I live in an old apartment complex which was built with materials that contain asbestos, a chemical known to cause mesothelioma cancer. How do I know this? Because the warning was part of my lease agreement, and I signed it. Exposure to asbestos may lead to the development of cancer cells which grow in the mesothelium, or the lining of the body's internal organs (www.survivingmesothelioma.com). Even though I am aware of the risks that I'm taking, I try not to think about the possibility of being diagnosed with mesothelioma. As a new immigrant to the United States, I started from scratch and needed a cheap place to live in order to afford the high tuition cost of my American education. And I feel blessed to do all this today because if I had believed the negative information that many health professionals gave me, I would have never been able to travel and enjoy an active life...
Six years ago I was diagnosed with Meniere's disease, an inner ear disorder which severely affects a person's hearing and balance. It all unfolded at the same time when my grandfather was battling with his disease- pancreatic cancer. His doctors had told us he only had five months to live. And my doctors told me that although my attacks were incapacitating, the disease itself was not fatal. The bad news was it had no cure.
For a while, it was convenient for me to be a victim. How could this happen to me at such a young age? I was only eighteen. I couldn't go to school and spend time with friends because I was experiencing frequent attacks of dizziness, ringing in my left ear and fluctuating hearing loss. I had to stay in bed and avoid eating because the vertigo made me very nauseous. When the attack was gone, I could go back to my normal life but every time I laughed, my chest hurt from vomiting for hours the day before.
The first six months I did everything I would do if I were diagnosed with mesothelioma. I met with a myriad of clinicians who gave me different prescription drugs for all the symptoms. I had brain scans, x-rays, many balance and blood tests and none of these could determine the cause. I was desperate, and so were my parents.
My grandfather, on the other hand, never gave up hope. He loved life. When we found out he had cancer, our family was crushed. But not him. He was always inspired to keep on fighting no matter what life was throwing at him. He taught me some valuable lessons. The most important one was that having the right attitude towards everything you do is probably the most valuable asset you can have. I realized that it's all about how you look at the situation. Do you see the glass half-empty or half-full?
That is when I tried to think of my disease as a challenge and not as punishment. I realized that by overcoming the odds, I gained inner strength, and my spirit helped my body feel stronger, too. Along with my best friend, I started searching the Internet and reading about the disease. I tried different things that people with the same problem in other countries were using. The more I understood my symptoms, the more successful I was in coping with them. For example, camphor helped my dizziness and lemon juice relieved nausea. I used exercise and meditation to bring my positive attitude back. My Mom made me an aromatherapeutic pillow with marjoram, wild thyme and lavender which helped at times of sleeplessness and when feeling nervous.
We did the same thing for my grandfather. We started using alternative medicine to boost his immune system. Just like Rhio O'Connor, he learned what treatments were offered and what their side effects were. That is why he never underwent chemo. The surgery he had at the beginning was unsuccessful because there were metastasis in other parts of his body. So we tried to help his body heal on its own. Instead of further weakening it with toxic treatments, my grandfather strengthened his immune system with highly nutritious foods, and treatments that came from nature. Treatments that were very different from those that people invented not to cure others but to profit from their pain.
It turned out that conventional medicine had given him a poor prognosis and very little chance to fight it. Alternative medicine, on the other hand, proved much more effective. He used herbalism to harmonize his body and attack the tumor. For example, the herb "Cat's claw" made him feel stronger and helped his apetite. Cat's claw is a type of woody vine which grows wild in the Amazon rainforest. Its use dates back to the Inca civilization and it is believed to have a stimulating effect on the immune system.
The most important herb that he used is called "Euphorbia Pallasii" and it is used to prevent the growth of cancer cells. After my grandfather had been drinking the extract from this herb for several months, his x-rays showed that something had stopped his tumor from spreading. It was not clear whether this was just the herb's effect or a combination of all the herbs and his diet regimen. What matters is that at the time, he wasn't taking any pills.
Many similar stories have been reported in different countries. For example, a mesothelioma patient took a medicinal mushroom, called Agaricus blazei Murill Kyowa (ABM), and his tumor disappeared to the amazement of his doctors (http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/news/view.asp?ID=0083).
In my case, what helped me was Eleutherococcus senticosus, known in the US as Siberian ginseng, and Gingko Biloba. Eleutherococcus is used by some cancer patients for its immunogenic qualities and Gingko is believed to improve blood circulation which was very important for my inner ear disorder.
I wanted to write about these herbs because they helped both me and my grandfather. He was given five months to live. I was told my disease had no cure. He lived six more years. And I am a happy and healthy young woman today. My best friend and I created a website while I was still sick and we included all the information that we gathered during that time because we felt the need to share it with other Meniere's disease patients. James "Rhio" O'Connor wrote "They Said Months, I Chose Years: A Mesothelioma Survivor's Story." and Paul Kraus also shared his personal journey in "Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers" (http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com/). Because it helps to let other people know that if you can do it, they can do it, too.
I learned a lot from my disease. I learned that health may not be everything, but everything is nothing without it. I also learned that things do happen for a reason. And most importantly, I learned that life presents us with many struggles, and we suffer. But just like the vine must suffer to produce great wine, and the shell suffers as it forms beautiful pearls, we also suffer in order to grow stronger and learn to appreciate what's truly valuable in life.
I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease five or six years ago. It sounds like you've had a more difficult time of it than I have though.
ReplyDelete