Friday, December 31, 2010

Diabetes insipidus

This HHP that I have been seeing says that I have a chloride toxicity. I don't know what to make of it. My blood tests from the past year say my chloride serum levels are normal. He "treated" me (with AAT) for chloride. But when I ate a bunch of salt last night, I burst into a reaction. Then, my shower this morning made me miserable. I've been horribly thirsty since then. A member of a forum I visit a lot is always talking about Fluorine, which is a related chemical, so I thought I would look into this more. My research into chlorine levels links it directly into balancing sodium and lithium and potassium levels, balancing body acidity, diarrhea (despite dietary change and medications), muscle twitching, irritability, excessive urination, excessive sleepiness and confusion. If you have read much of my blog I complain about these (most of them) here constantly! I dropped out of college because of this! But no one could tell me what was wrong. One of the causes of high chloride levels may be diabetes insipidus.

I didn't know what diabetes insipidus was. And when I looked it up, I burst into tears because its me. It is diabetes like symptoms that are not caused by sugar. It causes high urine output and concentration irregularities. It also causes dehydration and a host of other problems. One of the drugs used for treatment is carbmazepine: the drug that I was on for bipolar that virtually solved all of my diabetes problems.

Now I want to cry even more. My credit cards are maxed out. I'm $500 short each month to cover rent. My whole family except me has health insurance. I can't eat or shower or even freaking leave my house because I get sick. Someone or something please have mercy on me!

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

"Sushi" Varieties & Seaweed Salads

Sushi Rice

Sushi Rice
Kelp/Dulse/Nori flakes (crumble to small flakes if bought in larger pieces)
Salt
Sugar


1) Cook sushi rice according to desire. If you tolerate rice vinegar, add a splash to the water.

2) When done, top with seaweed, salt and sugar.

3) Serve with sashimi if desired.




Nori Snacks

1 nori sheet
oil
sugar
salt

1) Lay out nori sheet on a baking sheet. Gently brush with a LIGHT film of oil.

2) Sprinkle sugar and salt liberally.

3) Place under broiler until just starting to brown. Remove quickly. Let cool.

4) Serve broken into pieces, or cut into strips and put sashimi and/or rice on top and roll.



Seaweed Salads

1 package kelp noodles
1 package wet sea veggies
rice vinegar
lime/lemon juice
oil


1) Prepare noodles and veggies according to directions.

2) Toss with vinegar, lemon/lime juice, and oil.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

What I CAN eat

I think I have finally worked out a diet.

As much as I want:

Pears (Peeled)
Apples (Golden Delicious)

Black-eyed Peas
Lentils
Eggs
All meat (fresh)
White fish

White rice
White sugar
maple syrup

Cabbage
Onions
Peas
Cauliflower
Kelp & Seaweed
Iceburg lettuce
Brussel sprouts (Boiled)

Salt
Chives
Saffron

Canola Oil
Safflower Oil
Sunflower Oil
Ghee


Also In Moderate Amounts:

Chickpeas
Split peas
Asparagus
Green Beans
Garlic
Limes (only 1/2, NO PEEL!)

Friday, December 10, 2010

Cabbage and Brussell Sprouts

Irish Cabbage

Green cabbage, chopped
onions
salt, chopped or sliced
oil

1) Heat oil in a pan and warm onions.

2) Just as the onions start to cook, add cabbage. Cook until cabbage just starts to loose it's crisp.

3) Add salt and cook just a bit more.



Coleslaw

Red & Green cabbage, chopped
Mayonnaise
Poppy seeds
Rice vinegar
sugar


1) Combine cabbage with mayonnaise.

2) Add splash of vinegar, liberal amount of sugar and LOTS of poppy seeds, to taste.

3) Refrigerate several hours before eating.




Plain Brussell Sprouts

Brussel sprouts
chicken stock

1) Soak sprouts in stock for several hours.

2) Boil like normal and serve with salt and butter/oil.



Broiled Brussell Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts
oil
rice vinegear

1) Cut sprouts in halves or quarters. Sprinkle oil and vinegar on top.

2) Broil until just starting to char.

3) Remove and cool slightly before serving.



Brussell Sprout salad

Brussell Sprouts


1) Put sprouts in food processor. Chop until fine.

2) Pan fry with butter/oil, vinegar, onion & garlic and spices OR use to make coleslaw

Thursday, December 9, 2010

WTF is in Millet?

Given how limited my diet has been lately, I have been experimenting with different gluten free grains over the past week or so. It has been disastrous. A quick porridge of millet or rice, or buckwheat pancakes makes for easy, quick, and cheap. But, the higher carb load has made my candida come back with a vengeance. Granted, being on a sal-free diet has contributed to a more stable mood and higher spirits than I have ever had in my entire life (who knew happiness came from the chemicals in food?). So, I've been munching along on my pancakes and mixing up porridge and what not. Last night I dug out some flatbread recipes and tried out millet bread. It didn't turn out that well, but it has high potential! I tried to make it again for lunch too, and here is where the disastrous comes in. I got really sick from the millet bread! I know it was the millet because I ate it last and was fine up until I ate it. It was like instantaneous.
So, back to the drawing board. WTF could possibly be wrong with millet? I've been eating it all week. I stumbled upon oxalates. People who are sensitive to salicylates often have problems with other chemicals, including amines and oxalates (and many, many other things). I seem to have been eliminating oxalates pretty well from my diet this whole time already. Which is good, but if I am having problems with so many chemicals in plants, I'm kind of curious as to why. Its not like they just showed up. They have probably always been there but my gluten, dairy, and soy issues have masked the problem. One thing I read about oxalates is that celiac disease is a primary cause of leaky gut, which is one of the primary causes of sensitivities to chemicals such as oxalates, which in turn causes blood sugar issues... which all sounds very familiar to me! However, I'm becoming seriously concerned that I am not getting enough nutrients in me. The last thing I need is a relapse into malnutrition. My appointment with the AAT therapist in an hour can not come soon enough.....
My goal here is to address my food issues, then address the lyme and coinfections. In turn, addressing both of those should make me even less sensitive to foods and most of everything should then resolve on their own. I'm not asking for perfect. I honestly wouldn't mind being gluten free for life, and maybe lactose intolerant or something. Just, please, I need some slack here!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Pear ketchup and jam and a sweet and sour sauce

Pear jam

Several ripe pears
sugar
thickener (starch or Agar flakes)
lemon or lime juice


1) Cook down a 2:1 ratio of fruit and sugar (ie: 2 cups of fruit would require 1 cup of sugar), for 45 minutes until 220F.

2) Thicken with starch or agar flakes in a little water.

3) Add a tad bit of lemon or lime juice to keep it from going bad.

4) Pour into jars with tight lids. Set out to cool. When cool, store in fridge or freezer.




Pear Ketchup

pear jam
onions
butter or oil
lime juice
salt


1) Cook onions in a small amount of butter or oil.

2) Add and warm up pear jam (or cook down fresh pears... this will make a slightly chunkier ketchup).

3) Add lime juice and salt to taste. Cook down to a paste.



Sweet and Sour sauce

oil
garlic, chopped fine or a paste
onions, chopped very fine
stock (or water)
sugar
lime juice
salt
parsley (if tolerated)

1) Heat oil and add garlic and onions until golden brown and starting to crisp.

2) Add a small amount of stock/water to deglaze pan. Then add a bit more until you have about twice as much as you want of the final amount of sauce.

3) Add sugar, lime juice, salt and parsley. Cook down on low, stirring often.

4) Serve over rice, chicken, or vegetables.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Advanced Allergy Therapeutics

I'm at the end of my rope. I can't shower without soap. I can eat about 30 things, but now I am reacting to something else. I am miserable in my apartment and my roommate is absolutely miserable to deal with. I want a studio apartment! I can't handle this roommate thing any more!!!
About 2 years ago, my boyfriend at the time convinced me to try N.A.E.T., a weird energetic/acupressure protocol that treats sensitivities and allergies. It actually worked and I felt so amazing that I took a job that required me to travel all over California during elections working 80 hours a week. It only took a month before all the $ and hard work reversed itself. So, I have been skeptical ever since about the actual effectiveness. But, today I found out that there are a few different programs that are similar to NAET and perhaps not quite as kooky. I am going to try AAT: Advanced Allergy Therapeutics. There are two practitioners here in San Diego and one is right near my school. I'm desperate. Desperate to even do NAET again and drive all the way to Los Angeles if necessary.

Friday, December 3, 2010

I got my brain back!

This salicylate free diet (sal-free) is unbelievably difficult. It has been rewarding, but challenging. I am finding lots of hidden sources of gluten in places I never expected, having trouble assimilating water (this has always been an issue, but didn't resolve like almost everything else did), and starting to react to amines. Unfortunately, since I have been eating more carbs (gluten free carbs are have a much higher carb load), my candida is coming back with a vengeance. This catch 22 leaves me unable to eat lots of meat because of the amines and unable to eat lots of carbs because of the candida. I'm pretty much allergic/intolerant to dairy (casein intolerance), soy (soy intolerance), veggies, nuts and fruit (the sals) and I certainly can't just drink oil. So whats a girl to do?
All that being said, I'm tolerating all this pretty well and am in really high spirits. My brain is functioning again at levels I haven't seen in years, AND the dyslexia is gone. My mood is much more stable as well, to the point that my therapist thinks that since I am "pseudo-bipolar" and don't have a true bipolar phsycho-anatomy, I might be able to get away with behavioral modification to manage it during my recovery from Bipolar, instead of meds AND behavioral modification. yippie!
One thing that is unique about my brain is that I have an abnormally fast processing speed. (I know this because of all the damn psych tests they put me through to see what is making me sick) Being sal-free actually has made it go even quicker. The past month or so I have been so sick and stressed, and grieving, I haven't been able to do any homework or concentrate on my school work at school. But we have been doing review in all of my classes for final exams and since going sal-free, I am literally absorbing 5 weeks of material in less than 4 hours of class time. I'm piecing together 60+ bones, plus the geography of every bone, nearly 100 muscles, their corresponding actions and attachment sites, and 60+ acu-points, their functions and locations, and how all of the above interacts with the entire human anatomy and physiology (and I have had to learn both western and Chinese systems) and how it can be used to diagnose and treat any disease, injury or imbalance known to man (of which I have had to memorize over 300 so far) and the corresponding proper treatment via massage, bodywork, energywork, herbs and nutrition. It's pretty crazy! In my spare time I have been studying how the emotional, spiritual, and psychological systems interact with all that we have learned in class, as well as researching the biochemistry and molecular biology of the human stress reaction, certain food/nutritional/absorption interactions, and how music can modify and change our emotions and vibrational frequencies. I love learning, and I LOVE BEING SAL-FREE!!!!!! I love thinking! My only problem now is balancing my life and brain so that I am not thinking all the time, cuz my insomnia and panic attacks are starting to come back. It makes sense though, because my bipolar med was a major sedative, and now I am not on them.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Mayonnaise

1 cup oil (I use canola)
1 egg
juice of 1/2 lime (or lemon) or vinegar
salt


1) Separate egg. Toss white.

2) Mix in lemon/lime juice or vinegar.

3) Slowly (!!!!) add oil to egg mix while beating with an electric mixer on high. Best to drop a small amount in at first, beat well, and drop a little more in and beat well a few more times to make sure it is setting up before pouring in slowly.

4) This should result in a thick and fluffy off-white mayonnaise. If it never thickened, then you have to start again. There was not enough acid (from the citrus or vinegar) or you added the oil too fast.

5) Add a liberal amount of salt (to taste).


Use to make tuna salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, egg salad, potato salad, a salad dressing base, chicken salad, or on sandwiches.