Josh’s Story
Josh was born on 20th November 1984 in Tasmania by elective Caesarean Section.
For the first five hours of his life he screamed non-stop. His eyelids were puffy and red and it seemed as if he was reluctant to look out on the world in which he had arrived, peeping for fleeting seconds only, before tightly closing his eyes again to recommence bawling. This was in such contrast to my daughter Kristin, born 22months earlier, whom from the first moment gazed wide eyed in every direction, taking in all that was to be absorbed. She had been such a perfect baby, so easy to manage, a delight to feed, beautiful in every way. Naturally I was expecting my son to follow her lead. This scenario however was not to be, and over the next two years Josh was to become my greatest teacher.
By the age of four weeks he was sporting a fine rash all over his face. I was told that it was hormonal and that it would go away, however it spread to his neck, and he developed cracks under his earlobes, which sometime bled. He had frequent loose bowel actions, which I was told could be quite normal for a breast fed baby, but his sister had never lined up so many messy nappies for me to wash!! He often had a runny nose, but nothing serious eventuated so I did not worry too much about it. All the time he was gaining weight nicely and growing just the way he should, so we simply sailed along with his minor health inconveniences. When Josh was eight months old I weaned him, as I planned to travel interstate to attend a course. He was left in my mother’s capable hands for the duration, with an assortment of infant formulae to sustain him.
Josh was generally a very happy baby, who despite his eczema was very cute and usually had a big smile on his face. He was extremely lovable. Around this time his sister decided she would play a larger role in his life and began to share some of her meals with him. On one particular occasion egg was on the menu, so baby brother had his first try. As usual he had been put to bed for his afternoon nap. Twenty minutes later I heard whimpering from the bedroom. I went to check and was astonished at what I encountered. His face was almost unrecognizable it was so swollen. He was red all over and was in significant distress. I immediately picked him up and noted that he was very hot. Thankfully his airway was not affected, and once I had held him for a while, he calmed down. Shortly after he vomited and then had a very loose bowel action. It was four hours before he settled. Obviously egg was not good food for him. A few weeks later big sister decided to feed him some orange. He seemed fine at first, however when I changed his nappy, I was amazed to find bright blood mixed with his bowel motion and even more surprised to note that his anus was grossly inflamed and swollen out of proportion. Obviously orange was not good for my son.
At 15 months of age his health took a turn for the worse. It started with a runny nose, which was not at all unusual. A couple of days later he began to wheeze. The wheeze rapidly worsened and I rushed him to the casualty department of the local hospital from where he was quickly whisked to the children’s ward and given some Ventolin by nebuliser. This made no impression whatsoever and he was administered some oral cortisone, which was promptly regurgitated. I then watched as my beautiful boy had a line inserted so that he could receive intravenous medication. It was heartbreaking, and I felt so helpless. Half an hour went by and Josh was still struggling to breathe. It was then that the Paediatrician took me aside and told me that it looked as if they would have to transfer him to intensive care for artificial ventilation as he was not responding. My husband was overseas at the time and I felt very alone. I had awful flashes of Josh becoming a respiratory cripple, with a deformed chest and forever dependent on steroids. This was a defining moment in my life. I thought that there must be a way to turn his health around and that it was up to me to find it.
Thankfully Josh did eventually respond to the treatment and was not transferred to ICU, but several weeks later he was readmitted to hospital with another serious bout of asthma.
Over the next two months he had three episodes of middle ear infection, his skin continued to be a problem and his nose produced copious amounts of mucus. He was also requiring regular doses of asthma medication. I realized that his situation was worsening, and that my search for a cure would have to go into high gear.
Being a qualified medical practitioner put me in a good position to begin my investigations into alternative methods of healing. At the time of Josh’s health crisis I was working for an After Hours Medical Service, and doing General Practice Locums I had already been qualified for eight years, and practiced conventional medicine. At one of my locum sessions I noticed that the Doctor I was covering for had a kit comprised of various foods in small packets on her desk. When she arrived at the end of the day I enquired about them. She said that they were to test patients for food allergies. She was in a hurry and would not elaborate, so I asked who had introduced her to the testing method and was given a name and phone number. I wasted no time in contacting the source but did not get very far as the Doctor concerned told me he was not able to teach me. Furthermore when I asked if I could perhaps sit with him whilst he was consulting he said that his patients would not like it. I was very frustrated. As it happened I heard that the Australian College of Nutritional Medicine was to hold a course in Victoria to teach doctors about the importance of diet and nutritional supplements. Wasting no time I booked myself in. The course was indeed a turning point for me in the way I was to view my patients. More significantly for me however was the fact that the doctor who had the little food packets on her desk, back in Tasmania, was in attendance and on this occasion she was not in a hurry. She stood up in front of the group and spent 10-15 minutes explaining how she was able to test for food allergies by means of a simple pulse test. I was intrigued and asked her many questions. Thankfully she gave me some tuition, and I returned to Tasmania raring to put my newfound skill to the test.
Josh was 18 months old. I waited until he was in a deep sleep and with my kit of potential allergens, I located a point on his radial artery and commenced the testing procedure. Within a week of eliminating the foods to which Josh reacted, miracles began to unfold before my eyes. The nose that constantly ran, suddenly stopped as if someone had turned off a tap. The skin that had always been patchy, suddenly cleared as if someone had waved a magic wand. The bowel motions, which had always been loose, suddenly had form. Josh never suffered another middle ear infection and although he still had a tendency to develop a wheeze when he had a cold, he did not need prophylactic steroids. My relief was immense, it was indescribable, I was so very grateful that I had found my answers. From that moment I knew that I was set on a different course in the way I would practice Medicine.
Josh is now an adult. He stands over 180cm tall and has a perfectly formed chest. He does not need to watch his diet the way we did when he was young, and can now tolerate all foods in moderation, even egg. If his skin starts to itch he cuts back on dairy products. I can’t remember when he last used Ventolin, and the nebuliser was sold years ago. I am truly indebted to Josh for the part he has played in helping me develop as a Doctor and Healer, and indeed, to all my patients, past and present, from whom I have leaned so much.