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..