Evelyn Koontz had just moved to Spokane, Washington, with her family when a serious automobile accident left her hospitalized with multiple injuries. Her left side became weak and numb and the doctors were worried she had suffered a stroke. Test after heartrending test left her and her family in the dark. They had no idea what was happening to her body.

Approximately six months later, during which time Evelyn saw eighteen physicians, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. One of the great causes of oxidative stress is injuries or major surgeries, and Evelyn’s physicians felt the trauma of the accident had triggered the MS.

Evelyn has always tried to have a good attitude toward her diagnosis and promised never to let this disease get her down. Doctors started her on a drug called Betaseron, which is a common drug used for MS [What does this drug do? It is beta interferon, which tries to build up the immune system---very expensive and very hard to tolerate]. But her body was just barely able to tolerate the medication and she became very sick. After two months she told her family and her doctor she would not continue taking the drug. Her family was supportive, realizing that the terrible side effects were not worth any gain she might receive. [But she continued to take other meds, right? So why was giving this one up so upsetting? She did not take any medication then for her MS---as you will see later she took Norpace for the rhythm of her heart

“I was devastated and spent many days depressed,” Evelyn remembers. “I would stare out my window and ask those haunting questions: Why me? and Why now? I spent nights wandering the halls of our home or sitting at our parlor window crying. It was my only time to be alone, when I could express my deepest emotions.”

Evelyn attended support group meetings with her husband and children. She and her family began making adjustments to their lifestyle[such as? Trying to accommodate and care for her]. Evelyn also faced the possibility of sudden blindness, a symptom of MS that some people experience. “I would sit at the foot of my children’s beds,” she says, “watching them sleep, memorizing their faces, the color of their hair, their peaceful expressions so I wouldn’t forget what they looked like. I would write in my journal and try to document everything I could remember about my children. A day didn’t pass that I would take a single moment for granted.”

It was not long before Evelyn began to decline. Over the next four years she continued to lose strength in both of her legs, and eventually her arms and hands. She had to use a cane for a while; a few months later she needed a walker. Even more frustrating and discouraging was the fact that she began to have bowel and bladder retention. This not only made her feel uncomfortable, it also led to several bladder and kidney infections. She became totally dependent on her family for both her physical and emotional needs.

Through it all Evelyn’s attitude was amazing. She could hardly move or go anywhere without the help of her walker or family. She could see the shock at her decline written all over friends’ faces. But Evelyn didn’t give up. In response to her disease, this wife and mom started physical therapy and began to research MS on her own.

Evelyn tried some alternative therapy but continued to decline. Then, almost four years after her diagnosis, she decided to try taking potent nutritional supplements in an attempt to slow down her progressive disease. She started with some strong antioxidant and mineral tablets along with grape-seed extract and a natural nutrient called Coenzyme Q10. Within weeks Evelyn began to feel better.

“For the first time in years, I slept through the night and woke up feeling rested,” she reports. “I no longer needed a nap during the day, and I didn’t have bladder or bowel problems. I experienced an increase in my endurance level. My strength began returning in my legs and my arms. I could even run up the stairs to answer the phone, which stunned my children. In fact, I completely surprised my daughter, Tasha, when I started to jump rope with her. For the first time in a long time, I was able to walk outside barefoot and feel the grass under my toes.”

Evelyn had many other surprises as she continued taking her nutritional supplements. For one, even before the accident she had suffered from heart palpitations. Along with the improvement she noticed in her MS, she also realized that her heart was beating again normally. When she approached her doctor about the possibility of quitting the drug, Norpace, that controlled her heart arrhythmia, he did some testing and wrote on her chart, “Off all meds.” Evelyn’s life had been miraculously changed.

What happened? Why did Evelyn improve so much? At the time I became involved with Evelyn I had never seen anyone with MS experience such results. I had witnessed many patients with flare-ups from their disease going into remission. But their overall strength and body function still slowly declined. Evelyn’s story was markedly different.

By applying the principles you will learn at Health Concepts International, Evelyn was able to win the war within. She began providing enough antioxidants and their supporting nutrients to bring balance back to her body and oxidative stress back under control. She built up her body’s natural immune system while improving her body’s natural repair system.

I’m happy to report that Evelyn has continued to improve and leads an active life. She started her nutritional program in 1995. She still has MS, of course, and has to be careful. But she is living life to the fullest. 

Evelyn’s neurologist still does not know what to think about her miraculous turnaround. He recently ordered a repeat MRI of her brain. To his amazement, the white plaque spread throughout the brain that is so diagnostic of MS had significantly improved. This could mean only one thing: healing had occurred during the interim. Normally, these typical lesions on the brain only increase in number. Needless to say, Evelyn’s neurologist was speechless.

Here is strong evidence that the body is still able to heal itself when necessary nutrients are available at optimal levels. Evelyn’s story is just one illustration of the benefits of winning the war within. Evelyn encourages all individuals who are suffering to follow Dr. Strand's Nutritional Recommendations and his Healhty for Life Program.  She says,  "Dr. Strand's Healthy for Life program is the perfect lifestyle for people. For anyone with a health challenge, they can significantly improve their health. For others, it shows them how to maintain good health. Our food choices really do impact our health. When you add to that, proper exercise and good nutritionals, as Dr. Strand recommends, you really can live a good life."