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.