did you dot the scratch test? when my doctor tested me for allergies using the test where they scratch and inject, they only tested for a few foods because they told me that this type of test was not reliable for foods. we ended up finding a clinic in mexico that did a test called the prime allergy test. In simplified terms, they draw some blood, and then mix drops of your blood with various foods being tested. They use prepared plastic trays that contain a bit of the food solution, drop your blood in, and examine it under a microscope to see how your white blood cells react. The results are rated on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being a complete destruction of the white blood cells. when i first went raw I started feeling worse too until I realized that it's not that simple.

When you eat raw, you need to avoid all the foods you are allergic to. Also, 2 members of my family have switched to raw and we found that the specific diet and ratio of carbohydrate to protein to fat is a big factor. For example, my mother feels better when she eats a higher percentage of fats in the form of seeds, nuts, or olives. With greens, she must limit them to small amounts because they are stimulating and give her insomnia. I do better on a low fat ratio, and I'm not so sensitive to greens. We stopped eating at a raw food restaraunt because every time we ate there we felt terrible. We thought it was probably because they use nama shoyu (we are allergic to soy and don't do well with fermented products), agave syrup (which we have founds makes us feel bad), as well as many foods combined together, some of which we are allergic to. We also don't feel well when we eat sprouted grains, and cacao makes our hearts pound. All fermented foods cause reactions in us. You also have to make sure that the nuts and seeds you eat are fresh, with no signs of rancidity. Olives can contain a lot of mold. We feel best, in fact the only time we feel well, is when we eat simple combinations of fresh fruit (not dried), fresh nuts and seeds, fresh vegetables (not dehydrated), olive oil, a small amount of honey, and crystal or Sea Salt . You get the picture. It's not just about raw, it is about every food that you eat. It can sound bleak, but what happens is that you soon find that you prefer food this way. It becomes very satisfying and delicious.

We have also found kinesiology to be an excellent tool. We found that we were not feeling well after eating tahini. The prime test did not show an allergy to sesame seeds, but kinesiology testing showed weakness with that food, so now we don't eat it. On the other hand, the prime test showed my mother was allergic to watermelon, but kinesiology showed it was a good food. So my mom now eats it and she has no problems with it. We consider the kinesiology test very reliable so if the prime test is not available, you can use it. You can easily find a practitioner who uses it or I could explain to you how to do it if you like. I have never done well taking supplements. The only supplements I can get away with are whole food(not to be confused with Whole Foods) supplements such spirulina or chlorella. Any other supplement like vitamins or minerals just prevent me from sleeping(I have had insomnia for years).

My 11 year old son has had lots of problems with his health. About a year ago he was diagnosed with depression/anxiety disorder and possibly bipolar disorder. He had severe mood swings all the time and often had trouble sleeping. After taking him to get the prime allergy test he was found to be allergic to 42 out of 200 foods tested. Taking him off the foods he was allergic to, coupled with a variety of other lifestle changes, he is now a perfectly healthy boy. You can read about what we did for him here //www.curezone.org/forums/m.asp?f=536&i=603#i. We have found that for him, he does not need to eat an all raw diet to feel good. He eats a high raw diet but all of the foods that he eats are whole and organic. I usually cook for him fresh whole boiled quinoa, a delicous heirloom grain(meaning it came from very old strong seed; it does not usually cause allergic reactions), potatoes, and steamed vegetables. If he has meat it is free-range turkey or chicken. Although I certainly believe in the benefits of raw it is not necessary to eat a 100% raw diet. Eating a high raw diet of 50-80% raw foods coupled with steamed and baked whole, organic foods is an excellent diet that still has the power to heal.

One thing I wanted to tell you about insomnia, something I've suffered with and tried various things for is that there are certain body types that are prone to it. Gabriel Cousens, in his book, Conscious Eating, explains the the ayurveda body type, vata, is very sensitive and when it gets unbalanced insomnia develops. Hypoglycemia is also a vata imbalance that my mother has had before. My mother and I are both vatas. We have experimented with a lot of different dietary approaches and have found that different people react to certain foods in different ways. For vatas, too many greens can cause imbalances. My mother and I have found that if we consume too many greens without liberal amounts of fat, especially in the evening, we have trouble sleeping. Since the vata body type is very sensitive there are many things that can easily unbalance them and cause insomnia and digestive problems. I would really recommend you get his book, it is full of wonderful advice about how to heal the body and balance the vata type, it has really helped my mother and I in healing our insomnia.

So basically, out of all the research and experimentation I've done with different approachs this is what I have found works best for me and allows me to sleep soundly and have stable blood sugars(I'm a type 1 diabetic) No supplements except whole food supplements. Being very regular with my food regimen which is: fruit and sometimes a few nuts for breakfast, salad made of greens, olive oil, lemon juice, honey and nuts, sometimes with a little boiled quinoa and steamed broccoli. And a snack of fruit and nuts as my dinner. If I eat like this I will feel wonderful and sleep like a baby, but if I stray most of my symptoms will come back. It may sound boring but the amount of health that I feel eating this way is so wonderful it's hard for me to imagine eating any other way. Well, that's about all I can think of. Feel free to ask any more questions. I hope all the best for you in regaining your health. Love, Mary