NAET Review

We've been receiving treatments from our NAET (a.k.a. “voo-doo”) doctor for about a year and a half and wanted to post an update/summary to tell folks where we are and how we’re doing. We could write a book about it at this point but the important fact is that we’re “better”. We’re not bullet proof; we still struggle with food sensitivities, we still get colds, we have allergies… but we’re better. The following are some specifics if you’re interested.

Our youngest boy (2 years old last month!) has benefited the most from NAET. He was covered in eczema from one month old until he had been treated several times. I mean covered; head to toe. It is sheer joy to see his little tummy,thick little legs, arms and face free of eczema.  If you’ve seen this, you know what I mean.  Currently, he has no eczema, little to no rashing with foods (previously nearly all foods broke him out), only two recent outbreaks of hives/blisters (peanuts and a mystery food on vacation), and no breathing/upper respiratory problems (previously a regular issue).  He is sleeping at night (mostly), has no tummy issues (as long as he doesn't overdo it with fruit).  He is like a new boy.  It is true that he is bigger and some things he could have outgrown, but we still have things pop up to remind us how blessed we are that we have the NAET treatments to fall back on when he reacts badly to a specific food.  If he breaks out from a food, we have him treated for that food the next time we see Dr. Clifford.  (Example: he broke out with some eczema last month and we had to take a new cleaner to the doctor. No more eczema post treatment.)  Even after a year and a half, it sounds silly to say we get “fixed” for certain things, but silly or not, it has changed our world.

Our middle angel (our sensitive guy) is doing a lot better, too, but we are still trying to get to the bottom of his breathing problems.  He gets exposed to a combination of allergens and/or sensitivities and develops a persistent dry cough that we call the machine-gun cough; this apparently is a common symptom of childhood asthma.  To address the cough he was given approximately five courses of oral steroids last year.  To get a handle on the asthma we tried a recommended allergist and we are now treating him with daily meds for seasonal allergies/asthma.  Although this was not our first choice, the meds seem to keep things fairly even.  He is able to eat the occasional treat, some wheat, and a little dairy without upsetting the apple cart.  We attribute the food success to his NAET treatments.  It means a lot being able to have the birthday cake at a friend’s party or a scoop of regular ice cream on vacation.  Still must avoid the biggies – red dye, artificial sweeteners, chocolate – these are like a triple espresso for him and make him mean.  He’s been treated for red dye and chocolate but there are still issues there to work on.  We also avoid a dozen other oddities that don’t agree with our sensitive guy (i.e. no polyester pajamas/blankies…  I have no theories to explain this, but it’s true). After five years of this, we get weary sometimes.

Our oldest is our perpetual optimist.  It’s tough to get him down so he doesn’t act like any allergies bother him.  He still has a seasonal allergy issue we can’t pin down and dairy always makes him congested even though he’s been treated for it several times.  In general, if he lays off the dairy and a bunch of sugary treats, he’s a healthy kid.  Praise the Lord for a happy kid.

The rest of us still have some seasonal allergies, although Christian's are much better.  He was taking a Claritin a day about 30%-40% of the year and now only occasionally (note that this year is reportedly an epic allergy year).  Trina has some funny little things clear up, like the bumpy skin (the allergist said this is a sign of a very allergic person) on the back of the upper arms and front of the upper legs.  She's had that her whole life, but something Dr. Clifford did cleared it up.

Our general philosophy on food has changed over the years but has been shaped mostly by our family’s sensitivities (boys 2 and 3).  We give the boys good fruit instead of sugary stuff.  We pretty much avoid processed foods with more than five ingredients (the fewer the better), bleached flour and sugar, high fructose corn syrup and red dye.  Eat lots of veggies.  Buy the best meat we can afford or skip it.  As a result of our struggles the last few years, we now consider the money we spend on food as an investment in the health of our boys (and ourselves, I guess).

The greatest gift that we’ve received from Dr. Clifford is sleep.  Weeding out a couple of the big issues has allowed our middle and littlest boys to sleep through the night.  They both still get up sometimes but what a blessing a few nights of rest can be for a family (and especially a mom).

Even after a year and a half, we balk at trying to explain our trips to the voo-doo doctor.  I’m just the kind of skeptic that doesn’t abide by medical treatments that don’t make sense.  My friends do chuckle at my explanations of the treatments.  I don’t care.  I don’t really understand it all and I don’t have to.  I’m not taking my kids to the voo-doo doctor because it makes me feel good but because my kids are healthier and happier for having gone.  I hope someday to be done with all the food avoidance and playing detective as we figure out what caused our boy to react “today”, but until then, I’m awfully glad we found a treatment to remove some of these triggers from our world.  It gives us hope and sometimes a little hope makes all the difference.

---Christian