Patients Speak
How do you say Thank you to a person who gave you back your life John Berg, Mesa, Arizona
It is like a miracle! Eunice Carey, Twin Valley, Minnesota
Gwinner Couple Gets a New Lease on Life August 18, 2011
By Paige Cary, reporter, Sargent County Teller, North Dakota
Sweeping the kitchen floor might not seem like a blessing to most people; but for Esther Officer of Gwinner (ND) it’s a rewarding experience. Less than a year ago Esther was in so much pain as a result of a combination of rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) that simple household tasks were nearly impossible. “I couldn’t sweep the floor without taking breaks,” Esther says. Suffering from constant inflammation made Esther increasingly unable to lead a normal life, much less the active one she desired. “I felt like I was a big, red ball of inflammation,” she remembers. Even receiving hugs, handshakes or a gentle touch was excruciating for Esther. With the arthritis continuing to take more from her everyday activities Esther was resigned to the prospect of needing around-the-clock assistance. Last fall, “I was at the point of thinking of going into nursing home,“ she says. With husband James, a retiree of Bobcat, also diagnosed with osteoarthritis there didn’t seem to be many positive things in store for the couple’s future.
Almost thirty years prior to the Officers reaching a crucial point in their lives, another man was seeking an answer to arthritis pain. According to www.helenfoundation.com, Dr. Virgil Stenberg, a former professor at the University of North Dakota, was moved by the pain his wife Helen dealt with on a daily basis from her severe arthritis. When common treatments and surgeries provided little or no relief for his spouse Dr. Stenberg, a biochemist, began digging for a solution on his own. What he discovered was that as the pain from the arthritis increased the body’s ability to produce cortisone to counteract the inflammation was lessened. Dr. Stenberg’s idea was that small doses of artificial cortisone, called prednisone, could be administered. The jolt of medication would act just like the natural cortisone would, Stenberg surmised. According to a pamphlet for the Arizona-based program the revolutionary Microdose Therapy simply fills in where the body falls short. “Stenberg discovered a special hormone deficiency that allows short-term, beneficial inflammation to evolve into long-term, destructive inflammation. Teaching patients to precisely replace the missing hormone re-establishes the body’s delicate hormonal balance. Rebalanced, the symptoms of diseases with long-term, destructive inflammation quietly go away.” This is accomplished through the use of bioidentical hormone tablets that are taken orally on an as-needed basis.
It was a cousin of the Officers who was visiting out in Montana that first heard of the Helen Foundation. The cousin returned from her trip west and shared the program literature with the Officers. Desperate for an answer to the near-constant pain, the Officers began finding out more about the Helen Foundation and its ground-breaking solution to dealing with arthritis pain. Since travel was difficult due to their conditions, the couple were not sold on going to Arizona to receive the Microdose Therapy. “We prayed about it and everything fell into place,” says Esther. The most important thing that fell into place was the foundation opening a branch in Fargo. Trips to Arizona would no longer be required.
On November 14, 2010 the Officers began their Microdose Therapy at the Fargo site. The regime simply consisted of some tests, educational lectures and finally the pills. The tablets were taken one a day for several weeks by the Officers. The results were more than they had anticipated. “Within the first week I felt like I had lost ten pounds,” Esther marvels. “It felt like I was flying on air.” The inflammation subsided and the pain dramatically decreased . Jim also experienced positive results from the treatment. After several months of taking the cortisone medication, the Officers were able to start taking the pills only when needed. Esther estimates that there are at least sixteen days out of the month when she doesn’t need to use the Microdose Therapy.
Another great feature for the Officers, especially Esther was the lack of side effects. Previous medications and treatments had made her very sick, even to the point of going to the emergency room several times. “There was getting to be nothing I could take,” Esther comments, resigned to living in pain. Although the treatment program is not cheap, the Officers’ insurance has so far covered most of the expense. The Officers know nothing will cure their afflictions but the new self- controlled therapy has drastically improved the quality of life. Jim and Esther are looking forward to getting back to doing some traveling and other activities that have been impossible for them to do in recent years. And of course Esther will smile every time she sweeps the floor without taking a single break. “It sure has been a blessing,” she states.
