Day 19 thoughts on the anti-inflammation protocol, yoga and the infarred sauna

Okay, so we battled through the weekend and the first part of the week and guess what, things got better! On Tuesday I woke up with a definite change in facial pain which is really exciting. I tried not to get too excited but so far it is still holding a notch lower than it has been in a very long time, so now all bets are off and I am full on excited. I am positive that this is the result of the anti-inflammation diet!

This week I started testing foods back into my diet. Right off the bat I got onions back!!! I got to test garlic on Wednesday which was especially awesome because it all went well! Today (Thursday) I got to test peanuts which was pretty fantastic but is too soon to see if there will be any trouble. If today goes well then on Sunday I will test eggs. I think that (other than onions) all of the foods are tested individually and then not added back into a weekly routine until all of the inflammatory foods have been tested.

My mug of hot water and 30 min of yoga every morning is paying off too. I am noticeably calmer and far more flexible which really seems to help a bit with the muscle spasms!

The infarred sauna is most definitely helping with sleep. A lot of people who know that I am heat affected (thank you MS) have asked why on earth would I got hot on purpose knowing that it messes me up. I know that it seems crazy but infarred seems to have an awful lot of healing value plus it relaxes muscles. I bought a sauna of my own so that I do not have to wait somewhere in public for my vision to return to normal or for my legs to able to walk well enough to take me home. I can sit and close my eyes or read and and wait to return to normal at my own pace and then head to bed and sleep so much better because hey, when you are asleep you don't notice that awful wobbly, gutted feeling the mix of heat and MS causes.

If a little is good...

Here I go again! I got to do a couple of projects that didn't kill me...I felt like I got to put my toes back in the water and it felt so good to be productive! So great to not have to hire someone to do silly things that I used to do quickly and easily. So what did I do? Not a little more but a lot more. STUPID. Now my hands that made it through the last two trials with pain but no swelling are indeed swollen and hurt-y. My entire body feels like it is made of cement that had electrodes embedded in it. How was I raised by my mother who talked so much about the need to find balance in life and consistently reject that notion?

After so many positive excited posts lately I thought it was important to check in and be real about this, because no matter what our issues are we all hit walls of some sort that seem so monumental that finding a way around them is a daunting task. We have all been there. For may of us we look for some sort of comfort and for some of us that is when we turn the wrong direction.

Here is where this takes a positive turn. Not one cell in my body wants cake, or pie, or fudge or anything like that at all. I just want to stay in my yoga clothes with a mug of hot water (again thank you mom). I want to do some gentle movement, do some infarred therapy and put on a face mask. I want to do everything in my power to relax the spasms and keep myself calm.

Life doesn't go away. The only thing that changes is our reaction to it.

Is this at all discouraging as far as my anti-inflammatory eating goes? Does it mean it is a waste of effort? NO WAY!

My reaction to todays wall says everything. My reaction is healthy and solid and that my friends means that the tide is shifting.

I am NEVER that person that is grateful in any way for adversity because it makes us stronger. I am strong enough. But I am also smart enough to see that the face of a major body setback, it clear that this path that I am on is an incredibly positive and healthy one!

It got real!

Here is the list of what has been completely eliminated from my diet now that the the two weeks of getting ready are over and the intense clearing phase has begun:
Dairy, wheat, (all gluten grains) corn, citrus, egg, peanut, soy, chocolate, beef, lamb, pork, (anything with four legs and anything that comes out of anything with four legs milks cheeses etc) sugar, garlic, onions, alcohol, potato, all peppers, tomato, and eggplant.

Thank goodness I was in the process of taking many of these foods out, and thank goodness for the work being done to "top off" the vitamins and minerals etc in my shakes so that I don't go a little crazy.

If you know me, you know that my diet up until now was absolutely full of peppers, garlic, onion tomatoes and cheese too...I mean how do you even cook without these staples? These are much harder to give up than gluten, dairy, alcohol or sugar for my lifestyle! Not to say I don't love some gluteny sugary goodness but hey nobody has that every day, but I LIVE on those nightshade veggies and onions!

By this time I fully expected to be not loving what I am doing but I am delighted to say that in spite of slashing my norm to its core I am DOING GREAT! ABSOLUTELY FANTASTICALLY GREAT!

I am figuring out great things to eat along the way that I would NEVER have even tried a month or two ago. My instagram is full of all of my food ideas (at least the pretty ones). Right off the bat I am already in the habit of eating more than my usual once or twice a day which is a terrible pattern that I have always battled with and as I round week two of this intense phase I am seeing a difference in my daily life!

I have gone off of (on my own) the two rx products that I use on my psoriasis and can see a definite difference! No new plaques have yet to form as the existing ones fade. NONE. This alone is huge.
Last weekend I spent a few hours transplanting my veggies in the greenhouse and usually this would mean that my fingers/hands swell and the joints turn pinkish and hot for a few days, but not this time! Since then I have done one more project that would normally pretty much halt my life to a snails pace and this did not happen. It certainly has slowed me down A LOT, don't get me wrong. I have had to cut a few days a bit shorter than usual. My left eye is whacked out, I have had to be more carful as I walk and use my cane a little more because of my left side being slower and not as responsive as the right and I am being more careful with my hands since I drop a lot of things for a while after I pretend that I am normal BUT since I am used to all of these things I am good. I have been able to push through and handle my daily work and life and most important (for me) maintain my joy.

I am pretty sure that this is not just the result of being excited about a new form of "pain therapy". It's real. I am not crawling, I am not crying I am not feeling desperate to have my old life back. Well, I mean I would love to be completely healthy again but hey, wouldn't we all like to turn the clock back for SOMEthing?

In all seriousness in my heart I feel that this science experiment is already paying off, and I have only begun!

Starting the anti-inflammation protocol

The first two weeks of the diet are spent getting the body ready for what is ahead, so that the adjustment is easier and much more pleasant. By the time any changes start you have already had an individual visit with each Doctor on the team,(there are three of them) and in turn they have all put their heads together with a plan for your specific needs. My team is taking my multiple sclerosis, trigeminal neuralgia, and psoriasis (all exacerbated by inflammation) and hormonal imbalances into consideration.

I was started on several supplements and an rx that corresponded with the needs shown from all of the lab tests taken during and after my first visit to this group of Doctors, no guessing games (which is how a lot of people think it is with supplements)! I began preparing and drinking two medical food shakes a day that are packed with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and then have a scoop of fiber, a specific fruit complex, flax oil and flax powder added to them. These shakes are again tailored to my specific bodies needs. During these first 14 days I am told not to change my eating habits because adding the shakes (and supplements and the rx) was an important part of letting my body adjust for what was ahead.

I was already in the process of for me what have been pretty significant changes but I agreed to hold where I was and not continue to eliminate things on my own, which was perfect since I had a trip to NYC during this time and would not have to feel "bad" about a few planned indulgences. Plus I was looking forward to seeing if there would be changes in how I might react to the foods I had not been eating, so I was going to get to do my own science experiment and with their blessing :-) total win win!

In the week I was away I never missed a shake and I got to enjoy two amazing cappuccinos, on separate visits to a favorite French cafe, where I learned that the dairy caffeine and gluten combo doesn't have the love for me that I have for it.  The trip was interesting because I could already see my attitudes and ideas changing. The things that I ate "off plan" were planned. They were not just random stuffing your face moments AND I was 100% happy with missing what I missed and having what I had. In my lifetime there are likely to be multiple trips a year to the city that has everything (including my daughter and her husband :-( so it was easy to leave some things untried)

A day doesn't go by that I don't ponder how really lucky I am to be doing this ant -inflammation project with such great support. This is so much different than reading a book and deciding that every food that can cause inflammation is wreaking havoc on you. It is knowing for SURE what foods aren't good for you, and which ones are okay for a bite or two vs which ones are actually having a huge impact on your life. 

Another go around with almond milk...and this time I win!

A couple of years ago when I was trying to consume less dairy I bought already made almond milk and man did my taste buds find it nasty. This time around knowing that I have a moderately unhappy reaction to dairy gives me more motivation and I found my brain in a better place to try almond milk again. I took the challenge in a little different direction this time though, I decided to try making my own and see if I could come up with something that I would be happy splashing in a coffee drink (since that is about all I actually use milk for anyway these days and guess what...I did!
It turns out that almond milk isn't rocket science. It also turns out that it is much better with a little added sweetness which a couple of dates and a little vanilla are well suited to provide! I read every recipe on the web I could find (they were all very close versions of the same) and it only took following one to realize that I like a texture that was more milkier than it is watery so no problem smaller amount of water or a few more nuts and the problem is solved!
It is now easy and quick enough for me to make that I even took my ingredients (and my mesh bag for squeezing the pulp out) on a trip to NYC so that I wasn't tempted to have a splash of dairy where it wasn't an actual splurge! This was great because it allowed me to eat mindfully and to make each and every splurge really count in a city that is FULL of amazing food! 

Continuing the lifestyle changes...and enjoying the process!

Several pretty great things have happened this week. I discovered that I can make lemon curd with honey instead of refined sugar and it is pretty stinking fabulous. I found a way to make quinoa for breakfast that I actually enjoy AND I created a whole new daily routine, to add to the new weekly routine of 3x a week of infrared therapy that I started a couple of weeks ago. See? Great stuff happening around here!

A check in on the inferred therapy shows that contrary to my suspicion it is VERY helpful! When I first get done I will admit that I don't feel great I feel sort of gutted and my vision is awkward, which at first was super disconcerting BUT after a bit of consideration when a marathon runner is done running or a power lifter is done lifting, they also feel extreme fatigue they might not loose their vision but still, knowing that this is temporary and will clear up as I cool down makes it ok and sort of put me back in the no pain no gain game...which I love!!! SEE?!? It really is all in the attitude!
The immediate benefit I am getting from this therapy is that I am able to get up as little as only three times the night that I do it! THREE TIMES as opposed to getting up every 35-45 minutes all night long!!! Also my muscle spasms are reduced for quite a few hours! So better sleep and less pain...that a winner in my book! I am looking forward to keeping up with this therapy!

Onto my quinoa! OMG can I just tell you that if you make it according to the package (Ic water 1/2c quinoa) it is not spectacular at all BUT if you add 2TBL of coconut milk (the real stuff in the can) and two chopped dates to the water when you cook it ooolala it becomes great! This makes enough for two breakfasts so you only have to make it every other day...which is also a plus! I top my bowl with another TBL of coconut milk and I gotta say I will be okay for breakfast in May when eggs are eliminated!

At first I am pretty sure that I won't be having much that is sweet at all with even fruit likely being held to a minimum so I really wanted to try and see if I could make lemon curd with honey instead of refined sugar that was actually good not gross so that once I could have some extra sweetness and hopefully eggs) I had something in mind that I already knew would hit the spot. (Its all about being prepared even though it will be august at the EARLIEST by the time this happens) Other than the honey, I made another change, I decided not to strain it of the egg bits, why take that protein away? Instead I got out my trusty immersion blender and poof, silky smooth unstrained lemon curd that was as amazing warm as it is chilled!

Onto the daily change, or the biggest daily change anyway. Last week I started doing 30 minutes of yoga after I walk the dog and before showering every morning. This had been amazing. How have I never done this before? Well actually I know why, yoga didn't interest me, it isn't an adrenaline rush like lifting something heavy can be, but seriously it is time for me to stop feeling sorry for myself and start rolling with the punches that have come my way, which in part means finding a challenge that I can stick with. Because yoga incorporates flexibility and balance with strength and breathing this seems like an obvious choice to anyone outside the box, but for me it took a long time to wrap my head around. Then in walks yogaglo. Well in walked a friend who has practiced for 30 years, and she told me that she had started using an online subscription for yoga and so of course I had to check it out...(after thinking about it for 6 months hah I told you I suck)
If you have never heard of yogaglo and you have EVER considered doing yoga in the comfort of your own home you really do need to check them out. It is an online subscription (there are a lot of them, this is the Cadillac version just go for it, it's worth the extra money per month) featuring thousands of sessions with top notch instructors. There are literally 44 different focuses to choose from and 32 specific body parts to narrow it down for you!

So rolling out of bed to a sip of chamomile tea while feeding the dog, leaving with the hubby for a walk with the dog and then coming home to have a yoga session before my quinoa breakfast has made this a really great week...and its Wednesday and usually by Wednesday I am feeling like if I can  just live through Wednesday I will make it to Friday...this week for the first time in the memorable past I am feeling positive!

Embracing the challenge of change in our weekly menu

The fact that I love my kitchen is not newsworthy, well not so much the kitchen itself. I don't love the narrow, cramped galley but do appreciate the counter space after being at Liesl's in New York...each time I return it will seem spacious for a week as I readjust!

What I do love is the fun creativity that happens in the kitchen. As a kid my mom made it so much fun that I remember thinking about how great it would be when I had my very own kitchen! Not a house or a family or a job, just my own kitchen. Obviously cooking was a big part of my childhood, my mother is a genius in the kitchen. She is adept at cooking many different kinds of foods. She was smart, as a young woman each time she made a friend who had lived anywhere but here she would somehow manage to get them to teach them whatever the local cuisine had been where they had lived. She learned to cook some Texan, Chinese, Vietnamese (off the top of my head) all from friends of hers that had spent years cooking for their families in those respective places. Some truly great food came out of her kitchen...it wasn't all that turkey soup that I dreaded! 

When my dads health took a dive, mom had to learn a new way of cooking and she attacked that like she does everything else. Salt, sugar and fat are not easy to leave out of a recipe, especially when you are used to the richness and depth that these ingrediants impart. I think that her attitude has once again been such a good useful example for me. 

If we attack changes in the kitchen as a challenge to learn rather then a sad deprivation sentence I am convinced that the finished product will be much better. 

I didn't used to like quinoa, lets face it it is no risotto! It took me a lot of playing around with it trying to figure out how to richen it up and make it seem like more than it is. In fact until I changed my goal I was never happy with it but once I decided to embrace the texture and be happy with imparting depth and richness, only then did I relax into playing with it. Once we are no longer fighting to make one thing into another and start thinking about how to complement whatever it is we are attempting to cook then things begin to come together. I now love quinoa, for me I found that the trick to teasing great flavor out of it is to toast it first, just as I would sesame seeds in a dry cast iron pan and then I choose what to cook it in from a robust mirepoix to plain old water depending on what I am using it as a bed for or serving it with. It cooks faster than rice, it never sticks, it is not finicky at all and it is packed with protein and iron. If you haven't made quinoa recently give it a try! Make sure that if you want to try toasting it that you buy pre-rinsed quinoa, and heat your broth/water while you are doing the toasting so that you get the joy of seeing the sizzling seeds hit the hot water! 

Even one small change makes a difference. I remember when I read Barbara Kingsolver's book on their experiment of gardening and eating local I came away really loving her attitude of any little change that we can embrace making a difference. (This is when I started gardening). Little differences in the kitchen can help us build a healthier foundation, they provide a platform for us to build on! Our eating habits shouldn't be about all or nothing they should be about making changes that we can be happy with and use over a sustained period of time! 

Quieting unhelpful thoughts and welcoming balance

Knowing that I am getting ready to undertake this three month clearing diet (and the life beyond) has had some interesting affects of my brain.

It seems that I have quite a diverse audience in my head. I have the voice that says cut things out slowly so that you are eased into this and there it isn't such a jolt (or in the case of caffeine and sugar a lack of jolt). I have the quiet murmurer in the back wondering if NYC will be less fun because I have slowly cut things out now if splurge while I am there, will I feel sick if I do, will it be worth it, does that throw away over a month of cutting these foods to a minimum and negate that effort? There is also the very rude hiss from the front row that keeps brining up that I should just cut it all out now and get on with it.

The take away for me, is that this is a really good lesson in balance and control. This awesome experiment is not meant to create a disordered eating pattern or a troubled relationship with food for me. It is meant to be a learning experience for me so that I can see precisely what effect different foods have on my personal system. This will allow me to choose to make whatever choices work for me at any given time KNOWING what I can expect. Having the ability to manage our expectations is HUGE and this will do exactly that.

Having this very clear goal in mind has been really helpful.  Knowing that this is about eating for how one feels is very different than tangling with the emotional ties to food, it sort of cuts through all of the food politicians yammering in the peanut gallery of my brain.

I am not trying to deny the memories and feelings associated with different foods, I have no desire to change any of that at all. Why should I deny that cabbage and butter noodles, a stewed quince, tart warm lemon pudding just beginning to form a skin on top and pomegranates all have ties to my maternal grandmother while chewy gingery molasses cookies, granola, lemon bars, fudge, croissants, humbow and anything raspberry are wrapped in childhood memories with my mother. There are just as many foods that don't conjure up warm fond memories with these same two incredible women, turkey soup, turkey enchiladas, (actually every and anything made with turkey other than a roasted turkey dinner) liverwurst, tuna sandwiches, lima beans and ham, crunchy peanut butter just to name a few.

My point?

Food is not evil, it is what it is. The less power we give it the less of a problem it becomes, and the less chance we have of becoming a disordered eater. There will absolutely be days in my future when I choose to have a bite of my memories, both the amazing ones and the ones not so amazing as that is a distinct way of time travel and that is really going to be ok, because a bite or a serving doesn't need to change a damn thing if we are being mindful, aware eaters. One bite or serving does not predicate the next if we are in control.

My mother used to say that if a person could bottle and sell balance they would be the richest person in the world. She is right. She is almost always right.

This has been really helpful for me to remember in talking back to the peanut gallery in my head, to those all or nothing voices in my head I say say sit down! This is my journey not yours. My science experiment not yours.

I will indeed continue cutting back and keep trying recipes in preparation for this exciting science experiment, and at the same time I am going to continue to enjoy my one cappuccino a day and for now I will have as many bell peppers as I please!!!

The project begins

This new science project has me already stocking the pantry for the months ahead and trying new recipes so that when the end of April gets here and I start the clearing phase I already have a handle on some "go to" ideas that make me happy, and a pantry and fridge that have the required ingredients!
Another thing it has me doing is getting rid of things that I won't be eating freely so that I am not tempted to mess up the clearing process or make it longer than is necessary.

I must admit that since I know that the nightshade family is going to be eliminated at least for a while (god forbid forever) I am eating more than my fair share of peppers! Its funny, I would have thought that I might want to make a batch of my moms fudge or something decadent but apparently (at least right now) I am most worried about loosing my peppers, I eat peppers every single day! In stir fry, in humus, in scrambles, pretty much in everything, they are my favorite...well next to my coffee,  I do sooo love my cappuccinos!

A New Journey

A new journey, but not in a completely different direction, just the beginning of walking a MUCH tighter line down the path of whole food goodness and pursuing a much more focused goal than ever before.
This time around units of energy are not in the forefront, neither is having as many veggies that I eat as possible being grown in my yard or nearby (although my gardening continues)  Units of energy are not the enemy of inflammation, neither is how close to our doorstep our food is grown. Inflammation is the primary enemy that I am choosing to fight right now with hormone imbalance and unhealthy gut bacteria following closely behind in what ever order shapes up to be the best to treat them.  I went gluten free for a year or so and before that I went sugar free for about a year and a half. Neither were a holy grail for me. Neither time that I made these changes was my life quite like it is now. Now I feel the inflammation every day. Every minute of every day. The knowledge that I can clear out some of the things causing and aggravating this inflammation has me motivated to fight with more drastic measures.
This time around I am doing this in a much different way and with a much different mind set. I have a whole team to guide me. A team who right out of the gate was straight up honest about while there is not a cure for Multiple Sclerosis there is a way to get and to keep our gut bacteria healthy and to reduce the inflammation and in turn reduce some of this pain. This is huge. There is something really annoying and demoralizing about people who want to tell you that they have a cure all for a disease that absolutely has no cure or that they know a person who cured their MS with their diet, or their spirituality or whatever other thing that ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT CURE MS so to have a medical team that promotes health and wellness and brining your body into balance in this manner while being real that there is no cure was exciting to say the least.
Appointment #1 was two hours long and fascinating to say the least. I was sent home with test kits for pretty much everything that comes out of a body (ewe)
Super excited for this science experiment to begin!