Celia's Adventures in Healing

[celia]

FOOD TRIGGERS

All grains and grain products—gluten, non-gluten, as well as grain alternatives (quinoa & amaranth). Wheat and cornstarch are two of the worst offenders. Brown rice is the least offensive.

Starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, winter squash, peas, carrots, yucca root, and jicama.

Nightshade vegetables
Tomatoes, red pepper, and potatoes. I haven’t tested eggplant or the spices in the family (e.g. curry, cayenne).

Miscellaneous vegetables
Onions, garlic, cabbage, mushrooms. Undecided about okra, brussel sprouts, fennel.

Legumes like lentils, mung beans, and black beans. I haven’t tested all legumes, but I believe they will all be triggers.

Soy – Not certain about soy. Once I had a soy chai latte (black tea with soy milk) and it put me under the table. But it might have had sugar in it.

Sugar in any form including white sugar, honey, molasses, etc, as well as sugar substitutes like manitol and sorbitol. I haven’t tested stevia.

Most nuts including cashews, walnuts, pecan, macadamia, pine nuts. Not sure about almonds.

Seeds: Sunflower seeds and flax seeds. Ground flax seeds are one of the worst. I’m not certain about sesame seeds.

Fresh fruit…Apples, oranges, and bananas are the worst. Pears and kiwis produce the mildest reaction, but the seeds of the kiwi appear in my stool. I haven’t tested all fruit.

Dried fruit including non-sulfite dates, cherries, and coconut. Coconut is one of the worst.

Sprouts: Alfalfa sprouts. I haven’t tested others.

Condiments and spices: Apple Cider Vinegar, black pepper. I haven’t tested many spices.

Beverages, Caffeine. Black tea and green tea, even decaf versions. Many herbal teas if they have natural flavorings.

Dairy Products: Casein intolerant. Not sure about ghee.

Eggs: Not sure about eggs.

Supplements: Psyllium husks (one of the worst), homeopathic pellets with lactose and sugar (one of the worst).

[celia]

Although my dramatic downslide in health occured with a sudden onset gastrointenstinal event in May of 2004, there were early warning signs that go a long way back.

1989-1995
I lived in a house on a hill right above the ocean. The view was gorgeous. The house was saturated with hidden mold. It's probably more than coincidence that three other people who lived in the house now have a chronic illness.

1992
The activity and stress level in my worklife took a quantum leap. I tended to work withouut taking breaks. No regular meals, constantly on the go and little sleep. One month I traveled to 6 different cities in 25 days, organzing large events, media events, etc.

1993
By the end of 1993
-My energy was failing
-I had sleep starts at night
-Some times my skin would itch
-I would start to loose my voice
-I had sore throats

These weren't constant symptoms, but they were frequent enough to make me wonder. I kept up my same pace, although I took a week off to rest at one point.

1994
We moved to a new townhouse to get away from the mold. I still woke up with a sore throat almost everyday we lived there.

1995 - 2002
We moved to San Francisco in 1995. My activity and stress level continued at the same frantic pace.

During the last few years in SF, I noticed:
- Occasional D. in the morning. It was so occassional that it always caught me by surprise and made me wonder. But it occurred so seldom and didn't interfere with my life, that I assumed it was the stress or something I ate.

-Occassional morning stiffness in my calves and feet.

-By the end of this period, I was worn out from my high activity/stress level and decided to slowly move on.

-I had a uterine fibroid that caused me to be anemic starting in Santa Cruz and the whole time I was in SF. I took iron off and on, but was not regular enough with it. This also caused me to have frequent urination at night. I would get up to urinate 10 times a night, making for a mild form of sleep deprivation when coupled with the work calls I would sometimes get in the middle of the night.

2001
The uterine fibroid had a huge growth spurt.

2002
We moved to Albany.

more to come...

[annie oakley]

Celia....What are the trigger foods that cause you sleep problems? I am Curious. I am having long periods of Sleeplessness. Of course I know there's the stress factor, but what food triggers youes? Love Oma

[celia]

Resources that have been useful to me:

www.vitalchoice.com
---natural seafood products that are low in mercury

www.iherb.com
---great prices on vitamins and supplements

www.needs.com
---high quality physician grade vitamins and supplements. N.E.E.D.S often has vitamins and supplements that are difficult to find through other outlets.

[celia]

I use a natural approach to healing.

Following are some of the vitamins and supplements that have worked well for me. Everyone is biochemically different and has different needs, so there's no guarantee they will also work for others, but often they do.

SLEEPLESSNESS

Natural Calm
An evervescent form of magnesium citrate. I have tried many different natural sleep supplements during the six month period that I had sleep distrubance and pain every single night. This is the one that worked for me. Apparently, a huge segment of the American population is deficient in magnesium with is need for over 300 activities in the body. Caution: excess intake of magnesium can cause loose stools or D., so begin with a small amount.

[celia]

My Diet for the Week of April 10, 2006

The majority of the vegetables I eat are organic, and almost all the meat and poultry is grass fed. I buy fish from vitalchoice.com so it is free of sulfites and has lower levels of mercury


MONDAY

Pork chops (store bought, but no injections)
Green beans
Cauliflower
Olive Oil
Canola Oil
San Pelligrino Mineral Water (unflavored)
Filtered Water
Celtic sea salt

I realize that the green beans are a legume; I'm watching for a reaction.

TUESDAY
salmon
asparagus
raw celery and cucumber slices
fennel and celery
canola oil
San Pelligrino Mineral Water (unflavored)
Filtered Water

WEDNESDAY
Chicken (free range)
Broccoli
An avocado
Filtered Water

THURSDAY
Mahi Mahi (9 oz)
Spinach
Chard
Tuna (2 oz)
Medium size shrimp
Hanful of almonds
Filtered Water
A glass of Appolinaris mineral water

FRIDAY
Ground turkey patty
Chayote squash

[artteacher]

HI Celia,

I'll be back on the computer about May 3rd. I'm looking forward to reading your journal progress. Good luck with it. Since you know you have problems with grains, I'd watch for oils that are grain derivatives, like flax and sunflower. I've found that almost everything gives me problems (meaning D, hemmroids, bloating, gas, muscle aches, fatigue, brain fog) once the inflammation process gets started. So you might find that foods with seeds are ok in moderation, if you can just get healed up a little. That's how it is with me.

See ya, Love, Marsha