- Sep 11, 2006
- 3,698
- 424
- Country
- United States
- Gender
- Female
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
Some forms of immuno-deficiency are probably quite a challenge to mend. Like HIV for example... I think it takes intense immuno-therapy to maybe make sort of an impact on that.
On the other hand, immune deficiencies caused by some other conditions, especially those brought about by your own mistreatment of your own "temple".... you can sometimes be redeemed.
With patience.
I was relatively healthy growing up.
2.6-3.4 colds a year.
One ear infection every 3 or 4 years.
2 stomach bugs.
No hospitalizations.
I was also fed a vegetarian and organic diet before it was "cool".
I was a holistic hipster.
Something changed in college... I was now living in a dorm and eating at a cafeteria. There was generic food, red meat, dairy, additives, preservatives, MSG and sugar. All things that had been very limited in my childhood.
There was soda and there was alcohol.
Around 19, I was introduced to redbull and rockstar energy drinks.
I developed a nasty addiction.
I went a little wild, no longer being sheltered.
I developed a taste for mountain dew, dr. pepper, coffee.
I enjoyed junk food.
As a student busy with studies and partying, meals were not about health they were about convenience.
I didn't like fast burgers, but I developed a taste for KFC, Zaxby's, McChicken sandwich, McMuffin, Hot pockets, Lean Cuisine, Sbarro...
All things chock full of trans-fats, nitrites and MSG.
This in and of itself might not have been enough to take me down.... but...
bundle it with not sleeping in a regular pattern, drinking, being around people who smoke, stressing out all the time and probably not practicing the best dental hygeine or washing my hands enough....
I started to crash in 2008.
I got the flu, like everyone at school that february.
It turned into a nasty ear infection. I got an antibiotic.
Something went wrong somewhere because after that,
I began to go on the downhill.
I had occurence after occurence of achy, flu-like muscles and joints.
No energy. an over all feverish fatigue.
I got another infection that called for meds and then another and another.
For the next several years, I would need 4-7 courses of antibiotics... a YEAR.
That's way more than the healthy average and way more than my childhood all put together.
I actually DIDNT need most of them, I would later realize.
I just needed the right supplements to lick a sinus infection.
And a cleaner diet.
And a healthy lifestyle.
None of which I had really.
It all came to a head in 2013.
That was my worst year yet.
For every day that I felt alright, there seemed to be at least 2 that I didn't.
I had countless bouts of fatigue, muscle aches, cold symptoms.
I had antibiotics when this stuff dragged on for days.
Fun plans got ruined more than once.
I had begun seeing an integrative medicine specialist in 2008.
I had seen her off and on until 2012, then I committed to going to regular appointments.
In 2013, she sat down with me and did some intensive muscle testing and other kinds of tests and determined that if you could put my immune system on a scale from 1-10, mine was a 3.
Did I feel like a sickly, frail loser? yes. yes I did.
for 2 years, I've tried different regimines of herbal supplements.
I'm talking 5 -10 different types of pills and liquid vitamins per day.
I went gluten free. I cut out soda and most alcohol.
I try to stay on a sleep schedule and also eat lots of healthy foods.
Finally, earlier this year, I got the supplements right.
1 liquid vitamin.
1 powder formula to patch up the damage the antibiotics did to my intestines.
1 herbal remedy for colds that can be used daily as a preventative.
another one for allergy symptoms
1 strong probiotic.
apple cider vinegar.
echinacea when I'm not feeling my best.
Result:
After 6 months of this, The immune system is finally at a 6
and I can beat colds and ailments with the herbal stuff.
On the other hand, immune deficiencies caused by some other conditions, especially those brought about by your own mistreatment of your own "temple".... you can sometimes be redeemed.
With patience.
I was relatively healthy growing up.
2.6-3.4 colds a year.
One ear infection every 3 or 4 years.
2 stomach bugs.
No hospitalizations.
I was also fed a vegetarian and organic diet before it was "cool".
I was a holistic hipster.
Something changed in college... I was now living in a dorm and eating at a cafeteria. There was generic food, red meat, dairy, additives, preservatives, MSG and sugar. All things that had been very limited in my childhood.
There was soda and there was alcohol.
Around 19, I was introduced to redbull and rockstar energy drinks.
I developed a nasty addiction.
I went a little wild, no longer being sheltered.
I developed a taste for mountain dew, dr. pepper, coffee.
I enjoyed junk food.
As a student busy with studies and partying, meals were not about health they were about convenience.
I didn't like fast burgers, but I developed a taste for KFC, Zaxby's, McChicken sandwich, McMuffin, Hot pockets, Lean Cuisine, Sbarro...
All things chock full of trans-fats, nitrites and MSG.
This in and of itself might not have been enough to take me down.... but...
bundle it with not sleeping in a regular pattern, drinking, being around people who smoke, stressing out all the time and probably not practicing the best dental hygeine or washing my hands enough....
I started to crash in 2008.
I got the flu, like everyone at school that february.
It turned into a nasty ear infection. I got an antibiotic.
Something went wrong somewhere because after that,
I began to go on the downhill.
I had occurence after occurence of achy, flu-like muscles and joints.
No energy. an over all feverish fatigue.
I got another infection that called for meds and then another and another.
For the next several years, I would need 4-7 courses of antibiotics... a YEAR.
That's way more than the healthy average and way more than my childhood all put together.
I actually DIDNT need most of them, I would later realize.
I just needed the right supplements to lick a sinus infection.
And a cleaner diet.
And a healthy lifestyle.
None of which I had really.
It all came to a head in 2013.
That was my worst year yet.
For every day that I felt alright, there seemed to be at least 2 that I didn't.
I had countless bouts of fatigue, muscle aches, cold symptoms.
I had antibiotics when this stuff dragged on for days.
Fun plans got ruined more than once.
I had begun seeing an integrative medicine specialist in 2008.
I had seen her off and on until 2012, then I committed to going to regular appointments.
In 2013, she sat down with me and did some intensive muscle testing and other kinds of tests and determined that if you could put my immune system on a scale from 1-10, mine was a 3.
Did I feel like a sickly, frail loser? yes. yes I did.
for 2 years, I've tried different regimines of herbal supplements.
I'm talking 5 -10 different types of pills and liquid vitamins per day.
I went gluten free. I cut out soda and most alcohol.
I try to stay on a sleep schedule and also eat lots of healthy foods.
Finally, earlier this year, I got the supplements right.
1 liquid vitamin.
1 powder formula to patch up the damage the antibiotics did to my intestines.
1 herbal remedy for colds that can be used daily as a preventative.
another one for allergy symptoms
1 strong probiotic.
apple cider vinegar.
echinacea when I'm not feeling my best.
Result:
After 6 months of this, The immune system is finally at a 6
and I can beat colds and ailments with the herbal stuff.
