LEARNING ABOUT ARTHRITIS FORMSCirculatory problems, infections, stress, or referred pain from other parts of the body can produce arthritis-like symptoms, but most of the cases of true arthritis can be diagnosed by blood tests or tests of synovial fluid obtained by aspirating joint fluid. Rheumatism is a word some people use for arthritis. It’s not a formal disease, however, but a term used to describe those aches, pains, and stiff feelings that beset all of us sometimes.Some forms of arthritis seem to have a hereditary factor: they run in families. Many allergies and environmental sensitivities run in families, too.It has been speculated that a virus might be the culprit, but that has never been proved. The symptoms associated with many allergic reactions resemble virus infections, too.Various theories have blamed the inappropriate leakage of enzymes or microbes through blood-vessel walls into joints that become arthritic. The leakage of fluid through allergen-affected blood-vessel walls is characteristic of many allergic responses, too.It has been noted that some forms of arthritis begin or flare up at times of emotional stress, though it is not known why. Many allergic people are more sensitive during times of stress, too.So far, despite the vast sums spent on research, about the only thing that conventional modern medicine claims to be sure about arthritis is that the cause is unknown. One aspect of the disease that particularly puzzles researchers is the group of apparently unrelated disorders that often accompany arthritis. After all, why should headaches, colitis, asthma, fatigue, depression, or rashes occur along with a disorder of the joints? Of interest to the bioecologists (who also do not claim to understand with certainty the basic cause of the disease) is the fact that these arthritis-associated conditions in other systems are common, body-wide allergic reactions. In a majority of cases arthritis consists of the joint and muscle reactions to specific, identifiable environmental substances that are also affecting many other body structures. These offending agents reach allergically reactive sites throughout the body via the bloodstream, after gaining entrance to the body through the digestive tract and/or the lungs.*9/295/5*

RELAXATION TRAINING FOR WAYWARD NERVES: CREATIVE VISUALIZATION – RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RELAXATION SESSION If you practise visualization every day you will begin to feel things changing, you will become stronger and more in charge. You may be moving away from a lifetime of negative thoughts, so don’t be too impatient – give it time. To many people the idea that they are valuable human beings worthy of love is very new, and visualizing themselves as children often brings tears. Welcome this if it happens: it is part of the healing you need. Also don’t expect to forgive everyone in the first session; one woman said ‘It took me nine weeks to give my ex-husband “a rose” but I felt so liberated when I managed it.’You need not remember this guided imagery word for word, it is only a model for you to work from; you can make up any imagery you choose. The key factors to include are: being in a peaceful place; cleansing; looking at colours; loving and forgiving yourself and others; allowing a healing light to travel over you; and repeating a positive affirmation such as, ‘every day etc’ or ‘I love and approve of myself exactly as I am’; ‘I am contented and healthy.’ If you like the suggested imagery but have difficulty remembering it you could put it on tape. Some people find their own voice irritating on tape; if this is your experience ask a friend, particularly someone who cares for you, to do it for you.*113\326\8*

LIVING WITH EPILEPSY: ALCOHOLGiles was a company director, successful, with a nice home, a family he loved and a good job. He had occasional grand mal seizures, and his doctor had advised him that he shouldn’t drive and reminded him that it was a condition of his licence that he let the vehicle licensing department at Swansea know that he had been diagnosed as suffering from epilepsy. His doctor also warned him that he shouldn’t drink alcohol.Despite this, Giles insisted on driving. He was careful about drinking; although he drank occasionally he would nearly always stay within the legal limit, and he never drove after he’d been drinking. One evening he had a business dinner, and as he was getting a lift home, he drank about half a bottle of wine. The next morning as he was driving himself to work he had a seizure. His car struck an oncoming Rolls Royce, badly damaging it and injuring the owners wife, who was a passenger. Unfortunately for Giles, an on-the-spot policeman saw what had happened, realized he had had a fit and reported him to the Licensing Authority. His insurance company was also informed; they wrote to his GP who confirmed that Giles did have seizures. The insurance company then refused to cover his claim, which was considerable as it included not only the Rolls but damages for injuries sustained by the passenger. Giles had to sell his house to meet the claim.Of course, Giles should not have been driving at all, regardless of whether he had been drinking. In addition, he had not properly understood that it is withdrawal from alcohol that tends to trigger seizures, not the drinking itself.You will have to drink with care while you are taking anticonvulsant drugs although you may not need to cut out alcohol altogether. There are several reasons for taking care with alcohol. It will react with your drugs and slow you down much more than you would expect. Alcohol causes what is known as ‘liver enzyme induction’. It stimulates the liver to produce more enzymes which break it, and other drugs, down more rapidly so that it can be excreted. If you have one or two drinks a day regularly over a long period and then stop suddenly, the liver function returns to normal and your anticonvulsant drugs will not be broken down so fast. They also tend to accumulate in your blood. If you are taking phenytoin, the raised level of the drug may cause seizures; the raised levels of any other drugs you are taking may also have toxic effects. And, as discovered, if you have been drinking and then stop, alcohol withdrawal itself may precipitate a seizure.If you have epilepsy, your best policy is not to drink at all. But if you find this impractical or impossible, do try to stick to these rules for safer drinking:Drink as little as possible and try not to develop a regular drinking habit, even if it is only a moderate one.Take ‘shorts’ or order half a pint of beer to avoid the water load that can sometimes precipitate a seizure.*58\193\2*