Once again, thank you all. :grouphug: We have GSE. Only problem is that he has GERD issues, and citrus bothers him. He avoids it. But maybe he should give this a try. Thanks for that. The ghee they sell here comes in cans. I'm not sure if it's good or not. I try very hard to avoid canned foods. Ginger doesn't agree with him due to GERD issues. But maybe he should give that a try also. Ayurveda fascinates me and I really wish I had time to read up on it more. I plan on doing so. Thanks, Rosie. Thanks. Right now, he's taking double the dosage of probiotics. It's a high potency one. I think I'll have him take even more. Thanks so much for those links. Will read up on them now. Poor guy is weighing less than he ever has. Some days, it looks like the candida is going. Other days, not so good at all ... total pain in the neck.

I'm looking forward to reading your review as soon as I have a few minutes :). I've been interested in Gary Taubes' books for some time.

Slow reading week. Still reading and enjoying more and more, but have little time to read - Payment in Blood. Slow reading with the kids also - Just William, which we absolutely love and The Time Garden.

Ibbygirl, absolutely gorgeous pictures. :D We loved watching it early last night. Thank you all for the very sweet birthday wishes. :grouphug:

You are all so incredibly sweet and caring. Thank you. :grouphug: Had a wonderful day. So sweet. Everyone spoiled me. Dd made me some gorgeous things. She's so creative. Ds walked down the road and bought me something from $ that he saved. Dh got me my gift a few months ago and is also giving me the gift of time (he'll teach the kids for one day a week for a few weeks to give me time! :)). My parents spoiled me as they always do and we had a fabulous evening together. We're going out for dinner to our favorite restaurant later this coming week. I wish that we could all be there together. :grouphug: And early last night, we went out to see the moon. Gorgeous ... :hurray: Once again, thank you all so much. Nancy and Colleen, Happy Birthday to you both also. :D :grouphug: :D

Thank you so much. You ladies are all so very encouraging. :grouphug:

I haven't even had time to read any replies since I last posted, but just read this and had to share. This is from a book that I really, really like, "Alkalize or Die" - catchy title, wouldn't you say? :lol: ALKALIZING MULTI VITAMINS AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS Most of us have systems that are overly acidic. Working towards a system that is balanced or more alkaline is the key to overall health. These multi vitamin and mineral formulas are said to be very good for alkalizing the body. • 12 Systems Synergistic Multiple – one tablet per meal • Vita Lea (Shaklee) – one tablet with each meal • Bio Strath – One teaspoon with each meal or tablet as indicated – I saw it on vitacost.com

:lol: I know ... I feel guilty and bad to be complaining, especially in these difficult times. Mind you, the way prices are right now, we may need to cancel our plans altogether. :confused:

I'm getting, very, very frustrated with trying to find reasonable and fairly nice accommodation in both cities. We usually get our hotels through Priceline and are always happy with them. But both cities are shamefully expensive. Especially when we're heading there - summer. Is anyone familiar with staying in the Heathrow, Orly, or Charles de Gaulle areas and commuting into the city via the London Underground and Metro? Will it end up costing about the same anyway? Airport hotels tend to be much cheaper (and even better quality) than city hotels. But the price and hassle of the daily commute back and forth may be a total and absolute pain. Thank you. Right now, I am absolutely going out of my mind. :banghead: :cursing: :banghead:

I absolutely love, love, love any kind of full moon and this is happening on my birthday. :)

Thanks so much, Cyndi. :grouphug: For now, he absolutely refuses to try ACV. He has GERD, so ACV bothers him. Aloe and garlic seem to help. Plus, eating barely anything helps also. The candida diet is great for those who want to lose weight. But my dh is certainly not in that category. Candida sucks. :glare:

I'm going through the exact same problem and am becoming very, very frustrated. The only difference is that we no longer prefer to have an apartment. We're trying, very unsuccessfully, to get 2 rooms for our family of 4 through Priceline. Apartments in Paris. I hope that this helps. I'm sorry you're having difficulty also. I'm having problems with London as well. I'm just beginning to get thoroughly turned off by Europe and we're not even there yet. :glare: http://www.rentparis.com/en/ http://locaflat.com If you don't have the Rick Steves Paris book, I can post you some more listings from there. Let me know.

Trying to find accommodation for our trip to Europe. I'm beginning to hate Europe and we're not even there yet. Never had such difficulty with finding accommodation. Never. Ever. :banghead: :cursing: :( :mad:

Thank you all so very much. :) Peela, again, we have both taken Oregano at the first sign of a cold or flu. No problems whatsoever. Just the horribly intense taste ... that makes you want to run a mile and get away from the situation :lol:. I like your idea of starting slowly and listening to one's body. I wish they had pau d'arco here. Maybe I could ask a herbalist. I'll see if he has it. I guess that you mean that it's effective for candida, correct? Wow, since last July? That sounds very, very hard :grouphug:. My dh cannot lose any more weight. It's worrying me. He takes probiotics and so many other things. I was always under the impression that ACV would exacerbate candida. :confused: Jean, okay. That's good to know for our situation. I'm thinking so much of you. Hope you can see your naturopath soon. :grouphug: Once again, I always thought that ACV is a no-no for candida? :confused: Thanks again, everyone.

I prefer vitacost or amazon over most health stores, except for something very, very specific. Better prices and reviews. Health stores are usually far more expensive.

Peela or anyone else who may know, Dh is on an anti-candida diet ... poor thing. He's losing way too much weight and does not need to, at all. Anyway, he has read to take 3 drops of Oil of Oregano 3 times a day. Would this be okay? Is this toxic? We've often taken Oregano at the first sign of a cold or flu. Apparently, this method can take up to 6 weeks. Is it okay to take 9 drops of Oregano for 6 weeks? He's doing everything he can - garlic, very, very strict diet, etc. Thank you. :)

We only have Baked French Toasts and I love making them. In fact, breakfast is my absolute favorite meal to make. :) Baked French Toast with Pie Filling 1 8 oz loaf French or Italian bread 8 eggs 1 cup milk 2 tsp. vanilla ½ tsp. baking powder 2 cans pie filling – apple/blackberry/blueberry/cherry 1 tsp. cinnamon 4 T. margarine, melted Powdered sugar Slice bread into 3/4 inch slices. Place on cookie sheet. Mix well the eggs, baking powder, milk, and vanilla. Pour over bread and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, preheat oven and remove bread from the fridge. Pour pie filling into 9x13 pan and spread as evenly as possible. Sprinkle cinnamon over pie filling. Wedge bread slices, wettest side up, into pan on top of filling. Brush tops with melted margarine and bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes until toasted golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and let sit 5 minutes. Serves 6 (in theory). BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST Serves 12 1 (1 pound) loaf Italian bread, cut into 1 inch cubes 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, diced 1 cup blueberries 12 eggs 2 cups milk 1/3 cup maple syrup 1 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 cup water 1 cup blueberries 1 tablespoon butter 1. Place half of the bread cubes in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle cream cheese on top of bread cubes. Top with 1 cup blueberries and remaining bread. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk and maple syrup. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight. 2. The next morning, remove pan from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 3. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover pan and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until golden brown and center is set. 4. To make Sauce: In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch, add water. Boil over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in blueberries and reduce heat. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes, or until the berries have burst. Stir in butter until melted. Serve the sauce over squares of french toast. Cut eggs back to 9-10, and add 1 tsp. vanilla to the egg/milk mixture. Six to 8 oz. cream cheese is plenty. Spreading the cream cheese on the bread before slicing is a great idea if you have family members who aren't fond of cream cheese - it's less visible. Otherwise, cut into small dice no bigger than 1/2 inch (a little messy, but much better than the 1 inch squares suggested in other recipes). It's critical to sprinkle cinnamon (Someone suggested Pampered Chef's "Cinnnamon Plus" spice blend) on both the bottom and top layers of bread cubes - the cinnamon could be added to the egg mixture as well, but I would still sprinkle extra on top. For the sauce, use only about 1-2 tsp. of cornstarch, especially if you prepare it ahead of time - otherwise the sauce becomes too thick. Reduce the sugar to 1/4-1/3 cup, and add the juice of half a lemon for a little zip. Tip: Be careful not to use too much bread -- the dish can't "puff up" if all of the cubes aren't sufficiently saturated. Also, as much as I love the sauce, the dish is equally good and maybe even better with real maple syrup. FRENCH TOAST BAKE - haven't tried this yet French bread 5 eggs 2 1/2 cups milk 1 cup packed brown sugar, divided 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup chopped pecans (optional) 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 1. Arrange bread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. 2. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Sprinkle pecans over egg mixture. Combine butter and remaining sugar; drizzle over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberries. Bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. The pan MUST BE GREASED. You can use mixed berries or blueberries; I always prefer blueberries - less seeds. The tartness of the blueberries balances the sweetness of the bread and we add a touch of syrup. I also add some cinnamon to the egg/milk mixture. I never have had it with the pecans... even though I'm sure it's delicious... just more pricey and never seem to have them on hand. I've never had to flip the bread, however I do have to bake it longer than the recipe calls for. Maybe as much as 45 minutes BEFORE you add the blueberries. But all the milk/egg mixture should be cooked through. Be patient! :-) I did take it out too early this xmas brunch (we were hungry and my father LOVED it still) but I put it back in for 10 more minutes and it was perfect. It will turn out delicious if baked enough. I think the time varies because the various bread thickness that people cut. I like thick bread and cut it thicker, then add more eggs and milk (used eggnog for my milk for xmas breakfast), thus making it take much longer to bake. Just give it time. But 25 mintues is certainly not enough if you cut it thick like I do. Might have to put a piece of tin foil lightly over the top towards the end if additional baking is necessary to keep the top from browning too much. This recipe is hard to ruin so don't depair. I have now made this several times following the recipe, and once I used blueberries and peaches because I didn't have enough blueberries. We have to make it without the nuts now because my son is allergic, but each time it's delicious. It's definitely a must to flip over the bread before baking! My only problem is that I should have let it cook much longer! The center was quite soggy. The flavour was great though, so no one really seemed to mind all that much. I would suggest adding another 15-25 mins to the cooking time.

ZINC L-OptiZinc is a patented form of bio-available zinc THE MOST IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTS – in my personal order of preference – this may vary for each person, of course! – these are my top if $ is a concern Fish Oil Vitamin D3 Magnesium Probiotic Green Magma (or other high-quality green drink – if you don’t juice veggies regularly) and/or Capra Mineral Whey – these are important, very, very important to help balance our body’s pH – a healthy pH is essential for overall health. My husband refuses to touch the Mineral Whey. I love it, however. Since I juice veggies often, we don’t need Green Magma very much. On days that I have little time for juicing, we take the Green Magma. Mushroom Extract A good multivitamin/mineral formula Peela also once wrote that, overall, most of us are far more deficient in minerals than we are in vitamins. When budget is a concern, as it for most of us, focus much more on minerals and a healthy diet, than lots and lots of vitamins. TIPS ON TAKING THEM My naturopath friends have always told me is that it's good to take 2 days off most or all of your supplements every week, preferably any two days that are back-to-back. So, if you need to take them on weekends. Fine. You could try skipping them on any other 2 days of the week. Another thing I do, based on what I have read and played around with - is take a break from some supplements for an entire month. Not all. Just some. They work so much better for me, when I get back on them - 5-HTP, Melatonin, even probiotics, whatever you want or think that your body could do well to take a break from in order to be more effective. The body sometimes becomes overly efficient and not challenged by supplements. That’s why taking a break and going back on them, in my opinion and experience, helps them to become much more effective.

MAGNESIUM Magnesium is a key mineral that many are deficient in. Anything that is tight, irritable, crampy, and stiff -- whether it is a body part or an even a mood -- is a sign of magnesium deficiency. Magnesium and many other minerals are best absorbed when they are bound to an acidic carrier such as citrate, aspartate, picolinate, or amino acid chelate. The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate, although magnesium bound to Kreb cycle chelates (malate, succinate, fumarate) are also good. Avoid magnesium carbonate, oxide, sulfate, and gluconate. They are poorly absorbed (and the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements). If I see these in a multi, I avoid it. 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. MUSHROOM EXTRACT Look for a formula that combines the immune-boosting and anticancer properties of reishi mushrooms, the blood-sugar balancing and cancer-fighting properties of the maitake mushrooms, and the cholesterol-lowering abilities of the shiitakes. Fungi Perfecti is very good, but expensive, however. PROBIOTIC Any probiotic you take should contain at least 1-5 billion colony-forming units (CFUs). Good probiotics include: Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics 12 PLUS is known to be the one of the strongest, most effective probiotics Udo's Choice Adult's Probiotic – 12-36 billion CFUs New Chapter Organics Probiotic All-Flora – 8 billion CFUs Jarrow Formulas Enhanced Probiotic System, Jarro-Dophilus EPS – 5-20 billion CFUs Puritan's Pride Probiotic Acidophilus – 3-9 billion CFUs Jarrow Formulas femdophilus – 5-10 billion CFUs Advocare Probiotic Restore – 2-4 Billion CFUs Kyo-Dophilus – 3 billion CFUs Nature’s Way Probifia Pearls Enzymatic Therapy Acidophilus Pearls

VITAMIN D3 Vitamin D helps everything—your bones, your immunity, your emotional well-being, your mind; it even helps prevent cancer. If you're under 50, take at least 2,000 IU per day. If you're 50 or over, take at least 5,000 IU per day of vitamin D3. Always take your vitamin D with a fat-containing meal to ensure absorption. Your need for vitamin D3 is affected by age, skin color, and the severity of any deficiency VITAMIN E If any multi or Vitamin E supplement has dl-alpha, rather than d-alpha, I stay away from it. D-alpha is the good and natural kind. Dl-alpha is synthetic and not processed by the body. FISH OIL Make sure to get a good, high-quality fish oil – such as Carlsons’s. You want to avoid fish oil that may come from polluted sources or that may be high in mercury. Other good brands are Nordic Naturals, Enzymatic Therapy, and Metagenics. Fish Oil is good for your heart partially because it decreases blood clotting and reduces blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, high triglycerides, or other signs of heart disease, 3-5 grams may be helpful. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you’re taking medications to make sure there are no negative interactions. Fish oils thin the blood just like aspirin, gingko biloba, and garlic. You don’t want to thin your blood so much that it causes bleeding. For all others, 1 gram (1,000 mg) is fine. Stop taking fish oil and any EPA supplements 2 weeks before surgery – as well as possibly avoiding a fish dinner the night before any surgery. Do not take fish oils if you are on any blood thinner. GLUCOSAMINE The cheaper glucosamine hydrochloride form is totally useless. Only glucosamine sulfate has been scientifically shown to have any efficacy whatsoever. But, glucosamine HCI is really, really cheap IRON I prefer to avoid iron in supplements. I always take iron-free multis and try to get my iron from natural sources instead. If you want natural iron alternatives, there are some supplements. I can share info on that. Stored iron normally increases as we age, and accumulates in the body after menopause and may increase women’s risk for arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Iron supplements may be used by tumors to promote their growth. Since it oxidizes, if you take too much supplemental iron, it can lead to cancer. If you have had cancer, or if there is a high incidence of cancer in your family, you may want to take a formula without added iron unless a blood test determines that you are iron-deficient, in which case, natural sources may be far superior. Iron supplements should also be avoided if you have arthritis.

B COMPLEX Any good multivitamin or B Complex needs to have at least 10 mg of B vitamins. It's a red flag if the B vitamins are at very low levels. When lower than 10 mg, they’re insignificant and unhelpful. VITAMIN C Best if taken as Ester-C – this is a patented form of bio-available vitamin C CALCIUM I think there is a very big difference not only in the brand but the type of calcium you use. The major types of calcium are: Carbonate, Citrate and Bone Meal. 1. Calcium carbonate (also found in coral calcium) is the hardest calcium compound for the human body to break down and absorb. You’ll find it in a lot of supplements because it’s inexpensive. The Carbonate (like Tums) is basically like taking chalk board chalk. It may alkalize your body, but it does almost nothing for your bones. 2. Calcium citrate is slightly better than calcium carbonate, since minerals need an acidic base to break down and get used. It is a little bit more bio-available, but still not the best. 3. Bone Meal is the best source for bones and has one of the highest bio-availabilities. Just make sure it's from a clean source, and the animals it came from weren't given hormones or antibiotics. KAL from New Zealand is good and I get it from vitacost or amazon. 4. You can also get an herbal calcium source that is also bio-available and easily absorbed. CHROMIUM PICOLINATE ChromeMate is a bio-available form of chromium picolinate. COPPER Try to avoid multivitamins with copper. Research has shown that even tiny traces of copper from water pipes can lead to heart disease, as well as diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Over time, even small traces of copper can contribute to the production of excess damaging oxidant radicals. The study recommended that anyone over 50 should avoid supplements containing copper (and iron – more info on iron below). A good form of zinc will lower copper levels in the body. Copper overload can also cause: Depresssion Fatigue Food Cravings Poor Liver Function Weight Gain Yeast Infections

MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE – IF I COULD If I lived in the U.S., I would try my utmost to get as much as I could from Standard Process - which you have to buy from a chiropractor/nutritionist/etc. Standard Process is wonderful. But they don't have every single supplement. They're very specialized. AFTER THAT I prefer searching for good brands on vitacost or amazon – reading reviews, and looking at brands. The following are brands that I like and trust: Carlson’s Nature’s Way Twin Labs KAL Enzymatic Therapy Solgar Source Naturals Rainbow Light Solaray NOW UniKey (do a google search) New Chapter Organics Brands I've heard good things about, but have not yet tried, and don’t yet know enough about: Darwin’s Gaia Herbs Health from the Sun Jarrow Member’s Mark Metagenics Nature’s Plus Nordic Naturals Pure Encapsulations Puritan’s Pride Shaklee Trace Minerals Research Vitamin World Zone Perfect

I like vitacost.com and amazon for better prices and reviews. Generally, no. You do get what you pay for. WHAT I LIKE TO AVOID Many “one-a-day” formulas - Theragram-M, Geritol, Centrum usually: • Have such long ingredient lists (a red flag for me!) with synthetic coloring, waxes, and other undesirable ingredients – this is my main reason for avoiding them • Are too low in potency – most one-a-day formulas cannot possibly give you high enough potencies of nutrients. There simply isn’t enough room to pack a lot of nutrients into a single capsule. Do be aware that a good multivitamin and mineral formula requires that you take it in larger quantities – from 3-6 capsules daily. This may seem like a lot, but it’s not. When it comes to herbs, and often minerals and vitamins, most of the time, the quantity and potency is so very, very low, that it really isn’t going to do anything much at all. I prefer to research all the brands and see which has the highest dosage, or I have found that I may need to double or triple the dose. I have to admit that due to financial constraints, I seldom do this these days, unless I'm focusing on a specific health concern. I do believe that nutrition (healthy diet) is first and foremost. • Are often poorly absorbed As Peela here once told me, anything that is multi-marketed. Supplements from multi-marketed companies are obviously going to cost much more. The supplements may be good, but remember that you’re paying for a wealth system that may play on people’s greed. :glare: Any supplement (usually they are minerals) that has the word “oxide”. The oxide form of any is the cheapest source of that mineral. Most of the cheaper brands include oxide to cut down on costs, but these brands do our bodies no good, since they’re barely absorbed. Any supplement that has vitamin E as dl-alpha – dl-alpha is synthetic and junk. Any supplement that has calcium carbonate – ditto, as above Most brands at Walmart, Costco, etc. But this doesn’t always apply. Some brands at these larger stores are fine. You'll have to do your own research to know. Just because the supplement is sold at Walmart or Costco does not that it’s necessarily bad. You need to look at the ingredients. are the same. WHAT I PREFER Bio-available when possible – these are best absorbed. Many bio-available forms are patented and identified on the label. Anything with a short ingredient list – no soybean oil, no sugar, starches, colorings, soy, etc. – the less things in it, the better! With vitacost, you can click on side bar buttons to say that you're looking for something without soy, etc.

Rosie, oh, I really, really miss that stage. He sounds absolutely adorable. :D :grouphug:

:bigear: