Entry for August 30, 2007

Another day fighting with cold hands again and by early afternoon I finally discover why. After a quick scan through the blog, July 11, 2007 was the first entry where I mentioned this “new” symptom.

Again I spent the day taking my vitamins one at a time to see if it would have any effect. Nope, not one. I’m not sure what made me realize it but I guess I was thinking about the recent magnesium loss and how I’ve pushed the copper too low. That’s it! My copper is too low. I’ve been taking a high dosage of zinc for too long.

So I take some homeopathic copper and my cold hands disappear almost instantly. I was always waiting for something to indicate that the zinc/copper ratio was balanced and it never happened in an obvious kind of way. I think the cold hands were an indication that the copper was getting too low. I also think my recent problem with the itchy eyes was a sign that the copper was going too low.

Here’s another person’s story:

Why do most candida sufferers have cold hands and feet?

The only reason that candida infections occur is because the host suffers from lowered immunity. It is impossible to have a candida infection if your immune system is working properly. A healthy immune system constantly destroys yeast and fungi cells in the intestinal tract. A candida infection is a symptom of lowered immunity. So why do most people with candida infections suffer from extremely cold hands and feet?

If you do not have HIV, cancer or some other disease that is taxing your immune system, your immune system is depressed for some other reason. The interesting thing about the cold hands/feet symptom is that this symptom is most commonly seen in people with thyroid problems.

As Jon from iThyroid describes in detail on his site, thyroid problems occur as a result of mineral imbalances. These mineral imbalances will in turn cause other problems such as lowered blood cell levels (both red and white) leaving the host with an impaired ability to destroy pathogens such as yeast cells. So commonly candida infections have been connected to thyroid problems and this is a MISTAKE. Instead, both candida infections and thyroid problems are connected to the same thing – mineral imbalances. Particularly, copper is imbalanced as this critical mineral is needed for the formation of white and red blood cells.

If I was to suggest only one thing to anyone suffering from a candida infection today, it would be to get a hair mineral analysis done. This analysis would let you know for sure which minerals you need to supplement and which you need to cut back on. However, even if the test indicates a high amount of a particular mineral, it is important to never completely stop taking that mineral. Stopping the intake of even small amounts of a mineral can cause further imbalance.

I just want to include briefly my personal problems with mineral imbalancing. My problem was with copper levels. Mine were too low, causing things such as cold hands/feet, incredible brain fog, fatigue, muscle aches, sttringy buildups in my mouth, etc. When I started supplementing copper, I felt TERRIBLE. My brain fog symptoms got so severe I could not work. But this only lasted a few days and with time, I was able to increase my intake to the RDA and then a bit above. And as I continued to take supplemental copper, my condition continued to improve. My brain fogginess slowly went away as did the embarassing body odour. I no longer woke up in night sweats, nor did I have that stringy buildup in my mouth after eating carbohydrates.

I hope my story and website have helped at least one person out there – get a mineral test done!

Entry for August 30, 2007

After taking 500 mg of niacinamide and 200 mg of niacin before going to bed, this morning, I can’t feel the canker sore anymore.

Would it have gone away on it’s own?? Who knows… but I don’t think so.

Entry for August 29, 2007

Recently I’ve been trying the different candida supplements that never worked the first time round. Today I switched from the Caprylic acid and grapefruit seed extract to something called “Candida Clear” and the results were much better. I guess it has a little of everything… Here’s what it says:

Candida Clear is a combination of herbal ingredients which synergistically help to support a healthy balance of intestinal bacteria. The beneficial bacteria that normally populate the gut assist in the digestion of food, produce certain vitamins and promote detoxification processes.

Supplement facts:
Serving size – 2 capsules

Biotin – 2mg (2000mcg)
Magnesium (from magnesium caprylate) – 46mg
Caprylic acid (from magnesium caprylate) – 500mg
Pau ‘D Arco (bark) – 300mg
Black walnut (hull) – 300mg
Oregano oil – 200mg

Candida Clear by NOW Foods. Perhaps the most important part of this formula is the high potencies of 100% pure Oregano Oil, which is naturally sprayed onto the vitamin and herbal base. This unique combination has been carefully formulated to rid the body of candida albicans the most common, problematic strain of yeast. (Our favorite because of it’s effectiveness.)

Entry for August 29, 2007

I’ve been wanting to do this since I got the great iris pictures from the iridologst. I asked my wife to do an overlay of my iris with the iridology chart so that they line up using photoshop.

It looks fantastic and I was playing with the final results tonight and it’s very interesting to see how the “holes” line up with the chart.

Examples:

I have a deep line exactly where the equilibrium is: Manganese deficiency
Another deep hole for the heart and the adrenals: Magnesium deficiency

One thing I noticed that the iridologist didn’t mention was the “hole” for the solar plexus. I’m not even sure what that is so I asked Dr. Google to explain:

Solar Plexus

A dense cluster of nerve cells and supporting tissue, located behind the stomach in the region of the celiac artery just below the diaphragm. It is also known as the celiac plexus. Rich in ganglia and interconnected neurons, the solar plexus is the largest autonomic nerve center in the abdominal cavity. Through branches it controls many vital functions such as adrenal secretion and intestinal contraction.

How interesting is that? With nervous exhaustion, how can that NOT be effected?

Entry for August 29, 2007

Woke up with a vibration…

A week with the high doses of insitol and choline and although there was a huge difference in the beginning, I haven’t noticed any more improvements lately. Originally I thought it had an effect on the vibration. Now I’m not so sure?

Today the cold hands returned around lunchtime and it would come and go without any effect from my supplements. By late afternoon there was something that I did notice…

I can feel something like a pimple in the roof of mouth. The canker sores have returned and this time I’m glad because I know exactly what the problem is and why it is happening.

I don’t recall that I’ve ever mentioned the canker sores in my blog in the past because it was happening before I started to document everything and at the time, I didn’t realize it was a symptom of a vitamin deficiency. There was so many other things going on that I didn’t mention it.

It really makes sense that I would still have a niacin deficiency because I was taking it for months and then stopped thinking I’d taken it long enough and didn’t need it anymore. The low level of phosphorus was the reason for the deficiency in the first place and I needed to address that first.

I’ve taken niacin on and off since I started taking the phosphorus on Aug 1st and didn’t notice a difference but this time, I’ll try it for longer.

Entry for August 28, 2007

I had an early meeting downtown today and we needed to set the alarm for 5:00 AM. Now I’ve never been a morning person and I was slightly worried that I wouldn’t get up in time even with the early alarm.

How did it go? The alarm goes and the first thing I notice is no vibration. 5:15 AM and I’m up getting started and we get out of the house on time to make my early train. Despite getting up at that ungodly hour, my eyes were not itchy and watery like they usually are in the morning and today it was extra early so I think that was a really good test.

Now, if I can just raise my magnesium level…

Entry for August 27, 2007

Just before going to bed, I wanted to review my blog to read the entries regarding the zinc. I came across an entry I did when I suspected high sugar intake was the cause of my problems. I couldn’t believe it. Right there in front of my eyes were Choline and Inositol. I’m not sure how I missed that? Maybe because I didn’t know what they were? God I can’t believe I missed that! I feel like I’m so thorough at everything I do.

Entry for January 07, 2007

Vitamin/Minerals (Factors that inhibit absorption) : Excessive Sugar

Vitamin B (complex), Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B-5 (Pantothenic Acid), Niacin (nicotinic acid), Chromium, Choline, Copper, Inositol, Phosphorus, Potassium and Magnesium.

Entry for August 27, 2007

Woke up with the vibration…

This morning it’s back to work so I added some extra magnesium just in case. I sat down at my desk and started my daily routine and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. The magnesium loss must be because my copper is low. This is fantastic!!!!

I actually have some homeopathic copper on me so I take that with 1 magnesium and I could feel the difference. I should’ve known it because of the candida supplements were working, the minerals were balanced afterall. It makes sense because I’m been taking a high dosage of zinc everyday since the beginning of February. Hard to believe but it’s been over six months of treatment so maybe I did go too far? I had no real sign that the zinc had been corrected.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll take the candida supplements along with my multivitamin and a calcium/magnesium.

This is great news! Magnesium is my friend again.

Entry for August 26, 2007

I took my regular vitamins in the morning and about two hours later, I felt so sick. It felt like my stomach was upset from too much zinc. I’ve taken a high dosage of zinc on an empty stomach in the past so I know exactly what it feels like.

I had to lie down for about an hour and it passed. I decided to skip the rest of the vitamins for the rest of the day but I’m sure the cause was the zinc.

Just before going to bed, I start getting that “feeling” in my chest again. It’s only a mild feeling but I’ve had it so many times before. I take 1 250 mg of magnesium and I feel a lot better. So what the heck is causing this extra magnesium loss? At least this time I know what the symptoms are and I have the best form of magnesium along with the homeopathic form.

Entry for August 24, 2007

After the second banana I’m starting to feel the effects of candida. I’m clearly not ready for bananas yet… This is disappointing because I thought I was getting the minerals balanced so I guess I still have a deficiency in something?

Entry for August 24, 2007

Every morning for the longest time, whenever I woke up, I’d have tired, itchy eyes and usually it went away slowly throughout the morning. I always thought it was because I was tired and I was tired all the time. For the past two days since taking choline and inositol, my eyes feel like new in the mornings. It’s such a big obvious difference.

I don’t think it was riboflavin causing the dry itchy eyes of late that disappeared when I took B vitamins. Turns out that choline and inositol are included in my B complex supplement.

So now with the idea of a potassium deficiency, I grab three bananas on the way into work.

Entry for August 24, 2007

With this “new” heart symptom I recalled a past entry in my blog about a person with a similar problem with the calcium/magnesium ratios and I remember he mentioned something about potassium. The full entry was for August 10, 2007.

As I was struggling through this irregular heart rate problem, I found that two things often helped the situation: potassium and vitamin B-5. Potassium often helped and I think the reason for this is that potassium and magnesium are antagonistic minerals. Since I was essentially suffering from too much magnesium (or too little calcium), the potassium helped because it reduced the metabolic effect of the magnesium (or assisted the metabolism of calcium). I think this is important, particularly for persons with hypothyroidism, because they need a higher calcium to magnesium ratio. A potassium deficiency could prevent the cells from getting enough calcium which is an activator in the cellular response to thyroid hormone.

I also know that technically, my potassium should be low because of my long time stressed adrenals and the link with high copper. Interestingly, there is also a link with a potassium ratio and candida.

Effects Of Copper On Other Minerals

Copper, in excess, tends to lower manganese, zinc and potassium levels.

Correction of the sodium/potassium ratio is essential to eliminate yeast problems, because this is indicative of adrenal insufficiency, induced hyper-alkalinity, an impaired immune system, and deficient hydrochloric acid and bile acid secretion.

Excessive Intake of Sweets, Fruits and Fruit Juices

The majority of copper-toxic individuals have an insatiable craving for sweets, fruit, and fruit juices. Such cravings arise from the fact that copper-toxic individuals, in general, suffer from a severe potassium deficiency. Fruit, fruit juices and vegetables are high in potassium content, and hence the craving for these foods.

Entry for August 23, 2007

Yesterday was another great day and I can really feel a difference with these new vitamins. Especially with my eyes so I think it’s the inositol that is responsible for that.

Inositol plays an important part in the health of cell membranes especially the specialized cells in the brain, bone marrow, eyes and intestines.

No vibration and no cold hands during the day either… so I think that’s the choline working.

Choline assists in controlling your weight as well as cholesterol levels, keeping cell membranes healthy and in preventing gallstones. It is also most useful in the maintenance of the nervous system, assisting memory and learning, and may help to fight infections, including hepatitis and AIDS.

Because the candida supplements are working this time round my assumption is that the minerals that I’ve been fighting with for the past months are now getting somewhat balanced.

For breakfast I had Raisin Bran, tuna sandwich for lunch, one apple and two pears for snacks. The success against the candida and the recent improvements, I’m started to feel like I’m really making some progress.

I meet by wife at her parents house and we pick up my daughter and head home. The same routine it’s been for almost a year now. We get home around 7:00 PM and as I enter the house I feel a weird pain in my upper left chest. It’s a pain I’ve had before but not since I discovered magnesium. I was panicked because I’ve been doing so well lately. I don’t go anywhere without my homeopathic magnesium so luckily I took some right away. And because I was home, I could take one 250 mg of magnesium. The pain disappeared and I was somewhat confused as to what had happened. I sat down for a bit and had a glass of water.

When I was settled, I wanted to check my iris in the mirror to see if I could see anything in the area of the heart and it looked normal. Checking my iris in the mirror is actually something I do now almost on a weekly basis. I bought a little flashlight and carry it around with me.

So why the chest pain? I’m not really sure…

Entry for August 22, 2007

No vibration this morning.

Today I’ll split things up a little differently. Here’s today’s dosage:

300 mg Calcium/Magnesium 3x
50 mg Zinc 2x
250 mg Inositol 3x
250 mg Choline 3x
100 mg Phosphorus 2x
Caprylic Acid 3x

Entry for August 21, 2007

Woke up with the vibration but today was a great day and it felt like I had more energy than usual. The stuff I’m taking for the candida is working this time around. When I think back, it’s almost hard to believe how bad it actually was a year ago.

I managed to pick up 250 mg of inositol and 500 mg of choline at the health food store. I take one each with my lunch and my the early afternoon, I can feel the effects. Hard to explain..it just feels different but in a nice way…and no cold hands all day.

Found some suggestions for dosage:

Inositol

Description: 500 mg/2x/day. Improves nerve function; taken with choline and biotin, some have found improvements in HIV-induced neuropathy at doses of 1000-4000 mg/day;

Choline

Description: 1000 mg/2x/day choline citrate. Improves nerve and immune function. May help reverse neuropathy, both peripheral and autonomic; higher doses may be needed, up to 1000-3000 mg of phosphatidylcholine, 3 times per day;

Biotin

Description: 10-15 mg/day. Normally produced by intestinal bacteria which are destroyed in anyone on antibiotics. Not much in food so supplementation necessary. Helps prevent candida problems. Helps metabolize fatty acids, and thus is critical for fat digestion; also necessary for amino acid metabolism. Biotin deficiency can cause dementia; shown in kidney dialysis patients on biotin-free restricted diets; such neurological problems reversed with a couple of months of biotin supps. May also help reverse neuropathy, both peripheral (cause of numbness and pain in feet, legs, hands, arms) and autonomic (contributor or cause of impotency and digestive problems). For neuropathy, works best when used in doses of 15-20 mg/day (15,000-20,000 mcg) and in combination with choline, inositol, B6, B12, and thiamine.

Entry for August 20, 2007

While doing some researching tonight I stumbled upon an article that makes a lot of sense for me and it’s something I’ve missed although I know I’ve reviewed it in the past. It plays a role in hair loss and calming the nervous system. Can also be helpful in cases high copper. I’ve also noticed that I can’t remember things as clearly as I used to. Recalling what I did yesterday is sometimes a problem for me. I’m not forgetful, I just can’t remember things with any detail.

I like what I’m reading!!

Inositol: A Necessary Nutrient

Inositol is recognized as part of the B-Complex vitamins. It works closely with Choline as one of the primary components of the cell membrane. The human body contains more inositol than any other vitamin except Niacin. It is found in large quantities in the spinal cord nerves, the brain, and the cerebral spinal fluid. It is also needed for growth and survival of cells in bone marrow, eye membranes, and the intestines. It also encourages hair growth and can help prevent baldness.

Like Choline, Inositol helps to move fat out of the liver, and helps prevent serious liver disorders, as well as disorder involving high cholesterol. Serotonin and acetylcholine, two neurotransmitters, both depend upon Inositol, and it supplementation therefore can assist in the reduction of depression and panic attacks. Loss of Inositol from nerve cells is the primary reason for Diabetic neuropathy, so Inositol supplementation can assist in improving this condition. Phytic acid, the plant source of Inositol, has been shown to have anticancer properties, which may be one reason why a high-fiber diet protects against many cancers.

Inositol also has a prominent calming effect on the central nervous system, so it is sometimes helpful to those with insomnia. Studies on brain waves have shown that it has an effect similar to that of Librium or Valium. It can gradually lower blood pressure, and can be helpful in cases of schizophrenia, hypoglycemia, and those with high serum copper and low serum zinc levels.

Because it stimulates muscles of the alimentary canal, Inositol is helpful in cases of constipation. It can also induce labor contractions in pregnant women.

Most sources state that Inositol is not essential in the human diet. If it is a fundamental ingredient of cell membranes and is necessary for proper nerve, brain, and muscle function, how can it NOT be essential? Cell function is impaired when inositol is not present. Perhaps it is seen as not necessary in the diet because it can be synthesized by the intestinal flora. The action of the intestinal bacteria liberates inositol from phytic acid, which is found in citrus fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. The same kind of statement is made in reference to the amino acids. The ones which the body manufactures are considered “non-essential” amino acids. But I believe this is incorrect terminology. All the amino acids ARE essential to bodily functions, it’s just that some are made by the body, so we don’t have to concentrate on how much we eat. That doesn’t mean they aren’t essential to the body’s functioning, and so the same is true of inositol.

However, just because the body can manufacture a certain nutrient doesn’t mean that it necessarily provides all that is needed in every circumstance. In certain disease states, certain nutrients may be required in greater quantities than the body can produce, which is why it is also found in foods. My belief is, if it’s found in food, then we need to consume it, otherwise why would it be there?

Daily dosages include:

As a general rule, if you have none of the specific problems listed in this article, it is generally thought that the dosage of Inositol should be the same as that of Choline daily.

For liver support – 100 to 500 milligrams daily
For depression or panic attacks – 12 grams
For diabetes, 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams
For blood pressure – one gram in the morning and one gram at night.

Entry for August 20, 2007

Today I decided to take a break from the vitamins and minerals just to see what would happen. My eyes are still itchy so maybe I’m taking too much of something. Possibly the phosphorus?

I got to around mid-morning and I could feel the mild nerve feeling in my head. I’m still low in something but I have no idea what it could be. I figure it could be the chromium so I take one capsule with my lunch. I also took 1 50 mg of zinc and left it at that. By mid afternoon, the nerve feeling returned so I took a calcium/magnesium and it never returned.

By the evening my eyes are feeling much better so I take another zinc and another calcium/magnesium with my dinner. I also wanted to try something different.

With the addition of the calcium/magnesium in the 2/1 ratio, my candida has mildly improved. It’s nothing significant, it just feels a little better than usual since I made the change. So tonight I thought I’d add some caprylic acid and a grapefruit seed extract. Two things known for candida and I’ve tried them both before without any success.

About an hour after dinner…I notice a difference. I think it’s working this time. I’ll add these two to my supplements tomorrow.

Entry for August 17, 2007

Because the watery itching eyes started after taking calcium/magnesium for a few days, and this morning it seemed to improve when I took some B complex vitamins, I decide to look at the interrelationships and there is one between calcium and riboflavin that I never noticed before. Never really thought about it.

I’ve got to look at phosphorus and niacin again…when I have some time…

Entry for August 16, 2007

For the past couple of days I’ve had water itchy eyes and although I thought it was because of something I was taking, I now think it’s something that I need…

I’ve cut down on my vitamins and yesterday I only took calcium/magnesium. This morning I still had the problem so I took calcium/magnesium again but I also took B complex which I stopped taking on a regular basis a while back.

That seemed to do the trick so are we back to B vitamins again?

The calcium/magnesium does seem to have an effect on the vibration but yesterday morning I didn’t take my morning dosage and the cold hands returned around noon time which was a bit disappointing…

Entry for August 13, 2007

A while back I came across a recent quote from Yoko Ono.

“Curry powder is very good for the brain cells,” she said. “Think of all the Indian people you know who have Alzheimer’s, then you’ll see what I mean.”

It sounds funny but it probably makes some sense. Dr. Google?

Alzheimer’s and Curry Spice

A chemical found in turmeric and curry appears to boost the immune’s system’s ability to clear amyloid beta from the brain. Amyloid beta is a waste product thought to form plaques in the brain that cause Alzheimer’s. Researchers from the UCLA/VA treated macrophages, extracted from blood samples of 6 Alzheimer’s patients, with a drug derived from the chemical curcumin. After 24 hours amyloid beta was introduced to the macrophages. In half of the samples the uptake of the amyloid beta by the macrophages increased significantly. The macrophages that responded were from blood samples of younger patients, suggesting curcumin may be effective in patients with less advanced Alzheimer’s.

Wow…She was right!