Re: Paraplegic son with special needs

[Guest guest]

Welcome also Dana. I was thinking the same thing plus something to build up the immune system and the complete nutrition formula. Probiotics if he's taking a lot of antibiotics.

Welcome to the group Dana. I think digestive plant enzymes would help him digest and assimilate what he eats.

Strengthening Your Natural Defenses Every day, your respiratory system draws in approximately 9,500 quarts of air and mixes it with up to 10,600 quarts of blood pumped by the heart into the lungs. Your lungs send oxygen through arterial highways to support the rest of the body and to provide an exhaust system for gaseous metabolic garbage such as carbon dioxide. Since your lungs are internal organs that draw in the microorganisms of the outside world with every breath, the strength of their natural defense system is particularly important in maintaining oxygen flow to and from the rest of your body. More than 14 million men and women suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And in one year alone, 7 to 8 million men and women had asthma, 4 million had pneumonia, and practically every one of us had some kind of virus. Pneumonia, which is generally characterized by coughing, phlegm, fever, chills and chest pain, can be caused by a variety of infectious agents, including viruses, mycoplasma parasites and bacteria. It occurs in 80 percent of those who have AIDS. Called Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, it is triggered by a parasite and is seen only rarely in people without AIDS. Fortunately, both flu and common types of pneumonia can frequently be prevented or successfully be treated without permanently damaging your lungs. Here's how. Head for the kitchen. A review of what 9,000 adults eat every day revealed that higher vitamin C and niacin intakes were associated with fewer cases of wheezing. Good sources of vitamin C include black currants, guava and red bell peppers. Good sources of niacin include free range/organic chicken breast and water-packed sardines and alaskan salmon. Eat five-alarm chili and curry. Hot peppers and spices such as curry and chili powder cause mucous membrane secretions. The extra fluid can thin out thick phlegm in your nasal passages and lubricate a sore, itchy throat. Steam and sip. Sip chicken soup or linger in a steamy shower, suggests A. Gossel, Ph.D., dean of the College of Pharmacy and professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Ohio Northern University in Ada. The fluids you drink or inhale dilute the mucus in your nose and upper throat to help make breathing easier. Suck on zinc. Zinc's ability to zap a virus has been suspected for years. And at least one study, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, indicates that zinc tablets can cut the duration of a virus by 42 percent. But not any zinc tablet will do. You need those marked "zinc gluconate with glycine." They're fairly new on the market, so you may need to ask your health food store owner for help in tracking them down. Echinacea (Echinacea, various species). Antibiotics may be indicated in bacterial pneumonia, but in any type of infectious pneumonia--bacterial, viral or fungal--I'd recommend herbs that enhance the immune system. Echinacea is one of the best. A wealth of scientific studies shows that it helps the body fight off all sorts of bacteria, viruses and fungi. Echinacea preparations--teas and tinctures--have become very popular health food store products for treating pneumonia. If I had pneumonia, I'd take a teaspoon or two of tincture in juice or tea several times a day. www.enzy.com Elderberry and Elder flowers: (Sambucus nigra): Key actions: Flowers: expectorant, reduces phlegm, circulatory stimulant, promote sweating, diuretic, topically anti-inflammatory; Berries: promote sweating, diuretic Bark: purgative, promotes vomiting, diuretic;topically--emollient. The berries help coughs, sore throats, asthma and flu viruses. A pinch of cinnamon makes the tea more warming. The berries have also been taken for rheumatism. They are mildly laxative and also help diarrhea. The flowers are infused for fevers, eruptive skin conditions such as measles and severe lung problems. The infusion is relaxing and produces a mild perspiration that helps to reduce fever. The flowering tops tone the mucous linings of the nose and throat, increasing their resistance to infection. They are prescribed for chronic congestion, allergies, ear infections and candidiasis. Infusions of the flowering tops and other herbs can reduce the severity of hay fever attacks if taken for some months before the onset of the hay fever season. A classic flu remedy is a mixture of elderflower, yarrow and peppermint teas. By encouraging sweating and urine production, elder flowering tops promote the removal of waste products from the body and are of value in arthritic conditions. The compound sambuculin A and a mixture of alpha- and beta-amyrin palmitate have been found to exhibit strong antihepatotoxic activity against liver damage induced experimentally by carbon tetrachloride. This herb has two compounds that are active against viruses. It also prevents the virus from invading respiratory tract cells. A patented Israeli drug (Sambucol) that contains elderberry is active against various strains of viruses. It also stimulated the immune system and has shown some activity in preliminary trials against other viruses, such as Epstein-Barr, herpes and even HIV. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Numerous clinical trials have demonstrated dandelion's effectiveness against pneumonia, bronchitis and upper respiratory infections, according to pharmacognosist (natural product pharmacist) Albert Leung, Ph.D. I suggest cooking the greens and roots. Remember to drink the potlikker, the juice that remains after the greens are cooked. Although I can find dandelion 12 months of the year in land, you may not have access to the fresh herb all year long where you live. You can also drink tea made from the dried herb. Dandelion root capsules are also very effective! Garlic (Allium sativum). Bove, N.D., chair of the botanical medicine department at Bastyr University in Seattle and one of the nation's most highly trained herbalists, developed pneumonia when she was eight months pregnant. Her physician, predictably, prescribed antibiotics, but she rejected them n favor of six to ten cloves of chopped garlic a day, along with echinacea. She began feeling better after two days and was cured in two weeks. Not surprisingly, Dr. Bove prescribes this treatment for pneumonia in her own naturopathic practice. Other naturopaths do, too. Jill Stansbury, N.D., a faculty member at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, urges her students to use garlic to treat respiratory and digestive tract infections. In fact, garlic is about the closest thing we have to an herbal wonder drug for treating infections. Onion (Allium cepa). Onions are closely related to garlic, with many similar sulfur-containing compounds. Most herbalists consider garlic more effective, but onions are certainly beneficial. I recommend onion soup for respiratory complaints, including pneumonia. And if you prefer chicken soup for treating pneumonia, be sure to add many onions and garlic to the recipe. Chicory (Cichorium intybus): : Chicory has been an esteemed medical plant ever since the Roman physician Galen called it “the friend of the liver†some 1,800 years ago. A syrup of chicory, rhubarb and oats was given to patients with liver ailments. An infusion of the leaves was also used to reduce fever in children. Chicory is an excellent bitter tonic for the liver and digestive tract. The root is therapeutically similar to dandelion root, supporting the action of the stomach and liver and cleansing the urinary tract. Chicory is also taken for rheumatic conditions and gout, and as mild laxative, one particularly appropriate for children. It also has been found to significantly lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The sesquiterpene lactones found in roasted root kill bacteria. Internally used for diabetes, dry coughs, abscesses, childbirth (second stage of labor); bronchial infections with thick phlegm; constipation, and lung and breast tumors (fruits). Fruits are traditionally prepared as a winter soup to ward off colds and influenza. Trichosanthin was isolated from the root tuber of a Chinese medicinal herb Trichosanthes kirilowii Maximowicz and was identified as the active component of Tian Hua Fen, a Chinese medicine described as early as the 16th century as a treatment for various kinds of ulcers. Soon after the laboratory finding in 1989 by McGrath et al. that trichosanthin appeared to inhibit the HIV-1 replication in both acutely infected T-lymphoblastoid cells and in chronically infected macrophages, and selectively killed HIV-infected cells while leaving uninfected cells unharmed, clinical trials of trichosanthin as a potential treatment for HIV were carried out in USA. Trichosanthin attacks the life cycle of the virus at an entirely different point from AZT and related drugs, and in other words, it has a unique mechanism of action complementary to other drugs. Present clinical reports showed that trichosanthin has some curing effects on AIDS patients and suggested it to be a possible treatment that may fill the gap in the treatment of HIV disease._________________Becky

I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars." - Og Mandino

[Guest guest]

Dana -

What about feeding him liquid protein in the way of whey drinks, rice

protein drinks, etc. I went through a bad bout of pneumonia last

fall and went to see an herbalist because I just couldn't shake being

sick. I was sick for over 3 months. The herbalist told me that my

body was not assimilating the protein I was eating and I needed to

add more protein to my diet and take a multi-vitamin and enzyme that

would help my body absorb the protein. He suggested getting the

extra protein in the way of protein drinks made with soy powder, rice

powder, whey or hemp.

I won't eat soy but I settled on a rice drink and a whey drink that

aren't too bad. I bought them in my local health food store and

tried to pick a vegan, organic product that didn't have a bunch of

chemicals added to it. If you have a health food store you'll just

have to do what I did; stand and read the labels on everything,

LOL. Things must have worked - within a week of starting the extra

protein and the vitamin regime he suggested I felt better than I had

felt in ages.

L.

At 10:16 PM 1/30/2006, you wrote:

>Hi all,

>My name is Dana and I joined about a week ago. I've

>been lurking trying to get to know you all and learn

>all I can. My son Danny is 27 and was paralyzed in a

>car accident in 2001. He now has developed a problem

>assimilating(hope that's the right term) nutrition and

>he needs a tremendous amount of protein to keep his

>body from eating itself. He also is dehydrated and

>has no appetite. These problems have developed from a

>constant battle with infections.

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group Dana. I think digestive plant enzymes would help him

digest and assimilate what he eats.

Gayla

Always Enough Ranch

Acampo, California

http://bouncinghoofs.com/alwaysenough.html

A day without Bill Barnhill is like a day without sunshine!

goatclearing@...

----- Original Message -----

From: " Dana Pomante " <dspomante@...>

<health >

Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 8:16 PM

Subject: Paraplegic son with special needs

> Hi all,

> My name is Dana and I joined about a week ago. I've

> been lurking trying to get to know you all and learn

> all I can. My son Danny is 27 and was paralyzed in a

> car accident in 2001. He now has developed a problem

> assimilating(hope that's the right term) nutrition and

> he needs a tremendous amount of protein to keep his

> body from eating itself. He also is dehydrated and

> has no appetite. These problems have developed from a

> constant battle with infections.

> Right now I can't get him to try any particularly

> healthy habits , but I am very worried about his body

> needing so much protein and him not having an

> appetite. A friend who is finishing medical school in

> June explained to me that I would have to cook meat 24

> hrs. a day and Danny would have to eat 24 hrs. a day

> to help him.

> If anyone has any ideas on how I can help my son, I

> would really appreciate it and you all seem so much

> more knowledgeable than I am since healthy living is a

> new choice for me.

> Thanks and blessings to you all;

> Dana

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Forgot to add here are some protein rich foods chickpeas: may include these in salads or have a hummus pitta(pita with crushed chick peas) all legumes/lentils are rich in proteins. A glass of So Good Soy has about 8.5 g of protein and it is fortified (even though I don't recommend soy, you need to do something) Have organic fortified cereals, oatmeal cereal is also rich in proteins. Eat whole grains since they have high protein and fibre content Suzi

Bring words and photos together (easily) with PhotoMail - it's free and works with .

[Guest guest]

Dana Pomante wrote:

> Hi all,

> My name is Dana and I joined about a week ago. I've

> been lurking trying to get to know you all and learn

> all I can. My son Danny is 27 and was paralyzed in a

> car accident in 2001. He now has developed a problem

> assimilating(hope that's the right term) nutrition and

> he needs a tremendous amount of protein to keep his

> body from eating itself. He also is dehydrated and

> has no appetite. These problems have developed from a

> constant battle with infections.

> Right now I can't get him to try any particularly

> healthy habits , but I am very worried about his body

> needing so much protein and him not having an

> appetite. A friend who is finishing medical school in

> June explained to me that I would have to cook meat 24

> hrs. a day and Danny would have to eat 24 hrs. a day

> to help him.

> If anyone has any ideas on how I can help my son, I

> would really appreciate it and you all seem so much

> more knowledgeable than I am since healthy living is a

> new choice for me.

> Thanks and blessings to you all;

> Dana

========================

Hi Dana,

I am very sorry to hear of your son's situation. He has use of his arms

is that correct? There is a reason he has no appetite. The body knows

exactly what it needs to do in order to heal itself. I am not saying he

will heal himself of being a paraplegic but anything is possible. Right

now his body wants to fast so it can use the energy, that is normally

used in digestion and other things, to heal and cleanse itself. The

infections are the body's attempt at ridding itself of toxins. To be

perfectly honest with you, his body does not need much protein. He does

not need to eat meat 24 hours a day. Cooked meat offers little to no

benefit for the human body. He would be better off eating it raw. Still,

the body does not need that amount of protein. What his body does need,

however, is the essentials that it uses to repair and maintain. These

being organic minerals and vitamins that he will only be able to get

from eating raw fruits and green leafy vegetables.

Now to dispel this old wives tale, his body will not eat itself. His

paralyzed limbs may become atrophied but this is due to lack of use and

not the body devouring itself. He can prevent this from happening by

making use of these limbs in some fashion or other. Nothing is

impossible unless one believes it to be.

I would get him drinking fresh squeezed fruit juices, eating lots of

fresh organic fruits and eating lots of green leafy salads. Also lots of

fresh juiced veggies would be good too. This will give his body what it

needs, no not excessive amounts of protein that will kill him, but the

organic minerals and vitamins that the body needs to do its repair and

maintenance work with. He will also get high quality protein from the

fruits and vegetables he eats. It will be much more easily assimilable

than eating flesh foods. Doing a short 7 - 10 day fast on only distilled

water will help his digestive system immensely. I suggest you do some

research into fasting by those who know and understand fasting; this

will not be an MD most likely as they usually don't have a clue about

health and healing. They only know slicing and dicing and pumping the

body full of poisonous drugs.

Fasting and changing over to raw living foods are going to be his best

bet at ever recovering any semblance of health again. If this all seems

to unreal to you then let me know and I will do my best to explain it

better. He really needs to allow nature to do what nature does best

(this meaning his body). If he has no appetite then let him fast, just

make certain he drinks sufficient water to keep from dehydrating.

Please let me know if you desire more info.

--

Peace be with you, Dana.

Don " Quai " Eitner

" Spirit sleeps in the mineral, breathes in the vegetable, dreams in the animal

and wakes in man. "

Nearly all men die of their remedies, and not of their illnesses. ~Jean

Baptiste Molière, Le Malade Imaginaire

The obstacle is the path. ~Zen Proverb

[Guest guest]

Dana,My situation is very similar to your son's; although I have been paralyzed since birth. Do you mind my asking if he is a paraplegic or a quadriplegic? What kind of infection(s) has your son been fighting? I have chronic Urinary Tract Infections due to having to catheterize in order to empty my bladder. Is that what your son has been dealing with?

If UTIs are what your son is dealing with, I can make several suggestions. Please note that these suggestions are based on my experience, and I am a paraplegic. If your son is a quadriplegic, some of the advice may not apply to him.

First, when looking for the meat, eggs, nuts, etc., that your son needs in order to stay healthy, look for low-sodium (salt) options. Sodium causes the body to retain water, which leads to dehydration and weight gain. Dehydration and weight gain contribute to the pain of arthritis and repetitive-motion injuries that are very common in people with paralysis. People with paralysis are especially prone to these issues because the body has a natural tendency to over-work stronger muscles in order to compensate for the weaker and/or non-functioning ones.

Second, he needs to decrease or eliminate ALL forms of caffeine and carbonation from his diet. Caffeine is a diuretic; it causes the body to lose water faster than it normally would, which necessitates the kidneys working harder to filter toxins. In addition, all carbonated beverages contain phosphoric acid, which is very hard for kidneys to excrete. Any phosphoric acid your kidneys aren't able to excrete can crystalize and turn into kidney stones, which in and of themselves can cause chronic UTIs. If kidney stones develop in a person who has paralysis, surgery is usually necessary because the paralysis prevents the amount of movement and the effects of gravity that are required to allow a stone to pass naturally. In addition, the phosphoric acid in carbonated beverages contributes to the loss of calcium in bones (osteoporosis). Someone with paralysis already has a higher risk of developing osteoporosis because bones must be used for movement and/or weight-bearing in order to stay strong. Loss of bone due to lack of mobility added to loss of bone due to phosphoric acid intake, leads to an almost certainty of developing osteoporosis. Bones affected by osteoporosis not only break easier, they take longer to heal.

I'd also suggest that he add a multi-vitamin that contains folic acid, and a probiotic that contains acidophilus. Folic acid helps build up the immune system and fight infection. Acidophilus is especially important for those who have chronic infections because the antibiotics used to treat the infections will kill off ALL bacteria, even those bacteria the body needs to stay healthy This decrease in good bacteria is the cause of yeast infections, and males CAN get yeast infections. Acidophilus promotes the body's production of healthy bacteria, which in turn decreases the likelihood of antibiotics causing a yeast infection.

Does your son drink a lot of water? In trying to wean myself off of colas, and drinking more water, I have started adding a few drops of lemon, orange and/or peppermint essential oil (EO) to my water. The oils add flavor to the water (very important! LOL!), and they have infection-fighting properties that your son probably isn't getting because of the decreased appetite. I try to drink three 24oz. bottles of water a day, and I alternate the three essential oils (orange, lemon, peppermint) when I open a new bottle of water. Sorry this got so long. I hope some of this helps your son, and I'm sorry if some of it is worded oddly. I started typing this out at 9pm and it's now almost 1am, so my brain's a little off-kilter! LOL! If I can help in any other way, please let me know and do not hesitate to email me privately.

Tracey On 1/30/06, Dana Pomante <dspomante@...> wrote:

Hi all,

My name is Dana and I joined about a week ago. I've

been lurking trying to get to know you all and learn

all I can. My son Danny is 27 and was paralyzed in a

car accident in 2001. He now has developed a problem

assimilating(hope that's the right term) nutrition and

he needs a tremendous amount of protein to keep his

body from eating itself. He also is dehydrated and

has no appetite. These problems have developed from a

constant battle with infections.-- Niinimoshenh PiskurSometimes life grows you up - Kenny Chesney, country music singer

[Guest guest]

Thank you for sharing Tracey.

Suzi

>

> Dana,

>

> My situation is very similar to your son's; although I have been

paralyzed

> since birth. Do you mind my asking if he is a paraplegic or a

quadriplegic?

> What kind of infection(s) has your son been fighting? I have chronic

Urinary

> Tract Infections due to having to catheterize in order to empty my

bladder.

> Is that what your son has been dealing with?

>

>