Health recovery status update...

Well, it's been a long haul, and it's far from over, but at least progress is being made. Continuing as an overall trend to be "up and to the right" as they say in the financial world.
You can read earlier reports/information here:
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=114

http://www.hawkes-haven.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=80
Just 2-3 years ago I was in horrible, and all but incapacitated, condition. I was sick all the time, every 2-3 weeks I'd come down with something.
I had so many injuries that were constant pain:

5 compressed vertebrae in my neck pinching nerves from a fall in March 2004.

two compressed vertebrae (which were calcifying and seized) in the thoracic area just between my should blades (t5-t6) from one of my wireless internet isp company towers accident/injury in April/May 2003

left shoulder from dislocating it in 2001

Reduced lung capacity from scarring since severe pneumonia in 2000 filled entire left lung, and over half of right lung

Deteriorating health due to lack of sleep from bipolar manic/depressive cycling lasting from 3-4 days, up to 3.5 weeks without ANY sleep, 2-3 times per year, starting since I was about 17 years old

both knees (meniscus) from a car wreck in 1993

left hip from dislocation when I was about 12 (1982)

lumbar/lower back pain since 1979, which was now over extending to compensate for the lack of mobility in the mid and upper spinal areas) I was 9 from repeated injuries

run down from working 90-120 hours per week for over 8 years as an executive and computer scientist, being physically inactive and and not eating right and all but stopping martial arts, exercise, meditation, etc. since the car accident

horrible stress levels and collapse from illness by 6 WEEKS! of strep throat, that weakened my entire body and I'm still recovering from those consequences this 2.5 years later!

I had some set backs in recent months, but seem to be getting back on track more recently.
I've managed not to have any serious back issues for many months now.
The lower back (lumbar) rarely acts up now.
The mid back (t5-t6 that were seized) still gets a little painful when I do too many pushup type exercises, but I'm doing more and more before that happens, so that's progress.
The neck vertebrae (5 of the neck vertebrae were impacted and seizing up from another injury the year before) hasn't been an issue in months now, even after smacking my head on a door frame or two (which had previously kept "resetting" back to the very painful status from that fall).
The knees are getting stronger, but still being the most annoying in slowing me down.
The shoulder flares up every few weeks, but nothing too serious.
Asthma is getting better, and though I feel tired a lot this past week from such a busy week and getting over a series of illnesses (though in the past year I've had the lowest incident of illness for me in over 6 years).
For more background on how bad things were, and how much better they are now, and what I've done to improve so much, click the READ MORE link for more...

I'm sleeping better, and have more stable "cycles" than I've ever had in my life thanks to a wonderful amino acid supplement called L-Tryptophan.
You can read about why this amazing supplement was pulled off the market, and has been suppressed from public awareness by the pharmaceutical company, and how much it can help so many people:
http://www.hawkes-haven.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=112

I've been using L-Tryptophan now for about 15 months.
With no "side effects" to report. After trying about 20 other medications over years, all with terrible side effects, and minimal success in treating the cycling and lack of sleep due to my struggle with manic depression (bi polar).
Where, or where was this when I first started having these issues? It would have radically changed my life for the better, and far less misery caused. .
Anyhow, here's the closest things I experience as far as side effects from using high doses of L-Trypto (I take between 500mg to 2,000 mg, usually about 1,000mg to 1,500 mg taken about 30-60 minutes before expecting to go to sleep):

If I skip more than a day or two, i get a mild headache for about 2-3 days, unless I take it again, then all is well.

If I take 2,000 for too long, I start getting more tired throughout the day. I usually only take that much if I missed out on a few days (forgot to fill prescription, etc.), to get back up to dosage quickly, then I back it down to 1,500 mg, then keep it around 1,000 mg or 500 mg more recently

If I keep it at 2,000 too long, I also notice the skin on my forehead starts to get a bit "rubbery" and "rough", that quickly goes away when I bring the dosage back down

I'm noticing in recent months that if I get more regular sleep (it's now breaking a lifetime of bad habits, rather than my body, keeping me up late at night anymore) for enough days in a row, I can back off to only 500 mg. it seems my body is getting more and more "normal" in it's need for this supplement. Maybe some day I won't need it anymore? Who knows, but I don't mind taking it. Unlike other things like Lithium and so many, where I just hated taking them ever single time, this is no biggie. ;-)

Physical Therapy is getting back on track. I was amazed to watch some huge stressors in life completley regress my significant progress in P.T. But I'm getting back on track.
And it's helping immensely!

I'm doing Kungfu now twice per week as assistant instructor at the studio.

I'm continuing Aqua Aerobics twice per week at the University.

I'll be starting Karate at the university as well in a few weeks, just to "check out the competition" because so many have asked me about how/what they teach there, this will give me a first hand experience to compare with.
I'll probably do the same at the local Aikido, T'ai Chi, and Taekwondo studios as well. Pretending to be a novice, to see what the differences are.

I'm waitlisted for Yoga as well, so I don't know if I'll be able to get into that or not, but I'll try.

I haven't needed the chiropractor again since November 2005.

I'm working towards being at Kungfu a minimum of 3 days per week for at least 3 hours per day.

I hope in Spring 2007 to be ready to accomplish the following:

Hike Mount Hood

Finish (not worrying about competing at all) the Bloomsday Marathon at a walk or slow jog

I see the nutritionist once every month or two when she's in town. She takes urine samples (and once a year blood samples), then monthly adjust my supplements accordingly. Though the number and levels of supplements are reducing since we're usually eating so much healthier.

We're up to about 10-20% organic foods in the house. It's just bloody hard to find enough quantity to feed the family, and afford it. The prices for organic foods are anywhere from 2 to 5 times higher than "normal" foods. But I'm doing the best I can.
I do the shopping and cooking, and we are eating very well.

I first started taking over in summer '05, and the first challenge was to cut out three key toxins in common intake:

Hydrogenated products/oils

MSG (Mono sodium glutamate)

Corn syrups, high sugar content and processed sugars

It was/is bloody hard to find food that doesn't have that junk in them! Fortunately, more places are starting to carry healthier foods, including Costco even carrying a little bit of Organic foods as well. I mostly have to go to Huckleberry's / Rosauer's, and/or Fred Meyer's for most of the Organics though.
I've slowly removed other processed foods, etc. as well.
I'd say less than 10-20% of our diet ends up getting any of those three items in our intake anymore, which is a huge improvement.

The kids have been healthier these past 9 months than EVER!
As have we.
So, I can only imagine what a full year plus will do to improve our health that much more.
And it's getting easier as I manage to make the healthy intake more of a daily part of our lives, and they (the wife and kids) fight it less and less, and embrace it more and more.

Well, time to get to sleep, I hope this information helps others in their quest for better health.

Cheers!