Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[Rachel--24]

I have to go back and find Julies posts about the color PINK....and its ability to HEAL.

Do you guys remember what I said about me and pink..."we just dont go together"..."I think pink might dramatically worsen my condition"...etc....etc??

Holy Cow....I might have been very WRONG about this.

I will have to find these posts and then later I will share my experiences with wearing pink...EVERYDAY this past week.

[CarlaB]

HI there. I'm new here, but not new to what heavy metals and candida can do to a person.

I have all the classic signs of hmt and high levels of aluminum, cadmium, arsnic, and lead according to my dmsa challange test. Mercury was very low on both dmsa challange test and hair test.

I am now pursuing Lyme testing and have the kit right here in front of me, but not sure what I should

order. I am in NY and from what I see I need to order the 5000 or the 5010. 5000 is the Western Blot IgG, Western BLot IgM, Lyme PCR-Serum

5010 is The same as the 5000 except it's whole blood rather than serum.

My question is Do I request the whole blood or serum? I can't do both because they cost $390 each and can barely afford the one.

Also what does PCR mean?

Also the one with whole blood uses 1SST and 1 EDTA what does this mean?

Sorry for all the questions... I've been sick for a long time and researching for about 3 years and still feel I'm just scratching the surface to all this.

Blessings,

TS

Welcome!

I would get the IGeneX Western Blot. It is the most senstive for Lyme testing, don't waste your money on another test. Other tests leave out critical bands.

On IGeneX, you want to get the IgG and IgM Western Blot. It will cost $190.

You are in the right place .... we're all fighting heavy metals, candida, and lyme .... or some combination of them!

[dlp252]

Hi TS, welcome!

My doctor had the tests already so I'm not sure if it was whole blood or serum. I just pulled out a copy of my results and it doesn't list which test it was. I know it had the two Western Blots (IgM, IgG), and PCR. The test cost $190.

[dlp252]

I have to go back and find Julies posts about the color PINK....and its ability to HEAL.

Do you guys remember what I said about me and pink..."we just dont go together"..."I think pink might dramatically worsen my condition"...etc....etc??

Holy Cow....I might have been very WRONG about this.

I will have to find these posts and then later I will share my experiences with wearing pink...EVERYDAY this past week.

Wow, welcome to the pink club, lol! I too have worn pink almost every day this week.

[CarlaB]

Wow, welcome to the pink club, lol! I too have worn pink almost every day this week.

I overdid it this week during my herx and all and am lying in bed in my pink bathrobe this morning .... what is pink supposed to do?

[Rachel--24]

Hi TS,

Welcome to the board.

Heres an explanation of the various tests....including PCR.

A variety of tests is available. Many doctors who are unfamiliar with Lyme disease may just use the Lyme test available in their local laboratory. In many cases this is the Lyme ELISA or IFA, often called "Titer Test.

[dlp252]

I overdid it this week during my herx and all and am lying in bed in my pink bathrobe this morning .... what is pink supposed to do?

Don't remember exactly what all it does, but it's supposed to be healing. Julie posted a link to color therapy a few pages back...I have it bookmarked at work, but not here at home. I'm going to be leaving shortly for BioSET (today we get to test the waters of my environment, lol), so don't have time at the moment to go back, lol.

[CarlaB]

Don't remember exactly what all it does, but it's supposed to be healing. Julie posted a link to color therapy a few pages back...I have it bookmarked at work, but not here at home. I'm going to be leaving shortly for BioSET (today we get to test the waters of my environment, lol), so don't have time at the moment to go back, lol.

Thanks. I remember reading about it, but I don't have the energy to go back.

I remember being happy about my purple toenails when I read what Julie posted.

[dlp252]

Thanks. I remember reading about it, but I don't have the energy to go back.

I remember being happy about my purple toenails when I read what Julie posted.

I'm always happy when my toenails are purple or pink!

[CarlaB]

It's very strange, normally I like my toenails red ... nothing ever but red. However, for the past several months, it's been purple. I put red on them one day and couldn't get it off soon enough to get back to the purple! I'll have to go back and read the color stuff Julie posted.

[Green12]

It's very strange, normally I like my toenails red ... nothing ever but red. However, for the past several months, it's been purple. I put red on them one day and couldn't get it off soon enough to get back to the purple! I'll have to go back and read the color stuff Julie posted.

Wait!!! No need to back

Here's the link- Open Original Shared Link

So I have my appt Tuesday with the new gal I will be going to, I'm excited and have been filling out the standard new paperwork when going to someone new, all that history is kind of a pain...

I decided not to take the oregano oil I bought. After hearing you say Donna that it burns all the way down and I think Jin was talking about how caustic (I think was the word) the oil is it would be a bad idea for me, I have so much scar tissue all the way down my esophagus and etc, I am affraid i would cause further damage.

[Rachel--24]

So I have my appt Tuesday with the new gal I will be going to, I'm excited and have been filling out the standard new paperwork when going to someone new, all that history is kind of a pain...

Good luck Julie!!

Cant wait to hear about it.

[Clark Bent as Stupor-Man]

Hi Charlie!!

How are you doing?

How is your sister doing? Any news on when she heads overseas yet?

hey, I'm doing alright, I'll give an update later when I get a chance... and of course, I have a few questions I'll probably ask as well...

my sister's procedure is coming up very soon... if you or whoever would like any updates, I can send a PM as I'd prefer to handle things that way...

[Rachel--24]

hey, I'm doing alright, I'll give an update later when I get a chance... and of course, I have a few questions I'll probably ask as well...

my sister's procedure is coming up very soon... if you or whoever would like any updates, I can send a PM as I'd prefer to handle things that way...

Charlie,

I'll be keeping your sister in my prayers.

I'm looking forward to your update when you have the time. I'd also like to hear how your sister is doing. If you end up sending some pm's....I'd like one.

In the meantime...hope things are going ok for you and for your family.

[Green12]

I have to go back and find Julies posts about the color PINK....and its ability to HEAL.

Do you guys remember what I said about me and pink..."we just dont go together"..."I think pink might dramatically worsen my condition"...etc....etc??

Holy Cow....I might have been very WRONG about this.

I will have to find these posts and then later I will share my experiences with wearing pink...EVERYDAY this past week.

HOLY COW, I never thought I would see the day when Rachel embraced the PINK

I meant to ask my acupuncturist more about the value of pink in her energy work treatments- I will do this at my next appt and bring back a report next week.

Hi TS and welcome, the other ladies know so much more about the lyme stuff than I, they have great advice and suggestions for you.

Hi to Charlie also! Good to see you pop in and excellent info for Kassandra. Your sister will be in my thoughts as well

[Green12]

Carla, take good care of yourself and feel better.

Donna, have a great Bioset appt today, look forward to hearing how it goes.

Thanks Rachel for the good luck wishes.

In prep for my appt next Tues. I was going over with my acupuncturist my charts that go back to 1995, refreshing my memory on some of my history and to see how I have progressed, it's night and day really.

When I first got sick I had chronic c, extreme body temp changes, severe fatigue, terrible periods (painful cramps and intense PMS symptons), couldn't eat a thing I was reacting to everything, severe bowel/stomach/intestinal issues (bloating, pain, upset stomach), acne, mood swings, and a long long list of so many other symptoms. On a scale of 1-10 I would say I was a 10+ on all of these. I was TOXIC.

Now my temps are normalized, no PMS, bowels are moving, I can eat so many more things, bowel issues are drastically improved, no extreme mood swings, and so on. Symptoms that were frequent, everyday occurances are a once in a while, to never in some cases, and maybe a 2-3 on the scale if and when I do have them.

So my main major issue really is the chronic angioedema and still some food sensitivities.

I'm not as discouraged as I was, I am thinking I might just have to tweak a few things, and my intuition is telling me the angioedema might be infection induced and something that might be as easy as treating the infection.

I'll find out soon enough.

[tom]

If you can eat broccoli, there is something else that is helpful. It contains sulfurophane, which destroys this bacteria. All you need is an ounce daily. I assume raw would be best.

I read something recently that the overall benefits were GREATER in cooked broccoli than in raw. Wish I remembered where.

Broccoli has SO MANY good compounds!

"Broc all around! It's on me!"

Dear tom,

Shelly's son sure is mature for an 8 year-old! That is good to hear. He must not complain much. Children often have a hard time with going gluten-free.

Oy he's so much more than gluten-free. Probably more restricted than me. Zero sugar, incl fruit. And yeast-free and free of anything to do w/ mold. I don't know the whole list, but he's off just about everything he'd want to eat.

Poor kid had a science lesson this week w/ a moldy banana. I don't think he had to touch it or anything, but was very sick for ~ 2days.

[Rachel--24]

HOLY COW, I never thought I would see the day when Rachel embraced the PINK

HOLY COW....me either!!

Anyways.....I cant really say that I "embraced" the PINK....I think it was actually the other way around.

Its so strange how things happen in my life but a couple days after I made a fuss about it here on the thread...PINK came into my life.

I dont think I've ever actually worn pink...except maybe as a child. At work we are raising money/awareness for breast cancer....so thats where the PINK comes in. For the whole month of October we can wear a pink breast cancer awareness t-shirt with JEANS...after making a $25 donation toward the cause.

At first I couldnt bring myself to do it....cuz of the pink shirts.

I told everyone I just cant handle the pink....I think it might cause me a set-back.

Finally...the JEANS factor made me "think about it"...I was gonna get a shirt but they were HUGE on me...there were no small t-shirts.

I asked if I could buy my own plain pink shirt and wear that instead. So last weekend I went out in search of pink t-shirts. I usually turn away from pink....but here I was was SEARCHING for it! It was HEINOUS!

Finally at Mervyns, I found long sleeve plain pink t-shirts. I bought 3.

OK...so I started wearing pink on Monday....and everyday since. This was the BEST week I've had!!

This was the week that I was able to eat NORMAL food with no reactions those 2 days at work!

Then when I went to see Dr. S. there was so much improvement he OK'D the IV DMPS!!

I dunno if pink contributed to any of this.....could that be possible??

I've also felt WAY happier inside....for no particular reason.

Dr. S. actually asked me about that...he wanted to know if there's any change in my life to contribute to my well-being/happiness.

But nooooo....there is no change...everything in my life is the same.

.....except I'm wearing a pink shirt.

[Rachel--24]

PART 2

So...on top of these positive changes....all of a sudden this past week I'm getting all this attention from customers/co-workers....and the only thing different about me is the freakin PINK SHIRT. WTH??

Its very bizzarre...I cant see any obvious physical changes in me.

Yesterday my co-worker was teasing me about having all of these "admirers" this past week. A customer had approached her and made some comments about me...and another co-worker had suddenly blurted out that all week he's been "checking me out".

He said..."Everytime she walks by I just have to stare at her."

So theres all these random comments...and everyday I'm wearing my pink shirt.

So I told my co-worker "Whats different about me?? Do I look healthier?? WTH??"

She said...."I think you look good in that pink shirt!!"

Can you BELIEVE that!!

All I could think about was all the negative stuff I wrote about pink....and Julie's comments on its healing abilities.

My friend said that the pink shirt made me look happier....that I seemed happier all week and the pink was complimenting my face.

She said I look very healthy and happy in pink.

OMG....Julie....I think you might be on to something.

So anyways...we'll see what happens at the end of the month when I'm not wearing pink anymore.

I got some cheesy one-liners this week though....so there might be some reasons to still avoid pink.

1. I did not know that Safeway allowed Cosmopoliton models to work here.

Ummm...yeah....can you really see me in cosmo with my baseball hat and pink shirt.

2. Can you direct me to the aisle where you sell the "cute pills" that you must be taking??

The cheesiness of that one made me laugh out loud.

3. Are you sure you're old enough to work here....dont you have to be 16?

So yeah...all of this because of a pink shirt.

Who knew?

[Rachel--24]

In prep for my appt next Tues. I was going over with my acupuncturist my charts that go back to 1995, refreshing my memory on some of my history and to see how I have progressed, it's night and day really.

When I first got sick I had chronic c, extreme body temp changes, severe fatigue, terrible periods (painful cramps and intense PMS symptons), couldn't eat a thing I was reacting to everything, severe bowel/stomach/intestinal issues (bloating, pain, upset stomach), acne, mood swings, and a long long list of so many other symptoms. On a scale of 1-10 I would say I was a 10+ on all of these. I was TOXIC.

Now my temps are normalized, no PMS, bowels are moving, I can eat so many more things, bowel issues are drastically improved, no extreme mood swings, and so on. Symptoms that were frequent, everyday occurances are a once in a while, to never in some cases, and maybe a 2-3 on the scale if and when I do have them.

So my main major issue really is the chronic angioedema and still some food sensitivities.

I'm not as discouraged as I was, I am thinking I might just have to tweak a few things, and my intuition is telling me the angioedema might be infection induced and something that might be as easy as treating the infection.

I'll find out soon enough.

Julie...in the beginning I had the same problems with extreme temp. changes and all the severe symptoms. I was totally disabled by my illness at that time.

Now that I've improved I can tell that the colder my body temp is the more I'm having problems moving my bowels and the more "allergic" I become.

This is something that one of my Dr.'s has stressed to me since my first visit with him. The importance of keeping the body temp. up....which is not always easy to do when we are toxic from metals and infections (which have the ability to lower the host's body temp. to ensure their own survival).

I find it to be very true....

Also when my lymph system is struggling (which is alot of the time)...I'm feeling the effects with a colder temp. and increased allergies....sluggish bowels, etc.

I agree that the chronic angioedema could very well be an immune response to some unidentified pathogen.

I'm excited for your upcoming appt.

[Green12]

OMG Rachel I am literally laughing out loud reading this!

I mean who can really say, but it's kind of ironic don't you think, that so many happy positive things happened while you were wearing pink?

For instance even in Feng Shui (sp?) I think it is common practice to attract love into your life by putting pink flowers in your room. So there are lots of schools of thought that beleive in the power and energy of color.

I also remember when I was the sickest all I wore was black, black sweats and t-shirts and sweat shirts. Black was just a color I seemed to gravitate towards. My naturopathic doctor actually suggested I lay off the black clothing ..... he said that black can attract a lot of negative energy and since I was chronically ill it might be good for me to bring in more color to my life so I could benefit from their healing energies.

From that day on I pitched a lot of the black and started wearing COLOR, and if I did wear a black I paired it with something else to balance it out. It sounds out there but it made a difference how I felt.

[tom]

My York testing showed yeast to be one of my worst intolerances. However, despite the tests showing me as intolerant to most things, it said I was absolutely fine with mushrooms. I'm a bit puzzled by this. Does having an intolerance to yeast mean I must have a candida problem?

My 1st major clue to candida was a York test result of yeast intolerance.

So, while "must" is probably too strong a word, I'd say "most likely" anyway.

Yes, and did I ever mention I made it to brown belt in Karate. Hum, I like the idea of carrying around some soy with me just in case.

Oh my . . . .. . . I hadn't even considered having to deal w/ an ARMED cookie-craver!

You just keep that soy-milk squirtgun holstered missy!! And I'll stay out of the cookie aisle. (Until my eBay HazMat suit arrives anyway)

The aggressive fungal form can damage the intestinal lining...causing leaky gut.

I've seen this concept put forth before, but it's never made any sense to me.

I've seen photos of leaky-gut and it's VERY small gaps between the indiv cells of intestinal walls.

From what I've seen, Candida's fungal form's rhizoids/roots are far larger - minimum several (or dozens of) cells wide at even the tip - than the 'leaks' that let indiv molecules thru.

The research is saying that since candida albicans shares the identical protein sequence found in gluten...

I remember when this came out. The guy, purely out of curiousity and taking advantage of the massive databases created by Genome Project types of research, just did a universal search for what else had same sequence as gliadin.

I think it was part of candida's cell walls that was the only thing that matched.

Does that mean it's just the fungal form? I think the usual bacteria form doesn't have near the 'wall' type of structure to it - more amorphous. I'm not clear on that aspect.

[Green12]

Also when my lymph system is struggling (which is alot of the time)...I'm feeling the effects with a colder temp. and increased allergies....sluggish bowels, etc.

So it seems regulating body temp is a big part of it all, and crucial.

I have to say I think accupuncture was what helped me in this area, working with circulation and moving stagnate blood chi, but I believe you can arrive at the same result in different ways.

I also am so glad you brought up the lymph, I think lymph drainage is so important, and keeping it functioning and open to do its thing.

I forgot to mention I was put back on homeopathic Lymphomyostat (sp?) by HEEL, I think I saw that on your protocol Rachel.

I think it makes a difference, as well as the chi machine, mini tramp, and yoga for me as far as the lymph is concerned.

Susie, thanks for that link on migraines.

Jin, Rachel had also posted some interesting info on migraines and metals and scar tissue a couple of different times, I bookmarked one of the links, so I'll post it again (hope you don't mind Rachel)

Open Original Shared Link</a>

[dlp252]

The BioSET update, lol:

Well as expected, I reacted to several rooms in my Condo

[Rachel--24]

I've seen this concept put forth before, but it's never made any sense to me.

I've seen photos of leaky-gut and it's VERY small gaps between the indiv cells of intestinal walls.

From what I've seen, Candida's fungal form's rhizoids/roots are far larger - minimum several (or dozens of) cells wide at even the tip - than the 'leaks' that let indiv molecules thru.

I think its pretty well accepted that pathogenic fungal infections, parasites and other gut infections can and *do* lead to a leaky gut situation.

There are other reasons for the development of leaky gut....but gut infections are definately *highly* associated with LGS.

I have not seen anything to the contrary...and my Dr.'s have not told me anything different.

In the yeast state Candida is a non-invasive, sugar-fermenting organism, while in fungal state it is invasive and can produce rhizoids, very long root-like structures. Rhizoids can penetrate mucosa or intestinal walls, leaving microscopic holes and allowing toxins, undigested food particles and bacteria and yeast to enter the bloodstream. These condition is known as Leaky Gut Syndrome, one more name for the food and environmental intolerances.

I think it was part of candida's cell walls that was the only thing that matched.

Does that mean it's just the fungal form? I think the usual bacteria form doesn't have near the 'wall' type of structure to it - more amorphous. I'm not clear on that aspect.

Candida is never in a bacteria form...its always a fungus. Its either in a commensal (harmless) yeast form....or its in a more agressive (harmful) mycelial form. I would assume that it has a cell wall no matter what form its in.

Candida albicans is a dimorphic fungus, i.e. it can take two forms. Most of the time it exists as oval, single yeast cells, which reproduce by budding. Most yeasts do not produce mycelia (a mass of branching, threadlike hyphal filaments), but Candida has a trick up its sleeve. Normal room temperatures favour the yeast form of the organism, but under physiological conditions (body temperature, pH, and the presence of serum) it may develop into a hyphal form. Pseudohyphae, composed of chains of cells, are also common.

I remember when this came out. The guy, purely out of curiousity and taking advantage of the massive databases created by Genome Project types of research, just did a universal search for what else had same sequence as gliadin.

I think it was part of candida's cell walls that was the only thing that matched.

Yes...the protein sequence was found in the cell wall of candida albicans. The protein sequence is found *only* in the yeast species with the ability to invade the intestinal wall. It is not found in other species of candida (there are over 150 species).

The guy who made this connection is a Dr./researcher...it was published in the Lancet and the article is available here on Celiac.com (for anyone interested).

Heres some info.

It seems fitting that the research again comes from Holland , where celiac disease was first linked to diet. Dr. Nieuwenhuizen, from the research group TNO Nutrition and Food Research, published a paper in the June, 2003, Lancet. He links celiac disease with Candida albicans. Dr. Nieuwenhuizen, knowing the actual sequence of proteins which trigger celiac disease from the published work of other scientists, had searched the databases available to him through TNO to see if the same sequence existed in other places. It turns out the identical sequence of proteins occur in the cell walls of Candida albicans.

These Candida gluten-like proteins turn out to be the yeast's "hypha-specific surface protein" nicknamed Hwp1. This is the yeast's version of Velcro and allows it to attach and hang onto the endomysium in the wall of the intestine. It is also targeted by transglutaminase, the enzyme which acts on the gluten protein and serves as a target for immune antibodies. Candida species which don't have this Hwp1 protein can't attach themselves to the digestive tract.