Discontinued Use of Liquid Chlorophyll

One thing that I haven't considered as a factor in my health for a while is Liquid Chlorophyll. I discontinued my use of it a few days before I returned to the USA, not because I wasn't pleased with it, but because moving was interrupting my daily patterns. I would say it's been about 5-6 weeks since I last took any. What I will do is first commence this new treatment with Mastic Gum for my ulcers, and once that is through, I will once more purchase LC to begin using daily. I also need to work on making sure my diet is well rounded, with enough essential building blocks such as Calcium, Iron, Folate, etc. to keep my whole body in good health instead of feeling like one part of my body (usually legs, arms, or ribs) is weaker or hurts on certain days and not others. What I want to remind everyone is that though what I am doing is not a cure, it  is a new way of eating and treating my body that has worked incredibly for me, and that's why I'm sharing it with you, that way someone in your life may also have positive results and begin to feel better in their bodies.

Dangers of Nattokinase

Pretty upset right now. My stomach has been hurting on and off for the past week and a half, it's been doing it more since last night, I actually woke up with a bit of pain last night. Nothing extreme, but enough to wake me up. I mentioned before that I have stomach ulcers, and I think they are what make my stomach so incredibly sensitive to when I eat out, which I've been doing more since last Sunday. It only occurred to me tonight, after I ate dinner and my stomach began hurting, that since I have ulcers and Nattokinase is a blood-thinner, that the Nattokinase is probably what has been contributing to my stomachaches. I looked it up, and lo and behold, the website says, 

"Nattokinase should also not be taken by those who bleed very easily. It should be avoided by those who have recently had a bleeding ulcer, surgery, stroke or heart attack." 

This is all even more upsetting to me because my health has been feeling a bit more poor in different ways as well, and I can't be certain, but I wonder if my elevated heart rate during my work outs was not attributed to the Nattokinase in my system. As I said to a friend last night who said I should live it up more, "my health is a full time job." It gets incredibly frustrating when I have setbacks such as these. I was doing really well on the Serrapeptase and Liquid Chlorophyll alone and I really should have done more research before adding Nattokinase to my diet. It should have popped out at me that it was a blood thinner, but then again, I really wanted to be rid of the clutches of this disease. 

So this is where I am now, my ulcers are once more proving to be a problem when I eat, and it will take several weeks before they heal sufficiently to not bother me anymore. I'm not sure if they will ever heal completely, hence my absolute and essential need to stay away from blood-thinners, Ibuprofen, and anything else that might irritate them. Really can't say how frustrated I am about my ulcer situation, but I gotta press on. My warning to everyone is to really do your research before you add anything new to your diet, please look into the side effects. I still suggest eating a diet high in Thiocyanate and eat healthy in general. Eat as natural as possible because that's always best for your body.

My Daily Routine

So for anyone who is curious, here is what my daily routine includes, in addition to eating foods that are high in Thiocyanate. In the morning, I have my tablespoon of Liquid Chlorophyll in a cup of water after I eat my breakfast. I also take about 1200 mg Folic Acid, and a D-3 vitamin that is 5,000 iu. I drink plenty of water throughout the day, and if I don't drink enough while I'm out and about, I usually make up for it when I come home so that there is plenty of fluid in my system. In the evening, usually a few hours before I sleep, I take a Serrapeptase pill, and another glass of water with a tablespoon of Liquid Chlorophyll. I only added the extra tablespoon of Liquid Chlorophyll last week because I was feeling a bit poorly, and it has done me well. (I've had a bit of trouble sleeping since last week, and I'm wondering now if it isn't related to that extra tablespoon of chlorophyll. However, I feel great when I wake up in the morning, and the fatigue is nothing like the Sickle Cell fatigue I suffered in high school and sometimes in college.) 

Besides that, I try to make sure I have time to relax and wind down when I get home. I usually have plenty of time for that. It's important to rest and have time for oneself, and though my week is usually full of either work activity or going out to some place or another, I always take the time to rest by giving myself a day off or a quiet evening. There is also the fact that this work life is much easier than the student life I've been living. In high school and college I had demanding work loads and I find it much easier to just be able to go to work and come home and know that I am done for the day. There it is, in a nutshell, that's basically what I do everyday, and of course I take painkillers when necessary, but I take so many fewer painkillers than I did in the past, and that makes me feel great!

Update of the Week!

The meal planning worked in theory, but I have not actually been following it very closely. This week my body has been in crisis mode, meaning that there were two days when my body wanted to be in a severe crisis, but because of my diet, the pain was very manageable. Here is what I wrote from those days as memos on my phone, they're both from Monday:

7:39 a.m. 

I think I pushed myself a bit too much last week. I mentioned I wasn't feeling top notch a few days ago, and Sunday night into Monday morning my body was in full on crisis mode. I say crisis mode because I had the symptoms of having one - tired, pain in my right leg and various other parts of my body, ribs included, but it wasn't intense or even unmanageable pain. To remedy this, I went to bed early and took 2 sleep aid 500 mg acetaminophen when I felt the pain starting in my leg. As I was waiting for sleep to come, I felt the pain in my ribs and took a Codoliprane. Thankfully I was able to sleep alright and the pain was incredibly manageable. Over the next few days, I will rest and take it easy as much as I can and hopefully it won't turn into anything worse. Sticking to my routine is key, and I haven't stopped taking my Folic Acid, Liquid Chlorophyll, or Serrapeptase, and I continue to eat foods high in Thiocyanate.

3:04 p.m.

It's pretty ironic that my body's begun waging war on me only a few days after I decided to go public with my blog and let people know how my new diet is helping me. I wonder what the cause of the sickness is. Could it be the sea salt laxative I took on Thursday? Perhaps I added too much salt and my body ended up absorbing it rather than having the laxative go straight through me? Or could it be that since I'm eating more spinach now it's making my blood thicker? I'm more inclined to think it's got something to do with the laxative. In any case, it reminds me of the way I was sick the first day I began teaching, with all the horrible back pain I was going through which ended up keeping me out of work. Tomorrow I am starting yet another job, and now I'm worried about the way my body will respond. I'm hoping for the best and yet I fear for the worst. No matter what, I need to stick to my diet. Maybe an extra spoonful of Chlorophyll with my dinner will help me feel better.

So that's what happened on Monday, but it passed and I was feeling better the next day. On Thursday morning when I woke up, I had pain around my left elbow, but it was more like a soreness so I didn't pay much attention to it till later, when rubbing hadn't helped it. I took a few painkillers for it, but thankfully the pain was again, incredibly manageable and did not increase. Since Monday, I decided that I would take 2 tablespoons of Liquid Chlorophyll daily, once in the morning, and once in the evening. My elbow hurt all day on Thursday, but the pain was quite manageable, though it did augment a bit because the day was long for me, as I worked from 12:45-6pm, and had some stressful classes to deal with. On Friday I was feeling almost entirely better with my elbow, and it only started to hurt a bit again when I was at work, babysitting. I quickly rubbed it down with anti-inflammatory gel Voltaren that I purchased here, and took a Doliprane (1000mg of paracetamol) for it. It didn't hurt again after that.

This week's troubles have led me to start taking Liquid Chlorophyll twice a day, which I think is more helpful to my body than taking it once a day. Right now I feel great (besides having my stupid period!) and that is a good sign. I decided to stay home and take it easy today because I had a tiring week and I don't want to forget to rest. I haven't really kept up with my meal planning, and am wondering if I shouldn't go back to writing down my meals again to keep track of what I am eating and to make sure it's all healthy and beneficial.

Is My Body Too Alkaline?

I was reading the Sickle Cell - Natural Healings Blog, and I saw something listed on the side about Chlorophyll:

Chlorophyll Benefits

*Builds red blood cells
*Delivers magnesium which makes our bodies more alkaline
*Improves oxygen throughout our body
*Builds hemoglobin
*Cleanse the liver
*Prevents the growth of bacteria

I began to wonder then if my body is not too alkaline. I habitually put Apple Cider Vinegar in my water, and I began doing that to help me with digestion. Due to my ulcers, I was getting a bloated stomach after eating, and it was very uncomfortable for me. Something I heard from my health teacher in the Spring semester of 2012 and research that I did online led me to find that ACV is good for helping with digestion. Among other things! ACV is also good for helping heal warts and other fungi on the skin, and drinking 2-3 tablespoons of it in a glass of water everyday helps to keep the body alkaline, which makes it a hostile environment for the common cold. However, too much of a good thing is a bad thing! The Liquid Chlorophyll is making my body alkaline as well as the ACV, and perhaps that is why my body has been feeling a bit not so great yesterday and today. My main problem with ACV is that I like the taste of it, and thinking of the benefits, I just usually add a bit to my water every time I have a glass.  I have also noticed that when I add ACV to my water, it stays in my body longer and I don't have to run to the bathroom every 45 minutes. (I drink a LOT of water everyday to keep myself nice and hydrated and I have to run to the bathroom very often!!!) But I shall cut back and see what happens. I'm sure I will still experience the benefits of it being as how I will still drink a bit in the morning, or probably after I have a heavy meal, and the LC will also be helping make my body more alkaline.

Not Feeling Top-Notch Today

My body's feeling kind of tired and a bit weak today. It also feels a bit hurty today. I wonder if it's because I haven't been resting enough lately. I didn't set an alarm for this morning and let myself sleep for as long as my body needed. Lately I've been eating more spinach, but I haven't been eating as many lentils or even chickpeas, though I've been keeping up with a plantain a day. I stopped eating bananas because I was getting nauseous again after eating them (I have minor ulcers from taking NSAIDs - Aspirin and Ibuprofen - for pain management and I sometimes get a minor urge to throw up after eating, especially when it comes to bananas.) Maybe if I eat them on an empty stomach or right after eating eggs I will be okay and not feel nauseous. I have to make sure to keep up with everything, the Thiocyanate filled foods, the Liquid Chlorophyll, and the Serrapeptase to ensure that my body can function at its best.

Liquid Chlorophyll Update

The mysterious pains I talked about before only lasted a few days. I wonder if that happened because Hemoglobin is produced in the bones and my body was adjusting to having the chlorophyll added to it. Apparently chlorophyll acts as a form of hemoglobin in the body, and that gives my body the extra boost that it needs. I have been taking it regularly since I received it, and I don't feel that it has been affecting me negatively at all (asides from what I had noted before). I'm going to keep taking it daily as I have been.

A More In Depth Update

30 December

I feel like I’ve been having mysterious, almost Sickle Cell pains since I started drinking the Chlorophyll, or maybe a tiny bit before that. It’s weird. Maybe my body is incredibly tired? I cannot wait for the Serrapeptase to get here!

Since I don’t know what’s going on with my body and since it seems like the mysterious pains may be linked to the chlorophyll. I think I will take it every other day. Or what if the pains are because I do not have enough thiocyanate in my body? I really wish there was a greater wealth of information out there for me to judge my experiences by!

Maybe it’s not related at all to the chlorophyll, perhaps it’s the way I fell from ice skating on Thursday. In any case, I will keep taking the LC because it provides what my body needs and I don’t want to discontinue it’s everyday use so soon.

I must note that I was getting pains in my eyes a bit last week and the week before. I have to keep track of these and have an appointment ready with Dr. Svitra when I get back home.

26 December

Bottoms of my feet are no longer yellow as far as I can tell. Received my chlorophyll today and had my first tablespoon in a cup of water. It was incredibly green. I hope that it will help my health! Here’s to greener pastures! (pun intended)

A Second, More Informed Decision to Change

21 December

         I have been eating a diet high in thiocyanate, mainly lentils, chickpeas, plantains, and bananas, but I have also been feeling quite tired. I suppose I haven’t been eating enough greens so I will remedy that later today by buying String Beans. I have also been eating a lot of eggs because they are packed with nutrients. Yesterday I did some research[1] and came across a blog where a woman talks about taking care of her son who has SC. I commented asking what she uses and below is what she described.

Hi,

Have you had any crisis while eating this diet? I just find the herbs work so much more better for my son. I give him Liquid Chlorophyll, Nattokinase-Serrapeptase, I get LC from Sprouts or you can also find at Whole Foods. I get the Nattokinase-Serrapeptase from one of the local natural health stores in the neighborhood. I also give him Folic Acid/B6/B12, this come in one bottle and dissolves in your mouth, I get this from the natural health store as well. And lastly the Beet root juice, i get from Sprouts. So LC helps raise hemoglobin, increases oxygen, builds red blood cells, detoxes the kidney and Nattokinase prevents the blood from clotting up and sticking together. It helps the blood to flow in the most natural state, getting rid of all the bad protein and toxins in the blood. the Beet juice is good for the blood and raising hemoglobin as well. I've had GREAT success using this combination. I can rely on only food right now with my son because he's just 4 and he's not going to eat enough leafy green vegetables that will prevent him from having crisis so it's easier to put in his juice, this way I know he's getting all the nutrients he need to prevent crisis. Also we stopped eating processed foods, we eat lots of fruits and veggies but that's good you are eating the foods you are eating by all means still eat those foods but you may need more herbs to completely help the situation..

Take care.

         I don’t know about finding these things in France, but I will try to get my hands on them. I feel like my whole life has been a quest for normal living, and my diet now feels more normal, but I would like to be even more normal. I will keep searching, keep trying, and keep documenting. Natural is definitely the way to go. If I had listened to my doctors, I would definitely have been dead already because the pain is just unbearable at times, and for them to have told me that drinking lots of water and taking painkillers when necessary was the only thing I could do was incredibly false. I should also try to get the word out as much as possible about Thiocyanate and eating a healthy diet because this is changing my life for the better and I want those changes to continue and to expand for everyone suffering from this horrible disease.

         Here’s the plan. Today I ordered Liquid Chlorophyll from Amazon.co.uk. I will add this to my diet and keep it for a month. Seeing how I feel from there, I will look into adding Nattokinase-Serrapeptase to my diet. I will keep record, maybe not daily, but will keep record of how I feel. Right now I feel tired, as if my eyes are half open, as if there is a bit of a strain behind my eyes. I am hoping that will clear up in a few days, and I am sure I feel that way because my diet is not varied enough. With these results in hand, I will begin to share my findings with others who have sickle cell, especially my cousins in Florida who are often sick.

         Today I am adding carrot juice to my diet, and will be eating a more variegated diet from now on. I may keep a record of the foods I eat.

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[1] http://www.sicklecellsupportgroup.org/Dioscovite.html, http://ssnaturalhealings.blogspot.fr/2012/12/hydroxyurea-side-effects.html?showComment=1356075690769