It might also be helpful for identifying people that have the same issues as you, who aren't cured yet and don't know how to get started.
Hi Valentijn,
I'm naturally quite curious. If I had the money I wouldn't hesitate for a second to get every test in books because that is all more data on all this and I also agree that it could be helpful. I have worked long and hard to arrange the data differently to help give such people a start.
Howver, I have read large amounts of peer reviewed research. I find an awful lot that just doesn't hold up for all sorts of stupid reasons, like scrambling numbers around, graphs that don't match tables and manipulation of interpretation to suit the marketing department. As I read research, especially on the b12/folate which I know most about, I make explicit all the implicit assumptions. What I would really like to know is which genetic variations predicate paradoxical folate deficiency. As that is not at all recognized by doctors or researchers even if it hits them square between the eyes, the interpretation of all those genetics of folate tests miss the elephant in the room. Even the very simple potassium level test is such that all these induced low potassium symptoms people have as verified by relief from them quickly and reliably after taking potassium, typically will be "in range". Sixty years of research on cyanocbl and later hydroxycbl has built assumptions into all the nutritional research based on these inactive forms such that 2/3 of the actual active b12 deficiency symptoms are totally unrecognized as deficiency symtpoms. It has made mysrtery diseases out of them. It has made mystery disease out of low potassium. 65 years of folic acid research has turned paradoxical folate deficiency into unrecognized mystery disease. How many of the docs treating us have no idea at all about the lack of effectiveness of folic acid? How many suspect that there are people like me that can have the same paradoxical folate deficiency from vegetable food source folate?
I took experimental design courses in school. I took lots of science and lab courses. I'm a sytems analyst quite capable of analyzing data and hypothecizing from what I read and experience. I've been consulting in health insurance and developing software for HMO & Insurance since 1982. I synthecize across multiple fields. The difference is that I have no body of previous research behind me to protect. You know what they say about physics theory, that the rate of change is one funeral at a time. Using history we know it takes about 70+ years to understand a vitamin's function and even longer to arrive at best use. Consider the recent change in in Vit D suggestions now that they discovered what the deficiency looks like.
So, basing b12 understanding on cyanocbl/hydroxycbl there is one and only one b12 deficiency syndrome though if one compares lists of symptoms from countries using cyanocbl with those using hydroxycbl there are two distinct patterns to be seen there. When using a model of b12 deficiency based on mb12/adb12 and distinguishing body from CNS/CSF and distinguishes methylfolate, we come up with at least 6 definite distinctive b12/folate deficiency syndromes that can be seen in the patterns of the symptoms. These symptoms depend on genetics, epigenetics and lifetime occurances of many kinds. Using these symptoms organized in this way a person can say, "Oh, it looks like I have a CNS low on mb12 and adb12 and a body low on adb12 and good on folate or "suspect paradoxical folate deficiency). All of this is pragmatically determined with the hypotheses based on a combination of readings, experience and observation of others. What we don't know are percentages of people that respond or don't respond or have other conditions or have other comorbidities. Making these 6 deficiency syndrome distinctions one can then see what their bodies' needs/patterns for b12 and folate are.
On the next step of the ladder are another half dozen or so critical factors. They are critical because lack of any one or more of them can prevent a lot of startup response in one or more ways and then when taken, it can all come flooding in. I can distinguish some of these. In general I'll need the help of anybody here willing to help define what all these items are and what symptoms they affect.
On the next step are the essentials...
mostly vitamins and minerals, and omega3 oil, Lecithin
These are items could also be critical factors except that being that deficient in them has their own distinctive deficiency syndromes. Lack of vit C will prevent tissue formation (scurvy). According to my dental friends who routinely prescribe b-vitamins and C for their patients is that they see a lot of borderline deficiencies. B12 and folate deficiencies also cause failure of tissue formation in the mouth. If they take their vitamins regularly the docs and hygenists see noticable improvment in oral health in 6 months.
On the next step are the basics...
these are more likely to be herbal or miscellaneous minerals, yeasts, chlorella, lots of things.
Lack of these only makes small specific differences if any for most folks. ie, most folks will not notice the effects of chromium or selenium, which is just the way it is supposed to be. On the other hand they may be very helpful for various symptoms and specific people
I hope this gives you a place to start. I will make a topic and start posting pieces of the symtoms listing and where they mi
ght come from. I am doing this because there is no way for the active b12/folate protocol to be simple because it causes too much to happen too fast to ignore it and wait for other nutrition to catch up. Read the ACTIVE b12 basics.
Stickey at the top of the methylation subdirectory.
Since most of FMS, CFS and ME symptoms are contained in the lists, and more need to be identified and added, it should be most infomative. and again helpful. There already exists somewhere or another on these threads, a couple of versions of the composite symptoms list. This next one goes well beyond that. Good luck.