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Messages - CatTreats

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226
General Discussion / Re: Wild Game Meat
« on: April 11, 2014, 11:40:38 pm »
I already have access to grass-fed beef and bison actually. I'm looking a little more for stuff like elk, wild boar, and rabbit. I've only seen mixed ground versions (something like 90% elk 10% beef) and I don't even think they're raised well. Rabbit is available at Asian stores, but I can't get info. None of these are actually wild.

227
Health / Painful "Acne" Bumps?
« on: April 11, 2014, 02:14:30 pm »
Hey guys. Just before starting to eat raw again (so almost 3 weeks now), I started getting very large bug-bite / acne-like bumps on my thighs and butt. Just those two places. Random parts of my thighs (more towards the outer parts, nothing on the inner thigh or crotch), and then random parts of my butt cheeks. I've NEVER dealt with body acne. I thought they were just bug bites, but I'm getting them often now. They're large, very red, and hurt. A couple were itchy, but most are just very painful. Some do have stuff in them when you squeeze them, suggesting that they're pimples ... but again, I've never had any type of body acne, even when eating the worst of SAD. I just got another one today just above the inside of my knee, and it's SOO painful. It stings really bad just going from sitting to standing. So, finally, it's bothering me enough that I wanted to post.

Any idea what this could be? Aside from this one thing, I'm feeling AMAZING back on raw. So I hope this is just something small that can be fixed.

228
Health / Re: Eczema - A Journey To Healing
« on: April 11, 2014, 01:53:15 pm »
We intend to eat RPD as much as possible for as long as possible. I imagine that aside from some random things like at social events, I will be eating raw forever. I can already tell from going raw, then back to cooked, and now back to raw that my body just thrives on raw. I'm sure the boyfriend will follow suit considering that I'm generally in charge of what we eat. ;)

He hasn't been craving salt very much lately. I only add a pinch to our meals, and he hasn't been eating it straight. I'm assuming the major increase in seafood is why. When we were back to eating cooked, we ate very minimal seafood. Now, we're eating at least some type of seafood every single day. Lots of tuna and salmon, and shellfish every other night.

We have a lot of beef fat and connective tissue, so I'm getting him to eat that. Other than that, fat is generally from fatty fish like tuna belly and salmon, whatever just comes in a steak or piece of beef, and then avocado or coconut. Should we be cutting out all plant foods completely? The one thing he has trouble with is fruit, he is a fruit lover. He'll easily down pounds of fruit in one sitting if I had them in the house. How much is safe, or should it be cut out altogether? We don't eat any nuts or seeds at the moment.

I'm cutting out the sesame oil, and the olive oil will just be for his skin. He needs some type of moisturizer or he's going to go nuts. I'll be getting a pure magnesium oil tomorrow. Just had to wait for payday (literally down to less than a dollar today lol).

We were a little hesitant to just eat a liver straight, so I made "pills" out of our beef liver and froze them all. We each take 4 "pills" of raw liver a day. I know that frozen isn't as good, but it's better than not eating liver at all in my opinion. So, we're getting a little bit of liver every single day. As mentioned, I'll be getting beef shanks and other sources of beef bone marrow. Trying to find wild-caught oysters to include.

Our staple foods right now are grass-fed beef, wild-caught salmon, ahi tuna (including tuna belly), scallops, shrimp, beef liver, egg yolks, avocado, and some type of fruit (apples, banana, mango, orange). Soon to be adding the bone marrow in regularly, as well as oysters. We sometimes get another random fish like mahi mahi or snapper. I will cut out fruit if you guys suggest it.

We've started sun bathing on days we aren't working the entire daytime (just standing or sitting in direct sunlight and talking until we feel like we need to go in). As mentioned, we currently supplement D3 (he takes 10k IU, I just take 2k), and Magnesium Glycinate. He's still on probiotics, which have significantly increased his bowel movements. Always a good thing for this. Also, we use absolutely NO chemicals. Both of us are free of all body products. We just rinse for showers - no shampoo or soap. No deodorants or lotions, and I never use make-up. No funky cleaning products. All we have is an organic oil-based soap for dishes, detergent, and whatever cleaning we have to do around the house. We have an air filter, but that's about all we can do right now. We're in California, so pollution is basically unavoidable. I do everything I can to make things easy on him at home. Always slaving away in the kitchen (which isn't bad when everything is raw), rub his back, all that good stuff.

Does anyone else agree about supplementing the Glucosamine/MSM, Gelatin, and Vitamin C that was mentioned earlier? Would like more inputs.

Also, looks like today the skin on his feet have cleared up a bit. Still very swollen, though. I did give him a banana for potassium (since it was mentioned) until we decide on that supplement. His wrists had some brand new, soft skin on them, and a bit on his hands. It's slow progress, but that's still good.

Sorry, this is a random list of info. Kinda replying to all of you guys at once. Just want to get everything out there.

Thanks everyone for the replies! I feel like we're steadily getting closer.

229
General Discussion / Re: Wild Game Meat
« on: April 11, 2014, 10:00:19 am »
I'm in the SF (South Bay) area. My experience has been that places that sell "game meat" are selling farm-raised animals. I can't cite the exact law, but there is one that says that a retail meat establishment cannot sell animals that have been bagged by a hunter.

So, find a hunter! That might be easier said than done... all the hunter-husbands of my friends make jerky or sausage before I can blink an eye, even when I ask in advance. If you go up north a-ways and know people, you can find more of what you are looking for. I used to do this when I lived in Lake County where I could get road-kill deer in pristine areas from old-timer neighbors who all knew the rangers. Don't try this on your own or they WILL arrest you, handcuffs and all.

I have better luck finding fish caught off the coast, but there are issues with Fukushima and local fish, plus there are bans on some seafood, even mussels, because the waters have been too warm.

Ewww, so we're pretty much out of luck then? Are we able to order online, or will they not be able to legally ship real wild meat here?

I had no idea that taking road kill was illegal hahaha. I wasn't exactly planning to right now, but it was a thought! But really, what are my options? I've already done some digging around online, but I have no idea how to find any real hunted game meat. :c

230
General Discussion / Wild Game Meat
« on: April 11, 2014, 08:53:56 am »
Kind of a newbie question. I'm in Northern California, and having a bit of trouble finding wild game meat. I did find one seller in San Francisco that has a decent variety, species-wise, but not a lot of different cuts. Mainly just the popular cuts like steaks, loin, and ribs.

Does anyone know of any local Farmers Markets or butcher shops in general that have quality game meat? I'm also curious about how diet comes into play. I'm always very serious about pasture-raised animals, but it seems like most are fed some type of grain. I'm also okay with ordering online if there is absolutely nothing local. But again, most sites have grain-fed animals. :/

231
Health / Re: Eczema - A Journey To Healing
« on: April 11, 2014, 07:58:58 am »
I have similar skin problems, although not nearly as bad.  Vitamin D supplements, specifically the Now brand, really help me.  Sunbathing also helps a little as well.

He's currently supplementing 10,000 IU of D3. No noticeable difference. :/

232
General Discussion / Re: Question of the DAY?!
« on: April 11, 2014, 02:31:24 am »
Enhancements in flavor/smell that are addicting. It seems that raw foods just taste like a milder version of the cooked version. So, it seems that heat just highly magnifies the flavor, which is, not surprisingly, an addictive quality. Even other animals will be attracted to the smell of cooked foods. My dog was always RIGHT there when I ate a cooked steak.

233
Health / Re: Eczema - A Journey To Healing
« on: April 11, 2014, 12:33:11 am »
Thank you SO very much for such detailed information.

You might want to get him seaweed to put into foods instead of just salt or "seasalt".   Try kelp and dulse.  Seaweeds naturally have a high potassium level as well as other trace minerals, much better ratios for seasalts.  Low potassium and high sodium causes the body to retain fluids, the body will not get rid of fluids properly if there are mineral imbalances.  Seaweed is also a natural source of iodine, which should help the skin to heal of any infections.

Any specific seaweed you would recommend? He loves the dried nori (not roasted, so raw I guess). Is that good enough, or is there something specific you had in mind?

I also forgot to mention you might want to try adding "great lakes" brand gelatin to your diet if you are not making slow/low cooked broths or consuming much connective tissues.  This will do a great deal in healing up the skin and giving it the proper amino acids to rebuild.

We're going to be getting a bulk amount of bone marrow in a week. Will that suffice? How would we know if we're consuming a lot of connective tissues?

Jarrow brand makes an excellent Glucosamine Chondroitin and MSM supplement that might be more beneficial.  MSM is excellent for skin repair, as are any forms of sulfur you can get into the body...they are also excellent for healing and to cleanse the blood and liver.  This particular supplement is also high in potassium, so it might be extremely useful right now to help the swelling as well.    You also might not want to be taking a supplement that has marshmallow (or other herbs) as it will inhibit some of the absorption of minerals and vitamins, as it coats the intestines to soothe them.   Because your BF is so sensitive, I would suggest testing out all of those herbs on their own to be sure they do not cause some sort of reaction, or just skipping them all together.

So we'll discontinue the original IntestiNEW supplement when it runs out. Can we start that Glucosamine supplement right away, or would it be best to wait until the IntestiNEW is out of the picture?

Oysters sound like a great idea as they are high in zinc, which is another mineral that is great for healing.  The zinc also might help with his night sweats, those might be attributed to hormonal imbalance.  Having this condition probably buts a lot of stress on the body and is taxing the adrenals.  They only have two pathways, to make sex hormones, or to make cortisol, my guess is that they are leaning more towards cortisol production and this time and his endocrine system is becoming out of balance.

Would explain why he has absolutely zero interest in sex. I figured it was from discomfort, but this makes a lot more sense. Would raw, but not live oysters be okay? I haven't found live ones before. Are there any other foods rich in zinc that you could recommend as well?

Same with Vitamin C, these are two very important things to think about supplementing while under stress.   If you want any suggestion for vitamin c supplements I would be happy to give those too.  Magnesium like goodsamaratin mentioned is also great because that is probably being lost during night sweats, any extra vitamins and minerals you can get into him, from excellent sources of course, will probably do a great deal to help.

Definitely recommend a supplement. I'm assuming that getting Vitamin C through food wouldn't be enough? How much a day would you recommend? Also, what Magnesium spray would be good? We are already supplementing Magnesium Glycinate at the moment.

The reason I mention colostrum is not only is it a great immune supporter, but it is high in lysine and luecine, which are amino acids that are in high concentrations in milk and that are helpful for healing skin issues and repairing damage.  Also the fatty profile in well raised and fed raw dairy seems exceptional for adding moisture to the skin, perhaps you have a source of raw dairy and can try making butter??

Being in California, we have access to high quality raw dairy. Both milk and butter. But, we shied away from dairy because it's a known allergen/inflammatory food. And he's suffered from minor "lactose-intolerance" (more like issues with pasteurized dairy, since he never exhibits symptoms from raw). Even though raw dairy, especially butter or kefir, can be healthy, we just cut it out as a precaution. Plus, there's enough anti-dairy talk here that I guess it helped discourage me.

I would suggest to try the oils you are using as food on his skin  and see how he reacts. You already mentioned coconut oil causing a rash on the skin, is that not reason enough to not take it internally?  I would still caution away from them even as flavors as they can be harsh on the liver.  Especially in someone who's health seems so sensitive and who needs to be eliminating anything that might be the least bit inflammatory......I would recommend to stay away.  Also, I used to use olive oil on my skin even though it seems awfully thick and somewhat ineffective , but I used it because it was less expensive then my preferred oil, which is JoJoba oil .  I am super sensitive and cant do other seed or nut oils, but jojoba seems to be the best oil, you might want to look into that if olive oil ever causes issues.  I have read that is it the most closely similar to our skins own that you can find.

True. I don't think we've used coconut oil in anything lately, actually. Just very minimal amounts of olive and sesame. I really do like the sesame oil. :c 

SULFUR: A MODERN DEFICIENCY, A SIMPLE SOLUTION
Of the six main building blocks that power life on this planet - carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur .... "

Thanks for the info on sulfur. I've barely read anything about that at all, and I've done a lot of reading. Do we need to get that specific salt, or is there any we could find at a store like Whole Foods or something?

Again, thank you SO SO SO much for all of the info. I really appreciate the time you put into writing so much. I really hope we're going to see the end of his skin problems soon ... it would make both of us so happy.

234
Health / Re: Eczema - A Journey To Healing
« on: April 10, 2014, 06:14:04 pm »
He may have other deficiencies, why he is a salt addict.
Has he tried living near the ocean, on the beach for a few weeks?
See if that resolves his need for salt.

If he cannot live by the beach for a while, get him some magnesium oil.
Spray on every day.

If he has access to live oysters and live clams, those should have good ocean saltiness in them.

I have good results with my family on black salt.  Has sulfur in it.

Hmm, that's interesting. I know that he whenever he was living in the Philippines, he was very close to the water. I'm not sure about his salt-addiction then, though. It would've been when he was younger. The magnesium oil is an option. We're a little tight on money, so investing in so many things will be tough for the next couple of weeks. I'm not even sure if we can get live oysters or clams here, but I'll look into it. I've been wanting to have raw oysters for a while now.

Thanks for the tip!

235
Health / Re: Eczema - A Journey To Healing
« on: April 10, 2014, 01:15:33 pm »
His feet are likely swollen because he is eating lower carb but it doesn't seem like you are supplying extra salts, especially potassium.  I would recommend brewing up some dandelion root tea and adding some lemon to it, and drinking that down with a ton of water.  Both salt and water intake need to be much higher when you are more fat and protein and less carbs.  Adding seaweed such as dulse and kelp to the diet to keep minerals balanced.  Eating mineral and water rich vegetables also helps, celery and cucumber for example.

What oils are still being taken internally?  If you notice reactions on the skin from oils, just think the internal reactions they might cause.  I would suggest to not eat any refined oils and instead switch to egg yolks.   It also might be good to source fatty fish and buy in bulk, or look for pastured pork fat, anything to get omega 3's and vitamin D, which are very healing to the skin.  Other then that I would also suggest that you might invest in some raw colostrum to help boost his immune system.

Oh, I didn't really get into details about food. My mistake. He's a salt ADDICT. Sometimes, I find him just eating it straight from the shaker. He's always been a big salt eater. And, I do add salt to our food almost all of the time. Generally, as much as I can without ruining the food. :) Also forgot about eggs - we both eat about 3-4 egg yolks a day. The oils we eat are organic, cold-pressed olive, coconut, and sesame. Mainly just for a little flavor in some recipes (so we aren't consuming large amounts of any). Would they be that detrimental?

We're definitely doing our best to eat fatty meat. We scored some freshly cut sockeye salmon heads last week and ate everything we could out of them (they were amazing btw). It's been tough finding some stuff, though. Having to go out of our way to find stuff like that. Haven't found much pastured pork except for sausages, unfortunately.

Can you give me some more info about the colostrum? I've read about it, but I didn't know much about picking out a good one.

236
Health / Eczema - A Journey To Healing
« on: April 10, 2014, 06:05:36 am »
Hi everyone. I've been a lurker for a while now and just finally made an account. My boyfriend and I both started eating a little under a year ago, but sometime during Winter we screwed up and ended up eating almost entirely cooked food again. We have always eaten primal/paleo and really thrived once we got off of SAD (seriously). We're back to 100% raw now, though. I've been using recipes (I know, mixing is frowned upon by some here) to keep things interesting so that we DON'T stray away again. I've been enjoying it even more now than before. I feel like a new person.

I'm writing here to document everything and also to get suggestions from the community. I've read about eczema on here already, but I wanted to make a personal post.

Background:
My boyfriend has had eczema for his entire life. His childhood was all about covering himself from head to toe in steroidal/topical creams and using lotion at all times. It wasn't until I started really studying nutrition and learned about leaky gut and all that stuff that he even considered that eczema was an internal problem - not some skin disease you're permanently born with as the dermatologists always say. One of our visits to a derm actually concluded with her saying "There's nothing you can do, your body is just lacking topical creams, which is why you need to use them." I was stunned. His skin got better when we swapped from SAD to Paleo/Primal (still cooked). He was still using Aveno lotion (not the worst but still), though. When we went raw back last Summer, his skin did get better. He noticed that flare-ups would go down much faster especially right after a meal of raw beef or salmon. There wasn't any serious bad changes when we ended up eating cooked food again. It was during December that things just suddenly went downhill. But, he did stop using Aveno, and he was using Dr. Bronner's organic lotion. Once things got REALLY bad, even Aveno didn't make things better. Nothing would, but we weren't going to turn to topical creams.

Symptoms:
- Extremely itchy skin
- Inflamed skin (puffy/swollen and red)
- Very dry, sometimes cracking skin
- Extreme shedding (we have to wipe dead skin off of the bed multiple times a night)
- Sweating/oozing when skin is against something for a long time (i.e. if I end up against him during the night, it was be burning hot and wet)
- Bad dead skin smell EVERYWHERE

Before going back to 100% raw, he was eating pretty basic foods - veggies, some fruit, lots of meat (primarily red meat), fats, and minimal dairy. Now, we're eating nothing but raw meat (grass-fed beef and seafood/shellfish) with minimal amounts of fruits and veggies, lots of animal fats when it's included in our meat, some oils, and beef liver and bone marrow when we can get ahold of it. Everything is raw. We were going to do raw goat kefir for the probiotics, but we've just cut out dairy completely. He also eats a bit of fermented vegetables (kimchi/sauerkraut) daily. No kombucha, though.

He's also taking some supplements to help with his gut. Enough research on probiotics made me feel like they were a good idea, so the one he is currently taking is called RAW PROBIOTICS Ultimate Care 100 Billion with 34 probiotic strains. The guy at the health food store that we go to (who we know pretty well) highly recommended a supplement called IntestiNEW. It contains: L-Glutamine, N-Acetyl D-Glucosamine, Gamma Oryzanol, Cranesbill root, Ginger root, Marigold Extract 5:1 flower, and marshmallow root, along with the capsule (veggie fiber and water). I didn't see anything wrong with it, and I've read good things about L-Glutamine and Glucosamine, so we included that.

Also, he stopped using all lotions at this point. He was using coconut oil, but noticed a slight irritation (nothing visible like a rash, but he would feel an unpleasant tingling), so he's since switched to olive oil. That's been working out just fine.

Since taking these things (it's been 2 weeks now), and going back to raw (1 week in now), we've seen improvement. It's very, very slow, though.

Improvements:
- Legs are very cleared up (skin is smooth but still dry, and it itches occasionally)
- Hands appear to be healing (skin will shed off, revealing healthy skin, but then it dries up quickly and repeats the cycle)
- Face and arms are significantly less inflamed

Changes:
- The sweat got significantly worse for a few days. I actually thought he wet the bed because the sheets were soaked.
- Feet are VERY swollen to the point of not being able to wear certain pairs of shoes. This is still ongoing.

Even though there's a lot clearing up, he's still very miserable. He itches 24/7, sometimes getting less than an hour of sleep at night because he is so uncomfortable. The shedding is insane, we had probably 2-3 lbs of JUST dead skin in our vacuum. The sheets, chairs, linoleum floor, and just about everything are covered in this dead skin shed. And we vacuum 2-3 times a day now. Still covered. I feel like he's improving. Certain areas are definitely clearer. But the swollen feet and inflammation hasn't gone down, and I'm wondering what swollen feet means. I've read that this could all be signs of die-off (bad bacteria, candida, etc) from having such a messed up gut.

Can anyone give any info? Any advice on what else we can be doing to help? Does this sound like it's getting better or worse? All inputs are welcome and appreciated! I'm literally doing everything all day and night for him. I really hope we'll be able to put his eczema to rest once and for all.

TLDR: My boyfriend suffers from eczema, and is hoping that a 100% raw diet of mainly animal meats, fats, and some organ/marrow along with a supplemented probiotic, intestinal healing supplement, and fermented vegetables will help. Suggestions, advice, tips, and any other inputs are greatly appreciated.

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