Heavy Metal Intoxication

My research has lead me down many paths and another one has recently opened up. To be honest, I'd seen it a while ago but didn't look into it that much. Why now, I don't know.

I have just read a book written by a French woman who had herself, her three children and her granchild all suffering from major health problems and she decided to fight back. Her combat ressembles mine - endless doctos and blood tests, all negative until she finally came across a doctor who disgnosed her with heavy metel poisoning which saved her and her family.  So because of this, I decided to look a little more into it and came up with three fascinating and thought-provoking pieces of information:

1. Testing for chronic heavy metal poisoning is difficult because a blood test only shows up positive if you have had a recent high level exposure but a chronic long-term exposure would show nothing as the metals stick into pieces of the body and isn't freely floating around in your body. There are other countries where tests and protocoles exist and are recognised by the national health system - Germany being one of them. The woman's blood was sent off to Germany to be tested. There is also a specific urine test but I am still looking into that.
2. Gluten and caseine proteins, when eaten, bind with mercury to make a highly toxic product which would be responsable for many health problems. This could explain why so many people feel better on a gluten free dairy free diet without actually being coeliac. The more mercury you have, the worse the reaction.
3. Mercury poisoning can be through several sources: fillings in your teeth (with greater problems if you've had them changed and/or you eat a lot of chewing gum), certain fish and seafood as there is a fair amount in some parts of the seas, vaccinations (and there are sooo many now in comparison to before), energy saving light bulbs (so be very careful not to break them!!). What I also learnt was that a mother passes on her metal intoxication in the womb, who then in turn passes it on to her children. Add that to the enormous amounts of vaccinations and they have high levels early on - and that's before they have fillings! This shows that as each generation accumulates the heavy metals of the generation before, they have more and more health problems and symptoms earlier than the generation before. My mum has problems with gluten, I started at about the age of 18 having real problems and my daughter at 7 years old! 

So I'm begining to think there come be some logic to this possibility. Now the major question is to find out how to go about testing and how to get a doctor to treat us. I have found a name of a doctor in Paris, so perhaps I will send her a mail...

Blood Test Results, MRI and Reiki

My quest for an answer to all this continues. Nothing changes. Symptoms come and go but neither me nor my daughter are ever symptom-free. I have returned to my GP who has done more blood tests. My white blood count has decreased since last time and is starting to get to levels which show that there is really something not quite right. Thery have been gradually going down for the last three or four years so he is actually starting to accept  that there may be a problem! However it has nothing to do with my symptoms - I'm sure he still thinks most of those are imaginary... I also have low Vit D despite taking tablets for that and my triglycerides are getting lower, despite the fact that I eat meat very regularly and have olive oils every day. Trust me, I'm not starving myself. I have wondered if any of it could be due to my diet but all this started well before then. And my daughter has had her blood test results which show the same pattern - low WBC, low vit D, low triglycerides and she eats everything but gluten and yeast. So while it bothers me that my daughter seems to be on exactly the same path as me, with a few months delay, perhaps our power is that because we both have the same things, then someone might take us more seriously. It may also help to eliminate certain things or highlight others. We will just have to retest my daughter as the test for Lyme came back as suspicious, but mine came back negative - but then there is a school of thought that says that you can have a negative result for ELISA, but still be positive. I think when I go back for my daughter, I will ask for Western Blot and/or PCR.

So my GP finally admitted defeat and is sending me off to another specialist. This time it is a sort of Dr House - in France it is called Internal Medecine. So with a bit of luck, we might get more answers. As a child I was very into doing 'projects'. So I've decided to tackle this in the same way and make this my 'health project'. It will keep me focused and hopefully keep me going when I am having a bad day. To be honest I have had a few recently, and even began to wonder if one day I will find an answer and a cure. I try not to think about it but some days it gets to be too much. It isn't always easy to talk to family about it either. You want to be strong. You don't want them to get any more worried than they already are. And you don't want to keep going on about it all. A support group would be good perhaps. It would mean you could brainstorm ideas and support each other when times get tough.

Sometimes it is a lot to carry. The responsibility of 'finding a solution' so we can all get back on with life, even more so that of your daughter's. So I've decided to go for a few sessions of Reiki to help me sort my 'energies' out and hopefully put a few things back in the right place. I've had one session so far and the woman does a sequence if four to 'put things right'. I've decided to give it a go and to be honest, I have already felt a few changes. It feels as though things are 'clearer' in my head. Before I jump for joy, I'll see how I feel after four sessions. I have decided to stop with the ear acupuncture though because I have seen no improvement whatsoever!

Last night I was sent off for an MRI scan to see if they could find anything lurking that shouldn't be. I explained my problems so they could keep their eyes open for ANYTHING suspicious but fortunately, or unfortunately -  it depends how you look at it, they found nothing at all. Apart from a brain, which reassured my youngest! To be honest, I didn't go expecting them to find anything so I probably wouldn't have been  prepared for any bad news! One more thing that has been checked.

I have also received all my results for allergies and they have all come back negative except Total IgE which would indicate an allergy of some kind, but could also indicate a parasite or something similar. The low neutrophils in the WBC could also be an indicator of a parasite so that remains a possibility. But if so, which one?

Hypotoxic Diet - What does it consist of?

I've been asked by several people now what exactly am I eating. Some people even wonder if there is anything left to eat. Let me assure you that I am enjoying food and have lots of different recipes that fit with my 'restrictive' diet.Eating at friend's proves complicated and unfortunately stressful for the person who is cooking, so I often offer to take something to warm up. A few friends are starting to have health issues themselves and are realiing that food is having an effect on them.They are becoming more 'food concious' and this in turn allow them to cook for me when I go. I am compiling a list of recipes that work for this hypotoxic diet but for now, here is a list of what I can eat:

Vegetables                   all except raw tomatoes, raw mushrooms, potatoes, aubergines, sweet peppers

limit: cooked carrots, pumpkin, squash, parsnips, cooked tomatoes

Fruit                             banana not too ripe, apples, pears, berries (raw or compote without sugar)

limit: other fruit once a day

no dried fruit

Proteins                       chicken, turkey, fish, (except tuna) once a day

beef, lamb, pork, gluten-free sausages (twice a week)

no cold meats or seafood

                                   eggs

Dairy                            no dairy whether it be cow, goat or ewe

except plain yoghurts, feta

                                   rice milk, coconut milk and cream

limit: soya milk

Grains and flours          brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa

                                   GF pasta (preferably brown rice), GF rice crackers, GF buckwheat crackers

                                    no: cornflour, soja flour

limit: cornstarch

Legumes                      all dried peas, beans and lentils

Dried fruits, nuts           all except peanuts and pistachios

                                   all grains: pumpkin, flax, sunflower etc

Oils                              all except peanut, corn, soja

                                   prefer premier pression vierge à froid

Condiments                  none except cider vinegar (unpasturised unfiltered if possible=

Sugar                           none (including aspartam etc)

exception: Stevia,

limit: honey, agave syrup, GF 70% dark chocolate,

Drinks  :                       herbal tea (without caffeine), still water, green tea, rice milk

Basic rules

No gluten

No sugar: glucose, lactose, fructose etc

No yeast

Eat as much raw food as possible and preferably organic where possible

Supplements

• Pro-biotiques
• Extract of Grapefruit seeds – start with four drops three times a day after meals and increase gradually until 15 drops three times a day
• Aged garlic
• magnesium
• calcium
• vit D
• digestive enzymes

Start the day with a cup of hot water and the juice of half a lemon and/or any other detox drink

Lyme Disease

My daughter has been gradually getting worse again, little by little, so that anyone who doesn't really know her wouldn't pick up on it. More mood swings, pains in joints, headaches, blurred vision (no, her eyes have been checked), insomnia, difficulty breathing (that's a new one) etc She's not ready to go on an even stricter diet than she already is on and to be honest, I don't want to have to put her on one if I don't have to. Being a child is difficult enough as it is.

So back to the doctors today after lots more research and wonder if we are both struggling because of Lyme disease. 10 years ago, I was btiiten by a tick then had meningitus with complications several weeks later. I was tested for it but the tests came back negative so it was left at that. Several months later I became pregnant with my daughter. What I do know now is that you don't necessarily have a positive test to Lyme, particularly so close to the bite as your body hasn't had time to make antibodies. I have also learnt that you can pass it on to your baby in the womb or by breastfeeding, and I breastfed all of my children for four months. According to research, Lyme disease in more common than we think. One of the top specialists in America gives a list of symptoms and says that if you have more than 15, there is a strong possibility of Lyme. I have 34 and my daughter has 26 - not bad, eh!

So armed with my papers and table of symptoms, we took off to the GP. I explained that I had been researching into possible causes (he accepts that he is sure we have something but doesn't know what) and came up with Lyme. He almost laughed and said but you need a red mark and have you been bitten by a tick. research also shows in America that around only 30% of people have red marks and only about half of people diagnosed remember being bitten by a tick. We have lots of ticks here and one of my dogs has at least one a week in the warm season so we aren't lacking in them. Plus the dogs used to sleep on the beds at night (stopped now) and have easily contaminated use with the little critters. So after a quick explanation to the doctor (who isn't sure whether to take me for a paranoid mother, a mad-hatter or a hypochondriac), he admitted that they know little about these diseases and agreed to test us. The problem is that there is a high result of false negatives so a negative wouldn't mean we don't have Lyme so I'm trying to find a specialist for that in the region. It's getting tiring trapsing round everywhere.If only I could find a real life Dr House...!!!! The doctor exmained us both and still manages to find an explanation for each different symptom and I agree that I could do the same, but at some point, how do you have soooo many symptoms. If I took medication for each different symptom, I'd spend an hour a day taking medication!

My daughter has had her blood tests done (I ate this morning so couldn't have mine done) and we get the results before the end of the week. Yet more waiting, but at least not too much this time.

This is the information that I found concerning Lyme disease:
The hallmark of Lyme Disease is for symptoms to mysteriously appear and then disappear weeks later, or for pain to move around the body.It is important to note that you can be infected for years without becoming disabled due to the morphologic nature of the bacteria. In other words, the disease can lie dormant in your body for months or years, taking over when you are worn down physically or if your immune system is suddenly (or gradually) compromised. If you have symptoms in two or more bodily systems, you should consult a Lyme Literate Doctor.

Below you will find a chart of the symptoms for Lyme disease, just in case you were wondering.

		Yes	No
1.	Tick bite
2.	Rash at site of tick bite ‘bull’s eye’
3.	Rash or raised rash on other parts of body, disappearing and returing
4.	Joint pains and swelling (knee, wrist, fingers, hip...), arthritus
5.	Swollen toes or feet
6.	Pain in ankles
7.	Sore soles of feet or palms, especially in the morning
8.	Cramps in feet
9.	Fevers, excessive sweating, shaking
10.	Muscle pain or cramps, difficulty walking
11.	Fatigue, tired, poor stamina
12.	Abnormal hair loss
13.	Persistant swollen glands
14.	Sore throat
15.	Pain in pelvis or testicles or genital area
16.	Unexplained irregular menstrual cycle
17.	Sore breasts, unexplained milk production
18.	Irritable bladder or bladder dysfunction
19.	Loss of libido, erectile dysfunction
20.	Heartburn, stomach pain, queasy stomach or nausea
21.	Intestinal problems (constipation, diarrhea, low abdominal pain, cramps)
22.	Chest wall pain or ribs sore
23.	Breathlessness, “air hunger”, unexplained chronic cough
24.	Palpitations, skips, heart murmur or valve prolapse heart block on ECG…
25.	Neck/back: creaks and cracks, stiffness, pain
26.	Sharp stabbing pains in muscles
27.	Tingling, numbness, burning or stabbing sensations, shooting pains, skin -hypersensitivity
28.	Tremors in one or several members
29.	Pain in jaw, teeth and/or chewing
30.	Twitching of the face, eyelids or other muscles
31.	Facial paralysis
32.	Eyes/sight: double, blurry, floaters, pain
33.	Ears/hearing: buzzing, decreased, ringing, pain, sound sensitive
34.	Off balance tippy feeling, lightheadedness, vertigo, spinning, increased motion sickness, need to sit or lie down
35.	Brain fog
36.	Headaches
37.	Confusion
38.	Difficulty thinking, concentrating, poor attention
39.	Forgetfulness, poor short term memory
40.	Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places
41.	Difficulties with speaking/writing : errors, wrong word, misspeaking
42.	Mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, panic attacks
43.	Insomnia, fractionated sleep, early awakening, excessive sleeping, napping during the day
44.	Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol
45.	Unexplained change in weight (loss or gain)
46.	Symtoms flare up every 4 weeks
	TOTAL

Intolerance Testing

I finally got my test results back from GDX but badly interpreted which test I needed. I ordered the Factest and it all came back negative apart from the IgE Total which generally shows allergies but I'll let the allergy consultant confirm that as I know it can have other meanings depending on other test results. I know it can also mean a parasite infection. So I was really confused to say the least when I saw that all the results were negative and began to wonder if I wasn't barking up the wrong tree.Once the initial shock wore off, I knew there must have been a problem as I know too well that I do have intolerances. When I contacted them, they explained I should have done a different test for intolerances and they are sending me the right one. Financially it has come as a bit of a blow so I may have to wait a while.

Dad's didn't come back as bad as that and he only has to take out egg white for three months. To be honest, we're not overly impressed with the way things were handled with York test. After the first initial test which costs £10, they phoned up to say that he should really do the full test because they had found intolerances which would explain his health issues. So when they did the full test and only one came back with a Level 1 intolerance, you feel a bit ripped off. I'm sure the test is great and very useful to so many, but to be honest the sales technique is an absolute scandal and could be much more professional. My mum was thinking of doing it but is now hesitating. So he has taken out the egg white and it has been over a week and the itching is a bit better. We'll just have to wait and see with that one.

I have also received the allergy test results that were prescribed by the allergy consultant and so far, everything is negative apart from the grass plants family, which I knew anyway. It has been no big surprise as I don't have an immediate reaction to anything.I am still waiting for results on a few other things which don't concern a specific allergy but that will take another two weeks.

If there is one thing that Ihave definately improved on over the last few years, it's patience. Patience to get in to see a doctor, patience for the results and even more patience to get back in to see him after! Never mind, I will get an answer at some point...

Hypotoxic Diet Part 2

So where am I at with this hypotoxic diet? Well things have been difficult recently. My intestines have been worse than ever and my asthma and allergies have been on the increase and my moral hasn't always been the best. I contacted the naturopath that's been following me and he assures me that it takes several weeks for the gut to adapt to eating so many raw foods (I'm aiming at 50-60% raw foods a day) and that I may feel worse before I feel better. I did know that from all the reading I have done that symptoms can be worsened as the body tries to get rid of so many toxins so I'm sticking with it. Not always easy but I'm trying to think long-term...

I have also restarted my bentonite clay drink in the mornings. If I have that many toxins to get rid of, the clay will help absorb them so they don't go back into the body. I have a teaspoon of clay in a glass of water and drink it all down.You have to wait a good half hour before having breakfast though so I drink it as soon as I get up and then get ready before I have breakfast.

As for what I'm eating on a hypotoxic diet, as I said before I'm basing it on something between Dr Joshi and Dr Seignalets diets. They have a feww other things but because of my research into True Gluten and other intolerances I have, I have finished up with the things below. Hope that helps.

Hypotoxic Diet

Vegetables                  all except tomatoes, raw mushrooms, potatoes, aubergines, sweet peppers

limit: cooked carrots, pumpkin, squash, parsnips

Fruit                             banana not too ripe, apples, pears, berries (raw or compote without sugar)

limit: other fruit once a day

no dried fruit

Proteins                      chicken, turkey, fish, (except tuna) once a day

beef, lamb, pork, gluten-free sausages (twice a week)

no cold meats or seafood

                                   eggs

Dairy                           no dairy whether it be cow, goat or ewe

except plain yoghurts, feta

                                   rice milk, coconut milk and cream

limit: soya milk

Grains and flours        brown rice, buckwheat, quinoa

                                   GF pasta (preferably brown rice), GF rice crackers, GF buckwheat crackers

                                    limit: cornflour and cornstarch, soja flour

Legumes                    all dried peas, beans and lentils

Nuts and seeds         all except peanuts and pistachios

                                   all grains: pumpkin, flax, sunflower etc

Oils                             all except peanut, corn, soja

                                   prefer premier pression vierge à froid

Condiments                none except cider vinegar (unpasturised unfiltered if possible=

Sugar                          none (including aspartam etc)

exception: Stevia,

limit: honey, agave syrup, GF 70% dark chocolate

Drinks :                       herbal tea (without caffeine), still water, green tea, rice milk

 

Basic rules

No gluten

No sugar: glucose, lactose, fructose etc

No yeast

Eat as much raw food as possible

Supplements to take

• Pro-biotiques
• Extract of Grapefruit seeds – start with four drops three times a day after meals and increase gradually until 15 drops three times a day
• Aged garlic
• magnesium
• calcium
• vit D

Allergy Testing

This week seems to be the allergy testing week. It started off with the food intolerance test. I decided to try the FACTest by GDX. I received it in the post yesterday and went and had the blood taken by a local laboratory and sent it off. So I'm just waiting for the results now.

Today I had an appointment with an allergy consultant that specialises in food allergies and illnesses. It started off with the usual questions and when we got to me saying I was coeliac, he asked if I was a real coeliac (why, do you have ones that aren't real?) and that I 'must have diarrhea then' to which Ireplied that many coeliacs suffer with constipation rather than the runs! So this food allergy specialist now has me worried because with questions like that, I'm wondering if it was really worth me driving all the way to see him. Then came the questions concerning food allergies and I wasn't sure I was allergic but probably intolerant as the reactions happen a few hours after eating and not immediately after eating. I saw his reaction and he basically didn't believe in the food intolerance bit and was quite condescending. It does get tiring having specialist after specialist not believe you. Do they really think we stop eating foods and making our lives hell for the fun of it! The last time I tried to reintroduce something - potatoes - my mouth and throat swelled up/became numb. I stop eating it and the symptoms disappear. I eat it again and they come back. I call that 'conclusive'.

So the testing started. A general range of common allergens were tested using a prick test on my arms and I was positive for certain grasses but not, fortunately, to dogs. We then proceeded with an asthma/respiratory test and he diagnosed me with moderate asthma (he thought I'd invented that too so was surprised by the result) even though I've had it for 20 years. By this point, he started to be a little less defensive. I have come away with a list of IgE blood tests to do as well as general blood work and I have to go back after that. I am a little concerned as he doesn't test for IgGs so I don't know how he will come to the conclusion of food intolerances. I guess we'll see. I'm very curious to see what the results will be for the GDX test as they are testing for IgGs. Perhaps I'll take a copy of the results with me when I go back....

I know, I'm being negative towards this poor man and I'd written him off before I even went in to see him but I feel like I've explained things so often already. In his favour, he is being thorough so perhaps he may have the answer to at least some of the questions. You never know, he may be able to help.