Day 160 - Diet

“The word diet is often used to describe an eating plan intended to aid weight loss. However, diet really refers to the foods a person eats in the course of a day, or week.

The more balanced and nutritious the diet, the healthier the person can expect to be. A balanced diet means eating the right amount of foods from all food groups.

The benefits of a balanced diet are numerous. No single food contains everything the body needs so it is important to eat a wide variety.

The right amount of vitamins and nutrients can increase life expectancy by keeping the heart and body healthy, and preventing many long-term illnesses.”*

*http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/diet/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Today I had my second Bowen treatment.

I feel more relaxed after this morning’s session and the headache seems to be a bit better.

In terms of my new diet, I am struggling to come up with some dishes that do not contain any traces of wheat, yeast, dried fruit, sugar, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, chillis and all other nightshades.

In brief, I am starving.

And I am not too sure how healthy this can all be - at the moment I am certainly not maintaining a balanced diet.

I don’t think I can bear the sight of sweet potatoes, chicken, salad, spinach, goat’s cheese or eggs anymore.

Before starting my new regime, the headache had slightly improved - it was not as strong on a daily basis. The supplements the kinesiologist gave me must have been doing something. Or am I just accustomed to my headache, and nearly becoming immune to it?

Despite being open to all these new treatments, and doing my utmost to rid my body of the pain, I feel like the solution to it all is once again creeping further and further away.

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.

Day 120 - Celiac Disease

“Celiac disease is caused by an immune reaction to gliadin, a specific protein that is a component of gluten.

Gliadin closely resembles the enzyme tissue transglutaminase which is present in the tissue of the small intestine. When food containing gluten, and thus gliadin, is eaten, the body's immune system whilst attacking the food protein also attacks the tissue of the small intestine due to its tissue transglutaminase content.

This immune response causes an inflammatory reaction that leads to flattening of the villi, the brush-like filaments that line the walls of the small intestine. The villi greatly increase the surface area of the small intestine and therefore increase the absorption of nutrients. The damage caused in celiac disease results in serious problems absorbing nutrients from food.

The grain most associated with celiac disease is wheat. This is due not only to its gluten content but also to the fact that it is a staple in most western nations.

The disease most often effects people of European (especially Northern European) descent. Rates amongst people of African, Japanese, and Chinese descent are much lower. This is thought to be due to a combination of less genetic susceptibility and low wheat diets.”*

*http://www.ei-resource.org/illness-information/related-conditions/celiac-disease/

I decided to do a celiac test. Just in case.

A friend has had the condition for years and suggested I take a test. Celiac disease manifests itself in different ways, but a general feeling of malaise is common.

Headache can be one of the symptoms, and come to think about it I eat wheat on a regular basis. When I was small, a vega test had confirmed that I was wheat intolerant, and should avoid it where possible.

There is therefore a possibility of having celiac disease.

I went to see my GP last week. This time I only briefly explained my symptom(s) (I pointed out the “headache specialist” and the neurologist’s letters as “proof” in order to avoid the usual spiel), and asked to be put forward for a celiac test.

This morning I got my blood test result: celiac was negative, but the kidney results were abnormal. Finally something!