2026.06.30 Daily Thread: The World According to Trade(Bait)

From John 13:34 (KJV),

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Note: It is a commandment from the Lord Jesus toward the end of his ministry on earth, so it is pretty important to pay attention. It is also consistent with Old Testament scripture instruction, as He always is. We must love one another. That means we pull out all of the stops for the benefit of one another. No holding back, do just as He does for us. That type of love is intentional, it requires action, it requires giving of ourselves even when it us uncomfortable or even painful.

The cause of Christ cannot be advanced without loving one another as He loved us. Take note, America.

For there is no other way, just trust and obey…

Final Health Updates

Since my authoring is winding down, I thought it would be helpful for some on here for me to update the health situations and progress of wifey and I that are connected to past posts. I apologize in advance for the length of this daily, but there is much to discuss. I hope the information proves helpful to you.

Wifey

As some may remember, my rock star wife went through a rough random eye infection upon return from our Fall Frolic the year Helene hit the area in 2024. The infection that caused the corneal ulcer was a small, white blob in one eye and lab tests were inconclusive. A series of antibiotic drops were prescribed and over several months cleared the infection. However, she had serious lingering vision issues and recovery was slow. After healing the infection her vision only returned to 20/60 corrected using her recently prescribed, pre-infection lenses. She had floaters along with cataracts that the ophthalmologist wanted to correct. Wifey was reluctant due to family members who had limited success with the procedure as well as her being allergic to latex, despite assurances from the doc they could adjust. She has minimal trust in the medical community, so that went nowhere fast.

She told the doc she wanted to try some things first and if she could not improve it, she would consent. He agreed (what else could he say?), but to check back in 6-8 months so that the eyes did not decline too far to be of assistance. We could tell he was skeptical. He looked at me and said, “She is one tough lady, isn’t she?” I just nodded affirmatively. However, that is the moment she decided to take my research about the issues and recommendations to heart. God led her to conclude she should go a different way. Some of the supporting information came from sources and linked information on here for which we are very grateful.

Never discount the value of your contributions to readers, my friends.

I posted awhile back that we both were using DMSO eye drops. I have slowed the use in recent months, but for over a year now wifey has continued twice per day applications of a 25% concentration with saline or distilled water while using sterile bottles/droppers. She takes a one week break every couple of months, then restarts. In recent months she has added a high quality castor oil that she lightly rubs on the eyelids at bedtime. She has also participated with me in the parasite cleanse using the IVM/Mebendazole combination last summer and an IVM cleanse in the past couple of months.

I am very happy to report that over that period, her vision returned to its formerly good, pre-infection condition. She is now 20/20 corrected with the same lenses. She does not need distance correction, only for reading. Of course this did not happen through traditional means or medicine.

We utilize a highly competent optometry practice. Our chosen optometrist in the practice and assigned tech were amazed at the results after the comprehensive exam that included extensive imaging this month. The doc knew the condition of the previously affected eye as she helped deal with the original infection before passing the case to the ophthalmologist. The formation of cataracts has actually been stopped in its tracks and may have receded somewhat. She no longer has floaters at all. Her eye health has improved to the point of the highly desired “see you in a year unless you need us” stage. That’s a massive win.

But there is MOAR!

Combined with dietary changes described below and daily walks; there has been an interesting, fantastic development. One day she forgot to bring her eyeglasses when we went grocery shopping. Her vision had improved to the point she simply forgot to wear them. It was a sunny day and she put on some wrap sunglasses that cover the eyeglasses that were in the truck. To cut to the chase, her forever present vertigo/Menere’s Disease symptoms disappeared. As I drove I was quietly shocked and secretly elated. No more jumps, twists and and yelps from the passenger seat when big trucks were near or a car approached from another direction at an intersection. Just calm, peaceful riding for a half hour each way.

As we pulled into our driveway, I mentioned it to her and she smiled. She noticed it as well. Now when we go places she may leave her glasses on or take them off if she detects the problem kicking in. Regardless, the trips are much more relaxed and easier on both of us. She had experienced the car motion induced vertigo issues for decades. At one time it got so bad that as a teenager, Daughter had stopped wanting to go on vacations with us because of the distraction and angst.

Gone. PTL!

Trade’s Results

My eye exam was much improved as well. The supposed early cataract formation of a half dozen years ago that my retina specialist diagnosed actually never formed. The dry form macular degeneration diagnosed over a dozen years ago never actually worsened. The floaters have been gone for some time. I did the DMSO off and on for about 6 months once a day. For me the driver for improvement has primarily been IVM, although I am confident the DMSO assisted to some degree. My vision had not changed over the past three years.

After over a year of experimenting by returning to normal lens, I found that the prism lens prescribed for me a few years ago by the old binocular vision specialist doc who helped Grandson #1 so much, were very beneficial in drawing my weak eye with the alleged worse dry macular degeneration back into more balanced vision. As a result I added the prisms back with the new glasses and am gradually adjusting to them very well.

At about 10 years old parasites of some sort got in my eyes; worse in one than the other. From family history records I learned I was given antibiotic drops that were manufactured by Schering-Plough, which was later acquired by Merck. During that time is when the optometrist determined I also had a “lazy eye” in the worse infected one and gave me exercises to retrain it. Whatever was prescribed did clear the infection, but I never really had normal use of the eye and over time I became strongly one eye dominant. The vision in both eyes remained 20/20, so I really did not know to be tested further. I just knew that as a teenager, my vision in baseball and later as an adult in golf was somewhat negatively affected. This was especially true with poor peripheral vision in one eye and was very apparent in vision tests as I hit middle age.

Based on recent exams I am starting to believe that old binocular vision doc knew what he was talking about when he told me I did not have macular degeneration. My symptoms could appear to be MD to other docs, however, it seems to me it is the aftermath from that parasite caused infection as a child. If it is dry MD, there should be even slow progression of the condition. There has not been. It has been in a stable state for a dozen years.

This probably gives credence to how my vision always becomes much sharper the day after taking IVM and why the floaters and early stage formation of cataracts disappeared after using it and DMSO drops. Improvement in eye performance would not be as likely for a MD sufferer. With no changes in the prescribed lenses for vision in three years, I may be on to something good. Will continue to monitor.

I also used a DMSO/aloe vera concoction described below for a couple of months on two stiff, arthritic fingers on one hand that bugged me for years. The condition is gone – no more stiffness.

I still have a bit of tinnitus in one ear that was left over from the Wuhan. The externally applied DSMO method treatment has not impacted it one way or the other. Chiropractic adjustment cut the ringing back about 50% which has been most appreciated. It appears to be nerve/CNS related in some manner. I have no restrictions in movement, so I can turn my head 90 degrees one way and it reduces. I can turn my head the other way and it slightly increases. Weird. Will keep looking at options for improvement.

Together…

For the record we no longer have the need to use the excellent chiropractor that helped restore our alignment. She did a great job. All is well and being maintained. However, if needed we will not hesitate to return.

Recently, from recommendations of a couple of knowledgeable medical authors, I concocted a DMSO/pure Aloe Vera gel/essential oil blend to use for arthritis and joint inflammation issues. Wifey also has been using the DMSO with castor oil or my concoction for her arthritic hands/fingers as well as surgically repaired knee. There has been strong improvement in flexibility and appearance. My own flexibility in the lumbar region where I have spinal bone spurs has also improved. Will see how it goes long term, I expect it to go well.

Not bad for a couple of seventy somethings. DMSO and IVM work for us, folks, and not just to ward off COVID with IVM. We will continue to use. Add in the benefits of the high quality castor oil.

IVM clearly works on parasites of various types throughout the body. Its use helps the immune system of the body to do its thing. Wifey uses for cleanses only unless she has a respiratory illness coming on. During her cleanses, she gets the yucky bowel movements associated with her sinus drainage as well as the parasite die off and release. She experiences the under the weather symptoms for a few days. Having already gone through that a couple years ago while continuing to use IVM prophylactically, I no longer experience much, if any, side effects.

The cleanses are possibly contributing to wifey’s lack of vertigo along with the eye improvements. IVM has long been prescribed for river blindness. However, there may be another interesting connection. Over twenty years ago she had an allergist test and treat (shots) her allergies on two occasions and covering a period of five years. The shots provided modest benefits overall. However, from the testing we know she is very allergic to candida albicans, a fungal induced yeast, as well as specific molds, tree pollens, etc. Exposure causes her body to go into histamine overload. It added to her vertigo events due to sinus pressure. For years we kept an epipen handy as well as a bottle of Benadryl. A half dozen years ago her every day had an excessive amount of throat clearing from the sinus drainage. At one point she lost her voice from it for about 6 months. The drainage strongly affected her sleep. At times she was just miserable, in a state of just existing and trying to cope daily.

We live in an environment that has high fungal concentrations due to vegetation and climate. It is what it is and she has suffered all of her life from it. That is until the recent IVM related cleanses that also addressed gut health as a side benefit. Poor gut health can also add to the histamine imbalance. The intentional dietary changes of removing sugar, and addressing her eyes dramatically improved her situation. She is now off all antihistamine drugs and just uses Flonase for the pollen after living on Zyrtec D at times. Her condition is not perfect, but is greatly improved. Below are good summaries that I found informative and accurate about candida albicans.

https://shunwaste.com/article/what-environments-can-candida-albicans-grow

https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/9/622

While still on the subject of eyes, we spoke with the optometry practice staff as patients walked in and out after purchasing bottles of eye vitamins/supplements. We asked and a few buyers and the staff gave rave reviews. The practice did not try to sell it to us. They said they could not keep enough inventory to supply everybody. All three docs and the staff take them. The following is the product,

https://www.macuhealth.com/product/macuhealth-vision-edge-pro-supplement-for-eye-support

Turns out it can be ordered direct from the company or Amazon at the essentially the same price. We have been taking for most of this past month. My December follow up exam will determine any personal progress, however, I have reason to hope for a good outcome.

Which leads to the next bit of news. Wifey and I decided it was time to lose some weight for good. We want to be more active to keep up with the grandkids and for me to teach them the game of golf. It was back to full Keto time for me and modified Keto for her. Her goal was to weigh the same as when we married over 40 years ago. My goal was to get to my baseball playing weight in college. I had to lose a bit more than her as a percentage. We have both succeeded. The difference in our health and energy levels has been nothing short of amazing. I kept the exercise to moderate and never went hungry at all. By keeping it to about 6 lbs. per month my body adjusted well along the way. Again, it was about modifying my nutrition to fit my goals and my gut health; not about a diet.

We also wanted to do this to see the effects it had on our blood tests from our physicals. Cholesterol was creeping up each year with both of us, especially with wifey. Her glucose was nearly 20% above the healthy range to go with blood pressure issues that she has dealt with all of her adult life. Wifey also had the goal of weaning slowly off of Amlodipine and Hydrochlorothiazide. We had zero doubts that the former contributed to her cholesterol trending up through the years; it is a little discussed side effect. When she began taking it her cholesterol also began increasing and never decreased again even when controlling her weight and nutrition. She never has liked the way the meds made her feel, but felt she had no alternative. In a previous daily I stated that we felt traditional medicine had won this battle. It turns out it was only a short term benefit that led to even worse average BP and cholesterol as well as spikes in BP and heart rate.. Which would have eventually led to more Big Pharm solutions that would lead her closer to death.

Turns out there was a way for her to exit the “system” that often destroys. The first step was to stop blindly trusting traditional medicine and the related food pyramid. Do your own research and adapt to your situation. Second was to address the nutrition and get to a healthy weight. Third was addressing her eye issues. The eyes are not only the windows to the soul, they interconnect with all the sensory areas of the body. Fourth was to cleanse the body of parasites and work on related gut health. Gut health is not one size or type fits all. Fifth was to become more fit, get the blood circulating daily. The last was to find the right combo of supplements and vitamins that worked specifically for her as she weaned off Big Pharm.

Bingo. We found that last one in Berberine (NOW brand). Other brands may work as well. The BP fell almost immediately after she started on a one third daily dose of it along with her two prescribed meds. No more spikes at all. In fact her BP fell too far. Several mornings when she got up and tested she would be in low 90/low 50 range. So, she cut the doses of prescribed meds in half. Her BP moderated up to 110-120/65-70 and remained there. This went on for a few months with no troublesome spikes. Then she moved to a two thirds dose of Berberine and went off Amlodipine completely. Her BP and heart rate remained stabilized in the same range and she has continued to have zero troublesome spikes. She plans to dump the half dose of Hydrochlorothiazide soon. She will maintain the prescriptions as a precaution until she is in the clear.

All of that was going on at the same time as the DMSO, IVM, castor oil, weight loss, nutrition changes, fitness walks, and so on. Now she is going off the meds, uses Berberine, takes some multi-protein collagen (Ancient Nutrition brand) in her morning coffee, uses Flonase for allergies, no longer suffers vertigo on car trips, sleeps like a log, and smiles a whole lot more. In addition she takes a multi and recently, the VisionEdge Pro eye vitamins.

Happy wife, happy life. So proud of her resolve and success even if we did need to buy her a new wardrobe. It was not expensive, us old folks are not all that picky.

My supplements have been the collagen, Aubergine recommended Nattokinase along with Serrapeptase, and more recently a third of a dose of Berberine leading up to our blood tests. My plan was to get the blood test results I discuss below and adjust as needed. Through the years I have tried many vitamin combos. Currently I take the eye vitamin daily along with a multi or CoQ10 a couple times per week. I have not been ill for about 15 months after I made changes and did the initial Parasite Cleanse. I take a prophylactic dose of IVM biweekly and additional doses if I detect any respiratory issues. My BP and heart rate are fine and have been all of my life – generally in the 120/70 average with an average resting heart rate of 52. I take no prescription meds and only Flonase for allergies. I hit eject on antihistamines a year ago and could not be happier about it because it tells me the underlying causes for their need are being addressed well.

Our emphasis recently has been on gut health. Dr. Steven Gundry’s research and recommendations are highly credible in our minds. As a result of learning more and with the help of my Keto based nutrition I have been able to reduce lectins, which have been undermining my digestion for decades. Quite simply I did not need all of the fiber my physician as well as gastroenterologist recommended at my last colonoscopy. Scraping the walls of my intestines with more fiber was a bad idea for my gut type. If I had continued I would be in deep doodoo or as worm food.

😄

I was miserable at times and the practice was causing weight gain, bloating and constipation even with drinking large amounts of water. If I continued it would have led to far worse health outcomes. So, I changed in accordance to what I learned along the way and recently tested with Dr. Gundry’s research and information. So far, so good. Life has become much easier to live. Below is a link to one of his books.

Annual Wellness Physicals

After the usual instruction to draw a clock showing 11:10 (yes, the same time every year) and being given three simple words to remember and repeat to the PA later in the exam (one of us always gets “village, kitchen, baby”), the experience went well. We were very pleased with the attitudes of the providers this year. Somebody got through their heads that the patients are the bosses, not them. The real results of COVIDiocy and their patients ire about it may have inspired them to do better. They asked our level of interest in vaccines and tests instead of telling us we needed to do something. It had already been noted in our files about no vaccines. When we passed this time, there was no questioning of our decisions. Occasionally they would offer some helpful thoughts for what to look for with potential health issues and what they could provide as tests if we experienced it. It turned into a relatively pleasant experience for a change.

And yes, in usual Trade smartassery I asked if they wanted the clock drawing to be AM or PM. It never fails to produce a puzzled, “wut?” expression. Just can’t help myself sometimes.

It all worked out as hoped. Could not ask for better results. Wifey’s BP and heart rate were in a normal range for probably the first time ever in 40 years of going to that doc office. The white coat syndrome did not kick in. Mine was in the usual range at 118/72/64. No physical abnormalities noted in the rest of our exams.

The blood test data was excellent for both of us. Wifey was slightly high on glucose, but had dropped 10% from the year before. I had nothing high or low except LDL, which was moderately above range for both of us. HDL and ratios were all good and in range. The LDL thing has been an industry hot potato with many patients since they lowered the acceptable range this year. Wifey and I are not going to play their game. We are in the previously acceptable 120 range. We will do the right things for us to lower it a bit more and not concern ourselves with their BS unless we detect problems.

Since we have only been making our life changes since early February, this blood test was a huge improvement for wifey. Her total total cholesterol dropped by a whopping 60 points from a year ago! Mine dropped 26 points even with the added meats and eggs. When I go off full Keto and sub in a bit of plant related proteins, fish and other veggies it will drop further. It proved that at least for some of us who follow the Keto nutrition plan as recommended; that it does not always lead to increased cholesterol as pundits and some medical professionals assert. Our own providers were skeptical of how it would turn out. Perhaps they will reconsider, perhaps not.

As stated I plan to selectively reintroduce some more good carbs (more fish, servings, veggies, Keto friendly fruits, maybe some oatmeal) into my diet, The sugar cravings are long gone and neither wifey or I desire for them to ever return. Related desserts and snacks will remain a thing of the past as a staple of our nutrition. Snacks for me are primarily nuts along with beef and chicken sticks. I will begin taking a Butyrate supplement to help my gut lining and maintain the metabolism my body has adapted to with more active fat busting ketones. It should help digestion for my gut type, which is averse to lectin as discussed. As stated I achieved my initial goal for weight loss. I plan to lose another 5 pounds or so to provide room for the winter months of less activity. Regardless, my goal will always be to weigh no more than my college playing weight. It should be relatively easy to do with our joint commitment to better health and the knowledge we have gained in the process.

With all of the above improvements, we are not without the normal challenges of aging that requires assistance from traditional medicine at times. For example, wifey will be addressing some non-cancerous dermatology related issues over the next few months. I will continue to work on flexibility and strengthening my lumbar region and knees, so that I can remain as active as possible. My Teeter inversion table remains a useful tool along with regular yoga stretching and other exercises. If I live long enough I expect one or both knees to need replaced as some point as they are well worn from sports and life as I have lived it.

Who knows what is in store for us to face, but we now feel comfortable we are doing our best to mitigate challenges to health. We give all praise to our Lord for seeing us through these life changes. We want to finish this life well before He takes us home, but leave the time for departure up to Him.

Conclusion

I urge all who are reading this to chart their own path when it comes to health and nutrition. Research, consider all of the information, pray about it, and then go to work. What I have provided is what has worked for us and our individual bodies, environment and living conditions. Some of it could translate to your benefit, but that is your call. The cost has been minimal. The reduction in overall food costs and trips to doctor offices for problems and illnesses, especially poor foods and life choices induced, has more than offset the costs of a few relatively low cost supplements and vitamins.

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Remember Wolf’s site rules. Note and label all AI. Please be kind to one another, we are all in this together. May God richly bless America and all of you. Trust Trump and the plan.

Celebrate the 4th! We have been blessed to live in times such as these in the greatest country on planet Earth.

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