Very interested to find this thread! I've been following GRJ's protocol for the past two years in an attempt to improve my health. Some things have improved, others not. I'm still a work in progress, it seems. I started on transdermal B12 oil in January 2020, having done an OAT and HTMA as GRJ likes to see where one is at re vitamin/mineral levels. Needless to say I was deficient in B12, B2, iron, Vit D, slightly in B1, and my ketones were quite raised (I was underweight at the time as I was barely eating due to histamine intolerance and oxalate issues, so was likely breaking down body proteins). He reckons one can fix histamine and oxalate issues by repleting B2, and this is done via a cascade starting with Iodine, Selenium and Molybdenum and the thyroid, as I have seen others mention in this thread.
I am hypothyroid (autoimmune) and was already taking T3 only when I began on the protocol. GRJ isn't a fan of T3 as he says it's too difficult to regulate, but I am no fan of T4 monotherapy as it just didn't work for me. He wants me to go back onto T4 and from there try to reduce that and hopefully end up not needing thyroid hormones, provided the Iodine, Selenium work and I have thyroid function left. I'm not convinced of this approach. It might have worked when I was first diagnosed, as I think possibly Selenium deficiency was my main problem. However I didn't come across GRJ for some years and in the intervening time, gave up gluten, went dairy free, and I defintely made myself more deficient in B2 the process. So it's no longer an easy fix, if it ever was. I have spent the past few years trying various thyroid hormone combos. T4 only, then NDT, then T3 only, and am currently on a mix of T4 and T3. I just never feel well, so clearly something else is out of kilter. Doctors in the UK are reluctant (understatement!) to prescribe T3 and my doctor told me I wouldn't get it anyway, so I self-source. It does make my brain feel so much clearer, so even though that's the only noticeable improvement from T4 only therapy, it's well worth it.
I also tried taking I/Se/Mo transdermal oils after I'd been on B12 oil for awhile and had worked up to the full dosages of oral I/Se/Mo. I found after several months I could smell something musty coming from my skin. My taste was ruined by the mustiness, my clothes smelt of it. I decided it must be the oils (that's a lot of oil to put on daily) and I cut out the I/Se/Mo and went back to tablets, but kept the B12 oil as I don't think there's a better source. The mustiness reduced to a manageable level, I can still smell it occasionally but it's bearable. No idea what it is or what causes it. The Moly did fix my low stomach acid which was giving me reflux, so that's also a huge plus. I have now switched to liquid Moly as I find I absorb it better, hoping to do the same with Selenium.
I still occasionally contact GRJ if I have new results. He can be a bit grumpy but his biochemical knowledge is undeniable, and he has a huge amount of data now from all the people he helps or gets OATs from.
