aquamarine_queen

I posted two brief messages with links to newspaper articles this morning in the "Restaurants" forum. I see neither anywhere on these boards; is this personal or am I just missing them? A.Q.

Looks wonderful! http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07200/802577-34.stm A.Q.

Very encouraging http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07200/802576-34.stm A.Q.

Because you asked, and even though I have previously refrained from responding to this thread, I will tell you that, to many thoughtful people who have a modicum of common sense, Mannatech fairly screams MLM scam. You can debate the validity of this assertion all you want, here or elsewhere, it won't change my mind or the minds of other diligent consumers. In fact, the more you try to sell Mannatech's "virtue", the stronger my will to warn the naive away from this company, no matter what they are peddling. I'm sorry for your affiliation with Mannatech; I can only hope my opinion may eventually enlighten you as to why you find yourself continually defending this company's research and reputation. There's a whole host of negative information available about Mannatech on the internet. Why do you think this is? Enough said. AQ

I don't get why there are so many "family" issues with this disease. Take my father (please!): he says things to me like, "get a life" (he thinks this is a diet phase), "a bite isn't going to kill you" (we've all heard that one before) and my personal favorite "there's something wrong with you if you won't eat (fill in the blank)" (meaning how stupid am I not to eat pizza?). I go through this routine with him nearly every time I see him. He has been provided pages and pages of information on this disease and I know what he hasn't read (probably all of it) has been drilled into him by my mother, who is well-meaning but doesn't quite "get" it, either. What's frustrating is that I'm 36 years old! I've been "out of the house" and married for 13 years and yet this disease has created some serious control issues in my family. Believe me, my father does his best to get me to eat what will hurt me, if only so he can "prove" it won't hurt me. It's twisted and backwards and totally the opposite of what "family" is supposed to mean. And I know I'm far from the only one out there who is dealing with this sort of thing. There have been times where I've considered moving out of state just so that I won't have to deal with my father on this issue. Move out of state! How ridiculous is that? I think it would be a lot easier for families if the diagnoses were definitive in all cases. One simple test, positive or negative. No ifs ands or buts. Here's the test result, leave me alone. I don't know. Anyway, hang in there. You are ultimately in control of your own health; the family issues should become less stressful with time. A.Q.

Now, I will admit that while this does sound a bit kooky to me, I'm certainly in no position to dismiss it out of hand. I will look into this therapy. Thanks for posting about it AQ

wintersky, You can get activated charcoal capsules at GNC for $6.99/100 ($5.49 w/Gold Card). Puritan's Pride (you can find them online) also carries it for a reasonable price. Probably lots of other places carry it as well, these are just two I know for sure. AQ

I second that! Charcoal capsules are great! For milder cases, I've tried chewing on a teaspoon or so of fennel seeds, which works ok but charcoal's better. Also, I try to have a cup or two of pure peppermint tea each day, (just pure dried peppermint, about a tablespoon, steeped for 10 minutes in boiled water. Remove the soggy peppermint, drink the tea:) I'm not sure this helps with gas relief, per se, but I think it helps aid digestion so that gas is less of a problem when it does come on. Also, for really bad gas pains and no relief at hand, try bending over (gently) from the waist a few times, this helps to expel it. Also, gentle but firm pressure with your (flat) hand from the top of your ribcage down to the top of your pelvic region will help to expel it. As unpleasant as it might be, you want, ultimately, to get the gas OUT. :) AQ

I have found that activated charcoal capsules work extremely well when I'm doubled over with gas pains. Unfortunately, I don't always remember this right away and suffer longer than needed. I have no idea if charcoal is "recommended" for celiacs, but it certainly does work! AQ

Beginning my third week gluten-free and I find myself: feeling vaguely "sick" (swollen glands, slightly stuffy, slightly feverish); with a full-blown acne breakout (I have trouble spots here and there, but a face - and scalp! - full of acne is not usual for me); and a huge cold sore on my lower lip that doesn't want to go away. A naturopath explained to me once that when the body rids itself of toxins (like gluten?) they have to go someplace, and often show up on the face, etc. The other side of this is that I have never felt more clear-headed in my life and I should be grateful for that and ignore the nastier aspects of healing. My joints feel somewhat less achy, too. I am also beginning to learn (by trial and error) what other foods are giving me problems (soy, and to a lesser extent, corn). What's odd is that I've always been somewhat sensitive to coffee (only ever drink decaf) - and now I find that it doesn't irritate my stomach at all! Well, at least not at this stage. Anybody else experience such things? AQ

Ursa Major - that's what I'm hoping to find true for me NoGluGirl - I have never had a colonoscopy; I don't doubt they're much worse than having a little blood drawn. I'm just squeamish about all things "vein", always have been. Seems silly when you compare blood tests to other, scarier, procedures, I know. For instance, a novacain shot right between my toes left me nothing but fascinated; I watched my own foot surgery and it didn't bother me in the least. Go figure! confused - others may have better ideas, but amazon .com has 54-ounce jars of raw, extra-virgin coconut oil for $20 (everyone there seems to think that's a great deal); unfortunately, it won't be in stock until late May or early June. I've seen it at various places on the internet and Amazon does seem to have the best price. I think Whole Foods and health food stores probably carry coconut oil; I think you want the unrefined oil, someone here will correct me if I'm mistaken. AQ

NoGluGirl, I agree, thryoid disease is NO fun! And I'm a really big baby when it comes to having my blood drawn; no matter how many times I've had it done I'm still a nervous wreck. And I had no idea that coconut oil had antiviral and antibacterial properties. You know if coconuts were a huge cash crop in this country (like soy, corn and wheat) this kind of information might be common knowledge. Kind of thing that makes me ! AQ

NoGluGirl, Thank you for your input Interesting to know that you are able to manage your thyroid disease without hormones. I'm sure everyone's different, but it gives me hope that, if the hormones fail for me (I take Armour), I may still be able to improve my thyroid function. I knew about coconut oils' benefits topically for moisturizing skin and hair, but I have never heard of it as beneficial for acne! I would love to be able to eliminate the chemicals I use to keep acne (somewhat) at bay, so I will certainly do the research on coconut oil for that as well (I assume you meant a topical application of it vs. ingesting it?) AQ

I tried to do a search on "coconut oil", but due to the oddity of the search function (no three-letter words) I came up short. "Coconut" didn't get me the results I was looking for, so I thought perhaps I'd ask if anyone could point me to some non-coconut-oil funded information that has made it into discussion on these boards. Much of what I found on the internet seemed to come directly from those with a vested interest in coconut oil; I don't discount the information completely, but I would love to have some untainted evidence. My reason for asking is twofold: first, I am looking for the BEST possible diet (diet meaning style of eating versus diet for weight loss) I can achieve since going gluten-free; and, second, I have Hashimoto's disease/hypothyroidism. Coconut oil has been mentioned as both necessary to general good health (vs. polyunsaturated oils) and as beneficial to those with thyroid disease. I have seen vague and brief mentions of the Paleo diet on these boards, but didn't see a whole lot related specifically to coconut oil. I welcome both pro and con opinions on research as well as personal experiences. AQ