Hello @adoobeh99 – d-limonene is indeed a wonderful component of citrus extract that can help decongest the biliary tract and has also been clinically proven to dissolve cholesterol-based gallstones. If you like to read literature, you can start with these:

• Medical dissolution of gallstones. Clinical experience of d-limonene as a simple, safe, and effective solvent

• D-Limonene: Safety and Clinical Applications (attached report – see p. 4 for more studies)

The typical adult dose is 1000mg, 1-2 x per day, for 30-60 days (or more) depending on the severity. It’s best taken 3/4 way through a meal. I also tell my clients to place it in the fridge or freezer to delay the release of citrus oils, to prevent burping citrus flavor. It also comes in liquid form, which is convenient for children.

Hope that helps!

And FYI – just letting you know that I’ve moved your discussion from “General Discussions” to the “Supplements & Medications” forum instead.

Limonene12-3.pdf 1 MB PDF - Click to view

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Hi @Bahareh – I’d encourage you to watch the “testing iodine status” video from the Mineral Balance course. The most accurate way is RBC testing, but it’s not widely available. The next most accurate way is to do a 24-hour loaded iodine urine test (if no Hashi’s or other autoimmune disease). Otherwise, simply a 24-hour urine collection test works too. I know it’s very inconvenient having to collect urine all day long, but it’s more accurate than 1 sample alone.

Testing iodine from 1 sample in urine, especially mid-day can yield inaccurate results since factors like hydration can impact the concentration of both creatinine and iodine by diluting them. So if you do want to test only 1 sample of iodine, make sure it’s a morning first-void sample as that will be less affected by fluid intake.

I wouldn’t draw any conclusions from this test, and would actually repeat it again to be sure. Checking kidney function would be a good idea too since creatinine was low. But again, did you drink a lot of water leading up to the test?

Hi @Kkol – I was in a similar situation recently and asked the doctor how much information they’ll get from the MRI if it’s done without contrast. He said about 80%. So it’s not entirely useless, but it might miss data that the contrast can pick up.

Ultimately, it’s essential to weigh the pros and cons of testing on a case-by-case basis with your doctor to determine what’s appropriate.

This talk was a real eye opener!! Must watch! It challenges our current understanding of basic physiology and what truly impacts heart health!

@Annie Absolutely, 100% yes!! If they’ve never had kefir before, start low and slow to give their microbiome a chance to adjust to the new beneficial strains being brought in.

Usually, it’s recommended to start with just 1 tsp and then double the dose every 2-3 days if a person remains symptom-free until reaching about 1/4 – 1/2 cup per day.

I’m happy to hear you’ll be starting to introduce kefir into their diet. I’m always encouraging parents to do so. It’s truly one of the best kept secrets for our gut health and immunity!

Hi @Annie – I personally like the liquid vitamin D from Seeking Health, Thorne and Biotics Research. I also really like cod liver oil for children as a source of not only vitamin D but also vitamin A and omega-3 fats.

However, I always try to avoid supplements with children unless I know there’s a deficiency or specific circumstance that needs to be corrected. I’ve been looking into vitamin D lamps recently for this purpose.

Just need to see if there’s one with low EMFs, and I’ll be sharing more info about it. The idea is to use a lamp to replace the sun so that we synthesize it on our own during the winter months instead of relying on supplements. I’ll be sure to let you know what I find.

Hi @Annie – unfortunately, there’s no robust evidence directly linking the consumption of raw eggs to the development of neurological or schizophrenia-like disorders.

Regarding the shaking when he was poisoned from raw egg consumption, severe cases can sometimes cause systemic infections that can affect the nervous system, which can potentially lead to symptoms such as shaking or muscle spasms, especially if there’s dehydration or electrolyte imbalances caused by vomiting and diarrhea as a result of the food poisoning.

So it’s not a straightforward yes or no I’m afraid.

Hi @naslam1603 – a ferritin level of 555 is actually quite high and would make sense after an IV iron infusion. In men, a ferritin above 100 could also be due to an infectious dynamic (because the body sequesters iron to stop feeding infections) or due to a genetic condition called hemochromatosis which leads to iron overload. So while it may seem like a dramatic drop, 68ug/L is more likely your normal baseline level which is slightly suboptimal.

B12 does not directly cause low ferritin, but there may be a indirect connection. With B12 injections, you can rapidly correct a deficiency, enabling the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. This process requires iron, which may lead to a temporary depletion of ferritin (the storage form of iron), particularly if iron stores were already borderline.

I know you’ve been doing a lot of gut healing work. Do you feel your digestion has improved and would tolerate more meat in your diet? Have you been able to slowly wean off of your PPI while increasing stomach acid support?

@sheetalramchandani1 if stress is part of her picture, then you know it will impact digestion and absorption of nutrients. This is key for her to work on and reduce.

Secondly, let’s explore histamine intolerance a little closer. With high IgE levels, we know that her body’s immune system is responding to an allergen (a few have been determined). This triggers histamine release from immune cells, leading to the familiar symptoms of allergies like hay fever, asthma, eczema, and food allergies.

While histamine overload itself is not a direct cause of peeling skin, it can contribute indirectly by contributing to inflammation, itching, swelling which can cause scratching and lead to skin irritation or peeling. Histamine overload can also exacerbate conditions like atopic or contact dermatitis that can lead to flaky, dry or peeling skin.

What do we need to break down histamine after it’s produced? DAO enzyme, which is heavily dependent on vitamin B6, which we now know is suboptimal in her cas. We produce DAO enzyme in the gut, so if there is any dysbiosis or gut barrier dysfunction, this will impact her ability to produce DAO enzyme and break down histamine.

Her diet, even though it’s healthy, may also be contributing to her histamine overload. Since I don’t have a food journal to assess her exact food choices, as a test, she may want to consider following a low histamine diet (handout here) for a month to see if she notices any improvements.

There are many other things that can contribute to histamine overload, so please checkout our helpful guide HERE for more resources.

Hi @sheetalramchandani1 – I saw these results already. It would be great if they can also check RBC zinc and get a full thyroid panel. Unfortunately, TSH, T4 and T3 does not give us a good enough idea of her thyroid function. A full thyroid panel included TSH, Total T4, Total T3 (which they did) but also Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, anti-TPO and anti-TG.

Given that her vit A and vit B6 are both at the low end, I’m questioning stomach acid sufficiency and her diet. And how’s stress?

If you can share more about her diet, this can help me help you puzzle piece further.

Hi @sheetalramchandani1 – thanks for sharing her results.

A few things did jump out. She is still being exposed to an allergen due to the high IgE level. The tests did pick up a few mild allergens such as milk, cashew and environmental allergens. If she’s consuming dairy or nuts, consider removing those 100% for at least 4 months to see if her symptoms & IgE levels improve. If she’s on the right path, she can retest in a month and should notice an improvement in her IgE level.

If she doesn’t already have a good quality ultra hepa air filter, consider getting one for her bedroom and wherever she spends most of her days to help filter out allergens from the air.

I had suggested to check thyroid function but I didn’t see those results. Were they done?

I had also suggested to test vitamin A and RBC zinc. The results show her vitamin A is right at the low end of the clinical reference range, so this should be optimized. Vitamin A is really important for skin health.

I didn’t see RBC zinc. Was it measured?

How is her intake of omega-3 fats? This is also critical for skin health. She may want to to a functional test to assess her fatty acid status and determine how to supplement if needed. In the meantime, encourage her to incorporate more omega-3 fatty acids into her diet. You can find sources HERE from the Fatty Acid Balance course.

And if she’s willing to do more blood testing, I’d also recommend she does a full iron panel because her hemoglobin and RBC characteristics are on the lower end which could indicate a need for more iron, B12 or folate. Her B6 was on the low end. Does she eat animal proteins by any chance?

@naslam1603 I’m speaking to him to see if he’ll speak in December or January. With the holidays, it’s hard to get a commitment from guests during these months.

Regarding the iron spray you shared, the forms of iron aren’t ideal.

Ferric ammonium citrate and ferric sodium EDTA have low to moderate bioavailability and prolonged use of EDTA’s binding properties can deplete other minerals like calcium, zinc and magnesium which you don’t want.

If you didn’t get a chance, please watch this video on how to correct iron deficiency for better forms.

@Annie the 3 lamps I’m looking into are:

• SPERTI Vitamin D Sunlamp: FDA-approved device focused solely on UVB light for vitamin D production. Users have reported significant increases in vitamin D levels after consistent use. A clinical study indicated an average increase of 47.5% in serum D3 levels with just five minutes of exposure every other day over four weeks.

• MITOLUX Better Than Sunshine Lamp: Offers a combination of UVB and red/infrared light, aiming to replicate natural sunlight more closely. The added wavelengths may provide additional skin and health benefits.

• EMR-TEK Chroma Vitamin D Light: Provides a broad spectrum of light, including UVB, UVA, red, and near-infrared, for a holistic approach to light therapy.

So for the purpose of increasing vitamin D, I’m leaning towards the SPERTI sunlamp.

As for nails peeling in young children, it’s likely linked to nutritional deficiencies, such as low levels of biotin, zinc, or iron, or frequent exposure to water or chemicals like soap. Really focusing on giving them a varied whole foods diet would be a good starting point. If you need help taking action with that, please start by watching my VPF principle to understand how to provide balanced and nutrient rich meals.

Then please watch the next video “Diet Analysis” on how to implement it with an attached 3-day food journal if you need more help with that.

Hi @Alyssa – if you have constipation, that is definitely a priority to be addressing first – even if you have to use rapid relief measures. The same factors that can lead to constipation (dysfunction in the main digestive players) can also set a person up for SIBO/IBS. So I’d actually encourage you to address constipation first, and then proceed with the SIBO/IBS program.

We also have a Constipation Relief Program located in Succeed>Programs or simply click HERE. I discuss the main causes of constipation; methane-dominant SIBO being one of them since it can affect the production of serotonin and lead to slow motility. In the rapid relief section, I share supplement options to consider to ensure a person is having daily bowel movements. When SIBO-M is present, something like Motil Pro by Pure Encapsulations could be helpful since it has 5-HTP, a precursor to serotonin which helps with motility, mood and sleep. Note – 5-HTP is contraindicated in those taking a SSRI (anti-depressant) drug.

While SIBO is one of the common causes for constipation, there could also be dehydration, a need for more magnesium, possible hypothyroid function, etc. So I’d encourage you to go through the entire constipation program to see if there might be other reasons that need to be addressed as well.

The program will ask you to fill in assessment forms and get other tests done to help you figure out the root cause(s). Let us know if you have any questions about that or if you wish to share your results to get further guidance and direction as you go through the program.

Doing this work will set you up for success if/when it’s time to do the antimicrobials.

To answer your question about adding more fiber: given your confirmed SIBO diagnosis, introducing more fiber at this stage is likely to make you feel worse. The bacteria in the small intestine will ferment the fiber, producing gas as a byproduct, which can increase bloating and discomfort.

When SIBO is confirmed, it’s recommended to follow a Low FODMAP diet. This approach categorizes foods based on their fermentability, helping you choose options that are less likely to cause symptoms. While it’s not a long-term diet, it can provide temporary relief from gas and bloating while allowing you to reintroduce fiber more gradually and comfortably.

@naslam1603 I really like the Schuessler tissue salt # 3 called Ferrum Phosphoricum. It’s homeopathic and I’ve found it helps with iron absorption/storage (ferritin). I don’t think I’ve ever heard complaints of side effects since it’s homeopathic and can also be given to babies.

Also consider cooking your food in an iron skillet. You can find other helpful tips for correcting an iron deficiency HERE from the Mineral Balance course.

I also strongly suggest you work with Dr. Geoffrey Smith – he’s actually going to be a guest expert in B Better soon. He works with patients who are stuck in the physical realm. Energy medicine can be powerful to get someone out of those loops.

If you’re not comfortable with his methods, then I also highly recommend Dr. Manjari who is an excellent homeopath. She does virtual visits and is based in Dubai if you’d like consider homeopathy. This form of medicine can also be great for those who are very sensitive. She was a guest expert in B Better and you can watch her session here to see if you resonate with her.