6 Preparations Before Switching to Raw Food (Transition)

• Summary
• 1. Steps to take before switching to a raw food diet
• 2. What tests your doctor should do
• • 2.1. Urine test
  • 2.2. Complete blood count
  • 2.3. Hair mineral analysis
• 3. Metabolic types and other diets
• 4. Resting heart rate and blood pressure
• 5. Weight
• 6. Existing illnesses
• • 6.1. For diabetes
  • 6.2. High blood pressure (hypertension)
  • 6.3. Gout (hyperuricemia)
  • 6.4. Basal temperature test measures thyroid function

At the very least, you should request a urine test and get your blood work done. This will also serve to uncover any undetected diseases. I would especially advise you to do this if you haven't had a physical examination for many years or you don't have a copy of your (most recent) values.

If the examination uncovers something, well it is much easier to treat a disease that is detected early than if the pain and symptoms are already present. You are the one who has to decide what to do if there is a positive result. Seek the advice of a physician, but don't let them simply give you medications. Usually, though, they won't have any alternatives.

You can gain a lot of time by voluntarily having diagnostic tests done. But make sure to avoid “straw treatments.”

Most urine test strips test for these parameters and, very important, also for the pH value.

The pH scale is logarithmic. This means that there is a factor of 10 between the pH values of 6 and 7. For example, the pH value of 5 is a factor of 100 lower than the pH value of 7.

In general, protein-rich foods make your pH level more acidic, whereas vegetables cause it to move toward the alkaline side. Your pH value is most influenced by what you eat, but physical activity, metabolic disorders, and cancer also play a role.

The pH value moves toward the alkaline range shortly after lunch.

I use the Combur 10 Test. These urine test strips also show the specific weight with the abbreviation SG (spezifisches Gewicht, SG), unlike the Combur 9 Test. You should make sure that you drink enough as this will help to decrease your values.

© CC-by-sa 2.0, Ernst Erb, Foundation Diet and Health Switzerland

The Combur 10 Test urine test strips show results for specific weight (density), pH, leucocytes, nitrites, protein, glucose, ketones, urobilinogen, bilirubin, and red blood cells (erythrocytes) as microhematuria or blood in the urine (lowest field Hb for hemoglobin).

On a raw food diet, some of these values can be achieved without drinking extra water because the food itself contains water. However, older people, in particular, should drink about an extra liter of water or herbal tea daily, even if they don't feel thirsty. The amount of urine excreted each day is critical.

This amount can be easily determined using a measuring cup—and your physician can also say something about your bladder function if the individual amounts are too small. In the best case, this will mean that you have an overactive bladder (irritable bladder).

Excreting 1–2.5 liters per 24 hours would be ideal. The specific weight (density) is actually very important and should ideally be between 1.010–1.015 g/L.

Common parameters measured by urine test strips include blood/erythrocytes/hemoglobin, glucose, ketones, ascorbic acid, protein, leucocytes, nitrites, specific weight, pH, bilirubin, and urobilinogen.

The color and composition of urine can also be important. Depending on the disease, the urine may be light, dark, red, white, or black. Urine can also appear foamy. Color and foam are visible to the naked eye. A physician can also have a urine sediment test done. The urine should be as watery and light yellow as possible, but certain foods will also change it. If you eat red beets, the color will show up in your urine.

Shortly after eating asparagus (garden asparagus), about half of people will have urine that smells unusual. This isn't caused by the diuretic amino acid aspartic acid (Asp or D), or by arginine or tyrosine. According to the Römpp-Lexikon Lebensmittelchemie (Römpp lexicon of food chemistry), the smell is formed by metabolites such as S-methyl thioacrylate and its methanthiol addition product S-methyl 3-(methylthio)thiopropionate. Not everyone converts it this way. Incidentally, aspartic acid serves as a protein building block used for the formation of white blood cells.

Urine sediment can also be used to determine the properties and bacteria listed above. This is important information. Poor values indicate various disorders such as circulatory disorders of the kidneys, inflammations, and metabolic disorders (e.g., diabetes and blood production and blood degradation disorders).

I ask my doctor to use a needle with a diameter of 0.6 mm and a tourniquet so that my veins suffer as little as possible. Then the surface area is only 0.28 mm² in comparison to 0.64 mm² with the very common 0.9 mm diameter needles. Doctors who care about the well-being of their patients will use thin needles. But as a result of the special edge on the head of the needle, the entire circular area is not affected by this size difference. The difference is therefore smaller than as described above.

© CC-by-sa 2.0, Wikipedia, Foundation Diet and Health Switzerland

Sometimes, the blood should also be tested for other elements. The level of iron (ferrum) in the blood is particularly important for women who are menstruating in order to rule out a general iron deficiency as people often have this without having any symptoms. Either way, you should get this checked.

It is very seldom that certain elements or other substances are absorbed inadequately—no matter if you are eating cooked or raw foods. If this does become a question, you should have these values tested as well.

These include, for example, the levels of copper, zinc, and selenium in your blood. The tests for these are ten times more expensive than the clinical chemistry tests listed above.

Get your lipid values checked as well (cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides).

I believe that it is very important to get vitamin B₁₂ checked (cobalamin) and not just the overall status of vitamin B₁₂. The earliest marker is the value of holotranscobalamin in serum. At a later point in time, the methylmalonic acid (MMA) and homocysteine values can increase. I discuss this in detail in another section, but here is a little information on the subject:

Wikipedia (German version) April 2014: Elevated homocysteine values are connected to alcohol consumption, smoking, frequent coffee drinking, lack of movement, and being overweight. ... Homocysteine can cause direct toxic damage to vessel walls and, in a variety of ways, lead to thrombophilia.

Patients who have coronary heart disease have an increased risk of cardiovascular events when their homocysteine levels are even slightly elevated, whereas the available data in regards to completely healthy individuals is inconsistent. Multiple studies have shown that homocysteine levels of over 15 µmol/L increases the risk. ... Elevated homocysteine levels are a risk factor for the development of all stages of muscular degeneration.

If you suspect diabetes, you should also have your glycated hemoglobin checked. A whole blood sample with EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) should be used to perform this test. Further considerations related to this topic can be found below as it is important that diabetes be diagnosed as early as possible. That is why I have also included a section on this lifestyle disease below.

If you are a man over 50, the PSA value and PSA quotient are very important. PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen, and if possible, it should be under two to four—depending on your age. And the PSA quotient or rather the ratio of free PSA (FPSA) to total PSA should be above 0.19.

On Wikipedia, reservations are expressed regarding the PSA value, specifically that the value doesn't need to be tested.

I don't share this opinion, not even if a man has a value that is too high after truly changing his diet to one that doesn't include dairy products.

It is possible that it is bacterial prostatitis and therefore acute prostatitis that can be treated. In particular, if CP/CPPS (category III) is suspected, you can see—with the link to prostatitis—the problems of medical treatment or rather the lack of success. See CP/CPPS (chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome).

A poor value is a warning signal and also a possible measurement of success and motivation or reason to change your eating habits.

On November 23, 2000, I had a PSA value of 18.4 with a very poor Q-value of 0.04. After taking antibiotics for several months, with a PSA of 7.4, the Q-value was still 0.08. That was the end of the medical treatment, or rather my urologist then recommended a radical prostatectomy, which is the removal of the entire prostate gland, the seminal vesicles, and the vas deferens. With all of its risks. I decided not to see this doctor again and only had my values checked regularly.

On May 11, 2001, after discussing the situation with my partner, who is now my wife, I began to eat a strict raw food diet without dairy products.

The results: July 2001—4.64/0.13, February 2002—3.3/0.19. The urologist denied that this had anything to do with the changes I had made with my diet.

I have to assume that he doesn't have any knowledge about the broccoli treatment from Prof. Ibrahim Adnan Saracoglu, Vienna University of Technology (TU). See also this link and read more about broccoli.

Liver values: the activity of the enzymes GPT (glutamate-pyruvate transaminase), GOT (glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase) as it was formally called, today aspartate transferase (AST, AspAT, ASAT, or AAT), and gamma-GT (Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, γ-glutamyl transferase, GGT, or GGTP) provide information about the condition of the liver.

Elevated γ-glutamyl transferase values are relatively specific to liver diseases. In the case of acute or chronic liver diseases, damage to the liver, or cardiac or pulmonary infarction (pulmonary embolism), the GOT or AST value is significantly higher.

© CC-by 3.0, HoRaMi GFDL, Wikipedia

Blood collection tubes with color coding in accordance with EN 14820 for the specific tests: (1) Serum-gel tube (brown), (2) Heparintube (orange), (3) EDTA tube (red, large), (4) Citrate clot activator tube (green), (5) EDTA tube (red, small) und (6) ESR (citrate) tube (purple). Image: Wikipedia from HoRaMi, GFDL.

An elevated gamma-GT concentration points to liver disease (hepatitis).

This includes systemic mycoses (mycosis, invasive mycoses) and candidiasis (candida albicans, yeast fungus, yeast). These types of fungi thrive on foods that are rich in simple carbohydrates, and they multiply accordingly. An unhealthy balance between bacteria and fungi is rarely the case with the diseases mentioned. Systemic mycoses requires a severely weakened body.

It is somewhat more common that there is an overgrowth of fungi in the intestine, though a certain level of fungal flora is normal and necessary. A healthy diet is usually enough to regulate this, but it can take more time than medical treatment.

At any rate, if you suffer from cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) or frequently have diarrhea (diarrhoea) or drum belly (bloating, tympanites, metorism), serological testing may be beneficial.

If you have an overgrowth of intestinal bacteria, products that act only in the intestine and not in the entire body are very safe to use. It is only very seldom that an antifungal treatment that acts in the entire body is necessary—and this is toxic.

The HA or hemagglutination assay looks for Immunoglobin M (IgM). These antibodies are only present during an illness and for a few days thereafter. Immunoelectrophoresis, consisting of gel electophoresis of proteins and immunodiffusion, detects G-type antibodies (IgG, gamma globin)

These antibodies are present in the blood for about a month after an infection. If one of these tests is positive, the cause should be determined via a blood culture or antibody detection test; however, in the case of a fungal infestation, this is very unclear.

If it is not a “normal infection,” you should cut out sweet fruits for 10–20 days and get a prescription for one of the safe oral medications that work against fungus in the intestinal tract.

These contain active ingredients such as "nystat.." (older), "amphoteric.." B, or "natamyc..". I have identified this course of treatment as safe because these molecules are so large that they aren't absorbed into the body. But if you would like more information, please read the links.

However, if the fungi have established themselves as parasites (parasitism) in other organs, for example, in the lungs, then infusions are appropriate. These often have severe side effects and should only be used in the most serious cases.

Don't get a hair analysis done based on what you hear in advertising and PR (public relations), but only if your physician believes that it is necessary.

Heavy metal contamination often leads to a significant trace element deficiency.

Information from a show on WDR (German public television station) on March 12, 2001: in contrast to blood and urine testing, which only provide a snapshot in time, hair contains information on what has been happening in your body in recent months.

For a DNA analysis, for example, for parental testing (“paternity test”), only a hair with the root attached can be used because this is the only place with cells containing material that can be used in an analysis.

A gram of hair (one rounded tablespoon) is enough to obtain information about metabolic processes in the human body. And hair extraction is a simple, noninvasive procedure.

The hair directly at the nape of your neck work best for this analysis as it has been damaged the least by external influences. Permed hair can't be used, and if you use hair that is colored or has been washed frequently, the results won't be as accurate.

Some basic macrobiotic ingredients.

The nutrition scientist Claus Leitzmann: Given the very limited number of foods permitted, the macrobiotic diet developed by Ohsawa is one of the most controversial diets. It is problematic from a nutritional point of view and given the small amount of fluids, it can lead to serious health problems. In the case of a pure grains diet, which is particularly recommended for those suffering from illnesses, serious deficiencies must be expected.

© CC-by 3.0, KVDP, Wikipedia

“A macrobiotic diet as recommended by Kushi can especially lead to problems for children since the consumption of fat, calcium, iron, and vitamins D, B₂, and B₁₂ is too low.”

As an example, here is a little more about the metabolic type diet. I can't judge what the consequences of a diet based on the four metabolic types are. But I see it more as a gimmick than something of significance.

Here is the translation of the original script of a show on WDR: People can basically be divided into four different metabolic types: the normal metabolic type—at 10 percent, this group is only a minority—and the slow, fast, and mixed metabolic types.

If your metabolic processes are slower, than you feel tired and lack energy. Toxins can easily accumulate in your body. Migraines and sleeping problems are the norm. This metabolic type is found, in particular, in women over 30.

In contrast, people with a fast metabolism are often overly nervous and experience fear and aggression. Older men often have this type.

A diet customized to the individual metabolic types—so goes the theory behind the diet—should work against all of these problems. People who have slow metabolic types should strictly cut out dairy products for about three months.

More importantly, it is very important that people with this metabolic type drastically reduce the proportion of fat in their diet. Incidentally, up to 45 % of the population is believed to have the slow metabolic type.

The types are determined by the levels of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium in the body. Again from the script of the WDR show: In order for calcium to act, the body needs the vitamins A, C, D, and E. However, vitamin D is a 'rival' of magnesium, which in turn requires the presence of B₆.

And continuing: Calcium and iron promote the metabolism of phosphate, but also 'drive out' the element manganese, which decreases copper levels.

I naturally don't agree with the next part: In contrast, people who have fast metabolic types may consume dairy products and fat ... It might therefore be the case that the recommendation given to an older overweight gentleman is to eat a lot of cake with whipped cream and rich sauces.

For me, this sentence places the entire assignment scheme into question. The company Biometa claimed that those who have fast metabolic types, about 15 % of the population, therefore have a tendency to be overweight and have high blood pressure.

In Germany, various pharmacies offer metabolic typing, but the prices vary greatly, and insurance companies usually don't cover the costs.

If you decide to get tested, it is worthwhile to ask multiple providers how much they charge for a certain number of tests as the number is an important price criterion. For example, in Germany, for 120 euros (2015), Biometa provided a graphic display of the laboratory values for their analysis type A with 29 elements, 12 of which are toxic metals.

A version with extensive comments and a (conventional) diet plan costs more than double this. Since the computer prepares this automatically, I believe that they are asking too much. In fact, I consider the whole thing to be a “business scheme.”

It is important to realize that mistakes can be made with every type of diet, including a raw food diet. Each of these diet types can lead to other problems when people are lacking in knowledge. And this is very often the case. Here is a link to treatments that many people with cancer put their last hope in.

And no matter how you are lying, your wrist is at about the same physical position as your heart. Try to always have your wrist in the same position when you do these measurements. The wrist cuff should be positioned so that nothing impedes accurate measurements.

You should use the other hand to turn the monitor on. In fact, that's the first thing that my hand automatically does in the morning, and I try to keep my head as empty as possible, but I like to listen to music—and only then do I activate the monitor. A healthy heart responds to every little thing. That's why I sometimes repeat the measurement a second time, especially if an unusual value is displayed. It does take a few minutes. It's also important to always use the same arm since for some people the two sides can have quite different values.

Here is an example from April 18, 2014, from 6:13 to 6:21 a.m.: 85/46 with a heart rate of 45, 79/44/42 and 79/43/43 with very little differences compared with the next morning at 7:15 a.m.: 107/48/53, 99/51/46, and 104/58/42. Something must have disturbed my sleep.

Even with the poorest values, I can spring out of bed and I feel fit and energetic.

My measurements during the day when I am in a sitting position are, for example: 129/75/42 and 133/75/47, but also 137/84/57 and 115/70/47.

Either I have a lower heart rate with much higher blood pressure or a higher heart rate with much lower blood pressure, for example: 115/67/53, 110/69/52, and 97/52/66.

I wanted to share these values with you so that you can see how different the values can be for the same person. The amount of water in the body plays a role here.

Pay more attention to the indulgence foods you consume, your eating behaviors, stress, signs of any sickness or inflammation, and the like.

Tobacco is something that we don't even need to discuss. With time, you will determine what is healthy for you and what isn't.

I can't tell if people who take medications can test their values in the same way because medications can change the values drastically. The lowest value upon waking isn’t used by physicians as this would only be possible in a hospital. It wasn’t always the case that monitors were so affordable and easy to use.

If you record your values a few times before changing your diet, you will be able to later see amazing changes. If you are going to take up a new sport, you should do this at another point in time, either quite a bit before or after you change your diet. Only this way will you be able to see the difference that your new diet has made.

I will explain the reasons for this in another section.

And as a result of taking these measurements, you will more clearly see the role that stress plays—and even more so any inflammations that you might have. Noticeable pus under a dead tooth can cause your resting heart rate to increase by 8 beats per minute. That is an increase of just over 15 %. If you are an older person who isn't very active, you can still achieve resting heart rates of between 40 and 50.

Our length and quality of life our not dependent only on the heart, but also on numerous other factors and organs. But there is a reason why the heart is the second most protected organ after the brain.

Also important to know is that it is estimated that the human heart consists of six billion heart muscle cells in the beginning with the number continually decreasing until a person has between two and three billion cells when they are older. It has recently been determined that a younger person can regenerate up to 1 % of the heart muscle cells, and an older person can still regenerate half of this number. But the heart can only recover between the beats. A low heart rate with blood pressure that isn't too high can therefore be beneficial in many ways.

A BMI of <18.5 is considered to be underweight, 18.5–24.9 normal weight, 25–29.9 overweight, 30–34.9 obesity class I, 35–39.9 obesity class II, and anything above this obesity class III.

And the other way around, if your BMI is 20 or below, I recommend that you switch to a strict vegan raw food diet and get regular check-ups. This warning might be unnecessary as numerous authors of raw food books claim, perhaps rightly so, that:

These authors emphasize the fact that individuals who are anorexic will gain weight until they reach their biological ideal weight. I don't want to accept this without being critical and only know that people who are overweight lose about 10 kg (22 lbs) within four to six months when they eat a vegan raw food diet.

Losing weight more quickly can be dangerous and lead to the yo-yo effect. If you are extremely overweight (obese), the results will be more substantial—at least losing a lot more over a longer period of time—until you achieve your biological ideal weight.

It is also important that you haven't had any major stomach or intestinal surgery. Your doctor can assess whether or not you will be able to tolerate a raw food diet. If the surgery was some time ago, you will have a sense of what you tolerate and what you don't. You should make the switch one step at a time.

You can read valuable information about diabetes on the Internet. Here is some of the most important information:

Wikipedia on blood sugar (German entry): In general, blood sugar refers to the amount of glucose (blood glucose level) present in the blood. Glucose is an important source of energy for the body. The brain, red blood cells, and renal medulla are dependent on glucose to produce energy; all other body cells produce energy primarily as part of lipid metabolism. Glucose is capable of passing the blood–brain barrier and, in this way, provides the brain with energy.

It is important to note that ketone bodies are also a major source of energy for the brain. Under brain: The behavior of the blood glucose level in hunger responses leads us to believe that a brain completely capable of breaking down ketone bodies prioritizes these (higher than glucose, even if there is a sufficient supply of glucose via the blood).

Under fasting conditions, normal values range from 70 to 100 mg/dL. Other sources list 60 mg/dL as the lower normal value. A fasting blood sugar value of 100–120 mg/dL is seen to be borderline and over 120 mg/dL is in the diabetic range.

If a person consistently has values of over 120 mg/dL, the diagnosis of diabetes is made. People without diabetes have a blood sugar value of under 110 mg/dL.

These somewhat low values should make it possible for type-2 diabetes to be diagnosed early in individuals who have borderline values. This way, they can still make changes to their diet and exercise before any complications occur. Complications of this type develop in the early stages of mild diabetes.

It is important to normalize your blood sugar level as early as possible since this will decrease the chances of complications. Since the food we eat has a significant impact on blood glucose levels, it is important to measure your blood sugar level under fasting conditions (if possible, 12 hours after your last meal).

The time since your last meal is very important. Why not go to the pharmacy a few times after you get up in the morning and before you have eaten to get your values checked? When you get a complete blood count done, every now and then, ask that your HbA1c value be checked (glycated hemoglobin, GHb).

This value shows whether your blood sugar was on average normal or high over the last three to four weeks. About one hour after a meal, the values reach their highest in the body, normally from 70 to 160 mg/dL and in borderline cases 200 mg/dL.

After eating a lot of pasta, a healthy person may also excrete glucose for a short period of time. If this occurs, a dangerous level has been exceeded. Two hours after eating, the value should go back down to 70 to 120 and shouldn't be higher than 150 mg/dL.

The islet cells in the pancreas produce "insuli.." and "I." antagonist, for example, glucagon. The pancreatic juice—about 1.5 liters per day—primarily contains enzyme precursors. These ensure that proteins, carbohydrates, and fats from our food can be absorbed by the blood.

The nutrient molecules in their normal form are much too large to enter the bloodstream. Enzymes in the pancreatic juice help to break down these molecules.

If you have a glucose imbalance, your doctor should rule out other diseases first.

If you suspect diabetes mellitus, your physician will test for sugar in your urine. This will show up as soon as the individual renal threshold is exceeded. This test can be done using a test strip.

The glucose tolerance test is only recommended if diabetes is suspected. The patient eats a normal, carbohydrate-rich diet for three days and does the same physical activities as usual.

After these three days, the patient is given 300 mL of water containing 75 to 100 mg of dissolved sugar in the morning under fasting conditions. The blood sugar level is tested before this.

Two or three hours after the “sugar cocktail,” measurements two and three are then taken. The values obtained reveal cases of hidden diabetes.

The WHO no longer divides diabetes mellitus into two groups, but rather into four groups with various subgroups of causes.

Possible causes are excessive hygienic care as a baby, changing from breastfeeding to dairy milk before the end of the second month, toxins in the form of hazardous substances and medications, and virus infections such as the Coxsackie Virus.

Type-2 diabetes is very different from type-1 diabetes. With type 1, the "insul.." production decreases steadily until the insulinproducing cells are completely destroyed. With type 2, there is too much "I." in the bloodstream, therefore the exact opposite.

With type-2 diabetes, the pancreas produces an increasing amount of "I." over time because the cells no longer respond to "I.". The cells build up a resistance.

Genetics increases the risk for type 2 considerably. It is my assumption that it is not completely clear whether the “genetics” come from the “eating habits” causing a change through epigenetics or if they come from the gene pool itself (as of 2001).

But the results are the same. However, with type-2 diabetes, genetic predisposition plays a much greater role than with diabetes type 1.

The probability of getting diabetes type 2 as an adult is 40 % if one parent had type-2 diabetes, and 60 % if both parents had type-2 diabetes.

Adiposity is a medical term for obesity, and hypertension (HTN or HT) is synonymous with high blood pressure and arterial hypertension.

In the case of "I." resistance, glucose is not able to move from the blood into the cells. Normally, "I." opens the cells for glucose. But with the increasing resistance, an ever decreasing number of cells take up glucose.

Glucose then circulates at higher levels in the bloodstream as "I." is not able to work effectively. The body interprets this as an “insulindeficiency” (although there is actually enough there) and gives the signal to produce even more "I.".

This increased production causes the "I." level to increase further in the blood, which is a process called hyperinsulinism.

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (previously II) and a decreased glucose tolerance, arterial hypertension, lipid metabolism disorders, obesity, and coronary heart disease frequently manifest in the same person. Decreased glucose uptake in the absence of insulinstimulation is the root of the problem here.

This is a metabolic syndrome. It is too often the case that type-2 diabetes is diagnosed too late, for example, between the ages of 55 to 60. At this point, initial complications are sometimes already present. Eighty percent of those who get type-2 diabetes are significantly overweight.

Apart from that, there are groups that have this genetic risk as a result of the eating habits of the older generation. Epigenetics has not yet received enough attention in practice.

What was just said in two sentences gives us an idea of the suffering caused by high blood pressure. Unfortunately, a person who is sick doesn't usually notice anything unusual.

And doctors often do an echocardiogram (echocardiography, cardiac echo), an EKG (electrocariography), and, where necessary, long-term EKG monitoring and a stress test and can't find any physical or psychological reason for the high blood pressure. They then diagnose it as essential hypertension.

In other words, Kostis means that this is just the situation right now. Depending on the age and severity of the case, patients are prescribed beta-blockers or ACE inhibitors. The underlying causes aren't being addressed, and only the symptoms are being treated.

If your doctor is particularly good, he or she will warn you of the side effects and will give you some rules of thumb to follow. Later, you might be “allowed” to take both drugs at the same time. The pharmaceutical industry appreciates this.

Antihypertensive drugs such as ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, beta-blockers, diuretics, and calcium channel blockers bring in billions in profit.

However, a doctor would just have to refer patients to this text—and then the responsibility would be in the hands of the patients. At least, they would then have the chance to get their problems under control. I believe that regular physical examinations are important; otherwise, the process is counterproductive.

The first gout attack often comes during the night. Typically, a person then wakes up with extreme pain in their big toe (podagra). The joint swells and becomes red, and the pain is unbearable. The pain usually begins at night or early in the morning. Normal movement is made difficult.

People often have pain in other joints such as the shoulder (omagra), wrist (chiragra), or knee (gonagra). If the uric acid levels are significantly high, it may be necessary to take medications for life. Deposits of uric acid crystals (urate deposits) cause the pain. Gout can cause bone resorption and damage to cartilage. Chronic kidney disease is ultimately the result of severe gout over a long period of time.

"Allopurin.." is one of the most common medications that are prescribed.

This is why a number of guidebooks don’t only explain in detail how gout develops and how it can be treated with medications, but also provide extensive help with planning a healthy menu, including numerous recipes.

A raw food diet can be even more effective!

Dr. Christian Rous describes gout as a purine metabolic disease characterized by increased uric acid levels in the blood that lead to deposits of uric acid crystals in the joints and tissues.

If the uric acid level is over a specific value (6.4 mg/dL), this is called hyperuricemia (Greek: “too much uric acid in the blood”). Rous continues, The elevated uric acid values do not have to lead to gout—they simply represent the biochemical basis. However, elevated uric acid concentrations increase the probability of a gout attack.

The value of 6.5 mg/dL listed above is the upper limit above which precipitation of uric acid crystals and deposits in the joints and in the tissue can occur. This then leads to the painful symptoms characteristic of a gout attack.

Healthy individuals have a balance between the consumption of uric acid (via the purines present in food) and the production of uric acid by the body on the one hand, and the excretion of uric acid on the other. Based on a wide range of causes, this balance is disrupted in people suffering from gout.

People who are overweight or suffer from lipid metabolism disorders, diabetes, or high blood pressure are affected much more often by gout. The development of hyperuricemia is influenced by excess weight, high alcohol consumption, and a diet rich in purines.

Dietary recommendations exhort us to do the following: Say no to every excess calorie. Eat a lot of vegetables, fruit, potatoes, and grains (whole grain products).

If a person who has gout and is also overweight achieves a normal body weight, this will often be enough to reduce the elevated uric acid level (hyperuricemia).

This website is a source of a lot of valuable information and is one of the best sites to go to for general medical questions. The following passage about the thyroid, which is about 20 grams, comes from this site:

Without the hormones produced by the thyroid, not a lot would function in the human body. The heart rate and strength of the heart, body temperature, energy metabolism of cells, work of the skeletal musculature, growing and maturation of the CNS, all of these things are regulated with the help of thyroid hormones. If too many or too few hormones are available, a variety of syndromes can develop.

Only for readers who want to know more: the thyroid is located in front of the esophagus. It is primarily responsible for producing thyroid hormones, the main ones being thyroxine (T4) with four iodine atoms and triiodothyronine (T3) with three iodine atoms (iodine).

The release of T3 and T4 regulates a feedback look with the hypothalamus, which releases TRH (thyrotropin-releasing hormone). The neuropeptide TRH causes the pituitary gland to then release TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone). TSH ultimately regulates the production and release of T3 and T4.

The C-cells in the thyroid also produce calcitonin, which regulates calcium metabolism. The antagonistic hormone, the parathyroid hormone, is produced by the parathyroid glands. The parathyroid hormone stimulates the production of active vitamin D.

Calcitonin inhibits intestinal calcium absorption and ensures that more calcium and phosphate are incorporated into the bone substance and that the kidneys reduce the calcium levels in the blood.

What is the medical opinion on the symptoms caused by an underactive thyroid?

When few or no hormones are released by the thyroid, this leads to decreased metabolism. The extent of this is dependent on the degree of severity, the length of the hormone deficiency, the person's age when the disease began, and any accompanying diseases. Not everyone will develop all of these symptoms.

The main symptoms are as follows: increased fatigue, general weakness, constant feeling of freezing, inability to tolerate cold, inability to sweat, lack of interest, difficulty concentrating, angina pectoris problems, poor circulation, headaches, impotence, hair loss, numbness in the fingertips, rheumatic disorders, and difficulty breathing.

An iodine deficiency is capable of causing an underactive thyroid. With a sufficient supply of iodine, the thyroid has stores for about three months. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have a lower presence of iodine in the soil due to erosion caused by glacial water.

This is one reason why it is important to have blood tests done before you change your diet. A physician will most likely have a TRH test (thyreoliberin) done. The TSH value in your blood is measured, 200 milligrams of TRH are then injected into a vein, and after 30 minutes the TSH value is tested again.

There should be an increase of more than two microE/mL. According to Gray, individuals with excessive or chronic mucus often suffer from an underactive thyroid. If the increase doesn't occur, you can decrease mucus production by changing your diet.

Gray explains the following method quite meticulously: right after you wake up and without getting up or having to reach very far, put the thermometer under one side of your tongue. Lie still for seven minutes—if possible, with your eyes shut. Then move the thermometer to the other side of your tongue and read your temperature after an additional three minutes. Increments of 0.05 degrees Celsius should be visible.

During this time, you should in no case sit up, move, drink anything, or talk because your temperature would then immediately increase and you wouldn't be able to get a reading of the basal value. Omit all values that seem questionable. You need about ten accurate measurements.

Women should measure their basal temperature from the beginning of their period to the day before ovulation as the basal temperature sinks to its lowest value at ovulation and in the few days afterward increases by one to two degrees.

The normal basal temperature under the tongue is between 36.5 and 36.8 degrees in humans.

In the case of an underactive thyroid, the body temperature tends to fluctuate considerably, but generally remains under 36.5 degrees. A temperature change of one degree changes the metabolic rate by about 18% [249–70]

The basal thermometer made by Uebe Medical GmbH is a good example. This somewhat expensive thermometer has a red arrow in the middle of the readout scale that marks the midpoint of 36.9 degrees. Six graduation marks with numbers show 1/10 degrees.

This thermometer only has a readout range of 1.2 degrees and is therefore not suitable to use as a fever thermometer. The readout range is distributed over 5.7 cm. The graduation marks without numbers show 1/20 degrees.

After you use the thermometer, you should, of course, “shake it down.”

Only about one percent of the cases with values that are too low point to underactive pituitary or adrenal glands.

In my case, my first measurement showed 35.8 degrees with a blood pressure of 100 over 61 and a heart rate of 49. This can't even be read using a basal thermometer.

My wife, however, had a temperature reading of 36.9 degrees with a blood pressure of 99 over 63 and a heart rate of 47. Nota bene: Before she started to eat a raw food diet, she was diagnosed with essential high blood pressure.

It's Sunday, 5:30 a.m., and I am full of energy and ideas and start with my work. Kathrin asks me to turn off the alarm (I don't need one) so that it doesn't go off at 8 a.m. People can be this different even if they have the same daily routine and habits.