I have been on and off here for awhile and don't post much, but someone may remember my dilema about eating mostly raw. I became a vegan 6 years ago but was never able to make a transition to raw as i would get these really awful, debilitating"panic attacks" everytime! I just found out today I have Mitral Valve and I was probably born with it. This explains alot about problems I have had but does not explain howcome I get so "crippled" when eating better foods.
I just can't do it as I can barely get around when this happens. Life shuts down.
Has ANYONE had this condition and how did you fare with it? Is it cureable or are defects like this for life? I cried today as the doc of wanted to put me on beta blockers. I won't do it but am sick of this anxiety problem already.
Please help. I really respect you all as I so want to be part of this lifestyle. I envy you in a way as you are so blessed to be able to eat well and feel great. It is a gift no doubt.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2006 02:51AM by mimi.

How painful that must be! I feel for you.

I suggest you search for a very good doctor, who can refer you to somewhere where you can get your mitral valve prolapse condition undone. I don't think in the United States you will get a doctor who can legally operate on you for that purpose; however, I read from "Natural Cures (That They Don't Want You to Know About)" by Kevin Trudeau, that he was cured of his mitral valve prolapse, by going to another country for a simple operation. I hope this helps you, my friend. Please get well, so you can eat well and raw!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2006 03:47AM by tigon_ridge.

-I hear you.

Opinion:

There IS a level of raw food that you ARE comfortable with RIGHT NOW. Start at that level and stretch. That's all ANY of us do. The people that go way beyond their comfort-level (emotional level) are eventually lead back to deal with whatever emotional issues are unresolved.

-David Mason

Thank you both for your encouragement. I will do this but would feel better with someone to talk to who has passed this road already.
If anybody at all knows of someone who has this condition and is raw, please, please let them know about me I would love to just ask a couple of questions. I know I will feel better if I progress with the quality of my food but getting there will be SOME journey. Ive' tried too many times. I am stubborn and will try again.I just need a CHEERLEADER. I guess we all do. Okay, David, since I have seen your picture before I just visualized you with pom poms! Sorry! You have always been so positive to all on here. You are one amazing guy and a blessing to many.Keep being a cheerleader.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2006 03:16PM by mimi.

Yes I flipped through that Kevin Troudeau book, too (not particularly impressed, but at least it has mass appeal) --- but I do remember his mitral valve prolapse problem and how he was finally cured when Western doctors told him he couldn't be.... Mimi go to the bookstore & flip through that book, it's near the beginning that he tells his story, and it's quite interesting. I think you'll find it helpful.

Also I would suggest at this point incorporating whatever raw things you ARE able to tolerate into your diet, then work your way towards more. It's prob too much of a shock to your body to do too much at once.

Good luck!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2006 03:49PM by sunshine79.

Yagh, I went on Trudeaus website and I was very disappointed and let down. Mitral Vavleve prolapse isn't even listed on it's own with all the other diseases or conditions. If this is what he suffered from why isn't even on his site? His story isn't on there and there is no way of contacting him. I guess I have to pay 9.99 to join the site and find out I have to eat oragnic whole foods? I already do that and feel like I'm going to die! I'll go flip through the book. I guess what he's doing is great but I am feeling a little selfish right now. I need someone and am not finding anyone to help. This realy is sad for me. A murmur with prolapse, no wonder I can't breathe right and have anxiety that would choke a horse.
By the way, kevin did not have surgery done. Someone who read the book told me he went to another country and found a cure. Lucky him. If that were me, I'd gladly share that info for free anywhere and everywhere. Hopefully someday I can do that.
I'll go cry now. Sorry but I'm a little hopeless without guidance.It sucks to be alone.

I dont have mitral valve but I used to get a lot of strange heart palpitations... sometimes my heart would feel really jumpy for a couple seconds... other times it would suddenly slow down for a split second. then i started taking fish oil and my heart palpitations all but dissapeard (if im really stressed and sleep-deprived the heart palpitations can return). Sorry fish oil isn't vegan though.

Just an idea but maybe if you find some raw recipes, you could try to make your raw meals look more like cooked foods. You can find raw recipes for all sorts of things, from soups to pizza and hamburgers. After a while you can start transitioning to more simple meals, which I think is easier and healthier.

mimi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yagh, I went on Trudeaus website and I was very
> disappointed and let down. Mitral Vavleve prolapse
> isn't even listed on it's own with all the other
> diseases or conditions. If this is what he
> suffered from why isn't even on his site? His
> story isn't on there and there is no way of
> contacting him. I guess I have to pay 9.99 to join
> the site and find out I have to eat oragnic whole
> foods? I already do that and feel like I'm going
> to die! I'll go flip through the book. I guess
> what he's doing is great but I am feeling a little
> selfish right now. I need someone and am not
> finding anyone to help. This realy is sad for me.
> A murmur with prolapse, no wonder I can't breathe
> right and have anxiety that would choke a horse.
> By the way, kevin did not have surgery done.
> Someone who read the book told me he went to
> another country and found a cure. Lucky him. If
> that were me, I'd gladly share that info for free
> anywhere and everywhere. Hopefully someday I can
> do that.
> I'll go cry now. Sorry but I'm a little hopeless
> without guidance.It sucks to be alone.


Mimi, the info is in his book, it's his story for why he wrote the book - I wouldn't recommend the whole book as a good read, but for you I would recommend that particular story. Do you live near a bookstore? Just go there & flip through the book, it's only a few pages long, hardly worth buying the whole book for (the story is near the front of the book).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2006 02:29PM by sunshine79.

Hi Mimi,

I have mitral valve prolapse, and like you, I suffered through a few panic attacks as well. My doctor put me on beta blockers (this was YEARS ago) and I hated them. They made me feel just "off" - kind of tired and I felt like I had no energy. I have not had any surgeries, but found that I could control my mitral valve prolapse a bit. I quit taking the bets blockers and just simply watched my caffeine intake (that's when I was drinking coffee, but I don't anymore). I just have to be careful when I exercise and I just have to make sure my heart doesn't race too badly. I haven't had a panic attack in so long - at least 6 years. I still have quite a few heart palpitations, but when it happens, I just take a few deep breaths and keep myself calm.

I don't know if this has been helpful, but hang in there.

Oh Yogamama!
You don't know how glad I am to hear from you! So, how long have you been raw? Is there no hope of fixing the central nervous disorder that causes the dysautonomia? Is there no cure????? Have you looked into it?
I finally gave in and started taking the beta-blockers in hopes that they can get me through de-tox and then just wean off the meds. I could be wrong but it seems to be the only way as i get the symptoms BAD when de-toxing.
YES! You have been helpful in that ijust needed to find someone out there with the same problem that could relate especially one interested in eating well!
Thank you,
Mimi

Hi mimi,

From what I have been told and from what I have researched, there is no cure. Just surgery. I have been eating raw for a few months now. I have always eaten very healthy, so I did not experience a lot of the detox symptoms that most people experience, so I am glad about that.

Best of luck to you with this....hang in there! Let me know if you have any mroe questions.

Kim

Well then if there is no cure, I'd really like to check out Kevin's testimony as Sunshine suggested. I'm going to read what all he has to say. From what i understand he had "live cell therapy"? Don't know what that is or if it's even legit. All I know is that he claims to have been cured.
I'm getting my last 4 old silver fillings removed by a qualified dentist on the 10th. And then I'll try going full force again.
Kim,
Surgery sounds wonderful when you have gone through what I have especially if it means no more meds to make it through a day. But that will be last stitch.
I WANT TO FEEL GOOD!
Thank you all for your help,
I appreciate you so much!
MImi

If I could just give a little piece of advice about getting silver fillings removed...my two best friends are both dentists. They said that unless you are having problems with your silver fillings, just leave them in there. They do not release any mercury or anything else into your system UNTIL they are drilled upon. And the other fillings that are now being used as replacements do not last NEARLY as long and just aren't as good. So, if it were up to me, I would leave them alone, unless you have some other reason for removing them!

Let me know what you find out after reading that testimony!

Kim

Kim,
Even if I do chelation will it be okay to leave them in???? You see, I worked in a very small dental office for 8 years and even played with mercury as a child thanks to the ignorance of the dangers of mercury at the time. I truly believe this has alot to do with the severity of my dysautonomia.
The fillings are very old and I don't have a molar outside of these fillings that don't already have crowns. I'm sure they are leaking or something by now or there is decay under them. All my teeth share this story.
Thank you so much for sharing that though. I'm definitely going to ask about this.
There is a "Doctor Tom" in California who has written books on mercury poisoning. He is a dentist. I'm thinking of paying for a phone consult.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2006 11:57PM by mimi.

mercury does leak out of teeth
they abrade onto your teeth when you chew, grind etc.
it is inevitable
even if it is strong
years and years of chewing with them
little by little they leak

Do you have proof or facts about that, la_veronique? If so, I would love to hear about it.

I have been told by my chiropractor that if they've been in there a very long time, that the merc has already leached out and to leave them alone. Not trusting one person's opinion, I also had mscule testing by two independent sources who came up with the same answers: In my case the remaining four amalgams are only contributing maybe 10% to my health. So I'm leaving them in. They've been there fifty years.



Secondly, relative to dentists and their reports on mercury....you should be aware that dentists will be disbarred from the ADA if they speak about potential mercury damage. So you cannot really trust what comes out of their mouth about it. Their jobs are on the line if they start telling patients that merc is deleterious. And as I understand it, composites are VERY strong these days, and easily as good as the old amalgams - according to my dentist who laughs when I tell him about merc dangers. So don't worry about composites not being strong. They are. Very.

I have a slight MVP, and have had chelation done. Twelve sessions about ten years ago (I still have four amalgams) - which is where I found out my merc and lead levels were over the top. I have never tested positively for them since.

I will tell you....that first chelation session about laid me out. It was rough afterwards. but I'm much older than you are. It isn't that rough for most people. It was for me. All I could do was lie flat. I felt as if there were ants running through my veins for several hours. I couldn't move. It did pass. I'm sure my liver was working way overtime. Each succeeding session was easier.

I would also advise you, if you decide to do chelation - read Hal Huggins book on mercury, so that you get an accurate protocol for detox. Chlorella and fresh cilantro are involved but there's a specific order to them. You don't want to do them in the wrong order. Check it out.

And you know what, angel.....even if you don't end up with the perfect health on the planet - God knows, I don't have it - once one accepts what is, and stops fighting it if it cannot be changed - it makes things a lot easier. And, MVP or not, you can be of tremendous potency here on this earth, and make a huge contribution.

An example, several years ago, I had quite the attack of dizziness. Never had anything like it. I had been raw for four years. I could not move my head without everything spinning. I went to bed for two weeks, I was that dizzy. Just lifting my head and everything spun. Nothing touched it in terms of making it better. It was utterly debilitating.

Then, one day, I got really divinely pissed off. I got up and said, "F this!" If this is the way it is going to be for the rest of my life, then I'm NOT letting it stop me! I went into my music room, boinking into walls as I walked and I sat down at the piano and sang my little heart out for 40 minutes. There was just a FIRE moving through me. Then I got in my car. I said, "Heck! I WILL drive this way." I"m not going to be stopped.

And you know what, in my willingness to accept the condition as it was, and not be stopped....it began to move that awful pattern. Over the next few days, it began to lift. I haven't been bothered since! I'm going on the road and doing houseconcerts soon. I'm still raw - my 8th year!

Whatever hand you've been dealt, express life and love as best you can through it. Just doing that puts you in charge, instead of at the effect of the state your body is in.

My warmest love extends to you at this moment!

PG

Wow, PG your post made me wanna cry. Thank you for that, I needed it.

#1-I'm going to look for the book by Hal Huggins. What's it called? I'll search.
#2-If old fillings have had all the mercury leached out, why is it recommended to leave them be?

Please forgive me - I can't remember the name of Dr. Huggins book....but if you do a search on Amazon, I'll bet you'll find it. Also do a search on (not amazon) mercury detox.

More than anything, as I understand it, if the mercury is already leached out into the body, it's simply less expensive, less invasive to let them be, that's all. If you can afford to have them all replaced and have a particular love for dental work (smile) - there's likely no reason not to go ahead and get them removed. Just be sure you find a dentist who is skilled in mercury amalgam removal. Not all are. Question the dentist. Make sure you don't find one that thinks it's all a bunch of hooey but will do it anyway. In Huggins book there is a very specific protocol that the DDS must follow in removing amalgams. Take that list to any dentist you want to use and make SUre they are willing to do all the steps.

You're very beautiful, by the way.

My very best with all this.

With love,

PG

If you are not that old - which I don't think you are - then it is not a good idea to chelate without getting the amalgams removed, because it WILL pull merc into your body.

I'm 39.
Oh and I did the search and ol Hal is a busy boy. He has a plethora of books. He has three on dental amalgams. Which oh which would be best. Anyone know or should I buy them all????? hee hee.

to start with. I cannot speak for the others. I like your sense of humor!

PG

This is just a wild guess. Your panic attacks may just be related to the hard mental switch from vegan to raw vegan and may not be from the diet itself. Or perhaps you are getting panic attacks from the prolapse itself because of oxygen insufficiency. Keep your body in shape by exercising- carefully. And if you miss a day, do deep breathing exercise to increase your tidal volume capacity in your lungs so air gets to the lower lobes. This also helps reduce respiratory infections.

Thank you, Holly.
No, it's not mental as i wasn't expecting anything the first few times i tried it and made a connection later on. It's been a pattern now. There is something in me that when de-toxing, aggravates the FIRE out of the MVP. I gonna find out why and try all I can.
I'm gonna look more into breathing techniques as well. I know I desperately need to know this with my condition.
Thanks!

I actually wasn't aware of how much the MVP affects the panic state. It explains a great deal to me. Thank you and bless you for being so open.

You know what is amazing...in the midst of any emotional state, or physical state for that matter, there I AM - the truth of my Being - always present in the midst of, behind that state. It is good to know that it is this that I AM - and not the state - even panic.

Thinking of you beautiful woman,

PG

PG, so it's not the MVP that causes all these symptoms for thousnads of people. It's the dysautonomia that's associtaed with it that does!
I went for an echo yesterday and was shocked to hear I have no murmur or prolapse. I could scream of joy! BUT I still need a second opinion. It's most like ly I have only dysautomia which is a central nervous system disorder. I truly believe it's due to fungal overgrowth and mercury poisoning so I'm going to tackle those two issues while at last hoping I can go high raw without suffering disability for once. It's nice knowing your heart is in tact. It helps me mentally although MVP is not deadly persay.

Thanks for all your words of encouragement!
Mimi