Hi Ben,

Glad to hear you're doing OK.

Ben Odom wrote:

> Just curious; were these hives her only symptom, or did she experience some
> of the other common symptoms such as sudden joint pain, muscle pain, and
> fatigue?

She had severe insomnia, hives, itching, fever and fatigue from insomnia.  She
did not have joint pain or muscle pain.  She appeared severely allergic and
toxic to me.  Over the counter self-prescribed anti-histamines helped
temporarily.

> Perhaps this is the situation I find myself in.  Nutrition (mostly raw
> foods) and some mild physical activity (yoga, stretching, some exercise,
> meditation) are the only things I'm doin to help the healing along.  I
> continue to look for a good tcm / herbalist to help me out, but haven't
> found an understanding/skilled practitioner yet.  All I've found so far is
> people who are more interested in home businesses/pushing MLM herbs, who
> lack genuine experience/interest in body work (massage, tcm).

Stay away from those people who are into selling stuff - they don't have the
necessary  understanding to help you.  Qi-gong and tai-chi are also helpful.
There aren't a lot of excellent qi-gong teachers around.  I have taught qigong
to a few of my patients who have severe fatigue and joint pain.  They are all
better, and one is completely pain free after 2 months of practice.

> Thanks for thinking of me Roberta.  I'm doing alright, but of course not as
> well as I'd like.  True, I really feel like I've come a long way since being
> bedridden a year ago, but now I feel as though I really need to branch out
> from solely using nutrition as a means of healling.  In general, I've
> reached a plateau of sorts with the raw foods.  Although I know it will
> really be the biggest factor in the long run, I know that I need to explore
> other ways of helping the healing along.  Among the areas I wish to explore
> are massage therapy, herbal therapy, and acupuncture.

Look for an experienced acupuncturist.  A few treatments is all you need with
someone who is well trained.

> If you have any specific herbal recommendations, or advice on
> tcm, as always I would be most glad to hear them.

What symptoms do you still experience?  I'll be happy to provide whatever
guidance I can.

regards

roberta