Life without Serrapeptase/Nattokinase

I must admit, part of the reason why I don't update more often is because I've gotten a lot of page views, but very few comments, which makes me wonder if this is helping anyone at all. But maybe some people prefer to read and not comment. If so, this is for you guys!

March 15th was the day I stopped taking Serrapeptase regularly, since then I've barely taken it at all. It was making me feel like my ulcers were still bleeding, so it definitely had to be dropped from my routine. However, my body still feels good, and I still do take my Liquid Chlorophyll every morning, sometimes in the evening. I also continue to stretch every morning which has greatly helped my body. In the past, the muscle in my right leg between my pelvic bone and thigh was very weak and would sometimes cause me to limp. The muscle would sometimes get so stressed throughout the day that it would get to a point where it felt like it twisted, and then I wouldn't be able to walk for about a week. This, of course, was at times the bane of my existence. Stretching helped change all that. Since I started stretching, I noticed the muscle wouldn't hurt as much when I would walk, and over time it's become more limber and flexible, and it now feels like it works with me, as opposed to against me. All in all, stretching has helped my existence become easier! And it's such a simple thing to do, my basic routine can be done in about 5 minutes, though I'm sure sometimes I take longer with it by taking deeper breaths and just getting oxygen into my lungs. Trust me, it's a relaxing way to help start your day! Experiment with stretches and see what works for you :)

As usual, I have to put a reminder here about eating a diet high in Thiocyanate. It's simple to do once you get the hang of it, I promise! For instance, last night's dinner was beets, lentils, and roasted chicken. It was healthy and delicious! This morning's breakfast was Golden Grahams and warm milk. Variety in the diet is essential so you don't get bored and hop off the wagon like I did when I first started my new way of eating. A good suggestion for adding Thiocyanate filled foods to the diet would be to add a little bit at a time. For example, experiment with different recipes and find what works for you. Over the summer, I would make smoothies out of frozen strawberries and coconut milk ( with a bit of brown sugar and vanilla essence for extra flavor!) The smoothies were delicious, filling, and high in Thiocyanate! There are tons of things you can try, such as fried, baked, or boiled plantains, baked sweet potatoes, stewed lentils, steamed broccoli, raw carrots, bananas, and almonds just to name a few! Try them out consistently and get your Thiocyanate in large  amounts as well as your other vitamins from foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. Try these out and let me know what works for you!

(Thiocyanate) Rich Foods To Eat Daily or Multiple Times Per Week

Today, again, I was feeling down because I was feeling under the weather, and so, even though I bought prepared lentils and white kidney beans to eat for dinner and also planned on eating spinach, all I really wanted was chips (comfort food). I didn't even want all natural chips, I wanted the French imitation of Pringles. The ingredients listed on the package aren't too promising. In a previous post, I mentioned meal planning so that I would have preventive actions instead of just writing food down after I eat it. That fell through because it is difficult to stick to exactly, especially when I spend a good part of the working day away from home. At least, for me I've found it difficult to add to all the extra things I have to keep track of. So what I just thought of, about 20 minutes ago, is to write down a list of Thiocyanate rich foods that I enjoy eating and that I should eat multiple times per week or daily. Here goes!

(Thiocyanate) Rich Foods To Eat Daily or Multiple Times Per Week
Bananas (daily - great source of potassium as well!)
Carrots (daily)
*Oranges (multiple times per week)
*Pears (multiple times per week)
*Apple/*Pear or *Apple/Peach Sauce (multiple times per week)
Lentils (multiple times per week)
Spinach (multiple times per week)
*Beets (multiple times per week)
Plantains (multiple times per week)
Brussel Sprouts (multiple times per week)
*Mixed Veggies (multiple times per week)

**Starred foods are not rich in thiocyanate but are packed with other vitamins!

These are the things I eat on a regular basis, but I don't think I eat enough meat. I'm actually having trouble trying to eat a well balanced diet. Oh life! Why you gotta be so difficult! Sigh. Suggestions for balancing things anyone? My bones are feeling weak today which is what has me feeling down. I guess that means I haven't been getting enough Calcium. 

I must note, one of the things that has put a dent in my plantain eating flow is the fact that the store I usually go to to buy them has been closed for the past week. Talk about super inconvenience! On another note, Blogging JJ conveniently reminded me to look into using Nattokinase, and I am looking into it to see what units I should order. I will be doing a bulk order of Nattokinase, Serrapeptase, and Liquid Chlorophyll shortly to make sure that I have enough supplies to last me for a while. I have a lot of Serrapeptase left, but my Liquid Chlorophyll has been running low. Blogging JJ referred me back to Sickle Cell - Natural Healings as a reference for the Nattokinase, and I began reading her blog from the beginning to get the most out of it. It's quite informative, and I highly suggest reading it for anyone who is looking for natural ways to deal with this.

Update!

Hello all, I am finally back for my update! My diet has been treating me well, and I am feeling good, though tired since I've been working six days a week and getting up fairly early everyday, 6:30-7:30 am. My arms were a bit sore/hurting from having to pick up the baby I sit for as well as carrying grocery bags, so I started taking a double dose of Serrapeptase everyday. Which brings it up to 240,000 i.u. a day. Research I did about Serrapeptase says that it eats up scar tissue, but I haven't noticed great differences in my body. What I have noticed is that my stomach is a bit flatter, and the night I decided to double my dose, because I had mild aches and pains in my legs and arms, I noticed the next day that the pains were gone. I do have stomach ulcers, as I mentioned before, so I suspect that the Serrapeptase is working on healing those before it can go on to work on the rest of my body. In any case, there is no harm/downside to taking it, so doubling the dose has not given me any negative side effects, and Serrapeptase is also a natural painkiller, so I will keep up with the double dose. I have also been eating more fruits, as promised. Apples confuse my stomach/hunger signals, so I've taken to eating unsweetened apple/pear sauce, pears, and oranges, along with my trusted bananas (which also lower blood pressure and increase serotonin!). Other than that, I have no complaints, which is great! I hope this blog is helpful to people and that people will find inspiration to how to deal with their Sickle Cell. It is possible to live healthy and with little to no pain! This is my story and it's real! Back when I was in college and high school I had a lot more pain and took a lot of painkillers to deal with it, but now my body has the chance to heal from that damage and be healthier. As with all things, a diet change like this is a lifestyle change, and sticking to it and being patient is the key. For anyone who is ready to try it, I wish you success, and please, if you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to get in touch with me, even if it's just to talk! I am here for whoever needs :)

Adding More Fruits to My Diet

As promised, I have added more fruits to my diet! On Monday I went and purchased 4 apples and 4 oranges. My body doesn't seem to respond well to when I eat apples, it seems to confuse my stomach so that I don't know how hungry I am afterwards or how full. I've decided that I'll purchase apple sauce instead of buying apples because of how my body reacts to them. The apple sauce I buy has no added sugar, so I don't need to worry about that. Sugar causes inflammation in the body, so I try not to consume more of it than necessary. The oranges I purchased are a type called Clemenvilla and they are really delicious! I have a whole supply for the week ahead and am really looking forward to eating them all. A while back, before I was diagnosed with stomach ulcers, I was having strange reactions to eating oranges. Sometimes it felt like they were too acidic for me and I had trouble eating them on an empty stomach, so I was worried I might have the same reaction with these oranges, but none of that has happened thankfully! They are more sweet than anything else and taste great. I also purchased bananas yesterday, finally, after weeks of avoiding them! I had one today and I had no negative reactions to it, so I hope it will stay that way. Bananas are packed with nutrients and are so good for the body, and I want to keep them as part of my daily routine. Did I mention that they also contain Thiocyanate, which is what my body is deficient in and causes my disease? Yet another great reason to love them!

To Be Honest, I've Been Neglecting My Fruits

Yes, it's true, I've been neglecting to eat my fruits recently, but I have good excuses for that. I previously mentioned that I was getting a bit nauseous when I would eat bananas. They would also make my stomach hurt a bit at times when I would eat them on an empty stomach in the morning, and I'm pretty sure that is because of my ulcers. Eating apples had me feeling incredibly, and sometimes uncomfortably, full, and I didn't feel so great after eating them on an empty stomach. As for oranges, the citrus-y fruit didn't seem to be agreeing with me at times. I used to bring a banana or an apple along with me when I was going out so that I could have it as a snack later. But then, I gradually gave up on those natural fruits, and have been choosing cereal bars as my snack food of choice. Today, I have finally realized the error of my ways. Though my body shows me those noticeable effects after I eat those fruits, I know that my body will get rock solid benefits from those all natural, nutrient packed foods. I don't feel any sort of effect after eating cereal bars, and yet, they aren't packed with the nutrients I need. Cereal bars are packed with sugar and highly-processed nonsense that I don't need in my system. I would rather deal with a bit of discomfort from food that I know will be beneficial to me, than to put nonbeneficial nonsensical foods into my system. I'll be buying my fruits at my local market tomorrow and here's to wishing me a healthier snack food filled health journey.

Serrapeptase Effects?

I haven’t noticed any changes since I've started taking the Serrapeptase, but it's only been about 3 days, so I suppose I should patient. The thing with remedies is that I want them to act right away so that I can start feeling great with no delay, but that's just a false American mindset perpetrated by the media. These things do take time to go into effect, and I need to be patient with the way they work. The body runs in cycles, and my body must be getting used to the Serrapeptase as it quietly does its work. The good thing is that I don't feel any ill effects, so that's already a positive sign. I think that later today or tomorrow I will buy some bananas and start eating them regularly again, and hopefully there will be no nausea when I eat them. Bananas are packed with great nutrients for the body, and can help someone feel more relaxed if they're feeling stressed, increase Serotonin in the brain, and a banana or two a day can also help lower blood pressure! But don't take my word for it, Google it to find out the many wonders bananas contain!