I’m not one to talk about myself, nor talk in third person, but I know if you are here, you want to know about me, so here goes.
Growing up I was always an active kid, I played all sports and loved riding my quarter horse “Storm”. In college I received a tennis scholarship and played college fast pitch softball, I also enjoyed skiing when I could. Fortunately, for the most part, I made it through my college sports career without a major injury.
After college I stayed as active as I could, since my job had me working behind a desk. While I was skiing, I had a bad fall and did significant damage to my right knee. I ended up needing major surgery and the rehabilitation back then was difficult. I didn’t know until later in life that it would be the start of my health problems.
Years later and after multiple surgeries I got caught in a cycle of trial and error. I was willing to try anything to get back to where I was in my youth and I used the medical field approach for years with no luck. I was willing to try every anti-inflammatory medication, steroids, rooster cartilage injections and pain medication, but nothing helped. All of this caused more trouble in my body. Over time I saw Doctors, DO’s, Chiropractors, acupuncture specialists, naturopaths, massage therapists, exercise therapists, and rehab therapists. Whatever they told me to do, I did it. There was a period during this entire process where I’d find some new approach through either a supplement or cream, you name it, and I’d try it. I read everything and anything trying to rebuild my knee. It got so bad that just normal everyday activities like climbing a set of steps caused me problems. The only exercise I could do without pain or my knee swelling was water aerobics. I couldn’t work out in the yard or take long walks without incurring substantial knee swelling which would set me back. During that time, I sought the opinion of several different Orthopedic Surgeons. Each of them had the same diagnosis, I needed a knee replacement, but I should try and get by until I was a little older. Today I feel very blessed that I was too young.
I had worked my entire adult life in the computer networking field, and it was getting harder and harder to perform my day to day tasks. By this time, I had a great massage therapist named Gwen who specialized in Myofascial release. My normal work week was comprised of four ten-hour days and every Friday I had a set appointment with Gwen, which allowed me to feel good enough to work the next week. I was also working with a DO and a naturopath on detoxing and trying to rebuild my torn down body. By then I was old enough to have a knee replacement, but the more I researched the more unsure I became. During my research, I discovered that many people in my situation were having success utilizing stem cell treatments. The procedure was less invasive, and the recovery was much faster. The procedure was not part of the mainstream, and as a result, it was difficult to find doctors that had experience in the field. I settled on a doctor in Los Angeles, and though it was expensive, it was within a budget I could live with. Before I had the procedure, I asked my Orthopedic Surgeon if he would follow my treatments and progress. If the procedure didn’t work as I’d hoped, he would then have the honor of replacing both of my knees. Needless to say, he wasn’t encouraging. In fact, he flat out told me nothing short of a knee replacement would solve my problem. I never saw him again.
I did several detox’s lost some weight and headed off to Los Angeles to see Dr. Martin. In 2012 I had my first stem cell treatment, and a year later, I was climbing Machu Picchu in Peru. REALLY! I retired from my career in Network Computing and devoted my professional life to understanding my body and what else I could do to get healthy. You see, I still had issues, as doctors had me on and off Bioidentical hormones. Plus, I was having issues with sleep, weight and digestion, to name a few. After months of research and learning, I made the decision to learn Colon Hydro therapy. I enrolled in a full course program to become a Colon Hydro Therapist and eventually purchased by own equipment and started a practice.
The journey started in Santa Monica where I received my initial training that lead me to full certification and earning a license. However, I still wanted to understand the missing pieces. So many wonderful and knowledgeable people had worked with me, that included a good friend named Diane, who was a nurse and a health practitioner. She explained to me about FDN (Functional Diagnostic Nutrition) promoted by a person named Reed Davis. I started out with his small mini course and then dove right into a full program which included many advanced courses. During that time, I have been my own patient and applied many of the tests to my own situation. Once I was comfortable with the knowledge offered through the program, I asked family members to work with me. I have had the opportunity learn from many wonderful teachers in the field, Dr. Lisa Pomeroy, Dr. Brian Walsh and Dr. Carrie Jones. Through the success I was able to achieve with myself and my family, I decided to start a practice in FDN. As far as my own health is concerned, I can’t say I’m 100% pain free, but I can say that my knees rarely swell and I’m able to take long walks and do hot yoga 3-5 times a week. I’m an avid gardener and spend hours a week in my yard working. My hormones are under control, digestion under control, weight is down and most of all my overall stress levels and quality of life have improved dramatically. I feel so blessed to have a husband and family who have believed and supported me through this journey and have let me use them as test clients while I was learning. As a bonus, I have watched them improve their health in the process.
Lupe M. Eichenberg FDN-P, AFDNP, I-ACT
Pure Living KC