.:i want to believe:.
i have discovered…the juice.
well…i haven’t discovered; really, some good friends of ours did.
for years upon many a year, there have been cure-all tonics, magic pills and powders that remedy an ailment one might have. and for years, these things have been created and sold by charlatans to any unfortunate souls willing to purchase them, leading them to believe that all will be well if they just take it on a regular basis.
therefore, you can imagine my apprehnsion when hearing about what seems to be something that will help my ulcerative colitis out in a pretty huge way.
the stuff in question is called ‘mona vie’. mona vie’s main ingredient is something called the açaí (a-sigh-ee) berry, a berry that grows in the rainforest. a little on the berry:
“The fruit, a small, round, black-purple drupe about 1 inch in diameter, similar in appearance and size to a grape but with less pulp, is produced in branched panicles of 700 to 900 fruits. Two crops of fruit are produced per year. The fruit has a single large seedexocarp of the ripe fruits is a deep purple color, or green, depending on the kind of açaí and its maturity. The mesocarp is pulpy and thin, with a consistent thickness of 1 mm or less. It surrounds the voluminous and hard endocarp which contains a seedembryo and abundant endosperm. The seed makes up about 80% of the fruit (Schauss, 2006c).”
so…awesome…sounds a little bit like a grape, right? read on…
“Açaí, in the form of a specific freeze-dried fruit pulp, has been shown to have mild ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase enzymes COX-1 and COX-2, with more effect on COX-1 (Schauss et al., 2006b). These enzymes are important in both acute and chronic inflammation, and are targeted by many of the anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs).”
to get something clear right off the bat, i’m not getting my hopes up. everytime i’ve gotten my hopes up about something working other than the massives doses of predisone that i sometimes have to take, i’ve always been disappoionted. now…granted…as of late, things have been much better. i’ve been sticking to this low carb thing, eliminated soda completely out of my diet (nothing carbonated, actually), taking aloe and probiotic pills and and ingesting these little pills that my friend has given me (though i’m out of them, now). all of these things combined seem to have helped to keep me fairly clear over the past couple of months. oh yeah, and i’m still taking 10 mg. of prednisone and taking 12 colazal pills on top of all that.
where did i hear about this mona vie stuff? well, a couple of good friends of ours stumbled upon it. the guy had recently had some pretty hefty knee surgery. he was taking medication for it, but then i believe he found what he now lovingly refers to as ‘the juice’. after taking this for a bit, he was apparently able to stop taking the medication. upon telling his doctor, his doctor said, ‘you must either be the fastest healer in the world or this stuff really works.’
it would be one thing if some guy that i hardly knew was telling this story. as it were, this person is a totally normal guy; very honest, smart and completely not likely to fall into a some kind of scam. he gave us a bottle to try out, and so, for the past couple of days, we’ve been taking it. it comes in a wine bottle as pictures above (minus the fun waterfall cascading over it). you take two oz. total a day; one 1 oz. shot in the morning and one 1 oz. shot before bed. i don’t know if it’s in my head or what, but i feel like it’s doing something. my stomach feels like it’s a little better than it was before…and i’ve been sleeping through the entire night. not only have i been sleeping through the entire night, but i’ve been sleeping WELL through the entire night. that’s a first in quite a while.
i’m a big believer in the fact that there are lots of things out there that we don’t understand when it comes to more natural medicine, or even eastern medicinal practices. i know that there has to be a way to treat all of our ailments in life other than going up to the drug store and buying another pill. i guess what i don’t understand is why i feel apprehensive about this. i’ve done a little research, and while everything i’ve read is good, the stuff is sold a little bit like amway was sold…a pyramid scheme.
i KNOW that these friends of ours would not screw us over, and i know they aren’t trying to make a quick buck or anything like that at all. but i’m always leary of ‘the magic cure’ for things, especially when it’s sold like this.
oh well. it certainly can’t hurt to try it. if it doesn’t work, i’ll be no worse off than i was before. and if it does…well…step right up, friends! do i have a deal for you!
.a.
July 30th, 2007 at 9:33 pm - Edit
I like your honesty and respect your skepticism. I also have been questioning mona vie daily because of the stories and testamonials people are making. I tried it first myself, I saw undeniable results. Reduced inflammation, faster healing, better sleep, and an energy boost that doesn’t drop you like caffeine. My mother and father have seen results as well, my dad has lowered his blood pressure considerably. His doctor has lowered his level of medication. My mom still has yet to take it on a regular basis but, she is optamistic with my dads recent positive doctor visit. Jills father is also drinking mona vie, he has type two diabetes, he is also seeing positive results. We will keep you informed on our personal results as I hope you will, too. For now ~ Mona Vie to all!