Saturday, September 22, 2018

Citrates, Oxalates, Liver Beef and Ceruloplasmin

Once again, recording the results of medical tests has paid off.  I thought I had a Zinc deficiency, which would explain the intolerance to the IP-6, possibly the Beau's Lines on my thumbs and even maybe the weight gain and sluggishness over the past few years.  While my Zinc level has usually tested normal in the plasma and in the hair, the best way to assess the status is an RBC (red blood cell) test.  I wasn't sure if that was ever tested but a blog post from January of last year revealed that indeed it was.  Was there a deficiency?  NO!  It was actually flagged as high!  Forget supplementing with Zinc in that case.  I'll go ahead and pitch the bottle.

Q:Why did the high oxalates flare up?  Am I sure it was the oxalates?
A: It's possible that Whole Food C was the culprit because it is derived from foods that are indeed high in oxalates but more likely, it was the Sarcosine.  Again, that is the one treatment that I cannot do without at this point.  Without it, I become sensitive to everything.  Yes, I am sure it was the oxalates because the treatment (Paramin) resolved the sensitivity to adrenal support that had only flared up recently.

Q: What is Paramin and is it necessary?
A: Paramin is a mineral supplement containing a combo of Calcium citrate and Magnesium citrate.  It's on Morley's NO NO list but I've got to do what I've got to do.  Symptoms of high oxalates were intolerable without it.  Again, I was on it consistently until early 2013 and was a much better and more consistent performer but was eventually forced off due to intolerance to it.  It must NOT be relied upon to keep my Magnesium stores up to par.  Jigsaw Magnesium remains in the cocktail but if I happen to miss a day of it or forget to pack it, no big deal.

I believe it is "probably necessary." When I visited my parents last weekend, my need for it spiked and I felt better after taking it.   If the Whole Food C caused the oxalates to flare up, it may not be needed now that I am off that stuff for good.  However, the more likely scenario is that the Sarcosine caused it and I CANNOT quit that stuff.  Nevertheless, I might try to go a couple days without it just to see what happens.  The worst that can happen is that I endure a rough morning and get better again after I take it.  If in the unlikely event that I don't need the Paramin, I probably won't have to mess with the Liver.

Q: Any risks with Paramin?
A: Unfortunately yes.  It can and probably did deplete ceruloplasmin especially at higher doses.  That's why I was so bad at the race in DC.  That's why it's a NO NO according to Morley.  Whole Food C won't work so Liver Beef is the only way to combat that loss.  Morley wants ceruloplasmin at 30.  I'm not real concerned about it being a little on the low side.  I actually felt my best when it was around 20 versus at 25 so IMHO, I only need to keep it from falling below 20.  I know from my history that YES, my Cp number DOES respond very well to Liver Beef so even a low dose IN THEORY should offset the loss from Paramin. 

Q: Any risks with Beef Liver?
A: Again, unfortunately yes.  It can crash Zinc and raise Iron.  I likely overshot the balance point by taking too much Liver, which explains the brief improvement after taking Zinc.  The theory is that if excess Iron is controlled through regular blood donations, Zinc will NOT crash.  If the previous lab test is still accurate, I don't have to worry about low Zinc any time soon unless I really load on Liver.  Though unconfirmed, I believe that if Iron is kept in check,  my Zinc should be okay.  Fortunately, if I can keep the Paramin dose low as it appears I can, high doses of Liver should not be necessary.  I may not even have to mess with it at all if I only take 1-2.  As an aside, if I do take the Liver, synthetic B-12 will NOT be needed any longer and molybdenum is a question mark.  Methyl folate + DMG still is.

Needless to so, I am hurting emotionally.  Every time I think I have this solved and can be consistent albeit much slower, something unexpected flares up. I really thought that by taking care of my health problems early, I would prevent chronic disease later in life and age gracefully.  Not so!   My expectations for the final outcome keep getting lower and lower yet I still end up disappointed and lower the expectations again.  That's the exact opposite of Ephesians 3:20 and am questioning its truth.  Can a degenerative condition that will ultimately lead to an early grave really happen to me?  I have a Facebook friend who recently died of ALS so yes, it could.  The only thing I can do if this is as good as it will get is to do as much as I can now while I still can.  The Denver/Nebraska trip is a GO but I may alter the dates and take a Saturday-Tuesday trip because I can get a much better deal on the flight

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