Eli's health story just keeps getting better

Eli's Summer 2010 Update....

Well, what a summer we had this year! In the past our activities were minimal and extremely limited and revolved around Eli's treatments and doctor's visits. Not this year!

We had a fun filled summer full of swimming, camping, playing outdoors, boating and we even went on vacation! Eli had a great time and we had only one health issue to speak of, which is the first time ever.

At the end of September when the weather began to change, Eli had some slight allergy symptoms, which is a tough season for him usually. In years past this was always the time he would fall ill with pneumonia and in the doctors office and ER on a routine basis. This time he had a slight stuffy nose and a intermittent asthma flare up that was rather mild. This was looking to be a great start to a normally dreadful season.

I took Eli in for a check-up as I always do when he has a flare up or any sinus drainage due to his history of pneumonia during this particular time of year. The doctor detected a slight wheeze and even more slight fluid in Eli's right lung. This has always been an issue, but the doctor was pleased that he was not ill like he had been in years past.
Due to the sinus and asthma history, Eli's doctor started him on an antibiotic to be sure the fluid present didn't materialize into a more severe case of pneumonia. This is where Eli's summer had a bit of a twist. :)

Eli, within two days of starting the antibiotic, began to have a decline in his symptoms and was having difficulty breathing and vomiting. We ended up at the ER and that set the stage for a two-week nightmare for poor Eli.
Although Eli had been given this particular antibiotic MANY MANY times before, he had developed a life threatening allergy to it, and we went through two weeks of anaphylactic reactions until the antibiotic completely left his system.

During this time, Eli had not been able to continue taking his shakes like he had done for the past year due to the vomiting associated with his reaction. So, the day or so after his last reaction...he came to me in the kitchen and asked me to give him a shake. "Mommy, I think I am ready to feel better again!"....If that isn't testament to a child's life changed then I don't know what is.

Once the medication had left his body, the symptoms went just as fast as they came and when the chest x-ray was clear as a bell! After a short recovery from the effects the hospital stay, vomiting, and reaction had had on him, Eli was quickly back to his old self and back to enjoying his new found freedom.

It has been a month since Eli was hospitalized from the antibiotic episode and has fully resumed his daily shakes, and he is doing well! Thank the Lord for watching over him and for his recovery, and we are thankful for these products giving Eli's body the nutrition it needed to rebound from a very serious and nearly fatal reaction.

If you or someone you know suffers from severe or chronic allergies or even just seasonal allergies...I must say that this product has been a great addition to our family and we are thankful everyday for the level of activities it has allowed us to enjoy with our family.

Stay tuned for more updates on Eli's adventures and health story....

Eli is wise beyond his years...how he took charge of his own health!

Well, needless to say things have been quite crazy around our house lately (as if they are ever calm).
We have had a mild tummy bug and upper respiratory bug go through the house. During the past 3wks or so, Eli has had a very decreased appetite (well, decreased for him anyway)and I was having difficulty being consistent with his shakes due to his upset stomach.
As most of you know, once you have had a stomach bug it takes a little while to get back to normal. This was no different for Eli.
So, I let his shakes take a back seat until he was feeling 100%. He was doing fine and I didn't feel it would make a huge difference to be off of the shakes only temporarily.....

This allergy season has been a terrible one for many people and to be honest we have had very mild and intermittent symptoms. Eli normally has pneumonia and many sinus infections and asthma issues during the summer. We have had none of that and no ER visits. Life was good.

Over the past month however, Eli had been off his shakes for a few weeks and I had noticed his allergy symptoms were beginning to be an issue and our outdoor visits were needing to be more and more brief. Eli's mood and crabbiness was starting to rear it's ugly head too.
I didn't think much of it, since our life was a bit crazy with kids, sports, illnesses, and such.
I knew that once Eli was feeling better we would once again be able to resume his daily shakes consistently.
That was my intention, but I guess Eli had an agenda of his own. Who knew a 4yr old could be so in tune with their own body to let THEIR MOM KNOW WHEN THEY NEED SOMETHING!

Two days ago, Eli came to me and said. "Mommy, I don't feel good, can you make me a shake? They make me feel better."......WOW, I felt horrible and excited all at the same time. I asked him what was wrong and his reply floored me!
He told me that he was starting to feel yucky and itchy and he didn't want to get rid of his puppies or take his medicine, he just wanted his shakes.
I immediately went and made his shake and he had it down within seconds.
He went on his merry way playing in the living room, but within 30-45min. he came running into the kitchen and grabbed my leg and squeezed me as tight as he could...This is typical for him but then he looked up at me and said "Thanks for my shake Mommy, it made me feel better and it was yummy too!"
That was all the evidence I needed to know that no matter what happens we will never have Eli off these shakes. The results are irrefutable but a honest and innocent testimony from a 4yr old that he feels better is proof enough for me.

So, although kids don't always know what's best for them, they do however know how they feel and what they like. Eli is for sure wise beyond his years, that may get him into some trouble from time to time, but this time it was music to my ears.
So, This is yet another reason that I will never go without these products for Eli and our family.

Now, that Eli is back on track, I will update on his progress. I am anxious to see how quickly his asthma and allergies improve again. Truly Amazing!

If your body is telling you that it doesn't feel good, chances are it knows what it is talking about.....

Until next time, take care of yourself and be healthy!

Eli's personal shake maker and humbled Mommy,
Kimberly Smith

Saddle Up! Eli's going to VBS this year!!!!

Eli is having an amazing summer, he has went swimming and made friends with the neighborhood boys since he has been a more frequent flyer outdoors this year. Yet he still has not ventured away from his Momma too far. Well, that all changed today! Yes, I let his little cord stretch and let him do a test flight and spread those new wings.

Eli went to VBS (Vacation Bible School) this year for the first time, it didn't come without a major hesitation from his Mommy but he was all for it! These are the things that we find most joy in, the simple pleasures. We too used to take them for granted with our older children but now, we know these things are truly worth celebrating.


I walked into the registration area and was greeted with smiling faces and Eli was all smiles too. I had mine on, but it was a bit hard to maintain. I found myself almost panic stricken and my hands were shaking...I just kept telling my self "all Momma's have to let their babies leave the nest sometime" so I did it.
I didn't like it, but I did it.
I let the youngest birdie, that I have protected with my life, go.
I barely got a kiss in and off he went joining in with all the other little pre-schoolers.
Just before leaving I made sure that they knew of his allergies and that he had all he needed in his backpack just in case, the staff once again assured me that he would do fine, and although I knew they were right....I couldn't help but scan every inch of the church for possible allergens and such.
Hey, I am doing better...ok, maybe not because just as I left I noticed hay bales (it's a western themed VBS) and I quickly rattled off one more precaution...he's allergic to hay, just so you know...Yes, I finally left him to have fun don't worry.

I went home and on the way there got to thinking, relax! You've left him for a few hours before he will be fine. I stopped and thought about that and realized, in all his four years I have never ever left him in a school or other setting that he didn't have Mommy, Daddy, or Nanny right there. It made me realize just how many hurdles he had overcome and that it was only the beginning to all that was in store. I was so overcome with joy it pushed those fears aside and I had a peace that I was actually going to survive these next three hours.

I went home and kept my mind busy and the phone handy just in case there was any problem. The phone never rang and when it came time to leave to go pick him up I couldn't wait!
I got some household chores done but that was the LONGEST three hours of MY LIFE.
I arrived at the church and was so anxious to hear how his first VBS experience went. I went into the Sanctuary and began looking for my crew of toe heads in the crowd.
I found the oldest two girls and then kept scanning....No Eli. I looked for what seemed forever and just before panic hit, I saw him. He was sitting in the middle of the row of kids and was laughing and chatting with a little boy next to him and was having the best time ever.
It nearly brought tears to my eyes to see how much joy the simple things brought to him. He never knew what he was missing the first three years of his life, but now he can experience it and take it all in.
I just stood back watching him, he had no idea I was there and he seemed to be just fine with it. I got in line to go and retrieve my crew and once I had the two oldest in tow I approached Eli's row. He still hadn't seen me, but when he turned I caught his eye and the biggest grin came over his face. I melted.
He couldn't wait to show me all the things he had made and learned.
He said "Mommy, that was fun, can I come back tomorrow?"...Without hesitation I of course said "Yes, you sure can, buddy!"

So, tomorrow, Eli will be returning with his big sisters to VBS and will finish out the week just being a "cowboy" at the Ranch with all his little VBS buddies he has made.
Yes, I will still be cautious but I will also relax a little knowing that this is just yet another victorious chapter in Eli's book of adventures. Stay tuned to hear what is next on his Summer agenda because I rest assured that there were be more and more firsts to come for this little guy.
I am still amazed everyday when I think about how this child's life was changed just by giving his body the best nutrition available. I owe many thanks to these amazing products and all that have helped us on this journey!

Fourth time's a charm....Eli's 4th birthday gift

So many of you know the restrictions that Eli has lived with throughout his life of just four years, but many of you didn't realize he had never had a "Real" birthday party before. Sure we had a celebration for him each year but the past three birthday's didn't hold a "birthday" candle to his first birthday party ever on his fourth birthday...

Let me explain,
Eli on his actual first birthday had a severe life threatening reaction to his birthday cake...no not from eating it (although that would have been even worse) but just from merely touching it!
The Chocolate, eggs, or the other ingredients were the party pooper for his first birthday (we aren't sure which was the cause of his major reaction).
He hadn't had the first bite of cake, opened the first present, or had the chance to go outside to enjoy the birthday activites we had planned for him and it was cut short because of his reaction to his cake. So birthday #1 was pretty much non-existant.

Birthday #2, Eli had his own "special made" cake that was egg free and allergen free, but he didn't get to have ice-cream or any of the "birthday" foods we had prepared for his guests....we knew by then (after lots of tests) what things to avoid. Little did we know....he was not going to get to enjoy this birthday either.
We went outside to let the kids enjoy some water activites and we thought things were going well but Eli stepped out of the kiddie pool after a few minutes of playing and was wheezing and when he started to walk towards us he literally fell over on his side and couldn't get up and didn't have enough breath in him to cry or say anything.
I think I broke the speed record of getting to him and scooping him up. We didn't know at first what exactly had happened to him but later realized that the cold water, mixed with poor circulation from being in the cold water had caused him to have an asthma attack.
He also was unable to stand on his own and cried in pain if we tried to help him walk....this was due to severe muscle cramping from the water and activities. So long story short. Birthday #2 got cut short yet again. Needless to say we were all scared out of our minds that he had experienced a stroke! Thank goodness he hadn't.

Birthday #3...Eli wasn't able to have an actual party this year. He had just been at the hospital and was recovering from Pneumonia and bronchitis and a horrible sinus infection. We had held out til the last moment but knew that he couldn't handle a day of company and tons of activities. We decide this would just be a low key just a few family members type celebration. So Eli missed out yet again on enjoying a birthday party.
True. He didn't really know at this point what he was missing because he had nothing to compare things to, but as a parent we were just so sad for him to not know what having a party was all about and what it was like to really enjoy it with no restrictions.

Birthday #4.....We knew with all the breakthrough's and improvements with Eli's health that this year was the year that all he had missed out on would change. Eli's 4th birthday is May 25th and we planned a REAL birthday party for him this weekend. He got to go shopping and pick out his decorations, party supplies, activities, and even his cake. He was soooooo excited and asked me numerous times each day...Is it my party today?
Usually this would be annoying but this little guy's questions were music to my ears. We had an absolute blast planning his birthday and were anticipating a wonderful time for Eli. We were not disappointed and Eli for the first time experienced yet another miracle. All the years of waiting and wishing to have a real birthday party came true this year!

We played outside from 12:00 noon until nearly 5pm with out even a hint of breathing issues, rash, or need for medications.
He ate a normal birthday cake, had pizza and chips with his buddies and even ice-cream!
He ran around chasing his friends and siblings never missing a beat.
He not only played in the water, he jumped into the ice cold tub of water and played till his hearts content and we never had one second of problems.
Watching your kids play, and enjoy themself is so fun, but knowing that your child gets to thoroughly enjoy his very first birthday with no set backs after trying to for four years is a feeling no one can describe.
We owe our life to the miraculous change in Eli's over all well being to the power of great nutrition.
I can't say how or why it has changed his life, but I can say this....look at my baby now and tell me that it isn't from these products!
They didn't cure Eli's health problems but what it did do was give his body the tools it needs to allow his body to function the way it was designed to and that is why he had his first birthday party today.
Today was yet another step forward in the new life and new experiences Eli has to look forward to. This my friends is priceless and beyond words!!!

Summer 2010: Eli is an outdoor boy finally!

Eli has always loved to be outdoors since he was days old. If he was crying and we couldn't seem to calm him down all we had to do was step out onto the porch and he immediately stopped crying and began looking around (he looked like a little bobble head doll). We knew then he would have a love for the outdoors like his daddy does, but little did we know that his love of the outdoors would not be a possibility due to the tough road ahead with his allergies and asthma.

Eli would watch his brother and sisters and other neighborhood children play outside but would have to watch from inside the house through the window. We would occassionally venture outdoors and do the preverbial outdoor activities, but even then he was unable to run or play like the other kids. "No running, no sitting or laying on the grass, no digging or picking flowers for Mommy"...those were just a few of the things he had to be told repeatedly "No no, Eli that will make you sick" or "Eli, we can't stay out long".

We came in after a limited exposure of 15-20 minutes to the outdoors and started our "detoxifying" routine and preventative measures. Most of the time we had to have a breathing treatment before we could do anything else. Then he got to "swim" in the bath tub to get all possible allergens off of him.
He put on clean clothes and then we headed to the medicine cabinet to counter act all the allergens he had been exposed to. I should have bought stock in benadryl and the other five pharmaceutical companies our monthly budget supported!

We did this the first FOUR seasons of Eli's life and he has now arrived at the fifth Spring and Summer season. We have already enjoyed more outdoor experiences with Eli in this past month than we did in his first four seasons COMBINED!
He has not only went outside almost every day the weather has allowed he has enjoyed playing outside for HOURS. No more 15-20minutes here and there and then the consequences of his outdoor exposure. He is riding his bike, playing on the swings, digging in the sandbox, playing T-ball and just being a normal near four year old with all of his little buddies in the neighborhood.

Does Eli have allergy flare-ups and issues still? Sure.
But what he doesn't have is the constant restrictions of how long he can play or what he can do. He doesn't have to be limited to playing on the concrete and can go outside even if the neighbors have just mowed the grass. The after effects of his 20 minute ultra-limited playtime before resulted in a day or two of recovery due to asthma and eczema flare-ups.
We still take precautions but those are far outweighed by what we DON'T have to do. We can focus on fun and just being a kid....that my friends is priceless!!!

Eli's Spring Break 2010

Just to recap: Last year at this time (Spring) we went to a friends house for a cookout. The older three kids were so excited because that meant it was POOL time!!! Eli was just a little guy and we were excited to give him his first experience swimming.

My husband and I got into the pool and held Eli and watched him splash and play....but within a few minutes we had to get Eli out of the pool. He started to wheeze and cough. We didn't think much of it because he would tend to have asthma issues surface if he got anxious or overly excited but what came next was far from normal.

I got Eli out of the pool and dried him off and got his medication routine ready to go....before I could get his nebulizer set up I noticed Eli's skin was red and he was covered head to toe with hives (literally the size of marbles and getting bigger). His lips, eyes, and ears were swollen and he was having great difficulty breathing. I started his nebulizer but couldn't even finish it because Eli was crying that his skin hurt and was itching terribly. His eyes were almost swollen shut and his lips were almost blistered. I had to give him a shower and he cried because the water hurt just to touch his skin. He looked like someone had poured hot candle wax on him...I was so sad for him that even the everyday pleasure of swimming was going to be an impossible thing for him as well.

Eli's reaction was severe and it took his skin weeks to recover from just a 5-10min exposure to the pool chemicals. He had to be given oral steroids, inhaled steroids, several breathing treatments and to aid in his recovery which took almost 2wks.

Fast forward a year and here we are at Spring Break 2010 and we had planned a weekend trip with the kids to Pigeon Forge, TN. There was a pool and an indoor water park at the hotel where we stayed and we thought we would "test the water" if you will for Eli and see if there had been any change for him. So many things had changed for him over the last six months since starting the shakes and we were hopeful to see a change for him with his reaction to the pool water as well.

We walked into the pool area when we first arrived to the hotel to let the kids see what it looked like and to see if Eli had any breathing issues just from being in the room with all of the chemicals (the strong smell of chlorine used to set him off right away) He seemed to do fine but the real test would be when he took a dip.

The kids were so excited to get in so we went up to our room to change and headed down to the pool for Eli's try at the pool thing again. Eli could hardly wait...as soon as he got the green light he was off into the kiddie pool playing and laughing and splashing!!! We were so hopeful he that he would not have a reaction but were so cautious and I was checking his skin constantly. The other parents probably thought we were freaks because looking at Eli no one would ever know all the health issues he had endured.
We looked like a family of monkeys picking lice off of him. Hahahaha!!
We swam and played in the pool for over THREE hours that first night and ALL Eli got was tired!!!
We couldn't believe that this was the same kid that was so ill after swimming just a year prior.
The only difference....yep, these products. So how can this produt change the outcome and reactions that Eli experienced all of his life???
Well,
Here is how the chiropractor, consultants and doctors have been able to explain it to me anyway.
The products do not treat, cure or prevent any disease or for that matter reactions but what it DOES do is provide the body the nutrition it needs to allow the body to do the work and be the miracle. Our body can do amazing things when it's systems are properly nourished. WOW!!

Eli was so reactive to anything and everything that he ingested, inhaled or touched because his immune system and digestive system was so terribly compromised that he OVER reacted to ever single thing his body didn't know how to handle.
We have high hopes that as the months and years go by that Eli will continue to improve and just keep adding to his list of "new experiences" and this is just yet another reason that we will always be on these products!

Spring is here and Eli's enjoying this year!

Just to preface how our Springs have always went in the past so you have a reference as to just why we are so excited here at the Smith household:

In the past once the seasons began to change, Eli would ALWAYS end up with a raging sinus infection, upper respiratory infection and of course his asthma and allergies were profoundly affected as well. The past two years we have ended up with pneumonia and on an even stricter regimen of pulmonary meds, steroids, and antibiotics than his usual daily doses.

We are almost into April and Eli not only has played outside when we have had our few days of unseansonably warm weather he has played outside just like his siblings and neighbor kids and has not had to come in for breathing treatments or had to stay inside because those treatments weren't taking care of his wheezing and coughing.

Eli was never able to even be outside for extended periods (not more than maybe 15-20mins) since he was an infant. Now he is not only going outdoors but he is running and playing just like the others do.....and that is a beautiful sight!

I am even more encouraged that we are going to have a wonderful Summer ahead of us full of new found experiences for Eli.
His brother and sisters are so excited that we are going to get to go swimming this coming weekend on their spring break.
Eli has no idea what he's been missing!
Swimming was not something Eli could do before do to the horrible reactions to the chemicals used to treat the pool.
Sooo....I will be updating you all when we return from the indoor water park next week.
We can't wait to see how much fun everyone has. We are ALL benefiting from the amazing results that Eli has had. What a blessing!

Major breakthrough for Eli

Month five:
Eli had a hot fudge sundae at Cheesecake Factory today. He thoroughly enjoyed every single bite. (This may seem small to some but not to this little guy!)
He was so full but was so excited to finally try a "zert" (dessert) that he wasn't going to stop until it was all gone!
Like I said this may not seem that exciting to some, but for Eli it was yet another landmark to his progress on the these products.
Until today Eli has NEVER been able to order off of a menu or have a desert other than the one I make especially for him or order special from the allergy network.
There was always a potential or apparent allergen that didn't allow us to dine out with him.
He had hot fudge and ice-cream ALL OVER him!!! I think he would have swam in it if he would have fit in the dish!
These are the little things that are priceless for us.
I know that with each passing day we are going to get to have more and more of these experiences and "firsts" with him.
These shakes have allowed us to hope again and dream about Eli growing and maturing into a child with a normal future.
We are so truly blessed to have had someone care enough to share the hope of these products with us. (These are my opinions based on our results of course but for anyone that knows our life only 5 months ago as compared to now...there is no comparison and there has only been one thing changed) The best nutrition that you can put into your body...when you do that your body is capable of the most amazing things. I was the biggest skeptic around trust me...I am coming around to a new way of thinking for sure!

How Eli's doing now!

Month Four on the products:
Eli is doing very well, He had a cold this past weekend and this is our usual time of year when pnuemonia sets in. He had a productive cough but no wheezing or waking up at night that normally followed these symptoms once they started. His cold never progressed into anything more than a cold and cough. We increased his shakes and gave one breathing treatment the first and second day as a precaution. He was better in only a matter of three days which has never happened and it certainly had never happened without a doctor visit, steroid and antibiotics and a possible ER visit. He had none of these and is up and running around happy as usual!

I will continue to report on Eli's progress each month to mark our journey with these products. They have truly changed Eli's life!!
I have decided to share our story to pay it forward for anyone that is searching for hope with their childs or their health and finances as we were. Eli's pharmacy and medical expenses have already drastically decreased by nearly 50-60%!!!!
If we have a "break through" or another milestone of progress I will post that as well.
My dream is not only to continue to see Eli's health improve but to be able to help encourage and inform those of you that are in need of health improvement because these products help so many with a variety of health concerns not only asthma and allergies. I have many friends and family that are living proof of that.
My statements are not an attempt to diagnose, treat, or cure anyone or any illness or make medical claims but I know that Eli has been truly blessed by these products. He is experiencing a whole new life and I believe we will continue to see him grow and experience life in a whole new way.

Eli's new lease on life...

Month two on the products:
It was now December and Eli had not had a breathing treatment for over a month (this had never EVER happened before...we had them many times a day everyday), he had not had oral steroids or inhaled steroids since his last ER visit on November 14th!
His eczema was gone, not even a trace of it and his skin was starting to feel like normal skin. It was still rough to the touch but no visible signs of eczema.
No sinus infections still and sleeping all night now with no interuption from coughing!!!

Month three on the Products: Eli had another accidental exposure to nuts (we truly were so careful to ask about the ingredients in foods at restaurants)....
This time it was after we had our to go desserts packed up for us and Eli's Grandma snuck a bite...Well, of course Eli wanted a few bites too...He was able to eat a larger variety of foods by then so he got 2-3 bites and off we went to take his Grandma home. (approximately a 20 minute drive keep in mind).
We dropped her off and my cell rang immediately after dropping her off and she said she had opened the dessert and that is was literally covered with pecans!
I checked on Eli in the back seat knowing if that was true he would have had a reaction in the restaurant, he was fine.
I was skeptical that she was mistaken (No offense Nanny) and since I had ordered the same dessert I would investigate further when I arrived home. When we returned home, I opened the container and realized she had not been mistaken at all...It was truly COVERED in chopped pecans...
I immediately checked Eli for a reaction (by now it had been nearly 25 minutes) and he had not even a hive much less any swelling or wheezing or any other signs of reaction. I absolutely could not believe my eyes!!!!
It meant that although we will not purposely give him a known allergen he would have chance to make it through if he was accidently exposed. This meant the possibility of being enrolled at school in a few years. His doctors had told us that was not a possiblity before.

The beginning of a new life....

Week after week since Eli started his shakes (which was just a whole food supplement) he showed signs of improvement...

One month on the products: Eli had only been to the emergency room once...this may not seem like an improvement to you but for us it was remarkable!
He had not had a sinus infection since starting the products which was another amazing break through for us. He was steadily improving, and for the first time in 2 1/2 years we had hope! That was priceless!

After only 6wks on the products: This was a day of celebration in our house!

Eli was used tohaving an evening snack before bedtime and this particular night I was upstairs and my husband accidentally grabbed the wrong snack box and it contained "Honey nut Cheerios".
Eli's life threatening allergy to any nuts. His allergy to them was so severe that if I ate them and kissed him or the dust was airborne that he would go into anaphylactic shock (throat closing etc).
Upon entering the room I realized he had the wrong snack and immediately prepared for the worst.
Eli's lip did swell and he had a onset of rapid breathing but no wheezing or difficulty breathing as we usually would see. I wasn't betting that we were in the clear...
I still knew the worst was coming...but something different happened this time.
I got his nebulizer ready and this time Eli fought getting a breathing treatment?? Normally he would ask for one, but to my surprise he asked for a shake instead!
I agreed to giving him a shake but told him we would need to follow up with his breathing treatment and to my suprise within 20 minutes of eating the honey nut cheerios, his breathing had actually returned to normal and had never developed into wheezing that merited a hospital visit.
He did not even have a progression in his reaction. I was floored!!! I knew at this moment that these shakes were truly going to be life changing for Eli and our whole family.

These products went from my head to my heart at that instant.

Our answer to prayer for Eli

As I said, we were introduced to a product that truly changed our life....
October of 2009, we began using these shakes. I was skeptical to say the least, but I was intrigued to find out more and desperate for something to help change Eli's health.

Within one week of begining these shakes he had a noticeable change in his eczema. He had always had severe eczema that would crack open and bleed and sometimes get infected and was so itchy.
Although he had many topical creams and oral medications that were prescribed to help this condition, he continued to have problems. Within the first week his eczema had improved atleast 50% as far as severity and the areas affected had decreased.

Week two: He was starting to sleep through the night without waking to terrible coughing episodes that resulted in nightly breathing treatments and hot showers then performing the postural drainage (similar to what they use for cystic fibrosis patients) to help clear the mucus from his lungs. He was still taking the medications but we were able to decrease his nebulizer treatments from 3-5 times a day to 2-3 times a day!

Eli's story unfolding....

I left the allergists office that day so frustrated and scared for Eli's life.

We had nearly lost him so many times over the past 2 years and at the present time the medications and treatments he was undergoing were not able to control him at all.
I began to pray even harder for an answer or miracle to take place where Eli's health was concerened.

Eli's treatments, medications, and hospital and doctor visits had devistated us emotionally and financially.

Many people told me to try taking Eli to a chiropractor to see if they could help him. I was not sure how this could help, but was willing to try anything at this point to help Eli regain his health.
The chiropractor gave me a lot of great information and for the first time offered a bit of an explanation as to what was going on inside of his body that was causing him to have such constant and uncontrolled reactions to virtually everything. I do mean everything, some to this day we don't even know.

It stemmed from a number of imbalances and digestion issues and he strongly recommended a "whole food supplement". I was a bit taken back by this since many of Eli's issues were food allergy related. He explained the importance of nutrition that was a proper balance but that was not chemically altered and that would allow his digestive and immune system to slowly build.

I had been so careful to provide Eli with the best and organic nutrtion available for the past 2 years but I was willing to do whatever necessary to get this little guy's health on track.

I was introduced to a nutrition supplement that has truly changed Eli's life and in turn has totally changed our life as well. Eli's health had not only taken a toll on our family's emotions and activites but like I mentioned earlier, had put our family in mere financial ruin. It was a welcome sacrifice as it was necessary to ensure Eli was able to survive.

Bittersweet news and diagnosis

After a series of allergy testing, chest x-rays, pulmonary function tests etc. The Allergist sat down with me and began to explain what was happening to Eli.

She confirmed my suspicions of severe asthma, reflux, digestion issues, and allergies. What I didn't expect was the magnitude of his allergies and the change it was going to bring to our family and life as Eli would have known it.

He had to begin a new diet immediately and a new lifestyle that avoided many things including:
Wheat, soy, eggs, beef, pork, venison, peanuts, tree nuts, corn and any product derived from corn or corn fed, no red or yellow dyes, no pastas, no breads, and only select dairies. He could not even be where these things were a possibility of being airborne. He was allergic to numerous household items such as: detergents, aerosols, dogs, cats, horses, well basically any animal with fur or that required bedding. We were proud owner of a pet fish however...he just couldn't feed them due to the allergy to their food.

I began researching and then preparing special meals and in addition to that the doctor had recommeded a strict regimen of medications for asthma and allergies paired with daily breathing treatments and special bedding, cleaning products, and skin care. I was working full time at that time and was not sure how his specialized care was going to be possible while caring for our other three children as well as working. I continued to do that for the next several months but Eli's condition continued to decline. My husband and I made the decision for me to come home from my career to provide Eli with the around the clock care he needed.

Fast forward about 2 years to when Eli turned 3 years old. He had experienced many health challenges such as ear & sinus infections, eczema, reflux, allergic reactions, anaphylactic reactions, and numerous bouts with pneumonia and viruses. One of his illnesses caused a temp of 105 degrees (we had to take him into the doctor daily for injections because the temp refused to break). That resulted in pnuemonia and the continued high temperature haddamaged the eye muscle. Eli now is wearing glasses and has to patch the affected eye 2 hours a day to help strengthen it. He is one handsome guy in those glasses however!

Among all the specialists, doctors and medications, Eli, was a happy 3 year old full of life and we enjoyed every day with him. I prayed faithfully everyday that there would be a change in his health condition. I was hanging onto every word that the specialist said when she said after a full 2 years of a complete avoidance diet we would re-test Eli and see what food allergies had improved.

The day came for retesting and I was so hopeful, but within only a few minutes into the testing procedure we had to stop and remove all the testing serums because of another severe reaction. I was devistated when the allergist told me that there had been no improvement and that she had no more treatment options available for Eli. He was on the maximum doses of as many medications she could put him on and we'd have to control him as we have been with this same treatment plan.

Our little miracle and how his story began...

We were excited to welcome our fourth child, Elijah Hunter, in May 2006. But within just a few short weeks after he was born we began to realize that Eli was even more special than we had ever had imagined.

It became apparent by age 3 weeks that Eli was going to have serious health challenges although we were not able to get our pediatrician on board with that mind set for another year. Eli was born at 38wks and weighed in at 8lbs 5oz, so he was off to a great start but by the time we brought him home from the hospital he was down to almost 6lbs. The doctors weren't overly concerned mostly because he just didn't seem to be able to grasp the concept of nursing or taking to a bottle.

He did begin to eat well but immediately began to have difficulty breathing, colic and projectile vomiting and developed an upper respiratory condition that modeled the symptoms of RSV (although the test for RSV was negative), Eli was started on medications for reflux and then placed on an antibiotic.

The next few weeks set the stage for what would become Eli's "way of life". He began to have chronic ear and sinus infections every 3 1/2 weeks (I could literally mark my calendar) and the first time that he was given his immunizations he had a horrible reaction (his whole head and face swelled twice it's size, difficulty breathing and extreme lethargy). The doctor insisted that it was not a reaction to the vaccines. Three weeks later after he was given the next "round" of vaccines the same response as he had before happened again. The pediatrician dismissed it again. I knew that he would no longer be getting these vaccines because I knew something was wrong with Eli and I trusted my instinct as a Mom.

By age 1, Eli had been in the ER numerous times for "asthma" type symptoms, swelling of the lip, face, throat etc with unexplained hives and still his pediatrician refused to diagnose him with asthma or investigate the possibility of environmental and food related allergies.

Just after his first birthday he had scrambled eggs for breakfast and immediately was rushed to the emergency room because this time he had the most severe allergic reaction we had seen yet. Eli had went into anaphylactic shock and his airway had swelled and he was covered from head to toe with large hives. His eyes swelled shut, lips, nose and ears were swollen as well. He was violently vomiting and had extreme difficulty breathing. The vomiting had proved to be a good thing as it got rid of a lot of the allergen that was causing the reaction but the vomiting also caused a major reaction to anything it touched on his skin and further irritated his already swollen airway.

The pediatrician then decided we would need to take Eli to the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis to have a series of allergy testing, etc. completed.
I was relieved that they were finally going to listen to me and find out what exactly was wrong with him.