Wilkie Wages War: Introduction

Environmental Health Network leader Barbara Wilkie discovered in July 2005 that her chemical injury/multiple chemical sensitivities had suddenly manifested as stage 4 (later stage 5) kidney disease (kidney failure). Despite dire warnings of death within a year, she eschewed dialysis and Western Medicine drugs and took a route of alternative medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and strict dietary changes. She lived well for six years, far beyond the doctors’ predictions.  Barb died at home, surrounded by friends and family, on May 31, 2011.

During this time, Barb documented her journey. From diagnosis through June 2008, she created one huge website page packed with details, plus some side documents on diet and other topics.  We have divided these works into smaller pieces, by date or topic, to make it easier to read and find things.  For dates after June 2008, we have letters, online posts, and other documents.

Barb intended her work to be read and used. We hope this presentation will help you do just that.

Wilkie Wages War on Kidney Disease
(aka Renal Disease or Failure)

OR, AS I SEE IT: Life with yet another facet of living with MCS.
I want to live life while dying.

Latest numbers . . . June 2008 . . . and counting
(The fourth and latest “deadline” I was living under was for Christmas 2007; so far I still
feel great! This is still the no drug, no dialysis approach to living with kidney disease.
I’ve also declared my own moratorium on seeing nephrologists as so far none have
figured out a way to help an already chemically injured patient who cannot tolerate
petrochemically derived drugs. They’ve to a man, have never heard of such a thing.
I’ve suggested that could be a reason why 100,000 die each year in hospital from
prescribed drugs and have added that I don’t want to be reflective of that statistic. I’ll let
my kidneys die naturally . . . while I try to support them as long as possible with good
nutrition, supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic and help from my internist and EI doctor, too.)
Kidney disease and the no-drugs approach . . . my wishes go against doctors’
advice. But, by doing it my way, I have had a very healthy, active two years. Now it
is a year more than I was told I’d have to live or live free of dialysis! But doing it my way,
I have been healthy. I’ve enjoyed life and my family. I’ve seen my 50th anniversary,
and celebrated it with all our kids and their families at Stinson Beach. Who could ask
for more? Not I. Well, maybe I could ask that my husband be free of prostate cancer.
— barb; August 5, 2007

Still living the NO drugs approach to dealing with kidney disease. It’s not that I’m doing
nothing, for as you read below, you will learn I’m doing lots of somethings! First, diet.
And then, acupuncture, chiropractic, alternative health care through a medical
office, jade ball healing and massage therapy. I’ve been in the business of staying alive
and so far, that has worked well for my family and me. And, most importantly, thus
far, I’ve enjoyed a quality of life that never would have been mine had I followed the
advice of the nephrologists and taken their prescribed drugs and dialysis. I’m a month
away from my second anniversary past my first death sentence and still feeling relatively
good . . . despite relatively bad numbers.

No way do I mean to convey that THIS is the way to treat all others who live with
stage 4 or 5 kidney disease. I simply state that my methods have worked very well for
my family and me and IF you, too, are chemically injured and cannot take
modern, petrochemically derived drugs any better than you can take modern products
that contain petrochemically derived flavors, fragrances or pesticides, then by all
means talk over diet, et. al., with your doctor and your loved ones. We are allowed to say
NO to medical treatments that will cause us more harm. Those who don’t wind up
dead or disabled by doctors and that is called IATROGENESIS.
— barb; June 28, 2008

Remember: We ALL are stakeholders when it comes to breathing. Who knows
what all affects kidney health? Certainly not the nephrologists I’ve come to meet or read
about . . . by their own admission. This reflective of my personal experiences with
four of them, three inside the Kaiser system, one outside.

The following is not the expressed viewpoint of any other person, living or dead.
It is strictly my own. It’s all about me.

Why? Because I wasn’t able to find a lot of information on trying to support kidneys
while their function is decreasing. I don’t want to go on dialysis; I certainly don’t want
to even contemplate having a transplant. Therefore, I am my own case study. I’m not
recommending a damned thing; just read for the info and make your own decisions,
start by searching further!

And despite the death threats and fear mongering laid upon you by nephrologists, do try
thinking for yourself. Thus far, I’ve lived a very full, healthful life with worsening
kidney disease. But, I remain asymptomatic and there’s that little kernel of something in
me that keeps asking: What IF I support kidney health to the extent possible rather
than further poisoning the kidneys with drugs, will they eventually show the tiniest bit
of improvement? Of course, nephrologists chant that kidneys do not improve. But
there are doctors who believe that all body organs can improve IF given nurturing
care, not further poisoning by commonly prescribed drugs. We’ll see. As I’ve said, I am
my own case study. I hope my experiences serve you well. Best wishes, — barb wilkie

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia defines Chronic Renal Failure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_renal_failure

Experience with nephrologists:

First (Kaiser, Oakland) . . .
Second (Kaiser, Santa Rosa) . . .
Third (Kaiser, Oakland) . . .
Fourth (UCSF, San Francisco) . . .

Grocery list given me by Kaiser . . . Trust me, I do not use most of the approved stuff as
it would kill an MCSer in short order. What about kidney patients? Good grief!!!!!
kidndiet.htm

To the beginning of my blood readings info

General information regarding kidney disease . . .

Specific info . . . various items, including home dialysis

June 2007 — A scary venture: Flying in the face of medical “wisdom”
Dear Folks:
The following states it . . . what I’ve been saying about my body and the fact that I choose
— against many protests, mind you! — to go it without drugs! — barb

ALLERGIES AND CHEMICAL REACTIONS
by Grace Ziem, M.D.,DR. P.H.

“…The detoxification system may be impaired, occasionally genetically but more commonly because of past toxic exposure, and the individual may have more difficulty detoxifying. This can cause them to have reactions at dosage levels that would be less of a problem for healthy individuals with normal detoxification. It is important to recall that the vast majority of pharmaceutical agents are derived from petrochemicals and must be detoxified by the body using the detoxification system. Therefore, an individual who has impaired detoxification may have more difficulty tolerating medications …”

http://www.mcsbeaconofhope.com/drziemalrg.html

[Just for the record, the kidneys are a detoxifying organ. Will nephrologists take this into
account? I have yet to meet one. Hence, I play this kidney game with my internist, my EI doctor,
my chiropractor, my acupuncturists, biofeedback, massage therapy, jade ball therapist/healer, and, as
of June 10, 2007, by greening my diet and going RAW. That’s vegetables, of course. More on that
under A scary venture: Flying in the face of medical “wisdom”. — barb]
Scary Venture

P.S. I had to return to eating meat as my body demanded it. Part of living with kidney
disease is living with worsening anemia. I can’t take a drug like Procrit, so I try to help
Mother Nature in ways I can with food. As of June 2008, my hemoglobin was 6.5, which is
far too low, however, I still have no symptoms associated with severe anemia. — barb