New here, General Dietary Health Questions

[Shapeshifter]

Hi James.

THANK YOU in advance for your time. I have read your posts over the years at curezone and quite a lot over the past week. I respect your opinion and would love some advice if possible. I tried to first search through all of your previous posts here and on CZ to see if I could find answers before taking up more of your time. But I feel I still have questions.

So I am quite under weight and this has been a problem for the last two decades (so being 40 now this is half of my life). Most 'envy' me which is frustrating because I know it's from digestive trouble and other health complaints.

Anyway to sum up I have been diagnosed with the catch all 'IBS' by conventional doctors (whom I avoid at all costs these days, but have had my share of issues with naturopaths as well hence the hours of personal research over the years and experimentation with different diets and supplements). And definitely have symptoms of leaky gut. Especially bad recently where all I see is pieces of undigested food in my stool. So I am focusing a lot of attention on chewing my food properly and revisiting my diet.

What I am especially seeing is rice for days after eating rice. Since I am gluten free and have been for about 5 years or so (my reaction to gluten are quite pronounced/severe but not had any medical tests otherwise). Problem is I don't tend to react well to the substitutes (rice and potatoes, though I like both) I am guessing due to high starch content. I have had history of candida overgrowth and yeast infections. I find oregano oil helps the most with outbreaks whereas different probiotic supplements during a bad yeast infection would exacerbate it.

I cut refined sugars out of my diet years ago due to candida and hypoglycemia (now much improved since). And have gone through periods of no sugars to some fruit sugars to attempts at juicing (which never turns out to be a good idea for me, always too much sugar, so I don't know why I do that).

I have trouble with beans (ALL beans, some worse than others, causing mucho flatulence for many hours after so OI can't even sleep at night). And sometimes beef, but mostly do okay with meats in general. (I was a vegetarian and even vegan for half of my twenties and into early thirties, when I found myself wasting away from that diet I started eating meat again which seems to be the easiest thing for my body to digest, ironically since I really did not want to eat animals, but oh well).

Dairy I thought I could tolerate if cultured (esp yogurt which I used to eat a lot of but could not ignore that it was causing me mucous overload and I seemed addicted to it, when I cut it out months ago the mucous stopped). Milk I could never stomach even as a kid though I would try. (my parents had no clue about diet/digestive issues, the only hospital emergency room visit I had as a kid was due to severe constipation that cause intestinal cramping that mimicked appendicitis). I still have issues with constipation and sometimes (not as frequent now) diarrhea.

I have had (may still) many different kinds of parasite infections. I know you don't think it's common and it may not be but I definitely have had them. I had an ameobic parasite infection while living in Turkey and had it diagnosed by a specialist there (they gave me an antibiotic, go figure!) I saw a naturopath on a visit back to the Us who gave me a round of wormwood, garlic, cloves and black walnut for a week and indeed I felt better after. But symptoms returned on and off and I went into the pet care business (for the past decade, and have traveled to 20 different foreign countries, in the tropics many times including tropics in India where I foolishly walked barefoot) and have had pinworms (felt them crawling in my butt, or out of it, at night and even found one in my bed in middle of the night and in my cat's stool, sometimes think I still feel them once in awhile but not sure) and have seen liver flukes many times in stool and possible tapeworms and tapeworm segments ( have pulled them out of dog's butts before unfortunately) I have been taking DE for a long time pretty regularly, I did not know about the method to but it in the water (I just read that post of yours) so will try that.

I have done the Hulda Clark cleanse and couple of times and some liver flushes (I know now how you feel about her and the flushes and it has gotten me to analyse that some more, esp zapping which I have done very rarely cause I havent been sure about that, with just a ten dollar zapper). I did feel better and seem to gain some healthy weight after flushes for a time but then lose it again. My liver tested poorly with the in home urine tests. I used to drink heavily for a few years, long ago (none now) and grew up on the SAD diet with lots of sugar junk.

I have tried allergy free elimination diets and still have the malapsortion bloating/gas issues.

I have just started with bitters again and coconut kefir (no dairy) to try to help correct matters. Oh I should note since I thought I was having parasite reinfection symptoms this summer (had been a long time wince taking paracides) I decided to try humaworm (Which I had never trird), so I finished the month last week. Mid way felt like extreme die off and saw possible tapeworm segments and liver flukes during the cleanse. But felt I lost too much weight during it too.

I never took to psyllim seed well but decided I needed some fiber to help keep the toxins moving with my constipation (I had also done the coffee enema routine which was mega helpful for alleviating lower back pain but i worried about doing too many enemas and what that might due to my gut flora). But I started last week in the mornings with bentonite and I think now that is why my gas and bloating symptoms were triggered to a severe point. So i have stopped that and may try your rice bran suggestion instead if you think it's okay for me if I am having trouble digesting rice?

Nuts seem to give me joint inflammation. I am left feeling like there is nothing for me to eat, no wheat, grains, nuts, beans, dairy, potatoes and even I notice reactions to other nightshades especially tomatoes which cause sores to break out in my mouth.

You also advise against eating too much meat (paleo type diets) esp. red meat as it can cause inflammation (which I clearly have). So the question is what CAN I eat? Or will, once I get enough stomach acid back, I be able to eat the above mentioned food again (btw corn also cause boating and gas)? Is there a diet you recommend in the meantime? What kind of diet do you eat or do you have general recommendations along those lines? (have not seen any of your posts to be very clear on this).

Oh and i should mention years ago I had diagnosis of a goiter/underactive thyroid. I had a naturopath put me on iodine (pills not drops, see http://www.drrons.com). At the time I was having auto-immune issues with chronic ringworm covering half my body (was awful), the only thing that got rid of it was ingesting iodine in large doses, from 12 mg- 50 at the time, maintenance of 12-24). When I went off it for too long the ringworm came back. So for about 6 yrs I take it regularly with breaks here and there. I have read on CZ about using C and selenium with it which I do and also the salt loading thing which I have done but tend toward endema (puffy eyes mainly) so this concerns me.

I am very active/athletic (a dancer primarily) and fortunately have had good strength/stamina the last 5 years or so since eating meats again. But struggle with these other issues including some joint pain and sometimes low immunity when it comes to colds in the winter. Also my hair has been noticeably thinning the past few years which I am concerned about.

I did get on the Weston A Price bandwagon coming out of my vegetarianism, but found I could still not tolerate milk even if (esp if) raw, it gave me the runs immediately. And did not matter if grains were soaked or sprouted, and same with nuts. So that hasn't worked for me. I do regularly eat fermented veggies though.

Okay, whew, that covers it. Thank you so much!!!! Anything you can advise would be very helpful, esp finding me something to eat so I don't starve to death! I don't want to waste away.

Oh wait, worth mentioning I had been also taking dolomite as cheap cal/mag supplement and I read from your posts this may have also contributed to lack of stomach acid. And I use a lot of coconut oil and id not know about the iodine content!

[Shapeshifter]

PS- I have done basal body readings over the years, on and off the iodine.. They are consistently (when I read regularly) a bit under and VERY low close to and on the first day of my period. Often between 94 and 95 degrees. I thought for a while the iodine did bring it up at other times of the month, but I haven't been consistent enough with checking over the past few years. Also I used to have terrible menstrual cramps for years and years, would last about 12 hrs intense pain, nothing worked until I discovered Motherwort herb, it's the only one that helps. And last few moths I haven't even needed it! Doctors had me on crazy doses of ibruprofen and other pain meds in my late teens, early twenties including birth control one year which helped but gave me serious depression so I went off of it. I grew intolerant to pain meds and got so I could not take any blood thinners because of my easy bruising and upsetting my stomach.

I tried various fish oils for this and for thyroid/IBS (mainly Cod liver oil) which I never felt I could really stomach, even the
fermented kind. What is you opinion on CLO/fish oils? (other EFA oils?.. I used to take flax seed oil and this helped internally and eternally for eczema/psoriasis which was an on and off issue in the last 2 years. But I read your post about it being a goitotrin. I had run out and hadn't taken ity or needed to in a while anyway so didn't buy more.

I do try to take ACV and made my own tincture of astragalus with this as the medium and when I take it it does help kick colds out when I get them, but the ACV also bothers my stomach.

What do you think about HCI pills? I only tried them once but didn't seem to agree with me either, could have been the brand.
I also take buffered C since I cant tolerate non and I would like to take a natural source but when I tried Amalika (I think it's different from Amla, right?), it was so bitter, it put me off taking it, so I didn't take i regularly enough. C can help me when I get constipated but I know it's not good to take too much. I tend to take 500-1500 mg a day when I take it.

Okay, just wanted to add that info/questions. Thank you!!!

[Shapeshifter]

UPDATE - I feel much better already just taking some (small amounts, less than half a dropper) at meals (and some small amounts of non-dairy kefir). My constipation is no longer an issues, but almost the opposite is true. I don't know if it's from the senna (which happens to be in this formula and I have been known to be extra sensitive to it's laxative properties) or if it's the cleansing factor I have read you mention before about taking bitters. I did however wake in the middle of the night too hungry to sleep so I had to get up and have a snack. I tend to feel extra hungry when I cut out starches as I did yesterday (just meats and squashes, leeks, onions, soup and a small amount of fruit away from meals). I already eat a lot and of feel it's impossible to satisfy my appetite (either due to parasites or mal-absorption or both- people say 'high metabolism but my thyroid is under active, FYI, if i go off iodine for too long I also start to feel a lump in my throat, I am trying to cut it out for a few days right now and at least cut back), and as I said I am very underweight, esp right now. I need to gain at least ten pounds, but 15-20 would be best.

[James]

(09-16-2013 05:37 PM)Shapeshifter Wrote:  Hi James.

THANK YOU in advance for your time. I have read your posts over the years at curezone and quite a lot over the past week. I respect your opinion and would love some advice if possible. I tried to first search through all of your previous posts here and on CZ to see if I could find answers before taking up more of your time. But I feel I still have questions.

So I am quite under weight and this has been a problem for the last two decades (so being 40 now this is half of my life). Most 'envy' me which is frustrating because I know it's from digestive trouble and other health complaints.

Anyway to sum up I have been diagnosed with the catch all 'IBS' by conventional doctors (whom I avoid at all costs these days, but have had my share of issues with naturopaths as well hence the hours of personal research over the years and experimentation with different diets and supplements).

IBS has a symptom of alternating constipation and diarrhea. It has been linked to low intestinal flora, which can also lead to candidiasis and leaky gut.

And definitely have symptoms of leaky gut. Especially bad recently where all I see is pieces of undigested food in my stool. So I am focusing a lot of attention on chewing my food properly and revisiting my diet.

Depends on what the food is. Cellulose for example is not digested by the body and so will pass intact other that what gets broken down by the flora.

What I am especially seeing is rice for days after eating rice. Since I am gluten free and have been for about 5 years or so (my reaction to gluten are quite pronounced/severe but not had any medical tests otherwise). Problem is I don't tend to react well to the substitutes (rice and potatoes, though I like both) I am guessing due to high starch content. I have had history of candida overgrowth and yeast infections. I find oregano oil helps the most with outbreaks whereas different probiotic supplements during a bad yeast infection would exacerbate it.

Probiotics should not be making it worse unless they are in a sugar base. Some do contain lactose. I prefer cultured foods, but make sure they are fermented long enough to remove the sugar. This will help jump start the restoration of the flora to get the Candida back under control.

The other thing to do, which is actually more important is to add fibers to your diet. Probiotics do not replace all the flora strains. So you need to feed the various strains to get their numbers back up. I prefer rice or oat bran, but other good choices are the vegetable gums (xanthan, konjac, guar).

Avoid psyllium though which is well known for causing bloating.

I cut refined sugars out of my diet years ago due to candida and hypoglycemia (now much improved since). And have gone through periods of no sugars to some fruit sugars to attempts at juicing (which never turns out to be a good idea for me, always too much sugar, so I don't know why I do that).

There are different forms of hypoglycemia:

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1610489#i

I have trouble with beans (ALL beans, some worse than others, causing mucho flatulence for many hours after so OI can't even sleep at night).

Soak the beans in several changes of water before cooking them. The sugar that ferments causing the gas is water soluble.

You can also take some yucca root powder before or with your meals. The yucca root is a surfactant and will reduce the gas by allowing it to go in to solution with the water in stool.

And sometimes beef, but mostly do okay with meats in general. (I was a vegetarian and even vegan for half of my twenties and into early thirties, when I found myself wasting away from that diet I started eating meat again which seems to be the easiest thing for my body to digest, ironically since I really did not want to eat animals, but oh well).

Dairy I thought I could tolerate if cultured (esp yogurt which I used to eat a lot of but could not ignore that it was causing me mucous overload and I seemed addicted to it, when I cut it out months ago the mucous stopped).

Milk does not actually cause mucus, it calcifies the existing mucus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUCgEL7JaOI

Milk I could never stomach even as a kid though I would try. (my parents had no clue about diet/digestive issues, the only hospital emergency room visit I had as a kid was due to severe constipation that cause intestinal cramping that mimicked appendicitis). I still have issues with constipation and sometimes (not as frequent now) diarrhea.

Does sound like IBS, which can also lead to a lactose intolerance since the flora generate lactase.

I have had (may still) many different kinds of parasite infections. I know you don't think it's common and it may not be but I definitely have had them. I had an ameobic parasite infection while living in Turkey and had it diagnosed by a specialist there (they gave me an antibiotic, go figure!) I saw a naturopath on a visit back to the Us who gave me a round of wormwood, garlic, cloves and black walnut for a week and indeed I felt better after. But symptoms returned on and off and I went into the pet care business (for the past decade, and have traveled to 20 different foreign countries, in the tropics many times including tropics in India where I foolishly walked barefoot) and have had pinworms (felt them crawling in my butt, or out of it, at night and even found one in my bed in middle of the night and in my cat's stool, sometimes think I still feel them once in awhile but not sure) and have seen liver flukes many times in stool and possible tapeworms and tapeworm segments ( have pulled them out of dog's butts before unfortunately) I have been taking DE for a long time pretty regularly, I did not know about the method to but it in the water (I just read that post of yours) so will try that.

You can also try elecampane, which is a pretty safe anti-parasitical.

I have done the Hulda Clark cleanse and couple of times and some liver flushes (I know now how you feel about her and the flushes and it has gotten me to analyse that some more, esp zapping which I have done very rarely cause I havent been sure about that, with just a ten dollar zapper). I did feel better and seem to gain some healthy weight after flushes for a time but then lose it again. My liver tested poorly with the in home urine tests. I used to drink heavily for a few years, long ago (none now) and grew up on the SAD diet with lots of sugar junk.

Inability to gain weight can be several things including mild hyperthyroidism and malabsorptiion issues.

For malabsorption I recommend building up your flora with cultured foods and fibers. Adding the yucca root powder I mentioned earlier for the gas will help help reduce intestinal inflammation, feed the flora and help with nutrient absorption.

I have tried allergy free elimination diets and still have the malapsortion bloating/gas issues.

I have just started with bitters again and coconut kefir (no dairy) to try to help correct matters. Oh I should note since I thought I was having parasite reinfection symptoms this summer (had been a long time wince taking paracides) I decided to try humaworm (Which I had never trird), so I finished the month last week. Mid way felt like extreme die off and saw possible tapeworm segments and liver flukes during the cleanse. But felt I lost too much weight during it too.

I never took to psyllim seed well but decided I needed some fiber to help keep the toxins moving with my constipation (I had also done the coffee enema routine which was mega helpful for alleviating lower back pain but i worried about doing too many enemas and what that might due to my gut flora).

Not just your flora, but coffee enemas are very hard on the adrenal glands. Adrenal dysfunction can cause all sorts of issues from hypoglycemia to increased inflammation.

But I started last week in the mornings with bentonite and I think now that is why my gas and bloating symptoms were triggered to a severe point. So i have stopped that and may try your rice bran suggestion instead if you think it's okay for me if I am having trouble digesting rice?

Rice is generally very easy to digest. The only part of the rice that is not really digested by our own digestive enzymes is the bran. That would be digested at least in part by the cellulase and hemicellulase enzymes produced by the flora. Sounds like you are lacking flora though, but the rice bran will help feed the flora.

Nuts seem to give me joint inflammation. I am left feeling like there is nothing for me to eat, no wheat, grains, nuts, beans, dairy, potatoes and even I notice reactions to other nightshades especially tomatoes which cause sores to break out in my mouth.

The only reason I can think of that nuts would cause joint pain would be that you are having allergic reactions to the nut proteins. This taxes the adrenals more leasing to increased inflammation.

You also advise against eating too much meat (paleo type diets) esp. red meat as it can cause inflammation (which I clearly have). So the question is what CAN I eat? Or will, once I get enough stomach acid back, I be able to eat the above mentioned food again (btw corn also cause boating and gas)?

Stomach acid is part of the answer, but you also need to build your flora and your adrenals back up. These should reduce your leaky gut and immune reactions to foods.

Is there a diet you recommend in the meantime? What kind of diet do you eat or do you have general recommendations along those lines? (have not seen any of your posts to be very clear on this).

Your diet should focus more on low glycemic vegetables. This will provide more fiber for the flora and more nutrition that meats.

Cultured vegetables will also help by increasing your flora.

As you become more tolerant to sugars then more vitamin C rich fruits will help.

Oh and i should mention years ago I had diagnosis of a goiter/underactive thyroid. I had a naturopath put me on iodine (pills not drops, see http://www.drrons.com). At the time I was having auto-immune issues with chronic ringworm covering half my body (was awful), the only thing that got rid of it was ingesting iodine in large doses, from 12 mg- 50 at the time, maintenance of 12-24). When I went off it for too long the ringworm came back. So for about 6 yrs I take it regularly with breaks here and there. I have read on CZ about using C and selenium with it which I do and also the salt loading thing which I have done but tend toward endema (puffy eyes mainly) so this concerns me.

All the salt loading does is displace the toxic levels of iodine. I have a whole section on iodine and iodine safety including a post about the "bromine detox" myth:

http://medcapsules.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=66

The recommended safe daily intake is only 150mcg. Higher doses can really screw with your thyroid including inducing hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.

If you want to treat the ringworm with iodine use it on the spots topically. You can also apply other antifungal substances such as thyme oil diluted with a little olive oil or even something like Vick's Vapor Rub.

I am very active/athletic (a dancer primarily) and fortunately have had good strength/stamina the last 5 years or so since eating meats again. But struggle with these other issues including some joint pain and sometimes low immunity when it comes to colds in the winter. Also my hair has been noticeably thinning the past few years which I am concerned about.

Poor immunity can be a number of things including adrenal dysfunction.

Thinning hair can also be a number of things. The two most common causes are male pattern baldness (MPB) and hypothyroidism. If the hair loss is primarily in the temples and top of the head then I would suspect MPB. Despite the name MPB can occur in both sexes, but it most common in men. If losing hair all over the scalp and even from other parts of the body then hypothyroidism is more likely. Hypothyroidism and hair loss from it are both more common in women since their higher levels of estrogen also contribute to hypothyroidism.

I did get on the Weston A Price bandwagon coming out of my vegetarianism, but found I could still not tolerate milk even if (esp if) raw, it gave me the runs immediately. And did not matter if grains were soaked or sprouted, and same with nuts. So that hasn't worked for me. I do regularly eat fermented veggies though.

In my opinion the Weston A. Price Foundation is a joke. I have debunked so much of their propaganda.

Okay, whew, that covers it. Thank you so much!!!! Anything you can advise would be very helpful, esp finding me something to eat so I don't starve to death! I don't want to waste away.

Oh wait, worth mentioning I had been also taking dolomite as cheap cal/mag supplement and I read from your posts this may have also contributed to lack of stomach acid. And I use a lot of coconut oil and id not know about the iodine content!

Take the dolomite with an acid such as a little lemon juice or vinegar. This will help prevent the acid reducing effect of the dolomite if you want to use it up.

[James]

(09-16-2013 07:04 PM)Shapeshifter Wrote:  PS- I have done basal body readings over the years, on and off the iodine.. They are consistently (when I read regularly) a bit under and VERY low close to and on the first day of my period. Often between 94 and 95 degrees. I thought for a while the iodine did bring it up at other times of the month, but I haven't been consistent enough with checking over the past few years.

That is pretty low. Your exercise will lower thyroid function though. Back when I use to race triathlons and do cross country bicycling I consistently ran under 95F. This is exercise induced hypothyroidism and is a protective mechanism.

But again, too much iodine can also induce hypothyroidism and aggravate Hashimoto's thyroidosis.

Also I used to have terrible menstrual cramps for years and years, would last about 12 hrs intense pain, nothing worked until I discovered Motherwort herb, it's the only one that helps.

Motherwort is a great herb for the hormones. Cramp bark, silk tassel or magnesium (malate or citrate) are also great for alleviating menstrual cramps.

And last few moths I haven't even needed it! Doctors had me on crazy doses of ibruprofen and other pain meds in my late teens, early twenties including birth control one year which helped but gave me serious depression so I went off of it.

Most likely the depression was from the ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug. NSAIDs are known for causing depression by inhibiting prostaglandins, which are natural antidepressants. Although many birth control pills are progesterone based and progesterone can also cause depression.

I grew intolerant to pain meds and got so I could not take any blood thinners because of my easy bruising and upsetting my stomach.

I tried various fish oils for this and for thyroid/IBS (mainly Cod liver oil) which I never felt I could really stomach, even the
fermented kind. What is you opinion on CLO/fish oils?

You have to be more careful with cod liver oil since it is very high in vitamin A. High levels of vitamin A are hard on the bones and in higher levels the liver. Fish body oils are safer sources of fatty acids. And fish oils are better sources of fatty acids than plant oils. Just make sure it is a good brand. If it has a fish smell or taste it is rancid.

(other EFA oils?.. I used to take flax seed oil and this helped internally and eternally for eczema/psoriasis which was an on and off issue in the last 2 years. But I read your post about it being a goitotrin. I had run out and hadn't taken ity or needed to in a while anyway so didn't buy more.

Yes, flax seed oil is goitrogenic. I would stick primarily to the fish body oil.

I do try to take ACV and made my own tincture of astragalus with this as the medium and when I take it it does help kick colds out when I get them, but the ACV also bothers my stomach.

Tinctures are not near as stable as most people believe anyway. This is one of the reasons I rarely use them. Once the herb is exposed to the water in most alcohols used such as vodka the oxidative deterioration of the herb is sped up. I have read a variety of studies on this and the average life of most of the tinctures studies was only 3 months before the tinctures lost their potency. I prefer powders in most cases.

What do you think about HCI pills? I only tried them once but didn't seem to agree with me either, could have been the brand.

They are an option for people with low stomach acid as long as they don't have an ulcer. But I prefer bitters for the long run so the stomach will start producing sufficient levels of stomach acid on its own in time.

I also take buffered C since I cant tolerate non and I would like to take a natural source but when I tried Amalika (I think it's different from Amla, right?), it was so bitter, it put me off taking it, so I didn't take i regularly enough. C can help me when I get constipated but I know it's not good to take too much. I tend to take 500-1500 mg a day when I take it.

Amalaki is just another name for amla as is Indian gooseberry. You can capsule the powder to get it down easier or add some licorice root to mask the flavor. Licorice root will also help with inflammation and your adrenals.

Okay, just wanted to add that info/questions. Thank you!!!

You're welcome.

[James]

(09-17-2013 11:06 AM)Shapeshifter Wrote:  UPDATE - I feel much better already just taking some (small amounts, less than half a dropper) at meals (and some small amounts of non-dairy kefir). My constipation is no longer an issues, but almost the opposite is true. I don't know if it's from the senna (which happens to be in this formula and I have been known to be extra sensitive to it's laxative properties) or if it's the cleansing factor I have read you mention before about taking bitters.

I hate senna. It is a very powerful laxative that can cause a laxative dependence after just a few weeks of use. Other herbs that fall in to this category include cascara sagrada and rhubarb root. These herbs are best avoided.

I did however wake in the middle of the night too hungry to sleep so I had to get up and have a snack. I tend to feel extra hungry when I cut out starches as I did yesterday (just meats and squashes, leeks, onions, soup and a small amount of fruit away from meals). I already eat a lot and of feel it's impossible to satisfy my appetite (either due to parasites or mal-absorption or both- people say 'high metabolism but my thyroid is under active, FYI, if i go off iodine for too long I also start to feel a lump in my throat, I am trying to cut it out for a few days right now and at least cut back), and as I said I am very underweight, esp right now. I need to gain at least ten pounds, but 15-20 would be best.

Malabsorption is the most likely issue based on your intestinal issues such as low flora levels.

[JC73]

(09-17-2013 11:06 AM)Shapeshifter Wrote:  UPDATE - I feel much better already just taking some (small amounts, less than half a dropper) at meals (and some small amounts of non-dairy kefir). My constipation is no longer an issues, but almost the opposite is true. I don't know if it's from the senna (which happens to be in this formula and I have been known to be extra sensitive to it's laxative properties) or if it's the cleansing factor I have read you mention before about taking bitters. I did however wake in the middle of the night too hungry to sleep so I had to get up and have a snack. I tend to feel extra hungry when I cut out starches as I did yesterday (just meats and squashes, leeks, onions, soup and a small amount of fruit away from meals). I already eat a lot and of feel it's impossible to satisfy my appetite (either due to parasites or mal-absorption or both- people say 'high metabolism but my thyroid is under active, FYI, if i go off iodine for too long I also start to feel a lump in my throat, I am trying to cut it out for a few days right now and at least cut back), and as I said I am very underweight, esp right now. I need to gain at least ten pounds, but 15-20 would be best.

A new look at Digestive problems form IBS to GERD."fermentation potential"...the book mentioned in this article might help you:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/gerda...C+​M.D.%29

[Shapeshifter]

James,

Thank you so much for all of your responses! I am just seeing them now (I thought I had signed up for alerts in my email to responses but guess its not working )

While waiting to hear back I kept reading your old posts at Curezone and I made sure to just take a few drops of the swedish bitters I had (I have grape bitters on order) and I have been taking zinc with my heavier meals. These things helped but was still having some gas and bloating after eating really anything (and quite soon after) so I did start on HCI tablets, one with each large meal and it helped immensely, no more gas/bloating! I had read a post of yours that said this may be necessary in severe cases of long periods of low stomach acid, to just take for a couple of weeks, which I plan to do, esp while waiting on the grape bitters. I am also now able to take the Amla C more easily and I take one pill a few times a day. I will try the Amalaki with licorice as you suggest. I am also taking one fish oil pill daily with food (Carlson brand, not the cod liver oil just fish oil), and I am taking licorice, nettles, pau d'arco and yucca all in powder form 1/2 tsp 3x a day 20 min before meals.
That seems to be helping me keep from getting constipated as well. I also added coconut kefir (the concentrate, non flavored, no sugar added one, tsp is the dosage) spoonful in the morning and at bedtime. AND I added rice bran which I seem to be tolerating well (I think I had trouble with oats because I had too much, as a cereal or because there was gluten). I have just been adding a couple of teaspoons with a meal or two per day.

As for thyroid. I realize I have been overdosing on iodine for a long time now. I sort of went cold turkey off of it when realizing this but have taken a pill just every few days when I start to feel swelling in my throat (which always happened in the past when I went off of it, and then I would often get the ringworm again if off iodine for a while.. BTW, I tried EVERY kind of anti-fungal on it including iodine directly on it, and conventional anti fungal. Nothing else worked except for a lot of iodine, so I don't know what that's about). All basal readings I have done every time I logged them were low to very low. But I am very underweight, but have all other symptoms (dry brittle hair, brittle nails, dry skin, chronic fatigue, bouts of depression, thinning hair, hair thinning is pretty much throughout but maybe a little at the temples, though it's hard to tell, I think my hair line may have always been a little thinner there).

Is going off large doses iodine too quickly like going off armor or synthroid? Are there similar dangers? Should I wean off? Is eating sauer kraut a problem? (I tend to eat that most as my fermented veg) Should I take your thyroid formula?

I am pretty sure my adrenals are not great and that could be contributing. Also I did not know that about a lot of exercise causing hypothyroid symptoms. I am nowhere near to being a marathon runner however. But I have been dancing more often and for longer periods. But dancing is what I live for, at least currently, it gives me so much joy and is becoming more of what I do for a living. So I would like to find ways to manage my health to fit an active lifestyle. Including building up my joints (I think you are right that I must be allergic to a nut protein, I think specifically it's almonds, though ironically those are supposed to be the more easily assimilated nut. Or maybe molds in the nuts I am buying?)

So support for adrenals, thyroid and joints. I would love to buy your formulas, my printer just died though I could take your form to get it printed somewhere, is the mail in form the only way to order from you or can you do it online or over the phone?

Thank you for the reminder about soaking beans and sugars in beans, that must be it. I will try that. Also I already eat a pretty low glycemic index diet since sugars (too much of any type) always mess me up, either cause skin problems (eczema), sinus trouble (and other candida related symptoms), light headedness, and fatigue. I agree that building up the flora again and taking the anti-inflammatory herbs and the bitters will help with the candida. I am already feeling a lot better and I also added small amounts of bee pollen and I can tell that helps my energy a lot when I take it.

I would really love to gain 10-15 pounds back, get some shine back in my hair and thickness and strengthen my joints (AND bones, I mentioned the bone spurs on old injury sites right?), stop bruising so easily, and stop being so tired all of the time. Gratefully my gas and bloating is under control but some other IBS symptoms are still present with the irregular bowels and fluctuating still from loose to constipated/hard stools. Thanks for the info on elcampagne and also about how to take dolomite!
(And for the info on coffee enemas and adrenals! I read different things about the caffeine in enemas being absorbed or not absorbed, but I know once I did too many and the caffeine overdose symptoms were a nightmare, lasted hrs and I almost thought I would need to go to hospital! Also I tried drinking a cup of coffee not long ago and I also felt I might die! It was the worst. I really cannot tolerate caffeine or too much sugar and I knew this but suddenly thought coffee might really be good for me and if I took it with a fat it would be okay. so WRONG, wow!! )

I am so grateful to have found you, you have no idea!! I have been through so much aggrevation trying to solve my health issues, conventional doctors and naturopaths and herbalists and forums and self help books and supplement after supplement and diet after diet! I just want to heal and am willing to do whatever I need to, but there is so much misinformation and greed, and ignorance, it's maddening. Thanks for the sanity! Please let me know what I need to do to order from you and what you recommend I get. Thank you!

[Shapeshifter]

(10-01-2013 05:42 AM)JC73 Wrote:  

(09-17-2013 11:06 AM)Shapeshifter Wrote:  UPDATE - I feel much better already just taking some (small amounts, less than half a dropper) at meals (and some small amounts of non-dairy kefir). My constipation is no longer an issues, but almost the opposite is true. I don't know if it's from the senna (which happens to be in this formula and I have been known to be extra sensitive to it's laxative properties) or if it's the cleansing factor I have read you mention before about taking bitters. I did however wake in the middle of the night too hungry to sleep so I had to get up and have a snack. I tend to feel extra hungry when I cut out starches as I did yesterday (just meats and squashes, leeks, onions, soup and a small amount of fruit away from meals). I already eat a lot and of feel it's impossible to satisfy my appetite (either due to parasites or mal-absorption or both- people say 'high metabolism but my thyroid is under active, FYI, if i go off iodine for too long I also start to feel a lump in my throat, I am trying to cut it out for a few days right now and at least cut back), and as I said I am very underweight, esp right now. I need to gain at least ten pounds, but 15-20 would be best.

A new look at Digestive problems form IBS to GERD."fermentation potential"...the book mentioned in this article might help you:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/gerda...C+​M.D.%29

THANK YOU! I will check into it!

---

PS- Thank you again James, I am re-reading your responses, a good amount to think on. I did not know that motherwort also helped with hormones. That may be why after using it every month for several months I have recently discovered I did not need it and did not have cramps on my last cycle (fyi I had tried cramp bark and magnesium for years to no avail), so my problem must have been primarily hormonal. I have also started (forgot to mention) some small amounts of wild yam cream some months back as I had used it in the past and it had helped but then stopped as I had read a lot of conflicting information on it. What are your thoughts as to it's use if I am having thyroid/adrenal issues? But I know the motherwort has esp helped as it also is the only thing that helps when the pain is acute. I will have to see if I can get the actual herb as I would like to stop taking the tinctures after what you had explained about them, plus I had never felt comfortable with ingesting so much alcohol with the sugar sensitivities/ candida issues (and poss liver issues).

Btw, meant to add about the lyme tests (can't remember if I had that in my other post or this one), I only tested for it again last year because I got another bull's eye rash at the site of a bite, this time I did not find the tick so wasn't sure if it was tick or spider. But I got the test pretty soon after and later heard it may have been better to get a test a week later. I did not take any meds this time and did not have a fever. Dr. suspected it was an allergic reaction to a spider bite (btw I live in a high lyme infection rate area on the East coast) and have had several deer tick bites (as well as other ticks) in my life.

Thank you again, I will keep studying over your info. Good to know about the safe dose for iodine. Still not sure how to handle my symptoms of going off it like I have when my thyroid starts to feel like it's swelling. And also yes I forgot too much iodine can also cause hypothyroid which explains why the high doses helped a lot at first but over time I went back to low energy, low body temp symptoms. I also do have sparse/ thin hair on the rest of my body.

[James]

(10-03-2013 07:01 PM)Shapeshifter Wrote:  James,

Thank you so much for all of your responses! I am just seeing them now (I thought I had signed up for alerts in my email to responses but guess its not working )

There are few things on the board not working. Unfortunately I don't know enough about computers to know how to go about fixing the problems. I will have to find a computer tech sometime so they can check for errors.

While waiting to hear back I kept reading your old posts at Curezone and I made sure to just take a few drops of the swedish bitters I had (I have grape bitters on order) and I have been taking zinc with my heavier meals. These things helped but was still having some gas and bloating after eating really anything (and quite soon after) so I did start on HCI tablets, one with each large meal and it helped immensely, no more gas/bloating! I had read a post of yours that said this may be necessary in severe cases of long periods of low stomach acid, to just take for a couple of weeks, which I plan to do, esp while waiting on the grape bitters.

Correct. The production of stomach acid requires nutrients that require sufficient stomach acid for absorption. Therefore, long-term low stomach acid levels can interfere with the body's production of more stomach acid. Using the betaine HCl for short periods of time can help with the absorption of nutrients needed for stomach acid formation.

For those who cannot take betaine HCl for reasons such as ulcers then supplementing with trimethylglycine (TMG) will provide the methylation required for stomach acid formation.

I am also now able to take the Amla C more easily and I take one pill a few times a day. I will try the Amalaki with licorice as you suggest. I am also taking one fish oil pill daily with food (Carlson brand, not the cod liver oil just fish oil), and I am taking licorice, nettles, pau d'arco and yucca all in powder form 1/2 tsp 3x a day 20 min before meals.
That seems to be helping me keep from getting constipated as well. I also added coconut kefir (the concentrate, non flavored, no sugar added one, tsp is the dosage) spoonful in the morning and at bedtime. AND I added rice bran which I seem to be tolerating well (I think I had trouble with oats because I had too much, as a cereal or because there was gluten). I have just been adding a couple of teaspoons with a meal or two per day.

As for thyroid. I realize I have been overdosing on iodine for a long time now. I sort of went cold turkey off of it when realizing this but have taken a pill just every few days when I start to feel swelling in my throat (which always happened in the past when I went off of it, and then I would often get the ringworm again if off iodine for a while.. BTW, I tried EVERY kind of anti-fungal on it including iodine directly on it, and conventional anti fungal. Nothing else worked except for a lot of iodine, so I don't know what that's about).

You should not go off of high dose iodine suddenly.

For the ringworm make sure that you also treat the area around the infection since the fungi can be on other areas of the skin and thus keep coming back. Also make sure to put on clean clothes over the area after treatment so you do not reinfect the area.

Have you tried thyme oil diluted with a little oil? Vick's Vapor Rub is also very effective as is plain old bleach.

Also remember to keep the skin slightly acidic. You can spray a dilute citric acid solution on the skin after bathing.

All basal readings I have done every time I logged them were low to very low. But I am very underweight, but have all other symptoms (dry brittle hair, brittle nails, dry skin, chronic fatigue, bouts of depression, thinning hair, hair thinning is pretty much throughout but maybe a little at the temples, though it's hard to tell, I think my hair line may have always been a little thinner there).

Weight gain does not always occur with hypothyroidism. In part it will depend on what thyroid hormone is low. And heavy, regualr exercise can also induce hypothyroidism as a protective mechanism, but you will not gain weight.

Is going off large doses iodine too quickly like going off armor or synthroid? Are there similar dangers? Should I wean off?

Yes, you should wean off. High dose iodine will induce hypothyroidism. Going off suddenly can throw you in to an even more severe state of hypothyroidism.

Is eating sauer kraut a problem? (I tend to eat that most as my fermented veg)

Not a problem. In fact, freshly fermented vegetables are very beneficial and provide more flora.

Should I take your thyroid formula?

If your thyroid issue is autoimmune in nature or due to poor adrenal function then the Adrenal Tonic may suffice. In not related to the adrenals then I would recommend the Thyroid Tonic. Problem is that it can be hard to determine the cause of hypothyroidism. In your case it is sounding like either a rebound hypothyroidism from the excess iodine. Although, excess iodine can also aggravate autoimmune hypothyroidism. It is hard to say whether or not the Thyroid Tonic will help without knowing the cause. Some people coming off of high dose iodine though have used the Thyroid Tonic to help with better cell utilization of the remaining iodine as the dose is dropped.

I am pretty sure my adrenals are not great and that could be contributing. Also I did not know that about a lot of exercise causing hypothyroid symptoms. I am nowhere near to being a marathon runner however. But I have been dancing more often and for longer periods. But dancing is what I live for, at least currently, it gives me so much joy and is becoming more of what I do for a living. So I would like to find ways to manage my health to fit an active lifestyle. Including building up my joints (I think you are right that I must be allergic to a nut protein, I think specifically it's almonds, though ironically those are supposed to be the more easily assimilated nut. Or maybe molds in the nuts I am buying?)

Molds are an issue with some nuts and legumes such as peanuts. And molds can also lead to allergic responses. Either way building up the adrenals will help reduce allergies.

So support for adrenals, thyroid and joints. I would love to buy your formulas, my printer just died though I could take your form to get it printed somewhere, is the mail in form the only way to order from you or can you do it online or over the phone?

You can e-mail the order to MMBotanic@aol.com, which is the easiest.

Thank you for the reminder about soaking beans and sugars in beans, that must be it. I will try that. Also I already eat a pretty low glycemic index diet since sugars (too much of any type) always mess me up, either cause skin problems (eczema), sinus trouble (and other candida related symptoms), light headedness, and fatigue. I agree that building up the flora again and taking the anti-inflammatory herbs and the bitters will help with the candida. I am already feeling a lot better and I also added small amounts of bee pollen and I can tell that helps my energy a lot when I take it.

I would really love to gain 10-15 pounds back, get some shine back in my hair and thickness and strengthen my joints (AND bones, I mentioned the bone spurs on old injury sites right?),

I don't recall you saying anything about the bone spurs. Strengthening the tendons will help. I recommend the Bone and Joint and adding food grade diatomaceous earth to your water. If the spurs are in your feet also make sure you have good arch support.

stop bruising so easily, and stop being so tired all of the time. Gratefully my gas and bloating is under control but some other IBS symptoms are still present with the irregular bowels and fluctuating still from loose to constipated/hard stools. Thanks for the info on elcampagne and also about how to take dolomite!
(And for the info on coffee enemas and adrenals! I read different things about the caffeine in enemas being absorbed or not absorbed,

The caffeine definitely gets absorbed and definitely affects the adrenal glands adversely.

but I know once I did too many and the caffeine overdose symptoms were a nightmare, lasted hrs and I almost thought I would need to go to hospital! Also I tried drinking a cup of coffee not long ago and I also felt I might die! It was the worst. I really cannot tolerate caffeine or too much sugar and I knew this but suddenly thought coffee might really be good for me and if I took it with a fat it would be okay. so WRONG, wow!! )

I am so grateful to have found you, you have no idea!! I have been through so much aggrevation trying to solve my health issues, conventional doctors and naturopaths and herbalists and forums and self help books and supplement after supplement and diet after diet! I just want to heal and am willing to do whatever I need to, but there is so much misinformation and greed, and ignorance, it's maddening. Thanks for the sanity! Please let me know what I need to do to order from you and what you recommend I get. Thank you!