My treatment as prescribed by Dr. Donna has been very intense. The first thing I had to do was a 10 day colon cleanse. I also had a TON of supplements to begin rebuilding the nutrients in my system I had not been getting. I may have forgotten to mention that my blood calcium levels were that of a post-menopausal woman (another sign of celiac disease) so one of the many supplements has been calcium. Here are the rest from those first 10 days:
calcium/ magnesium
- iodine for thyroid support
- aloe vera juice
- vitamin B complex
- digestive enzymes
- green powder
- omega oils
- licorice root for adrenal support
- liquid minerals
- flax oil
- fiber
- vitamin C
- goat milk protein powder
- Bragg's Liquid Aminos
- raw apple cider vinegar
- colon cleanse capsules
Along with the supplements my diet changed dramatically. For those first 10 days (actually was 14 days) I could only eat raw fruits and vegetables in a specific combining pattern throughout the day. This is based on Dr. Hay's theory that combining foods in a particular way is easier on our digestives systems and thereby promotes optimal health. To read more about food combining, click
here. With breakfast and dinner I was making a smoothie with kefir, fruit (no fruit for p.m. shake), green powder, flax oil, aloe vera juice, vitamin C and stevia to sweeten, if needed. I have learned to like this smoothie. So, for two weeks, I had nothing cooked and no protein other than the kefir and goat milk protein. Oops, I was allowed one fried egg twice per week. I thought I would die as I am not a vegetarian and never could be. I found that I didn't really miss the protein. The diet was excruciating as it was such a change. I felt like I was in mourning over all the crap I had been eating. Stupid, huh? Then, I discovered salad with spinach and lettuce, tons of veggies, olive oil and apple cider vinegar, and organic salt and msg-free pizza seasoning. I can't get enough of that!
Ok, I could go on and on about all the little details but I won't. Feel free to
email me if you have questions or feel I haven't covered something enough.
Anyway, those first 14 days brought the most profound changes and things have been getting better ever since. Here are the things I began to notice (usually at weird times when it was inappropriate to hoot and holler but I wanted to!):
- Eczema disappeared - the spots by my eyes have been there forever and always were irritated
- Eyes did not feel dry and were much less red
- Usually my sinuses were super stuffy in the morning and that was gone
- My energy was back by the second day!! I think that was because, for the first time in ages, I was no longer malnurished!
- The arthritis pain in my knuckles was gone
- Seasonal allergies seemed to have disappeared overnight
- Asthma much better
- Menstrual stuff better
During those first 14 days I lost 4 pounds. I was forewarned that I may get very thin before this is all done as my body flushes out the toxins. Toxins often sit in fat cells and nobody ever wants to believe that petite people can have any fat on them but my cellulite on the lower half kept building and definitely looked like hail damage. That area shrank significantly right away. I have continued to lose weight but please don't be worried about me. Once all the systems are cleaned out and pH levels restored, my body will automatically seek it's ideal weight.
When I went back to Dr. Donna after the first 14 days, my blood was already looking better in terms of new, healthy blood cells instead of the ones fermenting with yeast (yeah, she joked that I was making my own wine!). Dr. Donna was delighted that so many symptoms had already gone away but, again, I was the one who was surprised, not her.
