Freedom from M.E.
Supporting you in your journey to recovery...
Issue 4, August 2008
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| Quote of the Month |
"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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You're receiving this newsletter because you joined our mailing list or signed up to the Interactive section of www.FreedomFromME.co.uk
To change your subscription please follow the link at the end of this email.
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Welcome to our August 2008 newsletter...
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Dear reader,
Welcome to our August newsletter. Well, we've finally sent copies of our new
report, "M.E. in the 21st Century", to everyone on our database, and
the feedback has been just astounding.
We've had e-mails from all over the world, making claims as bold as to
say it's the most comprehensive view of M.E. ever presented. All we can say is that it was an immensely
valuable process for us as a team of practitioners to get clarity, and the new
treatment model is making a dramatic difference in our results with patients.
The new report is part of our new
information pack designed for all those interested in the clinic, so if you
would like more information, please do visit www.FreedomFromME.co.uk where you'll
see how to order on our recently updated website. The pack includes, in addition to the report,
our DVD "Freedom From M.E. Journeys to Recovery," and an outline of treatments
at the clinic, so if you have any friends who you think would benefit from the
OHC approach, this is a great way to let them know about our work, and we cover
all the costs of postage, etc.
With staff holidays, and myself seeming to
be spending rather a lot of the summer on the golf course (see this month's
article), you'd think things would be quiet behind the scenes at the clinic,
but it seems nothing could be further from the truth. A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed on www.conscious.tv a new internet TV station
(and in time satellite TV station) specialising in health, psychology and
consciousness. The station is actually
being set up by my Uncle (some of you will remember him as being key in my own
recovery story), and I've also been quite involved behind the scenes of the
channel, so you'll be hearing more about it and various programmes I'm
presenting over the coming months. You
can see my interview by clicking here.
And, perhaps most excitingly for me, at the
start of September I'm launching Conscious Transformation, a brand new seminar,
which will be the first personal development seminar I have taught in over two
years. The material is the result of a
huge amount of behind the scenes research the past two years, and if you were
on Secrets to Recovery last month you will have had a sneak preview of some of
it. The information is all at www.FreedomFromME.co.uk/transformation If you have family or friends that might be
interested, please do also spread the word to them. Although highly relevant to those with M.E.,
the seminar is also open to everyone.
Finally, I'm sure some of you are wondering
about Anna and Lois' parachute jump... well, according to them, they arrived at the airfield, and after a day of sitting around waiting, the jump had to
be cancelled due to high winds.
Personally, this sounds a bit like "My dog ate my homework" to me, and
I'm reserving judgement. However, they
are promising it will be taking place in a few weeks, so I guess we will all
have to wait for then!
I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter,
and look forward to speaking to you in September, where we have a whole bunch
of launches to let you know about, including the clinical trials and our new
social networking website, so be sure to look out for the next newsletter!
Have a great
month,
Love and warmth,
Alex and the
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| This month on Secrets to Recovery - Message from Lois
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 July was another great month for Secrets to Recovery, with Joy Knight's inspirational interview, proving that even the 'older generation' can make a full recovery from M.E.
In the second call of the month, we heard Alex tackling the huge topic of spirituality and its relevance to recovery from M.E. We've got a sample from this call for you to listen to for free.
Coming up in August we have the following calls:
 M.E. and Anxiety
This is another call in our series covering the M.E. subtypes as defined by the clinic team. Alex is joined by Philippa Hare, interviewed on Secrets to Recovery previously about her own recovery story, and who has gone on recently to joining the clinic team. Alex and Philippa will talk about the role of anxiety in M.E., the origins of anxiety patterns, along with covering ways of supporting working with your anxiety.
This call will be a hugely valuable call for both those who are new to working with anxiety, and those that have some experience through the clinic. In addition to covering anxiety, Alex and Phil will also talk about pacing, and how to gently increase activity levels without overdoing it and crashing.
 August 19th 2008 - Meditation and M.E.
Meditation
is one of the most consistently proven and effective tools for
getting into a calm and healing state and many of those recovering
from M.E. find it an extremely helpful support. Alex and Linda
Hall (who herself has recovered from M.E., is a psychology practitioner
at the clinic, and runs the clinic meditation courses) will be
running a highly interactive Secrets sessions, teaching some
of the basics of meditation, and actually doing some meditations
live on the call for Secrets members.
This call will be a fantastic opportunity for
those new to meditation to get a taste and learn some basics,
and for those with experiences of meditation to learn some new
meditations they can use specifically for their recovery. This
is one of those calls that you'll benefit from listening
to again and again!
Remember to check out next month's newsletter, where I'll be giving you details of September's calls.
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 Thorpe,
Co-ordinator of Secrets to Recovery
lois@TheOptimumHealthClinic.com
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Lessons from the Golf Course - Alex Howard
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People who have read my book "WHY ME? My
Journey from Health to Happiness" often ask me two questions: do I still play
the guitar, and do I still play golf.
Well, up until recently, the answer to both questions was, "Yes, but
very, very badly." Well, this summer I
decided to do something about that. No,
I haven't set down the path of becoming a rockstar. Sadly, having a few days ago turned 28, I
think I might need to grow out of that one!
Actually, I seem to have found myself sneaking off to the golf course
most days recently. And, as a testament
to the fact that any area of life can be a teacher, I thought I'd share a few
of the lessons I have learned...
1. Tools for the job Having played golf very little in the past twelve years, I decided that my clubs were a little outdated. What was considered a top driver (that's the big club that you use to wack the ball for your first shot on most holes - the further it goes the better!) twelve years ago, is a bit of an antique now. You see, just like treatments for M.E., golf technology has come on hugely in the past decade.
In buying myself a new driver, I gained an extra forty yards on my drive (for those that have a life and are unversed in the world of golf - that's very good). It might have been a bit of an investment, but an investment worth every penny. So, lesson
number 1, get the best tools for the job.
2. You get back what you
put in
This winter I
found myself at the golf range at least 4-5 times a week. It seemed to be a good way to relieve the
stress of work, and just ended up being a habit I got caught in. The result is, I have a much improved swing
on last year, and am putting in much lower scores on the course. Lesson number 2, put the work in.
3. Get a team that
inspire you
It's a strange
thing in sports. But when you play with
people that are less good than you, often it brings your game down. When you play with people that are better, it
brings your game up. The same is true in
many areas of life. I have a slightly competitive
nature (so people tell me anyway!), and I know that when I'm playing against
people that inspire me and challenge me, it helps me raise my standards and my
game. Lesson number 3 therefore, on your
path to recovery, you need people around you that do that (look out for the
social networking site launch next month).
4. Follow your joy
Finally, doing
what brings you joy in life is rarely just an indulgence. I know that I usually get my best ideas when
I'm relaxed and enjoying the flow of life, it also means that when I come back
to work, I'm also all the more productive.
So, lesson 4, if you're struggling with motivation and inspiration, make
sure you are following your joy. If you
don't know what it is, spend some time finding out!
Remember, everywhere you go, there are
lessons. If you've got the right tools
for the job, you put the work in, you've got a supportive team, and you follow
your joy, you're well on the way!
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Product News
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 As mentioned above, if you are willing to sponsor Anna and Lois for their
reschduled parachute jump on September 10th for £20 or more, you will receive a free copy of
Learn to Relax or The Sleep Inducer.
However, you must do so through www.freedomfromme.co.uk/cdih
and not through the main OHC website.
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And finally...
Thanks for reading, and look out for next month's newsletter when we will be letting you know all about our social networking site and how you can join and get involved.
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| Warm wishes,
The Optimum Health Clinic Team
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