As many of my friends know I started this journey around the end of 2012 after seriously using and abusing my body for 40 years. Poor diets, sporadic sleep, low activity, high stress and trauma. So I'll state for the record I'm not a medical or holistic practitioner and I do not advise anyone to undertake any thing found in this article without doing your own serious research and/or finding your own qualified holistic practitioner. The links I have provided are simply for more reading if interested and I do not get paid for anything from anyone on this blog. Most of the information sourced here was gathered quite quickly from sites I have liked on Facebook or SOTT.net and have been used to give you an idea of why I'm doing it or living this way.
If you are satisfied with western medicine and have good insurance... if there is such a thing, then I doubt you'll be interested in anything here. I get asked sometimes why, how and how long I've been doing this and while there are people who love to talk about their diets and lifestyle, I do not really like talking about it any more especially with people who are mildly curious or indoctrinated into believing that big pharma, big government, the food industry or any other companies really have our best interest at heart. I will volunteer my thoughts on things or products at work when a customer asks and they too are trying to give up the standard american diet (SAD) for a healthier one but I also know that many of my coworkers are just not interested. I mean it is a grocery store and they are all surrounded by food all day or night long. My friends may ask some questions too but their usual response is; I don't think I can do that. But for the few people who are interested enough to try something different and are dissatisfied with their health enough to look at other approaches I can tell you that there is another way and I'm walking it one step at a time.
The first and most important step in my opinion is that you have to change your mind set if you are the type to automatically dismiss alternative ideas to what health means or requires. That in itself is a tall order but the next step is to understand how much work it can be then be willing to break it down into manageable steps. Most of us have been conditioned to think, be, feel or do things a certain way and the thought of trying something that is totally different to what we've done before can bring a lot of of negativity front and center in our lives from many others and ourselves. That is a defeatist attitude that can cause you to fail before you've even started. Of course that can apply to many other areas if life but I'm talking about your health and mine too.
When I started reading a lot on the diet and health topics it was during the time I was really searching for the meaning of life after Trey had passed. Someone was having a serious health issue that prompted me to look for some relief for them. It then became clear to me that while trying to unify the soul with the mind, that I also had to unify them with the body to be able to see as clearly as I could. All three aspects are important to each other and if I was going to do some serious soul searching I needed to clean my body as well as my mind of the negative emotions, the lies I told, lived and believed and the traumas that had accumulated over the years which had also built up in the body or it's parts. My heart was hurting so much over Trey that I needed to do something and here was new information and some that I had rarely if ever paid much attention too much less practiced any of it. I mean when we are young we rarely pay attention to health advice because we don't yet feel the effects of all the poor choices we make so we falsely believe that we will feel the same at 40 as we do at 20... at least I did if, I ever gave it any thought at all at that age.
I did know I was over weight at about 165 lbs, had sinus and allergy issues sometimes severely, had battled with acne all my life, had a small patch of eczema on my right elbow, had a heavy menstrual cycle where I would be very heavy for a week or more and then have two weeks off then on again and was starting the change of life at this time with hot flashes and a few night sweats. Sometimes things just didn't smell right down there either and I was prone to having yeast infections and UTI's occasionally. I was exhausted all the time and could sleep for many hours with little change. These things are minor in comparison to many of the autoimmune diseases that are prevalent now a days such as diabetes, RA, lupus, IBS and crones to name a few which I've learned stem from leaky gut syndrome which causes inflammation. And with the billion dollar cancer industry that never seems to find a cure, I feel it's safe to say that they are not here to help us heal from any of these ailments. But there had to be a way for me to try to avoid being a long term patient. So I bit the bullet and started reading what I thought was going to be dry and boring material and was surprised to find much of it very interesting and easier to read than I thought.
It is during that time reading many articles or excerpts from books such as Wheat Belly, Primal Body Primal Mind, Detoxification and Healing and Detoxify or Die just to name a few, then reading about many others experiences and experiments of others trying to find a way of eating that encouraged health instead of destroying it. And I read for a long while before I even tried anything. But when you learn just how many of the foods you love are made and with the dangerous ingredients that are really not ingredients but science experiments or pure poison and GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) masquerading as food, then it becomes so much easier to give up these things that you're addicted to. BTW the R&D that these companies put into the products are intentionally designed to make you addicted by tweaking the salt, fat, sugar, crunch to chewy ratios while adding little to no nutritional value so that you will eat more of the product trying to sate your bodies natural desire for vitamins and minerals. I do know that when I was a kid many of these products and chemicals weren't developed yet and even the fast food we ate as kids wasn't nearly as dangerous as it is now. But I too eat on the run, in restaurants and from many a boxed dinner over the years and my bad habits were catching up with me quickly.
So if you've come this far in learning then the next thing to really understand is the toxic environment the we all live in. If your food and water is toxic... and it is, then you must remember that the air we breathe, the cleaning and beauty products we use, the pharmaceuticals we ingest, the chemicals we use for weeds and other outdoor aggravations, the ink in tattoo's that we may have, the materials we use to build and furnish our houses and the cars we drive are all toxic to different but still deadly levels when they are accumulated over a long period of time. I've leaned that we can't get away from all toxins because it is everywhere all day long but we can try to lessen the toxic intake and the effects it has on our bodies.
When I was ready, I prepared by saying goodbye to the foods I loved but knew were killing me slowly. I told to my friends who asked early on that I'm not afraid of dying but I don't want a long slow painful death and that's the path I was on. I gave up processed foods first and started to make my own food at home using real ingredients. Over time I decided to cook once a week so I'd have food when I got up for breakfast and when I came home from work so it would lessen the temptation to eat things that I shouldn't be eating. As with anything the more you do it the easier it gets to streamline the process and the bonus is that you just have one mess to clean up. So take a day to prep for the week and you'll be much more likely to stick to it. Also I wasn't used to getting up and eating breakfast. I had to train myself to eat in the morning and it took a while to get over the gag reflex as well as the little bit of nausea that came with it. But taking supplements on an empty stomach unless otherwise directed isn't a good idea.
Then I gave up wheat, grains of any kind including oats and rice, white potatoes and many other starches, corn and all the by products, legumes which meant most beans and peanut butter, then dairy, then the hardest one... Coca Cola. I had been drinking Coke for so many years and it was my crutch so it was the hardest to give up and switch to water. That took using a few of the natural sodas found at a local health store every so often to curb the cravings but after a while I began to crave the water itself. I also dropped all vegetable or peanut oils, margarine and all the other bad fats that were promoted as being healthy for us in favor or real butter, lard, coconut oils and real olive oil if I could find it. I started using almond or coconut milk in my coffee and no I did not give up coffee! Each time I gave something up I would try and incorporate a better habit and give my body time to acclimate to the changes I was making before taking on the next. The older we are the harder or slower it is for our bodies to adjust to these changes without it going into total shock. I remember I was talking with a woman at the hospital when I was visiting a friend that her 40 something year old son was there in the ICU with a massive heart attack after changing everything in his lifestyle at the first of the year. He had giving up all sorts of things in favor for the AMA standard idea of diet and starting running several mile a day as well. That conversation has stuck with me ever since. Another thing I noted in my journey was that my tasted buds changed after some time and things I didn't like before started to taste better after you get away from all the artificial flavoring. Yes I tried things I didn't like again either because they are good for the body or I wanted something different that would help get over a craving for something I couldn't eat. Example being guacamole. It just looked gross but I got over that and now can eat it just fine. I'm still not sure if I'm ready to try beets again...
There are a lot of semi variations and some of them are called Paleo short for Paleolithic diet or Caveman diet (which is really not a diet at all, it is a lifestyle and what I do) AIP (Auto Immune Protocol), Whole 30, GAPS, (Gut and Psycology Syndrome Protocol), SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Primal, and the Keto or Ketogenic Diet that is like Paleo squared in the terms of restrictions and results. As with most of them it means restricting certain foods depending on what they are doing to your body and introducing nutrient dense food to help fuel your energy requirements. Some people can't have nightshades or eggs or any nuts in their diet because it causes inflammation in their bodies. I can tell you now, I doubt I'd be able to do the Keto diet which is roughly 75 to 80% healthy fats, 15 to 20% protein and 0 to 5% carbs for the day. I have tried but I missed vegetables terribly. While I've read a lot about it and can see the benefits of the different methods I'm now having a hard enough time with Paleo and upping my good fats per day. So for breakfast I have 2 sausage patties and 3 boiled eggs. For lunch I now have bacon or chicken salad where I used to either eat fruit or a couple of Larabars. And for dinner I select one of the two meats I've cooked and a couple of vegetables. What ever you decide to do, just eating cleanly as possible on your budget while nourishing your body with real, readily absorbed nutrients is the most important factor in eating Paleo.
Two of the other big factors in this journey is stress and sleep. Most of us deal with an incredible amount of stress and some of it is self induced. Stress is the fight or flight response to certain situations and causes the body to produce cortisol. Too much of it can damage many of your organs as well as cause a host of other issues and can also hurt any dietary changes you are trying to make. Stress also makes it difficult to concentrate on more important things in life and since I was trying to improve my mind, body and soul it made sense to manage it as best as I could. It took a long time to find things to help but getting out of the bad situation I was in certainly went a long way toward helping. The other is proper sleep. I'm talking about going to bed before 10 pm and getting enough deep sleep to help repair damage done to our bodies during the day. This was a hard one for me because I liked to stay up late and sleep during the day but again it took time and effort to change my habits. I do use Melatonin to replace the Tylenol PM I was using and at first started using 5-HTP along with GABA to help relax before going to bed but I don't have to use those two any longer. I also learned that sleeping in a totally dark room was helpful for our bodies natural repair system to function properly and the cooler the room temp the better. Adding a white noise such as a fan is also helpful when trying to up your sleep quality. My next step will to be try elevating the head of the bed just slightly, about an inch to help the lymph nodes to drain properly.
In tandem with the Paleo diet, I also embarked on the detoxification of my body by using high doses of vitamins, minerals and herbs taken at certain times combined with other techniques such as detox baths where I soak in hot water for 40 or so minutes using Epson Salt and Baking Soda to help pull the toxins from my skin, which is the biggest organ our body has. You can use things like Apple Cider Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide and many different essential oils if you'd like but I was just using the basics. The first 20 minutes pulls toxins out and the last 20 pulls magnesium into out bodies. I've used oil pulling where you melt about 2 Tbs of coconut oil and swish it around your mouth for about 20 minutes then spit it out to pull the toxins out of my mouth. I had a mouth full of dental amalgams that produced all kinds of mercury toxicity as well as root canals that basically left dead roots under the gums which then leached bacteria and other toxins into my bloodstream. In 2007 I had all my teeth removed but one root canal and after reading about it had that one removed too. But even with removal of all this my body still stored all the toxins in the fat and this detoxing was critical in removing as much as possible. I've even tried coffee enemas which are very useful if not just gross and a pain to do. But beware that using high doses of vitamins and herbs may have a few draw backs such as you should NOT combine some of them with certain medications and medicinal herbs are very powerful especially in the right combination so, I would learn as much as possible before embarking on this route.
This journey is one that will be a long one with much to read and experience and that of course includes the vitamins, minerals and herbs themselves. I needed to learn about each one, what they were, what it helped, how much and when to take them. There are a lot of different ones and the most important ones for me are magnesium, vitamins C & D with K2, probiotics, milk thistle and fish oil. Quality is important and sourcing the best ones for your budget takes time but if you are buying them from one of the major box stores you will be wasting your money because as always there are companies that use the cheapest ingredients and fillers to make a buck and those companies give the rest of the industry a bad rep. I still take more than these twice a day but these are the basics and the rest is for specific issues I still deal with. I started using a lot when I decided to take the journey and part of the detox process includes flushing each organ starting with the kidneys and colon preparing them to be able to flush out the toxins efficiently then working on the parasites and yeast build up that we all have, then moving on to the liver and gallbladder flushes where the toxins are filtered through and then hopefully moving on to the heavy medal detoxing which I desperately needed to undertake. Everything seemed to be going well until I found myself in the healing crises stage or the Jarisch- Herxheimer reaction which is the official name of it. It was a mild one at first where my left ear became full of fluid which I could hear moving around but I couldn't hear anything else out of it. It started just after a beach trip where I went swimming in a hotel pool and it continued long after I came home.
A few months prior to this I had started seeing a Chiropractor to help ease some of the lower back and neck pain I was having and as we talked he referred me to his then wife a Eastern Holistic Practitioner which specialized in natural whole food supplements and acupuncture based on Chinese medicine and techniques. I was hesitant to say the least but had tried everything I could think of including every google search to find a way to unblock my ear to no avail. So I set up an appointment with her and the first consult was a very weird experience for someone like me who's never visited anything other than a western doctors office. For the record I did visit the western doctors office first about my ear and knew after much research that I needed an antiviral to help unblock the mucus. The doctor argued with me about it several times and wanted me to take an antibiotic for it which I also knew wouldn't do a thing for it but mess up my gut even more.
So the first visit with what I now just call my Nutritionist started with the typical questions of what problems are you having and medical history. She told me that getting to the root of the problems would take time and require that I stick to the regimen to see results. She then had me lay down on a table with my head slightly elevated holding my right arm straight in the air where she used her left hand to touch either pressure points or vital energy centers called chi or qi and then used her right arm to test the resistance in my right arm. If a center was strong then I'd be able to withstand the slight pressure she applied easily, but if it was weak then she'd be able to push my arm down quite easily herself. It is sort of an Applied Kinesiology I think based on my reading and yes I know it sounds hokey at best. She also used this technique to determine any foods I should avoid and I was already avoiding all on the list which made it much easier to keep doing so. She again used the same technique to prescribe certain supplements for me and advised that my adrenal glands were wiped out, my liver and gallbladder were in bad shape and scheduled me to go for a blood test to see what my levels of deficiencies in certain things were. So I gathered my large bag of supplements and left doubting that this had a chance of working but was still willing to give it a try.
A few months went my, I had moved to Dad's and the act of physically moving, cleaning and stress I was under caused me to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. I got down to a 113 lbs and into a size 4 pants that I hadn't seen since kindergarten. I knew I wouldn't stay at that weight for long because it was just to skinny for me and once things settled down a bit I would gain some of it back and I did. My normal weight seems to be between 125 and 130 lbs. I still continued to see the Nutritionist and things started to change like the circles under my eyes were no longer black, they had faded to a light gray. The changes in eating habits had also helped with many of the issues listed earlier and I was feeling a little better each day. Then one day as I'm out walking Gus my ear just popped open and I could hear again. It was amazing to me and that's when I lovingly started calling my Nutritionist the Witch Doctor because that's was it felt like. Interesting enough, one of the supplements I was on at the time was an natural antiviral, just like what I had asked the western doctor for. Imagine that? Please note that not every holistic practitioner is created equal. I got lucky and for me that is a rare thing. I would do some if not a lot of research on the practitioner you are thinking about going to, even if you are referred to them. I asked a lot of questions in the beginning about what she was doing, what my issues were and what did each supplement do for these issues. Since then I have learned that when I took a natural remedy before I changed my diet and others things and found that it wasn't effective it was because I was still trying to treat a symptom of another underlying issue and not the root cause. It was like putting a band aid on a gun shot wound. Now however, I do find relief from many problems using these treatments correctly because I keep cleaning my body and have a better understanding of what the real problems are.
As time went on I found I couldn't keep up with doing the maintenance flushes or detox baths here because of time, energy, money and Dad kept the hot water heater at the lowest settings which didn't do much good for the baths. I still maintained the diet which can be a challenge working in a grocery store and living with others who do not. I eventually got the hot water heater turned up high enough for the baths to resume but got lazy in taking the time to do them. When you are caring for someone who is in the last stages of life, it is harder to find the time to take care of yourself.
Then one day last year the Nutritionist told me I had a problem with yeast and that's why I have low energy, itchy dry skin in places, gained weight back up to 147 lbs and the yeast was causing the supplements to only be effective for a short time on any infections that cropped up. She advised that I give up ALL sugar for at least 30 days and I tried. I really did. Everything up until this point was like a cake walk compared to this. The cravings were so intense that I have a better appreciation for anyone trying to kick any hard drug out there because sugar is as addictive as a drug. And it is in everything. Just read the labels like I do but when also trying to avoid many of the chemicals in food. It's in BBQ sauce in the form of molasses which I eat a lot of and of course the fruit and veggies I do get to eat has a lot of sugar or breaks down to sugar which feed the yeast. I had become addicted to HT almond butter which was made with nothing but raw almonds so I could add a spoonful of honey and Himalayan Pink salt to the 16 oz jar combined with 85% dark chocolate as a night time snack or LaraBars which are made of fruit and nuts. As time went on, I found that I was craving more on more sugar and the yeast was the culprit. But on the 29th day of the sugar detox I was about to lose my mind and gave in to have almond butter and the dark chocolate. It was so intense and I felt defeated. Of course the Nutritionist was disappointed that I gave in but she kept urging me to try again. A year after that, about 8 months ago, I decided that it was time. I had developed a rash on my left eye that seemed to be eyelid dermatitis among the worsening of the other symptoms that had left me no other choice. So I bit the bullet and gave it all up again and more. Now I had to also give up all starches like arrowroot flour that I used as a substitute for flour sometimes, all nuts, cocoa in all forms, peas and carrots. Peas and carrots? Yes. Dang.
Not only was I miserable with the cravings itself but again another healing crises arrived and the first was the extremely itchy rash that started near my eyes and spread over my face and neck which I had the first time. Then came the inability to sleep at night for very long or well and then came the constipation which combined with the first two made me as irritable as a bear in a hornets nest hoping it was honey. So instead of sugar I turned to bacon and now I eat A LOT of bacon to help with the temptations. It usually works but after 3 months of being miserable I gave in again and had two LaraBars (20 grams of sugar total) one Monday night and slept better than I had for months and got up the next morning to take the biggest poop I have ever taken in my life. I know TMI but dang, I felt so much better. The next afternoon I was scheduled to see the Nutritionist and I admitted my slip but had got back on the wagon again. Because supplements are expensive and I am still buying some through Amazon, a lot for Gus as well, it is hard for me to tackle all the problems at once. Instead of seeing her once a month as I was doing I had to go every two weeks because the yeast get used to whatever you are using against it so it is beneficial to change the course of treatment to better kill more of them. And she was also helping me manage the yeast die off symptoms which made it more bearable than the first time. I have resumed the detox baths now twice a weeks to help with that as well and started drinking Pau d' Arco and a detox tea in the evenings with a little lemon juice (no sugar) to help as well as give me a little different flavor. As for the baths I was wondering if they really were working but after resuming them this time I found that if I missed one or went too long before I took one I'd feel sluggish and after taking them I'd feel a little lighter. Then I added the apple cider vinegar bath to the rotation to also help with the yeast and found another benefit, it helps make my skin feel smoother and my hair softer. Who knew?
I did hope to be through with this no sugar asap because I really, really wanted some almond butter with chocolate and I also found out something interesting too. Without some sugar life is not as sweet (pardon the pun). I didn't have the joy of cooking like the way I did before and it became just a thing I had to do as quickly as I could to get out of the kitchen. So any food I did eat during that time just doesn't taste as good as it used too. It's like I wasn't cooking with love any more, it was just a chore and it tastes like it. I know it's sad and it wasn't forever but some days it felt like it. I was reading about people who were trying to take the yeast on by themselves and they were having a hellava time with the die off symptoms and other things. I do not advise anyone in their right mind to go off alone because you will really need the support, expertise and proper supplements to get through this without losing your mind. I had been off wheat and many other foods for a long while before I started this and I still had a hard time. I couldn't imagine having to take all this on at once.
I am a lot more active now that I ever was partly because my job requires lots of walking all day. I also do a lot on my days off at home and always have something that needs to be fixed, found, cleaned, moved or replaced. I've started back with my chiropractic treatments after 5 years of being unable to afford them. I am also thinking of starting yoga, if I can find the time. Seriously! I need to stretch and help my body deal with normal aches and pains or even prevent them while at work. We'll see how that goes and no, never in a million years did I ever think I'd be trying yoga. But I've bought a mat and googled some videos and tried it a few times. The dogs think its play time so I will have to figure out a way around that too.
Another part of this journey is dealing with emotional issues that have plagued me for most of my life. Reading of course, the right books for which there are many, help put things into perspective such as The Narcissistic Family, Trapped in the Mirror, Unholy Hungers, Strangers to Ourselves, Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow, Without a Conscience, Redirect and Character Disturbance to name but a few. These are not self help books in the traditional sense but they are packed with information that isn't readily available to many who may need it most. It helps to understand the people around you as much as yourself so you can be prepared to make decisions based on objective truth as much as possible whenever the need arises. In these books I found many answers I had been seeking most of my life and referred to them as I continued to write this blog. Writing itself about my experiences in life helped so much to get it out of my head, see where I had gone wrong and it also forces you to put a period at the end of a chapter, if you can finish it that is. It's a way of finding whatever resolution you can with situations that have caused you a great deal of grief. It's a form of emotional detox with the added bonus of arming you with information that will help you in the future... if you let it! Something else to think about along these lines will be very scary for many people... give up or severely limit your tv, phone and internet time. These devices interfere with brainwaves, your subconscious, your mental health and something called your frequency resonance vibration. I may watch a show on Netfix or Hulu but I don't binge watch them. Usually 1 or 2 a day if I find something really good. I still play my game on FB but don't read much less interact with many people there, especially during political seasons. The insanity is just so over the top that I ain't doing it. As for my phone, it's usually on my desk or in the locker at work. I don't have it in my hand every minute of the day and I actually turn if off at night. Yes, there is an off button on your phone... somewhere.
Because I've been asked about this I will try and explain it here for those of you who still partake in a habit that is now vilified more and more everyday. Smoking has become the poster boy for a lot that is bad with the body, environment and society. And maybe to some degree there is a little truth in that because of the added chemicals, toxins and pesticides used on or added to the tobacco that the major cigarette companies use. When I started this journey, I was preparing myself mentally to quit a habit I had started when I was about 13. Yea, I know... But again, I came across information about smoking or tobacco which came as a relief. It is the opposite of what the AMA advises and many who read this will not or cannot even entertain the thought, so if that is you, maybe you want to skip this part. There are more and more benefits to smoking and there are cigarettes out there with much fewer chemicals and toxins than the major brands. Smoking is blamed more often for lung cancer but may play only a small part if any in that particular disease. My dad died from stage 4 lung cancer and had been smoking for most of his life but instead of looking at all the chemicals and vaccinations from his military days or all the chemicals he used at home the docs blamed it on smoking of course. Those black lung pictures we were shown and told was caused by smoking were in all probability a coal miners lung. I had a friend whose dad was a non smoking coal miner with black lung disease. I have also read that they are using more lungs from smokers for transplants and if that's the case then the lungs must be vetted to be good enough for a transplant. Makes you wonder why the AMA would take another beneficial possibility such as tobacco and vilify it along with others things like supplements? Hmmm... profit possibly or maybe they are trying for a cover up or scapegoat tobacco because the chemical companies have a huge stake in the research of such things. While second hand smoke may not be pleasant for some to smell, the adverse health effects that are touted are a joke. Some people just have a genetic predisposition to smoke... simply put because it's in their genes. So there are reasons why I continue to smoke and enjoy it!
So how do I feel since I've been eating, supplementing, detoxing and exercising this way now for almost 6 years? Better than I did when I started. My skin is clearer (save for the yeast die off rashes), my energy is better than before, but probably will never be great, my monthly has evened out and when it doesn't it's a sign of another issue. The eczema is gone and I rarely have sinus and allergy issues even in the spring when others are suffering. I hadn't had a hot flash or night sweat since I started... until recently. I'm about to turn 47 so it's about that time I guess. My Nutritionist has something for that too! The depression I was under has lifted and I can feel joy again when it comes to little things. My mind is clearer than before even if I don't always use it. It has made the difference between coming home tired and coming home exhausted to the point of not being able to move. I still have a lot more to learn and practice but I can advise anyone to listen to your body. It is trying to tell you what is wrong. I now know that a simple thing like a crick in my neck could mean that a low level infection has set in or that your gallbladder and liver could be full of stones which can affect the way you breathe. After you have not eaten a food for a long time and try to reintroduce it back into your diet, pay attention to how it makes you feel and any of the symptoms you may have had before. And as always if you are on any medication that shouldn't be stopped cold turkey then please, please talk to your doctor or health practitioner about that medication and how to get off of it the right way. When talking with a friend of mine after I came home, she decided that she was just going to quit all the antidepressants and other meds. It did not turn out well because she didn't have a back up plan or do it in a way that was healthy... and that it my whole point here. To got as healthy as we can with what we've got.
For the future I want to focus on other areas of interest and one is to be able to explore red light therapy. It seems very interesting and promising. I'd also like to be able to afford more grass fed, organic meats and vegetables which would impact my health in a more positive direction. I'd like to be able to implement other toxic reducing measures around the house and yard and if I stick to it, someday I will. I have learned that any of us can only do so much but taking the first steps in the journey is the most important part. I'm glad I did because who knows what kind of shape I'd be in today if I hadn't. This isn't a quick fix and no one got into the shape they are in over night so don't expect to be out if it in the same time frame.
Now lets talk about price. You say it is expensive to change the way you eat or use supplements of good quality and for long periods of time if it's necessary much less find a holistic practitioner and you would be correct. There is also a learning curve and experimenting with what works for you can be even more costly if you haven't done your own research. But you will be paying co-pays later with western doctors visits and or any hospital visits that your insurance doesn't cover. Medical bills are astronomical now a days and it can bury a person or family for many years to come. When I compared the two, I decided to try and avoid the back end cost of poor health by trying to pay in advance or at least up front. I spend between $200 to $ 350 a month to see my doctor depending on the supplements I need and about $100 to $200 a month on supplements for Amazon. My chiropractor visits are $55 a month. My grocery bill is ranging between $200 to $ 300 a month now. I do shop sales at work and have a freezer to stock up on meats when they are on sale.
On the other hand there are insurance plans that are costing some people between $300 and $1400 a month depending on the key phrase... preexisting conditions. Even with that there is still out of pocket expenses. the cost of OTC medications and such. I have the most basic plan because I've made the decision now about not doing western treatment for diseases and depending on accidents my bill can and will be very high because of that. It's a trade off for me at this point in my life and I have a living will stating my desires to that effect. And let's face the facts here. It is time consuming to take charge of your own health and life at first with all the reading, learning, purging of the old food and reintroducing the new, finding natural doctors, dealing with any health issues that are affecting your day to day life and balancing all this with work, family or other obligations. That is a tall order especially of you don't feel good or are sick but it can be done, slowly, steadily and you can work with whatever budget you have at the moment. This isn't a race; it's a change in course that will have you going forward, backwards, side to side and sometimes just standing still. It can be done.
As a side note my buddy Gus who is an English Bulldog almost 13 years old and giving me the hairy eye at the moment because he is waiting for his nightly treat so we can go to bed is also on a grain free diet with many different supplements because as a pure breed he is prone to all sorts of ailments and health issues. I think many of them are keeping some of his problems at bay such as apple cider vinegar capsules that help him pee. Who knew? I found out the hard way when I ran out one day and he kept trying to go and go and go but nothing would happen. Then it dawned on me what I hadn't given him in a could of days so had to give him the liquid stuff which wasn't pleasant for either of us but he started going again. I hope to make his remaining days with me as comfortable as possible because he is worth it!
If you are satisfied with western medicine and have good insurance... if there is such a thing, then I doubt you'll be interested in anything here. I get asked sometimes why, how and how long I've been doing this and while there are people who love to talk about their diets and lifestyle, I do not really like talking about it any more especially with people who are mildly curious or indoctrinated into believing that big pharma, big government, the food industry or any other companies really have our best interest at heart. I will volunteer my thoughts on things or products at work when a customer asks and they too are trying to give up the standard american diet (SAD) for a healthier one but I also know that many of my coworkers are just not interested. I mean it is a grocery store and they are all surrounded by food all day or night long. My friends may ask some questions too but their usual response is; I don't think I can do that. But for the few people who are interested enough to try something different and are dissatisfied with their health enough to look at other approaches I can tell you that there is another way and I'm walking it one step at a time.
The first and most important step in my opinion is that you have to change your mind set if you are the type to automatically dismiss alternative ideas to what health means or requires. That in itself is a tall order but the next step is to understand how much work it can be then be willing to break it down into manageable steps. Most of us have been conditioned to think, be, feel or do things a certain way and the thought of trying something that is totally different to what we've done before can bring a lot of of negativity front and center in our lives from many others and ourselves. That is a defeatist attitude that can cause you to fail before you've even started. Of course that can apply to many other areas if life but I'm talking about your health and mine too.
When I started reading a lot on the diet and health topics it was during the time I was really searching for the meaning of life after Trey had passed. Someone was having a serious health issue that prompted me to look for some relief for them. It then became clear to me that while trying to unify the soul with the mind, that I also had to unify them with the body to be able to see as clearly as I could. All three aspects are important to each other and if I was going to do some serious soul searching I needed to clean my body as well as my mind of the negative emotions, the lies I told, lived and believed and the traumas that had accumulated over the years which had also built up in the body or it's parts. My heart was hurting so much over Trey that I needed to do something and here was new information and some that I had rarely if ever paid much attention too much less practiced any of it. I mean when we are young we rarely pay attention to health advice because we don't yet feel the effects of all the poor choices we make so we falsely believe that we will feel the same at 40 as we do at 20... at least I did if, I ever gave it any thought at all at that age.
I did know I was over weight at about 165 lbs, had sinus and allergy issues sometimes severely, had battled with acne all my life, had a small patch of eczema on my right elbow, had a heavy menstrual cycle where I would be very heavy for a week or more and then have two weeks off then on again and was starting the change of life at this time with hot flashes and a few night sweats. Sometimes things just didn't smell right down there either and I was prone to having yeast infections and UTI's occasionally. I was exhausted all the time and could sleep for many hours with little change. These things are minor in comparison to many of the autoimmune diseases that are prevalent now a days such as diabetes, RA, lupus, IBS and crones to name a few which I've learned stem from leaky gut syndrome which causes inflammation. And with the billion dollar cancer industry that never seems to find a cure, I feel it's safe to say that they are not here to help us heal from any of these ailments. But there had to be a way for me to try to avoid being a long term patient. So I bit the bullet and started reading what I thought was going to be dry and boring material and was surprised to find much of it very interesting and easier to read than I thought.
It is during that time reading many articles or excerpts from books such as Wheat Belly, Primal Body Primal Mind, Detoxification and Healing and Detoxify or Die just to name a few, then reading about many others experiences and experiments of others trying to find a way of eating that encouraged health instead of destroying it. And I read for a long while before I even tried anything. But when you learn just how many of the foods you love are made and with the dangerous ingredients that are really not ingredients but science experiments or pure poison and GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms) masquerading as food, then it becomes so much easier to give up these things that you're addicted to. BTW the R&D that these companies put into the products are intentionally designed to make you addicted by tweaking the salt, fat, sugar, crunch to chewy ratios while adding little to no nutritional value so that you will eat more of the product trying to sate your bodies natural desire for vitamins and minerals. I do know that when I was a kid many of these products and chemicals weren't developed yet and even the fast food we ate as kids wasn't nearly as dangerous as it is now. But I too eat on the run, in restaurants and from many a boxed dinner over the years and my bad habits were catching up with me quickly.
So if you've come this far in learning then the next thing to really understand is the toxic environment the we all live in. If your food and water is toxic... and it is, then you must remember that the air we breathe, the cleaning and beauty products we use, the pharmaceuticals we ingest, the chemicals we use for weeds and other outdoor aggravations, the ink in tattoo's that we may have, the materials we use to build and furnish our houses and the cars we drive are all toxic to different but still deadly levels when they are accumulated over a long period of time. I've leaned that we can't get away from all toxins because it is everywhere all day long but we can try to lessen the toxic intake and the effects it has on our bodies.
When I was ready, I prepared by saying goodbye to the foods I loved but knew were killing me slowly. I told to my friends who asked early on that I'm not afraid of dying but I don't want a long slow painful death and that's the path I was on. I gave up processed foods first and started to make my own food at home using real ingredients. Over time I decided to cook once a week so I'd have food when I got up for breakfast and when I came home from work so it would lessen the temptation to eat things that I shouldn't be eating. As with anything the more you do it the easier it gets to streamline the process and the bonus is that you just have one mess to clean up. So take a day to prep for the week and you'll be much more likely to stick to it. Also I wasn't used to getting up and eating breakfast. I had to train myself to eat in the morning and it took a while to get over the gag reflex as well as the little bit of nausea that came with it. But taking supplements on an empty stomach unless otherwise directed isn't a good idea.
Then I gave up wheat, grains of any kind including oats and rice, white potatoes and many other starches, corn and all the by products, legumes which meant most beans and peanut butter, then dairy, then the hardest one... Coca Cola. I had been drinking Coke for so many years and it was my crutch so it was the hardest to give up and switch to water. That took using a few of the natural sodas found at a local health store every so often to curb the cravings but after a while I began to crave the water itself. I also dropped all vegetable or peanut oils, margarine and all the other bad fats that were promoted as being healthy for us in favor or real butter, lard, coconut oils and real olive oil if I could find it. I started using almond or coconut milk in my coffee and no I did not give up coffee! Each time I gave something up I would try and incorporate a better habit and give my body time to acclimate to the changes I was making before taking on the next. The older we are the harder or slower it is for our bodies to adjust to these changes without it going into total shock. I remember I was talking with a woman at the hospital when I was visiting a friend that her 40 something year old son was there in the ICU with a massive heart attack after changing everything in his lifestyle at the first of the year. He had giving up all sorts of things in favor for the AMA standard idea of diet and starting running several mile a day as well. That conversation has stuck with me ever since. Another thing I noted in my journey was that my tasted buds changed after some time and things I didn't like before started to taste better after you get away from all the artificial flavoring. Yes I tried things I didn't like again either because they are good for the body or I wanted something different that would help get over a craving for something I couldn't eat. Example being guacamole. It just looked gross but I got over that and now can eat it just fine. I'm still not sure if I'm ready to try beets again...
There are a lot of semi variations and some of them are called Paleo short for Paleolithic diet or Caveman diet (which is really not a diet at all, it is a lifestyle and what I do) AIP (Auto Immune Protocol), Whole 30, GAPS, (Gut and Psycology Syndrome Protocol), SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Primal, and the Keto or Ketogenic Diet that is like Paleo squared in the terms of restrictions and results. As with most of them it means restricting certain foods depending on what they are doing to your body and introducing nutrient dense food to help fuel your energy requirements. Some people can't have nightshades or eggs or any nuts in their diet because it causes inflammation in their bodies. I can tell you now, I doubt I'd be able to do the Keto diet which is roughly 75 to 80% healthy fats, 15 to 20% protein and 0 to 5% carbs for the day. I have tried but I missed vegetables terribly. While I've read a lot about it and can see the benefits of the different methods I'm now having a hard enough time with Paleo and upping my good fats per day. So for breakfast I have 2 sausage patties and 3 boiled eggs. For lunch I now have bacon or chicken salad where I used to either eat fruit or a couple of Larabars. And for dinner I select one of the two meats I've cooked and a couple of vegetables. What ever you decide to do, just eating cleanly as possible on your budget while nourishing your body with real, readily absorbed nutrients is the most important factor in eating Paleo.
Two of the other big factors in this journey is stress and sleep. Most of us deal with an incredible amount of stress and some of it is self induced. Stress is the fight or flight response to certain situations and causes the body to produce cortisol. Too much of it can damage many of your organs as well as cause a host of other issues and can also hurt any dietary changes you are trying to make. Stress also makes it difficult to concentrate on more important things in life and since I was trying to improve my mind, body and soul it made sense to manage it as best as I could. It took a long time to find things to help but getting out of the bad situation I was in certainly went a long way toward helping. The other is proper sleep. I'm talking about going to bed before 10 pm and getting enough deep sleep to help repair damage done to our bodies during the day. This was a hard one for me because I liked to stay up late and sleep during the day but again it took time and effort to change my habits. I do use Melatonin to replace the Tylenol PM I was using and at first started using 5-HTP along with GABA to help relax before going to bed but I don't have to use those two any longer. I also learned that sleeping in a totally dark room was helpful for our bodies natural repair system to function properly and the cooler the room temp the better. Adding a white noise such as a fan is also helpful when trying to up your sleep quality. My next step will to be try elevating the head of the bed just slightly, about an inch to help the lymph nodes to drain properly.
In tandem with the Paleo diet, I also embarked on the detoxification of my body by using high doses of vitamins, minerals and herbs taken at certain times combined with other techniques such as detox baths where I soak in hot water for 40 or so minutes using Epson Salt and Baking Soda to help pull the toxins from my skin, which is the biggest organ our body has. You can use things like Apple Cider Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide and many different essential oils if you'd like but I was just using the basics. The first 20 minutes pulls toxins out and the last 20 pulls magnesium into out bodies. I've used oil pulling where you melt about 2 Tbs of coconut oil and swish it around your mouth for about 20 minutes then spit it out to pull the toxins out of my mouth. I had a mouth full of dental amalgams that produced all kinds of mercury toxicity as well as root canals that basically left dead roots under the gums which then leached bacteria and other toxins into my bloodstream. In 2007 I had all my teeth removed but one root canal and after reading about it had that one removed too. But even with removal of all this my body still stored all the toxins in the fat and this detoxing was critical in removing as much as possible. I've even tried coffee enemas which are very useful if not just gross and a pain to do. But beware that using high doses of vitamins and herbs may have a few draw backs such as you should NOT combine some of them with certain medications and medicinal herbs are very powerful especially in the right combination so, I would learn as much as possible before embarking on this route.
This journey is one that will be a long one with much to read and experience and that of course includes the vitamins, minerals and herbs themselves. I needed to learn about each one, what they were, what it helped, how much and when to take them. There are a lot of different ones and the most important ones for me are magnesium, vitamins C & D with K2, probiotics, milk thistle and fish oil. Quality is important and sourcing the best ones for your budget takes time but if you are buying them from one of the major box stores you will be wasting your money because as always there are companies that use the cheapest ingredients and fillers to make a buck and those companies give the rest of the industry a bad rep. I still take more than these twice a day but these are the basics and the rest is for specific issues I still deal with. I started using a lot when I decided to take the journey and part of the detox process includes flushing each organ starting with the kidneys and colon preparing them to be able to flush out the toxins efficiently then working on the parasites and yeast build up that we all have, then moving on to the liver and gallbladder flushes where the toxins are filtered through and then hopefully moving on to the heavy medal detoxing which I desperately needed to undertake. Everything seemed to be going well until I found myself in the healing crises stage or the Jarisch- Herxheimer reaction which is the official name of it. It was a mild one at first where my left ear became full of fluid which I could hear moving around but I couldn't hear anything else out of it. It started just after a beach trip where I went swimming in a hotel pool and it continued long after I came home.
A few months prior to this I had started seeing a Chiropractor to help ease some of the lower back and neck pain I was having and as we talked he referred me to his then wife a Eastern Holistic Practitioner which specialized in natural whole food supplements and acupuncture based on Chinese medicine and techniques. I was hesitant to say the least but had tried everything I could think of including every google search to find a way to unblock my ear to no avail. So I set up an appointment with her and the first consult was a very weird experience for someone like me who's never visited anything other than a western doctors office. For the record I did visit the western doctors office first about my ear and knew after much research that I needed an antiviral to help unblock the mucus. The doctor argued with me about it several times and wanted me to take an antibiotic for it which I also knew wouldn't do a thing for it but mess up my gut even more.
So the first visit with what I now just call my Nutritionist started with the typical questions of what problems are you having and medical history. She told me that getting to the root of the problems would take time and require that I stick to the regimen to see results. She then had me lay down on a table with my head slightly elevated holding my right arm straight in the air where she used her left hand to touch either pressure points or vital energy centers called chi or qi and then used her right arm to test the resistance in my right arm. If a center was strong then I'd be able to withstand the slight pressure she applied easily, but if it was weak then she'd be able to push my arm down quite easily herself. It is sort of an Applied Kinesiology I think based on my reading and yes I know it sounds hokey at best. She also used this technique to determine any foods I should avoid and I was already avoiding all on the list which made it much easier to keep doing so. She again used the same technique to prescribe certain supplements for me and advised that my adrenal glands were wiped out, my liver and gallbladder were in bad shape and scheduled me to go for a blood test to see what my levels of deficiencies in certain things were. So I gathered my large bag of supplements and left doubting that this had a chance of working but was still willing to give it a try.
A few months went my, I had moved to Dad's and the act of physically moving, cleaning and stress I was under caused me to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. I got down to a 113 lbs and into a size 4 pants that I hadn't seen since kindergarten. I knew I wouldn't stay at that weight for long because it was just to skinny for me and once things settled down a bit I would gain some of it back and I did. My normal weight seems to be between 125 and 130 lbs. I still continued to see the Nutritionist and things started to change like the circles under my eyes were no longer black, they had faded to a light gray. The changes in eating habits had also helped with many of the issues listed earlier and I was feeling a little better each day. Then one day as I'm out walking Gus my ear just popped open and I could hear again. It was amazing to me and that's when I lovingly started calling my Nutritionist the Witch Doctor because that's was it felt like. Interesting enough, one of the supplements I was on at the time was an natural antiviral, just like what I had asked the western doctor for. Imagine that? Please note that not every holistic practitioner is created equal. I got lucky and for me that is a rare thing. I would do some if not a lot of research on the practitioner you are thinking about going to, even if you are referred to them. I asked a lot of questions in the beginning about what she was doing, what my issues were and what did each supplement do for these issues. Since then I have learned that when I took a natural remedy before I changed my diet and others things and found that it wasn't effective it was because I was still trying to treat a symptom of another underlying issue and not the root cause. It was like putting a band aid on a gun shot wound. Now however, I do find relief from many problems using these treatments correctly because I keep cleaning my body and have a better understanding of what the real problems are.
As time went on I found I couldn't keep up with doing the maintenance flushes or detox baths here because of time, energy, money and Dad kept the hot water heater at the lowest settings which didn't do much good for the baths. I still maintained the diet which can be a challenge working in a grocery store and living with others who do not. I eventually got the hot water heater turned up high enough for the baths to resume but got lazy in taking the time to do them. When you are caring for someone who is in the last stages of life, it is harder to find the time to take care of yourself.
Then one day last year the Nutritionist told me I had a problem with yeast and that's why I have low energy, itchy dry skin in places, gained weight back up to 147 lbs and the yeast was causing the supplements to only be effective for a short time on any infections that cropped up. She advised that I give up ALL sugar for at least 30 days and I tried. I really did. Everything up until this point was like a cake walk compared to this. The cravings were so intense that I have a better appreciation for anyone trying to kick any hard drug out there because sugar is as addictive as a drug. And it is in everything. Just read the labels like I do but when also trying to avoid many of the chemicals in food. It's in BBQ sauce in the form of molasses which I eat a lot of and of course the fruit and veggies I do get to eat has a lot of sugar or breaks down to sugar which feed the yeast. I had become addicted to HT almond butter which was made with nothing but raw almonds so I could add a spoonful of honey and Himalayan Pink salt to the 16 oz jar combined with 85% dark chocolate as a night time snack or LaraBars which are made of fruit and nuts. As time went on, I found that I was craving more on more sugar and the yeast was the culprit. But on the 29th day of the sugar detox I was about to lose my mind and gave in to have almond butter and the dark chocolate. It was so intense and I felt defeated. Of course the Nutritionist was disappointed that I gave in but she kept urging me to try again. A year after that, about 8 months ago, I decided that it was time. I had developed a rash on my left eye that seemed to be eyelid dermatitis among the worsening of the other symptoms that had left me no other choice. So I bit the bullet and gave it all up again and more. Now I had to also give up all starches like arrowroot flour that I used as a substitute for flour sometimes, all nuts, cocoa in all forms, peas and carrots. Peas and carrots? Yes. Dang.
Not only was I miserable with the cravings itself but again another healing crises arrived and the first was the extremely itchy rash that started near my eyes and spread over my face and neck which I had the first time. Then came the inability to sleep at night for very long or well and then came the constipation which combined with the first two made me as irritable as a bear in a hornets nest hoping it was honey. So instead of sugar I turned to bacon and now I eat A LOT of bacon to help with the temptations. It usually works but after 3 months of being miserable I gave in again and had two LaraBars (20 grams of sugar total) one Monday night and slept better than I had for months and got up the next morning to take the biggest poop I have ever taken in my life. I know TMI but dang, I felt so much better. The next afternoon I was scheduled to see the Nutritionist and I admitted my slip but had got back on the wagon again. Because supplements are expensive and I am still buying some through Amazon, a lot for Gus as well, it is hard for me to tackle all the problems at once. Instead of seeing her once a month as I was doing I had to go every two weeks because the yeast get used to whatever you are using against it so it is beneficial to change the course of treatment to better kill more of them. And she was also helping me manage the yeast die off symptoms which made it more bearable than the first time. I have resumed the detox baths now twice a weeks to help with that as well and started drinking Pau d' Arco and a detox tea in the evenings with a little lemon juice (no sugar) to help as well as give me a little different flavor. As for the baths I was wondering if they really were working but after resuming them this time I found that if I missed one or went too long before I took one I'd feel sluggish and after taking them I'd feel a little lighter. Then I added the apple cider vinegar bath to the rotation to also help with the yeast and found another benefit, it helps make my skin feel smoother and my hair softer. Who knew?
I did hope to be through with this no sugar asap because I really, really wanted some almond butter with chocolate and I also found out something interesting too. Without some sugar life is not as sweet (pardon the pun). I didn't have the joy of cooking like the way I did before and it became just a thing I had to do as quickly as I could to get out of the kitchen. So any food I did eat during that time just doesn't taste as good as it used too. It's like I wasn't cooking with love any more, it was just a chore and it tastes like it. I know it's sad and it wasn't forever but some days it felt like it. I was reading about people who were trying to take the yeast on by themselves and they were having a hellava time with the die off symptoms and other things. I do not advise anyone in their right mind to go off alone because you will really need the support, expertise and proper supplements to get through this without losing your mind. I had been off wheat and many other foods for a long while before I started this and I still had a hard time. I couldn't imagine having to take all this on at once.
I am a lot more active now that I ever was partly because my job requires lots of walking all day. I also do a lot on my days off at home and always have something that needs to be fixed, found, cleaned, moved or replaced. I've started back with my chiropractic treatments after 5 years of being unable to afford them. I am also thinking of starting yoga, if I can find the time. Seriously! I need to stretch and help my body deal with normal aches and pains or even prevent them while at work. We'll see how that goes and no, never in a million years did I ever think I'd be trying yoga. But I've bought a mat and googled some videos and tried it a few times. The dogs think its play time so I will have to figure out a way around that too.
Another part of this journey is dealing with emotional issues that have plagued me for most of my life. Reading of course, the right books for which there are many, help put things into perspective such as The Narcissistic Family, Trapped in the Mirror, Unholy Hungers, Strangers to Ourselves, Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow, Without a Conscience, Redirect and Character Disturbance to name but a few. These are not self help books in the traditional sense but they are packed with information that isn't readily available to many who may need it most. It helps to understand the people around you as much as yourself so you can be prepared to make decisions based on objective truth as much as possible whenever the need arises. In these books I found many answers I had been seeking most of my life and referred to them as I continued to write this blog. Writing itself about my experiences in life helped so much to get it out of my head, see where I had gone wrong and it also forces you to put a period at the end of a chapter, if you can finish it that is. It's a way of finding whatever resolution you can with situations that have caused you a great deal of grief. It's a form of emotional detox with the added bonus of arming you with information that will help you in the future... if you let it! Something else to think about along these lines will be very scary for many people... give up or severely limit your tv, phone and internet time. These devices interfere with brainwaves, your subconscious, your mental health and something called your frequency resonance vibration. I may watch a show on Netfix or Hulu but I don't binge watch them. Usually 1 or 2 a day if I find something really good. I still play my game on FB but don't read much less interact with many people there, especially during political seasons. The insanity is just so over the top that I ain't doing it. As for my phone, it's usually on my desk or in the locker at work. I don't have it in my hand every minute of the day and I actually turn if off at night. Yes, there is an off button on your phone... somewhere.
Because I've been asked about this I will try and explain it here for those of you who still partake in a habit that is now vilified more and more everyday. Smoking has become the poster boy for a lot that is bad with the body, environment and society. And maybe to some degree there is a little truth in that because of the added chemicals, toxins and pesticides used on or added to the tobacco that the major cigarette companies use. When I started this journey, I was preparing myself mentally to quit a habit I had started when I was about 13. Yea, I know... But again, I came across information about smoking or tobacco which came as a relief. It is the opposite of what the AMA advises and many who read this will not or cannot even entertain the thought, so if that is you, maybe you want to skip this part. There are more and more benefits to smoking and there are cigarettes out there with much fewer chemicals and toxins than the major brands. Smoking is blamed more often for lung cancer but may play only a small part if any in that particular disease. My dad died from stage 4 lung cancer and had been smoking for most of his life but instead of looking at all the chemicals and vaccinations from his military days or all the chemicals he used at home the docs blamed it on smoking of course. Those black lung pictures we were shown and told was caused by smoking were in all probability a coal miners lung. I had a friend whose dad was a non smoking coal miner with black lung disease. I have also read that they are using more lungs from smokers for transplants and if that's the case then the lungs must be vetted to be good enough for a transplant. Makes you wonder why the AMA would take another beneficial possibility such as tobacco and vilify it along with others things like supplements? Hmmm... profit possibly or maybe they are trying for a cover up or scapegoat tobacco because the chemical companies have a huge stake in the research of such things. While second hand smoke may not be pleasant for some to smell, the adverse health effects that are touted are a joke. Some people just have a genetic predisposition to smoke... simply put because it's in their genes. So there are reasons why I continue to smoke and enjoy it!
So how do I feel since I've been eating, supplementing, detoxing and exercising this way now for almost 6 years? Better than I did when I started. My skin is clearer (save for the yeast die off rashes), my energy is better than before, but probably will never be great, my monthly has evened out and when it doesn't it's a sign of another issue. The eczema is gone and I rarely have sinus and allergy issues even in the spring when others are suffering. I hadn't had a hot flash or night sweat since I started... until recently. I'm about to turn 47 so it's about that time I guess. My Nutritionist has something for that too! The depression I was under has lifted and I can feel joy again when it comes to little things. My mind is clearer than before even if I don't always use it. It has made the difference between coming home tired and coming home exhausted to the point of not being able to move. I still have a lot more to learn and practice but I can advise anyone to listen to your body. It is trying to tell you what is wrong. I now know that a simple thing like a crick in my neck could mean that a low level infection has set in or that your gallbladder and liver could be full of stones which can affect the way you breathe. After you have not eaten a food for a long time and try to reintroduce it back into your diet, pay attention to how it makes you feel and any of the symptoms you may have had before. And as always if you are on any medication that shouldn't be stopped cold turkey then please, please talk to your doctor or health practitioner about that medication and how to get off of it the right way. When talking with a friend of mine after I came home, she decided that she was just going to quit all the antidepressants and other meds. It did not turn out well because she didn't have a back up plan or do it in a way that was healthy... and that it my whole point here. To got as healthy as we can with what we've got.
For the future I want to focus on other areas of interest and one is to be able to explore red light therapy. It seems very interesting and promising. I'd also like to be able to afford more grass fed, organic meats and vegetables which would impact my health in a more positive direction. I'd like to be able to implement other toxic reducing measures around the house and yard and if I stick to it, someday I will. I have learned that any of us can only do so much but taking the first steps in the journey is the most important part. I'm glad I did because who knows what kind of shape I'd be in today if I hadn't. This isn't a quick fix and no one got into the shape they are in over night so don't expect to be out if it in the same time frame.
Now lets talk about price. You say it is expensive to change the way you eat or use supplements of good quality and for long periods of time if it's necessary much less find a holistic practitioner and you would be correct. There is also a learning curve and experimenting with what works for you can be even more costly if you haven't done your own research. But you will be paying co-pays later with western doctors visits and or any hospital visits that your insurance doesn't cover. Medical bills are astronomical now a days and it can bury a person or family for many years to come. When I compared the two, I decided to try and avoid the back end cost of poor health by trying to pay in advance or at least up front. I spend between $200 to $ 350 a month to see my doctor depending on the supplements I need and about $100 to $200 a month on supplements for Amazon. My chiropractor visits are $55 a month. My grocery bill is ranging between $200 to $ 300 a month now. I do shop sales at work and have a freezer to stock up on meats when they are on sale.
On the other hand there are insurance plans that are costing some people between $300 and $1400 a month depending on the key phrase... preexisting conditions. Even with that there is still out of pocket expenses. the cost of OTC medications and such. I have the most basic plan because I've made the decision now about not doing western treatment for diseases and depending on accidents my bill can and will be very high because of that. It's a trade off for me at this point in my life and I have a living will stating my desires to that effect. And let's face the facts here. It is time consuming to take charge of your own health and life at first with all the reading, learning, purging of the old food and reintroducing the new, finding natural doctors, dealing with any health issues that are affecting your day to day life and balancing all this with work, family or other obligations. That is a tall order especially of you don't feel good or are sick but it can be done, slowly, steadily and you can work with whatever budget you have at the moment. This isn't a race; it's a change in course that will have you going forward, backwards, side to side and sometimes just standing still. It can be done.
As a side note my buddy Gus who is an English Bulldog almost 13 years old and giving me the hairy eye at the moment because he is waiting for his nightly treat so we can go to bed is also on a grain free diet with many different supplements because as a pure breed he is prone to all sorts of ailments and health issues. I think many of them are keeping some of his problems at bay such as apple cider vinegar capsules that help him pee. Who knew? I found out the hard way when I ran out one day and he kept trying to go and go and go but nothing would happen. Then it dawned on me what I hadn't given him in a could of days so had to give him the liquid stuff which wasn't pleasant for either of us but he started going again. I hope to make his remaining days with me as comfortable as possible because he is worth it!
