Hypotoxic Diet - What does it consist of?

I've been asked by several people now what exactly am I eating. Some people even wonder if there is anything left to eat. Let me assure you that I am enjoying food and have lots of different recipes that fit with my 'restrictive' diet.Eating at friend's proves complicated and unfortunately stressful for the person who is cooking, so I often offer to take something to warm up. A few friends are starting to have health issues themselves and are realiing that food is having an effect on them.They are becoming more 'food concious' and this in turn allow them to cook for me when I go. I am compiling a list of recipes that work for this hypotoxic diet but for now, here is a list of what I can eat:

Vegetables                   all except raw tomatoes, raw mushrooms, potatoes, aubergines, sweet peppers

limit: cooked carrots, pumpkin, squash, parsnips, cooked tomatoes

Fruit                             banana not too ripe, apples, pears, berries (raw or compote without sugar)

limit: other fruit once a day

no dried fruit

Proteins                       chicken, turkey, fish, (except tuna) once a day

beef, lamb, pork, gluten-free sausages (twice a week)

no cold meats or seafood

                                   eggs

Dairy                            no dairy whether it be cow, goat or ewe

except plain yoghurts, feta

                                   rice milk, coconut milk and cream

limit: soya milk

Grains and flours          brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa

                                   GF pasta (preferably brown rice), GF rice crackers, GF buckwheat crackers

                                    no: cornflour, soja flour

limit: cornstarch

Legumes                      all dried peas, beans and lentils

Dried fruits, nuts           all except peanuts and pistachios

                                   all grains: pumpkin, flax, sunflower etc

Oils                              all except peanut, corn, soja

                                   prefer premier pression vierge à froid

Condiments                  none except cider vinegar (unpasturised unfiltered if possible=

Sugar                           none (including aspartam etc)

exception: Stevia,

limit: honey, agave syrup, GF 70% dark chocolate,

Drinks  :                       herbal tea (without caffeine), still water, green tea, rice milk

Basic rules

No gluten

No sugar: glucose, lactose, fructose etc

No yeast

Eat as much raw food as possible and preferably organic where possible

Supplements

• Pro-biotiques
• Extract of Grapefruit seeds – start with four drops three times a day after meals and increase gradually until 15 drops three times a day
• Aged garlic
• magnesium
• calcium
• vit D
• digestive enzymes

Start the day with a cup of hot water and the juice of half a lemon and/or any other detox drink

Lyme Disease

My daughter has been gradually getting worse again, little by little, so that anyone who doesn't really know her wouldn't pick up on it. More mood swings, pains in joints, headaches, blurred vision (no, her eyes have been checked), insomnia, difficulty breathing (that's a new one) etc She's not ready to go on an even stricter diet than she already is on and to be honest, I don't want to have to put her on one if I don't have to. Being a child is difficult enough as it is.

So back to the doctors today after lots more research and wonder if we are both struggling because of Lyme disease. 10 years ago, I was btiiten by a tick then had meningitus with complications several weeks later. I was tested for it but the tests came back negative so it was left at that. Several months later I became pregnant with my daughter. What I do know now is that you don't necessarily have a positive test to Lyme, particularly so close to the bite as your body hasn't had time to make antibodies. I have also learnt that you can pass it on to your baby in the womb or by breastfeeding, and I breastfed all of my children for four months. According to research, Lyme disease in more common than we think. One of the top specialists in America gives a list of symptoms and says that if you have more than 15, there is a strong possibility of Lyme. I have 34 and my daughter has 26 - not bad, eh!

So armed with my papers and table of symptoms, we took off to the GP. I explained that I had been researching into possible causes (he accepts that he is sure we have something but doesn't know what) and came up with Lyme. He almost laughed and said but you need a red mark and have you been bitten by a tick. research also shows in America that around only 30% of people have red marks and only about half of people diagnosed remember being bitten by a tick. We have lots of ticks here and one of my dogs has at least one a week in the warm season so we aren't lacking in them. Plus the dogs used to sleep on the beds at night (stopped now) and have easily contaminated use with the little critters. So after a quick explanation to the doctor (who isn't sure whether to take me for a paranoid mother, a mad-hatter or a hypochondriac), he admitted that they know little about these diseases and agreed to test us. The problem is that there is a high result of false negatives so a negative wouldn't mean we don't have Lyme so I'm trying to find a specialist for that in the region. It's getting tiring trapsing round everywhere.If only I could find a real life Dr House...!!!! The doctor exmained us both and still manages to find an explanation for each different symptom and I agree that I could do the same, but at some point, how do you have soooo many symptoms. If I took medication for each different symptom, I'd spend an hour a day taking medication!

My daughter has had her blood tests done (I ate this morning so couldn't have mine done) and we get the results before the end of the week. Yet more waiting, but at least not too much this time.

This is the information that I found concerning Lyme disease:
The hallmark of Lyme Disease is for symptoms to mysteriously appear and then disappear weeks later, or for pain to move around the body.It is important to note that you can be infected for years without becoming disabled due to the morphologic nature of the bacteria. In other words, the disease can lie dormant in your body for months or years, taking over when you are worn down physically or if your immune system is suddenly (or gradually) compromised. If you have symptoms in two or more bodily systems, you should consult a Lyme Literate Doctor.

Below you will find a chart of the symptoms for Lyme disease, just in case you were wondering.

		Yes	No
1.	Tick bite
2.	Rash at site of tick bite ‘bull’s eye’
3.	Rash or raised rash on other parts of body, disappearing and returing
4.	Joint pains and swelling (knee, wrist, fingers, hip...), arthritus
5.	Swollen toes or feet
6.	Pain in ankles
7.	Sore soles of feet or palms, especially in the morning
8.	Cramps in feet
9.	Fevers, excessive sweating, shaking
10.	Muscle pain or cramps, difficulty walking
11.	Fatigue, tired, poor stamina
12.	Abnormal hair loss
13.	Persistant swollen glands
14.	Sore throat
15.	Pain in pelvis or testicles or genital area
16.	Unexplained irregular menstrual cycle
17.	Sore breasts, unexplained milk production
18.	Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
19.	Loss of libido, erectile dysfunction
20.	Heartburn, stomach pain, queasy stomach or nausea
21.	Intestinal problems (constipation, diarrhea, low abdominal pain, cramps)
22.	Chest wall pain or ribs sore
23.	Breathlessness, “air hunger”, unexplained chronic cough
24.	Palpitations, skips, heart murmur or valve prolapse heart block on ECG…
25.	Neck/back: creaks and cracks, stiffness, pain
26.	Sharp stabbing pains in muscles
27.	Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains, skin -hypersensitivity
28.	Tremors in one or several members
29.	Pain in jaw, teeth and/or chewing
30.	Twitching of the face, eyelids or other muscles
31.	Facial paralysis
32.	Eyes/sight: double, blurry, floaters, pain
33.	Ears/hearing: buzzing, decreased, ringing, pain, sound sensitive
34.	Off balance tippy feeling, lightheadedness, vertigo, spinning, increased motion sickness, need to sit or lie down
35.	Brain fog
36.	Headaches
37.	Confusion
38.	Difficulty thinking, concentrating, poor attention
39.	Forgetfulness, poor short term memory
40.	Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
41.	Difficulties with speaking/writing : errors, wrong word, misspeaking
42.	Mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, panic attacks
43.	Insomnia, fractionated sleep, early awakening, excessive sleeping, napping during the day
44.	Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
45.	Unexplained change in weight (loss or gain)
46.	Symtoms flare up every 4 weeks
	TOTAL

Intolerance Testing

I finally got my test results back from GDX but badly interpreted which test I needed. I ordered the Factest and it all came back negative apart from the IgE Total which generally shows allergies but I'll let the allergy consultant confirm that as I know it can have other meanings depending on other test results. I know it can also mean a parasite infection. So I was really confused to say the least when I saw that all the results were negative and began to wonder if I wasn't barking up the wrong tree.Once the initial shock wore off, I knew there must have been a problem as I know too well that I do have intolerances. When I contacted them, they explained I should have done a different test for intolerances and they are sending me the right one. Financially it has come as a bit of a blow so I may have to wait a while.

Dad's didn't come back as bad as that and he only has to take out egg white for three months. To be honest, we're not overly impressed with the way things were handled with York test. After the first initial test which costs £10, they phoned up to say that he should really do the full test because they had found intolerances which would explain his health issues. So when they did the full test and only one came back with a Level 1 intolerance, you feel a bit ripped off. I'm sure the test is great and very useful to so many, but to be honest the sales technique is an absolute scandal and could be much more professional. My mum was thinking of doing it but is now hesitating. So he has taken out the egg white and it has been over a week and the itching is a bit better. We'll just have to wait and see with that one.

I have also received the allergy test results that were prescribed by the allergy consultant and so far, everything is negative apart from the grass plants family, which I knew anyway. It has been no big surprise as I don't have an immediate reaction to anything.I am still waiting for results on a few other things which don't concern a specific allergy but that will take another two weeks.

If there is one thing that Ihave definately improved on over the last few years, it's patience. Patience to get in to see a doctor, patience for the results and even more patience to get back in to see him after! Never mind, I will get an answer at some point...

Hypotoxic Diet Part 2

So where am I at with this hypotoxic diet? Well things have been difficult recently. My intestines have been worse than ever and my asthma and allergies have been on the increase and my moral hasn't always been the best. I contacted the naturopath that's been following me and he assures me that it takes several weeks for the gut to adapt to eating so many raw foods (I'm aiming at 50-60% raw foods a day) and that I may feel worse before I feel better. I did know that from all the reading I have done that symptoms can be worsened as the body tries to get rid of so many toxins so I'm sticking with it. Not always easy but I'm trying to think long-term...

I have also restarted my bentonite clay drink in the mornings. If I have that many toxins to get rid of, the clay will help absorb them so they don't go back into the body. I have a teaspoon of clay in a glass of water and drink it all down.You have to wait a good half hour before having breakfast though so I drink it as soon as I get up and then get ready before I have breakfast.

As for what I'm eating on a hypotoxic diet, as I said before I'm basing it on something between Dr Joshi and Dr Seignalets diets. They have a feww other things but because of my research into True Gluten and other intolerances I have, I have finished up with the things below. Hope that helps.

Hypotoxic Diet

Vegetables                  all except tomatoes, raw mushrooms, potatoes, aubergines, sweet peppers

limit: cooked carrots, pumpkin, squash, parsnips

Fruit                             banana not too ripe, apples, pears, berries (raw or compote without sugar)

limit: other fruit once a day

no dried fruit

Proteins                      chicken, turkey, fish, (except tuna) once a day

beef, lamb, pork, gluten-free sausages (twice a week)

no cold meats or seafood

                                   eggs

Dairy                           no dairy whether it be cow, goat or ewe

except plain yoghurts, feta

                                   rice milk, coconut milk and cream

limit: soya milk

Grains and flours        brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa

                                   GF pasta (preferably brown rice), GF rice crackers, GF buckwheat crackers

                                    limit: cornflour and cornstarch, soja flour

Legumes                    all dried peas, beans and lentils

Nuts and seeds         all except peanuts and pistachios

                                   all grains: pumpkin, flax, sunflower etc

Oils                             all except peanut, corn, soja

                                   prefer premier pression vierge à froid

Condiments                none except cider vinegar (unpasturised unfiltered if possible=

Sugar                          none (including aspartam etc)

exception: Stevia,

limit: honey, agave syrup, GF 70% dark chocolate

Drinks :                       herbal tea (without caffeine), still water, green tea, rice milk

 

Basic rules

No gluten

No sugar: glucose, lactose, fructose etc

No yeast

Eat as much raw food as possible

Supplements to take

• Pro-biotiques
• Extract of Grapefruit seeds – start with four drops three times a day after meals and increase gradually until 15 drops three times a day
• Aged garlic
• magnesium
• calcium
• vit D

Allergy Testing

This week seems to be the allergy testing week. It started off with the food intolerance test. I decided to try the FACTest by GDX. I received it in the post yesterday and went and had the blood taken by a local laboratory and sent it off. So I'm just waiting for the results now.

Today I had an appointment with an allergy consultant that specialises in food allergies and illnesses. It started off with the usual questions and when we got to me saying I was coeliac, he asked if I was a real coeliac (why, do you have ones that aren't real?) and that I 'must have diarrhea then' to which Ireplied that many coeliacs suffer with constipation rather than the runs! So this food allergy specialist now has me worried because with questions like that, I'm wondering if it was really worth me driving all the way to see him. Then came the questions concerning food allergies and I wasn't sure I was allergic but probably intolerant as the reactions happen a few hours after eating and not immediately after eating. I saw his reaction and he basically didn't believe in the food intolerance bit and was quite condescending. It does get tiring having specialist after specialist not believe you. Do they really think we stop eating foods and making our lives hell for the fun of it! The last time I tried to reintroduce something - potatoes - my mouth and throat swelled up/became numb. I stop eating it and the symptoms disappear. I eat it again and they come back. I call that 'conclusive'.

So the testing started. A general range of common allergens were tested using a prick test on my arms and I was positive for certain grasses but not, fortunately, to dogs. We then proceeded with an asthma/respiratory test and he diagnosed me with moderate asthma (he thought I'd invented that too so was surprised by the result) even though I've had it for 20 years. By this point, he started to be a little less defensive. I have come away with a list of IgE blood tests to do as well as general blood work and I have to go back after that. I am a little concerned as he doesn't test for IgGs so I don't know how he will come to the conclusion of food intolerances. I guess we'll see. I'm very curious to see what the results will be for the GDX test as they are testing for IgGs. Perhaps I'll take a copy of the results with me when I go back....

I know, I'm being negative towards this poor man and I'd written him off before I even went in to see him but I feel like I've explained things so often already. In his favour, he is being thorough so perhaps he may have the answer to at least some of the questions. You never know, he may be able to help.

Hypotoxic Diet

Fourth day of a hypotoxic diet and am actually feeling a little better. I'm still having allergy symptoms such as runny nose, itchy throat and eyes, but felt more energetic. I've also felt very sleepy at bed times and really needed to go to sleep (which doesn't happen that often). My nails feel stronger and my eyes aren't as quite as puffy this morning either. I'm still having digestive problems but they seem milder. As for the numb tongue and throat, that has disappeared too, and trust me thats a definate bonus! 

Three days of a hypotoxic diet is still too early to come to any conclusions as it could all just be a coincidence so we'll have to a wait a few weeks for that. Dr Joshi says that to be 'detoxed' you really need to do it for three weeks. The 'diet' I'm following is based on Dr Joshi's detox diet and Dr Seignalet's diet. Dr Seignalet was a famous french doctor who devised a diet with a detailed explanation of why it worked and for what types of illness (there are more than a hundred ranging from endometriosis to asthma from canal carpian to depression to fibromyalgia).  All doctors and alternative medicine practioners who I have been to have Dr Seignalet's book sitting on their shelf yet it has never been translated into English and there is very little on internet about it.

The diet is quite limited but I am actually not fonding it as hard as I thought I would. Dr Joshi had a few tips and I also bought a dehydrator at Christmas and am now eating tons of very moreish vegetable crisps per day. The only concern I have for me is keeping the weight on so I would say there is a big advantage for some people who follow this diet is that you detox and lose weight!

My daughter is not doing so well at the moment. In fact I feel like we've jumped back in time about a year. The crying, mood swings and insomnia is creeping back in. I thought it was probably just a bad day or week - everyone has them and I do try not to put everything down to our 'illness' - but it's getting progressively difficult and the insomnia is a big indicator. She's been in quite a bit of pain as well because as soon as she falls or bangs herself, she is in a lot of pain for up to two weeks and that has been more and more frequent. I'm considering putting her on this detox diet. I'll wait a few more days to see how I get on but I think it would probably help.

We're still waiting for the intolerance testing kits to arrive. I eagerly check the mail every day hoping they've arrived but still nothing. My dad will get his this week so I'm really impatient for that too. I'm also off to the hospital on Tuesday to see an allergy consultant who specialises in food allergy. To be honest I'm not expecting a great deal from him but at least I will have been thorough.

Alternative Options

Not such a good day today as my mouth has started to go numb again and it’s never very reassuring.  I’m not sure why apart from the fact that I’ve been eating chocolate the last few days. It’s really hard following such a strict diet. If I’m going to « crack » I always try and stay reasonable and never touch gluten or dairy .So chocolate is a reasonable solution. I’ve also made some almond cakes with honey as the sugar substitute but only had one the other day and frozen the rest. I’m still trying to work out what I am really intolerant to so I’ve finally decided to do the test. It’s not going to be easy because there isn’t anywhere reliable in France. I’ve decided which laboratory I want to use (after yet more research) and am going for the one at Genova Diagnostics. I’ve ordered the kit and as soon as I get it, I’ll get it done and send it off. I have been hesitating, probably because of the cost, but it would have been much cheaper if I’d done it in the first place. I’m also going to do the complete digestive health test with the parasite test as I have read a lot about them and there is a high frequency of parasites in people with IBS. Now I am finally decided, I’m impatient for the kits and results.

So I have been very busy with appointments these last couple of days. I went back for a second visit to a doctor who does ear acupuncture and is, I think, a magnetiser. After the first time six weeks ago, nothing changed. I would almost say that I got worse. I very nearly didn’t go back at all but I know he has a very good reputation so I thought I would go back and see what he had to say. When I told him that there had been no improvement, he said that it wasn’t normal (well, of course he would) and said I have a problem with my energies and he was going to open them up and the things he did the first time should kick in too. I must admit, I did feel a wave of something come over me and I came out feeling very relaxed and very sure that something had changed. I’m still waiting to see as I have been a bit better in some respects but then the mouth thing came back today so I’ll just have to see. The needles in my ear from the first time are still there and are supposed to fall out when they have done what they are supposed to do so I guess I’ll use that as a guide. I now have two more needles in the other ear this time. At this rate I’m soon going to resemble a pin cushion ! So I’ll just have to see.

I also went to see a Naturopath last week. I had been researching and finally got in to see someone who also teaches naturopathy so I imagine he knows his stuff. I’ve had his report today and am a little disappointed I suppose. He hasn’t really told me anything that I didn’t know and aren’t already doing. He has suggested a Bach Flowers remedy that I haven’t done and Rosemary extract. I happy to try but feel like it’s just another stab in the dark. For someone that is at the beginning of their healing path or hasn’t been able to do the many hours of research that I have, then I’m sure it would have been a great starting point. But unfortunately that isn’t the case for me. After yet more research, what I really need to do is to consult a Nutritional Therapist. They are the ones who get you to do tests like the ones I mentioned at the beginning. It’s much more scientific and while I’ve lost faith in medicine, I still believe science has the key. So I’ll see what the test results are before consulting.

So that is where I am at this week. Next week I have a visit with the allergy consultant who will hopefully do a lot of allergy tests but I am pretty sure they will come back negative. My daughter has had a bad few days and it’s hard not to get wound up by the fact that I can’t seem to make her better. Once I have done the tests for me, depending on the results I’ll do the same tests for her. They aren’t cheap so I’m just doing one of us first. But if I can finally get to the bottom of this, then I’ll pay. My dad is also having intolerance testing at the moment but he has used York Test. I hesitated but GDX also does the gut test and I think is a little more scientific. I’m sure they are both great for intolerances but now I want to see what the results are before recommending anything. I feel like I’m finally at a turning point in all of this.