Anyone heard of Robert's formula or mucus-inducing foods?

megamoxie · Post by **megamoxie** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 7:05 pm

I'm actually a (mostly) patient person, and very strong. However, I'm not sure I can ever get to being at peace with this. If you can recommend any resources for that (I am an avid reader), I would welcome them.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Mon Oct 13, 2014 10:14 pm

Pema Chodron is very very good - I have quite a few of her audiobooks, apart from her awesome attitude, her tone, her humour is wonderful to listen to, i play them while I am doing housework, cooking, gardening, when i awake through the night,
each time i listen to the book, it is like i hear something new.
(thanks to polly for introducing Pema to me! xo)

if you have ipod/ipad the ?$9 for her audio book is very good value, considering you can play it over and over and over.
my favs are: -
Coming closer to ourselves
getting unstuck
good medicine
when pain is in the doorway: awakening in the most difficult circumstances

the other audio books i love are Eckhart Tolle, again he has good tone and humour about mindfullness, and not over thinking... you sort of laugh along with him in some of the sections
- Bringing Stillness to everyday life
- Living a life of inner peace
- transcending the Ego

Mark Nepo has some great books - he has a great daily affirmation book - the book of awakening - 2 mins each day to get the brain into a good place!

Also - Just One Thing by Rick Handson phd (more heart felt thanks to polly for gifting this one to me xo)
it has A5 size, has two or three pages of a subject and then has a couple of pages on the 'how' another good one to start the day or quick read when you have a cuppa
eg in the subject 'have faith' under the 'how' it has the following

Sure, some skepticism is good, but going overboard with it leads to an endless loop of mistrusting the world, and doubting yourself, You need to have faith that you will make good choices about where to have faith!
- make a list of the things you DO have faith in- both in the world and yourself, do this in your mind, on paper or by talking to someone
- ask yourself where your faith might be mis-placed, in dry wells or in dogs that wont hunt. Be sure to consider too much faith in certain aspects of of your own mind, such as in beliefs etc ...
- pick one instance of misguided faith and consciously step away from it, reflect.. etc etc

it gives you quick little exercises to review and tweak things where needbe.
(a big part of being at peace is reviewing, reassessing quite a few beliefs that we have held for 30 years or more 'must eat greens' 'must eat fibre' etc etc)

I started listening to free podcasts off itunes of 'Robert Ohotto' Soul COnnections radio - he talks about our soul contracts, living life guilt free without shame, etc etc I liked his stuff so much I pay annual subscription to get his other shows.
He also has a book - transforming fate into destiny. the shows and the book help you accept things you cant change, and how not to be trapped by fate elements in your life.

Caroline Myss has been good for me

if you have a library nearby, try some via the library to see what you like.
checkout the free podcasts on itunes - there are tonnes about mindfullness, transition, coming to peace in challenges, quite often those type of podcasts talk about books and authors and you will find the tone/style that suits you

hope this helps
xo

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 5:36 am

Meg,

I haven't been out to dinner in two years. I cook at my house and have friends over. Some folks on this board take their food to the restaurant (in thermos, or ask them to heat it up). I just didn't trust that, so I had to get creative. I would have people to my house for just desserts after they went to dinner, or I would heat up my own food at friends homes.

I sometimes eat right before we go anyplace, so that I am not hungry and envious of those eating.

It takes patience, but at least I know I won't suffer later for not planning ahead.

It won't always be this way...keep telling yourself that.... :)

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 6:35 am

It is possible to be ok with whatever arises in one's life, both the good and the bad, but it takes motivation and practice. I agree with Gabes. Pema Chodron is a great place to start. Many of us here have found that MC has a silver lining. It teaches us to live in the moment and to be mindful of our eating and our health. and that is all to the good. The less we fight against those things we can not change the easier it becomes to live gracefully with whatever comes our way, including MC.

Jean

AnnW · Post by **AnnW** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 5:23 pm

Testing! My posts are getting lost!

AnnW · Post by **AnnW** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 5:29 pm

Hi All:

Low gastric HCL can cause gas and bloating as it will result in poor digestion. SIBO can be caused by hypochlorhydria, but it is more often caused by diets high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, antibiotics, and stress. Stress alone can inhibit gastric HCL. Adequate HCL is required to signal the pancreas to secrete bicarbonate into the small intestine to make it alkaline for the digestive enzymes there to work. Digestion in the small intestine requires an alkaline environment.

I do not, however, put any clients on supplemental HCL unless they have been tested for gastric HCL and found lacking. HCL can harm the stomach if taken in high amounts, particularly if it is not required. Inflammation, so common in MC/IBS patients makes the stomach more vunerable to excess acid. Even if a patient has been diagnosed with hypochlorhydria, they should not be put on supplemental HCL until inflammation is addressed and brought under control.

Furthermore, most MC/IBD patients have high histamine levels due to methylation defects, nutritional deficiencies, and/or outright food sensitivities or allergies. Histamine increases gastric HCL secretion! Diagnostic tests for hypochlorhydria or achlorhydria (no stomach acid) include loading the patient with histamine after testing the pH of the stomach to see it can secrete more acid.

Without medical supervision, digestive enzymes are far safer. They can assist in the digestive process even if stomach acid is low. Inadequate nutrition can result in hypochlohydria because the nutrients required for its production are missing. If anyone still wants to try supplemental HCL go for very low doses (cut tablets in halves or fourths) and go slow. I would simply advice against taking antacids, PPI's (Nexiium etc.) or H-2 Blockers unless absolutely necessary.

Dr. Ann

Post by **tex** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 7:45 pm

Ann,

Sometimes we accidentally click on the "Preview" or "Save as Draft" buttons, rather than the "Submit" button. From "Preview", clicking on the backspace button in our browser will take us back to the post so that we can submit it. To locate a saved draft, click on either of the links at the top of the page on the left side that say:

View your drafts and topics you have posted to
View your drafts and posts

Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 8:41 pm

The thought for the day from Carolin Myss:-

When an illness is a part of your spiritual journey, no medical intervention can heal you until your spirit has begun to make the changes that the illness was designed to inspire.

megamoxie · Post by **megamoxie** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:11 pm

Thank you for the many references and resources, Gabes! I am familiar with Pema Chodron, although not these particular works. I have been revisiting Start Where You Are and When Things Fall Apart. I will have to check out these others and the audio option, though. I am also somewhat familiar with Eckhart Tolle and Caroline Myss, although less so than Pema Chodron, and I do not own any of their work. I have not previously heard of Rick Handson or Robert Ohotto but I will look for them. We have a very good library here, so I'll have to check to see what they have. I can also get samples on my kindle e-reader to get a feel for authors.

Linda and Jean, I appreciate your perspectives also. How can it not always be this way, though? Isn't this a lifelong diagnosis? In any case, it's probably a good policy for me not to eat out for a while until I am stable. I don't ever have to worry about feeling envious of those eating - I just simply don't feel that way. If I could live without eating anything at all, I would happily do so. Given the risks for me right now, I prefer not to eat much, even of foods that have been safe so far, since I don't yet have my definitive sensitivity test results and I fear that even my "safe" foods could turn on me at any moment. It will probably be another 4-5 weeks until those results.

I am working on strengthening my mindfulness practice. I have a terrible monkeymind right now. Noticing, breathing...

A huge part of all this is clearly getting my own mind/attitude to the right place, and that is what I am really struggling with now. It cannot be forced... I guess I'm still bouncing around somewhere between grief and acceptance. It's quite the rollercoaster ride. I'm trying not to lose my sense of humor. Later this week, I'm going to see a counselor who specializes in disease management cases, so maybe that will help.

Thanks again, all!

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:20 pm

Keep the sense of humour!
The Dx is lifelong, struggling with it does not have to be lifelong. Hence the tag line of this web site of 'you can get your life back'

we all have to do the various stages of grief, MC is a big lifechanger. Moreso because swaying from the MC management plan can have very impacting symptoms. take your time. It took me 3 years post DX to get my mind to a good stage...

some good mantras are
- there is no right way or wrong way, there is your way. take it all at the pace that you can handle
- progress not perfection. take it a day at a time, a week at a time. so long as this week is a bit better than the previous, you are doing grand.

ldubois7 · Post by **ldubois7** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 6:24 pm

Meg,

It does take a while to wrap your brain around this new way of living, but before long it will be commonplace. :)

When I said that it would not always be this way, I meant that after significant healing takes place you can add many food back into your diet. Gluten, dairy, & soy being the exception. You won't always be as limited as you are now.

It will be alright again. I remember felling the way you describe, two years ago, but have come a long way since then. And, I'm actually eating better now than I ever have. My weaknesses were chocolate & bread! I have broken those habits, and am amazed by that!

Take it a day at a time!

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 7:45 pm

megamoxie wrote: Linda and Jean, I appreciate your perspectives also. How can it not always be this way, though? Isn't this a lifelong diagnosis?

The diagnosis may be lifelong and having to be careful and avoid certain foods may be life long, but what can change is your ability to cope with it. When I joined this forum, 2.5 years ago, I couldn't leave my house, could barely leave my bathroom. I quite literally had no life. I immediately eliminated virtually any food that I thought might cause a reaction. For 2 weeks I ate only ground lamb. From the outside this might sound awful but I no longer had to reside in the bathroom. I no longer had to change my sheets in the middle of the night. I could take the dog for a walk and pick up my granddaughter from school. My attitude was I don't care how limited my diet has to be if it means that I can leave the house. A quote I like from Thubten Chodron in her book about meditation, but can be applied much more broadly, is when thoughts arise notice them but "don't give them any energy", so monkey mind does what monkey mind does but I work at not giving the thoughts that arise any energy if they are not conducive to equanimity, acceptance, the ability to enjoy the moment. This is always a work in progress. Thubten Chodron has a book entitled "Don't Believe Everything you Think". I love the title. It has become almost a mantra for me. This kind of training the mind is always hard work and never complete but it is extremely satisfying because it makes it possible to live with whatever life throws you. The turning point for me came when I was able to say to myself "Why not me?" rather than to think "Why me?"

Jean

megamoxie · Post by **megamoxie** » Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:11 pm

This is all so very, very helpful. Thank you all so very much! Intellectually, I get it. It will take longer to get to really believing it deep down in my soul. My way.. it will be all right... not my monkeys. All so good.

Jean- I absolutely agree, I don't care how limited my diet has to be if I am not chained to the bathroom and can have a life. That life ideally would include getting out to some social functions/festivals/concerts, riding on a motorcycle, hiking, maybe some travel. Early days, I will probably limit travel to trips to Omega where I know the food would be safe and the environment supportive; maybe branch out later to self-catering arrangements elsewhere. These are all things to work toward. I'm glad that it is Autumn here and we are heading into Winter, as I can become more reclusive and contemplative and get my head to the right place. Life is still good. Different, but good.

Grasshopper has much to learn and much work to do. Blessings to all of you on your paths, with gratitude for helping me on mine.