"Sick and Tired"

I will write more at a later date about my history with IC. For now, I am going to begin writing about what I am presently doing. After months of trying just about everything you could name, I discovered a book that I think can help me. A few weeks ago I began reading a book called, "Sick and Tired" by Dr. Robert Young. I had seen this book on a recent documentary about cancer and decided to give it a try. Dr. Young belives that the Standard American Diet consists mainly of acidic foods, foods that are below 7.0 on the pH scale. He believes that eating acidic foods over an extended period of time (for most of us that extended period of time is most of our lives) alters the internal environment of the tissues of the body to be acidic as well. This increase in acidity supports the development of harmful microorganisms such as yeast, fungus, mold and bacteria. These microorganisms secrete toxins and waste products that tax the body and can lead to disease over time. He advocates for eating an alkaline diet consisting primarily of vegetables to alter the internal environment and regain harmony and wellness in the body. In May, I had a full GI panel done at the recommendation of an osteopath I had been seeing. The results revealed that I did infact have an overgrowth of yeast in the bowel as well as a parasite. I seemed like the perfect candidate to try Dr. Young's program. After 3 weeks of adding raw vegetables to my diet, I am embarking on a 7 day juice cleanse consisting only of geen vegetables. Yesterday was my first day where I drank several juice combos including broccoli/celery and cucumber/zuccini. I didn't really like the taste of most of them, but as my husband sat next to me last night eating Mc Donald's, a candy bar, and corn chips, I heard a voice in my head reminding me that this is only for 7 days. 24 hours after beginning the juice cleanse, I am feeling horrible. I feel fatigued to the point of having difficulty walking around. I feel nauseous and am experiencing an increase in orthostatic hypotension...and no, it's not from lack of eating solid food. Yesterday, I drank the equivalent of an entire head of broccoli, several stocks of celery, a whole onion, 3 whole cucumbers, 2 zuccini, etc...an INCREDIBLE amount of vegetables. My body is detoxing and I am feeling it today. I have a real lack of energy. I'll finish the seven days. I know I will. I know I'll feel better in a few days, but for now, I am going to go lay on the couch...