The Egg Experiment

The other day I thought it would be a good idea to try eggs and see how my body liked them. I don't know why I thought this was a good idea.

The problem is that if I add eggs back in, I had better be damn well sure that I'm not eating anything else that might cause tummy troubles. I didn't do that. I just ate and ate and ate....

At the end of the day, I was left with these possibilities for my aching middle: a few pieces of pepperoni, spinach, carrots, a regular ol' mint, and, yes, eggs.

It is strange to me that someone could have an allergy/sensitivity/intolerance ;) to something that is 'healthy' for you. But strawberries are healthy! Eggs are relatively healthy! I guess I'm learning not to rule things out (like spinach) just because I think it couldn't possibly be true. Heaven forbid.

So, the next day I had not only eggs, but spinach, carrots, and 2 mints. I'm not a quick learner. I still had an upset stomach.

Today I am left with the (relative) assurance that if I do not eat eggs, spinach, or carrots, then I will feel fine. Right?!

I don't like this game. It's impossible!

How Having A Baby Makes Your Body Eat Itself

I have been thinking and thinking about why I have had such health problems only lately and not really before I had kids. The truth is that I had joint pain before I was pregnant with my first child, which leads me to believe that the process (whatever the heck it is) started earlier. For me, if it really is food sensitivities that are causing inflammation and autoimmune reactions, that makes sense.

It also makes sense that pregnancy, surgery, and emotional stress exacerbated the whole problem.

A friend sent me this link on Facebook awhile ago:

Having A Baby May Make the Mom's Body Turn On Itself: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43155988/ns/health-pregnancy/t/having-baby-makes-moms-body-turn-itself/

It says this: "The scientists knew from previous work in this field that cells from fetuses normally begin circulating in their mothers' blood very early in pregnancy and can be found in the bone marrow and other tissues of these women for decades afterward. They speculated that in attacking these foreign cells, the body inadvertently attacks itself as well."

This article says the same thing, that fetal cells persist in a mother's body for decades and that it seems like moms with autoimmune problems have more fetal cells leftover than others:

Pregnancy May Hold the Key to Autoimmune Diseases: http://www.womenshealthresearch.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5334&news_iv_ctrl=0&abbr=press

I included this next study because it's interesting. In the summary, the author basically says that they still can't figure out why a mother's body doesn't reject the baby, since the baby is obviously foreign. I love that because it means that only God, in his infinite wisdom, understands how he put us together. :)  http://www.jleukbio.org/content/63/3/281.full.pdf

I asked Gastro Doc #2 if surgery would worsen bowel issues of any kind, or even trigger them, and she said, "Yes, of course." When you take into account that after a c-section they give you a crapload of antibiotics that kill the natural flora of your gut, well....autoimmune problems and food sensitivities aren't surprising at all.

Innocent Inflammation

Almost every doctor I have been to says that I am 'inflamed'. This seems simple enough, like I have a little itch and I just need to take some Tylenol to keep the inflammation down. Looking for info on the web, it seems like inflammation is actually just the start of an escalating health problem...like inflammation grows into ulcerative colities, arthritis, diarrhea, even cancer. From Scientific American: "So far the clearest evidence of a link between cancer and inflammation is the data demonstrating that inflammation encourages the conversion of precancerous tissue to full malignancy for many cancers."

All my health problems can basically be expained as gradually increasing inflammation. It started out with a little bit of joint pain and now I have autoimmune issues, a dying thyroid, a crazy gut. The arthritis was described to me as not rheumatoid, not osteo-arthritis, but just...inflammation of the joints. Really, Einstein?! Inflammation is just my body's normal immune response, but taken to sadistic levels. (Masochistic? I think sadistic is the right one...) Autoimmune problems are basically ramped up immune reactions-inflammation.

This is my favorite link that I've found because it's about eating to reduce inflammation: http://www.womentowomen.com/inflammation/naturalantiinflammatories.aspx. None of the information is new--eat fruits, veggies, and fish, don't eat processed crap. :) Some anti-inflammatory diets even say that safflower and sunflower oil (which are in a lot of chips, etc.) are inflammatory. This bums me out. :(

One site says this: "Interestingly, growing evidence indicates a role of diet in preventing, delaying or reversing the expression of genetically determined auto-immune diseases...As the gut is a major site of many complex interactions, which control immunity, it is the largest interface between an individual and his environment and, therefore, provides the largest exposure for immune building micro-organisms and exposure to toxins and allergens. Strengthening the age-old adage, we are what we eat."
(http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Autoimmunity-versus-nutrition/827831/)

And, if you didn't believe me about cancer: "Inflammation...has gained recognition as an underlying contributor to virtually every chronic disease—a list that, besides obvious culprits such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease, includes diabetes and depression, along with major killers such as heart disease and stroke. The possibility of a link with a third major killer—cancer—has received intensive scrutiny in this decade. “The connection between inflammation and cancer has moved to center stage in the research arena,” notes Robert A. Weinberg of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research...As some researchers have described the malignant state: genetic damage is the match that lights the fire, and inflammation is the fuel that feeds it."
(http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chronic-inflammation-cancer)

And even more: "Cancer, diabetes, depression, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's—these seemingly diverse diseases are increasingly thought to have a common denominator: inflammation. While our genetic predisposition for disease can't be changed, we can do something about this other major player."
"http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/articles/2009/11/02/chronic-inflammation-reduce-it-to-protect-your-health"

I guess I want to prevent inflammation in my own body, but my DH said that most people don't realize that a little bit of inflammation from always eating, say, cow milk, could lead to bigger problems over time. So I'm writing about it. :)

The hard part is that in some ways it seems like something the 'inflames' you, doesn't inflame me, and vice versa. So we really just have to get to know our bodies better so that we can avoid inflammation...

The Raw Food Movement

I believe that there was a Garden of Eden and that we were meant, initially, to eat plants and grains and not animals. This is what made me look into the Raw Food Movement. That, and curiosity.

I had read before that Gwyneth Paltrow was on a macrobiotic diet (which I still don't know anything about) and ate a lot of raw, unprocessed foods. Oddly, she has since started cooking and eating meat, as is evidenced in her new cookbook. In any case, she seems pretty darn healthy and so I thought it merited a look-see. Yes, I do base some of my life decisions off of celebrities. (You do too! Don't judge me!)

I got a book from the library called Rawlicious, and instead of being horrified by the recipes inside, I am fascinated. It looks yummy! Most impressive, the authors grow most of what they eat themselves, which I truly respect and aspire to.

"...from an early age, we are fed processed, sugary junk foods. We are taught that this is food. We grow up watching TV and our young minds, open and highly susceptible to suggestion, have their beliefs about food formed by advertising. Many foods are manufactured to enslave our tastebuds." -Rawlicious

I think this is true. We don't realize what we're eating, where it comes from, and how it affects our bodies. I think our cells know that something isn't quite right, but they do the best they can with the resources they're given. White bread, sugary juice blends (especially the ones that say 'juice drink'), high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, etc. etc. It's all unnatural for our bodies, but we grow up thinking it's food like any other food. But all food is not equal.

"When we eat what nature intended-natural whole foods in their original pristine state, untampered with by industry-our bodies heal themselves. Our bodies are designed to regenerate, but without proper building blocks and nutrients, they cannot. They begin to break down. People worldwide are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Covering up symptoms is not healing. We need to reach for a deeper level of healing. When we truly nourish the body, the body stays healthy." -Rawlicious

This quote about healing really stood out to me, because wouldn't a God-intended diet (assuming, of course, that God created us and provided the resources we would need to be healthy) be the best for us? I want to reach for a deeper level of healing.

Right now I'm not going to go completely off the deep end and eat everything raw, but I think it might be worthwhile to eat more things in their natural state, or just simply MORE veggies and fruits and nuts and grains. Our bodies want those things, crave those things, and we're largely giving them crap instead.

Raw milk is one thing I'm not so sure about. I understand the reason for pasteurization, but I have heard that the heating process also kills the good bacterias alongwith the bad. In any case, if you have tasted raw milk and are an advocate, tell me all about it. I'm not opposed, I'm just not sure.

In any case, even if you're not at all interested in eating like a bird, the pictures in this cookbook are gorgeous. :)

I'm Hard To Love!

My MIL (mother-in-law) is a fantastic woman, someone whom I have often wished was actually my own mother. (In addition to my own mom, Mom. :) )

It took me a while to realize it, but my MIL's love language, almost exclusively, is food. When my DH and I were dating, I feel ill with a cold. Headache, sinus pressure, etc. He came right over with a bowl of Mom-Endorsed soup and a portable TV (I didn't have one at the time) so we could watch movies.

Every time anyone visits the house, they are fed. Apple crisp, chocolate, leftovers, fruit, it could be anything, as long as you are fed and watered. 

In the last year, as I have changed and re-changed my diet, my MIL has often been frustrated. She still offers me food, but oftentimes I refuse and I'm sure it seems to my in-laws that I can't eat anything. She doesn't know how to feed me and therefore she doesn't know how to love me.

So, imagine my happiness a few days ago when she made apple crisp at my house with my weirdo millet flour, with my gluten-free oats, and with my dairy-free, soybean oil-free butter. :) My husband says that she was probably happier than I was to make food that I could eat and I'm totally okay with that. And you know what? It was really good apple crisp. :)

Baked Salmon, Hold The Mercury...

Here, fishy! I have been trying to eat more fish, for myself and my weirdness and for my family. It's good for you! Well, kind of.

Of course I have heard that fish has mercury, but as I was frying up some orange roughy the other night I realized I had some unanswered questions.

"DH, why do fish have mercury in them? Is it naturally occurring?"

"No, it's from pollution."

"Like, manmade pollution? Like it's our fault that we can't eat fish without worrying about mercury poisoning?"

"Basically."

Sadly, I was surprised by this news. For some reason I thought that mercury was something fish had always had inside them, which shows just how naive I can be! I did some research on mercury in fish and where the he** it's coming from. (The short answer-no one is sure, but it does seem like it's mostly our fault.)

From PBS, because I like them: http://www.pbs.org/now/science/mercuryinfish.html

"Mercury occurs both naturally and from man-made sources. Some of it can be traced to coal-burning power plants. Smokestacks release toxic mercury emissions which rain down into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Bacteria convert the mercury to a form that's easily absorbed by insects and other small organisms. Mercury moves up the food chain as small fish eat the small organisms and big fish eat the smaller fish. The highest concentrations accumulate in large predators such as shark, swordfish and tuna...some of America's favorite fish."

I'm just curious--if toxic-mercury-rain is raining down on rivers and lakes, what else is it raining on and poisoning?! Another gem from this particular article: "In 1998, the FDA stopped widely testing for mercury in fish." Just because they didn't feel like it. :)

Advice from the Environmental Protection Agency: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm

1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
3. Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna.

From Blabbedy-Blah Office in California: http://oehha.ca.gov/fish/hg/index.html

"Methylmercury in fish comes from mercury in the aquatic environment. Mercury, a metal, is widely found in nature in rock and soil, and is washed into surface waters during storms. Mercury evaporates from rock, soil, and water into the air, and then falls back to the earth in rain, often far from where it started. Human activities redistribute mercury and can increase its concentration in the aquatic environment."

It's nice to know it's not all our fault. Seriously, that's nice to know. :)

So, I will stick with the fishies that are 'lowest' in mercury levels but I will also accept the fact that they ALL have mercury to some extent or another.

I also have an anecdote to share; my dad has high cholesterol (extremely high) and was told to take more fish oil. After a month or so on 'more' fish oil, his cholesterol dropped about 400 points. Suffice to say, fishies are good for you, minus the mercury.

Come On & Get Healthy!

I haven't posted in awhile about how I'm actually feeling; so I thought I'd update. :)

*Strawberries are still bad; I accidentally ate some yesterday and I'm still not great. Sad day.

*On the Thyroxal, I do feel better! I have a down swing every month where all the symptoms get worse; worse arthritis, more fatigue, etc. But this month, for the first time, the downswing is not as bad as it has been. I'm hoping that means that my own thyroid is starting to work again. Hope, hope, hope.

*I feel the up and down of thyroiditis (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis) more sharply lately. I feel great, normal, energetic, and then I feel fatigued, foggy, and totally worn down.

The Cool Acupuncture Guy asked me at my last consult what Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is. I responded that it was an autoimmune disorder triggered by inflammation; he said that it seemed foolish to treat my thyroid (as an MD would) without treating the cause of the inflammation. So far, that seems to be working, at least as well as everything anybody else suggested.

I am still taking Levothyroxine though, so the real test will be when I stop taking that drug and just take herbal stuff and don't eat stuff that causes an allergic reaction. I made the appointment with the endocrinologist to check my TSH in September; I'm really hoping that by then I'll be considering hyper-thyroid and they will reduce the dosage of my Levo. That will be proof positive that the CAG theory is correct.

I'm really hoping I can figure this out and that what CAG recommends will work because I'd like to be healthy enough to have another baby. DD was a c-section and I would like to have a VBAC. Obviously, I'd have to be in good health to do that! Here's hoping and praying that God has a healthful, happy future in store for our family.

Food From the Bible, Quacks, & Yummy Kefir

This might be kind of a long blog because I want to say several things. Here is my You-Don't-Have-To-Read-This-Whole-Post Summary: I read a book about a 'Biblical' diet, found out some weird things, and we love kefir! The End.

The biblically-based diet was good in theory, but not so much in practice. The dude didn't have a lot of reasoning behind some of the things he recommended. Color me cynical, but at least cite a Bible verse or some historical document in which Israelites ate blabbedy-blah. I read some reviews online by fellow readers and learned that a) the author only recommended products that he produced and b) his certifications/degrees were something of a mockery. Yes, I did double-check these things. :) Accordingly, I have found some other books on what Jesus ate and I am curious enough to give those a try.

The sad thing is that I think the author did make some good points, but all that goodness is cancelled out by his questionable credentials. Of the things he did recommend, I am taking some and leaving some.

We have given kefir a try and love it! It's like yogurt, but ten-times more powerful and amazing. My DS and DH would drink the whole bottle if I let them. And they'd probably morph into a kefir-powered superheroes, Acidophilus Man & his sidekick Good Gut Boy. I also agree with the book's advice to stay away from pork and stick with fish.

I am leaving the recommendation that it is better to be out in the sun A LOT. I think the sun can be good in moderation. I'm also not sure about the advice to NOT eat some fruits (like apples and bananas) and to only eat berries, lemons, limes, and grapefruit. If the author knew that only some fruits and veggies were available in the Garden of Eden, I might be more willing to believe this seemingly arbitrary piece of advice.

In researching a bit about the diet's recommendations, I came across a statement that basically said it hasn't been proven that eating organic produce is better than not eating organic. I think that's just hogwash and propoganda. 'They' want us to eat GMO foods and take medications to fuel the big money-making machine. Sigh. Maybe I'm a crazy conspiracy theorist, but that's how I feel right now!

In any case, kefir=yum.

Blame It On the Labeling...or Low IQ

I'm in kind of a bad mood lately. Just ask DH. ;)

Speculating with him about possible reasons for my crankiness and general ill-will towards everyone, I realized that part of the problem is that I keep accidentally eating things that I shouldn't. I think I've been doing a great job eating what I should and avoiding what I should, when in reality I'm really eating something from the No-No List. I get sick from something and I can't figure out what the heck it is.

Two days ago I had roasted almonds as a snack. Almonds are supposed to be good for us! Heart-healthy! Or whatever the current propogranda is. But I didn't feel well, so I re-read the ingredients. They are roasted in "peanut oil and/or soybean oil."

Let me pause to say that I think the phrase "and/or" on a food label is a load of crap. It means everything and nothing. It gives you no further information about the product you're consuming. And it must be grammatically incorrect because isn't it really saying 'and-or-or'? So should there be a comma in there, like this: "and/,or"? :)

Annnnnyway, the point is that food manufacturers can be intentionally vague. They use phrases like "food starch", "vegetable flavoring", or "natural flavoring". MSG is "natural", but that doesn't mean I want to eat it.

The other problem I have been having is that I forget what I'm not supposed to eat! The list is so long right now that I literally can't keep it all in my head. Remember how I learned the other day that eating strawberries might not be in my best interest? Well, I had a lovely bowl of frozen pineapple and strawberries yesterday and I ATE A STRAWBERRY because it was all mixed in with the pineapples, like a little incognito strawberry. A strawberry in diguise as mixed fruit.

I'm not too quick on the uptake. It took me an hour to realize that I was trying not to eat strawberries too.

Between the shady ingredient lists and my own stupidity, I have been made quite irritable.  

Strawberries and pineapples

Would You Rather...

I submit that a delayed-reaction food allergy is as bad as, and sometimes worse, than a regular allergy where your throat swells up and you die.

The question comes down to: Would You Rather a) Die Quickly by Suffocation or b) Die Slowly Over the Course of Many Years Because Your Body is Attacking Itself?

I have seen many doctors (see the link "Backstory" on the home page...). They all agree that people can of course have a type of allergy that is really more of a 'sensitivity' or an 'intolerance'. What this means is that you eat something and your throat does not swell up immediately, but instead you might experience things like gas, tummy pains, diarrhea, constipation, arthritis, rashes, eczema, autoimmune problems, and really a whole shitload of other things. That's my understanding anyway. It's like your body isn't having a traditional allergic reaction, but rather a sneak-allergy-attack.

The reason I think this is just as bad as a regular allergy attack is largely for lack of sympathy. Someone said to me once, "Well, if it's just an intolerance, then you can have a little bit of gluten, right? Just eat some, this part here..."

I didn't know what to say because the evidence of my 'intolerance' won't be seen for hours, even days, and even then it will be either D for diarrhea or the further death of my thyroid, by way of autoimmune attack. :) There's no sympathy for that because no one (excepting my poor, shell-shocked husband) can see that. What I did end up saying was, "It's just not worth it."

And it's not. I am still unsure which foods could be causing my inflammation (and therefore arthritis, autoimmune thyroiditis, etc.) but it seems clear that it is in part food-related. Eliminating common allergens makes me better! The theory is that because my body 'doesn't like' certain foods it becomes inflamed; this inflammation has to find some direction and since it can't attack the food I'm eating it attacks me. If anyone has a different understanding of this particular process, enlighten me!

So, the moral of my story is that it's just not worth it! I want to live longer, be healthy and energetic, have another child, and not live in the bathroom. That last piece of cake, the milk, the peanut buttery goodness, the popcorn (oh, God, the popcorn)...it's just not worth it until I can say for sure that it's something my body likes.

I digress. My point is that if I had hives or a swollen face people would let me be! You don't see someone gagging on shellfish and their friend saying, "Well, now, really, that's a little overblown. Surely you can have just a little shrimp?"

For example:

You'd all leave me alone if I looked like that guy. :)

Mediterranean Peasants & Other Oddities

I heard a news story on NPR recently about how the healthy 'Mediterranean Diet' wasn't a diet of choice, but a diet necessitated by poverty. The Greek people who lived the longest were the poorest; the cheapest things to eat were vegetables, fruit, simple bread, olive oil, etc.

These days it's flip-flopped. The cheapest foods are the crappiest ones and the vegetables, fruit, etc are the most expensive. DH and I have had several conversations about how a lot of Americans, probably more of the poor than the rich, buy convenience foods, fruit 'drinks', and other highly processed food. NPR said: "These days, you have to be wealthy to eat like a Mediterranean peasant."

Now, I have my own vices, but I know that some stuff is best eaten in moderation and not all the time. Once, at the grocery story, I saw a heavy woman driving a scooter-cart full of frozen pizza, doughnuts, Twinkies, frozen pretzels, etc. etc. I have also heard of a fair number of people who think Sunny Delight is really orange juice or let their infants drink soda. Like, actually put SODA into BABY BOTTLES.

What I'm saying is a) I think we're making really bad choices and b) it's hard to eat well when it costs so much more. For whatever reason, it's a lot cheaper and budget-friendly to eat processed foods than to buy produce, organic meats, real juice, etc. I have experienced this myself lately. Buying organic produce, not-Cow-milk, gluten-free grains, grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and blabbedy-blah is costing us at least 25% more in grocery money. I am always on the lookout for coupons or deals for specialty foods.

Granted, I think part of the problem today is that we're uninformed. Hawaiian Punch is not juice, but who is there to tell the population who thinks it is juice otherwise? Then again, are they interested in hearing how it's not juice? Not really, because you can get twice the amount for half the price of 100% juice.

I saw a story on Oprah once about organic, free-range farming versus the factory farms where animals are basically kept in unnatural, substandard conditions most of the time. This chicken farmer from California was saying that if the American people bought more organic, free-range eggs, then he could lower the price and that eventually those eggs would make up the majority of the market.

Right now price trumps over quality. With a failing economy and lots of people struggling to find work, it's not really surprising. In the long run I think our poor, cheaper nutrition will end up costing us even more in health care.

Eat more veggies! The end. :)

Some linky links:

A Healthy Diet Isn't Cheap:
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diet/articles/2011/08/05/health-buzz-a-healthy-diet-isnt-cheap

Mediterranean Diet: http://blisstree.com/eat/mediterranean-diet-isnt-working-in-mediterranean/

"I Am Nightshade, Villain Veggie!"

So, if you've been reading then you know that tomatoes are not allowed on the CAG (Cool Acupuncture Guy) prescribed diet I am on. Unfortunately, I didn't extend the 'no tomato' rule to other nightshade veggies/fruits, like tomatillos.

I am a dummy.

In some of my research as to what the heck is going on in my body, I came across some theories about nightshade vegetables making existing arthritis worse, or even introducing arthritis, in certain people. The salsa verde we made was awesome, but I didn't sleep well because my hands and my wrists were bound up with arthritis (which generally comes and goes depending on how screwed up I am).

I really like salsa. It was easier not eating tomatoes for a few weeks or months because I thought I would add them back in later and everything would be fine. If I have a reaction to a tomatillo on its own, I'm less optimistic about my future with tomatoes. :(

In my research to figure out what the heck nightshade veggies are, I have less conclusive answers. This is the best explanation of what a nightshade is that I have found:

"Health research on these vegetables has focused on a group of substances called alkaloids which can impact nerve-muscle and digestive function in animals and humans. They may also compromise joint function. The alkaloids in nightshades are not only the basis for consideration of them as drugs, but also for understanding adverse reactions when they are eaten as food.

Nightshade is the common name used to describe over 2,800 species of plants. Lest the term "nightshade vegetable" conjures a stew with bat wings and toads, it's not that interesting. The reason for the name is they are grown in the shade of night.

Nightshade vegetables are in the Solanaceae family of plants. Among them are tomato, potato, eggplant, and peppers of all kinds, except black pepper. Tomatillos, tamarios, pepinos, pimentos, paprika, cayenne, and Tabasco sauce are also classified as nightshade foods.

Plants produce alkaloids primarily designed to help protect them from insects. But in a pharmacological sense the interest has been the drug-like alkaloids best known in mandrake, tobacco and belladonna (deadly nightshade.) Close examination reveals these alkaloids are chemical substances with strong physiological effects.

The active alkaloid in nightshades, solanine, is more familiar to us as nicotine."
It's from this site: http://tribes.tribe.net/diymedicine/thread/59372cfb-1aab-4763-86cd-95930b8859ff. Nicotine!?

The article goes on to say that one in three arthritics 'will react badly to nightshades' and that some people are incorrectly diagnosed with arthritis when they're really having a delayed food allergy reaction to something like nightshades. On the other hand, the article also goes on to say that no one 'official' has made the connection between nightshades and arthritis because the evidence is inconclusive.

But if you Google nightshades and arthritis, a whole host of arthritics show up on discussion boards and chat rooms who have noticed a connection. I definitely noticed a connetion!
An actual research article on Arthritis and Nightshades: http://noarthritis.com/research.htm.

Potential salsa recipes without tomatoes:

• 1 yellow bell pepper (um, these are also nightshades. :( )
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 or 2 pabalno chilis (depending on how big they are)
• 2 anaheim chilis (leave some seeds in if you want more heat)
• 1 or 2 jalepeno's (same here - depends on your heat desire)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 of a red onion (or any kind of onion really)
• juice of 1/2 lime
• H2O

 or

• 1 cup green cabbage, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 raw jalapeno, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

The problem with this one is that I'm not a giant cabbage fan so I'm not sure how this would taste. In any case, when I get the green-light to add foods back in, I am still giving tomato all by itself a chance!

It's also worth noting that these are the foods out there that have a natural pesticide--alkaloids, unlike GMO food in which humans try to do the same thing God has already accomplished.

Is It Independence If You're Not Allowed to Assert It?

At my appointment, CAG recommended that I walk 'right into' my endocrinologist's office and tell them what I needed to have done. That is, I just need a blood draw to check my TSH, I didn't want a whole consultation appointment with the endo. Unfortunately, my endo's office doesn't believe I know what I need.

I called the other day and the conversation went roughly like this:

"Dr. Blankety-Blank's office, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I just need to make an appointment for a blood-draw. I don't necessarily need to see the doctor, just a nurse visit is fine, or a blood-draw by itself."

"Hm, well normally we don't do that."

"That's really all I need."

"What's your name?"

"My name is Lily Tuliplips."

"Okay...it looks like you cancelled an appointment at the beginning of August. You're due for a consult with Dr. Blankey-Blank."

"Well, how about I get my blood drawn and then we can schedule an appointment with Blankety?"

"Let me just...go get your chart."

--Instrumental Music--

New Voice: "Hi, Miss Tuliplips?"

"Yes."

"I'm a nurse here. The receptionist tells me that you want your blood drawn, but you need to meet with either the doctor or the P.A. to consult about your bloodwork. You can have it drawn at the same time."

"I can just meet with the nurse, that's fine with me."

"Well, you're due for more than a nurse visit, it's been three months since your last appointment so you need to see Blankety-Blank. We can get you in this Thursday."

"I don't need to see someone this Thursday, I was hoping for an appointment in September."

"But you can get in this week. Or next week. You're due for an appointment!"

At this point I give up and schedule an appointment with whoever the hell they want me to, with the assurance that my blood will be drawn at the same time.

The problem is essentially that I don't want to talk to the guy right now becasue I am the type of person who will offer up too much information on any given topic (can you tell?).

So, Dr. Blankey-Blank will sit down and ask how I am and I will end up blurting something like: "I don't even need to be here. I'm seeing a great acupuncturist, herbalist, weirdo doctor and I'm really happy with the results. I'm using you for your lab tests. And you know what else, I WON'T be on your damn drugs for my whole life."

DH says I don't have to react like this. :)

In any case, in the end I will get my blood work done and that will be great. On the other hand, this reminds me of my friends who have wanted to have a VBAC (vaginal-birth-after-cesarean) and were basically told that no doctor, no hospital, and no one else was willing to take on the liability. It's either have your baby unattended at home or have another C-section. That's not really a choice at all.

I understand that doctors are protecting themselves and largely think the general populace are idiots, but I still think that when a patient makes specific, articulated requests, these requests should be respected. I would be willing to sign away their liability just for that freedom.

Doctors Are Just Body Plumbers

I went to the Cool Acupuncture Guy today, as I mentioned yesterday.

This is how I feel:

And also a little of this:

Let me begin by telling you that CAG recommended I drink pure alcohol as an experiment.

"Get a good potato vodka," he said. "Try some pure tequila," he said. This recommendation came about because I have had three run-ins with foods that did not sit well with me during these past three weeks: wine, potato chips fried in CORN oil, and strawberries.

About the wine, he said that lots of wines are preserved with something called sulfites. (Yet another new bad thing I have to be on the lookout for...) Possibly my tummy reacted to the alcohol or possibly it reacted to the sulfites. The pure alcohol would help decide which one it really was! A great excuse to drink.

CAG decided it would be best for me to keep taking some ClearVite powder once a day and stay with a restricted diet to let my insides heal up even more. Because I've seen such positive results, I am a fan of this plan. He has added something called Thyroxal to my regimen. It has a bunch of vitamins, some pig thyroid hormone, bromelain, ashwaganda, and some enzymes. It's supposed to stimulate my thyroid.

The idea is still to stimulate my thyroid and stay away from D-inducing, inflammation inducing foods so that the arthritis and autoimmune problems GO AWAY. CAG has had success with other Hashimoto's thryoiditis patients, which gives me even more hope. The MDs I have seen were into treating the symptoms of these autoimmune problems, while CAG and the folks he works with are more interested in treating the root of the problem. This, Dear Friends, seems like a much better idea.

I am suposed to get my TSH levels checked in about 4 weeks; CAG recommended I go to the endocrinologist for the blood testing since my insurance will cover it. I mentioned I'd rather have my blood tested in-house, by CAG, to avoid talking to the endocrinologist. The endocrinologist would clearly disagree with the course of action I have chosen; he's already told me that there's nothing to be done about Hashimoto's thyroiditis and that I have to let my immune system kill off my thyroid. In his view, there's really no stopping the damage my body can do to itself.

Anyway, this led into a fantastic discussion in which CAG compared Doctors to plumbers:

CAG: "Why don't you want to go? You're giving him too much power over you."

Me: "I suppose that's true."

CAG: "He's at your service! I am at your service."

Me" "No, you're right, you're right. Other doctors generally act like they're in charge of my choices though..."

CAG: "No, okay, listen. Here's an example. It's like if you went to a restaurant and the waiter told you what you wanted to eat! He's there to serve you! You walk right into your doctor's office and get the bloodwork you need so you can start to be weaned off of Levothyroxine."

Me: "Mm hmmm..."

CAG: "We're like plumbers! He's your plumber."

Me: "Well, right now, I think you're a much better plumber than they are..."

CAG: "Right, because what I'm doing is working! If it stops working then you're going to kick my ass to the curb!"

Me: Laughter

The other extraordinary part of the appointment is how we were able to talk to one of the herbalist/acupuncturists before my actual consultation. DH had some health concerns that he would never ask someone informally about, but me, I will ask anyone, anything. :)

So, we were able to get an herbal consultation for DH and they didn't even charge us for it. He is trying some pepperminty oil, some herbal concoction, and some tincture to help his sinuses and allergies clear up. As I write this, he has already tried the peppermint oil (you boil water and add a drop and then breathe it up!) and feels a big difference. I guess we're both guinea pigs. As a side note, I will confide that this same peppermint oil is a neurotoxin for children, so we have to keep it out of reach!

In closing, I am in love with not going to doctors and doing things that actually build my body up instead of erode it's natural chemistry. So far, it's working for us. In a few days I will bust open a new jar of ClearVite--this time chocolate flavored! Hopefully this is a good thing and a terrible mistake....

Victimized By Strawberries

So tomorrow I go back to the guy who is in charge of my life. I have made a choice to try anything Cool Acupuncture Guy (CAG) suggests, unless it involves murder, anorexia, substance abuse...you get the idea. I figure I was willing to try what the MDs suggested, I may as well give CAG a chance.

Here's what I expect from my appointment:

*A solution to all my health problems.
*An herb that will bring about world peace.
*A magical skin cream that will eliminate the post-baby redness I have been afflicted with.
*A back rub.
*Personal affirmation of my every dream and desire.
*A free puppy.

What do I really hope will happen tomorrow? I hope that I will be encouraged that things will continue to get better. I'm hoping he does have some miracle-making herbs to give me.

At my initial appointment I had acupuncture and there was a clear discomfort in my abdomen. I asked CAG about it and he said that he put needles in place to send blood downward, but it was running into the scar tissue from my C-section. The discomfort subsided eventually. He mentioned that in future appointments, he'd like to give me a paste to put on my scar to 'thin it out'. In addition to the miracle herbs, I'll try Scar Paste. :)

I realized today that I may be allergic/sensitive/intolerant (choose your adjective) to strawberries. This is a bummer because a) it's just another thing to add to the list and b) strawberry parts are in a lot of yummy things, like juice and popsicles. In any case, it's the only new thing I have eaten today and so I'm fairly sure I can name strawberries as the culprit. Such a sinister fruit.

Fantasy Island

Lately I have fallen prey to the same fantasies that DH has been having. Mine aren't as passionate as Zach's. My daydreams about cupcakes and chips are nothing compared to his love-making dreams with Chinese food.

For my own benefit, let me indulge in telling you all what I would eat if I could eat anything I wanted instead of nothing. :)

*COFFEE with creamer. Ah, to have a piping-hot, life-renewing cup of coffee every morning. I think I miss this the most. It's a lifesaver. I wake up to a poopy daughter and a hard-to-please son and a big cup of coffee always made it better. :)

*Regular ol' chocolate, with milk.

*The chips and salsa from Chili's. I think I miss this second most. It's a double whammy on the no-no list right now because of the corn and the tomato.

*Cake-Red Velvet being my favorite, but any cake would be yummy. Lemon cake. Chocolate cake with raspberry filling.

*KFC Fried Chicken & Biscuits. I love fried chicken. I love how greasy it is and how crunchy the outside is. When I lost so much weight after my DD was born, I didn't even skimp, I just got the EXTRA crispy kind. So luxurious.

*Cereal. I love having cereal for dessert or in the middle of the afternoon. Most cereal isn't gluten-free...which sucks. A lot.

*Dairy Queen Blizzards. YUM. I checked the ingredients of DQ Blizzard's online, which I probably shouldn't have done. It has corn syrup, milk (duh), and wheat. I do love them so.

*Delivery Pizza. I don't think I need to say more here...

By far what I'm missing the most is the convenience of everything I can't eat. It's easy, in some ways, to take food with me everywhere, but it's embarrassing. Going to a catered party (I've come up against several lately) is awkward too. You don't know what food will be there so you have to assume there won't be anything for you to eat. I'm supposed to go to a kid's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's soon; I think it's a safe bet that their pizza is not gluten-free!

Is there something you miss eating or try not to eat, but love? I want to know what it is...

The Downhill Slope

Today is the first day I don't have to take ClearVite three times a day. It's more freeing than I thought! For me, it's exhausting trying to remember to take something three times a day. But I did it and now I am being rewarded with only taking ClearVite two times a day, and then once, and then...?

Zach and I were discussing whether or not the 'cleanse' has been successful and I suppose it's a resounding YES so far. I haven't had D except that one time I had wine, which isn't allowed on the official cleanse guidelines anyway. So I broke the rules and I was punished, kind of like that weight loss drug Alli where you get D every time you eat something fatty! Ew.

I am hopeful that things are on the up and up.

WTF is GMO?!

How many acronyms can I use in one post?! LOL. There's one more.

But WTH is GMO? I have a friend who also struggles with auto-immune problems. We have been conversing recently and he mentioned that avoiding GMO foods seemed to help with inflammation.

Now, I've been to enough health food stores lately that I've seen the phrase "non-GMO foods" on lots of packaging. I kept forgetting to Google this 'GMO' and educate myself (probably because I've had enough of these scary stories about what we're eating these days...), but I finally did it since my friend had mentioned it.

Here's what I found on good ol' Wikipedia: "A genetically modified organism (GMO) or genetically engineered organism (GEO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes."

Um...what the HELL!? Shouldn't we be informed if the food we're eating has had gene therapy? I get the technology and I understand how amazing this is. Farmers are probably jizzing in their pants everywhere. (I apologize. Blame DH for my development of such crass humor.) It probably saves everyone money and makes it possible for crops to survive infestations of all sorts of nasty critters.

And yet. I would really like a package of corn or soy or whatever the heck it is to say, right on the outside: "GMO product. We messed with the DNA in a lab, we know it scares off bugs now, but we have no idea what the hell it will do to YOUR DNA. But it tastes just like regular -insert food here-." Thank you, great, now I am fully informed and should I choose to eat GMO food and I get cancer, well, I knew what I was eating.

Up till now I can honestly say I had no idea. How foolish of me.

Later on in the Wikipedia article it breaks down exactly how they've changed some corn: "In the corn market, Monsanto's triple-stack corn—which combines Roundup Ready 2 weed control technology with YieldGard Corn Borer and YieldGard Rootworm insect control—is the market leader in the United States. U.S. corn farmers planted more than 32 million acres (130,000 km²) of triple-stack corn in 2008,^[14] and it is estimated the product could be planted on 56 million acres (230,000 km²) in 2014–2015."

Yum! Pesticides and corn all in one. :) It's a wonder there are still bugs coming into my house...

A good article on GMO foods:
"http://www.rrdailyherald.com/online_featureshow_to/gmo-what-you-need-to-know-about-genetically-modified-foods/article_7184138f-d628-558e-89ac-d0036bd4a70d.html A great quote from this, particularly apropo for me: "What we do know is that anyone eating GMOs is, in effect, a guinea pig in a very large health experiment."

Good article on GM wheat, discussing the 'integrity of food': http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/genetically-modified-wheat-has-no-place-on-the-menu-20110718-1hlhq.html