Synopsis:
I just stumbled on a major discovery worth sharing. I developed acute inflammation in my foot and dosed my usual antioxidants. It really did not respond until I added selenium.
I would like to provide an update and a correction from a previous thread.
(1) Does Dietary Coenzyme Q10 plus Selenium Supplementation Ameliorate Clinical Outcomes by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Individuals wi | Phoenix Rising ME/CFS Forums
I went into a major burp in my CFS (I have been tracking well (at least for a CFS person)).
I developed cracks in my heel from wearing boots, this happened before, and I applied lotions and it resolved. But this time it did not. I now suspect that there was an opportunistic infection (bacteria) which was left untreated (I never suspected it could have an infection, a duh moment for me).
I mistakenly applied synthetic lotions (another duh moment for me
which caused the foot to go deeper into inflammation. We should avoid chemicals at all costs.
I never had pain like this one. On a scale of 1-10, it was a 15. I could not walk on the foot; I used a wheelchair and canes. I went to the Urgent Care and the doctor said it was cellulitis. Cellulitis is inflammation, the foot was swollen and red. She prescribed Keflex which is like penicillin. The problem did not resolve. I went to a podiatrist who examined it, took x-rays and shook his head. Some Prednisone helped for a short period of time, as you know, this is not always a good choice since it can alter other processes in the body. For example, my blood sugar spiked 100+ points.
I whipped out my trusted supplements which include my wide array of antioxidants; still no relief. I thought it was still infected and tried a number of my home remedies which have served me well in the past. No relief.
I hacked through my other supplements including minerals, vitamins etc., still no relief. I ran across an educational video about patches that are applied to the wounds (foot had developed red cracks which were super sensitive). The video explained how chronic inflammation gets out of control from excessive enzymes and the patch should help with this cascading inflammation. They did help somewhat but did not solve the problem.
I studied PubMed articles about these enzymes which are called MMPs and found that certain polyphenols could slow down this cascade of inflammation. For instance, white tea had some of the strongest polyphenols that could quench this inflammation. I made (and make) a cocktail of rich polyphenols which include white tea but also strong PP spices including green tea, cloves, red tea, cacao (unprocessed raw chocolate). I have used other PP mixes in the past which I credit for helping me.
My baseline PP mix has been organic turmeric, Ceylon cinnamon, paprika, ashwagandha and moringa. I put this in organic chicken broth. Chicken broth made a big difference for me along with collagen peptides. By the way, moringa is rich in sulforaphanes (found in broccoli sprouts). Sulforaphanes are critical for detoxification, immunity etc.
All of this helped somewhat but did not solve the problem. I went through another rampage of PubMed searches and looked up selenium. I found several articles with strong research showing how selenium relates to so many metabolic pathways. The one section of research has to do with selenium's ability to control the cytokines, it is the master controller. Cytokines are molecules that are sent out from the immune system, there are a number of cytokines and reading an immunologist make a statement that they really don't understand them made me feel somewhat better.
There is a class of cytokines that are pro-inflammatory. A pro-inflammatory cytokine is one that causes problems. Massive inflammation is their hallmark, and we all know the dangers of high inflammation. With high inflammation comes damage to the cells of the entire body, with that damage, comes loss of vitality. This is why antioxidants are critical since they stop the damage.
I started dosing with selenium at 400mcg per day (note that selenium can be toxic at higher levels). I am still doing my baseline antioxidants and other supplements. Within 2 days, the wounds (inflammation) are clearing up and pain has diminished significantly.
It is my understanding that selenium is the point man of the antioxidant system. Without adequate levels, the system will not function correctly. Of course, you cannot isolate one nutrient as being a causative factor since they synchronize with each other, but I would say that selenium would be on the top of the list.
These are pictures of my heel. The Left one is today, the Right is 4 days ago (prior to taking selenium)
I just stumbled on a major discovery worth sharing. I developed acute inflammation in my foot and dosed my usual antioxidants. It really did not respond until I added selenium.
I would like to provide an update and a correction from a previous thread.
(1) Does Dietary Coenzyme Q10 plus Selenium Supplementation Ameliorate Clinical Outcomes by Modulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Individuals wi | Phoenix Rising ME/CFS Forums
I went into a major burp in my CFS (I have been tracking well (at least for a CFS person)).
I developed cracks in my heel from wearing boots, this happened before, and I applied lotions and it resolved. But this time it did not. I now suspect that there was an opportunistic infection (bacteria) which was left untreated (I never suspected it could have an infection, a duh moment for me).
I mistakenly applied synthetic lotions (another duh moment for me
which caused the foot to go deeper into inflammation. We should avoid chemicals at all costs.I never had pain like this one. On a scale of 1-10, it was a 15. I could not walk on the foot; I used a wheelchair and canes. I went to the Urgent Care and the doctor said it was cellulitis. Cellulitis is inflammation, the foot was swollen and red. She prescribed Keflex which is like penicillin. The problem did not resolve. I went to a podiatrist who examined it, took x-rays and shook his head. Some Prednisone helped for a short period of time, as you know, this is not always a good choice since it can alter other processes in the body. For example, my blood sugar spiked 100+ points.
I whipped out my trusted supplements which include my wide array of antioxidants; still no relief. I thought it was still infected and tried a number of my home remedies which have served me well in the past. No relief.
I hacked through my other supplements including minerals, vitamins etc., still no relief. I ran across an educational video about patches that are applied to the wounds (foot had developed red cracks which were super sensitive). The video explained how chronic inflammation gets out of control from excessive enzymes and the patch should help with this cascading inflammation. They did help somewhat but did not solve the problem.
I studied PubMed articles about these enzymes which are called MMPs and found that certain polyphenols could slow down this cascade of inflammation. For instance, white tea had some of the strongest polyphenols that could quench this inflammation. I made (and make) a cocktail of rich polyphenols which include white tea but also strong PP spices including green tea, cloves, red tea, cacao (unprocessed raw chocolate). I have used other PP mixes in the past which I credit for helping me.
My baseline PP mix has been organic turmeric, Ceylon cinnamon, paprika, ashwagandha and moringa. I put this in organic chicken broth. Chicken broth made a big difference for me along with collagen peptides. By the way, moringa is rich in sulforaphanes (found in broccoli sprouts). Sulforaphanes are critical for detoxification, immunity etc.
All of this helped somewhat but did not solve the problem. I went through another rampage of PubMed searches and looked up selenium. I found several articles with strong research showing how selenium relates to so many metabolic pathways. The one section of research has to do with selenium's ability to control the cytokines, it is the master controller. Cytokines are molecules that are sent out from the immune system, there are a number of cytokines and reading an immunologist make a statement that they really don't understand them made me feel somewhat better.
There is a class of cytokines that are pro-inflammatory. A pro-inflammatory cytokine is one that causes problems. Massive inflammation is their hallmark, and we all know the dangers of high inflammation. With high inflammation comes damage to the cells of the entire body, with that damage, comes loss of vitality. This is why antioxidants are critical since they stop the damage.
I started dosing with selenium at 400mcg per day (note that selenium can be toxic at higher levels). I am still doing my baseline antioxidants and other supplements. Within 2 days, the wounds (inflammation) are clearing up and pain has diminished significantly.
It is my understanding that selenium is the point man of the antioxidant system. Without adequate levels, the system will not function correctly. Of course, you cannot isolate one nutrient as being a causative factor since they synchronize with each other, but I would say that selenium would be on the top of the list.
These are pictures of my heel. The Left one is today, the Right is 4 days ago (prior to taking selenium)
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