Inclined Bed Therapy

[Katie41]

Began with the inclined bed as a Christmas present to myself on Christmas night. The first morning, and for almost two weeks, my neck was very stiff and achy (similar to a whiplash feeling). I felt like there was a disk pinched in my lumbar area and had more difficulty walking because of the nerve pain and weakness. All of that disappeared two mornings ago.

After two weeks of my body adjusting to the incline, my neck and back are now painfree, I have much more energy than in the previous three months, and I can walk better than I have in a year. I remembered my dream the first night; however, have not remembered any since.

Thanks to the many people who have posted their experiences I knew to wait it out. Thanks!

[ndwannabe]

And now thanks to you Katie I will know to wait out as well.

Day three - not as stiff as day two! Still my back is stiff which is NOT one of my usual MS symptoms.

Waiting, observing, persevering...

[AndrewKFletcher]

hi Andrew, hi all,

I inclined my bed with 6 inch blocks on Saturday 2nd. First few days were amazing. Couldn't believe how good I was feeling. By Wednesday I walked further than I have in a long time and at a fast pace too, did a full working day, came home and cooked dinner, even did some cleaning! Just like a normal, healthy person. But I think I overdid it with my newly found energy and the next couple started to feel dizzy and tired, off balance, etc. Having said that I've not had to take any painkillers or Modafinil so perhaps not as bad as I felt before the incline. I'm definitely going to stick with it and see how it goes over the coming weeks. I've not been getting up in the middle of the night to go to the wc so much either. Also, on about day 4 I felt that I could taste food better than I have in a while.

Will report again in a few days.

Colapesce

Thanks for posting, and thank's for reminding me about the improved taste of food. Something we thought we were imagining when we tilted our bed all those years ago and something other people have also reported.

Negative side = some people reported painfull teeth after 2 months or so. Gave this some thought and realised that having nerves restored to a cavity that did not cause a problem would suddenly give feedback to the brain.

When we get older, our taste goes bland due to the degeneration of the nerves. This is considered acceptable and age related, but is it? This is what often causes people to become depressed and give up life. What's the point of eating food that all tastes like cardboard?

If only we could reach more of these people about the importance of avoiding sleeping flat.

The boost you received in the first few days indicates this therapy is going to work quicker with you than for most people.

Makes one wonder why so many are signing up for surgery?

[AndrewKFletcher]

Thanks Midge604

Warmer hands and feet were predicted, and noticed first by myself when my wife, bless her used to warm her feet on me and they were like ice blocks for an hour or longer warming slowly. Now she sleeps with her feet out of the bedding to keep them cooler

Andrew

[joyj]

hi all, stomach bugs gone all my slight improvements are back. cant wait for the next improvements. thank you andrew

[Dovechick]

I don't have MS but have inclined my bed since the 18th December, about three weeks ago, and think, (just think) that my peripheral neuropathy may be getting better but as I have had it for 10 years it might take a while before I can be certain. One thing I am certain of is that my blood pressure has dropped. I take medication for it and with medication my usual BP is about 145/90. It has been creeping down over the past week or so and this morning it was 111/73. No one can argue with these figures.... I am going to have to watch it and then go back to the doc to try without the meds, and tell him about IT.

[Jugular]

This is my 'slant' on IBT after a week.

Method: I piled 2 x 6's of spare cedar boards 3 high under the top support of a platform frame for a futon bed. This gave me 5" of lift (2 x 6's are not quite 2's). The top leg of the frame allowed for an overhang of a foot or more. Thus, the lift should be about 6" if measured at the head and should produce the desired slope of 5 degrees. I confirmed this with my iPhone (yes, there is an ap for that) which showed a slope of 6 degrees measured in 3 places. I calculated a slope of 4.8 degrees, however, with actual measurements. I found it reassuring to verify the slope with some actual measurements because not all beds have the top legs right under the top part of the mattress. And I'd hate to be a few degrees short of a cure (I know it doesn't have to be that precise).

Here is a useful link to help with the calculation for those of us who have forgotten our high school trigonometry but wish to be precise.

http://easycalculation.com/trigonometry ... angles.php

Initial impressions: I had no difficulty adapting to my new tilted sleep world. I'd venture as far as to say that it was intuitively correct. Indeed, flat beds seem to be an odd idea to me now. I guess Andrew will go down in history as the man who dared to ask, why are beds flat?

My first few nights were a disaster. I immediately came down with a really bad sore throat and fever that laid me up for two days over the holidays. I can't see how it is related except that I rarely get sick. I've, knock on wood, only missed two days of plus full time work in over 20 years due to sickness. I recovered quickly though - enough to put in a 16 hour day on my first day back .

Apart from that, I have to endorse the positive effects IBT has on posture. I feel much more straight during the day and my upper back scapular muscle pain with which I have always been plagued (non-MS related) has vastly improved. My lower back spine-related pain has increased, however. I'm not relating this to the IBT however, but to having lifted heavy newspapers to take out to the recycling bin over the holidays. I like to use an inverter board occasionally for my back. IBT does seem to stretch your back. You'll be able to maintain your height longer I think.

I am sleeping well and feeling refreshed for most of the day, even though I have been sleeping on 6 hours for most of the week. 7 is ideal for me. I need to work on that (i.e. not go to bed so late). Overall, there is a noticeable, but not dramatic, improvement in my sleep quality and effectiveness since going on IBT.

I think its worth going on IBT for these benefits alone (improved sleep and better posture) outside of any MS therapy.

Abatement of MS symptoms: Thus far, I do not have much to report. My MS has me presenting similar to a stroke victim, with rt foot drop, rt arm and grip weakness, weakened rt side, but with relatively normal left-sided strength. I am my own control group I guess. My condition has been fairly stable or slower decline over the last five years. I had already noticed some improvement using vibration exercise (that I wrote about) which is supposed to improve circulation and strength in nerve-weakened muscles. I am hoping for continued improvement combining it with IBT.

I do have one nasty symptom though of a sting that I get in my upper right neck that likes to torment me, especially if I am trying to sleep. Its an odd sort of MS thing that feels like a giant mosquito is biting my neck and sends a tingling burning sensation down into my arms. Oddly, it causes increased feeling and muscle strength rather than the opposite but is not pleasant. Some kind of scaring thing, a frayed extension cord trying to work? The attacks are positionally aggravated but not necessarily triggered, thus I've had to sleep only on my back with my head elevated for some time now (like I’m trying to prevent some wires from touching). With IBT, I am pleased to report that I can now get to sleep with a normal pillow and can actually sleep on my right side. Not once, have I had to get out of bed to take some Lyrica and sit on the couch for an hour waiting for it to dampen the stings.

So I'll wait to see if in the ensuing weeks I see any more differences and post my progress. for the time-being, I give IBT a thumbs up

[AndrewKFletcher]

Jugular

Thanks for deciding to join us and for giving a detailed report of your comparisons.

Enjoyed reading your post and your style of writing

I would not like to go down in history as the man who dared to ask why beds are flat. I would like to be remembered as the man who asked how trees raise water to their leaves and figured it out in 20 minutes. But could settle for the man who found a way to reverse neurological conditions with two 6 inch blocks of wood

Thank you for the Thumbs up btw.

Andrew

[jewelia]

Hello everyone,

My husband finally put some wooden blocks under the head of our bed (6") and we have been sleeping inclined since December 13/09. The first night I didn't sleep very well - in the morning I woke up feeling muscle stiffness in my neck and back, however this just lasted for one day. The next night I was able to sleep and felt amazing in the morning- lots of energy felt very steady, clear-minded with very little dizziness!

The next few days it is hard to gauge really, as my monthlly cycle began and I had difficulty sleeping. The only way I can describe it was I felt tightness in my chest and difficulty breathing in a relaxed way. Was it anxiety, hormones?... I really don't know...or could it have been the fascia beginning to unwind in my body. This also resolved in a few days. Brain fog crept back in too, however I was not overly fatigued.

Since then, I've noticed my energy level has improved, brain fog comes and goes, my speech is clear most of the time. In retrospect, I really don't know if there is any measurable difference - I still get dizzy now and then, but perhaps what I am feeling has to do with the holiday season - eating sweets and other thlngs I usually stay away from. In spite of my uncertainty, I am determined to stick this out for 4 months.

Wish me luck!
Julia























!

[Vhoenecke]

what the heck


Andrew, I read the threads you referred....Ouch! quite the reception you got!
Qualifications? Nobody's 'qualifications' have done a damned thing for me (and countless others so far) I tried the antibiotic regime for three years. I can say doxycycline did have some good effect. I have since read somewhere that doxy
lowers iron levels which falls neatly in to the reflux lesions theory..dr. Z and yourself. I hesitate to post this publicly as sarah and her husband were very supportive while I struggled with this attempt, but I must say I have completely lost faith in the medical realm and truly veiw layman logic as the best hope for any/all so-called 'auto immune' conditions.. I am almost convinced that I could have an hereditary iron overload problem...sister and brother do. (her liver transplant, his heart attack) But the available testing in bc
is hardly worth begging drs. to draw the blood...this, in my logic, begs the question..why have all the 'professionals' not even suggested this?

Noticed 5 minutes ago i actually cut a lemon in half to put in my water. no problem at all! normally, i would be in tears with the effort, lack of grip strength,coordination.... my sleep schedule is nuts...slept 3pm to midnite..3 am now.
notice right foot less purple and swollen.

_________________
Freinds are God's way of appologizing for 'family'

Hi Katie45.

I am in total agreement with you regarding how much the experts have helped us (neuros). Andrew has done more for me than any doctor I have seen in the last 6 years. Dx in Jan 09 but was trying to figure out what was wrong for at least 6 yrs. Been on incline for 2 weeks now. I am a different person. Wake earlier (no alarm), rested, less MS pain, no brain fog, happy. My husband said last night that of all the things I have done in the last 6 years (chiro, physio, masssage, copaxone) this therapy is the only thing that really helped me. Ususally this time Jan-Mar is my worst MS time but I am better than I have ever been. Thanks so much Andrew, I don't have BP numbers but I can tell you that I am so good.

Please everyone keep trying if you are experiencing difficulties in the first while. It cout take 150 days or more for us to get the full effects. I am only on day 14. I can't imagine being better than I am right now. If this is normal I was really bad.

Thanks Andrew you are the best, and you will go down in my history as the man who did SOMETHING for us. Along with Dr. Z et al.

Val

[alun004]

Hi Forum

It is great reading all your threads regarding Inclined therapy, and i hope everybody keeps reporting their experiences to my friend Andrew.

I have been sleeping over 20 months now on inclined therapy and it has benefitted me with my Varicose Veins and also a horrible knee irritation i have had since being a infant.

(MY photos can be seen on the very start of this thread.)

Keep up the Good work Everyone.
Looking forward to reading more - >>>>>>>>>>>>
Alun

[happy_canuck]

Hi everyone,

This is a not-so-good report from me, at least in the short term (I hope). It's a long story, but in the interests of documenting everything about IBT and maybe even CCSVI, here goes!

We inclined Nov 30; full 5 degree incline Jan 2

Initially, my blood pressure dropped about 10+ pts to ~108-115 / 68-82 after 2 weeks.

I don't know when my BP started going up, but funny "pressure" feelings in my head caused me to check around Dec 28. It was very high (~180/98). My doctor ordered me to double my BP meds, but told me it would be 3-6 weeks before they would work. I modified my diet a bit more (I follow DASH already) and saw a bit of an improvement (down to ~125/85) one day, then it spiked upward again 2 nights ago.

The story has implications for inclined bed users because I think the aches and pains we experience while adjusting to the incline may be one of the factors involved. It's good for Andrew's research, too, I hope!

Two nights ago, I wasn't happy with some sensations I was getting in my head when we went to bed. I normally take my BP only in the mornings (that morning it had been ~155/90), but I decided to take it after we went to bed. It turned out my blood pressure was 208/99 and rising! It kept going higher, so high in fact my little monitor couldn't measure it (it shuts off automatically at 250 pressure b/c it basically is squeezing your arm too tightly). So we sped to the hospital, where they confirmed a pressure of 233/99 and put us in the ambulatory care waiting room. The nurse in there did an ECG and took my BP again, told me my ECG was normal and my heart was fine and told me to stay there and rest until it was my turn to see the doctor. After examining me, the doctor gave us a novel explanation for why my BP may have been spiking over the last couple weeks. He said it was a chicken and egg paradox in that although I think I get a headache b/c my BP is high (that "funny" feeling I call my "blood pressure headache" that caused me to check my BP), it's entirely possible that I get a headache first, the pain of which causes my BP to increase. He asked me if I treated my headaches and I told him not usually. (If you read back on my entries here, you'll see I stopped taking Tylenol when I woke up with aches and pains b/c I knew they were a result of my neck and spine stretching.) He said once the ball gets rolling, it's difficult to stop b/c the initial headache or back ache causes an initial rise in BP, which causes more headache, which causes more BP increase, and so on. To stop the chain reaction, he said I need to eliminate all pain (head pressure, neck stiffness, back ache) that may be causing my blood pressure to rise. So, we got a pack of morphine pills and instructions to go home and aggressively treat any head pains. He did say I could try taking Tylenol first (I refused the T-3's he offered b/c they give me nausea), so I took 2 extra strength Tylenol when we got home at 3:30 am and 2 more the next morning. My BP was 141/82 when we awoke at 8:30 am. I took Tylenol every 4-6 hours through the day (even though I would class any discomfort as mild and wouldn't ordinarily take any pain meds whatsoever). Despite this, my BP was 200/100 by bedtime once again. I had taken 2 Tylenol at 10:30 pm, but elected to take my first morphine pill at 11:30 pm to see if it would knock out any "pain" trigger for my BP. By morning, my BP was down to 135/90 at 5:30 am. Took 2 Advil. It's now 9 am and it's up again, a bit, to 165/95.

So, I'm not entirely convinced the doctor's theory of this cascading blood pressure effect caused by an initial pain trigger is correct, although I'm willing to try anything at this point. Have absolutely all the little twinges in my head, back, and neck gone after 24 hours of major pain killing meds? Not quite. My neck feels stiff, but not painful. The pain was never severe, but my gut tells me my brain was/is feeling things, like that "pressure" feeling I described from Dec 28, and maybe this initial pain trigger is something at the vascular level rather than we we traditionally call a headache.

The hospital told me my heart was fine, which was a concern, of course.

The bottom line is I think my BP will be closer to 108/68 (or lower) once I get rid of this cascade effect due to "pain." Of course, I also have the double blood pressure medications going to kick in and do their thing. According to my doctor's estimate, the 3-6 weeks will begin Jan 18.

I'm off to conduct a business all-day workshop tomorrow, so I will be sleeping in a hotel room (flat) tonight. I am taking my BP monitor and hoping my BP behaves itself for the next 36 hours so I can get through Monday without incident.

Thanks for listening! Any tidbits on what you think may be causing or could help this roller coaster in blood pressure would be appreciated (I have tried bananas, red wine, and dark chocolate so far!).

~ Sandra

[Mechanicallyinclined]

This is a little off topic as it doesn't pertain to inclined bed therapy, but I just want to make a comment with regards to the headache Happy Canuck
is experiencing.
I don't know what some of you think as far as chiropractors are concerned. All I know is with regards to myself, Ive had severe headaches
in the past and having my neck adjusted gave me almost instant relief.

[AndrewKFletcher]

Your b.p goes down at night on the inclined bed, yet rises during the day, which begs me to ask what your posture is like during the day, are you in a car seat for most of the day or sitting at a computer? Looking for knees higher than your seat, if so then you will need an extra cushion to raise your seat higher than or level with your knees whan sitting.

Your bed could be too high too soon, so maybe try lowering back to a 4 inch raise?

Your particular stenosis could be closing more during the daytime, this would definately affect your bp.

Really concerned about your high B.P Sandra

Garlic can be used to supplement blood pressure pills, so can Cayenne pepper, a teaspoon in apple juice is ok to drink, but start at a lower dose.

acupuncture might help remove the discomfort, certainly worth considering.

You may want to consider sleeping flat for a few weeks to see if it resolves your current problems.

Andrew

[AndrewKFletcher]

Another possibility is the dehydrating that takes place as salts are excreted in the urine more effectively, this drags more solvent (water) out of the body into the urine. This can be compensated for by increasing the amount of water you drink.

Andrew