Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[Rachel--24]

But why did the ice cream help with constipation? Since too much calcium constipates you, do you think we were not absorbing calcium but making more oxalates?

My observation is that the high oxalate foods seem to damage my gut...those are the foods that cause GI symptoms leading to obvious malabsorption.

So when I'm consistently eating high oxalate foods (like chocolate)....after a few days I have alot of inflammation, noticeable weight loss and loose stools....which pretty clearly indicate malabsorption issues .

For me high oxalate foods can "cure" constipation issues...but in a really bad way!

I'd actually rather be dealing with the "C" than the kind of damage I get from certain high oxalate foods.

BUT.....when I was eating chocolate ICE CREAM....I never once had all of that damage from the chocolate. I never experienced those symptoms and instead of developing loose stools....I actually had NORMAL stools.....and I was not constiapted at all during that time.

So it seemed to balance out.

I think without having the chocolate in the ice cream...I would have remained constipated....and if I were *only* eating chocolate (without the ice cream) then I would have suffered from the gut problems and loose stools.

So I think the ice cream helped with constipation only because it contained chocolate (a high oxalate food).....but the oxalates werent causing so much damage because the ice cream contains calcium!

Get it??

[Rachel--24]

Sure if u say so lmao.

LOL..thanks Paula.

Anyone else??

I just came in from star gazing with the family. Have any of u ever laid outside and looked at planes and wondered where they are going. Or am I alone in this game.

Ummm....I've definately gazed. As far as wondering about the planes and where they're headed....not so much. You and Lisa are alone (so far) in that game.

I like to watch the stars...making wishes on falling stars...stuff like that....but the planes dont much interest me and they kind of ruin the moment. KWIM??

[Rachel--24]

I use to love astronomy in college, but I forgot everything i learned. See what all my health problems have done to me.

Yeah....I think we're all pretty much in the same boat as far as that goes.

The worst for me now is math. I pretty much freak out when I see numbers. I have no idea what to do with them.....they make my head feel like it might burst.

Numbers are not my friends!!

[Rachel--24]

Heres more....

Calcium:

Calcium from food sources is absorbed during digestion in the intestines. The body uses this mineral for many important functions. Any excess that has been absorbed is excreted or passed through the kidneys.

The biggest portion of calcium in the diet comes from milk and foods made from large amounts of milk, such as cheeses and yogurt. The calcium in these foods is usually easily absorbed.

Other foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables, contain significant amounts of calcium. However, they also contain other substances (oxalates) which prevent the body from readily absorbing the calcium. So, the amount of available calcium in green leafy vegetables is less than in milk.

Oxalic acid or oxalate is found mostly in foods from plants.

Calcium combines with oxalate in the intestines. This reduces calcium's ability to be absorbed. Sometimes oxalate or calcium oxalate stones form because there is not enough calcium in the intestines.

Although there are many foods that contain large amounts of oxalate, eight foods have been shown to be most at fault for raising urine oxalate levels. They are rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, chocolate, wheat bran, nuts, beets, and tea.

Is it making sense??

So if I'm not consuming something high in calcium (dairy)...which is readily absorbed....then the oxalates may be causing damage because there is not enough calcium in the intestines to bind with the oxalates and move them through the digestive system.

I'm deficient in calcium and possibly having elevated levels of oxalate.....hence the inflammation and gut damage.

I'm thinking this is a really big possibility...and based on this I might actually do better with eating some dairy along with any foods containing oxalates.

[AndreaB]

Makes sense to me Rachel.

I can't wait for your test results!

LOL...I think I'll sing it to you next time I call.

Paula,

I haven't looked at the stars for awhile. I do like them though. I can't see the sunsets anymore and that's what I liked to watch. Where we are now the trees obscure it.

Haven't really wondered where planes are heading but I do like to watch them.

[confusedks]

Sherry, There isn't a lot else to say about the iron for right now. I have a huge wedding to attend tomorrow, so I've been out shopping, looking for a dress and I finally found one!

The "festivities" are all weekend long, but I'm only going to the actual wedding and I went to dinner tonite. But, that's all...I don't have the energy to keep up. Kinda sad.

I'm really behind, so I'll catch up soon! Hopefully I'll have a new avatar pic up soon too....from the wedding.

[CarlaB]

But Kassandra, I like the natural looking but plastered in makeup avatar!

Rachel, you could be onto something with the dairy, but if that were the case, why wouldn't plain milk have had the same effect?

I had a good appt. with the PA. I told her I wasn't taking the whole Zith because it made me have too much pain. She said the pain I was describing was not a reaction to the Zith, but Lyme symptoms (which I knew). She said that taking a sub-clinical dose would do more harm than good so I was to take the full dose three days per week, then take four days off. I told her I would but only if she prescribed some pain meds, so she did.

She also switched the Cedax to Rifampin. Rifampin is intracellular like Zith. She thought as long as we were reaching bacteria we hadn't been reaching that we ought to go after it harder with two intracellulars. If I backslide off the Cedax, I am to switch back to it .... right now we aren't going after one of the forms that the Cedax was getting.

The other meds stayed the same.

I added transfer factor myself and it causes a herx too. I know it's the transfer factor because I had started it when I was off Zith and hadn't bought the new meds yet.

Well, the PA was excited that we were reaching the Lyme so well. I was hoping to get off the Zith, LOL.

This past month I had a babs herx right at my normal time, just air hunger and lots of sweats. Then, when my period started, I had a horrible Lyme flare. She thinks my immune system is getting stronger. It's possible that my own hormones are controlling the Lyme cycles rather than the Lyme just being independent in doing it's own thing.

She also thought my lack of reaction to the champagne was good, but didn't want me to start drinking.

If you want the complete list of meds, PM me and I'll send it. I just posted the changes here.

[miamia]

Ok...I had a new "relevation" regarding oxalates.

I figure I only have a few more days to get all "scientific" about oxalates....before my OAT results come back and totally NEGATE everything I've ever said on this topic.

Seriously!! I think I must be cursed or something!

Anyways...long ago I declared that ice cream was a necessary part of my diet....cuz of its ability to "stop" reactions and cuz of its ability to make me "regular" in ways that I'd never been before.

I wasnt just saying that to justify all that ice cream. It was TRUE!! But yeah....it was also true that I was off in my own world.....addicted to ice cream and having some issues with brain function.

I totally had bad reactions to certain foods which were immediately halted with a few spoonfuls of ice cream?? I could never figure that out!

Looking back...all of those foods were high oxalate. Calcium binds with oxalates and helps the body to get rid of them. This is why many who are on the low oxalate diet....also take calcium citrate prior to the meal...to absorb oxalates.

I tried that myself and it didnt work...and I had problems with the calcium supplements. I checked the bottle...its got all kinds of junk...including magnesium stearates. So maybe absorption was a problem....and maybe the calcium wasnt working because of it??

I dunno....but is it even *remotely* possible that the calcium in ice cream was capable of having this effect??

The ice cream was chocolate (high oxalate) and yet I could eat it every day without ever having those GI symptoms, weight loss, cramping, "ovary" pain, inflammation everywhere, etc.

Aside from the ice cream I have not been able to eat chocolate *anything* without having some issues after a day or two. ....and I definately dont experience the "regularity" that I was having with the ice cream. It somehow seemed to "balance" me out.

Do you guys think there's enough calcium in dairy to actually take care of some of the oxalates if they are consumed together?? What do you guys think??

This is why I'm looking for calcium citrate w/out stearates.....to see if it will have any effect....because I cant go back on ice cream (as much as I would LOVE to).

Rachel-

I will call my doc on monda and find out about the calcium powder

[confused]

LOL..thanks Paula.

Anyone else??

Ummm....I've definately gazed. As far as wondering about the planes and where they're headed....not so much. You and Lisa are alone (so far) in that game.

I like to watch the stars...making wishes on falling stars...stuff like that....but the planes dont much interest me and they kind of ruin the moment. KWIM??

Ok now that i had time to think, i really think you are on to something, It would explain so much. Im just jealos that u can eat ice cream at all lol.

Well u cant have a good moment with 4 kids laying on the trampoline with you and jumping up and downfrom time to time lol. Before kids i just cared about falling stars. We did the plane game like when i was like 7-10 lol.

Yeah....I think we're all pretty much in the same boat as far as that goes.

The worst for me now is math. I pretty much freak out when I see numbers. I have no idea what to do with them.....they make my head feel like it might burst.

Numbers are not my friends!!

That explains why i use to be so smart in math and now i have trouble with my stepsons homework. I pretty much just tell him to keep working at it and it will come to him lol. It ususally does, thank goodness.

Paula,

I haven't looked at the stars for awhile. I do like them though. I can't see the sunsets anymore and that's what I liked to watch. Where we are now the trees obscure it.

Haven't really wondered where planes are heading but I do like to watch them.

We had a very nice sunset last night. It had all the vibrant oranges and reds. It was so pretty.

My little girl who is 4 kept telling me that the planes were going to the park. That they wanted to come and ride bikes with her lol

paula

[AndreaB]

Carla,

Thanks for the update. Sorry about the lyme symptom flare though. It does sound like your immune system is starting to kick in though.

[Green12]

I am sooooo jealous!!

Ummm....can you maybe get his autograph for me??

just kiddin. (only about the autograph...not the jealousy part )

I'm going to meet with my Dr. early evening today, he came in for a conference that Dr K and several others are speaking at. I noticed on the schedule Dr. K just spoke Thurs and Fri, so he might not be there today , but I'll still check out the situation see if I can hunt him down, I'll invite him to our humble thread here

Hi everyone! We're back!

Welcome back Carla! Thanks for your update, I hope the changes with your protocol help

Julie....I was cracking up reading those pages!! Yes...totally mad and out of our minds....it was a blast!

Do you really think we were "out of control" though??

I mean really, whats wrong with rolling out 20+ pages per day of cult farm fun...auxigro protective geese, dingo's, glittery bats, gluten decontamination chambers, etc. I think it was all very relevant....wasnt it??

I dont see why anyone would have issue with it.

I know, just some harmless fun, but we got lots of slaps on the wrists for goofing off . They just didn't understand us is all

I have a huge wedding to attend tomorrow, so I've been out shopping, looking for a dress and I finally found one!

The "festivities" are all weekend long, but I'm only going to the actual wedding and I went to dinner tonite. But, that's all...I don't have the energy to keep up. Kinda sad.

Hopefully I'll have a new avatar pic up soon too....from the wedding.

YAY Kassandra, I'm glad you found a dress I hope you have a good time today, and I look forward to seeing a beautiful avatar of you at the wedding!

Paula, I'm with you on the star gazing, not so much the plane watching. I live close to a fly over pattern so I've had enough of the planes flying over

[jerseyangel]

Julie,

Best of luck with your Dr. this evening. I get so mixed up sometimes between threads!

I'll be looking in for updates later or tomorrow

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, you could be onto something with the dairy, but if that were the case, why wouldn't plain milk have had the same effect?

I dont think that dairy is *good* for me right now...whether its ice cream, milk or cheese....and I'm sure its causing its own problems with the yeast.

I'm only saying that having that calcium available seems to help when I'm eating something which is high oxalate.

With the ice cream the chocolate is actually *in* the ice cream....so I think thats the only reason I could tolerate so much chocolate.

When I was drinking milk....I was just drinking it because I love it. It wasnt with any particular food that I couldnt handle otherwise. I was just drinking milk by itself.

It worsens my yeast issues....and brainfog is a problem as well. I do have the same problems with ice cream....thats why I had to stop eating it.

BUT.....if I'm gonna indulge in chocolate or some other high oxalate food....it seems like it would be a good idea to include some dairy.....otherwise I'm gonna end up with some gut damage from the oxalates. It feels like something is stabbing me in the gut, there's alot of rumbling, ovary pain and then the weight loss comes on pretty quickly.

None of that ever happened while I was having ice cream in my diet....but yeah....the brainfog was ALOT worse. I dont think it would be a good idea to eat dairy all the time...but only a little here and there when I'm gonna be eating something that I know would cause oxalate related problems.

I was having cramping and other issues from the chocolate cake/brownies that I've eaten the past couple days. I was gonna throw the rest out cuz I'd reached the point where things were gonna get alot worse if I continued. Instead, last night I ate the rest but with cottage cheese at the same time. It was actually really yummy....AND I didnt get any symptoms afterward....and I woke up feeling fine this morning. My tummy is doing fine.

I'm sure drinking milk with the brownies would have the same benefit....but I know that if I had milk in the fridge I would totally rachel it. I'd get obsessed with it and drink it all the time.

Unfortunately it seems like dairy really fuels my yeast issues.

Of course all of this would only really make sense if I truelly do have an issue with oxalates. It does seem like a strong possibility...and the calcium/dairy thing seems to support that....but I dont know for sure yet that this is whats really going on.

[Rachel--24]

I'm going to meet with my Dr. early evening today, he came in for a conference that Dr K and several others are speaking at. I noticed on the schedule Dr. K just spoke Thurs and Fri, so he might not be there today , but I'll still check out the situation see if I can hunt him down, I'll invite him to our humble thread here

Can you imagine!!??

..."and today in the OMG thread we have a very special guest."

OMG...how COOL would that be!

I hope your meeting with the Dr. goes well.

[Rachel--24]

My little girl who is 4 kept telling me that the planes were going to the park. That they wanted to come and ride bikes with her lol

Awwww....that is sooooo cute Paula.

[CarlaB]

Oh, yeah, Rachel, I didn't mean for you to drink milk! I just thought that if the ice cream was taking care of the problem, then the milk should have to? That's what I was wondering. Didn't mean for it to sound like I was suggesting that you drink milk!

Carla,

Thanks for the update. Sorry about the lyme symptom flare though. It does sound like your immune system is starting to kick in though.

Thanks. Apparently, this is a GOOD thing.

I bought one of the lightworks LED's talked about extensively on LN. I used it this morning and my pain is now minimal. There is talk about a specific protocol with a similar light curing Lyme, but I thought I'd try this similar light .... even NASA uses it ..... it's known to help with pain, and so far it has. I've been cleaning a rental house most of the day.

If nothing else, it's supposed to help with collagen production/wrinkles/sags, so at the very least I'll look younger.

[Rachel--24]

Oh, yeah, Rachel, I didn't mean for you to drink milk!

Carla....I didnt take it that way.

But yeah...if I could get away with it I'd be all over it...I'd probably knock people over in the grocery store just to get to it.

I would actually prefer to be able to drink milk....instead of having ice cream. But in reality I cant really do either if I want my brain to function.

I cant really do yogurt or kefir either (cuz of the fermentation issue)....so right now cottage cheese (with no additives) seems to be my best bet. I've been eating small amounts of ice cream here and there....just not letting it get to the point where I'm eating a pint at a time.

If I could stop at one small glass of milk I might be ok...but it just aint gonna happen. I wont be able to carla the milk....its just unthinkable to me.

[Rachel--24]

um it's Zlife, survival food?? ingredients are Humic Acid, zeolite, and Potassium Sorbate... i'm not going to not take it though cuz it cost me 50 bucks! another reason why we should have a supplement exchange!!

It could have been the potassium sorbate causing you problems. I totally avoid the chemical preservatives...any of the sorbates, benzoates, sulfites, etc. Those will all cause me problems.

Someone just rang the doorbell....I answered and it was someone who had went to wrong house

BUT....on the patio I saw a little package.

It was my zeolite!!

I already took my first 10 drops.

[CarlaB]

But in reality I cant really do either if I want my brain to function.

Who needs brain function?

[confused]

Rachel,

My kids are always saying things like that and it is so cute. I really beleive my health would bemuch worse if it wasnt for them. They are the reason i get out of bed every morning with a smile on face no matter how i feel lol

How is the zeolite working for you. That did not take long to get it.

Today we went to an air show. My 5 yr old thought we would be able to get on one of the planes that does acrobats. I was like do u want mommy to throw up on all of you. SHe is like its ok if u do, and she went and got me a bag to take with us lol.

Everyone,

I had another omg moment today. Why do i feel better when i dont do the detox pads. Could it be the salicytss(i spelled that wrong, ijust remember rachel talking about it). Or is it my body is just detoxing whinch makes me feel worse. So should i continue to do them to get the arsenic out to feel worse, or give them up and worry more about the leaky gut, then worry about the arsenic.

The kids and I took an 2 mile bike ride today. It felt so good. Im really liking my new bike.

[confused]

Who needs brain function?

That is true. If our brains arent working, then wouldnt we not be able to know when we feel bad, or when our stomachs dont like an certain food. I think u are on to something carla, lol

paula

who doesnt have typing functions most days, that is why so many typos lol

[tabasco32]

I already took my first 10 drops.

Rachel I don't recommend this but I prefer to put the drops under my tongue and let it get absorbed for about 30 seconds. It goes right into the blood stream. Better that way instead of putting it in water.

[AndreaB]

I already took my first 10 drops.

Hope it goes well for you.

Paula,

Glad you are enjoying your bike!

Don't know about the detox and foot pads.

[miamia]

Hey all-

I am just reading along enjoying the trip down memory lane

Rachel-

I hope the zeolite helps you as much as it helped lisa

Donna-

I am anxiously awaiting your results

I was on this medication and have to go off it becasue I was suffering alot of side effects. But now my body is freaking out becasue it doesn't have the meds. I have had a really bad few days but I am trying to be strong becasue I know the meds are bad for me. But man I feel bad!!!!!!

[AndreaB]

I was on this medication and have to go off it becasue I was suffering alot of side effects. But now my body is freaking out becasue it doesn't have the meds. I have had a really bad few days but I am trying to be strong becasue I know the meds are bad for me. But man I feel bad!!!!!!

I'm sorry Mia. Hope you can find something else that will help.