Detox?

[J A]

I've been eating raw for 3,5 months. I did eat non-raw nuts and juices the first two-three months as I wasn't aware of these not being raw. About one week from going raw, I had flu-like symptoms that lasted for a week.

Now I'm having a real hard time, I just hope this is detox and not some kind of food poisoning.

I couldn't sleep last night because of abominable abdominal pains. The pain's still there, like a knife in my belly, though not a very sharp one. I've had loads of bowel movements with varying degrees of faeces coming. Been drinking a lot for the last few days, eating very little since the pains started last night. Can't eat - the food won't stay; I've vomited at least six times today. My belly is swollen and I can feel lots of gas there. Strangely though, the gas is not coming out, except in sporadic rasps. The pain is unbearable, not because of its intensity but because it's always there, never going away. No relief no matter how many times I vomit.

What's more, I'm drinking loads of water (already a gallon today) but I urinate very little and the urine is darkish yellow. Also, when I vomit, I sweat a lot. Feels like my body is doing everything it can to push something out? I suspect I've got fever, too. I had to take a pill (Ibuprofen), can't bear the pain. And I'm dead tired, too, only slept three hours last night. Can't sleep because of the pain.

I just hope this is detox and I'll find myself radiating energy soon! This is definitely not what I was looking for when I went raw.

I did make guacamole yesterday with Dijon mustard in, could be that - except it was a rather small amount and none of the others who ate it are feeling anything out of the usual. Plus, I've been feeling tired for a few days now and my belly's been swollen for at least two days.

Is this detox or what? Anything I can do about the pain? Don't want to take pain killers.

[GlimR]

Sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. I don't know about the detox but if I am "sick" intestinally I eat ginger...or make ginger tea. I actually have a ginger syrup that is cooked that I use but fresh ginger is best if you have it...it may just calm things down and soothe the digestive tract...wishing you feel better soon~

[J A]

Sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. I don't know about the detox but if I am "sick" intestinally I eat ginger...or make ginger tea. I actually have a ginger syrup that is cooked that I use but fresh ginger is best if you have it...it may just calm things down and soothe the digestive tract...wishing you feel better soon~

Thanks. I have no fresh ginger, just powder, so I mixed a tiny amount with water... Vomitted large amounts of liquid within seconds. Probably all the water I've been drinking... Weird, the water I drink does not appear to move on from my stomach, it gets there and stays there, not continuing on to my bladder.

Don't want to vomit like that again... So any new advice is very much appreciated. Can't eat anything, I'll throw it up within an hour or two.

[RawHeaven]

This is not medical advice. I use ginger root for intestinal upset also. It sounds like you have a virus, fungal infection, maybe yeast/candida die off or a parasite. Could be anything.

If the ginger is not working, try a few drops of grapefruit seed extract in water or chop up some garlic cloves and swallow them down with water.

Your body simply may want to fast as it heals. Lemon in warm water may help as well to calm your system.

Hope you feel better.

[J A]

Thanks, I tried lemon in warm water. Don't know if it did the trick or whether it was the pain killer (had to take another pill) but now the abdominal pain is gone; now, my private parts hurt instead... But the pain is much more bearable and I've even been able to get some sleep.

Let's hope that was the worst of it! :D

[J A]

Unfortunately, not... The pain is increasing again, I find it difficult to move my body and it hurts real bad when I urinate. I guess I'll just keep drinking water... Should flush out whatever's hurting me - feels like an infection.

I'll have to take another pain killer. I'm lethargic, too - feels like my head's in a real thick fog and my blood pressure must be really low - I've been losing vision when I stand up, but now it has become really bad - it took med 30-40 seconds to recover even though I wasn't moving.

Boy, don't I wish there was a good book about detox. All Alissa says is detox isn't particularly bad for most people, maybe a bit of cold etc... I've never been this sick.

[J A]

Just wanted to give an update... And would be pleased to hear from anyone with similar detox symptoms.

This is my third day into real bad detox symptoms. Last week, I felt weak and unfocused, but since last Sunday, I'm really sick. After vomitting, high fever, total lethargy, unability to drink/eat, little sleep and abominable pains, I now have bad diarrhoea (my body basically lets all the water I drink out through my bowels), total lethargy, absolutely no energy, my voice reduced to a whisper and constant gas-like pains ravaging through my stomach. No gas coming out though. This morning I woke up with sunken eyes - my wife thought I looked like a skeleton. Probably dehydration, I have to force the water down my throat, don't feel at all like drinking. I'm slightly better now after half a gallon of water with a tiny amount of Himalayan salt in it. The lemon water only irritated my throat and made me even more bloated.

I hope this will stop soon. I can't take much more of it. Never read about this severe detox symptoms anywhere! I feel like dying, luckily my wife is helping me, bringing me water, letting me just lie in the bed.

Sorry I don't want to sound self-pitying but I just wonder - have any one you had this kind of detox symptoms? How long can this go on?

[Raw Angel Mom]

What kind of raw food do you eat? Are you obsess of losing weight as fast as possible?

You don't want to detox too fast. Perhaps add more fiber food, stay away from juicing right now. Have green smoothies, they will help. You can do research and consider to see a colon therapist and get your guts clean, this would take away so much bad stuff and ease you detox period. I recommend that you try some dr. An Wigmore green soup, they are rich in fiber, protein and cleanse you very gently and help to regulate the detox period.

I detoxed very quickly at first, it wasn't quite my choice. I got sick like you mentioned, and couldn't eat but e3live or orange juice, which speed the detox. I lost weight too fast and on top of this, i got an injuries and whiched reduced my apetite and again i was on e3live and this time green smoothies. To my sadeness i even develop allergies now which i never thought i had or felt the symptom so strong. It helped to have colon therapy and to cleanse my sinus with these tea water thing.

Compare to your old diet on sad, do you eat more fruit or sweet then before? Did you have any health condition such candida, fatigue, etc... You could have leeking guts too, i am taking therapeudic enzyme to help to repair my guts and it has made a enormous difference.

I hope you feel better soon, but definitely, i would add more fiber to reduce the intensity of this detox and stay away from juice just for a time being. Try to avoid gas, i am talking about some little adjustment with making sure that you digest well before eating something else especially fruits. The gas would add up on toxin inside, so try to reduce this. It made a huge difference for me too by doing little adjustment with my raw food.

[oai]

I haven't had those types of symptoms, & I have water fasted (deep clean there!). Your symptoms do sound a lot like when my baby brother had a tummy virus. The doctor told him to take Maalox and something else. I forget what it was.

I found this site: click here. (http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/aha_gastroen_crs.htm) See if those symptoms resonate with you or not.

Hope you feel better soon!

[swix]

Hi J.A,
My heart is with you. I started my raw food diet two months ago. It sounds that what you are going through at this minute is more than a detox. However, canot be sure our body does go through a massive change and it cannot just start digesting like a raw veg factory after years of regular eating. I would try and fast a bit and drink ginger tea. I know that it is difficult to hear everyone breezing through as if everything is easy - it isn't. In my first two months my teeth have become more sensitive, my usually strong nails have become soft, and I am now on the verge of cystitis - which I only get once a year if I get really run down...it is all due to the change to a 100% raw diet. It takes time and patience to find out what raw foods are the best for us and get a regular eating pattern that suits us personally. I love the "Green for Life" book - it is really excellent and inspiring. Also for heavy reading: Gabriel Cousen's books are the best inspiration possible.

I have been having really smelly gas from day 1. I think it is simply low HCL - like most other people. The body has to build it up. This is driving my husband insane - especially at night. The most frustrating part for me is that he says: "This cannot be a good diet - there must be something seriously wrong if you have so much gas." I am trying everything possible and would be happy to hear more suggestions. I am trying to build up my HCL with "Green for Life Smoothies" every day.

Gas regime:
1) I take a good probriotic in the morning
2) Premium Enzymes before each meal (I have Alyssa's and I have Zypan from my holistic nutritionist)
3) Digestives+B12 twice a day
4) Food Combining (The key) - especially, no fruit after a meal!
5) Triphala before sleep
6) Start with "gentle veg": Not cruciferous veggies. No cabbage!!
7) Blend to green smoothies: Green for Life method
8) Active Charcoal for odour

I am going to try to monofood and stop eating early in the day so I will not suffer at night. Because so far I am still suffering.

Any more suggestions?

[J A]

Thanks for all the replies. I went raw 3,5 months ago, coming from a paleolithic diet with lots of (mainly sweet) fruits. I thought I was 100% raw but after 3 months I realized the organic "natural" cashew nuts I had been eating weren't really raw, plus I'd bought juices that were pasteurized. Been without those for 2 weeks now.

I like Green for Life too, too bad I gave it to a friend... Need to get a new copy. I don't like supplements, would like to eat what Mother Nature offers and would like to believe that is enough. I have always eaten lots of fruits but apart from that mostly "average diet"... with the exception of lots of sugar, especially chocolate. I used to love chocolate, couldn't live without it. When on paleolithic, I kept away from it by pure will power - 3 weeks after going raw, I didn't want chocolate anymore, for the first time in my life. That was reason enough for me to continue being raw. I try to eat as much organic produce as possible, unfortunately where I live not everything is available as organic so I guess half of the fruits I eat are non-organic. I also eat salads and love green smoothies (though mine tend to be blue/red instead as I love blending berries with geens). Unfortunately, our blender broke down last week (still saving for a Vita-Mix), a spare part's been ordered but hasn't arrived yet.

No, I definitely don't wish to lose weight fast. Before paleolithic, I used to weigh 190+ pounds. After half a year on paleolithic, I went down to 176 pounds. Since then, I've plummeted down to 154 pounds and if I survive this ordeal, I'll be a LOT thinner than that! And I'm 6 feet tall.

I probably eat a bit less of fruits, especially sweet fruits. More greens. Have been craving avocados of late. No health conditions that I can think of... I'm 27 and always been fine, though not the athletic type - I've always found excercising just for the sake of it very boring.

Leaking guts - what do you mean?

Stomach flu: Could be, though it's funny it's just me - my family's been eating the same things as me, plus some cooked food - and they're perfectly fine. In fact, if I had half the energy of my 4-year daughter, I could probably run a marathon any day.

I'm having real big difficulties eating and drinking at all. If I drink water (mixed with a tiny amount of Himalayan salt), I soon feel bloated and my bowels start to feel strange, like loads of gas moving around. I have to force food down my throat, I find the smell of food disgusting and almost vomited when I skimmed through some raw books in search for more information on detox. The recipes made me feel sick. I ate a grated apple and will try to increase my intake of fruits with fibre. Haven't had any juices, mainly because we only have a manual juicer which requires a lot of work to operate, I haven't got the strength and my wife hasn't got the time. Smoothies are a lot easier, once we fix the blender. During these three days, I have a total of four apples plus 1/2 - 3/4 a gallon of water per day. Some of the symptoms started a bit earlier, the skin on my fingers suddenly got very dry on Thursday, I was a bit dizzy on Thursday and Friday and unable to concentrate on work. Didn't feel sick though. I made a large salad on Saturday with plenty of avocado, guacamole with Dijon mustard and Marinara sauce. I vomited most of that on Sunday.

Uh oh - got to go now, my bowels are up to something bad. Sorry for any typos, I can't focuse my eyes properly and my brain's in a fog.

[Green_Woman]

IMNSHO, that does not sound like strictly detox...

[J A]

I would try and fast a bit and drink ginger tea. I know that it is difficult to hear everyone breezing through as if everything is easy - it isn't. In my first two months my teeth have become more sensitive, my usually strong nails have become soft, and I am now on the verge of cystitis - which I only get once a year if I get really run down...it is all due to the change to a 100% raw diet.



Swix, I tried ginger blended with water (organic ginger powder) and was vomitting within seconds.

Do you mean I could cause my body lasting harm by detoxing fast? Why haven't I ever heard that before? If detoxing could be dangerous, it should say so in the books you'd think! My idea of raw foods is, my body will know what it needs and once the cravings for cooked food are gone (or, in my case, for chocolate - never like cooked food much anyway), all I need to do is listen to my body and eat what it wants. Then I'll detox (thought it would happen in a more peaceful way) and once all the poisons are out of my body, I'll be full of energy, have radiating health and feel super. Maybe my idea's too simple? I've read Victoria Boutenko's books (Green for Life and 12 steps to Raw Food), Alissa's, Ani Phyo's, a couple more - not one of them mention detoxing possibly could be dangerous and Alissa in fact thinks it's best to switch directly to 100 % raw, not take it in small steps.

I just want to believe this is detox, I've been so much looking forward to bristling with energy once this ordeal is over. If this is just food poisoning / whatever, all the pain's been in vain!

[oai]

since you have been raw for a couple of months, i think your body is doing its best to remedy whatever it is. :) i hope it goes away soon.

as for my brother's stomach flu, no one in our family had it. it was just him and in the summer. :eek: maalox is a type of medication which treats diarrhea, and i don't remember what the other was. :( if the symtoms for a stomach flu resonates with you, maybe try some raw foods that treat diarrhea. i'm not sure what those are. along with maalox and something else, the doctor also recommended he drink lots of fluids to replenish his body, since he lost lots of electrolytes due to the diarrhea.

i also do not think true detox can cause much harm. i've water fasted. i may have been really weak, but i was pretty focused for a weak person. :p

also, you might consider seeing a doctor to really diagnose what this is. you don't necessarily have to take the Rx, since you're raw. then look for natural cures or treatment once you get a diagnosis.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Leaky guts are hole in our gut many time caused by candida. You can google and see the symptom, but you say you didn't have that.

My questions about fruits was only because i was wondering if you could be sensitive to sugar but this is out, since that you were eating fruits before....

I am no doctor, but did you check for pregnancy test?

It seems that everything is normal but you could try to find a natural doctor that do raw food.

Hope you are feeling better soon!

I was detoxing intensively for about 6 to 7 months, today, i am more then fine and it will be two years this spring that i am 100% raw.

Try to listen to your body, add fiber and consider a colon therapist.

[J A]

Hold on there, this could be salmonella. A batch of Italian salads (I'm in Europe) in the local shops were found to have salmonella, and I know I've bought and eaten a lot of those salads. Could also explain why my family's not sick - they only eat tiny amounts of salad, I eat huge portions.

I'm going to my doctor today to hear his verdict.

I'm going to be pretty pi***d off if this is salmonella! Such a waste of time! I'm gonna grow my own greens from today...

[ArcturusXIV]

I agree with seeing a colon therapist. A good colon hydrotherapy can really speed up the detox process. If you're worried about your urine, I would try cranberries blended up in a vitamix...that should help pass anything that is in your kidneys. You might also try a little slippery elm powder and some form of probiotic for your stools. This sounds like some sort of infection, not regular detox, but I'm no expert on this.

[SamanthaMunster]

seeing as you've recieved tons of great advice I feel there's nothing new I could say to you:(

I just hope that you feel better soon and there's nothing serious going on outside of the detoxing.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Hold on there, this could be salmonella. A batch of Italian salads (I'm in Europe) in the local shops were found to have salmonella, and I know I've bought and eaten a lot of those salads. Could also explain why my family's not sick - they only eat tiny amounts of salad, I eat huge portions.

I'm going to my doctor today to hear his verdict.

I'm going to be pretty pi***d off if this is salmonella! Such a waste of time! I'm gonna grow my own greens from today...

Oh, good lord, i hope this isn't that. Keep us update, i wish you well!

[Zuri]

Yeah, something just doesn't sound right. I hope it's nothing serious.

[oai]

Let us know! Get well soon! :)

[annavon]

Hold on there, this could be salmonella. A batch of Italian salads (I'm in Europe) in the local shops were found to have salmonella, and I know I've bought and eaten a lot of those salads. Could also explain why my family's not sick - they only eat tiny amounts of salad, I eat huge portions.

I'm going to my doctor today to hear his verdict.

I'm going to be pretty pi***d off if this is salmonella! Such a waste of time! I'm gonna grow my own greens from today...


I just read the thread today and my first thought was food poisoning, so I agree with the salmonella idea. That really makes sense because your body is trying hard to get rid of something. You wouldn't be detoxing that hard since you are on a high fruit diet prior to giong raw.

Too bad for you, soounds pretty miserable. Let us know what you find out from the Dr.