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A couple of years ago I wrote on this forum that I was trying the GAPS diet, which claims to heal many different mental illnesses, including depression, schizophrenia and autism through healing the gut. I was not aware of significant gut problems before trying the diet, but according to the doctor who developed this diet in its current form, you can have a diseased gut without realising it.
I have come such a long way since I started this healing program. I can't bear to think about how I used to feel. Things that are easy for me now used to be so difficult - it was like having all my mental energy drained away. I feel so much more connection to other people, and I no longer suffer from the high anxiety and racing thoughts I used to have. I sleep deeply and peacefully now, whereas before I slept badly, with horrible dreams, and didn't feel refreshed when I woke up. I'm not cured, but the DP I have today is a different illness from the DP I had before doing the program. It isn't so terrible, and I am able to live a real life more and more.
There is something wrong with a medical profession which focuses on managing symptoms separately, without exploring how the different processes of the body interrelate, and how to promote proper well being. Doctors are quick to warn you not to eat too much fat, and to eat your "five a day" - but I learned through doing this program that proper nutrition goes a long way beyond that. As well as nutrition, there is the body's detoxification system, which can get overloaded, and which then needs help. Though methods of helping the body detoxify have been around for centuries, doctors don't usually mention them, and instead they give you drugs that help to further overload your system.
After I had been doing the diet for a year or so, I learned about the liver flush, from a book by Andreas Moritz. It explains how important the functioning of the liver is for health, and that there is a need for cleansing the liver, to maintain its function, particularly if your diet has not been a healthy one or if your digestion isn't functioning well.
The liver flush is something you can do at home, and I have been doing it once per month for the last ten months or so.
I kept a diary, and will post it here, to show you what a difference it made to my DP:
LIVER FLUSH DIARY
* Continued from this time onwards
Potted history:
Healthy parents but maternal grandmother perpetually ill with gastro-intestinal and other complaints.
Recurrent ear infections as a child. Took many courses of antibiotics. Went vegetarian at 11 years old.
Began to suffer from depression which was chronic by teens. Developed severe depression and had beginnings of Depersonalisation Syndrome in early twenties, which became much worse after a three month trip to India. India trip was in a year off between 3rd and 4th years at music college. Having been passionate about music all my life, during the period of severe depression experienced the loss of my creative feelings, and lost the intense connection that I had with music. This did not return.
Depersonalisation became worse and worse over next few years. Drug interventions also made condition worse.
Began feeling more and more tired throughout thirties, eventually developing chronic fatigue, though no longer taking medication.
Many huge improvements from GAPS, and a transformation in quality of life, but still suffering from depersonalisation and exhaustion, not able to go onto full GAPS diet.
FLUSH NO. 1 December 2011
Huge increase in satisfaction from food, less nausea after eating, big decrease in hunger and huge increase in energy. Able to do much more, eg walk without tiring so easily, take a gentle yoga class *
Sleeping much more deeply, with amazing peaceful dreams.
FLUSH NO. 2 February 2011
More satisfaction from food. Huge decrease in hunger *
Felt I had traumatised my body with the flush and made it weaker. Decided to wait until stronger before doing more flushes.
FLUSH NO. 3 September 2011 (feeling much stronger)
Big increase in satisfaction from food, and big increase in overall sense of wellbeing.
FLUSH NO. 4 October 2011
Life changing: felt as if my spirit had been turned to stone, and suddenly allowed free again.
Enthusiasm, creativity and the ability to stand up for myself, awakened after many years. Spontaneously challenging people (not aggressively) when they took advantage of me. Feeling inspired to play music, and dance. Much more cheerful. Also feeling depersonalisation was not as terrible as before, and it was far easier to function. Felt as if coming back to life. It is hard to explain the enormity of the change *
More optimism, better mood, and again less hunger*
Craved lemons for days, and didn't want to eat fatty foods or animal protein
Developed acne for the first time in my life (not severe, and also only on right side of my face, but very noticeable)+
FLUSH NO. 5 November 2011
Acne continued. Felt slightly better.
FLUSH NO. 6 December 2011
Acne disappeared, and I felt much cleaner inside than I had felt for many years, not congested around liver. A sense of clean energy flowing again through whole body *
Previously there would be a crash for several days following any exercise. Now suddenly able to exercise for over an hour for several days in a row, including swimming +
FLUSH NO. 7 January 2012
Felt slightly cleaner again
FLUSH NO. 8 February 2012
Traumatic day following the flush - overwhelmingly tired and upset.
Felt rejuvenated - mental state much more positive. Unbelievable changes in mental well being, like getting my soul back.
Recovering much more easily from tiring activities. Sleeping much much more deeply. Feeling more at peace. Waking up feeling fresh. Pleasant dreams, instead of usual nightmarish dreams.
People commenting on how clear my skin looks and how sleek my hair looks and feels. Aware of my skin feeling lovely from the inside.
Two weeks later, it stopped hurting to walk!!
FLUSH NO. 9 March 2012
Woke on morning after the flush feeling cheerful. Sense of exhuberance and also peace. Feeling a big hunger, wanting to eat hugely.
Depersonalisation means I don't feel a sense of recognition when I see people I know or see my face in the mirror. My face in the mirror seems more familiar, and I feel more normal, and more emotion. Playing the piano with a real sense of creativity and connection, loving it again. I am so happy about this.
Sleeping very deeply and peacefully. Waking up feeling fresh and refreshed.*
Cheerfulness continues. *
Going on long walks - up to two hours, and arriving home without even needing to sit down ( up until recently I would need to lie down and rest after walking a short distance, with constant burning in muscles when I walk at all). *
FLUSH NO. 10 April 2012
No dramatic shift, but I feel particularly well, mentally and physically.
I am laughing much, much more than usual, with a deep mirth, not the hollow laugh I have had for many years.
This month I have been catching myself skipping upstairs (instead of painfully dragging myself up each step).
I have noticed that it has been many weeks since I needed to get up and go to the loo during the night*
FLUSH NO. 11 MAY 2012
A BIG improvement in sense of freshness and awakeness during the day. Even after a period of a over year abstaining from coffee I found that drinking it was the only way to feel "human". I seem to feel perfectly human without coffee now, and though I still want it, I'm not craving it any more. I am now finding that even one small cup of coffee at lunch time will keep me awake half the night.
Had colonic irrigation after the flush. Felt the same sense of overwhelming relief and coming back to life as with the last time, only this time higher up my abdomen.
Since this colonic, I am feeling very different emotionally. Though GAPS helped me enormously with chronic anxiety and racing thoughts, I still have a background of anxiety all the time. This dropped enormously the day after the colonic and seems to be improving daily - I am marvelling at how calm I feel.
Since this colonic I am also sleeping even more deeply than before - feels like returning to proper deep, magical dreaming, instead of a sense of being half awake in my dreams, and the dreams being totally banal.
FLUSH NO 12 JUNE 2012
No dramatic change.
After colonic irrigation, felt irritable and out of sorts, tired and wanting to sleep a lot - for days. Again a sense of relief - this time again higher up my abdomen.
I have come such a long way since I started this healing program. I can't bear to think about how I used to feel. Things that are easy for me now used to be so difficult - it was like having all my mental energy drained away. I feel so much more connection to other people, and I no longer suffer from the high anxiety and racing thoughts I used to have. I sleep deeply and peacefully now, whereas before I slept badly, with horrible dreams, and didn't feel refreshed when I woke up. I'm not cured, but the DP I have today is a different illness from the DP I had before doing the program. It isn't so terrible, and I am able to live a real life more and more.
There is something wrong with a medical profession which focuses on managing symptoms separately, without exploring how the different processes of the body interrelate, and how to promote proper well being. Doctors are quick to warn you not to eat too much fat, and to eat your "five a day" - but I learned through doing this program that proper nutrition goes a long way beyond that. As well as nutrition, there is the body's detoxification system, which can get overloaded, and which then needs help. Though methods of helping the body detoxify have been around for centuries, doctors don't usually mention them, and instead they give you drugs that help to further overload your system.
After I had been doing the diet for a year or so, I learned about the liver flush, from a book by Andreas Moritz. It explains how important the functioning of the liver is for health, and that there is a need for cleansing the liver, to maintain its function, particularly if your diet has not been a healthy one or if your digestion isn't functioning well.
The liver flush is something you can do at home, and I have been doing it once per month for the last ten months or so.
I kept a diary, and will post it here, to show you what a difference it made to my DP:
LIVER FLUSH DIARY
* Continued from this time onwards
Potted history:
Healthy parents but maternal grandmother perpetually ill with gastro-intestinal and other complaints.
Recurrent ear infections as a child. Took many courses of antibiotics. Went vegetarian at 11 years old.
Began to suffer from depression which was chronic by teens. Developed severe depression and had beginnings of Depersonalisation Syndrome in early twenties, which became much worse after a three month trip to India. India trip was in a year off between 3rd and 4th years at music college. Having been passionate about music all my life, during the period of severe depression experienced the loss of my creative feelings, and lost the intense connection that I had with music. This did not return.
Depersonalisation became worse and worse over next few years. Drug interventions also made condition worse.
Began feeling more and more tired throughout thirties, eventually developing chronic fatigue, though no longer taking medication.
Many huge improvements from GAPS, and a transformation in quality of life, but still suffering from depersonalisation and exhaustion, not able to go onto full GAPS diet.
FLUSH NO. 1 December 2011
Huge increase in satisfaction from food, less nausea after eating, big decrease in hunger and huge increase in energy. Able to do much more, eg walk without tiring so easily, take a gentle yoga class *
Sleeping much more deeply, with amazing peaceful dreams.
FLUSH NO. 2 February 2011
More satisfaction from food. Huge decrease in hunger *
Felt I had traumatised my body with the flush and made it weaker. Decided to wait until stronger before doing more flushes.
FLUSH NO. 3 September 2011 (feeling much stronger)
Big increase in satisfaction from food, and big increase in overall sense of wellbeing.
FLUSH NO. 4 October 2011
Life changing: felt as if my spirit had been turned to stone, and suddenly allowed free again.
Enthusiasm, creativity and the ability to stand up for myself, awakened after many years. Spontaneously challenging people (not aggressively) when they took advantage of me. Feeling inspired to play music, and dance. Much more cheerful. Also feeling depersonalisation was not as terrible as before, and it was far easier to function. Felt as if coming back to life. It is hard to explain the enormity of the change *
More optimism, better mood, and again less hunger*
Craved lemons for days, and didn't want to eat fatty foods or animal protein
Developed acne for the first time in my life (not severe, and also only on right side of my face, but very noticeable)+
FLUSH NO. 5 November 2011
Acne continued. Felt slightly better.
FLUSH NO. 6 December 2011
Acne disappeared, and I felt much cleaner inside than I had felt for many years, not congested around liver. A sense of clean energy flowing again through whole body *
Previously there would be a crash for several days following any exercise. Now suddenly able to exercise for over an hour for several days in a row, including swimming +
FLUSH NO. 7 January 2012
Felt slightly cleaner again
FLUSH NO. 8 February 2012
Traumatic day following the flush - overwhelmingly tired and upset.
Felt rejuvenated - mental state much more positive. Unbelievable changes in mental well being, like getting my soul back.
Recovering much more easily from tiring activities. Sleeping much much more deeply. Feeling more at peace. Waking up feeling fresh. Pleasant dreams, instead of usual nightmarish dreams.
People commenting on how clear my skin looks and how sleek my hair looks and feels. Aware of my skin feeling lovely from the inside.
Two weeks later, it stopped hurting to walk!!
FLUSH NO. 9 March 2012
Woke on morning after the flush feeling cheerful. Sense of exhuberance and also peace. Feeling a big hunger, wanting to eat hugely.
Depersonalisation means I don't feel a sense of recognition when I see people I know or see my face in the mirror. My face in the mirror seems more familiar, and I feel more normal, and more emotion. Playing the piano with a real sense of creativity and connection, loving it again. I am so happy about this.
Sleeping very deeply and peacefully. Waking up feeling fresh and refreshed.*
Cheerfulness continues. *
Going on long walks - up to two hours, and arriving home without even needing to sit down ( up until recently I would need to lie down and rest after walking a short distance, with constant burning in muscles when I walk at all). *
FLUSH NO. 10 April 2012
No dramatic shift, but I feel particularly well, mentally and physically.
I am laughing much, much more than usual, with a deep mirth, not the hollow laugh I have had for many years.
This month I have been catching myself skipping upstairs (instead of painfully dragging myself up each step).
I have noticed that it has been many weeks since I needed to get up and go to the loo during the night*
FLUSH NO. 11 MAY 2012
A BIG improvement in sense of freshness and awakeness during the day. Even after a period of a over year abstaining from coffee I found that drinking it was the only way to feel "human". I seem to feel perfectly human without coffee now, and though I still want it, I'm not craving it any more. I am now finding that even one small cup of coffee at lunch time will keep me awake half the night.
Had colonic irrigation after the flush. Felt the same sense of overwhelming relief and coming back to life as with the last time, only this time higher up my abdomen.
Since this colonic, I am feeling very different emotionally. Though GAPS helped me enormously with chronic anxiety and racing thoughts, I still have a background of anxiety all the time. This dropped enormously the day after the colonic and seems to be improving daily - I am marvelling at how calm I feel.
Since this colonic I am also sleeping even more deeply than before - feels like returning to proper deep, magical dreaming, instead of a sense of being half awake in my dreams, and the dreams being totally banal.
FLUSH NO 12 JUNE 2012
No dramatic change.
After colonic irrigation, felt irritable and out of sorts, tired and wanting to sleep a lot - for days. Again a sense of relief - this time again higher up my abdomen.
