Alex Howard Freedom from M.E.
Supporting you in your journey to recovery...


Issue 12, April 2009

In This Issue
- This month on Secrets to Recovery
- The Optimum Health Clinic Foundation
- Optimum Health Community
- Feature article: Types of Tiredness
Article Headline
Quote of the Month
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
Theodore Roosevelt
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Welcome to our April 2009 newsletter...

 Dear reader,
 
The Optimum Health Clinic DirectorsWelcome to our April newsletter... I know I seem to start off most months saying how it's an especially exciting month, but this month really is special.  The Optimum Health Clinic has just won pretty much the biggest industry award, CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) Magazine's "2009 Outstanding Practice Award" and we are all immensely proud.  You can read a bit more about the reasons why we won at www.FreedomFromME.co.uk/camawards.html
 
It's nearly five years since we officially started the clinic, and having now treated over 5,000 patients in nearly 30 countries around the world, it's hugely rewarding to receive such industry recognition.  We have some extremely exciting projects planned over the next year, and feel rather dizzy at the thoughts of what will be possible over the next five years.  Of course, none of this would be possible without the incredibly hard work of the clinic team and support staff, and you the patients and supporters of the clinic, so thank you all for your invaluable roles.
 
This month also sees the next leg of Anna's and my "Roadshow" with talks in Bristol and Brighton next week.  So, if you are interested in coming to hear us speak, meeting us, or getting any questions you might have answered, we'd absolutely love to see you there.  Details can be found at www.FreedomFromME.co.uk/roadshow
 
May 23-24 will be seeing the third ever Conscious Transformation seminar.  So, if you are interested in experiencing this life changing seminar, which is the only seminar I personally teach (apart from modules of our professional training courses) I'd love to have the opportunity to work with you.  This seminar really does change lives, and you can read all about it at www.ConsciousTransformation.co.uk


Have a great month!
Alex (Anna, and Niki)
This month on Secrets to Recovery - Message from Lois
We've had some really positive feedback on the calls in March. The first call featured clinic practitioner Ashley Meyer and focused on using EFT for pain, teaching members specific techniques to use to help relieve pain. Following this was another highly practical session with Alex and Anna, covering the area of "relapse" and offering strategies for dealing with those periods on the path to recovery where people can feel "stuck".  Both calls and transcripts are available to download in the archive.
 
Coming up in April we have the following calls:

April 7th - The Importance of Eating the Right Sources of Food
This is another call in our series on nutrition with Niki Gratrix, focusing on understanding food quality and toxins in the food chain. Including information on organic food, water, meat, pesticides, preservatives and additives, household cleaning produces and personal hygiene products, this call will be packed with practical advice and information.


Aprl 21st - Question and Answer Session with Alex Howard
This open question and answer session with Alex gives you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have and get them answered live on the call.  Please email your questions to lois@theoptimumhealthclinic.com as soon as possible.



To find out more about joining Secrets to Recovery, just visit the website at www.SecretsToRecovery.com and if you have any questions please do e-mail me.

Lois ThorpeLois Thorpe,
Co-ordinator of Secrets to Recovery
lois@TheOptimumHealthClinic.com
The Optimum Health Clinic Foundation
It's only a couple of months now until the next fundraising event for The Optimum Health Clinic Foundation, so if you fancy joining Alex, a number of the clinic team, and a group of former/current patients, and family and friends, in climbing Snowdon in June, please do let us know.  Although obviously a physical challenge, we will be taking the "easier" route up, making the hike as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.

To receive more details, please e-mail lisa@TheOptimumHealthClinic.com


Optimum Health Community
www.OptimumHealthCommunity.com seems to be going from strength to strength, with at the time of writing having 199 members exactly, so if you want to be number 200, do get over there now!  Our topic of the month is a thread of members discussing the merits of treatment at the clinic vs what is available on the NHS - click here to read and participate.  Please do come and join in the various discussions and meet likeminded positive people.

Types of Tiredness By Niki Gratrix
You probably know that different people have very different symptom lists. You may have met someone else who also has ME/CFS, but while you share some similar symptoms, they also have some that you have never experienced before and vice versa.  Understanding the type of tiredness you are experiencing can be helpful in identifying effective treatment.



The Many Faces of Fatigue - CFS and Subgroups
There are definite subgroups which are currently being identified. "Fatigue" is a very ambiguous term. Like Eskimos have at least 20 names for snow - below are five examples of types of fatigue that world leading researcher Jason Leonard mentioned in his 2008 Invest in ME presentation.

Which Type Describes You Best?

1. Post-Exertional Fatigue: feeling extreme weakness, discomfort, or sick after minimal amounts of activity

2. Wired Fatigue: feeling of over-stimulation with extremely low energy

3. Brain Fog Fatigue: mental impairment with confusion, disorientation, and inability to function in daily activities. Remember that brain fog can be the main symptom, or it can be a secondary symptom of number 1.

 4. Flu-Like Fatigue: feeling weak with flu symptoms, such as a high temperature, sore glands

5. Energy Fatigue: feeling of heaviness and immobilization without energy to do anything for long periods of time. You may have experienced this the first few months of your illness, but then slowly gained some energy back. There is a small group of people who are so ill that they cannot work and are basically homebound for long periods of time.

Understanding the type of fatigue you are experiencing can be a key factor in helping to clarify the best treatment for you.  Please do discuss with your practitioner to find our more.
Product of the Month
We will be running our Conscious Transformation seminar for the third time in May.  If you are interested in joining us for this life changing seminar, please visit www.conscioustransformation.co.uk for more information, video clips and booking details.

And finally...
Wishing you all a very Happy Easter, and we look forward to catching up in May!
Warm wishes,

The Optimum Health Clinic Team