# Think I figured it out...



## Beggiatoa (Dec 25, 2004)

My hair mineral analysis came in. The mineral profile is all over the place. Most are either too high or too low and few are right in the middle. Also, the heavy metal profile in on the normal/high side. In addition, minerals that antagonize with one another are either both low or both high. Instead, they should oppose each other. According to the counting rules by Andy Cutler, this points to Mercury toxicity. 

This was my result.

POTENTIALLY TOXIC ELEMENTS
element result ref range color
=============================================
aluminum 6.6 < 7
antimony 0.037 < 0.066
arsenic 0.063 <0.080
beryllium <0.01 < 0.020
bismuth 0.023 < 2.0
cadmium 0.11 < 0.15
lead 0.60 < 2.0
mercury 0.69 < 1.1 (Mercury hides in cells and doesn't show up always)
platinum < 0.003 < 0.005
thallium <0.001 < 0.010
thorium < 0.001 < 0.005
uranium 0.018 <0.060
nickel 0.13 <0.40
silver 0.04 < 0.12
tin 0.28 < 0.30
titanium 0.89 < 1.0

ESSENTIAL AND OTHER ELEMENTS
element result ref range color under/over 50%
============================================================
Calcium 401 200-750
Magnesium 15 25-75 (big surprise, right? I've been supplementing for a year, still low!)
Sodium 72 12-90
Potassium 81 9-40 (this means I should be dead and it lowers magnesium)
Copper 8.4 10-28 (this explains the hernias)
Zinc 130 130-200 (been taking zinc for a year...still low!
Manganese 0.09 0.15-0.65
Chromium 0.43 0.20-0.40
Vanadium 0.060 0.018 - 0.065
Molybdenum 0.061 0.025 - 0.064
Boron 7.2 0.40 - 3.0 (Oops..guess I over did it here)
Iodine 6.5 0.25 - 1.3 (No idea what's going on here)
Lithium 0.010 0.007 - 0.023
Phosphorus 221 160 -250
Selenium 3.2 0.95 - 1.7
Strontium 1.6 0.30 - 3.5
Sulfur 49100 44500 - 52000
Barium 0.20 0.16 - 1.6
Cobalt 0.003 0.013 -0.035
Iron 13 5.4 - 13
Germanium 0.043 0.045 -0.065
Rubidium 0.14 0.011 - 0.12
Zirconium 1.6 0.020 - 0.44


Also, I believe I also have a problem with my adrenal glands (Addison's disease). How this is related to SA I'm not sure.


Yesterday, I started developing a pain on the left side of my groin. Today, I realized it's an Inguinal hernia and I need surgery. Great..just dandy. This would be my SECOND one. First one happened at the age of 12. This is consistent with the lumbar hernia I have which only confirms that I have connective tissue disorders (MVP..)

I think the next step for me is some blood tests and a heavy metal chelation and see if these numbers change.


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## X33 (Feb 13, 2005)

Impressive.


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## GermanHermit (Sep 6, 2008)

You should consider the results solely as general guidelines according to current nutritional and medical science not as written in stone. Each human body is unique with an individual metabolism and requirements. 

IMO most results are unmeaning without considering many other conditions and circumstances.

Don't be a slave of analytical results and statistics!!!

(Speaking from experience: I think, many insecure people might have a tendency to cling on to these kind of data. It gives us orientation, it satisfies our urge for order. Nothing is worse than having to follow your gut feeling - "OMG - I don't have any gut feeling!!!" "What, if I'm wrong, or worse, different than anybody else!!!") 

You end up getting bogged down in details. One result will always lead to something else. Use more common sense, listen to your body and soul in addition to your results.

Keep in mind that you will never be able to reach the state of complete health anyway: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (as by definition of WHO).


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## Beggiatoa (Dec 25, 2004)

Copper deficiencies are linked to the onset of hernias.

"My belief is that hernias are the result of nutritional deficiencies........"
http://www.ithyroid.com/hernia.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...nel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...nel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

I had an inguinal hernia at 12 years and currently have another one in addition to a lumbar hernia (this has caused back pain as early as 13 years of age). My hair analysis shows that I am copper deficient. This is something I suspected and wrote about in this post.

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com...apse-as-a-source-of-anxiety-depression-47762/

What is causing this deficiency? I've been taking copper pills for 2 months and I cannot restore normal levels. I stopped taking copper pills a few weeks ago. I was reading about the dangers of high copper levels (which is more common) and didn't want to unduly raise mine, without testing it first. I should have never stopped. I suspect all these mineral imbalances are caused by heavy metal toxicity (mercury, aluminum, cadmium...). By 12, I already had mercury amalgams. But I understand this is a weak link.

I wasn't expecting this test to be accurate. I've read all the pro's and cons and how results vary by laboratory. BUT, these results match everything I had written about in this forum and is curiously accurate. Am I going to stop here? Absolutely not. I will confirm everything with blood tests and physical exams. I wont set these results in stone. But if my health problems are caused by a simple mineral imbalance, it seems to be a logical place to begin and while we will never achieve optimal health, I believe we can get damn close.

In Addisons disease, the adrenal glands do not produce cortisol and aldosterone. Low levels of aldosterone causes the kidney to retain potassium and flush sodium. Water always follows sodium. My results show much higher levels of potassium in relation to sodium.

Also, I have low blood pressure, averaging 80/50. This is the results of low blood volume (I'm thirsty all the time) which is caused by an inability to retain sodium. (patients with mitral valve prolapse crave salt and are encouraged to eat salty foods to maintain a normal blood volume). Water always follow salt...low salt will mean less water = less blood volume = low blood pressure. Also, a blood exam I had one year ago showed low salt levels. At the hospital, I was infused with a saline solution to replenish this. The doctors didn't ask any questions and never looked at the problem any further. I was sent on my merry way.

This is all consistent with what my test said.

I don't think there is a single person here with SA that doesn't have a secondary disorder. This suggests SA is not a standalone condition, but part of a bigger problem.


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## proximo20 (Nov 25, 2006)

The minerals out of balance are iodine, boron, selenium, cobalt, copper, zinc is on the limit. But what is with the iodine?

Also aliminium and tin are very close to upper limit.

And as you may know many of the chelators chelate also copper, zinc and iron.

I think you should focus more on iodine I mean it is five times more than the normal range. I remember you said that you don't have any throid problem.

Before starting to take copper or chelating you should consider what might be causing those imbalances. I mean it does not seem to me anything too much wrong except magnesium and iodine.

About cobalt
"
Other than resulting from insufficient stomach acid - for which acid-lowering drugs may also be responsible, cobalt or Vitamin B12 deficiency can develop from malfunctioning or surgical removal of parts of the stomach or small intestines, from celiac disease, parasites, or other malabsorption disorders. Cobalt Deficiency is not a major problem though as long as one has adequate amounts of Vitamin B12."

Iodine antagonists:

Magnesium, cobalt, vit b1 etc.

These are from acu-cell.com

this one is from http://www.homeoint.org/site/ahmad/minerals.htm

Deficiency of iodine leads to :

Goitre. 
Listlessness. 
Insomnia. 
Difficult concentration. 
Weight gain. 
Hair loss. 
Constipation. 
Infertility. 
Dryness of skin. 
Cold intolerance. 
Menstrual irregularity.

While excess of iodine can lead to :

Nervousness. 
Palpitations. 
Tremors. 
Anxiety. 
Hyperactivity. 
Diarrhœa.


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## Beggiatoa (Dec 25, 2004)

Upon a closer look, maybe there is something wrong with my thyroid. Adrenal and thyroid problems go hand in hand. 

I'm going to get a second hair analysis. Some companies, like the one I used, wash the hair with solvents and chemicals and this tends to give erroneous results. I'm going to use a lab that doesn't wash the hair, and this should provide more accurate results. If the iodine or potassium were really that high, I should be running to the emergency room. I have been feeling rather ill lately and the suddent onset of another hernia is suspicious. Maybe I was exposed to too much amalgam when I had them removed. I had this test done before I had the fillings removed. The new one will tell me if something is up.

I wish I could go to the doctor, but I have no medical insurance. When I start school again in January, I'll have insurance again and I'll be able to follow up all the tests.


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## Beggiatoa (Dec 25, 2004)

I do not have Addisons (NO cortisol), rather, I have adrenal insufficiency/fatigue. So the adrenal glands don't produce enough cortisol.

When this happens, MORE adrenaline is produced and it dominates, leading to all the anxiety we feel.
'
This is a good place to start your research:

http://www.drrind.com/scorecardmatrix.asp (dissect this site and this chart)

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

In addition, mercury toxicity and candida are still issues with me. After 3 months, I'm still dealing with candida but I have new approaches I'm going to take. Also, I started chelating mercury from my body. Yesterday was my first day and I felt like S***. 
Today, I feel amazingly better and it's only been one day.

I got my hair analysis through Doctors Data. They do it directly without the need for a doctor.

I threw in the towel this week and I've been gorging pies, cakes, sweets, you name it. No surprise, my spit test is so positive for candida that even when I brush my teeth, the saliva is very thick and stringy. So, no more sweets...permanently.

To sum it up. My problems are:

Candida
Heavy Metal Toxicity
Adrenal fatigue
Hypothyroidism (?)
Dysautonomia
Intractable Magnesium Deficiency
Copper Def.
Low Zinc
B1 def. and possibly B6 and the rest of the B-vitamins

The tyrosine is still working well for the SA. SA is part of a bigger problem and it will never be cured with a single solution until you determine what the bigger issue is. I can't tell you the number of hours I've spent researching SA only to come up empty handed.

Medicine WILL NOT cure you SA, depression, anxiety. It might let you re-surface for some much needed fresh air, but this short-term improvement will eventually taper off. So, use it to keep looking for SOMETHING ELSE.

Even the adrenal problems are caused by other things like epsteing BArr virus, Lymes disease, Autoimmunity, allergies, Mercury, etc... but I'm saving that for later.


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## Beggiatoa (Dec 25, 2004)

Hypoglycemia IS a big part of the problem but that is also caused by dysfunctional adrenals. No doubt most of us are experiencing Hypoglycemia, but that in itself is not the disease but a consequence of something bigger. So keep looking. Chances are, you'll end up looking into Adrenal problems.

According to this site http://pages.prodigy.net/unohu/hypog.htm#HypoCausesTypes there are many causes of Hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia due to Adrenal Fatigue

"When the adrenal glands are exhausted and can't produce enough cortisol, the low cortisol levels can't effectively antagonize insulin and thus the blood sugar plummets below levels to maintain well-being: Hypoglycemia. Cortisol is also needed for gluconeogenesis (making glucose out of protein)."

www.NewTreatments.org: Hypoglycemia

Good link on the adrenals, written in general language

http://books.google.com/books?id=jD...X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA34,M1


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## proximo20 (Nov 25, 2006)

hypoglycemia is big part of being social. Just like hyperglycemia.

As I have reactive hypoglycemia I have both from time to time.

My experiences

Hyperglycemia.

I am very tired and sleepy, I cant focus and lack energy but libido sky high. 

Hypoglycemia

Again lack of energy but not sleepy. Irritable and unapproachable. I can focus but poor short term memory. Abset-mind. 

But hyperglycemia is terrible I experined it when I had creadrive from GNC and it was so hard to walk I just slept for hours that woke up very thirsty. Drank water and slept again. 

Blood sugar metabolism is the key. Too low makes me irritable and people do not find me approachable.


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