Trying Something Alternative

I spent Monday focusing on my stomach.

Well, sort of.

Monday morning, I met with two GPs, who specialize in alternative medicine, specifically nutrition.  Rather, I was referred to them to get counsellings on what changes to make to my nutritional diet to decrease inflammation in my body since I can no longer take anti-inflammatory drugs due to my kidney disease.  I guess I kind of expected to get a list of foods to avoid and a list of foods to eat and a sample diet and have that be it, but that’s not really how it went.

First, I’m being referred to an acupuncturist for the pain.  I’m going to try it out.  I’m not all that excited about the needles thing, but at this point, I’m willing to try it.  They got me after a week of moving and being slave-driven by my parents who don’t believe in taking rest breaks, so I was particularly tender and in no mood to argue.

As for nutrition:

• Gradually decrease the caffeine in your diet.  For some reason, they think I’m an addict.  Who didn’t see that coming?  They said not to do it cold turkey though…apparently I’m not as young as I once was.
• I have to do half my morning coffee as decaf.  Bah!  That’s just wrong!  A crime against nature.
• I need to start cutting my Diet Pepsi with Diet Rite (which is not caffeinated).  Another crime.
• Take out foods with aspartame.  Substitute with non-aspartame products.
• Again with the Diet Rite.  Though Pepsi One is made with Splenda.
• I need to find a yogurt I like that doesn’t sweeten with aspartame.  I loved Blue Bunny in the South but haven’t been able to find it here.  I’ll be making my own again once I get settled in my house, so it’s just for a short time.
• Use Olive and Canola Oil.  (I already do that.  Vegetable oil is too heavy.)
• Decrease how often you are eating out down to 1-2 times per week to keep dinners healthy.  They got me there.  I had gotten to the point where I was eating out pretty much every night and you can’t control what other people put in your food.  It’s a good thing I love cooking.
• Add Ginger and Tumeric to foods.  Apparently these have anti-inflammatory properties but they take a few weeks to build up in your system.  They said to just toss a little into my soup or whatever I’m having for lunch.
• Substitute Soy and Seafood for red meat and poultry.  Apparently red meat and poultry have pro-inflammatory properties.  I already wasn’t eating much red meat.  The poultry will be harder to give up.  I find it a little odd that I already had been unconsciously making this move toward semi-vegetarianism.  I’d been naturally making the choice to use Soy substitutes of meat for about half a year on my own, not out of any pro-animal or anti-meat industry ideology but just because I felt it was better for “me” personally.  Who knew?
• Increase fruits and vegetables.  The goal in anti-inflammatory diets is 6-8 servings a day.  Damn, 5 servings a day was hard enough.  Well, I just have to work at it.  V-8 here I come.
• Try adding small amounts of nuts or seeds (especially almonds) for a snack.  About a handful a day would be good.  Almonds have particularly good anti-inflammatory properties.

As for exercise, they checked on my water physical therapy referral which is still in the queue and suggested I start wearing my pedometer again and start increasing my steps.  Like I’m going to be able to find my pedometer in the chaos.  The idea is that I should take short walk breaks at work.  Do these doctors have time to take short walk breaks at their job?
They wanted to suggest some vitamin supplements but decided to hold off until my next appointment so they could do some research on how the supplements my affect my IgAN.  I like doctors that research how things will affect your illnesses.

Tags: Wellness, alternative medicine, nutrition, acupuncture, IgAN, fibromyalgia, anti-inflammatory diet

Trying Alternative Medicine

Well, I saw my GP on Monday.  You know, to follow up on all of those new diagnoses and to get my ambien dosage increased per the Rhuemy and get the water PT referral, etc.  She and I discussed my concern with not being able to take anti-inflammatory meds anymore what with the whole kidney disease thing and especially since I was still in pain with the whole fibromyalgia thing.  In particular, my left elbow, right knee and lower back have been really bothersome and are only getting worse with the packing and the move.

Well, of course she asked me if I was taking my Tylenol twice a day.  No.  Of course not.  I’m wary of taking too much Tylenol because that could lead to liver damage.  *sigh*  Well, she scolded me, of course.  She told me to get back on a regimen of  2 extra-strength Tylenol twice a day (when I get up and in the afternoon), but no more than that.  Of course, I pointed out that the Tylenol doesn’t do a whole lot because I’m not treating the inflammation too.

I mean, I’m trying all sorts of things here.  I’ve been trying cold packs and heating pads.  I’ve tried wearing a brace on my left elbow.  The pain doesn’t go away while I’m sleeping.  Neither she nor I could find a tender area where you touch around the elbow and it’s particularly more painful. It seems to be inside the joint itself and it just aches.
I said that at this point I was willing to try anything.  I even mentioned that I’d read a blurb in one of my health magazines that some journal had done a study that found that cherries were a natural anti-inflammatory.  I told my GP that my mother laughed at me when I said I was going to buy some and start eating a bunch every day.  (The study had the women eat 45 every day.)  I’d drink juice if I could find it, but I’ve not been able to find pure cherry juice, which I hear is really bitter.

So, apparently there’s an alternative medicine program I can get into, a nutritionist I can see who’ll put together an anti-inflammatory diet for me — you know, tell me what foods to avoid, which ones I should be eating to help reduce the pain.  So she put in a referral for me.  So, I’m going to try it.  My mother thinks it’s crazy.

Tags: alternative medicine, anti-inflammatory diet, wellness, fibromyalgia