Beginners in a fruitarian/raw vegan lifestyle

Comment

Comment by Don Bennett on June 22, 2011 at 6:41am

Summer, Remember, the best test for B12 status is uMMA.

If you have been taking B12 shots, there is nothing wrong with stopping them and taking a sublingual B12 (methyl form) instead. The dose really should be dependent on the results from a uMMA test though (can you at this point take a maintenance dose, or is a therapeutic dose still needed for a time).

The number of times one empties their bladder is often mentioned when discussing ones relative state of hydration, but you are right, the only true way to know is to measure ones urinary output (like they do in hospitals to track kidney function). But I'm not suggesting that anyone do that; if you're eating high water content foods as a large part of your diet, and you're being active enough to warrant eating enough of them, AND you're drinking some water, especailly after awakening (because of being dehydrated overnight due to the abnormally dry air), you should be fine in the hydration department (as long as you're not consuming diuretics - things that draw water out of your tissues, like salt, spicy foods, processed foods, garlic, ginger, super-low water content foods, teas, coffee, and some meds). And "clear" does not necessarily mean that all is well. It just means that you are not urinating a dark yellow, which is bad. A slight yellow tint is fine, and maybe preferable since it is an indication that your body is eliminating some extra nutrients... a little extra is better than a little deficient. And keep in mind that "clear" can also mean that you are drinking too much water and may be causing hyponatremia (that article addresses it somewhere).

> To get off the supplements/Rx should I just start taking 1/2 the dose and then none?

It would be irresponsible of me to try and answer this question in this venue. And to do so correctly would require knowing what the meds were, their doses, what were the test results that warranted them being prescribed, etc. And you should first try to do this under the care of the health professional that prescribed them. If he or she won't cooperate with your desire to get off them now that you're living in a manner that should allow your body to heal the conditions, then find a doc who will advise you. Some will, some won't. You may be able to research this info yourself, but I don't advise experimenting with it as a way of weaning yourself off meds... be sure of what you are doing.

Comment by Lia de Lancey on June 22, 2011 at 6:36am

@Don,

 

"And some medical personnel will tell you, privately of course, to avoid whenever possible breaking the skin with needle or scalpel"

 

Why would they say this Don?

 

Thanks, Lia

Comment by Don Bennett on June 22, 2011 at 4:52am

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Whoops, sorry, I gave the wrong link to the B12 I recommend (in the post below). The link I gave was to the vitamin D I recommend.

This is the one for the B12.
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Comment by Don Bennett on June 22, 2011 at 4:40am

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Summer, the only time I recommend a B12 injection over sublingual B12 is if someone is presenting with severe B12 deficiency symptoms. But even then, sublingual is usually more accessible than an injection. Otherwise, sublinguals are just as effective at raising a low B12 level and maintaining it as injections are. And some medical personnel will tell you, privately of course, to avoid whenever possible breaking the skin with needle or scalpel. And when you come to develop a great respect for your body, this will also be an intuitive notion.

And the sublingual that I know works is this one, and it can be purchased at Whole Foods or at that link for half the cost. And here is an article that addressed the form of B12 that I recommend.

Getting tested with a uMMA test (the gold standard test for B12 status) is a great idea before you start supplementing. If you've been taking B12 shots for any length of time, the test is not going to tell you anything meaningful. And since B12 stores can last a very long time (as opposed to something like chromium) there'd be no sense in testing again in two months (unless you suspected the efficacy of the supplemental B12) unless you simply want to get a baseline at the point you stop injections and start sublingual B12 so that you can compare the result to another test in two years.

It would be professionally irresponsible of me to make specific recommendations in your case without having a detailed history as I do with my clients, and this forum really isn't the venue for that either, so I can just make general comments here. Unless you were born with a genetic condition that required meds, the odds of you being able to be meds-free is very high IF you are doing the things that are needed to support your body's efforts at achieving this, and IF you stop doing any of the things that burden your body's efforts at health creation. I should also say that is unwise to stop, cold turkey, any meds you are taking, because some can cause harm if stopped suddenly as opposed to weaning yourself off them slowly.

If you eat some greens every day, you can sprinkle dulse flakes on them, and even on non-sweet fruit such as cucs, and on celery. And between dulse and a high quality multi which contains iodine from a sea veggie, that should be enough to maintain iodine levels for a healthy functioning thyroid. The subject of iodine supplementation is too detailed to get into here because it involves an iodine loading test, and knowledge on how to get the other -ines (halids) out of your system that are crowding out iodine because of competitive inhibition (bromine, chlorine, fluorine).

As far as being "supplement free": In a perfect world where we're living in paradise eating very nutrient dense foods, and with no genetic weaknesses, I can see how this is possible. But in the real world where our bodies live, I can't see how to get anywhere near optimal health without something (D, B12, and the essential trace minerals that we require that are not in our food in sufficient quantity if at all).

Part of me would love to not have to rely on supplements for anything, and I used to believe that we didn't need anything, but this was not my belief, it was from dogma that was out there (and still is and always will be). So IMO a better goal would be to have the best odds of never betting a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, and to have as robust a level of health as my DNA will allow. And if I have to take a nutritional supplement to achieve this, so be it. I'm a realist, so even though it bothers me that I would have to do this, it also doesn't bother me.

If you're still in the house where that mold outbreak had been, if it were me, I'd consider moving. But I'm a "better to be safe than sorry" type of person, and mold is not something to fool around with. Just because you have no noticeable symptoms of something, doesn't mean you don't have any symptoms and that your body isn't dealing with something sub-clinically. And right now, your body needs all the support and TLC it can get to turn things around. If you can move to more natural climate where the air isn't as dry as it is where you live, that would be good too. In the winter, I get dry skin and cracked heals, but here in South Florida in the summer, never. And considering that I eat a very healthy diet, it is obvious that my dry skin is caused by environmental factors.

Stay well hydrated, and don't rely on fruit for your hydration when living where the humidity is lower than normal (tropical) for your body.

I hope this is of some help.
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Comment by Don Bennett on June 21, 2011 at 9:37am

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Summer, I'd advise testing your uMMA to see what your B12 status is (not to be confused with the meaningless B12 blood test), and if you do not, I'd consider taking sublingual B12 every so often if you are eating dried sea veggies to help ensure that your B12 utilization isn't lowered by B12 analogs.
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Comment by kindvibe on June 20, 2011 at 2:06pm

Don, I like that....getting rid of cf.....I'm definitely working on my words:) I have been quite I'll, but if I am anything, I am determined to get well. I can always use empowerment :)

Comment by Don Bennett on June 20, 2011 at 8:33am

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Summer, there are many folks who are eating the healthiest of diets who, when they crunch the numbers to get an average for the month, find that it is somewhere in between 95/5/5 and 80/10/10. Some months mine is 86/5/9 and that's with no over fats (nuts, avos) and no durian (a "semi-overt" fat). But if you were to increase your fat percentage - not that it's necessary - I'd look to durian first, some avo second, and nuts last.

Too much is made of nuts, and they can interfere with health restoration unbeknownst to the eater, and can even derail your health creation efforts if overdone.If you do eat them, be very sure you're hydrated enough (if in doubt, drink some water 20 minutes before eating them, eat them by themselves (for reasons I'll mention in a moment), and of course don't over do it (think of the work necessary to eat them in the wild as opposed to out of a bag). Because my body is familiar with Brazil nuts (very high in selenium), I get a yen for them about once or twice a year, and that's it.

To (re)program your brain's "food composition database" eat some ripe avo on an empty stomach, as a MMM (mini-mono-meal), and don't finish it; eat 5/6ths or 7/8ths (you get the idea). This will help your body to be able to whisper to you "avocado" when it wants some overt fat. And since it's better to eat "automatically" rather than "manually" according to some program, the sooner you can be "in touch" with your body, the better.

Durian is a wonderful tropical food in that it is a good source of natural sulphur (the body's natural disinfectant), and its fat content, percentage-wise, is almost exactly midway between a banana and an avo. I recommend eating some at least twice a month.

If you add spirulina/chlorella into your diet, be aware of the B12 analog issue (it would then be prudent to also take some sublingual B12). Personally, I eat dulse (mostly for the iodine).

If you go easy on an overt fat like avo, and you eat it in between sweet fruit meals, it shouldn't be a cause of candidiasis (which is an overgrowth of candida, candida being something that's natural to have in normal amounts). you can also try eating some leafy greens with sweet fruit to see how that sits with you (and to let your body know that this scenario is available to it). The added fiber of the greens can be used by the body to slow the uptake of sugar into the blood if needed.

So trust that voice, and empower it to give you more good advice.
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Comment by Don Bennett on June 20, 2011 at 7:48am

And you're not "fighting" chronic fatigue, you're merely getting rid of it. "Battling" something gives it power, in your mind, that it really doesn't have. Chronic Fatigue is NO match for an empowered FebruaryGirl!

Comment by Don Bennett on June 20, 2011 at 7:45am

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I have a slightly different perspective, and as with a lot of my perspectives, this one is based on nature. And it is also predicated on my decades of experience, both personal and with those I've counseled. If you can fall asleep during the day, you should. No doubt about it.

If you can nap during the day, this obviously is needed, but it's certainly not normal for someone in your chronological age bracket; it is an indication that your body is needing an inordinate amount of nerve energy replenishment because of what it's dealing with.

Keep in mind, you are just starting to turn your health around. The quicker this occurs, the sooner you'll not need a nap during the day. The only exception to this is if you were born with damaged DNA (a genetic defect) that will always necessitate extra sleep. But this is rare. So if you didn't always need to nap during the day, it is just a symptom of a condition of ill-health... correctable ill-health.

I'm 57, and have been eating the healthiest of diets (that's a succinct way of stating it) for 19 years, and the only times I've ever had the need to sleep during the day was when I had no appetite for a few days because my body was dealing with a foreign invader, so I needed more nerve energy replenishment than my normal sleep phase could provide. But normally, if I lie down during the day, like when I sun myself, I don't fall asleep, even though my eyes are closed. Instead it is simply a nice relaxing rest, which I think we all should allow ourselves during the day if at all possible. (A word of caution: If you're prone to falling asleep during the day, don't sun yourself until after your nap.)

So take heart upside down girl, when you support your body's efforts at healing whatever's ailing you, and you completely stop doing the things that handicaps its efforts at healing you totally, you'll realize one day, "Hey! I haven't needed a nap in a long time!!!" And I'm not trying to worry you, but ill-health at your age is best dealt with a full-steam-ahead philosophy. There may be some "two steps forward, one step back" now and then, but anything you can do to incentivise yourself to "just do it" and minimize transition time, the better off you'll be for it. If it helps, there are some empowering and thought-provoking articles here.
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Comment by Nicolette Barnes on June 20, 2011 at 6:40am

I personally think napping is great. Different for everyone I think. Some people find it hinders their ability to sleep at night, but others aren't bothered. I think if you are really tired enough to have a nap and then still get a good sleep at night go for it. Your body will tell you if it needs the extra sleep. And there is no written rule saying that night is the only time we should sleep.

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