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Thanks for posting Artystik. I have a sibling with a definite chemical imbalance and this family member is also vegan. I don't live near her and have no idea what she eats on a daily basis but I'm sure it's not nearly as healthy as my diet. Maybe that would make a difference but I think sometimes people truly need to shock their system with the drugs that are available. I say that as a person with lots of severe mental illness in my husband's extended family. When there's a drug that keeps you from "buying a gun today and killing all of you and myself" versus relying on greens - well, you become a believer in some of the pharmaceuticals on the market! We ARE in the dark ages of medicine and nutrition. If you look at the history of nutrition, so many people died of malnutrition in centuries past that it's laughable to even believe we know much about a healthy diet today. And to think that we can totally control molecular exchange in our brains by controlling molecular exhange in our GI tracts is a far stretch. We're all doing the best we can on partial information.

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Thank god you made a full recovery (as it appears you have). I am so sorry that you are uninsured. I've been there myself and had to sign out of a hospital "against medical advice." Two days set me back thousands and this was over a decade ago. I don't know the details of your sister's stroke but if this is a familial trait then I truly hope yours will only be transient. Good luck and be well.

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You mentioned 6-8 avocados per day (not 4) and that is a lot of calories from one food which means that you need to choose limiting other food choices (which leaves out a lot of nutrients derived from a varied diet) or choose gaining weight (which could be unhealthy). Your study also looked at liver cancer, not cirrhosis. There are numerous books that discuss the tremendous fallacy that animal experimentation "give us a good indication on what works and how it works." This false belief fuels a huge industry and results in the suffering of both humans and animals. Who Else Knows That Using the Animal Model in Medical Research is Harmful to Humans ? Scientists, doctors, researchers, and anyone else who is keeping up with the information in the latest scientific peer-reviewed journals. That is the main reason why the public does not know. Deciphering the scientific data can be overwhelming to those not in the medical field, but it is common knowledge within the medical and scientific community that reliance on the animal model in research is not useful and is only done because the public has so much faith in it, though completely unfounded. Dr. Jane Goodall, PhD: "I have a growing conviction that many animal data are not only obtained unethically, at huge cost in animal suffering, but are also unscientific, misleading, wasteful (in terms of dollars and effort) and may be actually harmful to humans." "Animal experimentation is unethical and cruel. It hurts animals, it is expensive, and it is so often detrimental to the very species it professes to be helping - our own." 7 Dr. Ray Greek, MD and Dr. Jean Swingle Greek, DVM: "We (human and non-human animals) differ on a cellular and molecular level, and, importantly, that is where disease occurs." 8 "We were finding, through scientific research, that extrapolating data from animals to humans is either misleading, unnecessary, dangerous, or all three." 9 Dr. M. Beddow Bayly: "...medical authorities who set out to support and defend the practice of experimenting on living animals so far to distort historical facts as to create the impression in the mind of the public that every single medical diagnosis and treatment had depended for its discovery and application on vivisection... Happily, even the briefest perusal of the available evidence shows falsity of these claims and provides historical proof of the supreme value of clinical observation..." I highly suggest any book by the Greeks as they have actually worked in the human and animal medical fields.

We went to BodyWorlds at OMSI this week (sorry I didn't call anyone but it was short notice as I had a free coupon that had to be used that day!) and it was awesome. But a bit pricey at $21 per person. For those that are interested, its worth the time and price. AND, OMSI serves vegan items in the cafeteria. A visit to the tram on the hill of OHSU is a great photo oppurtunity on a sunny day. There are some nice viewing patios. Riding the tram down is free (up is $4) and the streetcar takes you into the downtown or Pearl district area for free. Someone can either drive and drop people off at OHSU or take the bus. I have a bunch of metro passes! A visit to the PSU Saturday farmers market is a must for market fans - it's huge, cherries will still be in season you can get Black Sheep Bakery stuff and Dave's Killer Bread (free samples!). For those interested in local wine, I am willing to be the designated driver for vineyard/tasting room visits.

I would wait for the humane, human studies on excessive avocado eating as it relates to human liver health. If we could extrapolate animal studies to humans then we wouldn't need to do human clinal trials of anything.

y.

Woops! Here's the link: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/cirrhosis-000037.htm

Zack, I don't know how qualified this source is but it has some of the most extensive dietary advice I've seen online. There is mention of restricting protein, but not plant protein. I would assume that the problem with animal protein is excess of sulfur containing amino acids. I certainly hope your doctors have given you some dietary guidance but I'm not shocked if they haven't. Hopefully, you will be able to keep your cirrhosis from progressing.

Congrats!!! (I just saw this thread) Lotus gives a GREAT massage. You should all get one when she's licensed here in Portland.

We had a great time! Of course Potter probably had second thoughts when he got a load of our biking capabilities. It was somewhat like an adult leading around two toddlers on tricycles.........

I'll see you guys early and then maybe later in the afternoon. I'll also stop by Robert's to help drive some items over to the sale spot. Hopefully it will stop raining by then. I got drenched today!

I'd pay a lot.

Ahhh, religion. I was married in the catholic church and had to go to pre-cana (?) classes where we got some very specific instructions on sex and birth control - from the priest, of course. It seems that the rythm method is condoned by the catholic church and heterosexual sex is encouraged even if you are not planning on conceiving (so long as you are married and using no birth control other than the rythm method). Perhaps the maybemom.com method is now also condoned by the church but I got married before it became popular. However, and I quote because this statement was burned into my memory, "Oral sex is not permitted as a form of birth control." You are all free to extrapolate from there.

I always add some mellow white miso to the tofu ricotta - gives it a cheesy tang.

Welcome Michelle! I think we may have met. Are you blonde and in your 20's? Were you at the Vega table at the Vegan Holiday Fest and the other holiday festival in the NE?

Yes, I did check out the site - very interesting. I have friends who have used it in combination with temperature readings, etc. It hasn't been successful for all of them but some have been very happy with it. Also, it is advertised as a CONCEPTION aide, not a contraception aide. Very important distinction in my mind. The problem, as I see it, is that sperm can stay alive in a woman's uterus sometimes longer than usual (call these the Super sperm if you will) and will therefore be present if a woman begins ovulating sooner than expected (which can happen to anyone). For that reason alone, if a couple really does not want a pregnancy then a second method should be used as well. I'm not bashing any particular form of birth control but rather stressing that they all have varying levels of effectiveness regardless of how well they are applied.

Welcome Beth! The only reason my husband became vegan is because I do ALL of the cooking and he had health reasons to give it a go (reflux and high cholesterol - both gone). The other reasons followed later and he is now a health, ethical and environmental vegan (if that makes sense). It was certainly a process for both of us but well worth the effort. Looking forward to your posts!

Welcome!

I've met numerous couples who have used that same method of birth control. And they are now parents. Your body can appear to be ovulating based on temperature, passage of time since your last period, etc. but these "symptoms" of ovulation are not 100% the same every month. That method is "up to 98%" effective if used perfectly. Most of us are far from perfect, so I would only use that method in conjunction with something else.

The only forms of birth control that do not affect a woman's natural hormonal cycle are: Barrier methods - condoms, vaginal sleeve, diaphragm Surgical methods - sterilization (probably not an option for you two right now) Intra-uterine device - not recommended for women who are young and have not had children If there was a dependable, natural form of birth control then my sisters and I would not have been born! Seriously, if you will not consider a spermicidal agent, then the barrier method is probably your best (but not perfect) bet. A condom (male or female) or diaphragm used with a spermicide is just about as effective as birth control pills. Don't trust any "natural" methods unless there are good studies to back them up. And if you hear about any, I'd be very interested in knowing what they are. Also, the Rythm Method has produced many unplanned pregnancies.

The 9 amino acids your body cannot produce are: Tryptophan Histidine Methionine Isoleucine Threonine Valine Lysine Phenylalanine Leucine Additionally, some requirements for methionine can be filled by cysteine and some requirements for phenylalanine can be filled by tyrosine. If you want to know the amino acid composition of foods then go to www.nutritiondata.com Since the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is critical, it's important to know how much of each you are consuming. To stay on the safe side, you may want to aim for 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of GROUND flaxseeds per day (you don't digest the whole ones). If you're really interested in what you're consuming each day then filling out the Pantry section of www.nutritiondata.com and tracking it for a few days is a very easy and informative way to go. Good luck!!

Two amino acids that are relatively lacking in most plant based foods, are tryptophan and methionine. Based on the essential amino acids suggested pattern of requirements (from the FAO, WHO and UNU), soy is a protein source that fills those requirements. However, there are two plant sources that are high in tryptophan and methionine - Spinach and Spirulina. If I could not eat soy then I would definitely eat a lot of spinach. It's difficult to find a lot of information on how many mg of each particular amino acid is required for adults to maintain health and/or build muscle. I have found protein "scoring" based on the amount of each amino acid per gram of protein but have not found more detailed information. It would be very interesting to know which amino acids are used for muscle repair vs. the immune system, etc. If anyone knows of a source, I would be grateful for the information. I have based my information on "Becoming Vegan" by Davis and Melina and nutritiondata.com.