Annie, I used to have those leg cramps, but it was every month when I had my period. In the 1970's I started reading Prevention magazine, which was not the slick mag it is now, and they talked about calcium deficiencies. One part of it was caused by using non-fat dairy (which I used to do) and they claimed it was necessary for you to digest fat with calcium to utilize it. The other part was an imbalance of calcium, magnesium and phosphorous, caused in part by drinking diet soda (an excess of phosphorous in those drinks leaching magnesium and calcium from your system). I always struggled with my weight, so both those things were part of my diet. They claimed that even calcium supplements, if they contained phosphorous (if you had excess phosphorous intake from soda) would not help the imbalance and your body would not utilize the calcium. I don't know if it's true or not, but what I did cured my leg aches every month. I found a liquid calcium, magnesium supplement (without phosphorous) and began taking it, along with switching to 1% dairy. If I would run out, or get out of the habit of taking it, I would get these terrible aches in my legs at the onset of my period. I remember several times when my legs would start this terrible aching, during my 1 hour commute, stopping at a health food store to get my calcium and chugging a bit of it in the car, then continuing on my way home. By the time I reached home the aching had stopped. It happened enough times that I became a true believer in their theory. So, even if you take calcium, read up on the best kind to take, see if it contains magnesium and phosphorus and if you drink soda, try to find a supplement without the phosphorus. And if you use only nonfat dairy, try switching to 1% for some things and see if it makes a difference. Here is a link that might be useful: one article on calcium supplements

Donna - You are looking for specialty items that are not readily available. Whole Foods didn't make you organic. It's something you do and WFs meets your needs. But look around you next time you are in the store. The majority of customers are yuppies who are there so they can say they shop there for overpriced product and be organic for the weekend. LOL Or brag about how much they spent for cheese. Ever check out their classes? Some local "celebrity" chef will show you how to slice a carrot and make salad for a mere 45 dollars per person or so. LOL Then there is the special parking for hybrid autos. How elitist is that? Really when Whole Foods was just a little store I used to shop there for fresh produce once in a while. But around where I live they are popping up like Starbucks and drawing the same customer base. Fortunately I live in an area with lots of alternatives plus I am not into the organic thing that much. If I want fresh produce I can garden. I can go up into the mountains and pick my own organic apples and not have to pay 4 dollars an apple. I can go to little ethnic shops that deal in simple old fashioned foods. I don't want my grocery shopping to be an event. It's food. Cooking is science, it's no mystery to me. I don't want a massage in a grocery store either. I have issues with all the supplements people take because they are "natural". Whole foods sells loads of them. Seems to me if one is eating so healthy one wouldn't need to be buying all those supplements. Call me cynical but if one has special food requirements and WF meets their needs fine. But that doesn't seem to be the case where I live. I have friends who just love to spend their weekends at WFs. They are the same people who think Olive Garden is Italian and Benihana is real Japanese. I just smile and keep my mouth shut. ;-)

Cindy, I was actually too anxiety ridden to eat much but basically followed a low acid diet. I recall that I ate lots of fresh baby spinach - uncooked, in salads with just olive oil and lemon juice (yes you head that right...lemons are one of the most alkaline things on the planet) and wild salmon patties that I get at Costco. I had a hard time eating and drinking initially because I was so afraid. everything went down crooked and felt dry. Even water caused odd feelings in my esophagus. That did go away once my anxiety lessed, though. I must have gone to the ENT 3 times in two months (after the FEES test that diagnosed the LPR)just so he could scope my throat and assure me nothing was wrong. He understood. the sensation makes one crazy. Cindy, this was a very, very troubling time for me. I got help from a number of professionals, including a therapist specializing in anxiety and panic attacks. I also had good friends and family who understood my pain and helped me with their support. They were very concerned because this wasnt me. I was absolutely against any medications, having been on an AD once before for 4 years following a death in the family and it was very difficult coming off it. I actually should never have been on it. we learn so much in retrospect, but hopefully it makes us wiser. that's part of the reason for my opposition. It wasnt until I realized that diet and relaxation techniques, even several trips to the naturopathic doctor for supplements to help my body help itself, wasnt going to rid me of the anxiety...oh and the depression that started setting in. I remember the visit to the psychiatrist, I think it was the third visit, where I realized that I couldn't do it myself...and needed to try the meds. I had been so opposed to it, feeling that I just couldnt take that step. He didn't push it, but rather brought me to the decision myself. I was so sick with the thought of it, but knew I had no other options. It was that or lose myself in this. I cannot tell you the relief I felt when the health anxiety disappeared...overnight. Some say it was mind over matter because the drugs dont work that fast, but I know what I know...and only 5mg, my starting dose, brought me instant relief. And the constant state of anxiety dissipated too. that was the toughest part as I said in my earlier email. Mind you, I had every test imaginable, blood work up the ying yang that my doctor ordered at the request of the naturopath (they arent licensed as primary care physicians in NY State). They took 8 vials of blood for those tests! One thing I forgot to mention was that I developed severe hives during this time. One day they just started on my chest...that was just the beginning. My sister happened to be over, and she gave me a benedryl. I went for allergy tests...no allergies. I had every blood test imaginable (see above)...nothing unusual. One day I got hives over my entire body...the hives had hives. I called the allergist and went right away and he watched as they popped up on my back, chest, arms, you name it. Dont struggle needlessly. There is nothing wrong with trying the meds. It doesn't mean youve failed. Its a tool to help you get back your life. I tried everything I could, but I knew when it was time to give my body a break. Start slow...5mg and give it a couple of weeks (as longas the Dr. advises that too). I felt I needed something that would take off the edge just enough so that I could function. Going to work was difficult but I did it every day. Once I started the meds, I continued with my therapy, learning how to respond to the panic attacks and arming myself for the future. I didn't just let the meds do the work, i worked at it too. I did go up to 10mg, but now, a year later, I no longer have fear of reverting back plus the 10mg just started making me very tired, so I dialed it back and that went away. I guess my body accepted the meds when I really needed them, and started telling me when it no longer was necessary. I hope some of this helps. Sue

Oh, gosh, if I put things in capital letters I do it for emphasis. I would never be so boorish as to yell at someone on a forum. So if I have offended anyone I apologize. My mother was a squabbler and it was really embarrassing for me as a teenager because she would take anybody on and run her mouth till she figured she'd "won". But my best friend had a mother who always said, "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all". I really respected that woman for her restraint and her good manners. So you won't find me being obnoxious on a forum, on purpose, anyway. I appreciate everyone's input. Even if you don't all have the same opinions, it still gives me lots to think about. And, knowing that some things sound more harsh when they are written than the writer may have meant, I try to take everything other people say at face value. I love these forums and feel like I have learned so much from them. Cearbhaill, I'm going to offer Pearl a raw chicken wing tip today and see what she does. Stbonner, I will watch out for gluten on the ingredients list from now on. And also "meat by-products" or "meat and bone meal". Thanks for that information. Those who use blood-soaked sawdust from the floor, what would they call that? Does that fall in the "meat by-products" category? Minnie, I think that's a good idea you have there. I think it would be good to e-mail all these pet food producers who have the above items on their lists of ingredients and tell them we know what that is and we will not be buying their products as long as those ingredients are on the list. If they are just asked "if" they include euthanized pets and roadkill in their food, they'll just find someone who works there that doesn't know about "anything" that they put in the food, who can then truthfully tell you "I know of no such ingredients in our brand". Here's the ingredients list on the Chicken Soup brand of cat food: chicken, chicken meal, cracked pearled barley, chicken fat preserved with mixed tocopherols, ocean fish meal, white rice, potatoes, oatmeal, millet, natural chicken flavor, salmon, turkey, duck, flaxseed, sodium bisulfate, egg product, methionine, potassium chloride, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, spinach, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flakes, yucca schidigera extract, L-carnitine, Enterococcus facium, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles, dried Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, zinc proteinate, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganese oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid. I had never heard of Eagle Pack. I checked the price and it runs about $2 for a 13-oz can of cat food, if ordered from Amazon.com. I have sent an e-mail to a distributor 35 miles away to see what their price is. For that price, though, I'd think it would be cheaper to feed raw chicken if she will eat it. Would there be calcium in the cartilage that's in the wing? When I had cats as a child we always fed them milk and table scraps, and they supplemented it by hunting. Then people started saying cats couldn't digest milk and not to feed it. My dog, Sonny, has gotten so that he doesn't want to eat the dry Chicken Soup dog food. So to about a cup of dry food I've been adding about a half cup of leftovers from our most recent meal and some water that had sausage cooked in it (fat removed), or water with dry milk powder added, and he has been cleaning the bowl.