I’m glad to announce that I have been off my chemotherapy since December now. My labs are still improving, although they do tend to go up and down depending on my stress level. It never ceases to amaze me how much stress takes me out. I used to be able to handle so much! Oh, well. Perhaps we aren’t meant to deal with tons of stress, after all.

I continue to take and appreciate my Ganoderma Lucidum daily. I take 4 capsules of the spore powder, and drink at least one beverage. I often drink more than one, especially the mochas. I also really love OrGano Gold’s new Cafe Supreme, which also has Ginseng in it. Normally I can’t tolerate Ginseng, but I think somehow it blends with the Ganoderma and makes a fantastic combination. I mix it with the King of Coffee (which also has spore powder in it.) Amazing.

Happy to report that I have moved out of my tri-level home and into a one-floor apartment. NO MORE STAIRS!! I’ve been able to actually work my legs out as opposed to having them just tire out. Polymyositis is SO debilitating. Do any of you know anyone with it?

All the best to you. If you haven’t tried these products, please contact us. I really believe in this stuff!!

I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I started taking this amazing herb. Dealing with 4 autoimmune disorders can be so tricky, and the medications that the traditional doctors have me on make me feel so sick.

For the past couple of months, I thought I’d see what would happen if I stopped taking my ganoderma lucidum. Of course, everything I report must be a coincidence, but wouldn’t you know that after I stopped taking it, my CPK numbers (the polymyositis marker), doubled, then tripled! Not good!! I had started to get REALLY tired again all the time, and was definitely feeling weaker. I had to increase my predinsone back up to 7 mg, which was a bummer. So about 2 weeks ago, I started taking the pills again every day. Within 2 days, my energy improved, my pain decreased, my strength improved. What a coincidence! I’ll be getting bloodwork in a week or so and I can’t wait to see what my CPK has dropped to.

I am now completely convinced that ganoderma lucidum is helping to drastically decrease the joint pain from my lupus, increase my muscle strength and energy for the polymyositis, and soften my skin and vocal chords from the hardening from the scleroderma. I’m also looking to see what happens with my blood clotting time, because while I was off the ganoderma lucidum, I had to increase my warfarin (which means I was running too thick).

Honestly, if anyone has ANY health issues at all, I would think it would be worth a try for a few months to see if the issues improve. If you’re not allergic to mushrooms, what do you have to lose?

I am still taking the Ganoderma Lucidum in some form every single day. My hair, skin and nails continue to grow at an incredible rate, despite the chemotheraphy. I am finally sleeping deeply at least a few days a week. My muscles are stronger, and I can stay awake for about 5 good hours now, as opposed to 2 or 3 in the past. I am down to 4-5 mg of prednisone each day, which is absolutely fabulous.

Lately I’ve really been enjoying the Gourmet Mochas. I, Miss Ultra-Caffeine Sensitive, drink one before bed a few nights a week and it doesn’t seem to interfere with my sleep at all. That really is wonderful!

I’m also taking all the neutraceuticals, and continue to give them to my children. I continue to love all these products, the company, and all the people that I’ve met since last February who are involved and invested in seeing my health and well-being improve.

When they say Change Your Coffee, Change Your Life, they really mean it!!

I showed my rheumatologist how my classic lupus/scleroderma hands had totally changed. He was impressed. There is still some swelling but my cuticles are almost completely healed. He felt that the skin on my cheeks were almost NORMAL! He said that I’m stronger (yes, I can tell!). I showed him all the new hair that I’ve grown, and how strong and long my nails are. I’ve never had nails like this except when I was pregnant with my sons back in 96 and 99.

But most of all, he’s thrilled with my bloodwork. ALL of my liver functions are completely normal now. My CPK (the muscle enzyme that was up to 3500 last summer – indicator of the polymyositis) is 47! It’s been 43-47 for several weeks now! My white blood cell count was a little low, so he LOWERED MY IMMUNE-SUPPRESSIVE MEDS!! That’s the azathioprine/imuran.

So, now I’m down to 10 mg/dy of prednisone (down from 60) and we started to lower my azathioprine. Oh! And even better, my other doctor last week lowered my warfarin (coumadin) because my blood is thinner!

Hmm, the coincidences here of the ganoderma helping to balance the immune system, helping to naturally prevent coagulation in my blood, being reflected in my bloodwork… Well, you be the judge.

I told my doctor that I felt that things really started to turn around for me when I started the ganoderma. BTW, I told him back in February when I started it, and he OK’d it. Anyway, today he said that clearly the ganoderma/reishi/lingzhi was doing great things for me and to continue taking it!

We talked about how this might help other patients with auto-immune disorders like my lupus/scleroderma/polymyositis. He said that he can’t recommend it to people, but that he certainly can tell them about my experience and tell them how to go look it up, and where to get it.

Wow. Think of all the people with all these devastating illnesses that just MIGHT get better from this herb. All these people whose lives might be changed, who might be able to stop living with pain, who might regain the energy to PLAY WITH THEIR CHILDREN AGAIN. Wow.

Blessings to all of you. Thank you for following my blog. Thank you Dave Tupica for bringing ganoderma lucidum to me. My life is so much better. I am so glad to be here, and so glad to be so glad.

If you read this blog and know ANYONE with health problems that I’ve mentioned, please invite them to explore this blog and the possibility that ganoderma lucidum could help them. I passionately believe that everyone should have the chance to bring this herb into their lives if it suits them. I even learned about an autistic boy who is having remarkable changes just from taking ganoderma lucidum pills!!

Is there anything this herb can’t possibly help? Well, I haven’t been able to persuade it to clean my house, but that’s about it.

When I meet new people, I often show them my hands so that they can know what this type of autoimmune symptom looks like. I figure that since I was showing this to several doctors for 18 months before anyone diagnosed me properly, that perhaps it would be helpful to spread the word!

Anyway, a few days ago I was talking to someone and I said, ” Hey, so check out my hands. This is what lupus and scleroderma can do to your cuticles.” And guess what?? My cuticles don’t look like that anymore!! I had nothing to show them! I can’t get over this ganoderma. My nails are long and super-strong too. I love this stuff.

Thought it’d be worth mentioning that I’m now down to 10 mg/day of prednisone (I was up to 60 last summer). I take 6 spore capsules a day, and am going to start taking the mycelium and ganoderma body pills as well. I just learned that they’re all supposed to work synergistically. And once we get the prednisone to 5 or 7.5 a day, we can start getting rid of this chemotherapy! I can’t wait!!!

Oh! And I used to have to see my doctor every 4 weeks? Now he’s increased it to 6!! Hmm, could it be that I’m getting BETTER???

Of course, having a completely rambunctious 2 year-old has no effect on my free time, I’m sure.

My improvements? Some days, I swear my speaking voice is almost normal. Singing can still be a challenge, but I don’t sound like a 900 year-old frog anymore.

The other day, I went to show someone how the autoimmune disorders had made my cuticles all thick and yellow, swollen and easy to tear. And then I couldn’t find ONE finger that looked horrible to show them! And I’m still growing more hair, and my nails actually look decently nice again!

My sleep schedule is screwy. Probably the drugs. I’m still tired all the time, and fatigue very easily. However, the hours that I’m awake I feel more alive. I am playful with my daughter and, I hope, I’m not nearly as moody. A friend mentioned recently that it’s nice to hear me laugh again. I wonder for how long I haven’t laughed?

I found a nice listing online of potential health benefits that Ganoderma lucidum/Reishi/Lingzhi has been found to have. Thought I’d share them with you. Things not mentioned in this book but reported to me by other people are that they have been losing weight, been in a better mood, and sleep better and deeper (I’m still holding out for that one!!)

Here are a few potential health enhancing properties of G. lucidum listed in the 2002 book Mycomedicinals: An Informational Treatise on Mushrooms by Paul Stamets, a world-renowned mycologist (guy who studies mushrooms). Of course, none of these have been validated by the FDA…

Immune System
• Immune enhancing
• Treats inflammation responses in the immune system
• Immunomodulatory properties, of which only a fraction have been studied, so important with autoimmune disorders
• Biological response modifier
• Activates host’s production of natural killer, T cells and tumor necrosis factors
• Anti-microbial
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-viral
• Anti-candida
• Kills diseased cells
• Strongly stimulates the activity of T-lymphocytes
• Restores T-cell function in the spleen of gamma-irradiated mice
• Stimulates macrophage production
• Enhance the production of nitric oxides from macrophages
• Helpful in immunotherapy

Allergies and Asthma
• Steroid-like compounds that inhibit allergenic response and histamines
• Relief from bronchitis, asthmas and allergies
• Improves respiration
• Supports the lungs

Blood Pressure, Vascular and Coronary Health
• Naturalizes blood pressure
• Increases coronary flow
• Decreases diastolic pressure without altering heart rhythm
• Treats atherosclerosis in HIV-positive patients

Anti-coagulant
• Inhibited platelet-aggregation

Arthritis
• Anti-inflammatory
• Treats arthritis

Mood and Stress
• Stress reducer
• Nerve tonic
• Treats inflammation of the brain

Cancer
• Tumoricidal against most cancers
• Anti-tumor
• Inhibits the growth of leukemia cells
• Targets cancerous cells
• Treats prostate inflammation
• Fights off the growth of meth-A and LLC tumor cell lines, and cervical HeLa cells
• Causes 5-20-fold increase in the tumor necrosis factors in interleukin and T-lymphocytes

Cholesterol and Liver Health
• Cholesterol reducing
• Steroid-like compounds that inhibit cholesterol synthesis
• Helpful for those developing cirrhosis from hepatitis
• Treats chronic hepatitis and post-hepatic cirrhosis
• Potent inhibitor of enzyme closely related to liver dysfunction
• Liver tonic

Anti-Oxidant
• Anti-oxidizing properties
• Decreases other free radicals and the collateral harm they cause to healthy cells
• Anti-aging

Energy and Fatigue
• Anti-fatiguing
• Enhanced stamina
• Fights Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (an autoimmune disorder)

Diabetes
• Blood sugar moderator (diabetics)
• Kidney tonic

Skin
• Corrects skin disorders including some skin cancers
Cures rashes
• Helps heal wounds

Few if any negative side effects
• The only negative side effect that the author has heard about any Medicinal Mushroom is that this occasionally causes people to have dry mouth.

As an energy medicine practitioner, I constantly look into the energy behind and influencing anything that I bring into my life. (I do not look at other people unless certain aspects of them directly influence my, FYI. And then I look only at the parts of them that overlap with me. Bad karma otherwise. Not OK.)

This company that I get my Ganoderma Lucidum from, OrGano Gold, is a distribution network marketing company. Yes, that’s a multi-level marketing company.

I have always assumed that any MLM company was automatically about scams and taking advantage of people. Phrases like Pyramid Schemes conjured up images of greed and used-car salesman types.

And maybe that’s what some of these companies are like, I don’t really know.

OrGano Gold has changed my mind about MLMs though, that I can tell you. At least it’s changed my mind about this one MLM!

When my friend Dave T first introduced me to the Ganoderma Lucidum in the OrGano Gold products, my only thought was to find a way to heal my lupus/scleroderma/polymyositis-ravaged body. I was truly sick and tired of being sick and tired. The fact that I would be purchasing my products from an MLM barely crossed my mind because I was so motivated to get better.

As you might recall, within 3 days of taking the Ganoderma Lucidum, I began experiencing marked changes in my scleroderma. Over the time that I have been taking the ganoderma (in coffee beverages and pill form), I have had drastic changes in my bloodwork showing that we have effectively put my autoimmune disorders into remission. Of course, a lot of people would say that it’s because of all the steroids, chemo, immuno-suppressives that I’m on. And perhaps to an extent they would be right. However, I know when I began to actually start feeling better, and it was completely coincidental with taking the Ganoderma. Hmmm…

So, as an energy medicine practitioner it’s important to me to know what the energy behind this company is, because I believe that can influence how the product ultimately affects the end-user. You know how some people just feel good to be around? Or how some products just feel good to use? Without any particulary good reason? That’s energy, folks.

What I’ve discovered about OrGano Gold, or at least the people that I’ve been working with, is that the people behind my mushroom have extrememly positive energy. Sure, they’re business people and, like the rest of us, want and need to make a living. However, the people that I’ve met have an even stronger desire to bring Ganoderma Lucidum and its massive potential health benefits to as many people as possible – to enable people to bring their own healing decisions and power into their own hands.

This makes me feel really good about taking this product, and about recommending it to every single person that I can. And if you’re enjoying my blog, please let all your friends and loved ones know about it!

And now, here’s my shameless plug for my distributor: Three Aspens Kinesiology. He’ll even send you a couple of free samples if you’d like: lovemygano@ganoluscious.com. Just tell him whether you prefer your coffee black, as a latte or as a mocha!

The Power of Ganoderma in Oriental Medicine.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

When I first was diagnosed with lupus back in 2008, everybody and his brother was telling me that I needed to do this therapy, take that supplement, etc. etc. Of course, everybody was extremely well-meaning and kind. But, as we know, there’s no magic bullet for anything, and every person is going to respond to different treatments in different ways.

So, I was instructed by many well-meaning people to take all sorts of things, try all sorts of things, but since none of them resonated with me, I didn’t try them. If I’ve learned anything through facing these disorders it’s to listen to my intuition! Heck, I’ve spent enough time in training to learn how to use my intuition to help other people, it’s about time I use it for myself!

In November 2009, I went to see a wonderful woman who channels Angels. Now, I realize that to a lot of people that this sounds like a bunch of froo-froo, nut-jub craziness. I’ll remind you that I’m a Stanford graduate and I research things. I’m also highly skeptical of anything in the energy medicine world, because I’ve rubbed elbows with plenty of lovely people who really have no business messing with other people’s energy.

I do believe that this wonderful woman is indeed connected to the Angels. If you met her, you’d have to agree. My big question for her was that if I’m supposed to be learning some big lesson through these health challenges, that I didn’t want to be a ding-dong and miss the big picture. She had lots of interesting things to tell me (and I’m not a ding-dong, apparently!), but one thing especially is quite profound.

At some point she started telling me that the Angels were saying that I should be taking some sort of a mushroom. She couldn’t quite hear what they were saying (apparently they speak in quiet, whispery voices, and if many talk at once it’s hard to hear), but she said it sounded like rasha, or rashi, or rishi, or something like that. I asked her if perhaps it could be the reishi mushroom (which I had heard about randomly here and there in previous years) and she said that could be it. So I filed that information away, went home, and promptly forgot about it. I mean after all, she is an Angel Reader, could she really be getting such specific information?

Fast forward to January of this year, when my dear friend and former client Dave T called to tell me about this new company, OrGano Gold, that he had recently begun to be involved with. This company infuses a mushroom called Ganoderma Lucidum into all its products, and the more that Dave learned about this mushroom, the more he kept thinking that I needed to try it. We talked about it for a few minutes, and for the first time since starting this ordeal, all my inner promptings started telling me to listen, listen, listen. That this mushroom, whatever it was, was going to be very important for me.

After we hung up, I googled Ganoderma Lucidum. And you know what? It’s the Reishi mushroom. Coincidence?