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HOW THE BATTLE WITH ARTHRITIS IS WON—GRETA FRIBERG TELLS HER STORY
During my visit to Bjorkagarden Institute I met several patients with arthritis and interviewed some of them. One story is etched into my memory more than any other because it is a dramatic and sad story of human suffering and despair. It is a circulus vitiosus of going from doctor to doctor in the hope of finding relief from agonizing pain; staying in hospital after hospital; consuming astronomical amounts of toxic drugs—and only getting worse and worse! But this sad story had a happy ending! Let’s hear it from Mrs. Greta Friberg in her own words as follows:
“About three years ago, at the age of 42,1 started to feel a certain stiffness in my joints, mostly in my hands and shoulders. I didn’t pay much attention to it, hoping that it would heal by itself. But the stiffness persisted, on and off, for over a year. Then, in January, 1965, my left hand swelled up and started to ache. I wrapped it in warm wool, which relieved the pain somewhat, but the swelling only continued to increase. Three weeks later my right hand started to swell.
“1 went to a doctor, a private practitioner in Boras. The examination showed low blood values (70 per cent) and a high sedimentation rate (50). The doctor sent me to the Boris Hospital. But the hospital was overfilled and I had to wait until April 9,1965 to enter it. Meantime, the pain in my hands was getting more and more agonizing.
“In the hospital they gave me two different drugs: the first week Bamul the second week Prednisolone, a hormone preparation. I also received shortwave treatments. After two weeks at the hospital my sedimentation rate improved, and swelling went down a little. I was sent home and asked to return after one week for a checkup. Upon returning I received a new medication, Tanderil, and instructions to take six tablets of it a day. I went back home and continued with Tanderil. It relieved the stiffness in my joints, but after about one week I started to feel sick all over and my face started to swell badly— I looked like a blown-up balloon. I lost my appetite, felt tired all the time, and could not sleep well. One morning I could not get out of bed. I had a fever of over 100° and noticed a rash over my breast. My husband telephoned for a physician, but he couldn’t come, so my husband took me to the doctor’s office in an automobile. The doctor thought that my condition was quite bad. He said that perhaps the Tanderil was too strong and he advised me to get back home, stay in bed, and not take this drug for a while. I was rather shocked and scared to discover that drugs could be that toxic and that they could make me so ill. I went home and decided to throw away all my drugs. I had a high fever and tried resting in bed, but the fever just continued to climb. I felt sick all over. And, after I discontinued with drugs, the pain in my arms was unbelievable. The slightest move caused the most excruciating pains.
“Now my husband telephoned the hospital in Boras and was advised to take me there immediately. At the hospital I received medication which caused irregular heartbeats and a bad cough. Next day I lost consciousness and remained unconscious for 36 hours. When I woke up, I had a bad nosebleed and my eyes were inflamed. Also my hearing was affected. It was as if I had a very severe cold. My nose and throat were all congested and inflamed, and I could not take in any solid foods. This continued for a whole week. During all this time my fever remained high. Nosebleeding became very bad and they had to burn the inside of my nose to stop the profuse bleeding. After three weeks they put me back on Bamul again. This time I stayed at the hospital a total of seven weeks.
“When I got back home and started using several new prescribed drugs my temperature never did go down. I felt very tired and had to stay in bed most of the time. After four days at home and heavy medication a rash broke out all over my body. I went back to the hospital
“Now I stayed there for two and a half months. All that time my condition was progressively getting worse. My blood hemoglobin count was now 40. Doctors said that my kidneys were weak and my liver was inflamed. They gave me new drugs, six tablets a day, and sent me home. The hospital doctor sent me to a convalescent home in Hultafors.
“Five weeks at the convalescent home put me on my feet again. I regained some strength and added some weight. Not only did I receive various drugs there, but also shortwave treatments, massage, hot baths, etc. My blood value improved (80 per cent) and stiffness and swelling were relieved somewhat. I returned home able to walk, even though my arms and shoulders were still painful and stiff.
“In January, 1966 my condition took a turn for the worse again. My whole body was swollen. A doctor at the Boras
Hospital said that the swelling was caused by the drugs I was taking. When I stopped taking the drugs the pain in my joints was so unbearable that I could not tolerate it. And now stiffness was spreading all around my body; All the joints were swollen: knees, feet, hips.
“I felt very discouraged and hopeless. They had tried everything and yet I was getting worse. The drugs only made me worse, yet without them my pains were intolerable. I was a nervous wreck and felt very depressed. I wanted to die. There was no way out of the inferno of my agonizing suffering and pain.
“At this point some friends told me of the Bjorkagarden Institute. My husband felt that perhaps it was worth trying. I did not reflect one way or another—I could hardly get worse, so I had nothing to lose.
“I came here on March 18,1966. Immediately I was put on a 17 day fast. It wasn’t easy, I must admit. My nerves were bad, I was worried and irritable. But after 17 days of fasting, to my surprise, I felt a fantastic improvement! The pain was all but gone (and without drugs, because all my drugs were taken away from me the day I arrived) and my joints regained some mobility. Of course, during the fast, which consisted of fresh juices and vegetable broths, I received all the usual treatments here: baths, vacuum massage, cupping, etc. I returned home in better condition than I had experienced in many years.
“After one week home I returned here to continue my treatments. I fasted one week on water; then I went on a special diet for four weeks. After that I fasted one more week on juices. I went home for a week, much improved, but still felt some stiffness in the joints, especially my knees and hips. Later, I returned here on June 5 to complete my treatments, and have been here now for six weeks. I fasted on juices for 21 days. Now I am on my special diet again.
“The last long fast did wonders for me! Now I am completely free from pain. The joints are almost normal; no swelling, just a slight stiffness occasionally. But I know that a couple weeks more and I will he completely cured. I feel like a new person. I swim in the river every day and take long walks. I am so grateful! I plan to stay here until the 15th of August, but I feel so great already that I could go home today!”
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