Day 161 - Liver

“The liver is the largest, heaviest and most complex internal organ in the body, weighing 1-1.5 kg and hidden mostly by the lower right ribcage. It is one of only two organs to have two blood supplies, receiving blood from the hepatic arteries [20%] and the portal vein [80%] (carrying blood from the intestines).

The liver makes and breaks down proteins, sugars and fats, stores nutrients absorbed from the intestines, and removes toxins from the blood. It is the powerhouse, recycling and disposal plant of the body. Life literally is not possible without the liver.

There are many causes of liver disease - the most common cause in Western countries is alcohol.”*

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A134920

The liver test arrived in the post a few days ago. I knew I would have to send a urine sample, but was rather surprised when I found a 2 litre plastic bottle in the test kit. I don’t know what the guy at the post office will say.

I have had to refrigerate my saliva twice in the past 24 hours, and need to send it tomorrow morning to the labs, along with a urine sample.

***

I have just learned that I do not need to post the 2 litre bottle of urine (thank goodness), rather just need to transfer it to a much smaller sample that is also enclosed.

The nutritionist told me the results would take up to six weeks to get to her. Once again, all I can do now is wait.

Day 154 - Alcohol

“Alcohol is a common term for ethanol, a compound produced when glucose is fermented by yeast. The alcohol content of a particular drink is controlled by the amount of yeast and length of fermentation.

Fruit is used to make wine and cider, while cereals such as barley and rye form the basis of beer and spirits.

Alcohol is a drug that has the immediate effect of altering mood. Drinking it makes people feel relaxed, happy and even euphoric, but in fact alcohol is a depressant. It switches off the part of the brain that controls judgement, leading to loss of inhibitions. Drinking even small amounts of alcohol can affect physical coordination.

The liver breaks down and eliminates alcohol from the body. It takes the liver about one hour to deal with one unit of alcohol (8g).”*

*http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/nutrition/healthy_alcohol.shtml

My teetotalism does not seem to be making much of a difference to my headache - on the contrary, when I drink it seems to get better. Maybe it’s because after a glass or two I am in good spirits and manage to temporarily avoid thinking about the pain.

Nonetheless, I am strictly off alcohol at the moment (and have been since January). I think I am even being overly cautious as I have been scrutinizing the menus in restaurants and carefully eliminating all dishes that have been cooked using white or red wine (along with all nightshade foods, wheat, yeast, dried fruit and sugar).

Despite the rigorous diet, teetotalism and supplement intake, there has not been much of an improvement on the headache front in the past few days.

Day 143 - Nutritionist

“A nutritionist is concerned with the study of nutrients in food, how nutrients are used in the body, and the relationship between diet, health and disease.

What we eat is an important part of our being. Food provides us with the energy and vital nutrients necessary to remain healthy and help us should we become ill.

Most of us know that diet plays a role in our general health, but over the years it has also been shown that specific foods can enhance our chances of avoiding certain diseases, and help us cope better with some conditions.

Knowing which foods are responsible is the first step to ascertaining how to go about addressing the problem, though this can sometimes seem like a detective’s nightmare. Often the only way is to carry out an elimination diet, by excluding certain substances.”*

* http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/nutritionist_job_description.jsp
http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/Therapies/nutritional-therapy.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/nutrition/dietary_index.shtml

A few weeks ago there was an article in the paper about a nutrition consultant who had cured a boy the doctors had given up on. She bases her treatment on blood analysis and looks for deficiencies.

Today I went to see her.

The nutritionist examined my form. She tested me for vitamin deficiencies. She said that she was surprised about my headache, given my lack of symptoms (other than the headache of course) and vitamin deficiencies.

She believes my headache may well be related to my liver. She has suggested carrying out a detailed liver test in the next few days. The test will be delivered to me in the post.

She suggested taking some supplements - incidentally, these are the same as the ones the kinesiologist advised taking. It's reassuring to see that - finally - two different people advise doing the same thing. Maybe with the help of both of them I can solve the problem.

She advised eliminating wheat, yeast, sugar, dried fruit and alcohol from my diet.