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BOB's Story

I've battled with several 'syndromes' and other tough to cure illnesses over the past 15 years. Many of the syndromes were a) hard to diagnose and b) even harder to treat. I've gone through years of suffering with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), A distended bladder combined with insomnia, headaches, Leaky Gut Syndrome, tonsillitis, depression, etc.

I could write a full book on all the doctors that I've visited and all the prescriptions that I've taken, but I want to keep this as short as possible. I remember reading the title of a book, 'Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired' that would describe exactly how I felt a few years into what I now know to be CFS, IBS and a distended bladder. I remember reading about people who had suffered with CFS and who were now feeling better and thinking - there is no way that I am going to get over this. I am not going to feel better. I may as well kill myself now. I cried myself to bed many a night wondering 'why me?' Thankfully I had the love of a strong family and just that thought alone prevented me from taking thoughts of offing myself any further than just thinking about it.

OK - the short of it is that I got sick a lot growing up. Seemed like I had Strep throat or bronchitis once a month. Unfortunately I also had a doctor who loved antibiotics. You may even need antis for certain ailments like Strep (unless you have a strong background in Natural Healing) but I have faint recollection of going for a check up and walking out with a shot of penicillin! Shots, pills, that great tasting pink antibiotic - I was always on one or the other. It is only now that I can hypothesize that that was a major contributor to my later suffering.

It was November 1987 when I first developed the symptoms that combined to form my CFS. I came down with the 'flu' the first week of November - exactly one week before my family and I were heading to Florida for a week of fun in the sun. I was actually happy to be sick because I knew that I'd take some anti-biotic and that I'd be great to go to Florida. Unfortunately that didn't work out so well. I got the anti-biotic but the 'flu' was still there one week later. It was still there 2 months later. It was still there 2 years later. Remnants of it were still around 15 years later.

I won't mention every doctor that I went to looking for a diagnosis. I also will leave out the tedious details of the trek as much as possible. For what it's worth - I wound up at an internist a bit past Christmas - no fever, all blood work normal. Put me on Pamelor because it had to be depression - after all I was negative for EBV and Lyme.

I felt like I had the flu every single day for the next 2 years. Weakness permeated everything. It wasn't tiredness, where one needed to sleep, it was 'sapped' weakness, the kind you get with the flu. Missed lots of school and had to get a tutor. I then developed burning urination. Severe burning and an aching in my bladder area. My urine was clear but I wound up on Cipro 'Just in case'. The first of many that my urologist prescribed. Antis and sulfas. Over and over again - adding to my systems already torn down condition. At age 18 I had had my prostate examined more times that I should have had to endure in a lifetime! And the only thing that brought relief was a numbing med, Pyridium Plus, that dyed your urine red.

I continued seeking all kinds of doctors to try and track down why I felt weak all the time. Internists, allergists (did test positive for several allergies and started on allergy shots and medications), endocrinologists. Everything came back fine. Even saw a counselor and went through Prozac, amitryptiline, etc etc etc. I knew it wasn't depression causing me to feel like crap. It was feeling like crap making me depressed! But the docs just didn't get it - all those different anti-depressants not doing squat logically meant that depression wasn't my issue, but sometimes logic and medical just don't mix. As a matter of fact the only thing that ever came back 'out of range' was my temperature. I was always running low, 97.5 or so, but that never concerned anyone.

I headed to Johns Hopkins to see the best of the best. I waited 2 months for the appointment and then 8 hours in the office. My dad took off from work and drove me down. We met with a doc for about 45 minutes who thought that I may have had meningitis back in November and that I was probably suffering from a post viral syndrome that would correct itself by the prom in May. It didn't.

So - still trotting along with no diagnosis, feeling like crap, and with no answers whatsoever, my urologist performed a prostate biopsy and it came up clear. I don't need to emphasize that an 18 year old getting a needle anywhere near the prostate is not all that pleasant. He did find a varicose vein 'in that area' that he wanted to remove. I went under the knife and had the varicocele taken out. The burning did not subside. After we came up empty with this expedition I had no clue where to turn next.

A few months went by. Basically spending all day in my home, every minute of which I felt weak. Every minute - not one day passed that I didn't feel crappy. Weakness and frequent burning urination. What a pair!

It was a few months after the prostate biopsy that someone recommended a urologist a few towns over. We set up an appointment and my father and I headed over. He did a basic urological exam and tested urine. He then said, "It's not your prostate. You have a distended bladder." He prescribed the high blood pressure medication Hytrin to relax the bladder. I picked it up that night and started it the next day.

My burning urination started to fade. I couldn't believe that this doctor was able to find in 2 minutes what my first doctor was unable to find in 2 years and with several thousand dollars worth of tests as well as a surgery 'under my belt'. My burning was completely gone within 2 weeks. This was my first miracle.

I was now into my second year of weakness. I tried to call on the knowledge that the burning was cured after a long hard road - so possibly could everything else. But it was tough. Depression was also growing. Sick and tired, sick and tired…….

I wound up at an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. Surprise surprise, I had a deviated septum that was causing sinus infections. Surgery. The most painful surgery I have ever undergone to date (and I've had a hernia as well as a second and third sinus surgery). The septum was rebroken and reset. Within three months it had begun to pull back 'out of place'. The surgery didn't take. I later found out that this locally famous doctor had been suspended for crack use. What a joke.

Found myself at a second ENT. Guess what? I had chronic tonsillitis and they had to come out. I was hoping that this chronic infection was the cause of all my suffering - the Merck Manual's list of symptoms absolutely mirrored my own. I had the tonsils out (something I now regret but who knew) and after 3 weeks of pain - no relief. Well, that's not completely true. I started to get far less sore throats and I did have a day or two in a few months where my weakness subsided. I actually knew what it felt like to feel good again. The only problem was that the day or two that I started to feel better actually served as a horrible 'tease' as I would slip back into weakness. I would have a day or two of relief and then weeks of relapse.

My ENT saw me a few times for subsequent sinus infections. He wanted to go in there now and clear out my passages as well as take a shot at the septum. Sure! Why not?
He did the surgery and on my one week follow up he said that scar tissue was forming. He shoved a needle into my nose and numbed it up. He then stitched plastic into both my nostrils to keep the scar tissue from being able to join together. I later found out that most surgeons do this while you are in surgery! 2 days after this rather pleasant experience I cut the stitches out myself and removed the plastic. It was driving me nuts. I never went back to him.

The Hytrin was still doing its thing but as with all meds I did develop side effects. My mouth was constantly dry. I had odd nightmares. (Later research through the Life Extension Foundation (www.LEF.org) revealed that it could affect melatonin and other brain chemicals so I started taking it at night instead of in the A.M. as it is normally directed. This helped with the nightmares.) I also had this enjoyable urge to faint when I got up quickly. Once I even fell through a glass coffee table after getting up from reading the comics…Joy Joy.

I went to see a local internist. I was now approaching 3 years of sickness. . He diagnosed me with CFS. Finally. I felt a little better just hearing that. I had a name for this demon. I also underwent a scope because I had now been experiencing severe stomach pains and bouts of diarrhea over the last year. He diagnosed my IBS. A second prescription med, Bentyl, was added. It also worked well. My stomach pains subsided. However the thought of being 20 years old and taking two prescription meds with their side effects (I was chewing Advil to fight off almost daily headaches) didn't sit well. And I still was weak 90% of my days. I knew that I had to do something myself. But I also was lucky to have this guy as my doctor. He put names on 2 things that no one else could. Plus he recommended that after I used the Bentyl for a few weeks to get through the current acute stage that I try taking Metamucil at night. People mistakenly think that Metamucil is a laxative. It is not. It is a bulking agent. Fiber. It binds water together with the fiber which means paradoxically it can help with constipation AND diarrhea.

I used Bentyl for two weeks and then switched to Metamucil. It worked. My IBS was lessened tremendously, probably around 80%. Most importantly the pain was really lessened and inadvertently my doctor had turned me on to Natural Healing. If a simple product containing psyllium could almost cure something as well as a drug could - what else was out there?

I won't go through every single thing that I researched or every single product or technique that I tried. I probably couldn't remember them anyway - even with the Ginkgo that I take…but I will touch on some of them.

I did a lot of research on CFS. Theories of the cause of this syndrome changed a lot. Blood pressure abnormality (I had a tilt table test and tried the drug Florinef. I increased my water and salt intake too, but it didn't help), viruses, brain stem issues. Nothing I tried helped very much. I had read Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw's book 'Life Extensions'    a few years back and that drew me to nutrition. I read and reread that book. I wore the cover off and had to track down a second copy at a used bookstore. I tried Hydergine, but it did not help. But because of that book I found myself searching for the Life Extension Foundation on the Internet. I joined their buyers club and started to get their excellent magazine. Here is what I have done directly because of Durk and Sandy:

I used L-Tryptophan while it was still available. This was before its use was completely banned after one (yes one) batch of it was contaminated in a Japanese factory. People died because of the contamination but the FDA blamed the Tryptophan and banned it. Very very odd how this natural amino acid, a natural anti-depressant and sleep aid, was banned exactly one week before Prozac hit the market. The FDA still hasn't provided a good answer as to why it is still banned today. L-Tryptophan worked pretty well for my insomnia. 2 grams before bed allowed me to get some sleep. And having some quality sleep helped me stretch some of my good periods into 4-5 days. I would feel good for 4-5 days before relapsing into weakness for a month or two at a time. Still this pattern was much better than the 2 years of complete weakness that I had gone through a few years back.

I also started to take the Life Extension mix. It is a very high dose multi-vitamin type supplement. It didn't seem to add any additional good periods. I was also trying other nutritional products - vitamins, minerals, Ginseng, Co-Enzyme Q10, DHEA, etc, but nothing gave me any further spark. Then the Foundation did an article on Saw Palmetto for urinary health. My father and I started taking a Saw Palmetto/Nettles gel cap. I weaned off of Hytrin after a week or two. The dry mouth and fainting stopped. The burning urination never returned. It's now been approximately 10 years that I've been off of Hytrin and the only time I've had a flare up has been if I get lazy taking Life Extension's Prostate Formula. Score two for simple, natural, and inexpensive remedies.

During the next year I tried acupuncture (liked it but wasn't a cure - I did find it very relaxing and would give it a shot for pain, etc in the future), hypnosis, self-hypnosis. I also tried all vegetarian diets but they didn't work out for me - I actually felt worse. Looking back now that was probably more a case of too few calories and perhaps dehydration than lack of protein or nutrients. But that is just a guess.

L-Tryptophan was now off the market and I had insomnia pretty good again. Then Life Extension did a report on Melatonin. I got a bottle of 3mg capsules and was able to sleep. It worked extremely well. I no longer needed Restoril or Halcyon or Valium or any other drug, with their mind numbing hangovers, to fall asleep. I was getting to sleep and staying asleep. I used Melatonin in combination with the old adage, "Early to bed, early to rise…" I went to bed a 9pm and was up no later than 6am. Even on Saturdays if I had stayed up later than 9 the night before - I was up at 6. I later learned that that is a golden rule for insomniacs - get up at exactly the same time every day regardless of how little sleep you got the night before. Eventually the body will force you to sleep the next night. It's a tough thing to do when you've perhaps just fallen asleep 15 minutes before the alarm clock rings - but do it. Get up. That combined with the Melatonin worked like a charm. Unfortunately I started to get some jitteriness after being on the Melatonin for a few weeks. I stopped it but kept my sleeping patterns strong. I used it as needed a few times over that next year to reinforce the pattern - but its now about 8 years without the need for it at all.

It was great to have a nice sleep pattern going. I was making up some of the sleep debt that I had acquired over the past 10 years. I started to read Dr. Weil (www.drweil.com) and made some changes to my overall lifestyle. I forced myself to work out. I bought a set of weights and exercised. It was extremely difficult. Extremely. I just remember Dr. Weil saying that it will suck. It will hurt. You will feel like someone socked you in the gut. And it did. It was so tough to work through all that. But I had to. I worked out 3x a week or so with the weights. And it started to pay off. A few weeks into that routine and I had my first full week of feeling good. Then I got into a pattern of one week good - approximately 4 weeks bad. This continued to slide the right way as days would be added to the good side and days would be taken away from the bad end. This sliding pattern allowed me to up the number of classes that I was taking at my county college. I transferred into New Jersey's Trenton State College the following year and graduated in 1994. Just a short 7 years ago I had been happy to make it to the next day and here I was a college graduate. I owe that first to my family, second to Durk and Sandy and Life Extension, and finally to the doctors who did name what I had.

The problem with finishing college was - where the hell could I work? Yeah, 7-8 days in a row feeling good was great in the big scheme of things, but that wouldn't cut it in a 9-5 world. Can you imagine telling your boss, "Yeah, I'll be calling out sick the next 28 days. See you next month." I couldn't handle a full time corporate gig. Fortunately both my parents are educators. I became a substitute teacher. The hours were good and I could be 'off-call' as needed. I did this for about 4 years.

During these years I still searched for a 'cure' for my CFS. One thing that had always gnawed at me was my low body temperature. I read and reread Durk's description of his undiagnosed thyroid issues and his use of Armour Thyroid. I purchased Broda Barnes' book, "Hypothyroidism, The Unsuspected Illness."     It is one book that I have read several times, again and again. After reading this book - I was convinced that he was writing about me. I bought a thermometer and took my basal temperature (you keep a shaken down thermometer by your bed, sticking it under your arm as soon as you awaken, with as little movement as possible, with a temperature lower than 98 indicating a sluggish thyroid) and as expected it was low. Now I had to find a doctor who would diagnose and treat by that method. After all, all my blood work always came back normal.

I started going through the phone book calling endocrinologists and asking if they've treated by the basal temp method. I was about 0 for 30 when I decided to call the Broda Barnes Foundation (www.brodabarnes.org ). They had a packet in the mail and to me in a few days. It was a wonderful collection of information on the glandular system and the thyroid in particular. It also included a list of doctors. Panacea. I found one that was about 2 hours from me and was soon on my way there.

I liked the doctor and his knowledge. He was current in nutrition as well as the specifics of CFS. He took my history and agreed to let me try the T3 (the active form of thyroid hormone). Dr. Denis Wilson, (www.wilsonssyndrome) who named Wilson's Syndrome, endorses the T3 approach.      It is a little different than Barnes' use of natural thyroid in that its goal is to reverse the disease and get off of meds entirely. It is also different than the treatment for true hypothyroidism in that most doctors use T4, which then has to be converted within the body to T3. With the natural thyroid and Barnes' approach you have to take the thyroid forever. If your blood tests indicate that thyroid levels are high enough to meet accepted normal levels but your temperature is low - your body's problem may not be lack of the hormone but rather a problem using the hormone in general. You would have an even more difficult time utilizing the T4 in pill form. Wilson's approach feels that the active form may help reset the body's system.

My doctor also suspected that my adrenal glands were probably burned out and could possibly be further damaged by jumping right in with thyroid - which can be stimulating. I was put on Cortef, a natural form of Cortisone, for three weeks. Long-term supplemental Cortisone use can cause the body to stop producing it all together. Short-term usage may allow the system to 'rest' and hopefully repair itself. This therapy is recommended in Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum's, "From Fatigued to Fantastic."      Dr. T's writing is a must for all CFS sufferers. Even if one doesn't follow his protocols to get better - having someone pinpoint and so accurately describe what you are feeling can be liberating.

I felt good during those three weeks. I was enthusiastic about doctors who believed I was actually sick. I was thrilled to be 'doing something' rather than 'looking for something.' This combination made my days better, my depression lesser, and led to the philosophy that I still follow today: "The straw that broke the camel's back." I basically think that we all face adversity and that we can usually handle one, two, or three forces against us. It's when we have multiple attacks whether it be stress, dehydration, toxins, etc. that we eventually have too much, or the 'Mantz Straw', and our body breaks down and we fall prey to illness and depression. The Cortisone and not struggling for a diagnosis may have helped my depression lift. My sleep improvements along with a better diet and a nice exercise regimen coupled with a smaller amount of ingested prescription meds all may have allowed me to feel better because I was not reaching the Mantz Straw on a daily basis.

I began on the graduated regimen of T3. You basically cycle up and then down until you capture a 98.6 average body temp. You can find details on Wilson's web page. I did several cycles and it did move my average daily temp from 98.0 to 98.3. I was certainly feeling better than I had in years. I started a job as a Headhunter for an agency. I was now seeing 3-4 weeks in a row where I felt good. There was something right out in front of me that could get me over the edge but I just couldn't grasp what it was.

So, I was having about the same number of good days as I had bad. That in itself was a victory but I wanted more. I started to research more and more on the net. I read everything that I could about health and specifically body temperature. I also started to notice that all medications, even those that mimicked natural body chemicals, had side effects. This notion kicked me in the butt. If I truly believed in the Mantz Straw then I had to find a substitute for T3 and Cortisone. It was then that I headed to Google and began searching on spices, particularly 'Cayenne'.

I stumbled upon an incredible site called Curezone (www.curezone.com) I delved deeply into its pages on Dr. Richard Schulze aka Professor Cayenne. I was fascinated by his talks on this hot spice and I began to think that this could be something. A food with hot properties. I bought myself some cayenne pills and began taking them.

Believe me - cayenne in pill form is a learning experience. Take it with too little food and suffer the consequences. Sometimes getting out of the room quickly enough to double over is a chore when in an office setting! But I continued to take them and I eliminated my intake of T3 and cortisone. And I continued to feel good. I learned that licorice might act as a food source of cortisone support so I added that. I kept investigating Schulze and got lucky enough to read his interview on Cayenne. He hated the pills because of the aforementioned problems. They might not work the way you want because they dissolve unevenly. Plus, they are in the gut - not in the mouth near your brain and hypothalamus. I went and bought Cayenne Extract. It was fine - your body prepares to digest as soon as it senses the heat in your mouth. Your face gets red because blood is circulating! The only problem with store bought extract was that it tasted more like alcohol than cayenne. I tried them all and none were that hot. I searched the Internet for a hot extract and discovered that Schulze made one. I called 800-herbdoc and ordered the cayenne along with his Intestinal Formulae 1 and 2.

I liked it. It was hot and it tasted like cayenne, not alcohol. I also now was reading his American Botanical Pharmacy catalog like I had read Life Extensions 15 or so years earlier. Page after page over and over again.

I liked a lot of what I was reading. I bought a juicer and started making fresh juice. Somewhere along the way I started drinking distilled water and later found that Dr. Christopher was a big proponent of it. I later bought a distiller and now make it at home (it takes a dedication to stay on top of it but it does work out to be cheaper than store bought). I did Schulze's one week cleanses and later added the Epsom Salt Liver Cleanse that I had learned about from Curezone. I started to login to Ask Agnes http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=176 and found that I could answer some of the questions or at least point people in the right direction. Dr. Schulze says that one credential even the most educated MD may not have is experience. He went through heart disease, burns and possibly crippling injuries - all cured through Natural Healing. I went through the difficult years of CFS, Depression, and IBS. I really know what some of the writers are feeling and knew that I had to help whoever I could.

I noticed that I was feeling much better. I was feeling better and not taking any prescriptions at all. Headaches, which had been a major issue, were a thing of the past. The cleanses and the cayenne were my cure. I went from taking a liver clogging pain reliever like Advil or Tylenol 3x a week to not once in a year. (I have taken a couple of Advils to squash the headache of a cold in the past year. I feel that sleep is important and that if something like Advil can help provide needed sleep- do it and cleanse later).

I was now feeling good 5-6 weeks at a time and weak 1-2 weeks. I had come almost 180 degrees. IBS would flare up if I neglected Metamucil for any length of time. I began taking Intestinal Formula 1. Dr. Schulze says that you can skip this if your primary issue is hot bowels. I liked the ingredients in the formula and started it anyway with one capsule. I could feel the warmth from the garlic and the cayenne. It felt like a healing was occurring in my gut. I had tested positive for Leaky Gut Syndrome in the past. I suffered from allergies all my life. I would get red and itchy if I took a half-teaspoon of Acidophilus because it was seeping right into my bloodstream. I knew that I had to heal my gut and this was the natural way I was going to accomplish it.

I did the IF1 for 2 weeks. I then added Intestinal Formula 2, doing Schulze's 5x per day for one week. I brought my little shaker, my IF2 and distilled water to work and 'shook and took' diligently. I also researched IBS further during this week and learned about Apple Cider Vinegar w/Mother (ACV). This is the kind that is not pasteurized - not the garbage you find in a supermarket. I found that you should take a tablespoon 10 minutes before meals to help digestion. I got some at the health food store and began taking a tablespoon, a few drops of cayenne, and a bit of distilled water before eating. I also stopped having liquids during meals.

I have not had one symptom of IBS since this week. I no longer need Metamucil and I only take IF1 occasionally. Usually after a larger than normal meal or if you just feel like a mini-cleanse. I never travel without it or IF2 and have used IF2 to squash an upset stomach after a large meal or a bit too much wine. The funny thing with wine is that I could not have had a drink of alcohol in the past. It immediately caused burning urination. This no longer occurs. I also tried acidophilus a few weeks after my first IF2 therapy and it no longer causes any reaction. Leaky gut was healed, as was IBS. Schulze to the rescue a third time.

I decided to revisit my old allergist. I underwent the same skin scratch allergy tests that I had undergone some 20 years ago. They came back negative. I was no longer showing any signs of allergies at all.

So, my allergies were cleared. My gut was good. CFS was ever subsiding. Schulze and Curezone were my heroes! I continued to read everything that I could. I adopted Schulze's opinion that pills were not good because a) they had fillers and b) you were not eating the herb, as nature had intended. I stopped taking all pills. Exceptions were IF1 and my Super Prostate Formula. The reasoning was I really didn't care if IF1 opened in the gut or not - a fiber type supplement is an exception because an Intestinal opening was fine. I also stayed on Super Prostate because it had worked, LE was good at keeping fillers to a minimum, and it was a gel capsule and digested pretty easily (I put one in ACV overnight and it did dissolve). But I stopped all multiples, Cs, Bs, etc. I started on Schulze's SuperFood and Udo's Choice instead and haven't looked back. My CFS continued to improve. The ratio getting longer and longer.

I watched several of Schulze's videos and listened to many of his tapes. I began to research Dr. Christopher and read his newsletter at www.HerbsFirst.com . I ordered his SuperCayenne, BFC, and lobelia. Guess what? His Cayenne was even hotter than Schulze's! Wow- it was supreme and is the Cayenne that I use today. His BFC was excellent too - I always have a bottle on hand and have used it following a 2nd degree burn - no scarring whatsoever! Lobelia is wonderful too. I read so much about Dr. Samuel Thompson using Lobelia for almost everything and the phrase "When in doubt, use Lobelia." I finally used it myself and have continued to do so. It is great for spasm, muscle tension, and as a relaxant when I am under stress. I use it if I feel like insomnia may be an issue - no longer needing to use melatonin at all.

Schulze's use of hot and cold hydrotherapy was intriguing. It, like cayenne, made so much sense. You do hot cold on injuries to move blood around - why not systemically? I started doing hot cold showers every day. This was the missing piece. I found that if I was in a period of weakness - a day or two of hot cold therapy would knock the weakness out. This meant that I was now seeing 8 weeks of good followed by only a day or two of weakness. This is the method that I now follow. I do hot colds periodically, and faithfully if ill. I don't have the need any longer to practice them daily (because you know they can be brutal!), instead relying on them only when needed.

Schulze is an honest healer. He tells you flat out on his tapes that his formulae are the best and that 90% of herbs on the market are crap. You know it's true if you've tasted someone else's Lobelia or Cayenne and then taste his or Christopher's (there is a local brand, Herbal Alchemist, that is excellent as well). He also tells you that the only person who could possibly provide a higher quality extract is you. Schulze shows you the proper way to make your own using Vodka and fresh herbs in his Save Your Life Collection. I now make all my own:

Still having Christopher & Schulze provide my Cayenne, IFs, SuperFood,
and BFC:

My quality is way up there and my cost is way down.

I order Echinacea, Gingko, Rosemary, etc. in bulk from Pacific Botanicals (www.pacificbotanicals.com ) and extract them in my very own formulas.

I have mentioned that I believe in the Straw theory. Eliminated prescription meds and for the most part all pills. I get a good night's sleep (Early to bed…). Exercise and have stabilized body temperature by exercising and through the use of cayenne. Only drink distilled water and get great nutrition through SuperFood and Udo's Choice. I always have a window cracked open - even in the dead of winter - to keep oxygen levels high inside my home. Have chosen a few great friends over having many so-so friends. Am close with my family and have a fiancée who loves Schulze too! No longer work in an office - I lower people's long distance to 3.9 cents per minute through my website, www.AmericasPhone.com, so that they have more money in their pockets to spend on their health. Try to laugh as much as possible and I share my knowledge with whoever asks for it. I don't rely on modern medicine for my cure but I do rely on it for diagnosis. I still have an amalgam filling in my mouth but would never fill a new cavity with anything but porcelain. One of the best books of all time is Dale Carnegie's, "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living."     Everyone should read it. Don't go overboard in the pursuit of health as that pursuit itself too would become a negative stressor. Dr. Richard Schulze as well as Dr. Andrew Weil recommend avoiding TV news shows - they are all negative and affect your Straws. If you really need to know about World events - read the local newspaper. The presentation is a little blunted and less stressing.

My diet follows the same pattern. I am not a vegetarian or a vegan. I eat whatever I want supplemented by tons of fruits and vegetables. Our freezer is packed with Raw Organic Nuts and Seeds. We do go out of our way to find foods that do not contain any hydrolyzed ingredients (tough sometimes because they can be hidden in the label under 'natural flavors'.) If a substitute is available - get it. Support the companies that care. But if no substitute is available - don't give up everything.

We use anti-biotic and pesticide free eggs at home but also have no issue having plain old eggs in a diner. Have switched to SmartBalance spread that has no Partially Hydrogenated oils and do the same with tortilla chips but don't fret about the butter on a dinner roll if we've gone out for supper.

We've eliminated milk from our diets and both have had about a 99% reduction in stuffy noses. I missed cereal for a while but the benefit of a milk less existence has been unreal. Fewer colds, even less headaches, and less stuffy noses in the A.M. Again - if a recipe calls for milk - in it goes, but oatmeal is eaten sans milk or with Almond or Soy Milk. Nutrimil is great too. Buy organic when possible but understand that price can be an issue and buy normal apples if they are on sale. It's like a penny saved is a penny earned - save your body when you are able and it all adds up to keep the pendulum on the correct side. Don't go nuts thinking about it day in and day out because that is a Mantz Straw too.

We go through several bulbs of garlic per week. Raw garlic is a SuperFood in its own right. It makes food taste better and it kicks cholesterol and viruses in the butt. Use Maple Syrup instead of sugar to sweeten. We take two tablespoons of Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses every A.M. One tablespoon provides 20% of your day's requirement of Calcium AND Iron in a form that the body can actually use.

Another great item is Green Tea. Do a search on www.google.com for the benefits of green tea and the possibilities are astonishing. The biggest reason most people try and then stop green tea is improper brewing. Do not follow the instructions on most tins. Instead - boil fresh clean water (distilled if possible). DO NOT pour the boiling water on the teabag. Wait 30 seconds with the kettle off the burner and then pour the water over the bag. This water is closer to 180 degrees than it is to 212 and it will not cause the tea to become bitter. Brew for 2-5 minutes. Also - do not drink on an empty stomach to start - you can feel nauseated. Experiment and drink as much as you can. Try to get 6 cups per day. Avoid after 3pm if you are affected by caffeine.

I hope that you can find some comfort and gain some knowledge from this. Don't do everything at once. The ideas in the past few paragraphs were instituted over 15 years. They are so easy to do if you do them one or two at a time. They work too. They are a blueprint for a long and healthy life. I have not felt weak in over 6 months as I write this. That is amazing considering where I was 16 years ago.

_BOB Mantz of
Ask Agnes & _BOB
http://curezone.com/forums/f.asp?f=176

For 56ers: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gnxfan/Bob.doc
For cable: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/gnxfan/Bob'sStory.doc

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