Energy Plus

It seems like a lifetime ago that I was struggling to walk with a cane, unable to drive, and completely dependent on the help of others to accomplish even the most mundane chores. Pain was a constant feature of my life. I was fatigued by the slightest exertion and spent more hours lying down than moving around. This was extremely stressful for me, a normally active, outgoing person. I later learned that some of my friends secretly thought I was dying. The reality that it was only four years ago still baffles me.

As I mentioned previously, I was unable to keep up with the demands of my gift basket business, and was forced to stop working all together. I wished I had found i26 back then; it would have saved my business and my wallet! My initial efforts to improve my health naturally were certainly successful, but I was still easily fatigued and required a 2-3 hour middle-of-the-day nap to keep functioning. Missing that nap for two days would result in a full-day crash, putting me in bed for the day. Pacing was essential to enjoying my new measure of health.

In 2006 I started working part-time from home, which allowed me to rest when necessary. If I got my required 12 -14 hours of sleep every day, I could handle a twenty-hour work week. Three months after starting i26 my work load increased and within weeks I was working full time. Actually, I have two part-time jobs (one working outside the home) and my i26 distributorship. Of course, I still have my other interests, and this blog, that keep me busy as well. When I think back to even a year ago, I’m just absolutely amazed that I have the energy to do all of this. I no longer need my daily naps, though I will still try to include a 20 minute power nap whenever possible.

I'm back!

It's been quite a while since my last post and if you've been following me, I appologize for the delay.  It's been a hectic summer and I've had far more commitments and surprises than time, including preparing for a move to a new home in September.  So likely, my posting won't be back on schedule until October.  However, I will try to do better than I have the last couple of months.

My journey with i26 Hyperimmune Egg continues to be an amazing one.  With each passing month I'm seeing improvements and positive changes in my health, weight, and diet.  I'm making mental notes so that I can share them when time allows.  But for now, suffice it to say, that despite a number of stressful challenges, I am doing really well and working even harder than I ever thought would be possible for me at this point in life!

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Immediately I began making plans for the return of my all time favorite meal - Shrimp Fra Diavolo, a spicy shrimp and pasta dish! Perhaps I was a bit too optimistic in introducing two new items – shrimp and garlic! Rethinking this plan, I decided to just try the shrimp alone – pain and indigestion can be a miserable combination. My normal reaction to shrimp was rather severe -- an unusual migraine headache that feels like a dagger entering through the left side of my skull and piercing through my right eyeball. This pain could last from hours to weeks, and was the one pain that could put me in bed. But after my success with tomatoes, I just had to take the chance. To my surprise, the only reaction was a sore spot on my skull where the dagger normally entered. After my experience with the tomatoes, I believed that even this would improve in time, so I would limit my intake of shrimp to once a month for now.

Today, seven months after starting i26, I can not only eat shrimp and tomatoes without any reaction at all, but I can also have garlic powder (hopefully fresh garlic will be okay in the near future), and red grapes, which used to make me itch! The green grapes still make me itch, but I can live with just the red ones! Over the next few months I will reintroduce a number of other restricted food items in hopes that at least some of them can be returned to my diet.

i26 and Food Allergens/Sensitivities

For many years I’ve used MACA750 for menopause symptoms and energy, and Rhosavin100 (rhodiola rosea) for stress and physical endurance; but since they are both herbs, I had stopped taking them during the first few weeks of taking i26. I was doing so well with i26 that I had forgotten to reintroduce these herbs into my regime. I started thinking that i26 was also controlling my menopause symptoms! Well, that wasn’t the case. Halfway through the second month, my personal summer (hot flashes) returned and I realized that MACA750 still had a job to do. I quickly discovered that it is best to take herbs 30 minutes to an hour after i26. When I took them together I suffered from really bad indigestion. Taken an hour later and everything was fine. Unfortunately, my work and sometimes my life are very stressful, so I also reintroduced Rhosavin100 as a precaution. It is an adaptogen herb and is clinically proven to help the body adapt to stress. I also had to take it an hour after the i26.

My Introduction to i26 Hyperimmune Egg

It’s hard to believe that any one product could have such a positive affect on my life and health in just seven months, but it really has. Four years ago I was forced to close my gift basket business because of my poor health and low energy levels due to MS. Today I am working full time in addition to being a distributor for i26. With each passing month the benefits steadily increase. Mind you, after years of focusing on my health and diet, I am very much in tune to my body. I quickly notice any changes, good or bad, and lately it’s all been good! But first, here’s an overview of my initial experience with this amazing product.

i26 Hyperimmune Egg Supplement – To the Rescue

A friend called me one day and said, “Debbie, you have got to check this out!  It may be just what you need. It’s called i26 and I’m going to try it. I’ll let you know if it works.”  I couldn’t wait that long!  It sounded too good to be true, and I wanted to know more right away.  Pressing her for more information, I listened carefully to her every word.

Music to My Ears
“They say it balances the immune system and it’s all natural.”  Am I hearing right?  Did she say  balance the immune system - naturally?  Yes!  That was all I needed to hear.  Armed with the name of the product and the manufacturer, I immediately began my search. Oh, how grateful I am to Google!

My initial search took me to a website that spouted the advantages of selling the product, which didn’t interest me, so I moved on.  Then I came across a website called HyperimmuneEgg.org and was amazed by the clinical studies, and the scientific background, and the fact that this product has over 100 patents worldwide!  After reading every word on this site I had to find this product.

It just made sense.  But I couldn’t help wondering how something this amazing and simple could be virtually unknown.  I was so impressed with what I was learning about this egg supplement that I just had to order it.  This would prove to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.  But before I tell you how it has helped me, let me tell you about the product itself.

A Balanced Immune System

Our health, both physical and emotional, is controlled by our immune systems.   A balanced immune system reacts to the right degree to heal us when we’re hurt, and to protect us from infections and cancers.  It does not “over react” or “under react” to these challenges, it simply reacts appropriately to each situation.  However, an unbalanced immune system, whether over-active or under-active, does not react appropriately and can lead to opportunistic infections and diseases, or even cause them. 

Based on my medical history, I was certain that my immune system was totally out of balance and had declared all-out war on my body!  And while my recent alternative therapies were proving to be very effective, clearly I would have to avoid many (normal) things for the rest of my life.  I was still hopeful that I would find a natural solution to my over-active immune system.  Before this could become a reality I still needed a better understanding of the immune system.

Eating Out

When you’re allergic to almost everything, there is nothing you can quickly grab and eat.  Even snacks have to be planned. Fast food is totally out of the question and many of the nicer restaurants are not much better.  Determined to maintain a “normal” life, I looked for restaurants that I believed prepared food from scratch, or close to it.  Although I gazed longingly at the menu, my order was always the same; “I’ll have this salad, but please hold the tomatoes, croutons, onions, and dressing.  And bring me a lot of lemon.”  Within minutes a sympathetic waiter would return with an unappetizing plate of lettuce and cucumbers and a small bowl of lemons.  “Are you sure there’s nothing else here you can eat?”  I’d just smile and say enthusiastically, “No, but this is great! Thanks!”  As I ate my healthy, allergen-free salad I savored the aroma of my friend’s garlic-rich shrimp marinara.

Hidden Dangers in Foods

Eliminating allergens from my diet seemed easy at first.  But that all changed with a trip to the grocery store.  There was sugar, corn, wheat, soy and/or gluten in everything!  My spare time was spent reading labels and yet I was still making mistakes. Some things were obvious no-no’s, but others seemed okay until I tried them.  I generally paid a heavy price for not understanding the mysterious language of ingredients.

Food manufacturers are extremely skillful at hiding potential allergens behind unusual, relatively innocent-sounding names, like hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP).  We tend to overlook the “hydrolyzed” and focus on the “vegetable protein,” which sounds like a good thing.  Well, it’s not, especially if you’re allergic to MSG, soy, corn, or wheat.  In fact, whenever you see the word hydrolyzed connected to the words “vegetable, plant, or whey,” beware.

Hydrolyzed proteins are created using a chemical process called acid hydrolysis, which breaks down the protein into amino acids.  These hydrolyzed proteins are used as flavor enhancers in everything from soups to hot dogs and pose a real threat to people like me. 

What Will I Eat Now?

There are no recipe books for people who can’t eat anything normal!  So I’ve spent many hours searching for ideas and foods that I could add to my very limited diet.  My basic diet includes fish (with scales and fins, no shell fish or scavengers), rice (preferably brown), sweet potato, olive oil, rice milk (West Soy and Whole Foods 365 brands are the only two I've found that do not contain soy!), most vegetables, red bell peppers, most fruits (but no oranges, strawberries, grapes, or pineapple), beans and water.  I can’t have garlic, onions, most sweet peppers, sugar, corn, or black pepper which presents a tremendous challenge in making anything taste good.  Interestingly, I can eat any type of hot peppers and I can also use white pepper.  Unlike black peppercorns, white peppercorns are allowed to fully ripen before it's picked, which results in a milder flavor. 

Elimination Diet - Food Allergens

Well, it’s not as bad as it sounds.  No staying close to the porcelain throne waiting to be humiliated.  This "elimination diet" involved foods that would never even get to see my digestive tract! The Ultra InflamX powder came with a booklet which detailed what you can and can not eat for 30 days. It eliminates all potential food allergens, whether or not you think you're allergic to them.  That might not seem too bad until you read the full list, which included orange juice, corn (what doesn’t have corn in it!), wheat (and most other grains with the exception of rice), soy, beef, pork, processed meats and foods, dairy, mayonnaise, alcohol, coffee, tea, tomatoes, condiments, and sugar, just to name a few!  I assure you, it is not easy to enjoy a meal devoid of some of these essentials!  But somehow I managed.  Fortunately, I had become a vegetarian about 20 years earlier, so some items were not a problem for me.

Most “normal” people would have to stay on this elimination diet for 30 days, but I had the privilege of suffering with it for 3 months!  My over-stressed body clung to the debilitating toxins it had stored up over the years and it would take 90 days for me to start feeling better.  At the end of the 90 days there were no more migraines, no more tingling in my arms and legs, no more itching, no more IBS, no more joint and muscle pain, no more brain fog…no more suffering!  For the first time in years I actually felt pretty good.

Stress, Stress and More Stress

Years of pain, suffering, and eventually, total disability forced me to seek alternative health care.  Conventional medicine seemed to be creating more problems for me than it was solving.   While I never expected to find a cure for my health problems, I did have hopes of reducing my level of pain without using the recommended anti-seizure medications.  I was also hopeful that my quality of life, which was reduced to merely existing, might improve.

One consultation with a very special compounding pharmacist, Baylor Rice, at his Wellness Center in Midlothian, VA would turn my hopes into reality.  After reviewing my medical records and blood test (which I brought with me), he patiently listened to my assessment of my situation.  For the first time I really believed someone understood what I was feeling.  He explained in layman’s terms exactly what was happening in my body and why.  He also recommended specific herbal supplements to support my internal systems, which were being bombarded by the stress of my chronic illness and life.

Compounding Pharmacists

Most of us are used to picking up prescriptions from the local Walgreen's or CVS.  But you won't find a compounding pharmacist working there.  In fact, they can be pretty hard to find, but well worth the effort.  The International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists’ website may be helpful in finding one in your local area.

Why Do I Need a Compounding Pharmacist?
You may not.  If you’re not allergic to any foods, binders, fillers, or preservatives your local pharmacy will be just fine.  But whether we know it or not, many of us have unique health care needs and allergies that can not be covered by the off-the-shelf (pre-manufactured) prescription medications available at our local pharmacy.  In some cases these pre-manufactured medications can cause more harm than good.