I’m on a mission.

I have one little lingering issue from surviving estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.  I didn’t take a drug my oncologist prescribed seven years ago. The drug basically blocks estrogen production in the body.  Every year I see the doctor, she still asks if I’ll take the drug, which is now supposed to be effective for 10 years. Nope, I say. At the 10 year mark, I’d be on my own, anyway.  I decided to reinforce and tweak my eating habits instead.

I’m on a mission to take my health to another level.

So, why tweak eating habits that have already made me lean? Because I still craved sweets; I had become more agitated and stressed; and sometimes didn’t sleep well. I’ve read a ton of information to figure out which way to go because I’m not a candidate for certain prescription drugs.

I learned there are different types of estrogen and not all are bad. In my oncologist’s view, estrogen is my enemy. Period. But, I think it depends on how it’s metabolized in the body. I decided to go a natural route and balance my hormones through diet and by removing man-made substances in my environment that could disrupt that balance. It sure couldn’t hurt to try.

At the beginning of the year, I signed up for a three-week hormone-balancing detox and seminar offered on this website. The seminar was right on time and what I had been looking for. I liked the instructor’s credentials, her focus on functional medicine, and her own wake-up call that started with her husband’s health crisis. (I also think she favors the Paleo diet.)

The seminar included a few hour-long lectures, a community board for Q&A with the experts, and support during the detox, and recipes. She explained the endocrine system in layman’s terms. There’s a lot of information out there about certain foods and chemicals that can disrupt this system. The endocrine system plays a vital role in whether you develop diabetes or another hormone-related disorder.

Some people debunk the whole notion of detox. They say:

• There’s no such thing as a food “toxin” because “toxins” are a classification of defined substances, like botulin.
• Sugar is not a toxin.
• The liver doesn’t need to be “rested.”
• Detox supplements are gimmicks; and peddlers of detox services are quacks.

Those arguments don’t get to the reason behind why people may need a detox. They don’t address  the collective adverse effects to our bodies of  highly processed foods, refined sugars, and the abundance of chemicals in our environment.  I agree that the wellness industry has its share of quacks and bad products. But, let’s face it — they’ve successfully played in the wellness market because if we only needed a “magic pill” to make us healthier, we would take it.

It seems to me that we are either absorbing or ingesting substances that are working at cross-purposes with our health. Diabetes is rampant in the U.S., as well as some other parts of the world. Our bodies are letting us know something’s not right. We need to pay attention.

I learned some things that were brand new to me. During the three-week detox, we were asked to eliminate some foods that are Paleo-acceptable, like eggs and fatty meats (like beef and lamb). Dietary suggestions seemed to follow the Paleo diet protocol, but were also very vegan-friendly. Recipes and menus came with the seminar — some of which I liked, and others not so much.  I also did my own thing in the kitchen within the provided guidelines.

Blueberry scones made with almond flour (gluten-free); sweetened with coconut nectar

Here’s what I got out of  the three-week detox program:

• Better ideas for snacks
• Good information about plastic and food: replacing plastic storage containers for glass, and plastic spatulas and spoons for bamboo or wood
• High cost of a Paleo-centered pantry
• Switching to a variety of coconut products and sweeteners; not buying so-called healthy snack foods
• Smarter grocery-shopping with a list; and less food waste
• Understanding which foods can spike blood sugar, like dairy (and oatmeal); substituting dairy with unflavored almond milk
• Passion flower herbal supplement for calming the nervous system
• Flaxseed meal and tempeh —  estrogenic, but not necessarily bad
• Magnesium and vitamin B supplements — additional support to the body
• Wine (sigh) is not necessarily my friend. (I drink it on fewer occasions now.)
• Sleep — very important
• Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, arugula, bok choy, and kale

Red kale

I participated in this online seminar along with 200+ other folk, each of whom had their own concerns about the effect of hormone imbalance on their health. All in all, I’m glad I did this hormone-balancing detox. It was my first step this year on my very personal mission to resolve that last lingering little well-being issue.

What do you think of a diet-based detox?

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