Medical report

RANT:  I have still not seen my actual results.  I called to check on Monday afternoon and placed an order the following day.  I got the refill on the pills but have STILL NOT RECEIVED THE REPORT!  Most likely, the assistant forgot to put it in the mail.  I already basically know the results but I won't see it in print until after Christmas and I am not happy.  The doc did tell me that it was "not much different than my last one" so I'll base it on that.

Background:
  I sent my sample to the lab in mid-November after seeing my Thym-Adren dosage begin to trend down.  That could have meant 1 of 2 things:
1) my numbers are getting close to normal and I can safely begin the process of weaning off
2) I remain unbalanced but my body is rejecting the pill that is necessary to get me there
    
For those of you unfamiliar with hair analysis, it is a measure of minerals that correlate with hormones at the tissue or cellular level rather than the blood.  Hormones may be circulating at normal levels in the blood but are not reaching the tissues in proper proportions.  That is why many patients report feeling bad despite the fact that their blood work looks fine.  Such patients are usually put on anti-depressants, which are beneficial only if they properly target low neurotransmitters.

I was cautiously hopeful for scenario #1 because I had successfully weaned off neurotransmitter support for deficiencies in adrenaline and dopamine 4 years ago.  Most patients need to take a small dosage for preventative maintenance but I do not.  If my health continued to improve as my dosage was being cut, that would be a very good sign.  I've had some good workouts in the past 6 weeks but the overall trend has been that of decline and increasing instability since my 39:44 10K trial.  It got to the point in which 2 pills left me feeling blah and depressed but if I only took 1, I would flip to the other extreme (anxiety, restlessness, short of breath).  Needless to say, I can't run well in either state and more important things will also suffer as a result.

The results reflect an average of the previous 3 months (late August-late November) so I did not expect to be in balance because I was hurting pretty badly up until mid-September due to the sugar intolerance but performed consistently well from late September-early November.  The actual normals are a bit more complex than I describe but for the sake of simplicity, I will only report the deviation from the norm for both the thyroid and adrenal ratios.

Blood sugar: Ideal = 6.67 (norm= 4.5-9.0) Under 3 or above 12 is significant.  Under 2 or above 16 is extreme. 
Thyroid and adrenal: Normal would be considered to be between 75%-150% of the ideal value.  Most athletes tend to run a little on the high side of "normal" but anything more than 2x ideal is significant and performances will certainly be adversely affected. 4x is bordering on extreme and I've been as bad as 8x faster in the past.  The same holds true for the other side of the spectrum.  Less than 50% of ideal is significant and 25% borders on extreme.

My results:
I was told that my blood sugar was within the normal range.  That's good news but no big surprise.  I've improved a great deal in that area since I took care of the fructose intolerance with the enzyme xylose isomerase (Fructosin).  If I cheat too often however, I will find myself in trouble again.

Again, I don't know the exact numbers but "not much different from last time" means that my thyroid and adrenals are still about 4 times higher than ideal and bordering on extreme.

The plan:
A lot of patients quit on the program when suggested pills stop working or cause them to feel worse.  In my case, my numbers suggested that I need loads of Thym-Adren or something else to slow my system down but my body was rejecting it, which prevented me from getting closer to balance.  The right strategy is to find out why your body is rejecting supposedly key nutrients and either switch to another pill or attack the problem that caused the rejection.  It appears that my issue with Thym-Adren has to do with copper biounavailability (mineral is present but can't be processed as it should).  If I only took 1 pill, being unbalanced will over-ride the copper issue and cause the symptoms of fast oxidation.  If I went up to 2 pills, the copper issue will over-ride the imbalances, causing the blahs.  Now, it makes sense why I was so unstable!  Vitamin C is a powerful copper antagonist with a chelating effect.  Molybdenum could be another option.  As long as I take enough C, I should be able to tolerate as much Thym-Adren as I need.  As of now, symptoms DO match the results.  THIS HAD BETTER BE THE FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE!  I can't go on like this indefinitely and I must admit that these false hopes and relapses have taken a toll on my faith.

The question on most people's mind is this:  How can I possibly train and race as well as I do if I am so badly unbalanced? I don't mean to sound arrogant but the answer is natural talent.  Let's say that a world-class distance runner such as Meb or Ryan Hall slowed by a minute per mile.  He would still be among the best local runners but would get lapped twice in a world class 5,000 meter race and everyone would know something was wrong.  If he recovers his form a couple of years later, the question becomes: What did you do to solve what was wrong?

On a somewhat selfish note, sure I'd like to know how good I could be if I was balanced.  A lot of people in the running community have no idea that I am not healthy and probably would not believe it if they heard the truth.  A significant spike in my performances will certainly generate more interest in both my story and alternative medicine as a whole.  My doctor says that I know as much as him when it comes to treatment.  Several people have encouraged me to publish my knowledge in a book.  I don't feel right about that unless I get in balance.  Who wants to listen to someone endorsing a treatment despite his/her unresolved symptoms?  My aim to to glorify God, not myself.  I've said this before but I still stand firm:  If somebody offered me a contract stating that I could trade my running talent for 50 years of general good health.  My response would be: "It's a deal! Where do I sign?"  I don't care if I have to take a ton of pills either.  Just get my numbers in line!  I've caught glimpses of what it's like to be in balance and y'all have no idea how good it feels to me.