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1. Question: Anything About Melasma?
Dear Ann Marie:
I was scouring the Internet about anything I could find regarding Melasma and came across the following:
“Real Food: A Natural Cure for Arthritis, Allergies, Chronic Fatigue, Melasma, Cradle Cap & Cavities by Ann Marie Michaels on February 25, 2009″
I realize that this article was written some years back, but I am very, VERY interested in any information, help, recommendations, suggestions…..ANYTHING that you could offer to help me with my melasma.
It’s been several years now that I’ve been searching the Internet for cures or help of some sort. Most things don’t really seem to work, and the reports I’ve heard about laser treatments scare me — the people that had it done now regret it. I am so tired of wearing all this make-up to cover up the blotches, and not being able to leave the house, or let people come to visit me without make-up on.
I would be so very grateful if you could find the time to send me some kind of information, or at least point me in the right direction so that I can help myself.
So Very Grateful in Advance….
Sincerely,
Phyllis
Answer
Hi, Phyllis,
I need to write a whole post about this.
For me, what worked was switching to a WAPF (Weston A Price Foundation) diet. I started drinking whole raw milk, taking cod liver oil, eating grass-fed meats, wild-caught seafood and and eating whole grains and sweeteners instead of refined white sugar and white flour.
It took a few years, but in time my melasma completely disappeared.
Very recently, my melasma has started to reappear ever so slightly on the sides of my face near my hairline. I believe this is because I have stopped taking cod liver oil in the past year or so (mainly due to laziness). I am back on it and I expect it to get better again.
2. Question: Reading Labels When Buying Organic?
Hi Ann Marie
I’m not sure if you’ve already covered this topic, but have you discussed reading labels when buying organic. I was at Costco the other day and saw they had organic butter!! But I quickly put it back after reading ‘natural flavoring’ listed in the ingredients. I think you have discussed carreagean (sp?) or maybe it was Sarah Pope (or both of you might have). Anyways I think sometimes those just starting out on the organic foods frontier might not realize the ‘hidden’ dangers in the organic foods.
Marie
Cheeseslave follower 
Answer
That’s a great idea for a blog post.
I look for grass-fed butter and dairy, not organic. (Although ideally it should be both.) Organic is less important than grass-fed. Same goes for meat. For seafood, look for wild-caught and/or sustainably harvested.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop has a whole book called The Real Food Ingredient Guide. You can get it for 25% off when you become a member of VGN Premium.
3. Question: Experience With Matt Stone And Suggestion About Dealing With Food Allergies
Hi AnnMarie!
I was on GAPS for a few years following lots of antibiotics for Lyme Disease. At a certain point I was gaining weight rapidly and not sleeping at all and I found Matt Stone and Ray Peat’s work. Since switching, my sleep, joint pain, weight, energy and many other things are so much better!
However I seem to still be struggling with food allergies — I get sore throats and migraines a few times a week. Would love to hear your experience or suggestions. Seems Matt Stone’s take is that if you keep raising metabolism, food allergies will go away, was this your experience?
Thank you!
Answer
I know people who have seen their food allergies reverse once they healed their metabolism. Personally, I didn’t have any food allergies when I followed Matt Stone’s advice. I reversed my food allergies in my 20s, 15 years ago.
You might consider doing a Skype consultation with Matt.
4. Question: Do You Have Suggestions On How To Nurture My Body During Stressful Times?
Dear Ann Marie
We lost our house in the tornado this week in Moore, OK. My family is fine and we even recovered some personal items, and to be quite honest, I feel very lucky because my family wasn’t home at the time and we even had our dog. I just want you to know we aren’t in a dire situation. Yet, I’m still under a lot of stress as you can imagine.
Just a little back story, my 3-month-old and 4-year-old were hospitalized back in Feb with RSV and pneumonia, respectively. After all returned home after 2 weeks, I fell into extreme exhaustion for about 3 days. I finally went back to work and my babysitter quit. I fell into exhaustion again. Now that we’ve had this tornado, it’s happening again. I assume it is some kind of adrenal fatigue. I breastfeed, too, and my baby still wakes several times a night (he’s almost 7 months now).
Do you have suggestions on how to nurture my body during this stressful time. Does this sound like adrenal fatigue to you?
We were able to recover a lot of our grassfed meat and my other real foodie friend got me some milk from the farmers market and I was able to get other stuff from the health food store. We are staying with friends who are taking care of us, but my diet hasn’t been great since this happened. I am going to order CLO/BO as soon as our insurance advance gets through the bank. What else could I take? I’ve been to the chiropractor and I bought my pillow that I love. Any other suggestions? (At home, I usually eat ice cream every night but I haven’t been able to do that here. That makes me the happiest!)
Thank you,
Holly
Answer
I’m sorry you’ve had such a rough time lately. I’m glad you are all doing well.
I can’t diagnose adrenal fatigue — you’d need to see a practitioner.
I’m guessing you’re probably not getting enough sleep. If you could go to bed when the children do, and aim for 10-12 hours, that would help a lot. If you can’t get that many hours at night, get in a nap each day when the kids nap.
Also, eat more ice cream and other things that make you feel good. Sourdough pancakes and waffles, pizza, hash browns cooked in coconut oil, grass-fed meat with mashed potatoes and homemade gravy are all good “comfort foods” to eat when you’re feeling exhausted and drained. Make sure you’re eating enough!
Of course, liver is one of the best foods you can eat — if you don’t like regular liver, try liverwurst. Liver is one of the best foods to eat to deal with stress.
I’d do SOME form of cod liver oil in the meantime, until you can afford the good stuff, especially because you are nursing. And I’d eat plenty of grass-fed butter.
5. Question: Restaurants That Serve Grass-Fed Steak in Los Angeles?
Hello,
I was given your name by Chris Kerston at Chaffin Family Orchards. I had reached out to them asking if they sent any of their grass-fed beef to restaurants in the Los Angeles area. My boyfriend is on a strict organic diet and he can only eat grass-fed beef, free-range/hormone-free chicken, organic vegetables & fruits, etc. We are always eating at the same restaurants (Burger Lounge, Hugo’s, Evo — to name a few) and we’re looking to expand our options.
Are you able to provide some restaurants where we can get grass-fed steak? We were told by the hostess that BLT served grass-fed steak, but when we arrived and ordered, the waiter said at first it’s grass-fed, then finishes as corn fed. Needless to say, my boyfriend was disappointed because we wouldn’t have gone to eat there.
The web lists some places, but I wondered if you had any inside scoop!! Thank you in advance and I look forward to hearing from you!
Heidi
Answer
I personally would feel fine about eating grass-fed/corn-finished beef at a restaurant.
I don’t have a comprehensive list. I really don’t eat out that often. Maybe folks can share in the comments.
I love Steingarten — great grass-fed hamburgers and sausages (not all the sausages are grass-fed — I’d guess that the elk and venison and wild boar are) and an excellent craft beer list.
You can try searching on Yelp.
Here’s another directory of grass-fed beef restaurants.
Also, LA blogger, Appropriate Omnivore has grass-fed beef listed on his site.
And I love Plan Check — I don’t know if they have grass-fed meat but they do have French fries fried in beef tallow.
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