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  • From: Akka Homestead <akkabhomestead AT yahoo.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Serious diseases
  • Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:35:41 -0700 (PDT)

Gene, this is long, so just go ahead and delete it.

First, I want to respond to Lynn's comments..
I don't know about the word 'cured', but I do believe that poor diets
cause genetic switches to activate positively or negatively.  Sometimes
that might be reversible, sometimes not.  In general, though, I think
diet is very important to healthy living; eating healthy prevents
problems for both adults and children.  Oh, and Lynn, the latest thing I
read was that RA and other AI diseases might be caused by a virus or
bacteria-I believe it was a strep strain, can't remember..  Viruses are
like diets in that they, too, can flip genetic switches, perhaps
bacteria do as well.

Now, to Jerry,

>
> Several years ago now, my wife "suddenly" began having excruciating
> joint attacts that two different doctors, after tests, diagnosed as
> rheumatoid arthritis.  She  became bed-ridden for days at a time.

There are a lot of different types of RA based on what allele you have
and whether or not you are RF+ or RF-, etc. etc..  Saying you have RA is
kind of like saying you have cancer, the prognosis is different
depending on what you have, so is the treatment.

These
> specialists considered the condition 'incurable' but possible to live
>  with using steroids which they prescribed.

All RA is incurable.  Steroids are the second tier treatment after
NSAIDS.  It is horrible and archaic(IMO).  I hated prednisone, with is
what they usually prescribe.  They did nothing for me, except make me
gain weight which actually made my _osteo_arthritis flare up.  I hate
oral steroids.


Instead, after reading his
> book, my wife and I drove to New Jersy to see a Dr. Joel Furhman, a
> MD who we have since learned is a mentor to Dr. Oz of Oprah Winfrey
> fame. He has made a name and practice for himself curing rheumatoid
> arthritis and other systematic conditions such as diabetis and severe
> heart problems.

I've read the book _Fasting and Eating for Health_, by Fuhrman.  To be
clear, he is not talking about a cure.  There is no cure.  He is talking
about remission.  For some types of RA, remission is possible and diet
plays a bit part, for sure.  His method of fasting is a jump start, and
the water is extremely important to flush the body and lubricate
connective tissue.  I believe he calls it something like 'resetting the
immune response' or something.  But even Fuhrman says that diet cannot
always reverse RA or the damage RA causes.  His methods work best as a
preventative or at the latest when the disease first rears it's head,
but there is no guarantee.
Generally, though, I think he is on the right track.  I know that I
crave blueberries and other high anti-oxidant foods and juices (cherry
juice is wonderful) and when I eat those foods, I do feel better, less
achey, more mentally clear.  Whenever I eat a lot of dairy products, and
I do love my cheese, sour cream, and milk, I have to admit that I can
tell a difference as to the inflammation in my fingers and toes.
I'm impressed that you actually went to see this guy.


>
> My wife followed closely the diet he wrote out for her, and took a
> few supplements.  Within a very few weeks, all symptoms were gone.
> Actually they have never returned, which I attribute to the fact that
> we still pretty much loosely follow his recomendations.  In the
> treatment stage it required being more strict to overcome the effects
> of many years of other ways of eating and practice. The results for
> my wife however began almost immediately.

I'm guessing that she fasted first..
I'm really glad that your wife's disease is in remission and that
dietary changes worked well for her.  RA is no picnic.   Some folks just
have a little stiffness that goes away after a few hours or with a
little exercise, hot shower, etc., and then some people have serious
organ complications.  Since the mid 70's I had wanted RK/then Lasik
surgery to correct my extreme nearsightedness.  When I finally got the
money to do it a few years ago, I learned that I was no longer a
candidate.  I have RA generated scleritis.


>
> Our next door neighbor also takes Enbrel, which has made his greatly
>  deformed hands bearable over the years he has used it.

Once RA creates a deformity, there is no going back.  The deformity is
what happens when RA goes untreated, rather, unmodified.  Steroids,
gold, methotrexate, none of that stuff stops the disease..it only treats
the inflammation and maybe reduces the pain.  Biologics like Enbrel,
Remicade, Kineret, etc. actually modify the disease and send it into
remission.  In just a few month's time, my pinky finger deformed. I
still have nodules in my elbows, knees, feet, and godonlyknows where
else, but I am in remission and I am good.  I try to eat healthy because
I have a reduced immune system from the drug, and as long as I stay well
and don't get the flu or some kind of infection, I do well.


 I think the
> treatment costs are in the thousands of dollars each time it is
> administered.  He is insured.

It is very expensive.  I personally think it is being over-prescribed
now.  When I first started taking it, I was the only 'prescribee' at my
pharmacy-they had to special order it for me.  Now, according to the
pharmacist, he has about 25 customers on it.  Of course, now, it is used
for more than RA...it is being used for psoriasis, and most recently I
heard that it improves Alzheimers.
It is not without risk.  I have a higher rate of contracting cancer from
being on it.  You probably think it is stupid, but after smoking for 27
years, increasing my cancer rate by a drug that allows me to walk and be
productive-improves my quality of life, is a no-brainer.

We gave him the book which he said he
> read, and returned practically without comment. Being a retired
> manager and butcher for the local supermarket, and pretty
> conservative in his view of things, it came as no surprise to us.
> Health and diet are among those very personal touchy subjects, but
> sometimes in empathy with others, I do share what has worked for us.

That's true.  Perhaps he felt that his disease had passed the point of
being helped by diet.  I'm not sure that is possible, but maybe that is
what he thought.

Stay tuned...I'm working on my health questionnaire post.  I think you
will find it interesting.





>From RayZentz AT aim.com Thu Sep 25 17:43:00 2008
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Subject: Re: [Homestead] Homesteader on the Roof
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I thought I was the only one who did that...

My wife just goes somewhere else....


-----Original Message-----
From: Lynn Wigglesworth <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>
To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:58 am
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Homesteader on the Roof



Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:
>
>> >"If I had money, I'd..." (mostly environmental or having to
>> do with getting young wannabe farmers onto farms).
>>
>
> I can see Lynn now doing that dance in her barnyard, "If I were a
rich woman,
> ya-da-da-da-da-da-da..."

Don't encourage me; I already burst into song often enough to embarrass
my kids.

Lynn


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