We're NOT Crazy

We're NOT crazy. Our necks ARE pulling, and the tremors ARE real. Too many of us have gone undiagnosed...so, let's not let this happen to others.

Let's share all the helpful information about Cervical Dystonia we can, and guide the ones that are suffering to see a MOVEMENT DISORDER SPECIALIST.

Put Yourself First and Dystonia Second

How many of us feel stuck? Can't seem to get ahead? Family, friends, and careers are effected by our unhappiness? 

A Certified Professional Coach...with a degree in Psychology...can give you tools and techniques that will take from the place you are now, to the place you want to be in life. People who excel have made the "choice" to move forward. 

Dystonia can have physical, mental, and emotional challenges that hold many of us back. We all have different types of Dystonia, with different challenges. I get that. I have Cervical Dystonia, and there are so many things that it's taken away from my life...and there are so many things it's added to my life. I've learned to adjust, become more creative, learn, and move forward towards a happier life that works for me. You can too! It's all about putting ourselves first and Dystonia second. I bet you never miss an opportunity to get to the doctor to treat your Dystonia, but you've allowed yourself to miss opportunities to enjoy the outdoors or meeting up with good friends because you've allowed Dystonia to be an excuse to LIVE and be HAPPY. We ALL deserve to LIVE and be HAPPY, whether we have Dystonia or not.

What if you can work on one thing, just one thing, you can change that will make your life easier/happier. What would that be? What would your life look like, feel like, after that change is made?

Life and Relationship coaching can help you identify what's blocking you, create an action plan, be by your side throughout your journey, and celebrate your achievements with you. Call for a free consultation, and start your journey today. Please note that price per session is different for Coaching someone with Dystonia. Call for free consultation and pricing today. 

www.donnaleakeclc.com

Why Hire A Coach Who Has Dystonia?

When I was diagnosed with Dystonia...

- I was at the point where my neck was constantly pulling and twitching.

- Every time I bent down to pick something up, my head would turn upwards to the left, and I wasn't able to see what I was reaching for.

- Using my arms/hands, to do simple things that we take for granted, was becoming impossible. The pain from my head twisting and turning had me in tears at times. These simple tasks were things like...opening the mail, cutting my food, zipping up my jacket, tying my sneakers, putting on socks, buttoning my pants...and even worse, all of these things effected me more as I was trying to do them all for my child each day.

- The anxiety that came from the embarrassment of people watching my head pull/twitch was enough to make anyone want to stay home. To this day, putting groceries or clothing by a register and reaching for my wallet can instantly cause my dystonic spasms to increase, while my heart is pounding out of my chest with anxieties that others are watching me.

- I had so many specialists tell me their thoughts of what was going on with me...I was just tense from stress, that an x-ray had shown I had a little arthritis in my neck, all I needed was an adjustment from a chiropractor, all I needed was an epidural procedure on my discs and I would be fine, etc.

- Finally a doctor was able to give me a diagnoses, and I was able to get the proper treatment. Which was Botox injections every 3 months for the rest of my life. Treatment was a success, pulls were less noticeable, and I was able to do all the simple things again without being in pain.

8 1/2 years ago I began treatment. I still have my challenges, but I am so used to living with this condition that I only notice it most when I'm stressed out or haven't done yoga/physical activity.

What's the purpose of this post? Not to tell my story over and over again, but to remind myself what I went through to get to where I am today. To remind myself that there are so many others that are still undiagnosed, still searching for a treatment that will work for them, have become depressed, have become introverted, have financial struggles, etc.

If you are someone who is suffering from Dystonia, are a caretaker for someone suffering from Dystonia, or know of someone with Dystonia please contact me for coaching. I can help you move to a happier/healthier place. I know, better than anyone else who doesn't have Dystonia, what your struggles are, what your worries are, what your pain feels like, the embarrassment from stares, and how it feels when others question your disease.

Don't wait any longer to reach out. My contact number is 631-988-4001, my email is donnaleakeclc@gmail.com I want to help!

How Do You Start Your Mornings?

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What Is Up With My Shoulder?

Today I woke up and my right shoulder was so tight and pulling up towards my ear. It was so obvious that my husband noticed it. He grabbed my wrists, as my arms hung down by my sides, and pulled my arms down towards the floor. I felt the stretch and pain in my neck, and wallah....within seconds the spasm was over and my shoulders were even.


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My Morning Message From My Tea

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Correlation Between Parkinson's and Dystonia

Take a look at the video bar and see the correlation between Parkinson's disease and Dystonia.

The Great Egg Debate

Finally I found an article on Livestrong.com that agrees with me that eating a whole egg, not just the egg white, is actually healthy for you...and you won't gain weight!

EDITOR'S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING POST IS BY LIVESTRONG.COM NUTRITION ADVISOR MIKE ROUSSELL, AUTHOR OF "THE 6 PILLARS OF NUTRITION." FOR MORE GREAT INFORMATION FROM DR. MIKE, VISIT HIM AT MIKEROUSSELL.COM.

Myth: Eggs make you fat

Truth: Eggs are a great food for weight loss

You may have heard that eating eggs will make you fat as 60 percent of the calories in eggs come from fat. However, eating fat doesn’t make you fat and eggs are a calorie-controlled food designed to maximize weight loss not prevent it. One egg is only 70 calories, with a great balance of 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat. The protein/fat combination of increases satiety hormones (the ones that tell your brain you are full). The protein in eggs also causes your body to release the hormone glucagon, which encourages your body to release and use stored carbohydrates and fat.

To prove the point, compare eggs to rice cakes—a timeless “diet” food. Two rice cakes also contain 70 calories, but with no protein or fat. Those calories come from 14 grams of high glycemic, fat-cell stuffing, refined carbohydrates, which makes it a much less desirable choice. 

Myth: You should only eat egg whites

Truth: Enjoy the entire egg (yolk included)

The ‘egg white only’ movement was birthed out of the mass movement to remove as much cholesterol and fat from the American diet as a way to fight heart disease and obesity. An egg white contains all protein (3.5 grams per egg); the rest of the nutrients, protein, and fat are hiding in the yolk, which means the yellow is the most nutritious part. Egg yolks contain 240mg of leucine, the amino acid single handedly responsible for flipping your genetic muscle building switch. But egg yolks are much more than just a muscle building nutrient. They also include choline (essential for cell membrane function), cholesterol (which serve as the molecular framework for multiple hormones in the body), vitamin A , vitamin D, and vitamin E. You can also get eggs that come from chickens who were fed omega-3 rich feed, the omega-3s in their feed enriches the omega-3 fats in the yolk, giving you as much as also contain 150mg of the long chain omega-3 fat DHA . Enjoy the entire egg to take advantage of all the nutritional benefits.

Myth: Eggs raise your cholesterol

Truth: Eggs don’t impact cholesterol levels

Reducing blood cholesterol levels has been a major public health mission for decades. It would make complete sense that if you wanted to decrease the amount of cholesterol in your blood stream then you should reduce the amount of cholesterol that you are eating. That’s why eggs have typically been touted as dangerous, as it contain approximately 200 mg per serving. 

The problem: Dietary cholesterol doesn’t actually raise cholesterol as much as you might think. In fact, only 30 percent of people experience significant increases in cholesterol levels following a diet high in cholesterol. Researchers from Harvard looked at the dietary habits of more than 100,000 people and concluded that daily egg consumption in healthy individuals didn’t increase risk of coronary heart disease. What’s more, a study from the University of Connecticut found that eating 3 eggs per day as part of a low carbohydrate improved HDL (‘good’) cholesterol without any negative health effects.

Start To My Day

I woke up very stiff this morning and didn't want to get out of bed.

I just finished yoga and meditation. I have my nieces birthday party this afternoon and there will be a bunch of giggling little girls running around my sisters house, so I meditated a little longer than usual. I want to make sure I'm prepared. :)



 


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Children With Dystonia

I just found this YouTube video on children with Dystonia. It's from DMRF, where I donate to. There's a little girl on there that you're just going to want to hug when you see her smile! I wish there was a way to make the world more aware about Dystonia. Donations are needed in order for more research to be done.

Please check out the video bar to see the adorable children!

Spread the word!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBSRPd_Cwuk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Finally, My Treatment

After a hard yoga workout on Friday, my arms were extremely sore! I took it easy on Saturday, and didn't go to my class on Sunday. Now Monday comes along, and I can't turn my head to the right or the left. I'm completely stiff...and in a lot of pain! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa! Last Thursday or Friday I was able to get an appointment for Monday, so I was very lucky.

Anyway, I'm with Dr. Schwartz and as soon as he's about to administer the first injection, he sees the muscle that was causing me all the pain. It's always the same muscle on my right side that's over active. I mentioned that I was doing a blog, so I can keep a diary of how yoga and other types of exercise can help stretch my muscles and hopefully make the Botox treatments move further apart. As he explained to me, since I waited longer for my treatment, there was little to no Botox in my muscles. The intense stretching I did on Friday aggravated the muscle in my neck, which was already over active. He said he could not only feel, but see the muscle that was enlarged on my right side. I guess reality hits me every time in sitting in his office, and I become unaccepting with what I have. The treatments work so well, so I feel healthy and happy when I'm doing yoga or riding my bike. I forget I have a little help to allow me to do those things...Botox!

Today's another day, right? I'm going to physically take it easy until I'm out of this funk, and I'll be back to my old self. :)