Hi Heidi, Sorry about the mix up with Sarah's email. I have sent her an email a couple of times. One to the "sayrah..." one that you sent me and one to "sarah..." without the "y" just in case and no response yet. Thanks for everything. Nina

PS. My O nonnie sister went to see Doc Bron and found out she is an A nonnie after all. Yeesh. He was wonderful with her. You guys are the best.

Sarah C (who asked to be put in touch with Nina) ~ are ye there? :-) Let me know whether you've received Nina's email, and if there's some other address she should use... thanks, dear! :-)

Yep, Doc Bron's a marvelous fellow, ain't he? I'm greatly pleased your sister enjoyed her visit ~~ and that we've got her firmly pegged as an A! Hoo-rah! :-D

I am blood group type "A" and notice that Broad beans are listed twice, once in the avoid category and once in the neutral category. As I am really fond of broad beans, would appreciate confirmation of which category the bean belongs.... Thanks very much Linda

Hello, Linda! Broad beans are beneficial for A secretors (about 85% of As are secretors) and neutral for nonsecretors. :-)

Dear Heidi, Yet again I have to tell you that you are brilliant. Firstly I am so grateful that you answer my questions and it is wonderful to have your support. I must tell you about my Morphea lady. When I got back to her after your message, she said that she was so thrilled, she had stuck to the diet religiously for a month, been back to the skin specialist and they both noticed that the morphea was receeding, so she has turned down the steriods and is on the Deflect pills instead! Thank you. My Spondylosis chap is just starting his diet and supplments as are both my Ank.Sp. people, watch this space. THANK YOU.

My question about the Glucosamine Sulphate and the Glucosmine Hydrochloride is still confusing me. In the 1998 Rheology lecture that Peter gave he says that no-one knows whether the results that we get from people taking Glucosamine Sulphate for arthritis are because of the Glucosamine itself or the fact that it is binding the lectins. So I still don't know whether the Hydrochloride version will do the same thing. Would you be able to check on that for me please?

Another, final question....Peter has spoken in the past about slug lectins being brilliant for MS people (not snails) along with the stinging nettle tablets. Has anyone formulated a slug pill yet? I have been working with a particular MS client for 5 years who, up to now has been stable. She is starting to degenerate and I would like to be able to stabilse her again. Any ideas about the slugs? Thank you Heidi SO MUCH A big hug to you Sarah

:-) I'm thrilled you're seeing great results in your clients, Sarah! What a gem you are! :-) I'm most certainly not brilliant, but I'm clinging tenaciously to the coattails of those who are! :->

I will put the hydrochloride question to the experts, but it may be some time before I can obtain a reply. Whether the glucosamine is only binding lectins, or if it does what some claim, namely stimulates the body to produce its own glucosamine in the joints, is an issue which I think has not been definitely settled yet.

I do understand your interest in obtaining cheap glucosamine! In fact, were it not for glucosamine hydrochloride's role in veterinary medicine as an anti-arthritis compound, sparking subsequent testing for humans, glucosamine would never have made it to the HFS shelves. There are a multitude of items in veterinary catalogs which are either identical to the pharmaceuticals targeted for human use, or which have the identical effect in humans, and which cost half or a quarter as much. I do hope the hydrochloride version of glucosamine is one of these items!

As to the slug lectin from Limax flavus, I did an extensive search and learned a few things, but nothing in the way of a supplement form of the lectin popped up. Here is Dr. Ronald Miller's research description page on the Medical University of South Carolina site. And here is the only place I found online that lists this lectin with a catalog number -- indicating that they sell it. However, I couldn't find an English version of any other information/page there, and it appears to be a company in China. I will do my best to source a "slug pill" for you ASAP!

In looking around the online lectin references, I found lots of fun stuff: as one example, it looks like an enterprising inventor believes lectins can be used for birth control! :-D

Anyway, let's see what I can dig up ~~ warmest wishes to you, my dear! :-D

Hello Heidi! Thanks for your response to my plea for health help! I found out that I'm an O neg secretor, so perhaps my body IS fighting off my husband's AB positive secretor baby making juices:-) Like you, Dr. D, in his author tour talk, also told us that pregnancy can still happen for us (cross your fingers) and suggested green tea and Vitamin C (only from acerola cherry food source). We figured we got the "blessing" from the king himself so it can't be long now! Right? Following up on my previous post on not feeling too well...is it possible that supplementation can have an adverse effect? I stopped taking some of my supplements and feel MUCH better. Go figure! How can we figure out what we truly need and what we are already getting enough of from food? Are there certain vitamins and minerals that Os MUST supplement with or does it all depend on the individual? Thanks for providing guidance, your great! Susan

Hey there, Susan! you're very kind! Yes, you certainly may find that one or another supp is not what your body needs. Staying tuned in to those signals is the key to figuring it out, which you seem very skilled in doing! :-) For the most part, if you're eating a wide variety of beneficial & neutral foods and avoiding the rest, you're likely getting plenty of everything that you need.

We encourage supplementation based on: (1) the widespread depletion of soils and the long transit time between harvesting and sale of fruits and veg. Both conditions greatly reduce the nutrient content of foods; (2) the enormous addition to the baseline (or ancient) stresses in daily life. The demands we place on ourselves to earn a living in a crowded and tax-heavy world, and the toxic chemicals in our environment, are but two examples of what our genomes didn't expect to face, and which severely affect our need for nutrients and ability to assimilate them; (3) chronic illness, injuries, surgery, or drug use in the individual, any of which can require supplementation to bring him or her "back from the cliff" and set them on the road to healing.

I'd say the basic supps that a moderately healthy O would benefit from would be PolyFlora and Phytocal. Now, if one's digestion, stress response and general immunity are excellent (visible as shining skin, hair & eyes; only the rarest cold or flu; and no constipation or unformed stools -- and felt as a vibrant pleasure in living), clearly no supplementation is called for.

Sometimes a supplement isn't tolerated well because of the fillers rather than the active ingredients. Testing single pure ingredients is a good way to find out if you can benefit from them, and also to find out which fillers aren't friendly to you.

My fingers are crossed and I'm visualizing lots of little babies for you, dear!! Blessings, and take good care!! :-)

I am fairly new to all of this, and am completely overwhelmed by the wealth of information available on this site alone. there are no licensed naturopaths in my state and quite honestly, I don't have the time to spend pouring over books and info on the internet.

Anyway, my whole family is blood type O. I have two main questions at this point (If there's an easy place to look for answers that I've missed, please let me know.): I would like to know if there are any specific recommendations for (1) recurrent kidney stones and (2) osteoarthritis (in the hip).

As a secondary comment; I read Eat Right 4 Your Type and we have been trying to make changes in our diet, but the costs of supplements and special foods (e.g. wheat-free alternatives) are staggering. We are a two-income family that is barely making it as it is. How does Dr. D'Adamo propose that people implement all of these suggestions on a tight budget? We would have to spend almost $200 just to find out if we are secretors or not. I believe strongly in nutrition and natural health options, but we just can't afford it! Pauline

Welcome, Pauline! There is a great deal of information, indeed! The good news is that we don't need to understand it all in order to benefit from the health plan based upon it. I'll try to help you do just that.

In this country, we're accustomed to spending as little money as possible on the most convenience we can get. With the convenience (fast foods, sodas, microwave dinners, popcorn in a bag, bread from the "bread wall" in the supermarket) comes "food" with little or no real food in it. Few if any nutrients, that is, but a load of toxic chemicals, sugar and denatured grain. And most of us are locked into lifestyles in which every moment of the day is scheduled already, and every penny coming in is already allocated to be spent.

When anyone decides to improve her eating habits, she's faced with two elements: either spend more money or more time. With more money, she can get the same convenience she had before. With more time, she can spend as little (often less!) money as she spent before. Most of us end up balancing the two, depending on our situations.

That's what I'm here to help you with. To spend virtually the identical amount of money and time on food that you spend now, forget the supps and fancy foods. They're not required. Simply follow the BTD food list and substitute 100% rye bread for wheat bread. One serving of meat, one of fish or poultry, and one of grain daily is a good non-fussy basic rule of thumb. Not only wheat, but potatoes, milk and cream, and corn must be removed from your diets, so if that leaves a space in the menu, substitute beneficial and neutral vegetables and fruit -- these together should be the "bottom of the pyramid," or the mainstays of anyone's diet. If there's any product you use that includes wheat, corn, or dairy and you can't find an easy substitute for it, eliminate it and make a vegetable or fruit dish instead.

There is a third element, hidden in the first two: the willingness to change. I've kept the "change-challenge" to a minimum in my advice to you, so that you and your family can improve your health with only the minimum necessary adjustments, and no increased expenditure of money or time. However, if that minimum challenge is refused -- if we say, "No, I want the taste of foods I'm used to, and I want my arthritis to improve," or "No, I'm Italian-American (or Irish or German or Mexican or Polish or Hungarian, etc.) and I must have my traditional (fill in the blank) daily," then unless there's some "give" in the money or time category, my hands are tied -- I can't help.

For instance, let's say you don't see 100% rye bread in your supermarket. You'd then have the option of just eliminating grains from your family's diet altogether (and doing them an enormous favor), requring only the willingness to do so, and maybe saving you significant money in the process. Or, nudge the schedule enough so you can bake your own rye bread once a week -- that's cheaper than buying it. Or, spend time scouring your locality for a baker who makes, or will make, 100% rye or spelt bread -- or find an online source for rye or spelt bread (there are so many in competition that the price isn't much more than you'd pay the baker).

I've used bread extensively as an example, but all this would apply to any food you or your family are reluctant to let go of. What I'm saying is, 'something has to give.' ;-) Also, in every case, some tiny change in money or time will be involved in the beginning: the cheapest bread costs a bit less than the fresh vegetables to replace it, and the simplest changes require some thinking & re-designing of menus, which takes a little time as well.

About kidney stones and arthritis: I'll give you here some of the diet comments in the text of the Complete BTD Blood Type Encyclopedia -- without the supplements recommended.

Kidney stones: Possible causes: frequent UTIs, poor dietary habits, inadequate fluid consumption, and limited physical activity. Some thyroid medications and calcium-based antacids. (Drinking as close to one gallon of water daily, with a squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of good sea salt in each quart, will do a splendid job on kidney stones. Get the exercise recommended for Os, and don't take any calcium supplement or any antacid (or anything else) that contains calcium carbonate. --H)

Reduce your intake of the following foods: spinach, rhubarb, beet greens, nuts, chocolate, tea, wheat bran, strawberries.

Osteoarthritis: Avoid tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant. (Use pineapple juice and ginger to reduce inflammation - H).

Pauline, I truly hope you got something of value from all this. Committing to this plan is WELL WORTH IT!! ;-) and I sincerely wish you and your family the very best of health!!

Hello Heidi, Re testing for coeliac disease, another way of finding out if someone is coeliac is to run a blood test for antigliadin and endomyseal antibodies. In the UK this is available from Biolab http://www.biolab.co.uk/singles.html (I am sure that there are labs running similar tests in the US) Biolab says: IgA deficiency is common in coeliac disease and this leads to confusing antibody test results in some patients. Patients with IgA deficiency are 10 times more likely to have coeliac disease than the general population. The test that we use also looks at the IgG antigliadin antibodies. This test is more sensitive and also identifies gluten sensitivity in IgA deficient patients. The IgA test has about the same specificity as the jejunal biopsy and is an appropriate test in full-blown coeliac disease. It is not sensitive enough to identify patients with a lower degree of sensitivity to gluten. It can also miss some histologically definite coeliac cases owing to the high incidence of IgA deficiency in this group of patients. Tom

Thank you so much for that, Tom!! It's wonderfully generous of you to lend a hand here ~~ VERY much appreciated!

If anyone would like to thank Dr. Greenfield personally for the huge contributions he's making to education and practice in naturopathic medicine, pop on over to the BTD-UK message board and express your views! ;-)