Healing the Gut Tribe-October - Page 12

[bluets]

Chinese pistache,

You're not a bad mama -- else you wouldn't be here.

Would it be helpful to tell your family that these are food allergies... exaggerate. Mention death, perhaps.

We're facing a dilemma when we visit my inlaws (well, dh's grandparents) over Thanksgiving. They eat a very SAD diet. So dh will let me bring our own food (haha! he used to give me grief when I did this in the past). He's going to be explaining to the grandparents that this is a doctor prescribed diet and that we're dealing with food allergies (only some of this statement is false, so it isn't a complete lie).

Our favorite sitter is a college student from our daycare. Perhaps there's a local daycare where you can get a referral for a babysitter? If it is a state licensed facility, most states require daycare workers to be screened - criminal history, first aid training, etc. - so you'd be likely getting someone who is reliable and can follow instructions and doesn't have family baggage Then leave instructions about food with some mention of doctor's orders. Why people believe things when you include the phrase "doctor's orders", I have no idea -- but it works!

[bluets]

bestbirths - have you tried kefir? i'm a bit fuzzy on the matter of RA, but i may have read something (on dom's awesome kefir website) that it may ameliorate RA symptoms. kefir with a shot of honey is quite palatable. if you want to give it a try, i've got a TON of grains. also, kefir slows down digestion and, in so doing, it improves absorption and nutrient uptake.

our ND prescribed brown rice to help with absorption, chorella for a time (for dh) to help pull out toxins and such, alpha lipoic acid for whatever reason...

have you tried epsom salt baths? they're calming, magnesium boosting, and they also pull out toxins.

did anybody here try those foot pads to pull down toxins? do they work? http://gaiam.com is selling them now (i saw it in the mail order catalog so i don't have a link to the product).

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by bluets

bestbirths - have you tried kefir? i'm a bit fuzzy on the matter of RA, but i may have read something (on dom's awesome kefir website) that it may ameliorate RA symptoms. kefir with a shot of honey is quite palatable. if you want to give it a try, i've got a TON of grains. also, kefir slows down digestion and, in so doing, it improves absorption and nutrient uptake.

our ND prescribed brown rice to help with absorption, chorella for a time (for dh) to help pull out toxins and such, alpha lipoic acid for whatever reason...

have you tried epsom salt baths? they're calming, magnesium boosting, and they also pull out toxins.

did anybody here try those foot pads to pull down toxins? do they work? http://gaiam.com is selling them now (i saw it in the mail order catalog so i don't have a link to the product).

Yes, I've tried the foot pads and they DO work, but don't use them if you have amalgams in your mouth! The night I used one all I tasted was metal and I had the most bizarre dreams too.: VERY dangerous for b'feeding dcs to do if you have metal in your mouth.

ETA: I'll sell you mine if you want 'em.

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by Bestbirths

I'm just ducking in here to sub and I have vent and a ramble of questions, if you don't mind. We are going through quite an dietary examination here with our six year old dd just diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I have been considering stopping SCD, or at least having to add more foods if we eliminate nuts because they are high in oxalates. I am worried that two of my children were too thin on SCD. You can see their ribs and their bones stick out.

Then two other children aren't thin on it, but the one is moody (preteen), and the other is the dd with arthritis. Just now three out of four of them needed to get eyeglasses. The only one who didn't need glasses has uveitis. For the youngest to get uveitis and have an arthritis flare just when we were three months or so into eating a healthy diet is frustrating. Our daughter has had this pain which we now know to be undiagnosed arthritis for fourteen months, primarily foot pain, way back when we were eating gluten and casein free. We can't just say the SCD diet caused the foot pain, because it has been there for a full year previous. I do wonder though, why we would get uveitis while on the SCD? Right now the arthritis is really bad, but that could be because its the time of year when it gets cold and arthritis gets worse. It was really bad this time last year, we just didn't know what it was.

I went about reading about the whole eastern way of getting rid inflammation by eliminating all sat fats and red meats, and I just don't know what to do at this point. Our two thin children...well, I can't imagine that taking the sat fats out of their diet could be a wise idea. We would all like a traditional diet better than the eastern one, and cooking without any oils or very little sounds so un attractive, but we are willing to do what it takes for her to get better.

So, I'm taking a new look at traditional diets, looking at, maybe we were doing the SCD wrong, yk? We were transitioning into it...maybe we didn't eat enough veggies or we were neglecting some vital nutrients because we weren't making bone broths yet...and we really haven't done the yogurt that much. We have majored on fruit, meat, & nuts. Lots of peanut butter. Maybe we aren't taking into consideration allergies.

Maybe we aren't using the right kind of oils, we'd been using coconut oil. But also refined olive oil just the regular kind from the store, maybe that is the problem? Is just regular butter from the store we were using the problem? Were we eating too much fruit and not enough veggies. Well, maybe you can eat too much meat. Could we have been eating too much bacon and eggs? We would eat bacon 3 or 4 times a week.

Is there anyone who is using SCD or NT for rheumatoid arthritis? If so, what modifications do you make? Do you combine the SCD and avoiding high oxalate foods? Do you use SCD and avoid nightshades? Could it be the nuts and orange juice being high in oxalates causing pain?

The dc with arthritis has constipation, then sometimes unloads a large amount of loose stool all at once. I read the arthritis could be leaky gut, yeast, bacteria, or viral. On her hair test, it showed Aluminum, antimony, bismuth, tin, and titanium all in the yellow. Aluminum and bismuth were mid yellow.
She showed high calcium and mag on her hair test, does that mean she's dumping those nutrients? Selineum and Germanium were low. This was last february's hair test.

I'm wondering if the arthritis would get better if she chelated. I was thinking we could get more into the SCD or NT but add in soaked grains and beans and more veggies and maybe less meat?

Since eastern medicine calls arthritis a calcic disorder should we supplement more calcium and magnesium? The weston price website even said for some conditions a vegetarian diet is better. Which conditions does weston price think does better as vegetarian? It didn't say, but it made me wonder if arthritis was one of them.

sorry for the ramble....: I would like to know your take on it....

I wouldn't take out the S fats either. How about olive oil? Did you use a lot of that?

SCD has helped me maintain weight for the first time - ever so I'm confused as to why it's not working for your dcs. We eat a lot of olive oil, (co too, but mostly olive oil), butter - tons of it, and avocados. Will your dcs eat avocados?

I know literally nothing about arthritis. I wish I could help.

Your dc w/arthritis sounds like he also has IBS. The SCD should help that. It's VERY important to do the yogurt (or other probiotic) EVERY day. That has helped my dd1 the most. (She had constipation issues - severe ones- until the yogurt.)

Sounds like you have a lot going on w/metals etc..(dd2 does as well ) so I understand your frustration. Getting the gut in shape is top priority for these kids.

Can you afford a DAN doctor? I finally decided I couldn't do this on my own and had my very first DAN appointment yesterday. It was awesome. So great that whenever I think about it I want to cry.

I finally feel some relief.

Have you posted on the enzyme-autism yahoo group? Those mamas are very knowledgeable about some of the questions you're asking. (DId I violate a rule here by mentioning them? )

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by Chinese Pistache

Pardon this vent:

I hate feeling like my dd is a fragile, breakable piece of fine china. I hate being paranoid that her grandparents are going to give her something she's allergic to (just a "little lick of whipped cream": ). I'm stressed about what to feed her, wondering whether or not she'll take the supplements, trying to decide if she's too small, and whether or not I should take her to a doctor. Wondering if dh and I will ever have a night out alone again because I can't trust another person to watch her, not even family which sucks.

Ahhh! The mental pressure I feel about her and her health sure saps the joy I want to be feeling. : I've got to figure out some way to deal with these conflicting emotions because we'll be here for a while I feel like such a bad mother.

It IS extremely stressful taking on all this responsiblility to heal our dcs. It is very very difficult both mentally and emotionally. You surely are not a bad mama. Think of all the mamas out there who don't have a clue about how nutrition relates to health and emotions and all the rest that we know about our kids.

You'd be a bad mama, knowing what you know now and driving through McDonald's for dinner every night yk?

We are all trying the best we can.

My ILs are super sugar freaks and refined foods, all that. Well, they come from the South so whaddaya expect? I catch them all the time (at family gatherings) trying to sneak a little *sweet tea* or cake or cookies or whatever to dd. I love them but they equate *goodies* with love.

Try not to worry about the supplements until the time comes - there are ways of disguising them and getting them into kids. What supps are you talking about?

If she's otherwise healthy, (I don't remember her issues), don't worry about her size.

[caedmyn]

Bestbirths-- I'm sorry you're having so many issues with your kids. Have you seen any improvements in any of them while on the SCD? It doesn't work for everyone, so if it's not helping you I definitely would switch to something else.

What are you referring to as an Eastern diet? A macrobiotic diet?

Regardless of what diet you're following, can you get more fatty foods into your skinny kids? Coconut oil in everything, full fat dairy if they can tolerate it, butter, cream, etc. And can you put your DD with rheumatoid arthritis on a different diet so you can monitor what causes her to react more easily?

The book "Vitamin C, Infectious Diseases, and Toxins" mentions successfully treating rheumatoid arthritis with large doses of vitamin C.

The book "Root Canal Cover-Up" which is based on Dr. Price's research says that people with rheumatoid arthritis tend to show bone loss, which means their blood level of ionic calcium is too high. He found that arthritis could be reversed if the blood ratio of calcium to phosphorus was corrected (should be 2.5:1 calcium to phosphorus). The book doesn't mention magnesium but her calcium:magnesium balance could be off, also. Can you get a blood test for mineral levels?

I seem to remember reading a post in the Nutrition forum about someone whose arthritis greatly improved while drinking kombucha (I don't remember what type of arthritis, though). I think kefir would also be really good because of the bacteria and yeasts in it. If she can't do dairy you can do water kefirs or coconut milk kefir.

The book "Traditional Foods are Your Best Medicine" says that rheumatoid arthritis patients do best when they eliminate dairy, fruit & fruit juice, and all sweeteners. You might avoid nightshades, too, or at least eliminate them for a while to see if you see any difference when they are added back in. I know I have read several places that many people with rheumatoid arthritis have trouble with the nightshades.

Okay, that is all I can think of right at the moment. Hopefully this will give you some ideas on where to begin trying to heal your DD.

[Chinese Pistache]

Annikate, thanks for the hug Dd is taking probiotics (culturelle and reuteri). She's very hit and miss about what she'll eat. One day, she loves eggs, the next day no. Same with oatmeal, applesauce, etc. The enzymes have been difficult. I haven't been able to disguise them yet. I just ordered some flavored ones (not the very basic papaya ones, either), so we'll see how it goes.

Bluets, that's a very good idea about finding a sitter. I'm going to call around. We just moved here, but in our old town, we had a college student who watched our kids. She was wonderful. Thank you.

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by caedmyn

I'd like to hear more when you get a chance...did you ever get your DD tested for mercury toxicity?

Also, if you have time can you post what all you've tried for your younger DD and what has/hasn't helped? I'm trying to work on my DD directly now instead of doing everything through me/breastmilk but I am kind of at a loss as to what to do.

Yes, we had dd2 tested twice: Once when she was about 8 mos. old and once about 9 months later. Both times she met Andy Cutler's counting rules for being mercury toxic. see this site.

We tried everything to help her. And I mean everything. It started w/reflux. This is what led us here - to this tribe and SCD. Thank you JaneS! If it weren't for one of her posts to my questions about food allergies/intolerances I wouldn't know any of this. She's all about it when I tell her but I mean it. I don't doubt that dd would be an ASD kid if it weren't for Jane. Well, or if I had kept vaxing her too. :

But. . . I digress.

DD doesn't have reflux anymore but she is still slightly constipated. Her stimmy behaviors have disappeared. Her dark circles and red bumps under her eyes have disappeared.

Her CDSA shows tons of bad bacteria and yeast too. Too much bifido and lacto (yes, too much can also be a bad thing.) So her gut needs some serious help.

Her major issue still is that she doesn't sleep. She wakes, and wakes, and wakes. Which is typical of these kids. Her cradle cap has still not gone away either which I just learned can be indicative of metal toxicity.

So . . . what seems to be helping the most:?
magnesium sulfate cream after bath at night
craniosacral therapy (helps her body eliminate toxins)
high doses of vitamin c
clo

I had my first DAN visit yesterday and we will be adding some other stuff :
B12
Omega 6s and 9s
caprylic acid
milk thistle

The doc did not think it necessary to put her on an anti-candida diet (or myself for that matter.) (I'm selfishly happy about that.)

So, I will post our progress as we go along. We're going to be doing some regular testing too like a fecal metals, thyroid test, check her liver counts and amino acids, etc.

I know we've taken some positive steps so far, but finally, I feel like we're heading in the right direction toward some *serious* healing for her.

[Yin Yang]

What is DAN doctor?

I was wondering something. How would you know that your child might have all these problems mentioned above, or some of them, if they seem to be perfectly healthy? I am not sure how to explain it.....I mean I'd never think my 3 months old for example would have too much mercury in him unless there was something "wrong" with him. It's pretty scary reading about all these very young children who are so full of heavy metals and have leaky guts.....how does 9 months old get leaky gut? It's an very genuin question, how does exlusively breasfed baby get to have such problems? I understand there is way too much crap and polution everywhere around us, but why does it cause so many problems to some people?
Like bestbirth's children - oh my god, reading your post just makes my heart ache for you all! Really - it seems like all of your children have so many serious problems!!
I have been reading this thread with lots of interest and learnign and making notes and trying to follow everything here....just wanted to express my thoughts on the whole thing.

[Bestbirths]

Originally Posted by bluets

bestbirths - have you tried kefir?

Yes, we tried kefir. I couldn't get the children to eat it. It was too sour. How much honey are you adding to 1 T of kefir to make it palatable? Then, I killed the kefir we had. I have a couple rennet tablets someone gave me and said I could make my own kefir again from that. I don't know how to do that. Now that we know she is sick though, we will try harder to make the kefir taste better.

We do epsom salt baths and epsom salt creme often. I am checking into getting dd some of those detox footpads, and also we have started to use our sauna everyday.

We tried soaked quinoa, and some oatmeal, but I don't know if we are brave enough to try rice, it has been an allergy problem in the past.

[Gale Force]

Bestbirths,

You were stewing your kefir for too long. When you get more grains, try letting it sit for about half the time. You still may need to dress it up with something. As she gets used to it, you might be able to get away with brewing it longer.

Amanda

[Gale Force]

Best Births,

I saw your post in the traditional foods forum too and haven't had a chance to read it closely but you've obviously made a lot of good changes and have worked hard at it. These health crises always make us stop and ponder what else we need to do. There are definitely diet tweaks you can make (for instance peanuts are high in phytates and can cause thyroid problems i don't think it's good for any of us though I ate some yesterday: ) The broths I would start ASAP. I would strongly suggest taking up fermenting vegetables and fruit. With all of the children and likely an assortment of problems, the broth will add more minerals and the fermentation more vitamins and bacteria. Those are all good things regardless.

The child with RA, perhaps a red blood cell mineral/metal panel at Metametrix or Doctor's Data. It's much better than a hair analysis and it will give you a sense of whether chelation is really necessary. She may need certain nutrients more. In terms of cures for RA, the only "cure" I've seen lately is the milk diet that we were talking about in the traditional foods forum. My mom had arthritis (though I don't think RA) in her 20s and got it under control with a diet high in meats and vegetables and some supplements. I just asked her about the supplements but she doesn't remember.

[Punchy Kaby]

I have only a minute, but I wanted to respond to Bestbirths- . You have so much on your plate! You really need to read one of Karen DeFelice's books 'Enzymes for Autism' is the one I read. I think enzymes could be beneficial for RA and inflammation, esp bromelain. She also says in this book that enzymes can help underweight children too, helps their bodies process nutrients and if they have any gut issues it can help to heal them so they have a bigger appetite.

Chinese pistache, you are a very loving mama! You are doing an amazing thing by taking control of your baby's health. In the enzyme book there is a whole chapter on how to disguise enzymes. The yummiest solution was to melt chocolate, add the enzymes and freeze.


Gotta go, DS just woke from a nap!

[Pattyla]

I've been away. I'll go back and read in a minute if I can.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote to the guy at www.thaumaturge.net He belongs to the same Christian Denomination as I do, went to the same college as my DH and several people from our church have used him to solve some puzzling (and major) health issues. I figured it couldn't hurt anything and he is way cheaper than the DAN! Dr we are considering.

His responce to me/us blew me away! I was quite shocked and yet it totally makes sense with all that I have learned. Frankly 3 months ago I might not have beleived what he had to say but I have read a lot since then. Try to bear with me while I explain all of this.

Ultimately, I beleive that this gut issue, for me, goes back to bad nutrition. (Read the Untold Story Of Milk to understand this further). This plus abx and exhaustion in college or perhaps even earlier (I'm not sure how far back this yeast issue really goes) set me/my gut up to harbor various pathogenic microbes. I suspect that they may have changed somewhat over the year but that in general I haven't ever had a good balance of gut flora. This is why my immune system has never been good at fighting things off. My white flour vegitarianism in college and beyond probably tipped me even father in the wrong direction. I am currently reaping the results of many, many years of abuse that my body had undergone. My dd had the misfortune of inheriting my poor gut flora and being put on IV abx at birth and spending the first 4 days of her life in a NICU far from me.

So that said here is what he said is wrong with me.

Parasite that I picked up at some point in my 20's. I have become increasingly convinced (through my reading) that this very thing might be my problem but couldn't figure out how to determine that for sure. I mentioned nothing about this in my letter to him.

And DD

Staf infection that she picked up shortly after birth. The NICU where she was has persistant Staf that they can't get rid of. My great fear having her in there was that she would get a staf (or other) infection. He had no idea that she had been hospitalized at all.

And he mentioned that my dh has a problem with keeping his blood sugar stable and recomended a suppliment for that as well as recomending that he take cranberry to keep him from passing yeast back to me. He also recomended that I take cranberry when I get pg to keep my blood sugar stable.

I have ordered the various suppliments he recomended and plan to follow the protocol he recomends for us. I started dd on it today. Her protocol will take a total of 3 months. Mine will take 4 months.

He might be wrong but right now I don't think so.

[Pattyla]

Originally Posted by Bestbirths

I'm just ducking in here to sub and I have vent and a ramble of questions, if you don't mind. We are going through quite an dietary examination here with our six year old dd just diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I have been considering stopping SCD, or at least having to add more foods if we eliminate nuts because they are high in oxalates. I am worried that two of my children were too thin on SCD. You can see their ribs and their bones stick out.

Then two other children aren't thin on it, but the one is moody (preteen), and the other is the dd with arthritis. Just now three out of four of them needed to get eyeglasses. The only one who didn't need glasses has uveitis. For the youngest to get uveitis and have an arthritis flare just when we were three months or so into eating a healthy diet is frustrating. Our daughter has had this pain which we now know to be undiagnosed arthritis for fourteen months, primarily foot pain, way back when we were eating gluten and casein free. We can't just say the SCD diet caused the foot pain, because it has been there for a full year previous. I do wonder though, why we would get uveitis while on the SCD? Right now the arthritis is really bad, but that could be because its the time of year when it gets cold and arthritis gets worse. It was really bad this time last year, we just didn't know what it was.

I went about reading about the whole eastern way of getting rid inflammation by eliminating all sat fats and red meats, and I just don't know what to do at this point. Our two thin children...well, I can't imagine that taking the sat fats out of their diet could be a wise idea. We would all like a traditional diet better than the eastern one, and cooking without any oils or very little sounds so un attractive, but we are willing to do what it takes for her to get better.

So, I'm taking a new look at traditional diets, looking at, maybe we were doing the SCD wrong, yk? We were transitioning into it...maybe we didn't eat enough veggies or we were neglecting some vital nutrients because we weren't making bone broths yet...and we really haven't done the yogurt that much. We have majored on fruit, meat, & nuts. Lots of peanut butter. Maybe we aren't taking into consideration allergies.

Maybe we aren't using the right kind of oils, we'd been using coconut oil. But also refined olive oil just the regular kind from the store, maybe that is the problem? Is just regular butter from the store we were using the problem? Were we eating too much fruit and not enough veggies. Well, maybe you can eat too much meat. Could we have been eating too much bacon and eggs? We would eat bacon 3 or 4 times a week.

Is there anyone who is using SCD or NT for rheumatoid arthritis? If so, what modifications do you make? Do you combine the SCD and avoiding high oxalate foods? Do you use SCD and avoid nightshades? Could it be the nuts and orange juice being high in oxalates causing pain?

The dc with arthritis has constipation, then sometimes unloads a large amount of loose stool all at once. I read the arthritis could be leaky gut, yeast, bacteria, or viral. On her hair test, it showed Aluminum, antimony, bismuth, tin, and titanium all in the yellow. Aluminum and bismuth were mid yellow.
She showed high calcium and mag on her hair test, does that mean she's dumping those nutrients? Selineum and Germanium were low. This was last february's hair test.

I'm wondering if the arthritis would get better if she chelated. I was thinking we could get more into the SCD or NT but add in soaked grains and beans and more veggies and maybe less meat?

Since eastern medicine calls arthritis a calcic disorder should we supplement more calcium and magnesium? The weston price website even said for some conditions a vegetarian diet is better. Which conditions does weston price think does better as vegetarian? It didn't say, but it made me wonder if arthritis was one of them.

sorry for the ramble....: I would like to know your take on it....

Really quick short responce but I am most of the way through the Untold Story of Milk and there was quite a bit about the benefits of raw milk (can't remember if it was cultured too) for RA. Not necessarily a buy the whole book ammount of info but certainly a borrow it ammount of info.

[moonshine]

I have been away from this thread, although reading along, because I thought my issues were resolving. And my digestion is generally better. But I have a raging rash on my face that I have now been told by a couple people that it looks like ezema. Which as far as I know, I have never had before.

I am wondering a few things. I ran out of enzymes and haven't ordered any more. I went off any sort of diet and was eating a lot of bread. : I guess these things could have contributed. Also, wondering if it is moving if that is actually a good thing?

So am going to order more enzymes, stop the bread, and...? Can any of you who have/had suffered from ezema give me some tips, thoughts?

[Chinese Pistache]

Originally Posted by Yin Yang

What is DAN doctor?

I was wondering something. How would you know that your child might have all these problems mentioned above, or some of them, if they seem to be perfectly healthy? I am not sure how to explain it.....I mean I'd never think my 3 months old for example would have too much mercury in him unless there was something "wrong" with him. It's pretty scary reading about all these very young children who are so full of heavy metals and have leaky guts.....how does 9 months old get leaky gut? It's an very genuin question, how does exlusively breasfed baby get to have such problems? I understand there is way too much crap and polution everywhere around us, but why does it cause so many problems to some people?
Like bestbirth's children - oh my god, reading your post just makes my heart ache for you all! Really - it seems like all of your children have so many serious problems!!
I have been reading this thread with lots of interest and learnign and making notes and trying to follow everything here....just wanted to express my thoughts on the whole thing.

DAN! stands for Defeat Autism Now. The doctors who are trained in the DAN protocol use chelation, enzymes, special diet, etc. to treat Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

I'm curious to know how Annikate got to see one of them since her dd is not ASD. Tell us, Annikate!

Yin Yang, our gut problems are a result of antibiotics I received in labor. I won't go into the whole back story of how we ended up with them (GRRR!), but as a result of them, dd has a yeast overgrowth (presented in rashes), and dairy and soy sensitivity (as an infant, she vomited and has mucousy poop; as an older baby, she developed eczema). Also, there was a period of time in between her dairy sensitivity (I did an elimination diet when she was ebf), and the presentation of her yeast and eczema. When we started her on grains (not rice cereal, but crackers and such), the eczema and yeast really flared up. I think her gut was messed up from the antbx, but the grains (which candida thrive on) sent her over the edge. aNYWAY, THAT'S OUR SITUATION. oOPS--NAK.

[Punchy Kaby]

Originally Posted by moonshine

I have been away from this thread, although reading along, because I thought my issues were resolving. And my digestion is generally better. But I have a raging rash on my face that I have now been told by a couple people that it looks like ezema. Which as far as I know, I have never had before.

I am wondering a few things. I ran out of enzymes and haven't ordered any more. I went off any sort of diet and was eating a lot of bread. : I guess these things could have contributed. Also, wondering if it is moving if that is actually a good thing?

So am going to order more enzymes, stop the bread, and...? Can any of you who have/had suffered from ezema give me some tips, thoughts?

It will probably go away when you start the enzymes and cut out the bread. If it is itchy I use diaper creme, I know there is a ton of info on the eczema tribe but it takes a long time to read.

[Punchy Kaby]

Patty, am I remembering correctly that you make your own kombucha? Where did you get your directions from and what kind of containers did you find it helpful to have around for brewing and storage. Actually any tips you have would be welcome: . I found someone near me that has the starter.
Thanks!

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by Pattyla

I've been away. I'll go back and read in a minute if I can.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote to the guy at www.thaumaturge.net He belongs to the same Christian Denomination as I do, went to the same college as my DH and several people from our church have used him to solve some puzzling (and major) health issues. I figured it couldn't hurt anything and he is way cheaper than the DAN! Dr we are considering.

His responce to me/us blew me away! I was quite shocked and yet it totally makes sense with all that I have learned. Frankly 3 months ago I might not have beleived what he had to say but I have read a lot since then. Try to bear with me while I explain all of this.

Ultimately, I beleive that this gut issue, for me, goes back to bad nutrition. (Read the Untold Story Of Milk to understand this further). This plus abx and exhaustion in college or perhaps even earlier (I'm not sure how far back this yeast issue really goes) set me/my gut up to harbor various pathogenic microbes. I suspect that they may have changed somewhat over the year but that in general I haven't ever had a good balance of gut flora. This is why my immune system has never been good at fighting things off. My white flour vegitarianism in college and beyond probably tipped me even father in the wrong direction. I am currently reaping the results of many, many years of abuse that my body had undergone. My dd had the misfortune of inheriting my poor gut flora and being put on IV abx at birth and spending the first 4 days of her life in a NICU far from me.

So that said here is what he said is wrong with me.

Parasite that I picked up at some point in my 20's. I have become increasingly convinced (through my reading) that this very thing might be my problem but couldn't figure out how to determine that for sure. I mentioned nothing about this in my letter to him.

And DD

Staf infection that she picked up shortly after birth. The NICU where she was has persistant Staf that they can't get rid of. My great fear having her in there was that she would get a staf (or other) infection. He had no idea that she had been hospitalized at all.

And he mentioned that my dh has a problem with keeping his blood sugar stable and recomended a suppliment for that as well as recomending that he take cranberry to keep him from passing yeast back to me. He also recomended that I take cranberry when I get pg to keep my blood sugar stable.

I have ordered the various suppliments he recomended and plan to follow the protocol he recomends for us. I started dd on it today. Her protocol will take a total of 3 months. Mine will take 4 months.

He might be wrong but right now I don't think so.

Would you mind telling what he recommended for you and what the cost is? I've only glanced at the website but it looks interesting...especially if it works for you!