BRUMI1968

Do you mean the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma? I live in Bellingham, WA (near the Canadian border), but was raised in Tacoma. That part of Tacoma is so nice. Are you going into law?

I'm mostly raw too. I eat nuts/seeds/veggies mostly, with some dried fruits (trying to give these up since they have too much sugar, or at least give them up with other foods as I think they are not combining well).

I struggle with the question of meat or no meat. I was a vegetarian for 15 years, but started eating meat when I had to give up gluten. I don't do dairy or soy either. So right now I'm experimenting with eating meat along with my raw diet. What I've found so far is that I don't like the way it snuffs out my appetite. I can go hours and hours w/o getting hungry, and though that may be normal, I'm not used to it. I have a very fiery diegestion. So I'm working on this one. I'm also contemplating adding raw dairy. I think I'll start that today or tomorrow and see how it goes. I tested alright for dairy through Enterolab, but it's also been years since I've had any. It always caused me constipation before.

On the strictly raw diet w/o grains beans, it is hard to keep the weight on. I did not need to lose weight, but probably lost 10 pounds. It's alright, I'm happy about that; but I do struggle now to keep it between 120 and 130.

Anyway, that's my story. I think the sequence went: vegetarian, vegan plus fish, no dairy, no wheat, no gluten, no soy, no beans, no grains, paleo diet, raw diet, and now raw diet plus 2X/week maybe meat and raw dairy. We'll see how it goes.

Oh yeah, I do also think there is something to the metabolic typing issue. I don't do well with carbs, other people do. I do think one important thing is that carbs and proteins don't mix together in the same meal - protein requires acid, carbs require alkali, and those two things offset one another, making digestion difficult and incomplete.

You might try rice milk or hemp milk. They are good in tea lattes, for example, or heated with a bit of cinnimon and nutmeg, and agave nectar or honey or something. That usually puts a few pounds on me.

Avocados are also good.

I don't eat much in the way of grains anymore, and I have lost weight (though I disposed of grains for bloating reasons). But I imagine if you used them sparingly, AND if they agreed with you, you might be alright, weight wise.

You should check into the caloric count of each, and the glycemic load of each, because insulin response is important here. I don't know which ones are high glycemic load and which aren't, but I imagine quinoa might be the best bet, since it has lots of protein.

Hope that helps...good luck.

p.s. why are you wanting to integrate grains?

If you do go with coconut oil, try to find that is not chemically extracted.

Desert Essence makes some great lotions that are gluten-free. Also, try some of the Burt's Bees lotions that are really thick. My doc told me that if the cream comes in a tub, that is better than a bottle, for serious problem dry skin.

Good luck.

Please consider METACAM over Rimadyl; it has fewer side effects. We had our old dog on Rimadyl for a couple days and she had terrible kidney problems. She had cancer, not arthritis, but nonetheless.

Also, try some herbal remedies that work as well/better than asprin (which is also an option, though should be buffered as can cause stomach upset; and if there are any concerns about bleeding, should not be used)

I have read some studies that show of another remedy. My doctor talks about it here:

October 2004Inflammatory conditions and ayurvedic medicine

by Virender Sodhi, MD (Ayurved), ND

.......

Boswellia serrata

Boswellia, prized in the Middle East as Frankincense and brought by the wise man, grows in India, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Extract of Boswellia has been used to treat arthritis, asthma, ulcerative colitis, crohn's disease, and skin conditions.

*** Osteoarthritis and Boswellia. In combination form with Ashwagandha, turmeric and zinc, studies have shown positive effects in its treatment of osteoarthritis.

In a double blind placebo control study, patients showed a significant improvement in pain severity, and disability score.

In an animal study, the dogs showed improvement in intermittent lameness, localized pain and stiff gait. All external factors that aggravate lameness, such as "lameness when moving" and "lameness after a long rest" diminished gradually.

In another study, all patients receiving Boswellia treatment reported a decrease in knee pain, increased knee flexion and increased walking distance. The frequency of swelling reduced considerably.

In my personal experience I have treated thousands of patients with a Boswellia preparation for osetoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. With a combination of the Panch Karma treatment, nutritional changes and yoga, we were able to take people off Prednisolone, methotrexate and embrel treatment.

Okay, but it works best combined with zinc, turmeric, and ashwanganda (also called Winter Cherry).

I've used "Boswelia Plus" by Ayush Herbs. It contains Boswellia, Ginger, Winter Cherry and Turmeric in glycerine and alcohol...so it's drops. They also make it in pills, but my dog is picky. Pills (90) 29.70 and drops 17.00. Probably three pills per day - I'm guessing since I don't recall. They are real horse pills, that I remember.

Anyway, it's helped us quite a bit, though we've ended up having to supplement with Metacam when we work our dog out too much. (His arthritis is from an injury - h e's only 9 but gets pretty stiff in one of his front elbows.) As for maintenance and taking the edge off, it works great.

good luck!

Just to add another element: are you getting enough water? Dehydration can cause racing heart and shakiness, and usually drinking water quells extreme hunger. I only ask because I often get a stomach ache if I dont' drink enough water, and I often wake in the night too hot and thirsty with a tummy ache.

I am affected by nightshades (potato/tomato/eggplant/peppers/tobacco) in the sense of it giving me weird poop. BUT...sometimes it has to build up. mashed potatoes are usually not every day, but my breakfast fried potatoes used to be.

So don't rule out that it's the potato, either. Also, fried chicken is probably fatter than fried potatoes. Of course, fried foods can need to build up too.

Good luck.

thanks all!

If you search the board, I know there used to be a thread about it - a support thread for those using it. I myself have never done it because I don't do dairy -- I scoped out the Paleolithic diet instead, which is similar on many fronts, though not quite the same.

About your username -- do you live off the grid, as in solar, etc.?

thanks.

Hi all! I've had some pain in one breast and had it checked out today. The doc didn't think it was anything, but is having me do a mammogram anyhow (I'm 39 - so probably just an age/safety thing). I'm having it on Wednesday morning.

Any tips? Any descriptions of the process?

I did hit the doctors office today and talked to the nicest ARPN. I'm definitely having her do my next 'annual'. Anyway, she didn't think anything seemed suspicious, but she is sending me to get a mammogram, as though that doesn't freak me out. My left breast was much ropier than the right, especially along the outside; but she said it all moved fine and didn't seem like anything she'd worry about. I am 39, and they typically start you at 40 if insurance companies haven't got a strangle hold on them ... so I guess I could just say I'm going for my first no-specifically-good-reason-to-do-it-now-except-age mammogram which is practically true, other than the pain - and maybe that'll make me feel better.

I'll keep you all posted - I go Wednesday. I'm a bit worried about how they are going to squish this tiny boob into their machines, but I guess they see all kinds. Oh yeah, they squish both boobs to compare them. Arg! (Hope they warm up the machine first.)

-Sherri

I have to take off (to the doctor, actually) so could only look briefly, but it looks like white stool could be gallbladder or liver problems, and most responses to the question online included seeing a doctor as soon as possible. Bilirubin is what makes it the color it is, and that is gallbladder/liver territory.

Good luck.

Not to feed the fire - but I don't think it's 99% to 1%. If 1 in 30 folks have Celiac, and even more have gluten intolerance, than the number must be more like 3%. With 290 million people in the US, that's almost 9 million people, more when you consider intolerance. 9 million customers is a lot.

I don't believe I have a right to a food environment free of gluten - mankind developed on wheat, and our country's system is highly dependent on wheat, corn, soy, and then dairy - all high allergen foods of course, in part because we rely on them so heavily -- BUT, a mass of people working toward a healthier food system, one that is not commodity based but health based, could pressure companies to use more holistic ways of producing their foods; they can focus on locally grown foods that don't require preservatives and stretchers and drying agents and the like, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, which is what we do here in the limited framework of gluten avoidance only, work on making the entire system better, instead of just listing what ingredients and foods make us sick or not sick. If someone in my area can help me find local food, or food that has not traveled that far (carbon miles), or ideas for making my own, that is highly valuable. More valuable than trying to change companies or governments or whatever.

Anyway, I'm off to watch a movie - I was just struck by the 1% and 99%, and didn't think that seemed quite right.

I have been ' blessed' with tiny ones, so no bra - for at least 20 years or so. Sometimes I don a pretty one that I know I'll take off soon (if you catch my drift), but I haven't worn a bra the day through maybe since high school. Even if I wanted to, they usually make bras at 36 to be cup B or bigger. No can do - would be all air in there. I need an A.

I also don't use antiperspirant - I know they've made some connections, or are starting to anyway, about antiperspirant and cancer, especially shortly after shaving underarms.

Ursa Major: thanks for the advice on the PM, too, I'll do that.

Does anyone drink ionized water? If so, have you noticed any differences?

Hi all! Has anyone had Lymphatic Drainage massage done? I'm curious. I have a pain in my left breast/maybe lymph area, and am thinking that I've been dtoxing really slowly too, so maybe this is an option for me.

Well, I do have two hungry hippos here at home: partner and daughter: both of whom love miso soup...so that would always work. It's just such a commitment, that large tub. (This from the woman who just bought a HUGE drum of coconut oil, knowing that once she spends 50 bucks on some foodstuff, she's libel to stop tolerating it.)

Okay. Next time I'm at the store, I'll spring for it.

But also remember that this can happen to anyone now and again. If it keeps happening, you might consider taking a prebiotic, like Digest Gold. I was having D and undigested food for a couple weeks, and started the pills again - now much better...absorbing again!

I wonder if the gluten milk cows are getting is from winter hay. Or if it is from some junk they are being given. Otherwise, they should just eat pasture grass. Organic milk is a good investment, anyone, I've read one of the more important things to get organically made. Raw milk, if it's available in your area, is good too.

It is beef cows that one should worry about with gluten, if anything. They are fed all sorts of crap, though mostly corn in this country.

Anyway, have you tried goat milk? It is easier to digest for many folks...and again, they should just be eating pasture grass.

I wonder if it would be more effective to create a special interest group or lobby of sorts, and then work directly with companies, rather than the government. The cynic in me knows that the FDA (under Donald Rumsfield) okayed Aspartame, and that's been nothing but trouble. (Previous to his appointment as the head of the FDA, he was the attorney or on the board for the company that created aspartame). Never mind the whole origin of fluoride in our water. And they are wholly influenced by corporations and pharmaceutical lobbies. Did you know there are more lobbyists for pharmaceutical companies in Washington D.C. than there are congresspersons?

But we could help influence companies. If we organized locally. For example, we have a company in my area that makes Gorilla crunch and Peanut Butter Panda cereal -- good cereals really -- and gluten free. Envirokids maybe they are called. Anyway, they are not a gluten free facility and make maybe two cereals that aren't gluten free. Folks around here could get together and convince this company that there is a GREAT market for their goods, and it would be better still if they were a gluten free facility. It would be best if the local folks could get on the influencing of the local companies, but behind them they had a national organization of celiac sufferers who could be shown as a fine market for a company's goods.

Granted, huge companies would be harder to convince. The whole reason there is gluten in so many foods is because it is used as filler, or as something to keep stuff from sticking together, or whatever. The whole reason they're using it is because whatever it is they are trying to make is slightly unnatural - is it natural to put cookies in a box and have them be good a year later? No. Then on top of that, they go with whatever is cheapest - this is why you see "may contain soy bla bla bla or corn bla bla bla"...whichever bla bla bla is cheaper right then is what is going in the food.

Frankly, the problem seems entirely too huge, because it is partly based on the idea of food as commodity, rather than as food as giver of life, or food as human right, or food as 'you truly are what you eat'.

Time will probably help. More and more people are diagnosed, making markets smaller and smaller for those folks who use gluten in their products. i don't know...just my two cents.

the tea is herbal, so I don't think so. And green tea doesn't get me the same way, and it does have some tannins...so probably not.

thank you, though.

I've been having breast pain for about a week or so now, pretty strongly, and maybe for a month or two really mildly. It is only my left breast, it is on the outside, and my partner and I noticed it is bigger there than the other breast.

I'm going to go see the doctor; but does anyone have any thoughts? (Not normally a breast-pain type period person, can't possibly be preggers, only real change in diet is to do more raw stuff; other symptoms are feeling really acidy all the time, and being very tired.)

Well, I've never had problems with heartburn before on a regular basis (more the type that I deserved due to eating something weird), but now have a quite acidy feeling all the time. I've been trying to eat even more alkaline than I normally do...so far, it's only helped a bit. I do notice I can't tolerate my favorite tea, Bengal Spice, w/o getting the heartburn, and I've read that cinnimon can bug folks with acid issues.

I don't think I suddenly have acid reflux. I just am not totally sure why I'm so acid if I don't eat a particularly acid diet. Any thoughts?

p.s. sipping lemon water helps, eating salad helps (for a while).