Lulu Lessons: Teachings from a Homeopath and Nurse 'down under'

First I guess I start with a 'hello' - my first instinct is to say it in 100 languages; not because I am multilingual at all, moreso because part of my makeup is to recognise every person for themselves. Growing up in a very diverse and multicultural family paved the way for a hunger to want to know everything about everyone. Part of a large family with a nurse mum and a sailor and then builder for a dad; we had an ever swinging door and thankfully our neighbourhood consisted of immigrants, Aboriginals (our traditional inhabitants of Australia), homeless people and travellers. 

To know why I am in medicine you would have to be a genius, as I am sure I never intended in all my life; but during a robust childhood I had spells in hospital along with my siblings and in that time developed a very intense interest in the treatment room, even asking to sit in on procedures and small operations. Thankfully we had an incredible local 'old school' Doctor who was on call 24/7 - that man will never know what he instilled in me in care and 100% focus! Sadly most of the people I knew who studied medicine did it "'cause dad did it.." or they were in the top state percentile in their highschool grades - hardly a reason to feel passionate, and it subsequently turned me against the idea. Probably held me up initially, but in the long run allowed me to learn what was needed at the time, rather than the restrictions of what my allopathic counterparts have to endure.

While at school I had 'work experience' at our local hospital and loved it. My parents had instilled in us a 'do it yourself' attitude and Mum had a keen interest in herbs and wive's tales, even though we thought it was bogus it really did stay with me. During my early nursing years, I spent so much time pushing to get past what was expected of us, to unanswered questions like, why is there nothing they can do? Or, why isn't diet included in this treatment? Or if there is no medical answer, why not allow another form of health care in? Why don't we all take vitamins?  Thankfully I worked as a Remote Area Nurse in an incredible hospital where we treated everything from TB, Leprosy, addictions - we had occasional visits from a Flying Doctor so we nurses were 'it.' During this time the 'bush medicine' that was prevalent in the area amazed me with results; patients, including babies that were dying and failing to thrive could be transformed with basic plant medicine, yet when in hospital and back on steroids, they became feeble and delicate - many a time I helped them to abscond in the night and would check up on them to mark their progress...The belief system may fool a grown man to believing he will die in 'that bad place' but you can't tell that to a baby, so something must be responsible!

Around these early days, Mum had suffered chronic illness and lived or at least existed on dozens of pills. Dad had, after an incredibly vital youth, developed chronically and at one stage was given a short time to live. The Christian in me told him to go to a healer. He took that to mean Naturopath, something I initially was incredulous about - weren't they weird?? Through Dad's complete recovery and Mum's subsequent detox of all the junk she was kept on (courtesy of Dr shopping and overlapping of care) and return to vital health - so many aspects of my life developed a strong interest and many answers to all the questions I had - diet, traditional methods, etc - if the human race could live well for thousands of years, why in the last few centuries were we dying and developing chronic disease?!

I always say it was God who had His hand in this; in my life I have worked alongside and learned from some of the most incredible and genius practitioners from all over the world. From a wonderful Hindu healer (mostly self taught) to a very serious & studious Chinese Doctor, to an Indian Homeopath who on his graduation from the Homeopathic school in London, threw his medical degree out the window as he vowed to change his path forever. I have been stood up in front of a gathering in my home town and branded a witch, I have been threatened with court as egotistical Doctors were riled at my work. I have worked alongside brilliant surgeons and midwives and even been called on for injured animals. When Naturopathy was still very reviled in our nation, I sat on advisory committees  to give 'proof' and ideas in order to bring our methods alongside allopathy.

I still believe this work would be hindered without my nursing training as the skills have been invaluable in accidents, emergencies and just plain patient care. Back when nursing was learned on the ward, we were not restricted - general, surgical, pathology & phlebotomy, midwifery, surgery, paediatric, rehab, emergency and ambulance, permanent care, psychiatric , oncology, etc. These days the world really is my classroom as this journey continues. Through it all, incredible people have openly shared - I have either studied or been taught herbal medicine, reflexology & massage, traditional herbs of many nations, acupuncture, cupping therapy, organic farming & gardening, homeopathy, nutraceutical studies. Most of my adult life has consisted of either further study or training and will probably continue for the remainder of it. If I don't have the answer, I will find it. Clinical and laboratory work resulted in the development of one of my personal achievements, a homeopathic kit which is intended to go into every house in the world if possible - no easy feat but if we are able to prevent chronic illness from developing, and allow you to avoid ER with a few simple doses, keeping the waiting rooms free for the 'real' stuff, doesn't everyone deserve to have this simple thing?

If you find my methods or ideas a bit controversial I make no apologies as I have had enough backlash to last a lifetime. I loathe conflict but am always pushed to speak or at least share, whether people agree or not isn't the issue. It really is about finding the appropriate care for whomever is unwell. No two people are alike and as much as I do not like the issue of diagnosis as it labels and often renders the patient dependent on that diagnosis, it can be handy in pinpointing the treatment. Clinically I am unable to allow a patient to walk out without answers or on their way to feeling better, I just don't see the point if having someone trust you, only to walk out no better off. If that means administering acupuncture to remove the pain or beginning the treatment and waiting for a result, the modern practice of leaving a patient hanging until the next appointment leaves me cold. My kids, nieces, nephews, even some friends are able to work out which plants are good for which ailment, what food should or should not be eaten; even my 7 year olds are capable of administering cupping to their older sister if unwell. As vegetarians my kids even know which foods are medicines. Once upon a time every household knew what herb to take for whatever ailment and those who had the gift of compassion were seen as wise. Sadly over time that importance was eroded; rather than find a balance of sharing alongside skill, the best was taken and synthesised - losing vital knowledge. I love combining this knowledge with medical skill and truly believe the worldwide health crises can be removed only when this knowledge worldwide is integrated; imagine walking into a hospital, using traditional and orthodox methods! My next post will include what I recently posted on Lumigrate's facebook page - just to highlight the issue. 

Thanks Mardy for this invitation. I love clinical work but even moreso, I love to share with any interested person. I wont argue or disagree with your health choice, that is up to you; but if you are keen to take the best of what the world has or share something you have discovered this is the best forum to do it. Welcome!

 From Lumigrates' Facebook page, I am sharing this to highlight the need to work together between various health care modalities.

I once was called into a hospital to a patient who was so chronically unwell, there was no possible diagnosis, maybe a syndrome or collection of illnesses but basically she had gone into a coma and the family were told to prepare for the imminent.. With history of alcoholism, diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease, I applied iridology, then according to what I saw, used herbal & homoeopathics orally, then instructed the family to do Acupressure and Reflexology. Her diet had amazingly not been adjusted! I changed that to juices naso gastrically and asked for the IV to remain in situ just to keep fluids up. She also had a catheter in situ due to the kidney disfunction. Drugs that were contraindicated were ceased - unbelievable that what was ok for one illness the body could not handle but the Dr believed it was ok.. Within 2 hours she came out of the coma, but we continued the therapies. Within 7 days she was walking, which she had not done for 6 months. She could also talk, again - not done for many months...

This story does not end here, nor is it happy endings.. The Dr tracked me down and abused me. This was a Dr I had scrubbed for as a Nurse - but when the boot was on the other foot he was irrational and insulted. I stayed out of his way and got on with it. I was called in on the 2nd week. Despite her incredible improvement, out in the Vit D machine laughing and talking, eating and walking, her contraindicated meds were recommenced. Within 12 hours she was once again paralysed, hallucinating and hysterical. Her family had asked for no meds but because the Dr considered her mentally unsound, he chose what to do.. Within 24 hours she had died. Cause of death? Kidney failure & uremia - the exact symptoms warned of in the MIMs annual from the contraindicated drugs.. This post is not to scare anyone; rather to give hope in the worst situations; but also for the patient to take care of your health, question everything and know that even the most severe cases can respond to carefully chosen health care.

My chain of care begins with prayer because it is only through that I am able to find the answers. Some call it intuitive healing, I prefer it is moreso that I studied and had the right people share with me and then when the time presented itself, God reminded me... from there, it is so simple, it's crazy. Mardy's model is exactly what I am talking about as it really is up to us. It is absolutely unbelievable that the healthcare system has got so out of hand that experts are being dictated to by pharmaceutical companies, or that practitioners who know they have the answer, are forbidden from doing so because of laws made by people who have no idea what they are voting or debating on! Health holds no place for egos, but has everything to do with what the Hippocratic oath tells us - it is down to ethics and care... The patient is the centre and the rest of it falls in place around. 

Ps Mardy - Love the idea "Lulu of a sickness, Lulu of a Lesson?"

As a nurse I was no different to any other at the time (early 80s). We thought Drs could fix anything, diet wasn't important (we were all thin and that was all that mattered...) and Naturopaths were weirdos. We had no time for OTs, PTs, Chiropractors, Osteopaths - Drs held an invisible grudge and so did we..

I worked with a girl, a fellow Christian who drove us all nuts. She was vivacious, shiny, healthy, happy and always positive. We, on the other hand, were all overworked, thought the world owed us. She always had a handful of multivitamins in her pockets and ate an incredibly healthy diet.  A short while later I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, migraines, depression and a few 'minor' issues (which weren't so minor...). I was on the ward with so many drugs in my system the matron called me in and said I was a danger to my patients. I had a few days off to sort myself out. I had to look at myself as a whole as the symptomatic care I'd had up until then had left me on the verge of being released at the age of 20, to go onto sickness benefit!

Another blessing in those times of Dr shopping to find an answer, I came upon a guy who saved my life, literally. (He actually ended up saving my brother's life physically a few years later after a skull fracture almost claimed his life.) I walked in crying, bloated, miserable, asking him what he could give me to make my world right again. What came out of his mouth could possibly have had his licence taken off him; he told me I was self-indulgent and if I didn't pull myself together I would end up like others who lived on anti-depressants, in and out of the mental health service and a burden to society. I was so indignant that I walked out angrier and more upset than when I walked in...

I then started taking supplements and when Dad was given a short while to live, he went to a Naturopath. Long story short, Dad is now 83, active - still building, driving, weightlifting. He carefully and diligently self-manages everything from medical care, to supplementation, sunlight, diet, exercise. He is a walking miracle. Meanwhile, I was becoming increasingly plagued by poor health... At the instigation of Dad and a friend I too went to see this Naturopath - another long story short I am now also a Naturopath... In about 10 minutes this woman told me things that spooked me and I guess now I have the same effect as she did; all basic once you learn how but a revelation at the time. 

Lactose intolerance, alcohol intolerance, deficiencies in iron, E, magnesium, high acidity and nervous issues. With a minor change in lifestyle, I changed my life forever. Gone were the acne, bloating, dry brittle skin and hair, digestive disorders, headaches, panic attacks, depression and the most debilitating - the once a month setbacks which no matter how much I told Drs, they could not see a link to hormones! Similar to lupus symptoms, I had tests for everything from endocrine disorders to brain tumour, and stomach cancer... Slowly I realised that while Drs were incredibly good at acute and emergency health care, for chronic illness - both prevention and care of, they only saw the disease and not the person as a whole. Overnight, as my health improved, colleagues turned on me as they still saw it as a major betrayal. If I went back to my poor health they would overlook my indiscretion..

Thankfully when I did my time as a remote area nurse in the northwest of WAust, by then 3 of us were studying alternatives by distance education. It was awesome to add bush medicine to my list of interests. I will never regret those years as a Nurse and all the experiences, as it helped me to choose wisely - first for myself and Dad and then the guinea pigs I practiced on during the ensuing 6 years of study and now to my patients. I even went back to that Dr and thanked him for forcing me to take stock of my own life.

The answers are sometimes hard to find but the framework is so simple. As Lumigrate suggests, we must self manage. That does not equate to self diagnosis but I will say that only you know your body, so often what you say or feel is important. Simply, you come into life less than perfect. You are the sum of your parents, so bring with you heredity. From there, the diet (often formula or hollow baby food) shapes you. Our environment bombards us with chemicals, as does our water. Exercise, external influences such as homelife and sleep patterns and eventually habits, continue to shape our lives. Some say they do everything needed via diet. There is no diet on the planet that can give you what is needed. I am a vegetarian and eat organically - that is fine BUT soils no longer hold everything we need. If those soils are what grows our food, including meat if you are a meat eater, then our food cannot possibly give us all that is needed. At birth we are 'given' a set amount of life sustaining nutrients, including enzymes which are responsible for everything, every function. If you were a C-section birth or have ever had antibiotics you will be deficient in probiotics, which are passed on during the birth process. With sickness and pollutants, our enzymes are depleted way too early - they are supposed to kickstart a chain of reaction to last us our whole life. Instead we start using up supplies at a young age. Then hormones drop early, resulting in imbalance. 

Between incorrect supplementation, poor diet and drug therapies, our bodies are further thrown into disarray. People choose to ignore this, not 'believe' it or whatever. That is okay, but it wont change fact and eventually it will catch up.  Self care is vital to prevent and sustain. Diet, safe and healthy personal care, avoidance of chemicals and pollutants, providing the fuel for your body, not just energy fuel but health fuel... Heredity is a factor that can make it almost impossible for vital life, BUT that is never a reason not to try...

CUPPING THERAPY

I have noticed on the Lumigrate site the prevalence of pain and how many people are actually having to learn to exist with it! Throughout my years in practice I repeatedly find myself needing to study 'this or that' - something extra that is missing from my practice.  I almost have a fear of having to refer because it often results in patients reporting back to me feeling betrayed; that whatever treatment I advised had not been given properly or not matched my raving review. I have a great Osteo who was one of the last few guys I could trust with the care of my patients - the list was dwindling but as he had become so in demand I decided to go and do something about pain management. Even with Acupuncture as my post grad course, I found not everyone responded to the needles favourably - often the fear of the tiny needles themselves prevented me from being able to provide pain relief. Crazy to think someone would favour pain over a few hair-breadth needles being inserted! Anyway, I had considered studying Osteopathy and also a few other modalities but as usual came across the answer by complete fluke.  I was lecturing at a skills update seminar and the guy presenting after me walked in late with a little briefcase and blew me away. In fact he blew us all away. While the debate was raging about old school practice versus electronic, and most of us were stuck in the "I care for my patients, I'm not going to wreck my clinic by going electronic" mode of thinking, this quiet, humble guy opens his case and pulls out a piece of equipment that revolutionised my practice.

Gwyneth Paltrow was ostracised for going all new age on us by choosing cupping therapy to get in shape after the birth of Apple. Nothing new age here - simply put, suction pressure sometimes coupled with magnets is applied to the entire back, starting along the spine and following the line of aggravation where necessary - in Acupuncture we would classify it as treating the DU and UB meridians; in massage it would correspond to dermatones... For me, it was more logical; you cup the central line, keep going along wherever it bruises up, you only 'bruise up' (actually purpura but easier to explain) where you have corresponding damage or blockage. So someone with leg trouble would correspond to lower back cupping, headaches correspond to upper neck, etc.

With my daughter's CFS, I could only cup her very softly and for short periods of time but the relief from pain was swift. For someone with chronic mechanical damage I would 'go in hard' - as in cup aggressively, leave cups on for half an hour and the resulting bruises would show just how much damage is present. For frail and elderly and even kids, again it is the gentle approach. As a practitioner I can use it as a diagnostic tool much like Iridology, because where the purpura are apparent shows me where the damage is, so even though the patient may complain of pain say up in the clavicular area but the area bruising up is over the abdominal area, it would show digestive ulcer. The layperson does not need to get so technical - anyone can learn to cup; it is non-invasive and very much like massage. Actually, as a serial ticklish person who abhors massage, cupping is magic for me for relaxing and relieving stress.

If you like, find a good cupping practitioner, to show you how it is done. Sets have gone down in price so much now that every household could and should have one (try ebay). Sometimes you have to explain away the round circles on your back but sensible dressing will remove that obstacle. If you do decide to start cupping (if you doubt the safety, my 7 year old twins do each other and if my older girls are not around they do my back!) please don't do it prior to a visit to the Dr. It is nigh impossible to explain why you have round bruises on your back. By the way, these marks last only a few days and lessen in frequency as you start to heal. Remember, you only bruise where the blockage is; the results are akin to Acupuncture but non-invasive and the effects are swift. The guy who taught our class could relieve a migraine in less than a minute!

In fact it is so effective that the ratio in practice is cupping 3 : 1 acupuncture. I used to needle almost every patient, now a quick cupping session is able to allow the patient to leave knowing they are already on their way to good health! For pain relief, whether chronic or acute I am yet to find a treatment method that outdoes it.

CATARRHAL POST NASAL DRIP -

Thankfully I learned early on in my studies that the systems of the body are few and in Chinese medicine even fewer, so if you have a symptom rather than say it is "such-and-such" diagnosis, you work out which systems are affected and treat accordingly.

The mucosa in medicine are divided into many - including ear, nose & throat, oral, digestive, reproductive, urinary, etc. The truth is, mucous membranes are throughout our body and are the first line of defence after the skin (which again is a membrane). 

I am constantly frustrated to hear people say such things as "I have sinusitis, rhinitis, inner ear infection, post nasal drip, and now I have a bladder infection." Often the list can be longer but it is easy to see that the only system really affected here is the mucous membrane!

Irritants such as cleaning products, perfumes, body care, room deodorisers, new car vapours, paint and furniture vapours, sprays, chemicals, even our air and water can contain irritants which affect our membranes. some people have syndromes affecting the entire body which are no more than irritation and allergy affecting every mucous membrane of the body; resulting in blister-like formations throughout the eyes, mouth, digestive tract, bladder, even brain. It is cruel and very painful but is little more than aggravation by one or two triggers!

Rarely are the patients told to find out what the triggers are, often prescribed cortisone or oral steroids. In Australia every sniffle and cough is asthma. I see people every single day who are put on asthma pumps because of basic sensitivities - they cough or sneeze and out comes the pump! The treatment is often so simple it is crazy. Personally I would go to a health clinic that does Vega testing or similar - it can tell you in a short time what you should and should not put on or in your body. It can even tell you your organ function. I did not believe in this and thought it was quackery so went off and had every test and scan I could with different doctors. I then went to have the dermal testing - it not only showed me what I knew was 'out' in my body but allergies I knew I had (plus a few I didn't) and even picked up a few old viruses that I didn't even know I had!

In removing these triggers you are half way there. Then it is simple, "God's Pharmacy" as I call it, has a zillion things that will help the mucous membranes - marshmallow, licorice and slippery elm to name a few. You coat the membranes with slippery elm and then build up strength with the others. My favourite supplement is Quercetin as it not only removes the irritation but the effect is long lasting, often only requiring a short course every few years - imagine! Horseradish and garlic is okay but as it is not effective for everyone, people try it, don't like it and then are turned of natural therapies. 

If you doubt it, I'd like to use my own immediate family as an example; I was actually born with sinusitis and suffered until I was about 20; I also had severe allergies due to a seasonal job that exposed me to strong chemicals. My kids' paternal grandmother had died of asthma or at least the failing of medication during an attack. By the time I had kids I was 'on top of it' because I didn't want to pass any of this on. I am not exaggerating when I say every cousin on both sides of my family has 'asthma', allergies, repeated hay fever and sinusitis, with regular hospitalisation and constant steroidal treatment. I no longer have any of those symptoms and my kids have never had an asthma attack - all 4 of them at birth were 'diagnosed' with asthma! I would not for a second play asthma down because as a nurse and due to what happened to my mother in law, I know what it is capable of. I also know that careful & diligent treatment can soothe the muscosa and remove these symptoms which are often little more than allergies triggered by external influences.

 MUCOUS MEMBRANES contd...

I couldn't leave this today without adding a little more about the triggers of mucous membranes. Thought I'd share a few case histories with you.

1. A group of friends and I had our babies all within a two week period. All the other mums smoked and wore a lot of perfume. I did neither. All of their kids had little weepy eyes and runny noses, always had respiratory problems, mine didn't. Yet my baby was the only one diagnosed at birth with congenital respiratory problems...

2. A 7 year old patient with chronic urinary tract infections, a ton of scar tissue in her ureters and kidneys, and was in a cycle of constant treatment at our local kids' hospital. The last visit they had been told she would eventually need a kidney transplant. While I love the tough cases I also worry as I don't want to take on a huge responsibility only to let them down.. I initially put her on herbs and homeopathics to soothe the mucous membranes. I told her mum to keep up the analgesia as required. I asked what she washed her clothes in and what she bathed in. The mother thought I had gone crazy but I explained what is in regular washing powders and liquids; the same things that are in personal care products - even toothpaste, bubble bath, shampoo and condition - the SLS and propylene glycol to begin with (brake fluid and engine degreaser) which are responsible for separating dermal layers and are known mucosa irritants. After a few months using different products and also having showers rather than baths which allow bacteria and irritants to pool in the genital area, the mum actually came to my house raving about the improvement. She had gone to the kids' hospital to get them to double check. There was just nothing wrong with the little girl! Even though she had been born with an extra ureter on each side, causing backflow to the kidneys, everything was functioning well and there was absolutely now inflammation!

As Mardy says, do your homework; find out what your body likes and does not (and by that, I don't mean what your tastebuds like...) If your mucosa are maxed out - ie - everything irritates, it is like the full cup; even a tiny exposure to the irritant will tip you over. It really is down to living clean and pure and doing the best by your body as it is all you have.

Thanks, Lulu that is good information. You taught me something today I did not know.  Wow the same ingredient as de-greaser. Whew.

I learned many years ago that Ivory soap works for me.  No fragrances are included.  I am so allergic to perfumes and fragrances.

Another point to be made: women would have a lot less frequent yeast infections if they did not use antibacterial soaps in the bath, which kills off the good bacteria and allows the bad to grow freely.

Recently I read an article about an ingredient in shampoo that could cause nerve damage.  The troublesome ingredient is methylisothiazolinone (MIT).  Since I read that I have been careful to buy shampoos that do not contain this ingredient.

Thanks for the informative post.

Alice

Any time you see methyl, paraben or formaline in the ingredients of food, bath and beauty products or cleaning products, it's simply a variation of formaldehyde.   And formaldehyde converts to formic acid in our systems!    Aspartame, the sweetner, breaks down to formaldehyde in our systems as well.

Methylsothiazolinone is a compound, part of which is formaldehyde!

I had extensive allergy testing done when I started breaking out randomly in hives on my neck.  The only allergy that was identified was formaldehyde.  The allergist said that shouldn't be a problem since I'm not a coroner.   That's when I started my research.

It's actually nearly impossible to find soaps or shampoos with no formaldehyde in them.  It's an effective stabilizer and cheap!   Even some products labeled as "all natural" use this.  

Take care all!

Aimee

Awesome to see the responses here. I would guess that 60% of my work involves chemicals in some way or other, whether sensitivity, reaction, build up... It is quite incredible if you do your homework and sadly most people live with the ostrich syndrome.. Some just say, "I have used this all my life and it never made me sick before..." Hmmm.

Shopping is a nightmare and it's a good idea to get into the practice of taking a no-no list with you until you can easily identify the ingredients. When medical professionals, pharmacists, and even government health ministers can blatantly declare that there are no hazardous chemicals in our products, there really is a problem.  If perfume can be linked to Sarin nerve gas, and baby products can be linked to infertility problems, it is up to every single one of us to vote with our dollar.

One good thing, even though people may ignore your warnings or laugh at your 'weird' habits, the world does turn. Since my teens I worked very hard in every place I lived (we are talking 18 moves in less than 20 years) to begin a recycling program, hand out flyers of products that were tested on animals or had questionable ingredients, re-use shopping bags, plant ecologically, use green habits, you name it. I was ridiculed to a very serious degree, even having someone very persuasive call me claiming to be the Australian head of Greenpeace - they had heard of my personal input and wanted me to be the area coordinator for the southern region. Boy, was this a feather in my cap. This guy knew his facts. We talked for about an hour on projects and how I would go about my future work, that I would be able to take part in big international projects, etc, etc. Six weeks passed, nothing in the mail, even though he was sending me out a huge shipment of necessities, promotional goods, legal info, etc. I called Greenpeace Sydney - they had never heard of me apart from my membership... I had obviously raised the ire of someone!  What a silly waste of effort. I still to this day am stumped as to what purpose they could have had or what they hoped to achieve...

But long story short, I am so happy to see (although a little amused) that it is now the 'in' thing to do all of the above and more. I love it particularly when kids 'advise' me on how to be green and even when Drs who had formerly tut-tutted at my eating habits now advise me on how I should eat.

The thing is, being proactive may not be the popular thing to do but it is the best. One day even the worst detractors realise it. After all, it is your health.

Here's a really good cheat sheet - print it off for your use and that of your loved ones - 

http://antiagingchoices.com/harmful_ingredients/toxic_ingred... [16]

Till next time...

A very interesting snippet I received from one of the zillion updates I receive each week -

If you have or know of someone displaying MS symptoms or even similar symptoms, you must read this. I hope each of you know of the links between molds and MS symptoms. While there is no one cause, it does reflect again, the need to be integrative or holistic..

Short and sweet, (nothing much needed after Dr Mercola!) I need to post about TB but will do that on another post.

Lulu

 Facts on TB..

This year has lead me into territory which I never thought I would return.. My maternal grandmother and aunty died of TB, and my mother had TB. As a child I was vaccinated (something I would never do to my children now that I 'know') and as a training nurse I was repeatedly vaccinated as my mantoux tests showed I had no natural immunity.

This year after a lifetime (almost) in the health industry symptoms developed in my own body which even my experience could not address. A little delving into why I had lipomas in my body, spine and brain showed a very real link to the side effects of the TB vaccination, especially in those repeatedly vaccinated.

A few 'facts' for you - (source WHO, Proliberty, and NNii).

• If you live in a 3rd world country and develop TB, you will be 'diagnosed' as having HIV. Even my own attempts to discover why have been in vain. I have called specialists asking why this is the case when in Australia that just would not be, and am told that if the person is weak enough to develop TB and their blood counts are down, they automatically are assumed to have HIV. When asked what test is involved - is there an actual HIV test I am told no, it is an antibody test. If the counts are at a certain level it 'indicates' that the person has HIV. And very few are given this test. Scary.
• 2 billion of the world's population are infected with TB. Of those, 1 in 10 will become sick with TB
• Approx 5000 people die of TB a day - that is through malnourishment and poverty in many cases. It is also more deaths than any single cause, yet the treatment protocol is ignored in favour of treating far less threatening illnesses around the globe.
• Mantoux or Line Test is not known for efficacy - can give false-positive and allergy.
• Vaccine includes seriously questionable ingredients - including mercury (MS symptoms, etc)
• Countries such as Holland who have the lowest vaccination rate in Europe also have the lowest incidence.

TB vaccine is at best 50% effective, while known side effects include -                                                       

• meningitis
• skeletal TB (especially in old age)
• lymphadenopathy
• lymphatic tumours
• anaphylaxis
• death

- there is no known way to test whether the individual is 'okay' with the vaccine.

You should NOT have the vaccine if -

• You have received any vaccination in the previous 3 weeks (body simply not strong enough. NB - babies can be given vaccines close together and cot death is linked yet overlooked).
• You have TB present in your body (no way of telling unless you show symptoms and many don't)
• You have eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, asthma
• You are pregnant

As a nurse previously involved in vaccination programs especially in outback Australia, we were NEVER instructed in any of these points, nor did we question the patients. In my own personal efforts to question medical experts, not one has been able to tell me of one single factor above. The Pharma companies simply do not educate. Yes, the information is freely available if you know where to look, but if you are living in poverty with no access to power, let alone internet or medical journals, there is little chance you will even try. Mass vaccinations at school and in various global programs do not have time or manpower to examine every single case.

Symptoms -

• Usually absent until you have an xray, may go undetected for years. By the time you are coughing blood it is often too late.
• Most of us have heard of pulmonary TB, many of us haven't heard of secondary or extra-pulmonary TB which is often fatal.
• Pulmonary TB includes - cough, fever, weakness, loss of appetite, weightloss, coughing blood.
• Extrapulmonary TB includes affections of the lymph nodes, genitourinary tract, bone and joints, meninges (brain damage, seizures), gastrointestinal tract.
• Infectious stage is only a matter of a few months, yet patients can be ostracised through ignorance for the rest of their lives.

Drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) is on the increase. Rather than use proven integrative methods (official records still state that 50 years ago there was no treatment for TB even though that is not true) patients are treated with ARV drugs which in effect are chemotherapy drugs which the already compromised body cannot cope with. In the event that the patient dies, it is not put down to the drug trauma, rather as another fatal case of TB.

Well, if you have read to this point you are probably scratching your head as to the purpose of this post. Every single one of us is at risk and not as the media would have you believe, because of immigration. Most of us have been vaccinated - chronic and perhaps even terminal illness can be triggered by our own personal reaction to the vaccine, especially if we have been given more than one dose in our lives. If you know of anyone going to a 3rd world nation, rather than be repulsed by this situation, how about lobbying for better health care? 

In one hospital in South Africa, so underfunded that they didn't even have adequate beds for the dying, let alone airconditioning, clean linen or enough staff, millions or possibly billions are spent on the Soccer World Cup, and more delay is going on - pledged health care and improvements that are yet to happen following the destruction of apartheid are still to be seen. I guarantee not one reader would agree to enter such a hospital let alone receive care in one. Yet, thousands of suffering people have no choice.

.... and so ends my little post on TB. Again, it is up to everyone of us to question our health care. Just as it is up to every one of us to fight for justice and equality for every human on this planet.

Lulu

Very interesting Lulu.  By any chance, in your library do you have a book by Viera Scheibner, PhD titled Vaccination: 100 Years of Orthodox Research shows that Vaccines Represent a Medical Assault on the Immune System.  Copyright 1993.  ISBN 0 646 15124 X; First Australian Edition published 1993 by Dr. Viera Scheibner, 178 Govetts Leap Road, Blackheath, NSW 2785, Telephone (047) 87 8203; Fax (047) 87 8988.

This book is dedicated to those babies and their parents who suffered from vaccinaton.

Boldness has genius, power and magic in it -- Goethe

Thought Lulu might have the book and others might be interested in what was on the inside cover of the copy someone recently loaned me to look at.

Oh dear, just realised I forgot to post the link about the MS 'link' (pardon the pun...)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/1... [21]

Mardy, no I haven't added that one to my expanding library of must reads, but I will now. Thanks! I have books by Isaac Golden, Phillip Day, Lorraine Day - something makes me think I have read it in the past but can't find it so will have to go out and look...

It is a brave person who fights against the tide and the vaccination tide like the HIV tide is huge, full of holes and untruths. We are well prepared ahead of time so we are frightened into doing 'whatever it takes' to protect our families without thinking twice. And then for those who do think twice, sometimes it's still a bit too hard. I know many Naturopaths who have read just as much and seen just as much but still end up erring on the side of caution. So then we have more 'experts' misleading the public..

How ironic that the part of orthodoxy I fight so strongly against should turn around and bite me when I get older! The long term effects are just that, make no mistake. If you survive the initial small reactions, that means little in the long term, with links to MS, cancers, lipomas, just to name a few.

I've received public abuse from GPs who thought it would be fair game to target me in the media, I have had hordes of angry Moms screeching at me during a school sports carnival that I would dare sit there and put all of their darlings at risk (?) and even a GP visit my clinic incognito in order to question me, just to try to drag me through the courts at a later date, along with a few grandiose accusations. All very sad because the end result is that more people would have suffered.

All I can say is if you hear of a warning, don't dismiss it as some crackpot raving about nothing, do your homework. The western world is so adept at litigation in this day and age, when really, few of us don't know, we just choose to play ignorant.

And so ends another message from down under. Please think of us melting while you are enjoying the lovely cool. Yes, I am a winter person... in fact, imagine the ice and snow in Twilight, and then imagine me flitting through the background...

Lulu -- I'm looking at the beautiful day here -- sun is out, temperatures are crisp!  Send me some warm on this solstice eve!

Thank you for writing about your beliefs and sharing your wealth of information from what you have uncovered that makes sense to YOU.  It's wonderful to look at the growing 'fund' of information at Lumigrate and I really respect the way that you write and are doing what I suggest to people always: Learn -- get FACTS.  Form your opinion.  Act.  Talk to others about what you know and then communicate what is fact and what is opinion and I think you do a wonderful job of that.  Sending people to valid links, books, etc. has been part of the standard I try to set with my blogs and forum posts as well.

20 years ago when I was making a good recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome, I had a friend tell me over and over to go to a chiropractor in Fort Collins who was helping lots of her coworkers.  I'd met him sociallly and thought he was obnoxious and he'd dated a friend of mine and I had no respect for him.  One day she called and insisted I go see him practically.  So I went.  He did a lot of good for me BUT he also had me do some stuff that I now think put me into adrenal fatigue that contributed to my falling into fibromyalgia a few years later.  (Again, we know more looking back than looking forwards sometimes -- I guess the trick is learning to be as good at forwards as back?)  As I am here on Sunday listening to my beloved radio show, I will add that HE was doing a lot of radio and personal 1:1 talking about immunizations and he believed as you do.  He had a thriving practice and he closed it (didn't sell it) and "went to lecture and publish about immunizations in Australia" and I can't find him when you Google him.  I've been told by other chiropractors that they have colleagues that have been funded to go be quiet. 

Thank you for sharing your experiences of what you have 'encountered' in your journey of being a health care recipient, care provider, educator and I hope we learn from this.  The same behaviors exist on the Internet interactions and it simply is not helpful and it is my intention as Lumigrate's founder and executive director to maintain a respectful and informative, beneficial place for opinions, facts, and learning.  And I thank you for your EARLY involvement with our forum area and I look forward to much more discussion to come!

And here on the eve of solstice, I'll leave you with that, My Homeopathic Friend, Lulu, Down Under!

~~ Mardy

Since linking up with Mardy and Lumigrate, much has changed in my life. Today, most of my work is done online and I currently have patients on every habitable continent. While I don't want my posts to be a 'look at me' case, I'd like to share the details of all my sites - please feel free to take advantage of them in order to integrate with the brilliant work Mardy is achieving -