Oh, Holi Med!
I don’t about you guys, but I’ve always been intrigued by holistic medicine. You see, my grandmother, aka my second mother, my psychologist, my confident, my soul-mate and partner in crime got diagnosed with advanced cancer in her early 70s. When the doctors looked at her chest x-rays they told her she had few months to live and would not make it to a year. According to them, it was a miracle she was still alive. Little did they know she would live for another year and half. I think my family and I have natural medicine to thank for that. And of course, my grandmother’s willingness to live. The minute she got diagnosed, we changed her diet to a vegan diet and gave her natural meds, herbs and teas but the doctors suggested chemotherapy and I’m pretty sure that is what took her away from us. The chemo was so strong and toxic it did not only try to kill the cancer but it consumed her immune system completely. There’s no day that passes by that I don’t ask myself what would’ve happened if we had chosen holistic medicine all the way. It’s been two years since she passed away and besides the silence and loneliness she left in me, she also made me start to wonder more and more about holistic medicine. So… I went to a “holi-doc” and to be honest, I was, and still am, completely shocked with the results. Apparently, being vegan and exercising regularly is not enough. We still need to worry about the pH of the foods we eat! I’ve always heard about alkalinity vs acidity but never put too much attention to it. Consequence? My pH is 6.3 when it should be 7.3 or above. You guys might be asking yourselves “Why the hell is pH so important?”. Here’s a great response to that by Dr Sonja Benjamin: “Our bodies live and die at the cellular level. The billions of cells in our bodies must maintain alkalinity, in order to function and stay alive. The first line of defense against disease is a proper pH balance. Disease can only grow in an acidic body, which makes a condition favorable for the growth of bacteria, yeast, fungus, mold, viruses, and any other unwanted organisms. Cancer always strikes those with an over-acidic body. An acidic state causes a lack of oxygenation at the cellular level. When the pH level falls below 7.4, there is less than the maximum oxygen in the blood. Blood carries the maximum oxygen at pH 7.4 (alkaline). Without proper oxygenation, unfriendly bacteria, mold, and viruses will prosper. When the human body is in an acidic state, it will try to shield itself from the damaging acid by storing the acid in fat cells. The body tries to prevent the acid from eating holes in tissues. When the acid level is high in the body, calcium is also depleted. Your body may make fat cells in order to store unwanted acid for its own protection. This process may save your vital organs from severe damage. By returning to a balanced pH level, you may lose unwanted fat cells.Osteoporosis is an acidic problem. As the body becomes more acidic, calcium is depleted. The body will then leach calcium from bones, teeth, and tissue to make up for this loss. One of the first warning signs is calcium deposits in the body, which come from the calcium in our teeth and bones and not from nutritional calcium.”
Now, back to my story. According to my “doc” my pH was the result of the killer combination of my stress level (apparently, abnormal for my age) and acid food choices. I told him there’s not much I could do about the stress since I work in one of the most stressful industries out there, private banking, so until I have the guts to quit and make my passion my bill-payer I would focus on meditating more and definitely taking charge of my eating habits. He laughed and we agreed on the following: 2-3 months healing process to a better me focused on: less carbs, alkaline water ONLY, less coffee (lowering it from 3 to 1 cup a day), a diet based on 2/3 alkaline foods and 1/3 acidic and of course, no wine (told him that would not happen, like EVER! My family produces wine for a living so I’ve been basically a wine-lover since I was tall enough to grab a glass from the table and serve myself! Luckily, the “doc” knew which battles to choose.) and SUPPLEMENTS! Vegans need supplements more than anyone. I’ve hated vitamins and pills since I was a kid so I avoided them as much as I could. Result? I’m deficient in almost every vitamin out there. The supplements he recommended are 100% natural and VEGAN. Here’s the list in case you guys want to give them a try:
-E3Live Renew Me Body Blend (Strengthens immune system, improves attention and energy levels, supports circulation, etc) I add two teaspoons to my morning shake.
-Diatomaceous Earth (root powder that kills all types of bacteria and parasites) I add one teaspoon to my morning shake.
-Moringa (Superfood Miracle aka Botanical Multi-vitamin)
-Clinic’s Choice Optimal Flora (Probiotic to balance digestive bacteria)
-Clinic’s Choice Protosolve (promotes healthy circulation system)
-Clinic’s Choice Digest Plus (enzymes)
-Osteo-Gest (osteoporosis prevention)
I already started this journey and will visit the “doc” in October for a follow up. I’ll let you guys know how it goes. In the meantime, here’s a link to a list of alkaline vs acidic foods. You’ll be amazed by how foods we thought were so healthy (oatmeal and brown rice) turn out to be acidic! At least, I was.
Love you guys!
http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm
http://www.doctoroz.com/article/25-alkaline-promoting-foods
