Since I was a teenager, I've had many digestive problems, which lead to other issues like lethargy, mood swings, weight gain etc...after visiting various drs and naturopaths, wasting thousands of $$$, was finally diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at 21yo. As I've always been lactose intolerant, I figured other food intolerances may be contributing to the problems, so for a 21st bday present, my parents organised a blood test through a company in Germany - ImuPro 300. This test concluded that I was intolerant to atleast 42 different foods; ranging from all dairy, eggs, carrots, honey-dew melon, garlic, all nuts etc  

I began following the BTD approx 2 years ago, and have now started following the GT diet for maybe 3 months. I have started to feel a little better...but still have problems with energy, digestive system, bowel movements, unhealthy looking skin/hair/nails, weight fluctuations, sore/tired/aching muscles, amongst other symptoms. My system still does not seem to cope with the foods that the ImuPro test concluded I was intolerant to, especially at stressful times. Through trial and error, have concluded that high GI foods do no justice for the system, contributing to lethargy & weight gain. One could say my diet is extremely restricted, and yeah, I've adapted but I hate it!!!! Oh, and drinking atleast 1 gallon of water daily as Im always feeling dehydrated. I train horses for a living so my job is quite physical - always on the look out for energising produce/products.

I had the D'Adamo instutute contact me as I would love nothing more than to have a consultation with one of their drs, but unfortunately at the moment I honestly cannot afford it. If any one has any sort of information/comments/advice...your input would be forever appreciated. I do not seek sympathy by writing all of this, only answers for this "inconvenient" illness!

Thanks heaps for taking the time to read this  

What GT are you? What are you eating? Have you looked at using any of Dr. D'Adamo's products?
Many are designed for digestive health.


It is always about what you do eat and not about what you don't eat."

So what are you eating...

Dr D s systems are completely self helping guidelines, that take you by the hand and get you well.

from what I read, if you ve been following the guidelines for two years already and have had no results so far, might you not just happen to be a non secretor?

would your GT change if that were the case?

or would something you ve been eating be an avoid in the BTD?

you really need to tweak your diet to make it work for you.

try getting a copy of the fatigue book on ebay or local library and target yet more of your food choices using the nonnie values

Says secretor on her shield .

it said secretor in my shield too, until I took the plunge.....

Ive taken all the tests, and they concluded Im a secretor, Nomad. Do you think my system needs more time on this diet to show more signs of the healing process? I always make sure I am strict with the diet, not consuming any processed products except for jam-which must only have grape juice and fruit pectin as secondary ingredients. if Im unsure of something I may or may not be allowed to consume, I will not eat it!! Even meats are purchased straight from the deli, not pre-packaged (Ive noticed in USA they use preservatives in pre-packaged meats) its very hard finding fish in Iowa too

I guess my diet consists mainly of; beef, turkey, lamb, atlantic salmon, catfish, scallops, sardines, cod, olive oil, flax, ginger, basil, parsley, chili flakes, paprika, sea salt, komboocha tea, green tea, peppermint tea, rice protein, brown rice, raw sugar, molasses, sweet potato, broccoli, lettuce, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, beets, beet greens, onions, spinach, capsicum(peppers) pears, apples, prunes, pineapple, cranberry juice, bananas, blueberrys...thats all I can think of off the top of my head...

Do you think maybe the system needs more time on the diet to get rid of toxins before it starts showing healthy signs??

I have looked into Dr Ds supplements, but again, $$ is an issue  

I would try and find a good naturopath in the area you live. This naturopath should specialise in digestive health and chronic or adrenal fatigue. I suffered from adrenal fatigue and - with the help of my naturpath - I am 95 % ok now. It took about one year. The first thing we did was dealing with digestion. She gave me different herbs to clean out the system, then different herbs and probiotics to get healthy microorganisms into me. I also dealt with stress by reducing my workload.
I think for things like chronic fatigue you need to see someone on a one-on-one basis. Talking with people on the internet can certainly support it (and this forum is fantastic), but - if it was me - I would want a very personalised approach. In terms of money, it does not need to cost that much and it will pay back big time if you feel good.

I'll be back later to chat because I'm also a Nomad who deals with severe fatigue issues.  

Just briefly, I think you need to ditch the sugar!  Also bananas and capsicum.

When dealing with a chronic condition, it's all about the diamonds and superfoods.  You aren't stable enough in your health to be eating any black dots at this time.  Just self-defeating.

Quoted Text

This test concluded that I was intolerant to atleast 42 different foods; ranging from all dairy, eggs, carrots, honey-dew melon, garlic, all nuts etc

Quoted Text

Dr D
Exclusionary type testing is nice, but almost nobody gets any healthier, although they do sometimes get less sick.

The nutritional frontier is to decipher what people should eat, in addition to what they should avoid; and that is usually not the foods left over after allergy/ reaction testing.

http://www.dadamo.com/forum/archive5/config.pl?read=15141

It appears that you are not eating any gluten-containing grains..  Is that correct?  If so, I think that's a good idea.  

So some of the things that have been helping me:

Time --- and sticking with the BTD for 10 years and the genotype diet for almost 3 years, consistently.

Gluten-free

Daily use of homemade ghee.

No other cow dairy.  I buy unpasturized and non-homogenized fresh goat's milk and make my own yogurt. A little bit of sheep cheese a couple of times a week (manchego).

I used to be salt-free.  Now I use Himalayan Crystal salt (or another high quality sea salt).  

There are some supplements that have helped, but I won't get into that since you said it's out of the question financially.  I understand that.  

Developing a regular schedule for meals and bedtime;  getting in bed by 10:30 pm and staying in bed for 9 hours.

Eating no toxins or black dots.

Quoted from cowgirl1988

Ive taken all the tests, and they concluded Im a secretor, Nomad. Do you think my system needs more time on this diet to show more signs of the healing process? I always make sure I am strict with the diet, not consuming any processed products except for jam-which must only have grape juice and fruit pectin as secondary ingredients. if Im unsure of something I may or may not be allowed to consume, I will not eat it!! Even meats are purchased straight from the deli, not pre-packaged (Ive noticed in USA they use preservatives in pre-packaged meats) its very hard finding fish in Iowa too

I guess my diet consists mainly of; beef, turkey, lamb, atlantic salmon, catfish, scallops, sardines, cod, olive oil, flax, ginger, basil, parsley, chili flakes, paprika, sea salt, komboocha tea, green tea, peppermint tea, rice protein, brown rice, raw sugar, molasses, sweet potato, broccoli, lettuce, kale, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, beets, beet greens, onions, spinach, capsicum(peppers) pears, apples, prunes, pineapple, cranberry juice, bananas, blueberrys...thats all I can think of off the top of my head...

Do you think maybe the system needs more time on the diet to get rid of toxins before it starts showing healthy signs??

I have looked into Dr Ds supplements, but again, $$ is an issue  

Deli meats? here in the US they are filled with nasty avoids... so check the labels they may be making your GI tract unhealthy.

The focus needs to be on your intestinal tract. The cheese on your list of foods is very important they contain butyrate which is the preferred food of the healthy colon bacteria. Ghee is another good source.
B's have the most bacteria in the GI tract.. the biome... is a very important place.

Quoted Text

Just briefly, I think you need to ditch the sugar!  Also bananas and capsicum.

When dealing with a chronic condition, it's all about the diamonds and superfoods.  You aren't stable enough in your health to be eating any black dots at this time.  Just self-defeating.

I understand bananas have a black dot in the GT Diet program, but when I did the Swami Diet plan, it said bananas are beneficial...so I've gone back to eating those and it seems to be ok. And yes you're 100% right about the sugar!

[quote] Daily use of homemade ghee.

No other cow dairy.  I buy unpasturized and non-homogenized fresh goat's milk and make my own yogurt. A little bit of sheep cheese a couple of times a week (manchego). [quote/]

How does one make ghee? I understand making milk into yoghurt gives it different properties, but Im not sure Nomads are allowed any kind of milk unless its rice?? I suppose it would be ok if I only consumed the yoghurt?

I didn't know you had done the Swami.  You should follow that.  What does your swami give you as far as dairy?  For the genotype Nomad diet, Yogurt is a superfood.

To make ghee.
Put butter in a heavy bottomed pot with high enough sides so it won't splatter.
Melt butter and reduce heat to between simmer and low.
Cook gently until the ghee noises become less and the sediment on the bottom of the pot turns golden (tilt the pot to see).  
Remove from heat immediately.
Let cool a few minutes and strain into a glass or ceramic jar or bowl.  I use a very fine stainless steel strainer.  Discard all the sediment.

Ok, if you can't buy the supplements you need to think about  what foods give you the same healing properties.

Cheese on your list? It contains butyrate.. do a search and see what I mean...


B's have way more bacteria in the intestinal tract then the other Blood Types. Did I just repeat myself? yes and for good reason .

PIctures of the process using stovetop method:

http://tinyurl.com/9e7zsc
  
http://gallery.me.com/lifes.adventure#100159

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I didn't know you had done the Swami.

displaying messages under the avatar:
http://www.dadamo.com/cgi-bin/Blah/Blah.pl?m-1219018887/s-/s-new/#num1

this fact alone helps us help you better

write down what GT you actually are.......that might help as well

What other blood work did you have done?  Have you been screened for adrenal or thyroid problems?  Maybe you need supplements to support those glands?  And sleep from 10pm to 8am.

As someone who had a diagnosis of chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia decades ago, and someone who had allergy testing too -- which showed me to be highly reactive to dairy, wheat, gluten, eggs and many other foods, I followed the BTD for A since I'm 47.  It was a good diet, but I felt I still had food allergies and still I often felt tired.  Achy body never seemed to improve.

THE diet that turned me around was my SWAMI diet.  When I began, I had tons of white lines on my
fingers.  Most of my fingerprints were worn down to where they couldn't be read.  I still have two
I can't read. But I've gotten rid of much of my chronic fatigue.

I'm following my SWAMI for 15 months.  At first, I had issues eating many beneficial foods on my
SWAMI list because they were my old allergy foods.  I have managed to rotate dairy and eggs into
my diet now....The gluten I still avoid.  I'm celiac.  My gut is a lot better.  No more gas and bloat,
but I don't mix carbs with protein foods and spend a lot of time chewing my food carefully. I drink
water away from foods, not with. My exercise is just enough...I don't push myself to the point of
exhaustion.  I meditate...stretch when I wake up...remind myself to breathe properly and don't
eat any sugar or processed foods.  Most of my food is organic but I still think that's not the most
important thing I've done.

I mentioned this before on the FS thread...I follow a ritualistic pattern....Like Victoria mentioned,
I get the same amount of sleep every night....8-9 hours...go to bed the same time (no later than
10:30)  and wake up the same time every morning.  Eat breakfast early so I can make sure I allow 3 hours between all meals and never allow my blood sugar to fluctuate.  I"ve focussed mostly on my gut.  Took Deflect for a year...4 pills. Ate lots of ghee....

SWAMI took me quite awhile before I felt it was really really helping me.  Longer than the 3 month wash out period.. probably closer to a year, but I've been about 95% compliant for the past 9 months.  And maybe 85% compliant prior to that.  I feel it's about incorporating as much of the diamond foods into my meals as possible...rotating food choices....getting the proper fats
and eating plenty of vegetables.

I would have said I had adrenal issues in the past...easily stressed out....jumpy if people were
yelling or making me feel upset. Shallow breathing which will surely make a person feel tired. I fead a few books on proper breathing....found youtube videos to help me.   Have figured out ways to tune out irritating people in my life..reminding myself it's not about me...it's about others who can't manage their behavior.

There is more to battling chronic fatigue than a diet. It's a lifestyle change.  It's learning to say "no" when you're pushing yourself too far....learning to do good things for yourself....take
a nice walk alone...stopping to breathe deeply...reprograming thoughts with positive
affirmations. Belief in oneself to challenge any diagnosis and know you can overcome the
obstacles.  A lot of this is mind work....I realized that when I joined a meditation group and
saw my ability to calm my body once my mind became still.

You can do it. I'm way older than you and I've done it....Hate to sound so Pollyana here but I
need for you to believe you aren't sick or permanently stuck with chronic fatigue.....A diagnosis can't become a dead end.  You can be part of your healing process, emotionally, physically but
you need a strong resolve and the mental fortitude to stick with it and remind yourself when
you've had a good day. Keep the good days in your mind...expect a few setbacks but keep on
going.

PS.  Try if you can to get your vitamin D level tested. Sometimes that makes a big difference.  When my D
level got to normal, I felt a lot better.

and don t forget Mike s vitamin L, for free up at the Canada store

wow....Chloe that is truly inspirational...this may sound strange but Im going to print that off and keep it with me! Although we dont even know each other, I feel close in that we can relate with a lot of what you wrote. I shall continue to move forward each day because after the CFS diagnosis, after I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I keep saying this will not beat me or bring me down...hopefully one day in the not to distant future, pray this body won't feel any part of CFS left..

Thank all of you so much for your input, it's great that we can connect on an such a level that some may not understand...I will be putting your wisdom into action!!

    

Quoted from SquarePeg

What other blood work did you have done?  Have you been screened for adrenal or thyroid problems?  Maybe you need supplements to support those glands?  And sleep from 10pm to 8am.

I literally have been tested for pretty much everything...the only thing that came up was abnormal Creatine Kinase levels - which basically means my muscles dont repair themselves properly after the tissue tears during exercise

Quoted from cowgirl1988

wow....Chloe that is truly inspirational...this may sound strange but Im going to print that off and keep it with me! Although we dont even know each other, I feel close in that we can relate with a lot of what you wrote. I shall continue to move forward each day because after the CFS diagnosis, after I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I keep saying this will not beat me or bring me down...hopefully one day in the not to distant future, pray this body won't feel any part of CFS left..

Thank all of you so much for your input, it's great that we can connect on an such a level that some may not understand...I will be putting your wisdom into action!!

    

You sound like you have a very positive attitude...That, I believe is part of the solution!  I wish you the very best of health and know you will find it if you stay on your path..

here CG,
read about NO and Bs
http://www.4yourtype.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NP013

Quoted from Lola

here CG,
read about NO and Bs
http://www.4yourtype.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NP013

Thank you, I may give this one a go. I remember reading somewhere how important NO is for our body's...I believe it was in the GT book of Dr Ds?

Feeling really horrible today...actually the past 3 days have been real bad. I re-read my Swami Diet & found that Im supposed to be avoiding Soy lecithin (which is in the chocolate I've been eating ahh!!)