Overall Advice for the Hypermobile and Those Who Care for Them

1. It is physical. Everything you experience is physical. “It is all in your head,” is what people say or imply in order to minimize or dismiss a person with EDS when they don’t know what to do. When you get the ‘head case’ diagnosis, it is time to find a new health care provider.

2. Listen carefully to your gut. You will have to, because there are so many well-meaning people who can hurt us because they just don’t know. We are in the minority and what is perfect advice for the majority can wreck us. For example, almost all forms of quick / aerobic or slow long stretch yoga (which we are often excellent at) can hurt us. I have had 12 yoga teachers who taught me to hurt myself and two who did not. I think the chiropractic arts could do with an update on teaching better techniques for hypermobile people. Many doctors think we are anxious hypochondriacs. The only professionals who have consistently understood my unique physical structure have been physical therapists. If something is not working, stop doing it. You have to listen to yourself first. You have to advocate for yourself always.

3. Pay attention to your actual gut. As you know, EDS often affects our guts, leaving us with something called “leaky gut.” Lots of people tell me that vitamins are for suckers but for me that is not true. I have not eaten gluten in 10 years, as it is a common irritant to leaky guts. I take probiotics. If I skip my B12 for even a few days, I get super anxious. I take very expensive and worth every penny Core Capsules from Immuno-viva. (you should see my beautiful, post-menopausal hair that is a side-effect of this supplement). I drink Green Energy from Nurish each day. (I do not take one cent from these companies. I just really noticed the difference they made for me.) If you suffer from hypermobility issues, anxiety and other gut issues, you can make a huge difference in your experience of life through changes in your diet! You may not absorb nutrition as well as other people do and you can either suffer or adapt by adding some basic vitamins. A licensed nutritionist may be able to help you, but ask first if that person has experience with people with leaky gut or EDS.

4. Schedule rest. Not all hypermobile people need extra rest but it is really common. I call my rest times “resets.” I am not really sure why it works, but an hour in bed alone with a hot water bottle keeps a lot of pain at bay and makes the rest of my day much more productive.

This information is not intended to take the place of personalized medical counseling, diagnosis and/or treatment by a trained physician. Herbs and other botanicals are presently classified by the Food and Drug Administration as foods, not as medicines.