Lotus, my year long (first real) bout with CFS happened 2 months after an amalgam cracked and fell out. There is no coincidence as far as I'm concerned. This without a doubt was the cause of my CFS. Every time I've increased or decreased my Mercury load I've experienced a heightening of symptoms. I got my final 2 amalgams removed last June and symptoms got very bad. Andy Cutler calls this a "Mercury Dump" where the organs, that no longer have to store mercury that is coming in, will release it to the bloodstream for removal. When chelation happens patients are advised to take a steady dose to keep the levels steady. Once the mercury starts coming out it seems to be like a faucet opening. You got to keep the chelator in the blood to pick it up or your symptoms are going to be awful. I'm wondering if the SMP is also detoxing Mercury as the chelators would.
Well, that could explain a lot. Assuming what you said is true with me, my first thought is that I have really bad luck that I'd be exposed to mercury (and possibly copper since amalgams have copper too) and then start methylfolate right afterwards. But if that didn't happen I never would have found out about Phoenix Rising or methylation so I'm glad it happened. I had stopped alpha lipoic acid and NAC for the past few months since Rich and Cutler both say not to take them if you suspect mercury toxicity. I was taking 1200 mg of ALA and NAC for over a year without any problems even though I had amalgams, but maybe I'll stop again for a bit just to be on the safe side.
If you remember the quote from Rich I posted earlier in this thread he specifically used the word "detox" for the people who could only tolerate a toothpick of methylfolate. I've heard from at least two people who had their metals tested after starting chelation and found that the methylation treatment caused them to dump metals. I've also heard from others who suspected metal toxicity and had a tough time with methylation.
I had been considering taking clay (either calcium bentonite or zeolite), but I wasn't sure if it was necessary. I have a bottle of activated characoal, but I've only used it a few times because I'm concerned it will bind to all my supplements because I take supplements all day long. According to one manufacturer of modified citrus pectin, MCP only binds to the bad stuff, but I'm a bit skeptical.
Rich says: "For people who suspect high body burdens of toxic metals, tests involving feces, urine and hair are available. High levels of some toxic metals can block enzymes in the methylation cycle and related pathways. Chelation treatment may be necessary to lower the levels enough to permit normal operation of this part of the metabolism."
So is it the chicken and egg? DO I chelate first to remove the Mercury interference of the methylation cycle? If I take supps to overcome the block what is that doing to the Mercury in my body?
I've wondered the same thing and Rich has pretty much said it depends on the individual. If you do methylation, just go slow and take binders if you think you need them. I'm only taking 1000 mcg of hydroxocobalamin right now and I just recently stopped methylfolate and folinic acid (I was only taking 100 mcg of each). This is what Rich has said on the subject:
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I think it's best to try to get the methylation cycle block lifted and glutathione up first, to the degree that is possible, before doing chelation, if chelation is necessary. Having a good glutathione level will help to protect the body when the metals are mobilized, I think.
If the heavy metals body burden is very high, these metals can block enzymes involved in the sulfur metabolism, including those associated with methylation and glutathione, to the degree that these parts of the metabolism will not recover very well under methylation treatment. If this is the case, then I think that chelation has to be done first, but it should be started slowly.
Best regards,
Rich
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I expect that you would get different advice from Andy, but for what it's worth, I would suggest doing the methylation protocol first. If it works, it will bring up the sulfur metabolism, which the body's detox system depends on to a large extent, and which is dysfunctional in ME/CFS. That will activate the body's normal ways of detoxing heavy metals and other toxins. Then, if it turns out to be necessary to do the chelation treatment, the body's detox system will be better able to help.
If the body burdens of toxic metals, such as mercury, are too high, so that these toxins block enzymes in the methylation cycle or related pathways, then it will be necessary to do the chelation treatment first.
Best regards,
Rich
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I have also been taking B-Right for years. The Paba and Pantethine were very good for Adrenal Fatigue I found out. I see it now has 100mcg of MCbl. Wondering how much of that actually absorbs in the stomach? I see the folic acid is "Quatrefolic (6S)-5-methyltetrahydrofolate". Hmmm.. So whatever MCbl + MTHF mkes it through the stomach would do it. Choline is also a methyl donor from what I've read (
http://onibasu.com/archives/am/55325.html) so that may be involved also. I'm not sure if that is a new addition or not.
The things that I believe helped my adrenal symptoms the most were consistently getting at least 10-11 hours of sleep and limiting activities and sources of stress. Limiting activities for me meant spending most of the day in bed. Since my social interactions were minimal, limiting sources of stress meant I stopped watching TV and movies, following politics, and reading fiction novels. I made a significant recovery during that period. I was also taking a lot of supplements and eating healthy which I'm sure also helped. Many of the supplements I was taking supported mitochondrial function, the Krebs Cycle, and ATP which help with energy and also glutathione production. Methylation will also improve mitochondrial function, ATP, and glutathione production. I was also taking adaptogens which probably helped my adrenals. And also various immune system supplements and antioxidants.
I don't remember the amount of Pantethine being all that high in B right, but it does have pantothenic acid too. It's not a bad b complex, but I think there might be better options. The amount of methylcobalamin in it isn't significant because the absorption rate for B12 in the gut is much lower than taking B12 sublingually. If you're taking lecithin you're already getting plenty of choline. One tablespoon has around 225 mg of choline. I don't like that they don't tell you how much folic acid and how much of methylfolate is in it. It just says a total of 400 mcg. Too much folic acid can cause problems for some people. Too much methylfolate can also cause problems. I found a b complex that only has 100 mcg of folic acid and it also has P5P and R5P so I'm going to be taking that. I also have a sublingual b complex with coenzymated forms of B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12 (as adenosylcobalamin). It has folic acid too, but I'm only taking 1/4 of a tablet right now so I'm not getting too much folic acid. I also found a b complex and multi vitamin with only folinic acid (no folic acid or methylfolate) so I'll probably start taking those at some point. I just ordered an SNP test from 23andme so I'm hoping that will help me know which supplements to take for methylation.