A free on-line pain management program

I have been looking for a program like this for several years now. It looks really good. There are many educational video you can check out without signing up for the program. Consider enrolling into this program, “Live plan be” if you would like to set goals, work with pain questionnaires and take part in an […]

Managing chronic pain more that half a lifetime– Part two

Interview with Juanda Lee De Shazer, Part two I recently interviewed a dear acquaintance of mine, Juanda now in her 91st year, about how she has coped with her chronic pain all these years. Here is part 2 of our conversation. [NOTE: After reading the interview notes, Juanda, who loves to write added a part three: talking about […]

91 years and still laughing and learning

An Interview with Juanda Lee De Shazer Recently I visited Juanda to interview her about how she has coped with her chronic pain all these years. At age 91, she has had chronic pain for more than half her life time. Here is part 1 of what we talked about. Juanda greeted me with a […]

Sleep and chronic pain news

Sleep impairments are a stronger and more reliable predictor of pain than pain is of sleep impairments. Insomnia is an important topic for pain management and I found three good sources today. Check out the info graphic below and read on for tips and helpful info. Pain and sleep: a preventable cycle “When pain becomes […]

The Sweet Spot: Book Review and video

The Sweet Spot is an excellent book that helped me to get going on  and actively work on my currentbig project. (The one that keeps me from posting more regularly). Christine is a sociologist at the Greater Good Science Center at U.C. Berkeley, and while her book is easy and conversational to read, its content is based […]

Holiday de-stress

Let Be, Let Go, Let In –Three Steps to Meet Holiday Stress   This article was originally published in the ISIS Scrolls in December 2010. Are you approaching this holiday season with mixed feelings? Do you worry about balancing obligations and expectations with enjoying time with family and friends? Are you overworked and feeling stressed? If […]

Breathing to relax

This week I have received several prompts about the importance of breathing for stress relief. My yoga teacher takes time at the beginning of class to allow us to lie down, settle and breathe. The goal is to lengthen the out-breath, which calms the body (a scientific fact). What I like about her approach is […]

Everything changes

Wow, this is my favorite photo of last year– and I have been waiting for the right topic to use it. Do you love and hate change? Opportunity knocks and we are terrified or exhilarated, like these baby ducks on leaving the nest. My dog waits patiently in her little round bed until I get […]

Yes you can– dance with pain

Here are four ways to move and dance even with pain and limited ability: I promised I would not give you the standard 4 ways to… but you will find these are not standard. This kind of movement invites you to tune into your body and experiment. That takes some getting used to for most […]

Reflections on exercising

A recent yoga class left me stiff-necked and temporarily discouraged. A substitute teacher taught at a much higher level than the regular one, and did not offer suggestions for lower level students. After a while, I noticed that my neck was getting stressed and I consciously slowed down. However, while I have learned to modify […]