Inclined Bed Therapy

A forum to discuss Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency and its relationship to Multiple Sclerosis.
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AndrewKFletcher
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virus temporary exacerbation of ms symptoms on IBT?

Post by AndrewKFletcher »

joyj wrote:weather was dry and mild before and through my cold. i have never had a relapse ive got got ppms my legs have never stopped working before. i think it was down to my body heat being high, as soon as i was cool everything was ok.
Relapse is not the correct word in your case as I was referring generally to your report of symptom exacerbation.

It will be interesting to see if any changes follow your experiences using IBT in the next few weeks.

During my earlier research into ms, some people who initially had the RR stage and went on to develop a slow steady decline in symptoms found they were having good days and bad days with what appeared to be flare ups followed by improvements that developed weeks later. Usually increased spasm, pain, new pains moving around rather than in one place, muscular aches / stiffening, pins and needles sensation neuropathic pain have all been mentioned, but fortunately only short term.

Some viruses can have a severe impact on mobility for people who do not have ms, like poliomyelitis:
<shortened url>

So it is possible that your cold and the changes in body temperature had an impact on your nervous system that is already affected by ms.

Trying to get my head around the increased body temperature as this also applies to the hot bath test for ms used years ago (fortunately no longer used)

Could your temperature increase have altered the pressure inside your veins and arteries and even caused a restriction in the venous return flow? Is this how Epstein bar virus and other virus is implicated in the onset of ms?
Thanks to Zamboni and Schelling et al and people reporting their experiences we may be able to understand how CCSVI originates.

When influenza infections increase, more people take to their beds and rather than keeping cool, they tend to pile on the bedding and try to sweat it out. This is a dangerous practice, even though it is thought the increased temperature helps to fight the infection.

On IBT the body tends normally to resist overheating but also to resist the normal temperature drop experienced by the majority of people who sleep on a flat bed.

Last year my wife and I had flu for the first time since we tilted our bed all those years ago. Colds vanished at the first sign of symptoms while everyone around us that slept flat developed full blown symptoms. We also shook off our flu far quicker than anyone else and it is fair to say that IBT boosts the immune system. Perhaps the increased temperature was a result of a boosted response and this is where people have attributed an autoimmune response to ms onset?

Your posts on this are very thought provoking.

Andrew
Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) | http://www.inclinedbedtherapy.com
Sleeping Inclined To Restore and Support Your Health For Free. Fascinating Science, Discovery, History and Medical Research In Circulation And Posture.
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Selmahope
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IBT

Post by Selmahope »

Andrew-Can't find the record where you asked me to do tracking log/did I raise from 3". I'm really really ill right now with SO many symptoms- MS type plus a whole lot more-so staying at 3" for now. I need to take this pretty slow given how dizzy I am and all the jerking, stuff going on in my head (as well as my body). I"ve not really notices any improvements, but it's only been 2 weeks. I wish I could say that my horrendous sleep has improved (almost total insomnia on most nights)-but it hasn't.

If I can stablize and start to feel a bit better/pretty non functional right now -I'll start the tracking log(if I can figure out how to do it).

Again- I don't have a MS diagnosis currently (waiting on results of most recent MRI)- I have so many symptoms I think the neuro did not know what to do with me. Probably chronic lyme, but mainstream docs don't believe in that.

I appreciate your drive and determination to prove that this works and the help you provide on this message board.

I hope it helps me.

Thanks.
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Asher
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Post by Asher »

Andrew,

2 moths into IBT. I am SPMS, but apart for the fact that I no longer experience flare-ups, I am still in 'reasonable' shape; I can walk unaided.

A week into IBT I started to notice a difference: deep sleep, dreaming, no spasms, no pain in right foot, less urgency, increaed libido, waking up fresher.

I now combine IBT with diet and electo-stimulation to combat muscular atrophy. People tell me my walking has improved.

I know MS is unpredictable and that these improvements will have to stand the test of time, but so far, so good.

Thank you A ndrew for IBT, I can no longer imagine myseld sleeping flat.
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AndrewKFletcher
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Re: IBT

Post by AndrewKFletcher »

Selmahope

You need to raise the bed higher, even a 4 inch raise will not produce significant improvements for most people with ms, so a 3 inch raise is only marginally better than sleeping flat.

The tracking journal should be started on the link below, open a new topic and I will post the template into it so it maintains the red text format for ease of editing.

I appreciate your offer to help with a journal.

Andrew
Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) | http://www.inclinedbedtherapy.com
Sleeping Inclined To Restore and Support Your Health For Free. Fascinating Science, Discovery, History and Medical Research In Circulation And Posture.
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AndrewKFletcher
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Secondary progressive ms and Inclined Therapy

Post by AndrewKFletcher »

Asher wrote:Andrew,

2 moths into IBT. I am SPMS, but apart for the fact that I no longer experience flare-ups, I am still in 'reasonable' shape; I can walk unaided.

A week into IBT I started to notice a difference: deep sleep, dreaming, no spasms, no pain in right foot, less urgency, increaed libido, waking up fresher.

I now combine IBT with diet and electo-stimulation to combat muscular atrophy. People tell me my walking has improved.

I know MS is unpredictable and that these improvements will have to stand the test of time, but so far, so good.

Thank you A ndrew for IBT, I can no longer imagine myseld sleeping flat.
IBT has been shown to reverse muscular atrophy. The muscle density changes should become apparent especially using electrical stim to tense and relax the muscles. Smart move :)

Any exercise done while on the inclined bed will have greater benefit, so might be worth testing with the stim.

Andrew

PS need more journals on the new IBT forum :D
Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) | http://www.inclinedbedtherapy.com
Sleeping Inclined To Restore and Support Your Health For Free. Fascinating Science, Discovery, History and Medical Research In Circulation And Posture.
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LisaAnn
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Post by LisaAnn »

Dear Andrew,
What thickness of plywood should I use under my mattress of my hospital bed? Do you know if this can cause damage to the bed frame?
Thanks Lisa
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katie45
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Post by katie45 »

Lisa, I use 1/2 inch on my metal hosp. bed...no damage yet. (abt 2 1/2 months)
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sbr487
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Post by sbr487 »

Andrew and others,

I dont know if I should be starting a new on this.
This is something that is bugging me about IBT and CCSVI.

In the light of CCSVI discovery, does anyone here think that there is a need to relook at ITB. That is, is IBT most beneficial for patients with:
1) issues in IJV
2) external JV

Maybe CCSVI will give more clue why IBT works and more importantly, why it helps some people more than others. Maybe it has something to do with type of defect.
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Selmahope
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insomnia

Post by Selmahope »

Andrew- with your research have you found IBT to be helfpul for non MSer's who have insomnia? Curious on that since I don't fit the normal MS profile (MRI was normal today)-but suffering from about 20 major neuro symptoms including (balance, gatin , coordination, numbness, twitching,speech, swallowing, dizziniess, weak shaky muscles including neck, jerking etc etc.) My worse symtom since this crash/flare is the total insomnia (i.e. last night 30 minutes of sleep on sleep med). So curious if it has helped those out side of the MS world with insomnia?
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Two new videos to show possible origin of stenosis in veins

Post by AndrewKFletcher »

Yes is the answer.

IBT is not a multiple sclerosis therapy but an understanding of how the body uses gravity to assist the circulation..

Many sleep related problems are resolved using this therapy.

Google "andrew k fletcher" and you will find many reports from people with a whole range of illnesses confirming this.

I have uploaded 2 very important videos about an experiment with silicon soft walled tubing filled with water and suspended vertically to represent arterial and venous blood flow.

The experiment shows clearly how salts, sugars, minerals and metals alter the pressure inside the veins and arteries as they move through the vessels of the body.
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http://www.inclinedbedtherapy.com
Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) | http://www.inclinedbedtherapy.com
Sleeping Inclined To Restore and Support Your Health For Free. Fascinating Science, Discovery, History and Medical Research In Circulation And Posture.
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dlb
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Post by dlb »

Hi Andrew,
I thought it was time that I posted my thanks to you for your commitment to IBT and helping those of us willing to give it a try. My husband took a job overseas and I asked him after reading about IBT here, if he would incline our bed before he left for his shift in January so I could experiment with the idea. He took alot of interest in this theory and raised the bed right away in December, 2009. Because we have a bed with side rails, he cut a couple of 2x6s (the length of the side rails) one for each side into a wedge, so it is 5.5" at one end, tapered down to nothing on the other end & then he attached these wedges to the rail (they are supported by the ledge on the bottom of each side rail that the mattress used to sit on). Then he used supports across these rails to support the boxspring & mattress horizontally as well, over the horizontal supports that were in place already. These were manufactured by him to fit & support it all properly. He is quite an accomplished woodworker & he did a great job - I hope my explanation makes sense to all reading that may have this style of bed. I felt bad about the work he went into for something that I thought of as "experimental" at that time. So he had the opportunity to sleep this way for a few nights before he left on business in the very beginning.
What I noticed first was that my hubby didn't snore as much. I had trouble adjusting because of the drastic incline, so after a couple of nights, and after hubby left, I propped the foot-end up about 3 inches to ease into the transition a bit. That meant the bed wasn't as well supported, but I felt like I was sliding down the mattress on the full incline, so doing the incremental thing was helpful to me. After a week this way, I pulled that blocking out of the foot end & we are now inclined 5.5". So.... I was diagnosed RRMS in 2005. I don't experience any relapses - last relapse was Sept, 2006, but I have had insomnia basically since my dx. I think stress was a factor after my dx, then sleep patterns get messed up pretty fast. I was dealing with insomnia & headaches. Once I adjusted to the inclined sleep, the first thing that I noticed was that I began sleeping so much better & dreaming like crazy again. Dreams meant that I was going into deep sleeps for the first time in a few years. I realized something else that was going on that I had just been accepting as normal.... what was waking me up & preventing any deep sleep over the past few years.... was that my hands were "falling asleep". I was waking up at least 10 times a night, before IBT, because my hands & arms were stinging with pin & needles. I would be woken because of the discomfort - give my hands a shake & re-position. This has been going on for years for me - even before my MS dx, but getting progressively worse over the years. I guess I wasn't even aware that this was getting worse until IBT. This problem has almost gone away. Towards morning, I sometimes wake up with the pins & needles, but I can re-position & get back to a deep sleep again. I feel so much more rested - I can't tell you how much better I feel with proper rest. Secondly, I have way fewer headaches. There has been lots going on - I've been away from home alot & I hate to leave my bed & can hardly wait to get back home to IBT. What this has demonstrated to me, is that IBT is helping me because I definitely start noticing that my hands & arms feel worse as soon as I sleep flat again. That means I'm not getting deep, uninterupted sleep & pretty quickly, I'm anxious to get back home. I have to seriously look at finding a way to incline any bed I sleep on, I think. I'm also noticing that I don't feel as cold as I used to feel all the time. My feet used to always feel so cold. Many times I took a heated bag (you know the microwaveable ones) to bed for my feet, or I got up to put a pair of woolen socks on in order to get to sleep at nights. IBT has changed all that for me - Thank you Andrew!! What is interesting to me is that when I experienced my first MS symptoms, it was numbness, tingling & sensory differences in my legs, so when I went to my GP for this the very first time, I said to him that whatever is going on feels like it is a circulation thing - I asked about blood clots or what circulatory thing might be going on in my legs????? When we know now about CCSVI, my comments in the very beginning are definitely interesting!! Another very interesting thing that i have noticed is that the headaches I was experiencing are almost always in left, front part of my head behind my left eye. I have a bit of a residual thing that happens on my R big toe from my MS episodes. Only when I am tired or stressed, I get an achy feeling in my Right toe. I'm thinking I have some lesions on my left side or CCSVI issue, maybe left jugular & left brain iron deposit/lesions becaause of my left side headaches & the Right side foot issues (left brain controls right side, right???) - don't know???? maybe I'm over-thinking this all?? Haven't had the CCSVI testing done yet but I've already told those close to me that I'm betting on a Left side jugular issue!! In any case, IBT has given me some reprieve from some of my issues & some much needed rest. That's my story.....
Deb
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AndrewKFletcher
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Post by AndrewKFletcher »

LisaAnn wrote:Dear Andrew,
What thickness of plywood should I use under my mattress of my hospital bed? Do you know if this can cause damage to the bed frame?
Thanks Lisa
I would use at least 3/4 inch plywood to avoid it bending in the middle.
Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) | http://www.inclinedbedtherapy.com
Sleeping Inclined To Restore and Support Your Health For Free. Fascinating Science, Discovery, History and Medical Research In Circulation And Posture.
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bmk1234
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Post by bmk1234 »

Hi Andrew a question for you. I have MS, I have had my bed raised about 3 inches for a few months, I want to go to 6" and I did for a few days. The only problem I had was my wife hated it. Any suggestions for a queen size bed to raise one side another 3 inches and not the other.

Thanks for all you do.
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zen2010
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Post by zen2010 »

sbr487 wrote:Andrew and others,

I dont know if I should be starting a new on this.
This is something that is bugging me about IBT and CCSVI.

In the light of CCSVI discovery, does anyone here think that there is a need to relook at ITB. That is, is IBT most beneficial for patients with:
1) issues in IJV
2) external JV

Maybe CCSVI will give more clue why IBT works and more importantly, why it helps some people more than others. Maybe it has something to do with type of defect.
Hi
I think your point really makes sense
I do have CCSVI in right jugular at the neck level.

I am following IBT since more than one month. It does work for me (bed raised by 8 inches). All my ms symptoms vanished except walking/running capacity

I can not follow this therapy for several months as I have to travel a lot.

I got the point from Andrew “You can purchase some plastic furniture risers for a few dollars / pounds. make sure they are 15 cm's / 6 inch risers though. These are useful as they fit inside each other and don't weigh a great deal so ideal for suitcase and back at home.
However, tilting king size beds from hotels is not that easy :x

But you’re right, it would be great to compare ibt effects on people with/without CCSVI etc…
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AndrewKFletcher
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Post by AndrewKFletcher »

bmk1234 wrote:Hi Andrew a question for you. I have MS, I have had my bed raised about 3 inches for a few months, I want to go to 6" and I did for a few days. The only problem I had was my wife hated it. Any suggestions for a queen size bed to raise one side another 3 inches and not the other.

Thanks for all you do.
Your welcome :D

This is a tough one. Does your mattress seperate? If it does then a plywood wedge under your side will prove useful.

Raising your side an additional 3 inches using folded blankets to make a wedge under your side of the mattress will be inexpensive and easy to accomplish.

If not then maybe you should consider sleeping in a seperate bed until your symptoms improve enough to convince your wife to try it again for longer.

Alternatively you could purchase two new single mattresses and place side by side on the frame.

Option one would be my choice being a cheepster according to my wife .

:roll:
Inclined Bed Therapy (IBT) | http://www.inclinedbedtherapy.com
Sleeping Inclined To Restore and Support Your Health For Free. Fascinating Science, Discovery, History and Medical Research In Circulation And Posture.
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