Great website! I will certainly forward it along.

I have a question for you. Benzophenone-4 is in a lot of the perfumed products, including almost all commercial perfumes. Could this be the ingredient that sets off my migraine? I don't have problems with other strong scents. I regularly use lavender and other essential oils. However, chemical commercial perfumes make me feel nausea and headaches are frequently the result of concentrated exposure.

My mother in law has chronic migraines and I noticed that every sink in her house has a bottle of benzophenone laden perfumed soap. What do you think?

Signed,
Benzo'd Out

Hi Benzo'd Out,

If you are sensitive to it - then you should avoid it. Repeat exposures only make it worse. Chemical sensitivies are typically a sign of toxic burden. We all carry pesticides, solvents, herbicides, heavy metals - mainly in our fat - but re-exposures place that chemical into your blood stream making one react. Then it gets absorbed into your fat and you don't feel as bad - then your re-expose and feel bad...nice cycle yes?

My bet is that you have surpassed your threshold of toxic burden and need to get rid of them. This is best done by one who knows exactly what they are talking about as one can get very sick and very ill as the toxins are pulled from fat and bile. One feels ill as the toxins are once again put into the bloodstream so they can be released and flushed out. So if properly done and working slowly up in intensity, the toxins, metals, solvents, etc will disappear.

We are all born with toxins in us from the get go. Momma's blood delivered her own personal solvents and chemicals right into us as we were developing. On average, a baby is born already with 200 chemicals. And we wonder why ADHD, cancers, asthma are on the rise...

So long story short - avoid the chemical completely so you do not re-expose and try to limit your exposure to other chemicals. Not easy to do on our planet - but do your best. Drink filtered water, eat organic produce [ read this post on the most toxic dirty dozen ], do not eat farmed fish [ read my post on that ] and limit your toxic load [another post on that as well.]

Information on lovely benzophenone can be found on the EWG site.

I highly highly recommend that you read this website, The Environmental Working Group - from head to toe. They are the leading organization in environmental studies and research.

Tell your mom-in-law to chuck those soaps. There are tons of healthy natural soaps on the market. Invest in your health.

Also locate an environmental medicine specialist. Where are you located? A qualified naturopathic physician is a great place to start - one who knows how to properly detox patients with environmental toxicities. I wrote a post on how to choose a good ND and locate one in your area: http://naturalhealthinformation.org/article/AA-00556

Hope you find the info useful!

In health,
Ben

• Too much ingestion of vitamin D, too much milk.
• Too much ingestion of antacids.
• Burnett's syndrome.
• Cancers - some cancers cause high levels of calcium.
• Hyperparathyroidism - your parathyroid glands are not balanced due to cancer, low blood phosphate or other issues.

• Rhodymena palmetta
• Thyroid 100 mg
• Adrenal 50 mg
• Ltyrosine
• Selenuim
• Bladderwrack
• Irish moss
• Pituitary 15 mg
• Thymus 5mg
• Spleen 5mg
• Calcarea fluorica
• Lycopus virgincus

• Pathogenic bacterial overgrowth due to antibiotic use in last 5-10 years. Locate a quality probiotic to restore healthy bacteria
• Weak digestion due to stress causing little release of HCl from the stomach or enzymes from pancreas or bile from liver. [Weak digestion typically means constipation - or diarrhea. both of which cause inflammation if chronic.]
• Weak digestion due to antibodies against your parietal cells - those which secrete HCl
• Genetics - a gene turned on due to environmental stimulus - celiac disease is a big one - avoid wheat and see how you do - all wheat products. Not easy to do but try it for a week. If you're allergic to wheat, you'll feel incredibly better quickly.
• Constipation, pathogenic bacteria, candida, celiac, crohns, IBD, IBS - causes increased absorption of toxins back into the bloodstream and irritation to the intestinal lining. Irritation to the gut lining causes inflammation. Inflammation causes the gut lining to open. Open gut lining combined with weak digestion causes protein complexes to enter the body's tissue space. Larger protein complexes are not supposed to be in the tissue space. macrophages come and eat them and then send out signals which tell the body's immune system to make antibodies against this potential invader - the leaked out specific protein complex which came from a specific food. That protein complex is then is a target and when seen by the immune system, gets acted upon - causing further inflammation and further intestinal inflammation. Protein complexes are not supposed to enter the body's tissue space. All proteins, fats and carbs are supposed to be absorbed into the blood via the intestinal absorptive layer. If they escape into the tissue space instead - bam. potential for allergies. Remember food is proteins, sugars and fats. The allergic foods are proteins as the body can make antibodies against them.
• Example - say you ate some cheese. The inflammation in your gut and weak digestive enzymes and acids did not properly break down all the long chain amino acids - peptides - into single amino acids. So some longer protein escaped through the intestinal lining into your tissue space. The macrophage saw this as an invader and ate it. It then sent out a signal to the other immune cells and they created an antibody against...cheese. So next time you eat cheese and your gut lining is not healed, the protein complex that the macrophage saw before is recognized by the immune system. The immune system reacts - allergy.

• Eat fiber such as oatmeal for breakfast.
• Limit dairy as its constipating.
• Don't drink with meals as it dilutes stomach acids, bile and pancreatic enzymes.
• Exercise - which helps absorption, mind/body so one is relaxed. that's important as relaxation allows the sphincters to open and when they are open, the enzymes, bile acids and stomach acids are released. When stressed, they are closed. Also exercise helps one have a bowel movement. It's important to have a bowel movement every day.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day - before and after meals - not during. There is way more to the story but this is something.

If you have inflammation and allergies, it is important to quench that inflammation and restore health to the gut.

Poor gut health led to the allergies - or environmental chemicals and toxins did - that's another whole ball of wax.

An outstanding supplement combination which quenches inflammation is Bioinflammatory Medical Food Powder by Biogenesis. It is best taken with intestinal repair complex as this product heals the gut while bioinflammatory powder quenches inflammation. taken together, healing is faster. If one has a weak digestion for some reason - and that reason should be determined by a good doc - then perhaps digestive enzymes and stomach acids will help. Panzyme by Biogenesis contains both of them in one bottle.

If any more questions - I'm here to help - not all answers will be this long - i had some time this evening - you caught me in the right moment! 

In health,

Dr Ben
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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

I have been very red & itchy around the outside lips of my vagina for the past 2 weeks. What is it & what should I do?

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

ANSWER:

Hello -

It may be a yeast or fungal infection. It is a common issue in that location. I recommend that you ask your gynecologist and follow their advice.

There are effective natural products that can take care of yeast and fungus. Ask your gynecologist or naturopathic physician which one they recommend.

Yeast and fungus like to grow and reside in skin folds and warm areas. If you do not have 100% cotton undergarments - consider getting some. They breathe better than synthetics.

Taking a probiotic - acidophilus and lactobacilis - may not be a bad idea either. It is best to get these from the refrigerated section of your health food store.

Yeast infections occur from not having an acidic enough pH in the vagina. This can occur from various causes. A main cause is an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria [undesired]. The pathogenic bacteria overwhelm the limited number of remaining healthy bacteria and change the pH to benefit them. Acidophilus and lactobacilis change the pH back to acidic which destroy the pathogenic bacteria. They reside in the intestines and vagina.

If it is a fungal infection, you can try Saprox which is a natural antifungal. Do not get Saprox inside your vagina. It is only recommended for external use.

Your sexual partner may have a yeast or fungal infection as well. They should be treated as well to avoid re-infection.

Please see your doctor.

I wish you well! ;)

In health,

Benjamin Lynch

I have started taking a nutritional support for thyroid containing the following ingredients:

• Rhodymena palmetta


• Thyroid 100 mg


• Adrenal 50 mg


• Ltyrosine


• Selenuim


• Bladderwrack


• Irish moss


• Pituitary 15 mg


• Thymus 5mg


• Spleen 5mg


• Calcarea fluorica


• Lycopus virgincus

Question is, I have been on it for 5 days and have GAINED 4-5 lbs. Have I suppressed my thyroid instead of stimulating it? I feel tired and weird, not necessarily bad though. What is the best herbal solution to those last 5-10 stubborn pounds if this isn't it?

Thanks!

Gained

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

ANSWER:

Gained:

That is a potent supplement - one that a doctor should only prescribe in my eyes. I would stop taking it. This mixture is affecting your hormone levels big time.

L-tyrosine is a precuror to numerous hormones and is not to be played with. The other main ingredients are also potent.

What was your desired effect by taking this product? Perhaps I can help point you in the safe proper direction! ;)

In health,

Ben

Hi,

I recently received an avulsion on the pad of my finger. It's not horrible and I didn't go to the hospital because my brother is an EMT (I am in school for it) and he said it didn't need stitches. He told me to flap the skin back over the wound so it would heal. Now, 5 days after the incident, a yellow liquid is building up around the edges of the wound, under the skin, and seeps out when I happen to bump it. I have two questions. First, what is the yellow liquid? Second, my wound doesn't have any feeling and I was wondering if I would regain the feeling.

Thank you very much for your time,

Seeps

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

ANSWER:

Seeps -

Sounds like you have an infection in there. You may consider soaking it in warm to hot salted water a couple times a day. This will help draw out the infection and salt kills most bacteria.

The limited feeling may be due to the inflammation. Inflammation can compress nearby nerves and when compressed they do not transmit very well. The feeling likely may come back once the swelling is gone. The swelling likely will go when the wound becomes clean and free of bacteria.

Get and keep the area very very clean. Have a trained paramedic do this for you - or someone who knows what they are doing.

Disclaimer: Given that I have not seen your wound and that I am not a physician, this information is for educational and informational use only - not a recommended course of action or treatment.

Aloha,

I am female, 52, and moving into perimenopause. I am 140lbs, 5'9" and have always been active and physically fit. My hips are small, my arms & legs are small, I am thin and yet my stomach has been growing and growing for the last 18 months. I have started Natrum Mur.6X cell salt for water retention, but my mid section keeps growing. We moved to Hawaii 2 years ago, and my diet changed "TOTALLY" but I am trying to utilize the healthier diet of this sunny climate verses the heavy foods of a cold climate where I use to live.

I am lost as to what to do. I have looked at many solutions and am stuck.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Tummy [name changed for privacy]

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

ANSWER:

Tummy -

My first thoughts are that I have 1000 questions to ask you. Thus, I believe it would be wise for you to seek the advice of a healthcare professional.

A growing tummy without other areas growing can be many different things. Can be as simple as weight gain due to water retention - as you stated -or it could be something that needs medical attention. What that may be is unknown without getting a thorough history and running some lab tests.

Have you had a pregnancy test?! It is still possible to get pregnant during perimenopause.

So please visit your healthcare provider.

If you have not been in some time, do tell them that your tummy has been growing and that maybe an ultrasound should be done and a CBC with differential. The CBC stands for complete blood count and gives clues to what is going on with all organs of your body - very useful test. Some basic physical exams tests are useful as well.

Thank you for asking us a health question.

I apologize that I cannot offer specific information here but seeing a physician is the prudent thing to do.

In health,

Benjamin Lynch

OK, I suffered with cystic acne for years. It had finally subsided, after much change in diet and my getting a little older (32). I had been over two years with virtually NO acne--a life-long dream come true.

A few months ago, my hubby and I became friends with a couple whom we love dearly. The wife has severe cystic acne (or are these cold sores) all over her face??).

She and I use the same brand of face powder, and one day got them confused in the car. Call it coincidence, but ever since THAT DAY, my acne is BACK. Terrible cystic acne, and I am so disheartened... I have it in facial areas where I never had it before. We have teased that it must have been contagious...but now I really do wonder.

So, my question: IS there ANY way this could have been some transmission of fungus, bacteria, or virus which caused this? How do I treat it if I don't know what is causing it??

I have tried ProActiv (not all-natural, but always worked so well before), white vinegar (in case it was fungal), apple cider vinegar, colliodal Silver...NOTHING is helping at all.

Please, please help!!

Disgruntled Eternal Teenager,

H. Strouse

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

ANSWER:

Disgruntled -

Many texts state that acne is not contagious.

However, inside the cysts are staph bacteria and they may have set up shop in the face powder. So when you applied the powder, the staph found a weak spot in your pores.

We all have staph and strep on our skin. It is a question of how much of them we are carrying and if we have vulnerabilities to them due to open wounds, imbalanced gut flora, exposure from friend's skin care pads, sharing razors and others.

A natural acne product is Torf Moor Mud Astringent Facial Mask. It has a proven track record for the face. Naturopathic physicians use this product with success on their patients with acne. Torf Moor Mud Astringent Facial Mask works deeply and you can actually feel it 'drawing out' when you put it on. A side benefit is that it tightens your skin thereby reducing wrinkles.

For your friend: I recommend that you tell your friend to discard her face powder and applicator. Purchase a new one and apply the face powder to a one-time applicator that is dipped only once into the face powder. If she does not, she will continue to re-expose her skin to the staph. This is crucial. She, too, needs to the Torf Moor Mud Astringent Facial Mask.

It is nice being an eternal teenager but without the acne. You'll get better!

Any further information or questions, I'm here.

In health,

Dr Ben
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Good Day,

First wanted to say I enjoy reading your blogs and the products you offer on your website. I was wondering if you could assist me in some knowledge about some health issues I have had for past 2 years. My symptoms are: I eat food, it feels as if it doesn't sit right, stomach kinda blows up, not to gassy or anything just uncomfortable when eating. After meals I feel cramping pains in stomach, not much indigestion, just bad cramping and sometimes i belch up chunks of food i ate hours before. I am constipated also. I usually feel really dizzy and disoriented if I don't eat in a timely mannor. After eating I kinda have this fog in my head allot a haze of thoughts. I get really irritable easily. Very anxious and stressful person, hard to deal with stress now.

I have did all the major tests, Upper GI, Colonoscopy, Barium Test, Ultrasound, Cat Scan of head and Abdomen, Blood tests etc. Everything pretty negative, doctors come to IBS conclusion. I have went to a ND doctor he believes it is adrenal dysfunction or lack of B12. I have tried supplements but I have a very hard time toleration any herbal solutions and usually have anxiety attacks with many herbs.

As you can see I have many concerns and this has taken its toll on myself and my family. I would appreciate any advice you could offer and would be willing to pay if needed.

Btw I am also married to a Russian woman so I can related at least in that instance, great people :)

Thanks again,

Bloated

_______________________

ANSWER:

Bloated -

From first glance - my first thoughts are that you have weak digestion - due to stress, overgrowth of bad bacteria, candida or other issues.

If you've taken antibiotics numerous times without restoring healthy bacteria - that could be a major issue for you.

Bloating is a sign of food not being digested - or gases/toxins released from bacteria such as candida.

Have you had a digestive analysis done - great smokies has one that's pretty good - called CDSA - complete digestive and stool analysis.

Tell your doctor about the digestive analysis tests.

Not tolerating many herbs or supplements may also be a sign of weak digestion. If a weak digestion, the supplement or herbs simply sit in your digestive tract without being broken down. This can irritate the GI lining and cause bloating and pain.

You may want to try taking digestive enzymes and Betaine HCl to improve - and also taking a strong quality probiotic. Without testing though, you are not finding out the cause of the problem. It is best to determine the cause of your problem before treating it and lab tests above may help - and they are ordered by your doc.

Fog, daze, irritability all can be signs of bacteria overgrowth - that's a major one - or it can also be a sign of wheat allergy -

Bacteria overgrowth inhibit proper digestion and restoring healthy bacteria is a must.

Have you had tests to determine if you may be allergic to wheat? You can eliminate wheat and dairy for a week and see how you feel also - it's free and if you're sensitive to either, eliminating them for a week may show major improvement.

Belching up chunks of food can be a sign of weak digestion - not enough stomach acids or pancreatic enzymes or bile acids being released to break up the food. Stress blocks these from being released - as stress closes down the sphincters. Eat in a relaxed setting and chew chew chew your food.

Also do not drink fluids when you eat. Drink before meals - like 15-20 minutes and about an hour after. Drinking during meals dilutes the digestive enzymes - especially cold fluids or mucousy fluids like milk.

A quality HCl supplement is UltraGest by Biogenesis.

A quality enzyme supplement that also has HCl so it is basically 2 supplements in one for digestion is PanZyme by Biogenesis.

If you have bacterial overgrowth, ParaBiotic by Biogenesiss may be useful for you.

A soothing intestinal product can be useful to soothe irritated gut lining. Intestinal Repair Complex by Biogenesis is useful for this. However, again, one must determine the cause of the problem and remove it. This supplement can provide some relief but may not address the cause of the problem. Always always remove the cause if possible.

I currently do not sell a probiotic or healthy bacteria but I will be soon from the most respected company - Pharmax. They specialize in healthy bacteria. You can also go to a health food store and buy healthy bacteria from the refrigerated section - not the shelf...must be cold to be viable.

I am not prescribing any of this - it is only information for you to ponder and think about. I am not a physician and any questions you should ask a qualified doctor. The information above is only for educational use not medical treatment or advice. You may print this out and show your doctor. I recommend also printing out the supplement page information so your doctor can see if they believe they will be useful for you.

If you are up to it, you may want to eat simple foods for a couple weeks. Very simple foods - such as steamed vegetables, chicken broths, simple vegetable soups, very wet oatmeal, quinoa. Avoid nuts, butters, oils, beans, heavy meats or even all meats, sugar, caffeine, refined canned foods, wheat and dairy. This may help you a fair bit by taking a ton of stress off your digestive system. It will help even more if you determine the cause of your issue and your doctor can help you with that. If you are not satisfied with the help you are currently receiving from your doctor - you have every right to locate one that can help you.

I hope this information is helpful for you. Again, I highly recommend not treating yourself as it can prolong or even make your condition worse. A qualified naturopathic doctor can easily determine your issue and resolve it for you.

Where did your ND graduate from - what school? If not from Bastyr, NCNM, Southwest, Canada schools or Bridgeport - they are not a true naturopathic physician. Be careful.

In health,

Ben

Hi Ben

I thought i would take this opportunity to ask you some questions I have with a client of mine. The problem is with her legs. As she stands her legs become dark red and almost purple lines around what appears to be like round cells. When she gets out of the shower the same thing happens but the legs get red blotches on them. In addition to this she has a hard cellulite problem throughout her body. She is only 24 years old and 23% body fat. Is there any recommendation into treatments or remedies to cure this problem i would greatly appreciate any tips.

Thank you

Crystal

_____________________

ANSWER:

Crystal -

From first glance, that sounds like she may be quite anemic, poor blood vessel health, a blood condition such as hemophilia, poor blood vessel tone, weak heart tone or some other cardiovascular condition. These are only potential conditions with your friend and in no way am I diagnosing her. There is no way to do so without further physical evaluation, ECG, blood tests and history.

You best be careful in providing treatments with her as it sounds too serious to meddle with without a specialist.

I suggest that she visit a hemotologist or cardiologist. A cardiologist is likely the better option.

This is the best information that I can provide and I believe it will benefit her well. I believe it is not what you were looking for but I do believe it is the safest option.

In health,

Ben

I just had blood work done and my doctor said that my calcium count is too high. I am in good health. Everything else in the report was ok. What is the problem with having a high calcium count?

Calci

_____________________

ANSWER:

Calci -

High calcium levels can be due to:

• Too much ingestion of vitamin D, too much milk.


• Too much ingestion of antacids.


• Burnett's syndrome.


• Cancers - some cancers cause high levels of calcium.


• Hyperparathyroidism - your parathyroid glands are not balanced due to cancer, low blood phosphate or other issues.

I received this information from my book, Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests. pg 952

You can also find very useful information on eMedicine.com on hypercalcemia.

Your doctor should further evaluate you and should not stop until the cause of high calcium levels are found.

I wish you well and a healthy happy 2006!

In health,

Ben

Hi Ben,

My naturopathic physician recommended the Intestinal Repair Capsules, which I have ordered from you in the past. They really work.

However, I still suffer from flare-ups (especially when under stress) and have not yet lost the weight gained while ill. I know most celiac I have talked to have lost 30 lbs once they got their disease under control. I have not lost any weight and yet am very careful about what I eat.

Any suggestions you would be able to make are most appreciated-

Thanks,

Improving Celiac [changed name for privacy]

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

ANSWER:



Improving Celiac -

The vitamin store is correct in a multi - that is a good idea esp with digestive issues as absorption of nutrients from food can be difficult. We have a highly rated multi-vitamin for women - it is #2 out of 100's.

1. Avoiding gluten.
2. Decreasing past inflammation.
3. Supporting digestive organs with their specific nutrients.
4. Exercise.
5. Water.
6. Rest.

Sounds like you are doing a good job overall but still have flare ups - due to moods. My first thought is perhaps you add meditation to your lifestyle along with yoga.

Yoga is awesome - join a yoga group or class. The stretching, toning and breathing all combined will improve your overall energy and lifestyle.

The severe hunger spells may suggest that you are not absorbing the nutrients well or digesting your foods well. Bloating, gas, constipation and/or diarrhea point to poor absorption and digestive power. These symptoms may be signs that gluten is still in your diet and that inflammation is still present.

A patient who was excellent in terms of avoiding all gluten-containing foods was having flare-ups caused by a filler in his supplement. Wheat is everywhere - unfortunately. Fortunately, there are awesome resources which help point these out and provide alternatives.

You may want to consider the BioInflammatory Powder - along with the Intestinal repair powder. A refrigerated probiotic may be useful as well - an acidophilus/lactobacilis blend. I don't carry that at the moment - but all stores have them - just ensure they are refrigerated - if not, they are garbage.

Carlson fish oil may also be beneficial. But we are getting into many supplements here - but in general a multi, fish oil, and a probiotic may be helpful for many individuals.

I hope this helps. ;)

Hi Ben,

When I was diagnosed with Celiacs, my naturopathic physician recommended the Intestinal Repair Capsules, which I have ordered from you in the past. They really work.

I have been diagnosed for 1 year. In addition to taking Intestinal Repair Complex, I walk for an hour every day, I have been eating more organic foods and reading labels to abstain from any gluten products. I feel MUCH better.

However,   I have since moved from my naturopath and I still suffer from flare-ups (especially when under stress) and have not yet lost the weight gained while ill. I know most celiac patients I have talked to have lost 30 lbs once they got their disease under control. I have not lost any weight and yet am very careful about what I eat.

I also still suffer from severe hunger spells which I believe is my body still seeking out nutrition- hence, why I need to order more repair capsules! My local health food store has suggested a vitamin supplement (Life Force).

I was wondering what other supplements you would recommend? Any suggestions you would be able to make are most appreciated!

Improving Celiac [changed name for privacy]

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

Answer:

Improving Celiac -

Great to hear you are better! ;)

The vitamin store is correct in a multi - that is a good idea esp with digestive issues as absorption of nutrients from food can be difficult. We have a highly rated multi-vitamin for women - it is #2 out of 100's.

The trick to celiac disease is being all inclusive.

• Avoiding gluten.


• Decreasing past inflammation.


• Supporting digestive organs with their specific nutrients.


• Exercise.


• Water.


• Rest.

Sounds like you are doing a good job overall but still have flare ups - due to moods. My first thought - and not advice - is that perhaps you should add meditation to your lifestyle along with yoga.

Yoga is awesome - join a yoga group or class. The stretching, toning and breathing all combined will improve your overall energy and lifestyle.

The severe hunger spells may suggest that you are not absorbing the nutrients well or digesting your foods well. Bloating, gas, constipation and/or diarrhea point to poor absorption and digestive power. These symptoms may be signs that gluten is still in your diet and that inflammation is still present.

A patient who was excellent in terms of avoiding all gluten-containing foods was having flare-ups caused by a filler in his supplement. Wheat is everywhere - unfortunately. Fortunately, there are awesome resources which help point these out and provide alternatives.

You may want to consider the BioInflammatory Powder - along with the Intestinal repair powder. A refrigerated probiotic may be useful as well - an acidophilus/lactobacilis blend. I don't carry that at the moment - but all stores have them - just ensure they are refrigerated - if not, they are garbage.

The combined efforts in diet improvement, decreasing inflammation, adding intestinal support, multivitamin, relaxation, yoga will do wonders for you. The probiotic may be a good idea as well - bloating may be due to harmful bacteria off-gasing. Yet my guess is that the bloating is due to the inflammation caused by gluten-containing products - so you may want to do the Bio-Inflammatory Functional Food Powder. You may want to try that for a month or two and then you may be good with just the intestinal repair powder and multi-vitamin.

It takes time to heal. It may seem overwhelming now but that is due to the newness of the information and lifestyle changes. Once it becomes routine, it will be much easier.

In health,

Benjamin Lynch

Disclaimer: This information is not treatment advice. It is always essential to seek the advice of a trained physician. Information here is to provide you with resources and ideas - not treatment. I am not a substitute for a physician nor do I pretend to be.

OK, I suffered with cystic acne for years. It had finally subsided, after much change in diet and my getting a little older (32). I had been over two years with virtually NO acne--a life-long dream come true.

A few months ago, my hubby and I became friends with a couple whom we love dearly. The wife has severe cystic acne (or are these cold sores) all over her face??).

She and I use the same brand of face powder, and one day got them confused in the car. Call it coincidence, but ever since THAT DAY, my acne is BACK. Terrible cystic acne, and I am so disheartened... I have it in facial areas where I never had it before. We have teased that it must have been contagious...but now I really do wonder.

So, my question: IS there ANY way this could have been some transmission of fungus, bacteria, or virus which caused this? How do I treat it if I don't know what is causing it??

I have tried ProActiv (not all-natural, but always worked so well before), white vinegar (in case it was fungal), apple cider vinegar, colliodal Silver...NOTHING is helping at all.

Please, please help!!

Disgruntled Eternal Teenager,

H. Strouse

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

ANSWER:

Disgruntled -

Many texts state that acne is not contagious.

However, inside the cysts are staph bacteria and they may have set up shop in the face powder. So when you applied the powder, the staph found a weak spot in your pores.

We all have staph and strep on our skin. It is a question of how much of them we are carrying and if we have vulnerabilities to them due to open wounds, imbalanced gut flora, exposure from friend's skin care pads, sharing razors and others.

A natural acne product is Torf Moor Mud Astringent Facial Mask. It has a proven track record for the face. Naturopathic physicians use this product with success on their patients with acne. Torf Moor Mud Astringent Facial Mask works deeply and you can actually feel it 'drawing out' when you put it on. A side benefit is that it tightens your skin thereby reducing wrinkles.

For your friend: I recommend that you tell your friend to discard her face powder and applicator. Purchase a new one and apply the face powder to a one-time applicator that is dipped only once into the face powder. If she does not, she will continue to re-expose her skin to the staph. This is crucial. She, too, needs to the Torf Moor Mud Astringent Facial Mask.

It is nice being an eternal teenager but without the acne. You'll get better!

Any further information or questions, I'm here.

In health,

Dr Ben
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Great website! I will certainly forward it along.

I have a question for you. Benzophenone-4 is in a lot of the perfumed products, including almost all commercial perfumes. Could this be the ingredient that sets off my migraine? I don't have problems with other strong scents. I regularly use lavender and other essential oils. However, chemical commercial perfumes make me feel nausea and headaches are frequently the result of concentrated exposure.

My mother in law has chronic migraines and I noticed that every sink in her house has a bottle of benzophenone laden perfumed soap. What do you think?

Signed,
Benzo'd Out

Hi Benzo'd Out,

If you are sensitive to it - then you should avoid it. Repeat exposures only make it worse. Chemical sensitivies are typically a sign of toxic burden. We all carry pesticides, solvents, herbicides, heavy metals - mainly in our fat - but re-exposures place that chemical into your blood stream making one react. Then it gets absorbed into your fat and you don't feel as bad - then your re-expose and feel bad...nice cycle yes?

My bet is that you have surpassed your threshold of toxic burden and need to get rid of them. This is best done by one who knows exactly what they are talking about as one can get very sick and very ill as the toxins are pulled from fat and bile. One feels ill as the toxins are once again put into the bloodstream so they can be released and flushed out. So if properly done and working slowly up in intensity, the toxins, metals, solvents, etc will disappear.

We are all born with toxins in us from the get go. Momma's blood delivered her own personal solvents and chemicals right into us as we were developing. On average, a baby is born already with 200 chemicals. And we wonder why ADHD, cancers, asthma are on the rise...

So long story short - avoid the chemical completely so you do not re-expose and try to limit your exposure to other chemicals. Not easy to do on our planet - but do your best. Drink filtered water, eat organic produce [ read this post on the most toxic dirty dozen ], do not eat farmed fish [ read my post on that ] and limit your toxic load [another post on that as well.]

Information on lovely benzophenone can be found on the EWG site.

I highly highly recommend that you read this website, The Environmental Working Group - from head to toe. They are the leading organization in environmental studies and research.

Tell your mom-in-law to chuck those soaps. There are tons of healthy natural soaps on the market. Invest in your health.

Also locate an environmental medicine specialist. Where are you located? A qualified naturopathic physician is a great place to start - one who knows how to properly detox patients with environmental toxicities. I wrote a post on how to choose a good ND and locate one in your area: http://naturalhealthinformation.org/article/AA-00556

Hope you find the info useful!

In health,
Ben

• Pathogenic bacterial overgrowth due to antibiotic use in last 5-10 years. Locate a quality probiotic to restore healthy bacteria
• Weak digestion due to stress causing little release of HCl from the stomach or enzymes from pancreas or bile from liver. [Weak digestion typically means constipation - or diarrhea. both of which cause inflammation if chronic.]
• Weak digestion due to antibodies against your parietal cells - those which secrete HCl
• Genetics - a gene turned on due to environmental stimulus - celiac disease is a big one - avoid wheat and see how you do - all wheat products. Not easy to do but try it for a week. If you're allergic to wheat, you'll feel incredibly better quickly.
• Constipation, pathogenic bacteria, candida, celiac, crohns, IBD, IBS - causes increased absorption of toxins back into the bloodstream and irritation to the intestinal lining. Irritation to the gut lining causes inflammation. Inflammation causes the gut lining to open. Open gut lining combined with weak digestion causes protein complexes to enter the body's tissue space. Larger protein complexes are not supposed to be in the tissue space. macrophages come and eat them and then send out signals which tell the body's immune system to make antibodies against this potential invader - the leaked out specific protein complex which came from a specific food. That protein complex is then is a target and when seen by the immune system, gets acted upon - causing further inflammation and further intestinal inflammation. Protein complexes are not supposed to enter the body's tissue space. All proteins, fats and carbs are supposed to be absorbed into the blood via the intestinal absorptive layer. If they escape into the tissue space instead - bam. potential for allergies. Remember food is proteins, sugars and fats. The allergic foods are proteins as the body can make antibodies against them.
• Example - say you ate some cheese. The inflammation in your gut and weak digestive enzymes and acids did not properly break down all the long chain amino acids - peptides - into single amino acids. So some longer protein escaped through the intestinal lining into your tissue space. The macrophage saw this as an invader and ate it. It then sent out a signal to the other immune cells and they created an antibody against...cheese. So next time you eat cheese and your gut lining is not healed, the protein complex that the macrophage saw before is recognized by the immune system. The immune system reacts - allergy.

• Eat fiber such as oatmeal for breakfast.
• Limit dairy as its constipating.
• Don't drink with meals as it dilutes stomach acids, bile and pancreatic enzymes.
• Exercise - which helps absorption, mind/body so one is relaxed. that's important as relaxation allows the sphincters to open and when they are open, the enzymes, bile acids and stomach acids are released. When stressed, they are closed. Also exercise helps one have a bowel movement. It's important to have a bowel movement every day.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day - before and after meals - not during. There is way more to the story but this is something.

If you have inflammation and allergies, it is important to quench that inflammation and restore health to the gut.

Poor gut health led to the allergies - or environmental chemicals and toxins did - that's another whole ball of wax.

An outstanding supplement combination which quenches inflammation is Bioinflammatory Medical Food Powder by Biogenesis. It is best taken with intestinal repair complex as this product heals the gut while bioinflammatory powder quenches inflammation. taken together, healing is faster. If one has a weak digestion for some reason - and that reason should be determined by a good doc - then perhaps digestive enzymes and stomach acids will help. Panzyme by Biogenesis contains both of them in one bottle.

If any more questions - I'm here to help - not all answers will be this long - i had some time this evening - you caught me in the right moment! 

In health,

Dr Ben
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Good Day,

First wanted to say I enjoy reading your blogs and the products you offer on your website. I was wondering if you could assist me in some knowledge about some health issues I have had for past 2 years. My symptoms are: I eat food, it feels as if it doesn't sit right, stomach kinda blows up, not to gassy or anything just uncomfortable when eating. After meals I feel cramping pains in stomach, not much indigestion, just bad cramping and sometimes i belch up chunks of food i ate hours before. I am constipated also. I usually feel really dizzy and disoriented if I don't eat in a timely mannor. After eating I kinda have this fog in my head allot a haze of thoughts. I get really irritable easily. Very anxious and stressful person, hard to deal with stress now.

I have did all the major tests, Upper GI, Colonoscopy, Barium Test, Ultrasound, Cat Scan of head and Abdomen, Blood tests etc. Everything pretty negative, doctors come to IBS conclusion. I have went to a ND doctor he believes it is adrenal dysfunction or lack of B12. I have tried supplements but I have a very hard time toleration any herbal solutions and usually have anxiety attacks with many herbs.

As you can see I have many concerns and this has taken its toll on myself and my family. I would appreciate any advice you could offer and would be willing to pay if needed.

Btw I am also married to a Russian woman so I can related at least in that instance, great people :)

Thanks again,

Bloated

_______________________

ANSWER:

Bloated -

From first glance - my first thoughts are that you have weak digestion - due to stress, overgrowth of bad bacteria, candida or other issues.

If you've taken antibiotics numerous times without restoring healthy bacteria - that could be a major issue for you.

Bloating is a sign of food not being digested - or gases/toxins released from bacteria such as candida.

Have you had a digestive analysis done - great smokies has one that's pretty good - called CDSA - complete digestive and stool analysis.

Tell your doctor about the digestive analysis tests.

Not tolerating many herbs or supplements may also be a sign of weak digestion. If a weak digestion, the supplement or herbs simply sit in your digestive tract without being broken down. This can irritate the GI lining and cause bloating and pain.

You may want to try taking digestive enzymes and Betaine HCl to improve - and also taking a strong quality probiotic. Without testing though, you are not finding out the cause of the problem. It is best to determine the cause of your problem before treating it and lab tests above may help - and they are ordered by your doc.

Fog, daze, irritability all can be signs of bacteria overgrowth - that's a major one - or it can also be a sign of wheat allergy -

Bacteria overgrowth inhibit proper digestion and restoring healthy bacteria is a must.

Have you had tests to determine if you may be allergic to wheat? You can eliminate wheat and dairy for a week and see how you feel also - it's free and if you're sensitive to either, eliminating them for a week may show major improvement.

Belching up chunks of food can be a sign of weak digestion - not enough stomach acids or pancreatic enzymes or bile acids being released to break up the food. Stress blocks these from being released - as stress closes down the sphincters. Eat in a relaxed setting and chew chew chew your food.

Also do not drink fluids when you eat. Drink before meals - like 15-20 minutes and about an hour after. Drinking during meals dilutes the digestive enzymes - especially cold fluids or mucousy fluids like milk.

A quality HCl supplement is UltraGest by Biogenesis.

A quality enzyme supplement that also has HCl so it is basically 2 supplements in one for digestion is PanZyme by Biogenesis.

If you have bacterial overgrowth, ParaBiotic by Biogenesiss may be useful for you.

A soothing intestinal product can be useful to soothe irritated gut lining. Intestinal Repair Complex by Biogenesis is useful for this. However, again, one must determine the cause of the problem and remove it. This supplement can provide some relief but may not address the cause of the problem. Always always remove the cause if possible.

I currently do not sell a probiotic or healthy bacteria but I will be soon from the most respected company - Pharmax. They specialize in healthy bacteria. You can also go to a health food store and buy healthy bacteria from the refrigerated section - not the shelf...must be cold to be viable.

I am not prescribing any of this - it is only information for you to ponder and think about. I am not a physician and any questions you should ask a qualified doctor. The information above is only for educational use not medical treatment or advice. You may print this out and show your doctor. I recommend also printing out the supplement page information so your doctor can see if they believe they will be useful for you.

If you are up to it, you may want to eat simple foods for a couple weeks. Very simple foods - such as steamed vegetables, chicken broths, simple vegetable soups, very wet oatmeal, quinoa. Avoid nuts, butters, oils, beans, heavy meats or even all meats, sugar, caffeine, refined canned foods, wheat and dairy. This may help you a fair bit by taking a ton of stress off your digestive system. It will help even more if you determine the cause of your issue and your doctor can help you with that. If you are not satisfied with the help you are currently receiving from your doctor - you have every right to locate one that can help you.

I hope this information is helpful for you. Again, I highly recommend not treating yourself as it can prolong or even make your condition worse. A qualified naturopathic doctor can easily determine your issue and resolve it for you.

Where did your ND graduate from - what school? If not from Bastyr, NCNM, Southwest, Canada schools or Bridgeport - they are not a true naturopathic physician. Be careful.

In health,

Ben

• Too much ingestion of vitamin D, too much milk.
• Too much ingestion of antacids.
• Burnett's syndrome.
• Cancers - some cancers cause high levels of calcium.
• Hyperparathyroidism - your parathyroid glands are not balanced due to cancer, low blood phosphate or other issues.

• Rhodymena palmetta
• Thyroid 100 mg
• Adrenal 50 mg
• Ltyrosine
• Selenuim
• Bladderwrack
• Irish moss
• Pituitary 15 mg
• Thymus 5mg
• Spleen 5mg
• Calcarea fluorica
• Lycopus virgincus

I have been very red & itchy around the outside lips of my vagina for the past 2 weeks. What is it & what should I do?

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

ANSWER:

Hello -

It may be a yeast or fungal infection. It is a common issue in that location. I recommend that you ask your gynecologist and follow their advice.

There are effective natural products that can take care of yeast and fungus. Ask your gynecologist or naturopathic physician which one they recommend.

Yeast and fungus like to grow and reside in skin folds and warm areas. If you do not have 100% cotton undergarments - consider getting some. They breathe better than synthetics.

Taking a probiotic - acidophilus and lactobacilis - may not be a bad idea either. It is best to get these from the refrigerated section of your health food store.

Yeast infections occur from not having an acidic enough pH in the vagina. This can occur from various causes. A main cause is an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria [undesired]. The pathogenic bacteria overwhelm the limited number of remaining healthy bacteria and change the pH to benefit them. Acidophilus and lactobacilis change the pH back to acidic which destroy the pathogenic bacteria. They reside in the intestines and vagina.

If it is a fungal infection, you can try Saprox which is a natural antifungal. Do not get Saprox inside your vagina. It is only recommended for external use.

Your sexual partner may have a yeast or fungal infection as well. They should be treated as well to avoid re-infection.

Please see your doctor.

I wish you well! ;)

In health,

Benjamin Lynch

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

Aloha,

I am female, 52, and moving into perimenopause. I am 140lbs, 5'9" and have always been active and physically fit. My hips are small, my arms & legs are small, I am thin and yet my stomach has been growing and growing for the last 18 months. I have started Natrum Mur.6X cell salt for water retention, but my mid section keeps growing. We moved to Hawaii 2 years ago, and my diet changed "TOTALLY" but I am trying to utilize the healthier diet of this sunny climate verses the heavy foods of a cold climate where I use to live.

I am lost as to what to do. I have looked at many solutions and am stuck.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Tummy [name changed for privacy]

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

ANSWER:

Tummy -

My first thoughts are that I have 1000 questions to ask you. Thus, I believe it would be wise for you to seek the advice of a healthcare professional.

A growing tummy without other areas growing can be many different things. Can be as simple as weight gain due to water retention - as you stated -or it could be something that needs medical attention. What that may be is unknown without getting a thorough history and running some lab tests.

Have you had a pregnancy test?! It is still possible to get pregnant during perimenopause.

So please visit your healthcare provider.

If you have not been in some time, do tell them that your tummy has been growing and that maybe an ultrasound should be done and a CBC with differential. The CBC stands for complete blood count and gives clues to what is going on with all organs of your body - very useful test. Some basic physical exams tests are useful as well.

Thank you for asking us a health question.

I apologize that I cannot offer specific information here but seeing a physician is the prudent thing to do.

In health,

Benjamin Lynch

Hi Ben,

When I was diagnosed with Celiacs, my naturopathic physician recommended the Intestinal Repair Capsules, which I have ordered from you in the past. They really work.

I have been diagnosed for 1 year. In addition to taking Intestinal Repair Complex, I walk for an hour every day, I have been eating more organic foods and reading labels to abstain from any gluten products. I feel MUCH better.

However,   I have since moved from my naturopath and I still suffer from flare-ups (especially when under stress) and have not yet lost the weight gained while ill. I know most celiac patients I have talked to have lost 30 lbs once they got their disease under control. I have not lost any weight and yet am very careful about what I eat.

I also still suffer from severe hunger spells which I believe is my body still seeking out nutrition- hence, why I need to order more repair capsules! My local health food store has suggested a vitamin supplement (Life Force).

I was wondering what other supplements you would recommend? Any suggestions you would be able to make are most appreciated!

Improving Celiac [changed name for privacy]

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

Answer:

Improving Celiac -

Great to hear you are better! ;)

The vitamin store is correct in a multi - that is a good idea esp with digestive issues as absorption of nutrients from food can be difficult. We have a highly rated multi-vitamin for women - it is #2 out of 100's.

The trick to celiac disease is being all inclusive.

• Avoiding gluten.


• Decreasing past inflammation.


• Supporting digestive organs with their specific nutrients.


• Exercise.


• Water.


• Rest.

Sounds like you are doing a good job overall but still have flare ups - due to moods. My first thought - and not advice - is that perhaps you should add meditation to your lifestyle along with yoga.

Yoga is awesome - join a yoga group or class. The stretching, toning and breathing all combined will improve your overall energy and lifestyle.

The severe hunger spells may suggest that you are not absorbing the nutrients well or digesting your foods well. Bloating, gas, constipation and/or diarrhea point to poor absorption and digestive power. These symptoms may be signs that gluten is still in your diet and that inflammation is still present.

A patient who was excellent in terms of avoiding all gluten-containing foods was having flare-ups caused by a filler in his supplement. Wheat is everywhere - unfortunately. Fortunately, there are awesome resources which help point these out and provide alternatives.

You may want to consider the BioInflammatory Powder - along with the Intestinal repair powder. A refrigerated probiotic may be useful as well - an acidophilus/lactobacilis blend. I don't carry that at the moment - but all stores have them - just ensure they are refrigerated - if not, they are garbage.

The combined efforts in diet improvement, decreasing inflammation, adding intestinal support, multivitamin, relaxation, yoga will do wonders for you. The probiotic may be a good idea as well - bloating may be due to harmful bacteria off-gasing. Yet my guess is that the bloating is due to the inflammation caused by gluten-containing products - so you may want to do the Bio-Inflammatory Functional Food Powder. You may want to try that for a month or two and then you may be good with just the intestinal repair powder and multi-vitamin.

It takes time to heal. It may seem overwhelming now but that is due to the newness of the information and lifestyle changes. Once it becomes routine, it will be much easier.

In health,

Benjamin Lynch

Disclaimer: This information is not treatment advice. It is always essential to seek the advice of a trained physician. Information here is to provide you with resources and ideas - not treatment. I am not a substitute for a physician nor do I pretend to be.