September, 2007
Wellness Achiever, Rejoice Masters
“They diagnosed it as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.”
I always had a strong mind and will, demonstrated by my first major health challenge. When I was 15, my foot wouldn’t move – it just wouldn’t. The doctors didn’t know what it was. My mother took me to the best hospital in Boston and they diagnosed it as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I was known as the girl who attended her high school prom on crutches – and later swinging up and down the hills on the campus of Tufts University in college. Twice a month, I received cortisone shots. They told me that by the time I was 21, I would be in a wheelchair.
“One or two of my students having been either murdered or killed.”
In my twenties and thirties, I was a dedicated public school teacher for the tough inner city New York schools. Responding to the call for more high school teachers, I began teaching hardened yet precious young teens about life. Did you see the movie Dangerous Minds? That was my life—without all the Hollywood polish! My early career was a high-stress calling. Every summer, I would get a call about one or two of my students having been either murdered or killed.
Then, I joined a radical self-empowerment group, part of which involved eating a clean diet with minimal consumption of meat. Eating that way and drinking plenty of water with lots of fasting, I actually went into a remission with my arthritic condition. But when I was 22 years old, the doctors found tumors in my lungs, diagnosed as sarcoidosis. For nearly a year, I was confined to the home. Doctors wanted to operate, but I knew that I needed a radically different approach. I went out and studied and applied herbs, macrobiotics, Shiatsu acupressure, and colonics. After one year of doing these alternative treatments and fasting, I had basically healed myself. After a 27-day fast, I went to the doctor’s for a check-up and he exclaimed, “I don’t know what you did, but there is no trace of tumors on your lungs- just some scar tissue! What did you do??”
“I hardly prepared meals, becoming so caught up in the tragic lives of my students.”
During my thirties, I taught high school math. I hardly prepared my own meals, becoming so caught up in the tragic lives of my students. My diet loosened as I began to eat more broadly—primarily rich traditional Italian cuisine offered by my students’ families. This way of eating was not best suited for my genetics. I developed high blood pressure, as well as a uterine fibroid. I was told that I would eventually need to get a hysterectomy, as I had suffered from severe anemia. The tumor in my womb was so large, I began to wear maternity clothes!
At the age of 40, I had reached a crossroads with my health and my career. I was being offered higher administrative positions in the public school system. After a few repeated offers, an abrupt but clear awakening sounded inside of me: “I will die, if I stay in this system.” I knew that as sincere teacher, I HAD to LEAVE a system that didn’t seem to genuinely care about the lives of troubled inner city teens. I self-retired.
“My high blood pressure was outrageous and I was borderline diabetic.”
Settling into Washington State, my health began to down spiral quickly. For several years, my menstrual cycles seemed to never cease. At 49, I finally had a hysterectomy though I was able to retain my ovaries. After the surgery, everything “came up” health-wise: My high blood pressure was outrageous; I was told that I was borderline diabetic with a slightly enlarged heart. I was put on a very potent hypertension medication and was told that I would most likely remain on this drug for the rest of my life. While it seemed to be effective, I was experiencing severe side effects. I couldn’t drive or even think sometimes. It never evened itself out as the doctor predicted. A much milder drug was prescribed, but basically it proved to be ineffective.
My arthritis returned with a vengeance. X-rays revealed that my knees were stacked bone to bone. Knee replacement was recommended. At this point, I was back on crutches, unable to walk with my hands aching with arthritic pain. The prophecy made at sixteen of ending up in a wheelchair had come back to haunt me. I was getting depressed. One day, I was in my car with my hands on the driving wheel when suddenly, my left thumb would not bend and instead jutted outward. When I tried to bend it, tears trickled from the pain. In fact, both of my hands were aching. I experienced a cosmic moment: I was suddenly aware that it was the year 2003 and I was 53 years old.
“Getting on the Super Tonic Program…Tears of gratitude rolled silently.”
During the last week of that year, I strongly intended that the year 2004 would be dedicated to restoring my health. At this time, my friend Elaine Schenk (Wellness Achiever, June 2004) and Donna Love (Wellness Achiever, December 2004) called to invite myself and others to hear about a new product line called Ziquin. Elaine gifted me with a Mind and Body Tonic and as the saying goes, the rest was history.
Getting on the Super Tonic program, at the end of May I was picking up some kitchen utensil and noticed that my thumb wasn’t sticking out any longer! In fact, it was bending quite naturally. Tears of gratitude rolled silently. I no longer required blood pressure medication. For over three years now, I have not taken any pharmaceutical drugs!
My sister was so impressed with my results, she became an associate and loved taking the Mind Body Collection. As for myself, I was not even trying to spread the word about Ziquin, but friends were starting to notice. One day, one of my friends just said, “All right, I want to know what you’re doing! Your color looks great and you’re zipping around on those crutches as if you’re in some relay race! What’s up?” I participated regularly on the conference calls and learned so much about the Ziquin rejuvenation strategies.
“Wonderful results of energy and the cessation of taking medication.”
I finally graduated to the full Ziquin program. During my first year, I experienced the wonderful results of having more energy and the cessation of taking medication. There were periods when I needed more rest and sleep. Retracing for me required drinking lots of water and sipping nutritious broth instead of eating heavy solid food aided this retracing tremendously. My second year, I added the liver formula to my program. What a big difference! My bowel eliminations were cleansing more quickly and there was a greater ease to all my activities. However, I did retrace in the knees. There were times I could not walk. Another day, however, and there was greater ease in movement. I experienced another level of healing.
“I threw down those crutches and just left them there. My mind no longer clogged!”
A dramatic shift occurred during my third year on Ziquin. A gentleman once stated on a conference call: “My Ziquin is part of my grocery budget.” As I got better, it became that way for me too. Ziquin became first on my budget list—a necessity for me. I made the decision to purchase large amounts, and the effect was no less than astounding! A year and half of taking extra amounts, and one day I found I no longer needed crutches!! I was at a spiritual retreat where I threw down those crutches and just left them there. I haven’t used them since!
My mind is no longer clogged up with brain fog, and my metabolism is much quicker. I’m more organized and getting more things done with a greater presence of mind. I delight in how I can get in and out of the tub by myself because I no longer experience stiffness and poor mobility. I have a new attitude towards life, embracing new adventures instead of staying put because it’s too painful to move. Also, I visit my mother at the nursing home and there are always lots of colds and flus going around. Going there regularly for the past year and a half, I have not experienced illness or a single cold!
“So what is the altitude of your attitude this fine day?”
Naturally, I am applying the other Ziquin wellness strategies such as daily walking, drinking more water and eating from the low stress diet that Ziquin recommends. I am much more light-hearted and I am absolutely thrilled at the potential regeneration of cartilage in my knees. I don’t just believe it will happen;I KNOW it will happen as it is occurring at this very moment!!
My mother used to ask my sister and me each morning when we were children: “So what is the altitude of your attitude this fine day, my dear daughters?” Well, thanks to the Ziquin and to my own celebration of life and spiritual awakening, I would say mine is very HIGH as I live more and more consciously as a biodynamic energetic being. Life is some kind of wonderful never-ending adventure!! To our radiant health!
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