System Flush.

[Jester]

So I've been plagued by this cough the last few weeks. A dry, racking, horrible cough, often afflicting me at work when behind the bar, or out and about, making my life a bit miserable. I've had it once or twice before in recent years, but never this bad. It's bad enough that occasionally people will suggest that I give up smoking. Which is funny...since I've never smoked.

Drugs haven't worked. Not much, anyways...one drug slightly alleviated it from time to time, but it still persisted and came back. Nothing's worked. And other than the cough, I feel perfectly fine, and have so the entire time.

So the other night, when this cough deteriorated into me having actual dry heaves, not for the first time (which is very weird when you consider that I don't ever really puke), I decided I needed to try something drastic.

Many years ago, some former coworkers did a system cleansing flush, a several day restricted diet that is supposed to clean all the toxins out of the body. I did it myself, and I fly pretty good afterwards. So, since nothing else has worked for this damn cough, I decided to give the flush another go-round.

Now, it's nothing drastic, like a different "cleansing" some of my current coworkers recently did, which was basically a two week starvation with a lot of water and a daily cayenne pepper/water concoction. To which I say fuck that--starvation, no matter what you call it, is starvation, and I run too high energy for that, especially for two freakin' weeks.

But this other cleanse, while difficult, kinda makes sense. I remember my friends did it for four days, I decided to do it five this time. Here's what it entails:

Drink only water. I drink a lot of Gatorade, so that's tough, but I've gotten through day 2 so far.
No caffeine. Easy. I don't anyway.
No booze. Boo!
No dairy. Goodbye, cheese.
No red or fatty meats. Goodbye, bacon.
No processed foods. Goodbye salami, all condiments, all bottled salad dressings, all bread, all pasta, everything canned, including soups, and on and on.

Fish? Fine.
Seafood? Fine.
Chicken? Fine.
Veggies? Fine.
Fruit? Fine.

So I already eat a bowl of fruit every morning.
I went shopping yesterday and bought tons of stuff for salads, some chicken, some fish, some snacky fruits, and some cashews, also for snacks. Came home and prepped msot of it, then made myself dinner.

Day 1: bowl of fruit for breakfast. Dinner was a massive salad of spinach, jicama, bell pepper, red onion, zucchini, cucumber, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, a dressing I made of olive oil and fresh lime juice, and some chicken tenders I cooked up on the stove.

Day 2: bowl of fruit for breakfast. At work, had some blackened mahi and some saffron rice our chef had made for a special (rice, saffron, chicken broth--fits the diet.) Came home, watched tv, munched on some cashews, some kumquats, and some ham (the only part of my usual sandwich that I can eat).

Tomorrow I plan on making up some yummy home fries (red potatoes, white onion, been pepper, garlic, salt & pepper) and, for another meal, pan sear some fish and do that over another salad.

Thursday and Friday will be entertaining, but along the same lines.

No idea if this will work. But I'm hoping, so hoping, it will. If nothing else, even if the cough persists, I'll have flushed a lot of toxins out of my system.

And appreciate my weekend SO much more.

Damn, I want a beer.

[Seshat]

If this doesn't work, please see a doctor. A chronic, stubborn dry cough with no other noticable (as yet) symptoms .. well, there's some nasties it could be, as well as a bunch of innocents.

So as a just-in-case, please let a doctor listen to the cough if the cleanse doesn't make it go away and stay away.

[Jester]

I don't think I'll have much choice at that point.

The only suggested theory I've heard from anyone so far that makes sense, remembering that this is something I've battled previously, is that I may be having a reaction to cane dust as a result of the periodic burning of the sugar cane fields in Cuba. (A normal part of the sugar industry, as I understand it.) I don't know if this is accurate or correct, but it seems to fit my symptoms

Of course, if that is the case, this system flush won't really affect it. But that's fine, as the flush still has benefits.

[Seshat]

Queensland cane growers burn their fields too. It's done a couple of weeks before harvest.

I know I've had it explained, and in fact been through tours of a sugar factory: but I was knee high to a grasshopper at the time, and honestly don't remember much of the detail.

[dalesys]

Mary Gauthier - Sugar Cane

[Gravekeeper]

System flushes do nothing, medically speaking. Any benefit is a placebo effect. Either that or your diet is so terrible to begin with that you feel better after ceasing it temporarily. >.>

Sides, this is in your lungs not your bowels. See a doctor. Don't fark around with a persistent cough.

[MoonCat]

Sounds like a fairly healthy diet, anyway.

Jester, just a suggestion. Acid reflux can cause a persistent cough. It happened to me. You don't even have to feel like you have heartburn. It can irritate your esophagus to the point where you cough constantly. The acid can damage your esophagus, so I second (or third or whatever) the suggestion to have it checked out by the doc. Just to be on the safe side.

[Jester]

GK, most system flushes are quackery and border on starvation. This one is designed just to let your body naturally flush itself of toxins, and having done it before, I can tell you it works. It's not extreme, nor are its effects, but it does have a bit of an effect, which is all I'm hoping for.

And you're right, I probably do need to see the doctor. But I'm gonna try this first. And whether it be because it's working or because the cough has finally run its course, the cough does seem to be lessening. A lot. It's down to an occasional cough, my throat no longer seems like it's trapped on Tattooine, and there are no more dry heaves. Nothing even close.

So....we'll see.

[Gravekeeper]

GK, most system flushes are quackery and border on starvation. This one is designed just to let your body naturally flush itself of toxins, and having done it before, I can tell you it works. It's not extreme, nor are its effects, but it does have a bit of an effect, which is all I'm hoping for.

Well, that's the thing, there are no "toxins". Its more likely you're eating something that puts additional stress on your system due to poor digestion, eating habits or intolerance. So axing that out makes you feel better. You could even try doing a reintroduction diet and see if you can pinpoint the culprit.

Your original list there is practically a check list for foods that cause digestive problems and/or lethargy. >.>

And you're right, I probably do need to see the doctor. But I'm gonna try this first. And whether it be because it's working or because the cough has finally run its course, the cough does seem to be lessening. A lot. It's down to an occasional cough, my throat no longer seems like it's trapped on Tattooine, and there are no more dry heaves. Nothing even close.

That does sound more like it was an environmental irritant, though I am loath to recommend against a doctor check regardless just for peace of mind.

[Jester]

There are not toxins in the sense that some people think, sure. But some foods may well leave some of their crap behind. That we could debate, of course, but as neither of us has a medical degree, might not be a very informed debate. But beyond that, alcohol is by definition a toxin. One I ingest a lot of. So to say there are no toxins in my system is to ignore my chosen lifestyle.

Beyond that, though, this is definitely flushing the system, whether there be toxins to flush out or not. I know this to my more frequent bathroom visits over the last three days. And mind you, while I am only drinking water, I am not drinking more of it than I might drink of beer or Gatorade if I were drinking them. Heck, I'm rather certain I'm ingesting LESS liquid with it being water only. And still I pee more.

And of course, as someone whose father was felled by kidney disease-potentially hereditary kidney disease--I don't think giving my kidneys a bit of a cleanse is a bad thing.

Again, I don't have a medical degree. I haven't the foggiest idea if what I'm doing will work or not. I do know that my body seems to be responding positively. Now, whether that's due to the flush itself or the current lack of some food product that was causing this or if the cough has simply run its course, I haven't the foggiest. But with only t days to go and me not yet climbing the walls, I don't see any real problem with it.

Though I am curious....which of the foods listed cause digestive problems and/or lethargy? For me, the only item that causes me digestive problems if I have it on a regular basis is caffeine, which I gave up 23 years ago. The only foods that have really ever caused me lethargy are turkey, salmon, pasta, and wine....three of which are outside of the diet, and one of which I just haven't purchased (salmon).

Well, overrating causes me lethargy and drowsiness, but this diet doesn't give much opportunity for over eating.

[Gravekeeper]

That we could debate, of course, but as neither of us has a medical degree, might not be a very informed debate. But beyond that, alcohol is by definition a toxin. One I ingest a lot of. So to say there are no toxins in my system is to ignore my chosen lifestyle.

No need to debate. A quick trip to Wikipedia actually answers it once and for all, heh. >.> Having inadvertently gone to a natropathic doctor before finding a new family doctor, trust me its pretty much all bullshit. Though my doctor put it a bit more diplomatically than that. Still, there was a lot of damage and delay of recovery done in the pursuit of toxins and other bullshit.

My new doc did do a reintroduction diet with me though and managed to pinpoint what clogged up the engine and what didn't. Wasn't exactly hard given that I was malnourished by the time I showed up in his office after following the naturopath's dietary advice. I was only 160lbs by the time I got to him ( and being around 6'1-6'2 to say you could see my ribs is an understatement ). I started at 185 and flat lined to 160 inside of like 3 weeks.

Though I am curious....which of the foods listed cause digestive problems and/or lethargy? For me, the only item that causes me digestive problems if I have it on a regular basis is caffeine, which I gave up 23 years ago. The only foods that have really ever caused me lethargy are turkey, salmon, pasta, and wine....three of which are outside of the diet, and one of which I just haven't purchased (salmon).

Caffeine and alcohol are bad ones. Alcohol especially. They'll both cause acid reflux and digestion problems. More so if its a carbonated drink. Dairy can be a really bad one for gumming up the works too. Red fatty meats ain't so good either. Processed high carb shit though can make your blood sugar level jump up and down all day.

and honestly they're all made worse by not drinking enough water. >.>

[Jester]

My new doc did do a reintroduction diet with me though and managed to pinpoint what clogged up the engine and what didn't.

Just what is the difference between my system flush and your reintroduction diet?

Caffeine and alcohol are bad ones. Alcohol especially. They'll both cause acid reflux and digestion problems. More so if its a carbonated drink. Dairy can be a really bad one for gumming up the works too. Red fatty meats ain't so good either. Processed high carb shit though can make your blood sugar level jump up and down all day.

and honestly they're all made worse by not drinking enough water. >.>

These are all things my system flush addresses, and yet you're giving me grief about it? What gives?

[Gravekeeper]

Just what is the difference between my system flush and your reintroduction diet?

The elimination diet that preceded it was not my idea and was actually rather dangerous. As my health ended up attesting. A system flush is an elimination diet. Reintroduction is just adding stuff back one by one and monitoring for intolerance or allergic reactions. It likely shouldn't be done without at least checking with a doc.

These are all things my system flush addresses, and yet you're giving me grief about it? What gives?

I'm not trying to give you grief, I'm just saying that a system flush / detoxification is alternative medicine that's been shown to do absolutely nothing and in rare cases are outright dangerous. Due to causing malnutrition or causing a patient to delay seeking treatment for a condition.

Which is precisely what happened to me when I was under the care of a naturopathic doctor. The end result was the ruination of my already bad health. I only just regained my normal weight about 2 months ago. I lost 25 lbs in an alarming amount of time and fun urine tests showed I went into a high level of ketosis aka stage 1 in your body beginning to eat itself to survive.

I mean fark, dude. Its officially been a year since the original chronic onset of my symptoms and I have still not been able to return to work. My doctor estimates at least three more months and even he's not that confident about the prognosis.

So I'm not trying to be hard on you, I'm just saying at best its non-sense and at worst its actually harmful.

[Jester]

As I said, there are detoxes that are downright harmful. One a few of my coworkers did a while back was borderline starvation. And I'm not sure about the borderline part.

But this one was still eating...and a lot of eating...just eliminating certain things. It may not be an actual detox, but it is also not harmful in any way I can think of. Fruits, veggies, nuts, chicken, fish, whole grains like rice....not exactly what one would call dangerous. Limited, sure, but not dangerous.

And I don't believe any of this was caused by any kind of reaction to anything I ate. Just felt my body could use with a bit of a reset, as it were, and I had a pretty good reaction to this last time. So why not, right?

Yesterday I made killer home fries for lunch: red potatoes, white onions, red bell pepper, olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper. Yummy!

Dinner: pan seared fish over spinach, jicama, carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes, with olive oil and fresh lime juice for dressing. Again, delicious.

Throughout the day, snacked on kumquats and cashews. Drank lots of water. My usual bowl of fruit for breakfast that I've been doing for the last year and a half.

Two more days and I'll reevaluate.

[Gravekeeper]

But this one was still eating...and a lot of eating...just eliminating certain things. It may not be an actual detox, but it is also not harmful in any way I can think of. Fruits, veggies, nuts, chicken, fish, whole grains like rice....not exactly what one would call dangerous. Limited, sure, but not dangerous.

Sounds like just a diet change to stuff that's healthier/easier on the system not a detox. All good then.

I miss cashews, qq. I had to give up peanuts and cashews.