Could you be a little more specific about the tingly painful pain? And your age? Any other digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhea?

It could be a number of things. Gastroesophageal Reflux can be associated with esophageal spasms. This means your esophagus goes into a spasm when you eat certain foods or food with certain textures. When the esophagus goes into a spasm, people feel a strong pain in the chest area and it can sometimes cause vomiting. The spasm literally will not allow food to pass down to the stomach. This can happen when you have a stomach ulcer, gastroenteritis or other inflammation in your digestive tract. Acidic foods (orange juice and vinegar are the worst) and spices (such as raw garlic and onion) typically cause pain in people with ulcers and gastroenteritis, and cooked foods are usually not as acidic; therefore do not cause as much pain. There is also another possibility of Crohn's disease which involves inflammation in various parts of the digestive tract. This can remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years.

A few things you can do to differentiate the problem: when you have the pain, apply a heating pad or hot water bottle right where you feel it, liquid minerals or place a powdered or liquid calcium supplement under the tongue. If this releases the pain, you'll know it's a spasm. Spasms are usually associated with inflammation (as mentioned above), and a mineral deficiency. Taking liquid minerals under the tongue or a bit of lobelia extract can help to release these types of spasms.

Sometimes people have symptoms that are not taken seriously. That's too bad for so many people that have unusual symptoms and are just seeking relief. No one likes being told they are crazy while they are suffering and in pain. Don't let anyone tell you you're crazy. If you have symptoms, they are there for a reason. It's how your body is communicating with you to let you know something's wrong. We just need to learn how to speak our body's language so we understand the messages.

You might look into chia seed, flax seed recipes (flax seed tea) as these are very soothing and healing to the digestive tract. If flax seed tea soothes your stomach, it's possible you have an inflamed digestive tract.

I'll be happy to help you figure it out.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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Yes, definitely try Vitex. I like to use a combo of Vitex, Dong Quai and Wild Yam to regulate menstruation and balance out all the hormones. Irregular periods can often happen after stopping birth control pills. But you should also know how hard birth control pills are on the liver. They can actually cause hepatitis, liver damage, and jaundice as well as liver tumors (known as hepatic adenomas) in addition to increasing risk of blood clots, breast cancer and cervical cancer. In addition, they can cause hair loss, worsen migraines and aggravate yeast infections.

The hormone balancing herbs may be enough for you to get regular again, or you may need some liver herbs, in particular, it would be good to get all the birth control pill residues out of your liver because that's where your body processes the drug. Whenever you have a hormone imbalance, always think about the liver, as it has a primary role in processing the hormones, including Creating serum proteins that act as hormone carriers and regulating sex hormone levels and eliminating excess hormones.

Also consider using a castor oil pack as this helps to dissolve cysts.

I have an article on PCOS, describing what it is, the symptoms, the treatments and the natural alternatives, including herbs, essential oils, supplements, etc: www.drfostersessentials.com/store/Q_polycystic.php

Cynthia Foster, MD

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I believe this has to do with your liver. It has accumulated too much heat/acids/toxins, and it's showing up in your skin. Your liver has slowed down due to the hypothyroid. The hypothyroid is often associated with high cholesterol, and this has everything to do with the speed at which your liver processes fat and cholesterol. Your dose of Armour may not be adequate, or if so, then this is something that accumulated while your thyroid was too slow. Definitely, a liver cleanse is indicated here and some blood cleansers as well. I've got a really excellent one.

Only use natural products on the skin. Anything can irritate, especially if it's chemical-based. Moisturizers often have skin irritants in them. Perfumes can irritate. Hairspray can irritate if it gets on your skin. Go very basic - olive oil, sesame oil, or coconut oil would be best since it has a cooling effect on the skin. You want to go pure and natural with everything including your laundry detergent - residues of it touch your skin every day.

When something's too hot, cool it down. So, cold cloths, cold water therapy can be very helpful in taking the heat out of a reaction like this.

No matter how much people want to rub something on their skin for a skin problem, for the most part, it hardly ever has to do with your skin. It usually has to do with internal processes inside your body. You can also increase your green veggie intake to help alkalize your body chemistry.

Turmeric - it's ok. It's anti inflammatory. I think you want to go more with the liver cooling herbs, though. Looks like you're doing lots of good things, just that you haven't hit on the root cause yet.

You can also help the thyroid along with some herbs for the endocrine system.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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It's possible the tingling is related to a side effect of the Amoxicillin. There have been reports of it. But this depends on whether she developed this symptom before or after taking the medication. Also, around this age, she may have had the Guardasil vaccine, and the side effects of this vaccine can include tingling sensations as well. If you suspect it's the antibiotic, and her symptoms coincide with when she started taking it, you can have your doctor prescribe a different one. If it's due to a vaccine, you can do some things with herbs to help repair the damage. Another thing would be to check for any type of repetitive motion - perhaps a video game with which she could have injured herself. Check for any bites, stings or ticks that she may have gotten while outside.

With this symptom of tingling, it can be a little difficult to figure out what's going on unless you go have a full evaluation. I would recommend a neurologist. This symptom is a little unusual in a teenager, so you want to have this checked out.

For the sinuses, I highly recommend steam inhalation with essential oils. She may have a dairy, wheat, egg or nut allergy contributing to this - she may need to go on a rotation diet or temporarily eliminate these foods to see if she's allergic to any of them. Have her stay away from sugars and sweets while she has an infection and while she's on antibiotics. She can take digestive enzymes by mouth to help thin the mucous if it's thick - this can help it drain. Have lots of soup, fluids and pure water.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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Your boyfriend has a lot of internal heat built up. This is why he's having the night sweats as this is the ideal time for the body to attempt to release the heat. The sheets are stained probably due to some of the nicotine coming out through his pores. Some of the heat comes from the smoking. Eight years doesn't seem like much, but in naturopathic terms, it's a lot. Some of the "heat" comes from drinking alcohol and some is overworking. So, he needs to limit his alcohol consumption and make sure he gets a full night's sleep. When there's too much heat in the body, joints and tendons can inflame easily. Pain in the knee and right shoulder goes back to the liver and gallbladder - referred pain. He could even have gallstones, which can show up as knee pain or pain in the right shoulder. So, you've got at least two strategies: release the heat (you can do this with a liver cleansing program.) and use topical remedies. Topical remedies you use on the joints themselves. There are a number of herbal remedies you can apply that can help. I've got a really good one for that. There is also something called a contrast bath and castor oil pack that can help reduce pain and inflammation, and you can also start massaging those the neck and right shoulder as some of the pain could be from muscle tension or overwork. You need to get in there deep because it sounds like it's so tight in there that it's pressing on a nerve, causing the numbness. It's either that, or he could have a bulging disk. If the circulation to these areas is weak, this means whatever supplement you're taking is going to have a hard time getting there.

The night sweats are concerning. This is a definite case of toxin overload. You also want to watch his veins, as these can sometimes become inflamed in smokers, sometimes even years after they stop smoking. I like to use a strong lobelia extract to help people stop smoking, but it sounds like he has already stopped. If he's over 50, night sweats are sometimes an indicator of cancer or serious disease. You may want to consider having some screening tests done for that.

If he succeeds in reducing the pain, but starts smoking again, the heat can reaccumulate and cause more problems. If he stays on the straight and narrow he can heal. I'll be glad to help.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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This sounds like low thyroid, although there are many other causes for severe fatigue. I would definitely recommend a re-evaluation of your thyroid hormones. Measuring your basal body temperature first thing in the morning is one way to check. If it's low thyroid you'll want to know because if your dose isn't high enough, you can experience high cholesterol and other problems.

Another possibility is adrenal exhaustion. This often follows a period of long-term stress such as overworking, sleep deprivation (sometimes just raising children can cause you to lose a lot of sleep!), or a severe trauma. People with weak adrenals often can't get going in the morning, and then they become more energetic in the later hours of the day.

This type of fatigue can also be seen in anemia (more common in women who have heavy periods, but there are other types of anemia as well). Anemia is sometimes associated with heart palpitations, so if you have recently felt an increase in anxiety or feeling your heart race, anemia could be a possibility. Other causes: Chronic infections such as Epstein Barr or Candida (usually follows a long treatment with antibiotics), or a parasite. Fatigue can become severe if a person unknowingly consumes too much sugar or processed foods. A lifestyle that's too sedentary (for example, sitting all day long at a desk job) with no exercise can cause people to lose their energy.

You may want to consider taking adaptogen herbs - they can help gradually strengthen all of your body's system, increase resistance to infection, help with fatigue, etc. You might feel better once you have your medication adjusted, but I would still pursue a healing program of light to moderate exercise as tolerated, whole foods diet, and some vitamin/mineral supplementation. There could be clues in your past medical history as well that could point your health practitioner in the right direction. Make sure to write down all symptoms and when they started before you go to see the doctor.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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Yes, diatomaceous earth is safe, but you have to take the food-grade and stay away from the industrial grade which is used in swimming pools. I have only noticed one contraindication to diatomaceous earth which is that it can cause stomach pain if you have a stomach (peptic) ulcer. It's slightly abrasive, which is why it can help remove the parasites.

I have herbal formulas that kill parasites. You can kill them with wormwood, clove, black walnuts, etc, but you can get "die-off". I've known patients to get very uncomfortable, like their skin is crawling, feeling anxious, and even get fevers as parasites are dying. So, I highly recommend an absorptive type formula with charcoal, clay and other herbs to help absorb the toxins as the parasites are dying, and prevent it from affecting your entire body. This type of formula can also help pull the parasites off the intestinal wall - tapeworms have hooks/suckers (it's called a scolex) that they use to attach themselves and suck out your nutrition.

It is very possible that the tapeworm has something to do with your lupus symptoms because parasites can easily cause muscle and joint pains. It is very lucky that you found out now about the tapeworm. Remember, these are living beings that eat and make waste, so they are leaving their excrement, if you will, in your colon. Your colon is richly supplied with blood vessels that can carry these toxins all over your entire body.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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I have a great herbal formula that really helps with hot flashes. Black cohosh, wild yam, dong quai, etc. Also, and more importantly, your hormonal weakness could be related to the condition for which you are taking the Fluphenazine. When you strengthen your hormonal system, it might help the other problems you have. I would like to know more information about this issue you've had and what the other symptoms are. Many times I find a thyroid imbalance at the root of this. There are a lot of things you can do to heal your brain and nervous system including herbs, essential oils and more.

If you take the conventional prescribed hormones or thyroid, it can help these issues, but the downside is because of hormonal feedback mechanisms in your body, it can shut down these organs so they can literally shrink. Then you will chase symptoms caused by the other endocrine organs as they are all connected and they work together.

Herbs work in a different way. They gradually strengthen organs instead of giving you the big result up front, they provide a more gradual, but permanent effect so that eventually you may not need them at all. The research on dong quai shows that it can help increase and facilitate the messaging/ communication between all of the endocrine organs, so that they all work better, and not just the organ for which you're taking a remedy. The interesting thing here is that research is now showing that other organs in your body (such as cells in the intestinal lining) can produce female hormones, so it's not just about your ovaries. Herbs can help stimulate the production of these needed hormones from your entire body and not just from the affected organs.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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Yes, I believe acupuncture can help. Make sure you understand that this blood pressure problem has created a lot of problems over the years and it will take some effort to heal it. For years, I had patients with kidney failure ask if there was anything they could do for it. The ones who took "kidney remedies" had some results, but the ones who took a holistic approach and healed their entire body are the ones who did the best. I have known a few to get off of dialysis, but it took a complete and dedicated change in diet, lifestyle and outlook. If you're willing to do this, your rewards will be great. I am not an acupuncturist, but I was a Western Medicine instructor at an acupuncture school, so I have many acupuncturist colleagues, have learned a lot of the theories and have seen acupuncture in action. There is hope.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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Try to think back to when it first started. What was going on in your life? Were you working overtime? Were there any toxic chemicals in your work environment that you could have been exposed to? Were you traveling outside of the country? Did you have any health problems back then? Did you get a vaccine? What was your diet like? Did you lose your job or get a divorce? Asking these questions can provide valuable clues that can help you and/or your doctor figure out what's wrong.

Sometimes chronic fatigue can start with a bad flu or viral infection that doesn't completely heal. For some, it has to do with having a bacterial infection and taking antibiotics and ending up with Candida problems. There's help for that. For others, it can be related to an emotional event such as a divorce or death of a loved one. There's help for this, too.

A diet high in refined foods, and especially sugar can cause fatigue. Being overweight can also be very fatiguing. Having poor digestion can cause people to feel fatigued - sometimes so much that just eating lunch can make them feel very drowsy. Or it could be a combination of some of these things.

I do think it's a good idea to get some basic bloodwork and urinalysis if you have not already. This way, you can find out if you have a thyroid imbalance, diabetes, a parasite, heart problem, high blood pressure, a chronic infection, anemia or other physical cause to explain the fatigue. Whether the tests are positive or negative, there's a lot you can do. You can do a lot with your diet, including leaving out the processed foods and incorporating supplements, herbs, superfoods and whole foods, doing cleanses, healing yourself with energy healing and using trauma-releasing techniques.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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Before someone makes a decision about vaccines, it should be an informed one. Some doctors have failed to provide the risks and side effects of vaccines. Because of this, the responsibility falls on to the consumer. Therefore, it's important to educate yourself to know all the risks and side effects of any remedy/ medication/ vaccine before proceeding. Know the pros as well as the cons.

People believe in vaccines because they do not know the alternatives. We can argue all day about what's in vaccines and what they contain (chicken embryos, aborted fetal cells, African Green Monkey cells, cocker spaniel cells, ferret antibodies, beef heart, aluminum hydroxide, thimerasol, yeast peptone, pork gelatin, insect cells, bovine serum, formaldehyde, etc. - these ingredients are listed on the FDA's website), and how some children end up with asthma, allergies, eczema, autism, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, thrombocytopenia, autoimmune disorders such as Type I diabetes after vaccination. Or we could talk about how vaccinated children can end up getting measles, diphtheria, influenza, and whooping cough despite being vaccinated, or how vaccines do not fully 100% protect against the diseases they are intended to protect against. That should instill a healthy sense of fear about infectious diseases. That's good because these diseases can be dangerous, whether or not people get vaccinated. Therefore, it's in everyone's best interest to know every possible solution, natural, chemical or otherwise, in case one of them doesn't work. If someone can't vaccinate or doesn't want to vaccinate (perhaps they had an allergic reaction to it, or they have an immune system deficiency or they've been previously injured by a vaccine, or their religion forbids the use of blood products, etc.) they need to have a backup plan.

If someone has an infectious disease, they need to know exactly what to do to handle it, otherwise the consequences can be disastrous. If you want to handle it naturally, there are options, but you need to know exactly what they are and how to use them correctly.

The medical profession sees a fever and tries to block it. The naturopath sees a fever as a healing opportunity - something to be carefully controlled, but not blocked. There are ways to do this that most people have not heard about. An herbalist would recommend a strong herbal remedy taken every hour on the hour, an enema, essential oils applied to bottoms of feet, cold water applications applied to the body and drinking copious amounts of water to reduce a fever without blocking it entirely. When you block a fever, it reduces the body's immune response (which is needed in order to fight the infection). You have to use strong immune system remedies in a high enough dose and administered often enough to stimulate the immune system to destroy the disease-causing organism. In the U.S., not many people have experience dealing with acute infectious crises naturally, so the tendency is to fear the disease or to want to take a preventative such as a vaccine. A healthy diet is sometimes downplayed as a way to prevent infectious diseases, so people are left with the impression that there's not much they can do on their own to protect themselves.

But before you have something injected into your body, I believe in a proactive approach. Educate yourself about what exactly it contains and what possible side effects there could be. Then educate yourself about any alternatives that exist.

Jennie McCarthy is not the only parent with a vaccine-injured child. She just happens to have access to the media to tell her story. Most parents of vaccine-injured children do not have the same privilege to put their story on the television so everyone knows about it. It behooves us as doctors to know what effects result from our remedies so that we may improve upon them or provide a safer alternative if they cause harm. I recommend everyone google search for reactions to vaccines that occur within the first 24 to 48 hours after vaccination. In an ideal world, people take responsibility for what medications they take (taking it properly, knowing what's in it and the side effects) and doctors and pharmaceutical companies take responsibility for their medicines.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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You're right to be skeptical. Steroid sprays, although they get into the body in much smaller doses than orally prescribed steroids, can still weaken adrenal function when taken long term. Translation: FATIGUE is your end result. I took that medication for years, suffered from terrible allergies myself and took many rounds of antibiotics, usually for sinus infections. It was a vicious cycle: the more medications I took, the more problems I had until one day I stopped all of it. My allergist wanted me to keep an Epi pen in my fridge in case I had an anaphylactic reaction to one of my allergy shots. Eventually, I ended up with natural alternatives to all of the steroid inhalers, steroid nose sprays, antihistamines, decongestants, allergy shots and steroid shots, and now I help others with this.

But, more important than not taking these medications is knowing specifically what to do. Some of the research indicates a minor sinus infection can go away on its own. I'd rather take a more proactive approach, though, especially considering how painful a sinus infection is. If you use the right remedies when you first feel the symptoms, you can sometimes nip it in the bud. I've played around with neti pots - I think they're a good idea for prevention, but I didn't see near the results needed with an acute infection until I had people use a personal steamer with a eucalyptus-based therapeutic grade essential oil. It has to be a high quality essential oil or it won't work. The steam + essential oils 2 to 3 times daily for around a week is an acute treatment only. I've seen it take away sinus infections; however, if you don't get to the root cause of the repetitive infections, they can return.

Junk food/ processed foods are prevalent on college campuses, and could be a factor. Food allergies such as dairy, eggs, or nuts could also contribute. Staying up late nights studying can wreak havoc on the immune system and can often lead to cold, flu, sinus and other types of infection. So, when you get into those time periods just before exams, you may want to take some immune-strengthening herbs such as echinacea or astragalus to help counteract the harmful effects of the sleep deprivation.

If this is related to hayfever, there are several natural remedies available such as homeopathic formulas specific to your area in the U.S. and essential oils that are antihistamine in their action. Homeopathic remedies also exist for allergies to cats, dogs, mold and dust. I've also seen some allergies improve after a liver cleansing program, and I have sometimes stopped allergy attacks with edible algae. Herbs such as medicinal mushrooms can also help the symptoms of allergies - such as Reishi mushoom in particular. You can contact me for more details if you wish.

The last thing I have to say is very controversial, but I have noticed an increase in allergies after vaccinations. Flu vaccines are probably very plentiful on campus. Ultimately, you may want to educate yourself on this topic.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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I advise against it in your case. If you don't get the dose right, it can have the opposite effect - lower doses can cause palpitations and anxiety while the higher doses can relieve pain and anxiety. With your anxiety condition, you could possibly harm yourself, especially if the herb was coming from an unreliable source.

Kratom is just one herb. It's gaining popularity as a pain relief herb. So many people are suffering from chronic pain and the prescription and even over the counter pain medications can have severe side effects. (For example, I was recently contacted by someone who told me that taking ibuprofen on a regular basis over the years had damaged her stomach and created scar tissue.) OTC painkillers can also lead to irreversible kidney damage. It's in everyone's best interest to know what do to do to get to the root cause of pain rather than just masking it or blocking. Pain gives us very clear messages. If we can learn how to decipher these messages, we can heal pain.

If you are suffering from chronic pain, there are many other remedies. There are herbal remedies, acupuncture, massage and essential oil therapies that could help you. If the cause is emotional or caused by a trauma in the past, there are many meditation techniques/ trauma-releasing exercises you can work with.

If the problem is anxiety, there are other herbs that are safer and effective such as valerian root, passionflower, chamomile, etc. You didn't mention if physical causes of your anxiety were fully investigated such as an overactive thyroid, mitral valve prolapse or adrenal tumor. I say this because it is a little unusual to have high blood pressure at such a young age. In those cases, healing those underlying medical conditions would cause a significant improvement in anxiety levels.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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I've been helping people do juice fasts for over 15 years and I've done numerous juice fasts personally. Most people are fine with juice fasts unless they do a fruit juice-based or all fruit juice fast. This is probably related to the fact that most people don't know how to make a veggie combination juice recipe that tastes good, so fruit juice combos seem easier. That is an almost surefire way to get a Candida issue, especially if you have recently taken antibiotics (I have seen that happen).

The way you do a juice cleanse is to dilute any fruit juices with water, and use mainly greens (such as leafy greens, cucumber, zucchini) with just a little carrot, apple, beet, lemon as the sweet "accent". The most effective juice fast comes from making your own fresh-pressed juice with mainly vegetables. We generally say that if you're hungry, you should drink more juice. I've had a few Type II diabetics do this successfully without any adverse reactions. (always in this case self-monitoring the blood sugar often during the cleanse)

Then you HAVE to make sure you are having bowel movements (which typically stop when you stop consuming solid food), otherwise, your detox will make you feel pretty sick. So there are some simple herbs you can take to move the bowels during a juice fast to maximize the speed at which your body can eliminate as years of old accumulated toxins are being released from muscles, fat, organs and other tissues. There is an an amazing wisdom to the body design - toxins are usually released into the bowel for removal, so during a juice fast, there will be more toxins than usual in the colon. Maximize the intestinal transit time and give a soothing, mucilaginous absorptive formula to help absorb the toxins from the colon (before they are recirculated back to the liver), and you've got a great juice cleanse that can last anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks, or even longer, depending on the health issue.

The beauty of the juice fast is that if you are suffering from anything intestinal or digestive tract-related, the liquid diet allows the stomach and intestines to "rest" from their normal work, which can heal the stomach and intestinal lining quite rapidly. For things such as colitis, diverticulosis, diverticulitis, peptic ulcers, and other digestive problems, it can be a godsend. With the right herbal support, it can be life-changing and for many of my patients (as well as some personal friends), they have been able to avert surgery for these problems.

Lastly, brain fog, is kind of an overly vague term in "doctorspeak." It could be caused by anything from iron deficiency anemia to a weak heart, atherosclerosis, food allergy, medication reaction, infection of any kind, hypoglycemia, and various other disorders and diseases - it could even be a parasite. A diet high in refined sugar and flour can cause a reactive hypoglycemia leading to confusion and disorientation. Knowing your age, medical history, and family medical history can unlock many clues. So finding out the reason behind the brain fog is very important. In cases where the reason remains unknown and making the shift to a more whole foods diet didn't help, we can sometimes rely on Chinese medical theory which states that brain function is tied to liver function. Liver cleansing would be something you would attempt AFTER colon cleansing.

Cynthia Foster, MD

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