Barrett Therapy and Wellness

04/24/2022

ATTENTION HEALTHCARE WORKERS AND THOSE WHO ARE ILL OR HAVE ILL KIDDOS AND AREN'T GETTING ADEQUATE/ANY ANSWERS.....

Amongst all our other issues, which are likely causing the issue I am about to bring attention to....my son has a majorly deviated uvula that I recently noticed. Like our many other issues, I cannot get *traditional providers* to take me/us seriously when I bring attention to these issues, which I have literally spent thousands of hours researching. I have read about the deviated uvula a lot, but the following post I am sharing is a pretty easy way to get some info.

When I say traditional providers, I mean the ones who are not aware of the many disorders we have and automatically attempt to blame our issues on "normal people things" and the most common denominator. As people with EDS, we are often identified as zebras, b/c in traditional medical schooling it has generally been taught "if you hear hoofbeats then think horses not zebras"; EDS has always been taught to be rare, but it isn't nor are the many comorbid conditions that come along with it (many of which a lot of providers don't even believe exist, although there is a plethora of research to the contrary). Unfortunately, many of us are zebras and our issues go un/misdiagnosed, oftentimes when we zebras are very in tune with our bodies, have done our research, and know ourselves something is going on...but we just can't find anyone who is up to date on all the research pouring out about our conditions and/or willing to listen and put in the work to learn.

I am not posting this as a dig to any providers as I once was one of those providers completely oblivious to these things until I was forced to learn it all to save myself and my family. I am sharing this as an advocate who wants to get the word out. Healthcare providers as well as those who are ill and can't seem to find answers - please ook into EDS, mast cell dysfunction, dysautonomia, and ME/CFS. This will take you down rabbit holes toward the many many other comorbid conditions that come along with these things, and as always, I am more than happy to help people with these things, even if you are a "friend" I don't even really know outside of the digital realm. Just an FYI, these are also the things people are being diagnosed with post covid....so there are a lot of us out there!!!

When you say ‘Ahh’ your uvula should stay in the middle of the throat.

If it deviates to one side, then your vagus nerve could have low tone on one side.

Increasing your vagal tone activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and having higher vagal tone means that your body can relax faster after stress.

Other symptoms of low vagal tone could be:
• Dizziness
• Vertigo
• Swallowing difficulties
• Hearing is off
• Migraines
• Clicking popping in the neck
• Neck stiffness
• Vision issues.

Then look in the mirror and say ‘Ah’.

Why would the Uvula deviate?

The Vagus nerve is a critical cranial nerve that provides movement functions for the muscles in the neck responsible for swallowing and speech.

If the levati veli palatini muscle is not elevating the uvula on one side. It means it has less vagus tone on the left side.

So what to do? We need to start looking for the cause. In severe cases vagus nerve dysfunction can be due to a lesion in the nerve.

The causes can be upper cervical instability related to:

1) Forward head posture can compress the vagus nerve, blocking nerve impulses to one side.
2) If you have postural rotation of the C2 then the nerve can be blocked on one side.
3) Stretching or compressing the nerve through traumatic injury.

Ancient techniques used chanting to activate this important nerve.

"Om” is the simplest and arguably the most profound and powerful mantra, according to Hindu mythology.

How to activate the vagus nerve with chanting 'Om''

• The first syllable is A, pronounced as a prolonged "awe." The sound starts at the back of your throat and you stretch it out. You will start feeling your solar plexus and chest vibrating.
• The second syllable is U, pronounced as a prolonged "oo," with the sound gradually rolling forward along your upper palate. You'll feel your throat vibrate.
• The third syllable is M, pronounced as a prolonged "mmmm" with your front teeth gently touching. You will now start to feel the top of your mouth vibrate.

Did you notice movement in the uvula with this exercise?

10/29/2021

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the treatment of ME/CFS....myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, formerly just chronic fatigue syndrome. I will gladly admit I had no clue as a PT that exercise, and just activity in general, could make this condition WORSE!!! An overwhelming majority of providers are unaware of how to deal with ME/CFS. It is typical to prescribe graded exercise for literally any issue, and it is helpful...except this!

As much as I loathe my very sedentary lifestyle, I was on a quick decline before I closed my practice and then learned this info and stopped exercising. Anyone who knows me knows these were both very difficult for me, but I can say, doing this has likely saved my life.

There are so many people out there with ME/CFS, and Covid is creating sooooo many more. The mild version is often difficult to even pick up on as our society has made it normal to be overworked and fatigued. The more moderate to severe forms are easier to note and that is where you end up if you don't cut your activity level and do several other things....and some people start there. There are several things that indicate ME/CFS but PEM (post-exertional malaise) is the major hallmark, which is when you "crash" following activity. It can be almost immediately following activity or exercise or can come on days later. If you have concerns you may have ME/CFS then read this article and also check out MEpedia for more info. As always, if you have questions then please reach out as I am always happy to help!

The long-awaited advice makes it clear that exercise is not a panacea for the debilitating syndrome.

07/20/2021

Doctor's corner with today's education on POTS 😉....

I post often on my personal page about my disorders and how my body has revolted against me, but I have never actually shared anything like this, especially on my business page. This video is a very good example of postural orthostaic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). I have this all the time but sometimes way worse than others....today is a bad day!

If you are watching this on mute then all you need to know is that my typical resting/lying heartrate is generally around the low 50s, sometimes 40s. Today just happens to be a particularly awful day for my POTS, so my resting heartrate is even abnormal (you can also see that in overtrained athletes, which is what I once blamed my higher resting rate on prior to not being able to exercise.....it is an indicator your body needs rest). My talking for the video even makes my heartrate go up some today. I eventually sit and then stand. Note the erratic heartrate, never remaining constant and the significant heartrate changes with position change.

When this happens, my heart is not pumping adequate blood to perfuse my body and, more importantly, my brain, which causes all kinds of awesome issues 🙄. POTS also causes significant pooling of my blood into my distal arms, legs, and abdomen, which further drains blood and oxygen from my brain...not to mention another couple handfuls of really fun symptoms.

If you have orthostatic hypotension (BP drops with standing), dizziness when upright, really large veins (or varicose veins) in arms/hands and legs/feet, especially in dependent position, or just generally feel crummier when you are upright (there are many other symptoms) then looking into POTS may prove worthwhile for you. This is also one of the things people are developing post-covid when they end up with "long haulers" symptoms. Do some googling and reach out if you have concerns...always happy to help!

03/11/2021

COVID LONG HAULERS - this will give you much much needed info regarding what is "wrong" with you as well as info to share with your providers. Some providers will have had the time (or made time) to research but many won't so go prepared. As I have stated many times before.....most providers are not well-versed in these disorders IF they have even heard of them. Just to put it out there, I am currently working on "opening for business" on a very limited basis, as I am still very sick, and helping work with long haulers as well as those I (or others) suspect have these disorders either from covid or noted previously. For those of you who do not follow my personal page....the disorders which have made me ill, resulting in closure of my practice (not related to covid) are the same disorders those with long haulers covid are being diagnosed with, so I have become very knowledgeable on them.

Thank you Jennifer Wyatt for turning me onto this!

I would like to note that I have suspected for a while now that people who develop post covid symptoms likely have some sort of underlying connective tissue disorder, like ehlers danlos, the one I have. The resources provided in this document report the following:

"There are 6 comorbidities heavily intertwined in general and are now being very frequently found and diagnosed in LH’s: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic fatigue Syndrome, Autoimmune Disease, Fibromyalgia, Small Fiber Neuropathy and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Two other genetic conditions to be noted are the prevalence of Mixed Connective Tissue Disorders (mostly Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and the MTHFR gene mutation."

This “Master Document” was created as a guide to help Longhaulers and their physicians work as a team in an attempt to get the patient back to good health and regain quality of life. A year into the Pandemic, we are still struggling to curb it and still lack understanding in Post-Covid Syndrome ...

01/01/2021

Yes!!!! People don't understand just how integral appropriate posture is to the proper functioning of our entire body. Your spine works as a unit...if it is messed up anywhere then the whole thing is messed up (it is basic physics). Also, if your pelvis isn't stable then nothing else is either! Holler at me if you want to know how to fix it.

Classic

12/08/2020

**********ATTENTION: VERY LONG BUT VERY EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIVE ANNOUNCEMENT*********

I am here today to make it public that Barrett Therapy and Wellness has officially closed the doors. This is a very very difficult thing for me to do as someone who has literally worked since I was 14-15 years old and worked so hard to open a practice where I could work on healing people the way I found to be most effective. Unfortunately, my body has totally different plans for me at the moment and apparently for the future. I recently posted regarding an often unheard of condition, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Unfortunately EDS tends to be very popular and always brings a lot of uninvited guests to the party, so I am struggling with several comordidities (other stuff wrong with me) currently. The EDS healthcare world is a nightmare. Few healthcare providers are well-versed in this complex disorder, which is really disheartening as the folks in the know regarding EDS and associated issues feel that, although EDS is considered "rare", it is only rarely diagnosed and is as common as 1 in 200-500. It is a spectrum disorder, meaning some will never know they even have it while some will be bed bound.

I share this information to reach out to those of you who have had a multitude of seemingly unrelated health issues, especially those of you who are female as EDS predominantly affects women (female joints are naturally more lax resulting in increased symptoms). I have noted several patients as well as family and friends who I highly suspect have JHS (joint hypermobility syndrome) or EDS. There are a lot of common diagnoses I see in medical histories, which include but is most definitely not limited to the following: Increased flexibility, especially as a child (you do not have to present as "flexible" to have a hypermobility disorder), fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, multiple bowel and bladder problems, sexual dysfunction, nausea/vomiting, headaches, sleep disturbance, neck/back pain, myalgia (muscle pain), joint pain, muscle weakness, various neurological symptoms (nerve related pain - pins/needles, numbness, deep consistent ache in a general region, itching, etc), TMJ, brain fog (concentration, trouble recalling words, keeping thoughts organized, etc), poor memory, vision disturbances unexplained by optometry, clumsiness, abnormal heart rate (either to high or low, usually a bit of both) and blood pressure (not like "high BP", more like very low or fluctuates a lot), and I am sure I have missed a lot. The other common thing seen with EDS is cutaneous (skin) and vascular issues....thin/fragile skin, easily wounded or bruised, increased healing time, varicose veins, unexplained passing out (generally upon standing or extended standing), stretchy skin (yes, I have this - and most of the other symptoms - and when I recently learned my skin was not like everyone else's I was very surprised!), increased rate of skin infection, abnormal healing leaving weird scars....think like a keloid scar but doesn't have to be raised, just thin and stretched out. Anyway, I could go on forever but will not do that on facebook as this is clearly going to be long enough.

Obviously everyone has some of these symptoms so just b/c you meet some of the criteria DOES NOT IN ANY WAY MEAN YOU HAVE JHS or EDS. It is when you have enough of these symptoms altogether that are not easily explained (fibro and mental health issues is not a good explanation for any of these things...they are actually oftentimes symptoms of deeper problems!).

I am willing to field questions from people who many be concerned for themselves or others they may know but please do as much independent research as you can online prior to contacting me as I have a lot going on at the moment, but please do contact me if you need to. My passion in life is helping others, so I gotta get my fix somewhere if it isn't at work! When I say "research" I don't mean go to wiki....well, you can but just make sure you followup what you read there with a bunch of other resources to get a more complete picture. Check out www.ehlers-danlos.com or www.alanspanosmd.com or ohtwist.com There are plenty of others out there but that will get you started. Another thing to check is the Beighton Index. It is an easy to administer test and has instructions for scoring. If you score high enough on that you at least have joint hypermobility and could potentially have EDS. Regarding the Beighton Index, keep in mind what you could do at other points in your life. Example, your arthritis may be so bad in your pinky you can't bend it back 90 degrees now but could you maybe do that when you were younger? If you have any questions please feel free to send me a message via facebook messenger...just be patient with me as I have a lot going on at the moment 😉

11/17/2020

PERSONAL INFORMATION THAT MAY HELP OTHERS ALERT!!!

I have dealt with some odd health issues throughout my life and as of the last 2-3 years have literally hit a brick wall. It has been very very difficult to deal with while opening my own practice...perfect timing, right?! I appreciate all those out there who have been so supportive and all my flexible patients who deal with my unpredictable health problems. Luckily I have the knowledge and know how to perform differential diagnosis, which has brought me to Ehlers Danlos. Unfortunately it is a condition most healthcare practitioners know absolutely nothing about; for example, I may have seen one slide in a powerpoint presentation regarding it throughout my many many years of education.

It would take an eternity to explain everything that EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) affects but to put it in a nutshell...it can be very devastating and debilitating. It is a spectrum disorder so some never even notice they have it and others are completely disabled. Like me, some have mild symptoms throughout younger years and then begin to note severe and progressive issues at some point later in life. This is also an issue that affects females far more than it affects males....and we all know how the medical community loves to disregard women's health issues! 😉

I have also ran across several patients, friends, and family members who I feel are dealing with the same issues I am and have symptoms consistent with EDS, which gives me further desire to find help for those who have been ignored by our healthcare system. I will post more about this later as I would like to throw out some common signs/symptoms in order to find the people who may benefit from the vast amount of information I have learned over the last several months. In the meantime, please read this article that was published a few days ago....very refreshing to see EDS getting a little coverage!

A New York handbag designer has struggled to cope with her confusing condition.

11/15/2020

I have shared this before, but it is definitely worth sharing again. Please read my original post below the infographic for further information. Contact me via phone, text, messenger, or email with questions!

The study this info came from is an excellent one. People with and without back pain were studied and they found the majority of people had some type of spinal pathology (something wrong with the spine) when imaging was performed but many of those people have zero pain. Something wrong with the spine does not necessarily mean you will have back pain and back pain doesn't always mean the pain is actually coming from any specific spinal pathology as the pain is often muscular.

Degenerative joint/disc disease....sounds awful!!! In reality it is just age related wear and tear and it happens to the best of us, although if you have adequate postural control and muscular balance and can maintain a healthy spinal structure throughout the day then you are far less likely to deal with the pain people associate with degenerative disorders of the spine. Your neighborhood PT can help....give me a call!

11/14/2020

I will begin posting helpful tips and videos for your body and wellness soon. Like and follow my page so you don't miss them!

09/11/2020

I have again gotten the opportunity to do WPSD's Live Line. I have included a link to the clip.

If you have any questions or would like to come in for an assessment, give me a call!!!

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09/11/2020

If you are around a TV for WPSD's midday news today then keep an eye out for me on Live Line!