1)2nd the sleep study recommendation. it was life changing for my dh to get treatment for his sleep apnea. 2)his vitamin d levels are almost certainly low like 85% of the US population. he needs 1000 IU vitamin D per 25 lbs body weight to maintain normal/optimal D levels.....he needs 4x that for a few weeks or months to get his levels up quickly. vitamindcouncil.org Any D3 supplement will do. I purchase all of my supplements from iherb.com b/c the cost is so significantly less than anyplace local. 3)more potassium....virtually no one gets sufficient potassium http://www.krispin.com/potassm.html All the best, Katherine

I believe they carry Natrol My Favorite Multiple Take One. It's a fabulous formulation. The iron in it is albion's ferrochel (iron bisglycinate). The lovely thing about it is that it absorbs beautifully in the presence of calcium and doesn't interfere with the absorption of anything else. It's safe and effective. Copper and zinc do antagonize each other but in the forms in the natrol (and many good vitamins) this really isn't much of an issue.....I wouldn't worry about it in the least. The key thing is to get enough zinc and in the natrol you will, even if your diet is high in copper (ie grains). iherb.com is my favorite place to buy supplements. The natrol is just under $10 from iherb.com and is closer to $20 at health food stores. :) Katherine

Which vitamin is she taking? It should be easy to tell from the formulation if there is anything present that will cause loose stools K

You're missing the point. There wasn't a 'last season' H1N1 outbreak. It's a novel outbreak and is being counted totally separate from last years flu because it occured during a time when there is virtually no flu. During a time when there are *no* deaths from flu. There have been 86 pediatric deaths from H1N1. And 70 or so of them occured during a time when there are 'supposed to be' no deaths. The number won't double...it'll be at least 3-4x the 'normal death rate. It's very possible, perhaps even likely that the increase curve will be geometric. Just from H1N1......then there is the consideration the 'normal' death rates from regular seasonal flu. It's not typical. It's simply not a typical flu season in any way. Katherine

It's fairly easy to lower bloodpressure by changing the ratio of sodium to potassium that you ingest via diet. While decreasing sodium intake is somewhat helpful, the key issue here is actually *increasing*, significantly, your potassium intake. By simply eating more potassium, ideally 3-4 mg per calorie ingested, you'll shift that balance considerably. Very few get sufficient potassium, though some are more sensitive to this lack than others. Bananas aren't a great source of potassium *to increase overall potassium* and to improve the total dietary ratio. Bananas have about a 4:1 potassium to calorie ratio. In other words, just enough potassium to take care of their own calorie load. You'll want to add significant quantities of foods that contain few calories and loooooots of potassium: veggies, veggie broth (homemade), v-8, similar vegetable juices, tomato, tomato sauce, tomato salsa, tomato juice. http://www.krispin.com/potassm.html Just that one change will improve your systolic and diastolic numbers considerably. Excercise - even a little - done consistently, will further improve your systolic. Optimal vitamin D levels will improve blood pressure and health across the board. Generally speaking, to maintain optimal D levels, 1000 IU per 25 lbs body weight is a reasonable dose. To quickly replete deficient states, 4000 IU per 25 lbs body weight is not inappropriate for a period of weeks or months....along with testing serum D levels. Your doc can (and should) test your D. If they use quest, recognize that there are issues with their test and that any result needs to be divided by 1.3 to obtain an accurate final number. LabCorp is the best. There is also a home test from ZRT labs. It can be obtained from ZRT, or via the vitamindcouncil.org (they get a small donation if you purchase through them....a worthwhile cause to support), or for $40 through grassrootshealth.net The latter is part of a study, to participate in the study and get the the $40 price, you are required to test D levels twice a year for 5 years....again, a worthy cause. Celery seed is a very effective hypotensive herbal medication. It's still best to change your diet and is *critical* to improve your D status, but celery seed can be helpful in a suprisingly rapid way. It needs to be ground, so either grind your own and take it that way, or purchase the supplement. iherb.com is my go-to source for all of our supplements. the prices can never be beat, the service is excellent, the shipping is freakishly fast. Love love love them. they do have a very inexpensive celery seed available. :) Katherine

I'd do all.....continue with the chiro, head to a major university AND see a naturopath. It's pretty darn important that cortisol levels be in a good range....without it, one can't stay asleep (though it sounds like she can't fall asleep either). She likely needs 1000 IU vitamin D3 to maintain optimal levels. She needs multiples of that to get up to optimal levels quickly. It's not unrealistic to consider 4000 IU D3 per 25 lbs body weight for 8-12 weeks (or longer if needed) to get her D levels up as quickly as possible.....then dropping down to the maintenance dose of 1000 IU per 25 lbs body weight (for the winter and maybe the summer depending on sun exposure). She has to sleep. She really really has to sleep. To achieve that, all stops should be pulled out asap. This has long term far reaching consequences in ways that are deeply concerning to even consider so please please please see all specialists - natural, alternative, mainstream, expert in the most timely manner possible. I'm assuming you already have her on a high quality high potency multi, extra b vites especially b5 and significant doses of vitamin C? The b5 and C are good adrenal support. Fwiw, I would follow the recommendation to get off of gluten and would take it a step further. I'd take her off gluten, dairy and *all grains*, instead relying on produce, nuts, beans, lentils, eggs and high quality meats for her nutritional needs. How low is her cortisol? Has she developed Addison's disease? Wishing you all the very very best in getting answers soon, Katherine

Both the lanolin and the fish source are natural and absolutely identical. There is no difference whatsoever. K

Not close to enough. the US RDA is to low by at least 10x. 4000 IU is much more appropriate than 400 IU. Please consider testing and treating appropriately. grassrootshealth.net has a $40 home test. K

'now and then' won't do it for anyone. It's not worth it as melanoma is absolutely most closely linked with intermitted exposure (known carcinogenic rays entering D deficient tissues.....not good;p) D in oj is D3 and is better than milk for raising blood levels, however, only significant supplementation with D3 pills, drops or sprays will do the trick. no one can or should injest enough food to get sufficient d from food. K

I'm heartened to hear that so many are taking D now. Jean, it's not uncommon to have to take 10,000 IU per day. My doc doesn't have really anyone on less than 6,000 IU per day and she tests all patients. Most are on 6,000-10,000. A few take more. Only two patients take less (2,000 IU per day) and they take midwinter tropical vactions and get purposeful unprotected UV exposure). Her experience back's up Cannel's recomnedation for 1000 IU per 25 lbs body weight......for some who are in particularly UV deficient areas and/or live very indoor lives, more might even be necessary. Keep in mind that this recommendation translates into 400 IU per ten pounds of body weight. The gummies won't last but a few days with a family taking appropriate amounts. I like the Carlson D Drops in the 2000 IU version. Easy to figure out how many drops to take per week. If it's easier there is also a 400 IU per drop version. My 70 lb child takes 9 drops per week of the 2000 IU version. the 40 lber takes 5 drops a week. I take 3 drops per day and definitely do make up missed doses. Few the first few weeks or months, double or triple up on doses to replete D levels faster. :) Katherine

There is a huge vitamin D component..... K

Ditto Jennefer! Same for us with 'fidgets'......totally distracting. K

My BIL wears one and he's a total manly man macho blue collar due. He's awesome. K

you can use plain zinc oxide......a generous pea size rubbed under your arms after a shower about once a week will do it. some need to apply it more often, some less often. you can get zinc oxide cream from the pharmacy.....sometimes the pharmacist has to order it. you want at least 20% zinc in the preparation. since it's thick and hard to rub in, I recommend doing it at night. K

i'm fairly certain we had it. There were confirmed cases at dd1's school. She started with a headache, slight cough, and felt like she had a fever (her words) but didn't actually have a fever. Occassionally she had an upset stomach, sore throat or headache. She coughed quite a bit and had a runny nose. About three day, I started to feel unwell, went in and got tamiflu. Felt like i had about a 5% case of the flu for 4 of the 5 days of tamiflu - the stuff was such a miracle. When dd2 started to get sick, she also went on tamiflu. They've both continued to cough for quite a few weeks. Loooooove the tamiflu. K

there is a 50-90% false neg rate for rapid H1N1 tests. He has the flu. K

remember that there is a 50-90% false neg rate for rapid tests. K

Yes! It can absolutely come in waves. In fact, that's one of the CDC recommendations for 'seek emergency treatment immediately' - if you were feeling better then took a turn for the worse. K

It's a different profile of people who are having severe issues with H1N1 though. And it's more contagious. One of my daughter's teachers was hospitalized with H1N1....her 30 yo teacher. A friend of ours is an ER doc at the Emory system (Emory Hospital, Emory Midtown, Grady etc).......they had 20 and 30 yo's on vents due to H1N1 complications. For those having complications, it's not a typical flu. K

rapid flu tests have a 50-90% false negative rate. go by symptoms. K

Your original question was: when do you stop. You continue until they know alllll sounds (incl the ones not in rewards). They need to know the various sounds of x (/z/ and /ks/), augh, ough, eigh etc. Every last sound with complete automaticity. They need to be able to read silently with a fair degree of speed and a high degree of comprehension. Aloud with a great degree of fluency. They should not only be able to sound out single syllable words but multisyllable words. They should be able to not only sound them out but SPELL them from dictation. Just some things to think about. :) K

Please ask your doc to follow American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations to test for and treat Vitamin D deficiency. 85% of americans are deficient and deficiency in pregnancy might be the underlying cause of autism we've been looking for. D deficiency definitely associated with LD's, higher cancer rates, bone issues, mental health issues and autoimmune disorders, gestational diabetes, lower respiratory tract infection of the newborn, 'idiopathic' heart disease etc etc..... It's an easy blood test. Results from Quest lab run low. If your doc/hospital uses Quest, divide the result by 1.3 to get an accurate number. LabCorp uses the gold standard in testing and has reliable results. ZRT offers a good home test that's $40 a pop from grassrootshealth.org or $65 from vitamindcouncil.org All the best to you:) Katherine

2nd everything LaurieB said. It's time right now for an evaluation (IQ and achievement) and a speech eval and intervention. Very very good chance of dyslexia being the issue. K

i agree on onesuite.com and wouldn't touch magicjack with a 10 ft pole. K

i love my Miele RedStar. 11 years old and going strong. That's $54.54 per year plus bags and hepa. I buy them by the case. I replace the hepa every 18 mos instead of every 12. Its only had to be fixed twice......once when DD accidentally threw the tube/handle attachment down the stairs and once when they some how closed it *without a bag* and managed to use it. ugh. it's impossible to close without a bag. how? how? how I say???? ;p K