It's been a month since my Liver Cleanse "officially" ended and I've fully indulged in holiday pleasures ever since; but yes, my doctor did strongly suggest that I keep at it--given how strongly my body reacted to the cleanse.
"Have a clean diet for a few days," she said, "and then reintroduce gluten to see what happens."
I decided to indulge her. I was pretty clear about which foods bothered me--namely dairy and garlic; but I'd never experienced any direct symptoms from wheat, though clearly my body did respond well to the gluten-free diet.
After leaving her office that evening, I rebelled and ordered salmon on a whole grain bagel for dinner, and then... promptly got a headache.
This made me angry. "What if she's right?" I worried.
Each consecutive attempt to reintroduce wheat resulted in the same symptom--with an added twist--INFLAMMATION.
I noticed that although I could digest wheat without the gastrointestinal issues that I have with dairy and garlic, it appeared to give me a low grade headache, as well as adding tension in my neck and joints--particularly my elbows.
This, was very discouraging.
But also encouraging.
What if I could work on the computer without symptoms as long as I stayed away from wheat?
In a book that I've been reading from my chiropractor's office, I discovered that issues with the liver are related to symptoms in the elbows. Weird, don't you think? But I begin to pay closer attention.
And sure enough, after a night of challenging my liver (say with a glass of wine or two), I find that my elbows flare up.
Interesting...
Well, I have to confess that I have not fully returned to another cleansing series though I do CHOOSE to eat a liver cleanse diet on most days at most meals. The bottle of supplements that help dump toxins out of my liver still sits untouched, but I do plan to reintroduce them as soon as my New Year settles in.
In the meantime, I'm enjoying lighter meals, a lighter body and a strong desire for a lot more fruit and vegetables than I've ever wanted before.
How about you? Where are you with regard to food and your wellbeing?
ps. given his issues with cholesterol and blood pressure, not to mention carb addiction, my husband is LOVING this audio book that Santa brought... He probably doesn't want me to share this, but it actually brings him to tears. Marianne nails food issues--to the core!
