(nb I am really anxious to get to the post about Aspartame, the dangers of it and other artificial sweeteners as I feel it was one of the biggest contributors to my health issues. I will be happy if I can prevent one person from becoming sick from it. I wish someone had taken the time to warn me, before I got sick. However, in the name of keeping things organized here, I will finish my post on the importance of proper nutrition.)
Immediately after being diagnosed, I visited the only person I knew in real life who had the same illness. We talked a lot about what had worked and not worked for her. Many things under the "had worked" category involved alternative methods and practitioners, namely a homeopath and naturopath.
I must admit, I was more than a bit skeptical (ask most Doctors and they'll tell you these guys are a waste of money), but figured I'd exhausted all traditional routes (the specialist had told me this much), so what did I have to lose? I might as well give it a try and if I didn't notice immediate improvement in some area or on some level, I could (and would) stop going before I spent a small fortune.
I visited the homeopath and she referred me to a naturopath. The two of them worked together in order to get my issues straightened out. One of the biggest areas they felt, were my nutritional requirements.
I had live blood analysis done and was once again shocked at what they could see -- things I had not told them (because I didn't feel it was important and because after years of trying to get help from mainstream medicine with no success, I had given up telling any of them. No amount of explanation ever worked, nobody ever got it so I decided I would never mention it again.) The appointments that followed, were not rushed. There was a lot of time for me to talk and explain in detail, all of my issues. My words, together with the live blood analysis results and their determinations, enabled them to put together a treatment plan for me.
This plan included:
They felt the most important issued to address was the absorbing issue (or should I say non absorbing issue). The naturopath explained to me exactly what was going on with my body and as she spoke, described exactly how it felt to me. So much so, it was almost eerie - like she was actually experiencing it herself. (This was the thing I mentioned above, the thing I had decided to never mention to another Dr. Not only did she get it, in explicit, accurate detail, she did so from absolutely no explanation from me! Did I mention it felt, eerie?).
Cautiously, I implemented their first suggestion and immediately, I noticed an improvement. Not cured, but, but a noticeable marked improvement. Baby steps forward, but at least it was forward.
Another area they worked on me was with diet. Can you say complete overhaul??
Man, it was feeling like there was nothing left to eat.
I suggested she go over the things that were ok and the list looked something like this:
It didn't look like an over abundant list to me and one that was going to take a lot to get used of. It would be learning to eat and cook, all over again. All my staples were gone, nothing familiar left and every single meal was going to be a challenge.
I wanted my health to improve though and thus was willing to do whatever it took. I reminded myself, I didn't have to stick with it, if I found it didn't work or show some improvement.
On board I jumped and noticed immediately, improvements.
Who knew? Not me, that's for sure. Not what I expected but results I couldn't ignore.
Onward and upward in order to keep...
Balance....despite the Chaos!
(up next: What else can I do?)
Immediately after being diagnosed, I visited the only person I knew in real life who had the same illness. We talked a lot about what had worked and not worked for her. Many things under the "had worked" category involved alternative methods and practitioners, namely a homeopath and naturopath.
I must admit, I was more than a bit skeptical (ask most Doctors and they'll tell you these guys are a waste of money), but figured I'd exhausted all traditional routes (the specialist had told me this much), so what did I have to lose? I might as well give it a try and if I didn't notice immediate improvement in some area or on some level, I could (and would) stop going before I spent a small fortune.
I visited the homeopath and she referred me to a naturopath. The two of them worked together in order to get my issues straightened out. One of the biggest areas they felt, were my nutritional requirements.
I had live blood analysis done and was once again shocked at what they could see -- things I had not told them (because I didn't feel it was important and because after years of trying to get help from mainstream medicine with no success, I had given up telling any of them. No amount of explanation ever worked, nobody ever got it so I decided I would never mention it again.) The appointments that followed, were not rushed. There was a lot of time for me to talk and explain in detail, all of my issues. My words, together with the live blood analysis results and their determinations, enabled them to put together a treatment plan for me.
This plan included:
- discovering which nutrients I was deficient in
- uncovering other issues, such as my body not absorbing nutrients properly
- implmenting a nutritional plan
- implementing a supplement plan
They felt the most important issued to address was the absorbing issue (or should I say non absorbing issue). The naturopath explained to me exactly what was going on with my body and as she spoke, described exactly how it felt to me. So much so, it was almost eerie - like she was actually experiencing it herself. (This was the thing I mentioned above, the thing I had decided to never mention to another Dr. Not only did she get it, in explicit, accurate detail, she did so from absolutely no explanation from me! Did I mention it felt, eerie?).
Cautiously, I implemented their first suggestion and immediately, I noticed an improvement. Not cured, but, but a noticeable marked improvement. Baby steps forward, but at least it was forward.
Another area they worked on me was with diet. Can you say complete overhaul??
- Pasta had to go! (noooo....loved pasta -- it was my all-time fave!)
- Milk had to go! (again...Nooo... loved loved loved Milk)
- All things white (flour, pasta, potatoes, bread...everything white had to go)
- Sugar had to go (couldn't even begin to process this one)
- Artificial sweeteners had to go (had already implemented this one -- one thing already crossed off the list. Yay me! )
- All processed food had to go
- Coffee had to go (Nooo...not coffee too :( )
- Fruit juice had to go (I was ok with this, not really a fruit juice drinker)
Man, it was feeling like there was nothing left to eat.
I suggested she go over the things that were ok and the list looked something like this:
- all the green leafy vegetables I wanted
- all vegetables except corn
- fruits
- water, lots of high quality water
- lean meats such as beef, chicken, turkey
- sprouted grain bread
- sesame seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- coconut or olive oil
- pasta made from Kamut flour (tried it. Blech! 'Nuff said)
It didn't look like an over abundant list to me and one that was going to take a lot to get used of. It would be learning to eat and cook, all over again. All my staples were gone, nothing familiar left and every single meal was going to be a challenge.
I wanted my health to improve though and thus was willing to do whatever it took. I reminded myself, I didn't have to stick with it, if I found it didn't work or show some improvement.
On board I jumped and noticed immediately, improvements.
Who knew? Not me, that's for sure. Not what I expected but results I couldn't ignore.
Onward and upward in order to keep...
Balance....despite the Chaos!
(up next: What else can I do?)
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