And medicine finds nothing

[RoadRaven]

LB, I'm like Justina... I'm wondering about over-training too... even with rest days in a week, sometimes the body wants a complete break and you might find taking a week off completely is just as helpful as anything else.

Keep us posted about the change in diet/supplements. I find that kind of thing very interesting.

[Surlygirl]

I use flax seed. If you can, buy the seeds whole and store them in the fridge because they will go bad quickly otherwise. I bought a pepper mill this week and I put the seeds in that and store in the fridge. I grind them on yogurt, fruit, cereal whatever. They have to be ground. Good for your heart.
Sorry your not well. Sometimes the solution isn't always easy to find.

[LBTC]

Thank you all, once again for your generous support! It's great to hear your ideas and to bounce my ideas off of all of you!

here's what I've found so far: The usnea tincture is fairly unpleasant to take, but not horrible. I don't know what exactly it's supposed to do, but I don't seem to have any negative response to it.

The ground flax seeds are easy. I've actually started putitng them in my cat's food too (hyperthyroid and mild kidney issues). 2 tablespoons on my cereal in the morning, another tablespoon with whatever later in the day.

the royal jelly is horrible. those vials are most disgusting! but, once it's down and the taste is gone from my mouth, there are no negative problems. It is very expensive. If I can find some alternative to it, I'd be quite happy.

the ginger root tea is curious. I know I've made it correctly (sliced ginger root placed in boiling water and simmered for at least 20 minutes), and it tastes just fine to me. Unfortunately, it burns - from my esophogus through my stomach, it burns for about 1/2 hour or so. It's like heartburn, sort of.

Have any of you drank ginger root tea before? Has anyone else experienced this burning sensation? oh, and that seems to be accompanied by a sort of light-headedness....anyone?

If no others have experienced this, it makes me wonder if my real problem is an allergy to ginger (something I'd thought I'd had a long time ago after a bite into ginger made my tongue go numb). It certainly would explain a lot!! With each onset of each new "cold" or "flu" I've increased my ginger intake: nibbling on crystalized ginger, drinking store bought ginger tea, adding crystalized ginger to my banana bread, making soup with loads of garlic and freshly grated ginger.

What do you think? Any chance of that?

As for overtraining - well, it's been about a month since I've done anything close to training. So, over the next few weeks I'll try to bring myself up to a level where I think starting makes sense (at least 2 rides in a week, plus one other workout), and see how that goes. I"ll keep you posted and thank you all for all the support and ideas!!

Namaste,
~T~

[Veronica]

I'd cut out the ginger. It just sounds unpleasant.

Hope it all goes away soon.

V.

[snapdragen]

I agee with Veronica - cut out ginger. Food allergies can knock you down!

From transworldusa.com:

Usnea General Information
Usnea, also known as old man’s beard, is a lichen and is used medicinally. Usnea looks like long, fuzzy strings hanging from trees in the forests of North America and Europe, where it grows. Throughout history, herbalists have used Usnea to treat indigestion. The usnic acid in Usnea gives it a bitter taste.

Usnea Uses & Scientific Evidence For
Usnea contains mucilage which is helpful in easing irritating coughs. It is also used to treat colds, sore throats, and infections. This lichen has also been tested for use as an antibiotic and in test tube studies have suggested anti-cancer activity for usnic acid, but at this time the results do not warrant further investigation in humans.

Usnea Dosage Information
The standard dosage of Usnea is 100 mg 3 times per day in capsule form. If using a tincture, 3–4 ml 3 times per day, can also be used.

Usnea Safety & Interaction Information
There are no known side effects or drug interactions with Usnea and it is considered safe for use in children; however, the safety of Usnea during pregnancy and nursing is not known.

----------------------

[LBTC]

and yet, another friend just emailed me that ginger is supposed to burn...all the way down. how would i know if it's an allergy then?

Thanks for the info on usnea, snap! I did know that's the plant it came from, but wasn't sure which thing it was supposed to help with. I guess it's for digestion.

thanks!~
~T~

[Veronica]

and yet, another friend just emailed me that ginger is supposed to burn...all the way down.

As Thom says, "Include me out of that plan."

I've had crystallized ginger and grated ginger and not experienced a burning sensation. And what about the lightheaded thing? If all that leads back to ginger, it sounds like an allergy could be the cause.

V.