The Index to all our updates can be found at this link: - https://www.alswinners.com/link-to-all-updates--index.html.
In June of 2022, I went through all the updates and made corrections and some revisions. All updates are now found under the year of the update instead of the individual month. The link above shows the title of each update for each year.
Note from Kay: Kim passed away on March 27, 2024, but not of ALS. He had developed congestive heart failure a year or so ago and that is what took him to his heavenly home. He inspired many people and would want you to continue your efforts to heal. Our website will remain open and you can contact me from the Contact Page. He said he wanted no tears at his passing but only celebration. He has done the work the Lord wanted him to do.
Kim was vey passionate about helping the healing als community. It would please him if you would like to make a donation in his honor, to make it to www.healingals.org/donate/.
In June of 2022, I went through all the updates and made corrections and some revisions. All updates are now found under the year of the update instead of the individual month. The link above shows the title of each update for each year.
Note from Kay: Kim passed away on March 27, 2024, but not of ALS. He had developed congestive heart failure a year or so ago and that is what took him to his heavenly home. He inspired many people and would want you to continue your efforts to heal. Our website will remain open and you can contact me from the Contact Page. He said he wanted no tears at his passing but only celebration. He has done the work the Lord wanted him to do.
Kim was vey passionate about helping the healing als community. It would please him if you would like to make a donation in his honor, to make it to www.healingals.org/donate/.
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Noteworthy Information: Per the National ALS Associations website, 20% of those diagnosed with ALS will live 5 years or longer. 10% will live 10 years or longer, and 5% will live 20 years or longer. They even state that a small number have reversed their ALS. Why then, do we all walk away from that first ALS diagnosis with what is clearly delivered as a death sentence, with no hope of a long life and eventual natural death of something not called ALS.
We respond to all contacts. If you do not receive a timely response, confirm your email address, or enter another. We use google translator. |
I, Mr. Kim Cherry, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) also known as MND (Motor Neuron Disease) or Lou Gehrig's disease in November of 2011. I was told I had a year to live, no more than two at best. I believed the doctors for only a short time, then decided that dying of ALS was not acceptable. My wife, Kay and I, embarked on a journey to heal. We had to give up our favorite homemade bread (gluten issues) and our sugary foods. We made other significant changes in our diet including organic foods. We researched and found supplements to give my body the additional tools to heal. We introduced detoxing procedures and eliminated as many other toxins in our lives as we could identify. The changes have been worth the effort. Now, as 2017 draws to a close, I have been playing golf again for over five years, and gave myself a new set of clubs for Father's Day, 2013. In that same month, I walked my first 18 hole round in almost four years, and swam a mile in the spring of 2014. My improvement has been amazing and continues yet. We want to share with you what we have done and what others are doing to take the ALS road to recovery instead of the road to the grave. If I can do it, others can too.
Photo comparisons
Kim and Kay in Hawaii, Nov 2007 And here we are in Nov of 2010. Kim only has one Hawaiian shirt.
Photo comparisons
Kim and Kay in Hawaii, Nov 2007 And here we are in Nov of 2010. Kim only has one Hawaiian shirt.
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Kim Cherry
in Nov 2011 just days before ALS diagnosis |
Kim and Kay during treatment in Tennessee
April 2012 |
Kim and Kay in Louisiana in Feb 2013
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Kim in early May 2013,
photo by goofy wife. |
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We thought some new photos would be good. Above left was of Kim in April 2014. The biker photo was taken November 23, 2014. On November 21, 2016, we celebrated 47 years of marriage and on November 22, 2016, we celebrated 5 years since the death sentence. Kay thinks he looks pretty good for a dead man. Now in Jan 2021, I added a couple of Christmas photos of Christmas Day in Yuma. Note the very blue sky and the garden tower Kim built for us. 2021 update: we celebrated 51 years of marriage November 2020.
January 1, 2020
We continue to update our website on a regular basis. Since our therapy is an ongoing process, this story also must be periodically updated. It is now over 8 years since that fatal diagnosis. We (my wife, Kay and I) have learned, and continue to learn much.
I am Kim Cherry, a 72 year old male diagnosed with ALS on November 22, 2011, after some 18 months of tests, guesses, and unproductive treatments, which included an unnecessary open heart surgery. I was told at the diagnosis by my neurologist, Dr. Heidi Orme, at the time associated with the Saint Luke’s Neurology Department in Boise, Idaho, that my ALS was fatal, incurable and untreatable. She would not give me a time table as to my life expectancy, except to say that the normal survival time for PALS (Persons with ALS) is three to five years from diagnosis. In a visit with my primary care physician, Dr. Frank Johnson just a few days later, after an hour consultation, I was told I had a year, two at best.
I was diagnosed with both Lower Motor Neuron and Upper Motor Neuron, or Bulbar ALS. The Bulbar, is generally considered much more severe, since it attacks the breathing and swallowing muscles, leading to pneumonia and/or asphyxiation, which are the leading causes of death for ALS victims. Lower Motor Neuron eventually progresses to Upper Motor Neuron, which actually causes death, but Lower Motor Neuron patients tend to survive considerably longer.
An additional note of interest is that Dr. Johnson recommended that I meet with Dr. Robert Friedman, who heads up an ALS Clinic at the Elks Rehabilitation Facility in Boise. We called to make an appointment, but were not able to see him until the middle of January of 2012. We still made our visit to him, even though by then, we had made the determination to do all in our power to fight this disease. Dr. Friedman was also very kind, but gave us no hope. He told us that I should have a feeding tube placed as soon as possible, and that if I waited too long, the tube may not be able to be installed because of stomach and muscle deterioration from the disease. He also told us that I should be on full disability, and that he would be happy to sign the forms right there. (I was still working 40 to 50 hours a week.) He, like both Dr. Orme and Dr. Johnson, told me that I should consider taking the drug, Riluzole, also called Rilutek, immediately. (Riluzole is the only drug approved be the FDA for ALS, and by their own admission, is said to provide only two to three additional months survival for some ALS patients, and carries some nasty side effects.) All three doctors highly discouraged us from seeking any alternative therapies, stating that they would only give us false hope, and take our money. He also advised that we should sign up for their bi-monthly ALS clinic, where we would meet with various specialist to help us navigate the progression of the disease and provide assistance where possible. I simply could not bring myself to sign up for the clinic.
I am a successful businessman, entrepreneur, engineer, and an inventor. To hear such declarations from doctors that I had come to trust was disheartening at best, and contrary to my whole life’s approach to obstacles. Over the next few days from the diagnosis, as the shock and depression subsided, my wife and I made the decision that we would not accept the prognosis and that we would do all in our power to fight this disease. I wanted no association with anyone, friend or professional, that did not believe I could beat this ALS.
The turn-a-round in my health in the past 6 years is nothing short of miraculous. Though faith, special religious blessings, and the love and prayers of friends and family, as well as our own prayers have played a huge part in our success, I believe God helps those who work to help themselves. Through our internet research which continues yet today, and tips from family and friends, we have found things that have worked for us. A great source of information has been from other PALS that we have had contact with, who are also fighting this disease, some with remarkable success.
I recognize that this insidious disease is different for most everyone that falls under its curse. The primary challenges I faced were number one, my ability to breath, and number two, my ability to swallow, both Bulbar issues. I simply could not get enough oxygen, and felt I was slowly suffocating most of the time, but especially at night when lying down, sometimes taking 20 to 30 minutes to work my way down from a propped up sitting position. I was choking on liquids, and even on my own saliva. My lungs were filling with fluid. My right calf had atrophied considerably, and I had lost most of the strength in my right leg. I had severe drop foot, and my ankles would turn at the slightest miss-step. Though I could still walk, my balance was shot. I was losing my ability to speak. I felt like I simply could not get enough air to make the words come out. Just a few words would start a severe coughing spell. Walking more than a couple dozen steps required a breather, and a simple flight of stairs was daunting, requiring a mid-climb rest and a couple minutes recovery at the top. Also, the cold air seemed to almost shut my breathing functions down. A short walk in cold weather, such as from a restaurant to the handicap parking resulted in a massive coughing spell, which required several minutes reprieve before I could even start the car. I was experiencing severe muscle cramps, especially in my feet, calves, and thighs, sometimes experiencing three or even four cramps at the same time. Part of the issues with the cramping is that I had drastically reduced my fluid intake because of the fear of choking, which led to dehydration and further accelerated the cramping.
We continued seeing our team of physicians in Boise for a few weeks, mostly for counseling, but they still had no treatment program to offer, other than the drug Riluzole, ventilation aids, and feeding tubes. They prescribed an oxygen machine and a bi-PAP machine in January, and also suggested drinking carbonated water, which really helped the issue of fluid in my lungs. My last visit with any traditional doctor involved with my ALS journey, was mid-January, 2012, when we saw Dr. Friedman, as previously noted. Also, I will relate below, a follow-up visit to Dr. Orme in May of 2013 and again in June of 2015. I continued to use the oxygen machine at night until October 2012 and some during the day when convenience allowed. The bi-PAP, which I hated, was discarded after only a couple weeks use in early February.
We have researched and tried many therapies. Our first break came from a consultation with a chiropractor in Heber City, Utah, three weeks after my diagnosis. Doctor Jared Nielsen specializes in neurological issues, and had really helped a niece’s husband after a severe head injury. Doctor Nielsen determined I had gluten sensitivity, mercury poisoning, and some issues with fungus. He recommended a protocol that included a gluten free diet, and supplements. Much of the protocol includes the theories of Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist out of Florida. Though I was skeptical, especially since I have never had any of the typical symptoms of gluten sensitivity, Kay was not, and I certainly had nothing to lose, but much to gain. I did not want her to say after my death, "He just wouldn’t try".
We started with Dr. Nielsen's program immediately (early December, 2011). Things did not get immediately better. About the middle of January, I survived a couple of the worst nights of my life, sitting up all night on a sofa, fighting for every breath. It was then that I started using supplemental oxygen, first the bipap and then a cannula, which really seemed to helped.
By early February we started seeing improvement in my ability to breathe, though fatigue and strength were still serious issues, as was the cold. But perhaps one of the biggest benefits of meeting with Dr. Nielsen, is that he was the first professional that told me I had a good chance to beat the disease. Not only did I believe him, but I believed that he believed it too.
In April of 2012, we added ozone and hyperbarics to our protocol. We were introduced to these therapies by two herbalists in Tennessee that also used these therapies. Our studies on ozone and hyperbarics made sense, and after spending 10 days at their clinic, we invested in our own hyperbaric soft chamber and ozone machine, and set them up in our home. The total investment for the equipment was about $25,000, though this can also be done for considerably less. With our own equipment, we were able to control our schedule, and basically eliminate additional expenses. (Remember I am not spending any money going to doctors or hospitals.) They also used a series of their own herbs, which we continued to take into June. We have since backed off on the herbs. (Dr. Nielsen now uses both hyperbarics and ozone in his therapies.)
Hyperbaric treatments consist of spending time in a pressurized chamber, in our case, a soft shelled chamber, made of reinforced vinyl. Though hard shell chambers, as used for decompression chambers for divers and other uses, can go to several atmospheres of pressure, one atmosphere being 14.7 psi, the soft shelled chambers generally only go to considerably less than one atmosphere. Our treatments always consisted of an outside oxygen feed from at oxygen concentrator, which delivers 85% to 95% pure oxygen to the patient inside the chamber. A single treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, is referred to as a "dive", The treatments with the ozone and hyperbarics originally took from 4 to 6 hours a day. I gave myself an ozone IV three times a week for the first two months, then cut back to two times a week through most of 2012. There is a lot of information on the internet about both. Our studies include the writings of Doctor Paul Harch, an MD from Louisiana whose specialty is hyperbarics or HBOT.
Dr. Harch states that he has never had success with hyperbarics in the treatment of ALS, but he has never incorporated the other treatments we use with hyperbarics. We feel the hyperbaric treatments, especially with the additional oxygen, accelerated the benefits of the ozone, the supplements, and the diet changes. We have read that hyperbarics can help with fungus/candida issues. Fungus thrives in a low oxygen environment. The hyperbarics for me may have also helped with the fungus in my lungs. We have also learned the hyperbarics needs to be done in a series of dives (about 1 1/2 hours each dive) continuously for 20-40 days - one dive per day or two dives per day with at least a couple hours between dives if on the same day. Just doing a dive here and there once in a while we believe is of no value.
In April of 2017, we did some follow-up on a therapy we had heard of before, but never pursued. It is called EWOT, or Exercize With Oxygen Therapy. The key to EWOT is the infusion of oxygen into the cells of the body. The more we read, the more impressed we became, especially since we have always felt the greatest benefit of the hyperbarics was the additional supplemental oxygen. We ordered the necessary equipment in May of 2017, and started our own EWOT therapy. It has since replaced our hyperbaric therapy. We feel the primary advantages of EWOT are greatly improved oxygen delivery to the cells. The cost is a fraction of that of the hyperbaric therapy, takes less room, and is doable for most any PALS, even with more advanced disease symptoms. As of this note, I have now been dong the EWOT for some 8 months. You will find more in this site related to our EWOT experience.
Ozone is three oxygen atoms (O3) and is highly reactive. Two of the molecules mate to form oxygen (O2) and the third has to find a mate. What we believe is that it finds junk in our body, toxins, free radicals, etc., and just deletes them. We believe that since the toxins are being deleted by mating with the ozone molecule, that the toxins do not have to be processed through the liver. IV chelation therapy can be dangerous if the liver is not healthy and able to process toxins. IV chelation can move toxins through the liver too quickly and create problems. See our April 2016 update for more information on the liver.
I mentioned earlier that my improvement has been phenomenal. I started playing golf again, riding a cart, in March of 2012. We listed my primary business, Extendo Bed Company (www.extendobed.com) for sale for obvious reasons in November, 2011. The business sold June 1, 2012. I continued working for the company for a four month transition period. In October of 2012, we headed south in a 40’ diesel pusher RV (we found a used one that we could fit our chamber in without gutting the living area) to get to warmer weather and lower elevation, both of which we feel have been important in my recovery. I also worked as a field rep for a few month in Texas for the company I had just sold. We spent three winters in Texas, and have now relocated our winter haven to Yuma, Arizona.
We met with Dr. Paul Harch in New Orleans in February of 2013. He spent four hours with us, reviewing my death sentence from my neurologist (the ALS prognosis, and the EMG and Nerve Conduction Study results) and doing his own examination. He was truly amazed at my progress. As a mentor to our herbalist doctors in Tennessee, he had followed our progress. Dr. Harch is a hyperbaric specialist, not a neurologist, but his reaction was that to his knowledge, no one else has seen the kind of results we have found, in that we have reversed the symptoms of ALS.
When we returned from Texas in the spring of 2013, l knew that I had made great progress. I contacted Dr. Orme’s office while still in Texas and made an appointment to see her as soon as we returned to Idaho. I expected her to say that I had been misdiagnosed and that I really did not have ALS.
My second visit with her was on May 25, 2013. She did a visual examination, primarily observing the fasciculation in my lower legs and feet, and told me that she could see no improvement in my condition. The fact that I had walked up two flights of stairs to her office, where as I had to take the elevator 19 months previous, did not seem to impress her. Still, I told her that I wished to repeat the EMG and Nerve Conduction Study, the two primary tests used to diagnose ALS. The earliest the equipment could be scheduled was late the next September.
On the 23rd of September, Dr. Orme repeated the two referenced test. At the conclusion, she told me that the ALS had advanced considerably, and that several additional muscle groups were now affected since the last test in November, 2011. She said her original prognosis (3-5 years) was unchanged, which I took to mean she gave me 1 to 3 years. I asked why I was feeling so much better now, and I could do things I could only dream about two years previously. She stated that she did not know, but that she was going to a seminar in a few months, where she would meet with one of the world renowned specialists on ALS, and she would discuss my case with him. Needless to say, I have never heard back from her. I had a scheduled consultation with her for the next day, which I then cancelled. I suggested she send me her ALS patients, because I could do more for them than she could.
I have to admit that I was depressed for the next couple days, but a good swift kick in the pants from some earlier consultants in my fight got me back on course.
Another note of interest is that by the time we returned to Idaho in the spring of 2013, I was having great difficulty giving myself the IVs. The veins in my arms and hands were so damaged and scarred, that sometimes it would take up to six penetrations before I could find a vein that would flow. A good friend that was also a retired nurse, helped me do an IV as we returned through Utah in early May of that year. She could hardly believe, number one, that I could even be doing our own IV treatments for so long, and number two, that I had never had the least hint of an infection, having done some 400 penetrations over the previous 14 months. (We believe that is due to the purifying power of ozone.) She suggested I have a IV port installed.
After we returned to Idaho, I got a recommendation from another nurse friend for a surgeon to do an IV port. I have another endocrinologist that I have seen yearly for my prostate check for several years, who was also aware of my ALS diagnosis some 18 months earlier, and had seen me shortly thereafter. He was so amazed to see walk into his office again now, a year and a half after the diagnosis, (I dropped to the floor and did a series of push-ups when he came into the exam room), that he said he knew the recommended surgeon and would call him for me. I had a port installed a week later. I also had great support from other health care professionals in my search for equipment and supplies to continue my therapy, simply because they saw I was beating this curse, and they applauded our efforts.
With the port, the IVs became a breeze, and I increased the frequency to a couple times a week for the next year but reduced them to once a week through the rest of rest of 2014 and into the summer of 2015 and had discontinued the hyperbaric dives from from since mid summer of 2014.
Returning to Idaho in March of 2016, I realized that I had started having more issues with my breathing. Some family issues had created a lot of stress and my sleeping habits had tanked. I decided to do a couple series of hyperbaric dives during the summer, with each series including 40 dives of an hour each, I also increased the ozone therapies to three times per week, and over the summer, felt considerable improvement with my breathing issue. We took the chamber south with us in the fall of 2016 and did three series of dives over the winter. I also continued to do three ozone IVs per week, along with three rectal insufflation treatments per week. This is a treatment where ozone gas is inserted into the rectum and run for 10 to 20 minutes, passing out as pressure builds up. It is cost effective and simple to do. Most ozone specialist believe this therapy to be almost as effective as the IVs.
I continue to do the IVs and insufflation treatments three times a week, but have stopped doing the hyperbaric dives again, replacing that therapy with an EWOT program, as earlier referenced..
I continued to have hand and leg cramps periodically, up until November or December of 2012, but now seldom have any, even after walking a round of golf, as long as I make sure I stay well hydrated and get adequate magnesium. I have to admit that I seldom walk a my golf rounds any more, even just 9 holes. Because of my heavy drop-foot and gait, walking causes significant issues with my knees and hips. I feel I need to prove nothing more by walking the course. I feel just making contact with the golf ball on every swing, even watching it go where I want occasionally, is enough, though even with a cart, a round of golf still results in around 10,000 steps.
I started swimming again, in the winter 2013-2014 in Texas, where we had a lap pool at the facility where we were staying. In April of 2014, I swam my first mile in over four years, though it took me some 40 minutes.
I also no longer have the panic attacks from a lack of air, even when I overdo it with exertion, as I did before. I sincerely expect a full recovery. At the time of my diagnosis, I could squeeze out a couple push-ups, which exhausted me and left me gasping for air. Today, I can drop down and do 30 or 40, with minimal breathing issues.
Though I still have some ALS symptoms, particularly with my gait and balance, I expect to continue to heal. I may never be completely free of the symptoms, but I can LIVE with what I have.
I had some insurance issues I was working with, and needed to get another followup visit with my neurologist. I met with Dr. Orme again in April, 2015. She was most surprised to see my condition. She reviewed her previous test results, and confirmed her original opinion. She simply does not know why I am doing so well, and made two significant comments. The first was that perhaps I would be one of the "very, very few" to beat ALS. The second comment was that whatever it was that I was doing, I should continue it. However, in her written evaluation of my visit, she was still somewhat critical, referencing my refusal to follow the standard recommended protocol of ALS, but noted that I was doing well with the alternative therapies. I will also mention that Dr. Orme is no longer associated directly with St. Lukes Hospital, but has gone into private practice. She is a very nice person, and is kind, but as far as I know, she has never passed my success on to any other of her patients. She simply will not accept what we are doing.
One of the reasons we reduced both the ozone and hyperbarics, is that we want to determine if there are any adverse effects from these reductions. We believe they were an important part of our detoxification, but could be replaced by other treatments. There is nothing about our protocol that is written in stone, except for the critically important power of the mind issue. The continued improvements we have noted using EWOT are very encouraging.
Over the past 5 years we have discovered many PALS that have had similar success in beating ALS. Some of these are referenced in this website. Though the protocols of each varies considerably, there are several common threads. Those are, first and foremost, a positive mental attitude, including a belief in a Divine source of power, proper nutrition and supplementation, and detoxification processes.
I must add here our disclaimer. Neither my wife, Kay, nor I have ever had any formal medical training, either homeopathic or allopathic. It is not our intent to tell anyone what they should do to defeat this vicious disease. However, we will freely share what we have done. I suspect those who criticize our work or our efforts, have not walked in the shoes of a PALS.
We are willing to assist, with our experience, research, and success, anyone else that is interested. Though I have been banned from the www.alsforums.com website (probably the largest ALS support group in the US) for postings giving PALS hope, and labeled by some as a scammer, we have not made, nor do we intend to make any financial gain from anything related to this disease. We only tell our story, which we hope serves as a light at the end of this tunnel, and gives PALS the motivation and encouragement to find their own means to defeat ALS.
I have written a chapter for a book to be published about healing ALS by natural means with several different PALS adding their healing journey. You will find the tab "Kim's Chapter" under the "more" drop-down on our menu bar of this web page. It is a longer version of my story.
One last issue we wish to present has to do with our religious faith. Our deepest beliefs are based on the life, the teachings, the example, and the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe He is the true healer, that he has been intimitely involved in our healing journey, and that He can be involved in each of yours. We do not wish to push our beliefs anyone, Christian or otherwise, but we also wish to give credit where we believe it is due. We welcome any who wish to visit the following website:
www.mormon.org
I now turn the rest of this writing over to my wife and sweetheart, Kay Cherry, the one I owe the most, next to God, for what I have been able to do.
Best wishes and God’s speed to all PALS.
Mr. Kim N. Cherry
Most of the rest of this web site was prepared by me, Kay Cherry, wife of Kim Cherry. Kim wrote the letter above and the symptoms and resolutions section. Many times I say we. That is because I am eating what Kim eats and doing many of the things Kim is doing. I had breast cancer four years before his ALS diagnosis and so had been studying extensively since then to find a way to prevent further cancer. I just added another dimension of study to include ALS.
We continue to study and learn so this site will be changing as we do. We will add resources as we find them. If you contact us, we will get back to you.
Kim says that you don't cure a broken leg, you heal it. We believe that you cannot cure ALS but as you heal your health issues, you can heal your ALS. We feel that so much of ALS is toxins in the body. How can a drug that has to be not natural by law and therefore contain toxins, be something that can heal a toxic body?
We believe that there is not one way to heal, that God has given us multiple tools. This website shows many others who have healed. https://healingals.org/healedhealing-pals/.
You can explore further on the site by going to the home page and seeing many links of those who have healed. You can also read the blogs on the right side of each page for more information.
We have had contact with Joyce Brown, PhD, ND, EFT, who had ALS many years ago. She runs a website at www.hopedr.org. She also has a book called God's Heavenly Answers. It is about how to prevent suicide.
January 1, 2020
We continue to update our website on a regular basis. Since our therapy is an ongoing process, this story also must be periodically updated. It is now over 8 years since that fatal diagnosis. We (my wife, Kay and I) have learned, and continue to learn much.
I am Kim Cherry, a 72 year old male diagnosed with ALS on November 22, 2011, after some 18 months of tests, guesses, and unproductive treatments, which included an unnecessary open heart surgery. I was told at the diagnosis by my neurologist, Dr. Heidi Orme, at the time associated with the Saint Luke’s Neurology Department in Boise, Idaho, that my ALS was fatal, incurable and untreatable. She would not give me a time table as to my life expectancy, except to say that the normal survival time for PALS (Persons with ALS) is three to five years from diagnosis. In a visit with my primary care physician, Dr. Frank Johnson just a few days later, after an hour consultation, I was told I had a year, two at best.
I was diagnosed with both Lower Motor Neuron and Upper Motor Neuron, or Bulbar ALS. The Bulbar, is generally considered much more severe, since it attacks the breathing and swallowing muscles, leading to pneumonia and/or asphyxiation, which are the leading causes of death for ALS victims. Lower Motor Neuron eventually progresses to Upper Motor Neuron, which actually causes death, but Lower Motor Neuron patients tend to survive considerably longer.
An additional note of interest is that Dr. Johnson recommended that I meet with Dr. Robert Friedman, who heads up an ALS Clinic at the Elks Rehabilitation Facility in Boise. We called to make an appointment, but were not able to see him until the middle of January of 2012. We still made our visit to him, even though by then, we had made the determination to do all in our power to fight this disease. Dr. Friedman was also very kind, but gave us no hope. He told us that I should have a feeding tube placed as soon as possible, and that if I waited too long, the tube may not be able to be installed because of stomach and muscle deterioration from the disease. He also told us that I should be on full disability, and that he would be happy to sign the forms right there. (I was still working 40 to 50 hours a week.) He, like both Dr. Orme and Dr. Johnson, told me that I should consider taking the drug, Riluzole, also called Rilutek, immediately. (Riluzole is the only drug approved be the FDA for ALS, and by their own admission, is said to provide only two to three additional months survival for some ALS patients, and carries some nasty side effects.) All three doctors highly discouraged us from seeking any alternative therapies, stating that they would only give us false hope, and take our money. He also advised that we should sign up for their bi-monthly ALS clinic, where we would meet with various specialist to help us navigate the progression of the disease and provide assistance where possible. I simply could not bring myself to sign up for the clinic.
I am a successful businessman, entrepreneur, engineer, and an inventor. To hear such declarations from doctors that I had come to trust was disheartening at best, and contrary to my whole life’s approach to obstacles. Over the next few days from the diagnosis, as the shock and depression subsided, my wife and I made the decision that we would not accept the prognosis and that we would do all in our power to fight this disease. I wanted no association with anyone, friend or professional, that did not believe I could beat this ALS.
The turn-a-round in my health in the past 6 years is nothing short of miraculous. Though faith, special religious blessings, and the love and prayers of friends and family, as well as our own prayers have played a huge part in our success, I believe God helps those who work to help themselves. Through our internet research which continues yet today, and tips from family and friends, we have found things that have worked for us. A great source of information has been from other PALS that we have had contact with, who are also fighting this disease, some with remarkable success.
I recognize that this insidious disease is different for most everyone that falls under its curse. The primary challenges I faced were number one, my ability to breath, and number two, my ability to swallow, both Bulbar issues. I simply could not get enough oxygen, and felt I was slowly suffocating most of the time, but especially at night when lying down, sometimes taking 20 to 30 minutes to work my way down from a propped up sitting position. I was choking on liquids, and even on my own saliva. My lungs were filling with fluid. My right calf had atrophied considerably, and I had lost most of the strength in my right leg. I had severe drop foot, and my ankles would turn at the slightest miss-step. Though I could still walk, my balance was shot. I was losing my ability to speak. I felt like I simply could not get enough air to make the words come out. Just a few words would start a severe coughing spell. Walking more than a couple dozen steps required a breather, and a simple flight of stairs was daunting, requiring a mid-climb rest and a couple minutes recovery at the top. Also, the cold air seemed to almost shut my breathing functions down. A short walk in cold weather, such as from a restaurant to the handicap parking resulted in a massive coughing spell, which required several minutes reprieve before I could even start the car. I was experiencing severe muscle cramps, especially in my feet, calves, and thighs, sometimes experiencing three or even four cramps at the same time. Part of the issues with the cramping is that I had drastically reduced my fluid intake because of the fear of choking, which led to dehydration and further accelerated the cramping.
We continued seeing our team of physicians in Boise for a few weeks, mostly for counseling, but they still had no treatment program to offer, other than the drug Riluzole, ventilation aids, and feeding tubes. They prescribed an oxygen machine and a bi-PAP machine in January, and also suggested drinking carbonated water, which really helped the issue of fluid in my lungs. My last visit with any traditional doctor involved with my ALS journey, was mid-January, 2012, when we saw Dr. Friedman, as previously noted. Also, I will relate below, a follow-up visit to Dr. Orme in May of 2013 and again in June of 2015. I continued to use the oxygen machine at night until October 2012 and some during the day when convenience allowed. The bi-PAP, which I hated, was discarded after only a couple weeks use in early February.
We have researched and tried many therapies. Our first break came from a consultation with a chiropractor in Heber City, Utah, three weeks after my diagnosis. Doctor Jared Nielsen specializes in neurological issues, and had really helped a niece’s husband after a severe head injury. Doctor Nielsen determined I had gluten sensitivity, mercury poisoning, and some issues with fungus. He recommended a protocol that included a gluten free diet, and supplements. Much of the protocol includes the theories of Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist out of Florida. Though I was skeptical, especially since I have never had any of the typical symptoms of gluten sensitivity, Kay was not, and I certainly had nothing to lose, but much to gain. I did not want her to say after my death, "He just wouldn’t try".
We started with Dr. Nielsen's program immediately (early December, 2011). Things did not get immediately better. About the middle of January, I survived a couple of the worst nights of my life, sitting up all night on a sofa, fighting for every breath. It was then that I started using supplemental oxygen, first the bipap and then a cannula, which really seemed to helped.
By early February we started seeing improvement in my ability to breathe, though fatigue and strength were still serious issues, as was the cold. But perhaps one of the biggest benefits of meeting with Dr. Nielsen, is that he was the first professional that told me I had a good chance to beat the disease. Not only did I believe him, but I believed that he believed it too.
In April of 2012, we added ozone and hyperbarics to our protocol. We were introduced to these therapies by two herbalists in Tennessee that also used these therapies. Our studies on ozone and hyperbarics made sense, and after spending 10 days at their clinic, we invested in our own hyperbaric soft chamber and ozone machine, and set them up in our home. The total investment for the equipment was about $25,000, though this can also be done for considerably less. With our own equipment, we were able to control our schedule, and basically eliminate additional expenses. (Remember I am not spending any money going to doctors or hospitals.) They also used a series of their own herbs, which we continued to take into June. We have since backed off on the herbs. (Dr. Nielsen now uses both hyperbarics and ozone in his therapies.)
Hyperbaric treatments consist of spending time in a pressurized chamber, in our case, a soft shelled chamber, made of reinforced vinyl. Though hard shell chambers, as used for decompression chambers for divers and other uses, can go to several atmospheres of pressure, one atmosphere being 14.7 psi, the soft shelled chambers generally only go to considerably less than one atmosphere. Our treatments always consisted of an outside oxygen feed from at oxygen concentrator, which delivers 85% to 95% pure oxygen to the patient inside the chamber. A single treatment in a hyperbaric chamber, is referred to as a "dive", The treatments with the ozone and hyperbarics originally took from 4 to 6 hours a day. I gave myself an ozone IV three times a week for the first two months, then cut back to two times a week through most of 2012. There is a lot of information on the internet about both. Our studies include the writings of Doctor Paul Harch, an MD from Louisiana whose specialty is hyperbarics or HBOT.
Dr. Harch states that he has never had success with hyperbarics in the treatment of ALS, but he has never incorporated the other treatments we use with hyperbarics. We feel the hyperbaric treatments, especially with the additional oxygen, accelerated the benefits of the ozone, the supplements, and the diet changes. We have read that hyperbarics can help with fungus/candida issues. Fungus thrives in a low oxygen environment. The hyperbarics for me may have also helped with the fungus in my lungs. We have also learned the hyperbarics needs to be done in a series of dives (about 1 1/2 hours each dive) continuously for 20-40 days - one dive per day or two dives per day with at least a couple hours between dives if on the same day. Just doing a dive here and there once in a while we believe is of no value.
In April of 2017, we did some follow-up on a therapy we had heard of before, but never pursued. It is called EWOT, or Exercize With Oxygen Therapy. The key to EWOT is the infusion of oxygen into the cells of the body. The more we read, the more impressed we became, especially since we have always felt the greatest benefit of the hyperbarics was the additional supplemental oxygen. We ordered the necessary equipment in May of 2017, and started our own EWOT therapy. It has since replaced our hyperbaric therapy. We feel the primary advantages of EWOT are greatly improved oxygen delivery to the cells. The cost is a fraction of that of the hyperbaric therapy, takes less room, and is doable for most any PALS, even with more advanced disease symptoms. As of this note, I have now been dong the EWOT for some 8 months. You will find more in this site related to our EWOT experience.
Ozone is three oxygen atoms (O3) and is highly reactive. Two of the molecules mate to form oxygen (O2) and the third has to find a mate. What we believe is that it finds junk in our body, toxins, free radicals, etc., and just deletes them. We believe that since the toxins are being deleted by mating with the ozone molecule, that the toxins do not have to be processed through the liver. IV chelation therapy can be dangerous if the liver is not healthy and able to process toxins. IV chelation can move toxins through the liver too quickly and create problems. See our April 2016 update for more information on the liver.
I mentioned earlier that my improvement has been phenomenal. I started playing golf again, riding a cart, in March of 2012. We listed my primary business, Extendo Bed Company (www.extendobed.com) for sale for obvious reasons in November, 2011. The business sold June 1, 2012. I continued working for the company for a four month transition period. In October of 2012, we headed south in a 40’ diesel pusher RV (we found a used one that we could fit our chamber in without gutting the living area) to get to warmer weather and lower elevation, both of which we feel have been important in my recovery. I also worked as a field rep for a few month in Texas for the company I had just sold. We spent three winters in Texas, and have now relocated our winter haven to Yuma, Arizona.
We met with Dr. Paul Harch in New Orleans in February of 2013. He spent four hours with us, reviewing my death sentence from my neurologist (the ALS prognosis, and the EMG and Nerve Conduction Study results) and doing his own examination. He was truly amazed at my progress. As a mentor to our herbalist doctors in Tennessee, he had followed our progress. Dr. Harch is a hyperbaric specialist, not a neurologist, but his reaction was that to his knowledge, no one else has seen the kind of results we have found, in that we have reversed the symptoms of ALS.
When we returned from Texas in the spring of 2013, l knew that I had made great progress. I contacted Dr. Orme’s office while still in Texas and made an appointment to see her as soon as we returned to Idaho. I expected her to say that I had been misdiagnosed and that I really did not have ALS.
My second visit with her was on May 25, 2013. She did a visual examination, primarily observing the fasciculation in my lower legs and feet, and told me that she could see no improvement in my condition. The fact that I had walked up two flights of stairs to her office, where as I had to take the elevator 19 months previous, did not seem to impress her. Still, I told her that I wished to repeat the EMG and Nerve Conduction Study, the two primary tests used to diagnose ALS. The earliest the equipment could be scheduled was late the next September.
On the 23rd of September, Dr. Orme repeated the two referenced test. At the conclusion, she told me that the ALS had advanced considerably, and that several additional muscle groups were now affected since the last test in November, 2011. She said her original prognosis (3-5 years) was unchanged, which I took to mean she gave me 1 to 3 years. I asked why I was feeling so much better now, and I could do things I could only dream about two years previously. She stated that she did not know, but that she was going to a seminar in a few months, where she would meet with one of the world renowned specialists on ALS, and she would discuss my case with him. Needless to say, I have never heard back from her. I had a scheduled consultation with her for the next day, which I then cancelled. I suggested she send me her ALS patients, because I could do more for them than she could.
I have to admit that I was depressed for the next couple days, but a good swift kick in the pants from some earlier consultants in my fight got me back on course.
Another note of interest is that by the time we returned to Idaho in the spring of 2013, I was having great difficulty giving myself the IVs. The veins in my arms and hands were so damaged and scarred, that sometimes it would take up to six penetrations before I could find a vein that would flow. A good friend that was also a retired nurse, helped me do an IV as we returned through Utah in early May of that year. She could hardly believe, number one, that I could even be doing our own IV treatments for so long, and number two, that I had never had the least hint of an infection, having done some 400 penetrations over the previous 14 months. (We believe that is due to the purifying power of ozone.) She suggested I have a IV port installed.
After we returned to Idaho, I got a recommendation from another nurse friend for a surgeon to do an IV port. I have another endocrinologist that I have seen yearly for my prostate check for several years, who was also aware of my ALS diagnosis some 18 months earlier, and had seen me shortly thereafter. He was so amazed to see walk into his office again now, a year and a half after the diagnosis, (I dropped to the floor and did a series of push-ups when he came into the exam room), that he said he knew the recommended surgeon and would call him for me. I had a port installed a week later. I also had great support from other health care professionals in my search for equipment and supplies to continue my therapy, simply because they saw I was beating this curse, and they applauded our efforts.
With the port, the IVs became a breeze, and I increased the frequency to a couple times a week for the next year but reduced them to once a week through the rest of rest of 2014 and into the summer of 2015 and had discontinued the hyperbaric dives from from since mid summer of 2014.
Returning to Idaho in March of 2016, I realized that I had started having more issues with my breathing. Some family issues had created a lot of stress and my sleeping habits had tanked. I decided to do a couple series of hyperbaric dives during the summer, with each series including 40 dives of an hour each, I also increased the ozone therapies to three times per week, and over the summer, felt considerable improvement with my breathing issue. We took the chamber south with us in the fall of 2016 and did three series of dives over the winter. I also continued to do three ozone IVs per week, along with three rectal insufflation treatments per week. This is a treatment where ozone gas is inserted into the rectum and run for 10 to 20 minutes, passing out as pressure builds up. It is cost effective and simple to do. Most ozone specialist believe this therapy to be almost as effective as the IVs.
I continue to do the IVs and insufflation treatments three times a week, but have stopped doing the hyperbaric dives again, replacing that therapy with an EWOT program, as earlier referenced..
I continued to have hand and leg cramps periodically, up until November or December of 2012, but now seldom have any, even after walking a round of golf, as long as I make sure I stay well hydrated and get adequate magnesium. I have to admit that I seldom walk a my golf rounds any more, even just 9 holes. Because of my heavy drop-foot and gait, walking causes significant issues with my knees and hips. I feel I need to prove nothing more by walking the course. I feel just making contact with the golf ball on every swing, even watching it go where I want occasionally, is enough, though even with a cart, a round of golf still results in around 10,000 steps.
I started swimming again, in the winter 2013-2014 in Texas, where we had a lap pool at the facility where we were staying. In April of 2014, I swam my first mile in over four years, though it took me some 40 minutes.
I also no longer have the panic attacks from a lack of air, even when I overdo it with exertion, as I did before. I sincerely expect a full recovery. At the time of my diagnosis, I could squeeze out a couple push-ups, which exhausted me and left me gasping for air. Today, I can drop down and do 30 or 40, with minimal breathing issues.
Though I still have some ALS symptoms, particularly with my gait and balance, I expect to continue to heal. I may never be completely free of the symptoms, but I can LIVE with what I have.
I had some insurance issues I was working with, and needed to get another followup visit with my neurologist. I met with Dr. Orme again in April, 2015. She was most surprised to see my condition. She reviewed her previous test results, and confirmed her original opinion. She simply does not know why I am doing so well, and made two significant comments. The first was that perhaps I would be one of the "very, very few" to beat ALS. The second comment was that whatever it was that I was doing, I should continue it. However, in her written evaluation of my visit, she was still somewhat critical, referencing my refusal to follow the standard recommended protocol of ALS, but noted that I was doing well with the alternative therapies. I will also mention that Dr. Orme is no longer associated directly with St. Lukes Hospital, but has gone into private practice. She is a very nice person, and is kind, but as far as I know, she has never passed my success on to any other of her patients. She simply will not accept what we are doing.
One of the reasons we reduced both the ozone and hyperbarics, is that we want to determine if there are any adverse effects from these reductions. We believe they were an important part of our detoxification, but could be replaced by other treatments. There is nothing about our protocol that is written in stone, except for the critically important power of the mind issue. The continued improvements we have noted using EWOT are very encouraging.
Over the past 5 years we have discovered many PALS that have had similar success in beating ALS. Some of these are referenced in this website. Though the protocols of each varies considerably, there are several common threads. Those are, first and foremost, a positive mental attitude, including a belief in a Divine source of power, proper nutrition and supplementation, and detoxification processes.
I must add here our disclaimer. Neither my wife, Kay, nor I have ever had any formal medical training, either homeopathic or allopathic. It is not our intent to tell anyone what they should do to defeat this vicious disease. However, we will freely share what we have done. I suspect those who criticize our work or our efforts, have not walked in the shoes of a PALS.
We are willing to assist, with our experience, research, and success, anyone else that is interested. Though I have been banned from the www.alsforums.com website (probably the largest ALS support group in the US) for postings giving PALS hope, and labeled by some as a scammer, we have not made, nor do we intend to make any financial gain from anything related to this disease. We only tell our story, which we hope serves as a light at the end of this tunnel, and gives PALS the motivation and encouragement to find their own means to defeat ALS.
I have written a chapter for a book to be published about healing ALS by natural means with several different PALS adding their healing journey. You will find the tab "Kim's Chapter" under the "more" drop-down on our menu bar of this web page. It is a longer version of my story.
One last issue we wish to present has to do with our religious faith. Our deepest beliefs are based on the life, the teachings, the example, and the atoning sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We believe He is the true healer, that he has been intimitely involved in our healing journey, and that He can be involved in each of yours. We do not wish to push our beliefs anyone, Christian or otherwise, but we also wish to give credit where we believe it is due. We welcome any who wish to visit the following website:
www.mormon.org
I now turn the rest of this writing over to my wife and sweetheart, Kay Cherry, the one I owe the most, next to God, for what I have been able to do.
Best wishes and God’s speed to all PALS.
Mr. Kim N. Cherry
Most of the rest of this web site was prepared by me, Kay Cherry, wife of Kim Cherry. Kim wrote the letter above and the symptoms and resolutions section. Many times I say we. That is because I am eating what Kim eats and doing many of the things Kim is doing. I had breast cancer four years before his ALS diagnosis and so had been studying extensively since then to find a way to prevent further cancer. I just added another dimension of study to include ALS.
We continue to study and learn so this site will be changing as we do. We will add resources as we find them. If you contact us, we will get back to you.
Kim says that you don't cure a broken leg, you heal it. We believe that you cannot cure ALS but as you heal your health issues, you can heal your ALS. We feel that so much of ALS is toxins in the body. How can a drug that has to be not natural by law and therefore contain toxins, be something that can heal a toxic body?
We believe that there is not one way to heal, that God has given us multiple tools. This website shows many others who have healed. https://healingals.org/healedhealing-pals/.
You can explore further on the site by going to the home page and seeing many links of those who have healed. You can also read the blogs on the right side of each page for more information.
We have had contact with Joyce Brown, PhD, ND, EFT, who had ALS many years ago. She runs a website at www.hopedr.org. She also has a book called God's Heavenly Answers. It is about how to prevent suicide.