Week Eight Summary

Note: 1/16/10. My apologies for the delay, a combination of Christmas holidays and some technological challenges in my new location. I hope to catch up over the coming week.

Week Eight. Two months have come and gone, and I'm delighted to say that I'm doing pretty well.

A few days after my lemon fast I started feeling more energy, and that has continued through to today. I don't seem to need the same 10 to 12 hours of sleep as I did in previous weeks. Eight to ten hours seem to be sufficient these past few days.

I've decided to take a break from Montreal (and the snow) to visit friends on Vancouver Island. My Christmas Eve flight to Victoria went well. The airports were busy, but not unduly so.

I prefer to consciously take a break from the raw food diet than to find myself overwhelmed and in a moment of frustration "fall off the wagon." Given the temptations of the season and the challenges of preparing a new place with the appliances and food necessary to continue with my diet, I've decided to take a modified approach the last week of December and the first week of January. No big changes really. A bit of cooked food I wouldn't otherwise have, a bit of cheese and other nibbles, that sort of thing.

The electronic scale used for the measurements this week is made by the same manufacturer, for the same company, but it is a different model than the one I was using in Montreal. (I'm sure that the results will be essentially the same as those I would have gotten in Montreal, but I felt I should note the change.)

The stats for this past week:

                             12/20/09            12/27/09           Change

Weight              134.4 lbs.             133.7                   -0.7 lbs.

A very slight drop this week.

Body Fat           21.0 lbs.               20.3                    -0.7 lbs.

Another week where 100% of the week's weight loss is body fat. Amazing!

BMI                     15.7                        21.0                    

This new scale puts my BMI index much higher. Not sure what is going on, but since it is a calculated field (based on height and weight) I will just go back to the previous weeks and do the calculations manually.

Body Fat           21.1%                     15.0                   

Same as above but as a percentage. (Another calculated field which seems off. I will review and adjust if necessary.)

Water                61.5%                     62.0                    +0.5%

The continued rise in my water percentage continues to amaze me, as I know only too well I've not been drinking a lot of water in the course of the day. I can only attribute this to the water content in the raw food, and the absence of coffee, which is a diuretic.

Bone Mass        6.4%                      6.4                       No change.

If I continue with a healthy diet, this very slight deficiency in bone mass will slow down and eventually rectify itself as the body becomes more alkaline and the levels of calcium start to rise from eating raw food.

Raw Food Heaven

Yesterday, my sister and her husband treated me to supper at one of the 100% raw food restaurants here in Montreal -a celebration of my progress to date/Christmas present combo. A lovely gesture on their part. Thank you Susie and Michel.

Crudessence, Crudessence.com/en/services/restaurant, is a tiny, hole-in-the-wall establishment located on a side street near Mont Royal. A small, light green sign, easily missed, marks the entrance. A wide variety of raw food cookbooks line the wall on the right of the entrance, a small kitchen in the back, eight or nine small tables for two, a classical guitarist playing in the background, and a lovely, friendly, waitress busy with guests and take-out orders greeted us when we arrived about 7 p.m. 

 The restaurant has a minimal amount of decor; The real art work is the fabulous food, and gorgeous presentation.

It would have been nice to have had a few more dishes to try out. Unfortunately, they were out of the soups and the Japanese-themed dishes. I substituted an entree for the soup included in the daily special -a nachos style creation with side dishes of avocado and tomatoes diced and marinating in an olive oil dressing. There was also a tasty paste-like spread with sliced radishes and cherry tomatoes for garnish. 

The main dish was the Om Burger. A lovely creation and quite filling. Using various spices they did a fabulous job of recreating the taste one would expect of mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise. The resemblance was uncanny, and yet, it tasted even better. 

The salad mostly consisted of tiny slices of cauliflower with a dusting of seaweed throughout. A bit of red cabbage done up in long strings and finely crated carrots for color. One of the dressings, was made with coconut water, agave syrup, and carrigan seed powder. It had a very unique taste. I quite liked it.

Dessert was a cocoa-banana crêpe. From what I gathered, Brazil nuts and bananas are mixed together into a purée, which is then poured very thinly onto Teflon sheets and dehydrated. The crêpe was filled with sliced, ripe bananas, with chopped hazel nuts sprinkled throughout. The outside was decorated with a cocoa sauce. 

The food was delicious, beautifully prepared and presented and a fitting celebration of my time here in Montreal. It is also an inspiration and challenge to me to stretch myself to find creative ways to make raw food more fun and tasty. (The one qualifier is that much of the food is quite rich. Ironically, eating like this every day would probably not be that healthy.) 

Anybody out there with a favourite recipe they´d like to share?

Week Seven Summary

Week Seven has come and gone, and I'm hanging in there!!

Except for Monday this past week, I've been on a lemon juice fast. With the exception of one day, it's was easier than I thought. I really didn't feel all that hungry most of the time. And when I did, I simply had a cup or so of the lemon juice, and that would hold me for awhile. If anything, I had trouble drinking more than four glasses a day.

I saw the naturopath this week and he was pleased with my discipline and the progress we've made so far. He was expecting more at the level of the liver (specifically, corn kernel-sized deposits in my stool, yellow, orange and/or yellow-orange in color).

When I explained to him the visceral manipulation I had done with the osteopath, he felt that this would almost certainly account for slower progress. He suggested another month of the drops and upped the Essiac from 20 ml. to 2 tablespoons, 2X daily.

Almost two months and I've not had so much as a crouton of cooked food! It has been a challenge to be sure, but hey, I've made it. The real test will be the coming two weeks -all the invitations to dinner and the goodies that come with the Christmas and New Year festivities. Time will tell.

Until then, wishing all of you a joyous, blessed Christmas Season.

The stats for this past week:

                               12/13/09              12/20/09      Change

Weight                 138.6 lbs.               134.4              -4.2 lbs.

I haven't been at this weight in decades! I feel pretty good overal, a little weak from being on the lemon juice fast, but all things considered I 'd rather be this weight than where I was two months ago before I started on this journey.

Body Fat             25.2 lbs.                  21.0               -4.2 lbs.

Last week I wrote, It seems I´ve dropped the easy part; I suspect the rest of the fat will be slower to drop off. It seems I couldn't be more wrong. 100% of this week's weight loss is body fat. Amazing!

BMI                     18.2                          15.7                -2.5

Well it seems my BMI index is dropping like a stone. I spoke with my naturopath and he said this was to be expected. Whatever part of the body, including muscle, was not healthy tissue would be flushed out as part of the first phase, the cleansing process. In the second phase, the rebuilding process, new tissue would be created as needed, and my weight would start climbing again until it found its proper level.

Body Fat             18.2%                     21.1                +2.9%

Same as above but as a percentage. (The math doesn't seem to work out. Will check this again next week.)

Water                  59.8%                      61.5               +1.7%

Given that I only drank lemon juice flavoured water all week, this much of a jump in water content is not surprising. The trick will be to up my usual intake of water over the course of the coming weeks, so that my percentage doesn't drop too much.

Bone Mass          6.4%                        6.4                  No change.

The naturopath said that some bone loss was not out of the ordinary. The body sometimes chooses the lesser of two evils. If acidity in the body was the major problem, then it might get calcium, which is alkaline, from the bones if no other source was available -even if that meant creating a substandard level of bone density.

If I continue with a healthy diet, this deficiency in bone mass will slow down and eventually rectify itself as the body becomes more alkaline and the levels of calcium start to rise from eating raw food.

Lemon Fast

Part of the cleansing process is a fast once a month. Last month I did the minimum five days on grapes (juice). This month it´s a lemon fast, minimum one day to a maximum of ten days.

The lemon fast, often times referred to as "The Master Cleanse," consists of approximately:
two ounces of freshly squeezed lemon juice,
a half teaspoon of maple syrup,
a pinch of cayenne pepper, in
ten ounces of water.

I felt pretty good at the end, and could have gone on. However, I´m traveling back west in a few days and need a bit of time to transition to solid food, so Sunday afternoon I wrapped it up.

Below is a summary of how the week went.

Tuesday,  12/15/09    
Three glasses of Lemon Juice plus 2 glasses of Bio Flow.
 Energy levels are down somewhat, but not overly tired.


 Wednesday  12/16/09    
Three glasses of Lemon Juice plus 2 glasses of Bio Flow.
 Energy levels are better today.

A surge of energy late at night. Turned in about midnight, much later than usual.


 Thursday,  12/17/09   
Three glasses of Lemon Juice plus 2 glasses of Bio Flow.
 Slept in this morning. 

Did pretty OK until supper time. The smell of chicken cooking in the kitchen was particularly tough. Feeling pretty tired this evening.

They say Day 3 is the toughest. Will be interesting to see how tomorrow goes.


Friday,  12/18/09
Three glasses of Lemon Juice plus 1 glass of Bio Flow.
 Up early this morning. Feel a bit more energized today.

 Did a fair bit of walking this afternoon. There were a few times today at the mall, where it was tough to watch people eating or drinking coffee.

This evening I got caught up in the computer and ended up doing five hours straight of photo editing. Although I went to bed way too late tonight, I feel pretty good. 


Saturday,  12/19/09
Three glasses of Lemon Juice plus 2 glasses of Bio Flow.
 Slept in, but am feeling tired. 

I over did it last night and I´m paying for it today. I feel like I have no energy whatsoever. I realize now that one can´t overdue it when on a fast. I might get away with it on a regular day, but not on a fast.

Just hanging in. I´m sure tomorrow I'll be better.


Sunday,  12/20/09
Three glasses of Lemon Juice plus 2 glasses of Bio Flow.
Woke up feeling much better this morning.

This afternoon I had a bowel movement that looked like some of the pictures one sees in some colon cleansing ads. Should have taken a picture to show you, but flushed it before I thought of it. (Lucky you!)
This afternoon I had a fruit smoothie. Tasted pretty good!


Review
The thing I noticed most about this fast was the overall lack of energy and how it makes it difficult to think as I usually do. I find myself less caught up in the outside world. I feel more aware of my body and my immediate surroundings. I´m also aware of the absence of the usual mental chatter. There´s a stronger sense of silence. Overall, I feel more in the moment.

I now know first hand why fasting is such a basic part of most spiritual traditions. The lack of energy makes it more difficult to maintain one´s outward directed energy. The fasting physically forces us to stop looking outside of ourselves, and lo, and behold, we become more aware of our inner world. It was there all along of course. It's just that now that the mental chatter has subsided, we can better hear the small, still, voice that resides in our inmost being. 

Who knows what it might have to say?

Week Six Summary

The weekly summaries keep coming in. Week Six already. It feels like I started just a little while ago -and ages ago- at the same time.

For the most part, this past week has been a continuation of the previous week: more tired than usual,  less stamina, more fragile, a tenderness in the abdomen area, especially higher up in the sternum area and not quite as mentally positive. At a few points, Thursday and Saturday evenings in particular, I could easily have packed it in. It really is one day at a time.

Except for Wednesday afternoon, I passed on my exercises this week. It was probably a good thing to take it easy and not push things. 

I will be starting a 1-to-10 day lemon juice fast on Monday or Tuesday. I don´t know whether or not I will have the energy to do my morning exercises. We´ll see. 

(I did do a lemon juice fast in my mid-twenties. I recall the first few days were difficult, but from the fifth day or so till the 10th day, I felt surprisingly energized.)

Stats for this past week:

                             12/06/09             12/13/09    Change

Weight              141.8 lbs.              138.6             -3.2 lbs.

I´m getting closer to my high school weight of about 135 pounds. Except for a month or two at a Mexican health spa a few years ago, I haven´t been in this vicinity for a long time. I would prefer more muscular definition, but on the whole I feel pretty good.

Body Fat           26.1 lbs.                25.2               -.90 lbs.

A smaller percentage of the weight loss is body fat this time around. It seems I´ve dropped the easy part; I suspect the rest of the fat will be slower to drop off.

BMI                     18.4                      18.2                -0.2

Last week, I noted that 18.4 was at the low end of the low range. I expected that, as the naturopath advised, my weight, and accordingly my BMI index, would drop even further before rebounding back to my ideal weight. I still agree with that.

Body Fat           22.2%                   18.2               -4.0%

Same as above but as a percentage.

Water                59.6%                   59.8               +0.2%

I keep being surprised by the steady, albeit small increases, in water percentage. I presume that it´s partially a result of the higher water content of the fresh fruit and vegetables. With no coffee, there is no diuretic affect either.

Bone Mass       6.5%                       6.4                -0.1%

With very little exercise most of last week and all of this week, this is not a surprise. Still, bone loss is a serious issue. I will be speaking to the naturopath about it this week.

Hot Stuff

Today, Saturday the 12th was my young nephew´s choral concert. It was held in a large, beautiful, cathedral in the charming district of Outremont, Montreal.  He was one of 225 choralists ages 8 to 18 singing Christmas carols in French and English. Quite a sight and sound! A lovely evening all around. 

I packed a goodie bag with a fruit smoothie, dehydrated strips of mangoes,  banana and plantain chips and a couple of medjool dates. It wasn´t a latte with cheesecake, but it did the trick.

I got home late, certainly much later than my usual 9pm bedtime.  I went to bed right away. At 3:17am I woke up to flames shooting up two feet or so above the bed. There´s nothing like one´s bed being on fire to get a guy moving at super speed. It was touch and go for awhile, but in the end I was able to contain the fire to the blankets on the bed. 

Here in Montreal, the older homes don´t have central heating; Each room has its own baseboard heater. In my bedroom the heater runs along the bed. At some point the blankets at the foot of the  bed fell over and onto the heater. Eventually enough heat built up that the blankets went up in flames.

First hand experience has shown me how easily a fire can start and how quickly it can move. Please believe me when I say it moves extremely fast. Another minute or two, and I may not have been able to put it out. With no fire extinguishers on hand, the likelyhood of the house going up in flames was uncomfortably high.

At this time of year with the extra lights and decorations and the fireplace getting used more often, it would be good idea to ensure that safety procedures are in place, that fully charged fire extinguishers are on hand and that everyone is aware of the evacuation plan should a fire erupt.

Wishing you a wonderful and safe Christmas Season.

Osteopath, follow up

It´s been about 10 days since my first appointment with the osteopath. Today´s appointment was originally going to be a follow up to see how my liver is making out in its new location (See "Me and My Liver"). It turned out to be a session on releasing my jammed-up hip.

At one point the osteopath asked me if I knew how my hip was related to my cancer. "Not really." She went on to explain that when a person´s hip (sacral) is jammed, the temporal bones in their skull (cranial) stop moving as they should. When the cranial sacral system is not functioning properly it inhibits the nervous system. When the nervous system is not functioning properly, the immune system is comprimised.

A poor immune system response means that cancer cells (which everyone has) are not dealt with in a timely manner. The cancer cells proliferate and sooner or later a tumor develops.

The osteopath´s view is that proper structure is essential to good health, much like a solid foundation is essential to a properly function building. That is why the osteopath worked on my hip first.

It´s like the ditty about the ankle bone being connected to the leg bone and the leg bone being connected to the hip bone. The body is very much an interconnected set of systems (blood, nerves, muscles, chemical, hormonal, endocrine, immune, etc.) that "speak" to each other in ways we have yet to discover.

The more we can do to take care of these various aspects of ourselves, the better chance we have of being healthy. This is not limited to the physical realm. It includes the emotional and spiritual as well. Being angry, stressed, worried or anxious all have a similar, debilitating effect on our nervous/immune systems and general health.

Cancer prevention (or cure) is more than just the physical. It´s taking a walk in nature, letting go of one´s anger, listening or playing relaxing music, playng with young children (always a source of inspiration), or sharing a cup of hot coffee tea with a good friend.

What if you were to set aside some time this week to pick one of these suggestions -or one of your own- and give it try? Chances are you´ll like it.

Chances are so will your heart, nerves, stomach, muscles, immune system....

Week Five Summary

Week five has been as interesting as it has been unexpected.

In the post, "Me and My Liver," I wrote about how at my Wednesday appointment, the osteopath, using visceral manipulation, was able to free my liver which was stuck to my diaphram. It felt great to be able to breathe so much more freely.

After the hour and a half session, I decided to go downtown and run a few errands. By the time I got home around 7pm, however, I was feeling pretty tired. Nausea had set in and I wasn´t feeling that good. Thursday, I felt nauseous as well so I took it easy, passed on the morning exercises and went to bed early. Friday the nausea went away, but the tenderness in my adbominal area was still there as was a general sense of being tired, even weak.

Saturday, was essentially a repeat of Friday with a bit more energy. Today, Sunday, has been good with more energy and clarity, but my abdomen, particularly higher up near the sternum area, is still quite tender. Interestingly enough, it feels much like one would feel a few days after being punched in the stomach. (Some would say the cells are in the process of releasing the cellular memory of the trauma, hence the similarity to the original sensation.)

All of this time, I´ve taken a break from my morning exercises and have been sleeping twelve to thirteen hours each day.

In hindsight, I should have realized that having my liver release from my diaphram and drop back into its proper place after forty years, is a pretty significant development. Not only are the diaphram and liver having to function from a different position, most of the other internal organs have to shift around to make room for the recent arrival of my liver. It´s no wonder I´m feeling tired and tender.

All in all, it has been a welcome adventure which will no doubt speed up the cleansing/healing process. I have an appointment this coming Friday and I´m curious as to what the osteopath will have to say.

In the meantime, here are my stats for the week:

                             11/29/09             12/06/09    Change

Weight              146.8 lbs.              141.8             -5.0 lbs.
Last week I suggested that my weight loss would likely slow down, but that hasn´t been the case. Another 5 pounds this week which surprises me. Not so surprising is that I feel lighter, more agile and have a better sense of well-being. Having approximately 20 pounds less to haul around all day can to that to a person. 

Body Fat           29.4 lbs.                26.1               -3.3 lbs.
Once again a significant portion of the weight loss is fat.

BMI                     20.0                      18.4.               -1.6
The weight loss is reflected in the Body Mass Index calculation. 18.4 is at the low end of the low range, but I expect that as the naturopath advised, my weight, and hence my BMI index will drop even further before rebounding back to my ideal weight.

Body Fat           23.0%                   22.2               -1.0%
Same as above but as a percentage.

Water                58.4%                   59.6               +1.2%
Here, too, I´m surprised. Even though I´m making slow progress in drinking the recommend 8 glasses of water a day, my water percentage keeps rising. Over a full percentage point from last week.

Bone Mass       6.5%                       6.5                No change
With very little exercise this week, I wasn´t expecting any change.

Me and My Liver, follow up

Note: Please read the previous post in order to put the following content into its proper context.

From the previous post....
"On my seventeen-year journey toward being cancer free, I have had dozens of MRI,s PET scans, CAT scans, X-rays and ultrasounds. I have tried a wide variety of approaches: reiki, healing touch, chiropractic, accupuncture, as well as over 100 hours each of rolfing and cranial sacral therapy. In all that time, my liver issue was never identified or addressed."

This is not a criticism of the the therapists, all of whom are extremely talented and who I recommend whole heartedly. This is a reminder that each modality sees the world through it´s own lens. It´s like the adage about a man with a hammer. To him everything looks like a nail.

Each specialty offers its heartfelt solution to your problem. The surgeon sees a tumor and wants to cut it out. The radiation specialist will recommend radiation. The chemo specialist will suggest chemo, and so on. Nothing wrong with that, so long as one remembers that the specialist´s opinion is just that -an opinion.

I believe that the solution to cancer, or any other serious or chronic health issue, is rarely a single, silver bullet. The human body is a complex and profound interweaving of organs, tissue, chemical processes, genetic predispostion, emotions, feelings, nutrition and on and on. Before taking any drastic course of action, it would be advisable to explore alternative approaches.

It may turn out that surgery is the best approach, but you won´t know that until you´ve done a bit of homework. In the end, surgery, or whatever, may be the best option to start with. Don´t stop there, however. Think of it as just one tool among many. Don´t be afraid to break open the tool box and see what´s inside. Besides a hammer, who knows what else you might find.


P.S. Until a few months ago, I didn´t know what an osteopath did, other than it was something to do with bones. Bones don´t really have anything to do with my type of cancer, but when I heard the osteopath´s name mentioned, there was an intuitive feeling that I needed to see this lady. I followed up on that and now my breathing and my liver are both functioning better.

Interestingly, more breath, i.e. more oxygen, is related to cancer because cancer can´t live in an aerobic environment. Liver is related to cancer because the immune system won´t get to the cancer if the body, due to a sluggish liver, has a backlog of toxins to deal with.

At the end of the session, I made an appointment for next week and the week after that. It will be interesting to see what else turns up. In the meantime, me and my (tender) liver are very grateful.

Me and My Liver

A couple of weeks ago I went to see an osteopath. It was mostly an intake session where I listed all the "bruises" over the years: Vehicle accidents, getting kicked in the head by a horse, motorcycle mishaps, broken bones, etc. Turns out the last half century has been a bumpy ride!

At the start of today´s appointment, I told her about an additional three incidents, one of them a situation in Grade 9, almost forty years ago. It was the start of school and I was standing making conversation with a few guys in my class, when someone walking by sucker punched me real hard in the abdomen, just under the sternum. It knocked the wind out of me. I dropped in a heap on the ground. I didn't have any air, nor could I breath. It was a horrible feeling.

The osteopath had already noticed that I breathe quite high up in the chest, so after my story she figured she´d start with a look at my abdominal area. Turns out my liver was totally compressed and stuck to my diaphragm.

After about an hour of visceral work it released. It was a lovely sensation. I could feel the breath going so much further down. Breathing into my belly, which has always been very difficult was absolutely effortless. I felt like I was getting 30% more air with each breath. Belly breathing is now a piece of cake. My yoga teacher will be impressed!

On my seventeen-year journey toward being cancer free, I have had dozens of MRIs PET scans, CAT scans, X-rays and ultrasounds. I have tried a wide variety of approaches: reiki, healing touch, chiropractic, accupuncture, as well as over 100 hours each of rolfing and cranial sacral therapy. In all that time, my liver issue was never identified or addressed.

I´d like to share some thoughts on that in my next post.

First Month Overview

Here I am at the one month mark. Amazing!

I thought I would take a moment to share some observations. In no particular order:

• I believe the only way I´ve gotten here is with the moral support and advice of my sister, and the decision to take it one day at a time -sometimes an hour at a time. 
•  
• Interestingly, physical hunger has not been a big issue. The big challenge has been psychological, particularly the first couple of weeks. After the third week, what people were eating and the fact that I couldn´t have hot food or a coffee seemed to bother me less and less. Don´t get me wrong. It´s still a day-by-day affair. I still have to talk myself out of having a coffee or a oatmeal raisin cookie (they taste great and all things considered are pretty healthy... oatmeal, raisins... how bad can that be...).
•  
• I´ve lost 15 pounds or so since leaving Edmonton Oct. 27th. As a result, my pants have been riding quite low, much like the baggy jeans style of the younger teenage set where more is seen that most adults care to see. That kind of style on a fifteen-year old may be appealing to some, but at fifity-five, definitely not a pretty sight. To the relief of many, I now sport a brand new leather belt.
•  
• I´ve noticed that after a two or three weeks the food started to taste better. (If memory serves me right, the cells of our taste buds are replaced every two or three weeks). I´m preparing more of my own food, and consequently paying more attention when I´m eating it. I´m eating slower and enjoying it more, all of which helps out with digestion.
•  
• It´s been mostly green salads, albeit with everything in it. It´s become a bit tedious, however. In the coming weeks, I will need to get on the web and search out some new raw food dishes.
• I tire easily. On average I´m sleeping eleven to twelve hours a night. It seems this cleansing process takes a fair bit of energy. If you have a serious condition, don´t wait till the last minute when you´re too weak to give raw food a try. With this approach there are no serious side effects, but that doesn´t make it easy. A Raw Food Diet is NOT for sissies!
• So far the investment in equipment has been limited to a Vita-Mix blender and a Green Star juicer, both of which are high-end units. You can get by with cheaper versions of course, but if you´re looking at a lifestyle change, then you can´t go wrong with these two. (I´ll be looking at equipment in more detail at a later date).
• The Christmas season is fast approaching. It will be interesting to see how I make out Christmas Day when all the dishes are out on display: the turkey sitting on the counter all basted and browned, the yummy, creamy, rum-spiked eggnog making its rounds, candy and chocolates at every turn, gorgeous-looking, mouth-watering desserts in the pantry, the smell of baked goods wafting through the air.... 

Maybe I´ll just spike the carrot juice and go for a long walk................. Stay tuned for the next monthly overview to find out what happens.

Christmas blessings everyone.

Week Four Summary

This past week, my fourth, has been pretty good overall. I'm feeling a bit stronger and alert in the mornings. Every once in awhile I have the energy to go later into the evening than say a couple a weeks ago when I was bushed by 8pm or so.

This past week I finished a five-day grape fast. It went well. I was pleasantly surprised by how well I was able to maintain my activities without a major drop in my energy levels, despite eating only grapes the entire time.

Below are my stats for the week.

                            11/22/09                  11/29/09         Change

Weight            147.6 lbs.                        146.8        -0.8 lbs.

Doing the fast last week skewed the results somewhat. Accordingly, this week´s weight loss is minimal. I suspect weight loss here on in will be much slower as I reach my ideal weight.

Body Fat          30.1 lbs.                          29.4        -0.7 lbs.

Virtually all of the weight loss is fat, which is great.

BMI                    20.4                                 20.0         -0.4

The weight loss is reflected in the Body Mass Index calculation.

Body Fat           23.2%                            23.0         - 0.2%

Same as above but as a percentage.

Water                58.1%                             58.4         + 0.3%

 Up again, ever so slightly, which is great. Still having difficulty remembering to drink 8 glasses of water a day.

Bone Mass         6.5%                               6.5         No change

No more loss which is a good thing. Hopefully, we will see an increase in the weeks and months to come.

Calcitonin Count -October, 2009

Medulary carcinoma gives off a chemical called calcitonin. The calcitonin count is a rough approximation of the amount of cancer. More calcitonin means more cancer.    
                                                                                                                                                   Testing for the calcitonin count is a very expensive test, so I only get it done twice a year -once in April and again in October. A blood sample is all that is required. Because of the cost they freeze the blood samples until they have about fifty vials or so, then test them as a batch. It can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks for the results to arrive. Invariably, I get the results in 4 to 5 weeks. 
                                                                                                                                                   Today I got a call from my surgeon´s secretary at the University of Alberta Hospital telling me my calcitonin count had arrived. (Normal is less than 100.) My count this past October was 18,606 down from 19,994 in April, 2009, a drop of approximately 7%.    
                                                                                                                                                    More important than the actual count is the trend. The drop from April is not huge, but it´s going in the right direction. My hope is that this raw food diet will give my body the resources it needs to boost my immune system and deal with the cancer the way the human body is designed to.    
                                                                                                                                                    In addition, I got the results of test that looks at the amount of inflammation in the body. Normal is < 120. Mine is 1,339. My high acidity levels are damaging to the cells and likely the cause of the inflammation. The raw food diet is an alkanizing one and should neutralize the acidity and move my body toward a healthier Ph balance. 
                                                                                                                                                    April, 2010 is the end of my raw food diet here in Montreal and the time of my next blood work. It will be interesting to see the results.

Grape Fast -Conclusion

Yesterday, was the low point of my journey so far. Amazingly, today, Monday, November the 23rd, it´s as if it never happened. I feel surprisingly well.

It´s also the end of my grape fast. Five days in all.

Thursday the 19th, the first day of my grape fast, I  woke up feeling pretty strong physically and emotionally. After a few weeks of being perpetually hungry, I was surprised at how my craving for food was pretty much gone. It seemed like a good time to go on a fast.

The naturopath said I could eat as many grapes as I wanted; Dr. Jensen, in his book, "Bowel Care," suggests 4 pounds a day. I started with a couple of pounds and found it to be sufficient.

Friday, Saturday and the first half of Sunday went well and I was able to eat 4 pounds each day. Today, however, I have reached my fill of grapes and was only able to eat about 2 pounds. It´s clear that this is the last day for me this time around. Although they are one of my favorite fruits, I don´t even want to see grapes for the next while.

Some people go for weeks even months on just grapes. I don´t know how they do it.

Sunday Blues

I work up this morning feeling not quite on the bubble emotionally. 

It has stayed with me during the day, and feels a bit heavier as my energy levels are dropping, as they usually do toward the end of the day. The grapes which have been just fine to this point, feel heavy as well. I"m missing the comfort of food, especially comfort foods like chocolate, ice cream, a latte, hot soup, toast with jam and so on....   

It doesn't happen very often, but tonight, I'm feeling lonely. I miss my family and friends, miss going out for coffee, miss going out to the movies and the popcorn they serve, miss my bed back home, miss my stuff. Montreal is OK but people here seem unhappy, tired and/or depressed, which is pretty much where I'm at right now. 

Being on this cleanse is helping me to see where I've eaten, not so much because I was hungry physically, but to satiate my emotional and spiritual hunger. A sobering thought.

 Tonight, I'm taking solace in the fact that my bedtime is not far away and that tomorrow is a new day....

Week Three Summary

 This, my third week, has been pretty good overall. I started a grapes fast on Thursday. Until this morning that's gone well. I've woken up feeling physically strong and mentally alert and in a good space emotionally. 

I haven't been hungry at all. In fact, it's been a challenge to get through all the grapes before the end of the day. I noticed I get tired earlier in the day, about 4 or 5pm, but other than that it has been a good experience.

My sister hasn't doing as well physically, but said that after doing an enema last night she's feeling better.

Here's the low down for the past week.


                            11/15/09                   11/22/09         Change

Weight            152.6 lbs.                        147.6        -5.0 lbs.

A full 5 pounds this week, but I've been on a grape fast since Thursday, so there's a good chance at least half of that weight loss is due to the fasting.

Body Fat          32.4 lbs.                          30.1        -2.3 lbs.

The body fat is slowly going down. I can see it (or not see it) in the mirror as well.

BMI                    21.2                                 20.4         -0.8

The weight loss is reflected in the Body Mass Index calculation.

Body Fat           23.9%                            23.2         - 0.7%

Same as above but as a percentage.

Water                57.5%                             58.1       + 0.6%

 Up again, ever so slightly, which is great. I've increased my water intake a bit, but still very much a struggle to get myself to even remember to drink 8 glasses of water a day.

Bone Mass         6.6%                                6.5      -0.1%

A very slight loss. I've been walking pretty much every day or second day, doing more exercise than ever and eating healthier, so I wasn't expecting my bone mass to drop.

It may be that the scale was on the very edge of 6.5% anyway, or a slight variation in the reading either because my feet were a bit more moist or dry than previously could account for the difference. I will keep an eye on it and if it continues to drop then I will certainly look into it further.

Next weeks stats should be present a better picture as the fast will be finished by then.

Grape Fast -Start

We decided that Thursday would be the start of our grape juice fast. (Grapes speed up the cleansing process.) Tonight, we stopped in at the wholesalers where a Susie has a contact who provides her with organic food at wholesale prices. The catch is we have to buy it bulk quantities. Nott a problem today, however, because we're going to need a bunch of them.

The good news is that this is the last day for grapes until March sometime; the bad news is that the grapes are not in the greatest shape. I stay in the back and pick out the best four cases (12 bags/case) I can find while Susie goes out front to pay. She's gets them for a rock bottom $20 for about 80 pounds of organic grapes. We feel delighted with the great deal. At least until we get home.

It turns out there's a bit of mold in every bag. Not a lot and if you were eating a handful here and there not a problem. Just wash and dry. Thing is we're going to be eating  about 4  pounds a day. With that kind of quantity there's no way we can be eating the grapes without a thorough cleaning.

Out comes the fruit and vegetable soap. Rinse. Wipe down each grape and inspect for bits of mold, etc. Cut off the offending bits. Bag and refrigerate.

Take my word for it.  Cleaning 80 pounds of grapes one at a time is a monumental job! I love grapes, but I must say I was sick and tired of looking at them, and hadn't even started eating them yet!

Donut Daze

I went to my office, Tim Hortons, again today. I set up shop at my usual table, reading glasses, a couple of books and a cup of mint tea. Actually, it was green tea. It seems there's been a run on mint tea lately, so there was none available.

There I am minding my own business, reading Eckhart Tolle's latest, and highly recommended book, A New Earth. In walks a middle aged lady. She sits down next to me purse in one hand and a tray in the other. She settles down. She starts in on her coffee and first pastry  -a scrumptious looking, chocolate smothered, piece with a silky-smooth, cream-filled center.

In a Tim Hortons restaurant that's an every day occurence, but this wasn't just any day. This was the 17th day of my raw food diet! I was hungry, irritable, suffering withdrawls from sugar and caffeine and God knows what else. Didn't she know better than to sit right next to me.

Her enthusiam knew no bounds. She wrapped her lips around that pastry like she was kissing some long, lost lover. Ahhhhh!!! Get me out of here.

I wanted to tell her that all the sugar was wreaking havoc with her insulin levels, the food coloring was overloading her liver, the white flour was being transformed into a sticky paste that would end up lining the walls of her intestines, interfering with food absorption. All of this being washed down with a cup of caffeine which was increasing her blood pressure. This was a serious situation. What to do?

I decided that I would save her from this nutritional disaster by offering to eat the remaining pastry. Unfortunately, my French is still pretty rusty and I couldn't get the words out in time.

I continue to be amazed at the power that food has over me. I'm sure I'm not alone. I'd love to hear your favourite food story. Just hit the comment link below.....

Fa So La

Last week I accompanied my sister to her music lessons. It was interesting to just sit and watch. She's very good and learns fast.

As I was sitting there watching and listening, there was this slight shift in perception -I was still in the room, but the sunlight shining in the room seemed to take on a mystical quality, the room became more cozy, the notes more melodious. It was as if the beauty of the music was opening up a space in my heart.

The following week....

I just got back from my first lesson with my sister's instructor, Michel. Very interesting. He spent about 10 minutes showing me the notes and how to move my fingers to hit the various keys. (I didn't realize there was a proper way.) Then we went right into playing major chords: C, D sharp, E sharp, F and G, all in the space of 45 minutes.

His approach is to get the student playing as soon as possible and get them hooked. The theory will come later. Next week we start on a tune of some kind. This could be a lot of fun....

Week Two Summary

 Here I am at the conclusion of Week Two. I'm glad I've made it, but there isn't the same sense of celebration as last week.

Overall the week went well, but yesterday and today I've been struggling. I'm tired. I ache. My back is bothering me, something I've (thankfully) never experienced before. There' a kind of brain fog that makes thinking difficult.

Yesterday it was raining hard but went out for a walk anyway. Got to Tim Hortons pretty much soaked, and cold. I really wanted a bowl of hot soup and a cuppa coffee to warm up. It really got on my nerves that I couldn't. I settled for a cup of mint tea and some grapes I brought along, but it wasn't the same, not by a long shot. It's funny -or not so funny- how some things, even small things like not getting to eat soup, can get on a person's nerves.

I feel more irritable, short tempered, out of sorts.  I've gone from about 8 hours sleep a night when I first arrived to about 11 hours recently. Even so I can feel myself getting tired around 5 or 6 p.m.

Quite frankly I'm tired of the pills and potions, the restricted diet. I just want to sink my teeth into something decadent. A latte would be nice, too.

                         11/05/09                  11/15/09       Change

Weight            157.2 lbs.                        152.6        -4.6 lbs.

Almost five pounds is great. Significant without losing weight too fast.

Body Fat          35.7 lbs.                          32.4        -3.3 lbs.

That the large majority of the weight loss is fat is another good sign.

BMI                    22.6                                 21.2         -1.4

The weight loss is reflected in the Body Mass Index.

Body Fat           24.6%                            23.9         - 0.7

Same as above but as a percentage.

Water                56.5%                             57.5       + 1.2%

 Up slightly which is great. Drinking sufficient water has always been an issue, and there hasn't been much of a change in behaviour as yet. The modest increase is most likely because of the water content of the vegetables I've been eating.

Bone Mass         6.6%                                6.6      No change.

Bone mass takes time to modify.

All the indicators are going in the right direction, so that's encouraging. Not that any of these have much to do with the cancer per se. Still it's good to see some results for my efforts.

I planning on doing a 3-day grape fast, possibly longer. That should be interesting....

Do Re Me....

When I first signed on for this raw food experience, I figured I´d be cleansing, learning what foods to eat, maybe get into a little "cooking." Singing didn´t even cross my mind.

I´ve only been here a little over two weeks and I find myself enrolled in a voice class. How is the world did that happen? 

It turns out that my sister is taking singing lessons. While I was looking through some of her material I came across a promotional piece from her school, Centre Option-Voix. It appealed to me on some level, so I asked my sister about her lessons. She was quite impressed with their work.

A few days later I had an introductory appointment with Daniel, the instructor. It was in interesting class. He put my body in a variety of awkward positions and had me sing "yeh, yee, you, yaa" over and over again. It sounds odd, but it felt right, in large part due to both the instructor's passion for his work and his compassion for the student.

Their wholistic approach resonates with me. I quote from their material which speaks of their approach.

"Beyond breathing, there is the deep breath, source of life. The Optio-Voix method uses specific, tailor-made exercises to help you experience the increased power of breath and sound....

The Option-Voix method also helps participants find and maintain a presence to themselves, a balancing and centering weight (strength in the hara) which gives birth to a truer posture and leads to real comfort.

A global undertaking of mind, body and soul harmonization, source of an increasing and accessible well-being. The voice then becomes the tool for our reconstruction and the living witness of our development."

Given that my cancer is located in the throat, one could argue that a blockage of energy in that chakra may have contributed to the cancer. (Certainly expressing myself in my family of origin was an issue.)

At worst, I will be able to sing "Happy Birthday" without feeling embarrased; At best, singing lessons may be -strangely enough- a significant part of my healing process....

Week One Summary

Made it. Seven days! A whole week! Feels good to look back and know that I stuck with it.

The first day, (See "Day One") was a difficult day, especially physically. Interestingly, the physical aches and pains that were so "in my face" at the time cleared up almost over night. It turns out, the physical challenge morphed into a psychological one.

Every Dunkin Donuts, Harveys and McDonalds sign seems bigger and brighter than I remember them. Even though I rarely frequent these places, they seem to jump out of the background and wave at me, inviting me to come in for a bite, or a cup of coffee.

Food is a very powerful symbol of so many social gatherings and connections:

• be it a babe nursing at their mother´s breast,
• a family picnic with hot dogs and piping hot corn on the cob,
• a birthday party with cake and ice cream,
• pizza with the office staff on a Friday afternoon,
• a cold brewski with the boys after the game,
• a cup of coffee with a good friend,
• celebrating a special event with a steak dinner and all the trimmings,
• chicken noodle soup when you´re not feeling your best.

Food, especially home-cooked food, is paired with comfort, good times, friendships, celebrations and so on.

Eating raw means that a lot of the time, I´m eating on my own, or watching others eat all those foods that are associated with the good times mentioned above. I feel left out and alone. (Thankfully my sister is accompanying me, but she doesn´t always eat at the same time.)

I still feel hungry from time to time, but that is remedied easily enough. The psychological withdrawl from cooked food and all it stands for has -and continues to be- the biggest challenge.

Baseline Stats

Today, I took my measurements.
Chest     40 inches
Waist     37 inches

The Chest-to-Waist ratio should be a minimum of 1.0. At 1.08 I´m doing OK, but like most guys my age, it would be nice to move a couple of inches from my waist to my chest. A chest measurement of 42 and a waist of 35 would give me a much better ratio of 1.20.

I also picked up an electronic scale to keep track of my progress. Four days into my program here´s where I´m at:
Weight            157.2 lbs.
(A drop of about 6 pounds since I left Edmonton 10 days ago.)

Body Fat          35.7 lbs.
(Tracking body fat in pounds makes it easier to see one´s progress.)

BMI                    22.6    
(Body Mass Index)

Body Fat           24.6%

Water                56.5%

Bone Mass         6.6%  (On the very low end of the range for my age.)

All of these values fall within the normal range (for my age group) according to the information provided by Weight Watchers. It appears I´m normal. 

Not everyone would agree, but here´s proof that I am. (smile)

Day One

Well here it is. Day One of a 3 to 6 month program dedicated to eating only raw food. I´ve spent the last week, getting ready, eating healthier, eating more raw food than I normally would.

At the close of the first day it´s been a good news, bad news kinda day. The good news is that the food has been all organic, raw and tasty. Unfortunately, it already feels boring -tasty but boring. I miss the condiments, I miss the coffee (see previous post), I miss whatever everybody else is eating. Stuff I wouldn´t normally eat, looks soooo inviting.

I´ve started taking the drops the naturopath prescribed to assist in the cleansing. The bad news is that they taste awful. Worse yet, I feel awful. I feel lousy like I´ve go the flu, my body aches, my head feels like it´s in a fog, I´m thinking this is the first day. How am I going to hang in there for another 179?

Tim Hortons

Over the years, I´ve gotten into the habit of setting Sunday afternoons aside for reading and reflection. I head out looking for a coffee shop where I can grab a cuppa joe and read the paper or a favourite book.

This Sunday afternoon while exploring my new neighborhood here in Montreal,  I came across an old friend -a Tim Hortons (TH). Long before Starbucks and the whole upscale coffee scene, THs was a familiar hangout, a place I could get out of my room and cram for an exam, or meet a friend for coffee and a chat.

Tim and I go way back. Over the years, I´ve stopped in at a Tim Hortons in the majority of Edmonton´s 83 stores, and in every major city in every province, except Newfoundland.

Today, I set up shop with a newspaper and a couple of books. I order my usual -medium coffee with two creams and an oatmeal, raisin cookie. Ahhh, the good life.... As I sit down to my weekly ritual I realize this staple in my diet is about to disappear. Gone forever! I´m surprised at how strong my reaction is.

A cuppa coffee and the newspaper are permanently paired in my mind. Like Pavlov, when I buy the paper, I can imagine the smell of a freshly brewed cup of coffee; when I buy a coffee, I start looking for the paper to read. What will I do without my daily "fix"?

I know they have herbal teas, but I can´t bear to look today....

How about you? I´d be interested in your experience or story around letting go of a favourite food.