Three questions you've always wanted to ask an asshole on a bike

It's springtime which means the spandex wearing, Tour De France wannabes are all tuning up their bikes in preparation for months of impeding traffic. In cities where there are bike lanes and large shoulders, you'll hardly notice the bikers are there. In cities like mine, a person on a self propelled machine has to do a LOT of improvising. We bob, weave and pedal to stay alive and we struggle to blend in. In fact, we don't WANT to blend in. We need you to see us!

So, why does a cyclist need to take the whole lane?

Simple, they don't want you to "squeeze" them. A squeeze is when you pass a biker in their own lane. This is actually illegal in most states. You see, a cyclist has the right to take the entire right lane. They can also take the left lane and turn lane when turning left. In Michigan, this law is known as "Same Road, Same Rules". Most cyclists will stay far to the right to allow for easy passing but in narrow roadways, getting squeezed by an SUV is an exhilarating experience that most bikers would rather avoid. So, we put our asses right in the middle of the road and make you pass us the way you would any other vehicle. I personally would rather get sworn at than trust a 17 year old to leave me enough room on the road.

Okay, if road biking is so dangerous, why don't you use the sidewalk?

In some states, this is illegal. In all of the other states, it is strongly discouraged. Look, I know it seems like the biker is just out for a ride around the block. The reality is, cyclists move fast. 15-25 MPH might seem slow in the street but it is dangerously fast for sidewalks (you know, that place where your children play hopscotch?). Also, remember all those times you came to a stop sign, blocked the crosswalk and suddenly noticed there was a cyclist 3 feet from you slamming on his brakes? Now, imagine being that biker, moving at 18MPH and having to cross a street like yours every 20 seconds. On main roads it's even worse. Every building becomes a game of russian roulette with a potential bullet around every corner. It is better to be VISIBLE on the road than INVISIBLE on the sidewalk.

If there is a bike path next to the road, don't the cyclists legally have to use it?

The short answer? NO. They call those awesome asphalt creations bike paths but they are actually used for all recreation. They are DOMINATED by runners. Roller bladers, walkers and bikers all share the path too but, again, the cyclist moves at a much faster pace. Really fast riders are said to have "outgrown" the bike path. It sounds silly but at 20MPH and up that bike path becomes a dangerous place. So, once a biker outgrows the bike path, they go back out onto the road to ruin your day.

So next time you encounter a biker on the road, try to be patient and remember that although he is dressed in the most annoying clothing ever, he is just trying to survive while doing something that his life would be incomplete without.

 

Fasting for a Cure: Reset

I am building up the motivation and courage to take on another juice fast in the very near future. I had a phone conversation with my doctor today and he explained a little bit about "bonking" which is what he suspects happened to me. Marathon runners and endurance athletes experience this when their body starts to run out of essentials to keep themselves going. Mainly carbs, protein and calories. It made me feel good to hear a doctor tell me I wasn't just going crazy. He agreed it was a mistake to do racquetball to keep my mind busy during the fast. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was also quitting smoking. Now that I have officially been off the cigarettes for 17 days, I can look back and see how i was a little high strung because I was kicking my habit. That's right, 17 days, F*CK SMOKING. I'm done with that garbage.

I wanted to report on some interesting developments that have occurred since I stopped my detox. I had an issue a few months back with salivary gland stones. There was a kernal sized one blocking my salivary duct under my tongue that I had removed and then it took a good 6 weeks of antibiotics and steroids to get the swelling down. Almost immediately after I stopped juicing my submandibular gland started getting sore. Today, as I write this, I am in extreme pain and the swelling is visible by looking at me head-on and my neck is as hard as a rock. I also had a CT scan today that revealed a Kidney Bean sized stone in the gland. I go on the 23rd to see the ENT specialist and I will probably need to have surgery to remove the entire gland. I just thought it was interesting that my body responded to the diet change this way.

One positive development is that my psoriasis is not out of control like it is most winters. The improvements that occurred during the juice fast seem to have carried over even though I have been eating like total shit lately. I am also on pain meds for the gland which typically magnify the intensity of the itchiness by a billion but it honestly hasn't been that bad (I would normally not use pain meds because they are super addictive and they are really bad for my liver but i promise this pain is the worst feeling ever without them).

THE PLAN
I have reviewed my previous blog posts and the juices I was making and I have come up with a new plan to cure psoriasis. I am leaving for a family vacation in early march so I plan to start immediately when I return (providing my surgery schedule doesn't totally screw everything up).

Since I am totally confident that I can do another 5 days, no problem, by taking it easy and making nutrient rich juices, I plan to juice fast for 7-10 days. 7 is the goal, if I am feeling good, I am stretching it to 10. Not gonna pressure myself to go beyond that though.

I will then spend the next few weeks introducing vegan foods into my diet by groups and documenting their effects on my psoriasis plaques. In between each group introduction, I will be doing 24 hour water fasts to make sure everything moves out of my system before moving on. I will start with protein rich beans and grains and work my way up to meat and dairy. I have this hunch that added sugars and dairy have a lot to do with my psoriasis so I think, ultimately, I will have to convert to a strict vegan diet, at least during the winters when I am less active and the air gets dry.

For now, i need to get this damned stone out of my neck so I can get back on this horse and ride. Thanks everyone who read during my first adventure and thanks for all of your encouraging words and support, it really made a huge difference. I will keep you all updated on the gland stone issue. Until then, here is a picture of the CT Scan. the white dot, next to my jaw on the top right.

Fasting for a Cure: Day #6 - BREAK-FAST!

The word breakfast is interesting because it's what we do when we eat in the morning. We break the fast that was our sleep. In this case, however, the breakfast I am referring to is the one that happened last night after 5 days without eating and some personal debating.

I was laying on the couch and my hands and feet, which have been abnormally cold for days, started to go numb. The sensation was making its way up my arms and legs and there was some slight discoloration taking place. I was also completely out of energy. I am talking totally laid out with no energy to even talk. My mood was going out of control. Happy, helpless, angry, annoyed, depressed, excited, anxious...changing every 2 minutes while I laid on the couch totally burned out. I did some research and realized I was showing signs of malnutrition. Your body stops circulating to your extremities first to conserve energy hence the cold/numb hands and feet. So, after thinking over the consequences of having to start the detox over and let down all of my loyal readers, I decided to listen to my body and give it some calories and protein. I did try to drink a juice first to fix things and there was little to no effect so I proceeded to eat 2 pieces of whole wheat toast covered in peanut butter and a raw cucumber. My wife was encouraging me by saying, "You did really well hunny and I am proud of you." I told her that I preferred to loathe myself for the rest of the night because that's how I deal with failure. I need to soak it in and expose myself to the grief of an unsuccessful attempt so that I can use it to motivate myself in the future. Otherwise the failure is a waste.

I am spending the day working in solid foods like grains, nuts and solid veggies. I am planning to stick to a mostly vegan diet until I can take another crack at this. Now that I have slept on it I realize a few things. So where did I go wrong?

Well, for starters, a juice fast is an opportunity to take it easy and consume very few calories with no fat. Once your body burns off what is in your intestinal tracks, it burns your stored fat supplies for energy and in doing so it releases the toxins stored in those fats and BOOM...you have detox. I have no doubt that I was in this fat burning stage for at least 48 hours and I was feeling great. What I wasn't doing was staying hydrated, which is crucial in flushing out the released toxins. I was also playing racquetball every day. I was doing it to keep myself busy and keep my mind off of eating. My intentions in doing it were good but you can't support a a daily dose of a hyper-cardio sport on a juice fast...I know this now. I will stick to knitting and reading next time. I know that mentally I was there but strategically I might have been lacking. I ignored malnutrition for a good 24 hours because my mind was so strong on this but I ignored science by not doing more specific calculations of what nutrients to consume and what my daily portions should have been. I had a pretty good idea and I was mixing up my veggie doses pretty well but I think I need to write out some of these recipes and make sure I am achieving my marks.

So, the fast is over for now. I intend to keep this blog and update it whenever the need strikes me as I search for a diet that will cure my psoriasis. I am also planning another juice fast that my wife wants to do with me when she is done nursing our youngest child. I know it has been a short fast but I learned some awesome recipes and I plan to keep juicing in my daily routine. My family likes the pineapple, carrot, banana, grape juice that I make in the morning and it's a real eye opener. The recipe is listed below. Try it! I still have not had coffee, meat, cigarettes, or alcohol in almost a week and I plan to keep it this way while I rethink my diet. I am committed to the no smoking thing. If this fast taught me anything it is that cigarettes are the LEAST of my needs. For you smokers out there, quit eating for 5 days. You will laugh at how mild your addiction is compared to a food addiction.

Island Eye Opener
1/4 of a Pineapple (with skin)
2 Oranges (peeled)
4-5 Medium Sized Carrots
1 Cup of washed grapes
1 Banana
 *Juice carrots, grapes, oranges and pineapple (in that order) and pour into blender. add banana and liquify. share with your family. enjoy!*

Again, I plan to use this blog as my outlet as I search for a cure for psoriasis so stay tuned. I just need to think things over. Come up with a new game plan. IT'S HALF TIME AMERICA!

Fasting for a Cure: Day #5 - The Big GAME!

I had to double check the internet to see which NFC team was playing in the Super Bowl today. The only reason I cared to look is because I have football squares and I wanted to write a team name down on my cheat sheet instead of NFC or AFC. Other than the squares I have little to no interest in who wins this game. Since my family and I are watching the game at home I decided to create a vegetarian finger food platter for them to enjoy while I feast upon juice so after I enter these words into my blog it will be off to the kitchen to let my creative cooking skills flow.

The big game that I am referring to in the title of this blog is racquetball. I have played every day since Thursday and my record is a whopping 11-4. The 4 losses are all to the same person but I also beat him 3-1 yesterday and ran him like a DOG the whole time. I have been going so often mainly to keep me busy during times when I would otherwise be eating food. If you think about how much time you spend preparing and eating food on a daily basis its pretty ridiculous. It's also comforting to know that both my mind and body are nourished enough to play and win at a sport right now. It's statistical evidence that my body is doing just as good, if not better, without the aid of solid foods. As I type this I can feel my energy is getting lower so I wonder if this is an effect that will eventually wear off and leave me searching for a new energy source. I am going to remain hopeful that my energy will stay up.

The Psoriasis on my scalp is improving, especially behind the ears. I don't want to jump to conclusions and say that the juicing is working but I know it can't be hurting. It's also a strong possibility that I am just going through a good phase where a section decides to get slightly better which happens a lot with Psoriasis. I like to believe that it's my much improved diet that is the cause and as I have said before, this is the beginning of a long journey to completely rid myself of this disease.

I never thought I could go 5 days without eating. It blows my mind really. There are already so many valuable things I have learned and experienced in just 5 days. I am learning self control on a whole new level and I feel great. Before I did this I felt great, so I thought, but there were slight issues in my intestines and bowels that have gone away. I don't know if this is for everyone but there was always a little bit of pressure down there that I never noticed until it went away. Almost like a bloating that I have just always had and got used to. It's strange the things that you don't notice until they are gone and once they are gone how much better you feel.

Fasting for a Cure: Day #4 - Bowling for Hunger

I woke up much earlier than normal today because my wife was singing Paula Abdul's "Straight Up". She wasn't singing it loud and most mornings I sleep right through the chaos of boys crying and toys being thrown all over but today was different. I felt like I was done sleeping. one of the biggest side effects of this juice fast is that I have began to adopt normal sleeping hours. I also find it easier to fall asleep when I go lay in bed. In the past, I would lay in bed and then play games on my iPhone for 2 hours and maybe watch a movie on Netflix before actually falling asleep. Normally, I go to sleep around 2am and wake up around 10am.

My psoriasis is starting to hurt, like a fresh scratch. I think it is because my skin has so many vitamins in it that my plaques are no longer dried up bunches of dead skin...they are actually alive...if that makes sense. This makes scratching an itch an unpleasant experience with bloody, painful consequences.

My focus has been up since day #2. I was explaining the mental effects to my buddy the other night and I used this example. I went shopping for fruits and veggies the other day and it was really crowded and I was alone. I grabbed the wrong carrots by accident and I had to double back and put the other carrots back through a crowd of people. Under normal circumstances I would have a mild sense of social anxiety about this maneuver and I might say something to myself like, "Whoops" or "Oh, not those ones" simply because I was alone, it was crowded and I felt like I was being watched or judged on some level.  I think it is something we all do, and it is totally normal to sort of talk to yourself when things get slightly awkward in public. Since my head was so clear and my anxiety was so low, I performed this carrot swapping maneuver with all the poise and confidence in the world. I simply excused myself as I reached in for the correct veggies and slipped in and out like Vanna White as she turns letters on the Wheel of Fortune board. As I walked to my car it dawned on me how good I felt and how well I had handled an otherwise stressful, pre-dinner trip to the grocery store. So, mentally, I am experiencing great benefits from fasting.

I went bowling this afternoon with some close friends and their kids. I felt I displayed great patience when dealing with all the kids, together, being semi-psychotic. It was good times. There were hot dogs, chocolate milks, twizzlers, hamburgers and chocolate going around and I held strong. I always found eating and drinking to be sort of an inconvenience when bowling anyhow. It's also worth noting that my hunger doesn't really start to bother me until the evening. That's when my mind starts to really mess with me and I seriously considered calling the whole thing off last night while I made dinner for Noah.  Each day that I go without eating makes me a little stronger willed. It's like a long car ride. The first few hours are the worst. You are filled with the anticipation of the journey ahead of you and you are settling in to what you know will be your home-on-wheels for the next day or so. Then, once you get rolling and you start to see unfamiliar terrain out your window, you settle in and enjoy the ride. Next thing you know you are at your destination.

4 days down, my right foot is on the dashboard and I can feel the breeze through my window. I know there is a lot of road ahead of me but it's just asphalt and paint and not nearly as bumpy as I thought it would be.

Fasting for a Cure: Day #3 - Acupuncture!

With day 3 almost behind me I am feeling more confident than ever that I will kick this juice fasts ass. I lifted some weights last night and tried out my asparagus/broccoli protein drink recipe and I am not at ALL sore today. This is usually a good sign when you are doing weight training because most of the soreness you get the day after working out is from damaged muscles that are lacking the protein needed to repair themselves. I am not gonna go out and do power lifting 3 times a week but it is good to know that my normal weight routine will be unaffected by this fast. I also played racquetball last night and this afternoon. The first game was rough, i quickly ran out of energy and felt dizzy. I took it easy and managed to play more and when it was over I felt good and energized. I think there is just an adjustment period as far as continuing to exercise while fasting. Between racquetball last night and this afternoon I already noticed a difference in my energy level and my body's tolerance to heavy cardio workouts.

Today I went to see my acupuncturist, Monica. We had been talking via social media prior to my visit so we were both on the same page as far as what I am trying to accomplish this month. I did a little bit of reading up on acupuncture and she did some research and asked around amongst her colleagues about psoriasis. She had already told me over the phone that skin conditions are hard to cure with acupuncture and her colleagues aren't holding out much hope for this. I like that she is taking a chance on me and going against what others are saying. It proves to me that her and I are on EXACTLY the same page.

When I went to her office we had a long discussion about my medical history. She also added some positive notes by pointing out that while the success rate of acupuncture and psoriasis isn't the best, there is enough evidence to prove that psoriasis is related mostly to diet so the fact that I am fasting and doing acupuncture might just be the x factor in proving the naysayers wrong. After our discussion, a pulse check and an examination of my tongue, she was able to determine a few things about my health.

1. My Liver Qi is off. In eastern medicine, Qi is the energy that flows through the body. It is essentially life, in its purest form. Qi must be balanced otherwise one part of your body may be drawing more of this energy while another part of your body suffers. Causes of imbalance are the same causes that mess up your body in western medicine. 

2. My lungs are perhaps an area that needs attention when balancing the mess that is my body. Lungs are closely tied to skin because they are one of the few internal organs that draws their energy from an external source. The lungs also control your Qi so they are a huge factor.

I think this assessment is as accurate as it needs to be to get started with the acupuncture treatments. recent blood tests have proven that my liver is very sensitive and I ingest everything on the "bad for your liver" list on a regular basis. I also mentioned in earlier posts that I suffered from Asthma and Chronic Bronchitis as a child and then decided to become a smoker in my teens so, yea, I would say my liver and lungs could use some special consideration in this month of healing. I am realizing that this could be a long road but if eastern medicine teaches us ANYTHING it's that your mind is the most powerful tool that you have to keeping yourself healthy and strong. I am confident, in my mind, that I will cure this disease and in the meantime I will make choices the help me achieve this. 

So I laid on the table, face up, and with the strange music that only a holistic doctor would have playing in the background she started putting pins in me. Starting with the ears which was actually painful. After a few seconds it calmed down and I could feel a tingling sensation coming from my ears. The extra pain I felt on the ears was probably due to the fact that it was the first wound and my expectations might have been playing a role at this point. After that she stuck a few in my feet, hands, arms and then one in the middle of my chest that felt really awkward....something about a person driving a projectile into the middle of your chest that makes you feel uneasy. Then she provided me with all of the comforts needed to do some relaxing and left me alone for...i don't know...20 minutes? I practiced breathing during this time and did some impromptu meditation. It was nice. I feel good and I am excited to go back next week.

I know I have been rambling a lot but I want to say this because it has been on my mind. There are a LOT of people who are telling me things like "manage your expectations" and "there is no CURE for Psoriasis" or other people who fasted and blogged about it but didn't get very big results, so the bar on this kind of thing is really low. I want to make it perfectly clear that I intend to ride this thing out and I am CONFIDENT that I will find a cure for this. As I said before, mind over matter. It's also important to stick to the plan. Lot's of juice fasting bloggers make exceptions like eating solid fruit and even eating ENTIRE meals on occasion complete with alcoholic beverages (I fail to see how this is even a fast at all...stop wasting your time...you can't detox with wine and whiskey and ONE meal is a break in the fast...it's like starting over...you don't get timeouts in this game). If you have psoriasis and you are reading this I want you to understand that a big portion of the Psoriasis community is angry and helpless because they have seen a lot of doctors and experienced a lot of failure on fixing this. I am not saying this to put anyone down I just want to provide a beacon of light for the people who haven't given up yet. Don't listen to what negative people have to say about your condition. Be positive, don't give up and LISTEN to your body!

Click HERE for an interesting article from yesterdays Chicago Tribune about Psoriasis.
I think everyone should give acupuncture a try. Especially if you are not sick. Eastern medicine is all about prevention. Click HERE to like my acupuncturists office on Facebook and you can win a free session.
Click HERE for their website.

Fasting for a Cure: Day #2 - Night Terrors

Okay so the title is a little misleading. I was up earlier than usual today because I was having a very vivid dream of bicycling through Detroit. I was with my riding partner (who was a combination of Cari, my normal riding buddy, and my wife) and I was commenting on how I had never ridden all the way to Dearborn before so we were going for it. We got to the city limits and I got hit by a car, didn't even see it coming. I woke up with a racing heart and my wife said that I yelled pretty loud when the car in my dreams struck me. I don't know if this has anything to do with my Juice fast but I don't usually have very vivid dreams and I went to bed at a decent hour last night so I will take it.

The experienced fasters all said the first 2 days are the worst. I am halfway through the 2nd day and I am happy to report that I am not hungry. realistically I am getting TONS of nutrients and a belly FULL of vegetables whenever I want it. I am drinking a 24oz juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a smaller 12-16oz juice in between meals. Lemon and ginger are awesome for masking the taste of bitter greens and beets (I have always hated beets.../gag) so I am actually enjoying most of the drinks. I am chasing each juice with a 20 oz glass of water and I have been keeping my water cup topped off all day. I know I am doing a good job of flushing out my system right now because I am urinating often and when I do it is mostly clear. I will spare you the details of my bowel movements but I will say this...ORANGE!

The cigarette cravings have passed and they have been replaced with food cravings. I think being addicted to cigarettes has helped me to understand my addiction to food better. A person without a prior addiction might actually think they were hungry when an image of a cheeseburger with fries popped into their head. There is a helplessness that occurs in my mind when I see my family eating dinner or I drive past a fast food restaurant. It is my addiction working to weaken me mentally. It's kind of like "I really want a cheeseburger, and if I don't cave in now I will probably just cave later, what a waste of time...." I literally start to feel a drop in my self esteem and I can feel my mission slipping away. An addiction is a monster inside of you that has strings it can pull to change you emotionally. This is a dangerous thing. I saw this coming and I am cool with it. I know that the tables are turning in my favor every hour that I go without food. Occasionally I need to remind myself that I am perfectly fine and I don't have a need for food right now but it is hard when I spent my entire life eating because I was bored. I wonder if I ever really experienced hunger in my adult life or if I just went from one mouth watering sin to the next.

There is a crabbiness that overwhelms me in the mid afternoon. I feel irritated x1000 when it hits me. It comes out of nowhere and reduces my tolerance for other humans down to a ZERO. A little carrot juice kicks it out of me but it's a pretty negative side effect and I am hoping its just a withdrawl symptom that passes. I plan to go lift weights at the gym tonight to replace my evening cravings. I will follow up my workout with a double broccoli and asparagus protein drink instead of my usual Muscle Milk. I have acupuncture tomorrow and I can't wait to write all about it. If you haven't done so yet, make sure you like these guys on Facebook because they are running a contest and giving away free acupuncture.