Aaron - thanks so much for your thoughtful response to my question about
increasing versus simulating the immune system

> If a person is not in a place of leverage to handle an event, then they can be
> defeated by it.
>
> You have cancer.  Rather than try chemotherapy, you lock yourself in a room
> for two weeks with comedy movies and laugh constantly.  At the end of the two
> weeks you are miraculously healed.

This is pretty close to what I did last month. I don't have cancer, but I
am trying to get rid of a cyst and I have spent many weekends with an
armful of comedies from Blockbuster to keep my mind off my worries. In
fact - I'm still collecting suggestions for favorite funny movies. I'm
looking for "pants wetters," laugh till you cry kind of stuff.  there
aren't that many of them actually.  the funniest I saw recently, is
"Something About Mary."  THAT was funny! It does help, btw. but I get
tired of sitting around in front of a tv.

> Or, you go and swim with dolphins daily for six months and are miraculously
> healed!

wow. that sounds fabulous! where would one go for that? I wanna do that.

> Just as any athlete can
> become depleted of something during an event, you became depleted, or
> overworked, otherwise, you would have just continued to feel better and
> better.

maybe. I couldn't tell. I was afraid that nothing was happening and I was
afraid that I was being negligent. I wanted to feel that something was
happening. I wanted to make something happen.

> Maybe if you had just fasted and slept it would have worked successfully and
> you could have reintroduced food, and then exercise, and never 'lost ground'.

maybe. actually I was ok with normal dialy exercise. it was when I began
rebounding for an hour and a half, two days in a row, that I got nauseated
and feeling bad. They warn you about that and I just found out why.

> Maybe you did induce some form of detox that became a temporary burden to your
> organs.  In that case, you now have to recover but perhaps the 'stuff' is all
> gone.

it's not all gone.
but I do seem to be better.

> The question to ask yourself is if detox could have occured on it's own over
> the next couple months, would you have been better off eating a fully-
> nourishing, raw organic diet while exercising for the next two months? That
> way, your body would have had the nutrition to heal and develop your body and
> at the same time, detox slowly without overburdening the organs and causing
> them undue stress from sudden auto-toxification.

hard to say. possible. that's what I'm doing now.

> Now, instead, you have to
> recover from the weight-loss, tissue loss, muscle loss, etc., injury to your
> kidneys or other organs that may have occured due to over-stress, etc.

injury to my kidneys, yes I think so. any suggestions on how to support
them and my liver?
weight loss, yes.
tissue loss, yes, fat tissue that is (if you call that issue).
muscle loss, no, I seem to be ok. I'm doing some weight bearing exercises
which I needed anyhow, before the fast.

> That is what I mean by increasing immune function rather than stimulating it
> through some harmful way.  Try fully nourishing your body, stretching,
> walking, hiking, and sleeping well, and getting whatever pure water you need.

I do all these daily except I'm in new york city and can't "hike" anywhere
pleasant. I do my exercises up on the roof, to get my sunshine and when I
lie down and look up at the blue sky, I feel like I'm on a beautiful beach
somewhere warm.

> If you are already eating great food, then I would continue to eat great food
> and let detox happen at a slow pace that your body will brilliantly take care
> of on it's own.

I guess this is what I have to trust.

> When you wake up one day and don't feel like eating, don't eat, rest, or do
> what you want to do, and then eat as soon as you want.  Let your body direct
> your mind, and make sure that your mind is centered in your heart, so that
> each action is right and loving.

thanks for your kind words and good advice!
Lucia