I'm healed, and I'm not kidding.

Hi,


I'd like to apologize for my lengthly depart from the blog. I must say it's only because I've gotten back into life; I've been healthy, and I've been busy. Also, I want to note that the subject line of this blog post is not taken lightly.  I don't like the idea of giving people false and unfounded hope, so when I say I'm healed, I mean it.

The last couple of years have been very difficult for me, and it's hard to revisit those days by writing in this blog. But I felt like I needed to update you. It's the right thing to do!

I'm doing incredible. Those Banerji Protocols are amazing and have resurrected my health. My immune system is no longer confused, and I'll forever be grateful to Joette Calabrese for introducing the power of homeopathy and the Banerji Protocols to me.


Let me recap what has happened since my last post, which was a long time ago...


Insomnia:

I suffered with insomnia for quite a while, and nothing seemed to help. Since I knew homeopathy was so useful, I stuck with it. Homeopathy only works if you find the RIGHT remedy, otherwise it's not that homeopathy doesn't work, its that the right remedy has not been selected. So I stuck with it. The remedies I described in my last insomnia post really did help me fall asleep and stay asleep, but they were like bandaids, and they weren't addressing the source of the problem.


I finally realized that my hormones were not well, because I FINALLY started taking my basal body temperature again (I have done this in the past). I wasn't peaking in temperature after my body ovulated, which is a sign of low progesterone. Lab tests in my 2nd half of my cycle confirmed this. I was also getting some cysts on my ovaries when I ovulated, although I don't have PCOS.


All of these, including the anxiety and insomnia, are symptoms of low progesterone. 



Addressing the Hormones:

Joette put me on the Banerji Protocols for my type of hormone issues. We've tried this before, but we took a break and let my body show more symptoms (I observed better), and tried again. She put me back on Coninum Mac 3, but she didn't mix it with Sepia this time. Conium mac is for when you have hormonal issues, particularly with ovarian cysts (I take this twice daily right now). She also put me back on Sepia, but again we are not mixing these remedies. I take Sepia 200 twice a week; Sepia is a great hormone remedy for when you have that droopy exhaustion at the end of the day. These two remedies have been amazing for my hormones. So now I'm sleeping better without using the band-aid remedies; actually I RARELY use them! I also noticed that I spot 7 days prior to to beginning of my period. I've been doing these hormone remedies for about a month and at my next cycle, I had NO SPOTTING. This is very encouraging and a great sign that my hormones are getting the right push from the right homeopathic medicines.


The Reoccurring UTI's Return:


Next, I want to say how important it is to have homeopathic remedies in your home. If you have IC, then you can count on getting a UTI infection at some point. These infections must be dealt with WITHOUT antibiotics. Go through my posts here and previously, and write down the remedies I've used and order them. Chances are they may help you when the time comes. Make sure you are selecting the correct remedies for the correct situation. Unfortunately, this takes you studying and learning homeopathy a bit. One great place to start is to visit Joettes website. She has a great "QuickStart guide" page on her site. You can also select "free resources" and sign up for free access to her community area (http://joettecalabrese.com/free-downloads-and-articles/). I'm not trying to push you to her website, but if you want to replicate exactly what I did to get to where I am now (knowledgable on how to treat my uti's with homeopathy MYSELF), then do what I did. Once you're in her free community area, you can find an article on uti's. It was very useful to me when I started getting the reoccurring infections again (read on for more details.) Trust me, if I was able to learn this stuff,  you can too!


Over the last 6 months, I suffered from 4 uti's in a row.  At first, I was upset by these UTI's but then when I realized that the more I got the UTI's AND CURED THEM BY ALLOWING MY BODY TO USE ITS OWN DEFENSES, the more education/information my immune system would get on how to deal with bladder infections on its own.  I knew that I would be empowering my immune system by allowing these UTIs to be addressed via homeopathy. ---As LONG as DIDN'T USE AN ANTIBIOTIC to treat the UTI and instead used Herbs/homeopathy/even topical essential oils, I would RE-EDUCATE my immune system on how to take care of me the right way. Antibiotics, steroids, and really all drugs do exactly the opposite. They confuse your immune system and perpetuate the auto immune issues. Trust me. Ask me how I know.

Identifying UTI's at Home (vs. an IC Flare):


Here is a timeline of how I addressed each UTI, but first let me show you how you can diagnose a UTI vs an IC flare at home:

1- Get one of those test strips that reads different urinalysis parameters, and look for the following
  a) Protiens- This one is concerning because any time you have proteins in the urine it is because your kidneys is being affected. It's important to protect your kidneys in a UTI infection because of the potential for scarring. I know there are homeopathic remedies that address the kidneys, but I'm not familiar with them as my UTI's rarely ever get into the kidneys. But when I treat a UTI at home, I monitor my proteins to make sure that it isn't getting worse.
   b)  Leuk's - these are white blood cells which indicate infection and/or a flare up
   c)  Blo- this too indicates infection, but it is really a sign of inflammation. Infections and IC cause blood/inflammation
   d) Nitrites- these are the by-products of bacteria (bacteria poo, really). You usually can only see this in the morning when you first urinate. 


Conclusion: If you see A and D, you have an infection for sure. If you se just B and C, then you may have an infection or a flare, and make the effort to catch your urine in the morning after it has sat a long time in the bladder so that you can see if there are any of that nitrates (d above).


Reoccurring UTIs, a Timeline:
From March - August 2015...


First UTI- It was confirmed as ecoli in the doctor's lab, and I used the urinalysis strips at home to keep an eye on the kidneys. I could NOT find a homeopathic remedy that would address my uti's.  To be precise, I tried Cantharis 200, but again, that remedy did not work as well as others. I was very stressed and bummed out, and this clouded my mind and my judgement. I should have calmed down and let myself think through it better. I was really a mess.

 I ended up using this oil of oregano (timed release) for almost 2 months to clear the infection (I think I took like 5 pills 4 times a day. YOWZA! Not good...). This  likely killed some of my gut bacteria, but it was a better alternative than antibiotics. But I knew this wasn't the right way to do that.  The reason I feel this way is because I think that the oil of oregano was suppressing the bad bacteria as well as the good bacteria.   In my opinion, the essential oil was acting as a suppressant...it wasn't boosting/educating my immune system so that my body can fight it by it self .  For that reason it is my opinion that when you ingest essential oils with the intent of killing an infection, it is not actually teaching your immune system how to fight by itself (I also feel this way about colloidal silver).  Anything that kills gut bacteria is not worth it to me, in my opinion.  But again, to reiterate, this alternative was by far much better than resorting to antibiotic's. So it was kind of a step in the right direction with a small step back. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are not selecting the correct homeopathic remedy, then resort to this oil of oregano and/or perhaps colloidal silver (note that I've not used colloidal silver, but I hear it works great).


Second UTI: Since I felt like the oil of oregano was not the right way to go with the UTI, I studied up on homeopathy and UTI's while I was well. I already knew I would get another one due to my history. This second UTI returned rather quickly, within a month an a half of the prior one. 


I then had an epiphany:  I then realized during a special moment of prayer that the Banerji Protocol for UTI's--especially when it's an e-coli UTI--is to use Cantharis 30, not 200. I must have gotten the 200 vs 30 wrong in my notes or memory or something. But with the clear realization that I needed to use Cantharis 30, I was ready to go. (Note: The Banerji Protocols differ from classical homeopathy in many ways, and one of them is that they are extremely specific about what potency of remedy to use. The study of posology--the potency of remedies--is very interesting).   I would also like to take this moment to reemphasize the power of prayer. Having faith and trust in God and in his path for me has been an enormously powerful component to my healing journey.


So for that reason, I started the remedy Cantharis 30. The UTI was very painful, and burning. This is the Cantharis picture. I even smelled that tell-tale foul odor when urinated. It smelled kind of like corn chips...anyone else get that? ANYWAYS, because the pain was so intense, and because Cantharis 30 isn't a very strong potency, I began taking one dose every 15 minutes. By the fourth dose (so at the end of the hour), I felt a huge improvement. HUGE. I was suddenly stricken with the strong desire to take a nap. This is one of the laws of homeopathy, that when the correct remedy is selected, you may get an intense desire to fall asleep. This doesn't happen every time, but it does happen a lot when you are experiencing healing. They say sleep heals, and it sure does.


I woke up much improved. That is what is so amazing about homeopathy: That often when the correct remedy is selected you can be much improved (from an acute situation) in only an hour! Chronic issues take longer, of course. 


So for the rest of this second UTI, I continued taking the Cantharis less frequently and less frequently as the illness improved. So I probably took another dose after the nap, for I had slept 3 hours. Then again before bed, then I probably kept on it 3x a day on the second day, and then I backed off even more as I improved, probably twice a day. Once the symptoms were completely gone, I continued taking the Cantharis 30 twice a day for an additional month, even though symptoms improved. UTI's tend to come back, and according to the Banerji Protocol, you should stick to the Cantharis 30 remedy by taking it twice a day for about a month or two to prevent reoccurrence. Please note that this is ludicrous when you're doing classical homeopathy, but with the Banerji Protocol it is the way to go. Remember, the Banerji Protocol for an e-coli UTI is Cantharis 30 (not 200 or 6)! 

Third UTI: At the end of my next menstural cycle, about a month later, I got ANOTHER UTI. At this point I realized that I was experiencing Herring's law of cure, where "all healing occurs from within out, from the head down and in the reverse order in which the symptoms have appeared." So for me, I realized that since I was much improved from the IC (the most recent illness), my body was then going back to the issue that preceded IC: chronic bladder infections. 

Unfortunately, the Cantharis 30 did not address this UTI, but because it came right at the end of my period (indicating a hormonal issue), and because this was clearly a reoccurrence of a UTI, I selected Sepia 200 to address this UTI. 

Sepia helps many different issues, but when it comes to bladder infections  this is the Sepia picture: "Sepia is immensely useful for recurrent urinary tract infections, especially when there is also a history of lots of antibiotic use and thrush. The woman often loses her libido, because sex is painful and she fears cystitis may result. She is often worn out by the recurrent infections, so exhausted by the struggle to keep going that she cries when expressing herself. Genital herpes may be present." That fit my picture quite well, except for the part about genital herpes, than you very much.  Sepia is one of the first remedies to think of when you are getting reoccurring uti's back to back in a short period of time (like every month at the end of your period, for example).  So I took Sepia 200. Within the standard 3-4 doses, I again noticed a shift in symptoms. I did not experience the desire to sleep and rest as I had in the prior UTI, but I did notice a steady and marked improvement. I stuck with the Sepia until the symptoms were completely gone. 

Today, because I'm balancing out my Hormones, I have continued on Sepia (for it is the quintessential hormone remedy) due to the hormonal insomnia that I previously mentioned above (Sepia 200 twice a week). Please note that I am doing this under the direction of my homeopath.


I also realized that my vagina had some terrible, fishy odor. I realized that I had bacterial vaginosis (BV), which was always worse at the end of my cycle. For this reason, I begain working with Joette to treat BV (note: BV is often an ecoli infection). The ecoli vaginosis was obviously triggering the UTI's, so Joette started me on a protocol for Bacterial Vaginosis with e-coli, which was: Hepar sulph 200 twice a day. Because my vaginosis was accompanied by some itching, she had me mix with this Hepar, with Arsenicum album 200. 


Final UTI: At my fourth cycle, I again got a UTI, and while the bacterial vaginosis was indeed improved, the fishy odor was again present.  I continued the aforementioned BV protocol, and I again increased the dosing of Sepia.


Remember, I was already taking Sepia for the insomnia/hormone twice a week, but in this case, because I was experiencing an acute UTI, I shifted from taking Sepia twice a week to taking it every 3 hours or so. This time, the UTI was swiftly addressed in a day or two.

Also, over this next month, my bacterial vaginosis greatly improved and completely disappeared, confirming that the Banerji Protocol for BV was right for me.

Conclusions: Ever since experiencing Herrings Law of cure, my IC symptoms have completely vanished. In other words, when I experienced a return of my old symptoms (the reoccurrent UTI's that actually preceded the development of my IC), and I addressed the acutes with homeopathy, I cured the chronic issue.

When you treat an acute issue naturally and without antibiotics  you actually prevent your body from developing a chronic issue. The same goes for curing a chronic issue that has developed. When you have a chronic issue and treat any acute issue that may arise naturally (and with homeopathy in my opinion), you will over time cure the chronic issue.

Homeopathy then re-educated my body on how to fight off the bladder infections on it's own, and as a consequence, my now more educated immune system began to revive and let go of the autoimmune (confused-immune) issue of the IC.

Ladies, my IC is gone, and homeopathy did it. It did it!

I'm currently integrating grains back into my diet. I still drink copious amounts of bone broth in my soup or in my mug, but I love my diet of raw milk, eggs, whole foods, sprouted grains and seeds, and life is wonderful, just wonderful.

My Symptoms Today:

I must admit that sometimes when my hormones shift (ovulation or menses),  I sometimes may experience MILD IC symptoms.  At the most the symptoms occur for three hours once or twice a month.  But even these are becoming less frequent and less intense, and they are nothing close to a flare. In these times, I am still able to function completely normally. I'm ok with that as my body heals.

It bears repeating that the reoccurring UTIs and caring them with homeopathy is what triggered the dramatic shift in my chronic issues .

I now await as my hormones continue to balance themselves. 

Please note that I now work for Joette Calabrese. I am one of her educational specialists. I have been an online college teacher for years, and my skills help her implement and teach online classes on homeopathy. I mention this because I want to be transparent about what I do. But let me be clear: I work for her because I believe in her work with homeopathy and with the Banerji's. I do not promote homeopathy because of my employment. Indeed, life would be easier if I didn't choose to be employed for her! But I have suffered so greatly with IC that I cannot keep quiet about homeopathy. I must share, and working with Joette allows me  tohelp her do her important work better.

Hugs to you in your healing journey.

Paola