Friday, August 28, 2015

Exhaustion...Severe Foot Pain...Lyme Disease?



Interesting story…imagine one day, you wake up in the morning…and by the way…yesterday was just a normal day…but TODAY… you can’t STAND UP.  Your FOOT HURTS so badly that you can’t stand.  So you crawl to get your clothes…crawl to the car…and into the ER.  The doctor’s assessment indicates a lack of Prednisone in the foot, so they shoot it up and send you on your way.  

Huh…they do this with football players…because there is nothing more important than scoring touchdowns, so they SHUT OFF the inflammatory response of an injury…so you CAN’T feel the PAIN…and you go back in for more touchdowns.

This person wasn’t scoring touchdowns, but they sent him back in the game of life…unable to protect his injury.  As you can imagine, pretending it isn’t there, doesn’t tend to HEAL! 

So next, he scheduled with the SPECIALIST.  The specialist diagnosed “reactive arthritis”…defined as joint pain caused by INFECTION (that’s from medical texts folks!).  The prescription…methotrexate.  This drug blocks DNA synthesis, cellular repair and healing…it is used with autoimmune diseases and cancer to SUPPRESS the immune system. 

Huh!?…that seems contraindicated to resolving an INFECTION, and healing a freaking injury!  And Meloxicam…another “pretend it’s not there” pain hiding drug!  

He lived on these toxic drugs for a year…pretending…and then his doctors said, “you know…these drugs are toxic and unhealthy…now that the pain is gone…you should wean off them.”  And so he did…and… can you believe it…the pain came back!  

“Ok…I mean it this time…we are going to John Hopkins Medical Center…the cream of the crop.”  He was serious…drove to Maryland to see a prestigious Doctor.  His creamy doctor suggested methotrexate!  (Yeah, that’s the same crappy health blocking drug he was already on!)  Only this time the damage was so severe, it didn’t take the pain away!  

He tried Sisters of Mercy…they ran some additional tests…and said…maybe it’s Lyme Disease.  Huh??…not so crazy…I have seen cases of regional pain syndromes that turned out to be Lyme related.  Maybe…we’ll keep it in mind….

So, by the time he sees me…clearly indicating desperation to see the voodoo guy…he is exhausted... he is having headaches and visual disturbances…and his shoulders are aching.  But voodoo doc has learned from the past…we tested Lyme and co-infections in multiple ways, and found a hyper-tonic response (muscle tightening…a stress reaction).  We found a remedy to resolve that tension…from my Lyme and co-infection resources.  

And we ran our typical full system labs.

The labs revealed inflammation and adrenal exhaustion…which may have simply been a result of this 2 year journey.  I tested for many natural anti-inflammatory plants…and after at least a dozen fails…we located Manjistha.  

Manjistha is an Eastern plant…found in India, China, and some areas of Africa.  Its traditional use is for spider and snake bites…because it flushes the lymphatic system.  It is also known as an immune STIMULANT (am I an idiot, or does it make sense to support and stimulate the immune system if there is an infection!!??)…and its history includes treating all inflammatory joint problems, because of its anti-inflammatory properties.  

Hopefully, you are getting that we do all this testing for one reason…RESULTS.  

Well, after 2 years of pain, which he rated as 10 out of 10 when he came in…unable to control with DRUGS…and was wearing a cast for his ankle…including through several of my visits…he comes in after 6 weeks on this protocol…with NO CAST!!  He relates that his ankle is maybe slightly sore…he has NO SHOULDER PAIN…and his energy is 7-8 out of 10!  

I guess this could just be coincidence…maybe he was just ready to heal.  Maybe he made the right dietary changes (I did note he was a diet soda drinker and asked him to stop)…Maybe.  

I guess I have had so many of these “coincidences” that I start to reason the nourishing the body does lead to healing.  Even if Johns Hopkins Medical says I am a Quack…Oh, well…I bet you can learn a lot from DUCKS! 

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Appendicitis



I awoke one morning, early, to that all too familiar mouth watering and stomach cramping.  Throwing up is one of the least enjoyable activities a person can experience, so even one time...you remember.
 
My initial assumption was something I ate, and…bummer…but my body would purge and I would be fine by daylight.  I went back to bed and got up a few hours later for my day…still feeling nauseous, but initially thinking I could do my day.  I dressed and went to brush my teeth.  I didn’t even get the brush to the back teeth and my body purged again.  Ok…need more time.  Cancel the morning and rest until lunch.  I filled up with Agrimony and Usnea…my past helpers for appendicitis (did I know?)…and a little Cats Claw, which has helped some others through diverticulitis pain. 

I went back to sleep…past lunch…and woke groggily about an hour before afternoon clients.  I didn’t feel well…stomach still hurt, and could barely lift my head.  I texted Laura that I couldn’t do it…she was already cancelling my 3.  

Another NINE hours of sleep…and I woke to relief.  The stomach cramping was gone.  I carefully rolled from side to side…nope…no pain.  I was thinking about my next move…getting up to see how I feel…eat… just move a bit??  One more roll…too many…and it felt like something ripped in the area of my appendix.  The pain spiked, now localized to “McBurney’s Point,” the medical name for this location.  I briefly wondered why someone would name this excruciating point of pain after themselves.  

The pain was breathtaking.  I struggled to roll left, right, back…no relief!  Sonya watched helplessly as her “health hero” flopped in pain.  My mind raced considering options…including the one doctors say is the ONLY option.  But, with some precarious pillow wedging, I found a spot where I could catch my breath.
And there I stayed.  I believe I dozed a little, but any movement activated the pain.  And the resting pain was nearly too much to sleep. 

I made it to morning, and the pain was down a notch.  I could move a bit more, but still unable to stand.  I asked Sonya to text Laura the update…

24 HOURS...of this:  Roll…sleep…pain…roll…sleep…pain…roll…  Sonya fed me my medicine.  All day…all night.  My only sensory stimulation, aside from brief visits, was pain, and the pressure of the bed on my body.  I listened carefully to the communication…and noticed a trend.  Over time, I was able find more positions to fall asleep in…a tiny sign of a positive trend!  I ask my patients to LISTEN to the quality and quantity of their communication (symptoms are messages).  No, not painstakingly document and analyze, but to TRUST that they will hear what they need to hear…but hear it from the body, not the head. 
If I had listened to my head, and started telling stories…it would all just be made up.  The body speaks the truth…and in this experience, I had never communicated so deeply with my body…ever.  

Another 24... I was able to stand and get to the bathroom.  More positions…less pain.  I was feeling hopeful and confident.  I was beginning to evaluate the communication…feeling a churning in one place…wondering what team and tools were being used to repair my…whatever.  I imagined little seamstresses, sewing…and construction crews, removing debris.  I added a lymphatic blend to assist with carrying away the debris.

With my confidence, my family packed and left for Sacred’s soccer tournament.  It was good…I was the wounded deer lying in the field waiting…trusting…that nature was perfectly responding.  This was my third day of fasting…only medicine and water had entered my body.  Into the night, my dreams started getting vivid and seemingly more bizarre.  Maybe it was sensory deprivation…maybe it was more messages.  The one that was most vivid and memorable was a cave collapse on immigrant workers…

I was hopeful for Saturday to be the big turn around, but it was more the day of bed sores.   A new communication began, the ache of my body from the pressure.  That complicated my “laying in the field,” causing a more restless day.   And instead of the trend of decreasing pain, it woke up a bit…but different.  I imagined the construction crew now doing a remodel (or repairing the cave collapse?).  

But it still deflated my confidence…this new trend.  I could now use my phone, and started looking up the costs of appendectomy.  I wondered if this new trend was telling me that it was time.  I asked for healing…from God…Regulation…my appendix.

I also found a couple websites that described natural protocols for appendicitis…and not just how one person overcame appendicitis…how a doctor was doing it in a clinical setting with regularity.  Both sites suggested that they start with enemas, one suggesting that they use multiple enemas until the PAIN stops.  Huh?  Are they suggesting a fast track to stop the pain!?  So, when a friend stopped in to check on me, I requested an enema bag.  Three enema bags in (and out of course!)…and no pain relief!  I thought of the deer in the field…waiting…and trusting…and he WASN’T sticking anything up his butt. 

After a disappointing Saturday, and my fourth day of fasting…it was back to bed for the night…which is really weird…bedtime…when you never left your bed.  At least the enemas had me move my body a little, so the bed sores were less intense.  But more of the same…sleep…pain…roll…meds…sleep and repeat. 
 
Now I was starting to get visions along with the dreams…you know…when awake.  I had been sleeping almost non-stop for 4 days, and it seemed my energy was up.  Or I just couldn’t sleep anymore, because I had slept a half months worth of sleep in 4 days!  The visions were flashes of ideas…how to share my message, walk on my hands, a handout I should create…  I started typing the ideas into my phone. 

But still, mostly sleep.  And still…I slept til noon.  Only this time, I woke and felt something other than pain.  A different sensation…was it…hunger?  I decided it was time to end my fast…8 hours shy of 5 days.  I got up, and that felt different.  Less pain!  I could almost walk upright!  I sliced up half a potato and chicken, tossed it in a pan with butter…and sat down to let it cook.  I got down a couple of the potato slices that had actually cooked (most were not) and most of the chicken.  And back to bed…

My hopefulness was back with the lessened pain, although I still wasn’t on a good track to be able to work on Monday.  But maybe…this was the day.  

And then…I couldn’t believe it myself.  I started feeling thankful!  It was like I just came home from a grueling ropes course, designed to push you to your limit of fear and then one step past.  I have done a couple of those in my day.  But this felt even better.  I started feeling a sense of achievement…but all I did was lie there.  It wasn’t an action I took, it was the TRUST and connection…the intense communication with Regulation…my innate wisdom…GOD.  It felt like a spiritual journey…coming to an end…successful. 
 
My body was still weak and pathetic…my voice was weak…but that voice inside…not the head one that makes up stories and worries…but the heart voice…was full and proud.  

Sunday was a good day for my heart…thankful…more visions, ideas…expanding into connection…and purpose.  The energy was high in this voice…contrasted by the physical body and voice I felt and heard.  But healing was on high! 

I was up more.  I had another snack later that day.  Still just bites, but something.  I managed to walk downstairs…to step on the scale.  Hmmm…15 pounds…I WAS a different person! 

My family arrived home just before bedtime.  (HaHa…that sounds SO funny after 5 days in bed.)  I wanted to share this inner journey and healing with my wife, Sonya, but the energy just wasn’t there.  I was still exhausted and mostly sleeping, now from the fasting and the intensity of the past five days. 

I woke Monday morning perhaps not ready, but prepared to meet my day.  We pushed a couple appointments later into the week, leaving a lengthy lunch time to sleep, but I was able to be focused on the patients, with some pauses for cramping.  I was up for around 4 hours total, and as soon as I was done, I went back to the bed.  I stayed there through bedtime and into the night…when…around 3AM I woke up.  I mean really woke up this time.  I tossed and turned, but no sleep would come…now worrying about my physical energy in the morning.  

When my alarm went off, I hadn’t slept for five hours.  But not from energy…it was the wired and tired exhaustion of an insomniac.  We made a request to push my morning back…but my first appointment was already on her way.  The appointment was surreal.  I walked in thinking just a quick check in…recheck what was there, make any changes…keep it to necessity only.  The patient had different ideas…after a quick check on symptoms…she wanted to talk more about moods.  Her message, paraphrased, was that she is cranky and “not good enough.”  (Not eating well enough).  

 I tried to share the message of evaluations vs observations.  “Not good enough” is an opinion, where the observation is I had chocolate every night.  I was likely short with her, which prompted another evaluation.  You are a jerk.  I pointed out that that was an evaluation, trying to get to the detail that led to her opinion.  But, my logic was lost in that moment, resulting in her leaving with the promise to never come back.  Wow…what just happened?  And that was my morning.  

On the plus side, the morning shift was short!  I went back to bed, wondering how this played into my journey.  This time…quick sleep.  I slept straight through to 2:30 and woke with a start.  Oh, crap, my first appointment was at 2:15!!  Luckily, I live close to work!  I moved quickly and felt the best I had so far.  I even had some energy!  The pain had lessened to low intensity, with random high intensity cramping pain…but slowly decreasing in frequency.  And that has been the TREND, the rest of the week. 
 
The flashes of pain are decreased to rarely.  But a kid on the tummy is still not advisable.  They have been sweet and gentle with me, and if I cringe, I get hugs and kisses.  It is clear and nearly finished…I am on the mend, appendix and all.  Plus, I have been witness to a larger scale trend, in that when I have gone through a tough health challenge like this, my health has been stronger and more resilient on the other side.  While still tired and tender and painful at times, I look forward to full healing and a new level of health! 
    
A couple BIG LESSONS from this journey:

TRENDING:  If not for my practice of pulling the trends from my patients, and listening to my own…I don’t know if I could have endured the pain.  I was able to notice small increments using multiple variables…how long I could sleep…lie in one position…how many positions I could lie in…and of course the intensity and frequency of pain.  Without the certainty of a positive trend, I may have thrown in the towel on one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  

MOVING INTO THE MESSAGE:  We may be missing the most amazing, beautiful, growth enhancing experiences of life by running away from symptoms.  This was the first time that I was so completely in communion with Regulation and its messages.  It was just me and pain… loud… softer… grinding… pulling… twisting… cramping.  The trust I felt within all that…it was my deepest knowing of Regulation, and it was transformational.  Not only do I eagerly anticipate my health changes, I am excited for what I might become, and do…as my energy and health return.  I don’t feel the same…it is a humbled, vulnerable, and cautious feeling…of amplified passion and purpose for my life. 

The appendix is considered of no use in our modern culture.  Ironically, my art is considered of no value to most of our modern culture.  And I have a chip on my shoulder about that.  My appendix does NOT…perhaps there is a lesson from appendix to me.  The appendix just keeps plugging away, performing its job (art?), which is believed, by the few who do not buy its uselessness, to be a critical component in the vitality of our microbiome (the cultures and populations of microorganisms that that literally partner with us to contribute up to 80% of our immune defense). 

Taking that one step farther…in our human culture, we have epidemic proportions of our population feeling completely disconnected from their innate value, perhaps feeling useless like an appendix, with no system of expressing or even discovering their innate value.  Our culture focuses more on learning the right answers to a bunch of standardized questions than nurturing our unique gifts and talents.

Yup, we have a culture of appendixes.  Somehow…a vision is brewing to protect our physical appendixes, and our human appendixes…humans of no use (or not discovering their innate value) that society could just as well live without.  Nobody should feel useless…and everybody should feel significant, which is just a heart expression away.  

Think about it…read the comments of any article on the internet, and you will see a culture of useless people screaming for significance…and their only resource to BE-coming significant, from their cultural education, is to make someone else wrong…even better…make them “STUPID!”  “There…now I am important.”
 
Nah…significance only comes from improving someone else’s life…which only comes from discovering your innate value…which only comes from nurturing your unique desires, abilities and talents…your true heart desire. 
    
This is not vastly different from what I wanted 2 weeks ago, before all this.  But something is different…I am different.  My first inspired article in the aftermath was a bit bolder than the past.  It had to do with the lady that walked out, and shared that I am more willing than ever to be unpopular, if it means my purpose is fulfilled.  The funny reality of that visit was that I was calling her on her own self criticism…because my purpose is for YOU to be the best YOU possible…all of US!  If Laura had come in and insulted her, I bet she would have thanked me for correcting the critical opinion. 

I was surprised by the article.  As if someone else were writing it…because…I…I was feeling vulnerable and humbled.  So, perhaps another part of “I” is coming out, to further this vision, thanks to the bravery and selflessness of my appendix…and my painful act of trust and value for that little guy!  We’ll see…

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Gotta Be Brave!



Being a healer…and a human… requires bravery.  

What brought this to mind was an office visit that ended very badly.  I am pretty sure this patient thought I was a complete ass, and found no reason to ever see me again.  

Here’s the bravery.  When you see behavior that is a contradiction to health and progress, it takes bravery to confront, or directly face and address, the issue.  

It reminds me of one of the earliest stories of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).  One of the subjects of NLP study, Milton Erickson, who was a therapist known to have remarkable patient RESULTS, despite (or because of), his unorthodox techniques.  The founders of NLP studied the way he spoke, words, inflection, movements…everything…to see if they could see the “steps” of success.  

In one story, he met with a new client.  She explained her story…a lifetime of weight and self esteem issues…and she was ready to change.  All he said, and I don’t have the exact quote, was something like…

“I suggest you get accustomed to being fat, because you will never change.”

That was it.  She was furious and stormed away.  Except that….about a year later, she returned, having lost a vast amount of weight, to THANK HIM.  As she lost the weight, she recognized what he did.  Without pay…without appreciation…he GIFTED her success!  Perhaps he saw a strong rebel energy in her, and she just needed someone of significance to PROVE WRONG.  

If he had stroked her hand and told her she could do this…she would have failed…again!  And RESULTS…are all that matters.  (Certainly over being nice or doing it the “right way.”)

I have never been THAT brave, but I will challenge people…and sometimes end sessions with more fury than appreciation.  Every time I challenge, I am giving my best attempt at pushing through something that is harming the patient in front of me.  Maybe my best isn’t good enough…or maybe leaving upset is exactly what that patient needs.  I don’t know…as always…check the results.  

My preference is to achieve a change in perspective…to see the situation differently…and make the necessary change…without stress or upset.  We are getting pretty amazing results, and I rarely see this kind of upset, so I’d say my preference is being achieved way more than not.  (And not everyone needs pushing…or has enough “push” walking in).  

The very next day (after my upset patient)…it happened again.  I saw a sticking point.  I pushed lightly…harder…and harder!  And she responded right there.  This time it ended in hugging…and yes, I prefer that!  BUT…I won’t chicken out…at the sacrifice of RESULTS.  

Where do YOU need to be brave…to confront (face and address directly)…a sticking point in your life?  In YOU?  In a relationship?    

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The Science of Natural and Pharmaceutical Medicine



There is a perception that there is little or no scientific basis for natural medicines.  I rather like the science of tradition…3000 years (the first recorded/written documentation) of historical use for a symptom or condition seems pretty convincing to me!  

It seems Medicine puts some credence on that history as well, because approximately 50% of the pharmaceuticals developed in the last 50 years were based on plant medicines.  Researchers search the plant for “active ingredients” and then either create a chemical variation of that ingredient, or find another chemical that reproduces the effect of the plant’s “active ingredient.”  Ie. Tamiflu is designed to recreate the effect of Elderberry.  

But it’s true, natural medicine doesn’t stand up to the medical standard of research.  This is where people with a single diagnosis are given a specific plant or mixture, and symptom results are graphed against a placebo.  The flaw in this type of analysis, in my experience, is that identical conditions may have a multitude of causes.  

For example, I have seen patients with sciatica who have responded to chiropractic and muscular care, while others, based on our diagnostic process, were found to have multiple intestinal infections creating inflammation, and responded only to anti-microbial plant medicines.  Of the hundreds of cases of sciatica I have seen, I bet that no two had identical root causes!  

But still…is there little to no research on plant medicines that is of value?  I typed American Ginseng into the database of the National Library of Medicine.  I found 407 published articles.  By contrast, I searched Prozac…11,485 published articles!  Here is a sampling of page 1 of both….

AMERICAN GINSENG
Improved cognitive performance on 'Working Memory' factor at 3 h with American Ginseng. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25778987

…suggested that American ginseng protects the ovary against Premature Ovarian Failure by regulating prostaglandin biosynthesis (inflammation, these hormones are why we take advil), ovulation, and preventing ovarian aging. High hormone levels (PGE2, FSH, and LH) were reduced, and Estrogen secretion approached normal levels, leading to improved POF (Premature Ovarian Failure, loss of ovarian function before age 40) symptoms and abnormal ovulation.   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25705687

(This is one where the researchers are extracting the “active ingredient” as a result of evidence of heart protection.)  American ginseng is capable of ameliorating cardiac dysfunction and activating Nrf2, a master regulator of antioxidant defense, in the heart. This study was designed to isolate compounds from American ginseng and to determine those responsible for the Nrf2-mediated resolution of inflamed macrophage-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25882312
Among important components of American ginseng, protopanaxadiol (PPD) showed more active anticancer potential than other triterpenoid saponins. In this study, we determined the in vivo effects of PPD in a mouse cancer model first. Then, using human colorectal cancer cell lines, we observed significant cancer cell growth inhibition and apoptosis (apoptosis = destruction of tumor cells).  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25704023

RESULTS: American Ginseng significantly reduced experimental colitis measured by the disease activity index scores. This suppression of the experimental colitis …suggested that the ginseng significantly promoted recovery from the colitis. Consistent with the anti-inflammation data, we showed that ginseng very significantly attenuated…colon carcinogenesis by reducing the colon tumor number and tumor load. The ginseng also effectively suppressed inflammatory cytokines. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25535472


In this study a novel neutral polysaccharide (PPQN) was isolated from American ginseng roots and its structure and anti-inflammatory activity were investigated.  These results indicated that PPQN may have therapeutic implications in treatment of inflammation and inflammatory-related diseases.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25434805
 
PROZAC
Effects of pharmaceuticals on Marine life.  Pharmaceutical products affected H. diversicolor physiology and health. As a benthic top predator, adverse effects on sea-worms can potentially culminate in ecosystem perturbations.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25899671
 
This study investigated the route and degree of uptake of two ionisable pharmaceuticals (diclofenac and fluoxetine) and one ionisable compound used in personal care products (triclosan) into the sediment dwelling worm, Lumbriculus variegatus.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25892588
 
Canine separation-related problems (SRP) (also described as "separation anxiety" or "separation distress") are among the most common behavioural complaints of dog owners. Treatment with psychoactive medication in parallel with a behaviour modification plan is well documented in the literature, but it is unknown if this is associated with an improvement in underlying affective state (emotion and mood) or simply an inhibition of the behaviour.  Prior to treatment (with Prozac), the dogs with SRP responded to ambiguous positions (unwelcoming positions) in the cognitive bias test negatively (i.e. with slower running speeds) compared to control dogs (p < 0.05). On weeks 2 and 6 of treatment, SRP dogs displayed similar responses in the cognitive bias test to control dogs. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25889323
 
participants receiving fluoxetine were less accurate at identifying anger and sadness and did not show the emotion-potentiated startle effect. There were no overall significant effects of fluoxetine on subjective ratings of mood.  (Is this of benefit?)  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25864939

…showed feasibility as an effective transdermal delivery system for FX (Prozac).  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25863117
 
The rest:
1. How another pharmaceutical enhances serotonin activity increases from Prozac.
2. A substance in marijuana shows evidence of calming.
3. Case study: 16 year old, suicidal…improved with Prozac.
4. Retrospective: Another drug was better than Prozac at treating breath holding in infants
5. Prozac prescription increases concentrations of Prozac in sewage.
6. Monkeys were trained to self administer cocaine…Prozac decreased their seeking behavior.
7. Prozac increased several energy production systems in brain cells, including increasing cholesterol formation and glucose uptake.
8. The plant medicine effects on compulsive behaviors in mice was equivalent to Prozac. 

Oh…come on…don’t make me read the rest!  That’s 13 of the 20 on page one!  The POINT...there are several studies on page one of the search for American Ginseng that offer value.  What does page one of Prozac tell us?  Granted, there are over 500 more pages of prozac research, while less than 30 more pages of Ginseng research.  

I'm not willing to go through the 500 pages...are you?  Especially after the sampling of page one?  Would you be more willing to look deeper into Ginseng?  I would...it sounds like there is value in this plant!  And I have...along with the amazing history of Ginseng!  

Let me know what you think of this pretty objective analysis!?  (Just reporting the facts, ma'am)