Rather Be Healthy

Yesterday was good and bad, it’s strange how my days are almost identical or at least 95% of the day is exactly the same as the previous and following days. As in my routine is the same every day. Not a good thing if you want to look at things with a short term view. But for me I look upon this stage of my existence as simply a stop over on route to something better. As I’ve said before that’s not me thinking my life on earth is limited, on the contrary I’m at the end of the bad times and almost at the beginning of the next adventure which I believe will be the best years of my life, of which there will be many.

A line I’ve used before is:

“I know I didn’t go where I intended, but I also know I ended up where I was meant to be”.

This is because I honestly believe that there was a reason, a purpose behind me getting this disease, yes it is perceived by doctors to be incurable and yes and it’s made my life very tiring, very painful (24/7) and very frustrating over the last 16 years (4 years before official diagnosis). But I know I will find a way to beat this, and I know this will enable me to help lots of others suffering with this hideous disease.

The title of this post is Doubts, my physio came today (Tuesday), Claire is a wonderful young lady and I really appreciate the work she’s done with me so far and the effort she always makes. Today we talked about my plans over the next month or two regarding nutrition and how I plan to address the main issue I’ve talked about in previous posts.

For a few moments I had doubts about my plan  because of what she said, but at the end of the day, my understanding is based on knowledge that is 180 degrees from that of western medication. knowledge from research done by some truly amazing people. So yes I was momentarily stopped but what I know is what I know, not simply an opinion but genuine knowledge based on fact.

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I’m writing this post because I truly amaze myself. Today was a day I honestly felt really good  in the morning, I’d had all the water I’d normally drink plus my supplements so the day appeared to be going well. I had some yummy spicy bean burgers at lunch, something I’ve had several times before and really enjoyed. But today (Monday) was different for some unbeknownst reason, while eating I noticed a change in my body that wasn’t good. I started to feel weak which became a lot worse as the day wore on. About 6.00 pm I fell, and this is why I amaze myself, I was making my way back from the loo and I could hardly move my left leg. I was trying to shuffle past the chair , I’d anticipated the movement, as in the upper part of my body started to move but that damn stupid left leg decided it wanted to remain glued to the floor. A fall ensued but my cat like reflexes swung into action. So instead of face planting into the arm of the couch I managed to twist and allow a padded area to cushion my fall. Ok I landed heavily on my butt, yes it hurt but nowhere near as much as it could have done.

So I’m not really hurt, just a bit, and yes I’m frustrated by the reaction to one of my favourites. But I just think it was food, not specifically the bean burgers so I’ll not avoid them in the future but I will think about the possible combinations that may have affected me.

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Just imagine this, out of the blue with no warning whatsoever you find yourself on an escalator. Strange I know but bear with me, you look forward but can’t see an end to this ever moving stairway. Ok not nice but it gets worse because it’s going down and you’re trying to walk up, why you ask, well when you look behind you the escalator disappears into a horrible gelatinous muddy pile of ….stuff.

So you start walking up, it’s frustrating but at least you’re keeping above the muddy mess behind. After an hour or two you start to feel quite tired and find you’re breathing heavy but hey, whatever you’ll just keep going.

You notice a sign up ahead so you try a little harder to reach it, you take two steps at a time. The sign is so close but each step forward is only just equal to the movement back by the escalator. Then with a massive effort you push on until you can almost touch the sign. Then a rucksack appears in front of you with a message telling you that you must put it on. You do, but realise it weighs about 50 kilos and wearing it really limits your ability to walk. Ok so now this is really pissing you off but you know that going into the mud behind is not an option so as frustrating and exhausting as this is you are not giving up.

So what if the hours become days then the days become weeks and more, you’ve been given a heavier weight to carry and there are tight bands around your legs restricting the blood flow. The feeling in your legs becomes non existent and no matter how hard you look you can’t see the end of the escalator.

What do you do? Resign yourself to slipping back and into the black gelatinous mud or climbing over the side of the escalator and falling to your death.

Or are you as strong as me, and no matter how many extra kilos are piled onto my back or how fast the freaking escalator goes, it isn’t going to beat me, I’ll enter my Forest Gump mode and keep running, not literally of course, well not just yet. By the way, I’ve been on this escalator for 12 years.

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The Best..

Over the years I think I’ve been very fortunate in so many ways, if I ignore what I consider to be my Pre-life, as in the many years prior to moving to Colorado in the USA. Yes there is no doubt that I had a life there, the experience and beauty that includes my two kids and the skydiving years. But that aside I consider that as pre-life and real life to be an 11 year period in that beautiful state, specifically the latter part as when my life actually started.

I started work as the Client service director at Huggins Applied Healing in 2007 and knew it would be a challenge but never realised how fulfilling and rewarding it would be. There were days filled with talking to patients and complainers, both of which drained me mentally and emotionally. But now and then I’d the across the the desperately in need and willing to have an open mind people, the ones so frustrated by the negative and no hope doctors they’d previously dealt with. By the way, I don’t think that way about all doctors but I have come across many doctors and dentists whos main job was as a spreader of despondency.  

Anyway, I’m digressing, the time since returning to England I’ve made a point of trying to find a way to cure the disease I contracted in “04”, MS,  now it’s not solely for myself although that definitely is a major part. I would also hope to be able to share my methods and attitude with other sufferers.

The title of this post is “The Best” and in that I’m referring to my assistant!! In everything I do whether it’s hearing something or reading about a product, supplement or method that may or may not help relieve one of the many symptoms of MS. I think about it, spend some time in thought or research. I’m alone 22 or 23 hours each and every day, so I often spend that time as usefully as possible, it can be frustrating and even boring but at the end of the day I’m working for myself and it’s me that will benefit so it’s ok to be a little selfish. So after hours of pondering about a supplement or practise I then make a decision to try or use the thing I’ve been thinking about.

Now this is where working with The Best comes into play. If I try a different method in whatever guise it comes, I’ll get a response from my assistant, it won’t have a bias, it won’t have an opinion based on hearsay. It’ll be an opinion based on fact, the product or method either worked or didn’t, it was good or bad, it’s a fact. My assistant doesn’t lie to me he just tells it like it is, my assistant is my body. I can think about who said what, I can contemplate the credibility of the specific research but nothing and no one is better for me than my body.

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My life is good in so many ways, I know it probably seems like crap to other people but the fact I’m able to live alone and have enough finances to live a comfortable life is fantastic. No I can’t physically do what others can but that’s a restriction I’ve adjusted to. I imagine it appears very limiting and frustrating but as I’ve said before, I honestly believe that the condition and place I currently live is only temporary. How long is temporary? I don’t know but I’ve trained my mind to see this as a stop over, a stepping stone to an incredible life that’s waiting for me.  Please don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not thinking I’m about to kick the bucket, naturally or self inflicted. No I genuinely believe one day soon my whole life will change, it will miraculously transform. I guess most of you will be thinking, “poor Stefan, he’s totally lost the plot”. But I can assure you, I’m not delusional, I haven’t gone loopy, I’m of sound mind and the change is going to come.

The struggles I experience every day, the pain, the weakness and frustration is constant for now, my life is an oxymoron, it’s constantly changing.

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Heat.

With what I feel are genuine subtle improvements in my everyday life, there is a sense of optimism within me. An improvement to me would probably seem like nothing to anyone else, an improvement that is as simple as being able to move my left leg while trying to get to the loo. I know it sounds rather basic but for me it means so much, actually being aware of my leg and not just presuming it’s there and hoping it will move.

Anyway to the subject line, Heat…..the pre MS me absolutely loved the heat, I loved being out for a run or riding on my mountain bike and really pushing myself and feeling the sun in my face, I really loved it. The post MS me really struggles in the heat, even days like yesterday and today, yes it’s warmer than normal but not a day like when I lived in Colorado or Florida, now they could be hot.

I was talking with my lovely sister Suzie earlier today and I said it would be good if everyone that knew me could experience a day with what I feel everyday. Actually that would be cruel, so no I wouldn’t want that, but living an hour would be good. I don’t want to condemn anyone to have this hideous disease but knowing, truly knowing would change your life.

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When you look at the Rio medal table after last night you’ll see some quite amazing figures, there is the USA with 38 gold in 1st place and China with 22 gold in 3rd, then sandwiched in between us Great Britain with 24 gold. The USA has roughly 330 million people, that’s 5 times more than us, and China with more than 1.5 billion !!!! that’s about 20 times the population of us. How incredible is that, even the independent and unbiased observers would be impressed. I can clearly recall in the 70’s that GB was very mediocre and that Germany and France would often lead the European nations and Australia and Canada might also be ahead of us. The London Olympics were great and probably saw the start of this amazing change, not just in the physicality of the GB athletes but also the mental fortitude, the internal belief and confidence that success was a genuine possibility.

Yesterday although I’m not a great lover of the equestrian part of the games I watched Nick Skelton win gold, he’s 58 now which seemed strange to me as I remember when he was the young member of the team, when Harvey Smith was “The Man”.

But it was last night that moved me almost more than any of the Gold’s because although there wave been some brilliant wins in the games, the wins came from athletes, rowers and cyclists that we all expected to do well and had a realistic chance of gold. But last night I watched the women’s hockey, not a sport that’s particularly interested me. But after beating the New Zealand “black sticks” in the semi-finals they played arguably the best team in the world, the Netherlands. GB scored first,  then the Dutch got a goal, they were playing so much better, it seemed that every time the got the ball they mounted an attack which seemed constant so inevitably they scored again. Against the run of play GB also scored making it 2-2,  but the relief didn’t last long as the relentless attack saw the Netherlands get a third. At this point I thought it was still good that GB had reached the final and would get the silver which was still very good. But the “never give up”attitude of our girls paid off as we got a third, at this point I was praying for the final whistle and the slim chance of winning on penalties. When it ended on 3-3 it felt like we’d won just knowing that being level with the best in the world was a tremendous achievement. Then it was time for penalties, hockey penalties are very different to any other game, nothing like football or rugby. Anyway at the end of the 5 penalties, our girls had won, it truly was so moving, I was completely overwhelmed and was pumping my arms and cheering with tears in my eyes.

I was so proud to be part of team GB even if it was just as a spectator.

After many years and numerous studies I’ve been a pain in the butt to some as I’ve constantly pointed out that aspartame and the many other guises/names it secret’s itself away under is not just unhealthy but downright dangerous.

Now here is a study done by reputable researchers proving the dangers. But what really bothers me is how the multinationals spend millions and millions advertising a product that they damn well know seriously damages the health of all, not some but all who drink it.

As little as one diet soda daily may increase the risk for leukemia in men and women, and for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in men, according to new results from the longest-ever running study on aspartame as a carcinogen in humans. Importantly, this is the most comprehensive, long-term study ever completed on this topic, so it holds more weight than other past studies which appeared to show no risk. And disturbingly, it may also open the door for further similar findings on other cancers in future studies.

The most thorough study yet on aspartame – Over two million person-years

For this study, researchers prospectively analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study for a 22-year period. A total of 77,218 women and 47,810 men were included in the analysis, for a total of 2,278,396 person-years of data. Apart from sheer size, what makes this study superior to other past studies is the thoroughness with which aspartame intake was assessed. Every two years, participants were given a detailed dietary questionnaire, and their diets were reassessed every four years. Previous studies which found no link to cancer only ever assessed participants’ aspartame intake at one point in time, which could be a major weakness affecting their accuracy.

One diet soda a day increases leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphomas

The combined results of this new study showed that just one 12-fl oz. can (355 ml) of diet soda daily leads to:

– 42 percent higher leukemia risk in men and women (pooled analysis)

– 102 percent higher multiple myeloma risk (in men only)

– 31 percent higher non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk (in men only)

These results were based on multi-variable relative risk models, all in comparison to participants who drank no diet soda. It is unknown why only men drinking higher amounts of diet soda showed increased risk for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Note that diet soda is the largest dietary source of aspartame (by far) in the U.S. Every year, Americans consume about 5,250 tons of aspartame in total, of which about 86 percent (4,500 tons) is found in diet sodas.

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Shock absorbers.

In my humble opinion when it comes to teeth and specifically the extraction of them then the majority of people have no idea about what happens. Now that is not a criticism it’s just an observation. I mean why oh why would anyone want to know let alone need to know.

But there are some very, no, extremely important things that should be understood and addressed by the dentist.

What they should know is that an adult tooth, not the first “baby teeth” is held in place my something called the periodontal ligament. This is comprised of hundreds of little strands surrounding and supporting the tooth. There are six different types, 3 types grow from the tooth and the other 3 types grow  from the gum/jaw. As I said there are hundreds of each intertwining to form a shock absorber between the tooth and jaw.

Going back to the important point I mentioned earlier, not every time but often the tooth is extracted the group of ligaments growing from the jaw are not removed with the tooth. The problem with this is that the socket in the gum is part of the incredible human body. It has knowledge, an understanding. The brain is aware some ligament is still there fooling the body into thinking the tooth is still there. So the bone that was surrounding the tooth still has living ligaments but at the top where no ligament was present, new bone and gum will grow. This now creates and airless void in the bone, this is called a Cavitation. This airless void is a breeding ground for bacteria and it has been proven that this bacteria could be more toxic than  tetanus or botulism.

Frightening, now this doesn’t always happen but it is a possibility. My mentor and friend the late Dr Hal Huggins along with his predecessors Dr Melvin Page and Dr Weston A Price documented this more than 75 years ago. This information has shown and categorically proven to be a foundation for so many diseases and yet ignored by the medical professionals we put our faith in.

If you talk to your dentist about it and he looks confused or just tells you that you’re wrong the he’s either one of two things…..A Liar or An Idiot, either way I’d look for another dentist..

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By Dr. Mercola

As you’re probably aware of by now, there’s a war being waged against raw milk. It’s nothing less than an unconstitutional assault on one of your most basic rights, i.e. your right to choose what you want to eat and drink, and one of the excuses used to defend the violent persecution of those who dare sell this healthful food is that unpasteurized (raw) milk endangers human health.

But is raw milk really a major source of foodborne illness?

NOT according to the US government’s own data!

Food safety chief and former Monsanto lawyer Michael Taylor has defended the FDA’s gun-toting tactics against raw milk producers, calling the campaign “a public health duty.” Furthermore, the new Food Safety Modernization Act, which was enacted earlier this year, grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extraordinary new powers to detain any food the agency suspects to be unsafe, whether there are good grounds for suspicion or not. Taylor himself has stated that the new agency focus will be on preventing food poisoning outbreaks rather than responding to them after the fact.

Government Data Proves Safety of Raw Milk

Research by Dr. Ted Beals, MD, featured in the summer 2011 issue of Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, shows that you are about 35,000 times more likely to get sick from other foods than you are from raw milk!  Statistically, you’re also more likely to get injured driving to the farm to pick up your raw milk than becoming ill from drinking it.

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Dr. Beals’ research shows that between 1999 and 2010, there was an average of 42 cases of illness per year attributed to raw milk, and that includes both “confirmed” and “presumed” cases.

The Weston A. Price Foundation writes:

“At last we have access to the numbers we need to determine the risk of consuming raw milk on a per-person basis”… The key figure that permits a calculation of raw milk illnesses on a per-person basis comes from a 2007 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) FoodNet survey, which found that 3.04 percent of the population consumes raw milk, or about 9.4 million people, based on the 2010 census. This number may in fact be larger in 2011 as raw milk is growing in popularity.  For example, sales of raw milk increased 25 percent in California in 2010, while sales of pasteurized milk declined 3 percent.”

In his report, Dr. Beals writes:

“From the perspective of a national public health professional looking at an estimated total of 48 million foodborne illnesses each year [from all foods]… there is no rational justification to focus national attention on raw milk, which may be associated with an average of 42 illnesses maximum among the more than nine million people (about 0.0005 percent) who have chosen to drink milk in its fresh unprocessed form.

… Consumption of any food has some risk of illness or adverse reaction. And the consequence of basing public policy on horrific personal experiences is that all foods will ultimately be banned, and we will not be able to participate in any activity.”

If this isn’t food for thought, I don’t know what is. These statistics are the smoking gun proving that the war on raw milk cannot be based on food safety or protecting your health from an even remotely real threat…

The Differences Between Raw Milk and Pasteurized Milk

The FDA would have you believe pasteurization of milk protects you from deadly pathogens contained in raw milk. The fact is however, that if cows are raised as nature intended (free-range and grass-fed), there is no need to process the milk these healthy animals produce.

However, cows raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are NOT raised in a manner that makes their milk suitable for drinking raw.

CAFO cows are typically raised on high-protein, soy-based feeds instead of fresh green grass, and instead of free range grazing, they stand in cramped, manure-covered feed lots all day. These conditions are perfect for the proliferation of disease, and yes, this milk MUST be pasteurized in order for it to be safe to drink. These cows also need antibiotics to keep them well, and some are also given genetically modified growth hormones (rBGH) to increase milk production. Needless to say, these hormones and antibiotics also wind up in the milk.

Aside from the manner in which the cows are raised, which significantly alters the milk they produce to begin with, pasteurization has its own problems as it:

• Transforms the physical structure of the milk proteins and alters the shape of the amino acid configuration into a collection of proteins that is now non-functional and in a shape that can be highly allergenic.
• Destroys the friendly bacteria found naturally in milk and drastically reduces the micronutrient and vitamin content.
• Encourages the growth of harmful bacteria, and turns milk’s naturally occurring sugar (lactose) into beta-lactose. Beta-lactose is rapidly absorbed in the human body, with the result that hunger can return quickly after a glass of milk – especially in children.
• Makes insoluble most of the calcium found in raw milk, which can lead to a host of health problems in children, among them rickets and bad teeth.
• Destroys about 20 percent of the iodine available in raw milk, which can cause constipation.
• When pasteurized milk is also homogenized, a substance known as xanthine oxidase is created. This compound can play a role in oxidative stress by acting as a free radical in your body.

Raw milk from clean, healthy, grass-fed cows bears NO comparison to pasteurized CAFO milk. It’s full of nutrients that your body thrives on, including:

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Buying Raw Milk Straight from the Farm

It’s not uncommon for people who drink raw milk to report improvement or disappearance of troubling health issues – everything from allergies to digestive troubles to skin problems like eczema. However, it’s important to understand that the milk you drink will only be as healthy as the cow that produced it. So make sure to source your raw milk from a clean, well-run farm that gives its cows access to pasture.

To locate a local farm or raw milk source near you, visit RealMilk.com. If you’re thinking about purchasing milk from a small farmer, it would be wise to visit the farm in person. Look around and ask questions, such as:

1. Does the farmer and his family drink the milk themselves?
2. How long has he been producing raw milk?
3. Are the cows clean?
4. What conditions are the cows raised in?
5. Are there any obvious sanitation questions?

If a cow is covered in filth and manure and stinks, and is wet and cold and doesn’t look particularly comfortable, that could be a warning sign that her milk is less than ideal for raw consumption. Also keep in mind that fresh grasses for foraging will not be available year-round in many areas of the US, so it’s also important to take a look at what the cows are being fed during winter months. According to Mark McAfee (founder of Organic Pastures, one of the largest producers of raw milk in the United States and one of the leaders in this industry), acceptable winter feed includes:

• Dried (organic) alfalfa
• Timothy grass, and
• Other cut pasture or forage that has been dried

Raw Milk Safety Standards Often EXCEED Those of Pasteurized Milk

The dairy cows used to produce most of the pasteurized dairy sold in the United States are raised in deplorable conditions, which is why the milk has to be pasteurized in order to make it safe for human consumption. But high-quality raw dairy farmers march to an entirely different drummer. California, specifically, (where raw milk is legal) has its own special set of standards for raw milk for human consumption, in which farmers must meet or exceed pasteurized milk standards, without pasteurizing.

The conventional dairy industry, realizing that increasing numbers of consumers are recognizing the safety and health benefits of raw milk, are now redoubling their efforts to make sure that raw milk sales cannot expand. If raw dairy really caught on, you might think that the dairy industry would simply follow suit and begin producing raw products to meet the demand. But this would be virtually impossible with the way their overcrowded farms are run. Their business depends on pasteurization, and that is why their powerful lobbyists will stop at nothing to persuade government agencies to keep raw milk bans in full force.

And this is why you keep seeing armed raids taking place on farms and organic co-ops.

One such case is that of Amish Farmer Dan Allgyer, who was caught in an FDA sting operation earlier this summer, after the FDA planted a spy in local buying club he supplies with raw milk. His farm was raided at gun point, and the Department of Justice, at the behest of the FDA, filed suit in Federal District Court to obtain an injunction prohibiting him from transporting and selling raw milk across state lines.

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