How is my experiment going?
It’s been just over a year since I fell off a truck and hit my head and in the resulting CAT scans and MRIs, discovered I have a small, benign brain tumor, a meningioma. Someone wrote recently to ask how my experiment of natural healing is going.
I also have a uterine fibroid, and multiple meningiomas. Please tell me how the experiment went. I would really love to know.
So I’ll tell you.
Last year, I was 50 years old and I looked and felt it. I had about 40% body fat and was at the high end of weight for my height. I was tired all the time, didn’t sleep well, had no energy. My lifestyle was so busy I no longer took time for my beautiful home and garden, which means, I started getting zero exercise. And I had this little 6mm (pea-sized) brain tumor that nobody could say would be one of those that grew quickly or would never be a problem.
This year, I am 51 years old and I look 10 or 15 years younger. Truly. When I have good photos I’ll show you.
I sleep much better and awaken refreshed, full of energy throughout the day. My mood is much better, I have the same intense stresses that I’ve always had but I’m just calmer.
I’ve lost a huge amount of body fat and have lost 15 pounds and expect to drop another five or ten before I stop. I’ve lost four inches off my waist and five inches off my hips and am close to hitting a size eight. My whole body composition has changed, it’s clear that my body is youthful and muscular, even throughout the core (midsection). The five-months-pregnant-look pot gut is GONE and I have a lovely waist again!
This year, it’s all about me. Oh, I still work long hours and do plenty of church and community service and look after my family members, but this year, I also make time and budget dollars for ME.
I now have a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness and I work out 15 times a month. Plus I train with a marathon running group twice a week. Two months ago, when I started official marathon training, I couldn’t run half a block. Yesterday, I ran-walked 10 miles and am doing my first half-marathon in three weeks!
Oh, yes, the brain tumor. Zero growth in the last year. My doctor says that’s because I have one of the kinds that doesn’t grow at all, so he thinks nothing I did made any difference in terms of the tumor. God bless ‘im!
I will say, I don’t care why it did or didn’t grow. Because the result of discovering that I had that little guy kicked my preservation instinct into high gear. I avoid xenoestrogens that are highly suspected to make tumors and cancers grow. I eat VERY healthy. I’ve cut out the sugars, and I supplement specifically to cleanse my liver and shrink or impede the growth of estrogen-related tumors and fibroids. I remove toxins regularly with both a powdered bentonite clay bath and a mud-type bentonite clay mask for my face and injured muscles. (Sodium bentonite clay is my new favorite technique, you really must try it — I did a foot soak in it after my long run yesterday and it not only removed the aches and strains but dang, it dissolved the corns and callouses!).
I DARE a brain tumor or a cancer or a fibroid to grow in this body.
You want proof that what I’m doing is effective. I had shoulder surgery three weeks ago. I was told I’d be laid up two weeks, not driving for two weeks, and on pain pills at least that long. Before surgery, the anesthetist told me I looked fantastic on paper. My blood work is the work of a much younger woman. My heart rate and blood pressure are those of an athlete. I’m totally reversing the bone density loss and muscle loss that happens at my age.
Within 18 hours of the surgery, I was up shopping and running errands and getting a pedicure! No laying around, and I was off all pain meds within 36 hours. I worked out at the gym every day, granted, I took it easy and got plenty of recuperative rest, but here at the three week point I trained with my team for a 10 mile stretch.
I have other health issues, really of much more concern than a brain tumor, and they are all but non-issues because of the natural health actions I’ve taken. I have a stroke condition due to badly damaged carotid arteries. We manage it with fish oil rather than medications and my doctor is very pleased with how that’s going. I used to get dramatic throw-up-for-five-days migraines. They are gone as long as I take MonaVie, an acai drink. My blood pressure used to be sky-high even on meds. Between the acai and the fish oil, I’m off the meds and my blood pressure is 108/68. At age 51, that’s fantastic.
I believe that what I’m doing is hugely effective. I believe that the next time we check the size of this little tumor (because now you have to keep an eye on the guy the rest of your life), it will be entirely gone. I do have a uterine fibroid that we can’t track progress on because I won’t let them measure it (I hate those invasive vaginal ultrasounds), but next time we do a pelvic exam, it will be gone, too.
My health is so visibly improved that people stop me to ask my advice when they have similar health problems. I don’t pretend to be a doctor or nutritionist but tell them there is much that they can do.
I’ll be honest. It’s not cheap to do what I’m doing. I spend a small fortune on the supplements that have shown, in my body, to be exceptionally effective. I can tell they work because when I get into a budget crunch and don’t take them for a month, my symptoms come back.
I also spend a small fortune on personal training, body work, chiropractic and massage.
I just want you to know that you don’t have to be a victim to your brain tumor or other health issues. You don’t have to just “watch and wait” or have your surgeries and adopt a passive, unhealthy lifestyle.
By all means, do what the doctor says. BUT, don’t expect to get well while holding onto your unhealthy lifestyle.
Get rid of bad habits, including sugar. Sugar feeds tumors and cancers, that is not disputed. Reduce the meats that you eat and go organic wherever you can. Avoid hormones in all their forms, including in milks and cheeses. These are things that you can do that are HUGELY effective and will cost, in total, no more than what you currently spend. (Cutting out sodas and desserts and snacks will pay for the slight increase for organic products).
Scan this blog on xenoestrogens and start cutting them out of your lifestyle. Start with the things that you are most exposed to, like laundry, shampoos, soaps, and cosmetics. I wash my clothes and sheets in white vinegar, it’s fabulous and doesn’t leave a smell. I use paraben-free shampoos. It’s tougher with the cosmetics and that WILL cost you more, but if you use the bentonite clay masks and good lotions, you will only need cosmetics for special occasions. My skin looks great and the wrinkles are softened and gone.
When you have the money, I’d start with the very simple supplements. The B Vitamins, especially high doses of B12, are WONDERFUL. Might cost you a whoppin’ $10 per month. So worth it. I use a multi-vitamin called Life Force that contains the Bs in these high doses. It does so much for me I don’t ever want to be without. There are online places, see the links on this blog, where you can get it at a discount because it’s expensive at the health stores.
Get 8 hours of sleep per night. Buy a little eye-mask or ear plugs. Get a natural sleep aid like “From Fatigued to Fantastic” that contains valerian and hops.
Drink plenty of water. You can’t believe how that helps with constipation, fatigue, and even arthritis!
If you have the means, add the more expensive supplements that I’ve listed in my links sections. I’m a huge fan of MonaVie Active, that’s the one with vegetarian glucosamine in it. I couldn’t begin to list what it has done for me. When I’m in budget mode, I get the gel packs at a bulk rate from a friend. When I can afford it, I buy it one or two or three cases at a time. It totally gets the credit for my pain-free, speedy recovery from surgery. (It and God, of course!)
My dear friends, if you are not feeling well, chances are there is much more you can do and your doctor may not be so into nutrition. Do your homework, get a good nutritionist if you need one. If you have bad brain tumors, seek a phone consult with Dr. Jeanne Wallace, the brain tumor nutritionist on the links on this blog. She is VERY HIGHLY REGARDED by the medical community.
I’m so thrilled for what is happening to me and will love to hear how it all goes for you.
Teresa
Meningioma and Me
http://meningioma.wordpress.com
Filed under: My personal journal entries | Tagged: brain tumor, fibroid, health, life, meningioma, personal | 1 Comment »
