Health Update 27 Mar: 7.5 minute mile in 12 minutes. Yeah!

Last week I ran 800 m at a 7.5 minute mile pace, took a 4.5 minute break, and did another 800 m at a 7.5 minute mile pace. I was pretty happy with that, great progress from am month ago. Even better, yesterday I ran a continuous mile in 7:22!!!

I am having breads and pasta's regularly now, with no ill effects, and Oatmeal for breakfast every morning (yes, I actually like oatmeal). I do have to be careful to about ratios, meat, fruits and veggies have to make up the lions share of my diet, but I at least have a little more variety now.I even pulled of a slice of pizza today! (Oh how I have missed pizza!).

I tried adding white rice back a week ago, and had problems, but my youngest had a stomach flu days before, so It is quite likely that was the source of my problems. Will have to give the rice another try. (once I work up the courage to risk it again).

I am presently working with a naturalist, and a physical therapist. The Naturalist is performing abdominal massage, which seems to be helpful, and a gentle variation of Chiropractic adjustment, that I don't remember the name of (using prop and wedges rather than popping and cracking. It also sees to be doing something for me. She also had me on an essential oil tonic, which I am less convinced of, and a liver cleansing process which I am fairly confident did nothing.

That is the drawback to alternative medicine. It rarely gets real scientific validation (which is a costly process), thus it is dependent upon lore and anecdote. Some of it really works, some of it relies on placebo effect, some if it is just plain quackery. It doesn't help that "real doctors tend to 'poo poo' alternative healers and vice versa.

The physical therapist started out with chiropractic adjustments, concluded they weren't helping, and then gave me a list of strength and flexibility exercise,s focusing in my back and core. It is probably a little early to tell (two weeks since I started), but those seem to be helping tremendously. I am actually getting fairly close to a full nights sleep before my back hurts so bad I have to get up (I was only getting about 4 or 5 hours prior).

 I am pretty happy with the progress at this point. It is very encouraging. I am still way below 'normal' for me, which makes planning problematic. Projects are taking me much longer than I expect them to. I suppose that will get better, or In time I will learn to adjust my expectation.