21DSD – Day 3 – Emotional Roller Coaster

This past week has been a roller coaster of emotions. Somewhere over the past few months, I fell out of the habit of gratefulness. For a while, I would write 3 things I was grateful for every day, and I think that helped me be happier. But time got in the way and work was too busy, so I forgot.

I don’t know if I mentioned this before, but my bestie Sylvia and I are embarking on a sugar free journey with the 21 Day Sugar Detox (or 21DSD). We started on Monday, and I am expecting to have my anti-candida supplements arrive today to begin that regimen. I will be doing 30 days of Para Cleanse by Nature’s Sunshine (10 days on, 10 days off, 10 days on again), as well as 14 days of Candida Clear by Nature’s Sunshine. So, including all of my supplements, here is what I am doing:

• 14 Days Candida Clear (this will probably suck because I know my Candida is really bad right now)
• 30 days Para Cleanse
• Enzymes with Meal
• Stomach Acid with Meal
• 1/2 – 3/4 tsp Fermented Cod Liver Oil
• EFA Supplement
• Vitamin C Supplement
• Multivitamin
• Calcium, Magnesium, and Zinc supplement
• 21DSD extremely low sugar diet

The way I see it, If this doesn’t kick whatever parasites and candida I’m harboring, I don’t know what will!!

Detoxing has been going okay, though my emotions have been all over the place. I flip flop between ‘everything is cool’ and ‘the world is ending’ and it is really exhausting. What I hope will help is by doing the following daily:

1. Write a sentence for 3 things I’m grateful for
2. Pick one thing and elaborate on why I’m grateful for it, so that I get most of the details and I get a chance to relive a happy memory
3. Exercise daily – I would say a minimum of 30 min total of walking
4. Meditation – I don’t meditate well, but walking is very meditative for me
5. Perform a Random Act of Kindness – And then write it down – give yourself a written pat on the back!
6. Write down two things I’m looking forward to! – One caveat is that they must be something that I know when it is going to happen. For example, I can’t say that I look forward to the day my candida is gone, since I don’t know when it will be over. But, I can say that I’m looking forward to the end of the cleanse, since I know what day it will happen.

Doing this takes about ten minutes a day, so I’m going to see if this generally helps me feel happier 🙂

I will be doing this cleanse over Thanksgiving, and that’s going to be nuts, and I will be continuing to to this until I’m done with the Para Cleanse. I know that this cleanse is going to get worse before it gets better, but at the moment, things are okay!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to join me! So far, the recipes in the 21DSD cookbook are pretty good!

Naturopath Visit!

Hello! So, yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting my naturopath, Donna, who is amazing and always makes me feel better about the changes taking place in my body. Overall, I’ve been feeling much better, but I wanted to bring to her attention a few things that were bothering me and a few things I changed:

• Emotional breakdowns once a month
• I’m trying to reduce my calories and I just get so HUNGRY
• If I’m away from food and don’t know how I’m going to get my next meal, I get really anxious
• Adding carbs in the evening

I mentioned adding carbs in the evening, and she seemed to think that I was on the right path, especially since it seems to be helping with my sleep. Also such a change in my diet can cause occasional weirdness to my digestive tract when the change is first being made.

When it comes to the emotional breakdowns, she said that I have three options:

1. Start taking ANOTHER expensive supplement that may or may not help
2. Up the dose of one supplement I’m already taking for this during my period by 2 capsules a day since the breakdowns happen as soon as its over
3. Keep going the way I’m going and just accept that it is one day a month and that will eventually get better.

I’m leaning toward the third option since I’m already paying out the ass in supplements. Then, when it came to the hunger and anxiety, she was torn between whether I have poor blood sugar regulation or if I have a parasite of some kind. She did some more acupressure testing and here were the findings:

• Predigestion is still a huge problem
• Regular digestion is still a problem, but is slightly better
• My candida problem is MUCH better! Went from major pain to just a minor pain
• She tested my feet to see if I have parasites, but my feet haven’t been bothering me, so she said parasites aren’t likely
• She tested my back for some kind of disk that indicates low blood sugar, and said it was slightly there, but not severe, which is good?

She’s leaning toward it being a blood sugar issue, which means more supplements. That brings the total to:

• Betaine Plus HP (for stomach acid)- about $17 per 90 caps – I take 2-3 per MEAL
• Formula 25 (for calcium and mineral deficiency) – $42 for 180 caps – I take 4 a day
• Formula 23 (for mood swings) – $42 for 180 caps – I take 4 a day (proposed 6 a day during period)
• SmI (for candida) – $52 for 180 caps – I take 4 a day
• Bio-Glycozyme (for blood sugar regulation – $29.60 for 90 caps – I take 6 a day

And this list doesn’t include the other supplements I’m taking that she didn’t prescribe: fermented cod liver oil for vitamins A and D, women’s multivitamin, magnesium (if I don’t take this, I don’t sleep), and more vitamin D since I’m really deficient in it. The cost also doesn’t include how much money I spend on organic, real food, which is also expensive.

*sigh* I know they say to invest in your health, but this is kind of ridiculous!

I’m planning on seeing her again in a few weeks, and when I do, I’m going to ask her if there is a way we can cut back on the supplements. Stopping them entirely would be a terrible idea, but I think it’s important to cut back for the sake of my wallet. I’m trying really hard to save money to buy a house, and since my supplements are so expensive, it’s really cutting into my ‘fun money’, which is the small amount of money I put aside each month for stuff I don’t HAVE to buy.

That being said, I’m so so grateful to my naturopath for finally finding answers for me! I know I won’t be on these supplements forever, and it is so worth it to sleep well, have so much more energy, and feel so much better! In the meantime, Donna asked me to keep an eye on a few things:

• How are my feet feeling while I stand at my desk?
• How does my food make me feel? Am I tired after meals?
• Keep an eye on my moods after my period, see if they get any better over time
• Do I still have symptoms of candida die off?
• Are there certain foods that throw off my regularity?

Thanks for reading my ramblings! I’ll keep everyone posted, and have a great weekend!

Naturopathy Results

Hello again! It’s been a while, and I’m still recovering from my vacation, but I wanted to briefly cover the results of my naturopathic assessment.

She did many tests, from examining my bloodwork and reviewing my symptoms to acupressure testing and a 24 hour urine panel. It was a long three weeks waiting for my results since my first visit, but I trust my naturopath!

When I went in, she said that the major reason that I am experiencing health issues is because I’m not digesting ANYTHING properly. Not fats. Not proteins. Not carbs. Not vitamins. Not minerals. In fact, she said I was digesting so poorly that I should just stop taking my vitamin supplements because I was peeing it all down the drain. She also said that I am especially susceptible to carbs, and I am to avoid them for a couple of weeks while I’m first healing. She also said that I am drinking too much water, which is diluting my stomach juices and making digestion even harder.

She also suspects that I have hormonal, thyroid, and adrenal issues as well, but the major problem at the moment is my digestion. If I’m not absorbing everything properly, I won’t have the nutrients necessary to fix my other hormonal imbalances, so it’s best to start from the ground up. I suspect that all of this destruction comes from being gluten sensitive for four years and still eating gluten.

So, what am I supposed to do about it? Here is a list of changes I’m making:

• Virtually no carbs and sugar for the first two weeks – She said a clementine is the absolute max I should have in a day (which is good because I love clementines and they can be my substitute dessert!)
• Protein at every meal
• 7-9 cups of vegetables a day – green smoothies!
• Cut back on the water – and avoid it 30 minutes before and after meals
• Eat lots of healthy fats – like nuts and seeds
• Drink some bone broth
• Take fermented cod liver oil daily
• More fiber
• Take digestive enzymes she prescribed

She prescribed a stomach acid supplement which will help my stomach secrete the proper amount of stomach acid, as well as two other supplements: one with enzymes and plant supplements to support energy for my brain fog, and another with calcium (and what calcium needs to be absorbed) for my moodiness (she thinks that I’m moody because of a calcium deficiency.

Unfortunately, like a dingus, I lost my stomach acid supplement while on my vacation, so I will have to wait until the new order comes in. I will take the others in the meantime and implement the other changes!

What I hope will happen over the next two weeks:

1. Candida die-off. While I was taking my stomach acid supplement while on vacation, I started craving desserts and sugar really bad. This is probably due to the candida starving, so I know it was working! I doubt I will be candida free in two weeks, but I hope my symptoms will be much better!
2. More energy!
3. New food restrictions will become habits. It’s going to be really hard for me during the first two weeks (especially with leptin and candida cravings!), but I hope that by the end of two weeks, I’ll be feeling significantly more in control!
4. I find I like green smoothies!
5. Get into the habit of drinking less water
6. Make more bone broth! (I made my first batch and it is DELICIOUS!!)
7. Less moody come that time of the month!
8. Healthy digestive movement – I’d like to go a whole 14 days without a digestive upset or cramp!

Wish me luck and feel free to join me! Stay healthy, friends!