Recent healing chronicles

Hello! Finally I am back and ready to share with you what I have been up to recently in terms of healing. As I mentioned previously, I packed my bags and made the big move from Tasmania to Byron Bay. I felt so strongly that this is what I needed to do and on coming here everything has felt so right. Although the move was physically challenging, emotionally the transition has been fairly seamless. I live with like-minded people, a kinesiologist and a personal trainer/yoga teacher. We support and inspire one another. I do feel blessed to be here.

In terms of ME/CFS, it has been a journey as per usual. The move really knocked me about, but thankfully I didn’t crash and have continued with my treatment protocol. My progress is still positive, but slow. I find I can do a bit more generally, but also don’t feel very different in terms of symptoms. It is only when I look back that I can see progress.

In terms of diet I continue to:

• Eat a wholefoods, organic, unprocessed diet that my body is biologically adapted to digest and assimilate and that makes me feel the best that I can. Avoidance of IgG allergens strictly: dairy, soy and gluten. Avoidance of foods that for me cause digestive upset and disrupt homeostasis: sugar, caffeine, legumes, grains, hydrogenated oils and processed foods.
• Focus on fresh, vibrant, organic vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds, organic meat, poultry, eggs and seafood.
• Include fermented foods for probiotics such as raw sauerkraut, water kefir and coconut yogurt.
• Drink lots of pure, filtered water with concentrace mineral drops. Additional raw apple cider vinegar on the mornings. I use this filter.
• Eat adequate protein and fats to prevent blood sugar crashes.

The mind:

• I continue to practice mindfulness meditation, do a daily yoga nidra practice and monitor stress levels as best I can.
• I have been enjoying incorporating positive affirmation and seeing my kinesiologist to clear any emotional baggage.
• I remain positive.
• I continually work on not giving power to my ailment by thinking about it. It is impossible to forget, but its important to attempt to not associate and/or identify with an ailment.

Exercise:

• Yes I have started to exercise! But in a specific way that works for me. For most ME/CFS sufferers it is common for aerobic exercise to be particularly difficult if not impossible (that was me for nearly 3 years.) I find now that I can generally do anaerobic exercise integrated with yoga.
• My workout begins with yoga, then I do basic weights 3 x 20 repetitions of 4kg. I started at 1kg and worked from there.
• I also often do very light yoga mat work with lots of gentle rotations and grounding poses.
• I stroll to the beach when I can and dip in the ocean.

Nature Cure:

• I spend plenty of time in the sunshine, in nature, I breath, swim in the ocean and remember health relies of physical and mental equilibrium.

Specific supplementation and protocols:

• I continue to take magnesium gluconate and malate before bed.
• I take high dose vitamin C with bioflavanoids for its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral properties.
• I take vitamin D3 and K by Thorne.
• I began the Methylation B-12 protocol 4 months ago after doing testing for a partial methylation block through a US lab. It showed that most of the nutrients required to fuel the methylation cycle were deficient. Methylation is responsible for hundreds of crucial reactions in the body. Without optimal methylation the immune system mal-functions, the body cannot detoxify, ENERGY cannot be produced, DNA, mood and inflammation are effected.
• My supplement protocol includes: Methyl B-12, Dibencozide, Potassium Gluconate, Sam-e, L-Carnitine Tartrate,  Active Folate 5-MTHF and Thorne Methyl Guard.
• After much hesitation I underwent a rigorous drug protocol, formulated by the Centre for Digestive Diseases Sydney for treatment of blastocystis Hominis. I actually think doing this protocol has helped, although progress it slow. I understand the time it may take for me body to heal after such treatment.
• During this protocol I continued to eat an abundance of fermented foods as well as using Dr Mercola’s multi-species probiotic and Perma-Clear by Thorne which contain gut healing nutrients such as glutamine, glucosamine, saccharomyces boulardii and quercetin. The protocol involves the use of anti-biotics which harm the beneficial gut flora and this inner eco system must be maintained and replenished.
• I tried LDN, Low Dose Naltrexone. Unfortunately I could not tolerate this ‘side effect free’ drug. I attempted to take 3mg and then 1mg the following night but it caused severe headaches, nausea and caused me to feel like I was crashing. It brought back an array of symptoms which had become generally milder. Flu-like symptoms flared, tight chest and breathlessness came back, pain skyrocketed!! I am still investigating my reaction as it is atypical, but because of the nature of LDN and its immune modulating properties it is likely the reaction is due to extreme immune dysregulation and/or viral load.
• I am going to begin taking Lauricidin Monolaurin for its anti-viral, bacterial and fungal properties.
• I have purchased a portable far infrared sauna to accompany my healing regime. Particularly to aid in detoxification and for pain relief and relaxation.

My healing is still slow but it is happening and that is what I focus on! I believe the methylation protocol is helping, but it requires patience. I am aiming to continue for another 2 months to see further results. With the introduction of these nutrients to fuel methylation, the body is able to begin detoxifying properly after a prolonged amount of time which can cause unpleasant detox reactions. I remain aware of this fact particularly when I have dangerously high heavy metal levels.

I also wanted to add that a new ME/CFS diagnostic guide has been formulated for practitioners and it is fantastic:

http://www.mecfs-vic.org.au/important-information-medical-practitioners

Now you have an idea of what I have been doing, next I will speak further about the mechanisms behind the new approaches I am applying to healing!