Arthritis, osteo-arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis

This is a reply to someone who said that their neck felt worse after treatment.

I am really sorry to hear that your neck is feeling worse. When arthritis is present it is very hard to know how much treatment to give. In an effort to give value for money and not prolong the number of sessions, we sometimes over treat. The result can be soreness in the short term but hopefully more freedom of movement in the long term. The same applies to the shoulder. Osteoarthritis in the neck results from a loss of disc height and limited movement of the facet or gliding joints. If the facets do not move for a long time the neck starts to form osteophytes or new spurs of bone. They act like splints to limit the movement. You cannot see them except under x-ray. You need to keep your neck as mobile as possible and look at nutritional factors, including supplements. If I was suffering myself I would keep on stretching as best I can by trying to reach each shoulder with my chin and by a sort of chicken move, gliding the head back and forwards. This is active therapy. Passive therapy is to allow someone else to move the head and neck, but of course this can be painful in the short term.

Osteo means bone, -arthros means joint, -itis means inflammation.
Osteo-arthritis is essentially poor nutrition to a joint that might have been damaged by an accident, twisting or other trauma. It occurs more in weight bearing joints like the knees and the last joint in the fingers.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition that flares up more often under times of stress. It is a sign of an over active immune system. A number of factors can affect the immune system:

1. Stress, anxiety, uncertainty, major shock, sudden news or change of circumstances
2. Previous exposure to allergens as a child
3. Food intolerances or intolerance to bee stings, cosmetics, chemicals
4. Slow recovery from a viral illness

Rheumatoid conditions tend to affect synovial joints on both sides of the body. Some people find a degree of relief from avoiding common allergens or stimulants like shellfish, dairy, wheat, eggs or soya, caffeine, anaesthetics. It is best not to remove something from your diet unless you are sure that you are reacting to it. Loss of essential nutrients and malnutrition might be the result.
Exploring triggers in childhood might help.

Some food supplements or anti-inflammatory herbs might help. Supergest and probiodaily from Higher Nature help digestion. Astaxanthin and blackcurrant is a supplement with an anti-inflammatory action.
If I have treated someone with inflammation from sciatica for instance, I suggest that they take 1 or 2 astaxanthin a day to calm down the inflammation. Cholesterol containing plaque in the arteries could be the result of inflammation. Astaxanthin comes from the algae that flamingos eat. They obviously have a strong protection against the effects of the sun. Glucosamine is an ingredient found in the fluid in the joints. Some forms like glucosamine sulphate are poorly absorbed. Glucosamine hydrochloride is much better absorbed. Chondroitin is a large molecule that sometimes helps to work with glucosamine. One person I know found that chondroitin with manganese in it helped him. Good oils in the diet also help to repair the body. MSM is a supplement that contains sulphur. Sulphur bonds to amino acids to make quality proteins. MSM acts to repair collagen the proteins that glue the body together. Incidently be careful about steroid injections. They dramatically cut inflammation inside joint capsules, but interfere with collagen production in the tendons.

Chocolate Cake Recipe Making cakes

I love making cakes. My mother taught me; she used to win the W.I. victoria sponge competition.
Here are some principles:

1. Bring all of your ingredients to room temperature before you start
2. Always sieve your flour and cocoa or any other powders.
3. Only use baking powder that is in date. Use if for cleaning surfaces or fishy pans if it is not.
4. Make the final blending in of dry ingredients very light. If doing it by hand use a metal spoon. If doing it with a processor only use the enough time to mix the ingredients.
5. You can lower the sugar content by adding water. For instance 150gm sugar plus 100ml (gm) water = 250gm sugar.
6. Personally I only use butter or if someone reacts to dairy, Pure margarine.
7. A cake is cooked when it smells cooked, when the top dips and springs back, when a skewer comes out clean.

Here is a chocolate cake recipe

Ingredients: 

250gm flour, (s.r. or plain plus 3 tsp baking powder), 240gm light, soft brown sugar, 250 gm butter, 4 eggs, 60 gm cocoa powder and half a tsp baking powder mixed, 3 tablespoons of yogurt, a dribble of real vanilla essence (half a teaspoon). 200 gm plain chocolate, raspberry jam for the filling.

Method:

Sieve the flour and cocoa (and baking powder if used). Blend the butter and sugar until smooth. Dribble in some vanilla essence. Add the eggs, blend again, Add 3 tablespoons of yogurt, blend again. Add the flour and cocoa, blend just until smooth. Spread into 2 x 20 cm (8") baking trays. Bake for about 35 minutes at 160 degrees electric (gas mark 4). Turn out onto a rack. Spread the jam between the two halves. Either dab pieces of plain chocolate onto the warm cake and spread with a palette knife, or melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over hot water and spread it. Bon apertit.

Thoughts on Iyenga and Ashtanga yoga

An enthusiastic friend encouraged me to go to an Iyenga yoga class last night. As we parked a number of people converged on the hall with trolleys or large bags, like fisherman on their way down to the lake. The hall was closely packed, warm and friendly. The teacher Sue, had just returned from India and was suffering from jet lag. She had a precise air, having been classical ballet trained. I liked her manner, very serious however, when it came to the teaching. I sweat a lot in yoga so as usual, stripped off the outer clothing for action. After 20 minutes I was cold. After an hour and a half I was glad of a woollen blanket to snuggle under for the final Shivasna or corpse pose, at the end.

Sue made some great points about warrior pose. Set up your back leg stiff and straight. Lift the toes of your front foot with your front leg straight. Then bend the front leg and place the toes down, keeping the same angle of bending. It activates the muscles in the pelvis.

At one point the teacher asked us to get ready for halasana or plough pose, then headstand. Looking around the room I felt distinctly out of place. People were tying straps around their arms and rolling up their mats in lots of foam blocks. I used to have them but most of them have gone to people with dodgy knees. Feeling like Mr Bean I folded up a tiny piece of fleece blanket as thick as it would go. Sue was obviously not happy at my intentions. She asked where my support was. I replied that we do not use them in our class. She said that it was obviously not an Iyenga class. Somehow we managed to cobble some blankets together. Doing shoulder stand with soft supports under the neck and shoulders was very uncomfortable. Newton's second law of motion says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you use soft supports you cannot achieve a strong lift. If you use a firm resistance you can achieve a stronger lift.

I can see the purpose of using blocks, straps and blankets to help people who are stiff, or give beginners a start. However, pulling yourself into position with a strap for instance, takes away from the inner banda that engages your core muscles to bring you into the asana. I cannot imagine coach loads of Indian yogis still carting their trolleys to classes after years of practice.

I came home feeling like I needed some exercise before going to bed. Iyenga yoga is fantastic if you want to set up your asanas precisely, thinking through how you go into and come out of the pose. What puzzles me is that Iyenga teachers look down on movement based flow vinyasas as less precise and therefore less pure forms of yoga. I am so grateful for starting with Iyenga, but much prefer the challenge and strength involved in Ashtanga. The teachers are more accepting that we are trying hard to improve our own inner standards, not trying to meet someone else's definition of perfection. Surely yoga is an inner journey to gaining control and harmony both inside and out?