Ken Nightingale^©

Introduction

This article is a detailed version of one that appeared in the September 2005 issue of the Waterloo Wellington Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association's newsletter The MEmo.  This version expands on my experiences, provides detailed descriptions of the products mentioned and contains links to the sources of information.  Note that links contained within this article open in a new window which may be closed to return to this article.

Please click here to read the disclaimer before continuing.

For people that don't know me:

• I'm currently 41 years old,
• I'm 6' tall (183 cm),
• My proper BMI weight should be between 137-183 lbs. (62-83 kg,  9.8-13.1 stone),
• I had M.E./CFS from October 1987 until January 2003,
• I have been a member of the Board of Directors of the WWMEA for 9 years,
• I obtained my B.Sc. (Chemistry) from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada).

It turns out that having my gallbladder removed was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to me.  Ever since my 5th day in the hospital I have felt great!

It's quite a remarkable turn-around considering that on my best day with M.E. I would be in bed for about 12 hours and needed to rest on the couch for another 10 hours.  Venturing out to the store would be enough activity to keep me in bed for days.  Today, I'm working, active, exercising, travelling and basically doing what any other healthy person enjoys doing.  And I'm quite ecstatic to be able to do all of it.  I even climbed the stairs of the CN Tower on April 26, 2003 - in a time of 14 minutes 28 seconds.

Before continuing, I'd like to apologize to everyone in the M.E. community for taking so long to tell you of this news.  You see, I didn't want to be premature in revealing my good fortune in the event that I slipped back into the chronic illness of M.E.  I also wanted to be able to explain what happened to me and the steps I am taking to maintain the health I haven't had for 15 years.  There have been many experiments along the way with food choices, supplements, and cleansing programs.  I think I have settled into a routine that is working well for me and that I am now comfortable sharing with everyone.

I had my first gallbladder attack December 16, 2002 which was diagnosed in Grand River Hospital Emergency as Norwalk Virus - I was sent home to rest.  My second attack was 3 days later and it was diagnosed as Bowel Spasms - I was prescribed some medication and sent home to rest.  I went to see my Family Doctor the next day.  He was pretty sure that it was my gallbladder and ordered some tests that were scheduled for 2 weeks later.  In the meantime, I was instructed not to eat anything and drink only clear fluids (soda pop, sports drinks, water).  I survived like that for 5 days when my hunger overcame me and I ate a small meal of chicken with vegetables.  That seemed to sit well, so for the next 3 days I ate the same meal, once each day.  My body didn't like the last meal and I had my third attack - it was now December 29, 2002.

After waiting in emergency for 4 hours in utter agony, I was admitted to the hospital (apparently other people in the waiting room were urging the nurses to take me in next).  I remember the doctor asking me how much pain I was in, on a scale of 1 to 10.  I said 10 as I had never been in this much pain.  However, I discovered another level of pain I didn't know about.  Apparently level 10 is when you scream consistently and level 9 is when you scream intermittently.  Now I know!  Thankfully, I was given Demerol to ease the pain (I love Demerol!) and I could finally uncoil from my fetal position and lie on the bed comfortably.  I was given injections of Demerol every 4 hours, for the next 4 days.  I don't remember much of those 4 days.

Once admitted, I was hooked up to an IV in order to receive the following drugs:

• Dextrose (Standard sugar and saline solution)
• Cipro (Antibacterial, antibiotic)
• Flagyl (antibiotic effective against anaerobic bacteria and certain parasites)
• Pantoloc (suppresses acid secretion by the stomach)

I was also instructed to not eat or drink ANYTHING until further notice.

On December 31 I had an Abdominal Ultrasound done.  On January 2, 2003 I no longer needed the Demerol and had a Barium X-Ray done.  I was truly exhausted that day - very M.E. like - and I remember the doctor urging me to get up and move around - that wasn't going to happen.  I had absolutely no energy and I was freezing cold despite the numerous blankets that covered me. 

The next day the nurse hooked me up to an additional IV of TNA (Total Nutrient Admixtures, also known as TPN - Total Parenteral Nutrition).  This is a white liquid that provides nutritional support through IV for patients who aren’t eating.  In my case I received TNA 24 hours a day for 8 days.

Usually, the TNA IV line is inserted through the chest into the vein that leads directly to the heart.  But, in my case this was supposed to be a very short-term addition to my treatment, so it was inserted into the veins of my forearms.  This created the complication of my arms becoming tender and sore around the insertion point such that the IV had to be moved to a different location, on the opposite arm, every 2 days.  Every nurse that saw me was astonished to see me connected up in this manner.

Once I received the TNA, I began to feel wonderful - my brain became clear, my body warmed up and I was able to move about the hallways on my own.  Since I was up and about the nurse wanted to weigh me - I was 125 lbs. - very, very thin for someone who’s 6’ tall!

I actually began to feel really good and it had been so long since I had experienced this feeling that it took me a couple of days to realize that I really did feel "healthy".  I didn't want to get too excited, after all, I was hooked up to a bunch of chemicals.  However, I did use this opportunity to read a book called Free to fly : a journey toward wellness, by Dr. Judit Rajhathy.  I read all 330 pages in about 5 days.  This is astonishing considering I had only read a few books in the 15 years that I had M.E.  After reading that book I made a promise to myself that, when I got out of the hospital, I was going to do everything I needed to do to retain the sense of health I was experiencing at that time.

Aside from generally feeling terrific while in the hospital, there were a few specific things that occurred that I thought were interesting.  For one, my skin had cleared up completely.  I had minor cases of acne and eczema upon entering the hospital, and none while I was in the hospital - my skin felt great too!  It was soft, smooth and well hydrated.  Secondly, I stopped taking my inhalers.  I had been taking Pulmicort (lungs) and Flonase (nasal) for a few years to help prevent inflammation leading to infections.  It took me a few days to realize that I hadn't been taking my inhalers in the hospital, my breathing was good and I didn't have any sinus or bronchial congestion at all.  Third was that I experienced no intestinal upset - no gas, bloating or indigestion.  Of course I hadn't eaten for weeks so there was nothing there to digest (or indigest) and I was hooked up to chemicals that stopped my digestive processes.  Still, I remember it being a good feeling to not have those nasty abdominal sensations.

There were a few thoughts that I considered about these occurrences.  One was that my gut wasn't doing anything - it wasn't allowed to do anything.  So perhaps the rest from eating was healing in itself.  Secondly, not only was I not ingesting food, I was also not ingesting toxins.  Possible toxins could include pesticides, herbicides, food additives, food allergies, food sensitivities or food intolerances.  Thirdly, perhaps I did have some nasty "bugs" in my gut that the medications had eradicated.

On January 7 I had a HIDA scan (cholescintigraphy).  It's a special Nuclear Medicine scan where I drank a radioactive potion and they watched it travel through my digestive system to see if things were working properly or not.  The various tests that were done to investigate my abdominal pain all came back inconclusive but, it was presumed that I had gallstones plugging up the exit from my gallbladder which, in turn, had created an infection in my gallbladder.  On January 9, 2003, the IV's were disconnected and I had Laparoscopic Surgery to remove my gall bladder.  My gallbladder had been so full of gallstones that it could not contract at all in its normal response to digestion.  I ate dinner that evening and was kept in the hospital for another day and a half for observation and to make sure I was able to eat and digest my meals properly.  I was sent home on January 11 with some prescription painkillers.

The surgeon had instructed me not to lift anything over 5 lbs. for the next eight weeks.  I followed his advice and also tried not to make any awkward movements.  After one week of recovery at home, and finished with the pain killers, that sense of feeling healthy returned and I had this inner need to move - so I went for a 2 km walk around the neighbourhood - it felt great!  I felt I could have walked farther but I didn't want to overdo it.

So now I’m healthy!  Or am I?  As I recovered from surgery there were thoughts of finding a job.  On the other hand, would working have a negative impact on my health and make me suffer with M.E. again?  Taking the cautious approach, I did not immediately go out and get a job of any kind.

My parents had fully supported me while I was sick with M.E. and they continued that support upon my return home as they were also wary of a relapse.  I owe a great deal to my parents – too much to put into words.

Prior to being admitted to hospital I had just started doing website design (a few hours per week) for a couple of people so I continued to do that at a slow pace.  As time passed, I had a couple of friends offer me some part time employment which worked out very well.  One with a photography business and another with WESA, Water and Earth Science Associates Ltd., doing field work (water sampling mostly) and database management.  I also successfully completed three AutoCAD courses (levels 1, 2 and 3) at Sheridan College to add a little something to my skill set.  But, my main job was to manage my health.

As I recovered, I considered the impact my diet had on my health and began to seek information regarding good food choices and eating habits.  Certainly, what I had been doing over the years was not contributing to good health, so it had to change.

To start, one of the most important things I did was to challenge the assumptions I had regarding diet and nutrition.  For instance: "Milk is good for you".  Well, maybe, if you're not lactose intolerant, allergic to milk protein or producing opiates through poor digestion.  So I tried to completely open my mind to the possibilities of what I was about to learn.  My most common thought while reading this new information was: "I don't know if it will help - but I'll try it (as long as it's not going to harm me)".  What I discovered was a world of information I did not know existed.

The books I have read since my hospital visit have helped shape my current diet.  A common theme of these books is that in order to achieve and maintain optimal health one must:

• eat real food.
• stop eating processed, prepared, pre-packaged and ready-to-eat foods.
• stop eating pesticides, herbicides, etc.
• stop eating chemicals that are added to food products such as preservatives, sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, "modified" ingredients, colour (dyes), flavour, nitrates and nitrites.
• stop drinking chlorine, chloramine or other chemicals found in water supplies.

I began excluding from my diet:

• common allergens: dairy, wheat, gluten, yeast, corn, peanuts and eggs.
• all chemicals: preservatives, sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, "modified" ingredients, color (dyes), flavor, nitrates and nitrites.
• foods that could contribute to an intestinal yeast (candida) infection: sugar, fungus (mushrooms), molds (cheeses), fermented products (alcohol, vinegar), dried fruit, honeydew, cantaloupe and fruit juice.
• grocery store oils - I would consume only "Udo's Oil", organically produced cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and other organically produced cold pressed oils packaged in dark glass bottles (click here to see why).
• unfiltered tap water.

Dried fruit, honeydew and cantaloupe often have mold on the outside which is virtually impossible to clean off.  The flesh of the melon is perfectly good, however, the problem is accessing it.  When you cut into the melon, the knife transfers the mould from the outside of the melon into the flesh.

Fruit juice on the other hand, may be made with moldy fruit.  Consider that the fruit farmer is going to sell the good looking, good tasting fruit as a whole fruit and that it's probably the leftover, bruised and battered fruit that will be used for juicing.

As time went on, even with my dietary restrictions, I developed some minor nasal congestion and my eczema had returned, which was disheartening since the eczema had disappeared while I was in the hospital.  I had also experienced some intestinal gas, bloating and inconsistent bowel movements - some fine, some not so fine.  I slowly removed foods over time that I thought might have contributed to the eczema and bowel distress.

Beginning to have irregular bowel movements was a concern for me, because I had suffered with diarrhea-dominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for the duration of my illness with M.E.  It seemed liked a constant struggle to try to figure out how to manage the diarrhea without taking medications.  I eventually settled in to eating lots of plain pasta, pita bread and mozzarella cheese, which did help my bowels work better, but almost certainly caused me to have gallstones.  I had always wondered whether I had some other bowel disease such as Celiac or Crohn's but I didn't have much faith in the accuracy of the diagnostic tests, nor the manner in which they were conducted.

Another concern was that I had experienced some M.E. type symptoms - fatigue, lethargy, problems concentrating and a general lack of stamina.  Luckily, these symptoms did not persist for more than a few days at a time, but, it reinforced the notion that I was only in remission from M.E. and that it might be possible to slip back into illness if I wasn't careful.

At some point I decided to stop eating all grains, even rice.  This change provided better digestion and reduced my eczema tremendously.  I had learned 2 things later on which may be issues for my body:

1. Grains often contain a fungus called ergot.
2. People with Crohn's disease should avoid all grain products (a doctor's statement on a TV show).
   

My quest for knowledge was spurred on by the desire to cure my eczema, get my digestive system working properly and never experience M.E. symptoms again.

I had tried various supplements claiming this and that.  For the most part they were beneficial, but when I would stop taking them my "symptoms" would worsen.  The problem was that I didn't want to have to take supplements (some of them very pricey) for the rest of my life.  I figured that there had to be other options.  So I pressed on.

In Dr. Young's book The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health I learned about the alkaline diet and the importance of its impact on the body.  I also learned from this book the proper way of fasting (more on this later).

In the book Renew Your Life: Improved Digestion and Detoxification, Dr. Brenda Watson explains how having the proper water intake is vital for the body to process all the chemical reactions that take place - not only for the digestion of food but also for the elimination of wastes through the bowel, liver, kidney, lungs and skin.  These processes require a certain amount of water to be ingested daily and if that requirement is not met, many of the waste products the body creates can not be eliminated.  They are retained within the body and can lead to illness.

An adequate amount of water is 1/2 oz. (15 ml) of water for every pound of body weight (or 7 ml per kilogram of body weight).  So, if I'm 140 lbs. then I should drink 70 oz. (2 litres or almost 9 measured cups) of water throughout the day.  Drinking 1 cup of water nine times a day is no big deal and I often drink more than that.  I could drink a cup before breakfast, drink a few cups between breakfast and lunch, drink a few cups between lunch and dinner, then drink 2 cups between dinner and bed time.  Voilà, nine cups.

I no longer drink tap water or bottled water.  I purchase water at The Old Kitchen Cupboard on Belmont Ave. in Kitchener.  They have a water purification system that uses a sediment filter, carbon filter, reverse osmosis filter and ultraviolet light.  There are containers available for purchase which can be refilled inexpensively.

The question most often asked of me is: What DO you eat?  My quick answer is: Real food.  The long answer is: A large variety of foods, eaten in appropriate amounts, typically as 3 meals and several snacks on a daily basis.  A typical meal for me would consist of the following placed in a large bowl:

• a few chopped up vegetables (about 2 cups, mostly raw),
• a protein source (about 3 ounces of fish, chicken, etc.),
• about a tablespoon of Udo's oil,
• a few spices sprinkled over top to add flavour and zing to the meal.

That's it, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  YES, breakfast too!  I eat a lot of canned wild salmon for the convenience of not having to cook first thing in the morning (about 1/2 a can, or 20 grams of protein content, per meal).

I now believe that nutrition is much more important than calories, which is why I no longer consider the calorie content of my meals.  Here is a list of the macronutrients of my meals:

• Protein:
  • I aim to ingest about 63 grams of protein per day (that's 1 gram per kilogram of body weight, I currently weigh 63 kg).  The current recommendations are 0.8 g/kg of body weight for sedentary individuals up to 1.6 g/kg of body weight for extremely active individuals (eg. competitive body building or endurance sports).  Generally, I try to get about 20 grams of protein per meal.  This would equate to 3 ounces of fish or poultry, a lot less than what most North Americans currently eat.  Additional resources:
    • Typical protein content of food sources.
    • A detailed list of foods and their protein content.
    • Weight conversions.
    • Dangers of excess protein.
• Oil (fat):
  • I typically take about a tablespoon of oil per meal when I'm exercising.  However, when I'm cleansing I'll take up to 10 tablespoons per day.
• Carbohydrate:
  • I don't eat carbohydrate-dense foods while cleansing.  However, when I'm exercising, I'll add nuts, seeds, legumes and carbohydrate-dense vegetables with meals.  I'll also eat fruit while exercising, but only between meals.
• Vegetables:
  • Vegetables are the main ingredient in all of my meals.  They provide nutrition and fibre.  The fibre helps create the feeling of being comfortably full.  I typically eat about 2 cups of chopped, raw vegetables.
• Dessert:
  • No dessert!

I find this method of eating very satisfying.  I don't feel deprived in any way and I know that I'm eating nutritiously.  It can be a bit tricky to eat on the run or eat in restaurants, but I do the best I can.

Why do I only eat carbohydrate-dense foods when I'm exercising?  Dr. Udo Erasmus explains why we cannot eat carbohydrate dense foods if we are sedentary.

There are two oils (fats, fatty acids) which are known to be essential (called EFA's or Essential Fatty Acids).  Our body cannot manufacture these oils so we must ingest them.  These two oils are omega-3 EFA and omega-6 EFA.  It turns out that being deficient in either oil can cause various kinds of symptoms or illnesses.  So, it's important to eat these two oils, but it is also very important to eat these two oils in their proper ratio, as in Udo's Oil.  Read Dr. Udo Erasmus' explanation of how this works, be sure to read all 7 parts.

The George Mateljan Foundation writes: "... omega-6 fats are the precursors for pro-inflammatory molecules--the molecules that promote and maintain inflammatory reactions. Omega-3 fats, in contrast, are the precursors for anti-inflammatory molecules."

Supplements that I am currently taking are:

• 300 mg Calcium (as citrate), 4 times per day
• includes 150 mg Magnesium (as citrate & oxide)
• includes 100 IU Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)
• 2000 mg of Vitamin C, 3 times per day
• 400 IU of Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), 2 times per day.
• 1000 IU (25 mg) of Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), 2 times per day.
       (References: article 1 and article 2)

I take the above supplements together about 1/2 hour after eating.  I don't take any other supplements at the moment, except as described below for cleansing.

Several authors recommend not eating within 3 hours of bedtime.  This allows the stomach to completely digest the latest meal and then empty its contents into the intestines.  If a meal is eaten within 3 hours of bedtime it is quite likely that this meal is still in the stomach upon waking in the morning and does not get properly digested.  This can lead to undigested food particles being interpreted as allergens by the body thus leading to various kinds of symptoms.  Having last night's meal in the stomach upon rising will also create a feeling of fullness while starting to eat breakfast, thus reducing the amount of food eaten for breakfast.

To maintain a perfectly good sleep, it is recommended to not drink anything within 90 minutes of going to bed.  This will help prevent the need to get up in the middle of the night to urinate.

Once I modified my diet to one of only eating real food, I learned about fasting.  It just so happens that the cells of the intestines can completely regenerate themselves in 3 days!  This is why fasting can be a healthy thing to do, occasionally, and I have certainly found fasting to be beneficial to my health.  The longer one can fast the more healing there is of the intestines, which in turn leads to better digestion of food, which can lead to better health.  I always feel better after I have fasted, even if it was just for a couple of days.  I have tried various forms of fasting:

• the true fast - just drinking water.
• the vegetable juice fast - as described in The pH Miracle
• drinking water and eating only Udo's oil and raw, non-starchy vegetables.
  

Each of these have been beneficial to my health.  Of course the difficult part of fasting is the first few days when I am tempted to eat.  Once I get past those first few days, I feel much better and rejuvenated on the fourth day.

Fasting can be beneficial because it eliminates the food source for critters such as parasites, candida, bad bacteria and fungi that may be within the intestines or other parts of the body.  As these critters die off, typically around the third day, they release toxins into the body so fast that the person experiences this as illness or very unpleasant symptoms.  These symptoms are referred to as a healing crisis.

A kinder, gentler approach to fasting is herbal supported cleansing, which I have also found to be beneficial.  Cleansing is the process of helping support the digestive system while at the same time aiding in the proper elimination of toxins through the bowel, liver, kidney, skin and lungs.  There are also cleanses specifically designed to kill and remove candida and parasites.  Of the many products on the market, I have used:

• Purchased from The Old Kitchen Cupboard:
  • Renew Life's CleanseSMART
  • Renew Life's LiverDETOX
  • Renew Life's FibreSMART
  • individual components of the parasite treatment:
  • Black Walnut Hulls (capsules),
  • Cloves (capsules),
  • Wormwood (tincture)
• Purchased at Beechwood Zehrs:
  • Diversified Nutrition's Para Purge Pak
• Purchased Online:
  • RBC Herbal's Clarkia Extra Strong 2 oz (parasite treatment)

The nice thing about these products is that I could eat normally while receiving the benefits of the cleanse.  I did notice that my bowel movements were a bit looser when taking the Renew Life products, but I still had plenty of warning to find the facilities when nature called.

A very important aspect of cleansing is ingesting extra fiber.  Toxins get bound to fiber which aids their removal from the bowels.  Bentonite also helps eliminate toxins from the body if taken along with fibre.  Bentonite works a little bit differently than the fibre does in removing toxins from the body.  I have taken Renew Life's FibreSMART every morning with 2 tablespoons of liquid bentonite.


The Renew Life product CleanseSMART contains a 30 day supply which involves taking 2 capsules in the morning and 2 capsules in the evening.  This product is recommended as a beginning cleanse which supports detoxification of the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs and skin and supports cleansing of the colon.

The Renew Life product LiverDETOX contains a 30 day supply which involves taking 2 capsules in the morning and 2 capsules in the evening.  This product promotes healthy detoxification and cleansing of the liver.

The Renew Life product FibreSMART contains a 30 day supply which involves taking 1 scoop daily.  This product may help "lower cholesterol levels; normalize blood sugar; improve bowel function; feed intestinal bacteria; inactivate intestinal toxins; decrease intestinal permeability".

The Para Purge Pak, a combination parasite and candida treatment, contains a 10 day supply which involves taking 9 capsules in the morning and 9 capsules in the evening.  This treatment may be repeated after 3 days of non-treatment.

Clarkia Extra Strong Tincture is a parasite treatment.  It is to be used for 2 weeks then not used for 1 week.  This cycle of 2 weeks on and 1 week off is to be repeated 3 times (for a total of 8 weeks of treatment over 11 weeks).  Instructions come with the product that explain how to start with one drop 3 times per day and increase to 20 drops 3 times per day.  I started on my first day taking 20 drops 3 times a day without any ill effects.

I've also taken the individual components of the parasite cleanse (Black Walnut Hulls, Cloves and Wormwood) by following the directions on the bottles.  I chose to take them for two weeks then rest for a week.


A liver cleanse clears the liver of liver stones and may eliminate allergies completely, according to Dr. Clark.  I’ve learned that the soft liver stone (made of pure cholesterol) can become a gallstone once it becomes trapped within the gallbladder.  Gallstones develop a hard coating while trapped inside the gallbladder, making them difficult, and perhaps painful, to pass into the intestines.

Apparently, the stones form over time within the biliary tubing of the liver.  This tubing is used to transport fluid, metabolic chemicals and toxins.  As time goes on, the stones get larger and clog the tubing.  It is believed that the detoxification ability of the liver decreases as the stones increase in size.  This means toxins cannot be efficiently detoxified as they pass through the liver.  This made sense to me, so I went ahead and tried it.

Initially, I attempted the liver cleanse without doing the parasite cleanse, and I didn't collect any stones at all.  So then I waited a week to start the daily treatment for parasites and did the liver cleanse again, two weeks after my first effort.

The liver cleanse basically gives you one day of diarrhea and the stones emerge that way.  It was painless and I actually felt quite good while going through it.  The full treatment says that you should do a liver cleanse every 2 weeks until 2,000 stones have been removed.  WOW!  Who knew I had liver stones as large as a half inch (1.25 cm) in diameter?  I figure that if I eliminate 2,000 stones at an average diameter of 1/4" (6.3 mm), then that means I have the equivalent of one large stone that is 3.15" (8 cm) in diameter.  That's the size of a tennis ball.  YIKES!  I have now done four liver cleanses with an estimate of about 200-300 stones eliminated throughout the day of each cleanse.  So, I'll need to do a minimum of 7 cleanses to reach the 2,000 mark.  I figure I'll just keep doing the treatment every 2 weeks until I no longer see a significant number of stones.

My method of the liver cleanse is based on Dr. Clark's description of the liver cleanse.  I usually go to bed later than 10 p.m. so I time-shifted the protocol to fit my own schedule.  Typically, I did everything 2 hours later than described in her time schedule.  I did use epsom salts, fresh grapefruit and olive oil as described.  However, instead of Black Walnut tincture, I used 6 capsules of Black Walnut - I poured the contents of the capsules into the olive oil/grapefruit juice mixture (threw out the empty capsules) mixed up the potion thoroughly and drank it that way.  I found it surprisingly easy to drink without the use of a straw.  I also did not take the sleep aid Ornithine - I found that I didn't sleep well, but well enough.

My skin feels fantastic after each liver cleanse and I believe the rest of my body is also benefiting from these treatments.  The skin can be the first organ to show signs of illness as well as the last organ to regain health.  I also like the theory of the treatment - to unclog (or decongest) the biliary tubing of the liver - it just makes sense to me.


My next cleanse will be using the product from Renew Life: Heavy Metal CLEANSE.  I would also like to find a dentist able to properly remove silver amalgam (mercury) fillings (i.e. not poison me in the process).  If anyone could point me in the direction of a good holistic dentist, please pass along their name to me at I would definitely go in for a consultation.

I'm also going to try taking Bovine Colostrum (a supplement that may strengthen the immune system) to see if that has any effect on my health.

Once I've finished doing the remainder of the liver cleanses and cleaned up any heavy metals residing in my body I would like to try introducing grains back into my diet.  I would start with gluten-free grains and if that goes well I'll give some of the other grains a try.  If I can start eating a variety of grains then it would be possible to try to become a vegetarian, but that's still way off in the future.

I shall continue with my exercise regimen of weightlifting (resistance training), biking, jogging, climbing stairs and playing hockey.  I'm currently 140 lbs. and would like to gain about 15 lbs. of lean mass (that's muscle, not fat).  I have read that a person can only gain about 10-15 lbs. of lean mass per year - the wait will be worth it.

Other than that, I'm going to continue to read, watch and listen to anything having to do with health, wellness, nutrition, fitness and longevity and incorporate anything that seems worthwhile into my diet or lifestyle.

Before I finish, I should mention a few things about my father’s experiences.  His health had been declining over the years: gaining weight, losing energy and increasing his use of medications.  In April of 2003, he was 68 years old and 265 lbs. at 5’9” tall.  He is a type II, adult onset diabetic and was taking Metformin and 120 units of Insulin daily to control his blood sugar.  He was also taking different pharmaceutical drugs to control each of:

• painful diabetic neuropathy,
• arthritic pain,
• swollen feet and
• cholesterol.

He too, began changing his diet in April 2003, according to the information I had gathered.  His health has dramatically improved solely through dietary changes.  Today he eats the foods as listed under the heading "FOODS I CHOOSE TO EAT".

He now takes much less medication to control his blood sugar: Metformin and Insulin (about 10 units per day, or about 8% of what he used to take).  He no longer takes any other pharmaceutical drugs.  He currently weighs 170 lbs., sleeps 8 hours a night and is active throughout the day - without any need to rest.  Seeing his transformation provides additional evidence to me that diet is crucial to being healthy.  It also helps motivate me to stay on the diet.

With his cooperation, my goals for my dad’s future are:

• to get him started on an exercise program and
• to have him try the cleansing programs as I have done - I believe they will improve his health even more.

 

 

return to top of page

 

 

This page is Copyright 2003-2009
by Ken Nightingale©
All Rights Reserved

Site designed by: Noetic Holdings Web Site Design Group