September 24, 2001
LupusGREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS from Arnold's Way!
Whispers of joy. White stretch limos
A sadness abounds
Young women, not girls, having faces
Blanked with pain
Answers need questions. Questions need answers
We walk the streets. We pray for no more
Does black mean white? Is time an illusion of space?
Needles and pins. Armbands are torn to shreds
Hard to remember healing is always from within
So begins this week's newsletter on lupus, one of those dreaded diseases, never
heard about until questions are asked. It's a disease that was almost
never mentioned in public. As a soft diaper ready for its first wipe, it's
a disease that exists in loud, bold print. Last week these facts became
obvious once I started to ask. Lupus is a disease that strikes mostly
black, young women. I'm sure there is more information on that. Each
with
theory, each with a thought to just carry them through the day.
This past week the lupus factor came roaring its ugly head through the door.
Those women who had it kept it to themselves. I wasn't quite sure why, but
it certainly wasn't a topic that any women brought up without being asked.
It was almost as though it was their quiet resolve that they have it, will
live with it, and there is nothing that can be done about it. It is on
this
basis that we chose to write about the hope, the possibilities, and the
breaking down of ignorance that has led to this type of thinking.
From when it began to where it ends my first thoughts on the lupus article
came on September 6, 2001. While scanning through a local newspaper one
article caught my eye. The headline flashed in big, bold, black
print. It
was an article that dared to challenge. It read, "Spreading the word
about
lupus in the Black community." The article stated that it affects 5
million
people a year between the ages of 15-44. Each year 5,000 people die from
lupus. An estimated 60% are black. To add fury to insult to the
average
reader it was stated there is no cure and no hope. If I had lupus, knowing
what I know I would be furious against the writer who wrote the article,
against the women who accepted this fate, against the medical profession
that only uses drugs as a temporary solution and drug research as their only
hope. But I am not black; I'm white. I'm not a woman; I am a man.
Nevertheless I'm furious for the way people are being duped on this no hope,
no cure issue. So begins my research on lupus where I devote 6-8 hours a
week picking out a different disease and explaining how poor lifestyle
choices can create disease and healthy lifestyle choices can heal disease.
That article and a short conversation I overheard on TV about lupus were the
fire of hearts that helped select this week's topic. The conversation,
which was heard not by choice, began mentioning the Lupus Foundation in
memory of a young woman who never got better and eventually died. As
always, as now, the way to supposedly prevent is by donation. Wrong,
wrong,
wrong. These words have to be ingrained in the minds of John Q. Public.
Money was not the answer yesterday, is not the answer today, nor will it be
the answer tomorrow.
We live in the type of world where the boundaries are no longer walls of
separation. We discover lupus is a disease of the 21st century where 2
million people are dying and are offered no hope, no cure. We at Arnold's
Way are operating from the tiniest of places having the fewest resources for
trying to spread this worldwide disease of hopelessness into a worldwide
possibility of possibilities. But for once to occur one has not to occur,
for action has to being with education. An education begins here. I
am
taking on the responsibility for myself and for others and all those around.
Lupus is a terrible disease being placed in our bodies. Who will win on
the
inside will eventually determine who will win on the outside.
As the words being to flow on lupus so healing begins. One word does not
stay in its path. It's spread, it's shared, it's a thought wave that
begins
the journey to create an omnipotent force of information and education that
will beat down those poisons that have tried so many times, so many
different paths, to defeat the universal force that has created the beauty
of life.
The newspaper article begins innocently while it deliberates and grabs hold of a
coal miner's daughter as the heroine. But does the heroine wind up as a
victim? Is this an article to determine who shall live and who shall die?
The article states that 5,000 people die each year. We read the article,
and if we had lupus we would believe it to be so. The story of no hope is
temporarily blinded by partial possibility when we begin searching for other
truths in healing. In God's' Way to Ultimate Health, Dr. Max Gerson talks
of his clinic. In addition to curing lupus with just fresh vegetable
juices
he has had success in curing other "incurable" diseases such as, lung
cancer, spreading melanoma, lymphoma, bone caner, colon cancer, etc. So
why
does a clinic, which has tremendous success with many incurable diseases and
a current news report, list "no hope?" Within this framework
there lies an
information gap of credibility.
According to Alternative Medicine, mostly young women are affected (90% of
cases). According to the article, 60% of all those are black. We
close our
eyes and wonder. Is there a pattern being formed? Once again we read
between the lines. The key word is ignorance of the multitudes. We
look at
the foundation raising awareness through education. We read over the word
in describing this disease. Words like "fever" ring in my
ears. We stop
and hold that in suspended animation. While "fever" is listed in
one book
as a symptom of an incurable disease, in World Medicine it is described as
"an important first step in the body's effort to destroy an enemy invader
perhaps raising the body's temperature to make the inner environment hostile
to the invading organism." So within this framework of the definition
lies
a truth of understanding. We delve further and read about the
inflammation.
Lupus has its own designated "Big 8." According to the American
Rheumatoid
Association there must be four of the following eight symptoms for lupus to
be diagnosed: ANA antibodies in the blood, low white blood cell or low
platelet count or hemolytic anemia, joint pain in a number of joints
(arthritis), butterfly rash on cheeks, abnormal cells in the urine, light
sensitivity, mouth sores, and seizures.
I read the Big 8 and think, "No big deal." There is a sense that
there is
no cure. I quickly think of Tim Lewis today. He is a man of
excellent
health and an ex-ball player. Don't mess with him! That is
today. Three
years ago he was not the same. Lupus might be the word to describe his
past
disease, although he was white and male, which would put him in the 10%
category. Tim Lewis was a very sick man. He had a low platelet count
of
10,000 (150,000 is considered low normal). He had black and blue bruises
that would not go away. He had spontaneous bleeding. He had red
blood
spots occurring all over his body. He had joint pain. He could have
had
lupus by definition since he had 4 of the symptoms. Tim's medical team, 2
doctors that specialized in hematology, chose to label him as having one of
the long winded diseases that was a disease with no known cause, no known
cure.
Tim spoke so passionately while explaining his story at our monthly
testimonial at Arnold's Way. He described the fatigue, the tiredness, and
the stupidity of the medical choices that were made and given. The first
step in medical treatment was prednisone. According to the Merck Manual,
it
's the same treatment for lupus at the severe disease stage. It states,
"A
combination of prednisone and immunosuppressive drugs is recommended in
active, serious CNS lupus or active reversible lupus nephitis." These
are
the medical words. There is no cure, and Tim's doctors could only
guarantee
that he needed the drugs or he would get worse. As we continue reading we
see more drugs being mentioned. We are beginning to see why there is no
hope, no cure. "Improvement does not usually occur for 4-12 weeks and
may
not be evident until corticosteroid dosage is reduced." To say Tim
was
frightened by all this would be an understatement. If the drugs did not
work the next option would be intravenous drugs; the final option would be
removal of his spleen. My first reaction was of total disbelief regarding
the effectiveness of the removal of his spleen. This medical thinking is
not from 100 years ago. These were Tim's options just 3 years ago.
Tim was
very lucky, unlike the 5,000 people who are dying every year, the 2 million
who have the disease, and the voices of the medical establishment that are
saying there is no know cure. Tim questioned the doctors. He tried
to find
out the truth and decided, against all opinions, to walk out and never
return.
He walked for freedom. He walked for truth. He walked away against
all
those in the medical field who begged him to take the medication for his own
good. Starting at a low platelet count of 10,000 he began eating a totally
raw diet. He became a natural hygienist and empowered himself back into
total health. His parting words to the doctors as he left their door was,
"Watch me heal myself." He ate only fruit in the morning.
He exercised on
the Rebounded beginning with 5 minutes and working his way up enough to put
Tim out of danger. Because of his low platelet count, any cut or bruise
could have caused him to bleed to death. Tim had no choice but to increase
his intensity in the natural hygienist world. There was no medicine, no
chemotherapy, and no cutting out his spleen. Instead he went to a health
and education center that specialized in fasting. The place he chose is
operated by Anna Inez, educator. Tim spent one week there and his platelet
count rose to 60, 000. That was three years ago. That was the time
of
bruising easily, black and blue marks, and joint pain. That for all
intents
and purposes could have been called lupus.
Today Tim ROCKS!! He is a specimen of excellent health who passionately
defends his return to superb health as a choice. To all those who have
lupus, I share this information.
As I questioned two women who had lupus about their dietary habits I was
flabbergasted. As Tim was told, as these women weren't told, to start the
healing process, the meat, liquid meat (yogurt and milk), the fish, the
chicken, the pork, and the seafood all had to be removed from the daily
menu. The reason is very simple. Douglas N. Graham states in
Nutrition and
Athletic Performance, "Heated fats usually require a temperature that
exceeds 300 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature that the human body cannot
achieve."
We study, we read, and we research. We think about Tim and his superb
success. We reflect on the article on lupus with no cure. We repeat
the
conversation heard on TV about raising money for research. We try to place
all this information together in a logical, easily understood format that
can be used as a format for treatment of lupus. We find an alternative
option.
As lupus symptoms can be recognized so can they be healed. As stated in
Alternative Medicine, "100% of all system lupus patients have food
allergies. If one removes the cause - milk, corn, wheat, chocolate, sugar,
and eggs, there will be improvement." Other food that can cause food
allergies according to Nancy Appleton, author of Lick the Sugar Habit,
states "all protein whether meat, wheat or vegetable protein, has the same
chemical configuration." Tim Lewis went from down, weak, and
helpless, to
strong, healthy, and physically fit with unlimited hope just by simple
changes in his dietary habits.
Remove the cause, all those foods mentioned that can cause allergies, and
Tim got not only better, but he found a cure. He started eating more
vegetables and fruits properly combined, and he found the cure. He started
exercising, and he found the cure. He got plenty of sunshine, got rid of
his high stress job, and he found the cure. To those who have lupus, read
carefully, not once, not twice, but over and over again, for the lupus
answer is a choice. Your choice. It's that simple. We as a
people are
pretty much composed all the same way. Color becomes blinded by the truth
of our cellular formation. Each one of us, meaning all 5 billion people,
has the same amount of cells that speak the same energy of life and
regeneration. This force for truth in its daily habitat governs each one
of
us in a quiet unconsciousness. The body's intelligence seeks its honor and
glory by requiring essential nutrients that can only be found in live food.
The cells (yours and mine) need these nutrients in order to live their lives
to the fullest. Otherwise, degeneration begins. The cells begin to
fade,
die, and then vanish into sky gray. So ends lupus, the story, the glory, and
the way for a better tomorrow for those 5 million sufferers who have to
change their way.
Thank you for your time
Arnold
References
Lick the Sugar Habit by Nancy Appleton
World Medicine
Merck Manual 17th Edition
Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg
God's Way to Ultimate Health by Dr. George Malkamus
Food for Life by Neal Barnard, M.D.
Sunfood Diet Success System by David Wolfe
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Upcoming events at Arnold's Way
Arnold's Way presents: 2nd Tuesday Raw Lecture Series
Tuesday October 9th - 6:30pm
Barbara Cap shares her story about Lyme Disease and how she became
symptom-free in 4 months after she went on an 80% raw diet.
Tuesday November 13th - 6:30pm
Dan Goodman will talk about his story about MS.
Arnold gives a breakfast lecture on raw food and healing every Saturday
morning at the store from 8: 15 to 9:45. It's free and there's free
breakfast. But please pre-register.
On the last Saturday of every month, Arnold gives a free raw food
preparation course from 8:15 to 9:45 at the store. Learn how to make
pizza,
chili, pies, soups, cookies and more in 7 minutes or less.
There's a raw food Pot Luck dinner on the last Wednesday of the month at the
store beginning at 6pm. Bring a raw food dish or pay $7.
No pre-registration required.
Greenwood has 2 pot luck dinners each month, on the second and fourth
Saturdays, from 2-5 p.m. Call Tom for more info at (610) 623-5656.
Loreta Vainius is sponsoring a Living Food support group. (610) 648-0241
Dr. Shirley Dressler is offering an eight-week workshop on Wigh of Wisdom
with emphasis on raw food weight-loss with a Biblical perspective.
For
more info, call her at (215) 233-8969
The Certified Classical Homeopath/Homeopathic Master Clinician will now be
giving free lectures once a month at Arnold's Way. Call Arnold's Way for
details.
B.I. is the Raw Food Chef in residence at Arnold's Way and features
a variety of take-out raw food cuisine. As an added note, B.I.'s food is
AMAZING - beyond all technical words for praise. He takes the word
"awesome" to a new level.