As I was deciding which changes I could make to my diet, another set of circumstances arose that made me wonder if I was going to survive. Immediately following my colonoscopy, there was noticeable blood in my stool. I could actually see blood in the water, which didn’t happen at any time prior to my procedure. I thought perhaps, due to the biopsy, there was an open wound in my colon. I not only became concerned because of the loss of blood, but in my mind, I envisioned millions of little cancer cells moving throughout my body and setting up shop. Knowing that the tumor wouldn’t be removed for another six weeks added to my already over-the-top levels of stress, as the longer it took, the more cells would run amok in my system.

Another manifestation was the onset of fever. Every evening, I would begin to have a higher than usual temperature. While not life-threatening, immediately following a surgical procedure, a fever can be a symptom of a possible infection. I immediately contacted my gastroenterologist and informed them of my symptoms. They weren’t too concerned about an infection, but they willingly prescribed a round of antibiotics to help clear out any possible infection (a treatment that I would later learn is quite detrimental to the immune system). I took the full round of antibiotics, and the fever continued for a few days after but then subsided.

Here is what I believe was the actual cause of my fevers: The first thing I did to help my immune system heal was to stop putting things in my body that are known contributors to inflammation, immune suppression, and cancer. Not coincidentally, many of these things have addictive qualities that ensure we will mindlessly consume as much as our bodies can stand before rejecting them, i.e., vomiting after drinking alcohol, developing gout after consuming too much meat and dairy, etc. As a result of my body’s addiction to certain substances, it isn’t too far-fetched to conceive that I was simply going through withdrawal.

For the past few years, I would spend every evening drinking a few beers while preparing dinner and then, after dinner, have a glass or two (or a bottle) of wine to “unwind”. I was also a huge fan of bacon and cheese. Any excuse I could find to add those two ingredients to my meal plan was welcome. Cheese is one of the most addictive foods on the planet [^1^]. These were just small examples of the foods I was addicted to that were poisoning me. By stopping this behavior cold turkey, my body went into a tailspin. Fortunately, I was distracted by the blood and fever, which focused my attention on the colonoscopy, rather than connecting the dots to withdrawal, which may be where some people decide “If I just have a little bit, then maybe I’ll feel better.” A slippery slope indeed.

[^1^]: Source: Mount Sinai

If I were to offer advice to someone who is making a radical change to their diet, I would suggest having an expectation of feeling unhealthy for a while. The body needs to cleanse before it can heal, and this process can be challenging. Think of it as renovating a home. There needs to be some demolition, and a lot of debris must be cleared out before the structure can be rebuilt according to your vision. The withdrawals are a part of that debris. Once I stopped putting garbage into my body, my systems no longer had to deal with the overwhelming task of processing unwanted materials. Instead, they could focus on eliminating any stored impurities that they didn’t previously have the time or capacity to handle. As a result, a large number of toxins were leaving my body simultaneously, leading to a feeling of severe illness.

After about a week and a half, the symptoms faded away, and I was able to focus on moving forward with my protocols. Since stress is a tremendous inhibitor of the immune system, it would have been helpful if I could have anticipated this reaction to my changes and been prepared to ride it out. I believe that many people are unable to get past this stage of detox, and that is how the medical system is able to take advantage by offering minimal effort and quick fix solutions (pills). If people were informed that any change in their lifestyle for the better is going to include some hardship and possibly some “side effects,” then maybe they would be more prepared to hang in there until it passes, leaving them stronger and more prepared to rebuild a healthy body.