hi heidi, you have mentioned flax seeds the last couple of days. do the flax seeds have to be ground or can they be eaten whole? thanks. kathy

Hello, Kathy ~ For the breakfast recipe, and the plain flax+water, they're ground. I use an electric coffee grinder and a clean, soft brush to remove all the powdered flax. :-)

Greetings from downunda again dear Heidi, I think my last question may have got lost.

On 2nd May I stopped taking the protein powder which I was reacting to and continued taking the supplements. I have since had a persistent cough, not painful and non-productive, vary like an allergic response. I am really disappointed not to be making the progress that I had hoped for. In fact seemingly a bit of a reversal. Through an allergy test I have determined that I was reacting to the rice in the protein powder. I see that there is no rice in the supplements yet I cough so much, worse at night. Any suggestions or possible explanation would be really appreciated.

And, there was another New Zealander who wrote in, I have forgotten her name now, who knew her secretor status and I would love to know where she went to get that test, as i think that is my next step for further progress and where i live no one does it. I understood that the Lewis test does not have 100% accuracy. Many thanks for all your help Heidi. marni

Hi, Marni ~ If you type your name into the search form below, you'll find the post where I answered the question (on 29 May). It's at the top of the links. I hope this will help, dear!! :-)

Dear Heidi, A colleague has been following the blood type O diet carefully for five months (secretor status unknown). He is feeling good but has numerous mouth ulcers. This is a request for advice from anyone on how he should deal with these mouth ulcers. Thanks, Karen O

Karen, can you tell us more? Did the ulcers appear when he added (or subtracted) anything, or did he have them before he began the diet?

Has he had cancer, autoimmune disease, or immune system problems generally?

Does he have solid intake of B vitamins, minerals, and water daily? Does he smoke or drink heavily?

Please let me know what you can learn from him, and I invite everyone to send in any experiences they've had with this condition ~ we'll put our heads together and get him on the right track! :-D