MS Symptoms diminished

My name is Jeanine Hurdman. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about about six years ago at age 36. There is no cure and nothing guarantees control of the ongoing deterioration of nerve tissue. With no proven treatment available, all of us who are stricken struggle with the fear that sooner or later we may be confined to a wheel chair.

On May 1, 1994, I struggled to my seat at church, laid my Canadian crutch on the floor, and fought to catch my breath. It had been weeks since I had been to this weekly church meeting, because it had become too exhausting to walk down the long aisles. That morning I had fought with myself, wanting to attend but knowing that if I did I would pay for it by spending at least the next day in bed recuperating. One of the most devastating symptoms of multiple sclerosis is fatigue. Even simple  bodily functions such as walking require seemingly superhuman strength.

As I got my labored breathing back to normal, a friend leaned over to me and asked if I had  heard of Pycnogenol . I answered, “Pick what?”

I was skeptical, but something told me that this super-antioxidant was special. My friend offered to bring me some information. After resting in bed the next day , my daughter asked me to come watch her swim. Just as I was leaving the house, my friend arrived with the information. Not willing to wait until I got home to read it, I took the information with me.

As I sat on a bench by the pool, a woman sitting next to me read over my shoulder. She explained that she was a nurse at the veteran’s hospital and a 26-year-old patient that was so crippled with arthritis that she could do nothing but lie in her bed and cry. She was in incredible pain and unable to move at all without help. Her doctor, desperate to help in some way, had begun to treat her with this super-antioxidant in an effort to give her some relief. After two months of treatment, this young woman was able to feed herself, brush her hair, and care for herself in other small ways.

I started taking the new super-antioxidant on May 4, 1994. The first two days seemed uneventful, but I felt no disappointment because I knew it would take some time. You can imagine how surprised I was when on day three I found myself involuntarily reaching up to my face to scratch it. This may not seem out of the ordinary to you, but considering that I had had no feeling in that part of my face for over six years, it was of great significance to me! I noticed that instead of trying to gather enough energy to get out of bed every morning and spending part of each afternoon taking a rest, now I was up from morning until night without having to lie down at all.

In the past when I’ve pushed myself, I’ve pushed myself into an exacerbation (attack), which can last from a week to two months. These attacks always leave me with more debilitating nerve damage from which I never recover. The only problem I had after taking Pycnogenol was that my body, weakened from years of limited muscle activity, did not have the strength to keep up with the increased energy. Now I’m able to exercise and I find myself actually wanting to! I no longer use my heavy crutches and can get along just fine with my handicapped parking tag.

I’ve had many other happy surprises that I had no idea I could  expect. I’ve been able to stop taking the medicines which have only been effective in relieving the multiple sclerosis symptoms, but do nothing to stop its progression. There have been many other small benefits such as a healthier complexion, dexterity and strength returning to my hands, bounce in my step, and clarity in my voice. Most importantly, there’s a confidence and joy returning to my life that I thought I’d never feel again.

My whole attitude toward life has changed and every member of my family has noticed it. My older children, who can remember me in better health, have expressed how fun it is to have their mom back.

With so many wonderful things happening, you may have concluded that I have been using this super-antioxidant for a long time. I’ts only been two weeks, and I’ve astounding results. I realize that this is not a miracle cure, and I don’t expect it to heal me; but I feel it will control and relieve suffering.

Follow up: As of March 25, 1995, Jeanine is still doing great. When she has attacks, they only last for a few days, not a few weeks. She continues to have large amounts of energy and feels great. She has attempted to stop taking Pycnogenol, but when she did for only three days she noticed such distinct differences that she immediately resumed taking it. 

Depression, tendonitis helped

My name is Mela Whiting, and I was asked to tell you how Pycnogenol has affected my life. I recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, my eighth baby. Shortly after I had her I went into a deep depression. I got so bad that my gynecologist suggested that I see a psychiatrist.

Since I’ve never had any problems with depression before, I called the psychiatrist that I was referred. He couldn’t see me for two weeks, so I saw a medical doctor who prescribed a drug for panic attacks. A couple of weeks later, I saw the psychiatrist, who put me on a drug called Prozac TM. Not long after that, my shoulder quit working. When I went back to the doctor, he thought I had tendonitis, and he prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug.

I had problems with the drugs I was using. One night, I woke up shaking from the inside out, so I saw my psychiatrist again .

“Obviously, you can’t handle the Prozac TM”, he said. “Let’s try something else. I have a new drug here.” I told him I didn’t want to use it. The experience I had with the three drugs was so horrifying that I was afraid to take another one. He told me to come back in a month to see how I was doing.

I fought the depression for a long time. My shoulder got better for a while and then got worse again. I decided to see an orthopedic surgeon to find out exactly what was wrong.

The day I made the appointment, a good friend called. I told her I had a problem and was going to see a doctor. When she asked me what was wrong, I told her that I thought I had tendonitis. She said, “Mela, I think I have something that might help you.”

I asked her what it was, and she said it was called Pycnogenol. She told me that it is a food supplement from the bark of a pine tree. I’ve never been interested in natural herbs, but she said that I needed to try it. Within ten minutes she was at my house with four bottles of Pycnogenol. I didn’t have time to talk, so she said that if I had any questions I was to call her.     

My doctor took  X-rays of my shoulder, and told me that I had severe calcific tendonitis. He suggested three options: anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone shots, or surgery. I told him that I didn’t want to go back on the anti-inflammatory drugs because of my recent experience. He asked me what I wanted to do. I told him, I don’t know. Let me go home and talk with my husband.”

I cried all the way home. I walked in the door and thought, “What am I going to do?” My life is over, I’ve got depression and problems with my arm.” It was a horrid feeling. I looked on the table and there were the four bottles of Pycnogenol. I thought, “What have I got to lose?”

I read the information and was very scared to take it because of the reactions that I had from the drugs. But I read that it has no side effects and is completely non- toxic, so I decided to try it. I began taking the full saturation.

After a week, the first thing I noticed was my singing as I drove. I had not sung for a while because of my depression, and now I found myself singing.

About two and a half weeks later I was getting ready for bed, and I noticed that when I was taking off my socks, my ankles didn’t hurt. I’ve had varicose veins in my right leg, and a year ago I had  all the veins in my legs stripped. While I was carrying my last baby, I broke some veins on my ankle and on the inside of my knee. I normally had to pull my socks around my ankle to avoid pain, but that night I realized that my ankle did not hurt.

Within three weeks, I found I had more movement in my arm and shoulder. After the third week the daily progress was phenomenal. The tendonitis completely went away. I went back to my doctor and I told him how I was doing. He pushed my arm up and down and all around, asking me if this or that hurt. I told him it didn’t.

He asked me what I was doing and I told him I was taking a food supplement called Pycnogenol and what it has done for me. I have a testimony of this nutritional supplement. It has really changed my life.