Let's start at the beginning

[momofsaa]

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I've not been far from mainstream for long and what time I've spent here hasn't been far from mainstream.

Anyway, in spite of that, some where along the line I decided to stop toxifying my body. Maybe it was the birth control and how it threw my body out of wack. Or how anti-depressant's killed my sex life that I learned that one thing literally leads to another. But in some ways it's as if I always knew this.

So, nearly a year ago I started learning from Hilary about nutrition and how it's not only good for us but it can save our lives. I began with Vitamin C. On my own I throw in probiotics and cranberry. Recently, I've added Vitamin D.

So onto my point...
I'd like it if we could start threads to help us one by one to learn about how to find our personal balance along with pointers that many of us use to maintain ourselves. Also any reading references that might help would be great. I wouldn't even begin to know where to look as so much is slanted and I'd like something trustworthy.

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

I've started one on minerals, which i've locked, because I'm going to create a series. I've started with Magnesium and the next one will be calcium... and then potassium and then selenium... and the rest.

Finding something trustworthy is extremely difficult, even when it comes to so called medical information.

I'm happy for anyone to start anything. particularly as it's a busy time of year for me.

[momofsaa]

I started on the magnesium but my thought on this is, Is magnesium where we should start? If it's not, where do we start? Based on previous interactions with you, it seems to me that Vitamin C is where we start.
Have you thought about putting a book together on this topic?

[Lexie]

It's hard to find a starting point for me. I think I just have too many issues. I don't know what's related to what exactly, except for the lactose intolerance. At least that one is self explanatory. I don't know if everything else relates to toxins from vaccines, maybe partially related to my amalgams since I've only had them for the last 7 1/2 years. I know my childhood diet was bad. It wasn't all SAD. I come from a somewhat mixed background. There were lots of different types of food, some not as unhealthy as others. There was way too much sugar, too many carbonated drinks, too much junk food. At least there were vegetables and fruits--this one mostly thanks to my grandfather. I actually had a greater love and respect for vegetables than my mother and her mother. That probably came from my grandfather too. His breakfast was, without fail, a salad dressed only in olive oil--I can't do the oil...too slick, yuck.

I became a vegetarian initally based on ethics, but it quickly turned into a health issue. Then I became vegan. After The China Study and Dr. McDougall's books, I became a low-fat vegan. By this point, most people think I'm a rabbit... :( I don't honestly miss any of the stuff I gave up though... I always said I eat to live, not vice versa.

I really don't remember what I read on magnesium that got me started on it, but I've taken it for maybe 3-4 years. My mother has frequent headaches and migraines. I was similar though not as badly off as her. Not a problem since magnesium.

I also take MSM (dietary sulphur). It was mostly for my hair. And by the way, when I was a child, you could part my hair anywhere and you'd never see the scalp. Not the case anymore...but that's a kind of long story. I like everything I've read about MSM, so it's not just about my hair anymore.

Vitamin C...well, I don't remember when I started on this. I was probably the only child who grew up with her nose in every medical/psychology book she could find. Way too interesting to put down. I remember my first medical book had a section on myths. Vitamin C was one of these. Apparently, it was proven that it didn't decrease the duration of the cold or make the symptoms less severe. I've read a lot since then from various sources. One day when I was just randomly thinking about endometriosis and vitamin C--separately, yet at the same time--I remembered that the Chinese believe that endo is caused by inflammation, and vitamin C is antiinflammatory. At that point, I only took megadoses when I was sick, so I didn't know if it would work like I was thinking. I googled it cause you never know what you'll find, and I found there was a study which apparently proved vitamin C lessened the pain. So I tried it myself. At that point, I was taking magnesium for the pain with okay results. Vitamin C dramatically reduced the pain, so I waited to see how long it would last. It worked for 3-4 hours and then the pain gradually returned. So now I use magnesium and vitamin C for the pain and I can function just fine so long as I take them again before they wear off.

I eat beets for my anemia. I've had this problem since I was a child and no pill/syrup I was prescribed helped. Regardless of what people say, eating meat doesn't guarantee you won't be anemic. I was anemic long before veganism. My mother is anemic and eats her meat everyday. My mother was the one who told me about it as someone she knew was trying it. I won't say I wasn't skeptical, mostly because I don't like beets. The taste is too sweet for my liking. But I tried it and it worked quickly. I don't have them everyday. Just when I start to feel low. I probably should have them more often, but it's still hard to taste.

Now I've rambled. :blush:

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

I started on the magnesium but my thought on this is, Is magnesium where we should start? If it's not, where do we start? Based on previous interactions with you, it seems to me that Vitamin C is where we start.
Have you thought about putting a book together on this topic?

right now, I'm booked out. And in another sense, I'm also talked out, because I talked all around this issue on Mothering for seven years.
In terms of writing a book, no, because there are so many really good books on the issue, that to write another one would just be to add to a stack that's already far to large.

And here's another thing. I don't think that any one person knows everything, and have some ideas on that too :rolleyes: which might be a bit too radical for most people I know :giggle:

I'm about to post something on Vitamin D, and once you wade through that, you will see what I mean about things being confusing...

[Momtezuma Tuatara]

rambling is good...

[3monkeys]

I have been thinking about this and I think there is no real place to start IYKWIM. I think you start at a point, but that point isnt right or wrong because its very specific to each indivdual. I think for each experience you have you learn something new and file it away, whether its treating a cold successfully with vit c and plenty of sleep (works for me), or not eating grains etc. We are all so different that there is no real road to follow. I think the destination is the same. To live a happy non intervened life in most aspects. But I think the journey is so incredibly different for everyone. Do I make sense....... probably not :giggle:

[Sandra17]

I have been thinking about this and I think there is no real place to start IYKWIM. I think you start at a point, but that point isnt right or wrong because its very specific to each indivdual. I think for each experience you have you learn something new and file it away, whether its treating a cold successfully with vit c and plenty of sleep (works for me), or not eating grains etc. We are all so different that there is no real road to follow. I think the destination is the same. To live a happy non intervened life in most aspects. But I think the journey is so incredibly different for everyone. Do I make sense....... probably not :giggle:

You certainly did make sense 3monkeys. I think the most important thing is to start the journey. I've recently been loaned Paul Pitchford's book Healing with Whole Foods and it has so much to teach me. It does differ to many of the ideas in Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions but seems to be more carefully researched.

I have also found that there are different times in my life when I am more open to trying new health options and incorporating different health foods into my life, but each time I gain something more and it is all adding up very slowly to a better understanding of my body and of the best choices for me.