Foundational wellness

My Grandma had me see a nutritionist who works with foundational wellness in October. My Grandma has a friend who had breast cancer for the third time, this time stage IV, and she saw this person and her health really turned around. Honestly I don't know the status of any actual malignant tumors in her body, but the idea is that through diet change, supplements and other lifestyle changes, the immune system can be healed so the body can heal itself. I'm so grateful that my Grandma wanted to pay for me to see Laura. Such a huge gift. I went in very open minded, and I came out with a headache from all the information I took in. I do understand where she was coming from, and I do believe what she says. She definitely didn't have some magic elixir tea for me to drink--she does not claim to cure cancer. She's not a doctor and she doesn't treat, cure or diagnose. Basically she operates from the standpoint that most people have cancer because their immune system is/was compromised. She said people come into contact with cancer and other things all the time, and most people's bodies are able to fight it off. She contends there's a reason my body allowed and grew cancer. She says all of this in the sweetest way : )

She used a machine that kind of scanned me and gave all these readings. It was a gold-colored machine with cords hooked up to her computer, and she put a cuff on my arm that was connected to the machine. I later asked her what it's called because I wanted to read more about it and she said not much is available online because the FDA has shut down the websites about it. She said one aspect of the machine is bioresonance imaging, but she said that doesn't fully cover it. It's kind of mysterious, right? She said it's new technology from Europe and she's been using it for four or five years. She said the machine shows what my immune system has reacted to, or had a hard time with. There was a number component to the results, but I'm pretty sure I can't successfully explain that. Here's what showed up on the screen:

• A parasite showed up, and this just means at some time in my life, my body reacted to a parasite (again she's not diagnosing anything and it's not like I need to go to the ER)
• A mammary cyst showed up
• Something came up that caused Laura to ask me if I've ever had a tic, and I said no, but that's something that showed up
• Wheat was a big one on there. Apparently wheat doesn't interact well with my body. This is a surprise to me because I don't ever react negatively to eating wheat. I actually eat a lot of foods with wheat in it!
• Heavy metals showed up, possibly stemming from cancer treatment that I've had
• She could tell from one of the line items that I've had a lot of dental work. I think mercury showed up? There was another one, but the name escapes me....but yes I have had several fillings and that showed up.
• I have smoked off and on throughout the years and that was evident because of all the harmful chemicals
• Pesticides like DDT showed up, and also xenon, randomly.
• There was something about my liver, but I cant remember...this was only three weeks ago. She didn't write out every single thing for me; we looked more at the big picture.
• Nutrient Malabsorption Syndrome showed up, and she said I'm likely malnourished because my body isn't absorbing all the nutrients I'm putting in.
• Venom showed up, which is interesting. Living in the mountains, I'm sure I've been bit by so many spiders.

 Some takeaways from the appointment were...

• I should start on some supplements that will heal my immune system and flush out the heavy metals and toxins in my body. The brand is Waiora in case you're curious.
• I should have a live blood smear with the doctor she shares an office with. She wants to see what's going on in there, and if a parasite can be seen or not. (My Grandma's friend told me that during her live blood smear, the cells were just dying right in front of them. Very telling, because her body was so sick and under attack!)
• She wants me to have a CBC panel done. She was shocked that I've never had one done before.
• She said I have to quit smoking altogether. She talked to me about neurotransmitters and smoking, and she explained it all in a very interesting way. She gave me some paperwork to fill out with true/false statements to evaluate so we can see what I'm more dominant in and what may be deficient (be it serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine or GABA). I'm very interested in this!
• She said I need to switch to a natural deodorant that isn't aluminum-based. She said the aluminum-based deodorant can clog lymph nodes and cause problems. She said that could be why a mammary cyst showed up. (Again, it's not like I have breast cancer, and I don't need to go get checked out or anything. I don't have any lumps anywhere. Many thousands of women have tiny little mammary cysts that will never make themselves known).
• We talked about food, and she said my eating vegan is probably why my immune system is as good as it is. She said everything for me looked better than what she's used to seeing, and she attributes that to my young age. I imagine older people's bodies are trashed even more than I've trashed my own. When I mentioned pH and said I haven't put much effort into that and I still drink coffee etc., she said she doesn't mind me having coffee at all as long as it's organic. She said most coffee is sprayed with pesticide. She told me where I can buy some pH strips so I can measure my pH now, and what it is later should I actually take steps to getting it to a better spot. It's no secret that there's a link between pH and cancer.
• She said people with thyroid disorders should cut out gluten. I was rolling my eyes so hard (not really. maybe) that I don't remember her exact explanation on why, but she did give one. That, plus the finding that my immune system has trouble with wheat, lead to her suggesting I cut out gluten. I let her know how hesitant I was to do that. She said if I am going to eat wheat, it needs to be whole wheat, organic, sprouted wheat.
• She said I need to have 20g protein with every meal. That is a high mark for me to adhere to! I certainly don't currently get 60g protein daily. She said she doesn't feel that I need to strictly eat vegan, and fail to get enough protein. She talked about where I can locally get organic eggs from a farm, and she mentioned some Greek yogurt that comes from cows who don't have casein in them. That's all very interesting, but I don't know about adding dairy back in. Not sure. I think fellow vegans can relate. I just can't imagine eating dairy again. I am repulsed at the idea of eating meat, although somehow fish seems safe. Sorry, fish. Somehow you're an exception. I'm still mulling that over, though.

Since this appointment, I've probably spent hours telling my friends and family about it. My boyfriend was slow to embrace the immune system stuff and he's weary of this magic machine that spits out information. And I do get that. I really wished he was there at the appointment with me! His busy school schedule leaves little room for him to eat and sleep, led alone come to appointments with me. My mom is into it, as is my dad. Given my dad's career in the medical field, I thought he'd be skeptical, but no.

I'm certainly not going to cease medical treatment or anything. I saw Laura because I believed that my Grandma's friend was really helped after regularly seeing her and making changes. I will continue to see my endocrinologist and I definitely don't plan to go rogue or anything. I don't Laura will ever recommend anything to me that conflicts with my doctor's advice. Seeing Laura is a great supplement to being treated medically. I am so broke that I don't know if I'll ever see Laura again, truthfully. I hope so. Here are the changes I've made since the appointment:

• At home, I'm brewing organic coffee. Bummer that Starbucks does not offer any organic coffee...get with it, people. I'm also trying to choose more organic produce when I grocery shop. I'm cheap and the budget is tight, so I don't tend to buy organic. I haven't made that a priority. I'm starting to, though.
• I started using Tom's of Maine deodorant, and I'm pleased with it. It feels better, and I'm always up for using less chemicals.
• I'm really trying to practice more self control with the smoking. I don't smoke very often and it's very off and on and here and there, but I do know that it needs to be cut out completely.
• I did order the supplements Laura suggested I start with. I started using them about a week ago. There are no side effects. I take a pill 3x a day, and there are liquid drops I put in my food 3x a day. I'm also supposed to apply the drops topically to my neck. By the grace of God, a close friend of mine wanted to buy these supplements for me. I am so grateful. Somehow people in my life just keep helping me out. I really look forward to a time in my life where I can pay it forward and make someone's day by helping them in an area where they're struggling. It's hard to need help.

I've been taking the pills and  using the drops in my food, but I hadn't actually applied the drops topically until right now, as I've been writing this. It's hard to interact with my neck. I tend to avoid it.

I don't know what will come of continuing to see Laura, and I don't know if my cancer will "go away," but I know that Kaiser has never tried to address my body as a whole, or my immune system or anything like that, and I believe that Laura can help heal my body. Kaiser has had a slash and burn M.O. so far with my body, and that's been traumatic and harmful to my body. I want to keep working with Laura because I would be so happy to never have cancer again. Honestly. I will keep you all posted on what's next!