Is it worth it?

[terri9630]

That would be great! She is only on a daily dose of fiber and stool softners because the doctors can't find any other "cause" for her problems. There is something wrong but we have not been looking in the right places I guess.......



Quote:
My GI problems is the reason why i started with chickens too. I have hundreds of wild rabbits by my house so i'm set there, and they are so easy to butcher compared to a chicken. Youtube rabbit butchering and you will be all set.

I buy my pork and beef from an amish farmer who raises them organically and grass feed. Grain feed animals are higher in omega 6 which increase inflamation. Grass feed are higher in omega3 which are anti-inflamitory.

Now i'm just trying to figure out what way to go with the meat chickens.

I have taken a real strict and holestic approach to my GI issues. I have been able to cut my meds 1/2, lost 70lbs of fat, i have more engery, etc... If you interested I can send many link and healing programs that could help your daugher.

Good luck

 

[dancingbear]

Patman, you might consider splitting a small batch with someone, if you know anybody else who raises chickens. Then you could see what it costs, and how much time and work it takes, to raise a few yourself. Then decide if you want to ever do it again, or buy the $10 birds from the guy you know. It sounds like a fair deal to me, for good quality birds.

I can't afford organic feed myself, so my garden's organic, but my chickens and eggs are not. They are free-range, so they're loose on pasture all day, and get feed, too. The meat from my birds is wonderful, better than store bought, and the eggs are great, too. That's as close to organic as I can get, for now, and it sounds like the guy you know is in about the same situation.

 

[terri9630]

What exactly is the definition of "organic"? I've always thought "all natural" (no antibiotics or hormones) was the same as organic.

 

[Firemenlovechicks]

Quote:
I have battled these problems for over 10 years now. I don't know about your daughter, but we have finally figured out that mine is related to yeast. google "candidiasis", "candida", and "yeast connection" and you will find a TON of information about it. alot of doctors believe it is "hogwash", but I am living proof. Ten years ago, I got down to 92 pounds from my normal weight of about 160. All of my doctors and specialists told me that I must have a psychological problem because there was no "medical" explanation for what was happening to me. They also told me if I didn't improve that I wouldn't live another 6 months at most. I was 25 years old and didn't take the news well. Did alot of research, found a doctor who would listen, and here I am 10 years later, at 6'1" and nearly 200 lbs. I still have issues and have to watch what I eat, but I live a somewhat normal life now if I manage my intake properly. Email or PM me if you want and I can talk to you alot more. I will give you my phone number if you like. Your daughter can be helped!

Jeff

 

[patman75]

Quote:
This explains it.

http://www.live-the-organic-life.com/natural-vs-organic.html

I have battled these problems for over 10 years now. I don't know about your daughter, but we have finally figured out that mine is related to yeast. google "candidiasis", "candida", and "yeast connection" and you will find a TON of information about it. alot of doctors believe it is "hogwash", but I am living proof. Ten years ago, I got down to 92 pounds from my normal weight of about 160. All of my doctors and specialists told me that I must have a psychological problem because there was no "medical" explanation for what was happening to me. They also told me if I didn't improve that I wouldn't live another 6 months at most. I was 25 years old and didn't take the news well. Did alot of research, found a doctor who would listen, and here I am 10 years later, at 6'1" and nearly 200 lbs. I still have issues and have to watch what I eat, but I live a somewhat normal life now if I manage my intake properly. Email or PM me if you want and I can talk to you alot more. I will give you my phone number if you like. Your daughter can be helped!

Jeff

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
This explains it.
http://www.live-the-organic-life.com/natural-vs-organic.html

Interesting link. It's a sad reality that the legal definitions of man terms are not even close to what the terms mean to most people when they hear or read them. "Organic" doesn't even always mean "organic". Do you know whether rotenone is still permitted in organic agriculture? I never use it, myself. My only "bug sprays" are neem, Safer brand insecticidal soap (OMRI approved, the active ingredient is a fatty acid), and a concoction I make with a little liquid soap, essential oils of orange and lavender, and water. I mostly rely on the fact that if the soil is healthy, the plants are healthy, and healthy plants don't attract nearly as many bugs as stressed or sick plants. (That's because part of the insects' function in nature is to eat the unhealthy plants before they reproduce.)

In organic meat production, the animals must be from certified organically raised parents, (and it must be documented) your feed must be certified organic, there are restrictions on a number of things like what kind of wood can be used in pens, fences, etc, it's a pretty complex list of requirements. There are some treated fence posts and timbers on my property (nowhere near the garden!). I can't afford certified organic feed. Much of it, when tested by independent labs, had the same levels of pesticide residues as conventional feed anyway, or so I've been told. I can't afford to have tests of that sort run, so I'm taking somebody else's word for it. I can't afford certified organic breeding stock. So while my garden is organic, it's not certified. My chickens cannot be called organic, because the get conventional feed (but NEVER medicated feed) and don't have organic parentage, there's treated wood on the property, etc. But they can and do free-range daily, (unless nobody will be home at dark to close the coop, happens once in a while, maybe 2 days a month) in pasture and woods that don't get sprayed or treated with any kind of pesticide or herbicide. That's as close as I can manage.

So whatever the legal meaning, that's what I mean by "organic" and "not organic".

Terri, I suppose you've already tried probiotics? I went through years of food allergies caused by candida overgrowth (which in turn, caused a lovely condition attractively called "leaky gut syndrome".) I wonder if your daughter could be having a similar problem? Has she been checked for celiac sprue? If she avoids wheat, does she get better? How about dairy?

When I read Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, one of the things she mention was lactose intolerance, and how it's actually normal to be lactose intolerant. As we grow up, we're supposed to stop nursing, and we gradually stop producing lactase, the enzyme that helps digest milk. In cultures where people are heavily dependent on dairy for survival, people have developed lactase persistence, so they can tolerate milk even as adults. They are the exception, but have come to be considered the norm.

The reason I mention this, is that there may be other similar things that we consider normal, that are actually aberrations. I think it's possible that some health problems are caused by eating things that we've outgrown, or that we shouldn't be eating in the first place, like textured vegetable protein, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and the toxic brew of chemicals found in food prepared by corporations. Some of which they have the gall to call "homestyle", with a list of ingredients you'd be hard pressed to find in somebody's kitchen.

Anyway, I wish you and your daughter the best of luck with this health issue.

Oh, has she tried taking slippery elm bark? It's very soothing and healing to the entire digestive tract, from one end to the other. Non-toxic, you can't OD on it. I get the slippery elm bark powder, and mix it with honey to make a paste, and take it that way. I often add some cinnamon, to make it more palatable, and a little acidophillus powder. It doesn't have much of a taste, it's not hard to take, unless you get it wet. Then it's slimy. Honey has very little water, so it doesn't turn to slime until after you swallow it, and that's ok, then.

 

[terri9630]

Quote:
This explains it.
http://www.live-the-organic-life.com/natural-vs-organic.html

Terri, I suppose you've already tried probiotics? I went through years of food allergies caused by candida overgrowth (which in turn, caused a lovely condition attractively called "leaky gut syndrome".) I wonder if your daughter could be having a similar problem? Has she been checked for celiac sprue? If she avoids wheat, does she get better? How about dairy?

When I read Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, one of the things she mention was lactose intolerance, and how it's actually normal to be lactose intolerant. As we grow up, we're supposed to stop nursing, and we gradually stop producing lactase, the enzyme that helps digest milk. In cultures where people are heavily dependent on dairy for survival, people have developed lactase persistence, so they can tolerate milk even as adults. They are the exception, but have come to be considered the norm.

The reason I mention this, is that there may be other similar things that we consider normal, that are actually aberrations. I think it's possible that some health problems are caused by eating things that we've outgrown, or that we shouldn't be eating in the first place, like textured vegetable protein, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and the toxic brew of chemicals found in food prepared by corporations. Some of which they have the gall to call "homestyle", with a list of ingredients you'd be hard pressed to find in somebody's kitchen.

Anyway, I wish you and your daughter the best of luck with this health issue.

Oh, has she tried taking slippery elm bark? It's very soothing and healing to the entire digestive tract, from one end to the other. Non-toxic, you can't OD on it. I get the slippery elm bark powder, and mix it with honey to make a paste, and take it that way. I often add some cinnamon, to make it more palatable, and a little acidophillus powder. It doesn't have much of a taste, it's not hard to take, unless you get it wet. Then it's slimy. Honey has very little water, so it doesn't turn to slime until after you swallow it, and that's ok, then.

I've never heard of elm bark. She has been tested for chrones, celiac, lupus and several others I can't remember now. We have also tried the elimination tests, no dairy, no wheat, no soy, no lactose. Everything we could think of. None of it made a difference. 9 years of "lets try this" and nothing..... Very fusterating.

 

[dancingbear]

Quote:
It probably is a reaction to chemical additives in the food, I'm thinking. I know from my own experience that can take time to eliminate chemical additives, you may not ever get entirely free of them, they're just ubiquitous.

Anyway, if you want to try it, it's slippery elm bark, not just elm bark. Gotta be that specific species. These guys, http://www.herbalcom.com/store.php3...tR-T&session=6dad0faabd1f07e7cf2bbb2c80d7d0a7 , have a good price on it. $10.50 a lb. That's where I usually get mine. We use it for any and all digestive upsets. My husband has diverticulitis, it helps him a lot. We've had water issues here, and had round after round problems. We're finally getting county water on our road, in fact they're digging the pipe trenches today. In a few weeks they should be putting in meters, and we'll finally be done with this particular struggle. The slippery elm always clears up whatever we get, it may help your daughter. It's worth a try, anyway.

We take a rounded teaspoon mixed with enough honey to make a paste. Twice a day for severe problems, otherwise just once. An acidophilus w/probiotics supplement could be helpful, too.

Here's another link to a 2nd source, http://www.kalyx.com/store/proddetail.cfm/ItemID/670225.0/CategoryID/1000.0/SubCatID/2535.0/file.htm ,they have interesting info as well. Some of it I wonder about, it's from a very old herbal formulary book. I do know first-hand how good it is for digestive troubles though, and for asthma, too. You can also use the shredded bark, tied in a little bundle, suspended in a a cup of hot herbal tea or other hot beverage for a few minutes. The tea will thicken very slightly, like hot jello. I have some mesh clamshell-type teaspoons for brewing loose tea by the cup, I just put the shredded bark in one of those, and let it rest in the hot tea, swishing it around a few times, and let it infuse for about 10 minutes. You can put the used bark, in the mesh spoon, in a cup in the fridge, and re-use it several times. As long as it exudes gel, it's fine. I usually toss it after I use it 3 or 4 times.