JUST ASK KIT

Nutrition Information and Educational Blog written by Wellness, Nutrition & Supplement expert Kit Rowberry

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Surprising turns!

I have been through a lot of twists and turns and disappointments through the last few months- not the least of which was the death of my medical research partner- Michael Jensen. He died from effects of mismanaged prescription drugs meant to alleviate stress and promote sleep and instead they ruined his life and destroyed his frontal lobe and caused hallucinations and addiction. He stumbled into it so innocently and without adequate warnings about possible effects. Afraid he would lose his practice and his medical license- he did not get help soon enough or tell us so we could help him. I was devastated and wanted nothing to do with research or supplements and was seriously considering leaving the field altogether because of this and many other recent disappointments in the industry. I was ready to throw in the towel. Just when I was ready to leave I got an offer to educate and oversee the nutritional department management in a company I have been associated with for 10 years. I struggled with my decision for weeks and finally immersed myself. Only time will tell if I can do any good or improve things for them. I get tired of money being the chief and formost priority in the field. Good management is necessary, but I see pharmaceutical development and nutritional development prioritizing this way. I remember my boss once saying," Take care of the customer and the bottom line will take care of it's self". I've always operated this way and am an avid educator. Good information and belief governs behavior. A good sales pitch is only useful to anyone if it is embedded with truth and concern for the individual receiving it. Maybe I can lose my disallusionment in immersion in the truth and honor of the pursuit of correct health information.   IF YOU have your health- you have everything!

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I've been away!!!!

I have spent some time working on a research project that took a lot of focus. It had a somewhat disappointing ending because the research is now only available by prescription and will not be over the counter. It is something that I found through the research is better off produced by the body and creating ways the body can do this is best. That, at least, is a positive! Our bodies carefully control certain chemical production so as not to confuse the "feedback" loops. You may need to search out what biological feedback loops are so I will not explain that here. One of the substances which autistic children have abnormal production of is glutathione. It is your most powerful antioxidant. Creating an environment where it can be produced naturally in the body then becomes the challenge. An example of an herb that increases the liver's production naturally ( and the liver is not the only place where it is produced ) is: milk thistle. Glutathione is a complex structure that when ingested gets broken down into it's respective parts and used much as any other protein source. This is why oral delivery is poor at best and even I.V. and inhalant (prescription) deliveries are broken down or easily oxidized, rendering them almost equally as ineffective. I thought we had a new one, but then the complexity comes, in how it influences the bodies own production. There is so much we don't know! I hope to get back to answering questions.  Sorry about the delay!

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Hi Kit! Any tips for someone with chronic fatigue?

Chronic fatigue is somewhat elusive to doctors. The one thing I disagree with in the conventional approach is the surrender only to pharmaceutical management of it.  It usually occurs after a more serious bout with Epstein Barr virus and seem to indicate the "messing up" of more than one metabolic pathway which I still believe can be reversed with careful nutritional  plugins. Magnesium Malate is one of them. It helps restore one of the seemingly missing or deficient Kreb Cycle intermediates that can explain the lack of proper ATP synthesis ( your energy production in the cells) found in chronic fatigue sufferers. You make malic acid  but sometimes not in sufficient amounts after that and with out proper supplementation and quantity will naturally suffer the  energy loss of bad ATP syntheses. You can not have normal energy without it. One of the medical offices I have seen have a good understanding of the nutritional side of this equation is the Center for Advanced Medicine (Dr. Dennis Remington) in Provo, Utah- who understand and treat the nutritional side of chronic fatigue. He is a published author many times over and a brilliant diagnostic physician underrated by his peers because he takes such an unconventional look at these kind of matters and makes sure the nutritional side is looked at.

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Do weight loss products like 'sensa' actually work? I am curious to try it but it seems too good to be true.

I you go to Consumer Health Answers  and find their article on Weight Loss Success: Which Weight Loss Products Are Most Effective?, you will find a hopefully unbiased rating for this product that compares it with it's peers. It seems to rate well but the one thing that bothers me is their unwillingness to openly disclose their proprietary ingredient list. It may very well work, but they are not very forthcoming on the specific part of their ingredients that do the work. I suspect that it is very simple and cheap and if they disclosed that  portion of their product every  one would rush out and make their own and not pay the 139$ pricetag on this pricey product. I also question the rating site that also sells and advertises the product.

I left this inquiry with more questions than answers. I will tell you that in my extensive conversations with my professional peers (doctors included), the general consensus is that Weight Watchers ( sans their artificially sweetened products) is our favorite program because it retrains people how to portion control and learn how to eat a daily diet that will sustain health and be realistic. Many of these weight loss products will produce temporary results by overstimulation of the cardiovascular and nervous systems and cause you to "borrow" on your health credit card, or they will not teach you new habits of maintenance (only working as long as you buy and use them) leaving you to undo or regain what you may have lost- leaving you in the same boat you started in. And, I might add, still owing on your health credit card at the end.  Many  people leave off with a caffeine addiction. or potentiate heart or nervous system problems that they end up having to deal with while no better off than they were before. I have seen some of these products assist people temporarily off of a plateau, but they must be in some type of diet and exercise lifestyle change and management program to keep it off and be successful  during and afterwards.

I think I have seen most of what's out there including some of the newer products that are barely off of the ground and none of them will work standing alone without any other changes to lifestyle and eating habits. That has to be in place to stay successful. It can be done, but no product out there can work forever, healthfully ,without those other factors of diet and exercise considered and in place.

Insulin management and control, and dealing with the epidemic "hyperinsulinemia" that most Americans are somewhere on downhill slide of, is where it is at metabolically speaking. Managing and controlling cellular resistance to insulin will control our tendency to store fat and waste muscle. Read Michael and Mary Dan Eades, " Protein Power" book, especially the first 85 and last 100 pages of the book where the physiology is explained and you will get a first class education on why the American diet is encouraging weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes (type II), high cholesterol and high triglycerides. I also believe that their understanding and approach can be done by any dietary code if planned out carefully. The book explains how to approach it with the consumption of animal products but I believe with some of the higher quality and newer vegetable protien products out there like Garden of Life's Raw Protein Powder or  the raw sprouted rice protein products from Sun Warrior that have good amino acids profiles on them , it can be done vegetarian as well. I have seen good measurable clinical results with the application of their program in the book ( Protein Power), most notably a doctor that trained me on the book- 11 years ago- Dr. Steve Komadina, then a New Mexico State senator that had lost over a hundred pounds on their program and gotten off of every drug he was on and gotten rid of every ailment. That is one of the better text in hand approaches that a person could fathom and apply without any assistance from anyone but backing of their health care provider and proper clearing for the diet. This book will give you better decision making ability and better understanding of some other harmful societal fallacies and misunderstandings that have been perpetuated by incorrect information still being disseminated today. Don't let the title put you off, or their advocacy of animal proteins- the information  and their explanations are sound.

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Someone asked you about raising a family vegan successfully. Have you read The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder CN? It covers everything! One of my favorite books.

Duly noted! Thankyou! I will get a copy and hope my other reader notices this update as well. I have not as yet had a chance to read it, but I promise I will. Thank you again, Kit!

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Why haven't you been on for a while?

I have had my hands full but some of the distractions are finalized and some are just beginning which will enable me to pay more attention to answering questions. All positive! I have been a consultant on some very promising new pharmaceutical and nutraceutical delivery vehicles that have the potential of revolutionizing the  nutrition industry. All in good time-I say. It has been exciting and at the same time exhausting to try to get off of the ground. New physics applications to old outdated pre-conceived notions takes some explanation- which I have been doing adnauseum. When I can go public with it, I will.

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What are the best brands for a multivitamin? I hear that alot of brands are junky or mostly filler? It is confusing.

Some of my favorite multivitamins are: Life Essence by Pure Essence Labs ( I love their targeted vitamins as well-prenatal, menopausal, women's and men's), Garden of Life's Vitamin Code line, New Chapter's line, the Alive line by Nature's Way, the Source of Life line by Nature's Plus, Reliance's whole food vitamin line (they private label for a number of companies and are identifiable by the first six digits of their upc code which are 787500) and a number of others who are either 100% whole food or who have a good coverage of needed vitamins with added whole food complements and clean ingredients.

It is easy to identify higher end vitamins with a few simple rules. If they care enough about the consumer and their ingredients to leave out food dyes, additives, preservatives and hydrogenated fats ( which I have seen in cheap vitamins believe it or not), and will fully disclose their ingredients and are open to questions about their products, they are usually higher end brands.

Most of these lines also offer a one a day version for those that insist although these are necessarily low in the bulkier minerals and whole food substances.

I always get this image of the little girl in Willy Wonka  and the Chocolate Factory when she was demanding what she wanted with the statement-" I want it and I want it now!"-when someone gives me a list and it goes like this: I want a vitamin that  has all of the minerals and vitamins I need for a day and I will only take one and it has to be cheap and it has to taste good and I want my essential fatty acids in it too and I have to feel the difference.  It doesn't exist.

I do feel the difference in many of the vitamins I mentioned above, but they are usually at least two a day with a separate mineral or they are three or four a day with decent amounts of mineral or they are all whole food at four a day with still yet a separate mineral. Some mineral forms are six a day just to get the standard 1000 mg of calcium and magnesium in a citrate form which is bulky.

If your mineral is highly compressed into a one or two a day form you are not likely to break it down anyway. There are new disintegration techniques that will deliver breakup in short periods of time in digestion and they will usually have done testing and can guarantee breakup in reasonable time. I know this is true of the Alive line which is about 18 minutes ( if I remember their test correctly) and they have both tablets and capsules. I happen to have met the formulator of that line, Dean Morris and have met the formulators of many of the other vitamins as well. They care about their products and are truly trying to improve the health of the individuals that buy their products. They are not "dime a dozen" formulators. A lot of research and careful ingredient selection goes into these lines. Most of these list websites and have toll free numbers right on the bottles or on their websites.

I remember having a number of my associates tell me that they could tell a difference when they took the Life Essence vitamins. There is a great deal of research and ingredient selection and experience that went into  those vitamins and even though they don't claim to be 100% whole food and organic that is what they shoot mostly for. I like naturally sourced materials. I am not a fan of synthetics for at least the reason that they have found in research that the body can tell the difference and creates a larger and more elaborate pathway to move isolated synthetic ingredients out.

Whole food and natural ingredients for whatever reason show evidence of circulating in the system for longer periods of time and with better results as I have been shown by a number of researchers. There are also energetics behind these theories as well as chemistry that are only just beginning to be understood. There are those that flatly reject these theories but the evidence that they make a difference is there- sources for raw material. I hope this helps! Thankyou for asking. I have a lot more specific information for you if you still have questions!

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Are there any natural supplements someone can take for hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism  can be linked to other endocrine problems and some to chemical exposure and can seriously impact daily function and general health, so it must be treated. I know a number of physicians that will use complementary medicine to encourage maximum recovery and function along side the prescriptions traditionally used.

It is dangerous not to do anything- so that is not an option. It can seriously impact even heart health so this is a diagnosis that must be managed by a physician. Some are better than others at making sure all options are explored. I have worked for a few that do make sure you are iodine sufficient and free of other antagonists before they jump to just a prescription. That is necessary in most cases anyway but is not the only way to insure optimal function. There are a few chemicals that are similar to iodine and will sit on the iodine receptor sites and sicken the thyroid. A few are; bromine, lithium, chlorine and fluoride. In the case of a diseased thyroid I would assess exposure to these chemicals in food, profession and daily activities.

I recently read that other goitrogens (foods that suppress iodine) need to be assessed in the diet for possible overuse. Another chemical that exists in some of these recognized goitrogen foods  (that I've been aware of for some time) and that is in soybean and a number of other foods is  thiocyanate. It decreases iodine uptake by competitive inhibition causing a negative thyroxin secretion and increased secretion of thyrotrophin which stimulates the gland.

In the 70's an animal science professor at a local university discovered that the calves they were raising off of their dairy herd were having adverse responses to their soy supplement. They had not had this problem before so they set out to find out what made this batch different from previous batches. The school had a grant for a mass spectrometer gas chromatograph that year, so they ran a chemical analysis of this supplement through the spectrometer and discovered that a few of the chemicals in the analysis were not just higher but thousands of times higher in the newer formula than the older readouts of previous years batches of supplements. They isolated one chemical  in particular that  happened to be phenylisothiocyanate and using  the same dilution of chemical found in the supplement , challenged the calves in an intradermal test. They raised a positive wheel meaning there was an immune response to the particular concentration of the chemical found in that years batch. They then did the test again using the dilution found in soy supplements used in other years where they had not had a negative reaction. There was no positive wheel. Different dilutions of the same chemical were tolerated or not tolerated depending on the concentration found in the plant. They then checked the source of the two supplements. They found that the one that had been tolerated was not genetically modified and the one that was not tolerated had been genetically modified to make it more disease resistant by raising the phenylisothiocyanate. They had their answer and a new reason to be cautious about altering the genetic structure without taking in account the consequence to it's ingestability. 

I make this case in point to show that recent evidence shows that soy has a negative impact on the thyroid. But was this so decades ago before we started altering it's structure? Food for thought!

 There are some natural thyroid supplements that still remain under prescription but give your practitioner some choices. Standard Process is a line of glandulars that is physician dispensed and has a good track record. There are over the counter glandulars that can be purchase in a health food store. I would encourage you to do some educational research on the protomorphogen theory behind glandular therapies. It is a simple to understand theory and I have seen it do well for a large number of clients. This one is not a simple answer but will at least steer you in a direction of self exploration and education that will give you food for thought and some direction in identifying possible causes and treatments.

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Are there any natural diuretics I can take? I am retaining water but don't want to go to the dr. yet.

There are a number of natural ways to encourage extra retained fluid to exit. One of the simplest ways is juicing a lemon and diluting it in a few ounces of water (I add liquid or powered stevia to it to take off the bitter edge and make it more palatable) first thing in the morning. It really doesn't matter what time of the day, but I know for dieters that is usually the best time to take it in. One of the concepts behind retained fluid is a sodium/potassium imbalance in the cells. The sodium/potassium pump in the cell ( to over simplify it) lets sodium hold water in the cell and potassium to let it out. So if you consume high sodium foods without eating potassium rich foods you will create an imbalance that causes too much fluid to be retained within the cells creating water retention.

This is not the only cause however. If the heart is pumping inefficiently or the kidneys are filtering inefficiently or a number of other medical issues are present, you can retain water as well. These need to be ruled out  so as not to mask a more serious problem. There is also intracellular fluid that is held for other reasons.  There are a number of natural diuretics that are herbal in composition. They usually contain a mix of uva ursi, parsley, buchu, celery seed, green tea, cranberry, dandelion, apple cider vinegar, etc.

There are also a number of foods that encourage loss of water through the kidneys and the foods that work have to do with the cause.  In general, foods that are rich in potassium and are detoxifying, such as your leafy greens, are going to help and foods that are highly processed and sodium rich are going to add to the problem. Most health food stores have a hand full of natural diuretic products that are geared at increasing kidney output and increasing potassium and are usually labeled for easy identification.

An experienced employee might know about homeopathics or other less identifiable products that work as well. I would encourage you to identify the cause before you use just any product because chronic fluid retention is often just a symptom of a more serious cause. If you know that you are consuming a lot of processed, high sodium foods and not a lot of fruits and vegetables that are rich in potassium, that is an easier solution. A dietary change is in order. From here- if you absolutely know that you are retaining water chronically for no identifiable reason- it really does need to be evaluated by a health care provider. 

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How did you get experience in the nutrition field?

Thank you for asking! I have wanted to shed some light on that for readers.

Professionally, I started out as a research assistant for a research physician who was also a widely published author. He had also done research for the FDA and had branched out in private practice alongside his research. After 30 years we still collaborate and are friends.  (Dr. Dennis Remington http://www.freedommedcenter.com/)

I started out as a critically ill patient of his with a serious auto immune disorder and he took me on as an experimental patient trying to find an alternative path for me besides the 10 different medications and 9 shots a week I was currently being treated with. I started responding positively to our trials and within 2 months I was off of all medication and shots. My terrible headaches were lessening and I was thankfully able to get off of the prednisone I had had to exist on. It was all up from there.

After working with him as an assistant for three years my husband and I moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to pursue his Doctorate in music from Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. We were there for five years and I worked in Natural Life Nutrition Shoppes for Jay Davis. I learned a lot of things available in the nutritional supplement field during that time as I met with the various national trainers and reps from all of the companies we bought from. We had a full service shops from bulk foods and herbs to literature and a juice bar.

I had grown up with a mom who was a health oriented nurse and who had been raised by a mom who knew the Mississippi woods and gathered and harvested herbs and doctored her own family. She had 11 children . I had a great grandfather who was a doctor. It seems that we have on both sides of the family the nurturing blood and a love for gardening and nature and all that goes with it.

When we returned to Utah after Rob's doctorate I taught a full studio of music students for many years as all of my college background is in music. After needing a break from the very family intrusive hours of private instruction, I stepped back into the day time hours of retail and after a few months of gaining my bearings again in Good Earth Natural Foods, I was offered a full time career position as a manager for the company. This afforded a great opportunity to  get reacquainted with the companies and products and research  available again and move forward in the experience of helping customers find effective products and services in and out of the store. That is where I have made great contacts with the industry in general and have met with many of the movers and shakers of the industry in general.

My primary interest is in helping people find self help tools and lifestyle management ideas that fit them and their budget. Much work can be done to help ourselves with the right knowledge. I have no degree- just a passion and a lifetime of exposure and experience in unleashing the body's own ability to restore itself to optimal function with understanding of the things that work against us to prevent that from happening and the tools that cause it too happen. Our bodies want to move toward health at all times and if the tools are provided it can do that. 

  I started out a critically ill infant because of medications given to my 41 year old mother to control morning sickness. Both she and I nearly died and spent years trying to regain a balance again. She was affected for the rest of her life even though she lived into her 80's. Insult was added to injury with me as I was prescribed a continual round of antibiotics which in the 50's were almost thrown at everything and I had a completely malfunctioning immune system and gastrointestinal tract because of it. For my first 20 years it was a roller coaster of hospitalizations and fungal infections and ill health. I had a few rest spots here and there because I was lucky enough to live on a farm where we grew almost all of our own food and had very little to do with manufactured and processed products. We ate good cultured foods and raw dairy and the variety was astounding. I believe if it had not been for the fact I would not have made it through childhood at all. My mother was a nurse and during the 60's there was a general mentality that medicine could do very little wrong and that it was going to be the ultimate conqueror of all ills. I think we know better now. Nature plays that role a little better. We are not going to get better at it than our creator already is. I have seen a lot in  my 50 plus years and will see a lot more to come.

I have loved both of my fields of expertise and currently serve in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as an Alto. My husband also is a tenor in the same organization and that fills out my love for music on a volunteer basis leaving me free to pursue the passion for educating people about the tools they can use for bettering their personal health and quality of life. Maybe understanding where I am coming from will allow questions to come in that will make more sense from my experience.

I have been able to spend decades antibiotic free. I do have some challenges with a difficult diagnosis that my sister and I share that appears to have a familial basis. I do better than most patients with my diagnosis do with the tools I have learned to use. My husband and I go hiking and running on a weekly basis and that is something I was told I would never do again. My immune problems are very managed and I enjoy good digestion even after the antibiotic cocktail I was on for years- thanks to the development of great probiotics. I know the nutraceutical industry inside and out and know what is out there. If I can shed light on that subject for anyone- I would love too.

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Are there supplements you can take to help prevent asthma? I am trying not to use my rescue inhaler every day but don't do well on controller asthma medication.

There have been some recent studies on astaxanthin as a powerful support for reducing inflammation in all tissues- not just lungs. I recently suggested a client try Astavita's Astareal astaxanthin product (http://www.astavita.com) because he had tried everything else for his very stubborn asthma for some tissue support. He just reported back to me a few days ago and he had seen a great improvement. I believe it would be a great thing  to try. It is considered one of the most amazing and powerful antioxidants recently realized. It recycles some of your other antioxidants and it the best singlet oxygen free radical extinguisher that  they have seen. It does some nice things in the endothelial tissue. There is a lot of research on this substance for lung support. It is one of the carotenoids. It is what makes krill oil different from the other fish oils- what makes salmon pink- what makes flamingos pink. If you look at farm raised salmon and wild caught salmon up next to each other you can see the vast difference in color  signifying the difference in astaxanthin content due to a natural microalgae diet and food pellets.

Additionally, herbs that support healthy lung tissue and are mullein and marshmallow root ( encapsulated or tinctured). Mullein is great when you are dealing with any inflammation in respiratory tissue to help support healthy tissue recovery. The astaxanthin from Astavita would be my choice of product because it is still in it's original fatty acid state and has been through minimal processing and has worked the best for me in other situations. The research on that product says that six of the 2 milligram ( of astaxanthin) each softgels spread throughout the day was the maximum number for greatest benefit. No more is needed and I have had other people report back that they saw benefit in as little as one a day consistently taken. The herbs can be taken as directed by the manufacturer. Nature's Way  brand would be a good choice in the herbs or perhaps Solaray. They both carry  the herbs encapsulated. Tincture lines that I like are Gaia, Vitality Works or Ecclectic institute.

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What is the best cleanse?

I've waited too long to answer this because it is pretty involved. I am learning that it is easier if I have the person right there to ask defining  questions to and narrow it down.

Sooooo- on the subject of cleansing- ideally- the daily diet provides continual cleansing. The body possesses some powerful tools for self cleansing. Enzymes, glutathione, liver, kidneys and lungs and bowel all are tools of detoxification along with other pathways.

Apoptosis is a type of detoxification- the natural destruction of partially damaged cells. A varied and natural diet supports these pathways. Several things happen to  inhibit or slow or damage these detoxification pathways in the body. It has to be a well ordered and managed train. All of the tools are there if the diet supports it. Genetics do play a role but all that means is that you have more work to do and have to baby certain pathways if you have a predisposition to certain poorly functioning pathways.

It is what makes some people predisposed to alcoholism (as an example)- do you lie down and just go with the predisposition or do you take certain precautions to avoid getting caught in the trap? Do you eat sugar like it's going out of style with a predisposition to  diabetes or do you carefully eat to delay the progress or even avoid the development of the disease?

One of the most powerful detoxifying agents in the body is glutathione. If you  are careful to get enough omega 3's they up regulate the production of glutathione in the endothelial tissue according to recent studies.

So the general lifestyle we lead can be a great boon to the daily management of our detoxification pathways or our "detoxification train". What comes first in a train?- the engine. Our engine is our liver- if it is not working properly nothing else is going to get pulled along correctly- so a good cleanse will address this issue of proper liver function and support. Our heart is our pump- an integral part of the function of the liver. Without good pumps- no engine can function properly so our fuel and water pumps have to work properly too.

Excellent hydration habits keep our engine cooled- without it we start overheating and burning out some of the other systems. Our fuel pump can't be clogged either- keeping cardiovascular tissue smooth and un-inflamed and un-clogged will assure that our fuel pump keeps the engine working.  Our exhaust pipes( lungs and bowels) have to get rid of the waste and by products of fuel burning. Our skin is also the second largest detoxicification  organ in the body after the liver. Some toxins only leave the body through sweat. If we do not exercise to the point of sweat or if we are constantly blocking this pathway we will retain certain toxins that will not leave through the bowel or lungs. Exercise is multifaceted, health promoting detoxification.

On the subject of cleanses- products that promote cleansing- most people are feeling "clogged up" so they are looking for some kind of a bowel cathartic. When I educate people on the subject of consitipation there are a number of things involved in proper elimination through the bowel.

To name a few: proper hydration ( water drinking to be specific because it thickens the bowel wall  and the stomach lining), sufficient fiber (both soluble and insoluble and gives bulk), magnesium sufficiency ( it pulls water to the bowel wall and increases peristalsis), probiotic sufficiency ( over 400 clinically studied human sourced strains), are some of the things involved in proper elimination.

There are some addressed by diet- some by lifestyle and some by supplement. The probiotics alone stimulate proper immune function by stimulating the immunoglobulin production in the body, increasing nutrient absorption  without making any change in the diet, and making some important nutrient conversions (vitamin K) and producing some vitamins( B-12, folic acid, etc.) for you. They keep you from developing "leaky gut" and effect your normal peristalsis( primary and secondary muscular movement) in the intestinal tract.

You can see why I didn't know where to start! I am going to leave this as is for now and hope you will submit another question with some general history attached so I can be more specific. I apologize for the delay in answering your question as I was struggling with how to approach it. Thank you for your inquiry- please follow up with another inquiry so I can answer your question more thoroughly.

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What can I do to help improve a hypoactive thyroid?

see also: http://justaskkit.com/post/10690654801/are-there-any-natural-supplements-someone-can-take-for

Making sure that you are iodine sufficient is very important. The thyroid has the only receptor sites in the body that accept iodine. Iodine is used in many other ways but the thyroid has the only official receptors. Lugol's and it's tablet form Iodoral are only available under the supervision of a physician for several reasons but over the counter forms in supplements occur in liquid kelp drops and kelp tablets and  liquid potassium iodide. Sometimes the need for other measures can be minimized by just taking care of that one thing.

It is best to be evaluating the thyroid under the care of a physician especially where there is an official diagnosis. It is also suggested that iodine sufficiency protects the thyroid from other iodine chemical mimickers- lithium, chlorine and fluoride. A person without iodine sufficiency can leave their receptors open for those mimickers to attach and cause problems especially  with regular exposure. I have seen this in swimmers, dental hygienists, and those on lithium prescriptions. They all need to protect the thyroid by being iodine sufficient. It is suggested that care needs to be taken in the diet with cruciferous vegetables which have the reputation of slowing the thyroid. I am always reluctant to discourage the use of any group of fruits or vegetables but especially this one, because this group has some very powerful bowel health and cancer protective benefits as well. In that family are cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale and brussel sprouts. They contain indole 3 carbinol which chases xeno- estrogens off of hormonal cell receptors sites. Cabbage is the vegetable with the highest amount of glutamine- your most abundant musculoskeletal  protein. So don't eliminate them from your diet unless you have no other choice or are advised to do so by you physician and be conscientious about replacing them with other antioxidant fruits and vegetables. These are some considerations.

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Is it ok to fry a steak in olive oil

I am not an advocate of frying but if one must you need to make sure that what ever oil you are using states it's burn temperature on the label. That is - the temperature that makes the oil turn to a trans fat. Olive oil is okay for light sauteing but is more delicate generally than some of the other oils which can take more heat. It is better to "broil" that to pan fry. If that is not an option- just make sure the temperature that you are frying at does not exceed the safe temperature. Trans fat affect the body in very negative ways and one serving of trans fat can stick around causing trouble for 100 days according to one publication I read several years ago written by Karlene Karst- a published author and authority on fats and their affect on health. I can't say enough about the importance of avoiding them. It takes abstinence for 3 1/2 months from trans fats to see the full health benefits. If a person is only having trans fatty fries once every three months they will be affecting their health negatively year around. Trans fats can block the conversion of cholecalciferol ( the form of D-3 stored under the skin) into active calcitriol which helps transport calcium into the bones. Trans fats can affect bone health, immunity, inflammation and mood as well as a host of other enzymatic processes. It's like sending a car that can only make left turns into a city and expecting it to get anywhere. It reeks havoc every where it goes. That is why I am not a fan of frying. Trans fats are only labeled to 1% in the U.S.. That means they can sneak in foods and still cause problems because manufacturers couldn't get them all of the way out, so a compromise was made in compliance that anything under 1% didn't have to be labeled. Two or three foods with under 1% together are enough to promote problems still. Another paradox presents itself when they only have to label what went into the making of the product- not what the finished end product produced. Fast food gets away with this the same way. They can start out with oils that are not initially trans fat but what about after a day of frying at high temperatures- what then? They can say they don't use trans fats and say nothing of the process that occurs with their use. Watch out!

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Any advice for a vegan family raising a vegan child.

An important element for good nutrition is variety. I see people pigeon hole themselves into about 10 foods that they rotate through. That will never provide enough nutrition. With my colleagues and family and friends who are vegan there is an awareness of the need for education. It cannot happen by accident. One base that should be covered, simply because the risks are great - is B-12 supplementation. For a person who is changing suddenly to a vegan diet they might not notice B-12 problems for an extended period of time even if they do not supplement. The risk is pernicious anemia which can cause long term irreversible damage. So evaluation of B-12 status must be done by a test that can be done under the order of your physician. My sister in law and her husband are vegan and so are their three children. She was part of a study in British Columbia of families raising vegan children. They did very well. She and her husband had a green house and were active in making sure that they were in good health. She is a runner as well so they were physically fit and active which is another important component of good health. Good gut flora can provide some B-12 for the body but most sources feel it risks being inadequate to rely on totally. A person attempting to do this right should also be committed to having a diet free of additives and contaminants and as organic as possible. It entails more careful preparation but I am of the opinion that all types of diets are better off approached organically and free of packaging. I am pro "what works". I think there are a lot of different combinations and philosophies that work out for the diet as long as all nutritional needs are met. I serve a widely varied public and have for 30 years. I met with and talked to Colin Campbell- the author of the book, "The China Study" when he came to lecture at a nearby university. I also like the writings of Dr. Joel Fuhrman who wrote, "Eat to Live" and I have had the privilege of having conversations with David Wolfe, Udo Erasmus, and Jordan Rubin ( the founder of Garden of Life). They all are wonderful people and have great stories and philosophies and have raised awareness about the care that needs to be taken in nutrition to promote optimum health. They all promote "clean" and unprocessed and varied diets. I can pass up the vast majority of what is on store shelves and I am an extreme label reader. It drives my family crazy sometimes because nothing gets past me but that is what it takes. I worked for a physician who is a published author- Dennis Remington- and I am fond of quoting him saying, "It is not the occasionally's that get you - it's the habitually's". He too is an advocate of clean and unprocessed food. There is general consensus on that subject. I know raising vegan children would present some challenges with school and acquaintances. They always need choices and options and things need to thought out ahead of time, decisions made and solutions prethought so  they can feel confident in any situation. I think most people are educated enough and broadminded enough to support you. Let me know if you have specific questions on single issues and I hope I can answer them. I'm sure I only barely touched the surface.

[justaskkit-blog]

What is the best thing to take when you are getting a respiratory flu/virus?

There are some good clinically studied products available out on the market for respiratory track. One that I have seen written up in an article in the American Journal for Family Practice a few years ago was an herbal homeopathic extract originally used in Africa called Umcka. It is a geranium family extract that lessens the severity and shortens the duration of respiratory viruses. It apparently creates a barrier on mucosa that doesn't let viruses advance through. It comes in a variety of forms from Nature's Way currently but my favorite form is the original 1X tincture in glycerin- alcohol free. I have seen it work for several years now and do what it state it will do. It is not for bacterial infections so that must be ruled out. Another herb that has good clinically studied information out on it is elderberry. According to the virologist's study I read it disarms the spikes on viruses stealing their ability to adhere to healthy tissue. It doesn't appear to kill them- just cuts off their arms and legs " so to speak". I have seen a number of studies on that plant over the years that point out it's antioxidant content as well. 

[justaskkit-blog]

What do you recommend for adrenal fatigue?

Care must be taken on a specific diagnosis like adrenal fatigue. I am unable to  recommend anything- not because there are not good supportive products available but because the wording "recommend" is one prohibited by law as being too diagnostic. I must stay within the guidelines given for product information and education so with that said, it is best that you are under the care of a qualified practitioner educated in nutritional and lifestyle support as well as medical management of the problem. The practitioners I have been a patient educator for in the past have used a variety of adrenal health support products from vitamins to glandulars. Evaluation of the precursors for the condition are equally important which sometimes can necessitate lifestyle changes. I have seen good results happen with a combination of many disciplines for healthy endocrine balance but feel inadequate to do anything more than to say look for specifically formulated products like "Michaels Adrenal Extra" which is not a glandular but offers nutritional and herbal support for healthy adrenal function or the glandular line "Natural Sources Raw Adrenal"  or their other adrenal support products. This is an area where practitioner guidance and regular evaluation and assessment  is critical. Thank you for asking- I wish I didn't feel so inadequate to answer fully.