0074 - It's no longer fun when it's an addiction...

Today we visited two Goodwills in the Augusta area. Did you know some of them have cafes and bookstores? Seriously! This one took the cake. I'm not buying as much as I was, I'm becoming more selective, but I have decided I may be an addict... I have plenty of shirts and sweaters for all kinds of occasions now. And a damn cute hat. Mike found a leather jacket the other day, and today he got a hat (hats are his addiction). Rose even found some things she liked. It's odd because I wear large or x-large in most tops, but sweaters are more forgiving and I can usually wear a medium. I even bought a small shirt this afternoon... all I can think is that it is either grossly mislabeled or perhaps I really bought a small dress... it's a tunic shirt... it's hard to tell. :)

We also went to a... well, he's not really a chiropractor, I don't know what he is, a homeopath maybe. It was a very interesting experience. Rose calls him a master diagnostician, and after years of initially thinking a lot of her health philosophy was bunk (ah the vanity of youth and my misguided belief in modern medicine), I have begun to see the wisdom in what she says and does. She is the healthiest person I know, and Western medicine hasn't impressed me a lot lately. Chiropractors have always been more open minded and less expensive than a doctor... dare I say generous in some respects?

So anyway, Mike has been having issues with his shoulders, arms and hands. The doc compared what he was doing to being an electrician. You change the bulb and the light still doesn't work, so you test the wiring. By running the wires back to the circuit board you begin to figure out what is actually causing the issue. He said x-rays and scans will diagnose certain things, but not physiological causes. He would have Mike hold his arm a certain way, or touch a certain point on his body, then test the muscle resistance. After all that he told him which nerve was pinched, and where the issues stemmed from, and he used an instrument to tap areas on his back and shoulders that released the tension in that muscle. Mike's problem is primarily chiropractic.

Since we were there and I have had an issue with my neck catching when I turn left... and my hormones are whacked out because of the infertility drugs, as well as stress, which has caused me to gain a lot of weight... we got him to look at me too. I have been frustrated because no matter what I do, I keep gaining weight, so I know there is something going on but I don't know how to fix it, and Weight Watchers or dieting isn't the answer (which is what everyone tells me and I want to punch them all).

He pinned it down to my thyroid and pituitary gland. My adrenals are fine, my ovaries are fine. He said every organ in the body has a corresponding muscle, and he would have me push against his hand, similar to the way he worked with Mike, having me place my hand in a spot (energy centers or pressure points, I am not sure) and seeing how that affected my strength. Then he put supplements on my stomach and had me do the same thing, seeing what left me weak and what helped. I don't know how it works, but it really does affect you somehow. So I got a couple of things to take that should help my body start working properly again. I asked if I would have to take them forever, he said no, so I like that. I don't like myself much when I look in the mirror anymore. I've gained 30-40 lbs since last year and I was already chunky. I'm ready to be me again.

Pretty (and cooperative) dragonfly: