Just got off the phone with my mom. Ugh. My stepdad has had problems with his back for years and now they've progressed to the point where he is not allowed to work or walk up stairs and must be monitored at all times because a fall could kill him. Good lord. He has had several back surgeries but continues to get worse. Now the back surgeons are telling him if he doesn't get this new emergency surgery ASAP he could die. He has arthritis in his back that continues to get worse and worse.
He and my mom eat what I would call a "gourmet fine food SAD diet". It's mostly bread, meat & fish, wine, cheese, some vegetables and olive oil. They THINK that their diet is healthy, but both of them have arthritis. My mom had a hip removed last year and after 34 years of running had to quit. My stepdad has had several back surgeries for degenerative arthritis that continues to get worse. He has baked his own bread for 40 years and eats startchy deep-fried breaded crap every most times I go out with them. They INSIST that their diet is healthy and think I'm crazy for eating just fruits and vegetables. Look at the f**king evidence? They keep spending thousands of dollars on getting cut up for various surgeries to cut this, cut this out, replace this with a piece of titanium... and DON'T GET ANY BETTER!!! AM I LIVING ON F***ING PLANET F***ING ZORKON OR SOME S**T?
My stepdad is a Yale-educated ear nose and throat doctor. I suggested that he get a 2nd opinion from a chiropractor and they just about flipped their s**t on me. NO!! THEY WANT TO GO TO THE SURGEON, RISK DEATH OR PARALYSIS DURING THE SURGERY, NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND JUST GET CUT UP MORE. Because apparently chiropractors "aren't real doctors" but spine surgeons who cut you up, don't fix the problem and suck up thousands of dollars from you are the "experts". I feel like I am the only sane person in my family. They are too proud to admit what they're doing isn't working and now they're suffering. And not just mildly suffering, they're really suffering. I told them my thoughts, that they needed to go get a 2nd opinion from a chiropractor and that he should start doing greens smoothies every day to reduce the pain and inflammation. She said he'll feed him some more fruits and vegetables, but I think she was just humoring me. I don't like to tell people what to do, but in extreme circumstances like this I had to say my peace. I couldn't walk around with the guilt of "what if I never spoke up". They won't take my advice. It really sucks to feel this powerless to help.
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Comment by Durifran on May 27, 2012 at 4:59pm I really feel for you, and I can relate as my family still eats meat. Somehow none of them have any health problems yet...
I have been thinking a lot about my parents, and I recently discussed the issue in depth at a recent Buddhist retreat I went on. Basically what I learnt was that we can't change our parents. Just like parents cannot change their children, no matter how much they want to/try to. We all want what we think is best for our family because we love them, but we have to accept that they will be who they are no matter what. Sure it is always good to talk to them about health and set a good example, but ultimately they will make their own choices.
Comment by Sorcha Sloane on May 27, 2012 at 10:00am Deeply resonating with you, man. :-(
Some people would rather die than accept that maybe all they'd learned throughout their life is wrong. I just had a family member who's had a CORONARY BYPASS tell me that he could just "feel that his body wasn't getting enough protein" after just 12 hours on the diet.
I asked him "Could you FEEEEEEL your arteries clogging?"
Him, "Well, no."
Me, "Well then maybe your feelings aren't a good judge of what's going on inside you."
.... still no effect ....
Comment by DURIANRIDER on May 27, 2012 at 8:07am Eating just fruits and veg for a few months to see how it works for you: EXTREME!
Going under the knife at the first opinion: totally rational.
The hardest thing about being fit and healthy is watching our friend and family destroy their lives via apathy and/or ignorance.
Comment by melonhead on May 27, 2012 at 7:47am I just read today that every year in America, approximately 50,000 people die every year from medical malpractice!!!! If that isn't scary enough to make you want to do everything you can to stay out of a doctor's office, what do you need? Anyway, you made a point that "They are too proud to admit what they're doing isn't working and now they're suffering." To me, this sounds like the very definition of addiction and it is hard to sit around and watch other people suffer from their addictions. But you teach what you are, so even if your parents aren't giving you outright respect and are interested in your hcrv lifestyle, they are noticing, y'now what I mean? By watching you as time goes by and realizing that your lifestyle is worthwhile, they'll either make changes or not. But just because they don't do it outright doesn't mean they never will. But you are asking them to turn their backs, part and parcel, on beliefs they've based a lifetime on ( western medicine, etc) and for a lot of people, that doesn't mean just your diet- it challenges everything they believe. We hcrv (how do you pluralize hcrv?) we have gone through this process and as much as we can, by our example do we heal. Good luck!!
Comment by Jenee the Fruity Gypsy on May 27, 2012 at 6:24am Man I sure feel your pain :-) So sorry to hear your Dad and Mom are so unwell...I hope they start to see the light... I'm struggling with the same thing with my father. he's getting fatter and unhealthier by the day since moving to the Uk after being so fit and healthy and active growing up on the farm! And he smoked like a chimney for 50yrs and got to a stage he couldnt even breathe properly. Finally gave up smoking for 3mths but body was so exhausted and adrenals finished that the couldnt get out of bed with out the stimulants - so guess what he has chosen to start again and make us watch him waste his money and kill himself... and he's mentally unstable, cant walk up the hill without panting and is getting fat and unhealthy - but I make my life difficult by living on fruits and vegetables and feeling like superwoman everyday :-) WTF is wrong with people!!!!
I also care for people and the lady im presently looking after is a limp lump in the bed with SO many problems she doesnt need to have - and hey she's all blocked up but wont eat fruit cause of the acidity but wants scrambled egg on toast and ice cream! so she'll take 2 water tablets a day, a laxative most nights(filled with sodium), hardly drink any water and wander why she feels like CRAP!!! makes me sooooooooo frustrated!!!! the medical, meat and dairy industry really have made a f&*>ing mess of peoples health and its so sad to watch!! I feel so helpless!
Comment by David on May 27, 2012 at 5:48am Maybe he'll be open to reading the John Sarno books look into it he's an md back doctor that says most surgeries unnecessary good mind body connection stuff
Comment by Craig Plunkett on May 27, 2012 at 4:38am Same story here man, just different characters and ailments. My mother ignores all my advice and warnings and continues to eat the garbage that got her the way she is, but my brother went 811 within a fortnight of telling him all about it..so I have to acknowledge that that's 100% more luck than most other people are going to experience when promoting 811. Now he's my training partner of sorts.
Comment by Katy on May 27, 2012 at 3:34am Hi Ben. I am so sorry to read this, i know what it feels like, when u have to watch your loved ones suffer, when you know that their happiness and healhing would be so simple, if only they listened... I wish my mom listened to me, whenever I speak to her she is telling me how bad her health is and how much worse its getting day to day. I havent seen her in a few years, but already talking about 80/10/10 to her, hoping that when I will meet her I can open her eyes up by being an example. I am trying to get her to this camp or gathering that we organizing with my cousin, seeing and actually living healthy just for that week hopefully will help her realise that she can actually do this. Maybe that would help Your parents, too, take them to the Woodstock Fruit Festival, or you are welcome to Hungary as well, we are planning the whole thing for 6-12 aug ( http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/hcrv-gathering )
Whatever You do, i wish you good luck from my heart, and dont forget, just as parents should not try to take your life over, THIS is their life and their choices. You can only show them the way, but they have to decide to take it.
Love, Katy :)
Comment by windwalker on May 27, 2012 at 2:59am I think if you could put you mom to read The China Study, this book has potential to save lives, 40+ years of experience of Dr. T. Colin Campbell on their pages.
This exhaustive presentation of the findings from the China Study conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Referred to as the "Grand Prix of epidemiology" by The New York Times, this study examines more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in 65 counties, representing 2,500 counties across rural China and Taiwan. While revealing that proper nutrition can have a dramatic effect on reducing and reversing these ailments as well as obesity, this text calls into question the practices of many of the current dietary programs, such as the Atkins diet, that enjoy widespread popularity in the West. The impact of the politics of nutrition and the efforts of special interest groups on the creation and dissemination of public information on nutrition are also discussed.
Comment by Greenmama on May 27, 2012 at 2:37am Ah, man, I'm hearing how frustrated and sad you are and how you'd really just love to help people who are suffering recover their health and vitality, and even save their lives. And especially the people you love.
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