The Epidemic of Neurological Issues and How We Can Avoid It – Getting to the root of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, ME/CFS, and more
Do you remember Celine Dion’s heartbreaking social media announcement late in 2022 that she was canceling all world tour dates due to her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis? I remember feeling so sad that such a talented artist was literally losing her voice to chronic illness.
And I felt frustrated at the misguided explanation for this rare neurological condition. So often, modern medicine misses the mark on what’s behind chronic illnesses, and even more so, it seems, with neurological conditions.
Why Are Neurological Conditions Skyrocketing?
The neurological disorder Guillain-Barré Syndrome has recently gotten a lot of attention due to an increase in diagnoses during and after the pandemic. While the true cause is not certain, data is causing the US FDA to become cautious with some newly developed treatments.
But Guillain-Barré isn’t the only neurological illness we’re hearing more about. Pop sensation Justin Bieber posted an Instagram video in 2022 explaining why he also had to cancel shows due to facial paralysis caused by Ramsay Hunt Syndrome.
According to studies in the United States, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) may affect as many as 2.5 million Americans, and those numbers have increased in recent years.
Every day, I hear about more cases of brain fog, focus and concentration issues, mystery paralysis, chronic nerve pain, and countless other neurological symptoms. What is at the root of these conditions, and how can we protect ourselves from a growing epidemic of failing neurological health?
A False Theory and A Flawed Premise
Medical research and science are searching for answers. With the best intentions, they grasp at theories and develop treatments based on those theories. Unfortunately, the prevailing belief about most neurological conditions does more harm than good.
If you search for the accepted causes or triggers of Stiff Person Syndrome, Guillain-Barré, ME/CFS, Bell’s Palsy, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and others, you will find a common theme: autoimmunity.
The autoimmune theory (a belief that the immune system attacks the body) is precisely that – a theory. We have come to accept it as medical truth when, in fact, it has only been around since the 1960s and has not been proven.
No hard evidence shows that the body’s immune system attacks any part of the body. Tests that show elevated immune markers due to an undetermined cause do not prove the autoimmune theory; they only prove that the immune system is reacting to something.
In my experience working with thousands of sick women and men from 80+ countries, I have never seen evidence that convinced me of the truth of autoimmunity. I see weakened immune systems struggling against foreign invaders like viruses, bacteria, harmful fungi, and toxins in the body.
A More Holistic Approach
When given an autoimmune diagnosis, patients can feel defeated. What can be done about a body that is attacking itself? It’s the ultimate disempowerment. This belief erodes trust in one’s body and can worsen symptoms – our minds are powerful and believing that our immune systems are harming us has an effect.
So often, the path forward is full of pharmaceuticals and a prognosis that leaves patients feeling scared and hopeless. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are actions we can take to address root causes that are likely impacting our neurological health.
Just last year, the Harvard School of Public Health published a study that determined that multiple sclerosis (MS) is likely caused by the Epstein-Barr virus – a very common virus that almost all of us have had (it’s also the virus that causes mononucleosis, or “mono”). If the medical establishment had it wrong for this long with MS, thinking that autoimmunity was the true cause, where else do they have it wrong? Could it be that autoimmunity is simply a misinterpretation of symptoms caused by a long list of viral and bacterial pathogens in the body?
There is no question that toxins are also at play. In 2009, scientists identified the presence of over 200 chemicals in umbilical cord blood, and another study found PFAs (known as “forever chemicals”) in 30,000 samples of umbilical cord blood in umbilical cord blood. We enter this world already exposed to toxins.
Rather than thinking our body is attacking itself, could it be that our body is under attack?
Here’s the good news: we can do something about it. We build the immune system by consuming immune powerhouse foods like ginger, garlic, turmeric, fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano, wild blueberries, oranges, apples, radishes, elderberries, plain celery juice, and many more. Fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs are Nature’s medicine cabinet.
We can also bring in high-quality bioavailable supplements like pure liquid zinc sulfate – a true immune system fuel, vitamin C from pure sources (stay away from “ascorbic acid” vitamin C, which is highly acidic), and herbal supplements like licorice root, nettle leaf, and astragalus that have been used for millennia to boost health.
Whether we have received a diagnosis or are focused on prevention, we are not helpless in the face of neurological challenges.
Constant Truth
It’s not easy to ignore the accepted truths of medical science which wields so much influence. It’s helpful to remember that medical science, like ALL science, is constantly evolving. What we think is true today may not be true tomorrow. Just a few hundred years ago, people thought the Earth was flat.
What has never changed is the power Nature has to heal and restore our bodies. In contrast to the interests that fund much of the scientific research in our world, Nature has no profit motive in helping you – by being itself it serves humanity. The wild blueberry has always and will always have healing power.
Mysterious symptoms with shadowy root causes can create a lot of fear, but if we can remember that medical science may not have the whole story of what’s making us sick or how to get better a path opens to healing where “incurable” was the only word we heard. If we support our bodies early, we can do so much to avoid these symptoms altogether.
We are so much more empowered than medical conversations make us feel at times. Never forget that. And never stop searching for better answers when the ones you’re given make you feel lost or hopeless. There is always a path to healing if we have the courage and persistence to seek it.
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