Water-Based Detoxing Vacation

It's been a full week since Dante and I have been on vacation with our family in Puerto Rico.  During this time he is also 3/4 of the way into his first MMR vaccine clear.  Sounds incompatible, right?  You would think that the words "vacation" and "detox" should not be on the same sentence.  All I have to say is:  Thank God for Water.

Yes, the reason we have survived these days in the sun is because of the sheer amount of water applied to all of Dante's needs.  A summary of our water-based detoxing vacation is:

Dante's connected smile

- Every morning mid-breakfast Dante stops eating because of pain.  These symptoms of pain during breakfast appeared again during the MMR clear.  I associate them with having yeast die-off.  Within a half-hour Dante is in the bath with Epsom salts.  These baths have extended into almost an hour-long "Rest & Relaxation" session during which Dante works through his pain and is able to finish his breakfast.  Hopefully, this gets him into a very happy mood.  I am currently typing this while Dante is in his bath.

- As soon as Dante gets bored he heads outside to get watered along with Grandma's plants.  Most signs of boredom in Dante have been treated with some amount of sprayed water, something he enjoys deeply.

- Many afternoons we head to the pool to get a good sensory work-out.  There is nothing more relaxing than drying off our wet skin in the sun.  Trust a good tropical breeze to do the job.  Afterwards, we are in a very good mental place.

On Wednesday Dante had the MMR 1M remedy and other than the morning pain, I observed a facial rash that developed the next day and has lasted through today.  Last night he had his second MMR 1M dose.  His rash continues and he has been uncomfortable for most of the morning.

Dante's facial rash:  MMR or change in diet

Although Dante has been de-toxing during this time, his behavior has been very good in general and his rough spots very manageable.  I had a rough spot myself with a few days of nasty PMS:  low energy, bloating, and cramps.  I took longer than I should have to call my homeopath, who quickly recommended an increase in my remedy potency.  I'm still amazed at how quickly my symptoms faded after taking the new remedy.  I'm back to enjoying my vacation more fully.

New Foods for Dante

An unexpected turn of events has been the start of a special vegetarian diet for Dante.  Abuela Luz, Dante's paternal grandma, made an appointment for us to visit a very famous naturopath here in Puerto Rico.  That visit was probably Dante's low point during this vacation.  The doctor had a waiting room full of people when we went in, and Dante was not happy there to go in.  The waiting patients were probably wondering why anyone would cry so hard and head-bang on the door while the doctor was with them.  I laugh to think what went through their heads.

Dante and Abuela Luz

Dr. Norman spent about 45 minutes with us and gave me numerous recommendations for Dante.  His philosophy is that animal-based protein is the hardest food for humans to digest and assimilate, despite the nutrients it may have.  He has a list of foods that have been ranked based on their nutrients, the capacity for the body to assimilate them, and their impact on the immune system.  He recommends a diet based on these foods to minimize the amount of toxic residue left in the body as much as possible.

It is actually 2 years since Dante began the Specific Carbohydrates diet (SCD).  This diet has greatly reduced the yeast in his intestines.  However, his belly is still super bloated, he has huge circles under his eyes, and he hasn't really been able to expand his diet beyond the squash + protein combo.  I am ready to try something different that may help Dante eat a more varied diet, as long as I feel it will benefit him.  Dante has been eating meats and fish all his life, but I stopped that this week to try this new diet.  There is some overlap between Dr. Norman's diet and SCD, which made me trust it more.  The biggest surprise, however, is that they rank POTATOES as the number 1 health food!!!  To provide an idea of this diet:  the top foods that they recommend are described as "hypoallergenic foods that are fast and easy to absorb.  These foods allow the body to heal and recuperate.  They help the person achieve a 'sustained fast' and break their dependence on toxic foods."  Dr. Norman recommended that Dante's diet be 80% of the following:

• potatoes
• carrots
• beets
• apples (enzymatic fruit)
• papaya (enzymatic fruit)
• maple syrup
• cellery
• olive oil
• black olives 
• potato starch
• potato flour
• potato milk
• onions (with only 1 nucleus)
• lerenes
• pineapple (enzymatic fruit)
• garlic (with 10+ cloves per head)

Three days ago we started removing meats and fish from Dante's diet.  Dr. Norman told me that he could get a rash from the change in the diet, so this could explain what we are seeing. So far he has eaten potatoes, ripe plantain, pana, and fresh pigeon peas.  I have not seen any negative symptoms after these foods so far, at least nothing worse than the pain he's experienced every day.  After that passes, Dante has had very good days and BMs that are better than the previous days.  While on SCD I saw much stronger reactions when I tried new foods with Dante. I wonder if removing animal proteins will further detox Dante and help him heal even more.  We shall see soon enough the effects of this change in diet.  Please wish us continued progress and healing!

UPDATE - FEB. 2013:
After three months on this diet, Dante began to fall down with seizures.  Fat is crucial for the health of the brain, and moving to a vegetarian diet made Dante much worse.  I recommend lots of education and good sources of healthy fat if you move to this diet.  Also, watch out for all the carbohydrates and how they impact your blood sugar (with this diet or with the regular American diet, which is much more damaging).