I'm back
No fun post and no photos, but I'm back. It has been a long time coming. The last few months have not been good for me. I was ill. The past two years have been awful for me health wise. Doctors all agreed that something was wrong, but all my tests came back in the normal range, so no diagnosis was forthcoming. Every time a doctor would test me for something, I would research it and try to figure out what to do for myself. It was very hard, as most of the time I suffered from a very real brain fog and couldn't think straight or remember anything. In short, it was a nightmare time. I am finally feeling like a human again and here are some of my conclusions:
It was an autoimmune problem. Did you know that there are 100+ of those and the cause of all of them is unknown, as far as I know. Hmmm. You can prove anything with statistics, but I am willing to bet that the percentage of all those diseases is rising dramatically. Autism among children is at unheard of rates.
I think all of these things are due to our exposure to so many chemicals every day, but also because of what we eat. There are certainly more qualified people than me to speak on all these issues. However, here is how I started on my path back to feeling decent:
I quit eating all processed foods. This is by no means easy. After two years of reading food labels, my husband and I can assure you that you have no idea what you are eating. Basically, we made up the one ingredient rule: if you think you want pineapple, don't buy any pkg., can or container of it that lists anything besides pineapple. Then I found out that in America, canned foods don't have to list any chemical that is a "trace" amount. So, if you want tomatoes in a can buy Italian brands because they do have to list anything besides tomatoes on their labels. Go figure. We personally don't buy much canned stuff of any kind. Back to what I don't eat - although my test for gluten antibodies was below the level that is considered an indication of Celiac disease, gluten made me sick, so no more of that. Again, not easy to do. Then this year I found out that milk lactose was essentially poisoning me, as I couldn't digest it. (This may sound like hypochondria to you, but let me assure you, if you are eating something that you cannot digest, it is doing great harm to your body. It is not just a case of eating it and eliminating it as I once thought.) It is all very complicated. However, my huge health break through came when I found the book: Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. What a remarkable woman she was. If you have any intestinal, digestive or bizarre symptoms like I did, get this book and do what it says. I did and I am much improved because of it.
Here are some of the symptoms I have had over the past two years:
A bald patch on my head right in the middle of my forehead.
Fingernails so brittle that they would crack and break while still attached to the bed. I would try to keep them together long enough to grow out so that I could cut them.
A loss of balance.
Shaking hands every now and then.
Eye problems too numerous to list, including some days of double vision and a protruding left eyeball.
Diarrhea so severe I couldn't leave the house.
Chronic fatigue.
Numbness in my right leg.
Numb fingers and hands.
Sleep problems.
I could go on, but suffice to say that it was a miserable existence. If you are suffering from anything like what is listed above, get the book, read it and do what it says. You will be glad you did.
Sheila
It was an autoimmune problem. Did you know that there are 100+ of those and the cause of all of them is unknown, as far as I know. Hmmm. You can prove anything with statistics, but I am willing to bet that the percentage of all those diseases is rising dramatically. Autism among children is at unheard of rates.
I think all of these things are due to our exposure to so many chemicals every day, but also because of what we eat. There are certainly more qualified people than me to speak on all these issues. However, here is how I started on my path back to feeling decent:
I quit eating all processed foods. This is by no means easy. After two years of reading food labels, my husband and I can assure you that you have no idea what you are eating. Basically, we made up the one ingredient rule: if you think you want pineapple, don't buy any pkg., can or container of it that lists anything besides pineapple. Then I found out that in America, canned foods don't have to list any chemical that is a "trace" amount. So, if you want tomatoes in a can buy Italian brands because they do have to list anything besides tomatoes on their labels. Go figure. We personally don't buy much canned stuff of any kind. Back to what I don't eat - although my test for gluten antibodies was below the level that is considered an indication of Celiac disease, gluten made me sick, so no more of that. Again, not easy to do. Then this year I found out that milk lactose was essentially poisoning me, as I couldn't digest it. (This may sound like hypochondria to you, but let me assure you, if you are eating something that you cannot digest, it is doing great harm to your body. It is not just a case of eating it and eliminating it as I once thought.) It is all very complicated. However, my huge health break through came when I found the book: Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. What a remarkable woman she was. If you have any intestinal, digestive or bizarre symptoms like I did, get this book and do what it says. I did and I am much improved because of it.
Here are some of the symptoms I have had over the past two years:
A bald patch on my head right in the middle of my forehead.
Fingernails so brittle that they would crack and break while still attached to the bed. I would try to keep them together long enough to grow out so that I could cut them.
A loss of balance.
Shaking hands every now and then.
Eye problems too numerous to list, including some days of double vision and a protruding left eyeball.
Diarrhea so severe I couldn't leave the house.
Chronic fatigue.
Numbness in my right leg.
Numb fingers and hands.
Sleep problems.
I could go on, but suffice to say that it was a miserable existence. If you are suffering from anything like what is listed above, get the book, read it and do what it says. You will be glad you did.
Sheila
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