Soy and Gluten and Dairy, oh my!!

As promised in my previous post, I wanted to give you the specifics of the cleansing diet I did and how it affected me. I started seeing an acupuncturist about two months ago to try to get some relief from my chronic back pain that I have had since I was in high school (car accident). I've tried chiropractors, massage, and even acupuncture before but nothing produced long term results. This particular doctor I am seeing now is not only an acupuncturist but also a certified nutritionist, doctor of oriental medicine, and a medical evaluator. Anyway, he doesn't just do treatments with needles...he puts his patients on an overall health program to improve their health. He doesn't look at problems you currently have and decide to just treat those...he looks at everything and tries to prevent a minor issue or nuisance from becoming a major health concern. For instance, if someone has blood pressure that is in the "normal" range but on the high side, he would work to get it lowered so that the blood pressure wouldn't even get into the high range.

I had a blood test done in the beginning and it showed that I was deficient in iron, B12, and my T3 was low - 21 (Thyroid hormone that controls metabolism - ideal is 28-38). On top of that my cholesterol numbers weren't the best - Total cholesterol 217, Triglycerides 126, HDL 65, and LDL 127. So he had me do a five day fast where I drank a mixture of green tea, lemon juice, and maple syrup. That's all you have for five days....if you feel lightheaded or dizzy you are allowed to have some vegetables but that's it. After that, I started a cleansing diet. For three weeks I couldn't have soy, dairy, gluten, caffeine, or alcohol (no wine tasting!). During this time he also had me taking supplements to improve my liver function, reduce cholesterol, increase my thyroid function, and increase my red blood cell production.

It wasn't as hard as I thought it might be and I did feel better. It wasn't a huge change that I felt though since I eat pretty healthy anyway. But I didn't have cravings for sweets like I had been and I have noticed that I do not get cold as easily as I did. So I had my blood work done last week and everything improved! What was very interesting was how much my cholesterol had changed. Total cholesterol went from 217 to 176, Triglycerides went from 126 to 63 (HUGE change!), HDL dropped from 65 to 51 but only because the total cholesterol went down, and LDL went from 127 to 112. My T3 went from 21 to 31, which put me right in the middle of the range for ideal functioning.

I also had a test done for my adrenals and discovered they were overworked (really? me stressed with the economy in a slump and working part time??). So now I am adjusting my eating so that I do not have any high carb meals, especially in the evening....apparently this adds to the stress on the adrenals. I am also taking new supplements to support adrenal function. We will see how this affects me in the coming weeks.



So far I've lost about seven pounds and I am beginning to notice an increase in my energy level. I've also noticed an increase in my libido which is not an unwelcome change by any means! Single woman on the prowl....watch out!!