The Secret Solution

Technorati Tags: alternative medicine, alternative Osteoarthritis treatment, Ayurvedic, Ayurvedic treatment, Eat Pray and Love, herbal treatments, Osteoarthritis, Osteoarthritis treatment, prayer

Posted at 03:42 PM in Books, Current Affairs, Food and Drink, Religion, Science, Travel, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

July 26, 2010

Ayurvedic Treatment - Week 4 & beyond

Home at Last!

None of this was written my final week as inpatient at the Ayur Centre. I began it my first day home and am finishing it today! My lower back pain persisted so Dr. Siby required me to not use my computer and to lie flat or on either side as much as possible the remainder of my time there. I complied.

When I left I genuinely felt an improvement.

My friend Evelyn's fibroid tumor on top of her uterus, shrunk. She returned to work at the end of her 2 weeks. Fortunately I only had to miss her 1 day before I was released. Such a sweetheart! With Dr. Siby's approval, she introduced me to a very popular local banana leaf restaurant. We enjoyed a sample of many vegetarian dishes, a "salty lassi" and I even ate a whole "salty" red chili pepper; then, I learned I was supposed to break off pieces of it and eat with my food... all's well that ends well right? When, I received my "diet list" from Dr. Siby - foods to avoid and foods to eat a lot of - guess where red chili peppers fall on the list!

The woman from Sudan's health improved significantly, at least the Colitis symptoms disappeared. Apparently she was focused only on Colitis treatment her first 28 days; so, she arranged an additional 4 week visa extension to treat her arthritic shoulder. Sadly, she cannot lift her left arm at all rendering it virtually useless to her but with a constant pain reminder that it is there! I pray Dr. Siby succeeds healing her. The doctors in Germany told her it was hopeless to attempt a repair of her shoulder; they told her that if they did surgery on it, her whole arm would be become permanently and hopelessly useless. Her young daughter's eczema responded quickly to treatment; she seemed to be cured well before I left, literally within the first few days of treatment. She remains with her mother to help care for her.

The two of them were excited with the admission of another lady from the Sudan. An elderly lady who struggled with Arthritis since 1974. She had had her hip replaced and still, today she has a difficult time walking and standing; it seems Ayurvedic is her alternative to a hip replacement's replacement! Her hands are so crippled - bent, constricted, painful and stiff - that she can barely use them. We pray she gets significant relief, quickly. Unlike the younger Sudan woman, she was only able to get a visa for 3 weeks. I don't understand that...

It was quite nice to meet people from Sudan. They were all 3 very friendly, kind and spoke English as well as I. When you are all thrown together in a "get well place", for an extended length of time, like we were; it makes time pass better and the experience much nicer when you can communicate and share with each other. Especially when your caregivers are not so skilled in English...

The last 4 days at the Ayur Centre, Aythswati (Isude) finished my stay with a repeat of the initial oil massage. I totally enjoyed it. I wish I could say that the pain and discomfort are completely gone as I leave the Centre and begin the next phase of my Ayurvedic metamorphosis - but I would be lying. Without a doubt, however, the treatment always succeeded in making me feel better. July 20, my discharge date, was Aythwati's birthday. I tried to ask if they would celebrate but she did not understand. I did my best to help her feel blessed and special! She truly worked magic on my aches and pains.

Did I mention that other than mild pain I suffered from the MRA and Cartilage injection, thanks to Bikram yoga I did not have pain when I entered the Ayur Centre? Well it seems I was deluding myself. The pain I experienced the last 10 days of my inpatient time was clearly pain that I had blamed on the serious accidents that injured my pelvis, back and neck. It was that pain that drove me to seek any kind of alternative treatment that promised cure: Acupuncture, multiple types of Chiropractic as well as multiple styles of Massage Therapy and Yoga. Each one certainly helped me for a while but none of them seemed to be able to "push me over the edge" to "healed" - which remains my goal! Bikram Yoga came the closest; if I just hadn't had that darn hip pain... Well, I did have that darn hip pain and that is the pain that led me to Ayurvedic.

Upon discharge I was instructed to continue as if I were still an inpatient: limit walking and activities. He did say I can now sit for an hour but then lie down, first on my right side, then on my back and finally on my left side – kinda like a rotisserie! I was also educated about my Ayurvedic medicines – preparing them is now my responsibility. I did get to reduce the number of times I take them by 1 – nothing before lunch now. Nine different Ayurvedic herbal medicines that I mix and take some at 6am, others at 10am, only 2 capsules at 2pm, the morning mixture repeats at 6pm then the last mixture is at bedtime. Some of the medicines are liquid, 1 is some kind of a pastey mixture, 1 is in capsul form, a couple are powders and 2 are very different pills that I have to pulverize before adding them to the 6am and 6pm mixtures. NONE of them “taste good”; fortunately they aren’t unbearable – I would be lying if I said I am NOT looking forward to the day I no longer have to take them because I look forward to that day for more reasons than not needing to taste those horrible mixtures.

Dr. Siby told me that the first 28 days after my discharge are the most critical, my body is the most fragile and at its weakest – he cautioned me to be cautious. The final 28 days are very important but not as critical. I did the count down through the 56 days after discharge and my “freedom day” just happens to be my baby's baby Alex’s 1^st birthday – cannot wait to celebrate with him! For the 56 days I am restricted to a vegetarian diet including a specific list of additional foods to avoid: sugar, white flour, chocolate, meat, sweet potatoes, spicy foods particularly red & green chili peppers, nuts, egg plant, eggs… and a few other things.

The calcium deposit on my thumb is now diminished to the size of half of a small garden pea.

It isn’t shrinking as fast as it was when I received the oil treatments but diminish it is. A couple of days after my release at the Ayur Centre I revisited my “Western” doctor at Prince Court Medical Center. I was totally disappointed - but reminded myself that Dr. Siby told me to not expect to see improvement for 6 months – my range of motion has not yet improved – Calcium deposit still restricting movement! He repeated my blood test to check my liver enzymes which had been high following a prolonged winter illness. He discovered 1, Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) dropped significantly – 62 down to 29 - most were level just hanging out above normal but not dangerously high. But, there was 1- Alkaline Phosphatase - that jumped up 9 points from 115 to 124. Dr. Yong looked at me puzzled and said, “we usually only see then when a bone fracture is healing, but you don’t have a bone fracture!” I smiled and thought to myself, “but I do have Dr. Siby strengthening and rebuilding my bones!” I took that result as a positive sign – Ayurvedic is at work reversing Osteoarthritis’ effect on my body.

I cannot wait to see my amazing, impressive butterfly me at the end of this Ayurvedic metamorphisis!

Blessings…

janet lee

www.AttractYourSoulmate.com

Technorati Tags: alternative medicines, alternative treatments, Ayurvedic, Ayurvedic medicine, bone fracture, Colitis treatment, complementary alternative medicine, Eczema treatment, fibroid tumor, fibroid tumor treatment, herbal medicines, Osteoarthritis, Osteoarthritis treatments, the Ayur Centre

Posted at 11:11 AM in Current Affairs, Food and Drink, Religion, Science, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

July 10, 2010

Ayurvedic Treatment - Week 3

Miracle revealed! I see my first sign that treatment is working!

When I first checked into the clinic Dr. Siby cautioned me to be patient that I would likely not see improvement in the cartilage cushion for 6 months after treatment begins. I only had minor pain when I first checked in - as you can see in week 1 blog, that changed; I went from some discomfort at check-in to extreme misery after treatment began - from those aches and pains there is HURE relief.

What I did not mention in the first 2 blogs is that I have a Calcium deposit on the knuckle of my right thumb. It is just a hard "glob" neither painful nor a nuisance - just "there". During the treatment I massage the medicated oils into it and tell myself, if these oils can dissolve this Calcium deposit, they can fix my hips. Day 13 I noticed it had shrunk, significantly, maybe even into half its original size! I was so excited I could hardly wait for Dr. Siby to confirm my discovery. I tell myself that this is a sign that my hips are recovering perfectly!

Day 13 was also graduation day for Margaret; happily she went home better for having been through her Ayurvedic treatment. Day 13 also brought me a new friend, Evelyn as well as a new patient into Margaret's room and a lady from Sudan and her teenage daughter across the hall.

Evelyn is here to "shrink" a quite large fibroid tumor in her abdomen. She was told it is as if she were 5 months pregnant! Her Western medicine doctors prescribed surgery, but she had a close friend who experienced impressive, miraculous results with Ayurvedic treatment so my Day 13 became her Day 1 of a 14 day treatment. She is a career stock broker who lives with her husband and 11-year-old daughter only a few blocks away. Semi-conveniently, she took time off from work and committed to 3 hours per day here at the Centre for her treatment then goes home to rest and recover. We share a love of Abba songs and Mamma Mia which we watched and sang along together on my laptop - thank you iTunes!

The woman from Sudan's health is quite precarious; she has traveled to various medical centers "around the world" seeking relief from Arthritis and Colitis. So far her efforts were unsuccessful and in fact, the medicines she took from the various treatment damaged her liver. She told me the Ayur Centre is her last chance. I hope to help her with visualizations and prayers...

I mistakenly assumed my Pouring of the Oils treatment was a 1 week treatment like the first one - Isude tells me it is a 10 day treatment. I'm not sad, the oils are quite pleasant. Medicated Rice massage begins Day 18.

Day 18. No big surprise, I do like the Medicated Rice massage as well. Like the Pouring of the Oils, this is a 2 therapist treatment. In the big copper kettle they pour medicine and milk, heat it on the burner at the foot of the table, divide some of the liquid into 2 smaller copper pots; then, they dip these gauze wrapped "balls", rice filled - about 6 cups of dried, medicated rice imported from India and tied in such a way to create a ball with a handle - into their pot of heated liquid and massage me, front and back, from my neck to my toes. I imagine this is a very useful treatment and daily continue to visualize my perfectly cushioned hip joints on X-ray, as well as the pleasant runs through KLCC park and Bikram Yoga postures performed perfectly. This is working I just KNOW!

Day 20. A friend provided me with a book to study, Pain Free, by Pete Egoscue; a book endorsed by Deepak Chopra. The premise of the section on hip pain, and osteoarthritis specifically, is that it is caused by misalignment somewhere in the body. Consequently, hip replacement does not correct the "root cause" and as a result manifests symptoms in other parts of the body. He specifically states that cartilage can regenerate under the right conditions. I love that confirmation! I am confident that my Ayurvedic treatment creates the conditions for cartilage regeneration; clearly, however, I will need a proven plan to align the misalignment so that I don't wear down that which regenerates!!! This is a bit discouraging for me because over the years I have spent a small fortune on realignment only to have it undo itself. Can't wait to learn the Ayurvedic solution as well as Pete Egoscue's answer to this puzzle.

I am preparing to return home for the night. Tini, my friend and Bahasa teacher, who works nearby, is going to drive me home, sparing Tim a round trip in the horrible Saturday afternoon KL traffic, while teaching me Bahasa along our route. Tim will join the lesson once we reach the condo - but no doubt I will be one step ahead with my private lesson. Bombay Palace, is on the schedule for dinner!!! The food here is good but at Bombay Palace, it is magnificent. I can hardly wait. Friends will join us and it should be a very relaxing, pleasant evening out. I return to the centre again at 6am.

So far into this treatment I've lost 8 pounds. Quite remarkable considering I do little more than lie around; on the other hand, my concern is that it is nothing more than muscle turned to flab. I asked Dr. Siby if I could begin exercising again because I fear I am turning into jelly; he said, "no" that I am "too vulnerable" right now. At first this troubled me; then, another trusty memory from a Martha Beck book came to the rescue - I'm rereading both Steering by Starlight and Follow Your North Star - I don't remember which one it is in BUT it is the story of a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly. Once the caterpillar is secure inside its cocoon, it is completely dissolved into a gooey, mushy jelly; then, the DNA imprint of a butterfly takes over and the jelly transforms into a beautiful butterfly. I feel I'm turning into gooey, mushy jelly... I'm thinking, I can't wait to see my amazing, impressive butterfly me at the end of my Ayurvedic metamorphisis!

janet lee

www.AttractYourSoulmate.com

Posted at 11:59 PM in Books, Current Affairs, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: alternative medicine, Ayur Centre, Ayurvedic treatment, Deepak Chopra, Follow Your North Star, Holistic medicine, Martha Beck, noninvasive treatment, Pain Free, Pete Egoscue, Steering by Starlight

July 03, 2010

Ayurvedic Treatment Week 2

In her book, Steering by Starlight, Martha Beck tells the story of a man who lost his nose in a car accident. To replace it, doctors refashioned cartilage taken from his ear, into the shape of a nose. That cartilage, however, remembered that it was born and imprinted to be an ear, not a nose, and even during the surgery to reshape into a nose, it was already working to restore itself back into an ear. So, periodically for the rest of his life, this man had to return for doctors to refashion a nose from an ear.

If that cartilage remembered what it was supposed to look like; then, my hip cartilage is bound to bear the imprint of what hip cartilage is supposed to look like too! That is my mantra and my focus as I sit here, resting, for hours on end. In addition to reading, writing and occasionally watching movies either on my laptop or 3^rd eye - I spend a lot of time meditating, visualizing my doctor holding up the before and after X-rays and proclaiming my hip joints better than normal – “it’s a miracle!” I hear them proclaim… I see myself running through the park at KLCC with my husband, and I see myself perform Yoga postures that once were too painful.

It isn’t easy for me to rest. I’m fairly certain that if hyperactive had been a common label on youngsters when I was a child… I’d been on the maximum dose of Ritalin. Fortunately, I was spared that diagnosis but to this day am challenged to be still for any length of time. If it is a discipline, and it may be, I am certain this experience will have me trained. I am having fun with my “mental movies.” I also have fun with the birds that live in the neighborhood.

Because of KL’s proximity to the equator, sunrise and sunset occur at very nearly the same time every day. When I awake each morning to 6 am medicines, it is well before the sun rises so I am typically wide awake by the time it is in full bloom – so to speak. It is a beautiful time of day. As the sun rises and morning traffic is not yet heavy, the sounds of multiple birds singing entertain me. One morning, as I sat writing, I heard several birds that sounded like they perched directly outside my opened window, just inches away from my ears. Unfortunately as I rose up to see them, they heard me and flew off to a palm tree in the distance; however, before they disappeared from sight, I saw that they were three large, bright yellow, black masked birds with a black stripe on their wings. What beautiful birds they were. What beautiful songs they sang. Fortunately, that experienced prepared me. I now keep my camera next to the bed ready to go, and I rise very quietly. Lesson learned, I now have a photo of a pair of the most colorful doves I’ve seen outside the Bird Park. Greenish in color with pink hooded heads, yellow on their breasts and a touch of black on their wing tips, I’ve never seen birds blend in with their surroundings better than those two blended into that palm tree. Good thing they blend in so well too because there was a black and brown kitty cat on a root top just 20 feet away, likely looking for a pretty bird meal. The circle of life…

Another seldom broken circle is the life and times of the staff here at The Ayur Centre, a lifestyle that many here in Malaysia, predominantly the foreign workers from Myanmar, the Philippines and Indonesia know intimately. The staff here rises every day, 7 days a week, at 5:30am to prepare the medicines that make their patients better and to begin their individual rituals. Throughout the day they give treatments, provide us food and the remainder of our medicines, some clean our rooms and serve our meals. They don’t complain, are quite nice and friendly. My effort to communicate in Tamil seems more to entertain them than to get a message across – I must not speak it correctly - as they laugh at me when I try to say anything other than “naandree”. Isude, my therapist, remains my salvation; aside from Dr. Siby, she and one of the housekeepers, Kalayamal, have the best grasp on English.

Unlike Western hospitals, at the Ayur Centre, they take blood pressure and blood sugar levels only in the morning and not even every morning; the remainder of my day is interrupted only by the much anticipated treatment, associated herbal medicines and daily housekeeping. Medicines come at 6am, 10am, noon, after lunch, 6pm and bed time. If I’m not mistaken, they are mostly all different except 10am and after lunch. The objective of inpatient treatment is rest for recovery and rejuvenation.

It must be working, every day I am noticeably better and better… and totally grateful for the improvements I experience. There seems to be a side benefit as well; I clearly see improvements in my body’s skin tone… you know the saying “smooth as a baby’s butt?” Well, that would be me now! No longer am I glaringly reminded, “You aren’t 29 anymore!” A friend stopped in for a visit last Thursday night and raved that my skin looks so much more “radiant” and healthy that she is convinced Ayurvedic is for her as well.

Beginning with Day 8 my treatment changed from the much loved, appreciated and enjoyed massage of medicated oils to a “Pouring of the Oils” treatment. I walked into the treatment room, noticeably easier than I had the previous days. I sat on the long wooden table as Isude massaged Coconut oil into my scalp and hair, then onto my face and tied my hair in a knot at the top of my head. After that she cups her hand into the warm medicated oil, pouring it down my back and massaging it around; then while I lie on my back, on that long, hard wooden table, deep breathing the fragrant air and visualizing healing, she and her partner, Wahsunde (again, I am certain that is not how it is spelled but the best I could do) pour 9 bottles of warm, medicated oil on my body from my neck, to my shoulders, to my abdomen, both hips down my legs to my toes with a seemingly choreographed and synchronized timing; then they lightly massage it in; sweep the oil runoff to the bottom of the table where equally impressively they scoop it into their cotton cloths and wring it back into their pans; I turn onto my stomach and they repeat the process down my backside multiple times before asking me to turn back over and duplicate the pattern down my front side. Finally, the coup de grace is a seated pouring of the oils back massage. Not as enjoyable as Week 1’s treatment but certainly interesting and far better than nothing at all.

I love the smell of fresh air after a rain, the coolness of a gentle breeze and the sounds of distant thunder rumbling in the background - typical afternoon in KL this time of year. As I sit enjoying the weather through my open windows, my yellow birds return and sing outside my window. This time, camera prepared I quietly rise to immortalize them but again, they sense my presence and escape to the palm trees in the distance. Finally on Day 9 I succeed and one of the beauties posed elegantly while I snapped his or her photo.

Day 9, my hip has a whole new discomfort. Not pain like before, rather a dull ache just uncomfortable enough to disturb sleep and make the day a bit more difficult. Dr. Siby examined it during his daily check in. He puts his hand on it, listening to what it says and noticing how it feels. He told me it is not “pulsing” as strong as it was and he surmises that I “slept on it wrong”. Day 10 it is better but a new discomfort arises all along my lower back. Unfortunately, there is now a rash where the pain medicine mud pack was so I have to take a few days off. Day 11, the dull ache is gone but I still experience the lower back discomfort and the rash, neither of which are as bad as yesterday. I wonder if the dull ache and now the lower back discomfort are a product of the “unwinding” process…

I’ve grown accustomed to the flavor of the medicines now. I would not say I enjoy them, but I no longer hate them as I did when they cause or enhanced my nausea. I still don’t know what any of them are but did ask my doctor what they do for me. He said, the specific medicines I take are

to improve my body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients, assimilate them perfectly and eliminate unessential matter
to improve my bone’s strength
to reduce/eliminate inflammation
to promote regeneration of cartilage
to boost the immune system.

It is interesting to me that when I first began this treatment and became nauseous and worse, I did things like plug my nose just to be able to force myself to swallow the medicine, whether I got it all down or not was irrelevant. Now, perhaps because I see improvement or perhaps because I am no longer nauseous or perhaps because I am used to them, I make sure I do not miss a drop! Quite a switch. I trust and believe that they are a valuable part of the process that clears away the obstacles and barriers so that my cartilage can remember its imprint and return to the perfect cushion for my joints.

Day 11, Friday, I am now prepared to go home for the night. I return at 6 am tomorrow morning. Downstairs I meet Margaret, an Indian Malaysian who is the only other patient I see here. I know there is one other, a Malay, but have only seen glimpses of her twice. Today Margaret and I had an opportunity to visit. I learned she is here recovering from a stroke; she was paralyzed on her left side. This was a surprise to me because she does not look nor sound like stroke victims I’ve seen before. She has 5 days left of treatments before she goes home; like me, she is very pleased with her treatments and the results.

Day 12, on Saturday night I stretched the boundaries of my treatment. The US Embassy hosted an Independence Day celebration and we attended. It was wonderful, I was able to adhere to a vegetarian diet in spite of serious temptation, but, there was NO seating available. We enjoyed as much of it as possible, met some very interesting people including the Under Secretary at the Saudi Arabian Embassy, and a Moroccan Embassy representative who did not divulge his role, a gentleman from Chico, California who is starting up an International School here in KL and a couple who are friends visiting from Chico, California. It was nice but seriously tempted my self-discipline!

Today, in spite of last night’s departure from strict R&R regimen, my lower back hurts less than yesterday. The unwinding continues, and I am determined to behave better to help the process. Tonight, I look forward to Bombay Palace - the good side of Vegetarian. Next week on Tuesday, my Pouring of the Oils massage is replaced with a Rice Massage. They told me not to worry, the rice is treated… until then, Namaste.

janet lee

Posted at 03:24 PM in Books, Current Affairs, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Technorati Tags: alternative medicine, Ayur Centre, Ayurvedic, bikram yoga, jogging, meditation, osteoarthritis, running, treatment, visualization, yoga

July 02, 2010

Ayurvedic Treatment Week 1

I am the last person I expected to hear a diagnosis of “Osteoarthritis”… yet, there it was, advanced sufficiently to be clearly recognizable, in undeniable black and x-ray. My mind screamed “but I cannot not run or do Yoga again; what can I do?” The doctor was saying that I will definitely have to have hip replacement but there was something we could do to delay the timing of it; I’m thinking, “yeah, ok, but what am I going to do so I can run and do Yoga again?” In addition to the Osteoarthritis, there were clear indications of Calcium buildup and inflammation from injury; they were the cause of my pain during yoga practice, and the only reason we discovered the Osteoarthritis when we did. He continued to tell me I have three immediate treatment options to delay total hip replacement as much as 10 years:

1. Glucosamine and Chondroitin.
2. Cartilage Injection directly into the hip to replace the diminished cushion.
3. Surgically remove the Calcium build-up.

Part of the reason for my surprise at the diagnosis is that I have taken Glucosamine and Chondroitin religiously for 3 years; I took it believing doing so guaranteed that I would never hear this diagnosis! We agreed that I will continue taking it at the maximum dose and that we would do the Cartilage injection as soon as possible then postpone the Calcium buildup removal surgery until mid-July to allow the inflammation time to subside. If we rushed into the surgery, and inflammation was present or too much, that surgery would be a waste of my time. Somehow I missed the part where the Cartilage injection may not work! To my mind, it sounded like a sure thing to buy me time with only the duration of delay a question mark. And, I surmised optimistically, with the speed of technological advances these days, by the time I needed something more done there is no telling what they will have invented that is safer, easier, less invasive and shortens recuperation time than total hip replacement - like I imagined this Cartilage Injection would do for me. Six days later, procedure complete, the doctor tells me, “we will know in 3 – 4 weeks if it worked.” I was surprised; it never occurred to me that it might not work!

I did hear, and was very focused and concerned, on the insight that the mid-July Calcium buildup removal surgery may not work. To me, that meant no more Yoga and a return to constant back pain – HORROR! He told me that if he got inside and discovered it is still very inflamed; he will simply retreat and I will be no better off and face the recovery of a failed surgery – which would be of a much shorter duration than if the surgery is a successful one. This just did not sound like a good plan to me but what else could I do? But what else could I do?

Following the Cartilage injection procedure, the doctor gave me 10 days of “pain medicine”, which I Googled and learned was a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory. I wasn’t in a great deal of pain but the “anti-inflammatory” aspect appealed to my need to reduce inflammation for the subsequent surgery to succeed; I took them religiously for the next 10 days. On day 12 I was introduced to the Ayurvedic Centre in Petaling Jaya, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur.

As a huge fan of Deepak Chopra for 20 years, I had heard of Ayurvedic and even learned a little about it. When friends of ours here in KL had a difficult time managing and controlling their young daughter’s asthma with “Western medicine”; the dad, being Indian Malaysian, returned to Indian traditional medicine, Ayurvedic. Over time there was significant improvement for their daughter. The mother, who suffered crippling migraines that had reached a daily level and severe pains in her stomach, received treatment as well and no longer has any symptoms of either at all. I was impressed and asked if I could tag along sometime when they visited the clinic. At the time of my request, I had curiosity and no known need, but the Universe fixed that! On day 12 following Cartilage Injection I tagged along to the Ayurvedic Centre; my friend, however, had called ahead and made an appointment for me to see Dr. Siby while we were there. Since I had had all this show up recently, I thought, “what the heck! Might as well see him…” Truth is, I was excited and totally fascinated with an Ayurvedic body, mind and spirit integrated healing concept.

My friend explained that when she first saw Dr. Siby, she neither described her symptoms nor explained the reason for the visit; rather, he took her pulse, examined her fingernails and then told her exactly what her Western Doctor’s medical tests told him. I found that fascinating; yet, when I entered Dr. Siby’s office and sit down, right off he asks me what brought me to him. I blurted immediately that I had been diagnosed with this Osteoarthritis and I don’t want it. What I do want is the ability to run and practice my Yoga without pain. Cut to the chase I guess. He had me lie down and go through a range of motions to duplicate the pain, which at that point in time, could now be felt with touch because of soreness from the MRA and Cartilage injections; previously remember, pain was only felt performing specific Yoga postures and not even then could I feel or duplicate the pain with touch: pushing, prodding or massaging the area. It was too deep.

In the end Dr. Siby told me that it can be totally cured but only if I strictly follow his treatment plan for 3 months; and, the first 28 days will be as a patient admitted to his hospital. Shock one: it can be totally healed without surgery? Osteoarthritis and the Calcium buildup??? Shock two: 28 days, inpatient???

Today is Day 8 of my 28 days. All I can really say is “naandree” – Tamil, and probably spelled completely wrong but it is how I hear it – for “good” and “thank you”.

The first 3 days were a challenge because my body was filled with desserts and steaks, chicken and cheese, white flour and white sugar; these had to leave my system and did they ever! Too bad they couldn’t have been as pleasant coming out as they were going in. Although I enjoyed eating them, these foods had created a toxic environment inside my body which impedes, if not prevents, the body systems from performing at their peak potential and that included repair and restoration of the cartilage in my hips. It also created the environment for inflammation to thrive. Imagine your auto mechanic trying to repair your car in a closed garage filled with exhaust fumes… he or she will definitely find it more difficult to get the job done and ultimately, won’t be able to work at all. Metaphorically, that’s what we do to our body when we fill it with toxins.

The reason this treatment works is because it restores the right conditions – balanced, oxygen rich environment, ideal ph - within the body so that it can heal itself. I remembered an Andrew Weil quote from years gone by that, paraphrased, went something like this, “the natural state of the body is healed, and when it is injured or ill, it moves heaven and earth to get back to the healed state.” It made perfect sense to me…

Still, Day 1, I cheated a bit. You know, that stick your toe in the water before you jump-in syndrome. I arrived at 9am and left at 3:30pm not yet convinced that I could commit to the regimen… The facilities are not what I am accustomed to; yet, they are simple, clean and orderly. KL’s Prince Court Hospital boasts their 6 Star Resort status; this would likely earn a 3 Star status because it has hot water and air con – yes, many here in Southeast Asia are without amenities that we Westerners take for granted. An older house, converted for their use, the rooms are semi-private, which was a God thing through the first few days. A nurse from Singapore, here for a 5 day Detox Cleanse to stabilize her hormones and lose some unwanted kgs/pounds; she got to fine tune her nursing skills with me for a roommate. A very kind, compassionate practicing Buddhist, I think she was very glad to help. With the only television downstairs and always tuned to a Tamil station, no internet, I imagine she was a bit glad for something, anything to entertain her.

Day 1, the treatment was heavenly. With warmed and medicated oils I was basted better than any Thanksgiving Turkey I’d prepared. In spite of the oil, the motion, pressure and friction of my therapist’s hands warmed my neck, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles; my insides^* knew they wanted this treatment and that this treatment is good for its recovery. When it came to the oral “medicines”, on the other hand, I and my insides, were not too sure. None of them tasted good! If it doesn’t taste good, how can it be good? By the end of day 1, my stomach was nauseous and I had a slight headache.

By noon of Day 2, I was miserable and by nightfall, I was womiting! Thank God for Lin Dah; she encouraged, comforted and assisted me through. Vomiting is how I knew my experience yet my sick, miserable ears heard this sweet roommate angel lady asking me if I was “wahming” or maybe she was saying “warming” with a Southern Drawl but no, it was womiting which I eventually figured out is “vomiting” without the Chinese accent.

Language is a challenge here; fortunately in Malaysia many people speak English, so we have not been forced to learn Bahasa. However, we recently began Bahasa lessons and made some progress in understanding a bit of what’s spoken to and around us; however, the people who work here are not Indian Malaysian. While they have an impressive basic ability to communicate in English – far better than my ability to communicate in Bahasa – Tamil is their primary language. Without Lin Dah here to help me translate; I decided I better proactively learn some Tamil. So, I decided to begin with my therapist’s name. I heard her say Isudee; I asked her how to spell it: “Ay”… and somewhere in the rapidly sputtered long list of letters I heard “t” and “h” and I opted for another approach… spell it how it sounds! She asked me how the pressure felt; I asked her how to say “good” – I heard her say “naandree”… sounded like “laundry” with an “n”… I like “naan”, a tasty Indian bread, so translated it as “naandree”. They seemed pleased to hear my efforts; so, this morning I asked, “How do you say thank you?” Isudee laughed and said “naandree” with a beautiful roll of her “r”… I decided, a better approach might be to recruit an Indian Malaysian friend, well versed in English, to help me learn a few phrases via SMS. We’ll see how that plays out over the next 20 days.

Day 3, I still did not feel GREAT; in fact, I awoke dizzy – the room spun like a carnival ride. This really made my stomach unhappy. They delayed my treatment until 3pm, halfed my dosage of “medicines” and had a very difficult time understanding me. Again, thank God for Lin Dah to help translate. The staff and therapist were convinced my symptoms were the result of my not eating; I could not get them to understand, even with Lin Dah’s help, that I couldn’t eat because it caused me to “womit”. They were so fearful that I wasn’t eating because I didn’t like Indian vegetarian food and continued all day to entice me with fruit and porridge which is watery, salted rice; for the record, I love Indian Vegetarian food. I tease that I think I was Indian in my most recent past life because I love their food, colorful clothing, shiny gold jewelry, and fascinate with their religion, and … I got my nose pierced. Sadly, I didn’t get to keep it pierced because my nose is too thin; so, the little gem stuck out and looked ridiculous rather than exotic and now decorates a drawer at home.

The other thing that came up on Day 3 was intense pain in my hip. Following the MRA for my Western doctor my hip hurt for days. It wasn’t unbearable just noticeable and annoying. When they injected the cartilage, following a similar path as when they injected the dye for the MRA which is a MRI with dye added, the pain increased but thankfully not to a crippling level. Day 3 in the Ayurvedic Centre however, without apparent cause, the pain began rapidly approached crippling and by Day 4, I was in big trouble and quite confused. Sitting was impossible and no way I positioned myself – propped or straight, side or flat – was even slightly comfortable. Resting was difficult; sleeping was impossible. This came as a total shock. When I very first launched into this adventure about 6 weeks ago, curiously requesting an X-ray, the ONLY pain I felt was when I did several Yoga postures; why am I now experiencing this intense pain? Am I being punished for attempting to be proactive and prevent a crippled state?

My Ayurvedic doctor, Dr. Siby, surmises that the pain medication had just simply, worn off.

Interestingly, I complained that the pain medication did not work; the only reason I took it all 10 days was for the anti-inflammatory benefit. To its credit, it did not appear to ease any pain because the pain from the MRA injection sight seemed to have worsened after being used for the Cartilage injection sight. And, worse yet by my standards, my back had started bothering me again. The whole reason I began Yoga in the first place was to ease my left over back pain from 3 bad accidents. The Yoga practice, specifically Bikram Yoga, performed in a 105^o F/40^o C room had been the last of a long string of alternative treatments I sought to recover; Yoga worked, but only for as long as I regularly did it. Interruptions from my trips back to the US, or to play, always set me back; so, when both doctors told me there would be an extended period of time when I would be unable to practice, I cringed. Sure enough, by the time I entered the Ayurvedic Centre for treatment, and throughout all 10 days of pain medicine, my back hurt – seemingly untouched by that pain medication. When the doctor suggested that the pain medicine had simply worn off, I wondered, would I have hurt this bad without having taken it? I guess we’ll never know.

Fortunately, I complained of my left over back pain when I first visited Dr. Siby. So, as part of my treatment, following the massage, the therapist slathers my back with medicated mud, wraps me in plastic wrap and allows me to absorb it for 2 hours. I was so impressed, following the first treatment my back felt better – in fact, it did not hurt at all and has not hurt since Day 1. Beginning on Day 4, Isude added the medicated mud pack to my hip and has continued it every day since. Each day there has been a noticeable improvement in both ranges of motion and diminished pain; today, Day 8, my hip still troubles me but only when I am up and moving about and even then, nowhere near as much as Days 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Nausea and headache a distant memory, this Ayurvedic Treatment and my vision to run and practice Yoga again are looking most excellent.

^*Insides – a “gut feeling”, a term I use for an inner, abstract knowing or certainty that I cannot otherwise explain but have learned to trust completely.

Blessings,

janet lee

Posted at 05:59 PM in Current Affairs, Food and Drink, Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 21, 2010

World without Terrorism

Love is no longer needing terrorism... to drive actions that fix something broke.

It isn't a popular belief but, I'll write it anyway. This does not mean I agree with or condone terrorism in anyway!

Terrorism is a cry for help or attention or change, in some way, shape, form or fashion. It isn't new and it isn't limited to Al Qaeda or Somalia's Pirates. In fact, it shows up in many different disguises - even heart attacks, strokes and disease are terrorist acts!

For the purpose of this blog's topic, terrorism is the result of either immature and underdeveloped communication skills, such as a toddler throwing a temper tantrum, or it can be the result of someone - or a group of someones - unable to feel their message is heard or needs are met. People who feel victimized, actually or imaginarily, like an abused child, spouse, employee, student, citizen...

Sometimes their message or needs are valid; other times they are imagined or unrealistic. I took my two-year-old son to the toy store with the clear (on my part understanding) that he could pick out one toy that I would then buy for him. When we entered the store, I believed he clearly understood this condition. We narrowed it down to two toys, and trying every way I could to persuade him to choose only one, he was equally determined that he would have both. In the end, I chose one for him, and he threw a temper tantrum, right there on the toy store floor.

What did he need to learn and know to choose a different expression for his frustration, anger and disappointment? What was there for me to learn as well?

Yesterday, a disgruntled taxpayer flew a plane into an IRS office building in Austin, Texas. I don't know if his complaints were legitimate or reasonable; clearly, he felt frustrated and angry. Isn't it sad that he knew of no peaceful means to resolve his problems? Isn't it sad that he felt the IRS system offered him no hope or compassion?

It is my prayer that the plane crash and two lives lost are a catalyst for positive, constructive and effective change. That was my prayer following Columbine, Waco, 9/11... What if we learned how to genuinely, effectively resolve conflicts, win/win? How might your life be different? Your children's lives?

What is the answer? When both sides are convinced, "I'm right, you are wrong", how do we reach a win/win, harmonious, mutually fulfilling agreement or resolution?

What is the solution? When we solve this problem, answer this question, and it is both embraced and applied, it will certainly move our global community towards peace, reduce divorce rates and minimize the need for Prozac or counseling sessions...

I can't help but chuckle when I hear someone say, "you aren't listening to me." Most of the time, the other person is listening; however, they are usually choosing to not do something the person wanting them to listen really wants them to do. Then, what typically follows?

Terrorism: bullies, overtly; victims, covertly; apathetic, internally - stressed...

As a trainer for a large, US corporation, we taught employees how to "deliver feedback" and how to "negotiate". We also had classes on "active listening skills", "handling conflict" and "thriving on change". While we indirectly addressed how to receive feedback or unpleasant news; in no way did we directly train people how to hear, mentally process and then effectively dialogue through to a win/win outcome.

Commitment to a respectful, "two-sided" dialogue, and willingness to persevere to a resolution that satisfies both side's needs is the answer that I see. What do you think the answer is?

janet lee

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/erikludwinski

Posted at 07:13 AM in Current Affairs, Religion, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

February 14, 2010

What were you doing Tuesday night?

What were you doing Tuesday night February 9th, 2010 at 9:35 pm?

It was at that moment in time, just short of his 25th birthday, that Erik Ludwinski successfully transitioned from the earthly plane into the loving, welcoming hands of God. The following is a testimony he gave to some of the good that he gained from a painful experience that ultimately ended his life.

The following is a sermon, written and delivered By Erik Ludwinski, recently posted on caring bridge (link at the bottom):

"Last year was truly an amazing year for me. It gave me deeper friendships than I’ve ever had before, sent me to Yellowstone and back, put me in situations I never dreamed I’d be put in (like giving a sermon for example), and taught me so much—mostly outside the classroom. I probably learned more in the last 12 months than in the first 20 years of my life. It’s amazing what I’ve learned in just the last two weeks. Not in the quantity of lessons, of course, but in the importance of the new ones and the deeper understanding of the old ones…

"Like trust.

"I don’t know if I was born with it—if it came from genetics… or whether I trained myself to be that way… if I can blame it on environment or events, but I naturally have a hard time trusting people. Even the ones closest to me… especially the ones closest to me. I realized early that I was afraid of being let down… it took me longer to discover it often wasn’t the person, but the expectation I placed on the person that let me down.

"The classic movie “My Fair Lady” illustrates the point beautifully. Professor Higgins is the epitome of an ego-centric bachelor, who takes in Eliza Doolittle on a bet to turn her from a street-vendor to a royalty-class lady. She finally becomes fed up with his demeaning behavior and runs away. Higgins is confused by her reaction and in a song (appropriately titled, ‘A Hymn to Him’) he wonders why women can’t be more ‘rational’… like men. It’s a hilarious illustration of just how ridiculously sexist he is, but the last line reveals what he is really getting at… “Why can't a woman be like me?”

"It’s easy to judge; easy to hold others to our standards. It’s also easy to set yourself up for disappointment. Higgins’ expectations of Eliza nearly cost him his relationship with her, just like the unmet expectations I placed on people damaged my trust in them.

"My friends didn’t fail me; I failed to love.

"1 Corinthians 13:4-8 doesn’t say love places expectations—instead, love “does not seek its own”. Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”, and “never fails”. We are called to love people, just like we’re called to love and trust God. It’s funny how I keep comparing my relationships with people to my relationship with God, but it sets a good standard. While we’re debating placing expectations on others, here’s a real thinker… can we place expectations on God?

"Of course we can! Right? I mean He’s perfect and He cares for us. He loves us. We can expect Him never to break His promises [read Hebrews 6:11-20]. What about things He hasn’t exactly promised… like a happy, healthy, wealthy, comfortable life? What happens when someone expects these things from God… and His plan for their life is a little more… challenging? What becomes of the trust?

"Paul’s trust was based on more than just his expectations of God. He learned to be content and to trust God wherever he was lead [Philippians 4:12-13]. This included prison, torture, and eventually death. Not exactly your fluffy Sunday School-level concept… but we all have to leave the milk behind one day. Bottom line: God is Holy and Perfect. We’re human and mortal. He is the only one who has the right to place expectations on anyone, and He expects us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

"What did I learn these last two weeks? December 16th, I posted a prayer—more like a wrestling match between my flesh and my spirit—and ended with “Help me to trust You.” Since then I’ve discovered some of the annoying side-effects of the ABT drug, such as dizziness and fatigue, as well as its inability to deal with the cancer when the pain started to build. Two days ago, I was actually in quite a bit of pain. Tumors in my spine, left shoulder blade, back-right side of my pelvic bone, and now even my jaw bone were giving me a lot of discomfort. Funny thing was… I’ve always known I’m stubborn. When I’m comfortable, I don’t really need God. It’s been that way all my life. When I do need Him, however… that’s when it’s easiest to submit. I trust Him when I’m finally convinced my own strength just won’t cut it this time.

"I don’t know how easy this is to swallow, but…

"My God didn’t fail me; I learned to trust.

"That’s what meat tastes like."

[1 Peter 1:6-9 and James 1:2-6]

Leave comments for Erik and Donna at:

For more information on Erik, visit: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/erikludwinski/mystory

Thank you Erik for the inspiration and impressive example. God bless your soul!

janet lee

Posted at 04:03 AM in Current Affairs, Religion, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Inspiration is all around us...

Posted at 03:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

January 12, 2010

An Alternative Perspective on Ego...

I feel sorry for Ego - it really gets a bad rap!

In a world where everything is created intelligently, perfectly, in an order and for a reason, it seems to me that Ego has a place that is valuable and useful.

As infants our parents carry us around, push us in strollers and basically move us from one place to another as the situation demands. Then we learn to crawl, pull up to stand, walk and eventually run. Our Creator wisely provided infants with parents whose mission and purpose is to care for, shelter, nurture and educate us in preparation for our inevitable maturation into a self-reliant, independent and effective adult.

It appears to me that Ego's function and purpose is very similar. As children it is necessary to learn choice skills that enable us to succeed as self-reliant, independent and effective adults; just as parents guide, educate and protect their children until they mature and become capable of doing so for themselves, Ego guides, educates and protects us until we are capable of making good choices for ourselves.

All of my children are grown adults; as a mom I can tell you that their age does not stop me from offering them the brilliant 2 cents that comes from all my years of experience and wisdom gained... at every perceived necessary opportunity. Similarly, just because we have matured does not stop Ego from offering its 2 cents based on its years of experience and wisdom gained... at every perceived necessary opportunity. Does that make it bad or wrong of us?

Or, is it possible that like my children, we can humor our parent/Ego, listen to the 2 cents, evaluate its usefulness, and decide to act on it or choose something else? Gain independence.

Just as an infant grows out of the need to be carried by parents everywhere, in stages; is it possible that our soul matures beyond the need for Ego's wisdom, guidance and protection? Can it be that Ego's purpose and mission evolves into one of an adviser whose wisdom can be "take or leave"?

I wonder...

janet lee

Belief Change - The Book