Her name is Kathryn.

The painting club I belong to is a loosely organized group with approximately 8-9 regular members getting together every Wednesday, from noon to 3:00 PM at one Assisted Living facility in Appleton. Most of the regular participants are retired senior citizen except me who is a senior citizen but is still working, and a young fellow in the 30's who is an unemployed or under-employed law school graduates. Excluding that young fellow, I would say the average age of the group is approximately 68. None of us is a professional painter. Sometime ago, the group has hired a teacher to instruct the members. But later, because the instructor had some medical problems and stopped coming to the group.

I joined the group probably a year ago through a church friend who was trying to get her mother who is the 90's to have something to occupy. Through informal conversation with the members, almost all of us have some medical, emotional, or relational issues that include: diabetics, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, divorced or separated or marriage strained problems, or have to take an extreme patience to take care of ailing spouse. Despite the difficulty, everyone of them has some unique story that can be inspirational or uplifting. Kathryn is one of them

I met Kathryn in one of the painting occasion. We sat in the the same table covered with a plastic top to avoid spilling of the paint. She was painting a greeting card with flowers as her themes using her right hand. She is probably 5-6 years older than I, in the age of 74 or 75. She started the conversation,

"My dominant hand is the left hand. But the Parkinson disease I had few years crippled my left hand, so I have to train my right hand to do the painting." She said.

Now, I realized that Kathryn is afflicted with a disease that is capable taking away her motor ability. I have seen many of my friends who got the same disease withdrawn, depressed, and eventually paralyzed and lose any hope for life and joy.

"When did you begin to paint?" I asked.

"About two years ago, about the same time I knew I got Parkinson." She said.

"How many greeting cards have you made so far, since I started painting." I asked

"Quite a few." She said.

"What do you do with the finished painting? Frame them or send them out as greeting cards?" I asked.

"Well, I gave my finished work to those person who are also afflicted with the Parkinson disease whether I know them or not know them. I told them, even with such a terrible disease, we don't have to give up our life."   after hearing this,  I was very moved.

"For the best work, I gave it to my doctor who sees me every month. I give my doctor a big hug, and says to him and to myself, 'This is my affirmation that I will not give up life even I have such a terrible disease."

Friends, even in our very humble group, I see courage, I see hope. I also see the face of God. I don't know if you agree with me or not.

 

One of Kathryn's painting.

Healing Story--How I eradicate drug-resistant H. Pylori (Part 2)

I should credit the success of my battle over H. Pylori to several books that I have read and instilled into my mind for daily practice:

" Eat to live"  and "Super Immunity" by Dr. Joe Furmann.
" Change your brain to change your body", by Dr. Daniel Amen
" The Wisdom of healing", by Dr. Deepak Chopra and Dr. David Simon
"8-week to Optimum health", audio book by Dr. Andrew Weil.

Diet regiment:

I would call the diet I have is "Dr. Furman's diet".  This includes not to eat any animal-based foods except occasionally fish and eggs.  No sugar-based foods that include soft drinks, juices, breakfast cereal, quick oat, breads, even bagels.   I eat full plate of vegetables and fruits including leafing vegetables, carrot, sweet peppers, all kinds of berries (strawberries, blue berries, etc), apples, bananas, all kinds of nuts and avocado which is my major calorie source.  No pro-inflammatory foods including vegetable oil, dairy products such as cow milk and cheeses.  No artificial sweetener-based foods including diet coke or diet Pepsi.

Major staples:

Pro biotic based foods such as Kefir, yogurt.  I did the home-made fermented cabbage.  Every dish will include cabbage, fresh-cut garlic. 

Whenever it is possible, I would have cabbage, onion, garlic, broccoli, and cooked mushroom.

Mind-body connection in digestion

I eat only when I feel hungry.  This means that I may have only 2 meals a day, not 3 meals.  It is OK. Digestion takes a lot of energy.  Besides, intermittent fasting is good for us anyway.

I would not eat if I feel upset.  An upset mind would not digest food well.

I practice meditation and prayers at least twice a day.

I exercise religiously everyday.  Playing tennis and folk dance are better medication than the drugs.

Supplement

I took Omega-3, and anti-oxidant capsules recommended and supplied by Dr. Andrew Weil.  I took adequate but not overdose zinc and vitamin B supplement recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil for vegetarian diet.

Discipline

This self-imposed regiment would be very difficult to follow if I have a weak mind.  I must thank God for giving me such a gift that I am a very discipline person and I have a strong mind.

End-Note:

I hope my healing story brings hope to my friends who has loving persons in their lives suffer similar situations.  Healing is possible if we follow the wisdom of Furmann, Amen, Chopra and Simon.  But, the responsibility to heal is on us, not on any doctors.

Healing Story--How I eradicate drug-resistant H. Pylori (Part 1)

Dr. Deepak Chopra says that if you have a healing story, share it, because the story carries 'hope' element that can transform and heal people surrounding me.  This is why I am going to share my small victory against drug-resistant H. Pylori with my friends so that you all will be benefited from my story now or in the future.

The story started on April, 2012 when I had endoscopy test for my chronic gastritis.  The test showed that I had H. Pylori infection.  Initially, I did not worry about it very much. 

"Big deal?  A 2-week antibiotic treatment will eradicate the bug."  I said it to myself.

Well, I was wrong.  It took 3-regiment of antibiotic treatment to show 'negative' breath test.  I was about to celebrate the results, the doctor said that the victory could be temporary.  The bug may come back.  The doctor asks me to take breath test every 3 months. 

I followed doctor's direction and did the breath test in September and in December of 2012.  It all came back negative.  However, in March, 2013, the breath test came back positive.

I was devastating.  The bug I have is a very tough bug--a drug-resistant H. Pylori.

Doctor told me to take a 21-day antibiotic regiment treatment again.

"What is the odd of eradicating H. Pylori with this new regiment of treatment?" I asked.
"About 50-50"  The doctor replied.
"Does that mean if this last treatment fail agin, this bug becomes a super-bug and non-treatable by any antibiotic medication?"  I asked.
"That is correct."  The doctor replied.

I refused to follow 21-day drug treatment.

"There got to have a smarter way of treating the infection."  I said to myself.

I began to do the research and ask my G.I. doctor to do the endoscopy again and send the culture to Mayo Clinic to see specific strain that my bug belongs to.

The last endoscopy was done on June 18, 2013.

Here are the results:

Initial culture results done at Theda-Clark:  negative.
7-day culture results done at Mayo Clinic:  negative (final)

The doctor called me today (July 1, 2013.) and congratulated me.  He said that I can declare victory over this difficult battle.

On Part II, I will describe how I did it without using drug.

Love, forgiveness, and healing

The main message is taken from Deepak Chopra and Dean Ornish's audio recording, but re-told by me in my own words.

Love, a powerful human emotion, has inspired writers, artists, and musicians to cherish the healing power of love.  People felt "unloved", or people who live alone often die prematurely; either they may do something to hurt themselves, or by other causes that are still unknown.

The best way to receive love is to offer love to other people.  This attrusive nature not only benefits the person who has received love, but give us ultimate happiness.  It is said that "To love another person, is too the face of God."

Providing forgiveness to other people, or to ourselves also provide us love, happiness, and healing.  Holding grudges against other people or to ourselves, is not healthy and has to be replaced by forgiveness.

Empathy, Compassion, Love, and Healing

The following message comes from Dr. Deepak Chopra about empathy, love, and healing.

One of the most powerful way for spiritual growth is to change the way we perceive the world around us.  By learning how to accommodate another person's perspective, we remove our person's blinder, expand our view about the world.  Rather seeing ourselves in the world, the world is actually part of us.

Look at some stranger and talk to ourselves.  Like me, that person has moments of joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure.  Like me, that person has moment of difficulty, and dream to fulfill.  Like me, that person is loved by someone, yet has relation problems with other. Like me, that person will die someday.

By experiencing other people's sorrow and joy, we are expressing compassion.  With the blood of compassion, we are un-descending. With the blood of compassion and un-descending, we receive and offer love.  When there is love,  there is healing.

Take Care of Ourselves

The following message is from Deepak Chopra

When we heal, we heal those people surrounding us.  Therefore, it is not selfish to take the time to take care of ourselves (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) because it affects everybody around us, just like dropping a stone in the middle of a pond that creates waves of peace and hope transformation around us.  We will become  examples; that when people look at us, they see a light within us.  They will ask, "What did you do?" , "What can I do to heal my problems?"By our examples, we help to transform the world, in the world, and the world around us.

Quotation of good prayers

Prayers are good for the soul, especially if they are good prayers.  Here are two good prayers that I like to share with my readers.  One was the Mohandas Gandi's prayer.  The other, Deepak Chopra.

Mohandas Gandi's prayer:

May I be loved, be happy, and be peaceful.
May all of my friends be loved, be happy and be peaceful.
May all of my perceived enemies be loved, be happy, and be peaceful.
May the whole world be loved, be happy, and be peaceful.

Deepak Chopra's prayer

Make sure that not a single word coming out of my mouth has the capability of hurting somebody.  Make sure the purpose of the word is to bring the blessing to the person I speak to.  Make sure the words I spoke are nurturing, caring, healing and affectionate to the person I speak to.