Bernadette_Abraham
Forum Replies Created
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Hi @Inga-55 – any brand of baking soda will work. I personally use Bob’s Red Mill baking soda, but it’s baking POWDER that’s more of a concern since some brands add aluminum. Baking soda however is just sodium bicarbonate and any brand will do.
As for the other product images you shared, unfortunately, the majority contain potentially harmful ingredients. I will work on creating a cheat sheet that shares a basic list of toxic ingredients to avoid so you can easily spot them on your own.
Things like:
- Fragrance or parfum
- …quaternium
- PEG-…
- ….Laureth…
- Sodium laureth sulfate or anything ending with -sulfate
- FD&C #…
- Phenoxyethanol or anything ending with -nol
- EDTA (can also contain formaldehyde-releasing preservatives)
Only the Eco Gang dental floss was semi-clean. They use nylon-6 material which is a synthetic polymer (plastic). This isn’t toxic, but it can release microplastics.
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@iryna_klevetenko unfortunately, just one course of antibiotics disturbs the microbiome for more
than a year on average. And some, like clindamycin and triple antibiotic
therapy for H. pylori for example, can disrupt the commensal flora for up
to 2 to 4 years!Shocking right? So probiotics and/or fermented foods which provide natural probiotics should be consumed for that length of time as well to help replenish and rebalance the microbiome.
In Take Action > Protocols, you’ll find 2 protocols that can help with this:
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Hi @MS91 – I appreciate your care and thoughtfulness in wanting to support your colleague through this challenging time. There are definitely ways to support the healthy cells and detoxification without interfering with chemotherapy.
Most cancer cases involve dysfunction in cellular metabolism and the immune and detoxification systems. Cancer cells are always present in the human body. Cancer only becomes a disease when those cells replicate out of control.
When someone has chosen conventional cancer treatment, it is important to strengthen overall functional balance to support the body’s ability to withstand the treatment, even while the cancer is being eradicated by its toxicity. In general, our greatest opportunities are often to:
Maximize nutrition
- Choose as much organic as possible – reduce toxins in food such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and anything artificial (e.g., colors, flavors, preservatives).
- Ensure enough protein, but when eating animal protein, choose only grass-fed, pasture-raised, and wild-caught. Many patients will be instructed to avoid red meat and/or minimize animal food, but getting enough protein is essential to avoid muscle loss, and the quality of that protein is paramount. It’s a delicate balance. Use plant proteins such as plant-based protein powders to make up for reductions in animal protein. For example, Nuzest’s Clean Lean Protein is a clean pea protein.
- Eat as many anti-inflammatory foods as possible, and reduce the intake of inflammatory foods such as sugar, processed grains, and highly processed omega-6 oils (e.g., corn, canola, and soybean oil).
- Antioxidants – in between chemo sessions (not during!). There is controversy around taking antioxidant supplements at the same time as undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiation. Another option is to pursue an aggressive cellular support and detox regimen in between chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Supplements can be stopped a few days before and restarted several days after the days they are experiencing radiation or chemotherapy (in principle, giving the treatment a viable window of opportunity to work). Also, there is evidence that high-dose curcumin (curcumin is pro-oxidant at higher doses) can boost the effect of chemo and/or radiation. See these studies:
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- Curcumin, in combination with chemo
- Curcumin enhances chemo and radiation therapy
- Curcumin and radiation in pancreatic cancer
- Nutrients supporting detoxification (in between treatments). Consider supplementing with methylated B vitamins and magnesium to help support methylation. Increase intake of cruciferous vegetables, alliums, and leafy greens.
Support immune function
- Assess and replete immune system nutrient levels:
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- Ensure Vitamin D is at least 50 ng/ml.
- Ensure Zinc and Vitamins A and C are well into the upper half of the reference range.
- Consider IV vitamin C with chemo – it’s well researched. She can discuss this with her oncologist.
- Support toxin reduction/clearance:
- Ensure adequate hydration (water with electrolyte minerals) and address any constipation.
- Remove as many chemicals from the diet and lifestyle as possible – laundry products, personal hygiene products, cleaning products, air, water, etc.
- Modified citrus pectin binder (Pectasol-C by EcoNugenics brand) has been researched significantly and shown to:
- Inhibit cancer cell growth
- Inhibit metastasis – MCP antagonizes galactin-3, which can allow tumor cells to stick together, develop blood supply, metastasize, and evade the immune system;
- Encourage apoptosis of cancer cells – galactin-3 may prevent apoptosis of cancer cells and form a protective barrier around tumors to shield them from attack. By reducing galactin-3, MCP may promote apoptosis and reduce cancer cell resistance to chemotherapy.
- MCP also supports detoxification due to its high binding affinity for lead and other heavy metals.
- Create an environment for healing:
- As with any chronic disease, reducing stress as much as possible and getting plenty of rest and sleep is a priority. This is a seemingly simple yet necessary area of essential practice for sustained healing. Getting support from friends and family (and cultivating comfort with asking for that help) is usually key here.
- Mind-body therapies such as yoga, music therapy, and meditation are considered even mainstream recommendations for supportive care during cancer treatment and to manage treatment-related side effects.
Between rounds of chemo, introduce daily green smoothies with ingredients like avocado, broccoli, kale, fresh lemon juice, cucumber, celery, and green apple. These will help boost antioxidant function for cellular healing and detoxification
Chemotherapy overtly contributes to enhanced intestinal permeability. After treatment, patients can benefit significantly from intestinal lining repair. Choosing something like Designs for Health’s GI Revive, which has L-Glutamine for intestinal epithelial cells and several mucilaginous herbs that help nourish and regenerate the mucosal lining of the intestines (chemotherapy is damaging to mucosal tissues) can be helpful for several months after treatment.
I hope your colleague regains better health soon!
FYI – I’ll be interviewing Dr. Christian Gonzales as our guest expert in April hopefully (date/time still to be confirmed) all about the psychosomatic and
energetic components of cancer. Very often, there are repressed emotions and undealt traumas that need to be addressed. You might want to ask her to join the session once we announce the details. -
@AlFa Great question. I’ll be sure to ask that for you in case you can’t attend live.
From what I know, the best option would be device that allows offline tracking while you’re wearing it. Then when you want the data, you simply remove it to download the info.
But I haven’t done my research on these devices to be able to recommend a specific brand so let’s see what Nick says about those specific brands.
@Bahareh I know you did your research on these tracking devices and got the Oura ring, correct? Anything you can share with us?
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@LAK same with your son. Would you mind sharing more details about his case. This will provide better context to the results.
1. Why did you get an OAT test?
2. Does he experience any symptoms?
3. How is his diet? What does he typical eat? Is there anything he avoids? Does he have any cravings for carbs and sugar?
4. How is his activity level and overall energy?
5. Does he sleep well?
Please share any other information that you feel would be relevant to know about.
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@Bahareh Wow… I’m honestly at a loss for words. Reading this brought tears to my eyes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this beautiful message. It means more than you know.
It’s been such an honor to be able to support you on this journey – through the struggles, the healing, and the transformation. You’ve done such incredible work, and to see how far you’ve come fills me with so much pride and joy.
Thank you for trusting me and B Better, for showing up for yourself, and for being such a beautiful part of the B Better community. Your message is a powerful reminder of why we do what we do. I’m so, so grateful for you.
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@Hasnaa unfortunately, other than confirming that hepatitis is negative, these markers were already measured previously and don’t provide additional information.
There is however even more evidence of a need for vitamin B6 and liver/gallbladder support given the high calcium oxalates in urine. B6 is a cofactor needed to convert oxalates into amino acid glycine (needed for glutathione synthesis). Since these can’t flow out of urine, they build up and can lead to kidney stones. And congested bile function or gallbladder removal can lead to oxalate absorption and develop calcium oxalate stones.
So to recap, here’s what we know so far so you can begin taking action:
-There is still suspicion of hypochlorhydria and possible H Pylori overgrowth. Have you tried the at-home baking soda challenge yet? If not, here’s the video (3 min mark) to watch and consider. Please report back once you do it so we can guide you on how to support stomach acid.
-As previously suggested, supporting liver health and liver detox using food, supplements and lifestyle therapies is a great proactive effort that can only benefit overall health. Given the likely need for vitamin B6, and now the suboptimal B12 from the latest result, a methylated B Complex can provide support with liver detox. My preference is Thorne’s Basic B Complex. When there’s suspicion of a strong need for B vitamins, it’s important to go “low and slow” beginning with 1 capsule (or less by opening up capsules and sprinkling a little over a meal) for a few days to see how the body reacts. If there’s no crazy detox symptoms (headaches, rash, nausea, feeling sick, etc), then slowly increasing the dosage to 2 and eventually 3 capsules per day, in split doses (1 with breakfast, 1 with lunch, 1 with dinner) is a good approach.
You can also find additional ways to support detoxification in this video. Please watch it. All of the supplements and tools mentioned in the video are linked below the video, and handouts such as how to do a castor oil pack are attached under the tab called “Materials” above the video from desktop view. Please let me know if you have any questions after watching the video. And finally, sweat daily (and hydrate)! Investing in a portable sauna is a great health investment if you don’t have the capacity to exercise and sweat properly. Use code BERN for 10% off.
-Vitamin D is also suboptimal. Ideally 50-70ng/ml is what’s generally recommended with autoimmunity. Here’s our vitamin D handout to help with dosage. It’s also important for the supplement to have Vitamin D3 and K2 to help with calcium absorption into bones like Seeking Health’s D3/K2 liquid for example.
-Given the high calcium oxalates found in urine, consuming lemon water twice daily can help prevent oxalate stone formation in the kidneys. So can any citrate supplement such as magnesium citrate which is always a good idea to take in conjunction with vitamin D supplementation to help with conversion to the active D form. Magnesium citrate also helps with rapid relief from constipation so if you take too much, you’ll know because you’ll end up with loose stools. I like the Pure Encapsulations brand of magnesium citrate.
-In addition to the above, don’t forget the foundations! Grounding outside on natural surface daily for minimum 30 minutes is a very powerful anti-inflammatory. Getting sunshine to help boost vitamin D production naturally is also foundational.
Additional recommended tests:
-Vitamin A (this is an important immune nutrient. If it’s low, it needs to be optimized)
-RBC zinc and RBC copper (zinc is also an important immune nutrient and zinc and copper dance together. If any of these are suboptimal they should be optimized for immune health, iron absorption, red blood cell production, etc)
If your doctor won’t order these for you, Valeo Health offers at-home blood testing. B Better members get a 15% discount as well on orders above 600 Dhs.
Hope the above is helpful and gives you a better direction of what needs to be prioritized and addressed.
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@LAK FYI – we just confirmed a discount code for B Better members with Tabchili. So the next time you want to purchase from them, you can use code Bbetter15 to redeem 15% off your order!
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@LAK yes you can apply Clark’s rule! Well done!
As for the lemon water, enough that it’s therapeutic but not so much that it’s too sour to drink. Let his palate guide the dosage.
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@LAK same feedback for your daughter. Work on her gut microbiome with fermented foods first and foremost.
Have you looked at the brand Mary Ruth’s? They have nice vitamin C formulation for kids. And for B Complex, I really like the one by liquid one by Metabolics.
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@LAK just one course of antibiotics disturbs the microbiome for more than a year on average. And some, like clindamycin and triple antibiotic therapy for H. pylori for example, can disrupt the commensal flora for up to 2 to 4 years!
This often gives way to candida overgrowth. Candida overgrowth is often the main reason for higher oxalates which is explained in the circular diagram of the OAT test on p.2. Does that mean put him on an antifungal cleanse? Not necessarily. Often times, helping repopulate the gut with beneficial microbes from fermented foods and/or probiotic supplements can help bring a better balance naturally. And with kids who don’t really have symptoms, this is where I would start. Get them to consume a variety of fermented foods every other day; kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha (low sugar varieties), fermented pickles, and other vegetables, etc. We have tons of recipes if you’d like to make your own at home. Otherwise, Maher from Tabchili is selling starters and ready to consume fermented foods.
In the meantime, consuming lemon water and a supplement with citrate can help prevent oxalate stone formation.
Regarding #59. I didn’t say it causes blood sugar issues but rather blood sugar issues or metabolic dysfunction may be a contributing factor for elevated levels. Here’s the explanation from the OAT results as one of the possible reasons for this elevation:
#5. Onset of diabetes mellitus or excessive alcohol use.
When B vitamin levels are low and a person already consumes enough animal proteins, there are usually 3 mains reasons; 1) absorption issues or 2) higher need for B vitamins due to toxicity and higher methylation/glutathione production requirements and 3) genetic variants requiring more B vitamins.
If you do choose to supplement, I like the B Complex Liquid by Metabolics for kids. Really clean and good dosages.
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@Kkol As I explained in the video I shared with you earlier about possible reasons for high T4, Hashimoto’s can have a transient phase called Hashitoxicosis, where thyroid function fluctuates between highs and lows. This inconsistency occurs due to inflammation, which causes bursts of thyroid hormone release followed by depletion.
Hashitoxicosis is a temporary hyperthyroid phase that occurs in people with the Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. It happens when the immune system attacks the thyroid, causing it to release excess thyroid hormones into the bloodstream before it eventually slows down into hypothyroidism. That’s why it’s important to always test anti-TPO and anti-TG as well even though there’s hyperthyroid symptoms or low TSH.
Fasting insulin is ideally < 5 or between 5-7.
Regarding hemoglobin, I just wanted to point out that HbA1C depends on hemoglobin levels, so if hemoglobin is low, it can affect the accuracy of HbA1C – just like fasting glucose can be influenced by high insulin. Without measuring both, we risk drawing incorrect conclusions. I’m simply emphasizing that lab values should always be considered as part of a bigger picture.
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Hi @sheetalramchandani1 Holle and Jovie are both powder formulas. Not sure if I’m misunderstanding your request?
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@LAK your daughter seems to have a similar profile to your son which is always interesting to observe.
#7 Arabinose is high which points to mild candida in digestive tract. This can be the reason for her strong cravings for carbs and sugar. An antifungal cleanse can be considered along with S boulardii, a beneficial type of yeast to help bring better balance to the microbiome.
#15 Clostridia is borderline high. And as explained previously with her brother’s results, this will impact neurotransmitter function/behavior.
#45 & 46 are high. These have to do with how she breaks down fats. Does she consume alot of coconut oil by any chance? Does she avoid animal proteins and red meat (which is rich in carnitine)? L-carnitine deficiency can contribute to these higher levels. It’s also associated with hypoglycemia so encouraging her to reduce sugar and anything made from flour will help bring down her insulin level.
Vitamin B6, B5 and Vitamin C are all low similar to her brother.
And although not flagged high, #59 and 61 are borderline high which points to a need for methylation and detox support. B vitamins and consuming more animal proteins may also help with that.
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@LAK thanks for that additional info.
#15 Clostridia bacteria is high. This will impact neurotransmitter function. Clostridia bacteria block an enzyme that helps turn dopamine into norepinephrine. This causes dopamine to build up, showing as higher HVA on the OAT test, while norepinephrine levels drop, leading to low VMA. Over time, the extra dopamine gets broken down into DOPAC, making it rise. This imbalance can affect mood, focus, and stress response, but treating Clostridia overgrowth can help restore balance. This can be done with natural antimicrobial herbs and targeted probiotics containing Lacto Rhamnosus GG and S Boulardii to bring back better balance to the gut microbiome.
->Has he ever been given courses of antibiotics? Do you consume conventional or mostly organic foods at home? These can contribute to clostridia overgrowth.
#7 Arabinose is elevated which can point to some mild candida in the gut. Given that #21 Oxalic is also high, along with #59, there is reason to be suspicious of mold exposure. It very well could be from eating a lot of peanut butter. Nonetheless, consuming magnesium citrate and drinking lemon water (with a straw to protect teeth) is good prevention against kidney stone formation.
#43 is high but this is usually from a keto diet. You mentioned he consumes a lot of protein, but does he also have high fat intake? If not, this elevation could also be due to blood sugar issues or metabolic syndrome, which can also increase #59.
->Does he eat and/or crave a lot of sugar and carbs? Does he get tired after eating? Testing blood sugar (fasting insulin, fasting glucose, HbA1c) could rule this out.
#61 is high – does he consume anything with artificial sweeteners? That’s usually the main cause for this elevation.
And by the way, was he taking any supplements at the time of testing?
There are also low levels of Vitamin B6 and B5. B6 in particular is very important in neurotransmitter function, methylation and detoxification so a methylated B Complex supplement may help. Consuming more vitamin C-rich foods too.
