"You are what you eat" - true or false?

       I can´t remember...

 how many diets I came across in my whole life, maybe close to ten different ones... and I have never been really overweight except from when after having my last pregnancy - which left me with some 10 or 15 undesirable extra pounds. 

I know people that have struggled their whole life with all sorts of diets and some were successful, others not quite... I remember my mom, always trying different doctors for a weight loss treatment - with no significant results - and today, she is still fighting with the scale, at her seventy-six years of age.

Would be wonderful if one can simply clap their hands and a genie pop out from a bottle and say: "here, you will have the body and the health you´ve always wanted". But I guess it´s so complicated, and we are each so unique, that even a "magic" diet won´t be good to every and each problem situation involving excess weight or food alergies/intolerances.

I love reading medical articles. And what I love more is to find out about such mysteries that puzzle people throughout ages, like weight loss weight maintenance; health issues related to food alergies or intolerances. 

Every person has to eat and drink every day, we were made to do so, but it´s also said that all illnesses and disorders stem essentially from wrong diet and inadequate lifestyle. Oh, yes, sure there is the genetic factor. But even in that case, I believe a right diet/lifestyle can be beneficial and maybe even therapeutic. 

http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Right-Your-Type-Practical/dp/0425173291

I came across this book about Blood Type Diet. The author is Dr. Peter D´Adamo and I have to say - I am so impressed. As soon as I learned about the basics of his study on the matter, I ran to the bookstore and got the one "Cook Right 4 Your Type". I finished nearly four hundred pages in two days. It makes so much sense!  

He says that "The Key to Eating Right is:

HIGHLY BENEFICIAL foods act like medicine in your body, NEUTRAL food act like food in your body; and AVOID food act like poison (yes, POISON) in your body." I don´t have to say any more. Who wants to eat or drink poison? That´s why is so important that we get education about what we should or shouldn´t do. Most doctors don´t really know how to cure you, all they do is to try, I don´t mean all doctors are like that, but I am sure many of them are. 

So the issue of getting informed and educated about our own particularities, is everyone´s responsibility. I don´t believe in trusting 100% some doctor just because they went to medical school for a couple or even a decade of years. We have to do our own homework.

Just recently, I helped my husband to overcome over 10 years of a hideous psoriasis, (which all doctors he had seen declared incurable) using simply herbal medicine from a naturopathic pharmacy in Brazil. The same medicine has helped other people to get rid of the frustration and the expensive (and ineficient) steroid therapy.

Anyway, it´s wonderful to be realize that after all, not everything is lost and there´s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Never believe when someone say "it can´t be done", or "there´s no remedy for this". There must be something, always, that CAN be done. 

"I am so full!"

Many times after going for a family dinner or even having a nice homemade meal at home caused me either to feel like that or to hear somebody saying: "I am so full I can´t even breathe".

Slow stomach emptying is a condition called gastroparesis - I have learned about this only yesterday, and I thought I should share it with other people. You might be thinking I am the kind of person who gets paranoid when hear too much about illnesses or diseases, and I have to tell you I am just curious to know MORE so I can not only help myself when I am in trouble but also help others who might be at a crossroad as well.

I think doctors knowledge is limited by their academic background, I don´t generalize, but I´ve been to many doctors who seemed to be "experiencing" new drugs or treatments on me - they really didn´t know how to treat that problem or condition.

And also, I lived long enough to realize I CAN and I AM successful being proactive and therapeutic with my own health issues without the need of a medic or nurse who have never seen me before or known my body as well as I do.

Now, back to gastroparesis. It´s a condition that is caused by nerve damage, particularly the vagus nerve (the one controlling smooth muscle activity). If you are not familiar with smooth muscle function, I´ll tell you it´s the kind of muscle groups in your body in charge of involuntary movements (heartbeat, gastric/bowel movements, blood flow and so on.

Your stomach needs contractions in order to move the food you eat through the gastrointestinal tract and promote digestion. When this process is compromised by gastroparesis, you have a feeling of early satiety, meaning you "feel so full" right after a few bites. And if you are like me, you will even feel it´s hard to breathe.

Some causes of gastroparesis include:

• surgery on the stomach or vagus nerve
• viral infections
• anorexia nervosa or bulimia
• medications—anticholinergics and narcotics—that slow contractions in the intestine
• gastroesophageal reflux disease
• smooth muscle disorders, such as amyloidosis and scleroderma
• nervous system diseases, including abdominal migraine and Parkinson's disease
• metabolic disorders, including hypothyroidism

And some causes remain UNKNOWN, (idiopathic gastroparesis) and cannot be found even after medical tests.

Surprised? Me too. And with the modern trend of eating healthy, lots of fiber, vegetables, fruit... Guess what - if you are experiencing gastroparesis, that would make you feel worse. That´s why I like information. That´s what I like to be curious.  

It´s so frustrating when you go from doctor to doctor, take all the kinds of medicine you are prescribed - and still get stuck with same problem over and over again.  

This is transcribed from Wikipedia on Gastroparesis:

What are the symptoms of gastroparesis?

Signs and symptoms of gastroparesis are

• heartburn
• pain in the upper abdomen
• nausea
• vomiting of undigested food—sometimes several hours after a meal
• early feeling of fullness after only a few bites of food
• weight loss due to poor absorption of nutrients or low calorie intake
• abdominal bloating
• high and low blood glucose levels
• lack of appetite
• gastroesophageal reflux
• spasms in the stomach area

Eating solid foods, high-fiber foods such as raw fruits and vegetables, fatty foods, or drinks high in fat or carbonation may contribute to these symptoms.

The symptoms of gastroparesis may be mild or severe, depending on the person. Symptoms can happen frequently in some people and less often in others. Many people with gastroparesis experience a wide range of symptoms, and sometimes the disorder is difficult for the physician to diagnose.

There are ways to treat, but according to this information the condition is cronic (there is no cure). I don´t believe in "no cure", though - I have seen people with the deadliest types of cancer, and other severe conditions being cured. I believe Medicine is not the last word. 

If you are interested in the subject you can "google" it for more or go to the link I used to type this blog:

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gastroparesis/

Let´s get informed and healthier!