NoGluGirl

Dear taweavmo3, I was angry about the Rice Dream situation as well. It is infuriating, but the FDA does not regulate things as they should. A Chicago Tribune article a friend sent me told of how people with anaphylactic reactions nearly died due to eating foods that were not properly labeled. Testing is not done in most facilities, and this needs to change. I am now afraid to eat anything made by the Hain Celestial Group. They make Arrowhead Mills products as well as Rice and Soy Dream. A friend of mine got ill from using their gluten-free flours. I was using DeBoles pasta, which they also make. I become violently ill from a microscopic amount of gluten, so I am paranoid-careful. One company I feel sets a wonderful example is Kraft. This company has been labeling allergens clearly for 14 years, and they were the ones who notified the FDA about the salmonella outbreak in the pistachios. For the record, I have had the new Chex cereals, and done well. However, eating too much of anything puts a person at risk for developing a sensitivity to that food. Varying your diet is essential to avoiding new food issues. That is what makes this disease so frustrating. If it is not one thing, it seems to be another! Sincerely, NoGluGirl

Dear Nichelob, You symptoms are typical. Cross-contamination is so difficult to think of everything. Your toothpaste, mouthwash, even kissing your significant other can gluten you. A microscopic amount makes me violently ill, so I have to be extremely careful. It is best to get new cookware if you can as well as utensils. This is a lot to deal with, so do not feel bad if you are overwhelmed. Feeling this way is natural. If you like, I can e-mail you a list. Sincerely, NoGluGirl

Dear Carla, That is so wonderful about your improvement! We are all so happy for you! So, what is it like to be among the living again? You and Kassandra are inspirations to us all. The progress you both have made during the past year is truly astounding. I sure would not mind going to Germany for treatment if affordability was not an issue. Did you know Homeopathy began there? Germans did not just create good beer and kuchen. Speaking of kuchen, I miss eating that! I wish I could have been able to use my computer when Rachel went, because I could have helped with some basic vocabulary. Dear Donna, You are right. ERCP is a type of endoscopic procedure. It actually combines endoscopic and X-ray diagnostics. I found out there is a new non-invasive form called MRCP. I am going to do more research on it, since perhaps this may be helpful in the future to be certain nothing is amiss with my bile duct or sphincter. Yes, those Mucinex commercials are just slightly disgusting. However, at least it is not nearly as horrid as that commercial showing the fat in a smoker's lungs! They should really place a graphic warning on that for those of us with sqeamish tendencies. Another important consideration is that children could be traumatized by seeing that. It appears the networks are editing out the less offensive items more, and exposing us to the wrong images. There is not a single safe place in this house for gluten-free food preparation. I have no idea what to do. People are always fingering things and putting items from the crumb-filled floor on my table! How am I ever going to heal this way? I would think the health department or Adult Protective Services would have to help me since the diet is essential to recovery. I do not blame you for being careful about the store-bought Jell-O. Chemicals are really loaded in it. Being allergic to dyes makes it a terrible idea for me. Making your own is probably not too difficult. You can even make it healthier by substituting agar-agar for the gelatin, and using fruit juice without added sugar! Dear Sherry, Sometimes you have to take a large amount of vitamins in order to absorb enough to help. Dr. D is having me start out slowly with everything and build up. I told him, I do not think my body likes the multi-vitamin for some reason. Chlorophyll can be used to pull out toxins, and that is what I am thinking may be why my colon does not like it. My upper tract was not fond of it, either. Taking more than one daily is asking for trouble. EFT sounds interesting. Can it be used for anger? I need all of the help I can get in that department. Do you have a link? If so, it would be greatly appreciated. Dear Rachel, The shyness you describe is what I was like when I was younger. They say Celiacs are prone to it. All of the sudden, I went from being an outgoing child to the exact opposite. As a teenager, I became so insecure and rarely spoke to anyone in class. Suddenly, I became this person who clammed up. Now people have a difficult time shutting me up. After I became ill and experienced so many bad things, I realized I do not have to let the world crap on me. What a revelation! I still tend to bottle my feelings up until they explode, though. I have never liked anyone seeing me cry or get upset. Anger is the only emotion I openly express. People often see me as stand-offish. I am just not a huggy person. It is odd for me, unless it is someone I know well. Mom said she does not understand why my brother and I are like this. Saying I love you is weird for me, too. I suppose it is due to the experiences with family. Those words just do not mean much no matter how often they are said sometimes. Unless words are followed by actions, they typically are not that useful. Sincerely, Jin

Dear Paula, Estrogen dominance very well could be a factor in why you do not tolerate soy. Soy contains phyto-estrogens. Anytime your hormones are out of balance, it can have a major impact on your body. I certainly have high hormone levels. Animals always want to mate with me! When I was younger, my brother's guinea pig began purring amorously, and I thought "Here we go again!" It figures! I finally find a man who wants children, and he is the wrong species! I hope I am not reacting to soy, but it is something I have been wondering about for a while. You cannot even find gum without lecithin in it. That makes the situation so complicated! I cannot stop taking my supplements or medications, and they all have soy in some form. They also have dyes, which I have always been allergic to. Thank goodness you are finally moving your negative feelings out. It would be easier for me to do if I did not have to deal with the crap repeatedly. They should be the only ones dealing with the fallout from laziness, bad decisions, and stubborness. Moving past it is impossible when you are still dealing with it. God knows, being able to let go of all of this anger and hurt would be a tremendous weight off of my shoulders and heart. I wonder what Kassandra did for her emotional issues? The cause of my stress is primarily family. This is proof that I was correct when I said before I would be a much happier person if I were an orphan. My brother is also still waiting for the joyous news that we were really adopted and not related to any of these insane people. Perhaps we were aliens like Superman? Everyone has a fantasy, and that is ours. Sincerely, Jin

Dear Andrea, My Thanksgiving was great. It was much better than last year, where I became violently ill from the cinnamon in the gluten-free pumpkin pie. This year, I just slept. My parents were gone at my grandparents' for a couple of hours, so I got some peace for a little while. Mom spoke to Cousin Mary about my Celiac, and she actually has two friends who have this disease! Mary was a registered nurse before she and her husband started a family. It is nice to know someone understands how complicated Celiac is. Mom also said Grandpa was becoming aggravated about all of the talk about Celiac. Of course, he was probably so upset about Uncle Steve, he could not think about much else. He got so upset, he put the slice of pumpkin pie on the table, and the plates were right near him. Uncle Steve had his gallbladder out on Thanksgiving. He is the fourth one in the family now! First, Cousin Chris had his removed in 2002. I had mine out in 2003. Grandpa followed suit in 2007, and now Uncle Steve! I suppose you are not officially a Kelley until you have had gallbladder surgery! Dear Rachel, All of the information about the methylation cycle is really interesting. Mutations probably do vary quite widely. Genetics are a strange thing. My mother's beautician has a specific mutation she passed on to her children, and it is causing an extremely rare muscular disease. At least this particular condition is slightly less complicated in finding the cause, but treatment is very difficult to manage. I am not sure I have issues with dopamine. I can eat bananas. Of course, some of these foods have a variety of elements that may be issues for people. Thank you for the link to the dopamine foods list! Excitotoxins are certainly on my avoid list. My new healthy plan includes eliminating artificial sweeteners completely. Dad printed out this report from the FDA saying how safe these chemicals are, and how much is a safe amount. You know as well as I do, no amount of these excitotoxins is safe! It is exciting, because our healthfood store across town carries gluten-free xylitol and agave nectar. This will certainly save me money on shipping, too! RiceGuy told me about a new natural sweetener made from orange peel and chicory. I am going to look into that as well. My list of healthy food substitutes is growing! Pathway issues are complex. The trouble is locating the exact area of the pathway that is blocked. This is an exact science, and is typically extremely exhaustive. Once again, it returns us to the philosophy of peeling the onion layers away. Little by little, another piece of the puzzle is found until you reach the core of the issues. Lasagne sounds heavenly! I have been craving four-cheese lasagne for such a long time now! I miss it so much! How wonderful you are able to have it! Like Donna, I too am able to live vicariously through others. Feel free to post juicy details about your erotic tastebud experiences. Just be sure to place a food pornography warning on it. I completely agree that crossing a threshold is a major component for many of us. Chemically sensitive individuals tend to be this way. I recall Julie and I discussing this before. She said she always reacted to something the third or fourth time she ate it. That is exactly what occurs with me! You will eat something several days in a row, and then the third or fourth time, it makes you so sick! Having the stress in my life is not helping. I do feel this is part of why I react to foods. You said you know exposure to stress causes your tolerance level to dramatically decrease. Perhaps adrenal gland hormones play a role in this. Since you react to your own adrenaline, there could be a connection. Stress reduces enzyme production as well as increases cortisol and adrenaline output. The books you mentioned sound like good ones. I may have to try and find them at the library. Yasko seems to have a good idea of what to do for unblocking pathways. Knowing about the various mutations and treatments is key to healing for many people. Researching these things will be fun. Dear Sherry, The SCD is not the easiest diet to follow! I am amazed at how well you manage all of your restrictions as you travel. I would become too overwhelmed. Thank goodness the carbohydrate related digestive issues are improving. It takes a while before these issues are sorted out. I am glad you do not react to many foods. Something I read about goat milk having an enzyme helpful for digestion was very interesting. This is why sometimes people who do not tolerate regular cow dairy can eat goat cheese without any trouble. Dogtor J is a Celiac vet, and it was in one of his articles. I am anxious to go back and read it in-depth. Avocado is probably not widely available where you are. We are fortunate Mexico is so close. Most of our avocado supply is from there. I put it on my foods I rarely eat list that I could add in more often. I am going to try new foods as well, but need to limit that so in case I have a reaction, I will know what from. Stress would completely disappear if finances were better, and I did not live here. All of this crap is going to kill me. I have an idea, but do not know if it will work. Checking into it cannot hurt anything. The worst thing that happens is no one will help me get out of here. Dear Nancy, The CFS group on Yahoo sounds interesting. They cover much of what we discuss here. That is good. Your information on the CFS was really helpful. Thank you for posting it! My B-12 supplement is methyl B - 12. I do not think it is hurting anything. However, I do not have mercury as far as I know. That makes a difference. If anything is an issue, lead and possibly aluminum are the two metals I am most likely overloaded with. The supplement I take is only methylcobalamin and calcium. It is just plain bonemeal powder. I am surprised the CFS group does not address parasites. They can hold on to metals. Mercury is one worms can really hold a lot of. I researched Ascaris the other day. A forensics show talked about a woman found in luggage at an airport having it. She had an entire bolus of them, and I could not help but research it. In the show, they made it sound like Ascaris is a rare parasite. However, this is not true. Up in Frankfort, IN, 87.5 percent of sewage samples taken contained the parasite! Ascaris is endemic to the Unites States. An adult female worm may grow to be 40 cm in length and lay more than 200,000 eggs daily! We often accidentally ingest them in produce, where the eggs hatch inside the intestines. The larvae then penetrate the intestinal wall into the lungs, where they may cause pneumonia. Human hosts will then cough up the worms, then swallow them again, returning them to the intestine. Ascaris then matures, and creates a large ball of worms known as a bolus. You have to admit, it is quite amazing how these creatures survive, even if they are disgusting. Dear Paula, It is wonderful Andrea helped you work through the anger. I seriously need anger management. Right now I am angry because Dad ate two of my brownies. He better not have glutened them! He needs to keep his gluten-laden hands to himself and out of my food! I want to chop all of his fingers off. I wonder if DH can mimic acne and eczema? I have both, but sometimes I wonder if it is DH. Even prescription creams burn my hands. Sometimes the blemishes on my face itch and burn. Is that normal for acne to do that? What wonderful news it is that you are doing better! You have had a rough time for long enough! I am glad only one of the supplements has caused you trouble so far. Hopefully, the trend will continue. Adding in the supplements is somewhat daunting, so do the best you can! I made a little introduction schedule on a table for me. That made it much easier! Dear Donna, Pancreatitis is no fun at all! Did your physician perform ERCP? That procedure has a risk for pancreatitis as a complication. It is often used to diagnose Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction. I am glad you are improving. Fat is definitely a foe when pancreatitis is concerned. A strict limit is often necessary. Perhaps you will get to eat some goodies at Christmas? They will likely be worth the wait. Hopefully, your on-again, off-again relationship with eggs will be figured out. My best friend had a terrible asthma attack at work the other week, and now they think it may be that she is allergic to eggs and chicken. Walks are nice. I never get to go on them. They would be such a good way to get in shape! Congratulations on losing 13 pounds, although it was not quite how you planned. I really need to tone up more than anything. At least that toe will hold up for you now! Is that Floppy Intestine Disease or Syndrome? Or, do they not have an official name for the condition yet? Well, whatever the heck it is, at least they fixed it. Those alien babies really do tend to warp wherever they are at. Does this remind anyone else of those Mucinex ads? Let me put it this way, I look forward to days when Dad goes back to work. Him being home for four days is horrible! That is just more housework. Plus, you cannot cook when gluten-eating freaks are running around the kitchen. This is not a safe environment to prepare food. Mom and Dad were not home last night until after midnight, so I got a brief break. Dear Nora, Flour definitely causes some extreme misery when it comes into contact with skin. I am not sure if I have DH or not. I cannot afford a biopsy, but know some people had what appeared to be acne when it was not. In this house, avoiding touching gluten in any form is impossible. I do the dishes, the dog has treats made from it, and the rabbit has his food. Rabbits have to have their food, which contains alfalfa, oats, and wheat. Poor Boomer probably wonders why Mommy cannot kiss him. Dear April, Changing offices is really stressful! Following the SCD is impossible with that going on. You can only manage so much at once. Sometimes, you need to take a breath. Doing everything at once is just not practical or possible. Do what you are able to when you can. Your poor son has that awful parasite! They get everyone. I am not surprised by how badly the gluten bothered your son. It has opiate properties when eaten by some individuals with Celiac, causing everything from Bipolar Disorder to Schizophrenia. ADD and ADHD are very common with food - allergic children and adults. My stress is going to lessen soon. I am going to start looking out for myself, and take care of my own needs. No more neglecting my basic needs for other people's petty desires! I am not going to keep my mouth shut anymore. People should know why I am so angry, and who is the real irresponsible one. I am sick of trying to be the good little daughter who shuts up and takes it. It is impossible to please anyone in this family, and I am done trying. Sincerely, Jin

Dear Rinne, It is so nice to see you again! How is business? I assume good. Rinne Bars are likely selling like hotcakes! You know what I would love to do? I would like to start something like Swiss Colony for Celiacs. Have you seen those beautiful triple and quadruple-tier cakes? They are so beautiful! Celiacs deserve gourmet treats as well! Chocolate-covered pretzels, petit fours, cakes, breads, biscotti, cookies, truffles, sausage, cheeses, and crackers could become a reality for people like us! Dear Paula, Congratulations on an official diagnosis! Thank goodness you will not have to return to eating gluten. That would be miserable. Scopes are certainly best avoided. Such diagnostic procedures may be difficult for someone to recover from. Dear Rachel, Where may I find more information about the mutation related to the methylation cycle? This is fascinating! I am glad to here your current physician has experience with the treatment already. It is likely a tremendous weight off of your shoulders! We all will be anxious to know how the tests turn out once you do them. My Primary Care Physician uses Doctor's Data. If only I had insurance! Even then, it may not be covered, though. You know how insurance is. In some ways, not being covered saves me money. Take my parents' plan. It is no better than COBRA. In fact, it actually may be worse. By the time you pay off the required deductible or premium, it is the next year. Obviously, they do this on purpose so you never get any real coverage. Sincerely, Jin

Dear Everyone, I am not sure if I will get the chance to catch up on reading here. I will certainly try! My computer had been having problems for a while, and it turns out spyware was to blame. So much for having protective software! The monitor is doing alright now, but still does not work the way it should. Another complication was my idiot father did not pay the electric bill last week, and around 1pm Wednesday, it was shut off. Not only did this cost more (nearly $1,000 including the reconnection fee), but the stress is the last thing I need! People are saying I need to just get over when Dad forgot to pay the water bill on the day of my eighth grade graduation party. Three hours prior to guests arriving, it was shut off. If I was still not having to deal with the fallout, I would not care. Then there is what happened the other weekend. My best friend, her husband, and I were going to get together and play Scattergories. I had to cancel, because I was sick and exhausted. When you have only slept a few hours per night for several weeks, functioning at all is difficult. My best friend was not angry, but my parents chewed me out. They say I never am sick except when I have to go out anywhere, and are trying to make it all about anxiety, as they did when I was a teenager. I cannot take this anymore! I feel bad on and off all of the time, I just do not talk about it. Before, Mom just acted as if it bored her every time I mentioned not feeling well. She would always be like "You are always sick." I have got to get out of here! If the gluten does not kill me, the stress will! At least I had a productive appointment with Dr. D the other week. He is having me go back on the other bile salts part of the time. I am not so sure the multi-vitamin is setting well. I am also having pain in my gallbladder area again. What if it is a Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction? Being on the Depo - Provera shot also may cause issues. The reduced bone density may be for good, and I have no idea where I stand on that right now. This is on top of other health concerns it could result in. I still have not received my Christmas money from Grandad, but hope to soon. That money will go toward the Western Blots to Igenix. I have been studying to get my permit renewed so I can learn how to drive. I am going to try and do a gift wrapping service to make money in the meantime. Hopefully, there will be many customers. We will see! At least now I know why my life has sucked for so long. According to my horoscope, Pluto was in my sign (Sagittarius) since 1995, making everything difficult. Freakin' Pluto! Today is Thanksgiving! Happy Turkey Day everyone! Have a good one. I hope to be well enough to go to my grandparents' home later. Cousin Mary and her brood of six are in town! They live in Florida, so we rarely see them. Sincerely, Jin

Dear Everyone, I just now got the chance to come back on here! I am trying to get things lined up for obtaining my driving permit, get my hair done, and a variety of other chores. Hopefully, everything will get done with energy and time to spare. My best friend wants me to come and see her new home on Saturday evening, so I am trying to get all of this done by then. Being sick has made it difficult. I am not sure what is going on with my stomach. It could be too much chocolate, too much caffeine, too much bacon, or perhaps the yeast. This makes me worry about Saturday, since I already have plans. The bentonite clay is another possibility. Stupid body! My computer was extremely out of whack from a program that was supposed to repair issues, not make them. Whatever you do, avoid downloading any of those. They will damage your computer. Dad fixed it, so it is back to running as badly as it did prior to the installation. What a pathetic upgrade this was. I lost my place on here, due to my computer. I should be able to catch-up on my reading a little at a time. You will be interested to know I visited the Quantum Fingers site. It appeared quite accurate. You take a test online, and they send results later. The person writing said I scored only a 2 on mercury, and 10 or above is a concern. The scale goes from 10 to 100. Lyme is very likely an issue, though. Sincerely, Jin

Dear Donna, The Hershey's Nuggets sound like a good possible cause. Stupid sensitivities! I know a lot of people have reactions to those. Is it possible you are having a Lyme flare? That is the only other possibility I can think of. Keep us posted on the surgery! Hopefully, the misery will pass with the congestion. It is easy to catch something this time of year, but normally colds slowly get worse. My brother and I both get a sore throat from Hershey bars. He gets D as well, though. What the heck are they putting in this stuff? Sincerely, Jin

Dear Paula, That is so sweet! I have missed being on here for sure. You all are my family. Everyone here is so special! Where else can you share health information and friendship? I wonder if perhaps you are sensitive to nitrates? Those are in a lot of processed meats. Lunchmeat and bacon particularly tend to have them. They also put food coloring in a lot of lunchmeats. Buddig uses yeast extract, which I have to avoid. Sincerely, Jin P.S. Sorry to hear about the eye infection. I hope it clears up soon.

Dear Susie, That is wonderful your son is so excited about the new baby! How cute! Mom said when I was born, she asked my brother how he liked the new baby. He said "She is okay, but she has a bald mouth." We are seven and a half years apart. Your son is six or so, right? I did not get to tell you about my new addition. August 3rd, I got a bunny. He is so cute! I will try and get him back in my avatar so you can see him. His name is Boomer. Dear Andrea, Thank you for the update on Kassandra. I was worried! Gallbladder surgery is no fun. I have been there. I am surprised they risked operating without doing a transfusion or something first. She is high risk due to the severe anemia. One of the Lyme co-infections may be the cause of the low ferritin. I also wonder if she could have a rare type of anemia known as cold auto-immune hemolytic anemia. My best friend's mother has it. This form of anemia is actually more common in dogs than it is in people! I will do some research and see if I can find a connection to low ferritin. EMFs are good to avoid. Dad says if they are installed properly, they would not be a problem. Personally, I feel any of these things is an issue with people who have compromised immune systems. Healthy people still should be careful about exposure, though. I saw this video where they took four cell phones and made them ring at the same time, and it popped popcorn! Who knows what it will do to your brain? You are probably right. Rachel should stick with her original plan. Right now, that is best. Unless there are dramatic new developments, changes are likely not necessary. If it is not broken, do not fix it! Dear Nora, That is very interesting about the German language. Dad took German in high school. He hardly remembers any now. When I was in high school, one of my friends took it. She was very good at it. Thank you for the links about wire for the energetic testing! I am anxious to check this out further. This is all so fascinating! Welding wire may be around here somewhere. Who knows? We have obsolete electronics to the point we could open a museum! Industrialization is problematic. Manufacturing has resulted in so many health issues for people all over the world. These chemicals are quite dangerous, and upon being released into the air, earth, and water, they are easily taken in by people. No one suspects this can occur. How can we expect the earth to take care of us, when we refuse to care for it? Dear Carla, I am so glad your trip is going well. Germany is supposed to be amazing! Just learn what you can when your brain allows you with the language. Mold does interfere with your brain. It makes you feel so dazed and out of it. Yesterday, I ate way too many yeast triggers, and I paid for it dearly. I had a terrible headache and pressure in my head and sinuses that I really could not stand. I am going to purify my diet! No more bad, chemical-laden junk. That includes giving those artificial sweeteners the boot. Their impact on other food alone is horrific. How wonderful for the Lyme patient who had no feeling! Thank goodness she is improving! You never know how fortunate you are until you discover what others have experienced. Speaking of Lyme, I was stunned when I realized how alike our symptoms are. I especially was amazed when I read about your sensitivity to touch, sound, and light on your blog. I hope to view your pics, but do not have your MySpace URL. I have the worst trouble with those things. When I am trying to sleep, the phone ringing will startle me. Anything touching my skin a certain way will bother me, too. Sometimes it is impossible to get comfortable. It drives you crazy! Dear Ms. Lee, I am very concerned about plastics and dioxins. The thing is, because I share a kitchen, I have to use plastic to store my food and heat it. My father is the same way. Anything a moron in a labcoat tells him, he buys. However, if you have done a ton of research like I have, he completely ignores it. Microwaves are bad because they destroy the energy field from food. It turns live food into dead food. Kevin Trudeau wrote about that in his book. He made many valid statements in it. If only there was something that is convenient and healthy! I have not heard of the book you mentioned. It is certainly something to look up. Amazon probably has it. Maybe I will get to take a peek inside! I love to read and research. Mercury is awful. I am a tuna and salmon person, and was horrified to discover what I was eating with my fish. Actress Daphne Zuniga appeared on television talking about having Mercury Poisoning. Eating small fish is smarter, since they contain less mercury. Larger fish are loaded with metal, so skip the albacore! You also pay more for it, ironically. I completely agree about us being affected by what the animals are fed. Some people say it does not come out in the meat, but I do not believe it. Every cell of that animal is loaded with something from what it ate. The hormones definitely cause me hot flashes. Switching to meats without antibiotics or hormones helped that. You look so cute in your avatar! Witches are not ugly, unless they are evil. I have to find my dress. Halloween will be here before you know it! At least this year it is on a Friday. Dear Paula, I wish I knew why turkey bothered you, too! Reactions are strange. You never know what is causing you trouble. It is extremely frustrating. One second you are fine, and the next you feel awful. That is wonderful about you having a good day with your father yesterday. Spending quality time is always nice. Well, unless you live with your parents. I am ready to do anything to get away from my parents! "Yeah, I love you too, Mom. How long will you be gone?" Dear Rachel, I believe mines definitely release toxins into the air and water. Our entire side of town is above old mines! I hate to think what is going here. All of those gases and such cannot be good to be exposed to. The cancer rate is abnormally high here. Of course, some of that is just from the terrible water we have. I can taste the plastic as well in food and drinks! It is so gross. I wish I had a healthier means of storing and heating foods and water. There is no telling how long some of those bottles stay in a hot truck before they actually get to the store before you purchase them. Chemicals could leach into the water before you even get it home! That is strange about Dr. P. Do you suspect he knows something already? He really wanted you to see the voodoo lady awful bad first. Something must have changed his mind. Staying with the original plan is a good idea. Meanwhile, get that urine test done! German pronunciation and spelling is tough. I could help you some, since we have unlimited calling now. I could even e-mail you and send written pronunciation guides. Those will help a lot. Learning a foreign language is easy if taught properly. I think food chemicals may be an issue for me. As you described, I will be fine after eating something one day, and the next not. Threshold is the key word. Processed food is minimal on nutrition anyway. When I eat a lot of it, I feel rough. Dear April, What you had written previously about the waste from Chinese coal mines makes sense. Northern California is a red zone for sure. Sherry is not the only one who suffered after going over there. I recall seeing author Peter Hessler on C-SPAN discuss his book. Hessler spoke of how his health decreased while there due to the pollution. At the time, he was a teacher in the Peace Corps. Dr. P may have forgotten Rachel's original plan. They do not remember everything. We cannot always expect them to. I would have been satisfied if my previous PCP would have checked the chart. What is the deal with that, anyway? Doctors are unable to read. That explains everything. Dear Sherry, Stories like that woman you met are not uncommon. It is truly a tragedy. People are dying from these chemicals used in manufacturing. The water alone is deadly. I believe this may have been what caused SARS. Dear Donna, Oh no! What is wrong? Is it a cold or something else? Take it easy. When is the surgery? I know you want it over with. Hopefully, this will be taken care of soon. Surgery is always scary. We are all thinking of you, and sending positive energy your way! Keep that in mind. Let us know what happens. Sincerely, Jin

Dear Susie, I see her! She is so cute! We are all proud, too! Sometimes those avatars take a little while to show up. Mine did when I changed it. Is your son excited about having a baby sister? Sincerely, Jin

Dear Susie, This is so exciting! Our very first Rachelville baby! I bet you cannot wait to greet her into the world. We would love a sonogram picture if possible! I know how badly you have wanted this baby, and you deserve the happiness so much! That is wonderful about the farmer making you a special batch of black pudding! Absorbing iron can be difficult. My new chiropractor said no one can tolerate those pills. They are not natural, and are very hard on the digestive tract. He said it is like giving someone a metal brick the size of an eraser and telling the person to swallow it. It tears up pregnant women and other people's systems alike. You are right, the stress from work probably is not good for the baby. Fatigue is not uncommon during pregnancy, but your adrenals very well could need some support. Mine are probably shot. Other than this, you all seem to be doing well. We are so glad to see a post from you! Work certainly sounds active as of late. Do not forget to rest. I am desperately trying to find balance between working on artwork, organizing and cleaning the house, and various other things. So far, I am doing a terrible job. Finding equilibrium is more difficult than you expect. Dear Rachel, Oh no, not refried beans in a can! I bet you did sweat after eating those. Preservatives are loaded with chemicals none of us tolerate well. Your symptoms sound just like mine! Do you think my trouble is phenols and salicylates, or maybe sulfites as well? I do not sweat more when I am exposed to perfume, but do become nauseated sometimes. Other times, I sneeze or cough. I sweat under my arms, in my hands, and feet. This is a regular all-day everyday happening. Sometimes I am freezing cold, but still sweat like that. German is more difficult in the pronunciation than some other languages. I know very little German, but am familiar with the sound of pronunciations. A great place to go is www.byki.com for a wide variety of languages. You can get free downloads for ten free lessons. I got Gaelic and Mandarin Chinese. They teach you how to pronounce it with sound. Dear Andrea, It is as if a blackhole has sucked everyone up! I really wonder if Kassandra is alright. She has not posted for quite some time. Julie may be on the Silly Thread, I will have to check. Nyxie has not posted in an eternity. I need to send a message to her MySpace. Dear Sherry, Hello to you, too! Thank goodness you have only had trouble with one meal so far in Thailand! I hear it is beautiful there. Enjoy the trip! Do not forget to have fun. Dear Birdy, How awful the Sulfa LEDs did not work. Maybe they will next time. I know you were hoping to do the treatment for mercury. Do you have blocked pathways? This interferes with detox to the extreme. Dear Paula, I do not know what to think about the detox footpads. It also depends on whether or not you can remove toxins. Just because you sweat does not mean toxins are coming out. When you cannot release them naturally, other measures must be taken before anything can work. I wonder why you and your mother both became ill from them? Sulfites are a problem for a lot of people. If your Phase II pathways are blocked, that may be part of it. Genova does that test, I think. April had that done before. Her liver was congested something awful. Dear Nora, I want to learn more about how to do this energy testing. You would not happen to have more links for videos on how to make and use your own wire would you? I am not sure where I would get welding or piano wire, but somewhere is bound to have it. Dad poo-pooed it when I told him, but he has done no research and will believe anything an idiot in a white labcoat tells him. He has nothing but concrete between those wax-filled ears of his. Sincerely, Jin