resources & thought-provoking ideas for flexible folk

Most of the posts on this blog start with hEDS as the baseline and expand outward to include MCAS and/or dysautonomia. In this one, I’m centering MCAS. Spring season brings its challenges for everyone, but when you’re a mastie? Spring can be particularly and specifically extra difficult for those of us with MCAS. This…

Did you expect to feel moved when you read The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros only to find that the main character, one Violet Sorrengail, lives with her book world’s version of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome? Would you be more interested in Rin, the protagonist of The Poppy Wars series if you discovered that she,…

The word paresis is of Greek origin and it indicates letting go of or weakening or slackness of muscle. It refers to partial paralysis rather than a complete stopping of movement (paralysis). When this word describes what’s going on with a person’s digestive system, it is a problem indeed. Gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying)…

Working with a health coach can be one of the most affirming, valuable, inspiring things you can do when you decide that yes, it is time to make some change. And yet, as a person with a complex condition (or list of conditions) it is, as always, a bit more challenging than what the…

How do you articulate your experience? Yes, this is a loaded question. If you read it and thought of your joints, your articulations, then you read it just fine. If you went to the implication of verbalizing, you are also correct. Even so, for the purposes of this blog post, I will focus…

Chicken soup for the soul? Eh. What about Chinese congee, or rice porridge, for zebras? To me, that sounds just right. In this blog post, consequently, I want share some thoughts about comfort food along with some encouragement for the zebra spirit. We all need encouragement, don’t you think?

Every season is nested into a context and has its own associations. What do you think about when you ponder winter season? Holidays, colder weather, the space in between fall and spring…? In my practice, about 80% of my EDS, MCAS, and/or POTS patients see winter through the lens of icy hands and feet…

What’s more important, the journey or the destination? This is a bit of a clichéd question and most of us know the answer to it. In theory, the best part is the journey, or the process of learning and growing and experiencing. The destination, of lesser importance, is the goal or outcome. But if…

Astragalus… you may have heard of it. If you have EDS and/or MCAS and are familiar with the supplement options popular within the community, you probably have tried it too. Astragalus grows in China, Mongolia, and North Korea and is a beloved herb in Asian tradition. Its Chinese name is huángqi (alternate spelling: huáng…

Self-care when you live with a complex disorder like EDS (especially if you have the usual add-ons like MCAS or POTS) is crucial…but what, for a person with chronic illness or pain, does this term actually mean? And how can a person create a meaningful program if they already dedicate considerable energy to making…