Crusador Interviews Book Author Brenad Brown

September 1, 2006

Dying In The Land Of Plenty
“Unveiling The Shroud Of Disease”

CRUSADOR interviews health advocate and lecturer Brenda Brown, author of the new book, Dying In The Land Of Plenty.  Brenda is also an active mentor and coach to many of the chronically ill throughout the United States.

No one in today’s society is left unaffected by the chronic, debilitating diseases that are rampant in our world. A vast amount of misinformation is being distributed concerning diet, health, sickness, disease, food, nutrition, cancer, drugs, and weight loss. Needless surgeries and prescription drugs are all too often being hailed as the antidote for today’s illnesses. Brenda’s excellent book depicts a seemingly endless search for a diagnosis, fight for survival and victory over insurmountable odds. The author has taken a journey into a world so horrifying the details will forever be ingrained in her mind. 

The lessons learned through Brenda’s intimate experience with fighting a deathly illness have made her well versed in the causes and prevention of disease. In Dying in the Land of Plenty she discusses some of the protocols used to regain her health, as well as the stark and factual realization that Western medicine and its ineffective technologies remain in the Dark Ages concerning the treatment of chronic illness.

The symptoms you may be experiencing today are signals from your body that all is not well. Your body was created to heal itself, given the proper elements. It is essential that we listen to our bodies and to accurate information. Begin a journey toward well-being with the goal of claiming victory in defending the homeland, your health.  

Crusador:  Brenda, why don’t you begin by giving our readers a brief description of your background?

I grew up in a small town in Central New York and was the oldest of four children. I experienced a wonderful and happy childhood. I married young and went into banking in the early part of my career and spent the last 20 plus years in the telecommunications field. I also enjoyed teaching an aerobics class, running, antiquing and was an avid reader. 

Although I was always healthy, I battled infertility for more than 17 years. I spent a considerable amount of time trying different procedures in the hopes of conceiving.  A few of the procedures consisted of infertility drugs, hormone injections, laser surgery for endometriosis, artificial insemination, and the gift procedure, all to no avail.

At the age of 35 I finally accepted that I would never have children.  I received a nice promotion at work, purchased a new sports car and built a new addition onto my house. My career became my passion as I fought the emptiness of going through life without the joy of having children. At the age of 37 I began to experience symptoms of fatigue and nausea.  Thinking that I had just been over extending myself at work or the possibility that early menopause could be kicking in, I visited my family doctor. A few tests and a call to my office a few days later confirmed that fact that I was pregnant. (Miracle #1!) Totally in shock and floating on cloud nine, I spent the most wonderful six months of my life planning and preparing for the new arrival.

Being that this was my first child and the fact that I was 38, my medical team monitored me fairly closely. The pregnancy and delivery went without incidence, I believe in part due to my aerobic activity. I delivered a bouncing baby boy in May of 91. I spent the usual 6 weeks at home recovering and savoring every minute with my son, Logan. Torn by leaving my long awaited child to the care of someone else and the fact that financial needs deemed it necessary, I returned to work.

Crusador: Tell us about your illness: When did you get sick, what were some of your symptoms, how did traditional medicine diagnose and treat your illness, and what were the changes you made in your life to get well?

Within a short period of time of returning to work I began to experience symptoms that indicated something wasn’t quite right. I excused them to the fact that I was still recovering from having a child and the stress I was dealing with at work. Some of the first symptoms were unwarranted gas and bloating, something that had never really bothered me before. I also began experiencing frequent sinus type headaches.

Within a few months, my lower back and legs began to ache and feel very heavy. I had recurrent insomnia. I continued for the next two years ignoring the symptoms or popping a Tylenol or two for relief. As time progressed it seemed that I contracted every virus or germ with which I came in contact. When any of my employees came down with something, within a week I was dealing with it as well. Mind you, I had always been an employee that never missed work for any reason; therefore I worked through these acute illnesses with the help of OTC drugs.

By 1994 I was a mess. I visited my family practitioner who ran a battery of tests.  I was told that my cholesterol was a little high and that I should exercise more (which I hadn’t done since the birth of my child), and that I should watch my diet more carefully. I need to mention that I was the queen of junk food at this time.  As long as I was a size 7 and looked good in my clothes, I felt that I could eat anything and all that I desired, which I did. My typical breakfast was a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of chocolate milk. At break time I hit the candy bar machine. Lunch was a chocolate milk shake, burger and fries. Afternoon break met me with a diet Pepsi Free and another candy bar. I usually cooked what I considered to be a healthy dinner of meat, potatoes and vegetables. Prior to bedtime was a bowl of chocolate ice cream or a chocolate éclair. Can you tell I was addicted to chocolate, or should I say sugar as well as fat?

By the end of 1994 I was in the hospital with viral pneumonia. Where did this come from? I had never had pneumonia before. One month later I was in the hospital for the removal of my gallbladder. I returned to work within one week, still very weak and sick.  I was warned to not return this soon but didn’t listen. Within one month I decided that something was still not right. I was so sick and nauseated that everyday was a painful journey.

I began to visit doctor after doctor. No one could find anything wrong. In March of 1995 I was referred to a doctor who felt that I needed a hysterectomy. A laparoscopy showed that my ovaries were small and somewhat dried down. My doctor indicated that my childbearing days were over and suggested that a hysterectomy might be in order. I was so very sick that I agreed. The surgery was scheduled and completed. I didn’t bounce back like I had in the past. My stay in the hospital was extended and when I finally did come home I was so weak and sick that all I did was stay in bed.  After the surgery my symptoms escalated. There isn’t enough room or time to discuss all of them. I will say, however, that from the day of the hysterectomy until after the year 2000, I suffered chronic diarrhea.

I returned to work within six weeks of the surgery and worked for months. It was a very long two months. I remember many times just closing my office door and lying across my desk, vomiting in the trash can. It was the worst nightmare of my life. I was referred to more doctors and more specialists. Last, in 1995 a gastroenterologist performed an endoscopy, which revealed three holes in my stomach. He said that I was bleeding internally and that my stomach appeared to be digesting itself. I was put on 5 different types of drugs to remedy this situation.

My condition only worsened. My doctor worked with a team of doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN as well. They had never seen a case quite like this and were perplexed at my “spiraling demise.” The team of physicians decided that the best thing to do would be to remove part of my stomach. I consented saying, “If you can make me well again, I don’t care if you cut off my legs.” This was a pretty strong statement but I was in such a desperate situation and was so sick that I would have done anything to get better. The surgery was scheduled and performed.

Two thirds of my stomach was removed. There is only room to say at this point that it was all down hill from there. I could no longer think clearly, walk without assistance or eat even the slightest morsel of food without vomiting. I left the hospital with the whole staff totally perplexed. I was given one thing, however, and that was a prescription for Prozac. I knew then that the medical profession thought this must be some type of emotional illness. I was very insulted and never did fill the prescription. I forgot to mention that I was 142 lbs when this whole mess began. I bottomed out at 89 lbs. Most of my hair fell out and I resembled a person living in a concentration camp. In the end I was totally bed ridden and had to have 24-hour care in my home.

I had much support from my family, church, and friends. In March of 1997 one of my employees called to inquire how I was doing. He said he was in disbelief that someone could be dying in this age of medical and technological advances. My response to him, as it was to all who inquired of my status, was: “I just want it to be over and pray that God will find a mother for my son that will love and care for him as I would.”  I thank God today that he never found that mother! This same friend went searching the Internet for some hope of finding a doctor who could help. Within a few days he called a said that he had spoken to a doctor in California who referred him back to an Environmental doctor in Buffalo, New York. Within three days I was transported to Dr. Kalpana Patel in Buffalo.

After a thorough examination and a multitude of questions, she felt confident she could make a diagnosis. One of the questions she asked was: “What type or work do you do or what type of hobbies do you have?” After a few attempts to answer her, she finally got the answer she was looking for. I told her that prior to my illness I was restoring an old Victorian home. That answer was the key in my diagnosis and my long journey to the vibrant health I enjoy today. I was diagnosed with heavy metal and chemical poisoning. I had over 800 saunas to sweat out the chemicals, many IV chelation treatments to remove the heavy metals, many nutritional IV’s to nourish and rebuild my body. I took several injections each day of over 22 different antigens to desensitize my body to substances I had become allergic to.  Since I had become allergic to most foods I was used to eating, I needed to eat foods that I had never eaten before. I ate foods like lotus roots, mélange roots, and white sweet potato at the tune of $35 to $40 per pound. The details of my journey to health are mind-boggling and too numerous to list here.

Crusador: That’s a truly horrifying account, Brenda. It’s amazing that you even survived.  What was the driving force behind your healing?
     
While many people, including myself, played a part in my recovery, the true driving    force in my healing was my faith in God and the love for my five-year-old son.

Crusador: What impact has this illness had on your life?

As a result of this illness, I have restructured my priorities. The old priorities were career, career, and career. The new priorities are God, family and career. This illness has given me the opportunity to educate myself, consequently allowing me to share that information with others. I have learned to appreciate the simple things in life and what a blessing vibrant health truly is.

Crusador: What motivated you to write your new book “Dying In The Land Of Plenty”?

The objective in writing this book is simple. I want to share my story as well as the protocols I used to not only save my life, but also return myself to vibrant health, in an effort to prevent other people from suffering the same horrifying experience that I endured. This book is the tool I use to educate, coach, and mentor others into a healthier lifestyle, ultimately leading to improved health. I am not a doctor; I am just a person who has lived through a death defying experience, with the passion to help others.

Crusador: What role did nutrition play in your recovery?

Nutrition is everything! Without proper nutrition at the cellular level our cells die and eventually we become diseased and die. The foods in the American diet tend to be cooked, baked, fried, smoked, salted, pickled, sugared, canned, frozen, preserved, etc., foods that are basically dead. We need live, whole, raw foods to maintain our health and vigor, foods with live enzymes. When I look back at the foods I consumed it’s amazing that I didn’t crash years before I did. Our diet should consist of 80% alkaline foods (fresh fruits and vegetables, raw honey, sprouted grains, etc.) and 20% acidic or borderline acidic foods (cooked grains, certain proteins, moderate amounts of raw nuts and seeds). The American diet is just reversed. It is also my opinion that we should be consuming 75% raw and 25% cooked foods, for optimum health.

Crusador: What role does properly balanced pH play in health?

Proper pH balance plays a huge role in good health. Our pH balance should be maintained in a slightly alkaline range (7.0 pH or above). The human body is three-fourths alkaline. Our blood is slightly alkaline and our urine is slightly acidic in nature. A diet too heavily dependent on acidic foods causes a blood electrolyte imbalance. Acid foods rob the body of alkaline minerals such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium, leaving us prone to many degenerative diseases. As more acid wastes back up and the body slowly stews in its own poisonous wastes, the acid begins to corrode veins, arteries, cells, and tissues, leading to high cellular disorganization, which the medical community refers to as degenerative disease. It is not only the foods that we eat that can cause our body to be either acidic or alkaline.

Few people realize that our inverted lifestyle: i.e. drugs, pollution, emotional and physical stress, lack of exercise, lack of spirituality, immorality, “acid” music, “acid” books, our inverted thoughts, deeds, and traumas also cause an acidic state. Deep breathing causes our body to be alkaline and shallow breathing causes it to be more acidic. Drinking lots of pure water also causes an alkaline state.

As far as food is concerned, in general, animal, dairy, processed, and refined sugar foods are acid forming. The most alkaline juices are those of green vegetables and vegetable tops (e.g. beet greens, wheat grass, barley grass, etc.). Vegetable juices such as celery, cucumber, onion and garlic are also extremely alkalizing. Low-sugar fruits (lemon, lime, tomato, avocado) are alkalizing. High sugar fruits, especially when combined with other fruits, can result in acidity and encourage yeast overgrowth.  We must be wise in making our food choices. Most grains are acidic unless they are sprouted.  Millet is the exception.

Crusador: You designate a whole chapter in your book to proper food combination. Is this a big problem and are there any simple suggestions you can give our readers?

Yes, the subtitle to this chapter is “Watermelon & Oreo’s Don’t Mix.”  I found this out the hard way. As my health improved, I decided to cheat a little and divert from the original protocols. I ate a piece of watermelon and enjoyed it ever so much. On my way to deposit my watermelon rind in the trash I passed a package of Oreo cookies. I ate two.  Two must have been the magic number that day, because for two hours I suffered the most horrific cramps and gas.  Words to the wise if you enjoy watermelon – eat it alone or leave it alone.

Different foods in different foods groups require vastly different enzymes for proper digestion. If the proper food combination rules are not followed, purification, fermentation, and constipation are certain results.  Symptoms may appear that would suggest the existence of diseases such as diverticulitis, colitis, indigestion to name a few. Many people notice as they age that they are not able to eat certain foods that they were able to eat at a younger age. They also notice many more food allergies.  Proper food combining as a lifestyle change can reduce or eliminate this problem. There are different opinions out there as to the proper foods to combine. My book lists the ones that I feel to be most accurate and that work best for me.

Crusador: What about grains? There are debates on both sides of this issue. Should we eat them and if so, what do we need to look for and what do we need to avoid?

It seems that meat eaters eat too much meat and vegetarians eat too many grains.  As I stated before, most grains are acidic by nature unless sprouted, which increases their vitamin and mineral content as well as making them more alkaline.  Sprouts are a powerhouse of nutrition. I became very allergic to grains in my health demise. Many, many people are allergic to grains and do not even realize it. Wheat and corn are the most common. Many people tell me that they don’t eat corn often. What they do not realize is that corn syrup is in almost all sweetened, processed foods. We tend to become allergic to foods that are eaten on a daily basis. People are usually allergic to either the gluten content of the grain (wheat, oats, barley or rye) or the mold in the grain. I have worked with many folks who have eliminated or at the very least rotated their grains on a daily basis and have noticed many of their symptoms have vanished. Rotation is the key!

There is much nutrition in grain and we should eat grains in moderation. The American diet tends to consist of mainly wheat. There are an abundance of different grains with which to experiment and rotate your diet with: barley, kamut, millet, oats, rice, rye, spelt, teff, and triticale to name a few. There are some delicious non-grains such as Amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa to be enjoyed as well.

Crusador: Tell us more about the chronic candida problem that plagues our culture. How bad is this problem and what foods and beverages do we need to avoid to get rid of it or prevent ourselves from ever developing it?

Candida Albicans is a form of yeast that is normally found in the lower bowel, the vagina and the skin.  In healthy individuals, the presence of candida albicans is considered a normal part of the bowel flora, the community of organisms that live in the lower digestive tract. An overgrowth in the gastrointestinal tract of this unusually benign yeast (or fungus) is now being recognized as a complex medical syndrome called Chronic Candidiasis, or the Yeast Syndrome. The overgrowth of candida is believed to cause a wide variety of symptoms in virtually every system of the body, including the gastrointestinal, endocrine, nervous, genitourinary, and immune system.

As the immune system relinquishes control, giving the candida an opportunity to proliferate and transform into a harmful fungus, it causes horrific problems. Candidiasis can severely harm one’s overall health status, making normal daily activities almost unbearable. I list almost two pages of symptoms caused by this monster in my book. The overuse of antibiotics in conjunction with a nutritionally depleted, sugar, salt, and fat laddened American diet are the biggest culprits of this problem. A lifestyle change is needed to control this illness. Candidiasis is just a symptom of further underlying problems, most notably a toxic body. Clean the body out and rebuild at the cellular level and this dreaded monster will go away. The best method for diagnosing chronic candidiasis is a clinical evaluation by a physician knowledgeable about yeast related illness. The single, most important ingredient is diet. If the total protocol suggested in my book is implemented, the chances of overcoming this illness are almost certain.

Crusador: Another big problem you addressed in your book is parasites. Tell us about this problem, how many people are impacted by it, and what we can do to get rid of them?

Humans play host to over one hundred different kinds of parasites, ranging in size from microscopic to tapeworms several feet long. They feed off of our energy, our cells, the food we eat, and our supplements. They reproduce rapidly! The goal of a parasite is to remain undetected. In fact, the ability of a parasite to attain this goal is essential to its survival.

Research shows that 85 to 95% of American adults has a least one form of parasite living in their bodies. We must rid ourselves of parasites before we can begin absorbing the nutrients from our foods as well as our supplements. Parasites are a growing problem in the Unites States today. Some of the common symptoms of parasites are constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, aching joints, anemia, allergies, skin problems, nervousness, insomnia, fatigue, depressed immunity and excess weight.

Our ever-increasing toxic bodies provide a perfect environment for parasites. Parasites thrive on the poor eating habits of humans. It is important to eat foods that help cleanse the body of these organisms if we’re going to stay healthy or recover from an illness. Raw fruits and vegetables play a huge part in this detoxification process. A semi-annual herbal cleansing is one of the most important steps you can take. It is equally important that you obtain high quality herbs that specifically target the eradication of parasites. I think Hulda Clark’s parasite cleansing program found in her book The Cure For All Diseases is one of the best. 
 
Crusador: Exposure to chemicals is another serious link to health problems. What can you tell us about this?

This planet is being polluted each and every day by all the chemicals we are pumping into our food, water, clothing, cosmetics, and atmosphere. We regularly encounter a constant barrage of environmental chemicals, with 4 million distinct chemical compounds having been reported in scientific literature since 1995. Approximately 3,000 chemicals are deliberately added to food, and over 700 have been identified in drinking water. In addition, the number of pharmaceutical and recreational street drugs and the chemical exposure we face becomes overwhelming. Over 400 chemicals have been identified in human tissues, with at least 40 in breast milk, 73 in the liver, and over 250 in blood plasma. In many cases, disease is caused or contributed to by these toxic exposures involving low-level, long-term exposure that is not identified by the patient or the healthcare provider.

Driving a car is probably a person’s single most polluting daily activity. Nationwide, mobile sources are responsible for about 75 percent of carbon monoxide pollution. In urban areas, the motor vehicle contribution to carbon monoxide pollution can exceed 90%. When driving in city traffic or on busy highways always use your “refresh” button. Never pull fresh air into the cabin of your vehicle in this environment. Use your fresh air vent when driving in more pure (if there is such a thing anymore) country air. My book lists many of the common sources of toxic exposure that most people are not even aware of.

Crusador: Along with chemicals we’re also assaulted with heavy metal toxicity. Where are these metals coming from and what can we do to avoid them and what can we do to get them out of our body if we have them?

Human exposure to heavy metals has increased dramatically in the last forty-five years. Today, chronic exposure comes from lead in tap water, mercury-amalgam dental fillings, residues in processed foods, personal care products and yes, even our nutritional supplements. Most people do not associate chronic illness with the build up of heavy metals in the body. Symptoms can begin so mildly that you may not even realize you are not feeling well, and progress until you are finally diagnosed with one of the many names given to today’s diseases. You are then administered prescription drugs (more chemicals) in a futile attempt to assist in dealing with the pain and sickness of the disease. The cycle continues and the symptoms are masked. You become more toxic, take more drugs, and become even more toxic, until you either die a slow debilitating death, or decide to find out why you are sick and begin taking steps to reverse the process like I did.

The body tends to store metals in fatty tissue, the lymphatic system, circulatory systems, and vital organs such as the brain and the liver. I.V. chelation is very effective in removing not only heavy metals but also unwanted plaque from the body. Oral chelation and lots of green foods (chlorophyll) are helpful in removing heavy metals. Water and exercise are also a big aid in ridding the body of all toxins.

The lakes in the Unites States now contain about 20 times more lead than they did just 100 years ago. Are you eating fish from these lakes? In my book I list many sources of heavy metals as well as precautions that can be taken to reduce or avoid these toxic substances. For example, there are at least 10 different ways heavy metals enter the body at a typical evening meal: metal dinnerware, metal cookware, amalgam fillings (absorbed when chewing, shellfish/fish, hydrogenated oils, refined food consumption (cheese), non-organic grains (sprayed with mercury fungicides), canned drinks/foods, tap water, antacids. The key to good health is to avoid as many of these invading toxins as possible. Education in this area is first and foremost.

Crusador: Were you able to contribute mercury toxicity to your illness and what advice could you give our readers?

Mercury was the metal I was most toxic with; many people think it was just the lead and chemicals I was working with in restoring the Victorian home. Although these other metals were an issue, the mercury amalgam fillings had been poisoning me for years. The reference range for mercury on my medical reports was (0-4). My numbers were 27.3 and were in the “high toxic” range. Lead was at 17.9, again “high toxic” range. I flew to a dentist in Arkansas that practices “safe dentistry” and had them all replaced with composites. Warning! I had them all removed over a 12-day period and became very sick. This dentist used procedures that were presented by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology as well as saunas and other natural cleansing techniques. This is a very serious procedure and must be done with a dentist that uses the safest techniques.

Just to add a comment to this answer. Dentists in my area refused to even consider that this could have been a problem or cause of my illness. I was so physically debilitated at this point that they wouldn’t even see me. When you don’t feel comfortable with the answer you are receiving, keep searching.

Mercury is found in many substances in our environment (seafood, cosmetics, paints, thermometers, grains treated with mercury fungicides, fabric softeners, adhesives, wood preservatives, plastics, histology labs, immunizations, and many others) – research and educate yourself.

Crusador: Let’s cover some of the things you recommend people to do to help them recover from disease. Tell us what they can do and why it’s important?

God has provided us with laws of health. If we follow them we will be rewarded with good health. My book deals with the protocols that I strictly followed each and every day. It took over three years for me to return to work. I am still not 100% recovered and I must work at my health each day. Not only did I abuse my body knowingly, but unknowingly as well. I had many needless surgeries and took many unnecessary drugs, underwent many x-rays, all of which assisted in breaking down my immune system. In my book I outline the actions that were needed to return me to good health. Those actions also became a lifestyle I live by today. First and foremost is continued education: never stop learning, never stop improving on the lifestyle – and share your information with others.  Many sick and dying people need the hope of regaining their health and are ignorantly killing themselves. The other things I recommend are:

• pH balance – Know what it is and how to achieve and maintain the proper balance.
• Learn proper food combining and live by it.
• Supply your body with live enzymes at every meal.
• Consume fresh organic vegetable juices everyday (especially green foods).
• Sprouting is a powerful source of nutrition. Eat them as much as possible.
• Use whole organic grains in moderation and combined properly.
• Identify allergies and avoid the allergic substance at all costs.
• Treat Candidiasis and parasites.
• Identify harmful chemicals and heavy metals and reduce or eliminate them.
• Remove amalgam fillings safely.
• Avoid as many electromagnetic fields as possible.
• Sauna often to remove toxins via the skin.
• Learn to control stress.
• Incorporate heavy deep breathing of fresh pure air.
• Drink lots of fresh, pure water (not with meals).
• Sunshine – radiant beams in moderation.
• Rest/Sleep is crucial to optimum health.
• Exercise every day.
• Spirituality – your lifeline to good health. Without it you will never experience true  and vibrant health.

Crusador: Thank you for your time and for sharing your testimony.