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23andme & Chronic insomnia and family history of psychiatric/CNS disorders

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,858
Epigenetics as I understand it can be thought of as an additional database that comes along with the regular DNA genome, and this additional database determines the degree to which genes are expressed. There are different mechanisms of epigenetics, including methylation, but the essence of epigenetics is this additional database that controls gene expression.
 

ppodhajski

Senior Member
Messages
243
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
It is not separated that simply. The epigenome is sort of a liaison between our genes and the environment. They influence each other. Our genes determine what our epigene needs to express correctly. Is that making sense? If my genes say I need more riboflavin than the next person, my epigene will make me sick if I do not get enough riboflavin.

It is epigenetics that makes an eye cell an eye cell and a bone cell a bone cell. That was determined long ago by environmental challenges. Those same challenges happen to us everyday, making us tired, anxious, nauseous, whatever.

The genes I look at are affected by, and effect, both the genome and the epigenome.
 
Messages
211
well no news yet.

just want to add that I had to do the dexa suppression test but was afraid to take the dexamethasone at night because I have had so many bad reactions to medications in my life, especially before sleep. so thought I should try it first during the day and took 0.25mg during the day. that day i was tired, but i had not slept properly. The next day I felt like I have not felt in many months/years! felt really great! unfortunately I think i came down with a virus or something and my sleep was very bad for a couple days later (or maybe was the dexa). On D+3's night, my sleep was back to normal.

Tomorrow I will see an integrative medicine doctor/anti aging, because she seems to know what is adrenal fatigue and why it was useful to measure my cortisol in the saliva a few times during the day, as opposed to my current endo, which is a very nice doctor, but doesn't know how to interpret the results from a cortisol rythm exam and as such, doesn't even order them. This new doctor will maybe allow me to ask for the exam prescriptions that I want to give to the lab and this will help me invoice exams through the insurance, so hopefully I'll save some money too. She's also a PhD and has a really good CV...let's see, I'm hopeful at least that she will prescribe me all the exams I want.

I have found all the supplements I was recommended and will have them next week :) so hopefully i will start getting better soon, or at least giving it one more try! Thanks to @ppodhajski, I now know I'm out of the norm on the GPx1 and I am really hopeful for the selenium, especially after this study, regarding optimizing GPx expression and selenoprotein expression (i'm interested in the last one because it's related to protein unfolding, which is another thing I've been reading on over @ the post-finasteride syndrome forum):

http://seleniumselect.com/ajcn201029642v1.pdf

Results:
The SEPP1 concentration was optimized at 40 wk by the 35ug supplement, which indicated that 49ug/d could optimize it.GPX activity was optimized by 21ug (total ingestion: 35ug/d). The selenium concentration showed no tendency to become optimized.
Conclusions:
The present results indicate that SEPP1 concentration is the best plasma biomarker studied for assessing optimal expression of all selenoproteins, because its optimization required a larger intake of selenium than did GPX activity. On the basis of the selenium intake needed for SEPP1 optimization with adjustments for body weight and individual variation,75ug Se/d as selenomethionine is postulated to allow full expression of selenoproteins in US residents. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov asNCT00428649.Am J Clin Nutrdoi: 10.3945/ajcn.2010.29642

anyway, I wanted to ask you:
- Why would one have low Gama Glutamil Transferase?
 
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Messages
211
A friend of mine with post finasteride sybdrome just been diagnosed with helicobacter pylori... He has lack of b vitamins,some aminoacids, some pancreas enzymes, selenium and calcium. Seems to fit. I think finasteride must lower body temperature and allows these pathogebs to proliferate and settle in..i saw this bacteria is so common but maybe he has more stuff going on...
I think this is the, or one of, the perpetuation mechanisms for permanent side effects.
 
Messages
211
so my doctor send me the results of the hair analysis. but i was expecting something easier to read.

I still have to meet her to talk about this, but I could already find some interesting coincidences:

Coincidences to my former analysis:
- My glutathione peroxidase is low
- My glycine is low
- Estradiol was low
- ACTH was low

Other stuff:
- Lead was found
- Something about variola vaccine?!

I don't know what to make of this. I never knew a hair analysis could take into account all these things. I should probably confirm this in a lab exam. I probably will.

Anyway, I want to add that my mom, who also had epileptic fits, had them after a vaccine. I had them after a medication. So definetely, there is here a problem with detox. In my case seems to be GPx1 related. I ordered selenium from my doctor, its made in germany where these supplements are regulated and must be of pharma quality.
 
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Messages
211
These are a match.

@Gondwanaland can you get me a source on that? I also found someone saying that but I searched all through pubmed and nothing. And my doctor (even this one which is very open minded) seem to disregard the low estradiol in the blood test and the low gamma glutamil transferase! I need to get her some research study.

No, I am not on ketogenic diet. I don't have active epilepsy, I think these were some sort of detox reactions i had to metoclopramide (also a D2 antagonist, so chances for extrapyramidal reactions)...the last EEG i did was clean. but when I was a kid it did show the typical epileptic pattern. Maybe i will repeat the EEG
 
Messages
211
well just started on the selenium. I read that to maximize GPx production I need to take 450mg/day. And to maximize Selenoprotein (a Endoplasmatic reticulum stress inhibitor), I need 750mg/day. But the measures were done at 41weeks :S

I have not felt anything as of yet. will soon start introducing all the other supplements
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,094
Watch out for Selenium toxicicity. Paul Jaminet burned out his thyroid taking high dose Selenium and Iodine.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,094
Paul Jaminet October 24, 2014 at 9:26 pm
We’ve had plenty of Hashimoto’s cures on PHD without high doses of iodine. I stopped the high doses of iodine when I developed a thyroid injury, concurrent with overdosing on selenium. Once I realized how easy it is to overdose on selenium I became convinced the risk exceeds the potential reward from high dose iodine. A few readers have developed problems on high dose iodine as well.

I think that 800mg/day of Selenium is a horse's dose. :jaw-drop:
 
Messages
211
Just received my exam results, any help interpreting is appreciated. I wasnt taking anything at the time.

From 21/04/2015

Serum Copper - 64 [85-155] ug/dL LOW
Serum Zinc - 77 [50-127] ug/dL
Copper:Zinc should be on a 0.7/1 ratio. I currently have 0.83/1. This tells me I should supplement both zinc and copper, maybe slightly more zinc but not much. I am wondering if this test is significative.

Albuminemia (wtf, this should be albumin...can't trust these labs) 4.0 g/dL [3.4-5.0]
Vitamin D3 25OH 22,5 ng/mL [Deficient <20, Insuficient 20-29]
Prolactin 10.58 [2.10-17.7] ng/mL
Testosterone Total 5.97 ng/mL [2.41-8.27]
Testosterone Free 11.50 pg/mL [8.8-27]
SHBG 38.0 [10.0-57.0] nmol/L
Progesterone 0.72ng/ml [0.28-1.22]
DHEA 10.1 ng/mL [1.4-12.5]
3alpha Diol G 8.40/ng/mL [1.00-23.60]
11-Desoxicorticosterone 2.3 mcg/L [0.00-3.8]
ACTH 15.0 pg/mL [<46]
Cortisol Plasma 15.94ug/dL [4.30-22.4]
Cortisol Free Urine 169 ug/24hours [21-292]
Urine volume 24hours 1400 mL

Cortisol Saliva 8.30AM 6.20ng/mL [Morning 3.0-10.0, Afternoon 0.6-2.5]
Cortisol Saliva 1.00PM 8.8ng/mL [Morning 3.0-10.0, Afternoon 0.6-2.5]
Cortisol Saliva 5.00PM 4.2ng/mL [Morning 3.0-10.0, Afternoon 0.6-2.5]
Cortisol Saliva 12.00AM (midnight) 2.3ng/mL [Morning 3.0-10.0, Afternoon 0.6-2.5]

DHEA salivary 7.10ng/mL [0.2-2.7] -> they don't state which saliva sample they picked up...these people are not professional enough...

Pregnenolone 3.50ng/mL [0.4-3.5]
DHT 153.0 pg/mL [109.0 - 583.0] ---> Not loosing hair because of DHT that's for sure.

Urine Catecholamines:
Total: 633 ug/24hours [14-606]
Noradrenaline 82 ug/24hours [12-86]
Adrenaline 7 ug/24hours [2-22]
Noradrenaline 544 ug/24hours [<498]
Urine volume 24hours 1100 mL


Any help interpreting these results is appreciated
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,094
Serum Copper - 64 [85-155] ug/dL LOW
Serum Zinc - 77 [50-127] ug/dL
Copper:Zinc should be on a 0.7/1 ratio. I currently have 0.83/1. This tells me I should supplement both zinc and copper, maybe slightly more zinc but not much. I am wondering if this test is significative.
VERY significative.
Never take zinc without copper and never take copper without zinc
 
Messages
211
VERY significative.
Never take zinc without copper and never take copper without zinc

But I suppose this is unlikely to cause all these hormonal changes?

Why would pregnenolone be on the limit?

The lab made another mistake. Instead of DesoxyCortisol they gave me DesoxyCorticosterone. I am very frustrated