Please visit all the links on this Health Website. I've had a long journey from an adult life devastated by chronic fatigue to a place where I feel wiser and almost completely well.  Feel free to read my story (below) or just explore the links!     -- Tami Freedman
 

Chronic Fatigue: My Adventure into Alternative Health & Wellness 
(written by Michael Betz and Tami Freedman)

My name is Tami Freedman. This is my story. 

In 1982, I was playing softball in a neighbor's yard when the ball ricocheted off the glove and hit me in the eye. The softball broke the bone under my left eye that separates the eye socket from the nasal cavity. Surgery, my only one to date, put a balloon in the nasal cavity to support the bone until it mended. The doctor prescribed extremely strong antibiotics before surgery; I also had a CAT scan at this time.

In the following months, I couldn't think as creatively with my writing projects. I had problems organizing my material around information and jokes. I had planned to be a writer and loved screenwriting so this was devastating. 

            During 1983, I fatigued easily and often: I worked 24 to 28 hours a week (usually 3 days) but it would take 3 days to recover. I had very low energy and cold extremities.

            In the winter of 1984, I was constantly sick with colds, bronchitis and upper respiratory infections. I couldn't understand what was happening so I took these questions to my primary care physician who referred me to a specialist in diabetes and hypoglycemia. When these suspected culprits were eliminated, I was sent to a neurologist who also couldn't identify anything wrong.  By 1985, I had seen 8 or 10 medical specialists who failed to find anything wrong or provide any help for the heavy weight of fatigue. The term chronic fatigue syndrome had not yet come into common usage.

            During the following year, my mother showed me a front page Parade Magazine article about yeast. I was excited: My symptoms were perfectly described and the article suggested that those who had the symptoms should consult an allergist for a yeast test. Here was my illness and a way to cure it!!! I took the article to my local allergist and handed it to him. He treated me like a hypochondriac, bothering him with the illness of the week (illness de jure’). When he learned that my only surgery had been for a softball injury, he treated me more respectfully but the final conclusion of my meeting with him was: Yeast is a bogus condition. The article is a sham. The writer is a quack!

            The allergist did refer me for full allergy testing because he said my problems might be allergy related.  That turned up only two slight allergies so I was sent home with fewer answers than before. 

            Since I could no longer write screenplays after the accident and surgery, I became a Realtor because I could do the math and work with people. Due to the severe brain fog, I couldn't remember appointments I had scheduled unless I had a written list. I made extensive use of lists to function since my memory was poor.

            In 1988, everyone in my Real Estate office (mostly females) signed up for a weight loss program. Being a single non-cooking person with low energy and a sweet tooth, I had been consuming junk foods at quite a pace. I had gained weight and so decided to join them in the weight loss program. The first step of this program was a 4-day fast. I drank water for four days, leaving the sweets behind. Upon awakening the fifth day, I realized my brain was slightly less foggy. I had my answer. It was diet-related and probably due to yeast. I asked around until I found a conventional physician who tested for yeast levels in the body.         

            Dr Hamilton Dixon, a physician in Rome Georgia conducted a number of tests including a test for yeast. The yeast test took two weeks for the results to return from distant labs. When he came into the room, he began telling me the Yeast Diet and Protocol.  I asked him if I had yeast.  He looked surprised and said, Yes, I had tested off the top of the scale. A score of 39 was high but my score was 105. He prescribed a anti-yeast diet, consisting mostly of green veggies, white meats and water. The medicine he prescribed was Nystatin powder.

             After a year on the diet and Nystatin, I was only a tiny bit better and after eight years in Real Estate, I quit (in 1992) because I really couldn't work - I had reached an energetic low point in my life.

In 1997, I started exploring alternative therapies. Through a friend, I met an Iridologist who diagnosed illness and health conditions from examining the iris of the eye.  I had a session with this Iridologist and tried some herbs. My friend also referred me to a Reflexologist who worked on me twice a week for much of the fall of 1997. From the reflexology treatments, herbs and home remedies, I started experiencing some improvement.

            I revisited Dr. Dixon for a re-test of my yeast and also to test for mold in the fall of 1997. The test results this time were obtained in his office for quick results. Again, I tested over the range on both tests. I was prescribed Nystatin and Diflucan. These helped only slightly.

            In 1998, my mother called one evening and asked me to turn on the TV to watch an episode of Unsolved Mysteries on “energy healing”. A Chinese medical doctor and Qi Gong Master, Dr. Hong Liu was explaining energy healing. Researchers at Harvard had studied Qi Gong with him directing his energy at petri dishes with cancer, while other petri dishes with cancer were left untreated. In his treated dishes, the cancer shrank during the month, while the untreated cancer dishes grew at a normal rate. The next day I bought and read his book, Mastering Miracles, and became a believer in healing energy.

            I asked an online friend to find me a healer on the internet. I assumed there would be no such healers in Chattanooga, but since I had relatives in California and New Jersey, I thought there might be a healer in one of those locations. She located a distant healer from Maryland who I called and worked with via phone for six months. I also worked with someone she found in Atlanta. Over time, while talking to herbalists, chiropractors and others, I learned of healers in my own hometown of Chattanooga TN. These conversations led me to Reiki Healer, Joan Colmore. I made an appointment and was thrilled with the energy I felt and improvement in my sessions. I was slowly getting better.

In 2000, I got attuned in Reiki and joined a Reiki share circle in Cleveland Tennessee. Here I was introduced to the alternative health network CAHS in Chattanooga/Knoxville that later became CHEO. Attending their conferences and regular meetings, I started learning much more alternative / holistic health practices and began meeting many alternative practitioners in this area.  (I'm now on the board of directors for CHEO, www.4cheo.org, and know over 250 alternative / holistic practitioners in Chattanooga including Nutritionists, Herbalists, Integrative Physicians, Bodywork Practitioners, Energy Healers and more!)

In 2001, I went to my primary care physician, an internist, and asked what a person could do about Chronic Fatigue. "There's not much that can be done for that,” she said.  The same is true today. Modern medicine is waiting for a magic chemical-based pill to cure illnesses that are a result of toxicitiy and lack of nutritents.  I've read that every year American women put 5 lbs of toxins in their body with their lotions, makeup, and shampoos, etc.  Toxic Pharmacueticals are unnatural chemicals and also add to the body burden.

           Also in the fall of 2001, Dr. Eric Pearl, the founder of a energy healing modality called Reconnective Healing conducted a seminar at our church, Christ Unity. This healing tool was very helpful!  The first several sessions restored my energy field for the first time in years. The sessions brought powerful healing improvements.

In April 2002, I asked a friend in my alternative health network what could be done for chronic fatigue. This led her to an important therapy that changed everything! This friend started me on a path toward saving my life. She suggested Herbal Repair foot soaks would infuse my body with nutrients; I was referred to a local practitioner for this special type of foot soak.

            The Herbal Repair practitioner gave a list of herbs/oils/fruits/etc to buy and I returned with a bowling ball size bag of fresh garlic, white and black figs, olive oil, peppers, white willow powder, onions, carob powder, several essential oils, and more. With my bag full of food, herbs, and essential oils, I arrived hoping Herbal Repair would facilitate my healing!  The theory behind Herbal Repair is that feet contain the largest pores of our body, and hot water helps open these pores. Upon putting all these herbs, figs, garlic, and oils into the foot soak, they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream. A big magnet is placed at the adrenals to draw these nutrients into these and later other key organs of the body. Eating enough nutrients to get well via the stomach is nearly impossible. With herbal repair, these nutrients are absorbed directly into the bloodstream via the skin, allowing he infusion of these nutrients into the system!

            The day after my first Herbal Repair session I experienced a huge benefit.  I'd  spent money, but I felt greatly enriched with more energy and nutrients in my body. I could afford this only once a month since I wasn't working. After 5 or 6 sessions, the lady taught me how to do these foot soaks on myself.  I bought bowls, magnets and of course, more herbs, garlic, oils and etc. I began home treatments.

            In 2002, the herbal repair lady referred me to a different type of foot soak.  It was called “Ion Cleanse.”  This was a then $2500 (now approximately $125) machine that plugs into the wall, while a part of the machine rests in the pan of water where you place your feet.  In 30 minutes, the machine ionizes the water and since the human body is normally 60-70% water, the body is also ionized.  That ionizing turns the water from clear to dirty orange brown in 30 minutes. Tests show that the scum floating on the top contains heavy metals, toxins and the cottage cheese looking white colored stuff is yeast.

            During 2002 and 2003, I had approximately 30 Ion Cleanse sessions. In the first 10 sessions or so, all manner of colors in the scum floated on top of the water.  In the next 20 sessions, it was mostly cottage cheese looking yeast floating in the water after the session.  I believe that an overgrowth of Candida albicans (yeast) is the most common underlying problem in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

           By the time the yeast takes hold, the gut no longer is effective and cells are not getting nourished. This yeast releases 80 to 120 toxins including formaldehyde that shuts down much of the endocrine and sweating systems so the person experiences a heavy load of toxin backup.  You lose your energy and clear thinking.  Compounding the problem is the shutting down of proper food assimilation, and proper waste expulsion thru sweating.  While the body is becoming more and more toxic, the body has less and less nutrients and systems for removing toxins cease to work, creating a huge toxic burden.

            Between Herbal Repair Foot Soaks and Ion Cleanse Foot Soaks, I was moving along the path and finally getting better -- things were returning that had been dormant for a very long time. I continued with more home-foots soaks (not nearly as effective as the ones by the Herbal Repair lady) and wearing Essential Oils all the time since they were so helpful!!   

          Essential oils contain tremendous healing properties and can affect almost every cell and organ system in the body. Each essential oil has a unique pharmacological effect, such as anti-bacterial, antifungal and antiviral. It also is a powerful oxygenator that delivers nutrients into the cells as the oil contains trace elements of nutrients, hormones, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antibodies and antifungal properties. The oil transports the fundamental nutrients necessary to feed and nurture the cells. About 200 different types of oils are being distilled with several thousand chemical constituents and aromatic molecules.    

            For many years, I realized that I got no energy from food. In talking to a friend with Fibromyalgia, one day she mentioned she got no energy from eating. I was surprised, thinking I was the only person who experienced no energy from eating. Then in August 2003, after 15 months of Herbal Repair, 30 sessions of Ion Cleanse, and numerous years of herbs and Reiki & Reconnective healing sessions, I ate a meal and for the first time in years, I felt a small increase in energy.  With each successive meal in the following days, I experienced more energy from each meal until by Christmas, my eating energy “felt normal.” 

            My family had been supportive of me- both financially and emotionally. But because of being sick, I sought out healers and people in the alternative health community and these people have become like family to me. Throughout 2003, brain functions were slowly returning after 22 years. In November 2003, I sweated for the first time in many years.

            During the fall of 2003, I met a person who owned a Rife Machine.  This energy machine creates vibrational fields that counteract different conditions and diseases. The Rife machine, like everything else helped some. While talking to this woman running the Rife machine, I asked her, What does a person do for Chronic Fatigue? She replied: That's easy for a woman. Take a garlic clove leaving the 'onion skin' on, pierce it with a fork prong and place it in the vagina.  Weird. I had to think about that one -- for 3 months.

            Finally in January 2004, determined it was time to get well, I got a garlic clove and tried this “folk-remedy.” Within 12 hours I felt like I'd had a professional foot soak!  The health improvement was immense!  Excited, I called my friend who owned the Ion Cleanse machine. She knew about this therapy. She suggested putting essential oils in water and inserting it into the vagina with a syringe and inserting a tampon to hold the essential oil and water there.

            In the book The Oil That Heals, Castor Oil heat packs are used on the abdomen to heal all sorts of problems. I decided to experiment with essential oil directly on the tampon, followed by soaking the tampon in castor oil before using. Again, within 12 hours, I felt a huge improvement!  Two, three, four times per day, I used essential oil tampons and felt like my body was healing at an incredible pace. I used Juniper, Lemon, Yarrow Green Milfoil, Blue Tansy and others. I always covered the tampon liberally in Castor Oil.  In November 2004, my ‘brain fog’ was finally clearing and after years of work and struggle, I began to consider myself somewhat "alive" again!!

          In early December, I bought my first batch of Glyco-Nutrient Sugars. Having read about people who mega-dosed on this product, I decided to mega-infuse nutrients into my system so my body could heal more quickly. (These are listed in the PDR of non-prescription supplements - non-toxic in any amount). I took a month's supply of Glyco-Nutrient Sugars in two days and felt great. They were expensive and I couldn't continue them.

         In 2005, I twisted my knee playing racquetball. For 6 months my injured knee hurt going up or down stairs. Being among holistic health healers, someone told me any injury area needs extra nutrients to heal. They said to buy liquid trace minerals and apply externally. Put a quarter size amount of liquid in your palm and massage it in every day for 3 to 4 weeks. I did this and WOW!!!!!  Within 3 weeks the hurt knee felt stronger than the other knee and I’ve done stairs for years now with NO pain.

         Re Liquid Trace Minerals, last year, my dog Bubby, 15½ years of age, struggled. I couldn’t get nutrients into him, so I slathered liquid Trace Minerals all over his body. It helped AND it eliminated all his FLEAS!! Plus put powder Borax on carpet, then after 15 min, vacuum to kill flea eggs, and it stops flea problems. This past summer, I fostered a dog named Scooby. When I got him he had fleas. I applied the Utah Sea Minerals and it eliminated his fleas. I went out telling everyone about Trace Minerals! And forgot to put it on Scooby for 6 weeks. Suddenly he had fleas again. I put it on him. He still had fleas. I applied liberally on Scoob's neck and down his spine  3 times in 7 days. Fleas disappeared and I continued neck and spine application once every 10 days.  GREAT FOR HEALTH, NO FLEAS!

        Since I knew Trace Minerals applied externally helped my knee, any time someone told me about a knee problem, I recommended this. In spring of 2009, a friend told me about his bad knee. I told him my story. That day he bought liquid trace minerals. A week later he hugged me and said: “My knees thank you!!!” Two months later he showed me how his arthritic hands were now almost normal. And I remember when my aunt called asking if we could bring several gallons of sea water to her since people living near the ocean rarely get arthritis. A friend, down with a back problem, applied it to her spine and within days was emailing her thanks!

          This year I’ve finally gotten smart. If an injury area needs extra nutrients, why shouldn't my organs benefit from extra nutrients. A few months ago I started daily “slathering” liquid trace minerals over my heart area, thyroid, kidneys, liver, gut, pancreas… I seem to be losing weight (less hungry). I know my kidneys appreciate liquid trace minerals because I’m losing the edema around my ankles. My joints all seem to work better. Without putting the liquid trace minerals on my knees or joints, I'm finding it easier to squat then get up, difficulties I'd just attributed to being the ripe old age of 48 and ignored. I recently looked at my hands and they look “younger.”  This all in 2 months!!!

           NOTE: Thyroid in throat. Heart / Chest area. Liver is near waist on right side. Apply to center just above belly button for pancreas. Spleen near waist on left side. Kidneys (just below adrenals on picture) are best reached by applying two inches above waist on back, on either side of spine.

            The therapies that helped me most in my goal to recover from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are:

            1)  The Essential Oil Tampon & Garlic Tampons are #1 !!
            2)  Herbal Repair Foot Soaks are next!
            3)  Slathering Daily in Liquid Trace Minerals are AMAZING!! (was almost well when started this)

            Recently I've discovered another miracle in the making: Mangosteen. Great for every body system!

 People I've talked to have overcome Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with a variety of different therapies. Some therapies are more helpful to some than to others. Continual efforts of eating organic, getting OFF SUGAR, and trying almost anything including Acupuncture and Energy Healers - all helped!  Try anything and everything that might return you to wellness - usually with huge dividends!!  No health condition should be viewed as permanent. If Downs can be reversed, I believe anything is possible. In America today, people have lacks in nutrition and a huge excess in toxins. My answer to almost every chronic medical condition - and to those who just want to get and stay healthy is:

                                  DETOX and NUTRITION -  NUTRITION and DETOX!!! 
                                                                    and
                                       ENERGY MEDICINE / HEALING ENERGY

           In 2006, I got scrapes on both feet while visiting my 4 rambunctious grand nieces and nephew in Whitwell TN. They brought a first aid kit and did a fine job of appearing to clean and treat the sores. Several days later both feet were infected and swollen to twice their normal size. I did epsom salt and hydrogen peroxide foot soaks for days - to no avail. Then when visiting the Fulfolds (wonderful alternative health practitioners) they said: Do not use hydrogen peroxide on an ongoing basis. It contains high levels of lead and tears up the skin you're trying to heal. They told me to instead soak my feet in epsom salts and Mangosteen - and to use Mangosteen poultices on them. My feet began to heal immediately. Thank God for the Fulfords and for Mangosteen.   More poultice info on Mangosteen page.

Finally, if you go to the ENERGY MEDICINE /  HEALING ENERGY page, you'll find all my favorite Modalities and Healing Energy and practitioners!

Thanks and Blessings!  Tami

   

Are you concerned about Global Warming, and decreasing oxygen levels and their impact on human health?  We lost our opportunity to reverse the greenhouse effect with trees back in the seventies. ALGAE IS THE ANSWER!  Algae triples in volume daily producing up to 15,000 gallons/acre per year (unlike corn with 1 crop/year netting 80 gallons/acre); decreases EXISTING CO2 levels; increases O2; has some varieties that are over 50% oil and easily converts into bio-fuel!  PLUS info on Hydrogen being a dangerous, expensive and terrible option See more about all  this at my new web: ALGAE TO OIL: http://AlgaeToOil.tripod.com

 
AUTISM (a Mercury / Vaccine horror story):
Three "Must-Read" Articles - Two by UPI Senior Editor DAN OLMSTED:
   
The Age of Autism: 'A pretty big secret' 
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20051204-060313-6829r
    By DAN OLMSTED; UPI Senior Editor
Paraphrase: Thousands of children cared for by Homefirst Health Services in metropolitan Chicago have at least two things in common with thousands of Amish children in rural Lancaster: They have never been vaccinated. And they don't have autism. Homefirst doctors have delivered more than 15,000 babies at home, and thousands of them have never been vaccinated. Blue Cross Insurance located this group because in addition to not having autism, these kids don't have claims filed or show up in Emergency Rooms with Asthma (10% of kids nationally have asthma).  And while these 15,000 babies cut across all races, religions and socio-economic groups, their one common factor is not vaccinating. 

Next Dan Olmsted article:
The Age of Autism: Question of the year
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20051214-010303-1521r
    By DAN OLMSTED; UPI Senior Editor
Paraphrase: "They" may have forgotten to ask an embarrassingly obvious question. Given the sheer certitude of federal health authorities and mainstream medical groups such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, we were surprised we couldn't find comparisons between real-live American kids who've gotten vaccines, and those who haven't. Officials say such a study would be hard to do, in part because so many kids are vaccinated that you couldn't find a "control group" of kids who aren't. (Note: Approx. 95% of kids nationally get vaccines - leaving a significant non-vacinnated group in society to explore - quite possible statistically). Sandy Mintz at vaccinationnews.com writes: "My mantra has always been that there are almost no vaccine safety or efficacy studies using never vaccinated children as controls." Mintz asked our question of the year at a congressional hearing in 2002:  "Is NIH (National Institutes of Health) ever planning on doing a study using the only proper control group, that is, never vaccinated children?"  Dr. Steve Foote of NIH responded: "I am not aware of...a proposed study to use a suitably constructed group of never vaccinated children. Now CDC would be more likely perhaps to be aware of such an opportunity." We all continue to wait for that.  

Significant autism article to read and share:
Study links autism to mercury from coal plants
Emissions may contribute to rise in cases, Texas researcher says
    Reuters, March 17, 2005  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7218182/
Paraphrase: Mercury released primarily from coal-fired power plants may be contributing to an increase in the number of cases of autism, a Texas researcher said. “The main finding is that for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates.” The study looked at Texas county-by-county levels of mercury emissions recorded by the government and compared them to the rates of autism and special education services in 1,200 Texas school districts, Miller said. “The study shows that there may be a very important connection between environmental exposure to mercury and the development of autism.” To read, go to link above.

   NEW! (Autism Research Institute, leader in bio-medical treatments and D.A.N. Doctors)
ARI's Autism Call Center  Toll-free resource line
   http://www.autismwebsite.com/ari/index.htm
Too often we hear it: "I heard a few things about the diet, and biomedical approaches, but I didn't know who to call. I wish I had found this sooner and could have helped my child." ARI now offers a toll-free resource line under the leadership of Nancy Cale, Grandmother to Wynn - ASD age 12, and Vice President of Unlocking Autism.  Callers are provided information, contacts, and access to resources available through the Autism Research Institute.
ARI's Toll-free Autism Resource Call Center:   1-866-366-3361