Someday, I'll write a creative intro about who or what I am, what got me to where I am, and why I am writing this diary of sorts. For now, I'll just start with brief intro thoughts and the state of concern I have with my health, which is a big reason I'm starting it.
I've been on a path to more consciously active, healthful living since about 2007 - nothing too extreme or formulaic, just a lot of smaller choices that add up and chip away at goals with intention naturally given enough time. One thing I have learned along the way since 2007 is to try and find what works for you and your body and evolve slowly with it. There is no magic bullet, no lottery ticket, no 'hail mary' - no way to change overnight for any of us. Just the journey. One step leads to another, that sort of thing.
My current state of my health has been a little frustrating. Recently, I learned I have eczema in my ears. Say, what? Huh? Exactly what I keep saying. They say "eczema is the asthma of the skin" - an immunological response / reaction, not a rash or really a skin condition. I've dealt with sinus inflammation and allergies for most of my life, had asthma as a child, and now this strange eczema.. From research, it appears they're all symptomatically related as part of an "all for one, and one for all" Three Musketeers immune system malfunction / disfunction (or hyperfunction?).
The symptoms of this ear eczema - basically, they itch, inside the ear canal. The canal can crack and scale, and when they get too irritated or I scratch them, they 'weep' a light, colorless discharge (sometimes blood too if I'm not careful). Eventually the ear canal dries, cracks, scales, and itches even more, which continues a vicious itch-scratch-discharge-damage cycle. I've been dealing with that for the past few years, not realizing what it was, but this past few months it got worse - and I started getting ear infections due to the 'weeping' discharge leading to a different type of pain and discomfort. Ear pain is no joke, obviously, but ear infections can be very dangerous - apparently they can spread into other regions your head including your brain, so they need to be taken seriously.
Since eczema / asthma / allergies/ sinus polyps and inflammation stem from a hypersensitive immune system (see and act on threats that aren't there), I've fled Phoenix for San Diego to get close to the ocean and eliminate as many variables as I can. The arid climate and air quality in Phoenix has always irritated my sinuses, but there seem to be triggers there for severe allergies that really get to me. It could be air quality, it could be combinations of dust, dry climate, pollution, allergens and other particulates. Bermuda grass, for example, I already recognize as one of my main environmental triggers.
This diary is an attempt to address the problem naturally, first letting "food by thy medicine" as Hippocrates noted ages ago, ages ahead of his time, almost as if he could foresee the lazy, processed food and abuse of pharmaceutical epidemics of our time.
Tonight, I arrived in San Diego and headed straight to Ocean Beach and my sinuses felt like they got a break for the first time in a long time from constant irritation. It feels good to simply wander around and breathe the salty air, so I hung out around various spots in Ocean Beach for a couple of hours. It will take some time to see if the eczema improves from being near the ocean alone - my ears still itched quite a bit today.
One goal of this pseudo-retreat is to do 'reboot' juice fast, leading to an elimination diet to try and identify, document, and ultimately exclude the worst allergic triggers to my body. I'd like to find a way to mitigate and lessen the effects of what ails me even if I can't eliminate these persistent conditions altogether. Headaches, sinus trouble, allergies (feeling like you have a cold every day of your life gets old), fatigue, and now eczema and ear trauma serve as motivation to do something this bold - but so does providing a good example for my children. I believe promoting and living a healthy lifestyle is the best gift we can give ourselves, and, through our example, our kids.
The plan is prep for and then complete at least a 7-10 day whole veg / fruit fast in liquid form. From there I will incorporate solid foods and monitor the changes to my body.
Tonight, I had sushi in Ocean Beach for a 'last supper.' I couldn't resist and it was delicious. I also had some sake, then stopped at a pub and drank an IPA, and some Johnny Walker on the beach. Ouch. Mistake. I already recognize alcohol is a trigger, especially beer, but I did it anyway.
Was it worth it? No. Would I do it again? Yes!
Mostly because I think that question is stupid.
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