Saturday 27 March 2010

Final day of the Detox

Hi folks
Have slept like a log after an amazing session of rebirthing yesterday afternoon with a guy called Jonathan who is a Reiki master and all round special guy. Despite an odd name which might be off-putting for some (and certainly would have been for me had I not have had a wonderful breathing meditation workshop with him earlier in the week). It involves connected breathing techniques which send you into a deep trance-like state where you are then able to connect more with your inner self. Now, I know a lot of sceptics out there are thinking 'what on earth is she on about' - I was one of you, so I know how that feels. All I can say is that with an experienced practitioner this becomes a journey into oneself.
As I went deeper into relaxation, i saw lights, I saw a window shape, like concentric circles and then finally (after I had nearly nodded off), as I lay there in the final part of the session, a face appeared of an ancient man (I don't mean old as in years but as in from a long time ago - an ancient culture perhaps) who turned to look at me and one eye blinked and stayed while the rest of him faded. It was not scary in the slightest, I felt he held me there in love.
Jonathan gave me some Reiki to end the session, and I left feeling very held.
I have booked to do my Reiki 2nd stage with Jonathan as he is a Reiki teacher too. This is something I have been thinking about for a while as I wanted to offer Reiki with my massage therapy. It's going to be worth it I think.
We then had an evening of wool craft, which I have to say I was not looking forward to as I haven't done anything like that since I was a child but, it was great - I made 2 friendship bracelets and some felt balls and it was wonderfully creative. She was also a raw fooder and proceeded to tell us how she was brought up as a child but still eats some cooked foods and loves fresh coffee. it was arefreshing change from the slightly holier than thou attitude that I have been picking up here. We have made a number of observations of the contradictions inherent in this lifestyle and it has certainly been 'food for thought'.
OK well, my skin is looking miles better, the cracks on my feet which are termed 'hard skin' and i thought were with me for life, have disappeared, I have lost 5 pounds, my eyes are clearer, I feel more energetic so I have to say that this nutrional approach really works.
We leave this morning so this will be my last post from here. I hope to make further blogs as I adjust to life at home with 'cooked' food (it's weird how being in one environment makes you forget the rest).
Love and light to all/any reading this. Don't let your prejudices prevent you from following your intuition. Heart over mind. It's so vital
Tricia

Thursday 25 March 2010

Day 4 of the Detox

Wow what a 24 hours this has been.
Had a fantastic talk last night on spiritual healing from a woman, marie, who was paralysed from the neck down in a car accident and decided to not give up but heal herself. Her story was not only mesmerising but very profound. Her advice to us was to simply 'enjoy what is' and trust that 'all is well'. These sayings might sound trite out of context to her story but they certainly resonated with me. I had been having a really difficult day, trying to get to grips with the stresses of being 'outside' my normal life and still maintain all the business development that needs to be done. Instead of being on retreat it has felt like being on the defensive. I have to remind myself I am doing the best I can with the tools that I have. Dawn has also been feeling a bit low with all the stuff going on in her life too so the emotional side of the detox has been very revealing.

Today we had an incredible sound healing workshop - with a gong and various Himalayan Crystal bowls. Surprisingly effective way of sending you into a meditative space. A guy turned up later who, my first impressions were - 'he's not on a raw food diet' - as he was quite overweight and looked rather sick. It then transpired that he was a stage 4 cancer survivor who should, by all measures, be dead. He has lost 3 stone in 5 weeks of solid green juicing, he is suffering greatly but says the reason he is still here is because of the juicing and sheer willpower to survive. Before meeting Rian and changing his diet he was on 24 pills a day; antihypertensives, blood sugar regulators, anti-ulcer medication, pills for his eczema, etc, etc. His oncologist and GP keep ringing him to pressurise him to take chemotherapy. He had the radiotherapy but it apparently caused such damage to his internal organs that when he was operated on to repair his prostate the surgeon could do nothing as all his organs had 'fused'. His wife who also came explained that she since she has been raw fooding to keep him company she has stopped all her medications too. This is the story we need to publish. I KNOW the medical establishment refuses to believe that cancer and other diseases can be treated nutritionally but here is the proof if ever I needed it.

I remember thinking when my sister in law was diagnosed with bowel cancer 2 and a half years ago that I felt she was lucky being put into a clinical trial for the latest chemotherapy drug because it could prolong her life for 6 months or so. She endured absolute agony for the last 6 months and still died. If I'd known then what I know now I would have strongly recommend she try the juicing instead. It is incredibly powerful.

It saddens me that the truth is so suppressed and the lie of 'scientists will find the cure for cancer' is still perpetuated by the medical/pharmacological establishment (of which I have been a part). It's just the cancer industry unfortunately, that firstly sells us the food products that give us cancer and then attempts to make more money out of us by selling us cancer 'treatment' which may or may not give us remission (notice it is not a 'cure' but a treatment - the risks of it returning are high even after treatment as the conditions which allow cancer to thrive are still present unless the sufferer makes changes to their lives). This method which I have seen working has been documented in many establishments throughout the world - most noticeably by Charlotte Gerson and the Gerson therapy she developed with her father. But it is derided and forced to be an 'underground' treatment (they cannot operate their centre in the US as it is banned). What do they do that is so terrible. They treat cancer in exactly the way I am learning here. They juice, they give enemas, they detoxify, they educate and enlighten. This, really is the only way.

Well, only a couple of days to go now - am back on raw food now and expect to leave her a few pounds lighter. Have lost 4 pounds already - 2 notches on my belt! please, dear reader don't think of this as weight loss diet. It is a life-change diet.

Wednesday 24 March 2010

Day 3 of the Raw Food Detox

Hi folks
Well today I threw up after my wheatgrass in the morning - I was in the middle of a breathwork workshop so had to excuse myself quickly and do the do.Apparently this is normal and not to be concerned about, part of the detoxing. I was soon feeling better and able to continue the class. Great guy called Jonathan who also does Reiki training and I felt i wanted to experience that so have booked a session of rebirthing with him for Friday and a place on the Reiki 2 training class he runs in Winchester. His energy was so great I didn't need to think about this. It just seems right.

The main think to report is that I have transitioned to food today for the first time in 3 days. I was hungry but strangely I had no urge to binge. It has been difficult getting through the last 2 days but I'm glad I did it and look forward to the Raw Food programme that now begins. We have had some interesting speakers giving talks to us, we have one on Spiritual Healing tonight by a woman, Marie I met here on the open day in November.

I have also done an enema for the first time the night before but decided owing to sharing a bathroom with one of their permanent guests here that I probably won't do another here but since we are given a kit to use at home might well consider it part of my detox routine. It's not as gruesome as it sounds, indeed you do feel cleaner afterwards and it is vital if you are detoxing to make sure the bowels are working and all the toxins are not just sitting there not being eliminated.

Again today has been a mixed day of good and bad but overall i have learnt so much from the guests and the speakers here I feel inspired that the next phase of my life will indeed be kick-started by being here just as I hoped. I leave my regular University job at the end of this month and launch as a holistic practitioner and gardener. Time will tell whether this provides me with sufficient income but I intend to give it my best shot.
That's all for now, off to eat my sugar snap peas (supper)...
Tricia

Tuesday 23 March 2010

Day 2 of the Raw Food Detox

Day 2 and boy oh boy is this tough. I was warned yesterday that it would be the hardest day as all your toxins start to be eliminated and you feel - rough! Had a difficult night, kept waking very dehydrated, then so physically exhausted it felt like having flu. A sty has come up on my eye (which is interesting as presumably this is the liver detoxing). Dawn reckons she's getting a cold sore too. This is normal apparently - whatever the weakest point of your immune system is will likely come to the fore. I KNOW it will be worth it but I can tell you this morning I was close to throwing in the towel. It's not nice to feel so bad -but knowing what i know that you often feel worse before you feel better (the 'healing crisis') this is something you have to go through before you feel the full benefit. I have been fantasising about my muesli believe it or not. And the kurly cale crisps that Rian made looked so appetising! It's interesting isn't it that i'm not fantasising about chocolate or crisps. Just good wholesom food that you can chew will be a real treat. I can't wait. Tomorrow i have the opportunity to have some food or I can go on til Thurs. I think you can guess what I'm going to do. I'm not a matyr to the cause.

Have had some interesting conversations about the whole Raw Food thing - there are various shades of opinion here and some people have done other courses and detoxes and others are complete novices but impressed by what knowledge there is to share here. It makes the whole thing more positive somehow. We had yoga this morning which I thought I wouldn't manage but made me feel better, and a guided meditation after the morning juice. It's a pretty full-on experience that looks at things holistically which suits me but I think some people might find it pretty challenging. Ah well, that's all for now, be in touch when I have something else to report. Wish me luck!
Tricia

Monday 22 March 2010

Detox day 1

Hi there from my residential detox centre in Winchester. Arrival last night was a shock when I realised that there was no food on Sunday night! however, as we hadn't eaten we were given a very nice raw soup and a quick introduction to the week. First thing I hadn't realised was that instead of a mixture of juicing and raw food during the week it was a juicing detox first and then raw food from Weds/Thurs! So, I had to face the next 2-3 days without eating anything other than juices. But, in for a penny as they say and here I am 24 hours later having had only green juices all day (including a wheat grass shot first thing which made me feel nauseous). and, though I am missing food (and fantasising about the lovely things I can eat when we resume eating on Weds), I am not desperate or craving but feeling quite liberated. I have felt very tired during the day and have slept quite a lot and expect to have an early night after an enema (my first!) but in general am feeling quite positive.

There are 3 guests here at the moment, all sharing the experience and our life stories. All very empowering and with a series of speakers during the week on various aspects of health and wellbeing (from nutrition through to spiritual/emotional health) it should be fab. Today we had a lecture on longevity from Max Tuck who plans to reach age of 100! Looking at the excellent health she now has I wouldn't be surprised. She is 100% Living food (i.e raw with sprouting) and looks amazing on it. She is a practising vet which as well as a Health Educator which is an interesting mix - a bit like mine being a gardener and healer..

Well, it already feels very inspirational being here but I know tomorrow is going to be difficult physically and Weds difficult emotionally apparently. Wish me luck! Will be blogging anything interesting as it comes up.
Bye for now,
Tricia

Friday 12 March 2010

Detoxification is the name of the game

Am busy reading and writing on detoxification and my researches plus personal experience have led me to consider mercury amalgam filling removal. The evidence is so compelling against having mercury in your mouth it seems to me stupid not to at least investigate how much it woudl cost to have them removed. Of course I can't get that done on the NHS but have to pay privately. The NHS paid to fill my mouth up with fillings (during my childhood I can hardly remember a visit to the dentist that didn't result in a filling!). it was only as I reached adulthood and the way dentists are paid (i.e. per filling) changed that suddenly, hey presto! I no longer needed them. Now that could be as I stopped eating so many sweets but it does make me question the policy then.
I recently had a filled tooth removed as my wisdom teeth had come through partially and were causing decay in one of my molars. It had to be extracted as my dentist said it was too far gone to save. I had a strange feeling when it was removed that somehow this would be beneficial, though I didn't know then what I know now that mercury vapour is constantly evaporating from your teeth, especially if you grind your teeth, eat acidic foods and drink hot liquids - all of which I do. Dr Paula Baillie-Hamitlon in her excellent book 'Stop the 21st century killing you' (slightly emotive title but solid research) said if there is one thing she would recommend people do to improve their health then this was it.
As I and a friend are just about to embark on a week of juicing and raw food at the UK's first residential Raw food centre (Health, etc in Winchester), I thought this was an apt time to consider all my detoxing options. Though I would not describe myself as ill, I know i am not optimally healthy. Two glasses of white wine from last night render me headachey and dehydrated this morning despite drinking water before going to bed last night. it appears that the sulphites in the wine can be toxic to people who's livers are overtaxed or working inefficiently. This is evidently the case with me. I always wondered why as I never got this when I was younger - I would get a hangover if I drank more than 4 or 5 glasses but this is different. The headache is very particular. It makes perfect sense to me that as I get older and my body gets more overloaded with toxins (did you know we take in approx. 123 different chemcials through our mouth and skin each day? And these accumulate in the fat cells in our bodies and are passed on to your children. We are playing Russian Roulette with our bodies and our planet. It really is frightening.
However, this blog wasn't meant to add to the depression that many of us feel with the state of the world but to outline that there are practical measures you can take. I usually do a liver detox around the equinox (March and October each year) as, after the first one I did the results were so amazing that i vowed to make it a regular part of my health maintenance regime. I prefer the one that uses milk thistle and dandelion extract as a liver support whilst restricting you diet and drinking the all important olive oil/lemon juice/water drink (yes I know it sounds odd but it really works). The energy and vitality I felt after that first cleanse was amazing. Subsequent ones haven't been so dramatic but I guess that is possibly because I didn't have so much to get rid of. This year I have decided to spend my redundancy money on a weeks retreat to experience a much more complete overhaul. I want to blog every day from the centre so you'll get a feeling of what I'm going through. I expect it'll be hard and some emotional stuff will rear its head. I know I'm still going through stuff at the moment as I'm having really strong anxiety dreams. Healing takes place on many levels though not just with the body as I'm beginning to realise.
I'll begin the detox on Sunday 21st March through to the following Saturday. if anyone is interested in following me. Speak soon,
Tricia

Monday 1 March 2010

The gardening year starts here!

Hi Folks
Today the sun came out and the mist began rising from the fences and roofs as I watched from my kitchen early in the morning. It was magical and reminded me that spring is just around the corner. Luckily the weather was good as today I was gardening for a client that was started a few weeks ago but has been hampered by the weather. Today we managed not only to finish the digging over (a couple of new borders) but also I collected the plants that I ordered last week and put most of them in (I will finish tomorrow). The client was so surprised when she came home - the garden is transformed! I wish every day could be so uplifting. however, my muscles are aching terribly so perhaps it best that I don't do this every day!
Roll on spring - the days are beginning to lengthen and with it my spirits rising. All we need now is some warmth.
Am managing to keep up with the optimum nutrition - green drinks in the morning, superfoods with my muesli, then it gets a bit more complex especially when I'm at work. however, fresh soup seems to suit me and I've noticed my digestion has improved since I cut down the sugar and milk and added the spirulina and barley grass drink.
Long discussions with friends about the futility of 'dieting' - restricting your intake of calories by cutting out carbohydrates for instance simply puts your body into starvation mode which, although initially weight reducing, causes you to put more on faster when you come off the diet. However, it's difficult to convince some people of this as they are psychologically 'hooked' on the notion of dieting. It seems to provide a social support (between those people on the diet) and a sense of control (once I've lost weight I will have more impetus to keep going, etc). It is not just my observation but well documented in the research that most diets fail - after all if they didn't the whole industry would go bust. Anyhow, I know I'm becoming boring on the subject. But, dear reader, just to let you know, by not restricting my diet but replacing some of the less nutritious things with the superfoods and wholefoods I've managed to lose all the weight I put on on holiday in just 2 weeks (about 6 pounds). And, I think it will stay off. Will let you know!