Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[Rachel--24]

Okay, I gotta go lay down, I'm not feeling too good. I think I am herxing myself today from the Vitamin C and probably a little bit from the no sugar diet...also stomach is a little off and not sure if that's because of the Vitamin C or because of the dentist visit, lol.

Awww Donna....I'm sorry you're feeling bad.

I think you felt bad after your previous removals too?? Maybe you're getting a little die-off from not eating sugar??

I saw Anna tonight. I told her that the Dr. wants my treatments focused on detoxification mainly...not so much with the foods until after we get the candida better under control and reduce some of the toxicity.

She has me on liver terrain right now....I used to only be able to take the drops on my wrists and not orally but a few weeks ago Debbie (Bioset lady #3) told me to start taking them orally and so far its been ok. Anna wants me to increase the drops and eventually I should be taking 10 drops twice a day.

She did a treatment on one of the detox pathways... one that I didnt get treated for previously.

These treatments arent as fun as the foods and other stuff. I dont have a good understanding of whats going on when we do the pathway stuff so its boring to me.

I have no scientificness to share.

I have to pick up my Nystatin tomorrow. I know I'm gonna have big time die-off so not really looking forward to those first few days.

At least my body temp. should go up.....when I was treating yeast on my own after the first days of die-off I felt sooooo much better and my body temp went way up. I think this happens when toxicity is reduced. I wasnt even taking nystatin yet....that was just from going off processed foods and onto organic veggies and meat. I could totally relate to what an "addict" must go through with withdrawls.....I was actually sweating and trembling......feeling like I would pass out....all kinds of crazy stuff. I was actually shaking uncontrollably due to wanting macaroni and cheese.

How crazy is that!

So yeah....I'm looking forward to getting rid of some of this yeast.

I just got off the phone with a friend and I was just saying how I have all this energy and I wanna do all the normal things I used to do but the allergies keep me inside. How great would that be if I can reduce some of the allergies and start having fun!! I'm pretty sure the Nystatin is gonna REALLY help with this.....but probably for the first week I'll be ALOT more sensitive than I am right now. I hope history repeats itself and I get dramatic improvement.

[Eliza13]

Allrighty....this one goes out to all of my super knowlegeable celiac.com friends: What should I eat for optimal health (I currently don't eat gluten or dairy), but don't think I'm doing the best thing possible for my gut. For instance, I drink lots of coffee, lots of sugar, and lots of diet pop.

Any guesses why I chose this thread to ask this question (hint can be found in the first line)?

haha

[AndreaB]

Donna,

Hope you feel better in the morning.

Rachel,

It's nice that you have a doctor that you can talk to (or should I say two? ) and one that will listen.

Are you going to wait until this weekend to start the Nystatin?

The boring as well as the exciting treatments are getting you on the road to health....but I'm sure you know that.

I've been busy this evening and don't have time to really post.

Love you guys.

Please keep Julie in your thoughts and prayers. She's been dealing with an outbreak that's been particularly difficult this time.

[Rachel--24]

Yes, but it's rare to have a guy go to a doctor's appt. with your unless he's your dad, your brother, or your boyfriend ... not to mention, I'm sure he noticed Dave is interested ... we all did!!

I had another friend who was alot like Dave...unbelievably caring and supportive of the sick girl who cant eat anything.

He went to all of my Dr. appts too....it was back when I was still with Kaiser and totally on the wrong track. I have no idea what that guy saw in me....I was such a MESS. Not only was I heartbroken from my breakup but I was REALLY sick...and not all that pleasant to be around.

That was when I was still eating Big-Macs and a whole lot of other junk. I thought my thyroid problems were making me sick and thats what I told everyone. I went to this guys house and he had a book about thyroid disease in his room. I asked why he had it and he was kind of embarrassed but said that he wanted to learn about my illness. How sweet is that! He never changed....to this day he is still supportive and caring....so much like Dave.

One of my closest friends is also sick...and doctors havent figured out why yet. I suspect its pretty similar to us here in Rachelville but she goes to regular Dr.'s. She has 3 young kids and I dont know how she manages. Even though I really want kids I'm also glad I dont have any right now.....while I'm going through this.

I talked to her the other day and she was saying "Wow Rach...too bad you're not wanting a relationship right now cuz you've met some of the greatest guys! Nobody ever meets guys like that!!"

I told her "yeah....but if I was *looking* and ready for a relationship.....I wouldnt find anbody like that!"

Life is soooo strange that way.

I just wanna get myself better....then when that happens...watch.....there will be noone interested in the healthy girl who can eat food.

Anyways...I dont really know how to date and have never really been single until I got sick. I'm too shy for going on dates.

All I know is if I feel better from the Nystatin....and not so allergic to everything....I'm going to Disneyland!!

No gluten-free pancakes shaped like mickey mouse yet though....maybe next year.

[Rachel--24]

Please keep Julie in your thoughts and prayers. She's been dealing with an outbreak that's been particularly difficult this time.

I miss Julie....tell her that I'm thinking about her and hope she gets better soon.

Rachelville is not the same without her.

I'm here if shes up to writing and feels like sending a pm...I always love to hear from her.

Are you going to wait until this weekend to start the Nystatin?

Yeah...I think its the best idea. Its gonna suck no matter what if I get die-off because it will go into my work week. I'm only concerned about heightened sensitivities and being at work. We also got a new boss yesterday. She already knows about my health issues though....I think a few people filled her in before she came. She was really nice when she approached me....and she wasnt wearing perfume.

Dont know if you remember but the last boss got me really sick on her first day....but she never wore perfume after that. She was really nice too. When Bounce is on sale I'm allowed to take it off the display if it bothers me...so I hope the new boss wont have a problem when I throw all the Bounce sheets into a cart and shove them into the back room.

I was gonna start the Nystatin on Friday but I just got invited to the movies so I'll most likely start it on Saturday morning....so I can at least enjoy the show.

[Rachel--24]

Allrighty....this one goes out to all of my super knowlegeable celiac.com friends: What should I eat for optimal health (I currently don't eat gluten or dairy), but don't think I'm doing the best thing possible for my gut. For instance, I drink lots of coffee, lots of sugar, and lots of diet pop.

Any guesses why I chose this thread to ask this question (hint can be found in the first line)?

haha

Eliza....for "optimal" health you'd definately have to give up those things! All of the foods you probably dont like (if you're anything like me) are the foods you'd need to be eating. This means lots of veggies...lots of greens. Fresh meat is good but loaded with antibiotics....I only eat organic grass-fed but I'm pretty messed up so I dont really have a choice cuz I react to the other stuff.

Never eat artificial sweeteners. They are actually worse for you than actual sugar. The diet soda is sooo bad....especially if its got aspartame in it. Seriously, you wont get healthy drinking that stuff.

Caffeine is not good for your gut at all....neither is alcohol...they are very strong gut irritants.

Sugar....in all forms feeds the bad guys in you gut and creates lots of problems. Same with simple carbs like bread, pasta, white rice, etc.

If your gut is damaged the diet sodas, sugar and coffee are REALLY not helping the situation.

It sucks because all of the stuff that tastes good and is "convenient" is bad for the gut and prevents healing. Processed foods and even lots of fruits are not good for your gut.

So yeah...complex carb veggies and all that "green" stuff that I never ate in my life....thats all the stuff you should be eating for optimal health.

I was pretty much forced into this type of diet.....mainly because I thought I was dying. Believe it or not I went from being bed-ridden and really bad off....to doing major home improvement projects like landscaping and painting. This was in about a weeks time.

Pretty sure it was the yeast that was making me that sick....my diet was anything but healthy and I had been on disability for 2 years. I changed my diet 100% and just like that I had dramatic improvement.

I "guarantee" you if you give up those bad foods you're gonna feel better.

[Rachel--24]

Anyone know why I would have large amounts of blank space at the bottom of some of my posts??

I think my posts are long enough w/out making them seem even longer with alot of blank space.

[AndreaB]

We also got a new boss yesterday. She already knows about my health issues though....I think a few people filled her in before she came. She was really nice when she approached me....and she wasnt wearing perfume.

That's nice that someone(s) filled her in and she wasn't wearing perfume.

I'll pass on your thoughts to Julie.

Have fun at the movies Friday night.

I'm so tired. Seth hasn't been sleeping well lately and I haven't got my 4 hour stretch of sleep. Must go to bed earlier.

[LL04]

I love getting to read everyone's posts This is great. I laughed out loud when Rachel said that she had nothing scientifical to say

Thanks for all the info on the amalgam removal. I think that might just have to wait until I see what kind of dx I get for my suspicions about Lyme. I had NO idea that Lyme is a CHRONIC disease like celiacs. Am I right here?? Is that what you all who have it are saying?? Carla spoke about her 'Lyme flare-ups'!! NO NO NO!! That can't be, I just want to get better!!! How can I do that if Lyme NEVER goes away?? How do you do it Carla?? Not only that, but I also suspect that I really DO have a candida problem as well. YIKES I can see what Rachel's doctor is talking about when he says that too much knowledge can also be a harmful thing for the health. I'm feeling VERY overhwhelmed at this point With 4 kids I can't keep going down all the time!! I was so upset the other night...I told my husband that I feel so terrible right now and believe that after I'm gone our kids will recount for their kids their memories of their mother with a one sentence summation "Oh, she was always sick and in and out of the hospital" I DON'T want that to be their most prominent memories of me....I HAVE TO GET BETTER!!

I did feel better after reading that Rachel's doctor says she CAN recover...good for you Rachel You sound like you have finally found the right doctor and he's going to finally get you on the RIGHT road to recovery.

Back to the amalgams, it seems that Donna is sick from having them removed...that's what I'm afraid of. I am so scared I'll start passing out or be so sick that it'll put me in the hospital again! I also had no idea that there were natural dentists!!?? There are several listed in the Vancouver area, now I'm just wondering, when it comes time and I decide to take the plunge, how do I find someone who's been to one of them? I don't know ANYONE who's had theirs removed and I certainly don't want to screw up and find a "quack" when I do this!! I'm like Donna, I have so many in my mouth, it will take many visits to get rid of them. I think I have 15 if you can believe that!! Some of my teeth have two!

Okay this is a bit off topic (sort of) but I think you guys may find it funny or just sad... Our best friends have a 5 year old boy. The two of them are both grossly overweight and have a diet probably much like Rachel's before she got sick They eat take out almost every night of the week, Pizza Hut, KFC, chinese, McPukes and any other burger joint they happen to pass on the way home from work. In any case, they also drink A TON of pop, but because it's diet (yeah, I know, eat a large, greasy meat lovers pizza and drink diet pop ) they say "Well it's not really pop because it doesn't have any sugar"-YES, they actually say that. We think they say it to justify the reason why they let their son drink it all the time as well. ANYWAYS, today I had a huge laugh because their son is OFF THE HOOK with energy, almost of the ADHD variety and I remembered something Rachel had posted long ago when she thought that MSG was a major player in her grief...that ASPARTAME is loaded with MSG These guys are giving their son DIET "not-pop" because they don't want him to have the sugar (but letting him eat a quarter pounder at 5 years old seems to make perfect sense to them ) so he isn't so hyper, and it's LOADED WITH MSG!!! I CANNOT wait to drop that little nugget on her and see what she comes up with as an excuse then to continue to let him drink it!!!! Anyways, I thought it was funny, although some of you may be more shocked that I'm not more concerned about the way they feed themselves and their child. BELIEVE ME I have spoken to her about it MANY times ESPECIALLY since I've gotten so sick, but they have VERY BIG food issues (hence their weight problems) and she won't hear any of it. We are very close, she the closest thing that I have to a sister but have you seen that show "Honey we're killing our kids"? Well, they are and themselves too and she won't listen to me So you see, sometimes I have to laugh at this because really it is just so sad that otherwise it makes me want to cry I'm going to tell her about the aspartame and see what she says.

I'm going to bed, see you all tomorrow. Hopefully everyone who was "herxing" today, feels better tomorrow!!

Oh, Rachel, can you please say again what article you are quoting regarding the correlation between candida albicans and the development of the gluten antibodies. If it is several, can you let me know where you found them and if they are available on the internet or not. I'd like to print them off and send them to my doctor before I go and see him next week. I want to give him plenty of time to digest everything I'm planning on hitting him with when I get there.

Night!

[dlp252]

Aw, so sorry Julie isn't well. I'll send her an email later.

Andrea, thanks! I do feel better this morning although just slighly headachey (I'm positive it's from the sugar removal, lol), and thanks for reporting in on Julie.

Lauralee, yep, the removal part definitely isn't fun. I think I felt slightly off after the other two removals, but this time was a little worse and I'm positive it had to do with the Vitamin C and the fact that I just cut out most of the carbs in my diet.

Rachel, hum, about the space at the bottom of your posts...maybe you are hitting extra returns?? Even if I hit one extra return I sometimes get more space than normal. Cool that your new boss started of right, lol.

Eliza, yep, I agree with Rachel, all those things can affect how you feel--every one of them came up on the testing I had done on Saturday as something my body doesn't like. Many people can have them with no problems, but I think those of us who have a lot going on just can't handle them.

****

When I first went low carb about 4-5 years ago, I remember feeling awful for the first two weeks...so I'm pretty sure that's part of what's going on for me. After that two weeks though, I had the most energy I've ever had, lol, so I'm hopeful things will be better soon.

I ended up taking 3 gms of Vitamin C yesterday. My sore throat is gone...actually it had mostly disappeared by the time I got to the dentist's office yesterday. I slept better than I have in about 3 weeks last night and I think it's because my throat didn't hurt, lol.

My jaw really started to hurt while he was working on me. At one point he could tell I was in pain and asked if I was feeling him work...I said "no, it's my jaw" in my best mouth full of equipment voice. Thankfully he understood and stopped and massaged my jaws a bit, lol.

I did have to take about 4 Advil last night though and that took care of my jaw and maybe my throat too.

[NoGluGirl]

I miss Julie....tell her that I'm thinking about her and hope she gets better soon.

Rachelville is not the same without her.

I'm here if shes up to writing and feels like sending a pm...I always love to hear from her.

Yeah...I think its the best idea. Its gonna suck no matter what if I get die-off because it will go into my work week. I'm only concerned about heightened sensitivities and being at work. We also got a new boss yesterday. She already knows about my health issues though....I think a few people filled her in before she came. She was really nice when she approached me....and she wasnt wearing perfume.

Dont know if you remember but the last boss got me really sick on her first day....but she never wore perfume after that. She was really nice too. When Bounce is on sale I'm allowed to take it off the display if it bothers me...so I hope the new boss wont have a problem when I throw all the Bounce sheets into a cart and shove them into the back room.

I was gonna start the Nystatin on Friday but I just got invited to the movies so I'll most likely start it on Saturday morning....so I can at least enjoy the show.

Dear Rachel--24,

Wow, so you have candida, too? I have not officially been diagnosed, but I am pretty sure I have it. I was doing a lot better for a few months on the gluten free diet, then a couple of months ago began feeling rough again, like before going gluten free. My doc told me I had a bacterial infection, but I was pretty sure it was yeast. Regardless, she gave me antibiotics. Just what I needed. Now I feel crummy a lot more. I am chemically sensitive, and have eczema, hypoglycemia, thyroid disease, migraines, fibromyalgia, and my lower abdomen is always bloated. Was yours like that? Also, I was put on Depo-Provera shots to stop the ovarian cysts I had when I was 17. I had 5 in less than 10 months, four of which were at the same time. My periods were so heavy I was anemic until I began taking these shots. The cramps were so bad I could not even stand straight the first three days of my period, on top of going through a super plus tampon per hour, and having the pain shoot all the way from my uterus down my rectum. I had break through bleeding some, but all of the sudden about two years ago, I began having a period off and on all the time. The doctor said it is not uncommon with these shots. I had been on them for five years already, why would it just start that then? I think that yeast is to blame. I have done tons of research on yeast candida, and even wrote an essay for school.

It has very interesting pathology. There is another question I wonder about. My father thinks that I might not be gluten intolerant anymore if I get rid of the yeast, but I told him gluten intolerance is permanent. What do you say?

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[AndreaB]

Donna,

Glad you're feeling better.

NoGluGirl,

If I'm reading correctly from what Rachel posted (and she'll correct me if I'm wrong ), once the gluten intolerance is tipped it seems to stick around.

[CarlaB]

Wow, so much to answer! Hope I remember it all!!

I was just thinking of Julie yesterday and wondering where she was. I hope she's feeling better soon!

Rachel, since you have energy, you're not really a "sick" girl ... you're lots of fun just so long as your not around things that you're allergic to. Maybe you should keep one of these guys! Be sure they don't need a "needy" girl though, I bet when you're completely healthy you're far from "needy."

Eliza, everyone's answered really well so far. No sugar (or artificial sugar substitutes), alcohol, or caffeine. Organic when possible. Grass fed, not antibiotic, no hormone meats. Free range eggs. Lots of veggies. A little bit of whole grains (rice). I eat well about all the time, but I allow myself an occassional indulgence, like when I go to the movies -- real Coke, popcorn, and Reece's Pieces. So, even though it's a lot of denial, if you have a treat now and then -- and remember that it's a TREAT not a normal part of your diet -- it's not going to hurt you ... much anyway. I think the emotional rewards of a treat outweigh the negative impact on your diet, as long as it's not something you're allergic to and as long as it's only once in a while.

Noglugirl, your question about whether you're gluten intolerant once you clear the candida up is a good one. Obviously, a celiac is always a celiac. For the rest of us, I think it's difficult to tell whether it's an immune reaction like a celiac has or just an allergic reaction. So, I've not been convinced either way on this one. I do know that it takes several things to push you over the edge into poor health, so if gluten is a problem when you're sick, I would say it's one of the things that contributes to your declining health ... so I plan on avoiding it even if I can tolerate it again. I would really like it though if I could worry less about cross-contamination ... I'm not suggesting being sloppy, I'd just like to eat out and not worry again!

Lauralee, if you get Lyme treated immediately after a tick bite, you have a chance of it not being chronic. For those of us who have gone longer than that before treatment, it is chronic. I have had four flare-ups over the past 30 years, but didn't know it was Lyme until this one. I just ate healthy, went on an anti-candida diet, took lots of supplements, got lots of rest, and after a few months, got back to normal. If it is Lyme for you, you really need to see an LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) in order to get better. There is a message board on both Lame Advertisement, and canlyme.com where you can learn where these docs are and learn a lot about living with the disease. Now that I know what it is, I will be better able to control it and will be able to feel normal. However, you cannot completely eradicate Lyme, so keeping the immune system strong is always critical. This means, lots of rest, eating right, exercise, etc. Keep in mind that I was only diagnosed in December and am seeing my LLMD for the first time next week. So, this is not a flare-up that happened after treatment and the herxes I talk about are because it's getting treated ... right now by natural herbs, supplements, and salt/vitamin c.

[CarlaB]

You're going to LOVE this one ... Adam called my doctor's office for me to find out about the co-infections test. Last time I spoke to them they said the doc needed to talk to the lab about the test before she was going to report my Lyme to the CDC because since it was an Igg positive and not an Igm positive, she didn't think it was an active infection (normally true, but not with Lyme). As far as I know, she STILL has not reported it. Two weeks had gone by last time I saw her ... seems like enough time to call a lab to me.

So, he calls and asks for the report. Yes is it in, but it's sitting on the doctor's desk and she MUST sign it before they can fax it to us! What???? Last time she didn't! Why this time? She must be really mad that I'm really sick and it's not all in my head.

We can't find out till she comes back in the office tomorrow. And, I wonder HOW LONG it's been on her desk???

[Rachel--24]

It has very interesting pathology. There is another question I wonder about. My father thinks that I might not be gluten intolerant anymore if I get rid of the yeast, but I told him gluten intolerance is permanent. What do you say?

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

Hi....if its Celiac then its permanant. If its not celiac but an autoimmune response has been triggered....you would most likely continue to have problems. I cant say for sure and everyone is different but I know for me.....I choose not to take the chance of causing further damage or added stress on my immune system.

There seems to be a connection between celiac and candida. I posted about it a faw pages back. Heres some of what I posted...

Now we come to what to me is the most interesting of the recent research regarding celiac. It seems fitting that the research again comes from Holland , where celiac disease was first linked to diet. Dr. Nieuwenhuizen, from the research group TNO Nutrition and Food Research, published a paper in the June, 2003, Lancet. He links celiac disease with Candida albicans. Dr. Nieuwenhuizen, knowing the actual sequence of proteins which trigger celiac disease from the published work of other scientists, had searched the databases available to him through TNO to see if the same sequence existed in other places. It turns out the identical sequence of proteins occur in the cell walls of Candida albicans. [15]

These Candida gluten-like proteins turn out to be the yeast's "hypha-specific surface protein" nicknamed Hwp1. This is the yeast's version of Velcro and allows it to attach and hang onto the endomysium in the wall of the intestine. It is also targeted by transglutaminase, the enzyme which acts on the gluten protein and serves as a target for immune antibodies. Candida species which don't have this Hwp1 protein can't attach themselves to the digestive tract. [16]

If Candida can trigger the same chemical and immunological reactions as wheat gluten do we can imagine a number of interesting implications.

First, in people with celiac disease, symptoms usually get better rapidly when they eliminate gluten from their diet. This isn't always the case. Even without gluten some people continue to have symptoms. They may have intestinal Candidiasis. The Candida in their gut may be acting like gluten and continues triggering symptoms. Second, an acute Candida infection may trigger the onset of celiac disease. Even if the Candida is treated and eliminated, the person could be left with a permanent sensitivity to wheat gluten. Candida infections occur frequently with antibiotic usage. In people genetically susceptible to celiac, extra caution should be exercised when using antibiotics to prevent Candida overgrowth.

If you've studied candida then you know that the symptoms are interchangeable with Celiac...they produce the same wide range of symptoms.

Yeast is a likely cause for your symtpoms but the thing that most people dont recognize when it comes to Candida is that its also a symptom in itself. Candida overgrowth doesnt occur in healthy people because the immune system keeps it in check.

When Candida is a problem there is *always* an underlying cause for it. One cause could be Celiac. If the research I posted above is true....then you can have Celiac triggered by an acute candida infection. If both are left undiagnosed the immune system would be weakened by the presence of both the candida and gluten.

This could allow for the candida situation to get worse so that by the time you eliminate gluten the candida is now out of control. Also if the research is true it suggests that your body could be reacting to the candida in the exact same way it reacts to gluten. I'm wondering now if this doesnt have alot to do with people getting only a short reprieve from eliminating gluten....but then all of the symtpoms return and more food intolerances develop. Leaky gut doesnt seem to heal after the removal of gluten so obviously something is still not right.

I think candida has alot to do with how well people do after eliminating gluten. Some get their health back while others continue to strugle with "mystery" glutenings or an extended list of food intolerances.

I'm not someone who believes in Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, IBS or any other "conditions" which are basically just a cluster of symptoms with no known cause. There *is* a reason for these symptoms but the Dr.'s just dont have an answer so they give it a label such as Fibro. and hand you some pills. Yes, the symtpoms *are* real.....but they are caused by something.

The main cause for chemical sensitivity is toxicity in the body. Too much toxicity for the liver to detox efficiently. The toxins back up and settle into the tissue and eventually you start reacting to chemicals and getting increased allergy symptoms. The toxic waste of candida, bacteria and other pathogen is circulating through your body and not getting detoxed....creating a toxic overload.

The main causes for such high toxicity are Lyme Disease, Candida, mercury, exposure to large amounts of chemicals or exposure to molds in your environment.

I dont know how bad your symptoms are but to some extent you are unable to detox efficiently and this is causing chemical sensitivities and most likely other food intolerances.

Are you just gluten free....or are there other foods you've eliminated??

Candida produces alot of toxins so it can produce a wide variety of symptoms.....bloating is definately one of them. I'm sure you know all of the symptoms associated with it.

Yeah...I had a very LONG list of symptoms....I didnt have hypoglycemia (as far as I know) or excema. I did have thyroid disease though.

The most important factor in getting rid of yeast is finding out why its there to begin with. If you figure that out and correct it.....the yeast will not be an issue once you treat it. If it keeps coming back.....its because something is dragging down your immune system enough to let the yeast have a strong foothold in your body.

You can treat it all you want but if the conditions in your body are such that they create a favorable environment for yeast....of course the yeast will continue to thrive. Toxicity, poor diet, an acid environment, inability to detox, infection such as Lyme, food intolerances which keep the gut leaky, dysbiosis, heavy metal burden....all of these things can be a cause for candida overgrowth.

I'm not sure if you were diagnosed with Celiac Disease?? All these things play a part in bringing our health down. Getting things back to normal is like putting pieces of a puzzle together. Some people's puzzles may be really easy...with only a few big pieces which easily fit together. Other people might have alot of small pieces and so it takes longer and its more work but if you get all the pieces to fit....you get better!

I have alot of small pieces.

Lyme seems to be a big factor in causing chronic illness.....dont know if you've looked into that or not.

[Rachel--24]

ANYWAYS, today I had a huge laugh because their son is OFF THE HOOK with energy, almost of the ADHD variety and I remembered something Rachel had posted long ago when she thought that MSG was a major player in her grief...that ASPARTAME is loaded with MSG

Aspartame and MSG are not the same thing. They are two different chemicals.....both very toxic to the body. They are neurotoxins and if you are sensitive to one you will most likely be sensitive to the other as well. If your body is already toxic adding these things is making matters much worse.

They arent good for anyone and they *can* cause problems in healthy people as well. They are toxic to the body.....the affects will accumulate over time and I'm pretty sure both of these chemicals have been linked to Alziemers and possibly other conditions as well. I'm pretty sure they can cross the blood brain barrier.

I cant remember because I was studying about MSG several months ago...so I'll have to refresh my memory.

The bacteria which causes Lyme also produces neurotoxins so too many of these neurotoxins in the body is definately gonna cause some problems. Lyme also crosses the blood brain barrier.

I'll post those links for you later....gotta go back to work.

[LL04]

Even way back in the beginning when I had no clue about any of this I knew it was aspartame in the gum causing the reaction. I never ate anything with aspartame other then the gum (which I didnt eat ) but I think the aspartame coupled with the MSG intensified everything.

Rachel, that's what you posted way back on page 7 or around there I think....so yeah, I did misread it. You were trying to find out if it was the aspartame or the MSG that was giving you the reactions and I misread it as to say that you were linking aspartame and MSG together. DUUUUHHHHH So I'm the stupid one here. Anyways, it doesn't make what our friends do any better does it?

Question: Milk has msg, 100% juice has sugar, water has no real nutrients...What should a child be drinking to keep them healthy? My kids have a glass of 100% fruit and veggie juice and a glass of 2% milk everday and water otherwise....is this not healthy???? What should I be giving them to drink?

[CarlaB]

Lauralee, my kids drink water. Water may not have nutrients, but it is essential to good health.

I also buy soymilk, which they drink more for a treat than because it's good for them, which is questionable. They might drink a glass of this per day ... if that.

They drink some fruit juice, but not for the nutrients .... I don't think fruit juice is all that good unless you're making your own fresh juice ... but it's better than soda and different than water.

All I drink is water, herbal tea (usually Yogi Detox), water, and occassional decaf lattes with organic milk (it's my treat).

[dlp252]

You're going to LOVE this one ... Adam called my doctor's office for me to find out about the co-infections test. Last time I spoke to them they said the doc needed to talk to the lab about the test before she was going to report my Lyme to the CDC because since it was an Igg positive and not an Igm positive, she didn't think it was an active infection (normally true, but not with Lyme). As far as I know, she STILL has not reported it. Two weeks had gone by last time I saw her ... seems like enough time to call a lab to me.

So, he calls and asks for the report. Yes is it in, but it's sitting on the doctor's desk and she MUST sign it before they can fax it to us! What???? Last time she didn't! Why this time? She must be really mad that I'm really sick and it's not all in my head.

We can't find out till she comes back in the office tomorrow. And, I wonder HOW LONG it's been on her desk???

Well that just SUCKS!!! What the heck is wrong with some of these people, lol?! I bet she is ticked because you are really sick!

[CarlaB]

Well that just SUCKS!!! What the heck is wrong with some of these people, lol?! I bet she is ticked because you are really sick!

Get this ... they told Adam that she could sign it at 9 tomorrow when she came into the office, that it was on her desk. Adam asked if they could just call her and get her permission, they said no that she had to sign it.

Well, about 15 minutes later they called me and she had signed it! WHAT??! Was she in the office the whole time? I've been waiting for them to fax it ever since then .... so for over an hour. I was going to write this in once I found out what the results were ... but still waiting ...

[dlp252]

Carla,

!!!!! Good gravy, lol. Grrr!

[AndreaB]

How frustrating Carla.

[CarlaB]

They finally faxed it, then I had to wait for Adam to get home and get done with dinner to post ... all my co-infections tests were negative. It seems very strange to me since I have the bartonella rash and babesia symptoms ... especially since I herxed when I took an herb known to affect babesia.

Since it's an Igg and Igm test, I wonder if it has false negatives? Especially since my exposure was so long ago.

[CarlaB]

Aha! I found my answer ... this is from the Burrascano guidelines. It seems that this guideline is respected in the Lyme community. Open Original Shared Link

The evaluation of a Lyme patient must begin with testing for all currently known tick borne pathogens. Serological studies for Borrelia, Babesia and Ehrlichia should be combined where appropriate with direct antigen assays. Antigen detection tests (antigen capture and PCR) are especially helpful in evaluating the seronegative patient and those still ill or relapsing after therapy. Unfortunately, over a dozen protozoans other than Babesia microti can be found in ticks, yet commercial tests for only B. microti are available at this time, so as in Borrelia, clinical assessment is the primary diagnostic tool. In Ehrlichiosis, test for both the monocytic and granulocytic forms. Many presently uncharacterized Ehrlichia-like organisms can be found in ticks and may not be picked up by currently available assays, so in this illness too, serologies are only an adjunct in making the diagnosis.

[Rachel--24]

Question: Milk has msg, 100% juice has sugar, water has no real nutrients...What should a child be drinking to keep them healthy? My kids have a glass of 100% fruit and veggie juice and a glass of 2% milk everday and water otherwise....is this not healthy???? What should I be giving them to drink?

Ummm....I always thought I was doing my body good.....I drank milk practically everyday of my life...I *had* to have it with meals. It was a powerful craving I had for milk and its still *in* me to want a glass of milk that badly. The rest of the time I drank soda.

Everything I read about dairy is that its *horrible* for us. It sucks because I believed I was doing something healthy for myself....apparantly not....because look at me now.

Processed fruit juice is bad.

Water is the recommended drink for good health. Water is the one thing that I NEVER drank.

I'm reading a new book right now and heres some of what it says about what to drink...

Water is the utmost importance to becoming and remaining healthy. But water quality, already atrocious, will be inexorably deteriorating for the foreseeable future.

So yeah....water is the best thing for your body as long as its pure through distilling or reverse-osmosis filtering. Tap water is BAD. It says even if you filter it with Brita systems (or something similar)....the water is still not good. Bottled water sometimes contains impurities or is simply dead from processing and storage.

It says whichever method you choose.....buying distilled water, distilling it yourself, reverse-osmosis filters...just stock your fridge or pantry with good water! Drinking in between meals is especially important.

It says the single most important thing to learn is to give your body plenty of pure water.. As you hydrate your body properly, you'll develop more of a thirst for water. Also note that food cravings are often the body's cry for water....so you might already have more of a thirst for it than you even realize. Ideally you should drink about 1 gallon of water a day.

As far as juice....it says to "drink" your vegetables. We've all heard this before but of course all the other stuff tastes WAY better. My experience with the candida diet and "juicing" is that after your body starts detoxing and you're not putting sugar and other junk into it....you actually start to lose the cravings and a soda actually seems too sweet....and kinda nasty. I like to drink water now.....whereas before you couldnt pay me to drink water....I wanted soda and more soda.

It says the benefits from vegetables are "enhanced" by juicing them. The nutrients are more concentrated and more quickly and easily available to the body. You lose the fiber when you juice veggies so you dont want to always juice them.

Its better to make your own juice because store bought juice is pasteurized....which kills enzymes and all the "goodness" of the juice.

So thats what it says about what to drink for good health. Sheeeesh...I think our bodies just get used to the stuff thats loaded with sugar and this stuff just doesnt sound good at all....plus its less convenient.

As far as fruit juice goes....heres what the book has to say...

Why does fruit get sweeter as it ripens? The complex carbs are fermenting into simpler and sweeter ones, which are then fermented further as yeast evolves and the fruit is actually turning into alcohol and mold....basically its rotting.

Fruit juice is even worse as the sugars are more concentrated and the fiber is lost. Most is processed and pasteurized ...and almost always made from second quality fruits. The stuff that was too damaged, diseased or dirty to sell whole. They are already loaded with harmful microforms and mycotoxins.

Sheeeesh....no wonder why those of us with candida do so badly with fruits.

I serously cant deal with mycotoxins and molds....I think I've gone hyper-reactive to the stuff cuz of all the candida inside me.

The BioSET test made sense of most of my food intolerances for me. All that stuff showing up in the tests about mycotoxins, yeasts and molds....its for real. There was a tiny bit of mold in my cottage cheese section at work. I saw it growing underneath the grates where I stock....its been over a week and each day it spreads more and more. Each day I started having stronger reactions while working in that area.

I was kind of in denial about it....but then yesterday I got a pretty bad reaction and didnt feel very good for a couple hours....there was nothing around me....except that mold. Today I had the janitor clean the whole area....and I didnt get any reaction.

Stupid mold.

Ok...so as far as dairy goes....the book goes on and on about why dairy is the worst thing for us. Its nothing we havent heard before and I know theres alot of people here who avoid dairy....because they know thats its bad news.

Where to begin...

Dairy products contain hormones, pesticide residues, microforms, mycotoxins, and saturated fats. Its also got milk sugar (lactose) that breaks down like any sugar and feeds harmful microforms.

Dairy cows feed on stored grains laced with hormones and antibiotics made with fungi, which are then concentrated in milk. Then, too, cheese and yogurt are made by fermentation. Dairy is the leader of all foods in forming sticky mucus. Its highly acid-forming. Pasteurization destroys any beneficial enzymes the milk started with. It says it can increase the risk of cancer....dont know if there is any *science* to back that up though.

I bet Mango would know!

It says even if cows lived in some kind of bovine utopia and produced the "perfect" milk....lets face it....it *still* isnt a human food. It is designed for baby cows. Its full of componants that are of no use to us, and they must be converted to use or eliminated as toxins. No other animal species drinks milk beyond infancy....and certainly not from a species outside their own.

In closing it says...

No wonder so many people do so poorly on dairy foods. No wonder why so many people sufer with osteoporosis while still ingesting so much dairy. No wonder so many people have allergic reactions to dairy...or are lactose intolerant. No wonder people can gain weight quickly on dairy foods and lose it so quickly when they go off these concentrated foods. They are just too concentrated, and are ultraacidic in the bloodstream.

So yeah....dairy doesnt get a very good rating as far as "healthy" goes.

I basically read the same stuff about dairy in Dangerous Grains. I think we're just not "suppossed" to be eating stuff that was made for baby cows and not humans. But again.....it tastes really good.

So the consensus is that boring water and fresh vegetable juice are the most healthy liquids you can put into your body. I'm sure fruit juice wouldnt be too bad if it were limited to small amounts.