Faith VS Certainty

Dr. Brene Brown says, “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of uncertainty.”  

I have been investing time in thought around the difference between faith and certainty, or the lack of.  I have years of practice (religion, environment, experience, etc) that encourages me to embrace faith in my spiritual life.  There seems to be a growing intuitive compulsion to practice faith in the realm of health, especially natural healing.  It has been a journey to say the least.  I am hopeful that this journey continues.  I have seen the practice of faith lend miracles.  It is a power that I honor and revere, but it is far from understood.  I think that is the beauty of it….we are not meant to understand, just believe….be courageous!

A patient delivered her gratitude for this phenomenon in the form of a hand-made card.  She writes:

Dr. Taryn

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and I want to express to you how thankful I am that God placed me in your care to guide me on my journey to healing.  In May 2012 I found myself going down an unfamiliar path of dealing with several physical issues, and for some reason the majority of my pain manifested itself in my lower back and hip.  Something inside of me told me that all the issues I was dealing with had one root cause, and yet I couldn’t get anyone else to believe me.  I spent 7 months trying to deal with the issues myself.  I visited a couple of medical doctors that wanted to medicate the issues without getting to the root of all the problems, and that only added to my frustration.  I got to the point where I couldn’t stand the pain any loner and in January I found myself sitting in your waiting room.  After consulting with you I felt as though I finally found someone with a listening ear and the ability to address ALL that was going on with me.  I felt such a sense of peace when I left your office that day!  At that time I would have never dreamed all the things that I would learn on the other side of this journey….

First, I have learned to trust the God given instincts that He has given to me with the things concerning my body.  Secondly, I have learned to trust the peace that God gives to me when He leads me in a certain direction and to stay on that course and finish it.  I am so thankful God kept leading my path to you…..it was the only place my heart found peace and my body began to heal.  Thirdly, I have learned that my body is an amazing miracle that is complex and intertwined!  I have learned that if I treat the whole body….including the mind, spirit and emotion….then healing can begin.  I would have never guessed that all I was experiencing had so much to do with my chemical makeup and with what I was feeding it both physically and mentally.

My journey has had its ups and downs, but I finally feel like I am reaching the end.  I feel as though I have found peace in my heart.  In my mind, and in my body!  You have shared with me a vast amount of knowledge and have been my support and cheerleader throughout this journey….not to mention the many times your healing hands have brought relief to my hurting body 🙂  My words fall so short of what my heart feels and to simply say “thank you” seems very inadequate….but my words are all I have.  God has used you in my life to help me find my way to healing and I will forever be grateful!

My heart overflows with gratitude – Teresa Diener

I don’t know that I could say it any better than that.  When you listen to your “guts” and act in faith, truely amazing things can happen!

Sometimes we are blessed with confirmation through bloodwork or imaging  of a diagnosis (aka certainty).  From that diagnosis there is often a recommendation for treatment that can either prevent progression of the condition or resolve it.  BUT….more often than not, we are not given certainty.  It is very common to consult a healthcare professional with a symptom, maybe multiple symptoms, and a treatment is recommended as a trial.  Notice I used the word trial.  The practice of medicine usually starts with a differential of diagnosis.  One symptom could be a product of countless conditions.  A healthcare professional has to gather data from the patient and combine it with knowledge of disease/health that they have to conclude the list of possible conditions.  Again, we are occassionally blessed by a lab test or imaging that can confirm a single condition.  More often, treatment is recommended based on the more common or more likely condition, hence a trial of treatment, reducing and/or resolving the condition.

With a different pair of glasses on you can consider the power of adding good 🙂  Let’s say you are admitted to the hospital for 3 days for a cardiac procedure.  Of course the heart is an important organ.  The procedure is necessary to keep you alive.  Let’s also say you were denied food and water for those 3 days.  How would a lack of nutrition and hydration affect your ability to endure the procedure?  Recover?  Thrive?  I think everyone would agree, you would have to add food and water during your stay at the hospital to endure, recover and thrive.  The importance of nutrition and hydration, among many other “good” additions to our body, can be a game-changer when it comes to healing.  We all know what we should do to stay healthy; what if the right combination of  consistent “good” could be the key to our prosperity, even when there is disease present?

We need a myriad of “good” in our lives to thrive.  Everyone priortizes them a little different, but to name a few: food, water, relaxation, purpose, supplementation, sleep, exercise, oxygen, adjustments, detoxification, connection to others and positivity.  How often do we priortize the needs of others: work, school, friends, status, church, etc?  The  constant demand to serve immediate needs (of ourselves or others) at the expense of our long-term needs can rob us of our health!

It is often easy to convince yourself that a prescription medication that has been researched and approved by the FDA will help hault progression or resolve your condition.  What gives you that certainty?  Can you think of areas of “good” that you have neglected in your health?  Could you convince yourself, in the presence of a symptom/condition, that simply adding good would help you heal?

Every body is unique.  Every body has strength and weakness.  Every body handles germs, inflammation, pain and stress differently.  Strive to find the perfect combination of provider, treatment, faith and certainty that is right for you!  Never doubt your intuition, even if it challenges the norm!  Regardless of your religion or belief in a higher power, believe in YOU!  Find a proposal that delivers an inner peace and follow through!  Remember Teresa’s discovery, the “body is an amazing miracle that is complex and intertwined!  I have learned that if I treat the whole body….including the mind, spirit and emotion….then healing can begin.”

In Loving Service,

Dr. Taryn

Mammography, Melons and the Whole Melody

There has, and probably always will be much controversy over mammography. I have not personally experienced a mammogram, but I have heard “the dread” from many women revolving around their experience or upcoming screening.

Why the controversy?  What’s the risk?  Why would my doctor recommend a screening that would be harmful?  Why wouldn’t I want to detect a cancer as early as possible…..that is the reason to get screened right?!?

I do want to clarify that I am simply providing information here!  This decision to mammogram, thermogram or rely on faith & fate is 100% YOUR decision!!!  Whatever your decision should be, please know that I want it to be YOURS to make!  Confident, educated, well-thought-out decisions leave us with no regrets.  That is my hope in this effort of compiling information, no regrets!  I have no vested interest in the cancer industry, OBGYN malpractice claims, imaging center profits nor insurance company gains.  I only have interest in WOMEN!  Hard-working, all-deserving, love-filled women!  We are worthy of unlimited information and the freedom to be informed!  Please follow this blog with that in mind.

Briefly, A Few Reasons that Justify the Controversy

Mammography is achieved with the use of radiation.  Some sources compare the dose of one mammogram to 1,000 times that of a chest x-ray.  It is well known that radiation creates an increase in free radicals, which can ultimately begin the cancer cascade.

Dr. Samuel Epstein, one of the top cancer experts, stated:

“The premenopausal breast is highly sensitive to radiation, each 1 rad exposure increasing breast cancer risk by about 1 percent, with a cumulative 10 percent increased risk for each breast over a decade’s screening.”

The new 3D technology has been scrutinized repeatedly for the increased radiation the patient is exposed to.  This is an exerpt from USA Today, October 9, 2012:

‘The procedures [3D tomosynthesis] give women twice as much radiation as a standard mammogram, notes surgeon Susan Love, author of Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book. That’s because women who get 3-D imaging still undergo traditional 2-D mammography, as well.

In addition to radiation exposure, there is a undoubted coorelation to over-treatment and misdiagnosis.  Even if you only consider the patient’s well-being, it is staggering to think of all the “scares” from a finding that turns out to be nothing.  Beyond that, the amount of treatment that is recommended based on “questionable” findings is also a concern.

A new study published in The Lancet shows that for every life saved by mammography screening, three women will be overdiagnosed and treated for a cancer that might never have given them trouble in their lifetimes.  The study panel describes:

• 99 percent of patients diagnosed with a screen-detected breast cancer will undergo surgery
• About 70 percent will receive radiotherapy
• 70 percent will receive adjuvant endocrine therapy, and
• 25 percent will undergo toxic chemotherapy

As was revealed in a 2011 meta-analysis by the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, mammography breast cancer screening led to 30 percent overdiagnosis and overtreatment, which equates to an absolute risk increase of 0.5 percent.

Another thing to consider is the pressure used to conduct the mammogram is intense.  So not only is it painful, but it could potentially spread the cells of an undiagnosed cancer.

Please also consider the new recommendations for breast screenings!!!  Previously in the US, women over the age of 40 were encouraged to be screened annually.  In 2009 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated their recommendation, advising women should wait until the age of 50 to get screened, and only get a mammogram every other year thereafter.  If you are 40-50 years of age, please be aware of this!  It may save you the radiation exposure of 10+ screenings!

Unfortunately, money makes the world go around.  Given most doctors and imaging institutions have the patient’s best interest in mind, there is still the elephant in the corner!  How much revenue does just one extra mammogram per patient generate?   Take a gander at your bill from your last mammogram.  From what I have found each screening has a value of approximately $200.  Consider how much you paid out-of-pocket and how much the insurance company paid to the provider or image center.  Now multiply that times every woman over the age of 50 you know.  Now take that number and multiply it by 28.5 years (average life expectancy in the US is 78.5 years).  I’m sure you came up with a large number.  From an industry vantage point, you might see how cutting their recommendations in half would also cut their revenue in half.  Consider COST in your decision as well.  Combined with risks, is mammography the best decision for you?

You Have Options!!

Thermography is an age-old technique that has been used to detect cellular change in many types of tissues.  Specifically breast thermography has the ability to detect the thermal signs of blood vessel changes (neoangiogensis), suggesting the development of a pre-cancerous as well as cancerous condition. Consequently, breast thermography may be the first signal that rogue cells, uncoordinated by our body, may be building its blood supply and becoming bigger and/or spreading.

Consider the following from Women’s Natural Health Center website:

•  No radiation, no health risks, no pain, no IV access needed, and non-invasive
• Non-contact- no painful compression
• Preferable for large, dense, fibrocystic breasts, implants, and pregnant or nursing mothers
• Early stage cancers too small to be detected by palpitation exam or mammography may be signaled by infrared imaging
• Breast thermography (and adjunctive hormone or other testing) may suggest certain types of cancer and hormone imbalances that are not detected by other diagnostic tools
• Earliest method of breast cancer detection known because it monitors physiology and thus the health of the breast over time.
• May reduce number of surgeries for non-cancerous tumors
• A positive thermogram represents the highest known risk factor for future development of breast cancer, 10 times more significant than family history
• Compared to mammography, 7 out of 10 times infrared imaging is the first alarm that something is happening
• Hormone imbalance can be detected by certain vascular patterns and hormone testing

The Women’s Natural Health Center recommends using breast thermography in addition to mammography.  This is yet another decision that is YOURS to make 🙂

There is a really well-written and detailed article done by Dr. William Cockburn with the International Academy of Clinical Thermology.  He describes the difference between thermography and mammography:

Thermography is a test of PHYSIOLOGY. It does not look at anatomy or structure, and it only reads the infra-red heat radiating from the surface of the body.

Mammography, on the other hand, is a test of ANATOMY. It looks at structure. When a tumor has grown to a size that is large enough, and dense enough to block an x-ray beam, it produces an image on the x-ray or mammographic plate, that can be detected by a trained radiologist. A fine needle biopsy is then generally performed to identify the type of tissue in the mass, to determine if atypical or cancerous cells are present.

We now come to an important point. Neither thermography nor mammography can diagnose breast cancer. They are both diagnostic tests which reveal different aspects of the disease process and allow for further exploration.

I think this is an important point to recognize in the decisions revolving around cancer screening.  Afterall, that is what all the melody over the melons is about 🙂

You Have an Influence!

I would like to finish with a well-rounded list of helpful life practices that can help your body to harmonize and ultimately deter free radicals from jumping on the cancer train!  I share these words of wisdom from Dr. Mercola!!!

Breast Cancer Prevention Strategies

Cancer screening is NOT to be misconstrued as a form of cancer prevention. Preventing breast cancer is far more important and powerful than simply trying to detect it after it has already formed, which is why I want to share my top tips on how to help prevent this disease in the first place.

In the largest review of research into lifestyle and breast cancer, the American Institute of Cancer Research estimated that about 40 percent of U.S. breast cancer cases could be prevented if people made wiser lifestyle choices.^{11, 12} I believe these estimates are far too low, and it is more likely that 75 percent to 90 percent of breast cancers could be avoided by strictly applying the recommendations below.

• Avoid sugar, especially fructose. All forms of sugar are detrimental to health in general and promote cancer. Fructose, however, is clearly one of the most harmful and should be avoided as much as possible.
• Optimize your vitamin D. Vitamin D influences virtually every cell in your body and is one of nature’s most potent cancer fighters. Vitamin D is actually able to enter cancer cells and trigger apoptosis (cell death). If you have cancer, your vitamin D level should be between 70 and 100 ng/ml. Vitamin D works synergistically with every cancer treatment I’m aware of, with no adverse effects. I suggest you try watching my one-hour free lecture on vitamin D to learn more.

Remember that if you take high doses of oral vitamin D3 supplements, you also need to increase your vitamin K2 intake, as vitamin D increases the need for K2 to function properly. See my previous article What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium for more information.

Please consider joining one of GrassrootsHealth’s D*Action’s vitamin D studies to stay on top of your vitamin D performance. For more information, see my previous article How Vitamin D Performance Testing Can Help You Optimize Your Health.

• Get plenty of natural vitamin A. There is evidence that vitamin A also plays a role in helping prevent breast cancer.¹³ It’s best to obtain it from vitamin A-rich foods, rather than a supplement. Your best sources are organic egg yolks,¹⁴ raw butter, raw whole milk, and beef or chicken liver.
• Lymphatic breast massage can help enhance your body’s natural ability to eliminate cancerous toxins. This can be applied by a licensed therapists, or you can implement self-lymphatic massage. It is also promotes self-nurturance.
• Avoid charring your meats. Charcoal or flame broiled meat is linked with increased breast cancer risk. Acrylamide — a carcinogen created when starchy foods are baked, roasted or fried — has been found to increase breast cancer risk as well.
• Avoid unfermented soy products. Unfermented soy is high in plant estrogens, or phytoestrogens, also known as isoflavones. In some studies, soy appears to work in concert with human estrogen to increase breast cell proliferation, which increases the chances for mutations and cancerous cells.
• Improve your insulin receptor sensitivity. The best way to do this is by avoiding sugar and grains and making sure you are exercising, especially with Peak Fitness.
• Maintain a healthy body weight. This will come naturally when you begin eating right for your nutritional type and exercising. It’s important to lose excess body fat because fat produces estrogen.
• Drink a quart of organic green vegetable juice daily. Please review my juicing instructions for more detailed information.
• Get plenty of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. Omega-3 deficiency is a common underlying factor for cancer.
• Curcumin. This is the active ingredient in turmeric and in high concentrations can be very useful adjunct in the treatment of breast cancer. It shows immense therapeutic potential in preventing breast cancer metastasis.¹⁵ It’s important to know that curcumin is generally not absorbed that well, so I’ve provided several absorption tips here.
• Avoid drinking alcohol, or at least limit your alcoholic drinks to one per day.
• Breastfeed exclusively for up to six months. Research shows breastfeeding can reduce your breast cancer risk.
• Avoid wearing underwire bras. There is a good deal of data that metal underwire bras can heighten your breast cancer risk.
• Avoid electromagnetic fields as much as possible. Even electric blankets can increase your cancer risk.
• Avoid synthetic hormone replacement therapy. Breast cancer is an estrogen-related cancer, and according to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer rates for women dropped in tandem with decreased use of hormone replacement therapy. (There are similar risks for younger women who use oral contraceptives. Birth control pills, which are also comprised of synthetic hormones, have been linked to cervical and breast cancers.)   

If you are experiencing excessive menopausal symptoms, you may want to consider bioidentical hormone replacement therapy instead, which uses hormones that are molecularly identical to the ones your body produces and do not wreak havoc on your system. This is a much safer alternative.

• Avoid BPA, phthalates and other xenoestrogens. These are estrogen-like compounds that have been linked to increased breast cancer risk
• Make sure you’re not iodine deficient, as there’s compelling evidence linking iodine deficiency with breast cancer. Dr. David Brownstein,¹⁶ author of the book Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, is a proponent of iodine for breast cancer. It actually has potent anticancer properties and has been shown to cause cell death in breast and thyroid cancer cells.

For more information, I recommend reading Dr. Brownstein’s book. I have been researching iodine for some time ever since I interviewed Dr. Brownstein as I do believe that the bulk of what he states is spot on. However, I am not at all convinced that his dosage recommendations are correct. I believe they are too high.

I welcome you to begin your own exploration of the ins & outs of breast cancer, screenings and prevention.  It is a topic worth dedicating some of your time to!  Please feel free to comment with questions or leave your feedback.  I hope this was informative and left you empowered with decision-making skills to enhance your journey, leaving you with no regrets!!!

In Loving Service,

Dr. Taryn Lowery

Water**Aqua**Voda**das Wasser**Acqua

Here’s a little motivation to review your water intake!!  I just love this picture!!  A good general rule is 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water EVERYday (ie: 100 lb person should drink at least 50 oz of water).  Other non-water liquids (tea, soda, coffee, beer, wine, etc) increase your daily water demands.  A great place to start your path to hydration is making a log of just how much water you consume.  Log it for a week and then start with small goals to gradually increase your consumption!  Happy HYDRATING!!

Dr. Joey’s Cleanse Experience (Days 8-21)

Let me first apologize for allowing time and scheduling conflicts affect other posts about my(Dr. Joey) personal experience on the nutritional cleanse.  Although it’s been a fair amount of time between blog  posts, the results have been constant.  The overall feeling I’ve had of increased energy, prolonged stamina during the day, and better mental focus has been a consistent status.  Here’s a list of the variety of foods I consumed during the transition from no meat for ten days to chicken or fish every other day.

Breakfast options:  Egg white omelet with spinach, chopped up bellpeppers, chopped up onions, mild organic salsa.  The breakfast smoothie with cabbage, spinach, carrots, pineapple chunks, strawberry slices, and 1/2 cup of blueberries along with the SP complete and Whey protein complete.

Lunch options:  Mixed season vegetables, grilled veggie scewers dirty brown rice under grilled chicken or salmon, baked asparagus with minced garlic and lemon juice sprinkles, green salads with bellpepper chunks and onion chunks along with pinto and black beans.  Again, I emphasize those grilled scewers  at logans were absolutely delicious!

Dinner options:  The menu doesn’t really change from the lunch menu.  When the hours got away from me, a smoothie was an easy choice to fall back on in order to avoid the “full” feeling to follow if bedtime was near. 

This has been a great experience in my life to reclaim a better sense of control regarding food choices.  I no longer look for the quick route, but enjoy the process of making up a delicious, nutritious meal knowing I’m making a deposit in my personal health account.  Both my wife and I hope to inspire others to seek about the whole food process, rather than look for a quick fix only to fall back into the bad habits that pushed them further from health.  I lost a total of 15 pounds throughout the 21 day process.  What I am most proud of is no longer CRAVING a cup of coffee in the morning.  I am not a hostage under stimulant control.  It’s nice not to fall into the mindset I won’t be at my best if I don’t have a cup or two in the morning.  I truly hope someone’s interest was peaked during these blogs and would like to talk more about this venture.   Thanks so much for the chance to share our experiences with our readers!  Till the next time, this is Dr. Joey Lowery, saying, “Health is a choice, not a chance.”

Dr. Joey’s Cleanse Experience (Days 4-7)

A full work week has passed while I (Dr. Joey) have been on the nutritional cleanse, and I can honesty say I haven’t felt this good in a while.  As the days have passed during this hectic transition from graduating Chiropractic College to getting back into the working world, I have allowed a normally regimented lifestyle I had to slip.  Those slips have set me into a “living moment to moment” pattern.  What pattern do I speak of?  Rather than taking time on the weekend to plan meals for the week, I’ve taken a less disciplined road and during my mealtime I just grab something quick.   When I felt fatigue setting in, I’d justify grabbing a coffee.  When I got home from work, I would eat with a less than optimal focus on aspiring for optimum health.  It’s a road I feel I’ve detoured from in order to get back on a major highway to my own personal health journey.   I’m happy to say  the journey looks like a great one.   Here’s the menu for the week.

Day 4: Overall feeling (No fatigue, sleep improvement, better focus)

Breakfast: Smoothie with SP Complete, spinach, cabbage, carrots, pineapple, strawberries

Lunch: romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup of brown rice, salsa, bellpepper cuts, onion chuncks.

Dinner: I got home from work pretty late, so a smoothie was in order so I wouldn’t have a heavy stomach before eventually before going to bed.

Day 5: Overall Feeling (Same, decided to do a 15 minute session of yoga in the PM)

Breakfast: Chopped up Apple Slices along with a Strawberry-pinapple with Spinach smoothie containing the SP Complete

Lunch: Heaping bowl of steamed broccoli, carrots, chopped mushrooms, and 1/2 cup of brown rice with some garlic and herb seasoning on top. 

Dinner: Green beans lightly boiled, brussel sprouts lightly boiled

Day 6: Overall feeling (Even better with energy and I can tell the food has more flavor which means  my tastebuds are “turning on”)

Breakfast:  Pineapple, Apple, Cabbage, Carrots with SP Complete smoothie

Lunch: Same as the previous day due to the large amount of left over food.

Dinner: Another late trip home, but I wasn’t that hungry because of the big lunch, so I just had a smoothie.

Day 7: Overall feeling (Awesome!  A whole week under my belt!)

Breakfast: cabbage, spinach, strawberry, and blueberry with SP Complete smoothie

Lunch:  romaine lettuce, brown rice, pinto beans, bellpeppers, onions, olive oil with garlic and herb seasoning.

*Side note: went to the gym to get a total body workout in with a 15 Bike Interval Cardio session followed by a nice stretch.

Dinner: green beans, broccoli, carrots, onions, with an apple for a dessert.

It doesn’t look like the fanciest menu I admit, but I feel I’ve covered quite a bit of the super foods that are recommended we eat on a daily basis.  The supplements are easy to take at this time.  I’m completely finished with the Cleanse supplement and have moved on to the Green Foods supplement now.  I express the with 100% sincerity that this hasn’t been the easiest process so far, but has been very gratifying.  I’ve lost 9 pounds along the way as well.  That’s one of those nice little “side-effects” I mentioned in an earlier post.  Have a wonderful weekend and remember, your health is a choice, not a chance.

Dr. Joey’s 21 day cleanse experience (Day 1-3)

As several of our patients are aware of, a 21 day cleansing period is on the brink.   Before the majority of the group begins their personal experience, I (Dr. Joey) have began my own cleansing experience.  This is not my first rodeo with cleansing my body.  Several times I have integrated this cleansing program, among others, into my life to primarily detoxify my body of the harmful impurities I had accumulated. 

Where do these toxins come from?  Simply put, the air we breath, the water we drink, and the food we eat are exposed to harmful chemicals through pollution, pesticides and processing.  It’s inevitable that these necessary evils in turn expose our bodies to those same chemicals.   As we ingest these impurities, our body’s ability to ward off the potential damage decreases little by little.  This in turn sets up an environment for dis-ease or internal stress, and eventually disease.  We always emphasize to our patients they are only given one body; with just one body, it only makes sense to prevent a reason from happening rather than waiting for a reason to put a kink in our lives (ie: dis-ease causes sickness or pain that requires us to consult medication or a doctor). 

I’m pretty excited about the reception both my wife, Taryn, and I have received from our patients on what to expect, what not to expect, how will they feel, etc.  For those of you unfamilair with the cleanse, here’s the quick breakdown.  Days 1-10 are veggies and fruits with more emphasis on the veggies.  Days 11-21 chicken and fish are implemented into the menu every other day with portion control being suggested.  Supplements are taken throughout the process to enhance the cleansing efficiency.  Along with the toxin release, a nice side effect of weight loss, energy increase, and sleep improvement occurs.  For specific details, you can reference Standard Process’ website, http://www.standardprocess.com/display/psppurification.spi.

So here is a list of my menu for the last 3 days beginning on Friday, 8-20-2010 to Sunday, 8-22-2010.

Day 1 Overall feeling: slight fatigue with a minor headache

7AM: Veggie and Fruit smoothie containing 1 cup of cabbage, spinach, carrots, 1/2 cup of strawberries, and 1/2 blueberries.  Also in the smoothie is two scoops of the SP Complete smoothie powder.  I also took 7 capsules of cleanse tablets, and 3 gastro fiber tablets.

10AM: The same smoothie ingredients.

12PM: A nice sized salad containing romaine lettuce, red cabbage, green cabbage, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, salad seasoning, with a vinegarette for dressing.  7 capsules of cleanse tablets and 3 gastro fiber tablets were taken as well.

6PM: I ate a similar salad but didn’t finish the entire serving due to the feeling of a minor headache setting in.  It’s very common when a toxin release is occuring along with getting off the coffee.  I slept it off, and felt fine the next day.

Day 2 Overall Feeling: slight increase in energy with a tiny headache

8AM: I’m pretty predictable, a veggie and fruit smoothie with the same ingredients and supplements.  I like to go with what works when I find something that works for me, although variety is important in any well-balanced nutrition program!

12:30PM: A big heaping bowl of steamed broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower with some garlic and herb seasoning sprinkled on it.  The same supplements were taken.

6PM: There wasn’t much in the fridge, so I had a veggie and fruit smoothie along with the supplements to finish my afteroon off.

Day 3 Overall Feeling: Fully energized, no headache

7AM: Different day, same smoothie ingredients, along with the supplements of course.

12:30PM: A heaping side of broccoli along with two grilled vegetable scewers that had mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, and onions.  I highly recommend if someone is on the cleanse, but unsure of a route to take when at a restaurant.  Try Logan’s veggie scewers from the grill.  They’re excellent!

7PM:  My wife and I always wish out loud about a Chipotle restaurant one day gracing our area.  Until that time we try to make our own recipes up.  I made her a romaine lettuce salad with a cup of brown rice, cilantro, bellpepper slices, onion chunks, two tablespoons of hot sauce, along with a few tomato chunks and a drop of lime juice on them.  The dressing was 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup water, and come chipotle seasoning all mixed together.  She was most pleased with the dinner, and I think I found a new salad recipe!

That’s all for now, and a good night’s sleep awaits me.  Day 4 (Monday) brings me back to the work week on the cleanse.  The first three days down, 7 more without meat to go.  As far as I’m concerned, the hard part is over.