Heid, regarding fluoride....I have always used a toothpaste without flouride because it irritates my gums. I was just at my dentist's office this morning....He was busy trying to get the dark stains off my teeth (the backs of the front teeth). I was telling him I live on green tea and the stains are from the tea. But do you know green tea is rich in natural fluoride? Now that you've written about the negatives of fluoride, what about the natural fluoride found in green tea? Is it different? Maddy

Hi, Maddy ~~ As long as your only source of fluoride is green tea, you're fine. Green tea does not create dark stains on teeth generally, unless you're saying you're drinking far more than the recommended max 3 cups per day... ? Or is your tea brown-looking when it's brewed? It may leave a slight tinge, but daily brushing should take care of it. The only green tea I use is Mr. Itaru's (the Store here sells it), because I've been spoiled by it. Its color, flavor and aroma are spectacular, and my teeth don't seem to accumulate any residue from it. Hope this helps, dear!! :-D

Dear Heidi, so sorry to trouble you again. Just one very quick question regarding Spelt Flour - In Peter's book it does say this flour is ok for O's and B's. I'm confused as when I've bought the flour it says that it's derived from wheat and I thought this was an avoid for both blood types? Josie

No trouble, Josie!! Some manufacturers label spelt as "wheat," because it is an ancient plant from which our modern wheat was developed (along with other plants used as well). It does not have the lectin load that modern wheat has, and it's an entirely different thing. Looks quite different, too -- only two "grains" per plant, while wheat has many grains on a long "head." :-D

I have purchased both the book Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type and the small companion book of food lists for my blood type O. The problem is that there are descrepencies between the list of Highly Beneficial, Neutral and Avoid in the book and that of the paperback Blood Type O Food Beverage and Supplement Lists. Which one should I do by? For instance, in the Food Beverage and Supplement book it lists Goose as neutral but the book says to Avoid goose; Food Beverage and Supplement says Avoid Pinto beans the book says they are highly beneficial. What happened? I want to know which to avoid and which is beneficial. Will there be another Food Beverage and Supplement printed that is more complete and proofed better? Thanks, Jean

Hi, Jean! See the paragraphs at the bottom of this page for the explanation, OK? Also, when you posted your question, there was a page of explanations which includes this information. Thanks for writing, and take good care! :-D

i'm sixty year old lady who doesn't look it lol i posed a question to you a while ago about high blood pressure which you very kindly answered thank-you. now i've been diagnosed with hiatus hernia IE in the form of GERD i am taking medication for it called parriet i don't know if you've heard of medication as i live in UK i am about 70% compliant with BTD the question is this can i take the ginger juice you recommended on your website even if i am on medication? and can you suggest any other thing i could do to help myself get off the medication i have ben greatly helped by the BTD as i had a lot of problems with GERD for years before they found out what it was i am very grateful that this website is available to me thank-you again. mary

Hello, Mary! Yes, you can certainly take the ginger juice while you're on medication. It should settle you in no time at all. Also, at the bottom of this page is a search form. Enter "gerd" and hit the button -- there are a number of strategies you might use, and the columns which come up in your search will help you! Best wishes, dear, and stay beautiful! :-)

Hi!! I am from Brazil and type O+. Since I moved to USA I have heard a lot about Diets, sugar, and sweeteners. I'm not diabetic and I would like to know if vegetable Glycerine is ok for all types of O (I'm not sure about my secretor status) and people with or without diabetic problems. Can I bake using this product? Do you think that VegGly is better than natural sugar?? Is VegGly natural or quimical?? I think that I have been treating my self as a diabetic person trying to exchange sugars and carbs from my diet, can I became diabetic doing this?. I tried the Atkins diet for one year and I felt with no energy at all. I think that diet was good in the first 2 or 3 months, but then I went in a depression(I also had my feminine hormone level a little bit lower).I love run and the last 6 months I wasn't feeling like run. I was sleeping for 12 hours. I LOVE fish and I am not a meat girl but I can eat sometimes. I feel better since I begun your diet. I am not following exactly because I have been eating both beneficial and neutral food. I am back with my exercises (althout I can not run because I got Shin Splint). I have energy and I have been exercised every day!!! I love your site!! By the way what is my classification once I am from Brazil? Caucasian? Thank you very much for your attention, Bcha.

Dear Bcha ~~ Veg gly is fine for all blood types, whether secretor or non-secretor. You can bake with it, and reducing sugars and grains from your diet is the best way to insure against diabetes, especially for Os. Using beneficial and neutral foods is fine! just try to eat more beneficial than neutral, OK? :-) Brazilians I have met are a beautiful mix of Asian, African and Caucasian, which comes together to make... Brazilian! :-D Look in the mirror and think which one you most resemble, and just follow the diet that way. Using "African" is very safe (more restricted portions in everything except meats), but whatever you choose will be fine, I'm sure. Unless you truly feel you are African, or you have Asian ancestry, I think Caucasian will probably be the closest match, but you decide. Thanks so much for writing, Bcha, and be careful of shin splints! Run on soft surfaces, and stretch well! :-D

Hi Heidi, I have tried to take bladderwack three times, I get pain across by lower back. I took it in the pill and liquid form, both had the same reaction. I am a type O and need to lose weight. The first day the pain starts, I have taken it for 4 days, the pain got so bad I could hardly move and I had to stop. Would love to hear from you. Thanking you inadvance. Joan

Hey there, Joan! Well, it sounds like bladderwrack is having some untoward effect on your kidneys? That's the first time I've heard of this reaction, but I think you should stop taking it! It is not a required supplement. You can lose weight easily, just using the food lists and the portion/frequency tables. Eliminating grains and dairy altogether will speed your progress significantly. Do drink plenty of water between meals, and get some thorough exercise three times every week. Let me know how you go, OK? :-D

Dear Heidi: While waiting for the answers contained in my other loooonnnnngggg rambling email , I'll send a couple more! The post on fluoride today concerned me. Woody an A and me an O have been drinking daily the Trinty mineral water. It has naturally occuring fluoride in it. To be exact, on the bottle it says: Silica based ph of 9.6 containing natural silica and floride. Are we ok drinking this water? At times it seems to cause an acidic reaction in me. My second question has to do with sauna's. In the BTD, Dr. Dadamo says something somewhere, (i can't find it now - but i remember it), about O's being cautauious in the sauna by wearing a cool wet compress on their foreheads when in the sauna. Is this still the case and if so, why? So once again, thanks for all your answers filled with humor and compassion AND PATIENCE! Love ya... Christina

Hallo, Christina & Woody! ;-) Now, what the heck is Trinty mineral water... I'm a little lost here.... How does its mineral content compare with, say, Gerolsteiner on the www.mineralwaters.org site? I'll be darned if I know what a "silica-based pH" is. It isn't bottled by Coca-Cola or something, is it? Don't laugh!! That Dasani stuff in the blue plastic is somebody's tap water, filtered and bottled by Coke or Pepsi or somebody. Look it up! You thought I was kidding!! :-D

Hrrrmmmmm.... Well, I'll be jiggered. Here's another one I'm drawing a blank on. 'Os in saunas, wear a wet rag.' Is it because we're so HOT to begin with? ;-D ...mmmm... prone to higher body heat or lower blood pressure? OH! maybe it's due to the adrenal stress, to which we are more "heir to" than other types? Wear a cool towel and don't stand up too quickly, is what I'd counsel. If Peter said it, he had very good reason (of which the 'why' may be difficult to ascertain, just trust me on this one). He is an extraordinary guy, and if God had merely distributed his extra brain power, we'd all be Rhoades scholars.

I used to think I knew all this info by heart. Thank the Graces for Christina, who reminds me of all I don't know!!! Love ya, kid ~~ and how's that Woody, or is it in the other post.... never mind, I'll check.... have a glorious day, dear! :-D

Hi Heidi, I haven't written in a while but want to say how beneficial your column is - a great support. I am an O non-secretor and recently read about adding the sea salt to my drinking water. The first day I felt fine but the following days I seem to have reactions to the salt. Is there such a thing as a sensitivity to salt? I immediately get a lot of mucous in my throat and then palpitation-like sensations in my chest. The first days it didn't last too long but today the palpitations won't go away. I just went to check my blood pressure at the store and that is okay but my pulse is slightly elevated. I am also getting more tired than usual. Each day the symptons seem more pronounced. I have been using 'Le Paludier' brand of sea salt from the health food store. Have you ever heard of this type of reaction? I know we need extra salt especially if drinking a lot of water but I am hesitant to do this at this time. Any suggestions? Sharon

Whoo! Well, first I'd try less salt. No more than 1/8 teaspoon per liter. The heart requires saline, and may have been getting far less than its due -- thus the readjustment as the muscle tingles around in its new environment. I'm not familiar with Le Paludier, but if it is a clean grey sea salt with nothing added, then it's not the source of your symptoms. I'd feel better in your case if you use a tablespoon of lemon juice per liter in the water instead. Please keep me updated on this, OK? thanks, Sharon!! :-D