Apple_Blossem 3 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Today is the first day I can say that my skin is clearly healing.My naturopath used a bodyscan machine to find my food sensitivities (you just touch this metal bar that reads your electrical body waves and sees how you react to certain foods. I was HIGHLY skeptical, but it gave me such accurate readings that I really surprised). He found I was sensitive to wheat, wheat bran, milk whey, linseed oil, garbanzo beans, angora, wool, etc. (my brother has allergies to these same foods)He also noticed that no matter how many medical-grade vitamins he told me to take, my body wouldnt absorb ANY (he explained that because my body was fighting my food sensitivities - which then lead to acne.)He told me stay off these food sensitivities for 1 month to see if my skin cleared. I've been off of them for 8 days now. For the last 8 days, my acne didnt look like it was going away. I became A LOT grouchier (a sign of withdrawl from foods you are sensitive/alergic to). Yesterday, I woke up and noticed my skin was healing, and today my skin is taking on a glow and really looks clear. There are no new spots on my face (if you knew my skin, this is a miracle. I've always gotten 10 new pimples a day). I also usually lose about 100 hairs a day (this is a sign of missing minerals and vitamins), but yesterday and today my hair loss dropped down to 10. Even my boyfriend noticed, because my hair "falls out" when touched. Anyway, I didnt lose any while brushing, so this shows that I'm absorbing vitamins and minerals finally.Hopefully this help you guys Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aislingbambi 0 Share Posted April 21, 2007 wow thats amazing - I might make that my next point of call! Congrats!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jodiat 1 Share Posted April 21, 2007 wow! how wicked is that! im glad u didnt talk yourself outa going! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
daanzell 4 Share Posted April 21, 2007 wow sounds really cool.. thanks for ur pm btw u no i dunt even no if such a machine exists here in australia LOL. were a bit behind the US. ive got no clue wat the naturopath im going to is going to do, i know her by word of mouth.. apparently shes really really good. i dont think she operates from home, she has her own clinic. all i know is she is gonna prepare some sort of herbal tonic or medicine for me, im pretty sure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
User24582 4 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Awesome results.I'm willing to bet that the avoidance of the wheat and milk is making the bulk of the difference. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NdnRomeo 12 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Can you please tell me how much the visit cost you? I'm very interested to see if I can go to one!Also, please keep posting results! I want to know how you do two, three, and four weeks in. Don't stop posting results! Daily if possible I am watching this thread.If you are on to something, more of us will go get tested to, and see what happens from there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigBeauty 0 Share Posted April 21, 2007 I'm not going to doubt that food insensitivities could be a cause of your acne and I want to find a good naturopath myself, but you've only seen improvements for two days now? Nothing wrong with that, but we should all be skeptical still.I'm quite interested in finding out any food insensitivities I might also have and looked into the various blood tests and various electromagnetic devices, etc. The reality is that these methods all are very inconsistant. Not only do the results disagree across methods, but also for a particular method, the same person can receive inconsistant results when tested at different times or different samples. However, these machines often give a list of common foods people have problems to, so they can often be right based on chance if you eliminate a bunch of foods.From reading about food insnesitivies/intolerances, etc from objective sources that aren't trying to sell anything, the conclusion is to get the most accurate results although not very fun, you really have to go on some kind of food elimination diet. Bascially these machines and blood tests are just an expensive way to get you started. I'm just trying to give a warning to everyone before shelling out cash without researching it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jen121 0 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Can you please tell me how much the visit cost you? I'm very interested to see if I can go to one!Also, please keep posting results! I want to know how you do two, three, and four weeks in. Don't stop posting results! Daily if possible I am watching this thread.If you are on to something, more of us will go get tested to, and see what happens from there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Apple_Blossem 3 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 2 day update... My skin is still clearing. I have a lot more energy than I have had in a year or so. I feel a lot better and like cleaning the house and cooking, LOL, so I can tell that the minerals I am taking 6 times a day are finally being absorbed.Its been 10 days off all foods (but its hard because I'm a vegan so its like everything I reach for is a no-no. Meat? No. Cheese? No. Bread? No. LOLI stopped taking b5 vitamins a month ago, and my skin has been out-of-control since then (billions of whiteheads, blackheads and infections all over my face and in my scalp. It felt like a rotten tree was growing on the front of my face - itchy, stiff with oil bumps, torn up and old from scratching the bumps, ughhh...So I am very surprised that my skin is clear and bump free 10 days after cutting out those foods. There hasnt been even one eruption or new blackhead (I emptied out all the pores a 5 days ago to see if they filled up again). Anyway, red spots on my skin have healed. I've had chapped and bleeding lips for 2 years (lack of minerals being absorbed?) and they, too, have healed over almost completely.So, SO FAR, its going as planned, LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tdot 3 Share Posted April 23, 2007 2 day update... My skin is still clearing. I have a lot more energy than I have had in a year or so. I feel a lot better and like cleaning the house and cooking, LOL, so I can tell that the minerals I am taking 6 times a day are finally being absorbed.Its been 10 days off all foods (but its hard because I'm a vegan so its like everything I reach for is a no-no. Meat? No. Cheese? No. Bread? No. LOLI stopped taking b5 vitamins a month ago, and my skin has been out-of-control since then (billions of whiteheads, blackheads and infections all over my face and in my scalp. It felt like a rotten tree was growing on the front of my face - itchy, stiff with oil bumps, torn up and old from scratching the bumps, ughhh...So I am very surprised that my skin is clear and bump free 10 days after cutting out those foods. There hasnt been even one eruption or new blackhead (I emptied out all the pores a 5 days ago to see if they filled up again). Anyway, red spots on my skin have healed. I've had chapped and bleeding lips for 2 years (lack of minerals being absorbed?) and they, too, have healed over almost completely.So, SO FAR, its going as planned, LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notadoctor 0 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Your diet sounds like a recipe for disaster. You are definitely going to be deficient in nutrients and from the sounds of it, calories. Wheat and Milk is what every naturopath will tell you to avoid, not necessarily because their magic machine says to, but because they are the most common food allergies. The other stuff they add in because they cause some people problems. Don't waste money on a quack like that, but go to an allergist and get tested for as many things as possible making sure to check for the most common food allergies, get tested for celiac sprue, and try to decrease your insulin load. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Apple_Blossem 3 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 Since I dont eat meat, dairy or bread, I eat the other foods available: Bean soups, lentil soup, veggie soup, sushi, cucumber salads, spinach salads, lasanga with rice or potato flour pastas, spahetti topped with veggies (rice or potato pasta), cereal w/ almond milk, falafel, indian & japanese foods, curried rice, veggie hotdogs, seaweed salads, oatmeal, cornbread & chili, polenta, potato soups, soy ice creams, etc.Notadoctor, you sound like you are not a doctor. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notadoctor 0 Share Posted April 23, 2007 You are probably not gettting anywhere near the amount of zinc or iron you need. Iron neededMy cousin has been a vegetarian since college, and not suprisingly has had high cholesterol since college. She also has been anemic a few times, once during pregnancy. Now she is pregnant again and eating meat because she can't get enough iron to support her and her fetus without it. Eating more protein also lowers your cholesterol, and meat is a very good source of protein. Whether you eat meat or not is something you will have to decide on, but don't avoid meat to help your health.You may or may not be getting enough Vitamin A, and other vitamins and nutrients, so seriously add up your nutrient intake, and compare to what you should be getting. I am not telling you this to insult you, I'm trying to help.Also, a little over a year ago, I kept getting diarrhea and stomach cramps, and just feeling shitty all of the time, my mom's friend talked me into seeing a naturopath who tested for food sensitivities using a phony arm strength test. She told me to avoid milk, eggs, and wheat. I already avoided milk because I am lactose intolerant and have been for years. So I avoided what she said for about a week, and all of my problems got immensely worse. So, I got allergy tested, and I was allergic to wheat, corn, peanuts, and walnuts.It ended up that the cornflour and cornstarch waffles and cereal and just plain corn that she had recommended me were just making things much worse for me. So, after I got allergy tested and found out what I was allergic to, I avoided those foods for a quite a while, but ate a ton of rice, and meat, and potatoes, my stomach problems went away completely, but I still had acne that was improving. After a while of avoiding those foods, I started eating them in smaller amounts and they did not cause major problems. You can read my posts about the paleo diet for more information of what I do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notadoctor 0 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I just went to meat.org and read it. A lot of that stuff is not as true as you would like to believe. I don't have time to explain it right now, but there is much evidence to show that a high protein diet is actually better than a low fat diet. Some well documented modern studies,and cases of native people, or non civilized peoples. Like the example of the eskimos, their diet was almost completely from animals, and very high-fat and high-protein. Before most of them started eating the modern westernized diet, they were pretty much the healthiest people on earth. I have got to go. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Apple_Blossem 3 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 The eskimos, while on their pure protein diet, were actually the only people in the world to have have a 90% risk of getting osteoperosis at our age. Although not the best, this diet was much healthier than the one we put them on (tons of free white bread).Like you said, I would not trust a naturopath who did an arm test on me (I've done that test before - its fun, but not extremely scientific), and I can see why you caution me. Although I was extremely skeptcal, I'm watching how my skin reacts to their advice. I havent anything to lose ... and hey, my skin is clearing . So far, their advise has gotten me further than all the normal doctors I've seen who immediately fill me up with prescription medication, LOL. Since Vitamin A is one of the most plentiful vitamins on earth (you can overdose on carrots, believe it or not) (and there are more deaths from overdosing on this vitamin than lack thereof...), I am not worried about that particular vitamin. Could you elaborate on why I should concentrate on this vitamin?It honestly sounds like your cousin *might* have had a food sensitivity herself if she could not absorb certain nutrients while being a vegetarian. I know (about) 30 vegan (not vegetarian) women who have all gone through childbirth and nursing, with none having symptoms of anemia. Anemia is not the rule in vegetarians, nor is it a high percentage (thank goodness!!!).It is interesting to note that almost half of India is vegetarian (and has been for about 8,000 years) with many people in the northern region being commonly vegan. Japan, also, for thousands of years, did not eat dairy products nor meat other than fish (if you happened to live by the sea). In the mountains of japan, they did not have fish and until the last few years kept a vegetarian diet. Nor did the east have wheat, as wheat bread was only introduced some years ago. Up until a few years ago, Japan was named the healthiest country in the world.The US, on the other hand, with its current American diet, is kinda on the other end of the scale . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NdnRomeo 12 Share Posted April 23, 2007 The eskimos, while on their pure protein diet, were actually the only people in the world to have have a 90% risk of getting osteoperosis at our age. Although not the best, this diet was much healthier than the one we put them on (tons of free white bread).Like you said, I would not trust a naturopath who did an arm test on me (I've done that test before - its fun, but not extremely scientific), and I can see why you caution me. Although I was extremely skeptcal, I'm watching how my skin reacts to their advice. I havent anything to lose ... and hey, my skin is clearing . So far, their advise has gotten me further than all the normal doctors I've seen who immediately fill me up with prescription medication, LOL. Since Vitamin A is one of the most plentiful vitamins on earth (you can overdose on carrots, believe it or not) (and there are more deaths from overdosing on this vitamin than lack thereof...), I am not worried about that particular vitamin. Could you elaborate on why I should concentrate on this vitamin?It honestly sounds like your cousin *might* have had a food sensitivity herself if she could not absorb certain nutrients while being a vegetarian. I know (about) 30 vegan (not vegetarian) women who have all gone through childbirth and nursing, with none having symptoms of anemia. Anemia is not the rule in vegetarians, nor is it a high percentage (thank goodness!!!).It is interesting to note that almost half of India is vegetarian (and has been for about 8,000 years) with many people in the northern region being commonly vegan. Japan, also, for thousands of years, did not eat dairy products nor meat other than fish (if you happened to live by the sea). In the mountains of japan, they did not have fish and until the last few years kept a vegetarian diet. Nor did the east have wheat, as wheat bread was only introduced some years ago. Up until a few years ago, Japan was named the healthiest country in the world.The US, on the other hand, with its current American diet, is kinda on the other end of the scale . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Apple_Blossem 3 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 Romeo - I'm curious, do Indians have a certain reason for keeping their vegetarian traditions?I get my protein from lentils, chickpeas and beans. Yum Yum. 9 grams of protein in 1/4th cup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NdnRomeo 12 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Romeo - I'm curious, do Indians have a certain reason for keeping their vegetarian traditions?I get my protein from lentils, chickpeas and beans. Yum Yum. 9 grams of protein in 1/4th cup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigBeauty 0 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I've been reading about metabolic typing lately. Although, some of the methods haven't really been scientifically proven yet, the general premise is that people have different metabolic rates based upon many factors and therefore different dietary needs. High protein and fat diets work well for some but are disasters for others. The same is true for high carb fruit, veggie, and grain diets. Others need a more balanced approach. This is probably why there is so much conflicting dietary research, studies never control for this. Also, almost all primitive cultures have excellant health, straight teeth, no acne, minimal heart disease etc. yet on very different diets. This is because they have had time to adapt to their dietary environment.There are definitely some generalities as to which foods are healthy and unhealthy that apply to everyone, but ultimately you need to listen PROPERLY to your body to determine the BALANCE of the energy you need from protein, fat, and carbs. This is probably easier said than done, I could go into detail but for example I feel so much better and complete on high protein and fats which is very consistant with the historical diet of my ancestry of northern Europe. If I eat a ton of carbs whether it is fruit, veggies, or grains but little meat or fat at a meal I am more lethargic, hungry, and weak. Hopefully there will be more studies on this resulting in more objective methods for determining your metabolic type... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cyph31 3 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Romeo - I'm curious, do Indians have a certain reason for keeping their vegetarian traditions?I get my protein from lentils, chickpeas and beans. Yum Yum. 9 grams of protein in 1/4th cup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notadoctor 0 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I suggested Vitamin A, just as an example, but the foods that you listed did not seem to have much, if any Vitamin A, Vitamin A can come from many places, cantaloupe is also a good source. As you said, you can definitely overdose on Vitamin A both in retinol form and beta-carotene form.The probable reason for the eskimos having high rates osteoperosis is actually too much Vitamin A.There is research to show that prior to 10,000 years ago (before agriculture) that humans ate a lot of meat. Which is what Loren Cordain the author of "The Paleo Diet" uses as an example, but he does not say your diet should be just meat. According to his theory, which has much evidence to back him up, humans were much better nourished before agriculture and before humans started eating grains. He also says in his book, that heart disease and many other modern illnesses come from too much insulin production. Many people have actually cured their diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis through avoiding grains. There has also been work done on bone composition of paleolithic humans that shows that paleolithic European humans ate about the same amount of protein as top level carnivores like wolves. I am pretty convinced he is right, but you have to do what you feel is best for you.I am not completely sure about the heart disease rate among the people of purely vegetarian countries, but I would be interested to know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notadoctor 0 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I just found this with a google search, and thought it was interesting, about the purely vegetarian diet in India and Pakistan and the highest rates of heart disease, but on that page they thought it was genetics or cooking oils. Could it be the vegetarian diet?http://www.tlca.com/adults/heart.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NdnRomeo 12 Share Posted April 23, 2007 I just found this with a google search, and thought it was interesting, about the purely vegetarian diet in India and Pakistan and the highest rates of heart disease, but on that page they thought it was genetics or cooking oils. Could it be the vegetarian diet?http://www.tlca.com/adults/heart.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Apple_Blossem 3 Author Share Posted April 24, 2007 I do still talk with my naturopath if I need to. Our next appointment is 3 weeks from now - to see if my skin clears up while off these foods. Although I've noticed a difference in my skin these last few days, its the first time my boyfriend commented that my skin was starting to look beautiful. He has been very skeptical about me seeing a naturopath (and he has every right to be!), but it relieved me to hear him admit that my skin has suddenly started healing and clearing up this last week (at least I know I'm not crazy and imagining things! LOL). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AutonomousOne1980 54 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I just went to meat.org and read it. A lot of that stuff is not as true as you would like to believe. I don't have time to explain it right now, but there is much evidence to show that a high protein diet is actually better than a low fat diet. Some well documented modern studies,and cases of native people, or non civilized peoples. Like the example of the eskimos, their diet was almost completely from animals, and very high-fat and high-protein. Before most of them started eating the modern westernized diet, they were pretty much the healthiest people on earth. I have got to go. Quote Link to post Share on other sites