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Serendipity (02/01/20)

Andrew Randall

My name is Andrew. I am a 65 year old male. About 6 years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease – not an uncommon outcome for somebody my age. Over the those last six years my progression of symptoms has been relatively slow. My neurologist is very pleased with this level of development, and yet while I have been as proactive as I can, there has still been the necessity to make some significant changes in my life to cope with their impact. There has also been a steady increase in the amounts of medications consumed, and the consequent side effects. Some of the reactions I have experienced have been quite dramatic and scary.

One associated problem that arose over time was the regular growth in lower back pain. At first it was kind of manageable, but as it became more and more debilitating it’s impact on my ability to work was making me ask myself how much longer I could put up with it. I slowly climbed my way up the pain killer tree and got as far as OxyCodone, and as anyone will tell you they are no solution. The neurologist was concerned that I may have had a condition called Parkinson’s Pain Syndrome which is something akin to advanced arthritis. So we went through the MRI process and discovered to our great relief that I simply have several bulging discs in my lower spine, i.e. me and about half of Australia.

By this stage however the pain killers were like shooting an air rifle at Uluru, and my GP suggested that the only thing we could do was to go to the next level which were “nerve blockers”. Some cursory reading in Doctor Google about them scared the crap out of me, and I decided that was not the path I wanted to go down. While all this was happening I had become good friends with a lady named Gillian who was, and is, a strong believer in yoga and its health benefits. I’d had the occasional one on one class with her and had quite enjoyed the subtle changes that yoga delivers. She suggested that I start attending Sara’s classes which I also did half-heartedly.

As I considered the prospect of either living with the increasing pain or taking some scary medication, I Googled natural remedies for lower back pain. And there on the top of the list was yoga. The rationale behind it is really simple. One of the main focusses of yoga is to strengthen the core muscles. Relief for the lower back is best achieved by strengthening our middle, i.e. pelvic floor, internal and external obliques, glutes, psoas etc. This increased strength takes pressure off our over-used backs and consequently gives our bodies a greater balance.

So I talked with Gillian about specific kinds of yoga we could do that was designed to help with lower back problems. Her knowledge was quite extensive so we embarked on a series of one on one classes about two to three times a week. At the same time, on her recommendation, I began attending Sara’s classes again and with more regularity and an increased focus and motivation. Gillian also introduced me to lady name Gail whose classes I also started frequenting. And I started to have solo sessions at home to practice the increased knowledge that Gillian, Gail and Sara were giving me. After quite a few sessions Gail introduced me to Pilates. And then not long after that Sara introduced Kylie and her Pilates classes to her practice. I ended up doing one or the other everyday. And yes, the back pain started to become kind of manageable. It didn’t go away, but with the new knowledge of several specific exercises and easy stretches I could do during the day, I certainly began to get on top of it, and in the process have stopped completely taking any pain killers. At the end of the day they don’t change anything, they give only very short relief, and they are highly addictive.

This outcome was very satisfying for me, and in this sceptical age that we live in being reminded of the latent power in many natural remedies was a good fact to be made directly aware of. And of course when you have success in one part of your life it naturally follows that you then start to make changes in other areas – things like – reducing sugar, alcohol, fat – exercising more, losing weight – otherwise you’re just working against yourself. Anyway, while all this Yoga and Pilates was happening, in a classic case of pure serendipity, my many Parkinson’s symptoms simply filtered of into the ether. My sense of balance returned, my left side tremors reduced to almost zero, and the dyskinesia in my left leg was about 30% of what it was. When I realised what was happening I was in a state of disbelief. When the neurologist saw me he was completely stunned, as was my GP. They could not comprehend the transformation. So together we set about over time eliminating a few strong medications, and reducing the dose of others. (Trust me, you only ever do something like that in consultation with a health professional) I am now taking less than half of what I used to, but I still have to take quite a few pills.

So here I am about 6 months down the track feeling like I’ve experienced a miracle of Biblical proportions. And to be absolutely clear, this outcome is not the result of coincidence, because when I am unable to do as much Yoga or Pilates as I would like, (i.e. at least 6 times a week) the symptoms slowly remind that they are lurking just below the surface and can return any time I take my eye of the ball (or should that be, “eye of the mat”). Furthermore this outcome is not the result of a casual approach. With Gillian’s, Gail’s, Sara’s and now Kylie’s great help I do something at least daily; sometimes more. And as I pointed out before, without it becoming obsessive you have to apply the healthy natural lifestyle to all aspects of your life.

So what constitutes a good outcome? Doing nothing and taking lots of pills? Or grasping the truth of naturally sourced good health and working with your doctor and natural health professionals like yoga instructors to regain control of your illness? I would humbly suggest that if you know anybody who has Parkinson’s, no matter how advanced their symptoms, get them to an experienced Yoga teacher or a Pilates instructor, and persist for an extended time. For me I seem to get the most benefit when I do both. They are different but also very compatible. I can guarantee it will not do them any harm.

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