I have many questions, but most I feel will answer themselves in time. It's already starting to get cold in my area, and I'm looking forward to winter even more than usual. Cutting wood to feed the hungry furnace has always been rewarding - this year I will add hunting to the list!

Yep, our cute little farm friend the Field Mouse is known to swarm in plagues on occasion in Australia. This is an inevitable consequence of mono-cropping on an industrial scale. Mouse plagues bring health risks to humans in the form of leptospirosis (which can lead to kidney damage, meningitis and bleeding in the lungs), and that is before we get to the risks posed by the main poison used to control them; zinc phosphide.

Death rates are in the millions per week range in a peak season. That is a LOT of death and suffering.

My 'favourite' quote from the film below, "If they drive [to escape the plague, farmers] risk skidding off the road!"

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/infested/videos/infested-insane-mouse-plague/

JS

Those are interesting questions, some of which I don't know the answers to! The short answer, of course, is "it depends on your goals"...whether you're hoping to attain maximum performance for a single effort, increase your aerobic base, or train for general health. "Train in the energy system you want to improve." That might actually be a good article, someday...

JS

"You left me with some mist in the eyes."

Thank you. That means I was able to communicate some part of what it meant to me when I was writing it. Or, more properly, recounting it: when I write my best work, I feel like I'm remembering something that's already happened.

In this case, Digger's reaction at that point didn't ring true for me. She cared too much for Ed, and I simply couldn't imagine her passively accepting Boneclaw Mother's weak circumlocutions...which didn't ring true to me either, given Boneclaw Mother's previous sorrow.

So I started writing, having no idea what "actually" happened -- and ended up quickly with Parts 1 and 2.

Probable Spoiler Alert

I wasn't sure about Ed in Part 3, either, when I began writing: that part came a week or so later, after the story had ended. However, it flowed straight onto the page, just like Parts 1 and 2, even the complicated stuff -- which all fit perfectly with what the lizards and Mirai had said earlier.

In Ed's words:

“No, Digger-mousie. Is not remembering. Is newborn cub. Is living, making own choosings, own rememberings.”
Digger nodded doubtfully. “If you say so, Ed.”
“Is not He-Is. Is Skin Painter, is nameless, is Ed. Now, is remembering He-Is. Is still Ed.”

And otherwise, who or what is the kingfisher?

Thank you for sharing. I'm glad Digger is still being (re)read, and I'm glad I've been able to add to Ursula's great work in some way.

JS

Love your articles--well-written, well-referenced, and super informative.

Out of curiosity, do you take requests? If so, I would be very interested in more on the topic of metabolic flexibility, specifically some discussion of fed vs. fasted training, how different types of exercise affect metflex, how post-workout "refueling" fits into the whole picture, that sort of thing.

Not sure if this is worth a whole article of your time. If not, could you or other members point me towards some other resources?

Thanks so much!

(Not sure if spoilers are a concern here-- erring on the side of caution.)

I read your story and it left me with mixed feelings. I'm not sure I agree with the big revelation about Ed. Still, Parts 1 and 2 were pretty much perfect, and cathartic. You left me with some mist in the eyes. Sure, I would have done part three differently, but I can't deny your right to do things the way you did with the version of Digger's world you have in your own head (heart? Liver?) Perhaps your right is even more than mine, since you did the work of writing.

So anyway, thanks for the story. Even the part I didn't like was still powerful, and I still couldn't stop reading.

The video is coming very soon. There were some A/V problems (yes, again) that greatly affected the audio track. I've spent quite a bit of time cleaning it up: once I'm done with that, the A/V crew will splice the audio back in and make it available. I'll let everyone know as soon as that happens!

JS

Did they lose the video? It was of course the presentation I was looking most forward to watching!

"No iodine-containing foods for a couple years" is silly. Yes, you shouldn't eat lots of iodine during the gluten challenge period, as it generally exacerbates the skin rash (through a mechanism no one actually understands).

However, iodine by itself does not cause the rash: only gliadin (the irritating part of gluten grains) does that. (Reference: Patinen 2002.) So it's silly to avoid shellfish and sea fish completely for years...that's not healthy at all! The doctors probably give that advice because so few people actually stick to gluten-free diets -- especially with gluten hiding in so many foods that shouldn't obviously have any.

EDIT TO ADD:
http://noglutenfoods.blogspot.com/2009/10/iodine-aiding-in-dermatitis.html
"When the deposits of IgA have been cleared from the skin over time by following a gluten free diet, iodine should no longer present any problem for dermatitis herpetiformis patients."
"It is not necessary for dermatitis herpetiformis patients to eliminate iodine completely from their diet, merely to avoid foods high in iodine as described above. Dr. Zone also explained that dermatitis herpetiformis patients need not avoid iodine indefinitely. Iodine is an important mineral for our bodies. dermatitis herpetiformis patients can stop avoiding iodine when their rash symptoms clear up which can take anywhere from a few months to a couple of years on a gluten-free diet. "

My approach would be, after the challenge is over and you've given your gut a month or two to heal, to slowly start reintroducing small quantities of iodine-containing foods and find your own tolerance level (which will likely increase over time as you heal from the damage). Again, iodine is an absolutely essential nutrient, and shellfish and sea fish are very healthy foods that shouldn't be removed from the diet unless they cause more problems than they solve.

I wish you the best on your journey!

JS

PS: If it were up to me, I would tell my partner to suck it up. Gluten grains aren't healthy for anyone -- and you shouldn't have to suffer in order to "prove" to anyone that they need to understand and accommodate a healthy dietary choice. That's my opinion: take it as you will.