I told a friend that I adopted the a low fat raw food diet flowing dr. G.'s 811 and she gasped.
My friend and I were both diagnosed years ago with "Interstitial Cystitis aka painful bladder syndrome" and we were told to avoid foods high in potassium because they would aggravate the bladder.
I did tell her I feel better than ever but she warned me that eventually eating all this fruit would prove to only hurt my bladder.
What are your thoughts on potassium causing bladder problems? I was taught to watch potassium of your on a diuretic or dialysis for reason which I won't get into here.
What do you think about my friends fear?
Andrew's Answer:
Hi Gloria
I cannot give you and specific suggestions because I know little about you, and do not proscribe treatments, but if you'd like assistance with a raw food diet, I'm available for coaching.
I think your own experience of feeling better than ever is the best indication of the appropriateness of a healthy raw food diet. Whenever you try something outside the comfort and normalcy zone of the people around you, some will try to sow seeds of doubt.
You can listen or ignore these doubts, but in the end, only giving something a try and seeing the end results will let you know for sure.
Think of it this way: Did too much potassium cause your problem in the first place? My guess is no.
One idea among urologists that has, as far as I'm aware, not progressed passed the idea of vague theory, is that potassium may not be a good thing for IC suffers because it plays a roll in helping muscles contract and sending signals along nerves. In other words, it's something the body needs to function properly.
Their theory is that if your bladder muscles spasm and your nerves are causing you pain, then effectively making your body healthier and more efficient at contracting muscles and sending signals may not be a good thing.
Finally, some believe that when potassium passes through a damaged bladder, some pain may result. Your own experience is the best indication of if this is happening or not.
Yet fruits and vegetables are man's natural food, and they contain plenty of potassium. I challenge you to find any sort of healthy diet that doesn't include lots of potassium.
Think of all the foods you've been eating that haven't helped your problem. Seeing if raw fruits and vegetables will give your body the chance it needs to heal doesn't strike me as being particularly strange.
