Something near and dear to my heart is being 100% natural. Some call it granola, being a hippie, weird, etc. I however believe that EVERY person has a way of doing things naturally to protect and enhance their health. I don't believe in vaccines, I'm not sold on conventional medicine, and I don't like medical interventions unless they are life saving.
Some of you right now are saying "WAIT aren't you being hypocritical bc if it wasn't for medical intervention you'd be dead" - perhaps, but I seriously doubt it. I partially say this b/c I have NEVER been consistent about my medication. Essentially I take it when I am sick and then mostly take it as needed. I just feel like I should reserve it until I have to have it. Now this is probably not the best way -although I always bounce right back and have never really lost any lung function even though I have lots of scarring. And maybe I'm just lucky up to this point...but something tells me their are more answers, better answers, better options.
There are ways of helping your body HEAL itself. The problem is that doctors aren't taught these ways. They are taught medicine - not nutrition and vitamins and minerals. The aren't taught how to detox the body, they aren't taught the importance of meditation, most are barely knowledgeable on exercise. (Most doctors take 1-2 nutrition courses in med school, that's it)
Proper nutrition is the SINGLE most important thing to the body. If you are not fueling your body correctly then the performance is dramatically decreased and problems arise. Diseases are brought on when the body becomes deficient in something. With CF we KNOW that we do not get adequate nutrition. Its important for us to take our vitamins EVERY SINGLE DAY. But its also important for us to understand WHY we don't get proper nutrition and ways to fix that. Not just conventional medical ways either.
I am on a quest to get off of the 30 medications I'm taking at any given time. While they are "helpful", they are also slowly poisoning my body. There is probably a more effective, less damaging way to help my body through my illness. I want to reverse the things happening in my body. I want all these awful side effects and extra illnesses to go away. Sure some say "oh with CF having other illnesses is just part of the disease" but WHY do they have to be? Why should we settle with death if there MIGHT be another option out there? And lets look at the CAUSE of why we have other illnesses. Its not the CF that does it, think about it. I have osteoporosis bc I was given steroids too often as a child and it destroyed my bone strength. I have diabetes, more than likely, b/c I have been told to eat all the "crap" I could get my hands on. CF liver disease - ppsshh more like liver problems bc of all the antibiotics, constipation, and medications. Some of these things just HAVE to be reversible, right?
So aside from my supplement regime, I am going to start juicing. I purchased an Omega 8006 today. I first stumbled onto the idea from a documentary, but then was advised to check out info on the Gerson therapyhttp://www.gerson.org/. I was amazed. Then as I watched videos on youtube and read blogs I couldn't believe the results people had... but wait yes I could! Fruits and veggies have so many amazing qualities to them. The contain the vitamins and minerals we consume in pill form. So what happens when you drink large, easily digestible amounts of them - YOU HEAL YOUR BODY FROM THE INSIDE OUT! If it works for cancer it has to work for CF.
So over the next few months, I am going to write alot about healing CF in a natural way. I've been googling info on this but there just isn't much. Everything with CF is trial and error. I have no problem running experiments on myself bc in the end someone has to do it. I know that 2 years ago when I cut back meds and took supplements that I had the best health I've had since I was 12. I am going to tell you what I am juicing, how much, and how often. I'm even going to break down costs so that you REALLY get a good picture. I am also going to work on finding natural supplements to switch to and take the place of the medications I am on.
I do NOT plan to cut out my vest treatments, inhaled meds, current antibiotic treatment for my sinus infection (although nasal rinses and garlic would probably help better), and I am still going to take my enzymes. However EVERY OTHER pill on my list(besides supplements) has got.to.go. PERIOD. I also plan on doing this in conjunction with the new medication (kalydeco) so Ill try and describe the differences I feel with each. Wouldn't it be awesome to take a handful of supplements that have NO side effects, do my nebs and vest, and drink some juice (or tube it if the taste is awful).
I am sure my doctor with be 100% NOT SUPPORTIVE. What else is new. So Ill be sure to tell you what she says. My next clinic visit is March 14th.... what will it bring... excitement for sure!!!
If anyone has any awesome links to anything, contradictions, whatever please share! THIS IS A LEARNING PROCESS FOR ALL OF US!
** I do not have a PHD and I don't know you or your CF history. Please do NOT just jump blindly into coping what I do. I spend HOURS/years doing research everyday to learn the things I know. And I know I hold some controversial beliefs. Please do your own research and talk to your doctor.
Jessica
Awesome . I agree 100%, I was never one to depend soley on conventional medicine alone, each individual is different & the body has its own healing energy if we tap into it with proper method.. I have a doctor who is a minimalist when it comes to medications, we become too dependent on them when there are other ways to maintain health & well being.
ReplyDeleteA wholistic & multifaceted approach is always better, explore for ourselves what works & what doesn't when all factors are considered... medications, especially in Western medicine, for the most part exchanges one set of symptoms for a less severe set of different symptoms.
Darryl :)
This is interesting. Although, you stated you wouldn't be cutting out things like your vest and whatnot, but you originally said you don't do them frequently.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to be complaint on EVERYTHING for a month, and then start your juicing regiment (while dropping off the other meds) and see how it compares. I think just comparing it to a non compliant schedule will involve too many variables so you won't know for sure if its the juice, or the fact that you did pulmozyme 20 times instead of 7. You know? I think it would add a lot of credit to good results too; example Even doing all my meds I didn't feel this great! (Feel free to ignore me, this is just the scientist in me talking lol!)
I like the idea behind it. I think a lot of natural things will help your body be the best it can be. I also agree that doctors tend to overmedicate.
Although, we don't get diabetes because of all the junk food we eat. Our pancreas can't secrete insulin due to all the mucus that clogs it. Whereas type 2 diabetes (which is what you referenced) doesn't use the insulin secreted correctly. Hence why we can't take pills to control our diabetes like most Type 2 diabetics can.
I'm really looking forward to the cost breakdown. I think that's something that's hugely overlooked! Imagine if you could feel better with spending 300$ on juicing things, vs. the 10k it costs to buy all your meds.
I should have included that for the past 2 months I've been very compliant. My lung function has been rapidly declining and we don't know why. So I have been strict on my meds, doing everything I can to help. I will likely be able to juice before I can start kalydeco. My juicer should be here in the next few days. My medication status is still unknown. I think I am really need to drop meds asap bc taking so many at once is making me very sick for a few hours after I take them. Also about the diabetes thing - I was told CFRD was a mix of type 1 & 2. I actually was on pills to treat it for the first 2 years after DX. Now Im on insulin but I rarely need it. My pancrease is very weird. Its almost that it works sometimes and then stops and starts again. When I was pregnant it worked fine. I didn't need pills ONCE while pregnant. And sometimes it will work for a month or so at a time. Noone understands why it does it. I loved your comment and would love some more input. Thank you!!!
DeleteI'm REALLY interested to read your future posts about this. Nutrition/natural healing is something near and dear to my heart as well.
ReplyDelete