~The Acid Truth~

Super Awesome Fajita Marinade

2011-07-26T15:38:00.000-06:00

SUPER AWESOME FAJITA MARINADE

2 lbs. flank steak

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon cumin

½ to 1 whole bunch cilantro (depending on personal preference)

1 jalapeno

2 limes

1 orange

2 tablespoons canola oil

Unseasoned Tenderizer

Sea Salt

This recipe came to me courtesy of my good friend at the bison meat market. I’ve slightly adjusted from his original recipe for our taste preferences.

In a food chopper/processor, combine the garlic, cumin, cilantro, and jalapeno. Chop all together.

Cut the limes and the orange into 8ths. (If you really like the flavor of orange on your fajitas, you can use 2 oranges. A member of my family does not like the way it turns out with more orange, so I only use one.) Place the lime and orange wedges into a gallon size baggie. I squeeze some of the wedge juices into the bag and throw the rest of the wedges in without squeezing. Add the canola oil and the chopped garlic/cumin/cilantro, jalapeno mixture into the baggie.

Sprinkle tenderizer and salt on the flank steak. Don’t go too heavy on either one because too much of both will make the steak too salty. Add the flank steak into the baggie. Seal and squeeze to mix everything up well.

IMPORTANT: Marinade overnight! This provides the best tasting and most tender results on your fajitas.

Next day, grill and cut the flank steak into strips. Be sure to cut the steak against the grain. VOILA! Fajita meat is ready!

Cancer is Certainly Serious Business

2011-06-20T20:50:00.001-06:00

WOW! I just barely caught this video while it was still available for free online viewing. I am astounded that Burzynski’s cancer cure is virtually unknown by the large public.

Why is that?!

You would think that if a cure for cancer has been found--especially a non-toxic one--doctors all over the nation, the National Cancer Institute, and the government would be tooting their horns about it super loud. And one would think that if a cure for cancer had been found, millions of dollars would be funneled to furthering the research and development of this cure.

Oh, but no…That is not happening because cancer is serious business! There is a ridiculously huge amount of money involved in the cancer business. And the MANY involved in the business of producing more “pharmaceutical drugs” and of “curing cancer” only using traditional chemotherapy and radiation treatments do not want to lose their precious income. They do not care whatsoever about the best interest of the public affected by cancer. They care about keeping their hands deep in the cookie jar and filling their pockets with more money, even at the expense of human lives. And they will go to any outrageous lengths to stop Dr. Burzynski from treating cancer patients with his cure.

PLEASE! I urge you to inform yourself and order the DVD for the Burzynski video and watch it. Share it with all your loved ones and friends. Your life or theirs may depend on it!

Take charge of your health and keep yourself informed.

Essential Oils for Health and Healing

2011-02-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

I have recently begun another blog and started a Facebook page to talk about the fascinating wonders of essential oils and how to use them in day to day health and in healing from disease. Essential oils were successfully used for health and healing long before pharmaceutical companies were mass producing their drugs.

If you prefer to maintain your health and heal from sickness in more natural ways, I highly recommend you check out Essential Oils for Health and Healing. Feel free to add comments on your experiences using pure essential oils or to ask questions.

There is much information to be learned about the application of essential oils for various situations. I am in the process of learning, as I also do my own experimenting and practicing. As I discover new things, I will be posting what I discover and what kind of results are achieved.

As always, my hope is to help others take charge of their health and to share with others what I have found helpful.

Surrendering to Monsanto and GMO Food

2011-02-01T18:37:00.001-07:00

Today, I read in disbelief and with horror, the shocking facts that some of the “organic food industry” companies are selling out to the bio-hazard monster company Monsanto. Frankly, I am completely disgusted and angered by the recent move to stop fighting against genetically engineered foods and give way for Monsanto to continue to introduce their GE seeds into United States farm lands. This will bring with it further risk of (and ultimate certain) contamination to the crops of the few farmers left who remain true to organic farming.

I had not known or heard of Monsanto until I watched the DVD called Food, Inc. The moment I learned what Monsanto’s work was all about and how they treated farmers, I was filled with disgust and anger.

I am furious about what the food industry in the United States has turned into. It is totally appalling to me what the USDA is allowing the money hungry bio-tech companies to do to our food system and what the consequences of that has been and will be to the American citizens. All of it done in the name of the mighty dollar!

It is an OUTRAGE!

Thanks to power hungry, money hungry companies and some of the same type of people in our government, my health and the health of those I care about is in danger.

How can the free people of the United States of America stand by and allow this to happen? How can we stand by and allow this to be done to us?

Many are being deceived. Money hungry organizations are now using a “natural food” advertising campaign to keep the wool over the eyes of the American public and deceive them into thinking that if they buy natural foods they are getting something healthy and truly natural. What a crazy farce most of it is!

It is bad enough that the people’s cry for “cheaper” food has been one of the propagating issues bringing about this food mess. If cheap food is what people ask for, it is cheap food that they will get. And I am speaking of a lot of more than price cost. I am speaking of the quality of the food.

Many people in the United States do not give a second thought to where the food they are buying has come from, how it was grown, and what it contains. They have been lulled into some false sense of confidence that surely the USDA and our government would not allow “bad” food to be sold to them. Ridiculous! It happens every day; especially, at the big chain markets claiming “lower” prices. It happens every time someone goes through a McDonald’s drive thru and buys a burger.

We stuff our mouths full of whatever we can afford or whatever we crave or whatever tastes good and are not taking into account the very serious cost and consequences of such careless actions.

America is the fattest nation in the world. Why is that? Because Americans are perfectly happy to eat to their mouth and stomach’s content without thought for the consequences. The nation is addicted to fast food, sugar, and fat. The food industry continues to introduce crap food that appeals to our physical senses, and people buy without looking at the ingredients or learning more about where the food actually came from and how it was raised, grown, or processed.

Do we really want to continue on in ignorant bliss? I really hope not. The money hungry do not care one bit about your health. The government does not care about your health.

YOU must care about your health and take charge of it.

We ARE what we eat. That’s a fact. If you eat crap, you are going to feel like crap, and you are going to be highly susceptible to disease. When you get sick and need medication, then the money hungry pharmaceuticals are going to make their share from your sickness. What a terrible cycle! The chemical producing companies like Monsanto make money at our health expense and then the pharmaceutical companies reap the secondary benefits. Meanwhile, the American citizens lose in every way and pay a very high price. So when you were buying that “cheap” food, it was actually food with a very high future price tag. The price paid could even be your life or the life of a loved one.

Please read the following article from Organic Consumers called “The Organic Elite Surrenders to Monsanto: What Now” and inform yourself of what is happening today. Do not continue to allow these people to pull the wool over your eyes.

The article mentions that Organic Valley is part of the surrendering. If so, that would greatly grieve me. I don’t know. I received an email from Organic Valley stating “We Stand United in Opposition to GE Alfalfa”.

If you want to take some action, you can write an online letter to the Obama Aministration.

For another great resource on better food for life, check out the Slow Food USA website. Lots of great articles on the site.

As far as I am capable, I will NOT surrender my right to eat healthy, eat truly natural or organic foods, and to be in charge of my health.

May you be empowered to take charge of your health today.

RECIPE - Red Quinoa in Pear Marinade

2011-01-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

I've decided to occasionally post some of my favorite recipes. I'll do this as time allows. As I love to share any other things which I find helpful, I thought I would share some delectable recipes too.

This one comes from my Inca Red Quinoa box. Quinoa is pronounced "keen-wa". It is an amazing grain (some say it's a seed) full of protein, essential amino acids, and gluten free.

This recipe is not anything of my own, but it is wonderful and very healthy for you. Plus it is gluten free! You can read more about quinoa and find more recipes at the Quinoa Corporation website. This recipe is also on that site under the "Inca Red Pamphlet" link.

RED QUINOA IN PEAR MARINADE

½ cup canned pears, blended to smooth consistency
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons liquid from the can of pears
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup minced onion or scallions
½ cup diced cucumber
½ cup diced yellow bell pepper
2 cups cooked red quinoa
½ cup roasted almonds or cashews, coarsely chopped

Cook red quinoa and let it cool. Place blended pears into a medium bowl. Add ginger, vinegar, liquid from can of pears, and sea salt. Mix well. Place onion, cucumber, and yellow pepper into the marinade and toss. Add quinoa, mix thoroughly, and chill or let sit at room temperature for a minimum of one hour. Add nuts and serve. This dish will keep well for several days in the refrigerator. Serves 4.

When I cook my quinoa, I combine 1 cup of quinoa, 2 cups of water and 3/4 tsp of salt and 3/4 tsp of olive oil. And I do have to cook it longer than the instructions on the box. This could be because I live at high altitude; I'm not sure. One cup of uncooked quinoa turns into 3 1/3 cooked cups. Since I put salt in the quinoa when I cook it, I omit the salt from the recipe above.

Removing Burned Food from a Crock Pot/Slow Cooker

2010-09-28T09:07:00.000-06:00

Our apple tree has given us many apples this year, and a few weeks ago, I decided to make apple butter with our apples. I pulled out my easy and trusted recipe I got from a friend a few years ago and mixed all the ingredients in my new crock pot. The recipe called for cooking the apple butter overnight on the low setting, and I had done this multiple times with great success. Our old crock pot had been 23 years old and one of those round shaped, upright kind. Its glass lid broke, and we finally threw it away. To replace it, we purchased a much larger sized, oval one.

I set the apple butter to cook on low in our new crock pot and left it to do its thing overnight. I was a little concerned when I went to bed because the butter looked almost done to me. However, I didn’t want to turn if off too early, so I left it on. We woke up in the morning to a horrible, totally blackened mess in the crock pot. The apple butter was burned to a crisp—a rock-hardened crisp. The new crockpot had been too large for the amount of apple butter I had put in there to cook. Very disappointing, to say the least, that I had wasted so many delicious apples from our tree.

We set the stoneware of the pot to soak with lots of hot water and left it for a few hours. As we attempted to clean it, we realized the blackened burned stuff wasn’t going anywhere. It was cooked on to the stoneware. My husband did a lot of hard scraping with knives and spoons that we probably shouldn’t have done on that stoneware, but we were getting desperate, and I needed my crockpot in a few days for a planned dinner meal. I soaked it longer, searched the internet for ideas, and also emailed the manufacturer for assistance on what to do.

On the internet I found some ideas for using vinegar, salt, or baking soda. The manufacturer emailed me back and said vinegar was their only solution. We let that pot soak overnight for many nights taking turns with water, soapy water, vinegar, salt, and baking soda. But we couldn’t make any progress in removing the remaining stuck on blackened apple butter from it. I was beginning to lose hope and think that I would have to throw away my new pot. One day, I even tried scrubbing it with Goof Off and some super orange cleaner. Nothing.

Finally, an idea came to my mind. It was my last resort. I wet the stoneware with vinegar and applied a thick layer of baking soda on top of it. After letting it sit for a few hours, I poured vinegar on the paste, let it foam up for a few seconds, and rinsed with water. YEAH! It was beginning to loosen the blackened gunk! As I rinsed with water, I could see little chunks of black floating away. I remoistened the pot with vinegar and reapplied another thick layer of baking soda and left it overnight. The next morning, I poured fresh vinegar to create the foaming reaction and rinsed again; most of the burned stuff came off this time. I was so excited about the progress!! I repeated the process once again overnight; and after that time, the stoneware came completely clean.

So there you go. No need to throw that pot away. There is a way to get that blackened, burned food off. It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it’s not hazardous to the environment!

Worrisome Vaccines

2010-04-11T14:22:00.004-06:00

When my children were babies and toddlers, I never even thought twice about having them vaccinated. My doctor vaccinated my children routinely, and I completely believed vaccines were the best thing for my children's future health. Over the last few years, as I have done more of my own research and read further, I have come to greatly question the use vaccines and their ingredients--even to the point of questioning some of the vaccines routinely given to my dogs.

In this recent article by Dr. Mercola, more information is given regarding vaccines. The article includes information on the "latest and greatest" HPV vaccine. Please, please do not vaccinate your children without more information.

Dr. Mercola's article begins as follows:

A study conducted at the University of Michigan shows that, although parents overwhelmingly share the belief that vaccines are a good way to protect their children from disease, these same parents express concerns regarding potential adverse effects of vaccines.

They especially seem to question the safety of new vaccines.

The study is based on a survey of more than 1,500 parents that was conducted last year. About 12 percent of parents said they had refused to allow their children to receive a vaccine that a doctor recommended.

Those parents tended to shy away from four vaccines:

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, because of concerns about side effects

Vaccine for meningococcal diseases, because of the risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an immune system disorder

The shot for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), because of potential autism risk

Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine

Of those who said they had refused a certain vaccine for their child(ren), the greatest share of parents said their concerns were based on something they had read, or heard, about the vaccine. An almost equal number said they believed that the risk for adverse effects from the vaccine was too great.

The study’s authors concluded that this finding indicates that current public health education campaigns on vaccine safety have not been effective, and that officials should make a better attempt at assuaging parents’ safety concerns.

The authors also suggested that the use of newer social marketing techniques (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) might be potential strategies for spreading the word about vaccines.

Read the rest of this informative article at Dr. Mercola's web link.

Shocking News on Agave Nectar

2010-04-11T14:03:00.005-06:00

Dr. Mercola recently wrote an exposing article on the truth about Agave nectar. I've never liked the flavor of the stuff and much prefer to use Stevia as a sugar substitute. Keep in mind, not all Stevia products taste alike. One of the best tasting Stevia I have ever used comes from Stevia Canada. If you don't mind ordering from this Canadian company and waiting to receive your product over the mail, I highly recommend it. If you prefer to hop in your car and buy your Stevia locally, I recommend the NOW Brand "Stevia Balance" packets. Those are also of excellent taste.

Here is how Dr. Mercola begins his expose on the Agave nectar:

Many people interested in staying healthy have switched to agave as a safer "natural" sweetener. They want to avoid well documented dangerous sweeteners like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) but are unaware that most agave is actually WORSE than HFCS.

This expose will offend many hard core natural health advocates because they have been convinced of the agave hype by companies that are promoting it.

Some have even criticized me for having “ulterior” motives. But nothing could be further from the truth. Although I do offer natural health products for sale on this site, I sell no competing products to agave.

Rather, I recommend other options such as stevia products. You can also use xylitol in small amounts or glucose which is sold as dextrose and can easily be purchased on Amazon for $1 per pound. I do not sell any of these products.

My only purpose for sharing this information is to help people understand the truth about health. In case you haven’t noticed, we have an epidemic of obesity in the US and it wasn’t until recently that my eyes opened up to the primary cause - - fructose.

I had similar epiphanies about omega-3 fats and vitamin D since I started this site, but this is the most major health appreciation I have had since I learned about vitamin D over five years ago. This is serious business and it is my intention to make the public fully aware of it and let you make your own choices.

Yes it is all about freedom of choice. It is hard to have freedom if you aren’t given the entire story, and up until now that has been the case with agave.

To read the rest of this article, go to the link at Dr. Mercola's website.

Latest News on Aspartame

2010-03-02T09:17:00.003-07:00

Well, here is the latest news from Dr. Mercola on one of America's favorite and dangerous artificial sweeteners, Aspartame. Even though this artificial sweetener has had quite the controversial beginning and history, it continues to be used in countless food products. Here is further news about the deceptive marketing techniques used trying to convince people this is a perfectly safe and healthy alternative to sugar.

"America's Deadliest Sweetener Betrays Millions..." by Dr. Joseph Mercola.

Do Bisphosphonates REALLY Help Bones?

2010-02-28T18:30:00.006-07:00

Almost couple of years ago, I was diagnosed as being in the stages of Osteopenia and Osteoporosis. I had just turned 40. Of course, my doctor suggested I immediately begin taking some type of Bisphosphonate like Boniva. I chose to not follow that route.

First of all, I wanted to do my own research of exactly how these drugs work. I checked out a bunch of books from the library on Osteoporosis and read articles on the internet, especially from some of my more favorite natural healthcare sites. I definitely avoided any websites that were sponsored by pharmaceutical companies.

Second of all, I had been told that Bisphosphonates are hard on the digestive system. I really did not want to aggravate my already sensitive system any further.

What I discovered in my research was that while Bisphosphonates do increase bone density, it is not a healthy increase. Bisphosphonates build up the bones with OLD bone.

Our bones are constantly renewing themselves. Those drugs prevent the old bone from being removed, hence increasing bone density, but doing so with old, weak bone. And in the long run, most probably leading to a higher incidence of fractures and creating bones that have great difficulty healing in the event of such a fracture.

The Health Watcher's News has recently published a new article giving further light on the truth of Bisphosphonates. Read the article called "Bisphosphonates: Bone Strengtheners or Bone Hardeners" and inform yourself!

"Natural" Deodorants and Aluminum

2010-02-28T13:36:00.004-07:00

WOW! I am so excited to get recently updated information from Dr. Mercola on deodorants and the aluminum found in them. Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's, and it is best to avoid all deodorants or anti-perspirants that contain it. I had no idea that there are deodorants currently on the market claiming to be "natural" or aluminum free that actually still contain some aluminum. Please inform yourself by reading Dr. Mercola's article: Stop Using "Natural" Deodorants Until You Read This. EXCELLENT information!

Jean's Story and Helpful Info with Web Links

2010-01-10T18:01:00.004-07:00

In November of 2009 I received an email from Jean after she discovered this blog. With permission, I post Jean’s emails to me here because I believe they can certainly help someone else reading this blog if they face similar circumstances as Jean. Plus, Jean offered many helpful links for further research and information. Thank you, Jean.

Jean’s first email to me:

Hi Mary Ann,

Well, I was glad to see your post since it mirrored some of my own 'events' and research. Isn't it a shame that it's so difficult to get constructive medical help for digestive issues!

My own story is quite similar to yours, though never identified as 'acid reflux'. I have had several health issues crop up since menopause some 10 years ago. First, it was relentless weight gain that was unresponsive to diet and exercise (only gained, never lost). I did a lot of research and finally got diagnosed as sub-clinically hypothyroid and used Armour, which helped with numerous symptoms but not weight. Even with all the changes, I still do better on Armour than any of the synthetics. Obtaining Naturethroid around here is exceedingly difficult, and I haven't yet found a pharmacy willing to get it.

Then, after several years, I started having episodes of what I thought were lactose intolerance, followed by dairy intolerance and intolerance to beef....

In 2006, I went vegan in an attempt to reverse what doctors told me was a march into diabetes (successfully reversed by vegan diet). Eating vegan (no animal products) certainly reduced stomach troubles since plants apparently are easier to digest. But during that same period I also discovered that my adrenal function was very low.

My vitamin D levels were about 20, similar to yours. Took me several months of 5000iu/day to get into the normal range, and I currently take 10,000iu/day over the winter. (I'll see what my most recent numbers are after I get the results of this last week's tests.) I was aggravated that I had to argue my doctor into doing the D test, then discover it was so low since low D raises the risk for about 26 different cancers. See:
http://www.grassrootshealth.net/documentation

http://www.vitamindhealth.org/?cat=11

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/links.shtml

and a truly excellent video presentation at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq1t9WqOD-0

It's both informative and funny (ignore the dinosaurs and evolution references). The important info is about D.

In January of 2008, I had an extremely painful stomach episode, and eventually went to the ER as my heart rate and blood pressure were extremely high (scared the ER staff). After running about $9000 worth of tests (thankfully covered under our health insurance) they came bounding back to tell me they couldn't find anything particularly wrong and it must have been something I ate...." Well, golly, fellas, that's the best you can come up with?

Fortunately, I had just started working with a FNP who had a background in nutrition and who also has digestive issues. She immediately thought of low stomach acid and recommended Betaine HCL with Pepsin (I use Solaray or NSI 650mg) and, like you, that has provided real relief - but not all of the answers.

In my research, I've come across some info that you might want to check out for yourself. First, the Gastroparesis articles written by Dr.Bernstein do have application for low levels of stomach acid since the symptoms of the two disorders overlap. They are posted at:

http://www.diabetes-book.com/cms/articles/9-dr-bernstein-shares-his-insights

The article are #8-17 though the reading order is reversed with the earlier articles being the higher numbers thus the first article is #17, etc. Articles 6, 7, 8, 9 are of particular interest and are short reads.

Next, I have come across the concept that raw daily green smoothies WILL help improve low stomach acid conditions. It's in the back of the book "Green For Life": http://www.rawfamily.com/prodlinks/gfl.html

I do know that when I use green smoothies I see/feel a nearly immediate energy response. Noticing that positive reaction and realizing that digestion was indeed a problem for me, I've shifted over to liquid vitamins. I currently use 'Lifetime Life's Basics Whole Food Concentrate' though there are a number of brands available. I've also shifted to liquid Calcium, B and trying liquid D - all in an effort to overcome the various deficiencies that have developed over time due to my poor digestion. I am happy to say that I saw an immediate improvement in energy levels after about 2 weeks or less using the liquid vitamins.

Lastly, exercises like walking are said to stimulate digestion, and since walking is hard for me I've been having good success by using my rebounder (mini-trampoline). Three minutes several times a day really gets the lymphatic system moving and seems to improve digestion too. It ought to be as helpful as the Flamingo stance in strengthening bone as well.

I now eat predominately vegan, but as I have low adrenal function, animal proteins are considered necessary to resolve adrenal issues. I have a lot of trouble digestion animal proteins (except fish and seafood) So...I eat a fruit smoothie in the a.m., my 'animal protein' (usually fish or shrimp) with lunch, and try to eat a light dinner (soup and salad). I've been considering grinding up cooked meat or pureeing it to get more protein into the day, but so far haven't actually gone to that length.

Eating vegan works very well overall, but it's hard to get the recommended amount of plant protein that is apparently needed for adrenal repair in a strictly plant-based diet.

I just wanted to share the info that I've found and congratulate you on your blog!

Jean’s second email to me:

Hi Mary Ann,

I just wanted to touch base with someone else that's diligently working on resolving digestive issues from the 'patient' side of the health care equation. It's actually quite surprising that there is so little general knowledge about using diet to correct digestion. Fortunately, I have the time and experience to do research, otherwise I'd be even worse off ;)

As I read others stories, I realize my own digestive problems pale by comparison. So many people are dealing with really, really severe digestive issues. It's somewhat frightening to realize the current medical system knows so very little about digestion and can offer so little in the way of real help. If I wanted to be guinea pig I'd grow fur! The person with digestive issues really IS on their own.

Keep in touch as you uncover new ideas.

Jean’s third email to me:

I agree that not all people with digestive disorders are ready for dietary change because we tend to like life as it is. There's a quote around that goes something like "it's easier to change a man's religion than his diet" which is too true to be humorous, especially for men.

Women tend to be more pragmatic about diet changes.

I've found that leading by example works best, along with open discussion on diet topics with friends and family. People understand that I eat mostly vegan for health and not political reasons so they feel less judged. I really don't expect people to change, but I make sure they have the info needed just in case they surprise me.

Just in case you hadn't already come across this info, one of the earliest dietary items I came across was related to Melvin Page, a dentist, and his work on balancing blood chemistry through diet:

http://www.curetoothdecay.com/Dentistry/melvin_page_dentist.htm

http://www.ifnh.org/Page%20Bio.htm

http://www.ifnh.org/Page%20Food%20Plan.PDF

Basically, variations of Page's work forms the foundation of many of our modern popular 'diet' books.

And it's pretty consistent across the digestive discussion boards that to resolve digestive issues one has to go back to 'real' food, preferably organic, and simplify, simplify. Basically, our internal 'ecosystem' is under assault and some individual's digestive 'ecosystems' are much more sensitive than others. When we eat we are engaging in internal ecosystem management, with all the problems of over population in some areas, under population in others, pollution, timing problems, damage control, etc.

I think the hardest dietary adjustment for me has been the need to go back to cooking from scratch (or nearly from scratch), and I really am not a great cook, nor do I enjoy cooking. But, cooking from scratch is the only way to limit )(*&^% in the daily meals.

Another hard adjustment is that the sequence of events in digestive disintegration are hard to pin down. So, just when you think you are onto something useful, you find out you are asking the wrong questions or following the wrong lead. Example: I thought I was developing food intolerances, when in fact the problem was actually low stomach acid. But I didn't know anything about Hypochlorhydria's connection to food intolerances as the books don't really discuss that aspect. Once I discovered Hypochlorhydria information, it became clear that Hypochlorhydria must have preceded my food intolerances. It's really hard to find out exactly which symptom leads to the cart and which symptom leads you to the horse, and reversing problems really depends on getting the cart behind the horse.

Keep up the good work!

Thank you Jean, for all the helpful insight and links. Jean is very right in her assessment that diet changes are hard to make, but they are worth the effort. And it is hard to figure out what symptoms are the cart and which are the horse leading the cart. However, I encourage us all to persevere, for our own health.

The Sad State of Our Food Industry

2010-01-04T16:39:00.002-07:00

About nine years ago, I became outraged at the introduction of rBGH growth hormone in the US milk supply. I couldn’t believe that when my children drank their milk, they would also be getting a dose of added hormones that would eventually affect their own hormone levels. I made the decision to stop buying “hormoned” milk, as I called it, and instead found a hormone-free milk supplier. Purchasing hormone free, natural milk was more expensive but worth my peace of mind. Little did I realize back then that this one change would only be the beginning of major changes in my future food buying habits.

Over the last nine years, I have gone from buying natural, hormone free milk to purchasing completely organic milk, meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains. While we do not eat a 100% natural, organic diet, the majority of it is natural and/or organic. I began with the milk which was the most important thing to me nine years ago and slowly changed to add organic fruits and vegetables. The more I paid attention to our food industry and the practices that were taking place, the more disgusted I became thinking about the amount of chemical pesticides which are sprayed on crops and that my family was ingesting those pesticides. After the fruits and vegetables change, I also became concerned about the meat that we were eating. Especially the more I heard about mad cow disease and its association with cows being fed grain and grain that also had animal by-products in it. Cows were never meant to eat grain, and the grain sours in their stomachs. Grass fed cows store way more nutrients and healthy omega fatty acids in their body. The industrial meat supply has also been compromised by hormones and antibiotics. I eventually discovered a local source of grass-fed bison and over time it became the only red meat we purchase.

Over the years, I have been observing the changes that have come about in the US population as the people have been pumped full of antibiotics and hormones through the food supply. The misuse of antibiotics by people, along with the abuse of antibiotics in our food supply have created antibiotic resistant diseases. The extra hormones fed into the human body have caused girls to become fully developed sooner than ever and caused them to start their menstrual cycles at way too early ages. I have also observed that a great deal of boys and men are growing breasts. To me, this is such an obvious effect of men getting added doses of hormones they were never meant to absorb.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I watched an incredible documentary called Food, Inc.

This documentary is based on some books that have been written by people who have taken a hard look at the industrialized food industry and exposed the ugly truth of what is going on. As I watched the documentary, I was totally appalled that what I had guessed was happening was truly taking place and in greater detrimental extents than I had taken the time to imagine or research.

I strongly urge everyone to visit the Food, Inc. website, watch the documentary, read the books associated with it, and inform themselves of what is happening and where their food supply is coming from. It is only through the consumer being informed, outraged, and taking action that anything will change! The food industry hopes that we will all remain ignorant of what is being done to us, all in the name of giving us the “cheap” food we thoughtlessly demand. If it is dollar “cheap” food we demand, it will also be “cheap” food that we will ingest. We may think we are saving money on the food now, but we will certainly pay for it later with our ill health and medical bills.

For whatever reasons and for whatever God’s purposes are, this is one of the things I am passionate about in life. So I write about it here, hoping that this information will be of help to someone else who may come across it.

To healthy eating!

The Grave Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup

2010-01-03T14:49:00.001-07:00

Americans love their sugar, but the high amounts of sugar that we swallow every year are of great detriment to our health.

Dr. Mercola just posted a wonderful article regarding sugar and high fructose corn syrup. The article begins by saying:

"Research shows this sweetener can cause much more damage than table sugar to human metabolism, trigger early sings of diabetes and heart disease, and cause dangerous growths of fat cells around vital organs."

Read the very informative article in its entirety at Mercola.com

Melanie's story

2009-11-08T16:05:00.004-07:00

In August, I received an email from a woman who found this blog helpful in her search for answers with digestive issues. Melanie has had various learning experiences with regards to health and digestive issues and also offers help based on what she has discovered along the way. You can read her story and get more helpful info at her website FoodCure.net.

Swine Flu Alert article

2009-10-21T08:11:00.007-06:00

Dr. Mercola has just released an alert article regarding Swine Flu pertaining to the 60 Minutes episode last Sunday portraying the story of a football player infected with H1N1. In the email I received giving link to the article, Mercola says:

Urgent and vital information you need to know about the massive amount of disinformation that the media has recently escalated as best demonstrated by 60 Minutes segment on Swine Flu which aired this past Sunday.

Normally our editorial process has us test, research and review articles over a three week period before it finally reaches the newsletter. However, this article is an exception which is why it is coming out as a special alert.

Read my special report on this vital topic so you can avoid deception and manipulation by the conventional media.

The last time we sent out a special report like this over one million people viewed the page and it was the sixth most viewed page on the Internet that day. So our apologies if our servers are not giving you the page as quickly as you would like. Just be patient and keep trying.

Dr. Mercola begins the ALERT: Special Swine Flu Update article by saying:

I, like many others, consider 60-Minutes an excellent source of journalism. Their executive producer, Don Hewitt died earlier this year after leading the program for 41 years to one of the most successful programs in the history of television. His guiding principle was to tell a story and is actually a strategy I am seeking to implement on this site.

Last Sunday, their lead story was no exception and followed the champion strategy of telling the story of a young high school football player who was infected with the H1N1 virus...

The purpose of his article is to lay down further facts about the risks of H1N1 and vaccination and to bring about moderate reasoning instead of panic. The article points out certain questions that were asked in the 60 Minutes episode but also that were not asked which may have also helped to understand why some people have worse reactions than others. Check the article out for yourself and be informed.

Cell Phones and Radiation Dangers

2009-09-24T15:14:00.003-06:00

Some people may think the danger of radiation with cell phones is a bunch of hooey; however, I do not. While I don't consider myself and extremist with regards to this issue, I do think we do well to take facts such as the following under great consideration.

Please go to the Dr. Mercola article "Does a Cell Phone's Radiation Effect Stop When the Call Ends?" to read more about some of the facts.

FDA's Mercury Ruling Seems Fishy

2009-08-22T07:57:00.004-06:00

FDA warns pregnant women about limiting their intake on fish due to mercury content, but cares nothing to warn people about the mercury in amalgam fillings. Hummm....maybe it has to do with the fact that fish don't make money from the mercury they provide or have anything but their little lives to lose; however, the big company(ies) selling mercury-filled amalgam fillings do!

Go to Dr. Mercola's web page for the full scoop on this.

Real Truths About Gardasil Vaccine

2009-08-19T17:14:00.005-06:00

I received the following email in my inbox today from the Virginia Hopkins Health Watch:

GARDASIL VACCINE NEWS

Dear Reader,

Finally, the American Medical Association has spoken some truth about the controversial vaccine Gardasil, the mainstream media has picked up the story, and doctors are “just saying no,” to it for their patients.

An article in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, August 19, 2009) takes Gardasil manufacturer Merck to task for marketing Gardasil as a cervical cancer vaccine rather than an HPV vaccine; for ignoring those populations of girls and women most at risk for cervical cancer; and for what amounts to deceptive advertising by withholding troubling facts about the vaccine....(Click here to read the rest of the article at its home link)

You can also read more info at another one of their articles: Truthiness in Advertising - Gardasil - It Has Risks, Dangers, and Side Effects

Armour Thyroid Reformulation

2009-07-04T14:46:00.001-06:00

Oh my goodness! I knew there was something odd about the last prescription I received of my Armour Thyroid but had no idea of the seriousness of the issue.

Just today, a friend of mine forwarded to me some information regarding the fact that Armour Thyroid was reformulated this past spring and that people have been having all sorts of problems due to this reformulation.

I had picked up my last prescription mid-May. I purchase 30 mg tablets, and then I cut them in half. 15 mg is perfect for me to reach a normal thyroid level. When I was trying to cut my latest tablets in half, they crumbled and fell apart. Needless to say, I have quite the crumbs in this batch and many of the cuttings have been totally unusable.

Over the last couple of weeks or so I have been feeling quite physically tired and lethargic. I often want to just lie down and not do anything. Body aches and pains have increased, and I want to stop everything and rest all the time. Now…wanting to do something and getting to do it are two totally different things…but that’s another story ;-). This week I was really been wondering what was wrong with me. And I was even having thoughts that maybe I had fibromyalgia or something like that because I was hurting so much and feeling so physically tired and weak. Today, I may have just discovered a very good reason for my troubles! It could be this new Amour Thryoid formula!

If you are an Armour Thyroid user, please go to the About.com link to get more info and find out what people have been saying from their own experiences about the recent reformulation.

Time to get thyroid levels rechecked and switch to different natural thyroid supplement.

My Vitamin D Levels are FINALLY Up!

2009-07-04T14:21:00.004-06:00

My Vitamin D levels have finally increased up to the point of actually being in the normal ranges. They are at the lowest range acceptable, but I am actually in the range! Woo hoo! A year ago, my D level came back as 18. Normal ranges go from 32.0 – 100.0. I was terribly low. At that time, I began supplementing with a better calcium supplement that also had Vitamin D and Vitamin K. This past March I had a recheck and the levels came back at 22.9. Still, way too low and under healthy range.

Increasing Vitamin D is critical to me for many health reasons and especially since being diagnosed with osteoporosis and osteopenia a year ago. After the March results, I began super supplementation with even more additional Vitamin D each day. I am currently taking 2,600 IUs between my calcium supplement and an additional D pill . Plus I am also taking an enzyme along with my Vitamin D pill to help absorption. Vitamin D is fat soluble which means it is dissolved and absorbed through fats.

I believe I have had an issue breaking down my fats and dissolving them properly for a long time. I went through a phase a few years ago when I was breaking out with horrible acne (in my later thirties). After months of dietary changes and trying various things to solve the problem, I accidentally discovered that it was the fish oil supplementation that was causing the acne. During a vacation, when I ran out of fish oil pills and didn’t take them for a week, my acne began to clear up. Finally I have been able to put two and two together. Any time I have fried, greasy things or try to supplement with fish oil more than once a week, the acne promptly returns.

All that caused me to wonder if I am also having trouble absorbing Vitamin D because it seems that I also have trouble breaking down the fats. A few weeks ago, I purchased an enzyme supplement to take along with my Vitamin D to hopefully help this problem.

Along with pill supplementation, the weather here finally warmed up so I began sunning for a few minutes each day. Please note that you cannot make Vitamin D if you are using sunscreen. *No* sunscreen allowed during Vitamin D making moments. I started sunning around noon time for 15 minutes at a time, rotating my body around to the sun every few minutes. I expose as much skin as possible so I can make the most Vitamin D. I have increased now to sunning 25 minutes a day. That’s plenty of exposure, and I’ve also gotten a very nice tan. The key to making Vitamin D in a healthy way is never to allow your skin to burn. Burning the skin will break down Vitamin D and put you at risk for skin cancer.

When I had my levels rechecked a couple of weeks ago, after the extra supplementation and sunning daily, they had dramatically increased! I went from 22.9 in March to 37.3 in three months!! When in one previous year, I had only gone from 18 to 22.9. This is VERY exciting to me.

For more excellent information on Vitamin D making, health, and testing, etc., go to the Dr. Mercola website and read further at Vitamin D Resource Page and also at the Vitamin D Lecture Page.

I was going to go this month to recheck my bone progress with bone density scan. However, I’ve decided to wait longer now that my Vitamin D has come up to an acceptable range and also to give myself a few more months of more regular flamingo therapy.

Buying Organic Foods

2009-06-16T09:36:00.002-06:00

Great article on buying organic foods:

By Maureen Callahan, R.D.

Americans spent close to $28 billion in 2008 on organic edibles, up from $1 billion in 1990, according to The Organic Trade Association. And organic foods remain an area of growth even with the rising cost of grocery items and tougher economic times.
Farmers and scientists debate whether organic produce, meats, and milks are more nutritious.
If you're fueling these double-digit sales, you likely already have your reasons for buying organic. Even so, recent changes to America's food buying habits -- the rise of the local-food movement, increased awareness about foods' carbon footprint (the amount of greenhouse gasses released when producing and transporting goods) -- may leave you wondering where organic foods fit into a better-for-the-environment equation.
If you're not an organic shopper, perhaps you have questions about whether or not these products are worth their premium price tag...

Finish reading this informative article at the CNN link.

Why Flamingos Don't Get Osteoporosis

2009-06-15T20:43:00.003-06:00

I mention this article in one of my previous posts, but I find this important enough to give it its own posting:

There is a surprising new therapy to increase bone density that may decrease the odds of fracturing a femur or hip as one gets older. Recall the movie, Karate Kid, and download from your memory the image of the kid, balancing on one foot on a log at the beach, seagulls flying overhead. Now imagine an older person in a nursing home, slowly moving about with the aid of a walker doing an imitation of the Karate Kid. What you've got is Dynamic Flamingo Therapy, the invention of researcher, Keizo Sakamoto from Tokyo, and likely the least expensive and least intrusive intervention ever described in the medical literature for preventing hip fractures.
In October 2006, writing in the Journal of Orthopedic Science, Sakamoto described the effect of what he called “unipedal standing” on the frequency of falls and hip fractures in an elderly population. His unipedal standing balance exercise was simple. Stand on one leg for a minute (alternating legs) with your eyes open three times a day. If you need to, hang onto something so you don’t tip over.
Bone density and bone strength is improved by mild stress to the bone, that’s why we make all the fuss about weight bearing exercise. By Sakamoto’s calculations, standing on one foot for a minute would have an effect on bone density equivalent to walking 53 minutes...

Read the rest of this article on the Natural Grocers link.

A similar article is also online at the Denver Naturopathic website.

Check it out for yourself! Your bones will thank you for it.

Worried About the Swine Flu?

2009-06-13T11:58:00.004-06:00

Are the news reports causing you to have great alarm regarding the current outbreak of swine flu? I think reading the following article by Dr. Mercola will help put things in a much calmer perspective:

On June 11 the World Health Organization (WHO) warned 194 member nations to expect up to 1/3 of the population to be infected with the swine flu. However they also reinforced that this is a mild illness in the majority of cases.

The KEY here is to recognize that absolutely nothing has changed from when I first posted my major update on Swine Flu on April 29 that has now been viewed over one million times.

This promotion to Stage Six is still fear mongering, plain and simple. While it certainly qualifies for a pandemic in the strict definition of the term, they are using that term to instill fear in the population.

All a pandemic implies is that the infection is spread across the world...

To read this article in its entirety, please go straight to Dr. Mercola's website. In the article he also links to some previous things he has written recently on the swine flu which are worthwhile reading.

April 2008 To Present Day, Added Notes

2009-06-12T11:49:00.000-06:00

This is an addendum to my previous post “April 2008 To Present Day”. I forgot to mention a couple of other things that someone may find helpful.

To help my stomach heal from all the trauma that it had experienced due to low acid conditions and H. Pylori bacteria, I purchased some Aloe Vera juice and began drinking it on a regular basis. You don’t have to take very much, and it is best if you don’t, because it can give you diarrhea. The aloe vera juice also helps my stomach tremendously. Whenever I run out, I tell myself that I should now be fine without it. But within days, I start having stomach pains after meals. I am confused as to why for a couple of days, until it dawns on me again that I have not been taking my aloe vera juice! So I make it a point to have some every day. I have a couple of favorite brands that I use. I used the George’s Aloe Vera for most of the past year and really like this one because it is tasteless. Tastes like water and it was very easy for me to just pour the needed amount into my water jug each day and drink it along with my water throughout the day. Recently I was told that Aloe Life’s Aloe Vera is even better and fresher. So I have been trying that one also. I have a bit more difficulty remembering to take this one because I can’t just pour it into my water jug and instead have to drink it separately since it is flavored. The Cherry Berry flavor is the best.

In addition to the aloe vera juice, I also always keep on hand some papaya pills to aid with digestion as needed. I used to take these all the time, but now only take them if I feel any hint of stomach uneasiness after eating a heavy meal. They also help immensely if I am experiencing any signs of acid reflux.

Hopefully, this is all for now…if I think of something else, well I’ll have to add another post.

April 2008 To The Present Day

2009-06-11T20:37:00.007-06:00

I have been sick with some terrible cold or flu thing for the past week and have some extra time on my hands so I am attempting to finish the log of what happened to me last year with regards to my stomach problems. If you are reading this post and have not yet read the entries that come prior to this one, please go to my blog archive here on the right and read the entries from 2008. I am also feeling quite prodded to get my story finished because I have had a couple of people recently contact me after reading this blog and asking me for more information about acid reflux and my experiences.

As I wrote in my last post (July 2008) about my personal story, I ended up switching tracks from the path the doctors were leading me on and pursued getting more information regarding low stomach acid conditions.

I had looked up the Gastroparesis disease, researched the internet, found a yahoo discussion group for people with Gastroparesis, cried tears over the low fiber diet I was instructed to follow because it went against what I considered healthy eating, and felt that in a few years the doctor would probably also be telling me I had colon cancer because I had not been able to have enough fiber! As I reviewed the Gastroparesis discussion loop posts and searched and looked at Gastroparesis in general, it did not really match me—it was not quite right. Then one post came through that sparked my change in direction. Someone mentioned that there are times when doctors are telling people they have too much stomach acid when in actuality they have too little and how the symptoms are the same for both conditions.

The reason the symptoms are the same is because if you have too little stomach acid, your stomach cannot properly break down your food or the natural occurring food acids and, therefore, the food acids (not your stomach acids) are coming right back up into your esophagus causing acid reflux.

I began following that lead and there were some at home tests spoken of on the internet which one can perform to see if the stomach has too much acid or too little. I tried one of those tests having to do with drinking some baking soda water first thing in the morning, and it seemed a little inconclusive to me, but also led me to believe I did have too little acid.

I had immediately stopped taking Protonix as soon as I had begun researching the low stomach acid thing. The same day I was making the greatest discoveries on hypochlorhydria and had also tried the home test, I “just happened” to be talking to a dear friend and telling her that I was so excited because I believed I was really unto something about what was truly wrong with my stomach. I told her how I had read that a person actually needs to add hydrochloric acid to get better and that it is easy to obtain them at a health food store. God SO ordained and orchestrated that moment as she said to me, "Oh Mary Ann, I have some of those pills right here; an unopened bottle". She had bought some to try with her daughter, but she had not ever used the pills. And so she handed me my first bottle of Betaine HCl. I would have been too shy in my initial discoveries to go ahead and invest my money in buying my own bottle of pills; but here they were being handed to me! I went home with them and immediately began trying them with my next meal. I was so afraid of my experimentation and would only take one pill at first, then increased to two pills, and so on. I did okay with those dosages and my acid reflux did not worsen. The pills did not worsen my acid reflux which indicated to me that I surely did not have a too much acid problem.

I discovered information regarding something called a Heidelberg test and decided that I wanted this test performed on me to see about the acid levels in my stomach. I contacted my gastroenterologist doctor’s office and left messages saying that I felt I was onto the real cause of my troubles, what I believed them to be, and that I wanted to pursue getting this Heidelberg test performed. They gave me a week’s run around on the phone playing ridiculous phone tag with me, and when I finally was able to speak to the doctor’s assistant she said they didn’t know anything about this test and that I should just go back to see my primary care physician because they couldn’t (more like wouldn’t) help me. They didn’t want anything to do with me at this point because I wasn’t being a “good little, obedient” patient. They didn’t even bother to want to find out about the Heidelberg test. They wrote me off. They didn't want anything to do with me anymore because I was messing with their comfort zone and what they were comfortable doing.

Along the way of my search I found out about a book called Why Stomach Acid is Good for You. I got the book from our local library and began to read. When I read the book I became furious with the mainstream doctors and the pharmaceutical companies!!

I contacted my primary physician’s office and over the phone explained a bit of my situation and about the Heidelberg test and if they could help me with it. They called me back saying that the doctor wanted to see me and also that he had looked up the test to find out about it because he didn’t know anything of it. (At least he looked it up!) However, when I went to see him in person and told him what I believed was wrong with my stomach, he gave me this look like, "Poor girl, she doesn't really know what she's talking about". He told me exactly these words: "Not sure what to tell you?", and went on to say that he could send me to the university in our city for them to try to figure out why I had Gastroparesis!! Argh! Even though I had just told him that it seemed I had Gastroparesis because my stomach acids were not digesting my food because they weren't there, he didn’t listen. He encouraged me to go back to the gastroenterologist assuring me she was a good doctor. I told him I didn’t plan on it. I left there knowing none of these doctors were going to help me in my healing and that I was on my own with God’s direction leading the way.

I decided to stop being shy with the Betaine HCl supplementation. While the pills were not making my acid reflux worse, I was still having acid reflux with some of the evening meals, especially heavier ones. I added more pills with my meals; the bigger the meal, the more the pills I took.

At the present time, I usually take 3 pills with breakfast, 4 with lunch, and 6-7 with dinner. These amounts may vary depending on the amount I eat and how heavy the foods are. During the evening meal, it is best if I space out the taking of the pills since it is such a large quantity and taking them all at once tends to give me a slight stomach ache for about five minutes. As soon as I begin to eat my meal, I take 2 pills and then eat more bites and take two more pills, until the point when I am all done with the meal and I take last two pills. I take Betaine HCl with everything I eat. If I eat a snack I usually take 2 pills, but all depends on the snack. One meal I most definitely cannot skip taking the pills is dinner, or I will surely get awful acid reflux.

In July 2008 I went in for a bone density scan, although I was only 40 years old. I was going in for a mammogram and my primary care physician had been asking me to get a bone scan done for quite some time as during some x-rays he had done in 2007 for some other reasons he had noticed a thinning of my bones. I decided to go ahead and have the bone density scan at the same time as the mammogram. As soon as the test began the two ladies in the room performing the test began talking and whispering and saying things about my bones. As soon as the test was complete, one of them sat down with me and told me that I had Osteporosis and Osteopenia and should go see my doctor to discuss these results. I can’t say I was shocked, but I was disappointed. Here I was at 40 years old and with Osteoporosis; already? I also felt certain that it probably had a lot to do with my stomach issues because if a person doesn’t have enough stomach acid they cannot possibly absorb calcium properly or Vitamin D along with it. I had the results sent to my primary doctor and also to my female nurse practitioner whom I spoke of before that really listens to her patients. Her office contacted me within a couple of weeks and had me schedule an appointment to see her to discuss the bone density results.

I went to see her and she spoke with me. She asked about my stomach and how that was going and I gave her a quick review of what happened and where my own research had led me. When I mentioned about the hypochlorhydria, she gave me this blank look, but at least it was not a demeaning one and said, “Well, these days one has to also do one’s own research too, right?” and she went on to talk about the Osteoporosis. She was extremely concerned for my situation and my age and began discussing my options. She brought up the modern medicines currently prescribed to treat the condition and did say that they were not stomach friendly medicines, but that she could give me two month’s samples (2 pills) of Boniva to try and see what I thought. She said she wasn’t going to “force” me to take them, but highly recommended it along with exercise (she loves to promote that to me every time I see her!). I told her I didn’t think I would take the pills, but did take the samples and said maybe I’d give them a try.

Then I came home and looked up information on those types of medications. I got about a dozen different books from the library on Osteoporosis and natural therapy for it and about the medications usually prescribed, etc. It didn’t take me very long to become completely certain that I wanted nothing to do with those medications. Briefly, I will explain this much about medications such as Boniva. Bones are constantly undergoing a rebuilding process. There are cells called osteoclasts that remove old bone and cells called osteoblasts that replace what has been removed with new, healthy bone. (You can read a brief overview of this at Dummies.com.) The Osteoporosis medications work by killing off the osteoclast cells in order that they will not remove any bone. What ends up happening is that, yes, your bones become denser, but not with new healthy bone. You are actually being left with old, brittle, unhealthy bones, although they will be dense because none has been removed.

I decided that I did not want to start building up a bunch of old bone at 40. I looked at diet options, found an excellent bone building/calcium/Vitamin D supplement and tried to exercise. My favorite thing to do was take afternoon walks around the neighborhood, but my lower back began to hurt a lot so I stopped. (I’ve later figured out this had to do with my feet and needing better arch support.) I also tried going to the gym to do weight bearing exercise, but it is so hard to leave my house in the middle of the day with the kids and homeschooling that I soon gave that up too. Then, many months later, I read in the newspaper of my local health food store about this “flamingo” therapy. The article spoke of a therapy a doctor prescribed to patients who were older and at a stage in life of losing bone density. The therapy requires a person to stand on one foot for one minute and then alternate to the other foot for one minute, doing this three times per day. Doing this therapy will actually begin to build bone density because of the stress that is put upon the bones by standing on one foot. I CAN do this!! You can read more about it at the Denver Naturopathic link.

I haven’t been as consistent with doing the flamingo therapy as I would like to be. It’s easy for me to forget to do it three times each day. I am absolutely consistent with taking my Betaine HCl pills. But I still have to be very careful with my stomach. The valve from my stomach to my esophagus has been damaged (maybe from the H. Pylori?) and remains open at all times. Therefore, I cannot eat within two hours of bedtime nor do any bending over or extremely active activities after eating because my food will slosh back up into my esophagus. I sleep on my left side a lot because this really keeps that from happening with any food or liquid that may still be in there when I lay down. I’ve turned into a “left sided horse”. Ha! And I do have my pillow slightly propped up with another pillow so my head is not laying flat. If there are any times my stomach starts to feel sour or my esophagus acidy, I use a natural herbal Yogi brand tea called "Stomach Ease". It works WONDERFULLY! It relieves any problem right away. I also love to drink Kombucha fermented cold tea. My favorite brand is the Synergy Kombucha because it tastes the best to me without added sugars; only sweetened with organic fruit. Kombucha is a wonderful drink good for the body all around and it also helps me with my heavier meals.

I continue to be extremely deficient in Vitamin D, which is also critical in having good bone mass. I am convinced I am having some kind of absorption issue with my oral Vitamin D supplementation. So now that it is not winter anymore, I try to get out on my deck when the sun is nice and hot at high noon and expose as much skin as I can to the sun for 25 minutes. And of course, NO sunscreen allowed! Can’t make Vitamin D if you are blocking the UVB rays out. Twenty-five minutes is plenty of time to make a good dosing of Vitamin D, tan nicely, and absolutely not burn. You don’t want to be out there much longer, as then the UVA rays will start breaking down the Vitamin D you just made. UVB are helpful rays, UVA are destructive rays. UVB rays cannot go through windows but UVA rays do! I think I will probably have to look into joining tanning in a salon for the upcoming winter if my D levels do not improve very quickly. I live where we are wearing longs sleeves most of the year and so we do not get enough sun exposure.

It is almost July again, and I must go get another bone scan and see how my bones are doing now since I have been taking care of my stomach issues and supplementing with D and calcium.

Recently, I tried an orange peel extract treatment to see if it would heal my valve, but I don’t think it helped. Although, I have been told that it does wonders for people who experience acid reflux in healing their stomach. The box I purchased of orange peel extract came with 10 pills. The instructions were to take one pill every other day. The pill was very hard on my sensitive stomach if it was empty so I followed the secondary instructions telling me I could also take it one hour after dinner. That worked well. However, from the way my stomach feels, my valve remains the same. There is plenty on the internet about orange peel extract and acid reflux, so check it out for yourself and see if it may be helpful to you.

Here is an at home test to check for low acid (this is not the same one I had found or tried last year):

This is the vinegar or lemon juice test - if you notice indigestion after a meal, swallow a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (not regular vinegar) or lemon juice. If it makes you feel better, it is likely that you are low in stomach acid. If it makes you feel worse, then low stomach acid is probably not your problem, and you shouldn't take any supplemental Betaine HCl. (If the vinegar or lemon juice leaves you feeling uncomfortable, drink a large glass of water to dilute the acid, or neutralize the acid with ½ teaspoon of baking soda in a cup of water.)

You can also check out more information at the Mercola.com about acid reflux and too little acid.

Please keep in mind that mainstream doctors will not applaud or encourage anyone to pursue this path with regards to acid reflux. They will discourage you and keep pumping you with more and more acid reducing drugs. There are times when I use doctor services and need to, but there are other times when I follow my own research and discovery and end up in a much better health situation. This hasn't been the first time this has happened (but that is another story). Note that while the acid reducers seem to make someone with too low or no stomach acid feel better, those drugs are only compounding the problem that exists in the stomach.

While my stomach was in a terrible state, and I could hardly eat anything because it hurt so much to try to digest, I made myself this special soup from The Maker's Diet book by Jordan Rubin. It is a soup made with a whole chicken and some veggies and other good things. I would puree whatever portion I was going to eat and eat the soup pureed. My stomach loved it! It was the one thing I could eat easily and although I would be hungry again soon, I knew I was able to handle digesting it. I would only eat little bits at a time because that was all I could handle. When my stomach was really bad, prior to my seeing any doctors, I ate fresh papaya. It really helped as papaya is great for digestion.

Well, this is it for now regarding my stomach and acid reflux…I will continue to post healthy things on here and more updates as I walk the journey…I’m also still desperately searching to resolve my painful back issues and tendonitis…but that’s another long story…

In the future, I will also share the story of when a few years ago I came down with a terrible case of colitis two times in the span of six weeks (each time lasting 10 days) and the doctors were not the resolution to that problem either...God’s leading me to a couple of wonderful probiotics was the resolution permanently.

(There is an added note to this post "April 2008 To The Present Day, Added Note")

Vitamin D Absorption: UV Rays and Showering

2009-05-31T15:59:00.002-06:00

Recently, I was shocked to read that one can actually wash off the Vitamin D the skin has just produced if you shower too soon after sun exposure.

Dr. Mercola states:

First, it’s important to understand that vitamin D3 is an oil soluble steroid hormone. It’s formed when your skin is exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from the sun (or a safe tanning bed). When UVB strikes the surface of your skin, your skin converts a cholesterol derivative in your skin into vitamin D3.

However, the vitamin D3 that is formed is on the surface of your skin does not immediately penetrate into your bloodstream. It actually needs to be absorbed from the surface of your skin into your bloodstream.

The critical question then is: how long does it take the vitamin D3 to penetrate your skin and reach your bloodstream?

If you’re thinking about an hour or two, like I did until recently, you’re wrong. Because new evidence shows it takes up to 48 hours before you absorb the majority of the vitamin D that was generated by exposing your skin to the sun!

You can read the rest of this very informative article on the showering issue and regarding UVA and UVB rays and how they affect your Vitamin D absorption at Mercola.com

News Flash: Acid Reflux Caused by Too Little Acid...

2009-04-25T12:01:00.003-06:00

This is not much of a news flash to me since I have personally had experience with the very things that Mercola mentions in this article, but I want everyone else to know about them too.

News Flash: Acid Reflux Caused by Too Little Acid, Not Too Much...

Learn the truth about acid reflux and the natural methods you can use to treat it.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Acid reflux is an extremely common health problem. So common in fact, it affects one out of two of you watching this video. Other terms used for this condition are gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD), or peptic ulcer disease. Typically, acid reflux is thought to be caused by having too much acid in your stomach.

This is a serious medical mistake that affects hundreds of millions of people.

What’s the REAL Cause of Acid Reflux?

It’s important to understand that acid reflux is NOT a disease of too much acid being produced, but rather it’s a condition related more commonly to hiatal hernia – a condition in which the acid is coming out of your stomach, where it’s supposed to remain...
TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE GO TO DR. MERCOLA'S WEBSITE

10 Organic Foods That Are Worth The Money

2009-04-12T15:22:00.002-06:00

I know I am FAR behind in posting my health story on this blog! Sorry! There is never enough time for all the writing that I wish to accomplish. However, I really want to get this on here since it is health oriented information.

For those that know me very well, you know that I am an organic foods person. :-) It's an investment in our family's health as far as I'm concerned.

I saw this link today and it is quite good and informative. Check it out and be informed! I would have put strawberries as #1, but I don't think they were putting the 10 foods in any particular order.

The link is at the RealSimple.com website.

Powerful Antacid Drugs Raise Fracture Risk

2008-09-04T09:02:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, a friend forwarded the article below to me; she knows how I feel about how doctors continuing to push taking acid reducing medications like candy when most likely the majority of people need to add more acid instead of taking it away.

I am very angry about doctors over-prescribing PPI’s and such medications to people experiencing acid reflux or heartburn—without ever taking the time to check if excessive acid production is their real problem. And never caring about the effects this will have on the body in the future; especially with long term use.

I have much still to post here about what has happened with me personally since the last post. However, I found this article too important not to go ahead and post now. Even though, I am inserting it in between my log of events.

FINALLY, the medical profession is WAKING UP to the truth and great hazards of telling people to take acid-reducers on a regular basis! Hallelujah!

MONDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- New Canadian research shows that long-term use of proton pump inhibitors for acid reflux, peptic ulcers and related disorders elevates the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures.

This is now the third large study finding an increased risk of such fractures in people who use these medications. This latest study, reported in the current issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found the longest period of time from starting the drugs to seeing problems emerge.

Physicians and patients may need to curb their enthusiasm for prescribing proton pump inhibitors, which have surged in popularity, experts said.

"Almost all of us gastroenterologists and internists have become complacent about the use of these medications," said Dr. Felice Schnoll-Sussman, director of research at the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health, Weill Cornell Medical Center at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. "This makes us all take a step back and look at all the patients we have on these medications and ask whether they require still being on this medication, at this dosage, at this frequency. Can we make some alterations in their dosing regimen? Can we switch them? Do they need to be on anything at all at this point?"…

Read the rest of this interesting article at www.everydayhealth.com.

While the article reveals that doctors are finally taking some notice of the problem, it still seems to me they are only seeing a little bit of the truth. They are missing such a simple but HUGE factor—that most people are suffering from acid reflux due to not having enough acid in their stomach to digest their food; hence the food acids are coming back up their esophagus and causing reflux. The simple solution: add acid. I have had SUCH success with this.

The article also mentions something about taking osteoporosis medications as an “option” to solving the problem of future bone fractures. However, before doing that, PLEASE fully inform yourself on exactly how those medications work. While bones may be getting denser when taking those medications, it doesn’t mean the bones are getting STRONGER. Those medications cause the body to store the OLD bone instead of allowing new bone to be made and stored. I have recently informed myself about some of these things, as I was just recently diagnosed as having osteoporosis at forty years of age. I wholeheartedly feel that it has a lot to do with having a low stomach acid problem. It is CRITICAL to have adequate acid in the stomach to not only absorb calcium properly but most all nutrients. Keep checking back here for updated posts about my journey and discoveries.

April 2008 - Gastroparesis or Hypochlorhydria?

2008-07-23T12:27:00.003-06:00

In April, I sat down with the gastroenterologist to discuss my experiences with the treatment and how I was feeling.

The truth was that I wasn’t feeling that much better. My stomach still did not feel well or normal. We decided it would be best to go ahead and do an endoscopy right away and see if she could discover what was going on. Plus, at the same time, she would confirm whether the H. Pylori had been completely eradicated and whether I was having any Celiac disease issues. The endoscopy was scheduled for that same week.

I went in for the procedure and as soon as I came out of it, sick to my stomach and groggy from the sedatives, Michael informed me that the doctor had told him that I had gastroparesis because she had discovered food in my stomach during the procedure (and there shouldn’t have been any), and that I needed to start a low fiber diet. Gastroparesis is a condition where your stomach does not properly digest the food and the food sits in there too long, eventually causing other problems. Gastroparesis is most typically associated with people who are diabetic; of which I am not.

They had handed my husband some generic paper with lists of foods that I should and should not eat and an appointment card dated a couple of weeks away for me to come have a follow up appointment and discussion about the procedure and results.

I was flabbergasted! How had I gone from a slight case of gastritis, to a terrible case of H. Pylori bacteria, to then being diagnosed with gastroparesis?! And the doctor didn’t seem to be concerned as to WHY I had gastroparesis, just that now I needed to eat a low fiber diet. And then surely in the future she would also be the one to tell me that I had also gotten colon cancer since I hadn’t been able to eat enough fiber. Ugh!

I was totally confused and became quite depressed about the diagnosis for the first few days. The refined diet seemed a horrible thing to me and even more terrible because I had no reasons WHY I was having this problem and good enough reason to eat that way. I am the type of person that likes to get to the root of the matter—treating health symptoms is idiotic! That will never heal anyone; it will only make things worse in the long run.

I began my own research. Thank GOD! for the internet resources that are available to us these days. I researched gastroparesis and read and read. As I read, I didn’t seem to really connect with symptoms and issues that were related to gastroparesis. It just did not seem right at all. I joined a gastroparesis yahoo group and I couldn’t believe how much worse most of the people on there had it compared to me. These people had severe gastroparesis issues—in comparison with them, I had nothing; I was healthy. But I was led to join that group for one email that would spur my search in another direction. Someone mentioned about the fact that often times people who are told they have too much acid production and are given acid reducers are actually suffering from too LITTLE acid production. The symptoms are practically identical to each other.

I switched tracks and pursued learning more about too little acid production, hypochlorhydria. Did I find a wealth of information! Amazing! As I began reading the symptoms of hypochlorydria, I could actually truly relate with them and all that was being said about it. I became SO excited and filled with hope! I sensed that I had hit the jack pot—the root of my stomach problems! H. Pylori, improper digestion of food, stomach pains, etc. all went right along with too little acid production.

Yahooo!!! On to where that search led me and where I am today…

March 2008 - Killing H. Pylori

2008-07-23T11:52:00.003-06:00

During the six weeks of waiting I continued taking the Protonix every day. All remained the same; no acid reflux, occasional lumping in the throat, stomach pains mostly had disappeared. But at least a couple of times, I had some chest pains after the evening meal. That greatly concerned me.

It was finally the day of my long awaited appointment with the gastroenterologist. We chatted about what had been happening with my stomach for the last couple of months and the H. Pylori results.

She said that I would need to be put on two different antibiotics at the same time along with taking two doses of Protonix a day in order to eradicate the H. Pylori. I mentioned to her that I was quite concerned about taking the Protonix for any extended amount of time because of the calcium absorption problem and she poo-pooed my concern. She told me, not in these exact words but her point was clear, that my concerns were unfounded and that there would still be enough acid in my stomach to absorb the calcium as acid levels fluctuated throughout the day. She also said that I would need to remain on Protonix probably for the rest of my life. What?! Yikes! I didn’t like the sound of any of that at all. Not to mention I was quite concerned about being on such high doses of antibiotics due to the awful antibiotic induced colitis I experienced in 2003. I’ll blog about that experience and what valuable things I learned from it some other time.

I went home with my prescriptions and began taking the 2,000 mg. prescribed daily (bear in mind I only weighed around 100 lbs.) and taking a dose of Protonix in morning and evening. It was a gross process at first. I had intestinal issues and one of the antibiotics constantly made my mouth taste terrible. I continuously felt the fumes (best way to describe it) of the antibiotic and the dying bacteria coming up my throat for the first few days. It was intense. One night, I became really frightened. I even debated whether to go to emergency room because it almost felt like I was having a heart attack. It was after the dinner meal, and I felt like a huge lump was in my chest which made my chest hurt and feel pressed on. I figured it was my dinner not staying in my stomach and traveling up my esophagus. Just as I was about to really panic, the pain ebbed and settled down.

I finished all my medicines after ten days and went back to taking the Protonix only once a day. I also decided to try using it only every other day and that seemed to be okay too.

Now I waited until my follow up appointment with gastroenterologist that was scheduled for April…

January 2008 - Gastritis and H. Pylori

2008-07-23T11:18:00.005-06:00

Somehow I made it through the holidays; every day cramping terribly after any meal other than breakfast. I barely ate anything, preferring to go hungry than to suffer with the pain. Homemade oatmeal seemed to be one of the best things that I could handle without hurting too much. As long as I ate very small amounts I did better than if I tried to eat full meals. It was like my stomach was just plain tired of working on digesting food.

The day after New Year’s I called the doctor’s office and went in to see him. After describing all my symptoms and experiences he told me that I probably had a slight case of “gastritis”. Gastritis simply means an inflammation of the stomach lining. He didn’t offer any clues or suggestions WHY I may have it. But he was quick to give me ten days of samples of Protonix. Protonix is a proton pump inhibitor which works in your stomach to shut down acid production. The makers of this drug also boast about its abilities to heal the stomach. Before sending me on my way, the doctor gave me a few suggestions on dietary changes until my stomach was better, although these things I had already been implementing on my own. He sent me off for some general blood work and an ultrasound on my gallbladder. I got the tests all done, and the doctor’s office did not call me to tell me that anything was out of order in any of the testing.

I began taking the Protonix and immediately felt an improvement. I certainly wasn’t having the stomach pains as severely. However, I did notice that some times after eating, it felt like the food was in my throat. But I was not having any acid reflux; just that funny feeling in my throat. I was elated to be eating again since I had quickly (as I usually do) lost quite a few pounds in just that one week.

My ten days of samples ran out, and I still wasn’t feeling all that great. My stomach was still giving me some trouble and things just did not feel like they were taken care of. So I went back to the doctor again. He suggested that he could send me to a gastroenterologist, and we agreed that we would allow my stomach one more week and see if it improved any. He sent me home with more days of Protonix samples. I took them all but still everything remained the same. I did not get acid reflux, occasionally felt the food in my throat, and my stomach still seemed to be struggling and giving me some pains.

To my great fortune, at the end of January, I had an appointment to go see my favorite nurse practitioner whom I visit for my womanly issues and exams. Immediately, she was very concerned about my weight loss since the last time I had seen her. I proceeded to explain to her what had been happening with my stomach. She began to offer various possibilities on WHY this could be happening; whether it could be food allergies, etc. She also discussed various tests we could have run to try to discover the reason for my problem. In the discussion she asked me if my doctor had run a Helicobacter Pylori test. I told her I was pretty certain he had not because I had looked at the blood work order and everything was just normal stuff. She also recommended to me the name of a gastroenterologist she liked and gave me a full prescription for more Protonix to carry me through until I could see the gastroenterologist. They drew my blood right there in the office and sent it off to the lab to be tested for H. Pylori. H. Pylori is a terrible bacteria which makes its home in your stomach and then proceeds to take over. It is the cause of a lot of people suffering from gastritis and ulcers.

A couple of days later the nurse practitioner called and told me that I most definitely was suffering from H. Pylori. A positive count was anything above 1.0. My count was over 8.0! No wonder my stomach was shutting down and I was suffering from gastritis. I called immediately to make an appointment with the referred gastroenterologist and was given an appointment six weeks away.

Anxiously waiting to be able to kill this stuff…

December 2007 - Stomach Pains

2008-07-23T11:09:00.002-06:00

Finally, I begin a historical backtracking account on what drove me to creating this blog.

On Christmas Day 2007, after having our Christmas meal, I proceeded to get a terrible stomach ache. It was the kind of painful ache that I sometimes get when I eat some things I am “allergic” to. However, I had not eaten any of those things that day. I endured the pain for hours and was sure that it would pass and all would be well the next day. I was wrong.

My stomach aches continued every single day for the rest of the week. After the breakfast meal, I would be fine. But after eating lunch, the pain would slowly begin. And after eating dinner, I was in full blown agony doubled over and laying on the bed wanting to pass out into oblivion.

Prior to that week of stomach cramping, I had been struggling a great deal with acid reflux/heartburn. In fact, I had probably been having a serious problem with it for the previous year and a half or maybe longer (it’s so easy to lose track of time). I had been trying to help the acid problem with some homeopathic pills; but it wasn’t helping much. However, I did not want to get on any acid reducing medicines because of my fear of not being able to absorb calcium and getting osteoporosis.

But this problem would be ignored no longer…

In Beginning

2008-05-06T08:33:00.001-06:00

I have created this new blog to help inform anyone who comes across it about a completely ignored aspect of struggling with stomach acid reflux / heartburn / GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease).

I am not a doctor—not even close. I am a regular person who has had various very frustrating circumstances trying to discover the reasons for my health problems and have sought hard to find the REAL answers for what is ailing me. I have searched for answers BEYOND what the medical community has offered because they have had NO definite answers or reasons for what is really happening in my body. Instead doctors want to give me another medication to merely treat symptoms (without knowing the root cause), or they offer me a formal name to another disease they now say I have.

The pharmaceutical industry doesn’t want you to know that your acid reflux problem could very well have to do with the fact that you may have TOO LITTLE acid in your stomach!! That’s right. People who have too little acid production in their stomachs have practically the very same symptoms as those who have too much acid production. If you have the condition of producing too little acid in your stomach, hypochlorhydria, taking acid reducers or blockers will only make your health worse in the long run.

This is just an initial post to state the purpose of this blog…there is much more to come in the days ahead.

Until next time…