"Any underlying medical conditions, such as anemia, diabetes, nutritional deficiencies, kidney disease, thyroid disease, varicose veins, or Parkinson's disease, should be treated. Dietary supplements to correct vitamin or mineral deficiency may be recommended. For some people, these treatments are all that is needed to relieve RLS symptoms."
]]>“Hi! We are sleeping together again and want to take you out to dinner to thank you.”
I had met “Marvin” at a health club I belong to, about 10 years before this story took place. We were both racquetball players, and we would sometimes play together. Then he moved out of the area to care for his mother, and I hadn’t seen him since. Years later, he comes in to the store saying he’s back in town, but couldn’t play racquetball because of an eye problem...
]]>Years later, he comes in to the store saying he’s back in town, but couldn’t play racquetball because of an eye problem.
We talked, and I learned he had developed an eye twitch that affected his vision. For over 7 years he had seen numerous specialists - ophthalmologists, neurologists, even psychiatrists - to no avail.
I suggested he try magnesium. He looked at me incredulously, and said I must be kidding.
I told him of my success treating muscle twitches and spasms, and said that I used magnesium in all cases.
He still thought I was a bit nuts to think that I could fix his problem when numerous specialists could not. So when I suggested oral Magnesium Biglycinate at 400mg 2x/day and Magnesium Chloride every day in a foot soak, he laughed and said it would be a waste of time.
So I made it interesting.
I made Marvin a bet. I said if he tried my protocol faithfully for 2 weeks and got no result, I would buy him and his wife dinner - and give him a refund for the magnesium. He thought for a second, and said:
“I guess I have nothing to lose.”
3 weeks later, we were playing racquetball. And I never had to buy that dinner.
]]>Imagine that after a lifetime of driving your own car, building your life around knowledge and research, and enjoying nature, you became legally blind.
How would you feel?
I don’t have to imagine any more. And the world is getting darker.
It’s time for cataract surgery. And I don’t mind admitting that I’m more than a little nervous. Let me tell you how I got here.
Everyone who knows me knows that my eyes have never been great. I’ve been “four-eyes” since I was 10 years old, with coke-bottle glasses that forced me to the front of the class. You can imagine how much fun gym class was.
Cataracts are a whole different ball game.
I’ve always taken the “ACE” anti-oxidants for eye health: Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E. But my vision kept declining year over year, and about 20 years ago, we got to a point where we ran out of prescription room.
Turns out that in addition to astigmatism and strabismus, I had cataracts.
Thanks to our goverment’s restrictions on natural remedies, the eye drops I used to handle that had to come from Europe. Those drops, plus the ACE set and a regimen of Bilberry, Gingko, and NAC, slowed the cataracts’ progression enough to give me another decade of driving.
I was losing more slowly - and given the risks inherent in surgical alternatives, that was just fine by me. But I was still losing.
A decade ago, I decided that it wasn’t responsible for me to drive anymore. My photography hobby was the next hit, followed by my time in nature. I still didn’t want to go under the knife.
But the truth is, something had to give. I was legally blind, in a place where supplements couldn’t help me any more.
My condition was beginning to hurt my ability to help the people around me.
Including my efforts around this web site and blog.
Then, instead of me helping friends with their health, a friend helped me.
She came in to see me about hormonal balance, but in the course of our conversations she told me that her recent cataract surgery not only cured her cataracts, it let her give up her glasses.
OK, she had my attention now.
So here I am. To everything there is a season. Including doctors, and conventional Western medicine. Winter has come. But I’m gonna see the spring. I hope.
Pre-op is January 14th, and the first surgery is scheduled for January 28th. They’ll give it about 2 weeks, and then if they haven’t blinded me for good in that eye, they’ll do the other one. It’s actually a pretty routine surgery, so it should be great.
I’d love to have my life back. But getting from here to there can be pretty scary sometimes.
That’s just the way it is. For me – and often for you, too.
I’m the guy people come to for help with their health when everything else has failed. And I’m also the guy who has to reach for an uncertain solution when everything else has failed. Not the first time, won’t be the last.
We’re all in this life together. And it’s what we make of it – together.
So this year, I’m grateful for all I have. And I’m grateful that I can finally look beyond something I was losing, to see the promise of what might be. I have so many more stories I want to share, so much good news about people who have found their own escapes from conditions that threatened to define and limit their lives.
Just as I hope to find my own escape, thanks to some skilled surgeons and a friend’s encouragement.
Felice Navidad! Happy Hanukkah! Habari gani? (Imani.)
See you on the other side.
Molly was a delightful 7-year old with a painful problem. And her doctor couldn't help her. But I knew something that could.
Molly's mother came to see me several months ago, feeling helpless. Molly's migraines were so bad that she couldn't even go to school. Her pediatrician said she would probably outgrown them, and gave her a prescription for pain medications that made made her violently sick. She had to stop taking them. That's when her mother decided to come talk to me...
Having worked with migraine sufferers for over 30 years, I felt I could help Molly's condition. I first suggested Molly go on an elimination diet. That was a diet where all artificial colors and flavors were eliminated. Then she got off all dairy products and wheat and gluten.
That seemed to reduce the frequency of her migraines, but Molly would still have a severe migraine at least once or twice a week.
My next suggestion was daily Magnesium Chloride Baths. That was easy, as Molly loved taking baths. After only her 3rd bath, the severity of the migraines was reduced to a point where Molly told her mom she wanted to go back to school.
After 3 weeks of nightly Magnesium baths, then 3-4 baths per week, Molly hasn't had a migraine in 4 months.
As late as May 2016, the International Clinical Pharmacology (ICP) journal says that magnesium's role and mechanisms are still being argued. I have some theories, which I'm happy to discuss. The easy version? If you knew that a substance played key roles in all of these areas, each of which has known or suspected connections with migraines...
...wouldn't you look there for help?
A May 2 ICP Journal article titled "Serum concentration of magnesium as an independent risk factor in migraine attacks: a matched case-control study and review of the literature" had this to say (emphasis added):
Yes, we sell a high-end product.
Isn't it worth it, to be like Molly?
Here at the Roundtable, my friends and I will be sharing stories, research, and insights twice a week - though there will be a short delay due to my cataract surgery. Become part of our Roundtable by reading the blog, and get anytime, anywhere health tips. To make it even more worth your while, we'll also be sharing discounts and special offers now and then through our email newsletter...
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Our Roundtable is all about better health and brighter hope, naturally!
For decades, local people who want better lives have come to me for recommendations. It's great, but I can only do it one at a time during working hours.
Here at the Roundtable, my friends and I will be sharing stories, research, and insights twice a week - though there will be a short delay due to my cataract surgery.
Become part of our Roundtable by reading the blog, and get anytime, anywhere health tips.
To make it even more worth your while, we'll also be sharing discounts and special offers now and then through our email newsletter. Sign up so you don't miss any posts!
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