Managing your Genes

Powerful Patient 2008 week 41

Host: Joyce Graff, WebTalkRadio.net

Beginning October 6, 2008

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Joyce and Gale Lugo talk about Raymond Francis’ book, Never Be Sick Again.  Before 1993, Gale had nine surgeries in 18 years for tumors of the brain, spinal cord, adrenal gland and eye due to a genetic condition, von Hippel-Lindau (VHL).  Her doctors could offer only surgery.  She decided to take charge.

About Our Guest

Gale Lugo is a retired communications supervisor (she worked her way up from the mailroom) who lives in Florida with her husband, one dog, a number of stray cats, and three kittens.  She volunteers for the VHL Family Alliance, heading the Florida chapter, chairing the Southern Region, and moderating the online support community at http://vhl.inspire.com.

When she made up her mind to take control of her body and work to avoid any further surgery, she sought a degree in natural healing and herbs.  For the past fifteen years she has been following a program that aligns well with the six pathways Raymond Francis discusses:

• Nutrition
• Toxin
• Psychological
• Physical
• Genetic
• Medical

Clearly Gale cannot control her genetic makeup.  She can’t change her genes, but she can change what they are bathed in: their environment and nutrition, and their oxygen level.  Through careful food planning, and listening to what her body likes and doesn’t like, she has gained an amazing level of control over her situation and is living well with a heavy dose of VHL tumors.

She has also formed a very constructive partnership with her doctor – which her doctor describes as “we work together.”

Refrigerator Air Purifier

Gale uses an air purifier in her refrigerator as one effort to reduce the toxins in her environment.  There are a number of products designed for use in refrigerators.  Search on the internet for “air purifier for refrigerator.”

Food

Gale has been following the food combining method that Raymond discusses in his book for many years.  She does eat meat, just in modest quantities and combined only with vegetables, not with starches.

She does eat small amounts of real sugar (raw sugar or molasses) and small amounts of “real salt”.  See http://www.internet-grocer.net/salt.htm for a discussion of the additives in table salt.

A favorite recipe for drinking vegetables (delicious – and helps elimination):
In a juicer, combine: one beet and two apples.  Drink and enjoy!

Modification from Joyce:

I juiced three beets, two carrots, and two apples, and served it as borscht (cold beet soup) to company.  They loved it.  Little did they know they were sipping raw vegetables!

Start Slowly, Make Changes you can Live With

Gale’s advice is to begin slowly – consciously add fruits and vegetables, and work on reducing the toxins in your environment.  Don’t flip from junk food to wheat grass – you won’t stick with such a radical change. 

Make a few conscious changes along Raymond’s six pathways that you can comfortably work into your life and live with:

• Nutrition: become a conscious shopper, read labels, add more fruits and vegetables, reduce sugar, start avoiding those aisles of packaged foods, as well as white flour.  Take good food in, drink lots of water, and make sure you are eliminating waste products in a timely manner.
• Toxins: Change your toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, lotions, and detergent – anything that comes into contact with your skin should be free of toxins.  It should be pure enough to eat!  Read the “caution” labels on products.
• Psychological: Do one thing that will help to manage your stress.  None of us can avoid stress totally.  Learn how to de-stress yourself so that you have calm periods in the day.
• Physical: Add some exercise that is appropriate for your physical condition.  Gale started with one minute on a stationery bicycle.  If all you can do are conscious breathing exercises, start there.  Take it slowly, and strengthen yourself.
• Genetic: You can’t change your genes, but you can educate yourself about your risk factors and make choices that will minimize the impact of those risks.
• Medical: Don’t reject Western medicine, but do form a constructive partnership with your doctor and take an active role.  Work to find non-drug solutions wherever possible.  Get feedback on your progress with medical imaging, devices to measure what you are working on (blood pressure, blood glucose, ph, pulse rate, oxygenation, etc.) so that you know when things are going right.  This will help you learn what “right” feels like, and will reward your efforts!