I hadn’t thought of using a dehumidifier. What a great idea. ??

I would tape using frog tape like Patty Joanna does it especially if the trim contrasts with walls. We just installed new baseboards and door trim this year. We bought it primed, then painted the fronts, cut it and nailed it in, patched the nail holes, caulked between the trim and wall, primed the area that meets the wall, then finally painted all trim again. In some areas I taped and others not. It’s an involved process but I like sealing everything together. Looks great and SO happy it’s finally done.

What brand and type of paint will withstand the high humidity in a bathroom with very little ventilation, as in no fan but it does have an 8” x 8” passive vent near the ceiling. Our home is a condo in a 1940s multi-unit and the floors and ceilings were built using steel beams and concrete slabs, both painted. I am taking the paint off completely in some sections of the ceiling using Smart Strip not because the old paint is peeling but because the slab in those areas has a very rough, yucky texture. I plan to skimcoat with Durabond which is like a smooth cement and then paint. For the primer in these areas, I plan to use Gardz first, which is clearish and is very waterproof. But what paint should I use? The ceiling is going to be white like Behr’s white ceiling paint and the walls are going to be a very light gray blue. Any ideas or suggestions or btdt advice?

In cases like these, forums sometimes have nuggets of information to check out. Researchers too. Sometimes a new method of treatment is available but it’s not widely known.

Such incredibly happy news! I hope the boys’ health continues to improve and that they can work with someone very experienced with traumatic experiences. The divers and everyone else who helped are just amazing. Hearing news like this restores my faith in humanity.

Yes, a geneticist. He needs much better information than what he’s received.

One way to deal with treats is to make healthier versions of what you like. Substituting nut and coconut flours for grain flours and reducing sugar in recipes. That sort of thing. There are a lot of fantastic recipes out there.

Knight’s lab at UCSD? UBiome might be an option.

The many-decades advice to eat low fat led to the consumption of much larger amounts of sugar and other unhealthy carbs. This is partly why the microbiome in many people changed dramatically. In order for beneficial bacteria to multiply and thrive, they must receive (eat) microbiota-accessible carbs (MACs), which are different types of fiber from food sources, especially plant fiber. Other foods are beneficial, too, like ghee and Alaskan salmon. Fasting and exercise both increase beneficial bacteria in the gut as well. Antibiotics and certain other meds, lack of exposure to microbes in soil and not eating fermented foods affects the microbiome as well. Getting fecal transplants may be one way to reseed the gut to help treat obesity but it could have risks as well. Regardless, the new bacteria would still need MACs to flourish. Btw, fasting is biochemically different than starving. Intermittent fasting (a loose term) has a different effect than fasting as well. Fasting and a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) have similar effects but the FMD includes very specific nutrients and is not simply fewer calories. A little off tangent but it does pertain to fat reduction, by around day 2 of a fast or FMD, the body begins to break down visceral fat (inflammatory) around the abdomin and that will continue even after stopping the fast/FMD. The health benefits are seen three months out but are reduced to about 60%. Very desirable anyway. One of the best researchers in this area is Valter Longo. His human studies on MS and fasting/FMD/refeeding are showing that fasting kills off damaged cellular material, regrows stem cells and effectively creates a healthier immune system. In some cases the MS went away completely. Most improved significantly. A five day fast can regenerate as much as 40% of the immune system. These methods are being used on all kinds of autoimmune disorders as well as being used as an adjunct to cancer treatments. Google Longo’s interviews with Rhonda Patrick if you want to learn more.

You could see a doctor just to rule out something like a stroke which I doubt it is but just to be on the safe side... In the meantime, use your whole hand and go barefoot so that the more nerves can then send more signals to your brain and help you stay balanced. Move slowly and carefully and don't crane your neck too much.

Ha! And I'd expect him to cook for me as well!

Could be something going on in your ears, like a small loose crystal. BPPV? http://www.michiganear.com/bppv-fact-sheet.html For me it was low B12.

Oy! What is his general diet? The GI issues, cysts, depression/anxiety and possibly migraines could be related to his microbiome. He can get a snapshot and general idea of which microbes he has in his gut by participating in the American Gut Project. They send you a kit to collect a sample from poo, which you get from after wiping (I know, TMI!), send it to the lab and in a few weeks or so, you should get the results. Cost is about $100. I believe you can also swab skin as well. Possibly the pectus-excavatum is causing problems. Here's a case where it was causing cardiovascular problems later in life with no known cause initially, how it was connected to the pectus-excavatum and how it was corrected. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3029481/ Is the growth on his face skin or bone? Some people have growths of bone on their skull that look like bumps and even horns on their heads. These are called osteomas. It could also be a lipoma which could feel rubbery and fixed or soft and squishy. Both are benign. What about Ehlers-Danlos? Has that been ruled out? There are different types of ED.

I agree with you about not ignoring the health issues. The younger generation is not expected to live as long as their parents largely due to health problems associated with diet and lifestyle. The statistics are sobering. We are already seeing increasing cases of aggressive, difficult-to-treat cancers rarely seen in 20 year olds that are strongly linked to diet (microbiome) as well as increasing rates of diabetes which wreaks havoc throughout the body. What got us into this mess was years of faulty science and the hubris from the giant egos who could not analyze data very well and the profiteers who pushed it.

Motivational interviewing can help people who need to make changes in their lives. It is a way of discussing issues such as addictions and involves allowing them to be ambivalent -- a part of the process of changing behavior -- while maintaining their autonomy as they decide what is needed to change. The listener's job is to listen and evoke when the individual seeking change is ready. ETA Some food to include would be eggs -- as many as 6 per day -- some cheese, veggies. Avocados which are about 6 for $6 at our Costco. A variety of nuts, especially walnuts but not so much peanuts which are a legume. Good fat will help him to feel satiated. Fiber from veggies will help grow a healthier microbiome in his gut and soak up unhealthy stuff in the gut. The earlier meals take place in the day, the better. Eating in the evening and especially at night leads to weight gain. This has to do with circadian rhythms.

Most in the US do not get enough potassium. Bananas are an okay source of potassium but not the best. Other better sources: —beet greens —potatoes (cold = resistant starch) —avocados —spinach, kale —lima beans —Alaskan salmon —tomato juice —coconut water I eat the above to try to reach what I need but it can be difficult.

I agree that boys (and girls) need to get outside more. My kids went to a b&m school and it was difficult to get any of the classmates to do anything outdoors. Playtime centered around video games in someone’s basement even in elementary school. Many boys grow up socializing with friends while playing video games. My youngest wears a headset that he can talk into and he’ll chat the night away when he does occasionally play with buddies. Ds is not that fond of gaming but he loves playing poker which concerns me a lot despite his insisting that it’s the strategy he likes. He is a theoretical math and comp sci major, though, and is interning as a trader so a part of me can see how the strategy might be appealing but on the other hand I worry, too.

The gaming industry knows exactly what they’re doing. They hire psychologists to help create flow experiences to hook gamers. Certain elements are purposely designed to develop gambling. It’s really quite insidious and despicable.

Another idea is to try improving her microbiome. Add an excellent probiotic like VSL#3 or Visbiome (these two are used in research and are superb; probiotic labeling is very poorly regulated in the US, practically meaningless) to seed her gut with beneficial bacteria and then feed them with fibery foods that she can tolerate. Beneficial bacteria help to tighten junctions between cells in the gut and help build the mucous lining. The Good Gut, a book written by husband and wife researchers Erica and Justin Sonnenburg at the Stanford Sonnenburg Lab, could be helpful to start with. You can find interviews and talks with them online as well. Another idea is to try anti-inflammatories like Meriva, etc., if she can tolerate them.

The Ayurvedic medicine triphala could help. Triphala is a powder made from three fruits. One of them helps with motility issues. Haritaki, I think. You'd want to get the powder from a reputable source.

A very hot bath or shower can help, too. Or, the poor man's sauna -- sitting in a hot car! Just be mindful and well hydrated. ? Raison's control in his study was a box that blew slightly warm, but not hot temps for about 2 hours and even at the lower heat, they saw some surprisingly good results. He talks about this in his interview with Rhonda.

Rhonda Patrick has some other videos out about the benefits of sauna. Might as well check out her video with Wim Hof, too. LOL. He's the HYPOthermia guy. "Cold is your warm friend." Wim's methods yield incredible health benefits, too, and he can train just about anyone to do what he does. I've yet to take on the cold like he does, though. Fabulous for the immune system. Maybe you could go jump in the snow afterward? ?

Boise is a very nice small city. Montana is much colder in winter than many realize. They also do not salt many (all?) of the roads. I was there this past December to ski and the roads were plowed but icy in spots. Not ideal for mountain driving. Bozeman is a mix of crunchy and conservative -- Californians and Cowboys -- so not sure you'd like that! Housing is a bit pricy for many there, too. Very nice place that is growing fast, though. Good schools.

Charles Raison, a professor of psychiatry and depression researcher, is an interesting person to follow. Depression is often seen in people who are slightly warmer than others. They run about 2 degrees hotter than non-depressed people. There is a pathway in our skin that controls a specific area of the brain that can cause depression. Raison designed a way to recalibrate the pathway using a 2-hour sauna (145 degrees) which had interesting results. It's worth watching this short Ted Talk he gave in 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDvAsp3ySEo A longer, more recent and meatier version is here with Rhonda Patrick (scientist): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DtJGJWjDys I take a daily dry sauna for about 30" at about 194 degrees and don't find it all that unbearable. (It's a good place to read, too.) Many benefits from sauna including significantly reducing rates of mortality. Other things can help too -- exercise, tweaking circadian rhythms, social connections, the microbiota. Hopefully, we'll be able to devise easy and elegant ways to help those who are suffering.

Hard to say for sure but some children with encopresis do grow up without fully resolving it.