Peela, thank you so very, very much. :grouphug: My dh and I both so appreciate you taking the time to share and help us with all this. Very true. You made some excellent points. Good. Will most certainly be trying. :) Will definitely give this a try :). We have chia seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, Green Magma Powder, yogurt, apples, bananas. What we don't have are linseeds and camu camu powder. But it should be fine, I think ... Fabulous tips. Thank you. :grouphug: Peela, I know that they're just suggestions. Nonetheless, I love how you share your knowledge and experience. I know that every body is different, but when people like you share great stuff like this, it's a great move in the right direction. We're all learning and growing. And I so appreciate you taking the time to help us. And yes, the parts that I highlighted are so true and so relevant to us also. Yes, all so very true. :iagree: Thank you so much.

Peela, dh just woke up and edited my post on the other page ...

I do want to add that when dh took the online quiz, yes, it was found that he's Vata. Peela, you guessed correctly. :) When I read and keep re-reading as much as I can about Ayurveda ... reading the Vata characteristics. Dh is SUCH a Vata, that I start laughing. Very, very accurate description.

Peela, you so kindly just PM'd me. Here are his symptoms: * Return of GERD/acid sometimes in the middle of his sleep/middle of night - but almost always upon awakening - he had little to no GERD while on the candida diet. * Intestinal cramping - I think he says intestinal - again, none of that before, not on the candida. I'll correct this later when he wakes up if he says it's not intestinal, but something else. * Kidney/Side Pain - very recent - maybe due to more fiber and not enough water??? I'm always nagging him about water. Hoping to get some dandelion tea today. IF they have it on this tiny island ... He has been neglectful with his diet since stopping candida. But now he's ready to re-start. He lost far, far too much weight on the candida diet, which, for him, is not good. He strongly believes that candida is at the root of all his digestive problems. He's been suffering from GERD and digestive stuff for a few years now. Not good, since stomach cancer runs in his family. We're both usually trying to do all that we can. His own dad had much, much worse problems when he was my dh's age. His dad has since been a very extreme raw foods eater. Now and again, he breaks it also, since his diet is so extreme. Dh often says that perhaps he should do raw foods. But he really doesn't want to. Him being a Vata, not good for him. He did raw foods for a month many years ago and never felt very good on it. Vatas are meant to avoid raw and cold foods - raw salads, too many leafy greens, parsley, broccoli, etc. Soothing, warm foods are better for them. He's willing and open to try Ayurveda. But we wonder, should he also eliminate fruit and bread? We know sugar should probably be eliminated ... we don't know for how long to eliminate these. It gets confusing, since we just want to know what he CAN eat ... Also confusing since the candida diet made him lose lots of weight and made him feel worse in some ways, but also he felt very good in other ways - little or no GERD, etc. He needs to always be cautious about constipation - and candida diets are not helpful in that respect. Sorry to be so long and confusing ... I wish I could wave a magic wand and all these things would go away.

:grouphug: You're very sweet. :grouphug:

What everyone has already said and maybe this: Limit intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates More probiotics - a dose of 1 to 16 billion CFUs should help. You can also get additional probiotics from food – yogurt, kefir, tempeh Pau D’Arco – 500 mg each day in capsule form. DO NOT TAKE IF PREGNANT! Garlic – 4 raw chopped cloves – expose to air for few minutes first – or take 300 mg of garlic supplement a day (but make sure it contains allicin).

I have often read and heard that zinc is essential for clearing up acne. I've read this: Zinc can stop the growth of bacteria that cause acne. Zinc slows the production of oil in the skin. It also helps the body process essential fatty acids and vitamin A. Too much zinc causes copper deficiency, which can LEAD to skin problems. More is not better. 25-50 mg per day DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN 100 mg Use zinc gluconate lozenges or OptiZinc for best absorption. L-OptiZinc is a patented form of bio-available zinc – bio-available means best absorbed She mentioned chelated zinc. She may very well be right and I've copied and pasted her post to keep. Me too. Cow's milk especially. Not plain yogurt. Yogurt doesn't affect me at all. Whenever my dc have too much ice cream or milk products, breakouts galore. Milk is said to be the #1 acne culprit. :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: So many fabulous suggestions here. The Brush mentioned in the first post looks good. I have LOTS and LOTS of tips, but don't want to overwhelm you further. I agree about not going on antibiotics. I loathe antibiotics, except when absolutely necessary. I posted some tips on this recent thread.

We all need fluff from time to time and there should be no guilt. :D Dd and I often laugh, since we had a booksale a year or so ago and someone brought a Rusell Brand biography/autobiography (or however you spell his name - the one married to Katy Perry). Apparently, he's written a 2nd one. I'm reading fluff at the moment myself. Re-reading "The Royals" by Kitty Kelley. ;) Me neither. I just read what grabs me. No decent library here. Summer, winter, spring, fall, rainy season, dry season ... it's all books and all the same to me. :) Some books that I have and am planning on reading: Some of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency Books The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie The Moonflower Vine The Good Earth Cry, the Beloved Country Have read and loved many of the books already mentioned here - The Help, Kite Runner, Thousand Splendid Suns, HP series (read them twice), etc. We'll be very busy and will be traveling, so reading will be quite sporadic.

I'm so sorry. :grouphug: I wish I had something wise to say and some useful tips to share. :confused: No experience with uterine polyps. I just googled "uterine polyps natural treatments" and many pages came up. This one might be of interest. Reading your post makes me feel bad that you're suffering and reminded me of what Peela wrote to me: "When the treatment is worse than the disease, it seems too extreme to me." Obviously, something is not right with the treatment. After the 2 weeks, what then? Can you try natural approaches? Do you have to keep going back on it? There are natural progesterone creams, etc. As well as Vitex (Chasteberry), but again don't know anything about uterine polyps. Bumping in case anyone else does.

Lisa's right. You can do a google search or ask on the hcg forums. I have heard about this and know someone who tried and did well with this approach. But I myself know very little about it. This option may be more do-able for some.

Thank you. We're leaning towards that also. :) Maybe, possibly, by eliminating fruit, sugar,and breads for 2 weeks. And then fruit and bread in moderation - but still no sugar. :confused: It's hard to make a decision and not feel overwhelmed with all the different options. I just wish, wish, wish that he could heal fast, especially since we'll be traveling soon. But I know that's probably unlikely.

Stupid Question of the Day: "Oleation: Take 2 teaspoons liquid ghee on the first morning, with hot water." Does this mean that the liquid ghee should be mixed in with hot water OR that it should be taken separately followed by a glass of hot water? Sorry for being so annoying.

:lol: Me too. But that's not too unusual for me.

Phew. Thank you for clarifying that. :grouphug: :)

:iagree: :iagree: And trust me, Americans already know a lot more than some other countries. :) Me neither. I never wanted to see the Saddam ones either and thought it was really awful that they posted that. Bingo. :hurray: Me too. :iagree: Yep.

I know and I fully agree. :D Nice dad. :) Absolute gold. Your words are gold. :hurray: :lol: Those of us in other countries laugh at Americans complaining about gas prices. :smilielol5: :iagree: And Sis, thank you. :grouphug:

Hoping to start the Oleation, Purgation, and Massage from tomorrow or so, regardless of which decision we make. We figure we'll probably do as much of the Ayurveda as possible and maybe as much of the anti-candida as possible. My mom has a fabulous Indian cookbook and I have a Mediterasian one (Mediterranean and Asian). I'll be busy cooking a lot and for me, that's not fun, since other than breakfast, I really, really, really dislike cooking. :blush:

Peela, Christina, others? When and if you have time, I have questions. So sorry to bother you once more. Dh wants to start the Ayurvedic approach, or at least as much as is do-able for him. He also wants to target the candida - which, I know, is not the focus of Ayurveda. We would like to do as much as we can for his health to improve before we leave for a month-long vacation in late June. It's hard to be very good and disciplined while traveling. Yet, it's also not at all fun to be feeling poorly. If you can help me think this through, would GREATLY appreciate it. I feel that my brain is about to burst. :confused1: 1. Go for at least 2 weeks or for the rest of the month of May on an anti-candida diet once again, or, at the very least, to avoid fruit, sugar, and bread during this time. Mix this in with as much of the Ayurvedic approach for his Vata constitution as we can. Pros: He feels hopeful that this might work - since Neem Tablets, etc. will soon arrive to us. That, with GSE, garlic, coconut oil, aloe ... He's willing to give the no-fruits a shot. Cons: Maybe he'll lose too much weight once again? OR 2. Just forget about the candida and only focus on a purely Ayurvedic approach - fruits in moderation, mostly cooked; balance overall; garlic, turmeric, etc. Pros: He will be less or very unlikely to lose weight Cons: May take longer to get rid of the candida. Maybe we could do option #1 for the rest of May and then #2 for June until we leave? :confused: I'm sorry if I'm being annoying and confusing. Again, my brain is about ready to pop. I just wish, wish, wish, that this candida would go away ... :confused: I wish so much that my dh didn't have these problems. :( When they say - no dairy - and not all say that, is plain yogurt, goat's cheese, and goat's milk okay? I assume they are all fine. Really do appreciate all your fabulous advice so far. :grouphug: Incredibly helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share all your knowledge and wisdom. :) Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Very rude and offensive. Calling me "intellectually lazy". :( I have to say that I am offended. Brilliant. Your entire post and others are gold. :) :iagree: Exactly. I respectfully disagree. How many people are going to be that honest and say that they are in fact racist or whatever? I don't see many other than KKK members be that upfront about it. And even they cover their faces because they're a bunch of cowards. I was in a store in NY many years ago, a small store selling bags. (Now, when we're in the U.S., particularly after 9/11, and since we are Middle Easterners and look Middle Eastern obviously, we are treated or looked at with a bit of caution, to put it rather mildly ;) - less so on the coasts and more so in the middle of America). But back to my NY bag store story. I was there as a grad student (where I was being intellectually lazy :tongue_smilie:) and my mom and sister were visiting. The owner of the store was fine. Then 3 black girls walked in. She immediately raised her voice at them and said that the shop is about to close, they need to leave, she put up the closed sign, you get the picture? We were not dumb. She didn't want them in her store. Simple as that. She was fine with us (since we're actually white even though some are confused about what we are :lol:) being there. She thought we were going to spend $ and precisely because of that, we didn't. Now, did she ever say ""I am racist, and... I don't want you in my store"? No, she did not. And she was in no hurry to put up the closed sign once they left. Brilliant.

Ginger, you and your dd are most welcome. :grouphug: Cheese sometimes should be fine. Goat's cheese (chevre) is absolutely delicious and very healthy. My dc protest when we run out. Goat's milk and almond milk are good also. Good for her for not eating many sweets. I wish our dc were as good. Some more info - that may be helpful - or may not, since you both may be aware of it already. Take note of certain foods of types of food you ate 4-24 hours before an acne flare-up. See how your skin reacts to specific foods and eliminate anything that causes problems. More Fish, especially oily fish, such salmon - Carlson's Fish Oil (liquid or capsules - my dc take the teen capsules) are a fabulous source of Omega 3s - essential for healthy skin. Fish Oil is a good source of Essential Fatty Acids. These are are anti-inflammatory and help keep oil production under control. Cucumber Juice - I make fresh cucumber juice with an apple for my dc as often as I can. I often add other greens also. If you have a juicer, trust me on this. Fresh cucumber juice works like a charm. More Green Veggies More Purple and Deep Red Foods – pomegranates, purple carrots, black grapes, and beets Probiotics are essential “The Clear Skin Diet” by Valori Treloar (is a book that I have not read, but have heard great things about) There are some other recommended books when you scroll down the amazon page and they may be worth looking into also, such as this one. Walmart (and Amazon) has some homeopathic supplements in the Skin Care section – Nature’s Cure – one for boys and one for girls. If one doesn’t work, switch the gender around. Many rave about these. My dc have some success with them. Hard to tell if it's just that or not. LYMPHATIC SYSTEM Do you have a mini-trampoline/rebounder? Regular trampolining/rebounding helps clear your lymphatic system. Many skin conditions are common symptoms of a congested lymphatic system. Things that help to clear up the lymphatic system, not all are practical for a pre-teen - just info for you to know: • Daily Rebounding - I try to get my dc to bounce on the rebounder as often as possible. • Deep Breathing • Dry Body Brushing • Massage and/or Reflexology • Swinging KEEP IT SIMPLE AND BE GENTLE Wash the face with a microfiber cloth and nothing but water (Exfolia Cloth is available from chinaberry or amazon and is gentle). Avoid harsh or irritating skin-care products. Treating acne-prone skin gently is the best way to go. Avoid washing your face with bar soaps or bar cleansers of any kind. Do not pick at blemishes! I know it's tempting, but doing so can cause the blemish to rupture and increase the chance of scarring. Avoid subjecting skin to extreme heat or cold. Hot compresses or ice cubes are not the way to treat acne or to encourage healing. Avoid thick, waxy hairstyling products, especially if your hair usually touches your forehead. http://www.skincarephysicians.com/acnenet/index.html http://www.acne.org/

If you do your research and read up on the forums linked earlier in this thread, you will realize that it's not necessary to fork out a lot of $ and join those clinics. Most succeed and do very well by themselves. Hcg does not have to cost a lot of $. "They" want you to think otherwise. Mind you, maybe was on Rx. That's a whole 'nuther story. 2 types of hcg - Rx and homeopathic. I don't know much about the former. I only have experience (and success) with the latter. Will be thinking of you both. :grouphug: Load, load, load. If you get hungry, snack on sliced cucumbers, etc. Adjust your dosage if you get hungry. Read, read, read ... which I know you've been doing. :) You know all the rest of it. :D :iagree: :iagree::iagree: I'm now 43 and my metabolism is no way the way it was at 23 or 33.

So many fabulous tips here. Love this thread. :) :iagree: Just one thought - does she drink cow's milk? Cow's milk and refined sugar are the top 2 acne culprits. My skin cleared up amazingly when I cut out milk, or had it very rarely. Sorry your dd is going through this. My dc are breaking out also. Not a fun stage at all. :iagree: If you have acne, you may break out a bit more at first. The body's getting rid of toxins. But it really can help over the long-term.

Denise, so sorry. This is the main reason why I really don't like the candida diet. It did this to my dh and much, much worse :confused:. He felt really good in some ways, but really bad in others. The best natural remedies for constipation are what others have mostly mentioned already: Exercise - particularly yoga and walking - many yoga poses directly target constipation Flaxseeds - I personally avoid flaxseeds since it raises bre@st estrogen levels Lots of water - but room temperature is much easier on the system Vitamin C is also helpful at higher doses Magnesium helps keep bowels regular by maintaining normal bowel muscle function. Magnesium helps restore good bowel tone and normal peristalsis – that alternating muscle relaxation and contraction in the intestines. For most people on a healthy diet, 400 mg of Magnesium daily should be sufficient. But for those who have symptoms of deficiency, such as constipation, more is recommended, but probably no more than 1200 mg. Add in more magnesium gradually. Your body knows how much it can handle according to how much your bowels can tolerate. The stools should feel soft, but not excessively loose. Take in divided doses and with meals to ensure optimal absorption – preferably more at night I have read that it’s preferable to not take magnesium at the same time as calcium. Others say that it’s fine. This is where I am confused. I think the former makes more sense. The most absorbable forms are: Magnesium Citrate Magnesium Glycinate - although you might want to avoid this one if you want to get your bowels to really move. Magnesium Taurate Magnesium Aspartate Magnesium Malate Magnesium Succinate Magnesium Fumirate Avoid: Magnesium Oxide Magnesium Carbonate Magnesium Gluconate Magnesium Sulfate These are not absorbed well and are the cheapest forms Side effects from too much magnesium include diarrhea, which can be avoided if you switch to Magnesium Glycinate. People with kidney disease or severe heart disease should take magnesium only under a doctor's supervision. But my all-time favorite is this: Triphala – Take two to four 500 mg tablets just before bedtime. Triphala is a bowel-regulating formula. In Sanskrit, it means three fruits. The combination of the powdered fruits is a rich source of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anticancer, and immune-enhancing properties. Triphala treats the entire digestive system, helping with constipation, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, indigestion, bloating, and liver detoxification. Because it operates as a bowel tonic (helping to maintain proper function) rather than a laxative, it’s safe to take every day. Peela and I love it. :) The one I have linked is by Solaray. I'm sure many others are good also. Solaray is the one we've used and have had success with.

They now have mainly goat's milk, if at all. They hardly ever drink milk and I'm delighted about that.

Loved this series. :D The first book is quite boring and confusing in the first 60-70 pages. Hang in there. It does get better! They are quite graphic. But I tend to look beyond that and just focus on the story. Love the story. :)