Self-Diagnosing

I have never been one to run to a doctor for every little sniffle or twinge of pain. I'm also not a person that has elevated medical professionals to god status. I recognize that all are human and therefore fallible. I also have always had multiple allergies to medications. Every prescription drug I have ever taken has at some point caused a reaction ranging from hives to water retention to high blood pressure. (Most over the counter ones have too.)

So for me, popping pills is not only uncalled for, but potentially dangerous. I resolved within myself many years ago that should I ever develop a chronic disease (I.e. high blood pressure, cancer, arthritis, etc) it would have to be treated and healed holistically.

Before I ever heard that Hippocrates had said, "Let food be thy medicine," I once read someone state that they believed when Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden, God had already supplied through food, plants, herbs, water and more, all we would ever need for natural healing. This just made sense to me. Isn't it exactly like God to provide a way before we ever knew we needed it?

Sure, I read this about 16 years ago, and I am still in the process of trying to live it out. I also choose to be thankful for the gift of the Internet (although at times it is also the bane of my existence!) because at my fingertips is a plethora of tried, true and yes, sometimes crazy information. For instance, when I came across The Gerson Therapy, I believe through the Holy Spirit's discernment I was able to recognize it for the healing miracle it is. There have been many more epiphanies since then and usually, they just make sense. God not only gave us healing herbs, plants and foods...He also gave us brains and His Spirit for discernment.

With my recent juice fast, I promised that You'll Know It All and today's post regards my mistake of listening to the fears of others. For a few years, whenever I get into a discussion with someone about veganism, vegetarianism or just reducing their meat intake, inevitably it comes out that they heard "somewhere" that you can't get enough B-12 without eating meat. The truth is, everyone loses the ability to absorb vitamin B-12 as they age. This is why it is often the elderly that get B-12 injections.

Because I didn't want my metabolism to slow down or lose any of the wonderful energy I was experiencing, I bought into the "need" for supplementation. I researched the best, ordered it and started taking them. But within two days, this woman that had been fine on only 4-6 hours of sleep, walked for 8 hours a day on vacation and still had energy to spare, was barely able to drag herself out of bed, felt lethargic throughout the day, had zero energy for exercise and was ready to collapse into bed by 8 p.m. My weight loss had also stalled even though I was eating well. This was unacceptable to me. I experimented with dosage and when to take it. I was still eating good, whole foods, about 75% raw, juicing 1-2 times per day and I couldn't understand why my symptoms were beginning to include muscle and joint pain, intolerance to cold and by yesterday, even kidney pain.

My research since this began about a week and a half ago has brought me to the possibility of adrenal fatigue. Since most Americans have some degree of it, this is highly likely. And the information leads me to believe that I was probably healing from adrenal fatigue since beginning my dietary changes in mid-May, but the start of the B-12 vitamins that I did not need threw the delicate balance of adrenal function over the edge.

So I've immediately suspended the use of any supplements, am going to attempt a juicing detox for at least three days and see if I notice improvement. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you'd like more information about adrenal fatigue, here are two websites that helped:

7 mistakes of adrenal fatigue
women to women