CURING THE INCURABLE: MANIPULATING THE SPINE AND THE MEDICAL RULE BOOK
Reader's Digest UK|March 2020
Where illnesses leave doctors stumped, chiropractic treatment can yield surprising results…
Jamie Broadway
CURING THE INCURABLE: MANIPULATING THE SPINE AND THE MEDICAL RULE BOOK

HAVING WON A Precious Award, honouring female entrepreneurs of colour, Janet Mohapi-Banks was riding high with her cake design business. She was a main supplier for weddings at The Ritz Hotel in Mayfair and was set to do her first event at The Savoy. However, behind closed doors and in between the champagne-flowing cake consultations, she was being held to ransom by her stomach as she had started vomiting every day with no apparent cause.

Unexpectedly throwing up in trains, restaurants and the homes of clients, it wasn’t long before Janet’s nauseous symptoms were forcing her to close down her acclaimed business. However, the sickness was fated to rage on as doctors struggled to fathom what was causing her daily vomiting.

Following various tests and having been referred to several specialists, Janet was eventually diagnosed with a condition so rare that it didn’t even have a name. She was informed by gastroenterologists that she was suffering from a digestive disorder similar to gastroparesis—a debilitating condition whereby the stomach falls into paralysis and is unable to empty itself, essentially starving the body of food. Most importantly, they found that no electrical signals were reaching the stomach from the brain.

“I ate foods depending on how they would taste on the way back up. Chocolate and bacon were great, cheese and bread not so much,” Janet jokes. As with so many rare disease sufferers who are left at the mercy of their condition, Janet was forced to adapt and find her own coping mechanisms, saying, “I would carry around nappy sacks everywhere I went just in case.”

This story is from the March 2020 edition of Reader's Digest UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2020 edition of Reader's Digest UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM READER'S DIGEST UKView All
Culinary Grandes Dames
Reader's Digest UK

Culinary Grandes Dames

Paola Westbeek celebrates the women who have influenced her journey in gastronomy-from Elizabeth David and Julia Child to Nigella Lawson

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
My Britain: Winterton-on-Sea
Reader's Digest UK

My Britain: Winterton-on-Sea

WITH A BEAUTIFUL BEACH on one side and the Norfolk Broads on the other, Winterton-on-Sea is a lovely little village with a big heart.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Prince Stash
Reader's Digest UK

Under The GRANDFLUENCE Prince Stash

From aristocratic, eccentric friend of Sixties rockstars to TikTok sensation

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Steve Conte: If I Ruled The World
Reader's Digest UK

Steve Conte: If I Ruled The World

Steve Conte is a musician known for his memorable guitar work as a member of New York Dolls, as well as his collaborations with Japanese composer Yoko Kanno on the soundtracks to several hit anime series

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
My Great Escape: Rome, The Eternal City
Reader's Digest UK

My Great Escape: Rome, The Eternal City

Our reader Barbara Hull takes a Hollywood-inspired trip to Rome and reveals that some wishes really do come true

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
BOTANIC GARDENS OF THE WORLD
Reader's Digest UK

BOTANIC GARDENS OF THE WORLD

Tales of extraordinary plants, botanical history and scientific discovery

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
THIS BACON FAKERY MUST STOP
Reader's Digest UK

THIS BACON FAKERY MUST STOP

I WAS RECENTLY given bacon-flavoured dental floss for my birthday. My first question was: who the hell gives dental floss as a gift? My second question was: has bacon gone too far?

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Reader's Digest UK

GOOD NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Meet the Crufts competitors who changed their owners' lives completely

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
HOME AT LAST!
Reader's Digest UK

HOME AT LAST!

A cat missing for ten years, a dog who disappeared during a wildfire, and more heartwarming true stories of pets who were lost then found

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2024
New Love Lexicon
Reader's Digest UK

New Love Lexicon

Do internet terms help or hinder healthy romantic relationships?

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024