September 2008
For some of you, I have included this wonderful herb for tonification of your body to help your immune system in the fight of Interstitial Cystitis. It is only a part, so for those of you not in treatment, please don't take this out of context. And, in many it is completely inappropriate. but, when it works, it WORKS! Please read this article, it is pretty neat! http://www.naturalnews.com/024235.html
In today's world it seems we drop prescription drugs to chase symptoms and more drugs to chase the side effects created by those prescription drugs. This is a common cycle. We can avoid having to take all of these medications by changing our diet and our lifestyle. We can reduce or stop drinking alcohol, stop eating sugar and start eating healthy snacks. We can allow our immune system to work instead of taking antibiotics for every little illness that comes along.
This came from a great concerned and involved patient who forwarded a post by Dr. Jay Gordon (my family's pediatrician) in Los Angeles, California. The lovliest man, and a great doctor on the subject of plastic toxicity. Then I posted an article from another awesome patient on some easy solutions to reducing plastic toxicity. This is important stuff for our children and ourselves in the battle toward wellness from IC and the general ills of poor health!
It is not uncommon to hear, "But we need flouride for our teeth".--I am certainly not an expert in the area of flouride, but, I am increasingly educating myself on this subject. Especially because in our area where we live, our government started putting flouride into our water supply. We absorb that flouride when we shower, so, we are getting it into our systems even if we don't drink it. It is incredulous to me that we live in a society where things like this can happen.
I have repeatedly said the number of woman puported to have IC or a related problem is incredibly higher that what has been reported from other common sources. This article talks about one in four women! Now we are talking. This problem is huge and becoming epidemic.NIH has just devoted 25 Million dollars to research on IC. I am hoping to write a grant request to see if they will provide money for me to further my work with their research dollars. I hope to make this happen. I will keep everyone posted.
Many of you know that I recommend agave nectar for a sweetener after a person has reached a point of wellness that they can start baking and indulging in sweet foods a bit more. It is not the only one or way to eat sweet foods, but I do think baking with it is a great way to eat sweet and stay healthy. I have used it in my home for years. There are also lots of agave sweetened products that are fun to bake with, like chocolate, etc..
Here is an interesting page of info on it: http://www.allaboutagave.com/index.php
Almost two years ago my mother died of cancer. She had hospice care in her own home and the day she died, the hospice nurse said, "please give me all of the drugs that hospice gave your mother so I can flush them down the toilet." I said, "flush them down the toilet? Why on earth would you flush them down the toilet?" She answered, "Because, it is illegal to do anything else with them. It is a strict requirement to do so." Of course, being completely bereaved, I did as she instructed, but with great apprehension.
Something on my mind this week is that I am sitting accross the treatment room from an eleven year old, from a four year old, from a twenty something year old, and from a sixty something year old. Although this disease is more female then male, it is not gender prejudiced. Although I am unaware of the true meaning of the word, IC is becoming somewhat of an epidemic. I think, as many of you may understand from reading my dissertation already, that IC (and many other chronic diseases) has so much to do with our modern ways of thinking and functioning.
Much of what I "preach" is treating your body like it is your temple--because, it IS your temple. As I have said in the past, we need to do our best and try to live a normal life at the same time. None oof us can escape toxins 100%. But, if we try to minimize those toxins we use on this planet and we subject ourselves to, we can start becoming healthier in our bodies, and in our environment which will help us now and help our children in the future. Please read this article, it drives home this thought as sad as it is:
..and how is it affecting them? These days we are seeing an increasing number of kids with behavioral problems, attention problems, and chronic health disorders. Sadly, we are seeing more kids with unthinkable problems like, even IC! There is not to much more sad than a child sitting in the corner crying because her bladder hurts. A child should not know what a bladder even is! And, the moods and attention spans of our children are certainly increasing by large numbers. This has to do with many issues of healthcare management and diet.
