Zinc is reducing my hypersensitivity to smells!

[marlunette]

I started taking zinc about two months ago and I have been quite surprised at how helpful it has been. For the first time since being exposed to mold it feels like I am strengthening my blood brain barrier. The instant sense of inflammation and headache from smelling certain chemicals or strong smells is gone.

I am still reacting to mold and I am careful about avoidance overall, but it's been quite liberating. Overall my body and brain feel much calmer.

Right now I am taking 50 mg/day. In about a month I plan on going down to 10 mg/day as long-term zinc supplementation can be dangerous at high levels. If I ate meat I would probably quit supplementing all together.

Has anyone else had an experience like this with zinc? It was one of those things I tried because I thought there might be some vague benefit, but it has been a profound change for me.

 

[andyguitar]

I started taking zinc about two months ago and I have been quite surprised at how helpful it has been.

It's a very important mineral @marlunette and one that is easy to become deficient in when we consider modern diets.

Has anyone else had an experience like this with zinc?

Fairly sure it's been mentioned on this site. Cant remember by who though.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@marlunette
Zinc is intimately involved with our sense of smell, and too much or too little can have unpleasant consequences.

I had the same experience with magnesium glycinate. Can;t for the life of me explain why it worked so many little miracles for me, but it did. And I'm still taking it.

The bottom line is that if the zinc is helpful to you, keep it up.

Do know, tho, that too much zinc can drain your copper reserves, which can also have consequences.

But just to be as confusing as possible, it could be that the zinc you're taking reduced the copper you're absorbing, and that contributed to the benefts you're enjoying.

I'm really glad that you found something that helped ..... those little successes are what we can build more, possibly even greater, successes on ....

Onward and upward !!!

 

[marlunette]

@marlunette
Do know, tho, that too much zinc can drain your copper reserves, which can also have consequences.

But just to be as confusing as possible, it could be that the zinc you're taking reduced the copper you're absorbing, and that contributed to the benefits you're enjoying.

Thank you for the encouraging words! I am very aware of the copper issue. My first experience with ME/CFS symptoms was after getting a copper IUD placed. I developed a serious reaction to all metal in my body after it was removed.

I am wondering if I depleted my zinc when I had the IUD ten years ago. It's also possible that I am just benefitting from absorbing less copper now, which I'm certain my body is still reacting to. It's frustrating that I'll never know because no one warned me about this when I had the IUD placed or removed, so I didn't have the opportunity to test.

But for now I'm happy that something is working. I started taking magnesium and I'll add in B6 soon, since those can also be depleted by too much copper.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

It's frustrating that I'll never know because no one warned me about this when I had the IUD placed or removed,

They did the same thing to me with the copper oil. Damn near killed me ....

You might want to consider calcium, iron, and phosphorus depletions as well ... all of them have to compete with zinc ...... magnesium doesn;t, and can be taken alongside zinc with no issues.

But for now I'm happy that something is working.

That's the winning spirit, @marlunette .... I've found that I do better when I acknowledge, and in my small way celebrate, the seemingly 'little' victories ... they're not just victories in and of themselves, they're the building blocks to other, bigger victories, or at least that's been true in my little journey thru all this sturm und drang ...