Second Visit

We had our second visit with the herbalist last Tuesday.  The appointment went well.  Kristine was advised to remain on the same routine for another month.  He noticed immediately that Kristine was brighter and more energetic than she had been at her last visit, although he was concerned about how much she was coughing -- a symptom that has remained constant for several months now.  

Part of the herbalist's evaluation involves a procedure where he looks into his patients' eyes with a magnifying glass. (I have read some research that tested this alternative diagnostic approach and concluded it to be an ineffective and inaccurate tool.)  While looking into Kristine's eyes he casually asked if she had been having any back pain.  Interestingly, since our last visit with the herbalist Kristine had been getting spasms in the left side of her back, likely from the coughing fits.  The herbalist seemed to pick up on this right away without any mention of it from us.  This may have been just a coincidental finding, but we were none-the-less impressed by his unaided discovery.  He continued to express a positive prognosis for Kristine.

Two of Kristine's high school friends, Jill and Missy, were in Philadelphia this past weekend to visit and help.  Kristine enjoyed the visit and had fun reminiscing over old school days.  Visits from Kristine's friends and family are a welcome distraction from her regular routine.  Kristine has some additional visitors planned for the next few weeks.  

Other than that there is not much to report.  

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FYI-

In our quest to eliminate toxins from our daily lives we did want to pass along one product discovery with which we are particularly satisfied.  Major label deodorants with antiperspirant all contain Aluminum - a material known to increase the risk of cancer and thought to be a major cause of breast cancer.  The problem is that natural antiperspirant options are often worse than not wearing deodorant at all.  Kristine and I recently found a natural brand that actually works to deodorize and prevent sweating.  The brand is earth essentials and can be found at Whole Foods and other health food stores.  Even the unscented version works better than my old Speed Stick used to do.  Below is a photo of the product so you can find it more easily.  We highly recommend it.    

 

Herbal Cocktails

In the last blog post I talked a little bit about Kristine's new holistic regimen.  At the time, we thought we could quickly fall into a routine and not spend too much extra time managing all the steps. We did get on a routine, however, the regimen has taken up a whole lot more time than we anticipated.  

The prescribed holistic treatment consists mostly of drinkable supplements.  There are three that are mixed with a small amount of fruit juice (to cut the taste) and taken five times daily. Four other supplements are taken just two times daily.  The supplements are all made by the herbalist from his organic farm in Ohio.  Each bottle is clearly marked with its ingredients and includes a variety of plant based items ranging from the common (e.g., Witch Hazel, Flax Seed and Echinacea) to the obscure (e.g., Yellowdock, Graviola, Mugwort, Skunk Cabbage Root and Elderberry Leaf).

In addition to the herbal cocktails, there are several other nightly steps that were advised.  First, a nightly head to toe body rub down with olive oil. The idea is that olive oil is a good natural oil to lubricate during the massage, is loaded with antioxidants and supposedly is absorbed by the body through the skin.  The massage is supposed to increase the flow of the lymphatic system to aid in the expulsion of toxins and waste created from taking the herbs.  (I'm convinced that Kristine called ahead on this one -- nightly massages seem a little too good to be true for her). Second, every other night Kristine is to take a bath with a few tablespoons of Bentonite Clay mixed into the water.  This "clay" allegedly absorbs toxins and radiation that is excreted through the skin during the bath.  Finally, each night before bed Kristine has the bottoms of her feet covered in a salve (made by me) of crushed garlic and Vaseline, with which she sleeps through the night.  This is to aid the elimination of toxins.  The treatment stems from the Chinese and Japanese belief that the feet carry a great deal of toxins in our body.

Under normal circumstances, adding these items to our nightly ritual might not be that large of a time burden.  But with Kristine's condition, specifically the paralysis, everything takes longer.    

          

Admittedly some of these steps seem far-fetched, but we have committed to following every procedure prescribed to give the treatment the bes chance of success.  Kristine has only been on the program for two weeks, so it is still too soon to have seen any changes.  However, Kristine is feeling more energy than she has in some time and her emotional mood swings have disappeared.  She is still coughing a lot throughout the day, which causes her to become short of breath easily.

We had an appointment with our Oncologist last week.  He was not as concerned about the growth rate of the lung tumors as we were initially and, in fact, reported that some of the lymph node tumors had shrunk in size (this was prior to starting the herbal medication).        

We will be meeting with the Herbalist in a week and a half to discuss Kristine's progress and make adjustments to her regimen accordingly.  

Thanks for your patience these last couple of weeks while we get used to our new schedule.   

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Note about Skyping Kristine:  please text or call her first so that she can get the computer set up.