Hi Maff,

Hope you are well, or at least still surviving!

Thought I’d post a long overdue update and query relating to a particularly frustrating symptom

Since I last posted/updated my blog I’ve had a bit of a tough time. I slipped off the wagon big time on my birthday of all days (25th of April) ! The depression leading me onto a binge of sorts. This was mainly due to having too much high GI veg in my diet such as rutabaga’s and beetroot, as well as cooked millet, and was unknowingly making my hypoglycaemia worse steadily over time. The frequency of my meals still meant I didn’t often feel the hypoglycaemia but it reared its ugly head again and made me very depressed. I also noticed I had become somewhat desensitized and more insulin resistant, such that a meal didn’t actually raise my levels high enough. I ended up consuming a bit of chocolate and pizza at 10pm at night. Absolute disaster!

Apart from horrendous constipation I didn’t feel too much symptom wise until around a week later, and then boy did it hit hard. Constant adrenaline crashes, chronically low blood sugar, literally went to hell and back. I clearly was becoming more insulin resistant and developing/worsening hyperinsulinemia. I essentially feel like I was giving myself diabetes.

Fortunately I did get through this phase and have since stabilized somewhat. Sticking mainly to greens, low GI carbs/protein and fats has regulated my sugars much better, and has meant that as well as preventing dips, they do appear to be raising in a semi-normal pattern after a meal.

2 months on and I’m back to a baseline, albeit a baseline of poor health. My most recent path has been to get treated by Dr Lam’s nutritionist, which unfortunately I haven’t seen any benefit from this past months. As well as the supplements being super expensive and from America, they are also quite potent, creating a stimulatory reaction in my body at seemingly normal doses. A slow and steady loading plan of incrementing by tiny amounts was advised, however it is incredibly frustrating to constantly have to ‘reset’ the supplements and I’m yet to feel comfortable at any dose. This is all probably due to an extremely toxic body and low clearance state which has made me hyper sensitive to supplements in general.

The most recent symptom which is giving me aggravation is a tenderness, slightly swollen underside to my chin, which is making swallowing more difficult. I’m fine with food and fluids and don’t feel this is anything serious bar an annoyance as I have had a minor ache in the area for the duration of my illness. In fact it was one of my first symptoms. Only now unfortunately do I feel like it is having an effect on my swallowing.



Naturally this is a very anxious symptom that is having a negative effect on my state of mind. If I don’t swallow pills with a lot of food water, it can often feel like it’s scratched my throat on the way down, despite having been swallowed successfully. I’m naturally concerned as I need to be able to take supplements to aid my recovery.

It’s not much help trying to rationalise the cause as my whole body is compromised with a congested liver, probable leaky gut and Candida and weak adrenals, all synergistically contributing to all my symptoms. Anyone of these I’m sure could be contributing to this rather frustrating symptom, as well as perhaps being immune/nervous/lymph in origin. I guess it could even be the thyroid or general fibromyalgia.

Do you have any thoughts?

As far as my direction it remains convoluted in my mind. I shall continue to work with Dr Lam’s office in a bid to find a stabilisation dosage for my adrenal fatigue, with significant digestive and liver support. I’ve been chronically constipated for a while now and feel somehow getting the bowels moving will propel me forward, easing the strain on the liver and allowing for the elimination of toxins. I recently tried Psyllium husk powder and despite a significant increase in my water intake, it felt like cement moving through my system! I suspect I’m one of those that won’t benefit from an increase in fiber to move the bowels. I certainly need to tread carefully as I’m very low on energy and background symptoms of hypogylcemia, anxiety etc can be triggered during detoxification, but a temporary worsening of these would be much more tolerable if I could begin to eliminate on a more regular basis.

For the mental aspect I am trying the Gupta program. This seemed like a nice fit as it aims to address a fundamental problem of thinking too much about symptoms and breaking negative thoughts. Unfortunately I am a little overloaded with a lack of hope and fear the damage is too deep and complicated to notice any benefit from it, although it’s early days and I am guilty of not putting the work in yet. There is also accompanying meditation which may be helpful.

Any helpful hints in all that would be welcomed. Financially I’m not in great shape either otherwise I would consider some more extensive testing on the liver and bowels, perhaps a retest on the adrenals and anything else that might help. As far as practitioners The Optimum Health Clinic looks equipped to help with my case although the price is extortionate, at £215 for an initial consultation and £125 for a follow up, plus any functional tests and supplements. However their expertise might be valuable in piecing together a full body recovery.

A shame this is somewhat negative after an extended absence. On the plus front I really do feel the binges and straying from the diet are firmly behind me due to the hell I experienced, and I am still here fighting through each day. I just wish there was something I could correct which I build on, for example moving the bowels, reducing the liver toxicity, improving digestion or seeing improvements in energy.

Matt

Hi Konnor,

Great to see you back on the site - I thought we may have lost you forever! Sorry to hear you have been having a rough time lately. I can't say I have been great either, what with working beyond my limits to complete my degree and generally feeling drained - \"surviving\" is good description at the moment but hopefully it will be worth it in the end!

I can certainly relate to depression leading to binge eating and/or craving carbs. As you no doubt know, carbohydrate is required to facilitate the transportation of the amino acid tryptophan across the blood-brain barrier - tryptophan being the basic building block of the mood regulating neurotransmitter serotonin. So when we have problems with serotonin function it affects our mood and causes depression and carbohydrate cravings which in the short term lift our mood by increasing tryptophan uptake and serotonin production but in the longer term result in aggravation of blood sugar imbalance, hypoglaycaemia and gut dysbiosis - which can contribute to depression. It's a viscious cycle that needs will power and sometimes other interventions to break. Have you tried other means of raising serotonin and treating depression in general such as 5-HTP and herbs such as St. Johns Wort and Rhodiola? I would also strongly recommend you give l-glutamine a try. This amino acid tends to be most well known in the context of healing a \"leaky gut\" but also has potent effects balancing blood sugar and curbing carb cravings.

I think you may be getting a bit confused about what is meant by insulin resistance. Someone who is insulin resistant will have hyperinsulinaemia and hyperglycaemia - not HYPOglycaemia. There are many other contributors to blood sugar imbalance including adrenal fatigue, liver impairment, hypothalamic dysfunction and nutrient deficiencies.

Hypersinsulinaemia and hyperglycaemia are signs of high risk for development of type 2 diabetes but I honestly don't think you are anywhere near that yet as your current problem is low blood sugar not high blood sugar as in diabetes. Just don't want you to worry about developing diabetes when it's unlikely to be something that will happen in the near future.

Glad to hear you have now managed to get back on your diet and stabilise your condition and also good to hear you have sought help from Dr. Lam and colleagues. I thought you would have had better success with Dr. Lam's nutritionist as I'd expect him to only work with the best but perhaps you need to consult Dr. Lam himself...or is that too expensive?
What does the nutritionist have you taking if you don't mind me asking? Many of us become sensitive to supplements for various reasons. I am familiar with the overstimulation myself and this is due to adrenal fatigue and neurotoxicity and I suspect this is likely to be the case with you. Of course sensitivity to supplements can be due to liver impairment and decreased clearance meaning the ingredients and their metabolites build up in the body or it could be due to allergic reactions etc.

Your neck ache ans swallowing problem has me a bit stumped I'm afraid. It doesn't appear to be in the area of a lymph node so swollen lymph nodes are probably not an explanation. It could be that you have infected saliva glans, impacted widsom teeth or any number of dental problems that may be causing pain in that area. When did you last see a dentist and did you mention this?

Since you feel that you aren't currently up to putting the required effort into the Gupta program I would suggest you concentrate on medtitative practices for now. Rather than requiring effort and draining your energy these actually increase your energy and motivation and then you have more resources to put into other things such as the Gupta program. I can't tell you which form of meditation will work best for you but I have found mantra meditation (chanting) to work best for me as it doesn't require effort to learn to quiet the mind but simply the repetition of a word or phrase (mantra) and has the same benefits as any other form of meditation.

The Optimum Health Clinic would certainly be an option. It is well regarded, has all the resources as you said, and was founded by Alex Howard who has personal experience of ME/CFS and related conditions. Unfortunately it comes with Harley Stress prices and I would try to negotiate a discount based on your financial situation. You never know!

Good luck mate, I know how hard this all is but I have no doubt we will both find all the pieces to our respective health puzzles and enjoy long and happy lives. Please make sure you come back and let us know how you get on with Dr. Lam and The Optimum Health Clinic and I hope you find answer to your neck/jaw problem soon.

Take care.<br /><br />Post edited by: Maff, at: 2010/06/16 15:42

Hey dude,

Thanks for the response.

You sure your right about hyperinsulinemia? From what I've read it's a chronically high level of insulin in the blood which drives glucose levels down, promoting hypoglycemia....

http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C312817.html

I'm not too concerned about it at the moment but at the time shortly after binging I struggled to get my blood sugar levels up at all, despite eating food. Fortunately it's not as bad at the moment.

Regarding Dr Lam, yes he is expensive, $800 to be exact for a consultation alone! My mouth dropped to the floor when I was told. The supplements are also expensive as they have to be shipped to the UK with a hefty import tax wedge, costing almost as much for shipping + tax as the products themselves.

The treatment revolves around Vitamin C and Pantethine. I think all patients of his start with this, the aim to find the right dosage. All forms are used - fat soluble, ascorbic, ascorbates and liposomal. Unfortunately the first type I tried which was a powder, whilst giving me an immediate sense of calm, went on to wire me out leaving an underlying jittery/stimulation feeling. I suspect my poor liver and low clearence state rendered it toxic as it passed through my system.

I'm still trying to implement the others very cautiously. Liposomal in particular is like rocket fuel and I'm only trialing 1/8th of a teaspoon once a day with food.

The problem is my elimination is so poor that I'm not sure I'm going to see much benefit from these or any supplements until I can get regular and ease the pressure on the liver, and thus reducing toxicity, so whilst they advise against trying other supplements I have to think about how I might get these organs working gently. Supporting both phases of the liver with a tonic/formula and using enteric coated enzymes to digest in the gut itself are things I'm thinking of trying. Harsh fibers or herbal laxatives I don't think are appropriate, given my bad experience with psyllium. I'm tentatively trying a low strength probiotic as the last thing I want is any die-off or further liver congestion at this stage. Do you have any thoughts?

Your right the Optimum health clinic is a very high price - about £330 for 2 appointments to be exact!, and perhaps I'm a sucker for marketing, but the information they present does suggest they may be able to cope with intricate cases where there may be problems with the use of pills/capsules, toxicity from supplements and multiple organ involvment. I think I would also benefit from some testing which would further ramp things up.

Do you have any advice/experience with any anti anxiety supplements/herbs? It feels like my body at the moment is conserving alot of energy, and even 'normal' things like a large bowel movement often make me a little more anxious/on edge, no doubt due to the energy required to detoxify. Is there anything you could recommend that might help with laboured shallow breathing and more anxiety during these times?

Many thanks dude.

Hey,

No problem!

First things first - diagnose-me.com and myself are both right. If your cells have a healthy/normal response to insulin then chronically elevated insulin levels caused by refined carbohydrate consumption or poor endocrine control will cause hypoglycaemia, yes. The point I was making is that in insulin resistance the cells do not respond to insulin with the result that along with hyperinsulinaemia you also get increased amounts of glucose remaining in the blood and this can be considered a pre-diabetic state. The diagnose-me.com page alludes to this.

Anyway, what this all means is you most likely don't have a substantial degree of insulin resistance at present given your tendency to hypoglycaemia so don't worry about diabetes!

Wow! It never ceases to amaze me how much doctors charge, particularly in the US. Dr. Lam is clearly highly educated and knowledgeable but I don't see how you can justify fees that high when you're treating people with conditions that in a large number of cases will mean they are unable to work.

It's hard to say why the vitamin C supplements would make you jittery. It could be down to any number of factors e.g. detox reaction, increased adrenal output, immune stimulation etc. The liposomal form is likely to be the best absorbed so would have the most pronounced effects. Obviously you want to keep to your tolerance level which may increase over time as your body adapts to it.

Given that you are paying all this money I would suggest you stick to the recommendation not to try other supplements for now but there are other things you could try. Have you considered acupuncture/acupressure to improve liver function? How about coffee enemas? These should help with both constipation and liver toxicity by stimulating the flow of bile. If you do want to try foods and supplements take a look at this blog post I wrote last year - Foods and Supplements to Balance Phase 1 and Phase 2 Liver Detoxification.

Strictly speaking detoxification involces 3 phases rather than 2. Phase 3 is an efflux pump that pumps metabolites detoxified by phases 1 and 2 out of cells so they can be excreted by the body. Lipids that form cell membranes and keep them fluid and flexible such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids (EFAs) should therefore help here.

I don't have any experience with The Optimum Health Clinic so I can't really comment but I would be wary of spending that kind of money unless I was seeing an M.D. or Ph.D. I would highly recommend Biolab (UK) which is also in London and does a lot of their testing in-house. They have actually pioneered a lot of functional testing and provide testing services for medical practitioners throughout the UK. All I will say is choose carefully is it is easy to spend a fortune and not really make any progress.

For anxiety I would recommend magnesium which I find to work best when absorbed through the skin from epsom salt baths/footbaths. I notice pronounced calming effects within 15 minutes that lasts a good few hours at least. Taurine is also pretty helpful as it binds to the GABA receptor in the brain and enhances the effect of this inhibitory neurotransmitter (much like Valium-type drugs do but without the side-effects) - it is also essential for detoxification. Alternatively a couple of good herbs are valerian and passiflora. Then there is the patented herbal combination Relora which I have found helpful.

I hope some of that helps and good luck with Dr. Lam's team and whoever else you decide to consult. I certainly don't believe you are a lost cause so I hope you don't either. A positive outlook despite our struggles is essential to healing so try to focus on a healthy future.

I should graduate with my BSc (Hons) in Nutritional Health this October and would be happy to chat to you on the phone and go over your history and tests to date in full to see if I can help you out more after that - no charge of course!<br /><br />Post edited by: Maff, at: 2010/06/16 15:49

Many thanks for the response.

Despite reading lots of great info regarding coffee enema’s, it’s always in my mind been a little too alternative/invasive for me to ever consider seriously. I kind of group it with things like fasting, liver flushes and parasite cleanses. There is also the act of sticking a tube you know where that is a little concerning! Have you tried them before? The only obvious concern would be any stimulation from the coffee on the adrenals.

Definately agree about the Optimum Health Clinic. I have to concede that when depressed I often make rash decisions about searching for ‘the cure’ by looking for people that may be able to help. This is mainly a psychological issue and not the frame of mind I should be in for healing, as it’s a continual search ‘outside of myself’, when really I should be connecting more with myself and my body and making calm decisions about which practitioner to work with, and allowing for abnormalities to crop up in the way of symptoms or adjustments to any supplements recommended.

Slightly off topic and perhaps not a supplement directly useful for me but what are your thoughts on Colostrum? Despite the potential dairy issue, the research I have read suggests that it may be able to help with Candida, Leaky gut and act as an immune adaptogen for those hypersensitive or depressed. It crossed my mind as something to think about in future to potentially help with post-nasal drip and any gut problems.

Magnesium through the skin might be a good idea. I recently tried Magnesium in a bid to stimulate my bowels but it made me very anxious and panicky at doses of around 800-1000mg, the opposite effect that is supposed to occur.

Good job on almost completing the course. Sounds like you’ve really put the work in and deserve it. Are you planning on integrating your knowledge and offering consultation services via the site? Seems like an ideal fit.

I’d happily consult with you further in future if I decide to get any tests, or perhaps you might want to review my case if you want someone to dip your toes in with.

ta

I agree that coffee enemas do sound a bit out there and fad-like as fasting, detoxing and liver flushes do but they do seem to have more support, at least among doctors if not in the medical literature. I have tried enemas (including coffee \&quot;flavoured\&quot;!) and colonics and found them less uncomfortable and easier to perform yourself than you might imagine but I didn't find them helpful enough to use on a regular basis. Having said that I have never had problems with constipation so feel you might get more benefit with the combined effects on bowel and liver function. I was mainly just offering options that meant you weren't taking extra supplements so you could stick with the advice of Dr. Lam's nutritionist but still do something potentially helpful for your symptoms.

No need to worry about the coffee stimulating your adrenals as the caffeine isn't absorbed from your colon into the systemic circulation. There is no stimulant effect at all. If you do notice such symptoms they are likely a result of movement of toxins, associated immune responses or perhaps effects modulated by the enteric (gut) nervous system.

I've been there mate with the making snap decisions about doctors and clinics. It's only natural when you're suffering and desperate! If you can manage to relax for a while, take a step back and consider things carefully however you should have a better chance of choosing the right people to help you and avoid throwing money away. I was going to recommend Dr. Barry Durrant-Peatfield in a previous message but forgot. He is an expert in adrenal and thyroid dysfunction (very rare to have one without the other). I haven't see him as a patient but he was a lecturer on my course this year and was excellent. His book 'Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy' is also very good.

Colostrum is certainly worth giving a go. It contains many potent immune modulating and antimicrobial substances that make it a great supplement for gut dysbiosis and associated problems such as increased intestinal permeability. It contains transfer factor which is a strong immune stimulant/modulator and is available as a supplement itself. Well worth a try I would say but as always...start off slowly and gradually build up the dose.

Strange that you feel stimulated taking oral magnesium. I can only think that you have upset your mineral balance if you have been taking high doses without also taking calcium etc. Try the epsom salts baths. I have never noticed anything from oral magnesium supplements but epsom salts work quickly and powerfully to relax my body and mind. You might have to buy epsom salts online as they are hard to obtain on the high street these days unfortunately!

Thanks for the congratulations. I am feeling very pleased with myself today as I found out I got a first for my dissertation on probiotic efficacy in adults with IBS. I have nearly run myself into the ground doing this course so it's great to be rewarded with a good degree. And yes I do plan to do some consulting and use this site as free advertising . I may offer phone consultations after I graduate in October but still have a year of clinical training before I can gain membership of professional bodies and get full liability insurance required to offer full face to face consultations. Watch this space!

I'd be very happy to review your case when I have a bit more free time. I'll be in touch and see what I can do.

Take care mate.<br /><br />Post edited by: Maff, at: 2010/06/17 15:47