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To help prevent falls, learn why you fall.
There are two reasons: Your body is tripping you up, or
your environment is tripping you up! If you are beginning to
stumble a lot, find out if ifs because there’s a problem with the
way your body is working: dizziness, muscle weakness, balance
problems, or slippery floors, cluttered rooms etc. Polio doctors
and other health care providers can give you invaluable advice on
how to prevent falls and possible further disabilities resulting
from injury.
Stress increases the symptoms of PPS.
One of the ways to reduce stress is to give yourself
something to look forward to. Post Polio survivor Rhoda 0lkim
suggests we break our future pleasures into four categories: 1)
small pleasures that occur once a day, such as reading in bed and
eating some marshmallows; 2) larger weekly pleasures like watching a
favorite TV show; 3) monthly pleasures like going out to dinner and
a movie with a good friend; 4) Yearly events such as a vacation or a
favorite holiday. (Maybe the PPSGM annual seminar would fail into
this category. Ed.)
Don’t say to yourself, “Ah! It’s my PPS doing it!
Polio Survivors get the same diseases that everyone else
does, but often these illnesses are mistaken by the patient as
being more PPS symptoms when actually they’re indications of an
entirely different disease. If you come down with new symptoms,
especially ones that seem like Post Polio, check with your doctor
and make sure!
LAUGHTER....
A great medicine
Laughter isn’t just fun—it has great health benefits, too.
It stimulates a cardiovascular workout.
It produces endorphins, which counteract the production of stress
hormones.
It appears to optimize the immune system.
It reduces self-consciousness and boosts self-confidence.
It relaxes muscles and helps fight the chronic pain associated with
muscle tension.
So—get yourself to laugh—look into a mirror and laugh at yourself.
Relax, take a deep breath, breathe out and smile.
Remember funny moments and enjoy thinking about them.
Be around others who laugh.
Make others laugh and you will laugh, too. Index |
