Some of my favorite links:
Mike (my husband)
Every day for the past week has begun with an enema. Since my system is all-of-a-sudden not functioning so beautifully.... I am draining in the most simple way I know, with water.As well, I stopped my psyllium two days ago, just to clean out whatever residual may still be lurking.
And, as stated in the last blog, am going very strict diet. Have taken my favorite snack - peanut butter with banana - off. Actually, only the peanut butter. I suspect it may be one of several culprits in this temporary relapse.
I cannot even call this a relapse b/c it is unlike the way things used to be. For one thing any pain is minimal and very very local, and very temporary (e.g. a few minutes to half an hour). Further, the bloating, while consistent the first few days, has disappeared once I removed the PB. And of course I had just bought a big container of fresh organic PB when I realised this might be a problem! Oh well. Mike will eat it.
I have found that every day I feel better, less lethargic. My skin had begun to blemish, and is now clearing.
Did I mention that (1) I was in ovulation, (2) I relaxed my intake of vitamin C to 1500 mg 3X/day, and (3) the hot lemon tea was having almost no effect the last week?
I admit, after doing so well the past few months, I was a little depressed at this set-back. But I rallied, more determined than ever to experiment and find answers that will work over hte long term.
As of today I will consume 2-4 tablespoons of ground flaxseed per day in order to supply myself with both fiber and EFAs (essential fatty acids). Had my first tablespoon this morning.
I also intend to go for another hydrotherapy session, having been promised the use of a new, smaller tube insert!
Oh! And I have been doing a bit of research on probiotics, on the offchance there might be actual differences among them. Lo and behold! There are many different probiotic combinations, considering the tummy contains on average more than 400 types. So, I found out that certain strains and combination of strains are better for IBS (oh, like this should really be a revelation!).
You can read all about this stuff at Alternative Medicine magazine. Choose gastrointestinal from the pop up list, and from there choose the article on probiotics (acidophilus). There is one strain that is supposed to be very good for IBS, called L. plantarum. Several others are important, and a combination is better than just one b/c the tummy has so many in it to begin with.
The other articles are pretty interesting as well. I read the one on green foods and learned alot - and am going to try the barley grass. As one who does not consume grains I would be skeptical, but the green food here is not the grain, it is the leaves, and young ones at that. Different chemistry altogether.
I'll let you know how it all works out as I move along.
Later.
posted by LST 11/24/2001 02:34:04 PM
20.11.01
And another thing.I am going to play the diet pretty strict this season. I think winter is not my time of year - I always seem to block up during this season. Spring summer and autumn do much better by me. Could be the cold season. I never did like cold; the only thing I ever liked was bundling up to keep warm...
Perfect Health is my goal. Mike and I were talking about that in the car this morning on the way in and we decided that the reason Chopra sells the concept so well is b/c we each have an ideal in our heads for the concept of perfect health, and it is different for each of us.
Diversity rules!
Later
posted by LST 11/20/2001 07:36:20 AM
Finally went for a colon hydrotherapy session. Needed to get to those places the enema can't reach. Much needed.
Must say though, that I don't like that tube - too big. Makes the experience less harmonic b/c all I can focus on is that big tube. Pain in the ass, that. Pun intended.Afterwards though, much better. This wasn't a full release by any means, and I will have to go back in a coupla weeks, but I think we managed to unblock the wall of gas build up. That is the most important part.
The session was late in the day, and while I had eaten lightly during the day, I was not ready to ingest even at dinner. My gut was churning the remaining gas, bloated, painful. Really really unhappy.
So I figured some yoga would help move and relax.Bless that yoga! I did a half hour of sun salutations, slow ones and quick ones, and several down dogs later I moved most of that churning gas out of my system!
I meant to find out more about different types of acidophilus from Sheila, the hydrotherapist, but wasn't too focused, so I will email her with my questions.
I think I am at a crossroads, and whenever that happens my body tries so very hard to revert to some older way of being, as if it dislikes change and improvement!
How silly!
How common! Humans are known for disliking change, doing everything possible to maintain the status quo. I always assumed this was a psychological not a physiological phenomena. NOT.
Most likely it is a combination - somewhere deep inside my brain matter there is a place that wants to hold on to what is known, that dislikes change b/c new means different and more effort up front.Oh well.
posted by LST 11/20/2001 07:17:44 AM