Hi Heidi, just a question from this Ao+ NS Lewis(a-b-) NN. I'm unable to use the Polyflora A due to Chicory causing blood sugar to plummet. While I need more bifida than acidophilous, I find those that have FOS may be bothersome to me. I need a plain bifida, acidophilous combo, higher on the bifida. I've been taking a product which doesn't seem to bother me, but it has equal amounts of acidophilous and bifida. Any suggestions? Thx. CB.

Hi, CB! I don't know of a product like that, but I'm posting this so others may read it -- perhaps someone out there knows of a similar product? Can you find a plain bifida to add to the one you're using?

ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR CB? Hope someone pops in with an easy solution, CB ~ I'll post it! :-D

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I have an AB friend with a history of heart disease, (a couple of heart attacks, and surgery, before age 60,) and I was telling him about the book, because his daughter said all of a sudden he's very interested in nutriton. His wife doesn't seem to want to know about it, (I think she thinks he's already doing what he needs to do,) and his daughter is a nurse. I told her about the secretor test, and she said I'd rather not know..it might become self-fulfilling prophecy. She said she chooses to eat to prevent heart disease, (of course, using the AMA/ADA guidelines.) Any ideas on how to help him without stepping on their toes? Thanks, Judy



I also have a B friend with a history of anxiety, depression, and breast cancer. She lost her mother a couple of years ago, and was layed of from her job because of her depression. I told her about the BTD a couple of years ago, and let her read some of it. When I told her that tomatoes, chicken and corn were avoids for her, she said, "no way; macaroni and tomatoes are my comfort foods from childhood." Any ideas how to help her? I think she's on some type of medication for the anxiety/depression. She barely has the energy to get out of bed, let alone do her housework. When I saw her recently, she mentioned something about being tired, and I told her that the book says when B's are tired, they should exercise. She admitted that she hadn't been doing that, although she's been thinking about it. thanks Judy

Hello, Judy ~~ In both cases, although it's difficult for you as a concerned onlooker, it is really entirely up to the adult to whom you kindly offered the information. The AB man must decide whether he will insist on doing what he feels is best for his health, and the same for the B woman. Both may or may not take up this plan, in their own good time.

Whenever we share the BTD knowledge with others who are in need, there is a risk -- we have to be prepared for both acceptance AND rejection. For every choice someone makes, there may be hidden, underlying reasons which others aren't necessarily aware of -- so in respect for the mysteries of people and their subtle paths, all we should do is offer the help, explain or help further if requested, then go our way knowing we have followed our hearts without invasion or coercion.

You're a kind person, Judy ~~ I'm hoping your two friends will be inspired to use what you've generously suggested to them! In any case, I wish you great peace of mind, dear! :-D

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Note for Mary ~~ I received your message, & you're on the Nonnie List! ;-) Do keep in touch, and we'll talk soon! :-D

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I have several questions regarding O female and A male. For O female - I have long,very heavy monthly bleeding. When I was a vegetarian before blood type diet, I used nettles infusions which helped. Then blood type diet helped, but 6 days with 2 of very heavy bleeding is draining for me. Any suggestions? The nettles no longer helps any more. Also, I have severe night-time teeth-clinching that has not respond to accupuncture, hypnosis, dental work that re-adjusted my bite from braces, massage, or the blood type diet. Any suggestions? It all began 20 years ago with a whip-lash injury that was not treated. It may also be hereditary - as my father has similar problems though with several skeletal injuries as well.

For A male who is following the diet and enjoying feeling good. I read the information on soy, but did not see any mention of the research that addresses the possible estrogenization (did I get that right?) process of soy - that is that soy can act like estrogen in the body causing different problems for men or women. A friend of mine who is vegetarian and nursing her baby found that taking soy out of her diet stopped her monthly cycle - which she wanted while nursing. Any reason for concern? He eats tofu several times a week, soy milk every day, soy sauce as a condiment, and occasional soy powder in drinks etc. Thank you! melinda

Hello, Melinda! You are a prime candidate for Hellerwork, and that is what I'd look into right away. Just do a quick search on the Net for "Hellerwork," and you'll find information and practitioners. You'll also find contacts who can answer questions and help you find a practitioner in your area. Let me know if I can help further, once you've had a chance to read through it all.

Two things about soy: it's only one of the beans, and should be balanced with others in his diet. Have him check the portion/frequency tables in Live Right or the Food, Beverage and Supplement Lists and vary his bean intake over the week among the many type A beneficials and neutrals.

Second, let me quote briefly from Peter's column entitled "Soy Causes Cancer?"



Soy actually has the opposite effect to the one you were worried about. I hope this helps, and please write again & let me know how it goes! :-D

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Dear Heidi. Really need some advice about my duodenal ulcer! I'm a blood Type O N-S. I've just recently contacted my local Blood Type Practitioner in the UK and she's given me a herbal treatment which has Bladderwrack and Dandelion Root in it as well as telling me to take Slippery Elm powder. I've had a couple of days where I've been in absolute agony (I'm typing this at 3.30am as I can't sleep from the pain!) and nothing is working to relieve my symptoms - desperate for some advice as to what can work as a quick reliever! Do these herbal supplements take a while to kick in? Is there anything that will help in the interim? I've taken all the antiobiotics for the H Pylori so now I'm just trying to heal the ulcer. Really would appreciate hearing from you.... Josie.

Hey there, Josie ~~ After all the antibiotics, have you taken the probiotics to restore the intestinal population? Antibiotics will often have the effects you're experiencing. If they're strong enough, they can strip the lining of your intestinal tract, which can cause severe pain and a long healing period, and digestion can be very tricky until your gut is back to normal. Did your BTD advisor suggest anything for the pain?

If I were you, I'd spend the cash and get a priority shipment of Heallix (www.heallix.com) to get the flesh healing, and stick to fresh vegetable juices and homemade meat broth until you've had a couple of weeks of PolyFlora-O. Herbal preparations do sometimes take time to do their work, but if anyone out there has a suggestion for you (ANY QUICK HERBAL ULCER-PAIN RELIEVERS, FOLKS?) I will most certainly post it ASAP!!

Now I guess you have solid evidence of why I almost always discourage the use of antibiotics. :-( I'm really sorry you're in pain!! Please KEEP ME POSTED on what the BTD advisor offers, and how it goes for you! :-}

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Dear "On the Diet", I am a Type A, and strickly vegetarian (for health, ethical, environmental, and economical reasons - you name it). I need to find a calcium supplement. There is a supplement called "Phytocal A" listed on your Web site. One of the ingredients is rennett (25 mg.). Is this an animal-based ingredient? If so, is there another supplement that could substitute for this one? Thank you so much for your help with this! Regards, Amy

Hello, Amy! As it happens, I don't know if the "rennett" on the label is "rennet," the animal product. I see it only in the A and AB Phytocal. Why not contact NAP through the "Email Customer Service" link to the left, and ask about it? :-) thanks for your note! :-D

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Dear Heidi, Hope you are enjoying your few days of holiday. I am an avid reader and try to apply your suggestions to my life. I am an A+ secretor, 66 years old. I started dabbling in the diet about two years ago, cutting down on meat and dairy for a start. I've been drinking lemon juice in the morning and have really noticed a cutback in my mucus problem, although since I keep trying cheese (even goat cheese causes mucus) I guess I'll never get rid of it.

Finally, in Jan 2003 I gave up tomatoes & eggplant for good as well as whole wheat bread and bran muffins. Then, I could really see a difference. Gas problems diminished considerably as did diarrhea.

One big problem continues. DIFFICULTY SLEEPING. I started Cortiguard on 2 May, first one tablet with dinner (early dinner always) which didn't seem to help, then added a 2nd tablet this time with lunch. I added one polyflora on 6 May. I woke up just as often but it seemed easier to get back to sleep than pre-cortiguard. My sleep still did not feel relaxed, however. It's as though I'm on sentry duty all night.

Added one Deflect on 14 May. Then a week later I was bothered by constipation, so I stopped the Deflect, thinking that might be the culprit. Constipation cleared up but I was increasingly groggy and irritable during the day and occasionally light-headed. When I cut back to one cortiguard my sleep was poor. This time I stopped the polyflora. The lightheadedness & grogginess seemed worse, and on 5 June I nearly fainted in a grocery store. Now, I've stopped the cortiguard too. No more groggy, no more light-headed, and no more sleep.

I've been hoping against hope that it's not been the cortiguard giving me problems, and of course I don't really know that it is, but it seems that way. I've been a poor sleeper since childhood but as I age it is harder to function without sleep. I eat lightly in the evening (when I don't eat lightly in the evening I get no sleep even with cortiguard) and am in bed by 1030 or 1100. I go right to sleep and then starting waking 2-3 hrs later and the wakes continue through the night. There is usually a degree of gas discomfort when I wake (but never as bad as pre-diet) and sometimes an alka-seltzer will help me go back to sleep.

I do yoga all the time and walk as much as I can. I eat lots of fruit and vegs and love fish (always have). I've given up milk completely (I never liked milk or cream but drank milk because I thought I should.) Soy milk and rice milk turn my stomach. I'm trying to increase the breathing exercises. Have you any other ideas?

Sorry this is so long. I really do feel lots better on the diet and it would seem that eating the right foods would help with the sleep problem. But I definitely have a high stress personality. I'm retired from what was a stressful full-time job that I loved and now work a more relaxed, less pressure ridden schedule, but I don't feel any more relaxed. Take care. Nina W.

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Hello again, It's Type A+ secretor, non-sleeper who wrote earlier today. I forgot to say that I've been taking Bromelaine with every meal since March 2003. I also take Beano with vegs, which I've done for years and years. Have hardly eaten any meat in almost a year, and try to avoid the avoids, which I think I mostly do unless I'm eating away from home and can't help it.

Per your suggestion to someone, I've started eating a small portion of veg with breakfast. I gave up cereal when I gave up milk. Mostly I have lemon juice, fruit, rye toast with olive oil, tuna fish or whatever small portion of chicken, turkey or fish is around, and the veg. Sometimes I have scrambled egg but I don't usually feel like doing the egg. Besides, sometimes egg doesn't seem to agree with me. Don't like pancake/hotcake type dishes.

I wake up hungry in the morning (maybe it's from insufficient sleep). I used to always eat cheese, and often tomato, for breakfast before I discovered I shouldn't. And when I was young and didn't know about the perils of fat I used to broil a hamburger for breakfast everyday. Tasted great. Truly.) I always eat a good breakfast because I have no energy otherwise and never skip a meal for the same reason. I haven't been overweight since adolescence, but over the course of the year or so since starting the diet I've gradually lost about 15 lbs without trying, so now I'm really slim and weigh what I did in my 20's when I used to eat hamburger for breakfast. Nina W.

Hello, Nina! I'm very pleased you find this column worthwhile reading! :-) And I'm thrilled about your trim 20's-weight self! :-)

I'm going to make what may appear to be a bizarre suggestion. I think you'd benefit from a gallbladder flush. I've mentioned this practice several times before, and have done it many times myself.

Because you've said you're a little on the highly-strung side, I urge you to trust the process and be confident that it will do you no harm at all. The full details of the procedure can be found at www.sensiblehealth.com. Do two full days of the fresh-juiced apple juice (diluted in equal part with pure water) -- I suggest the tart Granny Smith for this purpose. Use grapefruit juice rather than lemon with the olive oil, and use a bit of lemon juice to cut that wondrous taste of the Epsom salts.

For now, I'd set aside the supplements -- even though I believe the Cortiguard will be very effective for you, I'd suggest you keep things very simple till you've completed three or four flushes. At that point, we can re-evaluate your sleep patterns and talk further about how to use them to your advantage.

If you'd like, I'd be most happy to walk you through the process -- let me know, and we can get together via email so you'd have someone to be there in case you have any concerns. Best wishes, Nina, and thanks so much for writing! :-D

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hi heidi, hope you had a lovely holiday you deserve it old bean!where did you go, anywhere nice? i am o ns could i please be put on the nonnie list? i have this week been 100 per cent good on o ns diet(mon-thurs).on friday i had my btd breakfast,@ 12am i had 3 squares of chocolate & 4 little homemade chocolate rice cakes.then had my btd lunch in afternoon i was so tired that by 5 pm i had to have a nap for half an hour just to carry on!such a reaction to such a small amount of chocolate is i think quite scary or would it have been the rice krispies that did it? does it mean i can never eat chocolate again ? not that i really want that reaction again but heck i'm only human & beneficials for o ns are few & far between.your advice is greatly appreciated.love you lots debs in england.xxx

hey there, debs! Off to the list you go!! ;-)

I went to lovely places and had quite a reunion with about 18 family members I've not seen in nearly 30 years. Enlightening, I can tell you. ;->

Rice krispies? Don't they have some kind of sugary and or corn-y sweetener?

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Hello I am B+ and I have been following the Type B diet fully. My age is 19 (20 in 2 months). I weigh 154 lbs and I am 5"11. Before the diet plan i weighed a little over 168 lbs (and I was working out). As a result of the diet, I am more leaner. But people are telling me I look skinny. I fear the diet has made me loose body fat (which is good) but also loose muscle mass. I never thought muscle would go as a result of dieting. I am gonna start working out more and bulking up on high protein Beneficial and Neutral foods such as Tuna. Could you please give me an insight of your knowledge with my case? Thank you Simon

Greetings, Simon! Very nice to hear from you!!

I think your friends aren't used to the lean, mean look on you. ;-) Feel free to have some extra protein snacks between meals & after workouts, including eggs, fish, meats, and cheeses -- and continue balancing all portions with vegetables & fruits. The diet wouldn't lead you to lose muscle tissue unless you were eating much too little for your size and activity levels. The more likely reason is not working out as much. If it's appearance only (quite possible), it could be simply the result of being used seeing a slightly rounder physique and face. I heartily encourage you to work out to the max, and use the exercise guidelines in Live Right 4 Your Type to balance heavy training sessions with more social or contemplative games & sports. Enjoy it, Simon, and let me know how you progress! :-D

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Dear Heidi, A wonderful part of living outside the US is the alternative medical available! To my surprise, my friends in Belgium and France were very interested in the sinus medicine I got from a doctor in New York City ( mentioned in a previous comment). It's Itraconazole 5 mg/ml in 420 ml Saltaire QS AD(No Diflucan). The procedure is to hang your head over a sink and squirt in nose and let it run out - not ingest it(2x day when needed). The medicine is local to the nose. It's not a solution but a suspension which must be shaken vigorously. The approach is a hybrid use of a medicine created by a pharmacist. Use is for sinus infections. What do you think? I realize that we still absorb medications through the nose. Thanks, Karen

Hi, Karen! Medicine of that kind sometimes alleviates symptoms -- but does nothing for the cause of the problem. Hence, it's an unnecessary risk to take with your sinus membranes. My experience is that over time, one finds the need to use more and more of it to get some relief. In my opinion, drugs of this kind are very much to be avoided.

Very warm salt water used in a neti pot will get better results with no side effects. Best of all, a dose of Heallix (www.heallix.com) in warm distilled water (or straight), in a neti pot or squirt bottle or eye dropper. These are only two really effective non-drug options for you, which will work well to open up the sinuses without subjecting you to medications which are expensive and tend to be self-perpetuating. I hope this helps, dear! Thanks for your note! :-D

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Hi Heidi, I am a 32 year old type O, Rh - (don't know my secretor status) mother of 2 toddlers and have been on the diet for a couple of weeks.

I was relatively healthy (except for some digestive problems) up until about 2 years ago, I I have always been constipated and one day I used a Dulcolax suppository, I immediately started getting cramps and started loosing all my good bacteria (I saw it and felt it)this went on for a couple of days. About two weeks after that is when things got really bad and still are, every months I get 2 sinus infections (took about 15 antibiotics in about 7 months), I am EXTREMELY fatigued all the time, got severe systemic Candida that has gotten me near the point of death, I have had many food allergies but have been dealth with, I have a severe adrenal problem and a thyroid problem (take adrenal support and T3 compound med) I had saline/silicone implants and had them removed (thought that was the problem)My hands and feet get nomb after I lay down, I have trouble concentrating, etc.

I had seen a Naturopath for 1 1/2 years (who couldn't understand why I wasn't feeling better so thought I needed psycological help)recently I found a new dr. who found I had 3 long standing infections: H. Pylori, Giardia and Ascaria. Started treating H. Pylory with antibiotics but my Lymph nodes were killing me 24/7, so I had to stop, I am now taking some natural herbs to try and keep H. Pylori under control until I can restart the antibiotics again. My question is... What can I do to stop this EXTREME fatigue that I feel every day, I have 2 toddlers and can't really take care of them. Should I do the rice/blueberry diet you suggested to somebody recently? Thank you so much for your help. Ana

DEAR ANA! Lord, you've had a rotten time of it! I'm very sorry you're in such difficulties!

Are you taking bladderwrack, and avoiding ALL grains and sugars for the time being? Fill up on meat, fish, vegetables, anything except ANY kind of sugar or grain, OK?

As you can see, antibiotics were the cause of the miseries you've been in since the first time you took them.

Antibiotics are the CAUSE of Candida being able to take over, and the cause of the state of your intestinal tract now. They KILL EVERYTHING (rather than restore balance) -- they're "stupid drugs," not smart ones, and each time they'll leave you worse off than before.

The fatigue, infections, allergies, poor digestion and thyroid trouble can all be directly traced to all those antibiotics. Your gut is where it's ALL happening -- your immunity, your digestion, your strength, your endocrine organ function, and your energy all depend on a healthy intestinal population. Antibiotics will destroy it once again. Please don't let that happen!

Get some bladderwrack, PolyFlora (the blood type O probiotic) and some ARA6 from the Store here. Also, order a couple of bottles of Heallix from Leo at www.heallix.com. The Heallix will do everything an antibiotic would do (and much more - it heals flesh) but will NOT kill the good critters you need for digestion and immunity. It sounds a little pricey, but the cost is FAR less than the pain and suffering the antibiotics will dish out.

Stick strictly to the diet, take those supps, and dose with Heallix at the therapeutic level printed on the bottle. It will take a couple of weeks before your energy returns, but it WILL return (unlike what the drugs would do to you) and you'll be well on your way to better health than you've known in years.

Don't you really want to kiss your kids hello and kiss your doctor & prescriptions goodbye? That's the offer! Take good care, Ana, and keep writing!!! :-D

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