Flu Season

Flu season has hit our house.  We all got the flu vaccine this year - but have been exposed to one of the majority of flu viruses not covered by this year's vaccine.  One daughter confirmed with the flu, another highly suspected with the flu.  We took our girls to the pediatrician early enough to acquire Tamiflu, in my experience an amazing conventional treatment, for the girls.  However, as Ingrid and I are not symptomatic (yet), we are anxiously awaiting our own fates.

When it comes to contracting illness, Ingrid has a pretty good history of not contracting illness.  I have a miserable history - it's virtually guaranteed that I'll contract any illness in close proximity.  I had not done any research on alternative therapies for acute illnesses until late last night while frantically looking for a credible alternative therapy that might help fend off, reduce the duration, or reduce the intensity of any oncoming flu.

The flu, just like the common cold, is a virus (though they are different viruses) and prevention and treatment of each is generically (though not always specifically) interchangeable.  It is highly contagious and spread through contact with infected bodily fluids.  The virus spreads rapidly throughout the body and, aside from specific antiviral medication (like Tamiflu), is only eradicated by your body's immune system.  The video below shows how the flu spreads in your body.



There are a lot of alternative therapies touted on the internet to help prevent or treat the flu (many of them unsubstantiated as far as my research showed).  A common thread between some of the more plausible therapies was their purported role in boosting the body's immune system to quickly deal with any invading virus.  Under this generic guideline, my immediate reaction was to start a regimen of Turmeric Tea (not proven but highly suspected to boost immune function and/or kill viruses).    After consulting a number of the resources that I use to spearhead my own research into alternative therapies, I also ran out to the store to grab some Echinacea.  Echinacea is approved for use by Germany's Commission E (The equivalent to the US Food & Drug Administration) for treating upper respiratory infections (URIs) - though the literature I've read makes distinctions between specific plant parts and species and recommended dosages.  More to come on Echinacea in a separate blog post - but for my immediate purposes, I decided there was enough evidence in support of echinacea to make the purchase (for an in depth look, click here to read the American Botanic Council's clinical guide to echinacea).

Since Adelaide got ill, I've been coughed on (in the face), snotted on, handled dirty clothes, tissues, and blankets, and spent significant time comforting in extremely close proximity.  Although by no means scientific, if I don't get the flu I'll consider my efforts with turmeric and echinacea a likely contributing factor.  We'll know shortly...  

For more on the flu, click here to read what the CDC has to say.   

Car Talk and Alzheimer's

I have been listening to Car Talk, a radio program about (and I use the term "about" loosely) cars hosted by the Magliozzi brothers, on NPR for over a decade now (the show has been a compilation of previous shows, not live, for a few years though).  I am not a huge car guy and couldn't really hold a conversation for more than a minute or two on cars if my life depended on it, but Tom and Ray kept the program entertaining and infectious.  Just last week (on the podcast) Tom and Ray expounded on the phenomenon of high velocity nose picking (nose picking while driving) in a way that cloaked the tastelessness of the subject in pure entertainment.   

Yesterday, Tom Magliozzi, died due to complications of Alzheimer's.  To read the NPR story on his passing, click here.  Although my only connection to Tom was through Car Talk (and the one time I had my car serviced at his mechanic shop), I was saddened to hear of his passing but was also surprised because I did not know he had Alzheimer's.

I am not intimately familiar with Alzheimer's Disease.  No one in my family has had it nor any of my friends.  What I do know is that Alzheimer's is a neuro-degenerative disease without a known cause and without any significant treatment.  Some of the symptoms include (1) memory loss and or the increased need for memory aids, (2) challenges in planning or solving problems, (3) difficulty completing familiar tasks, (4) confusing time or place, (5) difficulty with spatial relationships, (6) new problems with words in speaking or writing, (7) misplacing things and loosing the ability to retrace steps, (8) decreased or poor judgement, (9) withdrawal from work or social activities, and (10) changes in mood.  I cannot help but look at this list of symptoms and identify with at least five (possibly six) just before I began to experiment with alternative medicine.  Click here to read my posts on symptoms, especially the post on Brain Fog.  

Based on my own experiences and other research that I have delved into, I am optimistic that a number of theories and alternative therapies may have some bearing on neuro-degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, including but not limited to diet, supplementation, exercise, and acupuncture.  I have suggested some of these therapies to friends with loved ones with Alzheimer's - but as experience bears alternative medicine (even as a complement to western medicine) is a difficult sell.  I, in no way, am saying that there is a proven alternative method to cure Alzheimer's or other neuro-degenerative diseases.  However, the alternative therapies listed above have little if any downside (check with your doctor for any contraindications); and, if I and the other alternative medicine advocates are right, they have tremendous upside.  If you or a loved one is suffering from a neuro-degenerative disease and have questions on plausible alternative therapies, feel free to get in touch with me. 

RESOURCES

To read more on Alzheimer's Disease click here to be taken to the Alzheimer's Association's Website.

To read more from Dr. Perlmutter, a board certified neurologist, on Alzheimer's Disease, please read his book Grain Brain.

 

If You Are Suffering From... Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects your movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while a tremor may be the most well-known sign of Parkinson's disease, the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement1.

I have no personal experience with Parkinson's (aside from having friends with the Disease) so all of the suggestions herein are aggregated from other trusted sources.  That said, the rationale for trying the recommended alternative therapies can be found herein. 

If you are suffering from Parkinson's Disease and are looking for alternative and non-mainstream therapies, the following recommendations are recommended by Dr. Perlmutter and the Mayo Clinic:

Diet (See Grain Brain, by Dr. Perlmutter for specific recommendations)
Exercise
Sleep
Acupuncture
Massage
Stretching
Meditative Breathing
Dietary Supplements (See Grain Brain, by Dr. Perlmutter for specific recommendations)

Also, read the following article by Dr. Perlmutter on Parkinson's (click here)

1 Mayo Clinic

The Alternative Road - Diet

One of the major elements that has helped to manage my chronic illness is diet.  I began dieting back in 2006, when my father (also a physician) suggested that I might have Celiac Disease.  After eliminating gluten from my diet, I felt noticeable improvement but not complete relief - so my experiments with diet expanded.  After eight years, I have come to the conclusion that two specific diet modifications are worthy of attention for anyone traveling the alternative road.  The first modification entails eliminating any foods that caused inflammatory symptoms.  The second modification entails increasing the consumption of foods known to help the body deal with inflammation.      

REDUCING INFLAMMATION

Since 2006, I have dabbled in a number of fad diets and food restrictions. The fad diets included a Paleo Diet, a Vegan Diet, a Vegetarian Diet, a Raw Foods Diet, a Candida Diet, and the Grain Brain Diet.  Each of these diets have merit.  However, none of these diets eliminated all of the foods that I now consider inflammatory - in fact most of these diets emphasized many of the foods that I consider inflammatory.

The most useful tool in reducing inflammatory foods was a series of food restrictions that can be adequately described as an elimination diet - a modification of food habits with the intent of identifying foods that trigger inflammatory symptoms (headaches, night sweats, blurry eyes, brain fog, fatigue, etc.).  My elimination diet took eight years to develop, partly because I did not have a template to follow and partly because I didn't want to give up foods that I enjoyed eating.  It took years of ill-health to steer me away from some of my beloved foods.  Ultimately, my decision to minimize exposure to inflammatory foods opened my eyes to a world of food alternatives that are just as satisfying. 

INCREASING FOODS THAT FIGHT INFLAMMATION

To function properly, the human body needs vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fiber, and other items historically provided by food.  However, the modern western diet is largely a high-calorie, low nutrient diet, potentially resulting in nutrient and vitamin deficiency.  For thirty years, I was guilty of consuming many more simple carbohydrates and sugars than high nutrient foods like whole fruits and vegetables.  The result was a body ill-equipped to deal with inflammation.  Increasing consumption of whole fruits and vegetables is recommended by virtually every health care professional that I consulted with on my road.  And though I personally was unable to attribute specific improvement of symptoms to this modification, I do believe that my general level of health (energy level and ability to focus) improved as a result.          

IF YOU ARE SUFFERING

If you are suffering from symptoms that are attributed to inflammation (including headaches, night sweats, blurry eyes, brain fog, fatigue, etc.), I can't more highly recommend trying an elimination diet and increasing your consumption of whole fruits and vegetables.  Specifically, if you have any autoimmune disease (or symptoms that correlate to an autoimmune disease), I am confident that this diet will help alleviate some of the symptoms.  And I also believe (largely through anecdotal evidence - though in the case of neurological and heart disease there is scientific evidence) that this diet has the potential to help those suffering from other ailments that currently do not have a cure through western medicine including but not limited to Autism, Alzheimer, Dementia, ALS, Cancer, heart disease, and obesity.  I do not intend to imply diet can cure these items, only help alleviate some of the symptoms. I will provide guidance in a future post for those considering an elimination diet; and I will provide recipes and recommendations of resources in a series of future posts to help you feel satisfied while on the diet and beyond.

WHAT THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY SAYS

Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation

 

The Alternative Road

During my experimentation with various healing therapies, I have kept in contact with licensed medical professionals - not for guidance on what therapies to try but for guidance on if a therapy that I'm thinking about trying has the potential to do harm.

With this in mind, a new series in this blog titled The Alternative Road, will identify the alternative means to health that I have found useful or that I believe are worthwhile for those looking for help beyond Western Medicine.  I will attempt to explain why each alternative means might work and what symptoms they might help alleviate.  Several, if not all of these therapies, have advocates in Western Medicine - though they are not mainstream and not known or practiced by the majority of western doctors.

Before trying any of these therapies, see your doctor first - not to seek her blessing, just to make sure you do not have a contraindication (a condition that would adversely react with the particular therapy). 

Fruitful Absence

I've been away from this blog for a long time. A new house, major renovations, the birth of two kids, and a new business left little time for writing. My lack of significant progress toward explaining my illness and/or healing from it left little inspiration. However I continued to experiment, explore, and evolve my thoughts in that time. My absence, though not intentional, has been fruitful - the results worth sharing. Five years ago, when I began looking for an alternative road to health, I had not a clue what it looked like. Now, however, I have a much better idea...

The Bridge to Alternative Medicine

In December, 2009, I asked my new doctor for help with my long-term health issues. He agreed. He asked for time to review my entire medical history. I agreed and scheduled a follow-up in January. My follow-up appointment came. I filled in holes in the medical history with anecdotal stories.

I had been hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2005 when my illness began. My abdomen started to hurt in North Carolina. I stopped in Franklin, NC. I ate a pizza. I threw up. I continued hiking. My feet began to ache. My shoulders started to ache. It was nothing unusual for long-distance hiking, I thought. I reached Damascus and rested for two days. It did not help. I hiked on. I reached the Virginia Highlands. I took pictures of wild ponies. I took an afternoon nap. It did not help. I had a fever. I went to bed early. One night, in the middle of the night, I woke up in a sweat, nauseated, and having to use the toilet. I scrambled to get my shoes on, grab my headlamp, and run out of the shelter. Within fifteen feet of the shelter, I crashed to the ground, landing in a pile of rocks beside a bush. After a minute, my head cleared. I stood and stumbled through the darkness. Dizziness came. Darkness came. I crashed to the ground. The stars came through the darkness. They were spinning. They stopped. I stood. I walked on. The toilet was on top of a platform. There were no walls. The wind blew. I began to shiver. I began to freeze. I stumbled back to the shelter. I woke up the next morning unable to eat. I hiked fifteen miles to the nearest road, rested for two days, and continued hiking. Another week in the woods. Another hundred miles. More dizziness. More fever. New aches and pains. I stopped in Pearisburg, Virginia. I called my parents. They drove down from Gettysburg the next day. They took me home. I rested. I did not get better.

My doctor listened patiently to my stories, to the beginning of my symptoms. When I was done, I told him about a few new symptoms - a bitter taste in my mouth, sharper abdomen pain. He nodded. He sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. Everyone has different filters, he began. I nodded. I wondered where he was going. Multitudes of illnesses known to man manifest themselves in a small number of symptoms, he continued. He said my symptoms were not consistent with illnesses that were known. He said that my filter was too sensitive. He said that I was complaining of too many symptoms. He said that I needed to learn to ignore most, if not all of my symptoms. He said that my tests showed that I was normal, that my symptoms were a normal part of growing older.

I was baffled. My doctor was telling me that my lack of energy after work, my abdomen pains, my inability to focus, my headaches, my tonsil stones, the bitter taste in my mouth, my brain fog, my frequent urination, and all the rest of my symptoms were all a natural part of growing old. He was telling me that my five years of illness were not real. He was telling me that I was too sensitive to pain. He didn't understand the depths of my illness, the depression, the struggles with brain fog, the muscle pain, the fatigue. I was infuriated. I left. I stopped believing that western medicine could and would eventually find a diagnosis for my ailment.

Definitions

For the sake of simplicity...

Western medicine - scientifically proven medicine.

Alternative medicine - medicine that is not scientifically proven.

The Phantom Illness

I had been ill for nearly five years. With what I do not know. My symptoms, many. Confirmed diagnosis, none. It's not for lack of trying. My father is a physician, one of the best in the world in my opinion. When I fell ill in 2005, I received the best medical treatment available. I had blood and other tests galore. I was referred to some of the best specialists around. At long last, I was clinically diagnosed with Lyme's Disease and Giardia. Just to be clear, a clinical diagnosis is not one that is confirmed by blood or other testing; it is a one based on the best available data, which in my case was circumstances plus symptoms.

The Circumstances: Long-distance hiking on the Appalachian Trail, multiple deer tick bites, symptoms consistent with Lyme's Disease.

The Symptoms: Brain fog, fatigue, achy joints, frequent urination, muscle twitches, abdomen pain, insatiable thirst, blurred vision, depression, muscle tightness, aching teeth, tonsil stones, sun sensitivity, night sweats, chills, uncontrollable hiccups, stomach aches, bloating.

But after a few months and multiple courses of drugs, I was still ill. A new potential diagnosis - Post Lyme's Disease Syndrome. Untreatable. Another potential diagnosis - Celiac Disease. The treatment - stop eating wheat. I stopped eating wheat. There was some improvement. I stopped eating dairy. A bit more improvement. I stopped eating most of everything else. A bit more improvement. But not total improvement. I was still unable to function like a normal human being. My energy levels remained low. It was almost impossible for me to make it through an entire day without needing a nap. I didn't have enough energy to socialize or do anything after more active than lay on the couch after work. My abdomen hurt. My thirst was not quenched. Tonsil stones were still present. I was not better.

Then, life became more difficult. My wife and I went on vacation to New Zealand. Two days in, I got a virus, passed out on my way to the bathroom, and slammed my head on a table on my way to the ground, sustaining a concussion. I was now unable to walk more than a half mile without getting a headache and nausea. I was fatigued. I was unable to focus without getting a migraine. Work was nearly unbearable. My back ached constantly. Then, a new issue - my stomach started to hurt. I loathed food, and yet I ate more. I went to see my doctor. I told him all of my ills. He asked minimal questions. He tested nothing. He offered no suggestions for therapy or treatment. He only asked me to come back in a few weeks for a check-up. I felt abandoned.

My thirtieth birthday came. I spent it in a dark room on the floor. I had eaten too much for breakfast. I felt greasy and bloated; I didn't want to eat; I was hungry and full; my body was conflicted.

My disgust with on that day led to an unusual decision. I decided to do a 72-hour water fast. Nothing to eat but water. That night, after an uncomfortable dinner, I started. The next day, I stopped. My day had been good until sometime after lunch, when a headache kicked in and stayed and got worse. I had dinner. I felt worse. I began my fast again. This time, I had a significant amount of energy on the first night of my fast and was not tempted to eat. But on the second night my headache returned. But feeling that I had accomplished what I set out to do (cure my stomach pains), I returned to food that night, first liquids (some chicken broth and apple juice), then raw foods (a piece of celery). As hoped, my stomach pains were gone. My energy level skyrocketed for a few days. And for the first time in nearly five years, I gained a glimmer of hope for future health.