More Good News

Today was doctor day.  I remember a time in my life where going to the doctor was a once a year or less event.  Now it's at least once a month to several different specialists.  January was a busy month which included neurologist, internal medicine and today was pain management.  Throw in "walks into a bar" and it could be the beginning of a funny joke, but alas this is no joke and certainly not funny.

So the visit today was bittersweet.  My pain management doctor is great.  He's caring and smart, actually listens to me and offers a wide range of treatment options.  Unfortunately some of the options don't sound too good to me and none can provide any kind of guarantee for relief.  But the worse part of the visit today was his confirmation of something I was already pretty sure about...the CRPS/RSD has spread from my foot/ankle up my calf and to my knee.  There's nothing that can be done to stop it from spreading.  Well, I've spent the day mourning this development and now I have to move on.  In other news, I'm trying a new medication tonight so that should be fun.

Of course I don't have high hopes of miracle working medications and I hate the fact that I have to take them at all.  I've always tried to avoid medication but when you're dealing with neurological issues, well let's just say there's not an herbal supplement for that!  Not that I don't try.  Prior to my injury I discovered Dr. Peter D'Adamo's book, "Eat Right 4 Your Type" which is an eating plan based on the 4 different blood types.  I'm sure there's a lot of controversy on the effectiveness of the plan and the associated supplements but it worked for me (when I was disciplined enough to follow it) and when I incorporate the principals into my diet and take the supplements, I do feel better and have more energy.  Unfortunately the diet is very restrictive and hard to follow, however, I still take the supplements and can tell pretty quick when I've forgotten to take them.

The line of Right 4 Your Type products are made from high quality, natural ingredients.  I am Blood Type A.  I highly recommend these products that I've taken for several years.  In the past I've had trouble taking vitamins from grocery stores, drug stores and even places like GNC.  If you're interested and don't know your blood type, home blood typing kits are available on my Right 4 Your Type website.

Right 4 Your Type has played a significant role in changing my view on food and the link between what you eat and how you feel.  It sounds so simple and obvious but in this fast food, processed world we live in it's easy to get caught up in toxic food habits.  I never thought I would become the organic food shopper.  Or that some of my most beloved processed foods would someday turn my stomach but when you start eating healthy and "clean" and then try to go back to processed food, it usually tastes terrible.  As an example, I used to love Doritos®, now they taste like chemicals!

While I cannot pinpoint the specific risk factors or what I could have done to prevent developing CRPS/RSD, nor could I possibly figure out what caused my friend's brain tumor, I am on a mission to reduce toxins in my food and my personal care products.  Maybe I can reduce future suffering, maybe I can give my immune system a boost or a break, maybe I can help others avoid unnecessary illnesses...or maybe I'm just wasting my time and money.

But it's important to me to be as "natural" as possible in an unnatural society.  And that's how I came up with the name of my blog, "Melissa Unbleached."  One of the changes I made recently in my pursuit of being natural was to stop coloring my hair for the first time in over 15 years.  I'm still trying to get used to my natural "dirty blond" hair color but I sure don't miss smearing smelly chemicals on my head every six weeks!

Then I started to wonder what was in all the other stuff that gets smeared on our heads, bodies and underarms...and that's when I found Ava!

Melissa's Ava Anderson Non-Toxic site

Melissa's Right 4 Your Type site