My Health Journey

Parasite Overview – Part Two – Week Two

Cleansing while under quarantine.

When I started down this journey, I had no idea where I would be now! I assumed I would be completing this cleanse and keeping up with my normal routine. Fast forward to week eight (has it really been two months??) and we are under “shelter in place” orders, school has moved to distance learning (a really interesting experience as a special education teacher), and stores everywhere seem to be out of toilet paper and eggs.

My routine has completely changed but instead of being upset about it, I am trying to look at the positives that are coming from this. While I am still working from home, it has been a lot easier to focus on my healing. I have been starting my day by reading my bible and spending time in prayer (during a regular work week I don’t do this until the evening time). This has been an amazing way to start the day and puts me in the right mindset for whatever follows. As I go through my day, I have been reminding myself that God knows exactly what is happening in this world and He planned for it all.

Being at home has allowed me to get creative in the kitchen while still following (for the most part – I have been lenient in some areas) the nutritional guidelines for the parasite cleanse.

Here is what my typical day looked like from this past week…

Brunch:

• 16 oz warm water with the juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp. aloe vera juice, a pinch of pink himalayan salt
• Probiotic
• Avocado, egg (found at Trader Joes!), and potatoes

NOTE: I have reintroduced eggs and it has been great! No side effects so far.

Snacks:

• Pau d’ Arco and Cat’s Claw tea
• Pumpkin seeds
• Fruit

Dinner:

• 8 oz ginger tea (~ 30 minutes before eating)
• AIP/Whole 30 meal

Night -Cap:

• 8 oz water with Organic Fermented Green Supremefood powder
• Chopped raw garlic in a spoonful of olive oil
• Clove supplement

If you didn’t notice, I combined breakfast and lunch into brunch because, let’s be honest, I have not been waking up in time to eat a separate breakfast and lunch. I’ve also snacked a lot more than previous weeks… because quarantine?

How Am I Feeling?

As far as symptoms related to parasites/gut health go, I am feeling great!

This was the second week in a row with NO NIGHT SWEATS! It has been so nice to wake up and not be in a puddle of your own sweat. I have also been sleeping more soundly at night. I will say that my sleep cycle has definitely been thrown off over the last couple weeks due to working from home. BUT I am still getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night (sometimes even more).

My skin is pretty much healed from the rashes/welts that I have experienced for the last few years. There are still some “rough” spots that are not quite there yet, but there has been no weeping (what I call it when my skin oozes a clear liquid – gross). My arms and legs are scarred from the years of rashes/welts but I am overall happy that I am not constantly worried about my skin.

Oops, I’ve gained 7 lbs since last week… I blame it on the quarantine. I have barely worked out/moved over the past week and have found myself snacking a lot more. Ultimately, I am okay with this. We are all navigating and adapting to a completely new way of living. That being said, I am going to try to move more throughout the day and try to snack less.

What’s in Store?

The third week of the parasite cleanse part two will look very similar to this week. There are no “special cleanses” that I will be participating in (that comes during week four!). I will continue to follow the nutritional guidelines as follows: avoid gluten (all grains), dairy (specifically cow’s dairy), corn, pork, seafood (with the exception of salmon), alcohol, sugar, soy, processed foods, and sunflower/rapeseed/canola oil.

I will continue to stick to the protocol the best I can while we are participating in quarantine. We are lucky and live right next to a smaller, family-owned grocery store that has been stocked (with a few exceptions) every time we’ve had to go!

Summary of Current Health:

• Weight: 128 lbs (3/28/2020 @ 2:25pm)
• Mild skin inflammation/itchiness

You guys… those are all the symptoms I have been experiencing this week. It has been great!