Forum Replies Created

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  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 23, 2024 at 9:57 am in reply to: PREECLAMPSIA & PREGNANCY

    Hi @Inga-55 – just letting you know that I replied to your other discussion where you clarified that it’s eclampsia and not preeclampsia that your daughter had.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 23, 2024 at 9:55 am in reply to: ECLAMPSIA

    Hi @Inga-55 – eclampsia is a more severe form of preeclampsia that leads to seizures (convulsions) in a pregnant woman. It can cause serious health problems for both mother and baby, including organ damage, premature birth, and in extreme cases, death. So this is where allopathic treatment is in fact needed and necessary.

    Here is an excellent article written by my colleague Sarah Russell who specializes in pre and post-natal health on the topic of preeclampsia. https://buildnurturerestore.com/5-tips-to-avoid-preeclampsia-blood-pressure-ranges/

    Aspirin has been used for decades and is well researched, and while there may be natural alternatives to aspirin, none of them have been tested the same way aspirin has in terms of efficacy.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 22, 2024 at 3:12 pm in reply to: High B12

    Hello @LAK – if you can please provide more context, we’ll be able to better guide you. Here are some guiding questions:

    • How old is your son?
    • Why were these tests done?
    • Does he have any symptoms?
    • Was he sick at the time of testing?
    • What time were these tests taken and was he fasting overnight (only water)?
    • Does he take any supplements, multi’s?
    • What’s his diet like?

    In terms of B12 specifically, we actually aim for a level above 600 pg/ml, so it doesn’t really seem concerning even though it’s flagged outside of “normal” reference ranges. Is he taking any multi’s or even powders that may contain B12?

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 22, 2024 at 2:45 pm in reply to: Units in digestive enzymes

    Hi @naslam1603 – when looking at enzyme supplements, each unit reflects the enzyme’s ability to break down its specific substrate. So it helps you gauge the enzyme’s potency and effectiveness.

    So for example, protease is an enzyme that helps us break down our proteins. Now to be able to quantify how well the enzyme works in testing conditions, they use hemoglobin as the protein that will get broken down as a consistent way to compare enzyme activity.

    So the HUT unit for protease stands for Hemoglobin Unit Tyrosine Base. It’s measuring how much 1 unit of protease can break down hemoglobin into tyrosine.

    So let’s take a practical example. If your bottle says Protease (5000 HUT), that means for every gram of the protease enzyme, it has the activity to produce 5000 units of tyrosine equivalents from breaking down hemoglobin.

    And the same goes for the other types of enzymes and their substrates.

    So lactase breaks down lactose, the sugar found in milk. The units are called Acid Lactase Unit (ALU). Lactase (1000 ALU) means that it can break down 1000 units of lactose.

    Amylase breaks down starch into simple carbs. Its unit is called Dextrinizing Unit (DU). It measures how much starch can be broken down into dextrin by the amylase enzyme.

    Lipase breaks down fats (triglycerides) into fatty acids and glycerol to help with fat digestion. Its unit is called Federation Internationale Pharmaceutique (FIP). So Lipase (1000 FIP) means the enzyme can breakdown 1000 units of fatty acids from fats.

    Etc..

    Does that make sense?

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 19, 2024 at 3:47 pm in reply to: Testing in Dubai

    Hi @sheetalramchandani1 – you can send an email to support@bbettermembership.com with the list of tests you need.

    Also please provide your full name, email address, date of birth, billing & shipping address (if different) to open the requisition file. You can then order the tests directly with the lab.

    Specify if you want the GI Map with or without zonulin.

    As for the micronutrient test, what nutrients are looking to measure? The OAT test does already cover some B vitamins, glutathione and NAC. If you’re looking for mineral testing, here’s a sample report of a dried blood spot and urine test for Toxic & Essential elements. Let me know if that’s what you’re looking for or not.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 19, 2024 at 3:26 pm in reply to: Thyroid

    Hi @KkolIn the Thyroid Balance course, I discuss possible reasons for high T4 and low TSH. You can find that lesson HERE. Besides blood testing, was imaging of the thyroid or pituitary ever done for your son?

    Also watch the following lesson HERE which discusses possible reasons for nodules & goiters, and the possible nutrient insufficiencies/deficiencies that can lead to these. You mentioned he doesn’t eat well, so nutrient depletion specific to thyroid function may be a possibility.

    In the same course, I discuss important foods for thyroid health as well as supplement considerations that you can watch as well.

    Hope these help.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 18, 2024 at 10:44 am in reply to: TEST RESULTS

    Hi @Inga-55 – thanks for sharing your results. To help us puzzle piece, it’s always helpful to share why you had these tests done, what symptoms you’re experiencing, any supplements or medications you’re taking, and details about your diet.

    Without any other info and solely looking at the results however, below are my thoughts:

    1. Omega-3 level and the ratio between Omega-3 to Omega-6 are suboptimal. Increasing omega-3 intake through diet and/or through supplements, and decreasing omega-6 intake (ex. dining out, using vegetable oils at home) can help bring better balance. This is important to reduce inflammation in the body. Please watch this video in our Fatty Acid Balance course, which explains how different fatty acids produce different prostaglandins which regulate the inflammation process.

    To help you increase omega-3 fatty acids, please watch the 3 videos from the “Fatty Acid Solutions” section of the course:

    2. The hair analysis test suggests high levels of mercury and aluminum. It’s important to determine the sources of these exposures and eliminate them. This handout includes common sources of each.

    3. The nutrient elements from the hair test suggest a pattern of high stress. Would you agree? If so, what are you doing to mitigate stress (i.e. mental/emotional, physical, physiological)?

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 24, 2024 at 5:41 am in reply to: Units in digestive enzymes

    @naslam1603 have you seen the Digestive Enzyme Support video from the Gut Health Masterclass course? I discuss a variety of different enzyme formulations for different circumstances. Hope that helps.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 23, 2024 at 9:27 am in reply to: TEST RESULTS

    Hi @Inga-55 – thank you for sharing more information about your diet and symptoms.

    Can you tell us more about these headaches you’re having? What’s the frequency? What’s the timing of the headache? What’s the location of the headache? And what do you do or take to manage the pain?

    You mentioned you drink plenty of filtered water. How much?

    When did you start Enalapril? Headaches are one of the common side effects: https://www.drugs.com/enalapril.html

    Since you mentioned these started after menopause, have you checked your hormone levels recently? Drops in estrogen and even low levels of estrogen can trigger headaches in women, including fatigue so you may want to consider testing sex hormones: estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, free testosterone, DHEA-s

    As for your diet, it’s great that you focus primarily on whole foods. Just be cautious with eating tuna frequently, as it is rather high in mercury since it’s a large fish.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 22, 2024 at 7:09 pm in reply to: High B12

    @LAK it’s interesting that you mention he’s thin because his suboptimal high TSH did jump out at me and did make me wonder what may be going with thyroid function.

    Although it’s not clinically high, a TSH above 2 uIU/ml may be something to pay attention to. This suggests the pituitary is sensing a need for more thyroid hormone (which raises TSH and can also raise growth hormone). However, his thyroid is in fact producing ample amounts of free T3 and T4 levels (which may make it difficult to gain weight). So there is a possibility of an early thyroid imbalance presenting here and getting a full thyroid panel including thyroid antibodies might be a good idea.

    However, you did mention that he’s taking something containing B12. If it also contains biotin, it can interfere with thyroid test results, so I wouldn’t rely too heavily on them.

    As for his CBC, two markers stood out: his eosinophil count at 5% and lymphocytes at 51.9%, which is lower than his neutrophils. Typically, neutrophils should be in higher amounts, and when this pattern occurs, it could indicate a viral infection. That’s why I asked if he was sick around the time of testing.

    When eosinophils are elevated above 3%, it may indicate that the immune system is responding to parasitic infections or allergies. If parasites are involved, they can contribute to difficulty in gaining weight as well.

    Do let us know if you have any follow-up questions.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 19, 2024 at 7:59 pm in reply to: One year old ate dirt in backyard

    @Annie – in an effort to cater to all learning needs, I’ve added this as a future project for my team. We have all the audio files separately, so I’m confident we can find a way to combine them into one big audio file. I’ll keep you updated on our progress and let you know once it’s ready.

    Aside from the Gut Health Masterclass, is there another course you’ve started that we should prioritize for you?

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 19, 2024 at 7:55 pm in reply to: Best Magnesium for three year old and one year old

    @Annie if you have a normal sized tub, I’d use that over a plastic tub for the purpose of soaking in a bath.

    The tub can be filled halfway with warm water, ensuring the legs and waist are fully submerged. Then, between 1/2 cup to 1 cup of Epsom salt is added. A soak for 10-15 minutes is all that’s needed. That’s it!

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 19, 2024 at 7:47 pm in reply to: Thyroid

    @Kkol was he sick at the time of testing? This pattern can indicate a possible viral infection. You can learn more about the different patterns HERE from the Interpreting Basic Blood Chemistry course.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 19, 2024 at 3:07 pm in reply to: Rhabdo. Guidance needed

    @Kkol glad to see his results came back negative. Did you end up pursuing the consultation with the geneticist?

    Since the doctor has given your son the green light to go on with life, I would encourage you to address the thyroid autoimmunity and not ignore it. Clearly something in his body or environment is creating a a more hypervigilant immune system, which should be addressed.

    Please make time to watch the Thyroid Balance course so that he can start working on digestion/gut health, immune health and removing triggers that lead to that perfect storm called autoimmunity.

  • Bernadette_Abraham

    Administrator
    October 18, 2024 at 9:17 am in reply to: One year old ate dirt in backyard

    @Annie – unfortunately, the lessons were filmed individually to keep them short and in bite-sized chunks for easier learning, which is why the audio files are also separate. However, our presentation includes the entire course as a single fillable PDF that you can download at the beginning of each course.

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