This first of its kind film shows the filmmaker’s personal struggle with thyroid disease and the medical confusion and negligence that surrounds it
The award-winning documentary Sick to Death! exposes the medical incompetence surrounding the treatment of one of America’s most common illnesses as experienced by New Orleans filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West, and debuted online January 18, 2018.
Hadleihg-West is available for interviews Thursday, February 1 through Friday, March 16, 2018. Please call or email with a preferred date and time.
Johanna J. Ramos-Boyer | JRB Communications, LLC | Office: 703-646-5137
Sick to Death! has received a Guggenheim Award and three Impact Doc Awards prior to the world premiere sold out screenings at the 2017 New Orleans Film Festival.
“Thyroid disease is THE MOST misdiagnosed disease in American medicine, " said New Orleans physician Dr. Charles Mary, II in Sick to Death!.
"I cried when I realized I should have been diagnosed as a child, but when I realized that millions of people were sick, undiagnosed or misdiagnosed despite medical information being available, I was angry and change became my mission.” said Hadleigh-West. “The purpose of the film is to expose the problem through many people’s stories, experts, historians and statistical data."
In Sick to Death! Hadleigh-West unflinchingly exposes her 30-year struggle to regain her health. Sick to Death! is both a call-to-action and a quirky, raw film which examines the maze most patients face in seeking treatment in today’s disturbing medical reality. This film uses thyroid disease as a metaphor for all illnesses and provides the viewer a roadmap for how to negotiate their individual health challenges.
Sick to Death! is available on both Amazon and VIMEO and the easiest way to find the film isthrough the film’s website: sick2death.com
About Maggie Hadleigh-West: As early as 1991, Maggie Hadleigh-West created the first film on the sexual harassment of women in public, War Zone (1991/1998). Her film Player Hating (2011) was praised by SLANT magazine as “one of the more intimate and revealing looks at American (housing) projects ever made.” Sick to Death! is the first feature length documentary on thyroid disease and complications that surround it.
Hadleigh-West is a 2017 Impact Doc Awards winner, a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow Award Winner, 2010 Indie Fest: Audience Impact Merit Award Winner, 2010 Accolade Merit Award Winner, 2009, 2006, and 2005 Alcyon Foundation Fellow, a 2004 New York State Council on the Arts Fellow, 2001 University of Louisville Distinguished Professor Nominee, 2000 Rockefeller Fellow Nominee and a 1998 Berlin Film Festival Caligari Nominee. Over the course of her career, Maggie Hadleigh-West has been internationally recognized as an activist, independent filmmaker, public speaker and the founder of YoMaggie Productions, LLC. Sick to Death! Is her 5th film. Her fourth film, and second feature documentary Player Hating: A Love Story follows the life of hip-hop artist Half-a-Mill as he struggles to escape ghetto obscurity for fame. Her well known feature length documentary, War Zone, covers the public harassment of women, turning the lens of her camera on her harassers.
Do You Workout When You Are Sick? - The Answer May Surprise You
YES and NO!
If you are even questioning it then YES...if youre feeling so/so then yes but dont push yourself. Go and do what feels right and take more rest if you need to between sets and exercises.
If you are ridiculously ill then NO. Do not go to the gym.
Take a day or two completely off the gym. Regardless of your training schedule, if your body is telling you it can’t keep up, STOP! Catch up on your sleep, keep getting all your meals in and let your neurological and muscular system regenerate. The world won’t end if you miss the gym for a day. <- This will not set you back. Just stay on point with your diet! Your body will thank you for the rest.
Book a massage. Deep tissue massage can help increase blood flow, speed recovery and release built up tension from overused muscles. Walking around with muscles loaded with tension is only adding to the stress and strain on your body.
Natural Immune System Boosters
I’m also big on supplementing with natural immune system boosters at the first sign of a cold. Here are some of my favorites:
Glutamine – 10-20 g twice per day
Phosphatidyl Serine – 600 mg/day , two doses
Magnesium – 400-1000 mg/day
Anti-oxidant cocktails – ala, selenium, coenzyme q10, vit c, NAC
Zinc – 50 mg/day
HMB – 3 grams/day
I’ve also put together a little concoction you can try out …
Immune Boost Shot
Take 2-3 x day at the first sign of a cold.
-1/4 cup fresh, pure orange juice
-7-10 pure oil of oregano drops
-5 pure ginger drops or powdered, concentrated ginger
-1 teaspoon turmeric
-dash of cayenne pepper
-1/2 fresh lemon
-1 tbsp raw, unpasteurized honey (optional)
I prefer to mix all ingredients together and take as a shot, cold. Some would say it’s not the greatest tasting creation, but it works!
Suggest getting ingredients at a health food store such as healthy planet, planet organic or whole foods.
Then have…
Zinc – 50 mg
Vitamin C – 1500 mg
Other options to add or substitute:
-1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
-10 g glutamine
Cold- Q Oral Spray - Product Review
I was recently sent the cold-Q oral spray to try. Which is 100% natural. It's pesticide/heavy metal free. Its also non-gmo. They sent me a 20ml bottle. Cold-Q enhancement is a unique oral spray that is made up of a proprietary formula of natural herbs, designed to be delivered to the back of the throat. This special formula is composed of herbs that are listed on Health Canada's Traditional Chinese Medicine Ingredient (TCMI) monograph.
Although I have not been sick I had my boyfriend test it out (he got sick) at the time the bottle arrived. Unlike most sprays of this nature that can be harsh or numbing he found this to be refreshing and cooling on the back of his throat. He felt relief from it and definitely used it every day until he felt better.
The spray was easy to use he said. All you have to do is simply shake the bottle, rotate the point so that it points upwards at a 45 degree angle, tilt your head back and spray 5 times into the back of your throat. They recommend you do this 3 times a day. They also recommend that you wait 30 minutes after spraying before eating or drinking.
My boyfriend and I highly recommend this natural product and find it to be a great solution to relief when you are sick. It was safe, convenient and easy to use. You can also stash it in your purse or pocket easily. For more information visit www.coldq.com
Thanks again at Cold-Q for allowing me to test out your product and helping my boyfriend feel better!
