water because it does not roll and make waves, but simply supports with no pressure, unlike all other forms of mattress products that I have used.”

According to Dr. Gifford, “about 80% of back pain can be resolved by bed rest, but you have to have the right type of bed; placing the [LoungAir] bed on the floor provides the support. He said that putting the LoungAir “on another mattress is self defeating,” adding that for those with Fibromyalgia and muscle spasms, placing the LoungAir on the floor “provides support for the spinal column with the needed bracing to reduce spasms.”

Both doctors enthusiastically recommend the LoungAir. When asked if he had anything more he’d like to say about the LoungAir, Dr. Gifford said, “I use this Loungair everyday, and everywhere I go. It is excellent for travel purposes. … This is not a temporary toy, or something to stow in the closet until guests come; this is a real and effective medical prosthesis for me in that I spend 1/3 of my life in it and it makes me quite comfortable.”

Dr. Gifford added that he chose the LoungAir because “other products were either too large, or only flat, or had various other cumbersome features. The easy of use is that you don’t have a big bulky product that you have to struggle with to get inflated. It is small, convenient, and easy to use.” As his final endorsement, Dr. Gifford said, “The fabric is soft and does not have the swimming pool air mattress feel that sticks to your skin and is hot and uncomfortable.”

Pictures of the LoungAir

In Search of a Better Sleep and Relief from Fibromyalgia and Back Pain: A Review of the LoungAir

Other related information:

Things to Help You Keep Better Sleep

Two Doctors Recommend the LoungAir for CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Back Pain Relief is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

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Because my budget is now dictated by a work schedule set by my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity fatigue levels rather than by my work ethic and goals, needed accessibility changes come slowly around my place. I did recently add a LoungAir to my “arsenal” of ways to help battle my back pain and muscle spasms in the hopes of getting better sleep, but as you’ll discover in this review (of sorts), I’m still not using it as its intended — or in a manner that will provide me with the most benefit. Someday™!

The LoungAir is an inexpensive inflatable multi-use mattress that Dr. M. J. Gimeno (The Stress and Phobia Center, Clearwater, FL) says he recommends “for patients with chronic pain, it relieves a lot of pressure” and Dr.

Arden Gifford says is “helping people sleep well and combat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” Pretty good endorsements for a $99 bed alternative. (For more information on what the doctors have to say about the LoungAir, see How Two Doctors Recommend Using the LoungAir as a Part of Fibromyalgia and Back Pain Therapy.)

In the bed position, the LoungAir is the size of a standard twin mattress (75” x 38” x 10”), which means that it doesn’t require expensive custom-made sheets; twin-sized sheets fit the LoungAir perfectly.

When not in use as a bed, the LoungAir easily converts to a chair with a 38” x 42” footprint and 42”-high backrest. As a lounger, it measures 75” x 38’ with a 32”-high backrest. Or, you can use the LoungAir as a recliner, angling the backrest to match your comfort level by inflating the inclination of the backrest to between zero and approximately 45 degrees. In the recliner position, the LoungAir length varies according to the inclination angle of the backrest. (I’m currently using a modification of this in the manner that I’m using the LoungAir on my bed. I don’t inflate the “bed” portion of the LoungAir; I inflate the backrest portion only, and then use a pillow to support my neck.)

Inflation is easy, if not somewhat noisy: The LoungAir comes with what the company calls a Fast Fill Pump (FFP) system that includes 3 universal inflation adaptors. For those concerned about odors or other possible sensitivities to the materials used in the LoungAir, its no-leak valve system features individual inflation and fast-deflation ports, each with a neoprene gasket that forms an airtight port seal once they are tightened. (The loungair valves are 100% guarranteed not to leak.) The LoungAir itself is made from a non-allergenic, puncture-resistant heavy-gauge vinyl with a velour-like finish and has extra-wide, electronically welded seams. (I’m very sensitive to odors and, except for a slight aroma when I release air from one of the valves, I detect none from the LoungAir that I’m using. Rather than risk a reaction to exposure to the surface material itself, I keep my LoungAir covered with a 100% cotton sheet.)

The LoungAir also has its own travel or storage bag — a drawstring-closable carrying case with a heavy-duty strap.

For around a month, I’ve been using the LoungAir to help elevate the head of my bed. As mentioned earlier, I have it on top of my mattress, in a semi-inflated state.

An occasional problem will occur in anything mass-produced. Glitches can slip through, but I haven’t experienced any with the LoungAir I have. According to company literature, inflation sometimes needs to be adjusted periodically because the material can stretch. I’m finding that I must adjust the inflation whenever I go to bed. (But, bear in mind, I am not using my LoungAir in the normal manner.) Arden Gifford, MD told me that he exchanged his first LoungAir for another because of inflation problems, and has experienced no further problems since that time.

The LoungAir, invented by architect Victor Kasatshko and developed by medical product developer Nicholas Webb, was created with the goal of providing an orthopedically correct improvement over the flat inflatable bed. It carries the prestigious Orthopaedic Research Institute Seal of Approval.

Note: Earlier I’d mentioned that I’m not using the LoungAir in “a manner that will provide me with the most benefit.” That’s because I am no longer coordinated enough to get up and down off of the floor. As soon as I can fit it into the budget, I plan to have my brother-in-law build me a daybed frame. That will give me a way to put my LoungAir on a solid surface. Until that time, I’ll continue to improvise. I believe I am benefiting by using the LoungAir to elevate the upper half of my body while I sleep.

For additional information, you can read my interview of two doctors who recommend the LoungAir for back pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia patients.

LoungAir Web site

Other related information:

Things to Help You Keep Better Sleep

In Search of a Better Sleep and Relief from CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Back Pain is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

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