Effects of Spinal Alignment to Spasmodic Dysphonia

My last post ended with me hearing about this healing bed that works mainly by aligning the spine with the use of healing mineral stones.  Having heard that they give free trials, I decided to check it out.

When I arrived at the address stated in the flyer, I almost turned back - because the whole hall was jam-packed with people - mostly senior citizens.  Luckily, there is a separate room for first timers. But even that had a queue, so I had to wait outside for a couple of minutes.  I could hear a seminar/talk being conducted by a nurse regarding the benefits of the machine.

She was holding a doctor's sample skeleton, but it was just the spine.  It looked like this:

Doctor's plastic spine from Google

The nurse bent the "spine" towards the right.  As the spine was leaning, she pointed to the right side of the spine where the vertebrae are stacked together.  She then pointed to invisible nerves and blood vessels that are now pinched on the right side.  "If the spine alignment is wrong, there will be impingement of blood vessels.  And if the blood vessels are pinched, there would be less blood nutrients that can go to that particular organ ... "

By that time, I was imagining nutrients about to go to my vocal cords but are stopped because of vertebral impingement.  Or, I was thinking, perhaps if she's incorrect about the blood flow/blood vessels having a relation to vocal cord function, then nerve impingement could still be there.  So nerve communication could still be hindered.

Later on I found out that the Cervical Spine C3-C7 or the mid to lower neck areas are the ones that have nerves or blood vessels that are connected to the vocal cords.


Anyway to cut the story short, I tried it for about 12 to 15 consecutive days, liked it and bought the machine.  I also had scoliosis and upper back and neck pain so since the immediate effect was that of back pain, I decided to buy one and continue using it.  It was expensive though.  It costs about USD3,000 which is a lot of money here in our country if you convert it to Philippine peso.  But then, that's the way it is, medical relief comes with a price.  But it is worth it, for me.

The name of the machine is Nuga Best.  It's basically a bed with jade rollers.  You lie on it flat on your back and the roller goes up and down the spine massaging the back.

It wasn't hard for me to believe in the good effects of spinal alignment because I have been exposed to chiropractic in my teenage years.  And as for the jade stone rollers, because I know that jade stones have energy-giving properties.  I am half Chinese.  My grandmother made my sister wear a jade bracelet from China and somehow she noticed that she had been healthier when she was wearing it.  She contracted most of her illnesses after her bracelet broke and she didn't have it replaced.  She's back to wearing one.  It might be superstition for some, but I believe there is a scientific mineral composition explanation to it.

Well, I've been using the Nuga Best bed for 2 years now and it still helps my spine.  I'm not sure if it is this or the specialized voice therapy that has helped with my voice.  I did both in conjunction.  But perhaps the combined effect was synergistic.  I was re-training my voice with therapy and Nuga Best was helping solidify the new voice and heal the muscles and ligaments of the vocal cords.

My Spasmodic Dysphonia and the Provincial Life

No voice = No income.

When I stopped earning, it was too expensive for me to live in Makati City (one of the Philippines' cities with the highest cost of living).  Therefore, I went back to my hometown, Tuguegarao.  

I'd have to admit, I wasn't too happy going back to the province -- the fields, rivers, caves, the cattle.  Yes, it does sound calm and serene, but I was in my mid- to late 20s!  I wanted to live in the city!  I loved my job!  I was getting paid really well and I've just recently been promoted!

Who dares to say that losing your voice is only a minor thing?  Don't we use our voices to order at restaurants, tell the cab driver where we're going, order water delivery, reply to the bank teller?  I know, they told me I can just nod and sign.  But it'll still be pretty awkward.  I tried, but then I get this weird look from the bank teller -- thinking that I'm either a snob or dumb.  I can't exactly blame them, anyhow.  My actions were kind of strange, not speaking.

So... when I arrived in my hometown, I shut myself in at home.  For 3 months.  Going out only for groceries and to go to church.

During that time, I was researching on other ways to get well.  I was looking up Dr. Morton Cooper, following his YouTube videos, learning about Connie Pike, Mike White's breathing techniques, and the rest of the SD treatments I've posted (link: http://voicecuresuk.blogspot.com/2012/09/spasmodic-dysphonia-therapies-reviews.html ).

One day, I saw a flyer about this miracle healing bed that supposedly cures a lot of ailments.  It says that the treatment is mainly about slowly aligning the spine (they use healing stones to do it which should add to the healing, I was told) and therefore releasing pinched nerves and other blockages so that the blood and nutrients would reach those specific organs that ails you -- so I was thinking my vocal cords now.  I also saw there's a free trial for it!

.... Running out of blogging time.  It's a Sunday and we have family lunch!  More about the bed on my next post ... 
  

 

Losing my Corporate Job Completely

Previously, I mentioned that my company granted me 6 months of sick leave, unpaid of course. I took that time to rest and focus on my voice healing. When the time came for me to go back to work, I still couldn't speak that well, and I feared that getting back into the swing of things would stress my vocal cords too much. My boss was truly generous for she offered me another 6 months of extension.



Fast forward to the end of that 2nd 6 months, I knew and felt in my voice that I cannot go back anymore. At least not when I'm not confident that my voice would stay even under pressure. And I don't want to shortchange my employer by going back, getting a good salary and being just half as effective (my work includes talking 70% of the time). So I had to officially resign.

It was a really depressing season for me. The uncertainty about my health and now the added uncertainty about my career. I was wondering how people with disabilities cope. I was thinking perhaps people who had their disabilities at a young age or since birth were much more likely to be able to adapt. It was especially hard when one has such high expectations of oneself. I used to be so goal-oriented, success-driven. I took failures very badly.



I guess since I have a Type A personality, and I've come face to face with something that makes me feel like it's not within my control -- I get upset!! That's how I felt.

Since then, I've learned to adjust. I'm still a Type A personality, I couldn't change, or... I don't know. Is it possible to change one's basic trait or predisposition? But all I know is that I'm still the same, I am still goal-oriented. I'm still driven to succeed. But there's a change in my thinking. At the way I approach things. I've learned the power of letting go - when needful. I still believe in working hard, but now I work hard outwardly but with internal peace. Striving, but with a happy attitude. And although I now have 65-75% of my voice back, I continue to adopt the "internal peace" demeanor. Somehow, it has helped me more than I thought it would.

Just the other day, I rode on a tricycle. The driver didn't hear me clearly and asked me to repeat myself. I felt frustration building up within me but I remembered to let it go. So I took a deep breath, relaxed my shoulders, and tried again. Thankfully, he understood what I said this time.

Looks like removing internal frustration, and just letting things be ("So what if he didn't understand me? I'll just repeat what I said. Simple as that.") somehow allowed my voice to get out from my throat.