Ultra Simple Diet

[ScarletBegonias]

I have already ordered the progesterone cream, it is coming from the USA, so it is taking a while to get here.
While reading further on progesterone deficiency, it did sound like something that I could very well be suffering from, and thank you Laura for pointing that out, it wouldn't have crossed my mind. This would explain my apparent intolerance to fats.
I'll report here after I've tried it.

Hi Gertrudes, I just started using progesterone cream for the first time a couple weeks ago. I read up on it and thought it might help with my periods. I haven't cycled yet, but decided to stop taking it because of the side effects. The acne on my face has gotten a lot worse and I also got a yeast infection. I read up on the "Candida- The Silent Epidemic" (http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=9796.15) thread and found this post by Laura:

From: http://home.tampabay.rr.com/lymecfs/leakygut.htm

Women are more at risk for the yeast syndrome, at least during their fertile years. Progesterone, produced in abundance prior to menstruation, favors yeast, and many premenstrual women see an increase in their yeast symptoms. Progesterone is a principal ingredient in oral contraceptives, which, not surprisingly, provoke yeast. When the body is in balance, taking oral contraceptives shouldn't cause significant yeast problems, but when candida is out of control, birth control pills can be a serious complicating factor.

Also, my friend who is a veterinarian emailed this to me when I told her I was trying out the cream:

Is your progesterone cream prescription? Be careful if not, because it could alter your cycle. Also, some drugs don't absorb consistently from your skin. And, since progesterone is a steroid, vary the site you are applying it to.

This is what I had been using: _http://www.amazon.com/Progesterone-Herbs-Bio-Identical-Paraben-Free-Creme/dp/B0016G7VY0/ref=sr_1_4?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285343472&sr=8-4 I've stopped it for the past few days and do believe my acne is already going away. I know some people on this site use it and it has worked for them, so that's good. I hope it works for you too!

 

[Thor]

I had your same problem. It was odd explaining people that I was "allergic to the sun" when I was a kid. Everyone from childhood remembers me as having allergies all the time, so it was very surprising to them to see me without allergies when I last visited. The light sensitivity is something that improves progressively as you detox.

I have this condition, too. I remember telling different people about it and no-one I knew would believe me. Then a couple of years later I read about it in the paper. It is called the ACHOO syndrome. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photic_sneeze_reflex:

"Photic sneeze reflex, also known by the backronym Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helioophthalmic Outburst Syndrome (ACHOO Syndrome)[1], is an autosomal dominant hereditary trait which causes sneezing (due to naso-ocular reflex [2]) when suddenly exposed to bright light, possibly many times consecutively. The condition affects 18-35% of the human population.[3]

The first mention of the phenomenon is probably in the later work attributed to Aristotle (Problems, book XXXIII).[4]...

...Mechanism

The probable cause is a congenital malfunction in nerve signals in the trigeminal nerve nuclei. The fifth cranial nerve, called the trigeminal nerve, is apparently responsible for sneezes.[citation needed] Research suggests that some people have an association between this nerve and the nerve that transmits visual impulses to the brain. Overstimulation of the optic nerve triggers the trigeminal nerve, and this causes the photic sneeze reflex.[citation needed]

This sneeze reflex can also be brought on by sudden inhalation of cold air or exposure to strong flavors.[citation needed] This implies an overstimulation of any nerve close to the trigeminal nerve can cause the sneeze reflex."

It also happens when I stare directly into a light bulb.

 

[Gertrudes]

Hi Gertrudes, I just started using progesterone cream for the first time a couple weeks ago. I read up on it and thought it might help with my periods. I haven't cycled yet, but decided to stop taking it because of the side effects. The acne on my face has gotten a lot worse and I also got a yeast infection.

Oh my, many thanks for the heads up Scarlet. I appreciate having been forewarned. I'm very glad that the side effects have subsided for you though.

I intend to do the anti candida diet soon, I've actually already bought the anti fungal and it has been seating on my shelf for 2 months now. However, I'd like to progress a little bit more in the USD before dealing with Candida.
Hmmm...on a second thought, maybe I'll do the Candida diet before starting to use the Progesterone cream.

 

[Ollie]

Hmmm...on a second thought, maybe I'll do the Candida diet before starting to use the Progesterone cream.

I would second that, after doing the original USD a year ago, I followed this up with the anti-Candida detox and diet. I'm now repeating the USD with increased sensitivity after finishing the mercury detox and amalgan replacements - with a few surprises about what to eat as well as what not to eat (ongoing). Having got that off the ground, I'm just finishing what I'm calling 'an annual, maintenance candida cleanse' using Fungal Defense - a 15 day programme - as I suspect some Candida may have crept back in.

 

[Laura]

Hi Gertrudes, I just started using progesterone cream for the first time a couple weeks ago. I read up on it and thought it might help with my periods. I haven't cycled yet, but decided to stop taking it because of the side effects. The acne on my face has gotten a lot worse and I also got a yeast infection.

Yes, you need to be relatively candida controlled to move to this phase of recovery.

I'm wondering what schedule and dose you used? That's pretty important.

Also, my friend who is a veterinarian emailed this to me when I told her I was trying out the cream:

Is your progesterone cream prescription? Be careful if not, because it could alter your cycle. Also, some drugs don't absorb consistently from your skin. And, since progesterone is a steroid, vary the site you are applying it to.

This is what I had been using: _http://www.amazon.com/Progesterone-Herbs-Bio-Identical-Paraben-Free-Creme/dp/B0016G7VY0/ref=sr_1_4?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285343472&sr=8-4 I've stopped it for the past few days and do believe my acne is already going away. I know some people on this site use it and it has worked for them, so that's good. I hope it works for you too!

I've got both prescription stuff and the same product you have. I prefer the latter. The prescription progesterone cream is VERY strong.

A woman who is still having periods should use it on a very precise schedule as Psyche has described below:

...here is a synthesis of Dr. John R. Lee's protocols of low dose
natural hormone therapy:

Dr. John R. Lee is a pioneer of low dose natural hormone creams. The
protocol focuses mainly on progesterone cream as the main issue is
estrogen dominance.

More info at:
http://www.johnleemd.com/store/faqs_progest_crm.html
http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C8779.html
http://www.natural-progesterone-advisory-network.com/i-am-getting-very-bad-headachesmigraines-on-progesterone-cream/
http://www.johnleemd.com (with male hormone info as well, he recommends
8-10mg of progesterone per day for men, around 1/8th of a teaspoon)
---------

-After ovulation on day 14 (that is, if we ovulate) we are supposed to
produce around 20 to 30 mg of progesterone per day.

-The progesterone cream is usually a 2% natural progesterone, so 1/4
gives around 20mg per day. A normal low progesterone dose is of
20-60mg/day (100mg per day maximum).

-Natural estrogen creams usually provide 1mg of estrogen per 1/4 of a
teaspoon.

-Testosterone cream dose (if needed according to serum levels): 1mg to 5
mg daily (start with lowest dose).

-DHEA creams (if needed): 5 to 50 mg once or twice daily (divided doses).

--------------------

PRE-MENOPAUSE/PMS issues:

from day 12 to day 26: 1/4 to 1/2 of a teaspoon once or twice per day.

Alternatively (I distributed it roughly according to the Wiley protocol):

1/8th of a teaspoon from days 12 and 13
1/4th of a teaspoon from days 14 to 19
1/2 of a teaspoon from days 20 to 22
1/4 of a teaspoon from days 23 to 26 or until a day or so before your
period starts (if you don't know when your period is going to start,
just stop the cream when your period starts and count 12 days before you
start it again).

Once per day (or twice if symptoms persist)

--------------

MENOPAUSE and POST MENOPAUSE:

24 to 26 days a month, 1/4 to 1/2 of teaspoon once or twice per day.

It is important to have some days off as some spotting can occur (if
this happens, use the PMS/Pre-menopause schedule and after 3 to 4 months
of no spotting, you can resume the post-menopause schedule).

------------

If symptoms continue, a teensy bit of estrogen can be used to see if it
helps with the balancing process, more info at
http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C8779.html). There are protocols, but
it's best to insist with the progesterone cream at first.

Also, supposedly you are supposed to use the same site for application for each cycle, but alternate. Like the soft part of the upper arms for one month, and the inner thighs the next month, back and forth. This is because the progesterone creates binding sites at the location which is important for it to work properly.

Having a lot of skin problems that are easily exacerbated by hormones or oils that are used by the body to make hormones, suggests issues with the liver, bile, and colon - in short, the detox system. It might be a good idea to get a few colonics, do a detox diet and take detox supplements for a few months to get that cleared up.

Also note that when you start back eating fats and oils after years of trans fats or plastic fats or low fat, the liver can be very sluggish because it hasn't been being stimulated and may have toxic overload which then comes out in the skin, too. So, build up gradually and TAKE ENZYMES including OX BILE until your liver comes back online.

 

[RedFox]

An update on the diet:
So far I haven't had any other reactions apart from my skin reacting to certain foods. It seems that I can't have any fat apart from olive oil, which is very restricting. The other day I ate chicken thighs which had reminiscences of tiny bits of fat, they were so microscopic that I didn't trouble myself to clean them. Well, that was enough to cause a visible reaction, an egg shaped bump on my forehead again.

Have you tried coconut oil? It doesn't require bile to be absorbed (so doesn't tax your liver so much), and is utilised by your liver to create bile...so should give it a boost if its sluggish.
My own observations from using it are that I am requiring less and less ox bile over time.
Mixing olive oil and coconut oil for cooking is really good too, I did have trouble digesting olive oil in the past and combining it with coconut oil helped relieved this problem.
The caprylic acid in coconut oil is also anti fungal.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Yes, you need to be relatively candida controlled to move to this phase of recovery.

I'm wondering what schedule and dose you used? That's pretty important.

Also, supposedly you are supposed to use the same site for application for each cycle, but alternate. Like the soft part of the upper arms for one month, and the inner thighs the next month, back and forth. This is because the progesterone creates binding sites at the location which is important for it to work properly.

Having a lot of skin problems that are easily exacerbated by hormones or oils that are used by the body to make hormones, suggests issues with the liver, bile, and colon - in short, the detox system. It might be a good idea to get a few colonics, do a detox diet and take detox supplements for a few months to get that cleared up.

Also note that when you start back eating fats and oils after years of trans fats or plastic fats or low fat, the liver can be very sluggish because it hasn't been being stimulated and may have toxic overload which then comes out in the skin, too. So, build up gradually and TAKE ENZYMES including OX BILE until your liver comes back online.

I was following the suggested application directions on the bottle for pre-menopausal women. I applied approximately 1 tsp to the inner side of my elbows starting the 12th day after my last period began. I began noticing more acne immediately, but didn't associate it with using the cream until I read a review on Amazon where another woman noticed an increase in acne as well. I didn't associate the yeast infection with it either until yesterday when I read the information in the Candida thread. I haven't had one of those in years!

I think I'll work on the anti-candida diet first before attempting to use the progesterone cream again. I'm not opposed to trying it out still, but now I am in no rush.

Thank you, Laura, for the information on the detox system and for suggesting the enzymes. I had purchased some enzymes, but haven't been taking them regularly.

Speaking of skin problems, every day for the past month or so I have found myself caressing my hands, because they are so soft again, just like they were years ago. I have had eczema on them for almost two years now. Doctors would tell me to put lotion on them and they would prescribe steroid creams, which I never tried. I used to buy special lotions and put it on them about a dozen times throughout the day and that was a lot of applications! I always took time to make sure they were completely dry after I washed them. Sometimes at night I would put petroleum jelly and gloves on them to prevent the cracks from bleeding. Keeping my dry, itchy, and cracking hands moisturized was a CONSTANT obsession, yet they never seemed to stay moisturized for long.

After cutting dairy and gluten out of my life 99% of the eczema has vanished. I have also noticed that slicing lemons, onions and garlic aggravates the eczema so I put on rubber gloves before I cut them. I'm writing this now because I am so thankful for everyones' efforts on this site and want you to share in my joy. :D I'm just so happy that my hands are soft again that writing this has filled my smiling eyes with tears. :)

Now to rid myself of acne! When I was a teenager I took accutane and the acne went away. Then I took birth control pills in my early twenties and when I went off of them the acne erupted. Now, I am 31 and still have acne and it makes me wonder if I will have it my entire life. I've tried so many products over the years and am currently taking minocyclin, clindamycin, and differin gel to control it. I take probiotics to counteract the damage from the antibiotics, but my goal is to go off of all these medications AND to have clear skin. I am hoping that doing the anti-candida diet could help with that, but from what I've read so far it may or may not. Either way, I think it's time I give that one a try!

 

[Gertrudes]

Have you tried coconut oil? It doesn't require bile to be absorbed (so doesn't tax your liver so much), and is utilised by your liver to create bile...so should give it a boost if its sluggish.
My own observations from using it are that I am requiring less and less ox bile over time.
Mixing olive oil and coconut oil for cooking is really good too, I did have trouble digesting olive oil in the past and combining it with coconut oil helped relieved this problem.
The caprylic acid in coconut oil is also anti fungal.

Yes, I did, and had a very bad reaction. People even asked whether I had banged my head against a wall because it caused me a bump that enlarged until half the size of my forehead. It was strange, because it didn't even look like acne.

I don't seem to have any problems with raw coconut though. On the other hand, I'm fine with olive oil, but not with olives.

I am hoping that doing the anti-candida diet could help with that, but from what I've read so far it may or may not. Either way, I think it's time I give that one a try!

Good luck with that Scarlet! From what you have described about your psoriasis problems, usage of antibiotics, and birth control pills, three things often connected with candida, it does seem like a good idea.

 

[Mrs. Peel]

his is what I had been using: _http://www.amazon.com/Progesterone-Herbs-Bio-Identical-Paraben-Free-Creme/dp/B0016G7VY0/ref=sr_1_4?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285343472&sr=8-4 I've stopped it for the past few days and do believe my acne is already going away. I know some people on this site use it and it has worked for them, so that's good. I hope it works for you too!

That's the stuff I have too, although I've not noticed any outward differences while using it. I had the part right about applying it to different locations, but I didn't realize you don't change locations for the cycle. I was/am putting it on a different place every day. Maybe that's why I don't notice anything.

 

[Thor]

This thread is awesome! I read the UltraMind Solution last week and ordered the recommended supplements. Since they're being delivered from the US and I live in Europe it'll be another week until they get here and on Psyche's recommendation I looked into the USD on the EE forum and then into this thread. While the length of the thread was a bit daunting to begin with it just grows on you. And grows. And grows :D.

To begin with I thought is was going to be hard to switch to the USD and let go of, well, coffee, sugar, dairy, gluten - the usual suspects. However, reading this thread has made me so motivated, I can hardly wait to begin. And finding out the point about not only are animal saturated fats not bad for you, they are in fact necessary. Hurrah! I have started the coffee enemas already and they work great in terms of immediate pain relief. However, I feel like I thirsty and the thirst is hard to quench for hours afterward.

A great thank you to all of you and thanks for sharing what you're going through. It has made a world of difference to me. I am really happy that I started with The UltraMind Solution and then read this thread rather than the other way around.

 

[tridean]

I did my first gluten free baking last night - gluten free scones, using gluten free flour and gluten free baking powder (didn't even know that the baking powder I had in the cupboard was gluten free, that was a relief!).

Was the gluten free flour actually called "gluten free flour"? The reason I ask is because all the gluten free flour packets I've encountered tend to include soy and rice flour (which is brown rice -- with it's troublesome lectins). Same goes for gluten free pasta, they usually incorporate rice and soy flour. Why not try buckwheat flour next time? Or quinoa.

In Australian supermarkets, you can find buckwheat in the health food aisle for about $6 per 500g. Much like xylitol, it's substantially cheaper if you order online and buy in bulk, despite the cost of postage. I managed to get 10kg buckwheat flour for $86, which works out to $8.60 per kg. And also managed to get 25kg xylitol (2 years supply? lol) for $217, also about $8.60 per kg. Health food stores will charge you $25 per kg!

Hi Nathan,
May I ask, what are your favourite online suppliers?

 

[Nathan]

Sure. Well, for xylitol I found the best prices at _xlear.com.au
Particularly if you buy commercial bags, not consumer plastic containers.

For buckwheat flour, I found the best value at _santostrading.com.au
Once again, if you buy in larger bags.
[NOTE: I later found this buckwheat flour to taste absolutely horrible. Don't buy it! Once I find a better one, I'll report in.]

And for other supplements such as 5HTP, Niacin, NAC, ALA, melatonin and other stuff (some you can't buy in Aus), try the NZ store: _healthy.co.nz

I've found the only type of good magnesium you can buy in a bricks-and-mortar chemist is Nature's Own Magnesium Orotate (green bottle).

Hope that helps!

EDIT: I wrote bricks and mortal. While the stores are very much mortal, I meant mortar.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

That's the stuff I have too, although I've not noticed any outward differences while using it. I had the part right about applying it to different locations, but I didn't realize you don't change locations for the cycle. I was/am putting it on a different place every day. Maybe that's why I don't notice anything.

I asked my friend to elaborate on what she meant when she said, "vary the site you are applying it to" and she replied with this:

I just meant maybe put it on one arm one day, then the other arm the next day. For transdermal meds, we alternate ears for application (not many non-haired areas in animals).

I was putting it on both of my arms for about two weeks and never noticed a problem with the skin on either one of them.

So, I am thinking of buying a food processor and I'm curious if any of you use one. I spend about a half an hour preparing veggies for the broth and last night my hand was aching a bit when I finished. I have a great knife to cut with, but I wonder if there is a quicker and less painful way of going about this. This is the food processor I'm looking at right now: _http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DLC-10S-Classic-7-Cup-Processor/dp/B00004S9EM/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I23G2M8V1EUMG0&colid=12CWDOUXATWBD

 

[tridean]

Sure. Well, for xylitol I found the best prices at _xlear.com.au
Particularly if you buy commercial bags, not consumer plastic containers.

For buckwheat flour, I found the best value at _santostrading.com.au
Once again, if you buy in larger bags.

And for other supplements such as 5HTP, Niacin, NAC, ALA, melatonin and other stuff (some you can't buy in Aus), try the NZ store: _healthy.co.nz

I've found the only type of good magnesium you can buy in a bricks-and-mortar chemist is Nature's Own Magnesium Orotate (green bottle).

Hope that helps!

EDIT: I wrote bricks and mortal. While the stores are very much mortal, I meant mortar.

:D Excellent, many many thanks

 

[Mrs. Peel]

So, I am thinking of buying a food processor and I'm curious if any of you use one. I spend about a half an hour preparing veggies for the broth and last night my hand was aching a bit when I finished. I have a great knife to cut with, but I wonder if there is a quicker and less painful way of going about this. This is the food processor I'm looking at right now: _http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DLC-10S-Classic-7-Cup-Processor/dp/B00004S9EM/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I23G2M8V1EUMG0&colid=12CWDOUXATWBD

I don't but I'm wishing I did cause yes, chopping and cutting up veggies is a PITA. Fortunately, my husband has been making my Ultrabroth for me lately. :)