Western Peripheral Neuropathy Celebrates 20 years

A disease diagnosis a personal journey.  Your choices are personal and entirely up to you.  Having the support of people living the same diaganosis is extremely beneficial.  Knowing you're not alone as you journey through the unknown is comforting.

Brains and Balance Lady

Support groups start by the vision of one person.  The visionary for Peripheral Neuropathy is Bev Anderson.  It all started b/c of an un-mowed lawn..  Bev is an amazing leader who made possible the emotional support and sharing of scientific research and best practices among people who are living with Peripheral Neuropathy.

Last Saturday, the Sacramento Chapter of the Western Peripheral Neuropathy Support Group met at Cattleman's for the 20th Anniversary Luncheon.

Old friends reunited and new friends chatted. Delicious food and stimulating conversation were celebrated by people who share the struggles of peripheral nerve damage.

During the meal we shared stories and talked research.  I  shared some holistic bran-based strategies to help with peripheral neuropathy.  

I reminded everyone that nerves need two things to be healthy: blood supply and movement.   Then I told them to rub their feet and breathe into a bag.  

When you've tried everything and nothing works, it's time to try something else.  I offered holistic, brain-based fitness techniques that will optimize the function of the nervous system; peripheral nerves included.  

Foot Flow for Peripheral Neuropathy Coming Soon!

If you're interested in learning how to take care of your nerves, contact me for a private session that could transform the way you feel and move.

Brains and Balance Lady,
Formerly known as The Fall Prevention Lady

92 year old loses 20 pounds and 6 inches with Brain-Based Training

I've been working with a 92-year old client for roughly six months.   He trains three times a week for one-hour.  As his trainer, I've seen progressive changes in his performance and every once in awhile, I'll look at him and notice the big changes like his posture.

When I met him, he was bent over with kyphosis and scoliosis, shuffling and easily winded.  Over the past few month, I've seen him stand taller, stand straight, pick up his feet and lengthen his walking gait, practice getting up and down from the floor, crawl on the floor and control his breathing.   He's an entirely different person now; stronger, more confident and his slight dementia is even less.

His family is thrilled with his progress.  His son wanted his father to lose weight.  I told him that as his father gained control over his body through brain training and built muscle with resistance training, weight loss would be a natural by-product.

Well, his son sent me his personal measurements that he'd been keeping of his father and I was so proud of his progress, I had to share this:

				Left Side  (inches)		Right Side (inches)
Date	Time	Weight	BP	Foot - Ball	Ankle	Foot - Ball	Ankle	Waist (inches)
3/17/2018	8:15 PM	232.4	145/84					51 1/2
3/18/2018	7:10 PM	230.6	138/80	11 1/4	11	11 3/4	11
5/5/2018	5:30 PM	223.8		10 3/4	11	10 3/4	11	49
10/13/2018	1:00 PM	210.8		10.25	9.5	10.5	10.5	45.5

The man is 92 years old and he's lost 6 inches in his waist and 22 pounds of fat!  The swelling in his feet is down and his blood pressure measurements are now between 111/69 and 128/74.

This man is NOT on any medications and I've convinced his family to feed him whole foods that feed his metabolism; orange juice with hydrolyzed collagen protein, ice cream with salt, steak, potatoes, fruits, eggs, dairy, chocolate milk.

And this man has lost 22 pounds.  Praise God.  Brain-based training is the future of fitness and it's never too late to start.  At 92 years of age, you can lose 22 pounds, 6 inches from your waist and get stronger every day!

Glory to God!
Brains and Balance Lady,
formerly known as The Fall Prevention Lady

3 sisters in Brains and Balance Training class.

I just started my October session of Brains and Balance Training in Fair Oaks at the Fair Oaks United Methodist Church.  First of all, I want to publicly acknowledge my blessings and thank the Lord for this opportunity to teach my classes at such a beautiful location.  Glory to God.

This month, I have a small, close knit group that is eager to learn how to improve their balance.  I have to say that this is one of the neatest groups I have ever trained because I am blessed to have three sisters, all over the age of 74, in this one training class!

3 Sisters.  One Love.  Movement is Life!  

Coming from a small family that is spread all over the country, it warms my heart to see these sisters support each other in this life saving training.  Each sister brings a different set of skills and different set of stability challenges but all of them are open to the benefits of  brain-based training to improve balance.


Their open-mindedness to 'brains and balance training' is because they all have seen how their younger sister Sue has flourished from this brain-based training.  Their younger sister has turned her life around with brain-based training and the older sisters are ready to give it a try.  Praise God.

Younger sister Sue is a happily married, retired school teacher who is ready to travel the world with her husband.   The only problem is she keeps falling.  She's afraid to move.  She's overweight and her knees are killing her.  She's in chronic pain and scared to walk down steps, especially the ones in her RV.  Her husband is a loving man but she can't keep relying on him to get in and out of the RV.

After attending my Brains and Balance classes, Sue could stand up without using her hands and learned techniques to reduce her knee pain.  She's living her life confidently now and she wants to spread the love to her sisters.  As a result, I have all three sisters and a family friend in this month's session.  Long-time Fair Oaks native Marvin joined us on Monday so we have quite a bunch.

We're all coming from different circumstances but we all have one thing in common:  balance that isn't what it used to be, a body that isn't doing what we want and a body that is showing years of abuse and neglect.

Each one of us is trying the best we can to make it in this life.  We all face different challenges and have different strengths.  Come together on the journey to better balance with others who want the same thing as you:  ability to live the life you have worked hard to enjoy!

Lower blood pressure naturally with brain-based training

I have been working with a 92-year old client for the past five months.  While he is one of the healthiest seniors I've met, his blood pressure on the right side has been notably high this past week.   First of all, if your doctor isn't taking your blood pressure on both sides, FIRE HIM/HER IMMEDIATELY.  Second of all, if your personal trainer doesn't know holistic ways to lower blood pressure, fire him/her immediately.

As a Z-Health Brain Practitioner, I've studied the brainstem which controls autonomic processes such as blood pressure.  As a certified and practicing Z-Health Practitioner, I implement drills that activate the brainstem, resulting in lowered blood pressure, without medication.   In this client's case, I active right cortex to lower right blood pressure. 

Today's measurements are a perfect example.   

Starting blood pressure measurements:

Right:  138/89.  Considered high by medical professionals.

Left:   128/78. Considered borderline high by medical professionals. 

Ending:  After one hour of brain-based training, blood pressure measurements: his numbers were perfect!

Right:  111/74.  Within normal limits, perfect without medication

Left:    114/70.   Within normal limits, perfect without medication.  

As you can see, there is quite a difference between the right and left side at the beginning of the session.  If my client went to his doctor, and they took his blood pressure on the right side, he would be diagnosed as hypertensive and been prescribed high blood pressure medication.

IF they measured his left side, he would be borderline and perhaps given blood pressure medication.  Either way, this man does NOT need to be on blood pressure medication; he needs to be active!

Without any medication, this older guy, over age 90, lowered his blood pressure through brain-based exercises.  I activated his right cortex to lower right side autonomics.  But since he leans right, I also focus on left frontal lobe activation drills.  

Today was a perfect combination of vision, vestibular and proprioceptive drills to activate both the right and left cortex which results in lower autonomic measurements like blood pressure.  The take-home message is ditch your medications and start moving with a trainer who activates the muscles and senses of the brain for better output.  

Brain-based training is the future of fitness.   I am educated and trained to active the muscles and senses involved in balance and optimized performance.  Move better.  See better. Balance better.  

It's real.