Diet & Reflux/ADHD/Hashimoto's/Eczema/Detox

[Lori B]

I have a ton of questions, but I just don't even know where to start, so I'll just tell you about me.

I have a daughter (11) with Hashimoto's Disease and ADHD, which is what has really got me started on this venture to get us all healthy.  She is currently on meds for the ADHD, but I'm hoping to get her off of them soon.  Diving in, I've realized that there are so many things that I thought was healthy, but I'm finding out they aren't.

I've learned about GMO's, candida, bone broths, processed foods, essential oils, whole foods, smoothies, juicing, gluten, kefir, nettles, dairy and the list goes on.  I seem to be spending more and more time in the kitchen.  That doesn't bother me, but being disorganized does. I'm still working on the planning part of our meals.  I'm slowly but surely getting there.

I'm learning that the way we have been eating has affected us all in bad ways and am working on correcting it.  My husband and son are a little reluctant, but they are slowly coming on board.

We are in the process of going gluten free and dairy free to assist my daughters condition and also to make us healthier.  I'm overweight (age 40) and trying to figure out how eating all these fats (coconut, olive oil, real butter etc) will help me lose weight.  

At the beginning of last year I went on the South Beach diet and lost 30 lbs.  I'm afraid I'm going to gain it back with all these fats, and I've still got about 70 or more to lose.

I'm trying to get my husband (46) off his acid reflux pill, but I think I'm gonna have to fix him first before he will even begin to think about getting off of it.  Anytime he forgets to take a pill he gets reflux.  I've learned to pill makes him magnesium deficient.  He doesn't sleep well most nights.  He sometimes gets migraine headaches.

When I started taking supplements ( and I wasn't real good at first) I got a horrid case of eczema.  I had it a couple of times year before, but thought it was athlete's foot.  This time all of my toes and the pad of my foot were covered in blisters.  I ended up having to take the steroids because I couldnt get it under control.  It started coming back after I quit the steroids but I'm currently taking care of it with OnGuard Essential Oil and raw unrefined shea butter wrapped in saran wrap at night.  That has been keeping it at bay.  I'm drinking kefir and taking epsom salt baths.  I'm deficient in sulfurs or something and not sure how to fix it.

I know we all need to detox badly, but don't know where to start.  My husband has mercury fillings so I'm sure he has candida (which I tell him all the time as he downs his cheez its, which gives him acid reflux by the way..lol), but I don't want to detox him wrong and get the mercury in places where it shouldn't be.

I got a blender so I can make smoothies.  My husband got a juicer because he watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead," and so far likes it.  

I also live in Korea, so I don't have access to a lot of things like organic produce, we have some, but not a lot, and we just don't have a whole lot of healthy choices.   

[Lori B]

Anyone have advice for me?

[Jennifer Redwine]

Are you giving fish oils for your daughter's ADHD? Even main mainstream doctors say that it can help with both ADHD and depression. Also, if she has Hashimoto's then she probably is intolerant to gluten, in case you hadn't already figured out. I have ADHD myself, and it is so hard. There are a lot of supplements out there for it, but I haven't found any that worked. I am pretty new at this too though. I have heard that the Feingold diet, which eliminates colors and preservatives, can help ADHD. Not very knowledgable about Hashi's other than three moms I know have it. Two of them take Armour Thyroid the other takes Synthroid (she said Armour didn't work for her). There is another, even more natural alternative to Armour, but I don't recall the name.

[Lori B]

Thanks!!  I have started giving her fish oil daily.  For her Hashi's, right now she isn't on anything.  They want to keep monitoring it because he levels are slightly high right now.  

I've never heard of the feingold diet, but I think we are eliminating most of that with the way I'm preparing our food now.  I'm getting more veggies and making more things from scratch.

Thanks Again!! :)

[LisaRose Barnes]

Hi Lori,

I'm pretty new at a lot of this as well. However, I've lived with ADD all of my life - I'm now 50. How much Omega-3 are you giving your daughter? It takes upwards of 3,000 mg a day is needed for it to be therapeutic. It's also anti-inflammatory, so it will help in other ways as well.

Removing refined sugar from her diet will also make a big difference. You may have to make your own ketchup, since commercial ketchups contain a LOT of sugar. And if you have a source for ordering GABA, a nutritional supplement, look for a version that is safe for adolescents. It is a big assist to the neurotransmitters and helps with focus.

Best of luck to you!

LisaRose

[Pat Robinson]

You have been on a steep learning curve ~!  The most important thing to support the body is ADDING nutrients: smoothies, juice, bone broth, nettles, local veggies, pasture-raised meats/eggs/fats.  I wouldn't worry about "trying" to detox. Our body is detoxifying chemicals, additives, food byproducts, etc. all of the time. We optimize our detox pathways by providing the nutrients it needs.

I try to consume 7 tablespoons of healthy fat per day, at least half of it visible (butter, coconut oil, olive oil) - go easy on coconut oil with candida. And half of the fat in food (ground beef, avocados, nuts). That is only 630 calories of nutrient-rich food. Fats are important for cells, hormones, and making other vitamins bio-available.

If you just focus on adding one nutrient-dense food once a day for starters that would be my priority. Don't try to do everything at once. Select one of the nutrient-rich foods to prepare/eat daily: smoothies, juice, bone broth, nettles. Do that consistently for a week or a month, until it becomes habit and "easy". THEN consider adding another nutrient dense food.

Magnesium and Omega 3 will help more than any other supplement, imo.

The other key issue is stomach acid. Ferments will both improve stomach acid and provide tons of beneficial microbials. That would be my second priority. Bubbies sauerkraut juice or Bubbies dill pickles are the easiest to add.

Pat

[Lori B]

She is on 1000 mg of Omega 3 right now.  

I've never heard of Gaba, can you explain a little more about it?

I've been making some bone broth, and have a few quarts stored up...working on buying more food with bones in them so I can make it...lol  

I've tried looking for Nettles, but they have been out.  Do you know of another source besides Mountain Rose Herbs to get them?

I've added smoothies, and for now she is getting fresh orange juice in the mornings.

I am homemaking most of my foods and she doesnt use ketchup a whole lot, but I plan on making it for us once what we have is gone.  We used to use so much of it, but now that I'm doing more home cooking, we hardly use it anymore.

How much magnesium should she be on?  3,000 Omega 3 right?

Where do you get bubbies or what is bubbies?

Thanks for your help!! :)

[LisaRose Barnes]

Hi Lori,

GABA is a naturally-occurring receptor in the brain that works with the Gamma-AminoButyric Acids. For people like your daughter and me, it provides two benefits - it is a calming agent which helps with the H in ADHD. And it supports mental clarity and focus which obviously helps with the AD part.

It's pretty rare for a conventionally Western-type doctor to recommend it. I learned about it while talking with an integrative physician who looks to natural remedies before prescription ones. But when I told my neurologist (who is a D.O.) she was very supportive.

If you order it online, it should be in a sublingual, chewable or liquid form.

You also need to experiment with whether to take it in the mornings, afternoons or evenings. The calming effect is enough for some people to make them sleepy, but not typically for people with hyperactivity. Every person is different, though.

I've been really pleased with it. While I am not yet able to be completely off my ADD medication, it did help to significantly lower the dose. Since folks with ADD/ADHD are actually missing/low on some of the essential neuro ingredients for proper brain function, it's a good natural remedy to try.

Of all the things I've tried in the years since my diagnosis (30 of those), I have been most pleased with the results of GABA and the elimination of refined sugars. Natural sweeteners like agave, stevia, etc. haven't been an issue for me, when used sparingly. But refined sugar = scatterbrained inside my head.

Good luck!

[Lori B]

Thanks for the information LisaRose! ;)  This really helps!!

[LisaRose Barnes]

You're most welcome! I hope things go well for your daughter.

[Lori B]

Does anyone have any suggestions for my husband getting off of his acid reflux pill?  If he doesn't take it, he has horrible acid that keeps him up at night, but I know that taking it is bad for him too.

He already doesn't eat hours before bedtime.  He has a hard time giving up coffee, but he only has it in the morning.  I homemake most of our food, so we have almost eliminated processed foods.

Any suggestions would be helpful!!  Thanks!! ;)

[Jennifer Redwine]

It sounds like he might be having rebound reflux. Has he asked the pharmacist or doctor for any tips? I think even many mainstream doctors now say not to use it long term.  Can he halve the dose (if it's a capsule he can put it into applesauce and then eat only half of it)? Also, he could take some short-acting antacids just until the rebound reflux subsides (yes, this is a known side effect, and very common). I was put on reflux meds for a medical condition I have and definitely noticed major heartburn after stopping it again, even though I hadn't experienced reflux before beginning it (at least not since I was pregnant). I just took baking soda and water, but there might be better ways. I also took aloe vera gel, but it was nasty.

[Lori B]

Thanks for the suggestions.  He hasn't asked anyone about getting off of it, but he is interested because I've been making him watch all these movies like Hungry for Change and Food Matters Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, and Genetic Roulette.  

I will have him try to dose it down and see if that works.

Thanks Again! ;)