Entry for February 20, 2008

Despite having Tuna for lunch, I had cold hands all afternoon which was confusing because Tuna is very high in protein. Because something is still not working right I often go through my vitamins and try something different just for the sake of adding something different to see what the effect it. I find it really fasinating to read about how the amino acids are always connected to the vitamins and minerals. Sometimes I read something that sticks in my head as being a good idea and then remember it later. Tonight I add Lecithin just before going to bed.

Entry for July 17, 2007

Yet another weird day at the office. Before I had a chance to take my morning minerals, I had that mild nerve sensation in my head. It should really come as no surprise as I skipped the minerals at dinner last night.

So I took my supplements in the morning and by noon I had cold hands. I took the Cal Apatite with Magnesium which seemed to help a little but not really. All afternoon I was fighting the cold hands and I wasn’t really sure how to get rid of it because nothing seemed to work so I just left it and it seemed to get better on it’s own. I had a tuna sandwich for lunch with always makes me feel better so I’m not sure what happened.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that magnesium doesn’t seem to help me anymore. even the homeopathic version.

Another strange thing I noticed was that after breakfast and again after lunch, I felt a little sick and in both cases it got better the longer after eating the meals. Almost like the alkaline stomach feeling which I haven’t had in a very long time.

In fact, I may have another theory…

Entry for March 03, 2007

If the level of  mercury in tuna is a problem then why are dentists using it in our teeth?

Expand canned tuna advisory, add labels: scientists
Last Updated: Friday, March 2, 2007 | 6:13 PM ET
CBC News

Health Canada’s new guidelines on eating canned albacore tuna may not go far enough, some scientists say.

Last week, the department issued the new consumption advice for women and children who eat the canned fish after a CBC investigation revealed mercury levels above the allowed limit in 13 per cent of 60 cans purchased in three Canadian cities.

Now, a Canadian woman has stepped forward saying she has suffered serious medical problems as a result of eating too much albacore tuna.

Maureen Hayes of Ottawa lost 60 pounds on a special diet that included eating up to four cans of albacore tuna a week for 10 years. About a year ago, she started having heart problems.

“I had heart palpitations,” Hayes said. “I had headaches every day, I had loss of memory, I was extremely fatigued, I had no energy, my skin was extremely dry and itchy, and then I started to develop allergies.”

It took one year, visits to several specialists and a magazine article about mercury before Hayes put the pieces together and had her blood tested. She discovered her blood had elevated levels of mercury.

Health Canada’s new guidelines on eating canned albacore tuna may not go far enough, some scientists say.

Last week, the department issued the new consumption advice for women and children who eat the canned fish after a CBC investigation revealed mercury levels above the allowed limit in 13 per cent of 60 cans purchased in three Canadian cities.

Troubling Tins

The new Health Canada guidelines say it is safe for pregnant women to consume nearly three cans of albacore tuna a week, slightly less than what Hayes was eating. In the U.S., the consumption guidelines range from one can a week to one can a month for pregnant women and children.

Hayes’ symptoms are consistent with long-term exposure to mercury, said Donna Mergler, a professor who specializes in mercury at the University of Quebec at Montreal.

Mergler was one of three experts CBC asked to review Hayes’ medical records. She said the federal government should extend its advisory to everyone, and put labels on cans of fish containing high levels of mercury.

“I don’t think the recommendations necessarily protect all the population, because as one can see, there are people that are particularly sensitive to it,” Mergler said.

Health Canada based its latest consumption advice for albacore tuna on a full scientific review of the latest data on toxic mercury levels in the fish, the department said in an e-mail to CBC.

Concerned E-mails

Hayes was one of about 70 people who e-mailed Dr. David Lean of the University of Ottawa, who supervised CBC’s tuna tests. The e-mail authors were worried they’d suffered mercury poisoning after eating too much canned tuna.

“I suggest they talk it over with their doctor,” Hayes said. “I don’t think the message is out there yet that this is a major environmental problem that really requires action at all levels.”

Under her doctor’s care, Hayes stopped eating canned tuna altogether. Eventually, the mercury levels in her blood dropped to normal and her symptoms have disappeared.

Since 2003, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Academy of Sciences have recommended keeping mercury levels in the blood to less than five micrograms per litre over the long term. When first tested, Hayes’ blood levels were 8.8 micrograms per litre.

Health Canada’s guideline for mercury in blood were based on the World Health Organization’s standard from 1972, which indicate increased risk at levels between 20 to 100 micrograms per litre.

Entry for October 22, 2006

PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY

Eating Tuna Safely

This table provides guidelines on how much canned tuna it is safe to eat, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. While mercury poses the most serious health threat to children and women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, others may also wish to use this list as a guide.

If you weigh:	Don’t eat more than one can every:
	White Albacore	Chunk Light
20 lbs	10 weeks	3 weeks
30 lbs	6 weeks	2 weeks
40 lbs	5 weeks	11 days
50 lbs	4 weeks	9 days
60 lbs	3 weeks	7 days
70 lbs	3 weeks	6 days
80 lbs	2 weeks	6 days
90 lbs	2 weeks	5 days
100 lbs	2 weeks	5 days
110 lbs	12 days	4 days
120 lbs	11 days	4 days
130 lbs	10 days	4 days
140 lbs	10 days	3 days
150+ lbs	9 days	3 days
Source: Food and Drug Administration test results for mercury and fish, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s determination of safe levels of mercury.

Entry for October 22, 2006

Since I started eating healthier I’ve been eating tuna at least once a week. I’ve always known that it’s one of the things that I eat that always makes me feel better but I’ve always had different reasons for thinking it had an effect on me.

First, I thought it was niacin. Secondly, I suspected magnesium and now, I discover that tuna is high in vitamin B6. So it was probably the comination of all three. We’ve all heard about the dangers of mercury in tuna so…Dr. Google?

Albacore:

According to FDA health standards, you can safely eat 5.7 ounces of Albacore tuna per week (assuming that every can of tuna has an average amount of mercury*). That’s almost a full can of tuna. Albacore tuna has three times as much mercury as light tuna.

Light Tuna:

According to FDA health standards, you can safely eat 16.6 ounces of Light tuna tuna per week (assuming that every can of tuna has an average amount of mercury*). That’s 2 and three quarters cans of tuna.

FDA scientists have established a daily limit for mercury and have tested hundreds of cans of tuna for the metal, but they have not told women of childbearing age how much tuna they can eat and not endanger their children.

FDA’s safe dose is measured in grams of mercury per kilogram of person per day. All we need is your weight and it is a simple math problem to determine how much tuna you can eat safely.

The calculations presented here assume that you eat no other seafood at all. The FDA recommends up to 12 ounces a week of a variety of fish. If you eat other seafood, the amount of tuna that you can eat safely will be less than calculated here.

*EWG recommends that women of childbearing age and children under 5 not eat albacore tuna at all, because a significant portion of albacore tuna has very high mercury levels. People eating this tuna will exceed safe exposure levels by a wide margin.

So is there anything I can do about the mercury?

Mineral Replacement

It is important to have a generally healthy mineral base. The body works better with toxic metals than no metals at all. Enzymes have certain binding sites that require a metal for them to perform their function as a catalyst. When you are deficient in magnesium, sodium, zinc and other minerals, the body does not let go of the toxic metals very easily.

Selenium and zinc are particularly important trace mineral in mercury detoxification and should be used for most people.

Entry for August 19, 2006

I went into Shoppers Drug Mart today for some magnesium epsom salts. Out of curiosity, I ask the pharmacist if there is a magnesium supplement available only by prescription. He checks the computer and he says there is only the stuff that available over the counter. No thanks…

I wasn’t hungry at dinner so I didn’t eat until later and I had a can of tuna just before going to bed. Tuna is considered protein so let’s see if it makes a difference with the magnesium. I take two capsules of magnesium taurate and it’s off to bed and there is no vibration.

Entry for July 17, 2006

So what is the mysterious connection between tuna and pears?

Iodine: Pears can be eaten fresh, plain or in salads. They can be baked, pickled, canned, frozen, used in baby food, or processed into jams, jellies and pies. A pear is 83% water, a good source of B vitamins, and contains some vitamin C, phosphorus and iodine.

Iodine is available from a variety of food sources, drugs, and most commercial vitamin preparations. Some seafood and sea vegetables provide good sources of dietary iodine. The following seafood may provide good sources of dietary iodine: canned sardines, canned tuna, clams, cod, haddock, halibut, herring, lobster, oyster, perch, salmon, sea bass, and shrimp. Dulse, kelp, and seaweed are also sources of dietary iodine.

I’ve never noticed this before because the nutritional web site that I use doesn’t include Iodine in the list of mineral content in food.

Some of the key symptoms? Cold hands and feet, no energy and sleeping all the time.

Entry for July 17, 2006

So I don’t take any enzymes with my supper and  I have a lot of flatuence. She didn’t seem to think I needed any but it’s very clear that the enzymes are very necessary. But I think that I’m partly to blame. When I filled out the survey, I listed my current symptoms and not the symptoms I had before taking the supplements.

Now I don’t know what to think. I’ve tried almost everything to try and solve this stupid internal vibration and the only thing that works with any consistency is by diet. Eating pears and tuna will make them stop. There must be a connection between the two. Seafood and fruit: How much further apart can you get?

In the past eighteen months there is only one doctor that has given me any real success so far…

Doctor Google?

I start by looking up all of the possible symptoms for vitamins and minerals:

Iodine: Copper needed to utilize iodine as needed by the body for thyroid function.

Deficiencies:

Cold intolerance
Brittle nails
Bulging eyes
Constipation
Depression
Dry skin & hair
Elevated blood cholesterol
Excessive sweating
Fatigue
Frequent bowel movements
Goiter (throat swelling)
Hair loss
Hand tremors
Heat intolerance
Heavy periods or less than 28 day cycles
Hypothyroidism
Increased appetite

Irritability
Inability to concentrate
Insomnia
Light periods or longer than 28 day cycles
Low basal body temperature
Low sex drive
Muscle aches and pains
Muscle cramps
Muscle weakness
Nervousness
Over-active Thyroid
Poor memory Puffy face
Rapid pulse
Under-active Thyroid
Weight gains Weight loss

I have a few of the symptoms so I decide to look further…

Entry for June 27, 2006

The mystery pears…

I forgot to take my acidophilus today and all day I’ve had a lot of gas after eating meals. After dinner, I take one my enzyme suppliments and that seems to work very well.

I did some research on the sigmoid tonight. Didn’t really find anything that mentioned my symptoms but I decided to go through the blog history and refresh my discoveries. One of the things that will stop the vibration is pears. Pears are mostly water and they are not really high in any vitamin or mineral but there is one thing they are high in: Dietary Fibre.

I know for a fact that I don’t eat enough fibre and I’m wondering now if the sigmoid is effected by low fibre intake.

How Much Fibre?

According to current guidelines, healthy adults should consume at least 26 grams of fibre – ideally 26 to 35 grams daily. The present Canadian fibre intake only averages 4.5 to 11 grams a day. Health Canada suggests increasing this amount by eating more grains and unpeeled (but well-washed) fruit and vegetables. Be sure to include both insoluble fibre and soluble types.

Another plus of a fibre-rich diet is that it provides plenty of vitamins and minerals, but it may be wise to consult a physician before greatly increasing dietary fibre intake and to ensure good nutritional status before making drastic alterations. Initially, eating large quantities of fibre may cause bloating, but this should subside in a few weeks. It is best to increase amounts gradually. Eating 26 grams of fibre daily may seem like a lot but can be obtained by having two fruits at breakfast-time (say a banana and raisins) with whole grain cereal, fruit as between-meal snacks, three to five servings of vegetables daily, and several bread and grain servings.

26 to 35 grams of dietary fibre daily? Even with my new lifestyle changes, there’s no way I’m having that much fibre. Could this be why I still have the vibration? So as a night time snack, I have a bowel of Fibre 1 cereal.

But if fibre is my problem, why does vitamin C make it stop? Why does a high dose of B complex make it stop? Why does tuna make it stop? Tuna doesn’t have any fibre…

Entry for June 25, 2006

Magnesium

Deficiency Symptoms

Because magnesium plays such a wide variety of roles in the body, the symptoms of magnesium deficiency can also vary widely. Many symptoms involve changes in nerve and muscle function. These changes include muscle weakness, tremor, and spasm. In the heart muscle, magnesium deficiency can result in arrhythmia, irregular contraction, and increased heart rate.

Because of its role in bone structure, the softening and weakening of bone can also be a symptom of magnesium deficiency. Other symptoms can include: imbalanced blood sugar levels; headaches; elevated blood pressure; elevated fats in the bloodstream; depression; seizures; nausea; vomiting; and lack of appetite.

Great… seems like a lot of vitamin deficiencies can cause a tremor. Could this be why the vibration is still around despite by high dosage of B complex vitamins and now the use of Benfotiamine?

A food source high in magnesium? Tuna!

The importance of Minerals

According to the U.S. Department of Health in 1982, America was known to be one of the sickest of 100 civilized nations on earth. America ranked 95th in relation to chronic and degenerative diseases; only 5 countries were worse off than America!  In 1987, it was revealed that America had dropped to the bottom of the list – number 100.

It has been recorded that 40% of the people who say they feel good actually suffer from a chronic disease. It is a well-known governmental fact that more than 99% of Americans are deficient in minerals that are required for the maintenance of a healthy body.  Why are minerals so important to good health? All nutritional elements such as enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, fats, sugars,  carbohydrates, etc., as well as all body functions, are dependent upon minerals.

Entry for May 15, 2006

Four straight days now without using any inserts in my shoes and no pain. I’m convinced that the Niacin has increased my blood circulation to my feet. So out of curiosity, I ask Dr. Google and I come across this:

The term plantar fasciitis is derived from plantar which refers to the bottom of the foot and fascia which is a type of dense fibrous connective tissue. The “itis” is a suffix which means inflammation. Latest studies show that in many cases of plantar fasciitis there really is no inflamation, but rather an avascularity (loss of blood circulation).

The signs were there but no one but them all together. The internal vibration has gone for the most part. Sometimes I notice it and other times it’s very weak. I think I need more than 200 mg but I won’t increase it until I see the doctor on June 3rd.

Niacin should be started at low doses and increased slowly over several weeks. To avoid stomach upset, niacin should be taken with meals.

I’ve been eating six cans of tuna a week because of the natural niacin. As I’m reading the paper this morning I come across an article about the high levels of mercury in tuna . Oh great…

SAN FRANCISCO – A state judge ruled that California cannot require the nation’s three largest tuna companies to place mercury warning labels on their cans.

State Attorney General Bill Lockyer sued the tuna canners two years ago to enforce Proposition 65, a 1986 state law requiring consumer warnings about reproductive toxins such as mercury, which has been linked to developmental problems in children.

With some studies showing that tuna contains potentially unsafe levels of mercury, health advocates complain that tuna companies and government agencies haven’t done enough to warn consumers about the risks.

The judge also found that the mercury levels in the companies’ tuna were not high enough to require labels. In addition, he ruled that virtually all the mercury in canned tuna was naturally occurring, exempting them from the warning

“The decision, we believe, is wrong on the law, wrong on the science and bad for consumers,” Dresslar said. “When the consumers of California go into a grocery store, they have a right to be informed about the mercury that is present in canned tuna.”
said spokesman Tom Dresslar.

Entry for Apr 30, 2006

Armed with this new information I decide to have a tuna sandwich for lunch. Before I eat the tuna, I lie down to see if I am vibrating and I am. I check again 30 minutes after the sandwich and the vibration has stopped. I was so impressed, I went to the nearest health food store and went looking for hydrochloric acid and Niacin tablets. I found the Niacin and the salesperson said they didn’t have hydrochloric acid but she recommended a supplement called “Super Enzymes”. It contains 200 mg of Betaine HCl which is the same thing so I bought it.

I wasn’t feeling great in the afternoon so I take one tablet of 100 mg of Niacin as soon as I got home. There was no immediate effect but I did seem to feel better by late afternoon.

Tomorrow I won’t take my usual Acidophilus, I’ll take the Super Enzymes instead and see what happens…

Entry for April 29, 2006

With these new theories swirling around my head, I go to the Nutritional Summary web site and look up pears. From the list of protein and amino acids I notice that two of the highest ingredients are acids.

Pear (Raw)

Protein & Amino Acids:

Aspartic acid: 173 mg
Glutamic acid: 49.5 mg

Both of these work as excitatory neurotransmitters in the nervous system. As I look up the effects of Amino Acids and how diet can effect the nervous system, I come across Niacin deficiency:

Niacin
Niacin (nicotinic acid) is another one of the B-complex vitamins that may be linked to neurological damage. Mild niacin deficiency is associated with weakness, tremor, anxiety, depression and irritability.

Niacin helps increase energy through improving food utilization and has been used beneficially for treating fatigue, irritability, and digestive disorders, such as diarrhea, constipation, and indigestion. It may also stimulate extra hydrochloric acid production.

Nicotinic acid also helps reduce blood pressure and, very importantly, acts as an agent to lower serum cholesterol. Treatment with about 2 grams a day of nicotinic acid has produced significant reductions in both blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

In general, niacin deficiency affects every cell, especially in those systems with rapid turnover, such as the skin, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system. Other than photosensitivity, the first signs of niacin deficiency are noted as decreased energy production and problems with maintaining healthy functioning of the skin and intestines. These symptoms include weakness and general fatigue, anorexia, indigestion, and skin eruptions. These can progress to other problems, such as a sore, red tongue, canker sores, nausea, vomiting, tender gums, bad breath, and diarrhea. The neurological symptoms may begin with irritability, insomnia, and headaches and then progress to tremors, extreme anxiety and depression. The skin will worsen, as will the diarrhea and inflammation of the mouth and intestinal tract. There will be a lack of stomach acid production (achlorhydria) and a decrease in fat digestion and, thus, lower availability from food absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, and E.

The liver can synthesize niacin from the essential amino acid tryptophan but the synthesis is extremely slow and requires vitamin B6. Bacteria in the gut may also perform the conversion but are inefficient.

Many food charts list only sources that actually contain niacin and do not take into account tryptophan conversion into niacin. Approximately 60 mg of tryptophan can generate 1 mg of niacin. But tryptophan is available for conversion only when there are more than sufficient quantities in the diet to synthesize the necessary proteins as tryptophan is used in our body with the other essential amino acids to produce protein.

Niacin needs are based on caloric intake. We need about 6.6 mg. per 1,000 calories, and no less than 13 mg. per day. Women need at least 13 mg. and men at least 18 mg. per day. The RDA for children ranges from 9-16 mg.

A mild niacin deficiency can cause a tremor! How interesting… Is this the breakthrough I’ve been waiting for? I’m also wondering now if this explains why my triglyceride levels were so high on the last blood test. Back on April 11th, the acupuncture doctor told me there was only two reasons for high triglycerides.

1) Eat a lot of fat red meat.

2) Not eating enough fruits and vegetables.

Now there is a third: NIACIN Deficiency.

I look up pears and they only contain 0.3 mg of Niacin however a can of tuna has 21.5 mg per can and it contains 440 mg of tryptophan.

Looks like I’m having Tuna for lunch!