sensitive

it seems like my body is getting more sensitive in a lot of different ways

for example, my skin.  i'm having trouble finding a deodorant that doesn't eat me alive.  even the natural ones i've tried are hurting me.  and my mouth can start tingling from eating inadequately washed fruit.  i also got a rash on my thighs recently.  when i tried to think back, the only thing i could think of that had changed was that one time in the shower, instead of using the health-food-store soap i usually use, i grabbed the my husband's soap.  it was ivory brand, for goodness sakes!  could i really have had a reaction to ivory soap?

another form of sensitivity is that i have a more physical reaction to everyday stresses.  i'm not feeling any more emotional about stuff than i usually do, but little things like forgetting an errand will trigger a butterflies-in-the-stomach, adrenaline kind of feeling, and i almost feel like i might get a hot flash, but i don't

and the one that's annoying me the most right now is that i'm more sensitive to unpleasant sounds.  you know how it feels when you hear someone scratch a chalkboard?  i now have the same reaction to three more sounds that never bothered me before: the scraping sound that baking powder makes when you scoop it out of the can, the sound that the metal spout on the box of salt makes as it rubs against the cardboard when you open it, and the sound of styrofoam rubbing against styrofoam.  just thinking about these sounds is giving me the heebie-jeebies

so i'm just a big bundle of nerves, huh?

good old susun weed suggests that we should approach health issues through the six steps of healing.  here's how she describes them:

Step 0: Do nothing (sleep, meditate, unplug the clock or the telephone).  A vital, invisible step.

this one is probably a very good idea.  sleep certainly helps maintain a healthy nervous system

Step 1: Collect information (low-tech diagnosis, reference books, support groups, divination).

i've started gathering a little info.  here's a lady who talks a little about having edgy nerves associated with menopause (it's the last paragraph in her hot flash article).  and there's a discussion in the susun weed forums about skin sensitivity.  and here are some theories about why we hate certain sounds

Step 2: Engage the energy (prayer, homeopathic remedies, crying, visualizations, ritual, aromatherapy, color, laughter).

i think this step would include the questions that we're encouraged to ask ourselves when looking at a condition in a holistic way: how is this problem my ally? how does this condition benefit me? how can i open to receive the gift of this situation? how can i nourish wholeness in myself, my community and the earth in this situation? i can view this as my body asking to be treated in a gentler way -- fewer chemicals, more organic foods and natural products, less stress, a less dissonant environment.  moving away from harshness and toward gentleness would surely be a good thing

Step 3: Nourish and tonify (herbal infusions/vinegars, love, some herbal tinctures, life-style changes, physical activities, moxibustion).

for nourishing and easing the nervous system, oatstraw and yoga are obvious choices

Step 4: Stimulate/Sedate (hot/cold water, many herbal tinctures, acupuncture, most massage, alcohol). Risk of developing dependence on step 4 remedies is influenced by frequency (how often), dosage (how much), and duration (how long).

Step 5a: Use supplements (synthesized/concentrated vitamins or minerals, special foods like royal jelly or spirulina). Supplements are not step 3. There's always the risk with synthesized/concentrated substances that they'll do more harm than good, e.g., the men who took fish liver oil in capsules and had a greater mortality from heart disease (the oil was rancid).

Step 5b: Use drugs (synthesized alkaloids, oral and injectable hormones, high dilution homeopathics). Overdose may cause grave injury or death.

Step 6: Break and enter (fear-inspiring language, surgery, colonics, Rolfing, psychoactive drugs, invasive "diagnostic" tests such as mammograms and biopsies). Side effects are inevitable and may include permanent injury or death.

i don't intend to move up to steps 4, 5, or 6 in dealing with this.  just be good to myself and accept myself as a more sensitive person

Comments

[Sue Richards]

I changed my underarm routine about 2 years ago. Now I use a cream, once every ten days or so, called Lavilin.

No reaction. Odour free. But sweat glands still work.

Sue Richards

[LAmom]

Thanks, Sue! I'll give that a try.

[sravana]

I'm so glad I found this post, LAMom - I've been menopausal for a while, but am recently having skin sensitivities and rashes - most recently to IVORY SOAP. So I'm not surprised that you had some problems with it as well...

[Herbal Remedies]

I very much agree on the part wherein the person concerned should consider alternatives when contemporary treatments make you more sick. What's good about
herbal remedies is that their bioactive compounds are easily adapted by the body, therefore induce therapeutic healing without the side effects.