Then stopped at one of my favourite little parks in Geneva, the one that I call The Secret Garden, because it's a little hidden - La Parc de la Paix, to just sit on a bench for some meditation and to enjoy the greenery, butterflies, bees and birds around, and listen to the croaking from in the pond.
Ask and thou shall receive! ;) Today I had soooo much better energy - so much so I went twice to the gym to do some quick high intensity stuff :) Had a clear mind too, which compared to yesterdays brain fog, was very pleasant! Was an active, yet relaxing, Sunday today - and the sun decided to come out, despite that the iPhone meteo kept saying it was going to rain! In the late morning, went out for a 2h bike ride to a forested area in Pregny-Chambésy, that has a sport circuit, and walked around the forest, enjoying the birds singing, and the earthy smells :=) Also found this bike rental spot on Chemin des Chataigners, called VeloSpot, where you can pick up an electric bike to use and then drop it off at any other drop-off location. It costs 10chf a day, or you can get an annual pass for 80chf (with a reduction to 60chf if you have a TPG card). Haven't seen this before in Geneva! In Copenhagen, Denmark, they have them all over the city. I've been away for around 2 years, so I'm guessing it's fairly new. Awesome! On the way back, popped into the gym for a quick 30 minute blast of a few circuits with kettlebells and pushups, and also bench press (50kg 4rx5). Then went home, drank some the first raw milk of the day around 2:30pm, and then crashed! For about 30 minutes, I could hardly move from fatigue, so I just rested on the balcony, but then energy came back and I went down to the lake to lie in the sun and read. On the way back, my energy was really good, so popped into the gym again, and did some mobility and some 24kg kettlebell swings just for a little metabolic boost :=) Then stopped at one of my favourite little parks in Geneva, the one that I call The Secret Garden, because it's a little hidden - La Parc de la Paix, to just sit on a bench for some meditation and to enjoy the greenery, butterflies, bees and birds around, and listen to the croaking from in the pond. Drank around 4.5L of milk today, and feel much better with that quantity ((OOOPS! EDIT: drank another liter before bed, so totaled 5.5L today!)), and also with drinking at 1/2L to 1L max servings each time. I swish each sip around in my mouth a few times to help digestion. I also had the silica shots, gargled colloidal silver, had 3x 2 pipettes of the Green Walnut & Woodworm complex, and drank around 1/2L of Mugwort tea! Despite the not so attractive name, it tastes really nice! It smells to me like a cross between chamomile and licorice, and tastes very mild and pleasant.
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Felt like I had almost zero mental energy for most of today (physical energy was there, but I just felt kind of cloudy) - two days in a row now. Although I feel I sleep mostly through the night (except to get up to pee), I still don't feel rested even after 8 hours, so it might be because I'm not getting a lot of quality deep non-REM sleep, which is common with hyperthyroidism. I hope it will pick up soon ;) First went to the market to pick up 20L of raw milk - he actually gave it to me for 1 euro a litre, so I really couldn't ask for a better price! Also picked up some raw Tomme cheese à la l'ail des ours (wild garlic, literally translated to as "bears garlic"!), and some flat peaches. The beautiful and colourful fruits and vegetables coming into season now look delicious (did someone say figs!?!), but I still really don't crave anything else, and can walk by untempted - I think it helps that raw milk is so creamy and satisfying, and I couldn't say the same if I was just doing a juice or water fast!! It is also really nice to have free head space from not having to think about what to buy, what I'm going to eat, and also extra time from not having to cook, prepare, or go shopping more than 1-2x a week! That's a nice plus from the raw milk, is that I just drink it straight up - no prep needed! ;) Far different from when I did juice feasting (4+L fresh juice), and juice prep would take up a few hours each day. Each have their place, but I am enjoying the freedom of mind & time ;=) Then I went to work in Meyrin to do a day of bike delivering. The weather was constantly oscillating between sunshine and rain, but thankfully most of my deliveries where well timed in the sun periods, so I stayed dry! I also received a package in the mail! Dried Mugwort (I know, I know, it sounds like a name from Harry Potter!), as well as a Nature's Answer Black Walnut & Wormwood extract complex (it also has Clove and Sweet Annie plant extracts in it). Both are used for gastrointestinal conditions and digestive health, and both are anti-parasitic. I got dried Mugwort (both the leaves and the root) to make tea with. 2-3 cups a day are recommended if doing a parasite cleanse, which I am going to do for the next 2 weeks (along with the extract), as a lot of my symptoms are similar, and I can also trace them back to when I went to India (twice). Or even if I don't, they might help in other ways! Mugwort is also traditionally used as a dream herb, promoting more lucid dreams when used as a filler in pillows, or also I've read on forums, also in the tea form (with a mild, but noticeable effect). It's also known to help restore the female menstrual cycles. Today I drank 6L of raw milk, and 1.5L of water. I took 2 silica shots, and gargled with colloidal silver, which I might do again actually as the top of my throat seems to be a bit sore. I also started today with the Black Walnut complex, and had 2 pipettes, 3x in a glass of water, spread throughout the day. Will start the Mugwort tea tomorrow.
My stomach seemed to be upset all day, so for the next few days I'm going to try to consume a little less raw milk and increase water intake a bit and see if that helps. Week 1 on raw milk complete!Phew, one week has gone by already!!! Day 7 today, and actually energy was so-so during the whole day, and I never quite felt like I woke up, but then again I didn't sleep that much last night. The first thing I did was to bike to France to Satoriz, and picked up 10L of raw milk! Very happy to be stocked up on raw milk again, and I'm getting my 20L order from the market tomorrow morning so will be good to go for the week! :=) I'm always amazed at how AMAZINGLY delicious it is!!!! I really don't crave anything else (for now! might change if this was day 40! :P), but it's also no surprise given raw milks incredible nutritional value - being a complete food and providing beneficial fat soluble vitamins D, K2 and A; as well as short chain fatty acids like butyrate, CLA, as well as a good omega 3/6 ratio when grassfed; amino acids, and enzymes. And the carbohydrate lactose from raw milk really don't seem to affect me - and I'm quite sensitive to carbs in general (especially fructose) - maybe it's because the raw milk has the enzyme lactase to help digest lactose. Either way, I feel truly nourished! Raw milk fasting may really be one of the only cleanses that actually heals the metabolism, instead of destroying it! In the afternoon, went for a bike ride around Jonction, and saw the new branch of the gym I'm signed up to - which I knew I was going to pass... how strategic of me ;) I went in and did just 40mins of mostly mobility mixed in with some metcon stuff like sandbag squats, jump planks, and push-off pushups. Went for a little walk along the Rhone, too :=) I went back a long way around the lake, and saw the new photo exhibition they have. It's a very poignant but disturbing display about the consequences and the after-effects of war on civilians, and specifically of mines and cluster bombs. 50% of the victims are children, and there are the equivalent of 90 deaths a day around the world of civilians from mines and bombs left behind after war. It shows that suffering of a population isn't just in the period of war, but continues afterwards for decades. It's by Handicap International, an organization who is also doing fantastic educational and rehabilitation work in countries affected around the world. It reinforces how incredibly lucky I am to live in a country that is not a war zone, and where my life isn't in constant danger. How easily we take this for granted! Today I drank 6L of raw milk! And I only started at 1pm, and ended at 8pm, so that's nearly 1L an hour! I wonder if I could set a World Record for this!? :P One thing I have noticed, is that my nails are definitely looking stronger, shinier and more healthy. Yay! One week down, only 3 more to go! I'm planning to do at least the whole of June, and then from there will see what's best :=)
Today was a long but good day! I woke up to my alarm at 7:30 feeling absolutely like not getting up - my body just wasn't cooperating. I hit snooze twice before jumping into a cold shower (which is my savior!). It was expected to rain all day, so I took the bus to work in Meyrin. I really love my summer job of bike delivery with Caddie Service, but because of health circumstances, I do find I get quite tired, and today even more so, as another colleague who was meant to deliver with me was absent, so I was alone to do all the deliveries until 2pm when they sent someone else - and of course because I'm on a raw milk fast hehe, but I do find in general my energy is picking up a lot, and I'm actually feeling a lot MORE functional now on only raw milk than before. Going in to COOP to get some water, I was surprised to find a new and fairly extensive display of vegan and raw food products! A few years behind the UK, but funny to see Switzerland catching up now with the raw health food scene!
As predicted, it rained all day on and off, so got a bit wet, but it's not cold so I really don't mind it so much, and I love biking around and listening to podcasts, PhilosophersNotes (by Brian Johnson), and music on my iPod :=)
But by 5pm, I could really feel fatigue hitting in. I also only had 1L of raw milk with me. One last delivery came last minute, and I finished that one and was quite happy to put away my bike and call it a day. Got the bus back, and thankfully I had all my gym stuff in my bag because I know if I had to go home to pick it up, I would have stayed! I ended up finding some hidden energy reserves and did a good just under 1 hour session. So in total drank 1.5L of raw milk today (all I have left!), and also a few bites of raw butter with a little raw honey to get me through! :P Note to self: must make sure I have enough raw milk around!! Woke up at 8am this morning, in that space where I could either get up, or go back to sleep for a few more hours! But saw the sun out, and chose to get up and out :=) I was also quite sore all over! My energy was good in the morning, and went to do a quick 30min workout in the gym (squats 50kg 3x8r; combined with pull ups and hanging leg raises between sets; and then just did some body weight glute activation exercises like hip abduction, clams and hip thrusts), before biking down to the lake. After lunch all I felt like doing was sleeping, but went to go and see a good family friend and got to be in the back seat of her practise driving session with my mum as a Learner! I didn't realise how fun but stressful leaning to drive could be! We drove to the lake and saw some baby swans, and baby ducklings! That time of year :=) Afterwards, I went to visit La Clinique Naturelle, which is a (relatively new, 2 year old) 'alternative' medical clinic in the centre of Geneva (http://www.la-clinique-naturelle.ch), that I found out about when googling local colon hydrotherapy places. I am so glad I did! They offer many different therapies, from acupuncture, to bioresenance therapy, to different massage therapies, as well as hydrotherapy. They offer a free consolation and anemnesis to come up with a therapy selection based on someone's individual needs and health situation, and I got a appointment for next week, so I am looking forward to that (but not at what the potential cost may be - we are in Geneva, after all!). Then got quite tired in the afternoon, and biked to the lake to read and lie down in the sun.. which went behind the clouds as I sat down! On the way back, stopped at the shop Manor, in the city centre, to get some milk. When I was researching online for sources of raw milk in the area, I found an article: http://www.lineaires.com/Media/Phototheque/Manor-Food-Geneve-Suisse-40323/Du-lait-du-cru-en-libre-service-40352 that suggested that Manor's fresh milk distributor was raw - how excited I was :P And when I asked 2 staff members there, they both confirmed that it was, even when I annoyingly specified "but RAW milk, as in unheated, as in not heated with high temperatures" ... but I guess I should have been more aware that not everyone really knows what raw means outside of the health food context, as it is often used synonymously with "pure", or "organic", etc (and in the back of my head I was still a little unsure, but I wanted to believe them :P). Then today on the way back from the lake, I went to pick up a few bottles, and after drinking 1/2L I felt a little off (it tasted different, too, but still good! so it was hard to tell), and 10mins later I had a slight headache. I went to the manager (always go straight to the source! :P ), and asked, as nonchalantly as I could, if the milk from the distributor was raw, and he just looked at me and said "non, c'est pastaurisé madame" (no, it's pasteurised, ma'am), and after seeing my face, added "désolé" (sorry!)! So there we go, always trust your instinct! Drank 5.5L of milk today (damn, I can drink raw milk!;) - and also 2 pots of fermented raw goats milk that I added to ferment to other raw milk. I separated out the whey from the curd, and added some stevia, cinnamon, and vanilla powder - yum! Sometimes gotta be a little creative when only eating/drinking one thing - raw milk from a bowl! ;=)
I'm almost out of milk (surprise, surprise)! Only 1.5L left, so will have to make that last for tomorrow, especially now I can't get raw milk in town like I thought! 5L to 1.5L will be quite a big difference, especially as I'm working all day tomorrow (but then again, maybe that will help by keeping me busy!) but it will have to do! Then Friday I can bike over to Satoriz, an organic shop, to get some raw milk as they get an order that day. Still not sure of my weight, as my gym doesn't have a scale at the moment - but I know from how clothes are fitting that I've lost fat, or at least have less inflammation! So moving on from today, I'm going to be super careful with my sources, and only get milk which I know is 100% raw :=) Live and learn ;=) Energy better again today, despite sleep being quite restless last night. Even went to the gym today - twice!! The second time was more by coincidence, as my code didn't work (but snuck in with someone else anyway in the morning hehe) and their office hours where only open from 5pm, so when I went back in the evening, I thought why not have another session since I'm there anyway :P Did a full body workout, to hit all major muscle groups, as I haven't been in a while! Bench press (55kg 5x5), shoulder press (30kg 3x8), as well as a 24kg kettlebell circuit of goblet squats combined with kb press, kb deadlifts, and my beloved kettle bell swings (that I haven't done in AGES because they - and any jumping movement - where so uncomfortable with the constant stomach pain, but today I felt good enough, so that is progress!). Also did a fair amount of mobility. Feels good! It's amazing how it lifts my mood, too. Only thing is that I forgot to track my weight at the gym! I'm so not used to it hehe so I'll have to remind myself for tomorrow. Also met these adorable sheep in a park while out on a walk :) And I LOVE that it's part of an initiative from the city to replace mechanical lawn mowers with "natural lawn mowers"! Fantastic! Still quite cloudy today, but am grateful nonetheless for the beautiful views here :=) I really have missed the mountains being in Denmark! I've observed that on raw milk only, I really have no cravings. When doing other periods on only liquids in the past, it would get easier past a few days of course, but I would always still think about other food, or feel I was missing something. Not on raw milk! even when walking past this WHOLE WALL! of dates, which are usually my kryptonite!, in the store, I really didn't even feel tempted. I just feel calmly satisfied and nourished, and completely stable (ensuring I have enough raw milk available!). Nice! :=)
Drank 4L of raw milk today. Started drinking around 1pm, before that just had the green powder in water, and a shot of silica, plus water. I didn't have any milk after 6pm actually, as then I went to the gym and when I came back it was 8pm already, so I decided to stick to my principle of not drinking milk past 7/8pm as I feel better, and I had already had enough anyway :=) The only thing that isn't going as well is the getting to sleep thing! It's already nearly midnight, so I better get on that! ;=) Energy today was SO SO much better! I actually feel part human again energy-wise ;) Slept quite well - took me a while to get to sleep as I had so many thoughts in my head, but did some breath work and wrote my gratitude journal in my head and fell asleep around 11pm. I did wake up a few times but quickly got back to sleep. Got up around 8:30am, so still requiring a fair amount of sleep. I'm not putting on any alarms for the next few weeks, except on working days, so I can wake up naturally and follow my body's need for sleep, as I know that is when a lot of healing takes place. And I'm also going to prioritize getting to sleep by 10pm, to cash in on those "golden hours" of sleep between 10pm-2am where a lot of the beneficial hormone secretion, as well as where the deepest and most regenerative sleep, takes place, and to help circadian rhythm regulation. I didn't feel like drinking raw milk straight away, so drank a bunch of water and also made some green juice using 1tsp of pure green powder (a mix of wheatgrass, barley grass, spirulina, moringa, spinach, nettle and chlorella) and sweetening it with some organic stevia drops - yum, chlorophyll ;=) Also took 3 shots of the silica (throughout the day), and gargled with colloidal silver, but skipped the activated charcoal today. The 5 or so bottles of milk that I had left out on the counter have turned into a yogurt-like consistency naturally! Probiotics are on my shopping to list to get to add to the milk!, but it seems like they are not always needed :P Adding some stevia and organic vanilla powder made it even more delicious! For activity in the morning, I just did a push-up tabata set, which means 4 minutes of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Each round I rotated different pushup angles - narrow, normal, and wide, and had to do the last few on my knees! Looking back at my training over the past couple of years, 4 minutes would'nt even count ahah and now it has taken me a while to build up the energy to even do this - but I Know I can't compare, and this is progress for my current situation, so I have to celebrate that and look forward to doing just a little bit better tomorrow! I also signed up to a 24h gym here, one that I used to go to a few years back - the only 24h gym in Geneva (called Non Stop Gym)! I got to know the staff very well, and it was SO nice to see the again, and lots of hugs went around! There is usually a months waiting list, but they signed me up straight away, as apparently "my smile is the best currency" haha! It's always worth smiling ;=D This also means I can start tracking my weight during the raw milk fast - to be honest, I don't hold much importance to my weight - feeling better is more important to me whatever weight I'm at - but it will at least give one objective measurement to monitor and see changes with. Otherwise during the day between errands, I biked around quite a bit, and visited one of my favourite places on Earth: Les Bains Des Paquis! It was a wildly windy day, but it was just right for the kind of mood I was in hehe - sometimes I just love feeling the elemental forces around :=) I drank around 4.5L of milk (/yogurt!) again today. No headache, still have severe abdominal discomfort and relatively high heart rate, and a few other symptoms of hyperthyroidism detectable (well, I'm not expecting a 3-day miracle! I know this will be a long-term process), but there is progress!
Slept well last night, but found it quite hard to get up even after 9h of sleep! But taking a cold shower as I do every morning sure did help ;=) Had a last minute job to do for a friend, that involved biking to the museum at beautiful Chateau des Pentes, where they were having an Open Day and exhibition, and then bringing those flyers to the Balaxert cinema, to hand out to an association for deaf people as they were having a guided tour at the museum in sign language. I got there early, and had time to wonder around the museum and see the exhibition that was about the female Swiss (but underwent most of her carrier in Paris) artist Adèle D'Affry (1836-1879), who went under the male pseudonym of Marcello to be able to be accepted. It was pouring down with rain on the ride back, so I stopped by mine, changed into dry clothes, and then walked to the cinema, which is thankfully only a 15 minutes walk away :=) I was extremely tired again today for the most part, and had to nap when I got back. I had a burst of energy around 6:30pm, that I delightfully used to do some Sunday cleaning and clearing, and prepare for the week ahead :=) I drank 4.5L of raw milk today, and more water, which feels better. I am also taking colloidal silver (externally and micro-dosing internally), as well as organic silica, which will both hopefully reinforce and regulate my immune system. In the morning, I also took 1/2tsp food grade activated charcoal in a glass of water. I didn't have a headache all day, which was nice!, until just recently haha! Sleep will hopefully help in that area! The last time I did a mini stint of 7 days on liquids (that included fresh carrot juice, some raw milk, bone broth, and also some low-acid coffee and herbal teas), I was extra tired for maybe the first 3-4 days, so hopefully this is just a transition :=)
I had the most wonderful surprise when I went down to the letter box today: Bags and bags of raw milk! 25L to be exact :D When researching raw milk sources around Geneva, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a Swiss website, farmy.ch, that delivers to the doorstep! As I knew I would have to order in advance for such a big quantity from the Market I go to here in Ferney (across the border in France), I ordered from the website so that I would have no excuse to not start now ;=) They have 2 different kinds of raw milk. I got 20L of biodynamic raw milk (Demeter label) from horned cows living in the mountainous area above Zurich (how perfect!! Alpine raw milk :), and they also comes in really pretty glass bottles, so that's awesome! (except I have to pay 1chf per bottle for the glass, which would be given back, but they don't pick up the glass in zones outside of Zurich). I also got 5L (they didn't have more) of a non-biodynamic, but equally delicious, organic (Bourgeon label) raw milk, that coms from another farm in Zurich (I love the full traceability - they name the farm, and show photos of the cows, and I have to say, they look very happy! ;) This one comes in a PET bottle. Both are 2.70chf a litre. Today started a bit late for me, as I didn't sleep that well (it was boiling, and I have no fan!), and got up around 10, and got to the Ferney market at 12 to check out the raw milk scene and order for next week ;) There was one stall there today that has raw milk - it is not certified organic but it comes from a local farm that is very conscious of their practices. The cows go out on pasture, and they feed them wild flowers, so I'm sold! ;=) I got to talk to the lovely owner, Evan, who also took an interest in my little raw milk fast experiment! He asked me to report back to him how it is going, and he said he was suprised, as most people are avoiding dairy now, especially when they want to do popular "cleanses" hehe Going against the grain, as usual ;) The price there is usually 1.35eu/L, but as I am ordering 20L, he's giving me a discount and selling it for 1.10eu/L. As euros and chf are practically the same now (Swiss franc is getting stronger!!), this is more than 3x cheaper as what I pay when I order online (including the shipping etc)! So I think I'll be ordering more from them from now on, and then occasionally online when I can, because the biodynamic one is SOOOOO good!! When I got back from the market, I was super exhausted and had a siesta, before heading out into town with my mum to do some errands and take a peep at the Street Food festival in the old town - Geneva is well behind with all the food truck things, so it was really nice to see something going on! :=D We had a lovely time wondering around all the different trucks, and sitting in the grass while mum ate her food, and I drank the bottle of raw milk I brought... until there was a sudden downpour that had people scurrying for shelter! In total, I drank 5L of raw milk today - which totals around 3400cals. Around 3000cals is my normal amount that I eat without consciously restricting or anything, so it's not that surprising. I'm at a higher body fat now than last year when I was very focused on bodybuilding, and although my hormonal system is much happier now, I'd like to find a happy balance at a bit of a leaner weight - but I am also sure this will come naturally when I get healthier, which also then allows me to train consistently. Nonetheless it will be interesting to see if there is a difference between 3000cals of liquid and 3000cls of solid food ;=) I don't have a scale at home, but will be tracking from next week at my local gym. The starting weight I'm going with is from the doctors visit 2 days ago, which was 74kg.
I find it so easy to drink raw milk (or eat for that matter)... have to feed the muscle, no!? :P ! Will be interesting to see how that evolves as the raw milk fast goes on, as it might just be the first few days where I'm adjusting to not eating solids. It was 3.5L up until 8pm, where I drank another 1.5L, but probably could have just done with drinking more water or tea ;) In fact, the original milk fast advocated a 12h period to stick to for drinking milk, and then to just drink water outside of that - so from 8am to 8pm, say. I might incorporate that to be able to give my digestive system extra rest. So all in all today my energy was up and down, but mostly down. I still noticed my heart beat rise vey quickly when biking (typical hyperthyroid symptoms) so I'll be keeping track if that changes. I didn't notice any sensitivity in my teeth today, which is a relief, and the milk feels really soothing too. I had a few instances where I had a headache, and I am also going to try and up my water consumption to see if this helps. My only other activity today was riding around on my road bike for transport (to the market, and around town), so it was a light day, but I am already feeling tired and ready to get some sleep! Internship at Shanti Som Wellness Retreat Centre About a month ago, I got back from a 2 month internship in the south of Spain. I was living in a little mountain village called Monda, located up the coast from Malaga and Marbella. Living in MondaThe internship was part of my course that I'm doing in Copenhagen of Global Health and Nutrition. I could pick anywhere (with relevance! ;) to go. My original planning to go to a an eco-resort centre called Zenning in Cyprus fell though (they were changing ownership), and then also to an incredible place called Aro Ha in New Zealand. In the end, I chose to intern at Shanti Som Wellness centre, in Spain. It was such a fantastic experience on the whole, and one I will cherish forever! I write more about the details of the internship on my university blog: http://m7-almajadechanter.tumblr.com :=) The Other Side... Although the internship itself went amazingly well professionally - I loved working with the wonderful people there, the opportunities I had, the clients I worked with, what I could contribute and learn; there was a personal side that was going downhill. I started to intensely react to all foods again, creating a permanent and non-stop headache, extreme digestive discomfort, aching teeth, and an overwhelming sense of fatigue, like whenever I had a moment to pause, it felt at times like my body was just shutting down. The last year hasn't been the best actually, but symptoms would come and go in waves of intensity, but this was all-consuming. My nutrition was the same in terms of protein and vegetables, mostly - I was trying a few new things, like this amazing organic pasture-raised chorizo!, and the sources were even better than what I was getting in CPH - I was buying fresh fish like sardines caught that morning at the local 'Pesceria' fish market, and going every week with neighbors to an organic farm to collect our vegetables. The last month, it came to a point where I just couldn't eat anymore I was so fed up, so I went on just water and grapefruit juice (wow, they had SUCH amazing grapefruits from the farm!!) for 3 days - the issue with that, of course, is that I reacted to the sugar (I am very sensitive to even a little bit of fruit), and the acid wasn't helping my teeth much haha ... felt a but stuck in a catch-22 health situation! ;) I am very glad I finished my internship, even though there were times I really doubted if I could continue, and was also disappointed that I couldn't give it my 100%. I was biking to work through the Andalusian mountains each day, which I absolutely adore, but was very hard with the health circumstances I was in. It also frustrated me that I wasn't well enough to enjoy the mountains and hiking and activities and sport that I truly love to do, and that my intrinsic love and enthusiasm for life had stagnated a bit from being in physical pain, but there were plenty of other things to be grateful for and experience there - especially as my best friend from the States had come to live with me for the 2 months :=) I came back to Copenhagen at the end of the 2 months, and my mind settled a bit, being in a familiar place. The headache stopped, but occasionally came up here and there. I was still conflicted about what to do, and considered putting my studies on hold to take care of it. Talking with my family and close friends, I realise how lucky I am with the incredible support I have. I put off telling anyone the full extent of my health issues for years as I hate to burden them, and think I can manage it. The irony of course, is that I can help everyone and the world infinitely more when in good health! It's funny, as I did a Soul Reading at the retreat centre - my first one, as I've always thought it's too esoteric or that I'm not spiritual or some BS like that, which I am slowly overcoming ;) haha - and the first image that came up was me upside down, continuously trying to go forward on my path. But of course, walking upside down won't get me very far before I trip, so the first thing to do is get myself the right side up ;=) And that starts with getting my health in order! I've decided to really focus on healing and getting healthy 100% - not putting it off, and then kind of managing it with nutrition and lifestyle factors which don't quite allow for proper healing to take place. I feel I need to take more radical, therapeutic action - maybe if I had addressed it years earlier, I wouldn't, but it seems like desperate times call for desperate measures! And that is why 2 days ago, I flew back home to Geneva, where I'll be for the next 3 months. A trip to my endocrinologist and a blood test later, confirmed through tests that the autoimmune hyperthyroid condition (Grave's disease - such an ominous name ;P) I was in remission for since 2 years, has come back. This was a shock for me, as much as I knew intuitively that things weren't well. But in hindsight, it is also a very interesting insight - my first diagnosis was after a family trauma that effected the collective emotional state of my family very hard. I always though I was dealing well, and then I was diagnosed with autoimmune hyperthyroid - and in Eastern medicine, the thyroid gland symbolized expression, and compromised function can represent an internalized blockage of this. The first weekend I moved to Spain, my brother, who I hadn't seen in 2 years, came over to visit, and an incident dramatically brought up things of the past. I thought I was fine, and emotionally on a superficial level I didn't feel affected. But it was a little after that that I started reacting to food, and that my symptoms intensified. I never used to relate to things like that, things like subconscious suppression and more the psychosomatic effects, but my life experience is bringing me to reflect more and more upon it, and also to it experience first hand that even though my conscious mind can tell me I am ok, my physiology reacts very strongly. But at least now I know where I am starting, and can move forward :=) Raw Milk FastingAnd in comes Raw Milk Fasting!
I will be starting a 1 month (and possibly go up to 3 months) raw milk fast, along with any other therapies I'll be doing. After all, I am in the land of milk here in Switzerland ;) and I have good access to raw, grass-fed milk. I will be starting tomorrow, Saturday 27th, and will be blogging and tracking the journey :=) My (absolutely amazing, totally not discrediting her) doctor's opinion is that fixing my thyroid will fix my digestion, and so the medical plan is to put me on the medication neo-mercozole, which is an anti-thyroid drug that works directly on the thyroid to inhibit T3 and T4 production, for 3 weeks, and then re-test. She says a full treatment usually lasts 8 weeks, and then we re-evaluate. I am not against taking medication when needed, but just like when I got first diagnosed (I managed to enter into remission without the use of medication), I do not want it to be the first thing I leap to. If it gets to a critical level, I would take it without question, but at this stage, I want to see what I can do holistically that could help balance my thyroid production - and for me, that is where I differ in opinions with my doctor. I intuitively and intellectually believe, based on my symptoms and well, being me and knowing my body ahah, that fixing or focusing on my digestion first, will help fix my thyroid, and not the other way around. I've had digestive issues longer than I've had thyroid issues, and I know increased intestinal permeability is a catalyst for autoimmune - so in my eyes, my thyroid condition is a by-product of an intestinal condition. There is also the possibility of parasites, as I can connect dots from when I went to India. I'm also going to see a gastroenterologist, to see if I can get a clearer picture of what is going on. As eating anything seems to elicit an immune reaction (and it's not the food in and of itself, it's the system I'm putting it in that is in a state of alarm), drinking liquids only seems like the only option right now that could allow for better healing, and raw milk is one of the only liquids I find really nourishing and very soothing. I also know that nutrition only isn't enough at this stage, so I'll be combining a few other things that I'll be discussing, and when money allows, some therapy like hydrotherapy and ozone therapy. Through my health experiences, I have learned to believe that acceptance and not giving up are NOT mutually exclusive - I have to fully accept my situation, in all it's pain and frustration!, not to then be complacent and let go and accept that this is how I am going to live for the rest of my life, but as a portal to then truly move forward, be pro-active and keep going. I see it as a teacher guiding me to the things I need to learn, to learn how to turn poison into medicine, to viscerally experience the life-hindering experience of loss of health, and consequently the miraculous intrinsic capacities and capabilities of the human body to heal and thrive. Until tomorrow :=) |
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October 2018
Alma-Jade ChanterHello wonderful person! Welcome to my personal blog. Here I welcome you to follow the ramblings and adventures in living fully, failing fully, crazy-ness and fun of an eco-warrior who is passionate about holistic health, movement (weight lifting, triathlon, crossfit, yoga), Permaculture, laughing, and my mission: To Light Up The World. Categories
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