Stories of Change: Pain and Fatigue Turns to Vitality
Feeling Fantastic after 20 Years of Pain
I first came to Whitaker Wellness after a heart attack and years of fibromyalgia pain. My doctor started to wean me off my heart medications and recommended therapies to address my pain. After my first microcurrent therapy session, I was able to sleep the entire night without waking up in pain! Further therapy including reflexology helped me recover movement of my head, after 20 painful years of having my head “frozen” in immobility. I am amazed that my fibromyalgia pain has never returned.
I recently returned to Whitaker Wellness for a tune-up – this time, off all my heart medications and only taking baby aspirin. I now have near total movement in my head and neck for the first time in years. I feel fantastic and my numbers are enviable.
I’ve done so well that in February, I was able to take a rather arduous trip to Antarctica, the most magnificently beautiful place on earth!
— Mary W. Arlington, IL*
Back to Work
K.S., a nurse whose longstanding fibromyalgia limited the number of hours she was able to work, tried virtually every therapy under the sun. She’d get relief for a while, but her pain and fatigue always returned—until she discovered microcurrent therapy. She states it’s her ticket back to health.
— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD
Therapeutic Nutrition Got Her Back on Her Feet
I first saw Holly when she was 44 years old. She had been active and athletic most of her adult life and worked full time until she contracted acute mononucleosis. This put her in bed for six weeks. Now, she was extremely fatigued, almost bedridden, and was unable to work in an office environment, working at home a couple of hours a day. Aerobics and tennis were out; shopping exhausted her.
The difficulty physicians have trying to help patients with chronic fatigue is that it is rarely caused by a single problem. Obvious reasons for fatigue such as anemia, low thyroid function, or some other specific disease are sometimes found, but for the most part, excessive fatigue is a mystery. When this happens, many physicians wash their hands of patients and refer them to a psychiatrist.
When fatigue is a major problem, therapeutic nutrition makes a lot of sense, and it certainly worked for Holly. I started her on intravenous nutrients, including large amounts of vitamin C, B complex (100 mg) with an additional 200 mg of thiamine, minerals, and trace elements. I also started giving her oral nutritional supplements, including coenzyme Q10, l-carnitine, vitamins, and minerals, as well as injections of vitamin B-12 two to four times a month.
Holly had been “down” for 18 months, but began to respond almost immediately. She was soon working in her office six hours a days, shopping four times a week without exhaustion, and was active the full day. Her employers welcomed her back with a major project to develop, work on, and complete. She continued her intravenous nutrients, as well as oral supplementation, and before long she was not only working a full week, but weekends as well, and she began traveling extensively for her company.
She stopped the IV nutrients some months ago, but continues to take her oral supplements and feels that her level of functioning is back to normal.
— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD
My Energy Has Improved So Much
I just wanted to express my deep appreciation for everything you have done for me. I have multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and migraine headaches. When I first arrived at the clinic I had little energy and could barely walk. I could not raise my arms above my head, and extreme numbness and burning in my hands limited their use.
After three or four days of hyperbaric oxygen treatments, I was able to walk much easier, and by the second week my hands felt better—I could put on my own make-up and hold a glass with one hand. Your genuine concern for my well-being is very comforting and encouraging. My energy has improved so much, and I no longer need medications for these conditions.
— Denice Wagner, McKinleyville, California*
Fight Fatigue With Thyroid and B12
Alicia had no energy. Even though she averaged eight hours of sleep a night, she woke up tired and had to rev herself up on caffeine to get through the day. At night she fell into bed completely exhausted, sometimes as early as 7:30. Granted, she was burning the candle at both ends. An aspiring actress, Alicia would go straight from her job to acting classes three evenings a week, and she often drove several hundred miles on weekends to auditions. But she had always led a hectic life. This debilitating fatigue was new, and it was making her cranky, frustrated, and depressed.
We see patients like Alicia at the Whitaker Wellness Institute almost daily. In fact, the number one complaint to physicians in this country is fatigue. Conventional doctors may order blood tests looking for the obvious causes and suggest their patients get more sleep, perhaps even offering sleeping pills. But they generally overlook two common deficiencies that, when rectified, dramatically improve energy and quality of life: vitamin B12 and thyroid hormones.
Alicia was started on a low dose of natural thyroid replacement and B12 injections. When she checked back in with us a month later she could hardly contain her excitement. Not only had she returned to her former high-energy level, but she had also lost six pounds without even trying! Furthermore, she felt sharper mentally and reported that memorizing her lines for acting class was much easier.
— from Health & Healing by Julian Whitaker, MD
From Bed Rest to the Ski Slopes
I came to the Whitaker Wellness Institute diagnosed with stage 3 adrenal fatigue. I had debilitating fatigue that kept me from driving, and I couldn’t even sit up for more than an hour. A five minute walk to the park reduced me to bed rest for three days. I also had severe knee pain on my left knee due to an ACL tear that I suffered 20 years earlier. I believe my low immune function at that time contributed to the knee pain.
Thanks to the Wellness Drips [IV nutrients] and other treatments I received at the clinic, my fatigue has resolved, my immune system is stronger, and my knee pain is gone. I am now working as a ski instructor and am able to handle the job’s extreme physical demands. This includes picking up beginner students who fall repeatedly during a class, walking uphill to perform ski demos in front of a class, as well as standing and teaching for six hours a day in blizzards, sun, snow, rain, and other unpredictable weather conditions—not to mention two hours of free skiing on my own after my shift is over.
— N.V., California*
*Individual Results May Vary
