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Awkward solution to longstanding problem

D

dharma

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it started with a minor pinched nerve condition in my lower back 20 plus years ago and has, over the years escalated into full-time body pain. there is virtually no spot on my back and hip area that doesn't hurt anymore. these days, i cannot sit still anywhere for more than 5 minutes at a time, i cannot walk around for more than 5 minutes without the need to sit down again either. Laying down in the fetal postion facing the right is the best but eventually the blood pools so i have to turn and face the other way which is hard unless i place a pillow strategically to avoid the vertebrae nerve pinch.

as you can well imagine, i have gone, done, read, and consulted with just about everyone (osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists...) changed my diet, drank more water, downed all sorts of anti-inflammatory pills on the one hand while downing ligament/cartiledge supplements on the other... had more x-rays taken than i care to remember, applied heat-pads, ice-packs, sat in bubbling jaccuzzis (very nice) and even tried ultrasound therapy (a bitch) that was supposedly going "cure" my hip bursitis which had become the latest pain i had to deal with in my body. i had a very strong sense that all the pain i was experiencing was all connected and it had something to do with my overall skeleton structure but no one would confirm it much less do anything in any definitive way that addressed the fundamental problem and not the symptoms and so i've suffered quietly. i've even been told that my problem might very well be in my head - when "professionals" can't find the real problem they often pronounce the patient psychosomatic as if that solves everything.

anyway, over the years i became heavily involved in the exercise field (even became a certified instructor) as a way of managing the pain by working on the surrounding muscles, strengthening and making them more flexible. However, despite all my efforts, as the years passed my condition has only spread and worsened. Sitting upright in front of the computer (or anywhere for that matter) has become an excruciating experience. There is so much that i had hoped to do this year but the most i can muster often is laying down in meditation. i prayed constantly for help to arrive bearing the solution and it finally came this week in the form of an old chinese medicine man who specializes in spinal realignment.

after hearing me out and studying my outer body structure my situation is perfectly clear to him (and he didn't need to take an x-ray either.) according to him my left hip joint, not in its proper place, is pushing my pelvis up slightly on one side and squishing the lower vertebraes that in turn pinch the surrounding nerves. correcting the problem means that my hips must be dislocated first so that the pelvis and spine can be straightened and adjusted above them. then the hips will be properly re-inserted into their sockets as they should've have been originally. (i don't understand why no one ever pointed this out to me before - it seems so obvious now)

well as you can well imagine, i was thrilled and mortified all at the same time. thrilled to find someone that wasn't telling me it was all in my head AND that it could be corrected, but not in the least excited by the prospect of having my joints pulled out of place and so forth. i have thought long and hard about this and nothing has ever made more sense. if i do nothing, nothing will change so i really feel that this is something i have to do.

he has been doing this sort of thing pretty much all his life so i trust that he knows what he's doing. i also feel very fortunate in having found him as he not listed in the phone book and will not treat anyone that has not been brought in by someone that's already been treated by him. although i understand that practitioners of his type are plentiful in Asia, there are only two in North America (one on the east coast and the other on the west coast) so i really feel that my "discovery" of his existence at this time was quite fateful. (interestingly, two nights before i was directed to him, i had a very powerful dream of a group of tibetan buddhists who had come to help me.)

okay... so i had a few questions that i brought to the I Ching (of course
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) - i was hoping to hear some of your ideas on the answers that turned up.

1- going ahead with this, will the end results make what i have to go through worth the cost, the time, and the pain involved? Hx 40 unchanging

2- in general, how painful can i expect this procedure to be? Hx 23 unchanging

3- would taking 1 to 2 valium to relax tense muscles help me deal with the "awkwardness" of the procedure better? Hx 48.5.6 >18

4- describe the intensity of the experience in combination with the tranquilizers? Hx 34.2.3.5.6 >25

5- anything else i should know to prepare more effectively? Hx 31.5>62

i may not be able to respond at any great length while i am still in so much pain (typing this out has been very consuming) i must wait at least 2 to 4 weeks before i can go in for the treatment and then i am told that my body will require a few weeks of deep rest so i may not be able to return with any proper response till then. i hope you all understand and that you will still come and share your thoughts with me anyway (my son will be downloading them for me) many thanks in advance to everyone!
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dobro p

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It's lousy to be in so much discomfort that you can't give things the attention they deserve. Sorry to hear that.

"1- going ahead with this, will the end results make what i have to go through worth the cost, the time, and the pain involved? Hx 40 unchanging"

Double yes.

"2- in general, how painful can i expect this procedure to be? Hx 23 unchanging"

Rather painful, yeah. Like a fish being filleted. You're the fish.

"3- would taking 1 to 2 valium to relax tense muscles help me deal with the "awkwardness" of the procedure better? Hx 48.5.6 >18"

Sure thing.

"4- describe the intensity of the experience in combination with the tranquilizers? Hx 34.2.3.5.6 >25"

Mixed results. Wrong question.

"5- anything else i should know to prepare more effectively? Hx 31.5>62"

LOL Aw, c'mon, you serious?

31.5 Influencing your upper spine
Without regrets

It's Nike time - just do it.
 

hilary

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Dear Dharma,

Ow, ow, OW! About the problem and the proposed solution. Ow. I really hope you solve this one pdq.

Before going Yi-wards - this sounds like a pretty extreme, 'heroic medicine' kind of intervention. Have you got a second opinion on this diagnosis from someone who's seen your X-rays? Not wanting to pour cold water here - but you only have one pair of hips, makes sense to look after them...

Back to Yi: agreeing with Dobro's interpretations about 90% of the way, as usual. 40: Release - what you want. 23: Ow - but for a purpose, as a rule. 48 to 18 - from the moving lines, clearly a good idea. A resource for dealing with the hidden sources of trouble?

You could take 31,5 literally and put energy into strengthening your upper back. Or in the more usual figurative sense: letting the influence and whole sense of this encounter being 'meant' combine with firm will-power and realism (62) on your part, ensuring you're the one in control.

Of course, reading 4 is where I part company with Dobro: I'm sure there's a message worth hearing in amongst that thicket of moving lines. Great strength not entangled... except that to judge from the lines, it's more a matter of aiming at 'disentanglement'. Maybe the advice here is to disengage - to try to be psychically 'absent' from what goes on, in order not to experience the whole procedure as a struggle or trial of strength?

Just a fragment of a reading - hope it helps.
 
C

candid

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Dear Dharma,

I?m so sorry to hear you?ve been going through this painful experience.

I concur with the reading interpretations from Dobro and Hilary, for the most part. I think 31.5 is humorous, if one can laugh about such things while it such pain. But as Hilary pointed out, dislocating a hip is serious business, as if you don?t know this already.

If it were me receiving these readings for such a devastating trauma and somewhat radical treatment, I?d read it as a ?go for it.? Painful, yes. Scary, hell yes. Necessary? What really is there to lose at this point, especially considering the potential gains? This guy doesn?t sound like a quack to me, and lord knows our western approach to spinal injuries leaves much to be desired.

Will be offering prayers for your relief.

C
 

shelley

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Oh Dharma!

I'm so sorry to hear about this. And fuller than ever of admiration for you. How have you managed to maintain such a wonderful sense of humour and to be so strong and wise in the face of such pain? Don't need the Yi to point out the Superior Person here!

I can't add anything useful to the readings already offered but I can and do add my love and hugs and hope.
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Shelley
 

jte

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Dharma -

Likewise, nothing to add to Dobro and Hilary's interpretations above, but much sympathy and hope that all goes well!

- Jeff
 

lenardthefast

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Dear Dharma,

This sounds like a nightmare. I've had a few pinched nerves in my lower back and they are pure, unmitigated Hell.

As far as your casts/queries are concerned, I think Dobro and Hilary have probably covered it fairly throughly.

I can say that in the past when I had similar problems, I found that a drug called 'cyclobenzaprine', brand name here in the States, "Flexeril"; was more useful in muscle relaxation than Valium. Of course, not everyone responds to medication in the same way, so, you might want to ask your doctor if he would prescribe both in order for you to make your own decision. Another one that I have had good results with is called 'metaxalone', brand name, "Skelaxin".

You are in my prayers and visualizations everyday. I visualize you as perfectly healthy, totally free of any pain and surrounded by pure, purple Light; said Light permeating every, single, wise molecule of your body. I will continue to do this until you are over this period of dis-ease. You are loved by many people and all of their positive outpourings of that love WILL help. I admire your courage during this adversity.

Namaste,
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Leonard
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malka

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Dearest Dharma,

Sending much love and healing thoughts your way. I'm so glad you've found this lovely Buddhist man to help. No more to add to the readings, as the responses seem reasonably clear. I can imagine though, the possible bittersweet feelings around FINALLY finding a solution, but having had to WAIT 20 years for it to arrive. I wish you much compassion for the journey you've been living and gratitude for the person you've become along the way. You are bright and insightful, though I'm sad the path to this place has involved so much physical pain. Please do stay in touch so we know how things are going.

All the best to you-
Malka
 

dobro p

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"Of course, reading 4 is where I part company with Dobro: I'm sure there's a message worth hearing in amongst that thicket of moving lines."

Part company? Say not so! Maybe I should have another look at it...

"describe the intensity of the experience in combination with the tranquilizers? Hx 34.2.3.5.6"

No, I still can't see it, unless all that butting and getting stuck refers to aspects of the treatment (ouch). Maybe I can't see it because it refers to something that's yet to come. However, if you look at the valuations of those four lines, you get:

fortunate

firmness dangerous

without remorse

hard, consequently fortunate

Summary: there's some danger and difficulty, but essentially it's good news.

Added extra: when I read your post the first time, I was concentrating on the questions and what you drew for the questions. I've re-read your post more carefully, and Hilary's, and I think her suggestion about an X-ray's a good one. If an X-ray reveals what he's talking about, that's an important confirmation.
 

heylise

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Dharma,
My thoughts and love and prayers will be with you in the coming weeks. Wishing you as little pain as possible and a wonderful recovery.

This may seem superfluous, your doctor knows what he does, I guess (to get a second opinion is a very sensible advice though), but I think I should mention it anyway:

Have you ever heard of Travell and Simon "Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction, The Triggerpoint manual". Or in an easier accessible form: "The triggerpoint therapy workbook" by Clair Davies, New Harbinger Publications, Inc. This book helped people who could hardly move anymore, and who got no relief from massage and exercising.
It might be that your hip has been forced out of its place by an injured or cramped muscle, influencing it year after year.

LiSe
 
C

candid

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Just an addendum on 23, re: pain of procedure, as a rose bush is pruned, as a small sacrifice to a larger gain, this is promising.
 

just_me

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Dharma,

I wish the best for you. I too have a low back problem, and my left hip is affected too. But this problem has never given me anything close to the level of pain and aggravation that you describe so I can only sympathize with you.

I just wanted to add a suggestion to the above. During the time you are waiting for your treatment, if you can find some of the people(other then the person who introduced you) who have been treated by this man, talk to them and see what they think. It's sort of covering all or at least more bases.

Like I said, I wish you the best and I really hope this is the solution to your problem.

Good Luck.
 
D

dharma

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dobro, hilary, candid, shelley, jeff, leonard, malka, liSe, just_me ...

thank you all for your ideas and support! i really wish i could address each of you separately at this time but i cannot, however, whatever help you can continue to offer will be greatly and honestly appreciated.

this is turning out to be a real nightmare for me -woke up three times last night in a panic- and so i have certainly not by a long shot decided once and for all how i will go about all this. i will definitely be looking into everything very very closely before making any final decisions.

i will be taking the time to talk indepth with someone who has already been treated by the chinese doctor who, incidently, had the exact same problem (a dislocated hip). i will also be taking advantage of the option to sit in on other treatment sessions before i decide one way or the other. i will also be going in to see another western specialist but i may have to wait many weeks before i can get an appointment to see him (frankly, i don't know how much more of this i can take)

here are a few more questions i've asked. share whatever comes to mind even if your responses are short and abbreviated. any outlandish ideas too will be given consideration and weighed carefully. again, thank you, thank you, thank you!

i'm aware that my questions are asked poorly but i simply cannot think along any other lines right now other than the yes/no variety - hopefully you can work around them.

1- the chinese doctor
is he the better choice in terms of getting the right treatment for my condition? 39.4.5> 62
how does he approach the treatment process? 20
how does his approach benefit me? 7.3>46

2- the western specialist
is he the better choice in terms of getting the right treatment for my condition? 2 unchanging
how does he approach the treatment process? 4.2.3.5.6 >39
how does his approach benefit me? 17.1.2 >47
 
C

candid

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Dharma, ok, I've been processing this awhile and this is what I've come up with. The difference in approach between the eastern and western doctors are as follows:

(question 1)
Eastern: 39.4,5 there is an inner connection. The healing approach is connecting with your inner self first in working to remove the obstruction or block, the cause of pain.

Western: 2, treats the symptoms, visible manifestations of pain. Chasing the pain.

(question 2)
Eastern: 20 approaches this obstruction from a tower or high viewing place. There?s a more intuitive and connected approach to and with you.

Western: 4.2,3,5,6: approaches the obstruction with exploratory procedures, many tests, trial and error.


(question 3)
Eastern: He/she does not focus on the small, the details or minor considerations. Rather there?s a rallying of energies from the whole you, working your entire life force.

Western: There is a dependency upon medications and traditional medicine. The focus is narrow and exclusive. There is also mentioned the need for you to remain in the control of the process, not allowing yourself to be controlled by small, narrow thinking.

Based on these things, personally, I?d run like hell from the western approach.

This isn?t entirely objective though. My perspective on your readings may be prejudice from personal experience with western doctors, fighting their huge egos in a struggle to save a past loved one's life over years. There was never an inner connection between doctor and patient. They were ego driven with little or no concern for the patient, caring only for their credentials and peer status. In spite of these things, I've tried to read this objectively.

I personally would trust the eastern approach in a heartbeat, and would not hesitate to move forward in receiving treatment asap.

One more thing, don't ignore your own intuition. Even western medical thinking now agrees that faith plays an important role in healing. Sometimes healing is a combination of faith between healer and patient, it takes both.

C
 
D

dharma

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a huge thank you to dobro and hilary, (i will definitely give you the comparative blow by blow of what actually happens versus your interpretations) and a special thanks to candid (your last post was incredibly helpful -you're an angel). i'd like to think that if i was not feeling so boxed in right now that all your interpretations would have been what would have surfaced in my own thinking process; thanks for loaning me your thinking caps for a spell.
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shelley, i am not quite feeling like the superior person at all -more like a very small and inferior one, actually, but i'm working on it. wouldn't you know it, that ol' devil card keeps surfacing over and over. i know that when i can rise above the *real* fear i will see that my pain is a symptom for my reluctance to choose and then do what i have to do, but you know the expression 'the devil you know is better than the one you don't' ...

yeah, in my gut i know this is an opportunity to put everything i know and believe in into practice, and that my true suffering lies within which of the two evils to go with (i can't seem to find sanctuary inside either choice right now [to go with unending chronic pain or one last traumatization] and therein lies my misery).

thank you too
Jeff,
Leonard,
Luis,
Malka,
LiSe,
Tim
for all the kind words of hope, for the ideas, for the hugs,
i feel your love ...
friends make a whole lot of difference
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dobro p

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Purple hugs? lol

Well okay, but if it's hugs were giving, then I deal in golden brown hugs.

Good luck, Dharma.
 
C

candid

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Dobro, think Leonard may have meant purple haze?
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Or was it purple rain? My hugs are deep blue.
 
C

candid

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Dharma, as an aside, knowing you must have tried many things, have you tried sleeping on your side with a pillow between your thighs? They actually sell pillows shaped thusly. It keeps the upper hip straight and in line. Also wondering if you've been diagnosed with either scoliosis or one leg being shorter?

Also wondering if you've ever tried a product called Biofreeze. Its proven very helpful to me. As far as I know its only sold by a few chiropractors. Its meant for only temporary relief but I've found its helpful in relaxing the muscle bundles around the ailing joint. Helps me fall asleep.

Take care,

C
 
D

dharma

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Candid, <BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

knowing you must have tried many things, have you tried sleeping on your side with a pillow between your thighs? They actually sell pillows shaped thusly. It keeps the upper hip straight and in line.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE> yes, i have and i do <BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

Also wondering if you've been diagnosed with either scoliosis or one leg being shorter?<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE> not officially, but looking at my back in mirrored reflection i can see that my upper spine has developed a slight curve to the left. this is what happens after years of centering one's head to compensate for the lower body's [newer] center of gravity - know what i mean?

<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

Also wondering if you've ever tried a product called Biofreeze. Its proven very helpful to me. As far as I know its only sold by a few chiropractors. Its meant for only temporary relief but I've found its helpful in relaxing the muscle bundles around the ailing joint. Helps me fall asleep.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE> no, but i will look into it. thanks for the suggestion.

thanks [everyone] for the heart-felt help and the color-filled hugs too
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i will try my best to keep up with the board activity in the weeks ahead though i will not be saying much myself. don't be overly concerned by my silence; i will be tending to this situation until i find a long-term solution. when i do, i'll be back

all be well, have lots of fun, and we'll speak real soon... i promise
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heylise

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East:
As choice: 39.4-31 If you go on the way you did, you will go on limping (!). If you look to the future, expecting, you will find cooperation. (but it could maybe maybe mean, that the very old Chinese way of healing is, in this case, not the best one, the futuristic western way is better. I don't think myself though that this is its meaning).
Changes to 31.4 If you act according to your intuition (gods, spirits, the answers of the oracle) regrets disappear. If you are uncertain, friends think along with you. You know deep down inside, and friends will help you to get the answer to the surface.
39.5-15 At the moment of big limping you find partners. In this case I don't think it is us, but doctors, or other patients with information. 15: TAKE what you need.
Changing to 62.5 "Shrouding clouds, no rain. They come from our Western outskirts. The duke hits with a string-arrow over there (or: the one) in a cave.
If you have an intuition but nothing concrete, nothing conscious, then act with caution, but don?t refrain from all action. Try something, make a guess, everything is better than freezing. You may hit upon it, but if you get paralyzed, you will stay stuck". Meaning: to take the risk??

His approach: 20. He will carefully look to the overall picture. Not only to your hip.

Benefit: 7.3-46 His specialism wil bring you forward step by step. But this line says that extraordinary measures are only good, when they are absolutely necessary.


West:
Choice: 2. Seems to me an act of giving it into his hands. You are not in charge anymore, so there is no way of predicting any outcome. Might be good ? or not.

His approach: 4 open and ignorant, he will look to your limping. Finding out lots of things, but it does not give an impression as if he really knows much about it. You will not be a 'case' but a unique problem, and maybe he will find the right treatment. But with an end result like 47, I am not very convinced he actually will.

Benefit: 17.1-45 All depends on his being up to date with the latest (or relevant) insights. Not 'any' Western doctor will be right, but if you can find a good one, then the prospects are good. 45 has to do with a group of people wearing a uniform, showing that they live up to the rules of that group.
17.2-58 Do you have a good relation with him? So he is concerned about you personally? A good understanding might be more important than the perfect doctor or perfect treatment.
47 "incurs fate on fulfilling his aspiration". More risk or trouble I think than the Chinese doctor??

I think I would go for the Chinese doctor too.

LiSe
 
D

dharma

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LiSe, <BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

Benefit: 7.3-46 His specialism will bring you forward step by step.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE> i've been told that it will take one month for every year that i've been afflicted to fully and completely heal as a result of the radical treatment. the treatment may be radical but at least his expectations of recovery are reasonable and sensible.

<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

But this line says that extraordinary measures are only good, when they are absolutely necessary.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE> oh, i believe extraordinary measures are absolutely necessary. the nerve endings in my back are all i notice these days (and nights) -nothing else exists. i know now what it means to BE pain - strangely, once one can move beyond and above its unbearably intense electrical heat, pain actually expands into an unusually cooling atmosphere (focused meditation is extremely beneficial to me right now)

<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

His approach: 20. He will carefully look to the overall picture. Not only to your hip.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE>i am at the point that i cannot afford to be treated any less than holistically and i never received that through modern medicine even in the best of times. every second is 'meaningful' now and i don't have the luxury of going about things the way the regular doctors have gone about things all these years. here's the drill: just getting an appointment means waiting weeks. once the day comes it means waiting hours in the waiting room. when i finally do get in, the doctor often rushes me through because of the numbers of other people still waiting to see him, so he will either push more medication on me and/or redirect me to yet another doctor. his reasoning is that another specialist will add more understanding to my case file and in time they can come to understand my problem more fully. i don't have time anymore, its now or it's never.

<BLOCKQUOTE><HR SIZE=0><!-Quote-!><FONT SIZE=1>Quote:</FONT>

I think I would go for the Chinese doctor too.<!-/Quote-!><HR SIZE=0></BLOCKQUOTE> i think so too
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thank you LiSe
 

gene

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Hi Dharma

It really does sound like you are on the right track. (Although I didn't have time to read the last few here.) I wish you the best.

Not to get on my soap box again, but this is just another example of the idiotic crap that is put out to people in the western world. We think if our colleges and universities teach it it is the gospel truth. And that is the biggest lie. The medical profession is a load of crap. Even if what you are doing doesn't work, it is better than anything you can get from the so called professionals. But this is coming from someone who has never taken a drug in his life, legal, illegal, prescription or nonprescription. I have never taken an aspirin, tylenol, bufferin or excedrin, or whatever. I have been very fortunate that way to have never gone through pain. I have friends who go through things similar to what you are going through though, and have chosen the western method, with little success.

I wish you the best. Let us know how things are coming out.

Gene
 

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