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Janelle's log
Has anyone tried slippery elm?
I was a stay-at-home mom and I think, for me anyways, it was stressful because I didn't have enough "tribe" around me. It's a good idea to find people to hang out with-- people nearby. In the olden days there were many more stay-at-home moms around, and family too. Family for me was at least half an hour away (and that isn't conducive). Eventually, over time, I met some other families to hang around with in town.
Raising kids might not be rocket science but if you ask me it isn't meant to be done in isolation.
Quote from lil chick on December 13, 2023, 5:20 pmI was a stay-at-home mom and I think, for me anyways, it was stressful because I didn't have enough "tribe" around me. It's a good idea to find people to hang out with-- people nearby. In the olden days there were many more stay-at-home moms around, and family too. Family for me was at least half an hour away (and that isn't conducive). Eventually, over time, I met some other families to hang around with in town.
Raising kids might not be rocket science but if you ask me it isn't meant to be done in isolation.
Yes I agree. Some of my stress is because of doing life too much in isolation. We have been trying to fix that in the last couple years. Still don't have very many good friends to rely on.
Thought I'd check in as I've made some changes and seen some results. I am continuing to do coffee enemas as they stop me from getting headaches, I hope to not need them eventually as I think they do make me a bit wired, caffeine just doesn't get along with my brain! But I started taking niacin a few days ago and it seems to be helping my digestion at least. I didn't get a flush until I took about 60 mg this morning with my breakfast of sourdough flatbread, ham and a banana. I had never experienced a flush before! (albeit I was always scared to take much) My face felt and looked like I got a sunburn. I feel like it did increase histamine a bit which can make me have an adrenaline rush but I didn't. I will continue taking it but in smaller doses. I really don't want to go too quickly with that nor ever go high with it.
I am also taking about 2-4mg of zinc picolinate as I do have a history of living in a house with copper pipes (and drinking the tap water growing up), and lots of chocolate and eating liver occasionally for a period of 7 yrs. I also have had in the past a lot of the symptoms of so called copper toxicity on alternative websites. I don't plan on ever going too high with the zinc though because if I can actually digest red meat I will try eating more than I do which is about twice a week.
And also thanks to @puddleduck I am going to take charcoal twice a day as I think my GERD is actually toxic bile reflux which is why sometimes I would wake up at 3 am with nausea. I just have to find enough fiber to help me poop! I am planning on trialing beans, but going super duper slow with it.
There are some interesting posts on the raypeatforum lately, I don't want to get involved there again, but I was curious. Someone named Nick seems to understand morning sickness in pregnancy. The progesterone causes the liver to hold on to toxins instead of normally being released, so that it doesn't make the baby toxic, unfortunately that's why women get food aversion! Which is a good thing to protect the baby! Jordan Peterson's daughter just had a baby and she said she had horrible meat aversion despite the fact that she can only eat steak! Wow what an awful place to be unable to eat literally anything else, I think I'm doing pretty good then! I'm thinking she had pregnancy cholestasis which will make meat taste absolutely disgusting no matter how hard you try to get it down. She ended up with an almost 8 lb 1 month premature baby.
My bile problem is way worse 2nd half of my cycle when progesterone is highest. So that explains it. And also explains why I never really healed using progest-e, it was just a symptom reducer which then actually started making me feel horrible I would regularly have pounding heart at night after taking it. It wasn't relaxing like Ray Peat said it was. I never got an anesthetizing effect.
A not so good update. Not surprising with all the changes! My nervous system tends to freak out with too many changes in diet and supps. I forgot to mention I've been taking 2-4 grams of ascorbic acid a day for 7 yrs, I have tried getting off a few times but never succeeded, I just felt better taking it.. well I never really took the liver/gallbladder thing seriously enough so it's likely I have toxic bile and the vitamin C was keeping the toxins out of the blood? I am decreasing it now and at about 500 mg.
I also figured out I need the mag citrate to help me poop. And turns out my transit time isn't as bad as I thought with only 1/4 tsp mag citrate a day. I had a black bean, white rice and chicken burrito two days ago and I saw a part of a bean in my poop the next morning. That might have been a little quick lol. But so far no cramping! Although historically the cramping would come 3-5 days after starting nuts, beans, or whole grains. I'm hoping the activated charcoal prevents the cramping associated with the bile dump.
A symptom that is concerning came up the night I ate beans, dry scratchy eyes. I noticed a problem when I rubbed my eye in the mirror and the white part literally creased when I rubbed it! yikes. Apparently the white can get a permanent crease in the membrane. I really hope that does not happen so I'm taking the dry eye seriously and using eye drops. Has anyone else had bad dry eye during detox?
@janelle525 yeah dry eyes is symptom of vit A toxicity, but it can be from oxalates as well. Taking a lot of vit C can increase oxalates.. Also in studies doses 500mg 3 times a day so 1500mg a day. Lowers copper with ceruloplasmin which is not good. Chris M. did video on that basically that high dose vit C kick out copper from transport protein so the body can't use that copper properly.. Up to 400mg per day is plenty.. I also had and still have burning/scratchy eyes from time to time. It can be from vit A or oxalate "dump" for sure.. Before I started low vit A diet and I was loaded with vit A I had serious issues with dry, red eyes.. Now after 5 or so years of low vit A diet it is much better.. I just get it from time to time when the body dumps vit A, oxalates or something into the blood from tissues..
I get dry eye often at night just before bed. Sometimes can't wait to get them closed for the night. Wake up with them ok again.
Quote from Jiří on January 8, 2024, 9:48 am@janelle525 yeah dry eyes is symptom of vit A toxicity, but it can be from oxalates as well. Taking a lot of vit C can increase oxalates.. Also in studies doses 500mg 3 times a day so 1500mg a day. Lowers copper with ceruloplasmin which is not good. Chris M. did video on that basically that high dose vit C kick out copper from transport protein so the body can't use that copper properly.. Up to 400mg per day is plenty.. I also had and still have burning/scratchy eyes from time to time. It can be from vit A or oxalate "dump" for sure.. Before I started low vit A diet and I was loaded with vit A I had serious issues with dry, red eyes.. Now after 5 or so years of low vit A diet it is much better.. I just get it from time to time when the body dumps vit A, oxalates or something into the blood from tissues..
Yeah I knew those with vit A toxicity have dry eye, I've never felt it this bad though and I've been between 200-600 IUs vit A for a long time so you may be right I'm excreting oxalates. Yikes! I thought I'd get away with the ascorbic acid without oxalate problems, but maybe that's why I could never get off.
Wow so much has happened since I last updated! I kept on with the activated charcoal morning and night despite the alarming look of pure black poop! And worries over whether I'd get deficiencies. I am still unsure if I'm getting deficiencies, I seem to have developed a little bit of a swelling issue in my toes, they sometimes feel puffy like when I was full term pregnant. And a couple days I woke up with puffy eyes which never happens to me. So I've been taking b vitamin deficiencies seriously as some of these symptoms could be beriberi from unfortified white flour and white rice. I read that Grant said it could be dangerous to only do white rice and not eat brown rice from time to time. I think he may be right. That is if you don't want to supplement. I will likely just supplement. I tried the brown rice today for the first time in like 13 yrs. It tasted kinda gross. I will eat it if my gut allows though.
My gut has been the biggest improvement. I still have yet to have any cramps! I'm eating beans at least once a day, usually twice a day lately. This is miraculous for me. I'm unsure what made the difference as I explained in other threads. I was able to stop the coffee enemas and feeling pretty good! If I feel like I need to get the poop out I am going to do nicotonic acid plus sodium bicarbonate enemas. The recipe was posted by Kelsey Kenny who is working with Dr. Smith.
I am not experiencing near the amount of indigestion or acid reflux. That is huge for me.
This period went very well. Very little emotional ups and downs, I was tired like always but I think every woman should slow down right before her period, as a time of rest.
My dry eyes cleared up fairly quick, they still don't feel awesome, but they aren't bad. I am experiencing more flaky skin though. I was reminded that what happens during a retin-A peel? The skin sloughs off. So I'm taking this as a sign I am higher in retinoic acid than normal.
My itchy buttcrack is starting to clear up, I won't say it's anywhere near cured, but I am hopeful it's getting better. Less itchy for sure.
I got my cholesterol and vitamin A tested. Came back 35.6 reference range of: 18.9-57.3 , they say this is 'normal' serum levels where the body wants to be, but I duno I think this is a sign I have lots left in storage despite trying to decrease it since 2018. I wish I would have tested it back when I first stopped liver!
Cholesterol was a bit better, LDL is still higher than I want it to be though. But I have a ways to go to really get the liver and bile going. Liver enzymes were pretty low.
Thanks for the update, @janelle525! I’m so very glad to hear your digestion is improving. 😁 🥳 Being able to tolerate beans is such a game changer (and of course, lots of thiamine in those 😉)! I’ll be curious to hear how the NA enemas affect things.
How much charcoal are you taking on a typical day?
On the TLO (Trying Low Oxalate) Facebook Group, there are a few anecdotal reports of activated charcoal helping oxalate dumping symptoms, but as I can’t find any research on that, it’s hard to guess how exactly...but is possible, anyway. Also: I don’t think it affects nutrient absorption any more than fiber does, if my being able to stop most of my supplements after dramatically increasing my activated charcoal dose (in November 2023) is any indication.
For dry skin and eyes, I just sent a post to Sand regarding Castor Oil. If that interests you, there are a few links to more information here in Sand’s Log. Some people claim it supports liver detoxification and hormonal balance, too, but there’s limited research on that.
ETA: To second what @jiri said, I know Jenny has posted here about high-dose vitamin C causing major problems for her for a couple of reasons, the oxalate issue potentially being one.