These Will Help Me Get Well

INTRODUCTION
I have been on the keto diet for 8 weeks. I have lost 20 pounds and weight loss was not my goal.

I began the keto diet so that I could use the computer mouse for more than 30 minutes without needing to stop due to pain. I can now use the computer mouse for hours without any pain. So that goal was met.

Along this journey, I discovered that according to ot the many videos on Youtube by Dr. Berg the pains in my right shoulder and the right side of my neck indicate what he calls a fatty liver. The keto diet plus the intermediate fasting has been not only removing fat from my belly and bottom but also from my liver.

Here is a tour of my Amazon Wish List.

My pants fit more loosely and I needed a better cushion for my desk chair.

Using these items will help me over the hump of this keto diet transition that has caused the detoxing and healing of my liver.


I offer this to you for your best prayers.

I hope that God will provide a sponsor for these items.

My shipping address is embedded in the prioritized Wish List.

Besides helping me by reading this you becoming aware of valuable health care options. These might help you or a family member in the future. These are natural and each one is reasonably affordable.

Using products like these kept me healthy over the decades so that I did not need to visit a doctor but about one time per 4 to 5 years.

Due to my complex and ongoing symptoms as well as my exhausted funds I am appealing for sponsors.

At the following link, the items are presented in relative priority. Yet in this message, I have grouped them by kinds to make it easier to understand.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H7G9454ZEHE2?type=wishlist&filter=unpurchased&sort=priority

Some of the items described in the following might not be on the prioritized list link before because they have already been sponsored. Already 2 have been sponsored. That is why below each description I also included a link directly to the product in case you want to consider it for yourself of a family member after it was sponsored for me.

Some of these prices might have changed by a few cents.


BREATHING

BED WEDGE PILLOW
The bed wedge pillow will raise head more than 7 inches higher than my hips. That gentle slope will allow gravity to help my sinuses to drain as I sleep. Then I will not wake in the middle of the night with a dry mouth because I could not breathe through my nose for my sinuses was all stuffed up.

(Note that a bed wedge has been used to help those with acid reflux in case you or someone you know has that challenge.)


 Relax Home Life 7.5 Inch Bed Wedge Pillow
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FINTS4M/
$39.87

(Thankfully this was already sponsored as this was sent out. I have used it for several nights and I have slept much better.)



SALT INHALER
The salt inhaler will be used day and night to help me keep breathing. The standard saline mist inhaler I have used for decades is not nearly as effective as it was. My doctor said I can use this as many times as needed each day.

Natural Solution Ceramic Pink Salt Inhaler

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C2GZPJ6/?

$16.83

VITAMIN C
The vitamin C capsules have helped me during greatly these weeks on the keto diet. I am almost out as I send out this tour of the Wish List.

Viva Naturals Premium Non-GMO Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids & Rose Hips
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C6C3GCY/
$19.99




RASH

YERBA PRIMA BENTONITE CLAY
When the keto rash has surfaced I take a sip of this and it has gone away faster than lotions, Tea Tree Oil or other options I tried. I have consumed one and a half bottles of this so far. This product has helped me many times over the decades when I needed to generally detox.

Yerba Prima Bentonite Great Plains
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MC66VOO/
$19.29



CONSTIPATION 
PSYLLIUM HUSK POWDER
There has been mild constipation with the keto diet. Dr. Berg recommends eating large salads daily and that would prevent constipation. When I first started the keto diet I ate salads. But with my full dentures, it took much chewing for each bite. So I quit eating salads. I have taken chia seeds in water and that has helped. But I am running low on my chai seeds supply. I recall that psyllium husk powder in water helped me remain regular in the past.

Viva Naturals Organic Psyllium Husk Powder
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011QGTRG4/
$16.83


EYES
SYSTANE COMPLETE EYE DROPS
These particular eye drops were recommended by an eye doctor. Each day I need to use eye drops several times. The gunk stopped gathering all over my eyelashes all day due to the use of Zaditor eye drops. But there are hard sand-like deposits on the outside corners often.

(Also I use a Sabre Eye Wash Adapter in a squeeze bottle a few times each day and night.)

Systane Complete Eye Drops
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FL5BZ6M/
$17.24


Sabre Eye Wash Adapter
https://www.amazon.com/SABRE-Eye-Wash-Adapter-Contaminants/dp/B01AT3LOD4/
I have this and the price is $9.99




KETO DIET and LIVER DETOX
ELECTROLYTES, LIVER CLEANSE, B-2, CHOLINE and INOSITOL
During the past weeks I have watched dozens of videos by Dr. Berg and these seem to be the items he would most highly recommend for the symptoms I have been manifesting. These will speed up and smooth out the detoxing of my liver.

I visited my doctor on August 28, 2019 and she had some recommendations that are included here.

(For your possible future reference these are cheaper on Vitacost https://www.vitacost.com/ but they do not offer a Wish List like Amazon. Also, there are formulas that may be better targeted for keto-related matters at his online store https://shop.drberg.com/ but they are more expensive.)

Liver Cleanse Detox & Repair Formula – 22 Herbs Support Supplement
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FVQHUDC/
$20.95


Keto Electrolyte Supplement 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KBD1MGS/
$17.99


Ultra High Strength Tart Cherry Capsules -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V6YRW7N/
$14.97

Turmeric Curcumin with Bioperine 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DBTFO98/
$18.87

Now Vitamin B-2 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MGSH1Q/
$4.33

Nature's Way Choline and Inositol
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002S4PC3G/
$11.32





BREATHE



Germ Guardian AC4825 22” 3-in-1 True HEPA Filter Air Purifier for Home
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VGIGVY/
$84.99




JAW
COLLAGEN
This does not directly relate to the keto diet and liver detox but it might. After a few weeks into the keto diet, I was eating. I bit down on some regular soft food. Then I heard a kind of a church or pop. I felt a pain near my right ear at the joint of my jaw. It was a little sore that day and for the next few days. The minors pains came and went. When I opened my mouth to yawn or for a big bite of food the pain restarted. There were times when I was reading and long after I had eaten that that part of my jaw suddenly brought sharp pains. I went to Youtube to find acupressure massages and that relieved the pains. I just wonder if all these other issues in my body limit the ability and speed of my body to repair that minor injury. I feel anxious that if it is not completely healed soon it could get worse. And my online research pointed to this collagen powder as a way to help my body heal itself.

Premium Multi Collagen Peptides Capsules (Types I,II,III,V,X) 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L6T3CML/
$26.32



ERGONOMICS
SEAT CUSHION and ARMREST MOUSE PAD
The keto diet has removed my belly fat so that my pants fit more loosely. Thankfully I have an elastic belt to keep them on. Yet also it seems that fat was removed from my skinny bottom. Sitting at my desk chair got uncomfortable unlike before. I bought an inflatable donut and that has helped some.

My intention in focusing on this Wish List and getting me back to optimal health is so that I can best focus on the preparations for an online ministry to serve international college students starting this fall. Thankfully my initial aim to stop the pains in my right hand, wrist, and forearm has happened. When I began that part of my body hurt after 30 minutes so that I had to stop for a long time. These days I can go for hours without needing to stop due to that part of my body. But I need to stop due to pain on my bottom. Therefore the top quality orthopedic cushion is on the list.

The armrest mousepad was found during my research for ergonomic aids. This will help me not need to lean forward as much when researching online. Note that I already spend many hours doing online research and that time will increase as I prepare and lead the online ministry.

J-Tech Digital Wireless Ergonomic Vertical USB Mouse 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H9C1WM8/

$35.95

Ergonomic Armrest Mouse Pad Holder 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V11S4BV/

$44.88

ComfiLife Premium Comfort Seat Cushion

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010TLSFA6/

$29.95

RESULTS

I began this keto diet journey due to the pains in my right hand, wrist, and forearm as I used the computer mouse. As I began I needed to stop about every 20 to 30 minutes due to the pains. These days I can go for hours using the computer mouse. That is needed for me to create and lead an online ministry for international college students starting this fall. 

I had chronic pains in my right shoulder and the right side of my neck from the time I lived in the homeless shelter until I started the keto diet. Dr. Berg teaches that it is from fatty liver. I have not had those pains.

Before the keto diet, I felt heartburn a few times a week. I put a box of baking soda with a plastic spoon in it by my reading chair and by my computer. I knew that just masked the symptoms and did not address the cause of my heartburn But since being on the keto diet I have not needed to take any baking soda.

Before the keto diet, my belly stuck out. I have lost that belly fat and my pants are much looser. Also, it is more uncomfortable to sit in my desk chair because I lost weight from my bottom. 

Before the keto diet, my energy level fluctuated during the day and night. But since then my energy has been steady.

Before the keto diet, I took 2 to 6 Pepto-bismal tablets a week and 1 to 3 Gas X tablets. I carried them in my pants pocket in case I needed them anytime. But since starting I have taken none.

My greatest need for decades has been to focus better. Since being on the keto diet I think more clearly and there is less brain fog during the week. I can concentrate longer.

As I stick with the guidelines of what to eat and what to avoid as well as the intermediate fasting I do not feel hungry. 

LIVER

A few people have recommended that I get off the keto diet due to the odd symptoms that come and go. While these have been unpleasant I believe they too will pass. 

If I abandoned the keto diet then all the benefits listed previously would be reversed in a matter of weeks. That is not appealing.

I really believe that God used the pains in my right hand, wrist, and forearm to guide me to this diet that not only greatly decreased the inflammation but also made me aware that my liver needed to be detoxed and healed. 

My sinuses are messed up in ways they never had been in all my life. 

I still need to use drops in my eyes several times a day. And wash them with water several times a day. 

The skin rash comes and goes on different parts of my body.

I have recently remembered that before I lived at the homeless shelter for 3 years. But during that season I contacted the charity hospital every few months for pills to help with my respiration and creams to help skin rashes. 

I had shared a huge warehouse bedroom with 100 men as well as a large common bathroom like in a high school with them. The cafeteria was shared with the women and children. It was not the most sanitary place in the city. 

That is when I gained the 25 pounds thank to the cheap food served there. 

Then I walked 3 to 5 miles a day on the downtown sidewalks right next to the exhaust fumes of the cars, trucks, and busses. 

I always carried Ibuprofen and I took 400 to 1200 mg a day to cope with the stress. I was told that much is very hard on the liver.

So my best thinking says that during those 3 years I was gaining weight while weakening my liver. I was exposed to exhaust fumes and untold germs, viruses and other stuff in the homeless shelter.  That led to a fatty liver that made my right shoulder and neck sore then and for 2 years later.

Months ago the pains in my right hand, wrist, and forearm started and slowly get worse. I investigated the options. I did not want to become dependent on pain pills or creams for the rest of my life. I did not want to lean on a glove to support my wrist forever. So the best alternative was to change my diet to decrease inflammation. That led me to the keto diet and Dr. Berg. 

His videos led me to understand that the pains in my right shoulder and neck were from a fatty liver. He suggested various nutritional supplements to help the liver detox and to deal with the keto rash. 

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H7G9454ZEHE2?type=wishlist&filter=unpurchased&sort=priority

OPTIONS

Maybe this list is too overwhelming for you to pick as an option you can send me an Amazon gift card I promise I will use on this wish list


GFM

PP w fellow p


If you have questions then please ask them.

PRAYER

My Stories about Fruits, Vegetables, and Nutritional Supplements - Plus What I Eat These Days.

I have lived a complicated life for 66 years.

Along this journey, I picked up some insights and understandings that shaped my daily life.

Here are some of my stories plus more.

SUMMARY

Healthy eating and taking nutritional supplements has been a big part of my life for more than 40 years. 

What I offer here are some brief snapshot stories of what has shaped how I treat my body. 

These are my personal experiences. Millions of others have had similar experiences. 

What I did not reference here were the many documentaries, books, and websites that when into depth on each issue I mention. 

This message is timely for me to share in this email. I need to clarify why supplements are important to me in general and at this time. And I will save it to become a blog post with minor edits later. This is a wonderful way for international college students that I seek to serve online to get to know an important part of my life.

FRUITS

When I was a kid my mother took me to fruit stands in the city where the local farmers offered fresh fruits and vegetables. The peaches, nectarines, cantaloupes, and honeydew melons there were mostly ready to eat that day. Some might have needed to be riped at home for a few days. But then they were all soft, flavorful, and juicy.

By contrast the orange and green chunks in the salads at the stores or restaurants these days say cantaloupe and honeydew. But they are hard and without any flavor.

My grandfather took me on drives in the countryside. I have fond memories of eating peaches from fruit stands that were so juicy that I had to lean forward because the juice ran off my face.

My grandfather grew strawberries. I picked and at them right away. Those were soft and full of flavor. But these days the strawberries for the store look great but they are hard and have nearly zero flavor.

When I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s fruits were in the grocery store only when they were in season. These days the fruits in the stores are there all year round because they were shipped from all over the planet. So they could not be ripe and soft least they bruised. Some fruits like apples were put in cold storage for many weeks or months. The bananas were put in nitrogen for months. These appear good but the nutritional value has been lost with time.

VEGETABLES

I was visiting a home that was out in the countryside in North Carolina during my 20s. As a city boy, I had never had corn fresh from the stalk. A neighbor had a large vegetable garden. I was told that I could bite into an ear of corn immediately after I took it from the stalk in there garden. I did that tentatively at first. I expected the corn to be hard like it was at home in Houston. It was surprisingly soft and juicy. It had lots of flavors. When I had dinner with them they would get the water boiling and then go pluck the corn to shuck it and cook it. That was the best corn I ever ate.

I rarely buy canned vegetables. I learned that in order to prevent possible botulism or other related matters the contents of the can must be taken up to a very high temperature. That destroys most of the natural nutritional value of the contents. Unfortunately, many vegetables served in restaurants come from cans.

I have come to understand that frozen vegetables have more nutritional value than the fresh or canned ones in the store. Since starting on the keto diet I have been buying various frozen vegetables. The ones I go back to are sweet peas. I do not like to cook. I just take a bag out of the freezer and it thaws overnight. I put the cold peas in a bowl with some mayo.

SOIL

The lack of flavor and juice in fruits and vegetables reflects the lack of natural nutrition for the plant. This relates to the condition of the soil. I heard of an old farmer that reported that as a boy he always saw lots of earthworms behind the tractor when a field was plowed. But as an old man, he rarely sees any earthworms. The soil has been treated with all kinds of artificial chemicals so that the earthworms cannot survive. The microorganisms and trace minerals are gone. Those are some of the factors that the organic farmers care about.

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

I worked in a small health food store in Atlanta during the 1970s. There were very few health food stores in the entire city. Our customers were mostly hippies, weight lifters, and those with bad allergies. When I was not helping a customer or stocking the shelf the woman owner wanted me to be reading the books and other literature. So then I had answers to the questions fo the customers. That is when I began to learn about nutritional supplements and I have continued to learn ever since.

I am single and I was never married. But I was engaged 3 times. My third finance had major health challenges before I met her. Her father sent her to all kinds of specialists. They did not help her condition. She was sent home to die. Instead, she began to avidly research all kinds of natural remedies. This was in the late 70s when such information was scarce and long before the internet.

She learned all about each vitamin and mineral as well as some about herbs. She used what she knew to heal herself. then she worked in a health food store. The manager loved her because those customers with impossible conditions used her recommendations to get healed like her.

By the time I met her in the 1980s, she quit that job and was representing a special therapeutic blend of supplements made by a chiropractor in Austin. She had endless stories of how those help people with all kinds of health challenges.

Her health was fragile so she needed to eat super healthy foods. And it was great to eat at her house.

Consider that these days, in order to barely breathe, I take 1000 mg vitamin C capsules as needed a few times day and night. These are helpful. Yet in order for me to get that much vitamin C from fruits and vegetables, I would need to be eating constantly.

Note that the majority of the times that I go out to eat I take home about half of what was on my plate there. I am not a big eater. So from one price, I get two meals.

Part of my personal research over the decades has been going to a health food store and talk with the manager or a clerk that has been there at least a few years.

Consider that our physical bodies were not originally designed to cope with all the mental and emotional pressures of daily life. The excessive demands on our time, attention, and affections cause stress on our organs. Our pressure cooker modern lifestyle is unlike the slower pace of biblical times. So the daily intake of high-quality nutritional supplements is an aid for the organs to function at optimal levels.

As a rule, most Americans do not get enough exercise or sleep. The lack of movement and rest also strains the physical body. It is not able to operate at optimal levels like God designed. So the body cries out for help. There is an abundance of unhealthy options including candy, chips, soda, cookies. ice cream, alcohol, caffeine, and almost everything in a vending machine.

Decades ago I thought I could not afford to take a high-quality multivitamin. then I noticed how much I was spending at the vending machines monthly. I got the nutritional supplements and my cravings dramatically decreased.

I knew I was not behaving as a good steward of this body God gave me. So I repented and changed the priorities of how I used my money to care for my body. 

Since then I would take 2 or 3 general-purpose supplements and maybe 1 to 3 more if I was dealing with an issue in my body.

I rarely felt ill because I was always eating the best I could afford and taking basic supplements.

Over the course of about 40 years, I went to visit the doctor about every 5 years.

I have been poor all my adult life. I had health insurance that was subsidized by my employer for about 2 years from 20 to 65 years old.

These days I have Medicare and Medicaid so I can afford to see a doctor as needed. That is such a blessing because as my body ages I want easy access to a doctor and specialists as needed.

LABELS

When shopping for nutritional supplements it is essential to carefully read the labels. The marketing words and images on the package can seem very promising. But the hype is not what a body uses.

Even the listed ingredients need to be interpreted closely. They can make vitamin C and other ingredients in the lab artificially. That will register on the label. But the body cannot effectively assimilate most of those artificial chemicals.

The best nutritional supplements are from food sources. And many times they work best when in combination with other related supplements in the same product.

The best nutritional supplements cost the most because they are made with the best natural ingredients.

When I am shopping I tend to favor the companies I have come to trust over the years. In the last decade, there have been all kinds of new companies to compete. A close examination of their website can reveal how committed they are to real health and how much is just more hype.

The best companies that make nutritional supplements take great care to source come from the best organic places and freeze-dried them quickly after harvesting. 

Interpreting labels also applies to food. The consumers read food labels and want to avoid sugars. So they hide sugar by using fancy names.

Shopping for eggs has become much more complicated. The companies but on the package appealing words but what do they really mean?

DETOX

Detox has become a popular term on all kinds of packaging. But what do they really mean?

My third fiancee needed to understand and apply detoxification in order to stay alive. She advocated colon cleanses. I have done those over the years. And health food stores have kits for that.

The concept of detox revolves around the need to remove toxins from the body. Every year our bodies take in substances that are not natural. They would not have been present before the Industrial Revolution when most people lived on farms or ranches. These entered the body from air pollution, food additives, medicines that are both over the counter and prescription.

The companies like Vitacost https://www.vitacost.com/  and Blessed Herbs https://www.blessedherbs.com/ are experts in detox. They have powerful products that are far better than are in most ordinary stores.

WHAT I EAT THESE DAYS

I like to eat fish. But fish is not cheap and I dislike cooking. So what works for me in Tonnino tuna in a jar from Walmart. It costs more than any canned tuna but it tastes great. It comes in large long pieces that are not in the canned tuna. I just use a fork to eat some right out of the jar. I come back to the same jar about 3 times. I like the oregano and garlic flavors.

A staple of my diet these days is Smucker's natural peanut butter creamy. I  just put a cereal spoon in it and eat right from the jar.

I buy a whole cooked chicken about one time a month.  I pull the meat off and cut it up with a knife. Then I put that in a bowl with ranch salad dressing.

Since I started on the keto diet I have been eating much cream cheese. I just eat a few spoons full daily. I have started to eat a little cottage cheese.

I have bought the best eggs and I have scrambled or hard-boiled them. I was given some duck eggs when I started the keto diet. The apartment owner has 3 ducks on this property. I have asked for them and those gifts might continue in the future.

A neighbor was a very active fisherman. He and his relatives caught lots of catfish on trotlines in the area lakes. But his injuries from Vietnam have kept him from going out there. His relatives bring him their surplus that he put in his mini freezer. Then when that is full he gives to his neighbors. I am on that waiting list. Some day I hope to add catfish to my diet.

FASTING

I follow the guidance of Dr. Berg to contain eating to 4 to 8 hours. Currently, I eat from 1 to 9 PM. My hunger starts right at 1 PM so I eat much then. For the other hours, I just snack as I like.

Note that I am retired. I live at home alone, I do not go to a job. My desk where I am on the computer all my waking hours is 3 steps from the kitchen.

Here is my current smoothie. The base is unsweetened almond milk. Into that, I put turmeric powder, flaxseed oil, bee pollen, and ice.

Previously when I could afford it I would include the Garden of Life Raw Organic Meal and or Amazing Grass green Superfood these have lots of excellent ingredients.

Since I left the health food store I have always bought the healthiest foods and the best nutritional supplements I could afford.

DR BERG

Let us notice that every primary care provider knows a little about all the parts of the body. But as a generalist, they are not an expert on the kidneys, heart, lungs, spine, skin, etc. There are specialists that focus just on that one area. So where there is trouble in one area then the expert is consulted.

Dr. Berg has 2500 hundred videos related to keto diet on Youtube. He draws on the insights he has gained from working with many thousands of patients.

Note that Dr. Berg has a personal story of eating poorly for years and the troubles that caused. Then how his research led him to health.  Then he helped others and taught what he was learning in his practice. https://www.drberg.com/dr-eric-berg/story

There are others online and in books that share about the keto diet but they do not have nearly as much experience and insights that have been refined over the years. He is not perfect but his database of videos https://www.youtube.com/user/drericberg123/playlists that goes into every facet of the keto diet is more than enough for me. 

I may seem like an extremist. But I am not alone in my understandings and applications. https://www.drberg.com/drberg-keto-before-after-success-stories

MY RESULTS

I began this keto diet journey 8 weeks ago due to the pains in my right hand, wrist, and forearm as I used the computer mouse. As I began I needed to stop about every 20 to 30 minutes due to the pains. My online research led me to learn that the cause was inflammation and the keto diet could solve that. These days I can go for hours using the computer mouse.

I had chronic pains in my right shoulder and the right side of my neck from the time I lived in the homeless shelter until I started the keto diet. Dr. Berg teaches that it is from fatty liver. I have not had those pains.

Before the keto diet, I felt heartburn a few times a week. I put a box of baking soda with a plastic spoon in it by my reading chair and by my computer. I knew that just masked the symptoms and did not address the cause of my heartburn But since being on the keto diet I have not needed to take any baking soda.

Before the keto diet, my belly stuck out. I have lost that belly fat and my pants are much looser. Also, it is more uncomfortable to sit in my desk chair because I lost weight from my bottom. 

Before the keto diet, my energy level fluctuated during the day and night. But since then my energy has been steady.

My greatest need for decades has been to focus better. Since being on the keto diet I think more clearly and I can concentrate longer.

As I stick with the guidelines of what to eat and what to avoid as well as the intermediate fasting I do not feel hungry. 

LIVER

A few people have recommended that I get off the keto diet due to the odd symptoms that come and go. While these have been unpleasant I believe they too will pass. 

If I abandoned the keto diet then all the benefits listed previously would be reversed in a matter of weeks. That is not appealing.

I really believe that God used the pains in my right hand, wrist, and forearm to guide me to this diet that not only greatly decreased the inflammation but also made me aware that my liver needed to be detoxed and healed. 

My sinuses are messed up in ways they never had been in all my life. 

I still need to use drops in my eyes several times a day. And wash them with water several times a day. 

The skin rash comes and goes on different parts of my body.

I have recently remembered that before I lived at the homeless shelter for 3 years. But during that season I contacted the charity hospital every few months for pills to help with my respiration and creams to help skin rashes. 

I had shared a huge warehouse bedroom with 100 men as well as a large common bathroom like in a high school with them. The cafeteria was shared with the women and children. It was not the most sanitary place in the city. 

That is when I gained the 25 pounds thank to the cheap food served there. 

Then I walked 3 to 5 miles a day on the downtown sidewalks right next to the exhaust fumes of the cars, trucks, and busses. 

I always carried Ibuprofen and I took 400 to 1200 mg a day to cope with the stress. I was told that much is very hard on the liver.

So my best thinking says that during those 3 years I was gaining weight while weakening my liver. I was exposed to exhaust fumes and untold germs, viruses and other stuff in the homeless shelter.  That led to a fatty liver that made my right shoulder and neck sore then and for 2 years later.

Months ago the pains in my right hand, wrist, and forearm started and slowly get worse. I investigated the options. I did not want to become dependent on pain pills or creams for the rest of my life. I did not want to lean on a glove to support my wrist forever. So the best alternative was to change my diet to decrease inflammation. That led me to the keto diet and Dr. Berg. 

His videos led me to understand that the pains in my right shoulder and neck were from a fatty liver. He suggested various nutritional supplements to help the liver detox and to deal with the keto rash. 

I used all the funds I had to follow his guidance and that helped. Then I ran out of money and requested prayers. I also made an Amazon Wish List and set up a Go Fund Me campaign. 

If I had a larger income stream then I would have just bought the items. I would not have shared all these updates with prayer requests and appeals for support. 

Honestly, I dislike being this open, honest, and vulnerable. I do not like to admit my weaknesses and needs. But the pains and discomforts motivate me to do this.

This long document took me many hours over the course of 2 days that I could have been moving forward to serve the international college students online this fall. 

If none of these items are sponsored then I could limp along for many more weeks as the keto diet slowly does the gradual detox and healing. The supplements and aids on the Amazon Wish List will make this process faster and easier. 

AMAZON

Now we get to the part that I dislike the most. 

I do not like to ask for help.

But I can use help.

The goal of 333 dollars for the Go Fund Me campaign may seem overwhelming. I do not know anyone that has 300 dollars to spare. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-me-in-my-transition-to-the-keto-diet

Long before I moved into the homeless shelter I did much fundraising. Most gifts were 20 to 50 dollars. Some were 100 and a few were more. 

The items in the Amazon Wish List are from 12 to 44 dollars. So any person including you dear reader could sponsor 1 or more today. 

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3H7G9454ZEHE2?type=wishlist&filter=unpurchased&sort=priority

CONCLUSION

There are plenty of documentaries on Youtube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime about many of these matters. And there are plenty of books. These include the summaries of an abundance of investigative research, expert commentaries, and scientific data. Plus there are testimonials of both those that had all kinds of ailments that were transformed when the intake of foods or nutritional supplements changed.

Going on the keto diet has reminded me that the true purpose of eating food is to fuel my body.

By contrast, the false purpose was for recreation or busywork. I recall times when I went to the kitchen to eat something because I was just bored or wanted something to do with my hands.

I have put myself on the sugar and caffeine roller coaster of ups and downs for decades. I wanted a short term boost with such

God has given me a long term and big-picture vision to harness my talents, knowledge, and experiences to serve the future lay leaders in the local churches worldwide by serving international college students online. In order to do that most effectively, I need to get over this difficult hump of detoxing and healing my liver. Then I can best focus my time and energy on the ways to get ready to launch and lead the ministry. 

PRAYER

I ask God for wisdom in how to keep moving forward.

May God guide and provide.

THANKS again for your prayers

Shalom

John