As many of you know, I do not accept vegetarians as patients. This questions comes up repeatedly, and I think many people think that I am being unkind in some way in not taking them as patients.
Please understand, that I am a huge animal lover, I have a houseful of animals, and I was myself a vegetarian for years. So, I am not standing in judgement of anyone who is a vegetarian.
What is important to understand is that vegetarianism can be one contributing factor to the body's balance becoming-imbalanced. And, while it is not the cause of IC, when it is a factor, it is part of what is contributing to the un-wellness, and part of what needs to be changed in order to bring balance back to the body.
People often think that making th transition from being vegetarian to non-vegetarian is difficult and that their body will not digest meat. But, that is untrue. I have had man many people over the years convert from one diet to the other very effectively and without any difficulty.
It is impossible to journey the body from illness to wellness where IC is involved on a vegetarian diet. I am sorry if this position offends anyone. But, it is based on 14 years of clinical experience and success.
Comments
I am with you
My house is FULL of animals... all are hard luck cases that had to be saved. I feel that we must take care of everything here on earth and yet everything has a purpose... it is a part of life. I try my very best to only eat what is humanely processed. I think that karma is starting to bite people on the butts. Animals that are treated inhumanely and killed in brutal fashion are sick animals and that sickness gets passed to us. I think people probably eat too much meat as well. I think it is important to eat what is humanely treated and not over-do it. Funny as it sounds, when I say grace at a meal, I actually honor the little bird that is going into my body and promise to treat myself with respect so its effort is not in vain.
On the health side, I have come across MANY MANY MANY bits of literature stating that we MUST get protein from animals... From an evolutionary standpoint, their proteins are obviously more closely related to us than plant protein which is why our enzymes recognize it more and break down and assimilate into our own bodies... Our immune system is ALLLL protein as well as the hemoglobin that sits ontop of our red blood cells carrying oxygen to our bodies... This is not easily assimilated into our bodies. Vitamin b!2 comes from animals as well (it is from bacteria) and we need this.
I used to work closely with a pioneer in Nutrion, Dr. Paul Saltman, when I was an undergrad at UCSD. He had accounts of very very ill babies born to mothers who were vegetarians... Some were actually born in critical condition.
I do understand the position that some vegetarians take about humanity of eating meat. An animal should never be mistreated. Too bad that treating anmials in a human and civil way costs so much... Maybe one day we will value that enough to bring prices down.
vegetarianism
I just wanted to say I am one of those people! I came to Matia after being a vegetarian for a few years and I DEFINITELY think it was a contributing factor in my becoming imbalanced! And what I can also tell everyone is that the first time I ate meat again I had never felt better (not my bladder, just my body)... it was like my body needed it, I mean really needed it! I know I wasn't a vegetarian for a horribly long time, but it is very possible to add meat back into the diet and you will be very happy you did! I do my best to find meat locally so I know exactly where it's coming from, how the animals are being treated, their diet, etc. I know it's not easy to find a local source close by for everyone, but I think it is becoming more and more possible, so if you are concerned do some research, ask around, go to the local farmer's market. Unfortunately for Americans we live with the horrendous "factory farm," which I would think could turn anyone vegetarian (and on top of it the grain-based diet makes the meat much less healthy for us, cows are meant to eat grasses!), but it doesn't have to be like that and meat can be incorporated into the diet from a humane source that is more in sync with nature. Here is one example of a farm that is really doing it right... (this is the farm visited in the Omnivore's Dilemma):http://www.polyfacefarms.com/default.aspx