[Bernadette]

@Sara Almansoori Minoxidil primarily works by widening blood vessels so it increases blood flow and promotes hair growth. While it’s not typically known to directly disrupt hormone balance, it can have side effects such as unwanted facial or body hair growth, especially in women, as a result of increased blood flow to hair follicles.

With regards to natural hair dyes, I don’t have personal experience using them so I can’t recommend a specific brand, but you can take a look at Light Mountain. I don’t know how effective it is, but it is the safest/lowest toxic product I could find.

Another option is Madison Reed. It’s not as clean as Light Mountain, but it’s another option if you don’t like Light Mountain.

[Bernadette]

@Annie Sye I replied to your original post, but copying part of it over here in case you missed it since you’re asking about supplement brands.

As a B Better member, you get access to Fullscript – a practitioner-grade supplement dispensary and 20% discount on their full range. You never know what you’re getting on Amazon. You can create your Fullscript account HERE.

You can then easily browse through the catalogue and filter your search using specific ingredient names, the specific form you need it in, specific brands, etc, to find the best one for your needs. It’s really helpful in finding better quality supplements than what you usually find in health stores and 3rd party online stores.

Hope that helps! Check it out and let us know if you have any questions.

[Bernadette]

@Annie Sye as a B Better member, you get access to Fullscript – a practitioner-grade supplement dispensary and 20% discount on their full range. You never know what you’re getting on Amazon. You can create your Fullscript account HERE.

You can then easily browse through the catalogue and filter your search using specific ingredient names, the forms you need it in, specific brands, etc, to find the best one for your needs. It’s really helpful in finding better quality supplements than what you usually find in health stores and 3rd party online stores.

Once you created the account, here are some links/options for l-theanine for example. There are many more as well:

By Pure Encapsulations

By Integrative Therapeutics

By NOW (as a powder for example)

The general dosages for l-theanine range from 200-400mg per day.

For melatonin, the general dosage recommendations range from 0.5mg to 3mg. It’s always best to start low for a few days, and then increase dosage slowly over time to see what works best for the individual. For those with very high oxidative stress levels, doses as high as 20mg per day have been studied, and is safe (ex. in cancer patients).

Adding in magnesium glycinate into the mix can be helpful at calming the body as well. Again anywhere from 200-800mg (to bowel tolerance).

For hair testing, they need to get hair as close as possible to the root. And it must be the natural hair color – no dyes.

I think your strategy of helping him first sleep better is a good one. Please keep us posted on how he does with the melatonin and l-theanine.

[Bernadette]

@Maryam Al well we don’t know if she has low vitamins, but it’s worth testing to see where the suppression of WBCs is coming from. Once you watch all of the video links I’ve shared, go back and reread my reply. You’ll understand it a lot better.

But yes, her fatigue could be from her body fighting a possible low-grade viral infection. When we get sick, aren’t we tried? It does that on purpose to help our immune system put all of its resources on fighting the invader. Makes sense?

[Bernadette]

@Maryam Al I’m going to highlight the out of range markers and link a few videos from the Understanding Basic Blood Chemistry to help you better understand what might be at play:

Clinically low WBC: something is suppressing her white blood cell production. Please watch my explanation in THIS VIDEO starting at 1 min 38 sec if you want to skip the intro.

Clinically low Neutrophils: this is our first line of defense when we get sick; this usually goes up when there’s an active or chronic bacterial infection. When it goes down as lymphocytes increase, it’s usually a pattern of a viral infection. Could be acute or chronic and transient. Think of a virus that is dormant, but may at times reactivate. Please continue watching the same video above as I explain the different patterns of these white blood cell differentials.

Clinically high ferritin: please watch THIS VIDEO (start at 2 min:10 sec). This will explain why the body is not absorbing iron. The body is smart and trying to protect her body!

Clinically low vitamin D: does she get daily sun exposure? If so, ask why vitamin D may be low, keeping in mind that it’s a fat soluble “vitamin” that needs good liver/gallbladder function and bile flow for absorption, and needs a good amount of magnesium for active conversion. Please watch THIS VIDEO from the Mineral Balance course (start at 2 min 16 sec) to see if the low vitamin D is related to inflammation or not given the higher ferritin.

Knowing nothing else other than these results and the symptoms you’ve shared, it seems as though the pattern points to the possibility of a chronic reactivated viral infection, which in itself can be suppressing the immune system and possibly creating a secondary simmering microbial infection which is causing the sequestering of iron.

What do you do next? Support her immune system!

Knowing her immune system is struggling, I would want to measure and optimize her vitamin D, A, RBC zinc and RBC copper as a starting point. If RBC zinc and copper aren’t available, then I would measure these in serum and also request ceruloplasmin along with it.

I would also want to make sure she has the raw ingredients needed to make WBCs. So measuring B12 and B9 as well, although it’s much better to measure these in organic acid metabolites (urine test) versus serum. These are called methylmalonic acid (MMA) and formiminoglutamic acid (FIGLu).

This is also where a conversation about diet comes in. Do you think she’s getting in these nutrients in optimal amounts from food and sun?

Hope the above has helped you better understand the picture being presented, and with your mom instincts and knowing your daughter, can hopefully add more to this picture.

Let me know if you need clarification on anything.

[Bernadette]

@Seyma Wilschefski would you mind sharing these studies that you’re referring to because I’m not aware of a direct relationship between molybdenum and iron absorption.

Iron absorption is influenced by several factors, including the presence of other minerals and nutrients like vitamin C for example, which enhances iron absorption. But molybdenum is not typically considered a major player in this process.

Excess molybdenum induces copper deficiency in ruminant animals, and copper is involved in iron metabolism. But that has no relevance to humans because it results from byproducts produced in the rumen. Maybe that’s what these papers are referring to? But again, this is in animal studies, not humans.

What dosage is the molybdenum in your products? The Institute of Medicine set the tolerable upper intake level (TUIL) for molybdenum which is 30mcg per day per kg bodyweight. So if someone weighs 70kg, the highest safest dose is 2100mcg per day for this individual.

Most supplements often contain as little as 150mcg and rarely contain more than 1mg, so supplements used according to labeled use should be overwhelmingly safe.

You can also read more about molybdenum and its impacts HERE.

[Bernadette]

Thank you @Naveed Aslam. Same to you!

[Bernadette]

@Misha unfortunately, I haven’t researched the risks and benefits for these vaccines in pregnancy, but I can direct you to a great website that discusses the risks mentioned in fine print on the inserts of common vaccines.

Here’s the one for DTAP.

As for RSV, I would reach out to Dr. Elana Roumell or Dr. Ari Calhoun who have put together a Vaccine Empowerment course together, and ask if they discuss vaccines in pregnancy specifically. And here’s the link to their course if you’re interested.

Hope that helps guide you in the right direction.

[Bernadette]

@Misha Although no method guarantees complete prevention of urinary tract infections, you can significantly minimize your risk by adhering to the following precautions:

Stay well hydrated and ensure you’re electrolytes are balanced

Don’t ignore the urge to urinate. Urinate promptly and void completely. Not everyone will void completely the first time around, so when the urine stream stops, wait a moment, take a few breaths, and void again. You may be surprised at the amount of urine you void during the second go-around!

Always wipe from front to back after a bowel movement

Opt for comfy cotton undies and loose-fitting clothes down there. Comfy cotton and linen clothing much better than polyester and spandex.

Up-level your sexual hygiene as much as possible. If you know you are prone to UTIs, consider having both you and your partner shower with a gentle castile soap (and brushing your teeth if you think you may have saliva in the mix) before intercourse. Empty your bladder immediately after intercourse, and if you have the option, give yourself a quick splash with fresh water. This may not sound romantic, but it’s much sexier than being stuck with a UTI!

Take a probiotic that supports good vaginal health, such as Jarrow’s FemDophilus or Renew Life Women’s Vaginal probiotic.

And if you’re prone to UTI infections, the general recommendation is to take a preventative dose of cranberries and d-mannose regularly (until cause is addressed), not only when a twinge is felt.

In food form, cranberries can be added to a daily smoothie. Whole, unsweetened cranberries are preferable to cranberry juice, unless it is consumed truly unsweetened (most cranberry juice is highly sweetened).

And d-mannose can be used preventatively against UTIs (1000mg once per day), and research has concluded it to be safe in pregnancy which you can read about here. A higher dose (2-3 x per day) can be used at the first sign of a twinge. But of course always check with your practitioner.

[Bernadette]

Hi @Misha – unfortunately, the functional ranges we use for normal adults cannot be used in pregnancy.

Almost every marker in basic labwork will change during pregnancy and I would need to do a whole new course just for pregnancy related labs.

But in general, based on the labs you’ve shared, you’re experiencing the positive changes that are SUPPOSED to happen in pregnancy. The reference ranges also change based on the trimester of pregnancy too.

So for example, the anemia markers RBC, hemoglobin, and hematocrit are supposed to decrease in pregnancy. So if someone compares their values to the optimal functional ranges, it will seem as though they are anemic, when they’re not! For example, an optimal hemoglobin range during pregnancy would be 11.1 to 13.2 g/dL, which is about an 8% drop from the non-pregnancy functional range. So the pattern you’ve described is actually normal and optimal for pregnancy.

Similarly, immune system markers will also change, and show a significant increase. Think about why!! Body wants to protect your baby! So a WBC of 7.95 is actually spot on for 1st trimester level. Neutrophils of 4.5 is considered high in non-pregnancy, but is actually optimal in 1st trimester pregnancy. In fact, neutrophils increase about 171% on average by the 3rd trimester. So nothing to worry about.

Hope this helps put your concerns at ease.

[Bernadette]

@Rhondine sorrell just wanted to check in with you to see how you’re doing post-surgery… thinking about you!

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin atassi

I like the Klaire Labs infant probiotic. I also like the one by Smidge. They aren’t available in Dubai however, so they’ll need time to get here. If you want one locally available, check Life pharmacy for Udo’s toddler probiotic.

For the rash, if you don’t have Active Skin Repair (my favorite), you can also check the pharmacy or online to see if they have chamomile cream or calamine lotion or even do an oatmeal bath which can really help soothe rashes, dryness and itch. Here’s a how-to.

In terms of multivitamins, please read this handout where we share our favorite brands depending on the circumstances.

Hope that helps.

[Bernadette]

@Naveed Aslam I agree it’s not a pleasant test, and unfortunately, it’s routinely recommended during pregnancy to check for gestational diabetes. If drinking sugary water isn’t bad enough, it’s usually in the form of dextrose from GMO corn syrup with artificial color and preservative, adding insult to injury! Some nurses will allow pregnant women to drink their own concoction made of water and cane sugar as long as they get in 50g of glucose. But they need to ask.

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin atassi did you share a probiotic supplement picture or link? It didn’t show up. A broad-spectrum probiotic can help modulate the immune system.

For soothing the throat, anything anti-inflammatory, or mucilaginous can be be helpful. For example:

-chamomile, ginger tea

-marshmallow root tea

-slippery elm lozenges (example Thayers brand). It’s a small chewable tablet, so it can be crushed if there’s a choking concern.

-gargling with silver hydrosol spray and swallowing (I also keep this in my medicine cabinet at all times)

With doctor approval, consider:

-honey (go slow if you’ve never introduced it before)

-propolis spray (it’s also antiviral so bonus). I always keep on hand as part of my medicine cabinet but in the fridge.

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin atassi it’s a viral ailment, so you’re spot on about boosting her own immunity. If you’re still breastfeeding, continue doing so as your immunity will help hers.

Otherwise, you can take a look at this protocol HERE to see what I give my kids for immune support. Zinc in particular is well studied in its ability to inhibit viral replication.

In addition, natural anti-viral support like elderberry syrup or echinacea tincture are usually safe for infants older than 6 months.

You can also consider homeopathic support (Oscillococcinum) if it’s still in the early stages, which I share in the anti-viral protocol HERE.

If you’d like to consult with a good homeopath who does virtual consults, you can also reach out to Dr. Manjari who was also one of our guest experts in B Better HERE.

As for pain relief, chamomile tea or chamomile cream can help soothe any discomfort caused by the blisters. I personally love Active Skin Repair spray for topical use. It can be used several times per day or as needed to alleviate itch and discomfort. You can find my discount code for it and links to all my medicine cabinet must-haves HERE.

In this guide, I also explain my rationale about fevers (p.9). As long as the fever is below 40.5°C/105°F and my kids are alert, playing, eating, and living normally, I don’t suppress a fever with medication which I find delays recovery. If it is needed, then glutathione is a good idea until your child is feeling well again. Dr. Elana Roumell shares her recommended dosages in her talk about vaccines HERE (last 3 slides).

Hope this helps. Wishing your daughter a speedy recovery! Please let us know how she’s doing and if you need anything else.