Request for help with diet and lifting of veils

[Nynke]

I request help. In May my uncle (who has Parkinson's) called me and asked for my help. I cleared my plate, and beginning of June I arrived in Bretagne. End of June my uncle got seriously ill. I have danced with the earthly and physical patterns as best as I could to stabilise the situation, and have written about our dance so far in http://stonecircles.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/intersection-of-parkinsons-hypotension-and-constipation/

A nasty intersection this is, with many effects and (unintended) side-effects, a long road in the past that led up to it, and hopefully a better lit future path … I am sharing for many reasons. Any feedback on the questions http://stonecircles.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/intersection-of-parkinsons-hypotension-and-constipation#questions will be met with our gratitude, and maybe others in a similar situation can also benefit from reading what knowledge we have gained so far. Maybe you are an open minded doctor or healer, or someone that has been in a similar situation, and that has knowledge or insights that can help me think things through more/better and has ideas for the diet to make it more effective?

On top of that, my uncle is lifting veils, and this is something I need some help with too. He has asked for guidance. I am just someone with a habit of nearly dying since early childhood and that's how come I love "journeying". I have been traveling companion (I refuse to "teach", doesn't work anyway) with several people that wanted to journey (controlled dreaming). All were my age and younger. My uncle is much older and wiser, and lifting veils may resemble UNcontrolled dreaming now and then, but much more is involved in terms of "stuckness", "old patterns" and "power plays" that come up. It's like a lucid dreaming car that stutters. Can someone support me some in turn, or guide him through me, or is someone with more experience in lifting of veils than me perhaps willing to guide him?

[MistyNightWind]

I would love to help you, but could you explain what 'lifting the veils' is?

Misty

[mantis]

I would love to help,but I could do with some plain language.Sorry for sounding blunt,but when there is an obvious crisis staight talking needs to take place.

[Nynke]

Please be blunt. So will I. Not everybody is a native english speaker/writer. I am Dutch. And I apprenticed for several years in a Native American Medicine lineage, so that is bound to make my language somewhat strange too.

The link to the blogarticle in my request gives some straight talk to the current situation. Quite detailed too.

As for "lifting the veils", those are the words of my uncle. He was a freemason until he moved to Bretagne at the age of 80. This document is about "lifting veils": http://www.charlesberner.org/Design/Lifting_the_Veil.pdf

[Nynke]

And thank you for giving me a response!

[MistyNightWind]

No problem! And I'll take a look at the links you posted.

L&L
Misty

[Nynke]

Thank you ever so much MistyNightWind !

[mantis]

Sorry I did'nt realise you are Dutch,you English i better than mine.But I will help in any way I can.

[Nynke]

Thank you Mantis.

[MistyNightWind]

The article was certainly interesting. Although it clashes with many of my beliefs, I agree with the idea and like the idea that in some cases poeple may need to separate from what you think you know in order to learn more about yourself and the world.

I wish you all the best, and hope you find what you are searching for here; my thoughts are with you.

Love and Laughter
Misty

[Nynke]

Thank you Misty NightWind.

I am assuming it is the "lifting of veils" that clashes with your beliefs, and not the diet and questions. I also assume from your reply that you cannot help.

I wish for support "here", but I can always turn to the mystery school of the Medicine Wheel lineage I apprenticed with after I did bard "training" with OBOD (in the time there was no database yet). One of my teachers in that mystery school has the "lifting veils" practice in his healers toolbox. He studied in many lineages outside of Native American Medicine and has a huge toolbox.

I prefer support from a Druid however.

Nynke

P.S )) "Hoping" clashes with my beliefs. "Wishing for" I have no problem with.

[Nynke]

I am contacting Thunder Panther and Eagle Woman, two of my teachers. If anyone here is interested in adding another tool/ritual to their healers toolbox, let me know. I can negotiate more companions with my teachers. Will the moderators be so kind as to delete this thread in seven days? Thank you.

[LadyAoftheshire]

I'm not a doctor at all but my uncle drinks tonic water (it's known as Indian tonic water here) as it contains quinine which stops cramping.

Perhaps you could give that a try?
Also, perhaps some kinesiology would help with his food intolerances if there's a practioner in your area

Blessed be

[Nynke]

Thank you, dear Lady. I will give that a try.

We've finally managed to contact the neurologist (gosh that man is running between hospitals) and the Azilect in his medication has been removed. Azilect indeed has to do with Opioid peptides. So my hunch was not just a wishful cloud. Apparently our diet was working!

Perhaps the nightmares (including daytime), extreme stubbornness and blackouts will vanish now. He had his last Azilect yesterday morning. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

But, he doesn't want to stay. He wants to lift veils and cross over. His choice of course. I will respect that.

[Nynke]

Update: he is recovering and wants to stay a little while longer! Thank you all, for your thoughts.

I know an ash tree, named Yggdrasil:
Sparkling showers are shed on its leaves
That drip dew, into the dales below,
By Urd's well it waves evergreen,
Stands over that still pool.

From Völuspá - The Song of the Sybil

[Zylah]

Dear Nynke -

I hesitate to post anything, honestly, because I feel sure you are more expert than I, given your history in dealing with this. I am not a doctor, but I'm in training to be a nurse, and have studied some of the things you mention in your link. I've had some experience with certain kinds of illness, as well, so I will offer you what I know.

Regarding the cramps: I suppose you've already considered NSAIDS; they are effective, but can damage the liver in the long term.

What is needed to relieve cramps is an anti-spasmodic, or a relaxant; for obvious reasons. If you prefer going the natural remedy route, I would recommend a combination of remedies: warm compresses at the sites of pain are an effective external treatment, or even warm baths with soothing herbs if that's practical in your case.

For internal use, there is also cramp bark (a.k.a. Guelder Rose). Cramp bark is a remedy I hold in high regard; I suffer from chronic endometriosis, and since it has antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties, I use it for that. However, it is equally effective for treating other cramps; it lowers blood pressure as well, since it causes vessel walls to relax; since your uncle suffers from hypotension at some times (you mentioned in the link that it comes and goes), that might be a reason to avoid it - at least when his BP is within hypotensive limits.

Two of the vital elements in maintaining blood pH and so avoiding cramps are provided in cramp bark: potassium and magnesium. It is a plant native to this area, and a few other places I believe, but I'm not certain where you are or if it is readily available to you.

The cautionary statements I would make (other than the obvious, to check it out carefully before using it, as I am not a professional yet!) are 1) as stated above, cramp bark can have the effect of lowering blood pressure; so if his hypotension is pronounced, it would probably be contraindicated. 2) cramp bark does have protein, so if your uncle is sensitive to different kinds of protein, it might not be appropriate for him. 3) if your uncle is sensitive to aspirin, it is probably contraindicated in his case.

That's all the information I have offhand for that question; I will look again when things here are quieter, and see if I have any possibly helpful thoughts. There is a remedy I heard of specifically for relieving leg cramps, which I'll search out if I can later on.

I wish every blessing on you and your family.

[Nynke]

Thank you ever so much Zylah.

We're in Bretagne, France. That bulb that sticks out in the Big Water to the West. I'll see if I can get my hands on it. Potassium and magnesium are probably not a problem. I'll check. We'll give it a try, very carefully, if and when. He is well above hypotension range now, and (seemingly) stable. He hasn't had cramps for two days, but did have some spasms (only sparse moments).

Again, thank you very much.

[Zylah]

Hello again, Nynke -

Glad to hear such a good report about your uncle. Will send every wish that this blessing continues. I really hope the cramp bark helps, if you need it and can get hold of it!

I had some notes on L-Dopa from one of my pharmaceutical classes; however, you are probably already well aware of everything I could tell you on that score. Essentially, the only things I will say about it are these:

L-Dopa is known to have certain gastrointestinal side effects at times, but some L-Dopa meds add other medications to counter these. I honestly don't know if your uncle's constipation is related to this, but I thought it might be a possibility worth looking into if he is having a lot of difficulty in this area. I'm not a big fan of using more synthetic medications to counter the side effects of primary synthetic meds, but it can be worthwhile in some cases.

One cautionary note to keep in mind with L-Dopa is that physiological loss of control over the parasympathetic nervous system (dyskinesia), such as involuntary flailing of arms or legs, is a side effect that can occur especially in cases of long-term use, and it is usually not reversible.

I hope I'm not adding to your problems by bringing that up; but in case you had not heard this, I just wanted you to have as much information as possible to make balanced decisions with .

Also, you probably know this already - but one cardiovascular side effect of L-Dopa can be hypotension.

On another topic, regarding the constipation: there is a tea I make for my daughter, who has Crohn's Disease; it is not meant to treat her symptoms specifically, but is traditionally held to have a soothing effect altogether on the gastrointestinal tract. She asks for it whenever she has a flare-up of her ulcerations, or any GI disturbance. You might be able to use it (for yourself and your cousin even if not for your uncle, perhaps - I drink it also, as I do find it soothing!).

If you can make or buy some chai tea, and then add fresh ginger, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and local honey as well as whole milk to it, it may have a happy effect. I don't have proportions for you; I always just make it according to taste.

So - for whatever that's worth, it's what I came up with as I thought your situation over.

The lifting of the veils is a whole separate topic!

Be well

[Nynke]

I hope I'm not adding to your problems by bringing that up; but in case you had not heard this, I just wanted you to have as much information as possible to make balanced decisions with .

Waooow. Thank you for the Returned!

And you are not adding to my/our problems. How can more knowledge to better balance ourselves and cope with the problems we have do that?

I was aware of most effects of levo dopa, except for the dyskinesia. How odd, that a synthetic medicine can have similar symptomatic effects as it is meant to prevent. And "not reversible" makes my neck hair stand up, since Parkinson's is nasty but you can live to be a hundred with it (so to speak).

And a thought: One explanation for the relation between gut and brain problems is intestinal permeability. Intestinal permeability can allow passage of opioid peptides from food proteins to pass into the blood stream and enter the brain. His ongoing constipation is bound to have altered his intestinal permeability. It may take a while for that to restore.

My uncle is back to his old self and has exclaimed that "he wants everything back that has been taken from him".

I am now busy facilitating expectation management as best as I can, because the brain really sends out pain signals when expectations are not met ~ main reason why I am into wishing and not "demanding", "expecting", and "hoping". I will add the "non reversability" of some of the effects of levo dopa to that list. I wish us to go forward as grounded as possible. And the information you share is very helpful for that. Thank you very very much.

If you can make or buy some chai tea, and then add fresh ginger, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and local honey as well as whole milk to it, it may have a happy effect. I don't have proportions for you; I always just make it according to taste.

Thank you!!! We have all of those! I'll just leave out the milk until the permeability of his intestines is repaired. I have no idea how long that can take or what a test can be to let us know we "got there".

The lifting of the veils is a whole separate topic!

Yes and no. In a lifting of veils a person can find the spiritual support and choices needed for some self-healing (instead of externalisation and/or blaming).

He has had a truth experience when he was 20 years old, and he wants that again (and more). A deep death wish seems to exist, and that may be part of a depression as a side effect of his state. Maybe the Azilect that was racing around in his body played a part in that.

As a person that was born two months too soon, and that made a habit of near death experiences due to a deadly fish allergy, I really come from the other side as it were, and I learned many techniques to be more present. A bag full. Meaning, I don't have a bag full of meditation techniques, so I can easily find what works for him. But, I can learn! I'll just be off this planet a lot

[Nynke]

My uncle loves the chai tea!