Calling All Doctors

[Raindeer]

Friends -
Going on day five, here, of a nasty barbed-wire sore throat from detox. I know I'm not supposed to take any meds, but when does one worry about something like strep throat? Will my body naturally heal strep throat without antibiotics? I want to do what's right for my body. But I will most likely sit up all night again tonite, as the pain makes it impossible to sleep. I can tough that out . . . but at what point do I become foolish for not seeing a doctor? My husband is worried about me and is pressuring me to get checked out.
Worried

[debilana]

I will probably get yelled at for saying this, but I would get checked for strep throat. Strep in a weak body can cause complications.

[Revvell]

I've not been to a doctor since 1980 so, guess I'm not the one to ask.

You got great response to your last question: http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=46157... and here you are expecting not to sleep, ASSuming you have or are going to have strep throat... and wanting to take meds. GO! IF you're that worried (which really has never made a difference), then GO!

In the last thread you said you can't go to the store to get fresh oj (oranges?)... can't your husband go? If you can go to a doctor, you can get raw orange juice.

Another thing you might try ~ GSE... If you don't know what that is, do a search here or google it. Natural antibiotic, no side effects. I didn't tell you earlier because you said you couldn't go to the store. Now that I know you can go to the doctor, well, I guess you can go to the store.. or your hunny can. :)

Enjoy!

[oai]

hm, well, i don't know about this. you're new to raw.

i had tmj syndrome about a month ago. since i'm a raw veteran & anti-meds (i don't believe medicine is necessary unless serious traumatic injury is involved), i refused to go get checked. my family insisted especially my mom. my brother believed i would be just fine. some posters on here know how scared i was b/c i had posted about it on here somewhere. :rolleyes:

i was crying about 2 days straight! i didn't sleep for about 3 days, b/c it was so PAINFUL. REALLY, REALLY, REALLY painful. so by the 2nd day at night, i was just thinking, since i'm in so much pain, i'm going to fast. and fast i did for 14 days. my TMJ is gone. i never took any anti-inflammatory meds, aspirin or needed a chiropractor, etc.... i had nothing but water. :p and i'm alive. :D oh and my tmj is gone, too. :)

you can still go get checked and see what the diagnosis is first. then you can decide whether to take the meds or not.

[Dimond]

Large amount of fresh juice and smoothies with garlic, cayenne, echinacea, vit c powder or caps. Probiotics (non-dairy) are very important to any illness. If you have any organic whole food green powder-high doses of that too.

[Raindeer]

Revvell, you wrote:
"You got great response to your last question and here you are expecting not to sleep"

I didn't sleep last night, and the pain tonite is becoming just as bad.

"ASSuming you have or are going to have strep throat..."

(Whew! So much for compassion for a newbie . . .) My throat feels the same as the last time I had strep throat. I'm just worried that I don't know some universally understood edict in raw food living that says we do go to the doctor when we're really sick. Judging by your response, I guess that's not true. But I don't think I'm an ASS just because I'm new . . .

"and wanting to take meds. GO! IF you're that worried (which really has never made a difference), then GO!"

Is this some sort of motivational psychology or are you trying to make me feel and look stupid?

"In the last thread you said you can't go to the store to get fresh oj (oranges?)..."

I spent the last of my weekly budget on gallons of SAD oj. Since buying enough oranges for as much juice as I'm drinking is so expensive, I thought I could get by with normal oj. And I don't want to ask my husband to buy me organic oranges, since he's mad at me now, anyway, and says I should just go to the doctor.

"Now that I know you can go to the doctor, well, I guess you can go to the store..
Enjoy!"

Thanks for your understanding, Revvell

[Blazin'Jane]

Oai, what is TMJ? :confused:

[Raindeer]

Revvell, I've done everything you advised in the other thread (thanks for the tips). I was just reading that thread again to see if I could concoct a healing smoothie with what I have in the house, and I noticed how caustic your last line to me was. Interesting.

Thanks to everyone else who was SUPPORTIVE. I think I'll try to mix up some cayenne lemonade (a la MC style) with some probiotics in it. A friend mentioned hemp seed. Should I throw some of that in there? To the 'nice people': please send me things you think should go in my smoothie. I have raw honey, bananas, kale, lemons, hemp, cayenne pepper, probiotics and lots of nuts and seeds.
TIA,
Rain

[kaybee]

if you can get your hands on some slippery elm powder/slippery elm bark powder, that has helped my sore throat alot in the past. especially try that mixed with warm water and some honey. it coats the throat and soothes. this is the best thing ive found. this, and some sugary syrup honey-loquat licorice herbal throat medicine that i got at a chinese herbal shop that my chinese roommate swore by. best stuff i ever used...but full of sugar.

[oai]

Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Syndrome. Fancy name, hu? I can't really pronounce it myself. Thank goodness for the acronym. :p

There's, I believe now, a couple of degrees of TMJ Syndrome. With some people, their jaw just hurts. With some, their jaw does a clicking sound, when they eat. With some people, like me, I couldn't open my mouth for more than 1/2 an inch! :eek: Short explanation: problem with dear jaw.

I was completely freaked out. It lasted for more than a week. Maybe two. I was so out of it and the PAIN!

Raindeer -- I've never had strepped. So I'm not sure. And also never had TMJ before last month. Really, I was going through so much pain. And I knew medicine would just suppress my body's capacity to heal itself. I got out of my body's way so to say. :D

With any illness, if not fasting, I'd go for a very simple raw food diet. Eating a meal of one type of fruit or veggie. I wouldn't mix the smoothie. I would make a smoothie of just one fruit or one veggie. Picking one so my body doesn't work too hard in digestion. Digesting in one food is a lot easier for the body. Especially when you're ill in anyway, you want to use that energy towards healing.

I wouldn't go to a hospital unless I had a traumatic injury. Other than that, your body is your #1 physician. Trust it and don't make it work too hard. It's what the universe gave you for FREE. :cool: Take good care of it.

[keylime]

Raindeer,
lemon and raw honey in warm water- works for us everytime!
and, don't internalize Revvell's words- sarcasm runs heavy in most of her posts and has become a bit of a joke in our home;)
Looking forward to the next lashing...ha ha haha...
KL

[Erika]

I feel like I'm being bad for saying this too but for strep, I would go to the doctor.

See most colds are caused by a virus which your body will heal naturally from but strep is purely bacterial. You could heal yourself from it but you could also die trying. Many many years ago, strep throat was a number 1 killer in children (I don't know about adults). It's certainly not something to mess around about because it could cut off your airway and even cause choking.

Let me add that you should only take the antibiotics if the doctor does a throat culture and tells you for sure that it's strep throat. If he or she just guesses then you might be pumping your body full of unneeded medications that will do nothing for a viral infection. Too many doctors these days just hand out scripts for broad spectrum antibiotics without even doing a culture... and they do it to make their patients feel better mentally. That's how we end up with antibiotic strains of organisms.

[Raindeer]

Thanks, Erika, Keylime and Kaybee! I appreciate your responses.

Just out of curiosity, do you know if we have any doctors on the list? I'm just curious if there are any who are open minded enough to be raw foodies and are still doctors. Would that be a holistic doctor? I wonder what they would say about a bacterial infection like strep. But I'm still going to try to tough this out on my own. ;)

[jacsam]

Raindeer.....how new to raw are you....just wondering. The more you eat raw the more you'll know how to take care of things when you don't feel your best and you'll know how it feels when it just barely starts to come on, then you can take care of it and not have it get full blown. Until then, do what you know how to do to get feeling better and right now that is probably going to the doctor. I'm a raw foodist and I'm also a master herbalist who knows when I need a doctor.....so, until you know what to do for a sore/strep throat naturally, do what you need to get better. I hope you get feeling better quickly. Be patient....educating yourself doesn't come over night....the most important thing is that your headed in the right direction. One more thing....when I first started using herbs for better health for myself and family, I always gave it 3 days and if I didn't see improvement by the third day, I'd take them to the doctor....you need to be smart about things. For example when my little boy (who wasn't talking yet) didn't start getting better by three days, I took him to the doctor and found out it was an ear infection. He prescribed the normal meds but I went home and treated it herbally and saw improvement by the next morning.....I needed the doctors diagnosis....just want to say that doctors in my opinion aren't the enemy. I've been married almost 27 years and we have 4 children - oldest 25 and youngest 16 - during all those years of raising 4 very active children I basically took them into the doctors for stitches a few times, a few broken bones, concushion and maybe a couple times when I didn't know what was wrong to get a diagnosis.....my point is that naturally you can take care of most your needs but when I've needed the help of a doctor I've been very grateful for their knowledge and help. Well, now I'm rambling. GET WELL!!

[HolyGuacamole]

You've already gotten all the advice I would ever think to give you, but I just wanted to pop in and send you a hug and some healing vibes, and to say this:

We're all doing the best we can at any given moment, aren't we? Don't you worry your head about not being "raw enough" or thinking of going to the doctor or any of that. You're all right. Like I said to someone else here recently, we're all on a journey, and none of us ever need feel bad or guilty or wrong about where we are on that journey at any particular moment. You'll get wherever you want to be, eventually. Don't sweat it. It's all about enjoying the ride.

Feel better soon. :)

[TaupeRawMan]

Hi Reindeer -

I had a wicked bad sore throat, fatigue, slight fever a couple of days ago. I worried about strep, got out of bed, looked at my throat with a flashlight and didn't see any white patches. I assumed it was NOT strep at that point. I then did lots of fruits and vegetables, gargled with salt-lemon-cayanne multiple times a day, and took echinacea and goldenseal. Symptoms were gone the next day.

[annavon]

I will probably get yelled at for saying this, but I would get checked for strep throat. Strep in a weak body can cause complications.

I've heard this too. It might also ease your hubby's mind and yours of you know its not strep.

In the meantime, I would gargle with either a salt solution or 2 tsp of ACV and water.

[Raindeer]

Guys -
Thanks for all your support! I slept last night with only a few wakings from pain in my throat. Today I've been swallowing minced garlic and washing it down with water (did it twice) and just had some strong fresh ginger tea with raw honey and fresh lemon juice. I feel so much better! My throat doesn't hurt hardly at all . . . I just feel like I've got a cold now. I'll take it easy the rest of the day and get back to work tomorrow (but only do 1/4 my usual work load).
Thanks again to everyone who helped! Now I really am psyched about proceeding with my new life as a Raw Foodie. I have a new desire to learn about holistic medicine, too - or at least really healthy home remedies.
Raindeer

[shine72]

See....

Sometimes, instead of panicking, and thinking that we need to fix it NOW (we are such a "we want it yesterday" culture), it's better to calm down, rest, and do what we can naturally to let it run through and do its thing. And you saved yourself an unnecessary trip to the doctor (where right now you'd have better luck catching something bigger anyway). Not saying that doctors don't have their time and place, but not every little thing needs a doctor. I think our culture (most of the U.S.) has forgotten that.

[Raindeer]

Thanks, Shine72.
But I'd really like to take this opportunity to defend myself from those who may think I was being hasty and/or silly.

1) I was in a LOT of pain, similar to when I've had strep throat before. 2) My husband, who is not totally behind this raw food thing, was pressuring me and scaring me into thinking I'd be foolish to not get checked out (he loves me). 3) I have a rare blood disorder and know I'd be dead if I didn't believe in Western medicine, even though I'm an energy healer myself!

My question, which still hasn't been answered by a doctor, was where do we draw the line between doctor and no doctor? I'm not some silly teenage newbie without a brain . . . (no offense to intelligent teenagers). I really am interested in the role between medicine and raw living. I simply wanted to hear from someone with intelligence and experience from both sides of the issue. Seems there are no doctors who are raw foodies! Or at least they're not on this list. I've learned quite a bit in the past few days!

A personal friend of mine who is a doctor and an herbalist told me last night that strep throat, left untreated, can result in scarlet fever. He advised me to get tested and then go from there, as did many on this forum. See? That's the type of response I was looking for! This morning I was better, so I decided it wasn't strep.

I do appreciate everyone's responses whose attitudes were gentle and supportive. Truly, isn't that the way we're supposed to be?

[debilana]

I was just worried it was strep, otherwise, I would stay home myself- doc cant do much unless it is strep=) I am a caretaker for kids, so sadly I have to get it diagnosed because its so catching- plus, I cannot take a week off work unless it is DIRE....cool thing is tho, last time I had strep about a year ago, I was almost over it by the time I did get to the doc- and I never took my meds. eating right really helps!

sounds like you are just fine- hugs! so glad you are better. sore throat sucks:(

[shine72]

Okay, here's the thing:

a) I wasn't attacking you in my post, so please don't use my post as a chance to play the victim. (Sorry, but that's how you're coming across to me.)

b) Do a Google for Dr. Joel Fuhrman (the h and r may be reversed). He is VERY supportive of the raw food diet, is an M.D., has written books on health and nutrition (for both children and adults), and even does supervised water fasts.

c) Here's the other thing, I don't remember who posted it, but if you've had experience with strep in the past, you would know to look in the mirror to see whether the tell-tale sign pustules are on the back of your throat. I had strep repeatedly for YEARS! And, there were times where I didn't have strep (just a really sore throat), I was able to ease off the panic button by checking for those. If I didn't find them, I know that it wasn't strep. If I did find them, it was.

And for the record, I think when Revvell posted, it was her noticing a pattern in your posts (she wasn't the only one), that prompted that response she left. Another thing is, it's easy to read her posts sometimes and see her as coming across as caustic. I promise you, she's not. Stop taking it personal, and read it in a detached manner, and I think you'll see the help that she's providing in her posts. I had the chance nearly two years ago to take something she said personally. I made the CHOICE not to and instead to ask for further clarification. I think if you do the same, you'll see she is actually VERY intelligent and has a WEALTH of information that she's more than willing to share, you just have to be open to receiving it.

Stepping off soapbox now.






Thanks, Shine72.
But I'd really like to take this opportunity to defend myself from those who may think I was being hasty and/or silly.

1) I was in a LOT of pain, similar to when I've had strep throat before. 2) My husband, who is not totally behind this raw food thing, was pressuring me and scaring me into thinking I'd be foolish to not get checked out (he loves me). 3) I have a rare blood disorder and know I'd be dead if I didn't believe in Western medicine, even though I'm an energy healer myself!

My question, which still hasn't been answered by a doctor, was where do we draw the line between doctor and no doctor? I'm not some silly teenage newbie without a brain . . . (no offense to intelligent teenagers). I really am interested in the role between medicine and raw living. I simply wanted to hear from someone with intelligence and experience from both sides of the issue. Seems there are no doctors who are raw foodies! Or at least they're not on this list. I've learned quite a bit in the past few days!

A personal friend of mine who is a doctor and an herbalist told me last night that strep throat, left untreated, can result in scarlet fever. He advised me to get tested and then go from there, as did many on this forum. See? That's the type of response I was looking for! This morning I was better, so I decided it wasn't strep.

I do appreciate everyone's responses whose attitudes were gentle and supportive. Truly, isn't that the way we're supposed to be?

[Raindeer]

"And for the record, I think when Revvell posted, it was her noticing a pattern in your posts (she wasn't the only one), that prompted that response she left."

Shine72 -
Thanks for the tip on Dr. Furhman.

And thanks for the advice not to take things personally. But now I'm going to ask you to clarify the above, before I take it personally! Maybe being on this list isn't a good idea - I keep "hearing" personal attacks.