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.