Now that I'm trying to actively ignore my physical health issues and instead focus in on the body-mind connection, I'm thinking I'll devote some of this blog to the most important part of my life: music. After all music has huge healing powers in my opinion.
So, below is an excellent track by Thom Yorke "Hearing Damage" that I think describes depression pretty well, paired with the compassion so easily felt for others.
Lyrics:
A tear in the membrane
Allows the voices in
They wanna push you off the path
With their frequency wires
And you can do no wrong
In my eyes, in my eyes
And you can do no wrong
In my eyes, in my eyes
A drunken salesman
Your hearing damage
Your mind restless
They say you're getting better
But you don't feel any better
Your speakers are blowing
Your ears are wrecking
Your hearing damage
You wish you felt better
You wish you felt better
And you can do no wrong
In my eyes, in my eyes
And you can do no wrong
In my eyes, in my eyes
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Healing Me First!
I have always felt that there is enormous healing power in music. Right now I'm feeling very supported by it again. I'm also finding that one way of safely accessing unconscious rage for me seems to be through listening to punk music in particular. In my teens and early twenties I listened to punk music absolutely every day and I find that I'm returning to it now. Where I used to get some feminist rage out through bands like Hole, PJ Harvey, Sleater-Kinney, and Swedish Ebba Grön, today I'm into all-male groups like pop-punx Green Day, and Linkin Park, and the dirtier NOFX, Bouncing Souls, and of course the most loved punk cover-group of all: Me First and The Gimme Gimmes - currently on very high rotation in my iTunes playlist. Their albums "Are a Drag" and "Love Their Country" are must haves if you ask me. Available on iTunes! I'm sure listening to them is a straight road to better karma and Dharma and such!
It's rare for me to hear a live version that I like better than the album version, but in the below video it seems all musicians connect to another level of themselves and deliver an absolutely amazing performance. Check it out if you like:
Also of course, let's not forget about the fabulous Twilight Soundtracks who are also on high rotation currently. It's not a lot of punk music in it, but it definitely swings!
Well done Alexandra Patsavas for choosing the music!
It's rare for me to hear a live version that I like better than the album version, but in the below video it seems all musicians connect to another level of themselves and deliver an absolutely amazing performance. Check it out if you like:
Also of course, let's not forget about the fabulous Twilight Soundtracks who are also on high rotation currently. It's not a lot of punk music in it, but it definitely swings!
Well done Alexandra Patsavas for choosing the music!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Delusional Infatuations
"First, we must break down some of the myths surrounding leanness. We clearly have a totally delusional infatuation with it."
-Matt Stone
http://www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com/
Since starting RRARF this summer I quickly went from size 4 to 8 and it freaked me out quite a bit. Now I feel I'm more ok staying at this weight. The last few weeks there has finally been a change in my body composition too. There has been no change in my scale weight but a definite change in fat loss. I guess it's a fat to muscle conversion going on. I just continue to eat to fullness and overeat at least once a week….I know I've had a delusional infatuation with leanness and other idealized body images like most people most of my life. I always felt imperfect at size 2 and 4. Of course it took over completely in my early twenties when I was anorexic for a short time, but I always felt it was more of an addiction and a way to cope with anxiety than an actual urge to be thin. But who am I?
Today I only wish I had more nutritional freedom but between my food allergies and joint issues I'm pretty stuck at the moment. Perhaps over time, as I heal things will improve. I also know I need to work hard at my negative inner dialogue. Here is some food for thought from RRARF creator Matt Stone:
"replace those self-deprecating thoughts and body image fixation with time spent cultivating your greatest skill, fulfilling your greatest pleasure, touching the lives of others with whatever gifts you’ve been given, and begin taking a large dose of the wonder drug Fukitol for additional support with that. "
-Matt Stone
http://www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com/
"You must plant flowers in the garden of your mind or you will be “forever pulling weeds.”
-Human Behavior expert John Demartini
"Fill your life and your mind with what is important to you, and what you are passionate about doing/experiencing/exploring or distractions and annoyances will end up filling your mind and your life –just like a garden with nothing planted in it will quickly be overrun with the stuff you don’t want in your garden."
-Matt Stone
http://www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com/
"form a pact with yourself, make a conscious effort to avoid feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse in all things in life but most importantly your exercise and food choices"
-Matt Stone
http://www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com/
-Matt Stone
http://www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com/
Since starting RRARF this summer I quickly went from size 4 to 8 and it freaked me out quite a bit. Now I feel I'm more ok staying at this weight. The last few weeks there has finally been a change in my body composition too. There has been no change in my scale weight but a definite change in fat loss. I guess it's a fat to muscle conversion going on. I just continue to eat to fullness and overeat at least once a week….I know I've had a delusional infatuation with leanness and other idealized body images like most people most of my life. I always felt imperfect at size 2 and 4. Of course it took over completely in my early twenties when I was anorexic for a short time, but I always felt it was more of an addiction and a way to cope with anxiety than an actual urge to be thin. But who am I?
Today I only wish I had more nutritional freedom but between my food allergies and joint issues I'm pretty stuck at the moment. Perhaps over time, as I heal things will improve. I also know I need to work hard at my negative inner dialogue. Here is some food for thought from RRARF creator Matt Stone:
"replace those self-deprecating thoughts and body image fixation with time spent cultivating your greatest skill, fulfilling your greatest pleasure, touching the lives of others with whatever gifts you’ve been given, and begin taking a large dose of the wonder drug Fukitol for additional support with that. "
-Matt Stone
http://www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com/
"You must plant flowers in the garden of your mind or you will be “forever pulling weeds.”
-Human Behavior expert John Demartini
"Fill your life and your mind with what is important to you, and what you are passionate about doing/experiencing/exploring or distractions and annoyances will end up filling your mind and your life –just like a garden with nothing planted in it will quickly be overrun with the stuff you don’t want in your garden."
-Matt Stone
http://www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com/
"form a pact with yourself, make a conscious effort to avoid feelings of guilt, shame, and remorse in all things in life but most importantly your exercise and food choices"
-Matt Stone
http://www.180degreehealth.blogspot.com/
Wise Crabs and Dharma Punx
Dharma = that which upholds or supports
It's been intense so far. I've been writing essays on the topics on my list as suggested in the book "The Divided Mind" by Dr Sarno, and it's led me into open emotional chaos, unmerciful inner critic attacks, and violent depression. I've experienced the emotions as directly life threatening. These last days I've openly said to my friends and close once that I much prefer my physical pain and symptoms over feeling my feelings. I still refuse to collapse completely though. As a result I've had all sorts of surreal physical symptoms like insane pain in my teeth, but it's thankfully responding quickly when I accept my feelings more. It's kind of magical actually. Just being less threatened by the feelings relieves the physical symptoms almost instantaneously. It's the power of the knowledge that the feelings won't overtake me. I'm learning it's all about integrating them. As I continue reading "The Divided Mind" Dr Sarno, I also see that my experience is just a part of the journey, something to be expected, so I'm continuing the work of eating this elephant, but at a slower pace.
"The increase in pain is intended to further distract the person from the anticipated greater emotional pain that is considered more dangerous than the physical pain."
page 177
"…to plant the seeds of self-compassion, for James, like most people with TMS, tended to be very critical and tough on himself."
page 177
"He reported that the crab (that had appeared in one of his dreams) said it was reluctant to 'open the floodgates' for fear of being overpowered by the emotions. I told him to ensure the crab that he could now handle whatever emotions surfaced, something he could not do as a child when the painful emotions had to be repressed so he would not be overwhelmed by them."
page 177
When I need to take a break from the self obsessiveness of it all I listen to the awesome punk band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' version of "My Favorite Things". I can't recommend it enough. I find the energy of punk music to be very healthy.
I think it's also time for me to attend some more of those Dharma Punx Meditation nights....
It's been intense so far. I've been writing essays on the topics on my list as suggested in the book "The Divided Mind" by Dr Sarno, and it's led me into open emotional chaos, unmerciful inner critic attacks, and violent depression. I've experienced the emotions as directly life threatening. These last days I've openly said to my friends and close once that I much prefer my physical pain and symptoms over feeling my feelings. I still refuse to collapse completely though. As a result I've had all sorts of surreal physical symptoms like insane pain in my teeth, but it's thankfully responding quickly when I accept my feelings more. It's kind of magical actually. Just being less threatened by the feelings relieves the physical symptoms almost instantaneously. It's the power of the knowledge that the feelings won't overtake me. I'm learning it's all about integrating them. As I continue reading "The Divided Mind" Dr Sarno, I also see that my experience is just a part of the journey, something to be expected, so I'm continuing the work of eating this elephant, but at a slower pace.
"The increase in pain is intended to further distract the person from the anticipated greater emotional pain that is considered more dangerous than the physical pain."
page 177
"…to plant the seeds of self-compassion, for James, like most people with TMS, tended to be very critical and tough on himself."
page 177
"He reported that the crab (that had appeared in one of his dreams) said it was reluctant to 'open the floodgates' for fear of being overpowered by the emotions. I told him to ensure the crab that he could now handle whatever emotions surfaced, something he could not do as a child when the painful emotions had to be repressed so he would not be overwhelmed by them."
page 177
When I need to take a break from the self obsessiveness of it all I listen to the awesome punk band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes' version of "My Favorite Things". I can't recommend it enough. I find the energy of punk music to be very healthy.
I think it's also time for me to attend some more of those Dharma Punx Meditation nights....
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Collapsable Woman
Fantastic article on Bitch Magazine about rape and how we as a society have these ideas about how to cope and recover from it. It is feminism at it's best. That's when it's strengthening to all women and men. Empathetic but calling for more, something bigger than just surviving.
It helped me to personally clarify how to move beyond rape. I see now that my virtue was never stolen, it can't be stolen. His on the other hand, he threw in the trash. He's the one that should feel his feelings of shame and cry himself to sleep. I won't. I won't repress my feelings either but the shame is not mine to bear. It's his alone. I'm going on with my life, without collapsing.
http://bitchmagazine.org/article/the-collapsible-woman
It helped me to personally clarify how to move beyond rape. I see now that my virtue was never stolen, it can't be stolen. His on the other hand, he threw in the trash. He's the one that should feel his feelings of shame and cry himself to sleep. I won't. I won't repress my feelings either but the shame is not mine to bear. It's his alone. I'm going on with my life, without collapsing.
http://bitchmagazine.org/article/the-collapsible-woman
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Hopeful
"The idea that powerful unconscious emotions are responsible for mindbody disorders is based on medical history."
page 37 The Divided Mind, Dr Sarno
It's a conflict between the "intelligent, ethical, moral conscious mind and the childish, primitive unconscious mind."
page 54 The Divided Mind, Dr Sarno
"the psyche represses undesirable emotions."
page 54 The Divided Mind, Dr Sarno
"the purpose of repression was to prevent problematic emotions from coming to consciousness."
page 54 The Divided Mind, Dr Sarno
OK, so yes, big deal going on. I think that I'm really onto something here. Not that I haven't been suspecting that I suffer from psychosomatic illness for years and years, but now I'm finally finding a roadmap on how to get out of this. Perviously when I've talked to a regular MD about it they just say "no, you've got endometriosis", and when I talk to psychologists about it they say "you'll have to ask your gynecologist about that." The health profession is so divided, but our lived experience never separates between body and mind. We feel both, we live in both.
Now, I've been reading Dr Sarno's book "The Divided Mind". It's a truly amazing book, but reading is always slow. Then I came across this 15 minute video from 20/20 on him and his methods and it's really amazing to see it. It's so powerful to see all these people who have been going through exactly what I've been going through, all these treatments and nothing working. I'm at that point where doctors might say to me what they said to one person after looking at her x-rays in the video:
MD: I'm pessimistic about any recovery.
Patient: What should I try?
MD: It looks like you've tried everything.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6660313127569317147#
I mean for sure, any doctor would be pessimistic about recovery from endometriosis. It's a chronic diagnosis. Chronic means it doesn't go away. That's why it's called just that, chronic.
But I'm feeling hopeful today. I've already devised my list of potentially contributing factors to my health issues and when printed it became 8 pages long. Next step is to write an essay about each of the issues. It feels kind of overwhelming but I know I'm up for the task.
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
page 37 The Divided Mind, Dr Sarno
It's a conflict between the "intelligent, ethical, moral conscious mind and the childish, primitive unconscious mind."
page 54 The Divided Mind, Dr Sarno
"the psyche represses undesirable emotions."
page 54 The Divided Mind, Dr Sarno
"the purpose of repression was to prevent problematic emotions from coming to consciousness."
page 54 The Divided Mind, Dr Sarno
OK, so yes, big deal going on. I think that I'm really onto something here. Not that I haven't been suspecting that I suffer from psychosomatic illness for years and years, but now I'm finally finding a roadmap on how to get out of this. Perviously when I've talked to a regular MD about it they just say "no, you've got endometriosis", and when I talk to psychologists about it they say "you'll have to ask your gynecologist about that." The health profession is so divided, but our lived experience never separates between body and mind. We feel both, we live in both.
Now, I've been reading Dr Sarno's book "The Divided Mind". It's a truly amazing book, but reading is always slow. Then I came across this 15 minute video from 20/20 on him and his methods and it's really amazing to see it. It's so powerful to see all these people who have been going through exactly what I've been going through, all these treatments and nothing working. I'm at that point where doctors might say to me what they said to one person after looking at her x-rays in the video:
MD: I'm pessimistic about any recovery.
Patient: What should I try?
MD: It looks like you've tried everything.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6660313127569317147#
I mean for sure, any doctor would be pessimistic about recovery from endometriosis. It's a chronic diagnosis. Chronic means it doesn't go away. That's why it's called just that, chronic.
But I'm feeling hopeful today. I've already devised my list of potentially contributing factors to my health issues and when printed it became 8 pages long. Next step is to write an essay about each of the issues. It feels kind of overwhelming but I know I'm up for the task.
How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Divided Mind and The Twilight Saga
"the ego stands for reason and good sense while the id stands for untamed passions."
page 59 "The Divided Mind" by John Sarno. MD
I've had the flu for the last coupe of days. In an excellent attempt to achieve escapism, I watched the Twilight Saga several times and took breaks reading a new book on psychosomatic disorders called "The Divided Mind" by John Sarno. MD. It turned out to be a pretty interesting pairing.
Dr Sarno is talking about how the mind can produce real physical changes as an attempt to protect us from unconscious conflicts. The idea is that the physical issues will keep us so focused on dealing with them that we become distracted from the real underlying emotional conflicts. We need to be distracted in order to avoid being overcome with those difficult repressed emotions. The key unconscious conflict is between the id, and the ego/superego. He empathizes that this conflict is universal. It's just a more unresolved conflict in some than in others.
Note, psychosomatic symptoms are real illnesses that can be measured in a laboratory setting, they are only caused by the mind. It's totally different than hypochondriac symptoms that are not real. Psycho-soma is real both in the mind and in the body.
Technically speaking, apparently the mind can create a mild oxygen depravation wherever it likes to in the body, this oxygen depravation in turn can create various diseases and real symptoms that get our attention. I find this particularly interesting as a Buteyko devotee. Hyperventilation for example is so closely linked to stress and emotions, it's an excellent tool for the mind to use to create symptoms that keep us busy and focused on them and not the unresolved unconscious conflicts.
The Twilight story represents a near perfect saga of this universal conflict between the human id and her ego and superego. The id has been described as the "dark, chaotic, illogical, irrational, narcissistic, dependent, childish, primitive" parts of mankind, so perfectly represented by Edward Cullan and the dark twilight world he belongs in.
Furthermore, the immortality of the vampires also mirrors the functions of the id "There is nothing in the id that corresponds to the idea of time" page 59 "The Divided Mind" by John Sarno. MD
The ego and superego on the other hand is equally beautifully embodied in Jakob. He is the Native American boy who represents not only the warm nature of us living humans, despite being a werewolf, but more importantly perhaps, he is fighting for, and trying to protect Bellas life. As she is drawn deeper into her id, she is more and more determined to end her life and become a living dead vampire. Interestingly, it is believed that the ego was developed to protect the self and increase our chances of survival. What better way to represent this side than via the powerful werewolf Jakob who also holds Bellas heart.
In the end of the last movie, Bella exclaims to Edward that it was never a choice between him and Jakob, but a choice between what she "should be" and what she "is", and that seems to be exactly true. The id is the untamed inner core of us all that simply is, the ego helps us survive, and function in a society. For her to survive she has to choose Jakob, but it seems certain that Bella will choose to follow her id -Edward- straight into the clutches of death. At the same time, when she is totally cut off from her id she looses her sanity and her will to live.
It's romantic enough and we all love to watch it, but it's also an opportunity to investigate that impossible age old conflict and try to figure out a way to resolve it. I'm not yet sure what the resolution to this problem may be for us all nor for Bella.
Of course it's not only animalistic passionate lust that offers a problem in the unconscious, another key area of conflict is the need to succeed in life and how the id protests having to follow the strict rules and regulations that the superego imposes on it in order to improve our survival by pushing us to societal success, (for the good of both the group and the individual). There are also issues of rage, inferiority complexes and I'm sure many other things I'll read more about today.
I wonder though, why do some of us solve all these conflicts with ease while others need to develop psychosomatic symptoms to cover the unresolved repressed emotions? All I can say is that we know these are universal inner processes of the conscious vs the unconscious mind, and judging from the success of the Twilight trilogy, and the obsessive nature of the fan base this seems to validate the theory.
The Twilight movies offer no solution to the conflict however, it just lures us into the depth of our subconscious and very passionate id. It is very easily entertaining and instantly escapist. However, I'll keep on reading that book to see what solutions may be offered and I'll keep you all posted. Until the, I'll also watch the Twilight saga as many times as I can squeeze in.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Period Cramps, Digestive issues and Joint issues - All Related to Uric Acid
In addition to my higher intake of purine rich acidic foods over Thanks Giving causing my joints to worsen dramatically, the passage below from Dr Hagis's book on uric acid may be one other part of the reason my joints have been so bad these last few days, ie I also got my period and that apparently effects acidity and uric acid levels:
"We can also understand the connection which some have noticed between dysmeorrhoea and a certain rheumatoid joint changes, for dysmenorrhoea means a more than usually marked fall of urea and acidity, a more than usually severe colaemia, and consequently more severe and widespread irruption in the already damaged rises of joints of valves".
-page 720, "Uric Acid as a Factor in the Causation of Disease", A. Haig
This is SO big, I would take up too much space explaining why I'm so thrilled about all of this, but I want to keep it short. All that matters is that if I can succeed in becoming a non legume eating vegetarian, a lot of my major issues may be history for me!
I'd also like to give a shout out to Betsy who came into my life online with a little whisper: perhaps it's uric acid. Here is a link to an interesting book on the topic.
How can I ever thank you? I know in the genre of the western movie helpers sometimes occur to lead the heroine on her quest. I see Betsy as a wise little black raven who randomly lands beside me when I'm in the middle of the desert not knowing what way to go next, saying "If you want to reach California, you'll need to head west, here is a compass".
"We can also understand the connection which some have noticed between dysmeorrhoea and a certain rheumatoid joint changes, for dysmenorrhoea means a more than usually marked fall of urea and acidity, a more than usually severe colaemia, and consequently more severe and widespread irruption in the already damaged rises of joints of valves".
-page 720, "Uric Acid as a Factor in the Causation of Disease", A. Haig
This is SO big, I would take up too much space explaining why I'm so thrilled about all of this, but I want to keep it short. All that matters is that if I can succeed in becoming a non legume eating vegetarian, a lot of my major issues may be history for me!
I'd also like to give a shout out to Betsy who came into my life online with a little whisper: perhaps it's uric acid. Here is a link to an interesting book on the topic.
How can I ever thank you? I know in the genre of the western movie helpers sometimes occur to lead the heroine on her quest. I see Betsy as a wise little black raven who randomly lands beside me when I'm in the middle of the desert not knowing what way to go next, saying "If you want to reach California, you'll need to head west, here is a compass".
Today I welcome the migraine!
So, for all the reasons I've now written about regarding uric acid, for two days I've had a migraine and I haven't been happier about a headache in my life!!! The presence of migraine tells me that the uric acid is circulating in the blood stream and so long as I can keep my body alkaline this is my chance to rid the system of some of the poison.
To really test the theory I did a litmus paper test on my urine and I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was:
IMAGE OF ALALINE LITMUS STRIP
That is just about as alkaline as it can get!!!! What a joy! I have full collaemia (uric acid in the blood) and my urine is primed for getting excess uric acid out of my system!!! The body is working with me. I eat only egg whites for protein. I know it's not sustainable but for now it's very interesting. This morning my CP jumped form it's usual 9 seconds to 15 seconds!!!! I am sure I'm onto something here. The hyperventilation may well be partly caused by the uric acid poisoning. If I had not developed joint issues I would have likely never learned about this. I feel like a lucky girl today!
I know that many challenges reman. Especially how in the world I'm going to feed myself as a non beans and lentil eating vegetarian with dairy allergies and severe digestive weakness making seeds and brown rice off the table. I do feel though that there is definitely hope for me. I feel invigorated by the idea that I may indeed one day get to experience health in the form of good quality sleep, vitality, ability to exercise, freedom from pain and other symptoms, and bendable joints.
Anyone with migraine will know that the best way to immediately rid oneself of an attack is to eat a big meal with lots of animal protein. This floods the system with purines that turn into uric acid overwhelming the blood stream and pushing all the uric acid into the tissues where it will cause other symptoms but not migraine. It all makes so much sense. It also explains why the migraine association in Sweden told me to be careful to always eat animal protein with each meal, or else a migraine would occur. That also makes sense, if you want to avoid the migraine attack and don't mind having your tissues filled to the brim with uric acid. But I want more, I want true health!
This is what my pH was in May 2010 when I was eating only meats and vegetables on my Eskimo/candida diet.
IMAGE OF OLD ACID LITMUS STRIP JANUARY
I first learned about the importance of pH from this guy who cured himself of cancer. His main focus was on oxygenation and on getting an alkaline pH. At least that's what I took from it. Those are the same overall conclusions I've come to as well in all of my struggles. Of course there are about one million other aspects to consider but I think that focusing one's effort's on a few issues is also very important or else it's easy to feel overwhelmed and get stuck.
Here is the original like to the personal story of cancer survival:
Fascinating story that has effected my thinking on health overall:
http://stopcancer.com/deathbedB.htm
The main webstie:
Stopcancer.com
Cancer and pH
Cancer and oxygenation
As an update to this post, on October 145h, 2011, during the time I got that alkaline urine pH I was overdosing on the egg shell calcium putting me in a serious depression. I think it was the calcium that made me so alkaline. Today I know that being that alkaline is not at all a good thing but just as bad as being too acidic. But it's still interesting to have these early pH results. Today, 9 days into the lemonade drink on RBTI, my pH is actually in a healthier range again of about 6.5 pH.
To really test the theory I did a litmus paper test on my urine and I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was:
IMAGE OF ALALINE LITMUS STRIP
That is just about as alkaline as it can get!!!! What a joy! I have full collaemia (uric acid in the blood) and my urine is primed for getting excess uric acid out of my system!!! The body is working with me. I eat only egg whites for protein. I know it's not sustainable but for now it's very interesting. This morning my CP jumped form it's usual 9 seconds to 15 seconds!!!! I am sure I'm onto something here. The hyperventilation may well be partly caused by the uric acid poisoning. If I had not developed joint issues I would have likely never learned about this. I feel like a lucky girl today!
I know that many challenges reman. Especially how in the world I'm going to feed myself as a non beans and lentil eating vegetarian with dairy allergies and severe digestive weakness making seeds and brown rice off the table. I do feel though that there is definitely hope for me. I feel invigorated by the idea that I may indeed one day get to experience health in the form of good quality sleep, vitality, ability to exercise, freedom from pain and other symptoms, and bendable joints.
Anyone with migraine will know that the best way to immediately rid oneself of an attack is to eat a big meal with lots of animal protein. This floods the system with purines that turn into uric acid overwhelming the blood stream and pushing all the uric acid into the tissues where it will cause other symptoms but not migraine. It all makes so much sense. It also explains why the migraine association in Sweden told me to be careful to always eat animal protein with each meal, or else a migraine would occur. That also makes sense, if you want to avoid the migraine attack and don't mind having your tissues filled to the brim with uric acid. But I want more, I want true health!
This is what my pH was in May 2010 when I was eating only meats and vegetables on my Eskimo/candida diet.
IMAGE OF OLD ACID LITMUS STRIP JANUARY
I first learned about the importance of pH from this guy who cured himself of cancer. His main focus was on oxygenation and on getting an alkaline pH. At least that's what I took from it. Those are the same overall conclusions I've come to as well in all of my struggles. Of course there are about one million other aspects to consider but I think that focusing one's effort's on a few issues is also very important or else it's easy to feel overwhelmed and get stuck.
Here is the original like to the personal story of cancer survival:
Fascinating story that has effected my thinking on health overall:
http://stopcancer.com/deathbedB.htm
The main webstie:
Stopcancer.com
Cancer and pH
Cancer and oxygenation
As an update to this post, on October 145h, 2011, during the time I got that alkaline urine pH I was overdosing on the egg shell calcium putting me in a serious depression. I think it was the calcium that made me so alkaline. Today I know that being that alkaline is not at all a good thing but just as bad as being too acidic. But it's still interesting to have these early pH results. Today, 9 days into the lemonade drink on RBTI, my pH is actually in a healthier range again of about 6.5 pH.
Circulation group vs Local group
Dr Haig separates two groups of illness depending upon if the uric acid is currently circulating in the blood, or stuck locally in tissues or organs.
He writes that there is:
"A, the local or precipitation group, due to the irritating presence of uric acid in a fibrous tissue either in solution or suspension, as in gout:
Gout, Rheumatism, inflammatory illnesses, stomach upsets, problems with the ovaries, uterus and pelvic fasciae (uterine fibroma and other fibromata), Fascias and fibrous tissues in the neck, back, spinal cord and lumbosacral region, hands), intestines, appendix, muscles, nerves..."
B The circulation or solvent group, due to excess of uric acid in the blood (collaemia) and it's effects on the circulation, blood pressure and nutrition.
Headache, epilepsy, convulsions, chorea, hysteria, nervousness, mental depression, excitement, mania, bodily depression, fatigue, lethargy, insomnia, asthma, dyspepsia -dilated stomach, congestion of liver, diabetes, Bright's disease, dead hands, cramps, gravel, spinal degeneration, skin diseases, diseases of the blood, menorrhagia and uterine congestion, dysmenorrhoea."
page 133-134 - Uric Acid as a factor in the causation of disease, A. Haig, 1892
I have highlighted in italics the symptoms that I suffer from. I seem to have more symptoms of group A which is generally considered to be "less dangerous" and "more painful" in it's nature. That too makes sense to me and I am of course grateful for this.
It is interesting to me to note that asthma is in this group. Asthma is linked to hyperventilation and this makes me think that hyperventilation and uric acid are connected somehow. Especially since I have seen a huge overnight jump up in my own CP coincided with a time of collaemia (as evidenced by my migraine) and "plus excretion" of uric acid from my body (as evidenced by my urinary alkalinity during that same time period, see my blog post: http://healingendo.blogspot.com/2010/12/today-i-welcome-migraine.html).
To return to the whole migraine and menstruation issue here the quote will likely make more sense now:
"I have shown that menstruation, and especially dysmenorrhoea, produce collaemia (uric acid in the blood)…"page 621
Menstruation is thus commonly accompanied by a lowered acidity, plus excretion of uric acid, and the effects of its excess in the blood, and mental depression, and if there is much uric acid in reserve more or less severe headache…may occur."
page 246
What I take this to mean for me is that during menstruation there is uric acid circulating in the blood causing the migraines, and period cramps, and when I'm not actively menstruating it's causing me inflammation, stomach upsets, joint issues, muscle tensions etc.
I now understand better the tension and pain in my jaw, neck and shoulders during and after a migraine attack. I always thought that the pain itself was fully responsible for this, now I see that it may be partly due to local uric acid suspension. This also explains my overall inability to "relax" my muscles. To think of them as poisoned by uric acid makes a lot of sense to me. All bodily muscles are tense for me. They can not relax, it's a physical impossibility for me. Now I might have an explanation for this.
I was interested to see that Dr Haig saw a connection between not only dysmenorrhoes, but also to menorrhagia (excessive bleeding) which has also been a life long problem for me. Many women with endometriosis can only use baby dippers cause normal pads are not effective enough to deal with the heavy bleeding. Though I never went that far, I have spent my days complaining about how no menstrual pads were ever big enough to cover the bleeding in any effective way and I've accepted to only use black sheets.
This explains also neatly why when I got my first period my body for the very first time began to release any excess uric acid into my blood stream giving me my very first migraine. This pattern has followed me now for 27 years and I'm over the moon excited to see if I can break it by becoming a non legume consuming vegetarian.
I have tried being a vegetarian before but then I always would exchange the meats for legumes, thus continuing the problem. I also took prescription pain medication when I was a vegetarian so I wouldn't have noticed any smaller change in the intesnity of my period cramps because you take the medication at "first sign" of menstruation, not when you feel pain, by then it's too late and pain meds won't work, and my migraines always continued to be chronic.
He writes that there is:
"A, the local or precipitation group, due to the irritating presence of uric acid in a fibrous tissue either in solution or suspension, as in gout:
Gout, Rheumatism, inflammatory illnesses, stomach upsets, problems with the ovaries, uterus and pelvic fasciae (uterine fibroma and other fibromata), Fascias and fibrous tissues in the neck, back, spinal cord and lumbosacral region, hands), intestines, appendix, muscles, nerves..."
B The circulation or solvent group, due to excess of uric acid in the blood (collaemia) and it's effects on the circulation, blood pressure and nutrition.
Headache, epilepsy, convulsions, chorea, hysteria, nervousness, mental depression, excitement, mania, bodily depression, fatigue, lethargy, insomnia, asthma, dyspepsia -dilated stomach, congestion of liver, diabetes, Bright's disease, dead hands, cramps, gravel, spinal degeneration, skin diseases, diseases of the blood, menorrhagia and uterine congestion, dysmenorrhoea."
page 133-134 - Uric Acid as a factor in the causation of disease, A. Haig, 1892
I have highlighted in italics the symptoms that I suffer from. I seem to have more symptoms of group A which is generally considered to be "less dangerous" and "more painful" in it's nature. That too makes sense to me and I am of course grateful for this.
It is interesting to me to note that asthma is in this group. Asthma is linked to hyperventilation and this makes me think that hyperventilation and uric acid are connected somehow. Especially since I have seen a huge overnight jump up in my own CP coincided with a time of collaemia (as evidenced by my migraine) and "plus excretion" of uric acid from my body (as evidenced by my urinary alkalinity during that same time period, see my blog post: http://healingendo.blogspot.com/2010/12/today-i-welcome-migraine.html).
To return to the whole migraine and menstruation issue here the quote will likely make more sense now:
"I have shown that menstruation, and especially dysmenorrhoea, produce collaemia (uric acid in the blood)…"page 621
Menstruation is thus commonly accompanied by a lowered acidity, plus excretion of uric acid, and the effects of its excess in the blood, and mental depression, and if there is much uric acid in reserve more or less severe headache…may occur."
page 246
What I take this to mean for me is that during menstruation there is uric acid circulating in the blood causing the migraines, and period cramps, and when I'm not actively menstruating it's causing me inflammation, stomach upsets, joint issues, muscle tensions etc.
I now understand better the tension and pain in my jaw, neck and shoulders during and after a migraine attack. I always thought that the pain itself was fully responsible for this, now I see that it may be partly due to local uric acid suspension. This also explains my overall inability to "relax" my muscles. To think of them as poisoned by uric acid makes a lot of sense to me. All bodily muscles are tense for me. They can not relax, it's a physical impossibility for me. Now I might have an explanation for this.
I was interested to see that Dr Haig saw a connection between not only dysmenorrhoes, but also to menorrhagia (excessive bleeding) which has also been a life long problem for me. Many women with endometriosis can only use baby dippers cause normal pads are not effective enough to deal with the heavy bleeding. Though I never went that far, I have spent my days complaining about how no menstrual pads were ever big enough to cover the bleeding in any effective way and I've accepted to only use black sheets.
This explains also neatly why when I got my first period my body for the very first time began to release any excess uric acid into my blood stream giving me my very first migraine. This pattern has followed me now for 27 years and I'm over the moon excited to see if I can break it by becoming a non legume consuming vegetarian.
I have tried being a vegetarian before but then I always would exchange the meats for legumes, thus continuing the problem. I also took prescription pain medication when I was a vegetarian so I wouldn't have noticed any smaller change in the intesnity of my period cramps because you take the medication at "first sign" of menstruation, not when you feel pain, by then it's too late and pain meds won't work, and my migraines always continued to be chronic.
Uric Acid Basics
It is my understanding that when the body is alkaline it can get rid of uric acid very easily. When the body is acidic it holds onto uric acid and the person may get "uric acid poisoning". One solution to making the body more alkali is to give up eating all animal meats and protein and to become a vegetarian for life. Milk and cheese is ok to eat. (Again all quotes in this blog post are from the book "Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" by Alexander Haig, 1892).
"a vegetarian diet diminishes the acidity of the urine and, I believe, increases the alkalinity of the blood." pate 38
Apparently it is also good to be eating substances that increase the solubility of uric acid from the tissues cause it helps it leave the body like potatoes and fruits.
"Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, with each meal, potatoes, 2 apples after each meal. Eat milk and vegetables. Avoid albumens (egg whites). Avoid eating: meat, meat extracts, soup, tea, coffee, eggs, fish, mushrooms, asparagus, cocoa, guarana."
page 792
Surprisingly to me, Dr Haig notes that drinking lots of water is not helpful in cases of uric acid poisoning.
"..it is very little use to give large quantities of water, for it gets through the kidney just when it is not wanted, and it cannot get throughout the kidney when it is wanted…"page 862
"excess water, ie beyond thirst, is harmful and not helpful". page 862
"I have thus come to look upon water drinking for the cure of uric acid diseases as practically useless". page 863
Also, he points out that if you have high blood pressure the more water you drink the more dangerous it is…page 863.
For me it seems the edema on my legs is better since I reduced my drinking or water and herbal tea.
Uric acid poisoning may be caused by three things:
1, too much purine foods
2, too much nitrogen
3, bad excretion of the uric acid.
Haig says that it takes 18-24 months of the uric-acid-free diet to get the uric acid levels to be low enough to not cause a problem anymore.
Haig also writes that exercise is good in reducing uric acid and even in improving metabolism:
"Exercise...which tends to reduce the acidity by loss of acids in perspiration" page 29
"Regular exercise, short of fatigue, should be extremely useful…it stimulates and increases metabolism" page 863
"everything that clears the blood of uric acid quickens metabolism..." page 39
For us who are still too weak to exercise a lot he writes that massage is a good option:
"Where surroundings or the condition of the patient prevent satisfactory exercise, massage, which is, in many respects equivalent to exercise, may be taken its place…" page 864
There is also some connection between uric acid and body temperature that I am still not fully understanding:
"uric acid controls the distribution of heat, and reason will be given later for believing that is also controls heat formation. page 35
I am sure I will learn much more as I continue to read about this topic and struggle to find a way to becoming vegetarian despite my strong dairy intolerance.
There is also a cookbook that was founded on the work of Dr Haig. I just got a copy online and am looking forward to getting it. It's called:
The Apsley Cookery Book: Containing 448 Recipes For The Uric-Acid-Free-Diet (1905)
My big challenge is in how to become a non-legume-eating vegetarian that is unfortunately allergic to dairy. My motivation has never been bigger though. The risk reward seems to be in my favor for sure. Then again, I may well become a vegetarian and then develop some other issues instead and in addition to all of this, finding out that it's super dangerous just as I did three years too late regarding the low carb diet, but I still think this is my best bet. I'm frankly out of other ideas. My CP sure isn't improving one bit.
Interestingly though, Dr Haig's conclusions go hand in hand with Buteyko's research results, that animal meats are not healthy and that being a vegetarian/vegan is best. Also, they agree that over-eating and over drinking is not good. Especially not In the long run. I think most of us actually under-eat though and a temporary overeating like RRARF may be very important in healing an impaired metabolism. Haig points out that it's dangerous to under-eat too though.
I don't know why everyone doesn't get uric acid poisoning though? But as seen in my previous post, it may have something to do with a weakness of the kidneys. It seems to me that most people eat pretty heavy animal meat based diets. Also, the traditional people Wetson A Price studied all ate lots of meat apparently. At least the majority of the groups. I think it's probably due to people like me having weak kidneys or the fact that we all have such low CPs today? Then again by the turn of the century most people had at least a CP of 40 seconds, and clearly they suffered from uric acid poisoning back then too.
The riddle is far from solved but I feel like I have a better clue now as to what direction to head in.
I'm just trying to dig myself out of this whole I've gotten into. I can now barely tolerate one drop of milk per day, but I will get there over time.
"a vegetarian diet diminishes the acidity of the urine and, I believe, increases the alkalinity of the blood." pate 38
Apparently it is also good to be eating substances that increase the solubility of uric acid from the tissues cause it helps it leave the body like potatoes and fruits.
"Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, with each meal, potatoes, 2 apples after each meal. Eat milk and vegetables. Avoid albumens (egg whites). Avoid eating: meat, meat extracts, soup, tea, coffee, eggs, fish, mushrooms, asparagus, cocoa, guarana."
page 792
Surprisingly to me, Dr Haig notes that drinking lots of water is not helpful in cases of uric acid poisoning.
"..it is very little use to give large quantities of water, for it gets through the kidney just when it is not wanted, and it cannot get throughout the kidney when it is wanted…"page 862
"excess water, ie beyond thirst, is harmful and not helpful". page 862
"I have thus come to look upon water drinking for the cure of uric acid diseases as practically useless". page 863
Also, he points out that if you have high blood pressure the more water you drink the more dangerous it is…page 863.
For me it seems the edema on my legs is better since I reduced my drinking or water and herbal tea.
Uric acid poisoning may be caused by three things:
1, too much purine foods
2, too much nitrogen
3, bad excretion of the uric acid.
Haig says that it takes 18-24 months of the uric-acid-free diet to get the uric acid levels to be low enough to not cause a problem anymore.
Haig also writes that exercise is good in reducing uric acid and even in improving metabolism:
"Exercise...which tends to reduce the acidity by loss of acids in perspiration" page 29
"Regular exercise, short of fatigue, should be extremely useful…it stimulates and increases metabolism" page 863
"everything that clears the blood of uric acid quickens metabolism..." page 39
For us who are still too weak to exercise a lot he writes that massage is a good option:
"Where surroundings or the condition of the patient prevent satisfactory exercise, massage, which is, in many respects equivalent to exercise, may be taken its place…" page 864
There is also some connection between uric acid and body temperature that I am still not fully understanding:
"uric acid controls the distribution of heat, and reason will be given later for believing that is also controls heat formation. page 35
I am sure I will learn much more as I continue to read about this topic and struggle to find a way to becoming vegetarian despite my strong dairy intolerance.
There is also a cookbook that was founded on the work of Dr Haig. I just got a copy online and am looking forward to getting it. It's called:
The Apsley Cookery Book: Containing 448 Recipes For The Uric-Acid-Free-Diet (1905)
My big challenge is in how to become a non-legume-eating vegetarian that is unfortunately allergic to dairy. My motivation has never been bigger though. The risk reward seems to be in my favor for sure. Then again, I may well become a vegetarian and then develop some other issues instead and in addition to all of this, finding out that it's super dangerous just as I did three years too late regarding the low carb diet, but I still think this is my best bet. I'm frankly out of other ideas. My CP sure isn't improving one bit.
Interestingly though, Dr Haig's conclusions go hand in hand with Buteyko's research results, that animal meats are not healthy and that being a vegetarian/vegan is best. Also, they agree that over-eating and over drinking is not good. Especially not In the long run. I think most of us actually under-eat though and a temporary overeating like RRARF may be very important in healing an impaired metabolism. Haig points out that it's dangerous to under-eat too though.
I don't know why everyone doesn't get uric acid poisoning though? But as seen in my previous post, it may have something to do with a weakness of the kidneys. It seems to me that most people eat pretty heavy animal meat based diets. Also, the traditional people Wetson A Price studied all ate lots of meat apparently. At least the majority of the groups. I think it's probably due to people like me having weak kidneys or the fact that we all have such low CPs today? Then again by the turn of the century most people had at least a CP of 40 seconds, and clearly they suffered from uric acid poisoning back then too.
The riddle is far from solved but I feel like I have a better clue now as to what direction to head in.
I'm just trying to dig myself out of this whole I've gotten into. I can now barely tolerate one drop of milk per day, but I will get there over time.
More research on Uric Acid and the Vegetarian Diet
I just came across another book from 1915 by a doctor who did some experiments on putting people on a low vs high purine diet. It's interesting to note that a healthy person does not get any problems with high uric acid from consuming a high purine diet. This would perhaps explain why many healthy people can eat meats including why the Eskimos and other traditional groups were able to. However, people with weak kidneys are not so lucky.
I know that when I went to a Buddhist monk in Santa Monica called Dr Wu for acupuncture and herbal treatments about 9 years ago, he said that he thought my kidneys were weak. I guess he was right. In the end he refused to continue working with me though cause I wasn't improving. He said he could not help me. That was after ten months of not paying bills due to the high medical costs of this acupuncture treatment. One of my very first failed treatmetns. I wish he'd told me back then to go vegetarian cause the it would have been easy for me since I could tolerate dairy then, and I was so much stronger than I am today.
"it is evident that in normal individuals it is possible to feed large amounts of purine-contain- ing food without increasing the uric acid content of the blood".
page 148 W. Denis "The Effect of Ingested Purines on the Uric Acid Content of the Blood", 1915
"As was to be expected the experiments presented in Table II show that in the case of individuals with impaired kidney function high purine feeding causes an increase in the uric acid content of the blood".
page 150 W. Denis "The Effect of Ingested Purines on the Uric Acid Content of the Blood", 1915
I know that when I went to a Buddhist monk in Santa Monica called Dr Wu for acupuncture and herbal treatments about 9 years ago, he said that he thought my kidneys were weak. I guess he was right. In the end he refused to continue working with me though cause I wasn't improving. He said he could not help me. That was after ten months of not paying bills due to the high medical costs of this acupuncture treatment. One of my very first failed treatmetns. I wish he'd told me back then to go vegetarian cause the it would have been easy for me since I could tolerate dairy then, and I was so much stronger than I am today.
"it is evident that in normal individuals it is possible to feed large amounts of purine-contain- ing food without increasing the uric acid content of the blood".
page 148 W. Denis "The Effect of Ingested Purines on the Uric Acid Content of the Blood", 1915
"As was to be expected the experiments presented in Table II show that in the case of individuals with impaired kidney function high purine feeding causes an increase in the uric acid content of the blood".
page 150 W. Denis "The Effect of Ingested Purines on the Uric Acid Content of the Blood", 1915
How I got Uric Acid Poisoning!
I found this online today regarding uric acid poisoning. No wonder I developed joint issues after being low carb. I HATE low carb diets! I repeat, it was the worst mistake I ever did. Now I'm in deep trouble and am struggling to get out of it....
"A ketogenic diet impairs the ability of the kidney to excrete uric acid, due to competition for transport between uric acid and ketones.[8]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperuricemia
I was always told that it's not dangerous to be ketogenic. Clearly that's not true. Unless you consider the use of your hands to be optional.
"A very low calorie diet without carbohydrate can induce extreme hyperuricemia (uric acid poisoning);"
The metabolic syndrome often presents with hyperuricemia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperuricemia
It seems to me that I've had issues with uric acid from an early age, however after the low carb diet these issues became so much worse.
Dr Haig also had something interesting to say about low carb diets:
"Now the effect of cutting off the carbohydrates from the diet is in many cases to prevent a more or less troublesome form of dyspepsia which is due to the imperfect digestion and eventual fermentation of starchy food in the stomach and intestines. And it is easy to show that anything that causes gastrointestinal dyspepsia must also bring about collaemia (uric acid in the blood) and further surcharge the blood with uric acid, producing high blood pressure, congestion of the liver and other troubles commonly associate with an attack of migraine. Here we see that the treatment advocated by dr Hare does no by any means act in the manner that he suggests, but owes its influence merely to the prevention of dyspepsia and of the collaemia which is secondary to this." page 433 "Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" Alexander Haig, 1892.
"…and most unfortunately of all for Dr Hare's explanation the bilious attack with high blood pressure, headache and cocoutitand congestion of the liver can be absolutely and completely cured by living on a uric-acid-free diet […]…without any alteration of the carbohydrates in the food." page 434 "Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" Alexander Haig, 1892.
"The cure produced, on the other hand, by Dr Hare's restriction of carbohydrates is of necessity merely a temporary one, for the blood is cleared of uric acid by the uric acid which he is pouring in (a pure meat diet has long been known to do all this) and this condition can only last for a short time and will do no permanent good, for in the end the collaemia, the biliousness, and the congestion of the liver will be worse than before, as the result of the increased introduction of uric acid. On the other hand, the cure produced by a uric-acid-free diet is permanent so long as the diet is continued." page 434 "Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" Alexander Haig, 1892.
"A ketogenic diet impairs the ability of the kidney to excrete uric acid, due to competition for transport between uric acid and ketones.[8]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperuricemia
I was always told that it's not dangerous to be ketogenic. Clearly that's not true. Unless you consider the use of your hands to be optional.
"A very low calorie diet without carbohydrate can induce extreme hyperuricemia (uric acid poisoning);"
The metabolic syndrome often presents with hyperuricemia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperuricemia
It seems to me that I've had issues with uric acid from an early age, however after the low carb diet these issues became so much worse.
Dr Haig also had something interesting to say about low carb diets:
"Now the effect of cutting off the carbohydrates from the diet is in many cases to prevent a more or less troublesome form of dyspepsia which is due to the imperfect digestion and eventual fermentation of starchy food in the stomach and intestines. And it is easy to show that anything that causes gastrointestinal dyspepsia must also bring about collaemia (uric acid in the blood) and further surcharge the blood with uric acid, producing high blood pressure, congestion of the liver and other troubles commonly associate with an attack of migraine. Here we see that the treatment advocated by dr Hare does no by any means act in the manner that he suggests, but owes its influence merely to the prevention of dyspepsia and of the collaemia which is secondary to this." page 433 "Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" Alexander Haig, 1892.
"…and most unfortunately of all for Dr Hare's explanation the bilious attack with high blood pressure, headache and cocoutitand congestion of the liver can be absolutely and completely cured by living on a uric-acid-free diet […]…without any alteration of the carbohydrates in the food." page 434 "Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" Alexander Haig, 1892.
"The cure produced, on the other hand, by Dr Hare's restriction of carbohydrates is of necessity merely a temporary one, for the blood is cleared of uric acid by the uric acid which he is pouring in (a pure meat diet has long been known to do all this) and this condition can only last for a short time and will do no permanent good, for in the end the collaemia, the biliousness, and the congestion of the liver will be worse than before, as the result of the increased introduction of uric acid. On the other hand, the cure produced by a uric-acid-free diet is permanent so long as the diet is continued." page 434 "Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" Alexander Haig, 1892.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Major Breakthrough
OK so, it's not all news to me that uric acid is an issue in my body and life. However, I've been reading more about it and the more I read the more amazed I become over the potential this may hold for me.
To my big surprise I have learned that there is a clear connection between migraine, depression, joint issues, uric acid and last but not least: menstrual cramps!!!!! This is pretty much what sums me up! I'm so excited about this!
Until yesterday I wasn't 100% sure that it was uric acid that was what was causing the problems with my joints. It was possibly not simple gout but potentially a matter of an inflammatory arthritis that had nothing to do with uric acid, or so I thought at least. Now that I know more and have had some additional personal experiences, my belief in uric acid being one of my main problems is stronger than ever.
I know from previous experience that when I fruit fast for a day I wake up the following morning able to bend the fingers on both hands. Seemingly temporarily cured overnight. However, I can't sustain myself on fruits only partly due to my hypoglycemia issues.
This Thanks Giving I had the opposite experience. I decided to be "nice" to myself and be less rigid in my rules, so I allowed for a higher intake of protein in the form of turkey. SO yummy. I also had cranberries (super acidic which I didn't know…) and even a cup of decaf coffee to really celebrate! (Coffee is a huge problem as far as uric acid goes).
The following two days I was unable to use either of my hands due to the joints being so stiff. The right hand was actually stiff the entire day, not just for a few hours in the morning. This of course led me to feel very depressed wondering what my life would look like if I can't use my hands? How will I go back to school? How will I ever support myself again? I was also facing the fact that I may have to give up the last and most hard earned of my health "achievements", the fact that I've stayed prescription drug free all these years, despite all my pain and other issues. I realized that I may have to get on heavy steroids and/or anti-inflammatory medication to cope and to minimize the permanent damage arthritis can otherwise cause my joint tissue.
The I went back to read this big monster book on uric acid that I got a hold of this summer but felt too overwhelmed to read until now. It's a 900 pages long medical book that was first published in 1892 called
"Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" by Alexander Haig, 1892.
LINK TO THE FREE ONLINE BOOK:
Thank you medical library for keeping a copy of this book! What may have been forgotten by modern medicine has been kept thanks to this library.
I had felt previously that medical science must have developed so much more since 1892 that I wondered "what could this volume possibly have as far as useful information"? But the more I read, the more I am taken with the work of this doctor. I have developed the outmost respect for Dr Haig who dedicated his entire career and life to the detailed study of uric acid. He was obsessed with it and he did the hard work and kept detailed journals. He was all about clinical analysis and I love that cause it saves me the job and it takes me out of the "shooting in the dark" place I otherwise am confined to. As limited as I assume he was at that time, he did have the tools necessary to study uric acid, such as litmus paper for example. He was also fully motivated because he began his research journey trying to cure his own migraines.
Today there are so many medical theories out there it's kind of hard to know where to put once focus and there are so many medications and issues within the body are treated separately today whereas Haig looked at many different symptoms and saw their interconnectedness.
As a typical example, I went to a migraine doctor about 20 years ago and got a prescription for my chronic migraines, but that doctor didn't ask me about menstrual cramps, depression or anything else, nor did she recommend any dietary changes or even mention the words "uric acid" etc. She may or may not have been aware of uric acid but I just got my prescription of beta blockers and went back to work - with the strange sensation of my heart beating slower that it ever had before due to the medication. I discontinued the use of it the following day more comfortable living with chronic migraine than a slow beating heart. One part of my problems was looked at individually. Then whenever I went to the gynecologist, this doctor likewise never asked me about migraines, depressions or muscle tensions, she just noted "dysmenorrhoea" (menstrual cramps) and gave me another prescription for a pain medication. Now, 27 years later after intensive daily studies for the last 12 years on my life, I find out that these symptoms are all interconnected and what connects them is: uric acid.
From my perspective, I have had to live with both symptoms. For me they were never separated. What's more, my migraines had started a few weeks after I got my first period. (It was an event I will never forget. The first attack being the worst I'd ever experience in severity and length lasting three days and nights nonstop. I was totally confused, barely able to speak and not understanding what was happening to me. I knew something was strange cause I was allowed, this one time in my life, to sleep alone in my parents bedroom without them there. To this day I don't know where they slept?)
The timing of the onset was always an important clue to me and one I was never before satisfied with the explanations doctors and others gave me. The doctors all just said 'it's hormonal". Of course there is likely truth to that explanation, but why then didn't every little girl I knew also get chronic migraine when their menses started? I was met with the same explanation regarding my period cramps, "it's hormonal". Again I wondered why were not all my girlfriends crying and moaning with agony in bed and throwing up and/or having a severe diarrhea due to the digestive upsets the first day of their periods each month?
Also, why have I heard so many women with endometriosis complain about their terrible migraines, and severe digestive problems that always follow their cycles. Why is it that I myself every month, no matter what I do, always, always get an intense migraine attack the day after the onset of my period?
With all that in mind, you might imagine my amazement as I stumbled upon this strong connection between my menstrual cramps, migraines and uric acid, and Dr Haig even explains why the onset of migraine often comes with the onset of menses.
I'm actually in awe and I'm chocked. For 27 long years of wondering, of feeling the painful symptoms, of guessing, of theorizing, thinking perhaps my onset of migraines and menses together had something to do with moving at that age, or of other emotionally stressful events at that time causing psychosomatic symptoms, and now I see the writings of this doctor explaining the connection to me in a way that has never felt more correct nor obvious. He knew it 100 years before me. I learn it now.
So, after my long hype up, have a look at this (all quotes in this blog post refers to the above linked to book by Dr Haig):
"menstruation lowers acidity and produces collaemia (uric acid in the blood) and a plus excretion of uric acid." page 695
That right there sums it all up. Below is the longer explanation though:
"The relation of headache to menstruation is clear, for menstruation is almost always a cause of some little disturbance of function, which often specially affects the digestive organs, so that food is taken badly or badly digested and exercise is generally deficient.
Several of these causes combined produce some failure of nutrition, with a fall of urea and a corresponding fall of acidity, and this is the signal for any retained uric acid to be got into solution and flood the blood. Menstruation is thus commonly accompanied by a lowered acidity, plus excretion of uric acid, and the effects of its excess in the blood, and mental depression, and if there is much uric acid in reserve more or less severe headache…may occur."
page 246
That indirectly explains why uric acid may be too high before menses but no migraines may be present. When menses occur, alkalinity follows and collaemia then happens perhaps for the first time in a person's life, and a migraine will follow.
The reason I believe this over the medical doctors and over the natural healers who told me it was due to a weakness of the liver, or candida or psychosomatic issues is because the herbs or acupuncture or 15 years in therapy never helped, and the prescription drugs never solved the issue. This on the other hand I can feel it working, and fast too. Last month I happened to eat only egg whites for protein the week right before my menses. I know this cause I kept a careful food journal in an attempt to figure out what foods effect my joints. To my surprise my period cramps were the best they have been in my entire life (without medication). I though it was confusing and that perhaps I had just been more psychologically resilient to the pain experience this month. But the uric acid connection makes a lot more logical sense.
My uric acid symptoms are immediately measurable: when I eat only fruits, my joints heal overnight, when I eat lots of turkey I loose the function of both hands overnight, when I don't eat animal protein with a meal, I get a migraine, when I get my period, always accompanied with dysmehorrhoea and digestive upsets, I also get a migraine, when I eat strictly egg whites the week before my period, the cramps are better than ever. In short, my body responds to these old theories. The theories also make sense to me and I am offered a fairly simple and very natural solution, a direction to help cure me of many of my ills: that of becoming a vegetarian. Easier said than done of curse, cause nothing is ever going to be easy, but I'm determined to succeed and I feel that I've got nothing to loose. It's just going to be tricky trying to do it without milk products. I also wish that I wasn't trying to do this alone, but I am. I'll have to be careful though:
"The fall of urea...was due to making milk my only animal food without due care in replacing the nitrogen thus dropped, and experiment I advice no one to repeat." page 31
And I'll have to take it slow:
"The fist thing to be done is to improve digestion, to increase appetite and feed upon, to diminish the anaemia with tonics, as iodide and iron….anything and everything that will improve appetite, digestion, nutrition and the blood condition." page 783
And I must remember the fundamentals of RRARF and be sure to continue to eat a lot:
"It must be remembered that chronic under-feeding and deficiency of food may lead to collapse and heart failure." page 204
"Such heart failure is specially likely to be met with in those who under feed on first changing diet, for here there is acertain to be more or less collaemia, which throws additional strain on the heart." page 204
Interestingly enough, I would have never learned this about uric acid had I not developed this severe joint issues. Again, I have to thank my body for communicating with me and pushing me further than I ever would have dreamed of going on my own, and where sadly no doctors go anymore.
The topic of uric acid is so vast, interesting and important I will explain my current understanding of it in a couple of separate blog post to avoid making this one too long. It's already my longest blog post, I think.
To my big surprise I have learned that there is a clear connection between migraine, depression, joint issues, uric acid and last but not least: menstrual cramps!!!!! This is pretty much what sums me up! I'm so excited about this!
Until yesterday I wasn't 100% sure that it was uric acid that was what was causing the problems with my joints. It was possibly not simple gout but potentially a matter of an inflammatory arthritis that had nothing to do with uric acid, or so I thought at least. Now that I know more and have had some additional personal experiences, my belief in uric acid being one of my main problems is stronger than ever.
I know from previous experience that when I fruit fast for a day I wake up the following morning able to bend the fingers on both hands. Seemingly temporarily cured overnight. However, I can't sustain myself on fruits only partly due to my hypoglycemia issues.
This Thanks Giving I had the opposite experience. I decided to be "nice" to myself and be less rigid in my rules, so I allowed for a higher intake of protein in the form of turkey. SO yummy. I also had cranberries (super acidic which I didn't know…) and even a cup of decaf coffee to really celebrate! (Coffee is a huge problem as far as uric acid goes).
The following two days I was unable to use either of my hands due to the joints being so stiff. The right hand was actually stiff the entire day, not just for a few hours in the morning. This of course led me to feel very depressed wondering what my life would look like if I can't use my hands? How will I go back to school? How will I ever support myself again? I was also facing the fact that I may have to give up the last and most hard earned of my health "achievements", the fact that I've stayed prescription drug free all these years, despite all my pain and other issues. I realized that I may have to get on heavy steroids and/or anti-inflammatory medication to cope and to minimize the permanent damage arthritis can otherwise cause my joint tissue.
The I went back to read this big monster book on uric acid that I got a hold of this summer but felt too overwhelmed to read until now. It's a 900 pages long medical book that was first published in 1892 called
"Uric Acid as a factor in the Causation of Disease" by Alexander Haig, 1892.
LINK TO THE FREE ONLINE BOOK:
Thank you medical library for keeping a copy of this book! What may have been forgotten by modern medicine has been kept thanks to this library.
I had felt previously that medical science must have developed so much more since 1892 that I wondered "what could this volume possibly have as far as useful information"? But the more I read, the more I am taken with the work of this doctor. I have developed the outmost respect for Dr Haig who dedicated his entire career and life to the detailed study of uric acid. He was obsessed with it and he did the hard work and kept detailed journals. He was all about clinical analysis and I love that cause it saves me the job and it takes me out of the "shooting in the dark" place I otherwise am confined to. As limited as I assume he was at that time, he did have the tools necessary to study uric acid, such as litmus paper for example. He was also fully motivated because he began his research journey trying to cure his own migraines.
Today there are so many medical theories out there it's kind of hard to know where to put once focus and there are so many medications and issues within the body are treated separately today whereas Haig looked at many different symptoms and saw their interconnectedness.
As a typical example, I went to a migraine doctor about 20 years ago and got a prescription for my chronic migraines, but that doctor didn't ask me about menstrual cramps, depression or anything else, nor did she recommend any dietary changes or even mention the words "uric acid" etc. She may or may not have been aware of uric acid but I just got my prescription of beta blockers and went back to work - with the strange sensation of my heart beating slower that it ever had before due to the medication. I discontinued the use of it the following day more comfortable living with chronic migraine than a slow beating heart. One part of my problems was looked at individually. Then whenever I went to the gynecologist, this doctor likewise never asked me about migraines, depressions or muscle tensions, she just noted "dysmenorrhoea" (menstrual cramps) and gave me another prescription for a pain medication. Now, 27 years later after intensive daily studies for the last 12 years on my life, I find out that these symptoms are all interconnected and what connects them is: uric acid.
From my perspective, I have had to live with both symptoms. For me they were never separated. What's more, my migraines had started a few weeks after I got my first period. (It was an event I will never forget. The first attack being the worst I'd ever experience in severity and length lasting three days and nights nonstop. I was totally confused, barely able to speak and not understanding what was happening to me. I knew something was strange cause I was allowed, this one time in my life, to sleep alone in my parents bedroom without them there. To this day I don't know where they slept?)
The timing of the onset was always an important clue to me and one I was never before satisfied with the explanations doctors and others gave me. The doctors all just said 'it's hormonal". Of course there is likely truth to that explanation, but why then didn't every little girl I knew also get chronic migraine when their menses started? I was met with the same explanation regarding my period cramps, "it's hormonal". Again I wondered why were not all my girlfriends crying and moaning with agony in bed and throwing up and/or having a severe diarrhea due to the digestive upsets the first day of their periods each month?
Also, why have I heard so many women with endometriosis complain about their terrible migraines, and severe digestive problems that always follow their cycles. Why is it that I myself every month, no matter what I do, always, always get an intense migraine attack the day after the onset of my period?
With all that in mind, you might imagine my amazement as I stumbled upon this strong connection between my menstrual cramps, migraines and uric acid, and Dr Haig even explains why the onset of migraine often comes with the onset of menses.
I'm actually in awe and I'm chocked. For 27 long years of wondering, of feeling the painful symptoms, of guessing, of theorizing, thinking perhaps my onset of migraines and menses together had something to do with moving at that age, or of other emotionally stressful events at that time causing psychosomatic symptoms, and now I see the writings of this doctor explaining the connection to me in a way that has never felt more correct nor obvious. He knew it 100 years before me. I learn it now.
So, after my long hype up, have a look at this (all quotes in this blog post refers to the above linked to book by Dr Haig):
"menstruation lowers acidity and produces collaemia (uric acid in the blood) and a plus excretion of uric acid." page 695
That right there sums it all up. Below is the longer explanation though:
"The relation of headache to menstruation is clear, for menstruation is almost always a cause of some little disturbance of function, which often specially affects the digestive organs, so that food is taken badly or badly digested and exercise is generally deficient.
Several of these causes combined produce some failure of nutrition, with a fall of urea and a corresponding fall of acidity, and this is the signal for any retained uric acid to be got into solution and flood the blood. Menstruation is thus commonly accompanied by a lowered acidity, plus excretion of uric acid, and the effects of its excess in the blood, and mental depression, and if there is much uric acid in reserve more or less severe headache…may occur."
page 246
That indirectly explains why uric acid may be too high before menses but no migraines may be present. When menses occur, alkalinity follows and collaemia then happens perhaps for the first time in a person's life, and a migraine will follow.
The reason I believe this over the medical doctors and over the natural healers who told me it was due to a weakness of the liver, or candida or psychosomatic issues is because the herbs or acupuncture or 15 years in therapy never helped, and the prescription drugs never solved the issue. This on the other hand I can feel it working, and fast too. Last month I happened to eat only egg whites for protein the week right before my menses. I know this cause I kept a careful food journal in an attempt to figure out what foods effect my joints. To my surprise my period cramps were the best they have been in my entire life (without medication). I though it was confusing and that perhaps I had just been more psychologically resilient to the pain experience this month. But the uric acid connection makes a lot more logical sense.
My uric acid symptoms are immediately measurable: when I eat only fruits, my joints heal overnight, when I eat lots of turkey I loose the function of both hands overnight, when I don't eat animal protein with a meal, I get a migraine, when I get my period, always accompanied with dysmehorrhoea and digestive upsets, I also get a migraine, when I eat strictly egg whites the week before my period, the cramps are better than ever. In short, my body responds to these old theories. The theories also make sense to me and I am offered a fairly simple and very natural solution, a direction to help cure me of many of my ills: that of becoming a vegetarian. Easier said than done of curse, cause nothing is ever going to be easy, but I'm determined to succeed and I feel that I've got nothing to loose. It's just going to be tricky trying to do it without milk products. I also wish that I wasn't trying to do this alone, but I am. I'll have to be careful though:
"The fall of urea...was due to making milk my only animal food without due care in replacing the nitrogen thus dropped, and experiment I advice no one to repeat." page 31
And I'll have to take it slow:
"The fist thing to be done is to improve digestion, to increase appetite and feed upon, to diminish the anaemia with tonics, as iodide and iron….anything and everything that will improve appetite, digestion, nutrition and the blood condition." page 783
And I must remember the fundamentals of RRARF and be sure to continue to eat a lot:
"It must be remembered that chronic under-feeding and deficiency of food may lead to collapse and heart failure." page 204
"Such heart failure is specially likely to be met with in those who under feed on first changing diet, for here there is acertain to be more or less collaemia, which throws additional strain on the heart." page 204
Interestingly enough, I would have never learned this about uric acid had I not developed this severe joint issues. Again, I have to thank my body for communicating with me and pushing me further than I ever would have dreamed of going on my own, and where sadly no doctors go anymore.
The topic of uric acid is so vast, interesting and important I will explain my current understanding of it in a couple of separate blog post to avoid making this one too long. It's already my longest blog post, I think.
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