Weekend Special Edition: Detox/Cleansing Diet (Part 1/3)

Hello readers! This is RS bringing you our first special edition health post…”Detox Diet”.  About 5 months ago, I discovered, through endless research and exploration of my chronic symptoms, that I am gluten intolerant. It was not through the endless doctors that I visited in hopes of obtaining at least a hint as to what was going on with me, but instead was through my wife’s nursing school classmate whose description of her prior symptoms resonated with my own. She was gluten intolerant, and changing her diet made all the difference in her life. I set sail on my gluten-free journey and it is with the support of our team over here that I have found a wealth of products that make it possible.

I know there are many out there who’ve had similar experiences in which after endless doctor visits and consultation with specialists they feel no closer to determining the cause of their ailment. This was the case for me and boy do I wish I had met Anne Angelone (M.S, LaC) earlier! As you may recall, Anne was a guest at our studio back in December and she brought us the “Kaia Foods Sea Salt and Vinegar Kale Chips” for us to review. Not only has Anne proven to be an excellent resource for products to try, but her practice here in San Francisco deals with the very nature of our community’s health challenge… food sensitivities!

In our commitment to support our local vendors and healthcare practitioners, I have begun a treatment program with Anne and in the process of reviewing my experiences with her, I hope to provide you, our readers, with what I have found to be inspiration and hope for restoring balance in my health.

Anne’s acupuncture practice is no ordinary practice. She actually focuses on allergens and the foods that cause inflammation and the domino effect which follows… what I think of as a holistic approach. In addition to her regular practice (which I have now started and am absolutely inspired by!), Anne also offers monthly “Detox” workshops.

In these workshops, Anne takes people through the Chinese medicine philosophies and a structured analysis, through a series of health-related questions, to connect physical/mental manifestations with the underlying cause. Here is an excerpt from Anne’s workshop posting:

10 Day Detox with Real Food:
Learn tools to master:•    Better digestion and elimination
•    Fewer symptoms of Chronic Illness
•    Improved Concentration, Mental Focus and Clarity
•    Improved Mood
•    Increased Energy
•    Less congestion and fewer allergic symptoms
•    Less joint pain
•    Increased sense of relaxation
•    Great sleep

Sounds great to me!! I experience each of the items above so I am really excited about something which could potentially help. So I’ve signed up for this weekend’s workshop. But I’ve heard of these types of diet programs before and usually sound great but are unrealistic. However, what I like about this one is the fact that it is only 10 days, a reasonable $25, and you continue to eat REAL food… sounds like something I might actually be able to stick with and make it through! We will see…

Next weekend, I will post a recap and review of the workshop in which I will describe what I have learned and what my journey through the 10-day program will involve. The weekend following that, I will post how I feel after the 10-day program and whether I was able to complete it as she describes.