Heidi! I had the most delicious fish Sable !! and I hope it is OK to eat. I also want to know the value of Ocean catfish. I checked the BTD encyclopedia, checked the Typebase and asked Nina on the nonsecretor site for the values. She says: "Black cod is also known as sable fish and cod is beneficial for all of us alike. I assumed/hoped it was a kind of cod :-) but this is probably a job for Heidi. Especially the next one. These are the other names I found for ocean catfish - Sea Cat, Wolffish, Loup de Mer(French) and Lobo(Spanish). Ocean catfish is a bottomfish and feeds mainly on various shellfish and is not to be confused with the freshwater catfish. So it does not sound like it would have the same rating as catfish in the TYPEbase. Technically, if it is not listed in the TYPEbase and there is no new rating for it, you can treat it is as a neutral if you are in good health. I would sent these to Heidi to be on the safe side. :-)"

Is there any further info on these fishies? thanks, emme, 0-ns



Hi there, emme -- Nina did a fine summary of your fishies. The ocean catfish, or seacat (wolffish here) and the sablefish bear no relationship to any of the rated fishes we have on our database -- so, it's the old "unknown" category for them! enjoy!! :-D

Hi Heidi, although I've been following the blood type diet fairly religiously for the past five years with excellent results, lately it feels like I'm blundering around instead of having a clear idea of how to look after certain aspects of my being!



A recent acquaintance suggested trying Essiac tea since it supports the immune system, among other things. Gullible me, I thought it sounded great, so I brewed some up. It does help with bowel movements tremendously. However, the fungus on my neck and upper body seemed to spread (it began after I tried this wonder amino acid stuff that has soy in it, not sure what else) and got a lot itchier, and my eyes have been discharging like crazy. I finished the batch and decided to stick only with BTD as the way to improve my immune system. Being a B+ non-secretor, that's vital! Even more so since I just turned 65.



I can't find essiac tea in the search list, nor can I find most of the ingredients in the tea. Has Dr. D. done any research into it? The herbs used in it are burdock root, sheep sorrel, slippery elm bark and turkey rhubarb. As an aside re the fungus, I got some tea tree oil and a couple of applications over the fungus, combined with oil of oregano (as well as taking the oil of oregano internally) cleared up almost all of it in a couple of days! Amazing! And my eyes are clearing as well.



Lesson well learned, I think. Stick to the stuff that has been proven scientifically to work. ;-) I appreciate any information you can supply regarding Essiac or any of the individual herbs that are used to make it. And thanks for your continuing cheerful, supportive and informative communications. By the way, I can't find the column you had recently regarding red yeast rice and the ONLY company you recommend. I looked at the web site, but didn't make a note of it, and now I can't find it in the archives even though I've looked on several occasions. Love to you, Janet



So nice to hear from you, Janet! ;-)



Essiac tea is made in many ways, and the ingredients vary considerably. Rene Caisse did not reveal the original recipe to anyone, so folks have been brewing up similar-but-not-identical mixes ever since. You've listed some of the basic ones, though - cat's claw and a number of other herbs also appear in essiac preparations. Turkey rhubarb is one of the varieties of rhubarb (a B avoid), distinguished by its spiky leaf shape. The bottom line is that it exacerbated your fungus problems, for which I'd give it a wide berth. ;-)



For the veddy best red yeast rice, here's the site: http://www.redyeastrice-china.com/public_html/index.htm If ever you have trouble finding it again, do a search for Jingxin. Hope you enjoy your reading, and thanks again for writing in! :-D

Dear Heidi, Living in the UK, all eggs are kept, and sold, unrefrigerated. Having had a bout with salmonella this year (treated with homeopathy),I am concerned about eating eggs here. I do buy organic, free-range eggs and now only have them hard boiled. My guess is that I got the salmonella from eggs in a restaurant.



Since I react to so many foods I mistakenly thought that plain, scrambled eggs cooked in oil was a "safe" bet. Never again! Are hard boiled eggs safe? Also concerned about chicken in restaurants since it can harbour salmonella. Any suggestions for eating chicken safely? Is turkey typically okay? Thanks, Karen O- secretor



Hi, Karen! ;-) Hard boiled eggs are your safest bet in restaurants, since both the shell and the egg are thoroughly boiled. As to chicken or turkey in restaurants, it depends entirely on the restaurant. If you don't know whether the restaurant is trustworthy, I'd make sure the fowl is cooked right through, no pink showing... better yet, I'd visit a better restaurant, cook only at home, OR take Heallix before & after any dubious meal! You might want to choose meat or fish instead? Sorry you've had such a rough time of it on the microbial front!! Best wishes, dear!! :-)

Zoot! Alors..... I never thought of the condensation on the eggs having come out of the refrigerator!!!! Since I have one of the world's tiniest "frigo"s, guess I should just leave them out - but the entire kitchen is tiny.....so hmmmn... Maybe I've just been lucky living in France (knock wood..), but if I worried about e coli and salmonella, I don't think I could ever eat! I go to the best butcher shop in my area, and most Americans would be freaked out. No gloves on the butcher's hands (and they shake hands with all good customers when they come in). They pick up the beef of lamb or veal or chicken with their bare hands, put in on the cutting board, and cut it (with the same knife...), and then slam it on the scale. During fresh rabbit and game season, these little creatures get weighed on the same scales fully furred or feathered!!! So, obviously, the meats one buys here are exposed to the little things that cause uproar in the USA. I must say that I cringe, but so far, have not been harmed - at least not as far as I know..... Could it be that one'e tummy just gets adjusted????? Like I said, this IS the best butcher shop around (you should see some of the other ones!!!). So, Heidi, should I just consider myself lucky, or should I be doing some kind of lab work to make sure I don't have some kind of menagerie crawling around inside me??? a bientot, Abby



LOL! ~~:-D Well, I doubt your menagerie is a harmful one!! If you saw my childhood environment, what I tromped around in barefoot daily, and what I ate (including venison, squirrel, and other delicacies long before the recent harsh emphasis on sanitary measures), you'd be as surprised as I at the utter absence of any parasite of any kind. When I did my first bowel cleanse, I was all excited at the prospect of passing worms & all such fascinating things. Well, nothing. Nada. Same with the gallbladder flush. No critters, not a single blamed one. Just a bunch a stones. :-D



Bear in mind that plenty of folks would be mightily concerned about you. In my opinion, the quality of the meat you're getting means there's no nastiness to spread via handshake or shared scale. And I'd much rather see you eating that meat than biting yer nails down to the elbows in a doctor's office whilst awaiting your lab results, LOL! much more nutritious! Just my opinion! VERY best wishes to ya, dear!! :-D

Hello Heidi! I have been on the BTD for about 4 months now, since my saint of a mother introduced me. Immediately I was interested by the cover since I am also a Peter Jay (sychronicity or what?). I have had good health all of my life but notice a huge improvement in digestion and over all energy levels. Love it! I know that I am a Type A but nothing more. This was ok when I started out with ERFYT but now since I have purchased LRFYT, I would love to know my secretor status. Here's the catch. Currently I am living and teaching in Bangkok Thailand. I have contacted several hosiptals in my area and (granted my Thai is not the best) all have said that they do not perform secretor tests. My question to you is, any ideas how I could find out? Thank for your informative column, I have read it since I've been on the diet and it has answered so many of mine, as well as uncountable other people's questions. We're all so grateful to have you! PJ in BKK



Greetings, PJ! :-) Lovely to hear from your fine self in Thailand!



The saliva secretor test isn't done everywhere; if you're staying in Thailand for some time to come, ask for the LEWIS test. It is a blood test which often correlates with secretor status. If you get hold of a lab who can do that test, let us know and we'll help with the interpretation of the results.



Otherwise, if you'll be moving or travelling soon, there are labs in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North American to which I can refer you... so keep in touch, and let me know how it goes. And I'm tremendously pleased you're enjoying the benefits of the diet! Blessings ~~ :-D

I am a type O neg who has small benign tumors scattered about my body. I have just stared the O diet. Are there anyother suggestions for supplementation?

jenn



Hello, Jenn -- WELCOME!!



Could you tell me more about the benign tumors? for instance, does your doctor have a technical term for them? that would help greatly in figuring out if we have some supplemental strategies which would be useful for you.



Write again soon, OK? thanks! :-)

I have been diognosed with fibromyalgia possibly caused by chemical exsposure. I read in your book that type O's have some success with herp suppliments. my LFT's are raised but liver ultrasounds have come back clear. i have a heightened sense of smell to chemicals and im no longer able to tolerate alcohol. i have blood type A and was wondering if there was any suppliments that would assist with my illness, i am particulary interested in things that boost your liver fuction. i have started on a basic vegetarian diet mainly due to the fact my cholesterol is over 8.0 Iam only 27 and any hel would be greatly appriciated.. Aaron



Hi, Aaron! I can certainly recommend the Liver Support protocols in The BTD Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia. The ideal diet for type A is not necessarily a strict vegetarian one, nor with the A diet raise your cholesterol levels. Do you have one of the basic books -- either Eat Right 4 Your Type or Live Right 4 Your Type? Read through the type A section carefully -- you'll find nearly everything you need there.



For the rest, let me know if you can get the Encyclopedia there in Oz, and write again if you have more questions afterward, OK? I'll be thinking of you -- let me know how you're doing when you get the chance! :-)