[bernadette]

 bovine means from cattle – cows.

[bernadette]

I’d also like to add to Daniel’s reply. I used to sell and distribute upright furniture (all in the name of health and fitness). Since we spend most of our waking hours seated, it’s a very unnatural position for our bodies to be in and the lack of movement negatively influences our health at a cellular level.

I switched to an upright desk and leaning seat by Focal Upright ages ago and recommend it to anyone with lower back pain. As Daniel mentioned, the goal is to have your knees at a 45 degree angle (lower than hips) in order to open up the angle of your hips. By doing so, the spine naturally straightens up as opposed to a 90 degree angle when seated in a chair which causes a C-shape curve to the spine, and requires conscious effort to sit up “straight”.

The next piece to the puzzle is movement. My setup allows me to go from a leaning position when tired of standing, to an upright standing position. This creates constant movement while working. Sitting all day and standing all day both come with health risks – so if you can create an work environment that allows for small movements throughout the day, that’s ideal. The bonus is burning around 500 calories more per day! Standing is exercise!

You can also check out the Versa Desk which allows you to use your existing desk with a riser for your computer to get you standing.

Hope this gives you a few other solutions to consider.

[bernadette]

I’m pleased to see the overall improvements. This means you’re beginning to absorb nutrients better.

Once my clients are comfortable on d-limonene (if there was biliary tract congestion), are no longer constipated and have been on a methylated B complex for at least 30-60 days, I then recommend that they consider a B Complex higher in B6 like Thorne’s B Complex #6.

Vitamin B6 is incredibly important for methylation and detoxification, including bile acids.

Regarding your low iron, I have recently been recommending clients start with the homeopathic cell salt “Ferrum Phosphoricum”. I have personally been using cell salts more recently and really impressed by their effectiveness (and ease of intake). I recommend you watch the interview we had with Dr Manjari on homeopathy and cell salts to learn more. We had answered your questions towards the end as well.

[bernadette]

Hi
– others already replied to you. I personally use this tea as a preventive measure during travel and flu season, as it exhibits antiviral properties. It should be brewed 3 x to extract all of its polyphenols before being discarded. It’s also very high in antioxidants so good at countering oxidative stress.

In terms of different teas for gut support, there’s also slippery elm bark and lemon balm (which is calming), and dandelion root to support liver/gallbladder.

[bernadette]

Hi  love your technical questions…

So transferrin plays an important role in iron transport and it may also have an immunomodulatory effect. As you may already know, immunoglobulins support the immune system and the gut which could be one of the reasons why it was added. Another possibility could be that since transferrin binds to iron, it could limit the availability of iron to potential pathogens. 
 
But I’m not too sure of the exact reason… it’s probably best to reach out to the company directly and ask about its specific role in the previous formulation and why they decided to remove it. Please report back if you do!

As for your second question, the main difference between the two is that SBI protect is derived from dairy, whereas MegaIgG is dairy-free.

Hope that helps!

[bernadette]

Hi  I noticed that you asked about a cracked tongue in a previous post. Is this for the same person?

[bernadette]

 it’s normal and expected for a pregnant woman to gain weight to help support the caloric demands of a growing fetus, but I believe what you’re referring to is excessive weight gain from a junk-food filled processed food diet.

So the best place to start is with my VPF+C dietary principle which ensures that she’s getting all of the macronutrients needed. If you haven’t yet watched the “Food pillar” inside the Beginner’s Health Roadmap, that’s where I would start (video linked above).

In addition to those dietary guidelines, here is a list of nutrient-dense foods that will help guard against dietary deficiencies during pregnancy:
• Eggs
• Fish
• Leafy greens
• Full fat, organic grassfed milk products 
• Nuts and seeds
• Organic organ meats
• Poultry
• Red meats
• Sea vegetables
• Whole grains

Hope this helps.

[bernadette]

I can recommend a two:

-Dr Janine McKay at American Wellness Center (email her nurse at honey@americanwellnesscenter.ae)

-Dr Emily Johnson at Pure Chiropractic in Motor City (04-513-9912)

Both excellent at what they do!

[bernadette]

 Perry Nickelston is on my list of experts to have in B Better, so while I can’t comment on this particular course of his because I haven’t taken it, I do know the work he produces and shares is top notch. Let us know how you like it if you do end up taking it!

[bernadette]

have you seen the Fatty Acid Balance course? I share several brands of high quality omega-3 supplements depending on your dosage needs. Here’s the video you can watch on Omega-3 Supplements for more info.

[bernadette]

Hi  – while breast milk is the best option for an infant, sometimes circumstances call for a substitute. In these cases, a woman can seek out milk from another lactating woman. Donation centers do exist in North America – just search “breast milk donation bank near me” and see what comes up in your search.

If that’s not an option, the next best would be organic goat milk due to its smaller protein size which makes it more digestible. I personally used to the brand Holle when I needed to supplement.

Another option is to try to make your own goat milk baby formula. Here’s a great website that shares how (and sells it too).

Hope this helps.

[bernadette]

Hi  – glad you like this feature! I’ll share where I buy my products. Other members may want to chime in with their favorites too. Lots of good brands out there…
1.  I buy my pasta from the Organic Foods & Cafe (OF&C) – I get the Organic Larder brand. I’m not too fussed about brands of pasta as long as the wheat or grain used is certified organic since wheat is a heavily sprayed crop.

2. Same as pasta. I buy my rice from OF&C. In Canada and the US, I would recommend the Lundberg brand of rice because they test for arsenic, but we don’t have that brand here unfortunately.

3. In Dubai, I get these from Honest Kitchen (also happens to be gluten-free). In Canada/US, I would recommend the Siete brand made from Cassava flour.

4. Hot sauce – OF&C.

5. White fish – I get organic seabream from the company called Fish Farm. They sell in Union Coop, Carrefour and Spinneys. Make sure you check the tag to see the organic ESMA logo on the other side of the Fish Farm tag. They also used to sell organic salmon which was beautiful and tested to be contaminant-free, but they’ve temporarily closed their facility. I haven’t been able to find a good salmon replacement since that I can strongly recommend. Next best is to choose one that is wild caught.

6. OF&C – I buy majority of my spices there. Spices are generally irradiated, so by getting them organic, you ensure they aren’t. I’m sure Spinneys, Carrefour, etc will also carry organic spices. I’m not fussed over any particular brand.

Hope that helps. By the way, in my book UNJUNK, I share these types of resources if you need more information too.

[bernadette]

Hi  – Epstein-Barr is a virus from the herpes family. It consists of a small collection of genetic material (DNA or RNA) encased in a capsid, a protective protein coat.  After infection of human cells and some initial replication (typically in B cells of the immune system), herpesvirus migrates up the nerves and becomes established in the dorsal root ganglion in the spinal cord.  Once here, the virus becomes “latent” and will lie dormant in the spinal cord until reactivation. One can acquire a virus without having any noticeable illness, and reactivation may never happen.  For example, the herpesvirus that causes chicken pox typically lies dormant and causes no other illness for the life of the human host.  However, reactivation of the virus in adulthood can result in the illness we call shingles.

EBV is very common. By school age, over half of children have antibodies to the virus, and by adulthood, nearly all people have them worldwide.  EBV causes mononucleosis or what we often call “mono” in later childhood and teenage years.  This is an overview with more detail which might be of interest to you.  This is a helpful site for interpreting viral antibody labwork, as it usually includes markers not used with bacterial infection assessment (due to the permanent nature of virus residence in the body).

If he is struggling with longer-lasting or chronic EBC reactivation, it’s typically evidence of a weak or overwhelmed immune system that is unable to keep the virus dormant in the latent phase. 

Young people in today’s society can struggle with recurrent viral infections due to lifestyle choices that impair the immune system.  Another infection (e.g. viral, bacterial, fungal) can reactivate the EBV virus from B cells.  Natural killer cell and cytotoxic T-cell capability in particular are key to countering EBV rapidly upon infection and preventing EBV reactivation.

Also consider toxic components that can strain the immune system. A previous client of mine was having EBV reactivations because of iron overload that she didn’t know she had.

Figuring out what’s taxing his immune system and supporting his immune system is the goal in countering persistent EBV. If there’s a secondary infection like SIBO, parasites, candida overgrowth, lyme… all of these need to be addressed first while also strengthening immunity.

I have found that eliminating stimulants (e.g. coffee), ensuring consistently deep and restful sleep, and addressing identified suboptimal nutrients (especially zinc, Vitamin D, and Vitamin A – key for immune strength) all particularly important in helping with lasting relief.

Encourage him to move away from processed, refined foods (especially soda (of any kind) and pro-inflammatory vegetable oils) and nourish himself with whole, natural foods will be powerful!   Anti-inflammatory and detoxification-boosting options will be powerful (e.g. berries, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, ginger, leafy herbs such as parsley and cilantro, and perhaps a “greens food” blend that includes algae such as chlorella and spirulina).  If his diet is poor at present, a high-quality multivitamin will also likely be helpful, at least in the short term (e.g. Metagenics’ PhytoMulti).  Replenishing suboptimal magnesium has also been found to be helpful with EBV.
It’s important to remember that every function in the body (all cells) requires consistently adequate cellular energy production.  Poor cellular metabolism can be a root cause of any dysfunction in the body, including ineffective immune function.  To this end, remember to consider, in particular, both thyroid and adrenal function in these types of persistent chronic viral infections.  Suboptimal thyroid function can be at play (alas, a real catch-22 in the case of infection-mediated Hashimoto’s and a great example of why at least short-term medication, when needed, may be critical to allow long-term healing).  This can be assessed via a full thyroid panel (TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, and both TPO and Tg autoantibodies). 

Suboptimally low cortisol availability will impair thyroid function too, by limiting the ability of T3 thyroid hormone to get into our cells.

Suboptimally high cortisol promotes the formation of Reverse T3 (which competes with available Free T3) and impairs thyroid action and also weakens immune function in fighting infections.  A multi-sample salivary or urinary cortisol test (click here to watch a short video) will help to clarify if adrenal dysfunction is at play.
In terms of countering an active viral infection itself, the use of a cocktail of two or more natural anti-viral “immune booster” compounds for at least a few months can be helpful.  Some potent examples include olive leaf extract (e.g. Designs for Health), coconut oil (typically 1 Tbsp twice daily or can be taken as monolaurin in capsules), reishi mushroom (e.g. Thorne’s Myco-Immune), cat’s claw (e.g. Pure Encapsulations or other 250-500 mg, 1-2x/day) and larch arabinogalactan (e.g. Pure Encapsulations, 3 caps/dose, building up to twice daily).  Optimal selenium levels also are critical for optimizing immune function; eating 3-4 Brazil nuts daily is a simple strategy to increase selenium.

You can find more details in this Virus/Flu Support Protocol in the resources.
Hope this helps.

[bernadette]

 as mentioned above – Life Pharmacy

[bernadette]

Hi  – I buy my husband the RAW Coffee Company brand. They do mold and mycotoxin checks, and are certified organic.