[Daniel]

I usually put my frozen veggies/foods with bag and all in a big bowl of water. Because water transports heat 10x faster then air (this is why washing your hand with room temperature water feels much colder than having your hands in room temperature air), everything frozen will warm up to room temperature much quicker. 

The trick is however to have a big bowl. It won’t defrost as fast as Bernadettes trick, but it will keep the veggies dry.

[Daniel]

Hi ,

Dosage may also depend on what you want to take it for. Are you using zinc to make sure you have adequate amounts? Are you on a plant based diet? Or are you trying to improve immunity? Or are you trying to give your body for other reasons support? 

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Yes, there is!

I will try to give you more than holistic drops. I will provide you with some tools that will help you support your entire body! A yeast infection on the tongue is also called ‘Oral Thrush’ or ‘Thrush’
What causes thrush?Most people have small amounts of Candida fungus in the mouth, digestive tract and skin. They are normally kept in check by other bacteria and microorganisms in the body. When illnesses, stress, or medications disturb this balance, the fungus grows out of control and causes thrush. Wearing dentures, especially upper dentures, or having conditions that cause dry mouth (like sleep apnea or mouth breathing) can increase the risk of oral thrush.
How to support your immune systemHelping your immune system be the best it can be, requires nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin C & zinc. Make sure you have adequate amounts in your diet. This can help you fight off the infection and helps to keep the infection away as well. Dosing vitamin D depends on your current blood levels. Up to 4000 IU taken with food is considered safe without consulting a doctor where I live. I sometimes recommend my clients temporarily to go even higher, but since I don’t know your current health status I recommend you talk with a practitioner/doctor first if you would like to explore that option. Here are some other dosages you can use SHORT TERM to boost your immune function.
• Fully formed vitamin A 10.000 units per day for a maximum of 2 weeks. I usually recommend a vitamin A supplement Pure Encapsulations (click here to find the supplement in the online supplement store Fullscript. You need to have signed on first)
• Zinc: For females, I recommend 40 mg, and for males 50 mg. Remember to lower your dosage after your immune-boosting days. 8 mg is what is daily recommended. Continuing with high dosages of zinc can lower your body’s copper levels since zinc and copper compete for absorption. (Click here for a liquid supplement also from Pure Encapsulations).

Zinc can cause nausea in some people. The risk of nausea is lower when you divide the dosages over the day and it’s even lower if you combine your zinc supplement with a meal.
• Vitamin C: 2x 500 mg daily – and if your bowel tolerates it you can increase the dose slowly to 2x 1000 mg daily. This you could do as long as needed. Here is a liposomal form of vitamin C I often recommend to others because liposomal vitamin C is better absorbed.

Bernadette has an immune boosting protocol described in her B’s Medicine Cabinets Must-Haves.
‘Holistic Drops’ to fight fungusThe brand Biocidin Botanicals is specialized in products that help to fight fungus with natural components. They have different products for the entire GI tract. Since there is yeast on your tongue it might be deeper in your GI tract as well. If you would like to explore testing options for that, just let me know! Here are the dental products they sell:
• Dentalcidin Broad-spectrum Toothpaste
• Dentalcidin Liposomal Care Solution

If you need more than a dental approach let us know!

You can find some good information on their website as well. Just click here!
Food Choices MatterYeast often thrives on sugary foods and alcohol. Try to avoid them as well as starchy vegetables. But here are some other foods that might help:
• Ginger – You could for example make ginger tea
• Coconut oil – or MCT oil (this is high in caprylic acid which has antimicrobial properties)
• Garlic
• Onions
• Fermented foods – to help restore the microbiome on the tongue.

These are my go-to foods. Some spices like cinnamon & turmeric have some antifungal research behind them as well.

Ginger, garlic & onion taste delicious together and are often used in curries and Asian salad dressings. Stifado – a greek traditional dish – is full of onion, garlic & cinnamon. You might like those dishes as well.

I hope this helps!

[Daniel]

That depends a bit on your goals. If you want to see if you are making progress, I wouldn’t do the complete test. The test gave a good direction on where to go next. If you are interested in seeing how your general health has developed since then, you could always retest.

But this is what I would do.

I would have my focus first on the B vitamins and homocysteine. You could test homocysteine after 6 weeks of using the B complex, to see if you have moved the needle.

I would (re)test B12, folate & B6 as well.

If you like to see if the B vitamins are being used by the cells you can test MMA and FIGglu to see if B12 & folate are being used – these aren’t in the mineral test, but a (holistic) doctor could do them. Here in Holland we could order those tests in a private lab as well. I don’t know if there are options in the UK for this.

A mineral you would like to retest is calcium in combination with vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) since calcium was above normal and vitamin D was on the lower end. PTH I didn’t see it on the test so the mineral test won’t provide you extra insight there.

There are some elevations from HDL and the test reveals a slow thyroid, which probably won’t normalise until digestive issues improve. Your thyroid might also be functionally low because you can’t eat much. 

I might redo the test once I have found some relief from digestive issues. 

I do believe a pearl coming from this test that might be worth testing for is Thalassemia. Getting oxygen to the entire body is important. Since your iron metabolism looked fine on the test, but your hemaglobin was low this needs some exploration. Also, this can’t be done with the test above, unfortunately.

Basically, I wouldn’t recommend redoing the test right now unless it’s cheaper to redo the complete test than to do the mentioned labs.

I probably would redo the test once some gut healing has happened or new complaints have developed. So it is a little hard to give you a time indication for that.

[Daniel]

,

An elemental diet is a diet consisting of pre-digested nutrients designed to be a sole source of nutrition for limited periods (generally for 14-21 days). The nutrients of an elemental diet are in their simplest form, allowing them to be easily assimilated by the body while allowing the gut to rest.

So it doesn’t contain proteins but amino acids (16-18% of the calorie intake)
It only contains monosaccharides (42-76% of the calorie intake) and it only has fatty acids (between 6-43% of the calorie intake).

So yes, it is a supplement, but it’s also food. Or more accurately, this is a medical food.

You have probably already seen it, but just in case: I attached an e-book which has more information
.[elemental-diet-clinical-applications-protocols.pdf]

[Daniel]

Hey ,

As a person who mostly looks calm and feels ‘in control’, I have learned that this isn’t the same as having balanced stress hormones. In fact, feeling a lot of responsibility for things in life can make you vulnerable to stress.

But the body can leave signs. Here are a few I check if I am unsure:
• If I put my hand on my chest and belly and I feel my chest moving and my stomach is still, I know I have some form of tension or stress going on.
• Tight muscles in the shoulders/neck and a feeling of elevated shoulders are the second ones.

If you are more looking for things you could measure:
• A resting heart rate (this means sitting down being 5 minutes in rest) that is around 75-80 is a sign of stress as well. Of course, if you don’t have time to measure your resting heart rate because you can’t sit 5 minutes is a sign as well ;-). The ideal number for a resting heart rate is a little bit depending on age, but I aim with my customers at 55-50 beats per minute.
• Blood pressure at rest (again have a seat for 5 minutes and just sit. No talking, no social media, etc) with a diastolic pressure near 90 can be a sign of elevated stress hormones. The systolic pressure near 140 can be a sign of elevated stress hormones as well. I aim with my clients a resting blood pressure between 75/115 and 80/120. If the blood pressure at rest is continuously elevated other dynamics can be at play as well. If you are going to use blood pressure as a temporary tool to evaluate your body’s stress levels be aware that• Feeling excited or scared about your blood pressure is going to elevate it. Doing 3 measurements after each other most people will see a drop in their blood pressure – although not everyone. Take a few days of practice before you judge slightly elevated blood pressure.
• Drinking a few cups of coffee can elevate blood pressure but also heart rate. The morning would then be the best part of the day to measure although if you drink a lot, it doesn’t become an indicator of mental stress.
• Smoking will elevate blood pressure – because it is a chemical stressor. If I have a new client and I see a blood pressure around 90/140 find that a strong clue for smokers. This method will not work to evaluate mental stress with smokers.
• If you are able to use HRV (Heart Rate Variability) as a measurement, the higher HRV is, the better. Low numbers around 50 can be indicative of your body reacting to emotional stress.

 

[Daniel]

Hi ,

Sometimes ulcers on tongues can happen because a kid had bitten on its tongue. Ulcers can also be caused by a virus. But stress, allergies and vitamin deficiencies can play a role as well.

Manuka Honey
Honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and can give some relief when applied topically.

Chamomile Tea
which can be held in the mouth, swished, or applied as a wet compress (via the tea bag)

Baking Soda Rinse
A little less tasteful, but a Baking soda rinse might help as well.

Ozonated oil
Some holistic dentists use ozonated oil as a treatment. Personally, I do not have experience with this. Sesame oil seems to work as well according to this article.

Acid foods
Try for the time being to eliminate acidic foods like tomatoes, Pineapples, oranges, lemons, and limes. 

I hope this helps!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Thank you for sharing this! You are right, food sensitivities(The most common ones are sensitivities to eggs, milk, peanuts & nuts, corn, soy, yeast or gluten/wheat), intolerances (for example to fructose) & allergies can be a cause of bloating.

Eliminating those foods with an elimination diet and then reintroducing them is the most accurate way to test for food sensitivities.

You can find a protocol here. In the world of food intolerance testing, there isn’t a calibrated standard test. KBMO has a food intolerance test that is pretty good because it also measures inflammation as a reaction to foods.

Low Stomach Acid & Digestive Enzymes
Other reasons why you can feel bloated are due to a lack of production of stomach acid and digestive enzymes. Having good eating hygiene (chew well, eat calmly and stress-free) plays a role in the production of these enzymes. Doing a baking soda test (click here) could provide you with some clues on testing if you are having low stomach acid. Supplementing with betaine HCl might improve digestion and reduce bloating.

Using digestive enzymes might help as well. Thorne has a nice product that contains digestive enzymes and betaine HCl in one called  Bio-Gest (you can find this supplement in the supplement store fullscript here – you do need to sign up first though)

Hair loss/low thyroid
A zinc deficiency can cause hair loss. Having a slow thyroid could also lead to hair loss. Have you been tested for this as well? A zinc deficiency could happen because there is a lack of this nutrient in the diet, but it can also be because of malabsorption due to for example a dysbiosis or a microbe overgrowth in the gut (this could lead to bloating as well).

Excessive unexplained weight gain can also be caused by a slow thyroid. Do you experience other symptoms like for example feeling cold, constipation, tiredness, slow movements & thoughts or any other symptoms you can find here. If you consider testing your thyroid after watching the movie watch this video Bernadette made last week here.

Labs
To help you better we do take a look at labs here. If you feel like sharing, just upload them here so we can help you in the best way possible.

I hope this helps!

[Daniel]

You made a good call by eating the banana. You are right, your blood sugar is low and fixing a low blood sugar is more important then any bacterial overgrowth. You might have done this already, but I do recommend contacting your doctor. Low blood sugar is a very good reason to call an emergency line as well.

If you experience a low blood sugar again, putting something sugary in your mouth is important as well. Drinking some syrup and put some honey in your cheek. 

Is it possible for you to warn someone at home when this happens or do you live alone?

Gastroparesis can lead to low blood sugars. The delayed emptying in the stomach can cause this. Did this happen before with you?

I know there are no real clear signs of insulin resistance going on in your lab results, although I do believe that right now if there is insulin resistance causing some issues it will be hard to spot.

– it will be hard to see it reflected in blood sugars since eating in general is a problem.
– it will be hard to see it reflected in HbA1c since blood sugar might be low.
– still there might be a disturbed insulin signaling as a reaction to eating a meal.

Having a functional test for insulin by measuring insulin 1, 2 and 3 hours after eating a carbohydrate containing meal might provide you insight in what is happening with insulin. Measure your glucose levels as well at those points. Since gastric emptying is slowed you might even want to check 4 hours later or longer since I don’t exactly know how long the delayed emptying is. 

[Daniel]

Hi ,

First of all, I’m sorry to hear this. A diagnosis of high blood pressure can be quite alarming. Let me explain to you a few reasons why blood pressure can be elevated. I also have a few questions for you that might help us to help you.

Here are some reasons why blood pressure can be elevated:

Insulin resistance/diabetes
High blood pressure can be caused by insulin resistance. Measuring fasting insulin can provide us insight into how insulin sensitive you are. In my (and most) countries this isn’t a traditional test done by doctors or cardiologists, but in my opinion, this test is much more accurate.

A fasting blood glucose measurement can be done easily at home. In ‘the general tips’ (click here to get there) we explain how to use one and evaluate ideal blood glucose numbers.

Bernadette also made a video (click here) with other testing options to find out how efficient your blood sugar regulation is.

Insulin resistance can cause neuropathic symptoms (the tingling sensation) and high cholesterol.

Endothylial disfunction
Arteries can get damaged. Cholesterol build up as a way to fix the damaged holes in the arteries can cause elevations in blood pressure as well. Did you cardiologist do a calcium score screening?

Thyroid hormones
Hypothyroidism can lead also lead to elevated cholesterol and neuropathic symptoms. Hypothyroidism or a slow thyroid can cause quite a few other symptoms as well like: feeling cold, unexplained weight gain, losing hair, depression, constipation, etc. (And we have a great video for that as well! Just click here)

Did your doctor test your thyroid so you could rule out this cause of high blood pressure? If not, you should test your thyroid. In this video bernadette explains what thyroid tests are important. I recommend you watch this video as well!

Stress
Blood pressure elevations can be caused by elevated stress hormones as well. Stress hormones can off course be elevated by emotional stress (relationship/money/friends/lonelyness/unresolved anger/feelings of guilt, etc), but also physical stress (a go go go-do do do lifestyle, lack of sleep, aggressive workouts, chronic pain, simmering infections) or chemical stress (smoking, drinking, inhaled polution, unhealthy food & drug use). Stress can also lead to insulin resistance and a low thyroid (learn more here).

Estrogen & Progesterone
You mentioned you are in menopauze. Changes in estrogen & progesteon both can influence thyroid function (click here to learn more). Estrogen also keeps blood pressure down because it has vasodilative effects, while progesterone can has diuretic effects. If you believe you experience more symptoms of estrogen dominance/disbalance, blood pressure can be influenced as well. Long term exposure to high estrogen can lead to high blood pressure as well. With estrogen disbalance it can go both ways. High estrogen (for your age) can also lead to high copper, a mineral that can activate the fight-or-flight nervous system.

Lowering blood pressure
• Magnesium can help lowering blood pressure. I would recommend magnesium glycinate as a supplement. 
• Potassium is also key for having a normal blood pressure. Focus on potassium rich foods like tomatoes, avocado’s, spinach, broccoli, leavy greans, banana’s, etc). A magnesium deficiency can also lead to a potassium deficiency.
• Having a good sleep hydiene is also important. Melatonine, the sleep hormone, also regulates blood pressure.
• Exersize – especially cardio – is a powerful tool to lower blood pressure as well.
• Liquids: drink plenty of water, avoid drinking stimulants like coffee, thee, energy drinks and sometimes kumbucha can contain (added) caffeine as well.
• Avoid high glycemic foods like: sugar and foods made of grain flour (including tapioca flour)
• Eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Include the omega 3s EPA and DHA. These work on 2 fronts. They can help lower inflammation and make your blood more liquid. I often advise my clients between 2000-4000 mg of EPA+DHA per day divided in 2 dosages a day with a fat containing meal. Curcumin has also anti-inflammatory properties. Look for a supplement in the Meriva form (click here for an example)
• Eat a diet lower in saturated fats. The main role of cholesterol is transporting lipids. Lowering fat intake can help you lower your cholesterol.
• Try to avoid stress – focus on drinking calming teas 

I mainly focused on the blood pressure/cholesterol part here. I was wondering were in the chest you feel your pain. Is it above the ribs – in the muscles? Is it deeper? Can you describe the pain? Is it very localised or more like an area? Is the pain like a sharp stab or a dull ache? Does it feel like it burns? Does the pain radiate to other areas like the arm or neck?

Could you also describe to us the pains you feel in your lower back/abs. Is this the same pain? Or are these 2 different pains you feel?

And what was the opinion of your doctor? About your blood pressure/cholesterol & about the pains in your lower back/ab and chest?

Let us know so we can help you in the best way possible! 

[Daniel]

 My abs were like: we don’t multitask. Either we talk or we crunch, but we can’t do both

[Daniel]

 I know Dr. Peter Attia (perhaps you will know him from his podcast ‘The Drive’) recommends Dexcom G6 because of its precision. Not an answer to your question, I know, but he really is into measuring blood glucose with him and al his patients

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Welcome to the community! My name is Daniel and I assist Bernadette.

We have a lot of content. Perhaps we could help you get started here.  Could you tell us more about your discomfort?  What does the discomfort feel like? Does it come & go after dinner? Is it more stress-related? Do you feel it in the muscles? Or is the discomfort deeper in the body?

You could also share your story/question in the section ‘Ask your questions’ (click here). In this space, it’s easier for others to learn from your experience as well!

Let us know how we can help you best!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Welcome here! I hope you enjoy all the content here – and along can connect with like minded people as well.

Feel free to ask anything!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Coated Tongue
A coated tongue could indicate several issues. A white tongue can be caused by a condition called ‘geographic stomatitis’ or a ‘geographic tongue’. This looks like uneven red patches surrounded by white borders. It looks often like red continents in a white ocean on your tongue – that’s why the name is geographic tongue.

Oral Lichen Planus is an ongoing inflammatory condition that affects the mucous membranes in your mouth, causing a white tongue as well, although more often this condition causes pain as well.

A white tongue can also be caused by a dry mouth, a build-up of bacteria, or food trapped in your papillae.  Good oral hygiene can prevent this. I’m not only referring to brushing your teeth & tongue but drinking water during the day and sleeping with a closed mouth is part of this as well.

Candida overgrowth can be asymptomatic, which makes it hard to diagnose. Besides that, complaints, like feeling tired, craving more sugar, UTIs, joint pain, and skin & nail fungal infections, are often not recognized as possible indications of a Candida yeast overgrowth

Boric acid
There has been some research showing that boric acid can help with vaginal yeast infections including candida. Research is a little mixed, but this can be because of a lot of reasons like, what strains are there, how much there is to begin with, etc. Boric acid showed also to work on Candida glabrata, which is a more resistant strain of candida yeast.

Boric acid in the vaginal tract can disrupt biofilm formation & hyphal formation (click here for example)

So I believe it can be effective, but with candida & yeast, I like to use a mix of antifungals. Different strains might react differently.

Really bad recurrent yeast infections
If you are referring to yeast infections in the gut: the only way to know if you are dealing with yeast is by testing. Complaints in the GI tract caused by for example Clostridia need a different approach because the bacteria can change into a ‘spore’ form. In the spore form, anti-microbes aren’t effective and reoccurrence is much more likely and a pulse treatment would be more efficient. 

The botanical antifungals (which are also antibiotic/antimicrobial in nature) stimulate the growth of a healthy microbiome, but there can be a die-off effect or ‘herx’ reaction making people feeling more sick because pathogens die creating endotoxins. Even using binders like GI detox can’t always prevent this detox type from feeling sick.

With really bad yeast infections I would more likely go for 90 days