The period knows all. Neither Organic Pastures raw milk, nor Synergy? kombucha caused me one bit of trouble! They are keepers. Unfortunately I found a couple of other things weren't keepers. Looks like Luna Nori crackers caused me uncontrolled bleeding as likely did 365 brand cinnamon. I may try them again to be sure, but they are on the high suspect list for causing autoimmune? reactions. I know better than to eat processed foods anyway, but still try. I love milk and think I came out well. Kombucha is interesting. I didn't do well with kefir, so that was a bit of a surprise.
Looks like I still can't take CLO during the period. After lunch taking a tsp seemed ok, but not at breakfast time. I'm thinking of trying Galen Knight's suggestion and eating turmeric to increase morning cortisol. That sounds right up my alley. But I'll have to figure out an acceptable way to take it w/o requiring full out indian food. Maybe dahl? Yumm!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
I'm drinking milk again!!!
I'm able to drink milk again, with no apparent drawbacks! When I drank milk before, I had uncontrollable bleeding. Death-defying stuff. Now I know that's a result of an autoimmune reaction to the milk. But thanks to joining Weston A Price Foundation, I tried raw milk. There doesn't seem to be much noticeable reaction-- other than my really enjoying the taste of fresh milk.
My period is coming up and it's the teller of all truths. If my bleeding goes uncontrolled after drinking the milk, it's outta here, for good. But, I'm actually expecting it to be alright. Pretty cool, huh? This means I'm a hop, skip, and a jump away from goodies like raw-milk ice cream and raw-milk eggnog. Ok, I can't really have sweets. But that's what holidays are for, right?
I was thinking about detractors saying that raw milk is dangerous. Yes, I suppose it is sometimes. Over the long run, not as dangerous as using cooked milk products. And, having been on the business end of them, raw milk isn't any more dangerous than eating ground meat or veggies as they keep having E. Coli, etc. There's no reason to go near ground meat, but not having raw veggies is probably a huge mistake.
If you aren't going to use raw milk products, don't use any milk products. Except, perhaps, yogurt-- where the milk was cooked, but then lactobacteria was added back making it a good food again! Eaten with live lactobacteria, mind you! We need those live enzymes people! We can't do this alone. Killed dairy may be secretly causing autoimmune reactions in you too.
My period is coming up and it's the teller of all truths. If my bleeding goes uncontrolled after drinking the milk, it's outta here, for good. But, I'm actually expecting it to be alright. Pretty cool, huh? This means I'm a hop, skip, and a jump away from goodies like raw-milk ice cream and raw-milk eggnog. Ok, I can't really have sweets. But that's what holidays are for, right?
I was thinking about detractors saying that raw milk is dangerous. Yes, I suppose it is sometimes. Over the long run, not as dangerous as using cooked milk products. And, having been on the business end of them, raw milk isn't any more dangerous than eating ground meat or veggies as they keep having E. Coli, etc. There's no reason to go near ground meat, but not having raw veggies is probably a huge mistake.
If you aren't going to use raw milk products, don't use any milk products. Except, perhaps, yogurt-- where the milk was cooked, but then lactobacteria was added back making it a good food again! Eaten with live lactobacteria, mind you! We need those live enzymes people! We can't do this alone. Killed dairy may be secretly causing autoimmune reactions in you too.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Hypermenorrhea, Menorrhagia, Hasimoto's, and the Niacin Fix
I've found an important, if not THE important, tool in stopping hypermenorrhea and autoimmune attacks. I awoke bleeding excessively after spending the night in a new home. Because my throat hurt, I took niacin like I always do, a 100mg pill. That usually fixes the throat and adds warmth to my metabolism. But I didn't get the usual niacin flush after the first and my throat still hurt, so I took another. Then another. Still no flush. Over the day I took at least 500mg and never had more flush than a light localized rash on my arm.
But once the niacin started working, my throat stopped hurting as much and the bleeding reduced to normal! That's the first time in my life where I felt I had an answer to the hypermenorrhea that I've experienced my whole life. And since starting taking iodine, I believe that is the second day of my life of having normal bleeding! And it coincides exactly with treatment for autoimmune-- renewing my knowledge that I have Hashimoto's and verifying for the first time that it causes excessive bleeding! And that orthomolecular nutrition is VERY valuable. In this case, niacin.
--------
Of course, it's not all that easy. I took 900mg today in an attempt to slow bleeding unsuccessfully. Why? Because I didn't have enough tyrosine. Once I ate dinner all the niacin took effect at once! I can avoid artificial vit C to avoid inciting an autoimmune attack, but there are other substances to be avoided too. And beyond gluten=containing foods. There's something in my tea. Oolong, raspberry, chamomile, spearmint, and marigold.
But once the niacin started working, my throat stopped hurting as much and the bleeding reduced to normal! That's the first time in my life where I felt I had an answer to the hypermenorrhea that I've experienced my whole life. And since starting taking iodine, I believe that is the second day of my life of having normal bleeding! And it coincides exactly with treatment for autoimmune-- renewing my knowledge that I have Hashimoto's and verifying for the first time that it causes excessive bleeding! And that orthomolecular nutrition is VERY valuable. In this case, niacin.
--------
Of course, it's not all that easy. I took 900mg today in an attempt to slow bleeding unsuccessfully. Why? Because I didn't have enough tyrosine. Once I ate dinner all the niacin took effect at once! I can avoid artificial vit C to avoid inciting an autoimmune attack, but there are other substances to be avoided too. And beyond gluten=containing foods. There's something in my tea. Oolong, raspberry, chamomile, spearmint, and marigold.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Health and recycling taglines
If we all use a different earth-friendly tag line, it would keep thoughts on saving the earth fresh. So make up your own, personalize one you find, or simply reuse a great one.
Save the life of a tree-- buy recycled.
Reduce plastics use. Reuse grocery bags. Recycle everything. Rely on sustainable resources.
Minor discomforts aren't nuisances, they're warnings. Find and fix the cause, naturally.
Save the life of a tree-- buy recycled.
Reduce plastics use. Reuse grocery bags. Recycle everything. Rely on sustainable resources.
Minor discomforts aren't nuisances, they're warnings. Find and fix the cause, naturally.
Iodine, the drawbacks
We may worry that iodine supplementation, especially around the level of 50mg/day, is excessive and damaging. Is it? The major iodine-purporter docs don't address that concern other than to argue against the Weikoff effect, to say that 100mg has been used theraputically extensively, and to say that iodine has always been used as antiseptic (for which it is the bomb!). There IS more research than that suggesting negative, iodine-induced problems, such as iodine-induced goiter and hypothyroidism in infants. This post will attempt to gather that information over time (all info is a work in progress as to correctness). I will NOT discuss the ILD time-worn treatment of bromide cleansing or similar.
Iodine-induced goiter and hypothyroidism reference #1:
Synopsis. Mothers taking iodine at the 600mg to 1g levels for bronchial asthma gave birth to babies with serious goiter and hypothyroidism. Other children birthed by these same mothers under the same KI ingestion, did not have goiter or hypothyroidism. Development and symptoms in the affected babies improved or resolved by giving dessicated thyroid at the level of 30mg.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=2020155&pageindex=1
[This case study includes 25 references, some with iodine-induced problems.]
Synopsis. No information found yet.
Iodine-induced goiter and hypothyroidism reference #1:
Synopsis. Mothers taking iodine at the 600mg to 1g levels for bronchial asthma gave birth to babies with serious goiter and hypothyroidism. Other children birthed by these same mothers under the same KI ingestion, did not have goiter or hypothyroidism. Development and symptoms in the affected babies improved or resolved by giving dessicated thyroid at the level of 30mg.
Congenital iodide-induced goitre with hypothyroidism.
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=2020155&pageindex=1
[This case study includes 25 references, some with iodine-induced problems.]
Am J Dis Child. 1960 Apr ;99 :428-36 13821444
Goiter and thyroid dysfunction following the use of iodides in asthmatic children.
Falliers et al., 1966
Falliers et al., 1966
Synopsis. No information found yet.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Having another downturn
I still don't know why this happens-- getting weak and sick seemingly randomly. But I'm going thru another down cycle. Right now I'm having left ear pain, which I haven't had since childhood in severity.
Luckily, when things go wrong these days, I have a scapegoat-- metals and other toxins. The iodine is supposed to draw out everything: mercury, bromine, fluoride, aluminum, cadmium. You name it. That's gotta cause cleansing reactions. The thing is, I think my liver may be cleaning out. There is evidence that iodine helps in the liver, that and the kvass are surely making headway. I never knew I had liver problems, but the liver signals the gallbladder to release bile. Bile, I believe, helps in digestion. And I need help in digestion!
Overall things are improved, tho. Rosy cheeks, clear look on face, more energy, sweating!, warmer, no constipation, even when eating cheese, less breast pain. Seemingly better carb use.
Luckily, when things go wrong these days, I have a scapegoat-- metals and other toxins. The iodine is supposed to draw out everything: mercury, bromine, fluoride, aluminum, cadmium. You name it. That's gotta cause cleansing reactions. The thing is, I think my liver may be cleaning out. There is evidence that iodine helps in the liver, that and the kvass are surely making headway. I never knew I had liver problems, but the liver signals the gallbladder to release bile. Bile, I believe, helps in digestion. And I need help in digestion!
Overall things are improved, tho. Rosy cheeks, clear look on face, more energy, sweating!, warmer, no constipation, even when eating cheese, less breast pain. Seemingly better carb use.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Are Chinese goods a good choice or a dangerous one?
The US has pumpkins, with pumpkin seeds inside, and pine cones to get pine nuts from, why then are we having these shipped from across the globe? Long distance sources are a waste of fuel and energy, which is never a good solution. Even South America is a better choice-- less far to ship these and many many other items. Doesn't Mexico have pumpkins or pine cones? If we want to outsource labor, why not get goods from more local neighbors, like Canada and South America at least?
Which brings up my first health-related point: The more local the source, the less fuel and energy used in transport and storage. Even if the product is more expensive locally, choosing local saves the planet in terms of the above mentioned costs.
So, that brings up my second point: Why are local goods more expensive than the Chinese counterparts? They are more expensive because labor is higher and quality controls are stricter. Amercans have a standard of living wage, other popular manufacturing countries do not have a standard of living for their people. You've heard of sweat shops? What do you think is happening in those Chinese factories? Saving money outsourcing to another country where the net gain is overwhelmingly to them, degrades our financial state, whether it be to lose money from the trade imbalance or to lose money by people losing those jobs here.
But, health-wise, costs are higher here because we have more controls on quality. China has demonstrated NO compunction about what materials they use-- even if those materials cause DEATH!!! Short of death, Chinese officials have openly stated no concern, 'we don't understand why there is such a concern of this product making people ill, it hasn't killed anyone.' A recent story discussed China producing two sets of goods in some factories. On the one side, goods to go to Europe, which has strict toxin controls on imports. On the other side of the factory, toxic goods to go to America! What does that mean? It means, for instance, that on the toxin side of the factory they used high-benzene lubricants to produce goods. Have you noticed how smelly our stores have gotten now that they are filled to about 90+% Chinese goods? That smell is from VOCs, like benzene and formaldehyde, very toxic to humans. And in stores where the smell isn't very evident, have you noticed that recently stores have a seriously high-powered filtration system running? Very nice to have the air cleaned indeed, but why is America allowing these goods in? Surely you've heard of the toys recalled because they had toxic levels of lead? At least in that case, the US did have controls.
And, there's my third point-- experience. Chinese-made toothpaste was recalled because they had substituted glycerol for glycerine. Glycerol being a lubricant best left for machine oiling than human consumption. People got sick and the product was pulled. There were pet deaths along with pets sickened with liver damage by petfood using melamine (a wood product). Melamine is high in protein, so Chinese manufacturers are found to use it to save money in place of real food ingredients to increase the protein content of packaged foods. Never mind that it isn't for consumption and kills! The producers knew it wasn't safe for ingestion and they didn't care. Profit was the only concern! So, it is even more eggregious recently when a Chinese manufacturer used melamine to boost protein analysis in milk formula for babies!!! 54,000 babies internationally are now sick, before this on-purpose act was dealt with! Was this simply a cost-cutting measure???
I want to give you a hint of something I've learned right now-- DON'T USE ANY PRODUCTS SPECIFIC TO BABIES OR PREGNANT WOMEN. These are invariably HIGHER toxic content then the non-specific ones sitting on shelves right next to them. Manufacturers are NOT looking out for your health. They are NOT benevolant! You must take care of yourself, yourself!
Which brings up my first health-related point: The more local the source, the less fuel and energy used in transport and storage. Even if the product is more expensive locally, choosing local saves the planet in terms of the above mentioned costs.
So, that brings up my second point: Why are local goods more expensive than the Chinese counterparts? They are more expensive because labor is higher and quality controls are stricter. Amercans have a standard of living wage, other popular manufacturing countries do not have a standard of living for their people. You've heard of sweat shops? What do you think is happening in those Chinese factories? Saving money outsourcing to another country where the net gain is overwhelmingly to them, degrades our financial state, whether it be to lose money from the trade imbalance or to lose money by people losing those jobs here.
But, health-wise, costs are higher here because we have more controls on quality. China has demonstrated NO compunction about what materials they use-- even if those materials cause DEATH!!! Short of death, Chinese officials have openly stated no concern, 'we don't understand why there is such a concern of this product making people ill, it hasn't killed anyone.' A recent story discussed China producing two sets of goods in some factories. On the one side, goods to go to Europe, which has strict toxin controls on imports. On the other side of the factory, toxic goods to go to America! What does that mean? It means, for instance, that on the toxin side of the factory they used high-benzene lubricants to produce goods. Have you noticed how smelly our stores have gotten now that they are filled to about 90+% Chinese goods? That smell is from VOCs, like benzene and formaldehyde, very toxic to humans. And in stores where the smell isn't very evident, have you noticed that recently stores have a seriously high-powered filtration system running? Very nice to have the air cleaned indeed, but why is America allowing these goods in? Surely you've heard of the toys recalled because they had toxic levels of lead? At least in that case, the US did have controls.
And, there's my third point-- experience. Chinese-made toothpaste was recalled because they had substituted glycerol for glycerine. Glycerol being a lubricant best left for machine oiling than human consumption. People got sick and the product was pulled. There were pet deaths along with pets sickened with liver damage by petfood using melamine (a wood product). Melamine is high in protein, so Chinese manufacturers are found to use it to save money in place of real food ingredients to increase the protein content of packaged foods. Never mind that it isn't for consumption and kills! The producers knew it wasn't safe for ingestion and they didn't care. Profit was the only concern! So, it is even more eggregious recently when a Chinese manufacturer used melamine to boost protein analysis in milk formula for babies!!! 54,000 babies internationally are now sick, before this on-purpose act was dealt with! Was this simply a cost-cutting measure???
I want to give you a hint of something I've learned right now-- DON'T USE ANY PRODUCTS SPECIFIC TO BABIES OR PREGNANT WOMEN. These are invariably HIGHER toxic content then the non-specific ones sitting on shelves right next to them. Manufacturers are NOT looking out for your health. They are NOT benevolant! You must take care of yourself, yourself!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Iodine Anniversary
Today is my three-month, iodine-taking for-sufficiency anniversary!!! Although I have been taking dulce since four months ago. How it's been going: My skin got softer and moister more and more until I thought I'd drip away. But pretty much right around the 3-month date, that sensation started leveling off and I have a "coarser" version of moist skin now. And although I'm overweight and non-normal health-wise, and shouldn't expect iodine sufficiency at 3 months, I believe I reached it.
And that's pretty disappointing because not a lot happened. Well, I'm regular for the first time in my life. With 25g fiber a day, eating yummy soaked beans, I'm even pretty normal. My cycles are improved, but not completely. My skin is better, but still dry sometimes in some areas. I experience random bouts of warmth, but can still get cold. And for the first time in my life my feet, and rest of the body, swell with high GI carbs or B vitamins. Don't really know what's going on with that, since it just started. I believe it is a sign of adrenal glands working for the first time in a long time! But, of course, not exactly the sign of health either.
Because I didn't get tested, I don't know my level of toxic metals, but they say that can take a year. So, even if I haven't reached sufficiency, I will likely do so in that year.
I do still crave seaweed, specifically dulce and nori. But all the rice in the sushi kills me-- swollen feet. :-( Taking extra kelp helps.
And that's pretty disappointing because not a lot happened. Well, I'm regular for the first time in my life. With 25g fiber a day, eating yummy soaked beans, I'm even pretty normal. My cycles are improved, but not completely. My skin is better, but still dry sometimes in some areas. I experience random bouts of warmth, but can still get cold. And for the first time in my life my feet, and rest of the body, swell with high GI carbs or B vitamins. Don't really know what's going on with that, since it just started. I believe it is a sign of adrenal glands working for the first time in a long time! But, of course, not exactly the sign of health either.
Because I didn't get tested, I don't know my level of toxic metals, but they say that can take a year. So, even if I haven't reached sufficiency, I will likely do so in that year.
I do still crave seaweed, specifically dulce and nori. But all the rice in the sushi kills me-- swollen feet. :-( Taking extra kelp helps.
Friday, September 26, 2008
A bit on heath philosophy
I wrote to my second ILD, with the same result-- no response. This really upsets me and I wanted to follow up with a letter expressing such. While writing it dawned on me that like all things, my original contact was non-traditional for the expected response-- some response. So who's to blame? They are! But, really I am too. I toned down my email a notch. Then I did so again about 3 more times. In the end, none of the original whining was there, simply a statement of the facts. But I still got all my points across, just not in a obviously-reactive way.
What did come out on my final reading was that my concern is for the health of me, my family, and others. It's a philosophy. And when health is a vital concern, shouldn't all discussions keep in mind that point? Did I add something to the table to improve health and interest in health? Did I learn something from it to improve health? Philosophy isn't as easy to grasp as it should be for best benefit.
What did come out on my final reading was that my concern is for the health of me, my family, and others. It's a philosophy. And when health is a vital concern, shouldn't all discussions keep in mind that point? Did I add something to the table to improve health and interest in health? Did I learn something from it to improve health? Philosophy isn't as easy to grasp as it should be for best benefit.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Combatting an AutoImmune attack
While shopping this guy drenched in marijuana smell, masked with rank cigarette smell, asks if I could move away from the shelf. I already had my mask on because the store smelled bad, but really very stupidly removed it at that moment. One whiff of this guy and I was lost. My lungs filled immediately with smoke, as if I were smoking!!! Then instead of constricting, they filled with water. Then came the bitchiness and do I mean bitchy. Everything was wrong, this was a day-ender. But, from wheat poisoning experience, I wasn't so clueless as I used to be.
First I started with B12. I took it before my body knew it needed it. And that was that-- no more bitchiness. Good attitude restored. But still not well. I don't know the specifics of other vitamin requirements, having lucked onto B12, so I took EVERYTHING: cod liver oil, selenium, magnesium + B6, anti-stress vitamins w/ vit C, and kelp. THEN, I put a niacin in my mouth. One way to tell you desperately need some nutrient is to put it in your mouth. If it dissolves long before you get the chance to swallow it, that's your clue. Niacin then creates a need for vitamin C, since C help keep the flushing down. If the body doesn't flush, you haven't taken enough niacin.
The first thing that happened on taking the niacin was that my eyeballs stung, just as a niacin flush on the skin. This makes sense to me because cigarette smoke iritates the eyes and this guy smelled SO bad he might have well been smoking.
I took magnesium because I started to have ???, not seeing things clearly. That's the sign for magnesium deficiency.
And now I'm much better. Not perfect, something is out of my grasp. Maybe I didn't take enough of something. This proves that all allergy attacks, from different sources, have the same symptoms. And those symptoms are immediate vitamin deficiencies!!! Damn, tho, that I'm not perfect.
[all told niacin (200mg), B12 (2000mcg++)]
First I started with B12. I took it before my body knew it needed it. And that was that-- no more bitchiness. Good attitude restored. But still not well. I don't know the specifics of other vitamin requirements, having lucked onto B12, so I took EVERYTHING: cod liver oil, selenium, magnesium + B6, anti-stress vitamins w/ vit C, and kelp. THEN, I put a niacin in my mouth. One way to tell you desperately need some nutrient is to put it in your mouth. If it dissolves long before you get the chance to swallow it, that's your clue. Niacin then creates a need for vitamin C, since C help keep the flushing down. If the body doesn't flush, you haven't taken enough niacin.
The first thing that happened on taking the niacin was that my eyeballs stung, just as a niacin flush on the skin. This makes sense to me because cigarette smoke iritates the eyes and this guy smelled SO bad he might have well been smoking.
I took magnesium because I started to have ???, not seeing things clearly. That's the sign for magnesium deficiency.
And now I'm much better. Not perfect, something is out of my grasp. Maybe I didn't take enough of something. This proves that all allergy attacks, from different sources, have the same symptoms. And those symptoms are immediate vitamin deficiencies!!! Damn, tho, that I'm not perfect.
[all told niacin (200mg), B12 (2000mcg++)]
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thought (for the day / a lifetime)
There's a Sandra Bullock sobriety-recovery movie playing, where the rehab patients try to lift the leg of a horse in order to inspect the hoof. The horses never lift their hooves, when the patients try pulling up on the knee. The teacher exclaims as they try pulling at the knee over and over, that the true definition of insanity is repeating the same behaviors, but expecting a different outcome.
This is pretty funny, on the movie and in life. But when it comes to health care, it can be painfully un-obvious. Are you trying the same treatments to remedy your health concerns? And persisting even though you haven't had the result intended? I exercised for years, never losing weight. I wasted all those years thinking I was doing the right thing, but not succeeding. Turns out I had an underlying disease--hypothyroidism--causing the overweight and interfering with its removal.
How is your health care treatment going? Give each treatment the appropriate amount of time. Know what you expect of it, how long it should take. If you don't get the expected result in a reasonable amount of time, it's probably time to regroup; get a different treatment or figure out what might be preventing your success. Being a scientist, I've seriously fallen down on the job here.
This is pretty funny, on the movie and in life. But when it comes to health care, it can be painfully un-obvious. Are you trying the same treatments to remedy your health concerns? And persisting even though you haven't had the result intended? I exercised for years, never losing weight. I wasted all those years thinking I was doing the right thing, but not succeeding. Turns out I had an underlying disease--hypothyroidism--causing the overweight and interfering with its removal.
How is your health care treatment going? Give each treatment the appropriate amount of time. Know what you expect of it, how long it should take. If you don't get the expected result in a reasonable amount of time, it's probably time to regroup; get a different treatment or figure out what might be preventing your success. Being a scientist, I've seriously fallen down on the job here.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
More Iodine
Increasingly the amount of iodine I take isn't enough. I crave more all the time. Cooking beans with seaweed-- supposed to help reduce gas -- sounds really good to me. I keep craving Japanese too. So, I was surfing around when the idea hit me-- take more iodine in the form
of seaweed. Adding seaweed gives all the nutrients too that should help increase iodine uptake. Adding to cooking beans, then, is a win - win situation. Unfortunately, I don't have a life now and no beans. But when I do... But I've started taking kelp pills, homemade of straight kelp, with each meal.
I love the way it makes my stomach warm. I took two kelp pills last night and woke up with the warm feeling still there. Had one pill this morning accompanied by the same warm feeling. Very nice!
I didn't expect to need to add more iodine! And I wonder now, how much it's going to take. Adding more Lugol's makes me sick, despite iodine cravings, and also doesn't sound right. But taking seaweed, not only makes sense, but feels great. And my cravings are about to get requited with dulse flakes on salads, kelp pills with meals, and somehow nori. When is lunch already?
One thing I'm doing also is taking the stress formula every two hours. Nothing to do with the above, but I hope it brings my adrenal glands back to functioning. I suffer terribly from adrenal exhaustion and expect help from this new protocol. --And as I write this I feel help, likely in a stress formula + kelp combination that is currently winning somewhat over my candida overgrowth. I'll take it!
of seaweed. Adding seaweed gives all the nutrients too that should help increase iodine uptake. Adding to cooking beans, then, is a win - win situation. Unfortunately, I don't have a life now and no beans. But when I do... But I've started taking kelp pills, homemade of straight kelp, with each meal.
I love the way it makes my stomach warm. I took two kelp pills last night and woke up with the warm feeling still there. Had one pill this morning accompanied by the same warm feeling. Very nice!
I didn't expect to need to add more iodine! And I wonder now, how much it's going to take. Adding more Lugol's makes me sick, despite iodine cravings, and also doesn't sound right. But taking seaweed, not only makes sense, but feels great. And my cravings are about to get requited with dulse flakes on salads, kelp pills with meals, and somehow nori. When is lunch already?
One thing I'm doing also is taking the stress formula every two hours. Nothing to do with the above, but I hope it brings my adrenal glands back to functioning. I suffer terribly from adrenal exhaustion and expect help from this new protocol. --And as I write this I feel help, likely in a stress formula + kelp combination that is currently winning somewhat over my candida overgrowth. I'll take it!
Candida is back
They say that having candida in your intestinal tract is normal. It's the percentage of candida to other bacteria that you want to control. I've had a running battle with candida for forever. And what's causing it? Anti-candida diets go on and on with rules, non of which are followed by people that have never had candida overrun. Following the rules may help, but that doesn't cure the problem. Is the problem metals toxicity? Diverticulitis? Trapped undigested food? If it were any of those, would eating by the rules help? Candida definitely likes sugar. Do those existing conditions provide hiding places for the candida until sugar comes? But, they aren't even necessary. So, do they even matter? Probably not.
So, what does matter? What keeps candida from invading a person's entire system? A strong immune system? Because the rules, tho they say otherwise, aren't going to help with that. They are a panacea. Metals toxicity may cause immune breakdown allowing candida overthrow. My candida feeds off of progesterone. That's it's favorite eticket to the entire body. How is this connected to iodine receptor sites?
From my current Google search:
"We are suggesting that candida is a side-effect of an endocrine disorder (hormonal imbalance). It is a continuum with thrush at one end and the APICH syndrome at the other - most severe - end. The primary mechanism may be the blocking of oestrogen receptors, although there will be others too. This hypothesis provides an explanation for the male-female imbalance. Blocked oestrogen receptors can lead to a relative dominance of progesterone, a hormone candida loves. Once candida has taken hold, it can further disrupt the endocrine system by inactivating circulating hormones. The immune system attacks the candida and the candida retaliates weakening it, but the disruption is primarily in the endocrine system."
http://www.candida-society.org/ncs/digestv1i3.htm
The above says some intregueing? things, by doesn't fit me where progesterone is NEVER dominant.
So, what does matter? What keeps candida from invading a person's entire system? A strong immune system? Because the rules, tho they say otherwise, aren't going to help with that. They are a panacea. Metals toxicity may cause immune breakdown allowing candida overthrow. My candida feeds off of progesterone. That's it's favorite eticket to the entire body. How is this connected to iodine receptor sites?
From my current Google search:
"We are suggesting that candida is a side-effect of an endocrine disorder (hormonal imbalance). It is a continuum with thrush at one end and the APICH syndrome at the other - most severe - end. The primary mechanism may be the blocking of oestrogen receptors, although there will be others too. This hypothesis provides an explanation for the male-female imbalance. Blocked oestrogen receptors can lead to a relative dominance of progesterone, a hormone candida loves. Once candida has taken hold, it can further disrupt the endocrine system by inactivating circulating hormones. The immune system attacks the candida and the candida retaliates weakening it, but the disruption is primarily in the endocrine system."
http://www.candida-society.org/ncs/digestv1i3.htm
The above says some intregueing? things, by doesn't fit me where progesterone is NEVER dominant.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Soft, soft skin
Two months (three) into iodine supplementation, I am able to gauge iodine absorption by the moistness of my skin, especially my feet; which are currently too dry for my liking, but much improved. Overall my skin is softer and softer with each day. Having seen XMen, p.II?, where the senator finds his mutation is the ability to turn into water, my mind drifts back to his end and I worry I might meet the same fate--my skin will become so moist it will simply start dripping off. ;-)
Somewhat sadly I find my hands glued, now, to my face as in the last few days it has become amazingly soft. It used to be my arms that my hands ran up and down all day. You have to understand the background, which is that I have spent an entire life with dry and drier skin. There was no shower without after lotion. No winter without constant lotioning. No hand washing- the lotion used to be in a bottle beside the soap bottle.
The only thing I lack now is a way to sweat easily. Since exercise has made me endothermic--cold, not warm-- for the last way too many years, the answer is a spa. But I'm not in a spa situation. So, I'm stuck, since taking a shower causes an allergic reaction.
Somewhat sadly I find my hands glued, now, to my face as in the last few days it has become amazingly soft. It used to be my arms that my hands ran up and down all day. You have to understand the background, which is that I have spent an entire life with dry and drier skin. There was no shower without after lotion. No winter without constant lotioning. No hand washing- the lotion used to be in a bottle beside the soap bottle.
The only thing I lack now is a way to sweat easily. Since exercise has made me endothermic--cold, not warm-- for the last way too many years, the answer is a spa. But I'm not in a spa situation. So, I'm stuck, since taking a shower causes an allergic reaction.
Cortisone, ACTH (pituitary hormone, as STH)
Part of the recommendations in Overcoming Thyroid Disorders is to supplement with "physiologic" amounts of hydrocortisone. So, when I ran across this topic in Let's Get Well, I thought not only here is a way to let the body make the hormones, but here is the definitive information for getting vitamins. Dr. Brownstein, like other ILDs, is helping lots of people (not me, he's chosen to ignore me) with his good advice and research, but he's no nutritionist and his recommendations while helping will eventually hurt too. Adelle Davis OTOH IS a nutritionalist (was). So, here is her anti-stress program.
"To meet the demands of stress ... obtain all nutrients necessary for the production of the pituitary and adrenal hormones." Protein, vitamins C, B5, and B2. "Vitamin B2 is essential for the synthesis of adrenal hormones." "...pantothenic acid ... the same benefit from taking the vitamin as from being given ACTH or cortisone with no toxic effects."
During illness, take every two hours w/ fortified milk for protein. C 500mg, B5 100mg, B2 and B6 each 2-5mg.
"To meet the demands of stress ... obtain all nutrients necessary for the production of the pituitary and adrenal hormones." Protein, vitamins C, B5, and B2. "Vitamin B2 is essential for the synthesis of adrenal hormones." "...pantothenic acid ... the same benefit from taking the vitamin as from being given ACTH or cortisone with no toxic effects."
During illness, take every two hours w/ fortified milk for protein. C 500mg, B5 100mg, B2 and B6 each 2-5mg.
Nutrition, not diet restriction
Can celiac, and other diseases, be cured by correct nutrition? That
is, by getting enough nutrients in the diet each day, can you then eat
whatever you want without symptoms? Adelle Davis believed you could.
And you could certainly make a case for the usefulness and sanity of
that stand point. While you'd need to get one of her books to find out
the complete diet recommendations, I'm going to give an excerpt from
Let's Get Well, Adelle Davis saying just that.
While I firmly believe we should follow a natural, enzyme-full diet,
instead of shoving lots of supplements at ourselves and then eating
whatever, certainly adding nutrients from supplements and food can
help tremendously. But, if we DO go off our diets, it certainly would
be tremendous help to know how to supplement to correct mistakes, yes?
Making the diet nutritionally healthy is doable, by daily regime
rather than a haphazard application.
"A diet can be made adequate without gluten, but it is a nuisance. The
finding that celiac patients are severely deficient in vitamin B6--the
lack of which causes vomiting, eczema, much gas, diarrhea ...
Through the years I have seen a number of children with celiac disease
who, according to the physicians who referred them to me, later made
spectacular recoveries; yet in no diet were grains restricted. In fact
I particularly specified that wheat germ as well as liver and yeast be
taken daily. In every case the diet was unusually high in each
nutrient; and powdered digestive enzymes were mixed with all foods
before they were eaten. I am, therefore, convinced that correction may
be attained without the prolonged use of gluten-free diets provided
the B vitamins are generously supplied."
So, what amount of B6, wheat germ, liver, yeast, digestive enzymes are required?
B6--At the time of the writing of the above, she didn't have enough info to know, but thought 5mg for infants daily and 30mg+ for adults. Magnesium is also needed to use the B6 and may be the cause.
Wheat germ--
Liver--
Yeast--
Digestive enzymes--
Magnesium--
is, by getting enough nutrients in the diet each day, can you then eat
whatever you want without symptoms? Adelle Davis believed you could.
And you could certainly make a case for the usefulness and sanity of
that stand point. While you'd need to get one of her books to find out
the complete diet recommendations, I'm going to give an excerpt from
Let's Get Well, Adelle Davis saying just that.
While I firmly believe we should follow a natural, enzyme-full diet,
instead of shoving lots of supplements at ourselves and then eating
whatever, certainly adding nutrients from supplements and food can
help tremendously. But, if we DO go off our diets, it certainly would
be tremendous help to know how to supplement to correct mistakes, yes?
Making the diet nutritionally healthy is doable, by daily regime
rather than a haphazard application.
"A diet can be made adequate without gluten, but it is a nuisance. The
finding that celiac patients are severely deficient in vitamin B6--the
lack of which causes vomiting, eczema, much gas, diarrhea ...
Through the years I have seen a number of children with celiac disease
who, according to the physicians who referred them to me, later made
spectacular recoveries; yet in no diet were grains restricted. In fact
I particularly specified that wheat germ as well as liver and yeast be
taken daily. In every case the diet was unusually high in each
nutrient; and powdered digestive enzymes were mixed with all foods
before they were eaten. I am, therefore, convinced that correction may
be attained without the prolonged use of gluten-free diets provided
the B vitamins are generously supplied."
So, what amount of B6, wheat germ, liver, yeast, digestive enzymes are required?
B6--At the time of the writing of the above, she didn't have enough info to know, but thought 5mg for infants daily and 30mg+ for adults. Magnesium is also needed to use the B6 and may be the cause.
Wheat germ--
Liver--
Yeast--
Digestive enzymes--
Magnesium--
Monday, September 8, 2008
Toothpowder
In changing out toxic products for less toxic, hopefully non-toxic, ones, I've made up my own toothpowder. Once I tried it, I felt like I had found reality. Toothpowder isn't just free from common toxins found in even the most well-meaning toothpastes. It's wonderful. Originally I tried baking soda - works ok, but so salty it can cause increased blood pressure. Then I got smart and tried 50-50 baking soda with peppermint leaves. Much smarter, gives pain relief and keeps cleaning of baking soda. But my teeth stained, so I add dolomite, contains calcium carbonate. It's in toothpastes, but in my toothpowder at a lower concentration.
Take this simple recipe whirred in a coffee grinder and go wild. Instead of peppermint leaves, use spearming - good for bacteria fighting. Use white tea, rose petals, vanilla seeds, lavendar petals. It's up to you to make your toothpowder your own! Fun and rewarding!
Take this simple recipe whirred in a coffee grinder and go wild. Instead of peppermint leaves, use spearming - good for bacteria fighting. Use white tea, rose petals, vanilla seeds, lavendar petals. It's up to you to make your toothpowder your own! Fun and rewarding!
PCOS resolution - absolutely obsessed
Not sure what to do with this quote, so I'll post it here. I don't have PCOS, not that I know of! But here is a Russian study showing simply iodide resolved PCOS in 3 months at the low dose of 12.5mg / day. Pretty astounding!!
"Our preliminary experience with I supplementation at 12.5 mg/day, confirmed the findings of Ghent et al (19), regarding subjective and objective improvements of FDB, following I supplementation. Our findings in 3 patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) confirmed the positive response observed following supplementation with 10 to 20 mg of potassium iodide by Russian investigators 40 years ago (62). Prior to I supplementation, those PCOS patients were olygomenorrheic, menstruating one or twice a year. Following I supplementation for 3 months, they resumed normal monthly cycles. In 2 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and elevated TSH levels, I supplementation suppressed TSH levels markedly in both cases. In one patient, serum TSH level was 7.8 mIU/L pre-supplementation and 1.7 mIU/L 3 months post I supplementation. In the other patient, TSH level was 21.5 mIU/L before and 11.9 mIU/L after 3 months of I supplementation."
http://cypress.he.net/~bigmacnc/drflechas/IOD-02.html
Feeling better now that I've traded my carb cravings for protein and fat. Blood glucose is evening out and I'm feeling warmer. Carbs only make you feel cold, goitrogenic, when high load and / or glycemic index.
"Our preliminary experience with I supplementation at 12.5 mg/day, confirmed the findings of Ghent et al (19), regarding subjective and objective improvements of FDB, following I supplementation. Our findings in 3 patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) confirmed the positive response observed following supplementation with 10 to 20 mg of potassium iodide by Russian investigators 40 years ago (62). Prior to I supplementation, those PCOS patients were olygomenorrheic, menstruating one or twice a year. Following I supplementation for 3 months, they resumed normal monthly cycles. In 2 patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and elevated TSH levels, I supplementation suppressed TSH levels markedly in both cases. In one patient, serum TSH level was 7.8 mIU/L pre-supplementation and 1.7 mIU/L 3 months post I supplementation. In the other patient, TSH level was 21.5 mIU/L before and 11.9 mIU/L after 3 months of I supplementation."
http://cypress.he.net/~bigmacnc/drflechas/IOD-02.html
Feeling better now that I've traded my carb cravings for protein and fat. Blood glucose is evening out and I'm feeling warmer. Carbs only make you feel cold, goitrogenic, when high load and / or glycemic index.
Chopsticks
I complained at lunch the other day that we had no substitute for stainless flatware. Using our hands seemed the only healthy alternative to avoiding toxic stainless alloys leaching into the food. The solution came to me all of a sudden - chopsticks. Chopsticks come in all materials, and one of those is non-laminated wood, usually these days, bamboo. This should be an acceptable and preferable substitution. It isn't perfect, you can't eat yogurt with chopsticks or spoon matcha into a glass with them, but any improvement in environment is an improvement in health. And it really adds up.
One of the unseen things that experienced cooks do is to match their food preparation with their circumstances. So, when changing over to chopsticks food can either be in liquid form or usable by chopsticks.
One of the unseen things that experienced cooks do is to match their food preparation with their circumstances. So, when changing over to chopsticks food can either be in liquid form or usable by chopsticks.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
WAPF diet - To get healthy
We are taking the next few months to concentrate on health. The main preparation from here on out will be the WAPF diet recommendations. After all, it has worked for indigenous peoples thruout time. I've had terrible health problems and could really use any additional help.
One thing that must happen is my losing lots of weight gained from almost dying from iodine deficiency and having hypothroidism. I can't maintain health at this high weight. Unfortunately, while I lost a lot of weight yesterday, I failed to eat appropriately. I get soooooo hungry. My brain shuts off and the calories and inappropriate eating go on. I can stay on SCD, but WAPF is a bit of a challenge. Don't really know the requirements yet. I'm going to make up health signs to keep the goal in mind.
One thing that shouldn't be a problem is level of iodine. That should be 100% soon, if all goes well. Not expected to go well, entirely. I need to make up a vitamin chart too. But since WAPF guidelines are fairly simple, that should be limited to cod liver oil. :-)
Wish me luck!
One thing that must happen is my losing lots of weight gained from almost dying from iodine deficiency and having hypothroidism. I can't maintain health at this high weight. Unfortunately, while I lost a lot of weight yesterday, I failed to eat appropriately. I get soooooo hungry. My brain shuts off and the calories and inappropriate eating go on. I can stay on SCD, but WAPF is a bit of a challenge. Don't really know the requirements yet. I'm going to make up health signs to keep the goal in mind.
One thing that shouldn't be a problem is level of iodine. That should be 100% soon, if all goes well. Not expected to go well, entirely. I need to make up a vitamin chart too. But since WAPF guidelines are fairly simple, that should be limited to cod liver oil. :-)
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Trashed myself last night - New Diet
The hypothyroidism, and maybe another miscarriage?, caused another large weight gain. Today is the beginning of a new diet and last night was a "celebration" of that fact. I had HagenDazs chocolate and rum raisin and unfortunately barley chocolate chip cookies. After causing all kinds of gastric distress, I realized too late what food I really wanted: caramel corn. :-) I crave popcorn all the time, but since I'm allergic to corn that isn't something I should be eating. But, what I realized also is that I can eat that on my new diet!
Of course, I'm on the SCD diet and starting to follow Nourishing Traditions eating, but the new diet is to lose weight and type of food is not restricted. You know, I didn't realize it till just now, that's very freeing! So, if I go off one diet, I just need to stick to my weight-loss diet. Oh, what is the new diet you ask?
The new diet. The new diet is the lose 1lb a week diet as introduced by Dr. Morehouse in his book 30min to Fitness. I've started his exercise program again too! He calls it the "wide variety diet" as you eat whatever you want, you simply make sure you lose 1lb a week. It seems like too little to lose, but, in fact, it's exactly how to do a diet right. You think losing a pound of fat is easy? NO, it's not!
We all know better when starting a fitness program than to find the steepest hill and start running up and down it till we drop, right? Fitness takes a reasonable plan, an easy start, and continuing to build strength and endurance. Similarly the lose-a-pound-a-week diet fits within the realm of the body's capabilities. Losing 1lb /wk allows a Ph balance and ensures a pound of 60% fat lost, not 60% muscle. It also puts weight loss into the hands of even the most hypothyroid of individuals. Of course, for me this means lower carb eating, since carbs go straight to fat, w/o providing any nourishment.
I find that my greatest joy this morning is in realizing that going off my diet can mean taking vitamins! Usually I worry about taking vitamins because the fillers are SCD-illegal. But when you set up an unhealthy system from eating sugar and gluten, vitamin fillers are the least of your worries. Honestly, I feel that I would forgo the bad eating just to get the vitamins! I needed the vitamin C so much that it dissolved in my mouth before I could swallow it. Perhaps I could have considered the niacin flush before up and taking 500mg! :-(
Of course, I'm on the SCD diet and starting to follow Nourishing Traditions eating, but the new diet is to lose weight and type of food is not restricted. You know, I didn't realize it till just now, that's very freeing! So, if I go off one diet, I just need to stick to my weight-loss diet. Oh, what is the new diet you ask?
The new diet. The new diet is the lose 1lb a week diet as introduced by Dr. Morehouse in his book 30min to Fitness. I've started his exercise program again too! He calls it the "wide variety diet" as you eat whatever you want, you simply make sure you lose 1lb a week. It seems like too little to lose, but, in fact, it's exactly how to do a diet right. You think losing a pound of fat is easy? NO, it's not!
We all know better when starting a fitness program than to find the steepest hill and start running up and down it till we drop, right? Fitness takes a reasonable plan, an easy start, and continuing to build strength and endurance. Similarly the lose-a-pound-a-week diet fits within the realm of the body's capabilities. Losing 1lb /wk allows a Ph balance and ensures a pound of 60% fat lost, not 60% muscle. It also puts weight loss into the hands of even the most hypothyroid of individuals. Of course, for me this means lower carb eating, since carbs go straight to fat, w/o providing any nourishment.
I find that my greatest joy this morning is in realizing that going off my diet can mean taking vitamins! Usually I worry about taking vitamins because the fillers are SCD-illegal. But when you set up an unhealthy system from eating sugar and gluten, vitamin fillers are the least of your worries. Honestly, I feel that I would forgo the bad eating just to get the vitamins! I needed the vitamin C so much that it dissolved in my mouth before I could swallow it. Perhaps I could have considered the niacin flush before up and taking 500mg! :-(
Monday, September 1, 2008
Protocol for taking Iodine
I read some people have difficulties getting iodine even though they take plenty, 50mg+. There is a secret to increasing absorbed iodine that current iodine-loving docs either aren't telling or don't know. Iodine binds with most foods, especially the vitamin C that helps to absorb it. You need vitamin C in your system to improve iodine uptake. But taking these together will cause the vitamin C to bind with the iodine and take it out of the body without you getting it all!!!
So, here is the protocol to get the most of the iodine taken, which really isn't a secret. Per the bottle of Lugol's: Take iodine alone on an empty stomach with raw apple cider vinegar [2tsp] in water and don't eat or drink anything but water for at least 20min. 20min is the amount of time required to absorb iodine. The raw ACV likely creates an alkaline environment in the body that helps the iodine absorb. When taking Iodoral, it likely takes more than 20min, since the pill needs time to break down.
It's better to take your iodine from Lugol's as you don't have to wait for the Iodoral to break down. But perhaps there is something in the recipe of the pill to help absorb iodine? For me, with intestinal absorption problems, I need to avoid fillers, since they can REDUCE my ability to absorb the needed nutrients.
So, here is the protocol to get the most of the iodine taken, which really isn't a secret. Per the bottle of Lugol's: Take iodine alone on an empty stomach with raw apple cider vinegar [2tsp] in water and don't eat or drink anything but water for at least 20min. 20min is the amount of time required to absorb iodine. The raw ACV likely creates an alkaline environment in the body that helps the iodine absorb. When taking Iodoral, it likely takes more than 20min, since the pill needs time to break down.
It's better to take your iodine from Lugol's as you don't have to wait for the Iodoral to break down. But perhaps there is something in the recipe of the pill to help absorb iodine? For me, with intestinal absorption problems, I need to avoid fillers, since they can REDUCE my ability to absorb the needed nutrients.
More Deadly Metals - Letter to Wise Traditions newsletter
The excellent and informative Deadly Metals solidified my recent concern that my health problems arise from toxic levels of metals. The recommendation to limit wearing jewelry to special occasions for sensitive individuals, concerned me, since there is something far more insidious in my home. What are good replacements for stainless steel utensils, flatware, and cutlery? These are all used multiple times a day and for the most part are all stainless steel and mostly of low quality stainless.
I did a search to determine if our Revereware and Farberware cookware were type 316 stainless. And found, with very limited results, that most, if not all, stainless cookware is likely type 316. That likely isn't true, though, for most utensils, flatware, or cutlery, or as the article pointed out, stainless food storage containers. I can avoid salting cooking food to avoid the stainless leaching combination of acid and salt, but I definitely salt before eating the same hot food with a fork. And to make matters worse, I have been using that same fork to stir in the pans, which likely causes a breakdown of both the fork and the pan into the food.
I've been trying to figure out good substitutes for the things I use regularly. No problem changing the stainless mixing bowl over to a glass one. And I enjoyed the increased dietary iron from changing the fry pan over to cast iron. But from there trying to get possible toxins out of the kitchen gets more difficult and expensive.One of the recommendations for cookware was titanium, but it is unlikely unalloyed. And from my limited research titanium oxidizes into titanium dioxide, the known carcinogen from personal products. Of course, the source of those oxides may make all the difference. But I found titanium jewelry costly, so unalloyed cookware should prove out of reach.
It seems there is no currently-known health concern from silicone spatulas and cookware, so that replaces the fork used to stir food. But replacing the fork isn't so easy. The only readily available flatware other than stainless is plastic, specifically Lexan and polystyrene. Both those plastics are thought to cause health problems, hormone disruption from Lexan and possible cancer from styrene leaching into hot foods. That leaves no good choices, and yet we need to have utensils. Although I have eaten with cultures that use their hands! There's alloyed titanium or Chinese laminated bamboo flatware, but these have their problems too. I don't know the good solution here.
Since trying to replace these items, new metallic ones have come to my attention. I use standard Bell or Kerr canning jars for everything, including beet kvass. The metal of the lids breaks down with each batch and gets ingested. I've since replaced the lids with plastic, of unknown composition, due to concerns over the alloys used. The only information I could find on the alloys came from a book of manufacturing on Google indicating that canning jars are "wrought" and may be of three types of alloys: zinc-copper, zinc-titanium, or zinc-lead-cadmium. And yesterday when filtering some mold out of aloe vera, my steel, stainless?, filter leached badly. This will need replacing, with nylon?, as well as my colander. Then there's cookie sheets, etc. The list goes on.
What are the good substitutions here? And how effective can we be? But, of course, the less we use, the less toxins we absorb.
I did a search to determine if our Revereware and Farberware cookware were type 316 stainless. And found, with very limited results, that most, if not all, stainless cookware is likely type 316. That likely isn't true, though, for most utensils, flatware, or cutlery, or as the article pointed out, stainless food storage containers. I can avoid salting cooking food to avoid the stainless leaching combination of acid and salt, but I definitely salt before eating the same hot food with a fork. And to make matters worse, I have been using that same fork to stir in the pans, which likely causes a breakdown of both the fork and the pan into the food.
I've been trying to figure out good substitutes for the things I use regularly. No problem changing the stainless mixing bowl over to a glass one. And I enjoyed the increased dietary iron from changing the fry pan over to cast iron. But from there trying to get possible toxins out of the kitchen gets more difficult and expensive.One of the recommendations for cookware was titanium, but it is unlikely unalloyed. And from my limited research titanium oxidizes into titanium dioxide, the known carcinogen from personal products. Of course, the source of those oxides may make all the difference. But I found titanium jewelry costly, so unalloyed cookware should prove out of reach.
It seems there is no currently-known health concern from silicone spatulas and cookware, so that replaces the fork used to stir food. But replacing the fork isn't so easy. The only readily available flatware other than stainless is plastic, specifically Lexan and polystyrene. Both those plastics are thought to cause health problems, hormone disruption from Lexan and possible cancer from styrene leaching into hot foods. That leaves no good choices, and yet we need to have utensils. Although I have eaten with cultures that use their hands! There's alloyed titanium or Chinese laminated bamboo flatware, but these have their problems too. I don't know the good solution here.
Since trying to replace these items, new metallic ones have come to my attention. I use standard Bell or Kerr canning jars for everything, including beet kvass. The metal of the lids breaks down with each batch and gets ingested. I've since replaced the lids with plastic, of unknown composition, due to concerns over the alloys used. The only information I could find on the alloys came from a book of manufacturing on Google indicating that canning jars are "wrought" and may be of three types of alloys: zinc-copper, zinc-titanium, or zinc-lead-cadmium. And yesterday when filtering some mold out of aloe vera, my steel, stainless?, filter leached badly. This will need replacing, with nylon?, as well as my colander. Then there's cookie sheets, etc. The list goes on.
What are the good substitutions here? And how effective can we be? But, of course, the less we use, the less toxins we absorb.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sources of Iodine Info
There is a lot to learn about iodine and the body's requirements. this site is where I got my very good introduction and saved my life! It's difficult going, but worth it.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller20.html
I wrote to Dr. Miller the author of the article above and didn't get a response. Even tho the page gives his email and offers that you email him. I guess he isn't interested in having helped someone learn why they were dying and fix it! What are you going to do? There are a lot of people out there that have very narrow views of the world. A lot of them are authors.
Lots of info on this next site and there's good reason. The following site is owned and run by Dr. Abraham. As you learn more, you'll realize that Iodoral, what most doctors recommend as a source of iodine, is made my Dr. Abraham's company- Optimox. And the company also produces vitamins necessary as nutritional supplementation with iodine. Dr. Abraham was a ob/gyn teacher that enlisted two physicians: Dr. Brownstein and Dr. Flechas to do iodine studies in their practises. The findings were that most people are iodine deficient and many diseases are caused by this deficiency.
http://optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml
I wrote to Dr. Brownstein on his website, below, asking for treatment and haven't gotten a response. I guess being an avid writer and lecturer, he doesn't have time, nor do his staff, to respond in any manner. Not even a "we got your message!" I'm thinking of seeking Dr. Flechas' treatment, or another ILD (Iodine Literate Doctor) instead, if I get no response soon.
http://www.drbrownstein.com/
Be careful when ordering the many good books, etc on Dr. Brownstein's site as there is no security at present. Your information will likely be captured without this security, but you could call using a land line too.
More to be added here later.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller20.html
I wrote to Dr. Miller the author of the article above and didn't get a response. Even tho the page gives his email and offers that you email him. I guess he isn't interested in having helped someone learn why they were dying and fix it! What are you going to do? There are a lot of people out there that have very narrow views of the world. A lot of them are authors.
Lots of info on this next site and there's good reason. The following site is owned and run by Dr. Abraham. As you learn more, you'll realize that Iodoral, what most doctors recommend as a source of iodine, is made my Dr. Abraham's company- Optimox. And the company also produces vitamins necessary as nutritional supplementation with iodine. Dr. Abraham was a ob/gyn teacher that enlisted two physicians: Dr. Brownstein and Dr. Flechas to do iodine studies in their practises. The findings were that most people are iodine deficient and many diseases are caused by this deficiency.
http://optimox.com/pics/Iodine/opt_Research_I.shtml
I wrote to Dr. Brownstein on his website, below, asking for treatment and haven't gotten a response. I guess being an avid writer and lecturer, he doesn't have time, nor do his staff, to respond in any manner. Not even a "we got your message!" I'm thinking of seeking Dr. Flechas' treatment, or another ILD (Iodine Literate Doctor) instead, if I get no response soon.
http://www.drbrownstein.com/
Be careful when ordering the many good books, etc on Dr. Brownstein's site as there is no security at present. Your information will likely be captured without this security, but you could call using a land line too.
More to be added here later.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
What Iodine has done for me
I'm in the second month of taking 50mg iodine a day. Most normal, healthy people will reach iodine sufficiency in three months; taking in 1500mg total. At that point, they will lose 90% of daily ingested iodine within 24hrs. That's the definition of iodine sufficiency. While I'm not most normal people, I do tend to have some pretty normal physiological behaviours, medically speaking. I was having a difficult time getting iodine just a few days ago. But I found out that most food combines with iodine and takes it out of your body w/o the taker getting any! So I started taking iodine 20min - 1hr+ before food, twice daily with lemon juice. Tasted much better than iodine straight [which I don't mind much], but I remembered one of the foods that combines with iodine is citric acid! Doh! So, I switched that to what it should have been in the beginning. Which is raw apple cider vinegar. I'm guessing the vinegar creates an alkaline setting, that helps the iodine absorb properly. It worked. My skin started getting moist again.
How I've benefitted from iodine is multiply. My skin has moisture for the first time in my life. At times my over-dry heels are completely moist and soft. My hair is growing in much thicker. My constant leg cramps are almost non-existent. My previously life-altering menstrual cramps are near gone. I'm still almost bleeding to death with each one, but that's due to auto-immune attacks against my thyroid and not from iodine. In fact, I saw a slowing of flow for the first time ever after about a month taking iodine. I'm still having trouble sweating, but my sensitivity to cold has gone way down. Only the cold of winter will tell how well. I no longer have iodine-deficient constipation. And my energy is up, not way up, but comparatively, yes.
I have hypothyroidism and part of the cause is iodine deficiency. But I've learned that near everyone has iodine deficiency. We aren't getting enough in our salt, not eating seafood in huge quantities and our food no longer has any. The RDA (DRI) of .15mg a day may be enough for some to avoid goiter, but it isn't enough to prevent fibrocystic breast disease or PCOS or thyroid cancer. That's likely to require 6.25mg - 50mg a day. It's not enough extra to remove the toxic metals and halogens that are part of our daily lives.
But my hypothyroisdism is also due to Hashimoto's disease. That is my immune system attacks the thyroid when an immune system response is enacted. And an immune system response is enacted to anything that I'm allergic to, which is most everything food and airborne!
How I've benefitted from iodine is multiply. My skin has moisture for the first time in my life. At times my over-dry heels are completely moist and soft. My hair is growing in much thicker. My constant leg cramps are almost non-existent. My previously life-altering menstrual cramps are near gone. I'm still almost bleeding to death with each one, but that's due to auto-immune attacks against my thyroid and not from iodine. In fact, I saw a slowing of flow for the first time ever after about a month taking iodine. I'm still having trouble sweating, but my sensitivity to cold has gone way down. Only the cold of winter will tell how well. I no longer have iodine-deficient constipation. And my energy is up, not way up, but comparatively, yes.
I have hypothyroidism and part of the cause is iodine deficiency. But I've learned that near everyone has iodine deficiency. We aren't getting enough in our salt, not eating seafood in huge quantities and our food no longer has any. The RDA (DRI) of .15mg a day may be enough for some to avoid goiter, but it isn't enough to prevent fibrocystic breast disease or PCOS or thyroid cancer. That's likely to require 6.25mg - 50mg a day. It's not enough extra to remove the toxic metals and halogens that are part of our daily lives.
But my hypothyroisdism is also due to Hashimoto's disease. That is my immune system attacks the thyroid when an immune system response is enacted. And an immune system response is enacted to anything that I'm allergic to, which is most everything food and airborne!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Iron and Iodine - Get enough or die!
Might as well get right to the point. I applaud all you health seekers out there and all your efforts. I think the hardest thing about improving health is to recognize what's important as you pass from one bit of information to the next. So easily you can go off trying this or learning that and lose basic principles and all proportion. There's lots of basics and I don't have them all categorized yet, but let's touch on the basic of the basic.
Sufficient Iron and Iodine are VITAL to your health. Having a hard time figuring out the best way to get these? Having trouble taking them? Too bad! Figure it out! Figure it out right now!!! Iron and iodine are at the basis for every health decision you make. Get help. Do what ever it takes to be sufficient in these minerals. Every process of the body requires them. Learn what you require and get it.
If you have cancer, but not enough iodine, your cancer treatments may not work at all. If you have sufficient iodine, you might not have gotten cancer in the first place!!! And iron? It's only used in every red blood cell. You know, the guys that transport your nutrients and oxygen- IOW your health.
Sufficient Iron and Iodine are VITAL to your health. Having a hard time figuring out the best way to get these? Having trouble taking them? Too bad! Figure it out! Figure it out right now!!! Iron and iodine are at the basis for every health decision you make. Get help. Do what ever it takes to be sufficient in these minerals. Every process of the body requires them. Learn what you require and get it.
If you have cancer, but not enough iodine, your cancer treatments may not work at all. If you have sufficient iodine, you might not have gotten cancer in the first place!!! And iron? It's only used in every red blood cell. You know, the guys that transport your nutrients and oxygen- IOW your health.
Intro
Been looking for a blog to post about health, how to get it, how to keep it, how I'm improving. I like the ease of this format. Banally easy and yet fully customizable with what I want to do. Yeay, so far!
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