CAUTION: This article, and the photos in it, include graphic details related to losing and regrowing a finger. If you are disturbed by information and images of this nature, please use your own discretion when determining whether to read further.
At the age of 47, my friend Reneé Ainlay caught one of her index fingers in a grinder … and regrew it.
Here’s her story, as told in the Early Fall 2008 edition of “The Primal Diet Newsletter,” by Aajonus Vonderplanitz. He is the nutritionist who guided her in this regenerative journey.
“The following is a miraculously natural event from Mother Earth’s kitchen of therapies that I discovered through trial and error. Reneé, 47 years young at the time, caught one of her index fingers in a grinder. It was ground including bone. Not even one cell could be saved and reattached. I advised her to apply lime juice first to the open wound and surrounding area. Lime juice surrounds particles and dead cells of flesh, blood, lymph, and nerves so that white blood cells would not amass in the area that could complicate healing and regrowth. I suggested that she apply coconut cream over the lime juice, and apply unheated honey over the coconut cream, then lay a very thin slice of fresh beef or buffalo steak over her finger’s open wound. I asked her to cover the meat with a piece of coconut cream–moistened gauze to prevent the meat from drying and contracting her wound. I instructed her to place a piece of plastic the size of the gauze to cover the gauze and prevent the gauze from drying, then tape it all loosely with adhesive gauze. The following photos recorded her finger’s healing progress while Reneé adhered to my Primal Diet and followed my advice for her finger. The first 2 photos were taken within 3 days of injury on September 12, 2007. The third and fourth photos were taken November 6, 2007. The last 2 were taken September 22, 2008, one year after the incident.”
Here are the pictures he’s referring to (remember, they’re very graphic):
Isn’t that incredible? I know Reneé personally, and this event did actually happen the way it was written above.
By the way, if you want to learn a little more about Reneé, check out the interview I did with her on “Dissolving Kidney Stones Without a Doctor,” here: https://thegrownetwork.com/dissolving-kidney-stones-without-a-doctor-marjory-wildcraft-interviews-renee-ainly/
You’ll notice that coconut cream is a common theme in both of these stories—in fact, Reneé believes in it so much that she cofounded Original Living Coconut, a Missouri-based company that processes and sells raw, organic coconut cream (as well as coconut oil, coconut cream-based desserts, and coconut kefir). You can check out the company’s website here: www.originallivingcoconut.com
Then, let me know your thoughts on Reneé’s story!
(This is an updated version of an article that was originally published on March 8, 2018.)
Marjory Wildcraft is the founder of The Grow Network, which is a community of people focused on modern self-sufficient living. She has been featured by National Geographic as an expert in off-grid living, she hosted the Mother Earth News Online Homesteading Summit, and she is listed in Who’s Who in America for having inspired hundreds of thousands of backyard gardens. Marjory was the focus of an article that won Reuter’s Food Sustainability Media Award, and she recently authored The Grow System: The Essential Guide to Modern Self-Sufficient Living—From Growing Food to Making Medicine.
COMMENTS(43)
Back in about 1980, I was working in a restaurant on weekends in order to make some extra money. One day I was slicing a head of lettuce on a meat slicing machine. I was not paying close attention to what I was doing and sliced the end of my right thumb off.
Over time, the missing end grew back. What also amazes me about this was that the missing section has the expected curve that the end of thumb should have. If I put my two thumbs up next to each other, there is no obvious difference between them.
Amazing!
Terry Thomas…
the photographer
Atlanta, Georgia USA
Finger: I have heard of someone regrowing their finger. He had no specifics, except the look/feel of the new skin growth and his story seemed to be filled with true nonsense, so I brushed it off as hogwash. He liked sensational stories, so I was not sure how far I could trust him on that.
Eyes: I recently bought a short course on how to heal the eyes with herbs. He covers nearsightness, farsightedness, presbyopia, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, etc. It sounds as though part of the key to healing eyes is having a healthy liver and good circulation, particularly to the head area. Total body wellness is important. Of course, there is more that I cannot put here.
In this course, the author, as well as a friend of his have healed their eyes. They no longer need glasses. His name is Karla Purchase Singh Khalsa (www.kpkhalsa.com). His holistic eyedoctor, George Dever, O.D. helped fine tune his eyesight. You might want to contact them for more information. I have already started my journey to heal my eyes by using herbs and specific real foods.
Thank you for those referrals Laurie. I am currently working with three different alternative docs… But I want to continue to learn about and interview people who have actually done it! I will look Karla up. Thanks
Hi Laurie,
I’ve been struggling with farsightedness for about a year now (getting worse) and I really want to be healed naturally. I will openly tell you something: I follow KP khalsa and I am overseas for now because my mom has many healthy problems and I am trying to help her. When I came to her country I of course lost my job in the USA and am unemployed and facing great financial difficulties here now. I received info about KP’s webinar for eye problems through his newsletter but couldn’t buy it. I also worry about glaucoma since my father had it and the doctor at the time told me that there’s a genetic component to it and that I would have to be careful as I got older. I was just wondering if you wouldn’t please be able to share with me some specifics about what you learned that would help me. I’d like to thank you in advance for even just reading my reply, even if you’re unable to help me at this time. God bless you
I’d don’t mean to sound like the skeptic, I believe we can regrow body parts, but when I look at these pictures I see a damaged pointer finger, and a healed pinky finger.
Hi Ruth, hmmm, yes that does look like a pinkie finger… I’ll check with Renee. But I have sepnt time with renee in person (and visisted her shop where the machine chewed up her finger) and I am sure her story is authentic.
Hi Marjory! The pics ar of my left hand index finger, not a pinky finger. The pic you are talking about is my left hand with palm up and the camera angel is from my thumb. My thumb is pulled out of the way of the pic so you can see the index finger.
Hey Renee, thanks for jumping in here with the explanation. If you get a moment could you put up a profile photo – you look great in a big smile 🙂
Hi Marjory,
I’ve been enjoying your articles and events as I resonate with holistic ways of living.
My spiritual teacher is a medical doctor who developed an eye problem that allopathic medicine could not heal and he was going blind. He found energy medicine to heal his eye, then found Sufi spiritual healing to heal his almost fatal heart condition. He created a school to teach others how to heal themselves and also does healing sessions. Perhaps this may work for you? His website is drjaffemd.com.
Blessings,
Nataline
Thank you Nataline, I’lll look Dr. Jaffe up.
Marjory, when I was 10 years old, my eyesight went south very abruptly. I was 20/200 in one eye and 20/400 in the other. With glasses, I could see fine and have been driving a car for 51 years. I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t be able to do it as well. I had surgery done to my eyes when I was 44 (they made cuts to my eyes on an outpatient basis to correct astigmatism as well as nearsightedness) and I saw 20/20 the next day. Now, unfortunately, age has caused me to be farsighted and I now have to wear readers to see close up. But I can still see fine far away. I would not do laser surgery because a mistake cannot be fixed, but this was painless and quick, with only one day of down time, basically to let the anesthesia wear off. It’s an option.
Hi Barbara,
WOw, it’s nice to see you online. I hope all is going well – it’s been a while, huh?
I have begun to believe I coul dhela it a few decades ago – and that is the first step. Eating deeply nutritous food and eye exercises, herbs, various treatemnts, it is all starting to come together.
Thanks so much for your encouragement.
Hi Margory,
You should check out a report called “Ancient Cleansing Formulas,” published in1995/96 by the University of Natural Healing, Inc. in Charlottesville, Virginia, and written by Sam Bisor, Editor. He did several interviews with Dr. Richard Schulze, and (earlier) Dr. Schulze’s early teacher, Dr. John Christopher. (You may have heard of him, or a brand of herbal remedies named after him.) In it he discusses several cleansing formulas for colon, liver, gallbladder, blood, and even the eyes. The eye formula includes 1 part each eyebright herb, goldenseal root, bayberry bark, and red raspberry leaf, and (at least) 1/8 part cayenne pepper. It’s pretty intense, but when you can open your eye again you’ll be amazed!
I saw cayenne pepper being used for an Eye tumor, they blew cayenne into the eye, the tumor disappeared in about two weeks. She said it only stung for a few seconds.
P.S.
You should be able to locate a copy online…
I had never heard of this publication, but was able to find it easily. I started reading it and realized that I really needed to print it out and find some free time to read: could hardly stop reading!
Thanks so much.
Wow, this is a great article! What encouraging news for people. I wonder if someone with an old finger injury could (theoretically) cut away the closed off end of the stub and get it to regrow correctly.
I’m sure you’ve probably heard of this one, but I’ve been using the Bates method off and on, for my eyes. My vision has improved. I’ve got records from the optometrist to verify that. But I wonder how much better it would be if I was more diligent with the method.
Hi WScott, yes, I’ve heard of the Bates method. And like you, for many many years I just couldn’t muster the discipline. Odd in that I am very disciplined in lots of other areas of my life….. SO I have a ton of compassion for people who know of a therapy that could heal them, but they don’t do it.
Everyone interested in regeneration should look up Dr. Atala from Wake Forest University. He has regenerated bladders from adult stem cells and implanted them into humans. It turned out to be a great success. He has regenerated other body parts and has implanted them in humans. Great things are in store for all of us.
This is an amazing story of healing. I am also very curious about your progress on healing your vision. I was diagnosed with Stargardt disease last year, which is a genetic disease of the retina. There is no cure or treatment, so I am very discouraged. I would like to know what you are using for your treatment.
you mentioned regrowing teeth, have you heard any stories about that?
Hi Robert,
Yes I have heard of some stories. I am going to get a recorded interview with one person who knew firsthand of teeth being regenerated. I am working to get that recording, and getting it posted up to you soon.
have you heard any stories about regrowing teeth
I’m rewriting this as my comment seems to have gotten lost somehow.
Intension is also important. Your mind must access the possibility of healing despite the “common knowledge” that it won’t happen. I, too, know someone personally who successfully regrew the end of their finger after it was burned off in an accident. You now cannot tell the difference.
Regarding improving eyesight, I’ve significantly improved mine, as well. But I get the sense that the commenters are looking at the Bates method as exercises, when that the causes the opposite effect of what you desire. Instead, you need to be relaxing the eyes, using techniques–not exercises–to do this. The book Relearning to See by Quackenbush got me started. Then I found a very specially training Osteopath who has manipulation techniques that have continued my journey to healing. I’ve taken classes and attended lectures from doctors from all over the world who have been successful in reversing vision problems using natural means. They say that the only surgery necessary is for a detached retina.
Great information. We are looking for a group of alternative healers to build a retreat-healing center here in the Nicoya Blue zone in Costa Rica. If interested please contact us
Peace and Health
Hi Mel – I have a similar sounding project in mind for the Nicoya region as well as some resources for it. Let’s talk. Email me at ecologicaldesignconsulting@gmail.com
Wow, whew, if I could live several lives – I wouod be down there tomorrow!
If this helps, I also personally know of someone that regrew a finger tip back in 2008. This young boy aged 2 1/2 had the end of his right index finger smashed off in a door. The doctor said there was nothing to be done as the damage from the crushing injury was below the fingernail nearly to the joint below. The finger would never regrow in his professional opinion.
While there’s no story of any further medical intervention, there was an entire community of believers praying for complete and total restoration of the finger. In less than a year, the finger completely regenerated the tip with a fully formed fingernail. Never underestimate the power of prayer or divine intervention.
Hi SueJean,
DO you have any photos or people I can contact to interview for the story? I do need to be able to have as accurate and verifable info as possible.
Hi, a life long friend of mine sent this article to me since she remembers when my daughter severed her thumb at the age of 4 from an accident with a metal door. The thumb was severed horizontally just below the nail bed and the skin was barely attached at one end. I carefully placed the severed thumb piece in position and covered the thumb in a salve of comfrey, raw honey and wrapped it in gauze. Other herbs were added later, but comfrey and raw local honey was the primary. My sweet 4 year old was a stellar patient through those months of healing. It was truly amazing to see the new growth every time I changed the bandage and repacked the wound site with salve. She was seen by a Dr who recommended we dispose of her severed thumb piece and set her up for a lifetime disability due to thumb loss, but I declined. At the end of the healing the only complaint I had was her thumb nail bed didn’t heal perfectly. Years later, as a teenager, my daughter asked if we could find a way to fix her nail bed so Shriners Children’s Hospital agreed to do surgery. The surgeons were shocked by our story and said they couldn’t have done it better. They offered to remove her nail bed in the hope it would regrow better than the first time. This surgery offered minimal improvement, but we are very grateful to the Dr’s at Shriners Children’s Hospital for volunteering their time and expertise. The truth is our body was divinely made and the blueprint is within each of us to heal. Thanks for letting me share my daughters miracle of healing a severed thumb.
Gretchen, THANK YOU for writing your story. I’ve heard over and over again about the power of honey to heal wounds.
Nice heal… Thought I’d mention a book that I read a while back about electromedicine by Doctor Robert Becker: Cross Currents. He studied salamander limb regrowth and used his findings to partially regrow a human arm by activating stem cells with a very mild, sustained DC stimulus.
My son actually lost the tip of his finger down to the knuckle. I wish I gotten involved in herbal remedies before this had happened. I’m sure his finger would have healed better. Although it did heal amazingly well and he regrew most of the finger including a nail which of course was miraculous since that entire part of the finger had been removed. Sadly it did grow wider and misshapen though.
On the topic of eyesight restoration. This is something I’ve been working on for myself. I like the Bates method and also find the herb eyebright very helpful. I’ve been taking a supplement that has that and several other eye health herbs which makes a noticeable difference for me.
Dr Sam Berne opthalmologist who uses natural methods to heal eyes being interview by Dr David Perlmutter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkQEu0yaNhQ Lots of eye exercises and protocols on his website https://www.drsamberne.com/dry-eyes-holistic-therapies/ Good luck!
I have been interested in subject of regrowth.
Read a book entitled ” The Body Electric: Electromagnetism And The Foundation Of Life” by Robert O. Becker.
In the book he talk about children under the age of six, if their finger is not bandaged, but protected, are able to regrow at least their last joint out. The problem with we don’t typically leave the site alone and don’t allow the body to move the stem cells to the site for them to replicate according to the instructions in local good cells. We will put bandages and medicines on the site and then take the bandage off clean the site and re-medicate and re-bandage. We end up disturbing the cell regrowth.
The book is worth a read and very interesting. It is not a new book, but the info is still valid.
I love that there is such a wide variety of plants that heal. When I saw the headline, ught of a handful of herbs that could help the body regrow. Lime, coconut and honey didn’t come to mind, but now they will. Along with the song ‘Put the Lime in the Coconut’
LOL! Yes, I love that song too! Hadn’t thought of it as a medicinal song either…
35 years ago, I caught my finger in gears and it looked similar to the first picture posted. It was gruesome but did grow back! I didn’t put any of the items suggested in the article on it, but did have hope as I saw my father’s nose grow back after cancer surgery. Hadn’t thought about it for years until reading this article.
I also believe that there is an incredible power in thought to heal. I often wonder how much of our effective remedies are simply based on the love we give to one another?
I am a Graduate of Dr. Christopher’s School of Natural Healing. They have a great website with all sorts of techniques for natural healing. He was an amazing healer. One of the first greats.
My story: I was on vacation on the Island of St. Martins, having a super time playing tennis when opps. I fell, using my wrist as a buffer and heard it snap. We were on our second day of our trip. The pain was so debilitating in so many ways. I immediately went and climbed into the pool. The cool water numbed the pain and the arm floated on the surface. After about 15 minutes, my shock nausea settled down, my husband helped me to our room. We wrapped the arm in very stiff newspaper bound with a torn tee shirt, took a couple of ibuprofen and went to bed. The next day I was able to function enough to lay by the pool, unwrap my arm and let it float on the water. I knew it was broken by the S shape it was in. I finished out the vacation laying by the pool, and wrapping and unwrapping the arm to let the heat of the tropics and the cold pool water do treatments on the arm.
When we arrived home I showed it to my children. “ You have to see a doctor”.
After cutting off my wedding ring and several xrays later I was told my wrist was broken in three places, my thumb, my middle and ring finger were dislocated. I was told I would need pins in the wrist and a cast for 6 weeks.
But you know what, I had no pain and I could feel something going on. So I took Dr. Christopher’s BFC capsules, made a strong tea from their bulk BFC herbs which I alwAys keep on hand, wrapped the arm and placed it bound to a wrist tray the hospital had given me, opened it up during the night and laid it on my chest in the tray, each day and night for 5 weeks. I saw the wrist begin to straight a little bit each day. I never missed a day of work. On the first day of the sixth week I had perfect use of the arm. I have no problems with it, it has the same shape as my other wrist, it has never had any pain except for that initial pain and that was 25 years ago.
I believe in the body. I talk to my body and listen for its reply every morning before my feet hit the floor. I treat my body as a temple of good health, grace, and power, it answers me in kind.
WOW! Bonnie, thanks so much for sharing!
The first picture shows an index finger, the last one a little finger, if I am not mistaken. Doesn’t seem to add up. Not that I would doubt Aajonus, but something is wrong.
Hi Matthias,
Oh it is definitely good to be skeptical about anything online. I did see Renee’s finger in person and it was very normal looking.