On one level healing is such a simple process. Remove the underlying causes of the illness and the body miraculously heals itself. On another level, healing is a complex process. So many elements can contribute to either illness or wellness, and it isn’t always clear what those elements are.
Photo by The U.S. Army on Flickr.com
That is where good guidance is invaluable. It can often provide the clarity needed for healing to become simple.
I have experienced this very dramatically in my own life, in the form of two different types of guidance that have given me the clarity I needed to heal.
Medical Guidance
As many of you know, in June 2004 I went into the hospital for 8 days with West Nile virus induced meningitis. I had quite a bit of neurological involvement and for about a year was in period of recovery marked by occasional relapses. After a relapse in October 2004, I sought out the expertise of an MD who is also trained in naturopathic methods. She ran a whole battery of tests and was able to pinpoint exactly where my system was out of whack and provide dietary advice and supplements to correct the problem. She provided the first type of guidance that gave me the clarity I needed to heal: what foods I needed to avoid and what supplements I needed to support my body’s natural healing processes.
Her advice closely paralleled the advice I give in my book Conquering Arthritis, but introduced me to new testing options that more closely identifies exactly what needs to be corrected.
The ALCAT Test
The most wonderful discovery for me was the ALCAT blood test for food sensitivities. This is a simple blood test that screens sensitivity reactions to a hundred or so common foods, many food additives and chemicals in our environment, various microorganisms and, most interestingly, many common anti-inflammatory drugs. It has an 86% accuracy rate because of occasional false positives, which to my mind isn’t that big of a deal. It is actually close to 100% accurate for correctly identifying sensitivities reactions that are there.
In plain English: you may end up avoiding a few foods or substances that aren’t a problem, but it will catch close to 100% of the ones that are.
Bottom line: This test gives you a huge head start in your healing process. Even in the rare event that you have no food sensitivities, you will know for sure that you don’t and can stop wasting your time and effort wondering if food sensitivities are contributing to your problems. If you want to learn more about the ALCAT test, see my article Blood Test for Delayed Food Hypersensitivities.
Photo by Cliff
Spiritual Guidance
Despite all the good guidance I have been getting from my doctor regarding diet and supplements, I went into another difficult West Nile virus relapse period the spring of 2005. The same things that had been working so well a few months earlier were just not working anymore. Because I wanted a totally different view on what I need to do to heal, I asked for a healing ceremony within a Native American tradition. The results have been miraculous.
What I learned was exactly how I was blocking my healing. For me it was all about facing my fear head on and not letting it shut me down.
To quote Marianne Willamson from her book “Return to Love”:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people will not feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It is not in just some of us; it is in everyone. And as we
let our own light shine, we unconsciously give people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
In my healing ceremony I was reminded that I already had all the skills I needed to deal with the fear that was blocking me. I just have to use them moment by moment.
One of the reasons I already knew without question that I have the skill set to deal with the fear, is that I have been meditating on emotions for years. Working meditatively with fear and anger were major turning points for me in healing from arthritis. It removed the last traces of arthritis from my body. It literally healed all my food sensitivities. And that deep transformative work continues whenever I use this tool.
Once I realized that a complete healing from my meningitis required me to courageously let more of my shining show in the world, I decided to record a guided meditation CD set. This is because meditating and sharing with people how to meditate is one of the places I shine the most. And letting being afraid of sharing something this powerful was no longer something I was no longer willing to let stop me.
And the last of my meningitis symptoms did indeed go away as a result.
The intro CD explains everything you need to get started, even if you have never meditated before.
The other CDs guide you through meditations that can help you to resolve certain deep seated issues most people with arthritis need to address before they can completely heal. For a full description and photo, see the Meditation CD page.
Book
This book provides practical, detailed information that is critical for the successful healing of arthritis, but that has never before been collected in one place.
Course
This 28 week course guides you step by doable step through the arthritis healing process. Barbara delivers the lessons by online video. You have a chance to ask questions after each lesson.
Meditation CDs
These are the meditations that helped Barbara Allan fully conquer her arthritis. They retrained her response to pain, providing deep physical, emotional, mental and spiritual healing.
ALCAT Blood Test
The ALCAT test screens for inflammatory reactions triggered by over 350 common foods, food additives,molds, medications and chemicals in our environment. This test gives you a huge head start in your healing process.
Consultations
Speak directly with Barbara Allan for her help in personalizing her system to your specific needs and overcoming any obstacles you encounter on the path to healing.
One of Everything
The One of Everything package includes all of the support materials Barbara Allan offers. If you're ready for the whole enchilada, this is for you.
Forum
An online community of support for those healing their arthritis, food sensitivities, or other autoimmune diseases. Learn More
Blog
How is Barbara's health is now? She's doing fantastic, with no arthritis at all since 1999. She still enjoys cooking. This is where she shares her delicious recipes for curing arthritis. Learn More
Articles
Articles on arthritis and what it takes to heal it. A treasure drove of information. Learn More
