#I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST ALLERGIES I HAD IRON DEFICIENCY???

[plesiosaurchestra]

new embarrassing situation unlocked! accidentally finding out what those enigmatic health issues were by researching for a character you plan on drawing

[forsaken-headcanons]

food hcs cause I'm hungry as of writing this

two time is iron deficient & azure used to use one of those hello-kitty iron things whenever he'd cook stuff in a pan for them elliot is lactose intolerant (and generally doesn't like meat) which is why he doesn't eat his own pizza a lot. also he's just sick of it chance has a peanut allergy but it's Suuuuper mild so when they were younger they'd eat peanuts to have an allergic reaction and go home early (they/them chance blast) shedletsky is not as good of a cook as people think. he's a lot better at making fried chicken than anything else but overall he's pretty Okay.... Like it's good but it's not the best u've ever had builderman, in contrast, is super fucking good at cooking but he Never does it. I've always thought he's the type of guy to eat instant noodles & chug a bloxy cola for breakfast before immediately leaving for work at like 4 in the morning. he's like a guy who's cooking potential is waiting to be discovered chance is a big ravioli fan. he loveeessss some kind of pasta w sauce. it can be anything but as long as it has tomato sauce & a kind of pasta he is SO in guest 1337 is really simple in the food he eats. almost to a fault. I can bet you he has never had good seasoned food in his life cause he was around white people all the time as a kid and then went into the military. he thoroughly enjoys shedletsky's fried chicken because shed likes to marinate it & season it a ton noob is ofc a big foodie but I feel like they'd share food w the people they love (ie, guest666) . they bring a lot of bloxy colas to the others as like a sign of friendship & camaraderie dusekkar doesn't NEED to eat but it makes his magic work better.... alongside if he's well-rested :-) also the way he eats is by tossing it into his mouth and letting the like. giant flame in there just burn it. equivalent to digesting food 007n7 was a really mediocre cook before having c00lkidd. probably rarely ate proper food. even though canonically he'd let c00lkidd eat junk food & hide veggies in it I think he'd learn how to make breakfast foods like pancakes or waffles for c00lkidd to eat before he heads off to school

i probably forgot a survivor but whatever........ idk food is a love language and they all like to sit together and eat even tho they're in a purgatory. forsaken survivors found family pls - YLSA

Forsaken survivors found family real.

You forgot Taph, by the way.

[scentedchildnacho]

Final Days of Dian Fossey

The poachers....the gorillas were vaccinated and illegal animals in that forest.....the poachers had to protect the paradise and remove passified predators...

Im from Wisconsin and I recommend that people notice social views of how to make small cow land...as well as treat cows like an agricultural animal so Texas especially if Hindus aren't allowed very large plantations with huge bull edifices stalks me like no other

They have iron deficiencies and their Asian parents just drop them off around me to fix so it's you have to feed her beef

She got called a mental her mother found incest so taboo she probably was over bearing rude lazy and an awful lady to her because of gay phobia

The schizophrenogenic mother appears to be dian fosseys emblem of achievement rude in speech inhospitable short curt won't talk much

Tries to speak beautifully in situations requiring humour and competence awful lady

So Aggie hurst she appears to have murdered the adherents the native peoples told her she could work with.....

Like trungpa rinpoche

Carissa accidentally killed a dog.....so she had to start looking very English....I have severe allergies to dog and I don't view them as native here in bad ways....instead of new and modern....

Racoons....rakunks you don't really have to do anything and there is not poop piles around

And dog like gorilla is something the most raped problems often confess having to playmate with and Carissa had a tribal complex to save the women

She wanted to be queer that way sad to see it gone

Its probably important because the pygmies were so offended by her assumption they let other enemies of her work kill homosexuals of aids....they gave digit to tourists

Uhm constructivism to create the American strength all sorts of appendages can be enlarged and african American women were thought to be the most raped so

She had sex with the gorillas.....took a long time to execute her for hating people

Billy the kidd killed.....pat Garrett finally killed Billy the kidd and his hiding house 100 miles away from anything

Americans though do have really advanced educations and most animal rights activists are noticed having too many problems with disorganized thinking....its that the states knew she couldn't function normally before she went and wouldn't prevent it

They could better fund mental health care and instead inspire programs to run away from little brother don't put that there

Rise of communist China they could get rid of private mentalism for allied triage spaces so people better learn employment in an immersive environ and instead it's torture or torture so

Chicago culture....the Irish figured out underground and how missing bereaved people could understand job instead of their missing culture so it's that simple she could have at any time been deflated as some bartender gang

That's me about pb the peace program there claimed it was our migrant leaders instead of Gwen Moore.....so it's im sorry but these first 20th century environmental emancipations like coka cola still provide better breeding for women because it treats bug bites not these creepy buy his farm.now oat programs

Its Gwen Moore that actually protects his forest

They weren't expediting the homelesses social security issues and getting especially the old into a boarding house that's not how those types of you were bad situations go

I would i would feed all the hungry starving students and not care if land wasn't ranch anymore

Ruth mas with people like Carissa....Carissa digit....

It took like full opening and removal of all 1970s history then a Russian like Carissa could finally go to Ruth mas

Vaccine students you don't like or identify with your teachers though in comparison to indigenous women...

You wanted to drink cheap beer with me and Lauren didn't you

[cowboytarlos]

Tarlos headcannons pt. 3

-When Carlos was 16, his appendix ruptured after a week of pushing himself to go to school with a ‘stomach bug’. He spent two weeks in the hospital, and scared his parents sick. Andrea told TK this story after he woke up from his coma, and all he could think was ‘that explains the scar there’.

-When TK is nervous around Carlos, he’ll fiddle with Carlos’ fingers, running fingers up and down them etc. Carlos thinks it’s sweet, and has been able to easily pick up when he’s nervous. He just sticks his hand out subtly for TK.

-Andrea absolutely adores TK. Every time She calls or Carlos calls, she’ll always ask how TK is, sometimes before she asks how Carlos is. Carlos jokes about how she’s got a new favourite son.

-Carlos is a huge great british bake off fan, and immediately gets TK obsessed with the show.

-Andrea did wind up having a very serious conversation to TK over breaking up with Carlos. After the conversation ended, Carlos whispered to TK ‘I’ve never heard her so mad before’.

-Carlos has the world worst hay fever.

-TK could barely remember his own phone number, but knows Carlos’ off by heart.

-Carlos is a mitski fan. He also listens to a lot of Hozier.

-TK blushes easily. Like a teenager in their first relationship. Carlos recorded a show he very briefly mentioned so he wouldn’t miss it? Bright red. Carlos made him a cup of coffee without asking? Flushed for an hour. Carlos randomly bought him something? Never forgets it. Carlos compliments him? Flustered, extremely flustered. People think Carlos is doing this on purpose, but Carlos doesnt realise he doesn’t have to try.

-Carlos can be completely oblivious. One time, Carlos was grocery shopping with TK, and a women started subtly flirting with Carlos. TK noticed immediately and made it very obvious who he was to Carlos without saying it. As she walked away, TK pointed it out to Carlos and all Carlos had to say was ‘i thought she was being nice,’. 

-TK was a theatre kid in high school. Carlos was on the football team.

-Carlos doesn’t know how to use emojis. He texts like an old man.

-TK is a huge Pixar fan. His favourite Pixar movie is Ratatouille.

-Carlos bruises super easy. He’s absolutely covered in bruises, just all over. Loads on his shin. TK comments about the possibility of Carlos having an iron deficiency, cause no normal person should bruise this easy. But after a blood test, turns out he doesn’t. Still a mystery to this day.

-Despite being a paramedic, TK has a crippling fear of other people being sick. Like throwing up. He’s fine (as fine as one person could be) when he’s sick, but can’t do it with other people. Gets incredibly tense and anxious. When Carlos caught a horrible flu for the first time with TK in his life, it was a slight disaster. TK wanted and was very determined to look after Carlos. But when one of his new symptoms was not being able to keep anything down, it became a little harder from him to stay focused.

-Carlos was pretty short for all of middle school, but during the summer before high school, he had a very sudden and huge growth spurt. Like almost an entire foot sort of spurt.

-TK was a massive one direction fan, whilst they were band. But if you ask him now, he’d deny it.

-Carlos has incredibly sensitive hearing. Can’t not stand loud noises. Terrified of fireworks, likes the concept of concerts, can’t actually go to them.

-TK’s phone is literally never charged. But always has enough battery to answer Carlos. Drives the team insane.

-TK had a adult onset allergy to pineapple. He would eat loads as a kid. Always in his lunch box, gallons of pineapple and tropical juice in the fridge, loves pineapple sweets. So when he has a horrible reaction to eating pineapple, it really threw him through a loop.

-When TK moves to Texas, that’s when he learns how easily he burns. Carlos just tans, TK is extremely jealous.

-TK s is left handed. Carlos is right handed. So Carlos will hold TK’s right hand, so he can use his left hand.

[bean-pronounced-bawn]

My pathophysiology textbook follows a pretty standard pattern in each chapter. Module 1 is The Topic, module 2 is What Happens When The Topic Gets Fucked Up, then module three is Clinical Models of The Topic. Each clinical model also follows a pattern, where is goes over the pathophysiology of the disease, the clinical manifestations of the disease, the diagnostic process, and treatment.

One of the chapters for this week is altered nutrition, so module 1 talked about macro/micronutrients and how digestion and absorption works, and module 2 talked about undernutrition, malabsorption, allergies, and overnutrition. In the clinical models, along with things like a.norexi.a nervosa, iron deficient a.nemia, and p.henyketonuria, they talked about o.besity. And I thought it was wild how they managed to call o.besity a disease while not giving anything to show how it's a disease.

As expected, they called it a concerning epidemic yada yada, and then in the pathophysiology section they basically explained the mechanisms of fat storage and said that ob.esity is a complex multifactorial condition where genetics influence 1/3, neurohormonal messages and hormones play a major role, and lifestyle factors (they talked about socioeconomic status and environmental factors involved, which was nice ig bc I 100% expected it to be just "these people eat too much"...). Which, yeah, that's how fat storage works and what influences it, but that doesn't tell me anything about how it's a disease. Compare that to anemia, where they talked about how iron is requires for hemoglobin synthesis and electron transport, and how deficiency is more common in people who menstruate (the book confuses female/woman, so they say women, but whatever) because of blood loss, and how a lack of iron directly leads to chronic hypoxia resulting in lack of function of organs like the heart and skin and brain and such. For o.besity, other than "people are fat," they give nothing for how this constitutes a disease.

Then in the clinical manifestations, they say "excess body fat" (wow), and then talk about comorbidities, some of which I know from other class research projects have been shown to have no statistically significant correlation to weight (joint issues). While these may be influenced by being fat, none of these are inherent aspects of being fat the way hypoxia is an inherent aspect of anemia. You can be class 3 o.bese and never have any of these problems. You cannot be clinically anemic and not eventually experience hypoxia (anemia has slow onset symptoms as tissues go longer without adequate oxygen, so you can be diagnosed without symptoms if it gets caught early or isn't clinically significant). That's like saying being female is a disease because there's a correlation between autoimmune conditions and the female sex, thereby making autoimmunity a comorbidity of being female. Like, you can say being female is a risk factor to developing autoimmunity, and you can say being fat is a risk factor to developing these conditions, but it's weird to say it's a disease on its own.

The diagnostic criteria talked about BMI uncritically and talked about diagnosing the comorbidities, which, whatever. We knew they had nothing to say about being fat itself. Then in the frickin treatment section, after having the whole conversation about all the different factors that go into being fat and how complex of a condition it is with multiple etiologies, they talk about drugs that suppress appetite, and diet and exercise as a treatment. (Along with chopping off your frickin stomach and all that fun stuff). Aside from the fact that diet and exercise doesn't result in long-term weight loss and that short term weight loss results in more long -term regain and that weight yoyoing has stronger frickin correlations to all the comorbidities than weight-maintained o.besity does, they literally said that lack of diet and exercise is a small part of weight determination and then said "well if you diet and exercise you'll stop being fat 🤪✌️."

Like, not only did they directly contradict themselves, but they have given me no reason to think o.besity should be considered a disease. The one thing that they could have expanded upon was that adipocytes modulate pro-inflammatory cytokines (they promote inflammation), but they didn't talk about it beyond one sentence, so I don't know how that impacts body systems. Does it trigger inflammation? Are fat people in a perpetual state of immune response? Does it damage nearby tissues? How so? Does it increase the response-ability of the immune system, leading to increased risk of overreaction? Does it increase stress signals like cortisol, leading to the whole cascade of damage that cortisol is known to cause? We'll never fucking know because the only concrete potential evidence of the damage ob.esity might cause was part of one sentence.

[casualmaraudering]

the marauders gang ft medical condition headcanons

for once without remus cause a lot of the times only remus has any medical conditions so i started thinking about some stuff others are dealing with, just to give rem a break from all the misfortune

cw: anaphylactic shock, almost dying via peanuts, foggy glasses, herbal teas

-Sirius-

severe peanut allergy

used to forget to carry an epipen cause he was a rather forgetful little kid - got scolded by adoptive mom so many times when she saw the epipen lying on his desk rather than in his bag or in his pocket

which is why James always carries an epipen on him too, even well into adulthood, just to be safe

the first time he had an allergic reaction he was 10 and it was at a playground cause someone gave him a candy bar that supposedly had no peanuts in it. he started feeling weird, passed out, almost died, all the fun stuff. when he woke up in the hospital after the fact and his parents or James weren't there, he was so scared that he cried

& the first - and so far only, thank god - time his friends had ever seen him have a reaction was when they were 16 (Sirius was 17) and went to a milkshake place after school. they assured him there was no peanuts in his milkshake but someone probably didn't wash the equipment or something cause yeah, they were with their shakes outside just having a jolly time and Sirius is starting to feeling weird, someone points out his eyes are looking puffy, bam. epipen, ambulance, hospital

they reacted fast and he didn't even pass out that time until much later but everyone got very spooked either way. no one really eats peanut butter much anymore

by the time he's in college he's been to the hospital cause of his allergy at least six times

"no nut november? more like no nut every month cause I'm allergic to peanuts"

-James-

near-sighted

he's always had bad eyesight but didn't even realize until he was 7 and asked Sirius how the heck can Sirius even read the whiteboard from where they're sitting and Sirius looked at him very strangely cause "dude. we're in the second desk what the hell"

yea turns out James is blind as fuck. like. very blind. -4.00 prescription at age 10 kind of blind

he can move about without his glasses, yes, but the world is a blurry mess so he'd much rather have them on at all times

holy fuck the amount of times he broke his glasses tho. he's always been a very high energy kid, plays football, generally goofs around. yea. So many broken frames and shattered lenses.

by the time he broke them for the third time (once via getting hit with a ball in the face, once via falling off a tree, and once he accidentally sat on them cause they got lost in his bedsheets) his parents started keeping a spare pair in the house

generally really hates contact lenses but puts them on for football practice or exercising

it's really surprising how often he doesn't know where his glasses are considering he needs them to see

tho most the times it's cause Sirius nicks them and puts them somewhere else

his least favourite thing in the world is being outside in the cold and then going into a warm place. or drinking a hot drink. foggy glasses. not a fan. (also not a fan of Sirius breathing on his glasses, which he very often does to annoy James)

-Lily-

insomnia

started around the age of 15, but she thought it was just a teenage thing, yknow, teens stay up til late hours, that's what they do right?

yea except a lof of the times she couldn't fall asleep even if she tried

or she'd often wake up at night, multiple times

whenever she can't sleep for several hours, she'll go for an intense run and that usually tires her enough that she can sleep

very grumpy if she's not well rested = she's very grumpy a lot of the time

can't fall asleep during the day or with the light on at all. so if she wakes up in the morning and it's already bright, there's kinda no way for her to fall back asleep

she got really close to Remus cause of it cause her insomnia and his adhd go hand in hand, often they're both awake at fuckall o'clock when no one else is

she usually gets at least a few hours of sleep per night but it's not enough and so she's tired and grumpy and generally in an awful mood

reaches peak during first year of college when she has so much to study and so she stays up studying but then can't fall asleep and yeah. not fun

James often goes running with her at night. he doesn't mind if it's 3am or whatever, he doesn't like the thought of her being alone in the middle of the night (she can handle herself, yes, but also the world is a shitty place and a woman isn't safe running at night). and he's generally not a bad workout buddy

she has the biggest stash of herbal teas ever, like oh my god. when she sees a new mix or flavour she'll buy it in hopes it'll do something. it very rarely does. so she's left with a whole box and just shoves it into the cupboard. and that's why lily evans has a cupboard of 94 different herbal teas

-Regulus-

iron deficiency & anemia

gets up too fast and oh hello, the world is spinning. that's not normal

casually leaning against the wall after he gets up cause nope he's definitely not dizzy and seeing weird blobs everywhere haha what are you talking about

he doesn't like exercise in general but when he exercises he feels like he's honestly about to die, thank you lack of red cells, very cool of you

and I mean. he kinda looks like a sick victorian kid cause he's That pale. the Blacks are generally very pale but Reg is on a different level

when he got diagnosed with it, Sirius became a dietician overnight basically. and now whenever Sirius cooks, it's always shit that's rich in iron & vitamin C cause hello, gotta take care of his little bro

Regulus generally doesn't have a huge appetite tho, which results in a lot of bickering and Sirius basically being a mom with the whole "eat at least half or I'm not letting you leave the table" thing

Euphemia brings him snacks a lot just to make the kid gets the right vitamins into him

she also forces him to sit in the garden for at least an hour every day - it won't necessarily help the iron deficiency, but hey, maybe he'll gain some colour on those ghostly cheekbones

cold hands and feet so he sleeps with socks on, because his feet are really ridiculously cold to the point it bothers him so much he can't fall asleep

Sirius and James call him a vampire for it which doesn't even make sense to him but it stuck, and his brothers are dumbasses. so now this is his life

[unwelcome-ozian]

hello. i’m the person who asked wizard of oz questions a while back. i’m still not sure if i have programming, i do feel like i’m talking to at least one other person and it tends to happen the most when i’m scared or upset. i was reading about monarch programming through one of your links and it talked about spasms which i do get, mutilation in patterns where i used to cut in a checkerboard pattern, and also problems with the left eye. i have trouble with that eye specifically and i was wondering if you maybe knew any examples of what that eye trauma would manifest as so maybe i could ease my mind a little. also is it common for victims to have dark circles under the eyes? i’ve been looking around my house at old pictures and started getting them very young, probably 2-3. i’ve had them my whole life now and i just can’t get rid of them. i am starting to worry about this increasing paranoia because some of this makes sense and other parts are confusing and already not remembering pretty much any of my childhood scares me. it would be helpful to have a second opinion and i would really like to know whether this seems like programming to you.

I want to encourage you to not focus on if you’ve been programmed but on recovery.

The answers to if you are or were programmed will come with safety and exploring your past.

People self harm in patterns, this doesn’t mean someone was programmed.

There could be a number of reasons there are issues with your eye. An eye injury from when you were a child, some people have an eye that droops naturally. You didn’t share what your concern was with your eye so I’m limited in how I can answer that.

Dark circles also occur for many reasons. For example thyroid conditions, allergies, iron deficiency, and ethnicity.

I encourage you to talk with someone about your concerns who can assist you with exploring your thoughts in a supportive environment.

Oz

[nonossearch]

FWB: The search for the perfect candidate 2019 Part 1

Before I can tell you about my search for the perfect FWB candidate, I need to tell you how I ended on that search. 

Flashback to 2018, I had become very ill. I found out that I was dangerously anemic,  blood levels were extremely low. Doctors recommended taking iron pills, which I took, but hated. They made me feel sick to my stomach. So then I asked my doctor for other options to help with my iron deficiency. I was then recommended to have iron infusions. My first appointment at the infusion center went fairly well, no reaction, no side affects, it went well. I was happy that I was going to finally start feeling better. No more dizzy spells, nausea, paleness, weakness, shakiness, and extreme fatigue. I thought this was it. Fast forward to my second infusion appointment. My body decides to have an allergic reaction to the iron infusion. Holy shit, my whole body like veins felt like they were on fire. I felt the burn throughout my body, arms, chest, and head. The doctors acted quickly and administered allergy medication and some other medication to help with the pain and discomfort. I was like what the fuck.. So now what?? I was so upset, all I wanted was to get better. So now, my last option, which required that I get a blood transfusion. At this point, I said fuck it, lets do it. So December 2018, I received two pints of blood. No reactions, everything went by so smoothly. I had officially become a vampire. 

Within a few days, I was feeling so much better. I was slowly getting color back in my face, I no longer looked yellow and pale. I wasn’t shaky, nauseas, and my dizzy spells were become less frequent. I was feeling so good and happy. So good that I decided to stop talking my antidepressants. I felt amazing. In a way, I felt like I was high, high on life. I no longer felt sad, and I wanted to live my life. It felt like I was given a second shot at life, so I was going to take it. 

Within days, I was still on that high, my confidence was through the roof, I felt fucken amazing. I even sparked a romantic relationship with my neighbor. It had been so freaking long, that getting all the sweet attention and kisses, had me in a complete haze. But like anything, it was a brief romance. As fast as the flames of desire started, they died out quickly. I was left feeling completely sad. I questioned everything, was it something I said, or did, was I not his type, was the sex that bad, will I ever be good enough for someone, you know all those thoughts you get. 

With all those thoughts and my hurt ego, I sought the advice of my friends and cousin. Can I just say, talking to your girls always helps, they give you that extra battery and you are recharged once again. haha With all the positive advice, and cheering, I was ready to get back out there. 

I was once again, ready to put myself out there, and get all the booty rubs that I was craving. So I began to think, what if I started a sexual relationship with someone that I completely trusted. I immediately started to think and fantasies about the idea. I needed to begin my search, but how the hell would I bring up this conversation to them naturally. hmmm. So one day, I summoned the courage and dm’ed my friend. I tried to be very professional and straight to the point. To my surprise, he responded and was totally down to be sexual friends. I was so excited that he had agreed, and wasn’t weirded out by this. I began to turn on the heat, and started to message him suggestive messages and gifs. What can I say, I am very good at seducing. haha Just kidding, I did try. Luckily it worked on him, he was very much on the hook and going along with the steamy messages. 

Then came the day when we were suppose to meet up and get down. Unfortunately, it was at his parents house, no privacy. I was a bit disappointed, but was willing to give it a try and see how things went. I ended up taking some edibles over, to ease the tension and put us in a much more relaxing mood. I was feeling good, and I wanted to start to get freaky. However, my sexual friend, was way too high to do anything. So we ended up cuddling and kissed a bit. I was like what the fuck man. I got my first Brazilian wax for this exact encounter, I wore sexy lingerie underneath my clothes, yet no one would be seeing it. I was so disappointed. I ended up leaving his place in a Lift. During the drive home, I began to question my luck. Maybe I was cursed or someone was doing some witchcraft on my romantic life. 

After that uneventful night, the communication between my sexual friend and I, died down. My sexual friend, was no longer that, but just a friend again. My search continued for the perfect candidate once more..

[lifeasazebra]

My Story

I have never known what it is like to not be in pain. It wasn’t until I was adult did I find out that it is not normal to feel pain everyday. Since I was born, I struggled with health issues. I had GI issues and severe allergies as a baby. As a young child, I was painfully thin and struggled with constant swollen joints, flat feet with overpronation causing swollen ankles, chest pain, chronic severe pain, shortness of breath, migraines, muscle spasms, early onset osteoarthritis, intermittent scoliosis, nausea, and vomiting. I was also freakishly flexible. I was poked and prodded by multiple doctors, but in the end they all chalked my mysterious symptoms to growing pains and deemed it would all be something that I would grow out of. Not only did I not grow out of it, my symptoms worsened as I got older. Little did I know I would end up with multiple rare diagnoses...a Zebra...and end up ultimately fighting for my life. 

As a child, I always would have swollen joints especially with my ankles and knees. I was double jointed and super flexible...I noticed more so than my peers. I was always in pain everyday and I struggled to put on weight. I would also have severe allergies and would break out in hives and odd itchy rashes. I always had GI issues that would present intermittently. It was not until I was pregnant with my 4th child and had been confined to a wheelchair because the inflammation and pain was so bad in my SI joints did my perinatologist first utter the words Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It literally had rendered me unable to walk. I had to get corticosteroid injections just to be able to walk again. It was this first time a specialist brought up the idea that he thought I had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. I was referred to a Neurologist and then a Rheumatologist. They did an evaluation and after ruling out other types, deemed that I had type 3...the hypermobile type. I also see a geneticist as well who specializes in EDS. I was relieved to finally have an answer for all my odd symptoms and the multiple dislocations/subluxations I had on a daily basis that I have to see a chiropractor weekly due to this. Little did I know that another rare and insidious condition was wreaking havoc inside my body. 

I had been suffering with abdonimal pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention, early satiety with meals, and vomiting up partially digested food many hours later. Sometimes, it didn’t digest at all. I was diagnosed with microcytic anemia that would not resolve with any kind of iron therapy. I was found to be deficient in multiple vitamins as well. They thought it was my gallbladder and removed it 2 weeks after the birth of my 4th child. My symptoms persisted. At first it was still intermittent, but starting at the end of November, it began to be a more consistent pattern. The worst of it began about a week before the New Year. I began to vomit everyday. Often it would be in the middle of the night accompanied by drenching night sweats. Then it would begin to happen soon after any meals I tried to eat or even after drinking Ensure or Pedialyte. I soon began to lose weight fast. I made an appointment with my PCP who sent me for a CT scan on my abdomen/pelvis with contrast. My results came back abnormal, but my PCP suspected gastroparesis. There was also a small mass found in my stomach. I was referred to a specialist who took a look at my CT scans. 

When he came in, he was very serious and stated “I don’t think you have gastroparesis. I think you have something even more rare called SMA Syndrome. SMA stands for Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome. It is where the duodenum becomes obstructed by being crushed between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. It is a potentially life threatening condition if not treated quickly. I have lost 25 lbs. It was good that I was overweight to begin with as it has given me more time to have this corrected. At this time I am awaiting scheduling for an enodscopy and UGI with small intestine follow through. He also said they might do an MRI as well. I was informed that I will need surgery for this. 

Two rare conditions and counting. I am also being evaluated for MCAS in April and POTS in March. Life as a Zebra sure has its challenges. However, I am a fighter. I am strong. I will not quit the fight. Zebra Strong!

[cthulhudundee]

So that was an unexpected detour.

I was expecting a few months away from here, it always takes that long when I start a new job – a couple of weeks of ‘I hate this and I’m never coming back’ plus working out what I need to settle into a new work routine.

What actually happened was:

Two weeks in my bad wrist got worse. I couldn’t bend it at all. I wore my brace all weekend but still no relief by Sunday evening. In desperation I played a few minutes of guitar, cursing and swearing all the way from the pain… and it fucking worked dammit.

So I had to start doing a bit of practice everyday, worked up a few simpler pieces, had to buy a suitable chair and look for a guitar rest because I can’t use footstools anymore with my bad hip. Did you know that there is a guitar rest that looks like a giant chopping board that you attach to the back of the instrument?

Still haven’t found one I like but there’s one on ebay I’ll try eventually. Also my nails were really brittle for ‘some reason’ so it was nail hardener and nail care all over. I had to pick the one instrument that requires them.

Thankfully just doing my job has strengthened my wrists to the point where that’s mostly no longer necessary..

Then at work they introduced an app for clocking in and accepting shifts etc. (The company I work for is a zombie of a thing where everything is outsourced and they actually rent me from a recruitment company).

Of course it wouldn’t work on my phone so I had to buy another just for work, then I had to remember to use the damn thing, then it turned out others were having trouble with the app too so they put an ipad in the office and I was using this whole smartphone just for accepting shifts. At least I picked one with an alarm I can find this time.

But that turned out to be OK because then we had a break-in at home and my other phone and wallet were stolen so I just switched to the new phone but had to buy another sim to get my old number ported (all of my 2-factor authentications go to that one, all official communication goes through it) So then I had 2 sims in my phone on 2 different networks (do you think I could remember to keep credit on both?) and I only finally got everything connected back to my original number last month. Only took a year.

And THEN, the week before xmas last year I got rear ended. Second time I’ve had a perfectly good car turned into a repairable write-off by a middle aged bloke who wasn’t paying attention. Being just before xmas/new year meant all the crash repairers were closed for a couple of weeks so I was driving around in an unroadworthy vehicle with an exploded back window covered in plastic.

Luckily there were witnesses (the people in the car in front who I got shunted into - my car was the only one with major damage) and we both claimed on his insurance because I didn’t have any…. He was insured with an industry co-op for people who work in transportation, he drives for a living. I got another car for half the payout amount though so that left me some spare money.

In between all this I discovered my iron and B12 levels had taken a serious dive and I was either close to or officially anaemic, depending on which standard you use. My skin looked exactly the colour of the image on the Wikipedia page for B12 deficiency. I thought I was just getting really tanned! So that explained the brittle nails. Got B12 shots, finally found an iron supplement I can tolerate (it’s liquid! It tastes nice! I don’t get side effects!) Now I have sustagen in my morning coffee and it’s not to make the coffee taste better.

My blood test this October just gone showed I’ve made it into the low normal iron range and many of the symptoms that cleared up over that time are things I have had for my entire life. Hmmmmm.

After that I got onto my first round of allergy blood testing, just finished the second round and the results are that I am allergic to flavour lol. I’m heterozygous for one of the coeliac mutations so 10% chance I’m coeliac. I’m allergic to onion, tomato, potato, sesame and chilli. That’s, like, my entire diet and it means eating take away is near impossible. Also can’t have most gluten free baked goods cos they frequently contain potato starch.

Spent a bit of time trying different ways to hide veg and such in food, tried some kitchen gadgets and have achieved 3 reliable recipes – egg-lemon rice with spinach, lemon herb chicken and decadent porridge. Cheese n crackers and popcorn for snacks. ‘Reliable recipe’ here means a) something I can cook without too much effort and b) something I will actually want to/be able to eat once it’s made. Food shopping has become pretty basic since, and I’ve found a brand of fresh frozen lemon juice that doesn’t contain sulfites so I can go nuts with the lemon juice with no risk to my vitamin B1 levels.

So my diet is still very restricted but it’s completely allergen free and I’ve managed to finally ditch coca cola. I noticed my cravings for it were a bit sus, I’d always want something with gluten after and I’m pretty sure it’s the caramel colouring doing it. Still trying to find ways to increase veggies but fibre capsules are a godsend and my cholesterol is also high. Welcome to early middle age I guess?

In amongst all this I noticed a pattern in my sleeping habits where I would always either fall asleep or wake between 3 and 5 o’clock. Could be a.m. or p.m. but always those hours. I tried setting my alarm for 5am – totally unrealistic hour for my entire life. And IT FUNCKING WORKED! It still drifts a bit because 24 hours has never fit with my sleep-wake rhythm but I don’t suffer in the mornings anymore. I’ve actually had to move it to 4:30 because that’s about when I start waking naturally now.

So that left me feeling liked I’d been body snatched and took a while to stop feeling weird. Really weird. My only issue is sometimes falling asleep too early in the evening but then I just do cooking or whatever when I wake at 12 or 2. I suspect the key to it is that I’m awake for both sunrise and sunset and those are pretty much the only two time cues my brain has ever noticed. Also I’m not sacrificing any quiet time at night, it’s just been shifted to early morning.

And on top of all that my housemate’s sister’s second job was looking for people. I had to turn them down the first time because I still hadn’t sorted out several health issues but they asked again a few months later and I was ready. This is the sort of job I was looking for in the first place (audio transcription rather than data entry but still) but it’s way better than the one I had originally lined up for myself and its $50+ an hour. It’s only 3-7 nights a month so good second job, I get like 2x my regular day job pay if I do a full session

And that left me feeling weirded out again because now I have two jobs that I like, they both pay well, in both I have good bosses, I wake everyday (still not knowing what day it is) looking forward to whatever the day is. I don’t dread mornings anymore or wake up with the thought of ‘not again’.

Some massive changes for the good this last year and also I finally cracked crochet and knitting. But important to note, I think, that the main thing that made these huge gains possible was having a livable amount of money coming in. I regularly drop $200 at a time at the chemist and I have to be able to afford that, never mind the specialists I have to see and my GP clinic no longer bulk bills.

Getting a job was literally what enabled me to move forward while Centrelink payments kept me sick because I couldn’t afford food that wouldn’t make me sick or even the testing required to find out which foods were causing it.

[collectivedreamscapes-moved]

That thought that was too complicated to word earlier.

We are aware that people all respond to trauma differently. We’ve known this for some time now. We’ve told other people this a lot. Because it’s not good to compare your trauma to someone else’s trauma.

We have heard from time to time that because of processing and sensory issues, sometimes things that don’t cause trauma with NTs can cause trauma to autistics. just... because of those basic differences in how the autistic brain handles things. How true this is we’ve never looked into because we didn’t think it was something we needed to worry about.

Now... we’re kinda starting to wonder.

We been through some shit, no lie. Not even gonna try and downplay the level of shit we been through or that it started before we were even born.

For a long time we thought our father was our primary abuser. Because we could remember some of the things he’d done. We grew up thinking it was discipline. Discipline shouldn’t leave bruises behind. Especially on a seven year old.

Those are things we’ve always known, have never forgotten. Our dad beat us. Never been a question. The whole family, extended as well, knew he did. His words were he wanted his kids to fear him more than anything else in this world. Yes... he did say that, more than once.

The rest of the shit he did we didn’t learn for years.

(it always feels like cognitive dissonance that our dad abused us far more overtly and specifically and yet we hate our mother and don’t hate him. we don’t forgive what he did, but it comes down to our father loved us our mother did NOT and we could feel it even then. they both HURT us, damaged us, but the intent was very different and our dad has since TRIED to apologize. our mother NEVER has.)

For a long time... we believed our mother was the safe parent. Because she wasn’t as physically aggressive the way our father was. So it would confuse us that in journals and diaries over the years the most common phrase (other than just feeling like we don’t fucking fit anywhere) was that we hated our mother. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense. (ironically, when our mother read our diaries she was far more concerned with her nine year old daughter hating her rather than the wanting to die part, go figure.)

That was before we knew a lot of things or understood what really counts as abuse.

Over the years we have learned that in some ways, our mother was FAR more abusive. We have learned that children who grow up in abusive homes often ally to the less violent parent because of a NEED to feel there is someone they can trust.

Our mother used that. She would twist things to make us question our reality so badly. Some days we didn’t think we could trust anything we thought we remembered. She made fun of us. She belittled us.She manipulated us. She toyed with us.

My mother has always been about appearances and how the outside world perceived her family. She had this ideal image that was supposed to be projected. Very often we were the problem child who marred her perfect little vision.

Our parents had a rocky marriage at best. We would hear their fights through the floor of our bedroom. They would each use us as a sounding board for shit no kid should be dealing with, would try and sway us to their side. We were left feeling like we were always in the middle of some tug of war and we were supposed to know how to fix what was wrong, or we would have to choose a side. It sucked and left us believing we always had to take care of everyone around us.

We got good at that. Too good.

But here’s the thing. So much of before we were in middle school is piecemeal recall. What things we can recall often didn’t happen IN our home. At school. Around the neighborhood (because we used to wander a lot. so much.). It’s hard to remember things that happened at home at all through the years. We can remember the layout of the house. We could draw it right now if we wanted to. We remember we played musical rooms. We know that we would rearrange our whole room periodically. We can remember things that happened with our brother. We remember random things. We can’t directly recall most of the abusive situations. We know people hold them. We also know so far, no one cares to share them.

Here’s the thing. When we think about our mother in those years, beyond the art crap she would let us do... what we most recall are things like, her yelling at us repeatedly about changing the cat boxes because we had no concept of time and our sense of smell does NOT work like it should. We remember for every nice thing she did there were half a dozen other things we couldn’t understand why she’d do but hurt us. We couldn’t understand why something always rang false with what she would say to us. We knew she treated our siblings differently, but we didn’t know why. She was always telling people ‘that’s just how she is’ or ‘she’s in one of her moods’. She was always belittling what we felt, more worried about how the family would be perceived.

(one notable trip to the base ER for yet another fall because we were clumsy af and had numerous sprained and twisted ankles and wrists and such over the years, she commented ‘god i hope these doctors don’t think you’re being abused’ and we recall looking at her and thinking ‘god forbid someone get a clue and know the truth right?’)

we remember ending up in the ER and having to be held down by two nurses and a doctor (we assume we’d started to have seizures) to give us a shot bc our idiot mother figured we’d grown out of a penicillin allergy (that she shares and is very much an adult and still fucking had) and gave it to us anyway even when we questioned the wisdom of taking it. (the doctor made sure WE understood, not just our mother, that taking that shit could kill us.)

why are we even going over all of this? because of what happened when we woke up, that reflexive hitting our own hand and telling ourselves to ‘stop that’. because we could picture our mother doing that to us. 

(this woman would hit hard enough to bruise her own damn hand okay? she once broke her finger trying to hit the dog for wiggling too much while she was trying to unravel the chain and missed and hit my brother’s Tonka truck instead. and that was the dog. she burst blood vessels in her hand giving my brother a ‘spanking’.)

And we started to wonder... all those splits that aren’t from explicit abuse and the LARGE number of kids in our system... learning about being autistic (and yeah, the signs were SO there even as a two and three and four year old)... how much damage this woman has actually done to us.

(and this is where we have to say... we sometimes remember way more than we think we remember and at the same time so much less. like what did actually happen at home after we almost drowned in canyon lake? got not a clue.)

We used to think it was just... the extent of what we’d been through. Except... it didn’t feel right. Especially because of the Mountain Caves. And the people who stay there. Because they don’t function in a way that would lend itself to being able to take care of themselves. We used to say that all of them were... not quite right in the head. That there was some damage or deficiency in every single one of them. We have wildchild, who often has to be kept in a straight jacket to keep from clawing her face to ribbons and screams and bangs her head. she’s never talked. ever. and she doesn’t scream all the time. but it’s the only sound we’ve ever heard her make.

How many splits have we had for the sole purpose of appearing normal because whatever we were doing was unacceptable and wrong? We have a lot of nonvebal kids. We never really thought about it because we ARE multiple and we have been through some shit and trauma can do that.

We just wonder... how much of the way our system grew came from just trying to find ways to LOOK more normal. Because of our mother. How much of our system’s development was because of being autistic and having a mother who... hated us and everything about us?

And now we feel like we’re trying to say the only reason our system is so big is because of being autistic and that’s not what we’re saying. I’m not sure what we’re saying now... We’re not looking for something to blame. We’re not trying to say we weren’t abused or we were just ‘too sensitive’. That’s not what we’re saying.

I don’t know what we’re trying to say. It made sense a few minutes ago and now it’s just... confused and tied up in half a dozen other things. and it still comes down to we may never know. Trying to untangle things now is impossible. And we already knew our mother was a bitch. None of this changes anything.

Except that... if we’ve spent years, decades even, stopping ourselves from doing things a certain way because we internalized our mother’s reactions... how the hell do we stop doing it to ourselves? How do we stop telling ourselves what we’re doing is so very wrong or bad? how do we stop ourselves form feeling guilty when we give in because it fucking helps?

[chroniccopperdeficiency-blog]

Herpes and the new Homo

I am upset.

I almost starved to death but now I am in the greatest of health. I should be happy. I am not. All around me are people both fat and thin who have no idea that they are starving to death slowly - as I almost did. I am surprised that I have saved myself, but what surprises me even more is that I should have had hardly any help doing it. Yes, mother sheltered me. My mentor at college, as I shall explain, played a pivotal role. Indeed, under the expansion of Medicaid in the State of New Jersey - thanks to the Affordable Care Act - I was able to consult a neurologist between the hours of my deepest need. As with the other medical more-or-less professionals that I encountered, he was, in his own sympathetic way, quite helpless - although when I did finally walk in to discuss my MRI, with a giant smile on my face, explaining that I had figured it all out - and it was so simple! - he was helpful in explaining that there were additional issues that could be resolved by some entirely unnecessary but quite valuable surgeries - valuable in the sense of being readily reimbursed.

You see. We live in a culture where the sickness of the many is encouraged for the profit of the few, or even, the one. That is what upsets me.

More than any single human, the herpes virus helped me find my way out of Gehenna - even though, at the same time, it made my life hell on earth. It made my penis look like chopped asparagus. It burned. It itched. It tingled. Forever. As soon as one "session" ended, another began. It was pure terror and torture, but I listened to it. I traced its path. I followed its hum and it led me to salvation. I hardly ever get the tiniest of outbreaks now, after almost four years of steady copper supplementation.

Those were four years of explaining to people all the facts that nobody ever bothered to tell me - facts that could have saved me from over thirty years of gastrointestinal upset and mental illness. Facts that would have made my situation obvious and would have prevented me from facing those terrible feelings of cosmic dread and my own imminent death. I am upset.

My grandmother has Parkinson's. For four years I suspected that she was suffering for the same reason that I had - that a diet high in protein and low in minerals was slowly sucking away her energy. I suspected that what I had learned about copper metabolism applied to her. I bit my tongue - partly because I was told by my family that I am not a scientist.

It's true. I am an artist. I am guilty of that. I chose a difficult life. I have my mentor partly to thank for that. The late great Father Alvaro Ribeiro, a professor of English at Georgetown University, and a Jesuit priest. When he first showed me the set of documents in his possession, written in what at first seemed to me like an alien language, I had asked, "What is it?" There was no answer to be given. It would have to be found. I dedicated my life to interpreting this alien language that yet seemed so familiar, so eminently human. It was this struggle that taught me how to listen.

I wanted, in this article, to explain in detail how I was able to make the discovery - that the tingling connected to a herpes outbreak has nothing to do with herpes. It is a coincidence. It, like other spontaneous acts of the somatic nervous system - hypnic jerks and twitches, fasciculation and such - is your nervous system supplying copper from its reserve to a needy brother, like the immune system. But I am not a scientist. I wanted to start a discussion about how glial cells are enriched in copper and that maybe demyelination is a natural and not necessarily pathological process that actually supplements the mineral needs of the immune system in times of crisis. But I am not a scientist.

You see. I have no institution that I serve. No laboratory except my own little studio - in my mother's basement - which I like to call an Institute - an Institute for Research into Alien Culture. There I have done no controlled studies nor experiments. I simply listened to my body, and controlled everything I could control to try to heal it.

My particular problem was histamine. I am now convinced that I naturally produce less of a certain enzyme than the average person, and that this is something I inherited from my mother, who in turn inherited it from hers. This enzyme is required to metabolize histamine in the gut, and this enzyme in turn requires copper. As histamine built up in the gut, causing me terrible chronic inflammation, more and more enzyme was needed - and with it went all my copper reserves. But I am not a scientist. I am merely a man who ended up with a giant numb spot in the small of his back, and having tried every other supplement, in desperation, I turned to the one thing I had felt I had to avoid.

You see. We are taught to be scared of copper. We are told that it is poisonous and that we only need a little bit. The former is true; copper can be toxic, but only when copper is on its own, free and uninhibited. That is why having copper pipes is not a good idea, nor is cooking water in a copper kettle. Copper must be bound. It is precious and it is meticulously chaperoned in the human body. It is a high maintenance mineral, and if you are an active person, trying to be a thinking hard person, you need more than just a little bit. But I am not a scientist. I am merely a man who had a giant numb spot in the small of his back, who started taking copper and who felt that numb spot heal in a matter of weeks.

I am a man who has never felt healthier. I am a man who four years ago, knowing that the wrong food had caused his problems, started growing his own. I was building my garden when I heard a man being interviewed on the radio - an arrogant man, a former media executive. He was boasting about how he had turned autism advocacy into a business. He kept going on about how there was no evidence that vaccines cause autism and I thought, wait a minute. Of course it's not the vaccine. It's the very act of immunization. It's drawing copper away from a nervous system that has barely anything in it. I looked up the literature, and of course I find a study suggesting that infant uptake of copper is almost total - nothing is wasted - so precious is it to the developing body. I write to this man. I receive no reply. I watch him continue to collect money from anxious parents seeking a cure for something that is not a disease.

It is this culture that is a disease, and the men who prey upon us are the herpes of humanity.

Earlier this year I attended a conference on organic farming. I met a very kind and intelligent man named Don Huber, a scientist who had worked first for the U.S. Army, and then for a very well known, some might now say, infamous chemical company. He explained how a certain well known and rather ubiquitous herbicide was causing serious health problems. He painted a picture of a future in which one out of every two children is born with autism. I shrugged. Huber then went on to explain that this ubiquitous herbicide is actually a mineral chelator. It binds to copper and holds onto it. I have to say I wasn't surprised. I wasn't even that upset. He went on to say that it doesn't just bind to it in the ground, it will bind to it in your body. It will literally suck copper out of you. I had to laugh. Then Huber said that the people who run this company know all about it. Before they found a way to sell this product as an herbicide, they used it to strip pipes.

I am upset. I feel guilty for not having insisted that my grandmother receive a copper supplement when it could have helped her. Now I read in a medical journal that there's a new treatment soon to be available for Parkinson's. It's a proprietary molecule that delivers copper straight to the central nervous system.

You see. Our industrial culture stole it from us, and now we have to buy it back. I laugh and I cry, but I am not as emotional as I used to be. I have no more OCD, no more anxiety, no more insomnia, no more fatigue, no more panic attacks, no more hallucinations, no more allergies, no more upset stomach, no more constipation, no more herpes. I am supremely healthy.

I started this blog on tumblr so that I could collect my thoughts and observations on chronic copper deficiency. I wanted to get people thinking about the possibility that they're not being given all the facts. I wanted to empathize with people who think that the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine has something to do with the changes that they saw their children going through. I wanted to reach out to those children, many of whom are now productive adults. I wanted to tell them that I think I understand what has happened, that the difference forced on them by their own bodies was caused by something wrong that we are doing as a culture, and that they are not diseased nor disordered, but that they represent a valiant attempt to adapt and to thrive in a world that wants to starve them. Instead, I am dismissed as a neurotypical by one and by another as "that copper guy" who is "full of" excrement.

I am not a scientist, but I am a human being and those words do hurt. It is particularly ironic that they come from a person who identifies as an advocate for the bullied. I forgive this person, not because this person has autism, but because this person, like me, is human - perhaps a new kind of human, but still human. As for being neurotypical, I laugh, because of something that neurologist told me. The results of my EEG had given him a genuine shock, but he assured me it was good news, if not great news. There is a range, he explained, of typical responses, and on every account the electrodes had reported in me a value right in the middle. For him it was extraordinary, like I was the gold standard of neurology. "Something like this," he explained, "happens very rarely. You should be proud."

I laughed, because the man had no idea what it had cost me to gain this balance. It was a lifetime of mental adversity - a constant struggle to quiet a rebellious brain - that could have been avoided if I had been handed at the age of nine, in the year 1991, when my symptoms first appeared, Maria Linder's newly published book on the Biochemistry of Copper. Everything I needed to know was already there.

I try not to be too upset about this. It makes my herpes happy. Indeed, if I were not a little obsessed, I would never have taken up the challenge of Father Ribeiro's alien language. It has revealed in itself the possibility of a new kind of culture. Having successfully interpreted more than a thousand of its symbols, I can attest that the society that produced it, unlike the one that currently rules, has practiced and enjoyed a culture of balance. This balance has been programmed right into its grammar.

But I am not a scientist. I am merely a man who is loyal to the scientific method. I have been taught how to think, and thinking is what has saved me - but only after I taught myself how to listen. This our culture does not teach. It is unnecessary in the process of producing and consuming. It is a secret skill kept secret by industrialists, who use it to listen to the market - in the same way that herpes listens for that tingle that tells it that it is time to come out and start replicating.

If Don Huber is right, and we reach the point where one out of every two children is born with autism, will we have reached a balance? Will it be impossible then to starve all of us into the new kind of homo sapiens? Who among the old kind will be left? Those who carry in them the gold standard of neurology? I shudder to think of it. The vision of Herbert George Wells comes to mind, as presented in The Time Machine, where the child-like Eloi frolic about the surface only to be summoned and consumed by monstrous underground Morlocks. Will a new homo sapiens be for the old the last stable source of dietary copper? Or will we have lost all our humanity? Only the herpes know.

[fashiontrendin-blog]

What a Scary Diagnosis Taught Me About “Wellness”

http://fashion-trendin.com/what-a-scary-diagnosis-taught-me-about-wellness/

What a Scary Diagnosis Taught Me About “Wellness”

I

’ve always put a lot of pressure on myself to do a lot, very well and very fast. A few years ago, though, bossing myself around stopped working so well — not because I lowered my standards, but because I couldn’t seem to fulfill requests quickly enough. My body felt sluggish and strangely disengaged from my mind, which was regularly betraying my memories. Organizing my thoughts became laborious, like trying to befriend a very spoiled cat.

I started seeing doctors. Each time, I presented a growing buffet of symptoms: anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, poor sleep, allergies, food intolerances, acne, low energy, mood swings and weight fluctuations. Although everything seemed to be culminating at once, when I tried to trace their beginnings, things felt murky. Some of my symptoms, I realized, could be traced back several years, maybe even 10. But I’d always convinced myself they were simply byproducts of modern life. Stress will do that to a person, right?

Finally, after seeing 11 doctors over two years, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Autoimmune diseases are conditions wherein the body attacks its own healthy cells. In the case of Hashimoto’s, my body built up antibodies against my thyroid gland. The thyroid is a cute and butterfly-shaped control freak, regulating a person’s reaction to stress, muscle control, cognizance of hunger and satiety, heart and digestive function, sleep quality and more. As you can imagine, any disruption in its function can cause a variety of seemingly disconnected symptoms.

Doctors initially told me that my antibody count wasn’t high enough to warrant medication, but they said there were “lifestyle manipulations” I could make instead. Knowledge of this was, for lack of a less cheesy word, empowering. I dove into Google right away, which ushered me into a Facebook group of 76,000+ members called Hashimoto’s 411. The group was an informational conveyor belt with, on average, one post every hour.

In Hashimoto’s 411, I found a strangely comforting home. Vulnerable strangers posed questions to other vulnerable strangers. These other vulnerable strangers answered the questions with authority, based on their own unique collections of symptoms and strategies. I, too, have both asked and answered questions with authority on topics ranging from advice about iodine supplementation (controversial!), to conventional doctors (idiots, all of them), to which vegetables are easiest to digest (cooked, non-cruciferous ones low in salicylates). Each of my posts attracted 40+ replies, with empathetic peers pinging back suggestions like rubber bands, their oceanic compassion rippling through the feed.

At first, the exchanges felt sincere. But over time, they began to carry an air of paranoia, and I came to realize that they were also stoking something beyond comfort: fear. In this furtive corner of Facebook, I was learning to blindly appropriate fact and fiction about things like gluten intolerance, inflammation markers, coinfections and gut permeability. I construed the group as a reservoir of rich knowledge harboring the answers that would eventually heal me, forgetting that much of the content was subjective. I’d homogenized a complicated illness by lifting strangers’ strategies to treat my own assemblage of symptoms, denouncing food groups and erecting supplement spreadsheets.

One day, after reading a long thread that maligned synthetic ingredients in beauty products, suggesting they may cause Hashimoto flare-ups, I decided to discard all of my expensive makeup and skincare products in an impassioned fury. If indiscriminate internet users had taught me anything, it was that chemicals were bad, and that I was practically inviting illness into my life by buying them. After ushering in “clean” beauty counterparts, I then spent a designer dog price tag on supplements for “inner beauty” (known in some circles are “edible skincare”). The top shelf in my medicine cabinet had become ugly but interesting. But here’s the kicker: I still felt lousy. And I didn’t even have a puppy for my trouble.

The more links I clicked and tabs I opened, the more I felt my fear swell. Eventually, the fear would overpower even the initial symptoms I was experiencing. After a while, I realized I could scarcely differentiate my health anxiety from that of anyone else enmeshed in the wellness industrial complex. Pursuing alternative remedial strategies for a clinical disease might be different than habitually mining Goop for an adaptogen to raise your IQ or crystal therapies to shrink your pores (spoiler! both outcomes are impossible). But the governing principles of this industry — worth a quaint $3.7 trillion as of 2015 — can explain both schools of behavior.

Wellness assigns responsibility for health betterment to the individual. Have a dig around: A left-leaning health “solution” might plug the gaping hole in your soul engineered by the modern world, or it might turn out to be an actual solution. Either way, you’re crazy not to try. This is the rather humorous duality of hope and cynicism with which the average woman approaches wellness: Whether what ails you is pallid or pronounced, real or imagined, the answers are out there! You just have to spend every waking moment and all your savings to find them.

Which brings me to one of the most important health lessons this information-binge ultimately taught me: If you truly believe there are holes in your health, it’s wise to seek out a good doctor (possibly the integrative kind) before diving into the wild west of self-treating on the internet. A doctor who is thorough, curious and listens. I only just found mine — she’s lucky number 12. She ordered several comprehensive tests that were, yes, cripplingly expensive, but also revealed the mineral deficiencies that were directly causing my Hashimoto’s symptoms (primarily a paltry iodine supply, if you’re interested). She did this without once doubting the validity of my symptoms or arching a suspicious brow or wordlessly handing me a script for antidepressants. I now have supplements and strategies that work for my specific circumstances, and I’m using them and feeling better. I’ve still found it worthwhile to continue my own independent research — albeit, not with the all-consuming focus of yesteryear — but now I bring relevant theories to my appointments to be tested. Good doctors will advocate for patients who advocate for themselves.

Sadly, no amount of hope will turn backlit miscellanea into functional health strategies that serve you and your body and your own conglomeration of needs. Perhaps ironically, I’ve found that tirelessly drinking up the internet’s stream of health and wellness literature is not all that healthy.

Melissa Kenny is a writer, digital strategist and owner-operator of Tiny Gentle Asians. 

Collages by Madeline Montoya. 

[easyweight101]

IdealRaw Shake Review (UPDATED 2017): Don’t Buy Before You Read This! TOP RATED DIET SHAKES OF 2017

WHAT IS IT?

IdealRaw is an organic weight loss shake containing 7 kinds of plant based protein alongside superfoods. No artificial additives of any kind are added and it is free of gluten, GMO’s, dairy, and its vegan friendly.

Both vanilla and chocolate flavors are offered, and each one uses only one natural extract to provide each flavor. It’s specifically targeted for lean muscle growth and overall toning, as well as appetite suppression and weight loss support. With just one ingredient for flavoring, they claim it will satisfy a sweet tooth. Overall the best weight loss meal replacement shake we reviewed was 18Shake. This low calorie, high protein, vitamin and mineral rich shake can suppress appetite for hours and customers have praised its ability to assist in weight loss. Learn more about what made 18Shake our top pick as the best weight loss meal replacement shake by clicking here.

Top Rated Diet Shakes of 2017

Do You Know the Best Diet Shakes of 2017?

IDEALraw INGREDIENTS AND SIDE EFFECTS

The vanilla flavor has the following ingredients:

Organic Rice Protein Organic Pea Protein Organic Coconut Protein Organic Chia Protein Organic Sunflower Protein Organic Golden Flax Protein Organic Pumpkin Protein Organic Coconut Milk Powder Natural Flavoring Organic Vanilla Sugar Sodium Chloride Organic Stevia Organic Cranberries Organic Pomegranate Organic Broccoli Organic Wheat Grass Organic Beet Powder

Organic Rice Protein: Treated protein separated from its carbohydrates typically, and which has a distinct taste in comparison to other protein extracts. The taste is often described as being unpleasant and bitter. Rarely is rice protein taken on its own, since it is low in the important amino acid known as lysine.

Nutritional deficiencies can occur when it is taken as a standalone protein. The advance rice has over other protein is that it is highly unlikely that users would have an allergy.

Organic Pea Protein: Extracted pea which is ow in the amino acid known as cysteine, which is why it is often blended alongside other forms of protein. Excess amounts can potentially cause digestive related complications.

Our top 10 list goes over the best meal replacement weight loss shakes currently available.

Organic Coconut Protein: This tropical fruit has 17 of the 20 important amino acids the body requires. Typically coconut meat on its own will be very fatty and relatively low in protein, but this isolated form provides the protein by itself.

Organic Pumpkin Protein: Made from extracted pumpkin seeds which are high in nutrients and fatty acids. It is likely that in its extracted form it isolated the protein from the fats however.

Organic Coconut Milk Powder: Refined white powder that is spray dried and free of any liquids.

Sodium Chloride: This is the scientific name for standard salt which provides sodium, an essential mineral.

Organic Wheat Grass: A popular health food taken from the plant. Within it is an array of nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin E, iron, and amino acids.

It’s common to heat many health claims made about it but so far it’s still understudied. This includes the claim that it has potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits. Some side effects are possible such as:

Loss of appetite, nausea, and constipation.

Organic Beet Powder: The beet vegetable is one of the sweetest vegetables available, and it has nitric oxide in it which can be used to support blood flow. The powdered version of it is likely free of many nutrients, but it can potentially still offer cardiovascular benefits.

Check out our top 10 list for meal replacements which were rated as being optimal for sustained weight loss support.

EDITOR’S TIP: Combine this supplement with a proven meal replacement such as 18Shake for better results.

IDEAlraw QUALITY OF INGREDIENTS

One thing the company emphasizes and does well is offering only natural and organic ingredients. Even their sweetener stevia is highly touted for its ability as a superior alternative sweetener, since it does not affect blood sugar, cause tooth decay, or lead to obesity.

They provide a total of 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, 15 grams of protein, and 120 calories per serving. The protein and calorie amount are optimal, and the sugar is also still low.

Unfortunately the lack of fiber at just 1 gram per serving, and there is only calcium and iron, other essential vitamins and minerals are missing. This disqualifies it as being a well-rounded meal replacement shake, since a proper shake should provide a fair amount of nutrients that you would find in a meal.

The interesting thing about this is the added broccoli, beet, what grass and pomegranate, their basic Super Fruits Blend as it’s called. Since you’re only getting a few trace minerals, it essentially means that they strip these nutritious foods of their vitamins and minerals.

Compiled in this link are the top rated meal replacement shakes which can help you lose weight.

THE PRICE AND QUALITY OF IDEALRaw

One 30 serving jug retails for $35.99. They do recommend it as a pre and post workout meal, and at “strategic times”

They do focus on providing a natural formula and they do make sure to add the majority of their ingredients in adequate amounts, but it’s far too low in vitamins and minerals. You’d have to have to have a nutrient dense meal if you were to replace 2 meals a day, and have a regular meal at the end of the day.

You just can’t be secure in the low amount of nutrients provided; iron is the only mineral that is added in a sufficient enough strength, the rest is sorely lacking.

Find out about what meal replacement shakes were favorited by customers for their ability to suppress appetite and provide weight loss results.

BUSINESS OF IDEALRAW

THGPP LLC owns IdealRaw and their provided contact details are:

Phone Number: (800) 616-0896

Address: 632 N 2000 W

Ste 110 Lindon, UT 84042

Their risk free return extends for up to a year up the purchase date. If you purchase more than 1 tub, both of the returned tubs must be unopened. It’s unclear if the return policy extends to those who purchase one container and use it, but decide to send it back.

They do offer a clear terms and conditions but information about ow they operate is lacking. Not much is available on 3rd party websites either, so it’s unclear just how trustworthy this company is. The return policy is an issue in particular which they fail to truly explain in detail.

Click here for the best meal replacement shakes reviewed by our research team this year.

EDITOR’S TIP: For the best results with meal replacement shakes diet our experts recommend to use it at least 5 months. Save your money buying a few bags of meal replacement product.

CUSTOMER OPINIONS OF IDEALraw

The following are reviews found online:

“The taste was ok but this is very difficult to mix and the texture was far too chalky for my tastes”

“Not a fan of the aftertaste just a tad bit too strong”

“I like the taste it was better than I thought it was going to be. It did have a grainy texture but it wasn’t overpowering”

“I’m a fan of the chocolate it satisfied my chocoholic taste buds and it has a good taste when you mix it with almond milk and a banana”

Reoccurring concerns were had about the texture of it and the difficulty of mixing it inside of a blender bottle and blender. Apparently it would not mix well and would often leave behind a residue, which also means you might be wasting some of the powder.

There was also a difficulty in making it taste good, since some customers felt that it was unpleasant and that the aftertaste was strong.

Some customers did enjoy it and felt that it had a pleasant texture and taste however, so this may be an issue with preference.

We’ve linked a top 10 list of our chosen meal replacement shakes of the year.

How Does IdealRaw Shake Compare?

Product Name

User Rating

Has Good Appetite Suppressant

Has Only Natural Components

Good Taste

18Shake (Editor’s Choice)

97/100

Yoli YES

92/100

Isagenix

83/100

Ideal Protein

71/100

Vega One

66/100

IdealRaw Shake

37 /100

CONCLUSION – DOES idealraw WORK?

The best part about IdealRaw is that they emphasize using natural, organic, and only wholesome ingredients. The glaring issue however is that they emphasize using only plan based proteins which is often low in essential amino acids, and that’s why there are so many forms of it added here. The user reviews were also mostly negative due to the chalky taste and difficulty in mixing. Because there’s such a lack of nutrients you may also have to supplement with a hearty nutrient dense meal and or multivitamins.

Our preferred weight loss meal replacement shake of the year is the all-natural 18Shake.

You get a rich amount of protein, high amounts of vitamins and minerals, natural ingredients, a low amount of calories, and a custom approved taste. Customers also said that it suppressed their appetite for hours, that it mixes with ease inside of a blender bottle, and that it made weight loss easy.

The makers of 18Shake ensure its quality by producing it in a FDA approved facility, and by making it only with natural, wholesome, and well-regarded ingredients. You get a comprehensive formula with only rich whey as a protein for improved lean muscle growth.  To make the search for information on 18Shake easy, we’ve linked their official website here.

from Easy Weight Loss 101 http://ift.tt/2y850fv via The Best Weight Loss Diet In The World

[thisthingcalledhealth]

My Story- Continued

So it’s now June 28th, 2017 and I see my cardiologist. We’re still trying to figure out what the hell is happening with this tachycardia business. She noticed from when I was in the ER, that my potassium was at 3.5. She wants it more around 4.0. So she upped my intake to 40 meq a day. She said that sometimes if our magnesium is low, we can’t absorb potassium. She had my magnesium levels checked ant they were normal........

I had an echocardiogram and she said that came back just fine too. She said I have slight valve regurgitation but nothing to worry about. They basically keep an eye on that as I get older. Maybe in 5 years, they’ll do another echocardiogram to look at it. She said that my 1st one month long Holter monitor (event monitor) came back fine. They couldn’t find anything abnormal, but that doesn’t surprise me because I never had an event while wearing it. She ordered ANOTHER month long monitor........ She said if I didn’t have an event with it on again  they can do a loop recorder which is an implantable  device that goes superficially under the skin to record your heart for up to 3 years! 

She said if I have an event with the monitor on, I can stop the study short. She said my symptoms may be from NSVT- non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. 

On July 4th, I ended up calling 911 because I had an event while sleeping and my husband was not home and I panicked a little. It is always frightening when these things happen. The ambulance came and took me to the closest ER. In the ambulance, my heartrate got up into the 130′s and showed some PVC’s, premature ventricular contractions. Nothing scary. Once in the ER, of course nothing showed up on the EKG. However they did see that my TSH (from my thyroid) was 13.64!!! Normal range is 0.34 - 6.50!! I have never had any thyroid problems before so this was strange. The doctor also was puzzled because my T4 was in the normal range. Usually, with a high TSH, the T4 will be low and signify hypothyroidism (low thyroid). 

I saw my functional medical practitioner on 7/14/17 and she said that my labs show nutritional deficiencies and maybe some thyroid issues as well. She wondered if my nutritional deficiencies is leading to my heart symptoms. My PCP said to wait and see what the followup testing shows. She does not want to treat me for my thyroid until they figure out what’s up with my heart. She did schedule me with an endocrinologist, but their soonest appointment is not until November!! 

7/19/18. Functional medical practitioner (S) says that I am low in Zinc, Vitamin D, Iron. My thyroid is not functioning properly. Hormones are all bound up, meaning they are working too hard. We had done some allergy testing when I saw her last. She is shocked my allergy tests were not too bad considering my nutritional deficiencies. She advised me to take all of my allergens out of my diet for 28 days and then add one in at a time to see if I have a true allergy. Because sometimes the blood testing for allergies can show false positives.   

On 7/31/17 I was driving to work and had an event. I had only been driving for about 5-10 minutes. I felt indigestion and warm. I pulled over and my heart was racing. I got a little dizzy too. I was shaky as well. My husband came to get me and I stayed home from work that day. I started my period later that day. The reason I mention that is because I’ve noticed a pattern that I start my period the day of an event or the day after. Weird.....

I was very happy to have this event because I had my monitor on!! Woohoo! I emailed my cardiologist and let her know. She quickly reviewed my heart rhythm and messaged me saying that my heart rate got up as high as 160 bpm! That is high and I had no idea it was getting that high. She said it is sinus tachycardia, coming from the SA node the normal pacemaker of the heart. Which means it is coming from a “natural” stimuli- pain, anemia, stress, etc. I instantly thought of anemia and nutritional deficiencies. My monitor ended shortly after that with no additional events. I had another event on 8/10/17 while at work, sitting at my desk. This one was not as frightening and not as severe. 

The most recent even I had was on 8/23/17. I had not had one in since the 10th and so I thought it was over and done with. I had been on strict multivitamins from S and assumed my deficiencies were better and so I would not have any more events. This one was major and I’m happy Dan, my husband was home to help keep me calm. I started my period the next day. I messaged my cardiologist the next day to let her know. I am scheduled for a treadmill stress test on 9/11. She wants to make sure I’m not having any arrhythmia while working out. My guess is that they are going to see that I don’t and say it is anxiety. She has also tested me for a very rare adrenal disorder called Pheochromocytoma. She said it’s super rare, but does not want to miss anything. Still waiting on those results. I’m starting to think this is a perimenopausal hormonal thing or a thyroid thing. We shall see in November if not before. That’s enough for today- will write again soon! 

[livsapothecaryhealthclinic]

Leaky gut - a personal experience & natural treatment

I am thankful for my experience with leaky gut.  This was the beginning of my health journey and the reason why I am a Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbalist today.  If it wasn’t for leaky gut, I would probably be an accountant or a hotel manager.  Isn’t it amazing how your health can spin around your life and career aspirations!

Many people say “oh yeah I have leaky gut”.  Yes that is true, many people do have leaky gut.  But I am yet to meet someone who has a gut as leaky as mine.  I use tongue diagnosis in a clinic setting, and I am yet to see a tongue as scalloped as mine.  Serrated edges on a tongue is a sign of malabsorption and one of the signs of leaky gut.

I had just turned 16 years old.  Until then I was the healthiest, fittest, strongest and sportiest kid that everyone knew.  My first symptom was painful bloating.  I had some pre-existing Nutrition knowledge so I kept a food diary.  I researched all of the common allergenic foods, but I could not make any connection between gluten, dairy, eggs or nuts.  However, there was an unusual connection.  All protein foods were the problem, meat, eggs and dairy products.  I researched more.  I thought I was lacking protease enzymes that digest protein.  But why would this be?  It didn’t make sense.  Is there such thing as a malfunction in a digestive enzyme pathway?  I can’t remember how or when I figured it out, but the cause was hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid).  Stomach acid activates our enzymes, and protein requires more stomach acid for digestion that carbs and fat.  For a couple of years I could not eat protein foods without taking apple cider vinegar and lemon juice beforehand.  I did not realise at the time, but taking something acidic to mimic my stomach acid was masking the symptoms.  It hit me when a family member said to me, “do you have to take that stuff the rest of your life?  So if you travel the world, you have to carry a bottle of vinegar around with you?”  This comment made me really thing… what was the cause of hypochlorhydria?

The answer was given to me a couple of years later during my studies.  A Naturopath tutor said it, the two words that changed everything… ZINC DEFICIENCY.  Of course!  I also had acne, hormone imbalance and white spots on my nails, all of the typical signs.  Zinc is the most underrated mineral.  It is deficient in NZ soils, therefore, most people are deficient.  I prescribe it to most clients because it is simply impossible to obtain enough without supplementing in zinc, a multivitamin/mineral, or unless you love oysters.  Oysters are the richest food source.  I do prefer that we source our nutrients from wholefoods, however, you are excused from this rule when it comes to oysters!

Leaky gut lead to me developing gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance and multiple food allergies.  Gluten intolerance is no surprise.  My grandmother was Irish and her GP diagnosed her with “IBS” (irritable bowel syndrome).  I believe it was Coeliac disease (genetic, autoimmune gluten intolerance).  Coeliac disease is extremely common in Irish ancestry.  Irish evolved on potatoes as their staple food.  During the potato famine, they were forced to switch to grain, predominantly wheat.  This resulted in inability to thrive in many people, especially children.  The large belly and skinny limbs sickness as seen in starving African people.  The belly protrudes and muscles waste away in protein deficiency.  Coeliac disease and leaky gut (which go hand in hand), cause protein malabsorption and deficiency.  Additionally, my dad has Crohn’s disease, which is another genetic, autoimmune disease of the digestive system.  Autoimmune conditions run in the family.  Supporting the digestive system is one of the important ways to prevent autoimmune conditions.  On the other side, my grandmother is Chinese.  Nearly all Chinese (and Asians) are lactose intolerant, yet they drink milk like it’s the elixir of life!  I wonder why my grandmother had digestive issues?  Food allergies are unknown in my family.  I know leaky gut was the culprit for that and the downward spiral of my health.

I am a typical DIY kiwi with a stubborn attitude who won’t let anyone help me.  I knew the only way was to help myself.  A Naturopath would probably have got to the bottom of it.  But why would I consult a Naturopath when I could be one?

Leaky gut will bring to the surface health conditions that you are genetically predisposed to.  It has a domino effect in the body.  The momentum will not slow down or stop until you address it.  It reduces quality of life and has a flow on effect on many areas of life.

Leaky gut syndrome (also called intestinal permeability) occurs when tight junctions between the cells in the small intestine leak undigested food particles into the bloodstream.  We absorb most of our vitamins and minerals in the small intestine.  Therefore, if the integrity of our gut is compromised, this reduces our ability to obtain nutrients.  When these large particles enter the bloodstream, the body does not recognise them as they are not completely broken down.  The body launches an immune attack and treats these everyday foods as foreign invaders.  Multiple food sensitivities develop against healthy foods that the majority of people have no issue with.  Leaky gut is an increasingly common but silent health condition.  It is now being linked to many health conditions, including all autoimmune diseases.  Leaky gut is linked to autism, dyslexia, depression, dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD, schizophrenia and eating disorders.  One of the first comprehensive books on leaky gut was “Gut and Psychology Syndrome” by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride.  This is the first book I read about leaky gut and I still refer to the invaluable information today.

Causes of leaky gut include, vaccinations (due to excipients like mercury and aluminium), poor diet (particularly high in gluten), chronic stress, some medications, environmental toxins (mercury again), pathogens, intestinal dysbiosis (imbalanced gut flora), a diet high in gluten, and anti-nutrients (e.g. phytates and lectins) in a diet full of grains and soy.

Signs and symptoms of leaky gut not only occur in the gut, but are systematic throughout the body.  Including, food sensitivities/intolerances/allergies, bloating, gas, irritable bowel, tiredness, poor concentration, dark circles under eyes, acne, nutrient deficiencies (particularly iron, zinc and vitamin B12), joint pain, headaches, underactive thyroid and poor immunity (about 80% of our immunity is found in our gut).

Leaky gut is also linked to leaky brain (permeable blood brain barrier), which is responsible for mood swings, headaches, tiredness, and other behavioural conditions.  A gluten and dairy (casein) free diet is essential in this case as gluten and casein have the ability to attach to opioid receptors in the brain.  Gluten is called ‘gluteomorphin’ and casein is called ‘caseomorphin’.  Yes, as the names sound, they have the ability to act like drugs in the body.  This is the culprit behind tantrums and mood swings in many children.

Leaky gut treatment plan:

Diet excluding grains, legumes and dairy.  Include fruit (2-3 pieces/day), vegetables, meat, seafood, eggs, and soaked/activated nuts and seeds (exclude peanut butter as it is high in lectins).

Elimination diet – consult a Naturopath to devise an elimination diet plan.  This may help link food triggers to symptoms.  A Naturopath will also determine if another method of allergy testing is appropriate.

Intestinal dysbiosis is highly likely in leaky gut.  A ‘weed, seed and feed’ treatment is beneficial.  Intestinal dysbiosis is commonly caused by antibiotics, vaccinations, medications (oral contraceptive pill), and C-section birth.  This treatment is more effective whilst avoiding sugar and refined carbohydrates that feed bad bacteria.

‘Weed’ the unbeneficial bacteria out of the large intestine using antimicrobials (antibacterials, antifungals and antiprotozoals).  These substances include garlic, grape seed extract, coconut oil, raw honey, colloidal silver, oregano essential oil (use sparingly), and many Herbal Medicines.  Goldenseal and Bearberry are more antibacterial, while Pau d’arco and Wormwood are more antiprotozoal.

‘Seed’ the gut by inoculating it with probiotics like fermented foods and/or a supplement.  Check out my blog ~ Probiotics and Prebiotics.

‘Feed’ the probiotics with prebiotics (fibre), while sugar feeds bad bacteria.  Resistant starch effectively feeds beneficial bacteria.  Check out my blog ~ Resistant Starch – the new fibre.

Anti-inflammatory diet reduces inflammation, which is involved when the gut is irritated.  Omega 3 is the most beneficial nutrient here.  Omega 3 can be taken in the form of supplement (fish oil or cod liver oil), or foods including oily fish (salmon, sardines, anchovies and mackerel), chia seeds and flaxseeds (including their oils), walnuts and pecans.  Other anti-inflammatory foods include turmeric (curcumin), pineapple (bromelain), plus colourful fruit and vegetables high in antioxidants and phytonutrients.  Reduce inflammatory foods, including processed vegetable oil (particularly once heated they become hydrogenated/trans fats), oxidised/rancid fats (use high quality oils), non-organic animal fats (meat and dairy) have a high omega 6:3 ratio which contributes to inflammation, white foods (flour, sugar etc. contain no micronutrients).  The Mediterranean diet is the perfect example of an anti-inflammatory diet, with emphasis on extra virgin olive oil.

The nightshade family of vegetables are not recommended.  These include potato, tomato, capsicum, eggplant and chili.  This group of vegetables are inflammatory and high in lectins (similarly to grains and legumes), which are irritating to the gut.  Kumera, pumpkin and other roots are better options if you need starchy vegetables as they are not part of the nightshade family.

Superfoods for the gut: Liver contains protein, vitamin A (nature’s most concentrated source as vitamin A is stored in the liver), B vitamins (particularly B12) and iron.  Liver can be made into pate or hidden in mince dishes.  Choose organic where possible as animals (and humans) store and process toxins in their liver.  Incorporate liver into meals each week.  I recommend about 50g twice a week.

Bone broth is a rich source of gelatin and the amino acid glutamine.  Glutamine feeds our enterocytes (precious one cell layer thick lining of our small intestine).  Alternatively gelatin powder and/or a glutamine supplement can be taken.  I recommend 1-2 cups per day.  This can be taken straight or used as a base for soup.

Chia and flax seeds not only contain omega and many other minerals.  Once soaked in water a mucilaginous jelly forms.  This is extremely soothing to the gut.  Chia and flaxseeds make a great breakfast/snack in the form of chia pudding, or they are the perfect addition to smoothies.  There are lots of recipes online for chia puddings.  For smoothies, soak about 1 tablespoon of each chia and flaxseeds in ½ – ¾ cup of water and store in the fridge overnight.

Supplements:

Cod liver oil contains omega 3 and vitamin A.  Choose one with added vitamin D.  All three of these nutrients are highly beneficial for the gut.  I recommend 2 teaspoons per day, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening.

Zinc is the most important mineral for restoring leaky gut as it effectively strengthens tight junctions.  I believe it is the most underrated mineral, alongside magnesium.  I recommend about 50mg per day (dosage depends on age and gender).

Glutamine is an amino acid (building block of protein) and building block of our enterocytes, these are our small intestinal cells.  Glutamine is taken as a flavourless powder.  I recommend 2 teaspoons per day, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening.  As an alternative to bone broth.

Digestive enzyme supplements aid digestion.  A healthy gut has brush border enzymes that facilitate chemical breakdown of food.  A damaged gut lacks enzymes.  Digestion of starches and complex carbohydrates is especially difficult.  Hence why these foods are reduced in a gut healing treatment plan.

Multivitamin and mineral is beneficial during this time to boost nutrient intake.  Leaky gut causes nutrient deficiencies in many nutrients.  We need vitamins and minerals for all of the biochemical processes in our body.

Marshmallow and Licorice in the form of tea or herbal tincture are soothing to an irritated gut.  Herbal tinctures are available from Herbalists.  The polysaccharides contained in these herbs are mucilaginous.  The plant constituent mucilage is responsible for the mucilaginous quality.  Mucilage relieves inflammation and irritation of the intestinal tract.

Slippery elm, similarly to Marshmallow and Licorice, has mucilage which is soothing to the gut lining.  Take about 2 teaspoons per day, 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening.

Leaky Gut Meal Plan

Breakfast: bacon (preferably nitrate free) or leftover meat, eggs, greens and tomatoes (or any vegetables).

Or smoothie: berries, soaked chia/flaxseeds, almond/coconut milk and optional nuts or raw egg.

Lunch: tinned salmon/eggs/leftover protein from dinner with salad including avocado/olives/nuts/seeds and homemade dressing (olive/avocado oil and lemon juice/apple cider vinegar/balsamic vinegar).

Dinner: fish/chicken/meat with vegetables (excluding starchy roots e.g. potato and kumara, pumpkin is ok).  Cook in coconut oil or olive oil on a low heat.  Herbs and spices enhance digestion.

Snacks: up to 2-3 servings of low sugar fruit (e.g. berries, kiwifruit or green apple), raw vegetables with homemade pate (liver), soaked/activated nuts/seeds, or boiled eggs.

Bone broth: 1-2 cups per day.  Either drink straight (chicken broth is most palatable by itself), add to cooking or use as a base for soup with vegetables and meat (can eaten for lunch or dinner).

Fermented foods e.g. sauerkraut and kimchi (about 1 tablespoon per day) are recommended alongside a probiotic supplement.

A gut healing treatment can take 3-12 months depending on the individual case.  It is essential to consult a Naturopath for assistance with Nutrition, supplements and Herbal Medicine during this time.

Also check out my blog ~ Top Tips for Optimal Digestion.

Liv

http://livsapothecary.co.nz/leaky-gut-a-personal-experience-natural-treatment/