VI - Three Important body parts you never hear about

What are the most important parts of the body? In western medicine we might say the heart, brain and blood. When you look at the body through an immune system lens the answer is PSOAS,  FASCIA and LYMPH. Lets look at each of these critical parts of body, how they interact with the immune system and impact your health.

PSOAS (pronounced SO-as)

Lets start at the beginning - the psoas. The first question is: How is this the beginning? Isn't it in the middle of the body. It is because the psoas is where the body started life at conception. The original cell at conception was the middle of the body; it's where we attached to our mothers during the birthing pregnancy. It is a logical place to start. Think of making pizza pie. To make the crust we place a dough ball in the middle of the pan and stretch in all directions. The same thing happened to our body during pregnancy and throughout the growth or our bodies - we expanded from the middle.

The psoas muscle (referred to as tenderloin in some animals) is the center of the body connecting the legs to the upper body.



As you can see, the psoas is very complex. Notice the many connections from the hips to the spine and  the legs.  This is the key body part connecting north and south - it is where the legs connect with the back. It is the key muscle determining the flexibility of hip flexors. A healthy, flexible psoas allows olympic divers to press their chests against their thighs during a "jack-knife" dive. An unhealthy tightened psoas pulls everything toward the middle. We notice this in old people who cannot stand upright. Our posture is determined by the psoas. When healthy and loose we can reach from the hips; shoulders go back and are in straight horizontal line with our hips and knees. When tight, the psoas constantly pulls the spine which brings the shoulders and head forward. Thats why we see those old people walking at half mast.

The legs are also impacted by the psoas. The psoas has direct link to your hip flexors. When loose, hamstrings and IT band stretch sufficiently to allow bending and lifting without pain or restriction. However, when tight, cramping will appear in hamstrings, calves and feet  (plantar fasciitis). Our fascia, (which will be discussed in a second) runs from head to foot and it all goes through the psoas.

We hold our emotions in our psoas. Anxiety and stress tighten the psoas; laughing and crying release the psoas muscle. Intuition comes from the psoas. Hunched shoulders of the emotionally abused and depressed is a tightened psoas. We have sayings that refer to these emotions: tight ass, belly laugh, gut decision, etc. This answers the age old question why do I cry when I laugh? Both laughing and crying are "releases" from the psoas. In fact, burping and hiccups are diaphragm releases that can be caused from psoas releases. Just further proof that it's all connected. In all animals it starts in the middle, the PSOAS.

The way to heal your psoas is twofold. First, to clean the lymph system so the psoas has proper nutrition flowing through it (see lymph below). Second is through a psoas release. At times, the psoas is so tight that it takes months or even years to get a full release. A psoas release is an intense massage technique. During a release a patient can have laughing attacks, crying spells, recall forgotten emotional tragedies, etc. All that is stored within the psoas comes pouring out. Think of your body like a spring with the psoas in the middle. When tight the spring is pinched. When released it opens and allows you to open the rest of the body to release or stretch.

FASCIA

How does the flexibility spread to all parts of the body if it starts at the psoas? The fascia is an elaborate system of bands and sheaths from head to toe that hold our skeleton, organs and muscles together. Think of this as seven layers of wet suits from head to toe. The deepest level wraps the spine, the outer most level is just under the skin. There is a level outside the ribs and one inside the ribs. At times, the fascia is very similar to under armor clothing where it is sheath spread out over an area (in the chest area), in other areas, it is a rubber band (around the knees). This is why so many people have knee pain. The fascia is so minimal around the knee. Sick lymph will show many times show in the knee first.

And here's the Deep Front Line from the inner arch (left) to the bat ears of the temporalis muscles coming from the jaw (right). 

The pictures above are from the Tom Myers site anatomy trains.
(www.anatomytrains.com/blogs/tom-myers/2009/05/30/374)

This is the first American dissection of fascia in 2006. (Think about it - most dissections are done horizontally to show body parts.) It clearly shows the connective links from head to toe. When the middle tightens, you can see how everything is pulled. That is why headaches to foot pain are caused from sick fascia and tight psoas. The theory is simple: Bad food and emotional tension tightens the psoas, pulls the fascia and causes pain in the weakest part of the body causing symptoms ranging from migraines in the head to plantar fasciitis in the feet and everything in between.

Try this:
1) Sit on the edge of your chair.
2) Interlock your fingers in front of you.
3) Straighten and push your arms away from you with palms pointed away
4) Now lift your arms above you and in back of your head with your arms straight and REACH

Notice how you feel this in your chest, middle section and many times your toes will move outwards when you reach.  Now look at the picture above and do it again. Many of you will feel all parts of this frontal line stretch. Welcome to the world of fascia.

To regain flexibility and have the ability to move through space with grace a myofascial release is necessary. After the psoas is released, a trained myofascial expert can "spread the pizza dough out from the center. The sequence above the waist is; psoas, diaphragm, chest, shoulders, arms, neck and head. The sequence below the waist is quads, hamstrings and IT bands, calves, feet.

LYMPH

OK, now that you know how we start in the middle, spread to the outside through fascia - the question is how do I stay healthy? The answer is the lymph. Lymph travels through the fascia delivering nutrition to all parts of the body. A friend of mine, Paul Chhabra, is on the front end of research proving that what we ingest is the biggest factor on fascia health.

The body is designed to eat natural foods from plants and animals that eat natural plants. When something different is eaten, the immune system is taxed to clean out the toxins brought from the foreign foods, drink, air or meds. As the immune system becomes taxed and can't keep up, the lymph becomes polluted and deposits toxins throughout the body. Our bodies then become more susceptible to disease and pain. The following are ALL symptoms of toxic lymph traveling through fascia:

Joint pain, head aches, runny nose, cough, sneezing, muscle pain and cramps, light headedness, ringing in the ears, rosacea, sweating, stomach ache, vomiting, etc.

There are three steps to healing all body parts: 1) Clean 2) Heal 3) Nourish. Too often, we take meds to rid the symptoms without curing the cause - a dirty lymph system. The meds rid the symptoms but often make the lymph more toxic. The only way to rid the symptoms AND improve your health is to do a food cleanse - eating only natural foods and flushing the toxins out of our body. The REALLY good news is that anti-inflammatory natural foods have cleansing properties. So green veggies and herbs act as soap for the lymph. Drinking filtered water and herbal teas flushes the toxins out after the "soap" scrubs them out of our joints, etc. The lymph will extract the toxins and use the circulatory system, sweat glands and digestive system to exit the body.

In summary, when looking through the immune system lens, the three most important parts to your body are, psoas, fascia and lymph. The three are integrated and coordinated to deliver nutrition and clean toxins throughout the body. It is a biological miracle. The best way to stay healthy is to breathe good air,  drink clean water and herbal tea, eat natural foods and avoid synthetic medications.

God Bless

V - Cleansing is a necessary first step to healing

Cleansing is the critical first step to healing the lymph system. In previous posts I made the case that the lymph is the most important part of the body for good health. This post will discuss how to clean the lymph. A cleanse should be done at least annually. The first time you cleanse will be much more difficult and take longer than future annual cleanses. There is a three step process to healing:
1) Cleanse 2) Heal 3) Nourish

No one's lymph is perfectly clean. Think of your lymph as a bucket that is designed to handle some amount of toxins. Keep in mind, our body is designed to eat natural foods - fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes and meat of animals that eat those things. When the lymph gets overloaded with unnatural substances, the "bucket" spills and your body will sputter. The following symptoms are signs (sputtering) that lymph is over loaded: light headed, dizzy, headaches and migraines, diarrhea, fat, nausea, sweating, runny nose, sore throat, rash, pressure in the ears, joint pain, cramping, muscle fatigue and ticklish to the touch. YES, all of these are symptoms of the same problem - sick lymph traveling through fascia. If these symptoms appear on a regular basis - more than once a year - your lymph needs to be cleaned.

Typical western medicine remedies for these symptoms are prescription and over-the-counter medicines to manage the symptoms. However, these remedies do not solve the problem. Aspirin kills the head pain, cold medicine will stop a runny nose, etc. The meds do not solve the problem of sick lymph. In fact, the synthetic meds worsen the lymph. Our bodies cannot filter the unnatural substances and deposit the remains in our fascia causing more potential problems down the road. (That's why we have all the warnings associated with meds.) The meds stabilize the symptoms until the body can regulate itself by building immunities to manage the new amount of toxins. The medications actually improve your chances that more symptoms will show in the future.

The lymph must be cleansed to cure the core problem and avoid future illnesses. A clean lymph travels through healthy fascia and delivers nutrients throughout the body protecting it from further illness. The ONLY way to clean the lymph is to use natural foods that release the toxins and flush out the body.

The first step of a cleanse is to stop ingesting additional toxins. Without additional toxins the immune system can start to clean the lymph and nourish the fascia. The first cleanse is difficult because of the addiction to the foods we eat. As we eat unnatural foods our body builds immunities that over time build cravings for those same foods. Think of how bad your first beer tasted. The reason is your body was trying to reject the substance. As you continue to drink beer, the body builds a craving for it. Now as you stop, there will be pain and immune symptoms associated with the detach. Typical detachment symptoms are headaches, diarrhea and frequent urination.

A proper cleanse takes at least forty days and could take up to one year. This is why people do not rush to do it - it is hard. Like all good things, the end justifies the means. Did you know that all religions have some type of toxic cleanse as part of the religious ritual. It is not coincidental that Jesus fasted for 40 days to cleanse his body before he was crucified. In biblical times, cleansing was used as a community health program. In addition, you cannot be happy or spiritual unless you have a healthy body with clean lymph.

A person has to eat ONLY natural foods for forty consecutive days to clean the lymph. I recommend building up to this over time. First, eliminate any tobacco products for three weeks. Then eliminate all drink other than filtered water and herbal teas. Lastly, eliminate toxic foods. The foods to include are: preservatives (anything packaged), salt, sugar, dairy and yeast. Your lymph will be clean when you have done this for forty days. This process should be repeated annually to maintain a healthy immune system and avoid the symptoms in the future.

Here is my story:

I had my first meniere's attacks in the spring of '08. The symptoms of meniere's of fourfold, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), pressure in the ears, dizziness and nausea. I had all four symptoms. My "attacks" included four hour bouts of violent vomiting which felt like food poisoning.

I took a stepped approach to my cleanse. First, was sodium followed by drinks from bottles and cans, dairy, yeast, preservatives and sugar. I increased my fruits and vegetables by starting each day with a fruit, vegetable and herbal smoothie. This process took me six to nine months to get where my system was back in balance. During that time I lost over twenty pounds. Each time I gave up another toxic food group I would have a reduction in weight as my body flushed itself of the built-up immunities.

Now, four years later, I weigh my college weight for the first time since college. Most importantly, I have not been sick or taken any meds (even aspirin) in four years. In other words, my immune system is healthy. (The year before I started the cleanse I had five meniere's attacks, my back went out four times and I had daily muscle cramps...and a partridge in a pear tree.)

This has been the MOST DIFFICULT - SATISFYING thing I've done. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying and implementing healthy techniques. Nothing is how it used to be. I eat nothing now that I used to eat. I changed my daily routine to be more relaxing and healthy. I stopped strenuous exercise for walking. There is balance and rhythm to my life.

I don't say this to brag. I say this to say IT IS WORTH IT. I never thought it would take this long - it's been four years and I expect it will be part of me for the rest of my life! More important, I never thought it would be this rewarding. I understand my body. I know what I have to do to keep stay healthy. It has been best thing in my life outside of my family and career.

JUST GET STARTED.

IV - The body is one organism speaking in the language of pain

As previously stated, my transformational journey started when a holistic rehabilitation specialist suggested that the ringing in my right ear and pain in my lower left back were caused by compaction in the right hip. More outrageous, his recommendation to fix my hip was to stop eating yeast and salt.

This post will try to explain, in simple terms, why this was his diagnosis. I have since learned, without a doubt, that the original diagnosis was spot on. The two best books I read on the subject are:

The Endless Web, by R. Louis Schultz, PhD and Rosemary Feitis, DO
Rolfing and Physical Reality, by Ida Rolf

Too often we separate the body into different parts when in truth it is one living organism. The one body is governed by a complex immune system which runs through connective tissue called fascia. The fascia holds the body together. (Did you ever ask yourself - What holds the skeleton together? I always thought it was muscles...but if that's case - What holds the muscles together? In fact, it is the connective tissue.) In addition, the fascia is the highway that the immune system travels to deliver nutrients and extract toxins.

There are seven layers of fascia that hold our body together. The fascia is made of biological straps and sheaths (think of wet suits or under armor) that run from head to foot. The inner most layer wraps the spine and the outmost layer is just under the skin. There is a layer inside and outside the ribs that run down over the hip. Tom Myers is the leading pioneer in discovery and teachings of fascia. Check out the web site below. Truly amazing.

http://www.anatomytrains.com/explore/dissection

Now you can understand how my right hip caused a ringing in my ear when you see the fascial frontal line and the direct link from the hip to the neck and ear.

Paul Chhabra, Certified Rehabilitation Specialist, is the leading pioneer on how food impacts the health of the fascia.  Paul teaches that what you eat has a direct impact on the fascia.  The more anti-inflammatory food you eat, the lighter the lymph and better pliability of the fascia.

Healthy fascia is limber. We see examples of these all the time in sports. Gymnasts, basketball players, dancers, etc. exhibit their fascia health every day. On the other hand, we can all picture the old man, bent over, walking with a cane who's fascia has dried up and frozen so he cannot stand up.

Sick fascia and toxic lymph send the body signals (symptoms) that all is not well. These symptoms are:

* Joint Pain
* Headaches (migraines too)
* Rosacea
* Runny nose
* Itchiness - especially eyes
* Tickling to the touch
* Tiredness
* Ringing in ears
* Stiffness of joints
* Muscle Pain
* Cramping
* Redness in Cheeks
* Body fat

You have sick fascia if you suffer from two or more of these conditions - regardless of where it occurs on the body. (I know someone who had a bad pain in the right knee and left shoulder. No way did she think the two problems were caused by the same thing. However, there is a spiral fascia that wraps the  upper spinal and rib section of the body - connecting the leg to the opposite shoulder.)

The only way to heal sick fascia is through cleansing. To clean the fascia, you need to eat a toxic free diet for at least forty days. (The first cleanse will probably take six months or more.) It is recommended that you do a forty day detox cleanse at least once a year. To do a cleanse one must avoid inflammatory foods and eat foods that lighten the lymph which travels through the fascia. (See my previous post.)

In summary, the body is one organism. Tied together by a complex system of connective tissue called fascia. The fascia is the network in which lymph travels to deliver nutrients and extract toxins.  The body has symptoms to signal us that the lymph and fascia are sick. To have proper health the lymph needs to be light which is accomplished by eating a NATURAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET. After all, our body was designed to take in energy from natural and animals that eat natural plants. Society has drifted a long way from there. No wonder we all need a cleanse.

III - Eating for a Healthy Immune System

Your immune system has two major responsibilities. The first is to defend the body against toxins. It does this by using nutrients that travel in the lymph through a complex structure of connective tissue - fascia. Think of this as a constant battle. Where the lymph is defending the castle (your body) which is being invaded by the enemy (toxins). This war is raging 24 hours a day. (In fact sleeping is an important time for your immune system. This is when it does its house cleaning of your body.)

The "lighter" the lymph the better it navigates the body and defends the body. Natural foods lighten the lymph and unnatural foods thicken it. The foods and drinks you ingest do one of two things - either increase the defenders or the invaders. Inflammation of food is the best determinant of whether your food or drink is beneficial to the immune system. Below is a list of the foods to avoid and the types of food to add to have a better, healthier immune system.

Foods, drink, and air to avoid

Breath - anything inhaled is drawn directly into your body and severely taxes your immune system if it is not healthy. Air penetrates the cell walls easier than liquid and solids. That is why it is crucial to breathe fresh air.

1) Tobacco - whether you smoke or chew, the nicotine in this shade plant is deadly. Nicotine lodges in lungs and joints and is very difficult to get out of your system. It builds up over time and becomes a deadly killer.

2) Mold - you should live and breathe in a mold free environment. Hidden mold has been the cause of many difficult diseases to diagnose. Please have your work and home environment checked.

3) Pollen - pollen is produced during change of season. Many people blame "germs" in the fall and spring for sicknesses at school etc. In fact, it is the vast pollen that taxes the immune system and allows the germs to do the damage.

4) Other - be conscience of air fresheners, fertilizer, cleaning material etc. Usually, your eyes will be the first sensor to alert you to bad air.  Have potted herbs in the home if you need "fresh smelling" air. Not only does it smell nice, it cleans the air and you can "harvest" for your cooking needs.

Check your work environment. Wear a mask if you paint, work in a beauty salon, polish shoes, spray fertilizer, clean homes, clean pools, etc.

Drink - liquid penetrates the cell walls faster than solids. To clean out your body, start with the liquids

4) Diet soda - many people drink diet soda and think the low calorie drinks are helping their bodies. In fact, the aspartame in diet pop is a deadly chemical. It causes inflammation in the brain if consumed over a long period of time. Aspartame was legalized by the FDA in 1973. Since then, child and adult neurological illnesses have skyrocketed - Alzheimer's, dementia, ADD, etc. Important to this blog, the consumption of aspartame prohibits the immune system from defending against disease.

5) Sugar drinks - Sugar is an inflammatory. Inflammation slows and stops the lymph from flowing. Avoid sugar at all costs. In addition, any sweetener that comes from corn, corn syrup, glucose, fructose, etc. have small amounts of mercury in them. Again, this inhibits, if not denies, the immune system from doing its job.

FOOD - We eat 1,000 meals a year. How you feel is directly related to the food and the drink you consume. Inflammation is the biggest determinant of foods to avoid. For help in determining the inflammation factor of your diet visit nutritiondata.com.  Avoid the following types of foods:

6) Yeast - Yeast is a powerful inflammatory. (We have all seen bread rise.) Yeast has a chemical reaction with lots of other foods that give it an exponential inflammation impact. One of these chemical reactions is with hormones. WOMEN ON BIRTH CONTROL SHOULD NOT CONSUME ANY YEAST. When the two are mixed the yeast deposits hormones in the thighs and neck areas. Many fit twenty-something - forty-something women have large thighs from the results of the yeast and hormone effect. Men get the beer belly from the yeast in beer.

7) Sodium - the FDA recommends  < 2500 mg of sodium per day. I recommend <1200 mg. This is especially true for individuals with swollen jowls, redness in cheeks, excessive sweating, etc. The good news about salt is that it is natural and can be flushed out if there are not other inflammatories occupying the immune system.

8) Sweets - Sugar is a huge inflammatory. Sugar made from corn has minuscule amounts of mercury that cause damage when consumed over a long period of time. Again, the immune system does not know how to handle this unnatural substance. So it gets deposited in the body in the form of fat. A total body cleanse is necessary to rid the body of the mercury.

9) Dairy - Dairy is inflammatory and causes the immune system to weaken.

10) Inorganic red meat - the high volume meat production in the USA has added many chemicals to what used to be considered a healthy food choice. Now it is inflammatory and filled with chemicals which slows and weakens the immune system. Check out the documentary Forks over Knives for more information on the harmful aspects of the American meat processing.

11) Over-the-counter and pharmaceutical medications - avoid all inorganic medicines as they weaken the immune system. Drugs manage the symptoms and do not address the core problem of illness. Strengthening the immune system is the ONLY way to cure the underlying cause.

12) Processed foods - anything in a box, bottle or can has had preservatives added. This is done to allow shipping and a longer shelf life. Read Healthy Self by Paul Chhabra for a list of the preservatives to avoid.

Here is a list to add your daily diet:

 Breathe - good breathing will make the quickest impact on your over all health and immune system. Exercise at a rate that can you take deep, full breaths. DO LESS BETTER. Don't strain. Exercise should be a release.

1) Walk at least 20 - 60 minutes a day or more - preferably in an open, clean air environment. Get a dog or a partner and make it more enjoyable. If you are too ill to walk in a park, try walking in an open air pool to lessen the weight on your joints.

2) Stretch and breathe - Yoga has great benefits for the immune system. It stimulates the fascia and moves the lymph to help distribute the nutrients. Start each day by standing on your toes and reaching for the sky and then bending over to touch your toes if you cannot get to a yoga class.

Drink

1) Drink filtered water - toxins in water is the single biggest factor to cancer, heart disease and other terminal illnesses. That's right - it is worse than fat and calories. Your body is built to absorb and distribute water. When polluted, the toxins are absorbed and distributed throughout the body. The immune system cannot keep pace; weakens and allow the build up of toxins.  Have your water checked - especially if you are on well water. Drink bottled water. Get a filter on your drinking water in a well water house. I will NOT drink well water. PERIOD

2) Drink organic herbal teas made in the USA - This liquid is absorbed and the nutrients are fuel injected into your lymph and distributed throughout the body. The heat of the tea makes it easier for the body to absorb. My two favorite brands are Yogi and Traditional Medicinal Teas. 

3) Eat anti-inflammatory foods - visit nutritiondata.com for inflammation rating
   - green vegetables - broccoli, kale, cucumber,
   - herbs - garlic, ginger, basil, parsley, turmeric, etc
 
4) Eat natural foods - organic vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and animals that eat organic. Your body is built to eat natural foods. Therefore calories really don't matter when they are natural because your immune system is built handle them.

II - Basic Approach to Auto-Immune Diseases

There are a few simple beliefs that I follow for dealing with Meniere's. This one page will explain most, if not all the answers for the rest of this blog. All the wisdom is in these few simple statements.

A) The body is one organism - monitored by the immune system - that speaks to us in the universal language of pain.

B) The main purpose of ALL living creatures is to take in energy and dispose of waste.

C) FLUIDITY + MOBILITY = LONGEVITY

D) The three step process to healing is:

   1) CLEAN
   2) HEAL
   3) NUTURE

E) Humans are designed to eat natural plants and animals that eat natural plants

These lessons were taught to me by Yashpal (Paul) Chhabra. Paul is a licensed rehabilitation therapist and author. His latest book "Healthy Self - Improve Your Immune System and Improve Your Health" is chock-full of helpful advise, recipes and experiences. I have been blessed to have him as a tour guide on my transformation journey.

*******************

Story about mantra A - The body is one organism.

My journey started on June 4, 2008. It was my 49th birthday. I had played golf that day and my back "went out" when I got home. It was fourth time within a year. I could not stand to get to the dinner table to eat my birthday dinner. I promised my family I would fix the problem by my 50th birthday. A month earlier, I had my first Meniere's attack which I thought was food poisoning at the time.

A dentist friend of mine recommended I visit Paul Chhabra about my back.  He had sent patients to Paul with TMJ problems. I asked about Paul's credentials. My friend said, "Don't ask - just go and do what he says." I was desperate. I had been to doctors, chiropractors, personal trainers, etc. (Later he would tell me that he noticed my swollen jowls.)

On my first visit, Paul asked me my goals. I stated I wanted to fix my back and get rid of the light-headedness I was constantly feeling. (I had no idea I had Meniere's at that time.) He had me strip down to my underwear. I'll never forget what Paul said after looking at me for 60 seconds. He said, "Rich, you eat too much salt and yeast and your right hip is compacted." Imagine! I've been standing in my underwear for 60 seconds in front of a man I've never met before and he is telling me that my diet and right hip is causing both my headaches and back pain (on my left side).

So I ask, "How do you know that after looking at me for sixty seconds?"

Paul says, "You have swollen jowls and you tilt your head to the right when you stand." He would go on to explain how the jowls are located next to lymph nodes in the neck. Too much yeast and salt cause the jowls to swell. When the neck "swells" the lymph glands slow - or stop - and the ability for the immune system to rid the body of toxins is compromised. When compromised, symptoms of undisposed toxins show up in many different forms. That made sense to me. He had my buy-in.

I asked Paul what I had to do fix the problem. He recommended I cut sodium to 1200 mg a day - half of FDA recommended amount, stop eating yeast and come back in two weeks. At that time, I would have bet I didn't eat too much sodium. I didn't  put salt on anything.  I thought I had a pretty healthy diet. Oh, the things I had to learn. Anyway, I went home to try to fulfill the script "to eat differently".

Over time, Paul would explain how the immune system travels by connective tissue - called fascia - throughout the body. When the immune system is weak symptoms can show up - literally - from head to foot. Therefore, my back tightness and my swollen head were two different symptoms of the same problem - a weak immune system.

I - Battling Meniere's Naturally - Introduction

Hi, my name is Rich Nemesi. In 2008, at the age of 49, I had my first Meniere's attacks. Now, four years later, I agree with my holistic mentor, who said, "Rich, this will be the biggest blessing of your life."

If successful, this blog will become a site that explains how a disease that causes severe dizziness and four hour violent nausea attacks turns out to be a blessing.  For me, it was a wake up call to "listen" to my body and change my habits. I have adopted a "natural" approach to my illness. By doing so, I have improved my overall health and managed my meniere's.

Along the way I have met some very knowledgeable people and read some amazing books. I would like to thank my mentor and health professionals who have taught me. It is truly a "blessing" to feel like I have my hands on the steering wheel of health. (Rather than feeling like I was on auto pilot headed toward a mountain.) I know that I can get better every day. I know it is up to me, not my disease, as to how I feel.

This blog is one of HOPE. I believe auto-immune diseases can be beat. I have studied AND practiced these teachings for four years. This blog will simplify what I have learned to basic lessons. The information is intentionally simple. I hope to hear from readers that both support and debate the basic theories.

I am NOT a physician, or any kind of medical professional. I have NO financial motive for this site. In fact, I was never any good at science as a student. I believe this "lack of knowledge" assisted me in making the decisions to take a natural approach. I used common sense vs. data - intuition vs. fact to lead me on my journey.

My motivation for blogging is to help others who battle Meniere's and other auto-immune diseases. The actions I have taken will benefit all who have weakened immune systems. This approach should work for battling a cough to Multiple Sclerosis. I will not spout scientific data on studies supporting my observations. I believe I have been a scientific study of ONE. This site will give you the results of my journey. At times I may even get the anatomy terms and facts mixed up. I don't bother with supporting data or foot noting.  (At times I will reference books or web sites). However, I will try to explain the  common sense used to make my decisions.

I hope this becomes an educational diary. My approach is a BIG leap of faith. It was for me, based on very little data. But it was the ONLY approach that made sense to me. I had some REALLY knowledgeable people in the medical community lead me in other directions. This is the only approach that made sense.

The approach is SO simple, you may think it is idiotic. It requires no drugs, vitamins, surgery, or doctor visits. I was blessed with holistic practitioners and mentors who changed my life. I will pass on the books I have read and the teachings I have learned. I hope you enjoy and learn from my transformation journey. God Bless.