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About six months (Sept, 2009), ago I was referred to your office after having exhausted all types of doctor specialists who admittedly didn’t know what was wrong with me or how to help with my condition. I know I have expressed some appreciation to you during my visits, but wanted to really thank each of you for ‘saving my life’ in a certain aspect. I know you were each just doing what you do, but sometimes it’s worth noting those actions have made a significant difference in a family’s life — as it did in mine.
My story:
One morning in August, 2008, I woke up with a rash appearing overnight. It progressed and spread into different areas over several weeks. As the months passed, the rash turned to open sores and began to be painful under the surface into the deeper layers of my skin. I sought treatment with a general practitioner, with first line of treatments of topical creams and then oral steroids which masked the symptoms, but caused other side effects. I sought treatment from specialists such as a Dermatologist and even an Internist when someone suggested a parasite may be the cause. Each doctor visit, skin biopsy and blood test was unable to help with a diagnosis and each prescription drug was ineffective and caused additional issues with side effects. I finally gave up on doctors and drugs and made changes to every part of my diet, eliminating certain foods, introducing others and ultimately began to eat as little as possible as an attempt to avoid any triggers since the doctors continuously claimed “contact dermatitis” and/or said I was having an allergic reaction to something I was eating.
As the year passed, I lived with pain all over body - no one could touch me - the most heart wrenching being no hugs from my daughter, no hand holding and she was not even able to sit next to me to snuggle to watch a tv show. The slightest touch would make me wince in pain including the soft spray of water from taking a shower. Various parts of my body had open sores from the painful rash that severely itched and covered my torso, arms and legs. Any source of heat made me feel like I was on fire so forget about our love for the beach, pool or even walking outside to get the mail. My joints ached with every movement and I prayed for just a moment of sleep without the dull ache that now encompassed my hips, knees, elbows, shoulders and ankles.
I spent every available moment researching the internet for any thoughts of what could be causing this condition. I read every able resource and being a believer in natural health began to search for natural healing solutions. Through this process and discussion with others in the community who were also proponents of natural health, I was referred to Dr. Shipe by a few different individuals and resources.
in September, 2009, I contacted Dr. Shipe’s office and was fortunate to talk with Yasmine who spent as much time as I needed to discuss my history, condition and path which lead me to call your office. After listening patiently, she said a few words that will forever resonate in my mind and heart, “I promise, if you come in to talk with Dr. Shipe, he will help you and you will not have to see another doctor.” She even rearranged a few things in the schedule so I was able to see Dr. Shipe within the next day or two. On September 24th, I met Dr. Shipe for the first time and he too spent as much time with me as I needed to discuss the last painful year I had been living. He was the first doctor to say, "I believe I know what is going on with you and know I can help you." Please understand, each other doctor had openly claimed they had no idea what was causing these symptoms and said all they could do was try different things to see what might work. So, to hear someone claim they knew what was wrong and how to fix it, provided me with a sense of hope lost over the prior months of pain and discomfort.
Under Dr. Shipe's guidance, I began a series of herbal teas, natural food supplements, acupuncture treatments and nutritional counseling. Dedicated to getting well again, I followed his suggestions and treatment plan, and discussed any questions or concerns openly as he welcomed them. At various times I would come in for a prescheduled visit, and was touched to learn he had another supplement ready for me to try as he was "thinking about my condition" during the week in between visits and wanted to see if something else would help. I felt a true continuous connection with him, his staff and my treatment plan and at no time ever felt like just another patient or insurance account number. If my symptoms had changed or gotten worse as I reported my progress, Dr. Shipe really listened and contemplated what he could do differently to get the results needed. And, as he teaches, he was not treating the symptoms, but focused on the underlying "internal" causes which sometimes takes time to affect their results exteriorly (as in the case with my skin).
As I learned, my skin was merely reflecting some unhealthy issues affecting my internal organs, such as adrenal glands, liver, kidneys and lungs. Lungs? Up to the point of when this all began, I thought I had been living a pretty healthy life (age 43). I was active, exercised, within normal weight range, never smoked, didn't use drugs, and didn't abuse alcohol or engage in any other unhealthy behaviors. I also lived a life on the go as a fulltime working mom, using the convenience of processed foods, complete dinners in a bag (low fat of course), limited my sugar intake by using artificial sweeteners of course, used Advil to cut short the dull ache of daily headaches, occasional used an energy drink to get through the late days, and truly believed I handled stress well since I could maintain my cool under fire (which was a daily event).
Five months later, I can honestly say I feel wonderful. I did begin to get some relief from the symptoms within a few days, improving even more in the next few weeks and now, no longer have the open sores, rash or pain in my joints. My skin is continuing to heal the scars left from the prolonged rash and sores, and even those are disappearing with each day. I am filled with balanced energy through the days, into the evenings and sleep soundly, waking naturally in the morning feeling well rested. My body no longer craves the caffeine, sweets or Advil once needed to get through the busyness of the day. Life's challenges and stresses don't magically go away, but the sense of calm within is a real difference as I face them without the adrenaline surge that used to throw me into hyper drive. I use Qi Gong as a way to stretch, heal and calm my body, feeling a wonderful surge of energy and balance of peace to support my day. And, the most wonderful aspect of this healing experience is being able to receive tight, squeezy hugs from my daughter and once again snuggle with her in moments that I know will soon pass with her age.Dr. Shipe, Yasmine, Janie, Tina, Debbie and anyone else on the team -
Thank you sincerely, from all my heart for doing what you do. Know that each of your collective efforts do make a difference in the lives of the people you service. I hope that you do hear these words often but for me, I wanted to ensure you heard them from us. My daughter is so happy to have her mom back, my loving Dom is so happy to have his companion acting like herself again, and I begin each day with such gratitude to be a part of this life again.
With loving gratitude,
Kim
