Those who have taken the trouble to read all of this blog know that I much prefer alternative methods to scientific medicine whenever I can avail myself of it. That is not to say that if I had an automobile accident I would go to a homeopath rather than the emergency room. I recognize the skills that mechanical medicine has perfected in patching up the human body after severe trauma and I respect those abilities.
However, I am in charge of the care and maintenance of this body while I occupy it and I try to make intelligent decisions about what modalities I will subject myself to. My criterion is the so-called Hippocratic Aphorism “Do no harm.” (By the way, this is not the so-called Hippocratic Oath that all MDs are required to take. Click on the hot link above to read more about it.) I make any medical person aware that he/she is just part of a team that I choose and direct as I see fit. If a doctor is not comfortable with being a member of my team I don’t go back.
But I digress. I have been allergic to cats, dogs, and horses for many years. The allergy has been so severe that I haven’t been able to stay in any house where there is a cat for more than a half hour without using my asthma inhaler before entering the place.
Several weeks ago a friend recommended to Elyn that she go to a chiropractor who does allergy desensitization to get rid of some of her many food allergies. The technique the doctor uses looks pretty much like voodoo medicine to me. It involves a lot of muscle testing and pounding certain areas along the spine with the portable jackhammer that some chiropractors use to do adjustments. This is an electric gadget that delivers repeated blows on either side of the spinal column. The patient holds small quantities of the substance he/she is allergic to while the doctor tests muscle response and delivers the blows to the back. Quite frankly, I was more than a little skeptical, but Elyn was hot to try it. After the first treatment, which was to clear her allergy to three foods, including garlic I watched her eat garlic laden foods without any allergic reaction. The next week three more foods were chosen and she seems to be free of any allergic reaction. I had promised that if her treatment was successful I would go in for treatment of my cat, dog, and horse allergy.
Well, today was the day that I made good on that promise. We took in plastic bags with the hair from two of the more offensive cats I have encountered among our friends. (The cats themselves are fine kitties but they have set my asthma off every time I have visited their owners.) After the half hour of muscle testing and back pounding the doctor proclaimed me clear of those allergies and sent me on my way. I could hardly wait to test the results so we called one of the friends and asked if we could come over and test out their cat. I have just returned from a two-hour visit without any allergic reaction whatsoever. I did not use my inhaler before going, and I purposefully chased down the cat (who is very shy) and stroked her fur repeatedly and brought my hair covered hands to my face to breathe in the essence of cat spit. It has been several hours now and I feel no asthma symptoms, no itching and watering eyes, and no sneezes. Amazing. I can’t remember how many years it has been since I actually petted a cat, but it must have been at least fifteen years. We have a neighbor who has three dogs and I’m looking forward to testing myself with those guys in the next few days. There is a local historic ranch where I’ll be able to test out the horse allergy before I declare the entire treatment a success. It may be voodoo medicine, but the results are very impressive so far. I’ll keep you informed.
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