In which I am politely enraged

[brightlotusmoon]

And yet another email from a well-meaning stranger who insists that if only I would stop all my medications and eat certain foods for the rest of my life, I would be completely healed and all my disabilities would vanish. Ah, willful ignorance, my nemesis, we meet again

Comments

[shaula82]

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this kind of people. I guess that despite your own research and experience, and your healthcare professionals' knowledge, you just happened to miss the "one thing" that would magically make everything ok. Grrrr. I wonder if people like that understand that "nature" and "natural" are not inherently "good" - there's plenty in nature that would harm or kill you, plenty of irritants, allergens and extremely toxic elements.

[phoenixsansfyr]

I'm sure this person doesn't realize how many poisons are on their organic fruits if they don't wash said fruits before eating them.

[brightlotusmoon]

And that makes me laugh. Loudly.

I know a few parents who are trying to raise their toddlers on completely organic, holistic stuff, and that's great, but the kids have epilepsy, cerebral palsy (one kid), ADHD, lupus (another kid). And, well, as they grow older, drugs will probably have to be the best thing. I mean, sure they can still do that holistic stuff, but I seriously hope the parents balance everything out. I'd hate for a child to die or suffer further damage from, say, status epilepticus and severe inflammation.

[phoenixsansfyr]

Agh, I would be hard-pressed to not smack them! That's not good for the poor kids :/ I'm like you - holistic in conjunction with big pharma. Tiger's balm works well for some things, flexeril for others. Nothing but imitrex is going to fix my migraines. Upset tummies I will try lots of things before breaking out my Zofran or Phenergan. That sort of thing... But I'm also a practicing herbwitch, and my suggestions to others are merely suggestions; I'm not going to recommend the same thing to everyone, and I have the benefit of knowing a lot about Western medicine to go along with my tinctures and other remedies. But no medication is one size fits all, and no LIFESTYLE is one size fits all. Suggestions are always welcome; what worked for you may be something that works for me. But no presuming that we are all the same; that's why there are loads of different remedies for the same conditions.

[brightlotusmoon]

Precisely. I've been trying to explain this to people for years. I've been both smart and stupid about it all, so I think I know what works for ME. But since I wouldn't know what works for YOU (and anyone else), I wouldn't dare to insist on this or that. Now, if someone wanted to try a treatment that I take and know well, I am more than happy to discuss and teach. But first I need to make sure it's what they want and can tolerate.

[koemiko]

Nothing much to add really, but:

No food or combination of foods can cure medical conditions that began with brain damage from birth.

Did you get them at birth...? Or during birth? Or did it just happen as you developed? Did something happen?

I apologize if I'm being intrusive... I'm both interested in medicine (vaguely) and have a thirst for knowledge. ^^;

[brightlotusmoon]

Oh, it's fine to ask! I don't mind at all.

It is suspected that the damage began during my very premature birth, then continued in the days and weeks after my birth. My lungs collapsed several times, particularly my right lung. At that point in 1979, there was no surfactant to replace the natural compounds that would have surrounded and protected my lungs, since I was born so early in gestation. So the lack of oxygen destroyed certain brain cells and damaged other parts of my brain, resulting in white matter death, or periventricular leukomalacia. I was in respiratory distress quite often since my lungs were underdeveloped. My brain never fully developed, resulting in cerebral palsy and other damages.

Feel free to do some research and ask more questions! I love questions.

[koemiko]

Ahh... it seems like it's very difficult to diagnose. How old were you when you were diagnosed?

[brightlotusmoon]

I was two or three, I believe? I wasn't crawling properly and my limbs were spastic and twitchy. I wasn't walking properly. But it was mild compared to most cerebral palsy cases, which was why it took a while for my parents to realize something was wrong. Luckily, a doctor saw it right away.