• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Search results

  1. M

    bone broths

    You may be aware that many diets advocate drinking a few cups of bone broth per day in order to heal the gut (my own issue is IBS and painful sensitivity to a wide range of foods). These sources go on to list the many things in bone broth such as L-Glutamine, Glycine, etc. which are all good for...
  2. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    @Ripley My information about heavy metal chelation comes from Andrew Cutler and the Yahoo group Frequent Dose Chelation. He's a chemist, and his book "Amalgam Illness" is heavy on data, diagrams, and mathematics. I have a degree in science from Caltech which gives me enough background to be...
  3. M

    getting probiotics to survive stomach

    Thanks, Ripley. Out of the list of probiotics I've studied, I'm interested in Prescript-Assist and VSL #3. Dr. Yasko also advocates taking a variety of probiotics and rotating among several sources. I'm on a budget, but the cool thing about rotating among sources is that it doesn't cost any more...
  4. M

    getting probiotics to survive stomach

    Thanks, Ripley. Sorry, I'm in a habit of calling everything a theory, didn't mean to imply I was skeptical or that it was purely your idea. Do you just swallow the probiotic and follow it up with food that contains RS? Does the order matter? Do they need to be taken one immediately after the...
  5. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    I believe you that you had a beneficial feeling of blood rushing through the brain and cleaning it out. I think the trick is, how do we interpret this? Is it metals leaving the brain, or is it something else, perhaps something beneficial, just not an actual dislodging of heavy metal molecules...
  6. M

    getting probiotics to survive stomach

    What formations of probiotic supplements are able to survive stomach acid? One theory advanced by Ripley is that taking them with resistant starch helps. I read on Wikipedia that the gut has 100 trillion bacteria. Makes you wonder how a supplement with a few billion is going to do much, even...
  7. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    Ripley, I want to give my gut a rest for a few weeks. Either stay on the juice fast or switch to an elemental diet. And don't worry, I've read much of what you've written and I understand some of the problems with these as long-term diets. You are very enthusiastic about the PHD, but it may not...
  8. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    My "gut" feeling is that my gut feels better on a juice fast because I stop putting in foods that irritate it. There are many other possibilities, for sure. Such as A low-protein diet affects neurotransmitters. So does a ketogenic diet which is shown to be beneficial for schizophrenia, which...
  9. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    It's all vegetable juices. No fruit juices. Carrot is the largest component, but also tomato, celery, kale, various leafy greens, broccoli, and wheatgrass. I need to drink enough carrot so that I'm getting energy and not starving, but the overall calorie count is pretty low. I know from past...
  10. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    Thanks, this is very useful information. Good news, too, because I felt very stuck with the CBS upregulation... not a whole lot that can be done about it other than take Dr. Yasko's very expensive proprietary supplement, not something I want to do. And limit all these yummy foods like garlic and...
  11. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    Also, I have the CBS C699T +/+ SNP, the most severe form of CBS upregulation. Dr. Yasko advises to avoid sulfur-containing foods. Many if not most of the foods you list above are sulfur-containing. I wonder if it's even possible to do the PHD and avoid sulfur. EDIT: also a low-protein diet is...
  12. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    Thanks. I'll study this idea of resistant starch. I looked at the PHD website and I noticed they OK butter. I know that milk products make me sneeze, but is butter somehow different? Can butter be okay when other milk products are not? That would be great because I love putting butter on things...
  13. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    Just a note, these are filtered juices, so there is very little solid matter. I don't know if your list of all the things in juices are found in the liquid juice only. I've sometimes tried pulp-based juices, things that have banana or pear or kiwi etc, while on a juice fast, and they really...
  14. M

    elemental diet versus juice fast

    My symptoms include (1) gut pain, especially after eating, (2) bipolar, (3) OCD, and other things. I've noticed in the past that when I go on a juice fast, my gut feels much happier and even more so my bipolar and OCD improve. But a juice fast is hard on the body (even though I happier on...
  15. M

    rifaximin for IBS

    Thanks, acer2000. I looked up the FODMAP diet and it's worth considering.
  16. M

    rifaximin for IBS

    Anyone have experience with taking rifaximin on the theory that their IBS is caused by SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth)? Has anyone tried an elemental diet for SIBO instead? That's an all-liquid diet with all nutrients in pre-digested form that is supposed to starve the overgrown...
  17. M

    NAC - puts cysteine in the brain?

    I've been looking into N-acetyl-cysteine, with the idea that it helps to raise glutathione in the brain (not sure where I first read that) and also that it helps bipolar (an idea I saw here on PR). According to Dr. Amy Yasko cysteine is pulled in by the glutamate receptors, acting as an...
  18. M

    testing many supplements and combinations

    There's a problem that faces those of us who want to tap into the huge variety of medical theory and supplements available... there are so many things to try! I have to give each thing I try, whether new itself, a new dosage, or a new combination of previously tested agents, a nice long period...
  19. M

    strange reaction to phosphatidylserine and lithium orotate

    I've heard that methylation can go runaway if it starts up too fast. I still feel wired, 14 hours after taking the PS (2000 mg). I've also heard that some niacin can kill the reaction, and maybe some potassiuim is useful. Can I get advice?
  20. M

    strange reaction to phosphatidylserine and lithium orotate

    Thanks everyone. When I get past this day which is shaping up to be a difficult one considering I got very little sleep and now can't seem to even take a nap, I'll reply back with some more information. I'll add my SNPs and current meds to my sig.
  21. M

    strange reaction to phosphatidylserine and lithium orotate

    I needed to sleep well tonight so I took some extra phosphatidylserine and lithium orotate, and instead of sleeping well I am wide awake, almost like a shot of coffee. A step back, let me explain. I've been taking lithium orotate for a while now and it really helps me calm down. I take about 10...
  22. M

    vitamins A, D, E, and K supplements

    My understanding is that vitamins A, D, E and K are the fat-soluble vitamins, and they need to be taken in balance. Can I get some comments as to the proper ratio, and also comments about good brands of supplements? Mike
  23. M

    what seems likely to have improved my gut?

    bump - still interested to know if anyone has an idea what among the listed supplements could have affected my gut so positively
  24. M

    what seems likely to have improved my gut?

    Yes, I'm aware of the possible tie-in to IBS. My primary care doctor suspects I have it, but he didn't have any suggestions for treatment as he doesn't know much about supplements. What's curious is that I seem to have started taking something already that helps it.
  25. M

    what seems likely to have improved my gut?

    I've been struggling with a painful gut after eating for years. The only time it's ever better is when I'm on a juice fast and not taking any solid food. But almost all solid food causes irritation (while certain foods cause extra irritation probably due to sensitivies). I've been adding...
  26. M

    methylation in people with bipolar

    I can also see the point of view that it's a tragedy to take medications with bad side-effects, medications that don't truly heal, when something natural and healing is available. I'm starting to discover ideas such as restarting methylation, mercury chelating, etc. And if these ideas get me...
  27. M

    methylation in people with bipolar

    stridor, I'm not familiar with thyroid meds. What specifically do you take? Beyond, psychotherapy is very helpful and has been shown to change the brain. It's a problem when psychotherapy is thought of as the only way to correct a "disorder," but many therapists consider themselves to be...
  28. M

    methylation in people with bipolar

    Thanks for the comments everyone. I got my 23andMe results. I would be interested in how these affect my course of action in restarting methylation. I really struggle with irritability and insomnia on a daily basis, and generally speaking supplements that improve my energy level and mood also...