Food Matters

I though it was very interesting when I was first diagnose with Lupus I asked my Rheumatologists "Is there any foods that can trigger or make my symptoms worst? Is there any foods that can be beneficial?" She said "No, it does not matter what you eat but you might want to stay away from caffeine".
 But the reality is that FOOD MATTERS BIG TIME!!


It has been about 6 months in which I realized that there is a major difference on the way I feel when I do not eat right for my body. I actually did a test on myself. In October 2010, I was still on medication and for one week I ate a diet which consisted of wheat, tomatoes, peppers and other food items. I still stayed away from fast food and sugars but I wasn't being extra careful. I was still in pain even with the prednisone. Then I cut those food items out. I followed this book called "Arthritis-Fight it with the Blood Type Diet" by Dr. Peter D'Adamo, so I eat what a blood type O positive should eat and what I should stay away from. Somethings that you may think is healthy may actually not be good for your blood type. For me I had to stay away from wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, processed foods, and much more. In fact, red meat is excellent for my blood type and it is an anti-inflammatory. I was so confused in the beginning of my diagnoses because I was reading that red meats cause inflammation and how you need to stay away from red meats and I actually did. But what I realized is that for some people red meats may not be good but for others it is beneficial. When I talk about eating meat, I am referring to eating meats in which the animals have been grass fed, no antibiotics or hormones. The meats I eat I get at Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Meats can be expensive so you do not need to eat meats everyday. There are many plants in which you can eat that have as much or even more protein then a piece of steak.

For example Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids (a type of antioxidant that can help protect cells from damage). It contains nutrients, including B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid). It is one of the most rich whole foods out there, and if you drink it as a powder it absorbs faster and retains in your cells then most cooked foods.

So what do I eat? I am not perfect so there are days where I want to go out to a restaurant and eat something that I know would not be the greatest but I try my very best. And I enjoy what I eat! I am aware of what I put in my body. Every morning I drink a fruit shake which consist of a banana, pineapple and apple. I use soy milk(Non-GM) or water and add 2 scoops of BOKU super-food. I also take a whole food source supplement, omega-3, MSM, and Sulferzyme. (All most all my products are from Young Living)

Lunch is where I either eat left overs from last night or I make a sandwich with spelt bread, meats or cheeses ( from a health food store) or a salad I made. If I do go out, I am typically careful with what I get.

Dinner-I make everything from scratch. We do not have a microwave. In fact, you should probably get rid of your microwave. (I am smiling at you because for some it is very difficult.) Microwaves kill every nutrient in your food, so your cells are not retaining anything. They say when you cook your food you lose 70% of the nutrient value so imagine if you microwave your food!

I typically cook vegetables (For example: onions, spinach, kale, garlic, broccoli, ginger, artichokes, green beans), have rice, pasta(gluten free), quinoa, make salads(Romaine lettuce, parsley, raw spinach, raw baby broccoli, raw portebello mushroom), red meat or chicken once in awhile, eat fish but I for the most part never eat anything premade, boxed (such as hamburger helpers) or canned. I stay away from as much processed foods or can items as possible. Many times those food items have no nutrient, and are high in fat, salt and sugar.

People say it is expensive to eat healthy but in fact if you cut yourself from half the foods that you should not eat such as chips, soda, junk food, sweets, boxed or canned foods and buy more fresh produce it ends up being about the same. I know how it feels to work and not be able to save or to be on a tight budget. I have been there! But would you rather spend that little extra on buying healthier foods or live a life with a disease, cancer or die young?

Another thing I do is cleansing. Releasing toxins from your body is absolutely necessary in order to be able to retain and absorb good nutrients. I do liver/gallbladder cleanse, colon cleanse, kidney cleanse and I try to drink lots of water. Before you do any kind of cleanses you should get books about it. One book I highly recommend is the The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse: An All-Natural, At-Home Flush to Purify and Rejuvenate Your Body by Andreas Moritz. I believe this is what is making a difference in my overall health.

You can start eating healthy and putting vital nutrients in your body but if you are filled with toxins  (in which we all have toxins) then your body will not be able to absorb it.
So there are two things to do: CLEANSE AND EAT RIGHT.  

I think it is so vital to educate yourself about the things you put into your body. It is not just what you eat but it is also the products you use to brush your teeth, shampoo your hair, wash your body, clean your house, and what you use outdoors. We have grown up in a society where it is so common to buy a chemical product and spray it all over our homes. I use to do this myself. But what you need to know is that your body will absorb these chemicals in which it becomes a foreign object in your body which your immune system at one point will not be able to fight it, instead your immune system will attack itself. These chemical will become toxins. We would never think to drink chlorox but why do we use our hands to clean and scrub and breathe it. Our skin is an organ and it absorbs all the chemicals we use.

We are poisoning ourselves and that is why the cancer rates and many diseases are increasing.

This is not my own opinion, there are people who have done research, written books and made documentaries. You can ignore this fact, but do not say you do not have control over your health. Everything you do, you eat and how you think will effect your overall health. I have been off the prednisone since November and I feel better than I was when I was on medication. My first step was to study what my body needs and doesn't need.

Hippocrates held the belief that the body must be treated as a whole and not just a series of parts. He accurately described disease symptoms and was the first physician to accurately describe the symptoms of pneumonia, as well as epilepsy in children. He believed in the natural healing process of rest, a good diet, fresh air and cleanliness. He noted that there were individual differences in the severity of disease symptoms and that some individuals were better able to cope with their disease and illness than others.


I would like to quote Hippocrates by saying "Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well. Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food."

Now what are your thoughts?
* Has anyone tried changing their diet and noticing a difference?
* Do you think that your diet may have an impact on the way you feel?

One year ago...

On April 16th, 2010 I was hospitilized in Edison, New Jersey. I was about 88lbs, wheel chair confined, slept all day due to the fatigue, in extreme pain and unable to dress, groom or prepare meals. The most simple task such as cutting your nails or combing your hair, I was unable to do. I had left Ohio on the 9th of April, and went to NJ so that my family could help me. The following three weeks of my life I will never forget. I will never forget what my family did for me and what they went through. I will never forget all the prayers, concerns and love that I received from all over the world. I will always remember the community of families and friends in Ohio and New Jersey who came to visit me in the hospital, who sent cards and flowers and especially their prayers. 

I was in the ER for 11 hours when they finally admitted me. I was not taking any medications at the time. I had a severe Lupus exacerbation. They admitted me to a cardiac unit in which a friend of mine was working on. It was always nice to see her smile when times were difficult. My blood test showed that my RBC were a level 7 (normal level 12-16). My inflammation levels were through the roof. My liver and pancreas enzymes were abnormal.

I had to have three blood transfusion at this time. It was 6 days into my admission when a nurse came in the room, looking all concerned and ask me how did I feel. I remember saying I felt good. At that time they had put me on Hydrocortisol and for a little while my joint pain had some relief. She said, " Well your heart rate has been below 50s and it looks like you are showing that you are having secondary AV block. (Second-degree AV block is a disease of the electrical conduction system of the heart. It refers to a conduction between the atria and ventricles.) So they rushed me to the ICU. They decided to transfer me to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, which is known to be one of the best cardiac hospitals in the country. I was in RWJH ICU for 4 days with my heart having PVC, and my blood pressure was all over the place. They had mentioned that they might have to put a pace maker in but because I was young and asymptomatic the cardiologists wanted to hold off for a couple of days just to observe. My heart eventually started to improve  but then I ended up with severe pain in my abdomen in which caused me to scream in agony. They did multiple CAT scans and noticed that my pancreas and liver were inflamed, and that I had fluid in my abdomen. I ended up having a paracentesis done, and having about 300cc of fluid drawn.(this is when they stick a large needle in your abdomen to extract the fluid) I remember half the time I was drugged up with dilaudid. Also, my veins were so small so it was so difficult for them to put an IV or do blood draws that I ended up being poked 10-13 times a day. While in the ICU, I decided to finally accept in putting a PICC line. (It is long, slender, small, flexible tube that is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access)  I was so overwhelmed. I had so many tests done, about 8 physician specialists, and so many things happening to my body. My body was shutting down, and I was shocked.

During this whole entire time, I never feared about dying. Death never crossed my mind. I felt an enormous amount of love from my family. They were with me around the clock. I was never alone. I have two brothers and one sister. I also have a sister-in law. My husband eventually came a week later for a couple of days. Each one of them including my parents did rotating shifts. I will always be forever grateful for them. They held my hand as I was getting needles poked numerous times a day, was there at night when I needed to go to the bathroom and was there cleaning my body. I can not thank them enough.

I was in the hospital for two weeks and I can still remember like if it was yesterday. Now I am working full time, preparing to have children, going to Alaska in May and loving my life to the best of my abilities. I was put on prednisone and plaquinil. I have been off the medications since February and I feel better than ever. The medication probably saved my life at that time but I never saw it as my way to recover from Lupus. When I was on the medication, I gained a lot of weight (which for me I needed to gain weight but I gained a little more than I wanted to), had mood changes, difficulty making decisions, and was confused. I said to myself, I will only take the medication until my immune system was under control. It took me 9 months to be able to get off the medications. I would probably still be on the medication if I did not change my diet, and my thoughts. I think diet plays an extreme factor to your recovery. I noticed when I ate a cookie or ate spaghetti with tomato sauce, that the next day I would be in pain, even with the medications. That is when I bought a book called "Arthritis-Fight It with the Blood Type Diet" by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. I try to follow the guidelines to the best of my ability and it has worked for me. I eat a gluten free, and I eat for a Type O blood type. I stay away from processed foods, sugar foods and fast food. I believe this has helped me tremendously.

There are also many other things but the first step is to put in your body the right types of food. We have that control and it is important if you want to get better to start with that basic idea.

My story of recovery is long so I will end it with this note; Don't be scared to try everything. If you want to live, like I did when I was in the hospital, You will Live. There are so many people out there that have incredible testimonies of surviving cancers, diseases, and much more. If they can do it, why can't we?

My next post will be about some of the things I am using everyday to assist in my healing and curing of Lupus.

This is a special note to the ones that were with me during my difficult times. I love you all and I will never forget. You are what keeps me alive everyday and what makes me want to become an amazing women.
My Husband
Derflinger Family
Masuda Family
Choi Family
Kitaguchi Family
Bair Family
And to the community in Ohio and New Jersey

The Cure is within Ourselves

I received my blood test results on Friday and as I was reviewing it, I felt a sense of excitement and joy. Everything was in normal range. My inflammation was normal, and so was my anti-bodies. I decided to call the physician office to speak with a nurse about the blood results. I was wondering what did this mean? Was I in remission? As the nurse was looking over the results, she said to me "It just means you are not showing any symptoms, Lupus never goes away. The doctor will see you in six months and if the blood test are the same, then she may announce that you are in remission."


The words "Lupus never goes away" stuck with me for a while. I realized that there are 1.5 million Americans diagnosed with Lupus and about 5 million worldwide. Systemic lupus accounts for 70% of Lupus cases. I wonder how many of those millions of people believe that it never goes away. If that is what the doctor says then it must be right. I don't believe it!


We have the capability to cure ourselves. Doctors have an idea of how you get systemic lupus but they are not certain. Some say it is due to stress or a retro-virus, and others are just puzzled. Each of us who has this disease should look at our lives and should do a personal evaluation. When did the symptoms arise, how, what kind of environment was I in, how did I feel, what are my thoughts like, do I love myself or feel loved, and determine if  there is a connection. A lot of diseases are affiliated with our mind concepts of ourselves and also what we put into our bodies. The mind and body work as one. You can not heal your body if you do not set your mind to it.


Just thinking positive thoughts for one day is not going to heal you from Lupus. This is an everyday challenge and many of us who have Lupus are on different levels of severity. Some are on dialysis, had organs removed and some may have the rash on the face, but know wherever you stand you have the potential to take control. Don't let the disease take over your life and believe that you have that capability to cure yourself. It may take 6 months to years of working hard to heal yourselves but if you made those first steps then you are on the right path of recovery.


I believe the cure is within ourselves, and I can't wait to share with you when I am Lupus free. I try to do my best by loving myself, being patient, letting go of anger and determining myself to be Lupus free. I can not do this all by myself. I need a higher power as well. You have to believe that there is a spiritual force out there that can bring light into your life. We have to feel and accept that we are loved by others and to use that love to give us energy to heal. God has the incredible power to give us the love and energy to cure ourselves but we also have to take responsibility. I don't believe you can just pray and hope that God will take care of everything. I believe He will guide us, and show us the way but we have to take our lives in our own hands. We have to make that effort to heal ourselves, and we can do it.