Quote from Dr. Garrett Smith on September 2, 2019, 9:45 pm

4-20-19   Healing is Itchy

Get a scrape, get a scab, it’s itchy as it heals.

So is this VA Detox. Itchy. 

I’m a about 9 weeks into this detox, and there were a few weeks that my legs were on fire with itchiness. My face was dry and itchy too. But I powered through it, concocted a few things to help (more on those later), and now it’s better. Improving. Interesting. 

7/14/19 Observations

I started this program mid-February, and I’ve been pretty faithful to it. A few stumbles early on (yellow tomatoes were on a “No VA” list! But, turns out they’re a nightshade containing VA, so they’re gone), being as discerning as possible when eating out, sometimes a little too much bleu cheese on Saturday (very excited to see a little cheese added to the program!).

And one trip to visit & stay with family…which meant 5 days of being off the program. 

So that’s 5 months. I’m due for a TSH test soon. Last TSH about 11 weeks ago was 3.6, while taking 2 grains of prescribed natural thyroid ( the generic version of Armour). 

I’ve noticed some things on this low-no VA program. Are they attributable to the lack of VA? The elimination of most dairy? All the meat? I’ve eaten more meat in the last 5 months than I probably ate in 20 years.  The elimination of nightshades? A combination of all of the above?

I don’t know. I only know I do feel…different.

The food is not fancy or glamorous, but it’s satisfying. I’m not dieting. I eat foods that I like. Maybe if I ate cauliflower in the evening instead of roasted potatoes, I’d lose weight, but fuck that. No more caloric restrictions, no more dieting. Diets don’t work. 

But my body has changed, even though my weight has not. Since starting this program I’ve hovered around the same weight, within a four pound range. Yet I’ve noticed differences in the way my body looks. Tighter, I guess. Like maybe the fat is standing at attention, so it’s more compressed! Like my fat is holding in its own gut to look slimmer!

My face looks different too. The shape of it has shifted a little, and in a pleasant way. I’ve been watching carefully for any extra of the Hashimoto’s puffiness that accompanies being hypothyroid, but I swear I look less puffy than I ever have. 

And are the outer corners of my eyebrows (stolen by hypothyroidism!) growing in a little? I’m watching that carefully.

I’m definitely less achy, and stronger. My knees, that have taken a beating over they years, feel pretty strong. Not “run a marathon strong,” or even “walk in high heels” but pretty good. And I don’t want to run marathons or wear heels anyway. 

The edema in my left foot is not gone, but it’s become noticeably reduced (unless the weather is very humid). 

My fingernails are a little stronger. When I was young, they were quite strong and grew quickly. But now that I’m post-menopausal, they’ve been brittle. It’s been impossible to get them to grow much at all; they’d just chip and peel. But they’ve been better in recent weeks, for the first time in a long time. 

I just feel different, in ways that are developing, so I’m not even sure how to articulate it. 

As for those five days off while on vacation at my family’s home in Virginia…I was curious about what would happen. Would my body react in noticeable ways to the addition of VA back into my food? The effects seemed to be cumulative. In other words, the first couple of days I didn’t notice anything. No unpleasant side effects, either. But after five days, there it was: increased inflammation. Inflammation that had seemed to be working its way into remission came screaming back. Correlation may not be causation but sometimes you’ve got to look the truth in the face and recognize it. The inflammation reemerged when eating VA (and dairy, and things like oils that were out of my control, and one night of seafood), and it’s been receding again now that I’m back on the program. 

I’m a fat woman. I’ve always been some version of fat…even when I semi-starved myself into a size 8, my weight didn’t hit what doctors call “healthy,” according to their stupid charts. I would not have qualified as a “free meetings now that you’ve hit target weight” Weight Watchers member. I’d have to live on lettuce and laxatives to hit that sweet spot. And to maintain it, probably just the laxatives. 

I’m not trying to be thin. I’m not doing this program to lose weight. I’m doing it because I want to feel good. It’s different than anything I’ve ever encountered. The early research that was available last fall was compelling enough to make me want to try it. What do I have to lose, I thought. It won’t hurt me. It’s restrictive program, with a goal of healing one’s body…not a “Get Thin! Fast!” diet designed to beat your body (and mind) into (temporary, always temporary) submission. 

But my body feels fuller, faster, and remains so longer. I attribute this at least in part to the protein, the meat. 

There’s more research now, that’s even more compelling. There’s no specific double-blind study on this particular program, but maybe some day there will be. For now my results are significant enough that I’ll continue, and see what happens. 

7/24/19

Well, this is rather extraordinary, at least for me. Just got the latest TSH results. So 11 weeks ago my TSH was 3.6. When the numbers start going in that direction, they usually continue to do so without an increase in medication. This has been true for many years, since I’ve started paying attention. 

The TSH reading today was…1.69. My TSH has never gone in the opposite direction (the right direction!) without an adjustment in meds. I’ll be tested again in four months or so. 

People say my skin is glowing. Although, having a bit of a tan probably contributes to that. Haven’t worn foundation since being at the beach last month.