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Blogroll

Under construction– more links to come!

Chronic pain/health issues

Life in Slow Motion, Esther Smith

Para Las Fridas

My Cuppa Jo, Joletta Belton

Injured Athlete’s Toolbox

Wear, Tear, and Care, Jennifer Kain Kilgore

Princess in the Tower and Inspire Portal, Jo Malby

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About Me

Christy Collins

Christy Collins

Hi, I'm Christy! I'm an aspiring physical therapist sharing what I've learned about health, fitness, and overcoming chronic pain.

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Please Note

I’m writing this blog to share what I’ve learned as a patient. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your healthcare routine.

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Recent Posts

  • **~My recovery from mast cell activation, and how the mind and body are SO connected~**
  • How the Dynamic Neural Retraining System is changing my life
  • A groundbreaking new study paves the way for future treatments for fibromyalgia
  • My diagnosis with mast cell activation syndrome
  • Piecing it together
  • I didn’t need one more thing to write about.

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Last fall, I was diagnosed with a rare condition called mast cell activation syndrome. I'm so fortunate that, very early into my illness, I went to a support group and met someone who had fully recovered using a program called the Dynamic Neural Retraining System. DNRS uses the concept of neuroplasticity– that “neurons that fire together, wire together.” It centers on the idea that many chronic, “mysterious” illnesses that doctors don’t fully understand can actually have a huge brain component– and that if you change what your brain is doing, you can change the reality of what is happening in your body. When you do DNRS, you are taking your brain out of a chronic state of fight or flight, and helping to grow the neural pathways associated with rest and digest. So I did it. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I couldn’t argue with my friend’s success. The program requires that you put in a minimum of an hour a day, every day, for 6 months. In the beginning, I did more than the hour minimum, because there are a lot of supplemental activities, journaling and writing prompts, etc. I’m happy to say that, 6 months later, I have noticed a HUGE difference. I'm pretty much back to my normal life. Read more of my story on my blog— link in my bio above! #brain #neuroplasticity #healing #science #dnrs #dynamicneuralretrainingsystem #limbicsystem
*The heat* I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t been dealing very well with the heat this summer. 🌞 That’s one symptom of fibromyalgia, or central sensitization (both terms refer to how the body can easily be overwhelmed by various stimuli). It’s almost embarrassing, how sensitive I am. I was trying to get away with just one air conditioner for my apartment— you know, as people do. To save 💰. But things are never so simple with central sensitization. Where someone else might just feel like their apartment is too hot, I’ve felt like I’ve been hit with a ton of bricks. I was honestly getting really upset about this until I remembered to do what I always do: slow down. Take a deep breath. Remember there is a name for what I’m experiencing, and that I always feel better when I try to learn about it. So I went back to my favorite video on central sensitization from Dr. Sletten at the Mayo Clinic. ✨ It’s really great because outlines some of the various symptoms and processes that our bodies use to keep things in balance— and that he symptoms of fibro/central sensitization occur when those systems go into hyperdrive. And he reminds us that there are doctors out there who know it’s absolutely NOT all in our heads. It’s a very empowering talk/video— check out the link in my blog post for more! #chronicillness #chronicpain #spoonie #fibromyalgia #fibro #invisibleillness #pain #fibromyalgia #butyoudontlooksick #physio #physicaltherapy #blogger #blog #anxiety #mentalhealth #health #healing #nervoussystem

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© Christy Collins and Sunlight in Winter, 2012- 2018.  Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

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