Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diabetes just sent me another little gift. I had a stroke. Well, three small stokes really. I was having a Cardiac Cath and pieces of plaque broke off.  It’s a somewhat rare occurrence during a Cath, about 1:1000. Lucky Me.

The stroke only affected my vision but without usable vision, the balance goes too. The good news is that I am recovering very nicely. Cognitive and Vestibular Therapy are helping. (I forget things and encouraging my eyes to work as a team.)

During my hospital and Rehab stays I had a lot of time on my hands. I couldn’t see the TV or read, so I meditated. It felt good.  I began to really feel its was helping me with anxiety and mood.  I continued the practice everyday until I was discharged. I had a much faster recovery than the team expected. They were all a little surprised at how fast I recovered. Something in me strongly felt the Mindful Meditation made a difference. I mentioned it to the staff but I struggled to express how I knew the meditation helped. I just know it did.

When I finally arrived back at home, I Googled “Stroke Recovery Meditation”. Wow. All kinds of articles popped up. Obviously, I was not the first one to notice this phenomenon. It’s such a mainstream idea that there was even an article on the American Heart Association’s website called   “The 3 M’s of Stroke Recovery,  Music, Meditation and Meals”.  I had no idea meditation and stroke recovery were a thing.

Meditation has been shown to increase attention and memory,  increases the size of structures inside the brain and can slow the aging of the brain. That’s all some big stuff and it’s been proven in scientific studies.  So why doesn’t every stroke and head injury patient get some instruction on meditating? We know for sure that it helps. No equipment needed and after you give some instructions, there is no costs. The reason is because hospitals and Rehabs cannot be reimbursed for these services. Insurance runs healthcare and meditation is way too hocus pocus for them.

Except it’s not hocus pocus. It’s the real thing our brain needs.

Wouldn’t be cool if doctors could prescribe quiet mediation, music that moves your soul and a good meal for stroke recovery? How amazing is it that these things make our brain so happy …they actually grow.

Feed Your Head.

Feed Your Head.

-Jefferson Airplane  “White Rabbit”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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