I don't understand...

They have lots of fiber and omega 3 fats. I found this nutritional info on it....

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20nN.html

I too have had a few issues with ground flax seeds, so I've switched over to the chia seeds. I ordered them off Amazon. They were around $6 or so for 1 pound I think.

Hi S&G,
Why don't you goggle flax seed and read some of the articles about it.
Flax seed is high in fiber and adding fiber too quickly can cause
bloating etc.
You also need to drink lots of water when you use a lot of fiber.
Maybe cutting back on it and adding more gradually will help.
Don't know if this will help but anything is worth a try.
Regards,
Flora

Snug,

One of my teachers is suffering from horrible hot flashes to the point she's been wearing short sleeves since the last ice storm. Every morning I make her turmeric capsules because she hates the taste of curry. I also make steel cut oats with flax. I cook the newly ground flax with the oats, raisins and walnuts. I put a heaping serving of bran and cinnamon in the pot as well. Why don't you try cooking the flax; it might take the edge off it for you.

I try to drink green or white tea in the morning with the same nauseated feeling, and I've switched to peppermint tea first thing and then go over to green after I've started my day. Peppermint tea will relax the stomach.

Flax might not be a first thing of the day for you, but may work later in the day.

Judy

Hi S&G

Just wondering how much flax you are having? 2 tablespoons a day seems to be recommended, but I find 1tbs works just as well for bowels. I get a few hotties, but mainly at night. They are not really a problem, and I don't know if the flax is helping or not for these. Come to think of it, I still wake at night but haven't been having the overheating feeling and sweating as well, so maybe it is working? The other thing to do would be to spread the flax seed through the day, maybe some with breakfast and some at bedtime or whenever is convenient?

As Judy said, maybe a different time of day. After all breakfast is on an empty stomach. If flax seed has enough effect on female metabolism to control hot flushes and migraines, maybe it is powerful enough to give you 'morning sickness' type symptoms when not pregnant? We women are strange creatures!

Cheers

Louise

Hi S&G,

Sorry the flaxseed is causing you grief. It is so difficult when we think we’ve found an ally only to have it morph into an aggravation. Maybe I can help you a little bit here. I've gained some experience with the mixing of things. I found flaxseed when I was really suffering. It would be another 6 months or so before I learned I had the pop component to deal with, as well. Mine is urethra but, like so many, with adjusting to proper posture or maybe just the natural continuum, I have rectocele issues to manage now. That is my latest hill to conquer and flaxseed is surely an ally for me in that, as well.

My first efforts with flax made me gag. I was really sick at the time so, actually, I gagged and cried at the same time. At first I was using it on salads, in cereal, etc.. I love salads but could not even swallow the flaxseed, salad combo. Then I tried it on cereal. Just as you describe I was in complete misery. I tried it in juice but did not like the taste. Finally, I took my two tablespoons of ground flax, added a tiny teaspoon of my husband’s beloved chocolate Nesquik, added about 8 ounces of milk and found ‘my’ way with flaxseed. I cannot have it near a meal or I will get the big belly feeling that I can’t tolerate. I have it mid-morning, or in the afternoon as a pick me up. I’ve come to really look forward to it. I don’t eat snacky things much, so my chocolate flax milk combo has become a treat of sorts for me. Odd that something that gagged me would become something I look forward to, but it has. I’d like to divide my flaxseed into twice a day because I think it would be so much better for the body that way but I’ve not found that discipline, as yet.

I’ve come to learn that a lot of foods/supplements just don’t mix well. I am very careful these days about what I am willing to put into my body. I’ve had to come back from what seemed a complete hormonal disruption and shutdown. It made me run scared for a while, but then I realized that I had to rebuild myself and that no one could do it for me.

What started me on my downhill road was a huge problem with urethra/ labia burning and bladder discomfort. The prescription I was given was a recipe for disaster. I think Miss Judy might relate here, as I think she’s had her own woes with prescriptions. Some of us, I’ve learned, just can’t tolerate them.

I found freeze dried Aloe Vera that solved the bladder/urethra discomfort within days. The labia burning sensation remained until I found an organic aloe gel that is possibly the loveliest personal product I’ve ever come across. What had brought me to a crisis point was old bladder/urethra woes that had met with menopausal dryness. Not a good combo. I wish I could encourage all women everywhere to start using a good, organic, non-scented personal moisturizer earlier than the need presents. We put lotion on the rest of our bodies. We use lip balms. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess. Also, I learned the hard way that good personal products are few and far between and so hard to find.

After I’d solved the problems that had taken me to the doctor in the first place, I had to try to solve the ones left by the prescription. Saying I was as weak as a kitten would be doing kittens an injustice as I’m sure they are much stronger than I was.

Steel cut oatmeal was a huge boost for me, though I went though a gaggy period with it, as well. I came to enjoy it, well…not dislike it anyway, and I ate it everyday for more than a year. One day I just could not eat it anymore. But it served me well for the time. I took baths in oatmeal for over a year, as well.

A huge boost came with I lucked upon Ginsana. I had read a lot about ginseng but, like I said, I had no trust factor anymore. So I read up on the company and decided it was worth a try. It is right up there with flaxseed and aloe as a true ally for me now. Within a week I felt so much better. It has some kind of estrogen mimicking factor, I can feel it. It gave me so much more energy. My whole body is better for it.

I started vitamin E, per Susun Weed, I believe. The oatmeal idea had come from her, as well. I used E vaginally (internal) for a while but after the Ginsana I was able to back off from that. I still take E orally each day.

Sometime along the way my muscles started aching. I found myself saying all the time that I just hurt all over. I would try to exercise and my muscles would take days to recover but then still felt sore. This seemed to progress so quickly and it was frightening. It seemed that as soon as I figured out one problem another would present.

I was fortunate to come in contact with an Amish herbalist. I talked to him about my bladder history and my use of freeze dried Aloe. He confirmed that I was on the right track there. As to my muscle soreness, he felt I was very close to fibromyalgia. I have a sister with a full-blown debilitating case of fibro so this hit me hard. He suggested a product call Body Balance. I tried one bottle which lasted two weeks and my body’s response was exceptional. The muscle aches were fading away. Body Balance is very expensive so I knew I needed an alternative. My sis-in-law suggested a green supplement called Bocu Superfood. It was recommended from a source she trusted very much so we both decided to try it. The list of ingredients is impressive. Stella, it has Nettles!! But it is not pretty stuff. I mix it in orange juice and I have to do it in a cup so I can’t see it. It looks to me like green sludge, but the taste is very tolerable. My first jar will be emptied this week and my muscles problems are gone—or maybe I should say they are better than I would expect for my 50 year old female self. I am not even looking for perfection anymore but the difference is so very striking. My muscles do not hurt all day and they recover quickly enough after exercise. I am so glad because the rectocele issue is wearing enough on me right now. It’s a difficult little beast (I’m thankful for WW peri balm here). I know now that it is the source of my leg pain. I am trying all I know to try, diet, exercise, and the knowledge supplied here on this forum. I am encouraged because I feel I have the mental/emotional aspect of healing in place. I don’t think we can heal the physical until our spirit finds its own healing. That’s a hard one when pop chops at us with such harsh edges. It’s a problem that lays us so low and it smacked me down when I was already on the ground physically. I am an emotional being but I’d never had something physical attack me emotionally like pop did. I truly believe we have to rise above its guttural ache before we can truly heal our body.

Worry, physical illness, family heartache, tiredness…when our ‘stress hormones’ are used up, the body reaches out for our ‘sex hormones’ as next resort. A doctor taught me that and I truly believe it because I suffered through it. When we start using alternate systems just to get through each day, there is a cascading effect as something is always getting robbed. I wish I’d know this in my twenties, or thirties, or even forties…

So, to recap, I am taking freeze dried aloe, vitamin E, Ginsana, and using flaxseed every single day. I’ve already mentioned the problems with mixing flaxseed and other food--and other supplements, by the way, too. I’ve learned that if I drink the Bocu/juice combo too near the flax I will feel very ill. If I drink Bocu/juice close to bedtime I will get nauseas when I lie down. If I drink Bocu/ juice first thing in the morning or sometime through the day with no other food, all is well and I don’t get hungry for hours. I also cannot combine Bocu with other supplements. I can take Aloe, Ginasana, vitamin E all at once and all is well. I can even take them with most meals. But not with Bocu and not with flaxseed. It has truly been a learning experience.

I’ve learned that some foods/supplements enhance the power/effectiveness of others…sometimes too much. And some things just do not mix well, at all.

So don’t give up S&G. A good ally is gold when you find it. Sometimes the initial meshing takes time and effort. I will never forget gagging and crying and spewing flaxseed. It was not a good time. I could not even sit comfortably as I came off the prescription. That time is why I can now say ‘all is well’ because I know what ‘not well’ is. Everything is relative to me now. I can have problems and still be well.

I know this is long but I’ve so little free time these days that I wanted to give as much as I could in the time allowed this morning. I love giving and receiving here. I miss it. I have been helping to care for my husband’s almost 95 year old grandmother. She is so needy right now and so very deserving of care. Seeing her daily struggles makes mine pale….so very pale. I am so grateful for the return of my mental and emotional clarity. As so many of us have learned, illness can take you down so far. I know I will always have physical difficulties. They are present everyday, and I know a new one could present at anytime. I try to not let the physical difficulties have much voice these days. When someone asks me now, how I’m doing, I respond from the health of my spirit so much more often than from the trials of my body. When I look at our dear grandmother and really realize that she is 45 years beyond me…45 years and she almost never complains. I know she aches, I know she doesn’t sleep over an hour at a time, she cannot hear unless we almost shout at her…still, except for asking for a back rub when she just can’t stand it anymore she just accepts her situation with a smile on her face. This from a woman who has had to use an enema bottle as her only means of elimination for the last 50 years. The stories she could share on that level if she were able… If she can handle life with such grace, I can deal with my troubles as well. These life lessons keep presenting in full color. So many beautiful life lesions I have learned from all of you here. I’ve missed so many of you and hold you close.

It has been interesting to note as I’ve started our springtime outside cleanup, that I feel so much stronger doing my chores in Posture. I love getting sore in new places as it lets me know how much I have changed the way I hold myself. It is such a strong way of being. I can’t say enough about it.

I’ve been playing with some muscle contracting exercises that are doing wonders for me. I’ve about 80% healed a serious rotator cuff problem with them. I’ve gained enormous pelvic strength and stability through them. I’ve learned somehow to compartmentalize (for lack of a better term) my body so that when I walk or when I lift something (and I take great care lifting) my pelvic area feels locked and strong and so much more in control. I’ve attempted to explain one exercise here but could not give any clarity with it. I wish I could share it with you. I encourage you all to play with your bodies. I sometimes add contracting elements to the ballet routine.

The opportunities for healing are unending. We truly have to do it for ourselves though. We truly have to work hard and dig deeply into our selves and claim that old intuition that is buried. When I get time again, and I’m surely not wanting our Grandmother to leave us so I can selfishly have my time back…but when I get time I’d like to gather a small group of women together, physically together, on a regular basis. I’d like to share what I have learned. I’d like to learn from what they have to share. I want this because of the beautiful hearts that have shared with me here. I could name off so many here that I would love to have in that group. Would not be a small group then! I can never have that, so I will look around me and find some new faces.

This post took me almost five hours…all the time I have for now. I wish I was not so pokey at writing! S&G, if you or anyone else gains just a bit from my experiences, it will be time well spent. I will be back when I can. For those that have emailed me for support and through friendship, I’ve not forgotten you and I will get to you soon. All my best to all of you, Kit

Not even going to try to go over this long thing. If any of Sue’s typo gremlins show up, I’ll consider myself honored. Always did love those funny little guys of hers.

Hi Fellow flaxseed eaters.

Remember my post about "The quest for user-friendly ground flax seed continues"?

One of the things I tried was wetting it before bashing the hell out of it. All I got was mucilagenous sludge. The sludge didn't even get thinner if I added more water. It just got sludgier. This mucilage probably explains its miracle anti-constipation properties. It just keeps the stool full of water, and very slippery!

Maybe that's where the nausea / fullness factor comes in? Maybe it just combines with anything wet and becomes slimy and objectionable to the stomach? That's one of the reasons I cut down to 1tbs a day. Too much ground flax seed affects the texture of my muesli too much. Yuk.

Cheers

Louise

so much love to you. what an amazing gift to write for 5 hours. I loved hearing your perspective on the care of the grandmother in your life. What grace.

Every time you post, I learn something. This one was FULL of invaulable information. Thank you for taking the time to share it with all of us. Posts such as yours are truly a gift; of your time, your knowledge, and the fact that you care.

YOU too are a gift here...!

Love, Goldfinch

'Life is not holding a good hand; Life is playing a poor hand well'

Hi S&G

I am really sorry that these little seeds are causing you so much grief, but very interested to read what happened when you stopped taking them, then resumed them again. I have a very good friend who seems to have had perimenopause land on her like a ton of bricks. This has not been easy for a woman who has spent all her life at the pointy end of the building industry. She is not a woman to be brought to her knees by minor annoyances! I have passed your story on to her, and she was grateful to have the info. Hopefully she will be able to avoid many of the migraines that have become frequent occurrences for her, and save her body from heavy use of analgesics.

Another couple of suggestions for you, that I think have been mentioned by others. Firstly, you might tolerate flax seed oil in capsule form better than the ground seeds. Secondly, you could try having less at al time, but more times a day.

The other thing to mention is that, yes, you can buy it already ground, but almost all sources of info say that it does deteriorate quickly, and that it is better to use it the same day. Christine Kent says within an hour or so, which is why it is important to have a convenient grinder on hand when you need it. I use a big granite mortar and pestle which works well, but it is a bit hard on the forearms as the seeds are very slippery and you have to exert quite a bit of downward pressure to squash them, and I have a dicky wrist at the moment, so it is harder than normal. don't try dampening them. You just get thick mucilage which is even slipperier!!

You can't wash electric coffee grinders properly, and we have a family of coffephiles so our grinder is off limits for my flax. However, we are also spice lovers, and I am hoping that I will find an electric spice grinder that can be washed between different spices. I would imagine that any sensible spice grinder would be cleanable, as flavour contamination between different spices would be undesirable from a food flavour perspective. I am going to try European and Asian food retailers next. Will keep you posted under my "Quest for perfect flax seed grinder" topic.

I haven't tried a pepper mill yet. The problem with a pepper mill might be that it would get clogged up with the meal, which is quite oily, almost like dry peanut paste, though more crumbly. I have to soak and scrub it off my mortar and pestle. Also the mechanism of a pepper mill can't usually be readily dismantled for cleaning, so you would eventually get rancid meal building up on the mechanism. Pepper is very dry when you mill it, so there is little residue.

I suspect they don't have to be ground finely, just squashed to break the seed coating, which is very hard and resistant to digestive juices.

Hey, maybe Christine should use all her spare time designing and marketing a woman-friendly flax seed grinder? ;-) There has to be a big market for them. Every woman on the planet who survives to experience menopause would benefit from it. That would be at least 20% of the world's population (more like 40% in the western world?).

Isn't it ironic that such a small seed could be so beneficial to so many women, yet so challenging to grind? In this instance God could only be male!! A female God would design the seed so it could be ground to a fine meal with one icey, female stare. (Sorry God, that last comment was completely unnecessary. Amen)

Cheers

Louise

if you take your blender base and screw a regular canning jar on it you will find that it fits well- so add your seeds and blend then just tip the jar and unscrew......try it and let me know if it works for you.

Hi S&G

You are full of good ideas! Yes, I was kidding about Christine inventing the grinder. ;-)

Sounds like cleaning the coffee grinder isn't all that bad, which surprised me. Maybe the flax seed oil was invented because flax seeds themselves are such challenging little customers.

There's no doubt about it. Little children make ideal hosts for viruses with their 'Learner Plates' hygiene habits, inability to blow their own noses, and close physical habits. I think taking her into your own bed is a very sensible way of dealing with a sick child. Lets face it. Most Grannies end up with whatever their grandchildren contract. It seems to go with the territory. And the more socially active they are, eg childcare, playgroup, early school years, the more bugs they pick up, and the stronger their immune systems grow.

As you get nasty headaches anyway, I would guess that the extra headaches are not welcome. I would say if you think you have the same bug you are right. You could try salt water nose washes or inhalations. That might clear it for you. Otherwise it is drugs like pseudoephadrine to dry you up or the dreaded antibiotics.

Good luck with getting rid of it.

Cheers

Louise

See my post under "The quest for perfectly ground flax ..."

Louise