The Worst Family To Get Involved With

I am not the sort of woman who runs around saying “I told you so,” or trying to impress people with how clever I am.

However, I am clever.

It’s no secret – a lot of people know it.

Sometimes people ask me why or how I am clever.  That is — I think — far more interesting.

They also ask me things like why I can figure out things other people can’t.

It is because I see things other people can’t see.  Because my insatiable curiosity just does not stop.  I put things together.

One major example is that I saw that people from foreign lands who developed obesity and complications felt better when they went back to their native lands.  Working the the “why?” — I put it together and figured out that there was something wrong with the American food supply.

That was how I came up with a way to help myself lose a LOT of weight and – in the process – get rid of some life-threatening illnesses.  Of course, if you read this blog regularly, you’ve already heard me tell about this (and it is detailed in my subsequent book).

Since I became a doctor and people started coming to me for help, I’ve seen people who suffer from so many things.  Obesity is the henchman of that cruel villain Gravity, and myriad complications arise to those who carry around too much weight.

One common effect is arthritis of the knees.  Like most people, I was told – and my medical schools also taught — that this would happen to anybody who was overweight, because when you walk all of your weight goes on one knee, and that is sometimes a lot.  In my case, it was over 300 lbs. – WELL over 300 lbs.

My mother-of-blessed-memory told me it was part of her legacy to me, that I would always have knee pain.  But I could not curse the woman who gave me this pain because she also gave me life and love and support.  I am sure her self-fulfilling prophecy promoted my knee pain, but it was not the only thing.

The foods you eat can aggravate this condition, too.  A very dear friend recently told me she found some literature about the Solanaceae – or the nightshade – plants.  You may have heard of “The Deadly Nightshade” (belladonna) and Datura. Yes, many plants in this family are toxic.

Then there are familiar family members such as chili peppers, bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant.  The lovely Petunia is a family member as is the very poisonous and reviled Nicotiana (tobacco).

Spices, ornamental flowers, medicines and food staples — Quite a prominent family.

These relatives are rich in alkaloids, and can cause reactions in animals — yes, humans, too — ranging from mildly irritating to fatal.  Some — like pure nicotine — can kill in microscopic quantities.

My friend discovered that they can also cause arthritis.

Being the inquisitive type – and a scientist – I did a clinical trial on myself by eliminating all nightshades from my diet.  No potatoes, tomatoes or eggplants (my favorite foods) no chili or bell peppers (which I always enjoyed).  I never was a smoker and I don’t grow petunias.

My knee pain started getting better already and now – after a few weeks — it is GONE.

I have many things to fix in my life yet but this one is no longer one of them.  If only the others were as easy!

For various reasons I won’t get into, I’ve been using a cane to help me walk for the past year or so.  My equilibrium needs improvement if I’m going to continue dancing again.

However, I’ve recovered enough that I often use my cane for constructive purposes – such as twirling, whacking ladies who cut in front of me in public restrooms and generally intimidating folks by slapping it in my palm like a British Army Major General.

I only lean on it occasionally.

I don’t want to be one of those ladies-of-a-certain-age you over-hear at the next table in restaurants passionately comparing their aches and pains in a game of one-upmanship.  Some need that kind of attention.  I just want freedom from pain and to be able to dance the Can-Can in Montmartre when I take my husband to Paris to show him off.

Oh yes – the nightshades might be the cause of other illnesses — maybe yes, maybe no.  I have long since given up the idea of getting what nutrients I need from the food I eat.  The people who grow food are struggling to survive, so I have come to the decision that I will guzzle vitamin pills as long as I tread upon this fragile planet and that is just fine for me.

Next time, I will tell you about some more constructive ways to eat and thrive – and enjoy a delicious treat.  I’ll tell you what I’ve learned about cherries the past few years – and how they have helped me and dozens of my patients.

Meanwhile – beware of the nightshades and if you want to try eliminating them from your diet yourself, you might be surprised at how good you feel very soon.