I think I'm going to shorten the title on my daily reports to just include the letter “D” with the number of days it has been.

Can you believe it's been almost one year! I can't hardly believe it.

So I have been off nuts since the 1st. It seemed as if my thumbs and hands felt better within 24 hours.

This pain is no fun. It hurts to pull on my pants, pull down my pants, unbutton my jeans, open doors, hold a spatula, milk the goats, carry groceries, pick up a jar, unscrew lids on any size container. It hurts when the dogs jump up and I block them with my hand. My hands ache while at the computer.

The pain extends down my wrists and to my elbows (when carrying something heavy, like a bag of groceries, or my work case which I take home with me).

I did some reading on arthritis and it seems like nuts might be the culprit due to the phytic acid.

I ran across Jen's RA Journey and have been reading her journey with interest. She has rheumatoid arthritis and is trying an elimination diet which seems to be working pretty well for her.

Today I listened to a podcast over at Naturally Knocked Up (no, I'm not trying to get pregnant!) called The Silent Cause to Poor Health – even Fertility!

It is celiac disease! Like the tests coming back “normal” for low thyroid, folks with celiac disease might have a problem with gluten, but the tests come back normal. It is one of those things you might have to identify on your own, meaning if you feel better off gluten, then stay off of it.

I did also learn in listening to the podcast that Dr. Tom O'Bryan has a solution called Zinc Tally which will help you figure out if you are low in zinc. Apparently if the solution tastes like water, you are low in zinc. When it begins to taste horrible as if it has gone rotten, then you are at good levels of zinc in your body.

Also, in this podcast, Dr. Tom O'Bryan shared that there is now a SALIVA TEST for gluten sensitivity/intolerance! I am going to get this test done for my son to see if he does have a problem with gluten as I suspect that he does.

If I get a test with proof, it may be easier to persuade my husband that we need to get our son off gluten products. My husband could also have gluten issues as colitis or chron's disease is one of the diseases.

Dr. Tom said that celiac manifests in different body parts for different people. He shares the story of his godmother whose doctor always noticed that something was high on a test for her liver, and it ends up that she had celiac disease, never treated and it ruined her liver.

The podcast was simply amazing, and very informative. I hope you will listen to it and report back what you think of the information.

I bought this book Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook, my husband wants us to start stocking up on food. I am also looking to buy this Excalibur 3900 Deluxe Series 9 Tray Food Dehydrator. I can't just buy any old food from the store to stock up in the event of an emergency since I'm doing GAPS. That is the last thing I would want to do is start eating crap and get sick in the middle of a crisis situation.

Have a great night!