Argh!!

[Willing2raw]

Hi everyone,
I first tried the raw and living food diet last year and was 95% raw for 5 months before I had to have surgery. Unfortunately after that I never got back to my raw routine due to my doctor advising against it.
I suffer from fibroids, anaemia and fibromyalgia. I know going raw will help but I need support and advice because I can't do it by myself. I'm scheduled for another surgery in the next few weeks, the more pain I'm in, the less I want to do.
Would anyone suggest I do a cleanse before and/or after the surgery? Does anyone have any other advice?

[Frugal Raw]

Welcome!! I wish you the best of rawesome health! What surgery did you have, and what are you about to have? I'd say green smoothies/soup for the anemia. Greens helps us more when the cell walls are already broken down either via light cooking or (even better) via vitamix. Also, for assimilation - don't forget to include something with vitamin C to unlock the iron in the greens - so oranges, peppers, that sort of thing.

What I know of fibromyalgia is that it is often affected by stress. Raw tends to de-stress many people, so maybe with that and daily meditiation, you might find some relief. Another recommendation I have for you is myofascial release. It is a special type of massage - NOT what everyone knows of massage; the deep tissue experience - rather, it is a form of massage where the practitioner barely uses the tips of their fingers to unroll those little knots one by one. NEVER go for deep-tissue with fibromyalgia.

Also, drink lots of water. That's what my last doc told me when she gave me the nod for raw foods. I have a history of candidia overgrowth and wheat intolerance. My doc was a born/raised vegetarian from India, and has NEVER been sick or taken medication for anything. I found her to be very user-friendly as a vegetarian. Is the doc who is telling you not to do raw foods an omni? How much of a nutrition background does he/she have?

I can't say anything about the fibroids. Where are they? Perhaps others on this board have had experience with those?

[rawviveyourself]

Most doctors that I have encountered have not studied nutrition and will advise against eating raw. Do what feels right to you!
As for the cleanses, listen to your body...of course you will want to support your body in getting rid of the drugs from surgery, but only you know when the right time to do that is, and what form will work best for you.
Detox doesn't have to mean you have to be extreme with your body - you can get all the benefits from a detox just by eating raw. And it's yummy, too!
For fibroids, read up on nattokinase: www.womhoo.com
For fibromyalgia, my impression is that there is a depletion of minerals combined with an environment of inflammation (often caused by wheat and/or dairy allergies) - look at complete sources of minerals and sea salt. A little sea salt in some fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning gets the enzymes working and provides you with some minerals to start your day.
For aenemia, take a look at whole food liquid supplements like floradix with iron. It's important to know why you are aenemic: b12 deficiency, intrinsic factor dysfunction, enzyme depletion or inflammation in the GI tract, or a combination, or something else? Personally, I'd add therapeutic enzymes to my diet, but that is just me.
I'm not a doctor, and this is not medical advice, just information for you to research. Good luck on your journey!

[rawviveyourself]

Alissa's chapter on detox might also be a helpful reminder:
http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3206

And yes - FrugalRaw is right on the money - green smoothies!!!:D

[spicyfull]

I wish you everything you need to Stay RAW...........Welcome to MY World.

[StarFire]

Aloha and Welcome to RFT... I'm so sorry you will be going thru another surgery in a few weeks.... but... being on this RAW FOOD LIFEstyle... is the very BEST thing that you could do for yourself....

so you just keep on keepin on.. and go forward! We will be here to support you!!

If yu are really wanting to do a cleanse - I would suggest doing it AFTER the surgery .... before the surgery - you just want to concentrate on eating as much RAW goodness as you can.... and allow your body to do what it is supposed to do....

after the surgery -- when you're ready --- THEN do a cleanse -- it will help get any medication out of your sysytem... etc.... but - don't feel like you have to do it IMMEDIATELY.... let your body rest and heal...

blessings to you...


http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s43/FireStar_830/welcome.gif