Both ways of handling the situation seem reasonable, Quill, and model good decision making. My beef is that I really wish more bars and parties would offer a wider variety of non-alcoholic, decaffeinated, low sugar drinks. Ambience — a change of scenery, music, other people — is usually more important to me than the alcohol.

Ugh. I’m sorry you’re going through this. To everyone who is or has dealt with cancer, many hugs to you. ((((()))))

Avocados. I’ve posted low carb brownie and lemon cake recipes here before if you’re inclined to make them. They might technically be keto because they’re made with almond and coconut flours.

I am just seeing this now, too, but how exciting! Huge kudos to your daughter!!! ðŸ‘ðŸ‘ðŸ‘

Some schools/professors do a better job providing challenging research for students than others. My son did math research last summer that he thought was very challenging. He decided he doesn't want to go the academia route because he found the work too isolating. You might have already checked this site out but for anyone interested, the Goldwater Scholarship website lists UG candidates and their research. These are only the scholarship recipients and honorable mentions and not all of what individual universities are doing. It can provide a starting point for anyone interested in research or academia, though. Just some observations off the top of my head about choosing a math school: Some math schools are selling a math program that may not be all it's cracked up to be. My son opted out of one of those schools that seemed wonderful and is glad he did because now as a junior, ds is tutoring honors real analysis to a friend via Skype at that university and the work is no where as difficult as what my son had. He is surprised it's an honors class. Some schools teach both grad students and undergrad students who are doing the honors math track. The classes are far more challenging than the regular classes and this is a much better arrangement than making a strong math UG student sit through an easy math track. Flexibility to change majors later in the UG years could be important. Some schools are more flexible than others. Internship opportunities. Many math students apply for winternships and internships at trading firms. Jane Street in NYC pays very well, possibly the best, and they are incredibly nice people. My son will be working as a prop trading intern (not at Jane) and will get about $7.5K per month plus catered breakfasts and lunches. These can be helpful for work experience and can offset the cost of school. Anyway, I think wherever your son goes, he will do very well.

I use the Precision Xtra monitor to test my blood ketones. It’s like a blood glucose monitor except the strips are a lot pricier. Afternoons are usually higher for me. I would think 30 g of carb would be fine, and frankly, have found that when I’m in ketosis, I can eat a lot and lose fat provided I’m eating fattier foods like avocados, fish, nuts, butter. It’s weird but works well for me.

If you think it’s related to allergies, you could try eliminating foods high in lectin and see if that helps.

We’re eating bbq at a restaurant. I like the idea of camping. Maybe next year...

BBQ here too. At a restaurant. Then the Christkindlmarkt after. Then home for movies and puzzle. Do what your family enjoys.

We’re eating at Q in Chicago tomorrow so whatever they’re serving is what we’ll be eating.

To help quiet guests down, how about putting on a feel-good movie or calm music? Or starting a game or puzzle? We watch movies and break out the traditional pre-Christmas puzzle at our house. For dishes, I’d grab a glass of wine and hand wash in a sink of soapy water and let drip dry. A bit of a pain but not too bad.

Researcher Valter Longo is answering questions tonight on Facebook starting at 6:00 pm California time. He’s done extensive research on the benefits of fasting and cancer and autoimmune diseases—human studies. Worth just listening to him.

Consuming moderate protein up to about age 60-65 and then increasing it after is Valter Longo's research at USC. His work is worth reading about if you're interested in aging well. Another person who has helpful advice is Rhonda Patrick.

For trigeminal nerve pain, the SOTA pemf device could help. The device discharges a magnetic field through tissue which causes changes in the ions and electrolytes in cells. That then leads to a chain of chemical events within cells. When the cells change, tissue and organs eventually change, too. Pemf therapy doesn’t heal problems directly but optimizes cellular metabolism so the body can heal itself. The SOTA is one of the least expensive devices — about $350. I use mine every day to keep my bones healthy. I have two other devices as well. I get all of mine from Dr. Pawluk’s website. He is an MD who has studied pemf extensively and uses it in his practice. Some chiropractors have them for clients as well. You don’t need to worry about the electrical magnetic frequencies (EMFs) because almost all devices fall into the extremely low frequency (ELF) or very low frequency range (VLF). NASA uses them to keep astronauts healthy while in space. Other areas of medicine use them, too, for many health problems. They can also lead to changes that increase telomeres. Another idea for you is to check your omega-3 index. It’s a simple test you can do in your home. Omega Quant is a pretty good one to use initially because they provide more information and advice than most. Amazon sells it.

If I travelled a lot to different time zones, I'd reset my circadian rhythms using a FlexPulse pemf device using Program 1 which uses 10 herz. I just ordered the device today for other reasons, but program 1 is very good for jet lag. This is my third pemf device and they are wonderful! https://flexpulse.com/programs/

This is a bit rambling but a few thoughts... You might want to read researcher/inventor/cardiologist Steven Gundry's book Plant Paradox, which discusses lectins. https://www.amazon.com/Plant-Paradox-Dangers-Healthy-Disease/dp/006242713X/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509999749&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=steven+gundru GI distress after eating peanuts could mean you have a problem with the lectins. Gundry compares lectins to barnacles that can latch on to the gut walls and pull the cells apart just a bit. That then leads to leaky gut which can cause the cramping and whatnot. The casein in dairy products could also be causing problems. Dairy contains either A-1 or A-2 casein. Casein A-2 can lead to gastro distress. This link explains a bit more: http://gundrymd.com/food-pyramid/ My youngest seems to have problems with lectins and not just gluten so we're trying to eliminate lectins from his diet to see how he feels. Getting rid of the gluten helped quite a bit, though, but not 100%. He also is taking a special probiotic called VSL #3. It is shipped in cold packaging and must be refrigerated. So far, that seems to be helping, too. Also, you mentioned bouts of diarrhea and constipation. My son had tenesmus which is the urge to go throughout the day but without producing anything. That took awhile to go away -- 3 weeks or so -- but is mostly gone now. Every now and then it comes back which is why we're trying to remove the lectins altogether.

I can find out for sure and let you know Friday (dh is getting home very late tonight and then will have a busy work day tomorrow) but IIRC, it has more to do with going from choosing from a variety of brands, including lesser-known ones, to buying mostly familiar brands. Weird, huh? The study was done in England and involved artificial intelligence if you want to try to find out more.

Off track, but my husband just attended a conference this week where someone from England discussed how artificial intelligence is being used to identify who is developing dementia by tracking individuals' grocery buying habits over a period of time. The results have been eerily accurate. I am not sure of the details yet because dh is still traveling.

Always closed so that their rooms were completely dark and quiet but with a light they could easily turn on if necessary.

I used a pulsed electromagnetic field device (PEMF) several years ago for my long-term lower back pain that was waking me in the middle of the night and bothering me throughout the day. It took a few weeks but worked like a charm. I also used it on my right knee when I tore the cartilage there. I have the Almag and Sota devices and am going to buy a mat hopefully this year to see if I can increase the length of my telomeres. The Sota would work well for lower back pain. https://www.drpawluk.com/product/sota-magnetic-pulser/ PEMF is very good for many problems. It is finally being studied here in the US but has been used in Europe and Russia for much longer. Another idea for your husband is to read Pete Ergoscue's book about pain. Some areas have Ergoscue clinics to help people align themselves in healthier ways.

I've tried to remind myself that life can be hard for tweens, teens and young adults, too, as they move toward independence. A rascally kid might just be a kid who's fiercely independent. Or they might just be rascally! LOL. Nowadays, dh and I are doing more of what we like: meeting new people, joining clubs and groups, trying new activities -- keeping what we like and discarding what we don't. It's a new stage for us.

A few more things to consider: When she eats and how often. A person who eats the exact same diet will gain more weight if they eat in a longer window of time. Eating later, especially, leads to more weight gain. This has to do with the times we make certain hormones. Note what she's eating and what you can switch out. Zucchini noodles for pasta, quinoa for rice, nut flours for grain flours for treats. Decrease sugar in recipes. Eat treats with meals, maybe lunch because that would be earlier. Healthy fats. She should feel satisfied after eating and not feel hungry too soon after eating. I wonder about PCOS, too, but I don't know at what age symptoms can appear. Here are some resources/studies about timing of meals from researcher Rhonda Patrick. You can also find her interview with Dr. Satchin Panda, circadian rhythm researcher, on YouTube. Scroll down to "The principle behind time-restricting feeding" http://podcastnotes.org/2016/07/11/time-restricted-feeding-and-its-effects-on-obesity-muscle-mass-heart-health/ More studies: https://www.foundmyfitness.com/news/t/circadian%20rhythm

Here are the different sounds and a written explanation of their differences in the description. I'm not sure if a ceiling fan would be white or pink noise but you could try to find something on YouTube to see if that helps. I haven't tried pink noise just yet because we're still running our AC at night. When I do, I'm going to try something from YouTube that I can play on my portable Bose speaker thingamajig. An article from Prevention. https://www.prevention.com/health/sleep-energy/how-pink-noise-makes-better-sleep Here's an article about pink noise, deep sleep and memory. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/april/pink-noise-sound-enhance-deep-sleep-memory/ If you're going to try this, it's important to keep the sound less than 60 db which is about the level of conversation you'd hear in a restaurant. 50 db is about the level of conversation in your home.

My husband, in his late 50s, woke around 3-4 almost every night for years even after taking extended-release melatonin and then a non extended dose when he woke. Melatonin was not really working for him nor is it ideal for the long term. I've recently been reading about sound therapy and how it affects brain waves and the rest of the body and stumbled across an article about an 8-minute song called 'Weightless' by Marconi Union (on YouTube and iTunes). My husband stopped the melatonin and just listened to the song right before bedtime and it did the trick. Now he sleeps from about 10-6 and rarely wakes in the middle of the night. We are going to begin playing pink noise, which is also beneficial, the whole night as well.

Wow. Something should be done. I'm glad this is getting exposure.