I used to have complete and utter faith in doctors and their ability to heal. That was until the mid-90s when I woke up one morning with a sore neck and stiff back, which I thought was an old injury playing up. Over the next week it got gradually worse until my whole body ached. So I visited the doctor, a new one (again) as I tended to drift from one to the next, slowly becoming a bit more disillusioned.

There was the doctor who saw me after I rode my bike home from school in the wind and had trouble catching my breath (which blowing into a paper bag fixed immediately). He gave me a ventolin inhaler which I never needed again of course. There was the doctor who prescribed (very expensive) patches to prevent seasickness, which had a caution in the pack warning that they may cause seizures. This was the doctor who had diagnosed my epilepsy when I was a teenager. There was the doctor who recommended depo provera as an excellent alternative to the pill. I had no periods for six years, after trying it for a short time. Another doctor diagnosed possible polycystic ovary syndrome and sent me for an ultrasound, the results of which were given to me over the phone by a nurse, who said it meant I wouldn't be able to have children naturally - yes over the phone but also not correct information. Devastating news to a woman in her mid-20s and over the phone! I cried and cried...

So you would think I'd have had a bit of sense over the whole aching body thing. But no, I went to the doctor (one of the nicer ones I've had, I might add) and he scratched his head and gave me voltaren and voltaren emulgel. I used these willingly at first, until the stomach pains came. So I went back to the doctor as the pain had gotten worse in the meantime, each joint aching and my mobility rapidly diminishing. And he gave me extra-strong painkillers which helped a bit, for a while anyway.

Unfortunately the cause of the problem had not really been found, but then I developed patches of psoriasis all over my body. Finally something to work with. Psoriatic arthritis had the symptoms of pain and psoriasis, so we'll run with that and make an appointment with the rheumatologist. In the meantime I was given a delightful cocktail including the painkillers (codeine), prednisone (steroids) which made the pain go away, but of course added a fair bit of weight which further aggravated the whole aching joint problem and anti-depressents (amitryptylene) for that side of things (who wouldn't be depressed after putting on all that weight!). Might I add here that my psoriasis has only appeared at times of extreme stress (another (not so nice) doctor told me I was imagining it and that it was being silly to think stress could cause skin problems!) and I only began getting this problem after I began epilim for the epilepsy as a teenager.

So I saw the rheumatologist. The blood tests were all negative, but he decided it was possible I may have arthritis and so put me on a course of medication. He said it had been used for many years and might have a few side-effects, but it was only a low dose. And Kathleen Turner was taking it (well it must be safe then)! I would need breathing tests before and after treatment and blood tests after each dose which I was to be given once a week. I could remain on the painkillers, anti-depressants and steroids for now anyway. And so it was that I added Methotrexate to the blend. No wiser about it's actions until I commented to the nurse doing my weekly blood test that my blood was bright red - her answer? "That's what happens when you're having chemotherapy". Well that was a bit of a shock to say the least! Incidently, this is what I found recently on www.rxlist.com - DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THE USE OF METHOTREXATE IN THE TREATMENT OF MALIGNANCY, PSORIASIS, AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. PATIENTS SHOULD BE CLOSELY MONITORED FOR BONE MARROW, LIVER, LUNG AND KIDNEY TOXICITIES. Never was I told this or that it was a form of chemotherapy. I had to ask.

And the side-effects of all those drugs on my now immune-suppressed, painful body took their toll and I had a major seizure, the first since I was a teenager. I now couldn't drive and was stranded in the country with a partner who was at sea every other month. Depression? Those amitryptylene did nothing but make me drowsy with a dry mouth. I hallucinated when I took myself off them (slowly and against doctors recommendations I might add) but I was headed down into this big black hole with great speed and needed to take back some control. But still I went back to those doctors. And they took me off the methotrexate and decided to try me on sulfasalazine, a drug my mother had had an extreme reaction to, a fact I told the specialist. A fact he didn't seem too worried about. And I got sicker and sicker and then I was made redundant from my job as microbiologist/chemist in a local laboratory. ACC decided not to help anymore as the doctors said it was an illness, so I wasn't eligible for anything. And so we put the house on the market.

But then one day I had been seriously contemplating the point of existence and the funniest thing happened. A real estate agent was looking around our house and noticed my vast array of pill bottles on the kitchen shelf. And he asked me what was wrong and then told me about this amazing natural practitioner in Nelson who had cured his mother's cancer. Of course I smiled and thought, 'Oh yeah right'. But then a couple of hours later my wonderful friend Kirsty called to tell me about this amazing natural practitioner in Nelson her husband Pete had seen and how I just had to go and see him. And I thought - that's strange. And I thought no more about it it until later that afternoon when I opened the local newspaper (which I never usually buy) randomly to the middle and there, right in the middle of the page was a huge advert for this (amazing) natural practitioner in Nelson. I rang that day (how could I not) and he arranged to see me immediately. And you know what. He did something to me - he actually touched me instead of the prescription pad. He used kinesiology to diagnose a major calcium deficiency (the epilim in the teenage years may have been the cause all along) plus a few other things I was lacking, probably due to all the medication I had been on. An hour appointment for NZ$50 - I had spent that in five minutes with the doctors charges and prescriptions. A couple of weeks of calcium, taurine and niacin and it was as if it had never happened, except for the weight of course. I had been healed, and in more ways than one.

And so I started to walk more than two minutes without collapsing again. I took myself off all the medication (again against the doctors recommendations). I enrolled in The Australasian College of Herbal Medicine and did the Diploma in Herbal Studies, determined to never rely on another human for my basic health needs again. I started Herbal Creations Limited in 2000 as I wanted to work with the things I loved most, herbs and tinctures, oils, essential oils and ointments. Now I do the work I love, mixing formulas, making creams and herbal oils, manufacturing the tinctures. I have a team of people working with me who believe in natural healing every bit as much as I do and we enjoy doing our bit to help people to help themselves, which is really what it's all about. We provide practitioners & students with small quantites of tincture or herb, or we dispense their required formulas so that they are not limited to only a few herbs if budget constraints are an issue.

My aim with Herbal Creations was to assist the herbal practitioners as much as I can. I'm into promoting natural healing methods as much as possible for both humans and animals, having released our animal range in October. Our food-grade premises are located on my family's olive grove and so I use the organic olive oil pressed on the property when it is available. This makes wonderful infused herbal oils, massage oils, ointments and creams, and each step of the process from the planting of the trees to the making of the products has been done by people who are passionate about what they do, and about the earth and the people on it. Our website is getting excellent hit rates so there are a lot of people out there who are interested and who want to learn more. I am now improving my skills in essential oils by doing a Diploma in Aromatherapy with the intention of making a range of herbal bodycare.

I will admit that I now have an excellent doctor. She gives me choices - voltaren emulgel versus arnica cream was suggested on my first visit which was for a broken toe. And she listens. So I'll be sticking with this doctor for the very occasional big thing and using my library of books and the many wonderful contacts I have made in the herbal industry for the rest.

And by the way, the not conceiving naturally thing? I made myself a herbal blend to bring back my periods a while back and it worked. Of course the following month there was nothing, but nine months later... Amy will be one next week. I wonder if that nurse even knows what she put me through the day she called...

Now that I am in my 30s I'm going to use my experiences in my 20s to tell as many people as I can that they have options. Never take a first opinion if it doesn't feel right. Always consider how your body reacts and when you read the side-effects of a medication, consider how these change with each extra medication you add to your body. Ask questions. Are there natural alternatives? What supplements should you take with the medicine? Calcium, iron? Does it affect the absorption of anything (calcium for epilim for example). ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS AS YOU NEED TO and if they won't or can't answer the questions, or find the answer in a book, website etc. CHANGE YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY OR GET A SECOND (THIRD, FOURTH) OPINION. This is your right as a human being and no-one can tell you otherwise.

Good health to you.
Karen Malone (nee Johnston)
BSc. Zoo., Dip. Herb.
4/11/02

Update May 2005 – with Jack having been born on 12th January this year, I’m thinking perhaps they were a tad wrong on the inability to have children side of things…

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those people who have helped make Herbal Creations a possibility.
To my mum and dad who have been a major part of it all, from financing and business skills to creche duties!
To my brother Shaun, who has computer skills which blow me away (and have saved me on many occasions....)
To my family for their support. Couldn't have done it if it wasn't for my husband Ben, daughter Amy & son Jack who make it all worth while.
To my extended family, both blood relations and inlaws. I've always had such great support from my family which is very much appreciated and returned. Nanna's been a great test subject too...thanks Nanna
To my awesome technicians Mary and Ginny, who made it all possible...
To my wonderful friends. To Kirsty who's just always there for everything, every time. To Biddy, who trials the products and critiques them very kindly and then tells all her friends about them and it's all go! To Sarah who has such a vast knowledge of products that I am amazed constantly... To Steph van Campfort, an old school friend who has really supported me since we caught up again at our school reunion. Her confidence in me has been amazing... thanks Steph

To Stephanie Vazey of Woman's Day magazine, who boosted my confidence immensely by featuring our products. The range wouldn't have grown as it has without her support. To Tracy, a retail goddess who keeps things super organised and running efficiently, ensuring me some sanity in my daily life of small children... and to all the rest of you who know who you are. Thank you for being supportive, especially at the beginning when I really needed it.
And finally to everyone everwhere I have ever met and those I have yet to meet. Each of you has taught me something and I thank you for that.

Best Wishes,
Karen

Update from Natasha - 2006

Karen is now working as a Natural Therapist, as well as running Natural Health workshops with Inspire Natural Therapies in Tauranga, New Zealand.

Her new website is Inspire Natural Therapies :

http://www.intl.co.nz