Hello! Help with increasing nutrition, increasing weight loss while BF older child.

[Kristi Buxton]

Hello!  I'm a SAHM to my daughter, 4.5, in the Pacific Northwest (I'm in my low 30's).  She's still breastfeeding (at night before falling asleep and in the morning).  She's self-weaned down to one side and is less and less interested in BF but I could see her continuing for another year easily.  I have 4 main health concerns that I'm working to address, presently: excess weight, amalgam fillings concerns (with weight loss while breastfeeding), dishydrotic eczema (and possibly some mysterious low-level collagen vascular disease??), some flares of aggression/anger.  I'll limit this post to be about the weight loss/amalgam issues correlated with nutrition.

About 8 years ago my weight started creeping up…5-10 lb a year at first, had my baby 4.5 years ago (had horrendous nausea/vomiting while pregnant through week 22 and lost 10 lb in first trimester, gained that back and then another 25).  Lost 15-20 lb almost immediately but then started feeding my postpartum anxiety with lots of carbs and sugar.  Added about 11 lb a year for 4 years.

For years I tried, but was pretty much befuddled about 'how' to eat in an organic, local manner and felt like a deer caught in the headlights wondering what products were 'good' combined with all my historical mis-education about not eating too much fat, etc.  Last May I read the intro nutrition section of Nourishing Traditions and it was like I could see the light!  Of course, I'm still figuring it all out, hence coming here!  Would love any feedback!

Last year dropped about 20 lb (water weight, presumably) after cutting out first homogenized milk, then gluten, then dairy entirely.  So now one of my major concerns is shedding about 30 lb before TTC again in ?a year or so.

I have 3 amalgam fillings--one pretty small, 2 pretty big (in fact, when I met with a dentist who would remove with all proper precautions, he wants to replace one of the fillings with a gold crown).  Just had a heavy metal test (urine) through an ND and found that I'm not excreting any appreciable levels of mercury.  I wouldn't say I have any symptoms of Candida, but I must be colonized, right?  If I eat too much sugar, I get a painful (thrushy?) feeling in my mouth but my husband always says it doesn't look like thrush (from his pov as an ENT).  I can't remember the last time that happened, I really try to lay off the sugar!!  I learned about how I might be poisoning myself with these fillings recently and almost had them removed but thankfully found the wonderful info on MDC (provided by you, Pat, I believe--thank you!!!!!!!) and chickened out because was worried I'd mobilize mercury and expose my BF child.  But I really want to lose weight now without mobilizing mercury.  I don't want to be this weight TTC.  My perception is that my child isn't BF that much, of course, I don't want to jeopardize her health at all.  But I don't feel that I can wait for her to finish BF to lose weight prior to TTC in a year or two.  Is there a way to test for yeast?

Had a IgG test for ?96 foods and the dairy was very high, gluten was pretty high (had a separate panel for ?2 of the celiac-specific antibodies but that was negative).  ND thought gluten may be a corollary with my dishydrotic eczema and very sensitive skin issues already so I cut that out.  Once I cut out dairy (just in January) I noticed dramatic reduction in facial/decollete redness/inflammation and lost some weight quickly.  I miss butter terribly.

What I'm currently doing:

Have been taking 2 capsules daily of FCLO and BO (just found out that's not nearly enough so got my bottle of FCLO today and will up both of those to 1 tsp/day).  Just had a Vitamin D test and found my level to be low (20 ng/ml).  Hopefully increasing the FCLO will help that.  When should I retest?

We've good sources for pasture eggs, pork, chicken, beef and eat plenty of bacon (and bacon grease-yum!) which I was hoping would also help with the Vit. D but…guess not enough!  I eat eggs every day.

Since cutting out my homemade yogurt have been struggling with whole food probiotics.  Cannot find raw milk probiotic around here and trying to stay off the dairy completely.  Don't care for the coconut milk yogurt in the store, haven't gotten around to making my own.  Try to eat some Bubbie's sauerkraut or pickles or homemade LF ginger carrots daily (but worried they don't have much probiotic benefit?)  Recently started to drink small amount of 'Good Belly' probiotic juice daily.  Eat some natural salami's etc. that say they have lactic acid starter culture but not sure if that imparts any probiotic benefit to end product.

Cooking with organic coconut oil or bacon grease mostly.  Just ordered organic pasture ghee.  Worried about die off with coconut oil so not going crazy with it.

I don't seem to have any other allergies--maybe a slight sensitivity to almonds but I'm more inclined to think that's just because they're the most common nut in my repertoire and I'm not ready to eliminate them. 

I'm thinking if I aim for very high good fat (nuts, pasture animals, coconut oil, avocado) without overly emphasizing coconut, perhaps that will help with additional weight loss?  What is a realistic expectation for weight loss via diet modification in this way?

Aiming to get more Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium, Vitamin C, Calcium via:

Try to make bone broth once a week (usually chicken) and use it for big vat of soup, but probably only eat that 2-3 times a week.  

Just started eating 2 brazil nuts/day.  

Recently added more oysters to our diet (perhaps every other week, maybe a little more frequently).

Using celtic sea salt or pink himalayan salt for food and also taking pink himalayan salt bath soak occasionally (how much?)

Eating more leafy greens (mostly cooked).  I'm not big on smoothies but plan to increase them and slip in more greens that way.

Should I be taking desiccated liver tablets?  Can't stand liver otherwise yet.

Want to take Acerola--what's a good online source for this (only have found a bottle of tablets at Whole Foods but was really surprised/scared away by all the other ingredients).

[Kristi Buxton]

Oh, in addition to that novella, I forgot to add that I've started drinking Nettle Tea (from a tea bag--I don't think I'd know a nettle plant if it stung me on the ankle, unfortunately). And eat some form of beans 1-2x/week (or more). And lots of frozen blueberries that I picked last summer.

[Pat Robinson]

It sounds like you are doing many beneficial things toward improving stomach acid, digestion and detoxification. Btw, weight is associated with toxic loads and blocked detox pathways and imbalanced microbials.

Here are three four more threads to get you started. I'll post more specifics too.
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=1174788
http://mothering.com/discussions/showpost.php?p=15047470&postco...
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=1096747
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?p=14824324&...


Pat

[Pat Robinson]

Here are my thoughts as I read through your post.

Regarding organic foods, I'd just focus on fats and meats, and wash veggies/fruit with Veggie Wash, except the "Dirty Dozen": Strawberries, Bell Peppers, Spinach, Cherries, Peaches, Cantaloupe (Mexico), Celery, Apples, Apricots, Green Beans, Grapes (Chile), Cucumbers, Pears, Winter Squash (US), Potatoes (US). http://www.eartheasy.com/eat_pesticides_produce.htm

Veggie wash: http://www.veggie-wash.com/

Organic fats: olive oil, safflower, sunflower; pastured, antibiotic free meat are more important than organic produce imo. No canola or corn oil, they are all GMO. And push comes to shove, the meat is more important as olive oil and coconut oil are not high in pesticides. Safflower and sunflower are Omega 6 oils though, so use sparingly.

The eggs daily sound great!

A 15 minute walk outside will improve your vit D. :-)

I'd increase the fCLO dose. We do a tablespoon, about, daily. Btw, liver is easy to hide. I puree it and add it to other meat products, gravy, sauces. Avacados are great, and do not need to be organic. They are low in pesticides and cheaper and the pulp is not contaminated. Nuts, I'd be a bit more careful about pesticides. But, they cost a fortune. If you soak and sprout them they are maximum nutrition. But, a lot more work. I'll just soak nuts overnight and toss them in a smoothie or in baking recipes. (I do the blender batter recipes: http://www.suegregg.com/recipes/breakfasts/blenderbatterwaffles/ble... It is easy as pie. Easier! LOL

Water kefir is dairy-free. I'm glad to send some grains to you. You just need one teaspoon to get huge probiotic benefits. A tablespoon is incredible. We just add a bit to juice. (cultured raw milk has more microbial benefits even). With IgG, there is no concern with a bit of raw cultured dairy, like a tablespoon a day, plus TONS of benefits, imo. (disclaimer: assuming no bloody stools)

The bottom line is to improve digestion and detoxification gradually, to move heavy metals and toxins out while the amalgam is still present. If you do the removal, I'd consider chelating actively. Gold crown is the ideal! Vit C, selenium and clay help with binding the mercury. But, I wouldn't do it while nursing and not ttc for at least 18 months afterward. I would worry much less about the 20 # than the mercury risk.

There is a spit test for candida:
http://www.qfac.com/detox/candida_salvia_test.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRqa7KlqfA0

This is a simple, questionably reliable bit of info. But, with eczema and mercury and weight, I'd bet on candida, especially if you get die-off symptoms from probiotics or coconut oil. Btw, coconut oil topically can help the eczema if it is fungal/candida. Eczema is usually allergies or fungal. And allergies often lead to fungal issues. Fungal eczema is just 'worse' along the path, unless a recent bout of antibiotics or steroids.

I wouldn't worry about the dairy in butter either. There is very little protein in butter, none on the label. If IgE, then no dairy. But, IgG, great fats! But, definitely get ORGANIC butter!!

I'd take a forkful of Bubbies sauerkraut with each meal. Not more. That will help stomach acid and digestion tremendously! The most important first step to improve bio-availability of nutrients. I'd focus on zinc, magnesium, B6, B12, molybdenum, vit C, selenium, FOLATE (5-mthf). Caution max TWO (2) Brazil nuts a day and they are very high in selenium. This is critical to help bind mercury for excretion. Vit C helps also. Epsom salt baths will provide sulfate (and magnesium) for detoxification - important for heavy metal issues. I'd consider adding a magnesium supplement, as our foods are low in magnesium. Magnesium foods: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75 Bone broths help! (nettles have calcium, I'm blanking if they have mag too).

I'd max the coconut oil at 2-3 tablespoons a day, and not push die-off symptoms while nursing. Caution with getting too ketotic with high fat, high protein, low carbs, as the body stores pesticides in fatty tissue, so when we burn fat, we release toxins into our circulation. Just want to go slow, not overload the detox pathways. Open them with nutrients, improve the gut and the detoxification will happen in a healthy way.

I would add Milk thistle, in your situation. We've just been discussing whether it mobilizes heavy metals and if you are opening your detox pathways, I believe it is ok. I take it occasionally, with a mouthful of mercury.

There are natural antifungals. I'd include these in your diet, naturally. Not as an intervention, nor to attack, but as a traditional food: http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?p=14999568&high...

Oh, I simmer my chicken carcass twice, so I get more broth. I simmer two days, strain and then add water and simmer two more days. We drink 1-2 cups each morning, first thing. It has many healing amino acids. I'd suggest increasing the broth for the minerals, if you get headaches, back down. I'm not sure if it 'too detoxifying' or the glutamates... but sometimes I get a headache if I drink too much.

You can puree greens and add to sauces, baking, even just a 1/4 cup is a lot of added nutrition. Have you tried juicing greens? We get tons that way each morning!


Don't know about acerola sources.

Oh, and soak in Epsom salts, rather than the Himalayan, imo. And use the Himalayan for Sole, or ground as salt. http://www.natural-salt-lamps.com/sole.html


HTH, Pat

[Pat Robinson]

Beans, especially lentils (which are a legume, I realize) are high in molybdenum and folate! which helps detox safely. Eating 1-2 cups per day is ideal.

Also blueberries are magical, except high in salicylates. Omega 3 and Epsom salts help, if you feel hyper with the salicylates. Molybdenum helps too, iirc.

Loose nettle leaf is available at Mountain Rose Herbs. http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/bulkherb/n.html

Here is more about herbal infusions: http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=1091363&highl...


Pat

[Kristi Buxton]

Pat,
Oh my oh my--what a wealth of information! This will take me time to sort through, and I'm sure I'll have many questions, but just wanted to say THANK YOU thank you SO much for taking the time to post all this for me. You are a treasure!
Kristi

[Kristi Buxton]

OK, more on my eczema. I have a lot of things flowing through my brain right now...and I didn't intend to get to this but the thought wants to get out! If there would be a better place to post this, let me know. My mom claims I had 'eczema' as a baby though I don't know what she considered eczema (I often think she's referring to keratosis pilaris, which I have on the back of my arms). Though I've always had extremely sensitive skin, and avoided anything with 'fragrance' or perfumes (I'm finally almost completely chemically-free now with a no frills 'beauty' routine), I can't remember a bout of 'eczema' in my life like I've had since my child was born. I've had a terrible time with shaving (folliculitis) but nothing like eczema.

None of my MD's have cared about this story but I just feel it has something to do with the eczema. When I was 2 weeks post-partum, I picked up some old, moldy tulips out of a vase with my right hand (I didn't know they were moldy till I saw the fuzzies on their stems in the trash), put them in the (very full) trash can and with the left hand, smooshed them down. I noticed the mold fuzzies on the stems and wigged out a bit, also noticed that the stems actually had little spiky hairs on them. I swear those spikes poked into my palm and something nasty growing on them hopped on board into my skin. I turned around an immediately washed my hands. The next day, I had a rash starting on my right palm--itchiest thing I've ever experienced--little tiny tiny blisters (maybe 1 mm in diameter). The rash extended right along the curvature of my palm like where I had grabbed the rotting flowers. One day later, I had the same rash on my other palm, same characteristics. I watched that rash spread up my right palm and infect my right index finger, where it hung out for months. It's still my most troubling spot. The left palm cleared up and didn't appear to spread right away (it has had much more minor symptoms since then). My right index finger was swollen, cuticle destroyed, fingernail became pitted, etc. I was in a new-baby haze and didn't follow up on it for months. I watched it slowly spread from finger to finger. The itchy feeling was so intense, I wanted to scrub my skin off! The second my PCP saw it, he declared 'dishydrotic eczema' and gave me steroid ointment. Which definitely stopped the flare. But whenever I am stressed out, it has flared again. I've seen several dermatologists and none are concerned about the cause...I did get one to admit that some of the prominent eczema dermatologists have suggested a virological cause for some eczema (my work experience had me questioning whether it could be viral based on it's appearance, etc.)

So, the tulip story may be a huge coincidence--I WAS completely stressed out two weeks post-partum (and my in-laws were still there--they are a HUGE source of my stress-induced flares), so perhaps it was just the stress. But I keep wondering if there could be a fungal or fungal-viral component--it could be spreading along my nerves. And wondering if there's anything I could do about it specifically beyond the healing from within I'm trying to do.

FWIW, after a couple years of trying to keep the flares down, I managed to grow a new (healthy!) nail, though I do still see slight swelling on the skin behind my index cuticle. The skin on my finger tips is thickened (mostly on the index fingers and thumbs and middle fingers, almost none on ring and pinky fingers) which I attributed to the steroid use but now that I think about it, I kept that pretty local to the sites of the flares, mainly index finger...really hoping that is the same thing as the eczema issue.

[Kristi Buxton]

Re:
The bottom line is to improve digestion and detoxification gradually, to move heavy metals and toxins out while the amalgam is still present. If you do the removal, I'd consider chelating actively. Gold crown is the ideal! Vit C, selenium and clay help with binding the mercury. But, I wouldn't do it while nursing and not ttc for at least 18 months afterward. I would worry much less about the 20 # than the mercury risk.

I'm just at the beginning of my research and thoughts about my prenatal health journey but here's what I'm wondering:
If I don't have amalgams removed, considering I'm not shedding any appreciable levels of mercury right now, I continue with what I'm doing, support digestion/detox/natural ?chelation that's at a steady-state level. Exposure in utero would be ?minimal? if I stay at an equilibrium and have daily measures in place (vit C, selenium) to help flush/bind anything that circulates. As long as fillings don't get too old/crack or need to be replaced...once I add all the WTDWITRTTTTC time (that's 'Waiting To Decide Whether It's The Right Time To TTC' time), TTC time, 4+ years BF time, I may not have a choice if my old fillings crack, decay gets worse, etc. I should try to not actively kill off candida during this time period, it's my 'friend' with respect to mercury, right? Any chance improving my detox pathways, nutrition, etc. would create a situation where it becomes inhospitable for candida and then I may circulate more mercury? Maybe I shouldn't try to get too healthy, LOL!

My ND mentioned a new ?article/study showing that after amalgam removal, mercury levels peak at ?2 days post removal and then decline rapidly (I'm assuming this is the amount of mercury that gets released into the system no matter how careful the extraction procedures and not necessarily a remobilization level). I need to get more info about the paper/study he mentioned. He has encouraged me to do IV chelation post amalgam removal, whenever that may be, and there's no way I'll be doing that while BF now. I'm pretty terrified about the remobilization issue--don't want to think about where the mercury could re-bind if it doesn't get chelated.

Just curious about the 18 months timeline you mentioned for waiting TTC post amalgam removal? If I get a window where DD isn't BF, do the amalgam removal, do IV chelation challenge (and see if anything gets mobilized), perhaps do additional IV chelation, all the while measuring mercury levels, you think it would take that long to get to a place where it would be safe TTC? Wondering about the timing of ?6 months post removal TTC vs the combined effect of 5+ years of my 'steady state' mercury exposure if I don't have amalgams removed...but guess there's no way to know how to forecast the future ;-)

[Kristi Buxton]

Curious about how much Vitamin C I should aim for in a day? If I feel that my food intake of Vitamin C isn't sufficient for a particular day, should I add a supplement (and does it matter how much?) or just supplement every day since excess is excreted?

[Yvonne LV]

Take 1-2 grams an hour until you have runny poo. Then go to the dose right below that.. Obviously choose a day or two where you don't need to leave the house.. ;)