On March 30, 1983, on route from Denver to Houston, Texas, at an altitude of 35,000 feet, I did not know that I was flying my last flight as a pilot for a major airline carrier. I loved flying. I liked the excitement and the travel, and I was holding on to the bitter end. The "bitter end" manifested with my being grounded in Houston, being replaced by a reserve pilot, and being sent back to the doctor in San Francisco. I had started coughing. I had been forewarned of the potential for ruptured book vessels and the possibility that I might drown in my own blood. So I did not resist the grounding. But I did not know it would be the end of a 20-year career, including a 5-year hitch as a Navy pilot. Eleven months of sick leave ensued.

Even though I enjoyed my job, it became increasingly difficult the last few years because of my poor health. In addition to the normal aging process, my health was on a rapidly declining course. My condition was officially diagnosed as "bronchiectasis." I had had an on/off work pattern for several years. In July, 1982, in the midst of a dinner party at our home, I had experienced a coughing attack and had to be taken to the hospital. Along with this went high blood pressure, and the doctor warned that I was a candidate for a stroke. The progression was steadily downhill after that.

I had been able to continue flying as long as I did because I was living on antibiotics. These antibiotics suppressed my symptoms sufficiently that I felt reasonably well during the good times. Although I was provided temporary relief, I had to endure some rather frightening side effects, which ranged from false heart attack symptoms to rashes

on various parts of my body! I cannot begin to tell you of all the different tests that I was subjected to and of how I was attempting to regain relief! There were angiograms, lungs scans, brain scans, and many more.

At times, I would ask the doctors if these additional symptoms I was experiencing could be caused by the medications they were prescribing. They would always tell me that my complaints were just part of the medical condition that I had, and I bought what they told me. I do believe my doctors were caring people, and I believe that they were doing what they thought was best for me. They have not had the blessed opportunity to see what a visit to the California Health Sanctuary near Hollister could do. There are other ways to treat problems of illness than those the medical community uses.

My case of bronchiectasis was diagnosed in the mid 70's. Let me give you some background on this condition. "Bronchiectasis" is defined as "the enlargement or distortion of one or more of the bronchi, or main air passages into the lungs." The enlargement is often a result of frequent infections in childhood. It leads to impaired drainage of the fluid that is normally secreted by bronchial cells, and the fluid may then remain in the lungs where it will become stagnant. The stagnant fluid usually leads to infection.

The main symptom of bronchiectasis is a frequent cough that brings up large amounts of green or yellow phlegm or sputum. This is sometimes spotted with blood. With this condition, I have been susceptible to repeated infections of the lungs. This had left me with chronic bad breath. In my case, the frequent coughing led to massive hemoptysis (coughing up large amounts of blood). My condition

PART I: "How Can I Get Proof that Natural Hygiene Really Works

via Case Histories? 6