[Daniel]

Hey ,

If it is working, you have found a way! Unfortunately therapy does take time and it needs work as well.

EMDR can still be an important supplemental therapy. It can help you process trauma quite fast. It is a supplemental therapy, because it doesn’t address unhealthy learned thoughts and behaviours.

Learning to trust your body is a process as well. And as far as I can tell it did a great job bringing you here today!

If you have any further questions, just let us know!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

First of all, I’m sorry to hear your story! Although I don’t know the exact details of your story, early traumatic experiences can cause anxiety with health.

For example, the loss of a parent can make you aware of how vulnerable life is, which can lead to an exaggerated sense of vulnerability and fear of death or illness.

I don’t know if this is at play in your situation.

If traumas are at play Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) often is a great form of therapy that can help. But it does take time. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is another tool that can help you process your trauma and can be a great supplemental therapy. Did you try these forms of therapy?

Processing traumas is probably part of your healing journey. Finding meaning in what happened to you is part of this journey as well. 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is also great when you want to reduce anxiety around your health. But you have to feel good and trust your therapist as well. The last part is a big success factor for making the therapy work.

Educating yourself about how the body works can also be a part of your journey. The school where I was taught functional medicine learned us that the body has so many healing systems. The body has great resilience. It doesn’t want to get sick or die. 

Yes, we can get sick. But this often only happens when we haven’t supported our body in the right way for a while. Let me give you 2 examples:
• It takes about 10 years for diabetes to manifest. It is often an accumulation of lifestyle circumstances over these 10 years that causes diabetes.
• Calcification of arteries is also strongly influenced by lifestyle factors. Yet we often don’t see calcification happening above the age of 40 and often in combination with a life of bad lifestyle habits.

What we teach here is how to support those healing systems. Knowledge about those systems can also help you reduce your anxiety. Have you tried for example following one of the courses here?

I hope these tips can help you.

[Daniel]

Hey ,

This supplement contains kelp (brown seaweed) extract which is high in iodine. Recommended for adults is that we consume 140 mcg daily.

Since I don’t know this supplement, I will provide you details on iodine amounts and thyroid health.

How much iodine is in brown seaweed/kelp
Although some sources mention that kelp can contain around 1000 mcg of iodine in 1 gram of kelp, the amount can vary greatly per batch, making it hard to determine the amount of iodine in kelp supplements.

What happens with high dosages of Iodine?
Low iodine intake can cause hypothyroidism, but less known is that a high intake of iodine can also aggravate thyroid issues. In fact, some people can experience hypothyroidism with daily dosages of iodine above 2 mg because they can’t adapt to the amount of iodine and it in time starts to inhibit thyroid hormone production. Some people can experience hyperthyroidism with these amounts of iodine and other people have no problem at all. 

Kelp & Thyroid medications
I know that patients taking levothyroxine (medication used with hypothyroidism) are advised to avoid using kelp products since it can alter the amount of medication they should use in an unpredictable way (you can find more information about that here). It is probably for this reason, the warning is on the product.

Advise
Since the amount of iodine isn’t specified here and I don’t exactly know what the concentration of iodine in the kelp extract is, I can’t answer the question with certainty, but I suspect the warning is there for people who are on levothyroxine or other thyroid medication.

Perhaps if you send them an email, they can clarify what they mean with their warning

[Daniel]

Hey ,

When I formulated the first version of my answer in my enthusiasm I recommended magnesium citrate since I was focused on writing tips that address constipation. I corrected this response quite fast, but for some reason, you still have read the older version.

With CKD-3, magnesium taxes the kidneys and it is important to stop supplementing. The best recommendation here is to avoid magnesium supplements unless her doctor advises her otherwise.

[Daniel]

Hey ,

First of all: even if you have been here a while, welcome to the community! I’m happy you introduced yourself. My name is Daniel and I help Bernadette on the platform.

We have a lot of content that could help you find relief. For example, in this handout, you can find possible causes and recommendations on what to do with joint pain.

Did you already take a look at the Gut Health Masterclass? I recommend you go through the material since gut health influences health in many ways. In this masterclass, Gastritis/Acid Reflux will also be discussed in detail. 

I did already help you with a place to start in the ‘ask-your-questions’ space where you posted your question.

Enjoy the content!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

There can be several reasons why your mouth feels irritated or your tongue feels scalded and your suspicion is right: acid reflux/gastritis is one of them. Keeping an open mind is important since there can be other reasons like allergies, post nasal drip and infections for example.

Some other lifestyle factors could also cause an irritated mouth. For example acidic foods & (soft) drinks, dental materials and overuse of mouthwashes. Some people push their tongue against their teeth, bite the tip of their tongue or grind and clench their teeth. All these things can cause or contribute to these symptoms as well.

Gastritis/Acid Reflux
Since you mentioned you have gastritis and acid reflux symptoms, I will zoom in on this part. Here are some common causes:
• H. Pylori overgrowth. H. Pylori is a bacteria that most people have and it normally lives in small numbers in or on the lining of the stomach. When the stomach becomes less acidic, H. pylori can start growing and cause some damage causing inflammation in the stomach (gastritis). In the gut health masterclass we have a video about how to reduce an H. Pylori overgrowth – just click here.
• Stress reduces the secretion of digestive juices like stomach acid. You can see that living and eating in a stressful state can be the root cause of gastritis. With low stomach acid, you could also experience acid reflux. The reduced acidity of the stomach can lead to acid leaching into the oesophagus, where the tissue is much more sensitive to the acid.
• Food sensitivities can also cause acid reflux. If you as well experience a post-nasal drip, then eliminating dairy might be a good starting point.
• Nutrient deficiencies can also be at play. PPI’s reduce stomach acid, but stomach acid is needed to digest iron & vitamin B12 as well. These nutrients, when you lack them, can also cause a scalded tongue or an irritated mouth. Other nutrient deficiencies that could play a role are zinc, folate and vitamin B6. Usually, with nutrient deficiencies, the presence of these symptoms is not developing over a night. But at the very least it would be a good idea to check your iron & vitamin B12 serum levels when you are using PPI’s for a longer while.
• Hiatal hernia. When your stomach is pushed through the diaphragm we talk about a ‘Hiatal Hernia’. This can also cause the stomach to produce less stomach acid and can be at the base of developing gastritis as well.
• Hypothyroidism can slow down stomach acid production causing low stomach acid as well.

In the library, there is a handout about acid reflux which you can find here. I recommend you take a look at it. Much of the advice above you will find in a summarized version over there with many practical tips on what you can do to reduce symptoms of gastritis and acid reflux.

When your tongue is scalded because of acid, the tongue is damaged and will need to heal first. This can take a couple of days in many cases, but it could take up to 1-2 weeks in more severe cases. But here are some tips that could help you reduce the irritated feeling in your mouth or reduce the scalded tongue.
• Salt water solutions can cleanse your mouth and help when bacteria are causing an infection following a tongue burn. Take care not to overdo it, though. Too much salt can irritate the injury. Dissolve about 1/8 a teaspoon in eight ounces of water, rinse and then spit out the saltwater mix.
• Cool drinks, cool foods or sucking on ice could help reduce some of the pain your feel in your mouth.
• Coat your tongue with milk. Many people use milk to reduce the heat when they have eaten spicy foods. Milk can also soothe a burned tongue.
• Coat your tongue with manuka honey. Honey has antibacterial properties. Keeping your mouth free of bacteria can prevent infection while your tongue is healing.

I hope these tips can provide you with some relief!

[Daniel]

 Just to be sure: on the images with the list of medications you posted, she only uses Furosemide?

As Bernadette mentioned, getting her to move more and addressing her insulin resistance can help her reduce stress on the veins and heart. In this case, relatively easy advice (walking more, reducing sugar/carbs, etc) can already impact her health a lot.

Adding in some practical advice to address constipation:

• Eat plant foods. Make sure she gets enough fibre
• Physical inactivity can also contribute to constipation
• Healthy fats like Extra Virgin Olive Oil and avocado can improve gut motility as well. 
• Drink enough water (but this one should be consulted with her doctor because she is in the third stage of Chronic Kidney Disease and uses perhaps medications on which drinking too much can be contraindicated). Water is also important for gut motility.
• Be aware that magnesium supplements that are often recommended for constipation are not good advice because this can tax her kidneys.

Good luck!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Usually, water retention can happen because of various reasons. Sometimes it is just as simple as that a person doesn’t move enough, since lymph fluid moves in the body through body movement. But a lack of movement can also cause slower blood flow in the veins in the arms and legs since blood in these parts isn’t only dependent on the heart pump function.  

Other problems that could cause water retention are kidney issues, liver cirrhosis, heart problems use of medications and hormonal changes.

How old is your mother? Perhaps you could share more about your mother’s health (including other current medications she might be using) to narrow things down.

Assessing pictures only without context can cause misinformation. Perhaps you know if her doctor diagnosed her with venous insufficiency? Or something else?

[Daniel]

 Yes, the article was written with this in mind.

This stuff isn’t thought in school, but in my opinion, it should be. We all have used one or more of these methods ourselves. They are common.

Recognizing these methods can be the first step toward personal growth. Manipulation isn’t always used ‘to get what you want’, but it can also be a way of protecting your self-image for example. 

Once you can see through these tactics, you can actually learn a lot about yourself! And as a bonus, you can learn a lot about others.

If you know how to recognize these patterns, you can also start finding out how to say the same in a way that actually can strengthen your relationships or keep them more ‘clean’.

Reasons, why people use these methods are often related to insecurity and low self-esteem. These types of feelings are just as well a form of stress that can contribute to disease! 

For most people, when they use these tactics, it gives a lot of stress as well. Situations often escalate. Provided that narcissism doesn’t play a role, people often end up with feelings of guilt or shame about their behaviours as well.

These feelings of shame and guilt can strengthen low self-esteem making it more likely to resort to these methods.

[Daniel]

, thank you for sharing this. I think you bring up a valuable point here as well! There are definitely things we can do as friends and family.

Survivors that are in these toxic romantic relationships can feel isolated. Partly of shame or feelings of being judged by friends and other people. And this comes on top of the self-judging these survivors are already doing.

Often these people are best helped by friends who don’t judge – even as it is quite hard as a friend to express your concerns. Learning about these manipulation techniques can help you understand what they are going through.

Understanding the basics of these behaviours as a friend can help them retain the confidence that they have left… and even build it up!

I will make sure I spend some time explaining how to do this as well!

[Daniel]

Eid Mubarak !

[Daniel]

Hey ,

I don’t know any doctors in Dubai, but perhaps  could help you with this.

Some important details for us to help you with better guidance:
• Why do you believe your kid is growing slow? Have you for example noticed that your kid was always small? Or has there been a change in the growth rate?
• How old is your son?
• How long is your son?
• Does your kid eat well?
• Does your kid feels stressed?
• How did you and the father grow around this age?
• Did you use any medications during your pregnancy?
• Did your son use any medications in his first year? For example inhalation steroids?
• Did your son used medications used to treat ADD?

Usually, there needs to be done some more investigation to examine if growth hormone is a solution. Often bones are examined on their ‘age’ and are compared with the biological age of the kid. This is usually done by X-ray. Most bones contain ‘bone growth plates’ from which bones can grow. 

Here are some reasons why kids can stay small:
• If a kid is very active and doesn’t eat enough compared to his activities, it will be hard to grow.
• Nutrient deficiencies can play a role like vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin K2 (which redirects the absorbed calcium to the bones)
• Absorption problems can cause a slow growth rate. Coeliac disease for example.
• Hypothyroidism can slow down the growth rate as well – if you are going to test I recommend watching this video first!
• With stress, the growth rate can be suppressed as well. If you like to explore his stress hormones, I would recommend doing the DUTCH test for example. 
• There can be genetic issues
• And sometimes someone is healthy, but just doesn’t grow as much…. or very late.

If you worry, just ask a doctor! I hope Bernadette can help you with some starting points in finding a doctor!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

It looks really good. We should share more recipes together!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Keep us updated about the process if you like! And no need for apologies here!

[Daniel]

Hey  

Yes, some worms that dogs can get, such as roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms, can potentially be transmitted to humans (especially to children, who are more likely to come into contact with contaminated soil or other substances)

Prevention is key to avoiding the transmission of these parasites. Here are some ways to prevent it:
1. Regularly clean up your dog’s feces from the yard or any other areas that your dog uses. Be careful with the feces though, they contain the pathogens.
2. Wash your hands after playing with your dog, or cleaning up after your dog.
3. Avoid your dog from licking your face (or your children’s faces), especially around the mouth area.
4. If you have children, teach them not to touch (or eat!) anything that appears to be contaminated with feces or dirt.

By taking preventative measures, you can reduce the risk of transmission of worms from dogs to humans. However, if you suspect that you or someone in your family may have been exposed to dog worms, consult with a healthcare provider as soon as possible.

Symptoms of worms
Symptoms of worms can vary, but here are a few. The symptoms below fit more with pinworms:
• Red, itchy rash on your skin.
• Stomach problems that last longer than two weeks — such as diarrhea or a stomachache.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• See a worm or piece of a worm in your poop.

Symptoms of roundworms or more particularly strongyloidiasis are:
• Burning in the abdomen.
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rounds of diarrhea and constipation.

Severe strongyloidiasis infections may cause:
• Anemia.
• Chronic (long-lasting) diarrhea.
• Weight loss.

With Hookworms the symptoms may look similar. People in good health may be asymptomatic though. The signs may include:
• Anemia – when you don’t have enough red blood cells, you might experience fatigue
• Diarrhea.
• Mild abdominal pain and intestinal cramps.
• Nausea.

Back to your original question. Although I don’t have dogs myself and therefore don’t speak from experience, dogs are better at deworming. Their immune system is built for it. But the same basic rules apply to dogs as well as to humans. Dogs need the right nutrients like zinc and vitamin D.

Dogs Naturally is a holistic site for dog health that you might find interesting.

This article provides lots of good practical tips and food options.