[Bernadette]

@Naveed Aslam yes no issues when used that way. Just be sure it’s a high quality organic extra virgin olive oil

[Bernadette]

Hi @Naveed Aslam – if budget allows, I would look for one that is certified organic.

And Daniel wrote a great article HERE sharing tips on what to look for when purchasing EVOO.

To answer your question about cooking with olive oil… it depends on the quality of the olive oil. The higher quality ones contain antioxidant properties that offset the oxidation that happens when you heat a monounsaturated oil. So yes, if it’s high quality, you can cook with it. I just wouldn’t fry with it.

[Bernadette]

@Annie Sye – what form is he taking it in? And what’s the dose?

I’ve really changed my views about CBD and THC after researching it more thoroughly, and seeing just how many benefits it can provide in the right form and dose, including anti-psychosis believe it or not!

So I’m not opposed to medical cannabis as a treatment protocol when used under proper medical guidance. I would not recommend he experiments on his own however which it sounds like he is at the moment. However if he is interested in exploring this option, I would actually help him find an experienced doctor who is prescribing medical cannabis and have a proper discussion about whether or not this could help him.

From what I’ve learned, CBD doesn’t directly stimulate our endocannabinoid system like THC does, but it makes it work better. It also counteracts some of the negatives so it allows for higher doses of THC, which provides a bigger benefit together with less side effects.

I found these educational videos by Dr. Dave Gordon very helpful if you’re curious to learn more. Dr. Dave is a medical cannabis expert with training in integrative and functional medicine as well. You can try to contact him to see if he consults virtually, or request a referral to someone near you.

[Bernadette]

@Naveed Aslam you may still get a bit of the mucilaginous properties infused into the water, but to a much lesser extent compared to consuming the entire mixture, including the seeds.

The amount of mucilage transferred to the water may not be significant since much of it remains bound to the seeds.

[Bernadette]

@Sara let us know how they turn out!

[Bernadette]

Hi @Sara – I love lupin beans. They are such a great high protein snack, especially when I’m craving something salty.

I actually share a tutorial on how I prepare them in the “food” highlight on Instagram HERE. You’ll need to scroll to about 1/3 way through to find the stories… and here are the written instructions as well:

In a bowl, cover dry lupin beans with filtered water and soak overnight. Then rinse and discard that water.

In a saucepot, add the soaked lupin beans and fresh water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, then turn down heat to simmer for 45 minutes. Their color will change from white to yellow. Drain water, rinse, and add them to a glass container with fresh water to cover again.

Depending on the type of lupin bean, soak & change water daily for 1 to 3 days until the bitterness is gone. Once ready, add salt to the water to your taste preference, refrigerate and enjoy!

[Bernadette]

Hi @Sabrine Mahbouli – if your sister isn’t responding well to T4 only medication, it can be due to not being able to convert T4 to T3 properly. So it doesn’t matter how much T4 they give her, if she can’t convert it, she’ll still feel hypothyroid. T3 is the active thyroid hormone which has effect in the body.

Some people choose desiccated thyroid over Levothyroxine because it comes from animal thyroid glands (typically pigs or cows) so it tends to mimic our body’s natural thyroid hormones by containing both T4 and T3 thyroid hormones. The downside is that hormone levels in desiccated thyroid can vary between batches so dosing can be less precise.

The other option is to discuss with your functional doctor or naturopath to prescribe a compounded T3 thyroid hormone. If you don’t know any in your area, I always recommend working it backwards. Search and contact a local compounding pharmacy in your area, and ask them to give you names of functional doctors who use their pharmacy.

The next step is to help your sister figure out WHY she may not be converting T4 to T3 well enough. If you have the chance to go through the entire Thyroid Balance course, please do so. You’ll understand how to better support your sister.

Otherwise, start with these videos to ensure she has the basic minimum nutrients needed for thyroid conversion:

Foods for a Healthy Thyroid

Protect Your Thyroid

And then watch these to figure out if any of these common root cause factors are at play:

How Insulin Affects Thyroid Function

How Sex Hormones Affect Thyroid Function

How Cortisol Affects Thyroid Function

Hope this helps.

[Bernadette]

Thanks for sharing @Nathalie Khoury! I’ll make time to listen to these on my morning dog walks.

On the topic of Ozempic, I’m not sure what flavor your show link provides, but I’d like to share Dr Tyna’s podcasts on the subject below. She’s one of the few and first naturopathic docs to question why there was such big backlash about it. Super interesting episodes:

Part 1: https://drtyna.substack.com/p/episode106#details

Part 2: https://drtyna.substack.com/p/episode107#details

Part 3: https://drtyna.substack.com/p/episode109#details

She’s also created a course to help people navigate low-dose semaglutide peptides. Was considering taking it but had to allocate my budget towards other continuing education courses instead. It’s still on my radar though…

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin atassi let us know if there’s a difference between “International Bupa” and regular Bupa.

[Bernadette]

@Reshmika Chandrashekar

First and foremost, invest in fans and dehumidifiers and keep them running all day long if you don’t already have them. It’s important to dry the areas that got wet as soon as possible and keep humidity/moisture low.

Contact Omar’s technician instead – I told him you’ll be reaching out. His name is Shahzad 052-350-4209. You can tell him I gave you his number.

Daniel provided you with great tips. While still living in mold, focus on elimination as much as possible. Saunas/sweating & rehydrating, and 1-3 daily bowel movements is key until you can get it fixed! So think of the 3 major players of digestion “GPS” – gallbladder (bile), pancreas (digestive enzymes), and stomach (hydrochloric acid), and support any of those major players that may be struggling.

I would also focus on Step 3 – Strengthen the Defenses HERE, HERE, and HERE in the Mold & Mycotoxin Illness course before doing any kind of “killing” while still living in mold.

Meat is not available locally. But you can find chickens and eggs. You can check out these local resources:

https://farmingforyou.ae/

Dubai Chickens

Download the app Rootz (see image below)

Hope that helps!

[Bernadette]

@Sara Almansoori we have a lot of resources that can help you regarding your struggles with thyroid function.

This video discusses reasons for Low T3 that should be investigated. I would also suggest you schedule an appointment with Dr. Skorski at HealthBay or Dr. Erzebett Makk at Zia Medical to discuss prescribing a compounded T3. It is T3 that is the active thyroid hormone which has effect in the body. Having a clinically low T3 and Free T3 will for sure cause a person to feel tired despite being on T4 thyroid hormone.

I would also suggest getting your thyroid antibodies tested. Click here for what a full thyroid panel should include.

[Bernadette]

Hi @Sara – I’m going to list the best cereal option, then answer your question.

Best cereal would be one that has all whole food ingredients and is organic. For example, making your own muesli cereal.

-Mix your own oats and anything else you’d like (sunflower seeds, dried raisins, slivered almonds, coconut flakes, etc).

Trying to find a replacement for Special K type of cereal without any sugar limits your options, and gives you other things to consider. And I believe (from previous posts) that you’re gluten-free correct?

For example, Lovebird Cereal has an unsweetened gluten-free option made from cassava, coconut, coconut oil, and sea salt. While this looks like an ideal option, the tradeoff is the cassava flour itself. All cassava flour is really high in lead unfortunately. This may not be a problem for you if consumed minimally, but this is what I meant by “other things to consider”.

Seven Sundays Cereal is another option that has minimal ingredients and very low sugar from coconut sugar/dates, but they also use cassava.

If sugar isn’t a big concern for you, then you might want to look at the brand called Nature’s Path. Again, not the best, but at least they offer organic varieties which means it won’t have any GMO ingredients or pesticides.

I don’t think this is what you wanted to hear, but combining the words “healthy”, “cereal”, “0 sugar” and “delicious” is a really hard combination to find because all cereal (with the exception of DIY muesli) is processed, and therefore will likely be higher in heavy metals from processing, and/or sweetened to make it delicious.

So with cereal, if you’re willing to see it as an occasional snack/treat, then those options I mentioned above would be better options for sure.

[Bernadette]

Hi @Iryna Klevetenko – if this was my uncle, I’d want to give him anything that would help soothe the irritated tissue, so think of anything mucilagenous and with gut healing properties; slippery elm, marshmallow root, aloe, chia seeds, okra, bone broth, collagen, cabbage juice, etc.

I’m not sure if he has access to supplements, but you can find more details about gut healing foods and supplements HERE from the Gut Health Masterclass.

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin atassi I’m glad Naveed jumped in with some information because I really don’t know. I would contact Bupa directly and share the information he shared to see what they say. Maybe it’s a regional issue as well? He’s in the UK.

I also know from a previous insurance company we used, that Cigna and Cigna International offer very different benefits. “International” was amazing, and did cover these types of tests. Regular Cigna didn’t. Maybe it’s the same with Bupa? I believe they have “Bupa international”.

Please let us know what you find out, as I’m sure it can help others as well in the future.

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin Kottait B Better members get access to Fullscript and Amrita Nutrition (it’s a UK company that offers global shipping).

You can find details for setting up an account HERE for Fullscript and HERE for Amrita Nutrition.