Inflammed brain - supplements

[randalbond]

Hello.
As some other people on this forum, I suffer from inflamed brain (the best way to describe it) which is usually combined with severe brain fog, disorientation and inability to think. I had it when I was ill with encephalitus many years ago, so it's unmistakebly familiar feeling. You wake up but you can't wake up hours later and feel very ill. Does anybody use antiinflammatories for it and how does it help? I use prednisolone when I'm really bad but I dont' think it's helping much. I also take tumeric (which has antiinflammatory properties) to help with my muscle pain, LDN has done nothing for me in a year's time.
If anyone has any suggestions, esp, if it has helped you, do let me know.
Thank you, guys.

 

[maryb]

Athene had some advice on another thread about grapeseed extract and green tea, they helped her. Not tried them yet, I think Enhansa might also be worth a punt ( a large punt!) it has been shown in studies to be able to cross the blood/brain barrier. I have tried Ibuprofen - makes me sick- aspirin is probably the next best. Recent studies have shown that these OTC meds for AI symptomes perform just as good as the patented prescription only ones.
I have a bad groin strain at present (just picking up dog poop on a shovel!!) took ibuprofen before bed, was even more dizzy and sick when I lay down, but it is slightly better today so they've done something.
At least I can sympathise with footballers now - thought they were wimps - but golly its painful.

 

[randalbond]

Thank you, Mary.

 

[Bob]

Some people report find small doses of Clonazepam helpful for ME, and I've found a very small daily dose consistently helpful to reduce moderate cognitive symptoms, including brain fog.

There are some discussion threads on the forum about Clonazepam/Klonopin.

Here's one:
http://www.forums.aboutmecfs.org/showthread.php?6660-Klonopin&highlight=klonopin

 

[Sallysblooms]

Have you tried L Carnitine? I take liquid Carniclear every day. It took those problems away.

 

[Michael Dessin]

Anti-inflammatory supplements can be tricky...many of them such as Tumeric are very good, on the other hand they have other properties that cause other reactions such as chelation, which can cause some pretty big issues...so itskinda the good with the bad.

If you look on line there are anti-inflammatory homeopathics which may be a very good option.

Yea I agree about the Kolonopin...For me its like a godsend when I take it...cognitive function would improve dramatically even on small doses. Again thats a double edge sword as well...it VERY VERY addictive....My advice would be extremely small doses...say .25mg... preferably at night, as it well help with sleep and just enough in the system the next day to still feel a nice improvement. Maybe do one day on, two days off...e.t.c. mix up a little so body doesnt get used to. Maybe use like 3 days throughout the week where you need to get the most done those days
Mike

 

[maryb]

Michael do you think if I took Enhansa it would start chelating metals, I've got lots of mercury fillings to get rid of before I start to go down that road.
Sorry for hijacking the thread randalbond.

 

[leaves]

curcumin is a copper and iron chelator. I do not know about mercury.

 

[maryb]

Thanks leaves

 

[shannah]

Lately, my inflammation in brain as well as body appears to be slowly receding with lauricidin. I've had to increase ever so slowly to minimize reactions but it is definitely clearing something that nothing else has touched (and I've tried most if not all of the common suggestions). Cognition has definitely improved somewhat. Still a long way to go but it seems ever so promising and have not plateaued as yet.

I've added in Equilibant recently as an immune modulator and both together seem to be more effective than on their own.

 

[justy]

I have been taking Vitamin D3 for a few months now 2,000iu a day. My cognitive problems - which were severe are pretty much gone.

 

[maryb]

Shannah I tried Lauricidin in the summer made me feel ill at first but went to about 4 pellets and was okayish - had a good spell shortly after and definitely less inflammation in my head, it came back after stopping all supplements for a few weeks, and I haven't gone back to it, so maybe I need to pluck up courage to try again. Maybe one to try randalbond - but its quite pricey.

 

[Michael Dessin]

Nice Justy!

Lauricidin probably made you feel lousy because its an immune modulator which when using modulators you may have side effects...they may even be healing side effects

Few posters ago...Curcumin chelates more than copper and whatever else you mentioned...as a matter of fact it chelates aluminum better than almost anything else in the world...no it does not chelate mercury too much...But CFS patients tend to have very high levels of aluminum, more than mercury even...Usually picked up on blood tests, not hair or urine.

 

[Cloud]

Interesting on the aluminum toxicity. That was highest of all metals on my test (hair). None of the others were even close to toxic levels, including mercury.

 

[Hip]

Have a look here for some non-standard approaches to treating brain inflammation:

http://www.forums.aboutmecfs.org/showthread.php?7653-Non-Standard-Anti-Anxiety-Treatment

 

[Hip]

Nice Justy!

Lauricidin probably made you feel lousy because its an immune modulator which when using modulators you may have side effects...they may even be healing side effects

Few posters ago...Curcumin chelates more than copper and whatever else you mentioned...as a matter of fact it chelates aluminum better than almost anything else in the world...no it does not chelate mercury too much...But CFS patients tend to have very high levels of aluminum, more than mercury even...Usually picked up on blood tests, not hair or urine.

CAn you provide more info on why blood tests for metals are more sensitive than hair or urine tests?

 

[justy]

Have a look here for some non-standard approaches to treating brain inflammation:

http://www.forums.aboutmecfs.org/showthread.php?7653-Non-Standard-Anti-Anxiety-Treatment

I have just had a peek a this and i noticed a mention of taking Ashwagandha. I have been taking this herb for some months as part of a tincture from a medical herbalist. So perhaps i am crediting the Vit D3 with too much. When you try so many different things at once for differnt symptoms its really hard to tease out whats doing what.
And i have to add that my brain power is not what it usd to be even though a lot of the cognitive problems have reduced drastically. I still get a flare of them if i am very over-tired etc.

I guess we tend to see any victory as large - ven if it means we are not at the level of healthy people.(i am still chuffed to have parts of my brain back though!)

 

[August59]

High levels of aluminum could be coming from anti-perspirants. Just about all of them use aluminum hydrochloride. But, we don't ingest them and I guess it is a transdermal thing.

 

[Cloud]

High levels of aluminum could be coming from anti-perspirants. Just about all of them use aluminum hydrochloride. But, we don't ingest them and I guess it is a transdermal thing.

I thought of that too even though I rarely use anti-persperants any longer (Pushing to the point of sweating is disastrous)....but maybe I used them more back when I did that test. Also, another source of aluminum could be cooking utensils. The next highest for me was Tin. I consume very little food or drinks from tin cans....no clue where the that came from. There is also the issue of where heavy metals get stored in the body....maybe some move towards hair while others are pushed into fatty tissue, etc.

On the brain inflammation, I would add that certain antibiotics can work quite well to rapidly decrease CNS inflammation. Azythromycin works best for me. But obviously there are multiple drawbacks for this as an ongoing remedy.

 

[Michael Dessin]

YES!!!!!!!! Zithromax is great at reducing inflamation...and always felt much better when taking it!!
Yes!!!!!!!! On ashwaghanda...maybe one of the best supplements in the world, no joke!!! It has a ton of healing properties including supporting new neuron growth!!!!!

Although one side effect of ashwaghanda is increase in libido which I could definitely tell when taking it...funny story, gave one to my dad and did not tell him anything about, next day he came to me with the biggest smile on his face...all he said was "nice son" with a wink.

True on the anti-persperants--maybe one of the easiest ways to INCREASE aluminum levels...you can get them aluminum free, which I recommend..as well as the cooking pans!!.

Hair tests are a little ambigous and may not accurately reflect any level of toxins if it comes back low....as metals may be very deep in tissues.

Blood test is straight forward...its either in your blood or not, but on the other hand metals may be in deep tissues and not reflect on blod test either.

The few biggies are usually...aluminum, Mercury, Tin and goldminium(sp)

I would do urine test, provked by a very tiny amount of chelator...may 10mg of DMSA, hair test and blood test...and definitely check for mineral derrangement on the hair test, if out of the norm, most likely metals are the reason.