Saturday, May 13, 2017

Ceruloplasmin, Iron Dysregulation and Liver Beef

Let's go back to the Fall of 2014.  I had shown flashes of the form that made me a sub-40/sub-90 performer just 2 years earlier but was EXTREMELY sensitive and unstable.  Here's what I needed at the time:
-Mega doses of adrenal suppressants
-Exact 1:1 ratio of Calcium/Magnesium with up and down doses
-Exact 20:1 ratio of Zinc/Copper
-Need for methyl folate but at unknown dose

  I got my Ceruloplasmin tested and my first result was very low at 17.9.  Though my lab's "normal" was 15-30, knowledgeable practitioners are well aware that anything below 20 is a serious problem. Morley Robbins wants it between 30-35.   I thought at the time that the low ceruloplasmin was the proverbial "smoking gun" that was responsible for the extreme sensitivity.  I was wrong about that.  I needed to fix a methylation block with MF and Sam-e and open up the sulfur pathways with molybdenum and B-12.  Still, improving my ceruloplasmin should have certainly helped my situation.  The most effective way to do that in my experience is a Liver glandular.  I took Liver Beef from Nutricology almost every day for several months.  HUGE mistake and I paid for it BIGLY in 2015.

The result:
  I improved initially but it did nothing for the sensitivity.  I found when my level got up to around 20, I probably felt about my best since 2012 but it was sharply downhill from there.  The last time it was tested, I scored a 25.9 and declared myself sub-optimal but close enough that it should not produce significant symptoms.  Yet, I felt MUCH WORSE than before upping the ceruloplasmin. WHY?
Liver Beef will definitely raise your level.  I found that each pill that I took raised it by roughly 0.1 points or about 2 points every 3 weeks.  That's YUGE!  However, while bioavailable copper went up. it also CRASHED my zinc and raised my already sky high Iron levels.  I know believe that my extreme adrenal over-activity was due at least in part to Iron overload.  Liver is very high in Iron.  I don't know what my Iron levels were 2014 but 2 years later even after being off the Liver for 18 months, it was SIGNIFICANTLY elevated.  Bad enough to be flagged as high by the lab.
DO NOT TAKE LIVER BEEF UNTIL YOUR IRON OVERLOAD IS CONTROLLED!!

My Treatments:
I initially went with Curcumin and had some problems with it because of its sulfur content.  Fortunately, molybdenum solved that.  Though unconfirmed, I believe that I have gone too far with lowering the serum Iron now.  Why else would I react so badly to Curcumin and now IP-6?  However, my Ferritin level (stored Iron) remains stubbornly high (186 vs ideal of 50).  That means that I have too much Iron stored in my organs and not enough in my blood.  Not good.  For a while, it looked like IP-6 could be the answer but that stuff  failed me today.

Possible solutions:
-Continue to mix and match with Liver Beef and IP-6.  Liver Beef was well tolerated today, which is another sign that my serum Iron is indeed low.  I already know that Liver Beef is NOT a long-term every day supplement.  If I do take it every day, it won't be long until my blood Iron levels get too high again.  I will use it only on the weekends even if it continues to be effective.  Will I be able to tolerate IP-6 again if I take the Liver Beef occasionally?  We shall see.  If that answer is NO, I am out of conservative options.  EDIT- The 2nd dose of Liver Beef ended in disaster.  IP-6 as a stand alone is likely a NO as well.  SCRATCH THIS OPTION!

Option 2- Liver flush- I have little confidence in this one.  The theory is that it will dump the Iron from my Liver into my blood and put me back on IP-6 or Curcumin and leave me intolerant to the Liver Beef.  Fortunately, I will get a quick YES or NO answer on this one.  I'll know within a few days whether or not it has the desired effect.

Option 3-Blood donation- This is Morley's preferred option.  It is pretty much guaranteed to lower Ferritin BUT it will also lower serum Iron.  Until the latter is up to snuff, this is NOT an option.  Fortunately, the Liver Beef should raise it both quickly and bigly.

I'm staying conservative until after the epic road trip.  By that time, I will have several doses of the Liver Beef in my system.  If I can't tolerate it after the Liver flush, I stay on the IP-6, which should in time, get the Ferritin down.  If the Liver Beef is tolerated after the flush, that means it didn't work but by that time with several additional doses, the serum Iron should be high enough to go through with the blood donation.

Option 4- Take no further action.  I've always been more concerned with how I feel than my lab results.  If I am relatively stable and running respectable times, I will accept a high Ferritin level.

EDIT:  Given recent events, I have become convinced that blood donation is my best option.  Iron overload may still be present even if serum Iron is low.  Ferrittin is what matters.
 

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