All Posts by AI Guy

Plant-Based Autoimmune Protocol is an Intensive Lifestyle Change

Change your lifestyle and get your autoimmune disease under control.

What is an intensive lifestyle change? Well, it depends on how your current lifestyle is structured.

If you are eating plant-based and do regular exercises and stress management, then you are probably on the right track and a few lifestyle tweaks would bring the results that we all are waiting; to get this beast under control.

If you are eating a lot of junk, are a couch potato and under constant stress, then you need definitely an Intensive Lifestyle Change.

One thing that our society must overcome is that many doctors think, intensive lifestyle change is just too difficult to teach, and many patients think is too difficult to do.

An intensive lifestyle change needs knowledge and action. First get your mindset right and set your goal and ignore the negative thought like it is too difficult or time-consuming or exhausting.

Intensive lifestyle change is doable and essential to getting healthier. I have done it and YOU can do it also. Check out our Membership Area and start right away.

The main things to consider are:

• a plant-based diet – meaning eating mostly vegetables (big salads) and fruits (not much at the beginning of your gut healing journey)
• avoiding sugars and flours, those in processed food (prepared foods, foods in boxes) are poison for your digestive system and your body
• limiting animal products because these are inflammatory and we don’t want any more inflammation.
• stress reduction with breathing techniques and mediation
• DO YOUR EXERCISES

Yoga to Tame the Beast that Attacks Your Joints

What kind of exercise helps with autoimmune diseases that attack the joints?

For example, Ankylosing Spondylitis is an inflammatory disease affecting tissues in and near the spine. In the beginning, you suffer from a lack of flexibility and a lot of movements get restricted or impossible. Eventually If not “treated”, the fusion of the vertebrae joints occurs, resulting in an irreversible joint damage and stooping posture.

Yoga increases the flexibility and range of motion of the body and especially in the case of Ankylosing Spondylitis, the spine and helps to reverse the degenerative problems, improving posture and physical strength.

According to the Arthritis Foundation a program of yoga poses, breathing and relaxation can make a big difference in joint pain and swelling. And the better you feel, the better you can handle your RA.

Yoga can be modified in a lot of different ways to help your joints by keeping them movable and adapt to your specific needs of most people with autoimmune diseases.

Yoga is a complementary treatment that can greatly help alleviate these and other symptoms of autoimmune diseases.

Yoga increase energy, relieve anxiety and builds positive emotions. If you have a persistent disease, especially one that is painful and unpredictable, the great bonus of yoga is the mood-enhancing effect. It really helps with increased stress that is caused by lifestyle changes, not being able to do things that were doable before the disease and living with a constant pain because of our chronic illness.

Let’s do our yoga every day and get healthier.

The Power of Fasting and Why am I Doing It

I know, Fasting is not an easy process, just simple. Let me tell you my personal experience.

The barrier to overcome your eating urges gets really low if you have chronic pain or inflammation in your organs like your eyes.

I’m doing either a cleanse or fast.

Both help with the pain, I think fasting is more powerful than cleansing.

So whats the difference?

While cleansing, I eat green salads without dressing as much as I like and drink celery or cucumber juices. So basically it’s not a zero calory intake, but around 200-400.

Fasting, on the other hand, is from 0-50 calories with only water or tea.

The recent trick that my immune system played was attacking my eye causing Uveitis.
It’s the inflammation of the uvea, this is the pigmented layer that lies between the inner retina and the outer layer of the sclera and cornea.

If it’s not treated a possible outcome is blindness.
In my case, the treatment was with cortisone and pupil-dilating medicine. I started a cleanse on the 4. day of my uveitis treatment and the redness in my eye got immediately better. This cleanse was one of my longest ones and lasted four days.

If I have a lot of pain because of my autoimmune disease, I would start a cleanse or fast for at least 24 to 48 hours. After that period. The pain is almost completely gone, till I start eating “normal” food again. After this period my body and energy levels are fantastic and I feel really good. Like my gut healing was accelerated.

I highly suggest everyone, also healthy people to try either a cleanse or fast for a couple of days, just to experience the healing power and capacity of your body

Please always consult your doctor before attempting a cleanse or fast.

If you want to get detailed information about different kind of fasting methods you can download our PDF from our homepage.

Hormonal Reactions Triggered by Cold Showers

Booom, the cold water hits your body, what happens next?

After the cold water makes contact with our body we start to produce hormones to cope with the situation

Some examples are:

ACTH stimulates the production and release of cortisol.

Cortisol helps to control blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, help reduce inflammation and assist with memory formulation.

Corticosterone is responsible for regulation of energy, immune reactions, and stress responses.

Adrenaline: It makes you ready to fight or flight.

TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone regulates the body’s metabolic activities and it stimulates brown adipose tissue.

Beta-Endorphin modulates pain perception.

Also to face the “threat”

• Liver and pancreas start making more glucose.
• Muscles increase their uptake of glucose in order to have more energy.

Everyday is Fantastic and Hopeful

Do you know why?

Even if you are in the worst condition, have pains, you are ALIVE! have a strong mind and the willpower to improve your condition from this moment on.

Change your questions and your mind will follow.

A “bad” question that will not help is: “Why is this happening to me?”.
Instead, ask yourself:

“What can I do to improve my situation?”

“What are the necessary steps to reduce my pain?”

“What have I not tried till now?”

“What are other people doing who are in a better condition or even in remission?”

Most importantly believe in yourself. I don’t care what others say. YOU can accomplish anything and everything if you set your mind to it.

Start with small steps and repeat them every day.

Change something in your diet like adding a salad to your meals.
If you can and your doctor allows it do a cleanse or fast.
Change something in your sleeping habit and go early to bed and sleep (or just rest if can’t sleep) at least for 8 hours.
Do some stress management with breathing an meditation.
And definitely, do some exercise, yoga, stretching, walking, resistance training, whatever you can do without hurting yourself.

Try to add a little improvement every day

and in no time you will see the astonishing results and what your body is really capable of.

If you need some extra motivational boost check out David Goggins or Dr. Saray Stancic’s story.

Hypothermia Prevention During Cold Showers

Our goal is to stay warm during and after the cold showers.

Body heat can be lost 25 times faster in cold water compared to cold air.

What is Hypothermia?

Its a physical condition that occurs when the body’s core temperature falls to (35° C) or cooler.

Even a mild case of hypothermia diminishes our physical and mental abilities, thus increasing the risk of accidents. Severe hypothermia may result in unconsciousness and possibly death.

How quickly a person becomes hypothermic depends on a variety of factors, including personality, behavior, physical condition, clothing, and environmental factors.
Older people, those under the influence of alcohol or drugs are particularly susceptible to hypothermia. Children and people with certain health disorders are also vulnerable. So are outdoor enthusiasts who spend time boating, fishing, swimming, hiking or skiing.

According to Minnesota Sea Grant this are the survical times in cold water:

Even if your water temperature is very cold you should not get a hypothermia in a few minutes of cold showering. If your body (cardiovascular system and the contradiction ability of your veins) is not ready and you stay in the cold shower too long your core temperature may fall a little and you could shiver and feel cold for an hour or more. So don’t overdo it. ease into the cold showers. Don’t force yourself and your body.

Enough of the morning routine. What about the day routine?

Of course, as the good autoimmune soldier, I have also a da(il)y routine.

It’s more like a guideline than a routine but nevertheless. First, let me tell you that a autoimmune disease can strike anytime anywhere and cause you pain or other uncomfortable feelings. How do I deal with the pain? I do some deep breathing and meditation. The key is not to think your pain away, just concentrate on it, feel it and in time it will come a part of you where you do not feel that much of a discomfort. O course our goal is to get rid of the pain altogether and that’s what we are working on.

Preparing your food beforehand is also key to a daily routine. If I want to get things done, I must be prepared beforehand or shit hits the fan quick and I get frustrated not finishing things. As you know from my previous posts I eat a salad with every meal. So the ingredients of my big salad are prepared and I mix them for the meals. I also love and eat my pseudo grains with my salads. This must be also prepared beforehand. I soak them 24 hours in water and cook them at least 15 minutes in the pressure cooker.

If I want to finish a task, full concentration is required, no social media, no procrastination whatsoever. I can’t just cut my internet connection so I use bookmarks instead. Everything that comes to my mind and needs some type of online interaction I save as a bookmark to be done later in a batch processed way. That saves me huge amounts of time.

Also looking sometimes at the huge dream board gives a good motivational boost. Yeah, I got one of these dream boards after making fun of them, how silly they are and so, I got really into it after factasticgirl put one up.

That’s a rough description of my da(il)y routine. See you on the next post about my evening routine.