Click here for the recording which you listen to as you need – yours is the ‘Fatigue after Gall Bladder Removal.’

As promised, here is a brief follow up of what we discussed.

Dietary Information:
Dietary choices are key but it sounds like your husband is doing pretty well there; he is only eating at the wrong time of day and not enough protein.
Have him eat smaller but more frequent meals, each having a bit of protein. Hard-boiled eggs, beans, almond butter, quinoa grain, chicken, grass fed beef, wild salmon, hummus, tahini are all great forms of protein.

Make sure he has breakfast. Eggs are fast and very healthy. If he doesn’t eat breakfast, the craving for sugar spikes and he will binge on garbage foods. Bring snacks to work: celery and almond butter with raisins (can you tell I have kids?!), hummus with carrot sticks, celery and so on. Have his largest meal of the day at lunch time.

Dinner needs to be the lightest meal of the day; however, as we discussed, it is important that he have a small portion of protein before sleep. This is required for deep, full sleep. Half of an egg, a couple carrot sticks with tahini or hummus or some quinoa will be great.

Gall Bladder Help:
Since the gall bladder is constantly dripping bile, it is a good idea to have some form of fiber with each meal and between meals. Chia seeds are great for this. They are inexpensive, healthful, contain protein and minerals and also curb appetite.

Have him take a tablespoon of Chia Seeds between meals when he feels a bit of hunger or even when not hungry. This will curb the appetite and also help bind some of the dripping bile acids.

Another form of fiber that will be useful for your husband is Ultra Fiber Plus. It is good to mix between fibers for your husband’s sanity and also for his digestive system. I do recommend taking the Ultra Fiber Plus at night and the Chia Seeds during the day. This is easier and more effective. He may experiment though and find other ways which work better for him.

Consider taking 1 scoop of Ultra Fiber Plus before sleep to help bind the bile that drips during the evening. This should help bind the bile and at the same time help reduce some of the ‘water weight’ that is associated with diluting the bile concentration in the digestive system.

Reduce fat and spicy foods as he has found out.

If your husband has a meal that is high in fat, he should consider taking 1 capsule of Liver GI-Detox right at meal time or during. Do not take on an empty stomach or too much time before meals as Liver GI-Detox is designed to stimulate bile acids which are needed to digest fats.

If his meal is not high in fat, oils or heavy, then he should not take Liver GI-Detox.


Stress and Blood Pressure Support:
Given that his stress is likely related to his blood pressure, it is a good idea to maintain adequate nutrients and herbs designed to calm and provide alertness and energy at the same time. While this seems impossible, it is easily obtainable in a good formulation.

Daily Stress Formula contains herbs designed to calm, energize without stimulating and nutrients which drive cellular metabolism and help form neurotransmitters.
It is best to take 1 - 2 capsules of Daily Stress Formula daily immediately on waking and away from food. He may eat, and should eat, within 20 minutes of taking Daily Stress Formula.

I recommend always starting at a lower dose and working up. Taking 1 capsule of Daily Stress Formula in the AM and again 20 minutes before lunch or 30 minutes after lunch; but not within 6 hours of sleep.

While taking Daily Stress Formula, he will find improved energy, more alertness and less reaction to stressors.

Again, it is important to start low and work up. Many people think that taking more of a supplement means it will work better. Not the case. Also, emphasize the point that he should take this away from meals but within 20 minutes of eating for optimum effect. Also do not take within 6 hours of going to sleep.

Taking 1 in the AM and 1 at lunch is likely going to be the best.

These should help him significantly.

With these suggestions, he will likely experience weight loss, energy gain, improved attitude and well-being.

Do have him follow up with me in one month or earlier if he has any questions.

In health,

Dr Ben
Keep HealthE. Stay in touch!
Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter

Disclaimer: All information relating to medical and health conditions, products and treatments, is for informational purposes only. The information provided is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician.

This article is Dr Ben's follow-up notes from a Free 15 Minute Consult with Dr Ben. Helping direct you to which products, dietary changes & lifestyle products may help you. This phone consult was in regarding: "How can I treat chronic pain with cell salts?"

The Phone Consult Podcast: 
"Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia"

My follow up email to Claudia after the Phone Consult:

Claudia - 

We had a very successful phone consult. You are extremely knowledgeable about your body and provided great information. The history you provided allows me to make some solid recommendations which should ease your chronic pain and Fibromyalgia.

As discussed, here are the things to consider to reduce symptoms of chronic pain in Fibromyalgia:

1. Restore the Health of Your Digestive Tract and Reduce Food Allergies
Given that you were on antibiotics for years as a youngster and got worse and worse from that point tells me your digestive system needs support. Combine this with the fact you are worse when eating sugar or refined carbohydrates tells me you have a candida overgrowth. We all have candida is our digestive system; however, when it grows out of control, symptoms such as chronic pain, fatigue and numerous food intolerances occur.

• To control the candida, try to limit the intake of refined carbohydrates and sugars.
• Continue eating garlic as that is an excellent natural antifungal. 
• For optimum effect, crush a raw clove of garlic, smash it together and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then add it to your salad or whatever meal you are to enjoy.
• When garlic is crushed, mixed and allowed to sit, Allicin is made. Allicin is the key component to garlic that is strongly anti-fungal and anti-bacterial.
• Enhance the elimination of the chronic candida with a potent concentrated capsule of Garlic. Consider taking 1 capsule of garlic with meals three times a day.
• To restore the proper digestive bacteria in your digestive system, you need a potent probiotic mixed with a prebiotic that is not grown in a base of dairy.
• ProBiota 12 Powder contains 200 billion beneficial bacteria across 12 different researched strains. This is the most potent probiotic that I have seen.
• It is important to avoid the toxic feeling of killing the candida too quickly. Thus, I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon of ProBiota 12 Powder taken at dinner time.
• Do this dose for 1 week. After the first week, up the dose to 1/2 teaspoon at dinner time. Take until the bottle is gone. 
• Once the bottle is gone, you should switch to ProBiota 12 capsules and take 1 capsule at dinner time. 1 capsule of ProBiota 12 contains 25 billion beneficial bacteria across 12 strains and is also grown in a non-dairy medium with a prebiotic.
• Many foods do not agree with you at the moment. If you ingest the Garlic and ProBiota 12, this will help; however, there is a lot of intestinal inflammation that needs to be addressed. If intestinal inflammation is not addressed, food allergies and intolerances will continue.
• Intestines use L-Glutamine as fuel
• Specific enzymes breakdown inflammatory cytokines which trigger food allergens
• Quercetin calms down mast cells which slows food reactions
• All these nutrients are found in BioInflammatory Plus capsules.
• Consider taking 4 capsules of BioInflammatory Plus two times a day away from meals. I would like to see you initially take BioInflammatory Plus capsules three times a day at four capsules each time. I realize this is a lot; however, you would need to do it only for 1 week, then you could reduce down to 2 capsules three times a day or 3 capsules twice a day.
• Within a few weeks, you should experience much reduced pain and more tolerance to foods.
• I do recommend maintaining a Rotation Diet while keeping the ingestion of wheat and dairy at a minimum - if at all.
• Take a quality concentrated form of EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are commonly low in those experiencing chronic pain.
• Consider taking 5 grams of combined EPA and DHA daily with meals.
• The most concentrated EPA and DHA is found in liquid fish oils. 
• Finest Fish Oil has a great taste and contains 5 grams of EPA / DHA in 2 teaspoons.
• If you prefer capsules, which I do not for fish oil purely because you have to take so many to get 5 grams, consider EPA DHA Essentials capsules.

1. 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ProBiota 12 Powder for one month and then move to 1 capsule of ProBiota 12 taken at dinner time as a long term maintenance dose.
2. Garlic capsules during meals. This is a short term recommendation - for 2 months or so.
3. BioInflammatory capsules: best to take 4 capsules 4 times a day initially and then down to 2 capsules 3 times a day or 3 capsules twice a day. You may find you are able to diminish all the way down to 1 capsule twice a day and then cease taking it altogether after a few months time.
4. EPA and DHA: Take a combined amount of 5 grams with meals. You may take it all at once or spread out twice a day. This is a long term required nutrient and at this amount as well.
5. Molybdenum: take 6 drops any time of day for one month and then down to 2 to 3 drops a day until symptoms of pain diminish. I foresee you taking this for a couple months and then stopping.
6. Adrenal Support Plus: take 2 capsules 15 minutes before breakfast and 2 15 minutes before lunch. I foresee you taking this supplement long term.
7. Women's Nutrients: as a general health supplement. Begin taking it in low amounts while on the other supplements. Once you stop or nearly stop BioInflammatory Plus, Molybdenum and Garlic, then you may consider taking 3 capsules of Women's Nutrients at breakfast and 3 at lunch.

• Get a thorough history of his fatigue and other health complaints. This is key and provides a good doctor the cause of the problem. Labs and physical exams only support what the doctor already thinks the problem is - basically confirming only.
• Order thyroid, anemia, adrenal, electrolytes, immune function, DHEA, 8am serum cortisol and lipid panels. All these tests help point out likely causes of fatigue and support my thoughts what is out of sync with him.
• Ensure adequate protein with every meal. I can guarantee he wasn't getting enough protein as he was eating way too much sugar and chocolate. People who eat enough protein do not crave sweets.
• Reduce his water intake to 10 cups of water a day tops as he is losing too many electrolytes.
• Support his adrenal glands as they likely are getting worked out hard with long hours and stressful situations. I would do this nutritionally, emotionally and physically with mild exercise.
• He needs a tonifying herb like Ashwagandha aka Withania somnifera. Ashwagandha is an excellent long-term energy tonic, reduces anxiety in a subtle way, improves sleep and provides endurance. This is exactly what he needs due to his long hours and poor ability to adapt to his stressful surroundings.
• Lots of B vitamins. He is definitely low in B vitamins as he is fatigued. People, who are stressed, work hard or otherwise use their brain a lot need loads of B vitamins.

That is it. Simple. Straight forward. Easy.

He wanted a guarantee that we would make him better. That cannot happen as I do not know how motivated he was nor do I know if there is an underlying genetic problem or disease also in the way of his recovery.

Bottom line:
Be realistic when you visit a doctor. Don't ask for guarantees as you won't get them. If you do, then question the honesty of the doctor. Be motivated to get well as a doctor can only provide good information and useful products. It is up to you to apply that information and take the products as recommended.

Question your doctor. If you think they missed something or something needs to be addressed, say it and ask away. It is up to you. Be aggressive in a respectful way. 

In health,

Dr Ben
Keep HealthE. Stay in touch!
Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter

Disclaimer: All information relating to medical and health conditions, products and treatments, is for informational purposes only. The information provided is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician.

Hello,

I am a 53 year old Naturopathic student. I just finished a class in Iridology.

My instructor advised me to look into cell salts to address the combination of cramp rings and a mental spike in the iris. This indicates great mental activity (which I guess any serious student might have!) and stress on the body from the mental effort. She feels I need more sodium to support the mental activity of studying hard. When I look at the various cell salts, I am not sure which one fits that picture.

In addition, my bloodwork shows a need for more iron and magnesium (not calcium, though). I have been detoxing lead for two years, and my chiropractor feels that the low iron picture may be from liver working very hard on detoxing the heavy metals. Two years ago, I was very tired and suffered with tendonitis and bursitis. At this time, I don't feel any particular symptoms, however. I have a great amount of energy and do a lot of physical and mental work without feeling much fatigue, so it seems like a paradoxical picture. Any insights?

Thanks,

Mental in Hawaii [changed for privacy]

----------------------------------------------------------

ANSWER:

Mental in Hawaii -

Thank you for your question.

I know absolutely nothing about Iridology. We do not study it at Bastyr.

However, based on your student profile of mental activity - I hear that! - The most recommended cell salt combination:

Kali Phos 6x with Silicea 12x. I use this combination when studying for final exams or when in a brain fog. I also used the combination while taking my basic science board exams. I am not sure about the guidance of sodium.

Follow the directions for dosing cell salts - which are sourced from the book below.

The book I highly recommend to buy about cell salts, Natural Healing with Cell Salts. I use it constantly and with effectiveness.

Some may cell salts do not work and that they are nonsense. In the past year of my using them on myself, friends and on my sons, I have seen tremendous results. I was bent over with pain in my abdomen. As I was leaning over, I determined my pain was due to spasm of my intestines - so I took Mag Phos 6x in a dropper of hot water. I repeated the dose again in 5 minutes. Bam. My spasm was gone. Placebo? Maybe. Even if so, I'll take it. But I do not think babies portray placebo effects when given cell salts or other medicines.

Your second issue of low iron and magnesium - how was that determined for magnesium? Did you specifically test for serum magnesium?

Low iron can be a sign of anemia caused by occult bleeding, lack of iron foods, poor absorption, low vitamin C and/or vitamin A or high copper levels. This is a few of the reasons - there are more but these are the common ones. Determine if you eat enough high iron foods - such as dark leafy greens, beans, multivitamin, meats. If you do not, that may be your reason. If you are a vegetarian, that is fine as you can get ample iron from dark leafy greans, beans, fortified cereals, potatoes cooked with skin. However, iron from non-meat non-hemoglobin sources are Fe+3 and not absorbed very well. Thus it is recommended that you take some vitamin C to help aide the absorption - as vitamin C strips off a proton and makes it Fe+2 - which is the more absorbable form.

Also low iron can be due to eating too much non-fermented soy - like soy milk and tofu. Non-fermented soy has been shown to block the absorption of iron. However, I believe that fermented soys are fine - such as miso and tempeh.

Low iron can also be due to hidden longterm bleeding from internal hemorrhoids, gastric ulcers or, heaven forbid, bladder or colon cancers. That's to name a few.

I am not sure what the chiropractor was saying about your liver being overworked due to detoxifying the lead. If you need something to support your liver in detoxifying, the Bio-Cleanse Functional Food formula may be effective for you. This formula was designed by a naturopathic physician and its function is to support phase I and phase II liver detoxification pathways. There is a full ingredient and instruction booklet available on that page. Simply click the link and download it. It will be handy for you to read.

A good multi-vitamin may be useful as well. A highly rated multi-vitamin for women is called Spectra Woman. This day in age, our soils are depleted in nutrients as is livestock - especially since most are grain-fed, or unfortunately, fed with meats [hello mad cow disease - caused by prions].

Mental acuity is improved with basic sleep, relaxation, nutrition, iron!. Low iron means low hemoglobin. Low hemoglobin means less oxygen binding. Less oxygen binding means less oxygen carried and delivered to your tissues...and less oxygen delivered to your brain. This makes you sleepy.

Ever wonder why people who die from carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhaust fall asleep? Low oxygen as CO [carbon monoxide] competes for oxygen binding to hemoglobin. CO binds much better to hemoglobin than does oxygen. So much better in fact - 200:1 So don't exercise on busy streets. Smokers also inhale high levels of CO which limits their amount of oxygen. This may partially explain the 'head rush' or nausea they get. It is also part of the explanation of cancer as cancer grows in low oxygen environments. So breathe deeply! Preferably in areas free of fumes!

Mental acuity is also improved by consuming foods high in essential fatty acids - such as salmon or cod. If you do not eat those, then consider EPA/DHA by Biogenesis. It is a cold water fish oil that is tested free of metals. Ever hear of the Perricone Prescription where Dr. Perricone, MD tells of the beauty and brain connection - all he talks about are salmon and essential fatty acids.

That should be enough for you to chew on for awhile.

If you have further questions, do not hesitate to email me.

For asking a health question, you are entitled to a 5% off savings voucher. Simply enter code: xxx [edited] in the voucher box located in the shopping cart.

I hope this information is useful for you.

In health,

Benjamin Lynch

• Get a thorough history of his fatigue and other health complaints. This is key and provides a good doctor the cause of the problem. Labs and physical exams only support what the doctor already thinks the problem is - basically confirming only.
  
• Order thyroid, anemia, adrenal, electrolytes, immune function, DHEA, 8am serum cortisol and lipid panels. All these tests help point out likely causes of fatigue and support my thoughts what is out of sync with him.
• Ensure adequate protein with every meal. I can guarantee he wasn't getting enough protein as he was eating way too much sugar and chocolate. People who eat enough protein do not crave sweets.
• Reduce his water intake to 10 cups of water a day tops as he is losing too many electrolytes.
  
• Support his adrenal glands as they likely are getting worked out hard with long hours and stressful situations. I would do this nutritionally, emotionally and physically with mild exercise.
• He needs a tonifying herb like Ashwagandha aka Withania. Ashwagandha is an excellent long-term energy tonic, reduces anxiety in a subtle way, improves sleep and provides endurance. This is exactly what he needs due to his long hours and poor ability to adapt to his stressful surroundings.
  
• Lots of B vitamins. He is definitely low in B vitamins as he is fatigued. People who are stressed, work hard or otherwise use their brain a lot need loads of B vitamins.
  

Hello,

I am a 53 year old Naturopathic student. I just finished a class in Iridology.

My instructor advised me to look into cell salts to address the combination of cramp rings and a mental spike in the iris. This indicates great mental activity (which I guess any serious student might have!) and stress on the body from the mental effort. She feels I need more sodium to support the mental activity of studying hard. When I look at the various cell salts, I am not sure which one fits that picture.

In addition, my bloodwork shows a need for more iron and magnesium (not calcium, though). I have been detoxing lead for two years, and my chiropractor feels that the low iron picture may be from liver working very hard on detoxing the heavy metals. Two years ago, I was very tired and suffered with tendonitis and bursitis. At this time, I don't feel any particular symptoms, however. I have a great amount of energy and do a lot of physical and mental work without feeling much fatigue, so it seems like a paradoxical picture. Any insights?

Thanks,

Mental in Hawaii [changed for privacy]

----------------------------------------------------------

ANSWER:

Mental in Hawaii -

Thank you for your question.

I know absolutely nothing about Iridology. We do not study it at Bastyr.

However, based on your student profile of mental activity - I hear that! - The most recommended cell salt combination:

Kali Phos 6x with Silicea 12x. I use this combination when studying for final exams or when in a brain fog. I also used the combination while taking my basic science board exams. I am not sure about the guidance of sodium.

Follow the directions for dosing cell salts - which are sourced from the book below.

The book I highly recommend to buy about cell salts, Natural Healing with Cell Salts. I use it constantly and with effectiveness.

Some may cell salts do not work and that they are nonsense. In the past year of my using them on myself, friends and on my sons, I have seen tremendous results. I was bent over with pain in my abdomen. As I was leaning over, I determined my pain was due to spasm of my intestines - so I took Mag Phos 6x in a dropper of hot water. I repeated the dose again in 5 minutes. Bam. My spasm was gone. Placebo? Maybe. Even if so, I'll take it. But I do not think babies portray placebo effects when given cell salts or other medicines.

Your second issue of low iron and magnesium - how was that determined for magnesium? Did you specifically test for serum magnesium?

Low iron can be a sign of anemia caused by occult bleeding, lack of iron foods, poor absorption, low vitamin C and/or vitamin A or high copper levels. This is a few of the reasons - there are more but these are the common ones. Determine if you eat enough high iron foods - such as dark leafy greens, beans, multivitamin, meats. If you do not, that may be your reason. If you are a vegetarian, that is fine as you can get ample iron from dark leafy greans, beans, fortified cereals, potatoes cooked with skin. However, iron from non-meat non-hemoglobin sources are Fe+3 and not absorbed very well. Thus it is recommended that you take some vitamin C to help aide the absorption - as vitamin C strips off a proton and makes it Fe+2 - which is the more absorbable form.

Also low iron can be due to eating too much non-fermented soy - like soy milk and tofu. Non-fermented soy has been shown to block the absorption of iron. However, I believe that fermented soys are fine - such as miso and tempeh.

Low iron can also be due to hidden longterm bleeding from internal hemorrhoids, gastric ulcers or, heaven forbid, bladder or colon cancers. That's to name a few.

I am not sure what the chiropractor was saying about your liver being overworked due to detoxifying the lead. If you need something to support your liver in detoxifying, the Bio-Cleanse Functional Food formula may be effective for you. This formula was designed by a naturopathic physician and its function is to support phase I and phase II liver detoxification pathways. There is a full ingredient and instruction booklet available on that page. Simply click the link and download it. It will be handy for you to read.

A good multi-vitamin may be useful as well. A highly rated multi-vitamin for women is called Spectra Woman. This day in age, our soils are depleted in nutrients as is livestock - especially since most are grain-fed, or unfortunately, fed with meats [hello mad cow disease - caused by prions].

Mental acuity is improved with basic sleep, relaxation, nutrition, iron!. Low iron means low hemoglobin. Low hemoglobin means less oxygen binding. Less oxygen binding means less oxygen carried and delivered to your tissues...and less oxygen delivered to your brain. This makes you sleepy.

Ever wonder why people who die from carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhaust fall asleep? Low oxygen as CO [carbon monoxide] competes for oxygen binding to hemoglobin. CO binds much better to hemoglobin than does oxygen. So much better in fact - 200:1 So don't exercise on busy streets. Smokers also inhale high levels of CO which limits their amount of oxygen. This may partially explain the 'head rush' or nausea they get. It is also part of the explanation of cancer as cancer grows in low oxygen environments. So breathe deeply! Preferably in areas free of fumes!

Mental acuity is also improved by consuming foods high in essential fatty acids - such as salmon or cod. If you do not eat those, then consider EPA/DHA by Biogenesis. It is a cold water fish oil that is tested free of metals. Ever hear of the Perricone Prescription where Dr. Perricone, MD tells of the beauty and brain connection - all he talks about are salmon and essential fatty acids.

That should be enough for you to chew on for awhile.

If you have further questions, do not hesitate to email me.

For asking a health question, you are entitled to a 5% off savings voucher. Simply enter code: xxx [edited] in the voucher box located in the shopping cart.

I hope this information is useful for you.

In health,

Benjamin Lynch