I was diagnosed with ALS on April 20th, 2004. My voice had changed and I knew something was wrong. I was having a harder time talking and people were struggling to understand me. My doctor referred me to a local neurologist and he diagnosed me. It was the hardest thing I had ever been told in my life. I had to face the reality that there was no cure and no treatment and I was going to die. All I could do was rely on faith.
Dr. Pederson, the neurologist, sent me to Charlotte, North Carolina to allow the ALS Center at Carolinas Medical Center help me in adjusting and dealing with ALS. When I visited I was shocked and amazed. Shocked because of all the people who were like me, dealing with an untreatable and incurable disease. Amazed because the doctors were all so nice and willing to help in anyway. The center would hold visits every three, six and twelve months where you would spend the day going from doctor to doctor, each of which specialized in every field that affected those with ALS. They would record your progress and offer ways to make your life a little easier with the symptoms you had acquired. The problem was that they offered me no hope. I wanted an answer, some hope, someone to help me fight.
I visited all the right doctors and did all the things that I was told to do but I couldn't settle for doing only that. The hospitals only want to help you adapt to your deteriorating body and send you home. I am a fighter and I was going to do whatever it took to beat this. So, I started looking on the Internet at alternative medicine. That's when I found Dr. Charles Adams M.d. . He was located in North Georgia about 30 minutes from where I live. I made an appointment and went for my first visit.
By saying alternative medicine I am referring to medicine that has yet to be approved by the FDA. However, much of it is approved in other countries. The problem with alternative medicine at that time was that the payment for the treatments came out of your pocket. No insurance company would help pay.
The first two treatments I did were Chelation therapy and an IV containing various minerals and vitamins. At this time we thought the disease may have been caused by the metals that get put into your body over time from the mercury fillings in your teeth to drinking from a Coke can. Chelation is a treatment that is used to clear any metals out of your system so we thought it might treat that. The mineral and vitamin bag had B12 and vitamin C along with much more in it. After this visit and all the others that followed with these two treatments I could tell a difference. My breathing had improved and I began having more energy.
Eventually we decided to start experimenting with different treatments. Dr. Adams was excited at the chance to experiment with me because I have been the first ALS patient he has ever dealt with. I was excited to see what else we could find that might work.
I began doing a treatment dealing with Hydrogen Peroxide. It is an IV consisting of thirty five percent hydrogen peroxide mixed with water. This treatment had prevented me from getting a cold in the entire five years I have had ALS. Anytime I began to feel sickly I would have this treatment and feel like a million bucks by the time I got home. Those who have ALS have practically no immune system and so it is critical to keep even the common cold out of your body.
Aside from that, the hydrogen peroxide improved my breathing tremendously. The doctors at the hospital convinced me to purchase a Bipap machine just like they do every ALS patient. I bought it and wore it a few times but it made me feel like I was suffocating. I opted to find something else. The Hydrogen Peroxide treatment has done it for me. I never wear my Bipap machine and I have no problems breathing.
We stopped doing Chelation but I didn't feel I needed it anymore. There was no proof that metals were the cause of ALS so I felt the treatment was not going to help me in the way I wanted it to. I do believe though that everyone should consider having this treatment once in a while because it is good to clean your body of the metals we consume.
Glutathione is another treatment I have been doing. This treatment is given via IV or just a simple injection into the blood stream. Dr. Jeremy Appleton, ND says that " if you look in the hospital situation at people have cancer, AIDS, or other very serious disease, almost invariably they are depleted in Glutathione. The reasons for this are not completely understood, but we do know that Glutathione is extremely important for maintaining intracellular health." Glutathione is a natural substance that acts as an antioxidant, immune system builder, and detoxifier. Naturally since ALS patients have no immune system, as I said before, I was eager to try this treatment and it has done wonders for me as well.
Lipostabil is the drug that gives me mobility. When I begin feeling like I can't move a certain part of my body, particularly for me my arms, I have this treatment done and it increases my movement a million times over. I feel great when I leave the doctor after having this treatment. I become able to actually lift my arms without the pain and struggle at least for a period of time until I need my next treatment.
Aside from doing the alternative medicine I also do several things at home that have helped keep me going. Every morning I drink a glass of 2000 mg of vitamin C and Sprite mixture. This helps me get the vitamin C I need to help fight off any colds or viruses and it aids the Hydrogen Peroxide. We order the Vitamin C from http://www.livonlabs.com/ and it comes in packets. Basically I put two packets into one cup of Sprite. I also drink 16oz of Ensure for breakfast to help keep my weight up. I have lost a total of fifteen pounds since I was diagnosed. Obviously I have lost muscle but I refuse to deteriorate away to nothing.
As needed, my daughter gives me shots of B12 to help keep my energy up in between my visits to Dr. Adams. I only visit him about once every two to three weeks and depending on my activity I need a boost every once in a while to help keep me going. Also, when I am watching television I use a machine called global wellness machine that shocks my hands and up into my arms. It can also be applied to any other part of your body you would like to try it on. They are found online and are a device that will be paid for out of your pocket.
With the help of all of these alternative treatments I strongly believe my life has been prolonged. I am in my fifth year of having ALS and I am still capable of so much. I can drive myself, eat whatever I want just at a slower pace, talk and much more. I do have to have help with some things like using a bidet to use the restroom, someone to cook for me, etc. but I remain as independent as possible.
I have been fortunate enough to be able to pay for the alternative treatments out of my pocket rather than do without. However, I am aware that many are not in this situation and that is why I want to share my story and how it can apply to you.
As of about a month (November 2008) ago Dr. Adams informed me that Medicare would now pay for my alternative medicine treatments. This was incredible news for me but also for all of you who are in this struggle with me. There is hope now. You are now able to rely on some treatment to help you through ALS.
My prayer is that this will reach you and you will give these medications a try rather than being afraid of them. The road we travel down with this disease is hard but I hope you will try the treatments I have suggested because I know that you will find that they are helpful and make you have more hope and faith that we can beat ALS.
I am not done with the experimentation's that I have been doing. As Dr. Adams finds more treatments for me to try I will openly and whole-heartily accept them. Check back for more updates on what I find and please if you have any hope to share please do. If you are interested in contacting Dr. Adams please respond to this post as I will check it regularly in hope that you are interested in my findings.
God Bless
