I was asked what natural remedies that people might try.  So I thought I'd share this with the world.  Over the last few years, actually starting in 2000, my Hunni and I have found several natural or alternative products that have helped one or both of us, and have helped others with ailments that they have.  My Hunni has her own business (main part is air and water purifiers) and since it was about natural health and healing, we decided to add these products to our line.

Now the first thing people think when you're selling something is that you'll say just about anything to sell it.  I guess that past salesmen (or saleswomen, or salespersons) has given us that perspective and we all remember the peddlers or carpetbaggers from the movies with their elixirs and concoctions.  Okay, with that said, I do like it when there are sales for our business and we make money.  Who wouldn't?  I was once told that I would probably say anything to make a sale....by a used car salesman.  Is that ironic?

My intent is that people find something that works.  And if we can make money as we go, then great.  The nice thing about what we invested in is that it is multi-level marketing.  That is not a pyramid scheme.  It is something that is legit, and that others can also do to make money if they so wish.

Sidenote: There are several multi-level marketing compensation plans that we have tried, and some are not very profitable, nor very rewarding for those that are working.  On the other hand, there are some that are very good.

Okay, so have I scared you into not listening to what will follow? 

Mangosteen Fruit

One of the first natural things that we tried was made from the mangosteen fruit, with other additives like grape seed extract, pine bark extract, aloe vera, etc.  With our experience it helped with everything going down the drain and out the exhaust pipe.  It alleviated GERD, heartburn, indigestion, and even with diverticulitis.  I used it in conjunction with a couple of other supplements and my sugar level went down to a steady 85.

So, we got our free bottle of Acai Plus to start being able to give a free bottle away.  There is a catch (aha, you say!): You have to pay the shipping and handling to get a free bottle and sign up for 2 months as Silver Level Autoship which means that the minimum that you get is 3 bottles at the price of 2 with a website that can earn you commissions in the 2nd and 3rd months (more if you keep going).  If you want, go to our website at Acai Plus and make sure our number, 27928, is in the appropriate enrollment field (which it should be if you click our link). 

If you don't want us to make money, then just go to www.Acaiplus.com. 

The Main Helper for This Diabetic

I also tried Bios Life 2 that is made by a company, Unicity,  that has lots of nutritional products.  At this time, we have changed to use the supplements from the same company that manufacturers our air and water purifiers. I'm not allowed to put a link for them here, but if you want to know, tell me that I can tell you my link and I'll send it to you in a message. See below!  Even though this is not our main business, you can be set up as preferred customers so that you can order this product for the SAME price that I buy it at.  You can sign up on your own with our referral number of 709524.  Cool, huh?  Oh, the small print is that it costs $14.95 to be a preferred customer, but you get everything at 15% lower than retail.

Back to Bios Life II.  Click the link and you can read all about it.  My experience with it is that after taking if everyday for 10 months, I started weaning myself off the meds for diabetes (glucophage, glucotrol, atenolol, etc.).  I took it slow with the weaning and was completely off the meds in 6 months.  My blood sugar had leveled out at 85, and it continued the same for 2 years without prescription drugs.

I've also told some others about this and they tried it.  Several had as good an experience as I had, like one was ready for dialysis and her kidney function levels went back up so that she didn't have to have dialysis.  I think this is one of the best nutritional products in the world!  I'd swear by it, but I don't swear.

Our Main Business

The company that manufactures our products for our main business wants everyone to be a personal person.  With that in mind, I can't just spread my links to our site anywhere and everywhere.  So, sorry, you won't find the link here for our main site.  However, if you ask me what it is, I can send it to you in a message or email, chat, or whatever; just not allowed to post links.  It keeps people dealing with people on a more personal level...'cause I sure know how to advertise it and get clicks thru, but can't.

We have some products that are great nutritional products.  We also have the best air purifiers and water purifiers in the world (my opinion of course).  And if you were looking for a company with a great compensation plan, this is the best!

Okay, so I didn't do it yesterday, but I did do it today.  Oh, if you haven't read it, then two days ago I made all my subscriptions to "online only".  Today, I made a lot of them to a "daily email digest".  Somehow, I had quite getting my daily digest emails and I missed the easy way to be reading all the blogs (not all, but all as in what I read).  I guess tomorrow will let me know if I did it right or not, or if I have to go to the Xanga gods for help.  ***crosses fingers***

Drugs

Okay, it's established that I'm not an allopathic person.  However, there are times when something immediately needs to be done and this is where allopathy shines!  So, in those times, I take the drugs that the doctor orders.  Does that make me a hypocrite?

hypocrite:  n. a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.

I'm not a hypocrite because I've stated that I'm not an allopathic person, but I will use their drugs as needed.  I prefer natural or alternative means of healing over allopathic or prescription meds.  Though when I'm in pain, I will take the easiest way out, which in alot of cases is the allopathic way.  Therefore, I'm not hypocrite, I'm a wimp!  So there.

A poor example of what I mean is when the migraines starting hit #8 and rising.  I take a drug to slow it down (sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't).  That drug has not been on the market long enough or been tested long enough to know what the long term effects are.  Also, I can't take it more than 3 times per week.  Interesting that it would temporarily help and long term maybe not.  On the other hand, there is a natural drug that could be smoked that would relieve the migraine.  There are a couple of serious side effects.  I'm not sure what the smoke would do in the long term, but I'm sure that part is not good.  Also, there are certain branches of law enforcement that would put the user in jail for using or possessing.  So an appropriate decision is do the one that will kill me in the long run 'cause I don't want to go to jail.

Diabetes

My Dad was tested (fasting) on 3 different occasions and his blood sugar was between 110 and 120.  This, by the hospital definition, makes him a diabetic.  It was kinda' hard to explain to Dad that he's gone 87 years and not been a diabetic and now he is.  Dad said he was borderline, and I told him that's like being "almost pregnant".  Hmm, he understood that analogy.

In my case, it was alot easier to determine.  I didn't know the symptoms, but after going through a time of having to drink something (preferably water) and then having to go "potty" every 10 or 15 minutes, I found out real soon.  When the blood sugar level is 400+ and the A1C is 10, then it's time to get serious about the treatment.  I went the allopathic way.

Included with the allopathic way of meds (can we say insulin, glucophage, glucotrol, etc.?) was also going to a Dietitian specializing in diabetes for a diet program and getting back to exercising (which I couldn't do yet because I found this out after having a car wreck).

I started the drugs and the proper diet.  My sugar level was staying between 110 and 115, and the doc was satisfied that it would remain there.  I kept it there for a year and then started trying some natural remedies.  After about 10 months of 2 supplements, my sugar was down and staying between 80 and 85.

The next thing I did was to do something that I don't tell other people to do, even though I think it will work and have shown it to work with me and a few others that I know (one that was getting ready to go on dialysis and didn't).  I started weaning myself of the allopathic meds.  Another 6 months and I was completely off the meds and my sugar was staying around 85.  I told the doc and several people that say it can't be done.  The doc said it was all hocus pocus, believism, voodoo, whatever.  I said, "So what, if it's working and is!"   I had gone 2 years without any of the meds on my hocus pocus.  Hmm...

Then I did the stupid part.  As mentioned by others, this is a progressive disease and needs to be dealt with.  The stupid part was that I quit everything that was working correctly.  After about one month of being off the supplements, my sugar shot up to around 400 again and I got very sick.  Time to go back to allopathy, and I did.  I should have just let everyone say what they wanted and kept on with my life and not tried to prove anything, because the proof nearly killed me and set me back, way back!

I guess the moral of the story is to stick with whatever works for you.  And don't quit!  Another moral might be one suggested by a friend that recently got married and is working for the "other side" (Leah, you traitor, just kidding, but you are awful pretty in that wedding dress!), you should always make INFORMED decisions on what you do, and with those decisions, you can always say NO to the doc if you know or think a prescription might not be the best for you.

Today

My butt is being kicked by a #9 migraine.  Plus, I'm allergic to dust and I was outside yesterday while my son was mowing.  It was like a huge dust storm and I got out of it pretty quick, but maybe not quick enough.  I'm hurting.  I can't believe I made this huge book blog.

I don't know what's up with my digest emails, but I'm gonna' take Sheryl's advice and change everyone to no email today, then change back to digest emails tomorrow with the hopes that I get my digest emails again on a daily basis.  It seems like every time there is some change with Xanga, then something on my end goes askew!  I'm beginning to wonder if the Xanga gods dislike me.

Allopathic Medicines

This is what most people adhere to as the cutting edge of healing.  By the way, allopathy was a coined phrase to refer to conventional medicine as opposed to homeopathy.  I also use it to distinguish it from other methods of healing, as in herbalpathy (another coined phrase for using herbs), naturopathy, naturalpathy, etc., or what is commonly called "alternative" healing or medicines.

The basis for allopathic meds is for the med to make your body do other than what it's presently doing.  You're running a fever, so the prescribed medicine makes you body temperature drop.  Along with the drug doing what it's supposed to do, it also has side effects.  It's these side effects that are in the small print that make me NOT want to be allopathic, but to do everything "naturally" or take the alternative route.  However, even with me not wanting to take a lot of drugs, I do believe there is a time when one is so far on the dark side (sick) that the allopathic drugs are needed.  Maybe we should do more to recognize sickness before it goes to far and we need that, but I think we're sold out that allopathic doctors are the gods of the day, the cutting edge of healing (cutting for sure), the cure all for everything.

Hey, I've already admitted that I'm NOT allopathic, and I prefer the alternatives.  I've gone so far on the alternative side that my Hunni's business is selling alternative and herbal supplements.  Oh oh, now I've admitted that I have an agenda of making money since it's part of her business.  Just a little side thought on an agenda: please wake up and realize that there is a larger agenda affecting the U.S. today when it comes to the American Medical Association (AMA), MDs, insurance companies, and an awful lot of hospitals.  My personal opinion is that most of us are at their mercy and won't admit it, or don't understand it.  You can disagree if you like since it's an opinion.

Now back to the story.  And since you know that I'm already biased, you can take this story with a grain of salt, or with your allopathic meds (ha!)

I had developed bronchitis and a sinus infection.  Yes, I ignored the symptoms until it was really bothering.  So, while I was at the doctor's office after a hard fight with some other ailments, I got a prescription to really knock the crap out the bronchitis.  The prescription was for 10 days and it really did take care of the bronchitis.  However, it had a little side effect, or two, that has kicked the crap out of me.  And all of that is in the small print.  Of course, when you get the prescription filled, they always ask if you want to speak to the pharmacist about the drug, and I always say no... but maybe should say yes. 

There's only a few side effects that this drug (something off the amoxicillin/penicillin line) had and only the bolded ones started to hit me after about 6 days of taking it: fever, sore throat, headache (I have migraines everyday, so I don't count this one), skin peeling, nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, jaundice, diarrhea, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness, agitation (well, maybe), confusion, unusual thoughts or behavior (umm), seizure, black-out, vaginal itching (no way), swollen tongue, dryness of mouth, thrush, and that's most of them.

So in the 7th day of my healing experience, I call the doc and it's one of those calls that are answered by we'll talk with the doc and see what he wants you to do.....then we'll call you back.  Umm, okay.  Next day it's time to see if they even saw the doc, and it's we'll call you back.  So now we're in the 9th day and it's okay to stop the meds since that might be causing the other symptoms.  I wanted to scream "SYMPTOMS", they're freaking side effects!

But I'm prejudiced, and not real smart, or I would have recognized the "symptoms" and discontinued the meds.  I have been struggling with my Tai Chi Chuan class since Sunday, couldn't hardly move yesterday and struggled with my officiating, and couldn't move this morning which caused me to miss my morning class and now I'm missing teaching my "Karate Kids" class this afternoon.  And I have to get a teacher for this evening's class.  Geemyknee!

However, I still survive.

In The Meantime

I don't know if it's the clattering of the keyboard that attracts Monaghan, or if he just knows where there's a warm lap when he hears that noise, but I hear a faint meow in the Maine Coon type way (their verbalization is somewhat different than "normal" cats).  He then appears in the doorway, sits up and begs, and then jumps over my arms (hands are on the keyboard) and lands in my lap.  I ignore this large chunk of cat in my lap and keep typing.  So he reaches up with his paw and touches my chin to let me know he's there.  I ignore this and he extends the claws of the paw now resting on my chin to let me know he's there.  Now I look him in the eye, ask his forgiveness for ignoring him, rub his big head, and he doses off.  I unhook his claws from my chin.  He drearily opens his eyes to remind me that he still has an eye on me, which I acknowledge, and he doses off again.

Oh, and here comes a 17+ pound Blue Point Siamese that wants some attention, too.

Oh, my email digest...I'm not getting it anymore and it's not being held captive by my spam filter.  Already checked that.  I don't know what the problem is there, but I'm trying to figure it out and I guess I'll send a note to the Xanga gods about that.

And yes, I've checked my preferences on my subscriptions and it is set to a daily digest email and to my correct email address.  So, what am I missing?

It's like they aren't being sent.  Anyone else having that problem?  Maybe it's just me.

Rough Days

I seemed to be stuck back with a migraine and some more of the sinus infection and bronchitis.  I'm a wimp and I don't like hurting.  My Mule was sick, too, but is now ready to come home from the Kawasaki Hospital.  It was a sticking valve which bent a push rod and then through it off the rocker arm.  The Mule got lots of work, fluids changed, and is ready to go back camping and hunting, which I think we'll do next week.  Yeah.

I didn't skip it because I don't have something to say about it, but I'm not going to say anything other than we could do better than what we do with security.  It's just like our Sanuces Ryu Ju-Jitsu class that is only for self-defense, not sport, and people don't usually come to it to get prepared for anything; they come after they have been a victim.  It seems that most people have a mindset that they are "okay" as long as nothing happens.  And for people like me, well, we're just paranoid.

At the gas station the other day, a guy asked me, "What would you do if I said I was going to rob you?"  He didn't call me paranoid when I gave my answer (and that's a long story with more dialog and stuff).  But he did leave me alone; so maybe it's good that I'm supposedly paranoid because I may be ready for a situation like that.  Hmm...

Had the Baby?

I'm not sure.  How can one not be so sure?  Because the freakin' pain was so bad that I couldn't tell when I was done.  I've spent the last two days sleeping.  I've been without drugs for a day now.  Another bad migraine started last night and is continuing today, and my back started hurting this afternoon.  Okay, so am I going to have another baby?  Or did I not have the first little calcium scumbag that was killing me?  Or am I just crazy?  For those that haven't read my last blog, I have/had a kidney stone.  Gee!

I Give Up!

I like oblivion and the pain meds more than the pain.  So, I'm giving in and going to go take some right now.  Sweet oblivion, here I come!  Woohoo!   You 'reckon if my doc read this he'd have me committed somewhere?  I'd move out in the desert first, and try to find another couple of Xangans out there.  Hehe!

I contacted the billing department to see if they will add the infamous Lifetime Member icon to my name, especially since I've been one for a long, long, long time.  I would have thought that they knew who was and who wasn't, but maybe I'm a figment of my own imagination and I don't really exist.  If that's so, my imagination must suck since I've imagined myself with pain.  Not real smart, huh.

I did have a doctor tell me once that my migraines are all in my head.  He was a shrink, which I didn't like anyway, but I started to say "Duh!".  But I knew that he meant that it wasn't really there, in which case I wanted to say "That's all in your head!" after hitting him in the mouth.  I controlled myself.

Having A Baby

I've been told that passing a kidney stone is compared to having a baby.  I say that it's not.  I'll admit that having a baby is alot worse since you've got something coming through a place that is alot smaller than the baby.  All the kidney stone has for it is that it may have corners, spikes, hooks and stuff like that on it, but it's much smaller than the tube.  Gee, I'm rambling.

Rambling

I was told that if you give stupid people long enough, they'll say something smart sometime.  In my limited experience, I don't know if that's true or not.  Also people on lots of pain meds will ramble on, which I hope that's the category I'm now in.  So with this blog going full circle, when I birth that horned calcium baby, I'll quit rambling.  Maybe.

The FogWalker goes to the recliner....horizontal hurts less...

Along with that, I just don't know where the days went!  And the migraine has been hurting worse everyday.

Monday came and went and I got some firewood for the wood-burning stove.  I wouldn't have if it hadn't been for the help of my son, my brother, and my Dad.  Three generations working on that!

Tuesday came and went and I don't remember what I got done, except that I couldn't go to my Tai Chi Chuan class because I was still hurting and the Meniere's was messing with me.  I went to Sanuces Ryu class, but no one showed and me and the Sensei just sat around and talked.

Wednesday came and went, or so they told me.

Thursday came and went and  Matt andI went to our Karate class for no one else to show up.  We worked out a little, refreshing up on stuff, and then went back home.  I don't know where all the students were this week.

Friday came and went and the migraine finally won.  I woke up very sick and my back was hurting.  I took my meds and went back to bed.  Then my son woke me to take him to work at noon and my migraine was really winning the battle.  My back was also hurting.  When my Hunni got home, my migraine was a #10.  I also had a stomach ache and the back ache was hurting down to my groin, right side if you know what I mean.  So I give in to going to the hospital.

When the triage nurse saw me and took my blood pressure, she got up and got a doc.  They took me back to one of the little rooms immediately.  I found out later it was because my BP was 185/145 and my O2 was 90%.  Not good.  They started the IV and about a half an hour later, they gave me a shot of Dialaudid.  I told them before the shot that it wouldn't help with my migraine.  About an hour later when my back pain had eased and my BP was only 180/130, they listened to me and gave me a shot of Stadol.  Then my BP started dropping and then it was chose to stay overnight or go home.  What a choice!  I want to go home.  Give me drugs and send me home.  So, another hour, another shot, and someone was there to get me.  I didn't know who it was, but it was my brother that took me home.

But while I was there...

I found out while I was there that my wife had to leave.  She came back to tell me that our son just had a seizure.  Yeah, the one that just had brain surgery a month ago to rid the seizures.  It was a severe one to.  Besides all the seizing, he bit his tongue, and had a nose bleed.  The news of that made me stressed, which didn't help me or him.

Now, it's really disappointing that after this major brain surgery that he has had a seizure.  I just don't know.  This seems to be one of the major disappointments recently in my life....and I'm sure it is in my son's life, too.

Meanwhile in the fog...

And it seems like I get lost in the Fog.  My comfort seems to be my Hunni that is always there for me.  Though I don't know what happens sometimes, or where days go, she's there nonetheless.  But the Fog is always hard.

The FogWalker goes back to the other room...the lights grow bright and the pain intensifies...and sweet oblivion please come...

Ever had a day that you just couldn't get up?  I mean literally!  Besides the migraine, I went to get up and couldn't move my left leg from my hip down to my foot without excruciating pain.  It wasn't like arthritis, nor a pulled muscle; it was just shear pain.  I've had to use a cane.

I had a full body harness on the other day and I usually keep them pretty tight.  When they are tight, you don't have to worry so much about slipping on your body in case of a fall.  However, I've heard of people pinching a nerve if it wasn't situated right or if it were too tight.  That's the only thing that I can think I did that would make my leg hurt like that. 

So, I have an extreme limp.  It is getting less now.

But then...

I was at Church this morning and felt one of THOSE pains in my head.  I had already limped in and sat through Sunday School class and the morning worship was starting.  Though I may write about it, I don't like people to see me "incapacitated".  Maybe it's pride; maybe it's because I know most people don't understand and can't empathize; maybe it's just me.  I looked at my Hunnie and gave her "our" sign for the problem and headed for the door.  I remember the pain and someone helping me....I thought it was my son (he wasn't even there)... and then I remember waking up sore at the house, along with a scuffed place on my forehead.

We just call it a "spell" since we don't know what exactly it is.  Nor do the docs.  But I know when it's starting to happen and I quit whatever I'm doing.  Or I run and try to hide like this morning.

I guess I'm embarrassed by my ineptitude and shortcomings, mentally or physically or even emotionally.  Geemyknee!

It's just a severe pain that seems to originate where my migraines hurt and goes into my neck.  Then it's so severe that I can't seem to function.  And then there's all the other stuff that my Hunni tells me about later.  But again, I survive.  Afterwards, there's all the soreness and whatever bumps and bruises I might get after locking up and doing whatever I do.  I really hate it, but I hate it more that others see it.

I love my Hunni, that loves me and takes care of me even through this kind of stuff.  She's been told to leave me by people that I thought were friends.  She stays, and I don't know what I would do without her.

Now, I just plain hurt and am sore.  More meds and more oblivion, please.

The FogWalker heads back to the recliner seeking oblivion...

I woke up with a #9 migraine.  That's one short of going to the hospital and getting a Stadol Cocktail.  I need oblivion.  Maybe an Ambien, or a Soma, or something.  I don't like pain and I'm a wimp.  Escape is what I presently want, but I don't know if it will come.

Disturbia

I tried to watch this movie Thursday night, but the wreck scene triggered the PTSD, and being the baby that I am, I cried for an hour while under the covers in my bed.  I finally went to sleep and it only had me upset for the rest of that evening.  However, I conquered it today and watched it.  It's a pretty good movie.

Glory Cuts

I got the two "glory cuts" on a 70' tall oak tree yesterday.  You know, I'm safer on a rope than I am walking down the street.  If I have an "oh oh" on the rope, I just hang there in my full body harness.  If I have an "oh oh" on the street, I fall down and get hurt.  Maybe I should always just hang on a rope?  Oh, the glory cuts....that's the very top cut and the very bottom cut.  Since this tree was right beside of a fence and very near a house, the tree just couldn't be fallen.  It had to be taken down piece by piece.  So the top piece was tied off, roped to a huge shackle, cut, and then a controlled lowering to the ground.  That was done until it was only about 30' tall.  Then it was time to notch and fall in the yard, and it went where it was aimed. 

I used to be a topper in the good ol' days (good ol' lots younger days).  Ah, memories....well, memories of nevermore.

Rush Hour

Then my sons took me to see Rush Hour 3.  I can't remember when I laughed so hard at some one-liners and stuff.  A very good movie to see, IMHO.

The FogWalker hurts from the screen....time to seek some more oblivion....

So I broke down and started using the "new" skinning thing.  And it does all kinds of freaky stuff.  I tried to get all the modules on the side to be one color background, black.  Well the Pulse module stayed white.  So I saved it anyway, with other little freaky things, and then went out of the room.  I came back in and it's black like I wanted it.  This thing is doing stuff all by itself.  Maybe my blog is possessed!

Brain Surgery

My son is doing well.  I don't know if I explained all that, but he had the surgery on August 1st and we're counting up for days without seizures.  The first benchmark will be one month, then two months, but we're hoping for a year to pass and no seizures.  Well, we're really hoping that he never has one again.  Hoping and praying!

The FogWalker is tired of this thing for now and will go to bed.....hoping for quick oblivion to hide this #8 migraine....