Ok, I've lost count of the restart days, but we've been steadily increasing. Since we weren't seeing any negatives on the lower doses, I started increasing the dosage a bit faster, increasing 3 drops each day. We did 10 drops, 3x, yesterday. Today, after two doses of 11 drops, we started seeing some of that "weepy" behavior I've read about on AutismNCD. Since the second dose was later than usual, I'll drop down the dose to 5 tonight and then stick with 10, 3x/day, for at least a couple of days.
This weekend, we're visiting the grandparents. They haven't seen Demi for about 4 months and have noticed significant changes. Most noticeably, they've noticed increased interaction and communication - asking lots of questions, making connections and drawing conclusions from different facts, remembering certain things. Her speech is much clearer.
Gotta get back to family activities now.
Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Up to 7/7/7
End of week two and we're up to 7/7/7 drops now, 21 in a day. I haven't seen any big changes yet, but no stimminess or hyperactivity either, quite a bit different from earlier this year. Perhaps she's less toxic now so she won't have as much of a reaction?
I'll continue pushing through the Christmas break. I'll be able to observe her even more closely. Over Christmas, our activities will be outside her norm since we'll be with grandparents, but she'll be home in her normal environment for 1.5 wks after that.
I'll continue pushing through the Christmas break. I'll be able to observe her even more closely. Over Christmas, our activities will be outside her norm since we'll be with grandparents, but she'll be home in her normal environment for 1.5 wks after that.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
2nd Week (Day 9) of Restart
We're up to 5/5/5 and holding now. I'm not seeing excessive stimmy-ness or hyperactivity. I have noticed increased BM activity. I expect that to normalize soon; it's not causing a problem. She has had no accidents.
Yesterday, I went to her school for a small workshop and learned that the regular pre-K kids would be assessed before Christmas break on capital, lowercase, and letter sounds. Whichever letters/sounds weren't mastered, they'd get certain activities sent home to help. Last night, I asked Demi each letter sound, skipping around the alphabet. She knew all but 4 or 5. She knows all but maybe 2 capital letters and maybe 4-5 lowercase. That tells me she's right where the regular pre-K are. Yea for Demi! I was very pleasantly surprised. She seems to pick things up more quickly now. We'll see if that continues.
Yesterday, I went to her school for a small workshop and learned that the regular pre-K kids would be assessed before Christmas break on capital, lowercase, and letter sounds. Whichever letters/sounds weren't mastered, they'd get certain activities sent home to help. Last night, I asked Demi each letter sound, skipping around the alphabet. She knew all but 4 or 5. She knows all but maybe 2 capital letters and maybe 4-5 lowercase. That tells me she's right where the regular pre-K are. Yea for Demi! I was very pleasantly surprised. She seems to pick things up more quickly now. We'll see if that continues.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Day 5 of Restart
Dose: 5/4/4
Demi seems a bit more stimmy today, both verbal stims and general movement, not so much the hand waving that she ususally does.
She's still taking her fish oil, Juice Plus+ (adult dose), and Threelac (to guard against yeast).
For me, the headache has decreased (not that it was bad to begin with). It intensifies if I bend over. That, along with the pain over my molars, makes me think of sinuses. Could NCD be getting into that area? The pain in my upper jaw is mostly gone today.
Demi seems a bit more stimmy today, both verbal stims and general movement, not so much the hand waving that she ususally does.
She's still taking her fish oil, Juice Plus+ (adult dose), and Threelac (to guard against yeast).
For me, the headache has decreased (not that it was bad to begin with). It intensifies if I bend over. That, along with the pain over my molars, makes me think of sinuses. Could NCD be getting into that area? The pain in my upper jaw is mostly gone today.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Day 4 of Restart
Up to 4/4/4 today.
Demi's teacher reported that she seemed more distractable today, although she did well with tasks. She also reported additional stims.
At the dinner table tonight, she actually carried on a conversation with us about something that happened at school. Typically, she lapses into her own story dialogue without including us. Her eye contact was very good. Speech was mostly understandable (a relative term at best!).
Since her stims are not overwhelming, I'm going to continue increasing for now. Once up to 5/5/5, I might hold to allow her body to adjust.
As for me, I'm restarting, too. I've had the typical increase in BM's and increased urgency with urination. I've also had a mild headache which I'm sure is from not getting enough water. More muscle aches, although that could be due to workouts. I've also noticed a mild pain in my upper jaw, just over my molars. That started about the same time as the headaches.
Demi's teacher reported that she seemed more distractable today, although she did well with tasks. She also reported additional stims.
At the dinner table tonight, she actually carried on a conversation with us about something that happened at school. Typically, she lapses into her own story dialogue without including us. Her eye contact was very good. Speech was mostly understandable (a relative term at best!).
Since her stims are not overwhelming, I'm going to continue increasing for now. Once up to 5/5/5, I might hold to allow her body to adjust.
As for me, I'm restarting, too. I've had the typical increase in BM's and increased urgency with urination. I've also had a mild headache which I'm sure is from not getting enough water. More muscle aches, although that could be due to workouts. I've also noticed a mild pain in my upper jaw, just over my molars. That started about the same time as the headaches.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Day 2 of Restart
Today's dose will be 4/3/3 (up one drop from yesterday)
Another change I've noticed already: Demi doesn't need as much sleep. She was up at 5am, 2 hrs before her normal time, and wouldn't go back to sleep. I think she'll adjust once she's back on it, although I wonder if it will continue as long as I increase the dose regularly.
Another event: Demi came up to me out of the blue and asked to be picked up. She RARELY does that. Before, she had done it after Dana already asked. This time, she asked all by herself. There had been no mention of picking up anyone. Earlier in the day, she had asked me to read her a story and asked to sit in my lap. She has enjoyed sitting in my lap more recently, so that's not quite as surprising and asking to get picked up.
Another change I've noticed already: Demi doesn't need as much sleep. She was up at 5am, 2 hrs before her normal time, and wouldn't go back to sleep. I think she'll adjust once she's back on it, although I wonder if it will continue as long as I increase the dose regularly.
Another event: Demi came up to me out of the blue and asked to be picked up. She RARELY does that. Before, she had done it after Dana already asked. This time, she asked all by herself. There had been no mention of picking up anyone. Earlier in the day, she had asked me to read her a story and asked to sit in my lap. She has enjoyed sitting in my lap more recently, so that's not quite as surprising and asking to get picked up.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Regressions without NCD
For no good reason, I procrastinated putting in my order of NCD and we ran out. Even once I did complete the order, something got messed up with the shipping, so we didn't get it like normal. Anyway, Demi has been without NCD for over two weeks now.
Over that two weeks, I have noticed a steady decline in her awareness. We've had to repeat things 3 or 4 times, sometimes even getting right in her face, before she "hears" us. I thought perhaps part of the problem was that she was missing her hearing aid during this same period (so that she literally could not hear us, even though her hearing loss is mild), but we found the hearing aid and the attention didn't improve. She has been increasingly within her own world, only interested in conversing within her own universe, usually about friends and happenings at school.
When we ran out of fish oil back in April, she got kind of spacey. This lack of awareness is different. I've continued to give her fish oil even without the NCD, but perhaps she can't absorb it as well without the NCD?
Yesterday, I found a bottle of zeolite hidden in my purse that I had forgotten about, so I started Demi on it again today. I gave her 3 drops this morning, then 3 drops in her milk for lunch at school. There seems to be a difference already! After school, she was playing with a manger scene on the mantle and her father called her name sharply. Just yesterday, he would have said it at least 2 or 3 times before she noticed. Today, she immediately responded. Wow!
I plan to take advantage of this break by regularly increasing her dose. The parents over at AutismNCD are really noticing great gains from very high doses. If they run into a bout of stims, they back off slightly for a time and then continue ramping up. That's my plan. She's tolerated it well so far, so I plan to ramp up 1 drop/day until we hit some stimming. Then back off one drop for a few days and then back up again.
She has made some progress, even during this lack of awareness period. She has learned almost all of her capital letters and many lower case. Her speech has deteriorated without NCD; I hope to see sharp improvement with that after being on NCD again. Her fine motor skills have deteriorated somewhat, but I suspect they'll come back after NCD, too.
Update on the Therapeutic Listening: We're on a break for now so we can try to determine what it's doing for Demi. She was on it about 12 wks straight. We noticed some eye contact improvement, some improved attention. Her therapists reported significant eye contact improvements and significant posture improvement. I didn't see quite that level of improvement. One behavior that has disappeared while on listening was a certain stimming behavior she did while working at a table. She would rub her fingertips quickly across the table in front of her, like waving her hands on the table. It would seem she was not paying attention, but she was usually ready with a correct answer, so perhaps it was some kind of sensory adaptation for her. We'll wait to see if any bad behaviors return or if the good behaviors regress.
I'll post how she does each day with increasing doses of NCD.
Today is 3/3/3.
Over that two weeks, I have noticed a steady decline in her awareness. We've had to repeat things 3 or 4 times, sometimes even getting right in her face, before she "hears" us. I thought perhaps part of the problem was that she was missing her hearing aid during this same period (so that she literally could not hear us, even though her hearing loss is mild), but we found the hearing aid and the attention didn't improve. She has been increasingly within her own world, only interested in conversing within her own universe, usually about friends and happenings at school.
When we ran out of fish oil back in April, she got kind of spacey. This lack of awareness is different. I've continued to give her fish oil even without the NCD, but perhaps she can't absorb it as well without the NCD?
Yesterday, I found a bottle of zeolite hidden in my purse that I had forgotten about, so I started Demi on it again today. I gave her 3 drops this morning, then 3 drops in her milk for lunch at school. There seems to be a difference already! After school, she was playing with a manger scene on the mantle and her father called her name sharply. Just yesterday, he would have said it at least 2 or 3 times before she noticed. Today, she immediately responded. Wow!
I plan to take advantage of this break by regularly increasing her dose. The parents over at AutismNCD are really noticing great gains from very high doses. If they run into a bout of stims, they back off slightly for a time and then continue ramping up. That's my plan. She's tolerated it well so far, so I plan to ramp up 1 drop/day until we hit some stimming. Then back off one drop for a few days and then back up again.
She has made some progress, even during this lack of awareness period. She has learned almost all of her capital letters and many lower case. Her speech has deteriorated without NCD; I hope to see sharp improvement with that after being on NCD again. Her fine motor skills have deteriorated somewhat, but I suspect they'll come back after NCD, too.
Update on the Therapeutic Listening: We're on a break for now so we can try to determine what it's doing for Demi. She was on it about 12 wks straight. We noticed some eye contact improvement, some improved attention. Her therapists reported significant eye contact improvements and significant posture improvement. I didn't see quite that level of improvement. One behavior that has disappeared while on listening was a certain stimming behavior she did while working at a table. She would rub her fingertips quickly across the table in front of her, like waving her hands on the table. It would seem she was not paying attention, but she was usually ready with a correct answer, so perhaps it was some kind of sensory adaptation for her. We'll wait to see if any bad behaviors return or if the good behaviors regress.
I'll post how she does each day with increasing doses of NCD.
Today is 3/3/3.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
New/More Interaction
An interesting observation I've had recently is that Demi seems to be initiating more interaction with me than previously. She's never been averse to affection, but she typically does not seek it out. The other night, she requested that I rock her in my lap. While a normal and frequent occurrence for Dana (she DEMANDS is regularly!), it was unusual and welcome from Demi. She has also asked me to pick her up recently. She may have been imitating Dana, who does that on a regular basis, but Demi typically does not ask that I pick her up, especially not "just because."
Demi has also been pretending "normally" lately. She regularly crawls on the floor pretending to be a cat or a baby. Again, she might be imitating Dana, but she does it on her own without Dana present, so it's not initiated by Dana.
On her note home from school today, Demi's teacher was excited that Demi had asked a friend if they wanted a (pretend) bite of pizza. While she does that regularly at home while playing with Demi, she rarely initiates play with her friends at school.
I procrastinated ordering the fish oil, so we've run out before the new stuff came. :( Hopefully it will come soon. When we ran out before (10-12 days without), she got quite spacey. I also ordered some Threelac, which I read was effective for yeast, which gets kicked up by liquid zeolite. Once I have all my ducks in a row, I'm going to start the Threelac to make sure yeast is firmly under control, then increase NCD slowly. She's been on 3drops, 3x for quite a while now. After raising the NCD dosage, I'd like to try increasing the fish oil. Perhaps she'll be able to absorb more (and build more myelin sheath) with more NCD. We'll see.
Demi has also been pretending "normally" lately. She regularly crawls on the floor pretending to be a cat or a baby. Again, she might be imitating Dana, but she does it on her own without Dana present, so it's not initiated by Dana.
On her note home from school today, Demi's teacher was excited that Demi had asked a friend if they wanted a (pretend) bite of pizza. While she does that regularly at home while playing with Demi, she rarely initiates play with her friends at school.
I procrastinated ordering the fish oil, so we've run out before the new stuff came. :( Hopefully it will come soon. When we ran out before (10-12 days without), she got quite spacey. I also ordered some Threelac, which I read was effective for yeast, which gets kicked up by liquid zeolite. Once I have all my ducks in a row, I'm going to start the Threelac to make sure yeast is firmly under control, then increase NCD slowly. She's been on 3drops, 3x for quite a while now. After raising the NCD dosage, I'd like to try increasing the fish oil. Perhaps she'll be able to absorb more (and build more myelin sheath) with more NCD. We'll see.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Need New IEP Goals
Demi is continuing to do well. Last Friday, I had a conference with her teacher, a routine sit-down to discuss how she's progressing at the half-way point through the semester. She had already checked off half of the IEP goals that had been set to cover Demi's whole school year! Granted, many of those goals were carry over from last year, but she's finally making steady progress.
We've recently started a new intervention as well - Therapeutic Listening. I've heard it called different names - she listens to special music for 30 minutes, twice a day. The music is specifically engineered to stimulate her auditory processing and vestibular system, both of which influence her body awareness, balance, environmental awareness, focus & attention, and much more.
We've been doing the process for 4 wks now. When we first started, the therapist mentioned that some children saw an increase in emotional tone (e.g. more crying), but that was usually for kids who were mostly "flat" emotionally. Since I didn't consider Demi "flat", I assumed she would not be in that category. Boy, was I wrong! She definitely did have an "increase in emotional tone" - a euphemism for meltdowns to drive a family insane. She would meltdown in a split second over the most minor issues. In the presence of a meltdown, it's often difficult to think straight - you just yearn for silence. In retrospect, I believe most of them had to do with extreme and immediate frustration in communication.
My husband was ready to toss the (very expensive) headphones out the window. After talking to the therapist at the 4wk point, I convinced him that we should continue on the program, at least for another 4 wks. The therapist said the crying normally subsided within two months. She also recommended moving to certain CD's which focus on language development, hopefully to mitigate the language frustration I believe she was having.
Strangely enough, she's only had one uncontrolled meltdown this week, as opposed to about five last week.
Since the listening therapy started, I've noticed clearer speech and improved eye contact. According to the therapist, we'll need to continue the therapy for a long time in order for the gains to "stick." If the meltdowns stop, I can deal with the rest of the program.
Little to do with cellular zeolite, but I still believe the Natural Cellular Defense, along with nutrition (fish oil, Juice Plus+), is the foundation on which the therapy and other interventions succeed.
We've recently started a new intervention as well - Therapeutic Listening. I've heard it called different names - she listens to special music for 30 minutes, twice a day. The music is specifically engineered to stimulate her auditory processing and vestibular system, both of which influence her body awareness, balance, environmental awareness, focus & attention, and much more.
We've been doing the process for 4 wks now. When we first started, the therapist mentioned that some children saw an increase in emotional tone (e.g. more crying), but that was usually for kids who were mostly "flat" emotionally. Since I didn't consider Demi "flat", I assumed she would not be in that category. Boy, was I wrong! She definitely did have an "increase in emotional tone" - a euphemism for meltdowns to drive a family insane. She would meltdown in a split second over the most minor issues. In the presence of a meltdown, it's often difficult to think straight - you just yearn for silence. In retrospect, I believe most of them had to do with extreme and immediate frustration in communication.
My husband was ready to toss the (very expensive) headphones out the window. After talking to the therapist at the 4wk point, I convinced him that we should continue on the program, at least for another 4 wks. The therapist said the crying normally subsided within two months. She also recommended moving to certain CD's which focus on language development, hopefully to mitigate the language frustration I believe she was having.
Strangely enough, she's only had one uncontrolled meltdown this week, as opposed to about five last week.
Since the listening therapy started, I've noticed clearer speech and improved eye contact. According to the therapist, we'll need to continue the therapy for a long time in order for the gains to "stick." If the meltdowns stop, I can deal with the rest of the program.
Little to do with cellular zeolite, but I still believe the Natural Cellular Defense, along with nutrition (fish oil, Juice Plus+), is the foundation on which the therapy and other interventions succeed.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Healing Powers
A couple of updates:
We went for a family bike ride yesterday and I took a spill. Not terribly serious, but painful nonetheless. I was going too fast, making a turn, and hitting a bump, all at the same time. I took the brunt of the impact in my hand/wrist/arm, then fell onto my elbow/forearm, and slid the rest of the way on my hip, across pavement. Although I had a good scrape on the heel of my hand, most of the pain was at the base of my thumb, just beside the scrape. It started going numb, swelling, and discoloring slightly. Once I got home, I put it in ice water, as much as I could stand for quite a while. My hand had no strength and I could barely move my thumb. From the way it felt and looked when I went to sleep, I expected to find a very swollen hand when I woke up.
Not so! This morning, it's basically fine. There's no swelling, only minor pain when I move it around, and no discoloration. I have a large spot on my hip (6" across) which should be bruised substantially, but there's only minor swelling and bruising there, from what I can see under the abrasions. I'm pretty surprised it's not worse than it is. I believe the NCD is helping my body heal faster. Granted, this is not a serious injury, but I really expected to be in quite a bit of pain today and I'm NOT!
About my aunt: She had surgery yesterday to remove her tumor. She's been on NCD for 4 weeks. The tumor was still there, so the surgeon removed it, although there were some difficulties with the removal. But some other points bear making: One of the reasons the surgeon removed the tumor was because my aunt was doing very well on the table. Her body, although 74 yrs old and suffering from various ailments (including heart problems), was withstanding the surgical invasion very well. Based on that strength, he continued with the operation. A second remarkable point was that they removed her ventilator immediately after surgery. And that's after having a difficult lung surgery!
I'm wondering if taking NCD for the last 4 weeks has somehow strengthened her body and immune system so she can better handle this surgical trauma. My stepmother's quickly healing toe comes to mind as well. What might NCD be healing that we never even know about??
We went for a family bike ride yesterday and I took a spill. Not terribly serious, but painful nonetheless. I was going too fast, making a turn, and hitting a bump, all at the same time. I took the brunt of the impact in my hand/wrist/arm, then fell onto my elbow/forearm, and slid the rest of the way on my hip, across pavement. Although I had a good scrape on the heel of my hand, most of the pain was at the base of my thumb, just beside the scrape. It started going numb, swelling, and discoloring slightly. Once I got home, I put it in ice water, as much as I could stand for quite a while. My hand had no strength and I could barely move my thumb. From the way it felt and looked when I went to sleep, I expected to find a very swollen hand when I woke up.
Not so! This morning, it's basically fine. There's no swelling, only minor pain when I move it around, and no discoloration. I have a large spot on my hip (6" across) which should be bruised substantially, but there's only minor swelling and bruising there, from what I can see under the abrasions. I'm pretty surprised it's not worse than it is. I believe the NCD is helping my body heal faster. Granted, this is not a serious injury, but I really expected to be in quite a bit of pain today and I'm NOT!
About my aunt: She had surgery yesterday to remove her tumor. She's been on NCD for 4 weeks. The tumor was still there, so the surgeon removed it, although there were some difficulties with the removal. But some other points bear making: One of the reasons the surgeon removed the tumor was because my aunt was doing very well on the table. Her body, although 74 yrs old and suffering from various ailments (including heart problems), was withstanding the surgical invasion very well. Based on that strength, he continued with the operation. A second remarkable point was that they removed her ventilator immediately after surgery. And that's after having a difficult lung surgery!
I'm wondering if taking NCD for the last 4 weeks has somehow strengthened her body and immune system so she can better handle this surgical trauma. My stepmother's quickly healing toe comes to mind as well. What might NCD be healing that we never even know about??
Monday, August 21, 2006
Demi's First Day Back At School
Demi just got back from her first day back at school. I wanted to share the teacher's note she brought home:
"Great first day! We traced shapes and she did great. She stayed near the line and I didn't have to hold her hand or arm at all! She drew a person with verbal prompts only (except for body) and it looked great! You guys worked hard this summer. Did well pointing to capital letters, got 12/26 consistently right."
"Great first day! We traced shapes and she did great. She stayed near the line and I didn't have to hold her hand or arm at all! She drew a person with verbal prompts only (except for body) and it looked great! You guys worked hard this summer. Did well pointing to capital letters, got 12/26 consistently right."
She has struggled with all of those things for a long time. Yes, we worked on things over the summer, but not significantly more than we have in the past when she didn't get them. Perhaps this is just one long learning spree, but it's been going on for a few months now. At this rate, we'll have to completely rewrite her IEP in a few months. I really believe it's the combination of detox (NCD), EPA/DHA (fish oil), and antioxidants (JuicePlus+) which enable her to absorb the information and therapy that she's getting. It all works in combination.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
NCD Digging Up Buried Junk?
I've been reading lots of stuff on AutismNCD about NCD bringing out rashes or kids suddenly getting sick when they haven't been sick in a very long time. Parents attribute it to NCD pulling out viruses which have been suppressed (and causing problems) for years. They see it as a good thing.
An interesting thing with my aunt that I just learned last night: After being on NCD for almost two weeks, she had a very bad case of gout. She had previously dealt with gout, but it had been under such good control that she stopped taking her regular medication. Coincidence, or was NCD pulling it out to get rid of it for good?
An interesting thing with my aunt that I just learned last night: After being on NCD for almost two weeks, she had a very bad case of gout. She had previously dealt with gout, but it had been under such good control that she stopped taking her regular medication. Coincidence, or was NCD pulling it out to get rid of it for good?
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Multiple Updates
Way overdue for an update, across multiple subjects.
Developmental Delays: Demi has been a mixed bag lately. Still showing mild improvements, but also a few negatives. Eye contact is one of those things that we've been working on. Just a few days ago, I wanted her to go out to the garage to get something for me. She was very anxious to get it, but I wanted to make sure she understood where to find it. I took her hand and said, "Demi, listen to me." She turned her head and looked directly at me with such intensity that I was taken aback (she has such bright blue eyes!). No eye contact problem there! She still averts her eyes with people she's less familiar with, but overall, that problem is improving.
Some of the negatives I'm seeing I believe are side effects from detoxing and/or moving metals. I've learned from the Autism NCD group that metals can kick up yeast (symptoms: giggling, euphoria, redness in certain areas) and/or ammonia (symptom: increased stimming). So now I'm going to try to address those issues.
Lung [Serious Health Issue]: My aunt had her PET scan last Monday as promised, but she still doesn't know whether or not the size of the tumor changed after being on NCD for a week. She learned that the residual pneumonia in one lung cleared up and that there was no sign of [serious health issue] anywhere else nearby (they had previously scanned her entire body and didn't find any). The tumor was still there, but no report on the size. Hopefully she'll find out when she talks to the doctor this Thursday.
Menstrual Cramps: I'd reported before that my mentstrual cramps entirely disappeared after being on NCD for about 3 months. Two months ago, I had mild cramping for about 1/2 day, but I didn't take anything for it. Most recently, I had no cramping but had substantial back pain - kind of unusual for me. It lasted about a day and I did take some ibuprofen, since I also had hip pain from running (I believe that was caused by old shoes!). All better after one day. No sure exactly what this means.
Multiple Sclerosis: Here' s a new one. A friend of mine with MS just started taking NCD last week. I'll find out Friday if the single bottle she got has made any difference at all. Rik Deitsch from Waiora reports "nothing but this side of miraculous results with Natural Cellular Defense and that population." Hopefully that's the case for my friend.
Developmental Delays: Demi has been a mixed bag lately. Still showing mild improvements, but also a few negatives. Eye contact is one of those things that we've been working on. Just a few days ago, I wanted her to go out to the garage to get something for me. She was very anxious to get it, but I wanted to make sure she understood where to find it. I took her hand and said, "Demi, listen to me." She turned her head and looked directly at me with such intensity that I was taken aback (she has such bright blue eyes!). No eye contact problem there! She still averts her eyes with people she's less familiar with, but overall, that problem is improving.
Some of the negatives I'm seeing I believe are side effects from detoxing and/or moving metals. I've learned from the Autism NCD group that metals can kick up yeast (symptoms: giggling, euphoria, redness in certain areas) and/or ammonia (symptom: increased stimming). So now I'm going to try to address those issues.
Lung [Serious Health Issue]: My aunt had her PET scan last Monday as promised, but she still doesn't know whether or not the size of the tumor changed after being on NCD for a week. She learned that the residual pneumonia in one lung cleared up and that there was no sign of [serious health issue] anywhere else nearby (they had previously scanned her entire body and didn't find any). The tumor was still there, but no report on the size. Hopefully she'll find out when she talks to the doctor this Thursday.
Menstrual Cramps: I'd reported before that my mentstrual cramps entirely disappeared after being on NCD for about 3 months. Two months ago, I had mild cramping for about 1/2 day, but I didn't take anything for it. Most recently, I had no cramping but had substantial back pain - kind of unusual for me. It lasted about a day and I did take some ibuprofen, since I also had hip pain from running (I believe that was caused by old shoes!). All better after one day. No sure exactly what this means.
Multiple Sclerosis: Here' s a new one. A friend of mine with MS just started taking NCD last week. I'll find out Friday if the single bottle she got has made any difference at all. Rik Deitsch from Waiora reports "nothing but this side of miraculous results with Natural Cellular Defense and that population." Hopefully that's the case for my friend.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Demi Did Well in Summer School
I almost forgot to mention Demi's good report from Summer School last week. Last Thursday was Demi's last day of Summer School. Actually, instead of regular summer school, she was getting two hours, twice weekly, of speech and OT work in a very small group.
She had a total of 6 goals going into the summer: 3 speech and 3 OT, 4 of which are specific skills that she's been working on for a very long time (1 yr+) and 2 of which are "continuing goals" (improving articulation). She accomplished the 4 goals that she'd been working on for so long and has made progress on the other 2. Yea for Demi!
Some of the goals were pretty basic - cut on a line and trace shapes independently. I think increased focus has helped her attend to these tasks better to actually show that she can do them. A few months ago, she just didn't stay interested in the task long enough to complete it; now she's better at working toward completion.
I think the increased focus contributed to her success on her receptive speech test as well. Most, if not all, of that increased focus has come in the last five months since she's been on NCD.
She had a total of 6 goals going into the summer: 3 speech and 3 OT, 4 of which are specific skills that she's been working on for a very long time (1 yr+) and 2 of which are "continuing goals" (improving articulation). She accomplished the 4 goals that she'd been working on for so long and has made progress on the other 2. Yea for Demi!
Some of the goals were pretty basic - cut on a line and trace shapes independently. I think increased focus has helped her attend to these tasks better to actually show that she can do them. A few months ago, she just didn't stay interested in the task long enough to complete it; now she's better at working toward completion.
I think the increased focus contributed to her success on her receptive speech test as well. Most, if not all, of that increased focus has come in the last five months since she's been on NCD.
Trying NCD on Serious Health Issue
Last Thursday, I found out that my aunt has just been diagnosed with lung [serious health issue]. While checking for issues related to pneumonia, they unexpectedly discovered a golf-ball-sized tumor in one of her lungs. The other lung seemed to have residual pneumonia infection.
Once I found out, I immediately packaged up two bottles of NCD to send to her. We estimated she'd have about two weeks before her next scan to determine the conventional course of action. I told her to take 15 drops, 4x/day. I also sent 5 pages of [serious health issue] testimonials for her to read.
She received the package this past Monday and expressed concern that the NCD might make the residual pneumonia symptoms worse and that she might not be able to drink as much water as she needed (because she was already on diuretics for a heart condition and was only able to drink a certain amount of water). I explained that the NCD might help clear up the pneumonia and that if symptoms got worse, she could always lighten up her NCD dose. She started taking it that day.
I talked to her again today (Thursday). She's feeling fine. She believes her pneumonia is totally cleared up (she was on antibiotics for that). Although she retained a bit too much water yesterday, it was normalized today and she feels fine, just a bit tired.
She has noticed a slight pain in her back right where the tumor is. She's wondering if she may have pulled something while doing laundry yesterday (the first activity she's done since returning from the hospital) or if it could be something to do with the tumor. She thought perhaps it was the NCD eating away at the tumor. I told her to keep up those positive thoughts that it was the NCD eating away at the tumor. (Positive thoughts are always good, as are prayers!)
Although we thought she'd have at least two weeks on NCD before another scan, she'll actually have less than a week. She's having another PET scan on Monday, so I'm hoping that's enough time to make a difference. I've read at least one testimonial that said a ping-pong ball tumor shrank to a marble in two weeks, but what about just one week? We'll all have the answer soon.
Once I found out, I immediately packaged up two bottles of NCD to send to her. We estimated she'd have about two weeks before her next scan to determine the conventional course of action. I told her to take 15 drops, 4x/day. I also sent 5 pages of [serious health issue] testimonials for her to read.
She received the package this past Monday and expressed concern that the NCD might make the residual pneumonia symptoms worse and that she might not be able to drink as much water as she needed (because she was already on diuretics for a heart condition and was only able to drink a certain amount of water). I explained that the NCD might help clear up the pneumonia and that if symptoms got worse, she could always lighten up her NCD dose. She started taking it that day.
I talked to her again today (Thursday). She's feeling fine. She believes her pneumonia is totally cleared up (she was on antibiotics for that). Although she retained a bit too much water yesterday, it was normalized today and she feels fine, just a bit tired.
She has noticed a slight pain in her back right where the tumor is. She's wondering if she may have pulled something while doing laundry yesterday (the first activity she's done since returning from the hospital) or if it could be something to do with the tumor. She thought perhaps it was the NCD eating away at the tumor. I told her to keep up those positive thoughts that it was the NCD eating away at the tumor. (Positive thoughts are always good, as are prayers!)
Although we thought she'd have at least two weeks on NCD before another scan, she'll actually have less than a week. She's having another PET scan on Monday, so I'm hoping that's enough time to make a difference. I've read at least one testimonial that said a ping-pong ball tumor shrank to a marble in two weeks, but what about just one week? We'll all have the answer soon.
More From Demi Every Day
Another quick update on Demi:
Recently, I took Demi and Dana up to Virginia to stay with their grandparents for a week. We all went to the grocery store to get a few things. Once there, we split up - my father (Pappy) said he would go get the hamburgers, hotdogs, and buns. My stepmother (Grammy) would get other stuff. The girls and I tagged along with Grammy, since she hasn't yet recovered completely from a recent foot surgery.
A few minutes later, while we were picking out various vegetables, Dana asked, "Where's Pappy?"
Demi immediately answered, "He went to get hamburger." She knew exactly what was going on. A few months ago, I wouldn't have expected her to reply at all, let alone know where he was.
I just talked to Grammy today and she reports Demi talking much more than she's ever seen her.
Recently, I took Demi and Dana up to Virginia to stay with their grandparents for a week. We all went to the grocery store to get a few things. Once there, we split up - my father (Pappy) said he would go get the hamburgers, hotdogs, and buns. My stepmother (Grammy) would get other stuff. The girls and I tagged along with Grammy, since she hasn't yet recovered completely from a recent foot surgery.
A few minutes later, while we were picking out various vegetables, Dana asked, "Where's Pappy?"
Demi immediately answered, "He went to get hamburger." She knew exactly what was going on. A few months ago, I wouldn't have expected her to reply at all, let alone know where he was.
I just talked to Grammy today and she reports Demi talking much more than she's ever seen her.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Gains Continuing
A quick update on Demi. Her memory seems to be increasing.
When reading a story at bedtime this evening, one we'd read many times before, I paused at certain points and asked questions. Demi answered almost all of the questions, while Dana (younger by 16 months, but fairly advanced for her age) got only the easiest of them. I was very surprised by what Demi recalled and how appropriately she responded. Often, she responded with the right answer in her own words, not from memorizing the words of the story. Sometimes she regurgitated a long sentence from the story. Either way, I know she's retaining, which means learning!
When reading a story at bedtime this evening, one we'd read many times before, I paused at certain points and asked questions. Demi answered almost all of the questions, while Dana (younger by 16 months, but fairly advanced for her age) got only the easiest of them. I was very surprised by what Demi recalled and how appropriately she responded. Often, she responded with the right answer in her own words, not from memorizing the words of the story. Sometimes she regurgitated a long sentence from the story. Either way, I know she's retaining, which means learning!
Friday, July 07, 2006
18 month Jump in Receptive Language!
Demi just had her annual speech evaluation yesterday. Her scores showed an 18 month improvement in receptive language! At least half of that improvement has been in the last 4 months since she started NCD. Her expressive score improved by 12 months in a year, so at least there's no gap-widening. She still has major articulation issues.
I also have to mention the new study that's being conducted on NCD and Autism. They are doing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study to determine whether or not NCD helps kids with autism.
There's a Yahoo discussion group - AutismNCD - where mothers discuss the ins and outs of giving NCD to your child, watching for minor negative reactions, and adjusting the dosage specifically for your child. The gradual dosing protocol allows parents to maximize gains while eliminating regression which might be seen with other treatments.
If you're thinking about trying NCD for your child or just want to know more about how it's affecting children, just join the group and read what other parents are saying. It's free and very educational.
I also have to mention the new study that's being conducted on NCD and Autism. They are doing a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study to determine whether or not NCD helps kids with autism.
There's a Yahoo discussion group - AutismNCD - where mothers discuss the ins and outs of giving NCD to your child, watching for minor negative reactions, and adjusting the dosage specifically for your child. The gradual dosing protocol allows parents to maximize gains while eliminating regression which might be seen with other treatments.
If you're thinking about trying NCD for your child or just want to know more about how it's affecting children, just join the group and read what other parents are saying. It's free and very educational.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Menstrual Cramps no Fluke; Acne Clearing Up
About a month ago, I reported the pleasant absence of menstrual cramps for the month. I wasn't sure if it was due to cellular zeolite, Juice Plus+, or a fluke.
This month confirmed that it was no fluke.
Not a single cramp this month either. This stuff is pretty cool!
Although the acne on my back cleared up over a month ago, the acne on my face proved more persistant. However, even that is getting less and less. In this time period, I've also stopped drinking diet pop [soda, for any diehard southerners] because of the many toxins in it. So, I can't say for sure if the acne clearing up is due to getting rid of the toxins (cellular zeolite), adding more antioxidants (Juice Plus+), or not putting the specific diet pop toxins in my body. I can't say that I really care, since all of them are good for me.
This month confirmed that it was no fluke.
Not a single cramp this month either. This stuff is pretty cool!
Although the acne on my back cleared up over a month ago, the acne on my face proved more persistant. However, even that is getting less and less. In this time period, I've also stopped drinking diet pop [soda, for any diehard southerners] because of the many toxins in it. So, I can't say for sure if the acne clearing up is due to getting rid of the toxins (cellular zeolite), adding more antioxidants (Juice Plus+), or not putting the specific diet pop toxins in my body. I can't say that I really care, since all of them are good for me.
Eating More; Clicking a Mouse
Typically, Demi has a strong aversion to fruit. She'll eat a sliced green pepper in a heartbeat; but she'll have a conniption if confronted by an apple slice or an orange wedge.
Dana (3yo) has taken to eating a small cup of pineapple wedges as a snack. I've offered them to Demi many times. "No, tank oo," she replies.
Today, she surprised me by stealing the pineapple wedges away from her sister. I made them share and she readily took as many as I gave her. After that, I asked her if she still wanted a banana like she had last night (again, unheard of). "Yeah," she says.
"Well, OK!" I think. Two bonus foods in one day! :)
After the pineapples and banana, Dana wanted to play a Dora game on the computer. Neither Dana nor Demi has shown great skill at maneuvering a mouse enough to play a game. But we tried again, with me planning to hand-over-hand the mouse movements to gradually show them how it's done.
Early on, Dana actually got the hang of moving the mouse to where she wanted, but she had difficulty clicking. Then Demi wanted to try. Demi couldn't move the mouse correctly to save her life, but she could readily click it correctly.
So, as we played the game, we came across Dora's Buggabugga Baby friends and the girls wanted to play that over and over again, particularly Demi. Not wanting to impede this unusual desire to do something with her hands, I readily helped Demi play the game over and over again. She never wanted to try moving the mouse, but she got pretty good at clicking at the right time to get the Buggabugga babies back in their carriage. This was a first for persistence!
Demi also seems to be more social, as well as socially aware. Rather than spending so much time in her own world, where she doesn't care what other people are doing, she's aware of where other people are and what they're doing, usually wanting to go and join them. Daddy was in the garage working out this morning; Demi readily wanted to go with Dana to see what Daddy was doing.
While she was out there, she started riding her bike! Bonus! Demi has been doing pretty well on her trike for a while, so we got her a small bike (with training wheels, of course), which she refused to ride ... until we got rid of her trike. Now she'll ride her bike, although she still needs a lot of practice. Dana is well ahead of Demi in the bike-riding department, but hopefully not for too long!
Demi is now on 3 drops, 3x/day, Natural Cellular Defense (cellular zeolite), fish oil (10-15ml, 2x/day), and Juice Plus+. She's had no therapy for the last two weeks, but we'll back at it full blast this week, probably adding some new stuff to the mix to help stimulate her blossoming brain. I'm looking forward to good progress!
Dana (3yo) has taken to eating a small cup of pineapple wedges as a snack. I've offered them to Demi many times. "No, tank oo," she replies.
Today, she surprised me by stealing the pineapple wedges away from her sister. I made them share and she readily took as many as I gave her. After that, I asked her if she still wanted a banana like she had last night (again, unheard of). "Yeah," she says.
"Well, OK!" I think. Two bonus foods in one day! :)
After the pineapples and banana, Dana wanted to play a Dora game on the computer. Neither Dana nor Demi has shown great skill at maneuvering a mouse enough to play a game. But we tried again, with me planning to hand-over-hand the mouse movements to gradually show them how it's done.
Early on, Dana actually got the hang of moving the mouse to where she wanted, but she had difficulty clicking. Then Demi wanted to try. Demi couldn't move the mouse correctly to save her life, but she could readily click it correctly.
So, as we played the game, we came across Dora's Buggabugga Baby friends and the girls wanted to play that over and over again, particularly Demi. Not wanting to impede this unusual desire to do something with her hands, I readily helped Demi play the game over and over again. She never wanted to try moving the mouse, but she got pretty good at clicking at the right time to get the Buggabugga babies back in their carriage. This was a first for persistence!
Demi also seems to be more social, as well as socially aware. Rather than spending so much time in her own world, where she doesn't care what other people are doing, she's aware of where other people are and what they're doing, usually wanting to go and join them. Daddy was in the garage working out this morning; Demi readily wanted to go with Dana to see what Daddy was doing.
While she was out there, she started riding her bike! Bonus! Demi has been doing pretty well on her trike for a while, so we got her a small bike (with training wheels, of course), which she refused to ride ... until we got rid of her trike. Now she'll ride her bike, although she still needs a lot of practice. Dana is well ahead of Demi in the bike-riding department, but hopefully not for too long!
Demi is now on 3 drops, 3x/day, Natural Cellular Defense (cellular zeolite), fish oil (10-15ml, 2x/day), and Juice Plus+. She's had no therapy for the last two weeks, but we'll back at it full blast this week, probably adding some new stuff to the mix to help stimulate her blossoming brain. I'm looking forward to good progress!
Saturday, June 10, 2006
More Language Developments
Demi has surprised me again with her new abilities.
The other night we were reading "Mouse and a Cookie" (aka When You Give a Mouse a Cookie). The story line follows a trail of events, each one leading to the next. I was asking questions along those lines.
The story goes, "When you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, ..."
I asked, "What is he going to want?"
Dana, looking at the pictures on the page, replied something about a box of cookies. Demi, taking it in quietly, said, "A shtaw" [straw].
"What was that, Demi?" I asked?
"A shtaw."
"That's right!"
Obviously, since Demi is 16 months older than Dana, she should be more advanced, but lately that hasn't been the case. Whenever Demi gets something that Dana doesn't, I consider it a great advance. :)
I truly believe the liquid cellular zeolite cleans out her system, allowing her to better absorb and assimilate the EFA's from the fish oil as well as the antioxidants and general nutrients from the Juice Plus+.
We're planning to start some new therapies this summer, too, just to see what else may help fuel her development further. Sometimes it's hard to tell exactly which supplement or therapy makes a real difference in development. In this case, I think it's all of them contributing. I believe the therapies will be more effective because her system is more prepared to benefit from them.
The other night we were reading "Mouse and a Cookie" (aka When You Give a Mouse a Cookie). The story line follows a trail of events, each one leading to the next. I was asking questions along those lines.
The story goes, "When you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, ..."
I asked, "What is he going to want?"
Dana, looking at the pictures on the page, replied something about a box of cookies. Demi, taking it in quietly, said, "A shtaw" [straw].
"What was that, Demi?" I asked?
"A shtaw."
"That's right!"
Obviously, since Demi is 16 months older than Dana, she should be more advanced, but lately that hasn't been the case. Whenever Demi gets something that Dana doesn't, I consider it a great advance. :)
I truly believe the liquid cellular zeolite cleans out her system, allowing her to better absorb and assimilate the EFA's from the fish oil as well as the antioxidants and general nutrients from the Juice Plus+.
We're planning to start some new therapies this summer, too, just to see what else may help fuel her development further. Sometimes it's hard to tell exactly which supplement or therapy makes a real difference in development. In this case, I think it's all of them contributing. I believe the therapies will be more effective because her system is more prepared to benefit from them.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Speech Therapist Says "Significant" Improvements
Back to speech again yesterday. Demi's therapist was again impressed that she was "on." She was also impressed that Demi was initiating portions of the conversation or was making pertinent comments about the pictures they were looking at. Typically, Demi was doing well to repeat a 3-4 word sentence. This time, the therapist was giving her the sentence to say. Demi would clearly (in most cases) repeat the sentence, plus she would add something on to it.
Almost at the end of the session, the therapist turned to me and said that she clearly saw a significant improvement in Demi's speech over the last month. And it's been almost a month since she commented about the language holes filling up. She commented that it could very well be due to the liquid zeolite detox drops, since that was the only thing that has changed.
Since Demi's mind seems to be opening up, we're going to develop a summer program for her. Unfortunately, we'll only have one more official session with this therapist. She will be leaving the area to pursue her PhD in speech. Before she leaves, however, she'll make sure we have a plan for Demi's continued development. Demi will also receive summer services from the school system, but I don't know the details yet.
Almost at the end of the session, the therapist turned to me and said that she clearly saw a significant improvement in Demi's speech over the last month. And it's been almost a month since she commented about the language holes filling up. She commented that it could very well be due to the liquid zeolite detox drops, since that was the only thing that has changed.
Since Demi's mind seems to be opening up, we're going to develop a summer program for her. Unfortunately, we'll only have one more official session with this therapist. She will be leaving the area to pursue her PhD in speech. Before she leaves, however, she'll make sure we have a plan for Demi's continued development. Demi will also receive summer services from the school system, but I don't know the details yet.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Back Acne Gone; No Menstrual Cramps?
At the risk of getting a bit too personal, I have two new developments to report:
1) The annoying pimples on my back are completely gone. But my face still has issues. I've been much better lately about washing my face and using good products (a Mary Kay cleanser and Waiora Regrnerating Serum). Maybe it gets worse before it gets better? I hope so!
2) Strangely, I had no menstrual cramps at all this cycle. Typically, I have moderate cramping, easily (but necessarily!) controlled by popping a couple of ibuprofens. This time, despite heavier than usual flow, I had no cramps at all. I don't know if that's a side effect from NCD (bonus!) or Juice Plus or just a fluke.
1) The annoying pimples on my back are completely gone. But my face still has issues. I've been much better lately about washing my face and using good products (a Mary Kay cleanser and Waiora Regrnerating Serum). Maybe it gets worse before it gets better? I hope so!
2) Strangely, I had no menstrual cramps at all this cycle. Typically, I have moderate cramping, easily (but necessarily!) controlled by popping a couple of ibuprofens. This time, despite heavier than usual flow, I had no cramps at all. I don't know if that's a side effect from NCD (bonus!) or Juice Plus or just a fluke.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Cognition improving with Cellular Zeolite
Another speech therapy session yesterday. Another improvement! Yea for Demi!
For articulation, the speech therapist will typically go through some picture cards, have Demi identify the picture, and then have her repeat a sentence about the picture. This time, for the first time, the therapist had Demi identify the picture and then make up a sentence about the picture all by herself. She did it! She made up a simple sentence and said it so we could understand it 12 out of 15 times.
Typically, when introduced to a new concept or exercise, Demi would take at least a few times to "get it", sometimes QUITE a few times. I was amazed to hear her coming up with creative sentences on her own.
At home, of course, she makes up sentences to communicate, but that's typically out of necessity or an oft-repeated pretend scenario. At therapy, she was saying things I've never heard her say: "I play with marbles at home." (She was making up a sentence for the word 'marbles'.)
I'm so happy to see her progress accelerating!
For articulation, the speech therapist will typically go through some picture cards, have Demi identify the picture, and then have her repeat a sentence about the picture. This time, for the first time, the therapist had Demi identify the picture and then make up a sentence about the picture all by herself. She did it! She made up a simple sentence and said it so we could understand it 12 out of 15 times.
Typically, when introduced to a new concept or exercise, Demi would take at least a few times to "get it", sometimes QUITE a few times. I was amazed to hear her coming up with creative sentences on her own.
At home, of course, she makes up sentences to communicate, but that's typically out of necessity or an oft-repeated pretend scenario. At therapy, she was saying things I've never heard her say: "I play with marbles at home." (She was making up a sentence for the word 'marbles'.)
I'm so happy to see her progress accelerating!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Language Continuing to Develop
Another Speech session yesterday for Demi. Her speech therapist regularly uses her typically developing kids in her therapy as models and play partners. So yesterday, Demi played with Evie (almost 4yo). And she actually played! (most of the time) The therapist was looking specifically for verbal/non-verbal initiation of conversation and responses. Demi stayed on one particular topic for at least 10 exchanges, asking questions, answering, making corrections.
After that first "exercise" she didn't do quite as well, but I believe that may have been because the games were not as familiar to her. I know she's still delayed and has a long way to go, but I believe the pace of progress has increased.
After that first "exercise" she didn't do quite as well, but I believe that may have been because the games were not as familiar to her. I know she's still delayed and has a long way to go, but I believe the pace of progress has increased.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Fought Off A Cold
I can't really tell if it's a cold or allergies, but whatever it was didn't last long.
It had all the classic (for me) symptoms of a cold - sore throat for a couple of days followed by congestion for a couple. But the symptoms were very mild and passed quickly. I typically do not have allergies, although I was diagnosed with them once. (I don't understand how I could have them one time and not any other...)
In any case, I'm quite happy that it's gone now. :D
It had all the classic (for me) symptoms of a cold - sore throat for a couple of days followed by congestion for a couple. But the symptoms were very mild and passed quickly. I typically do not have allergies, although I was diagnosed with them once. (I don't understand how I could have them one time and not any other...)
In any case, I'm quite happy that it's gone now. :D
Friday, April 28, 2006
Language Holes Filling In
I was so encouraged by Demi's speech session this past week. Her therapist was talking to her for a while, just practicing different things in the course of conversation as she always does.
After that conversation, she was raving over Demi's "conversation repair" which is the part of speech development where you correct your conversation partner if they get something wrong or don't understand what you're saying. Demi did it several times over the course of the session.
Her therapist was so happy to see it because it's a higher level language skill which shows more awareness of the conversation and the partner than she had seen before. She said that just a month ago, she had seen lots of holes in Demi's speech and language development, but now the holes seem to be filling in!
I mentioned the NCD and she thought it really might be working. She did not know that Demi had been taking anything before she mentioned the great improvement.
Currently, Demi is taking NCD to get rid of toxins as well as fish oil and Juice Plus to fill her body with good nutrients.
I'm so happy to see such great improvement in her!
After that conversation, she was raving over Demi's "conversation repair" which is the part of speech development where you correct your conversation partner if they get something wrong or don't understand what you're saying. Demi did it several times over the course of the session.
Her therapist was so happy to see it because it's a higher level language skill which shows more awareness of the conversation and the partner than she had seen before. She said that just a month ago, she had seen lots of holes in Demi's speech and language development, but now the holes seem to be filling in!
I mentioned the NCD and she thought it really might be working. She did not know that Demi had been taking anything before she mentioned the great improvement.
Currently, Demi is taking NCD to get rid of toxins as well as fish oil and Juice Plus to fill her body with good nutrients.
I'm so happy to see such great improvement in her!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
General Improvements
A quick update on Demi. I've noticed a few general improvements with her over the last couple of days that encourage me.
1) The other night at story time, she responded much more quickly than usual to "Where's the xxx?" questions. Before, she could answer the questions, but she was rather slow in responding. This time, she jumped right in there, even beating her sister to the punch.
2) Demi has always had low tone, which means that her limbs are typically "noodly." Whenever doing patty-cake, or some similar game, she posed no resistance at all. The other night, I was very surprised with the amount of resistance in her arms. She very much wanted to play the game and her arms actually had some substance to them!
3) Her imaginary play has expanded to include her sister. She has generally had good imaginary play, but she's usually in her own world. She would have an entire array of characters, but she played all the parts. Just yesterday and today, I noticed her participating significantly in imaginary play with her sister. Instead of just taking direction, which was typical just a month or so ago, she actively played her part. "Desiree hit me!" she'd cry. "Desiree, go to time out!" replied the teacher, played by sister Dana. And so on.
4) She's also stays alert for longer periods. She generally would not take a nap, so she'd go right to sleep as soon as we put her to bed at her normal bed time. She couldn't even stay awake for a story. Lately, she wants to participate in story time, even if it's later than her usual bed time. She's not lethargic and dying to sleep like before.
I believe these changes are positive results from Natural Cellular Defense, along with EFA's from fish oil for her neurological development. As I mentioned earlier in this blog, we tried the fish oil a while ago, but saw no noticeable difference after 8 months or so.
She still has major delays, but I'm very hopeful that her improvements will accelerate over time.
1) The other night at story time, she responded much more quickly than usual to "Where's the xxx?" questions. Before, she could answer the questions, but she was rather slow in responding. This time, she jumped right in there, even beating her sister to the punch.
2) Demi has always had low tone, which means that her limbs are typically "noodly." Whenever doing patty-cake, or some similar game, she posed no resistance at all. The other night, I was very surprised with the amount of resistance in her arms. She very much wanted to play the game and her arms actually had some substance to them!
3) Her imaginary play has expanded to include her sister. She has generally had good imaginary play, but she's usually in her own world. She would have an entire array of characters, but she played all the parts. Just yesterday and today, I noticed her participating significantly in imaginary play with her sister. Instead of just taking direction, which was typical just a month or so ago, she actively played her part. "Desiree hit me!" she'd cry. "Desiree, go to time out!" replied the teacher, played by sister Dana. And so on.
4) She's also stays alert for longer periods. She generally would not take a nap, so she'd go right to sleep as soon as we put her to bed at her normal bed time. She couldn't even stay awake for a story. Lately, she wants to participate in story time, even if it's later than her usual bed time. She's not lethargic and dying to sleep like before.
I believe these changes are positive results from Natural Cellular Defense, along with EFA's from fish oil for her neurological development. As I mentioned earlier in this blog, we tried the fish oil a while ago, but saw no noticeable difference after 8 months or so.
She still has major delays, but I'm very hopeful that her improvements will accelerate over time.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Speech Clarity Improving
We've been out of town visiting grandparents since Demi is on Spring Break this week. Each day during our visit, I was amazed at how much more clearly Demi was speaking. I've been so used to interpreting for her that it was wonderful to hear her ask questions and make observations, even hold conversations, without my intervention. Her grandparents understood 80-90% of her speech. That's up from 50% just two month ago!
Her speech is still severely delayed and she receives regular speech therapy, so of course we'd expect her speech to grow clearer over time. But I believe it has a lot to do with both the NCD she has been taking, as well as the fish oil we've been giving her. I tried fish oil before and it didn't seem to make a difference. I believe that because of the NCD, she's better able to absorb the EFA's and Omega-3's from the fish oil to help her neurological functioning, which should help with her delays in both speech and fine motor. I'm hoping her progress will accelerate with continued use of both products.
Her speech is still severely delayed and she receives regular speech therapy, so of course we'd expect her speech to grow clearer over time. But I believe it has a lot to do with both the NCD she has been taking, as well as the fish oil we've been giving her. I tried fish oil before and it didn't seem to make a difference. I believe that because of the NCD, she's better able to absorb the EFA's and Omega-3's from the fish oil to help her neurological functioning, which should help with her delays in both speech and fine motor. I'm hoping her progress will accelerate with continued use of both products.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
I'm sold on Natural Cellular Defense!
After trying the product for over a month, I believe it really does something. Since I'm generally healthy, it's difficult to say exactly what, although I've mentioned some of the effects in this blog over the last month.
I haven't noticed a significant change in Demi, but that change will take time. I mentioned before that she had a cough, but that never developed into anything. The girls have not been sick recently. I wonder how allergy season will go?
So, I decided to become a distributor so I can share the products with others (and have some extra money to buy more of the products myself!). I'm anxious to read the new studies that are coming out about the effect on healthy vs unhealthy populations. The preliminary results show significant results in both populations (more in the unhealthy group, of course).
If you'd like to try Natural Cellular Defense for yourself, click the "Where to get it" link or go to Zeolite Wellness for lots more information. To try just a single bottle, give me a call at 770-722-6992 and I'll send you a bottle.
The retail cost of each bottle is $50 (tax and shipping included) if ordered with a credit card over the phone. Once you decide it's a valuable product that you want every month, it makes more sense to join the company to get the wholesale rate.
I haven't noticed a significant change in Demi, but that change will take time. I mentioned before that she had a cough, but that never developed into anything. The girls have not been sick recently. I wonder how allergy season will go?
So, I decided to become a distributor so I can share the products with others (and have some extra money to buy more of the products myself!). I'm anxious to read the new studies that are coming out about the effect on healthy vs unhealthy populations. The preliminary results show significant results in both populations (more in the unhealthy group, of course).
If you'd like to try Natural Cellular Defense for yourself, click the "Where to get it" link or go to Zeolite Wellness for lots more information. To try just a single bottle, give me a call at 770-722-6992 and I'll send you a bottle.
The retail cost of each bottle is $50 (tax and shipping included) if ordered with a credit card over the phone. Once you decide it's a valuable product that you want every month, it makes more sense to join the company to get the wholesale rate.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Upping the Dose
Well, I'm past my 30 days now, so I stopped counting!
I noticed after being on the maintenance dose for a while (2+ weeks) that I wasn't feeling quite as good as before. Not that I was feeling bad, but stress was getting to me, I was feeling tired, etc. So I bumped it back up to 5 drops, 3x/day. After about 4 days, I started feeling better again. I guess I have more toxins in my body than I realized.
Just yesterday, I heard another Natural Cellular Defense user say that after 2 months (!) of 30-40 drops/day (!), he noticed a fog lift from his mind, a fog he never realized was there. Wow! To think we could be walking around in a fog, never realizing our full potential, simply because we aren't aware of how good we could feel.
Bear in mind that feeling better and sharper mental acuity are not direct results of NCD. They are the body's response to the absence of toxins which are cleared out by NCD. NCD is not magic. It simply helps us get rid of the bad things in our bodies that are weighing us down. After that, our bodies do the magic.
I noticed after being on the maintenance dose for a while (2+ weeks) that I wasn't feeling quite as good as before. Not that I was feeling bad, but stress was getting to me, I was feeling tired, etc. So I bumped it back up to 5 drops, 3x/day. After about 4 days, I started feeling better again. I guess I have more toxins in my body than I realized.
Just yesterday, I heard another Natural Cellular Defense user say that after 2 months (!) of 30-40 drops/day (!), he noticed a fog lift from his mind, a fog he never realized was there. Wow! To think we could be walking around in a fog, never realizing our full potential, simply because we aren't aware of how good we could feel.
Bear in mind that feeling better and sharper mental acuity are not direct results of NCD. They are the body's response to the absence of toxins which are cleared out by NCD. NCD is not magic. It simply helps us get rid of the bad things in our bodies that are weighing us down. After that, our bodies do the magic.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Zeolite Day 27
I'm going through another breakout now, worse than the first one. Is this another cycle of acne toxins coming out? I've been under a lot of stress lately and haven't been getting enough sleep. I suppose that could cause a breakout, but I haven't experienced that in the past under the same circumstances.
I've continued using NCD on Dana's lip and she looks fine. I'm almost afraid to stop putting it on for fear it would come back.
It's kind of strange, but I seem to be able to tell a difference when I don't take as much NCD. Sometimes I forget to take my drops and I just don't feel as good. I'm thinking about bumping back up to 5 drops. Maybe I didn't get everything out during the first 10 days? It think it helps primarily with my digestion. I've rarely felt bloated since taking NCD, although that was pretty common before.
NCD has definitely NOT helped me with weight loss, but it doesn't really profess to do that except as a potential (positive) side effect.
I've continued using NCD on Dana's lip and she looks fine. I'm almost afraid to stop putting it on for fear it would come back.
It's kind of strange, but I seem to be able to tell a difference when I don't take as much NCD. Sometimes I forget to take my drops and I just don't feel as good. I'm thinking about bumping back up to 5 drops. Maybe I didn't get everything out during the first 10 days? It think it helps primarily with my digestion. I've rarely felt bloated since taking NCD, although that was pretty common before.
NCD has definitely NOT helped me with weight loss, but it doesn't really profess to do that except as a potential (positive) side effect.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Lip Sore Part 6 (Zeolite Day 24)
Here's another picture taken yesterday. (Sorry for the poor photography!)
It's looking much better after two days, although it never got as bad as it did the first time.
What kind of sore is it? Rather strange that something would disappear and come back so soon, with the exact timing of NCD application. Could NCD be causing the cold sore? Very doubtful, since it came back when NCD stopped and started receding again once NCD application started again.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Zeolite Day 22 (Lip Sore Part 5)
Uh oh! I stopped putting NCD on Dana's sore a couple of days ago because it looked like it was completely gone (picture at left taken 3/12/06).
It came back yesterday (picture at left)!I immediately put NCD on it and it looked much better this morning than last night, but it's still quite noticeable. I'll try giving her small doses (1 drop) orally as well.
Another user of NCD mentioned that she had strange sores break out all over her face after using it for over 2 months. She believes the NCD is pushing the herpes virus out of her system. (I just recently learned that the skin is one of the "elimination" organs of the body - makes perfects sense when you think of losing electrolytes through sweat.) As soon as she started putting NCD on the sores, they cleared up substantially, much as I have seen with Dana's sore.I'll have to continue to give her low doses to keep the sore at bay.
The bottom picture was taken today before bedtime.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Zeolite Day 19
Another note about Dana - she's still complaining about a tummy ache, although I've given her no NCD for 2 days. Perhaps a mild stomach bug caused her episode Friday night instead of the NCD.
Demi woke up with a cough today, even though she's been on steady NCD. Could this be another "cleansing" mechanism of NCD or is she catching something that NCD should have caught?
I listened to my first product call last night. The top Waiora distributors facilitate a live product call every Sunday night (9:30pm; 1-435-871-6050, passcode 133655#). They talk about various products: last night they talked about NCD, Advanced Antioxidant Formula, and Superior Fiber Blend.
All of the information they presented was interesting - it was very scientific (but in layman's terms), explaining how and why each product does what it does.
One of the things I had difficulty understanding was how NCD took out only the "bad" metals and not the good. The reason is that it has a higher affinity to the heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic, whereas it has a much lower or no affinity to lighter "good" metals like sodium, calcium, phosphorus, etc.
Those heavy metals are all around us: mercury from seafood, lead from auto exhaust & industrial pollution, cadium from smoking and 2nd hand smoke, arsenic from pressure-treated wood (of which most residential decks are made). Go to http://www.epa.gov/epahome/commsearch.htm and enter your zipcode and click on EnviroMapper to see a map of the pollutants in your specific area. It's amazing how unavoidable they are.
Demi woke up with a cough today, even though she's been on steady NCD. Could this be another "cleansing" mechanism of NCD or is she catching something that NCD should have caught?
I listened to my first product call last night. The top Waiora distributors facilitate a live product call every Sunday night (9:30pm; 1-435-871-6050, passcode 133655#). They talk about various products: last night they talked about NCD, Advanced Antioxidant Formula, and Superior Fiber Blend.
All of the information they presented was interesting - it was very scientific (but in layman's terms), explaining how and why each product does what it does.
One of the things I had difficulty understanding was how NCD took out only the "bad" metals and not the good. The reason is that it has a higher affinity to the heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic, whereas it has a much lower or no affinity to lighter "good" metals like sodium, calcium, phosphorus, etc.
Those heavy metals are all around us: mercury from seafood, lead from auto exhaust & industrial pollution, cadium from smoking and 2nd hand smoke, arsenic from pressure-treated wood (of which most residential decks are made). Go to http://www.epa.gov/epahome/commsearch.htm and enter your zipcode and click on EnviroMapper to see a map of the pollutants in your specific area. It's amazing how unavoidable they are.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Zeolite Day 17 (Lip Sore Part 4)
As I mentioned, Dana complained yesterday about having an upset stomach. She ended up throwing up in her bed last night (oh, fun!). She's VERY sensitive to the NCD. In retrospect, I'm very surprised she didn't throw up when I gave her the 15 drops all at once. She's been fine all day today. I guess there's a possibility she could have been sick, but I'm 99% certain it was from the zeolite.
The very good news is that her lip sore is essentially completely gone. There's a slightly reddish shadow where it once was, but the skin is totally back to normal. I'll continue putting the NCD on it until even the reddish shadow goes away. Since it's right under her bottom lip, no one could even see it.
This picture was taken today before bed time.
The very good news is that her lip sore is essentially completely gone. There's a slightly reddish shadow where it once was, but the skin is totally back to normal. I'll continue putting the NCD on it until even the reddish shadow goes away. Since it's right under her bottom lip, no one could even see it.This picture was taken today before bed time.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Zeolite Day 16
I think I gave Dana too many drops again. I wanted to help her kick that lip sore, so I gave her 3 drops, 3x today. This evening, she was complaining that her tummy hurt. Slight nausea is apparently common initially, although I didn't intend for her to get that. I'll bump her dose down to 1 drop tomorrow. I'm sure she'll be fine in the morning.
Still no word from any of my cousins that I've mentioned it to. I mentioned it to my stepmother a few days ago. She said she might be interested in Waiora's heart products, since she's trying to get her cholesterol down. I need to follow up with my relatives so I can get some more input on this trial!
Still no word from any of my cousins that I've mentioned it to. I mentioned it to my stepmother a few days ago. She said she might be interested in Waiora's heart products, since she's trying to get her cholesterol down. I need to follow up with my relatives so I can get some more input on this trial!
Natural Cellular Defense vs Lip Sore (Part 3)
I continued to put Natural Cellular Defense (NCD) directly on Dana's sore on her lip.
I also started giving her 3 drops of NCD orally today.
I could not believe how much better it looked when she got home from school today! It's almost completely gone. The large part at the corner of her mouth is now completely gone.
A pinkish area below her bottom lip is the only portion that remains. It no longer looks like a sore at all.The top picture is today before school. The bottom picture is today before bedtime.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Zeolite Day 15
I was so happy to hear these comments today about Demi:
This from a note home from her teacher: "Did better tracing names and shapes. You must be working on it at home."
Yes, we've been working on it at home, but no more than we've been working on skills all along.
This from her bus driver/monitor: "While she was buckling her seatbelt, she said plain as day, "I'm going to get a lollipop today." If you'd ever heard Demi talk, you'd know that "plain as day" was RARELY ever used to describe her utterances, particularly a whole sentence.
Neither her teacher nor bus driver knows that I've been giving her NCD or anything else. I started giving her fish oil just three days ago. I believe that her speech is becoming much clearer, but, since I know about the NCD and I'm her mother, I don't trust myself to be objective. ;)
The real test will come next Wednesday when we see her speech therapist. It will have been 4 weeks since she saw Demi and Demi will have been on NCD for 3 weeks & fish oil for 1 week. (Normally Demi gets private speech therapy once a week, but scheduling and illnesses stretched this interval way out.) Although you would expect an improvement over 4 weeks, I'll be interested to hear her estimation of the extent of improvement. Demi's progress thusfar has been slow but fairly steady.
This from a note home from her teacher: "Did better tracing names and shapes. You must be working on it at home."
Yes, we've been working on it at home, but no more than we've been working on skills all along.
This from her bus driver/monitor: "While she was buckling her seatbelt, she said plain as day, "I'm going to get a lollipop today." If you'd ever heard Demi talk, you'd know that "plain as day" was RARELY ever used to describe her utterances, particularly a whole sentence.
Neither her teacher nor bus driver knows that I've been giving her NCD or anything else. I started giving her fish oil just three days ago. I believe that her speech is becoming much clearer, but, since I know about the NCD and I'm her mother, I don't trust myself to be objective. ;)
The real test will come next Wednesday when we see her speech therapist. It will have been 4 weeks since she saw Demi and Demi will have been on NCD for 3 weeks & fish oil for 1 week. (Normally Demi gets private speech therapy once a week, but scheduling and illnesses stretched this interval way out.) Although you would expect an improvement over 4 weeks, I'll be interested to hear her estimation of the extent of improvement. Demi's progress thusfar has been slow but fairly steady.
Natural Cellular Defense vs. Lip Sore
I have pictures this time!
3/7/06 - Here's Dana after school on March 7th. It didn't go away like I'd hoped. In fact, it looked a little worse this afternoon than it did this morning. It's still better than it was last night before I started applying NCD. You can see how it's drying up.
3/8/06 - Here she is the next morning. I doesn't look red at all and seems to be drying up.
3/9/06 - Here she is the following day - 2.5 days after starting NCD application. The bigger potion under the left corner of her mouth is much smaller now. That area is where I massaged the early treatments. It still bothers her, but it seems to be more itchy than sore now.
3/7/06 - Here's Dana after school on March 7th. It didn't go away like I'd hoped. In fact, it looked a little worse this afternoon than it did this morning. It's still better than it was last night before I started applying NCD. You can see how it's drying up.
3/8/06 - Here she is the next morning. I doesn't look red at all and seems to be drying up.
3/9/06 - Here she is the following day - 2.5 days after starting NCD application. The bigger potion under the left corner of her mouth is much smaller now. That area is where I massaged the early treatments. It still bothers her, but it seems to be more itchy than sore now.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Zeolite Day 13
I finally ran out of my first bottle of Natural Cellular Defense (NCD) yesterday, on Day 12. That's after me doing the cleansing dosage (10 drops) for 10 days, plus 3 drops for 2 days, plus Demi doing 5 drops for 7 days, then two doses of 15 drops for a day, then 3 drops for 4 days, plus Dana getting 15 drops once, plus 3 on her lip. Added all up, that's over 500 drops in one bottle!
On the normal maintenance dose of 3 drops (3x/day), a single bottle would last almost two months (56 days). That comes to $1.13/day.
Of course, since there are lots of extra uses for it (like a cold sore, a sore on your skin, a wart, etc), you might not get the full 56 days out of it. But how much does cold sore medicine cost or wort remover? And how well does it work? I guess I have to reserve judgment on that score until I see Dana's sore this afternoon. I just couldn't believe how dry and flaky it looked after just one night and two applications. I guess I need to start taking pictures! I'll take a picture this afternoon and update this post.
On the normal maintenance dose of 3 drops (3x/day), a single bottle would last almost two months (56 days). That comes to $1.13/day.
Of course, since there are lots of extra uses for it (like a cold sore, a sore on your skin, a wart, etc), you might not get the full 56 days out of it. But how much does cold sore medicine cost or wort remover? And how well does it work? I guess I have to reserve judgment on that score until I see Dana's sore this afternoon. I just couldn't believe how dry and flaky it looked after just one night and two applications. I guess I need to start taking pictures! I'll take a picture this afternoon and update this post.
Does Natural Cellular Defense help a lip sore?
A few weeks ago, my youngest daughter (almost 3) came home from daycare with a strange scrape across her bottom lip. She said she scraped it on her mat at nap time. It looked like a cold sore to me, unfortunately the bad kind (Herpes cold sore). It seemed to fade over the course of a few days, so I didn't worry about it.
Two days ago, it was back in exactly the same spot. She complained that her lip hurt. Yesterday, it was worse than the day before. Last night, I massaged three drops of Natural Cellular Defense (NCD) directly on her "scraped" lip. This morning at breakfast, I did the same thing.
By the time she went to daycare, I could tell it was noticeably better. It seemed to be drying up quickly, growing flakier by the minute. I hope it's not as sore for her as it dries up. I
This picture was taken this afternoon after she got back from day care. You can see that it's already a getting flaky since I started applying NCD last night.
Two days ago, it was back in exactly the same spot. She complained that her lip hurt. Yesterday, it was worse than the day before. Last night, I massaged three drops of Natural Cellular Defense (NCD) directly on her "scraped" lip. This morning at breakfast, I did the same thing.
By the time she went to daycare, I could tell it was noticeably better. It seemed to be drying up quickly, growing flakier by the minute. I hope it's not as sore for her as it dries up. IThis picture was taken this afternoon after she got back from day care. You can see that it's already a getting flaky since I started applying NCD last night.
Monday, March 06, 2006
Helping Fibromyalgia
Last night I talked to a woman who has suffered with fibromyalgia for over 32 years. With the help of Natural Cellular Defense (NCD), she's just about back to normal!
Although NCD is not the only weapon in her arsenal against this debilitating disease, it was the key to clearing her perpetually foggy head. After taking it for about a week (on the cleansing dosage of 10 drops, 3x/day), she said, she could finally think clearly again. Once her bottle ran out, she stopped taking it. After just 4 days, the fogginess returned. Needless to say, the got another bottle.
I addition to NCD, she takes Zyprexa for pain and Juice Plus/Wholefood Pharmacy for energy. Although her pain has been alleviated with prescription medication for the better part of 5 years, she could never shake the foggy head and fatigue that plagued her. She started Juice Plus and Wholefoods about a month ago and noticed increased energy. She started the NCD about 3 weeks ago and noticed a clear head after only a week. With the combination of prescription medicines and natural supplements, she's just about back to normal and feels great!
Although NCD is not the only weapon in her arsenal against this debilitating disease, it was the key to clearing her perpetually foggy head. After taking it for about a week (on the cleansing dosage of 10 drops, 3x/day), she said, she could finally think clearly again. Once her bottle ran out, she stopped taking it. After just 4 days, the fogginess returned. Needless to say, the got another bottle.
I addition to NCD, she takes Zyprexa for pain and Juice Plus/Wholefood Pharmacy for energy. Although her pain has been alleviated with prescription medication for the better part of 5 years, she could never shake the foggy head and fatigue that plagued her. She started Juice Plus and Wholefoods about a month ago and noticed increased energy. She started the NCD about 3 weeks ago and noticed a clear head after only a week. With the combination of prescription medicines and natural supplements, she's just about back to normal and feels great!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Spreading the Word
I told my cousin about Natural Cellular Defense (NCD) last week. He was diagnosed with renal cancer 5 or so years ago and is still with us solely by the grace of God. The doctors once gave him a year or so live (4 years ago!). He has been through numerous experimental trials, some leaving him so ill that he could barely continue treatment. The treatment he is currently on seems to be working (shrinking his tumors).
I told him about NCD as another option for him. He asked for the information, but I haven't heard back from him yet. I sensed he may be hesitant to try something else right now since he current treatment is working. He wouldn't want to interfere with whatever it's doing. Can't blame him for that. I'll definitely post again if anything changes.
I told him about NCD as another option for him. He asked for the information, but I haven't heard back from him yet. I sensed he may be hesitant to try something else right now since he current treatment is working. He wouldn't want to interfere with whatever it's doing. Can't blame him for that. I'll definitely post again if anything changes.
Zeolite Day 11
I finished my 10 days on the cleansing dosage, so now I'm down to 3 drops 3x/day as a maintenance dose. I wonder if I should stay at 10 drops until I start noticing more changes.
I noticed yesterday morning and this morning that I woke up without feeling as tired as I normally do. However, last night, I was unusually tired earlier than normal. I certainly wouldn't mind getting tired earlier so that I'd so to sleep earlier and wake up easily earlier.
I still haven't noticed any significant changes with Demi (other than potty accidents which I thought we were done with). I'm going to start giving her fish oil again. It's supposed to be good for the brain because of EFA's and Omega-3's. Perhaps the NCD has cleaned out some pathways and will allow the EFA's to penetrate her neurological system more effectively.
I noticed yesterday morning and this morning that I woke up without feeling as tired as I normally do. However, last night, I was unusually tired earlier than normal. I certainly wouldn't mind getting tired earlier so that I'd so to sleep earlier and wake up easily earlier.
I still haven't noticed any significant changes with Demi (other than potty accidents which I thought we were done with). I'm going to start giving her fish oil again. It's supposed to be good for the brain because of EFA's and Omega-3's. Perhaps the NCD has cleaned out some pathways and will allow the EFA's to penetrate her neurological system more effectively.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
The Free Radical Chain
Angie, who originally told me about NCD, put together some information about free radicals in the body. I've heard this type of thing before, but I'll include her version here since it's handy:
"You have in your body tiny pieces of metal, like mercury (from your fillings) or lead, or even iron. They are like time bombs, waiting to cause trouble. These are so tiny that you could say they are almost the size of atoms. Perhaps several atoms, but these are tiny pieces of metal which are, actually, toxic.
"They are still little appreciated by traditional medicine -- but they cause most health problems! They certainly cause heart disease and cancer!
"These pieces of metal can be so small that they can easily get embedded inside some tissue or organ of the body. This little piece of toxic metal can get stuck inside the liver, for instance, or the kidneys, or the heart, or just about anywhere. You could consider that this organ has a "sliver," or a very tiny piece of metal sticking into it.
"There is a mechanism, actually, whereby the tissue or organ tries to protect itself from this dangerous toxic metal, and can grow more tissue around the toxic metal, to cut it off from other parts of the body.
"But, there it is, still, this tiny sliver of toxic metal, stuck into your body somewhere. You could have millions of these!
"So much for mercury fillings!
"When a free radical happens to bump into one of these tiny pieces of toxic metal, instead of a simple chain-reaction of ONE new free radical being produced, there could be MILLIONS of new free radical produced from this one impact.
"The free radical from your latest meal of French Fries, is moving along inside your body, hitting various things, getting stopped, starting a new free radical moving along, and somewhere along the way this little murderous particle hits a tiny piece of toxic metal.
"We now have 1,000,000 new free radicals created in that split second. Each of them moves off in some new direction, spreading all through the body. Many of them will hit other pieces of toxic metal, causing other MILLIONS of free radicals to become newly created, each of them ready to do damage to your body.
"So, while we try to find ways to stop free radical from creating chain reactions in your body, we should be far more concerned with preventing these free radicals from ever coming into contact with toxic metals in the body. The best way I know is to remove the toxins and metals with Natural Cellular Defense!"
Angie runs Fitness SPA in Peachtree City, GA.
"You have in your body tiny pieces of metal, like mercury (from your fillings) or lead, or even iron. They are like time bombs, waiting to cause trouble. These are so tiny that you could say they are almost the size of atoms. Perhaps several atoms, but these are tiny pieces of metal which are, actually, toxic.
"They are still little appreciated by traditional medicine -- but they cause most health problems! They certainly cause heart disease and cancer!
"These pieces of metal can be so small that they can easily get embedded inside some tissue or organ of the body. This little piece of toxic metal can get stuck inside the liver, for instance, or the kidneys, or the heart, or just about anywhere. You could consider that this organ has a "sliver," or a very tiny piece of metal sticking into it.
"There is a mechanism, actually, whereby the tissue or organ tries to protect itself from this dangerous toxic metal, and can grow more tissue around the toxic metal, to cut it off from other parts of the body.
"But, there it is, still, this tiny sliver of toxic metal, stuck into your body somewhere. You could have millions of these!
"So much for mercury fillings!
"When a free radical happens to bump into one of these tiny pieces of toxic metal, instead of a simple chain-reaction of ONE new free radical being produced, there could be MILLIONS of new free radical produced from this one impact.
"The free radical from your latest meal of French Fries, is moving along inside your body, hitting various things, getting stopped, starting a new free radical moving along, and somewhere along the way this little murderous particle hits a tiny piece of toxic metal.
"We now have 1,000,000 new free radicals created in that split second. Each of them moves off in some new direction, spreading all through the body. Many of them will hit other pieces of toxic metal, causing other MILLIONS of free radicals to become newly created, each of them ready to do damage to your body.
"So, while we try to find ways to stop free radical from creating chain reactions in your body, we should be far more concerned with preventing these free radicals from ever coming into contact with toxic metals in the body. The best way I know is to remove the toxins and metals with Natural Cellular Defense!"
Angie runs Fitness SPA in Peachtree City, GA.
Interesting First-Hand Testimonials
I've talked to a few people who have been on Natural Cellular Defense (NCD) for over a month. The results within this little group are not earth-shaking, but very positive nonetheless. These are people that I've met personally.
One woman said that she took at least 4 Advils/day for terrible headaches. Once she started on NCD, the headaches stopped after a week and she hasn't had Advil since. She's been on the drops for a month now.
Another woman, the one who originally introduced me to NCD, swears that her vision has been improving. She's been on NCD for 6 weeks or so. She had just started noticing the onset of age-related far-sightedness, which is caused by decreasing elasticity in the lens of the eye. Typically, there's nothing you can do about it - even LASIK won't fix it. In addition to NCD, she eats lots of healthy food and supplements, including Juice Plus and Wholefood Pharmacy. She believes that the NCD cleaned out her system, which allowed the nutrients from her healthy diet to really start working, thereby improving her vision. Betacarotene, for example, is known to contribute to healthy eyes. Presumably, healthier eyes could mean more elastic lenses, which is probably why her vision is improving. I'm not talking about a drastic turnaround here, since her vision had just gotten to the "I need to check into glasses" stage, but it's very interesting.
Various comments from others:
One woman said that she took at least 4 Advils/day for terrible headaches. Once she started on NCD, the headaches stopped after a week and she hasn't had Advil since. She's been on the drops for a month now.
Another woman, the one who originally introduced me to NCD, swears that her vision has been improving. She's been on NCD for 6 weeks or so. She had just started noticing the onset of age-related far-sightedness, which is caused by decreasing elasticity in the lens of the eye. Typically, there's nothing you can do about it - even LASIK won't fix it. In addition to NCD, she eats lots of healthy food and supplements, including Juice Plus and Wholefood Pharmacy. She believes that the NCD cleaned out her system, which allowed the nutrients from her healthy diet to really start working, thereby improving her vision. Betacarotene, for example, is known to contribute to healthy eyes. Presumably, healthier eyes could mean more elastic lenses, which is probably why her vision is improving. I'm not talking about a drastic turnaround here, since her vision had just gotten to the "I need to check into glasses" stage, but it's very interesting.
Various comments from others:
- lost inches around their middle (perhaps from better regularity?)
- sleeping better
- waking up feeling rested instead of groggy
- requiring less sleep
As I said, these aren't earth-shattering testimonials because no one that I've met has had a major health ailment (except for one which I'll address separately). However, I think most people agree that regularity and sleep patterns can make a HUGE difference in day-to-day life, particularly if they're out of kilter.
How many normal, run-of-the-mill people believe that this ache or that ailment is simply due to aging? And how many of those aches and ailments could be alleviated with a regular dosage of NCD? And it's SO easy to take! No horse pills to swallow, no extra spoonfuls of this or that in your water, no detailed lengthy food plan to follow. Just a few drops of liquid in your favorite food or drink or directly on your tongue.
(I've found it to be slightly metallic tasting directly on my tongue, but not unbearably so. I don't taste it all in a teaspoon of water.)
Bear in mind that my jury is still out. I have definitely noticed a change in regularly, but I haven't noticed any change in my sleep patterns. I rarely have trouble sleeping, but I do tend to have trouble getting up in the morning. So perhaps that aspect will change in the near future. I'd love to be able to jump right out of bed ready to go for the day. :) I've only been on it for a little over a week so far; the others have been on it for over a month.
Zeolite Day 10
I awoke today with a bit of a headache, probably because I didn't have enough water yesterday.
The girls are totally back to normal now, except for Demi's cold and Dana's ear infection. This cold has lasted so long that I wonder if the zeolite is "pushing" the germs out. Her mucous has been thicker and darker than before starting NCD (almost like it made the cold worse).
Detoxing, however, should allow the body's natural immune system to work more efficiently, which should mean that the white blood cells fight the germs off like normal, just faster. I'm not seeing that here.
This is my last day on the cleansing dosage of 10 drops. For the record, my bottle of drops has lasted for longer than the 300 drops they say is in the bottle. Together, Demi and I have been taking 45 drops/day, which means a bottle should last for about a week. Let me count... We're well over 400 drops and it's still not empty, although we'll probably run out today as it's getting harder to squeeze. I would guess that on a "super" dose of 15 drops, 3x/day, a bottle would last at least 10 days, which would mean a 4-pack would last over a month.
The girls are totally back to normal now, except for Demi's cold and Dana's ear infection. This cold has lasted so long that I wonder if the zeolite is "pushing" the germs out. Her mucous has been thicker and darker than before starting NCD (almost like it made the cold worse).
Detoxing, however, should allow the body's natural immune system to work more efficiently, which should mean that the white blood cells fight the germs off like normal, just faster. I'm not seeing that here.
This is my last day on the cleansing dosage of 10 drops. For the record, my bottle of drops has lasted for longer than the 300 drops they say is in the bottle. Together, Demi and I have been taking 45 drops/day, which means a bottle should last for about a week. Let me count... We're well over 400 drops and it's still not empty, although we'll probably run out today as it's getting harder to squeeze. I would guess that on a "super" dose of 15 drops, 3x/day, a bottle would last at least 10 days, which would mean a 4-pack would last over a month.
Friday, March 03, 2006
Zeolite Day 9
Ok. Definitely a mistake to give Demi 15 drops yesterday. I took her back to 3 drops this morning after only 2 doses yesterday.
I don't know if it was a strange coincidence or a result of NCD, but Demi got sick and Dana said her tummy hurt last night.
According to other information I've read, a light feeling of nausea is not uncommon in the early stages of NCD, particularly on a high dosage. I think the drops I gave them yesterday were too much too fast for the girls.
This experience tells me that NCD is indeed detoxifying the body. Other people that I've talked to who are on NCD tell me that the process seems to involve the NCD pushing the impurities out of the body to finally get rid of them. For example, I've had an unusual amount of acne since I've been on NCD. Nothing major, just annoying whiteheads. My supplier mentioned that her daughter had the same problem, but they cleared up over time and now her skin is perfectly clear. I'll let you know if/when that happens.
Make sure you don't get too sick by following the label! For serious ailments in adults, 15 drops seem to work well. My children were just too small (30-35lbs) for that dosage. Even with 15 drops, adults may feel nausea.
I don't know if it was a strange coincidence or a result of NCD, but Demi got sick and Dana said her tummy hurt last night.
According to other information I've read, a light feeling of nausea is not uncommon in the early stages of NCD, particularly on a high dosage. I think the drops I gave them yesterday were too much too fast for the girls.
This experience tells me that NCD is indeed detoxifying the body. Other people that I've talked to who are on NCD tell me that the process seems to involve the NCD pushing the impurities out of the body to finally get rid of them. For example, I've had an unusual amount of acne since I've been on NCD. Nothing major, just annoying whiteheads. My supplier mentioned that her daughter had the same problem, but they cleared up over time and now her skin is perfectly clear. I'll let you know if/when that happens.
Make sure you don't get too sick by following the label! For serious ailments in adults, 15 drops seem to work well. My children were just too small (30-35lbs) for that dosage. Even with 15 drops, adults may feel nausea.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
UK Company Recognizes Value of Zeolite
I've read quite a few things on the internet trying to learn about zeolite. The problem with everything that I've read is that it was either very scientific (talking about crystalline forms and stuff) or published (in some way, shape, or form) by Waiora, the distributor of Natural Cellular Defense (NCD).
I take everything I read from Waiora with a grain of salt, considering what they have to gain from the sale of the product. Because of that, I've been looking for some independent source of information which might corroborate Waiora's claims of the benefits of zeolite as a supplement. Today, I finally found something: A UK company attempted to create a dry capsule version of zeolite because of the benefits it showed to animals. The ACNFP's (UK's FDA equivalent)response, from an official government agency, mentioned benefits of zeolite:
The document also said that the agency found absolutely nothing harmful about zeolite.
Although the government paper says nothing of the efficacy of zeolite in any form, it acknowledges the ability of zeolite to bind with heavy metals and cancer-causing agents and excrete them from the body.
A major difference between this company and Waiora is that this company was planning to make a powder-based zeolite capsule, whereas Waiora holds the U.S. patent for the liquid form of zeolite distributed as Natural Cellular Defense (NCD). Presumably, the liquid form should allow for better absorption in the body and therefore better results. We'll see on that.
I take everything I read from Waiora with a grain of salt, considering what they have to gain from the sale of the product. Because of that, I've been looking for some independent source of information which might corroborate Waiora's claims of the benefits of zeolite as a supplement. Today, I finally found something: A UK company attempted to create a dry capsule version of zeolite because of the benefits it showed to animals. The ACNFP's (UK's FDA equivalent)response, from an official government agency, mentioned benefits of zeolite:
- "Based on [zeolite's] established ability to bind heavy metals,
the applicant anticipates that the [zeolite capsules] will also be purchased by companies who
handle toxic and/or radioactive metals or by hospitals and/or public authorities who
may wish to stock the [zeolite capsules] in case of possible contamination by radioactive materials." - "The applicant has also provided studies that they believe demonstrate that the
addition of clinoptilolite into the diet helps to protect the animals from the effects of
mycotoxins such as aflatoxins, which are thought to bind to the clinoptilolite and are
subsequently excreted from the body. The authors of these studies state that
addition of clinoptilolite to animal feed has resulted in measurable improvements in
the health of pigs, sheep and chickens."
The document also said that the agency found absolutely nothing harmful about zeolite.
Although the government paper says nothing of the efficacy of zeolite in any form, it acknowledges the ability of zeolite to bind with heavy metals and cancer-causing agents and excrete them from the body.
A major difference between this company and Waiora is that this company was planning to make a powder-based zeolite capsule, whereas Waiora holds the U.S. patent for the liquid form of zeolite distributed as Natural Cellular Defense (NCD). Presumably, the liquid form should allow for better absorption in the body and therefore better results. We'll see on that.
Zeolite Day 8
We've been on Natural Cellular Defense (NCD) for a week now.
Since nothing with Demi has changed in a week, I bumped up her dosage from 5 to 15 drops, 3x/day. 15 seems to be the "magic" dosage to fix something. Hopefully this will kick her cold out. Of course, since she's had this cold for around 3 wks, it's probably close to going away on its own.
No significant changes for me yet (I've been on the "cleansing" dosage of 10 drops, 3x/day) after a week. Minor changes include:
- maybe more regularity
- increased acne
- I had what seemed to be the beginnings of a cold when I started, which seems to be completely gone now. Not sure if I really had one or not.
- potentially more stamina
I can't say for sure whether any of the minor changes are due to NCD or changes in the weather. ;) Since I have no major issues, it makes sense that I wouldn't see any drastic changes.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Zeolite Day 7
Demi seems to be speaking with greater clarity, but I'm chalking that up to my hopeful imagination. I suspect it's because we've been working on the same thing for the past three weeks and she's finally getting it. Nothing spectacular there.
Demi has also been eating a bit better, but I'm not giving NCD credit for that since she had started eating better 6 wks ago over Christmas Break.
Plus, how could the same product increase her appetite while decreasing mine? I'm open to the possibility that detoxification and proper pH balance could lead the body to set the proper appetite (which would be less for me and more for her), but I'm reserving judgment on that point.
Demi has also been eating a bit better, but I'm not giving NCD credit for that since she had started eating better 6 wks ago over Christmas Break.
Plus, how could the same product increase her appetite while decreasing mine? I'm open to the possibility that detoxification and proper pH balance could lead the body to set the proper appetite (which would be less for me and more for her), but I'm reserving judgment on that point.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Zeolite Day 6
I have chosen no to tell anyone who knows Demi (even my husband) about my NCD experiment. Part of me doesn't believe in these "miracle cures" so I don't want them to think I've been "taken in." But part of me believed in the possibility of a natural cure being dismissed by traditional medicine.
But mostly I didn't tell anyone in order to get an objective opinion on Demi's improvement, or lack thereof. If there is a marked change in 4 weeks time, her teachers and therapists should remark to me about how much better she's been doing.
But what if the changes take longer than 4 weeks to materialize? According to the hype about this product, that shouldn't be the case.
We'll see...
But mostly I didn't tell anyone in order to get an objective opinion on Demi's improvement, or lack thereof. If there is a marked change in 4 weeks time, her teachers and therapists should remark to me about how much better she's been doing.
But what if the changes take longer than 4 weeks to materialize? According to the hype about this product, that shouldn't be the case.
We'll see...
Monday, February 27, 2006
Zeolite Day 5
I started my 4yo daughter on NCD at the same time as myself. I'm hoping it will somehow help with her delays, primarily with speech, but generally all over. So far, I've only noticed negatives:
1) The cold she's had over 2 weeks still has not gone away.
2) She had a nasty case (hopefully isolated) of constipation yesterday.
3) Because of the extra fluid she's been drinking with NCD (or maybe the flushing tendency of NCD) , she had two accidents over the weekend.
I'll give it the full 30 days before making a call. I know where that 100% guarantee is in writing. ;)
1) The cold she's had over 2 weeks still has not gone away.
2) She had a nasty case (hopefully isolated) of constipation yesterday.
3) Because of the extra fluid she's been drinking with NCD (or maybe the flushing tendency of NCD) , she had two accidents over the weekend.
I'll give it the full 30 days before making a call. I know where that 100% guarantee is in writing. ;)
Zeolite Day 4
Yesterday was Day 4 on Natural Cellular Defense (NCD). I started noticing yesterday that I'm not as hungry as usual. I was surprised. Food just doesn't have the same taste. Or maybe it's just not as appealing because my appetite is not as keen. My appetite is still quite healthy, just not abnormally strong (in my opinion) like it has been lately.
I also seemed to have more stamina on my run today. I have a long way to go to get back in shape, but lately running seemed to be getting harder rather than easier. I gave up attempting to run with the jog stroller altogether (after previously giving up trying to run with both kids in the double jogger) (which tells you why I'm so terribly out of shape!). But lately I've been walking during my short runs and I haven't attempted any long ones. Today, I was able to complete my 4 mile loop without walking and I didn't feel strained at all. Perhaps the bright blue sky and promise of coming spring spurred me on.
Time will tell. The jury's still out.
I also seemed to have more stamina on my run today. I have a long way to go to get back in shape, but lately running seemed to be getting harder rather than easier. I gave up attempting to run with the jog stroller altogether (after previously giving up trying to run with both kids in the double jogger) (which tells you why I'm so terribly out of shape!). But lately I've been walking during my short runs and I haven't attempted any long ones. Today, I was able to complete my 4 mile loop without walking and I didn't feel strained at all. Perhaps the bright blue sky and promise of coming spring spurred me on.
Time will tell. The jury's still out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)