If you suffer with Fibromyalgia or CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), you likely have a major symptom that drives you bonkers at times and it’s called memory problems. It’s much more than an occasional lapse in memory. Today let’s explore a way to look at this that will make better sense than thinking you’re dumb, getting old, losing your mind, or not able to remember anything! And, if we’re successful at this, you should come away with useful knowledge and lesser degree of feeling frightened and helpless with what this illness symptom implies.

(Audio podcast is 8 minutes 45 seconds long)

“I felt so dumb when it was happening…so helpless. My mind just wasn’t there, you know…with me. It was like it had checked out and left my body. And worse than that, I had no idea what to do to get out of the trouble I was in. Plus, I couldn’t figure out why everyone was looking at me so strangely.” At that point, she cried and we hugged a long time.
~~~~~

When I, personally, was so sick for fifteen long years, I found myself in situations like the one my client described many times. I would feel scared, humiliated and definitely worried to the bone, worried that I might lose every cognitive ability I had ever had. In the beginning months, all I could do was read and retain the meaning of the headlines in the newspaper. Sentences strung together in a paragraph no longer made sense and forget about remembering the content. I was lucky to keep general impressions only; details were non-existent.

If this sounds like similar memory problems that you have experienced, ask yourself the following questions, but do so in the comfort and security of your home or in a quiet moment. These are thought provoking, for sure, and you’ll want to take your time to answer them.

I know I’m not crazy, but WHY has my body and brain apparently stopped working together?
WHAT has happened to drive them so far off course? Like the connection between them has been broken?
And WHEN will I feel better and more like myself again? Or will I be in this condition…forever??

The answers to what is going on, what to do about it -and- if it’s possible for you to get significantly better are not simple. Scientists actually have few answers to memory problems. But even so, I urge you to keep reading the following, important background information.

At birth a newborn infant’s immune system usually functions well, maybe even for several months before the first taste of sickness arrives. Doctors tell us this is a carry over of the biological influence and immunity of the mother. As the baby grows and matures, that immune system protection dissipates and, in some cases, the baby’s own system doesn’t function as efficiently. If so, sickness ensues.

Your and my health, as we keep growing from babies to older children, to teenagers and finally to adults, encounter times when the immune system is negatively affected by tough and sometimes virulent disease-promoting entities, like viruses, bacteria, spirochetes, mycoplasmas, etc. And when one of us gets sick, a common symptom is some degree of cognitive impairment of the brain. [Whether we're talking about disease mechanisms actually attacking tissues of the brain (e.g. a herpes virus) or simply the person's central nervous system not working well (e.g. a functional breakdown of the cerebral process, nerve conduction and pathway damage such as what is seen in cases of Multiple Sclerosis), a sick person can be left at one end of the spectrum with a short, mildly dysfunctional physical situation all the way to a totally dysfunctional memory system that would disturb the hardiest of souls!]

And getting back to you, if you have Fibromyalgia or CFS, know that memory problems are extremely common problems. Not rare, not occasional nuisances, but very common problems. If you’re fortunate, the symptoms may come or go, but when significant cognitive dysfunction appears, you, the patient, feel as if your brain is barely functioning. As mentioned in the last paragraph, this could be from the inflammatory process of the body and brain fighting a (example) herpes virus or it can be something else entirely. Either way, your immune system is likely on guard, active and sometimes too active.

Your best bet is aiming to improve and bolster the functionality of your immune system while calming it at the same time. Think about it. In this case, y our immune system is doing the hard work, all the heavy lifting here. Your brain is simply the organ that is most affected when you suffer with significant memory problems. *To find out more about how I help clients successfully refine and re-tune their immune system, I invite you to visit my Free 15 Minute Health Consultation page. I’m happy to help you if I can.

Thank you for joining the Health Matters Show today,
Cinda Crawford, your host

If your memory muscle is ailing because you’re suffering with brain fog from either Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or some other illness, you feel like your brain is operating in the middle of a swamp. Good news! Today you can do something about your brain dys-function.

When you’re really sick, your brain may feel as weak as a newborn kitten. You can’t think, you can’t make decisions, you can’t follow directions… you can’t even read well. Happily there are things you can do to increase your functionality and make your brain grow stronger and more capable again. I know that comes as good news.

Now don’t think of this as the recommended treatment approach known as cognitive behavior therapy that is advocated by the UK medical model. This is not that concept at all… .

The problem with the UK attitude about brain fog stems from their opinion that cognitive dysfunction problems are directly caused by the patient, namely, the patient’s mental status. The UK model does not regard ME/CFS (Myalgia Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) to be a real illness at all, but instead is one that has been created in the patient’s mind. Supposedly words and phrases like fabricated, made up and not real are the words used to describe the origin of ME/CFS!

Well, first off, let me assume you know and agree with me that no one can create the level of brain fog that I’m describing here simply because they’re making it up in their mind. No one would choose to process their thoughts as if they are sloshing around in a sticky, gooey, impenetrable mud pit. Instead some very real and physically abnormal processes are going on instead (e.g. FMS, CFS, ME/CFS or severe viral illness). These are all real health problems with real symptoms and real life consequences!

I know these things because I speak from firsthand knowledge. I had to rehabilitate my own very poor cognitive functionality. It wasn’t fun or fast, but I did it. I’m here today to encourage you today that…

STEP ONE: Change your cognitive dysfunction results and functionality by developing a few new habits. Think of this as assuming a more comprehensive “Get Well” approach by not assuming that there is nothing you can do to help yourself. (Note: you’re choosing what to think and believe about yourself. This is a powerful concept!)

Let’s say you can’t read a book or newspaper article right now. If we break down the process, you technically can read the individual words and you know the meaning of them individually for two or three seconds afterwards, but then everything breaks down when it comes to memory, reasoning and your ability to think through, make sense of and retain comprehensive thought processes. The words simply get lost in your head and die an unnatural death in your brain, which feels like and acts like a sink hole or mud bog.

When thinking (or reading) becomes this difficult, you lose any incentive you might have had. You’re left feeling worse and more fuzzy-headed and tired than you were before you started. Increased fatigue may cause headaches or exacerbate all over body pain! That’s not good. In most cases you will shy away from reading and/or any attempt at trying to comprehend much of anything. It’s just too hard!

My advice is to change your approach and begin to eat this apple in smaller, more manageable bites. Digest little tidbits slowly.

Acknowledge every accomplishment and be thankful of the abilities you still have. Instead of jumping in feet first and trying to digest reading a long, complicated novel, gravitate toward the strengths you still have and re-build your brain function from there as best you can. One thing eventually will build on another.

Here’s an example: at the height of my illness, I could barely sit up in bed. My fatigue was so-o-o comprehensive. A big part of my dysfunction was what I could and could not do with my brain. My cognitive dysfunction felt so massive that I was sure my IQ had gone down 20 points. I truly felt scared. I worried that if I continued to decline, I might end up being… well, you know, and that I might be left like that forever! It was a horribly scary experience and one I don’t wish on anyone.

I wanted to read and be able to maintain my brain functions, but it didn’t seem that I could. My memory was severely compromised, too. Luckily, I still remembered how to type and do elementary work on the computer. I clung to that and spent my good energy hours on the computer doing research, saving documents and building my collection of information about the illnesses.

*Remember what I said about gravitating to the strengths that you still have? Working on the computer served as improving my functionality because I kept doing it and creating the files on my hard drive aided my memory. It was a win-win situation!

STEP TWO: (Now this suggestion is one that may not make much sense unless you feel comfortable and are willing to explore alternative concepts about healing.) To begin to heal completely on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level, you need to find a way to heal your whole being. This will enable you to:

• a) Get your immune system functioning stronger (e.g. able to fight off foreign invaders),
• b) Clear the energy pathways in your body that allowed illness to set up shop in the first place,
• c) Re-establish you as the healthy being that God created originally. (You’ve simply forgotten how to live completely healthy!)

You can accomplish all of these goals through a healing modality like Sacred Cellular Healing. I welcome your questions as to how Sacred Cellular Healing might work for you.

Have a great day. And congratulations on increasing the size and functionality of your memory muscle today by reading this blog!

Cinda Crawford, host of the Health Matters Show