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I spend quite a bit of time each week answering comments on my blogs, both old and new. I love answering comments and no question is ever a “dumb” question in my book. The only dumb questions are the ones that never get asked!
That being said, there are always a few comments each week that really grab my attention for whatever reason.
Here are the ones in the spotlight this week ….
Brilliant Comments
This from Harmony, a dentist commenting on healing cavities:
As I read this, I became a bit saddened. Our kids are getting sicker and sicker, and we all need to work together to find ways of improving their health. I’m a dentist too, and I’ve read Dr. Price’s book, and what he wrote sounds reasonable. We need to give it a chance before we shoot it. Why not try it? Why not improve the diets of our children? Let’s listen to each other. As dental/medical professionals we can learn a lot from this parents that work so hard everyday to make bone broths, lacto fermented foods, homemade bread, and on and on. It is hard work. How dare we accuse them of being liars or having no heart? We earned a degree to work for them, for the community and their families. And they in turn, should feel comfortable in taking their kids to us, and that we will give them the best advice possible. Doctors are needed when prevention, or diet, or hygiene is not working. We forget who we work for. On the other hand, there has been times when I’ve given dental advice on other blogs or forums like these, and my input is always shot down, because its not what the community wants to hear. We can all learn from each other.
Harmony, I absolutely agree. When someone thinks they have all the answers in their given profession whether they be a dentist or not, it is time to retire. We can all learn from each other and the condescending, know it all attitude from most of the dentists who responded to that post was absolutely shocking. And these dentists actually wonder why folks hate going to the dentist? Come ON!
I am so glad to read comments from dentists like you who remain open minded and committed to continuing to learn throughout their entire professional careers. Bravo!
This comment from Amy at Bread and Circuses blog in reference to the post about C-section dangers:
Since I recently had to have an emergency c-section to save my baby’s life, I am glad to read now about the issues I should be aware of for her in the future. (Even here in the UK where midwives attend every birth, we still have to succumb to the medical establishment in emergencies).
Amy, that is great news that you will be taking steps to shore up the health of your baby’s gut following an emergency C-section. Surgical birth is no doubt one of the best things about modern medicine – this procedure has saved countless lives. But, such a procedure does not come without risks to the long term health of the baby and being aware of how to counteract these effects is very important.
The following comment rocked my world. From Linda (via The Healthy Home Economist Facebook page) regarding the post on how to save a tooth with no root canal:
Dr. Thomas Rau, who runs the Paracelsus Clinic (cancer clinic since 1958) in Switzerland recently checked the records of the last 150 breast cancer patients treated in his clinic. He found that 147 of them (98%) had one or more root canal teeth on the same meridian as the original breast cancer tumor.
Linda also posted this comment:
About the connection between root canals and cancer: http://www.new-cancer-treatments.org/Articles/RootCanals.html
Linda, I have not come across this information before but I have to say it doesn’t surprise me. Seeing the incredible health degeneration that resulted over the decades from my husband’s root canal teeth that he got as an 8 year old child after a car wreck and the amazing rebounding of his health after he had them out many years ago convinced me that root canals are very bad news. Our chiropractor once commented to my husband that having those root canals out “probably saved his life”. Anyone with a root canal should take this information to heart and consider having them out in the interest of their long term health. Why wait for a deadly diagnosis before taking action? It just doesn’t make sense. Be proactive.
This High Five comment from Erica in reference to the post about raw store cheese isn’t really raw:
I have to be honest, I thrived on OV’s “raw” cheese for nearly 3 months with no other dairy products in my diet since it is hard to obtain raw milk where I live. I had no cavities during that time, and still managed to have hard teeth. I do believe that you can obtain nutrition from pasteurized fermented dairy products since the enzymes become alive during the fermentation process.
However, I finally found a small dairy farm who sells truly raw cheese, and will never purchase any of OV’s products ever again. I don’t like the idea that they can heat the milk to 155 degrees, and then claim that the cheese is “raw.” I also don’t like that they are so against raw dairy. It seems that we have to do a lot of homework in order to obtain high quality foods since there are so many loop holes in the food system whether it be food from a small farm or a large corporation.
Erica, I am so glad you have found a small farm to supply you with Real Raw Cheese! I don’t like the company Organic Valley and have been personally boycotting their products for some time now. They don’t really stand for what they preach and they make too many compromises for the sake of profits for my comfort level.
Boneheaded Unenlightened Comments
This comment from Laurie regarding the post The Top Five Foods to Never Buy at the Healthfood Store:
You are sadly mistaken about gluten. Celiacs cannot recover. Any amount of gluten destroys the gut for a Celiac and to think otherwise is ignorant.
Laurie, celiac disease is like any other autoimmune disease – it is rooted in gut imbalance and this imbalance can most certainly be corrected. In children, this take 6-18 months on average and in adults, potentially longer. While it may take several years on the GAPS diet to recover gut function, there is always hope! Celiac disease is not necessarily a life sentence! Check out this research on how Celiacs can eat traditional sourdough bread.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of The Comment Spotlight. Another edition will be posted next week!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Thanks for posting my comment!…. I feel so famous 🙂
I see your argument Sarah, about Celiac disease, but I still don’t agree.
Hi Sarah,
Do you think all people who are coming of the SAD should do the GAPS diet. I have been eating according to the WAPF and avoiding grains (I don’t care much for them) for nearly a year and a half. I am not for sure if I should do the intro and full GAPS diet just to see if my gut flora is in excellent condition.
If I do go on GAPS, how can I get enough carbs because my body can’t tolerate a low-carb diet. Also, how much fruit and honey is actually healthy in a day with all the fructose and sugars if one were to go on GAPS?
Thanks!
Hi Erica, when I went on GAPS last year, I never did the GAPS Intro because I didn’t know about it at that time as it was kind of new. I went into full blown GAPS from day one. I was shocked at how much my gut flora was improved from the experience and I had been eating traditionally for many years at that time already. With regard to honey and fruit, they must be kept at moderate levels. Don’t compensate for a lack of grains by eating tons of fruit in other words. Veggies are carbs .. you get plenty of carbs on GAPS – just not grain based carbs which are the really difficult to digest ones. When I first went on GAPS, I felt hungry all the time for a few days until I adjusted. I think this is because grains and starches glug up the digestion so effectively that you get used to having a brick in your gut all the time and when this gets removed, you think its actually hunger until your body signals readjust. Just my experience.
Having been diagnosed with lactose intolerance, IBS, Fibromyalgia and depression in the past 10 years, going through pharmaceutical treatment as well as acupuncture, massage and chiropratic, I know that these things can be healed. I successfully treated migraines with acupuncture and have gone from having 3-4 a week to 1-2 a YEAR. With lifestyle changes I no longer need any medication to control FMS or IBS. I have been off of antidepressants for almost 5 years. A lifetime of medication and doctors appointments is not inevitable if you resolve to take care of yourself and change your life. By changing to a “real food” diet I have also been able to lose the weight that I was struggling to lose on WW!
However, most of these I consider to be conditions that alter function, not necessarily “dis-ease.” Celiac disease, however, is actually an allergy to gluten that affects much more than the gut although the gut is where it originates. It causes an autoimmune reaction that causes systemic disease. Unless the allergy can be corrected by complete elimination of ALL gluten sources, there will be no healing. In someone with active disease, any amount of gluten can cause a reaction and further damage. I don’t discredit that there may be an occasional case where sufficient gut healing occurs such that someone could reverse the damage done as well as be able to tolerate gluten in the (distant) future but I don’t think that the majority of Celiac sufferers should be taking chances with their health. Considering that true Celiac disease can cause cancer, blindness, neuropathy and more, including early death, I would rather err on the side of caution and avoid it like the plague until such a time that testing showed no signs of active disease and there is evidence of healthy gut function. This is a serious condition and not to be taken lightly.
Someone also asked about Juvenile Diabetes. Since this is an autoimmune disorder and the consequences of JD can be so serious I would certainly try a GAPS diet to see if it would help at least control the progression of the disease if not reverse it. Likewise, you may be looking at a lifetime of following that diet but avoiding the consequences of JD should be worth it in the long run.
Liz H. MS, RN, FNP
When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, it was stressed to me that it is not in any way an allergy. It is an autoimmune disease. That’s very different from an allergy. Many celiacs use the word allergy to describe it since that is a word others seem to understand better. If you tell the restaurant server you have a severe allergy to gluten, they tend to be more cooperative out of fear you’ll go into anaphylactic shock and sue them if you eat gluten. If you tell them you have celiac disease, there’s a very good chance you’ll find crouton dust on your salad.
Hi JMR, allergies ARE an autoimmune disease. So is cancer, MS, lupus and celiac. Unfortunately, our medical personnel don’t understand chronic disease very well and make errors when describing it or explaining to people how to manage it. They usually tell them the problem is life long. Well, its not. Believe that if you want to go through life tiptoeing through the tulips avoiding gluten. Not a fun way to live. Better to fix the problem which is an imbalanced gut. The SAME problem with ALL other autoimmune illness. Here’s the deal. Your celiac is the canary in the mine. It’s telling you that you have gut issues. If you just avoid gluten and take the band-aid approach, you are going to get another autoimmune illness as one autoimmune illness dominoes into another then another. Fix your celiac. That is the only way to go. There is no such thing as a genetic epidemic.
I agree with you that it is curable. I’ve been making stock and ferments, and stocking up on pastured meat in preparation for starting GAPS to try to heal the half dozen or so autoimmune diseases I have. I suppose I’m just confused as it was stressed so strongly to me that gluten allergy exists and Celiac exists, but they are not the same thing. Are you saying they are the same thing? I’m not questioning that there’s a gut issue, just that gluten allergy and CD are the same thing.
I have been dairy and gluten free for about 9 months now and wondering if I will ever be able to eat bread or dairy again. A friend of mine had the same issues for 10+ years and now he can eat both without any problems. If he was able to reverse his intolerances without serious intervention then maybe I can with the GAPS diet. Thanks for the encouragement, Sarah.
Hi Jake, take heart. 9 months is not that long especially if you are an adult trying to heal years of abuse of the gut. It may take a few years. I am very hopeful for you!
Boneheaded Unenlightened Comment? I suppose you are not here to help people!
Considering the comment called me ignorant, I think unenlightened is a rather nice response, don’t you think? 🙂
I nominate this one for next week’s boneheaded comment!:)
Also considering there are celiacs who have completed GAPS and are now NOT CELIACS, I would also call this boneheaded and unenlightened! Sarah and her information has definately helped me and many many others, so calling an ignorant comment boneheaded and unenlightened is quite kind really…
I think this is still debatable. How do you know they’re not celiacs? I don’t think the tests used today are conclusive either way. I do agree gluten intolerance can be healed but with celiac I’d be very careful. I don’t think it’s too much of an inconvenience to avoid wheat – especially today’s version of it. It’s just not healthy – even when prepared the traditional way. That said, GAPS definitely works wonders on the body and who knows, maybe after a while celiac can be healed…. never say never.
Sarah, I looked at the GAPs book in your store. Can it help to heal JV Diabetes 1? Also, what are you thoughts on ozonation (sp?) of the blood? If you already talked about it, can you just give the link in your comments.
Could you include a subscribe to comments box at the end of the comments so I don’t have to keep checking back to see the comments? I don’t do the “RSS comment feed” thing. I really enjoy your blog.
Hi Anna, JV Diabetes 1 is also auto immune in nature. If it were me, I would certainly give GAPS a shot to attempt to reverse it. Probably much depends on how much pancreatic tissue has been destroyed yet or not. If it is early then there would be hope I’m supposing.
I will check and see if I can add a widget to subscribe to the comments. Thanks for the suggestion! I am glad you are enjoying the blog! 🙂
It was encouraging to read Harmony’s positive comments. It is nice to know there are some open minded doctors out there.
Thank you for posting these comments. I am a fairly new subscriber and might have never seen your post regarding OV’s raw cheese not being raw. Now I am on the search for real raw cheese. Maybe this will be the motivation to start making my own someday. But first I need to tackle fermented foods. One step at a time.
I’m curious about your husband who had is root canal taken out. Did they pull the tooth? Does he have a fake tooth?
I’ve had 5 root canals. I’ve heard people talk about how dangerous they are for years, but I didn’t have that information before or knew that there is a choice. I’ve heard that implants are thousands of dollars. My father’s wife had one and it was a very painful procedure.
So I’d love to here more about your husband’s experience and why your chiropractor thinks it “saved his life.”
Thanks!
Hi Jill, my husband has a removable bridge. It works great.
The chiropractor said that the drag on the immune system from root canals is so strong (think about it – DEAD tooth and DEAD tissue attached to living tissue – GROSS!) that after about age 40 the body typically can’t handle the drain anymore and rapidly descends into a very dangerous condition such as cancer.
Oh, and he had a holistically minded oral surgeon remove the root canals. It was a mess he said after he had cleaned it all out. He couldn’t believe that no dentist had ever said a word to him about them over the years. Best money we ever spent was getting those things out of his body.
Does he have open spaces or fake teeth? If fake teeth, are they drilled into his jaw?