The C-Word: Bless You!

I've been busy sending emails to friends about supplements for spring and summer allergies.

What is interesting is that in my post-cancer diet - no sugar, wheat, dairy, processed foods or alcohol - all my allergies, sinus problems, migraines and rashes disappeared. That said, when one of the amazons has an allergies - I dose them up with supplements and it clears right up.

Here's a combination that seems to work miracles. I'd suggest you take it twice a day.

2000 mg of vitamin c - be sure it's pure l-ascorbic acid because it can give you an upset stomach
2000 iu of vitamin d3 - we use drops of micellized d3
20 mg of zinc
1600 mg of turmeric - we like new chapter turmeric force

and - the most crucial -

600 mg of NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/may2010_N-Acetyl-Cysteine_01.htm

Quercetin and Bromelain - we use NOW FOODS and take one capsule

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/quercetin

You can also boil two cups of water with cinnamon bark and fresh ginger. Strain it and drink as tea if you have a sore throat, too. It's equally nice and spicy as an iced version. If you can find Ceylonese or Asian cinnamon, it's so sweet you don't need honey or anything.

Oh - my Philadelphia friend and healer, Michelle Hughes, reminded of another allergy remedy, especially for swollen eyes in the morning. Take a teaspoon of local raw honey in your tea (or sucked off the spoon) in the morning and the evening. You can buy the honey from the farmer's market - just be sure that it is local and comes from as close to your location as possible, as trees and flowers vary. 

In my plant-based medicine classes, they always suggest giving up wheat and dairy when you have allergies as they increase inflammation and histamine levels, but Rara would rather suffer than give up bagels with cream cheese and Zarina needs a big, foamy cappuccino every morning.

So the elimination part is up to you.

Feel better!

The C-Word: Trust and Medicine

It seems to me that the biggest problem right now in the medical industry and the healing community is trust.

People don't trust doctors, what with all the news about kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies (check out the dollars for docs site to see if yours has), doctors working 24 hours a day because insurance companies squeeze their time (thus sometimes they make mistakes) and the horrible instances where the process goes wrong and a person gets hurt.

Every day, I seem to get another piece of direct mail/email with a headline like "WHAT DOCTORS AREN'T TELLING YOU" or " WHAT THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW..."

Doctors don't trust patients, because medicine is imperfect and they are humans and doing the best they can, and patients are likely to sue them if the insurance companies don't do it first.

In the complementary medicine community, energy healers, acupuncturists, homeopaths, naturopaths, massage therapists don't seem to trust each other and they really don't trust the allopathic doctors.

And average people don't know if they can trust the alternative medical practitioners because the government has cracked down so hard on them, they can barely hang a shingle, let alone help anyone in any way. I was talking to a friend who is a very sucessful hypnotist yesterday and I asked her what she says when people ask for a guarantee - like what if the treatment doesn't get them to quit smoking? (or whatever it is)

She said, "Does your doctor give you a guarantee? Does he guarantee the pencillin will work?"

And I thought about it and mumbled something about test results, but of course, we all know that about scientists falsifying research. 

Not only does my doctor NOT guarantee results. If something doesn't work or has horrid side-effects, I have to contact her and pay for all the different tests and other prescriptions that she guinea-pigs me on, along with all the subsequent appointments.

One thing I have discovered in being ill so many times is that one needs an arsenal of healers. Allopathic, regular doctors and internists and surgeons who can stitch one's face back together after a taxi accident

Energy healers who can help you re-gain your spirit. Acupuncturists who can make sure the systems are running properly. Nutritionists and naturopaths who can help you eat well enough that your wounds disappear. Homeopaths who can help with the swelling and the healing. Some good friends who can help you do some research and find a lawyer and make sure you don't miss the deadline to sue the taxi company (I did, you only have 30 days, but I questioned the litigious society we've created and the poor taxi driver looked terrified and sorrowful.)

Personally, on his or her own, I don't trust anyone. (Except myself and Universal Intelligence - and even that's a team).

I think, as humans, we need to stop expecting easy answers. There is no single way to address any challenge. And no one should expect perfect solutions from any one practitioner. We need a team, we need ourselves (because NOTHING will work unless you want it and believe it and are willing to put your own work in too).

And if our practioners don't feel safe with us - trust me, they are terrified - they can't really help us.

So drink your green juice. Stop eating sugar and white flour. Step away from the lawyers and spend a bit more time opening up to your healers - on all sides of the spectrum. Cut them some slack. Take some responsibility for yourself.

Feel better.