I was astonished when I plugged my latest hair test numbers into the spreadsheet I use to analyze result. But I was more than surprised, I was overjoyed-and tears began to stream down my face. That’s because I’ve been working on normalizing my mineral balance for nearly 4 years and consistently falling into the most extreme desperate mineral profiles with names like ‘extreme burnout’ and ‘tunnel of death’. Have a look at 4 years of Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis here.
Here’s how I got started with mineral balancing – first, I suspected my illness revolved around mercury toxicity after a high mercury level showed up on a DDI whole blood elements test done in 2007. Regrettably, years went by before I did my first hair test in 2013 which confirmed the high mercury. But it also showed even higher copper levels, record-breaking high copper levels in fact. For some reason, however, I focused on the mercury and started doing low-dose chelation according to Dr. Cutler’s teachings. But, I failed to heed Dr. Cutler’s warning that copper toxicity must be addressed and resolved before attempting mercury chelation.
As a result, I lost a substantial degree of vitality and gave up on the mercury chelation. However, I had not completely ignored Dr. Cutler’s writings about copper toxicity — I did start using mineral balancing principles to fight my high copper while chelating mercury. And after quitting chelation, I kept going with my copper toxicity protocol which was based on Dr. Cutler’s advice and ideas from someone who went to the Pfeiffer Treatment Center for high copper. The basics of this protocol I followed are molybdenum, zinc, vitamin B6, B5, C, E and A.
From there, I began reading Dr. Lawrence Wilson’s copious posts about copper toxicity and eventually purchased his book, Nutritional Balancing And Hair Mineral Analysis. I also paid for nutritional balancing consultations with Dr. Rick Malter (read his book too) and Morley Robbins. I’m certain that none of ‘my’ experts would be happy about me doing my own nutritional balancing without the help of a practitioner, but I didn’t want to spend the money and I’ve always felt that no practitioner could or would invest the amount of time my complex situation demanded.
Later while I began studying Dr. Wilson’s writings and doing my own research, I added S-Acetyl Glutathione, taurine, manganese and NAC. The supplements I’ve mentioned are just the copper specific supplements that I took at one time or another. Some of them I no longer take after learning how to use Autonomic Response Testing (ART) to determine which supplements help and which don’t. I’m not going into details about the supplements because the purpose of this post is not to go into specifics – mostly I want to share my experience with nutritional balancing science with a broad overview.
In addition to the supplements, I also started daily sauna which is a cornerstone therapy for high copper as studies show copper comes out in a sauna more readily than any other metal.
To what do I attribute my recent dramatic results? This is my best guess in order of importance:
- sauna
- four years of steady work with supplements that antagonize copper and eating a low copper diet
- taking a copper supplement (mitosynergy’s) as per nutritional balancing analysis of my HTMAs which always indicated toxicity and deficiency of bioavailable copper
- recent tweaks to protocol reducing zinc and increasing calcium
- digestive enzymes which contain ox bile and / or HCL
- addition of vitamin 6,000 IU vitamin D several months prior
- periodic liver flushing
- homeopathic drainage remedies and manual lymphatic massage
My latest hair test results are spectacular, but I also have to tell you that I still feel like garbage because I don’t sleep well. So I’m looking at my hair test results as a leading indicator of good things to come.
While believing deeply in nutritional balancing science, I also felt that I could not follow the rules to the letter. I could not trust that mineral balancing alone would resolve my Lyme disease, bacterial, parasitic, fungal and viral infections. At least not on the timeline I wanted. So I’ve done a little of this and a little of that. I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing, but I do know I’ve learned an awful lot this way.
What does my current hair test show that is so exciting to me? First, it shows that my four primary minerals are in balance with the exception of potassium. In balance means they are similar to what a person with abundantly good health and vitality, like an athlete’s HTMA would look like. This is a very important distinction, because when your doctor sends you for a blood test, the results that you get back compare you with average people who may or may not have any number of diseases. Is that really useful?
Note, my high potassium level is most likely a detoxification of biounavailable potassium that my body was storing.
Second, I’m detoxing arsenic out of the blue. I say out of the blue because arsenic never appeared high on any prior hair test going back four years. And this is the premise of nutritional balancing, that when your body achieves balance or I should say through the process of achieving mineral balance, your body gains the strength and the resources it needs to do its own detoxification on its own timeline.
How’s my health?
- Exercise: I now do 10 repetitions of the Tibetan Rites every morning and jump rope and do mini trampoline for 60 seconds before getting in the sauna. It’s a small beginning but helps me feel a bit more normal and mentally fit.
- Weight: I no longer eat during the night, have a flat stomach and have lost the 25 pounds of blubber I carried for years.
- Skin: I could pass for 35 to 40 years old even though I’m about to turn 50.
- Sleep: my sleep is still atrocious. I suspect it is being disrupted by the homeopathic drainage remedies and for now it’s a trade-off I’m willing to live with.
- Migraines: have not had a full-blown migraine for five months since starting treatment with my homeopath. I still get some pressure around the eye when detoxing, but it is mild and doesn’t last more than 6 to 12 hours.
- Energy: poor. I’m sleep deprived!
If mineral balancing takes five years, what’s so special about it? Funny you ask – because this is what I really want to talk about. When I was so ill that I could not walk more than a couple blocks without resting, there was no MD who could say what was wrong with me and there was no blood test that didn’t pronounce me healthy. So what value does allopathic medicine have if it cannot explain why a person is so incapacitated as to be incapable of caring for himself much less working in an office?
But if you look at my hair tests from four years ago, you (or a nutritional balancing practitioner) would know instantly that I was in extreme burnout or the death pattern. That’s quite remarkable if you think about it. It’s predictive.
When I first got ill, I made the tragic mistake of taking mineral supplements without understanding my body’s needs and how it would react to the supplements I took. So, it’s slow but accurate. And no matter how bad things are, the one thing that makes everything okay is when I feel like I’m making progress. Maybe slow, but headed for a complete recovery one day.
That’s what I want you to think about – are you taking calcium, iron or copper without knowing your status? If you are, you may be making yourself much sicker as I did. Please consider getting an HTMA and consulting with a practitioner. Mineral balancing is not at all intuitive and its complex. I don’t recommend doing it on your own.
Have a look at the raw data from my most recent test:
By the way, nutritional balancing science is so good that it has been the subject of very sophisticated attacks from the allopathic medical/pharmaceutical community. These are clearly attacks that require funding and coordination from people in power but they remain easy to see through to anyone willing to spend the time to look at the details because they are junk science.
One of the best posts I’ve read so far! I like the rambling, shotgun approach as many of the shots hit directly on my situation! I, too, am very high in manganese (.164), yet I eat very few grains, except for 3 T of rice bran solubles for the past 4 years. Care to share any of your strategies for lowering toxic levels of manganese?
I’m actually low in manganese Jon…
It’s because copper as an ion will bind to different substances – some that are toxic (like from old copper piping for example) and some that are healthful bioavailable (like a good quality copper chelate supplement). So you can be high in toxic copper but low in the type of copper your body actually needs! If you have a low Na/K ratio this is the case. Take the supplemental copper. Your body wil be better supported to reduce Candida et al (copper is an antimicrobial is it’s usable form!) and this improvement in health supports the removal of the toxic form. Hope this makes sense!
“Overall Wilson is a bit of a fraud who stole Eck’s work. He fails at understanding how to re-balance mineral ratios. He himself is overweight, balding, grey hair, adrenal fatigue, wears glasses, and has a lot of crazy delusional beliefs (miniature elves that tend to nature?). He has signs of high manganese, copper, and iron and deficiencies in retinol, tin, boron, silica, and b vitamins. Hair mineral testing is flawed and most practitioners themselves are still sick and imbalanced. They mindless follow his protocol like he’s some guru and they aren’t making any real progress. Most of them parrot his beliefs like their cult indoctrinated. I think high copper levels make people more agreeable and lower in critical thinking skills, that’s just my observation though. His recommendations of Limcomin keep people in a consistent state of manganese and copper overload.”
He stole Eck’s work? Excuse me but have you actually read any of Larry’s work? You’re lying. Dr. Wilson generously cites Dr. Eck’s work every chance he can get. He states over and over again where nutritional balancing comes from and the profound influence Dr. Eck has had on him. And then the accusations that he’s overweight and other things are even more preposterous. Do me a favor and prove these wild accusations. Have you actually met Larry? I can tell you he is definitely not overweight in the slightest or anything else you said. His work is prolific. How could someone in adrenal burnout maintain the website he does and produce as much content as Larry does, not to mention the insanely high quality of content (read the latest version of his NB and hTMA book, it’s amazing)? You are the one who obviously has zero clue about balancing minerals. He and his pracs are not giving limcomin indiscriminately. It is given when someone has a low Na:K ratio and has worked absolute wonders for myself and many others. Time and again, it brings the Na:K ratio up, AS ADVERTISED. You sound like a bitter ex-girlfriend or something.
Hi Eric,
Thank you for sharing your story. So many parts of your journey remind me of my own (didn’t know other kids liked to play with mercury, haha – although I’m sure you didn’t accidentally swallow as many mercury fillings as me).
I was wondering if you could give me some insight into how vitamin D can trigger migraines. My 7 yo has been dealing with migraines for the past year and looking back I either gave her vitamin D or we spent the day on the beach before she got each migraine.
I think I gave her Lyme disease when I was pregnant, she definitely has an impaired gut microbiome, and likely has toxicities from me. I did get a hair mineral analysis from Great Plains Laboratory. The only abnormality is high tin – which I can’t find any information on. I’m afraid to get a provoked urinalysis because of how hard chelators are on your body.
Thank you for your time!
Well sorry to hear about your adventures with mercury Holly! What I’ve discovered about my own case is that whenever I would do something that triggers candida die-off, I get a vicious migraine along with other very unpleasant but less disabling symptoms. it was very difficult to figure out when it first started because it would happen when I went out in the sun. Later I noticed it would happen when I increased my vitamin D and then when I started doing liver flushing and colon cleansing it all became clear because I started to notice the results in the toilet coincided with the migraines. My theory is that sunshine probably kills Candida in two different ways, directly through light exposure and indirectly when increases in vitamin D ramp up immune system activity.
Why do I think sunlight kills Candida directly? When I sunbathe lying on my stomach the effect is mild compared with when I turn over and the sun shines on my abdomen.
Recently I came to discover that migraines are common candida symptom.
Hope this helps…
Yes, it does help. I wonder if it’s a combination of things causing the detox migraines. What drew me to your website initially was searching for migraines above the eye. My daughter’s occur exactly as you describe yours. I’ve been trying to find case studies of people with similar symptoms as her in hopes that it would help point me in the right direction.
So, Candida and mercury are kind of synergistic. Candida and parasites feed off of mercury and Candida causes cravings that lead to increased fat stores which mercury needs to survive. I know that vitamin D sparks detoxification by increasing gluthione. I’ve been reading articles since your post showed me the connection between vitamin D and migraines. Studies have shown that gluthione helps the body clear both mercury and Candida – therefore causing a herx.
It makes sense that sunshine could transdermally kill Candida. Candida is a fungus. UV rays kill fungi. I also wonder if vitamin D from the sun is just better absorbed into fatty tissues like the fat stores in the abdomen, causing more of a detox, faster.
I’m just glad that there is a connection, it helps me better understand what’s going on with my daughter.
Thank you for helping make sense of this!
Glad to hear it, my pleasure Holly, speedy healing!
Have you looked into reflexology? I am on a similar journey as you and for me reflexology has been a powerful tool. It has caused me to retrace a number of old injuries. I’ve also slept better after reflexology than I have in years. I am also starting something called TRE. All of this to get my old out of fight or flight. It’s imperative to self healing. If you cannot sleep you cannot heal.
I haven’t Shelly. My insomnia is driven by Candida…
Hi. This is great info. I hope you heal completely. Could you tell me the exact name of the test and lab used?
I use Trace Elements Inc.’s HTMA test: |
https://www.traceelements.com/LabServices/SampleReports.aspx
Did you test through ARL or TEI?
TEI
How necessary do you feel taking a copper supplement was for balancing your copper and na/k ratio?
I am on the nutritional balancing for 10 months also with high copper and a very low (.43) na/k ratio. I have been told to take copper to improve the na/k ratio but have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that taking something that i am already toxic in will be of any benefit. Since htma does not tell us what form of copper is being excreted how do you really know its a deficiency in bioavailable copper that is present with copper toxicity? Over the 4 years of hair testing how many of those years did you take the copper supplement?
David, I just don’t know – I probably took the mitosynergy copper for somewhere between nine months and a year and stopped about four months ago…
don’t try to micro-manage the body – not possible – just get out of the way
– eat natural whole foods and the body knows how to heal itself
What illness did you cure yourself from and how long were you ill Vimal?
Eric,
Love your posts and have been following for awhile now. What are your thoughts on Vitamin D supplementation and Dr. Morley Robbins advice? Have you found the MAG protocol to be effective for you and if so/not, which parts do you still follow? There are so many health experts out there preaching different things… no wonder everyone is confused.
I’m still not sure Sean. I feel like Morley Robbins protocol did not work for me. Perhaps it works better for others with a different genetic makeup and different health issues. It’s likely that people with the VDR Taq SNP like me require higher levels of vitamin D and it’s worth the risk of supplementation with vitamin A… What I’m most confident of is that I need more sunshine. The winters here in Colorado are not good for me.
Hi,
I see you put a lot of work into recovering your health.
I’m in a search of my own.
I have not measured anything yet but I came across a few doctors that have interesting views on health and ways to approach health.
Dr. Ben Lynch looks into epigenetics. Using pathways of our bodies function he explaines different mechanisms in our body. For instance with sleep there are many causes why your sleep is disturbed and Lyme is definitely a cause for tryptophan steel. And vitamin B3 can inhibit that process if I’m correct.
You also need B6 to turn 5HTP into serotonin and B5 to turn that into melatonin.
If a certain gene, MAO A is working fast it will get rid of serotonin fast and cause sleep problems.
Also methylation could be an issue if you don’t sleep well.
He does teach this in his Facebook lives and his book ‘Dirty Genes’ that came out the end of January.
He is against added folic acid because it is synthetic and Stil needs transformation to usable forms. If you have a snip in the MTHFR gene, which is part of your methylation cycle, your body is less able to make the transformation to folate or methylfolate. The folic acid (added to bread and cereals) can build up as a toxin to your body.
Pregnant woman get miscarriages due to this defect in the MTHFR gene and methylation seems to be an issue during pregnancy causing defects in development.
Also dr. Russel Jaffe and dr.Suzanne Humpries have looked in to the use of high doses vitamin C to cure diseases. Lyme is one of them. I’ve read about someone who was on iv vitamin C for two weeks, did not notice any difference yet but continued anyway, started feeling better about a week later and was cured in the end.
I also came across enzymes like nattokinase and lumbrokinase that can dissolve the mucus layer that protect certain kinds of bacteria. Within this mucus layer are heavy metals accumulated by this bacteria. Borellia does also use this mechanism to protect itself. When this mucuslayer is dissolved the bacteria is vulnerable to (natural) antibiotics.
You can take the enzyme along with EDTA on an empty stomach. Wait for 30 minutes and take antibiotics. I take natural ones like oil of oregano, been, boswellia and echinacea. Wait another 30 minutes. Take something to bind to the garbage. I use modified citrus pectin, Chinese chlorella and seleniummethionine. The seleniummethionine actually binds mercury. If you get a headache you need more of the selenium.
I also like dr. William Walsh who has looked into mental health and also got into disfunction of body systems like pyroledisorder, copper overload and heavy metal toxicity. Also methylation as a part of the problems.
Good luck on your way to recovery!
Been is Neem, the herb from India 🙂
Thanks Olly, I also use MCP and biofilm busters…
Eric, I’m also on NB, however, I don’t sweat on Sauna because I’m heat intolerant so I can’t stay too long. I also don’t sweat because I’m exercise intolerant. I think you’ve mentioned in your earlier post that you were the same, but now, it seems like you can tolerate both. Do you know what helped you to do so?
Hi Melvin, it’s all relative. I still can’t through my day without napping and do about 1 minute of exercise a day. My sauna though is intense. Both exercise and sauna I just started increasing slowly. Started sweating easily after a dozen saunas…
Thanks for the tip! I’ll try to crank up the sauna bit a bit.
I just found your site. Thank you for this. I super appreciate you updating and mantaining it. I have morgellons which I think are scabies/mite related. On doxy 100mg/day currently (3 weeks) then moving up to 100mg x 2/day. I am investigating this illness and am thinking to take Ivermectin. I will read your site… thank you again… really and truly.
Hi Pascal, I’ve read a bit about morgellon’s and never heard scabies related. Have you heard about the fenbendazole treatment? Search my blog for ‘fenben’…
Eric, if you have a confirmed diagnosis of mercury poisoning through a hair test then you know the root cause of your issues. If your copper is now balanced, it may be time for you to start AC chelation again. No amount of detox remedies will remove mercury from your body and it will continue to screw with your mineral transport. Fix the root problem and the rest will come right
I mostly agree with you Philip! It’s just that my copper is not balanced yet – I’m close but not quite there. Seems I’m one of those unfortunate fellows who needs five years to clear the copper and I’ve put in four. I’m itching to start chelation again. The mercury no longer shows on my hair tests but I’m pretty sure it’s still there, albeit much reduced.
Eric,
I think it’s time you considered the possibility of manganese toxicity as a primary cause. It’s documented to feed Lyme disease and is a synergistic mineral with iron. I self diagnosed myself with manganese overload for sure this past December. After months of dealing with a re-activated fistula I experimented with loading up on whole grains (super high in manganese) and copper from MitoSynergy and beef liver. I was eating something like 5 servings of whole grains a day and taking an individual manganese supplement. I thought I might have manganese deficiency because I used to eat a lot of simple sugars and they burn manganese quickly. I previously thought the fistula was caused by polyphenols called salicylates, but it is in fact caused by a micro-mineral overload. I’ve actually had this manganse overload since I was a teenager from taking adult multi-vitamins and eating too many grains and not enough of a variety of potassium rich fruits and vegetables. As a teen t caused Crohn’s disease symptoms and moderate depression. And likely a combination of damage from oxidized minerals and co-infections. Either way this overload has been giving me quite a few terrible symptoms beyond the fistula from chronic fatigue, depression, tinnitus, and insomnia. A standard American diet with high focus on grains (especially whole) will quickly lead to build up of excess manganese, even more so in individuals who use multi-vitamins in an attempt to be “healthier”.
Manganese is the easiest mineral from a dietary standpoint to become overloaded in. A single 1 cup bowl of brown rice will get you close to your RDA, and it is likely we aren’t even utilizing an RDA worth of micro minerals. Conversely, potassium is the hardest element to reach the RDA with.This is also why we have high incidence of cancer these past few generations – high copper from amalgam fillings proliferates the growth spreading throughout the body and cellular imbalances of nutrient ratios from poor diet. Obesity, because high levels of essential micro-mineral overload slows down the thyroid and metabolism, again either by way of oxidation damage directly to organ tissues or the excreted chemicals of infections feeding on the mineral overloads.
You will likely have to look into mega-dosing potassium such as cream of tartar. The faster (higher dosing) you go the more discomfort bowel movements will be, it gives diarrhea likely because of the co-infections feed on the manganese that gets pushed out. You will also have to go on a simple carbohydrate style diet eating only simple sugars for carb source. But unlike SCD you have to avoid all the high manganese vegetables, nuts, seeds, pineapple, etc. All fruit and vegetable meals should be consumed with a whole food source of vitamin c, like a Pure Synergy or Acerola Berry powder or orange juice. Don’t be afraid of sugar in any form. Just focus on avoiding manganese consumption. Vegetables should be mostly high vitamin c cruciferous. Eat zinc rich meats separately so vitamin c doesn’t chelate it.
In my experience most synthetic minerals are oxidized nonsense that increase anti-oxidant (vitamin a, e, c, plant polyphenols) needs. Personal example, zinc relates directly to testosterone levels and body hair in males. Yet after 5 or so bottles of zinc my body hair hasn’t increased. It was only after I started eating whole grains did I get more chest hair. I’ve tried all sorts of minerals, vitamins, herbs, etc and most aren’t helpful and are just slowing down detox. I did the zinc with Cutler protocol which was a complete waste of time. Although curcumin, milk thistle, sulfur, and whole food vitamin c powders are seemingly helpful at assisting with detox. But by and large drinking tons of water and getting tons of potassium is the most potent remedy. All nutrients should be gotten from plants and animals in their natural active form. There are some whole food supplements that might be more naturally assimilated, but there is no telling their mineral composition. They are seemingly toxic garbage that keeps you sick because your body has to detox them. We don’t have enough vitamin a (retinol) and vitamin e to make them usable. Because we’re already overloaded in minerals that use vitamin e (copper, manganese, zinc) and vitamin a (iron)…and every breath we take for respiration is causing further oxidation.
Overall Wilson is a bit of a fraud who stole Eck’s work. He fails at understanding how to re-balance mineral ratios. He himself is overweight, balding, grey hair, adrenal fatigue, wears glasses, and has a lot of crazy delusional beliefs (miniature elves that tend to nature?). He has signs of high manganese, copper, and iron and deficiencies in retinol, tin, boron, silica, and b vitamins. Hair mineral testing is flawed and most practitioners themselves are still sick and imbalanced. They mindless follow his protocol like he’s some guru and they aren’t making any real progress. Most of them parrot his beliefs like their cult indoctrinated. I think high copper levels make people more agreeable and lower in critical thinking skills, that’s just my observation though. His recommendations of Limcomin keep people in a consistent state of manganese and copper overload.
Another example of quackery is Andy Cutler and how he died so young. How does a biochemist not know he has copper, manganese, and iron overload? He did some great work with exposing mercury toxicity and amalgams and I mean no disrespect, but his principal illness was essential mineral overload!
Salomon, thanks for writing and sharing! What a surprise that Dr. Cutler is gone. I do believe he cleared his mercury, but he took heavy doses of supplements on an ongoing basis without being a student of nutritional balancing science, which to me is a dangerous combination. Read the comments on that page and you’ll see he helped a lot of people. But, as you know he didn’t look very healthy, and he was irritable, which to me was a sign of ill health. There don’t seem to be many experts who don’t go too deep into one field of knowledge at the expense of others that are still critical.
Have you had your manganese levels checked? Mine were too low to measure when I first started testing. I’ve slowly brought them into range but as you know that has not solved my sleep problems.
I did not know that Dr. Wilson is overweight or fatigued but I am aware of his unusual beliefs. It does bother me that we don’t seem to have any young scientists leading the way in nutritional balancing…
I have no resources or means to test individual nutrient levels. My views are pure self experimentation from an extensive 7 years of testing various diets, protocols, methylation, exercise, dry sauna, and a wide array supplements. I could honestly say 95% of the health industry advice is mostly bullshit that will give no tangibly observable results to justify the cost. From organic, to prebiotics/probiotics, fish oil, Paleo, Keto/nocarb, genetic mutation testing and methylation. I’m not saying there is no scientific validity, but the approach of practitioners and gurus doesn’t fix the root of the problem. Vitamin D is the only thing a doctor ever noted for deficiency. Standard blood tests never showed anything and I gave up on doctors a few years ago. I live in a state where hair hair testing is prohibited and it seems like wuwu science from a testing standpoint. I have a diet history of extremely heavy wheat consumption as a carb source, multi-vitamins, and little fruits and veggies for potassium. My latest experimentation with following Dr. Wilson’s recommendations for strict whole grains caused my fistula to reactivate after being inactive for nearly 4 years. Manganese being the most predominant mineral in whole grains. I don’t think it’s a coincidence, but overall I would say the fistula is the result of total mineral overload and other minerals contributed to it like copper and iron.
In my experience with eating whole grains my body would absorb minerals indefinitely to no end – as in the human body doesn’t have an adaptive mechanism for regulating intake of minerals and knowing when to stop. The manganese overload was literally to the point to where if I ate a single serving of a fruit or vegetable with potassium(around 200-400mg), the antagonism would make my rectal fistula drain bile to excrete the manganese because the only other option is through a bowel movement or urinating. Speaking of which I must urinate close to 20 times a day, and you think you have bad mineral overload? Since I was experiencing mood and physical symptoms as a teenager that just lets you know that some of us are becoming overloaded in specific minerals at a very young age. And in many cases supplements are the cause since they don’t contain potassium, sulfur, fiber, bioflavanoids, polyphenols, sodium, essential fatty acids, certain trace elements, water, amino acids, whole food vit c. Even more so there is no energy substrate that requires those nutrients to put them to use. So if you aren’t deficient you will become quickly overloaded. I equally believe that neither big medicine and alternative medicine are getting the puzzle of health correct. I think the alternative health and supplement industry is selling us bullshit that our soils are depleted and we can’t get all nutrients through diet. Zinc is easily found in red meat, copper in seafood, whole grains, chocolate, liver, nuts/seeds, manganese in all plant foods to varying degrees, omega 3 in fish of all kinds, shall I drone on with every trace mineral? We’re being fed a bunch of pseudo science mumbo jumbo. Maybe soil levels are depleted, but there’s still enough minerals to the point where they’re oxidizing in our bodies and we don’t have enough Vit C, A, and E to stop them from causing chronic illness either by oxidative inflammatory damage or by feeding chronic infections. If anything we should be supplementing anti-oxidants and eating foods high in specific trace minerals that we have cause to presume deficiency.
Are you judging your manganese levels by what’s in your hair mineral testing? Because technically if you’re consuming a potassium deficient diet you will be low in excreting manganese from organs, at least antagonistically speaking. I view the hair as a way for the body to chelate out our excess, but it can’t do that without adequate electrolytes. Can you honestly tell me you’ve gotten 4700mg potassium everyday of your life? No one has. Because it’s easy to get most other nutrients naturally save for certain b-vitamins and trace minerals.
In my experience calcium appears to put active manganese to use to form bone so that could be hiding potential overload that would come out if you were to try potassium loading with lots of water – like doses of 1000-1500mgs. Do you get 1000mg + calcium a day? If not then high manganese could be building up. There’s a reason fruitarian vegans are so thin, because all that water, simple sugars, vit c, and potassium keeps their manganese levels in check. There’s plenty of vegetarians that struggle with weight, because they keep piling on the starches and high manganese/copper foods and don’t get enough potassium and vit c. Now, my reaction to potassium is much more acute because my overload is to the point of causing the extreme symptoms I mentioned. I’m not saying to just focus on manganese, but to instead reduce your micro-mineral levels unless you have good evidence to believe you can prove a deficiency. Shelve your micro-mineral supplements like zinc, it quite honestly seems useless. If you’re covered in chest hair then your zinc levels are adequate or potentially high. Either way, the excess zinc will need more Vit E to prevent oxidation damage or co-factors to put to use quicker.
Thinning out the body means going heavy on fluids, whole vit c, and eating plant foods that are low copper and manganese, getting enough simple sugars and calcium. Supplementing potassium allows you to avoid high copper/manganese just to get potassium. The idea is to thin out the body to the point where the minerals aren’t being overloaded in the brain and other organs. So that the liver is the primary source for stored nutrients….you know back when you were a kid and felt decent. Small anecdote – Speaking of calcium from dairy, I’ve read that casein lowers iron and I tend to get burning sensations in my eyes when I drink milk. Also when I high dose potassium after a few bowel movements I get burning stools. Believe me when I tell you these oxidized minerals are like a burning caustic substance in your organs and flowing through your veins during detox. The more I potassium load the more whole body itching I get which to me signifies that the mineral overload is associated with infections being unearthed. I think the mineral excesses function as food to form biofilms for infections to evade the immune system. Another potentially useful anecdote – Calcium using up active manganese also gives me temporary depression, because manganese is used to produce and maintain adequate dopamine levels at all times – 500mg of supplemented calcium can at times make me emotionally numb. Consuming too much sugar and vit c seems to have the same effect…or also if you take a supplement to lower
A bit of a random tangent and babbling, but I think you might appreciate some of it to get a big picture of my philosophy on health…no expectation for you to comment on it. I believe signs of aging are caused by the effects of oxidation of essential minerals and overload – actual measurable deficiencies are more nuanced like low boron, calcium, tin, silicia, Vit A, E, and so forth. Examples of overload age related illnesses – Degenerative brain disorders being the point of overload to where the brain is now being overloaded as a mineral storage site and neurotransmitter function is severely diminished. My thinking is oxidized excessive minerals in the brain degrade receptor sites for dopamine or serotonin. In some cases having too much copper can cause imbalances by over conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine. Copper seems synonymous with anxiety and if they have trouble with keeping on weight can have depression from low manganese. Similar concept of overloads and cellular imbalances with people that have brain tumors, aneurysms, abscesses, insomnia, mental illnesses, etc. I believe It really makes me wonder if minerals should be stored in the brain or not – my thinking is it occurs because every other storage site is overloaded and the body doesn’t know any better. Ever thought of why you can’t get a certain song out of your head? Heh.
Similar theory with wrinkles on our faces – mineral deposits in the skin. I’ve noticed certain facial wrinkle patterns that I believe relate to copper toxicity and some to high manganese and iron depending on the location and thickness. It’s a bit intuitive and partially correlative. Alternative health professionals like Cutler just highlight the mercury in fillings. But there is also large amounts of copper, tin (hair health), and silver as well depending on the composition used. My mother had a whole mouth of amalgams before having her teeth removed. She has vertical wrinkles above her nose. An acquaintance I know, an obese redheaded woman also has wrinkles in the same exact location and direction. The more I put 2 + 2 together the more I’m lead to believe that we simply aren’t as physically active as we used to be, aren’t getting enough antioxidants and we are all getting chronic illnesses from essential mineral overload. The shorter you are and the less active you are, the less of the RDA you need. Copper is in my opinion the cause of cancers that spread body wide, not iron. I have iron overload in addition to the manganese. I believe uni brow hair is a sign of more severe iron toxicity – I think because iron somehow prevents aldosterone from converting to estrogen, definitely something hormonal. Similar issue with women with mustaches – high iron. So unless you have uni-brow hair I wouldn’t worry too much on reducing iron, but curcumin and milk thistle could help if you are. I’ve had a sparse uni-brow since I was a teenager and it got worse with the manganese toxicity increasing. As a teenager I was diagnosed anemic and told to take iron supplements,…so I have enough reasoning to correlate my symptoms intuitively. I was also given high iron kids vitamins as a toddler and ate iron fortified whole grain cereal for quite a few years. So don’t think I’m just making this stuff up. The body can only focus on removing all the oxidized minerals so fast with glutathione which is why my iron built up with the other mineral overload. If you keep overloading it with too much copper, manganese, or zinc it can’t ever get ahead and you either don’t get better or eventually you get worse. It’s like bailing a sinking ship out with a bucket while it’s raining – doesn’t logically make sense. Once you stop overloading manganese, copper, zinc, etc then the body can focus on lowering iron on it’s own – if it’s high.
Because of the amalgam epidemic, copper toxicity/imbalance is much more prevalent than iron overload as stated by Morley Robbins – he coincidentally also has vertical wrinkles above his nose. The guys is so in love with ceruloplasmin and copper metabolism that he doesn’t even realize he is overloaded in it. It’s ironic (pun intended, because…Morley loves them) that he’s obsessed with iron toxicity and has no clue of his copper overload. The copper in amalgams is what gave Cutler likely high blood pressure and I’m guessing his cause of death was heart failure. Without K2 calcium builds up in the arteries and copper and iron overload thickens the blood which is a nice scenario for a severe heart attack. The copper, manganese, iron are likely what also caused diminished thyroid function and obesity. Morley ain’t too skinny either and he has a strange asthmatic tone to his voice – probably some sort of respiratory infection feeding on his overloads. Judging by Wilson’s one picture and philosophy on exercise he easily has a “Dad” bod with an extra ~40+ lbs. Rice bran (part of his protocol) is very high in manganese and also the high magnesium foods he suggest are very high manganese. The more you start to intuitively understand and question gurus the less you start to think freely and listen to your own intuition. Supplementing whole food vit c and potassium, and eating a balanced diet is a lot cheaper than all these crazy guru protocols and testing that leads you in circles.
I’m mostly sharing this because awhile back your blog reminded to focus on mineral toxicities (iron) and that in some sort of pre-deterministic way lead me to where I am today detoxing manganese, iron, and copper. I think you and your readers might benefit from a paradigm shift in the way you conceptualize health and nutrition in contrast to what alternative health practitioners are selling you. My intuition could be wrong and I continue to question everything because manganese toxicity makes me overly critical, but I somehow don’t think I’m wrong this time. It’s hard to effectively express what I know and it saddens me that many suffering individuals are being misled and exploited with overly complicated and costly supplement regimes that aren’t getting any better results than big health care. Less is more.
My manganese testing is plasma and RBC. Borrelia feed on Mn and Copper antagonizes it, so that might be enough to explain my nonexistent manganese. Yes, I do get 1000+ milligrams of calcium now. Probably started that 4 to 6 months ago.
You’ve tried all kinds of different protocols, therapies and diets and nothing has helped you, right? I think that’s mostly what it’s like when you’ve been poisoned – it’s like being shot with an arrow. When you’ve got an arrow sticking out of you, changing your diet one way or another doesn’t help much. Detoxification is the equivalent of pulling the arrow out and it makes you feel even worse, and it can go on for years – sadly.
If I didn’t have money for testing, the one thing I would rely on is sauna. The temperature increase is like an induced fever and it cooks pathogens. Meanwhile, your body is going to excrete toxins of all kinds through your skin (definitely excess iron). But, you probably read all this stuff long ago I’m sure…
A year of dry sauna + cardio 3 – 4 days a week did nothing for me. Can’t afford the gym membership anymore and exercise really has no health value if you can balance elements through what you ingest. We have lifetime office workers living into their 90’s without ever setting foot in a gym. In my opinion the fitness industry trend is mostly fueled by vanity and egotism. Even associated therapies like massage and sauna, etc are only necessary as a result of imbalanced diet and environment metal exposure. I don’t doubt we can sweat out toxic metals and burn more with physical labor, but those that are metal toxic usually have adrenal fatigue.This makes both activities stressful for a sick body. I did gym cardio for 4-5 years and it never helped me get ahead of my toxicities. I doubt I’ll pursue fitness again for heath reasons, mostly just light strength training, outdoor activities, and sauna for pleasure in winter months. Frankly, I wish I could get my time and money back. I’m only 32 and I could only last for 20min sauna sessions before my heart and respiration couldn’t take anymore, but I handle steady cardio fine. I think it’s a low sodium or aldosterone issue.
One thing of note is that manganese (and iron) supposedly synergizes with sodium. So if these minerals gotten from fortified foods or multi-vitamin (which has no sodium), even from food, and you already have too much manganese (or any mineral in the multi-vitamin), then this in turn could cause rapid depletion of sodium. Sodium deficiency could possibly be attributed to the body requiring sodium to make bile salts to detox excess minerals. When I used to do flushing niacin my body temperate rises due to niacin lowering calcium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium allowing sodium to be more dominate momentarily – say 20mins depending on the niacin dosage. I’ve actually taken too much niacin before and gotten weird tightness in the chest/heart so I think it can cause high blood pressure and maybe even a heart attack if taken to the extreme depending on individual element balance. Otherwise, I typically have low body temperature and freeze in winter, but I’m a huge sweater once I’m doing physical activity, even in lower temperatures – probably because of the mineral overloads needing to be detoxed. Salt in water momentarily boosts my body temperature like niacin, but not for very long. I think low sodium or active sodium (aldosterone) goes along with the typical metal toxicity symptoms like fatigue, apathy, depression as well. So my point is that for some, low sodium can possibly be an issue and a barrier for detoxification and achieving balance – just as much as low potassium. And exercise and sweating in sauna will obviously really drain potassium and sodium levels too. The issue with sweating is it is probably removing minerals you don’t want to lose as well like zinc.
So if you were to start supplementing potassium you would probably want to consider upping sodium too. I’ve tried potassium chloride and gluconate but I dont like the taste as much as bitartate – can’t speak for efficacy though. Nutritiondata shows it having a slight amount of micro nutrients in it since its a biproduct of wine making. I tend to think my potassium flush bowel movements get darker when I keep up dosing sodium in addition. Probably because the salt increases the bile production and effectiveness. But I really should boost my sodium big time because I think it’s a huge deficiency or the nutrients associated with aldosterone to maintain sodium levels like B1, silica, manganese, vitamin e, B12, iron, cobalt, choline. It’s interesting to think that minerals like manganese and iron could buildup from not having enough sodium as synergistic co-factor for chemistry…especially when conventional medicine teaches us to be concerned with sodium excess for heart attacks and kidney disease.
“Office workers living into their 90s” -> well they probably are not people like you and me! Agree that you certainly don’t need a gym. However, one thing that people like you and me need to keep in mind is the stimulation to the lymphatic system we get from movement. It took me a long time to discover that I was ignoring this important element of recovery. I’ve been reading a lot about niacin and experimenting with it again because for some reason my methylation is not tamping down sufficiently as it used to with 100 mg of niacin. I also take it as a companion nutrient to iodine for which purpose it’s recommended in 500 mg to 1 g daily. Came across this interesting post yesterday: http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/niacin.htm – it also acts as an antibiotic against Borrelia according to Dr. Klinghardt.
I should note that I was also reminded about acu-cell.com from a user post on one of your articles. I’ve studied that site quite a bit over the past 1-2 years to understand mineral balancing and associated conditions better. Because I was shooting in the dark I decided to test for deficiencies in active copper, iron, and manganese based on the symptoms on his site and that didn’t work out because it brought me back to having an active fistula. The site appears to be no longer online. I’m lucky to have done a website rip before it went offline.
Because potassium is synergistic with copper and antagonistic to manganese I believe insufficient intake of potassium will allow for both to build up to toxic levels and start effecting organ health. From what Roth states the body doesn’t actually extensively store potassium like it does other elements. It seems to get burned fast with physical activity, stress, and sugar consumption.
I will note that my mother with all the amalgams has severe depression and has had bi-polar like schizo break downs. That’s whwat years of copper, etc building up in the brain will do to you. Her diet was always horrible and low in fruits and vegetables. The low potassium intake to keep up with all those amalgam fillings constantly breaking down into the body. The copper isn’t getting put to use because she (and most people) is lucky if she consumes half the RDA for potassium. I suspect your experiencing a similar imbalance from low potassium intake and that could be why you continue to struggle with the copper side of toxicity. Both copper and manganese toxicity can lead to a variety of mental health problems and insomnia. Depression and anxiety is the most common and schizophrenic behavior as well. I had a violent outburst towards my father when I experimented supplementing with manganese. Foolishly I still kept pursuing manganese deficiency with the whole grain consumption. That’s because I thought it was manganese antagonistically pushing out iron, but synergism and antagonism doesn’t work that way. It’s based on the requirements for the chemical processes that the vitamins and minerals are used for in the body. Except potassium in large volumes seems to exhibit a purging effect on manganese, hence the burning diarrhea, but potassium being an electrolyte seems different than micro-minerals.
Ronald Roth said that sulfur helps draw out copper so that could be why you experience variation in hair testing analysis readings. If you were predominately high copper it would be obvious like the wrinkles I mentioned, red hair, a tendency towards flush skin complexion, swollen edema skin, cellulite, skin tag growths, red freckling on skin, emotionally unstable feminine personality. Sulfur could just be pushing out oxidized copper in bursts or retaining it depending on how you’re eating or supplementing prior to your hair tests. Severe iron overload would likely make your personality very rigid, serious, logical, conservative, disciplinary,…physically hemorrhoids, reddening of the whites in your eyes, very hairy arms and legs, dark age spots. That’s why I suggest not just focusing on iron and copper, but manganese as well. Because a lot of Paleo (bullshit) health foods are high in manganese and that is what sent me over the edge, along with a multivitamin. I was eating coconut milk in place of dairy for smoothies, tons and tons of spinach, macadamia nuts, almond flour, dark chocolate, sweet potatoes – look them up on nutritiondata.com. Every diet I tried probably had a high manganese food of some sort in it. And I was taking vitamin e with Cutler’s protocol which encourages the retention of manganese, copper, and zinc. I’ve also read that magnesium can build up in veins too, similar to calcium. I think it was on http://www.arltma.com/Articles/ somewhere that potassium and sodium make calcium and magnesium soluble to be usable by the body.
I strongly believe it is a flawed testing methodology because there is no way to ultimately measure organ mineral contents and their effects on the whole system / well being. And also because there’s no way to measure nutrient intake and expenditure over a period of time. It’s just too complicated to draw any meaningful or accurate conclusions from such a test.
Ha! I tried to find Ron Roth, spent hours researching online and could never figure out who he was. I wanted to ask him about some assertions regarding antagonism that only appeared on his website and nowhere else. There was a lot of really interesting stuff there. Wanted to know how he knew it was true.
When I ramped up methylation supports the first time I had a lot of cramping which would go away when I took enormous quantities of potassium. I quit methylation support for a year or so and have just started it back up and I’m getting the cramps again, maybe milder. This time I’m not taking potassium, just trying to eat potassium foods. Not making much of an effort at that either. Has been on my mind whether I should restart potassium supplementation to see if the cramps disappear again. But I really don’t like taking so many supplements…
Yes, it is a big flaw that we cannot test the mineral content of specific organs!
Dr Roth knew his facts were true because he tested his own results on himself. He actually went to extremes, testing various minerals on himself, to check the effects. I was a patient for almost 20 years.
Thanks for sharing this Fred – do you have Dr. Roth’s contact information? I’m wondering if he has found a way to pass forward his legacy…
The acu-cell site is back up, although modified somewhat. Dr Roth has retired now. I was a patient for almost 20 years. I have no doubt that he saved me and my wife several times over the years. His method of vit/mineral analysis was genius. I’ve been searching for anyone else who does similar method.
Eric; probably not your problem, but just going to throw this out there. Some people have hypervitaminosis A
Mike, I did have self-inflicted hypervitaminosis A as a teenager – could have played a role in the development of my illness…
I took accutane in 2010, 3 years later my bones were becoming brittle. I knew they were related, but was unsure how to fix it. Recently I read the way to beat it is to avoid vitamin A completely for 1-2 years which will drain your liver of vitamin A and allow your body to heal. I am only 12 days in but already feeling noticeably better. You could give it a try. Let me know if you want more info.
Hey Mike, what an odd coincidence – I woke up this morning thinking vitamin A *deficiency* probably explains the last two years of lost sleep! You can read about vitamin A here and see my update to the post at the bottom: http://howirecovered.com/its-the-iron-stupid/
We’re all unique 🙂
ok good luck
Eric I am glad things are going better for you! I originally posted several blogs back and tried to convince you that you were going the wrong way on the Vitamin D. I am so glad you are taking the 6000iu. Do you have any idea what your Vitamin D “level” is?
This next part may sound crazy but the “official” upper limit of Vitamin D to take is 10,000iu. (I personally take a lot more than that.) So my suggestion is to take the 10,000iu and see if it helps with your sleep or anything else for that matter. I would do this for several months not just weeks before coming to a conclusion whether or not it will help. Just please keep in mind if you add any new symptoms that you did not have before, Vitamin D can cause mineral and vitamin deficiencies along the way since it is trying to “repair” a lot of things. (It can make some of the B Vitamins go low even after “years” of taking it. This I learned in the last several months.)
Thanks for taking an interest and noticing Ivy! I appreciate your thoughts and just today I went in for a blood draw to check vitamin D status. I was at 41 at the beginning of November while taking 4000 IU. That’s the highest I’ve ever recorded. My MD wants me to get up to 80 ng/ml so I jumped up to 6,000 to see where that will get me. Very interesting idea that it may cause healing crises as so many other therapies do.
If you took the 4000iu for at least 8 weeks, then you will probably need to double to 8000iu to get to the 80ng/ml. Usually 5000iu will get most people weighing an average of 150lbs to 50ng/ml. Usually for every 1000iu taken, you will raise your level by 10ng/ml.
Thanks Ivy, good to know!
Eric
I know what you mean about sleep
Sometimes when niacin hits the spot for me I get somewhat refreshed sleep and my day is very different.
With lymphatics I was reading that getting it moving can result in toxins being unleashed more than the body can handle if done aggressively. Is this why you sauna? Any ideas on what can be done to help detox toxins in the blood? I have read things may help from citrus pectin to taking a probiotic.
Also with the liver flushes there seems to be varying opinions some think the size and quantity of the stones means they can’t possibly be from there but formed in the intestines instead.
Thanks
Jamo
Jamo, you hit on a couple touchstones here – I suspect I’m not taking enough niacin. I’ve ramped up my methylation supports again in a fairly short period of time, much faster than I did the first time around and niacin does knock down the over acceleration. I had an episode of that on Saturday and should have known what was coming because my muscles were cramping in the evening. Sure enough, almost no sleep that night. A big dose of niacin would have probably solved it. I’ve been taking 150 to 200 mg but guessing I need quite a bit more on special occasions.
You are absolutely right about the lymphatic massage – after my first MLD, I was ill for a week. That is not why I sauna, but it surely helps. The other big help is the homeopathic drainage kit. Many people use Pekana’s and if you search for Pekana drainage, you’ll find it. I sauna primarily because it releases toxic copper at a higher rate than other heavy metals. But, it has extraordinary benefits that are wide ranging and also detoxes loads of other chemicals and metals.
As for liver flushing, yes opinions vary, but one thing I have never seen is a skeptic who has actually done a liver flush let alone a series of 10 flushes, and I suspect I never will find one. The skeptics are generally not people suffering from chronic illness. Well that’s if you exclude mental illness, because they seem to get their jollies from belittling sick people about issues they have no experience or knowledge of and no stake in finding the truth. They’re just trolls.
One of the most important things I’ve learned over the past four years is that no matter how good, right and valuable a therapy is, there will be people who call it garbage and a scam. It makes finding your way through chronic illness very difficult, but that’s the reality we live in.
My own ignorance predisposed me to ignore some of the most interesting and promising therapies for years and has led to some really big surprises such as PEMF, light therapy, microcurrent therapy, autonomic response testing. There is real science behind these things but you have to be motivated to find it and there are very intelligent authority figures (scientists and MDs) standing up for them.
Thanks for stopping by!
In reading of your challenges and journey, much of it parallels mine, inasmuch as we differ. Still, the pictures of parasites and biofilm are spot-on to what I have dislodged. In hindsight, I’m certain I was in the tunnel of death with organs shutting down. Chief complaint: Constipated beyond what is humane. Chronic back pain level 8. Migraines (had a brain tumor removed 2004), then subsequent small masses where I was intubated and catheterized (femoral artery to cauterize 5cm brain tumor). Couldn’t move bowels the entire 3 weeks in the hospital. In seeking relief from bloat and hysteria I sought out what I believe now is a natural cancer protocol with weekly colonics. I’ve made adjustments as intuition and self-educating helped me out of ignorance only to be mortified at what I had come to learn, knowing that it was only the tip of the iceberg. It wasn’t until after a year of colonics that the first large organism, resembling tempura, released. 5 years later I was still releasing them. In six years, tens of thousands of organisms have cut loose. Defying death at times from the toxemia that ensues as they moved through my digestive tract. Year 3 and 4 cut loose the worst of the worst. Year 3 & 4 also required 8 emergency extractions (2 at a time). Mercury laden molars failing every two weeks. I knew a dental detox was an imperative, but had been too ill to coordinate such efforts. Finally, my body demanded it of me. I got through 6 weeks of dental hell, 102 fevers, without pharmaceutical anti-biotics. Raw garlic and Oil of Oregano was the natural replacement. Having had approximately 30 severe symptoms from a 300-symptom checklist, I am now reduced to 5 with continued chronic back pain because the damage was done, however, I am still vertical 65% of the time. I engaged in Gerson Therapy (with personal modifications), however, it was largely a raw alkalizing vegan diet with juicing, coffee enemas and colonics. NO WAY would I have survived without colonics. I was too ill and the therapy is too intense. Sadly, the first practioner that set me on a holistic path/protocol didn’t tell me about Herxing and I was up every hour on the hour crushing and eating raw garlic – hence, facial lesions quickly erupted and a herpes-like scabby rash surfaced for three years which made eliminating feel like battery acid moving through barbed wire. Facial lesions are just about done, leaving scars but I am soooo glad to be finished debriding them. Literally, if you kill it, you clean it. Being overrun by pathogens requires lots of our help moving it off and out of our body. Reading of your challenges, efforts and determination has been my mainstay these last several days because I’m so traumatized by all of it. Perhaps if I had just ONE person who fully understood, such as yourself, I might feel less traumatized and isolated. Living this way, having to keep things under cover and fronting is stressful. Where ever, however I land, at least I know I will have gone out swinging and will not have died in ignorance. Certainly not willful ignorance. Without a strong spiritual constitution I would not have come this far as life doesn’t stop for a disease complex. Rather, marginally manageable suddenly becomes impossible. I’ve yet to read what your take is on as you remarked about engaging in The Master Cleanse. Cleaning our gut first to handle all else is sensible and clearly you are an intelligent, educated, determined and sharing/caring person. Gerson Protocol does elude to: If one isn’t willing to use coffee enemas, they needn’t bother with the juice. Rather, “don’t” because it will only mobilize toxins and they will continue to recirculate if the liver isn’t assisted with C.E.’s to flush them. Actually, my condition(s) were so bad that several of them disqualified me from being a candidate for Garson Therapy, but It was my only shot at the time and I was still quite ignorant and in a constant state of auto-intoxication. To that end, ignorance may have finally served me. Blessings to you and your family; may your daughters journey be gentle.
Thanks for your kind words Nina, so sorry to hear what you have had to bear. Not sure if I understood your question correctly but regarding the master cleanse, I’m a big fan as I’ve seen it clean my gut. Now when I do a master cleanse there is really nothing significant left to clean. Burning off all the fat on your body is also a way to clear out stored toxins. For anyone with a fungal got infection, you can add Borax to the master cleanse. Of course as you say, killing off the pathogens is one thing and handling the toxins is another. Kidney and liver health need to be balanced with the rate of cleaning and detox. I got that wrong for years because I ignored the lymphatic system and homeopathics. One thing I did get right is the liver flushing and that probably saved me. I could have also done more CEs. One thing you may want to look into is microcurrent and red light therapy for healing your face. These two technologies have an impressive track record and if you can afford them, easy to use at home on the couch while watching TV…
Thank you for replying. Took me a while to find it as this project you’ve taken on is so comprehensive and far reaching it’s easy, as I read, to go sideways. I simply can’t express how impressed I am at your fortitude and knowledge base. I ferveruntly pray you get to the other side 100% and soon. Yes, in all the content, you fished out the question. Also, I did use a red lamp but found sunlight to be much more effective and nurturing I also practice heliotherapy and it has almost eradicated the infection on the boarder of the iris/cornea. One more summer should do it. I wonder what to do about meat having been vegan/vegetarian for 5 of the 6 years. I’m not low on energy, but have always felt protein deprived. B-12 injections weekly for 3 years then over to Braggs Nutritional Yeast for B-complex vitamins. I’m 5’5′ 105 lbs and have always been low BMI. Extra weight is hard on my back. Pelvic floor prolapse together with a partial internal rectal prolapse does complicate elimination and my psoas muscles are spent. Honestly, the biological waste was pushing out faster than I could keep up so I tried to slow down the process with not-so-good for us comfort carbs. I feel I can eat healthfully, in balance, with some meat but have watched too many documentaries / China Study, that I’ll have to reprogram bias-conditioning. Honestly, I want to stop healing but feel I am in purge-a-tory. It appears my immune system has bolstered itself that no matter what I ingest, it’s still engaged in biological war fare. I think this is a good thing, but is it possible that it’s hyper-active? As another commented, I also don’t believe much in auto-immune, that the body is making an all-out effort to eradicate an invader that has colonized tissue. My palate is accustomed to non-irradiated cayenne, raw garlic, Manuka 20+ so now it feels like the pendulum swung too far. Sidebar: When I can get tech help, I’d like to post pics of the organisms that took years to reach. There are similar ones on-line, but what baffles me is an approximate ‘count’ at 20 thousand over a 5 year period. Surely allopathic medicine would have resected my colon. BTW: Another reader mentioned any/all implants. I felt a wripping sensation at the mesh hernia repair (2006) site two months ago. It was a week long process for said Codie to tear away and exit. I also have 750cc silicone breast implants – ridiculous. It was a medical malpractice for which I was awarded a settlement that has paid for this healing journey. Turns out the surgeon was under house arrest (electronic ankle bracelet) for multiple DUI’s. Five 2nd opinion surgeons advised not to remove them because of possible complications due to the size & other factors. I’d opt for a mastectomy but I feel so mutilated by now and am deathly afraid of doctors, with exception for some of the meds I regularly get (norco, xanax, valium – all taken judiciously). If I could use cannibas in any form that would be my first choice, however, I’d need help and support because of it’s effect on me. Other botanicals, Passionflower/Skullcap, Kava et al, have a detoxifying effect on me. I’m nearing 60 and feel my natural life was over at 42 (2004) but we are wired to live. Having no idea what I was in for; then with “the awful grace of God” enlightenment I felt I had to fight this battle to be able to help my young adult children come into-the-know. With so much progress, why do I feel like transcending to another dimension? Eric, have you ever felt like giving up? Knowing you have loving family, two young children, and probably some friends, I’m hesitant to ask but stil,l I wonder? And if so, or if anyone else has, where it’s gotten to a pervasive point, what to do? I’m thinking geographic. A bigger bathroom 🙂
Yes for sure Nina, sunlight is best, and if you’ve ever read Dr. Jack Kruse, he says you cannot get well in the environment in which you got sick — so move. He moved down to Louisiana for the sun.
I wish I could do that in fact because the winter here in Colorado is challenging. Most likely I just need to recover financially enough so that I can travel in the winters. Sorry to hear about your surgeries and implants. Yes we are wired to live and I have experienced that first hand. Yes I have wanted to give up but as you point out, having kids is a strong anchor and whenever I feel discouraged, I push on because I need to solve the mystery to heal and protect my kids.
They are under the care of a brilliant homeopath now, recovering from Lyme disease and all kinds of co-infections and I am putting them through mineral balancing, although very slowly because they are resistant to taking supplements. I’m going easy on them now while they are on all the homeopathic stuff.
With so much progress, why do you feel like giving up? Could be as simple as a methylation deficiency. Sounds like you already know a thing or two about it. Have you read this? http://howirecovered.com/active-b12-therapy-faq My recollection is that Fred says no one should need injections anymore because the supplements are so good and effective when used under the upper lip. I can see the difference in my iris when I’m on vs off the methylation supports. Try some Now methylfolate, Jarrow mb12 and Source Naturals Dibencozide… just start slow.
Oh and that reminds me, if you have not researched it already, look up microcurrent in connection with your eye problem. It seems to work miracles for eye issues.
Hang in there!!
Erik, do you mind sharing the name of your homeopath? In similar predicament w lyme and co kiddos. Have been following your blog for years.
Sorry to hear it! Do you live in Denver? She only sees patients in person…
Thank you for answering! No, we are in MA! 🙁
Also, I wonder what your eating plan is like? You’ve probably tried them all. I have currently decided to bite the bullet and go high protein, moderate fat and lower carb (not a ketosis-like diet though). Meat with 3 meals, low carb/ low oxalate/ low anti-nutrient veggies, no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no nuts or peanuts, no nightshades. Higher carb veggies like carrot and squash in lower amounts and not every day. At bed I have about 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon of raw local honey with 2 tablespoons of coconut cream and a few sprouted seeds, and two pieces of fruit like organic pear or orange. So this gives my brain some carbs for sleep. My sleep has improved. The honey feeds my brain glucose, which makes me sleepy and helps me fall asleep better when I wake in the middle of the night. Lowering my glutamate intake has helped a lot to calm the body. This site has helped with that, along with Dr Amy Yasko’s list of high glutamate foods to avoid: http://www.holistichelp.net/blog/how-to-increase-gaba-and-balance-glutamate/
My body seems to like the higher protein and eliminating most anti-nutrient plant foods, and I’m hoping to improve my adrenal and thyroid status. I have noticed starting to feel calmer and happier since starting this plan a week ago.
Congratulations on your diet Jenny, it sounds very healthy and very similar to mine. I have not tried the honey but it’s probably worth experimenting with… I do eat some carbs at bedtime though.
Hi Eric, congrats on the improvements! I’m wondering if the EarthPulse made any difference for you?
Hi Jenny, thank you I’m pretty sure it did make a difference because there is a breath test you can do to measure the results and my results improved dramatically, more than doubling my breath hold time. However, in real life I have not noticed any practical improvements. I still use it though and am still experimenting with different frequencies for sleep.
Hey Eric i just wanted to share that not everything that looks like a spirochete/ pathogen on microscopy is actually one. this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPSnvQtsNkE shows that RBC can also turn into similar looking shapes. btw thanks for those microscopy videos on your last post. congrats on the improvements and wishing you a full recovery to vibrant health 🙂
Thanks Ron, I appreciate your help on facebook and have had this item to update the video on my to do list for months… How is your health?
Hey Eric i think you may be confusing me with someone else as i have not been in contact with you on FB but have been occasionally commenting on your posts on this website over the past few years. i’ve still very ill, really weak (too weak to stand more than a couple of seconds) and have lots even more muscle now due to deconditioning, freezing cold body, constant pulsing in head and heavy head among other issues. just tried some iv multipass ozone sessions and have done about 60 rectal ozones in past 3 months. Anyways still working on figuring out what is going on and how to recover. Best Wishes 🙂
Yes you’re right I see. Very sorry to hear about your challenges Ron.
Have you read Dr. Jack Kruse’s Redox stuff? I think that’s one of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned in the past four years, the Redox Before Detox lesson. It’s terribly easy to find tools for killing pathogens and chelating heavy metals. The real trick is finding ways to strengthen your body so that it can handle the detox easily. My homeopath would say “The terrain is everything.” and my new microcurrent coach Benedick Howard would say “Start gentle – end strong.” Of course you still need to know what’s going on…
hey Eric thanks so much for the advice. so far i haven’t really felt any detox symptoms actually from any treatments i have tried. and no major changes in how i feel. I agree that terrain is everything. all the best 🙂
Hi Eric, I too have been a health seeker for many years (more than you!), and have gotten misdiagnosed and undiagnosed for many years. I also have gotten confused about which of the many protocols that I’ve tried have benefited me most and my health has crested and ebbed without my always understanding why. My primary problem is fatigue, to which has been added T1 Diabetes and Hashimotos. I don’t even want to list all the supplements I’ve tried or nutritional strategies (too exhausting to think about). I have currently circled back to seeing deep sleep as the main factor in my dilemma. I have had sleep problems on and off since adolescence when I first experienced a long bout of insomnia. Despite achieving ‘better’ sleep at times, I believe I rarely get the restorative sleep that is so important to self-healing. I have done a sleep lab study (away and at home), and both revealed interrupted sleep and snoring, a sign adequate air is not getting received, but in both cases, the labs were only interested in diagnosing sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, and had no suggestions for me, despite my ‘waking’ 47 times during the night. Inspired by the book by the dentist, Dr. Mark Burhenne, I am trialing a MAD device, an OTC and easier alternative to a PAP machine. I am still in early stages, but my husband tells me my snoring is greatly reduced and I am, as usual, hopeful! Wondering if you have ever checked out the quality or your sleep.
Thanks for sharing all your trials.
Hi Cleo, I’m pretty confident you’re on the right track. I too have spent years and years working on my sleep and it all started with a sleep study. It showed I had positional sleep apnea and I used the BiPAP machine for a few years. Later I gave the BiPAP up and taught myself to sleep on my side which seems to do the trick. But my sleep is still garbage even though there is probably no apnea now. By the way, you can get an attachment for your iPhone to track your oxygenation which will show you the apnea events… Much superior to a sleep study in my opinion. The sleep lab is a complete hell for anybody who has sleep problems.
Hi, I’m inspired by your story. I have a very high lead level, mercury exposure, MTHFR snaps etc. I find functional medicine as specialized as conventional medicine. It is confusing when you are on a budget and can’t afford to “sample “this and that treatment that may not produce results. But then to go to a”detox specialist “‘ a parasite specialist “,a “copper toxic /pyroluria specialist ” etc is also daunting and expensive. Yet I have already been to
2 functional Dr’s who have their own products, but couldn’t make a dent in my problems, and admitted they had never treated “that” problem before or it was obvious that their practice had a different focus. I too, have tried to figure things out on my own, but want some focused help. Is there any big difference between analytical labs and Dr’s Data HTMA(hair analysis). Or Rich Mater and another mineral balancing practitioner. Any info on how to navigate functional medicine on a budget? I am willing to spend money as long as I see progress. But do you have to go from specialist to specialist or are there Dr’s who can guide you through several aspects of your health
I know your dilemma Joyce and it’s one of the reasons that I have done so much work on my own. It’s extraordinarily difficult to find a practitioner who can see the big picture. Don’t think I can offer much help there. As for the hair testing, Dr. Wilson wants you to use either ARL or TEI because they don’t wash the hair samples. Apparently washing the way DDI does distorts the true essential elements picture. For anyone on a budget, I’d probably recommend a series of 10 liver flushes and lots of near-infrared sauna, ideally combined with hair testing and possibly frequent dose chelation (ALA is cheap and DMSA not terribly expensive)…
Eric,
Thank you so much for taking time to answer my inquiry. I appreciate your advice. I have my first liver flush waiting in the cupboard, and my husband and I have been looking at infrared saunas this past week.So I am encouraged that maybe I am on the the right tract.
Good to hear Joyce, hang in there, it’s a marathon!! Well, actually it’s much worse but you get the idea 🙂
Amazing story and progress Eric. Thank you for sharing all your progress. There’s so many health issues doctors are not trained to help with, and stories like this show people there is hope.
Thanks Ziff!!
Great work and perseverance, Eric.
Much appreciated!
Looking better all the time…
Thank you 🙂