Lynn Chase

You guys could check out Dacres in Dorchester NH.


They offer lots of workshops in sustainable agriculture, forestry, woodworking, herbs, gardening, blacksmithing, Full moon community potlucks and open mic, etc etc. They often take interns for the summer. Lots of very smart fun educated people with philanthropic views...focus on building community.

You will not be bored and will learn a ton.

Dacres.org

APTA Cervial Radiculopathy

Hi Paul,

I am a massage therapist and am also someone who has suffered from severe neck and shoulder pain (not being able to lift my head off the pillow to get out of bed type of thing)

Of course Im going to advocate for massage since that is what helped me along with seeing a chiropractor. I DO NOT have cervical radiculopathy so I cannot say that I know what that feels like. I can only equate the pain I was in for a few days at a time to the possibility of feeling pain like that every day and how awful that must be!

You mentioned that you've tried massage and I just wanted to point out that in your case, it is common to not see results until you've had several MT sessions. The same goes for acupuncture. Disregard all of what Im about to write if you already have been seeing a massage therapist regularly.

The body has an amazing ability to heal itself when it can fully drop into parasympathetic nervous system mode....full relaxation mode...usually our bodies are in fight or flight mode and being in pain and feeling stress is the same to our body as being hunted down by a fierce lion. Gentle warming massage every few days would be great if you can swing it. Most important, make sure you are lying down on a massage table and not sitting up. A massage chair might be okay for quick fixes but getting the whole body massaged is the only way to really trigger that parasympathetic response. Once your body becomes used to getting into relaxation mode, it will be easier to have more work done in the targeted areas of the neck.

When you are looking for a massage therapist make sure they are familiar with your particular condition and that they are well seasoned. There are so many muscles in the neck anterior and posterior! Just in the posterior neck, the origin of the muscles are ligaments and spinous and transverse processes of the cervical spine. In the front of the neck, along with other anterior muscles are the scalenes with their origins from the C2 to C7 and attachments to the first and second ribs. As you can see there are so many muscles that can be tight and therefore affect other muscles leading to a domino effect of acting like a vice grip around the nerves of the cervical spine. A lot of people who have issues with carpal tunnel are really suffering from impinged nerves due to tight muscles. The body over time, tries to protect itself from repetitive movements and postures. One muscle tightens up and tries to compensate for the other that is being overworked or over stretched. This happens a lot when we hunch over a screen, our muscles in our chest tighten and once we are standing upright again, they stay tight because that has become the "norm" for them. Once the pecs (chest) is tight, other muscles kick in and compensate for the pecs being tight and so on and so forth...

This issue with cervical radiculopathy didn't just happen overnight or over the course of a few week. Its been years in the making. There is no way that a few massage treatments or even physical therapy will be a quick fix. It will take some time and dedication and patience....a very hard thing to have when you are in pain.

As far as nutritional stuff, well, my OPINION is that as long as you are feeling awful, you are not going to be motivated to make any significant changes and even if you did and your issue was from inflammation (and no one knows at this point, I suspect) it can take weeks or even months. I've had the challenge of dealing with chronic pain for 20 years and one of the worst things besides finding ways to deal with the pain was feeling like my "dis-ease" was my fault. If only I ate the right foods, thought the right thoughts, did more yoga, took different herbs, etc etc... The truth is when you're in it, YOU ARE IN IT and no one else can be in it with you. That means YOU and only you can make that decision. If you need to throw a bunch of pain killers to get to the massage table, do it! Im not advocating the use of drugs but it beats sitting there in pain feeling immobilized. If you feel you can change one thing at a time that helps you relax in a day or say one positive affirmation a day, do it, just do it from a gentle perspective so that the journey of healing is actually one of healing and not stress.

So, there, that's my OPINION. As a massage therapist, yoga teacher, and Reiki Master since 1998 with a couple degrees in mental health for what its worth to ya... Get your mind and your body relaxed first and foremost. Seek out a seasoned knowledgeable massage therapist and see him or her a couple times a week. Retrain your body and your muscles to relax. When muscles relax, they stop pulling on joints and ligaments etc...right now they are bearing down on your nerves, literally and figuratively.

Not sure if you've had an MRi to see if there is any degeneration of the vertebra or disks. I think knowing exactly what you are dealing with is the best defense. If the doc says you have this, he/she should be able to tell you exactly where and why. That's why they get paid the big bucks.

You are a smart guy with good people looking after you. You are doing great things for the world so make sure you do great things for yourself to get better soon.

Hi Evan,
Sorry to hear you are suffering from allergies. I would like to suggest that you look around for some wild stinging nettles. Snip the upper portions with scissors (wear gloves) and add them to boiling water. Once you've added them, turn the heat off and cover the pot. The water should be an inch or two over the nettles for a very strong tea. Let them steep for at least 15 mins. Strain it into a mug and add some raw honey and drink. It wouldn't hurt to make another batch at night and let it sit covered until morning. Warm it slightly and drink. Keep this going until you feel relief. (they do have a slightly laxative effect when you drink lots and lots of tea but its nothing awful, maybe even helpful as removing waste from the bowels also helps strengthen the body) perhaps TMI but just in case

If you can't find wild nettles, you can order them in bulk through amazon. I use the Frontier brand. Make a STRONG tea with them OR get some FREEZE DRIED NETTLE CAPSULES. Take 3-4 several times a day. Make sure they are FREEZE DRIED. I have no experience using nettle tincture so i cannot attest to how those work.

An internet search will give you loads of info on all the wonderful things contained in nettles including natural antihistamines.

When I moved to GA I had a really bad reaction to the red pine pollen that was everywhere. I read about nettles in a naturopathic book and bought a bottle of freeze dried nettles and took them pretty much by the palm fulls. By the 3rd day I was lying out in the sun watching the pollen haze blow over and had no more reaction. I was amazed and I have used them ever since.
When I visit the in laws over seas in the spring the first thing I do is harvest nettles to save myself from the "foreign to me" grasses and trees.

I have come to depend on nettles for so many health issues and they have never let me down! For the past 3 years I drink 2 TBS of dried nettles in a tea every morning with some horsetail just for the nutrients and Ive had no issues with allergies.

They are easy to acquire and easy to use and I wish you all the best relief from them should you choose to try them. You might find that you like them so much you use them every day too!

I hope you feel better soon.

K.P.

I have two kids, 5 and 3 and no way in heck would i even consider going to a homestead in its early stages unless it was geared specifically toward families. I know someone who started their own sustainable homestead years back and it was challenging enough delegating responsibilities to the adults especially adults that were new to the permaculture scene and needed lots of coaching. i was there to witness the first two years of its start up. There were times when people thought the dude who started it was a jerk because he was so focused on the end result. Over time, the interpersonal skills improved and projects were completed and in hindsight, all that happened was a necessary part of the process.

There will be people who will feel excluded until its more operational and the perameters have been set. You have stated all of your reasons for not having kids on the farm and they are all valid reasons. Some may argue that the next generation should be a part of the project and in time, maybe they will be...when things are up and running and the kinks are worked out...and if you decide you want kids there. No one likes confrontation but when it comes to your hopes and dreams, you have to Know your bottom line and stick to it.