[bernadette]

Hi

1. Correct, I add 1 tsp of the clear salt water to my glass water bottle which is about 750ml.

2. Keep the jar on the counter. I’d put a piece of wax or parchment paper between the metal lid and jar. Salt corrodes metal so it will rust with time.

3. Salt is a natural preservative so no expiry date

[bernadette]

I’d love to see those studies about ginger if you can ask her to share them please.

And those supplements are methylated. As I said in my previous message, some women can’t tolerate those forms.

She can stop for a few days to see if they relieve her symptoms and then look at methyl-free options if it does.

[bernadette]

 my freezer is still something I need to improve on because I still rely a lot on ziplock bags for freezing things. But one way to make it less harmful is to ensure whatever you’re putting in the bag isn’t hot. You can also wrap whatever food item you want to freeze in aluminum foil. It’s going into the freezer so no worries of aluminum leaching into the food.

I do have silicone bags but not enough for everything we freeze. I do also use glass jars for some items and you can also use stainless steel containers with rubber lids in the freezer too.

[bernadette]

correct – it may have some benefits but not necessarily towards your goal. Listen to your body…

[bernadette]

 AHCC undergoes a unique fermentation process which reduces the molecular weight and makes it absorbable, so I don’t think whole mushroom in supplement form will have the same effects you’re looking for. 

[bernadette]

 ok, so some reasons that can cause high testosterone are:   
• High insulin which pushes the Theca cells to make more testosterone
• Stress. If the HPA axis is ramped up and making lots of cortisol, the body can make lots of testosterone too.
• PCOS but not always 

Her insulin seems optimal from these results. How is her stress level? Has she ever done a multi-sample salivary/cortisol test to check? Has her ACTH been measured? Has PCOS been ruled out? Does she consume fenugreek by any chance? All of these can push higher testosterone production.

Now to help lower higher testosterone, here are some points of consideration:
• Liver detox support (important for thyroid conversion too)
• White peony (paeonia lactiflora)
• Green tea extract
• Licorice
• If she’s 5 alpha-pathway dominant (this can be shown in a DUTCH hormone test), it can be blocked with things like saw palmetto, nettle root, EGCG, zinc, pygeum, spearmint tea, and reishi mushroom

[bernadette]

 does she experience symptoms of high testosterone like anger, aggression, irritation, quick to snap, scalp hair loss, body hair growth, facial hair, acne?

[bernadette]

 just letting you know that I’m finally able to log into the account. But unfortunately, we won’t be using them as a lab testing service provider for B Better at this time. We are working on finding a way for members to order their own labs through 3rd party testing service providers and will let you know when we achieve that.

[bernadette]

 Ok, thanks for resharing. Now that I can see her thyroid values, it’s clear she’s not converting her T4 to T3 properly. Her Free T3 level is suboptimal low compared to the clinical reference range.

This T4 to T3 conversion requires nutrients; iron, zinc, vitamin A, selenium. It also requires good liver function which is where most of the conversion takes place. Her AST seems to be a little on the higher end of the optimal range, so there could be a connection there as well.

I encourage you to go through the Thyroid course or as a minimum the following video on reasons for low T3 (functionally low – not clinically low).

You can then watch foods for a healthy thyroid and supplements for a healthy thyroid for additional support.

[bernadette]

 Again, it’s a very wide question. Probiotics are like food and food can help a wide variety of conditions.

I already shared some of the benefits of the probiotic containing L reuteri, so let me share some possible benefits of the second one you shared with those specific bifido and lacto strains:

Those strains could potentially help with:
• bad breath
• gas and/or foul odor
• diarrhea/constipation problems
• infections by enhancing immune function
• acne
• inflammatory conditions

Hope this helps

[bernadette]

Hi  another member asked about pregnancy related nausea recently so you can read about that thread and our detailed replies here. I’ll also summarize a few key points below:
• Estrogen rises quickly during the first trimester of the pregnancy which can lead to nausea.  This meta analysis from 2014 concluded that the use of ginger (∼1 g daily) for at least 4 days is associated with a 5-fold likelihood of improvement in nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy.

-> Do you know how much ginger she was taking? Maybe it’s not a high enough dose?
• The increase in hormones does also put more strain on the liver to detoxify the spent hormones, thus removing anything that can strain the liver can help (cleaning up personal hygiene products, eating more organic if possible, eliminating anything that requires liver detox like caffeine, artificial sweeteners, etc), as well as balancing blood sugar levels (how’s her diet?). Sleep quality is important too since good liver and hormone function rely on quality sleep.

In addition to ginger tea/supplements, here are some foods that support liver/gallbladder health:

• Beet kvass (recipe in in handouts in Resources section)
• Beets cooked any way served with a little coconut oil, butter or extra virgin olive oil
• A squeeze of lemon in water
• Turmeric in dishes
• Garlic, lightly cooked
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc
• Greens (dandelion, turnip, beet, arugula)

Other issues may be associated with nausea:
• Estrogen and progesterone imbalances
• Thyroid levels
• Serotonin and leptin levels
• Immune system dysregulation
• H pylori infection and pregnancy induced changes to the upper GI
• High histamine levels (if this is the reason, trying a DAO enzyme supplement like Seeking Health’s Histamine Block may help)

Also, many prenatal vitamins could be the cause of nausea in pregnancy. Do you know what brand she’s using? If it contains iron, this could be causing nausea too.

Some people are also sensitive to methylated forms of B vitamins so choosing one that is methyl-free can often help reduce nausea. I like Seeking Health’s Optimal Prenatal Methyl Free

Stopping her prenatal for a few days could help her see if it’s contributing to her symptoms, and then maybe shop around for another form that is methyl-free, and perhaps a different form of iron.

More tips were shared in the member’s post I linked above.

Hope this helps her! And please ask her to join us here in B Better. We’d be happy to support her too.

[bernadette]

 I usually recommend my clients stop at least 2 days before testing to get a baseline level

[bernadette]

 with probiotics, it’s not a question of which is better, but instead what is it best needed for. It’s like comparing lettuce and broccoli and asking which is better. Well, they’re both useful but each has a unique property that can assist with different health outcomes.

Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 for example has quite a bit of clinical research in being an effective treatment for H Pylori infections in adults. It can also help with halitosis (bad breath), constipation, IBS, gum disease and dental caries. And in infants, it can help with colic, management of asthma symptoms, IBS/constipation, and much more.

It might be easier to let us know what you’re hoping to achieve with your probiotic, and perhaps we can help offer researched strains that can do so.

[bernadette]

can I ask you to please resubmit the labs. They are sideways and very blurry. Thanks

What I could see is a suboptimal TSH (above 2) but the range of her T4 isn’t clear. Is her result on the lower end of the clinical reference range? It would be great to get a full thyroid panel to be able to have a clearer picture of her thyroid function.

Here’s a video explaining the markers in a complete thyroid panel.

If her T4 is on the lower end of the range, it might mean that her medication dosage needs to be adjusted/increased since TSH is also slightly elevated. Suboptimal thyroid function will definitely make it difficult to lose weight, and can even lead to weight gain.

Was a blood sugar panel ever taken? Here’s a video with suggested markers to check. High insulin will also make losing weight very difficult because insulin in itself is a fat storage hormone and affects thyroid function. Here’s a video to better understand how insulin affects thyroid function.

If stress is high, elevated cortisol can also be part of the picture and affecting thyroid function. Here’s a video to understand that dynamic.

And I can see that sex hormones were measured (which can affect thyroid function) but I can’t see the numbers clearly. In any case, here’s the video on how sex hormones can impact thyroid function.

After watching these videos, please let us know which of these players you feel is at play and we can better guide you from there.

And perhaps your sister be interested in joining B Better so we can better guide her?

[bernadette]

 appreciate the initiative in calling them on my behalf. I have tried logging in ever since I got approved and still get the same error: 
• ERROR: Your account has to be confirmed by an administrator before you can log in.

They said they are looking into the issue for me so hopefully they’ll respond soon enough. I will let you know when it’s sorted.