Changing Breakfast Habits
December 18th, 2009

breakfast

Reading through a post on Marion Nestle’s “Food Politics” blog this morning got me thinking about my breakfast habits. As usual, Nestle makes some great points about corporate marketing and the content of sugary cereals advertised to kids. As a kid myself once upon a time, I grew up in a household of five, including dad, mom, a brother and sister. We all loved to eat cereal. Limited to healthier selections some of the time, we did, like most households get to have some of those delicious, sugary cereals too. My favorites included FrankenBerry (the original strawberry flavored oat formula before they changed it and made it taste like plastic), Lucky Charms, Peanut Butter, Cap’n Crunch and Fruity Pebbles.

After graduating from college and assuming some sort of responsibility with my own health, I decided not to eat any of these sugar-filled meals for breakfast anymore. I’ve not had any of the previously mentioned cereals now for quite a few years and do feel much healthier for it. However, that doesn’t mean I gave up cereal for breakfast. Aside from the occasional eggs with whole wheat toast, cereal has always been my backup.

As I near the 6 month mark of my elimination/rotation diet, I look back and realize I’ve only eaten processed cereal a few times… so few that I can count the number of times on both hands. Granted, the only cereal I’ve consumed has been Kashi’s “Cinnamon Harvest” which follows my strict ingredient disciplines, but it is still processed. The rest of the time, I’ve gone with oatmeal, homemade baked goods, eggs, juice and/or fruit.

While I can’t say I feel a difference in reducing my inflammation, I feel much healthier and happier that I’ve broken a long-time habit.. a habit of convenience.. a lack of time and effort preparing meals each morning. It is good to know that while sometimes trying a new way of eating may not solve one problem, it’s side effects may help with another.

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Posted in Inflammation, Uncategorized, food |
Serracor-NK, Week 1
November 25th, 2009

serracor

I’ll admit it. The last few months have not been that great. What used to be weekly flare-ups that would last a few days and go away has turned into swelling in both knees lasting more than two weeks at a time. On top of that, my upper/mid back and left shoulder have been keeping me from much needed sleep at night. After some debate and a good bit of research, I’ve decided to take the next step. This week I started taking Serracor-NK (formerly sold as Neprinol). “What the heck is Serracor?”, you might ask. It’s a completely natural supplement of enzymes designed to help manage excess fibrin levels in the bloodstream and help reduce arthritic conditions, pain, swelling and inflammation. That’s a mouthful, I know. And I’m a bit of a skeptic, but after hearing from others with success from Serracor and no adverse side effects, I was sold. So far, I’ve experienced no drawbacks or irregularities after a full week on the supplement. It may just be coincidence, but my knee swelling has subsided quite a lot in the past 2 days. While maintaining, my rotation diet for another month, I’m committing to Serracor for at least 4 months. Research shows that it takes a few months to really begin experiencing the effects.

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Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Posted in Arthritis, Inflammation, Supplements |
Thoughts and Prayers
November 25th, 2009

prayer

If I’ve learned anything from my experience with an autoimmune disease, it’s that prayer can be a blessing. I want to thank so many of my family and friends for their thoughts and prayers. I’m so thankful for the fellowship of those who share my trust in God, and that through prayer, and His will, I can overcome this illness. Listening to words of concern, thoughtful insight, and prayer have given me nothing but hope, confidence and high spirits every time I experience a downhill slide. And it’s those thoughts that help me push through rough times and move past them. Experiencing a hidden illness can be very depressing and extremely disheartening without anyone to talk to about it. I would encourage anyone experiencing a difficult illness such as an autoimmune disease, that sometimes seems hidden from the public eye, to not only seek those knowledgeable about medicine, but to look for those who are willing to share knowledge of God’s Word. For it’s that knowledge and understanding that keeps me determined and fearless that healing is possible.

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Tags: , , , , , , , | Posted in disease, illness |
Working Out With Pain
October 13th, 2009

slide

At what point do you stop exercising due to pain? Unfortunately I’ve had to deal with this question pretty often lately. I’m used to working out with weights or cardio equipment every other day, usually 3,4 or 5 times a week, splitting cardiovascular and strength training, upper and lower body parts on opposite days to allow the most muscle recovery. However, pain sometimes gets in the way. I live for muscle soreness. It means I’m actually accomplishing something and I know that I’ve worked my muscles enough that they need to rebuild bigger and stronger. Throw an autoimmune disorder into that mix and you’ve got a serious dilemma. On the days I have occasional flare-ups, the question always comes up, “Should I go work out tonight?” Afterall, doctors, books and websites all tell you that exercise is good for arthritis and actually helps diminish it’s effects. I believe that is true, but there is a point when you have to say no. It might take 1 day or 3 for an inflammation flare-up to recede, but your body will thank you for the rest later when the inflammation has gone down and your joints can move more freely.

What really helps me is having a spontaneous workout routine. For example, I recently have been going to the gym Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I’ll start off with some treadmill walking or 10-15 minutes on the stationary bike to warm up. After that I’ll move over to the weights area and do a few range of motion stretches and then some mild strength training exercises and then another 10-15 minutes of stretching. Some days my shoulder might be in so much pain that I’ll have to skip a set of exercises that use that muscle group, but continue to exercise other muscles as long as they don’t use that shoulder. That would be a good day for some mild decline presses using more triceps and pectorals than deltoids and then moving on to do triceps, biceps and forearms using exercises that control and isolate only those specific muscles in the arms. The key here is not to give up and avoid working out. And when I do workout with weights while dealing with pain, the weights are very mild. It can be humbling to do shoulder shrugs with only 5lb dumbells after years of using 90lbs but it’s always best to start small and work up. Other days my knees might not be able to struggle through a weightlifting routine so it helps just to get on an elliptical or stationary bike and do some cardio for 30 minutes. Every little bit counts. Even going to the gym or setting aside 30 minutes at home just to do stretches can relieve quite a lot of stress. And believe me.. suffering from an autoimmune disorder is a lot of stress!

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Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Posted in Arthritis, Uncategorized, exercise |
Looking For Help Online
October 6th, 2009

laptop_surfing

Among the millions of websites out on the Internet, I’ve come to the conclusion that a large majority of those in the medical field will lead you on a wild goose chase. Unfortunately most of those websites repeat the same formula. They ask you what your symptoms are and try to narrow it down to a specific condition. Some sites may even give you a name for your wretched condition if you’re lucky. Usually a list of treatment options are available too, but what these sites most often miss are what works for other people with the same symptoms that you may have. Real, actual, live human beings!

There are a few that are great informational sources, with symptoms and treatments, but things get a little more difficult when you have an undiagnosed medical problem. I’ve found that message forums and blogs have some of the most up-to-date information and testimonials from real people about what types of treatments are actually working for them. Daily Strength is an online message board with an established following of people from all over that are suffering from some medical related issue. Another good blog, although more specific to rheumatoid arthritis, is Gentle Hugs Cafe. It’s easy to relate to others stuck in the same circle of frustration and my hope is renewed every time I read about a treatment or story that symptoms are receding or remission is nearing.

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Tags: , , , , | Posted in Arthritis |
Ah.. The Wonderful Sweet Potato
October 2nd, 2009

sweet_potatoes

A few days ago, I decided to try making sweet potato chips for the first time. All it took were a few passes on the mandolin, a quick tossing with extra virgin olive oil, laying them all out side by side on a cookie sheet, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Fantastic! The hardest part is waiting the 30-40 minutes for them to get nice and crispy in the oven (about 400 degrees). It’s amazing how this super food has kept me in such good spirits throughout this 6 month elimination diet. Honestly I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t eat sweet potatoes. There’s something magical about a potato that you can cook so many ways and yet it tastes different every time. My wife and I have been enjoying these tasty orange miracles as cut into strips and broiled as fries, chopped in little chunks and roasted, whipped and mashed, cooked in the microwave or baked in the oven whole. I’ve learned that when you have to restrict yourself to specific foods, you still have plenty of options when it comes time to prepare. Next it’s sweet potato pie or perhaps a dessert!

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Tags: , , , | Posted in Nutrition, cooking, food |
Can You Read Your Doctor’s Notes About You?
September 21st, 2009

file_foldersSince I’ve had more than a few visits to the doctor this past year to multiple physicians at multiple clinics for multiple problems, I began to lose track of my medical history. Each time I see a new doctor, I have to remember what treatments I’ve had and when any serious medical events have occurred. After asking around, I realized it’s not that difficult to get copies of your personal medical records. I looked it up online and found that under a 1996 federal law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, patients have the right to see their complete medical records. This is great for a couple of reasons.

First, you can obtain a list of your history of doctor visits, labs, medical or procedures and then put them all into a timeline to give to your next doctor to help accurately recall any questions about previous treatments. Secondly, you may view notes written by your doctors about you to other doctors or to themselves and get a better understanding of what they are thinking.  You may find some enlightening information about your condition or in some cases even discouraging notes (a few notes I recently uncovered confirmed that one of my docs did not agree with my way of thinking, and rather than tell me in person, wrote them in his notes). Or you may find clues in their thought process that maybe they didn’t have time to discuss with you in the usual, hurried, in-and-out patient room visit.

Surprisingly, it was easy to get copies of my medical records. I called each of the clinics I’ve visited within the past year and asked to speak with someone in their medical records department. Then I told them I was collecting a history of my medical records for personal use and would like copies of all records from the clinic within the past year. Each clinic handled their records differently, but were extremely helpful in getting my records available quickly. Some of the offices required a signed release form in exchange for copies of records that same day. Others had to send out for the documents and mail them to my home address which only took a couple of days. All of them did require a signed release form, but asked no further questions.

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Tags: , , , , | Posted in Medical Records, Medicine |
My New Hero
September 15th, 2009

Rodney Gaines is my new hero. Sadly, I cannot find much about this admirable role model other than he found out he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at a fairly young age, took 4 years off from working out, and then came back to win 4 national bodybuilding titles. Read more at the New England Fitness Examiner.

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Tags: , , | Posted in Arthritis, exercise |
Maybe We Should All Cook A Little More
September 15th, 2009

spatula

This morning I stumbled across the article, We Don’t Need a Food Revolution, We Just Need to Learn How to Cook, by Dan Barber. He talks about using our resources more wisely and not so hastily throwing out food that is perfectly edible. In some cases, food can be quite appetizing if only cooked correctly. Fortunately I grew up in a household where my mother would cook nightly meals for the 5 of us and some days liver was just “on the menu” no matter how much we couldn’t stand the sight of it. Today it’s so easy to go out to a restaurant or grab a frozen boxed meal from the grocery store instead of sitting down each week to do a little planning.

Rather than a nation that has forgotten how to cook, I think we might consider ourselves a nation that has become lazy. I fell into this category as soon as college surrounded my every waking moment. Pizza and tacos were far too convenient when I spent almost every waking minute of the day studying or finishing up projects until 4 in the morning. It wasn’t until after landing my first job that I branched out and started to really cook. A box of macaroni and cheese and a pot on the stove were all I needed to survive through those luxurious days in my first real apartment. Oh, I did get crazy sometimes and buy a bag of frozen, pre-seasoned, cook in the microwave, chicken and veggies with a list of ingredients a thousand words long.

Working out and training have made me do a complete 180, though, and I now rarely eat any processed foods especially if they have more than 6 ingredients listed on the package. I’ve also adopted a healthy schedule of complex carbs, protein, vegetables and fruit and regularly eat 5-6 meals per day. The ALCAT elimination diet has furthered that path and allowed me to realize how much fun cooking can be. My wife and I spend hours and hours each week searching and preparing for new recipes to try. Planning each meal is such a great way to learn when your goal is to make the next dish even better than the last. For example, we took a meal that we both enjoyed, like pizza, and decided to make it ourselves (a healthy version with ground turkey, peppers and olives). The next time, we decided to make the dough from scratch, using only whole wheat flour and olive oil. It turned out pretty good so we thought, “what if we try throwing it on the grill”, and guess what? It was so good I want to eat homemade grilled pizza every week!

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Tags: , , | Posted in Nutrition, cooking, food |
The ALCAT Test
September 10th, 2009

alcat_results

Fresh off one diet, I figured why not try something else? Upon a recommendation from a friend I decided to seek out food allergies as a possible solution for my knee swelling. I thought, “what if this entire time I had been eating a particular food that my body did not agree with?” Previously I had heard of testing for allergies with a series of skin pricks to find offending chemicals, molds or ingredients but I had not heard of food allergy testing. More specifically, food sensitivity testing allows a specialist to take a food ingredient and test it against your blood and see if there is a reaction. After some research and a recommendation from another patient of my family doctor, I decided to have a food sensitivity test done from a lab in Florida. This test is called the ALCAT test. I did some investigating and they seemed legit so I figured why not. Even if I didn’t get any positive results it was worth the time to know I had been tested for 200 food ingredients and a good number of molds, food additives and other medicines.

Not surprisingly, the results from my test were quite daunting. I received a nicely printed color chart showing lists of the offending foods for my particular case. The chart was divided into categories based on the level of sensitivity for each food. From severe to moderate to mild, each ingredient had a place on the list. Also shown were the foods that my blood had no reaction and were therefore “ok” to eat. In the packet of information, they suggested going on a rotation diet, avoiding foods on the severe list completely for six months, the moderates for 3-6 months and the milds to avoid if possible. All other foods were ok but needed to be consumed no more than 2 days in a row to keep a good variety and prevent my system from becoming sensitive to them as well.

Here again is where I decide if these results are justified clues or nonsensical “easy remedies” I should just throw out the window. By now, nothing was worth throwing out the window and the fact that beef and chicken were on my moderate list made me wonder. During my years and years of weightlifting, chicken and beef had been the primary source of my protein. Massive amounts of protein. I would regularly bake or grill 6 chicken breasts a day and eat a methodical series of meals just to get a ratio of 1.5 grams of protein for each 1 pound of body weight. It made sense to me that I had been flooding my body with only a few types of foods which I ate day after day. Yes, I did throw in a good variety of other edibles, but I may have developed a sensitivity to a few foods in general such as chicken.

So now I am 2 months in and I can’t wait to start re-introducing steak into my diet! I don’t feel much different than when I started. Swelling of both knees occurs regularly off and on, some days severe and others not so much. I do feel as though my flare ups are not as severe as before I started this plan, but overall I haven’t seen a lot of improvement. It’s difficult to stay disciplined, but after almost half way to the 6 month point, I’m not going to give up now. I’ll keep updating as I go along.

If you’ve read through my entire story in the past several posts, first of all thank you for your time, and second, I hope if you have a similar situation or know someone suffering from severe inflammation that my thoughts or clues might somehow help in your own investigation.

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Tags: , , , , | Posted in Inflammation, Medicine, Nutrition |
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