The Detox Plan

It's time!

We made it through 2nd year naturopathic medical school - the year you hear about from day 1.
"Shell shocked" comes to mind.

Now it's time for some body & mind work. I'm going to be studying 7-12 hours a day for the board exam this summer, but this brings something to the plate.

It's never a good time to change the way you live.

It's not a good time to quit coffee - are you nuts? I've got deadlines. It's not a good time to get more sleep - too busy. Chocolate, candy and pastries are my coping devices; I can't drop those at a time like this! ...but I could say that at any given point in my life because I choose to live with my deadlines. Maybe it is true for you too.

So, we started... well, I half started and Ody called me out. He says if we're going to do it, we should "go hardcore". This is true because if the rules are already bent, it's really easy to bend them further.



First - the Elimination Diet:

Designed to eliminate all possible allergens and inflammatory inducing foods. Epilepsy, allergies, asthma and eczema are all inflammatory conditions. Some may argue about epilepsy because we don't know much about the brain. Great topic to induce intelligent people to squabble like 4 year olds. Reducing inflammation makes you feel more energetic and decreases symptoms of all sorts. I'd say that's important.

I read the list to Ody - I decided to list the "have-nots" first:

1. Gluten containing grains: wheat, oats, barely, rye, spelt, kamut (last one isn't hard to cut!)
2. Dairy Products: milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, butter, etc
3. Eggs & egg substitutes (RIGHT after I bought eggs)
4. Corn & corn products
5. Processed meats or meats not organic/hormone free
6. Shellfish & farm raised fish
7. Soy products
8. Citrus fruits, strawberries, pineapple & others you're sensitive to
9. Peanuts & peanut butter
10. Partially hydrogenated oils (vegetable shortening & margarine), Refined vegetable oils, (corn, safflower, sunflower, canola, lite olive oil)
11. Artificial colorings, flavorings, sugars and sweeteners; high fructose corn syrup and foods and beverages high in sugar
12. Any foods high in preservatives, chemicals or antibiotics
13. Alcohol, caffeine

O.k., that pretty much takes you down to roots and grass, right? Here's what we can eat:

1. Brown rice, vermicelli, rice crackers and products, millet, quinoa, amaranth (?), baked sweet potatoes.
2. Legumes, (no soy), like kidney & navy beans, peas, lentils
3. Rice or nut milks
4. Fresh organic vegetables & juices (no corn) Best for your liver detox: cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, asparagus & broccoli.
   
5. Organic, free range (pesticide & hormone free), meat sources and wild fish like salmon or halibut
6. Fresh organic fruits, (except for the no-no list)
   
7. Almonds, raw pumpkin seeds, walnuts, cashews, nut butters - except if you're allergic or think you might be
8. Unrefined extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil and sesame oil
9. 8 or more 8oz glasses of water each day
10. Decaf tea (organic) is o.k.

"Meats are best grilled, sauteed or baked"
I'd add "poached" to the list and say that grilling should be done minimally as red meat creates carcinogens when it is burned. Pink always made me nervous, but I learned this year that it's better then well-done.

"Vegetables should be steamed, sauteed or eaten raw"
Great way to eat them, we've found, is with hummus. Serious hummus action.

After a month, foods can be added in every 2-3 days to see how you handle it. It's much less expensive than allergy testing. You know your body & allergy tests can be wrong.

We're also doing 45 minute castor oil packs at night & exercising/stretching.

The above is a great way to start and is less expensive than adding the supplements. Supplements are also controversial because you'd think your body can handle detox on it's own given the right food. I'm doing it for a few weeks & going back to the diet.



Supplements:

Pure encapsulations: ClearDetox
This has some great herbs like milk thistle, artichoke, tumeric, greater celandine & barberry. It also has a blend of nutrients including magnesium and amino acids. A blend of glutathione, n-acetyl-cysteine, alpha lipoic acid and methylsulfonylmethane are included. These are necessary for the phase I and II detoxification pathways. Phase II is the one inhibited by alcohol, so beer and wine are out of the picture.
Taken with breakfast and lunch. * I take it an hour or so after my anticonvulsants * I add walnuts, berries, melon, banana, cod liver oil and bee pollen. Crazy mix - goin' all out.

Omnivite
You know a good vitamin when it comes in capsules and you have to take 3 at a time. Packing it into one pill makes things biologically unavailable and processed. No iron - Ody has no way to get rid of it like menstruating females do & it can do a lot of damage.

Probiotics
Essential for great gut flora. 80% of your immune system is in your gut. It's a good thing to supply healthy bacteria to coexist with it. They make vitamins and crowd out the bugs that make you sick.

Folic acid
My anticonvulsants boot folic acid from it's spot. Supplementing boots it back.

Milk Thistle & Dandelion capsules
For before bed when our livers really get to work.

Whew! That's enough for now. Yesterday I had a CRAZY headache. Maybe it's the lack of caffeine? It's an experiment.

Ode to thy bagel.

How I love you, Bagel
In the morning at sunrise.
Your greeting with coffee
brings light to my eyes.

So long have I been with you
Even across land and sea
It seems strange I must leave you
Strange that you're bad for me.

I can't write more - it's much to emotional. You see, I recently had a breakout of eczema on my hand between the webs of my fingers. Eczema, allergies, asthma and epilepsy have a strange relationship to each other. One only needs to do a few Pubmed searches to explore the odd correlations and doctors I have talked to say they see the relationship commonly. More children with epilepsy seem to also have more allergies and eczema. It's known that suppression of eczema with steroids can increase the incidence of asthma. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that these conditions are often treated with the same anti-inflammatory nutrients & herbs.

I have to have science to back things up if I am to change my life drastically, BUT since we know very little in the realm of neurology, I don't discredit theories unproven to science snobs.

Sadly, the magical eight ball of life seems to be replying to my question if I should pursue this change with, "Signs point to yes."

PLUS I had amazing doubled over pain from my ileocecal valve. That's the valve that separates your large and small intestines in your right lower section of your abdomen. It prevents backflow and is easily irritated. Apparently not a fan of my recent dietary habits.

The Lancet journal came out with a study about gluten and neurological disorders recently. They lumped neurological disorders into one mysterious camp with epilepsy being one of the conditions. Gluten seems to be a trendy dietary alteration these days, so I'm cautious about the validity... alas, the research showed that 50% of the neurological problems got better by coming off of gluten.

Gluten is in everything. Gluten, corn, soy, sugar and milk are the staples of the American diet. Guess what literature and research shows about what a person with epilepsy should try giving up. Gluten, sugar and milk are the big ones I've found so far. One thing at a time.

The eczema, an intensely itchy rash that causes me to ponder gnawing my hand off, is also most likely related to detoxification. I recently started taking milk thistle and dandelion supplements along with nightly castor oil packs to my liver, (forcing me to relax for an hour every night), that I suspect of starting the whole thing. The reaction is going away on its own after halting gluten and the detoxification regimen.

This is no time to have a healing crisis. I have 2 weeks of finals ahead of me.

The first set of board exams are this summer. Many students study for 8 hours a day for 2 months nearly every day of the week. Residency and being a more efficient doctor hinges on integrating all the medical information we've learned in the past 2 years. I could easily say that this isn't the time to come off of gluten because it's much too difficult when I'm under pressure.

Spoken like a true addict.