Expert: Jayne Boyle - 1/18/2009

Question
Hello. Thank you in advance for taking the time to answer my question.I'm 36 years old in 13th week of first pregnancy. I've had herpes for 20 years; it is rare for me to have an outbreak. I had one a few weeks ago. I looked into foods that trigger it (high in arginine and low in lysine)and I had been eating a bunch of things I don't normaly eat due to the holidays which I think were a trigger for the outbreak. Since then, I've beentaking 1,000mg of lysine twice a day with my prenatal vitamins and a stress b complex vitamin and 500mg of vitamin c every day. Am I overdoing the lysine? Should I take more? I'm also eating more eaggs, yogurt and dairy as well as meat protein to get the lysine naturally. I drink much water everyday as well. I have started waking up with numb hands that are due to pregnancy induced carpal tunnel...are these supplements possibly aggravating the condition or are there any ways that I can relieve the swelling naturally through diet or supplements? I've been walking for an hour almost everyday. And lastly, I'm very constipated and have found that a cup of coffee every few days in th morning gets an immediate reaction. I eat a lot of fiber, but is there anything else that might help besides taking a metamucil=type product...I don't want to have excessive gas while at work. And one last thing! Can I do any type of cleanse while pregnant or should I wait until after I deliver? Thank you for your time. I look forward to your response.

Answer
The extra fiber or flaxseed ground is good Also blacstrap molasses is good for constipation.  Your prenatal may have iron which can be constipating.  I don't know abou the lysine but try cod liver oil ffor constipation and the other things as well. Jayne