Your
body is not who you are. The shape of your body is no reflection
on you inner self, your true self.
You are not defined
by your physical body, by the 'husk' that is our vehicle during this life.
Beauty
is not defined by what you look like. If you are happy inside, and
positive, this will shine through
and you will see beauty
when you look at yourself in the mirror, no matter how crooked your spine
is. Other
people around you will
see that beauty shining through you as well, regardless of your physical
body's shape.
If
you or or your children shows any signs of scoliosis, seek a doctor's opinion
as soon as possible. If it is
necessary, a brace or surgery
could be required as 'treatment'. Seek out at least one 2nd opinion
before
making any decisions, and
that means from another doctor or specialist.
If
you do require surgery, do not panic. It is not the end of the world,
and you can get through it! Think of it
as a personal challenge
to overcome, set goals for yourself to achieve. If you view it in
a negative way, as only
being something scary and
to avoid, then you'll likely have a bad experience. If you go in
strong, healthy, and
with a smile on your face,
then you will succeed. It's amazing how far one can go on a smile.
If
you are a Jehovah's Witness and you or your child requires surgery, then
have the surgery. Scoliosis won't
go away and in some cases,
it can progress to a level where, if untreated, one would be crippled,
have heart
and respiratory problems,
and may end up in a wheelchair. It is not something that can be wished
away, or
simply 'let go'.
On the same thought, if you are considering COPES treatment, be careful!
In many cases,
the curving is severe and
surgery is required, there is no way around it. And stay away from
chiropractors
unless you have been to
a specialist and all options are explored, and the specialist will inform
you what you
can and cannot do with
a chiropractor or massage therapist.
If
you are depressed because you are crooked, and it is hard to dress, pick
out clothes, wear a tshirt, etc.
you have to realise
that it's your shape, and you gotta accept it. Usually, it doesn't
bother anyone else
nearly as much as
it does you! No one else likely notices. Try it sometime--it
is hard at first, but then you
will feel much better
about yourself:
Wear a t-shirt, one
that you claim you 'can't be seen in', and wear it out in public.
No jacket allowed!
When people smile
at you or maybe comment that they can't put their finger on it, but something
about
you is different-you
look nicer today, they ask if you got a haircut--well you'll see, people
will notice that
you are more casual,
more relaxed-looking, and the more often you try this, the easier it gets
and the more
compliments you get.
Try wearing a dress one day, or go swimming at the beach!
These are small goals you
can set for yourself.
And
that brings me to the final tip: don't let your scoliosis control
you!
It's like I said above,
if you are wearing layers in the summer, or hiding behind jackets no matter
what, or
avoiding social events
or the beach because you are afraid someone will see your back...then you
are giving
control of your life to
your back--no, to your FEAR. Don't stop living because of scoliosis.
For your own sake,
live life for once.
Accept your back, and don't let it ruin your life. It's not worth
it. There are many worst
things you could be suffering
from, lots of worst situations you could be in, so be grateful for what
you
have and life your life,
don't hide at home or under layers of fear and extra jackets.