Fred's protocol need help

[whodathunkit]

@Draves : I actually have been eating more fat in the last week or so with no problems. I just make sure to take digestive enzymes.

I just took a look at the ultrasound as posted in my patient portal and actually it does say "evidence of calculi" in the gallbladder although no evidence cholecystitis or blockage of the common bile duct. I wouldn't think "calculi" is normal as told me by my doctor but maybe she was more concerned with acute inflammation or actual blockage.

What do you think homocysteine has to do with kidney/adrenals/gallbladder...?

That seriphos supplement looks interesting. I may have heard of it before but never really took a close look at it. I was on phosphatidylserine for a long time and I think it did me good. I probably would have tried Seriphos instead if I'd known about it. If I was you I'd give it a try. Doesn't look like anything that could hurt, for sure.

As far as that appalling doctor I saw...he definitely got the rough side of my tongue. The funny thing was his nurses were so much nicer to me leaving after our argument than when I was going in. Complete attitude change. I suspect they'd probably wanted to do what I did for a long time. He was so unhappy with me, though, that he called the state agency that sent me there (I was in Vocational Rehabilitation at the time) and gave my counselor an "earful" about my behavior. She understood, but her supervisor threatened to kick me out of the program if I ever treated a poor precious flower of a doctor that way again. The supervisor didn't seem to care what he'd actually said to me, it was all about his version of the story. Big lesson in doctors AND government bureaucrats for me in that experience. Heaven save us all when they're completely one and the same.

 

[ahmo]

Enemas are for me like last resort. I know very little about them, and thought of it, is just well scary, to be honest.

Yes, sounds scary.

I just took a look at the ultrasound as posted in my patient portal and actually it does say "evidence of calculi" in the gallbladder although no evidence cholecystitis or blockage of the common bile duct.

I'm back on chanca piedra, as my gb seems it might have stones. I've had excellentresults using it in the past for gb pains. Name translates as 'break-stone'.

As far as that appalling doctor I saw...he definitely got the rough side of my tongue. The funny thing was his nurses were so much nicer to me leaving after our argument than when I was going in. Complete attitude change. I suspect they'd probably wanted to do what I did for a long time.

 

[whodathunkit]

Hey @ahmo, please describe your gb pain. I'm trying to see if I can differentiate between that and pancreas pain. Still a little worried about it all.

Edited to add: I'm thinking about trying to get a lithotripsy procedure. I think if I get rid of the stones I can keep them gone but dang, I don't want to get another attack. Gut pain is the WORST. And I've read dissolving the stones once they've formed, especially if there's calcified stones involved instead of the softer cholesterol stones, is tough.

Anyway, thanks for the tip on the herb. I just ordered some.

Any idea on how long you can take it without taking a break? Are there recommended rules for cycling it that you know of?

 

[caledonia]

Is anybody here familiar with Seriphos @caledonia maybe? I want to start protocol with Seriphos, but not sure that would be wise decision. Any feedback would be appreciated.

You would want to do an 24 hour (4 point) adrenal saliva test to make sure your adrenals are high. Then supplement during the points in the day when it's high. For example, some people may have only two points where it's high, or some may have all four.

Can you explain how you were supplementing with Seriphos before? Was it only one pill per day?

ps. Ohio is very nice - your sister should enjoy it.

 

[ahmo]

mo, please describe your gb pain. I'm trying to see if I can differentiate between that and pancreas pain. Still a little worried about it all.

When I first started it, I'd suddenly developed acute lower rt quadrant cramping. Over several days. the pain stopped within hours of the first dose. I took 3/day for a few weeks, I think. Then periodically used it later for kidney or liver, unitl I no longer self-tested +, and things seemed clear.

More recently I've had recurrent bouts of nausea which were relieved by eating fat. When I mentiioned it in a comment, the response was that this is a typical sign of gb stones. In this case, I had to override my body's consistent - response when I asked whether to take it. And body then responded + after some hours. I'm back on 3/day. Have had 2 bouts of spewing in the last few days. So I'm hoping this clears without any other things needed.

BTW, this need to eat fat contributed to my high intake of Omega-6s. As you noted, this has led to weight-gain. That's been really hard to shift. Hoping my new antioxidants, resuming coconut oil instead of tallow, and chanca piedra make this high intake a thing of the past. Remind me which diet plan you're following. I feel like I'm able to add some foods to my diet, but between avoiding histamines and folate, I feel pretty stuck.

Any idea on how long you can take it without taking a break? Are there recommended rules for cycling it that you know of?

No, I don't know.

 

[whodathunkit]

@ahmo, to appease your fat jones, you MUST try this stuff. Seriously. Nectar of the Gods. For real. A toasted CBJ (coconut butter & jelly) is truly manna from heaven. I just discovered it last week and already have no idea how I lived without it.

I'm doing Perfect Health Diet plus whatever I feel like putting my lips on. Which, these days, is all very healthy stuff. I don't really feel the urge to deviate much at all from PHD guidelines. It's all there. Not having to fight food cravings is a total miracle. It's like having a new lease on life, for sure. In a weird twist, I'm actually feeling somewhat of an urge to *cut back* on starch. That's never happened before. Go figure.

Are PHD guidelines outside of your tolerances?

Have had 2 bouts of spewing in the last few days.

Sorry about that. I read that could be a side of the chanca piedra. I'll let you know how I do on it.

So, another question: did the pain you had ever radiate into your back?

 

[ahmo]

@whodathunkit i've just found this beautiful oil, lightly coconut flavor and sending money to folks who need it. Yum!
PHD, that's what I couldn't remember. Whenever I looked at the diet before, mostly I couldn't eat it. I'll check again.

The spewing is what prompted me to start the chanca, although today's is since I've begun. I feel fine, just this incident, then nothing else.

As a matter of fact, today my back is a real pain! Low back inflammation was my primary symptom for 7 years prior to collapsing. Rarely happens now. It was crippling when my adrenals were at their worst last year. And today's, I just thought I'd slept wrong, but it's hung on all day. When DH put his hands on my belly, he could feel hard and hot liver, and noted that this was enough for LB issues. Hoping tomorrow sees this gone.

As I noted on another thread, since I've dropped my bone broth, I'm not being innundated by oxidative stress symptoms, desires for carrots and seed/nut spread. I asked on that thread whether someone knows a role for calcium in o.s.

It's brilliant that you're a converted eater, post-junk food! This must feel sooo great!

 

[aturtles]

2.Moreover and this is bit intimate-but I have lately notice my orgasm is very weak and getting weaker as the time passes, it almost feels like nothing, very unsatisfying. After b12 sensation improves to reasonable levels., not perfect but much better. Though this isn't a big deal right now. Sex problems are the last thing on my mind right now.

Actually, in my year of working the Freddd protocol, I've found strength of orgasm to be a very good indicator of overall systemic health -- it changed as I got better. Lots of other indicators, too, of course, like energy, and skin, and sleep. But sex drive and orgasm quality is something we ignore in this culture to our detriment; for most of us, it's a powerful indicator of how our health is doing.

Keep a log of this and all other symptoms/experiences, as well as what you're taking. What you're trying, and why, and what you'll try next. In addition to amounts, note forms (all forms of zinc do not do the same thing), and even brands -- sometimes it really matters.

 

[whodathunkit]

Is anybody here familiar with Seriphos

Incidentally, I just bought some of this. Phosphatidylserine is expensive and wasn't doing much for me anymore. We'll see how this does. It's not any more expensive than PS.

So much for not being a supplement junkie any more.

Seriously, I bought it because I believe I still have some cortisol problems/dysregulation late at night/wee hours of morning. Adrenal dysfunction is better but not gone...I still take glandulars that seem to help. I'll take this at night right before I go to bed.

Draves, did you try it yet?

 

[whodathunkit]

It's brilliant that you're a converted eater, post-junk food! This must feel sooo great!

You have no idea. I almost feel like a junkie that was able to "get clean".

And...fwiw...you really should try that coconut butter. It's like sweet peanut butter on steroids but much better for you. It's not an oil...it's actually ground up raw, whole coconut in the way they grind peanuts or almonds to make nut butter.

 

[ahmo]

oh, right, I didn't get that it was the butter. yum.

 

[Draves]

@Draves : I actually have been eating more fat in the last week or so with no problems. I just make sure to take digestive enzymes.

Well that's good for you, with your success on digestive enzymes. I hope for you that your success will sustain . For me when I try digestive enzymes (even the high quality one from Enzymedica) I get once again back pain...

@Draves :
What do you think homocysteine has to do with kidney/adrenals/gallbladder...?

Well Right now I don't know if there is any any connection. But what I know for sure that high homocysteine indicate problems with folate metabolism.

That seriphos supplement looks interesting. I may have heard of it before but never really took a close look at it. I was on phosphatidylserine for a long time and I think it did me good. I probably would have tried Seriphos instead if I'd known about it. If I was you I'd give it a try. Doesn't look like anything that could hurt, for sure.

If you have been on phosphatidylserine and it did you good then Seriphos could be fine for you. Though Before you embark on rigorous regimen with Seriphos I recommend to do ASI cortisol test to check where your adrenals are at as Seriphos is the only nutrient capable of hammering your cortisol levels too much pernamently (or better said for a long time if you overdo it). So get a test and if you're high give it a go and you'll see.

Seriphos is the only supplement I can tolerate without any side effects and I have been taking for a year so so I can give you few recommendations. For me one is enough, two knocks my cortisol too low and I feel weird, detached, it's hard to describe but it's not a pleasant feeling. so If you're small you will probably do best with one or even less at a time. For a day I take 3. One morning, one at noon and one afternoon. Personally I get best results if I take it 20-25 minutes before food any longer and I start to feel a bit spacey, but that's not a big deal. It really helps me with my mood and decrease back pain significantly. You're supposed to do 3 months one round after which you again retest your levels to check where you are. Make sure to take a 24 hour break after each month. Also when planning for your schedule keep on mind that Seriphos has an effect for 5-6 hours so you don't get knocked down with double dose effect. Furthermore if you're watching your cortisol make sure you watch your sodium intake as sodium has been documented to raise cortisol even at small doses. Perfect example is that I can tolerate only quarter tsp of salt a day but when on Seriphos I NEED one tsp of a salt or else I get bad. Seriphos normalize my hormones for now. But You said you don't eat any processed food so it will be easy for you

This is what my cortisol curve look like now.

http://imgur.com/VEbDXVo

Red is max cortisol you should have
Blue is lowest cortisol you should have
Dotted green is the curve I had when tested last time
Green is the where I'm right now

Only difference between now and last time was that I did not watch for my sodium intake when taking my last test so that's why difference. Otherwise it would probably be pretty similiar.

@Draves :
As far as that appalling doctor I saw...he definitely got the rough side of my tongue. The funny thing was his nurses were so much nicer to me leaving after our argument than when I was going in. Complete attitude change. I suspect they'd probably wanted to do what I did for a long time. He was so unhappy with me, though, that he called the state agency that sent me there (I was in Vocational Rehabilitation at the time) and gave my counselor an "earful" about my behavior. She understood, but her supervisor threatened to kick me out of the program if I ever treated a poor precious flower of a doctor that way again. The supervisor didn't seem to care what he'd actually said to me, it was all about his version of the story. Big lesson in doctors AND government bureaucrats for me in that experience. Heaven save us all when they're completely one and the same.

Well at least you made nurses day better I guess the one have to search for a diamond in a rough when it comes to a doctors...

You would want to do an 24 hour (4 point) adrenal saliva test to make sure your adrenals are high. Then supplement during the points in the day when it's high. For example, some people may have only two points where it's high, or some may have all four.

Can you explain how you were supplementing with Seriphos before? Was it only one pill per day?

ps. Ohio is very nice - your sister should enjoy it.

Yes I have. Please take a look at my last ASI which I have quoted a link to at my response to @whodathunkit. I have always took 3 a day. Two at a times it tooo much for me.

As a matter of fact, today my back is a real pain! Low back inflammation was my primary symptom for 7 years prior to collapsing. Rarely happens now. It was crippling when my adrenals were at their worst last year. And today's, I just thought I'd slept wrong, but it's hung on all day. When DH put his hands on my belly, he could feel hard and hot liver, and noted that this was enough for LB issues. Hoping tomorrow sees this gone.

I hope you're better @ahmo now. Yes I can see obvious link with lower back pain and inflammation. Bone broth for me is a big no no, because of back pain I get from it.

Actually, in my year of working the Freddd protocol, I've found strength of orgasm to be a very good indicator of overall systemic health -- it changed as I got better. Lots of other indicators, too, of course, like energy, and skin, and sleep. But sex drive and orgasm quality is something we ignore in this culture to our detriment; for most of us, it's a powerful indicator of how our health is doing.

Keep a log of this and all other symptoms/experiences, as well as what you're taking. What you're trying, and why, and what you'll try next. In addition to amounts, note forms (all forms of zinc do not do the same thing), and even brands -- sometimes it really matters.

I completely agree with you strength of orgasms being a good indicator of overall systemic health. Obviously if your orgasm is weak your body is having more important things to do than giving you pleasure, so if your sensation improves then you're probably right and the person is healing. Can you elaborate a bit more on zinc forms and brands? I have been noticing this trend too lately, but have never made a connection.

By the way yesterday I have received my homocysteine test and it was at 25,6. That's probably not good, something is not working

 

[caledonia]

This is what my cortisol curve look like now.

http://imgur.com/VEbDXVo

Red is max cortisol you should have
Blue is lowest cortisol you should have
Dotted green is the curve I had when tested last time
Green is the where I'm right now

Yes I have. Please take a look at my last ASI which I have quoted a link to at my response to @whodathunkit. I have always took 3 a day. Two at a times it tooo much for me.

Your program for using Seriphos sounds excellent and like you really have a handle on how to go about it.

Looking at your chart, it looks like you've made a lot of progress. However, the curve is still high at noon and bedtime, so that's when I would suggest taking Seriphos to knock those down. So don't take it at breakfast and suppertime.

As you say, try it for 3 months then retest, as you don't want to knock it down too far. You may be able to go by symptoms too, for example, if you feel anxious or revved up at noon and bedtime, if you start feeling calmer and better, you're probably getting in the normal range.

 

[whodathunkit]

Seriphos is the only supplement I can tolerate without any side effects and I have been taking for a year so so I can give you few recommendations. For me one is enough, two knocks my cortisol too low and I feel weird, detached, it's hard to describe but it's not a pleasant feeling. so If you're small you will probably do best with one or even less at a time. For a day I take 3. One morning, one at noon and one afternoon. Personally I get best results if I take it 20-25 minutes before food any longer and I start to feel a bit spacey, but that's not a big deal. It really helps me with my mood and decrease back pain significantly. You're supposed to do 3 months one round after which you again retest your levels to check where you are. Make sure to take a 24 hour break after each month. Also when planning for your schedule keep on mind that Seriphos has an effect for 5-6 hours so you don't get knocked down with double dose effect. Furthermore if you're watching your cortisol make sure you watch your sodium intake as sodium has been documented to raise cortisol even at small doses. Perfect example is that I can tolerate only quarter tsp of salt a day but when on Seriphos I NEED one tsp of a salt or else I get bad. Seriphos normalize my hormones for now. But You said you don't eat any processed food so it will be easy for you

Thanks for all this info. I don't really have the patience for a 24hour saliva test right now but should probably do one. Worth noting is that your cortisol is light years better than mine last time I tested. It was FLAT all the way across the bottom of the scale. LOL

Right now I plan to only take at night because I think high cortisol may be spiking my early morning blood sugar. I don't seem to be having any other bad adrenal/cortisol problems right now. We'll see how it goes. I'll keep in mind what you said about "weird and detached". My mood has been kind of bad the last week or so, coincidentally when I got Seriphos but also it's a hormonal time of the month, so no telling exactly what the problem is right now. Maybe I don't need to mess with cortisol right now. If it wasn't for my intransigent high blood sugar I wouldn't even be considering it. It's not real high, but it's higher than it should be and I'M TIRED OF IT. </grumpypants>

 

[aturtles]

Can you elaborate a bit more on zinc forms and brands? I have been noticing this trend too lately, but have never made a connection.

I had been taking a calcium/magnesium/zinc formula -- an inexpensive one -- and then did some research, discovering that the zinc form used in the formula -- zinc oxide -- has extremely poor bioavailability.

So I started using zinc picolinate, which has high bioavailability. That almost immediately seemed to improve a number of methylation-related benefits (lack of brainfog; skin and tissue health; sleep quality; mood stabilization; improved sex drive; general healing.)

I am now doing the same analysis and replacement with the forms of magnesium and calcium in the supplement I was taking (calcium carbonate and magnesium oxide), which also have poor bioavailability.

My take-away: if you're not examining the forms of the supplements you're taking, you might be doing more damage than good, and missing significant potential for improvement.

As for brand, I went with the brand Freddd recommended to me: Solgar, for both the zinc picolinate and copper.

NOTE: do not increase your zinc without increasing your copper. This is very important; I strongly encourage you to do your own research. (They must be balanced; too much of either can cause a deficiency in the other. In brief: "Copper can be depleted when taking zinc supplements, so consider taking supplemental copper in a zinc-to-copper ratio of 10 to 1." http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02869/zinc.html)

 

[Draves]

Your program for using Seriphos sounds excellent and like you really have a handle on how to go about it.

Yes, well when it comes to Seriphos I know my business, becaue I have been dealing with this for a while

As you say, try it for 3 months then retest, as you don't want to knock it down too far. You may be able to go by symptoms too, for example, if you feel anxious or revved up at noon and bedtime, if you start feeling calmer and better, you're probably getting in the normal range.

Will do

Thanks for all this info. I don't really have the patience for a 24hour saliva test right now but should probably do one. Worth noting is that your cortisol is light years better than mine last time I tested. It was FLAT all the way across the bottom of the scale. LOL

Flat Like at the bottom or top? If it was at the bottom then there is possibility your cortisol is low. Some of the symptoms low and high cortisol often overlap so be careful.You know your body best, but I recommend to do the test as soon as possible it's very strong stuff and it can harm you if you used incorrectly.

By the way anybody know why after 2g of folate I get chest pain on left side mainly around heart? I didn't have that at lower doses... instead I had a back pain. So I thought back pain is donut hole deffiency and have increased the dose rather quickly. Suprisingly back pain is still there but very minor, which I'm very glad for but the new pain on left side of chest has arised. Anybody know why's that? I have tried potassium but it worsen it. Folate and potassium seem to aggravate the pain. Currently I take 3 g of potassium a day.

 

[whodathunkit]

@Draves, my cortisol was flat all across the bottom of the range BUT the blip where it went up (not much) was between midnight and 2p. It was actually lower in the morning than at night. Inverse of normal, although not really inverse because even when it went up it was just barely into normal range. Rest of time is was under.

I'll be careful with Seriphos. I experiment with stuff a lot to see if something might help. I certainly won't keep takign it if I think it's not doing me any good. If it hasn't helped my blood sugar within a couple weeks I'm not going to take it any more. This has been a difficult week so it's hard to say what if any effect it's had. Another week will tell.

Regarding folate: you might need some other cofactors like magnesium and zinc. It's been a while since I've been through the donut hole and sadly don't remember that much about finessing the problems any more. I never got any pain, anyway. My main donut hole symptoms were anxiety/wiredness, insomnia, and some fatigue from low potassium (not related to the insomina).

 

[Draves]

I'have tried magnesium and zinc and nothing. Chest pain seems to be dose dependent per folate intake. But that's not a biggie What I would like to know more is why I have that fricking back pain, all the time when I try something. This is incredible, I'm on the verge of giving up. Besides Seriphos there is not one single supplement that wouldn't cause me back pain. I'm starting to suspect it may be of physical origin like something wrong my muscles, or I really don't know. Is thëre anything else I should ask for to check my back pain? I had that ultrasound but don't really know what to do next. It's hard for me try and tinker with any supplements/ideas since everything is immediately responded by back pain which gets unbearable over time

 

[whodathunkit]

Is thëre anything else I should ask for to check my back pain?

Get some x-rays. Maybe a PET scan, not just a CT scan. I'm REALLY hesitant to bring this up...but my father had intransigent back pain that turned out to be lung cancer that had migrated into the bone. CT scan even missed it. Jeez, I hope I don't scare you with that because his case was really "out there" and not typical at all, plus he had other pulmonary symptoms like clubbing of fingernails that were chalked up to an arterial blockage he also unfortunately had at the same time. I'm quite sure you don't have lung cancer.

But my point is that a persistent symptom like back pain, especially if it's nigh unbearable, shouldn't be glossed over. Do everything to rule out significant causes. One ultrasound is not nearly enough.