Left: EULALEE THOMPSON. Right: Julett Simpson smiles as she speaks about the power of Ayurvedic medicine, an ancient Indian medical system. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
SEVERAL YEARS into her quest to unearth a spiritual centre, Julett Simpson discovered that she had lupus (a chronic connective tissue disorder affecting the skin and some internal organs).
"I didn't know and I didn't want to accept it either, because I felt that how I was working spiritually should take care of any problems that I might have had, which is not really so. That is something that we may believe," said Simpson, looking radiant in an elegant arty head tie and purple outfit.
She was sitting in the Kingston office of Dr. Syamala Devi, Ayurvedic medicine practitioner. Dr. Devi was in office, calmly pouring a continuous stream of herbalised warm oil on the forehead of a patient - her treatment to relieve stress and headache. Gently scented air, stillness, peace, understated, still evolving - this place had become Simpson's wellspring when the lupus diagnosis was getting in the way of her life.
Her doctor had told her of the lupus some 17 years ago, but being deep into her spiritual quest, she refused to take the recommended steroids. She instead tried relaxation therapy (because she believed that conditions like lupus are stress-related pathologies) and she cut back on meat intake, almost going fully vegetarian. She was forced, within the last four or five years, however, to accept that she really had lupus.
OVERSTRESSED
"Over the last three or four years, I had a lot of trauma in my family. My sister died, then my brother suddenly died, then my father fell suddenly ill and I was the one who was taking care of him. So, I think all the stress of that played out in my body. So, what was happening was that I was deteriorating in the body because lupus attacks the organs of body and it was affecting the various organs," Simpson said.
But, when she had finally shifted out of denial, it wasn't to conventional medicine and steroids that she turned to for help, it was to Ayurvedic medicine, the ancient system of Indian medicine, and Dr. Devi, an Indian national who set up practice here just under two years ago. Ayurvedia uses natural ways (diet, meditation, exercise, herbs, detoxification) to treat health conditions.
Dr. Devi started Simpson's treatment here in Kingston, but suggested that she continued with more intensive care at a Ayurvedic clinic in India.
"Once she was diagnosed with lupus," said Dr. Devi, in a strongly-accented voice, "she had lots of skin eruptions, digestion problems and was not able to take food. With what herbs I had, I started giving it to her ... and gave her some detox for the liver (liver herbs) and then that helped her more and then like some oils to help with her skin."
Simpson accepted Dr. Devi's suggestion and went to India last September, for four months, undergoing continuous Ayurvedic treatment and therapy.
"The doctor in India said I do not heal you, the healing comes from the divine. All I am here to do is to provide you with the medicine. I found that fascinating because of the spiritual component of the whole thing," said Simpson.
She came back in January, from all accounts, a much improved person. She left in a wheelchair as she had become so weak, now she has no need for the wheelchair and is as strong as ever. She left with black markings on her face (from the lupus), but now they are all gone. She was not able to take pepper, now she can.
"The herbs work slowly and the doctor there (in India) said I would start seeing more results after August," said Simpson.
Please send your feedback to eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com.
