Colorado 2022    Take a Stand ©  by Celeste Cooper      Swirling ideas, each significant to plan.    Upholding brave principles and taking a stand.    Provisions of nature and all living things    Gives fortitude, fulfillment of what life brings.      Taste the climb; take pause, ageless, forever;    Ours for the taking–precious gift of endeavor.    Inherited by forefathers, a guide for our path,    Achievement secured when we learn from the past.      So sta ..read more

Living with daily pain begs the question, “What is the lesson here? Does having pain make me somehow grow as a person?” After nearly three decades of reading, writing, and pro/con contemplating, I realize asking that question of myself has prepared me for the physical and emotional changes that take place with advancing age. Unlike many fellow 70ish people, I already have tools that help me balance  body, mind, and spirit. I am grateful for that.   Ten Lessons from Pain (from Balancing the See-Saw of Chronic Pain, Spring Devotions) (1)  Acceptance of what is. (2) Compas ..read more

This post contains affiliate links. Read more about my paid affiliation on my FTC disclosure page. The Answer With cautious optimism, it appears two specific cannabinoids could treat and possibly prevent COVID-19, AKA SARS-CoV-2.   According to the study "Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the EmergingVariants" published in the peer-reviewed journal The Journal of Natural Products, "Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2 and i ..read more

  Not every day presents a crisis of earth-shattering magnitude. However, those of us who experience chronic pain do have challenges to overcome on a regular basis making it important to be aware of system breakdown predictors. Factors apparent in a total system breakdown include a loss of our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual safety net (the four-seated teeter-totter we discuss in this series of books). If we are aware that mounting daily stressors are precursors to a crisis, can we be better prepared should a crisis occur?   Symptoms that risks are mounting:   We b ..read more

  Courtesy Celeste's Photography ACCEPTING OUR LIMITS As people who live with chronic pain and illness, we know the importance of identifying our limitations and learning to work within our boundaries. These coping impositions and repositions mostly affect our physical capabilities and our abilities to perform certain tasks.  We talk about “Measuring Limits” in our book Integrative Therapies for Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Myofascial Pain: The Mind-body Connection . (Cooper, C and Miller, J, 2010 …Regardless of courage or decisiveness, your first task ..read more

  Photograph Courtesy Celeste Cooper, Author Spring is a time of reawakening after a long cold winter and this year it means so much more. It is a time to explore things that bring us pleasure as we break through the shell of our own winter cocoon.   I find great enjoyment in photography, and I am thankful that I have found ways to fill up my thought spaces on this learning journey with my digital Canon EOS. I am grateful to have hobbies that occupy my time in isolation from chronic pain, but this past year has been difficult because of the COVID-19 virus. In some ways ..read more

These have been trying times for everyone, and anxious times for many of us living with conditions that cause chronic pain and illness.  Everything I write about, being with people to avoid feelings of isolation, focusing on what we can do, and finding coping mechanisms that promote mental, physical, emotional, spiritual balance has been helpful to me, and I hope our readers.  When I wrote my last blog, I talked about how we have a leg up on this staying in isolation thing. A lot has happened since then. We know more about COVID, we have better treatments and some options, all th ..read more

I understand this is a trying time for everyone.  COVID-19 is disrupting the lives of people all over the world. People told to shelter in place are experiencing the effects of isolation. As people living with chronic pain and chronic illness, we know what that means.  We know the experiences associated with having our lives disrupted every day. We can help. It makes us feel good to share helpful measures with our fellow warriors, and today that includes the world. What can you contribute? Following are excerpts from old blogs that everyone might find helpful during these times. ___ ..read more

If you are in CRISIS, reach out IMMEDIATELY: United States: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 1-800-273-8255 Suicide crisis lines are listed by country here. INTRODUCTION Sadly, since my blog in 2013 — Walk a Mile in my Shoes — not much has changed. Some might say things are far worse. It’s time for a reawakening of patient centered care that embraces the ethical preservation of our right to choose. It is a moral obligation of all parties that all stakeholders are part of every process when discussing the treatment of pain. Justice  = the principle of moral rightnes ..read more

Understanding chronic myofascial pain relies on our understanding of the illusive myofascial trigger point (TrP). WHAT IS A TRIGGER POINT? Trigger points (TrPs) are those knotted up pieces of muscle fiber that feel like a frozen pea in a taut band of average sized muscle. Anyone can usually feel a TrP unless it/they:  are behind bone, are in muscles that are under other muscle, the muscle is too tight to locate the TrP. If the band of muscle affected is too tight, it may be difficult to isolate the TrP causing pain. A specially trained physician or therapist may only ..read more