The Battle of the Good and Bad Flora #19

 Having eaten out more often these past three weeks (in search of accommodations and getting settled in) has made it difficult to get back into the groove of preparing raw food. It's amazing how easily I can slip into old habits. Eating raw is definitely not a habit just yet.

It has also been a busy week and I haven't been paying my diet as much attention. I did, however, go to a colon hydrotherapist for a colema. (A colema uses gravity feed for the water as opposed to a colonic where the water is under slight pressure).

After my conversation with the therapist, I agree with her that the watery stool, which has been an issue since mid-January, is contributing to an imbalance in my intestinal flora. I've purchased some Acidophilus  which I've now started taking. I hope that this will improve the situation sooner rather than later.

From the numbers below it seems I've definitely hit a plateau. Here are

the stats for this past week:

                             03/07/10              03/14/10           Change

Weight              125.2 lbs.               124.4                   -0.8 lbs.

A very slight drop. 

Body Fat           15.0 lbs.                 15.0                    No Change.

BMI                     19.7                       19.5                     -0.2

A reflection of the weight.

Body Fat           12.0%                     12.0                   No Change.       

Same as above but as a percentage.

Water                64.3%                     64.3                   No Change.

Still a good number.

Bone Mass        6.3%                       6.3                      No Change.
Holding steady.

What would Confucius Say?

Back in October, just before I embarked on this raw food experience, I had some blood work done. One of the tests showed the amount of inflammation in my system. I was thinking that, more than 3 months into this process it would be good to see if the inflammation had gone down any.

Note: An acidic environment leads to inflammation. A raw food diet, which is basically akaline,  should lessen the acidity in my body and therefore the inflammation as well.

Back in October, 2009 my blood work result was 935. 
Normal is less than 120.
In February, 2010 (using a muscle test) my "reading" was ((correction) 545,
which suggests that the raw food diet is quite effective. 
(If your not into behavioral kinesiology, i.e. muscle testing, I will be getting the regular blood work done once I get back to Edmonton in April and we'll be able to compare apples to apples.)

I met with an MD, whose has decided to pursue Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) full time.  She was very helpful and explained that TCM has a very different philosophy from Western medicine. This modality sees things in terms of various concepts such as chi; the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water; excess and deficiency; cooling and warming foods; dampness, or heat..... 

She said that I was damp and that I should be eating more cooked food (for the heat), and lots of grains, which are a condensed form of food, (that have more heat qualities.) I was confused as this is virtually the opposite of what my current health practitioner was advising.

With some exasperation, I shared that information with my sister. It turns out that my naturopath studied TCM for 3 years and agreed with the doctor's assessment of my condition. His point was that it boiled down to a question of priorities, and dealing with the cancer is the priority at this time.  

In the short term, getting my body to an alkaline state trumped dealing with dampness, because cancer can't live in an alkaline environment. Because most grains are acidic, he suggested avoiding them. Once the cancer is gone, then modifying my diet to deal with the dampness would be an option to consider. 

Makes sense to me.

Overall, I'm glad I got a second opinion. There's no doubt that getting advice is diametrically opposed can be frustrating. The trick is to see beyond the language (and baggage) of each modality, and try to make sense of what is being said. 

Not easy. Certainly it takes time and effort, and the willingness to deal with ambiguity. Most of all it takes a certain level of confidence in whatever decision one makes, balanced with a willingness to remain open minded about any new information that may come along.

That's my story and I'm sticking with it -until something that makes more sense comes along.

Week Eleven Summary

Week Eleven and I'm back into the swing of things eating raw 100% of the time.

Psychologically, weaning myself off the Brie cheese, etc has been difficult. (My grandmother was very French and when visiting her as a kid, Brie and Camenbert were served on special occasions.) Every time I go by the coolers where they're kept, I just want to reach in and grab one.

Getting into the routine of taking my drops, etc. has been even more challenging. It's amazing how quickly one forgets what one doesn't like doing. Just before I left Montreal, the naturopath added two tablespoons of Vita Spec each evening to my list of "medications." I'm wracking my brains trying to figure out what it was for, but don't recall at the moment. (I will email my sister to find out.)

He also added 2oz. of Essiac daily. Essiac (link) is proported to be an Ojibwa remedy composed of burdock root, slippery elm bark, sheep sorrel and Turkish rhubard. Rene Caisse, (link) (Essiac is Caisse spelled backwards), a Canadian nurse, obtained the recipe in the 1920's and promoted it against much opposition from the medical establishment of the day.

Her story makes for a fascinating read. There are a number of books out on the market that chronicle her experiences with successfully treating cancer (and diabetes) patients.  Today, partially as a result of her secrecy, there are also many suppliers, each claiming to have the original/best recipe. (The two links above are a couple of entry points into the controversy.)

The Essiac I purchased at the naturopath's clinic was $4/oz. Not cheap. There are do-it-yourself recipes where one can brew up the herbs at home for a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately, I've heard it can be quite a smelly process, so I'm hesitant to take that route at the moment.

I was also able to get a lead on organic, juicing carrots and will follow up with that in the coming week.

The stats for this past week:

                             01/11/10             01/17/10          Change

Weight              130.2 lbs.               129.0                -1.2 lbs.
A much smaller drop this week from the almost 5 pounds last week. I never imagined I'd drop under 130 pounds, but here I am. Looking at myself in the mirror, I notice how thin I am. I feel fine, however, and am happy with my progress, so I'm going to continue.

Body Fat           18.1 lbs.                 17.2                   -0.9 lbs.

Virtually all of the weight loss is body fat. A good thing.

BMI                     20.4                        20.2                 -0.8

A reflection of the weight loss.

Body Fat           13.9%                     13.3                 -1.6%
Same as above but as a percentage.

Water                62.9%                     62.9                   0.0

Water content is holding its own.

Bone Mass        6.4%                       6.4                     0.0

The bone mass seems to be holding its own.

Getting Started

Last night my sister, Suzanne, picked me up at the Montreal airport. This morning I had an appointment with her naturopath. Nice guy. Likes to keeps things simple which works for me. In a nutshell, here´s what he had to say:

1. Our bodies are the result of eons of evolution. Trust that it knows what to do to heal.
2. Disease thrives in an acidic environment. Therefore the diet will focus on alkalinizing foods.
3. Healing preceeds curing, therefore,
4. Elimination of toxins is critical. The first two months will focus on cleaning out the body.

He explained the protocol I will be following for the next 8 weeks:

• A diet consisting of 100% raw, ripe, fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.
• Two, 10-ounce glasses of juice each day, consisting of 20% carrots, 80% greens.
• A cleansing drink before breakfast and bedtime. Consists of: 2 oz. of apple juice, 6 oz. of water, 1 tsp. Bio-Flo One, 3 tbsp of Chloroforce, 1 tablet of Bio-Flo Two.
• A set of herbal extracts taken three times daily to assist endocrine, renal, digestive and lymph function as well as Essiac tea and a parasitic cleanser.
• A lemon and/or grape juice fast for a minimum of three consecutive days (to a maximum of 10) at least once a month. Drink as much as you want.(Google Master Cleanse for details.)
• Ensure that your bowels are working well. A colonic or colema may be required from time to time to ensure that toxins are being eliminated properly.
• Read ¨Dr. Jensen´s Guide to Better Bowel Care: a complete program for tissue cleansing through bowel management.¨

To this I will be adding BarleyMax, a certified, organic, whole-food concentrate made from the juice of young barley grass and alfalfa. (Three times daily.) (Ref. www.hacres.com) It really does taste like grass! but I´m hoping it will grow on me -the taste, not the grass.

It does feel a bit overwhelming, so I´m giving myself a few days to stock up and ramp up. My plan is to ¨go live¨ on Monday, November 2nd.