Hey folks,
A good friend of mine has been in the hospital since last May with a host of mystifying ailments, starting with a gall bladder problem, but cascading into one horrific medical emergency after another-- pneumonia, heart failure, damaged liver, necrosis in her pancreas, and through it all, infection in her intestines so bad that they had to put two temporary colostomy bags on her-- and she still hasn't even had her gall bladder removed. Well, you and I know disease is all about toxicity, and not to put too much stock in 'names' and 'diagnoses,' so I'm only mentioning all these gory details to show how far she has deteriorated since she went into the hospital. She was in a coma twice and had to have a pacemaker put in, because her heart kept failing.

She's in critical condition at the moment, and a new medical emergency has arisen.

My question is this: My strong sense is that she will get worse and worse unless and until she is taken off the IV sugar water solution and American Standard Diet food menu that she is fed (IV when she can't eat/standard food when she can). Her boyfriend, with whom I correspond via e-mail, has been interested in the raw food diet in the past. (I would be talking to him; she is too sick really to converse with very much.) She has also shown an interest in raw food. All I want to convey to him somehow at this point, without offending, is that it might really be better to take her home and put her on a really nutritious juice fast to heal her massively infected intestines. I just don't even know how to bring up this subject. I was thinking if I had a really good book or even just an article on dealing with catastrophic illness through raw food or juice fasting, I could send that to him.

I suspect my friend began to fail health-wise when at one point, after being macrobiotic for many years, her doctor informed her she was protein-deficient and must eat 'a palm-sized piece of meat 2X a day without fail for the rest of her life.' At this point she started eating carbs and meat, badly combined IMHO, and I'm guessing after years of being macro-veg, her stomach didn't have strong enough stomach acid to digest the meat, and then the bad combinations (lots of starch + meat) did a lot of damage.

So I am seeking your advice. How would you try to help? I am especially disturbed by the fact that she's getting glucose IV for months on end-- ugh! I feel that hospitals are so detrimental to one's health. She apparently has contracted a virulent staph infection while in the hospital (this is very common), so that people who visit aren't allowed to get near her or touch her.

Thanks for your help.

Sharrhan:


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[Quandary, I meant to write. <(*/*)>]

Sharrhan:


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What a dreadful position to be in. Will the doctors wash their hands of her if she goes home - is it an either or situation.

The problem as I see it is that if she goes home she may have some kind of life threatening episode before the juices etc have had any time to heal her. It's a whopping big responsibility for you or her boyfriend or who ever makes that decision. Has she other family that might kick up?

On a more positive note could she not have lovely raw fresh foods in hospital when she can eat - certainly in England patients can have what ever food they like brought in from home. I guess those poor organs are going to need really gentle food - juices, not too much fibre.

Your last paragraph is disturbing as I was going to suggest reiki - do you practise reiki Kwan? - you seem like someone who might. Even distant healing can be very powerful and effective - do you know someone who could help like that?

I don't know of any book about extreme conditions but Dr. Joel Furhmans books are brilliant ( the two I have are 'Eat to Live' and one about fasting -) and might be very useful to give to other people to read. As he is a medical doctor this is reassuring to people who have no experience of raw - and he also has a medical knowledge of the body along with his holistic views - I think this is the best of both worlds.

Wishing you well



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2010 06:34PM by flipperjan.

Thanks, fliiperjam. Your insights are appreciated. I know her boyfriend well enough that I get regular updates from him on her situation, but I don't know him well enough to really sit down with him and have a heart-to-heart about what I think might be best for her at this stage of the game. And it's totally up to him and her 2 sisters and daughters. I'm just sort of grasping at ways that I might be able to help.

She has a reiki healer who visits her and does healing sessions a couple of times a week. He's been helping her for awhile now, but she just doesn't seem to be responding, even though she believes in reiki and has a very spiritual orientation.

It's just a really sad situation.

Sharrhan:


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A good current book is "The pH Miracle" by Dr. Robert Young. It addresses alkalinity and endorses raw veggies (not sweet fruits, unfortunately). It isn't entirely raw but it address the major problem of acidity in the blood.

I feel that you will lose your friend, too. Hope the doctors will release her to heal on her own. Dr. Furhman's book, "Eat to Live" is very good. Arnold Ehret's "The Mucusless Diet Healing System" is great, too.

I wish your friend well. Therese

If a friend of mine were sick, I would let them know I love them, and then ask if there is anything I can do for them.

If your friend open to trying raw foods?

kwan,

I am very, very sorry your friend is going through this and that you are suffering for her. I agree with Bryan. Your friend and her boyfriend know about your lifestyle and your views and they will ask your advice if you show you are willing to help in any way you can. It's a bad business; her body seems to be in acute revolt and with a staph infection, the hospital is the least wholesome place for her. It is difficult to stand by and await instructions, but it may be all you can do just now. I wish you peace, dear, and your friend a full recovery.

Hello there, so very sorry to hear about your friend. I don't know where your friend is located, but find the BEST infectious disease specialist you can. She is beyond the band aid fix of a juice fast. She may have gotten bitten by any number of bugs or picked up a parasite in meat she ate. Make CERTAIN her docs are testing for antibodies of all kinds. The tests are called IgA, IgE, IgM, etc. Test for yeasts, fungus & metal toxicity as well. Your heart is in the right place with wanting to nourish her. Please let me know what region she is in and I will do my best to help with resources. How do I know these things? I am living the same situation AS WE SPEAK...I have had to go looking for every answer I have as the "best" Doctors in town have no idea what to do they aren't trained in this area.

Thanks guys!

loislane-- She is living in the Boston area. I think you are on the right track. Thanks so much.

Sharrhan:


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Send them this book: The Detox Miracle Sourcebook by Robert Morse ND

This is the book that got me into raw foods and it is one of the best books about fixing health problems. Or if you can convince your friend to go to Dr. Morse`s clinic. He is experienced in dealing with severe cases. This is his website www.robertmorsend.com

I really feel for this kind of situation.

It is my hope that the "hospitals" of the future will have juicing machines right next to each bed,and a direct connection to an organic supplier of organic fruits and veggies, and get life giving nutrients into the patients systems.

Vinny

that would be nice Vinny

Hugs to Sharrhan , I know how you feel the frustration , I feel it too , unfortunately !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

workout man--
Do you know where Dr. Morse's clinic is? I couldn't find an address on the website. Thanks!

Vinny-- I'm with you!-- just imagine how much healthier people in the hospital would be. I've seen the hospital food my friend gets (when she is up to eating-- right now she's getting medical marijuana in order to keep the food down!)-- it's the usual bland, ill-combined faire, + milk or coffee, topped off with a dessert of pie or pudding or whatever. It just makes my heart sink when I visit her in the hospital and I look at the food trays, and I know it's that much harder for people to get well when they eat that junk.

Jodi-- I really feel for her boyfriend, who got pneumonia from her (that's another of her maladies). He isn't that well to begin with, and the stress is must be unbearable.

Sharrhan:


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loislane-- I forgot to add that a couple years before she went into the hospital, she had a bout of herpes shingles which left a scar on her head and partially blinded her in one eye. Her doctor told her the virus will always be with her, and she seemed to feel it had left her defenses considerably compromised.

Sharrhan:


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I'm sorry kwan about this difficult situation, and I wish I had some good advice to give.

I like Workoutman's suggestion about giving a book.

kwan Wrote:.
> I was thinking
> if I had a really good book or even just an
> article on dealing with catastrophic illness
> through raw food or juice fasting, I could send
> that to him.

The best thing I can think of is the Simply Raw video, it's about diabetes but it shows people getting better and getting off of a dozen meds and having everything go back to normal, blood pressure, cholesterol etc. It shows one woman who had a lump in her breast which went away - all in a month. The only drawback is that it might build false expectation because most people don't go from SAD to a fully fledged raw food diet and maintain it for a month like these people were forced to do, because they were at a health retreat and there was nothing to eat but raw food - they couldn't cheat. You'd have to watch it to see if it was applicable to your situation but it's an excelent intro to raw food because most people don't want to read health books, but they might watch a video.
[www.youtube.com]
[www.amazon.com]

The best books that comes to mind are the Eddie Mae books about cancer. Her book is a touching story about how she was very sick and in pain and trying avoid surgery for breast cancer and after two weeks with Ann Wigmore and doing enemas and wheatgrass juice her pain dropped dramatically and then it follows her through her recovery at home.

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Can you bring good food into the hospital?

Kwan- His clinic is located Port Charlotte, Florida