A few weeks ago I was filling out the patient sheet for my first appointment for Acupuncture therapy in the Bay area. I'd been having numerous stomach issues for a few years as well as (consider this an announcement for anyone who wants to kiss me) an obnoxious extended breakout of (here it comes, don't freak out) HSV type 1. This is the virus responsible for cold sores and fever blisters. Some factors that influence HSV breakouts are:
Stress
Extended exposure to Sun
Incorrect Diet
Fatigue
Being Run-Down
Drinking lots of alcohol
and I'm just gonna throw in:
Traveling from Sea to (flight) SF to (flight) LA to (car) Palm Springs to (bus) Vegas to (bus) Palm Springs to (bus) LA to (flight) Sea to (flight - and puking the entire way*) Idaho Falls to (flight) Seattle to (flight) Hawaii to (flight) Seattle to (car) Boise to (car) Seattle to (flight) SF to (flight) Seattle to (Uhaul) SF to (flight) Seattle to (flight) SF to (flight) Seattle to (car with cat) SF to (car) Reno to (flight) SF
That is:
13 flights
6 Extensive Car Rides (1 14-hour one with a U-Haul, and 1 14-hour one with a cat)
3 Extensive Bus Rides
3 full days of job interviews in 1 week followed by
36 hours on a Pontoon boat (tho to be fair, I slept in the back of a truck for 5)
5 months of sleeping only on futons, floors or couches
6 months of 90+ degree weather
4-month relationship cycle packed into 4 weeks
Subletting and Apartment Shopping
Starting a New Job
Moving
Stress (I think this is worth repeating)
Needless to say, though my West Coast Adventure was amazing and magical, I had subject my body to a lot. It was in a very uncomfortable place and it let me know that in many annoying & humiliating ways.
I found recommendations for a good Acupuncture clinic from Yelp.com and began my process of physical healing.
When I filled out my new patient questionnaire, I mentioned the outbreaks and the stomach issues and my stress. As an afterthought, I added 'detox'.
I had never done a detox before, nor ever wanted to. But I figured since my body had been through so much plus I'd been drinking for 15 years and clubbing for 8, it might be a good idea. The timing, of course, was perfect, as I was embarking on a new phase of my life. I could start clean, so to speak.
What I didn't realize was that a detox is more than just a colon sabbatical and the exoneration of your intestines. Along with the debris, it also removes old scars and their emotions. (At least, the ones you haven't fully healed yet). But not without pain, which is probably the reason you'd been holding onto the scars in the first place.
The detox itself was a nutrition-based detox. Food was mitigated to only things that are not prone to causing allergic reactions. This included (milk substitutes, starches like rice and tapioca, chicken or fish, vegetables, fruits and spices). What it eliminated was caffeine, alcohol, wheat, dairy, soy products, oranges, peanuts, sugar (including maple syrup and honey), and corn. During the second week, my menu was reduced even more to only fruits, vegetables, fats and spices. Along with the diet, I had to drink a rice-based powder which I referred to as the 'human cleaning fluid'. The taste was much like the baby oatmeal that we were exposed to as suburban American children and produced poopoo that was also much like the poopoo we excreted as suburban American children.
Along with the physical and emotional (and doubtless spiritual) cleansing, my detox produced for me a very clear window to my addictions. The Universe transpires to help you out**.
The first week was about getting through physical withdrawals of addictions. For me those were coffee and sugar.
Coffee
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Ah, coffee. My 2nd biggest and most enjoyable addiction. How can one live 20 years in the rain forest and not succumb to its enticing aroma, its warm comforting blanket snuggled around your cold hands, its omnipresence on every corner and 1/2 block in every American city? Oh, my coffee, it has been only 4 weeks since we last met and yet it has been forever.
So I like coffee.
But what I found is that I'm not really that into caffeine. Masil freaked me out when she mentioned that when she cut out coffee she had migraines. For me, nothing. I was a little fuzzy for a few days. Minor aches in the body. I thought I would get at least one splitting headache, maybe some hammer bulging type action on the temples. Nadda. Honestly, I felt like I'd let Seattle-lites down everywhere.
Though I didn't have headaches, I did notice the first day without coffee I was really cranky. But in retrospect, I might have been cranky because I had an excuse to be. One shopping trip to the thrift store with the Conscious Fashionista (plus two big bags of clothes for only $27 later) and I was feeling mighty fine.
Sugar
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This was a surprise addiction for me. Another surprise was how much sugar actually exists in processed foods. The company I work for, being a startup, buys us hard-working employees food. Its from great places like Berkeley Bowl, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Still, sugar is somehow necessary in pre-packaged foods.
My body started feeling the effects of the lack of sugar after about 2 days. That, combined with my detox from caffeine created 3 days of body aches, irritation and general uncomfortableness. On the third day, I would gain surges of energy and then supercrash. It felt like effort to use my body. However, after the 4th day (and many many baths) the effects from coming off these two drugs were all but gone.
The second week was about dealing with habitual addictions.
Netflix
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I know I have a problem. I am aware of the problem, and sometimes I work on the problem. (Standing) My name is Jen Woolfe (Hi, Jen Woolfe) and I'm a TV Series Addict. On days where I am at my weakest, I can blow through an entire 4-episode DVD of any cable TV series. I can never, ever, ever order On Demand Cable. If I have that, I will not sleep. I subdue this addiction with my dear friend Netfix, who will only send me 3 DVD's at at time. Thus, I live on; I work, I sleep, I eat. I can function as a normal human being. The Sopranos was my gateway drug to this underworld of hallucinatory escape. Then Queer as Folk, Oz, Six-Feet Under, Sex in the City, Carnival, Deadwood, The L Word, Weeds... This list goes on and on! But I ask you... where does it end?!?!! (hopefully never)
I wasn't aware that I needed to quell this addiction until the Universe transpired to help me out by making a DVD get stuck inside my laptop, which is the only place I can watch DVDs. It was stuck there for 2 full days before I finally agreed to abstain from TV Series sentry for two full weeks. Once I agreed, the laptop relinquished its grip. Painful it was. But one thing is for sure. I got a lot of shit done.
Alcohol
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The second habitual addiction I faced was alcohol addiction. I had been working on this addiction for quite some time. However, this was the first time I ever stopped drinking altogether. One thing that makes letting go of drinking difficult for me is how much it's integrated into my world as a DJ. Gigs are at bars, alcohol is free, blah blah blah. So during my second week of detox I left the comfort of my nest to venture out on my first Dry Bar experience.
Stay Tuned for Detox: Part II
* long story
** This is actually a quote from the book 'Now is the Hour' by my new favorite author Tom Spanbauer
