She was given Valtrex and steroids, which is a common treatment for this condition, but she only felt worse. Oxycodone and Lidocaine provided some relief, but she was unable to function as she was so sedated and depressed from them. Finally an oncologist recommended spleen removal, even though there were no signs of cancer.

After doing some research on her own, she decided spleen removal would be a last resort. She also realized that although she had seen various doctors for more than two months, things had only become worse. Eventually, she decided to stop taking all medications.

Then she found me. On the internet.

When I first met Debbie, she could barely walk into the consultation room. Every movement was slow and deliberate, and her breathing was labored.

I listened carefully as she told me her story, which took at least 45 minutes. She explained about some past medical history that may be related, as well as all of the travails of emergency room visits, tests that were run, medications she had tried, and the frustration she felt at the inability of anyone to help her.

Her main symptoms were insomnia (due to the pain), no appetite, nausea after eating even the smallest amounts of food, and severe abdominal pain 24/7.

After I expressed my sympathy for her plight, and even apologized to her on behalf of her doctors that could not help her, I explained what we would do.

Together, she and I would do all we could to awaken and support her body's natural healing process. I told her I had no doubt that her body knew how to shrink its own spleen and, given the opportunity, it would certainly heal itself. "It may take some time," I told her, "maybe even a few months or more, but we will be looking for gradual progress. As long as we are seeing incremental progress we can be confident that we are heading in the right direction."

Using Chinese Medicine and biomedical concepts I devised a plan for her. A diet of only vegetables and protein. At least 3 to 4 liters of water daily. I started her on a regimen of supplements to support the lymphatic drainage and help calm her nervous system, along with a customized herbal prescription to help dull the pain, reduce inflammation, and support her immune system.

I also recommended twice-weekly acupuncture visits for at least 2 - 3 weeks as her case was so severe.

When she returned for her second visit 3 days later, I was eager to see what the result was. She had started on the diet, supplements, and herbs as instructed. Already, she said, her appetite had at least doubled, and the nausea was only occasional instead of every time she ate. Sleep had improved by at least 50%. And, although the pain wasn't much better yet, this was the progress we were looking for. It wasn't a cure, but it was a sliver of hope and it was enough to spur her onward.

A second treatment yielded more, albeit slight, progress. This continued until her 6th treatment when we were able to reduce her frequency to once weekly visits. This was enough progress to let us know we were onto something.

It was also enough to prompt her to cancel her next appointment with her doctor, against my recommendation. But, she is free to choose and so I decided to support her and continue forward.

Interestingly, when she told the doctor's office that she would be doing some natural healing work with an acupuncturist, the nurse on the phone said, "Watch out for those witch doctors. You know, they kill people."

But, by now she knew better. She knew she was healing, and she wasn't letting that warning scare her one bit.

And then, in her most recent session, the most amazing thing happened. She thanked me profusely. Not for what I did, but for listening to her. She told me, "You are the first person who actually listened to me. I think just knowing that really helped me feel better at the beginning and gave me so much hope."

There are doctors who might say that I am only creating a "placebo effect" -- that my patients only feel better because they "think they feel better".

To them I would say, "Who said that compassion, caring, and listening with a loving ear is not a type of medicine? And, why do you doubt the power of kind words to heal?"

Debbie has continued her treatments, herbs, and supplements, and she has continued her healing process. Now, in her 5th week, she is eating normally and sleeping through the night, her pain is at least 50% reduced, and her spleen has shrunk by 50%.

Needless to say, she is happy. And, obviously, so am I.

Is this miraculous? Yes and no. It is an expression of the miraculous healing power of the human body -- a power that manifests when we allow it and support it. Yet, it is what we can all normally expect when we regularly follow a natural path to healing.

Until next time, I wish you a happy, healthy, and safe journey.