Student Spotlight
Jerry Ryan, Ph.D. in Natural Health candidate
From the 1970s until the mid-90s, Jerry Ryan was a trauma care technician, working in emergency rooms and assisting with emergency surgery. It was an exhilarating career that enabled him to help people during their moment of dire need. Until…
At the scene of a rollover car accident 10 years ago, Jerry found himself on the other end of a stretcher. “I knew the drill; as the EMTs stabilized me for emergency transportation, I knew we were treating a spinal cord injury.”
In the months to come, Jerry’s understanding of human physiology and medical protocol was both a blessing and a curse. “I knew what the doctors were going to say before they said it. I knew the terminology, the prognosis, and pretty much everything in between.”
But as someone whose glass is always half-full, Jerry consciously decided to reframe his knowledge of traumatic injury by focusing on more than merely survival. “I intended to regain all the ability I could by strengthening my mind, body, and spirit against the typical illnesses faced by people who become quadriplegic.”
He soon witnessed, first-hand, that the current medical care methods just weren’t much help. Told to take 12 prescriptions at various times of the day, Jerry found out that all the toxic side effects could ultimately shave about 10 years off his life. He didn’t like having a daily schedule that revolved around medications, especially when they were shortening his life.
He began investing in his health through nutriceutical supplements. After doing extensive research on glyconutrients, whole herbs and herbal blends, Jerry’s new goal was to wean himself off of all drugs within six months – and his doctors were all for it! “The rehab community is particularly open to complementary modalities. Dealing with patients with severe limitations, it’s pretty clear when something isn’t working.”
Shifting gears included a seven-day healing crisis with fevers of 102 degrees as he experienced detoxification that was topical as well as internal. But, he achieved his goal. Despite that severe detox, he says, “Everybody needs dietary supplementation, because green harvesting and soil depletion have leached many of the vital nutrients out of our food. People with chronic health conditions have an even greater need to avoid the highly processed Standard American Diet (SAD).”
Determined to take this knowledge to others in the disabled community, Jerry reinvented his career by joining the Paralyzed Veterans of America, a non-profit organization whose efforts help improve the quality of life for those with disabilities. PVA’s efforts include providing hospital spinal cord injury units with high-tech exercise equipment and advanced training, working with legislators to improve public access, one-on-one mentoring, and other motivational gifts such as phone cards to keep families in touch.
“In the days and months after a catastrophic accident, it is so important for patients to stay motivated to live and to regain confidence in their ability to reclaim their life. To this day, I’m so thankful for a nurse who helped me see how I needed to just play the cards I was dealt. It’s not productive to stay mad at the world, and each of us can decide whether we’d rather be happy or not. Those who grasp the mood/food connection will find it easier to make the necessary attitude adjustments.”
Jerry is fortunate to have a supportive family that has learned to fully embrace a more naturally healthy lifestyle in the decade since his injury. When his wife practices yoga, her favorite partners are their two grandchildren, ages four and eight. Both of their sons are avid weightlifters who maintain optimal strength through close attention to diet and natural supplements.
Jerry serves on the local VA Hospital Institutional Review Board and its Regional Alternative Health Advisory Committee. “We advocate the safe, intelligent use of supplements,” he concludes, adding that his dissertation topic on glycobiology is part of what he wants to teach.
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