We eat very little sugar on a daily basis. I don’t calculate it but I’m sure it’s low. I feel much better not eating it. Not deprived in the least.

I mentioned this book in a different thread but you might find something helpful, even if it’s just an explanation of what might be causing the pain, in Justin and Erica Sonnenburg’s book The Good Gut. They are married Stanford researchers. My youngest has GI issues and can get lower back pain from it. We’re working on improving the overall health of his gut which could take some time. In the meantime what has helped him so far is taking either Visbiome or VSL#3 probiotics, 1-2 tablespoonfuls of Nordic Naturals fish oil (his omega 3 index was unhealthy — we use the Omega Quant Omega 3 Index Plus test), Thorne Meriva 500 (curcumin), liquid iron for about a month until numbers improved, vitamin D until numbers improved and Host Defense turkey tail mushroom. He also does water fasts for 36-48 hours every now and then (Valter Longo’s research). And eats a healthy diet and exercises. For the pain and inflammation he’s been using my SOTA pemf device on the slow setting which has worked quickly to eliminate the pain.

I’m sorry, too. ((( )))

Husband and wife Stanford researchers Justin and Erica Sonnenburg’s book The Good Gut would have some information and guidelines that would benefit everyone in your family. Rhonda Patrick’s interview with them: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/the-sonnenburgs Two excellent probiotics if you are considering one — Visbiome or VSL#3. You’d only need one.

I am painting most of our interior, walls and molding, Behr’s Swiss Coffee, a white, because we don’t get much natural light, the color is easy to work with, and I can get the paint off the shelf. Our ceiling is all beams. The actual ceiling is made up of concrete slabs with lots of pits. I filled in all the gaps and deeper pits with Durabond and then primed and painted using Behr’s white ceiling paint. The master bath will be painted a very light blue gray.

I’m just throwing this out as something to consider, but I wonder if she could be helped by honing her ability to precisely describe how she feels throughout the day which is called emotional granularity. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/05/opinion/sunday/are-you-in-despair-thats-good.html Everyone in my family has the Mood Meter app which helps us stop and identify how we’re feeling. I’ve found that my kids will work on these things if my husband and I do too. Mood Meter is free and was developed at Yale University. Here’s some info. http://ei.yale.edu/mood-meter-app/

He sounds adorable!

I hope all goes as smoothly as possible for all of you and especially your daughter. It’s good she went to her grandparent’s home.

You might want to read Valter Longo’s new book that explains how you can repair a damaged immune system. Longo is a researcher at USC. You will probably think this is unbelievable but he uses supervised fasting or a fasting mimicking diet. Basically, the fast destroys damaged immune cells and when you begin to eat again, your body creates new stem cells that replace the cells that were destroyed. He did an interview with Rhonda Patrick, also a respected scientist, that’s on You Tube. It’s long and a bit technical but very interesting. Longo is overseeing human studies that involve autoimmune diseases like MS and is seeing really good results. I hope you find something that helps. I’m impressed how chipper you are but it can’t be easy.

If you decide to buy a device, try to use it a lot, especially in the beginning. I used the Almag from 1-6 hours the first week, throughout the day. If you can use it morning and evening, or when you wake from pain, that is ideal. Most likely you won’t notice a difference until a few weeks of use but eventually should. For bursitis, use the SOTA. (I think it’s cheaper, too.) Once the pain is gone, continue using it for awhile, maybe one treatment a day for a few weeks. I use mine on my hip bones and lower back most mornings and have no pain at all.

Here is a general explanation. Dr. Pawluk is an MD who uses pemf devices often as a treatment for different conditions. His books explain in more detail how pemf therapy works if you’re interested. https://www.drpawluk.com/education/magnetic-science/new-pemf-start/ Some studies: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=pulsed+electromagnetic+frequency+pain&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC9JrItPzYAhWL7YMKHUqzDGcQgQMIIjAA http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6808027/?reload=true http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/search/searchresult.jsp?queryText=“Pulsed%20electromagnetic%20frequencyâ€%20therapy&newsearch=true NASA has developed pemf devices which they use primarily to counter bone and muscle loss but they use them for other conditions, too. My SOTA is the first thing I’ll use for any kind of pain. Everyone in my family loves it. Really wonderful.

How nice. I’d love to try out a variety of knives. I’m going to buy my husband and son a knife skills class. Dh is ridiculous around knives.

The short answer is no, you cannot. :D But if you figure it out, let us know.

Just bought a set of Kuhn knives and the ceramic one Bill mentioned. Eagerly anticipating their arrival.

I use the SOTA pemf device for pain like that. There are two settings and for something deep, the slower setting would be better. I began using pemf therapy — my first device was the Almag — for long-term nocturnal lower back pain that wouldn’t respond to anything. Pemf therapy usually doesn’t work instantly. Pemf is used in Germany and Russia and was brought to the US to help treat race horses. Then it was used on NFL players and eventually by others. The NIH is studying it.

I would be taking into account the safety of the buses and areas where my kid would be dropped off/getting on/ walking. I’m assuming it’s safer than Chicago where I live. With my kids — even my son who is a junior in college — I discuss safety of CTA trains, buses, etc. Undercover police patrol the trains but crime still occurs. Last year a woman was raped around midday on a CTA train. I take the Red Line often and recently a person got in who started flipping out and everyone in that car quietly got off at the next stop. Then the stops themselves can be pretty bad crime-wise. I’m scouting out crime statistics around the West Loop nowadays since ds will be living there this summer. So, in bigger, less safe cities I’d tell anyone to research areas where crime tends to occur and have plans in place in case something happens. I’m assuming IfIOnly’s son is in a safer area.

I agree. “The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.†—Fyodor Dostoevsky A large number of incarcerated individuals in the US are raped annually. They are often young and/or weak and are raped violently, multiple times and by many. Some are doing time for fairly minor crimes. Prison rape is not a small problem. Nor does it make our society better. It is often seen as a fair turn despite not being explicitly doled out as punishment. Authorities, like judges, can influence how others view issues and, IMO, this judge should have been more careful. In no way do I condone Nassar but judges should be careful with what they say.

Usually it’s eggs and veggies, maybe fruit. Sometimes a tofu scramble. In the past two weeks, it was Kalua Pig and cabbage, veggies, fruit and English muffins. I’m in the middle of a 60-hour fast now, so today it was black coffee.

You want to get the right sized vent/fan that’s quiet and has maybe a few other features as well, like auto shut off after it runs awhile. It is well worth your time to investigate your options. You definitely would want the fan to vent outside. That and running the electrical are not terribly difficult to do for an experienced person. You could ask some electricians for their recommendations as to how to proceed. If you’re in a climate that gets snow, the vent, if not properly insulated, can warm up the attic and roof and cause ice dams to form. So you’d want to do what’s necessary to prevent that. You’d also want to make sure the flashing is properly done on the roof and not just globbed up with something to prevent leaks. Family Handyman online might have some advice and illustrations. I would be surprised if you’d need to install hard-wired smoke detectors. Have a reputable electrician (or three) take a look and advise you how to proceed. ETA Https://www.familyhandyman.com/bathroom/remodeling/venting-exhaust-fans-through-the-roof/view-all/

Thanks for all the knife reviews! I have a set of very old Chicago Cutlery, which still do the trick but barely. I am going to buy some new ones piecemeal and trial them.

Definitely look. You could be spending many thousands so don’t feel guilty for looking. See if you can see more if they’re for sale.

Those look interesting. I use my paring knives all the time and hate dull blades. Even on vacation recently I had to buy a sharpener to sharpen the ridiculously dull knives. Ugh. I’m considering a good set of Wusthof as a starter set for my youngest who is quite into cooking. Yes? No? Save for Japanese?

My kids all started in a college dorm and then moved in to off-campus apartments usually by their junior or senior year. The youngest lived in a frat for two years and will finish his senior year at home which is nicer and way cheaper than renting. Our permanent home is right by his university literally across the street. My husband and I will stay in our rental in Chicago which is closer to dh’s job and makes for an easier commute. (And I’d rather stay in the city because there’s so much to do!) My youngest is in charge of maintaining his frat house, either doing the work himself or overseeing contractors. So far, that’s included cleaning, major plumbing, painting and removal of asbestos. He’s learned a lot and has done a good job. This summer his internship will provide a free apartment near work and that will be his first true taste of living on his own in Chicago for an extended period of time. None of our kids had major problems with roommates thankfully.

Poor little pumpkin. I’m glad it’s not flu, though.

Another thing to possibly consider, is a problem with lectin. Ugh! It’s tough trying to figure these things out. If you decide to try fasting, contact me and I can give you tips on how to prepare and go about doing one. Longo’s research shows that fasting destroys white blood cells and then after eating, fresh, new stem cells appear along the spine ready to go where needed in the body. Human studies. It’s super interesting! And, you know, if your daughter is enjoying school, I’d let her stay. But if she’s stressed too much, maybe let her drop a class. We did this at least 2-3 times with ds. My husband goes berserk about “all those wasted classes ds dropped!†LOL