WELCOME TO BARB'S PAGE

"Grieve not,
nor speak of me with tears
but laugh and talk of me
as if I were beside you---
I loved you so---
'twas Heaven here with you."
Isla Pashal Richardson

THIS PAGE IS TO INTRODUCE YOU TO ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

When Abby died in the wee hours of the morning on Thanksgiving Day 1995 (pictured left), I started searching for answers on how we can achieve a better level of health for the time that we do have here on earth. At least Abby's death achieved a purpose!

I wanted answers to why we have symptoms -- *what* exactly is causing the symptoms and how we can get rid of the cause, not just the "band-aid" fix of taking prescription drugs to mask the symptoms or get rid of them only temporarily.

The first place I went to was a health food store, and I bought two highly recommended books. These are the best foundation books that I feel anybody can start with. They are called: A Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Balch and Balch (husband and wife team), and a British book called You Don't Have To Feel Unwell by Robin Needes. The former book is available at any health food store, and the latter book may be found in same, or a regular book store (where I found it). Best advice -- read, read and read.

There are many roads to take with alternative medicine. I will only touch on several that I have had personal experience with. I then went to a naturopathic doctor for bioenergetic testing, also called EDS (electrodermal sensory testing) -- very interesting experience. I told her nothing of my history. She used a machine and computer, and I held out my hand for her to touch certain points on my hand (called meridian points -- based on Chinese medicine) with some metal equipment attached to her machine. The Germans developed this technology (and NASA uses it here in the US) and I believe it is called a Volk machine. In the other hand I gripped a metal instrument identical to the one she was using. She was able to tell me all the things I knew I had already been diagnosed with, and she told me things that my body needed to aid certain organs such as the thyroid, and adrenals. She told me things I suspected were wrong with me given symptoms I had, and I had not yet brought to the attention of the doctors. I walked away from there fascinated but a trifle scared on what to do about that new learned knowledge. You see, I still wasn't quite trusting. I have also used this for my dogs and found it to be quite accurate. I have now (7/2000) used this technique twice for myself and twice for Sailor, it does seem fairly accurate.

So, I made an appointment with a holistic M.D. for verification of the food allergies this naturopathic doctor had picked up on, and for help with my asthma -- I wanted off my inhalers and wanted relief from my asthma. After blood work (CIT, Cellular Immune Testing) verified same food allergies, I was given a list of vitamins and minerals, and oils to start on to help my asthma. I was also told to STAY AWAY from DAIRY PRODUCTS COMPLETELY! I have recently found that wheat also triggers my asthma. I found sugar triggers my arthritis, so I avoid this. I found Barleygreen by Aim, levels my blood sugar and takes away my cravings. These are just observations that I have made with the dietary changes that I have made. I also found that dairy products activate joint pains and arthritis.

I stayed off dairy for 1 1/2 yrs., was sugar-free for 5 months and curtailed my diet to meat, veggies, and fruits -- also a rare sweet potato. No pastas or breads. I lost 50 pounds and felt great! I was not using any of my inhalers for asthma, and was able to get off my asthma pills that I had been on for over 20 yrs! I also had tons of energy and less body aches! However, after a year I "fell off the wagon" and have been struggling to regain where I was. I am back on inhalers and have gained the weight back, as well as the aches and pains have returned. I know what I need to do to feel good again, it is a real struggle of the mind to not eat those luscious but deadly foods (to me anyway). However, the longer I can stay on my meat, veggie, and some small amount of fruits the easier it is. Juicing veggies in the morning is a huge help. This diet (I hate that word because it is really a whole new way of eating healthier) also allows no room for hypoglycemia either.

Another form of diagnosis is iridology, and it is quite interesting. Check out acupuncture and acupressure. I tried NAET treatments for about four months, going weekly or bi-weekly, I personally did not find that it worked but I have heard others that have had some success with it.

There are also herbalists out there that mainly you find out about through word of mouth. Several in Indiana I have heard about in the Amish community -- one particular one has cured a lady I know of lupus -- yes, I said cured. I have seen with my own eyes the change in her, and she states that the lupus no longer shows up on blood work. She feels and looks great! My own father went to this herbalist above for bladder cancer. His bladder cancer was returning every six months after having removed the polyps or areas in the bladder. This process went on for three years, after visiting Solomon (the Indiana Amish herbalist) he has been cancer free now for almost two years:-)

Another idea is written in God's Way To Ultimate Health by George Malkmus, a man who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1976, and took an alternative route to cure himself -- simply by changing his diet. He simply ate raw veggies and juiced carrots consuming large quantities for an entire year. Today he enjoys excellent health, and still makes raw veggies and juice the biggest part of his diet. He has guidelines in his books as far as the type of healthy diet to follow.

There are many web sites available out there to link up to alternative ideas and some of which I have mentioned.

To obtain the highest health possible, you must want to achieve it! Get diagnosis on a condition from a doctor, then look at all the options you have available for treatment. Keep in mind allopathic medicine is needed for acute/critical care and for traditional diagnosis, but holistic medicine is great for the chronic conditions that can plague our daily life and hinder our fun.

This winter I was diagnosed with "ischemia" -- I had an abnormal EKG, and an abnormal 24 Hour Holter monitor. Looking up "ischemia" in a medical dictionery tells you to refer to "myocardial infarction" which means "heart attack" or atherosclerosis" meaning hardening of the arteries. Whether or not I had a silent heart attack we are not sure, however Sailor knew that something was going on with me as he started practically laying on me constantly. He was "stuck like glue" to me. He was never before quite that much of a "velcro dog". Anyway, my doctor wanted me to have a treadmill/see a cardiologist. I did not want to go the conventional route. I knew something was going on with me as my heart was doing strange things (skipping beats and double beats) and I was tired all winter, dead tired -- I couldn't even work without taking naps every couple of hours. Thank heaven I work at home!

I finally decided to seek out chelation therapy. See the link below for an explanation of chelation therapy. My conventional doctor (when I 'fessed up to him) told me that he could not recommend it because it was not proven therapy for heart, however he did admit that he had a number of patient's that had undergone or were undergoing chelation and they improved remarkably. I chelated twice a week for 15 treatments, along with several vitamin/mineral IV treatments and vit/min supplements on the days I was not chelating. Long story short. I finally went for a stress test after about 10 chelation treatments and my EKG was perfectly normal this time!! YEAH!! Plus the chelation doctor also found that I had heavy lead toxicity and I had a low functioning thyroid -- so he put me on thyroid glandulars (he is all natural whenever he can be) and the chelation removes the heavy metals -- it is actually FDA approved to remove heavy metals. My insurance company paid for my treatment since I had the heavy metal toxicity. I am feeling much better and just need to get my act together with the wheat and dairy again.

I have added fish to my diet twice a week now and on those off days I take Salmon oil capsules. I also was found to be low in magnesium and potassium and so I am on those supplements along with others the doctor has put me on. He has also decided to put me on hormone replacement therapy, natural of course. I still chelate once a month and probably will for the rest of my life, at my expense at this point. Be sure and check out those chelation links....I was amazed at all the great testimonies that I heard while chelating...many, many severe heart patient's being helped.

There is also good alternative medicine available for your pets if you seek it out. Check out my two dog web sites for many health links for your dogs: JAIMEE AND POODLES & MANY MORE LINKS! (Created on 7/17/00)

SAILOR'S VIEWPOINT & OUR HOME PAGE ( PORTUGUESE WATER DOGS AND MANY MORE LINKS) (Updated7/16/00) http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/1872/

Here is to a healthier tomorrow to all of you seeking it!!

************************GOOD WEB SITES TO CHECK OUT*****************************

Dr. Andrew Weil http://www.pathfinder.com/drweil/

Herbal Medicine Chest - Dr. Andrew Weil http://www.pathfinder.com/drweil/herbal/medchest/index.html

Dr. Koop http://drkoop.com/

OnHealth with Web MD http://ww1.onhealth.com/conditions/resource/pharmacy/multumindex/item,a-am.asp

Live Chat with Dr. Smith -- my very own chelation doctor!! http://www.healthfoodsunlimited.com/coming_soon.htm

Healthy Directions Dr. Whitaker's web site http://www.healthydirections.com/

HealthBeat with Dr. Sherry Wheaton http://www.activedayton.com/partners/whiotv/healthbeat/

****************DIET & FOOD RELATED SITES************************

American Heart Association Recipes http://www.deliciousdecisions.org/

Diabetic Recipes http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/4121/diabetic.html

3 Fat Chicks on a Diet http://www.3fatchicks.com/

Body Ecology http://www.bodyecologydiet.com/

Eat Right 4 Your Type - Dr. D' Adamo site http://www.dadamo.com/

The Resolution Diet http://www.resolutiondiet.com/

Richard Simmons http://www.richardsimmons.com/

The Almond Cholesterol Challenge http://www.almondsarein.com/

In Sugar We Trust -- Sugar, Diabetes and Incurable diseases http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/7244/sugarpage.html

Sugar - Pure, White, and Deadly http://www.alanlam.demon.co.uk/sugarar.htm

sugar-free recipes http://www.teleport.com/~jbdubois/Chef_Comments.shtml#ind_recipe_comments

http://www.teleport.com/~jbdubois/Chef_Comments.shtml

http://www.teleport.com/~jbdubois/branapple_muffins.shtml

Cooking with Stevia http://www.fastlane.net/~kirkland/stevia/stevia.htm

Cooking with Stevia Cookbook http://www.fastlane.net/~kirkland/stevia/cookbook.htm

Sugar-free recipes http://www.teleport.com/~jbdubois/SugarFree.shtml

Wheat-free baking recipes http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/Food/Wheatfree.html

Recipes Granny's Kitchen http://www.grannyskitchen.com/explore.htm

Kraft Interactive Kitchen http://www.kraftfoods.com/index.cgi

Candida Recovery http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/4966/diet.htm

Juicers http://www.discountjuicers.com/juicers.html

http://www.juicing.com/juicer.htm

Drying and Curing Foods http://southernfood.about.com/food/southernfood/msubpres.htm

Dehydrators http://juiceandgrain.com/goodhealth/products/dehydrators/excalibur/excalibur2400.asp

Food Co-ops http://www.cooperative.org/food.cfm

**********************GENERAL SITES - SOME ALTERNATIVE AND SOME CONVENTIONAL*******************

The Vitamin Shoppe -- were I buy my stuff on-line -- great prices! http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/index.jhtml

Alternative Medicine and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=Article&ID=501

THE ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE NETWORK http://www.sonic.net/~nexus/opttmp.html

Complementary and Alternative Medicine http://www.athealth.com/Practitioner/Newsletter/FPN_3_40.html

Natural Eco Bible http://www.ecobible.com/

HEALTH WORLD -- Great web site http://www.healthy.net/

Center For Disease Control http://www.cdc.gov/

Medscape Diabetes and Endocrinology http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/CNO/2000/ADA/public/Conference.cfm?conference_id=54

Consumer Drug Info http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/default.htm

Aquadoc's Alternative Medicine Website - Provided by nature, proven by science http://members.xoom.com/AZAquadoc/index.htm

Get Well http://www.getwell.com.au//getwell/default.html

Great Day America Health http://www.greatdayamerica.com/health/

Healing Resources http://www.healingresources.org/

Positive Health News http://www.execpc.com/~keephope/phn.html

On Health http://onhealth.com/home/index.asp

BioMed Medical Center http://www.prosch.com/

UC Davis Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine http://www-camra.ucdavis.edu/

Handi Links Health Directory http://www.handilinks.com/index.php3/Health/

Electric Library http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/00387.html

Health Medicine Link Ease http://www.linkease.com/health/category.asp

Immune dysfunction http://naturalhealthconsult.com/immune.html

New interaction reports with drugs or herbs http://www.naturalmed.net/

National Center For Compentary and Alternative Medicine http://altmed.od.nih.gov/

The Daily Apple Health info http://www.thedailyapple.com/

Health A-Z http://www.healthatoz.com/

How do your hospitals and doctors rank? http://www.healthgrades.com/

Natural Choice Directory http://www.naturalchoice.net/

Prevention Web Site http://www.healthyideas.com/index.html

Herbal remedies by Prevention http://www.healthyideas.com/healing/herb/

Holistic Healing http://www.inforamp.net/~marcotte/healing.htm#Directories

Holistic World http://www.holisticworld.com/

Medicine Net http://www.medicinenet.com/Script/Main/hp.asp

Medscape http://www.medscape.com/Home/Topics/multispecialty/multispecialty.html

Mercury free dentistry http://www.mercuryfree.co.uk/

Natural Health Line http://www.naturalhealthvillage.com/

Natural Remedies http://www.tsn2000.com/h-natrem.htm

NATUROPATHIC DOCTORS http://aanp.net/Welcome.html

Rx Alternatives http://www.pandamedicine.com/search.php3

Stay Healthy.com http://www.infodrug.com/

Taber's Medical Dictionery http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?t=8805&p=~br,IHW|~st,408|~r,WSIHW000|~b,*|

Personal Health Zone - Herbal info, herb/drug interactions, recipes, etc http://www.personalhealthzone.com/

Get Well, Natural Health Advise For You and Your Family http://www.getwell.com.au/getwell/advice.html

Free Newsletter, products, travel http://www.naturalregistry.com/index4.htm

Alternative Medicine Digest - products and explanation of what they do http://www.worldimage.com/amd.html

****************************CHEMICALS IN OUR WORLD***************************************

Multiple Chemical Sensitivities http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Spa/4415/links.html

American Chemcyclopedia http://pubs.acs.org/chemcy/

Office of Pesticide Programs http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/

Air Pollution and Respiratory Health http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/asthma/default.htm

All Asthma, Allergies, and Intolerance Information on the web http://www.allallergy.net/index.html

Nat'l Library of Medicine - Clinical trials http://www.aegis.com/pubs/trials/index.html

HEPA Air Cleaners https://airclean.securesites.com/cgi-bin/shop/loadpage.cgi?user_id=id&file=1.htm

*********************************************************HERBS**************************************************************

Aromatic and Medicinal Plant index http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/med-aro/toc.html

Frontier Natural Products/herbs http://www.frontiercoop.com/

Herb Research Foundation http://www.herbs.org/index.html

East Earth Trade Winds - Chinese herbs http://www.eastearthtrade.com/cgi-bin/catalog10

Herbs http://www.mothernature.com/ency/Index/Herb_Index.asp

Herbs - Dave's Notebook http://www.herbaldave.com/Herbs/Single_Herbs/index.html

Hungry House Herbs http://www.herbpage.com/historical.htm

Medicinary Catalog http://www.ncnm.edu/medcat.htm

**********************************************CANCER SITES**********************************

Cancer Cure with Enzyme Therapy http://www.cancercure.f2s.com/index.html

Gerson Therapy - Natural Cancer treatment http://www.gerson.org/links.shtml

*******************************************CHELATION SITES *****************************

Chelation therapy questions http://www.commercesite.com/chelation/

http://www.drcranton.com/index.htm

http://www.ivankrohnmd.com/

http://members.tripod.com/~focs/index.html

Shepherd of Hope Clinic - chelation, prolotherapy, colonics, and more http://www.shepherdofhope.com/

Chelation therapy, etc http://www.ivankrohnmd.com/

*****A FEW MISCELLANEOUS SITES THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE*******************

USA Data.com Marketing Info http://www.usadata.com/usadata/index.htm

The Old Timer's Page - the way we used to do things http://waltonfeed.com/old/default.htm

Peter D'Adamo, N.D. Eat Right 4 Your Type at http://www.dadamo.com

George Malkmus's web site (author of God's Way to Ultimate Health) at http://hacres.com/html/halldiet.html

Also check out Gorden and Jackie's Home Page another great home site for those people who are suffering with multiple chemical sensitivies at http://www.supernet.net/~jackibar/index.html

Holistic Healing at http://www.inforamp.net/~marcotte/healing.htm#Directories

Holistic Internet Community http://www.holistic.com/~holistic

NAET site at http://www.naet.com/