Sorry I haven't written .... well not really ... I haven't written because I'm just feeling good and there's nothing to add.
Oh, I got allergy testing done. Remember how I ate at Bonefish Grill and had a crusted trout, so thought that since it was Bang Bang shrimp night that I got sick from shrimp contamination? Uh, surprise surprise. It wasn't the shrimp ...... it was the pecan crust on the trout! I'm allergic to pecans, peanuts (I knew), and sunflower seeds, but not shellfish.
I got a blood test done to confirm and don't have those results yet.
Still taking:
1 drop Lugol's iodine
Blood Builder, 1 tablet
magnesium
5HTP at bedtime
Armour Thyroid
Vitamin D3
Sometimes take:
Vitamin C
other antioxidants (resveratrol, or something else)
Update: My blood test came back as mildly allergic to clams, oysters, squid, and scallops.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Slate retracts, Nature reports, McGee resigns
I was disturbed to learn yesterday that Slate has made an editorial retraction of the article "The Celltex Affair" by Carl Elliott, and issued an apology to Glenn McGee, a bioethicist who has been criticized by me and many others for his professional involvement with the troubled Texas stem cell company and RNL Bio licensee, CellTex, at a time when he was also editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Bioethics. The retraction was apparently prompted by allegations of factual error and defamation made initially by David Eller (Celltex CEO), to which Carl Elliot responded, and later by a law firm representing McGee. The excellent blog Retraction Watch has provided a nice summary of the recent developments, and Leigh Turner has posted a thoroughgoing chronicle of the events and issues that surround this case up to the day before Slate's sudden retraction. (Turner's article was published on Feb. 28, while the retraction is dated Feb. 29).
With the intensive scrutiny and crying foul over the past month, I don't know if I have a lot to add to the commentary. I do note that my blog is mentioned in the letters from Eller and DeShazo and Nesbitt, McGee's lawyers, with particular reference to a correction I made to one point in my original post on the ICMS Potemkin investigation of RNL Bio, which had stated the McGee had participated in and authored the report of an investigation of RNL's provision of cells for use in unproven treatments overseas. He emailed me stating that he was not the author of this particular report, but that he wrote a different report specifically on the company's ethical practices. I noted this both in the original post and in the more recent one on his joining CellTex, and apologized for the mistake.
It is clearly vital to get all the facts straight, and I am happy to correct any factual errors discovered in my writing, but equally clearly many of the other disturbing facts of the case remain uncontested, and I have to wonder why Slate would decide to retract such an important story, particularly given Elliot's rebuttal, which I found to be reasonable and compelling. Perhaps Eller's decade-long libel suit against Forbes and journalist William Barrett was more compelling evidence still of the potential cost of engaging millionaires in the courts.
I should further comment on one point in Eller's accusation, which claims "Fact: Dr. McGee has no knowledge as to whether Dr. Ra served on boards" (referring to the participation of RNL Bio CEO Ra Jeong Chan on the Laboratory Advisory Board of the International Cellular Medicine Society in fall of the year when the patient deaths in Japan and China occurred. In fact, I did email Dr McGee on September 10, 2010 at his bioethics.org address prior to writing my first blog post, as I thought at the time that he might be unaware of some important aspects of the ICMS organization.
McGee did not acknowledge or respond to this email, so I cannot say whether he actually read it, but even if he failed to familiarize himself as a director with the members of other boards, he had clear opportunity to do so just by opening his inbox. I therefore do not think this particular defense is valid, and more generally feel Elliot is owed an apology from the editor of Slate for making a retraction when a correction or clarification on several minor points would have sufficed. This is particularly true as the basis for defamation seems to rely largely on intent, and neither Eller nor the McGee lawyers seem to have done anything to show any alleged error was made intentionally on Elliott's part.
Things get even more interesting now that Nature journalist David Cyranoski has published a nifty bit of investigative journalism on March 1, with an accompanying editorial, that lays out how CellTex delivers processed adipose cells to a local physician and pays him a commission to inject them into patients with diseases like multiple sclerosis. What's worse, the Texas Medical Board, a group of 17 political appointees less than half of whom have an MD, has drafted new regulations that appear to suggest that Texas views FDA oversight over the clinical use of investigational agents (such as stem cells) as optional. The feds may tend to disagree, as they showed last year in arresting Fredda Branyon, Vincent Dammai, Alberto Ramon, and Frank Morales for similar practices (although it was allogeneic cord blood in that case, rather than processed autologous adipose cells).
McGee, who did not agree to be interviewed for the March 1 Nature article, abruptly announced his resignation, effective Feb. 28, from CellTex, just three months after joining the company. He also previously stepped down as editor in chief of the American Journal of Bioethics, and says via twitter he is preparing "lengthy, pointed comments on the whole matter."
Given all the many villains and clowns in this big-money drama, we can only hope that McGee opts to redeem himself through full disclosure.
With the intensive scrutiny and crying foul over the past month, I don't know if I have a lot to add to the commentary. I do note that my blog is mentioned in the letters from Eller and DeShazo and Nesbitt, McGee's lawyers, with particular reference to a correction I made to one point in my original post on the ICMS Potemkin investigation of RNL Bio, which had stated the McGee had participated in and authored the report of an investigation of RNL's provision of cells for use in unproven treatments overseas. He emailed me stating that he was not the author of this particular report, but that he wrote a different report specifically on the company's ethical practices. I noted this both in the original post and in the more recent one on his joining CellTex, and apologized for the mistake.
It is clearly vital to get all the facts straight, and I am happy to correct any factual errors discovered in my writing, but equally clearly many of the other disturbing facts of the case remain uncontested, and I have to wonder why Slate would decide to retract such an important story, particularly given Elliot's rebuttal, which I found to be reasonable and compelling. Perhaps Eller's decade-long libel suit against Forbes and journalist William Barrett was more compelling evidence still of the potential cost of engaging millionaires in the courts.
I should further comment on one point in Eller's accusation, which claims "Fact: Dr. McGee has no knowledge as to whether Dr. Ra served on boards" (referring to the participation of RNL Bio CEO Ra Jeong Chan on the Laboratory Advisory Board of the International Cellular Medicine Society in fall of the year when the patient deaths in Japan and China occurred. In fact, I did email Dr McGee on September 10, 2010 at his bioethics.org address prior to writing my first blog post, as I thought at the time that he might be unaware of some important aspects of the ICMS organization.
McGee did not acknowledge or respond to this email, so I cannot say whether he actually read it, but even if he failed to familiarize himself as a director with the members of other boards, he had clear opportunity to do so just by opening his inbox. I therefore do not think this particular defense is valid, and more generally feel Elliot is owed an apology from the editor of Slate for making a retraction when a correction or clarification on several minor points would have sufficed. This is particularly true as the basis for defamation seems to rely largely on intent, and neither Eller nor the McGee lawyers seem to have done anything to show any alleged error was made intentionally on Elliott's part.
Things get even more interesting now that Nature journalist David Cyranoski has published a nifty bit of investigative journalism on March 1, with an accompanying editorial, that lays out how CellTex delivers processed adipose cells to a local physician and pays him a commission to inject them into patients with diseases like multiple sclerosis. What's worse, the Texas Medical Board, a group of 17 political appointees less than half of whom have an MD, has drafted new regulations that appear to suggest that Texas views FDA oversight over the clinical use of investigational agents (such as stem cells) as optional. The feds may tend to disagree, as they showed last year in arresting Fredda Branyon, Vincent Dammai, Alberto Ramon, and Frank Morales for similar practices (although it was allogeneic cord blood in that case, rather than processed autologous adipose cells).
McGee, who did not agree to be interviewed for the March 1 Nature article, abruptly announced his resignation, effective Feb. 28, from CellTex, just three months after joining the company. He also previously stepped down as editor in chief of the American Journal of Bioethics, and says via twitter he is preparing "lengthy, pointed comments on the whole matter."
Given all the many villains and clowns in this big-money drama, we can only hope that McGee opts to redeem himself through full disclosure.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Raw Food: Ignored advice to go slow!!!
Prior to becoming ill, I ate a TON of raw food! I tried to shoot for 50% or more. I juiced often. Then, when I got sick, I couldn't digest raw food at all. :( I could only eat vegetables if they were overcooked, so soups became a favorite because who likes overcooked side dishes?
Recently, I FINALLY can eat as much raw food as I want, so as I usually do, I went overboard. I read Norman Walker's book on Weight Control .... I didn't buy it, it came with my Norwalk Juicer .... but it has good information in it about eating raw. He warns, GO SLOW, don't change over all at once. Did I listen? Of course not!!! I'm too healthy for it to have been more than a little issue!
WRONG!!!
A day in, as usual, I had a little headache. Nothing big. Hardly noticeable. Three days in, my hips started hurting so badly that the pain woke me up in the middle of the night. The pain in the morning was severe. I did okay, but not great that day. That night, the pain reminded me of when I broke my leg!! OUCH! Two and a half hours after I went to bed and couldn't sleep because I was crying over the pain, I finally got up and ate an Udi's gluten-free bagel with butter and raw almond butter on it. I took a Vicodin, and went back to bed. I played on my iPhone until the Vicodin kicked in then went to sleep.
The next morning, they hurt again, but not so bad. After my evening juice, YOWEE!!! I wasn't messing around with it a second night, so took two Advil and a Norco. I ate some organic blue corn chips and had some wild rice with my dinner salad.
Today I got up and ate my new normal raw breakfast (a glass of fresh apple juice and a couple celery stalks with raw almond butter). I had leftover salad with wild rice for lunch. Multiple raw snacks. I feel much better today, no pain.
I was worried about not having enough food, not about an intense healing reaction. I've been eating raw seed bars, raw soaked almonds, avocados, and nut butters to be sure I'm getting enough fat and calories with all the pilates I've been doing. But I hadn't taken into account that going to fast might cause a healing reaction. Wow. I learned my lesson.
Here's a good site that talks about going raw and what can happen if you go too fast -link
I don't plan on eating all raw all the time, but I am happy to get back to eating a significant amount of raw fruits and veggies full of enzymes. Interestingly, last time I started juicing, a friend who only sees me once a week was so surprised how much younger I looked after only a week of it that she went out and bought a juicer that day. This time, hubby was out of town for four days, and when he got home he said the same thing. Why do I ever stop juicing?!?! LOL
"You're eating a raw food dinner? You better not, it will make you feel like $#!T!!! Yup, my body is weird. There is really no way to know why the detox reaction is in the hips. It started soon after starting raw food, and ended soon after adding cooked back in, so it was clearly related.
Being able to eat this way again tells me that I'm significantly healed. I've been finished with treatment of infection for a couple years now, but as you know I've been working on total healing since then. I want to change my body so that it's not the same as the body that got so gravely ill. I think I'm close to the last layer .... though you never know how many there are .... but this step is significant.
My plans are to eat raw all the way until dinner .... except for today, of course.
Recently, I FINALLY can eat as much raw food as I want, so as I usually do, I went overboard. I read Norman Walker's book on Weight Control .... I didn't buy it, it came with my Norwalk Juicer .... but it has good information in it about eating raw. He warns, GO SLOW, don't change over all at once. Did I listen? Of course not!!! I'm too healthy for it to have been more than a little issue!
WRONG!!!
A day in, as usual, I had a little headache. Nothing big. Hardly noticeable. Three days in, my hips started hurting so badly that the pain woke me up in the middle of the night. The pain in the morning was severe. I did okay, but not great that day. That night, the pain reminded me of when I broke my leg!! OUCH! Two and a half hours after I went to bed and couldn't sleep because I was crying over the pain, I finally got up and ate an Udi's gluten-free bagel with butter and raw almond butter on it. I took a Vicodin, and went back to bed. I played on my iPhone until the Vicodin kicked in then went to sleep.
The next morning, they hurt again, but not so bad. After my evening juice, YOWEE!!! I wasn't messing around with it a second night, so took two Advil and a Norco. I ate some organic blue corn chips and had some wild rice with my dinner salad.
Today I got up and ate my new normal raw breakfast (a glass of fresh apple juice and a couple celery stalks with raw almond butter). I had leftover salad with wild rice for lunch. Multiple raw snacks. I feel much better today, no pain.
I was worried about not having enough food, not about an intense healing reaction. I've been eating raw seed bars, raw soaked almonds, avocados, and nut butters to be sure I'm getting enough fat and calories with all the pilates I've been doing. But I hadn't taken into account that going to fast might cause a healing reaction. Wow. I learned my lesson.
Here's a good site that talks about going raw and what can happen if you go too fast -link
I don't plan on eating all raw all the time, but I am happy to get back to eating a significant amount of raw fruits and veggies full of enzymes. Interestingly, last time I started juicing, a friend who only sees me once a week was so surprised how much younger I looked after only a week of it that she went out and bought a juicer that day. This time, hubby was out of town for four days, and when he got home he said the same thing. Why do I ever stop juicing?!?! LOL
"You're eating a raw food dinner? You better not, it will make you feel like $#!T!!! Yup, my body is weird. There is really no way to know why the detox reaction is in the hips. It started soon after starting raw food, and ended soon after adding cooked back in, so it was clearly related.
Being able to eat this way again tells me that I'm significantly healed. I've been finished with treatment of infection for a couple years now, but as you know I've been working on total healing since then. I want to change my body so that it's not the same as the body that got so gravely ill. I think I'm close to the last layer .... though you never know how many there are .... but this step is significant.
My plans are to eat raw all the way until dinner .... except for today, of course.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Iodine
I've been reading a lot about iodine supplementation lately and it's fascinating. Apparently, most of the population is iodine deficient. There is less iodine in salt and over 50% of people don't use iodized salt. Junk food that is loaded with salt, is loaded with plain salt, not iodized. People in trying to be healthy, cut out salt, which, by the way, is a macronutrient and important to our health.
Recent studies show that perhaps a much higher than RDA amount of iodine is needed. This is big in cancer prevention, specifically breast and prostate cancers.
It's also big in fighting everything from fungus, candida, bacteria, parasites, heavy metals, etc. It's needed for health.
So, I did the test, that has debatable accuracy, but I did it anyway. I painted a patch of my skin with iodine. It dissappeared in less than an hour. I bought Lugol's, the iodine used for many years by doctors.
Do you know anything about bromine? Yes, the stuff used in hot tubs instead of chlorine, that's what I'm talking about. Well, do you know you eat A LOT of bromine? Bread makers used to use iodine in bread. At some point they decided to switch to bromine. it's also in brominated vegetable oil. You say you don't eat brominated vegetable oil? Well, it's in Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Fresca, and other soft drinks. Yuck.
What's the big deal about bromine? It's in the same family of elements as iodine. Your body will use it as iodine, but it can't do all the things for you that iodine does, it just takes up iodine's place in your body. Could this be why we have an epidemic of low thyroid (and even obesity?)? Could this be my answer in getting off thryoid meds once and for all?
I started supplementing a few weeks ago. In the beginning, I did salt loading (I'll provide links so you can read more about the details of this). The salt provides chloride for the kidneys so the bromide doesn't get stuck there. You guessed it. Chloride is also in the iodine family of elements. So is flouride. How can flouridation and chlorination of our water be a good idea?
Many people have bromide detoxification reactions. My husband did. He felt like he had a bad cold and fatigue for the first couple weeks. I had a worse reaction, with over half of the symptoms they say you can have. My hips ached soooo bad. I also had the "cold" and fatigue. Now my left kidney is aching, so I started back with the salt. I'm taking a couple days off the iodine to give my kidneys a rest. I've also bought supplements that are supposed to give kidney support.
Here are some links -
Bromide and salt loading
Bromide dominance
Iodine deficiency
Recent studies show that perhaps a much higher than RDA amount of iodine is needed. This is big in cancer prevention, specifically breast and prostate cancers.
It's also big in fighting everything from fungus, candida, bacteria, parasites, heavy metals, etc. It's needed for health.
So, I did the test, that has debatable accuracy, but I did it anyway. I painted a patch of my skin with iodine. It dissappeared in less than an hour. I bought Lugol's, the iodine used for many years by doctors.
Do you know anything about bromine? Yes, the stuff used in hot tubs instead of chlorine, that's what I'm talking about. Well, do you know you eat A LOT of bromine? Bread makers used to use iodine in bread. At some point they decided to switch to bromine. it's also in brominated vegetable oil. You say you don't eat brominated vegetable oil? Well, it's in Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Fresca, and other soft drinks. Yuck.
What's the big deal about bromine? It's in the same family of elements as iodine. Your body will use it as iodine, but it can't do all the things for you that iodine does, it just takes up iodine's place in your body. Could this be why we have an epidemic of low thyroid (and even obesity?)? Could this be my answer in getting off thryoid meds once and for all?
I started supplementing a few weeks ago. In the beginning, I did salt loading (I'll provide links so you can read more about the details of this). The salt provides chloride for the kidneys so the bromide doesn't get stuck there. You guessed it. Chloride is also in the iodine family of elements. So is flouride. How can flouridation and chlorination of our water be a good idea?
Many people have bromide detoxification reactions. My husband did. He felt like he had a bad cold and fatigue for the first couple weeks. I had a worse reaction, with over half of the symptoms they say you can have. My hips ached soooo bad. I also had the "cold" and fatigue. Now my left kidney is aching, so I started back with the salt. I'm taking a couple days off the iodine to give my kidneys a rest. I've also bought supplements that are supposed to give kidney support.
Here are some links -
Bromide and salt loading
Bromide dominance
Iodine deficiency
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Update and shameless advertising
Well, since I'm doing so well, I really have no HEALTH updates for you at this point. YAY!!! Nice to have nothing to say about my health, right? :)
But, I finished my first 100 hours of pilates training with my new certification program (I'm already "certified", just adding to it). It was 25 hours per week, as I told you in my last post. I took the test, both written and teaching a client, and passed!! Onto the next stage!! The next stage starts this weekend with 18 hours of training over 3 days .... over half that will be doing pilates, so I'll be exhausted by Monday when I have a 90 minute massage scheduled!
I also wanted to tell you that my daughter started blogging. It's a more fun read than this one because it's all about fun topics and has pictures. Please check it out and let me know what you think! Her Halloween post has pictures of me with the goofy husband and goofy kids.
http://luvvleighb.wordpress.com/
But, I finished my first 100 hours of pilates training with my new certification program (I'm already "certified", just adding to it). It was 25 hours per week, as I told you in my last post. I took the test, both written and teaching a client, and passed!! Onto the next stage!! The next stage starts this weekend with 18 hours of training over 3 days .... over half that will be doing pilates, so I'll be exhausted by Monday when I have a 90 minute massage scheduled!
I also wanted to tell you that my daughter started blogging. It's a more fun read than this one because it's all about fun topics and has pictures. Please check it out and let me know what you think! Her Halloween post has pictures of me with the goofy husband and goofy kids.
http://luvvleighb.wordpress.com/
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Update- new bloodwork
I hadn't been to a gyno since my previous one ridiculed me right out of his office. That *could* be the subject of this post, but if you have Lyme, you can imagine the story and you'd be right ... and it included saying anyone who specializes in Lyme is probably a scam ... and he was speechless when I said I had all the symptoms, a positive test, and was doing better with treatment.
Anyway, this time I went to a female gyno for the first time. It wasn't weird, LOL. She specializes in women my age (not having babies). She did a lot of blood tests and I was impressed. She actually tested for vitamin D! I asked her for a ferritin test since mine was only 24 last spring, and she did one for me. Five vials of blood.
Seems I'm NORMAL!!! Not a big accomplishment for most people, but you know what I've been through.
My ferritin is up to 66. She mentioned it was still on the low side, but that low was pretty normal for someone with periods like mine. No wonder I have more energy!!! That's a BIG jump!!! I am still taking double Blood Builder. I muscle test every day, and around my period I can test for two or three twice per day, but normal days, two only once per day.
My vitamin D is up to 64 from 35 last spring. She mentioned that I must supplement because no one is ever in range. I told her I did. She asked how much .... it's 4000-8000 IU daily.
Since I'm taking so much vitamin D and so much iron, both of which "they" say you can take too much of, I was glad to get the confirmation that my body is doing well on it. And I like this new doc. The only thing I don't like is the AIR FRESHENER!!! I could hardly breath in the waiting room. I found it odd a doctor who knows this much about health would have such toxic poison in the waiting room. I would think maybe essential oils .... but not this toxic stuff. I was wheezing at night when I lied down to go to sleep. I couldn't figure out why because that is not normal for me .... then I remembered ... had to be the air freshener. I haven't had that problem since.
I'm feeling great! I'm in a pilates training program that is 25 hours per week. I'm having to memorize tons of stuff and doing fine with it. My brain has come a long way. I'm also on average doing about two hours of pilates a day five days a week, and that's going well, too.
I am photoning monthly again for about the last four months or so. I like to use blood this time of year because so many bugs are going around. I had taken a few months off and did fine.
So, there's your update. Right now I'm taking very little:
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Iron
Armour Thyroid (one grain)
5HTP at night
Turmeric (with all this pilates, LOL)
Anyway, this time I went to a female gyno for the first time. It wasn't weird, LOL. She specializes in women my age (not having babies). She did a lot of blood tests and I was impressed. She actually tested for vitamin D! I asked her for a ferritin test since mine was only 24 last spring, and she did one for me. Five vials of blood.
Seems I'm NORMAL!!! Not a big accomplishment for most people, but you know what I've been through.
My ferritin is up to 66. She mentioned it was still on the low side, but that low was pretty normal for someone with periods like mine. No wonder I have more energy!!! That's a BIG jump!!! I am still taking double Blood Builder. I muscle test every day, and around my period I can test for two or three twice per day, but normal days, two only once per day.
My vitamin D is up to 64 from 35 last spring. She mentioned that I must supplement because no one is ever in range. I told her I did. She asked how much .... it's 4000-8000 IU daily.
Since I'm taking so much vitamin D and so much iron, both of which "they" say you can take too much of, I was glad to get the confirmation that my body is doing well on it. And I like this new doc. The only thing I don't like is the AIR FRESHENER!!! I could hardly breath in the waiting room. I found it odd a doctor who knows this much about health would have such toxic poison in the waiting room. I would think maybe essential oils .... but not this toxic stuff. I was wheezing at night when I lied down to go to sleep. I couldn't figure out why because that is not normal for me .... then I remembered ... had to be the air freshener. I haven't had that problem since.
I'm feeling great! I'm in a pilates training program that is 25 hours per week. I'm having to memorize tons of stuff and doing fine with it. My brain has come a long way. I'm also on average doing about two hours of pilates a day five days a week, and that's going well, too.
I am photoning monthly again for about the last four months or so. I like to use blood this time of year because so many bugs are going around. I had taken a few months off and did fine.
So, there's your update. Right now I'm taking very little:
Vitamin D
Vitamin C
Iron
Armour Thyroid (one grain)
5HTP at night
Turmeric (with all this pilates, LOL)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
TWO YEARS!!!
August marked two years of being free of Lyme and coinfections!!!!
As I look back, I see how many health issues I had and how many I overcame. When I was bedridden a few years back, on an all liquid diet and in a lot of pain, I never dreamt I would be living normally in the future. I never dreamt I'd be off all medications except thyroid. I never dreamt I'd feel this good. I thought I would be on a maintenance program for the rest of my life.
Even though the Lyme and coinfections were gone two years ago, my body had a lot of other healing to do. I still had the mold toxicity because I wasn't strong enough to take the medications my doctor had prescribed. I still had muscular imbalances. My skeleton was twisted. I was toxic from the infections, mold, and treatment. My digestion was still bad.
For two years I have had chiropractic work and massages along with working out on the pilates reformer. This has rebalanced my musculature. Pilates was such a huge help for me, I got certified to teach it and now share my passion for it with others. I've been teaching for over a year and a half and am getting ready to start another rigorous certification program that will take 9 months.
I believe Pilates also helped me to reach toxins and infection that were stored deeply in muscle.
I've done many detoxification programs, and recently one for mold.
I have done things to heal my gut.
I realize that my blog sounds crazy at times with the muscle testing and working by intuition, but if you knew me when I was sick, knew me two years ago when I was infection-free, and knew me today, you'd know that though it might sound crazy, what I did worked.
Two health issues that still bother me are 1) that I still rely on thyroid supplementation, and 2) that I am deathly allergic to shellfish.
So recently I started eating grain-free. I am interested in the various so-called caveman diets, but going into teacher training again, I can't start such a strict diet at this point. I'll see how things go and maybe fully go into one of them after the first of the year. These diets are supposed to heal the gut, which helps allergies. I've also read how it can help with hormones and even iron, which I still have to supplement. I'm willing to give it a try. Maybe by this time next year my gut will be even healthier and my allergies will be lessened. The shellfish allergy will likely always be here, but maybe I can eat in a restaurant without worrying that one of the cooks *touched* a shrimp that day. I believe I should be able to get rid of food intolerances, like to peaches.
The grain-free diet has been interesting. I'm glad I didn't start out with the strict introductory phase. It's lower carb than I'm used to, so it's a challenge. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. At some point I'll have to get back into the fermented foods, but right now I'm taking it one step at a time.
I think I'll always sound a little bit crazy, but at this point, I'm working to keep getting healthier ..... I've already reached good health. And I'll always be doing some kind of detox program .... right now, I'm on my yearly Dr. Natura but added Toxinout this time. So far, so good.
As I look back, I see how many health issues I had and how many I overcame. When I was bedridden a few years back, on an all liquid diet and in a lot of pain, I never dreamt I would be living normally in the future. I never dreamt I'd be off all medications except thyroid. I never dreamt I'd feel this good. I thought I would be on a maintenance program for the rest of my life.
Even though the Lyme and coinfections were gone two years ago, my body had a lot of other healing to do. I still had the mold toxicity because I wasn't strong enough to take the medications my doctor had prescribed. I still had muscular imbalances. My skeleton was twisted. I was toxic from the infections, mold, and treatment. My digestion was still bad.
For two years I have had chiropractic work and massages along with working out on the pilates reformer. This has rebalanced my musculature. Pilates was such a huge help for me, I got certified to teach it and now share my passion for it with others. I've been teaching for over a year and a half and am getting ready to start another rigorous certification program that will take 9 months.
I believe Pilates also helped me to reach toxins and infection that were stored deeply in muscle.
I've done many detoxification programs, and recently one for mold.
I have done things to heal my gut.
I realize that my blog sounds crazy at times with the muscle testing and working by intuition, but if you knew me when I was sick, knew me two years ago when I was infection-free, and knew me today, you'd know that though it might sound crazy, what I did worked.
Two health issues that still bother me are 1) that I still rely on thyroid supplementation, and 2) that I am deathly allergic to shellfish.
So recently I started eating grain-free. I am interested in the various so-called caveman diets, but going into teacher training again, I can't start such a strict diet at this point. I'll see how things go and maybe fully go into one of them after the first of the year. These diets are supposed to heal the gut, which helps allergies. I've also read how it can help with hormones and even iron, which I still have to supplement. I'm willing to give it a try. Maybe by this time next year my gut will be even healthier and my allergies will be lessened. The shellfish allergy will likely always be here, but maybe I can eat in a restaurant without worrying that one of the cooks *touched* a shrimp that day. I believe I should be able to get rid of food intolerances, like to peaches.
The grain-free diet has been interesting. I'm glad I didn't start out with the strict introductory phase. It's lower carb than I'm used to, so it's a challenge. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. At some point I'll have to get back into the fermented foods, but right now I'm taking it one step at a time.
I think I'll always sound a little bit crazy, but at this point, I'm working to keep getting healthier ..... I've already reached good health. And I'll always be doing some kind of detox program .... right now, I'm on my yearly Dr. Natura but added Toxinout this time. So far, so good.
Friday, March 12, 2010
ADHD and Vitamin D Deficiency: Any Evidence?
Is there any link between vitamin D levels and ADHD? A review of the current evidence:
We have spent a lot of time looking at correlations between vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids (and their deficiencies) and ADHD. However, it is important to note that just because low levels of a particular nutrient are seen alongside the disorder, it does not necessarily mean that this deficiency is the cause of ADHD (i.e. correlation does not imply causation). In other words, the nutrient deficiency and ADHD symptoms might both be secondary effects of a larger primary cause, such as an enzyme deficiency or metabolic dysfunction.
In the case of vitamin D, the association with ADHD is a lot more muddled than with some of the other nutrients which have a relatively strong connection with the disorder (iron, zinc, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids to name a few). The amount of information in the literature is relatively scarce, as well. A search in the journal database Pubmed (where this blogger gets most of his articles and information) for "ADHD" and "vitamin D" turns up only a small handful of search results, the majority of which focus on other disorders and only mention ADHD peripherally.
However, given the fact that vitamin D is such a "hot" vitamin and has been a popular supplement as of late, we should investigate some of its potential benefits with regard to ADHD and related disorders. Please keep in mind that many of these points below are more theoretical or speculative, because most of the hard, concrete evidence in well-documented clinical controlled studies simply does not exist at the moment. Nevertheless, here are some possible ways in which vitamin D may help in cases of ADHD or related disorders:
We have spent a lot of time looking at correlations between vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and amino acids (and their deficiencies) and ADHD. However, it is important to note that just because low levels of a particular nutrient are seen alongside the disorder, it does not necessarily mean that this deficiency is the cause of ADHD (i.e. correlation does not imply causation). In other words, the nutrient deficiency and ADHD symptoms might both be secondary effects of a larger primary cause, such as an enzyme deficiency or metabolic dysfunction.
In the case of vitamin D, the association with ADHD is a lot more muddled than with some of the other nutrients which have a relatively strong connection with the disorder (iron, zinc, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids to name a few). The amount of information in the literature is relatively scarce, as well. A search in the journal database Pubmed (where this blogger gets most of his articles and information) for "ADHD" and "vitamin D" turns up only a small handful of search results, the majority of which focus on other disorders and only mention ADHD peripherally.
However, given the fact that vitamin D is such a "hot" vitamin and has been a popular supplement as of late, we should investigate some of its potential benefits with regard to ADHD and related disorders. Please keep in mind that many of these points below are more theoretical or speculative, because most of the hard, concrete evidence in well-documented clinical controlled studies simply does not exist at the moment. Nevertheless, here are some possible ways in which vitamin D may help in cases of ADHD or related disorders:
- Vitamin D can boost levels of the antioxidant glutathione in the brain. One way that vitamin D does this is by regulating an enzyme called gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, which plays a role in both the metabolism and recycling of glutathione. We have spoken at length about how antioxidant deficits can worsen ADHD symtpoms, and how fatty acids (namely omega-3's) are frequently administered for ADHD and related disorders. Given the high makeup of these omega-3 fatty acids in the brain, and their susceptibility to oxidation and damage in the central nervous system, protecting them by boosting antioxidant levels (either directly or indirectly) is a good bet.
- One of the current theories surrounding ADHD is that it is (at least partially) an energy deficiency syndrome, or is the result of impaired metabolic abilities in key regions of the central nervous system. While highly debatable, this theory holds that impaired glucose metabolism in various parts of the brain may be a major contributing factor to the presence or severity of this disorder.
While this blogger is currently neutral on this deficiency theory, it is interesting to note that vitamin D can help regulate glucose tranport into the brain, which would (at least in theory) improve this possible cause of the disorder. It is believed that vitamin D works by targeting multiple enzymes involved in glucose transport and metabolism. Much more study needs to be done to confirm this assertion, but this may be another potential benefit of boosting vitamin D levels in the ADHD patient. - Vitamin D may play a role in catecholamine synthesis. Catecholamines include the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which are believed to be tightly regulated and highly involved in the treatment of ADHD (deficiencies of both dopamine and norepinephrine in the "gaps" between neuronal cells are often seen in cases of ADHD).
- Vitamin D boosts the effects of an enzyme called choline acetyltransferase in the mammalian brain. This enzyme is used in the manufacture of another neurotransmitting agent called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is thought to play a major role in maintaining a state of sustained attention, a critical shortcoming in those with ADHD. In other words, keeping adequate levels of vitamin D could potentially help prop up lower levels of this attention-sustaining neurochemical.
- Learning and memory deficits, both of which are heavily present in the ADHD population, have been tied to prenatal vitamin D deficiencies in the rat model. This involves a process called synaptic plasticity, which relates to memory formation in an individual. If this finding extends to humans, it could have serious implications on maintaining adequate vitamin D intake in pregnant women.
- Problems with fine motor control are sometimes seen as a secondary characteristic in a fraction of the ADHD population. These problems may be exacerbated in a vitamin D deficient state.
- Perhaps the strongest correlation, however, may be between vitamin D and depressive-like symptoms, particularly those associated with seasonal affective disorders (SAD). Please keep in mind, however, that studies on vitamin D levels and depression are highly variable; a number of studies have been done on the topic and found no such linkage between the two. We have previously investigated possible connections between ADHD and SAD in an earlier post.
This may make intuitive sense, since vitamin D production is triggered by sunlight, so in the dark winter months, the levels of this vitamin are often much lower (this may also be a major contributing factor as to why illnesses run so much more rampant during the winter months). In other words, vitamin D supplementation may be particularly useful in individuals with ADHD who also have co-occuring depressive or anxiety-ridden symptoms.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Do Tyrosine Supplements for ADHD Actually Work? (part 8)
Blogger's note: If you are interested in taking tyrosine as a supplement for ADHD or related disorders, the above diagram is a summary of the key nutrients which interact or play a role in tyrosine metabolism. In this blogger's opinion, we want to avoid deficiencies (or, in some cases, excesses) of any of these nutrients. If you are in a rush and do not want to read this whole posting, this table may be a good starting point. I have listed a number of links at the bottom to other sites as far as recommended daily intakes are concerned for the majority of these nutrients. This list is by no means extensive, but this will hopefully highlight the major impact factors in maximizing the benefits of tyrosine supplementation as an ADHD treatment strategy.
(If the above diagram is not easily visible, most browsers will allow you to left-click the image to get a blow-up version, or you should be able to right-click the image with your mouse and view the image in a new window).
We have spent the past seven postings on the pathway of tyrosine metabolism and the implications of supplementing with this amino acid nutrient (and its derivatives for ADHD). But does it actually work?
For the last seven postings, we have been examining the following metabolic pathway of tyrosine. Included are the major enzymes and key nutrients responsible for this process to occur efficiently:
Here's a brief review of the evidence for (and against) tyrosine supplementation. Much has been covered in the previous 7 blog posts, but some is new. Links to the studies (or summaries of the studies if the full article is not available) are provided in most cases.
Potential advantages of tyrosine supplementation for ADHD:
- Tyrosine is a precursor to common neurotransmitters believed to be involved in ADHD (neurotransmitters are chemicals involved in various signaling or messaging processes in the nervous system) dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine (adrenaline). Imbalances (typically shortages) in the regions or "gaps" between neuronal cells of these chemicals often occur in ADHD and related disorders, so the idea with tyrosine is that it can theoretically boost levels of these deficiencies and potentially help correct this imbalance.
- Tyrosine can readily cross the blood brain barrier. This barrier has been discussed extensively elsewhere, but, in summary, the blood brain barrier is responsible for the passage of nutrients and metabolic products in and out of the brain (and also helps keep harmful agents out of the brain). L-DOPA, a derivative of tyrosine, and the first major product of tyrosine metabolism in most cases, is also able to make it across the blood brain barrier. Most of the major products beyond this point cannot, making tyrosine (or L-DOPA) potential supplementation agents which can be taken orally.
- As a "natural" and common amino acid, tyrosine is something the body already is accustomed to metabolizing through the diet. Note that tyrosine shares several enzymes and transporters with other amino acids and nutrients.
- Numerous anecdotal reports have found tyrosine to be useful for comorbid (co-existing) disorders to ADHD, such as depression. Given the high frequency of comorbid disorders associated with ADHD, tyrosine's versatility may potentially give us some "2-for-1" deals with regards to helping treat multiple symptoms or disorders at once.
- Tyrosine is a good starting point for nutrient-based treatments in metabolic disorders involving the amino acid phenylalanine (such as phenylketonuria). Phenylalaline is converted to tyrosine in a fashion similar to how tyrosine is converted to L-DOPa, via an enzyme-based chemical modification called hydroxylation (in which an "OH" chemical group is added to the molecule).
- Numerous anecdotal reports involving tyrosine supplementation for ADHD symptoms have indicated positive results (at least initially, we will see, however, that many of these benefits are often short-lived).
- Many physicians have (and continue to) prescribe tyrosine for ADHD and related disorders, and, in many anecdotal cases, the individuals taking the tyrosine have seen marked improvement in a matter of days regarding ADHD symptoms (focus, impulse control, decrease in hyperactivity, etc.)
- Tyrosine may be used in conjunction with medications for ADHD and other related disorders. In other words, it may boost their effects (although this may be a double-edged sword, as some of these drugs are potent, so co-supplementation with tyrosine can possibly increase their side-effects and risks by several orders of magnitude in some cases). In this blogger's opinion, this may be the strongest potential use of tyrosine (as opposed to supplementation on it's own, which may often be short-lived). I personally believe that we often grossly underestimate the effects of supplements on medications, tyrosine's effects on stimulants (and other drugs targeting various types of dopamine-related pathways) are no exception.
- Tyrosine supplements are typically easily metabolized and cleared from the body, lessening potential side effects from residual metabolites (which is the case for several drugs).
- The enzymes responsible for tyrosine metabolism are often dependent on vitamin and mineral nutrients, and can be much more effective if adequate levels of these nutrients are supplied. I have provided a table of some of these key nutrients in a table at the bottom (and top) of this posting.
Disadvantages to tyrosine supplementation for ADHD:
- Beneficial responses of tyrosine for ADHD treatment are often short lived (and usually disappear within 2 to 4 weeks, as the body appears to "adapt" or tolerate the higher levels of tyrosine supplementation.
- In most cases, the imbalances of dopamine and norepinephrine are believed to be due as much to the transporters (or agents which shuttle these chemical in and out of the neuronal cells) or receptors (places on the cells where the dopamine or norepinephrine bind). Most ADHD medications (including the stimulants) typically work by blocking, modifying or reversing the modes of action of these transporters in an attempt to restore a proper "inside" vs. "outside" chemical balance. Interestingly, genetics appears to play a role as to the extent of how a certain transporter or receptor functions, and genes may even affect dosage requirements for certain ADHD medications (such as Adderall, or Strattera). In other words, blasting the body with high levels of tyrosine in hopes of using it as a precursor does not necessarily remediate these transporter issues.
- Localization is a problem. Imbalances of dopamine and norepinephrine in ADHD are often seen only in a handful of specific brain regions, so flooding the whole system with tyrosine may not be conducive to zeroing in on these target brain regions. Interestingly, however, the synthesis of monoamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine may not be tied down entirely to specific brain regions, as there may be some flexibility as to where these chemicals are generated based on the demands (and failures) of other parts of the brain and central nervous system.
- While side effects may potentially be lower, tyrosine (or L-DOPA) does have some metabolites which can be harmful at high levels. The pro-inflammatory agent homocysteine is one such example, and has been discussed at length in a previous tyrosine for ADHD blog post.
- While anecdotal reports on the benefits of tyrosine supplementation for ADHD treatment abound, the actual number of published studies showing positive results for tyrosine (especially in the last 10-20 years) is surprisingly low.
- As mentioned earlier, tyrosine can "compete" with other amino acids such as tryptophan, valine, leucine and isoleucine for entry into the brain, because they share a similar system of transporters. In fact, there are a number of parallels between the tyrosine to dopamine/norepinephrine pathway and the tryptophan to serotonin pathway, in that they share similar enzymatic processes. In other words, it is possible to create imbalances or reduce the effectiveness of one amino acid (and its desired products of metabolism) if the presence of a competing amino acid is too high. This interference is often seen especially in the tyrosine/tryptophan and can potentially promote imbalances in the serotonin to dopamine ratios.
- Genetic disorders (which are relatively uncommon) or nutrient deficiencies can hamper the efficiency of several enzymes required for tyrosine metabolism. Even being short in one nutrient can cause problems. Given the nutritional status of many with ADHD, this may be a grave problem. As a result, there are numerous opportunities for the tyrosine supplement to be compromised.
As a blogger on the subject, I always try to remain neutral (many times, however, this can be extremely difficult). When researching the stories and studies on tyrosine supplementation for ADHD, the one thing that continuously caught my attention was the degree of discord between the studies on tyrosine supplementation for ADHD (most of which showed no significant improvement) and the number of clinicians who prescribed it (and individuals who reported benefits from tyrosine). Again, this disagreement may be due to a number of things (differences between study conditions and the treated individuals, co-treatment with ADHD medications, the placebo effect, immediate vs. long-term effects, etc.), so we need to be very careful when making a comparison.
Having said all of this, and weighing everything I've read and researched, I admit (as a blogger) to being skeptical about the overall effectiveness of the whole tyrosine supplementation thing for ADHD. There just don't seem to be enough positive studies grounded in long-term improvements which tyrosine. Nevertheless, the number of positive reports on tyrosine from individuals are too great to ignore in most cases, so an outright condemnation of tyrosine for ADHD is by no means warranted.
It is important to note that none of the studies I've seen (both those supporting or refuting the idea of tyrosine for ADHD) have paid much attention into controlling for the co-factors of the enzymes responsible for metabolizing tyrosine. Just as a reminder, co-factors are essentially vitamins, minerals and other nutrients which are used to help enzymes function properly (or at least more efficiently).
So if we do decide to begin a tyrosine supplementation program, we should make sure we have adequate levels of the following nutrients (I have listed the major nutrients, and where it helps in the tyrosine metabolic processes. It is important to note that this list is not 100% complete, there are several other nutrients which play a role indirectly in the process, but I am just highlighting the major ones I've come across in the studies I've seen on the metabolic pathways of tyrosine to dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine):
Here are some links to recommended daily levels of the following nutrients and "cofactors" which can potentially affect the outcome of tyrosine supplementation for ADHD:
- Iron
- Zinc
- Magnesium
- Copper
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Folic Acid
- Vitamin C
- (no official doses have been set for S-Adenosyl Methionine or SAMe, as this can be produced in the body, a ballpark supplemental dose for SAMe is around 100-200 mg twice a day, but of course varies per individual)
A quick summary of this blogger's overall thoughts and advice on tyrosine supplementation for ADHD:
- There are (surprisingly) few well-controlled clinical studies which show tyrosine to be an effective long-term strategy for treating ADHD. In spite of this, tyrosine supplements are often prescribed by a number of physicians (seemingly in a disproportionate manner when compared to other agents with more promising clinical studies). This disparity is at least noteworthy.
- For those (few) studies who do tout the benefits of tyrosine supplements for ADHD, the symptom improvements are often short-lived (often only a few short weeks).
- However, this blogger personally believes that many of the studies may have shown minimal effects due (at least in part) to the fact that many of the other nutritional "puzzle pieces" (such as those given in the tables above) were either neglected or not necessarily in place. These vitamin and mineral-based cofactors can play a huge role in the metabolic conversion of tyrosine to its desired products, and has been discussed at length in the seven previous blog posts on tyrosine and ADHD. Had these studies incorporated some of these co-treatment strategies, some of the results might possibly have been different.
- Please note that while "natural", tyrosine supplementation is not always benign. Health risks, such as amino acid imbalances (due to the competitive nature of several amino acids with tyrosine to get into the brain), cardiovascular issues and even some types of cancers (which are often more associated with a derivative of tyrosine, L-DOPA, however) are very real. Additionally, biochemical side effects of tyrosine metabolism also exist, and can be magnified greatly if rampant tyrosine supplementation is undertaken. The pro-inflammatory agent homocysteine is one such example. However, nutrient-based treatments via B vitamins can often offset a potential homocysteine buildup.
- The dosages for tyrosine supplementation can vary widely ranging from as low as 100 milligrams all the way up to 5000 milligrams (or more, toxicity often begins to set in around 10,000 mg, but this of course widely varies by individual). 2-3 supplements of 500-1000 mg/day is typical in a number of cases (lower doses are almost always a must for children), but dosing should always be under the guidance of a physician.
- Most of the tyrosine supplemental strategies hinge or ride on the theory that ADHD is a dopamine or norepinephrine deficiency issue. However, much of the evidence on the disorder seems to indicate that the transport of these chemical neurotransmitters across neuronal cell membranes and an imbalance of the "inside-the-cell" vs. "outside-the-cell-in-the-gaps-between-neuronal-cell" concentrations of these agents is the real culprit. In other words, flooding the body with tyrosine in hopes that it will generate more dopamine and norepinephrine will not necessarily address this basis of imbalance.
- This blogger personally believes that tyrosine supplementation may be of much greater benefit if used in conjunction with a medication (often a stimulant or other dopamine "releasing" agent). Please note that these supplement-drug interactions may be extremely potent, so please only do this under the supervision of a physician.
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