Cutting Edge (part 2)

I met with Dr. Parker after filling out an extensive questionnaire about my health, eating habits, exercise habits, work and family information, and even my outlook on life. He is the first doctor to ever want to know so much about me.

But doesn’t that make sense? Doesn’t a doctor (a good doctor) need to know all aspects of your life in order to fully be able to help you? This truly is a “holistic” way of treating patients.

He even prefers for patients to meet with him with their spouse or significant other. He understands that a person is better able to reach their health goals if the partner is involved and understands what is going on with the person they love.

So I went into my consultation only knowing I had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. From simple blood tests that no other doctor has ever done on me before, he explained that I also have Epstein-Barr Virus and 2 other types of viruses. And, my vitamin D level was extremely low. He looked at me with his kind and understanding eyes and said, “No wonder you are exhausted.”

I almost started crying because he not only found out what was wrong with me, but he also empathized with how I was feeling.

Finally! Someone not only knew what was going on with me but was going to help me feel better.

Then the best part of the meeting happened. He told me that he can help me feel better.

Phase 1 of my healing involved getting rid of the viruses in my body. The process involved killing off all the viruses currently active and then keeping them at bay with a natural supplement.

It was a 3 fold process including:

1) taking a pharmaceutical drug to help kill off the viruses for 30 days;

2) taking NAC – 1 capsule a day for the rest of my life. NAC is N-acetyl-l-cysteine. There are so many benefits of taking this supplement that almost everyone should use it. But in my case it is specifically helping with keeping the viruses from becoming active again.

3) Here comes the cutting-edge part: I got 8 hydrogen peroxide IV treatments.

Hydrogen peroxide is a very simple compound – H2O2. Essentially it is a molecule of water with an extra atom of oxygen attached and occurs throughout nature and is produced by almost every cell in the human body.

Here is a very small sample of some of the amazing health benefits of H2O2 treatments:

– Oxygen helps enzymes remove toxins, and it is used by the immune system to attack invading bacteria.

– It stimulates natural killer (NK) cells, which attack cancer cells as they attempt to spread throughout the body.

– Lactobacillus which are beneficial bacteria to the digestive tract and are also responsible for immunity, thrive on hydrogen peroxide. Anaerobic bacteria however, which are often responsible for damage to the digestive tract and immunity, die in the presence of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide.

– Hydrogen peroxide improves the glucose utilization of diabetics.

– It is effective at the oxidation of lipid materials in the vessel walls which cause blockage and heart disease.

I heard someone say that H2O2 IV’s are the healthy version of taking a very strong antibiotic, with all the benefits but no negative side effects that antibiotics cause.

So these IV treatments completely cleaned out the viruses in my body along with all the other amazing things H2O2 does.

Every 3rd IV was a “Remineralization” IV which consists of vitamins and minerals. A multi-vitamin IV. The H2O2 was getting rid of the bad guys and the Remin IVs were giving my immune system a strong boost so it could help keep my body healthy.

He also gave me 3 separate Vitamin D shots. Did you know that it would take the equivalent of 9 months of taking a vitamin D supplement to equal 1 vitamin D shot?

So how was I feeling after phase 1 of my treatment plan? I did experience mild detox symptoms which I was actually really excited about because that made me know that something was going on in my body. I still wasn’t experiencing the energy I was seeking…but that would come with phase 2 treatment plan. Wait until you hear what I did next…

Cutting-Edge (part 1)

I have started seeing a new doctor, Dr. Parker at Renova Wellness in Norfolk, Va. He is the most amazing doctor I have ever met. My faith and trust in the medical (and even alternative) community had dried up after feeling exhausted and simply “not right” for over 20 years and no-one could offer me a solution. I was taking medications for my hypothyroidism, seeing energy healers, taking vitamins and herbs – to no avail. Almost every day I felt tired and had to force myself to get work and errands done.

Was this the life I was going to live? That was simply not acceptable. So I continued to search…

Serendipity led me to one of Suzanne Somers books on hormones. She exposed me to a whole new community of doctors called things like “cutting-edge,” “reverse aging,” and “anti-aging.”

This got me really excited. Could there really be doctors out there who spend more than 10 minutes with a patient, and who were actually helping people without harmful drugs, and who were using cutting-edge therapies that worked?

I instantly knew this type of doctor could help me.

After an internet search I came across Dr. Parker who was only 90 minutes away.

Laundry was simply exhausting. You’re a little sore when you wake up but it does the job.

During my first meeting with him I found out that he did not choose this non-traditional way of treating people, but rather it chose him. He went to medical school and became a traditional doctor. But then he got really really sick and even with his knowledge and his access to the medical community, he was told there was nothing that could be done and he would die within months. A couple of his colleagues had gotten into “cutting-edge” therapies and asked him if they could try them on him. He was already going to die, so why not?

That was 10 years ago.

Needless to say that completely changed his path. He became a cutting-edge doctor rather than a slave to insurance and money.

Note to self #1: drool is not good for a keyboard.
Note to self #2: a keyboard imprint on the face takes hours to go away.

So what do these types of doctors do that is so different from traditional doctors? They work to build the immune system up and replace what is missing from the body. So rather than treat a symptom, they find out through simple blood tests what your body is missing and replace it. At the same time, they treat symptoms and illnesses with bio-identical substances as well as pharmaceutical drugs when necessary.

Traditional doctors spend 10 minutes with a patient – how can they possibly know anything about me after only a few minutes? Then their only arsenal is drugs that have pages of side effects. (Oh, and don’t tell anyone, but they get a kick-back from the drug company every time they write a prescription.) Isn’t that a massive conflict of interest?

OK, I’m off my soap box now…

Kevin was not happy when I would fall into bed exhausted and fall asleep on his face.

So what did Dr. Parker do for me and how am I feeling? Let’s just say I don’t want to stay in bed all day anymore…. (don’t you love cliff-hangers!)

I would make myself do yoga and then take a little cat nap in between poses.

I have so much exciting stuff to tell you about Dr. Parker that I have to write a series of posts on it. Otherwise I know you would sit here all day reading about him and forget to pick your children up from school. So I am doing this for your own good. 🙂

This has nothing to do with my cat theme, but it was too cute to pass up. I would feel this way too after a dozen pizzas.

Bath Soup

Our typical night-time routine starts with the boys taking their beloved bath. They sometimes spend 45 minutes in their bath – playing with toys, talking, telling jokes… I love that they have so much fun together.

I have my Master’s in Holistic Nutrition, so I am always looking for healthy, non-toxic, organic, natural, bio-identical, nutritious (you get the picture) things to incorporate into our life.  So I saw bath time as an opportunity to incorporate some beneficial ingredients.

Our skin is the largest organ and absorbs what we put on it, and the warm water in a bath opens the pores and increases the rate of absorption. We experience this during a facial when the esthetician uses warm mist to open the pores. The great thing is that the longer you stay in the bath the more nutrients you absorb – so lounge away.

I mix it up, but these are the things I usually add to their bath (and mine when I need a Calgon moment):

Don’t you just want to sit in that chair!

• Essential Oils. There are so many benefits of using essential oils from aromatherapy to physiological benefits.  Lavender is not only relaxing but also has antiseptic and antifungal properties so it helps to heal wounds and even soothes sunburns (which is very important at the beach!). Tea Tree Oil is an amazing oil for the skin because it is antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial.

• Epsom Salt. This is actually not salt at all but a mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate, both of which have very important roles in the body. Epsom salt helps to relax the body, ease body pain and muscle cramps, and detoxifies the body.

• Magnesium Oil. I add 5 pumps of this spray into the running bath water. The health benefits are so great you just can’t get enough of it.

• Baking Soda (aluminum free). Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) alkalizes the body which is critical since all illnesses thrive in an acidic environment. There are studies in Europe showing success fighting cancer with sodium bicarbonate. An added benefit is that it softens the skin.

• Tea. Yes, you read that correctly, tea is a very healthy addition to a bath. We’ve all heard of the numerous health benefits of drinking tea, well you can also absorb those benefits through your skin. My amazing, cutting-edge, life-changing Doctor told me about “Tea Baths.” (Can you tell I adore my doctor? I will tell you all about him later and how he has given me my health back.) I brew tea every day in a coffee pot (tea bags work great but you can also use loose leaf tea in a stainless steel mesh infuser) so at the end of the day I add a couple more fresh tea bags to the used ones and brew tea for the bath. FYI: the dark tea will leave a stain ring in the tub, but it is easily scrubbed away (I use baking soda as a healthy scrub and it works great.).

• Hydrogen Peroxide. I add about a capful. H2O2 is a disinfectant and will destroy any bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc. on contact. Tip: I’m always looking for a deal so I get my hydrogen peroxide from the dollar store. Guess how much it costs?

My boys call this their “bath soup.”

I call it “Mommy-is-proud-of-herself-for-figuring-out-another-way-to-sneak-healthy-things-in bath.”