More Improvements, BioSet, and... Avocados?

In my last entry, I lauded my new probiotic-heavy regimen for my upswing in, well, wellness. Now — two weeks later and continuing with my high-dose probiotics — I can still say I'm going strong in the improvement area! I'm simply ecstatic to be feeling closer to an able-bodied citizen... for as long as it lasts.

The journey to complete health is a constant learning curve and it's full of surprises. My BioSet session last week was no exception.

I went in to my first ever BioSet session not really expecting to learn anything new, but still hopeful that it might address the reason(s) I'm still having inflammatory episodes (even if they are fewer than they used to be). You'll recall that, when I speak of inflammation, I'm referring to a full-body sick feeling from head to toe likely caused by an immune reaction — and not just an inflamed epidermis as you might get from poison ivy.

Before I address the outcome of my appointment, I should explain what BioSet is. I got the following from their website:

"Bio-SET uses a special protocol, Maridian Stress Assessment (MSA), for allergy testing. The MSA is computerized procedure that detects energy changes in the body and access (sic) data about functional status of organs and tissues. This technology, also called electrodermal screening, utilizes Chinese meridian theory and modern quantum physics, and detects conductivity changes on acupuncture points of your hands. MSA sends out signature frequencies of food and environmental allergens into your body and detects its reaction. If your body does not agree with the incoming frequency, skin conductivity reading on the acupuncture point would change. This indicates that the body's defiance system reacts to the incoming frequency."

The diagnostic machine measured which foods are causing allergic or inflammatory reactions, as well as what illnesses or infections are present in me. While the latter identified that with which I am already too familiar, the food assessment was definitely eye-opening. 

I was expecting it to show reactions to all those commonly incriminating foods — you know, wheat, corn, dairy... but I was not expecting to react to seemingly healthy, more obscure foods. The following is the surprising list of foods which BioSet identified as causing me to have inflammatory reactions, with the higher numbers being the bigger offenders:

Avocado          666.17 
Almond           429.80 
Garlic             116.69 
Corn, Yellow   35.89 
Ginger            35.16 
Mushroom       21.35 
Apple              20.91 
Cabbage         20.71 
Wheat             17.86 
Cheese           16.33 
Gluten             9.24

The BioSet practitioner unequivocally told me I need to completely avoid avocados, almonds and garlic. The rest of the foods might be tolerated in small amounts but should be avoided as much as possible.

But, seriously? Avocados, almonds, and garlic tested so darn high? Thankfully I don't eat much of those foods... I guess. And while I never would have realized just how bad these foods are for me had I not done BioSet, in hindsight I'm connecting sick episodes to involvement with these foods.  

For instance, just a month ago, I made some guacamole from ripe avocados off my very own avocado tree, and the day after eating the guacamole developed a crippling migraine which then led to six hours of nausea which ended with me dry heaving into a bowl in my bed from where I could neither move nor open my eyes.

Seem like an obvious, overlooked connection? Sure. But it took a whole day and a half for my reaction to culminate and peak, making it excessively difficult to connect a symptom to an offender.

Then there's the "almond chocolate" spread I once bought at a health-food store which made me feel flu-like and fatigued, which I assumed at the time was the chocolate. And the time I licked a spoon of raw, crushed garlic and ended up with sore, twitching muscles and nausea.

I can't emphasize enough that the reactions were never immediate, and that my habit of snacking throughout the day — not to mention my former habit of taking supplements every couple of hours and drinking various teas — made it virtually impossible to tie my reactions to the cause. 

That's why BioSet is so useful.

As I mentioned above, BioSet also identified the presence of certain illnesses and infections. For instance, it identified my MTHFR and Methylation genetic mutations as high offenders, as well as my HLA (mold-susceptibility) genetic mutations, all of which I covered in this previous entry after diagnosis via bloodwork.

At the time, I wrote, "The more I learn about my health, the less Lyme seems to be the main offender. Lyme, a.k.a. borrelia, is currently being stripped of his throne-wielding notoriety and being lowered on the list to say, the king's youngest brother, in this multi-lateral labyrinth of a castle that houses my health."

Just as I wrote in that entry from nearly ten months ago, BioSet has now confirmed that my genetic mutations are much higher offenders than any active Lyme (borrelia) infection. Indeed my genetics measured a whopping 700+ on the numerical scale, compared to a measly 42.72 for Lyme (borrelia). This just confirms that my inability to detox — associated with genetic mutations — is making me a lot sicker than Lyme itself.

Other things that BioSet diagnosed as significant were imbalances in adrenal hormones such as ACTH, androstenedione, and aldosterone. My teeth, jaw, pituitary, gallbladder, spleen, liver, kidneys, bladder and nervous system all turned up as problematic — none of which is news to me.

While going over these results with my BioSet practitioner, Jen, I expressed my frustration at my inability to tolerate the methylation supplements that are supposed to open my detox pathways. Not only were they ineffective, but they are a big reason I spent almost a whole year of my treatment feeling so sick.

Jen assured me that there are more ways than just methylation supplements to balance and correct my genetic mutations, some of which are energy- and frequency-based. As you all know, I'm in much greater favor of energy work than oral supplements.

I left the office wearing one such remedy: a rubber bracelet imprinted with a hologram that has been custom programmed with frequencies meant to optimize my health.

I can't say with any certainty if the bracelet has had any positive effects in the last week that I've been wearing it. But I can say that things are better than they have been in a long, long time.

There's nothing spectacular, concrete, exciting, or tangible going on in my life to which I can correlate this improvement. Still no boyfriend, not even a crush. No new activities. Which leads me to believe something entirely biochemical is occurring inside my body. Something wonderful.

I'm still hesitant to shout from the rooftops, "I'm doing better!" because it's only been about a month and it could turn right back around. And of course I'm speaking metaphorically about shouting from rooftops — I wouldn't do that in my neighborhood. That would invite some crazies from the nuthouse down the street to join in with collective shouting.... a scary thought.

I also realize that maintaining this newfound wellness requires a lot of discipline, because at the core, my body is still highly sensitive and unadaptable to change. For instance, a night of inadequate sleep, excessive exercise, cold temperatures, and poor dietary choices are still big threats that are capable of knocking me down.

Indeed my health is dependent upon adhering to my high-maintenance lifestyle of selective choices. I fantasize about being able to awake early in the morning feeling rested, or go on a playful jog, or eat whatever I want, and not pay the price later.

Just last week, all it took was two hours of playing with two toddlers at a park for me to come down with a cold.

Either as a result of germs contracted at the park or the chilly weather (or a combination of both), my body succumbed to a full-throttle mess of sore throated, congested glory. The point here is — I'm not completely well, even if under the illusion of feeling decent. I am still immune compromised, underneath all this newfound healthiness. 

So yes. When I break away from my comfortable, mostly-indoor, unaerobic lifestyle and dive head-first into the elevated-heart-rate-infused frenzy of chasing hyper babies through a microbial-cesspool-laden terrain in a brisk autumn chill, something is gonna give. Something has to give. That's my body for you.

Maybe someday I'll reach a new level of recovery that isn't dependent upon so much detailed criteria?

But for the time being, as long as I obey my body's rules, I'm feeling as good as I've ever felt. Considering everything I've been through and my prior sense of complete lack of control over my spontaneous and explosive symptoms, I'd say this is an improvement worthy of some major gratitude. ♥