Category Archives: What I Tried

Update Feb 2018

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My recovery is going well. I feel at about 65-70% well. A year ago I also thought I was at this level but I was actually much worse. Back then I was at around 30-40% which was a miserable place to be.

I’ve still got work to do – I’m approaching stage 4 of 5. I’m tolerating all the vitamins so next is reducing bugs, bio-films, mold and candida if I I have it. I’m going to do the 3 month+ course anyway just to clear the path for the final stage which is intracellular detoxification. I should be feeling much better and have some resilience by then as this stage is tough on the body.

I continue to do what I mentioned in my previous post:

  • High dose customised supplements. I’m finally able to tolerate (took 3 months) a full dose of the supplements which I listed a few posts back. 2000mcg, 400mcg Folic Acid, 100mgs B6 plus many others all formulated into 2 caps in the morning and 4 at night. This is not a DIY job, these levels are customised to my biochemistry and will change over time. They are designed to normalize neurotransmitter levels which obviously have a huge impact on overall health. http://www.biobalance.org.au/patients/find-practitioners Hunt around for a good practitioner; I had to go to the Sates to see Dr Mensah himself. I could have gone to Aussie but decided to not muck around and go straight to the man himself. This is not part of Connie Fox’s program but the nutrients are similar.

 

  • Thyroid levels corrected: TSH (thyroid simulating hormone) must be kept around 1 to 1.5.  Re-test every 3 months. My doctor said my initially high (hypo) TSH was in the “normal’ range. Then when it was really low (hyper) it was apparently also in the normal range. Unbelievable. Me believing this over the last decade has cost me, it’s been a huge mistake not treating the thyroid. Correcting my TSH down to 1.5 has made a huge difference. If you’re toxic with something like mercury or other poijsons, it can mess with your thyroid and make you feel real shitty and miserable. Whole/Natural Thyroid Extract will correct TSH. Micro doses are needed for sensitive individuals. E.g https://getrealthyroid.com/why-get-real/nature-throid/

 

  • Avoid/ Limit stress: being unwell is a stressful time so you initially can only do so much. Everything must be examined – relationships, loneliness, noise, driving, EMF, fake light – computers, too much exercise and more.

 

  • Avoid / Limit EMF:  as I was sensitive to EMF and most likely WI-FI I built a small cabin so I sleep outside of the house. It’s zero AC current, (my body voltage in my existing room was about 15 volts AC!). It runs off a car battery and solar panel and sleep much better; it;s so much ‘calmer’. I realise not everyone can just go and build a cabin on their front lawn so things to do in the mean time is measure your body voltage where you sleep, turn off wifi at night or run Ethernet cables to devices, turn off house power at the switchboard. All this is a hassle so that’s why I moved outside. I really had to make some big changes. It may not be necessary if you can do the above and get stronger therefore losing the sensitivity, but it sure helps and no one should be living in a house with a lot of stray electrical activity. We are getting bombarded with cell site microwave, wifi, unshielded house wiring, and blue light from big TV’s and looking at devices after sunset. I advise limiting this as it messes with the melatonin and glutathione you need for a deep restorative/detox sleep. Dr Klinghardt has good info about this. Also, as Dr Jack Kruse explains, AM light is really important and has helped me. I spend as much of the morning outside or working near a window to natural light. Our brain needs this.

 

  • Gut: my gut wasn’t too bad but I know some people really have some issues. Be aware of gut brain issues where if you are neurologically stressed then this will negatively affect you gut, no matter how many amazing ‘gut repair’ and special diets you try. Someone like Connie Fox in Florida has a lot of great ideas about healing the gut. Toxicity still has to be resolved or else you’ll be managing symptoms for ever. NB: I have no business relationship with Connie.

 

  • Purpose: really anything that you live for. A hobby, work, future career, study, an upcoming event, gardening, family, travel, a project. Don’t let health be everything or else it can become a vacuum. I know it’s important but if you are at it all the time you can become worse; you become IT. I know because it happened with me. Try to have as much fun and socializing as possible. I know this sounds ridiculous as some people are bedridden and couldn’t think of anything worse and just cannot enjoy anything they used to do. This will change as you improve. I visualized being well and doing all the things I used to do. Our brains don’t know any different so visualize your healthy future. At times working and getting your health program started will take a  lot of time and it must be your primary focus. It can take time to accept this; realizing that for the time being you cannot do what want to do or live how you used to live. It is difficult at times, there’s no doubt about it.

 

  • Initial Tough Stage: I vary rarely need to do any of these pain and symptom management techniques anymore but I’ll list what I did anyway: coffee enemas were a life saver, I built my own infra-red sauna, soaking in the lake/ocean, spending time outdoors as uncomfortable as the bright light was. Slow deep breathing, trying to relax somehow once a day.  A very strict diet was essential – for my biochemistry it was as many greens as possible with some animal protein. Just experiment until you get it right. I could not touch wheat, diary, sugar, booze. Be careful with supplements if you don’t know what you’re doing as they can make you way worse.

 

Below – Getting out and about and actually well enough to enjoy it. That’s what people don’t understand – I could have done this when I was weak but I would have hated it and that wouldn’t have been good for me.

My near zero emf ‘off the grid’ cabin running off an old car battery and solar panel. It’s good knowing there aren’t any live cables within a metre from my head when I’m sleeping. For most people this isn’t possible. As you progress with healing/detoxing these sensitivities should subside.

Cheers, John

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/

 

Feb 2017 Update

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The good news is that I’m still making good gains. The work on improving my gut is mostly done and the main ingredient was a type of anti-histamine alongside other herbal products. I would never imagine an anti-histamine helping but what this does in short, is reset the gut. This achieved what nothing else could. Not even weeks on raw diet and many other types of treatment over the years (like 10 years!). I was that weak and ill that I needed something powerful. Gut healing can also be done with an intense program involving probiotics, diet and other supplements but I was at a point where I really didn’t care what I took; as long as it worked.

There’s more to this story than just taking it and feeling better but I will leave that for another post or my eventual book.

Once the gut is working better then this turns everything around. Food and sleep start doing what they are supposed to be do and healing can finally begin.

Phase two is getting on top of chronic infections and taking  a load off of your immune system. These infections can also house heavy metals (heavy metals and unfriendly microbes go hand in hand) and other toxins so when they are killed these toxins can re-circulate in our bloodstream and make us feel shitty. Biofilms can be involved here. The strengthened gut, plus a clay and charcoal mix, improved liver function is there to process and ‘mop up’ these toxins. So without even taking chelating agents, these toxins will leave the body. If they don’t get excreted they will redistribute and cause even more trouble. I wish I could prove this by doing testing every few weeks but it’s just not feasible. I’m happy with just feeling better as time goes on; that’s what we all want.

So I’ve introduced some anti-microbial herbs like clove, wormwood, oregano, coconut oil, and others to start to decrease my immune load. I’ve started slowly as you do, and side effects are noticeable but aren’t too bad. This is something that cannot be rushed and will take a few months to get on top of them. I should be feeling improved after these bad bugs are deceased / dormant and then true chelation can start with the likes of EDTA, Cilantro, Lipoic Acid etc.

These should be tolerated by that stage. Cilantro and ALA hurt me badly back in the day so I will be very careful with these. Remember toxins are very easy to mobilize but more difficult to excrete.

Diet has been very important for me. I eat nothing that feeds these little critters – that means sugar, bread, pasta, sugary drinks. There is no point feeding them up and trying to kill them at the same time. So it’s back to the ketogenic / paleo foods which i happen to enjoy anyway. I have the odd ‘cheat meal’ or ‘cheat day’ but get back on the keto/paleo wagon without out too much trouble.

I hope this post has been informative and I will post again when I have more info

 

Dr Bruce Jones – Melbourne – Detox Doctor

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Dr Jones is in Melbourne, Australia. All the testing I did can be seen 2 or 3 posts ago, last month. Too many perhaps, but fascinating all the same. The stool test from Germany was very informative. But finding solutions is the tricky part.

The products he recommends are Cilantro, R-Lipoic Acid, EDTA, BioSil and Pecta-Sol C. Unfortunately not for me as far too aggressive.

Effective for mild cases of chronic toxicity but not mild to severe as I have found out.

Anyone who has a severe reaction to agents such as Cilantro, DMSA and R-Lipoic Acid should not continue with them as it’s very easy to do WAY MORE damage. The old adage ‘no pain no gain’ doesn’t work in this instance. Any pain actually means you’re going backwards and most likely damaging yourself.

Before doing any testing, I was advised to start on 240mg Super R-Lipoic Acid. Holy shit, NO WAY I thought at the time after previous disasters with Alpha Lipoic Acid. Since I was also taking the Ecoeugenics PectaSol-C binder I was advised that this will bind any toxins and I should be okay.

This was reckless advice. I compromised and started on about 10mg, so 1/25 of what I was advised. And boom, within days I was verging on being admitted to a mental hospital. 240mg might well have been a hospital dose because I may not have been conscious. For someone else it might be fine but we are all so different it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ situation. It’s potentially very dangerous.

It just shows that anyone has to be so careful with taking anything that mobilises toxins. No doctor or test will EVER know or show exactly what toxin levels, in what locations, are really inside you. Mobilising toxins is the easiest thing to do and it also causes the most damage. Getting the toxins OUT OF YOUR BODY is the most important thing. If they just keep recirculating around and around they can make you feel horrendous.

PectaSol-C is a great general detox product to be taken daily but in my opinion it’s not really a top notch and hard core binder. The charcoal and clay products I think do a better job. Something like Dr Shultz’s Intestinal Absorber #2 will definitely soak up some nasties. For sensitive people, these binders alone can actually have some mild side effects. One product at a time.

I hope Dr Jones can adapt his protocols for those of us who aren’t ready for the powerful detoxing agents. I am more than happy to help as I progress. The detox game is high risk for doctors so I do appreciate those who actually try to help those i need. It’s all pretty new so we just have to be careful and take things slowly.

Please see latest posts for updates

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.

 

 

Stopping Chelation – Dr Cutler Protocol

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Shortly after a very positive post a month or so back i had a big setback; more like a crash, and I was quite surprised in it’s severity. It made me re-think  my strategy. I needed to do more.

I had switched to DMSA/ALA instead of my usual DMPS/ALA. I did two rounds of the new combo and then crashed. I was taking tiny doses – 6mg DMSA and 3mg ALA. I haven’t been able to increase these levels since I started chelation Cutler style way back in late 2014.

It just seems all too difficult and I feel like I’m missing something. And trying to do it nearly all myself is proving incredibly hard. I’m not being precise enough with what exactly I’m trying to detox and no-one is supervising me, mainly because I just haven’t been able to find someone. Another issue is that my judgement isn’t great, so decisions are usually not great. But we all have to keep trying so we can only do our best.

My ‘best’ was to continue looking around for someone to give me a better idea of exactly what I was trying to do. This blanket approach of just ‘doing chelation’ wasn’t working as well as a precise and individual protocol would.

From someone who contacted me via this website I tracked down a functional medicine doctor in Australia who having success treating chronic illnesses. I could tell by talking to him that he was very knowledgeable about these illnesses. After 90 minutes talking to him via Skype my gut feeling was that he could help or certainly give me an idea of what was causing my symptoms.

He is more of a health detective than anything else so he wanted me to do the following tests, based on the info I’d given him and what we discussed online.

Most of the tests below – a little overwhelming but I feel it will be worth it.

Health Tests

 

  • Hair Test – with Trace Elements, Texas. Best Hair Mineral Analysis I understand. Not ARL.
  • 24 hour Amino Acid test – see what nutrients and proteins are being absorbed correctly.
  • Liver Detox Profile – Liver function and ability to tolerate DMSA if used as chelating agent.
  • Neurotransmitter Profile – see what’s out of balance in my brain. eg Serotonin, Dopamine etc
  • Kryptopyrroles – possible Zinc and B6 deficiency
  • DMSA challenge test – with glycine and Biosil to maximise results. Send poo and urine to Microtrace Minerals in Germany. Should be fun.

I’m usually loathe to spend anymore money on testing because no one has ever been able to properly interpret them and treat me properly. Hopefully this time will be different. (I’ve said that a few times 🙂 I’m interested to see the results myself and perhaps they can be used if I went back and had a consultation with Dr Cutler or anyone else; if need be.

These tests are going to take a while to do so the doctor has given me an interim protocol to work on. This basic protocol will be revised as more tests come in.

  • To mobilise = R-Lipoic Acid (Cutler wouldn’t agree to this but who knows who is right)
  • To bind = Modified Citrus Pectin
  • To bind & help in general = Orthosilicic Acid (BioSil)
  • Other general supplements like Magnesium for support.

So this makes sense. Mobilise  – Bind – Excrete. Not sure what is being mobilised yet but the tests should give us an idea. Mercury, Lead, Aluminium, Thalium etc

I have to do the tests first and then start the above so I will keep this site updated with test results and progress.

Keep trying

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chelating Continues…

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Progress Update

I continue to prove that underlying toxicity is at the core of what has kept me chronically ill for many years. This is an issue where diets, exercise, meditation, medication, working, keeping busy, thinking positive, sauna therapy, various other treatments  and many many supplements etc DID NOT WORK for me and were never going to.

 

Some of these typical healing remedies have helped me to manage symptoms but they did little to remove the toxicity from from my brain, nervous system and organs. And that is key; that is one of the main causes or THE cause. I cannot prove what I’m currently doing does achieve this but it is so obvious after 15 years of trying things and then something starts to make a difference. I think the correct term is anecdotal evidence, but lets keep it simple, it just works! Bloody slow, but it works.

 

Among my supporting therapies I outline in my e-book, at the top of the list, and most vital, is chelation therapy. This is the method I have chosen to pull out toxins such as lead and mercury and who knows what else. Mobilising these toxins is easy and potentially dangerous, but getting them out of our bodies safely is the crucial part.

 

I use a combination of DMPS, DMSA and ALA (alpha lipoic acid) and continue to adjust doses as I improve and are able to handle larger doses. I might do some DMPS/ALA cycles or ’rounds’ as they are referred to, then switch to DPMS alone or even DMSA alone.

 

There is a protocol to follow (Andrew Cutler) but one thing I have learnt is everyone is different and those who rush just delay recovery. For instance, I still can only handle a tiny dose of DMPS (5mg) and ALA (3mg). I would like to be taking more but my body cannot tolerate it. It doesn’t matter because whatever dose anyone is on works for them. We have no choice.

 

Some take large doses (up to 100mg) ALA alone and this works for them because they’ve experimented. That’s the only way to do it. No professional knows what dose will suit you so you have start LOW AND SLOW because this stuff is powerful. Go by feel more than anything else.

 

I just completed round 42. I’ve being doing rounds (ideally 3 days on and 4 days off) for 18 months but initially I waited weeks between rounds because I was so sick and weak. Now they are easy.

 

I’ll just keep going until I’m back where I want to be health wise. If it’s 100 rounds, fine, 200, whatever. I have no other choice and they get easier as I get better so it’s actually very straight forward. It’s a relatively easy protocol.

 

Because it’s over such a long time frame, it’s hard to gauge improvements but i’ll list some here:

 

  • less joint and muscle pain
  • can tolerate more carbohydrates. I couldn’t touch carbs like bread for 7 years.
  • Sleep better, even feel refreshed some mornings instead of foggy fatigue
  • can complete tasks that require mental power – computer work, conversations etc
  • enjoy conversations with people, can now keep up and understand them
  • laugh at things I find funny instead of no reaction, and crack a few jokes
  • breathing is more consistent instead of gasping
  • way less internal and mental stress
  • way less irritated by those around me and less frustrated with everything
  • more patient and sympathetic
  • can tolerate more exercise although not able to jog consistently yet
  • not so worried about the future
  • balance and blood pressure improved – can get of bed quickly
  • make way better and quicker decisions
  • can say NO much easier, don’t care so much
  • heart beat more consistent and smooth – nervous system stronger
  • emotionally resilient
  • can have a heated (honest) conversation with someone without collapsing
  • sleep actually works now, I can recover more quickly
  • my core temperature has increased – nice and warm now and way more tolerant to cold
  • skin not so sensitive any more
  • horrendous fatigue has gone but more improvement needed – adrenals are happier
  • can read people better and understand what they mean
  • tolerate alcohol better – no more sweats and nausea after a sip of wine
  • better appetite – get quite piggy sometimes 😉
  • better sense of well being and general optimism

 

That’s all good but I have a long way to go. There are still a few symptoms I want to knock off:

 

  • Sensitive to light
  • socially sometimes I still come to halt and freeze when not feeling so well
  • foggy brain and feels like inflammation in middle ear
  • not as relaxed and calm as I would like to be
  • have to careful with over doing it physically and mentally

 

Some of these are caused by my habits and decision making. It’s best if I don’t spend any time watching TV or on the computer (like I am now). It feels like I need a complete mental break from these stimuli.

 

Because I’m used to being so ill, my natural reaction to someone asking me to do something triggers a small stress reaction. My body/mind is taking a long time to realise that I actually can now do these things but history has taught my body that if I do that then I will suffer. Recalibration is taking a long time.

 

This is improving and I find myself saying ‘no’ now because I genuinely do not want to do that activity or meet up. Some conversations are still a bit weird and I misunderstand things but I don’t beat myself up about it. And I’m sure there are lots of weird and uncomfortable moments when people are well. I just accept I get things wrong a bit, that’s the way it is for the time being. I go with the flow and enjoy hat I can because there’s no other choice.

 

I feel like I could be doing more to speed up recovery so I will be working on that from now while still chelating. I’ll keep chelating to a point where I can take a mega dose and nothing happens. If I still have symptoms then, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

 

One issue for me taking ALA is that although it has improved my symptoms, I have also gained one or two. I understand that this because ALA crosses the blood brain barrier so the toxins can ‘slosh’ in and out through a metaphoric ‘doorway’. With the right dosing, most toxins get out but some stay or even get in before the door shuts.

 

This has caused me to have a couple of minor issues which should resolve. One is that my eye-brain communication gets confused sometimes. If I see a branch move outside, my brain tells me it looks like a cat or some animal moving. When I focus on it, I see that’s it’s a branch. This doesn’t bother me. The other is that my jaw seems stiff to open sometimes. No big deal but it’s noticeable.

 

It will be interesting to see when these symptoms disappear. I wouldn’t be too concerned if they never did, as long as I got my core health back. Would they cause me to stop chelation? , no – because the benefits are too great. I just being honest about treatment, it can be hard work, a real roller-coaster of emotions and you have to be patient.

 

Chelation hasn’t been the only fix for me; I’ve improved other aspects of my life of which I discuss in my e-book.

 

For anyone thinking that toxicity might be an issue then doing a therapeutic trial is simple and no tests are really necessary. Safe and inexpensive

 

 

Chelation Therapy Isn’t An Exact Science

2 Replies

I’ve done 26 rounds of chelation following the Andrew Cutler protocol. This involves taking a chelating agent such as DMPS, DMSA and or ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) at regular doses. For nearly all 26 doses I’ve used DMPS at a relatively small dose of 2.5mg every 8 hours for 3 days then take 4 days or off before starting the next ’round’. That’s all I can handle.

Up until November 2015 this was going well; very slow progress but going pretty well. I cannot prove that my progress can be atributed to doing chelation therapy but i’m certain that it is. The fact that I cannot tolerate a higher dose than 2.5mg DMPS says to me that I have a rather severe heavy metal toxicity issue and I suspect my methylation system is not working well at all. There are other factors which I’m still learning about.

Chelation Therapy is really the only thing at this stage that has made positive gains for me but I still have much to learn about this fascinating but frustrating treatment. I feel I could be doing much better so I’m working on that. I’d like to be taking more and I’d like to be feeling better overall while I ‘chelate’.

However, I made a mistake by introducing 3mg ALA rounds 19-24 in late 2015. Now I realise that is has actually stirred the toxins up, particularly in my head as I have gained more neurological symptoms. Obviously the DMPS could not mop up the mercury that the ALA pulled out and it has been redistributed. ALA can pull toxins out of the brain, DMPS cannot. So I have to be very careful about adding ALA in the future as I understand it has to be to get the brain toxins out. A tiny 1mg dose is probably ideal and it’s common for people to take this amount. ALA is supposedly a true chelator that makes a strong bond with toxins and escorts them out of the body but it obviously ‘lets go’ of the odd toxic molecule which then wrecks some havoc on me.

The catch 22 is that Mercury disrupts the methylation cycle so that’s why it can take so long to remove it all. I view chelation therapy as doing a raid on the bad guys; get in, take what you need and get out before you cause any trouble or raise the alarm.

So the idea is to do a minimum 3 days round without causing too much trouble. These chelators can be tough on the body so supplements such as adrenal support, magnesium, zinc and vitamin C and E have to be taken while ‘in’ and ‘off’ round.

It is assumed that half to one percent of toxic metals are removed each round anyone does so you can see that 100 to 200 rounds may take some years. It’s a marathon but we also are feeling better as time goes on so it really is just a matter of time and being persistent and consistent. Knowing that mercury is the problem or a big part of the problem gives me some peace of mind as not knowing what is wrong is incredibly stressful and frustrating.

I’m learning more about the methylation cycle; there are great videos on YouTube from guys like Ben Lynch. Many things can done such as DNA tests and subsequent supplementation with the likes of B12, Methyl Folate, SAMe etc so I’m going down another rabbit hole here but not jumping into anything just yet.

For starters there are 4 types of B12 one can take so it’s not straight forward. But B12 is crucial for so many things so it’s something I want to make sure I’m getting enough of. I eat meat but if my absorption isn’t great then my cells might not be getting enough.

Dr Andy Cutler is not convinced that doing these DNA tests and spending huge amounts of time on methylation are necessary because with time and less heavy metals in our systems, methylation will correct itself, regardless of whether some of us have more ‘junk DNA’ than others.

Only time will tell. The experiment continues….  🙂

For more info:

Facebook – Andy Cutler Think Tank Private Group

www.noamalgam.com