Eleven years ago today, Halloween, we moved onto EarthNSky Farm. The beauty of Autumn was breathtaking, and I recall that I felt like I had died and gone to heaven-I was finally home. The sky was brilliant blue, the wind was crisp, and the leaf color was nothing short of spectacular. Before the moving truck was unloaded, George, our neighbor, came by on his old Ford 9N tractor to introduce himself and to visit. Throughout the years, we've had our ups and downs with George, but generally we get along pretty well, our only disagreement being about the type of fence that should go on the property line. He is our most immediate neighbor and I've learned a lot about homesteading from George and his wife. George taught us how to hunt and field dress a deer. Nancy taught me how to clean the meat and cook it. I recently bought the 12 gallon cast iron pot from him in which I learned to render lard. He's taught me how to raise and catch pigs, how to sight in a rifle, how to take care of horses, how to buck 70 pound alfalfa bales into a barn, and countless other skills. They were with me when I got my first chickens and they gave me my first ducks. Almost all of my current flock of chickens are from his Blue Laced Red Wyandotte rooster. His workmanship is all around me as he built this house from the trees on the land; his rockwork on my hearth is beautiful and everyone who comes into the house compliments the artistry. Over the years, we've been the beneficiary of his various hunting kills, wild goose (which looks and cooks like beefsteak), deer, turkey, and even bear. I'd eat bear again only if I were starving-there are much better meats to put on a plate. But tonight for dinner, I'll be enjoying native trout, caught this past Spring by George up in the Cohutta Wilderness. My son loved to watch George forge knives and other creations. He built wagons and learned to forge metal from Judd Nelson of Foxfire fame. He is a true artist, with skills in metalwork, woodworking, rocklaying, carving and painting. His wife is also an excellent wildlife painter and I have a beautiful walking stick with a carved and painted copperhead snake on the handle.
There have been a few times over the years that George has put up a for sale sign. I've never taken it seriously as he has family here and his wife and sister in law are the daughters of the original land owners, the homestead of which we now occupy. They have roots here. However, they have struggled financially over the years and most recently health issues have surfaced for both of them, making money even more scarce. A few years ago, after George recovered from chemo, his son sent him out to Arkansas on a fishing trip on the White River. George fell in love with the place, and his son bought some land out there. For the last two years, they've bantered the idea of moving to the Ozarks. While I know he would fit in there, he is what I would call a true, modern homesteader, I just could never see it happening, until yesterday when he told us he had a contract and buyer for his house and land. He was going to sell off, pack up the camper, and move to the Ozarks. I'm in shock. I'm trying to see this from their perspective in that it will be cheaper to live there and it will afford them a little financial breathing room.
In addition, there's always that anxiety about who will be buying in. All I know is that they are rather wealthy by local standards, have 3 kids, currently live in Atlanta, and will be using the cabin as a weekend home, a place where the kids can 'run free'. I don't know if they will appreciate the beauty and primitive nature of life out here or whether they will try to bring the city, and all of it's conveniences, with them. I'm sure they will be wonderful people, but it is hard to see the good side of anything when the loss feels so great. It is the first time in eleven years that I have even had a fleeting thought about moving away. I look out the window, and this Halloween is much scarier. The sky is overcast and foreboding. The Autumn leaves are wet and muted. Rock Creek will not be the same without George and Nancy.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
First frost and freeze
Tonight we should have our first frost and freeze, and tomorrow we should have a hard freeze. I usually subtract 5 degrees from the predicted Calhoun temps for planning. We haven't gone below 45 yet, and suddenly we are looking at 31 or 32 for tonight and 26 or 27 tomorrow. We skipped the low 40's and thirties altogether!
I just came in from picking the last of the beans and tomatoes. I kept about 4 tomato plants alive and kicking until frost, bringing in the first, and last, green tomatoes just now. I got enough Kentucky Wonder pole beans for a meal. Those beans have been producing since the first week of June! A Wonder indeed!
I wish I had a few more weeks for okra as the plants still have flowers and plenty of life even at 7 feet tall. I'll use up the last peppers with tacos and beans tonight, and I might make some fresh salsa with the last tomatoes. It's all good. I finally grew enough beans to freeze and it should last until next summer...I hope. I'm going to leave the remaining butternuts out there for tonight, and bring them in tomorrow. I've never left anything out after frost, so this is a bit scary for me. I usually use squashes and never have any left to leave out, but this year, I have over 30 pounds of squash in storage already, so the remaining 10 pounds or so is an experiment that should be successful since most folks do leave the squashes until after the first frost.
I still have a 32 ft row of peas, half English and half snow peas, but neither is doing well. I've harvested some English peas, but the snow peas are slow. I have some kale to try, and a few plants of collards, cabbage, broccoli, and yes, Brussels sprouts, but nothing is even close to being ready. I may lose most of it after this weekend.
The springs are still running in the garden making it a mucky mess, and a new one made a small sinkhole(about fist sized) less than a foot away from my Mars Seedless grapevine that is 2 years old. Either those grapes will be extra juicy or the vine will be diseased and die. Time will tell. Anyway, I've been moving the carpet strips around just to be able to walk enough to harvest the beans and such. The amount of water we have this year is amazing.
I also stripped the leaves of my Malabar spinach vine, pulled two radishes, and stripped the leaves of a lemon verbena. All the porch and deck plants are in the greenhouse and ready for winter.
I split a fresh load of dry wood this morning, and we currently have the first fire of the season in the woodstove. My daughter and granddaughter are visiting. Life is good.
I just came in from picking the last of the beans and tomatoes. I kept about 4 tomato plants alive and kicking until frost, bringing in the first, and last, green tomatoes just now. I got enough Kentucky Wonder pole beans for a meal. Those beans have been producing since the first week of June! A Wonder indeed!
I wish I had a few more weeks for okra as the plants still have flowers and plenty of life even at 7 feet tall. I'll use up the last peppers with tacos and beans tonight, and I might make some fresh salsa with the last tomatoes. It's all good. I finally grew enough beans to freeze and it should last until next summer...I hope. I'm going to leave the remaining butternuts out there for tonight, and bring them in tomorrow. I've never left anything out after frost, so this is a bit scary for me. I usually use squashes and never have any left to leave out, but this year, I have over 30 pounds of squash in storage already, so the remaining 10 pounds or so is an experiment that should be successful since most folks do leave the squashes until after the first frost.
I still have a 32 ft row of peas, half English and half snow peas, but neither is doing well. I've harvested some English peas, but the snow peas are slow. I have some kale to try, and a few plants of collards, cabbage, broccoli, and yes, Brussels sprouts, but nothing is even close to being ready. I may lose most of it after this weekend.
The springs are still running in the garden making it a mucky mess, and a new one made a small sinkhole(about fist sized) less than a foot away from my Mars Seedless grapevine that is 2 years old. Either those grapes will be extra juicy or the vine will be diseased and die. Time will tell. Anyway, I've been moving the carpet strips around just to be able to walk enough to harvest the beans and such. The amount of water we have this year is amazing.
I also stripped the leaves of my Malabar spinach vine, pulled two radishes, and stripped the leaves of a lemon verbena. All the porch and deck plants are in the greenhouse and ready for winter.
I split a fresh load of dry wood this morning, and we currently have the first fire of the season in the woodstove. My daughter and granddaughter are visiting. Life is good.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Ch..Ch..Ch..Ch..Changes
I survived my first week back in the workforce after a year of being at home. I did not have any real problem getting up for work(I know that surprises some of you!), but I am definitely feeling the job in my feet. I don't yet have a desk and have been mostly standing all week long. My computer came in Friday(it is a nice looking Dell), but without a desk or workspace, obviously I can't use it. I thought my foot was 100% healed after the surgery, but I have discovered otherwise. There wasn't too much walking to the job, and certainly no exertion, just standing.
The best part of the 'new job experience' is the people. My co-workers all seem competent and seem to have a good work ethic. I've seen no slackers, no idiots. That's a good thing as I can't stand to be the only one working while everyone else surfs the internet or plays games on their phone or makes personal phone calls, etc. That kind of stuff drives me crazy. It is a good group of folks to work with, and I think that can make or break any job. Even if you love your job, if you can't stand the ones you work with, you can be miserable.
This past week, I've been 'training' with the QC guy. Instead of filling a position, I'll be carving out a niche for myself in the lab. I'll start with taking over some of the more mundane tasks, clerical minutia, that are weighing down the other chemists-things like recording spec data and filing certificates, MSDS sheets, etc. I'll fill in for the QC guy and probably perform some testing for the R&D guys. I'll probably do more bench work as I gain more experience, but for now, I'm
just learning the products and their applications and specs. There are probably 65 or 70 formulas or more, many sold under more than one label, so it can be confusing. In addition, I'm not familiar with many of the raw materials, so there is a LOT to learn before I start mixing anything! I'm still not sure whether or not I will be working more in QC or in R&D, but there is always the possibility of doing both. The company is growing and I'll have options. It is SO much better than the last place I worked. They are like night and day.
On the homefront, I did not make it into the garden at all this past week, so this morning I had lots of beans and okra to pick and process. I got almost two gallons of beans, which isn't bad considering the fact that it is October. I made some fresh guacamole with the few tomatoes I picked, and sliced and froze the okra for frying later. I did take about 20 of the smallest pods and tossed them into a pickle jar. I had a hankering for pickled okra, but since the fridge is already full, I did not want to open a new jar. I had a jar of pickles that only had a few pickles in the brine, so I tossed the okra, some cayenne peppers and some garlic into the jar, shook it, and tomorrow I'll start snacking on the okra. In three weeks, I go back to get my cholesterol checked, and okra is a wonder food for lowering cholesterol. I'll eat a lot of it in the coming weeks. Tomorrow, I'll can a small jar of Anaheims and Poblanos for use in burritos or beans, and I have a 9 cubic foot wheelbarrow full of peanut vines to process. I'll remove the peanuts from the vine, brush off the dirt, and allow them to dry a few more days in the house. They have been in the wheelbarrow on the porch, which isn't ideal for drying and curing, but with the rain last week, it was the best I could do. I did not want to lose my peanut crop to mice, rats, or squirrels.
Skyguy spent the day bleaching and pressure washing the deck and the front of the house. He'll probably spend the better part of tomorrow finishing the job. We were going to try to wait until Spring to replace the kitchen window, but I'm afraid it won't last through the winter and I really think we need to replace it now. I think we can get energy credits if we do it before November, too. First is the pressure washing, then the window replacement, then the house gets a new paint job. Next weekend we have a 5 year NWGAA anniversary event here at the farm, and I really did not want our guests to wonder if the algea would attack them while they ate. The house and deck face north, and with all the rain this year, everything is green and slimy. The deck was a safety hazard.
Thursday, Skyguy and I celebrated (and I use that term loosely) 25 years of marriage. We had plans to eat out, but that night we were both tired and decided to just go home and have a normal evening. After all, it was 'Survivor' night, and we had to watch evil Russell scheme and plot his way to through the game. We decided that we would celebrate on Friday and would rent our 'Jacuzzi room' at the Hampton Inn. We started doing that years ago when we did not have TV and had limited water supply. It was nice to take a hot shower of unlimited length, enjoy heat without loading a log into the stove, lounge around in the Jacuzzi, and watch TV, hopefully some boxing or ultimate fighting or maybe a Formula One race. We would try to do that once a year, at least, just to relax and enjoy things that most folks take for granted. Even though we now have satellite TV and a new well so we don't run out of water, we still like to go to "our room"at the Hampton. So on Friday after work, we grabbed dinner at Ruby Tuesday's and went to the hotel to check in. As it turns out, 'our' room is no longer there. Apparently the hotel removed the jacuzzi due to a leak, and now the only room with a jacuzzi is actually a room where the whirlpool is in the bathroom and you can't watch television from the bathroom. It was disappointing, the end of a tradition, but we rightly decided not to waste money on that anymore, so we stopped by Home Depot and drove home where we were greeted by a couple of very happy dogs. I spent a few hours last night looking for another 'Jacuzzi room', and I did find a hotel in Dalton, but I just don't know. It is so tempting to just take the credit card and just buy a damned hot tub for the deck. With that, I never need to leave home. I have dreamed about that for close to twenty years now.
The best part of the 'new job experience' is the people. My co-workers all seem competent and seem to have a good work ethic. I've seen no slackers, no idiots. That's a good thing as I can't stand to be the only one working while everyone else surfs the internet or plays games on their phone or makes personal phone calls, etc. That kind of stuff drives me crazy. It is a good group of folks to work with, and I think that can make or break any job. Even if you love your job, if you can't stand the ones you work with, you can be miserable.
This past week, I've been 'training' with the QC guy. Instead of filling a position, I'll be carving out a niche for myself in the lab. I'll start with taking over some of the more mundane tasks, clerical minutia, that are weighing down the other chemists-things like recording spec data and filing certificates, MSDS sheets, etc. I'll fill in for the QC guy and probably perform some testing for the R&D guys. I'll probably do more bench work as I gain more experience, but for now, I'm
just learning the products and their applications and specs. There are probably 65 or 70 formulas or more, many sold under more than one label, so it can be confusing. In addition, I'm not familiar with many of the raw materials, so there is a LOT to learn before I start mixing anything! I'm still not sure whether or not I will be working more in QC or in R&D, but there is always the possibility of doing both. The company is growing and I'll have options. It is SO much better than the last place I worked. They are like night and day.
On the homefront, I did not make it into the garden at all this past week, so this morning I had lots of beans and okra to pick and process. I got almost two gallons of beans, which isn't bad considering the fact that it is October. I made some fresh guacamole with the few tomatoes I picked, and sliced and froze the okra for frying later. I did take about 20 of the smallest pods and tossed them into a pickle jar. I had a hankering for pickled okra, but since the fridge is already full, I did not want to open a new jar. I had a jar of pickles that only had a few pickles in the brine, so I tossed the okra, some cayenne peppers and some garlic into the jar, shook it, and tomorrow I'll start snacking on the okra. In three weeks, I go back to get my cholesterol checked, and okra is a wonder food for lowering cholesterol. I'll eat a lot of it in the coming weeks. Tomorrow, I'll can a small jar of Anaheims and Poblanos for use in burritos or beans, and I have a 9 cubic foot wheelbarrow full of peanut vines to process. I'll remove the peanuts from the vine, brush off the dirt, and allow them to dry a few more days in the house. They have been in the wheelbarrow on the porch, which isn't ideal for drying and curing, but with the rain last week, it was the best I could do. I did not want to lose my peanut crop to mice, rats, or squirrels.
Skyguy spent the day bleaching and pressure washing the deck and the front of the house. He'll probably spend the better part of tomorrow finishing the job. We were going to try to wait until Spring to replace the kitchen window, but I'm afraid it won't last through the winter and I really think we need to replace it now. I think we can get energy credits if we do it before November, too. First is the pressure washing, then the window replacement, then the house gets a new paint job. Next weekend we have a 5 year NWGAA anniversary event here at the farm, and I really did not want our guests to wonder if the algea would attack them while they ate. The house and deck face north, and with all the rain this year, everything is green and slimy. The deck was a safety hazard.
Thursday, Skyguy and I celebrated (and I use that term loosely) 25 years of marriage. We had plans to eat out, but that night we were both tired and decided to just go home and have a normal evening. After all, it was 'Survivor' night, and we had to watch evil Russell scheme and plot his way to through the game. We decided that we would celebrate on Friday and would rent our 'Jacuzzi room' at the Hampton Inn. We started doing that years ago when we did not have TV and had limited water supply. It was nice to take a hot shower of unlimited length, enjoy heat without loading a log into the stove, lounge around in the Jacuzzi, and watch TV, hopefully some boxing or ultimate fighting or maybe a Formula One race. We would try to do that once a year, at least, just to relax and enjoy things that most folks take for granted. Even though we now have satellite TV and a new well so we don't run out of water, we still like to go to "our room"at the Hampton. So on Friday after work, we grabbed dinner at Ruby Tuesday's and went to the hotel to check in. As it turns out, 'our' room is no longer there. Apparently the hotel removed the jacuzzi due to a leak, and now the only room with a jacuzzi is actually a room where the whirlpool is in the bathroom and you can't watch television from the bathroom. It was disappointing, the end of a tradition, but we rightly decided not to waste money on that anymore, so we stopped by Home Depot and drove home where we were greeted by a couple of very happy dogs. I spent a few hours last night looking for another 'Jacuzzi room', and I did find a hotel in Dalton, but I just don't know. It is so tempting to just take the credit card and just buy a damned hot tub for the deck. With that, I never need to leave home. I have dreamed about that for close to twenty years now.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Vitamin D and me
I've written before that I thought I was Vitamin D deficient. There were a few symptoms that I had, but nothing too serious, or so I thought. On my own, I started taking fish oil, then switched to cold liver oil because it contained more Vitamin D. I've always craved oily fish and chicken livers and eggs and other foods that are notoriously high in Vitamin D. I eat plenty of dairy and milk, too.
Back in July, I wrote about Vitamin D on my blog. (July 17) It was around that time that I decided to start a trial of taking Vit. D supplements in the form of Cod Liver oil. This page gives a quick overview:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp
I did some reading and discovered that there is quite a controversy over the RDA for Vitamin D. We need more as we get older. The relationship between Vitamin D, cholesterol, and the melanin pigment in our skin is important to understand. Basically, the short story is that the sun's UVB rays turn cholesterol into Vitamin D. Fair skinned people like me whose ancestors are from the far north have very little melanin to block UVB, because north of the Arctic Circle, there is very little UVB making it to the ground and our bodies don't need to block it. However, here in the US, I have the possibility of more sun, more UVB than Finland, and yet I still don't have the melanin to protect me. Because I am so fair, I don't get enough exposure year around to produce enough Vitamin D from my cholesterol.
So anyway, I started taking about 1500 IU's of cod liver oil a day as well as a multivitamin with an additional 400 IU's, and after a few weeks, I could swear that I felt a bit less achy from my arthritis pain. I seemed to have more energy and was more able to think clearly. About that time, I had an appointment with my rheumatologist and I told her of my suspicion that I was Vitamin D deficient. She ordered a test, as well as a test for bone density since I had had a stress fracture a few months prior. The other problem I've had for a few months is gum inflammation. I had my teeth cleaned in March and in early April, my gums started to bleed. There was a lot of blood, not just pink in the sink. I increased my brushing time, rinsed with fluoride washes and tried all kinds of stuff, but still, my gums were bleeding at the drop of a hat. I could also tell that they were receding a bit around my bridge. Things seemed to be changing fast, yet I had no pain or tenderness. I went to the dentist, but he had no answer other than it could be Vitamin D related but usually gum bleeding was gingivitis related. Well, as it turned out, the bloodwork revealed that I was indeed Vitamin D deficient. Very much so, even though I had been taking the Cod Liver Oil. Normal was 31-100 and my result was 14. Some docs think 'normal' should be 20, I've learned, but even with that I was deficient. My first thought was no wonder my arms feel like they are about to break when I do something like unload the washing machine! No wonder the dentist is telling me that I have bone loss and gum inflammation! So, my rheumatologist prescribed a Vitamin D supplement that I take once a week. It is a little blue gel pill of 50,000 IU of Vitamin D. WOW! The RDA is 400 IU and daily supplements are usually up to 2000 IU a day.
I have now taken two of them, the most recent being on Wednesday. Yesterday, Thursday, for the first time since April, my gums did not bleed when I brushed my teeth. Not a speck of blood, when just a few days ago I had to rinse 5 or 6 times just to not taste the blood anymore. Better yet, in the last week, I have had less arthritic issues, less overall aches and pains, and I seem to be more optimistic and more focused in my thinking. I'm now looking forward to seeing how good I will feel in a few months. The best part of this...these little Vitamin D pills were only $6 for a month's supply, 4 pills.
I'm hoping that I will at least be able to reduce my NSAIDS and pain meds, and hopefully, hopefully, I will be one of the lucky ones who might be 'healed' to the point that I would not need expensive biologics like Enbrel that are ruining my liver over time and increasing my chance of getting lymphoma.(I have something like a 40x higher chance of getting lymphoma that those who do not take Enbrel) This morning, I found this UK article, which supports the notion that RA might be curable after all.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-508283/Could-vitamin-D-really-cure-arthritis.html
This article makes a lot of sense as to why elimination diets might work for some and not for others. It mentions alkaline diets where you reduce acid foods, too. Dieting could even work for a while and then not work again. If you are Vitamin D deficient, anything can happen.
I can't believe that this might have been the precipitating factor for a lot of my health issues, for a long time, too. And it seems to have such a simple, and inexpensive solution. I've tried turmeric and milk thistle and other supplements and herbs but the biggest difference in pain relief and general well-being has been with Vitamin D supplementation.
Last year, I went to the ER with a kidney stone. I'd never even had a kidney infection or a bladder infection, and out of the blue I get a kidney stone. Well, I read that Vitamin D deficiency can cause "increased excretion of calcium from renal tubules". If you are going to the doc for bloodwork anyway, get them to check your Vitamin D levels. You might be surprised. It might keep you from getting cancer or even from getting the flu or other viruses.
This page lists some risk groups(including vegetarians) and talks about how certain meds can affect your Vitamin D levels.
http://www.the-vitamin-and-supplement-guide.com/vitaminDdeficiencysymptoms.html
I hope everyone takes a few minutes to read these articles. It just might save your life or prevent you from having osteoporosis or other bone issues later in life.
Back in July, I wrote about Vitamin D on my blog. (July 17) It was around that time that I decided to start a trial of taking Vit. D supplements in the form of Cod Liver oil. This page gives a quick overview:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp
I did some reading and discovered that there is quite a controversy over the RDA for Vitamin D. We need more as we get older. The relationship between Vitamin D, cholesterol, and the melanin pigment in our skin is important to understand. Basically, the short story is that the sun's UVB rays turn cholesterol into Vitamin D. Fair skinned people like me whose ancestors are from the far north have very little melanin to block UVB, because north of the Arctic Circle, there is very little UVB making it to the ground and our bodies don't need to block it. However, here in the US, I have the possibility of more sun, more UVB than Finland, and yet I still don't have the melanin to protect me. Because I am so fair, I don't get enough exposure year around to produce enough Vitamin D from my cholesterol.
So anyway, I started taking about 1500 IU's of cod liver oil a day as well as a multivitamin with an additional 400 IU's, and after a few weeks, I could swear that I felt a bit less achy from my arthritis pain. I seemed to have more energy and was more able to think clearly. About that time, I had an appointment with my rheumatologist and I told her of my suspicion that I was Vitamin D deficient. She ordered a test, as well as a test for bone density since I had had a stress fracture a few months prior. The other problem I've had for a few months is gum inflammation. I had my teeth cleaned in March and in early April, my gums started to bleed. There was a lot of blood, not just pink in the sink. I increased my brushing time, rinsed with fluoride washes and tried all kinds of stuff, but still, my gums were bleeding at the drop of a hat. I could also tell that they were receding a bit around my bridge. Things seemed to be changing fast, yet I had no pain or tenderness. I went to the dentist, but he had no answer other than it could be Vitamin D related but usually gum bleeding was gingivitis related. Well, as it turned out, the bloodwork revealed that I was indeed Vitamin D deficient. Very much so, even though I had been taking the Cod Liver Oil. Normal was 31-100 and my result was 14. Some docs think 'normal' should be 20, I've learned, but even with that I was deficient. My first thought was no wonder my arms feel like they are about to break when I do something like unload the washing machine! No wonder the dentist is telling me that I have bone loss and gum inflammation! So, my rheumatologist prescribed a Vitamin D supplement that I take once a week. It is a little blue gel pill of 50,000 IU of Vitamin D. WOW! The RDA is 400 IU and daily supplements are usually up to 2000 IU a day.
I have now taken two of them, the most recent being on Wednesday. Yesterday, Thursday, for the first time since April, my gums did not bleed when I brushed my teeth. Not a speck of blood, when just a few days ago I had to rinse 5 or 6 times just to not taste the blood anymore. Better yet, in the last week, I have had less arthritic issues, less overall aches and pains, and I seem to be more optimistic and more focused in my thinking. I'm now looking forward to seeing how good I will feel in a few months. The best part of this...these little Vitamin D pills were only $6 for a month's supply, 4 pills.
I'm hoping that I will at least be able to reduce my NSAIDS and pain meds, and hopefully, hopefully, I will be one of the lucky ones who might be 'healed' to the point that I would not need expensive biologics like Enbrel that are ruining my liver over time and increasing my chance of getting lymphoma.(I have something like a 40x higher chance of getting lymphoma that those who do not take Enbrel) This morning, I found this UK article, which supports the notion that RA might be curable after all.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-508283/Could-vitamin-D-really-cure-arthritis.html
This article makes a lot of sense as to why elimination diets might work for some and not for others. It mentions alkaline diets where you reduce acid foods, too. Dieting could even work for a while and then not work again. If you are Vitamin D deficient, anything can happen.
I can't believe that this might have been the precipitating factor for a lot of my health issues, for a long time, too. And it seems to have such a simple, and inexpensive solution. I've tried turmeric and milk thistle and other supplements and herbs but the biggest difference in pain relief and general well-being has been with Vitamin D supplementation.
Last year, I went to the ER with a kidney stone. I'd never even had a kidney infection or a bladder infection, and out of the blue I get a kidney stone. Well, I read that Vitamin D deficiency can cause "increased excretion of calcium from renal tubules". If you are going to the doc for bloodwork anyway, get them to check your Vitamin D levels. You might be surprised. It might keep you from getting cancer or even from getting the flu or other viruses.
This page lists some risk groups(including vegetarians) and talks about how certain meds can affect your Vitamin D levels.
http://www.the-vitamin-and-supplement-guide.com/vitaminDdeficiencysymptoms.html
I hope everyone takes a few minutes to read these articles. It just might save your life or prevent you from having osteoporosis or other bone issues later in life.
