At 11:50 8/2/98 -0700, you wrote:
>Good news - "Health Food Junkie" will soon be a book! The following
>was recently posted on rn newsgroups, and is cross-posted here with
>permission of Dr. Bratman. Inquiries/stories should be sent to the
>address below. / Tom Billings
>
>====================================================================
That was a great article, Tom. Thanks for sending it on. I have been there
myself, not as extremely as Andrea, but in the hope of curing my chronic
fatique, I have carried suitcases full of food and supplements with me to
Paris, London, and Rome. For several years my MD had me on a wheat-free,
dairy-free, sugar-free, alchohol-free diet and additive-free diet. In Rome
at a 3 day conference, I couldn't eat the pasta and so couldn't join my
colleagues for meals, nor could I eat much at receptions other than some
peanuts. The institute gave me access to a kitchen on the top floor of the
building that was used by students during the term. When I stayed with
friends I brought my spelt and kamut pasta from the US, and I traipsed all
over town looking for additional supplies. In Paris I could only stay a few
days in a hotel near the conference, and had to arrive a day early in order
to shop for my fresh vegetables at an open market, which I then hung in a
plastic bag on the window shutters to keep them cool. In London, I had
friends help me make special arrangements to stay at a bed & breakfast way
outside of town where I could use the kitchen to prepare my own meals. I
kept a sprouter in my room and carried sprouts and rye crisp around with me.
Still, one morning I woke up nauseaus and attributed it to a garlic clove I
had swallowed whole the night before to prevent a cold that seemed to be
developing. I suffered for five days until I found a Chinese physician who
treated me with acupuncture and herbs. I lucked out and found a friend who
let me use his apartment, right in town, while he and his partner went on
vacation, so finally I was able to get home at lunch too. I still felt sick
frequently, despite this tedious regime, but I had made some tremendous
advances the first 2-3 weeks on this diet, and continued to remain confident
for another 2 years that it would eventually cure me.
About a year ago I learned about the rawfoods diet and got onto this mailing
list as well as Ben and Wendy's live-foods group. I gradually began to
introduce more raw foods into my diet, including raw milk products, and
noticed a mild improvement. By this time, however, my system had become
strengthened to the point where I was no longer allergic to healthy food,
and I could eat almost anything in small quantities. As a result, I have
been fortunate enough to avoid getting caught up in the trap of diet
rigidity. I try to encourage my friends to go to a Japanese restaurant, but
if such is not around, I order my fish cooked rare and get a large salad; at
the houses of friends and relatives I can eat just about everything without
suffering discomfort, although I did have my first Burger King hamburger
Saturday when I was out-of-town on the road, and unprepared; and I felt
terrible afterwards for about 4 hours.
However, I have come to believe, as do Bratman and Knight, that emotional
and spiritual issues affect my well-being as much as food -- if not more at
times. Having learned pranic healing, I find that when my energy system is
balanced, when I am relaxed, open, and joyful, my body functions better,
whether I eat raw vegetables or cooked meat. Not that I would use this as
permission to indulge in a nutrient poor diet, but at least this
understanding encourages me to fine-tune my awareness so that I can perceive
whatever energies in my field are there, which might interfere with my
ability to "receive" nourishment from my food.
The importance of emotional issues, whether in the conscious awareness of a
person or supressed (and usually perceivable in the energy field by a
sensitized person), must be brought into balance with physical/nutritional
aspects of health. I have noticed that my boyfriend, who is one of the
healthiest persons I know, gets stomach cramps and diarrhea if we talk about
something that triggers his feelings of anger, hopelessness, or
powerlessness. Consequently, I have concluded that the path to good health
requires support and awareness in the physical (diet, exercise, etc.),
emotional, and spiritual realms.
Janis Bell
320 Oakland Park Ave
Columbus OH 43214
614 447-8983
[log in to unmask]
Janis C. Bell
320 Oakland Park Avenue Visiting Scholar
Columbus, OH 43214 Art History OSU
home tel: 614 447-8983 fax: 614 447-8783 [log in to unmask]
Associate professor, Kenyon College, on leave
alternate e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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