Our Readers Write
A DIETARY REALITY CHECK
I am 56 years old and have suffered from fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, depression, insomnia, acid reflux, irritable bowel, am a physical and sexual abuse survivor and recovered from a stroke. In December of 2004, I was on 19 different prescription medications. I am currently taking none! I have lost 51 pounds, no longer wear leg braces or use a walker. The doctors & physical therapists are all amazed! I have been given a new lease on life. Here’s what happened:
In 2001 I had a left-hemi stroke that left me aphasic and in a wheelchair – the world as I knew it was changed forever. Pain, frustration, loss of memory, fear, depression, anger and loneliness each took a piece of my personality and fought to be in charge. I become a ward of the state and entered institutional living. I was dependent on medication and others for every function of my body and I lost my will to live a “normal” life. The roller coaster ride of prescription drugs and took me to the heights and slammed me back through the depths of hell as I fought through 4 years of addiction.
In November 2004 I impaled my left foot on a bucket. I contracted a staph infection at the hospital that began to eat my toes like leprosy. In December I was to move into my own apartment (after assisted living, adult foster care and living with care givers and friends). I was finally capable of independent living with the aid of a care giver 8 hours per day and I was very scared but also very excited. This was the answer to many prayers. I had been on the property of my new home 1 hour when I fell backwards over my walker and slammed my head and back on the cement. Unable to move, I thought I’d had another stroke. Through God’s grace the paralysis was only temporary and nothing was broken! The severity of the impact caused muscle, tissue and nerve damage which put me back in a wheelchair. My gift of independent living was being threatened and I did not understand.
In early 2005 I had surgery on both feet due to the relentless staph infection. It had not responded to four rounds of antibiotics. I was so sick that I could not even lift my head from the pillow without throwing up and I now had a systemic yeast infection. I had prayed for a miracle and my prayers were about to be answered in a very unusual way.
As my health deteriorated, my youngest sister said, “I do not want to turn out like you!” That hurt. She began reading books on health and nutrition and shared them with me, but at first, I had no intention of applying them to myself. Then the more I read, the more I realized they were an answer to my prayers. I knew this was the right course to follow and I made changes immediately. I started reading labels on everything in my pantry and refrigerator and filled up 9 grocery sacks to take to the food bank. I stopped drinking all soda and tap water, I eliminated all sugar and any chemical sweeteners eliminated all foods with dyes, hydrogenated oils, MSG, natural flavors or spices that were not specifically identified and anything bleached or enriched. The results were both immediate and dramatic! The first thing I noticed was my pain level subsiding and I was kipping doses of my pain medication. Within a month I was off the medication completely! I now have complete relief from irritable bowel syndrome (after 30 years) and GERD and have eliminated 19 medications. I am free from prescription drug dependency.
I had been a walking toxic waste dump with no hope of recovery and then my energy returned. I was able to think and communicate clearer, muscle spasms stopped and I was able to give up leg and hand braces and my walker. Four years of eating carbs nonstop due to depression and medication-induced cravings had put me over 200 pounds, but without any more directed effort than to eliminate the empty calories of sugar and all forms of sweeteners except honey or stevia, I began losing weight consistently. I am firmly convinced that there is no disease that cannot be vastly improved or completely eliminated by taking control of our diet.
– Linda Melotte, Casper, Wyoming
Vol 30, No 2 PAGE 24 Health and Healing Wisdom