It's been quite some time since I last had my blood "read", and so, having been on a predominantly fruit diet for over a week (more about this in a moment), I thought it would be interesting to see how my blood was shaping up.
Luckily I just happen to know a very good blood microscopist! Pete (Fresh Network Pete) lives just 7 minutes away and so last night in true microscopist-style he took some blood, put it onto the slide and put it under the microscope to see where I'm at.
Well, first things first. The reason why I've been eating predominantly fruit for so long (something I never usually do) is because I'm putting myself through Frederic Patenaude's 30-day Body Enlightenment System. This is a 30 day course which comprises of email support, downloadable workbooks and menu plans, telephone support, teleclasses and buddying up.
I decided to do this because I fancied a change, a bit of a spring/summer clean and also was curious as to how Frederic and his team would transform the lives of 150 would-be raw foodists from all over the world through a program such as this, both on- and off-line. (So far so good as it happens!)
So, by the time Pete read my blood last night I was on day 9, and had eaten only fruit, salad ingredients (very simple salads and soups) and a few tiny tasters of other things that weren't on the program (I ran a class on Saturday and so couldn't not try things before serving them!). This meant that for the whole time apart from those tiny tasters I had had no fat and no stimulants of any kind since Monday last week (and haven't done since...)
And this is what my blood showed...
First of all, when Pete took my blood we could both immediately tell it looked very healthy. It was a good colour and had a real vibrancy about it. We also found that unless he got it from my finger and onto the slide very quickly then it clotted and wouldn't give any more! (A very good sign).
In contrast, the picture left here is of blood that clearly is not as good as it could be. The red blood cells are sticking together (technically known as "rouleau") and while it doesn't appear to have anything "sinister" lurking in the plasma, it could definitely do with a bit of dietary tweaking and exercise! Even more startling, the picture right is of a cancer patient given only 30 days to live. Pretty much speaks for itself, right? It's full of microbes which are busy beginning the decomposing process. Harsh but sadly true... : (
The third time Pete took my blood he made a point of getting it very quickly and placed it under the microscope right away. My goodness - it was the funniest thing to watch! My cells looked as if they were literally running across the slide! They were moving so fast that we had to check if we were dreaming as neither of us had ever seen that before. It was incredible to watch and elicited the response "Blimey Knowles!" from Pete, as we both stared incredulously at the screen. They were just rushing by and out of the picture as if they were in a race. (Perhaps this might explain why I "do life" so fast all of the time!)
Definitely worth the trip I'd say!
Ref the fruit diet, it's important for me to make it clear here that neither I nor Frederic's program recommend eating a mostly-fruit diet ongoingly. This program was designed mainly for those wanting to "release" weight and kick-start a raw food program by cleaning the body and the palate. Personally I haven't eaten this way for many years having traditionally gained weight on a mainly fruit diet - but then I was eating fat as well. On this program I don't appear to have lost any weight to speak of - maybe a couple of inches from my hips, but as I don't own scales I have no idea! This would suggest that size-wise and weight-wise I am pretty much where I should be naturally. I shall find out whether this is the case after the herbal cleanse I plan on doing in September prior to the Fresh Festival!
As far as my blood goes, next month when I'm back on mainly greens and salads again I shall have my blood re-checked. That will be interesting ; ) I can't see how much better it could get, but I am open to any possibilities!
One final thing I must add, being the slightly cosmic gal that I am...
It is said that in the 1930's Edgar Cayce, the legendary psychic, predicted that "in the future, a person’s state of health will be determined by one drop of blood."
Interesting comment, don't you think? It sure makes a lot of sense to me.
If you'd like to see how your blood is shaping up, Pete is based near Ely in Cambridgeshire and is contactable on 07971 422020 or email pete@fresh-network.com. Pete trained a year ago in Chicago with world famous Biomedx who have a fascinating web site and run courses throughout the year. I said I would give Pete a big plug seeing as he gave me a very enlightening session for free!
NB: Live blood and dried blood analysis are tools to help you get a clearer picture of what's going on inside your body but are not intended to replace a more formal diagnosis given by a trained MD or similar.
So glad you posted those photos. I went through the same program with my naturopath. At first my blood cells were all clumped togehter. Then with some diet modifications and blood purifiers, after 6 months all the cells were floating nicely, not all clumped up.
Thanks again for the photos and good advice!
Posted by: The Juice Detox Recipes Girl | June 19, 2009 at 08:51 PM
Thanks for this insight Karen. I'm about to take test for the first time...This was very helpful!
Love what you're doing here. Keep up the great work!
Posted by: Simone | July 26, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Hi Karen and Pete....can you tell me if there is a "specific" license or qualification necessary to do this type of work. I am a doctor of chiropractice- I do not draw blood...and I am sure I will have it done at Hippocrates...but besides pin prick, slides, and microscope, and further knowledge- anything else? Much love to you! Kimberly
Posted by: Kimberly | August 24, 2006 at 07:50 PM