This is a super great and interesting graph on the different Control Pauses and the level of health/disease that is connected to it. It's frustrating though for me having been stuck at 20 seconds since January this year, 2010. At least I'm still working on it and hopefully some day my CP will improve.
http://normalbreathing.com
My current pulse is around 76 beats per minute, I take about 16 breaths per minute, my MP is at least 70 seconds, but my CP is still 20 seconds.....According to this zones thing my CP ought to be at least 30 seconds. Sometime my pulse is still at 80 and even 84 though, and sometimes my MP is only 45. I guess I'm a work in progress....
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Oxygenation vs Fermentation
When I was following Bee's low carb anti candida diet, there was a lot of talk on her forum about how candida and eating sugars would feed cancer cells. She said that candida directly causes cancer.
Obviously the refined sugars were considered the worst, but she included all fructose, sucrose and glucose into this category, sadly for all of us who bought into it.
One of the main articles that she used to make her point was one that describes the work of Otto Warburg. He got the Nobel Price for his research in this area, so he's clearly done quality research. I read this article and I remember being very confused, feeling that it did not in fact support Bee's claims. What Bee used as proof that the consumption of sugar caused cancer, I read as an indication that cancer has got a lot more to do with poor oxygenation of the cells.
Below is the quote that Bee always used. Read it for yourself and you tell me, I mean it seems there is a connection between both sugar and oxygen, but to say that cutting out sugar will protect you from cancer is wrong in my opinion, especially cutting out glucose in whole grains and root vegetables/starches and fructose in whole fruits.
"the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar."
From reading the above sentence, I feel that the oxygenation is the first problem, leading to a replacement of the oxygen BY a fermentation of sugar. It seems to me that the fermentation is what follows AFTER the oxygenation has been replaced. This would make the fermentation a result of the poor oxygenation, not the cause of it.
This ties together much more with Dr Buteyko's work, who found in his many years of clinical research that a lot of modern degenerative disease was caused by poor oxygenation of all cells, caused by over-breathing (chronic hyperventilation syndrome), and what's more encouraging, he found this to be CORRECTED via improved breathing (ie reduced breathing, increased Control Pause, the return of normal breathing by eliminating the hyperventilation). This would also explain why malignancies were so rare among traditional people who ate a traditional diet and lived a traditional lifestyle, as observed by Weston A Price. Their diet and lifestyle supported high metabolism and likely high control pauses. Nose breathing was the norm among these healthy groups. Mouth-breathing and hyperventilation occurred when these people changed to a refined diet, and modern disease followed.
To come full circle though, the consumption of sugar and other refined foods, is what seemed to be one cause of the hyperventilation seen among the traditional people. There is surely a connection. But to say that candida alone causes cancer and that excluding all sucrose, fructose, and glucose is the protection against cancer is in my opinion faulty, or at least not proven by Otto Warburg. One might hypothesize that candida is what causes poor oxygenation, however Dr Buteyko saw candida disappear when hyperventilation disappeared. I think that consuming whole foods while working on reducing hyperventilation must be a good place to start when trying to improve any health condition.
Obviously the refined sugars were considered the worst, but she included all fructose, sucrose and glucose into this category, sadly for all of us who bought into it.
One of the main articles that she used to make her point was one that describes the work of Otto Warburg. He got the Nobel Price for his research in this area, so he's clearly done quality research. I read this article and I remember being very confused, feeling that it did not in fact support Bee's claims. What Bee used as proof that the consumption of sugar caused cancer, I read as an indication that cancer has got a lot more to do with poor oxygenation of the cells.
Below is the quote that Bee always used. Read it for yourself and you tell me, I mean it seems there is a connection between both sugar and oxygen, but to say that cutting out sugar will protect you from cancer is wrong in my opinion, especially cutting out glucose in whole grains and root vegetables/starches and fructose in whole fruits.
"the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar."
From reading the above sentence, I feel that the oxygenation is the first problem, leading to a replacement of the oxygen BY a fermentation of sugar. It seems to me that the fermentation is what follows AFTER the oxygenation has been replaced. This would make the fermentation a result of the poor oxygenation, not the cause of it.
This ties together much more with Dr Buteyko's work, who found in his many years of clinical research that a lot of modern degenerative disease was caused by poor oxygenation of all cells, caused by over-breathing (chronic hyperventilation syndrome), and what's more encouraging, he found this to be CORRECTED via improved breathing (ie reduced breathing, increased Control Pause, the return of normal breathing by eliminating the hyperventilation). This would also explain why malignancies were so rare among traditional people who ate a traditional diet and lived a traditional lifestyle, as observed by Weston A Price. Their diet and lifestyle supported high metabolism and likely high control pauses. Nose breathing was the norm among these healthy groups. Mouth-breathing and hyperventilation occurred when these people changed to a refined diet, and modern disease followed.
To come full circle though, the consumption of sugar and other refined foods, is what seemed to be one cause of the hyperventilation seen among the traditional people. There is surely a connection. But to say that candida alone causes cancer and that excluding all sucrose, fructose, and glucose is the protection against cancer is in my opinion faulty, or at least not proven by Otto Warburg. One might hypothesize that candida is what causes poor oxygenation, however Dr Buteyko saw candida disappear when hyperventilation disappeared. I think that consuming whole foods while working on reducing hyperventilation must be a good place to start when trying to improve any health condition.
Toxic Sludge and Physical Degeneration
This new Swedish film "Underkastelsen" (The Subordination) about the environment and toxins mentions that today there are 100,000 manmade chemicals present in our environment, and many of them in our bodies.
As chemically sensitive I struggle with this on a daily basis. Our neighbors for example all use regular laundry detergents, ie once that are made from many man made toxins. This is chemicals that are known to cause cancer, kidney and liver failure. Yet, most regular people in the US still use them week in and week out not realizing the danger they are putting themselves and their fellow citizen's in. I react with nausea and dizziness and get really angry and stressed out every time I smell toxic laundry detergents coming in our windows. This happens both day and night....don't ask me who's up washing clothes at 3 am in the morning....but they live somewhere in our neighborhood. lol...
The corporations and politicians are of course to blame for allowing these toxic detergents to be on the market. In the end, however, it's up to us all to be responsible and educate ourselves and get involved politically to change this for ourselves, our friends and families, and the well being of all future generations.
Let's keep working for change and a cleaner planet. Here is one place to start:
www.greenpeace.org
As chemically sensitive I struggle with this on a daily basis. Our neighbors for example all use regular laundry detergents, ie once that are made from many man made toxins. This is chemicals that are known to cause cancer, kidney and liver failure. Yet, most regular people in the US still use them week in and week out not realizing the danger they are putting themselves and their fellow citizen's in. I react with nausea and dizziness and get really angry and stressed out every time I smell toxic laundry detergents coming in our windows. This happens both day and night....don't ask me who's up washing clothes at 3 am in the morning....but they live somewhere in our neighborhood. lol...
The corporations and politicians are of course to blame for allowing these toxic detergents to be on the market. In the end, however, it's up to us all to be responsible and educate ourselves and get involved politically to change this for ourselves, our friends and families, and the well being of all future generations.
Let's keep working for change and a cleaner planet. Here is one place to start:
www.greenpeace.org
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Our generations health struggles
I recently learned that Karl Erb, one of San Francisco's most influential, and loved yoga teachers is struggling with cancer treatment. The good news is that it's a curable form of cancer, and that he's doing really well. Still, he's going to need time to recuperate and won't be able to teach for a while. So, the yoga community will be missing out for sure until he's back teaching. He's got a very unique depth of knowledge that few can match. His understanding of yoga, and skill in teaching it goes way beyond what most will ever master. On a personal level, he's helped me solve some tricky issues that no other yoga teacher was ever able to help me with. He's definitely one of the best teachers out there and I can't wait to take classes with him again. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to take many of his classes cause I only found him right before my Buteyko work made me too sick to take part of asanas at all.
To support his swift return to teaching visit his website:
www.yoganexus.com
Of course in the US loosing one's health is further complicated by the lack of health insurance to cover loss of income, and then the costs of medical care itself, that is often an issue even when people do have health insurance. It's totally devastating for people to loose their health, yet it's a huge ongoing problem for so many people.
I know all too many young people struggling with cancer and other serious health issues at the moment. It's such an endemic. Hard to know or understand what is causing our generation to suffer so deeply. Environmental pollution is probably one aspect, as is refined foods, and the general stress of our modern society and lifestyle. It's always frightening though when people like Karl Erb who really live a super healthy lifestyle, and personify health in so many ways, are also hit with modern disease.
I know I blog about my personal struggles here and I do it to make sure that if there is anything in my journey, in my lived experiences that can help others, then it's valuable that I share it here online with the public. As much as I struggle, and complain about my struggles, I know how lucky I am to be strong enough to be able to be a part of the movement for health. I strongly believe that more and more people, as they themselves and their loved once are struck with disease, realize that a change has to happen in our society. As a collective we need to strive towards a cleaner planet and a less stressful life, and of course a nourishing diet that sustains us, whatever that may be?
To support his swift return to teaching visit his website:
www.yoganexus.com
Of course in the US loosing one's health is further complicated by the lack of health insurance to cover loss of income, and then the costs of medical care itself, that is often an issue even when people do have health insurance. It's totally devastating for people to loose their health, yet it's a huge ongoing problem for so many people.
I know all too many young people struggling with cancer and other serious health issues at the moment. It's such an endemic. Hard to know or understand what is causing our generation to suffer so deeply. Environmental pollution is probably one aspect, as is refined foods, and the general stress of our modern society and lifestyle. It's always frightening though when people like Karl Erb who really live a super healthy lifestyle, and personify health in so many ways, are also hit with modern disease.
I know I blog about my personal struggles here and I do it to make sure that if there is anything in my journey, in my lived experiences that can help others, then it's valuable that I share it here online with the public. As much as I struggle, and complain about my struggles, I know how lucky I am to be strong enough to be able to be a part of the movement for health. I strongly believe that more and more people, as they themselves and their loved once are struck with disease, realize that a change has to happen in our society. As a collective we need to strive towards a cleaner planet and a less stressful life, and of course a nourishing diet that sustains us, whatever that may be?
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Heroic Paths to the Jung Institute
Today I went on my two year delayed trip to the Jung Institute of San Francisco to make photo copies of this interesting series of articles from Psychological Perspectives called "Seven Paths of the Hero in Lord of the Rings: The Path of Curiosity, The Path of Opposites, The Path of the Wizard, The Path of the King, The Path of Tragic Failure, The Path of Love, The Path of Transcendence".
I may start by reading "the Path of Tragic Failure"...lol...to really soak in my low carb disaster on a deep psychological level. lol.
You may wonder what this blog post has got to do with healing endometriosis? To me, it's about finding the motivation, the courage, the determination, and the acceptance of the quest to continue seeking that holy grail "health" that I'm after. To make it all the way there to throw the ring of disease into the fires of Mordor. Of course this article also speaks to the geek in me having always been a huge "Lord of the Rings" fan. lol.
Call it delusions of grandeur, but I do feel like Frodo many times. Ultimately alone, carrying a very heavy burden, along a road of temptation (hysterectomy, morphine patches, crisps, coffee and chocolate), supported by many helpers, healers, friends and loved once, motivated by pain and fear, driven by a sense of what has to be done, while simultaneously wishing this ring had not landed in my possession in the first place -just as Frodo often wished.
I believe that endometriosis saved my life because it forced me to begin taking care of my health at an early stage, and I stand by that, however, I still wish that I had been allowed robust health instead in my life. But things being as they are, I always seek for inspiration to stay on my long healing journey, to keep believing that it can be done, that I "a simple hobbit without any extraordinary powers" can do it. That I'm not the only one who has taken this journey, and that many treasures can be found, and enjoyed along the road. I can't wait to read the whole series and I'm sure I'll report back here on some of it's content in the near future.
What a great little journey today brought me. Simply being in that very wealthy area of town where the Jung Institute is located, and where people like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi live, always fascinates me as a Swede. The class difference in the US is striking and chocking to me, but most of the time I'm blissfully unaware of it, just living my life in my world and class. Just walking around in that area today though, it's like being on a different planet. There is hardly any traffic, certainly no mopeds or motor bikes (don't have a clue why, the steep hills perhaps?), there are no fumes from toxic laundry detergents as you walk down the street, no puddles of unknown water to step in, no sense that a shoot out may happen any second, no risk of tripping due to the uneven pavement, (I know I sound like an old person but it's just to illustrate just how big the difference is down to the quality of the pavement) instead one can safely enjoy the spectacular views of the turquoise bay water while breathing in the fresh cool ocean air. Then of course entering this building that is now the Jung Institute is quite the experience in and of itself. The entrance is just splendid, it's so extraordinary that the beauty actually effects your soul. Just like that Navajo prayer "May you walk in beauty above you, below you, inside of you, and all around you." It feels like it's an honor to be in there. The library with all it's books, in perfect order, the total silence, the smiling faces of the wise therapists that roam around, it is truly a wonderful place. I'm glad I got to experience it. It was definitely worth the trouble of getting there.
On today's journey, I braved the bus with the angry drivers hitting the breaks or slamming the gas while using the horn at every corner, my fear of not finding food out in the world, my tendency to get overwhelmed from traveling (re previous description of angry bus drivers), impressions etc. I had my map and thanks to it, I found my way, I had phoned the library beforehand so they knew I was coming, I had my knapsack and sea salt drink, and I succeeded in my little quest of getting my hands on this intriguing series of articles. I shall say, I have followed my inner hero on it's journey of curiosity. :)
I recently added links to my recommended health practitioners, ie my own list of helpers: the elves, kings and wizards that have lent me their guidance, wisdom, and healing hands, I realize it has become quite substantial over the years. I also added a book list of readings I've found helpful. Check it out HERE.
I may start by reading "the Path of Tragic Failure"...lol...to really soak in my low carb disaster on a deep psychological level. lol.
You may wonder what this blog post has got to do with healing endometriosis? To me, it's about finding the motivation, the courage, the determination, and the acceptance of the quest to continue seeking that holy grail "health" that I'm after. To make it all the way there to throw the ring of disease into the fires of Mordor. Of course this article also speaks to the geek in me having always been a huge "Lord of the Rings" fan. lol.
Call it delusions of grandeur, but I do feel like Frodo many times. Ultimately alone, carrying a very heavy burden, along a road of temptation (hysterectomy, morphine patches, crisps, coffee and chocolate), supported by many helpers, healers, friends and loved once, motivated by pain and fear, driven by a sense of what has to be done, while simultaneously wishing this ring had not landed in my possession in the first place -just as Frodo often wished.
I believe that endometriosis saved my life because it forced me to begin taking care of my health at an early stage, and I stand by that, however, I still wish that I had been allowed robust health instead in my life. But things being as they are, I always seek for inspiration to stay on my long healing journey, to keep believing that it can be done, that I "a simple hobbit without any extraordinary powers" can do it. That I'm not the only one who has taken this journey, and that many treasures can be found, and enjoyed along the road. I can't wait to read the whole series and I'm sure I'll report back here on some of it's content in the near future.
What a great little journey today brought me. Simply being in that very wealthy area of town where the Jung Institute is located, and where people like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi live, always fascinates me as a Swede. The class difference in the US is striking and chocking to me, but most of the time I'm blissfully unaware of it, just living my life in my world and class. Just walking around in that area today though, it's like being on a different planet. There is hardly any traffic, certainly no mopeds or motor bikes (don't have a clue why, the steep hills perhaps?), there are no fumes from toxic laundry detergents as you walk down the street, no puddles of unknown water to step in, no sense that a shoot out may happen any second, no risk of tripping due to the uneven pavement, (I know I sound like an old person but it's just to illustrate just how big the difference is down to the quality of the pavement) instead one can safely enjoy the spectacular views of the turquoise bay water while breathing in the fresh cool ocean air. Then of course entering this building that is now the Jung Institute is quite the experience in and of itself. The entrance is just splendid, it's so extraordinary that the beauty actually effects your soul. Just like that Navajo prayer "May you walk in beauty above you, below you, inside of you, and all around you." It feels like it's an honor to be in there. The library with all it's books, in perfect order, the total silence, the smiling faces of the wise therapists that roam around, it is truly a wonderful place. I'm glad I got to experience it. It was definitely worth the trouble of getting there.
On today's journey, I braved the bus with the angry drivers hitting the breaks or slamming the gas while using the horn at every corner, my fear of not finding food out in the world, my tendency to get overwhelmed from traveling (re previous description of angry bus drivers), impressions etc. I had my map and thanks to it, I found my way, I had phoned the library beforehand so they knew I was coming, I had my knapsack and sea salt drink, and I succeeded in my little quest of getting my hands on this intriguing series of articles. I shall say, I have followed my inner hero on it's journey of curiosity. :)
I recently added links to my recommended health practitioners, ie my own list of helpers: the elves, kings and wizards that have lent me their guidance, wisdom, and healing hands, I realize it has become quite substantial over the years. I also added a book list of readings I've found helpful. Check it out HERE.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The health risks of a low carb diet
When I was on a low carb diet, I remember that I regularly did this google search: "risks of low carb diets" and came up with nothing useful.....it took getting to Matt Stone's website 180DegreeHealth.com before I got it. The health care system is so much about money it's lost most of it's credibility to many people including myself. It's impossible by this point to know who to trust anymore. Thankfully there are independent researchers like Matt Stone to help sort things out.
Here is a short list of the things that can go wrong and I have developed gout myself as a result of the low carb diet. It's a really difficult situation to be in. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I wish I had not gone on a low carb diet ever!
http://www.mth.org/LowCarb.html
It's so confusing to know who to trust when the google search comes up like this:
Also, don't forget that Dr Atkins himself the master of low carb dieting said the following about his own diet:
“…remember that prolonged dieting (this one, low-fat, low-calorie, or a combination) tends to shut down thyroid function."
www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com
Shutting down the thyroid function leads to a low metabolism as can be seen if you have a low basal body temperature.
Here is a short list of the things that can go wrong and I have developed gout myself as a result of the low carb diet. It's a really difficult situation to be in. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I wish I had not gone on a low carb diet ever!
http://www.mth.org/LowCarb.html
It's so confusing to know who to trust when the google search comes up like this:
Also, don't forget that Dr Atkins himself the master of low carb dieting said the following about his own diet:
“…remember that prolonged dieting (this one, low-fat, low-calorie, or a combination) tends to shut down thyroid function."
www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com
Shutting down the thyroid function leads to a low metabolism as can be seen if you have a low basal body temperature.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Transformation
I'm so happy today. I went to my first pilates class since April this year! Pilates has been the thing that I've been able to do when I've been too weak, and sick to do asanas. My teacher Kristin Jamieson is phenomenal, and she teaches at Recess Urban Recreation. Of course during RRARF I was on near bed rest and coming off that plus getting adjusted to the 15 extra pounds on my body I've been very tired and have easily lost my breath at even the smallest effort, such as biking on flat ground to the grocery store. But today biking up two hills to get to pilates class was easy. My breathing was light all the way there. I hadn't been able to do that bike ride at all for the last few months because of my poor breathing, so it was a huge victory to be able to get there, and an even bigger surprise to get there so easily. I didn't have to get off my bike once!!!!
Pilates class itself was even more phenomenal. The exercises where I used to get cramps from before were seamlessly easy. I really felt that 25% muscle gain that must have occurred during RRARF. It's an amazing feeling. I was expecting to struggle an awful lot after having been away from the practice for so long. I also noticed that my arm and shoulder joints didn't click and crack as much as they used to. I'm back and it feels amazing! Despite my struggles I am still able to do many things and I think it's important that I honor and celebrate that. Today was definitely a day to celebrate!
It's so easy to get focused on the problems, the many difficult symptoms, but I made this list in my mind today and realized that despite my setback with the uric acid, I've overall taken some major steps forward:
Since I got on RRARF in July, I've seen the following improvements:
Normalized basal body temperature. This is HUGE! It's so important for the body's functions to have such a basic thing as body temperature be in balance.
Much improved blood glucose levels. I think most people realize how important it is to have balance in the indulin and blood sugar levels. I didn't know just how bad it was, I only had a hunch until I began measuring my blood glucose. It was so wonderful to see it improve so quickly on RRARF.
Chronic diarrhea of 20 years - gone! What can I say? Life is so much easier now and my energy levels are much higher. It also feels great to know that the wholesome food I eat is actually being assimilated in my body.
Period cramps - actually significantly improved, probably from my lowering Omega 6 intake in my diet. I had definitely lost hope that anything would ever help with my horrid period cramps that have run my life since they arrived on the scene 27 years ago.
No more sugar cravings - I quit eating refined sugars like cane sugar ten years ago. I had cravings every hour of every day for those 10 years. All cravings permanently disappeared after only a few days on RRARF. I consider this to be a HUGE health improvement. It has lowered the stress and suffering of cravings that used to be part of my life.
A much more inclusive and fun whole foods diet! I can for example have fruits now and some bread! Yay!
Negatives:
15 pounds weight gain. Perhaps 10 pounds of that is actual overweight that I'm going to have to loose during this coming year, without lowering my body temperature of course.
Developing gout, and seeing the return of migraine and depression. This all seems to stem from the uric acid poisoning that developed during my three years on Bee's low carb diet.
So, all in all things are looking much better for me. It's when the uric acid depression comes along that everything feels hopeless and stagnant. Since I threw out my raw milk cheese a few days ago and promised myself to never touch dairy again, my mood has been much better, and depression is now only taking over a small part of my evenings, not all day like before.
However, today I got some dairy again. I really want it in my life and I need a good source of protein that is low in purines, especially during the time it's going to take me to get this uric acid out of my system. I plan on doing one last experiment with dairy: eating it as the only source of protein some days, ie when I don't eat any other protein such as meat or beans. I really hope it will work. The goal is to be able to do dairy-only, a few times a week so that the uric acid can really leave my system.
Lima beans won't cut it as a longer term solution for me. They still cause joint stiffness and I simply can't be vegan for any length of time. It doesn't work for me. I've even seen my basal body temperature drop these last few days, and that's not acceptable.
To learn more about RRARF go to 180 Degree Health.
Pilates class itself was even more phenomenal. The exercises where I used to get cramps from before were seamlessly easy. I really felt that 25% muscle gain that must have occurred during RRARF. It's an amazing feeling. I was expecting to struggle an awful lot after having been away from the practice for so long. I also noticed that my arm and shoulder joints didn't click and crack as much as they used to. I'm back and it feels amazing! Despite my struggles I am still able to do many things and I think it's important that I honor and celebrate that. Today was definitely a day to celebrate!
It's so easy to get focused on the problems, the many difficult symptoms, but I made this list in my mind today and realized that despite my setback with the uric acid, I've overall taken some major steps forward:
Since I got on RRARF in July, I've seen the following improvements:
Normalized basal body temperature. This is HUGE! It's so important for the body's functions to have such a basic thing as body temperature be in balance.
Much improved blood glucose levels. I think most people realize how important it is to have balance in the indulin and blood sugar levels. I didn't know just how bad it was, I only had a hunch until I began measuring my blood glucose. It was so wonderful to see it improve so quickly on RRARF.
Chronic diarrhea of 20 years - gone! What can I say? Life is so much easier now and my energy levels are much higher. It also feels great to know that the wholesome food I eat is actually being assimilated in my body.
Period cramps - actually significantly improved, probably from my lowering Omega 6 intake in my diet. I had definitely lost hope that anything would ever help with my horrid period cramps that have run my life since they arrived on the scene 27 years ago.
No more sugar cravings - I quit eating refined sugars like cane sugar ten years ago. I had cravings every hour of every day for those 10 years. All cravings permanently disappeared after only a few days on RRARF. I consider this to be a HUGE health improvement. It has lowered the stress and suffering of cravings that used to be part of my life.
A much more inclusive and fun whole foods diet! I can for example have fruits now and some bread! Yay!
Negatives:
15 pounds weight gain. Perhaps 10 pounds of that is actual overweight that I'm going to have to loose during this coming year, without lowering my body temperature of course.
Developing gout, and seeing the return of migraine and depression. This all seems to stem from the uric acid poisoning that developed during my three years on Bee's low carb diet.
So, all in all things are looking much better for me. It's when the uric acid depression comes along that everything feels hopeless and stagnant. Since I threw out my raw milk cheese a few days ago and promised myself to never touch dairy again, my mood has been much better, and depression is now only taking over a small part of my evenings, not all day like before.
However, today I got some dairy again. I really want it in my life and I need a good source of protein that is low in purines, especially during the time it's going to take me to get this uric acid out of my system. I plan on doing one last experiment with dairy: eating it as the only source of protein some days, ie when I don't eat any other protein such as meat or beans. I really hope it will work. The goal is to be able to do dairy-only, a few times a week so that the uric acid can really leave my system.
Lima beans won't cut it as a longer term solution for me. They still cause joint stiffness and I simply can't be vegan for any length of time. It doesn't work for me. I've even seen my basal body temperature drop these last few days, and that's not acceptable.
To learn more about RRARF go to 180 Degree Health.
Restorative Yoga
I know I've complained about it here on my blog before, but I continue to do so only because I really love ashtanga yoga, and especially the more rigorous, energetic ansans, so it's quite painful for me to not be of strong enough health to be able to get through a regular yoga class. As a result, during the last three years, I simply haven't had an active practice in my life, and
I haven't been able to go to any class at all for the last year. During the ten years that I've practiced yoga I've never been able to go forward in my practice but have been stuck at the same level despite going 3-4 times a week for serious asana work. I can't fully express how much I miss that feeling that only yoga seems to be able to give me. A feeling of total peace, of enjoying being in the moment and in my body, and that irrational yet unbeatable feeling that all in the universe is as it should be, and I am exactly where I need to be, and am supposed to be right now. It's a major loss for me to be excluded from yoga practice.
However, last week I made a huge discovery. I found "restorative yoga". I must be honest and fully admit that for the last 10 years that I've been practicing yoga, I've looked upon the restorative yoga classes as a waste of time and money. I thought "I can do that at home for free". However, it is now clear to me that the reason I felt this way was simply because I had not found the right teacher yet, as is often the case in all yoga practice.
However, I finally ran into the right restorative teacher for me, Darren Main and his teaching is very, very powerful. He's not surprisingly a teacher at Yoga Tree www.yogatreesf.com, the most amazing studio in San Francisco, if you ask me. His style is what I'd classify as quite "hard core". I always go in for anything hard core for some reason. I like the simplicity of hard core things. I liked maximum pauses cause they're had core. I liked low carb cause it's hard core. I liked veganism cause it's hard core. I liked fasting cause it's hard core. I often think that healing must require something really serious to match the seriousness of my health issues. I also crave simple rules that do everything in an opposite way - how very 180 degrees of me.... lol. Everything else that I've tried, that's been regular or complex, had not worked for me. I guess it speaks to my compulsive obsessive nature too, and I realize I probably ought to stick to the middle road, but still, hard core stuff is usually what I'm drawn to. Knowing that, let me describe my experience of restorative yoga:
Darren Main just had his class sit for about 10 minutes in meditation, said some wise words of inspiration, and then we're off: one pose for about 30 minutes, and then one more for like 40 minutes. That was it. Class over! How cool is that? How hard core is that? Two poses per class! I love it!
This does not accurately describe the experience though, since it sounds pretty much like an "I really want my money back" scenario, on "paper"....lol... My experience however, was one of true transformation. Both poses were simple lying on the back poses. Now, from a Buteyko/hyperventilation syndrome perspective, lying on the back is a big "no-no", since it doesn't offer any restriction to the breath and thus encourages more hyperventilation. Following Buteyko I can't sleep on my back since it makes my CP drop dramatically and has me waking up fully hyperventilating, often to the point of coughing, the few times I've tried it. I therefore avoid being on my back as much as I ever can. So, I was very concerned about lying on my back for any length of time, and I knew that there was a great risk of that happening in a restorative yoga class.
However, I worked around this by using my yoga strap quite tightly around my upper chest. This helps create some resistance to my breathing, and it helps remind the body to get that deep diaphragmatic breathing rather than breathing up in the chest. One of the things that attracted me to Darren's classes is the fact that he uses hot stones in his class. I was so surprised when he came around and put a hot stone right on my diaphragm. That's EXACTLY what I needed! How did he know? Or should I ask "how did yoga know?"
Buteyko said that the key to reducing hyperventilation is by relaxing the diaphragm. Remember that Buteyko didn't invent this, he just studied the Hatha yoga masters of India, and then brought it to the west, or to Russia at first. All his breath work is founded upon Hatha yoga methods and wisdom. His particular invention/discovery was that he developed the control pause. The control pause is the way to measure breath health/oxygenation of the body. The Hatha yoga masters have CPs of up to 7 minutes.....compare that to my 20 seconds....That's how far away I am from the health of a true yoga master. I believe it too.
So, as surprising as it was, I realize that the restorative yoga training, despite involving lying on my back, goes extremely well together with all the Buteyko training I'm doing. Even to the point of including the "looking slightly upwards" instruction of Buteyko. This translates to "look at your third eye, between your eyebrows" in yoga. That was also one of the only instructions of Dannen's class. Despite lying on my back, because I was awake the whole time, I could consciously monitor myself and make sure I didn't begin hyperventilating more. I deliberately did my VSB (very shallow breathing) exercises throughout the class. This of course helped deepen my experience of the class considerably. I've never done VSB for 30 minutes before, let alone 70 minutes. Yet this length of shallow breathing did not produce any clearing symptoms what so ever the following days. Also, during this time I experienced deep euphoric/pleasure. I know how healing that is so I just soaked it up. I still kept hyperventilating though and the stone on my diaphragm was visibly moving up and down rapidly because of my fast pace hyperventilation. The teacher mentioned to breathe in slowly at a count of 4 and then out slowly. I knew I would not be able to follow this instruction, and as I'm always trying to be a "good girl", I only hoped he wouldn't see my swift breathing. I also didn't want him to try to help me slow it down...I mean, that's one project I wouldn't wish on anyone, and that would only have led to a confusing conversation where I'd look and sound mildly insane:
Me: "I hyperventilate all the time....I'm trying to reduce my breathing by doing shallow breathing exercises and holding my breath etc..." I assume that's not what any yoga teacher would like to hear....lol...The words are just so contradictory. Deep breathing and relaxed breathing vs shallow, reduced breathing. I can't see that conversation going well even though we'd be talking about the exact same thing, the language promotes that total misunderstanding that Buteyko blames for basically all ills....lol....but thankfully Darren either didn't notice, or let me be. Both of which I am grateful for.
In the second pose we had the stones in our hands. This alone felt wonderful to me with my stiff aching joints, it was so perfect for me, it's like this practice was designed for me and me alone. This time I pulled one of those heavy sandbags over my diaphragm and upper chest and one over my lower stomach. I remember reading somewhere that some Buteyko exercises include putting some pressure on the lower belly to encourage relaxed breathing, so I figured this might do the same thing. It did. During this pose, somewhere towards the middle, I suddenly noticed my breathing taking a drastic tempo reduction. I got so excited in my mind going like "OMG! I'm not hyperventilating anymore!!!!" and then of course I began to speed up the breath again...lol....but I knew then and there that this was my road. This is yoga. This is the healing power of yoga!!!!! This is what I've been looking for. Where asanas have failed me, restorative yoga seems to be coming to my rescue!
Then as I came home that day and sat down to do my breathing exercises a few hours later, I was struck by this very, very strange sensation in my breath and lungs. It felt like the pressure in the lungs had suddenly changed. This makes a lot of sense since when the CO2 vs oxygen content changes in the lungs, as it must during Buteyko training, it creates a different internal pressure situation of the gasses. So, it was actually very encouraging although it felt off to me, probably because it was so drastic. Then when I went about doing my VSBs I realized that my body was already doing it for me!!! I for the first time in 9 months of daily Buteyko breath work found my body to actually cooperate!!! I then did 10 minutes of VSB with ease after my session and my maximum pause was 50 seconds without much effort at all. My CP was still low, but I don't know that focusing on the CP is useful to me at this time.
I've always know that my method of pushing and struggling and working so hard, actually always working "too" hard, striving for following every "rule" to perfection, as a way to get me closer to health, has never worked for me. It's always led to backlash sooner or later. Yet, it's not been something I've been able to change about my personality no matter how much I've wanted to, and despite 15 years in psychotherapy. I've always wanted to "relax" and just "let healing happen", "allow it to be easy" etc. Who wouldn't want that? However, I've never been able to achieve this, I've only wanted to do it and known I've needed it on that intellectual level, but it's been more of a frustration with myself for not being able to just "let go". Whatever that may mean? Restorative yoga, however seems to offer a practical, physical method to achieve this goal.
Restorative yoga, I've since read, helps the body go over to the "parasympathetic nervous system" ie, that place of deep, deep rest and relaxation. That place I've been searching for in all my meditation work, and body work. That place healthy people seem to go to every night when they sleep, that place that offers them restoration each night so that they can wake up feeling rested and renewed, ready to tackle the day ahead of them. That balanced functional biofeedback place that allows them healing each night. That place I can only daydream about and hope to find one beautiful day. I've learned that restorative yoga can be more restful than sleep, especially for all of us who suffer from insomnia and/or poor quality sleep. So, I think my healing journey just took a big step forward. Tomorrow I'm going for my second class!
Here is Darren Main's website again:
http://www.darrenmain.com
Darren also has a blog if anyone wants to surf by:
http://darrenmain.com/blog/
I haven't been able to go to any class at all for the last year. During the ten years that I've practiced yoga I've never been able to go forward in my practice but have been stuck at the same level despite going 3-4 times a week for serious asana work. I can't fully express how much I miss that feeling that only yoga seems to be able to give me. A feeling of total peace, of enjoying being in the moment and in my body, and that irrational yet unbeatable feeling that all in the universe is as it should be, and I am exactly where I need to be, and am supposed to be right now. It's a major loss for me to be excluded from yoga practice.
However, last week I made a huge discovery. I found "restorative yoga". I must be honest and fully admit that for the last 10 years that I've been practicing yoga, I've looked upon the restorative yoga classes as a waste of time and money. I thought "I can do that at home for free". However, it is now clear to me that the reason I felt this way was simply because I had not found the right teacher yet, as is often the case in all yoga practice.
However, I finally ran into the right restorative teacher for me, Darren Main and his teaching is very, very powerful. He's not surprisingly a teacher at Yoga Tree www.yogatreesf.com, the most amazing studio in San Francisco, if you ask me. His style is what I'd classify as quite "hard core". I always go in for anything hard core for some reason. I like the simplicity of hard core things. I liked maximum pauses cause they're had core. I liked low carb cause it's hard core. I liked veganism cause it's hard core. I liked fasting cause it's hard core. I often think that healing must require something really serious to match the seriousness of my health issues. I also crave simple rules that do everything in an opposite way - how very 180 degrees of me.... lol. Everything else that I've tried, that's been regular or complex, had not worked for me. I guess it speaks to my compulsive obsessive nature too, and I realize I probably ought to stick to the middle road, but still, hard core stuff is usually what I'm drawn to. Knowing that, let me describe my experience of restorative yoga:
Darren Main just had his class sit for about 10 minutes in meditation, said some wise words of inspiration, and then we're off: one pose for about 30 minutes, and then one more for like 40 minutes. That was it. Class over! How cool is that? How hard core is that? Two poses per class! I love it!
This does not accurately describe the experience though, since it sounds pretty much like an "I really want my money back" scenario, on "paper"....lol... My experience however, was one of true transformation. Both poses were simple lying on the back poses. Now, from a Buteyko/hyperventilation syndrome perspective, lying on the back is a big "no-no", since it doesn't offer any restriction to the breath and thus encourages more hyperventilation. Following Buteyko I can't sleep on my back since it makes my CP drop dramatically and has me waking up fully hyperventilating, often to the point of coughing, the few times I've tried it. I therefore avoid being on my back as much as I ever can. So, I was very concerned about lying on my back for any length of time, and I knew that there was a great risk of that happening in a restorative yoga class.
However, I worked around this by using my yoga strap quite tightly around my upper chest. This helps create some resistance to my breathing, and it helps remind the body to get that deep diaphragmatic breathing rather than breathing up in the chest. One of the things that attracted me to Darren's classes is the fact that he uses hot stones in his class. I was so surprised when he came around and put a hot stone right on my diaphragm. That's EXACTLY what I needed! How did he know? Or should I ask "how did yoga know?"
Buteyko said that the key to reducing hyperventilation is by relaxing the diaphragm. Remember that Buteyko didn't invent this, he just studied the Hatha yoga masters of India, and then brought it to the west, or to Russia at first. All his breath work is founded upon Hatha yoga methods and wisdom. His particular invention/discovery was that he developed the control pause. The control pause is the way to measure breath health/oxygenation of the body. The Hatha yoga masters have CPs of up to 7 minutes.....compare that to my 20 seconds....That's how far away I am from the health of a true yoga master. I believe it too.
So, as surprising as it was, I realize that the restorative yoga training, despite involving lying on my back, goes extremely well together with all the Buteyko training I'm doing. Even to the point of including the "looking slightly upwards" instruction of Buteyko. This translates to "look at your third eye, between your eyebrows" in yoga. That was also one of the only instructions of Dannen's class. Despite lying on my back, because I was awake the whole time, I could consciously monitor myself and make sure I didn't begin hyperventilating more. I deliberately did my VSB (very shallow breathing) exercises throughout the class. This of course helped deepen my experience of the class considerably. I've never done VSB for 30 minutes before, let alone 70 minutes. Yet this length of shallow breathing did not produce any clearing symptoms what so ever the following days. Also, during this time I experienced deep euphoric/pleasure. I know how healing that is so I just soaked it up. I still kept hyperventilating though and the stone on my diaphragm was visibly moving up and down rapidly because of my fast pace hyperventilation. The teacher mentioned to breathe in slowly at a count of 4 and then out slowly. I knew I would not be able to follow this instruction, and as I'm always trying to be a "good girl", I only hoped he wouldn't see my swift breathing. I also didn't want him to try to help me slow it down...I mean, that's one project I wouldn't wish on anyone, and that would only have led to a confusing conversation where I'd look and sound mildly insane:
Me: "I hyperventilate all the time....I'm trying to reduce my breathing by doing shallow breathing exercises and holding my breath etc..." I assume that's not what any yoga teacher would like to hear....lol...The words are just so contradictory. Deep breathing and relaxed breathing vs shallow, reduced breathing. I can't see that conversation going well even though we'd be talking about the exact same thing, the language promotes that total misunderstanding that Buteyko blames for basically all ills....lol....but thankfully Darren either didn't notice, or let me be. Both of which I am grateful for.
In the second pose we had the stones in our hands. This alone felt wonderful to me with my stiff aching joints, it was so perfect for me, it's like this practice was designed for me and me alone. This time I pulled one of those heavy sandbags over my diaphragm and upper chest and one over my lower stomach. I remember reading somewhere that some Buteyko exercises include putting some pressure on the lower belly to encourage relaxed breathing, so I figured this might do the same thing. It did. During this pose, somewhere towards the middle, I suddenly noticed my breathing taking a drastic tempo reduction. I got so excited in my mind going like "OMG! I'm not hyperventilating anymore!!!!" and then of course I began to speed up the breath again...lol....but I knew then and there that this was my road. This is yoga. This is the healing power of yoga!!!!! This is what I've been looking for. Where asanas have failed me, restorative yoga seems to be coming to my rescue!
Then as I came home that day and sat down to do my breathing exercises a few hours later, I was struck by this very, very strange sensation in my breath and lungs. It felt like the pressure in the lungs had suddenly changed. This makes a lot of sense since when the CO2 vs oxygen content changes in the lungs, as it must during Buteyko training, it creates a different internal pressure situation of the gasses. So, it was actually very encouraging although it felt off to me, probably because it was so drastic. Then when I went about doing my VSBs I realized that my body was already doing it for me!!! I for the first time in 9 months of daily Buteyko breath work found my body to actually cooperate!!! I then did 10 minutes of VSB with ease after my session and my maximum pause was 50 seconds without much effort at all. My CP was still low, but I don't know that focusing on the CP is useful to me at this time.
I've always know that my method of pushing and struggling and working so hard, actually always working "too" hard, striving for following every "rule" to perfection, as a way to get me closer to health, has never worked for me. It's always led to backlash sooner or later. Yet, it's not been something I've been able to change about my personality no matter how much I've wanted to, and despite 15 years in psychotherapy. I've always wanted to "relax" and just "let healing happen", "allow it to be easy" etc. Who wouldn't want that? However, I've never been able to achieve this, I've only wanted to do it and known I've needed it on that intellectual level, but it's been more of a frustration with myself for not being able to just "let go". Whatever that may mean? Restorative yoga, however seems to offer a practical, physical method to achieve this goal.
Restorative yoga, I've since read, helps the body go over to the "parasympathetic nervous system" ie, that place of deep, deep rest and relaxation. That place I've been searching for in all my meditation work, and body work. That place healthy people seem to go to every night when they sleep, that place that offers them restoration each night so that they can wake up feeling rested and renewed, ready to tackle the day ahead of them. That balanced functional biofeedback place that allows them healing each night. That place I can only daydream about and hope to find one beautiful day. I've learned that restorative yoga can be more restful than sleep, especially for all of us who suffer from insomnia and/or poor quality sleep. So, I think my healing journey just took a big step forward. Tomorrow I'm going for my second class!
Here is Darren Main's website again:
http://www.darrenmain.com
Darren also has a blog if anyone wants to surf by:
http://darrenmain.com/blog/
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Veganism
So, it seems I've had to come full circle. The last time I tried being vegan was about 6 years ago. Then it was a huge failure. I felt dreadful. This time around I'm thinking of only being vegan about 3 days a week and then eat meat one day and then be vegan again. Hopefully that might help me. I'm thinking more and more that my diet might be what's holding my breathing progress back. I've been eating lots of animal protein 3 times per day, knowing that Dr Buteyko found this to be a huge problem for breathing I've struggled with it. It's like the battle of the theories here. One theory goes exactly oppostie the other so often, it's very hard to know which one to follow. I guess there is as usual, only one way to find out, and that is to experiment on myself. So, in going more towards veganism/vegetarianism, I hope to see some of those improvements on my breathing. See below some interesting stuff that Dr Buteyko found to be true in breathing.
I've known this since I began my Buteyko work, but at the time following a low carb diet that's mainly animal protein and animal fat it felt like an impossible dilemma for me to overcome. Now, I'm willing to change my ways again and explore veganism again. Never again will I do anything 100%, but I plan on having days of veganism as mentioned above.
I find it so interesting cause my new friend Betsy over at 180 Degree Health (who has quickly become my new uric acid BFF, and ally in trying to figure out health with, she's also the person that pointed out the uric acid issue to me in the first place), she remembered that Julia Chang of www.sensiblehealth.com used to always tell her that "if your blood is dirty it won't carry enough oxygen." So, now we're both speculating that it might be the uric acid this woman was talking about. It makes a lot of sense, especially from the text above.
Now this finally explains why Weston A Price saw kids who changed over to refined diets began to mouth breathe.
Anyone who's been reading my blog (anyone?) will know that I've been obsessed about finding an answer to this question.
I also know that Dr Buteyko found that milk is the worst for breathing. That makes me feel a little bit more happy about my inability to digest milk. Still doesn't explain the Masai tribe, (but what does....lol...and I can assume that they all had CPs over 60 and in that case a person can eat anything and thrive)
Below are the general food guidelines I got from my Buteyko techers Ryan Bowie and Christopher Drake. It doesn't explain why not to eat animal protein but I can now guess that it's all about the uric acid? It's a psychological weakness or strength of mine that I find it impossible to follow rules if I don't fully understand the reasons behind it. It makes me suseptible to both ignore rules that may be beneficial to me because I don't understand it's meaning, and to fall for propaganda that is presented in a very logical way but that may lack merit, (like Bee Wilder's whole program.) What I love about Buteyko's work is that it's apparently done in a very meticulous way with lots of readings in a hospital setting. Unfortunately it was done in Russia during the communist rule so it's always going to be difficult for me to fully trust it, but the fact that the communist party was opposed to Dr Buteyko very much strengthens his credibility in my opinion.
But does that mean that hard cheese is on the table? (as asked by a true dairy addict...lol)
It's also a bit of a conflict with RRARFs early stages of using overfeeding to correct low metabolism. It does confirm though why I experienced a lot worse hyperventilation symptoms during my RRARF month. I think it was worth it though, cause I'm in a much better place now to proceed my healing work with normal body temperatures again and a much higher metabolism.
But ultimately, after the body temperature is up, Matt recommends eating to fullness and not more, so in the end the two schools line up fine.
Artour Rakhimov writes in his "Big Book" that Russian doctors found the following to be true in their patients:
Small negative impact on breathing: Fresh fruits, berries and spices, vegetables and greens.
Moderate negative impact: Grains, legumes, nuts
Large negative impact: Dairy, oils and fats
Very Large negative impact: Animal meats, seafood
Food Preparation:
Small negative impact on breathing: raw, frozen, dried
Moderate negative impact: milled, steamed, boiled
Large negative impact: baked, cooked for a long time
Very Large negative impact: Fried, grilled, deep fried, canned
"Doctor Buteyko also found that meals rich in proteins (especially when they are quick absorbing animal proteins) and, to a lesser degree, fats considerably intensify breathing, while fresh fruits and vegetables produce the least impact on ventilation." http://www.normalbreathing.com/causes-meals.php
I've known this since I began my Buteyko work, but at the time following a low carb diet that's mainly animal protein and animal fat it felt like an impossible dilemma for me to overcome. Now, I'm willing to change my ways again and explore veganism again. Never again will I do anything 100%, but I plan on having days of veganism as mentioned above.
"An old study by Haselbalch (1912) revealed that after following a vegetarian meal, blood levels of CO2 decreased to 43.3 mm Hg (the initial value was about 45 mm Hg); while a meal with meat resulted in 38.9 mm Hg. Such a difference means that the CP test reults after a meat meal can be about 12 s less, than after a vegetarian one. Explaining this finding in his textbook on respiration, Professor Haldane suggested, that "a meat diet, which causes an increase of sulphuric and phosphoric acids in blood, is acid-forming as compared to a vegetable diet, which contains less protein and relative abundance of salts yielding carbonates"(p.183, Haldane, 1922). Thus, the breathing centre compensates for the additional acids (amino acids) in the blood and the resulting blood acidification (low pH of the blood) by reducing carbonic acid and CO2 stores. While with the vegetarian meal, the presence of additional alkaline salts in the blood requires extra acids for blood pH preservation. Among all acids in the blood, carbonic acid is the main component and its concentration can be changed by respiration." http://www.normalbreathing.com/causes-meals.php
I find it so interesting cause my new friend Betsy over at 180 Degree Health (who has quickly become my new uric acid BFF, and ally in trying to figure out health with, she's also the person that pointed out the uric acid issue to me in the first place), she remembered that Julia Chang of www.sensiblehealth.com used to always tell her that "if your blood is dirty it won't carry enough oxygen." So, now we're both speculating that it might be the uric acid this woman was talking about. It makes a lot of sense, especially from the text above.
"In addition to the immediate effects on respiration, a lack of normally occurring food substances in the diet such as vitamins and minerals can gradually cause chronic hyperventilation. For example, carbohydrates require for their digestion adequate amounts of B vitamins. These vitamins are naturally present in cereals, whole grains and root vegetables and almost absent in sugar, white bread and white rice. Thus, eating these refined products diminishes the B vitamin content in nervous cells gradually leading to chronic hyperventilation (Buteyko, 1977). Doctor Buteyko and his colleagues particularly emphasized the dangers of sugar and refined products. The lack of some minerals (especially Mg, Zn, and Ca) or their biochemical unavailability is another cause of chronic overbreathing.
Therefore, the typical western diets, which are often full of refined products and lack fresh fruits and vegetables, has negative effects on breathing. Most of all, overeating, so prevalent nowadays, is one of the major causes of chronic hyperventilation." http://www.normalbreathing.com/causes-meals.php
Now this finally explains why Weston A Price saw kids who changed over to refined diets began to mouth breathe.
Anyone who's been reading my blog (anyone?) will know that I've been obsessed about finding an answer to this question.
I also know that Dr Buteyko found that milk is the worst for breathing. That makes me feel a little bit more happy about my inability to digest milk. Still doesn't explain the Masai tribe, (but what does....lol...and I can assume that they all had CPs over 60 and in that case a person can eat anything and thrive)
Below are the general food guidelines I got from my Buteyko techers Ryan Bowie and Christopher Drake. It doesn't explain why not to eat animal protein but I can now guess that it's all about the uric acid? It's a psychological weakness or strength of mine that I find it impossible to follow rules if I don't fully understand the reasons behind it. It makes me suseptible to both ignore rules that may be beneficial to me because I don't understand it's meaning, and to fall for propaganda that is presented in a very logical way but that may lack merit, (like Bee Wilder's whole program.) What I love about Buteyko's work is that it's apparently done in a very meticulous way with lots of readings in a hospital setting. Unfortunately it was done in Russia during the communist rule so it's always going to be difficult for me to fully trust it, but the fact that the communist party was opposed to Dr Buteyko very much strengthens his credibility in my opinion.
"3. Try to limit the amount of animal protein that you eat. Milk, soft cheese, eggs, chicken and stock should be avoided as much as possible while beginning your training. It is not necessary to become a vegetarian or vegan but to eat these foods in moderation. Also try to keep strong tea and coffee to a minimum. " Ryan Bowie, Christopher Drake
But does that mean that hard cheese is on the table? (as asked by a true dairy addict...lol)
It's also a bit of a conflict with RRARFs early stages of using overfeeding to correct low metabolism. It does confirm though why I experienced a lot worse hyperventilation symptoms during my RRARF month. I think it was worth it though, cause I'm in a much better place now to proceed my healing work with normal body temperatures again and a much higher metabolism.
"2. Only eat when you are hungry. Limit your food intake to when you have appetite, and only eat as much as necessary to eliminate your hunger. Remember that your desire for food may change as you develop your practice, so pay attention to what you genuinely need rather than following habit. Ryan Bowie, Christopher Drake"
But ultimately, after the body temperature is up, Matt recommends eating to fullness and not more, so in the end the two schools line up fine.
Artour Rakhimov writes in his "Big Book" that Russian doctors found the following to be true in their patients:
Small negative impact on breathing: Fresh fruits, berries and spices, vegetables and greens.
Moderate negative impact: Grains, legumes, nuts
Large negative impact: Dairy, oils and fats
Very Large negative impact: Animal meats, seafood
Food Preparation:
Small negative impact on breathing: raw, frozen, dried
Moderate negative impact: milled, steamed, boiled
Large negative impact: baked, cooked for a long time
Very Large negative impact: Fried, grilled, deep fried, canned
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Apples and Oranges
The other day I was like "oh yes, there are oranges!" I had completely forgotten about them. After three years of Bee Wilder's strict anti-candida diet that didn't allow any fruits what so ever, I guess my brain had simply given up on me coming to my senses, and had decided to totally forget that oranges even existed. What a gray world it was for me back in low-carb-no-fruit-prison. Then a day later I'm all "and apples! There are apples!". Today I had my first apple in three years. Wow, it sounds so insane to write that. This weekend I had my first water melon in three years. For some reason when going off low carb I found my way to the blueberries and kiwis, but I didn't even look at all the other fruit. It's like my brain was shielding me from even seeing and being aware of the fruits. I must have walked passed these isles in the store a million times without looking these last few years. It baffles me that the brain, probably in a self regulating attempt at protecting me, was able to have me forget about the very existence of so many fruits. It's almost scary. However, I'm so delighted to be able to take part of life's riches again, I don't even feel bitter about my mistakes right now.
Instead, my heart goes out to everyone struggling to follow Bee's strict and ineffective candida program. It's definitely a prison, a meaningless prison. I know why people choose to follow her ill informed, ill educated advice: desperation. So, I feel deep empathy for everyone who is today where I was just a few months ago. I hope that somehow they too will hear that inner voice saying "this isn't working", and "this doesn't make sense" and begin to look elsewhere for a sustainable, actually healthy, and enjoyable diet and lifestyle.
Bee always use to say that there is nothing that can overcome candida except for a strong immune system. I think that's something, perhaps the only thing, she was correct about.
Below is a photo of how my kitchen looks now. It's filled with colors and abundance and it makes me smile when I'm doing my dishes and look over to see all that joy sitting there, waiting to be feasted upon, not by others but by me! This picture was taken the day before I remembered that there are oranges in the world, (so you won't see any in this picture) and I was happy then, imagine my joy today. :)
What a wonderful life to live, being able to eat and digest fruits without fear. I feel so lucky.
Instead, my heart goes out to everyone struggling to follow Bee's strict and ineffective candida program. It's definitely a prison, a meaningless prison. I know why people choose to follow her ill informed, ill educated advice: desperation. So, I feel deep empathy for everyone who is today where I was just a few months ago. I hope that somehow they too will hear that inner voice saying "this isn't working", and "this doesn't make sense" and begin to look elsewhere for a sustainable, actually healthy, and enjoyable diet and lifestyle.
Bee always use to say that there is nothing that can overcome candida except for a strong immune system. I think that's something, perhaps the only thing, she was correct about.
Below is a photo of how my kitchen looks now. It's filled with colors and abundance and it makes me smile when I'm doing my dishes and look over to see all that joy sitting there, waiting to be feasted upon, not by others but by me! This picture was taken the day before I remembered that there are oranges in the world, (so you won't see any in this picture) and I was happy then, imagine my joy today. :)
What a wonderful life to live, being able to eat and digest fruits without fear. I feel so lucky.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Uric Acid
It's been a rough week. I found out about uric acid and it's connections to ill health. Especially gout/arthritis, migraine and depression symptoms. At first I was crushed and desperate. I began reading about it too much and was feeling for the first time in my entire life that I might benefit from going to a mental hospital. I was getting sucked in deeper and deeper into a vortex of medical literature and finding that the more I learned, the less I knew.
So, I cut myself off. Took a shallow breath and returned to what I now believe to be the most fundamental truth for me: there is no one way, no one answer. There is whole foods and there is my body's varying reactions to it. I don't know why the Eskimos could thrive eating predominately meats but I know that I can't do it. This I know for sure to be true for me.
It's very possible that the main problem is not the intake of uric acid/animal meats, but simply poor elimination. That is, my kidneys may be too ineffective to get the uric acid out of my blood fast enough. It's also very possibly connected to hyperventilation.
I've begun cutting down on my meat intake already and I feel more energy than I have in years. My goal is to be vegan a few days per week and then to eat some animal protein. I won't be 100% vegan, I won't even try to eat 100% like an Eskimo, I'll just eat the food that I seem able to digest and not get too sick from. No food is perfect. There is no diet for me to follow but my own. My body will tell me where to go.
I've experienced a lot of depression this week too as a result of cutting back on meats, and finding out about the uric acid problem. Interestingly depression is apparently a sign of too much uric acid in the blood. However, it's better for the uric acid to be in the blood than to be in the joints. It also seems that it's better for it to be in the joints than to sit and hide in other tissue where it only builds and builds. At least the joint stiffness and pain has given me the opportunity to change my ways, take action, before anything catastrophic like kidney stones would occur.
I can always trust that my body will let me know when I'm off the deep end. I just don't always understand it's signals. I can't always figure it out. I feel good today though. I can feel my body healing itself. Thanks to restorative rest and aggressive re-feeding, I'm warmer now.
So, I cut myself off. Took a shallow breath and returned to what I now believe to be the most fundamental truth for me: there is no one way, no one answer. There is whole foods and there is my body's varying reactions to it. I don't know why the Eskimos could thrive eating predominately meats but I know that I can't do it. This I know for sure to be true for me.
It's very possible that the main problem is not the intake of uric acid/animal meats, but simply poor elimination. That is, my kidneys may be too ineffective to get the uric acid out of my blood fast enough. It's also very possibly connected to hyperventilation.
I've begun cutting down on my meat intake already and I feel more energy than I have in years. My goal is to be vegan a few days per week and then to eat some animal protein. I won't be 100% vegan, I won't even try to eat 100% like an Eskimo, I'll just eat the food that I seem able to digest and not get too sick from. No food is perfect. There is no diet for me to follow but my own. My body will tell me where to go.
I've experienced a lot of depression this week too as a result of cutting back on meats, and finding out about the uric acid problem. Interestingly depression is apparently a sign of too much uric acid in the blood. However, it's better for the uric acid to be in the blood than to be in the joints. It also seems that it's better for it to be in the joints than to sit and hide in other tissue where it only builds and builds. At least the joint stiffness and pain has given me the opportunity to change my ways, take action, before anything catastrophic like kidney stones would occur.
I can always trust that my body will let me know when I'm off the deep end. I just don't always understand it's signals. I can't always figure it out. I feel good today though. I can feel my body healing itself. Thanks to restorative rest and aggressive re-feeding, I'm warmer now.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Weight Trouble
Crystal Renn, in the image above, who used to be anorexic, is today one of the best paid plus size models at a size 12. I think she's absolutely beautiful, and that we need a lot more role models looking like her, visible in the media. Our ideas of "thin is beautiful" is probably to blame for much of today's dieting yo yo problems that end up leading to low metabolism, a state of starvation, and the dangerous potbelly overweight that is epidemic today.
It's frustrating and sad how the information that's available at 180DegreeHealth.com is still so far away from the general discourse. See below some classic examples from a recent TV obesity discussion.
What's missing from the conversation quotes below is insulin resistance, leptin resistance, and low metabolism, not to mention the difficult situation of all the hidden crystallized fructose corn syrup present in so much modern foods.
"Roth, citing her diet and fitness routine, revealed that if she went a day without running her required 4-miles, she only consumed 1300 calories. (She gets 1800 calories on exercise days.) Renn's jaw dropped: that was, she pointed out, only 300 calories more than she was eating at her lowest, most malnurished point. "I think you're fat-phobic," Renn told Roth."
"If only 5% of dieters have success in keeping the weight off, one member asked Roth, what do you suggest as the solution to our obesity crisis? Roth noted that it's a difference between "can't" and "don't", frustratingly bringing the conversation back to a simple matter of will power, and passing up a chance to talk about the various reasons why "dieters" might fail in their goals."
"Roth claimed that "our bodies confess to the world if we're treating it well or not"; Renn noted that "you can look at thin person who's eating fast food, or a size 22 (person) eating an organic diet that's considered to be balanced."
http://www.chicagonow.com
I'd love to know what Roth's and Renn's basal body temperatures are btw...
On a personal note, it's definitely a challenge to see my body change so radically on RRARF. Partly it's a matter of accepting a temporary rise in body fat that will over time turn into more muscle weight. Partly it's also about coming to see that perhaps my natural weight is a lot higher than I thought it was. With health as my only goal and objective it's not something that I'm regretting, but it's definitely a change that is difficult to adjust to. This journey is taking me all kinds of places and this new destination is very strange and exotic.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Eggshell Calcium
Just wanted to write a blog post on how I make eggshell calcium. I think it's easy, it just takes some time.
First I rinse the egg shells in warm water. I make sure to keep the membrane though cause it's got some healthy stuff in it and it's worth eating it too.
Then I put it in the oven together with whatever else I'm cooking/baking. I have tried all kinds of different temperatures and all seem to work, I just change the time I leave the shells in there to be as long as it takes to make them fully dried out. If they are soggy/wet at all they won't break easily when rolling them out, plus they could have bacteria on them.
After the shells are fully dry, I simply roll them with a wood roller on a wood cutting board. They'll break easily like glass and I continue until the shell pieces are tiny gravel-like pieces.
Then I keep them in a jar with a lid in a dry place, but not in the fridge.
Finally, I move about 1/2 teaspoon of egg shells over into a smaller glass container, squeeze some fresh lemon over it, and let it stand in room temperature for 7 hours or more, but never longer than 12 hours since it will go bad. I stir is well and then it begins to bubble (and that's supposed to happen).
I still chew it well before swallowing it, and the taste is quite good and refreshing. I've seen my teeth going from filled with black spots to now only having about 4 weak grey spots remaining. I do think that it's important to take magnesium with this though to promote the uptake of the calcium. When I take it without magnesium my teeth tend to stagnate, not get worse, but also not continue healing. However, that then necessitates taking a magnesium supplement, unless I can figure out another way to get a big does of magnesium?
I get less pain in my teeth when I don't soak it in lemon, but I figure it's best to follow the recipe online cause I'm not sure if soaking them helps the body take up the calcium or not:
http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/how-to-make-calcium-using-egg-shells
There has been at least one study of egg shell calcium preventing osteoporosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15018022
As a side note:
I never had a single cavity in my life before starting low carb (part from the one I had in a milk tooth as a young child but that I dropped when the permanent tooth grew out). On low carb I developed many black spots in my teeth, together with that odd pain sensation in the teeth that I had also never experienced before. I don't know if they were actual cavities or not since I was too scared to go to the dentist. It would have crushed me to hear: "you've got 30 cavities in your teeth...." so I spared myself that experience. I am sure my current high carb diet will be protective for my teeth, however I've been so impressed with the egg shell calcium I have decided to continue it, especially since I don't tolerate any dairy at all. The last two months of low carb I had begun taking egg shell calcium and my teeth immediately began to heal, so despite the fact that I was demineralizing myself on the low carb diet, the egg shells helped protect me.
It is also worth noting that I took the recommended dosage of calcium citrate in capsules all three years on low carb but clearly that did nothing to protect my teeth.
My only issue now is that I'm not sure if this type of egg shell calcium could increase the risk of heart attack or not?
(see this article:
http://drurbannaturalhealingtools.blogspot.com/2010/07/calcium-supplements-may-raise-risk-of.html)
Apparently calcium supplements do increase the risk because it rises blood calcium levels, (as if I needed another reason to loathe supplements...lol....) but calcium found in food does not rise blood calcium levels. I'm not sure if egg shells would be classified as a food or as a supplement? I am not aware of any primitive people who ate egg shells, but I know the Eskimos chewed on, and ate fish bones. If anyone knows about this, please comment about it to let me know.
First I rinse the egg shells in warm water. I make sure to keep the membrane though cause it's got some healthy stuff in it and it's worth eating it too.
Then I put it in the oven together with whatever else I'm cooking/baking. I have tried all kinds of different temperatures and all seem to work, I just change the time I leave the shells in there to be as long as it takes to make them fully dried out. If they are soggy/wet at all they won't break easily when rolling them out, plus they could have bacteria on them.
After the shells are fully dry, I simply roll them with a wood roller on a wood cutting board. They'll break easily like glass and I continue until the shell pieces are tiny gravel-like pieces.
Then I keep them in a jar with a lid in a dry place, but not in the fridge.
Finally, I move about 1/2 teaspoon of egg shells over into a smaller glass container, squeeze some fresh lemon over it, and let it stand in room temperature for 7 hours or more, but never longer than 12 hours since it will go bad. I stir is well and then it begins to bubble (and that's supposed to happen).
I still chew it well before swallowing it, and the taste is quite good and refreshing. I've seen my teeth going from filled with black spots to now only having about 4 weak grey spots remaining. I do think that it's important to take magnesium with this though to promote the uptake of the calcium. When I take it without magnesium my teeth tend to stagnate, not get worse, but also not continue healing. However, that then necessitates taking a magnesium supplement, unless I can figure out another way to get a big does of magnesium?
I get less pain in my teeth when I don't soak it in lemon, but I figure it's best to follow the recipe online cause I'm not sure if soaking them helps the body take up the calcium or not:
http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/articles/how-to-make-calcium-using-egg-shells
There has been at least one study of egg shell calcium preventing osteoporosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15018022
As a side note:
I never had a single cavity in my life before starting low carb (part from the one I had in a milk tooth as a young child but that I dropped when the permanent tooth grew out). On low carb I developed many black spots in my teeth, together with that odd pain sensation in the teeth that I had also never experienced before. I don't know if they were actual cavities or not since I was too scared to go to the dentist. It would have crushed me to hear: "you've got 30 cavities in your teeth...." so I spared myself that experience. I am sure my current high carb diet will be protective for my teeth, however I've been so impressed with the egg shell calcium I have decided to continue it, especially since I don't tolerate any dairy at all. The last two months of low carb I had begun taking egg shell calcium and my teeth immediately began to heal, so despite the fact that I was demineralizing myself on the low carb diet, the egg shells helped protect me.
It is also worth noting that I took the recommended dosage of calcium citrate in capsules all three years on low carb but clearly that did nothing to protect my teeth.
My only issue now is that I'm not sure if this type of egg shell calcium could increase the risk of heart attack or not?
(see this article:
http://drurbannaturalhealingtools.blogspot.com/2010/07/calcium-supplements-may-raise-risk-of.html)
Apparently calcium supplements do increase the risk because it rises blood calcium levels, (as if I needed another reason to loathe supplements...lol....) but calcium found in food does not rise blood calcium levels. I'm not sure if egg shells would be classified as a food or as a supplement? I am not aware of any primitive people who ate egg shells, but I know the Eskimos chewed on, and ate fish bones. If anyone knows about this, please comment about it to let me know.
Great News! BG 91 mg/dl!!! + Energy Healing
Wow! Great news! My fasting blood glucose level was 91 mg/dl this morning!!! Wow! That's what I call a double rainbow!
Seriously, it makes me feel like all is not lost! Despite my general-health-nose-dive with the arthritis, my blood glucose has continued healing. My goal is to reach 85 mg/dl. I quit measuring it for a while cause I just figured it would depress me too much since the postprandial has risen to pre-RRARF levels. Today the postprandial reading was 108 mg/dl 1 hour after breakfast. Definitely way worse than the 78 mg/dl I scored while eating potatoes. It seems however that white rice still holds a lot of healing power. Surprising for a refined food. I've been eating lots of other things too. I've even had a lot of yoghurt and just taking the depression, but I'm going to quit that temporarily to get some joy back into my life. lol. I've also had two slices of buckwheat per day, and a lot of berries on an empty stomach. The buckwheat definitely is hard on the arthritis but I don't want to give it up. I'm surprised that it's been working so well to eat fruits, I don't even get dizzy from it anymore. Thanks to all this eating, I gained back some of the weight that I lost initially when I switched over to white rice. I also finally gave in to reality and bought new jeans, going from size 27 to 30. Oh well. At least now I'll be more comfortable.
Yesterday I did some energy healing with Trinity. She's super great and it's so relaxing, calming and grounding to be over at her place doing energy meditations. A well needed break from everyday stresses and struggles. I don't understand the magic of energy healing and I don't think I need to. Doing it relaxes me, and relaxation promotes healing. It's that simple. She shares the basics in energy healing and grounding on YouTube here:
Below is a Buddhist prayer that I use to bring the energy of loving kindness to myself and others:
May you be well, happy and peaceful.
May no harm come to you.
May no difficulties come to you.
May no problems come to you.
May you always meet with success.
May you also have the strength, courage and determination to meet and overcome the problems, disappointments and failure inevitable in life.
Seriously, it makes me feel like all is not lost! Despite my general-health-nose-dive with the arthritis, my blood glucose has continued healing. My goal is to reach 85 mg/dl. I quit measuring it for a while cause I just figured it would depress me too much since the postprandial has risen to pre-RRARF levels. Today the postprandial reading was 108 mg/dl 1 hour after breakfast. Definitely way worse than the 78 mg/dl I scored while eating potatoes. It seems however that white rice still holds a lot of healing power. Surprising for a refined food. I've been eating lots of other things too. I've even had a lot of yoghurt and just taking the depression, but I'm going to quit that temporarily to get some joy back into my life. lol. I've also had two slices of buckwheat per day, and a lot of berries on an empty stomach. The buckwheat definitely is hard on the arthritis but I don't want to give it up. I'm surprised that it's been working so well to eat fruits, I don't even get dizzy from it anymore. Thanks to all this eating, I gained back some of the weight that I lost initially when I switched over to white rice. I also finally gave in to reality and bought new jeans, going from size 27 to 30. Oh well. At least now I'll be more comfortable.
Yesterday I did some energy healing with Trinity. She's super great and it's so relaxing, calming and grounding to be over at her place doing energy meditations. A well needed break from everyday stresses and struggles. I don't understand the magic of energy healing and I don't think I need to. Doing it relaxes me, and relaxation promotes healing. It's that simple. She shares the basics in energy healing and grounding on YouTube here:
Below is a Buddhist prayer that I use to bring the energy of loving kindness to myself and others:
May you be well, happy and peaceful.
May no harm come to you.
May no difficulties come to you.
May no problems come to you.
May you always meet with success.
May you also have the strength, courage and determination to meet and overcome the problems, disappointments and failure inevitable in life.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Calcium supplements may raise risk of heart attack
"While experts are not certain about the biological mechanism by which calcium supplements may damage the body, studies in the past have linked high levels of blood calcium to more heart attacks and damage to blood vessels, Reid said.
"When you take calcium supplements, your blood calcium level goes up over the following four to six hours and goes up to the top end of the normal range," he said.
"That doesn't happen when you have calcium to eat in your diet because the calcium from food is very slowly absorbed and so the blood calcium level hardly changes at all."
Calcium supplements may raise risk of heart attack
I found the above article and it made me think. I've had some trouble with dairy lately, even though I've only consumed sheep yoghurt, which is supposed to be easier to digest for people with dairy intolerance's like me. However, it's still causing me to feel depressed most likely since apparently:
"Calcium toxicity is one of the primary biochemical causes of depression."
http://www.meltdown.com/depression.htm
I've been wondering if that's the reason I can't eat dairy or if it's due to me also eating egg shell calcium? Perhaps that concentrated calcium is making me full of calcium so any dairy on top of it causes issues. On days that I only eat the egg shell calcium I don't have any depression, so that can't be an issue, I guess. Then I read the above and began to wonder if I should quit the egg shell calcium too? Not quite sure yet cause the egg shell has done wonders for my teeth. I guess I'll have to take a few days off it and see if I then can tolerate dairy or not?
The other possibility is that I'm still simply intolerant to any and all dairy and can't digest the casein. This would be a bummer since I love yoghurt. Hopefully over time, as my metabolism heals I might be able to return to eating dairy.
"undigested casein can have strong psychoactive and allergenic properties."
http://www.180degreehealth.com/not-milk.html
"Intolerance to specific foods can often cause depression and anxiety."
http://www.wheatanddairyfree.com/wheatdairyfreeintolerances.htm
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