Yuri recovery

[TylerDurden]

You just mentioned mineral-deficiency... What kind of minerals? Calcium/Magnesium? It's hard to realise why I became extremely mineral deficient on paleo diet...

I don't know either. I just came up with it as a possibility out of the blue. All I meant to say was that doctors are fallible human beings and make mistakes, but their business is health-related so they may know something you don't. A healthy diet can sort out a lot of things but it can't perform miracles such as surgery(you mentioned something about kidney-stones a while back, for example), and there are always going to be different issues for each individual, not all of which can be solved by diet.

I may hate doctors, but I have to admit that the whole weston-price notion of regrowing one's teeth didn't work for me, so I'm grateful that I had certain very painful holes in my teeth filled up by a dentist, pre-raw diet. And another doctor managed to perfectly fix my broken right leg when I was 4. Neither of these operations would have been fixable with just a raw animal food diet, so I'm sure that doctors have their uses, even though they failed to detect, let alone solve other issues.

[wodgina]

A few years ago I was pretty bad, I had completely lost sight and could not see the Forrest for the trees (i don't know if they have that saying in the Ukraine) I didn't know what to do, my health was failing I was on a fairly self destructive path.

 I thought my life was over. It can work out.

[boxcarguy07]

Yes... never give up!

A positive mindset is at least half of the battle! It is so important!

[rawlion]

Thanks for the great saying. I checked my dictionary and found it there. And here is another good one, especially for me: What can't be cured, must be endured.

Well, I have to apologize for my negativity. It should not have to be this way. But I want to be honest and sincere. And you know what, after I had had my say here yesterday, I felt slightly better. I fairly unleashed my concerns and it did help.

In his book We Want to Live Aajonus defines Indigestion as poor digestion accompanied by a feeling of fullness, discomfort, and any or all of the following symtoms: pain, cramps, heartburn, nausea, belching, flatulence.

He says that “eating a diet of unheated honey with warm or room temp raw milk for 2-6 weeks quickly aids digestion. If raw milk is problematic, eat a diet of 1 raw egg every 60-90minutes followed with 1tsp raw cream and 1/8 tsp unheated honey for 2-6 weeks, until symptoms subside.

Recently, somebody posted on the primal diet group another weird Aajonus’ suggestion. He was talking about “water damage from drinking too much water and no digestion left”. AV advised to eat only eggs (18 a day) and milk to rebuild the cells for 2 years. He said the cells were too weak to eat meat.

I hate to say that, but maybe there is a bit of sense? I know eggs, dairy etc. are not paleo things, but what if that may help?

When I think of such a diet, based on dairy and eggs, I recall my childhood and youth. These two products were staple for me all that time.

Ha-ha, you can see how sad my state is as I even started to consider dairy and honey again! Indeed, I’d like to hear your opinions on the above statements!

[TylerDurden]

Try everything, like I said(doctors/dairy, whatever). Just don't stick to one remedy for ages if it doesn't work.

[wodgina]

I hit rock bottom a few years ago, you might be heading there, sometimes that's just the thing you need.

[rawlion]

I hit rock bottom a few years ago, you might be heading there, sometimes that's just the thing you need.

Well, as I said before, I had the experience of reaching the lower limit. It happened after three month of high fruit vegan trial… I was so weak and emancipated back then that I wasn’t able to open PET bottle of water. I didn’t even think of going up the stairs two at a time...

But still I was not frightened too much. When I realized how wrong I was I changed my diet. And I started to improve, with ever-increasing success. In fact it seemed to have gone from strength to strength. Now it is different and that worries hell outa me!

[wodgina]

you looked healthy in your 4th photo, relaxed, heaps of muscle , tan etc do what you were doing there?

It sounds like now you've run out of options and have lost control of your health (scary), but when you were recovering from raw vegan and you were a lot physically sicker than you are now, you at least had some control over your health (you were able to make improvements (not so scary))

[rawlion]

Yeah, that is true, I'm scared.

Honestly, I think that picture does not square with reality. My good look was primarily due to exercises. But I still had to force myself and squeeze the last drops of energy to keep up. Besides I was able to eat adequate amounts of food. Still, even at that time, I was trying to find where I was wrong, as I lacked the energy and generally was not feeling well.

In hindsight, I have to admit that my health took a turn for the worse and deteriorated continuously from the moment when I began intermittent fasting. I didn’t want to believe that I couldn’t eat once per day as I really liked the idea.

All in all, back then I faced the race against time to decide my health issues. I never made it as in two months time I was in the hospital with kidney stones.

[Satya]

Hi Yuri,

I am going to be a heretic and suggest bone broths as a possible temporary bridge towards better health.  They may be cooked, but some of the constituents like minerals and amino acids might help repair and build you up.  Otherwise, I have no idea what to suggest, as you are eating, what seems to me like, a reasonable rpd.  Best wishes to you.  Keep up the negative ranting if it helps you feel better! 

http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2005/broth0205.htm

[rawlion]

'iya

I haven't finished my story. My speeches here are those of one who had something to say, not of one who had to say something.

I might be deadly wrong, but I came to the conclusion that pure paleo way wouldn’t work for me. Now, don't get me wrong, I don’t say it is not a perfect approach. But since things won't get going in my situation I had no choice but move further.

Day by day my frustration was continuously growing. I perceived the imminent failure. Completely out of whack, I couldn’t go on anymore. I kept telling myself this was the end, and though I knew it was, another voice kept urging me to hope for best and look on the bright side... I developed the fierce determination to possess myself of the new plan with which I could last less painfully in the coming future. I was preparing myself for retreat in the face of difficulties. And I fell back on old cures.

On Friday evening arrived two-quart jar of bee pollen and the same amount of fresh honey. And I was quick about it! I made my favourite pollen-honey candy and for the first time in the pas 6 weeks I enjoyed a sugar of any kind. My first thought was that I had gone stark raving mad.

The following day I woke up full of initiative. I was driven by the though that maybe, just maybe this “easy” honey/egg/dairy diet might alleviate my sufferings. I was determined as ever to finally put an end to the existing ugly reality. My confidence returned. At least emotionally, but I did feel enormous relief.

I have to admit that with this kind of new hope my spirits skyrocketed. Moreover, it was a moment of an extreme joy when the soccer team I support (the mighty Liverpool) had beaten our arch rivals (a certain brood from Manchester). As a result, I had a rare weekend of feeling well.

My diet was exceptionally easy. During the day I repeated the circle of eating one egg followed by a tsp of honey shortly after and a tad of cream 20-30 minutes later. Just before the bed I consumed a couple mouthfuls of meat. I wouldn’t eat meat at all, but that day I came across such delicacy as the horse meat and I couldn’t but buy a coupe of kilos…

Yesterday late in the evening I had a severe stomach upset. This was the first alarming episode on this bizarre diet. It was so painful and intense that I almost fainted. However, as it subsided, I decided to follow my way. I think it might have been something in the egg but I am not sure.

So all in all life seems pretty well at the moment. This new diet gave me a feeling of satisfaction. Was it sugar, egg or dairy I could only guess. I might even suggest it was only emotional. And despite I’m sure I will be brought down to earth again shortly, this change really astounded me...

[rawlion]

Cheers!

I got back here half frantic with pain, depression, sadness and sorrow. The harsh realization of severity of my condition does not give me a moment's peace.  Problems I ignored in the past now came back to haunt me. The gravity of the situation cannot be overstated. I may be jumping to conclusion but currently I feel like a person under sentence of death.

Why me? From that angle out I'm a weird, one-off person. It seems to be an exceptional case and I can’t understand it. It's tough that it had to happen to me of all people. Dr. Blake F. Donaldson in a book called Strong Medicine, says: during the millions of years that our ancestors lived by hunting, every weakling who could not maintain perfect health on fresh fat meat and water was bred out. I can’t escape my fate…

It is not due to the lack of ambition or effort on my part. I genuinely tried every possibility. How comes it? I cannot explain.

Obviously the situation is out of my hands. Everything is just so irrational. And I have to accept this. I've done my best here, but I can't work miracles.

As you can see from my previous post, about a month ago I embarked on AV’s dairy/honey/egg diet with the view to improve my indigestion. During the first week on it I was feeling really fantastic. Not that I suddenly became healthy again, but the difference was significant. This diet alleviated my indigestion suffering to a certain degree and gave me some strength and hope.

As I just said, the improvement was obvious. I didn’t eat but I didn’t fast either. And I was happy with that. I have to mention that before going to bed I also used to consume a little meat with marrow, about half an lb in total. This was the only difference from AV’s suggestion but I was loath to change anything since I felt better. As the old adage goes, let well alone…

I continued until one day when I felt so full and uncomfortable after the final meat meal (which was really small) that had no other option but to vomit in order to have a relief. I wasn’t surprised a bit that the foods came back unchanged. That pointed once again to poor digestion. I think I don’t have to tell you how miserable I felt afterwards.

I started to suspect that I couldn’t handle unsaturated fats in marrow. I decided to stay away from it as well…

As a result came a week without meats at all. However, to my surprise and embarrassment, soon I realized that even eggs became problematic. As days went by, I was eating less and less. I was only able to consume about three eggs, a little honey and a cup of kefir. After the initial high, I was in a regular pain again.

Yesterday I committed a rash act. I bought some meat. I ate about four oz before sleep and it sent me directly to hell. As a result I experienced a sleepless night and full stomach the following day. Remember I was contemplating my poor digestion and saying that I only could consume half an lb of meat? What did I know… It appears that I was in a good shape back then!

I wouldn’t have done it had I been able to go on without meats. But as I mentioned before, eggs/cream/honey diet became burdening. So I had to do something. Besides, I feel that I need meat. My body requires it but at the same time cannot handle it. Meat is important for healing and good health. I am in despair…

I don't know what's the matter with me. I am very hungry but I can’t eat. I consume nominal amounts of food but my weight remains stable. I feel so cold and wear several sweaters when others around me are hot just in tee-shirts. I’m pregnant with foods and it chronically stays in my stomach…

Well, my breathing is difficult, and there are all the symptoms of approaching dissolution. The remaining sands of my life are few and they are running out.

[TylerDurden]

I know you're taking adrenal supplements, but I seriously think that taking raw thyroid is essential, given your above symptoms. After all, hypothyroidism has cold-intolerance(and more rarely heat-intolerance) as a major symptom. I don't think, IMHO, that it really matters if you combine both raw adrenals and raw thyroid together.

Don't worry re 100% top-quality, given the current situation, just get the best sort of glandular supplement you can afford as long as a) the dosage of the relevant glands is reasonably high, and b) it's less adulterated with chemicals than the average in the industry. I'm sure there are plenty of those examples.

I really can't think of anything else other than adrenal burnout which can cause such poor digestion of meats. If it isn't that, then you really need to see a doctor to find out if there's some problem with some other organ linked to digestion(eg:- pancreas, lack of enzyme-production etc.)

[Satya]

If it isn't that, then you really need to see a doctor to find out if there's some problem with some other organ linked to digestion(eg:- pancreas, lack of enzyme-production etc.)

I agree, Yuri.  Try to see a doctor if you are able.  Maybe even an email consult.  Do take care.

[wodgina]

I still think you should look for non-diet related solutions to your illness. I doubt doctors or adrenal/thyroid supplements will do anything (of course see a doctor just to make sure)  Trust me, I can tell you from personal experience that diet is only a small piece of the puzzle to being well.

Digestive problems especially. The 'Gut brain' connection is very very strong.

I'm confident you will find a solution and doubt it will be from diet. 

[seesawsemiology]

hey man, i know i havent commented before but over the past couple of days ive read and reread your entries . so im not coming out of nowhere.
i gotta agree about the doctor thing.strongly.
diet is obviously a big part of ones health and well being but as wodgina said its not the whole thing and not 100% effective. i really respect and admire your commitment to paleo 'values' or what have you but keep in mind "cave men" also got sick and died and with what we know now,the chances are very good you dont have to. i am more suspicious of modern medicine, particularly pharmaceutical companies, than anyone i know but in some cases its the difference between life and death in our favor.
just my opinion.
i wish you all the best, hang in there.

[rawlion]

Spot on Geoff!

Now I have got enthusiastic about obtaining thyroid supplement. I can easily purchase the whole bovine thyroid here, but it doesn’t settle the issue. The case is, if I’m right, that too much thyroid consumed may suppress the under active thyroid even more. And I don’t want this to happen. I need to start it slowly and in adequate doses.

So far I have found only one more or less authoritative OCT source (http://www.nutri-meds.com/) of desiccated thyroid which can be shipped directly to Ukraine. There is also a lot of talk about Armour. But I’d prefer the nutri-meds, as manufacturers claim that nothing added or removed to their product...except that which is necessary to tablet or encapsulate it. They contain small amounts of magnesium stearate. The tablets have some dicalcium phosphate, the capsules have a little rice powder. The amounts are all minimal, only that needed to process.

Apparently, I cannot just give up. For the sake of happiness and joy that the life can bring, I have to be strong. I know, it is easier said than done, more so given the condition I am in right now, but there is always a ray of hope, isn’t it?

My cold intolerance, I suppose a direct result of low metabolism, is absolutely unbearable. All I wish these days is to snuggle under the covers. I hate going outside. I freeze at temperatures lower than 70 degrees. I’m terrified to death by the coming winter.

I don’t know if I’m right, but I tend to think that my diet is pretty low in saturated fats. I was just thinking that when I began intermittent fasting I started to heavily rely on bone marrow and eventually it became my only source of fats, along with fat from tongue. That means that my thyroid was suppressed not only by the infrequent eating, but also by consumption of vast amounts of MUFAs. And this may be the main reason why I failed to improve since having done with intermittent fasting. I was way too much reliant on MUFAs, which slowed down my thyroid activity even further. This is Ray Peat’s position.

Well, in an ideal situation I would have added to my adrenal cortex extract the thyroid supplementation and would have saturated my diet with coconut oil, but as of now I cannot achieve any of these goals. However, I keep on looking for possibilities.

Thank you all for the information and support, I hope I can pull through all this…

[Squall]

Dr. Blake F. Donaldson in a book called Strong Medicine, says: during the millions of years that our ancestors lived by hunting, every weakling who could not maintain perfect health on fresh fat meat and water was bred out. I can’t escape my fate…

The only advice I can offer here is to tell you not to buy into bad genetics so soon. If the statement you attributed to Dr. Donaldson is true, then you should be fine because anyone with faulty genes would have died long ago before becoming a (distant) ancestor of yours, or anyone else. There shouldn't be a person on Earth who can't digest meat and fat with a reasonably healthy digestive system.

[boxcarguy07]

Hey there Yuri... I don't have much in the way of advice, but just know that I'm sending positive vibes your way brother. Stay strong and I know you'll get through this and whatever else life throws at you.

[rawlion]

Our minds have a lot of power. With our minds, we make countless decisions each by weighing innumerable factors of various importance. It amazes me, and I bet it amazes you. But despite the great minds that we have, sometimes we as people have psychological faults and we make mistakes. We see this manifest most in regret. These regretful decisions could have easily gone the other way, had the person simply used a tad more foresight.

I think I am a very original man and with an extremely original behaviour.

Although I’d preferred that last Saturday’s events didn’t live long in my memory it was a day that will be remembered for one reason in particular. You see, a couple of days ago I contemplated that my health had gone to pieces. I couldn't seem to get enough pain. So I did myself even more harm. This time it wasn’t dietary related. It resulted from my reckless negligence. Well, It took quite a bit of persuasion but I still agreed to play a soccer with my friends. And I shouldn’t. I ignored my poor state of health. It was foolishness to do it. The payoff came in due time.

Though still struggling on I was pretty nearly exhausted in the latter stages of the game. Then I fell awkwardly and dislocated my right knee. The pain was unbearable. I can’t remember a lot about the moment – but it was terrible. I thought that was the end for me. I have never suffered anything like that before but I remained conscious. I was in shock for a while but now I am coming to terms with what happened. It hurts still, but things are getting better.

As far as I am aware I might have damaged the posterior cruciate ligament in my right knee. Ligaments are strong bands of tissue that attach one bone to another. If either ligament is torn, one may experience pain, swelling and loss of mobility. Occasionally, this injury can cause a feeling of instability or looseness in the knee. That's what I have!

Well, you cannot change the past. You can learn from the past, but you still cannot change it. However, you can change the future. You control whether or not you will have more regrets later in your life.

A few words about my current diet. I run out of eggs and don’t eat them now. In the morning I start with juice squeezed from one lemon. I have a teaspoon of sour cream each hour during the day. I also consume a little honey, about half teaspoon several times per day. In the evening, before going to bed, I eat as much meat as I can, usually about 6 oz.

Finally, I have to mention that I ordered bovine thyroid from nutri-meds. I still feel this is a waste of money, especially because I can get raw thyroid for free here, but since the dosage is very important in this case I just have to live with it.

[wodgina]

I checked out the thyroid supplement also, I was thinking about buying it but changed my mind, I've spent a lot of money on supplements which do nothing. Placebo effect just does not last long enough for me damn it!

You only eat 6 oz of meat? that's not very much is it? is your digestion still shot? I would be climbing the walls with hunger!

Getting injured suck's mate. Maybe it's your subconscious telling you to take it easy for a while? I think that's what happens to me sometimes, I swear I get injured unconsciously to get out of doing things I don't want to do.

[rawlion]

Oh yes, this is so frustrating when you are always hungry but can’t eat. But I can’t do anything about it.

You are right about placebo effect, but as of now I can’t think of anything else. Thyroid supplements are my last chance.

As for the injury, I’m sure I wouldn’t have got it had I been fully fit. This is a direct result of tiredness and poor health condition. However, I have to admit that would calm me down for a while, at least until my leg functioning recovers.

[rawlion]

Now I don’t eat today. I wonder why my digestion got so much worse over the past four weeks…Maybe, I really have that damn candida issue? This is the only fitting explanation… Certainly, with honey and dairy it had the opportunity to grow hog wild. This might have aggravated the situation. I have to admit that, maybe at least for me, but AV’s ideas on how to restore indigestion failed miserably.

What is to be done? I can hardly be expected to decide when doctors disagree…

[rawlion]

Fresh news with juicy bits!

Yesterday I conducted yet another experiment with myself. Some observations were made on the effects of honey. I obtained interesting and controversial results.

So as you know, in order to get rid of a possible candida overgrowth I diligently followed the strictest dietary rules since beginning of August. In mid September (after 6 weeks which were truly painful and unbearable) I gave up and added sugar (honey) back to my diet. I experienced an instant relief.

The candida proponents would argue that I simply crumpled up under the strain of so called die-off, which is common when you are trying to combat the fungus. However, when you're under as much strain as that, something is bound to give.

For about a month or so I tried to enhance my digestion by following ideas of Mr. Vonderplanitz. It turned out that his general suggestions to treat this condition didn’t help me a bit. So I decided to put aside sugars (honey) and dairy and see how I reacted to it. The results came immediately.

By the noon of my first day without honey I already felt myself much worse. The whole day I was like a cat on hot bricks. By the evening I experienced a severe weakness of every muscle in my body. Lethargy and immobility set in. My legs gave way too. I could hardly walk. I didn’t feel my feet. The back pain in the kidney area made itself felt again. Worse was to come the following day. I ended in a complete fiasco.

What answer can I draw from the proofs that are offered? Am I diabetic? Do I have hypoglycemia? Maybe candida has me on a string? Certainly, I will hit the bottom very quickly without honey. But if I eat it, will it feed my probable candida?

But wait, who said that candida thrives on honey? There is plenty of evidence to the contrary. Just have a look here http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bjm/v39n1/a10v39n1.pdf and here http://tinyurl.com/aybmh

[wodgina]

What colour is your tongue after not eating carbs for a couple of days?

Most people have candida.