[bernadette]

 ok do take a look at this product by Biotics Research called HCL Ease. It has healing botanicals specifically designed to be taken while someone is on PPIs for GERD and contains pepsin to help with breakdown of protein. Might be something to consider at this stage alongside GI Relief. 

The therapeutic dose is typically 3 capsules, 2 x per day between meals. And if nighttime reflux is an issue, 3 capsules can also be taken 1 hour before bed.

[bernadette]

Hi  – just wanted to check in on you. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been taking GI relief for almost a month now correct? How would you rate the relief you’re feeling in the stomach area? Is it the same, worse or slightly better?

[bernadette]

 some people are also sensitive to methylated forms of B vitamins (which Dr. Brigten’s formula is) so choosing one that is methyl-free can often help reduce anxiety/anxiousness, rapid heart beats and nausea. I like Seeking Health’s Optimal Prenatal Methyl Free

As Daniel mentioned, stopping the prenatal for a few days can help her see if it’s contributing to her symptoms, and then maybe shop around for another form that is methyl-free.

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 actually have a pre & post-op protocol that I had planned to share in the resources for this month but seeing that you need it sooner rather than later, here are some suggestions that can help:

Pre Surgery:
• Support immunity prior to surgery with Vitamin D, Vitamin A, zinc, and probiotics. Even if not started prior to surgery, these can certainly be added post-surgery to assist with wound healing and infection avoidance. One week after surgery, a person can begin the anti-inflammatory remedies again like omega-3, evening primrose oil, curcumin, bromelain, etc (unless there are issues with poor wound healing).

Immediately after surgery (for the first week or so): 
• Maximize the nutrient gained from liquids (e.g. green juice, protein smoothie, soups, pureed stews, etc). This minimizes the digestive effort required and allows the body to put its energy into healing. 

• In terms of lifestyle, I recommend that clients do whatever is necessary to sleep soundly (ex. sleep in a separate bedroom, wear earplugs, take 1-3 mg melatonin at night, pets/kids away from bedroom, etc); there is no better healing activity than a sound sleep. 

• Since surgery is very stressful for the body, avoid all stressful circumstances/conversations for a while after the surgery. I often recommend distractions like comedy movies or recordings. Post-surgery is also an excellent time to begin a meditation practice; a guided meditation app, CD or book can be helpful to get her started.

• Also, since a patient will be given a number of medications to prevent post-surgery complications, supporting the liver like Integrative Therapeutics Detoxification Factors or Pure Encapsulations Liver-G.I. Detox, can help mitigate the effects of the meds which need to be detoxified from the body. And take them for as long as they’re on meds. Just check with docs to make sure no contraindications!
• And some love for your gut: bone broth and/or a product that can help heal your gut lining. I like GI Revive (comes in capsules or powder form)

Visualize a successful and uneventful surgery! Wishing you the best of luck and an effective recovery. Please keep us posted on how it all goes. We’ll be praying for you.

[bernadette]

Hi  yes, we can help get you access to the DUTCH test if you wish (just email support@bernadetteabraham.com), but as Daniel mentioned, it doesn’t directly measure thyroid. If you’re looking to know more about thyroid health, I would recommend blood testing and here’s a video in the Thyroid course explaining the markers you should ask for.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

[bernadette]

 that’s what I’m busy with this week!! Stay tuned for that soon…

[bernadette]

 yes, no issues at all taking betaine while pregnant. BUT if she does have an H Pylori overgrowth, you do not want to be taking betaine as that will cause the bacteria to burrow further down into the gastric lining and potentially cause an ulcer.

Something else I didn’t mention that can contribute to nausea is her prenatal vitamin!! What brand is she taking?

[bernadette]

love all of these changes you’re making! Reducing workout frequency and intensity is usually a missing piece for many. So many people believe it’s “no pain, no gain” but in reality exercise that doesn’t match a person’s adrenal health status can be adding fuel to a fire!

I look forward to following your health journey…

[bernadette]

 YES!! So proud of you for making that connection with berberine. 

I’m so glad to hear the course was helpful. I look forward to hearing your progress in reversing insulin resistance!

Digestive enzymes are generally safe to take but they can make the pancreas produce less if it doesn’t sense the need to make it on its own. To bypass this, I generally recommend my clients take enzymes mid-meal and not before a meal so that their body has a chance to produce digestive enzymes on its own and then complement it with supplemental enzymes. Makes sense?

Also note that digestive enzymes are generally a bandaid solution. Have you tried to investigate what may be causing your poor digestion? Of course fixing blood sugar dysregulation will help since the pancreas is needed in both digestion & blood sugar management. But have you considered low stomach acid? Poor eating hygiene?

The Gut Health Masterclass is another course I would strongly encourage you to watch. It is much longer though so here are a few videos I would recommend starting with:
• Summary of how digestion works
• Eating hygiene (simple but powerful)
• Causes of low stomach acid
• Dysfunction: pancreas
• Digestive enzyme support

Hope these help!

[bernadette]

Hi  – first, I want you to be comfortable here to ask private questions so please feel free to change your profile name to an alias. I filmed a quick tutorial showing members how to change their privacy settings here: https://bb.genesisengine.io/forums/discussion/2991591

It would help to know what exactly you’re dealing with so perhaps consulting with another gynecologist to get a proper diagnosis would be a good idea.

We have handouts in the Symptom Dictionary for both yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. Have you seen those?

We also have protocols for symptom relief for each in the “Protocols” section. Here’s the one for yeast infection and here’s the one for bacterial vaginosis that you can review as well.

Given the collection of your symptoms and gas, there is likely some gut dysbiosis. Do you pass a good amount of stool (type 3-4 on the Bristol stool chart) at least 1 -2 x per day? Let’s start there…

Have you watched any videos in the Gut Health Masterclass yet? Please let me know.

How to Change Your Notification Preferences (to receive less emails & notifications)

[bernadette]

 if you have the time to go through the whole course, please do so. Having a thorough understanding of the organs at play and what affects blood sugar regulation will really help you tackle and reverse your insulin resistance.

If you’re going to measure HbA1C, make sure you also measure fasting glucose and fasting insulin or c-peptide along with it to know what stage of insulin resistance you’re in.

Here’s the video on testing to better understand the markers to be asking your doctor for.

[bernadette]

 I generally start my clients with 400mg of magnesium glycinate and adjust up or down according to bowel tolerance (while never exceeding 1200mg per day). Also make sure she checks her prenatal as there may already be some magnesium in there.

[bernadette]

 I’m actually well versed in this subject and have it on my future list of courses to film. Glad to know there’s interest. I will consider it sooner rather than later.

And this month’s course will be a continuation to the thyroid course but a focus on adrenal health.

[bernadette]

Hi  – in the blood sugar balance course, I share different strategies for the different stages of insulin resistance. So in an effort to be more specific and point you to the videos that will help you out the most, would you mind sharing your fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1C results if you have them (along with reference ranges please)?

In the meantime, I encourage you to watch the following short videos if you don’t have the time to go through the full course:
• If you’re not sure what stage of insulin resistance you’re at, here’s a summary video sharing different symptoms (energy, appetite, sleep) at various times of the day to help you narrow it down, along with a downloadable handout for easier reference.
• What is the best diet? (this takes a closer look at the carb debate)
• Carb Hacks to Reduce Glucose Spikes (simple action steps but powerful)
• Dietary Guidelines That Work For Many (putting it all together)

Please watch the above and let me know if you have further questions so we can continue guiding you.

[bernadette]

 in functional medicine, we don’t really put much weight on the diagnosis or label (or lack thereof) and instead emphasize the importance of understanding who this individual is and what dynamics are allowing an autoimmune activation given the positive ANA and RNP result.

Two people can have the same autoimmune diagnosis but completely different root cause reasons.

If you haven’t yet watched the Thyroid course, I’d encourage you to watch the Autoimmune Disease Facts video even though I’m focusing on Thyroid health, to better understand how autoimmunity takes place.

Then watch Autoimmune Thyroiditis Recommendations for some steps to take to begin addressing autoimmunity. Although this video focuses on the thyroid, testing immune nutrients (like vitamin D, A, and zinc for example) and looking for root cause reasons will be the same in all autoimmune cases. It’s just a matter of finding her root cause reasons and triggers.

I would encourage you to get her to join B Better so we can better guide her as well.