Follow this link below to watch me, John Reid and Kelcie Swartout's interview on the Branch Out Foundation

https://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110608/CGY_phillips_inspired_110808/20110608?hub=CalgaryHome

Cheers to a healthy future!

Crystal

Quarter of the way: DONE, english version

Global interview on the Branch Out Bike Tour!

Titled "Bike Tour" in the sports section: https://www.globaltvcalgary.com/video/index.html

Watch my friend Donna, who I went to india with,  take her first steps in ten years, the day after the liberation treatment. She is now regressing but still hopeful. See full interview: https://www.edmontonjournal.com/videos/Health/video.html?embedCode=E0YmZnMjr9WxntkpmFzvKnSVnXf1hvec

One year ago today, the urge to treat my MS 100% naturally had built up enough for me to get off the daily injectable I was on for 5 years!

At this time last year, I also lost vision in my left eye so the decision made a few friends and family members a little nervous and my doctors very nervous. 

 My neurologists wanted me to go on steroids and a new injectable drug that may cause liver damage. One of my neurologists even painted me this pretty picture: "You're disease is very serious, it’s progressing and it only takes one lesion to flare up and ruin your life. I don't want you wheeling in here in a wheel chair next year and tell me that you wish you did everything you could. I strongly suggest you try these new drugs." hmmm some encouragement that was!  The thought of pumping my body full of poisons that will give me flu-like symptoms for months, possibly destroy my liver and trusting this negative neurologist who was chugging diet pop throughout our entire meeting was WAY scarier than the "risk" of going drug-free. My diecision was made.

With only a minor relapse in the winter (double vision for 4 days), this last year has been my healthiest year since my diagnosis 6 years ago AND my MRI in January showed no disease progression. It has been win-win for both my health and my career. Working as a Natural Nutritionist and continuing my studies in herbal medicine have really helped me stay encouraged and confident to stay drug free and the fact that I feel better doing my natural thing keeps me encouraged to stay on this same career path.

I would also like to add that my "natural thing" does not not include some magic supplement or secret diet plan. It is simply enjoying a fresh, wholesome diet and thinking healthy thoughts.

So the only wheeling I'm going to be doing this year is on my road bike in Panorama for the Branch Out Bike Tour ;)  https://www.2mevents.com/pledge/249

Cheers to a healthy future!

Crystal

Hey everyone,

Please visit my pledge page to the Branch Out Bike Tour which I have organized with a group of my friends!

https://www.2mevents.com/basic-pledge/249

Any contribution amount is so greatly appreciated and will go towards local neurological research!

Thank you in advance :)

Crystal

Hello!!

You would think after skating season finished a few weeks ago, I would be less busy not having to train 4-6 hrs a day. I worried about that since I seem to be more stressed out when my plate is not full. Thankfully, The Branch Out Bike Tour project (www.branchoutfoundation.com), working as a sports nutritionist at Athletes-Nation, continuing my herbal medicine studies at the Wild Rose College, moving, and getting a million medical tests done by Dr. Bruce Hoffman is keeping my plate full :)

Since going drug-free last May, I decided to continue my healing path, the natural way. I was referred to a private medical doctor, Dr. Bruce Hoffman (https://www.hoffmancentre.com/), who just happens to also use herbology, nutrition, homeopathy, meditation, vitamin/mineral therapy, aromatherapy and energy healing in his practice. Surprised I chose him ;) ?

The good news is that Dr Hoffman is a Doctor who is open-minded......crazy right!!? The bad news is the price tag. As holistic as Dr. Hoffman is, he is still very scientific and, therefore, has his patients (especially me) get a million tests done here and ships the samples of, well, you name it and I gave it, to some of the top labs in the world. 

By million tests, I mean 16, but still.

Here is the list of tests I got and the hefty price tag that comes along with them. Not exactly your regular GP tests.... 

Physical Exam and CLS Review- $150-$300
Calgary laboratory Services tests (blood, urine, ECG)
Heart Rate Variability
Heart Rate Variability/Valsava Test-$120
Body Composition Analysis-$60
CD57 (Blood)$200
MRT- Food Allergy Testing-120 foods and 30 chemicals (blood) $550
Hair Toxic Elements Exposure Profile-20 (hair) $275
Individual Optimal Nutritional Profile-20 amino acids (blood and urine)
GI Effects- gastrointestinal Function Profile (stool) $690
Full Panel-E2, t, D&C 1-4 (saliva) $475 (hormone testing)
Neuro screen basic (urine) $495
Stimulated Comprehensive Cytokine Profile with PHA-LPS-Candida (blood) $110 (check for yeast overgrowth)
Complete Lyme- Western Blot IgG&IgM, IgG/IgM/IgA IFA and PCR (blood) $800
     *It is very common that MS patients are misdiagnosed when they actually have Lyme's*
Methylation Test (blood) $625
A couple visits with Dr. Hoffman- $500   

This comes to a grand total of $5200 + tax, and that is before treatment!

Thanks to continued support through the Crystal patches campaign, I was able to cover all these costs and finished getting all these tests done last week. On one testing day, I filled 18 vials of blood after food fasting for 13 hrs prior and was only able to drink two cups of water! No fainting, but close.  

I am now waiting for my results and treatment plan which I am hoping I'll get in the next month or so. As for my health right now, I am feeling great with just a little numbness/burning sensation in my left leg.

Cheers to a healthy future!

Crystal Phillips

I had a bit of a scare over this past weekend. It started with dizziness around noon on Fri. Feb 14th. In a matter of a few hours, this dizziness quickly progressed to double vision with pain behind my left eye. Optic neuritis is what I had last May when my left eye went blind but improved back to about 60% vision. Double vision or "diplopia" is different than optic neuritis, although just as common in MS patients. I remember having double vision once for about a week during my first relapse in 2005. 7-10days is common.

 Below is a perfect example of what things looked like for me over the weekend:

Trippy I know but if I closed one eye, I could see fine again. So yes, I had to go back on the patch or close one eye if I wanted to see aything more clearly.

It is now Monday and THANKFULLY I no longer have double vision, just a little headache.

An interesting note is that after weight training on Fri morning I felt a kink in my neck. I saw my chiropractor, Richard Robinson, that afternoon and he confirmed that there was definetely a kink in my neck and that it could have something to do with my vision problem since MS patients seem to react a little more dramatically when their structure is "off". 

Another possible cause could have been physical and mental stress that I was dealing with over the past month.

I have to admit, the scariest part was not the double vision but the reminder that I am dealing with an unpredictable and serious disease that can change my life in the matter of a few hours.

From Jan 26th-31st, I was competing at the 3rd of 4 Canada Cups in Winnipeg, Mb.  If you did not make the World Cups, you compete on this circuit to get the last spots on the national development team.

Winnipeg is always one of the most dreaded, or should I say "Character building" competitions of the circuit. Not only is the oval outdoors, but it's almost always windy enough to make you feel like you are on some sort of skating treadmill and cold enough to want to rub vaseline on all over your face so it does not freeze. 

So it could not have been a better weekend to get my heart warmed with this story...

It was not until the second day of the competition when a teammate pointed out this poster. I went upstairs to check it out and there was Mary Prendergast, a speed skater who I met at the "Skate Like A Girl" camp last summer.  She had emailed me weeks prior to tell me that she would like to sell homemade skate blade covers but I did not know when or where.

I was so impressed with how she took the initiative and volunteered her time to sell these homemade fluffies (I believe her mom was the one to sew them all) over the weekend. I was also so flattered when she told me how I inspired her with my story and that she wanted to help support Crystal Patches by donating 100% of the proceeds.

In just two days, Mary raised $330 for Crystal Patches!

A big thanks to Mary, the Prendergast family and to all of you who bought Fluffies for MS!