Last year was a rough one for me medically. I had two sinus surgeries, one inner ear surgery and two intravenous picc lines put in to try and kill bacteria in my sinuses. The two sinus surgeries brought the tally up to eight total sinus surgeries. Optimistically, the last one did the trick. (For sinus buffs, I had Draf 2 procedures in the past, and I finally had Draf 3. This combined my forehead sinuses into one large sinus to aid in draining and preventing infections.)
Since my body had been pumped with antibiotics all year, I decided to counteract that by boosting my metabolic health. I interviewed Naturopaths and Functional Medicine doctors and decided Dr. Meg Mill was the one for me. You can find her website and podcast here: https://megmill.com/
Dr. Mill began by setting up a 20-minute Zoom introduction. Then, she sent me an extremely detailed questionnaire. My process started with a series of home medical tests that arrived in the mail. I did blood, urine, and stool samples and shipped them to her suggested lab. During our first hour-long appointment, we discussed my goals and also my test results. She had a notetaker working on Zoom, and these notes were placed in my folders on my login for her website. She was available by chat for any questions I had before our next Zoom meeting.
I discovered that my acid reflux/heartburn needed help, along with my overall diet. I’ve always been what I would consider a “healthy eater,” but Dr. Mill’s suggestions took me to a new level of awareness. She suggested that I :
- Cut out all processed foods and MSG (not that hard for me)
- Cut out all sugar except for fruit (this included alcohol….ugh!)
- No chocolate and no caffeine because those relax the sphincter muscle in your esophagus.
- Eliminate all foods that cause reflux/heartburn (fatty and greasy items, garlic, onions, spicy foods, acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus).
- Slow down my eating and make sure each bite is wholly dissolved to near liquid form before swallowing. Doing this reduces gas and helps the digestive enzymes work most efficiently.
- Wear loose-fitting clothing around my waist to aid digestion
- Wait 2-3 hours before lying down after eating
- Drink more water…but drink nothing with my meal. Let my stomach acids dissolve the food.
- Omit carbonated beverages, including sparkling water, because they cause the stomach to expand, putting pressure on the esophageal muscles.
- Eat organic fruits and vegetables at every meal. Have TWO SERVINGS of vegetables at every meal.
I was game to try it all, but that last “to-do” item freaked me out. How was I going to eat two servings of vegetables at breakfast ?! My husband, Scott, figured out the solution. He bought an enormous supply of organic vegetables of every color. Then he parboiled them and ground them all up in our blender. He measured out 2-cup servings and froze them. Twice daily (between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner), we combine the frozen veggie mix with 2 cups of unsweetened almond milk, a handful of frozen organic berries, and 1 tsp. each of vanilla and cinnamon. It serves both of us. Here is the recipe:
VEGETABLE SMOOTHIE RECIPE
Parboil organic vegetables:
beets ( 10 min ) , cabbage (7 min ), carrots (7 min) , squashes (5 min) , broccoli (4 min), spinach and beet greens (2 min), kale (3 min), collard greens (3 min) , parsley (set over hot cooked vegetables) and other veggies . Test all with fork to see if cooked through. Better to be undercooked than overcooked.
Vegetable broth: add 2 cups from water used to cook veggies to one gallon and one half blender full of veggies.
Blend in blender
Freeze 2 cup servings in baggies (serves 2)
To make 2 servings of smoothie blend :
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
Can save veggie broth for other cooking recipes.
During my second meeting with Dr. Mill, we discussed some of the mycotoxins that had appeared in my bloodwork. She prescribed supplements I could use to get my metabolic health back on track. These included a refrigerated probiotic, some digestive enzymes, Akkermansia, a G.I. Detox capsule, and a powder that acts as a free source of immunoglobulin G (IgG) to maintain a healthy intestinal immune system by binding a broad range of microbes and toxins within the gut lumen.
She gave me information about potential toxins in my home, such as chemicals in certain cleaning products, BPA in canned foods, plastic containers (never microwave in one), avoid perfumes, use only filtered water, and no Teflon type cookware. She advised me to use HEPA filters to clean the air in individual rooms and in my vacuum and that I use apps like “Think Dirty” and “EGW Healthy Living” to identify potential toxins in my makeup and bath products. I made a lot of changes! I bought new makeup at the Detox Market. I bought glass containers and threw away my plastic ones. We have a water filtration system in our home now.
Once I was done with the supplements for gut health, we moved on to supplements to help me detox from toxins. I began using Liposomal Glutathione, ultra-blinder capsules to pull the toxins out, and Pure PC for liver detoxification. I stayed on this for about 2 months.
Dr. Mill told me to make some lifestyle changes, too. She gave me breathing techniques and sleep management skills and advised that I take a sauna several times a week to help sweat and detox.
The changes were nothing short of phenomenal! The inflammation in my body disappeared. My skin looks different. I have more energy. I came to the realization that the reason I was ordering/drinking alcohol before dinner was because I was so hungry! I was actually HANGRY, and the alcohol seemed to help. Now that I have the veggie smoothie in the afternoon, I’m not hungry before dinner and don’t need a drink. Interestingly, I also found out that some friends who are used to having a cocktail or glass of wine with me got a bit annoyed when I switched to just water. They told me that if I had an “alcohol dependency problem,” they wouldn’t have an issue with it, but because it’s a lifestyle choice, it made them feel like they were “being naughty” having their drink.
One of the best results of these changes is that I have eliminated having to take Pepcid AC and Nexium daily! I have deleted my migraine preventative medication as I no longer get headaches. I have stopped all five of my allergy medications due to the surgery AND lack of inflamation. I’m a new me!
Now that I have completed my detox, my final appointment with Meg is to test hormones, melatonin, and neurotransmitters like serotonin. I’m looking forward to hearing about that final piece of the puzzle.
I cannot believe the changes in how I feel, and I wanted to share the information with anyone with similar issues. I realized that our bodies are like cars, and they run on the gas (or electricity) we put into them. Every bite of junk food or chemicals slows down the optimal functioning of the vehicle. Every organic vegetable, healthy fat, and lean protein that we put into our bodies helps to make them function like incredible machines. It’s not easy making these changes, but my motivation is to continue to feel like a brand new optimal me!
