All Is Well: Heal Your Body With Medicine, Affirmations, and Intuition (8 page)

ies. Our treatment plan was aimed at making them “go to sleep,”

or calm down.

As a team, including Andrea and other practitioners, we

worked to create a treatment strategy to address all of her options,

which included everything from potent drugs to supplements to

qigong
—an ancient Chinese practice that uses a combination of

breathing, postures, and mental focus for healing. Because the se-

verity of Andrea’s lupus wasn’t over the top, she could work to heal

with or without the use of medication. After discussing the pros

and cons with her internal medicine doctor, Andrea started on

the steroid prednisone to reduce the inflammation in her autoim-

mune system. Prednisone is a strong medicine and can have many

side effects on bone density, weight, blood pressure, skin, hair,

blood sugar, mood, sleep, eyes, and the digestive tract. Although

Andrea didn’t require such aggressive steps at the point when we

were working together, if her symptoms became more severe in

the future, she might have to consider taking immunosuppressant

drugs such as methotrexate, Azathioprine, or chlorambucil, which

have their own list of side effects.

To counter the effects of the drugs she was taking, we sug-

gested Andrea see an acupuncturist and herbalist. We also rec-

ommended that she take a calcium-and-magnesium supplement,

vitamin D, and a good multivitamin. In addition, she took DHA to

repair injured body cells and an herb called Tripterygium wilfordii

(TW), using the roots and stems each day to modulate the im-

mune system and ease the symptoms of her lupus. Like any strong

medicine, herbs also have side effects. TW can cause reversible

changes in hormone levels, amenorrhea, and infertility, so use it

only with your medical team’s supervision.

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We also asked Andrea to cut out a number of things from her

diet. Alfalfa sprouts specifically may make lupus symptoms worse.

And we suggested that she work with a nutritionist to see if she

could identify other foods that seemed to aggravate her symp-

toms. Luckily, they didn’t find anything more.

Finally, we started addressing Andrea’s thought patterns and

behaviors that could be contributing to her illnesses. We gave her

specific affirmations for lupus (I speak up for myself freely and eas-

ily. I claim my own power. I love and approve of myself. I am free

and safe); bone health (In my world, I am the only authority, for

I am the only one who thinks in my mind. I am well structured

and balanced); scoliosis (I release all fears. I now trust the process

of life. I know that life is for me. I stand straight and tall with

love); back pain (I know that Life always supports me. All I need

is always taken care of. I am safe); joint pain (I easily flow with

change. My life is Divinely guided, and I am always going in the

best direction); and rash (I lovingly protect myself with thoughts

of joy and peace. The past is forgiven and forgotten. I am free in

this moment. I feel safe to be me).

She also followed the advice outlined earlier in this chapter

and learned how to balance her personal needs with those of her

family. She started going to Co-Dependents Anonymous meetings

and took up journaling to explore her emotions. She also prac-

ticed expressing her needs to those closest to her. Within months,

Andrea was feeling better—emotionally and physically—and we

knew she would be better able to tackle the challenges that lay

ahead for someone with lupus.

Blood Problems

People who have anemia, bleeding, bruising, or other blood

problems tend to feel as though they’ve hit bottom—that they are

completely alone with no support from family and friends. They

have become so destabilized that they trust no one, and they live

in a world filled with seemingly endless chaos. If this sounds like

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you, your health depends on your ability to dig yourself out of this

pit of hopelessness and create some order and balance in your life.

The area of blood disorders covers a wide spectrum, ranging

from anemia to acute leukemia. Some of these disorders are be-

nign, meaning they resolve completely with therapy or do not

cause symptoms or are not life threatening. Others, such as sickle-

cell anemia, acute leukemia, or certain lymphomas, are more seri-

ous in that they cause chronic illness or are life threatening.

Determining the origin of blood problems can be confusing

because many of them can be associated with imbalances in either

the first or fourth emotional center. Lack of emotional nurturance,

a fourth emotional center problem, affects the organs that move

the blood, including the heart, arteries, and veins, so the problem

is with the organ of the fourth emotional center rather than the

blood itself. For disorders of the heart such as high blood pressure

and blocked arteries, turn to Chapter 7. The goal in this section is

to help change the negative thought patterns and behaviors asso-

ciated with blood problems of the first emotional center.

The first step in this journey is to identify the messages your

body is sending you about the emotions underlying your illness

and create health with affirmations. For example, anemia stems

from both a lack of joy and a fear of life, plus an underlying be-

lief that you’re not good enough. So to address this joylessness

and insecurity, use the affirmation “It is safe for me to experience

joy in every area of my life. I love life.” Bruising is about having

trouble managing the little bumps in life and punishing instead

of forgiving yourself. Remind yourself that you are worthy of for-

giveness and love with the affirmation “I love and cherish myself.

I am kind and gentle with me. All is well.” Bleeding problems can

be seen as joy running out, and anger is often associated with the

bleeding. If this sounds like you, try to calm the anger and find

the joy in life with the affirmation “I am the joy of Life express-

ing and receiving in perfect rhythm.” Blood clotting involves the

shutting down of joy. If you feel blocked emotionally, try repeat-

ing “I awaken new life within me. I flow.”

In the realm of the blood, health problems are a reflection of

not only your feelings but also the chaos around you—whether

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it’s caused by a painful family life, a chaotic relationship, or a

demanding boss. Intuitively your body, specifically your blood, is

letting you know that you need more support. You must do every-

thing you can to establish secure roots. Even if it’s uncomfortable,

ask more of the people around you. Leaning on family, friends,

and community is a vital part of achieving health in the first emo-

tional center. This is a process. Start small. Ask for help in the little

things rather than requesting that someone provide a big service.

With the success of each request, you will gain a little more trust

in the relationships you have. And if someone fails you time after

time, you will be better able to recognize the stable relationships

in your life. Your goal is to identify the solid people and then find

a balance between providing support for yourself and accepting

help from others.

From the Clinic Files: Blood Problems Case Study

As a child, Denise moved a lot because of her father’s gam-

bling addiction. The family was uprooted time and time again,

fleeing from her father’s creditors. There was never enough money

for food, and Denise and her brother and sisters went to school

hungry almost every day.

When she was in her 20s, Denise’s boyfriend hit her; she suf-

fered multiple injuries that she hid from family and friends. One

morning Denise woke to find that she could hardly walk. She was

so exhausted that she could barely make it to the phone to call for

help. Eventually, her doctor diagnosed her with severe anemia.

After talking to Denise we came to see that she had hit her

physical and emotional rock bottom. What she craved, but did

not have, was family support. And because she had never had it,

she did not know how to get that support elsewhere. To Denise

the world was a dangerous and lonely place, and she was unable

to trust even her closest friends. She was empathetic and under-

standing with her friends and family. She was the one people came

to with
their
problems. However, she was so sensitive to others’

needs that she tended to absorb the emotional and physical pain

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of those around her. Because she had done this for years without

an emotional outlet for her own fears, her body began to react to

the stress.

Denise was emotionally and physically anemic, so it was im-

portant to identify both the energetic and hematologic “leaks”

that she was experiencing. A medical intuitive reading helped us

pinpoint where she was overly giving of her life energy—in her

unhealthy relationship with her boyfriend and with her family.

The next step was to figure out where the physical “leak” in her

body was. We had to determine what was causing her to lose red

blood cells so much that she was becoming anemic. I told Denise

to go to her physician and get a test called a complete blood count,

or CBC. This test would analyze all of the different components of

her blood, and it would help us know why she was anemic.

Many doctors try to cure all cases of anemia by just giving

patients iron. However, not looking at the underlying reason why

someone is anemic may lead to a more serious problem.

There are three reasons why people become anemic:

1. Loss of red blood cells: This could be a result of

trauma (Denise had been hit by her boyfriend, how

seriously we don’t know), a gastric ulcer, excessively

heavy periods, blood in the urine, or internal

injuries.

2. Inadequate red blood cell production: This could

be caused by iron deficiency (why doctors usually

give iron); heredity, including thalassemia; drug

use, including alcohol; and chronic illness, like

hypothyroidism, low adrenal gland hormone

production, chronic hepatitis, and B12 and folate

deficiency (called megaloblastic anemia).

3. Red blood cell destruction: This can come from

an enlarged spleen, from lupus, as a side effect to

medicines like penicillin or sulfonamide, from

mononucleosis, or from other viral infections.

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Looking only at Denise’s age (not yet menopausal), most peo-

ple would assume that her anemia resulted from heavy periods.

If this were true, the iron cure would be great for her. However,

by studying her CBC test results, we saw that the number of im-

mature red blood cells (called the reticulocytes) were at a very low

level. She was not making enough red blood cells. Iron, blood loss,

and heavy periods were
not
the problem. By looking at the size of

the red blood cells that she did have—Denise’s cells were bigger

than usual—her physician figured out that she had a very rare

condition called macrocytic anemia, which is caused by low B12

in her diet and low B12 absorption because of long-term stress and

antacid use. We verified our suspicions with another blood test to

measure her B12 and found that we were correct.

Under the care of a nurse practitioner, Denise got regular

B12 shots until her B12 levels normalized. She began taking a

pharmaceutical-grade multivitamin B complex and had regular

B12 tests to confirm that she was absorbing it.

To remove the barrier to B12 absorption, I had Denise go to a

Chinese acupuncturist and herbalist to address her anxiety and

heartburn. In addition to relationship counseling about the stress-

ors with her boyfriend, Denise began taking an herbal blend that

contained rhizoma, Atractylodis macrocephalae, Radix, Codonop-

sis pilosulae, and other herbs too numerous to list here.

Denise also started working with the affirmations for general

blood health (I am the joy of Life expressing and receiving in per-

fect rhythm. Joyous new ideas are circulating freely within me);

anemia (It is safe for me to experience joy in every area of my life.

I love life); and fatigue (I am enthusiastic about life and filled with

energy and enthusiasm). Working to shift her mind-set helped her

bring joy back into her life by helping her release her fears and

begin to realize her self-worth. Within six months her anemia

was resolved.

Immune System Disorders