About the alcohol in the tincture thing... You probably already know this but what I do is measure out the dosage of tinctures that I want to take and then pour in a little boiling water and stir. I leave it on the counter for 15 mins or so and then its cool and I take it or mix it with whatever. The alcohol evaporates this way. When combining several tinctures with good strong dosages it can amount to quite a bit of alcohol ingestion several times a day so thats what I do. Hope this helps.
You are a very courageous person charging in like this for your health and future! Keep it up-- you are inspiring!