I Had a Dream about Meatballs

My no additive diet has taught me a lot about myself.

These are the foods that I have craved:

• Chicken Broth (strange)
• Vietnamese Soup, I think that it is called fo or fa?
• Potato Chips
• Red Wine
• Meatballs
• Salad Dressing with Vinegar in it.
• SALT

Food tastes strange without salt in it. I think that I have a salt problem. All of the above food is pretty salty except for the red wine.

So last night, I had a dream that I was in Florida visiting my aunt and I made everyone meatballs and lasagna. Yum! I began to eat meatballs while sitting next to my cousin. Then, I woke up and had some unsalted peanuts, an orange, and apple juice for breakfast. YUM! Aren't ya' jealous?

If I want to explain my current eating plan to people it takes quite awhile. My Mom thinks that I am nuts and when we were at the funeral I think that she was just waiting for me to mess up. And I did, I was in a small one traffic light town in the Appalachian mountains. I tried my best, but there were few options for me and I didn't have time to go shopping and then prepare myself food that no one else would eat. I continued to eat a lot of fruit, but I have to have protein or I fade .... I can't think straight. So, I had eggs, rigatoni, and some ham. So, when I got back, I started over, oh well. Oh ya, I had chips and salsa and cheese puffs too. OOPS!

I am looking at this month of eating as a month of eating medicine. I already give myself shots and swallow pills everyday, so I look at my eating habits as an extension of my medicine intake. I already deal with pain everyday ..... fatigue ...... and limping sometimes slightly sometimes noticeably. So, as I explained it to my little brother, I am on the "hunter gatherer" diet right now, minus the hunting. Maybe I will start a new trend?

If I have been sick since 04, then why haven't I tried something like this before? Well, it's complicated. I did try and it was a bust. I went to a holistic doctor (she is an MD) in North Raleigh shortly after I was diagnosed and it went horribly. Now, I know that I should have kept trying, but I gave up for awhile .... intimidated ....

She was completely overwhelming and elitist. this is what she suggested that I HAD to do or else.

1. Buy all of these expensive supplements from her pharmacy.
2. Get vitamin C infusions from her. (I think weekly).
3. Completely change my plumbing in my house so I drink, bathe, and cook with purified ....water ..... several thousand dollars .....
4. She wanted to study my poop! LOL! I felt like I was at a vet. I am sure that there are valid reasons to do this, but her approach was horrible. She gave me a hard time about eating sushi and working and living with animals. She feared that I was full of parasites. (Get a grip, humans have evolved next to animals since "the beginning".) Somehow we haven't all died from parasites.
5. She said that I had fungus on my tongue .... EGHHHHH ....
6. I had horrible ridges in my nails .... don't most people unless ya' buff?
7. She wanted me to go on a diet I don't remember the particulars, but I do remember her telling me that I had "issues with dairy". OK .... What in the hell does that mean?

I am not saying that she didn't bring up good points, I am sure that she did, but she was very rude and offensive. During the appointment, she overwhelmed me by demanding that I spend thousands of dollars, made me feel like she questioned my hygiene, questioned my hobbies and job, and was very dismissive. And, arguably, she really made me feel like she wanted my MONEY .... a lot of it.

So, I left crying and completely feeling yucky and overwhelmed. Fungus on my tongue? Parasites? Issues with dairy? Weekly infusions? Screw you! I didn't go back, I threw away the apparatus that I was supposed to put my poop in and had the impression that a holistic approach to healing would cost thousands of dollars, and I would be talked down to the whole time by this elitist doctor. No thanks.

I decided upon a rule about health care professionals after my experience with this MD, if they make you cry because of their insensitivity, DO NOT GO BACK. I think that she was trying to scare me and that's really ridiculous. She didn't get anymore of my money. Unfortunately, I had this notion that I couldn't afford a holistic approach.

I have moved on from that bad experience and I am trying out rational approaches to helping my body smash this RA into remission. What advice do I have?

• Like I said, stay away from people who make you cry, the situation can make you cry but not the person's approach or motives.
• Use your common sense and don't do anything too wacky .... like eat apples for six months or something ... you would probably die.
• Internet advice .... I think that we all know the answer to that. Bad idea ... unless it's reputable. Don't get medical advice from a website that is trying to sell you something.
• Just because someone went to school for a long time and have a lot of letters after their name, doesn't meant that you have to do everthing that they say. BE WARY!

Be wary and open minded at the same time ... tough balance.....

• Don't let your prejudices get in the way of something that can help you. My bad experience led me to have fear and prejudice about natural approaches, I thought that I couldn't afford it.
• Know what you are swallowing. I have read that some websites that offer healing herbs are often selling you steroids. BAD IDEA.

Like I have said before, I am not sure how I will feel after my "gatherer diet" is over. But, at least I am trying new things that are not going to hurt in any way .......