Bad Timing

My latest health adventure involved a trip to Greensboro yesterday to have my first appointment here. When they asked me who referred me, I said, "Suzanne Somers" and they knew exactly what I was talking about. A year ago I was watching Larry King Live and Suzanne Somers was on talking about her new book Ageless, The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones. There was and still is lots of controversy out there about Hormone Replacement Therapy, if to use it, and if so, which kinds, and what authority does Chrissy Snow have on any of this anyway? Long story short, I bought the book, read it, saw where Dr. Webster of Greensboro got rave reviews and decided to give him a try. I didn't actually see him yesterday but will at my follow-up visit in 2 weeks. Although I spent over $200 on supplements and refills of progesterone, I came away feeling good about the overall course of treatment. The last place I went charged me $90 out of pocket per visit to eventually end up saying (after several years of sticking with them) that I would just have to deal with my problems, like migraines, because, really 2-3 full-blown migraines a month isn't that many. The new place accepts my insurance and charges my $25 co-pay and tells me that they will not give up on helping me feel better. Better already.

The bad timing part is that they suspect (and I agree) that I have a systemic yeast problem going on in my insides cause by a compromised immune system, stress, all of that--the stuff that's been going on for about 4 1/2 years now. To heal my intestines and clear this up, they've put me on an anti-yeast medication as well as a strict diet to follow while I'm on the medication. I may need to be on the strict diet for 3-4 months. After that, I can slowly add the good/bad stuff back into my diet if I want. The stuff I have to avoid from today on out is:

• All yeast foods including bread, rolls, pastries, bagels, biscuits, and buns.
  
• Things that have been fermented, aged, pickled, malted, risen and leftovers.
• Avoid alcohol including wine, beer, whiskey, brandy, gin, rum, vodka and other fermented liquors and liquors (that means no spirits all during the holidays including Irish coffee on Christmas morning!)
• Apple cider, root beer, soft drinks, coffee and teas of all types, including herb teas, except Organic Chinese or Japanese green teas.
• Mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, pickles, commerically prepared mayo and salad dressing.
• All sugars and all sugar containing foods. Aspartame should also be avoided
• All cheese
• All processed foods
• All fried foods
• All fruit
  

What can I eat?

• beef, lamb pork, rabbit (I've missed my rabbit!), buffalo and other game
• poultry ONLY free range and ONLY if cooked to 180 degrees.
• lots of vegetables such as artichoke, broccoli, squash, greens, parsnips, turnips, zucchini, cabbage, garlic (THIS is good news), beets
• limited corn, sweet potatos, winter squash, white potato
• dried beans
• barley, qionoa, millet, teff (I don't even know what those last three ARE), oats, rice, rye, and amaranth (again...?)
• flax seed, pumpkin seed, sesame seed, sunflower seed
• walnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, hazel nuts
• extra virgin olive oil
• NO deep fried foods
• NO grocery store oils
  

Yes to unsalted dairy butter, homemade mayonnaise and dressings.

All of this because there are little elves from Weaver Street that have lost control while baking loaf after loaf after loaf of bread in my stomach. All this right before the holidays and my big trip to Asheville. I am going to become the weird lady who brings her own salad dressing and sits in the corner nibbling on nuts and seeds. All of this so I'll eventually become, I hope the weird lady who nibbles on nuts and seeds that FEELS WELL.