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Josh was born on 20th November 1984
in Tasmania by elective Caesarean Section.
For the first five hours of his life he screamed non-stop. His eyelids were puffy
and red and it seemed as if he was reluctant to look out on the world in which
he had arrived, peeping for fleeting seconds only, before tightly closing his
eyes again to recommence bawling. This was in such contrast to my daughter Kristin,
born 22months earlier, whom from the first moment gazed wide eyed in every direction,
taking in all that was to be absorbed. She had been such a perfect baby,
so easy to manage, a delight to feed, beautiful in every way. Naturally I was
expecting my son to follow her lead. This scenario however was not to be, and
over the next two years Josh was to become my greatest teacher.
By the age of
four weeks he was sporting a fine rash all over his
face. I
was told that it was hormonal and that it would go
away, however it spread to his neck, and he developed
cracks under his earlobes, which sometime bled. He
had frequent loose bowel actions, which I was told
could be quite normal for a breast fed baby, but his
sister had never lined up so many messy nappies for
me to wash!! He often had a runny nose, but nothing
serious eventuated so I did not worry too much about
it. All the time he was gaining weight nicely and growing
just the way he should, so we simply sailed along with
his minor health inconveniences. When Josh was eight
months old I weaned him, as I planned to travel interstate
to attend a course. He was left in my mother’s
capable hands for the duration, with an assortment
of infant formulae to sustain him.
Josh was generally
a very happy baby, who despite his eczema was very
cute and usually had a big smile on his face. He was
extremely lovable. Around this time his sister decided
she would play a larger role in his life and began
to share some of her meals with him. On one particular
occasion egg was on the menu, so baby brother had his
first try. As usual he had been put to bed for his
afternoon nap. Twenty minutes
later I heard whimpering from the bedroom. I went to check and was astonished
at what I encountered. His face was almost unrecognizable it was so swollen.
He was red all over and was in significant distress. I immediately picked him
up and noted that he was very hot. Thankfully his airway was not affected,
and once I had held him for a while, he calmed down. Shortly after he vomited
and then had a very loose bowel action. It was
four hours before he settled. Obviously egg was not
good food for him. A few weeks later big sister decided to feed him some orange.
He seemed fine at first, however when I changed his nappy, I was amazed to
find bright blood mixed with
his bowel motion and even more surprised to note that
his anus was grossly inflamed and swollen out of proportion. Obviously orange
was not good for my son.
At 15 months of age his health took
a turn for the worse. It started with a runny nose,
which was not at all unusual. A couple of days later
he began to wheeze. The wheeze rapidly worsened and
I rushed him to the casualty department of the local
hospital from where he was quickly whisked to the children’s
ward and given some Ventolin by nebuliser. This made
no impression whatsoever and he was administered some
oral cortisone, which was promptly regurgitated. I
then watched as my beautiful boy had a line inserted
so that he could receive intravenous medication. It
was heartbreaking, and I felt so helpless. Half an
hour went by and Josh was still struggling to breathe.
It was then that the Paediatrician took me aside and
told me that it looked as if they would have to transfer
him to intensive care for artificial ventilation as
he was not responding. My husband was overseas at the
time and I felt very alone. I had awful flashes
of Josh becoming a respiratory cripple, with a deformed
chest and forever dependent on steroids. This
was a defining moment in my life. I thought that there
must be a way to turn his health around and that it
was up to me to find it.
Thankfully
Josh did eventually respond to the treatment and was
not transferred to ICU, but several weeks later he
was readmitted to hospital with another serious bout
of asthma.
Over the next two months he had three
episodes of middle ear infection, his skin continued
to be a problem and his nose produced copious amounts
of mucus. He was also requiring regular doses of asthma
medication. I realized that his situation was worsening,
and that my search for a cure would have to go into
high gear.
Being a qualified medical practitioner put me in a
good position to begin my investigations into alternative
methods of healing. At the time of Josh’s
health crisis I was working for an After Hours Medical
Service, and doing General Practice Locums I had already
been qualified for eight years, and practiced conventional
medicine. At one of my locum sessions I noticed that
the Doctor I was covering for had a kit comprised of
various foods in small packets on her desk. When
she arrived at the end of the day I enquired about
them. She said that they were to test patients for
food allergies. She was in a hurry and would not elaborate,
so I asked who had introduced her to the testing method
and was given a name and phone number. I wasted no
time in contacting the source but did not get very
far as the Doctor concerned told me he was not able
to teach me. Furthermore when I asked if I could perhaps
sit with him whilst he was consulting he said that
his patients would not like it. I was very frustrated.
As it happened I heard that the Australian College
of Nutritional Medicine was to hold a course in Victoria
to teach doctors about the importance of diet and nutritional
supplements. Wasting no time I booked myself in. The
course was indeed a turning point for me in the way
I was to view my patients. More significantly for me
however was the fact that the doctor who had the little
food packets on her desk, back in Tasmania, was in
attendance and on this occasion she was not in a hurry.
She stood up in front of the group and spent 10-15
minutes explaining how she was able to test for food
allergies by means of a simple pulse test. I was intrigued
and asked her many questions. Thankfully she gave me
some tuition, and I returned to Tasmania raring to
put my newfound skill to the test.
Josh was 18 months
old. I waited until he was in a deep sleep and with
my kit of potential allergens, I located a point on
his radial artery and commenced the testing procedure.
Within a week of eliminating the foods to which Josh
reacted, miracles began to unfold before my eyes. The
nose that constantly ran, suddenly stopped as if someone
had turned off a tap. The skin that had always been
patchy, suddenly cleared as if someone had waved a
magic wand. The bowel motions, which had always been
loose, suddenly had form. Josh never suffered another
middle ear infection and although he still had a tendency
to develop a wheeze when he had a cold, he did not
need prophylactic steroids. My relief was immense,
it was indescribable, I was so very grateful that I
had found my answers. From that moment I knew that
I was set on a different course in the way I would
practice Medicine.
Josh is now an adult. He stands over
180cm tall and has a perfectly formed chest. He
does not need to watch his diet the way we did when
he was young, and can now tolerate all foods in moderation,
even egg. If his skin starts to itch he cuts back on
dairy products. I can’t remember when he last
used Ventolin, and the nebuliser was sold years ago. I
am truly indebted to Josh for the part he has played
in helping me develop as a Doctor and Healer, and indeed,
to all my patients, past and present, from whom I have
leaned so much.
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