Why this Blog, Why Now?

Today I want to introduce myself and give you a bit of background into why I set up this blog. I have been playing flute for forty years. In my late teens and twenties I was involved in a series of car accidents. (I have at this point been involved in almost 20 major or minor collisions!) By the time I was 34, I was experiencing pain every time I picked up the instrument, throughout the upper body, the back and in my wrists and hands. At times, it hurt just to breathe. I tried every allopathic treatment available at the time, ultra-sound, hot packs, pain medication that made my stomach bleed, physical therapy, and even at one point visualization. The latter worked but it was time-consuming and required a discipline that I did not have at the time. Out of desperation I started seeing a chiropractor, Dr. Seplow. He asked me if I wanted to just get some pain relief or if I wanted to fix the problem. I said I wanted to fix the problem. It took a while but now I play and practice every day, usually pain-free. And if I do experience pain, I know how to work on myself or who to call to fix the problem. I have worked with some amazing healers, who have shown me amazing results from therapies that I would never have considered trying before this. I have worked with acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors, NMT and NAET practitioners, Bach Flower therapists, herbalists and those trained in homeopathy. All of them have had wonderful things to contribute to the healing process. Each person I worked with was patient with me and my seemingly endless questions. When the time came to do my doctoral work on alternative therapies and wind players, several of them graciously volunteered to be interviewed for my research. My own journey in healing and my observations of the struggles that other performers go through, has inspired me to put this blog together. I hope that it is a useful addition, and that those who read it find hope and useful information in the it.

One of the main reasons for this blog is that most information about musicians/performer’s health is presented by practitioners of a particular type of healing system, i.e. acupuncture, chiropractic care or allopathic doctors. These tend to represent the practitioner’s particular practice as the one that will cure most if not all ills. Every human being is different and what works for one person may not work for another. There will be nothing in the blog that has not had success with someone somewhere. So at the very least there is what is called anecdotal evidence for newer or lesser-known therapies. Also, in spite of the fact that musicians have been getting injured for over at least hundred years (think Robert Schumann!) traditional therapies are not always as effective as one might hope. Traditional physicians are generally not attuned to the special needs of the performing artist. Although this is changing somewhat, rest, immobilization, steroids, injections, pain killers and surgery are usually the options that are offered by allopathic physicians. And there is evidence that these are not always effective or even an option for the musician. Worker’s compensation, retraining or new technology like voice-recognition soft-ware may help the computer programmer, but these are usually not options for the musician or performer either. However, there are a lot of other options available through alternative therapies. I will present these option and how they can help musicians ( and of course anyone else!). Please let me know if any of these have worked (or not worked!) for you. And remember, every person is unique. What works for one person may not work for another. The important thing to remember is that there are lots of options. It may take a while, but if you are struggling with a condition that limits the expression of your art, it is worth it to keep trying until you find what works for you. Every musician/artist is unique and has a wonderful contribution to make. Just never give up! The world needs our contribution!

Get Rid of Allergies?

Okay all you musicians! (and non-musicians for that matter!) If you know you have allergies, then you are aware that the symptoms can really make playing a challenge. It doesn't matter if you are a singer, wind player or string player, drummer, rock, classical or hip-hop artist, trying to play with a stuffy nose, watery eyes, coughing, sneezing etc. is no fun. And if you take anti-histamines, trying to perform while sleepy and/or dry-mouth is a challenge as well. At this point I am only referring to seasonal allergies and the symptoms they generate. In a previous blog, I referred to histaminum hydrochloride as a great way to temporarily relieve seasonal allergy symptoms. But you can actually get rid of many if not all of your allergies. There are several ways that can work to relieve allergy symptoms. The first is an alternative technique called "NAET" (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique) http://www.naet.com/. This particular method involves very strict protocols and avoidance of the allergy causing substances. The second, NMT (Neuro Modulation Technique) relieves allergies with simple muscle testing and a protocol that doesn't involve avoidance. The only catch is that occasionally the allergy may come back and need to be retreated. This may indicate that NAET would be a better treatment method for this particular allergy. I had many allergies and NMT took care of about 90% of them. The other 10% I needed to use NAET to get a lasting result. NMT is quicker and easier, so when it works, it is great. But sometimes you need NAET to create a lasting effect. More information about NMT can be found at http://www.nmt.md/IntroductionToNMT.cfm.

If you want to try getting rid of your allergies on your own (seasonal allergies caused by pollen etc.) you can try eating small amounts of bee pollen. Bee pollen contains minute amounts of allergy causing pollens, so eating small amounts over time can create a kind of "vaccine" like effect, causing the body to adjust to the allergens. By doing this during the non-allergy season you may keep your body from over-reacting when the allergens appear again during the pollen season.

The last method for getting rid of allergies is pretty gross sounding, but those people who have tried it swear by it. And according to some data, it also can relieve some auto-immune disorders such as Crohn's disease. It is to get infected with hookworms. According to the theory, hookworms evolved with human beings. In order to infect their human host, they need to calm the immune system by secreting certain substances. These same substances calm the immune system for other purposes as well, thereby relieving the symptoms of those conditions brought on by an immune system that is overreacting to either it's own body or to foreign substances (like pollen). Okay now, personally I have not tried this one, as I found the NMT and NAET did the trick for me and my family. But those people who have tried this swear by it and say that it has totally transformed their lives. You can find more information on this type of therapy at http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/3989/33077/treatment-hookworms and http://cbs5.com/health/hookworm.treatment.therapy.2.1016319.html

Good luck! IF you do try or have tried any of these methods, let me know how they work for you. Happy allergy free playing!

Allergies and the Musician

Allergies and musicians do NOT mix! Allergies are bad enough, but combine that with trying to make music and you have a recipe for disaster. If it is seasonal allergies, the symptoms, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, scratchy throat etc., over the counter meds may relieve the symptoms, but the side effects of dry mouth and drowsiness can make it just as challenging to play. There are a number of alternative options to help with allergies. The first line of defense is the homeopathic remedy histaminum hydrochloride. This little beauty can relieve your symptoms for seasonal or pet allergies, without side effects. I carry a tube of 30c ( the strongest available over the counter!) with me always, because if I have a flare-up of allergies, including food allergies, this relieves the symptoms within 5 minutes. It also takes care of swollen lips caused by allergies, which if you play a wind instrument, can be a chop killer! There are also a number of products by Natra-bio, which are formulated for specific allergies, i.e. dust, pets, weeds, etc. These are great too if you know for sure what is causing the allergy. These are homeopathic as well, and work very quickly with no side effects. But wouldn't it be great to get RID of your allergies? This can also be done, but I will talk more about that in the next blog! Happy playing!

Playing Without Pain

Ever had one of those weekends where you played and played your instrument (yay, gigs we're making money!) and by Monday your back ( and maybe the rest of your body!) felt as if it were in a vise grip? And if you were outside and it was cold or windy, it can be even worse! What can we do to make sure we are not making a beeline to the chiropractor's office on Monday? Stretching! This is one of the most important things that a musician can do to prevent injury. We play our instruments for sometimes hours at a time, repeating the same or similar motions, using small muscle groups, and this can lead to injury to those muscle groups. Just like an athlete needs to warm-up and cool down their bodies before and after an event or a practice, musicians should be stretching and releasing tension in their muscles before and after they practice and play. Even on breaks! The most important stretch is the one that pulls the muscles in the opposite direction of the way they are used as you play. So, if you play with your arms in front and up, you should stretch the arms back and down. Just this simple exercise, if done on breaks and before and after you play, can help eliminate a good part of that Monday pain and stiffness! Happy gigging!