The numbers game

drumroll please...

after 5 weeks of waiting, I received my pfieffer center results:

Kryptopyrole: 10.6
Cu: 75
Zn: 136
Cu/Zn: .55
Cp: 15.6
% FC: 38%
Histamine: 24

The rest is hair analysis which I find to be too inaccurate for my personal consideration. It might mean something to the PTC, but to me its like reading tea leaves.

So, what does this mean? Well, the histamine is still low. It has barely budged, though that is, apparently, common even in recovery.
Krypto is still elevated. I take 225 mg p5p and it helps a good deal. I would have liked more Cp, and frankly this concerns me a bit. The free copper is quite high.

There are some notes on the bottom that indicate that the PTC is concerned there is a malabsorbation. Well no shit. I hope this is not news to them. They will increase digestive enzymes, biotin, and something called MTP II, which I must still research.

My daily prescription remains much the same, though they are recommending that I decrease folic acid and raise Biotin. They also want me to take a stool test. I have done this before. 10 years ago, i would have been humiliated, but I have learned that dignity can run very deep, and I submit to the test. The idea is wellness, not pride.

they are also prescribing something called Houston no-fenol. I am leery of anything that is not a nutrient, but completely laboratory based. I will have to research this as well.

There are some inconsistencies in the prescription. For instance, though they ask me to decrease folic acid dosing slowly, they list a 3 fold increase in folic acid. Something is messed up there. I will call Monday.

So it is not over yet, and I will keep you all posted. For those of you awaiting results of your own, the first results are a revelation.

Don't Drink the Water

Actually, the point of the post is exactly opposite that indicated by the title.

When I was sick, I avoided drinking tap water.

Why?

Well a couple of reasons. As I learned about Zinc and Copper toxicity, I started to examine my past. I wondered if and where I could have been exposed to exogenous sources of copper sufficient to create a copper overload. (I was, at this time, speculating that I was copper overloaded, a point that was, in a way, confirmed by the Pfeiffer center in that I have too much free copper, owing to a low level of cerobuplamin, although I do not have too much of it cirulating in total). I learned the simming pools, used copper as an antibacterial agetnt, and god knows I spent enough time in them, but also taht contaminated drinking water could contain too much copper. Well, I had lived in Milan, the onyl city to recently unseat mexico city for the most contaminated city in the world. And I drank the water. A lot of it. I wondered if that could have contributed to my eroding health.

I started drinking filtered water. Not Brita passive fileters, btu forced charcoal, and when I could get it, reverse osmosis and UV treated water. Really, it worked better in my system. To replace the minerals lost by sterilizing water, I added river clay once a week or so. I noticed that tap water comprismised my digestion considerably, and therefore, for the past few years, I have been forever lugging around water bottles.

Well, that has changed. In Chicago, a month ago, I abondoned bottled water and drank tap water. my digestion was fine. I have begun to drink it on trips, though at home, becuase I have a lead water pipe, I still use filtered water. I did show low level lead poisoning (see lack of histamine etc), and so I think this is a cautious measure without being disturbed by it. But there you are, and there I am, and we are drinking the water now.

Its not over...

Who says you want take steps backwards. I should have seen this one coming. In fact, I did see this one coming. I pulled an all nighter monday night. And that has always been sustainable, but made the symtoms come back stronger when I do get some sleep. Which happened last night.

So today I am having a bit of a relapse, if you will. I am quite pleased by how mild it all is, to tell the truth, but of course, there is the disspoitnment that I can take steps back.

My face is numb again. Not the whole thing. Just the left hand side. The muscle tension is much increased- a tightness in teh shoulders and the back. I have that underlying exhuastion. More than tired. Just feels like there is shot in every cell in my body. And my mind too. It makes my mind feel tired and weighty.

This is the first day in a month or two where I can pick out the symptoms again. Where they can be distinguished from the normal ups and downs of the day. Not really anything to worry about, but today is a reminder of what is under all this.

M.

whats a histapeniac to do?

Histampenics are, by definition, deficient in histamine. Histamine serves to create a local swelling around a toxin in the body, allowing blood to wash it away where it can be processed by the liver and eliminated. If you are not histapenic, this is happening all the time in microscopic levels, or, if you have an allergy, on a massive level that one can visually perceive. If you do not have that himatime, then you are acculmulatin toxins- copper, lead, mercury and other heavy metals. These build up over years, regardly of exposure becuase they are, in tiny amounts, part of the world we live in. There is some speculation that an excess of copper can lead the the destruction of still more histamine, leading to a cascade which includes zinc defficiency, liver damage, and psychotic symptoms. But I digress.

These toxins, when relaeased by the action of, say, niacin, of which I take a lot, also creat free radicals.

Free radicals are destructive. free radicals are atomic or molecular species with unpaired electrons on an otherwise open shell configuration. These unpaired electrons are usually highly reactive, so radicals are likely to take part in chemical reactions. The free-radical theory of aging is that organisms age because cells accumulate free radical damage with the passage of time. For most biological structures free radical damage is closely associated with oxidation damage. Oxidation and reduction are redox chemical reactions. Most people can equate to oxidation damage as they are familiar with the process of rust formation of iron exposed to oxygen. Oxidation does not necessarily involve oxygen, after which it was named, but is most easily described as the loss of electrons from the atoms and molecules forming such biological structures. The inverse reaction, reduction, occurs when a molecule gains electrons. As the name suggests, antioxidants like vitamin C prevent oxidation and are often electron donators.

Houston, we have a problem.

Vitamin C is an anti-histamine. THe PTC has prescribed me a gram of vitamin C a day. Obviously this is not a lot, but at the beggining of my recovery, I had to be certain not to take it at night time becuase it made me racey. So, with what can I replace the anti-oxidant properties of vitamin C?

Vitamin E : d-alpha tocopherol. A fat soluble vitamin present in nuts, seeds, vegetable and fish oils, whole grains (esp. wheat germ), fortified cereals, and apricots.

Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A (retinol) and is present in liver, egg yolk, milk, butter, spinach, carrots, squash, broccoli, yams, tomato, cantaloupe, peaches, and grains. Because beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A by the body there is no set requirement.

Vitamin E we all know about, but considering the positive properties of anti-oxidants, we should be concerned with getting more in our diets, or our healing approach.

Vitamin A also helps us utilize and absorb other nutrients better.

""Eat carrots for vitamin A." Such statements, found in many popular diet and nutrition books, create the impression that the body's requirements for this essential nutrient can be exclusively met with plant foods like carrots, squash, green leafy vegetables and orange colored fruits. The low fat school of nutrition benefits greatly from the fact that the public has only vague notions about vitamin A; for the family of water-soluble nutrients called carotenes are not true vitamin A, but are more accurately termed provitamin A. True vitamin A, or retinol, is found only in animal products like cod liver oil, liver and other organ meats, fish, shell fish and butterfat from cows eating green grass. " source http://www.realmilk.com/vita.html.

Thats not all...

Vitamin A and Testosterone
Abundant animal research indicates the importance of vitamin A to the production of testosterone. Vitamin A crosses the blood-testis barrier in its alcohol form as retinol, where it is stored in the Sertoli cells and converted as needed to its more biologically active form, retinoic acid. Experiments with rats show that greater concentrations of vitamin A in the testes increase basal testosterone secretion, as well as transferrin, which is responsible for the transport of iron; and a variety of growth factors including IGF-binding protein 4 (which transports IGF), androgen-binding protein (which transports androgens), transforming growth factor-beta (which causes cell growth but suppresses cancer) and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (which is responsible for the transport of cholesterol into the mitochondria for its conversion to steroids). Vitamin A also decreases estrogen production in the male testes. Rats that are deficient in vitamin A experience decreased testosterone until the accessory sex organs atrophy, indicating that vitamin A not only aids in, but is essential to, testosterone production. source http://www.westonaprice.org/men/vitaminabodybuilding.html.

and there are others...

Vitamin cofactors and minerals
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant which is both water and lipid soluble. It is not classified as a vitamin in humans as it can be manufactured by the body, but quantities decrease with age to levels that may be less than optimal, and levels in the diet are generally low. Supplementation with CoQ10 has been clinically proven to improve the health of gums. There is evidence that CoQ10 helps protect the brain against Parkinson's disease.
Selenium has been shown as early as the 1950's to have a beneficial effect in reducing the occurrence of male prostate cancer, and a recent study done by the National Health System of China have verified previous results. However, the substance must be taken in measured amounts because large doses of the element can be toxic. Good food sources include fish, shellfish, red meat, grains, eggs, sunflower seeds, chicken, turkey, garlic, and Brazil nuts. Vegetables can also be a good source if they are grown in selenium-rich soils, and some nutritional supplements contain a supply of selenium.
Zinc. See Zinc's Antioxidant Potential Probed.
Manganese, particularly when in its +2 valence state as part of the enzyme called superoxide dismutase (SOD).
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Hormones
Melatonin is a natural hormone, occurring in every organism, which has many biological roles. Melatonin acts as an antioxidant and promoter of antioxidants in several different ways [17]. Recent research supports a specific role as an antioxidant in mitochondria, which have an high level of reactive oxygen species produced during aerobic metabolism, but lack some of the protective mechanisms of cell nuclei.


Beverages and foods highest in antioxidants

Foods highest in antioxidants
#1 Undutched cocoa powder
#2 Dark, semisweet chocolate; particularly that which is 85% cocoa solids
#3 White tea
#4 Green rooibos
#5 Green tea
#6 Red rooibos
#7 Oolong tea
#8 Black tea
Certain fruits and berries, especially:
#9 Blueberry (especially wild blueberry; AKA bilberry) contain more antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable, when compared on the basis of equal calories. They are high in anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, catechins, and resveratrol.
Blackberry and raspberry
Cranberry
Cherry, esp. sour cherry
Dried plum ("prune")
Grape, esp. dark grape - high in the polyphenol resveratrol, and high in tannins. This includes raisins, purple grape juice, and red wine.
Crowberry
Kiwi
Pomegranate - high in tannins
Papaya - source of vitamin E & beta-carotene, three very powerful antioxidants.
Citrus fruit such as orange and grapefruit - the highest concentration of antioxidants are in the pulp, where its pectin is found
Leafy, dark green cruciferous vegetables:
Broccoli and all cruciferous vegetables are high in lutein, sulforaphane (a type of glucosinate), indoles, carotenoids, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin.
Brussels sprouts – high in glucosinates
Cabbage (both red and green)
Kale
Certain other vegetables, especially:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocado
Beans
Beets
Carrots
Red peppers
Russet potatoes
Spinach – high in carotenoids, especially zeaxanthin (related to lutein); but also high in the antioxidant antinutrient oxalic acid
Tomatoes, especially ripe red tomatoes – high in the extremely potent antioxidant known as lycopene. Eating tomatoes with olive oil helps in assimilation of the lycopene. Tomatoes are also high in beta carotene and lutein. Even ketchup has some lycopene (but is also high in corn syrup, so don't go crazy).
Olives in the form of extra virgin olive oil. Besides being high in polyphenols, extra virgin olive oil is also high in oleic acid, an omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid. Some studies suggest that olive oil can reduce blood pressure, reduce LDL, and ward off cancer.
Generally, the deeper and richer the color of fruits and vegetables, the higher the quantity of antioxidants. Many fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Note, however, that the most commonly eaten fruits and vegetables (apples, bananas, iceberg lettuce, and potatoes) are not on the list. Fruit juice can contain some antioxidants, but not nearly as much as the fruit from which they are made (antioxidants are concentrated in the skins and pulps), and fruit juice tends to consist primarily of corn syrup and water. To consume the greatest quantity of antioxidants, try to eat a variety of foods, and buy fruits and vegetables locally when they are in season.
Note that the color rule of thumb does not apply to varieties of tea. The darker the variety of tea, the lower is its antioxidant concentration.
Nuts, especially:
Walnut - high concentration of ellagic acid; high concentrations of tocopherols (especially gamma-tocopherol) in the kernel; high concentrations of phenolic antioxidants (found in the pellicle) such as ellagic acid, gallic acid, methyl gallate, and ellagitannins; so much antioxidizing power preserves its highly reactive short-chain fatty acids (especially alpha-linolenic omega-3) from rancidity
Pecan
Hazelnut
Besides being high in polyphenols, nuts are also high in beneficial, unsaturated fatty acids. There is a correlation between nut consumption and a reduced incidence of ischemic heart disease. This is most likely due partly to the favorable lipid content and partly to the high polyphenol content. Walnuts have the highest phenolic content, which is why they taste bitterer than pecans and hazelnuts. To help preserve the antioxidants in nuts, keep them in a freezer. They have almost no water, so the freezer won’t harm them.
Certain herbs and spices. Even though people typically use spices in small amounts, some spices have extremely high antioxidant content per unit mass, especially:
Allspice
Cinnamon
Cloves
Ginger
Lemon balm
Oregano
Peppermint
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Tea, jiaogulan tea and white tea - high in polyphenols and tannins.
Seeds and grains, especially:
Sunflower seeds
Oats – high in lignans (one type of phytoestrogen, the other type being isoflavones), caffeic acid (may be carcinogenic, but its phenethyl ester may be anticarcinogenic), and ferulic acid. Also contains omega-3 fatty acids.
Other plants:
Cacao and chocolate – high in flavonoid polyphenols. The darker and more bitter the chocolate, the higher the concentration of polyphenols.
Dog rose
List of the 20 foods with the highest concentration of antioxidants (“total antioxidant capacity”), according to the USDA:
01. Small red beans
02. Wild blueberries
03. Red Kidney beans
04. Pinto beans
05. Cultivated Blueberries
06. Cranberries
07. Artichokes
08. Blackberries
09. Prunes
10. Raspberries
11. Strawberries
12. Red Delicious & Granny Smith apples
13. Pecans
14. Sweet cherries
15. Black plums
16. Russet potatoes
17. Black beans
18. Plums
19. Gala apples
20. Walnuts
Foods that score well in Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity:
Beets
Brussels sprouts
Kale
Spinach
Many of the same berries that have high Total Antioxidant Capacity.

in short, there are many places to get the same properties of vitamin C. It is not neccessary to mega dose with it if you are varying your food sources and making attempts to add anti-oxidants.

Just because you're paranoid...

And now, because laughter is usually better than crying....something for the paranoid schizophrenic.

http://www.ericisgreat.com/tinfoilhats/index.html

Orthomolecularism

Here is a definition of orthomolecularism, the approach I have been using to address the Schizophrenia. Just some abckground for those of you who follow my meanderings.

Orthomolecular medicine or optimum nutrition emphasizes the use of natural substances found in a healthy diet such as vitamins, dietary minerals, enzymes, antioxidants, amino acids, essential fatty acids, dietary fiber and intestinal short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Orthomolecular medicine focuses on the role of proper nutrition in relation to health. Optimum nutrition asserts that many typical diets are insufficient for long term health. Nutrition comes first in orthomolecular medical diagnoses and treatment, drug treatment is used only for specific indications.
Orthomolecular medicine is defined as the provision of the optimum molecular constitution, especially the optimum concentration of substances that are normally present in the body, for the purposes of treating disease and preserving health. Orthomolecular medicine is a minority view held by some qualified medical practitioners and is supported by scientific research. It forms part of a science based debate on the role of nutrition in health and has not yet gained acceptance as a therapy in established medicine.
Linus Pauling proposed the term "orthomolecular medicine" in 1968 in the journal Science. Linus Pauling defined orthomolecular medicine as "the treatment of disease by the provision of the optimum molecular environment, especially the optimum concentrations of substances normally present in the human body."
Orthomolecular treatments are utilized in both complementary and alternative medicine fields and, to a lesser degree, in conventional medicine. The field of orthomolecular psychiatry deals with the use of orthomolecular medicine to treat psychiatric problems.

In orthomolecular medicine, diseases are assumed to originate from multiple nonspecific causes, congenital and acquired. These causes give rise to biochemical aberrations, the accumulation of which results in symptoms and signs, from which the perception of a disease state follows. Clinically-apparent diseases may be described as fuzzy sets of biochemical anomalies. Clearly, it is advantageous for physicians to recognize and to correct patients’ small sets of biochemical anomalies at an early stage, before expansion of the anomalies results in recognizable diseases.
In practice, the orthomolecular doctor relies heavily on laboratory testing. In addition to standard clinical chemistries, orthomolecular doctors now employ a wide range of sophisticated laboratory analysis, including those for amino acids, organic acids, vitamins and minerals, functional vitamin status, hormones, immunology, microbiology, and gastrointestinal function. Many of the newer tests have not been accepted by conventional medicine.
Orthomolecular therapy consists in attempting to provide optimal amounts of substances normal to the body, most commonly by oral administration. In the early days of orthomolecular medicine, this usually meant high-dose, single-agent nutrient therapy. However, some ailments require the withholding of normal substances. Thus, "optimal" is a matter for clinical judgment. Most often, the orthomolecular practitioner employs multiple vital substances--amino acids, enzymes, non-essential nutrients, hormones, vitamins, minerals, etc.--in a therapeutic effort to restore those (or derivative substances) to levels statistically normal for healthy young persons.
Often supplementation with relatively large doses of vitamins is given and the name megavitamin therapy has become popularly associated with the field. Megavitamin therapy is the administration of large amounts of vitamins, often many times greater than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). Short chained fatty acids are produced by fermentation of dietary fiber in the colon, then absorbed and utilized, often aided with a combination of probiotics, prebiotics and "glyconutrients" added to the diet.
The substances may be administered by changing the diet to emphasize certain elements high in nutrients, dietary supplementation with tablets, or intravenous injection of nutrient solutions.

Screw them

I rode my bike to work today. I thought of the patent I am reviewing, and I dreamed about the future. I thought about what I would like to accomplish in the near future: find a new career path, learn spanish, finance and build a house in Costa Rica, and then a voice bubbled up from the past. A voice that made me say "screw you".

When I was sick, wandering office to office, lab to lab, waiting room to waiting room, over a dozen doctors looked at me, and heard my complaints and told me that I needed to talk to a psycologist. So I did. two in New york, one in North Carolina, four in Virginia. Nearly all implied that I wanted to be sick. some said that boldly. They asked me to concentrate on figuring out what I was receiving from the illness. They asked if it was attention, forgiveness, the ability to not be perfect, an excuse for a lack of motivation. I flirted with all of them, investigating each in turn. I asked myself by I wanted to be sick. I felt ashamed that I wanted to be sick so badly that my body had ceased to function. In the end, I told each doctor that I had soberly considered his/her suggestion, and that I felt like I was just sick, broken, shattered. They usually got frustrated, and told me that I was not open to recovery. They told me that clinging to a fantasy that there was something chemcally wrong was going to prevent me from getting well. They wanted to talk about my parents, my sister, my scholing, whether I had hit myself or something. They wanted to explore anger that was just not there.

Well, you all, I am well. Right there. And with it comes dreams and peace, and inspiration. So screw those doctors who would only listen if you said something they were ready to hear. I really think they meant well, but if just one had asked me more about my instincts, maybe I would be here earlier.

I am so close to well. I hardly know what to write anymore. the improvements are so great, but so slight at the same time, I am often alone in my celebrations. Last night I had an evening with strangers. and there was no distortion at all. Last week, I started drinking tap water again, and I did not swell or get naseaus as before. I ate dessert this weekend, and I was fine the next day. I drank raki by a pond, under the stars in New Hampshire and all this illness was so far away.

So if you are wondering if you will get well, and you have a list of doctors who have told you no, believe that voice inside you, and screw them.