Sorry this is long. I found this message thread very interesting because over 3 and a half years ago I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Rheumatoid Arthritis. My doctor said it was 'triggered' by an antibiotic that I was given that I had an allergic reaction to. In one month I went from hiking 8 miles and not breaking a sweat and doing climbing walls to being so disabled with pain and swelling in my feet, hands, my joints ached and sensations in my legs (needed to sleep on my back with legs up on pillows) that I had to get pants with elastic. The doctor told me that I would be disabled and on meds the rest of my life. He could not explain to me sufficiently how this could happen in one month. I refused meds and toughed it out. The first month I felt sorry for myself and was a couch potato. Then I kicked myself and started to read. That was about the only thing I could do. This is what I found out and how I beat my diagnosis. I found that when we reach around the age of 40 our body slowly diminishes it's production of our super antioxidant glutathione. This is a major player in the proper functioning of our immune system and regulates so many body systems that I am not going to list all of them here. The one I am going to mention is that it does regulate the hormones. When this is depleted via the severe immune response that happens when you receive a vaccination the body's cells and gut (80% of our immune system is regulated from there) is no longer protected because of oxidative stress. When the gut is compromised the body absorption of vit. D is diminished. Now another thing to take into consideration is family medical history. Is there allergies or auto-immune disease in the family? If this is true then there is the possibility that there could be any one or more of these factors: 1) defective GSH (glutathione) gene; 2) elevated levels of free floating IgE in the body; 3) increased levels of histamine release from mast cells. These are the most important. Because I found that RA was an auto-immune issue likely caused by my allergic reaction to the anti-biotic I had to deal with the inflammation and find how I could diminish this. First I started with diet. What foods can cause inflammation and eliminate them? I eliminated all processed sugars and went to honey for a start. Then I found what to add to my diet to increase my body production of glutathione (I was 58 at onslaught of RA). I added more fruits and green veggies (increasing my vit C & E). As I researched further I found that whey protein helps intensify the C & E so I started taking a whey suppliment. With the changes in diet initially I saw slow impovement in 1 month. When I added the whey protein I saw improvement in 2 weeks. It took 2 years for my body to heal itself and I was pretty much symptom free and pain free. The only problem I had left was my gut. I believe I had IBS (irritable bowel symdrome). I never went back to the doctor so this is my diagnosis of the symptoms that I had. My gut would feel funny (I called the five minute warning) and I would have to find a bathroom fast. Every store I went to I knew where the restroom was just in case. Further research was done to find out that Autistic children are glutathione deficient and their gut problems diminished after going gluten free. Hummmmm I pondered this for about 1 day and decided to minimize my gluten and test the foods I did eat to see what reactions I would have. I no longer eat standard breads or pastas. I can eat rye bread and one bun with unbleached white bread for my hamburgers. (I love my food, sorry.) I can also eat the pasta that is labeled semolina pasta. Don't understand why but I can but I do not overdo it. I have been reading labels for 2 years now and I am pretty much (money is a little tight) all natural foods, frozen veggies, etc. As of one year ago I am now totally symptom free. Wohoo! My only problem is that I know I will never be 100% ever again. I do have energy level problems so I do everything in moderation. I have to take a power nap every afternoon. I lost 35 - 40 lbs of muscle mass so I can't do some of the strenuous things I used to. But the upside is that my allergic responses to seasonal pollens are next to non-existant. No flu or colds (this was a concern of mine). Over all with my auto-immune issue it is all under control and people are amazed that I ever had RA and was 95% disabled. This is my story. Do your own research. If your doctor will not test for glutathione deficiency (warning: they will not) ask them to test for magnesium deficiency. Glutathione deficiency goes hand in hand with magnesium deficiency. Foot note: Glutathione supplements do not work because the body does not absorb the glutathione. The best way is to get the body to produce more. Here is a link that might be useful: Histamine

It's not as plasticky as I remember Swanstone was back in the day when I saw more Swanstone. There's none around me these days. It's more a stone-grit feel than that. It's not a hard shiny cold plasticky feel like a Silestone or other quartz. But it's close. It's warmer than a stone or an engineered quartz. If you can touch the unpolished side of a piece of engineered quartz, you will be closer. But it's more grit-feel than that, like the difference between two levels of fine sandpapers in the high hundreds or low thousands (... at the hardware store, go touch their sandpaper sheets. you could moisten them with a few flecks of snow from your mittens; it's allowed; moistening sandpaper is permitted.) This is way smoother than a knife-sharpening stone feel, so don't anyone conclude that it's a rough surface by any means. the color you chose is good for a production kitchen like yours because you can keep it clean and hygienic without overdoing it. Mine is under high lumen in a high lux environment so I have to Ajax+Comet the floor of my sink to matchy match the rest of it; it's a cosmetic thing, nothing fundamental. hth

I know the feeling, Shades- I'm enjoying an adult beverage right now. One of the first things I planted at our new place was 2 daffodils. That's right- two. The little church I visit up there had a sermon which related to daffodil bulbs, so each person got one in a little kit with fertilizer and instructions. I wasn't going to take one, but the cutest little boy ran up and was SO excited to give me one! Then folks I insisted I take two; one for me and one for my wife. In the spirit (pun intended) of the thing I felt obligated to plant them. We visited in February, and they were up and had buds. Alas, we weren't there for the actual flowers, but I was still excited. Two down; about 500 to go. I want to naturalize them all over the place.

I don't know what it feels like to die but will share this story about a friend of mine. It may be a little off topic. I had a neighbor when I lived in another town that was a good friend. He was very intelligent, kind of an introvert and didn't socialize very much with other people but we became good friends. He was 9 years older than me. I moved about 20 miles away but used to call him or go see him from time to time or he would come here. It had been several weeks since I had last talked to him, and I called and his phone was shut off. That caused me to panic. I thought he had died and no one told me....which wouldn't be unusual for his family. They were even odder than he was. I rushed over there and he came to the door in his underwear, had a long beard, and looked like the stories I had heard of Howard Hughes...except he didn't have kleenex boxes for shoes. He was very depressed....no food in the house except some moldy burritos in the fridge that he had bought at a convenience store. Empty wine bottles stacked like cord wood in every cabinet in the kitchen. Hadn't picked up his mail, so he hadn't paid any bills. Didn't realize his phone had been shut off. To make a long story a little shorter, I cleaned his house, got food for him, paid his bills, etc. I thought he was going to die any day. That is how bad he looked but he didn't want to go to the doctor. So I took care of him. He lived 8 more years. Every day I went over there to see about him. At the end, I was there as often as 4 times a day, even sleeping on the floor to stay with him. We talked about death and dying many times. He had emphysema very bad...still smoked all the time. I asked him to contact me when he died, if he could. He didn't believe in stuff like that, but finally, he said he would. I was with him when he died (at home). I was talking to him and asked him if he wanted something to drink. He said yes. I went to the kitchen, got a Gatorade for him and came right back, and he took two shallow breaths and was gone. Just that quick. A few months after he died, I dreamed I got a phone call from him. It was so real....just like he was in life....the way he came across. He said, "Why don't you come to see me any more?" I didn't want to tell him that he had died and his niece, who he didn't like, was now living in his house. So, I said, "You don't live where you used to." He said "What?!" I said, "Ken, you died." He sounded incredulous when he said, "Are you sure about that?" The "are you sure about that?" was a phrase he often used when I told him something he didn't quite think was right. I don't know how much stock I put in dreams but it was so real....just like he was talking to me. I was closer to him than almost anyone. The last 8 years of his life I had spent so much time with him....we talked about everything. I can always feel his presence around me. I don't know how to describe it. It is almost like he didn't die and is nearby, just not physically with me at the moment.