Photo by glowworm56

The Cystic Fibrosis Positive Outlook 

By Spencer Burton

Living with Cystic Fibrosis, or any illness, can cause a myriad of emotions and feelings, many of which can be unwanted and destructive. It is very natural to undergo emotions of  anger and fear from all of the bleak outlooks and “facts”surrounding CF and other illnesses you may have read or been told. In result, these feelings can have a lasting impression on your perspective, and if not dealt with properly, can even shorten your life. Truth be told, your perspective is all you have. All the treatments in the world will not make you thrive and exude health if in your mind and heart you have taken on an unhealthy perspective. You must first plant a good seed to grow a good apple.

So, ask yourself some questions. Do you want to be a victim of unfortunate circumstance? Or do you want to take the control back, and steer your own ship? Your perspective on life has everything to do with your own health.

If you cannot see yourself as healthy, you cannot possibly be. Being physically healthy starts with the proper mental perspective on your life and your situation. YOU CAN be healthy and happy despite your condition. The following are a few points to consider in changing your perspective from weak, to warrior.

Accept Yourself!

If you have an illness like CF, you need to face it! I’m here to tell you from experience that denying that you have it, will complicate your life and lead you astray from your true purpose. When I was younger I did not want to believe I had a condition. I thought it kept me from being a normal person. I had doctors telling me grim statistics and life expectancies, and honestly I didn’t feel sick. This made me angry, and my anger and fear was mischanneled to all kinds of problems for me, but eventually, once I had accepted it, I gave myself permission to just feel healthy and happy and not listen to the negativity that was imposed upon me. Today, I believe my cf is a blessing. I live my life today with vibrance and energy, and I have a wealth of wisdom and life experience that I would have never had had I been born without it. Accepting and loving yourself is KEY in living healthy and experiencing life’s wonders.

Are You Excited About Your Life?

Do you wake up everyday with purpose and a drive for something greater? Do you strive for a passion and take time to experience the marvels around you? One of the reasons we are alive is to experience bliss and fulfillment in our lives. Ghandi, Buddha, and Jesus along with Bob Marley, John Lennon and Ray Charles all had a purpose in their lives, and all faced huge hardships. Did this shake the core of what they stood for? Absolutely not, in fact it reinforced their life works and proved they had depth of purpose. If you have a disease, use it to fuel your passion for life. Use it to feel grateful, to live in the present moment only, and most of all, use it to pave the way to happiness, not to obstruct it.

Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

What if someone told Lance Armstrong to give up when he was diagnosed with cancer? In fact, they did! People did tell him to give up, and what did he do? He went on to be a champion, he went on the warrior’s path and conquered all the negative words thrown his way from doctors and skeptics. He proved that scientific statistics and expectancies, were just numbers. He saw himself as much bigger than his ailments, and saw himself as the deciding factor in the choice between life or death. He believed he could, and with hard work, he simply did.

Here is the absolute truth; YOU are much bigger and greater than your illness, or any circumstance life throws at you. YOU say what you can and cannot do. YOU are the creator of your life’s circumstance. You do not have to be Lance Armstrong to overcome the odds of your illness, but you must understand that your thoughts, your drive, and your ambition can conquer any wall that a disease or diagnosis can put up. You are the captain of your own ship, so steer it to the safe waters of heath, wealth and success.

Live Like a Warrior!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because you are happy, and positive, and have ambition that you can get out of doing the real work that it takes to fight an uphill battle. Living with illness means you must recalibrate your daily life to make yourself do the extra work. Take the time to plan out your warriors attack. Make promises to yourself, and keep them. Beat the odds because you have chosen to. If you have cf, and you know you need to run or bike or get cardio….get up and do it with no excuses. Get organized, get a schedule and make time for your health above all else. You haven’t got time to feel sorry for yourself and feel hopeless. Those feelings are for sick people. You are a warrior, and you are strong, so get yourself a healthy perspective and Live Indubiously! 

Make sure to read through the other cf related articles on this site for more information on health, wealth and success! 

By Evan Burton

About a year ago I cam across an amazing article on the web regarding a man who used the ancient art of chi-gong to cure himself from Cystic Fibrosis. He claims that after a few months of practicing these breathing techniques that he was no longer using any medication and experiencing great health. Here is a copy of this amazing article for you to read.

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“Cystic fibrosis and chi-gong.

Publication: Nutrition Health Review

Publication Date: 22-JUN-94

Author: Reid, Craig D.

COPYRIGHT 1994 Vegetus Publications

I moved to Taiwan in 1979. At the time, I was suffering from the debilitating disorder cystic fibrosis (CF), a deadly terminal disease. CF is an inherited disease of the exocrine glands, and primarily affects the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems.

CF is usually characterized by chronic obstructive lung disease, pancreatic insufficiency and abnormally high loss of electrolytes caused by excessive sweating.The course of CF is dismal. The average survival age is 20 years. Some live longer. Treatment consists of heavy medication (30 pills a day) and painful therapeutic procedures for many years.Since early childhood, thick mucus scarred my lungs. I suffered countless influenza infections. In an effort to loosen the clinging mucus that clogged my breathing passages, my father tried to bring me relief by pounding my thoracic cavity, a procedure that left my chest red and raw. I coughed so violently that I could not inhale quickly enough to deal with the next fit of coughing. The pain felt as if my head was exploding. The days when I coughed up blood were attended by fear, panic and unbearable pain.My condition at the age of 16 was beyond hope. I was expected to die. And then a remarkable event happened. One day, a Bruce Lee film appeared at the movies. It piqued my interest to pursue a path of studying Chinese kung-fu. Lee’s books often described anecdotal tales of how abandoned children, given up for dying from unknown diseases, were adopted by monks who intercepted their lives in wondrous ways. The emaciated children were taught chigong breathing methods, a secret practice known by this special sect of Sho Lin Monks.The children eventually became experts in martial arts perpetuated by legends of ancient China.Eventually I found employment acting in Chinese kung-fu movies. There I met an actor named Lee Li. Although he initially denied any secret knowledge, Lee eventually admitted his special expertise and offered to teach me chi-gong.A cold rainy morning greeted my first lesson. Lee instructed me to climb a nearby mountain and wait for him at the top next to a statue of Buddha. The monsoons were early so it rained continuously. After waiting in the rain for five hours, I heard the monks begin their pre-lunch chanting. Frantically, I ran down the mountain and explained to Lee that I was late for school. He said, “See you tomorrow at seven.”Part of the Oriental tradition is to test a student’s sincerity, patience and discipline. Lee had me standing in the rain, five hours a day, at the top of a mountain for 30 straight days. Upon completion of this ordeal, against his teacher’s wishes, Lee accepted me as his first, last, and only student.Chi-gong can be one or a series of breathing exercises that are performed standing or lying down. All breathing is done with the mouth closed. Lee taught me one movement a month for four months. Five months later and to this day, I have been off all medications and therapies. I finally found a way to control CF and not have CF control me.In 1986, to publicize chi-gong as a therapy for CF, I walked 26 miles/day for 115 days to complete successfully a heavily publicized 3,000 mile walk across America.Today, at age 38, I am an active movie fight choreographer, happily married for 13 years to my Chinese-born wife, Dr. Silvia Nien Mei Reid, a neuroscientist at Yale Medical School, and have developed a reputation among professional and international Olympic athletes as a chi-gong healer.”

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After reading this article I became extremely interested in pursuing this for myself in order to see if it truly has the power to heal Cystic Fibrosis patients like he claims. I did a google search for his name and, sure enough, found a martial arts website that he writes for. I emailed the website asking for his personal email and they gave it to me based on the fact that they know he is passionate about helping fellow CF patients. I wrote him a message and after a few weeks he responded. He assured me that he is still off of his medicine after all of these years and leading a life of health. He recommended that I find a chi-gong teacher in my area but warned me to not make any plans to come off of my medication and that if it happened, it was a bonus.

Soon after our correspondence about this subject I decided that I would try to find a chi-gong teacher of my own. I wrote him an email asking about specific things to look for when looking for a teacher. He gave me a long list of specific techniques and methods that a proper chi-gong teacher should use.

I have gone through 2 chi-gong teachers so far and I am now on my 3^rd due to the fact that most of them seemed to have no idea of any of the concepts that Dr. Reid explained in his examples. One that I am training with now seems to be the most on the money in terms of these concepts and she is extremely affordable. I have just started my training with her so I will let you all know about my progress as time goes on. If any of you have had any experience with using chi-gong to treat you cystic fibrosis then please leave a comment here and let us all know about your experience.

By Evan Burton

photo by Ragged Racoon
    If you have found this article then you probably either have Cystic Fibrosis yourself, or you have a close loved one who has this genetic disorder and you are searching for a way to naturally treat or cure this disease. If this is the case, then you have come to the right place. I was born with Cystic Fibrosis and have spent the past 5 years of my life on the quest to finding a natural cure for my disease. Now, at the age of 23, I am experiencing vibrant health and success in my life thanks to some of the techniques I have learned throughout my search. Parts of what I have found have not only been extremely beneficial to my health, but also very detrimental, causing me extreme illness and months in the hospital. The good news is that I have been your guinea pig and I can tell you exactly what works and what doesn’t. I must urge all people with Cystic Fibrosis to not experiment with any new methods not recommended by your doctor because they can cause you great harm and take years off of your life.

    My first glimpse into the realm of natural cures was through a book called The PH Miracle by Dr. Robert Young. This book places diet in the highest regards in every human’s health and longevity and claims that, through diet, anybody can be cured from disease. It claims that through eliminating acid in the body and restoring the alkaline balance that we create an environment in our bodies in which disease cannot thrive or even survive. The diet consists of eating 80% fresh, raw vegetables, nuts and seeds and 20% cooked grains, beans and starches. It is a vegan diet, which includes no meat or dairy products. This is the common type of diet that is at the forefront of the natural health community. All Naturopathic doctors can tell you that this is the first step in correcting your health and getting on the road to wellness. This is NOT TRUE for people with Cystic Fibrosis.

    I practiced this diet strictly for almost 2 years. I went from eating McDonalds cheeseburgers and milkshakes to eating organic salads with raw almonds and olive oil salad dressings. The immediate effect was an extreme detox on my body. I had stomach aches, head aches, low energy and trouble sleeping. After that initial few weeks of detox I began to feel great. I had amazing energy and clarity, all of my acne went away, I had no body odor and my eyes looked extremely clear and alive. As the months went by I began to lose a significant amount of weight. Before I started I was 6’2” and 150 lbs but I went down to about 135-140. So as you can see I went from skinny to super extra skinny! There was no way that this could be healthy for any person with Cystic Fibrosis but I was stubborn and continued on my path to achieving perfect health through diet. In the coming months not much else changed except there was one thing that I noticed; I was coughing up significantly more phlegm and now with streaks of blood. At the time I figured that this was a direct result of my body detoxifying itself and ridding itself of disease and didn’t think much of it.

    It was after about a year and 2 months of this diet that I started to become ill. I came down with a bad cold that I couldn’t shake and decided to go to the doctor. He proceeded to tell me that I had pneumonia and my lungs were filled with fluid. I was admitted to the hospital and underwent IV antibiotics for the first time. I was 19 years old at this point. I thought that the fact that I got sick was merely coincidental and did not link it with my new diet and, therefore, continued it after I got better. It was after I was admitted to the hospital 2 more times in the next year for severe lung infections and given IV antibiotics that I decided that this diet was NOT for me.

    After I went back to a normal diet my health rebounded. I put on healthy weight and muscle and felt amazing. I started running and working out and began to feel like a normal person again. I figured out that a huge part of staying well with Cystic Fibrosis is eating a large amount of calories and protein. Calories are essential for keeping on a healthy weight and protein is essential for fighting the infection in your lungs. Without tons of protein, your body will not be able to create the white bloods cells in order to fight off the invading bacteria.

    For the next 2 years I got progressively better and stronger through a strict running and workout regimen teamed with a new style of eating which was high in calories but also healthy and natural. This was not enough for me though, I needed to know more. I felt that there must be some sort of natural cure out there that would have the ability to change my life forever. I began to study naturopathic medicine and the use of herbs. Many sources that I found claimed that through fasting and the use of herbs that one could naturally cure any disease or imbalance in the body. I researched this for months and months and came up with a list of herbs that were proven to be beneficial for my specific problems and ordered them from the best source I could find. I double checked that these were the right kind of herbs with several naturopathic doctors and herbalists and they all agreed that it was the right combo for me. I started taking these herbal supplements regularly as a part of my daily regimen. The initial results were not much to speak of. I had slightly better digestion but felt pretty odd in general. I felt as if the herbs were making me feel different in some way but not better. I also decided to combine juice fasting with my herbal supplementation in order to speed up the process of detoxification. It was from many different sources that I learned about fasting and how it was toted as the miracle cure for most diseases. The long list of health benefits and the promise for the elimination of my disease made it an easy decision for me to make. I decided that the fresh orange juice fast was the one I would start with, being that it is the mildest fast compared to others. I started off with several 2 day fasts which went pretty good. I was basically trying to build up my confidence in this process in order to go the full 10 days that was recommended. When I decided to go for the full fast I only ended up making it 4 days. The reason I stopped was because my lungs felt as if they were clogged with thick, un-moveable mucus. I couldn’t cough up any phlegm and it was making it hard for me to breath. This was a bad sign and told me that fasting was in no way going to help what was going on in my lungs.

It was after a few months of trying these different methods of herbal supplementation and fasting that I started to get sick. I got another cold that I could not shake and it entered into my lungs and began to make a home there. I had to be hospitalized and went on another round of I.V. antibiotics. After getting well I continued the herbs but decided to stop with the fasting. This was apparently the wrong decision as I soon after fell ill again. It was after a second round of I.V. antibiotics that I decided that none of this stuff was helping me and that I was better of before trying any of it. I forever said goodbye to alternative “miracle cures” and the like.

I have found that the one thing that truly heals my lungs and reverses my disease is the practice of cardiovascular workouts and weight training. It is this combination that has my doctor consistently amazed at every visit with my rising test scores and lung function. There has never been one medication, method, therapy, or technique that has given me a comparable result in terms of helping me overcome my disease. So if you came to this article in search of a quick fix cure then I am sorry to have let you down. It was my effort in writing this article to save people with Cystic Fibrosis from trying these extremely damaging remedies that are said to reverse disease. If I would have come across an article like this when I began my search for a cure, it would have saved me an amazing amount of pain and trouble and also save me from the loss of my precious lung function. The only way you can ever reverse your disease is through hard work, determination, a positive outlook, and a warrior’s spirit.

In order to fix your body, you must first fix your mind. Gaining the right perspective is the first step in your quest for health and will be your ultimate tool in the conquest of life. Please refer to the other articles within this website for more information on how to keep yourself healthy and strong while living with Cystic Fibrosis.

photo by lordgimp

 Heaven and Hell

By Spencer Burton

The dogmatic concepts of heaven and hell can only be reflections of a personal conditioning and use of our own blessed freewill. Within the confines of a confused man’s distressed persona, one will only find a misuse of our god-gifted free thinking, and only he possesses the key to unlock his torture. Bob Marley once said “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our own minds.” This is truth in this universe, and key in spiritual growth, and love extension of mankind. Yet as thoughts remain creative, we must teach those viewed as wicked to walk with the righteous and manifest this sublime world vision. Only then can our god-gifted talents shine forth and become undiluted additions to the universe, for true talent can only be executed through a connected and open mind, and once connected we have the gift to bless humankind with our actions, words and prayer. Make someone happy today, take no credit, and expect nothing in return. Kindness given out is kindness taken in.

Photo by joseph-art

  Your Thoughts

By Spencer Burton 

Be most careful of the thoughts you think, much like a healthy man watches his diet. We metabolize thought the very same way we metabolize the food we eat in mind, body, and spirit. As born creators, humans have been bestowed the gift of will and free thinking, and much like our bodies with food, this gift enables us to metabolize our will and thought into tangibility. There is not a thing on this great Earth created by man that was not born of thought, therefore every thought you think is inherently creative, and must be treated as such, no matter how big or small. How can we possibly construct good when we let bad run rampant in our thoughts and transform into our actions? We cannot possibly separate the thoughts that create from that which do not, because every thought possesses the same power of manifestation in our lives. It is for us to choose which ones will manifest in this life.

You are the captain of your ship, and you choose the waters that you sail. Think big, aim higher, know who you are and not who others project you to be. It is you who molds your destiny and you who steers your own ship. ~

Gratitude Right Now

By Spencer Burton 

 We all walk around feeling immortal. We spend every waking minute of our lives planning the next minute, not realizing that this minute, the one we are living right now, is all we have. We are not guaranteed anything more. Each moment, is a gift. To live in preparation of the future only can ensure that we are not aware of the importance of the NOW we are living in. John Lennon once said “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans” …  and what better way to convey this message.

 Every action you make, every choice you decide to pursue, treat it like your last battle on earth. Fight hard and with purpose, and make sure your actions go toward something  you believe in. Give thanks for what you have, and behold the marvels that this beautiful world reveal to you. Enjoy everything around you and show this present moment every attention you have. If you live in the now, the future you are blessed with will be a gift of positive vibration. Above all, be a blessing to those who know you. This moment may be your last.

In a world that surrounds us with Microsoft, McDonald’s, and MTV it is no mystery that we are no longer living in the way that nature has intended. One of the biggest indicators of this is the fact that we are now suffering from a myriad of health problems including depression, which now affects over 18 million American adults. It is extremely evident that this is now becoming a huge industry through the dozens of drugs that the pharmaceutical companies are now marketing to the public. They want you to believe that you have a disease with no cure other than through the use of prescription medications for the rest of your life! The truth is that most depression is easily treatable through these easy steps that you can start today. As always, be sure to consult your physician before trying any of the methods described in this article.

photo by sugarman .

1. Exercise

Recent Studies have now shown that exercise can be just as effective in treating depression as powerful antidepressants. The very chemical that is responsible for our happiness, called serotonin, is released in large amounts after a good workout. People looking to fight off depression should put this practice at the very top of their agenda for the long list of ways that will improve your life even beyond fighting depression. There are many resources online to help you find a good workout regimen. You should focus on finding a good balance of cardio and strength training.

photo by indie-cisive

2. Get Some Sun

Going out and catching some rays will not only give you that lively glow, but has been proven to help fight depression . We absorb vitamin D through the sun’s rays which is important to the proper functioning of our bodies. A lack of this vitamin has been proven to increase depression rates. The coining of the new term SAD (seasonal affective disorder) has now come into the English language, referring to a depression that only comes in the cloudier months of the year. It is also true that the cloudier parts of the country (northern states like states like Washington, Wyoming, and Montana) have higher than normal suicide rates.

photo by el-paseo-del-muerte

3. Get Stoned

Just a little bit, not a lot, says a recent study. Small amounts of THC have been found effective in increasing serotonin levels in the brains of lab mice. Anybody who has used this recreational drug knows it has the ability to bring inspiration and an alternative perspective to life’s complicated ways. The opposite effect can be had when too much cannabis is ingested, making you more depressed, so be careful to practice moderation if experimenting with this illegal substance. The insight gained from such an experience is lost when it becomes an everyday habit, offering you no alternative perspective but a new crutch on which you rely to maintain normalcy. Don’t get too stoned or this might happen to you.***Disclaimer*** (People with lung disorders such as Cystic Fibrosis should not smoke anything, ever! If you absolutely must then consume it in its edible form)

4. Eat Healthy

It is common knowledge that our American diets of processed sugars and flours and chemically preserved, nitrate-laden fast food affects our bodies negatively on many levels. If this is true then it should be of no surprise that our diets are closely related to our mental health and can be an effective way of treating depression. One should eat a diet focusing on natural and unprocessed foods such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, and seeds. The main culprit in depression is refined sugar, causing highs and lows in blood sugar and inducing mood swings. DO NOT substitute artificial sweeteners for sugar as these can be more harmful. Choose to prepare your foods at home in order to ensure that all of the ingredients are wholesome and natural.

5. Find a Purpose

Finding a way to offer yourself to the world is not only one of the most rewarding experiences in life, but it is a great way to fight depression. Not sure what your purpose is? Well take something you are good at and have a passion for and then think of a way that you can benefit the world with your gift. More often than not, you can find a way to turn your natural talent into your job. The most successful people in the world will tell you that pursuing your passion in life will make you more likely to achieve success than pursuing something for the sole purpose of getting rich. You can just count the mood lifting factor in as a side perk to the success to be had from finding your purpose.

The worst thing that you can do is trust somebody when they tell you that you have no control over a problem in your life and that you need their help. In this case the pharmaceutical companies would like you to believe that they have the one magic cure for depression, through the use of harmful drugs. A true warrior of life realizes that he is the only one who possesses the key to his own health and well being. Use these methods carefully and consult your physician before making any changes to your medication.

Succeeding With Cystic Fibrosis: A Warriors Guide

photo by Sulejman    

What makes a warrior? Is it his ability to conquer others through perseverance and strength? Or is it his deep will and determination that drives him to achieve greater accomplishments? I believe that what distinguishes a warrior from the rest of us is his ability to conquer himself and transform himself from being a victim of circumstance to become a master of intention. This conquest is not for the faint of heart or the weak spirited. It will test your faith and push you to the limits of what you consider within your realm of comfort. So if the easy path is what you desire then go buy some consumer goods and drink a starbucks in your prefabricated dream home because writing your own story in life is much harder than having it written for you.    

The great Aesop once said, “Don’t let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth - don’t let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency.”    

This guide is intended to give you specific things to do in order to gain control over your Cystic Fibrosis and build your life and health into precisely what you desire. The strategies covered throughout this article will consist of several main categories, including Exercise, Diet, Medicine, and Perspective. They are in no particular order and rank in equal importance. Please keep in mind that I am not a doctor and that this information is intended for informative purposes only.

- Exercise    

The first step to becoming a warrior is to master the art of self discipline through pushing your body to its limits. It is also the only way for you to gain more lung function and lung volume than you had before. “Wait!” you say, “People with lost lung function cannot just gain it back?” That is exactly what my doctor told me too when I left the hospital with a FEV1 of 22%, having just finished a round of I.V. antibiotics. He told me that my lungs are permanently damaged and that they will not get better and that I should get on the lung transplant list. Fortunately, being the warrior that I was, I decided to write my own story and 6 months later I was running 4 miles at a time and hiking mountain peaks.   

Cardiovascular exercise will be at the forefront of your workout routine, as it utilizes the lungs. This can be through running, swimming, hiking, biking, or whatever you please. I suggest starting slow. If you run out of breath just walking then start out walking around the block and then increase your walking speed and length to where you are always pushing yourself, eventually achieving the goal of running. The goal is to get yourself to a point where you are coughing up mucus and utilizing parts of your lungs that usually do not get oxygen. The way the human body works is it adapts itself constantly to change. You need to keep pushing yourself beyond your realm of comfort in order for your body to further adapt. I have found the best transformational tool in terms of increasing lung function to be cardio. There will be a point where you plateau and feel like you can’t do any better so in order to constantly push myself I have found that having a normal, healthy running partner is extremely beneficial. They, most likely, have much better lungs than you and the ability to run at greater lengths and speeds. Trying to keep up with them will make you push yourself beyond your realm of comfort and therefore, will force your body to adapt through the utilization of lung tissue that was once un-used and clogged with mucus. If you succeed in following an increasingly difficult cardio regimen then I can guarantee you will find it to increase your lung function by leaps and bounds. I recommend doing cardio 5 days out of the week for about 30-60 minutes.    

Weight training is the second part to your exercise regimen that will allow you to put on quality weight and muscle mass. Conventional medicine suggests for people with C.F. to eat mass quantities of calories in order to keep weight on. I agree with this to some extent but it is definitely not as simple as that. I find that the only way for me to gain weight is the combination of strength training and a high caloric diet. Another important factor is the quality of the weight you put on. Quality weight takes a lot longer to put on than junk weight and will stay with you for longer too so if you do get sick, you wont lose it so fast. You can get by with only 30 minutes of strength training 3 times a week. Be sure to include important exercises like squats which work your whole body, even your lungs.    

As with any workout regimen, be sure to start slowly and not to hurt yourself. Seek advice from a physical trainer for proper technique on cardio and weight training exercises.

- Diet   

Years ago I embarked on a journey that I later regretted and paid for with my health. This was the journey to find the perfect diet. I was a vegan for 2 years, fasted several times, and tried numerous natural diets which ended up weakening my body’s natural ability to fight off infection. It’s a good thing in the respect that you will not have to go through the same mistakes that I made. Please take my advice on this subject and don’t hurt yourself with diets that promise to “cure” disease. You need a lot more protein than the normal person if you intend on constantly fighting off the infection in your lungs. Out of all of this I did learn a few important things such as the importance of fruit and vegetables and the dangers of processed and fast food.     We are now in an age where people with C.F. are living well into old age through advances in medicine. This is opening a whole new door of possibility in terms of long term health for C.F. patients. We have the ability to die from other preventable diseases before the symptoms of C.F. may take over. Other diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are all things you should be aware of. 10 years ago all doctors were telling us to eat cheeseburgers and milkshakes every day in order to keep on weight so we had a fighting chance to make it into adulthood. It is my theory, as well as many nutritionists’, that we should now focus on eating as healthy as possibly while still getting a high amount of calories in order to appropriately prepare for the long lives ahead of us. The idea is to eat natural foods that are high in calories and minimally processed. Some foods with a lot of fat in them are Avocados, Almonds, Walnuts, Beef, Cheese, Dairy, Olive Oil and Eggs. Whole grains are always more nutritionally complete than refined flour and should always be eaten when possible. Brown rice is a favorite of mine along with oatmeal and starches like potatoes and yams. If you can afford organic food, this should become a majority of your diet due to the non-use of pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, and other harmful chemicals. Organic food has been found to have higher concentrations of vitamins and minerals than conventional food which is important for people with C.F. because of their low absorption rate.     Fruits and vegetables should no longer be foods that you reject in your search for the highest calorie foods. They are essential for your immune system to effectively keep you healthy and safe from illness. They are high in antioxidants, enzymes, and cofactors which all contribute to a body that has the tools it needs to stay healthy. Green vegetables are extremely important for bone development by being rich in calcium and phosphorous and have been proven to be more absorbable by your body than other sources. If you find you cannot eat enough green vegetable then you need to buy a green powder concentrate which can help supplement your diet in this respect.    

Dairy has become a widespread taboo in the realm of holistic medicine. Specialists say that it causes mucus production and is generally bad for your health. I went 3 years without eating or drinking any dairy products and I can honestly say that I feel better while consuming dairy regularly. I drink organic milk and put organic butter on my toast and have cheese pizza every once in a while. It adds much needed calories to your food and has a high amount of calcium. Unless you are lactose intolerant, I would recommend eating dairy regularly.    

One thing you will notice is that once you start your exercise regimen and combine it with your high calorie diet, you will be able to eat more food than ever before. This is good! Your body needs this food to build muscle and fight off infection. As long as you stay away from fast food, include fruits and vegetables in your diet, and eat primarily unprocessed and natural foods, you will be on the road to crowning yourself as the king of your health and ultimately, the master of your destiny.

- Medicine   

Ah, medicine. The forefront of our health system is based on these pills prescriptions and ointments. The sad fact is that most people rely on medicine as a form of treatment for problems that are easily preventable through diet and exercise. People with C.F. do not really have the luxury of taking preventative measures being as we are born with our illness. It is important to realize, though, that the overuse of medications can make you dependant on things that you don’t particularly need or may be better without. I feel that the worst thing you could do is to take every prescription that your doctors recommends without even giving it a second thought. I will go through the medications that I feel offer more help than harm and are worth taking in order to increase the length and quality of your life.    Enzymes are absolutely necessary in helping you digest your food and absorb your nutrients. You should always remember to take them at the beginning of your meal. One thing many people don’t realize is that they might be taking too many enzymes. You might want to try decreasing your enzyme intake little by little to see what amount is appropriate for you. The less you take, the more your body is doing its own job of digesting and it’s best to keep your body working.    

I have found the drug Pulmozyme to be especially helpful in the thinning of mucus. This nebulized solution is inhaled into the lungs and works to break down the DNA strands that form mucus. My doctor recommends doing it twice a day but I find that using it once every 2 days seems to be enough for me. I cannot tell a difference from doing it anymore than that.     The drug albuterol can also be very helpful if you find your lungs to be restricted and tight. It opens them up and allows more oxygen to get into your lungs. This can be useful if used right before going running. I would not recommend making this drug a part of your daily routine if you do not have to because your lungs get used to it and when you take it away they feel worse. I have been doing albuterol twice a day, every day for a few years and recently decided to stop doing it. I found that at first I felt like my lungs couldn’t function as well without it but after a week or two, I was completely back to normal and now I feel better than ever. I urge everybody to make these types of decisions for themselves through experimentation. If it does not give you a noticeable benefit, then you should challenge the idea that it is good for you. If at any point you begin to feel worse when trying to go without a medication, you should resume it and maybe try again later, depending on your preference.    The holy grail of medicine that helps my lungs is 10% saline solution. It is just a simple salt water solution that is inhaled through a nebulizer. What it does is hydrates your lungs and allows the mucus to be thinned. It makes me cough up more phlegm than any other treatment. The doctor recommended me to use 7% saline but I had to mix it myself which was tedious so I just used the 10% saline instead. I do it 2 times a day, every day. Each time I do 15 milliliters which seems like a lot, but goes by pretty fast when I’m doing something productive like working on the computer. The thing I love about this medication is the fact that it is completely harmless and you can do as much as you want. I recommend this treatment above all the rest as the most beneficial.    

At some point, it might be necessary for you to go on antibiotics. Do not be afraid of their affects because they can be easily counteracted with probiotics to build back up your friendly bacteria. There were a few points in my life where I know I would have died if I didn’t have antibiotics to help me. While I know we should be thankful for the medical advancements in this field, I also know that these drugs can be overused and over-prescribed by doctors. If my doctor had it his way, I would be taking 2 different antibiotics indefinitely for the rest of my life. I do not like the idea of that and have decided to decline his request. I feel strong and healthy without them and feel that becoming dependant upon another drug is the last thing I need.    

If at any point your doctor tries to prescribe you a medication that you don’t feel you need or don’t know anything about then you should make sure and look it up before agreeing to it. There are many drugs with bad side affects that can be avoided. One such drug is called Fosamax. When my bone density scan came out below the norm my doctor said that this drug would help me build back bone density. I went online and found out about all of the horrible side affects it has and all of the lawsuits in place regarding this drug. I decided to pass on this and take a calcium supplement along with vitamin D and a concentrated vegetable drink. My bones are now fine without the use of this harmful drug.   

- Perspective

Changing your perspective will change your life. All of our thoughts become things and all of the things in this world are held in place by our will and intention. This has now become a scientific fact through the study of quantum physics in which particles behave accordingly based on what the observer thinks will happen. It is this fundamental understanding that will transform your world from a place of pre-determined laws, into a place of infinite possibility: a warrior’s playground.   

When you were first old enough to understand the concept of your disease, what were your initial feelings? Were they thoughts of anger, fear, or sorrow? Chances are that they were probably negative thoughts based upon our cultural upbringings and collective consciousness. You could have easily been excited or happy about your disease by seeing it as a learning method or a tool for your own learning purposes. You see, some cultures do not view these types of events as negative things but as opportunities to learn invaluable life lessons. You must learn to see everything in your life as a blessing, including the bad. We can only further our spiritual evolution by accepting the lessons life has to offer us.    

Learning to love and accept everybody plays an integral role in your quest to live a stress free life, dedicated to the pursuit of your own endeavors and dreams. Wasting time on the contempt of others is merely an exercise in recreating the same dramas over and over again. The things that bother us in other people are the exact things that we don’t accept within ourselves. So when we encounter this resistance within our lives, we must look into ourselves to find what is wrong with us that we cannot accept others for who they are. We are all exactly the same, just on different paths in our lives. The only way to help others is through being a living example and loving them for who they are.    

Without my disease I wouldn’t be who I am today. It has made me strong, compassionate, wise, and loving and has given me an appreciation for every moment of existence that we have. All we ever have is this moment right now. I feel I am better off than I would have been if I was never born with this disease. It has come into my life for a reason, because what it has to offer me is exactly what I am ready to learn and what I am learning is exactly what the world is ready to learn from me.    

I would like to thank everybody for taking the time to read my blog here at www.livingindubiously.com and please be sure to check in for more updates in the future. Until then, fight like a warrior, learn to love everybody, and continue to live indubiously.

Photo by *ssilence

“Living Indubiously” is all about your intention, a belief in yourself and the potential of conciousness …. the word Indubious means undoubtful, or certain of intention. How can you expect to get the desired outcome of anything particular without the intention placed into it? Does a bird fly to its nest without intending to do so, or more importantly ~ Do you control the circumstance of your life, or do the circumstances control you? Since we are creative beings inherently, we have free will …. We have free will to think or intend anything we like for ourselves, period …. So, I urge you … Live your life totally and completely now. Live Indubiously! Too many people live planning a future and worrying about the past. You only have now, right this minute to realize the sum total of all the beauty in this world, you only have now to feel rich with love, and the fullness of life …. The gifts are already given ….. be grateful NOW, or you will leave this earth never to experience your dreams. If your present is full of anxiety for the promise of future fulfillment, you will die never experiencing the happiness you already have inside.If you look inward constantly, you’ll never see the beauty that surrounds you. ~