FAQ-Health Conditions

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• Cholesterol
• Asberger’s
• food allergies
• small baby
• gynomastia
• Budwig diet
• mycoplasma
• cholesterol drugs
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• grains

 

Q. Per traditional blood tests, I experienced a rise in cholesterols (HDL/LDL) about 4 years ago. I cleaned up my eating habits (Fast Metabolism way of eating by Haylie Pomroy: no wheat, no dairy, no caffeine, no sugar, no alcohol), and within six months, all cholesterol levels dropped to the traditional “normal” levels.

My question is, if cholesterol is not a bad thing, why did my bloodwork see drops in all levels when I ate better?

A. Not sure this is necessarily better–does this diet include plenty of fats like butter and egg yolks? But in any case, high cholesterol is nothing to worry about, and if your cholesterol is below 160, that is something to worry about.

Q. My cholesterol is about 280 and I’m 37. I read in Nourishing Traditions that 280 is a safe number for cholesterol. My doctor is concerned but I’m not. Should I be concerned?

A. Your doctor gets a bonus for prescribing cholesterol-reducing pills. A cholesterol of 280 is perfectly normal and safe. Read our article Dangers of Statin Drugs, on the website.

Q. My niece has Asperger’s. I wanted to share information with her that would allow her to have a fully healthy baby. Can you post guidelines on how to prevent passing along Asperger’s or autism? I would guess it would involve a combination of a GAPS diet, WAPF vaccine recommendations, and WAPF-recommended baby formula. Maybe there’s more to it than that? It would be helpful if the info was all on one page.

A. Yes, it is all in prevention–hard to treat once it happens. Prevention would be the WAPF pregnancy diet and diet for children, no vaccinations, no ultrasound, no commercial formula. You might want to look at my book The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care.

Q. Hello my eighteen-month old son has two cavities. He was born with eczema and many allergies. I stumbled upon your Foundation which I am grateful for but it seemed so many of the suggestions were for foods my son is allergic to. Specifically, dairy and eggs. But he is also allergic to gluten, nuts, soy, rice. . . nd dogs!! I truly need help! He hardly eats as it is! I can’t imagine how I could get him to consume enough of anything to matter! I do not even know how to get marrow from bones! I cook much of his food in homemade stock and try to give fermented food/drink but he clearly has terrible deficiencies! His teeth are not even a year old! Can you advise in this especially difficult case?

A. We have a lot of cases like this, and what we usually recommend is to go on the GAPS diet. The goal is to heal the gut and then very often the person can tolerate all the foods he was “allergic” to. He should be taking cod liver oil and as soon as possible, raw milk.

Q. My son is two months old. He was born a natural way, and we don’t do vaccines. I don’t have enough milk so I supplement with the Weston Price formula recipe. My son is doing well but the pediatrician says he is on a smaller side. We just came back from his two-month visit and the pediatrician is concerned that my son doesn’t smile on his own yet, he only smiles when he sleeps or eats. So, she told me that I have to go to eye and hearing doctors for tests even though I think there is nothing wrong and his eyesight and hearing are ok, he is just so tiny, only two months old. Do I have to go for the testing? Can I refuse them for now till he is a bit older?

A. I think you can find another pediatrician and get a second opinion–although it can’t hurt to get his eyes and ears tested. You need to be careful about outright refusing treatment, because they can put social services on you, and even take the baby away.

If the baby is gaining weight, that is the important thing. You might add more cream to the formula, and also the butter oil.

Q. My son has gynomastia and a micro penis. He was put on soy formula very early as he could not keep down breast milk or regular formula. Is there anything being looked at with this issue? I know there are studies now that show soy can have these effects on males. We are devastated as our son is 16 and we have no way to even start to pay for gynomastia surgery and the micropenis treatments aren’t even worth it in some cases. My son is very depressed. I worry about him taking his life because of his body. Soy never should have been provided in formulas, and they are still using it today.

My son also has Attention deficit disorder which is one of the issues surrounding soy. You state in your article, too. Are there any lawyers interested in individual lawsuits or even class action?

A. Your letter tears at my heartstrings–and you are only one of many parents who has seen the suffering from the detrimental effects of soy infant formula, or soy at any age, for that matter. Attention deficit disorder is just one of many horrible outcomes. I have a relative brought up on soy formula, and he can never finish a task. It is so tragic.

I am not sure what to advise at this late stage. We had a child who was give soy formula but the mother realized early. He was brought up on raw milk and cod liver oil. Also, she fed him lamb testicles as often as she could get them–cut up in soups, etc. The boy grew up into a very masculine adult.

Perhaps, it is not too late to try. I would definitely put him on our diet, with lots of whole raw milk, cod liver oil (one of our recommended brands) every day, and organ meats including testicles if you can (often available at ethnic markets). I think you can also get raw desiccated testicles at Dr. Ron’s Ultra-Pure. Lots and lots and lots of butter for him and absolutely no processed food.

Q. I have been a follower of WAPF research and advice regarding food for many years.
I am transitioning to the Budwig diet for endometrial cancer because I do not want all of my reproductive organs excavated if that can be avoided.

The Budwig diet forbids eggs and butter (and all animal fats). Given when the diet was created is this still valid to follow? Organic free range eggs cooked with a runny yolk for the nutrients, and unsalted Strauss Family Creamery organic butter are staples in my diet and I would prefer not to give them up. In your opinion are high quality eggs and butter are compatible with Dr. Budwig’s cancer diet?

A. I think it is good to eat the cream cheese with a little flax oil, but you will starve if you don’t get lots of animal fats and salt. We recommend the ketogenic diet for cancer–there are several books on it.

Q. I have started eating raw liver for vitamin B12 deficiency, after I got allergic reactions to B12-shots. I also have low levels of vitamin A and other fat-soluble vitamins, and other B vitamins, so I feel liver is the best way to get these vitamins. I also have a chronic low grade pneumonia which I suspect is mycoplasma, and I think my vitamin deficiencies are the main reason for not having been able to get rid of it yet.
I wonder how much liver is safe to eat each day without getting vitamin A overdose, and I also wonder whether it’s possible to get toxic effects from too much vitamin A (in one meal) if you’re still deficient? Do you have any nutritional advice when it comes to pneumonia, mycoplasma and lyme infections?

A. I would use poultry liver as it also contains vitamins D and K2. You can probably eat 1-2 ounces per day. It is also OK to cook it. It should be part of a rounded diet that contains raw dairy, homemade bone broth and fermented foods–always the first step when dealing with these kinds of infections.

Q. My mother had early trouble with Lipitor and Crestor (muscle weakness, poor balance) so she was taken off of them. But, after her stroke in 2012, they put her on Zetia and Fenofibrate. For the first year of stroke rehab, she was doing quite well and we considered having her live independently at home again. But she is continuing to regress. I am seeing many of the same side effects reported for statins now: poor memory, poor balance, no muscle strength (even on her good side), frequent falls and illegible handwriting. Physical therapy and occupational therapy sessions are not helping her to improve as they did in the past. Her cholesterol is now 240, but they still want it lower. I would like to see her off these drugs.

Are the side effects of Zetia and Fenofibrate the same as the statins? Do you know of any research studies on these drugs? Also, any studies of the side effects of Sotalol and Coumadin for afibulation?

A. Any drug that lowers cholesterol will have these side effects. A cholesterol of 240 is perfectly normal and healthy. In fact, for women at any age, the higher the cholesterol, the longer you live. But this is a decision you and your mother will have to make, and you will need to be firm with your doctors, as they get a bonus for prescribing a cholesterol-lowering drug.

Q. I’m writing because of my mother. Some time ago she was diagnosed with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and for years she has been on anti-depressants and a diet full of white flour, processed sugar, and so on. Although I love to nourish my body with nutrient dense foods, I don’t know how to apply the knowledge I have with the diagnosed disease. I also believe that alternative medicine has a better effect on your health than pharmaceuticals. Do you have any information on this disease and advice on nutritional healing?

A. Here is an article on fatty liver disease: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/ A good place to start is the Beginner Tour on our website. https://www.westonaprice.org/about-us/beginner-tour/

Q. My four-year-old son who is on a partial WAPF diet (he’s so picky I haven’t yet been successful at going 100 percent) came back from his first dental x-ray with four cavities, and a recommendation to drill and fill two of them. I immediately ordered the WAPF-recommended Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel and read it. I can see the lapses in my son’s diet that are likely responsible for the tooth decay and I’m confident that I can reverse and remineralize his teeth, but Ramiel’s insistence on the danger of whole grains threw me for a bit of a loop.

My understanding of “properly prepared” grains in the WAPF tradition is overnight soaking of organic raw whole grains such as farro, brown rice, oats, and so on in warm slightly acidulated water (Nourishing Traditions). Ramiel, in his book, seems to be claiming that this is dangerously under-treating grains and that soaked and cooked grains will lead to tooth decay. His section on oats is particularly alarming. I also find it odd that he recommends the “white” versions of grains (such as rice, semolina, soured white flour, etc.) as a better way to eliminate plant anti-nutrients.

Can you comment on the apparent contradiction between his advice and that of Nourishing Traditions? Have I been giving my son cavities by feeding him soaked oats, soaked brown rice, and soaked farro?

Obviously going grain-free is an option, but one that I’d only consider as a last resort.

A. My grandchildren have no cavities and they eat grains–sourdough bread and soaked oatmeal. So I would not eliminate grains completely. Can you get raw milk for him? And the cod liver oil and butter oil (or emu oil, for vitamin K) are a must–maybe you can give these with an eye dropper.

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