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Re: Our Rights
If you are interested in our right to choose health care, or our rights
without regard to
the color of our skin, please read!
As I write the following letter I am "beside myself" and absolutely livid
with the current system in which my daughter is receiving her education. It
is time for me, as an individual, to step forward for my rights and those of
others. I, as an individual, am asking for any other individual or
organization who may offer help or support to "jump on in". This is a big
fight and I think I just got the initiative to fight it!
Here's my story:
I am a 37 year old working mother of a 13 year old daughter (Tami). When
Tami was small she often had nosebleeds, she also suffered from many ear and
upper respiratory infections. When she was 3 months old I went back to work
1 day a week, then 2, then 3 - so on. She went in day care. Day care was a
battle for 3 years - it was ear infection after upper respiratory infection
and back over and over again. Antibiotics were the solution every time she
or I came down with something - the doctors spending an average of about 3
minutes with us, then pulling out their prescription pad. Tami grew tolerant
to many antibiotics and they had to keep being changed.
I tried in home care thinking fewer kids meant fewer infections, etc. This
was great! I met a woman (Patti) with a daughter 6 months older than Tami
and she kept all girls in that age range. Tami's health improved because of
less exposure. Because of the nose bleeds Patti introduced me to Louise
Tenney's "Today's Herbal Health". Through the use of alfalfa, Tami's
nosebleeds lessened in duration and severity and her nose did not need to be
cauterized. (Imagine burning the inside of a 4 years old's nose - this was
the proposed solution by our doctor.)
During the next few years, every time either of us felt bad, we went to the
doctor because that was the thing to do - doctors make people better and I
didn't want my child to suffer.
Then I started getting yeast infections. In the early 1990's I also got Lyme
Disease and yes, more antibiotics. The antibiotic I was given then was so
strong and for so long that the yeast infection was intolerable and nearly
uncontrollable. I had to take nystatin at extremely high doses to tolerate
it. Nystatin has side effects that were miserable too. During the time I
was taking the antibiotics and the nystatin, I realized that I had some other
symptoms too. These later turned out to be blood sugar related. (I flunked
the short glucose test but pulled through in the long test.) I went to
several doctors complaining there was something wrong. The doctors solution
to the repeated, recurring yeast infections was to use monistat once a month
as a preventive. Their solution to the blood sugar trouble was to eat more
often. I am sure that I suffer from neither a food deficiency or a monistat
deficiency.
It occurred to me that there's something very wrong with a system where a
doctor spends so little time with you and solves things with their
prescription pad first and when you pursue things more, they tell you things
like "eat more often" and "use monistat more often". There was obviously a
much larger problem.
During this time I looked for solutions that I just was not getting from my
doctors. I bought and read books on herbalism, natural healing, homeopathy,
healing foods, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and any and all types of
alternative medicine. I read and studied and I am fascinated by the
information. At this time I have studied this in depth for over a decade.
I became a complete vegetarian and I went to an "iridologist" who wrote me a
list of food supplements and they have helped tremendously! The blood sugar
problems were because I was not digesting my food - most health food stores
sell digestive enzymes - what a concept! My blood sugar is under control
when I stay on some supplements and watch my diet, and the yeast infections
now are seldom. I have found that I am so sensitive to antibiotics that if I
eat anything with even a little bit of meat or meat broth, I have another
yeast infection. (Imagine going 3 years with a yeast infection.)
I then started having trouble with my circulation in my right hand. It would
get numb and I could barely write at times. I thought "oh no, carpal
tunnel." Went to a chiropractor, then a neurologist. They ruled out carpal
tunnel. The chiropractor gave me many adjustments. The neurologist told me
the problem was "depression (I had just lost my grandmother) and overuse",
pulled out his prescription pad, wrote a prescription for antidepressants and
told me not to use that hand. The antidepressants made me lethargic and
mostly just "high" and in the real world, I have to use my right hand. I
went then to an acupuncturist and finally got relief.
I am sick of doctors but I go for regular checkups and Tami has had all of
her immunizations. If any of my family suffers trauma, I'll take them
immediately to a doctor. I will not go first thing for your basic cold, flu,
sore throat, etc. We know that antibiotics are ineffective against viral
infections, they are only prescribed to deter any opportunistic bacterial
infections during a virus.
Recently Tami came down with a sore throat. No fever, just scratchy, sore
throat. I went to the health food store, bought a homeopathic sore throat
remedy, a bottle of garlic and a bottle of lysine. (Lysine and garlic both
have antiviral properties - aside from the sore throat Tami gets blisters in
her mouth.) Mouth ulcers are related to herpes, chicken pox and shingles,
all viral, and benefit from lysine. I took these to her school and asked
the nurse to give them to her at specific times. The schools policy is that
they can give over the counter drugs for up to 5 days without a doctor's
order. Food supplements, e.g. garlic and lysine they can only give under a
doctor's prescription. Knowing that if I take her to a doctor, the doctor
will pull out his trusty prescription pad and write out an antibiotic, I
choose to pass on that special experience. I told them I am prescribing it
for her and I want her to take it! I took them a suitcase full of books from
my personal library and told them I'm perfectly qualified to prescribe garlic
and lysine for her and I asked them to treat her at school as I would at
home!
Here is what an AMA licensed doctor does for the herpes virus: Acyclovir. A
standard PDR will list possible side effects including dizziness, nausea,
vomiting, headache, diarrhea, aching joints, loss of appetite, fatigue,
swelling and fluid retention, rash, leg pains, swollen lymph glands, sore
throat, bad taste in your mouth, sleeplessness, heart palpitations, menstrual
irregularities, superficial blood clots, hair loss, depression, fever muscle
cramps, and acne. The amino acid lysine is essential to the human body.
Supplemental lysine does not produce any undesirable effect nor is it toxic.
The school district has turned me over to the Attorney General of the State
of Texas for practicing medicine in the State of Texas without a license.
(They wrote and said they were going to anyway.) Gee - this is quite a
stretch. First to practice medicine, there has to be medicine involved.
This is the point - I don't want her treated with medicine for this!
Second, practicing medicine is a far stretch from asking them to treat my
child as I would treat her at home!
This coupled with a recent string of events has told me that they, like the
IRS, have way too much power in my life and I'm now ready to call 'em on it.
Here is the other situation I have with them:
Tami wanted to transfer to the new junior high being built. This would have
been great for me too - it's much more convenient. I call the school and ask
how transfers work. I'm told "just come by and fill out a transfer form",
then I'm asked my race. Now, I'm white but I'm not accustomed to that
making a difference. After the transfer was denied, and after 3 requests, I
now have a copy of the school's transfer policy. It dictates that "if less
than 60% caucasian" is enrolled in the school, no Caucasian may transfer out.
If more than 40% non-caucasion children are enrolled, no non-caucasion may
transfer in. Are they trying to say that the ideal racial make up of their
schools is at least 60% white and no more than 40% non-white?
It's my understanding that the federal government dictates that even if I
wanted, (and I don't) I can't hire someone based on the color of their skin
(among other things). There is the EEOC to play watchdog here. The federal
government also dictates that a housing provider can't make a decision
regarding housing based on (among other things) the color of one's skin. We
have the Department of Housing and Urban Development to be the watchdog
there.
I was quite shocked to be told that it makes a difference in the case of
transfers in this school district. I was told the transfer would be denied
if we were white: I filled out the form anyway and left the blank empty that
asked my child's race. I got a call back and was told the transfer was
denied because the ACE classes were full. I told them to put her in non-ACE
classes (Tami is not in ACE classes anyway, she is in "honors" classes but I
thought they may have upgraded her without me knowing.) I asked to speak to
the person in charge and was told she'd be in on Thursday. On Thursday I
called and spoke to that person. She had the nerve to tell me that no one
there ever told me they weren't transferring any more white kids and I was
told the 8th grade classes were full, not the ACE classes. Now I'm not only
white but I'm hard of hearing. - I'm getting unhappier and unhappier as we go
along. I know of 2 others denied transfer because of the color of their skin
and I now also have a copy of the policy.
What gives them the right to make a decision about anything based on the
color of someone's skin? And what gives them the right to choose my child's
health care?
These two incidents I believe are a violation of my rights and I want the
ability to make my own decisions about what's best for my family, regardless
of the color of my skin or the type of treatment I seek to keep well.
Any ideas of where to go from here??????
Brenda Ralston
E-mail brendarals@aol.com