Healing from Recurrent Bladder Infections
An Interview with Joanne
By Siok Khoon
3 Feb 2008, Singapore

This is a typical example of self-healing from so-called “serious condition”. According to the medical thinking, if infections are not treated with antibiotics, it could be very serious, causing according to them, further deterioration to the affected organs.

We interviewed Joanne, who has been having recurrent bladder infections for the last 6 years. She has always treated it with antibiotics until she realized that the ever stronger dosage has no effect on her anymore and she is not getting better.

She came to us for help, and within a month, has made amazing recovery, not only physically, but a breakthrough in understanding that the body is indeed our doctor-in-charge. I had the opportunity to follow through her case closely and witnessed her struggle in this new understanding and self-healing process. And the main reason why she succeeded and got better is because she has been totally engaged and involved in her own healing, taking full responsibility for her condition. This highly intelligent woman not only listened to our explanation very closely, she took our instructions seriously, followed them conscientiously and used her sense of reason to help herself out of this dilemma.

(SK: Siok Khoon, JA: Joanne)

SK: How did you get to know us?
JA: It first started with my friend, Lidia who was very into this and invited me to attend your food prep classes and told me how good it was, and she started telling me about fasting, but I was very skeptical. In fact, I discouraged her from going on raw and I told her it was a terrible idea to put her baby on organic food, because I said her child will still be poisoned when he goes to school and to army later on in life, because they can’t give him what he needs. She was very persistent and said she was very clear about what she was doing, so I said that’s fine. And then later, she came down with an infection, and I thought to myself, “There, see, this kind of diet is no good.” But she recovered in 3 days, together with her child who was down with a high fever.

So, one day I was hit by another bout of bladder infections which came back within 2 weeks after taking the antibiotics. I was desperate and confused. I refused to see the doctor because I was angry with the doctor who was always prescribing antibiotics but not ensuring that the condition would not recur. So, I called Lidia and asked if she knew what I should do and eat under such a condition, and she said, “Call Siok Khoon”. So, I decided to call Siok Khoon, and the journey began.

SK: Tell us more about your symptom. Do you always have bladder infections?
JA: My bladder infection has been ongoing for 6 years, on and off. I am getting it twice a year, each time suppressed with antibiotics. This time round, I had one course of antibiotics but the infection came back within a month, and I knew this was not working anymore, I decided I had to look for drugless alternatives if any.

SK. What did the doctor tell you if you don’t take antibiotics? What is the worst scenario?
JA: The infection is going to remain in the body and damage my organs.

SK: So, the only solution they can offer is to take the antibiotics?
JA: Yes, and a different, broader spectrum and stronger antibiotic each time.

SK: So, this time round, you decided not to take the antibiotics because it was not working, and that you wanted to recover naturally, without drugs. But you were so skeptical at first, what exactly convinced you to change?
A: Lidia was the leading example that convinced me, and she directed me to read Herbert Shelton’s articles and websites about how meat actually caused diseases and why we should be vegetarians, and as I read and read, I was awakened that medication is not the way to go. They are all synthetic, so why am I introducing these into my body when there is a whole lot of natural stuff?

SK: Yes, I remembered you were really serious and anxious for a consultation…
JA: In fact I was very drawn to the idea of iridology. At first I thought it was something supernatural and mystical. I didn’t know what Lidia was going into at first, as she didn’t tell me that she meant iridology. She only said somebody looked at her eyes and told her about her health and stuff, and I said “Oh, my God!” and thought to myself, I don’t want to deal with some kind of psychic. But as I read up about fasting, the word iridology was mentioned. I later realized that it was Science. So, I decided to give it a try.

Actually, the main motivation was that I wanted to get rid of medication. I have been taking too much drugs and I am only 26, and of course, there is the expensive doctor’s fees. I was quite upset when Lidia shared that her doctor told her the medical fees would remain the same even if she didn’t want the medication. I was put off by the way doctors functioned in Singapore and particularly upset with the last doctor I saw, who suggested that I came down with the infections due to undesirable practices like lack of personal hygiene and bedroom activities. I felt blamed for their ignorance and shortchanged for antibiotic overdose.

SK: So, what did you walk away with that consultation?
A: I was very determined and I understood that there are so many people with even more serious conditions than myself, yet they managed to obtain a clean bill of health. And it is so simple, it’s just eating naturally and juicing. If we don’t take responsibility for our own health then I don’t know who we can depend on. I refuse to be dependent on other people to label my disease as I clearly know what is wrong with me. It’s the people who tell me what’s wrong with me that don’t really know what is wrong with me.

SK: Did you expect the kind of pain in the healing process when you decided to go drugless and follow our instructions and let us guide you?
JA: No I didn’t. For years, I’ve been attributing my good health to a pretty healthy diet or so I thought. The infection was something I thought I developed from a foreign invasion, like something wrong I ate or lack of water. The healing process humbled me to a large extent and jolted me from my sleep time and again. From the bladder infection, it migrated and became a vaginal infection, and then it went back to the bladder again, and vagina again, back and forth, and it was very horrible and painful, but no drugs. At times, I felt I wasn’t going to make it if not for Ray’s and Siok Khoon’s attention.

SK: Yes, I remembered those beginning days for you, and when the healing crisis came, it was a real test of your understanding and confidence. I am glad you have been working closely with us, and have been calling Ray for advice.
JA: Yes, I am not looking back even though sometimes I am confused and in pain, but I know this is the way to go. Ray has been very, very patient. I compare him to a doctor who would not listen to my condition, and he is very patient and empathetic. I have absolute confidence in what he was telling me even though I was arrested by a lot of fear. But I felt very reassured because he totally understood what I was going through and he was ready to take my call every time I had a crisis.

SK: Did you prove to yourself that the infection is a friend and will not hurt or damage your organs?
JA: Initially, I thought myself a freak and was wondering why my ancestors gave me such deficiencies. I was getting the infection and pain once every two days, and then it became once every 3 days, then once every 4 days, and each time the intensity was less than the previous time. I remembered when it first started, it lasted 3 days, and then it became 2 days, 1 full day and now, a couple of hours. I’m now one and a half months into my diet change as well as adherence to all the practices that Ray advocates and I haven’t had a flare up for 2 weeks already. I am also beginning to believe that an infection that is so predictable and lasts only for hours or a day or two is indeed a healing reaction.

SK: What other improvements do you see in your health when you change your diet and take no antibiotics for your infection but to suffer through it?
JA: I used to get so hungry and I’d get gastritis if I missed a meal, and it’s so amazing that for the last one month on juices, I haven’t had a single bout of gastritis. And I used to wake up 3-4 times at night to void, but now I can sleep up to 8 hours without waking up at all. And my bowel movement is fantastic, I can almost predict when I am going everyday. Before I was going once a week, now it is once a day, everyday at 7.30 in the morning, and there is less flatulence. Also, there are no more migraines and menstrual cramps. The TCM practitioners used to advise against “cooling” vegetables before and during menstruation as they will prolong menstruation and cause cramps. I was on cucumber and celery juice 2-3 times a day while menstruating and there was no pain at all. What was even more baffling was that the usual week long menses lasted only 3 days. My gums have also stopped bleeding. I lost 6 kg in a month and people have been asking about the radiance on my face. The acne flare ups that I used to get before menses didn’t manifest as well.

I also noticed that I am definitely less hot tempered. And even though I was eating very little, I had a lot of energy and people had been asking me why I am so energetic everyday, even early in the morning. I have no answer but I guess I have to attribute it to the diet. Ever since the change in diet, my taste buds are much more sensitive and I tend to naturally reject food that are very unhealthy. The smell of pork, for instance, nauseates me and I will know that’s not for the stomach.

SK: You have indeed been very wise and brave to go through the infections that were honestly produced by the body, and you have never doubted that this will not work?
JA: I have never doubted that this will not work. I only doubted how far I could go as the pain could really demoralize me at times. I am very sure that it will work, only doubted if I could carry on like this for long.

SK: Do you feel that anyone who has your kind of condition can recover through this natural way?
JA: Yes, definitely and my advice: Never start on antibiotics! “Anti-biotics” means “Anti-life”. Why would anyone want to subject his body to “Anti-life” substances? It is a vicious cycle. It just gets worse. I have spoken to so many people who had bladder infection in their lives, and I realized these people didn’t even go to doctors and go on antibiotics but drink water by the gallons and it went away and the infection didn’t come back again. My greatest mistake was to start on the antibiotics.

SK: What is the most difficult thing to cope with in your healing, it must have been a challenge to go about making so many changes in your life, like your diet and finding time to rest and recover?
JA: The most difficult thing was the fact that people didn’t really understand, and there was no point in getting them to understand the rationale of what I was doing. When they don’t understand, it makes my job doubly difficult, because there was lack of empathy and I felt like I was going through it all by myself. My husband, at one time, thought I’ve had enough and wanted me to resume medication.

SK: So, you still have to work as you were going through your healing crisis?
JA: Yes, I still went to work as per normal. I was told that if I needed to rest, I had to finish my work before going back early, so it was difficult to get a full day’s rest.

SK: Was your boss and colleagues empathetic?
JA: They tried to be empathetic, but there were limitations because they didn’t understand the process.

SK: Did they know you were not taking medication? Did they freak out?
JA: They were not freaked out about the no medication part, they freaked out when they found out that I was only on juices and I was not having meat, only raw vegetables and sometimes, fish. Because they are all trained in Science, they insisted that the body cannot function without the nutrients of the meat, and I will become progressively weak.

SK: I understand that you are a teacher and you work with teenagers. How has this healing experience affected the way you look at your students?
JA: When I look at my students, I get very worried. I have a very genuine worry for them and how they will die earlier than me should they continue to indulge in their current habits. Every time I go to the canteen and I look at the food that is prepared for them and see the way they gorge themselves, thinking that they are getting all the correct nutrients, I am really very, very worried and concerned. I really felt the need to just spend about 10-15mins talking about this before lessons each time and it always began with students asking me why I had so much energy compared to other teachers.

SK: So, they notice the changes in you?
JA: I have always been very energetic because I believe that students will reciprocate in the same way. If I go in tired, they will reciprocate tiredness, and if I go in with high energy, they’d reciprocate in the same way. But before, the high energy that I presented was at the expense of my health, because there were times when I was feeling tired, but I had to go in with high energy. Recently, I feel it is easier. I feel more energetic with the diet change and don’t feel as tired as before.

So, they asked me how I sustained my energy. They said I must have taken a lot of good food. I said, “No, just juices,” and they got excited. They asked what juices and I said, “vegetable juices”, and they go “Urgh! That’s not for humans!” I told them I am not going to explain much, but try juicing apple with cucumber. I guess they got the message and every time I told them that they were going to die earlier than their parents, they all agreed unanimously. I am dealing with these teenagers who have the ability to exercise their agency to change. They are intelligent, just that they are in denial, and they know they are going to die earlier than their parents.

SK: So, did any of your students start juicing?
JA: I say comfortably that, at least 40-50% of my students are juicing now.

SK: Was your family supportive of your decision to go without drugs?
JA: I didn’t share my crisis with my family because I knew they were not ready and they did not understand, but my husband became very supportive, and he is not a drug person, so he showed his full support by adopting similar eating habits.

SK: That is amazing, he is all supportive?
JA: Yes, and he is becoming more enthusiastic than myself. It is amazing that he has so much enthusiasm and discipline in making sure that this works for me and himself as well. When he experienced symptoms, he was able to tell me that those were just cleansing reactions, and I thought that he had learnt much more than myself.

And while I still try to find answers to the many symptoms I get, he is so much simpler in his thinking, and he tells me that whatever the reactions, it is just cleansing and it will go away. He doesn’t even bother to go to the internet to find out more and he bars me from going to the internet to look for reasons for my conditions. He tells me to just follow Siok Khoon’s and Ray’s instructions and not dwell too much on the reasons ---"The reason is as simple as that --- it is just cleansing!”

SK: So, he really changed his diet as well?
JA: He is averse to fried food now. In the past, he was a lover of fried food, chili sauce, chicken and beef. But these days, he is irked by the sight and the smell. When we eat out, I tell him to eat what he likes, and he keeps to the vegetable and soup dishes.

One time, I sent Ray’s article on “Chicken” to my husband, and he proclaimed, “No chicken for the next one month”. I’ve lost count now, but I think he has not had chicken for about two months.

SK: How has this change affected your marriage?
JA:I used to take my husband for granted and I used to get upset with him easily, but it takes this crisis to realize how good a husband I have. He is always standing by me and supporting me. He doesn’t doubt. He does everything to make me feel better when I am really down. I am really glad that his diet has changed as well, and I know that in the long run, this is going to benefit him individually and myself, and of course, our marriage, because I know that he is going to be there for me.

SK: How much are you going to be able to save on doctor’s trip now that you will not see doctors for infections and so-called symptoms and are starting to eat well?
JA: I make about 8 – 10 visits to the doctors a year. Each visit, I spent about S$50. So, that’s about $500 saved. We don’t eat out every night now, and that’s a tremendous savings. My husband and I believed in eating well, so we used to eat out at restaurants, and the bill can come up to about hundreds of dollars a week. Now, we prepare our own salads and juices, and it’s really economical to juice. We make our own cucumber-apple juice now, and it only works out to be about S$3 per day for two of us.

SK. What is the greatest lesson learnt in your healing journey?
JA: We have the power to educate. Everyone has the power to educate, as long as we know the truth and we should extend this to our loved ones.

SK: And you have turned 180 degree around, as far as doctors are concerned?
JA: Not that I am blaming them for not doing their jobs well, but just that I now understand that the body is really powerful and can do its own work, but we have to be feeding it the right stuff. The fuel must be right, otherwise there is no doubt that the vehicle will break down.

*****

P.S.From Ray Kent:
Thank you, Joanne, for your example!