Tide Rises, Tide Falls
December 24, 2007
My favorite class at Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque, New Jersey was sophomore English with Karen Smith. I loved reading poetry and literature, especially the Transcendentalists, and discovering how amazing writers compiled words into thoughts and images that beautifully depicted life... the deeper observations that people often overlook when we are too busily engaged in our version of living.
I memorized Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "The Tides Rises, The Tide Falls." Still appreciating the sonic, cascading, rhythmic lyrics of his expression, the content offers simple, revelatory wisdom. Life ebbs and flows, rises and falls, much like the tides of the ocean. I know this in my mind. However, when I'm feeling blown, defeated, challenged, and even lost at sea, I sometimes cannot perceive anything beyond my current horizon.
After the first ten days of the Gonzalez protocol, I hit a wall with both the flu and inflammation around the tumor site. (The flu did not appear to be caused by the protocol.) The pancreatic enzymes create an inflammatory reaction around the tumor cells. This is expected and in fact a sign of efficacy. However, inflammation in the brain presents potential complications and, in my experience, unique discomfort. The left side of my brain felt inflamed, and I was scared. I called Gonzalez's office and spoke to him daily for three days until we moved through an effective strategy where I felt comfortable enough and my regimen was not compromised. Per his guidance, I stopped the enzymes and other supplements for two and a half days, and did four pints of coffee enemas for two mornings to help increase the opening of the blood brain barrier for detoxification. I then resumed my schedule of pills and enemas (two pints in the morning and two pints in the evening).
In my overwhelm, I wondered how I'd feel continuing on the protocol. Would this happen monthly? How would I deal with this disruption to my life and productivity? But, aren't my treatments the most productive activity of my well-being and future?
And then I very clearly identified three priorities.
1. Health
2. Work
3. Building Community
I transitioned back into my routine of pills, coffee enemas and green juices twice daily, and of course my wonderful diet that I never compromise. (Okay, I did have protein after 3 pm twice over the last several days, and a tiny bit of vinegar in artichokes, but I'm generally completely compliant with my eating. If that is the worst of my holiday binging, then I'm doing great overall.)
I worked for several of my clients on writing projects.
And I attended a holiday party for health care writers, a wonderful lunch and Upper Presidio stroll, a hike and tea at Cafe Claude in downtown San Francisco, as well as a visit to a Unitarian church.
Tomorrow is Christmas. It is my first Christmas without family. I chose not to travel this season for many reasons. A major one was that I did not want travel to interfere with my protocol. I'm also very tired from traveling and moving around. And of course traveling costs money that I need for my health now. In addition, I need to catch up on work and organize myself for 2008. As I'm curious to know what it will feel like to be without family at Christmas, I'll share my thoughts and perspectives about this topic in my next blog.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
The Gonzalez Protocol
December 7, 2007
Thanksgiving on the East Coast brought me echoing cheer with the charm of my four year old nephew James, sassiness of my almost two year old niece Anna, larger than life presence of my brother John, warm care of my sister-in-law Megan, and time with my parents. I am realizing more the impermanence of life, and that my loved ones will not always be around. There is truly no time like the present.
As I reported in my November blogs, I have a new doctor named Nicholas Gonzalez, MD in New York City. After meeting with him on November 15 and 16, I began the first steps of the Gonzalez protocol immediately through incorporation of my moderate vegetarian diet (which I was basically already consuming), twice daily green vegetable juices, and a liver cleanse. After doing two liver cleanses in Switzerland with the Paracelsus Clinic and passing over 150 liver and gallbladder stones combined, I was not sure what would exit my body. In addition, the Gonzalez cleanse appeared less labor intensive than the Paracelsus cleanse, and I was not sure how it would work. I'm pleased to report I cleared several dozen stones!
My moderate vegetarian diet is 70 percent raw, including two vegetable juices daily. Along with veggies, my diet also includes beans, grains, nuts, onions, garlic, and more. I'm allowed several eggs daily, flaky fish a few times weekly, and yogurt. Basically, I eat eggs and veggies for breakfast, salads with lunch and dinner, sometimes another egg with lunch, fish with lunch twice weekly, grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, and brown rice, beans, a delightful combo of onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and paprika, and sweet potatoes. I eat no proteins such as eggs or fish after 3 pm. My diet is also light on fats since moderate vegetarians are challenged metabolically to digest them. I love my diet and feel quite nourished by it.
There is no one size fits all cancer diet. All of the headlines about golden rules around raw foods, macrobiotics, diet according to blood type, fasting, and others do not apply across the board. A customized diet to each beautifully unique individual is the key. After almost ten years of twists and turns, including advice from charlatans and some well-intentioned people without all of the answers saying 100 percent one way or another, I believe that a diet prescribed through metabolic testing is most important. Equally as important is for the individual to listen to their body to determine what makes it purr into greater balance (eat that stuff) and what creates disharmony (do not eat that stuff). Food allergy testing can be helpful, but ultimately food allergies change so frequently that it can serve as a limited tool, and often an expensive one.
Gonzalez's perspective is that cancer develops primarily due to nervous system imbalance, and not immune system imbalance. Interestingly, according to my current diagnostic results, my immune system via my thymus is functioning optimally, whereas my nervous system is very imbalanced. Gonzalez reports never having met a cancer patient with a balanced nervous system.
The nervous system as a whole is the regulatory system for the entire body. Among other components, the nervous system contains sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. The sympathetic branch responds to stress and danger, and the parasympathetic branch is associated with calm and relaxation.
According to Gonzalez, generally speaking, patients with solid tumors have overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. Patients with blood cancers have overstimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system. Although there are exceptions, generally, patients with solid tumors are moderate vegetarians, and patients with blood cancers need to eat meat. Veggies calm those of us with overstimulated sympathetic nervous systems with their high levels of potassium, magnesium, and other nutrients. This I know. When I eat veggies, and consume my exotic green drink, I sometimes enter a zone of serenity.
I returned to California the week after Thanksgiving to receive my first order of supplies for the Gonzalez protocol. On December 1st, I began a 20 day regimen of enzymes and supplements. I hosted a grand 5 hour pill sorting party beforehand. At 3:30 am on December 1st, I started the enzyme and supplement program. Yes, that is correct, I take pancreatic enzymes at 3:30 am during the 20 day regimen. The body is most alkaline between 2 and 4 am, hence the middle of the night pill ingestion. In total, I take 16 enzymes 6 times daily. The pancreatic enzymes are what works directly against the cancer. Gonzalez says the enzymes do not discriminate and have efficacy against all types of cancers. I also take supplements customized by Gonzalez for my system with each meal and before bed. I probably take about 200 pills daily. I do not have the exact count. And I do not mind the load of pills.
Twice daily, I also have a rear end toast with coffee enemas. I have done wheatgrass, herbal, and water enemas before, but never with coffee. The coffee enemas stimulate the liver and gallbladder to release stored toxins and wastes, and enhance liver function. I find them both calming and energizing. I am also wondering if they help expand consciousness given the cool thoughts that enter my mind during the enemas.
Every 20 days, I will rotate off the enzymes and supplements for 5 days of a detoxification protocol. Since Gonzalez individualizes each patient's protocol, there are variations. For me, I will either do a liver cleanse, or an intestinal cleanse during the 5 day break from the enzymes and supplements.
Now, on day 7, I am very pleased to report that I feel great on the Gonzalez protocol and it is working extremely well for me. Despite my concerns about the routine, waking up in the middle of the night, and new therapies, the program is running smoothly. I have a lot of energy, reduced bloating in my gut, creativity, and even more productivity within the structure of the program. I wondered about being able to work productively in the midst of my regimen, and the engine is chugging along brilliantly thus far. My mind and being feel inspired.
I did feel some waves of overwhelm the first few days as I adjusted to my new lifestyle. Over the next few years, I'll need to continue this routine and plan my life around it before phasing into the maintenance program. I imagine there will be times in the future when it might not feel convenient for me to carry out one part of the protocol or another. And my participation is a choice. I believe this is the best chance for my future, and I carry out the protocol with gratitude and optimism.
I see the grace in my life, and new beginning. And everything I've done leading up to now has prepared me to carry out this protocol with more ease. On day 1, I thought about what is required of newly diagnosed cancer patients, and also those that did conventional treatments without success who then enter the world of alternatives, to maintain a healthy routine. People affected by cancer often need to redesign their lives overnight. Although I have made some lifestyle modifications quickly, my journey has given me more time to integrate changes, and sort out the truths.
Blessing to all, and namaste. |
