Probiotics and Colorpuncture and herbs... oh my!

Three weeks ago, I came down with a sore throat, congestion, coughing, swollen/sore glands, tons of mucus, aching muscles, and nightmares. With the use of natural remedies, I got the physical symptoms somewhat under control after 5 days, but just a few days later, everything came back in a flood. All the while I continued treatment and the cycle of getting better and worse continued.

Last night, I barely slept because of the pain in my throat and my inability to breathe. When I did manage to get a couple minutes of shut-eye, my nightmares disturbed me to to point of waking up again. This morning, I woke up to a swollen upper lip. That's when I had had enough! I called in sick to work and made few other phone calls.

I called my midwife to see what she suggested. She told me that since my gynecologist was also an MD, he would have good idea of what is okay to take when you're pregnant. So I did just that. I called and told the receptionist at my gynecologist's office of my symptoms, that they had persisted for three weeks, and now I had a swollen upper lip. I wanted to set up an appointment to talk to the doctor. She told me to try one of the following: Sudafed, Actifed, or Chlor-trimeton.

"All of those are safe to take during pregnancy. Try taking one and if it doesn't work, then call back and we can set up an appointment for you," she said.

WHAT!!!? I don't know why I'm so goddamn surprised. After all, this is the same office I had trouble with before. They are the epitome of what Western medicine has become... Just take something to mask the symptoms and avoid dealing with the root issue at all costs! Good grief! So I did a little research online and found a Naturopathic doctor whose specialty is womens' health. As a bonus, her office is 10 minutes away from my apartment.

I made my appointment with a nice receptionist who didn't question my concerns or make me feel stupid for calling. She scheduled me for a morning appointment today with no problems. I arrived and waited in the beautifully peaceful waiting room. The doctor herself came out to the waiting room and guided me to her office. She had me tell her all about my symptoms AND... drum roll please... my LIFE! God forbid, I am a human being with many complex intricacies.

My favorite part of Naturopathic medicine is the exchange of knowledge between client and doctor. The doctor is not the teacher or in an all-seeing "god" role. Both client and doctor are both teacher AND student with each other. When I was able to describe everything in full to her, I began to realize some things I hadn't before. Just by the simple mechanical act of vocalizing, my brain had been triggered!

The doctor listened and learned from and about me and we finally put together that in the process of this pregnancy, I have developed allergies to dairy, wheat gluten, and yeast. My allergies suppressed my immune system enough to pick up a virus. The virus has run its course for the most part, but the allergies remain.

What about the nightmares? We talked about that in-depth too! The nightmares and the flare-up of physical symptoms all started to appear around the same time my mom and I argued on the phone and I hung up on her. I haven't talked to her since and it seems that my nightmares center around a lack of communication with my mother.

In talking about emotional issues, the doctor brought up something I had never heard of before. Its called Colorpuncture. It uses the benefits of the spectrum of light by placing light on acupuncture points. It is based on the premise that humans are beings of light and cells use light energy to communicate and heal. I laid down on the table and she examined many acupuncture points on my body. She asked me about the sensitivity of each as she poked them with her instrument. From analyzing the results, she said that there is an imbalance in my liver that is related to anger.

She then took out a different instrument called an acu-light. Its a small flashlight-looking thing with a clear prism crystal at the end where the light comes out. She firmly placed the acu-light on each of the points on my back that were the most sensitive. Each color of the rainbow was used to create different frequencies of communication with my cells.

As she pressed the light prism against my back, I could see different colored patterns form through my eyes. It was an all-encompassing pattern that appeared no matter what I looked at. I could see these patterns in the same dimension that auras are visible...it was the weirdest thing. Its supposed to help me release anger and finally deal with my emotions, which will help provide some relief to the physical symptoms. I don't know how it works, but from the patterns I've seen in my eyes and the way I feel now, I trust that my cells have been reprogrammed in some way. We'll see if I have nightmares tonight.

Aside from Colorpuncture, I got a list of herbs and supplements for me to take that are safe during pregnancy. These include nettle, elderberry syrup, garlic, vitamin C, and echinacea. Contrary to my prior belief, echinacea is okay to take during pregnancy. I also got on a probiotic treatment of an acidophilus mixture that encourages the growth of good bacteria in my guts. I'm also supposed to abstain from all dairy, wheat, and yeast products.

After my appointment, I headed straight for Sprouts and stocked up on everything I need. I learned a few things from reading labels today... no yeast SO FAR means no bread... bummer! Also, there is wheat in a LOT of things! Right down to the pretzels I love to eat so much. Dairy is another story. I already know so much about dairy products from being vegan in the past that I feel like an expert. Either way, this new set of restrictions should make grocery shopping and balancing my diet very interesting from now on. I'm up for the challenge, though! Bring it on! Right?