Postivie Effects of Alternative Medicine

Since I'm about six weeks into being a super duper alternative patient, I thought I'd list out some of its effects.

-Thicker hair. This is a biggie as most women with PCOS lose quite a bit of hair. I lost about half of mine and, by the time I finally got pregnant (after many years of infertility treatments), I had a small bald spot. That spot filled back in as the hormones of pregnancy were, essentially, a cure for the PCOS. I've managed to keep my hair since pregnancy, although it did thin out again. So I'm pleased to see thicker hair. I might go long again!

-Improved edema. I suspect most of the lower leg edema I have is due to the steroids--either the ones I've been on recently or the cumulative damage of long term steroids (15 years oral steroids before I was switched to inhaled ones). The improvement does not last much beyond a few days after an IV nutrition therapy session. But I do notice it.

-Improved blood sugar. I don't have a meter to test (anymore), but I don't get those whirling sensations if I eat some sugar like I have in the past. An example, I had a SAD (standard American diet) meal at the volunteer gig a few weeks ago and that usually makes my head feel like it's going to spin off from the sudden carb dump, but now that feeling is gone.

This is important because I have muscle problems when I take Metformin or Fortamet. If you think Type 2 Diabetes from long term steroid use is bad, try facing it down without being able to take the first line medications. That's the modern equivalent of being cursed. So I work very very hard with diet and nutrition supplements to diabetes proof myself.

So far so good. My last A1C was 5.6, fasting glucose 87, insulin 16. I'd like the A1C and insulin to be lower and, if I could stay off steroids, I bet they would be.

-Reduced muscle pain. The legacy of long term steroid use, multiple whip lash injuries, and multiple HPA axis suppressions has been muscle pain. The intensity depends on how recently I've been on steroids, with steroid withdrawal being the worst offender. My neck bothers me almost constantly with other muscles spasming inappropriately. The IV nutrition therapy pretty much obliterates the muscle pain. I can still outpace its effects in my neck with poor posture, but, if I'm ergonomic, I have about 80% improvement in the pain.

-Lightening of brown marks. From this last adrenal suppression I had brown eyelids with dark brown splotches extending into my crow's feet. I don't know if it's a leftover from the few times I've crossed the line into Cushing's territory or just the mark of long term fatigue. Either way, it lightened by about 80% with the first IV treatment.

-Kept me out of the hospital. I still can't quite believe how sick I was and how lucky I was to not end up in the hospital this past May. I am terrified of being intubated and this could have been The One (being worse than the last bad episode that did put me in the hospital). The extra magnesium the clinic added to my IVs really saved me. Not to mention how the other IV ingredients kept breaking up the congestion so it didn't sit and fester in my lungs. Really an amazing experience and I'm still processing it all. I feel like I experienced true healing for the first time in my life.