Sorry it has taken so long to get out another post. I have been going through a rough time. Adjustments to the feeding tube have resulted in weight loss, and consequently, strength. I am currently unable to operate my computer independently, making it difficult to keep up with the blog after getting through email when I have help. Hopefully all of this will change soon. Until it does, I will try to get out a post at least once a month.

It has always amazed me how new approaches to healing seem to emerge just when you need them. After the insertion of the feeding tube provided my wake-up call, Howard Guttman’s quotes of my own words in his latest book and Dr. Craig Oster’s Healers of ALS (HALS) revealed to me practices I had been neglecting and needed to re-implement. In addition, the HALS group has been helping me to explore more deeply the psychological paths to healing. A new member of the group may also have made a valuable contribution to my dietary regimen. Although she has been living with ALS for a much shorter time and is less advanced in her progression than I, she has had greater success in reversing symptoms. While we both follow primarily a raw vegan diet, there are a few elements to her diet that I have deliberately omitted. I am currently investigating a program that I believe guided her efforts, and one which claims to have reversed several cases of ALS.

Along with my HALS involvement, I have been working with a fellow by the name of Marty Murray. I didn’t know what had originated Marty’s interest and dedication to helping PALS heal. During a recent visit to my home I discovered that he is on a mission to make the world healthier. His passion for healing grew out of some personal development activities that led to his discovery of ways to cure his own ailments. He claims that the few who have stayed with his challenging methods have all experienced some sort of turnaround, even those living with ALS. His methods are quite controversial, requiring that PALS accept the premise that the disease is a function of the way they operate. See the website Making-Connections. Some people perceive this as a form of blaming the victim. In my own case, I found that accepting the notion that I have somehow brought this illness on myself is empowering. If I have the power to create it, then I also have the power to heal it. I came to this way of thinking long before either Marty or Dr. Craig entered my life, and have found them both to be welcome partners in strengthening the mental and spiritual components of my healing program.

Recently, while trying to comfort another HALS member, I mentioned that I rarely allow myself more than a few moments in a depressed state. In the past few months, this belief has been challenged several times. Just last week, a trip to the emergency room for dehydration coming from some ill-considered premature changes to my diet, shook my convictions. An ill-conceived prescription (something that I don’t often take) worsened my condition, causing me to suffer for days with severe stomach pain. Throughout this ordeal, I have struggled to fend off thoughts of losing my battle with ALS, and fighting to refocus on my intention, affirmations, and healing practices. It has been incredibly difficult. Fortunately, as the pain has eased so has the struggle. I finally feel like I am getting back on track. Moral of this story is: it’s a lot easier to follow your intention when you are feeling well, but you may become totally lost without one. How many of you have found your intention to be a valuable compass in guiding you back to a positive perspective?