Hello, Natural Health Lovers and Seekers!
I though it a good idea to share with you a bit of background information, so as to help you to understand my drive to create and maintain this new blog. I hope it helps you to see the need to continue to come and seek out new information on healthy, natural alternatives to current medical options, chemicals, surgeries, etc, and ways to help your own body to heal itself, and set things aright, which in the past have been off kilter, which often a simple matter of diet (yes, it's' true!).
That said, on to some background about me. I'm 54 years old now, and have been on permanent disability since I was 30, a year after being severely injured in a domestic violence incident. I was thrown backward over a high-back chair, and the L4-L5, L5-S1 disks were completely (called a "frank herniation") smashed outside the tough tissue which holds all of the gel-like substance in place. This gel was crushing the nerves which exit the spinal structure, including the sciatic nerves, (the largest nerve in the body), which go from the lower spine and down the legs, spreading into 2 branches in the calf area, and then spreading into many smaller branches all over the foot. This is extremely painful, as I'm sure many of you know, feeling like a huge, throbbing toothache, like a hot scalpel cutting your leg all the way down, deep inside, pins and needles on the outside, stinging, burning, etc. - NOT NICE! I call it the "evil pain" when it flares up, and just plain nasty when it's in its a little less intense, constant state. It never goes away, even after having one surgery 8 months after the injury (I had left my hubby, with my 2 small sons, and wanted to work instead of going on welfare, and having to trust the future health of my central nervous and musculoskeletal systems to a Medicaid Surgeon.
SO, I got a job in the big court reporting firm in D.C., worked the requisite 90 days before I could get good insurance, and saw the head of neurosurgery at Georgetown U Hospital, in Washington, D.C. I was treated conservatively for the next 5 months, and able for a time to cope with the back and leg pain. It was not easy, having to dress nicely and wear heels at work every day, sit at a desk, and then also transcribe the tapes which I assigned to other transcribers after I went home from my 9-5, government-type career. I loved it, but after those 5 months, I was crawling around the house after I got home from work, unable to care properly for my sons, who were about 4 and 5 then. They used to make us all peanut butter and jelly for dinner, because I was unable to stand or sit to prepare meals any longer. That's when I began begging this neurosurgeon, who came highly, HIGHLY recommended. He had been the head of neurosurgery at a prestigious hospital, and a teacher there, as well, for some time. So, on Valentine's Day of 1989, I went into the hospital early in the morning, and went under the knife, hoping for a new future with my little ones once the surgery (a double laminectomy) was completed, and I went through the long recovery period.
I had every intention of returning to work, having been exposed to the legal/justice system of the U.S. Government, and many branches' IG's investigations, including the FDA, OSI, NTSB, all military branches, and many others, not to mention the Capitol Hill attorneys who we helped to put on the map. I loved it, and was learning much, which created in me the strong desire to go to law school, and to become an attorney who gave pro bono help to the poor who needed representation. I was excited about the possibilities ahead for me once I healed.
However, that was not to be. Immediately after the surgery, during which bones were cut away from 2 vertebrae to get at all of the extruded disc material, and scraping it all out, pretty much leaving no disc at either of the lowest vertebral levels, I was ready to do cartwheels, so happy that the pain in my legs was gone already, and the back pain was mostly post-surgical (even the surgeon told a nurse that this was the worse surgery to wake from, very intensely painful where the bones were cut off). I recovered very quickly, and although I now had new restrictions on lifting (no more than 10 pounds), bending and reaching, I felt good as new for the first 3 months. Then, it happened -the scar tissue developing where the disc material had been surgerized, and AGAIN -IMPINGING UPON THE SAME NERVES which had become permanently damaged, due to the 8 month wait between the initial injury and the surgery. SO, the surgeon pullled no punches, telling me "face it, honey -you've got a bum back", and placed me on total and permanent disability, "with regard to any form of employment". I was no longer able to sit, stand or walk, but for very brief periods, so sitting at a desk, even from home, was out of the question, whether or not I had two small children, rent, utilities, vehicle insurance, etc.
I had to figure out a way to still survive, and take care of my sons, even though people close to me insisted that I should adopt out my sons, due to the fact that I was alone, with no help, and no income. I was forced to apply for public assistance and food stamps (not nearly enough to be independent and pay normal living expenses, and to live in a decent, safe home in a decent, safe area).
I met my baby's dad ( my baby is now 20 years old!) at about the same time I was learning that I could not return to work, and was terrified about having my babies taken from me due to neglect (not that I was neglecting them, I was not -but I also knew that I could not go on much longer the way I was). He charmed all three of us, treated us like royalty, and was bringing home over $500/week managing a fast food restaurant from a major chain. Initially, we all fell in love with the clown in him, who insisted on giving us all the best, and refusing to allow any of us to go without a thing that we needed (or wanted). We became engaged, (he was introduced to me as a divorced man), his 11-year-old son stayed with us on weekends and during the summer, in a beautiful condo right outside Washington, D.C. I was able to pay for it with my new Housing Choice voucher, allowing me to pay just 30% of my income. When he and his son came to stay with us during those times, he was visiting one particular evening, and convinced me (after much cajoling from him and my sons) to agree to get married, and also to try to give him one child together, who he could be there to help raise. I figured that after all of his friends, his parents, his son -everyone who had known him his entire life (we were actually living on the border of his home town), he was really divorced and available, and sincere about why he was not with his wife (who I had met once, and it was easily believed that she was controlling and unfair).
HOWEVER, immediately after going off the pill and getting pregnant right away (which should have made him happy, having begged for this!), he got very abusive and doubtful of whether or not I would do as his "ex" wife had done and go to court to take any custodial rights away from him. I was called an unfit mother (after he had "sang my praises" and showered me with love and affection up until the day I gave him the "good" news, and I was told to have an abortion, that he didn't want me to have his child, etc., while I had done nothing to give him reason for doubt on anything.
Needless to say, he calmed down from time to time, and I, after learning that I was no longer able to work, and I figured that once I had our child, he would see that I was not evil as he had accused me. I even sat across the table from his "ex" at his parents' home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, listened to her explain about how the husband is supposed to treat the wife like a queen, etc., and was polite, even having conversations with her like nothing was wrong (all the while saying that he did treat me like royalty, and rubbing his leg as he sat next to me. There, his parents, son, sister and brother all listened and watched intently, as this interaction unfolded, and I, not knowing any better, thought "yes -everything will work out for the best, he is a keeper". His family members all seemed to love him dearly, he was always jovial around them, and had calmed down when we were together alone, so I had no reason to doubt this. None.
Well, I had a 12 pound, beautiful, bouncing baby boy on October 1, 1992. He was beautiful, even though he had nearly ripped all of the flesh off of my rib bones squirming around over the previous few weeks, and especially during delivery. I nearly bled to death after being allowed to try to deliver him by natural methods, for 38 1/2 hours. I was told that I lost several units of blood and needed a transfusion. Of course, back then, nobody wanted blood or blood products, due to the HIV/AIDS scare. That included me, so I repeated (when I was conscious, which came and went) to them that I would only accept volume expanders, but no blood, or blood products. Of course, this may not have been the best decision. I went home finally (after several days of being told my blood count was way too low) after having the baby's dad bring me my iron pills from my condo, and swallowing a few the night before. I was so sickly and weak, I really needed help badly then, because my back and nerves were so highly irritated from carrying this whopping child. He was so happy, and such a joy, but so heavy for me to hold, try to bathe and change. I had to get help through my Medicaid at home for baby and self care (couldn't even wash the long, thick hair I had grown during pregnancy). She was a huge help, and got me through the first month, but after that, the help was cut, supposedly because I no longer needed it. I was now forced to rely on this man, who was not much for doing a job right -whether it was his "home improvement company", or helping to care for a baby. He would wash and hang the little outfits our son wore, clean the kitchen, but changing or bathing our child, who was much too heavy for me, was out of the question -"not on the menu".
While he would spend more and more time sitting and watching movies, I was forced to do the cleaning and child care (my sons helped to keep the young one safe and happy while I busied myself with running the 2 bedroom house we moved to when the baby was almost a year old). He also had gone back to being abusive, in addition to quitting the good job he had (everyone was giving him trouble, and didn't want him there). By the time the baby was a year and a half old, and his dad was working at a gas station for minimum wage, I had figured that if I was being forced to be in so much pain to run the house alone while he could not really contribute much to anything, then I would just live alone, too. He also had spanked my youngest son (not even in school yet) for not keeping the youngest one from scooting on his behind down the stairs as we had taught him when we first moved into the house. We had taught him to scoot down in that way, so that he did not end up falling down them while attempting to walk down like the big guys. He was not hurt, not crying -nothing, but my middle son was spanked severely for letting him do it, and so I was forced in April of 1994 to go to the courts and have him removed from the home. Of course, I did it because I had already met someone else, and wanted him out of the picture (which was so far from the truth)!
SO, skip to the past several years -of moving when the rents became too high on the private market, after moving to North Carolina to be close to my parents. I've been raising the kids alone, on an SSI check -that's what one receives when they become disabled at a young age, and haven't worked long enough to earn a "regular Social Security Check". I've also been receiving some pain relief at the pain clinic, and always searching for natural methods, which work in harmony with our own body's make-up and chemical reactions. I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2007, most likely due to my inability to be very athletic and active, as I had been before my disability occurred.
That was when I really got serious about finding ways to get around my inability to get out and run, swim, do gymnastics, etc., and began searching online and in the library for any information concerning diabetes and natural methods of returning one's A1C to normal limits. I was successful in this endeavor, and was able to drop a large amount of weight, firm up muscles that had begun to get soft, and look and feel much better than before. I also was successful in finding natural substances -even foods -that would help to reduce inflammation, and thus, pain. Also, I have found amazing information on cancer cures, how to eat to prevent this and many other diseases/disorders, and some fascinating information which is actually quite controversial regarding the treatment/cure of HIV/AIDS. Yes -I said it -a cure for HIV/AIDS, and I have video links which I will be sharing here soon, produced by a physician. You'll see -it's fascinating, but also quite alarming, due to the fact that Big Pharma has managed to keep this and other information regarding our bodies' ability to heal themselves naturally, if they're given the proper nutrition, sleep and exercise.
All that being said (and I apologize for the wordiness here -I know that it's a long story), I hope that you'll keep coming to learn what else is going on in the health/medical arenas, especially the natural health and wellness fields. Believe me, there is plenty from which we have all been kept by the FDA, Big Pharma, and the Medical Profession in general. This is because they get billions from us staying unhealthy or sick. Yes -it may sound like it's far-fetched, but it's true, unfortunately. Your government is not looking out for you -rather, for big corporations which will pay them to pass their pills on to you, and to avoid the real issues and treatment for them. How do I know? Because I've been very close to the system for over 24 years now. I will also share stories later about things that were done to my sons in order to "cut costs". You will be truly shocked when you read some of the things I post here, I promise.
For now, hope you're all doing wonderfully, and please -invite your friends to discover the new and fascinating, helpful, enlightening information that I am going to begin sharing here.
Blessings,
n :)
I though it a good idea to share with you a bit of background information, so as to help you to understand my drive to create and maintain this new blog. I hope it helps you to see the need to continue to come and seek out new information on healthy, natural alternatives to current medical options, chemicals, surgeries, etc, and ways to help your own body to heal itself, and set things aright, which in the past have been off kilter, which often a simple matter of diet (yes, it's' true!).
That said, on to some background about me. I'm 54 years old now, and have been on permanent disability since I was 30, a year after being severely injured in a domestic violence incident. I was thrown backward over a high-back chair, and the L4-L5, L5-S1 disks were completely (called a "frank herniation") smashed outside the tough tissue which holds all of the gel-like substance in place. This gel was crushing the nerves which exit the spinal structure, including the sciatic nerves, (the largest nerve in the body), which go from the lower spine and down the legs, spreading into 2 branches in the calf area, and then spreading into many smaller branches all over the foot. This is extremely painful, as I'm sure many of you know, feeling like a huge, throbbing toothache, like a hot scalpel cutting your leg all the way down, deep inside, pins and needles on the outside, stinging, burning, etc. - NOT NICE! I call it the "evil pain" when it flares up, and just plain nasty when it's in its a little less intense, constant state. It never goes away, even after having one surgery 8 months after the injury (I had left my hubby, with my 2 small sons, and wanted to work instead of going on welfare, and having to trust the future health of my central nervous and musculoskeletal systems to a Medicaid Surgeon.
SO, I got a job in the big court reporting firm in D.C., worked the requisite 90 days before I could get good insurance, and saw the head of neurosurgery at Georgetown U Hospital, in Washington, D.C. I was treated conservatively for the next 5 months, and able for a time to cope with the back and leg pain. It was not easy, having to dress nicely and wear heels at work every day, sit at a desk, and then also transcribe the tapes which I assigned to other transcribers after I went home from my 9-5, government-type career. I loved it, but after those 5 months, I was crawling around the house after I got home from work, unable to care properly for my sons, who were about 4 and 5 then. They used to make us all peanut butter and jelly for dinner, because I was unable to stand or sit to prepare meals any longer. That's when I began begging this neurosurgeon, who came highly, HIGHLY recommended. He had been the head of neurosurgery at a prestigious hospital, and a teacher there, as well, for some time. So, on Valentine's Day of 1989, I went into the hospital early in the morning, and went under the knife, hoping for a new future with my little ones once the surgery (a double laminectomy) was completed, and I went through the long recovery period.
I had every intention of returning to work, having been exposed to the legal/justice system of the U.S. Government, and many branches' IG's investigations, including the FDA, OSI, NTSB, all military branches, and many others, not to mention the Capitol Hill attorneys who we helped to put on the map. I loved it, and was learning much, which created in me the strong desire to go to law school, and to become an attorney who gave pro bono help to the poor who needed representation. I was excited about the possibilities ahead for me once I healed.
However, that was not to be. Immediately after the surgery, during which bones were cut away from 2 vertebrae to get at all of the extruded disc material, and scraping it all out, pretty much leaving no disc at either of the lowest vertebral levels, I was ready to do cartwheels, so happy that the pain in my legs was gone already, and the back pain was mostly post-surgical (even the surgeon told a nurse that this was the worse surgery to wake from, very intensely painful where the bones were cut off). I recovered very quickly, and although I now had new restrictions on lifting (no more than 10 pounds), bending and reaching, I felt good as new for the first 3 months. Then, it happened -the scar tissue developing where the disc material had been surgerized, and AGAIN -IMPINGING UPON THE SAME NERVES which had become permanently damaged, due to the 8 month wait between the initial injury and the surgery. SO, the surgeon pullled no punches, telling me "face it, honey -you've got a bum back", and placed me on total and permanent disability, "with regard to any form of employment". I was no longer able to sit, stand or walk, but for very brief periods, so sitting at a desk, even from home, was out of the question, whether or not I had two small children, rent, utilities, vehicle insurance, etc.
I had to figure out a way to still survive, and take care of my sons, even though people close to me insisted that I should adopt out my sons, due to the fact that I was alone, with no help, and no income. I was forced to apply for public assistance and food stamps (not nearly enough to be independent and pay normal living expenses, and to live in a decent, safe home in a decent, safe area).
I met my baby's dad ( my baby is now 20 years old!) at about the same time I was learning that I could not return to work, and was terrified about having my babies taken from me due to neglect (not that I was neglecting them, I was not -but I also knew that I could not go on much longer the way I was). He charmed all three of us, treated us like royalty, and was bringing home over $500/week managing a fast food restaurant from a major chain. Initially, we all fell in love with the clown in him, who insisted on giving us all the best, and refusing to allow any of us to go without a thing that we needed (or wanted). We became engaged, (he was introduced to me as a divorced man), his 11-year-old son stayed with us on weekends and during the summer, in a beautiful condo right outside Washington, D.C. I was able to pay for it with my new Housing Choice voucher, allowing me to pay just 30% of my income. When he and his son came to stay with us during those times, he was visiting one particular evening, and convinced me (after much cajoling from him and my sons) to agree to get married, and also to try to give him one child together, who he could be there to help raise. I figured that after all of his friends, his parents, his son -everyone who had known him his entire life (we were actually living on the border of his home town), he was really divorced and available, and sincere about why he was not with his wife (who I had met once, and it was easily believed that she was controlling and unfair).
HOWEVER, immediately after going off the pill and getting pregnant right away (which should have made him happy, having begged for this!), he got very abusive and doubtful of whether or not I would do as his "ex" wife had done and go to court to take any custodial rights away from him. I was called an unfit mother (after he had "sang my praises" and showered me with love and affection up until the day I gave him the "good" news, and I was told to have an abortion, that he didn't want me to have his child, etc., while I had done nothing to give him reason for doubt on anything.
Needless to say, he calmed down from time to time, and I, after learning that I was no longer able to work, and I figured that once I had our child, he would see that I was not evil as he had accused me. I even sat across the table from his "ex" at his parents' home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, listened to her explain about how the husband is supposed to treat the wife like a queen, etc., and was polite, even having conversations with her like nothing was wrong (all the while saying that he did treat me like royalty, and rubbing his leg as he sat next to me. There, his parents, son, sister and brother all listened and watched intently, as this interaction unfolded, and I, not knowing any better, thought "yes -everything will work out for the best, he is a keeper". His family members all seemed to love him dearly, he was always jovial around them, and had calmed down when we were together alone, so I had no reason to doubt this. None.
Well, I had a 12 pound, beautiful, bouncing baby boy on October 1, 1992. He was beautiful, even though he had nearly ripped all of the flesh off of my rib bones squirming around over the previous few weeks, and especially during delivery. I nearly bled to death after being allowed to try to deliver him by natural methods, for 38 1/2 hours. I was told that I lost several units of blood and needed a transfusion. Of course, back then, nobody wanted blood or blood products, due to the HIV/AIDS scare. That included me, so I repeated (when I was conscious, which came and went) to them that I would only accept volume expanders, but no blood, or blood products. Of course, this may not have been the best decision. I went home finally (after several days of being told my blood count was way too low) after having the baby's dad bring me my iron pills from my condo, and swallowing a few the night before. I was so sickly and weak, I really needed help badly then, because my back and nerves were so highly irritated from carrying this whopping child. He was so happy, and such a joy, but so heavy for me to hold, try to bathe and change. I had to get help through my Medicaid at home for baby and self care (couldn't even wash the long, thick hair I had grown during pregnancy). She was a huge help, and got me through the first month, but after that, the help was cut, supposedly because I no longer needed it. I was now forced to rely on this man, who was not much for doing a job right -whether it was his "home improvement company", or helping to care for a baby. He would wash and hang the little outfits our son wore, clean the kitchen, but changing or bathing our child, who was much too heavy for me, was out of the question -"not on the menu".
While he would spend more and more time sitting and watching movies, I was forced to do the cleaning and child care (my sons helped to keep the young one safe and happy while I busied myself with running the 2 bedroom house we moved to when the baby was almost a year old). He also had gone back to being abusive, in addition to quitting the good job he had (everyone was giving him trouble, and didn't want him there). By the time the baby was a year and a half old, and his dad was working at a gas station for minimum wage, I had figured that if I was being forced to be in so much pain to run the house alone while he could not really contribute much to anything, then I would just live alone, too. He also had spanked my youngest son (not even in school yet) for not keeping the youngest one from scooting on his behind down the stairs as we had taught him when we first moved into the house. We had taught him to scoot down in that way, so that he did not end up falling down them while attempting to walk down like the big guys. He was not hurt, not crying -nothing, but my middle son was spanked severely for letting him do it, and so I was forced in April of 1994 to go to the courts and have him removed from the home. Of course, I did it because I had already met someone else, and wanted him out of the picture (which was so far from the truth)!
SO, skip to the past several years -of moving when the rents became too high on the private market, after moving to North Carolina to be close to my parents. I've been raising the kids alone, on an SSI check -that's what one receives when they become disabled at a young age, and haven't worked long enough to earn a "regular Social Security Check". I've also been receiving some pain relief at the pain clinic, and always searching for natural methods, which work in harmony with our own body's make-up and chemical reactions. I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2007, most likely due to my inability to be very athletic and active, as I had been before my disability occurred.
That was when I really got serious about finding ways to get around my inability to get out and run, swim, do gymnastics, etc., and began searching online and in the library for any information concerning diabetes and natural methods of returning one's A1C to normal limits. I was successful in this endeavor, and was able to drop a large amount of weight, firm up muscles that had begun to get soft, and look and feel much better than before. I also was successful in finding natural substances -even foods -that would help to reduce inflammation, and thus, pain. Also, I have found amazing information on cancer cures, how to eat to prevent this and many other diseases/disorders, and some fascinating information which is actually quite controversial regarding the treatment/cure of HIV/AIDS. Yes -I said it -a cure for HIV/AIDS, and I have video links which I will be sharing here soon, produced by a physician. You'll see -it's fascinating, but also quite alarming, due to the fact that Big Pharma has managed to keep this and other information regarding our bodies' ability to heal themselves naturally, if they're given the proper nutrition, sleep and exercise.
All that being said (and I apologize for the wordiness here -I know that it's a long story), I hope that you'll keep coming to learn what else is going on in the health/medical arenas, especially the natural health and wellness fields. Believe me, there is plenty from which we have all been kept by the FDA, Big Pharma, and the Medical Profession in general. This is because they get billions from us staying unhealthy or sick. Yes -it may sound like it's far-fetched, but it's true, unfortunately. Your government is not looking out for you -rather, for big corporations which will pay them to pass their pills on to you, and to avoid the real issues and treatment for them. How do I know? Because I've been very close to the system for over 24 years now. I will also share stories later about things that were done to my sons in order to "cut costs". You will be truly shocked when you read some of the things I post here, I promise.
For now, hope you're all doing wonderfully, and please -invite your friends to discover the new and fascinating, helpful, enlightening information that I am going to begin sharing here.
Blessings,
n :)
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