Balancing Dopaminotrophic Neurotransmitter Levels

For more background information on me,
Click on Archive(s); then Click on my article :
My Testimonial; Living with Parkinson's Disease

None of my neurologists have ever tested for and/or measured ANY of my nervous system neurotransmitter levels; dopamine included, as doctors seem to do routinely for other ailments like depression or for psychiatric / hyperactive patients.

Both sides of my family history (going back several generations), revels no one with PD, but it's been documented that both my maternal grandmother and her husband were both hospitalized with nervous breakdowns; specifically severe depression.

Around 1944, my maternal grandfather officially "disappeared" early. My Mom reveals the story that the only clue as to what happened to him is a tiny news clipping from an undisclosed newspaper stating that around six months prior to his 'permanent disappearance'; he was found in a nearby hospital after having been missing for a while and that it appeared that he had been suffering from a nervous breakdown.

My maternal grandmother (at the age of 45-ish) about 15 years later, eventually killed herself by jumping off of a five-story tenement building in Southeast Queens, New York City. She had been hospitalized a number of times for severe depression in Creed More State Mental Hospital, in Queens, New York prior to her suicide.

Her daughter, my mother, also suffers from depression and has been under a psychiatrists care her whole life and is always medicated to prevent severe depression. When I was small I swore I’d never be like them. So I got PD instead, which I truly believe is the depression problem coming out in another form. I’ve always thought my PD was a form of the very same imbalances in neurotransmitters; IE. serotonin, dopamine levels, etc. as in my mother and both of my maternal grandparents' psychiatric problems.
But no one ever discusses these similarities. Has any research been done linking these various neurotransmitter levels?

I recently heard on a WBAI radio program hosted by a Doctor who's guest was another Doctor. They were discussing neurotransmitter status & hormones and how the guest doctor has developed a urine test to determine serotonin, dopamine, and histamine levels and how the findings of this urine test helps to administer positive results to their psychiatric / hyperactive patients by adjusting their diet and meds accordingly.. . . this fascinated me.
Why does it seem that neurologists assume that PD is only caused by the lack of dopamine production by certain nerve cells and not an imbalance of the serotonin, dopamine, histamine and hormonal levels resulting in a dopaminotrophic malfunction? As I listened to the two doctors discussing how vital these levels are to the normal functioning of a healthy being; deep in my gut, I couldn’t help wondering about my theory that my PD is directly related to ALL of these dopaminotrophic neurotransmitter levels.

Another clue that dopaminotrophic neurotransmitter levels must be properly balanced in regards to my controlling my PD became evident when the two doctors discussed diet, and how important protein is as a precursor to serotonin production in the human body.

I’ve always craved protein, especially when I was pregnant, both times with my two daughters. In my cursory research I've learned that the building blocks for almost all hormones is either protein or

I can’t seem to find any research investigating or disproving any of my hunches/hypothisis which states:

The balancing of human [dopaminotrophic] neurotransmitter levels (serotonin, dopamine, Adrenalin, histamine, gamma aminobutryic acid, acetylcholine, noradrenaline, glycine, neuromodulators, and the various other hormone levels) that"mix in the blood stream" to regulate/sustain human life is a key factor in finding a 'cure" as it pertains to PD.
I wrote to the radio host doctor. Here is/was his response:

This Doctor wrote:> Greetings Ms Dejongh,> > I wish I had time to thoroughly respond to your E-mail.> For research articles I would suggest you call the> Neuroscience people. I am sure they can give you> some leads on the articles. Dopamine is a> neurotransmitter.> The question is whether the part of the brain that> produces dopamine, the substantia nigra, is still> intact.(eaarly MRI's I had revealed no indication of damage in that region) If its not you have true Parkinson's> disease. If it is, meaning an MRI is negative for lesions in> this area of your brain, then you just have a> Parkinson's like illness. Dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline constitute a> class of compounds called catecholamines. They are> usually made in this order. L phenylalanine and L> tyrosine are amino acids that are precursors to the> production of dopamine with other chemical reactions> leading to the production of noradrenaline and> adrenaline. Depression can involve any of these> neurotransmitters as well as serotonin and any> number of vitamin and other nutrient deficiencies. To> really see if there is a relationship between your> Parkinson's disease and the depression experienced> in your family it might be interesting to see what> shows up on the urine neurotransmitter test. > > All the best,> Doctor, MD

I was unable to follow up on this and regretfully I must admit my neurotransmitter levels were never tested.

I'd be very interested in opinions about PD and my hypothesis of adjusting my neurotransmitters' levels? I'd love to research this futher but how. How could I find a Biology student who might be interested in making this the core subject of their Ph.D study and/or some research laboratory/company interested in the same?
Peace & Blessings,
Monique deJongh

Our Visit to the Lady of Liberty

Statue of Liberty

We Found Ancestors at Ellis Island

ELLIS ISLAND

THE

AMERICAN

FAMILY

IMMIGRATION

HISTORY

CENTER

(AFHIC)
at:
www.ellisisland.org

You too can access their new data base of the passenger records of the ships that landed some 25 million immigrants, crew members and other passengers at the port of New York!

We went to Ellis Island this past May 27th, 2006 - and Bob and I located at least 7 seven of our relatives - all on my side(s) of the family!!!!

We Located:

My paternal grand mother:

Ruby Evadne Sherwood - Sailed five days to NY Harbor, 1st class cabin, arriving on May 26, 1924 for a 60 day vacation as a student/dress maker and never left!

Ruby's (her) father:

Mortimer Sherwood - came to NY in 1895!

Ruby's (Her) brothers:

Charles Sherwood
Louis Sherwood - Helga's grandfather - Melba's father
Randolph Sherwood -

Ruby's first cousin:

Iris Sherwood - anyone know who she is? (Dad/Al thinks she's Mortimer's brother's daughter - his 2nd cousin)

My Mom's (Carole's) paternal grandparents:

Karl and Anna Bjulin - went to Sweden at ages 60 & 58 - residence listed in Jamestown, NY
Karl Bjulin - visited from Linkoping, Sweden, the USA in 1907 - staying in South Norwalk!

(From whatever point of the compass you come, as you approach Linköping your path is lined by billowing cornfields and the sweet smelling Östergötland soil. From miles away you can see the tower of the Cathedral rise above the plain. The Cathedral is one of the finest buildings in Scandinavia and its one-time ruler was the famous Bishop Brask, who lived in Linköping Castle, hard by the Cathedral.)
http://www.linkoping.se/international/English/index.htm

Carole's (Her) maternal grand mother:

Annie Cummings: from Boston

Carole's Mother:

Ethel Cummings - [NOT sure about this one!]

Alfonso's paternal grandfather:

Harry Jellerett - 3X in 3 months May June and July of 1917
Three times Harry is listed as being a crew member - Boatswain Mate
(Boatswain: A warrant officer or petty officer in charge of a ship's rigging, anchors, cables, and deck crew's petty officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen )
on the SS Tagus - also they list his nationality as being from Barbados but sailing out of Kingston, JA

So you can look up relatives too!

[IMG]http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h283/jellyjong/IMG_1414.jpg[/IMG]

If you Ancestor was Enslaved - even though your ancestor was not listed in the cargo manifest, circumstantial evidence of the ship can be obtained if you know where, when, and by whom the enslaved person was first purchased. You can then search:
National Archives and Records Administration which holds microfilm copies of manifests of slave ships, arriving in the Savannah, Mobile and New Orleans, 1789-1808

Look in museums' special collections containing manifests of slave ships.

Look in libraries' published compilations of documents relating to the Slave Trade


SLAVE SHIPS were NOT recorded here at Ellis Island! However they do have records at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

go to
to try to track down ancestors who traveled here on slave ships!
www.archives.gov

their official email address is
inquire@nara.gov

or go to:

www.archives.gov/facilities

for current informationon all National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) facilities!

HOW TO MARRY A BLACK MAN

BY
Mrs. Monique Jellerette-deJongh
and
Mrs. Cassandra Marshall Cato-Louis

One of my oldest and dearest friends sent me this email . . .

"This is a very good article {'Marriage Is for White People' By Joy Jones Sunday, March 26, 2006 A washingtonpost.com article}
and speaks to what most of us already feel and know...! Excellent article. Click on the article link."

In regards to the article:

'Marriage Is for White People' By Joy Jones Sunday, March 26, 2006
: A washingtonpost.com article

I disagree vehemently! I don't think it is an excellent article at all. I think it’s racists and outrageously ill conceived! And upon closer perusal I am actually angered at its poor thesis construction, lack of statistical continuity, blatant contradictory statements, gross generalizations and its harmful (criminal, if you ask me) perpetuation of falsehoods that are keeping black folk from meeting, mating, and marrying!

Unfortunately, I realize that the author, Ms. Joy Jones honestly believes that she's written a balanced, well researched and logical exploration of the topic "Marriage is for White People" NOT!

She hasn’t. Instead Ms. Jones wrote an article primarily based on her own personal life experiences which she manages to turn into fact for the entire African American Population. This is not okay. It would be tolerable had she maintained that the piece was just that: her editorial opinion, But she jumped that deep chasm of integrity; tempting as it is; no doubt; and projected her opinion onto statistical information; interpolating the dismal fate of marriage among all black people.

Ms. Jones is perpetuating a fraud. Please don't buy-into her non-sense? It’s self-destructive thinking like this, on the part of my fellow Black Sistahs that prompted me to write How to Marry a Black Man in the first place!

It saddens me even further that sisters, have swallowed all of her negativity - hook line and sinker! These negative beliefs that she's perpetuating, deepen your worst fears, strengthening your hindrances to finding happiness with a loving husband and fathers for your children.

I have a big problem with this article and here are my reasons why.

First of all Ms. Jones’ first two paragraphs are filled with random and gross generalizations. At first glance they seem to be didactically related but upon closer inspection they are a Freudian laundry list of her hurts, disappointments and, doubts about relationships. She practically eulogizes that “she saw as an adult”(as if her “seeing it is conclusive evidence) “that divorce almost becomes a rite of passage.” What the hell does that mean? It’s a statement based totally “out of any rational context” except, I suspect, the context of her very own un-dealt-with childhood wounds and how she’s allowing that to block her own blessings.

Then she admittedly bases her racist grand title and thesis: 'Marriage Is for White People' on the idle chatter of a l2 year old Black boy during a sixth grade class she was teaching. Ms. Jones neglects to mention his race but based on the accompanying photograph of her teaching a group of Black children – I assume he’s black. Instead of admitting that the young child’s remark confirmed her worst fear; that she might never marry, Ms. Jones turns this child’s statement into an alien monster of sorts; who’s responsible for all of the unmarried black people in the world. She is in complete and total denial of her direct influence on the out come of her own unmarried dilemma.

Ms. Jones never answers these thought provoking questions! Or proves their validity!

"How have we gotten here? What has shifted in African American customs, in our community, in our consciousness that has made marriage seem unnecessary or unattainable?"

And then she proceeds to give undeniable proof that what she’s stating is preposterous! By quoting this historical Fact about black coupling / relationships persevering even during slavery, Ms. Jones is unequivocally contradicting herself, in my humble opinion.

"Although slavery was an atrocious social system, men and women back then nonetheless often succeeded in establishing working families. In his account of slave life and culture, "Roll, Jordan, Roll," historian Eugene D. Genovese wrote: "A slave in Georgia prevailed on his master to sell him to Jamaica so that he could find his wife, despite warnings that his chances of finding her on so large an island were remote. . . . Another slave in Virginia chopped his left hand off with a hatchet to prevent being sold away from his son." I was stunned to learn that a black child was more likely to grow up living with both parents during slavery days than he or she is today, according to sociologist Andrew J. Cherlin."

Throughout this entire article Ms. Jones only mentions the basic human need for love and intimacy once in an extremely poorly-constructed run-on sentence. She states, as a testament by “One {who} told me that…sex and love...have become a la cart choices rather than a package deal that comes with marriage.” I find it curious that she never delves into the probable riches of intimacy and avoids extolling the untold depths of love that are only possible in a uniquely committed bond like marriage. ..instead reducing marriage’s only possible virtues to and I quote “– male companionship, close family ties {and} - a house – I already had, or were within reach and with exponentially less drama.”

Ms. Jones expresses an adolescent construct of marriage (based on a he-said-she-said argument building technique) that confirms a bizarre predisposition that it must suck since she can’t attain it. A basic psychology 101 “sour grapes” attitude if you ask me!

I could conceivably go on deconstructing her composition, sentence by sentence demonstrating to you her really atrocious writing skill, horrific fact finding ability, poor argument building technique, resulting in ill-gotten conclusions; paragraph after paragraph. But it’s just too painful. I hope you can see what I mean?

Her constant reference to unidentified sources is not only tedious but consistently discredits her “advice/findings”? Even so the most credible thing Ms. Jones cites in this entire piece of drivel is by an unidentified “…Black male acquaintance…” His “…prediction” about the lack of marriages is the only relevant truth she actually imparts:

"I don't believe marriage is going to be extinct, but I think you'll see fewer people married," he said. "It's a bad thing. I believe it takes the traditional family -- a man and a woman -- to raise kids." He has worked with troubled adolescents, and has observed that "the girls who are in the most trouble and who are abused the most -- the father is absent. And the same is true for the boys, too."

I believe with all of my being that it is completely possible for you my sistahs, to meet, and marry the man of your dreams. You are the only one who can determine this outcome. You must be as determined to heal your childhood wounds (not completely) but just enough to allow you to let love into your heart. There is no such thing as the perfect man or the perfect marriage; neither do I advise you to seek perfection of yourself. Love yourself unconditionally and open up your heart to the possibility(s).

All of the rest is poppycock.

How to marry a Black Man is complete with advice for trying to always be positive.

Ten of Monique and Cassandra's twenty-five tips...

1. Get your act togetha, so when you finally do meet Mr. Right, he can't resist you.
2. Smile and say "hello" to every Black man you see.
3. Forgive old lovers and make peace with them.
4.Tell everyone you know that you're looking for a husband.
5. Go on as may blind dates as possible.
6. Date men who are not your "type"--you may be pleasantly surprised.
7. If you ask a man a series of questions within the first five minutes of meeting him, he'll tell you almost anything you want to know. After that he clams up and won't tell you a thing.
8. If you realize right away he is someone you don't like but does have an interesting job or hobby, he may have a friend who's perfect for you.
9. If he's available and you like him, don't hesitate to let him know.
10. Dress conservatively. If you attract him with your body, how are you going to keep him with your mind?

About sixteen years ago, on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Monique Jellerette was desperate to get married, but couldn't seem to find the right man. A married friend, Cassandra, offered some solid (albeit unsolicited) advice. Monique, determined to do it her own way, suffered through a few more dates from Hell before she realized Cassandra's tips might make sense. So she started putting Cassandra's suggestions to work, made up a few tricks of her own, and devised a plan of action...Six months later Monique met and married Bob and became Mrs. Monique Jellerette deJongh! Now, in How to Marry a Black Man, Mrs. Monique Jellerette deJongh and Mrs. Cassandra Marshall Cato-Louis share their secrets wwith women everywhere.

Based on Monique and Cassandra's proven techniques, and coupled with the results of all-male focus groups on what Black men are really looking for in a prospective mate, How to Marry a Black Man is part manual/journal and part workbook, and delivers the goods on how to master the dating game and find a husband.

"Black men, get this--the sisters have done it! They got the formula for turning the brothers into husbands. Buy it, read it, and learn how to protect yourself, or don't--just go buy the ring." --Melvin Van Peebles

Prince's Androgynous Sexuality Saves Us All!

By Monique Jellerette-deJongh

A Response To An Uptown Article:

All The Ladies Call Me Electric Man

By Vicki Shuttleworth ~ Uptown Issue #48 (2001)

Uptown: All The Ladies Call Me Electric Man - link:
By Vicki Shuttleworth ~ Uptown Issue #48 (2001)
Women are a window into Prince's art and inner life. Whether as the subject of lyrics, or part of the "show,' they offer insights into what drives his music and how he relates to the world as a man and an artist. Women have shared in some of his most private and painful moments and, in public, have played the role of sibyl or messenger. In this article, Vicki Shuttleworth looks at the ways in which Prince has constructed roles and identities for women he has worked with. She suggests some reasons as to why his seeming empathy with women and for all things feminine has not produced an enduring intimacy with any one woman.

What we think we “know” about Prince, The Man, has largely been mediated through women. From Gayle Chapman, Jill Jones, Lisa Coleman through to Mayte Garcia, women have alternately acted as an onstage foil in Prince’s performances or been intermediaries and narrators of his public life. They have also defined the parameters of how dirty and daring he is prepared to be on stage by, for example, performing simulated fellatio, or acting as angelic handmaidens to his spiritual renewals as lngrid Chavez and Mayte have done. The women in Prince’s world have often been dismissed by the media as “proteges” (a word implying prostitution and rarely applied to males even in its masculine form) or described as part of an unimpressive collection of “sundry other women” (George Nelson).

By contrast, Prince himself has placed women centre stage and almost exclusively enlisted women to tell his story — Troy Beyer narrates The Ryde Dyvine, Kirstie Alley plays journalist Vanessa Bartholomew in the “My Name Is Prince” video and on the f album, Vanessa Marcil stumbles into a rehearsal for The Undertaker, Nona Gaye plays the lonely fan who finds The Beaut(ful Experience and Corrie Dana is the fan/atic in Love 4 One Another. The versatile Mayte penned letters to official Fanzines Controversy and NPG Magazine on Prince’s behalf, narrated a segment on the NPG shop in Minneapolis and spoke for a voiceless Tora Tora on the BBC’s The Sunday Show. Telling Prince’s storyA common thread in all of these “scripts” is Prince as the elusive and unattainable object of desire. A frustrated female reporter (Troy Beyer, Kirstie Alley) arrives on the scene of an excited and expectant crowd, but where is Prince? Fan/abc, Corrie Dana gets to hang out with band members but the closest she comes to meeting her “soul mate” is on the other end of a telephone. Women also play the role of ingenue through which Prince delivers his message or moral “truth”: a disconsolate Jan (Nona Gaye) accesses the “beautiful experience” and learns the importance of self-love and inner beauty. In her letter to Prince’ (NPG Magazine, No.1), Mayte assumes the role of the adoring fan who while”...a little confused with everything that’s going on in your life” pleads for “a chance to experience Prince’ and his new music.” Every shift in Prince’s career or persona has produced a reinterpretation of his relationship with women. He started out as the Horny Toad whose sexual appetite could only be sated by an endless procession of willing females. By the time he became Lovesexy it was all about understanding — he understood them and they in turn understood him better than any male could. “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World” competition and video set out to affirm this empathy by identifying an almost complete spectrum of women as “beautiful”: old, young pretty, plain, elegant, ungainly, fat, slim, and all shades of colour. When Prince finally became Somebody’s Somebody and he could no longer hang loose with the girls, his relationship with women was further internalized and became a matter of him feeling comfortable with his “feminine side.”

He even tantalized Oprah viewers (1996) with the revelation that analysts had discovered two people inside him — one possibly female. Whatever the truth, his most relaxed interviews are undoubtedly with women: notably an awestruck Mel B who allowed him to shape and direct their Beautiful Strange encounter. Transient relationshipsGiven his much publicized affinity with women and all things feminine, it’s curious that none of Prince’s relationships with women — personal or professional — have endured. Wendy and Lisa were still offering unflattering and bitter comments about their former boss 15 years after their departure. Their current relationship with Prince seems guarded and distant pointing to unfinished business Prince clearly accepts and perhaps even admires strong self-sufficient women — educator Marva Collins and fellow artists Mavis Staples, Patti La Belle, Rosie Gaines and Chaka Khan. Yet every one of these relationships including those most personally intense — with Kim Upsher, Susan Moonsie, Jill Jones, Vanity, Susannah Melvoin, Sheila F., Anna Garcia, Kim Basinger, Carmen Electra and Mayte — appear to be transient. The man himself has perhaps provided one kind of explanation: “I like to watch.” Prince has always presented himself as a singular man — a unique musician, a renegade, an outsider, a watcher, even a voyeur whose “curiosity knows no shame”. The voyeur features in many of Prince’s songs including “Violet The Organ Grinder,” “Pheromone,” “I Wanna Melt With U,” the videos for which sample the style of pornographic movies, as does “Acknowledge Me” where the boys wear suspender belts and the girls in true S&M style lead men on chains like dogs. The voyeur is represented by the eye and it’s no coincidence that many of Prince’s studio photographs and recording artworks feature his eye or eyes looking out into the world with a detached and dispassionate stare.

The roles played by Kirstie Alley, Nona Gaye and Corrie Dana also express that detachment. As characters they watch Prince at a distance; as actors they are agents for Prince in maintaining his distance from the crowd. Bitch or angelPrince’s detachment is most apparent in the idiosyncratic way he stylizes women. All of the women in his entourages have fitted somewhere along a continuum of familiar sexual types — from “bitches” (Vanity) through to angels (Mayte). As a “bitch” concept, Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6 have been variously damned as “tacky,” “perverted” and an outdated adolescent fantasy that demeaned women. In a sense Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6 were far from being an anachronism; they were very much part of ‘8os Retro. Their “sisters” may have been padding out their corporate shoulders and talking about sexploitation but like most late 70s/earIy ‘8os performers, Vanity and Apollonia’s “look” was a direct take on an earlier style — in their case ‘405-505 “Cheesecake.” Prince had been borrowing and recycling styles long before the Vanity 6 project — punk and pimp, for example. Early commentators put this down to Prince’s eclecticism but it was more than that Whereas other ‘805 performers (for example, Adam Ant and Boy George) studied a particular genre and absorbed it into their own personal style, Prince tended to take only the most obvious, familiar aspects of a concept or fashion and use it as a fetish for his audience. With Diamonds And Pearls he took the Gangsta Glam of Raymond Chandler and Film Noir, threw in some Audrey Hepburn/Jane Russell sophistication (Diamond and Pearl) and added a little of the Epic from ancient Assyria and Rome with his hairstyle and stage settings — all chosen for their readily identifiable cultural meanings. Thus Vanity was a “nasty girl” before she sang even one note. She and her “ladies” wore all the recognizable fetishes — lace underwear, suspender belts, leather. From 1999 through to Come, Prince sets and videos are a visual catalogue of fetishistic gear: captain caps, masks, chains, bars, leather and feathers, not to speak of Prince’s own frills, laces, and bottomless breeches. As a keen observer of the ways in which people “show” or express their Inner life, Prince knows how to press all the right cultural buttons on sexuality.

Mayte’s transformation - Mayte has played every role that Prince ever required of a woman including the two traditional extremes of desirability — the pneumatic lover with pussy control and virgin/angel. Mayte starts as the pretty, innocent girl on roller skates, evolves into a mysterious and alluring belly dancer, and goes on to be a hip hop sex pot. She even transforms herself into Prince as part of the Act II show not only demonstrating the illusory nature of ”Prince” but also hinting at their more personal association. How then did Mayte make the transition to friend, lover, mother, wife? Do we believe Prince when he told Oprah, “I almost willed her to me”? Prince’s words shouldn’t be taken too literally but power, control, intimacy and freedom have been ongoing themes and tensions in both his public and private lives. The handcuffs of sexual bondage used in “Automatic” become the handcuffs he gives to Mayte as a symbol of their spiritual bond; the diamante handcuffs of ”creative bondage” he wore during his battle with Warners become the manacles that he breaks apart in Emancipation.

The way in which Prince attempted to stage manage the progress of his marriage to Mayte and their separation however, reveals both a will to control public perceptions and a high level of personal detachment With a couple of notable exceptions (the marriage ceremony and the death of their child) Prince placed every aspect of his relationship with Mayte in the public domain. Its representation may not have been realistic or believable (suggesting that he was either out of touch with his own feelings or public understanding) but Prince certainly made his marriage part of the “show.” Managing his own messageAs a married man with a wife who had “retired,” there was no other woman who could act as mediator, apart from a female publicist producing the occasional press release. For the first time, Prince was managing his own message and he turned to the kinds of imagery and spin that he was most familiar with. There was the Internet wedding program, which mythologized their relationship as a quasi-religious Epic, followed by a syndicated wedding photo showing the couple in a steamy Mills & Boon pose. His official website Love4oneanother.com posted a sequence of salacious reports about Tom the Peeper, who allegedly took explicit photos of the couple making love on a beach in Hawaii (August1997). Was the purpose of these postings to show that Prince was immune to blackmail, or, to sell the idea that he and Mayte we’re still a “hot” couple? There was also the vignette of an outdoor lunch at Campiello’s (September, 1997) as they “spent their last afternoon 2gether (until next month...).’ Was Prince generously sharing an intimate moment with fans, or, anticipating the inevitable gossip when people noticed that they were no longer the inseparable couple?

Whatever his motives, these seemingly private moments were served up to a gossip greedy public for its delectation. Likewise, the press conference held in late 1998 in Spain where Prince announced that he and Mayte had annulled their marriage Contract and would “re-marry” on St Valentine’s Day 1999. The purchase of the house in Spain was variously reported as a gift to Mayte, then the NPG, then proposed as an orphanage. Photos of the house suggest that Prince was well and truly the “owner” if not the occupier. In true Lord of the Manor style his symbol (incorporating an “M” as a minor detail) is stamped on plate ware, furnishings and the exterior of the house. One of the last images of their marriage is the Steve Parke photo of Mayte and Prince at rest (Style, May 2000). In a coolly immaculate and symmetrically composed shot they are curled upon a bed end to end. The import of the pose is clear — together yet apart.

Prince can hardly have overlooked this interpretation and it stands as a very public and oddly detached statement on what most people might have otherwise assumed was a loving relationship. From engagement through to divorce, Mayte and Prince’s relationship may indeed have been the Greatest Romance That’s Ever Been Sold. It undoubtedly served a purpose in maintaining Prince’s public presence and sense of who he thought he should be at that particular time in his life. The New WorldThe ladies may still call Prince “Electric Man” but it’s unlikely that he will ever rely on a female mediator or ingenue in quite the same way he did in the ‘8os and ‘90s. Apart from anything else, the gawdy days of rock gods, princes and princesses with their fairy tale entourages and court gossip have been usurped by a rising of the masses. In 2001, the public can watch the transformation of the boy/girl next door into a Popstar or a Survivor through “reality” television programs.

Prince is yet to create a path for himself in this New World. This is apparent in the way he has chosen to present his new dancer, Geneva. While the Geneva wallpaper on offer for download from the npgonlineltd.com website is reminiscent of Vanity “Cheesecake” poses, so far there has been no attempt to construct a public persona or mythology around her and she is predominantly feted for her extraordinary dancing. Whether by choice or circumstance, perhaps Prince has finally recognized the value of being his own messenger and to let the music speak for itself.

By Vicki Shuttleworth.

Prince's Androgynous Sexuality Fuels Us All!
By Monique Jellerette-deJongh

In response to Uptown Articles Collection: : All The Ladies Call Me Electric Man

By Vicki Shuttleworth ~ Uptown Issue #48 (2001)

Prince's Androgynous Sexuality Fuels Us All!

Ms. Vicki Shuttleworth's writing hints of an unexpected jealousy - a preferred perfectionism...to traditional heterosexual-ism. Prince's androgynous sexuality, in my opinion is the core emotional foundation that fuels his his entire career as a Superstar Performer always with his finger on the pulse of success! By focusing your observations so much only on the pivotal relationships he's had with straight women in the latter part of hiss life; Ms. Shuttleworth implies his genius is all male concocted and totally unaffected by the (his) feminine mystique. A fact that sweetly confounds his music! Ms. Shuttleworth's, implication that his deliberate control of his celebrity is only a facade of getting married and maintaining a somewhat 'normal' family man image (as opposed to) an on going ignition of his infamous reputation as an uncontainable volatile sex slave; is ill conceived, I do believe. You've failed to unravel his clever honesty and ambiguity about his own sexual orientation...a sort of bi-sexual; bi-racial sub-identity that underlines his sensitive lyrics and transcends obvious definitions of male/femaleness. This honest exploration of sexuality; however thwarted by his male appetite for porn images and unabashed dominance of all things feminine; has always been reflected in his music. He's never been traditional about the private choices men and women have in relationships. I for one, love that about him.

Granted he uses Women as reflections of his own self-objectification! As a sex object himself he shares the role of the passive aggressive seducer much like Houdini distracts his audience from unmasking the secrets of his 'tricks' with a quick flash of color or flamboyance; Prince stimulates your deep unconscious sexual desires. Considering Prince grew up secretly watching his father play brilliant piano in 'dirty mind' strip joints around Minneapolis I think you are missing the exquisite uniqueness of his splendor - he has flipped the script on interpersonal relationships - revealing what many off us veterans of scarred love affairs and tried and true marriages have learned the hard way - that men can be and are more oft than not - 'soft and wetter' than their 'female' counterparts. . . and as their wives/lovers/healers we are the protectors of this secret and their mystic spiritual guides to their own true natures.I personally love Prince for never falling for the traditional image(s) of manhood ; womanhood; and/or marriage. I adore his attention to erotic detail that I only wish my husband had the capacity to maintain.

Prince's music remains an ever lasting tribute to the enigma; the yin/yang of sexuality and it's vices, privileges and responsibilities...Would you want to be responsible for Princes ongoing orgasms? Keeping it fresh by constantly reinventing yourself as to keep inspiring his mature (twin/duel Gemini) genius musicians 'dirty mind' as his 'whore' in the bedroom (similar to the women he peeped in his childhood) all the while walking that ever challenging tight rope of being his 'Virginal' Madonna wife/lover/friend/life partner in the public eye?? Not I.I admire his attempts at self-healing and self redemption. They are a true balancing act in the face of fame and fortune.

And Big Props to those fragile women who took on the challenge to love, understand and heal such a complex sexually-oriented male human being, who also happens to be a mega star musician in need of spiritual grounding as much as any man on earth.AND as if that weren't enough he's a self-taught multitasking musician; able to play several instruments funkily in a single bound...his genius know no boundaries. What a complex person to really love, in the face of your own faults and shortcomings; all under public scrutiny!Ms. Shuttleworth seems to think he fits into the 'typical' mold of husband and father? Relying on the women in his life to somehow not become his parallel sex objects or fascinations of the public eye.

What do U think drives his huMANness? ...His music...His mystique?
I would die 4 U . . . ? Only if U want me 2! ;-)or If I were your girlfriend...

By Monique Jellerette-deJongh

I would die 4 U - lyrics
By Prince
(extended Version)

I'm not a womanI'm not a manI am something that U'll never understand I'll never beat U I'll never lie And if U're evil I'll forgive U by and by Cuz U - I would die 4 U, yeah If U want me 2 U - I would die 4 U, yeahI'm not your lover But I'll be your friend I am something that U'll never comprehend No need 2 worry No need 2 cry He's your messiah and U're the reason why Cuz U - I would die 4 U, yeah Darling, if U want me 2 U - I would die 4 U, yeahLead line, help meU're just a, U're just a...U're just a sinner I am told Be your fire when U're cold Make U happy when U're sad Make U good when U are bad I'm not a human, I am a dove I'm your conscience, I am love All I really need is 2 know that U believeI would die 4 U, yeah Darlin', if U want me 2 U - I would die 4 U

If I were your girlfriend...
By Prince
If I Was Your Girlfriend [Controversy Music, ASCAP - 1987]------------------------"Look at the bargains over here, ladies..."If I was your girlfriendWould U remember2 tell me all the things U forgot when I was your man?When I was your manIf I was your best friendWould U let me take care of UAnd do all the things that only a best friend canOnly best friends canIf I was your girlfriend If I was your girlfriendIf I was your girlfriendWould U let me dress UI mean, help U pick out your clothesBefore we go outNot that you're helplessBut sometime, sometimeThose are the things that bein' in love's aboutIf I was your one and only friendWould U run 2 me if somebody hurt UEven if that somebody was me? (Even if that somebody was me?)Sometimes I trip on how happy we could bePleaseIf I was your girlfriend If I was your girlfriendWould U let me wash your hairCould I make U breakfast sometimeOr then, could we just hang out, I meanCould we go 2 a movie and cry togetherCuz 2 me baby that would be so fine (That would be so fine)(If I was your girlfriend)Baby can I dress UI mean, help U pick out your clothesBefore we go out(If I was your girlfriend)Listen girl, I ain't sayin you're helplessBut sometime, sometimeThose are the things that bein' in love's about (Sugar)Sugar do U know what I'm saying 2 U this evening? (Sugar)Maybe U think I'm being a little self-centered (If I was your girlfriend)But I, I said I want 2 be (Sugar)All of the things U are 2 me (Sugar) (If I was your girlfriend)Surely, surely U can seeIs it really necessary 4 me 2 go out of the roomJust because U wanna undress? (If I was your girlfriend)We don't have 2 make children 2 make love And we don't have 2 make love 2 have an orgasm (If I was your girlfriend)Your body's what I'm all about (If I was your girlfriend)Can I see it?I'll show U (If I was your girlfriend)Why not?U can do it because I'm your friendI'll do it 4 UOf course I'll undress in front of U! (If I was your girlfriend)And when I'm naked, what shall I do?How can I make U see that it's cool? (If I was your girlfriend)Can't U just trust me?If I was your girlfriend U could (If I was your girlfriend)Oh, yeah, I think soListen, 4 U naked I would dance a ballet (If I was your girlfriend)Would that get U off?Then tell me what will!If I was your girlfriend, would U tell me? (If I was your girlfriend)Would U let me see U naked then?Would U let me give U a bath?Would U let me tickle U so hard U'd laugh and laugh (If I was your girlfriend)And would U, would U let me kiss U there (If I was your girlfriend)You know down there where it counts (If I was your girlfriend)I'll do it so good I swear I'll drink every ounceAnd then I'll hold U tight and hold U long (If I was your girlfriend)And together we'll stare into silenceAnd we'll try 2 imagine what it looks likeYeah, we'll try 2 imagine what, what silence looks likeYeah, we'll try 2 imagine what silence looks likeYeah, we'll try...

Let me know what you think?
Mo-J

Our Tribute to Nana

RUBY EVADNE SHERWOOD JELLERETTE

February 20, 1906 - April 29, 2002

CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO.
Remembering Nana
By
Alexandra Jellerette-LeBlanc

There are many things I don’t remember about Nana.
How she must have looked first glancing at New York
Hair in a bun from Kingston.
How she must have thought, “how cold here up north”

I don’t remember her first look at Papa
They met and then their meeting was forever.
How she held her first son and then a second born.

I don’t remember what she said to my father
When Papa left for war
dressed in uniform, American flags
shielding his sleeves.
How she would secretly read my
father’s letters to his dad
and shake her head at such a foolish boy
while praying for peace.

I don’t remember how she made her first pot of rice and peas
Poured her first rum punch for her brother Charles
or arranged her first living room at 169th street.

I surely don’t remember her retiring to
visit Jamaica in the summers and
winters andn summers and winters again.

I only remember the short years that matched my own
a granddaughter of many that came before and would follow.
sitting first in the kitchen watching her cook
or in the back yard watching her garden
or waiting, restless for her presents wrapped up tight just for me

Then finally sitting with her at her bedside
when she would ask, “how’s that DC?”
“How’s your hubby?”
Remembering me, even me, among the grans, great grans and sons.

And thinking of the different ways that Nana lived for us all
each memory we can and cannot remember
and thinking how she touched each of us
and how her life had thread us together
and in her strength, held us close.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, on February 20, 1906, Ruby was the baby girl of seven children born to Mortimer and Annie Sherwood.
Ruby took pride in graduating from the Wolmer’s Academy for girls in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1923. She always maintained a most proper prospective on the world; no doubt her training from Wolmer’s held her in good stead.
In 1923 Ruby’s adventurous independent nature led her on a sea voyage that landed her in Harlem, USA, for a vacation. Never leaving, Ruby stayed with her god-sisters, Lula and Dearest, until she married her first husband, Andruse Howell. They had one son, Mortimer.
Ruby was never out of step with the latest fashions. Her generosity knew no bounds. Ruby was charismatic, fun-loving, strong-willed and a social butterfly. Ruby had a green thumb that was always evident. She took great pride in her beautifully kept home and her loving family.
Eventually Ruby met and married her second husband, Alfonso Jellerett, also a native Jamaican. They had one son, Alphonso.
In 1939 they moved to Jamaica, Queens. A lifelong Catholic, Ruby joined and remained a devout member of St. Bonaventure Parish for over fifty years.
From 1941 to 1945 Ruby maintained the home, raised their two sons, and cared for her mother while her husband, Al, fought in World War II. Through these difficult times, Ruby always persevered.
In 1960 Ruby and Al reestablished their ties with their Jamaican family and friends purchasing a second home in Kingston, JA, and making annual visits.
Preceding her in death were her parents, her five brothers, Louis, Randolph, Leslie, Charles and Aston, her sister Lulu, both husbands, and her son Mortimer. Ruby is survived by her son Alphonso, two daughters-in-law Linda and Carole, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews, and a host of devoted relatives and friends.
Lovingly submitted by the family

Living with Parkinson's Disease

By Monique Jellerette-deJongh

This testimony is provided by Monique Jellerette deJongh for use only in its entirety and only with her expressed written permission to post and or publish. All changes, editing, omissions, and/or revisions are strictly prohibited without the prior expressed written permission of

Monique Jellerette deJongh.

MY TESTIMONY

My name is Monique Jellerette-deJongh. I am living with Early-Onset Parkinson’s Disease (PD). I am a happily married, 45 year old mother of two teen age daughters living in New York, where I grew up. As far as I know, I’ve never been exposed to environmental pesticides/toxins except for those found in home lawn fertilizers. My first symptoms were noticed by my mother in 1993. I was 35 years old. One day she asked me nonchalantly, “Monique, why don’t you swing your left arm when you walk?” “What?” I said, as I glared at her. “...And why is your left hand always in that ‘claw’ position?” she insisted. At the time, I thought she was just being annoying, as mothers tend to be, until I noticed that these bodily betrayals were in fact happening on a consistent basis.

Upon my next routine visit with our family doctor, he asked me to perform some ordinary hand movements of flipping back and forth my hands repeatedly on my lap. Astonished, I could only use my right hand normally. My left hand performed these seemingly simple functions quite poorly. “I want to run some tests” he said, “Just to rule out a possible brain tumor.” After a stunned momentary nervous giggle, I said, “You’re kidding right?” “No” he responded, while jotting down something, “It’s probably nothing but just to be sure here’s the number, make and appointment to get a CAT scan as soon as possible.”

I did in fact get a CAT scan right away. With great relief I was informed that I had no brain tumor. Whew! I dodged that bullet but my left hand continued to betray me. So I also had a myriad of tests over the course of the next five years; MRI’s of the brain and spine, blood tests for numerous other conditions, especially Lyme Disease, whose symptoms mimic PD; you name it, and they tested me for it! Eventually he said, “I think it’s time to see a neurologist.”

My first visit with a neurologist, was non-spectacular. At the end of her examination she quietly said, “It most likely is Early Parkinson’s Disease. But it’s too early to tell.” I asked her, “Isn’t there a test for Parkinson’s Disease I could take?” She responded, “Not really. I’d just like to watch you over time. Okay?” I really didn’t ‘hear’ what she said on a gut level. I was still in denial. I had developed an all too reassuring habit of taking a battery of tests to then sit and listen to the litany of “Nothing seems to be wrong’s!”

I decided to go to a chiropractor for one year who adjusts me successfully. He eventually gave me his advice to, “Go see a neurologist.” Because however straighter my spine became, my left side symptoms kept getting worse.

I then consulted an acupuncturist in Chinatown. “Your energy (Qi) is blocked!” he said. “I may be able to help you but I’m not sure I can. If you wish, I will try to unblock your energy (Qi).” So I received acupuncture treatments for a few months. He inserted needles into my energy pathways to try to stimulate and move the energy and he also prescribed Chinese herbs for me to drink to do the same. The result was deep relaxation only but no real relief from the PD symptoms.

As the PD continued to progress, completely frustrated, I even self diagnosed myself as having some unique autoimmune disease until my visit with a Rheumatologist, assured me, after her examination that, “You exhibit none of the symptoms that indicated any such thing.”

Five years later, in June of 2000, since the symptoms were now starting to manifest in my left leg, affecting my walking slightly, as well as my left arm and hand, I decided to consult an expert in the field of neurological disorders, specifically, Parkinson’s Disease. So I visited a neurologist from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital’s Movement Disorder wing in New York City. I noticed articles of their experimental research treating PD with stem cells often appearing in the New York Times. The doctor told me, “You don’t have a clear presentation of the symptoms. So here’s what we’ll do.” I moved to the edge of my seat. She continued, “Take the L-Dopa, if it works, you have PD, If it doesn’t work, you don’t have PD.” “That’s it,” I thought? “This is what the top professionals have come up with?” “Well, to be honest with you,” she said, ”I could order a PET scan but most insurance companies won’t pay the $3, 000 for it. It would examine activity in your substantia nigra, brain stem to determine if you have PD. Otherwise, I suggest you take the medicine.”

“Okay,” I said, “But don’t the PD medications have severe side effects?” I had gone online and read a lot of information all about PD and the available treatments. She responded, “Yes, well first of all the meds can stop working smoothly after about five years. They can after awhile cause; severe nausea, hallucinations, and brady-kinesis, but we’ll monitor you closely and if any of these symptoms occur we’ll adjust the medicines and we have additional meds for each of these side-effects.” She continued, “I especially monitor and treat hallucinations in women because I found that their husbands aren’t very tolerant of their wives when they start having hallucinations. Husbands are very quick to commit their wives into mental homes so they don’t have to deal with them. But don’t you worry my dear, you’re still very young. This happens most often with older PD patients.”

Astonished I asked, “Brady-kinesis is shaking right?” She answered, “I see you’ve done your homework, yes it is.” Dumbfounded I continued, “You’ve got to be kidding me? You’re telling me with a straight face, that you want me to take a medicine who’s side-effect is ‘shaking’ for a disease that causes shaking?” She paused sympathetically and said, “Unfortunately my dear, it’s either the medicine or nothing.”

I chose nothing, so to speak…shortly following this depressing visit with the big shots of Western medicine I decided to join a Gary Null Health Support group. My dad had been listening to this self proclaimed ‘Guru’ of whole-istic alternative medicine for many years. He hosts a daily radio talk show called “Natural Living with Gary Null” where he espouses a self healing protocol of a mostly vegetarian/green juice diet, routine exercise, emotional balancing, self forgiveness, a regimen of anti-oxidant vitamin supplements, an awareness of, and eradication of negative influences in one’s life, including bad relationships, bad career choices, and bad eating habits, etc., plus a commitment to developing an ever growing awareness of global/local political realities and a dedication to becoming more involved with creating solutions to these problems as apposed to being ignorant of or contributing to the causes.

I attended the evening weekly meetings religiously and followed his protocol very closely. I transformed my life as I slowly and methodically integrated most of his paradigm into mine. It was beneficial. Mr. Null personally appeared at the meetings speaking on various health related issues. One night he spoke about the dangers of living with mercury fillings in your teeth. As it turns out, mercury toxicity can cause symptoms that mimic PD. He told me point blank, “Please do yourself a favor and have all of them removed by a holistic dentist, as soon as you can afford to!” He continued, “I guarantee that you will be a new person in a few years, if you do.”

So I did just that. I waited a few months until our tax return arrived and then I went to a dentist in Manhattan. “You have an infected root canal my dear!” she exclaimed as she pointed to my x-rays. “But, do you know how many dentists have looked at these x-rays without noticing that fact? I asked her. “Listen, I don’t care about that.” She said, “All I know is toxins, mercury or otherwise can leech directly into your brain through that infected root canal! That tooth must come out!” She insisted.

The dentist removed that bad tooth and proceeded to replace approximately 18-20 mercury fillings with porcelain composite fillings that are compatible with my body. She gave me a vitamin C drip concurrently during each procedure. The reason I had so many mercury fillings was a direct result of going to dental school dentists to save money. They did a great job filling my cavities with mercury. Because I was such a good patient, many of the dental students asked me to “sit for them” so that they could take their state board exams. I suspect I ended up with more fillings than I actually needed.

And sometimes at the Gary Null Health support meetings, he would have a guest expert in health related fields address the group. In addition, I completed all of the written home work assignments which encouraged positive visualization techniques, and spiritual meditation practices. The homework also forced me to sustain a committed focus on the progress of my healing work.

Eventually, I paid for a private consultation with one of Mr. Null’s assistants. This lead to three very critical relationships in my path to healing; She introduced me to an AMMA Therapist®, and a physician, who in addition to supervising my extremely needed heavy-metal detoxification protocol, made me aware of the advanced Stem Cell treatments given at Bio Mark International.

First let me share with you the life saving experience AMMA Therapy® was and is for me: Its creator is Grandmaster Ms. Tina Sohn. My therapist uses AMMA Therapy® to balance the movement of life energy (Qi) in my sick body. Whereas the acupuncturist inserted needles into these energy pathways to stimulate and move my energy. AMMA Therapy® uses all the techniques of the major forms of therapeutic massage plus it relies primarily on the sensitivity and strength of the hands to manipulate and balance my life energy (Qi) to remove blockages, free the flow of energy, and bring healing energy to problem areas.


But I always feel wildly alive after an AMMA Therapy® treatment or as if I just completed an hour’s workout. When I first spoke to her letting her know I suffered from PD, she replied eagerly “We have a long way to go Kiddo!” She is always able to stimulate my energy (Qi) to healthy levels. This is no small feat considering the PD would routinely drain my energy levels to their bare minimum. “You have to never stop moving, Monique. Never give in to it!” she would always encourage. I can always hear her supportive voice saying, “Move, Move, Move!” It’s the mantra I will always hear in my head. I don’t know what I would have done without her treatments and ceaseless encouragement. I benefited greatly from these treatments because AMMA Therapy® is a complex therapeutic healing art that uses the knowledge of chiropractic, Shiatsu message, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, exercise and diet.

At this time I also started a regimen of physical therapy at the a Clinic in New York for a few months. This helped so much that after awhile the insurance company refused to continue paying! And unfortunately I did not maintain a regular routine of exercise. This remains the weakest link in my fight against PD.

As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Null’s assistant also introduced me to a doctor. During our initial three hour meeting, he explained, “Heavy-metal toxicity can cause a myriad of serious conditions.” He continued, “Most people don’t even realize that they have heavy-metal toxicity…and most doctors don’t check for it in routine check-ups.” I was very impressed with him because his scope of possible causes for disease was much more inclusive than the norm and he strongly advocates prevention. He is a traditional M.D. with Holistic influences, by far one of the smartest, most well informed doctors I’ve ever met. He was instrumental in the eventual abrupt turn around in my state of health. I feel lucky to know him.

Based on the results of blood and urine tests he ran on me, my doctor started me on a detoxification protocol to allow my body to heal itself. I received intravenous drips of EDTA, and DMSA, chelating medicine to pull out the high levels of mercury and iron my blood test results revealed. I was also given IV infusions of glutathione, alpha lipoic acid, vitamin C and other minerals and vitamins, to put back some of the depleted ‘good’ minerals. he recommended that I compliment my cleansing with a series of colonics which I did receive. I also received Ion Cleanse treatments. He also recommended that I eat a completely raw diet, of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, a daily laxative and vitamin supplements. My doctor often spoke of the benefits of daily meditation. I followed his recommendations, this routine for approximately eight months. It was extremely hard to do. I got very weak during the detoxification process. It was a necessary evil for me to endure so that my body could heal it’s self.

Based upon the protocol of Dr. David Pearlmutter, a world renowned neurologist specializing in PD, my doctor also recommended that I take BrainSustain a powder drink with supplements specifically geared to helping improve brain function and that I get high doses of glutathione dailly. So at first I got glutathione via IV’s. Now I use glutathione suppositories (1500mgs) daily. I just stopped taking this treatment.

Once again I joined a Gary Null Health Support Group aimed at PD sufferers where he also recommended the high levels of glutathione as well as high levels of CoQ10 (1200mg) daily. It’s here I started daily spiritual meditations focusing on balancing my seven charkas after meeting a spiritual guide at one of the meetings.

One fateful day, my doctor told me about a new company he’d hear of, called BioMark International. I spoke to them on the telephone about the benefits of umbilical-cord-blood-derived stem cells. They seemed well schooled in most natural remedies for strengthening the human immune system as well as advanced treatments for serious neurological conditions and positively convinced that stem cells could help me deal with my PD. They said. “The data is there to support that these stem cells definitely help improve neurological diseases.” I got my husband on the line too, while we spoke at great length about how stem cells work at BioMark Intl. and all of their therapeutic effects. We were impressed, and even if they worked only to a small degree of what she promised, that would be something great! My husband and I did a considerable amount of research on the World Wide Web to garner any and all the information we could find about stem cell treatments. Our findings were very encouraging. What we found was that other stem cell therapies conducted in other countries were much more invasive. BioMark Intl. seemed to be a more holistic approach. After serious consideration, and the generous contributions of my family and friends I decided to receive a stem cell treatment from BioMark Intl.

May 16th, 2003 my husband and I flew to Atlanta, GA and drove directly to the Clinic from the airport. Quite unceremoniously, I received a small shot of one million umbilical stem cells in the fat under my skin on my stomach from the doctor. Painless. We flew back to New York the next day. Now I just had to wait.

Three months later the first thing I noticed was that the aggressive progression my PD symptoms came to a screeching halt. I had been on a sharp decline which slowed to a near stop. From that point on my PD symptoms continued to progress at a much slower pace.

About six months later, I experienced a unique thing, I told my husband, “I feel as if I’m getting better and worse at the same time.” It was a weird feeling. I think the stem cells were strengthening my immune system while the PD was still slowly warring on me. My levels of energy were consistently improving within the typical cycles of energy PD sufferers know all too well; good days and bad days.

Somewhere in here, I read the amazing book, Dante’s Path by Richard and Bonney Schaub. They teach a comprehensive path of emotional and spiritual development mapped by the 13th Century Italian poet Dante and modernized by the 20th Century Italian psychiatrist, Roberto Assagioli. I was so impressed with this writing that I tracked them down and attended a book reading they had. Shortly thereafter I started visiting a therapist at the New York Psychosynthesis Institute. Through using guided imagery meditation, my therapist has helped me to get in touch with my own courage. “I need to find courage.” I told her in our first session. “You’ve already found It”, she told me. “It took great courage to come here and face yourself!” she assured me. It takes great courage to live with such an unforgiving disease. My therapist has helped me to realize my own healing capabilities through spiritual growth and self forgiveness. I could not have gotten this far without her thoughtful and kind insights.

A year later I decided to visit an Upper Cervical Chiropractor in White Plains, NY. He explained that, “If you have a subluxation of the spine, specifically if the C1 bone (top vertebrae) is crooked, you can never be well…because all of the trillions of nerves from the brain go through that bone down through the spine. If these nerves are restricted it could cause PD.” So he proceeded to make a correction of just that C1 vertebra. Surprisingly, my entire spine has straightened itself out.

Earlier this year (Feb. 2004) I started a Physical therapy program of wonderfully encouraging visiting nurses coming to my house twice a week for five weeks. Then I graduated to out-patient Physical Therapy twice a week at a Parkinson’s Disease Treatment Center with a neurological clinical specialist. She encouraged me to take the PD medicine. I can’t say loud enough how greatly this physical therapy has helped me, still helps me.

At or about the same time, I decided to take the PD medication for the first time. I had avoided taking the meds for ten years in hopes that I would find another cure and/or treatment. But my physical state had deteriorated to the point where I was using a wheelchair most of the time and had less and less energy. My husband said, “It’s time for you to try the medicine. You’ve tried everything else.” So I met with a neurologist. He said, “Take the medicine. Let me help you.” He started me first on Sinemet L-Dopa and eventually on Requip Dopamine Agonist at very low doses.

In a matter of weeks, I had a miraculous reaction to the medicine. I was out of the wheelchair completely in a month after taking the medicine and approximately a year after the stem cell treatment. I walk, drive, bathe, get dressed all by myself again. I can’t say definitively that it was any one thing that has “cured” me. I’m not sure how much the stem cell treatment has added to my improved condition. My neurologist says that it is surprising that I’ve responded so well to such low doses of the meds. Perhaps the stem cells had to be shown what I needed by the medicine.

I think that everything I’ve done has worked together to contribute to my living a better quality of life. It has been a long and lonely road and I still take each hour, one hour at a time. But I awaken each morning happy that I’m able to move more independently appreciating the simple joys of living.
This testimony is provided by Monique Jellerette deJongh for use only in its entirety and only with her expressed written permission to post and or publish.
All changes, editing, omissions, and/or revisions are strictly prohibited without the prior expressed written permission of Monique Jellerette deJongh.

me 'n my man

Click here to view video titled:
me 'n my man.

AS... around the sun the earth knows she’s revolving
And the rosebuds know to bloom in early may Just AShate knows love’s the cureYou can rest your mind assureThat I’ll be loving you always AS now can’t reveal the mistery of tomorrow But in passing will grow older every dayJust AS all is born is new Do you know what I say is trueThat I’ll be loving you alwaysUntil the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky Always Until the ocean covers every mountain highAlways Until the dolphin flies and parrots live at seaAlwaysUntil we dream of life and life becomes a dream Did you know that true love asks for nothing Her acceptance is the way we pay Did you know that life has given love a guarantee To last through forever and another day Just AS time knew to move on since the beginning And the seasons know exactly when to change Just ASkindness knows no shame Know through all your joy and painThat I’ll be loving you AAlways
AS today I know I’m living but tomorrow Could make me the past but that I mustn’t fear For I’ll know deep in my mind The love of me I’ve left behind Cause I’ll be loving you Always Until the day is night and night becomes the dayAlwaysUntil the trees and sea just up and fly awayAlwaysUntil the day that 8x8x8 is 4 Always Until the day that is the day that are no more Did you know you’re loved by somebody? Until the day the earth starts turning right to left Always Until the earth just for the sun denies itself I’ll be loving you forever Until dear mother nature says her work is through Always Until the day that you are me and I am you Al~~~~~wa~~~~~~~~~aa~~~~~~~~~aa~~~Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky~~~~~~~~~~aa~~~~~~~~~aa~~~~~~~~~aa~~~Until the ocean covers every mountain high~~~aa~~~~~~~~~aa~~~~~~~~~ys We all know sometimes life’s hates and troubles Can make you wish you were born in another time and space But you can bet your life times that and twice it’s doubleThat God knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed So make sure when you say you’re in it but not of itYou’re not helping to make this earth a place sometimes called hell Change your words into truths and then change that truth into love And maybe our children’s grandchildren And their great-great grandchildren will tell I’ll be loving you Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky Loving you Until the ocean covers every mountain high Loving you Until the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea Loving you Until we dream of life and life becomes a dreamBe loving you Until the day is night and night becomes the day Loving youUntil the trees and seas up, up and fly awayLoving you Until the day that 8x8x8x8 is 4Loving you Until the day that is the day that are no moreLoving you Until the day the earth starts turning right to left Be loving you Until the earth just for the sun denies itself Loving you Until dear mother nature says her work is through Loving youUntil the day that you are me and I am you Now ain’t that loving you Until the rainbow burns the stars out in the sky Ain’t that loving youUntil the ocean covers every mountain highAnd I’ve got to say alwaysUntil the dolphin flies and parrots live at sea Al~~~~~~~~~wa~~~~~~~~~~~~ays Until we dream of life and life becomes a dreamUm al~~~~~~~~~wa~~~~~~~~~~~~ays Until the day is night and night becomes the day Al~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~wa~~~~~~~~~ays Until the trees and sea just up and fly away Al~~~~~wa~~~~~~~~~~aa~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Until the day that 8x8x8 is 4 ~~~~~~~~aa~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~aa~~~~~~~~~~~~aa Until the day that is the day that are no more Aa~~~~~~~~~~~~aa~~~~aa~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ays Until the day the earth starts turning right to left Al~~~~~~~~wa~~~~~~a~~~~~~~~~~~~aa Until the earth just for the sun denies itself ~~~~~~aa~~~~~~~~aa~~~~~~aa~~~~~~ays Until dear mother nature says her work is throughAl~~~~ways Until the day that you are me and I am youUntil the rainbow burns the stars out in the skyUntil the ocean covers every mountain highUntil the dolphin flies and parrots live at seaUntil we dream of life and life becomes a dreamUntil the day is night and night becomes the dayUntil the trees and sea just up and fly awayUntil the day that 8x8x8 is 4Until the day that is the day that are no moreUntil the day the earth starts turning right to leftUntil the earth just for the sun denies itself Until dear mother nature says her work is throughUntil the day that you are me and I am you . . .
Now ain't that lovin' you?
by STEVIE WONDER

MONIQUE will be posting STUFF here periodically . . .

This is an affirmation I say often . . .

I am fully responsible for my own great health.
My daily habits create my great health.