Saturday, September 01, 2007

The Road To Healthy Must Be Paved With Gold!!!

As of today I am on the road to Healthy and I swear it must be paved with gold. It must be because it is costing a fortune to get there! ; )

As many of you know, I have fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis. HeeHaa! To put it in simple terms.... I ache from head to toe. Joints, muscles, you name it. Everything hurts. It's a royal pain and I MUST find an end to it!

For several years now I've been under the care of a rheumatologist but the treatment plans of late have started to scare me, mild chemo being the scariest. When he said if the current plan did not start working for me (it wasn't) he wanted to put me on something stronger (Humira) Ken & I decided it was time to look into alternative methods. So yesterday I saw a new Dr who goes for a more natural approach. I'm not saying it's going to be easy for me but not totally unreasonable either. He's not sure whether or not the weight gained from that #$%^ Depo shot (70 pounds) will go away but he is optimistic so I will be too!

I've decided to use this blog as my virtual diary of my road to a healthier me if anyone cares to follow along! Personally I don't know anyone who would but this is my way of answering to myself 'cause Lord knows I won't answer to anyone else! ; )

So here's the plan:

EXERCISE: Work up to 30 minutes a day walking or swimming. (Ok - Even I can do this one!)

DIET: 1) Read Eat, Drink and Be Healthy by Walter Willet 2) avoid ALL sugars & all white or enriched flours (toughie!), 3) Eat whole grains, vegetables, legumes & whole fruits (ok the fruits are easy ) and 4) Drink a Super Smoothie* 3-5 times a week.

STRESS MANAGEMENT: 1) Yoga (a very mild, gentle yoga), 2) walking, 3) Quality ADULT time (yea,right!), 4) 2 hours a day of *me* time (Maybe this guy is NUTS!) and 5) Read:
a) Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn
b) Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky
c) Healing of The Mind by Bill Moyers


NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS: (Must be brand specific which = $$$)

  • Nordic Naturals Pro Fish Oil
  • Evening Primrose Oil
  • Source Naturals Magnesium Malate
  • Nutrient 950 w/NAC
  • Pure Encapsulations Custom Probiotics SP-1
  • Pure Encapsulations Ashwaganda
  • BCQ

Finally, if I can possibly manage it, he'd like me to add in Acupuncture or at very least massage therapy. Plus a couple of other classes. More $$$ All of this he estimates at taking 4 years min. to get me back in shape; unless of course I spend the extra money on the acupuncture and/or massage therapy which should kick start the process and take *some time* off of that total. How did he come up with this time frame you ask? He said approx. 3-6 months for every year I've been symptomatic which has been 15 years. 3 x 15 = 45 months. OUCH! But, I am hopeful I will succeed!



Here's the recipe for the *Super Smoothie (Doc said it's good for anyone so I'm sharing)

  1. Brew one quart of strong green tea (either caffeinated or decaffeinated). Let the tea steep for 10-15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator. Will keep for 7-10 days.
  2. Use 4- 6oz of the above for your base liquid for your smoothie. Place it in a blender.
  3. Add 2-4 oz. of chilled pomegranate juice or Welch's Purple Unsweetened grape juice.

  4. Add 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries, blackberries or raspberries.

  5. Add one to two tablespoons of ground flax seed (Bob's Red Mill Ground Flax Meal). Store remainder in fridge. It will keep for 3-4 weeks.

  6. Add any sweet Whole Fruit of your choice. (For example: pineapple, one sweet orange, peach, in season melon, ripe pear or one chopped small ripe (sweet) mango. Avoid canned or jarred fruit and any fruit containing "high fructose corn syrup".

  7. Choose one or both:
    Protein Drink: Add 2 tablespoons of whey powder or soy powder or one 1/2 cup soy or low fat yogurt or kefir.
    One scoop or tablespoon Pro-Green's

  8. Add 1/4 cup of crushed ice if you like your smoothie cold.

  9. Blend until it is of the right consistency for you.

Now for the hardest part. The Weigh In - Please don't berate me for this I do it to myself multiple times a day. While a huge chunk of this is due to that #$%^ Depro-Provera shot a Dr gave me 10 years ago I know it is not all of it. It just sent me into a downward spiral of depression that added more.

Sept 1, 2007:
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 228
Measurements: 51" x 48" x 52" YUCK! Did I actually post this?
God help Me!

posted by Hawaiianatheart @ 9:12 AM Comments: 0