You think I've been busy? Read on!
Radix
I'm not sure what it is, or what I was really trying to do, but I did it. I think it is a version of 'body work', but in the end, I just wanted to talk.
Therapy
So talk I did. It was useful really not so much for the MS but about the rest of my life. But we talked about what the MS was doing to my life and that was useful.
Magnets
There is something to this -- putting magnets at various strategic spots on your body -- but it is a blunt instrument used crudely. And the 'doctor' who did it had his wife as receptionist and he treated her appallingly. That combined with the indifferent results was enough to persuade me to move on.
Amalgam removal
Read the mailing lists or news groups and they are full of ponderings about having your amalgam dental fillings replaced with non-metal, specifically non-mercury. There are stories of amazing positive results as well as plaintive complaints about the cost with no positive results. What the hey! I had it done anyway; a big job (I am the pre-fluoride generation) which was done over four sessions. I cannot attest to any positive effects on my MS, but it fixed my fear of dentists. And I discovered nitrous oxide which has a very calming effect. And five hands can fit in my mouth (one dentist, and one-and-a-half nurses).
Virus
I read that the cause of MS was the HHV-6 virus. I showed the printout to my doctor who prescribed Valtrex (anti-viral drug). They basically did nothing. Read all about it. There's something to the idea but not in my case.
I gave up quizzing my acupuncturist about the details of the treatment; his English wasn't really up to it so I decided to 'go with the flow'. But I found some information about acupuncture which I've put here. People said it seemed to be doing me good, so I kept going until my medical fund wouldn't subsidise my visits anymore.
After I broke my wrist, and it was still painful, I was told acupuncture would help. I tracked down this guy whom I discovered had retired in the intervening years. But he was still seeing a few of his old patients at a cheap rate. My wrist is more or less fixed, and I am still seeing him for some of the benefits people seemed to see in me. And I guess I am providing a bit of extra money for his retirement!
10/00: But then I needed an acupucturist whom I could be sure understood me: I was aflicted with trigeminal neuralgia (desribed as something which "can eat into the fibre of your soul"). I felt that Western medicine had failed me and I wanted to see if acupuncture could do the trick. It did: one treatment and I was firmly on the road to recovery.
Aloe VeraAloe Vera is meant to have special properties and the "Forever Living" people market it as a so-called Gel. It tastes vile so it must be good; it was recommended by a young friend with arthritis.
At about the same time I was telephoned from Ohio from a former Adelaide resident who was selling Mannatech's Ambrotose, apparently also derived from aloe vera. I took it with Mannatech's PhytAloe and Plus.
After a few weeks the woman who sold it to me was anxious to know if it had helped. I told her that it made a difference, but not the difference. I'd say the same thing about the Aloe Vera Gel.
Amantadine
Amantadine had been recommended by other MSers as a help with fatigue. It's said its effect wears off after awhile, and you can get a bit light-headed and dizzy. After nearly falling over it the shower and getting very light-headed, I stopped taking it.
Naturopathy
I was recomended a naturopath, so I went. A big disappointment: she prescribed a very complex diet & exercise regime which said things like 'don't eat fruit and vegetables at the same meal'... so is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? For that matter, is a pineapple a fruit (given it's really a flower)? I'd told her that I don't eat fish and this detailed document included menus with fish. What she wrote had all the marks of a cut-and-paste job (and insufficient thought). She made a time to telephone me and then didn't. I had a huge list of questions, but one most important: has she had any success treating MSers? I visited her once (the most expensive consultation I've ever had, traditional or alternative) and I came away from that consultation thinking: if this doesn't do anything for me, I know where she will lay the responsibility. I guess you can tell that I am not happy with the experience.
Visiting a neuro-physiotherapist is a lot like visiting a regular physio except he/she is unlikely to as much manipulate as look at the way you stand, they way you walk, the way you sit, and give you advice and exercises. For example, she advised me to use a taller walking stick, to hold my body more erect, to tuck my chin in. Yes, she shows a caring which other therapists don't have the time to dispense; no, I am not sure whether she is making a real physical difference; yes, I plan to continue seeing her (albeit with six-month gaps between visits).
© Australian Philosophical Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge 2002
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