Hi, Karina.
As you requested, I have studied your Organix profile results from a urine sample collected on May 29, 2012.
Looking first at the bacterial markers, the elevated benzoate, phenylacetate and D-lactate indicate that you have intestinal bacterial dysbiosis. This is in agreement with the results of your microbial ecology profile from a stool sample collected on January 8, 2012. This is likely interfering with your body’s ability to obtain nutrients.
Looking next at the citric acid cycle metabolites in the mitochondria, most are high or high-normal. This indicates that there is a bottleneck in your energy metabolism beyond the citric acid cycle. It could be due to a deficiency of vitamin B2 and/or B3, since they are involved in transferring energetic electrons from the citric acid cycle to the electron transfer chain. It could also be due to a deficiency of coenzyme Q-10, which transfers electrons along this chain. The high-normal hydroxymethylglutarate suggests that coenzyme Q-10 is low. Beyond these, there could be problems with the cytochromes in this chain, such as could be caused by deficiencies of iron or copper, or there could be toxins blocking these enzymes.
Because the mitochondria are dysfunctional, your carbohydrate metabolism has shifted to anaerobic glycolysis, as indicated by the high L-lactate, with pyruvate below the detection limit. This is an inefficient way to make ATP, but it is keeping you alive.
Fatty acids are being mobilized, but they are not passing through the normal beta oxidation process in the mitochondria. The evidence for this is that beta hydroxybutyrate is below the detection limit. This is probably due to deficiencies of carnitine and vitamin B2. The fatty acids are being diverted to omega oxidation, as evidenced by the high adipate and ethylmalonate.
Fumarate is below the detection limit. Since succinate is high, this indicates a block between the two, which could be due to low vitamin B2 or low iron. This also suggests that the urea cycle is running slowly. There are several possible causes for that, But the B-complex vitamin markers as well as the last three neurotransmitter markers indicate that there is a deficiency of either B2 or B6 or both, and that interferes with amino acids metabolism, which could account for the slow urea cycle. This is in agreement with the results of your plasma amino acids panel from a blood sample collected on March 22, 2012. That panel showed your essential amino acids levels being generally high, indicating that they were not being burned for fuel at as high a rate as normal.
Considering the three possible fuels (carbs, fats and amino acids from protein), it looks as though your body is running primarily on anaerobic glycolysis of carbs.
The high methylmalonate indicates that there is a functional B12 deficiency. This is consistent with glutathione depletion and a partial block in methionine synthase in the methylation cycle, as was shown on your methylation pathways panel. Formiminoglutamate is low-normal, but this marker is probably being masked by B-complex vitamin deficiencies, because it is contradictory to the low tetrahydrofolate level on your methylation pathways panel, and that is a direct measurement of the "hub" of the folate metabolism.
The low-normal glucarate indicates that your Phase I detox and Phase II glucuronidation are not working very fast. This could mean that you don’t have high levels of toxins, and that would be a good thing!
Alpha-hydroxybutyrate is below the detection limit. This suggests low flow through the transsulfuration pathway, but this marker could be masked by a vitamin B3 deficiency, which was suggested above. Pyroglutamate is normal, which is puzzling to me, because I would have expected it to be high or low, reflecting glutathione depletion, as found on your methylation pathways panel, where glutathione was measured directly. Perhaps this is a result of polymorphisms in your glutathione peroxidases or glutathione transferases, as I indicated earlier was suggested by your contradictory Spectracell results. Sulfate is high-normal, indicating a high rate of excretion of sulfur metabolites. These results are somewhat confusing, but they do suggest that the sulfur metabolism is off-normal.
The observation that both L-lactate and D-lactate are elevated suggests that you may have metabolic acidosis, i.e. too much acid in the blood, producing a low blood pH. It would be a good idea to have that checked by your physician, because acidosis can cause problems with the heart, the brain, the breathing, and the digestive system.
Putting together the results of the various lab tests that you have had, I would say that you do have intestinal bacterial dysbiosis; and I think this should receive priority in treatment. I understand that you are seeing Dr. Galland, so I assume that is under way.
You also have some nutritional deficiencies, particularly in the B-complex vitamins. You may be able to get injections of B-complex vitamins from your physician. Taking B-complex orally may not work well until the intestinal dysbiosis is corrected.
I don’t know whether you have deficiencies in essential minerals at this point or not. It would require additional testing to determine this, or you could just take a good, high-potency multimineral after the dysbiosis is corrected.
You do have glutathione depletion, a functional B12 deficiency, a partial block in your methylation cycle, and folates depletion. After correcting the gut problems and the nutritional deficiencies, a methylation-type protocol will likely be needed to correct this. I understand that you have already been on a methylation protocol for some months. I suspect that the B-complex vitamin deficiencies and perhaps some mineral deficiencies are limiting your progress on this protocol.
In your early post, you mentioned having positive antibody tests for several pathogens. These may require specific treatment if the immune system is not able to defeat them after the above issues have been resolved.
I hope this is helpful. I suppose this goes without saying, but be sure to work with your physician on treatment.
Best regards,
Rich