Liver Health

I did a liver cleanse last weekend. It wasn't near as bad as I expected it to be. I didn't pass as many gallstones as I expected, but I'll do another one in 2 weeks (right at Christmas, of course!) and that should get the rest of them. The largest one I saw was less than 1/4" diameter.

Amazingly, my cravings were immediately gone. I mean, no more craving sweets or salt. None! That evening, there was the Pathfinder's dinner, at which I ate lightly. I got a little heartburn, and I'm still trying to figure out why. It doesn't seem to be bread. I think it's butter or fats. If I don't have any fat in the meal, I'm OK. Even an apple with cheese is fine. I had some of my soup, and the bread came back on me - but that could be the garlic butter on it. A little heartburn, but not much. Nothing like what I was experiencing a week ago.

I lost 6 pounds altogether over the fast and cleanse. Not a lot of weight, but I wasn't really looking for that. I'm sure that was mostly water, too.

Cutting the cravings is a major milestone. One more cleanse, and my liver will be working more quickly to detox my body. That should make me feel batter. The other symptoms I was beginning to exhibit are also gone.

My skin isn't all that much better, but my digestion is. The pain over my liver is still there, but it's much less. My nails are gone. They will have to grow back before I can tell any difference. They were short, but started splitting anyway. They just tore off. They go through that regularly, but I know it's not right. That is a symptom of my overall health condition.

At least I'm making progress, not sitting still.

Reaction to Energy Drink....

I had my interviews yesterday, and there was "no joy" after either of them. That was actually OK, since I'm not the right person for the positions, and the jobs weren't right for me. It was mutual in both cases.

However, at the second interview, one of the people gave me a sample of the products, an energy and mood-enhancing drink, in both sugar-based and sugar-free versions.

I don't drink sodas, and I don't use energy drinks. The latter just seem wrong to me for some reason. I try instead, to eat and sleep in a way that supports my body and emotions. It just seems to work better for me. Sodas just cause me gastric distress, so I avoid them.

So, I had a sample of both versions of the product. I probably drank about 1/3 of the sugar-based version. The aftertaste was still in my mouth 6 hours later, and my mood crashed!!!

I had a complete pity-party last night! NOT GOOD!!!! And when you consider that the events of the day were also "negative," I thought that I was having a valid reaction....

Not so! MAN!

Now I know why I don't use these things. It's like a drug! You want to drink more to cover or eliminate the aftertaste, and to mitigate the effects of the mood-enhancing elements expiring or decreasing. The marketing materials said the product improves or imitates both serotonin and dopamine. Who needs that???

The aftertaste wasn't totally unpleasant, but I don't do well with aspartame - there are elements of it that cause my body to have unpleasant reactions. I had those reactions, and YES, there were those elements in the sugar-based drink. There was a notice on the label, and the phenyl-based element was listed.

To avoid legal situations, I won't name the product, but I know I won't be buying it, either.

So, the upshot is that I didn't get either job, but it's really OK. The reaction to the energy drink is what I'm actually talking about today. I don't recommend them.

I know my sister used them when I saw her a couple of years ago. She doesn't sleep well, and hasn't for several years, despite medication to help. I can understand her need to use them, based on what was going on (mom passing, emptying her apartment and moving the contents to storage, my presence, etc)... But I hope she isn't using them on a regular basis.

The effects are like using a drug. Recreational, since there is no prescription available. I truly don't recommend their use. Sleep, eat well, maybe drink a cup of coffee - but don't use these drinks. Please!