Category Archives: Mineral Imbalance

March 2021 Update – Making Headway

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Note that this is written for moderate to severe toxicity cases. Mild cases can skip a lot of stages but still need to be careful because you can easily stir metals up and turn a mild case into a moderate or severe case.

I haven’t posted in so long because I was making zero progress. It didn’t matter what diet or supplements or meds I took, I was just stuck. I’m certain it was because I had taken on more responsibilities than I could manage. I had been warned to limit or avoid any psychological stress, this is crucial for moderate to severe toxicity cases. In an effort to ‘get back into life’ or ‘stay busy’ I was in fact just becoming more and more overwhelmed. Toxicity can lock us into a flight or fight response – we hardly ever, or never go into ‘rest and digest’ mode. We really do have to master how to take extremely good care of ourselves.

So I ditched a couple of projects I was always thinking about, and started saying no to a few outings that really didn’t help me. And less social media which is huge downer for me. And only then did I start to make a little more progress. So lifestyle issues are a huge factor – projects, work, relationships, hobbies, excercise regimes etc that only worsen symptoms. What can help a healthy person can hinder a toxic person.

So what am doing right now?

I am still loosely adhering to Dr Klinghart/Connie Fox/Rhoda Kingston detox protocol involving:

GUT / THYROID / PATHOGENS / METALS, or the full list from Connie’s website:

Now, Connie’s usual gut protocol did not work for me. Ketotifen is an anti-histamine and I’m low histamine so I assume this only made my histamine levels lower. Histamine is a neurotransmitter – I felt so terrible and had to stop. Connie does have a natural backup but I must admit the amount of supplements involved and trying to get them to New Zealand was difficult and frustrating. In the end it was strict diet, sunlight, no blue light/devices, coffee enemas, relaxation techniques to give my gut a chance to heal to a degree. Spending time with friends and family where i could forget my issues and just have a good time (as much as possible) was the best medicine but this was fleeting. I wanted everyone to stay on holiday for 6 months but this isn’t reality.

What I have been working on is getting back to full dose of the compounded supplements/vitamins. This goes way back to my trip to the States where I saw Dr Mensah. They do various tests and work out what nutrients you need for optimal brain function. I was skeptical; I’m not a fan of vitamins. But at full dose, these worked. The nutrients can correct Kryptopyroles, Copper toxicity, methylation and other neurological issues. These vitamins are powerful!. The first time I ramped up taking them 2 years ago, it took me 4 months to tolerate the full dose. If you have some excess copper, the zinc will start pushing/detoxing this out and you will feel neurotic and depressed. It can be brutal so must be taken slowly.

This time around (why did I stop last time? because i couldn’t find a local supplier and Mensa Medical wouldn’t prescribe me; nightmare situation) I had 2 weeks of nasty side effects as my biochemistry corrected. Every time I increased dose, i had side effects until I was near full dose. There are many of these practitioners around the world and most do remote work. But shop around, some are useless, others like Mensah are brilliant. More docs here:

www.biobalance.org.au

Thyroid update – without testing, I started on thyroid hormone and it didn’t go as well as it did last time i tried. My goodness, it felt like someone injected some adrenaline, i was totally wired on a tiny dose, manic. Connie later explained to me that although my TSH was relatively low, it wasn’t low enough to warrant treatment with whole thyroid extract. My Free T4 was in the mid range (good) and my Free T3 was also good. TSH was 3.8 mIU/L, a bit high but this would come down naturally with the mercury detox protocol. I needed a pro to explain this; the extract i was taking was overdosing me. I will monitor this every 3 to 4 months; luckily i can just walk in off the street anytime to get this test done. Less visits to Doc the better.

So I’m building the foundation for a successful outcome. Diet and low stress lifestyle makes a huge difference. I aim for an alkaline diet which includes animal proteins. Not easy. Finding an alkaline mineral water, 7 or 8ph can help a lot. Sugar – booze  – carbs are still troublesome. But also over excercise exhausting the adrenals is equally important. My day is based on adrenal management – keeping occupied but not pushing it. If I’m doing something quite physical and actually feel good, i stop, it’s adrenaline I’m running on and will pay for it over the next few days. I’ve been taught that lesson hundreds of times.

Now that I’m on the vitamins, I feel like my body is slowly improving and the ‘flight or fight’ response is reduced. Life is better, but it’s a false sense of health, I’m still toxic. Next is tackling the unhelpful pathogens and parasites. Testing usually isn’t necessary, but the Autonomic Response Testing I did with Rhoda Kingston was impressive. She was able to pin point what “bad bugs” or chronic infections I had. So they can targeted more easily. My test came back with fungi/candida issues, retroviruses, lungworm, liver fluke, Ehrlicha. The targeted treatment for those include calendula, amebex, mimosa pudica, myrrh and more. So it’s going to be interesting to see how this stage goes. It cannot be rushed as these bugs have become a part of us so you can;t just go in and ‘kill them’ because it might feel like you’re killing yourself. I’ve been there, it’s nasty. I’m not going to waste all the work I’ve done with getting to this point. If a big mistake is made, it can set you back months or years, and is spiritually crushing. So be careful.

You don’t have to do this testing. Diet and broad spectrum bug killers will get rid of most of the critters, then you can remove the metals and then the bugs should go or be easier to treat.

After these bugs are under control, then it’s finally time to get the last of the metals out. I’m very wary of DMSA and even more so of ALA. It works for sure but only if we are strong enough. Hopefully i won’t need these chelators but if I do use them i will be extremely careful, even if it takes years to come out.

When people that are suffering hear it might take years, it can be very daunting. But that’s only because you’re hurting now. By the the time you get to the chelation stage, you won’t be suffering or hurting. But if you make a mistake, you can be back in pain very quickly.

Treating yourself is a balancing act – there’s diet, supplements, lifestyle, relationships, financial issues, the spiritual wear and tear over time. But there’s no option but to keep going and doing everything you can to get well. Not only that, there’s a holy war of sorts going on in the world at the moment, as if we didn’t need any more obstacles. Forge on with grace.

The next update I’ll be hopefully well into the bug stage so will report on that. All the best with your own healing journey.

My Visit to Mensah Medical

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In July 2017 I flew to California where Mensah Medical had an outreach clinic. I had done enough research to want to consult with Dr Mensah. He said I could have gone to Australia but for a number of reasons I decided to see the man himself. I had also read the book ” Nutrient Power – Heal Your Biochemistry” which was quite educational and that answered a few long standing questions I had.

The most common imbalances are:

Elevated copper/zinc ratio. Overmethylation, Undermethylation, Pyrolles disorder (B6 Zinc), Heavy Metal Overload, Glucose Dyscontrol/Blood sugar issues, Malabsorbtion.

I can tick a few of those.

So with a consultation and accompanying lab tests, we can be prescribed the most ideal nutrient combination for our bio-type. These supplement combinations supposedly balance our biochemistry. It seems too good to be true and I’ll be finding out soon enough whether it improves my lot, or not. My history with high dose supplements hasn’t been very successful.

As you can see below, dosing is typically high. This just highlights why we shouldn’t try to do this stuff ourselves. I think I’d now rather take no supplements than try and guess what I need and accidentally over-dose in certain nutrients.

Nutrient overload causes more trouble than nutrient deficiencies. Better to eat as well as we can until we really now what imbalances we have.

Some of the testing included – Whole Blood Histamine (methylation status, high histamine = undermethylator & low histamine <40ng/mL is over-methylator), Thyroid, Copper Serum, Vitamin D, and Plasma Zinc, Pyroluria/Pyrolles, % Free Copper, Homocysteine. Trace Elements Hair test.

The histamine test confirmed to me why the gut healing anti-histamine Ketotifen didn’t work for me months ago. I can only assume that Low histamine plus taking an anti-histamine = even lower histamine = severe fatigue and low mood. Perhaps there is more to it but that makes sense. Histamine is a neuro-transmitter so that explains things.

An example of customized morning and evening nutrients/supplements following consultation and testing.

Other mandatory supplements can include: Evening Primrose Oil, N-Acetyl-Cysteine, a Cal/Mag combo and Lithium Orotate. GABA is an option for helping to relax.

Example of an over-methylator’s optimal diet: mainly folate rich veges, some protein, no soy. I need to research this more but it seems happy vegans and vegetarian could most likely be tending toward the over-methylator range – i.e low Whole Blood Histamine. They produce more than enough methyl so do not need so much high methionine foods – meat, eggs, fish.

They also produce high levels of some neuro-transmitters such as serotonin so taking serotonin enhancing medications like SSRI’s could lead to severely worse symptoms. To avoid this, doctors could have simply done a Whole Blood Histamine test so see what drug suited what patient. Instead, it’s experimental with sometimes disastrous outcomes.

On the other hand, under-methylators would most likely feel worse eating vegan/vegetarian because they are high histamine/low methyl people. Therefore these individuals may instead need high methyl foods such as meat. eggs, fish, chicken to feel well.

The only bio-type nutritionist I know is Samantha Gilbert (that’s Jhill-bear)

We’re born with our methylation status so the sooner we work this out the better if we want to feel our best.

According to Walsh Institute:

70% of population exhibits normal methylation. 22% are under methylated and 8% are over methylated.

Popular genetic testing for MTHFR, MS and SNP’s are limited in their ability to determine overall methyl status.

To be continued…I should have some answers in 2018

More info at:

https://www.walshinstitute.org/

http://www.mensahmedical.com/

 

June 2017 – Methylation, Copper and Pyroluria

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This is just an brief post on some very important topics

I’ve made progress, I suspect due to partly correcting the B6 and Zinc imbalance. (Pyroluria) I under-estimated how much of a difference this can make and suggest that anyone else who has any associated psychological symptoms to please investigate and rule out that this might be affecting you. Diet alone usually won’t fix this.

After feeling improved after months of supplementation, I didn’t reorder and weeks later could not work out why I was feeling worse. The confusion that the imbalance created caused me to not even realise what was happening.

And I’ve since learned that although you can treat yourself to some degree, this isn’t recommended, particularly for long term chronic cases. Correct testing is required to know what is biochemically going on with you. The question is: Who am I biochemically? If you don’t that, then you’re experimenting. Methylation disorder’s aren’t related to Pyroluria but both can cause nasty symptoms.

  • Are you an under-methylator, or an over-methylator? You also might have normal methylation but have Pyroluria and/or Copper issues which will need correcting.
  • Is too much copper playing a role?
  • Do you have or have you developed Pyroluria (Zinc and B6 excretion causing psychological issues)
  • Is toxicity an issue? (lead, mercury, cadmium etc)

This is too complicated to properly self-treat. If nothing else could be done in terms of seeing a professional, at least initially for Pyroluria, then a therapeutic trial might be an idea. Something like 50mg P-5-P B6 and Zinc Pincolate would be a start. Certainly better than suffering. Assuming stress is limited, some improvement should be felt within a couple of weeks or slightly longer.

Methylation needs some serious research before trying anything. Under-methylators might do well on high methyl foods like meat and eggs while under-methylators may do well with less of those foods and more folate rich foods. If an under-methylator decides to go a vegan or vegetarian diet then that’s exactly what they don’t need – more folate and less methyl.

Over-methylators usually have low histamine so taking an anti-histamine is not a good idea. I learnt this when I took Ketotifen for leaky gut. This was part of a mercury detox protocol. A lot of this heavy metal detoxing makes people worse because it can be difficult to find the right help.

With the issues I listed above, the damage and suffering is from the oxidative damage caused by the underlying problems. Therefore, anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C and E will help to alleviate symptoms.

I underestimated how anxious, depressed and generally miserable one can feel when Zinc and B6 are too low or unbalanced. Any form of stress whether it be mental, physical or emotional increases Pyrolles in the blood therefore causing even more Zinc and B6 to be excreted. That’s why it’s important to minimise any form of stress. Even when you feel like you can do more, please don’t, at least not yet. It’s just not worth it.

High zinc on hair tests can also point to Pyroluria. I always thought my high Zinc was a good thing but I was wrong as Zinc was being excreted.

With excercise, there may be an initial high but you will most likely pay for it later when the imbalances catch up with you. Remember, the physical stress on the body will cause excretion of vital nutrients until you are rebalanced. And cause oxidative stress. That applies to work, relationships and any mental strain (noise, light, concentration etc). The secret is to calmly float throughout the day without actually straining yourself.

Someone that does know how to treat these imbalances is Dr Mensah at Mensah Medical. William Walsh was a pioneer and has a great book. I have not met someone like Dr Mensah yet but will endeavor to so I can fine tune my program.

After researching some of the work he does, many questions I’ve had over the years have been answered.

Methylation: I underestimated how of a role much methylation plays. Being an under-methylator or over-meythlator can have huge ramifications.

Methylation is an epigenetic pathway used by cells to control gene expression. This is an important. Methylation is the process by which methyl molecules are added to enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters as well as to DNA itself.

Under methylator – low serotonin and dopamine. High folate. Anti-depressants such as SSRI’s may suit these people. That’s not to stay they are recommended as a first line of treatment now that we know certain nutrients at correct dosages are very powerful. Among other targeted nutrients, methionine, calcium and magnesium can treat under-methylation issues.

Over-methylator – high serotonin and dopamine, low folate. SSRI’s commonly have severe side-effects as they cause too much serotonin. Conversely, folate and niacin can be helpful because it’s decreases methyl, calming you down. High folate foods such as spinach can be beneficial here. I’m wondering if folate as a supplement may also help here. But i won’t be doing this by myself, it’s too serious and in-depth to solve ourselves.

Over reaction to anti-histamines and SAM-e is also typical signs for over-methylation.

Because over-methylators are always fired up, it can take a lot to excite them. If a house fire starts, they will calmly pick up some personal items and walk out. It’s because they are already ‘up there’, in that flight-or-flight mode.

Their view on Chelation is that it’s also risky for people with imbalances because it will take out even more good metals like Zinc and Calcium. This can months to improve and rebuild nutrient reserves. I’m beginning to wonder how many heavy metal toxicity cases are actually nutrient imbalances because it’s more common to look at toxicity than imbalances. And it’s difficult to treat imbalances if you don’t know what you’re doing. A great balanced diet will not suffice; only targeted therapeutic dosages of nutrients will.

Pyrolles, (pyroluria, kryptopyrolles, Mauve Factor) – Zinc and B6 play a vital role in the creation of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Pyrolles in blood attach to Zinc and B6 and then get excreted. This is not ideal to say the least but treatment is straight forward as long as severe stress has ended or is decreased. The treatment itself will begin to lessen the internal strain – the self-fulfilling stress cycle.

Copper imbalance – copper is required for production of neurotransmitters but too much can cause the fight-or-flight mechanism to stay on most or all of the time which can cause people to feel like their life is constantly in danger and nothing can seemingly help them calm down. This constant neural stimulation wears down the mind, body and soul and also furthers nutrient imbalance.

It would make sense that high copper foods should be limited, such as avocado, liver, chocolate and nuts. And copper supplements are not required as we get enough from a good balanced diet.

I will continue to learn more about his critical area of health and post any relevant information. And correct or add to the info in this post.

Further reading: Nutrient Power by William Walsh

Mensah Medical – based in Chicago with outreach clinics.

Updates coming..

Normal Thyroid Results probably aren’t normal

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After years of getting thyroid tests done which are always within the ‘healthy’ limits, I never questioned whether my thyroid was ever playing  a role in chronic illness.

My last test showed 3.5 TSH. Well within the upper limit of 4.5.

Except these lab ranges are obsolete and TSH should be around 1.2 but not higher than 1.5.

So it only took 15 years to work out I’m hypo-thyroid. Chronic Toxicity can disrupt the hormonal system and not enough thyroid hormone is getting to the thyroid. So we have to temporarily hack this in an effort to get stronger so the toxins can come out.

This done by taking a slow release NDT or Natural Dessicated Thyroid pill to give the thyroid what it needs. Brand names include Nature Throid and Armour but much more info is available at www.stopthethyroidmadness.com. Or search for ‘stop the thyroid madness’

Blood tests have to be done very few months to ensure that TSH level stays balanced around 1.2. The thyroid meds can be weaned of when detox is being completed. When the metals have gone, the thyroid should work fine just by itself.

This is just another example of mainstream medicine being wrong again. Imagine how many people come away with normal results but they feel like something is wrong. It really is madness.

However, I have not proved this myself but I am currently on Thiroyd with an i. I had to get it from overseas because my doctor won’t give me Nature Throid because my results are normal. This is typical and and frustrating but I don’t get too pissed off anymore as there are always solutions. So many people are in the same boat.

Dosing is very important. I started with very small amounts. My dosing is an 1/8 of a grain (approx 5mg) per day for 5 days, then increase to 1/4 grain etc. One grain is 60mgs.

I have to dissolve it in water and sip it throughout the day because it’s not slow release. Too much at once is too much for sensitive patients.

If I struggle with this then I will look at adding some adrenal cortex to get my cortisol levels down. It can be a juggling act but it’s common to balance the adrenals with cortex before moving on to the thyroid. But these glands are so important that this area of treatment must be done correctly.

This is part of the foundation work that has to be done before proper detoxing of the metals can occur. In some cases the toxins will come out naturally when we balance these glands and get the body working properly. The eventual ‘forced’ detox should be much easier.

For my thyroid test I just walked into a lab and got it done. I didn’t need to see my doctor. It was part of a Thyroid Panel test. TSH, FreeT4 and FreeT3.

There’s heaps more great info at the thyroid madness website. It might be worth getting a test done before jumping to any conclusions.

 

 

October 2016 Update – Heal The Gut First

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Knowing what toxins I have or may have is one thing, but getting them out is something else.

It wasn’t long after I started the Cilantro, BioSil, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Pecta-Sol C and a few other concoctions that I realised I’d fallen into the same trap again. As a mild to severe toxicity case, I simply cannot tolerate these products. Within days of taking even small doses, I felt horrendous and was going mental. As good as they might be, these products are very powerful and I don’t have the core strength to tolerate them.

This is what I’ve repeatedly been doing for the last 10 years; just trying all these mobilisers and binders and not improving. After making some progress with Chelation Therapy, over 40 rounds, I actually ended up slightly worse. I may have removed some metals but I also damaged my self on a cellular level. I lost some symptoms but gained others. (5mg dosage DMPS only)

There’s no doubt products are brilliant when used on relatively healthy individuals – Cilantro, DMPS, DMSA, ALA, Kelatox EDTA, etc etc, BUT, because my gut, thyroid and nutritional levels are so out of balance, I cannot tolerate them and therefore have to adjust my approach.

I have shelved anything that mobilises toxins and will focus on rebuilding in an attempt to improve mineral levels and prepare myself for the eventual detox.

I didn’t think this was possible because I understood the toxins have to come out before I could feel better, but from what I learnt of late, I’ve had the cart before the horse.

So I’m currently following an intense gut rebuilding program. Raw foods, Bone broth, Goat milk Kefir, Soaked Nuts and seeds, Ghee, Coconut Oil, Soups. I may even consider probiotics such as Bravo GC-Maf to help things along.

Here’s a diagram from Dr Axe’s website showing how detrimental leaky gut can be to your health. Credit to Dr Axe.

leaky-gut

The question is how the hell do we fix this when we are toxic. It’s difficult but possible, and I’m about to find out. Obviously the food you eat is critical.

I am also starting what may turn out to be a game changer for me. It has for a lot of other mild to severe cases so I’m hoping I have some luck with it. It’s an anti-histamine called Ketotifen.

Whoops! – update – this did not work at all well for me. Why not? I had a Whole Blood Histamine test done and it was relatively low. So if I take an anti-histamine I’ll feel even worse because it’s a neurotransmitter. The fatigue and low mood was brutal. Others seem to have great success with this so I was disappointed. Back to getting my Thyroid and nutrient levels corrected.

The Ketotifen basically helps to heal and seal the gut and therefore allows someone to start properly absorbing food again. Assimilation and methylation should improve which would be a huge help. It will also reduce inflammation and cortisol levels which would be great.

I’m someone who has food sensitivities and therefore can assume I have a leaky gut condition. Basically food goes through the leaking gut and my immune system goes into overdrive and makes me feel awful. Inflammation galore; and it hurts. This mast cell stabilizer / anti-histamine , combined with the correct foods, should help this. European doctors such as Dr Klinghart have been using this prescription medication for 30 years to help treat leaky gut disorders but it’s not very common worldwide.

Credit to Dr Axe again for this pic.

leaky-gut-help

Do you have food sensitivities but struggle with the likes of cilantro and Alpha Lipoic Acid? Perhaps your gut might need some attention also. And your Thyroid perhaps.

I’ll be updating any progress I have. Fingers crossed.

I’ve also found out I’ve got a hypo-thyroid issue which I will discuss in the next post. Test comes back ‘normal’ but normal isn’t normal. Surprise surprise. TSH should be around 1 to 1.5 not 4 or 5.

 

 

 

Recent Test Results & Diagnosis – Sept 2016

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All 8 tests are back and and here’s what I need to do.

The stool test shows where the problems lie. Severe toxicity and imbalances – Cadmium, Cesium, Lead, Arsenic, Nickel, Thallium, Tin, Copper, Manganese, Strontium and Barium. All are far too high.

My liver test was one of the worst he had seen and therefore it’s not detoxing properly. The catch 22 is that the toxins are disrupting the enzymes that digest food that my liver needs to work properly. So somehow I have to get these metals out of my body, although my body is compromised.

The plan is to use different agents for different toxins. I was focusing on Mercury but no mercury showed up on tests; that’s not to say there’s not some hidden away somewhere but I need to focus on getting the cadmium, tin and thallium out. I’ll do this by taking a form of EDTA – mainly for Thallium. Also, Biosil and Cilantro will be used according to what I can tolerate. And possibly DMSA at some stage for the lead. A special type of Citrus Pectin will act as an absorber to ensure all these toxins don’t just keep swirling around.

To monitor progress and make adjustments to my program, a Stool re-test will be done after 10 weeks. This test give the most info about me and what channels are being used. For someone else, it might be the DMSA Urine test that gives clues, that’s why I had to do so many tests. It was to see what toxins are there and how they are being excreted. If I continued with something like chelation therapy and used DMPS or DMSA alone (compare urine tests below) then I wouldn’t make any progress because those aren’t my ideal channels for detox. Not only that, those chemicals would be tough on my already compromised liver. It’s a recipe for a lot more unnecessary suffering. It’s crucial to find out this information or else you’re flying blind.

Neurotransmitters – The high toxicity is also not allowing my body to produce the raw materials for neurotransmitters. No amount of pharma drugs will help much without some raw materials to work with.

Mauve test – as I excreted too much Zinc over the years, Cadmium has taken it’s place. That’s how our bodies adapt.

There are other imbalances that I will be working on but the main objective is to lessen the toxicity. As these levels decrease, other imbalances should start to normalise.

I’ll report back when I get some blood test results back from my other mainstream doctor. Iron came back high on the Urine test. Too much iron isn’t good. To keep it down, I steer clear of (enriched) foods such as cereal and breads. The wrong type of iron is added to these foods. Giving blood every few months is another great way to keep iron levels healthy. There are some informative videos online with Morley Robbins and Wendy Myers that are wroth a watch.

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis: View

Kryptopyrroles / Mauve Factor (B6 and Zinc imbalance): View

Amino Acid Profile (building blocks for basic functioning): View

Liver Detox Profile (ability of liver to recover from toxins): View

Neurotransmitter Profile: View

Mineral Analysis, Urine – Baseline: View

Mineral Analysis, Urine – Post DMSA, Biosil, Glycine Challenge test: View

Mineral Analysis – Stool: View

Not everyone has to the same tests, it depends on what your symptoms are and how your initial consultation goes. You can usually guess which ones you need because of how you feel though. The hair, urine and stool tests are standard for suspected toxicity.