[SIDE EFFECTS]  11/24/2011: Cecile from Cape Town, South Africa: "Firstly, my sincere thank you to all at EC for providing this great platform for discussion and advice.

I have started supplementing with Lugols iodine, the prescribed dose of 50mg or 8dr a day the prophylactic dosage for fibrocystic disease... Been doing this for 3 weeks... I have experienced normal detox reactions... BUT to my absolute horror, my weight is increasing at an alarming rate... 5kg in 3 weeks! WHA! Anybody else with this experience? Will the situation remedy itself with time? I urgently need advice..."

11/27/2011: Mmsg from Somewhere, Europe replies: "Cecile, you started off with too much. Read the posts here and start VERY slowly, as in ONE drop for a while, then TWO etc."

11/27/2011: Cecile from Cape Town, South Africa replies: "Thank you so much for your feedback and support.. 'somewhere in europe'... I have cut back a few days ago and my weight has stabilised... Hope so.. I believe iodine is the answer to the myriad of problems I have, and refuse to give up... The web filled with standard anti-iodine propagada, iodonophobia, scared the living daylights out of me... I was led to believe I have caused damage to my already weary body... But I kept searching... I found peace. The MOST important thing with iodine supplementation is to remember salt loading and selenium... I have neglected those...

HERE is to all you 'iodine fans' out there... to health and hope! Keep spreading the good news, but most of all, tell us 'rookies' about your great successes...

THANK YOU EC community, especially Ted and Bill... I appreciate you patience and all the time you spend at your computers typing up advice... I salute you!"

09/22/2011: Lisa from Rabat, Morocco replies: "Hi Yasmin, are you using Lugol's iodine? If it is a tincture of iodine that should not be taken orally. The acne could be caused from detoxing bromide, which we are exposed to everyday. If you take extra unrefined salt (celtic or himalayan) that can help push out the bromides, but because of the nature of acne it will not disappear overnight. I take a lot of iodine and did have this problem initially, but it did go away."

09/23/2011: Gavin from Manganui, Northland, New Zealand replies: "Some areas on the globe are deficient in iodine. (hence high goiter incidence therefore governments idodising salt. ) But if Iodine is deficient it figures all the other trace elements are low or missing as well.. Which if this is the case, all the essential trace elements work in unison, and favoring one won't do much. A daily intake of Salmon or Tuna fix this in about three months. Remember for years they thought Boron wasnt necessary! Failing this, get some supplements organised."

07/30/2011: Lisa from Rabat, Morocco replies: "Hi Leslie,

A very small percentage of people are actually allergic to iodine. Your husband sounds like he is having a detox reaction from too much bromide in his system. This happens when your detox pathways are not optimal. The iodine pushes the bromide out and if your body cannot remove it properly then you get things like acne. It is recommended to take certain supplements with iodine--Vitamin C (2000-5000 mg), Magnesium (400 mg), Selenium (200-400 mg) and 1/2 tsp. Unrefined sea salt. In addition, to help with detox you can also add 1/2 tsp. Sea salt in 1/2 cup warm water followed by 12 oz. Of water. This should be repeated every 30-45 minutes til urination. I am taking almost 50 mg. Of lugol's iodine and did have some acne, but it will clear up eventually. I think iodine is very important for many functions in the body and your husband should not dismiss it. Best of luck."

07/31/2011: Rob from Manhattan, Ny replies: "question for Leslie.. How did the Dr. Advise to administer it? Orally & topically or just orally... & how much? Let us know if you have had any success.

thanks!"

[SIDE EFFECTS]  09/07/2007: PL from Naples, Florida,USA: "I have had HBP for many years, and finally gave in to the doctors and started on BP meds. I was taking the meds for about one year and then I found earth clinic. I started off taking the lemon juice/baking soda 2-3 times a day and I started to wean off the BP meds. I couldn't find any info on how to get off the meds so I took a pill every other day , then 1/2 pill for three days, then stopped all together. I checked my presure 3-4 times per day and it was 125/65 or close to that most of the time. I was very happy because I hate taking the meds...after nine days off the meds and nice low bBP readings, yesterday turned into a nightmare!

I woke up in the morning with my head spinning, the room was spinning and I was very dizzy, I had shortness of breath and I was very scared. My BP was very high. My husband came home and rushed me to the doctor. He was very upset that I stopped the meds and said I was lucky I didn't have a stroke. He said I had a rebound reaction and my BP was very high, with racing heart. I am back on the meds and wondering what happened. The doctor said NEVER take baking soda when you have high pressure! The lemon or ACV does not balance the sodium with potassium. I love natural cures, so now I will have to try to find another way to not have an acid PH. The doc says I will always have to take BP meds the rest of my life( I'm 55) Does any body out there know what happened? I still feel a little dizzy today, and am discouraged. I don't want anyone else to go through what I just did."

EC: This Question Has Been Answered on the ACV & Baking Soda Q&A Page.

Ted's Alkalizing Formulas

[SIDE EFFECTS]  12/31/2009: Janice from Utrecht, Netherlands: "Hello,

I am trying the lemon bicarbonate cure for a week now: one lemon squeezed adding 1/2 teaspoon and adding water to one glass. I have beginning rosacea and found out my ph urine levels were under 6. But after taking it one quarter of an hour later I get this headache every time. Can anyone please tell me what this means? Maybe it is not good for me

Thank you, Janice"

[BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS]  08/27/2012: Charlotte from Simpsonville, Sc: "It has taken forever to come to learn that taking magnesium, regardless of what form, be it glycinate, gluconate, oxide, taurinate, etc. etc. will cause my mouth to burn and my tongue to swell. When I discontinue it, it takes a few days but it stops. It took me years to make this connection. Ted, could you possibly explain this? I would love to learn more about why this happens. For the record, I test high aldosterone/renin ratio and my bicarb is always significantly higher than chloride, though within normal range on tests. My understanding is aldo increases uptake of salt and calcium, my guess which stems from the aldo. Thought I would share the magnesium information as it pertains to me. I wish I would have read a review that would have got me to stop taking magnesium 5 years ago. Taking minerals without the whole group, ie a multi vitamin increases it potential for me also. Hope this helps someone clue in on the magnesium if they are regular uses for constipation, etc. Because that was why I started using it. I must say that I had debilitating menstral migraines and the magnesium stopped those, so double edge sword for me."

08/28/2012: Huey from Raleigh, Nc replies: "Just curious, are you taking a pharmaceutical grade of magnesium or something you bought from a "big box" department store? I've noticed some inferior grades of supplements use fillers (like sawdust). You might inquire about a quality offering at your local health store (local not big box like VValgr&&ns or WrongAide). I started out using a brand at one time available only to healthcare practitioners."

10/19/2012: Jennifer from Edmundston, New Brunswick replies: "Hi, I'm 27 years old and suffer from chronic insomnia and severe TMJ. I recently stumbled upon this site in my desperate search for relief. I haven't had any success with medication and devices/appliances for either condition. I have had chronic insomnia for the 9 or more years. I've tried about 7 or so different medications, but nothing seems to work. Concerning the TMJ, it has roughly the same timeframe. It started out with tension in my jaw and popping in my ears, but in the last 14 months my jaw has started locking closed by the time I woke up in the morning. The first time this happened it unlocked on its own about 6 hours after waking. The second time it locked and stayed locked for 4 months without unlocking at all. My dentist and various other appliances, TENS treatments and anti-inflammatories were unable to help. Out of everything it was the TENS sessions that gave the most relief, but only temporarily. It has since unlocked, but I continue to wake every morning with my jaw locked for the first hour after waking. I wear a custom splint, made to mimic my jaw in its most relaxed position after TENSing (a 1,200$ piece of acrylic) and I take 20 mg of flexeril every night before bed. I believe that both the insomnia and the tmj are related and both heavily affected by stress. I recently stopped all of my sleeping medications and started taking baking soda in water 3 times a day along with niacinamide at bed time and transdermal magnesium therapy in the form of "oil". The problem is that I feel worse than ever. I am sleeping better(ish) but my jaw, face, neck, shoulders and temples are throbbing. My head is pounding and I feel dizzy and flu like. It's been for the last 4 days about the day after I started these alternative treatments. Is this a normal response? Perhaps Herxheimer Reaction or something. Should I push forward or is this something that I should bring to the attention of my doctor. Any insight would be appreciated. Ted please if you have any input it would be appreciated. Thanks and sorry for the long unorganized rant."

10/22/2012: Juliette from Reston, Va replies: "Hello! Ive struggled with insomnia and tmj in the past. I had to just experiment with different things to find what really worked. and sometimes something would stop working and id have to find something else.

1. have you tried magnesium? it comes in a powder version called natural calm that really works but any powder one that you put with hot water could knock out the tmj AND the insomnia.

2. if your up at night worrying try 5htp at night and GABA. Really helped me out.. this might help your jaw as well since in my experience mental stress really worsens my tmj and insomnia.

3. guided meditations centered on healing and the loving presence of the universe. this could help get to the root of the problem:)

4. Try taking B complex for stress management as well I felt an almost immediate difference.

5. Acupressure could be cool to look into as well. Ive had some interesting results with it!! Works immediately!

Ive found that the more I would stress about my insomnia or my tmj the worse it would get. A little acceptance can go a long way! Good luck! Email me if you have any questions!!"

10/22/2012: Tina from Houston, Usa replies: "Also for insomnia, rubbing few drops of good quality 'blue chamomile' essential oil on your front and back solar plexus chakras, front and back navel chakras and at the bottom of your feet (middle area) helps fall asleep effortlessly and stay asleep through the night.

It is advisable for overall health to use therapeutic grade essential oils (NOT food grade).

Additionally, a product called Min-Tran (All natural food ingredients) made by Standard Process in the US (and found on amazon. Com) is a great way to balance the sympathetic and para-sympathetic nervous system which aids in falling asleep. Unlike prescription sleep meds which badly affect the brain and in some cases damage the brain, Min-Tran does not effect the brain but works to calm down the nervous system.

Good luck, Tina"

10/23/2012: Wayfinder from Modesto, Ca/ Usa replies: "Here is an old Earth Clinic post, apparently, from an article written elsewhere!! To read it in full, check the Boron link that I posted yesterday.

"One forum contributor suffered with Fibromyalgia/Rosacea, chronic fatigue and TMJ for over 10 years which she believed were caused by fluoride. She used 1/8 tsp of borax and 1/8 tsp of sea salt in a litre of de-chlorinated water, and drank this for 5 days each week. Within two weeks her face cleared, the redness faded, body temperature normalized, energy level increased, and she steadily lost excess weight. The only side-effect was an initial aggravation of her Rosacea symptoms." --T."

03/18/2009: Dianna from Austin, Tx: "i wanted to take blackstrap molasses and after trying a teaspoon of it in my morning coffee had very bad side effects that included high blood sugar, diaherrea, cramps and dizziness. so i stopped after 2 days. however that month when my period came i noticed that i had no cramping or clots at all. so i realized that the molasses (even taken that 2 times with the bad side effects) had a good effect on my period. so i tried taking it again with similar side effects and had to stop.

however, i realized that i could eat it in cookies. it doesn't have side effects when i make whole wheat gingerbread cookies sweetened with molasses. so i figured maybe just taking it directly in coffee was what was the problem. so i tried putting 1/2 a teaspoon in my daily smoothie! success! now i am taking a teaspoon a day in my daily smoothie!

i thought i would post this for other people who for whatever reason found they couldn't take blackstrap molasses straight. seems that when it is mixed with food that it doesn't have any of the side effects - which from what i've learned seem to be from the natural occuring sulfites."

02/06/2009: Helen from Long Island, NY replies: "I wrote yesterday about having hives which I attribute to taking molasses. Well, after trying many remedies for the hives, I finally have relief from rubbing the hives with garlic! I was so desperate that I remembered garlic was so good for so many things, what did I have to lose. I tried it on a little spot and since it didn't burn, I tried it on another spot and it seemed to take the itch out. I am hoping it is the magic remedy. I have used many of the remedies on Earth Clinic and most of them have worked, so I hope this one does too. I love Earth Clinic; it is the first place I go for first aid."

EC: Thank you for the update! Cross-posted to the Hives Remedies page.

03/21/2011: Mary from New York, Ny: "I started with 1500mg once a day. Empty stomach in the morning.

1-Nausea (not too bad) 15 minutes after

2-Sleeplessness and feeling some "electricity" or my "blood running" inside my body .

3- My stomach making a lot of noise. but I think now it happen after I ate bread.

Now I am taking 3 pills a day 4500mg and sleep like a baby and no more nauseas"

03/21/2011: Wendy from Ontario, Canada replies: "that is awesome that you started slow and work your way up. My dad is almost 70 and can take up to 9 a day... My husband 46 is also at 9 a day after he broke his arm 2 yrs ago and then again last year after a chainsaw injury to his leg. No side effects... But he was also taking lots of d (his blood test was really low) and lots of vitamin c and I made him drink tons of water every day. I have heard it is really really important to drink lots of water. I have the book the miracle of msm and it is an awesome read- actually I have 2 copies and I loan one out ;-) I also have a large MSM article I printed out from an online website but I don't think I'm allowed to post the link to that... It is said to be the official website for msm. I printed it out almost 3 years ago and it is dogeared beyond belief. I reread it all the time at breakfast, in the bathroom etc. Because you forget how many amazing uses it has!!! Wish there was more studies on breastfeeding and pregnancy and taking it. I know most people just say it's a supplement but I always err on the side of caution so I will have to wait until I am done nursing."

03/21/2011: Francisca from Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France replies: "Mary, I think that you are supposed to start with a smaller dose of MSM and not take it in an empty stomach. It didn't do much for me (I went up to maybe 5g a day) but I will try an MSM drink soon which also contains glucosamin and chondroitin."