Klara, thank you for the encouraging post! Your points were very clear.
As for the nature of this research, there's definitely an intellectual aspect; however, I'm also suspicious of a developing condition. My logic is that a strict regime that's empowering enough to combat serious illnesses should be able to knock out whatever might be developing within me. At worst, it would serve as a thorough detox.
As for using a standard mb diet for improving a condition, well, I've been trying that without much success. While an improvement over my 6 years of being a vegan sugar/processed foods addict (which likely got me in this situation), my current mb regime is lacking in diversity and likely complete nutrition. I understand this will improve over time as I learn; however, this is another reason why a strict regime is attractive to me - less overwhelming from abundance of options; a foundation from which I can expand.
But most importantly, I see the strict diet as something that I can use now to halt whatever condition might be progressing while I continue to study.
I haven't done any serious investigation into local mb counselors; however, it's a good suggestion that I'll act on.
As always, I appreciate everyone's insight and comments!
Damon