Day 8

Yesterday: It was one week.  It was a good day - at breakfast of oatmeal, berries and almond slices, went to therapy which was really interesting.  I have very vivid dreams and had one the night before about going on a field trip with my history class and ended up at a hotel because where we were going.  I stayed on the 26th floor.  My sister was there... it was a really long dream.  My therapist is really good about helping me pick apart my dreams and what they could potentially mean.  After that I met up with a girl from church- Tori and had lunch at red robin.  Normally when I go there I have the fried chicken and fries with ranch and sweet tea.  I got the grilled chicken with a side salad.  The salad did have the tortilla slices but there were only like 5.  I also got avocado on the side with water with lemon.  I had some brazilian nuts for a snack and made a sausage, egg and tomato omelette with an avocado on the side.  I had two rice cakes and some cherries (real not from can) for desert.  I organized the refrigerator.  Things are looking a lot different in there.  The top two shelves are all greens and fruit.  I am sure to label nust and seeds to make sure they don't go bad.  Then watched a movie and went to bed.  I have been decreasing the benzo and it is doing a number on me.  You would think only a quarter of a pill difference wouldn't matter but for the past 3 days I have been light headed, head ache and dizzy.  This does get better over time but I have to do some breathing exercises sometimes because my heart is racing so fast.  I am really glad I'm coming off this medication.  It is highly addictive and I don't want to depend on medication to deal with panic, I know I have to fight through it.  I have a busy weekend ahead of me and hope it will be fun.

Today:
Today was ok... my stomach has not been happy with me lately.  However I think this is normal.  From what I read, my body will be eliminating things that don't belong in my system.  So be it.  I ate a large breakfast of oats, berries and nuts and I immediately had to use the restroom.  Thats the first time that has happened.  For lunch, we had baked tilapia with cherry tomatoes, lemon zest, garlic and parsley (I think).  For the side dish, we had cooked spinach  and brown rice.  For a treat we had some freshly sliced pineapple.  We got the  recipe from a 'clean magazine' similar to this one:

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com

I also tried the 'Dry Brushing Technique'.  When I was at whole foods last, I saw one of these brushes.  It is called a Tampico Skin Brush by Yerba Prima:
"Tampico Skin Brush bristles are made from tampico fiber- the unbleached stem of the agave plant.  Hard wood now improved with a protective natural coating.  The Tampico Skin Brush can be used-
1.  To aid the body's natural cleansing process, as part of a Yerba Prima Internal Cleansing System.
2.  To exercise and stimulate the skin.
3.  To gently exfoliate and deep clean the skin.
Directions for Dry Brushing:
1.  Brush entire surface of the skin, except the face, with long gentle strokes.
2.  Best if used daily, before bathing.
3.  The brush should be cleaned periodically with soap and water.

Here is a site that goes into further detail:

http://www.naturalhealthtechniques.com/healingtechniques/dry_brushing_technique.htm

"How to Dry Brush (Easy, Fast Instructions):

• Begin with your feet and brush vigorously in circular motions.
• Continue brushing up your legs.
• Proceed to your hands and arms.
• Brush your entire back and abdomen area, shoulders and neck.
• Use circular counter-clockwise strokes on the abdomen.
• Lightly brush the breasts.
• Brush upwards on the back and down from the neck. Better yet, have a friend, spouse or family member brush your back.

Need More Specific Instructions? Skip this section

Here are the verbose directions.      

(You will do most steps 7-14 times. Hang in there—it’s not as complicated as it sounds and doesn’t take as long as it seems once you get the flow of it.)

1. Using your right hand, gently slide the brush along your right jaw line starting from your earlobe to the underside of your chin 7 times.
2. Place the brush at the hairline on your neck and gently pull around the right side of your neck to the Adam's apple 7 times.
3. Hold the brush with your right hand at the bottom of your neck (where it joins the top of your back) and bring it around your neck to the right and down along your right collar bone and end up between your collar bones 7 times.
4. Stroke your breastbone in a circular fashion to stimulate the thymus gland 7 times.
5. Carefully brush the breast in a circular motion 7 times.
6. Repeat the above steps for your left side holding the brush with your left hand.
7. To stimulate the pituitary gland, hold the brush on the back of your head near the base of your neck and rock the brush up and down, then side to side, both sides 14 times.
8. Hold the brush in your left armpit with your right hand and rotate it counter clockwise 7 times, then clockwise 7 times.
9. Repeat on your right armpit with your left hand.
10. Brush upward 7 times from your upper right thigh to your right armpit.
11. Repeat process on your left side. Women may need to hold their breast out of the way with their free hand.
12. Brush back and forth over your belly button and around your waistline 14 times (like passing a basketball behind your back).
13. Brush in a circular motion over your belly-button, counter-clockwise 7 times then clockwise 7 times.
14. Finish brushing the front of your body in any direction starting at the bottom and brushing all the way up 14 times. Very little pressure needs to be applied to the genitals and women's breasts because the skin is sensitive and will redden if irritated.
15. Brush up and down your spine from the base of your neck and down as far as you can 14 times.
16. Finish your upper back by stroking it around toward your sides.
17. Brush your spine from tailbone up as high as you can reach 14 times, holding the brush with two hands or with the detachable wooden handle.
18. Finish your lower back by stroking it around toward your sides.
19. Brush up from right ankle to right knee and work all the way around your leg, brushing up towards your heart.
20. Hold the brush in the right groin with both hands and rotate it 7 times counter-clockwise, then 7 times clockwise.
21. Repeat with the left groin.
22. Brush from right knee to right hip 7 times.
23. Work all the way around your leg continuing to brush upwards (towards the heart).
24. Brush up from right ankle to right knee and work all the way around your leg, brushing up towards your heart.
25. Brush around your right ankle 7 times.
26. Brush back and forth over the top of your right foot from toes to ankle.
27. Brush across your right toes on top and underneath 7 times.
28. Brush the bottom of your right foot heel to toe 7 times.
29. Now do the same with for the left foot, leg and thigh.
30. Brush upward from right elbow to your armpit and shoulder 7 times.
31. Brush from your right wrist to the elbow in the same manner 7 times.
32. Repeat steps on your left arm.
33. Lightly brush the webbing (or junction) between your left thumb and index or pointer finger on the palm side 14 times, then on the non-palm side 14 times.
34. Brush your left palm from wrist to fingertips and back 7 times.
35. Brush the back of your left hand the same way 7 times.
36. Brush each left hand finger individually back and forth 7 times on the areas that have not been brushed yet.
37. Repeat the steps for your right hand.
    
     

After brushing, take a hot shower with soap (about three minutes in duration), followed by a 10-20 second cold rinse. Repeat this procedure three times. If the hot/cold showers are too extreme, a warm shower can be used. Follow the shower with a rubdown with either a sponge or towel to remove dead skin."

So I tried it but skeptically.  I tried it on one leg and not the other and honestly my left leg, the one I used the technique on, at the end of the day is softer and looks and feels better.  

I have not eaten dinner yet, but I am thinking eggs again or maybe some quinoa and kale (yum).  My mom saw a cool trick a chef used on a cooking show- she took kale, salted it and baked it.  It came out like chips!  I will definitely be trying this soon because I really do miss chips.  

I still feel dizzy and had a headache for most of the day but after some advil, I felt a bit better.  I need to eat soon as the dizziness is coming back.  I'm thinking about almond butter and a granny smith sounds good right about now... 

Until tomorrow.