Befriending My Pain
Each new pain was a challenge. I would take a deep breath as I promised myself: “I can learn to live with yet another trespasser.”
Pain’s path was relentlessly intimate, bold and breathless. I was rendered helpless as it laced itself tautly to the width and breadth of me. I had no clue what was happening, but desperately tried to remain calm.
I felt its grip at random. One minute it was my hands or shoulders, the next it could be in the kidney area, my legs or my feet. The pain on the heel of my left foot, however, was incessant. With hesitation and trepidation, I cautiously moved. Each step felt like there was a mountain of jagged broken glass under my foot. I was no less than a circus performer making her way on a bed of nails.
I was quick to try any solution. I consulted a podiatrist, chiropractor, physiotherapist and an orthopedic physician. I experimented with many modalities: reflexology, IMS, Rolfing and Greenberg. I even bravely attempted extracorporeal shock wave therapy. Although I was adamant, the crystal like cluster on my heel persisted and caused me much grief.
Oxalate
Uploaded by Helene Gozani on 2016-02-16.
Dr. Google, Help!
Out of sheer desperation, I was left with no choice but to consult with the illustrious Dr. Google.
True, one must tread cautiously on the World Wide Web. It is a fool’s paradise for the common hypochondriac, all too easy to contract many a deadly disease. Nonetheless, there is something to be said about the wisdom of a crowd.
I am relentless, stubborn if you will. I’ve said it more than once; after all I am a Leo. What did you think, that I would lie down, be quiet and wait for the pain to crush me?!
I persisted with the ornery obstinance of an ox as I tried yet another Google Search. Olé!
From time to time a sharp pain ousted me from my seat. I must admit that even “naked” me is embarrassed to type these next words and I have long since taken my foot off the brakes… This pain was the one which brought me directly to enigma’s source.
From time to time, deep within my vagina (yes, you heard correctly) a shock of pain would zap me. I could not bear it in silence and my sudden loud cries would shoot out of nowhere.
Wouldn’t you know it; as surreal as it may sound, there was a connection to be found between the mysterious collection of symptoms?! I became riveted to the screen, hanging onto every word, as I read about oxalates and their creative potential to manifest havoc within one’s body.
Did you know that an abundance of oxalates is to be found in many foods, not excluding a myriad of “healthy” and “super” foods?
Oxalate: Ox Olé
With undivided attention (not always an easy feat for me), I studied an Excel table showing oxalate values by food category.
Alarm bells sounded, I was dismayed to discover that while I may have found the answer to my conundrum, it appeared that I myself was the creator of my own misery…
Here I have collected a number of “best 10” healthy and superfood lists and shown their oxalate values as low, medium and high:
When I decide to move forward, I pull out all the stops. Here you have it: Heleneie BeaNiE’s Gusto ™, embracing my journey to a healthy me. Notably dubious is my daily green smoothie.
Manifestation madness, do tell!
If I was told that parsley was particularly healthy and should consume it on a daily basis, it received a place of honor in my smoothie. I never fancied parsley and would pick it off my plate, however, a handful of parsley now found its way to my blender daily. Chia, you say? To the blender at once! I found myself abundantly stuffing every healthy alternative into the blender, my salad and onto my plate. I couldn’t help but think that I must not leave any one out. There was room for all.
Who were the superstars, who were the record breakers for oxalate content? Clearly almost everything that found its way into my morning smoothies was suspect: spinach, celery, kale, mangold, beets, beet leaves, collard greens, pomegranate, figs, cocoa, tahini, hemp, acai, maca and any type of nut (and this is only a partial list).
Out of concern for good health I also avoided gluten. I was astounded to discover that many of the gluten free wheat substitutes, such as quinoa, amaranth, teff and more, were also very high in oxalates.
Shock paralyzed me. It took a number of days to process and calm the storm raging within me. I began to calculate my next move.
Oxalates are a simple molecule (C₂O₄2−) and are found within our food, mainly those which are plant based. Oxalates are a personal bodyguard of sorts within the plant world. They provide protection against grazing “predators” of sorts.
Oxalate toxicity or even oxalate poisoning is a well-known occurrence. Both veterinary clinics and ERs are well acquainted with this phenomenon.
Our wondrous body has the ability to stay out of harm’s way. Our gut is designed to eliminate oxalates, and when these three conditions are met virtually little oxalate is absorbed:
1 Uncompromised metabolism
2 Healthy gut flora
3 Host nutrition free of oxalate overload
When these conditions are met, bacteria within the gut will digest the oxalates and the waste will be disposed via the stool.
However, failure to meet any of these conditions leads to a volatile conclusion. As the oxalate molecule has two free ions (-ve), it is highly unstable. These free ions will easily pair with their opposite match. Thus, the oxalates will rapidly bond to free metal ions (+ve) and crystalize into solids such as calcium-oxalate (CaC₂O₄), iron oxalate or magnesium oxalate. This phenomenon is well known as kidney stones; however, the havoc that these crystals create within the soft tissues and other organs is relatively unfamiliar.
Mayday Mayday!
A quick calculation was all that I needed to understand that for me at least two of the three conditions had been compromised.
Not long before these pains began, I contracted helicobacter pylori and was twice given a triple antibiotic treatment. The antibiotics used to treat H Pylori are particularly potent and are known to strike down healthy flora as well.
Of course, yours truly adopted a “super healthy” and “super oxalic” diet. Anytime I felt a sharp increase in my now chronic pain, I immediately upped my “dosage” of healthy foods. I am sure that you can conclude that this meant more, more green smoothies for me. And so the vicious circle went…
It is a given that I was not willing to forsake my beloved. The green smoothie as well as the healthy eating were written in stone, but I had to radically revamp my eating habits and find a way to dump all of the accumulated oxalate waste. There had to be a way to rapidly downsize my crystal collection.
Certain foods were written off and others were drastically reduced. I became more attuned to my body and was able to correlate my pain with my fare. Rotation became my new mantra as I began to rotate greens for my smoothie.
I established a probiotic protocol to rejuvenate my gut health.
In the future I plan to expand upon the science and the methods to combat oxalates. For now, I merely wish to endow basic information. It is my desire to instill understanding of a potentially huge problem which may cross the paths of those choosing to journey to “The Land of Green”. Let’s keep the crystals in our jewelry and not within our bodies.
Of course, one cannot emphasize enough the importance of balance in all that we do. Just as one knows not to overdo exercise or eat too much junk food, please awaken to the dangers that may arise should one choose to munch on kale all day long.
I would like to point out that the oxalate levels of your foods are not significantly changed by soaking, cooking or any other process.
There is fascinating research on the back burner. I believe that one day soon oxalates will become a household word. Current research suggests that a low oxalate diet leads to significant improvement for numerous chronic health issues such as interstitial cystitis (pain and pressure in the urinary system), vulvodynia (pain in the vagina), fibromyalgia, depression, arthritis, various types of intestinal problems and even autism and many other developmental disorders.
Is your stomach tied up in knots yet? Literally, we have only just begun to comprehend the superpowers hidden within our gut.
Awareness, empowerment and wisdom, seek to own yours.
Regard oxalates as the shady characters they are, who at any moment may steal your inalienable right to abundant natural health.
For those who wish to enhance their knowledge, these are two excellent sources:
http://www.lowoxalate.info/index.html
http://www.thevpfoundation.org/
If you have not yet read about the rocky part of my journey, you can read it here.
I would like to thank you for your patience in reading this post to its end.
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Join me: CHOOSE abundant whole health!
You Tell Your Future – The Power is Ours!
Imagine you had a looking glass where for a very short window of time you could observe, live the final moment, day, year or years of your life. The picture that you see is clear. Startled, you clearly do not like what you see. A wave of sadness and fright paralyzes you.
