Alright ... starting my new log.
You may know, you may not, but I have had a long-ass issue with my health that no one seems to be able to pinpoint. I had been seeing an MD who specializes in bioidentical hormone therapy who diagnosed me with severe adrenal fatigue and estrogen dominance after a slew of tests. The working theory was that I have a "sensitive system" likely from having had a rather severe case of mono at age 15. Back to back pregnancies combined with no sleep for more than 1.5 hours at a time for 3 years led to a severe "flare up". If you want more details than that, I have other logs that detail the whole nasty mess.
Well, since bioidentical hormones are now all the rage, my doc is too busy and I can't seem to get an appointment. Well, when I do, it has been cancelled now twice. Since I pay out of pocket to see this doc, I figure God is trying to tell me something.
Fortunately, the internist I had been trying to get as my PCP for 2 years just reopened her practice. She is a functional medicine doctor, believes in complementary medicine, and has a great no bullshit attitude. She is big on diet and not so big on medications.
Since seeing her, I have stopped taking all cortef and hormone treatment, except armour thyroid (but that's probably next). And I really don't feel any worse since stopping them. I have also added dairy-free to my diet (I was already gluten-free). She has discovered that I have a leaky gut, multiple food intolerances, and a rampant candida infection. I also had an abnormal liver enzyme level. I have since had additional bloodwork and am scheduled for a liver ultrasound on Friday. But I'm confident that it is all related to the gut health issue.
Candida is a yeast that is normally present in our bodies, but when it overruns the system, there are serious health effects. It is very tied to asthma and allergies and food intolerances. If my gut isn't filtering out things like it should, then my liver gets overtaxed doing more of the work.
So, my treatment is an antifungal medication (for 2-3 months likely) ... and a yeast-free diet. Well, what does that entail, you ask. Let me tell you ... NO sugar, NO vinegar (did you know that this is in freaking everything!!), NO mushrooms, NO yeast, NO pickles (vinegar), NO olives (if packed in vinegar), NO alcohol, hard fruits only (apples, pears, barely ripe bananas), and no gluten and no dairy (which I was already doing). I started the antifungal today. I slowly build up from one capsule daily to four daily over the course of a month. Apparently there can be some pretty nasty side effects as the yeast dies off. (The medication prevents it from growing, and the yeast-free diet starves it.) Let's hope it's not too too bad.
But from what I have been reading, this could very well be at the root of all my issues. It becomes a vicious cycle ... strong antibiotics -> kill off beneficial bacteria in the gut which keeps the yeast at bay -> yeast overgrowth -> irritates the lining of the gut causing inflammation -> inflammation allows increased permeability, allowing larger food particles that are not fully digested to pass into the blood stream -> body attacks said food particles and a food intolerance is born -> you keep eating said food (to which you are intolerant because you don't know any better) -> gut environment remains in a state that continues to allow for yeast overgrowth.
A great book that I have been reading is
The Food Intolerance Bible. The recipes suck, but the explanations of everything are great.
Anyways, the purpose of this log will be more food-related than training-related. (Sorry John!) I need a place to get ideas about recipes ... a place to report compliance ... and a place to vent.
Things I need to do ...
1. 8+ hours of sleep each night
2. Take my digestive enzyme before each meal.
3. Chew chew chew. (I seem to inhale my food, which can apparently be part of the problem since digestion starts in the mouth with chewing, and I don't chew my food very well.)
4. Follow gluten-free, dairy-free, yeast-free diet to a "T".
5. Exercise. Do some sort of exercise each day, be it yoga, walking, yardwork, housework, or resistance work.
6. Stress relief. Keep my stress levels down. Should be easier in the summer. (Ha!)
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So, to start things off, here's a couple of experiements lately. Since I can't have ketchup, mustard, or A1 sauce (or mayo) unless I make them myself since all have vinegar, I have been experimenting with different salsas. I'm particularly fond of this one ...
Salsa Fresca
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small jalepeno, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of one lime
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Mix together in a bowl and let sit for a bit to let the flavors mingle.
Mmmmm.
And since a girl can't go through life without chocolate ...
Sugar-Free Chocolate
1 bar of 100% cocoa
liquid stevia (I have dark chocolate flavor)
raw almonds, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
chili powder, about 1/8 - 1/4 tsp
In a double boiler (or glass pyrex set in a pan of hot water) melt chocolate (it helps if you grate the chocolate first). Add stevia to taste (I used 4 droppers-full and it's not particularly sweet). Add chili powder to taste. Add almonds. Stirring the whole time.
Pour out onto a parchment paper lined dish. Cool in the 'fridge or freezer. Cut into serving-size pieces and enjoy.