heal from just about anything

al schaub
redplumjam@gmail.com
redplumjam

you're thinking this is a funny place for information like this to show up- i know-
and really i'm just starting to get my head wrapped around it myself:

health, nutrition, & general well being.

i'll share little bit of back story to give you a frame of reference for the ideas [not products] i'm pushing:
like most people i didn't give a whole lot of thought to these matters- once i got busy running my own business, i thought about them even less-
and as with many other lessons in this life, i had to learn this stuff the hard way-

here's the cliff's notes version of the bad parts [skip it if you want]: after a nice long slow downward spiral of health issues, that carried a lot of inertia in their own tolls- plus effects of the methods we use in western medicine to combat my particular issue [certain type of white blood cells overproduce & form tumors] ...radiation and chemotherapy... i was pretty bad off to put it mildly: [around 2002-03, age 32-33]: i was up to 285 @ 5'10", taking vicadin, celebrex, nexium, steriods, sleeping pills, morphine, viagra- all at the same time. my gut was working at about 10% efficiency, my blood cells were covered in fungus & anerobic [not using oxygen properly]- i had pretty wicked edema & chronic rashes on my legs- i went to bed with my nose hooked up to a CPAP machine for sleep apnea- it was a pain to put on my shoes or wipe my butt- you get the picture- nothing worked well. i was like an 80yr old: dizzy, in terrible shape, needing sleep and cranky- on top of that i had a tumor in my brain, and tons of tiny ones all over my skeleton. the brain tumor was where my pituitary should have been, so all of my related hormonal functions were failing too. i went to the nutritionist at MD anderson cancer center where i was told that anything caloric was good: funyuns, milkshakes, cheeseburgers- if i could eat a salad great, but not necessary- as far as they were concerned, food was not going to be the thing to make or break me. this is very funny in hindsight.

the good part of this story is that there are good parts: finding out just how bad of shape i was in took some doing: i realized there were definitely doctors that weren't so clever, that didn't care or have the time to pay attention. so i started a search for a real endocrinologist near me in austin: it was a long time before i saw one that could connect the dots and really dial in my levels for hormone replacement, but i did. this man is gifted:

Dr. thomas blevins MD, endocrinologist austin, tx

after successful radiation treatment for the brain tumor at md anderson cancer center in houston, i then undertook 2 different but consecutive rounds of chemo treatments that were disappointingly unsuccessful. just as this news was coming to bear my good friends:

susan brew & james casselman of mason, tx

began to treat me in their acupuncture & herb clinic on saturdays for free- both of them were so loving & positive & shared any bit of information they could. what a wealth. their treatments remain in my memory as the some of the strongest and most empathetic. they introduced me to colon therapist anthony passeur who started

austin internal health in austin tx

with anthony i saw the biggest improvements of all. i did fresh unpasteurized juice fasts with daily colonics, taking all kinds of nutritional, probiotic, super-green, fiber-filled support products- one can go days and days on these cleanses and really get rid of some large scale toxins. he also pointed me towards raw foods, ann wigmore, sprouted foods, and i did wind up growing my own wheatgrass on the back porch and juicing it. after these cleanses, when i began to eat again, i noticed how much more energy i was producing with my new & improved more efficient digestive system. the healing inertia did wonders for my attitutde, electrolytes, flora, energy, heart, etc.

susan & james also pointed me to a movie showing about the hoxsie cure with a discussion afterwards by

Dr. robert marion OMD

who then started treating me with hoxsie [red clover stilingia], acupuncture twice a week, herbs, macrobiotic meals, and stories about trungpa rimpoche & micheo kuchi & life in general. my health improved under his care, but after some time, he sensed a plateau in our progress. i later started seeing another doctor for acupuncture, & when i told Dr. marion, he forgave me of- let's say it was a lot- of accrued bills that he was earlier allowing me to pay down slowly- a scholar and a gentleman, a gifted doctor of oriental medicine, wonderful storyteller, and a very big heart.

i also started doing qigong around this time- specifically

sheng zhen qigong. my first teachers were [john kuberka..] cobi bentley and sarah sires, but i was lucky enough to take a class or 2 with

li jung feng

the creator & master of the style- sheng zhen qigong meaning qigong of unconditional love- li jung feng is such a humble and generous person i cannot even begin to describe. thank you cobi & sarah & george & vicki & francie & glee for extending your families. you are all such dear people. thank you for the practice!

soon i started seeing

Dr. yuxin he MD

for acupuncture and herbs. Dr. he taught in all of china's top 5 medical schools, and was coaxed into teaching at acadamy of oriental medicine in austin, where he also kept his practice. Dr. he is the sweetest most gentle and empathetic man i've met, and his touch was truly amazing. my health continued to improve with dr. he, and by 2005 the bone tumors were down to about 10% of their original scope & size.

i must also mention aziza mckinney & abdullah cowan and hind and latif and isaac and maryam and yahya and all of the sufi center of austin- thanks for introducing me finally to my heart. these gifted healers blessed me, loved me, truly expanded my sense of community, love, self, god, & our forgotten singularity. the grace that always exists, that i have taken so long for granted.

and i can't forget my Comida Deluxe cult members & followers!! my peeps at Chuy's #1 on Barton Springs Rd. Austin TX [and so many spin offs, you know who you are] were my sustinance, my lovelife, my closest friends, springboards, life trainers, my parachutes, cheerleaders & nurturers. Chuy's, Shady Grove & Hula Hut- generous inbred family love like no other. Austin soul food.

my family is very large these days and i am clearly swimming nostalgically in their love- - - well NONE of this could have been possible were it not for my ex-wife, mother & stepdad, brother & sister-in law, my aunts & uncles, grandparents & cousins, dear friends and co-workers.

these gifted people that i met in austin really helped turn my health around. they'll all tell you that i was there too, but without their strong background and proximity to me, i basically would have been a will without much of a way. i was very lucky to have all of this information around me, but i also surfed to find out more when i could on the internet- i bookmarked it so i wouldn't have to remember it all & referred to it now & again & added to it when new information came my way. before i knew it, there was a ton of links, and soon it dawned on me they could also help somebody else.

since then i've been refining this page & finally decided to put it on the web just like this- for now at least- to give an accurate point of reference of what my experience was like- and to flesh out the basics- insofar as i've learned them- of an inexpensive personal maintenance routine that you'll definitely see results from: your skin, hair, nails, eyes, immune system, heart, digestive system, vigor, stamina, metabolism, cognition, concentration- and on and on and on- depending on how bad off one starts. the beauty of being in terrible shape is you see pretty big returns when you start doing the right things. [nothing against those of you in great shape already].

!! -:-:-:-:-:- this may never happen to you, but you might want to bookmark this page anyway, right?-:-:-:-:-:- !! even with such vast & loving resources & really good [for america anyway- somewhat affordable] health insurance in texas, i still lost my house, went bankrupt, & got divorced- the basics for anyone in the USA with catastrophic or chronic illness. i worked full time all the way through that ordeal and still lost it all. think about the poor f**ks who can't work. well, these stressors in and of themselves could do a person in- i'm sure you can feel that- and that part of my story is not unique: there are thousands & thousands of [hard working, small-business-owner-high-tax paying] americans like me out there.

[any forward thinking countries out there want to gain a lesser luminary? i have other skills too-]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ok- so again, refocusing on health- this is how i began to understand my path to good health- [one path among many successful paths]- you can do these all together, try them individually, mix them in with your good habits- however you see fit. i put these together because they make a good little system together [and they're well tested & inexpensive].

please don't think you have to adopt everything on this list, and it's not necessary to drop all of your 'bad' stuff either- you may try to do some of these good things on some days, maybe each day, & if you wind up liking like a few of them & displace a few of the 'bad' things then what's the harm? so don't swear off burgers or chocolate or scotch yet- just eat some salad, some bee pollen, & fresh squeezed juice if you can. there's bound to be something on this list you can tolerate..

_________________________________________________________________________________________

OK- here's the super-basics for a person that's been eating the standard american diet all their life [bear with me]:

1. most of our fruits & veggies are covered in pesticides [some are modified to live in round up]. our meats are brimming with hormones & antibiotics [feed lot animals eat their ancestors ground into meal so not to waste the hormones & antibiotics [like soilent green..]- and they're not really designed to digest the other foods they're fed either]. those animals lives are so short and sick and stressed out. then we eat so much chemical flavoring & texture in so many of our other processed foods, that to still call them food is a generous stretch. our hygiene products are just as bad and worse in this category. then there's the crap we have to use or be near at work, or in the car- you get the picture: make some effort to minimize your contact with as much of this junk as you possibly can. the less toxins you let in, the less you have to get rid of.

2. most americans don't drink nearly enough water, nor do they eat [some don't even have access to] enough soluble & insoluble fiber, nor do they exercise enough to be able to absorb, flush, process, & push out all this crap that's been substituting as food. [not to mention that we're totally stressed out as a culture]. so try to work them in- if you're feeling screwy or weak or stupid, do yourself a big favor & drink a glass of water. [and maybe you should filter that water too]..

3. so no wonder we have such a crazy rate of cancer & heart disease compared to the rest of the world, right? colon therapists will tell you most normal americans carry at least 10% of their body weight in intestinal sediment- sludge that gets covered in mucous to limit contact with the intestinal lining- the stuff builds and builds and builds eating 'normal american foods'- the skinny man with the huge belly could be full of shit for real- - - so just because i did, don't think you have to start getting colonics per se, but see if you can find & eat some salads & fruits & vegetables. go nuts & really try to find out about crushed psyllium husk fiber, start taking it at the end of each day, and i testify: you'll start to feel a new kind of great.

that's it. pay attention to food, drink water, and eat fiber. here's some good books:

healing with whole foods- paul pitchford [an encyclopedia of food-as-medicine and a great intro to traditional chinese medicine]
living foods for radiant health- elaine bruce [a great intro to living foods {raw} diet & great explanations of wheatgrass juice benefits & body processes]

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

here are a few more in depth but inexpensive habits to adopt: easy stuff first:

+-get a coffee mill for grinding flax. buy some organic flax seed- it 'keeps' in seed form basically forever too- grind up 2 tbsp & mix it in with yogurt or oatmeal or cereal or on cut fruit or in your smoothee. you should eat something for breakfast, so you might as well eat 2 tbsp. of flax, too. work your way up if you have to & eat it every day if you can.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81

+-if your health is flagging, or you're taking antiboitics- get some good refrigerated acidopholus & use it double or triple the dosage twice a day- before breakfast & before bed. jarrow brand is the low end of the good range. if you feel good & like the dairy, eat some good yogurt instead. i like whole milk plain- brown cow brand.

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,748,00.html

+-start using extra virgin olive oil a lot in you meals- wherever you can- and if you can find it, get some extra virgin organic coconut oil & eat a tbsp twice a day [my favorite brand is garden of life from whole foods - it tastes great]- more essential fatty acids [like flax] help brain function & break up cholesterol.

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/olive-oil.htm
http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/24/coconut_oil.htm
http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/

+-find a place to get juice & smoothees that will juice everything right there for you- or get a juicer and juice some fruits & veggies yourself- here you're adding extra enzymes to your diet- enzymes your pancreas would otherwise have to make- and fresh juice is so detoxifying. sprouts are also mega nutritious- mung beans, alfalfa, lentils, whatever you can eat in sprouts will do so much for you in detoxification & nutrition & have all kinds of good enzymes for you too. remember that chewing is how you unlock nutrients. chew alot- - - and smile while you're at it.

http://www.wellspringreiki.com/wellspringjuicing.htm
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sprouts.htm

+-take 1-2 tbsp cracked psyllium husk fiber shaken in a glass of water or juice [chug immediately] before bed every nite. this insoluable fiber will expand with the water or juice & gently scrub your intestines. your whole digestive systetm from the top down will generally feel better- and after a few days the rest of you will start feeling like a prize fighter, too. it's a pretty good guarantee that you'll not be building up more sludge- and you may be able to get rid of some too- the benefit is that you'll have more intestinal surface area exposed to absorb nutrients. the best way to restore your intestines is with several juice fasts using psyllium husk fiber & daily colonics, of course. right now my daily regimen is in an easy capsule format: i use a product by futurebiotics called colon green [available @ vitamin shoppe inexpensively].

http://www.healingdaily.com/colon-kidney-detoxification/herbal-colon-cleansing.htm
http://www.online-ambulance.com/altermed/grp/Colon_Therapy.htm

+- grapefruit seed extract [mix with glass of water], fresh bee pollen, lecithin granules, wheatgrass juice shots with fresh ginger, noni juice shots, fresh, organic, raw vegetables & salads- and products like 'the ultimate meal'- these can help round out the nutritional side of your health. which should help boost your exercise routine/ or maybe boost you into one- and the rest of your life, too-
[the ultimate meal is a powder you can add to smoothees- they say it's better for you than anything else you could possibly eat]
there's other brands of superfood powders if you prefer- easy & instant & good for you..
i drink mine with oj & frozen strawberries/blueberries, but that changes around too-

http://www.ultimatelife.com/eForward.htm
http://www.pureliquidgold.com/
http://www.nutritional-supplement-info.com/benefits-of-bee-pollen.html
http://www.wholefoods.com/healthinfo/lecithin.html
http://www.wigmore.org/benefits_of_drinking_wheatgrass.html

__________________________________________________________

the next big thing i would encourage you to read about is candida. the AMA doesn't really recognize how it can ruin your health- or even check to see if it has- figuring out how to get this under control was one of the biggest keys to my current good health. click the link & read article #18 for an introduction. that candida cleanse i did was called threelac- a japanese product- i just checked, & it's available @ amazon & everywhere- if you do something like this candida cleanse, consider getting colonics daily to flush the die-off. you'll stand to get pretty sick otherwise..

http://www.health-truth.com/26.php

___________________________________________________________

those are the big things to consider for most of us [based on what little information i've been going on of course]- funny getting health advice from a woodworker, i know. but see what you like- see if you like any of it. there's other stories out there if this one doesn't do it for you either. i won't be hurt.

i hope this information is received in the proper context:

-a leaping off point for your experiments with regaining/maintaining your health & well being.
please feel free to share your experiences & discoveries at redplumjam.

i've been personally amazed-

all questions and suggestions welcome.
thanks for reading.
enjoy your life & take care.

al schaub
redplumjam