It has been two months since I started seeing Dr. Bowen at Bothell Natural Health and got serious about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, SCD. I was on pretty much a ground meat and baby food diet for over a month but finally in the last few weeks have graduated to somewhere between Phase 2 and 3 of SCD and am eating quite a bit more food and actual real meals. Is it all SCD or is it also acupuncture?
A month ago I saw a brochure on Acupuncture and IBS and talked to the practitioner about it. After consulting with Dr. Bowen I decided to give it a try and started weekly acupuncture treatment. The Chinese diagnosis was that I’ve got cold bound up in my gut due to the antibiotics that set this whole mess off. The treatment plan is to break up the cold and get my energy flowing out to my extremities which are also having issues. On Monday mornings I go in and have needles stuck in my belly, my hands, my feet and my legs. A few times she has used moxybustion also and has prescribed some herbs which I’m using topically (not the kind of herbs that can be vaped in this case.)
I immediately noticed that acupuncture was pretty relaxing, I was shocked to fall asleep during treatment and found I was pretty relaxed the whole day. This last week she worked on the neuropathy in my feet and I swear my feet haven’t been stone cold since then (though it is warm finally) and it seems that the numbness isn’t as constant. Has it helped my gut? Good question, I’ve made huge progress since starting acupuncture so I’m inclined to think it is helping.
For the last ten days or so I’ve gone off a diet of just burgers and pureed food. I’ve been grilling quite a bit of fish for one. I started with mahi-mahi, moved to cod, then halibut then salmon and trout. Lately I’ve been eating a lot of trout from the local lakes, I can go out in the morning and get several days worth of fish in a few hours or less. Plus trout is a good warming food in Chinese medicine to combat the cold locked up in my gut. I’ve been eating well cooked vegetables instead of pureed ones, eating avocados and bananas now, and nut butters and milks. I’m making SCD Almond Milk Yogurt and eating about a cup a day now so am finally getting some probiotic foods. The crock pot has been getting a lot of use and I’ve made Mexican Chicken Stew, Chicken Enchilada Stew, Chicken Cacciatore, and Paleo Pot Roast so far. On cooler days I’ve made Italian Meatloaf and hope to try some non-ground cuts of beef next week. I also hope to be able to handle nut flours so I can start baking again.
So my fat intake has gone up and my calorie input has been exceeding my output for a few weeks. Yet I still gain no weight and am stuck somewhere in the 151-152 range for the most part. Obviously I’m still having absorption issues but at this point I’m just so happy to be able to eat more without constant discomfort that I can live being skinny as a rail for a bit longer. I think that once the gut fully settles down and starts to really heal then the absorption will get better and I’ll put on some weight.
As for the Epstein-Barr, I’m taking a full dose of Gigartina Red Marine Algae now and hope it is shutting down the virus. Chances are EBV and malnutrition are causing the neuropathy in my feet but I have been given a referral to a neurologist to double check for MS or some other cause. I’m holding off at the moment to see if the warm weather and acupuncture make a difference in my feet plus I’m doing a bit of light movement which may be helping too. Float tubing seems to be good for my feet and today I even went on a light and short bike ride.