Alternative Care for Crohn's

Dear Listeners,

My name is Sarah. I am an artist, aerialist, and writer, and I am in a commonly un-common situation, facing the steep mountain climb that is a life with Crohn's disease and the unfortunate system that is United States health care. 

To share a bit of my story, the baseline facts that I am dealing with are:

It has been over a decade since my initial diagnosis, decline, and small-intestine resection at age 21. I received no physical therapy or dietary treatment post-op, and have in the last year, at age 31, been focused on intense rehabilition for osteopathic issues — a result of the surgical scar tissue and constant inflammation that have destabilized my body at the core. Right now tests reveal that my disease is in a moderate active state after years of remission, and intervention is necessary to avoid another trip to the surgery room.

I am not satisfied with the current approach of my GI doctors. There is a wedge between eastern and western thought that is ossified by the institutional model, and I am not comfortable continuing a conversation with strictly Western doctors until I see someone that considers the whole picture. This means diet, psychology, and any other potential triggers that might contribute to this disfunctional auto-immune state. I mean to get to the bottom of this issue, not just for me, but for the sake of everyone who is suffering from the symptoms of this disease and the frustration of the myopic, half-baked sick culture that Insurance America is insistent on. 

Of coure, I am prepared for the fact that if I cannot be cured strictly holistically I may have to face the drug options that are Remicaid, Humira, or newbie drug Entyvio. I am blocked-out of test studies on Helminth therapy  by the insurance companies because of the severity of my history, but I could pay for it out of pocket if I am still not comfortable signing up for IV's, shots, and a life-time of hard drugs. These are all decisions I am going to wait on while I pursue other perspectives. 

At this point my current agenda is to travel immediately to Toronto to visit the Xiaolan Health Centre where a friend of mine with similar issues has been treated successfully. I am not sure what kind of system they will recommend for me, but I must go into this territory largely unknown. I expect a full recovery will take time, and I am prepared to potentially visit multiple practitioners. I will keep you updated as I progress through my website/blog at: www.lionorfox.com/blog 

To receive treatment at Xiaolan Health, I have to cover an initial hour-long visit at a rate of $250, and continuing appointments are billed at $185. My first appointment is scheduled for November 6, and I will be hitting the road shortly in my Scion to get there. Needless to say, I am giving up any previously known means and agenda in order to directly deal with this issue. Any funds that I receive here will be applied to making this trip, paying for doctors and PT's, and following whatever plans I must make to receive treatment to achieve 100% healing.

I hope through communication I can light the way for others to take charge of their circumstances, whether they suffer from Crohn's, auto-immune disorders, or any other ailment. My spirit thanks you for your generosity, and returns that love from however many miles away.

Sarah 

REWARDS :

Vintage Thank You:


Folded Tea Fishes:

Dreambox:



Spring FREEZE by Sarah Muehlbauer

A hybrid proposition combining journal excerpts, explorations of dreams, and photographic essays, Spring FREEZE brings intuition back to the artistic process. Testament to unraveling the author’s chronic pain over the last decade, it can also be understood as an emancipation journey from the boundaries we too often put on ourselves.

Through a series of reflections on social issues and the passing of seasons, recollection of personal events – as real as the reader needs them to be – and an essential connection to the dream world, we are invited to ponder over the essence of human race, its limitless resilience and the power of the artistic gesture, regardless of its nature, to overcome the obstacles.