Back on track.

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. Besides dealing with grief and getting used to being on my own for the first time in my life, I have been working hard to catch back up in school and pass the two computer classes I was taking.

I have been taking D.E. steadily over the last month or two, but the results I have been getting are mixed. My energy is way up along with my motivation, I have lost some weight, and both knees are pretty much back to the way they should be. However, my blood pressure is running very high - 156/112 last time I took it, which was a few days ago.

The blood pressure could be due to the stress of school, which I was really struggling with over the last month. I was originally taking four classes, but dropped my beginning piano class because I felt I should concentrate on my two computer classes. I had intended to stay in my intermediate algebra class and get as much out of it as I could, then drop the class to avoid getting an F as there was no way I could possibly pass the class as far behind as I was. But I was way too distracted with everything else I was dealing with, and I did not drop the class in time so I now have an F in the algebra class. Because of that F I needed at least B's in the two computer classes - Office Application Development, and Data Management Systems. The first class dealt with Visual Basic for Applications, and the second class dealt with SQL. Two classes that deal with writing code are the perfect combination for stress, and I have learned my lesson - I will never take two classes like that at the same time again!

At one point I told my neighbors not to worry if they saw a computer fly out the window, that I was just doing my homework. I was 12 assignments behind in the VBA class, and struggling to keep up in the SQL class, but I am proud to say that I have at least a B in the VBA class, and probably have a B in the SQL class. Now that the semester is finally over, a huge amount of stress is gone, and I am hoping that my blood pressure drops.

Another thing that should bring my blood pressure down is that I am actively working on losing weight. I now have a scale so I can keep better track of my weight without having to depend upon the scales at the houses I clean. The scale I have been using at the one house I clean weighed me at 152 last Friday, while my home scale weighed me at 155 this morning. I am getting a lot more exercise than I was getting when my knees were bad, and I am being much more careful about what I eat. I am hoping that I can keep myself on track through the remainder of the holiday season, especially since my customers like to give us candy for Christmas, and my roommate is no longer here to help me eat it. I do realize I could give the candy away, but my love of chocolate does not allow me to do this! Still, thanks to the fact that D.E. works wonders for keeping my appetite at bay, I think I can keep myself from overindulging with the holiday treats.

Energy Returning

Since I last posted a few days ago, I have been taking DE regularly - 1 heaping tablespoon (maybe more since I don't really measure it) twice a day. I have noticed that, even with the struggle I am having with grief and severe depression, my energy level has improved dramatically along with my motivation to get things done.

Yesterday I managed to get a huge amount of the dishes that had piled up washed and put away. I don't have a dishwasher so I have to do everything by hand, which makes doing the mountain of dishes that had piled up a huge undertaking. Both sinks were full of dirty dishes, the counter was piled up with dirty dishes, and the stove is full of dirty pots and pans. There was not a single clean plate, bowl, or piece of silverware in the house. But now there are only a few plastic containers in one sink, and two dirty pans along with their lids on the stove. I did these dishes at night, which is another huge step forward for me as I usually shut down completely if I am at home when the sun goes down.

As I write this, the second load of laundry is in the washing machine, and I have put up several items on eBay. I also spent some time outside talking with a neighbor instead of wanting to hide away inside the house. Overall, I feel better in many ways. It's the same way I felt when I first started taking DE - energy and motivation way up from where they were before.

Another expected result of taking DE regularly again is that my appetite has decreased dramatically. Over the last month, I have been eating an unhealthy amount of food. I had been constantly craving sweets and comfort food, and since I have been too wrapped up in grief to really care, my diet has been extremely unhealthy consisting of sweets, fast food, lots and lots of cola, junk food, frozen dinners, chips, and canned pasta. At times I have added vegetables, but since I was too depressed to do dishes, my meals mainly consisted of what I could make using the least amount of dishes and silverware possible.

But over the last couple of days, I have cooked my breakfast - 2 eggs with two slices of turkey bacon and one glass of cola (compared to the nearly half of a two liter bottle that I have been having with breakfast for the last month). Last night I had a frozen meal for dinner, but that was before I did the dishes, so I really had no way of making anything healthier. This afternoon, I think I will make some biscuits and tuna salad for lunch and drink apple juice instead of cola. Tonight I am planning on making homemade burritos. Overall, much healthier meals than I have become accustomed to. I really have no desire for sweets at the moment.

Unfortunately, my blood pressure has not come down. It was averaging 155/109 earlier. Just have to be patient with that. I think it took nine or ten days before DE had any effect on my blood pressure when I first started taking it.

Starting Over

It has been just over a month since my roommate passed away and about month since I last posted. First of all, I would like to thank all of the people who were so supportive in their comments. I have found that the kindness of other people has lifted me up during some extremely dark moments. It has been so difficult to even function these last few weeks. The house is so unbelievably lonely, even with the dog and cats to keep me company. Except for one aunt, I pretty much have no family that I keep in touch with, so I feel very alone through all this. If it weren't for my aunt, and a handful of close friends, I would not have made it.

During this time, I have been very sporadic in my use of diatomaceous earth, taking it once every other day or so. It's just been difficult to make myself do anything at all. The dishes had piled up, the house has gotten filthy again after a friend had cleaned it for me, and I have gotten way behind in all of my classes.

But today has been a better day. I got some laundry done, I did some dishes, and I went to class tonight. I also took D.E. this morning and this afternoon. But I am pretty much back to square one with my health with two exceptions - my knees are pretty much healed, and I have actually kept my weight where it was even though my diet has been horrible. For the first week, my aunt kept me fed by taking me out to eat morning, noon, and night. She also bought candy bars for us to snack on while cleaning the house. After she went back to her house, I found myself buying cookies and candy to snack on. I also spent some of the money that others gave me on fast food because I could not make myself cook, but then again once the dishes built back up in the sink, I had nothing to cook with or eat off of.

So thanks to all of that and not taking D.E., my blood pressure is averaging 165/108 again, and my energy level is nonexistent. My motivation level is also nonexistent. Of course I am still extremely depressed much of the time, and I still have problems with severe anxiety.

I am now hoping to get myself back into taking D.E. regularly, and get myself back into some sort of routine. I am hoping to be able to make myself post more often, though with everything else I am dealing with, I cannot promise to be posting regularly yet, but that will hopefully change as I get through this dark time and begin healing.

Day 104

This has been such a difficult time for me, I don't know where to start. In my last post, I mentioned that I had been sick. Sadly, my roommate, who was somebody that I loved more than words can express, caught the cold from me. He had asthma and was having difficulty with his breathing before he caught the cold. I recovered quickly from the cold... he did not. On Tuesday, September 7th, I came home from my aunt's house to find my roommate slumped over in his desk chair. He had died from what appeared to be an asthma attack.

I am still having an incredibly difficult time dealing with his loss. We were together as a couple, then friends who were more like family for over 20 years. Needless to say, I have not been taking any of my vitamins or diatomaceous earth on a regular basis lately. It is everything I can do just to make myself function. I have not been back to work or school since this happened, and I do not know when I will get back to any sort of regular routine.

Once I have gotten myself back into some sort of functional state of mind, I will begin posting on this blog regularly again.

Day 91

Between dealing with my pastor's passing, and a horrible cold that caused me to miss a week of work and school, I have no desire to go anywhere near a computer except to check my email. I think the cold is finally going away now, and my thoughts are finally becoming less jumbled so I can write a coherent post.

During my absence, two things have happened that have given me perspective on D.E. - both as an insecticide, and as a nutritional supplement.

We adopted a kitten several weeks ago, and have been bathing her to keep the fleas in check as it seemed D.E. wasn't really effective at killing the fleas. But with both of us sick, we did not feel like dealing with the injuries we generally receive when bathing the kitty. So one night when the poor thing could not take two steps without scratching and biting, we dusted her thoroughly with D.E., but we didn't notice any difference that night. The next morning, however, she was barely scratching at all, and I didn't see any fleas anywhere on her. It would seem that D.E. really is effective on an indoor animal.

The other thing that happened was that I quit taking D.E. for about 6 days while I was sick. This was not a conscious decision - I just wasn't feeling well, and I was spending most of my time sleeping, so I really did not think about it. But one night as I was trying desperately to focus on catching up with some of the homework I needed to get done, I noticed both that my energy and mental focus were extremely low. I had noticed the low energy the day before, but attributed that to being sick and taking cold medicine. But on this day I hadn't taken any medicine. I was still feeling rough, but I should not have been that tired and out of focus. That was when I realized that I had not taken D.E. in several days.

I went into the kitchen and took a tablespoon full of D.E., and after about an hour I noticed some improvement in my mental energy. Physical energy stayed low for a couple of days after that though. I have now been taking D.E. again for about four days and find my energy is returning, and I am able to focus much better when doing my homework. Today, I find my motivation to get things done is also returning.

Other things I had noticed, but hadn't attributed it to not taking D.E. until now, is that I was having trouble sleeping for the three days that I was not taking the cold medicine. At first I thought it was because I had gotten used to having the night-time cold medicine after taking it for a couple of days. But I don't think that having something to make me sleep for two or three days would make it so difficult to sleep three days later. The second night after I started taking D.E. again, I slept soundly, and I slept well last night too.

My appetite, which should have been low due to being sick, went crazy on me for a few days. There were at least two days where all I wanted to do was snack, and I found myself eating more at mealtimes as well. But my appetite seems to be back under control again now. The last couple of days I have not snacked much at all. Come to think of it, I barely had anything to eat at all yesterday, and today I only had a two-egg omelet with chile verde for breakfast, and a slice of cheese with lunchmeat for lunch. I haven't even wanted a snack this afternoon.

My left knee was suffering as well during my time without D.E. I had noticed it was hurting, but just didn't think about why it was hurting. It is feeling better today. It doesn't hurt as much when I walk, and it wasn't aching at all last night.

One last thing that I am not sure whether it could be attributed to not taking D.E., is that my skin has gotten very dry over these last few days even though I put lotion on at least every other day. The skin on my heels, which had actually stopped cracking so much, is so bad I can barely walk even though I have put something on them to heal the dry skin, and I am wearing socks.

All of these things let me know, beyond any doubts that I may have had before, that the D.E. is making a difference in my health.

Day 86

It has been a while since I have posted. My absence has been due to several things - school has started and I am taking 4 classes at the community college this semester, I have had a lot of jobs over the last two weeks, and a good friend - and former pastor of the church I go to - passed away a few days ago.

Though I have been keeping busy with work, it has not been the kind of housework that keeps me moving - I spent two six hour days doing nothing but washing dishes by hand. Time at home has been spent staying off my feet to rest the bad knee, and the depression over losing my friend has brought me to a standstill.

There have been few positive changes in my health - but there has been no negative changes from the lack of exercise either. Up until the last week, my left knee has been giving me a lot of problems, and my time away from work and my two on-campus classes has been spent sitting around and snacking more than usual. Even with the added stress and lack of exercise, my blood pressure has pretty much remained in the area of 138/98, and I am still only taking DE without any of the other supplements to lower the blood pressure.

One thing that has totally amazed me though, is that even with dealing with the grief and depression of losing my friend, my energy levels for work and school have remained high. The first day of working a temporary job cleaning a house that is covered in dust from renovations, I drank a 5-hour energy drink at the beginning of the day and got through a 7-hour day with no other caffeine needed once the energy drink wore off. That day was basic housecleaning and it was not an easy day.

The next week, school started, my friend passed away, and the work schedule went nuts. Even with a lack of sleep, I got through the remaining work and school days only drinking coffee in the mornings and cola later in the day. No energy drinks needed. Most of the time I drank water during work and school, and nothing else to keep me going. Still, my energy level was high enough to keep me going under circumstances that would have had me rushing for the energy drinks before I started taking DE.

As I type this, my right knee is back to being pretty much normal, and my left knee is much improved. No brace or bandage needed, and I am not limping. I do have to be careful when lifting heavy objects though, and I need to hold onto something when coming up the steps into the house. I still would not even dream of going up a flight of stairs, and if the elevators at the school quit working, there is no way I would be able to get to my classes. But I can walk all the way across the campus without problems.

Day 69

I have been taking DE for over two months now, and my knees are still giving me problems. After seeing me limping today, a friend who is very skeptical about all the claims that DE is a "cure all" and thinks I am crazy for taking the stuff, asked me if I really thought that DE had done anything at all for my health since it didn't seem that my knees were doing any better. I told her that DE had done a lot for my health, and that I was glad I had started taking it. Of course there was the usual argument that it seemed I was in just as much pain as before, and so forth, with me defending DE and all the things it has done for me.

Later on, after thinking about the conversation I had with my friend, I decided to make comparison of how I was doing before DE and how I am doing now. Here is what I came up with:

Before DE

• Weight approx. 270 pounds
  
• Blood pressure average reading 165/111
• Energy - extremely low to the point of needing energy drinks just to function at work
  
• Motivation to get things done is almost non-existent
  
• Appetite - somewhat out of control
• Suffering from back pain and sciatica
• Unable to walk at times because of the pain in my knees at times needing bandages and brace just to walk from room to room
  
• Difficulty sleeping at night, difficulty focusing during the daytime

After DE for just over 2 months

• Weight approx. 259 pounds
  
• Blood pressure average reading 137/98 - without taking any other supplements to lower it
  
• Energy - generally high rarely needing any kind of energy drink to get going
  
• Motivation to get things done is high
• Appetite - cut in half, at times need to force myself to eat breakfast
• Back pain is gone, though I still have problems with sciatica
• Knees are sore, though my right knee feels almost normal at times. Left knee is still giving me problems and holding me back from doing as much as I would like to do. Brace and bandages rarely needed.
• Sleeping much better at night, focus much better in the daytime

Looking at the before and after, I would say that DE has done wonders for me. I just wish my stupid knees would make up their minds to heal once and for all.

Day 63

I have waited to post again on this blog until I had good news to post. The last few days have been difficult as I thought my right knee was back to normal, but it has been very painful and slightly swollen. It was suggested by a friend that maybe I used it too much too soon, that just because the pain was gone did not mean it was strong enough to use normally. All I know is that it pops when I move just wrong on it (or sometimes when I am just walking normally), and it is sore enough that I am worried about going to work with it like this. Next week I will be working every day of the week. Monday and Tuesday will be nightmarish with one eight-hour day of housecleaning, followed by two housecleaning jobs on Tuesday. The rest of the week will be easier with one job a day - not counting the day I help to tidy up the church. I just hope my knee gets through it as I still have to get out and do as much yard work as possible since we need to have our yard nice and green for code enforcement. I cannot believe they can fine people for not having green yards, while the city is harassing people about using too much water.

The good news is my blood pressure is back to reading me at around 138/99 - this is a steady average reading over the last couple of days. Hopefully once I get the stress of the yard dealt with, my blood pressure will go lower.

More good news is that, when I weighed myself at the house I cleaned today, my weight had dropped 4 pounds from what it was three weeks ago when I used those scales. Considering I had dropped 1/2 when I weighed myself on the other scales last Friday, it would appear that I have dropped another 3 1/2 pounds during this week. I won't know for sure what my weight is until I get back to the other ( every other Friday) house and use those scales as they are the ones I have been using to get an accurate measure of how much I weight I put on or drop off.

My energy is basically about the same - fairly high most of the time. My appetite is pretty much the same too. Sometimes I want to eat more, but other times a couple of celery sticks and some cauliflower with a little bit of cottage cheese is all I want for breakfast or lunch. Last night I would have had a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter for dinner if my roommate hadn't made one of those skillet pasta meals and shared it with me. Just not feeling like eating a lot.

Day 57

I am now beginning to question whether DE helps with blood pressure in the long run. When I first started taking DE, I noticed a significant drop in my blood pressure. But the readings I have had over the last few days - ranging from 170/110 to 135/100 - make me wonder if the DE is really working.

To be fair, I have had a very stressful week dealing with a lot of personal issues. I realize that, even with prescription medicine, it is difficult to keep blood pressure down when dealing with this kind of stress. Only time will tell.

I am still having some problems with the left knee as well. Sometimes it feels great, but it only takes one misstep for it to pop in a very painful way and start hurting again. Still, I have not had to use the brace on it except when exercising.

Three things that have remained steady is the lower appetite, the weight loss, and the energy. I got on the scales today and found that I had lost 1/2 pound since using those scales two weeks ago. Even though I have only lost 1/2 pound, I am not discouraged. The weight is still going down, and I am getting some muscle back in my stomach, arms, and legs. My energy is down a bit today, but was high yesterday.

Overall, I am still feeling much better than I did before starting DE, and I have no plans to discontinue taking it.

Day 53

Last Friday, I had what I thought was going to be a serious setback. I was bringing several bags of groceries up to the house, carrying all of them in my left hand - which was not a good idea in the first place since my knee is still not as strong as it should be. Without thinking, I went up the steps - left foot first - without using the bricks at the side of the porch to lean on and help me up the steps. As I was bringing my right foot up, I heard and felt a sickening snap/pop in my left knee, followed by a shooting pain then weakness. I managed to get up the steps, but my knee was in a lot of pain at that point. Still, it was not as bad as I had feared it would be. The knee was weak, and it hurt to bend it or to get up from a seated position for the rest of Friday and most of Saturday. But by Saturday night I was able to go walking through the store with my roommate when he needed to buy some clothes, and Sunday I had very little problems when I went to church then to the grocery store afterward. The knee is a little painful at times today, but I was able to do some exercise without making things worse. The right knee is still feeling as if nothing had ever happened to it.

That is one thing that really amazes me - before I started taking DE, if my did something stupid like I did on Friday (actually, I wouldn't even think of trying to carry groceries up the steps before I started taking DE), my knee would be in serious pain and I would need to stay off of it for several days, and brace it before going to work. As far as exercising three days later goes, the thought would never even enter my mind. It just seems that the knee gets over things like that so quickly now.

One of the things I have been asked is, where is the best place to buy DE? As I am trying to keep this blog completely unbiased, I will not recommend a specific store or seller. I bought mine at an online store as I could not find anywhere to buy it where I live. With shipping, 10 pounds of DE cost me $30 - just over $14 for the DE and just over $15 for shipping. I was checking eBay this afternoon and found I could have bought the same amount of DE for $25 with shipping from one of the sellers. With the amount of sellers and the varying amounts of DE that can be bought on eBay at very competitive prices, I will more than likely get my next bag of DE from one of the sellers on eBay. One thing I do not recommend is buying from a health food store as, from what I have seen, the prices are much higher at health food stores. Instead, look around for the best price, as there is little difference in the DE from a health food store that costs $7.99 for 1/4 pound and the DE bought elsewhere at 10 pounds for $15.

Another thing I am often asked is, "how much do you think I should buy?" The answer to that depends upon whether or not you will continue to use DE, and how you will use it. The next time I buy some (which depends solely upon my financial situation), I am hoping to be able to get a 50 pound bag, which can be purchased for as little as $45(with shipping) off of eBay. Now, while it seems almost impossible to use that much DE in a household where only one person takes it as a dietary supplement, I do go through it very quickly, and it would save me a lot of money to buy that much. The 10 pound bag I bought is nearly gone now. Of course I have given at least a pound or two away to others who have wanted to try it. But I have found that it works so well for so many different things that I would probably use a lot more of it if I had it.

Day 49

I was sick for two days with a bad headache and upset stomach. I was so grateful when the headache finally went away yesterday, and I felt like I could function again.

While I had the headache, I checked my blood pressure regularly and found that it went up to 140/100. I think the headache probably caused the blood pressure to go up and not the other way around. I haven't taken my blood pressure yesterday or today because of the heatwave we have had. My blood pressure tends to be higher when I am not comfortable. Temperatures were up above 100 yesterday, and up to 104 today with a high humidity that renders our swamp cooler next to useless. Actually, the cooler does cool things down enough to make things almost bearable.

Luckily, the house we worked in today had the air conditioning going full blast. I had my iPod on and was doing a lot of dancing while working - to the point where I was working up quite a sweat. I was grateful for the opportunity to exercise at work because I could not exercise at home - not even while standing directly in front of the cooler. As I type this, it is still 87 degrees outside at 9:45pm.

So far, my energy is still very high even with the house being so warm. I found this out last night when the fleas launched another attack, and I had to fight back by vacuuming the entire living room, spraying the couches, and putting DE under the rugs. I started at around 6:30pm and finished at around 9:30. Unfortunately, the fleas are still going insane. My roommate is going to spray the entire yard with something to kill the fleas, which is something I was hoping we could avoid as it will kill everything else. But we have to do something. The cats and dog are miserable.

At work today, I spoke with the customer who I had recommended DE to. Unfortunately, after taking it for 3 weeks, the only thing she noticed was that she had more energy. I was hoping it would help her with her back pain the way it has helped me, but it didn't do much for her at all. Maybe she would need to take it for a longer period of time to notice anything, or maybe it just doesn't help with the problem she has.

I am still seeing some great results however. My left knee is almost back to normal! At times, I find myself going up and down the front steps without leaning on the bricks beside the steps! I am also having little to no pain during and after work. I have also noticed something totally unexpected recently. I have had bad toenail fungus on one of my toes, and nothing I did would get rid of it. The toenail was extremely thick - nearly half an inch in the middle, and it looked horrible. I try to use toenail clippers to get rid of the excess, but it all just grows back. I noticed yesterday that the toenail is getting much thinner, and at the base it appears healthy. I looked it up online and found that DE is supposed to get rid of fungus. This is a wonderful surprise as I was so self-conscious when wearing sandals. Now I am not so worried about people seeing that toe anymore.

Day 44

The slow but steady weight loss continues - I am down two more pounds to 261. I have also noticed that a pair of shorts that used to fit fairly snugly are now comfortably loose - and this is right after washing them!

I have been continuing my exercise, though I sometimes do my dancing while doing dishes or while at work. Yesterday, I was wearing my iPod while cleaning the only house we had, and I managed to work up a sweat dancing while I cleaned. My energy level was so high that I found myself doing an extra good job all while practically bouncing off the walls to the music. My knees didn't seem to mind the workout at all, and held up fairly well as I did my grocery shopping after work.

Not only has my energy been very high over the last couple of days, my blood pressure averaged 140/94 yesterday with the lowest of the three readings being 136/91!

But I have saved the best news for last. Last night after dinner, I found myself feeling very restless and wanting to just get out and do something. My roommate reminded me that he had one of those glow-in-the-dark frisbees, and we decided to go outside and play frisbee. While I knew that I couldn't actually chase the frisbee, I felt that it wouldn't hurt to throw and catch. But I forgot one thing - I am left handed and throwing the frisbee means that I step forward with my left foot, putting pressure on my left knee. The knee held up quite well, and I was able to play for at least 20 minutes! I played frisbee for at least 20 minutes last night - something I was worried I would never be able to do again!

Afterwards, my left knee was sore and worn out, but it feels great today, and there is no sign that anything was ever wrong with the right knee.

Day 41

A comment that was made to an earlier post asked for more information about me. I figured it might be a good idea to address the reasons why I didn't post much about myself in the first place.

I had considered writing something about myself in the 'about' section, but couldn't really figure out what to write. I am not really comfortable sharing too much personal info online, but I realized that sharing some personal info is necessary as people may want to know more about the person who is writing this blog.

I already posted much of this information in reply to the comment on the previous post, but I thought it would be a good idea to post it again here.

My name is Mary, and I am 43 years old. I live in California with a roommate, two cats, and a dog.

My reason for trying DE in the beginning was desperation. I spent 10 years addicted to methamphetamine after my father passed away, before quitting drugs just three months before my mom passed away 10 years ago. My health began to spiral downwards while I dealt with the grief, and I gained over 100 pounds. I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until a dentist refused to work on my teeth because my blood pressure was 204/125. After going to a doctor that I can only describe as somewhat less than "in touch with reality," and spending nearly two years on blood pressure medicine, I finally quit taking the medication and decided to search out a natural remedy to lower my blood pressure.

I learned about DE when somebody posted on a pet website about DE being a natural alternative to poisonous pesticides for killing fleas. When I went to the various websites in search of a source for DE, I read about how DE, when taken as a nutritional supplement, was supposed to be able to lower blood pressure, to help with weight loss, to heal sore joints, and many other wonderful things. I figured that, since I was buying it for the pets anyway, I might as well try it.

What frustrated me was the fact that I could not find any real information about how well DE worked as a nutritional supplement. All the info was on the websites that sell it. So after taking DE for a couple of weeks, and seeing what it was doing for me, I thought it would be good to write about my experiences so others could get unbiased information about DE. I don't sell DE, nor do I work for anybody who does sell it, so this makes me the perfect candidate to write about it.

Anyway, I hope I have answered any questions you might have had about me. And I hope my experiences with DE will give you the information you need to decide for yourselves whether or not to try it.

Speaking of my experiences, yesterday my left knee was put through a vicious workout - without wearing a brace or bandage on it - with a lot of walking in addition to a lot of lifting at the one housecleaning job I had. I had agreed to help clean out a laundry room, and bring in the shelves the lady had bought to use for storage. After moving some heavy cases of cola, canned goods, and other items which had been stacked on the floor, I had to clean the floor then help to bring in the huge baker's rack she was using for shelves. Then I got to lift all of the heavy stuff onto the shelves and finish cleaning the laundry room. It took over 2 hours just to finish the laundry room with all the moving and organizing, and my knees were feeling sore, but I was able to walk normally this morning and did not need a brace or a bandage on either knee even while working on this mornings job! My back did not hurt either. Even before I injured my knees, I would have been taking ibuprofen like candy after a job like that, but I feel great today!

I honestly think it is because of the DE that I am able to do that kind of work without the pain I would have felt in the past.

I have not had the chance to weigh myself again yet, but I put on a pair of shorts today that used to be tight on me, and found that they are fairly loose on me now. I will get a chance to weigh myself again on Friday, and I am hoping that I have lost at least another two or three pounds since last time I weighed myself with those scales.

Unfortunately, my blood pressure has not gone down any further. In fact, it averaged 140/100 yesterday. Today it averaged about 137/99. I am not happy with these numbers, though they are a lot lower than when I started taking DE. But I will not let myself panic. I am going to start my exercising again tomorrow (I haven't done any dancing for the last couple of days). I will get my blood pressure - and weight - back down to where they are supposed to be.

Day 37

As you may have noticed, I have gone from daily posting to posting every few days. For the most part, there simply isn't anything new to tell on a day to day basis.

My blood pressure has remained about the same, averaging around 137/97 for the last couple of days. I think it will take exercise and diet to bring it down further, though I am feeling so much better now that it has dropped to where it is. I haven't had any serious headaches except for those few days when it went back up.

Two days ago, I began exercising again. At this point, my exercise consist of putting on my iPod and dancing for as long as possible. I still have to be careful not to overwork my knees, so I keep my left knee braced, and my right knee bandaged as it is still not as strong as it used to be. So far I can only dance for about 15 minutes at a time, but my target is 45 minutes. By the time I reach that point, I will also be walking on the treadmill at least every other day. I should mention that today I went walking all over Home Depot and my knees barely complained! My left knee did give me a little bit of trouble at first, but is feeling great now, and I have not had it braced at all today.

I got on the scales at the house I cleaned on Thursday and found that I had lost two pounds since I had last been there two weeks ago. This scale weighs me differently than the other scale I use - it says I weigh 264, which means the other scale I weigh myself on - and the one I use when I record my weight - will probably weigh me at around 261. So far, my weight loss is slow, but steady. I am going to work hard to make sure my weight keeps going down.

The good thing is that the appetite is still low compared to what it used to be. When I went to lunch today, I was only able to finish 3/4 of the large burrito I ordered. I used to be able to finish the entire thing and then want desert!

Day 34

I wasn't feeling well Sunday and Monday, but it was nothing related to taking DE. Some other events in my life sent me through a period of depression, and all my energy went downhill while my appetite returned to what it had been before starting DE, and my blood pressure jumped back up to 165/113. At first, I didn't realize what was going on, and began to wonder if all the great effects of taking DE were all in my head. But then I realized why I was feeling so bad, and sat down last night to write and pray over the situation, after which I immediately started feeling better.

This morning I took my blood pressure, and was very happy to find that it had dropped down to 140/94. My energy is back along with the motivation to keep moving and getting things done. My right knee continues to be pain free for the most part, while my left knee is pain free here and there. It was bothering me Sunday and Monday, but did well through both jobs yesterday, and is nearly pain free today.

Another thing I am still amazed at is the way my hair is growing back. Yesterday when I got home from the second job, my hair was dirty and wet with sweat. It was under such conditions that I had originally noticed it was thinning out, and when I went to cut it a few weeks ago, I was devastated at how little hair I had. But last night with my hear all greasy like that, I could clearly see where some new hair was growing! Over the last week or so I thought I felt my hair getting thicker again, but last night I could actually see it!

So far, it seems that many of the things I have heard DE will do, are true. I just hope this continues because, if things continue going the way they have been, in six months from now I will be much healthier than I have been in a long time.

Day 31

I can't believe how much better I feel since I started taking DE a month ago. Before I first started taking DE, I was feeling run down and sluggish. My blood pressure was 160/111. Both of my knees were very painful, and there were times when I couldn't walk without having one or both of them bandaged or braced. And on top of all this, I was gaining weight and my appetite was beginning to spiral out of control.

Now my energy level is fairly high, and my level of motivation is high. I find myself wanting to keep moving, to keep getting things done. My blood pressure is up a little from last time (150/101), but that could be caused by the two glasses of Mountain Dew that I drank a few minutes before taking my blood pressure.

My knees are both doing well - the right knee is almost completely normal, still not as strong as it was before it was injured, but it is coming back nicely. The left knee is also almost back to normal. I have not needed to brace it for the last two days, and I have been going up the front steps without needing to hold on to anything to help myself up! Before I started taking DE, my knees did not seem to want to get better, and there were many times I spent the entire day staying off my feet because the pain was so bad I could not walk.

I have also noticed that my hair, which had thinned out when I was taking blood pressure medicine, now appears to be growing back again! I was worried because it looked like I was getting a small bald patch on the top of my head, but it looks like the hair has started to grow back!

My appetite is still much lower than before, and I lost another pound since I last weighed myself. I am now down to 263.

Makes me wish I had started taking DE a long time ago.

Day 27

I am posting this early in the day as I have a busy day ahead.

My energy levels are still amazingly high. I cannot believe that, just four weeks ago, I was dependent upon energy drinks and lots of caffeine just to get myself moving. I still have a lot of caffeine, but nothing like before. The last energy drink I had was last Thursday when I had to get up early to take my roommate to the airport, then go to work afterward. I had gotten less than 5 hours sleep the night before and needed an extra boost to keep myself awake.

But it's more than energy - my motivation to get moving is much higher. I have a difficult time just sitting still to watch TV or work on the computer. Even sitting down to type this is difficult as I just don't want to sit still. I want to get moving and get things done. It is such a beautiful day outside, and even though I know I should not let myself get worn out early in the day because I have a housecleaning job this evening, I really do not want to sit still! Even with the energy drinks, and loads of soda pop and cola I drank before, I did not have this kind of energy or motivation. Before I started taking DE, I could sit still in front of the TV or computer for hours. After two cups of coffee and one glass of cola today, I have at least three times the energy I had when I would have two cups of coffee and an energy drink before.

Another thing that helps my energy and motivation is that my left knee is now almost pain free! I have been on it a lot over these past few days, but it is getting much better instead of worse with the activity. I have been using a brace off and on, but I have not needed the brace today at all, and I have been outside several times, going up and down the steps. The right knee is pretty much normal now. With both knees feeling better, I intend to start using my treadmill again along with dancing for at least 20 minutes a day to my iPod. I will keep you updated on my progress with the exercise.

I have not checked my blood pressure today, but it was still 140/100 yesterday, which has me a little concerned. Hopefully the exercise will help. I know that it will come down as I lose more weight.

Day 25

I spent all day yesterday fighting off the fleas. The DE worked wonderfully on the fleas on the couch and the rug, but the poor animals did not stand a chance. I put so much DE on my black cat, that the poor thing nearly turned white! After a couple of hours, she seemed more comfortable, but was still scratching and biting once in a while. I brought the dog into the house, and I could see the fleas crawling all over her and jumping onto the couch. I dusted her down again, but DE does not work quickly enough. It definitely does not seem like a good solution for indoor/outdoor animals because it takes so long to work. I will be buying flea collars for both animals tomorrow. There is the option of treating the yard with DE, but I do not like the thought of killing all insects just to get rid of fleas.

While I love how well the DE did when it came to killing all the fleas on the couch and on the rug, I really do not like using it for large areas as the dust migrated and now covers everything in the house! I just vacuumed the rug and washed the blanket that covered the couch, and now I have to dust and vacuum the entire house to get rid of the dust. If I lived alone, I might be able to handle the dust, but having a roommate who has asthma makes DE an unacceptable solution for killing the fleas.

On the good side of things, my appetite has diminished to the point where I was able to skip breakfast yesterday - I had to skip breakfast because I could not make myself eat! After just one cup of coffee, I had the energy to do all my laundry and do some cleaning on my room before lunch. My lunch consisted of a turkey bologna sandwich, which almost seemed like too much food. Dinner was a plate of steamed cauliflower and broccoli. I barely snacked at all - having only a package of pop tarts which I nibbled on throughout the day, taking only a bite here and there.

Today was pretty much the same. I forced myself to eat a sandwich for breakfast so I wouldn't be attacking the baked treats at church, then had a salad for lunch and a small serving (only 1/3 of what I would normally eat) of macaroni and cheese for dinner. Energy has been high for most of the day, but my blood pressure was up to 140/100 when I took it earlier.

One thing I am very proud of - I had bought myself a chocolate chip muffin at the store for a treat, but so far I have only had two bites of it! I still love chocolate, but two bites seemed like the perfect amount tonight. If this keeps up, then the muffin will last me several days, and before I started the DE I would have eaten the entire muffin at one sitting!

Day 23

This is actually Friday's entry. I am writing it late because I had to deal with a major flea infestation.

This morning I had more energy than I knew what to do with! I took my morning dose of DE with my first cup of coffee and was practically bouncing off the walls before my second cup of coffee was finished. The energy lasted all the way through work today. I also had plenty of energy left over to do some cleaning in my room. My appetite is still decreasing, and I found that I was only able to eat one half of an egg and cheese sandwich and about 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. Before I started taking DE, I could easily have finished that breakfast and then some.

Lunch and dinner were the same in the respect that I did not eat nearly as much as usual.

Tonight I got an idea of how well DE works against fleas. I had quit using it on the animals as much as I should have because I was worried it was making the animals itch worse, but now I know they were scratching because of fleas. I hadn't seen a flea in the house until tonight when I found myself covered in them after walking on the large area rug in the middle of the living room floor. So I sprinkled DE all over the rug and used a broom to spread it out and brush it in where the fleas might be hiding. Then I covered the love seat where my dog lays when she comes in. A few minutes later, I saw over a hundred fleas crawling all over the love seat.

After seeing that, I went outside and thoroughly coated my dog in DE, then put some on the outside cat and went back inside to powder the indoor/outdoor cat who was scratching like crazy. At that point, it seemed that the fleas were going nuts! The cat was scratching worse than ever, and the fleas were jumping all over the love seat. I guess that maybe fleas really do hate DE.

After making sure the love seat and rug were completely covered in DE, I went in and took a shower to wash the DE off of me as my feet, legs, and hands had gotten a lot of the stuff on them. When I came back out, I noticed what looked like a few dead fleas around the edge of the rug. I checked out the love seat and found that there weren't as many fleas moving around, but found that they were jumping all over the floor next to the love seat. Some looked like they were still healthy, and some were obviously dying. I am hoping they will all be dead by tomorrow morning.

At least the cat looks like she is much more comfortable now. She is not biting or scratching at all, but is laying comfortably on the kitchen floor. I think the dog is more comfortable now too. Earlier I could hear her moving around underneath the window and scratching a lot, but she seems to be settled down too.

I just hope I don't wind up having to dust the rest of the house with DE. It's just too messy. Times like this make me grateful that I don't have carpeting.

Day 22

I skipped a day yesterday as there was nothing new to tell. Everything is still pretty much the same, blood pressure yesterday 135/98 and today 133/96. Much lower than when I first started taking DE. My weight today was 264 - that's 4 pounds lost in 13 days without any real change in the amount of exercise I get.

My appetite is still much better than it was. Even when I feel like snacking, I don't snack nearly as much as I used to. I just don't feel like I want to eat as much as I did before.

My left knee is still a big problem. I am now wearing a knee brace to keep from stressing the knee so much. I can walk normally without a brace, but going down steps or rising from a seated position is painful, and my knee feels sore afterward. The right knee, however, feels completely normal now.

My back is still feeling much better as well. Even with the constant bending at work, the constant pain I used to feel is gone.

Day Twenty

Left knee is now doing much better and my right knee appears to be completely back to normal!

I checked my blood pressure today and it was 135/95!! When I first started taking DE it was averaging around 160/110! This is amazing considering that, except for taking DE, I have not changed anything in my diet, and because of my knee I am not getting as much exercise as I was when my blood pressure was much higher. It has to be the DE that is bringing it down - there is no other explanation.

Day Nineteen - caught up to the present

This morning, as with yesterday morning, I noticed that I wake up much more easily and do not need my dose of DE until my coffee is ready. I have been mixing it with my coffee these last two days, and though it gives the coffee a slightly strange texture, it doesn't effect the taste.

Energy and motivation were high this morning, and the left knee does feel better, but I am keeping it bandaged just to make sure.

My back is getting better by the day. I still cannot believe that, for the last few years, I could not touch my lower back because of the pain. But now I can rub that part of my back with minimal or no pain at all, depending upon what I have been doing to put stress on it.

Day Eighteen

This is the last post that I am recreating from my diary. The rest of this blog will be a daily record of my experiences with using DE as a nutritional supplement.

Had more energy at church this morning, though I did have some of the treats that were on the table with the coffee. Even with a decreased appetite, I have a difficult time resisting home made chocolate chip cookies.

The energy stayed with me most of the day yesterday, and I was awake enough after church, grocery shopping, and doing some cleaning, to start this blog.

Blood pressure readings were down to 144/99 tonight!

Day Seventeen

Tried an experiment to see if I could go without caffeine today. Not good, not good at all - DE does give me energy, but I still need my caffeine.

I was half-asleep when I went to lunch today. But my appetite is still much lower that it was before I started taking DE. I ordered a smaller lunch than usual, and ate just over 3/4 of it. I was so tired that I had two cups of coffee when I got home, and started to feel better instantly. I guess I have to ween myself off of caffeine slowly.

The one knee is still not doing well, though the other feels wonderful.

My blood pressure readings were the biggest surprise tonight - 145/101!

Day Sixteen

Why oh why did I have to be so stupid when I was showing the customer how much better I was feeling?

Not much else to report. Everything else is still pretty much the same.

Day Fifteen

Major setback with my knees after my stupidity yesterday. I cannot walk without a tight ace bandage on the left knee. The right knee is also sore, but I don't need to bandage it. What was I thinking?!

Other than that, energy is still good. I did not have an energy drink this morning and I felt great at work, and still had the energy to go grocery shopping afterward, though the pain in my knee made me tempted to use one of the little carts to drive myself around the store.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing in hopes that the knee would feel better.

Appetite still diminished, and I find that I cannot comfortably have dessert after dinner because it makes me feel too full and bloated.

That time of the month has passed with almost no cramps or mood swings or anything like that. Considering what I normally go through, this was the most comfortable period I have ever had!

Day Fourteen

Was showing the lady I work for how much better my knees are, and I actually jumped up and down without pain. Though I am worried that this was not smart because there is nothing that will heal my knee if I keep overdoing it. I am getting so tired of this 'two steps forward, one step back' as far as my knees are concerned.

When I got home, I realized I had made a big mistake. The left knee is now grinding when I walk on it. If I hadn't jumped up and down on it, this would not be happening.

Day Thirteen

Still recreating these posts from my diary.

Energy somewhat low today, but motivation seems to be up. Glad there is no work today, but I need to get some stuff done outside.

Had no trouble walking around the yard, though I think I am doing to much too soon as my knees are getting sore.

Day Twelve

No work today, but getting some things done around the house. As I said before, DE is a part of my morning routine now. I take it with whatever I am drinking that morning. Energy much higher than expected considering I am on my period. Still no mood swings, and very little cramps.

Both knees are doing much better, though the one is still sore. Another thing I have noticed is that the back pain I have become accustomed to now gone. There was a time when I could not even touch my lower back, but now I can massage it!

Appetite still much decreased, and an egg and cheese sandwich with a little bit of cottage cheese on the side seemed like too much for me this morning!

Blood pressure averaged 155/105 when I took it this afternoon. Evening readings were 155/104.

Did some watering outside today and had no trouble walking around the yard. Overall, I am feeling better than I did before I started taking DE.

Day Eleven

Hot day today. Did not have much energy. Was right about 'that time' starting - but still no mood swings or cramps.

Dusted the dog and cat with DE today, and put some in the dogs food (I have been doing this since day one). The outside cat also got some in his food as I am worried that he might have worms or something. He was losing weight and didn't have much appetite, but his appetite seems to be coming back now. Not sure if DE has anything to do with the outside cat's recovery because he has been taking antibiotics to deal with an infection so that could be why he seems so much better.

The dog seems to have more energy and appetite since starting on the DE. But she is also back on a partially raw diet after a few days away from it, so that could have a lot to do with her energy and appetite as well.

My appetite is still decreased, and my energy seems to be increasing without extra caffeine. I did not have an energy drink today and still feel pretty good - not a lot of energy but not falling asleep on my feet or anything - though I am used to the extra caffeine.

My one knee feels great and the bad knee also feels good enough to not need a bandage today. Still have to make myself take it easy though just in case.

Day Ten

For anybody who hasn't read the earlier posts, the first 18 days are being recreated from the diary I started when I first decided to take DE as I dietary supplement.

Blood pressure reading 160/105. Apparently last reading was not just a good day - it has actually come down a few points.

Saturday and no work, but I find myself with too much energy to stay off of my feet. The dishes and two loads of laundry done before 11:00am.

Appetite still down, and I was only able to eat half my breakfast today - a breakfast that would have been small by my standards a couple of weeks ago.

One thing I have noticed since taking DE - I am very 'regular.' Much more so than before. Another thing I have noticed is no PMS. I can feel that 'that time' is quickly approaching, but no mood swings or stomach cramps so far.

Day Nine

More energy than usual when I got up this morning. I took my DE and found that I felt immediately refreshed and ready to go. Still need caffeine though. One glass of cola and one energy drink needed before work.

I have also gotten into the habit of taking DE in the afternoons, and sometimes at bedtime as it does seem to help when I have an upset stomach.

I got on the scales at the customer's house today - 268 - down two pounds from two weeks ago, and my exercise has been limited due to the knee problems.

Knees do feel a little better - the right one is sore but nothing like before.

Day Eight

What was I thinking yesterday when I climbed up on those bricks? Can barely walk on that knee today but still have to go to work.

Need another energy drink today, but I swear the energy drinks are not as strong as they used to be. Even a Monster has little effect on me. Very tired today and wonder if diving into a tub of DE would help.

One thing I have noticed though, is that I am sleeping very well lately. I used to wake up every hour or so, or toss and turn, but now I sleep for several hours straight.

My meals have definitely decreased in size. I cannot eat anywhere near what I could before.

Took blood pressure tonight - 160/105, and this is an average not a single reading. I should point out that the reading I posted before was an average, not a single reading. I don't go by single readings as readings do fluctuate. I am wondering if the DE is having any effect on my blood pressure or if this is just a good day.

Day Seven

I just want to point out that the first 18 days of this blog are being recreated from the notes that were written down in my notebook. I started the notebook to keep track of my experiences, so I could see if the DE was really working and measure the effects of it. I am still keeping this 'diary' of my experience with DE.

Back to the past - the energy from taking the DE in the mornings seems to be even more pronounced. I find myself motivated to get more done even though I know I need to take it easy on the knees. Still, I find myself climbing up on the bricks out front to water the tomato plant in my upside-down planter. Not a good idea, but the bad knee is still holding up. The other knee? Sore, but feeling better. Not sure if this is just from natural healing or if the DE has anything to do with it.

Appetite is increasing, but nothing like before.

Day Six

Not much appetite for breakfast this morning. Just an egg and cheese sandwich and a glass of cola.

I didn't get much sleep last night so I had energy drink before work today, but somehow the energy drinks don't have the same effect anymore. Motivation to get moving is high, but I am very sleepy.
Still, work seems a little easier and my knees are both feeling better even though I did overwork them yesterday.

Another dose of DE when I get home and another job tonight is all I can think about after the first job is finished.

Only a salad for lunch today.. just not as hungry as usual. Though I did have pop tarts for a snack later, my dinner was only half of what it usually is. I also notice that my motivation and energy are high for the evening job.

Day Five

My roommate went to his morning class, and I found myself motivated to clean the kitchen floor despite the pain from the bad knee (the other knee is feeling noticeably better). After two hours worth of work, the kitchen floor looks wonderful and only one knee is giving me problems.

Appetite is still low compared to normal, and energy is still improving. I really hope this lasts!

Day Four

Falling into a routine of taking DE the minute I get up in the morning. It really does seem to help me get going.

Still noticing the effects on my appetite. Normally when I get to church, I go straight to the table where the coffee and morning treats (cookies, doughnuts, etc...) are, but this morning I got a cup of water and had no desire to eat any of the sweets.

The energy I had seemed to go away after church and grocery shopping, and despite taking another tablespoon full of DE (as I had gotten into the habit of doing), I needed to take a nap.

Day Three

Every other Saturday, I go out to eat lunch with my aunt and a friend of ours. Normally, I get a fairly large meal and can eat nearly all of it. That morning, I took my dose of DE and had a small breakfast. Again, my energy level was fairly high for a while, and I took this opportunity to get the dishes washed before I took a shower.

It was after taking the shower that I noticed that the one knee was not as sore as usual. I hoped that this meant it was actually getting better, but at the same time I knew it was too soon to have any real positive effects from taking the DE.

That afternoon, we went to lunch, and that was when I noticed that I could not eat anywhere near as much as I had been able to eat before. I actually had to take half of my lunch home to have for dinner.

At home, my energy was still high and I used that opportunity to get my laundry done, as well as cleaning up a bit in the kitchen.

Day Two

I took the DE with a small amount of soda pop the minute I got up. My first impression was that it made the cola fizz incredibly. Once the foam turned back into cola, I quickly drank it then started my normal morning routine.

I don't know if it was psychosomatic or if it was truly the effects of the DE, but I felt more awake than usual and had a bit more energy. The 'awake' feeling lasted for about an hour, while the energy seemed to last for most of the morning while I was at work.

One other thing I noticed was that my appetite (which is usually somewhat unhealthy in that I am always hungry) had somewhat decreased. Instead of wanting a big lunch after work, I found myself content with only a sandwich. Whether it was the DE or not, I just hoped it would continue in this way.

I took another tablespoon full of DE after lunch with some water, and felt somewhat refreshed a few minutes later though I had been exhausted from work. I actually had some energy, but the problems I had been having with my knees made me want to stay off my feet.

Which brings me to another thing I should mention. Before starting the DE, I had serious problems with both knees. Both knees had been quite painful after an injury to one of then had caused excess pressure to be put on the other knee so I could continue to work. At this point, both knees needed to be bandaged, and I was taking lots of ibuprofen just to be able to keep working at my job as a house cleaner.

According to what I have read about DE, it is supposed to help with joint pain. This was one claim I hoped was true.

Day One

I woke up to see that UPS had left a large box just inside my fence - where anybody could have reached over the fence and grabbed it! I quickly took the long walk down my driveway to carry the box with the 10lb bag of Diatomaceous Earth back to the house.

I opened the box, and right away I had a problem - how to store the Diatomaceous Earth so that I could easily use it without making a mess. After finding a few continers - including a large plastic shaker container that had once held garlic salt, I began to fill the containers with the dusty white powder.

I read the instructions, which listed all the various ways DE could be used, and all of the ways it could benefit a person when used as a nutritional supplement, before taking a large tablespoon full and mixing it with a small amount of cherry Kool-Aid in a cup. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no odd taste to the DE, but it did give the Kool-Aid an interesting texture - sort of thick and slightly gritty.

I don't know if it was all in my mind or not, but I right away I noticed a feeling that I can only describe as being similar to when a thirsty person gets a glass of water. It was as if my body was soaking up something it desperately needed. Though the instructions said to take one tablespoon full per day, I decided to take a second one, then I continued to fill more containers to store the DE.

Later that day, I decided to take my blood pressure to get a measurement when I first started taking DE. The reading was what some would consider shocking, but what I have learned to live with - 165/111. With numbers like these, some may wonder why I don't take medicine to lower my blood pressure. There are several reasons. First, the doctor I had been seeing was one I did not trust, and with no medical insurance, I don't have the money to see a different doctor. Second, the side effects I had been dealing with while on blood pressure medicine were enough to make me want to deal with the high blood pressure rather than taking those pills - irregular heartbeat, lack of energy, difficulty staying awake, thinning hair, and a few others. After dealing with these side effects for over a year, I decided to find natural remedies to control my blood pressure. Unfortunately, the natural remedies only brought it down so far (without taking the other supplements my blood pressure can actually go up to 170/118).

After taking my blood pressure, and writing down the reading in my notebook, I went outside to use the DE on my animals to treat for fleas. Unfortunately, my poor dog only seemed to itch worse with the treatment, but that could have been because she needed a bath. My cat, who has super thick fur, seemed to be much more comfortable after being powdered with the DE, and after a couple of hours, she was actually able to sleep without constantly waking up scratching.

What is Diatomaceous Earth and why did I decide to try it?

Considering most people who come here will probably already know what Diatomaceous Earth is, I will not go into a long detailed post about what it is made of. If you need to find out more about Diatomaceous Earth, then you can look it up.

The various uses for Diatomaceous Earth range from pool filters (filter grade) to an insecticide, to a wonder cure for whatever ails a person (food grade). This blog will center on my experience with using food grade Diatomaceous Earth as a nutritional supplement.

How did I come to the decision to start taking Diatomaceous Earth? I was looking for a place to buy food grade DE for use as an insecticide to get rid of the fleas on my dog and cats. I did not want to use any chemical insecticides after hearing of some animals being harmed by them. Plus, I do not like the smells of some of these insecticides. While browsing the various websites, I found some amazing claims of how DE can do everything from give a person stronger hair and nails, to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Having tried many other 'natural remedies' for my high blood pressure, I decided that it would be worth a try since I was getting it for the animals anyway.

Why create a blog about this? Because of my frustrations with trying to find reliable, unbiased information about how well DE works as a nutritional supplement. After relentless searches, all I could really find were the claims and testimonies on the various websites that sell the product.

I have been taking DE for nearly three weeks now, but this blog will recreate my experience from the notes I have been taking since the first day I started taking DE.