Alternative Medicine, can it help pain, vertigo, and other ailments such as allergy, dry eyes, Alpha Gal, anemia

Five years ago I went to my doctor for dizziness. He told me he had seen hundreds of people with the same issue and diagnosed them all with Seasonal Allergy. His formula was to recommend Flonase and Claritin or Zyrtec. As the years have passed my dizziness has led to full on vertigo. This year I developed the "cotton in ears feeling" which has degraded my hearing. Last year I managed my vertigo with just Flonase. This year my combo drugs somewhat manage the vertigo but not the cotton ears.

Around that same time, I also developed Alpha Gal allergy to mammalian meat, fortunately I do not react to dairy but some people with Alpha Gal also react to things like Ice Cream and Cheese. SAAT acupuncture is a treatment option, it's a gamble, sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

This year I was diagnosed with Anemia of Chronic Disease (ACD) having low white and red blood cell counts that will most likely not improve. Long term chronic anemia "can" cause hearing loss. 

For the last several months I've been trying to determine if my hearing loss is from the anemia or allergy (not being able to get a ENT appointment until July). My rheumatologist does not believe the anemia is causing the hearing loss. I've been trying simple eustachian tube exercises that give a tiny bit of relief and then the clogged ears come back. The antihistamines keep a lid on things but it's bubbling over.

My 25 year long ailments are auto immune - Rheumatoid Arthritis and Sjogrens. I've been on biologic Enbrel for many years and it allows me to continue to MOVE. Unfortunately my long term diseases seem to have given me permanent anemia.

Jessica Acupuncturist

I've tried many supplements to help with my RA but I have never been able to pinpoint one thing that is the magic bullet. Over the last year due to my anemia diagnosis I have radically altered my diet to avoid packaged food and sugar. Always on my radar is organic, organic, organic - better for you, the planet, and pollinators. 

Over the years I've discovered a few things that help me. My Tens device nearly always knocks out spot pains that come and go. I highly recommend massage for sciatica but find a practitioner that is trained in this process. I battle sciatica pain with one yoga move that works every time, the Pigeon pose. I've used preservative free single use Tears Naturale for many years. They are only made in France and Canada and I from overseas suppliers. This video is a good exercise session you can try to relieve dry itchy eyes.

SAAT acupuncture

My Sjogrens has given me throat issues and this Cricothyroid maneuver has given my throat more volume and clarity. I also discovered this short lymphatic massage session that I started doing to help clear out my seasonal allergy clogged ears. Nothing has permanently fixed this issue but it does help get systems flowing.

If you have any arthritic ailment, MOVING is your friend. It should be done without pushing you into more pain and started slowly. This short video gets you out of your chair and the music is motivating. Do what you physically can, shortcuts are fine. I also SWIM and really do feel better during the summer months.

Amy Massage Therapist

I have personally dealt with reputable caring people that I can recommend. In Charlottesville Virginia my 90+ mother and father-in-law both use Touch for the Wise massage therapy, Amy specializes in elder massage. I am currently trying SAAT acupuncture for seasonal allergy and Jessica is a wonderful specialist at Old Growth Acupuncture. My oldest friend Shannon Carson Wellness is an emotional and spiritual healer who not only can help you but an ailing pet from anywhere in the world. 

When the traditional medical community can do no more, it's time to try something different to improve your situation! Don't give up on feeling better. Rarely is it one and done.

~Rebecca

2025 a Year in Review, Selling a House and a home without Cats is a sad house indeed

This year was not nearly as stressful as last year but it began with me still managing the property of my father-in-laws home in TN. Luckily it sold in March but the work was just beginning. Bob wanted to go to the home place one more time so we hauled a 93 year old six hours in our little Honda along with a recliner for him to sit in. With the help of our realtor, I had sold his old recliner and many of his items remotely while his house was on the market. Anthony and awesome movers were zooming around his house loading up the U-Haul, cramming in his remaining handmade furniture and belongings and lastly a riding mower. Bob had a workshop in the yard that was full of boards and wood from his 25 years of woodworking. I called it’s Bob’s little Home Depot store – we had to also load this in the U-Haul. They got everything in for the exception of a couch. Anthony drove the U-Haul and I drove Bob back to Charlottesville to get another crew to help unload. 

Most of the year has been spent managing Bob but he is very cooperative and easy going. The caregivers at JABA daycare love him. We finally threw in the towel with home health care, we were managing them. Constant changes of people that we had to re-train and many of them would sit and look at their phones which was truly annoying. Bob is declining but his doctor found a miraculous pain patch that has completely gotten rid of his back pain. He has good days and bad days as far as his comprehension. One night at 3 pm I could not find him. He can not walk up and down stairs without assistance but I thought I heard some noise downstairs – he had managed to walk down our split level stairs and was admiring his handmade furniture in the basement (he had never even been down there). How he did not fall is an absolute mystery. One day you think he can not take another step and the next day he’s solo traversing two flights of stairs. He told us to lock him up at night! The other day we tried to get him to put in his hearing aids and he claimed they were in – we thought he was having a senior moment and Anthony got a flashlight and found a plastic wall anchor in his ear (he had to use tweezers to remove it). We had been letting Bob sort through piles of screws, nails, and anchors to entertain himself as these are things he has spent a lifetime using.

My mother who lives in our own space downstairs turned 90 which is really hard to believe. She is still independent and driving carefully in an area of town that is very familiar to her. Her vision is better than mine so we feel secure with her driving still. 

I did take two trips this year. One with a friend for Historic Garden Week in Williamsburg which was lovely. The other was a trip to a glorious part of Virginia in Bath / Highland County. We stayed in an extremely remote cabin in the woods on a river. I saw a river otter and we walked miles and miles in the mountains and through caves! What a beautiful part of the world.

Several mechanical problems, caused a great deal of stress. Our pool pump died as temperatures increased and of course right when temperatures dropped my office mini split died and so did my office computer. Anthony replaced or repaired all three, we did have to hire a heat and air guy to finish the mini split but things are up and running. 

One of the few jobs that Anthony could not do was paint our house. Unfortunately this was not a stress free job, I had to babysit the painters and they did several things wrong. After years of hopelessly trying to become inspired by colors such as Gray Green and Blue (it was currently yellow) I went bold and chose Lavender. I decided it was a color that would offset my gardens. I love it but now that the leaves have fallen it is a little more bold. Some days it has a gray tone others purple. My neighbors probably think I’m having a mid-life crisis, which I am -- I will be on Medicare next year – I can’t believe it. 

Anthony and I became inspired to build a pantry in our kitchen this Fall with Bob's encouragement. He was very excited about a construction project as this was what he spent his life doing. It turned out to be exactly what our kitchen needed. He also replaced our kitchen window which we could not even open. Thank goodness for Anthony and his skills. 

The saddest news of the year is that all three of our 18 year old cats passed away within months of each other. We adopted each of them when I was the Director of the Humane Society. Spoiled and treasured they all had beautiful happy lives. On a slow and steady decline last year, each with different ailments. It’s was a quiet Christmas without a cat in a bag. It’s truly odd not having animals. It’s a hard pill to swallow.

Another year has passed with me trying to close my deceased friend's estate. Most of the work was handed over last year to my new accountant so early 2026 it will finally end.

I’m hoping that most of the old mechanical equipment and home updates are finished and we can have a somewhat low key 2026. I’m hoping our relatively new roof, water heater, and house paint will out live us.

I'm ending the year with some bad bloodwork results due to my 25 year autoimmune disease. I will be going to a Hematology appointment in January. Fortunately I feel better than I have in years so let's hope it's something simple.

~Rebecca

Keeping the Mind of Seniors Busy, Dementia Alzheimer's Job Ideas for Men

How does one go about entertaining seniors to keep their minds busy? It's not easy. "No" is often a favorite term especially from the Alzheimer mind. Maybe it's the last decision one can make - having a choice. Seniors often use the TV to entertain themselves but I've observed it can be mind noise without a reaction. No laughter or understanding of the plot. It could be a hearing deficiency or a lack of comprehension. 

I highly recommend you seek out a senior day care in your area. JABA has kept Bob active and moving with plenty of hugs from caregivers. We prefer it to home health care services.

My father passed away 5 years ago from ALZ and it was a painful experience, worse than painful, the worst. He fell victim to selecting a repeated unstoppable task. In his final only month of non-home care in a facility, he wanted to die and to state it bluntly, thankfully did. 

My 94 year old father-in-law Bob lives with us and he has dementia but not ALZ and is very agreeable. He can still get up and walk with a walker short distances. He worked his entire life in construction, managing large projects and building homes. His mind has been programmed to have a job! I've noticed that he has little comprehension of what is around him and you need to suggest tasks to him. I hand him the stretch band to exercise each day and his hearing aids each morning. I give him a little cup of medicine for him to take and ask him if he has gotten up recently and roll his walker to him. I offer him a puzzle or book. He will not typically initiate but is happy to do things if you make him aware of them. If you have a loved one just sitting and watching TV all day you might discover that direction and activity creation on your part is crucial.

It's not easy thinking of projects to keep a mind busy, especially a man's. Women tend to gravitate toward crafts and making things, men want to work or do sports. 

We decided one of the best ways to entertain Bob was to build something in the house. It provided him great joy and pride to see his son building as he once did. I previously had a pantry in our old house and we decided to start building. We involved Bob asking him all sorts of construction questions and gave him plans to analyze. It got him out of his chair to come and watch Anthony build or stroll by out of curiosity (sneaky way to get him to exercise).

During the project my husband found a huge bucket of screws, nails, washers, bolts, etc. We asked Bob if he would like to sort these items as part of the project. He was completely engrossed. He did have one delirious episode we believe caused by a new pain medicine. We asked him to put in his hearing aids and he claimed they were already in. Anthony looked in his ear and he had put a wall anchor in it (tweezers were needed to remove it). We also had to be extra diligent to sweep around his chair for falling parts so it was not the safest of projects but we made it out without injury and he loved doing this for months. Bob wanted to participate. Look for ways to include seniors in projects, you might be surprised what they want to do.

In Bob's younger years, they always had a puzzle out on the table so this was familiar to him. We learned to give him 50 - 100 piece puzzles as that is reasonable for his mind to manage and fits on the board that swings over his recliner. He does go to day care 3 days a week and they have more complicated larger puzzles and better lighting which he can work. 

My father sold eyeglasses for many years and played golf. He also sold eyeglasses leash cords so I would mix a bunch of colors up and ask him to sort them. It kept him busy for a short while. ALZ is a much more difficult nut to crack! My mother had a little putting area set up but he grew tired of it. He loved to eat and go to restaurants so mom made this his main activity and it worked for many years. It was the way she got him to shower and she would take him out nearly every day!

Another hobby of my father-in-law's was coin collecting. We swapped out the screw mix for coins (it was safer) and he was happy analyzing them with a magnifying glass and sorting them by denomination into medicine bottles. He also helped roll them if I counted them out first. I would re-mix them and the process would begin again.

We also have a lot of photo albums and get carpentry books from the library for him to read. He can spend hours pouring over them. My father was totally disinterested in such things. My cat Gus was fun for him to pet but he could be nippy and sadly passed early this year :(

Bob is slowing down now but from time to time we ask him if he needs a nail, coin or puzzle fix to keep him busy. It's a challenge to hit the mark with dementia seniors but try to think of their past and introduce something simple and see if you can get their minds occupied. I don't think anyone wants to be stuck in front of a TV but it could simply be that no other options are offered.

~Rebecca