[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @LAK – have you seen our Symptom Dictionary handout on alopecia here? I would share that with her so she can start looking at potential contributing factors, rule/confirm them, and begin addressing them.

If it’s autoimmune in nature, the root cause is often multi-faceted; immune dysregulation, gut dysfunction & trigger(s) (which can be stress related – pregnancy & delivery are very stressful on the body).

Removing dairy & gluten 100% for at least 4 to 6 months can also help calm a hypervigilant immune system. If she’s proactive, please encourage her to join B Better so that we can help support her directly. There’s lots she can do.

Since you already know she’s anemic, then it’s important to rule out why since that is one of the possible causes. In this video from the Mineral Balance course, we discuss common reasons for low iron.

Let us know if you have any clarifying questions about the handout and video I shared.

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @Inga-55 – of the three products you shared, the products made with cotton are better than the tampon made with rayon.

Rayon is treated with chemicals like chlorine during its manufacturing process, and there have been concerns about residual dioxins, a potentially harmful byproduct.

I know that accessibility and cost also come into play when choosing a brand / product, so if these are the only options, then the cotton options are the better choices.

However, if you have the option to look for a better sanitary product, look for an organic product that is 100% organic cotton. Since cotton is one of the top 5 GMO crops, it is likely heavily sprayed with pesticides if it isn’t certified organic.

Hope that helps!

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @Annie – great question. May I ask what you’re intending to use them for?

I’m not an essential oil expert, so I looked through my nutritional therapy forum to see if this question has been asked and below are the favorite brands that kept getting recommended over and over again:

• Plant Therapy’s organic line: https://www.planttherapy.com/collections/organic – they do 3rd party testing on every batch, so should be easy enough to reach out to them for lab reports if there’s something specific you’re looking to avoid. They have a great kids line too! (Note – supposedly they’re really taking customers away from Young Living and DoTerra which are popular MLM business models)
• Vibrant Blue Oils: https://vibrantblueoils.com/ – they also test every batch, but it wasn’t clear if it was 3rd party certified or in-house testing. The founder, Jodi Cohen, is a fellow Nutritional Therapy colleague, so I’m not sure if there’s bias in the group with that recommendation, but nonetheless, Vibrant Blue was mentioned several times as well so worth exploring.
• Mountain Rose Herbs: https://mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/essential-oils/essential-oils – this is the brand that I purchase from. I also buy my bulk herbs from them. They do thorough testing and are very transparent about everything from sourcing, testing and handling. They also test for heavy metals periodically, but I haven’t checked what limits or reference ranges they use.

Other brands were mentioned, but not as frequently. I haven’t checked if these are 3rd party certified but listing them here as other options to consider exploring:

-Edens Garden: https://www.edensgarden.com/

-Snow Lotus: https://www.snowlotus.org/essential-oils/

-Starwest Botanicals: https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/ (I’ve tried their loose herbs before)

-DoTerra & Young Living: both popular brands, but MLM business model. Supposedly Young Living is the “OG” though between the two.

-Floracopeia: https://www.floracopeia.com/products

Hope that helps!

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @sara_alm369 please clarify. Are you asking about how to prevent UTI infections? How frequently do you get them? What have you tried in the past that doesn’t seem to be working. The more information you can share about this, the more we can help.

In the meantime, have you seen our UTI handout in the Symptom Dictionary?

And have you seen our protocol for UTIs in Succeed>Protocols which you can find HERE?

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @sara_alm369 I came across a fascinating case study of 5 different women with lipedema in various stages who successfully reduced lipedema using non-surgical treatments. The study showed before and after pictures which can be very motivating to someone living with this issue, to encourage them to make better lifestyle changes.

While liposuction surgery for lipedema should be considered a possible tool to be used, this particular study claims that it’s not the only available treatment.

These women all did a combination of holistic therapies that helped them; an anti-inflammatory, low carb/keto diet, high antioxidant supplements, lymphatic drainage therapy, and aqua exercises to help with circulation and resistance training without putting additional pressure on the limbs, which may already hurt.

You can read the full details here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8667633/

They mention several antioxidants, and you can find these in combo formulas as well.

For example, hesperidin and diosmin are from citrus peel, and can be found in Life Extension’s Youthful Legs.

Pycnogenol and rutin can be found together in NOW Pycnogenol for example.

Quercetin is commonly found alone or in combination with other antioxidants.

And butchers broom is often found in supplements targeted to support blood vessel integrity and healthy circulation like Professional Formulas VascuTone.

Hope this helps give you some direction to consider.

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @Annie

Have you seen our “healthy snack ideas” handout? That might help provide you with some inspiration…

As for oats, yes, they do contain phytic acid which can bind to minerals like iron, zinc, and calcium, but there are ways to reduce these “anti-nutrients” by soaking, sprouting and fermenting them so that you can enjoy their high-fiber benefits:

• Soak your oats in filtered water (preferably warm) for 12-24 hours. Then rinse thoroughly to remove any residual phytic acid. Obviously, it’s best to use harder oats like steel-cut so they don’t end up being too mushy. They’ll end up with the same texture as “overnight” oats.
• If you’re up for it, you can also try sprouting your oats. You basically soak them for a few hours and then allow them to germinate. You can then dehydrate them again before using them in recipes.
• You can also ferment oats in a slightly acidic environment (like yogurt or kefir) to break down the phytic acid. That’s how they prepare sourdough.

If that all sounds too daunting, you can also purchase sprouted rolled oats. In the US/Canada, I recommend “One Degree Organic Sprouted Rolled Oats” which is also one of the few products tested by LeadSafeMama to be non detect for lead. So it’s a double win!

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @Annie – yes, she can sprinkle a little of each b vitamin separately, but it will make it harder to know the dosages of each B vitamin being given. Instead, it might be easier to sprinkle a little bit of a B complex like Thorne’s Basic B Complex for example.

-CoQ10 or its reduced form ubiquinol has a pretty good safety profile in the range of 100-200mg/day. Here’s a good write-up to understand more about its benefits and recommended dosages: https://examine.com/supplements/coenzyme-q10/#what-are-the-main-drawbacks-of-coenzyme-q10

-Fish oil delivers EPA and DHA, two essential fatty acids that our bodies can’t produce in sufficient quantities, making it necessary to obtain them through diet or supplements. Cod liver oil also supplies both of these fatty acids, with a higher concentration of DHA, which is particularly beneficial for brain health. Additionally, cod liver oil provides a good amount of vitamin D and is rich in vitamin A. So the question is what does he need more of?

And just letting you know that I’ve moved your discussion over to our dedicated forum category called “Supplements & Medications”

[Bernadette_Abraham]

@Kkol First Genomix gene laboratory got back to me. Their geneticist, Sahar Abulaziz recommends that you come in for a proper consultation to get the medical history, and then she would be able to recommend appropriate genetic tests. The consultation is free of charge. You can call or send them a WhatsApp to book the appointment – +971 4 344 3222 / +971 55 328 9773

[Bernadette_Abraham]

I personally use a grounding mat on my bed (not this brand) and absolutely love it.

But it comes with caveats; it’s important to make sure there are no electric fields near the mat or else you become a conduit to ground.

And it’s not a replacement for good ol’ fashion grounding outside barefeet.That’s the ideal way to ground.

[Bernadette_Abraham]

My contact never got back to me, so I don’t have a recommendation for that unfortunately. I’ll ping him again…

[Bernadette_Abraham]

@Kkol please watch the following videos for functional interpretation of the liver panel given his continued nausea as well:

• ALT, AST & GGT seem to be suboptimal: Liver panel
• Total bilirubin also seems to be on the lower end of the RR: Total Bilirubin

I know you have previous liver panel results. I would put them in an excel sheet with dates to see if there’s a pattern over time.

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @Nadine that’s great – can’t wait to see the MycoTox results.

In the meantime, please watch THIS video from the Mold & Mycotoxin Illness course to see what a mold inspection should entail. Air sampling unfortunately is not enough, and can often miss mold spores that are heavy and fall to the ground.

Where do you live? I would recommend you reach out to a qualified mold inspector ASAP. Let them know about the OAT test results (and eventually MycoTox). In THIS video, you can find resources to help you find a qualified mold inspector and remediator depending on where you live. If you’re in the UAE, I share details below the video.

Mold unfortunately can also develop under or behind cabinets, behind walls, etc, so although changing AC ducts was a great step, the problem may be elsewhere. Have you seen the video I posted about the mold I found in my son’s room behind their closet? Take a look… this was a result of a very small leak on the roof that was dripping down and seeping into their wall. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4fcS1rJmWM/

As I mentioned previously, blood testing for heavy metals is not very helpful unless you know there was an acute exposure. The body does a very good job at getting rid of heavy metals from blood and storing them in different parts of the body (depending on the heavy metal), so blood tests don’t show long term exposure. If you wanted to explore heavy metals, a hair test is still the preferred testing method (even with all its limitations). But I would wait to see what the MycoTox test reveals as that may be the root of the problem.

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @Nadine – did you end up doing the MycoTox urine test? With markers #2, 4, 6, 7 & 9 being clinically high on the OAT test, along with elevated #21, 15, there’s a very strong fungal colonization in the digestive tract which can very well be from mold exposure. So there’s a very strong chance that she’s still being currently exposed to mold. Giving her Flagyl without addressing the environmental exposure is like trying to fill a sink with the drain open, and may actually cause more harm than good at this stage. The first step to recovery from mold is avoidance! So finding the source (if that’s what is at play) should be step #1.

Please watch THIS video from the Mold & Mycotoxin course where I discuss the OAT test markers in more detail.

Please let me know if the MycoTox test was also done before I provide some direction.

As for the heavy metal test you attached, how was this done? In blood?

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @Annie – I went back to your old post with the hair elements test result, and it showed that Barium was high, not Boron, nor Strontium.

In our handout “Reducing Exposure to Common Toxic Elements”, it explains where you can find sources of barium. Do any of those possible exposures to barium make sense to you?

[Bernadette_Abraham]

Hi @Annie – please bare with us. The developers had to redo a migration of our content so it seems some newer content, forum discussions and replies were lost. They assured us they will put them back. In the meantime, here was my reply to this discussion thread:

“Oh boy! I hope they also recommended that you vacate the house when they do it, and for a period of time afterwards? Do you know what type of fumigant gas they are planning on using?”