lotusinthemud

sakyadhita uk: international association of buddhist women - july 4th 2010 at sukhavati, amida london

'Calling a Council of Buddhist Women'

Sunday 4th July 10 - 4pm

Acharya Modgala of the Amida Trust and Ani Jinpa Khandro (Beatrice Jutta Gassner), one of the Founder Members of Sakyadhita UK, would like to introduce Sakyadhita and invite you to a 'Council of Buddhist Women' with the aim to explore ways of mutual benefit in working together on an international and national level. Non-buddhist women who are sympathetic friends are also welcome.

'Good Companionship is the Whole of the Spiritual Life' (Buddha)
How does spiritual friendship differ from other forms of relationships – what does it mean, and how can it encourage and support us as daughters of the buddha?

'Sitting in Council' involves sitting in a circle exploring issues that are meaningful and relevant to us. A 'talking object' is passed around, giving each person the opportunity to listen and speak from the heart. In this way we can not only hear the spoken words but that which emerges in the spaces between them, as well as the quiet voice within the stillness of our own hearts. Following from that we can look at ways of working together and supporting each other. There is the aspect of being nourished, but also to gently go beyond our comfort zone in an environment that is safe enough. From sharing our stories we will follow the threads that are emerging – weaving them together creatively. There will also be time for reflection, meditation and chanting. Prior to the AGM

doctor convinced that m.e. is real, after many years of scepticism

From the 'Ask the Doctor' column, Daily Mail, 7 June 2010

By the way... at last I've been convinced that ME is real.

I admit it, I was wrong. For many years, I - like many of my medical colleagues - have blamed ME on psychological or behavioural causes. Then, last month, I attended the 5th World Conference on ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome).

There I spoke to a number of experts who were emphatic that the evidence shows the condition really does have a viral origin.

This has never previously been clear - before, there had been only hazy circumstantial evidence. There have been two problems really; first, identifying the cases - who does and who does not have ME/CFS?

the most effective treatments for m.e./c.f.s.

by Lourdes Salvador Norwegian scientists surveyed 828 chronic fatigue syndrome patients to find out what treatments were most and least helpful. Rest was rated the most helpful by 97% of participants, followed by pacing at 96%. Pacing is a method of managing energy expenditure by limiting activities to the most essential that can be handled at a comfortable pace.

The easiest way to understand pacing is to imagine starting the day out with a handful of cards and each time energy is expended, a card is lost. When the cards are low, the day is over and sleep is required. Each activity of the day requires a card, including getting dressed, bathing, cooking, and visiting with someone. If too many activities exhaust the supply of cards, a deficit ensues and one nights sleep is not enough to recuperate.

Most of us start the day with unlimited cards. Certainly we have enough to get through until bedtime. For people with chronic fatigue syndrome

, they have few cards to begin with and must pick and choose how they expend their energy so that they don´t run out of cards and collapse. This forces them to prioritize, establish routines, schedule extra rest, and keep activities short. This is known as pacing.

People with chronic fatigue syndrome also engage in shielding, which was rated as highly helpful by 96% of study participants. Shielding involves surrounding oneself in quiet and, in some cases, darkness. People with chronic fatigue syndrome are often sensitive to light and sound, which expends their limited supply of energy by stimulating the central nervous system.

One of the most misconceived treatments recommended by the medical profession is graded exercise therapy, yet 79% of the participants experience deterioration as a result. It stands to reason that with such limited energy to expend, using too much on exercise leaves woefully little, if any, energy for tasks of survival such as fixing meals, eating, paying bills, and bathing.

"Patients´ experience is important in this context," says Bjørkum and colleagues, "Graded training may cause deterioration of the condition in many patients."

Another failed treatment was cognitive behavior therapy, yet this is also widely recommended despite the scientific knowledge that chronic fatigue syndrome

is a serious neurological disorder which can not simply be "thought" away.

::continue reading here