If you haven’t had the chance to read Part One, Part Two, or Part Three of, My journey from drugs to herbs, you can do so here, and here and here.
Now down to the last system – the immune system. In 2008, I asked my chiropractor/natural doctor what I could take to ensure that I didn’t spend the winter with pneumonia, bronchitis, or the flu. He suggested I add a multi-mushroom extract and Vitamin C and D. I was amazed at how well the mushrooms and the vitamins worked. I didn’t catch anything at all.
I have also found…that I feel better when I take the mushroom herbs. I recently switched to New Chapter’s Whole Life-Cycle activate Mushrooms. I have no intention of letting go of these mushrooms. None!
I also added a multi-vitamin. While I can see a difference, I am not convinced this is the right one for me, so I will be switching that over to a New Chapter product next month. I will let you know how I do after I have been on it for a month or two.
Lastly, but probably the most important of all the herbs I take for the immune system is New Chapter’s Stress Take Care. This product worked so fast and so well, I was stunned. I really did notice a change in the ‘flight/flight’ response in my body. My body was just much more peaceful. Even still, after reading and researching my New Chapters magazine, I am switching to their Rhodiola Force 100 for this month. This herb is more directly geared at the adrenal glands and basically works to soothe them. That really sounded more like what I needed. I will have to let you know later how this one works out as well, although, I am confident that it will be a good fit.
All in all, after these last few tweaks, I think I have been able to finally, fully round out my whole regime so that every thing is covered except maybe unexpected or unforeseen illness.
One of the biggest obstacles that held me back for years to switching to herbal products was of course the cost factor. Today, I spend about $125.00 a month on all my herbs. I figured out a way to do that by doing 5 things.
1. I shop online for everything I can.
2. I buy bulk whenever I can
3. I sign up for all rewards programs
4. I order enough to qualify for free shipping.
5. I rotate the purchasing of my herbs so I am not buying all of them in one month (thus the reason for buying bulk when I can).
At iHerb.com, they have an incredible rewards program, free shipping if you spend over $60.00 (sometimes lowered to $40.00) and on your first order if you use DOM703, they will give you $5.00 off of your order. After that you will get you own code that you can hand out and when others order, you will get a discount on your order based on what they spend.
The thing I love the most about iHerb.com is the customer service. I have never encountered any problem that they didn’t resolve quickly and professionally. In addition, they are always striving to make their business better for the customer. Love that!
So there you have it! If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them. I realize herbal remedies don’t work for everyone, but for me, there were a much needed improvement. I wouldn’t go back to drugs if my life depended on it. For the first time in a very long time, I feel like I have control of my health. I still have bad days, but that’s all there are … bad days.
No longer do I fret about side-affects, emergency room visits, drug interactions, or the drugs just not working. Like I said earlier, it was a long, challenging journey to get to this point, but in the end, I’m glad I did it. Life is much better today as a result of herbs.
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I have fibromyalgia and have been reading your series on herbs with interest. I’d like to try some of these things you’ve mentioned, but I have a lot of digestive / allergy issues and am nervous I’d have an adverse reaction. I take digestive enzymes and they have helped a lot w/ my digestive issues.
Any suggestions? Thanks.
Kathy – Several actually. I would recommend doing a lot of research on the herbs you want to try. I recently switched most of my herbs to New Chapter because the are very pure. Secondly, I only add one herb at a time that way if I have a reaction to it or if it doesn’t do anything, I know it is that herb. If you have problems with your digestive tract I would really recommend adding a pro-biotic. New Chapter makes several so you can look at the ingredients and choose the one that best suits you and your allergy issues. I would also add the colon cleanse at night. I don’t do well with pysllium husk as a fiber so I chose a colon cleanse that had other fiber and very little of the psyllium husk in it.
Again, research, one at a time, and start with the gut. That would be my top three.
Oh yeah, on iHerb, the link is in part four of my article, when you are looking through the herbs, they have tabs that show you everything that is in the herb and you can also check out the recommendations to see how others responded to the herbs.
If you have a natural doctor or one that is knowledgeable with herbs, they can help you navigate some of this too. I have found for me that learning about herbs and understanding what they do and how to use them has really helped me make better decisions on choosing them.
One last thing. Try to always buy the best quality herb you can afford. It does make a huge difference.
Mike Adams is someone I follow. He has a new letter with tons of great information. His newsletter was how I discovered New Chapter. Here is the link to his site. http://www.naturalnews.com/Index-Books.html – I linked to his library page which might be a good place to start.
Just thought of something else. My chiropractor has been a God send for me. If you find the right one they can really help lower you pain levels. Mine adds manipulation and stretching exercises and suggestion mild massages and slow walking when I am able.
I think that is everything. Don’t hesitate to ask me anything else.
And that lady said to me you must have time on your hands!LOL
You did not mention New Chapter Sinus & Respiratory. Amazed
the cost is “only” $125.00 month. “you hand out the code”
I have so few friends to hand a code out to” Just some thoughts.
I assume you started out not buying in bulk but trying a little
of one thing and when it seemed like it truly helped then you
bulk bought. A long process and so many details to attend to.
Yes, time on our hands. Yes when I worked it took a lot of my
time, but I hardly had med/dental and all the effort and details
to remember to make the money stretch. I actually have much more
to remember now! I received bad new yesterday – pre diabetic!
Trying to be optimistic that with diet I can reverse as I’m not
overweight, my cholesterol and bp are normal. But my dad had
adult onset diabetes. Appreciate prayer. Thanks for allowing me
to get off the topic. I took notes. My plan for when I am
petless is to really refocus on taking care of me.
Patricia – I’m confused? I did not mention New Chapter Sinus and Respiratory? Yes. I always try one product at a time for one month. If I feel it works than the next time I will look for it in bulk.
I’m sorry about your news. What does the doctor mean by “pre-diabetic?”
Still praying for you….
Thanks for the info. I am a nurse/nutritionists with Fibro, Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue. I agree that conventional meds have such serious side effects. I know there is a time and place for medicines but I would much rather take a more natural path if it works. I also agree that everyone’s journey is different. Most if us are very sensitive to what is going on in our bodies and are effected by very low doses of anything. What works for one doesn’t always work for another. I take 12 different supplements that I feel are essential to my feeling well. I also take some meds, those to replace what my body doesn’t make ( Thyroid hormone, cortisol for adrenals) I am fortunate to have docs that are open to suggestions and are great about whatever I need to do for me. I am able to be honest with them and direct my healthcare.I wish everyone could find a doc that is as supportive as mine. If anyone is in Central Pa, feel free to email me. I would certainly give you some names.Dominique, thanks for putting yourself on the line daily to share your thoughts and feelings. I know it isn’t always easy to be so open, especially when fatigue is your constant companion.You are a blessing to many people.
Ruth – I love that name. She is one of my favorite characters in the Bible. Adrenal Fatigue…whoa. Do you relate to those of us who have Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome at all? I would think some of our symptoms would be similar. A girl in my building as Adrenal Fatigue and when she was describing what she used to feel like, I thought she sounded like me.
I agree with you comment about how it would be nice if we could all afford a great health care provider. I have the VA which I rarely use. I just heard from a Veteran here that our VA has gone down the tubes. The treatment has gotten really bad with doctors and nurses treating patients poorly. So, I pay for any medical care I get out of pocket when I can afford it.
Sue from Learning to Live with CFS is from Delaware. Here is a link to her blog. http://livewithcfs.blogspot.com/2010/05/another-long-day.html
Thank you for the wonderful compliment. I am really glad that my readers are enjoying my blog and found this series helpful.
Have a wonderful weekend and please don’t be a stranger!
Adrenal Fatigue basically means that your Adrenal glands aren’t producing the amount of Cortisol necessary to handle day to day hormone “operations” Cortisol is a foundational hormone that effects all others.
Symptoms for me: extreme fatigue, inability to handle life’s stresses, inability to handle multiple tasks, sore/achy muscles. This from a definite type A who could keep many balls in the air and handle people and projects with ease. Very frustrating to say the least. I am much better since getting thyroid hormone and cortisol levels closer to normal. I take them both 2-4 times daily. Prior to Cortisol, I would get home from work crying and my husband would have to lead me out of the car and into the house to bed. Looking back, God only knows how I was able to even work part time as a nurse. That combined with, at that time,what was definitely more pain than soreness really put me in a deep, dark place. You know what I mean? I have very supportive people around me. I love the Lord and know that He will never leave me. But I really had to step back from everything outside of home for awhile to evaluate. I stopped working and set out to find out what made me better and what made me worse. I feel like I had to find myself again and define myself in a whole new way. It was one of the most difficult times but also a time when I learned so much about myself as a warrior. Any woman who can stand up and fight this kind of condition is one STRONG WOMAN!These days I have about 5 consistently good hours per day, when I can be up and out of the house. I’m hoping for more but very grateful for those, as there are so many who are able to do far less. For all of those out there, remember we are not weak, we are the strongest people that I can imagine. Very few have had to learn how to fight like we have!
Ruth – I do know what you mean. Been there….
“Define myself in a whole new way” Wow do I get that! A STRONG WOMAN! Hmmm….do you hear a post title in that comment! LOL!
In the summer months I get about 5-8 good hours depending on the day. I am so thankful for spring and summer. It is a reprieve from the difficult winter months.
You know something…we are learning to fight!
I was telling a friend the other day about the analogy we have probably all heard at church where we are a diamond in the rough. I’m thinking maybe my diamond is quite smooth at this point! ha ha
Praying your mom is doing better with her worry and stress about
your dad and hoping and praying that your dad is improving?
Patricia – Actually my dad is doing better. He is resting as needed and doing little projects and actually got out of the house today for a while. He is also learning how to breathe deeply in order to keep the remaining half of his lung full and prevent it from collapsing. Thanks for praying and asking about him.
Mom is doing much better as well….
Did not mean to confuse you. When I first came here you had
a long period of time in your four walls and you mentioned
New Chapter Sinus and Respiratory helping you greatly. I guees
I thought that was also ongoing due to all the ingredients in
it that helps the immune system. Did that make sense?
What my doctor meant by Pre-Diabetic is that my blood sugars were
outside the noral limit which puts me a high risk for Diabetes 2
(my Dad had this) She said to get my blood tested in a year! I’m
going to eat the correct diet as best as I can and get test in
3-4 months. The test given picks up the blood sugars in my system
over that period of time. It was alarming news since I have
genetic risk factor and if I should develop Diabetes 2 one of the
protocols for managing it is regular exercise. Ya right – exercise
with severe CFS.
Wish I had you level of hi tech skills. Don’t no what tags or was it
nail thumbs is. An it seems like magice when I see your photos. I
really enjoy seeing what it looks like in your corner of the world. So nice to get the good news that both of your parents are doing much better.
Patricia – Yup. Makes sense. That is only for ongoing bugs. The Sinus Take I am taking now takes over where the Sinus and Respiratory finished. Is that clearer now! Sorry about that. My bad!
Thumb nail is the little photo. If you put your mouse on it and right click (I believe) it will make the picture become larger.
I really need to prrof read – I sound like English is my
second language and that I’m in first grade! I just don’t see
the errors as I’m typing. Oh well.
Patricia – No worries!
How is Sammy doing. I left you a follow up note and prayer on a comment of yours several days ago. I’m still keeping you both in me prayers.