If you haven’t read Part 1 of The Pendulum Swings: From Junk Food to Raw Food, read it now before continuing.

I had just discovered the healing powers of raw foods, but my adventure was just getting started…

(Also, this post talks about menstruation, so guys if you’re squirmish, just skip the rest! Thanks.)

No More Menstruation

After stopping the pill, I went a whole year without menstruating. At first I was kind of excited, I didn’t have to worry about pads or tampons, and I thought it was completely natural.

I read online that there were other raw vegans who didn’t have their period. Now since there wasn’t any scientific evidence to the benefits of not having a period, I decided to investigate.

I’m still not sure whether it’s normal not to have your period on raw foods, but I know in my case, it was caused by a deeper issue, and not because my body was super clean.

While I was living in California, I made an appointment at a bio-identical hormone clinic. The doctors said they had never heard of a case like mine before, and that it would cost $2000 just to run the tests to figure out what was wrong with me.

To say that I didn’t have that kind of money, or enough faith in the medical industry, is an understatement.

Turning to Traditional Chinese Medicine

Since I had discussed everything with my boyfriend ahead of time, it was only natural for us to talk about the changes happening in my body.

I was always tired, emotional, and still working through all of these changes. Change is hard, and I was under a lot of stress between my job and school.

When we returned to Canada, we went to see a traditional Chinese doctor. It took the doctor less than 30 minutes to figure out what was wrong with me. I paid him $20 for his time, and $100 for the first two weeks’ medicine.

The doctor also asked me what I was eating. I was afraid he would make me go back to cooked food, or worse, meat. Thankfully, he thought a vegan diet was perfectly healthy. He simply taught me how to eat foods that were warming, instead of cold. This is a concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine that talks about the yin and the yang.

So instead of eating a lot of cucumbers or radishes, I ate warm foods like bananas, lychee, and nuts.

The treatment consisted of me drinking dried herbs in a hot tea three times per day. Two weeks later, I got my period.

After a year of not having my period, worrying over my possible infertility, and being plain old tired, I was ecstatic.

Constant Struggle With Acne

Now that my period was back, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. After a few weeks following the Chinese doctor’s recommendations, I was feeling much better. I had more energy.

Yet I still had acne. The Chinese doctor told me not to worry about the acne. I trust this doctor, and I’m going to keep eating what makes me feel best, and let my skin detox by itself.

Now I’ve had my period regularly for over a year, and I’ve stopped taking medicine for it.

I truly believe that raw foods was my gateway to healthier and better ways of healing the body. I no longer poison myself with toxic and processed foods.

And when I’m feeling unwell, I go to a traditional Chinese doctor, who understands that he isn’t treating the symptoms, but rather the whole person.

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