Body's Strange New Messages... can you help me decode???

[Green_Woman]

For the past ten days or so, I've had a mixture of what can only be described as early pregnancy + flu-like symptoms, including the following:


Nausea from late morning throughout the day, often not passing until late night
Feeling Feverish almost constantly with frequent Hot Flashes followed by Chills - I took my temperature (normal) and it was 98.9... no fever.
Swollen Breasts that ache slightly on the tips only, but feel a little heavier than normal and don't fit in my normal bra
Hormone Headaches
VERY Weird Food Cravings (for three days now, I've wanted meat... I'm 6.5 months 100% Raw Vegan and until this, have had NO cravings...)
Food Aversions (Bananas and Mangos, my two "favorite foods" for MONTHS now, both smell "rotten" to me and make me nauseas...)
Intense Lower Back Pain - even sitting on my heat pack isn't relieving it.
Bloated Mid-Riff (Adorable new jeans I bought 3 wks ago don't fit now... :()
Overall feeling of Fatigue and Depression
Wild Mood Swings... worse than normal, and since the incident last month (http://dauntlessdiva.com/2010/04/08/549), I've already been a wee bit out of whack.


These are textbook Early Pregnancy symptoms, however the blood test results came back as NEGATIVE this morning. It's hard to say if that's accurate or not, based on my research to date, but I'd be willing to guess I'm NOT pregnant and this is something else.

My Hormones are out of whack... REALLY out of whack... how can I fix this the Raw Way, and what are YOUR experiences that might help me uncover a solution??

It's important for me to note at this time that I DO still have Endometriosis (http://dauntlessdiva.com/2010/01/18/curing-the-incurable/), which in the past has caused a few similar symptoms (breast tenderness, bloating, headaches) but NOT all of them (nausea? cravings? almost constant hot flashes?).



Blessings and bliss,
and THANKS in advance -

Greenie

[sproutgirl]

Hey there,

The reason that your body has the same symptoms as when a person gets pregnant isn't because of hormones. It's because, when a woman is pregnant, she automatically starts detoxifying in order to keep everything as healthy as possible for baby. Only modern women are afflicted with morning sickness and all the other unpleasant symptoms that everyone takes for granted now: when people ate healthier and lived in cleaner environments (and for those who still do), they do not get these symptoms because their bodies are clean to begin with, so no housecleaning is necessary.

It's the same thing with menopause--everyone gets all the unpleasant symptoms only in our "affluent" society, before that menopause was a non-issue. And it also had nothing to do with hormones; sure the lack of hormones stopped menstruation, but it's not a hormonal "imbalance" that causes the new symptoms (unlike what big pharma, with its hormone replacement therapy, wants you to believe). Rather, it's because the body has lost an escape route for toxins (i.e. menstruation), so the pent-up body that is used to its monthly cleanse now tries to compensate through fever, hot flashes, swelling, etc.

Same thing with PMS and painful menstruation in general: it's only in toxic bodies that this happens. Once you cleanse yourself you should have no more menstruation issues (i.e. you won't know you're menstruating until you see the red colour, and you won't feel anything different at all).

What you're going through now is great--it's your body getting the chance to cleanse itself, because you've been a good housekeeper and you haven't been overloading it with garbage unlike before you changed to raw clean foods. Now your body is taking advantage of this by evacuating itself of stored toxins through all the symptoms that you described. Trust your body! This is just a phase--when your body finishes cleaning out what it wanted to clean, you'll feel better than before!!!

Cheers to a cleaner you!

[Green_Woman]

Interesting... you could be onto something. :) I hadn't thought of it as Detox as I've been following 100% Raw Vegan for nearly 7 months now, but I can imagine with my history of reproductive issues, THAT part of me at least will take a fair bit longer than the rest to Heal.

[snoops]

I'm not sure I believe that. I had no pregnancy symptoms (well negative ones anyway:)) and I just recently flew through menopause with almost no symptoms. When I was pregnant I was a full blown SAD eater. My diet is much better now but still not great and I don't believe that I had no detoxing to do and therefore no bad side effects.

[katchmoleen]

I doubt it too. I was a very toxic person and really detoxed badly for 6 weeks or more when I went raw (and I still detox from time to time) yet I sailed through 6 pregnancies (and two miscarriages) without an iota of morning sickness or any other symptoms except mild fatigue in the first trimester. If anyone should have had major MS according to that theory, it would have been me.

[katchmoleen]

GW when did you have your last period?

[Green_Woman]

I'm not sure I believe that.

*confused*

Believe what? Which of us were you addressing?


GW when did you have your last period?

It's been 21 days now since the END of my last period, which lasted a long time and was pretty icky this month. My cycles are rarely "regular", though, so I have no idea what's going on.

*sigh*

If I'm not pregnant, I just want some idea of what I am going through. Some of the things women have been telling me the last few days are scaring the hell out of me... weird cancers and disfunctional this-and-that, and so on.

I'm really drained and for some reason feeling extremely emotionally susceptible right now. I do NOT feel like "The Diva" or "Greenie", lately!!!

[Green_Woman]

Same thing with PMS and painful menstruation in general: it's only in toxic bodies that this happens. Once you cleanse yourself you should have no more menstruation issues (i.e. you won't know you're menstruating until you see the red colour, and you won't feel anything different at all).

Man, I wish THAT was true... I've been eating a clean, consistent diet + practicing yoga + adjusting my lifestyle for months now, and I'm still having seriously painful cycles.

They ARE shorter, for the most part (except this month it lasted forever) and I do have less cramping/no cramping before I begin to bleed, though, so I firmly believe I am on my WAY to having ZERO pain during my cycle. :)

[Green_Woman]

yet I sailed through 6 pregnancies (and two miscarriages) without an iota of morning sickness or any other symptoms except mild fatigue in the first trimester.

This is one of the reasons I'm pretty sure I'm NOT "pregnant", because all I ever hear from raw women are how they DON'T feel sick and have awful symptoms when they get pregnant/have babies....


So why would I be THIS sick if it was something "wonderful" like a pregnancy? Doesn't seem right...

[katchmoleen]

Like I said, I quite honestly don't think detox has anything to do with morning sickness. I remember Aleesha having some MS with the pregnancy she lost, and I was as toxic as they come yet had no morning sickness. Is there a chance you COULD be pregnant? As in, you don't take BCP, and other methods may have failed? Cause I am telling you, it sounds to me like you are, and 21 to 28 days is right in the window when you can be pregnant yet a test could still be negative.

[Green_Woman]

There is a definite chance I could be as my boyfriend, M.N., is fertile, healthy and does not have a vasectomy like my darling Mr. A does. We have been careful, but no matter how careful you are, there's always a small window of error.

It would not be an unwanted child, either, though we were not consciously "trying" to conceive at this time. We were hoping to wait at least a year to decide if we'd even want that for "us", honestly. I also wanted to give the Raw time to completely rid my body of the Endometriosis....

I'm mostly concerned that.... if that's what this ends up being, I won't be able to carry full term. That's why I panicked and ran to the Doctor's office as soon as I could find one that would test. The sooner I know, the sooner I can find ways to possibly keep this one...

I just don't want to go through miscarriage again. None of us ever do, right...

What are things I can start doing now, even if this turns out to NOT be pregnancy, that would in the very least support my Body's healing process for my reproductive organs...?

[katchmoleen]

Red Raspberry Tea, like crazy. Eat small meals frequently. Avoid foods that are estrogenic possibly (like flaxseed). The very good news is that if you are pregnant, it can CURE endometriosis! I had it and the gyno said, either take this pill or get pregnant. I got pregnant and have never had any more symptoms. That was 22 years ago.

[Green_Woman]

And you kept the baby!? I'm assuming you did.....??

You would understand how... tremendously hopeful - just GOOD - it would feel to hear a "success" story right now.

[Green_Woman]

Oh yeah.... couple more "symptoms" that were NOT happening before that I should add to the list in case it's relevant:


Leg Cramps at night
Frequent Urination
Feeling like someone is reaching inside my belly and streeetching me... very weird feeling.


All things work for my good... all things work for my good. :) :) :) I am Healed, I am Whole and I am Healthy Right Now...

[sproutgirl]

When people are extremely toxic, they don't experience negative symptoms at all. Their bodies are too weak and too deeply entrenched in toxicity to unload. That's why kids get more "sick" than adults--it's not because their immune systems haven't developed yet, it's the opposite--they haven't been to overladen with toxicity yet, so they get flus and stuff and detox more because their bodies are up to it.

When my parents were first getting into raw foods, my mom was talking to a raw foodist and was bragging about how her kids never got sick. Said the raw foodist: "That's very bad. Your kids should be getting sick, because if they are not that mean their bodies are not able to detox at this point." Sure enough, when we switched to raw foods, we went to twice-a-year pleasant cleansing flu. It makes sense--when a condition is acute, that means your body's working on something; it's when you have asymptomatic chronic constant toxicity and poor health that you're really in trouble, with one foot in the grave.

It's all good! You should be celebrating right now, as I do whenever I get a detox! I never start worrying and say "What can I do to stop it?" I hope that my body gets rid of a lot, and I know that when my body is done with what it wants to get rid of, the detox will end on its own.

Congratulations on your detox!!! Here's to a cleaner you :).

[Green_Woman]

I would jump on the Detox wagon GLADLY because I LOVE it when my Body cleanses, cleanses... but my intuition is calling this something else entirely.

(If it IS simply a detox, then I hope to God I'm detoxing the Endometriosis, because I am DONE with that whole thing. :) )

However, swollen and tender breasts... hot flashes... leg cramps... weird food cravings... are not the type of symptoms one associates with Detoxification... generally. They do fit Hormonal Imbalance or Pregnancy to a T, though. ;)

I'm approaching 7 months 100% Raw and Living Vegan... I haven't had detox symptoms in a few months... maybe I'm due for another round? :)

[sproutgirl]

Also, just because a person ate badly their whole life, doesn't mean they'll get negative symptoms, or that if they don't get negative symptoms that they're too unhealthy to detox; it may simply mean that they inherited less toxicity from mom and dad/lived in less environmentally/emotionally/socially toxic environment, have stronger constitution, etc. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.

What I want to point out, however, is that whenever your body is acting weird, suppressing that bodily function won't help your health. You'll be hiding the signs that you're sick, but the toxins will stay inside of you. Whenever your body is acting weird, that means it's detoxing. You have to get to the source of the problem to alleviate the detox, i.e. intensify the detox through a cleaner diet, rest, etc. to let everything come out as easily and quickly and efficiently as possible. Then the body can be restored to balance on a higher plateau of health.

It's not a matter of comparison. If someone else doesn't have those weird symptoms, it doesn't mean something is wrong with you. It means either they're healthy enough to not need them or that they're too sick to have them. Just know that for yourself, you're detoxing and it's all good.

If you don't want to be happy that it's a detox, on the other hand--go to the doctor, he'll give you some good symptom-suppressing pills that will lead to entrenched toxicity and cancer and other fun stuff. Good times.

[sproutgirl]

Um, actually, hot flashes and leg cramps are associated with detox in my family members' experience. And the stuff with pregnancy is a detox, as I said. Pregnancy is not a medical condition. If you want to continue believing that and continue getting raped by the male medical profession, I really don't know what to say.

[sproutgirl]

There's no such thing as hormonal imbalance either, your body always knows what it's doing :). The question is whether people can live with it, or want their bodies to correspond to alien social norms that decree that anything oozy and smelly and active and natural is bad, with sterility being the modern standard of perfection. The body needs to go through ups and downs in order to grow, like for everything in life. :)

[sproutgirl]

I'd say you're due for another round for sure! We never detoxify all at once; that's part of our bodies' innate wisdom. Otherwise our bloodstream would have so much toxicity released from the cells that we'd die of autointoxication. Let's celebrate it when it comes ;)

[Green_Woman]

Sweetie, are you actually reading what I'm writing? I'm grateful for your input and you are making some excellent points, but I don't think you're actually following my story...

I am not being raped by the medical industry, as I neither use medical methodology to address my health concerns nor put much stock in "standard" American health. ;)

Hi,

My name is Greenie (otherwise known as The Diva)... I've been indulging in the healing delights of Raw Foods since 2006, went 100% in 2009, and I've actually read up a fair bit on the diet + detox, too, since it's something I'm familiar with.

I love my Detoxes - and nowhere did I say I was suppressing my symptoms. ;)

Also... welcome to this Forum! I notice this appears to be your first round of posts?

Welcome aboard,

Blessings and bliss,
Greenie
aka The Diva

[sproutgirl]

I am reading...I was being hypothetical (and very rude. SORRY!!!!!!!!!! Please forgive me! :( ). To me, believing that pregnancy has certain symptoms associated it because that's what doctors are telling you and that there's such a thing as hormonal imbalance is a slippery slope to full-scale exploitation of one's ignorance by the current medical field. The whole current discourse is mistaken. According to what "they" say, certain symptoms, such as feeling always tired, brain fog, ugly sagging skin, and other chronic symptoms of degeneration are "normal" and just part of aging, and when they finally detect osteoporosis or a tumour or something everyone acts like it's abnormal when we really had it coming. On the other hand, acute symptoms such as swelling and rashes and coughing and cramps and fevers are attacked and suppressed, when really we should be letting the body take its healing course. As long as we keep speaking in those terms, we will be stuck in the merry-go-round of punishing our bodies for natural symptoms rather than addressing the root causes. It's only when we escape from these self-limiting concepts that we can broaden our horizons in healing.

[sproutgirl]

I want to reemphathize that, while a chronic condition is a serious health issue, an acute symptom is always a healing mechanism. If we were to stick a pin in our skin, and that would cause pain, the pain and swelling and blood flowing to the site of injury is part of the healing. To then mask the site of injury with a pain-suppressant without taking out the pin would be the height of folly.

Same thing here. We're taught that, when we get an acute symptom, we need to snuff it out. Better to let the body get rid of the problem that causes the body to take an acute and unpleasant emergency evacuation measure. But when we think of it in those terms, any of the body's surprises are never unwelcome any more; they're something for us to stand in awe of and to wonder at our bodies' healing mechanisms. Our body is truly more marvelous than we can fathom. It is a blessing to be able to appreciate it.

[Green_Woman]

Well, again I agree with much of what you're saying here, so relax - you're among friends...! *laughing* I do appreciate your passion for your topic.

I'm definitely not into snuffing symptoms. My reason for posting my original query is to find raw, holistic, healthful solutions to the root problem of whatever is causing my symptoms - I believe in addressing Wholeness, not "Conditions"... hence why, rather than getting surgery to "remove" my Endometriosis, or taking medication to suppress it, I chose to change my Diet AND my entire Lifestyle as much as possible at this time, to seek Total Healing of not just that one dis-ease... but of my whole life.

I really appreciate your comments - stay passionate about Raw and Healing!

[Green_Woman]

Also, don't be alarmed by the concept of having "symptoms" of pregnancy.

Things like hot flashes, food cravings, and so on are natural extensions of your Body's expression of the changing of your hormones to prepare for a healthy child!!!

Pain and discomfort are not always unnatural. ;)

[sproutgirl]

Et pour en dire plus...

Maybe pain and discomfort are never unnatural. Maybe it's just our limiting mindsets that keep us from embracing the "pain" and the totality of our existence. :p

[snoops]

*confused*

Believe what? Which of us were you addressing?



!

Sorry I was addressing sproutgirls comments about detoxing. Of course I believe what you were saying:)

Sproutgirl - read your later comment - you make excellent points.

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Hi Greenie, the only thing I can think of is that the symptoms that you think is horomone related and such. I was thinking maybe eating mainly raw food that is good for the horomones at this point since it's trying to get your attention for some reasons. Drinking coconut water is really really really good for hormone issues and if it was me, I would be doing my own research on which raw food addresses the horomone issues. Hope this helps and hope you'll be back on your feet feeling like "Greenie" or the "Diva" in no time!!! :)

[katchmoleen]

Hi, GW I hope you are feeling better today. Yes, I carried to term and he is now almost 21 years old. My symptoms of endo were horrible PMS, pain with intercourse, and stabbing pains the first couple of days of my period. Awful. Then I got PG and nursed 6 kiddos. I only had 17 periods over the next 14 years or so. Early PG symptoms are caused by a rise in progesterone levels. They are meant to get your attention! A momentous thing is happening!! For women like me, with major estrogen dominance, the progesterone rise actually makes you feel better......perhaps the more unnatural situation. Early pg symptoms can really be aggravated by low blood sugar, which IS not natural, but I believe our bodies are DESIGNED to say, "look here! a major event is underway! Rest, eat lightly, and take it easy." As GW says, not all pain and discomfort are unnatural. I would be interested to know if sprout has ever had a raw pg. I used to have lots of theories. Now I have lots of kids.

BTW GW the doctor most likely used a dollar store pg test on you. Save your money next time and test yourself in a week or so if there is no change.

[Green_Woman]

Snoops - I was just clarifying who was agreeing or disagreeing with who. :D Lately my brain is just not making connections on obvious things... If someone interrupts me mid-sentence, I simply forget what I was saying before! Not at all normal Greenie... I'm sorry if my energy came across as accusatory. :(

Katch - I'm starting to suspect you may be right... leg cramps kept me up all night and my breasts have now grown so much I'm wondering where to find a new, COMFORTABLE support system that doesn't aggravate the tenderness. *laughing* Is that even possible to find???

The Testing Center I went to did a blood test, but when I called in the next day they said my test wasn't ready (24 hrs later) and could I call back in an hour. When I called back, they didn't even ask my name - just said hastily my test was negative and hung up. So I called back again and asked how it was they knew who I was, they said "Caller ID, and we recognized your voice." *Uh huh...*

Suffice it to say, if these symptoms don't let up in another week and I'm still not "on my period" by then - I'm going to ANOTHER Testing Center (this time in California... Arizona just irritates me now) and getting my blood drawn again.

I don't trust pee sticks. "The Stick" lied to me once, and I lost the child.

[Green_Woman]

I was thinking maybe eating mainly raw food that is good for the horomones at this point since it's trying to get your attention for some reasons.

Thank you, Whoa, for this pointer!

I haven't eaten much of anything in the last week. Eating ANYTHING seems to make me nauseas... although yesterday I was able to stand the smell of bananas again (finally) and had two throughout the day. :D

Since I'm only half-way through my 365-Day 100% Raw Challenge, I really want to make sure I'm sticking to the Diet... but if (if if... God, so tired of IF right now...) it's Mini-Greenie on the way, I need to figure out some more guidelines to follow.

[RawHealthyBeauty]

Thank you, Whoa, for this pointer!

I haven't eaten much of anything in the last week. Eating ANYTHING seems to make me nauseas... although yesterday I was able to stand the smell of bananas again (finally) and had two throughout the day. :D

Since I'm only half-way through my 365-Day 100% Raw Challenge, I really want to make sure I'm sticking to the Diet... but if (if if... God, so tired of IF right now...) it's Mini-Greenie on the way, I need to figure out some more guidelines to follow.

There's always herbs and herbal teas. I just get a pitcher of water, throw tea bags in, and put it in the fridge.
I have an herb book for all kinds of solutions. I looked up hormone imbalance and here is what I found.

Alfalfa: rich in vitamin k, that is a friend to women suffering from morning sickness, really this herb is good for everything quoted in the book.
Bee's Royal Jelly: it been found effective for gland and hormone imbalances.
Black Cohosh: contains natural estrogen and is specific for female problems.
Damiana: overcomes exhaustion and has excellent effect on the reproductive system.
Dong Quai: helps to maintain proper balance of female hormones. It does have the cosmetic side effect of enlarging the breast for some women taking this.
Siberian Ginseng: balances hormones, an excellent adaptogen working very good when the body is under chemical or physical stress.
Suma: helps in hormonal levels by balancing estrogen levels.

If this interest you, there are more info on these herbs online as well to check out before taking them.

And I do also have a book about how the coconut water is really good for balancing out the hormones too even for menopause and such.

Or maybe it just your body's way of telling you that you may need to fast??? I don't know....

If I find any more info, I'll let you know. :)

[Sweetness]

Hey there,

The reason that your body has the same symptoms as when a person gets pregnant isn't because of hormones. It's because, when a woman is pregnant, she automatically starts detoxifying in order to keep everything as healthy as possible for baby. Only modern women are afflicted with morning sickness and all the other unpleasant symptoms that everyone takes for granted now:

Sorry, but this is completely untrue. It is similar to the myth that women in tribal areas don't have discomfort with childbirth. They do, it's just that they view it completely different compared to other societies. Cures for morning sickness (Hyperemesis gravidarum) have been around in midwife writings for a long, long time. The interesting thing to note is that way-back-when the midwives could link specific types of morning sickness to certain things that may be missing or to lifestyle issues. It's an interesting study because, for some women, this issue is absolutely debilitating.

We do not detox when we get pregnant. That would be crazy on the body's part because those toxins would then get in our bloodstream -and- affect the baby. This is part of the reason why ketosis is important to avoid during this period, we don't want to release toxins from fat storage. (Also why breastfeeding mothers should never lose more than 1lb/wk because it also releases those toxins from fat).

Btw, you're welcome to doublecheck my info through:

www.pubmed.com
www.gentlebirth.org/archives

and just about any other reputable site on pregnancy/childbirth.

The reason why I have issues with -this- issue is that women are often blamed nowadays for xyz and people paint this rosy picture of what life "used to be like". It's a myth.

[Onelittleram]

The reason why I have issues with -this- issue is that women are often blamed nowadays for xyz and people paint this rosy picture of what life "used to be like". It's a myth.

Here, here, sweetness! :)

[Green_Woman]

Yesterday I cramped lightly for hours... still no sign of The Monthly Week of Doom, though.

I've also been having to go potty more frequently than ever before.

I took another pregnancy test. Negative. (Turns out I took it wrong... turns out I've been taking them all wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that the blood test three days ago was ALSO negative. Hrrrmmm...)

I am at a loss what to think or do at this point, but I do think it's time to just not think about it and focus on just eating my healthy Raw foods (no matter how much I want teriyaki chicken right now)... and doing Yoga, again.

[Green_Woman]

No let up in symptoms. New ones as of today... too tired to discuss but... anyone reading this, can you please just pray that I figure out what's happening SOON? So I can get my clear-headed old self back? :)