Preserving health... by Wishimay

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Preserving health...

POSTED BY: WISHIMAY
UPDATED: Saturday, January 10, 2015 13:03
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Tuesday, January 6, 2015 10:30 PM

On another note, I have had a breakthrough in my digestive health. I know you were all on pins and needles...

As you may or may not remember, I've had serious "digestive issues" for a decade. There were weeks I could not leave the house. There seemed to be no pattern. I had done over a hundred web searches and was resolved that I had (most likely) a missing or damaged mucosal layer in my intestines or a genetic defect on the mitochondrial level.

Turns out, it really is that hundred and one web search that works. I had had a severe reaction to a handful of lifesavers gummi candy (had not had in years) and put the words gelatin + severe stomach pain in the search and WAH-LAH!!! the words "sulfite intolerance" popped on the screen. Gelatin is pig skin COOKED in sulfites...

What is a sulfite, you ask? It is a fairly cheap preservative that is primarily composed of Oxygen, Sulfur, and Sodium. It is used by the body to repair connective tissue (and is why I have arthritis). Your body takes sulfur and sodium and makes it INTO a SULFATE by oxygenating it. The primary difference between a sulfite and a sulfate is sulfates are more oxygenated.

What I actually have is a sulfite oxidation deficit.
Basically, my body is very bad at breaking down sulfur and using it. Probably because we use it in everything now in an unprecedented scale...

What does this mean in real life, you ask???

I avoid the color yellow like a PLAGUE. Scrambled eggs and pasta. Most commercially made bread uses it as a dough conditioner, including pizza crusts and CRACKERS. ANY GELATIN PRODUCT. Some gravies, jams, instant mixes, especially avocado mixes. Nuts and some onions are high in sulfur, so when I eat them in presence of salt- it has the same effect. Some seasonings like pepper and some sea foods like shrimp or lobster are soaked in them. Frozen corn is often washed in them before packaging. Sausage. Popcorn. Corn cereal. TATOR TOTS, FRIES!!! Dried instant mashed potatoes use them heavily. They use it to cut aspartame with. Beer, wine, champagne, any alcohol that needs a color of flavor preserved. Some salad dressings.
Any veg that needs a color preserved like some pickles, pepperoncini's, olives.... Turns out corn syrup is bad for me, but I do ok with raw sugar....

MEDICATIONS!!!!! ANYTHING INJECTED LIKE VACCINES ARE PRESERVED IN SULFITES!!!!!! I believe that is why some kids have horrible reactions to vaccines and end up with brain damage, because they have hidden sulfite intolerances! I'm 35 and I'm just NOW figuring it out, for example...

The list is never ending.

In short I now know why I was SOOO SICK for so long. Checking ingredient labels has become my religion. I'm grateful that I process soy, because the people who can't REALLY can't eat anything. So, it's not all bad. I have discovered Oatmeal bread, and it is amazing. We can eat whole grain pasta (oh yeah, my kid has it too...It's why she couldn't eat nuts!) As it turns out, if you have a connective tissue problem you probably have problems with sulfites as well, but there are widely varying levels... We eat at home every day, because eating out is a nightmare. At least I can still have rum and low sulfite alcohol.

On the plus side, you can't begin to understand what having a "normal" digestive day is like compared to not. It really is night and day.

On the bad side, because my system isn't constantly dealing with Sulfite Overload and I'm actually digesting food for the first time in a decade
I'M GAINING WEIGHT. And my arthritis has never been worse. Taking ONE spin around Wal-mart really is all I can do most days. Hydocodone is my friend now....

Oh, and the really bad? If you have a sulfite intolerance and you keep overdosing it causes HEART DAMAGE. Which I have. Started BP meds last year, but have been taking large amounts of Co-Q 10 and have been taking them much less than I was. Also, it slows down metabolism which is why -even though I never ate much- I have always been overweight.

The thing that bothers me though, is I have a sneaking suspicion that many food producers KNOW these preservatives are causing major problems in some people and are keeping any of this from being printed in more media because they would have to change the way they make their foods and it would cost more to preserve them.

This is the first article I have seen and the reason I now pass this info on.

If you know anyone who has chronic digestive problems with a history or allergies, asthma, or skin problems please suggest they look into it!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2891250/The-brothers-eat-SEV
EN-types-food-including-cake-KFC-allergic-parents-claim.html

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Tuesday, January 6, 2015 11:12 PM

WISHIMAY

P.S. I have also only taken allergy meds a handful of times in the last three months, and it is truly a record. I sincerely hope this holds, but I daren't get my hopes up for that yet...

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Wednesday, January 7, 2015 12:14 AM

WISHIMAY

Wow, whodathunk there is something in Kentucky that isn't in the Civil war era...

https://screen.yahoo.com/new-york-times/challenging-patients-151530285
.html

Me thread jacking again

Threads are just SO LIMITING, dammit.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2015 7:10 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER

Once you start looking at labels, you end up realising how much crap is loaded into most processed foods.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2015 8:59 AM

WISHIMAY

Yeah, but do you know how hard it is to suspect ONE in particular? I have to think that even for normal people that a lifetime of this causes some damage. Maybe it's why women have so many heart problems these days...

Also, in crackers they put something called TBHQ and they are allowed to shorten it in the ingredient list so that it's harder to find. It's actually a form of BUTANE. They make it out of petroleum for crissakes!
I was kinda horrified at that one.

Ritz makes a honey wheat one that doesn't have it on the ingredient list that still tastes pretty good, btw.

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Wednesday, January 7, 2015 9:20 AM

WISHIMAY

Oooh, AND this sulfite thing is partially why I had reactions to dark food coloring in cokes years ago, because 4MEI (which Pepsi still uses) is compressed and burnt SULFUR and ammonia byproduct.

"After we informed PepsiCo of our test results, the company issued a statement that said that Proposition 65 is based on per day exposure and not exposure per can. It also cited government consumption data that shows that the average amount of diet soda consumed by people who drink it is 100 milliliters per day, or less than a third of a 12-ounce can. For that reason, they believe that Pepsi One does not require cancer-risk warning labels—even if the amount of 4-MeI in a single can exceeds 29 micrograms."

Pepsi, trying to do an "end-run" around the rules...

How Caramel Coloring is achieved...
"The truth is more complicated. It turns out that federal regulations describe four types of caramel coloring. And at least three of them are quite different from the confection with the similar name. All of them do start out with some form of sugar. One is called plain caramel. A second involves reacting the sugar with sulfites. A third is made be reacting sugars with ammonium compounds. And in the fourth variety of caramel coloring--the kind used in Coke and Pepsi--sugars are reacted with both ammonium and sulfite compounds. Both the regulations and some manufacturers' Web sites call this form of caramel coloring Caramel IV(4MEI), or less appetizingly, ammonia-sulfite process caramel."

Coke has since dramatically lowered 4MEI levels in their products, but last I saw- Pepsi was doing their best not to. They were supposed to by this year, but had only done it in California.

The corn syrup (which has low levels of sulfites) and the caramel coloring were both conspiring together to make me sick. Also, have had family members stop drinking Mt Dew and they have had a variety of ailments just disappear, btw. I hate to know what is in THAT that could cause all that....

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Wednesday, January 7, 2015 5:13 PM

WISHIMAY

Went shopping today. Add tortillas and boxed rice to the NO list....

And the thought occurred to me that maybe some of the people who think they have gluten problems actually have sulfite problems, because it's in both...

Found a brioche without them at Aldi's that is super, though.

Oh and it's in just about every shampoo, too. I plan to use up what I have then find some without it...

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Thursday, January 8, 2015 5:58 AM

JO753

rezident owtsidr

Kongrats! Finding wut ailz you in our agriconglomerate monopolized envirement iz very difficult.

Stuff can affect you in subtle wayz and with delayz that make it next to impossible to connect the dots.

I'v been reading the fine print for over 10 yirz in order to eliminate tranzfats from my diet. The FDA finally declared them 'unfit for consumtion' last year. Finally, after like 60 yirz!

----------------------------
DUZ XaT SEM RiT TQ YQ? - Jubal Early

http://www.nooalf.com

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Thursday, January 8, 2015 1:27 PM

REAVERFAN

Went vegan a while back. Transformed me.

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Thursday, January 8, 2015 5:49 PM

WISHIMAY

Quote:
Originally posted by JO753:

I'v been reading the fine print for over 10 yirz in order to eliminate tranzfats from my diet. The FDA finally declared them 'unfit for consumtion' last year. Finally, after like 60 yirz!

I dunno. I think all kinds of fats are good and bad, depending in the user that is. I do know that when the fast food places went to non-hydrogenated oil I had to stop completely eating at a couple places because two bites makes me nauseous... Maybe my body works better with the hydrogenated, who knows?

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Thursday, January 8, 2015 5:55 PM

WISHIMAY

Quote:
Originally posted by reaverfan:
Went vegan a while back. Transformed me.

I can't. There's lotsa veggies with quite a bit of sulfur. I think that's why Ashton Kutcher couldn't go vegetarian. Like I said before, the only time I ever lost weight was on Adkins. MY body is rigged to run on meat and soy, especially since I can't do nuts or eggs.

This is what I've been saying all along, there is NO...ONE...UNIVERSAL...ANSWER.

The only thing you can do is listen to what your body says, at least until medical science pulls it's head out of it's rear...

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Thursday, January 8, 2015 10:46 PM

JO753

rezident owtsidr

I don't think you will find any credible referensez claiming hydrogenated oil or tranz fats are good for anybody. You shoudnt think uv them az 'just another type uv fat', along with HDL and LDL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat

----------------------------
DUZ XaT SEM RiT TQ YQ? - Jubal Early

http://www.nooalf.com

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Friday, January 9, 2015 9:08 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK

I hope that if you've really figured out what is causing it Wish that you can now use that knowledge to get back to where you need to be to be happy.

The weight gain, I'm sure, is just temporary.

It won't shed itself, but if you got to the core of the problem here and endure the change in medicine and/or habits, you might not feel all that joint pain constantly when you're out power walking and one day even jogging again.

This is something to be Celebrated!

Don't focus on the negatives. Good times are coming. :)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Friday, January 9, 2015 12:23 PM

WISHIMAY

Quote:
Originally posted by JO753:
I don't think you will find any credible referensez claiming hydrogenated oil or tranz fats are good for anybody. You shoudnt think uv them az 'just another type uv fat', along with HDL and LDL.

It still doesn't matter, no one has the right to tell me how I should eat or what I should eat- I don't care if I weigh a thousand pounds. I'm NOT healthy and I will never be and if eating hushpuppies dipped in TAR makes me happy, I should be able to do so. It's really none of ANYONE'S business. This crap about fat people costing the government is just a witch hunt. You know who really costs the taxpayers?? THE GOVERNMENT. I would much rather get rid of a lot of THAT than allow THEM to tell me what I should and shouldn't eat "for the common good". EVERY fat person I've ever known had a good job for many years. Most of them die of heart attacks. I've known more skinny people to sit around soaking up the gov't dime than I have fat people, for that matter... And what about all these drug addicts? Who do you think pays when they have to raze a meth house, or for foster homes for their kids while their in jail??? Or to prosecute them or house them while IN JAIL?? ONE drug addict will cost us more than a DOZEN fat people!!

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20120120/natural-trans-fats-les
s-unhealthy-than-manmade-variety

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Friday, January 9, 2015 12:32 PM

WISHIMAY

Quote:
Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

This is something to be Celebrated!

Don't focus on the negatives!

You try so hard to be supportive, I'll give you that. It's just.... you can't understand.

Sometimes, standing up means I pop over FORTY TIMES. My shoulders grind like a tire on gravel. Most days I feel like I have been LITERALLY flogged with a tree branch, and you think I should go for a jog??? Focus on the happy when I hurt so much I literally can't think straight???
Jesus. H. Christ.

PS. This isn't a condition that will "get better".
It's terminal. I am statistically likely to die of a prolapsed mitral valve or a ruptured aorta, if the cancer doesn't get me, before I even hit SIXTY.
You need to stop thinking you can fix me.

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Friday, January 9, 2015 1:21 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Huh. Funny thing is, WISH, I stumbled on to (possibly) having the same problem as you. I have arthritis and various (minor) autoimmune skin rashes. They flare up and go away, but one of the things I think I react to is sulfite.

I noticed I can't drink wine ... it eats a hole in my stomach. Store-bought hummus and salsa and guacamole seems to make my wrists and hands flare up. Dried fruit, color-preserved with sulfite do the same thing. Beans also seem to be a problem, especially deeply-colored beans like black beans and red beans. Cannot use any shampoo with methylchloroisothiazolinone preservative. (thia = sulfur; but there are other little chemical goodies in that molecule not to love!) So, I've been avoiding sulfite for a while. Not religiously, but at least avoiding the big sources, and it seems to help.

I also seem to react to eating a lot of solinaceae (tomatoes, eggplant, other nightshade family). I absolutely cannot eat food with large amounts of inulin. (You do NOT want to know what happens!) I THINK I react to gluten ... anyway, I seem to do better without it.

I don't think I have any particular deficiency (that I know of) but I do seem to be a little bit sensitive to a lot of different things, because my arthritis tells me right away when it's not calmed down.

You're right = there is no one right answer for everybody! People need to pay attention to what they do well with, and what they don't.

I'm glad you found at least part of your answer! Any time someone can do that, it's a great thing! Congrats!!!!

--------------
You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Friday, January 9, 2015 1:27 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

BRENDA

I'm so sorry that you had to deal with someone who just doesn't "get it".

I used to be one of those "cast iron" people ... NOTHING bothered me! So when people said "I can't eat this" or "I can't do that" I used to think they were being a little self-involved.

But dealing with our dd, who was so fragile for so long, plus others, and then finally myself ... sigh. I learned that when people remove themselves from activities or foods or exposures it's not because they WANT to pack themselves in cotton and store themselves away, but because they HAVE to.

I just wanted to say that I sympathize, and I wish more people understood what's going on.

--------------
You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Friday, January 9, 2015 5:17 PM

WISHIMAY

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Huh. Funny thing is, WISH, I stumbled on to (possibly) having the same problem as you. I have arthritis and various (minor) autoimmune skin rashes. They flare up and go away, but one of the things I think I react to is sulfite.

See, I know of at least four others I suspect have the same problem. I really think this is epidemic level, and may even be causing rising levels of autism. I mean if you can't repair connective tissue while pregnant, it's likely that a baby brain isn't going to be connecting up well either!
Kinda scary when you think of the implications... When did you figure it out, and how?

Btw Brenda, as you know, for the last six months I've been avoiding nuts...EVERY TIME I GO TO THE INLAWS (three times) she will have cookies and I ask her if they have nuts in them she will say NO, then I take a bite and they are peanut butter! Thinking seriously of taking a big runny dump on their front porch just to stop that happening once and for all

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Friday, January 9, 2015 6:21 PM

WISHIMAY

Fascinating article..

Both hubby and I are type A, btw...

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/The_Real_Causes_of_Autism.html

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Saturday, January 10, 2015 12:46 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
See, I know of at least four others I suspect have the same problem. I really think this is epidemic level, and may even be causing rising levels of autism. I mean if you can't repair connective tissue while pregnant, it's likely that a baby brain isn't going to be connecting up well either!
Kinda scary when you think of the implications... When did you figure it out, and how?

Well, I thought I would drink red wine because it's touted to be "good for health" and hey, after all, who doesn't want to indulge healthfully???

But after a few weeks, my stomach would just tie up in knots, so I asked a woman I knew who was wine-drinker ... Hey, what's UP with this? ... and she said ... "Oh, it must be the sulfites. try white wine." Which went better, but not good enough. I dumped wine from my repertoire (I like rum better anyway!) and my stomach felt better. And so did my arthritis. And sulfites were on my radar. So I noticed that my arthritis flared up whenever I had something with an extra-dose of sulfites, so I just learned to avoid them.

Quote:
Btw Brenda, as you know, for the last six months I've been avoiding nuts...EVERY TIME I GO TO THE INLAWS (three times) she will have cookies and I ask her if they have nuts in them she will say NO, then I take a bite and they are peanut butter! Thinking seriously of taking a big runny dump on their front porch just to stop that happening once and for all

HAHAHAHA!

--------------
You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Saturday, January 10, 2015 10:47 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Quote:
Sig,

The worst of that situation was the woman I was talking to is a medical doctor. A GP more or less.

I'm sure you know how frustrating that is, to take your health problems (or your child's, or to have you spouse take their's) to a physician and get a completely non-helpful answer. If there are things they really should teach doctors, it's to

(1) Listen to their patients.

(2) Just because they can't figure it out, it's NOT all "psychosomatic". I had a co-worker dx as "depressed" after a year of bobbled dx when what she really had was a pituitary tumor. They were ready to blow off her symptoms and toss her out the door with SSRIs because they didn't run a couple of tests.

(3) Everyone has the potential to be different - anatomically and biochemically. They should remember that next time they hand out cookie-cutter advice.

(4) Keep the extreme in mind. They always tell doctors When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras but yanno what? ZEBRAS EXIST. If you've ruled out all of the usual suspects, and it doesn't seem to be a horse of any color, start thinking zebras. I remember very, very clearly how our then-young daughter's neuro took me through her differential diagnosis process, and as she went through the list, she crossed off one possibility because it was too rare. Well, wouldn't you, but that is the diagnosis I found online many years later (under a different name) and it was exactly what dd had.

(5) If your patient has tried the same thing three times and it hasn't worked, try something else. That is the one beef that I have with the largest managed-care HMO on our state of CA ... you can go in three, four, five, twenty times with the same symptoms, and your doctor will grab the Rx pad and give you the SAME THING twenty times! It's the thing that works for 85% of patients with those symptoms, but a red flag should pop up if that thing- whatever it is - hasn't worked after three trials. They should schedule that person with a diagnostician at that point, and keep looking for answers until they find them.

-------------
You can't build a nation with bombs. You can't create a society with guns.

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Saturday, January 10, 2015 1:03 PM

WISHIMAY

My doctor had only ever suggested that I cut down on salt, with a little condescending sneer as he looked at my waist.

He's an ass, but he was unknowingly HALF right, it's the other half that was important though...

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