Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Day 17 - 8:25 AM

I already had my arm bath and colonic today. Despite feeling somewhat weak, I want to go for a walk and get some fresh air. One of the therapists this morning recommended I try the “potato wrap” at least once so I am going to order one for tomorrow. It’s just small potatoes boiled with the peel on. The cooked potatoes are then placed in a linen sack and they’re sort of crushed a bit. This sack, which is moist from the potatoes, is then wrapped in a towel and placed on the liver. You put a warming bottle on top and rest for half an hour. She said to get it once so I can see how they do it and then I can do it at home.

I have to admit that today I really want to just quit and head back to my mom’s house. I don’t feel horrible but I am ready to be done. I do feel very weak because I am not getting juice anymore. And the doctors here are nice, but I am not sure how much attention they really pay. The doc had ordered a blood test. My fasting blood sugar was 63. The normal range in the US is 70 to 99 here it is 60 to 100. So it would have been in the normal range and if I were drinking juice, broth with pureed veggies, and honey at night, I don’t think it would be a problem. Considering all I am getting is clear broth and some green tea, a fasting blood sugar of 63 is way too low. Yet he wrote on the lab that nothing needs to be done. Whatever!

Yesterday was an interesting day. I had the osteopathy treatment. I really didn’t know what to expect. Essentially it’s like getting chiropractic adjustments but they are not as harsh. Osteopathic therapists also manipulate organs with gentle pressure or massage.

When I walked in the therapist asked me why I am there. I told him what the doctor had said about my colon and bladder and also told him about the bloating issue. He said ok and to tell him what else I have going on since that’s not all and then he asked what’s going on with my right shoulder. I was shocked. I walked in there with baggy sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt and somehow he knew I was having problems with my right shoulder. I told him that it often used to flare up with pain from working out and my range of motion would be limited and I would have to lay off exercising. Then he asked what’s going on with my left leg and my feet. Wow – I was impressed. I told him about the leg length difference, misagligned feet, and hammer toes and that I am wearing orthotics. He asked when I got them. I said in September 2008. Then he asked when the bloating started and I told him it started getting worse and worse in September 2008. He smiled.

He then explained how everything in the body is connected and a misaligned body can cause problems in various organs. He showed me on a chart how what is going on with my posture/leg/feet is impacting my colon and digestion. Basically I have a blockage in my colon, food doesn’t completely pass through, it sits and ferments, that causes gas, gas rises, and that’s why I get the distention in the lower and upper region of my abdomen. Interestingly, a doctor back in Crossville, TN thought she had felt a mass and I had to get a CT but nothing showed up. And the doctor here said my colon felt “hard” in certain areas.

Anyway, I had imagined he would be doing a bunch of “massaging” of my colon and bladder but he didn’t. He did mild chiropractic adjustments of my legs, back, arms, etc. Before he started he showed me how my left leg was shorter than my right. He did this by kneeling on the table in front of me (I was lying on my back) and propping both of my feet/legs on his chest. I had to turn my feet to the side and I could see that my left heel was lower than my right heel. After the adjustments they were even.

He did spend about 3 or 4 minutes applying light pressure to a few areas of my colon. Then he showed me an exercise to do every day to keep the alignment. His recommendation is to get realigned by an osteopathic therapist every 3 to 6 months and to work on my feet. Unfortunately I don’t think osteopathic therapists exist in the US. Even here standard doctors do not necessarily recognize this treatment.

The cool thing is, half an hour after the treatment the bloating was GONE. I sat in my room and cried and thanked God. I had flax seed slime for lunch and the same for dinner plus some broth. By around 4:30 PM I had some light bloating but nothing like I experienced before. It was mostly in my lower belly and there was no discomfort associated with it.

The therapist had said that it could get worse the next 48 hours or it could get better, so I am hopeful. I also have one more session with him on Friday. This morning I have no bloating. All of this also means that I may not have any intolerances at all and it’s just a matter of a digestion issue. And it explains why I have had SUCH a hard time getting rid of fungal overgrowth. With food fermenting in my colon those little critters were having a blast.

What is aggravating is that I discussed a blockage with one of the doctors I saw back in 2008 and he said if I had a blockage I would be in more pain. I also considered the fact that I got my orthotics around the same time the bloating was getting worse, but then dismissed it. Although the bloating was gone after the treatment, I am skeptical. Could this really be it? And if so, how do I get adjustments every 3 to 6 months if I can’t find an osteopathic therapist in the US? It’s not the same as a doctor of osteopathy – at least to my knowledge. Unless I call a DO and ask if they do adjustments but the DOs I’ve been to just treat with supplements and diet and look at the whole person. But they do not do any sort of body work.

OK, it’s been 45 minutes since my colonic so I think it might be safe to go for a walk.

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