06.25.06
Health Tips Anyone?
I thought I’d open up this category for anyone wanting to share any natural alternative treatments for any health concerns–i.e. aplastic anemia, eczema, candidiasis, achy body, anything, 
It would be nice to have like-minded people meet in a setting that welcomes such discussions and interchange. Hope this section will help others!
Marlakins
Marlene said,
June 25, 2006 at 11:53 pm
Hello Marla,
Thanks for creating this post. I’ll add my two cents here with my latest find.
Over the years I have been searching for an alternative to antiperspirants. Well I have finally landed on a solution that I would like to share. I have tried the deodorant stones without success as well as many “natural deodorants”. Nothing was working for me.
So here’s a solution you may want to try if you are looking to reduce your chemical exposure.
After bathing, use witch hazel in an alcohol base to kill any bacteria under the arms. I basically apply to cotton pad and wipe under the arms. Bacteria is the reason for the “smell”.
Then apply a small amount of baking soda to damp wash cloth and apply under the arms.
Now this won’t stop the sweating, but it’s much more effective than deodorants as far as combating the odor. And the oils and chemicals in the commercial deodorants do not get into your clothing causing discolorations.
I’ve been using this now for about two months and it continues to work.
Marlene
Administrator said,
June 26, 2006 at 3:30 am
Hi Marlene!
Glad you popped in!
Now that’s very interesting! And timely, too, since my two older boys are currently “struggling” to stay orderless. LOL It feels like I’m forever sniffing the air before we go out to make sure that they’re nice and fresh smelling. Now, I didn’t realise that it was bacteria that causes the odor. And so in that respect, it makes so much sense to use the witch hazel in an alcohol base. I’m definitely going to try to get my boys to try your remedy. Sometimes just daily showers don’t seem enough for them. . . And good thing it doesn’t inhibit sweating. That’s another plus.
Okay, now you reminded me of my own recent discovery! I’m not one to get urinary tract infections, but for some reason, I had a bout of them which started last November 2005. And since I didn’t want to take antibiotics, I opted for a natural approach. At first I used the cranberry juice, which did okay at first, but the UTI came back. So what I eventually did was make onion puree soups which I took throughout the day, and presto! It cleared me up beautifully! Symptoms were gone in about 3 days. If you want to pull out the extra guns, then ramp up the vit C and take some dandelion leaf extract. So here’s my onion puree recipe! I know some people might get scared at how much butter is in it, but I’m sure the Weston Price followers would be proud of me! LOL
Onion Puree Soup
Ingredients:
2 leeks, chopped
2 bunches of scallions, chopped
4 brown/yellow onions, chopped
2 purple onions or bunch of shallots or white onions if no purple onions, chopped
1/2 cup organic butter (one stick)
water
Use a pot large enough for all the chopped onions/leeks/scallions. Melt the stick of butter and add all the chopped onions/leeks/scallions. Saute until the onions start to look translucent. Then add water (I used bottled spring water) to cover all the onions. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from flame and let cool for a few minutes, then blend it all up in a blender until it’s creamy. Salt to taste. (I used sundried sea salt for added minerals. Celtic is a good brand. Don’t skimp on the salt, there are a good mix of minerals in natural sea salt).
I generally took a bowl or large cup of onion soup every hour throughout the day, and continued it for another 2 weeks for good measure even though I no longer had symptoms. I ate it either hot or cold. Didn’t seem to matter.
Okay, toodles!
Marlakins
Marlene said,
June 28, 2006 at 3:44 am
It sounds tasty. I’m a closet onion head. I have never seen onion soup as remedy for UTIs. It’s good know.
I just picked up my vegies from the Amish organic farm. They are so much more flavorful than those in the supermarket.
Marlene
Administrator said,
June 28, 2006 at 9:21 am
Oh, it is tasty! And that’s the beauty of it! Nothing like eating something yummy that’s healing to the body as well.
Lucky you to have an Amish organic farm nearby. We have some farmer’s markets here, too, but not all the vendors are organic. We’re lucky to have the organic farmers that do come to sell, and for that, I’m thankful. I imagine you have access to Amish quilts as well? I bought a couple small ones years ago when we went to visit the Amish community in Lancaster, PA. Just recently I got back into quilting and tried making some Amish style patchwork. Heh, I could use some help, but with practice, I think I can make some decent designs.
BTW, I picked up some witch hazel and baking soda for my boys. Will give it a test run tomorrow.
Marlakins
Kim said,
June 28, 2006 at 11:32 pm
Well, I wish I had more information on natural healing. For instance as I get older I notice sleeping (or should I say a lack thereof) seems to be a problem. I did the obvious, stay away from caffiene, get exercise, eat healthy. I wonder if there is a natural anecdote to help with this. My Dad is 75 takes sleeping pills (oh,no!) and cannot sleep at all without them. There is so much gimmick stuff on the interenet, I find myself not trusting these websites… like for high cholesterol, which I have a problem with as well… any suggestions?
Administrator said,
June 29, 2006 at 10:27 pm
Hi Kim!
Oh boy! Sleep! That has been one of my concerns, too. When I first got diagnosed with AA, I had the worst trouble sleeping. I’d only be able to sleep in 5 minute increments, and those sleeping minutes were sometimes filled with nightmares! At times I would fear when nighttime was approaching cuz I knew it was going to be long. At diagnoses, I was given some sleeping pills, but they didn’t always help me sleep, and the sleep I did get didn’t feel refreshing.
It seems that so many things are possible links to sleeplessness as you already know since you’ve already tried the common suggestions of eating better, more exercise, staying away from caffiene, etc. I’ve tried those, too, and a few other suggestions, some working better than others and not even consistently. Sigh. I’ve tried things like soaking my feet in very warm water just before bed, drinking various teas like chamomile or valerian root, taking a warm shower or warm baths just before bed, breathing exercises, a walk around the neighborhood just before bed, taking a pinch of sea salt just before bed, taking some seaweed just before bed, having a little snack before bed (various types of foods experimented from a little carbs to more protein or more fats, heh), trying various supplements like calcium and B6, etc., and forcing Brian to give me a massage. LOLOL
So what has worked for me? Well, I admit that I still struggle with sleep issues. Not as bad as before, but it does take me time to fall asleep sometimes. Brian is asleep before his head hits the pill. Not me. I’ll lie awake for half an hour or more before I fall asleep. The good news is that I tend to sleep in longer stretches now(4-5 hours at a time), and I’m dreaming. . . Apparently, dreaming is a good thing and an important activity for a healthy mind. The thing that keeps surfacing for me over and over again is my adrenal glands. I have so many symptoms that my adrenals are weak and that could be part of my trouble sleeping. Sometimes I get sleepy in the late afternoon at which time I have NO problems taking a nap. But come nightfall, I’m wide awake. And after 9PM, I’m reading to start work. LOL I’ve read that is a common problem with people with weak adrenal glands. So what I have been doing is trying to do adrenal friendly things. So far I “think” I’m making some progress, but it has been slow–partly because it has taken me so long to figure out what my problem is, and partly because I’ve gotten conflicting information about what a “good” diet is especially relating to adrenal health. Since I seem to have various conditions, I’ve checked with others people’s suggestions, but for each “condition” there are recommended diets. . . well, what happens when you have a few conditions (eczema, possible candida, a blood condition, etc.) and the recommended diets for each are completely incompatible? LOL That was the dilemma I was running into. At the moment, I’m trying to follow the guidelines of James L. Wilson, author of Adrenal Fatigue. And so far, I think his has been the best for me. His suggestions are to take potassium broths which can be made with various veggies like green beans, zucchini, celery, parsley, etc. Always eat all three of fats, carbs, and protein in each meal to facilitate a slow and even burn of food. No sweets in the AM as that is hard on the adrenals. Don’t eat lots of fruits. Maybe one a day. I stay away from sugars and even honey, now. Recently, I’ve taken a vit C supp (either Amla or Aerocela powder), zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, and a B complex. I make sure to have a good dose of quality fats each day. And just for good measure, I do take natural antibacterials and antifungals like garlic, or coconut oil, or onions, etc. I’ve also done some periodic parasite cleanses just to go the extra mile as I’ve heard that could also cause insomnia and a general feeling of uneasiness.
Wow, this has gotten long fast! And I haven’t even touched the cholesterol issue! I’ve gotta run for the moment, but definitely would like to discuss the cholesterol issue. But first, is your cholesterol “very” high? Or just borderline high? And are you feeling any symptoms? If you have time, you might want to check out Brian’s website–www.goatrevolution.com and read some of his cholesterol links. You might find them interesting especially since I “think” you adhere to a fairly low fat diet? I’ve also read this book called The Heart by Matthias Rath, M.D. which has some noteworthy tidbits. George Mann, M.D. has some good info as well as Uffe Ravnskoff, M.D. and Mary Enig, PhD. The issue of cholesterol is so involving! But interesting! Oh, one other thing. . . how’s your thyroid? That is also closely linked to your cholesterol levels.
Okay! Yakkadoo laters!
Marlakins
Patti said,
July 7, 2006 at 9:55 am
Hi Marla,
Adrenals! You are using the right book. My adrenals were near total failure just over a year ago. I saw a doctor that specializes in complimentary medicine and he has done wonders. He had me follow the Wilson diet strictly. I also alternated between licorice root and ashwaghanda. I would use a bottle of licorice root then switch to the ashwaghanda. The symptoms you’re describing regarding sleep, afternoon crashing, awake at bedtime are all symptomatic of adrenals. Part of that adrenal thing is cortisol that is all out of whack. So at my worst my cortisol was fine and normal until 2:00 in the afternoon and then I would crash through the floor. By 8:00 I’d be feeling so much better again and then I wouldn’t be able to sleep until after midnight because my cortisol would be too high. I see a different doctor now, she’s a naturapath and she just took me off of the first two herbs and had me take rhodiola for a month. That worked great. I’d say even better than the first two. Then she took me off the rhodiola and put me on a strong adrenal glandular. I think she was testing just how bad my adrenals were by seeing how I was responding to the other herbs. So far, the glandular seems to be working well. It took me one fully year of Wilson’s diet and also making some hormonal changes (added bio-identical progesterone) and I would say I’m about a fragile 90% again. I say fragile because it doesn’t take much stress to put my adrenals out of whack again. I think it’s going to take time to heal them fully. But before I got ahold of Wilson’s book there was some concern that I might have Cushings Disease. The doctor pushed and pushed. He even told me I had a tumor even though my MRI didn’t show one. When I went to him with Wilson’s book and told him I believed my adrenals were exhausted he told me I was nuts. The other day I got a copy of the MRI and notes from that doctor for my naturapath and what did his notes say? “My adrenals appeared to be over exhausted and not functioning well.” I’m glad I dumped him for Wilson’s book!
So, I said all that to say this – I think you’re on the right track!
Patti
p.s thanks for this blog. What a relief.
Administrator said,
July 8, 2006 at 11:47 pm
Thank you, Patti, for sharing that! It helps to know that Wilson’s recommendations really do help. Just recently I met an acupuncturist, and we got to talking. There have been lots of things that I wondered about regarding health, and one of them was regarding waking in the early AM around the hours of 2 or 3AM. I had “read” that in eastern medicine, it is believed that the organs in the body cycle at various times throughout the day. The liver is said to peak at the hours between 1-3 AM, so if you wake during those times of the night, then it is an indication of a weak liver. As I’ve tried to figure out what I need to heal or improve in my body, I had suspected liver weakness due to my skin irritations, and the fact that I’ve had a junk diet for so long and have used steriod creams for so many years. The liver has to process all that junk. So I’ve tried in the past taking liver herbs, but didn’t notice any improvements, but did notice improvement with the adrenal herbs. So I thought that my main problem is adrenals. However, I do wake during the hours of 1-3AM, regularly. And although the adrenal herbs help, it is not complete in my healing. So upon speaking to this acupuncturist, she confirmed the idea of the weak liver and the early waking hours. Apparently, the liver has peak function during those times, but if the liver is weak, then it can’t do it’s function well and allow you to remain sleeping. Brian felt that it made sense because the metabolic rate goes down during sleep. Perhaps the liver needs a higher metabolic rate during it’s peak hours, thus wakes you up. And then regarding why the liver herbs didn’t *seem* to work for me. . . it was suggested that perhaps the dosage I was taking was not enough to effect a noticeable change. Cripes! Why didn’t I think of that? Which makes perfect sense since the liver is so large in comparison to the adrenals, it would make sense that the liver would need more herbs while the adrenals responded to a smaller dosage since the adrenals, after all, are much, much smaller than the liver. So! I am going to revisit the liver herbs with a bit more gusto. Perhaps that will help me get over the hump. Oh! Which brings me to another thing. When I started taking the onion puree soups, I noticed significant improvement. And now regarding the info I just mentioned, onions are a good source of sulphur. And sulphur is very important for proper liver function! And although I have eaten onions many times before, I never ate them in the concentrated amounts as when I used them to treat my UTI–4 whole onions, 2 stalks of leeks, 2 *bunches* of scallions. Who eats that much a day? But with the soup, it was possible for me to take it throughout the day. And that’s why I think I got results. It’s a fairly large dose. Thus I may need a larger dose of herbs to help my liver detox more. It’s probably gummed up with all my years of junk foods (additives, chemicals, etc). and drugs I’ve used throughout my life. This gives me hope that I still have other options to try. And I do think I’m getting closer since after all, I did recover from AA, and my skin is much improved from its worst stage. The worst stage was probably going through the steriod withdrawals. Oye was that bad.
Well, thanks again, Patti. If I notice more results, I’ll share.
Take care!
Marlakins
Andrea said,
July 21, 2006 at 6:08 am
Hi again Marla, I’m glad you brought up the liver because over in AA land I was wondering if that wasn’t related to your skin issues. Coincidentally, Rob and I learned a Qi Gong routine last night called “Liver Cleanse.” It is an energetic cleansing of the liver, and takes about 10 minutes and a plant, a tree, or a piece of wood. Our teacher said, “My teacher said that everyone in the West should regularly do Liver Cleanse. Western diet and lifestyle are extremely hard on the liver.”
I have quesitons about my own liver, due to many years also of junk food, and a tendency to get angry too easily ( a sign of liver problems) and so have decided to do Liver Cleanse every day. It’s also said to be good for the plant involved!
Best, Andrea
Patti said,
July 25, 2006 at 7:55 am
Marla,
I’m just getting around to reading this again after a few weeks and wanted to comment on your waking up in the night. While you are right, it is related to liver, I think it’s not in the way you think. One thing that happens at that time of night is if your body doesn’t have enough glucose to keep it going the liver will convert glycogen to glucose. This process will wake a person because it’s not good for the body. The waking up is your bodies way of saying you need to eat something so the liver doesn’t have to do the conversion of glycogen to glucose. The way you get around this is to eat only a protein snack before bed (ie. cheese stick, nuts of some sort, etc.). When I started doing this I started immediately sleeping all night. When I do wake up, I don’t wait for my liver to kick in. I get up and grab a small handful of sunflower seeds or nuts or something and run right back to bed. But it’s enough to keep my body going until morning. So in a way, you’re right. It is liver related but I think you should look at the glucose/sugar aspect of that. Try the protein before bed and see what happens. If it doesn’t work after a couple of nights of trying I could be off but I’m just betting it will work.
Patti
Administrator said,
July 25, 2006 at 10:58 pm
Hey Patti! Well, now that is a thought! And here I’ve been trying not to eat before bed thinking along the lines that I don’t want to tax my digestion while sleeping since digestion slows down. And I’m thinking I may have leaky gut, so was trying to take slippery elm at night on an empty stomach to heal my gut. Hmmm. You may have something there, tho! So in that case I think I “will” try to eat a little something before bed. I’ll see how it goes, and I’ll let you know. Makes sense!
Andrea, thanks for your suggestions with the Qi Gong. Early on in my AA recovery, my sister was trying to get me to do Qi Gong. She even bought a video that I have here, but I’m so uncoordinated that I kinda gave up. Plus I think mentally, I wasn’t ready for it. I was so concentrating on other health aspects at the time, reading about diet and how the body works that I couldn’t focus on the Qi Gong. But now that you’ve re-awakened the idea, I think I’m gonna hunt down that video tape again and watch it. Hopefully it’ll have something on that liver cleanse manuver you’re talking about! Thanks again!
Marla
Administrator said,
July 26, 2006 at 4:20 am
Hey Patti:
I was just looking up symptoms for low blood sugar, and this is what I came up with.
* Common symptoms of low blood sugar include the following:
o Trembling
o Clamminess
o Palpitations
o Anxiety
o Sweating
o Hunger
* Because the brain is deprived of glucose, a second set of symptoms follows:
o Difficulty in thinking
o Confusion
o Headache
o Seizures
o Coma
o Ultimately, death
I don’t think I have been experiencing any of those symptoms. So wonder if it is the low glucose at night? I guess it started to make me think because I don’t ever recall being hungry when I wake at night. Just wake. LOL And regarding the “confusion” symptom. I actually think a lot while awake and is one of my best solving problem moments. LOL I was thinking of how some people feel that revelations actually come during that half wake, half sleep moment. I think Salvador Dali mentioned something about that when he came up with ideas. So, I know I definitely don’t have the confusion problem. I actually become very alert. But I’m still gonna try eating a little before bed to see what happens. Maybe this low glucose list is the extreme cases. I don’t know.
Okay,
Marla
Patti said,
July 26, 2006 at 8:51 am
Hi Marla,
Yeah, those are really low glucose symptoms. I am very hypoglycemic and sometimes experience those if I don’t watch my blood sugar but I know when the naturapath pointed the sleep/sugar out to me it didn’t make much sense to me either because I was never hungry when I woke up. Just awake. It would drive me nuts. But the bedtime protein did solve that problem. My oldest daughter has the same problem so I make sure she gets a good protein snack (usually a cheese stick or something) before bed. It’s worth a try anyway. You don’t really lose anything trying it. I think it took me two or three days before my body settled and slept all night. I’ll be curious to see if it works for you.
Patti
Marlene said,
July 28, 2006 at 7:02 pm
Hi Guys,
John and I have been exploring Metabolic Typing and are in the process of adjusting our diet to match our metabolic type. It’s premise is that we are all different and what works for one does not work for someone else because of metabolic differences. There are nine systems that keep your body in balance and if you are not “in balance” , you are prone to disease. These nine systems are constantly working to keep you balanced but if you are not getting the proper nutrition for your body type, then over time, the system breaks down. The two main systems that we focus on for now is the ANS Autonomic Nervous System and Oxidative system. Marla, Dr. Mercola’s metabolic typing is based on this. So the best example I can give is a nutrient can be good or bad for you depending on your metabolic type. It can be alkalizing for one type and acidfying for another throwing off your system. That’s why some people do really well on supplement and others have no effect or feel worse. So if you are having issues related to sugar, you could be a “fast oxidizer” meaning you burn through your food quickly and don’t maintain proper stable surgar levels. This could translate to your need for heavier protiens and more fat in your diet versus carbs.
Another way to look at this is that many people have high blood pressure and everyone responds differently to various medications. And that high blood pressure is not usually caused by one thing. Instead it’s an imbalance in your system and the imbalance will be different for each person with high blood pressure.
Well anyway….we are attempting to work within this framework for now and see if anything changes. The difficulty in this is that based our metabolic types, we have had to increase our protein/fat intake at each meal and are required to eat our meals in certain combinations. Takes more planning because I can’t just throw something together yet. The easy part is that we already eat whole organic food. And as usual….sugar is out, refined carbs out, etc. Not a problem.
Marlene
Patti said,
August 2, 2006 at 9:20 am
Hi Marla,
I got a newsletter from Natures Sunshine the other day covering skin conditions and thought of you. As I was reading through it all I could think of is, “Marla’s on the right track!” Everything you’ve mentioned to me about leaky gut syndrome, liver, adrenals, etc. The newsletter said they are all very related to eczema. The newsletter gave a resource for more information on the eczema issue and how it relates to those things and what to use to help them if you want me to get if for you. Keep on keeping on. You’re definately on the right track.
Patti
Administrator said,
August 4, 2006 at 1:07 am
Hi Guys!
First of all, Andrea, my husband must have packed that Qi Gong video up with some books he put in the garage when he was making room for more books on the shelves. So I guess it might be easier for me to run to the central library and look for a Qi Gong video there. However, while searching, I did find 2 yoga videos here. Ha ha! I’ll check them out and see if they have any liver moves. Have you been doing the liver cleanse manuevers? If so, have you noticed any improvements?
Thanks, Marlene, for the info on the metabolic typing. How’s it going with you and John on it? A few years ago there was a big discussion on it on the Native Nutrition forum, and I even checked out the book from the library. But, to be honest, there were so many topics of discussion going on and I was on several forums, so I couldn’t focus on the metabolic typing. I think at the time I was very much into reading Stefansson’s work and McCarrison’s. So I should re-visit the metabolic typing. I checked out the Mercola website, and it appears they removed some info on the free test. So, I may look for the book again at the library. More recently, Brian has been interested in the Optimal Diet by Dr. Kwasniewski aka the Polish Doctor. I heard about him years ago while on the Native Nutrition forum, too, but again, only dabbled with his ideas a little. So now Brian is more interested in it and is going to try this diet and see how it goes. It’s a pretty high fat diet, and a lot less protein than I’m used to eating. For my height, 60cm, I’m allowed 2.1oz protein (ack!), 5.25-7.35oz fat, and 1.7oz carbs per day. I’ll be interested to compare this with what the metabolic typing would recommend for me. One thing I thought was interesting was that Kwasniewski feels that dairy intolerances is due to eating too much carbs. Hmm. Now I would like to have yogurt again! And just yesterday I tried a big spoonful of goat yogurt to see if goat worked better for me than cow. But it does make sense that the differences in our metabolic systems are affecting how each of us benefits from various foods and supplements.
Patti:
We discussed it alittle via private email that it doesn’t seem like the protein snacks before bedtime is my problem regarding waking at night. I tried snacking on a little protein before bed, but I was still waking up. And as I mentioned to you, I also picked up Dr. Pagano’s book on Healing Psoriasis even though I don’t think I have psoriasis, but he claims that eczema responds well to his diet program as well. His main contention is skin problems are linked to leaky gut, so along those lines, I also picked up a book on Natural Stomach Care. That book deals with healing leaky gut, candidiasis, diverticular disease, etc. So I thought it would be interesting to see if his diet recommendations were the same as Pagano’s. But back to the sleeping problems, the Stomach book does have a sectionon insomnia and its relation to the digestive system. He gives some suggestions and did mention what you asked me about whether my regular waking might be “habit” related. That was one thing he also mentioned. Which could be. But also he mentioned to go out and get about 1 hour early morning sunlight through the eyes to help rest my “internal clock.” I think that’s related to the circadian rhythm idea. He also goes into how important sleep is to digestion and how not to sleep on a full stomach and no nighttime snacks. Ha ha! Gee, to eat or not to eat. . . He also mentioned that people who sleep on their stomachs tend to be light sleepers. Well, guess how I like to sleep! On my stomach! He recommends sleeping on the left side whenever possible since it is beneficial for digestion and controlling acid reflux. Stomach sleeping is considered the worse of all sleep positions. Another thing that may apply to me is drinking before bed. One question was whether you have to empty your bladder during the waking hour/s, and yes, that’s me. . . So another suggestion was that I not drink 2-3 hours before going to bed. He does go over other suggestions, but those are the ones that stuck out to me so far.
I am definitely interested in the resources that your newsletter suggests. Would you be able to forward a copy to me? I’d appreciate it.
I finished my adrenal extract a few days ago, and a couple days ago started on some liver extracts. I’ll see how that goes.
Well, I think that’s it for now.
Marla
Patti said,
August 5, 2006 at 8:13 am
Marla,
I will work on getting a copy of the eczema paper from my NS gal. I think she’s in South Dakota right now but she should be back soon. Well, the sugar stuff was worth a try anyway.
Oy, I’m a stomach sleeper too. Always have been. When I was pregnant it was awful! I couldn’t stand not being able to sleep on my stomach. I snore on my back so hubby doesn’t like that! Ah well, I figure I’ll sleep how I’m comfortable for now. There are too many other battles in life to worry about then how I’m sleeping.
Take care.
patti
Andrea said,
August 11, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Hi Marla and everyone, Finally have recovered enough from the reunion to make my way here . . . Interesting that you found some yoga books. I’m a big yoga fan. When I had my major health crisis 12 years ago, daily yoga was part of my health-recovery plan, and I’m convinced it made a huge difference. One thing for sure, it makes you feel just great. It really centers and calms me, and I used it to get me emotionally through Rob’s various AA crises last fall, including in the hospital. (God bless those folks at Mercy Hospital–when they walked in the room and I was upside down on the floor, they acted like it was the most normal thing in the world!)
In medicinal yoga, backbends are said to promote liver cleansing. The sign that your liver is detoxing, they claim, is nausea. I have experienced this during backbends. Quite unpleasant, but the book I use emphasized that it is not at all dangerous, so I didn’t worry.
I tried to get Rob interested in yoga, but it just didn’t catch on with him. (There are even specific postures for anemia.) But he loves Qi Gong. Comparing the two, Qi Gong gives less of a rush-y high, more of a gentle breezy buzz. I’m trying to maintain a practice that includes both now.
Including the Qi Gong Liver Cleanse. No, I haven’t noticed any difference, but I really don’t expect to so soon. My experience with so-called “natural” therapies
is that they work very slowly and deeply over long periods of time. It is only in retrospect that I feel the yoga has been crucial in restoring my health, and I think it has been an extremely gradual process.
So I’ll continue to do the Liver Cleanse and trust that the old Chinese folks who made it up knew what they were doing!
Our Soaring Crane class is over, and we’re going to sign up for a class that includes more Qi Gong movement and Chinese Healing Sounds in the fall. Should be interesting!
Best, Andrea
Administrator said,
August 16, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Hi Andrea:
My sister is also into yoga, and she claims that she feels a lot better. Have you been doing yoga continually for 12 years? Wow, that’s dedication!
Thanks for the tip to do the backbend maneuvers. I will definitely focus on those. I have a couple yoga books that show different positions, so will bookmark them.
I was taking a liver extract a couple weeks ago, and a couple of days ago, I caught a cold. . . No one else in my family has a cold. Not sure where I got it from, so the thought crossed my mind that this “might” be some sort of detox? Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but we’ll see how it goes.
Keep us posted on the Qi Gong. I’m very interested to know how effective that is. Rob seems to feel it helps him, so that counts for something.
Okay! That’s all for now!
Marla
Andrea said,
August 17, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Well, when you’re as sick as I was, and Yoga makes you feel as improved as it did me, it’s not hard to muster the dedication. Many a morning I woke up feeling like Death with Legs, and a 30″ yoga workout made me feel absolutely wonderful! I don’t know if it has the same effect on everyone, but it was and remains a really powerful drug for me, and it’s cheaper than any drug I’ve ever heard of.
We’ll keep you posted on Rob’s progress. He’s doing nothing allopathic now, exclusively Chinese medicine. His platelets are stable at 13-16, wish they were higher but trying to be patient, reds at 11-12, whites at 3-4. He feels good, works pretty hard, still looks a little yellow but color improving.
My feeling is, if he stays stable OR even improves, it’s probably the Chinese stuff.
Best, Andrea
Patti said,
September 12, 2006 at 11:15 pm
Andrea,
Didn’t know your hubby was doing chinese medicine! That is what mom is using for her MDS. What does your TCM have Rob on for his platelets? Do you know? Mom’s has her eating Mung Beans and jujubees. He also has a lot of herbs in her teas for platelets but other then a few that have american names I don’t know what they are. Mom’s HGB has stabilized at 7.6 -7.7 even though her HCT goes very low, her HGB stays in that range for the most part. On a low time her HCT is 22-23. Before CM her HGB would be 5-6. It’s a really slow climb but it is climbing. Our TCM told mom two years of intense treatment to heal her bone marrow. Did Rob’s give him a time frame?
Patti
Andrea said,
September 13, 2006 at 6:29 pm
Hi Patti–Yes, and I was really excited to hear about Dr. Kou. He’s not in our area but our son and dil live in Portland OR (we’re in the other Portland), so he’s maybe a backup for us.
Dr. Mei gave Rob no timeframe. She is quietly confident that he will heal. She doesn’t seem too concerned about his low platelets, but was more concerned about his kidneys, which she says are better now, and now his liver. She said “the hgb’s the most important” and Rob’s steady at 11.
She does acupressure when he sees her and gives him herbs but I don’t know what they are. She makes dietary recommendations, most recently for kelp for liver cleansing, beef broth for strengthening. She also teaches him Qi Gong exercises and we took a course together in a healing Qi Gong exercise called Soaring Crane. Doing this was really wonderful because it was something that was actually fun but also good for Rob’s health. We do a “Crane” together about 3x/ week. (It takes about 30″)
In Chinese medicine, bone marrow failure is a symptom, not a disease, and so each patient is treated differently.
It’s very impressive, your mil’s improvement in hgb. When did she start TCM? (I know I could look this up in your chronicle, but I’m too lazy.)
One positive thing about TCM too for Rob is that he really loves the philosophy and the feel of it. Western medicine is so, um, cold, and negative, and it really affects Rob emotionally. (Emotions are also really big in TCM.) It takes him several days to get over a visit to the onc, even just for a blood draw.
But he always feels encouraged after seeing Dr. Mei. Do you notice this as well?
So glad you got some sleep. Now I’ve got to get some.
Best, Andrea