Back in the Sun -- No More Lupus! My Story
by Debbie Seliga
Living Nutrition Magazine vol. 5

I feel like a walking miracle! Not a day goes by without my taking time to to appreciate my self-healing body. I just completed my first healthy year after living for 19 years with lupus, a chronic condition which my doctors told me was medically incurable.

When I was 33 I began having health problems that seriously affected my life: fatigue, exhaustion, migraine headaches, rashes, skin lesions, sun sensitivity, hair loss, joint pain, and more. Previous to this I led an active lifestyle with my husband and two young sons, enjoying aerobics, running, swimming and skiing.

Doctors were amazed when they learned of all my symptoms -- they said I looked like the picture of health. Examinations and tests proved unsuccessful in determining the cause of the problem. Two years later I saw a dermatologist (my 5th doctor) who diagnosed skin lesions on my scalp as a mild case of psoriasis. When a clump of hair the size of a silver dollar fell from the back of my head, I insisted on a biopsy. The results came back positive for "Discoid Lupus." The doctor prescribed Prednisone and Placqanel, and explained that there is no cure nor any know cause for this condition.

After four months I decided to discontinue the medication because of the long-term effects. Staying out of the sun helped me the most, but that was not always possible. Thus, I applied sunscreen strength 50 daily, wore long sleeves, slacks and a hat outside. I sought to learn about lupus by joining the Lupus Foundation and reading on my own. Most people with lupus whom I met shared a common hopelessness about the "disease" and agony over the drug treatments.

My search for information lead me to a chiropractor trained in nutrition and the Bioenergetic Synchronization Technique. He encouraged me to give up red meat plus the "four whites": salt, sugar, flour and dairy. He also introduced me to juicing and the principles of proper food combining. I made these changes and immediately my energy improved, headaches disappeared and other symptoms were lessened. This gave me new determination to find the missing pieces of the puzzle.

The more my body unclogged and cleansed, the better I felt. This motivated me to eat a vegetarian diet and then a vegan diet. I found that if I wavered from eating only the good foods my existing symptoms would become worse and past symptoms would return. While I felt much better, the sun still exacerbated my symptoms and the lupus still dictated my activities.

The summer of 1995 was the worst of my life. It was hot, humid and sunny and my symptoms suddenly became more severe than ever. I saw my rheumatologist for a complete work-up. She listened and examined me carefully, but all she could offer was prescription drugs. I went home scared and discouraged. The reality of the situation forced me to evaluate everything I was doing and why I felt so miserable. I decided my system still needed more cleansing, not toxic drugs.

That week I decided to exercise more frequently. I began by walking every morning for for a half hour or more in the woods. During these walks I gained deeper insight into my health, and it became apparent that exercise helped my body process and remove toxins.

Later in 1995 my son Todd introduced me to the book, "Mucusless Diet Healing System" by Professor Arnold Ehret. It discusses the value of eating raw fruits and vegetables for conquering any illness. During the two weeks of following Ehret's transitional diet I gained more energy and became symptom-free except for the sun sensitivity. The less cooked food and more raw food I ate the better I felt and more energy I had to resume an active life. I no longer had any doubts that I would be able to conquer the lupus. I was much better, even though the sun sensitivity remained.

During my long ordeal I always drew strength from my loving family's support. Todd's keen interests in completely overcoming his own health challenge (severe tendonitis) and fine tuning his raw food eating led him to find David Klein over the internet, and in the spring of 1997 Todd visited David in California. Todd's experience with David's valuable health mentoring led me to speak with David and then Roe Gallo. They offered welcome words of encouragement and new insight into the lupus. They explained that lupus symptoms are nothing more than indications of the body's level of toxemia. I realized that I needed to eat 100% raw all of the time to allow my body to heal. This understanding gave me new emotional strength. It was time to end this journey with lupus.

I stopped polluting my body with sunscreen and began exposing my bare feet to the sun for five minutes each day, with encouraging results. In mid June 1997 I was feeling well and confident enough to try wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Walking outside, the sun rays hit my legs and gave me the most electrifying sensation of my life! The energy from the sun radiated throughout my body. From that feeling I knew I had conquered the lupus!

Today I continue to eat 100% raw fruits and vegetables and work at balancing and simplifying my life. Learning of "the 100% raw food solution" not only helped give me my life back, it has also given me a natural mind-body-spirit connection that is beyond description. At age 51 I am healthier and more energetic than at any other time in my life!

I swim, bicycle, hike, kayak and rollerblade with my family -- in the sun! I now live each new day more easily and joyfully.

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