triffid113
Day of the Square Peg
- Messages
- 831
- Location
- Michigan
I wanted to pass on what I recently learned. Just got around to it because I also have a question for whoever can answer.
I have found that allergic rhinitis, like colds and asthma, destroy the mucous membranes and zinc is used up (75mg minimum) to rebuild them. Zinc is required for making thyroid hormone and I become hypothyroid during allergy season and that causes my adrenal gland to go out so that I get constant repeat low blood sugar attacks (which requires more DHEA/dehydrated adrenal to fix). I read that hypothyroid is a known cause of PEM.
The problem with that is that there is no scientific basis for the reference range for TSH and in fact there are many studies which show adverse health conditions can be corrected with thyroid hormone when TSH > 1.9 (implying TSH > 1.9 is a disease state). For instance, high cholesterol can be normalized with thyroid hormone. See these articles for example: http://www.lef.org/protocols/appendix/blood_testing_01.htm?source=search&key=TSH reference range
So the point is that doctors are very poor at diagnosing hypothyroid and therefore I think those of you with PEM should look at your thyroid readings and self-diagnose (I am serious).
Also idk if taking thyroid hormone is a good idea (ok, maybe in a serious case) but if one's TSH is high due to a deficiency of tyrosine, zinc, selenium, mB12, or iodine (and possibly copper), then taking thyroid hormone does not correct that deficiency.
My father could not pass the eye test to renew his license. He had a frequently dripping nose, gripping heartburn after every meal, and frequent diarrhea. His TSH had climbed from 2.3 (bad) to 2.6 (worse). I put him on 18mg zinc (JUST 18mg!) because my Dad is unwilling to get the kind of testing I would want to be confident of anything and he takes a bazillion drugs for a bazillion medical problems, so one can not be aggressive here. It took maybe about a month but his nose stopped dripping, the heartburn became a memory, the frequeny diarrhea stopped, and now after 2 months he passed the eye test and can drive again. In the middle, after he had improved, he ran out of one of the zinc supplements and the heartburn started back and banished immediately we replaced his supplement. idk how his TSH looks because he won't get a single test the doc didn't order...a very frustrating patient. I don't even know if his digestion is optimal...just that the worst of it has gone away. We can only do what we can only do when people do not participate in their own health. imho he still has PEM. I do not anymore. He is taking 1/3 of a Thorne multi (so 5mg zinc there), a 5mg zinc lozenge, and 8mg of this form of zinc said to be specifically for stomach problems (dunno if the form matters):
So allergies are a very BIG reason for my variability. Not only do they cause hypothyroid, adrenal issues, and PEM, they sent my methylation out of control (life extension doctors said inflammation will do that). I got my homocysteine perfect under Freddd's protocol and then it went winging off again (was 10 during allergy season - should be 6.3). I have not retaken it, but I know it is still not normal. I think the zinc deficiency impaired my digestion...I had proven I did not need the Jarrow methylcobalamin sublingual (my homocysteine was 6.3 w/o it) but apparently I do during allergy season as zinc is required to make stomach acid. I also read that hypothyroid prevents conversion of ubiquinon to ubiquinol, something I am unable to do. But I did not know I had thyroid issues in the past and I can't afford to retest. I also found Diagose-Me.com says allergic rhinitis uses up Vitamin A, which may be why my actinis keratinitis is worse after 50. At age 50 I stopped taking supplemental zinc due to a test which showed I was borderline low copper. At age 50 I developed new and debilitating allergies (made me nonfunctional) that I had never had before. This year I found zinc cancelled the new allergies (such as allergies in May, which is tree seed season, but had never bothered me before). So even though I need copper, I also need zinc, and the amount is very different from allergy season to not-allergy season. I was originally taking zinc because there were clear signs I was deficient, including the inability to keep going during a cold, which zinc would take care of. It turns out I was half right and shoudl have kept up the zinc.
I also wonder if hormones help you absorb not only copper but zinc. Else why would it be that zinc is known to slow/prevent macular degeneration? Americans are such meat eaters...is zinc deficiency really so common as macular degeration? I just wonder because the protein involved in zinc absorption is the same as the one involved in copper absorption: metallothionein, and it is known that hormones help you absorb copper (so you can become deficient after your hormones wane like I did) and the mechanism could be via metallothionein, which would then also impact zinc. Whatever the case, I found I need to supplement some amount of zinc - maybe 15mg - maybe a bit more - even not during allergy season.
My case is not so cut and dried though...my dopamine metabolism (HVA) indicates possible neuroblastoma (could be because of my genetic defects or that I have a tumor)...don't know if there is a tie, but anything that revs up my thyroid (iodine OR zinc) causes unilateral brain swelling, swelling of the optic nerve (and I even find less light comes in through the eye on that side of my head). I cannot, however, do w/o zinc (or for that matter w/o iodine). Apparently my thyroid cannot turn off. I am now taking 4mg copper plus 1.5 mg in my multi. I know it is directionally right for me but w/o a good testing method and knowing it is a poison, I am a wimp. But you can't take 75mg zinc to fix your sinuses and not take a good chunk of copper. So far the only result (and it is significant) is I now have normal wound healing (nothing was healing before taking copper in this dose and sufficient zinc to rebuild my mucous membranes). The theory is that copper helps your thyroid turn off.
If you have PEM consider your thyroid. Good luck. Lotsa stuff can throw us off...so what if we know the basic biochemistry and supply those things...conditions may cause up to use one or more of those nutrients at a furious rate and STILL throw us off. Hopefully getting a handle on some of the things that can throw us off will help us to stay in control.
Triff
I have found that allergic rhinitis, like colds and asthma, destroy the mucous membranes and zinc is used up (75mg minimum) to rebuild them. Zinc is required for making thyroid hormone and I become hypothyroid during allergy season and that causes my adrenal gland to go out so that I get constant repeat low blood sugar attacks (which requires more DHEA/dehydrated adrenal to fix). I read that hypothyroid is a known cause of PEM.
The problem with that is that there is no scientific basis for the reference range for TSH and in fact there are many studies which show adverse health conditions can be corrected with thyroid hormone when TSH > 1.9 (implying TSH > 1.9 is a disease state). For instance, high cholesterol can be normalized with thyroid hormone. See these articles for example: http://www.lef.org/protocols/appendix/blood_testing_01.htm?source=search&key=TSH reference range
So the point is that doctors are very poor at diagnosing hypothyroid and therefore I think those of you with PEM should look at your thyroid readings and self-diagnose (I am serious).
Also idk if taking thyroid hormone is a good idea (ok, maybe in a serious case) but if one's TSH is high due to a deficiency of tyrosine, zinc, selenium, mB12, or iodine (and possibly copper), then taking thyroid hormone does not correct that deficiency.
My father could not pass the eye test to renew his license. He had a frequently dripping nose, gripping heartburn after every meal, and frequent diarrhea. His TSH had climbed from 2.3 (bad) to 2.6 (worse). I put him on 18mg zinc (JUST 18mg!) because my Dad is unwilling to get the kind of testing I would want to be confident of anything and he takes a bazillion drugs for a bazillion medical problems, so one can not be aggressive here. It took maybe about a month but his nose stopped dripping, the heartburn became a memory, the frequeny diarrhea stopped, and now after 2 months he passed the eye test and can drive again. In the middle, after he had improved, he ran out of one of the zinc supplements and the heartburn started back and banished immediately we replaced his supplement. idk how his TSH looks because he won't get a single test the doc didn't order...a very frustrating patient. I don't even know if his digestion is optimal...just that the worst of it has gone away. We can only do what we can only do when people do not participate in their own health. imho he still has PEM. I do not anymore. He is taking 1/3 of a Thorne multi (so 5mg zinc there), a 5mg zinc lozenge, and 8mg of this form of zinc said to be specifically for stomach problems (dunno if the form matters):
So allergies are a very BIG reason for my variability. Not only do they cause hypothyroid, adrenal issues, and PEM, they sent my methylation out of control (life extension doctors said inflammation will do that). I got my homocysteine perfect under Freddd's protocol and then it went winging off again (was 10 during allergy season - should be 6.3). I have not retaken it, but I know it is still not normal. I think the zinc deficiency impaired my digestion...I had proven I did not need the Jarrow methylcobalamin sublingual (my homocysteine was 6.3 w/o it) but apparently I do during allergy season as zinc is required to make stomach acid. I also read that hypothyroid prevents conversion of ubiquinon to ubiquinol, something I am unable to do. But I did not know I had thyroid issues in the past and I can't afford to retest. I also found Diagose-Me.com says allergic rhinitis uses up Vitamin A, which may be why my actinis keratinitis is worse after 50. At age 50 I stopped taking supplemental zinc due to a test which showed I was borderline low copper. At age 50 I developed new and debilitating allergies (made me nonfunctional) that I had never had before. This year I found zinc cancelled the new allergies (such as allergies in May, which is tree seed season, but had never bothered me before). So even though I need copper, I also need zinc, and the amount is very different from allergy season to not-allergy season. I was originally taking zinc because there were clear signs I was deficient, including the inability to keep going during a cold, which zinc would take care of. It turns out I was half right and shoudl have kept up the zinc.
I also wonder if hormones help you absorb not only copper but zinc. Else why would it be that zinc is known to slow/prevent macular degeneration? Americans are such meat eaters...is zinc deficiency really so common as macular degeration? I just wonder because the protein involved in zinc absorption is the same as the one involved in copper absorption: metallothionein, and it is known that hormones help you absorb copper (so you can become deficient after your hormones wane like I did) and the mechanism could be via metallothionein, which would then also impact zinc. Whatever the case, I found I need to supplement some amount of zinc - maybe 15mg - maybe a bit more - even not during allergy season.
My case is not so cut and dried though...my dopamine metabolism (HVA) indicates possible neuroblastoma (could be because of my genetic defects or that I have a tumor)...don't know if there is a tie, but anything that revs up my thyroid (iodine OR zinc) causes unilateral brain swelling, swelling of the optic nerve (and I even find less light comes in through the eye on that side of my head). I cannot, however, do w/o zinc (or for that matter w/o iodine). Apparently my thyroid cannot turn off. I am now taking 4mg copper plus 1.5 mg in my multi. I know it is directionally right for me but w/o a good testing method and knowing it is a poison, I am a wimp. But you can't take 75mg zinc to fix your sinuses and not take a good chunk of copper. So far the only result (and it is significant) is I now have normal wound healing (nothing was healing before taking copper in this dose and sufficient zinc to rebuild my mucous membranes). The theory is that copper helps your thyroid turn off.
If you have PEM consider your thyroid. Good luck. Lotsa stuff can throw us off...so what if we know the basic biochemistry and supply those things...conditions may cause up to use one or more of those nutrients at a furious rate and STILL throw us off. Hopefully getting a handle on some of the things that can throw us off will help us to stay in control.
Triff