June 21, summer solstice – oh yeah, frequencies are coming into the Earth. It’s a known fact when the season markers arrive, change happens. Little do we know, that the same changes in energy occur in our own little planets, our bodies.
This particular one, though, was different..and powerful. Mercury is in retrograde, as well as other planets. Oh boy, get ready for a ride!
A ride it was indeed. I woke up with a throbbing headache. At first it was a dull pain on the left side of my head, then it would travel down the runway that is my forehead and linger behind the eyes.
As a Biohacker, I first tried to connect the dots backwards, in an attempt to find the possible root cause.
- What did I eat last night? Steak in butter with Celtic Salt. Conti’s chocolate cake
- What time did I eat last night? 7PM (got home late from work)
- How was my stress level? A bit on the high side, lots of clients to attend to the day before
- What time did I sleep? 22:41 – my usual sleeping time (thank goodness I have a sleep tracker (Oura ring and Sleep Cycle) to give me these details when I need them! A true biohacker relies on these trackers for mastering their own shifts)
- How was my sleep? According to Oura, it was “good” – which means, there’s room for “better” : my deep sleep wasn’t as long as I’m used to, my REM was lower than usual and I only slept 6 hours (my sweet spot is between 7 and 8 hours)
- What happened yesterday? Lots of work and lots of clients, got home late and ate dinner late instead of the optimal time of 5PM latest. I was so hungry!! (note to self: next time, make baon!)
Ok, so I know that my level of stress and my sleep quality and the time I ate dinner got in the way. But that’s just one layer…what else could be happening? The order of the day was to address what I was feeling NOW.
I immediately performed my “hackstacking,” that is, stacking biohacks so I can “follow the energy” of my body and see where it’s leaking. This kind of thinking allows me to flow with the body and work with it, not against it, and ultimately, help it get rid of whatever it’s getting rid of.
A headache is a sign of inflammation and could be part of what you call a “Herxheimer” effect or an “abreaction.” This is considered a very healthy and normal part of the organic process of healing. What many natural healers will explain to you, that “the body gets worse before it gets better,” and is very much a wonderful step in the process because you are releasing the cause of energy leaks.
My first plan of action: homeopathy. I have been studying it a little over a year but have not really memorized keywords in the materia medica, so I pored over pages and pages to see the keynotes and modalities that matched my symptoms.
Ok, so I chose one..Bryonia. I’m feeling the headache behind my eye on the left side. It feels worse with heat, better with cold and I’m thirsty as hell. Took it, then unfortunately “proved,” which means, I took on ITS symptoms rather than treated them. I then smelled camphor to break the spell.
The beauty of the biohacking concept of N=1, is that mistakes are a gift. Then you know to move on to the next thing and continue experimenting until you find the right thing.
Next, I used one of my favorite biohacks, Photobiomodulation, or the use of bio-active light to initiate healing shifts in the body, particularly, red and near infrared wavelengths.
My favorite one is the Leanne Venier Redjuvenator. The inventor created specific protocols and I followed them all for 40 minutes. I didn’t feel any relief at that very moment, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was ineffective. It probably helped create more cellular energy or hastened the detox process. I know that I’m investing time in something that will work synergistically with all my modalities, and this synergy will boost my recovery and accelerate healing. Time spent with it is not for naught.
Before my Redjuvenator session, I’d already brewed and filtered my coffee enema and it’s cooling off in a corner under an electric fan so I can use it right after. It was from Leanne that I learned, you need your digestion to be working properly in order to detox effectively.
So in case my body is trying to get rid of lingering toxins in my system, I was going to assist my liver in producing more glutathione to push them out.
This is the reason coffee enemas are used by cancer patients following the Gerson Therapy.
My head was still throbbing as I was on the bathroom floor doing my coffee enema. This is usual for me..I ride the pain because I’m reading it. Where is it coming from? What are its characteristics? Is it better or worse? It honestly didn’t feel any better during the enema, but I felt some relief afterward. This might be because I had already flushed out some toxins into the toilet. Begone!
Then, I focused on finding the right homeopathic remedy. I read the materia medica again and decided to choose the one remedy that you choose when you don’t know what to choose: Aconite.
Guess what, it worked. I felt relief!
By this time, I was feeling much better. I spotted some sun on my balcony and decided to make a go for some Vit D conversion. I went out and did my Heartmath coherence training with the EmWave2 gadget, which helps me get in the state of “growth and healing” and let feel good restorative hormones like DHEA and Oxytocin pour into my system. I was feeling almost normal. But still, I didn’t stop here.
I went into the kitchen and looked for my Nitric Oxide lozenges. Nitric Oxide is a molecule that assists in a powerful anti-inflammatory gene pathway called NrF2. It can be produced naturally in the body through powerful breathing techniques, but I was in no mood to sit still somewhere and do breath-holds. I needed relief NOW. So I took a lozenge and added Niacin (B3) for the flush. This effect is a result of histamines being flushed out of blood vessels and gives a sensation of heat and tingling, sometimes itching. I take Niacin daily, but this time I took a double dose (2 g). These two support the NAD pathway of energy production. I felt practically normal after this step!
For good measure, I wanted to add the most important mineral we need: magnesium. It is responsible for many of the body’s signaling systems. I chose transdermal magnesium, which is the most bioavailable form since it is directly absorbed into the skin through the feet. By this time, my pain was GONE.
Zero. Nada. Zilch.
As if it never happened. I am always so amazed when the tsunami of inflammation hits then passes, as if it never happened.
I spent that afternoon as my normal, healthy self and I saw clients at work without any hitches.
I thought this was where my story would end.
Apparently not. The body is like an onion. It comes in layers.
The next morning, I woke up normally, but developed a low grade fever, with accompanying body aches. I was also getting occasional hyperacidic pain and loose stools.
I checked my Oura ring and my sleep score was better than the night before in all aspects. My resting heart rate was also much lower, which is a good sign. I ate well before bedtime, my last meal at around 530pm.
All my previous day and night practices seemed to be on track, yet I was feeling worse.
My first question: Is my thyroid out of whack? If it is, what did I do to create this situation?
My next immediate question: What layer am I clearing now?
Now is the time to broaden the investigation. The real query should begin from 2 months before and explore the last time I felt really well and what I was doing, changing, experimenting with around that timeline. The big picture will comprise what I did repeatedly that created a compounded effect that eventually turned into this outcome.
I actually really enjoy these self-adventures!
My first line of defense is homeopathy because of the immediate relief I get from the right remedy. The trick is always finding the right one. So I browsed the materia medica again and intuited that I matched with the symptoms of Rhus Tox. I took it and felt a little better.
I needed to turn on my airconditioner again and stay in bed, while I ruminated my dis-ease and what my body was radiating out to get my attention. Today, my body demanded that I stop in my tracks and LISTEN.
Ok, I thought…this is another layer. I put my trauma / energy healing hat on. As an energy therapist, I know the effect that stress has on our immunity and overall health. There are two sources of stress: Physical and Emotional/Mental. Both can tax the thyroid gland and where the thyroid goes, the adrenals follow.
Physical stress: check. I had worked four days straight and a couple of days, I went home past 7pm. I also did two pilates workouts and one of them in between days that I went to the office.
So I was compounding stress on stress. Even if pilates is considered to be a non-cardio workout, there can be significant strain from the muscular work required. I usually only do a 30-minute routine but I still end up sweating and straining at the end of it.
Add this to the fact that I have an underactive thyroid and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and here I am trying to squeeze out some gas when I’m practically running on empty. Instead of balancing that, I tipped it off-kilter. No wonder!
Ok, since I’m on the thyroid thread in this self-investigation, I wondered what was depleting my iodine, a very important component in MANY mechanisms in the body, not just the thyroid. I realized….omg, I’ve been eating Conti’s chocolate cake for many months and I realized I ate three slices the day before my headache!
What’s the connection? Well, chocolate cake has flour and flour has bromide, which depletes iodine. I supplement with iodine, but the cake plus the stress from work and exercise? Well, that’ll just burn out my thyroid AND adrenals. Call these two the twin sisters of energy. One affects the other and they should be taken care of as a pair.
Emotional stress: check. Well, this whole pandemic business put my own business in a real big hole and there is always that worry about how I’m going to pay this and that.
Although I use my biohacking techniques and my energy modalities to put me in equilibrium, I can’t deny there are days that are darker than I want them to be. I’m human after all and I’ve come to see discomfort as a gift, as a way for you to think on your feet and use your inner resources to find a solution.
However, when your body is already physically stressed, a little emotional stress might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
I went to the kitchen and took more iodine. I actually felt much better! I was able to get out of bed that afternoon and pay a visit to a client. I went there and back with no sign of illness.
And then I got home and my fever came back.
Ok, back to homeopathy: Better with movement. This time I took gelsemium.
I shadow face-palmed myself and remembered my trusty essential oils, which also use frequency for healing. I chose peppermint to cool down the fever, manuka for my immunity and frankincense to cover everything else.
I immediately felt better. Like, loads better.
Note to self: Remember you have essential oils and use them!
I felt better but I wasn’t compelled to do any work. I stayed in bed and ruminated my situation and thought about what I was going through.
The body is a small cosmos, so if I used my conscious brain to decipher all its signals, I’d never really make any real progress. This is work for the subconscious.
So I sat there with myself and looked within for any insights that arise.
I looked into the symptoms first.
- The fact that I have loose stools and not feeling any hunger means I am deep in the Sympathetic Mode. According to Stephen Porges’ polyvagal theory, the body redirects all energy out of the digestive system and redirects it to the muscles and heart to get us running from danger. This is the reason people vomit when faced with an immense fear trigger. The system is also getting rid of any unwanted residue with loose stools.
Next Question: What is causing me stress? Current situation? Or is it something from my past that my body is bubbling up to the surface for release? Why the drastic survival mode? What is making it think it is in grave danger?
- This could be a histamine storm. Remember I took 2 g of Niacin the day before? Well, what it flushes out are histamines from the blood vessels. Perhaps I took too much? I have to admit, I love the flushing sensation, but too much is too much. Note to self: don’t do this again.
- I also follow a Nose To Tail Carnivore diet, which is really high in histamines. It hasn’t really bothered me in the two years I’ve been practicing it on and off, but perhaps it’s one of the contributors to the accumulating histamine in my blood stream.
- Since I’m taking homeopathy, I may be releasing some “layers” – past events that over-triggered my immune system and caused vitality to leak out. If we don’t plug the leak, it’ll be hard to find later once the layers pile up over years of different triggers. This layer could be some of my asthmatic attacks that were “covered up” or “pushed back in” by steroids over many years, including the last two years when it started to come back with perimenopause. The layer could be childhood trauma or anytime my body protected me from acute onset of fear. To a six year old, there will be many.
- I noticed a small pang of gastritis or hyperacidity. I thought it could be that, or the start of a stomach flu since I was having fever, body aches, and loose stools. I took a chance and chalked it up to gastritis since if it were a stomach flu, the curve was flattening rapidly in terms of fever and body aches.
- Adrenal fatigue. My thyroid is underactive and so its close sibling, the adrenals, would be overworked trying to keep up with my energy requirements. The fact that I’m perimenopausal doesn’t make it easier since my glands and organs will be compensating for one or the other.
For the rest of the afternoon and night, I stayed in bed and slept early, knowing this is what my body not just needed, but DEMANDED of me. And I followed suit.
The next day, I woke up with atopic dermatitis on my two eyelids. They were small red patches with dry flaky skin and a bit itchy. I also developed a rash on both my inner thighs. Coalesced rashes that looks more like urticaria or hives. Not itchy…
The first thing that came to mind: Ahh…this is a layer that’s releasing. Hurray!! It’s a cause for celebration because my body is bubbling up some old stuff from the basement, ready to be thrown out to the energy recycling bin.
As for the rash…could it be from taking a double dose of iodine? It’s possible it kicked out chlorine, bromide, and fluoride in my body and they’re exiting also through the skin…
I noticed my gastritis was still present but it wasn’t bothersome yet. So I figured, I didn’t have fever, I should address the acidity part. From my studies, I know that gastritis is actually a low acidity condition, instead of hyperacidity, the way most people think. I took some Betaine HCL to supplement my acid production. I was ever mindful that if this is due to the bacteria H. Pylori, which I’ve had in the past, the pain will get worse and become more frequent. I was prepared for that probability and would be grateful to close the chapter on gastritis. However, lo and behold, the pain resolved in a few hours.
Ok, time to tackle the chronic autoimmune part. My mom had an asthma attack as she was giving birth to me and I was born through CS, so I never inherited her beneficial vaginal bacteria that was supposed to boost my immunity the first eight months of my life. In my early years, I was weak and sickly and was frequently rushed to the hospital for steroid shots to allay my asthma attacks. Over the years, I took meds like Bricanyl and Ventolin in pill or inhaler form. Then, when my pediatrician told me to become athletic to beat asthma, that’s what I did and true enough, I outgrew it. However, it made a comeback in my early 40s when perimenopause started knocking on my door. I approached holistic healing modalities like Buteyko Breathing, and it successfully kicked my asthma in the butt! Including a lifelong allergy to dog dander. The allergy NEVER came back but the asthma did a couple of years later. By that time, I was too wary to do Buteyko breathing so I took to the inhaler here and again. It was the only thing I was using allopathic meds for.
In homeopathy, it is believed that the use of steroids just pushes the disease back in. Over time, the energy of the disease will find a way out and present itself. I figured, this must be IT! And I must assist it!!
My gameplan this day: Assist the body’s detoxification and immunity through biohacking machines
First, I know all chronic conditions have one thing in common: low levels of Oxygen. I took my Oximeter and measured both sides of the body. Turned out my left side had lower levels at 96. It’s not a bad level, but I’d like to increase it to address cellular energy creation. I put myself on my Oxygen concentrator for an hour and half until my levels went up to 99.
I went out in the sun for 30 minutes, fully naked, and got in about 6,000 IUs.
I did my daily Neuroptimal Neurofeedback.
I did my daily Coherence Training.
I did my daily microcurrent meridian balancing.
6 hours later and the dermatitis is practically gone.
It’s still there, meaning I will have to be vigilant and careful about my body’s energy balance. Biohackers always have an action plan and I couldn’t formulate one without data. I track everything I do so I know how to plan my next steps.
((article here Track it to Hack it)
My musings:
I’ve been taking too much ice cold showers daily for 6 weeks, coupled with sauna, daily sunning, and pilates workouts.
A month and a half before, I noticed a rash forming right on my sacrum, where the infrared sauna would make a direct hit. I didn’t pay it much attention since it wasn’t bothersome.
A few weeks later, I noticed a dry rash behind my left shoulder blade. It wasn’t itchy but it had a heat rash feel to it. I just ignored it. In chinese medicine, too much heat (and too much cold) isn’t good. Even ice cold showers are called “Cold Thermogenesis” because the body produces heat as a survival mechanism. I’m very prone to heat rashes and this may have triggered an inflammatory response.
My plan of action:
- No more ice cold baths, just the regular cold showers I’ve been taking for years.
- No Pilates or any workout for this week and possibly next week. EXTENDED REST and RECOVERY are in order
- No Sauna sessions for this week but will try again next week
- Vit D Sunning will be continued as long as there is sun
This may bring my body back to equilibrium and when it does, I’ll see once again where my body wants to go and I’ll take it there.
One week results:
No pilates, no sauna, two days of sunning, no ice baths:
My contact dermatitis on the eyelids is gone.
The rash on my shoulder blade and sacrum are still there but not really bothersome. They are reminders that I need to take care not to accumulate too much heat in the body so I’m grateful for their presence.
But wait…hold on…three days later.
IT CAME BACK!! The atopic dermatitis got scalier and itchier. I became obsessed with the dry skin so I kept scratching it off, in an attempt to make it less obvious in case I see clients. Of course, that’s always counterproductive. It got worse. Then I put concealer, which contains heavy metals, so of course, it got even worse. Haha. I know what not to do but I still do them. I’m not perfect
At this point, I’m not really alarmed, but just curious. I got a little morning sun when I could and would do pilates but not to a point where I would sweat. No ice baths at all, but just regular daily cold showers like I’ve been doing for years.
I found it strange because EVERYTHING was getting worse. The rash from my sacrum and shoulder started thickening and then a lighter rash that looked like miliaria Crystallina started travelling to the area below the breasts, my thighs, pelvis, my lower legs, upper and forearms.
I wasn’t itchy but I was fascinated by how fast it was spreading.
The prickly heat also got worse. I noticed whenever I had a mild hot flash, it’d feel like pins and needles traveling up to my head.
The saying in systemic healing, “It gets worse before it gets better” really applies here. If something hidden deep beneath my cellular fabric needs to come bubbling up for release, it’s a wonderful thing.
Again, my biohacker hat came back on:
I’m doing my daily biohacks of Neurofeedback and Coherence Training for Vagal Tone via HearMath. I upped my Oxygen Intake with the Oxygen Concentrator. Did more Photobiomodulation (red and near infrared light therapy) behind my back and this may have triggered more underlying suppressed asthma to come out through my skin. This is a GIFT, not a curse. Anytime the opportunity for a miasmatic layer to come out and be released arises, it’s something to be grateful for.
These didn’t create a shift, but rather, helped keep my immune system stable. They’re giving my healing mechanisms support while my body is riding this dis-ease with me.
“Are my stress levels increasing lately?” This is a question I always ask myself since too much stress overworks my already weak adrenals, so I always make it a point to build up my self-regulation muscle. I also need to be aware if this muscle needs to be ramped up or boosted during extra stressful times.
I was indeed going through more stress because my sleep hadn’t been great lately. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and then find it hard to go back to sleep. This is not characteristic of me since I usually sleep like a log. A client who came in just told me she experienced the same thing and attributed it to mercury retrograde. I felt relief when she said that. Yes! That could be part of it. But it could also be the Davao cacao bulletproof beverage I’ve been drinking daily for breakfast. Cacao still has some caffeine and if you don’t drink coffee, even a small amount of caffeine will pack a punch.
I stopped drinking cacao and switched to tea, which has never affected my sleep in an unfavorable way.
Because of the lack of quality of sleep, I didn’t do any pilates workouts for the week. I focused instead on resting and creating energy instead of depleting it.
If there’s added stress, then my thyroid is also going to have a voice, since its sister, the adrenals, is in trouble. I then explored my hypothyroidism and looked up possible rashes that could emerge from it. True enough, the presentation of miliaria crystallina would be one of them. I was also experiencing a thickening rash on my shin area, which I noticed had been there for several months. However, I read these were associated more with hyperthyroidism.
From here, I had to explore my supplementation. I take iodine from Kelp for lack of a nascent iodine supplier in the Philippines. I also take supplements and minerals for adrenal support and electrolyte balance. I knew it was iodine I needed to look into so I will try lowering the dose to see if that has an effect.
I put on my Homoeopath hat:
These rashes could be deeper suppressions from childhood when I would rely on inhalers and steroidal pills to bring me back to balance from several asthma attacks.
I put on my Trauma Therapist hat:
They could also be buried, intense emotions resulting from heartbreak and romantic disappointment from a past relationship. This might be signalling a time for healing as I’ve recently reconciled and forgiven an ex-boyfriend. Their being released after several years is a gift! Seeing it this way, I was HAPPY to have this rash appear so I can assist it with its exit and to bestow it the gift of freedom after being caged in my cells for decades.
I put on my Neurosomatic hat:
The rashes thickened on my back pelvic and sacrum as well as my shoulder blade area, where we often store stuck energy. This is the reason there is stiffness that is often experienced in the lower back and shoulder pain is so prevalent.
Protocol:
- Change homeopathic remedy to Apis, since what I was feeling is worse with heat. I gave this remedy a good chance by taking it for three days. I found that my rash got worse with it and my atopic dermatitis deepened and got itchier. I continued to take Apis in case it was getting worse before it got better. I stuck with it but noticed it wasn’t getting better.After a couple of days, I decided to change the remedy and pored through the Materia Medica and decided on Sulphur. Here’s why it seemed to match my symptoms:Skin: Unhealthy skin, breaks out, scaly. Every little injury gets infected. Violent itching, especially when warm. Skin looks denuded and sore. Painfully sensitive to washing, air, wind. Varicose veins ulcerate.
MODALITIES:
Worse: Warmth, warmth of bed, bathing. 10-11am. Standing, over exertion. Suppressions. Milk.
Better: Dry, warm weather, fresh air. Lying on right side, movement.
It got worse when I took it as the rash on my shoulders became more intense and felt like it wanted to travel toward my neck and up my head, but I took it every time I got a hot flash and I felt the prickly tingly feeling on my back.
I’m just giving back information to my body that THIS is the symptom I’m addressing with this remedy. A rash on my inner thigh started looking more like hives and was really itchy. I continued the remedy and addressed the itch with calamine lotion. I went to sleep and the next morning it was gone. I continued with Sulphur as usual, everytime my hot flash came up and the prickly heat came, in order to give my body a consistent signal.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW. My atopic dermatitis cleared up! The hard, scaly skin was becoming smoother and the itch and inflammation were totally gone. The follicular rash on my arms and legs are still there but the thickened rash on my sacrum and shoulder area is disappearing.
Guess what? Mercury Retrograde ends tomorrow. Coincidence? I’ll never know but I’ll give it a BIT of credit. Quite a bit, actually.
The human body goes through cycles and layers and layers of energetic information. If we realize how stacked these layers are and then just joyride with it as each layer clears and releases, we will find that the end of that road leads to happiness and healing.
Even if it’s an uphill journey, it is well worth exploring and empowering the Self with this inner knowing that the body knows what it needs to make us emerge stronger and better than before.
Believe YOU are UNLTD.