Some years ago, I was in a really bad place. I dug myself into a hole that created a life-threatening condition (Pericardial Tamponade). Physically, I was in a severe rheumatoid/virally arthritic state after the pericardiocentesis.

I didn’t want to die. I was only in my mid-30’s and an inch away from death. Contemplating mortality was very sobering.

Changing my thoughts and beliefs wasn’t that hard. My body on the other hand didn’t feel the same way, and that’s when the struggle became real. It was the hardest thing I’d ever have to do because it was all internal (thoughts, feelings, and physical).

It was through this experience that I began to learn about my body and the disease process my thoughts, feelings, and choices had manifested through my body up until that point in my life.

Doors to various health providers were opened, through which were revealed life changing perspectives affecting my mind, brain, spirit, and body.

Reducing inflammation in all its forms (mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically) was and is a major theme in healing and restoration. What goes in must come out; eventually. Sometimes you have to excavate those toxic-thoughts and feelings which were in part a spiritual battle.

Nutritionally, I ate anti-inflammatory foods which were nutrient dense and rich in fiber. Stress in all of its forms, including medications, inhibited the pre-and-partial digestion that takes place in the mouth and stomach; so I took a betaine hydrochloride supplement to facilitate the proper working environment the stomach requires to break down the food to the next level (which is liquid).

I was asking my mind, brain, spirit, and body to do something radically different, and this placed a lot of stress on organs that had been compromised many years ago. Supporting the digestive system at the stomach and intestinal level with digestive enzymes lessened the burden on the organs and other moving parts involved. They also assured these nutrients would get to where they needed to go. This was BIG for reducing inflammation because of the permeability of my gut at that time.

Then there was the detox process. At first this was the nightmare because of the sudden release of toxins (chemical and microbial) into the blood stream. My body used every exit available (skin, lungs, eyes, urine, and feces) to remove them from the system.

My red blood cells weren’t able to keep up with the demand of removing these toxins and antigens from my body because they were sticking together. So, we enlisted the forces of systemic enzymes to combat systemic inflammation because proteolytic enzymes can::

• separate and free the red blood cells bound by proteins within the blood plasma; allowing the red blood cells to due there job.

• increase circulation.

• enhance normal detoxification processes.

• reduce fibrin

I tried a lot of things, not all were helpful, some caused me to take a step back, but in the end the understanding and knowledge I’ve gained about myself was life-saving. The anti-inflammatory strategy that focused on digestion and elimination was 2/3 of the battle.

Please email or call if you have any questions about my experience.

Be Well and Be Blessed!

Richard