Hi Axel,

Nice to hear from you.

Before I answer your mail I would like to make it quite clear that
I am not offering you a treatment or a cure for your problems but
merely some constructive criticism of your eating habits based on
the positive experiences of myself and others.

> hello. my name is axel, i am twenty five and live in buenos aires,
> argentina.

I'm just turned 51 and live in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. I am a member
of a breakaway group from the German Natural Hygiene Society.


> my health story is this: from birth till twenty years old, ate conventional
> food.

I did that 'til the age of 38!!

> for four months back in 1994, i took a broad spectrum antibiotic to
> treat acne, and in the summer of 1994, was very constipated and did not know
> what to do. i started to feel week all the time.

Antibiotics kill bacteria...including those responsible for healthy
digestion and a healthy immune system in your intestines.

> so i read fit for life and adopted the program overnight. my digestion
> healed, at least everything seemed normal again.

"Fit for Life" is not the answer to everything (unfortunately) but
it is certainy an extremely better dietary regime than most people
practice.

> shortly afterwards, for a
> few months, i did simultaneously bulimia eating all sorts of crap and raw
> foods. it used to go like this: a few days raw, one day crap. on and on.

Bulimia is a psychological problem. Were you obese at some time in your
life...are you obese or does your general diet make you put on weight
fast..have you consulted a psychiatrist?

> in
> september 1994 i fasted for two weeks, i was completely ignorant about it,
> blind, and lost most of the muscles of my body.

You won't loose muscle by fasting for 2 weeks (perhaps you were a
bit "chubby" and thought this was muscle..or else merely..through
fasting..added to the general problems of a bulemia sufferer).

> also developed some digestive problem.
> since then, my abdomen has been bloated and i could not gain weight at all,
> not muscle nor fat.

Fasting also has a negative effect on the intestinal flora and can
also cause constipation (after the fast) if bowel irrigation in
not practised during the fast.

> 1995 i went to the states. the whole year.
> saw many hygienists. gabriel cousens
> treated me for candida and epstein-barr virus, that was detected in blood
> work he ordered. for four months i was under his supervision, having
> megadosis of vitamin drippings. and many supplements i do not remember the
> names. nothing happened at all with my health after all that.

Don't know Gabriel Cousens but vitamin drippings and supplements are
not the mark of a natural hygienist..and it does not surprise me in
the least that these "treatments" had little effect on your health.

> from 1996 till the mid of 1997, i stayed all raw, basically was fruit,
> seeds, juices, avos, greens. in 1997, i started eating cooked food again,

Your fault....and you should have left out the seeds.

> more and less clean stuff at the beggining but very soon, for emotional
> reasons, i was eating all the crap, chocolate, cheese, pastry, etc i wanted,
> everyday.

Sounds to me like you are using food as a comfort or a substitute. You
really should consult a psychiatrist.

> in a few weeks, i gained like 50 pounds of water. i was all puffed.
> very horrible.

Could be a kidney failure and could be just the result of eating
excessive salt.

> this mad bulimia has been going on till now. the last year i ate basically a
> crap diet, no fruit, little vegetables.
> right now, i look very skiny and pale, but have plenty of water in my legs
> and some in the rest of my body. i heard before this is not good, but
> honestly i am clueless about what causes water retention beyond the food
> factors. i mean, if i eat well and the water stays there.
> several reasons prompted me to write:
> one, i am really lost.

Eating food..whether good or bad..and regurgitating it with the help of
a finger or whatever..will never solve your problem. You need to consult
a psychiatrist to find out WHY you are doing this.

> two, when i participated two years ago, it was a very good experience for
> me, people were really helping and sincerely interested and knowledgeable
> and straightforward.
> three, i have seen there are some health practicioners in the list who might
> have a good idea about things like this.

As I said..you first need to find out your psychological problem before
consulting this list.

> four, there are no people down here knowledgeable about all this. zero.
> i can go to the doctor, but i cannot tell them this story, because it is too
> alien for them. specially if after all this you still want to go back to all
> raw.
> people simply think i have eating disorders, specially whenever i go back to
> raw, even for a day.
> so, i have been all raw for a week now, so far so good. i plan to keep at
> it, but the sensation of something moving in my legs really bothers me.
>
Raw food will help you when you have solved your bulemia problem.

> i forgot to mention something. during 1998 i took a small dosis of two
> psychiatric drugs, one was a neuroleptic. i wonder if anybody knows about
> anything that has helped others get rid of stuff like that, any food,
> supplement, any technique, absolutely anything. one of the things i would
> like to do is get a really good juicer from the states and juice a lot of
> greens everyday, but i would need some 1000 dollars to buy it and have it
> shipped here, so it will not happen any time soon, because i do not have
> that money.

You don't need to juice anything. Natural is always best.

> i am taking just barley, though.

Modern barley contains much too much gluten, a sticky protein which
will add to your problem of not getting enough nutrients. Stay away
from it.

> i have not have blood work or any other test performed for a year maybe.
> ok, that is part of my story, any opinion will be welcome. there is a lot
> more to tell, but right now i am worried about this water in my legs.
>
At your age I would be worried Axel. Please consult a good
psychiatrist first (to tackle your bulemia problem) and stop
experimenting with your diet until you get an adequate answer.

Regards,

Alan