Taking a Break

Another horrible day today (1 Mile in 8:52) so that does it!  How long will I be out?  I'm really not sure.  It will all depend on how I feel and my mood.  It could be just a week-10 days or it could be 6 weeks.  In any event, I am still committed to those last 2 half marathons: Montour Trail in Pennsylvania (9/12) and Spinx Greenville, South Carolina (10/31).  At this point, I don't care how I do.  Hell, if it takes me 3 hours, so what?  I will not be denied just 2 states shy of the Half2Run challenge.  If I am injured or sick,  I have a backup plan.  After that point, I will never race again unless I can at least bear some resemblance to the Crazy J of old.  My minimum standards are (21:00/45:00/1:40) or at least in that neighborhood

I've looked over some of my old posts from 2009-2010 and yes, there were some rough stretches in there and I did have some ridiculous sensitivities to taurine and chromium but for the most part, I was able to overcome it.  I won more than I lost in my training and usually delivered a good performance on race day. The days that I could not run at all or blew up before Mile 3 were very few and far between.  Nowadays, it seems like it's happening more often than not and at the end of the day, I just don't enjoy this anymore.  

As far as the Health Coach, I have mixed feelings.  I personally like the guy and he seems to be genuinely caring but I question his knowledge and expertise.  Several of the products recommended will certainly cause a negative reaction and he should have known it too.  Moreover, the customer service is lacking and the staff appears to be shorthanded.  I have yet to get the list narrowed down to 3 or 4 additional products.  Unless I hit another roadblock, I will probably not do my follow up appointment.  It has not been a total waste however as I have learned quite a bit more about what these genes do and how a mutation could be affecting me.  If an alternative health practice opens up in Birmingham, would I consider joining the staff?  If I could earn a livable wage, hell yeah!  I don't mind my current job and I'm pretty good at it too but it's not my passion.  I read another heart breaking story on Facebook recently about a 12 year old girl who has been subject to severe depression, suicide attempts, cutting herself and hallucinations.  She has reacted horribly to anti-depressants.  Again, she is only 12 years old with no major emotional trauma! Not surprisingly, her genetics are far worse than mine.  I'm doing a good thing for society by busting blatant tax cheaters but helping someone like that would be SO much bigger.

I did get my Ammonia blood test results back today as well and it is normal in the blood and not even close to the upper limit.  The reference range was 20-106 and I believe mine was 62 so that's no cause for alarm.  Still, it's quite possible that the CBS issue is giving me problems.  The best source of information at this point would be a Urinary Amino Acid (UAA test), which tests the levels of ammonia, taurine and other methyl donors such as methionine in the urine.  I would be VERY surprised if taurine is NOT high.  It's tested through the roof in the past when I was supplementing with it.  How to reduce it is less clear but the smart money is on increasing my Cal/Mag, which will in turn reduce my need for the ADHS.  The test costs $305 but should be worth it.

Here is a list of new supplements that I am considering though for the time being, I will stick with the same basic formula:
Nrf2 Energizer- Produces necessary glutathione for detox indirectly and does NOT contain sulfur and will NOT raise taurine levels.  Still iffy about its effectiveness.

Mitoforce-  Improves weak mitochondrial function but contains a couple questionable ingredients so I am unsure if it will work.

GABA/glutamate spray- treats the GAD mutation and also should not affect taurine but not fully confident.

Pectasol- This one specifically targets the mercury toxicity and is based from the pectin in fruit.  If in the unlikely event, taurine is NOT high, then mercury is the only reasonable explanation as to why I cannot tolerate sulfurs.

ACE nucleotide product- The ACE mutation is responsible for sodium retention and may explain why my tissue Na is stubbornly high on my HTMA.

LAST resort- Again, dealing with potential mercury toxicity, I could get my metal amalgams removed.  It would have to be done by a very skilled biological dentist.  I do have 2 root canals and several metal fillings.  I hesitate because I've read stories of people who got worse after the procedure.  I'd have to exhaust every other possible option before going down this road.  My friend Carrie is strongly considering this procedure and if it does help her, I'm a lot more likely to try it myself.