In my blog a week ago I talked about my surrender to PTSD while making a lifelong commitment to optimizing the health of my mind, body, and spirit. This week, I took several steps towards this goal. One major step I took was to attend a workshop about how food (and food additives and pesticides) can affect both the mood and the body. There I learned that food allergies can cause high inflammation in the body and therefore can cause chronic pain especially in the joints. This realization goes along with the research which shows that PTSD is also associated with inflammation in the body.

So I have decided that the next step for me is to do a full set of tests for food allergies. This is a way that I can use my power and take control and full responsibility for the quality of my life while living with severe, chronic PTSD. It may not eliminate all my inflammation but it may take me a step further in optimizing my body health, which has a great impact on my mind’s and spirit’s health. I don’t get the tests until the end of August but have put myself on a wait list for cancellations. It is hard to work with the delay because of my innate sense of urgency (again PTSD related), but I have no choice.

As an example of my inflammation issues, a few weeks ago I sprained my ankle. I could not give up my movement because of my feeling that movement helps with my Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain and PTSD. The movement did not help my ankle, so I went to the Doctor. This was tough because I have a history of feeling that doctors just write off pain issues if you have a history of PTSD, or chronic pain issues. This time, it was different because I was confident and supported by my husband. The doctor acknowledged that it was a sprain and said to do no movement for 2 weeks, just rest and ice. I have committed myself to that for 2 weeks, which is difficult.

Unfortunately, I have noticed that my joint pain has enveloped my body as the nerves get inflamed everywhere! You can imagine that my anxiety has heightened as well as my fears about not being active and what that could do to my body.

As I look to the future, I find hope that maybe there is a food allergy piece that is compounding this type of inflammation. The seminar has given me hope.

For all the ways I am learning, growing and optimizing my health (Mind, Body and Spirit), I sit with an expanded, open and grateful heart.