Larry's
|
Larry's |
|
My
Battle with
(Rheumatoid
Arthritis)
When in my early thirties, I began having eye flare-ups, called iritis by
the doctors. The first occurrence was especially painful. I remember sitting up
all night, hugging a pillow and rocking from the intense pain. My eye was bright
red and felt like a fireball. The ophthalmologist prescribed pain killers,
anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids, but 
for nearly two months I lived in a
darkened room. My eyes were so sensitive to light that we had to cover the
windows.
During my thirties, this problem reoccurred every year, sometimes twice
in the same year. I tried several different specialists, but they all said and
did basically the same things: pain killers, steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs.
I shouldn't have been surprised, because they all were trained in the same
medical system, but I was hoping that someone would have a new approach to the
problem.
Finally, one doctor asked "What's causing this?" He felt there
must be some underlying reason and suggested that I see a rheumatologist. That
seemed strange to me, so because the symptoms were again being relieved, I put
that thought aside and got on with my life... for awhile....
Soon I began noticing new additional problems: I had difficulty bending
low enough to get in and out of the car. My lower back had constant throbbing
pains, which were sometimes sharp. My neck became stiffer and stiffer and
finally wouldn't bend much at all. Strangely, I felt shorter than normal, after
being the tallest for my whole life. We finally put the clues together and made
the appointment for the rheumatologist.
I felt very lucky, because the doctor I chose was well recognized in his
field. He held seminars and taught other doctors about arthritis. After an
extensive office examination, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis,
rheumatoid arthritis, which affects the spine. My back x-rays looked like a
bamboo fishing pole instead of discs and vertebra. Blood tests supported the
diagnosis. Well, what is the treatment? Pain killers, steroids and
anti-inflammatory drugs. Sound familiar? At least, I thought, we are finally
treating the real problem, the arthritis inflaming my spine.
I will never forget a conversation I had with the doctor at one of the
office visits. He informed me that my life expectancy was ten years less because
of this disease! Why? My rib cage would eventually begin to fuse and my
breathing would become shallower than normal. I would be highly susceptible to
pneumonia. Then he
informed me that at some point in time I would need to choose
whether to be straight or sitting, as my spine would permanently fuse in one
position or the other. In other words, he was offering no hope for a
cure, just symptom relief for a time.
It was at this time I became aware of a doctor who had rheumatoid
arthritis, and was actually getting better, not just getting symptom relief! He
taught me that what we eat directly affects our bodies and can be the root cause
of arthritis as well as many other diseases and problems. He had tremendous
insight into what was causing my body to malfunction and offered homeopathic and
nutritional products rather than prescriptions to begin the process of repairs.
I learned that the steroids and pills the other doctors had prescribed had
actually worsened my digestive system and added to the underlying problem I had-
the Standard American Diet! (S.A.D.)
My wife began researching foods and arthritis. It became clear that the
things I had normally been eating were causing the arthritis to worsen and the
things my body needed were not on my preferred list to eat. I was my own enemy!
As the months and years go by, I can measure the improvement I am
feeling as my body heals itself using live foods rather than the dead
food I used to eat. I have begun a morning exercise routine that starts my day
right. At my job (I am a TV repairman) I daily lift 60 pound televisions, and
even help lift and carry projection TVs – without pain!
I no longer creep from place to place, I walk briskly. Instead of fearing
stairs, I actually look for opportunities to get something from the basement or
second floor, just to have an excuse to use up some of the new found
energy. I like having my future back, too! My life is totally changed
from what it was!
God has created a wonderful, intricate, self- healing machine called the
human body. In our modern, fast paced lives, we are typically eating the wrong
foods/fuel for health. If we stop consuming the useless processed dead food that
is the normal fare of the majority of Americans, and instead give our systems
the fresh, live foods it was designed to use, our bodies will repair themselves
and function at their highest levels.
We now believe and teach an E R S method: Eliminate the dead food
and harmful things in our life, Replenish the body with fresh foods, Supplement
for special needs that we have.
If you would like more information about the diet changes we have made, tapes, booklets, product information, or to host or attend a health meeting (if you live near Chicago!), please contact us at: larry@riversidehealth.com
(Barleygreen® is a registered trademark of Y.H. Products)