As I sit down to think of all the things in my life that I am thankful for, I’m also narrowing it down to what may appeal to most people who suffer with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia or other illnesses. Now, that may seem odd, but I’ll share with you why I think it is important to look at this topic. One, it’s Thanksgiving, a time when we’re stuffed full of good food and probably had a pretty good day sharing our bounty with family and friends. And two, it’s time to be grateful for what we have. We’re alive, we have time to grow and become the people we really want to be and with the growing, doing and becoming, we can look forward to a life that carries its own rewards.

Let me explain a little more. As strange as it may sound at first,

“What?” you say. “Are you nuts?”

(This is short audio today, 2 minutes 48 seconds. I hope you listen to it & read the rest of the post. Then, leave a comment for what you feel thankful for. Many blessings, Cinda Crawford)

Nutt-y maybe, but not nuts. If I had not gotten so ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I would never have acquired the ability to have the compassion that I do now for people who cancel out on a fun outing (even a Thanksgiving Day meal!) at the last minute because they’re suffering with an unexpected symptom flareup -or- for people who can’t manage a part-time job because they can’t get out of bed for days at the time.

If I had not gotten so ill with Fibromyalgia, I would never have had the compassion to deal with people who have trouble thinking of the right word to say in a sentence, or who insist on telling you about the different “spots” that hurt in their body, but their doctors can’t seem to find out what is wrong -or- treat adequately.

If I had not suffered so many years in chronic pain myself, I would think a chronic pain sufferer might instead be a chronic complainer and not a worthy person to get to know or be around as a friend. If I had not had such a dysfunctional immune system, I might think that people who regularly get sick with cold or flu-like symptoms, etc., (*I know a lady who marks her calendar… . After twenty years, she’s sick for one week of every month!) are putting on airs or possibly are hypochondriacs.

After suffering for so long and now living well on the other side of illness, I can honestly say that I’m thankful for the tough and convoluted path I took to get well. My walk through the valleys was surely challenging. I’m sure yours is, too. Surely there were times when I doubted if I could or would get better.

I can assure you that having compassion and feeling grateful are not only great skills to acquire, they’re a blessing. Taking empty, non-important moments and replacing them with an attitude of gratitude is a blessing worthy of paying such a steep price.

Now, at some time during each holiday season, I give thanks. For each family visit and the shared time together, I give thanks. For each desire in life that I am lucky enough to accomplish, I am elated. For each friend I meet and each person I help, I am humbled, yet bubbling with joy. I feel grateful and I Am Thankful For YOU!

Thank you so much,
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

Judge for yourself if this isn’t the cutest Christmas Day video you’ve ever seen. Yes, simple children sharing their hearts.

May your Christmas be blessed,
Cinda Crawford

The Merry Christmas 2010 edition of the Health Matters Show purpose: to send people with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome many wonderful tidings and “get well” wishes of great joy! Even so, I realize that this is not a happy time of year for everyone. I challenge you individually to give thanks for everything that you feel grateful for, to decide how blessed you are to have the degree of health that you enjoy, and to keep hope alive for your future health and well-being. May it increase in abundance and love.

Plus, I humbly send you my very best wishes for your joy, comfort and healing. I’m Cinda Crawford, your friend and host of this blog and podcast. Please come back to the Health Matters Show any time for encouragement, information and help for getting well from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

May God Bless You richly during this time of year, as we celebrate the birth of His son, Jesus Christ.

This Christmas greeting is 7 minutes 50 seconds long…ENJOY!

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time to count our blessings. Let me say, “Thank you,” to the military men and women stationed around the world who choose to keep me and my family out of harm’s way. I am grateful. Your sacrifice is meant for everyone I know, but today as I enjoy Thanksgiving Day, I am keenly aware that I am safe, warm, fed and loved. Your gift is one freely given so that our world can feel less fear, less pain and more love. May you achieve those goals. Again, I am grateful.

And thanks to my friends, colleagues and loved ones who help me put on the Health Matters Show blog and podcast each day, week, month and year. Thanks to each of you because without your contributions, your blessings, the effort would have become impossible a long time ago. I am grateful.

I especially would like to thank my husband, who through my tissues, tears and years of almost unbelievable illness never gave up on me. Not through the challenging times then and certainly not now, as I work everyday to make my dream of helping people come true. I am truly grateful to have you in my life.

Gordon, after more than thirty years of being together, I am so very thankful for you… everyday, in every way. Happy Thanksgiving, dear. Many blessings,

Cinda

In this Sunday Sharing segment of the Health Matters Show, I hope you take a few minutes to watch and listen to the Shadow of Your Smile knowing that God truly is smiling right now. This presentation features guitarist and artist Michael Marc Zanabili. With his nimble fingers playing this magnificent song, he easily shows us his skill, his passion and his artistry. Like Michael, I encourage you to live your life in such a way as to be as happy and healthy as possible. Show the world your contributions and your great love. Know that God is smiling at you, with you and on YOU!

May you find renewed health, happiness and eternal blessings, Cinda

For this Sunday Sharing post today, please take note of my guest this next Friday for the Health Matters Show, Dr. C. Norman Shealy. He is a fascinating man!

Hear this short clip where he interviews the always great Carolyn Myss, Ph.D. This video is entitled Spiritual Starvation. Even in hearing the term spiritual starvation, we are caused to wonder. The words do not give us an immediate or clear picture of what these two experts will talk about.

Before listening to this, you and I would probably think of ‘spiritual’ as matters relating only to the soul and heart. And certainly we think of ‘starvation’ as a physical body situation created by lack of food. Yet both of these terms are related. Hear how this is so inside of the minds and wisdom of Dr. C. Norman Shealy and Dr. Carolyn Myss in this short-clip video. It’s only one minute an twelve seconds.

Be sure to return here at the Health Matters Show on Friday. (I’ll present you with a short, but fantastic snippet of my interview with Dr. C. Norman Shealy on Friday as the podcast. To hear the whole thing, you need to sign up on my teleseminar list. Then you’ll get the whole fantastic interview automatically and “free” of charge!

Thanks so much. Many blessings to you on this beautiful day that God has made.

Happy Sunday Sharing, Cinda Crawford

If you’ve ever been really ill with a tough chronic illness like Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, you may feel that getting healthy and on the plus side of your health may be an impossible task. Today, I’m encouraging you not to think like that. Check out the following health article and health wishes.

These particular illnesses can be darned hard to live with. You may feel miserable and, at times, despondent and in need of comfort and inspiration. If so, see my 3 Concepts Health Article , recently re-published.

#2: May I never ever live my life in such a frumpy and irritable way that no one wants to be around me. I strive to always be positive and happy, but of course, that’s not humanly possible and I certainly don’t achieve it. I WISH: To choose to look at life on the plus side and that includes my health.

#3: May I adopt a “healthy” attitude and live in gratitude of the life that I have. That attitude will keep me at the feet of God and there is no healthier place to be. I WISH: To live a life pleasing to Him.

I encourage you to mark this day with 3 wishes of your own. Get out a piece of paper and pen and make some notes. Choose to never ever “willingly” let Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome control you again. No matter what!

Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show
Creator of Sacred Cellular Healing

Whether it’s for Sunday Sharing or any other time, I usually don’t insert audio or video files on the Health Matters Show blog and podcast in a way that they show up more than once a week. That’s because the i-Tunes subscribers expect the show one time only. That has been on Friday for the podcast and it will continue to be that way, however if you check in more often, you’ll catch additional audio or video files now. (Audio and video are just too good a means of communication to limit them to Fridays!)

So I encourage you to watch this video below that I recorded on Saturday. Be sure to turn your speakers on and then sit back and relax. Let the sounds of the waterfall lighten your load, tickle your ears and send you into a daydreaming trip of delight… just imagining how good you will feel when you get well from Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Notice that the fish are happy and healthy. Yes… it’s true that keeping up the pond is a bit of work, but maintaining it gives my husband and I both exercise. All in all, it adds so much pleasure to our lives. Plus, having this idyllic environment right out our back door helps to meet our relaxation and spiritual needs every single day. We consider it one more mechanism that helps us get closer to God.

I hope you enjoy the video and feel closer to Him too on this edition of Sunday Sharing. Daydreaming is good for the soul.

Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

Rupert Sheldrake is not only a man of science, but a teacher of spirituality. I have long been fascinated with his work on morphogenic resonance. His new book is truly about the science and spirituality of life and how they are connected: Morphic Resonance: The Nature of Formative Causation.

If you’re in the mood to see something a little different on the subject of spirituality, see the video below:

To learn more about Rupert Sheldrake and how I use his teachings concerning the topics of health and healing from chronic illnesses, check out the Learn How to Heal Yourself membership course. This man is amazing and he is extremely relevant for the times we live in!

Thank you for joining me on Sunday Sharing,
Cinda Crawford

Don’t be too surprised if yesterday’s “trouble questions” take some time to answer. The process of pondering them may spill over into the days ahead. Yes, Dear One, the topic of Sunday Sharing was multi-faceted and certainly deep in scope, but it is a task worth spending some time and energy to complete. I hope you do.

I promised you that I would put in the same effort right along with you to answer these “trouble questions.” I am doing that. However, I am having one quick thought concerning the question D) Are you the same person you were before you got ill? How are you changing?

Imagine for a moment… that you are the raw material that a blacksmith uses. He pounds it time and time again on the anvil with his big hammer, adjusting its shape, making it stronger and tougher. He put it in a hot fire to sear it; that action first makes it more pliable, but ultimately, makes it harder. The whole process becomes arduous and possibly exhausting for both parties, but in the end, the material is made into a useful object that will stand the test of time. It will perform with grace even when enduring additional and worse stresses.

To illustrate this, see the video below of a blacksmith. You only have to watch a couple moments of it before you notice the tough pounding on the metal. The bends and curves then the straightening effect from the hard, persistent hammer. Ask yourself, how is your life like that? Is the ultimate blacksmith working on you?

Dear One, if you feel that you have trouble transforming and/or becoming a better person in the face of your illness and adversity, know that God loves you. The challenges that you face will help you to grow.

Be hopeful and look to God for your inspiration and hope for what tomorrow will bring. Receive His best blessings of healing and nourishment by being open and unafraid, even when He bends and curves you like a blacksmith. To read more on this thought-provoking topic, check out Don’t Fear Your Life- Be Hopeful! at Get Well Health.

If I can help you in any way to heal from Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or whatever monstrous, chronic illness you’re suffering with, leave a comment on this post with your thoughts and questions -or- contact me directly at .
Thank you,
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

*Note: We are only covering a tiny sliver of The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. If you don’t have a copy, pick yours up today.

In the incredibly famous and popular book, The Purpose Driven Life: What Am I Here For? by Rick Warren, Chapter 25′s title is Transformed by Trouble. I encourage you to read the beginning words of the chapter and think past the author’s obvious and simple observance:

God has a purpose for every problem.
He uses circumstances to develop our character.

Why does the author say this? How do circumstances transform our lives? How does trouble develop our character? If you suffer with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, ME or some other similar condition, you may want to think of the problem this way…

Hold on. Let’s change this up entirely. Instead of me giving you my personal view… how about I only pose a series of questions that will prompt you to discover the best and most meaningful answers for YOU! That way you can take what you come up with and apply it more readily and maybe more enthusiastically to your life.

Now granted, these ‘life answers’ may not pop into your head overnight. They may remain confusing… in the background… just out of reach. If so, don’t worry. Answers eventually come, if we’re seeking them. This is simply part of the process of introspection that we human beings go through when we’re growing and changing. Patience is more than a virtue; it’s a skill. YOU are the sole person living with and attempting to balance both sides of a tough equation: Your Chronic Illness vs. Getting On With Your Life.

Did God place it in your path? Or is this something that simply happened? As a result of living with it, are you acquring new and important knowledge about yourself that you did not have access to before? Do you somehow need the validation of this in your life for it to have more meaning? If so, do you believe the health problem will cause some really important change within you that needs to happen?

B) What kind of positive, has-to-happen purpose can be so darned important and yet feel so disturbing, upsetting and downright dangerous at times?

How do two seemingly opposite situations co-exist together for one common good? (Hint: Illness vs. Wellness = Produces Change.)

C) Is your “health situation” helping you develop (with God’s blessing) your character?

*Is your being sick a lesson that only you must learn?)

D) Are you the same person you were before you got ill?

How are you changing (good and bad)? (You probably have an immediate answer, but don’t offer one yet. Stop to think deeply for the hidden answers.)

E) Have your inner, spiritual dynamics changed as a result of your illness?

Are you more spiritual and closer to God or are you more shut down? Maybe even more shut down to anything in life approaching a) feelings or b) growth? If so, why? (Hint: If you are not shut down, that means you are learning something about yourself. You’re growing. You’re changing. THAT CAN BE VERY GOOD!)

And finally…

F) Does your life direction look better or worse since the beginning of your health ordeal?

How can you see it progressing towards a good end?

I hope you enjoyed this rendition of Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen by Paul Robeson. Every life that I know of- at times- experiences trouble. Because it feels so personal, we think it’s a solitary experience, but it’s not. I hope you plan to come back to the blog tomorrow because I have a followup to this post with at least one answer that might help you see how this process unfolds. I suspect that like me, you need time to think and reflect on these questions and maybe even the song.

Have a wonderful, thoughtful Sunday. I invite you to leave a comment below.

“If you must experience being transformed by trouble, make sure your transformation moves you in a positive direction.”

Sending many Sunday blessings your way,
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

*If you haven’t picked up a copy of Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life, find it at a good price here.

Because there’s a common belief that a human being is more of a spirit walking this earth, a spirit which is simply clothed in human flesh, we’re looking closely today at the issues of mind, body, spirit and how principles that apply to this type of thinking can help us get healthy again.

Now, believing we’re spirit is not such a far out concept, if you keep in mind that each of us is made of components of mind, body and spirit. We happen to physically live in flesh. You know how that flesh can be unforgiving when it comes to how you suffer with a chronic illness, one like Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Example: The body’s skin covering eventually sags as skin cells are not as robust and collagen and hormones are less plentiful. The body can allow infection to take hold, if the blood and immune system are not as capable of fighting off invaders. In time the body has trouble regulating itself and being functional and capable. It breaks down eventually, allowing old age to creep in and physical death to occur.

This fact partly can be attributed to the opposing nature of body vs spirit… .

The dicotomy of “body vs spirit” is never more apparent than when we witness the spirits of certain individuals, who appear to be indominable and forever youthful. Sometimes their bodies seem to be, too. How can they be the exceptions? What makes them so different?

• Why is this mind, body, spirit relationship so different between one person and the next?
• Why can’t I be the exception and be healthy instead of sick?
• Can I blame my body for my health break down?
• Is my spirit lacking and not supporting me?

It’s true that we human beings often have trouble maintaining a healthy body, mind and spirit all at the same time. We have trouble meeting our work and family commitments in life, so we ignore relaxation or spirit-filled worship. We get involved in too many volunteer activities and ignore eating right or exercising. We allow ourselves to work in stress-filled environments that tear us down on all fronts. We don’t take the necessary time out to balance our lives and health from a mind, body, spirit basis.

Instinctively, we know that staying in balance and in control are the best answers, but how do we do that when in actuality it’s so darned hard?? (I’ve talked about this type of balancing act before and revealed how hard at times it is for me. See this post, where I reveal something I did personally to help me through a tough time.)

Keeping that fact foremost in your mind will help you stay well because you’ll feel the need to keep your life in balance. This knowledge will strengthen your resolve to figure out what to do to get healthy again. Especially, when you’re not 100%. The key words here are balance, control, mind, body, spirit, resolve and get healthy again.

Where chronic illness is concerned, it’s not always obvious where health problems originate, what perpetuates them or what you can do to reverse the process and get healthy again. I encourage you to play detective and figure out what’s wrong. That includes the work of looking at all of your mind, body, spirit components.

The most useful and expedient concept to embrace is that you are one singular package made up of mind, body and spirit. You are not individual, unconnected pieces. You’re not a mind, body and spirit pie that can be easily divided into thirds and consumed willy nilly. Each piece of your self pie is a valuable component of the sum total known as you. All three parts must be healthy, functional and contributing equally to who you are. How well you maintain your mind, body, spirit health equilibrium is a direct indication of how successful and healthy you are now and will continue to be in the future.

• What parts of your personal health equation are not 100%? -and-
• What is keeping you from being healthy again?

On the Friday afternoon Health Matters Show podcast, we will address more of these questions and answers, as we feature the second part of my interview with Dr. Mike Funicello, DC. If you didn’t catch the first interview, you can review it now by clicking on the highlighted text above.

Thanks so much,
Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show

*Dr. Mike Funicello is a skilled chiropractic doctor who works with lots of people suffering with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. His instincts are good and he’s not afraid to share what he knows. I hope you return here to enjoy his amazing insights on Friday!