HEAL BODY

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diet

Supplements & Eating Advice

Now if you have a streamlined digestive system, I hope to address some eating choices and supplements you might want to add to your daily diet. My insights were gained by trial and error. This website is to help you so that you don't have to try to figure everything out...

My energy and stamina were not where they needed to be when I was released from the hospital. Maintaining my energy was always of utmost concern. Know that you can regain all of the energy you desire, require and then some! All is possible.

Fiber is a key ingredient to add to your diet now as this will help to bulk the newly converted liquid waste coming out of the small intestine. Without your colon/large intestine, you will need to add this key substance into your daily diet to bulk things up.

Click here for more on Fiber.

Probiotics are key and should be added into your diet was an essential component to aid in your body's recovery and healing process. Probiotics assist in keeping your small intestines healthy. It's your responsibility to add supplements that enable your body to operate more efficiently. We can go into more detail in subsequent updates, but for now, know that this supplement is important for you to incorporate into your diet now.

Click here for more on Probiotics.
energy

Increase Your Physical Energy

Have you had your blood checked lately to know if you are short of any essential vitamins like B12? During the first two years of my recovery, energy was a key concern and one of my primary interests. I didn't have the same stamina levels as before.  I wanted my high energy levels back. Of course, lower levels of B12 may not be the only issue going on. There are many other energy solutions you may want to look at to solve this puzzle.

Here's what I heard on a Dr. Oz episode that shows how critical it is to have proper levels of Vitamin B12. Without adequate levels, your body can't make DNA. It's instrumental in the production of red blood cells - without adequate levels, you could become anemic. Without B12 we age prematurely. Here are the five (5) questions posed on the Dr.Oz show to see if you may be lacking in B12:

  1. Are you lacking energy?
  2. Have you noticed any unusual mood changes?
  3. Do you have difficulty concentrating or remembering things?
  4. Have you noticed tingling or numbness in your hands or feet?
  5. Has your tongue become inflamed - beefy red?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could be deficient in and not absorbing Vitamin B12. To absorb Vitamin B12 you have to have gastric intrinsic factor a protein that is produced by the parietal cells of the stomach. If these stomach cells aren't working right, your body won't make intrinsic factor and thus you can't absorb naturally occurring B12 found in various animal proteins.

This could also be a result of medications taken - including aspirin which can irritate the stomach lining creating unwanted situations resulting in a lack of absorption. Vitamins can also be an issue if you are getting fortified folate (vitamin B) in them. Since you may be getting enough B vitamin or folic acid from your vitamins to show good levels in testing, Vitamin B12 deficiencies are masked. It gets a bit complicated, but your B12 levels do not increase even if your folates do. Unless specifically addressed, B12 levels will continue to decline. This deficiency can be unforgiving - so you will want to make sure you have sufficient levels in your body.

Don't stop taking your current medications or vitamin supplements, just know this may be the solution to your lack of energy.

Sometimes the stomach doesn't secret the gastric juices necessary, especially when we age (50+) - so it can't always do its job. Most reliable sources of B12 are bound to animal proteins and seafood. B12 can be absorbed without using stomach gastric acid in supplement form. Sublingual B12 (25 mcg) can be absorbed quite rapidly. B12 shots are by prescription. They are not necessarily better, but definitely assimilated quicker and in higher dosages by the body.

My understanding is there is no upper limit of safety. So you don't have to worry about overdoing it. Also, know that if B12 is naturally occurring - it will not be noted on the food label. If a food is fortified and B12 is added, it will be shown on the label(s). That's something important to remember.

Just know if your system is weakened from all that you have been through, you may not be able to absorb B12 naturally. Thus, you might want to add it as a supplement to your diet while also getting your organs healthy by taking the glutamine powder discussed previously under "The Basics" tab.

The good news is that you can get answers to your questions and probably readily find solutions. You just have to take the time to see if this is the solution for you!!

Other Energy Solutions

Here are some recommendations from past Dr. Oz episodes. Always check with a physician before implementing any of these items into your diet.

  • Cupuacu Powder (for energy) - rich in Vitamin B & anti-oxidants; add to smoothies
  • Chyawanprash - increases energy - Indian jam - boosts immunityhttps://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/d00491a1#d00491a1-Header
  • Cordyceps Mushroom Extract - boost energy
  • L-Carnitine: fundamental tool ~ helps body intake oxygen
    Carnitine Synergy: Without Carnitine fats cannot be burned for energy. Without energy, cells become weak or die. Because of this optimizing Carnitine levels has been found to have dramatic benefits for low energy, obesity, and fatigue. Controlled trials have demonstrated that Carnitine increases weight loss by promoting optimal fat burning by the mitochondria. Carnitine also helps promote heart health, maintenance of healthy cholesterol levels, and sports endurance and recovery.* Acetyl-L-Carnitine is also contained in Carnitine Synergy and has unique brain health-enhancing properties. Carnitine Synergy is unique in that it combines both of these valuable forms of Carnitine into one capsule. Designs for Health uses carnitine tartrate and carnitine magnesium citrate sourced from Switzerland. This is the only carnitine guaranteed to be free of the impurity D-carnitine. D-carnitine may interrupt the function and effectiveness of L-Carnitine in the body.
  • L-Lysine - essential amino acid; improves circulation; 1000 mg 1 hour before each meal
  • Moringa Oleifera (Himalayas) (anti-oxidant too) 400 mg daily
  • Magnesium - if you are fatigued, irritable, have anxiety or lethargic - you may have a magnesium deficiency. Read more by going to Dr. Oz by clicking here.
    Foods rich in magnesium: spinach(1/2 cup boiled), quinoa (1/2 cup), brown rice (1 cup), black beans (1 cup), kidney beans (1 cup), lentils (1 cup), raisin bran (1 cup), shredded wheat (1 cup), oatmeal (1 cup), whole wheat bread (2 slices), 2 bananas.

Check out the Dr. Oz Grocery Checklist

massage-therapy

Massage Therapy

Wow. What can be said about massage therapy? It made a marked change in my life. When I got out of the hospital, I could not stand up straight. I'd been in bed, immobile far too long. I also had abdominal scars that caused pain if I straightened up my body, so I shuffled (taking baby steps) when I walked. It hurt less that way. But I was oh so glad to be walking again!

If you have never had a deep tissue massage performed on your body, know that it can be painful. The key to this process is finding someone who knows what they are doing. Not all massage therapists are created equal. You will want to find someone who knows how things are connected. They can work on areas related to the painful spot without necessarily working directly on the problem area. This can ease the problem area that might be too painful to work on otherwise.

Deep tissue massage is what I would recommend. It is quite effective, but as I said earlier, it can be quite painful. You can get massages in different increments of time: thirty minutes, one hour, ninety minutes or two hours in one session. I typically had four hours of massage therapy performed weekly when I began my recovery journey. I believe I continued with this level of therapy for six to nine months and then reduced down to a couple of hours a week. I know this seems like a lot of massage therapy, but I was so bowed over and feeble that I inwardly knew I had to take aggressive steps to reverse what was certainly trying to set in. I didn't want to stay like this and for this posture (from so many months of being immobile in the hospital) to become permanent. The measures I took worked for me. Without knowing you, I can't say these steps would be best for you, but you might give one, ninety-minute massage a try.

Just like you would try to find the best doctor, do some investigative work before you select any therapist. Call several massage therapy locations, describe your needs and ask for recommendations. Call the larger massage facilities at different times of the day to see if you get varied suggestions from different receptionists. Find out how long the practitioners have been licensed, what types of massage they are certified to perform and how long have they been they have been at this facility. Sometimes you may get a recommendation for the newest therapist who is trying to build their clientele. If they are new to the area, but not new to massage, they may be a good one to try. Do you prefer a male or female therapist? These are some of the questions you might want answers to before you make your selection. Also, try independent therapists too. They may be a bit harder to find but start by asking friends if they work with someone they like and what they've done for them. Make initial appointments for 30 minutes. If you are like me, you will readily know if you've made a good choice. You can make a longer appointment once you have figured out who to use.

I have found many great massage therapists who understand how different muscles connect and are able to work out my various knots and kinks. I just want you to have that same level of success. Be sure to ask all sorts of questions so that you get the best therapist. Also, you may want to change it up a bit as different therapists may allow for a new interpretation of your situation and be a backup if another therapist is booked up. This could be one of the best investments you can make to restore your physical being!

probiotics

Probiotics

I found adding probiotics into my diet was an essential component to aid in my body's recovery and healing process. Probiotics assist in keeping my small intestines healthy. It's my responsibility to add supplements that enable my body to operate more efficiently. We can go into more detail in subsequent updates but know this addition is important for you to incorporate into your diet.

You'll find lots of probiotic choices in stores and online. Know that many of the cultures are kept alive by making sure they are stored at certain temperatures, so you will probably want to purchase them locally to ensure that they are still living. Right now many states are experiencing 100+℉, so shipping in this extreme heat may compromise the quality of the active cultures in your supplements. Be sure to shake the container to make sure that the capsules rattle and are not stuck together.

Look into the number of billions of live cultures offered by each probiotic product and the number and type of probiotic strains. That should be considered when purchasing. As I learn more about the various points to consider, I will add them here. I have just found that the higher the number of the cultures/strains, the more effective and greater ability the supplement has to do its job.

Guidelines given by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)(ISAPP) are linked here for your review.

I use Primal Defense® ULTRA and RAW Probiotics™ by Garden of Life. Their products seem to some of the best on the market. To follow is some information that is provided for your review:

  • Primal Defense® and Primal Defense® ULTRA are probiotics designed for those seeking to support their digestive health,† both of these products contain beneficial HSO’s (Homeostatic Soil Organisms) along with elements of healthy soil, i.e. greens and humates, whereas RAW Probiotics™ are targeted probiotics with original culture strains from Bulgarian yogurt and Eastern European Wild Kefir with additional strains that provide targeted benefits for age and gender. Each of these whole food probiotic formulas provide over 30 powerful probiotic strains along with probiotic-created cofactors, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, antioxidants and probiotics delivered in a prebiotic base of RAW fruits and veggies sourced directly from the region where Elie Metchnikoff made his probiotic discoveries.
  • RAW Probiotics™ is ideal for all adults seeking optimal health with age and gender-targeted probiotics whereas Primal Defense® and Primal Defense® ULTRA are suited for adults seeking to specifically support their digestive health.† Both formulas may be taken together.
  • Probiotic slide show from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/probiotics-10/slideshow-probiotics
  • Their Probiotic overview: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/probiotics-topic-overview