my psych professor's voice keeps repeating in my head like a cassette tape that is jammed in the car stereo system (yes, i still have a tape deck in my car and i think it's retro. so there.) he shared a very relevant insight during one of the spring semester's last lectures in regards to autism (it was the week's topic) and more specifically, treatment options. an entire class was dedicated to the ever changing, mostly unproven, non-recommended, "alternative" attempts that are highly popular among the general public. while there are elements of this tendency that can be credited to lack of proper education and/or health care resources, what mostly drives people to seek such outlandish methods is out of pure desperation and fear.
he was sharing shocking, concerning stats on the increasing number of confirmed diagnoses and that the range of autism itself has actually expanded as well. for example, the waiting list for a child with suspected autism to be seen and treated in the pediatric neurodevelopment unit of GHS's children's hospital is 5 years long. (by the way, don't quote me on that, b/c my notes from that day are completely illegible- it must have been in the midst of a tremor- but i'm pretty sure my memory is accurate. it might even be longer than that, which is horrifying.) five years to get your child seen by an expert. five years for your children to get treatment recommendations. (which is ironic considering that the key to optimal outcomes for autistic children lies in early intensive intervention.) when a parent has a child that is sick- whether it is mentally, physically, spiritually- when their child is in crisis, 5 minutes can be agonizing. 5 years is completely unbearable.
so you can see how someone would be swayed by promises of relief and assistance with special diets (gluten-free, vitamin B, magnesium), hyperbaric oxygen chambers, cell therapies, antibiotic treatments, music therapy, detoxification, anti-fungal treatments, chinese medicine... the list is endless. a simple google search for "autism treatments" will yield just as much non credible information, if not more, than authentic info. so my brain makes the leap from autism to diseases that are difficult to treat in general, and i think, "oh god, is that what i have done? is my perception clouded?!"
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the onslaught of flashbacks have been chasing me for the past few weeks ever since i began experimenting with NAET treatments- a specialized allergy elimination technique that was developed for the diagnosis and treatment of allergies and allergy-related health disorders. this extremely gentle, non-invasive technique was developed by a physician in california, dr. nambudripad (dr. devi, for all intensive purposes), who has been trained and certified in many, many health professions (she has a ridiculously long list of acronyms beside her name to prove it) including registered nurse, chiropractor, kinesiologist, acupuncturist, and md. but as i go through these treatments, prof. evan's voice echoes softly behind me... would this classify as an "outlandish method" in my desperate quest for relief???
this all started from a recommendation for acupuncture suggested by my neurologist nurse (RN NEURO Sharon) and internist (DR. IM1), who thought some of my pain issues and frequent migraines could benefit from acupuncture treatments- she has a couple patients who have found this beneficial. so i took the initiative and called debbie smith (again, acronym central: R.O.M., Dipl.O.M. (NCCAOM), M.A.O.M.) at feel good acupunture in danville (near GHS, where i hang out w/ my doctor peeps frequently) to get some more information.
not surprisingly, i couldn't afford the acupuncture treatments (story of my life!) to be honest, it's pretty rare for even decent, private health insurance plans to cover alternative therapies like acupuncture, so i wasn't surprised in the least to hear my shitty, state-funded health insurance would not help defray the costs involved. (note to state of pa: i'm very very very very appreciative to have the shitty health insurance though.) unfortunately, this is something i am having to address more and more as i go beyond the boundaries of western medicine to seek relief. i just pray that my SSD appeal goes through sometime this summer and i can start more frequent reiki treatments, continue w/ NAET, and begin acupuncture.
anyway, during my conversation w/ deb, many of the details of my complicated health history and what i was looking for in a treatment came to the surface, so when i had to decline the acupuncture treatment, deb suggested NAET treatment, which is less expensive and not as time-sensitive as acupuncture (ie- it would not have an effect on the quality or longevity of the treatment if i came every week or every 4 weeks- the only downside is that obviously the whole process would just take longer). i was immediately intrigued b/c of the ever-increasing problems i have developed with various food groups/types over the past years. for example, two years ago, i was able to identify that many of my chronic GI troubles stemmed from a sensitivity to gluten, causing me to radically change my daily diet and entire outlook on food. a year later, we realized i was lactose intolerant (after DR. IM3 had steadily increased my activia yogurt intake to 3 per day to help address my digestive problems- gee, i wonder why i was getting sicker?!)
deb explained that she would not be surprised if i had very high sensitivity to many food and environmental allergens based on my health deficiencies, and that the treatments might be able to offer me some relief i haven't found elsewhere in regards to both GI discomfort and overall pain and sensitivity. you see, a "normal" immune system (ie not mine), when facing contact with an offending agent, will immediately release chemical mediators to counteract the allergic reaction. but in a weak immune system, the body perceives what would normally be chemically mediated harmless substances into evil, dangerous, and threatening intruders, which in turn stimulates a massive production of antibodies to defend the body. from there, it snowballs into major disaster mode- things don't settle down as quietly and seamlessly as they would in a healthy immune system and the beginning of an allergic reaction has begun. (it is the same theory of someone w/ a weakened immune system being more susceptible to picking up a cold, or other infection.)
i'm big on instant "clicks" with people- from friendships to dating to consumer services, including health related services and my spats w/ verizon wireless. and trust me, i've had lots of experience with both of those- esp. verizon. oh just the thought of those greedy, misleading, unreasonable jerks makes me grimace. but i immediately liked and trusted deb- she is incredibly easy to talk to, not forceful or pushy, extremely informative, and really passionate about her job/practice. it comes across in every aspect of her practice. also, she actually studied under dr. devi, and was a patient of the NAET treatment itself before becoming a practitioner. (i have to admit, there was a rush of relief to realize she wasn't one of those hippie, wacko, mystic healers!
this is the part where i'm going to make an attempt explaining dr. devi's theory on allergens and their relationship to health problems, and the technique (NAET) used in to eliminate such toxins in your body. i emphasize the word "attempt" because this is one of those things where the more you read and learn, the more you are able to understand. one thing that really struck me was the difference between the philosophies of western medicine vs. alternative medicines (or chinese medicine, or homeopathic medicine, or acupuncture, etc.) in regards to allergies.
there is no known successful method of treatment for food allergies using western medicine except avoidance (and we all know that is just another word for a pain in the ass, frustration, and deprivation)! when your body is allergic to a food, it is not able to absorb the vital nutrients from the food b/c it is so busy fighting off the offending substance- this leaves your body without the intended nutrients it may need to function properly and efficiently.
NAET is a blend of testing and treatment procedures from acupuncture/acupressure, allopathy, chiropractic, nutritional, and kinesiological disciplines. at the core, it is based on oriental medicine's principles, which is based on the ideal, yin-yang state of the perfect balance of energies. any imbalance in that state will cause an energy difference which in turn, is an allergy.
what NAET seeks to do is desensitize your body to the offending allergen so that it is no longer perceived as a threat, and in its place, imprints a new, neutral memory. from that point on, substance would be able to travel through all the energy channels of the body w/out encountering blockages. if you look into this practice more in depth, you'll start to see that virtually anything and everything in the world could be perceived as an allergen (even emotions and inanimate objects), so it's up to the relationship between the practitioner and the patient to narrow the treatment plan enough so that the most offending allergens are isolated.
this involved a dive into the very deep pool of meg's medical history, and the current challenges i'm dealing with. from this, deb was able to compile a basic group of 16 possible allergens to test and consequently treat me for. not surprisingly, i registered a very high sensitivity for all 16 (and then some- we even tested for some odd ones, including fluorescent lighting, lunar radiation and rage. yep, all came back positive! there goes my dreams of moon walking!) each treatment is done one at a time. so far, i have been treated for, and cleared of, BFF and egg mixture, and was most recently treated for calcium mixture.
another interesting aspect of this treatment is that it requires my mom to be a surrogate (no, she's not giving birth to an allergen free robot). basically, she is the conduit for the allergy treatments, and by skin to skin contact, passes the treatment on to me. i have to say, she has been an extremely good sport, even though i KNOW she was struggling to keep a straight face, especially that first day! the reason she has to act as a surrogate is because of the method used to test and treat the offending allergens.
this method is called muscle response testing (MRT) and here's how it works: while holding a test tube vial containing the suspected allergen in their fist (their fist should be balled around the tube to "protect" the allergen- you want to ensure that nothing from the environment leaks in and interferes with the reading, such as the paper lining the exam table or the rubber handles on the side of the cushions) and is asked to extend their arm. the practitioner gently pushes down on the patient's extended arm while the patient is asked to consciously resist the downward pressure.
if the patient's arm maintains a strong resistance to the pressure, they are not allergic to the specific material. on the other hand, if their arm momentarily goes weak during this downward pressure, they are sensitive to the allergen. you might be wondering, why is meg's mom needed in this scenario if it's for meg's allergy? well, because of my MS-related weakness and pain in my extremities, it is highly likely that i would give false positives for this test. but as long as i maintain skin to skin contact during the testing, it is actually MY sensitivity that is being tested (similarly, if i maintain skin to skin contact during the treatment, i will be the end recipient of the treatment.)
random shout-out: the surrogate does not have to be consistent- any person can serve as the surrogate during a particular treatment session. so if you're lucky enough to visit on a monday afternoon, looks like you're in for a treat! ;) i'm thinking lori will def be game for this... did you notice lori lilac??
now, i know there are lots of you out there that are thinking this MRT system is a total joke. that's ok, i was skeptical too. it DOES seem too simple to be true! but here is what's happening in your body... in those short seconds or minutes, your nervous system is being tested. if it is irritated, even for one second, it will cause a temporary blip in the system which makes your arm go weak. ANY irritation to the nervous system will do this- even an uncomfortable thought or terrifying emotion!
one of the coolest things the MRT system can do (at least in my opinion) is to actually ask your body "yes" or "no" questions regarding your physical health- this will ultimately reveal information about troubled areas in your body that require attention. isn't that awesome?!?!? for example, before we began any treatment, deb asks my body for permission to treat the specific allergen. and she's hard core about it- if the arm is showing weak resistance, she asks a few more times, but if the answer is still "NO", or even a shaky "yes", she doesn't proceed w/ the treatment. this is b/c your body is trying to tell you something, and it's important to listen.
after the MRT testing, the treatment procedure can begin. first, the central nervous system is mildly stimulated using acupressure around the spine (this stimulates the nerves that carry messages to/from the brain to other organs and tissues within the body) while in the presence of each allergen (the patient or surrogate is still holding their fist tight around the vial). this is how/where the brain is reprogrammed with the new, harmless message. for the following 26 hours, it is important to keep the body's energy pathways clear and facilitate the new/reprogrammed allergen through all the appropriate channels.
to help with this process, the patient uses a small, pen-like massager (yes, it looks like a vibrator, i had to put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing at loud when deb first pulled it out) on 10 acupressure points along these meridians. you hold the massager on each point for 15 seconds, and this is done every 2 hours (or more frequently, if you can remember). during the 26 hours, all contact with the offending allergy is to be avoided. for example when i was treated for egg mixture, i couldn't even TOUCH down comforters, or anything that had chicken feathers, or even a tupperwear container that held chicken from last night's dinner. this part is EXTREMELY important and is the only major hassle w/ this technique. end result is that after 26 hours, the patient should be "cleared" of the allergy to the particular allergen. (if you are particularly sensitive to an allergen, like i am with sugar, it may take more than 1 treatment to "clear" me of this allergy. it just depends on your body.)
after my initial consult, deb was very up front with me. she explained that this was not going to be a magic cure, and that it was probably going to be a very long road. she suspected (and turned out to be right) that my allergies were going to be numerous, and would most likely need to be repeated more than once before they were cleared, and/or i noticed any change or benefit. i was thankful for her candor, and as i have read more about this treatment, and read further into dr. devi's teachings, i am appreciative of her honesty from the very beginning.
to supplement my NAET treatment, i am reading "say goodbye to illness", one of many books written by dr. devi. the book has proven to be an invaluable resource and also incredibly interesting- i would encourage any of you who might be interested in this treatment to find a copy online. in the preface, she explains,"when you are chemically and environmentally allergic to almost everything around you, it usually takes 2-3 years of continuous treatments w/ NAET before you can begin to come out of the bubble and into the real world..." however, this realization doesn't damper my belief in this technique, nor does it chip away at my faith that relief will come at its own time and own way. the main reason that dr. devi was led to research and pursue a career in this field came from a childhood of persistent and debilitating food allergies.
at another section in the book she makes a comment that very deeply resonates with me. "... until then, i was under the impression that everybody was supposed to experience a certain about of body aches and pains all the time, because i had never known otherwise..." during this week's calcium NAET treatment, deb was talking about all these symptoms that are not natural accomplices with eating- cramping, extreme fatigue, naseau, general discomfort, severe bloating. to be honest, i had never given it a second thought. part of me thought everyone felt this way after eating. i can't remember or name a food that has NOT brought on any of these (or all of these) conditions. it's my norm. i didn't really realize that this never crosses the minds of most people!! isn't it is amazing how quickly (or how much) our bodies will adapt to circumstance and situations. i can't remember what it is like to wake up in the morning and be able to put my feet on the floor without wincing in pain, without feeling the sharp, shooting pinpricks and stabbing pain that comes with the movement. i have forgotten what it was like to just... wake up.
"it is your HUMAN RIGHT to: eat whatever you want, live in whatever environment you want to live in, wear whatever clothes or cosmetics you want to wear, live or associate with whomever you want to, and be happy." this is how dr. devi starts chapter 1 in "goodbye to illness". you know, this can be quite easy to forget. i just assumed i was exempt from such ideals. i am constantly being forced to modify my lifestyle, my diet, my way of life... such a statement had not crossed my radar in.... years.
remember, you can view these postings directly on kitkat chat's blog
alexander kai morgensen
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