Varicose Vein Oedema Inclined Bed Therapy Study Alternative to Surgery

OldDragon
21/08/2008 04:51:33 »

Thanks, Alun - I also hope that I 'get well soon' too - but having spent many a year aiming to do that, fear that my various afflictions may be with me to the grave. wink Have I ever mentioned to you how, at Christmas time, I am not adverse to sending out more than a few 'Get Well Soon' cards in place of the more conventional types? This, alas, is devilment, I admit, and hardly a sign of me getting well at all!

I have, early this night, spent sometime chatting with a very old pal, currently staying with Mike, and while he shares some of his tales of the road to assist with Bed Blockers. Also, because he is a 'man of the road' I wondered how he was finding it, sleeping on an inclined bed whilst with Mike.

I don't know what medical conditions this fellow might have, but he most certainly looks very fit and healthy for his age - which I guess must now be well into his 70s.

Now, this fellow has a very luxuriant beard and a mane of white hair, and he told me that on more than one occasion when he has been busking, children have approached him and asked him if he is God?

"Is that really who I look like to you?" he'd ask them.

"Yes, they would reply."

One day a child replied - "Well, you look like more like a Smurf to me."

My old friend was most amused by that - especially because, for many years, that is the name he has always used - Smurf. cheesy

Of course, that story had me in hoots of laughter, so, alas, I am not yet fully in control of either the back problem/spasms, or my ability to deal with the sleep disorder!

One thing that Smurf did remark to me was that, since spending a few nights on an inclined bed, he has observed some remarkable changes in his own system.

Firstly, his feet are now warmer; secondly, that his legs appear to have stopped aching as they usually do when the weather is cold and wet; and, last but not least, he is er... Well, shall we just say that he's been affected by that which appears to be afflicting some of the male members of the writing team, as well as several of the fellow inhabitants of The Risings Residential Care Home!

Alun Alison and all the members of the TRPD circle of friends.

Your support is unprecedented! In the 14 years I have been battling to make this discovery become accepted as a scientific truth in its own right, I have not had the luxury of people as dedicated to the cause as you guys.

The Comedy film being written, which is fascinating and although complicated for someone who has never been involved in writing a script for a film, Alison is easing the process for those who might want to help in its evolution onto the big screen.

Having never considered a comedy, there is a logic in this approach that has escaped me. No barriers of cynicism and contempt can counter a British sense of humour and we do not need the stupid controls and bureaucratic idiotic bull that has been a barrier against progressing this into mainstream for so long. Far from it the comedy aspects of the film remove all barriers in one clean sweep and leave us with a blank canvas to amuse an audience while at the same time showing how this simple yet powerful therapy has transformed the health of those that who have no other motive than to improve the outcome of their often poor prognosis.

The film (working title: The Risings) stands erect as a title for this amusing romp because another beneficial effect of IBT is an increase in libido and a return of erectility to improve sexual activity even in people who have been labelled by society as being way past their sell by dates. I have also been informed that pain associated with intercourse and following intercourse in males can be excruciatingly troublesome. This problem in one case has also been resolved.

This is where the fun begins in the aptly named Risings Nursing Home. And the advice from the cinema management on the poster for this film is for people to bring their own incontinence pads to save the seats from becoming sodden with urine from agonising laughter.

It takes a touch of genius to go in the opposite direction and Alison who is dealing with Chemo therapy and breast cancer among other medical conditions somehow finds time to put herself and her own problems on the back burner and shine a light down a familiar long dark tunnel so that we can see the way forward. The Risings Film is segmented and shared out to willing writers, many who are in this just for the thrill of testing their skills of giving birth to fictional characters and introducing them to the cast list with military precision and without any alternative motive other than to see IBT deliver its predictable health improvements.

Alun constantly informs me that his veins are improving and that he now enjoys wearing shorts instead of support stockings and trousers. He informs me that pains he has had for many years are easing and often not present for a week or more. For a 33 years young man who has hidden his legs for many years and who was seriously considering surgery based on expert opinion, who is now disproving the somewhat erroneous prognosis and is enjoying a new found freedom shown with photographic evidence must be a powerful visual kick in the balls for those who make a huge amount of money from surgical procedures that are destined to fail because they do not address the cause of the pressure inside the varicose vein.

My own experience photographed above with an Achilles injury and bruising to the bottom of my foot. Every day my foot swells up because I am too stupid to keep off it and it becomes painful. Every night I go to bed and sleep Inclined and every morning my foot is normal size apart from the swelling in the Achilles tendons and surrounding tissue.
This flies in the face of current literature, which predicts the foot will swell more unless the leg is elevated. It does nothing of the kind and again shows consistent errors in the literature that is installed into the brains of surgeons nurses and doctors, who in turn will install it into more surgeons nurses and doctors.

This is a diabolical scandal, perpetuated by the very people who swear to do no wrong to their patients. Yet ulceration, circulatory failure, amputations and death are common place in our hospitals using this erroneous approach and something needs to be done about it sooner rather than later. The notion that if you can’t blind them with science you can baffle them with bullshit must surely fit the perpetuation of this unnecessary inhumane suffering, when simply tilting the bed can assist a speedy recovery.

In years to come the pre IBT Era will be looked upon as the dark ages in medicine, much the same as the agonising screams coming from the battlefields wounded as their limbs are amputated with no aesthetic or painkillers.

And yet many people reading this thread fail miserably to grasp the significance of these photographs and statements? Why is this? Is it because it is too simple to be true?
Is it because the discovery was made by an engineer who is not afraid to get his hands dirty rather than a qualified doctor or surgeon?

What doctor or surgeon would dare to go against his or her peers and spend 14 years of their life fighting to have these errors corrected in the literature?

Andrew K Fletcher

OldDragon
28/08/2008 11:41:37 »

Effecting a change in anything takes time, Andrew, and just as folk like myself can only manage a little at a time, rather than attempting to tackle everything at once, moving a mountain, a shovelful at a time, takes time... but many shovels speed up the process!

My own doctor's paying attention now, and as I know the practice he belongs to have several doctors and often they have meetings where they discuss specific cases, I aim to ask him if he has mentioned the improvements in my condition to the others?

Yes, it's going to take time, but by quietly spreading the word about IBT from a personal perspective, and encouraging others to do the same, changes can take place in attitudes - and especially when the medical people involved can actually see and test - by way of BP improvements as well as the clear, visible signs apparent to all - it will help them to revise their text-book learned beliefs.
I am really hoping that, having had recent x-rays of the mess in my lumbar spine, in time and with only the IBT as an influencing factor, if improvements in that can be noted, that will also help to convince them of its benefits.

One thing that does slightly concern me though, is that x-rays and records relating to my back and at around the time of my original accident, do not appear to be in my medical file or even on record! That really IS strange, because those were most definitely used when I was involved in a legal claim against the builder whose negligence caused the accident.

I know that solicitors often only retain on file things for seven years after a case, so possibly they won't have the information either... I am going to try to find out, though.

Karen W.
28/08/2008 12:39:30 »

I wanted to let you know Andrew that my neighbor Has been a timber worker for most his life and has some pretty severe back problems.. he spent a great deal of time climbing and delimbing giant Redwoods, fur etc...He has run miscelaneous machines in the woods and suffers from sleep apnea and spinal pain... A couple of months ago his doctor told him to incline his bed.. which he did .... He has enjoyed much relief from his sleep apnea and is resting quite well now. His back is feeling better but he was annoyed that he and his wife find themselves slipping off the bottom of the bed at night! They wake with their feet hanging off the bottom.. I have only just 2 days ago told her how to roll a blanket to put under her covers at the bottom to help prevent the slide and also eliminate hard pressure on their feet..

She said they will try it.. It helped in my bed to add the blanket at the bottom, so I hope it will for them also!
I felt this was encouraging news for you... Doctors here are starting to use IBT more often.. My Doctor has asked and I need to get my bed fixed and try again.... Maybe there will be more results second time round and I will notice more during the IBT then after I quit! LOL.. Thats when I realized the differences.. When I talked with Iko some time back I had really felt there had been little benefit, but after being off the bed a while I saw that I had received more benefits but did not realize it until all these things started becoming a problem again.. LOL.. "You think wow! That hasn't happened for a long time! Whats wrong?" Then the light comes on... LOL... or the bed!!! Yikes.. best put it back up!!
Thanks Andrew from my heart to Yours!
Hi Karen

Thank you, for your post about your neighbours sleep apnoea and spinal pain.

I have heard of a few doctors who are recommending Inclined Bed Therapy, including a director of a chain of spinal injury rehabilitation centres in the USA.

To prevent slipping place an extra blanket or quilt under the bottom sheet. This does the trick.

Wish more doctors over here were interested in this simple therapy.

Hope you have managed to get your bed altered again as I feel IBT has a lot to offer you in the long term.

It is very common to forget past troubles with medical conditions. People generally don’t complain about feeling well. Your reverting back to sleeping flat and noticing changes has highlighted some of the benefits of IBT that you may have missed otherwise.

Hope to see some updates from you soon.

regards

Andrew

OldDragon
30/08/2008 23:30:49 »

Time for some stats, Andrew, although the weight one can wait! My scales are lodged in tight behind the loo and I am NOT about to risk fishing them out and kicking my back off in the process! grin

BP 135/78
Pulse:87;
Body Fat: 47.9%;
Body Water: 36.4%;
Body Muscle: 48.9%;
Respiration 8 per min.
Calves: Left 39.5cms; Right: 40cms.

Not perfect, but it has been one heck of a day and I've not had a chance to rest before doing the BP and heart rate. Just had to clean up after the ex's dog, who seems to think a floor cloth dropped on the floor was a hind for him to do his business on it! undecided

Also, with it being only a day since the last chemo infusion, I'm back on the old IBS trip and rapid dashes to the bathroom! At least the haemorrhoids are not too bad so far... that must surely be down to IBT?

Feeling a bit queasy, but suspect the anti-sickness drugs may be as much responsible for that, than anything? I felt okay before taking the first dose of the one this morning. Might just risk trying the combination of the other two rather than including the third and see how it goes tomorrow. Sticking to a very plain diet... but I do have some lovely king prawns in the fridge that need using today... Supper, perhaps with a bit of lettuce and dressing? grin

There is still some hardness noticeable to the touch in the varicose vein recently affected by the phlebitis, but that s gradually dissipating now, and not too painful, but I am still sticking with muddying my walking boots rather than wearing my wellies. I think I may need to cut the tops of those off and so that they are kept below that vein, as it is almost always that one that gets affected by the phlebitis. Either that or see if any weigh loss will bring on a further reduction in the size of my calves - mind you, I am fairly large boned and my lower legs don't look particularly fat now that the oedema isn't affecting them. In fact, I can feel the chips in the shin bones now from various riding accidents/kicks over the years! roll eyes wink

Got a friend to check out my monitor today and her body water was only 42.4% - I think, or maybe 42.6%?. Others have checked it too, and all between 55% and 70% - and one interesting point is that the two of us who have low body water readings have both had hysterectomies, but none of the others who tested it have. I wonder if that could be a factor?

alun006
31/08/2008 17:40:47 »

Hi Old Dragon / Andrew

I have been really pleased with the way the i.b.t has helped with my knee pain, and last night i had a attack after 2 weeks of nothing.

I could not take painkillers when the pain came on, as i had been having a tipple. I just went to my inclined bed and hoped for the best, almost 20mins after the pain was gone.

This observation was worth a note because in the past i have always had a 2nd attack that was always worse than the first, this has not happened. grin

It has been very humid hear, today noting 94 percent. I am glad i got a de-humidifier, and it is certainly taking on board water aswell.

Hope you get better with your ongoing treatment Old Dragon.

Cheers Alun

Old Dragon: 03/09/2008 02:09:40 »
I managed to see my doc today, despite the raptor receptionist who refused me an appointment until next week - when, incidentally, my doctor is on leave! (One of these days I really will write a letter of complaint about that woman!)

I'd actually written a letter to my doctor, and took it up to the local surgery, where the receptionist there is lovely and the daughter of a friend. She took my letter straight through, along with the eggs for the doctor that he likes, and it seemed he wanted to see me! Felt bad, as I was queue-jumped straight in but could easily have waited.

Whatever, he wanted just to check me for signs of dehydration, because I'd mentioned in the letter about the low body water percentage, and he was satisfied I was okay that way. The other thing that being on the IBT trial and with people following my case study there had been suggesting - no, insisting - that I spoke to my doctor about was the possibility that I have arachnoiditis? I'd dismissed that originally, as I've not had spinal surgery or an epidural, which is what some were asking me about, or directing me to websites that were dealing with that aspect.

BINGO! The doctor only had to look back through my medical file and to see for himself what various other doctors in the practice had recorded over the years, and the symptoms I'd presented with, to realise that the medical research and qualified people on here were very probably correct.

We had a little chat about it, but I was able to say that, for now, and with the history that I have of these symptoms, even though it is incurable, at least I feel that between us we have the measure of it as it affects me, and it's under control. At least with that diagnosis now on my records, it may make any surgeons, or 'Dr. Gods' I might encounter later on, pay attention and listen to me when I tell them my back's a bigger concern to me than the cancer!

Had a long chat on the phone tonight with Andrew, which was nice, although he probably thinks I burned his ears a bit on a few things Aim to pass on some more stuff of Andrew's to my doctor, who seems to have certainly eaten his words now about my oedema getting worse on IBT! He's really amazed how much it's helping me and has seen the evidence in front of him, along with the records of my stats to back it all up. I don't think he has ever been able to actually SEE the bones in my legs before, but now I can even feel the old chip's and injury sites on my shin bones and from riding accidents I've had (kicks and various collisions with jumps/fences etc) that date back to my teens!

One more thing that I have noticed, and was told that IBT can help - my eyesight seems to be improving! Yes, really! Weird as it sounds, I was borderline for needing glasses to drive with last year when tested, but couldn't see the instrument panel dials well enough to read them clearly, as I'm very long sighted. Today, my specs kept steaming up with all the rain, and when I drove from the fields and seeing to the horses up to the doctor's, I took the specs off and suddenly realised I could read the numbers on my speedo!

Whatever, despite having had it confirmed about the arachnoiditis, I feel really good at the moment. Nothing's really changed, anyway regarding the back, and because I've lived with it for years anyway, so there's no point getting down on that score. Better, surely, to look at the positives that can result from the diagnosis, and all the other things that I feel are coming along better.

OldDragon
05/09/2008 16:49:11 »

Well, after getting soaked to the skin today and sinking into a foot of mud and slurry, and whilst only daring to wear my walking boots rather than wellies after that latest, nasty bout of phlebitis, I am about to take a pair of strong, sharp scissors to my wellies! Am aiming to cut away the area that causes direct pressure on the varicose vein that is regularly affected by phlebitis. Although that has almost recovered now, there are still a few hard, lumpy areas present to the touch, and I don't want to cause it to be kicked off again.

OldDragon
07/09/2008 12:29:39 »

Andrew, I posted the following on a Welsh forum that I belong to, please let me know if I have missed anything out, as someone there asked me what IBT stood for because I'd mentioned it in a post and in passing...

Quote
Original question: What's IBT, never heard of the abbreviation ???'

IBT stands for Inclined Bed Therapy. It was discovered by medical researcher and engineer, Andrew K Fletcher and back in the 1990s. However, his idea was dismissed simply because it appears to fly in the face of the previous beliefs on the part of the medical text books about how the circulatory system works. Andrew discovered that, instead of the heart being solely responsible for pumping our blood around the system, gravity also played a vital part, and especially in removing toxins and solutes from the blood, and removing these from the body via the kidneys and urine.

For a long time, I have had problems with varicose veins and oedema, and periodic bouts of phlebitis, so when, a few months ago, I discovered a study was being done on The Naked Scientists forum - see this link: Varicose Veins & IBT Study - I followed some of the links shown there, and realised that this could also help a long term back problem that I have, and other conditions, too.

Andrew agreed that I could join in the study group, and I spoke with my doctor about it too. My doctor said he couldn't see any reason why I shouldn't join in, but to expect my oedema and varicose veins to get worse! This because instead of raising the legs, one sleeps at a 5 degree angle and with the legs lower than the head. Well, he was astonished to see the difference himself, because my oedema disappeared within days! My calves were measured prior to commencing IBT and after, and they reduced in size by as much as 5cms - about 2.5"!

I also started to get decent quality, restorative sleep almost immediately, which is something I've not experienced for years! Indeed, due to my back problem, and a natural chemical reaction that it seems to cause when flaring, very often I would go for days or even weeks at a time without any sleep at all, or just brief periods of dozing, and when in a sitting position, because often the back would not even allow me to assume a prone position.

Other benefits include a lowering of blood pressure - and a friend (aged 58 and in Wales) who was recently told by his doctor that his BP was so dangerously high that he could die at any moment, commenced IBT and with almost immediate benefits! His BP, and without medication, has now reduced consistently to a range between 130/75 and 120/70, and sometimes as low as 110/65! His doctor was stunned by this result!

Now that I have been doing IBT for a couple of months, I am beginning to notice improvements in my back problem. This I was told likely wouldn't be noticeable for four to eight months, and mainly because there are two conditions that affect my spine. In the lumbar region, I have osteoarthritis, and there I have noticed a lessening of the pain in that region. In fact, sometimes I realise I don't even have that dull ache that never seemed to go away at all! Higher up, and in the thoracic region, I've been affected by periods of severe inflammation and pain, including severe muscle spasms (like electric shocks) that can sometimes have a paralysing effect and make breathing difficult and also affects the use of my hands and arms. After many years, that has finally been diagnosed as arachnoiditis, and after those medically qualified people following the IBT trial recognised the symptoms and alerted me to mention it to my doctor, when all the pointers over the years suddenly fell into place! Whatever, there has definitely been a lessening of the incidents of inflammation and therefore muscle spasms and their strength since commencing IBT. (Also my need to take medication to address thesee!) I have also started to lose some weight at last, and had been really struggling to do that for years, and largely because I wasn't able to exercise much at all - and now I can (to some degree) and without aggravating the back!

There are lots of conditions that IBT can help to improve, and quality of life is not the least amongst them! The best of it is, it is virtually free! Raising the head end of the bed just 6" can be achieved with a couple of breeze blocks - even recycled ones! In my case, and because of the type of legs on my bed-settee, I chose to have wooden blocks made with a hollowed out section in them that would hold the bed's legs securely in place, and those cost me just £30! A price well worth paying for the improvement in my sleep quality alone, and because now I have energy again, and feel really quite well! (This even despite undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer during much of the time I've been doing the IBT trial!)

If you think it could help you, why not just try it? Beg a couple of old breeze blocks from a builder, wrap them in old towels to protect you carpet or flooring, and raise the HEAD end of your bed by 6". Do make sure that you drink plenty of fluids too, and so that you don't become dehydrated as the solutes and toxins are removed from your body. IBT provides quite a powerful detox to the system and you may well find yourself popping to the bathroom on a more regular basis. If you find yourself slipping down the bed a bit, wrap an extra duvet around the mattress and under the sheet to provide some extra comfort and friction, also don't sleep in pants that could cut into the groin a bit, and do remove any footboard from the bed to avoid pressure on the feet. You can always add a throw over the end of the bed to keep your feet warm if the poke out a bit, but one thing I have really noticed, is that my previously cold feet (due to poor circulation) are now like toast!

There are a huge number of medical conditions that can benefit from IBT, including heart conditions, sleep apnoea, breathing problems, spinal problems, arthritis, MS, circulatory problems, skin conditions, and so on.

So far the only person amongst those friends whom I've recommended it to to complain about its benefits, is a chap who has suddenly started getting early morning erections on a regular basis, and after years of having a problem in that department! Others that have discovered this same thing don't see to consider it a problem at all - at least, not one they cannot deal with! In fact, it's been quite a handy thing when it comes to couples where the wife may have had leg problems and the husband being reluctant to raise their bed just for his wife's benefit! Fit people trying it, have noticed that they wake feeling more refreshed and energetic, and young, fit couples, tell me that yes, it does seem to improve their love lives too! (Well, haven't the Welsh always been a passionate race? wink )

If you think there's anything that I might need to add, or have missed out anything important, please let me know, thanks. happy