Elizabeth Berg (one of my favorite fiction authors) wrote a book titled "The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted". It's a collection of short stories, one of them about a woman who decided one day to just eat anything and everything she wanted in one day and the freedom she felt. I guess this post should be titled "The Fall I Ate Anything and Everything I Wanted". Because that pretty much sums up what I've been doing.
I did not consciously fall off of the auto immune Paleo diet. I just started slipping. I was going fairly strong in August and the first part of September. Then fall started settling in and I started to crave fall comfort food. So it became a "just this once" mentality and then back on the protocol. And then it seemed like an endless stream of various events and parties that served only food I wasn't eating and my mantra became "well if you can't beat them, join them". It was still smaller things at first (which honestly are big things if looked at from a healing point of view). A couple pieces of candy that was purchased for Trick or Treaters at Halloween. Some questionable restaurant food that I didn't even bother to ask the ingredients because I figured what I didn't know wouldn't hurt me (also known as denial). I stopped drinking bone broth because I honestly just didn't want it anymore. The kale that I planted in our garden was flourishing, but every time I cut some off to fix it seemed to grow bigger. I couldn't seem to keep up with it. And I honestly just couldn't eat anymore kale. I'm ashamed to say the first frost came and killed off the rest of the plant. Yes, I wasted and killed a perfectly good kale plant. There are AIP eaters out there that will groan at this because organic kale is not cheap at the store. And I had it for free.
Then Thanksgiving came and we had three separate dinners, which included sampling everything because I had to make sure everything was edible, of course. This week-end was my granddaughter's birthday party and we had an early Christmas gathering for our kids/grandkids, which included things I have not eaten for almost a year. Things like pizza, rich dips, cheesy potatoes and several kinds of baked goods. I also drank pop. Real pop that was loaded with sugar to go with the baked goods
So that's it. It's now December 8th. It would be so easy to just stay in this "whatever" mode until the first of the year. Because after all it's the holidays. I have homemade turtles and toffee to make to give away. There are going to be so many goodies to eat in the next few weeks. Including two family Christmas Eve gatherings (we are talking some awesome food served at both including my sister in law's amazing enchiladas). And doesn't everyone start fresh on New Years anyway?
But, the truth is I can't wait until the holidays are over. And this last New Year is when I resolved to begin healing my body using food as medicine. I made through more than half the year (with the exception of the frozen custard episode) before starting the slow decline into my old eating habits. There is just no point in beating myself up now. My body is doing that for me anyway. I have gained about 8-10 lbs. My joints feels stiff and achy, I have bouts of acid reflux and my brain fog is in full force. Working out is a huge effort, not a part of my routine anymore. And my digestive system is not at all happy that I have, once again, chosen to torture myself. I feel bloated and sick and I am not sleeping well at night.
So I am wrapping my mind around getting back on track. And this is truly a mental thing. Mentally seeing myself healing through food is what got me through the first tough months of this protocol. And it's what is going to get me back. If there was any doubt that food was causing at least some of my issues, it's no longer a question. My body is almost begging me to get back on track. And yes, I'm not looking forward to going through the detox phase again. Getting the sugar, gluten and Lord knows what else out of my system. But, hopefully, it will remind me that I don't need to go through detox ever again if I just don't ingest things that my body needs to miserably be weaned from.
Once again. Here we go.
Monday, December 8, 2014
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Seven Months - Still Going
OK, so it's been over seven months now. Still on meds, still eating AIP, etc. Feeling way better, both physically and mentally. Not much more weight loss - which seems a little odd for me. Compared to the way I used to eat, I thought I would be losing weight like crazy. But my body does not seem to know what to do with this new way of eating. I did go back to the gym just last week. So maybe now with working out I will see some changes. Granted, again, this whole thing is not about weight loss but about healing. But still.
And I now have a cheat to confess. I had ice cream. Correction - not just ice cream. I had full blown frozen custard. And not just any custard. But the "World's Greatest Custard" in the Detroit, MI area while visiting my step daughter and our granddaughter. I had told my husband that I wanted ice cream sometime this summer. Just once. And I was going to have it. So I chose this awesome, rich, creamy frozen custard. And it was to die for. I savored every bite. And felt sick later. But I have to say - it was totally worth it. And happy to say I feel no craving or desire to do it again. And no desire to fall off the wagon as a result. And I'm very grateful for that.
Still not focusing as well as I should on getting the greens and nutrition that I should be getting. But the Farmer's Market is open, our garden is blooming and I'm looking forward to lots of home grown veggies in the next few weeks. I want my August post to say that I'm actually filled to the brim with lots and lots of veggies.
It is honestly not as hard to deal with parties, weddings, and restaurants as you think it would be eating this way. Meat, chicken, fish and veggies, fruits are more commonly served than you think. Skipping the breads, salad dressings, desserts and pasta has become easier and easier. Your brain just kind of goes there. It's not a matter of moderation. It's just a simple no thanks.
Five more months to make it a year. Unless the custard incident sets me back to square one. In which case I have eleven and a half more months to make it a year. But I think I will take the one cheat and not let it negate the rest of these seven months. I will be happy with one year and one cheat! :)
And I now have a cheat to confess. I had ice cream. Correction - not just ice cream. I had full blown frozen custard. And not just any custard. But the "World's Greatest Custard" in the Detroit, MI area while visiting my step daughter and our granddaughter. I had told my husband that I wanted ice cream sometime this summer. Just once. And I was going to have it. So I chose this awesome, rich, creamy frozen custard. And it was to die for. I savored every bite. And felt sick later. But I have to say - it was totally worth it. And happy to say I feel no craving or desire to do it again. And no desire to fall off the wagon as a result. And I'm very grateful for that.
Still not focusing as well as I should on getting the greens and nutrition that I should be getting. But the Farmer's Market is open, our garden is blooming and I'm looking forward to lots of home grown veggies in the next few weeks. I want my August post to say that I'm actually filled to the brim with lots and lots of veggies.
It is honestly not as hard to deal with parties, weddings, and restaurants as you think it would be eating this way. Meat, chicken, fish and veggies, fruits are more commonly served than you think. Skipping the breads, salad dressings, desserts and pasta has become easier and easier. Your brain just kind of goes there. It's not a matter of moderation. It's just a simple no thanks.
Five more months to make it a year. Unless the custard incident sets me back to square one. In which case I have eleven and a half more months to make it a year. But I think I will take the one cheat and not let it negate the rest of these seven months. I will be happy with one year and one cheat! :)
Monday, May 26, 2014
Five Months.....
So here I am at the five month mark. Back on meds right now and ok with that. Flares have lessened considerably, I have had only two since getting back on meds. But they were huge flares that lasted for over a week with every day just as intense as the other, which is very unusual. But I'm still celebrating that there were only two!
Still eating with the AIP restrictions, but falling behind on the "added nutrients" that is really important with AIP. I'm not juicing regularly or drinking as much bone broth as I was in the beginning. I did make some killer broth with chicken feet that I bought at the local Famer's Market, but I ended up freezing most of it for "later". In my defense, winter is officially over and it's been a typical Midwest late spring. Which means it's already summer here. It's amazing how quickly we forget those below zero temperatures and how hard it was to keep warm just a couple of months ago! We had our typical cold early Spring and then a few really nice days (and I mean very few). And now we are hitting the 80's with some sticky humidity thrown in and people already have their air conditioners running. Today was one of those days where I broke into a sweat just making the bed. But our central a/c unit died this week. We are acclimating until we get it fixed, but you can understand why drinking hot broth is just not appealing right now.
I have no excuse for not juicing other than just pure laziness. The same for not taking vitamins. It's not even the fact that I'm out of vitamins and haven't had a chance to get more (which means buying on line). I have vitamins in the fridge, it's just been a matter of getting off the recliner and walking about 20 feet into the kitchen and getting them and swallowing them.
But mostly it's just forgetting. I got out of the habit, so I need to get back in the habit of taking them every day. And juicing and warming up some broth while it's still cool in the morning. And making sure I'm eating several cups of greens every day. I think for just a few weeks, I just wanted to focus on something other than my health. That's sounds crazy, but it sometimes feels like a never ending, tedious effort (which it is). And I just wanted a break from it for a little while. I was still eating mostly AIP compliant food (with one cheat that I will confess in this post), because I'm in the habit now of turning down gluten, sugar, dairy, etc. But, I just didn't have the energy/gumption/ambition - whatever you want to call it - to add a lot of nutritionally dense food to my every day eating. I just didn't want to deal with it. For just a short time.
But I am working my way up to full compliance once again. Because it's such a necessary part of eating this way. My most recent blood tests shows that my hemoglobin is slightly below normal, meaning my iron is low (which may explain my equally low ambition). And my creatnine levels and glomerular filtration rate which both have to do with kidneys were slightly abnormal. Nothing too earth shattering, but enough to make me realize again how seriously I need to take this. And how important nutrition is for us.
Here is my one cheat a few weeks ago. I had some baked beans left over from a family function this month. Beans are not allowed on AIP. Especially beans with brown sugar added. I ate about a cupful maybe a little more and they tasted DELICIOUS. I ate them stone cold, too. My stomach hurt later and I told myself that I've come too far to start falling off the wagon now. But they were really good. I passed on the potato salad, desserts, pop and other non-compliant food. But I had to have those beans for some reason!
Because of a flares, fear of flares, and just feeling tired, I haven't been exercising much. But today I took a good walk. And drank tons of water. And I took a beef heart out of the freezer to cook all day in the crockpot tomorrow to try a new recipe. The Farmer's Market is up and running and we will be buying more and more fresh veggies. And our own garden is planted and growing (thanks to my husband's hard work). Onward and upward.
I will start sharing more recipes, too, in my 6 month post. Those I've tried and liked a few that I wasn't crazy about but I'll share anyway. Because it may just all be a matter of taste. :)
Still eating with the AIP restrictions, but falling behind on the "added nutrients" that is really important with AIP. I'm not juicing regularly or drinking as much bone broth as I was in the beginning. I did make some killer broth with chicken feet that I bought at the local Famer's Market, but I ended up freezing most of it for "later". In my defense, winter is officially over and it's been a typical Midwest late spring. Which means it's already summer here. It's amazing how quickly we forget those below zero temperatures and how hard it was to keep warm just a couple of months ago! We had our typical cold early Spring and then a few really nice days (and I mean very few). And now we are hitting the 80's with some sticky humidity thrown in and people already have their air conditioners running. Today was one of those days where I broke into a sweat just making the bed. But our central a/c unit died this week. We are acclimating until we get it fixed, but you can understand why drinking hot broth is just not appealing right now.
I have no excuse for not juicing other than just pure laziness. The same for not taking vitamins. It's not even the fact that I'm out of vitamins and haven't had a chance to get more (which means buying on line). I have vitamins in the fridge, it's just been a matter of getting off the recliner and walking about 20 feet into the kitchen and getting them and swallowing them.
But mostly it's just forgetting. I got out of the habit, so I need to get back in the habit of taking them every day. And juicing and warming up some broth while it's still cool in the morning. And making sure I'm eating several cups of greens every day. I think for just a few weeks, I just wanted to focus on something other than my health. That's sounds crazy, but it sometimes feels like a never ending, tedious effort (which it is). And I just wanted a break from it for a little while. I was still eating mostly AIP compliant food (with one cheat that I will confess in this post), because I'm in the habit now of turning down gluten, sugar, dairy, etc. But, I just didn't have the energy/gumption/ambition - whatever you want to call it - to add a lot of nutritionally dense food to my every day eating. I just didn't want to deal with it. For just a short time.
But I am working my way up to full compliance once again. Because it's such a necessary part of eating this way. My most recent blood tests shows that my hemoglobin is slightly below normal, meaning my iron is low (which may explain my equally low ambition). And my creatnine levels and glomerular filtration rate which both have to do with kidneys were slightly abnormal. Nothing too earth shattering, but enough to make me realize again how seriously I need to take this. And how important nutrition is for us.
Here is my one cheat a few weeks ago. I had some baked beans left over from a family function this month. Beans are not allowed on AIP. Especially beans with brown sugar added. I ate about a cupful maybe a little more and they tasted DELICIOUS. I ate them stone cold, too. My stomach hurt later and I told myself that I've come too far to start falling off the wagon now. But they were really good. I passed on the potato salad, desserts, pop and other non-compliant food. But I had to have those beans for some reason!
Because of a flares, fear of flares, and just feeling tired, I haven't been exercising much. But today I took a good walk. And drank tons of water. And I took a beef heart out of the freezer to cook all day in the crockpot tomorrow to try a new recipe. The Farmer's Market is up and running and we will be buying more and more fresh veggies. And our own garden is planted and growing (thanks to my husband's hard work). Onward and upward.
I will start sharing more recipes, too, in my 6 month post. Those I've tried and liked a few that I wasn't crazy about but I'll share anyway. Because it may just all be a matter of taste. :)
Saturday, April 12, 2014
100 Days and Spring is Here
I hit the 100 day mark on this way of eating. Still not seeing dramatic changes, but I'm committed just the same. I'm holding on to the fact that cells can take 6 months or more to change. And I'm holding on to the testimonies from many, many people that have healed themselves this way.
Flares are still coming without much warning and at random times in random places. The other day, for example, I was typing my wrist/hand just kind of blew up.
It reminds me of the exaggerated lumps on the cartoons when someone would get hit with a sledgehammer. And the pain is pretty close to what I imagine a sledgehammer hit would feel. :)
Oddly enough, it's getting harder rather than easier to eat this way. I'm not sure why. But turning back now is not really an option. Mostly because it's been 100 days and seriously, who does that? If I was going to quit, I would have quit that first few weeks when it started getting hard. Or on Valentines Day when I wanted candy and lots of it. Or on those really bad flare days when it seemed like what was the use, why not just eat a cinnamon roll?
The closest I came to actually falling off the wagon was a couple of weeks ago when I had the flu. And it lasted over a week. Nothing healthy sounded or tasted good to eat. At all. What I was craving was a doughnut one day, then pasta another day. Then I wanted pizza. And ice cream. It was bizarre. I was nauseous for days and still craving junk food. It was all I could do to not beg Tony to go to the bakery for me! Or order a pizza. I literally had to force myself to eat healthy, autoimmune protocol acceptable food.
Tony tried to help by buying me some gluten free bread and made me some toast. It helped a little. But what I really wanted was white Wonder bread with a boatload of butter. I'm ashamed to say that I actually put a piece of a donut that I bought for my granddaughter and let it sit in my mouth then spit it out. Who does that? I'm not just a glutton for food. I'm a glutton for punishment.
But I finally got over the weird flu and with it a new resolve to stick this out. Because I have to and because I realized I will not die if I never eat another donut again (and, believe me, it took some convincing to come to this realization). And maybe some day there will be an occasional indulgence. After healing takes place and then only very, very, occasionally.
But I want to be able to say I did everything "by the book" and I'm pretty proud of this 100 day mark! I honestly think pregnancy is about the only thing I've stuck with more than 100 days...
Flares are still coming without much warning and at random times in random places. The other day, for example, I was typing my wrist/hand just kind of blew up.
It reminds me of the exaggerated lumps on the cartoons when someone would get hit with a sledgehammer. And the pain is pretty close to what I imagine a sledgehammer hit would feel. :)
Oddly enough, it's getting harder rather than easier to eat this way. I'm not sure why. But turning back now is not really an option. Mostly because it's been 100 days and seriously, who does that? If I was going to quit, I would have quit that first few weeks when it started getting hard. Or on Valentines Day when I wanted candy and lots of it. Or on those really bad flare days when it seemed like what was the use, why not just eat a cinnamon roll?
The closest I came to actually falling off the wagon was a couple of weeks ago when I had the flu. And it lasted over a week. Nothing healthy sounded or tasted good to eat. At all. What I was craving was a doughnut one day, then pasta another day. Then I wanted pizza. And ice cream. It was bizarre. I was nauseous for days and still craving junk food. It was all I could do to not beg Tony to go to the bakery for me! Or order a pizza. I literally had to force myself to eat healthy, autoimmune protocol acceptable food.
Tony tried to help by buying me some gluten free bread and made me some toast. It helped a little. But what I really wanted was white Wonder bread with a boatload of butter. I'm ashamed to say that I actually put a piece of a donut that I bought for my granddaughter and let it sit in my mouth then spit it out. Who does that? I'm not just a glutton for food. I'm a glutton for punishment.
But I finally got over the weird flu and with it a new resolve to stick this out. Because I have to and because I realized I will not die if I never eat another donut again (and, believe me, it took some convincing to come to this realization). And maybe some day there will be an occasional indulgence. After healing takes place and then only very, very, occasionally.
But I want to be able to say I did everything "by the book" and I'm pretty proud of this 100 day mark! I honestly think pregnancy is about the only thing I've stuck with more than 100 days...
Monday, March 17, 2014
Keep Moving
The last few weeks have been very challenging and very sobering for me. And caused me to seek out some help and start digging for even more information than ever before on the subject of healing through food.
What happened is right about the time I completed my post on being 60 days compliant, my body went into a downward spiral of flaring. Horrible, painful flaring. Everyday seemed to get worse. It was like an all out war on my joints. My husband and I were at a complete loss as to why this was happening.
Nothing had changed in my diet. I had actually become stricter with what I was eating. For example, rice is non-AIP compliant, but some folks can eventually eat it with no problem. I had re-introduced rice in February, with no apparent side effects. But since I was still have a few flares, I decided to take it back out. The same with eggs (even organic hormone free). I decided to wait until I was "flare free" to reintroduce anymore of the "gray area" foods.
So we could not connect this change to anything I was eating. My stress level had not changed, I had been sleeping fine (two things that by themselves can cause flares). But I was suddenly in more pain than I have ever been. And there was no relief.
At this point, I was taking more than the recommended dose of Ibuprofen every day, which is not AIP compliant (it's very damaging to your gut). But if I was to function at all in life, I had no choice. I've always been annoyed by some of those commercials that show people taking one Ibuprofen for their "arthritis" and then go off to play tennis or go bike riding. I had to take three times the dosage just to get the edge off so I could get in and out of a chair. Tennis was definitely out of the question.
I had a regular appointment scheduled with my rheumatologist on March 10th and I was so looking forward to going in and bragging to her about how good I felt without meds, etc. I was even hoping that a follow up appointment would not be necessary. But, instead, I walked in there with stiff swollen joints and moving like I was 100 years old. She suggested, if I didn't want to go back on the biologic drugs (remember that I have tried Humira, Enbrel and Orencia so far with their lovely side effects) then she could prescribe a low dose of Sulfasalazine (an antibiotic drug used on RA patients with the theory that it can be caused by an underlying infection as well as leaky gut) or Hydroxychloroquine (a drug used for malaria patients but also used for RA or Lupus). The rheumatologist said it was my choice, but that she thought it was a good idea to take something until the flares were under control. She also reminded me that long term flaring can eventually cause damage to the joints, something I have been able to avoid so far.
Even with the pain I was having, I told her I would rather still try to get through this naturally. She was supportive and just told me to call or email her if I changed my mind.
That night was the worst flare I'd ever had. Every one of my fingers felt like I had jammed them, my wrists were swollen and painful and I could barely move my shoulders. My knees, hips and elbows were tender to the touch and the tops of my feet (I didn't even know joints were there) hurt like crazy. Taking a shower was almost comical, trying to figure out how to wash my hair when I could not lift my arms (because of the shoulder flares) or move my fingers. Getting in and out of bed was also interesting. You don't realize how you depend on your joints or take them for granted until it's painful to move them.
When I got up the next morning (after not sleeping well at all from the pain) I told Tony I could not go on like this. I couldn't figure out what was going on with my body, but I needed some relief. I believed I was on the right track with food, but I needed to be able to function, too. I emailed my rheumatologist and asked her for a prescription for the low dose of Sulfasalazine. Of the two she suggested, this one had the fewer side effects.
And then I cried because this was just not what I wanted, to be back on meds. Any meds. And then I got on Facebook to one of my closed groups of a community of others trying to heal with nutrition alone and asked if anyone else was having the same problem. Off of meds, feeling pretty good and then about a million steps backwards.
This is what I found out. Going off meds prior to healing was never a good idea. It takes several months for this nutritional protocol to reset your biology and begin the rebuilding process (molecule by molecule). And then your body must begin healing the damage that has already been done.
Here is what Eileen Laird (someone who has her RA under control through food) responded to me and to others who responded to my post:
"Hi everyone. I'm Phoenix Helix, the autoimmune blogger with RA and an intimate knowledge of pain. Please don't go off your pain medication without your doctor's advice. You're mistaken on Sarah's position on NSAIDs and the AIP
(note from Helen: this is in response to someone stating that The Paleo Mom forbids NSAIDS or Ibuprofen on the AIP protocol). I understand why you are because it's on her blog list as being forbidden, but that's for people who use it intermittently for mildly annoying pain, not people who are prescribed NSAIDs by their doctor to treat the severe pain of RA and other inflammatory AI diseases. Every medication for autoimmune disease, including immunosupressants, NSAIDs, steroids, digestive discomfort meds, etc., contribute to leaky gut, and Sarah details this in her book. That's why we all want to go off them, but as Helen experienced, it's a mistake to go off medication cold-turkey before healing has had a chance to take place. Terry Wahls, Paul Jaminet and Sarah Ballantyne all warn against this. Here's a quote from the Paleo Approach book: “Changing, tapering, or discontinuing your medication – especially if you are taking prescription drugs, but also any daily over-the-counter medication that your doctor may have recommended – should, without exception, be done under the supervision of a health care professional. I must also emphasize that changing your medication is not, in most cases, something to tackle when you initially adopt the Paleo Approach. By improving your diet and addressing lifestyle factors first, you will be able to heal your body as much as you can while you are still taking these drugs, which will significantly help you adjust to discontinuing them.
Helen Gonzales, what I think has happened is that your body is rebounding after having been on immunosuppressant medication. The AIP can take many months to achieve healing, and by removing your meds and supplements, you unintentionally set off an inflammatory cascade in your body. The pain flares have your stress hormones off the chart, and they cause leaky gut and exacerbate AI symptoms. Basically your pain is causing your more pain. Try not to be too disappointed that you need meds - it's not forever. You just need to give yourself time to heal, and it can be discouraging when you hear the overnight success stories and you're not one of them. But most people heal slowly over years, not over a couple of weeks. Needless to say, the advice I gave to XXXX in my first paragraph also applies to you. Don't stop relieving your pain. I firmly believe that excruciating pain is a far bigger roadblock to healing than the meds that relieve it. When the pain goes down, that's when it's time to start tapering your dose, not ahead of time. A good role is Terry Wahls, who continued taking her immunosuppressant medication for 6 months of seeing improvements before she started tapering her dose. As for her pain medication, she reduced it as her pain reduced, but still takes a small dose to manage the minor pain that remains. This is the woman who got out of a wheelchair! Taking the medication her body needed didn't interfere with that process. Wait until you no longer need them before attempting to go off your meds again, and next time, taper your dose. Cold turkey is never a good idea. "
Eileen's post made me feel so much better. I felt like less of a failure and instead got some fresh hope. I also downloaded Dr. Terry Wahls book on my Kindle. Dr. Wahls was in a very advanced stage of Multiple Sclerosis and turned to nutrition for healing. She went from being in a wheelchair to now being in remission. In her book "The Wahls Protocol" (which is very similar to AIP) she emphasizes many times to remain on your medications until you are seeing signs of complete healing and then try to wean off of them gradually. She even said "if you stop your treatment now, you could very likely have another relapse or worsen before you get better" discouraging you to go any further because you will think it's not working.
Since the meds I was taking were not being effective anyway, I just chose to stop them when I started AIP. I thought I knew best with my whole "Look at me, I'm med free!" boasting. Now I can see that the smart thing to do would have been to switch meds (to something that WAS working) until I could give my body time to heal.
So I started on the Sulfasalazine oral antibiotic drug last week. I also ordered a good multi-vitamin online (organic and additive free) and started taking them, too. My flares have already calmed down some. The drugs are supposed to take 6-12 weeks to have any effect, so I don't think it's from them, unless my body responds more quickly. Maybe the vitamins are helping or maybe God is just giving me a break for a time. I was even able to go for a walk today, although at a fairly slow pace. It's going to be awhile to get back to the point of doing 30 minute workouts on the elliptical a few days a week as I was doing last year. But I know I will get there again and hopefully even more.
This experience was very humbling for me. And a new awareness of how severe and devastating this disease is and not to be taken lightly. And I feel sad thinking that my dad and my brother were in this much pain for such a long time. I believe pain gives us a whole different perspective on life. And it can make us very bitter, or cause us to rise above it. I hope that I can choose to rise above it until it, hopefully, is gone for good.
I still believe that a nutritionally dense diet is a key to healing our bodies. And I'm confident I will eventually be able to taper off of these drugs. But, I won't let my pride keep me from seeking help anymore when it's needed.
Moving forward once again. Off to make a healthy juice from carrots, celery, ginger and an apple. :)
What happened is right about the time I completed my post on being 60 days compliant, my body went into a downward spiral of flaring. Horrible, painful flaring. Everyday seemed to get worse. It was like an all out war on my joints. My husband and I were at a complete loss as to why this was happening.
Nothing had changed in my diet. I had actually become stricter with what I was eating. For example, rice is non-AIP compliant, but some folks can eventually eat it with no problem. I had re-introduced rice in February, with no apparent side effects. But since I was still have a few flares, I decided to take it back out. The same with eggs (even organic hormone free). I decided to wait until I was "flare free" to reintroduce anymore of the "gray area" foods.
So we could not connect this change to anything I was eating. My stress level had not changed, I had been sleeping fine (two things that by themselves can cause flares). But I was suddenly in more pain than I have ever been. And there was no relief.
At this point, I was taking more than the recommended dose of Ibuprofen every day, which is not AIP compliant (it's very damaging to your gut). But if I was to function at all in life, I had no choice. I've always been annoyed by some of those commercials that show people taking one Ibuprofen for their "arthritis" and then go off to play tennis or go bike riding. I had to take three times the dosage just to get the edge off so I could get in and out of a chair. Tennis was definitely out of the question.
I had a regular appointment scheduled with my rheumatologist on March 10th and I was so looking forward to going in and bragging to her about how good I felt without meds, etc. I was even hoping that a follow up appointment would not be necessary. But, instead, I walked in there with stiff swollen joints and moving like I was 100 years old. She suggested, if I didn't want to go back on the biologic drugs (remember that I have tried Humira, Enbrel and Orencia so far with their lovely side effects) then she could prescribe a low dose of Sulfasalazine (an antibiotic drug used on RA patients with the theory that it can be caused by an underlying infection as well as leaky gut) or Hydroxychloroquine (a drug used for malaria patients but also used for RA or Lupus). The rheumatologist said it was my choice, but that she thought it was a good idea to take something until the flares were under control. She also reminded me that long term flaring can eventually cause damage to the joints, something I have been able to avoid so far.
Even with the pain I was having, I told her I would rather still try to get through this naturally. She was supportive and just told me to call or email her if I changed my mind.
That night was the worst flare I'd ever had. Every one of my fingers felt like I had jammed them, my wrists were swollen and painful and I could barely move my shoulders. My knees, hips and elbows were tender to the touch and the tops of my feet (I didn't even know joints were there) hurt like crazy. Taking a shower was almost comical, trying to figure out how to wash my hair when I could not lift my arms (because of the shoulder flares) or move my fingers. Getting in and out of bed was also interesting. You don't realize how you depend on your joints or take them for granted until it's painful to move them.
When I got up the next morning (after not sleeping well at all from the pain) I told Tony I could not go on like this. I couldn't figure out what was going on with my body, but I needed some relief. I believed I was on the right track with food, but I needed to be able to function, too. I emailed my rheumatologist and asked her for a prescription for the low dose of Sulfasalazine. Of the two she suggested, this one had the fewer side effects.
And then I cried because this was just not what I wanted, to be back on meds. Any meds. And then I got on Facebook to one of my closed groups of a community of others trying to heal with nutrition alone and asked if anyone else was having the same problem. Off of meds, feeling pretty good and then about a million steps backwards.
This is what I found out. Going off meds prior to healing was never a good idea. It takes several months for this nutritional protocol to reset your biology and begin the rebuilding process (molecule by molecule). And then your body must begin healing the damage that has already been done.
Here is what Eileen Laird (someone who has her RA under control through food) responded to me and to others who responded to my post:
"Hi everyone. I'm Phoenix Helix, the autoimmune blogger with RA and an intimate knowledge of pain. Please don't go off your pain medication without your doctor's advice. You're mistaken on Sarah's position on NSAIDs and the AIP
(note from Helen: this is in response to someone stating that The Paleo Mom forbids NSAIDS or Ibuprofen on the AIP protocol). I understand why you are because it's on her blog list as being forbidden, but that's for people who use it intermittently for mildly annoying pain, not people who are prescribed NSAIDs by their doctor to treat the severe pain of RA and other inflammatory AI diseases. Every medication for autoimmune disease, including immunosupressants, NSAIDs, steroids, digestive discomfort meds, etc., contribute to leaky gut, and Sarah details this in her book. That's why we all want to go off them, but as Helen experienced, it's a mistake to go off medication cold-turkey before healing has had a chance to take place. Terry Wahls, Paul Jaminet and Sarah Ballantyne all warn against this. Here's a quote from the Paleo Approach book: “Changing, tapering, or discontinuing your medication – especially if you are taking prescription drugs, but also any daily over-the-counter medication that your doctor may have recommended – should, without exception, be done under the supervision of a health care professional. I must also emphasize that changing your medication is not, in most cases, something to tackle when you initially adopt the Paleo Approach. By improving your diet and addressing lifestyle factors first, you will be able to heal your body as much as you can while you are still taking these drugs, which will significantly help you adjust to discontinuing them.
Helen Gonzales, what I think has happened is that your body is rebounding after having been on immunosuppressant medication. The AIP can take many months to achieve healing, and by removing your meds and supplements, you unintentionally set off an inflammatory cascade in your body. The pain flares have your stress hormones off the chart, and they cause leaky gut and exacerbate AI symptoms. Basically your pain is causing your more pain. Try not to be too disappointed that you need meds - it's not forever. You just need to give yourself time to heal, and it can be discouraging when you hear the overnight success stories and you're not one of them. But most people heal slowly over years, not over a couple of weeks. Needless to say, the advice I gave to XXXX in my first paragraph also applies to you. Don't stop relieving your pain. I firmly believe that excruciating pain is a far bigger roadblock to healing than the meds that relieve it. When the pain goes down, that's when it's time to start tapering your dose, not ahead of time. A good role is Terry Wahls, who continued taking her immunosuppressant medication for 6 months of seeing improvements before she started tapering her dose. As for her pain medication, she reduced it as her pain reduced, but still takes a small dose to manage the minor pain that remains. This is the woman who got out of a wheelchair! Taking the medication her body needed didn't interfere with that process. Wait until you no longer need them before attempting to go off your meds again, and next time, taper your dose. Cold turkey is never a good idea. "
Eileen's post made me feel so much better. I felt like less of a failure and instead got some fresh hope. I also downloaded Dr. Terry Wahls book on my Kindle. Dr. Wahls was in a very advanced stage of Multiple Sclerosis and turned to nutrition for healing. She went from being in a wheelchair to now being in remission. In her book "The Wahls Protocol" (which is very similar to AIP) she emphasizes many times to remain on your medications until you are seeing signs of complete healing and then try to wean off of them gradually. She even said "if you stop your treatment now, you could very likely have another relapse or worsen before you get better" discouraging you to go any further because you will think it's not working.
Since the meds I was taking were not being effective anyway, I just chose to stop them when I started AIP. I thought I knew best with my whole "Look at me, I'm med free!" boasting. Now I can see that the smart thing to do would have been to switch meds (to something that WAS working) until I could give my body time to heal.
So I started on the Sulfasalazine oral antibiotic drug last week. I also ordered a good multi-vitamin online (organic and additive free) and started taking them, too. My flares have already calmed down some. The drugs are supposed to take 6-12 weeks to have any effect, so I don't think it's from them, unless my body responds more quickly. Maybe the vitamins are helping or maybe God is just giving me a break for a time. I was even able to go for a walk today, although at a fairly slow pace. It's going to be awhile to get back to the point of doing 30 minute workouts on the elliptical a few days a week as I was doing last year. But I know I will get there again and hopefully even more.
This experience was very humbling for me. And a new awareness of how severe and devastating this disease is and not to be taken lightly. And I feel sad thinking that my dad and my brother were in this much pain for such a long time. I believe pain gives us a whole different perspective on life. And it can make us very bitter, or cause us to rise above it. I hope that I can choose to rise above it until it, hopefully, is gone for good.
I still believe that a nutritionally dense diet is a key to healing our bodies. And I'm confident I will eventually be able to taper off of these drugs. But, I won't let my pride keep me from seeking help anymore when it's needed.
Moving forward once again. Off to make a healthy juice from carrots, celery, ginger and an apple. :)
Saturday, March 1, 2014
60 Days Down
Today is March 1st. The month of March should bring thoughts of springtime. But in my neck of the woods - we are supposed to get yet another snowstorm! This has been the longest. winter. ever.
Today is also my 60 day milestone following the autoimmune paleo protocol.
I am proud of the fact that I have not fallen off the wagon so far. Sixty days of no dairy, no sugar, no gluten, no processed food, no pop, no bread, no junk food at all. No coffee! The only mistake I have made is by occasionally (and by accident sometimes) eaten a vegetable or fruit that was not organic. And last night we had steak and decided not to get the grass fed, since this was a leaner steak. I thought I would be ok since I've read that the grain the cows eat settles more in the fat. Apparently that's not all true. I won't go into details (thank me) but I will just say whatever they fed that cow did not digest well in me.
But here is my biggest fail over this last two months. While I was feeling better overall - no digestion problems AT ALL! (well until last night) my RA was still flaring. Painful frequent flares in my hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders. Any kind of wrong twist, or overuse of one of these joints caused a flare. And by overuse, I'm not talking about moving furniture or painting a house or anything like that. No, I would flare from something like carrying a bag of groceries from the car to the house. Or playing on the floor with my granddaughter. One time I flared from lifting a pitcher of water from the refrigerator!
I kept telling myself that everyone heals at different paces, but I was still getting frustrated that after almost 60 days I was still in this much pain. And after not cheating! After all, I might have been able to accept this delay of healing if I had gotten a doughnut or something out of it! So, Iwhined talked it over with my husband. I was to the point that I was almost ready to go back on some meds for at least a period of time, because I was flaring almost daily with no relief. I kept going over and over my diet, trying to figure out if something I had been eating was triggering this. But there seemed to be no connection to any particular thing. And I was trying to put some variety in my diet so I wasn't eating the same thing every day. But then it dawned on me that there were some things I was ingesting every day - my vitamins!
Here comes the epic fail, "how can I be so stupid?" DOH!!! moment that happened on Tuesday of this week. I pulled all of my vitamin bottles out of the fridge and started reading the ingredients again. Mind you, I bought many of these at a health food store and the others from the organic section of other stores. And I still read the labels carefully when I bought them (or so I thought) making sure there was no corn products, sugar, or soy products in them. I thought that I was on to the sneaky way some manufacturers label their products by calling these things different names. I had learned to read labels and avoid things like "maltodextrin" and "xanthan gum" (both corn based). I was actually getting a little smug thinking I was beating the manufacturers at their game with my vast knowledge.
But then I pulled out the complete list I have from "The Paleo Mom" book with all the different names of ingredients derived from corn or soy and compared them against the labels on my vitamins.
There was corn products in all of them. Every. Single. One. Terms I somehow missed in my "vast knowledge" (insert high roll here) like cellulose, ascorbic acid, citric acid, calcium stearate, glycerin, hydrolyzed vegetable protein. There was at least one ingredient in each of the supplements I was taking that was compromising my healing. And, although I bought many of these in "organic" sections, they did not have the organic seal on them. So heaven only knows where the corn came from that made these ingredients. I might as well have plucked a chemical soaked ear of corn from a Monsanto field and eaten it raw right there.
Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration. But needless to say, I tossed every one of those bottles of vitamins. I think a total of ten bottles of different supplements! And in case I started thinking that that tiny bit of corn product in a tiny capsule could not have possibly caused by body to flare I'm documenting right here - I have not had one flare since Tuesday. Four days. This cannot be a coincidence. And it helps to resolve more than ever to stick with what I'm doing. I can't let myself get frustrated over the "waste" of these 60 days when I may have been symptom free by now. It took me this long just to get used to eating this way. But I have so much more hope now!!
One interesting thing I'd like to point out. When I was taking the biological drugs for my RA, I ate corn all the time. Not just the local non-GMO farmers market corn either. I would buy it canned, frozen, or order it at a restaurant with no idea of it's origin. I also ate soy quite a bit - in soy sauce, Soy milk, tofu and many things containing MSG. I also ate regular store bought chicken, beef, pork, etc. In my opinion then, grass fed beef and free range chickens were for people we called "granolas". And while I always admired "granolas" and their convictions, I never felt the need to take things that extreme. Although my digestion was always a little "messed up" when I was taking RA drugs, there was never flares triggered by any of these things. And I always attributed the digestive issues to the drugs, not to the way I was eating.
But once I got off the drugs and once my "leaky gut" has started to heal, my body has gone crazy with "new" food sensitivities. I have done some research on this, too, and apparently many of these sensitivities were always there, they were just masked by my immune suppressant drugs. The pathogens were already in my system (through the leaky gut) and my body was attacking itself trying to get at these pathogens, thus the symptoms of RA. The drugs were just suppressing those cells that were trying to attack my body. Now that I'm no longer on the drugs to suppress the attacks, they are going on the attack to go after those foods I can't be eating. Which is why I'm still flaring when I eat them. The more my gut heals, the less and less any pathogens will "leak" into my system and the less and less my body will have anything to attack. Whew, I think I have that all right! Science has never been my strong subject, so I have to keep going back to read how this all works!
The question is - why not stay on the drugs while the gut heals so at least I would be symptom free during the healing process? While this actually might be a good decision for some people, I chose not to for several reasons. One being that the current immune suppressant injection I was on wasn't working. I was flaring anyway. And every time I took a shot, I felt like I was injecting poison into my body. I just felt "sick" all the time and the side effects of MS, cancer, respiratory diseases, etc. was getting too scary. The other reason for me was that I think I would have been too tempted to "occasionally" eat something off the protocol if I didn't have the major side effects when I did. And it would have taken so much longer to heal that way. My body has had almost 60 days to get used to no meds at all. I really want to keep it that way.
I am off all of my supplements right now until I can order some that do not have any "hidden" ingredients in them. One other change I'm making this next month is to purchase a good juicer and start drinking some organic juice every day. I currently use my NutriBullet, which I love. But it's better at making smoothies because you use all of the pulp. I've learned that your body has to digest the pulp, taking it longer to get to the actual nutrients of the veggies/fruits you are drinking. By juicing, the nutrients absorb into your body faster (as long as you don't eat right before or after you juice). Tony and I are researching juicers right now! :)
There is no doubt that buying organic and grass fed is expensive. And I am struggling with the feeling that I am being self indulgent and just all around "precious" with this way of eating. But I keep telling myself that I am investing into my health and my life and what better thing to invest in than those things?? And when my gut heals, I may be able to indulge a little and eat more straight Paleo which allows for some things that are not allowed on the autoimmune Paleo.
So there is my 60 day summary. Be back in 90 days for another update!
Today is also my 60 day milestone following the autoimmune paleo protocol.
I am proud of the fact that I have not fallen off the wagon so far. Sixty days of no dairy, no sugar, no gluten, no processed food, no pop, no bread, no junk food at all. No coffee! The only mistake I have made is by occasionally (and by accident sometimes) eaten a vegetable or fruit that was not organic. And last night we had steak and decided not to get the grass fed, since this was a leaner steak. I thought I would be ok since I've read that the grain the cows eat settles more in the fat. Apparently that's not all true. I won't go into details (thank me) but I will just say whatever they fed that cow did not digest well in me.
But here is my biggest fail over this last two months. While I was feeling better overall - no digestion problems AT ALL! (well until last night) my RA was still flaring. Painful frequent flares in my hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders. Any kind of wrong twist, or overuse of one of these joints caused a flare. And by overuse, I'm not talking about moving furniture or painting a house or anything like that. No, I would flare from something like carrying a bag of groceries from the car to the house. Or playing on the floor with my granddaughter. One time I flared from lifting a pitcher of water from the refrigerator!
I kept telling myself that everyone heals at different paces, but I was still getting frustrated that after almost 60 days I was still in this much pain. And after not cheating! After all, I might have been able to accept this delay of healing if I had gotten a doughnut or something out of it! So, I
Here comes the epic fail, "how can I be so stupid?" DOH!!! moment that happened on Tuesday of this week. I pulled all of my vitamin bottles out of the fridge and started reading the ingredients again. Mind you, I bought many of these at a health food store and the others from the organic section of other stores. And I still read the labels carefully when I bought them (or so I thought) making sure there was no corn products, sugar, or soy products in them. I thought that I was on to the sneaky way some manufacturers label their products by calling these things different names. I had learned to read labels and avoid things like "maltodextrin" and "xanthan gum" (both corn based). I was actually getting a little smug thinking I was beating the manufacturers at their game with my vast knowledge.
But then I pulled out the complete list I have from "The Paleo Mom" book with all the different names of ingredients derived from corn or soy and compared them against the labels on my vitamins.
There was corn products in all of them. Every. Single. One. Terms I somehow missed in my "vast knowledge" (insert high roll here) like cellulose, ascorbic acid, citric acid, calcium stearate, glycerin, hydrolyzed vegetable protein. There was at least one ingredient in each of the supplements I was taking that was compromising my healing. And, although I bought many of these in "organic" sections, they did not have the organic seal on them. So heaven only knows where the corn came from that made these ingredients. I might as well have plucked a chemical soaked ear of corn from a Monsanto field and eaten it raw right there.
Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration. But needless to say, I tossed every one of those bottles of vitamins. I think a total of ten bottles of different supplements! And in case I started thinking that that tiny bit of corn product in a tiny capsule could not have possibly caused by body to flare I'm documenting right here - I have not had one flare since Tuesday. Four days. This cannot be a coincidence. And it helps to resolve more than ever to stick with what I'm doing. I can't let myself get frustrated over the "waste" of these 60 days when I may have been symptom free by now. It took me this long just to get used to eating this way. But I have so much more hope now!!
One interesting thing I'd like to point out. When I was taking the biological drugs for my RA, I ate corn all the time. Not just the local non-GMO farmers market corn either. I would buy it canned, frozen, or order it at a restaurant with no idea of it's origin. I also ate soy quite a bit - in soy sauce, Soy milk, tofu and many things containing MSG. I also ate regular store bought chicken, beef, pork, etc. In my opinion then, grass fed beef and free range chickens were for people we called "granolas". And while I always admired "granolas" and their convictions, I never felt the need to take things that extreme. Although my digestion was always a little "messed up" when I was taking RA drugs, there was never flares triggered by any of these things. And I always attributed the digestive issues to the drugs, not to the way I was eating.
But once I got off the drugs and once my "leaky gut" has started to heal, my body has gone crazy with "new" food sensitivities. I have done some research on this, too, and apparently many of these sensitivities were always there, they were just masked by my immune suppressant drugs. The pathogens were already in my system (through the leaky gut) and my body was attacking itself trying to get at these pathogens, thus the symptoms of RA. The drugs were just suppressing those cells that were trying to attack my body. Now that I'm no longer on the drugs to suppress the attacks, they are going on the attack to go after those foods I can't be eating. Which is why I'm still flaring when I eat them. The more my gut heals, the less and less any pathogens will "leak" into my system and the less and less my body will have anything to attack. Whew, I think I have that all right! Science has never been my strong subject, so I have to keep going back to read how this all works!
The question is - why not stay on the drugs while the gut heals so at least I would be symptom free during the healing process? While this actually might be a good decision for some people, I chose not to for several reasons. One being that the current immune suppressant injection I was on wasn't working. I was flaring anyway. And every time I took a shot, I felt like I was injecting poison into my body. I just felt "sick" all the time and the side effects of MS, cancer, respiratory diseases, etc. was getting too scary. The other reason for me was that I think I would have been too tempted to "occasionally" eat something off the protocol if I didn't have the major side effects when I did. And it would have taken so much longer to heal that way. My body has had almost 60 days to get used to no meds at all. I really want to keep it that way.
I am off all of my supplements right now until I can order some that do not have any "hidden" ingredients in them. One other change I'm making this next month is to purchase a good juicer and start drinking some organic juice every day. I currently use my NutriBullet, which I love. But it's better at making smoothies because you use all of the pulp. I've learned that your body has to digest the pulp, taking it longer to get to the actual nutrients of the veggies/fruits you are drinking. By juicing, the nutrients absorb into your body faster (as long as you don't eat right before or after you juice). Tony and I are researching juicers right now! :)
There is no doubt that buying organic and grass fed is expensive. And I am struggling with the feeling that I am being self indulgent and just all around "precious" with this way of eating. But I keep telling myself that I am investing into my health and my life and what better thing to invest in than those things?? And when my gut heals, I may be able to indulge a little and eat more straight Paleo which allows for some things that are not allowed on the autoimmune Paleo.
So there is my 60 day summary. Be back in 90 days for another update!
Thursday, January 30, 2014
30 Day Milestone
Today marks 30 days following the Autoimmune Paleo protocol (AIP) way of eating. This feels like a very big milestone, since sticking with anything for 30 days has never been easy for me. I actually have the decision now to start implementing - very slowly - some foods back into my diet. One thing at a time. One week at a time. This does not mean I can now eat donuts or go back to McDonald's. But I'm going to start with an egg yolk this weekend and see if I have any reaction to it. This may seem like a small thing, but after going 30 days without eggs, the idea of eating one is pretty exciting!
At this 30 day mark, I can feel my taste buds changing, my cravings lessening. I'm doing some mental exercises to help me stay on course. I keep envisioning myself healthy and pain free. I keep trying to imagine my body absorbing all of the nutrients in the things I eat. I also tell myself that I "don't" eat some things rather than I "can't" eat them. I got this idea from another blogger and it really does make me feel more in control. More like a choice than a restriction. I also try not to watch food shows anymore, they just make me hungry. Or let myself dwell on all the foods I'm not eating. Tony and I used to love playing "you know what sounds really good right now?" followed by the most indulgent thing we could conjure up in our minds. I had to drop out of that game for now.
Until two days ago, I have been feeling good and the only inflammation I have had is in one elbow. And I'm not taking any RA meds anymore (by choice and with my doctors permission). But two days ago, I woke up with a shoulder flare that has lasted into today. I've been trying to trace it back to something I may have eaten. The only thing I've been having different this last week is drinking 100% orange juice. So I'm going to cut that out just in case. I also watched my 11 month old grand daughter one day and did a lot of crawling around and playing with her on the floor which may have triggered the flare. (I do have to say if that was the cause, it was still totally worth spending the day with her). She was sick that day, too, so it's possible my immune system is fighting a bug. Not to mention there has been a lot of coughing and sneezing going on down at the shelter where we volunteer. We are, after all, smack dab in the middle of flu season.
But it could just be that I'm still in the process of healing. Time, patience, and consistency.... I'm still choosing not to take any meds and still sticking to this protocol.
One of the things I've learned about healing naturally is that this usually involves adding supplements to your diet. Many people with autoimmune diseases are deficient in many vitamins. I have always had a hard time being consistent taking vitamins. There is no good reason for this, other than I usually just forgot to take them! So I bought one of those daily pill holders and put all my supplements for each day in them and find this helps me to remember. After reading various testimonies about what has worked for other people, here is what I'm taking right now: One multi-vitamin (try to get organic because some of the other brands put some additives in there that are not allowed on AIP); an additional 1,000 mg of Vitamin C; 400 mg of Slipper Elm; 500 mg of Niacinamide; 500 mg of L-Glutamine; 300 mg of Omega XL (a higher end fish oil); and a pill that contains 8 billion Acidophilus and Bifidus which is basically a pro biotic. I also added (just today) a joint support supplement that contains things like Holy Basil, Ginger, Green Tea, Chinese Skullcap and other weird herbs I had never heard of until lately.
I've never been a huge pill popper, so this all seems ridiculously excessive. But each one has its own benefits. And I wanted to kick start my healing this first few weeks with as many benefits as I can handle. And I seem to be handling all of them just fine. Plus Tony and I got a really good deal on most of these. We went to take advantage of a "buy one get one free" on vitamins at a local store. Come to find out some of them were mismarked. So, as was their store policy, we got ALL of them (about $25 worth) for free!
I promised to share some recipes here this time around. To make it even easier (well, for me) I'll share some really good sites that have both AIP and regular Paleo recipes.
The best information site so far has been one by "The Paleo Mom". Her real name is Sarah Ballantyne, she has a PhD in medical biophysics. Her own journey to heal herself of an autoimmune disease is very inspiring and she has done so much research on the subject. And she has some amazing recipes! Her new book The Paleo Approach was just released a couple of days ago. I'm getting ready to order it this week-end. You can also find her on The Paleo Mom Facebook Page and on her website just titled The Paleo Mom.
I have not actually made any of Sarah's recipes yet. Tony and I have been getting creative on our own with a lot of different stir-fry dishes that we make up as we go along. Lots of free range chicken, shrimp, grass fed beef and bison cooked in coconut oil with various greens and veggies. But I'm ready to try some of the recipes in Sarah's book and other sites that I've saved just to keep things interesting! Today I'm going to try some homemade crackers made with plantains, sea salt and olive oil!
My second favorite is a blog by Eileen Laird who was also diagnosed with RA and is on her own healing journey. I love her honesty and candidness. Eileen is clear that she is not a doctor nor a dietitian. But her own story was what convinced me to begin this way of life.
Another good site is by Mickey Prescott. Mickey is personal chef and a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. Her blog has a lot of good information and recipes as well. Mickey has a book out, also, but it's for download only and I struggle with e-books for some reason. I like having a book with paper pages to turn. I know. I'm weird. However, because I like her blog so much, I may have to download this one.
The last recommendation I'll make (for now) is a blog Danielle Walker. She wrote a book Against All Grain that I am also planning on ordering this week. Danielle is another successful story of healing through food.
Looking forward to blogging again at 60 days (unless something significant occurs before that)!
Disclaimer - hopefully I attached the links successfully to the sites I recommended! If not, message me and I'll get them for you!
At this 30 day mark, I can feel my taste buds changing, my cravings lessening. I'm doing some mental exercises to help me stay on course. I keep envisioning myself healthy and pain free. I keep trying to imagine my body absorbing all of the nutrients in the things I eat. I also tell myself that I "don't" eat some things rather than I "can't" eat them. I got this idea from another blogger and it really does make me feel more in control. More like a choice than a restriction. I also try not to watch food shows anymore, they just make me hungry. Or let myself dwell on all the foods I'm not eating. Tony and I used to love playing "you know what sounds really good right now?" followed by the most indulgent thing we could conjure up in our minds. I had to drop out of that game for now.
Until two days ago, I have been feeling good and the only inflammation I have had is in one elbow. And I'm not taking any RA meds anymore (by choice and with my doctors permission). But two days ago, I woke up with a shoulder flare that has lasted into today. I've been trying to trace it back to something I may have eaten. The only thing I've been having different this last week is drinking 100% orange juice. So I'm going to cut that out just in case. I also watched my 11 month old grand daughter one day and did a lot of crawling around and playing with her on the floor which may have triggered the flare. (I do have to say if that was the cause, it was still totally worth spending the day with her). She was sick that day, too, so it's possible my immune system is fighting a bug. Not to mention there has been a lot of coughing and sneezing going on down at the shelter where we volunteer. We are, after all, smack dab in the middle of flu season.
But it could just be that I'm still in the process of healing. Time, patience, and consistency.... I'm still choosing not to take any meds and still sticking to this protocol.
One of the things I've learned about healing naturally is that this usually involves adding supplements to your diet. Many people with autoimmune diseases are deficient in many vitamins. I have always had a hard time being consistent taking vitamins. There is no good reason for this, other than I usually just forgot to take them! So I bought one of those daily pill holders and put all my supplements for each day in them and find this helps me to remember. After reading various testimonies about what has worked for other people, here is what I'm taking right now: One multi-vitamin (try to get organic because some of the other brands put some additives in there that are not allowed on AIP); an additional 1,000 mg of Vitamin C; 400 mg of Slipper Elm; 500 mg of Niacinamide; 500 mg of L-Glutamine; 300 mg of Omega XL (a higher end fish oil); and a pill that contains 8 billion Acidophilus and Bifidus which is basically a pro biotic. I also added (just today) a joint support supplement that contains things like Holy Basil, Ginger, Green Tea, Chinese Skullcap and other weird herbs I had never heard of until lately.
I've never been a huge pill popper, so this all seems ridiculously excessive. But each one has its own benefits. And I wanted to kick start my healing this first few weeks with as many benefits as I can handle. And I seem to be handling all of them just fine. Plus Tony and I got a really good deal on most of these. We went to take advantage of a "buy one get one free" on vitamins at a local store. Come to find out some of them were mismarked. So, as was their store policy, we got ALL of them (about $25 worth) for free!
I promised to share some recipes here this time around. To make it even easier (well, for me) I'll share some really good sites that have both AIP and regular Paleo recipes.
The best information site so far has been one by "The Paleo Mom". Her real name is Sarah Ballantyne, she has a PhD in medical biophysics. Her own journey to heal herself of an autoimmune disease is very inspiring and she has done so much research on the subject. And she has some amazing recipes! Her new book The Paleo Approach was just released a couple of days ago. I'm getting ready to order it this week-end. You can also find her on The Paleo Mom Facebook Page and on her website just titled The Paleo Mom.
I have not actually made any of Sarah's recipes yet. Tony and I have been getting creative on our own with a lot of different stir-fry dishes that we make up as we go along. Lots of free range chicken, shrimp, grass fed beef and bison cooked in coconut oil with various greens and veggies. But I'm ready to try some of the recipes in Sarah's book and other sites that I've saved just to keep things interesting! Today I'm going to try some homemade crackers made with plantains, sea salt and olive oil!
My second favorite is a blog by Eileen Laird who was also diagnosed with RA and is on her own healing journey. I love her honesty and candidness. Eileen is clear that she is not a doctor nor a dietitian. But her own story was what convinced me to begin this way of life.
Another good site is by Mickey Prescott. Mickey is personal chef and a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. Her blog has a lot of good information and recipes as well. Mickey has a book out, also, but it's for download only and I struggle with e-books for some reason. I like having a book with paper pages to turn. I know. I'm weird. However, because I like her blog so much, I may have to download this one.
The last recommendation I'll make (for now) is a blog Danielle Walker. She wrote a book Against All Grain that I am also planning on ordering this week. Danielle is another successful story of healing through food.
Looking forward to blogging again at 60 days (unless something significant occurs before that)!
Disclaimer - hopefully I attached the links successfully to the sites I recommended! If not, message me and I'll get them for you!
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