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lil chick's log
After 7 months low A (dr smiths version) I've had slight progress. Eyes not so dry, skin on arms and face a bit softer, and i hadnt had in itchy lower back during winter (eczema i think). I thought maybe vitamin a isn't my issue and its actually oxalates that are my main problem. So i reduced oxalates and added in a bit of dairy and the occasional egg. Well, all those symptoms i had improved came back. Dry eyes, rough skin and itchy back. It seems vitamin A detox can be extremely slow. I think my ability to detox A is sluggish too. Glyphosate can slow it down but i can't afford organic! Maybe there are other reasons/deficiencies too.
Also, because you had been drinking goat milk recently that may have prevented any progress this month?
We cant decide where we get improvements first with vitamin A. I would've preferred it to benefit my fatigue and joint pain but mostly its been skin and eye benefits. Others have their skin issues being the last thing that clears.
So, I know this isn't earth shattering, but it is interesting to me.
I have a terribly low "tolerance" to alcohol, although I like it and want it. Perhaps it is similar to how many of us think about sun. We like and want it, but the results are not fun. Some here have suggested that sun, sweating and alcohol all get the vitamin A flowing and I agree. At controlled levels, probably they are all beneficial. Perhaps this is a reason alcohol has remained a part of so very many trad diets. (even though the drawbacks of overdoing and addiction are obvious).
I think it is interesting how many drunkenness and hangover effects are on the vitamin A symptom list. Bed spins (vertigo), headache, nausea, fatigue...
I usually don't have more than 1/2 a drink, any more than this and I will be nauseated. I remember someone saying early on here that my alcohol tolerance might improve and strangely enough--last night I had about 3 times my usual amount without nausea. I was, literally, tipsy.
I slept very well. The alcohol did bring on some pretty strong vertigo (vertigo is one of my issues) and this morning I'm still slightly off balance.
So, I would say that is interesting progress, perhaps similar to people who can suddenly tolerate more sun or sweat without coming out in a rash.
A corollary intriguing idea is that cannabis does the opposite: moves A from the tissues to the liver. If you take both, just think how confused your body must be 🙂
Quote from lil chick on September 18, 2019, 5:44 amA corollary intriguing idea is that cannabis does the opposite: moves A from the tissues to the liver. If you take both, just think how confused your body must be
My tolerance for cannabis has improved drastically these last months, to the point that I even barely notice any effects any more and I am contemplating quitting for good. This all happened without increasing my daily dosage (actually decreasing), so the VA connection again seems obvious.
Your observations on alcohol are very well formulated. I believe alcohol is the best indicator for your level of VA toxicity and your detox progress, it exposes your weak points. Much more valuable than any blood test in my opinion.
So this update is somewhat muddled but...still info!
For the first 2 months, hubs did low carb/intermittent fasting.
Then 4 months on lower-A.
The doc said his weight, liver and kidney numbers all improved. Thyroid stayed the same.
Hubs is more free with his veggies than I am (I'm more free with raw milk). Everyone runs their lower-A diet a bit differently.
This picture is in reply to a conversation in "Our Family -- Behavioral Outbursts...Oh My". I was thinking about how there is an aspect of my rosacea (which I'm starting to hate this undescriptive name and I'm trying to think of another thing to call it) that is like acanthosis nigricans. Do you see how there is a darker circle that follows the eye socket? As if I was wearing goggles and got sunburned. (I'm trying to point to it, and I think the right hand picture captures it best) My face looks better than usual today, (slow progress)
Anyways, There is a thickening. One person described acanthosis nigricans as having a velvety-ness. It occurs to me that probably this thickening or velvetyness might be seen in other vitamin-A related skin disorders with other names.
Sometimes even I'm surprised by my lack of pigmentation haha... Anyways, I have this idea in my head that even if all of the pustules went away, that this line of demarcation must fade for the area to be truly healed.
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NOMENCLATURE
So, the conversation about "RBP as antibodies" went way above my head, but it has stuck in my craw.
I was thinking about when people get a TEST that tells them "they are auto-immune". Is this part of that scenario? Are the docs seeing the busy little RBP's in the VA-burned areas... and calling them antibodies? ...and telling the person "you are attacking yourself!"
That would make a ton of sense. (It's only somewhat wrong. Sending VA to areas besides the liver, for storage, IS actually attacking yourself)
Anyways, here are some of the ideas I have about what to call rosacea
facial VA-burns
facial A-Burned skin
facial VA detox area
And the velvety thickness how about we call that "VA scar tissue"
WHAT IS THAT SMELL?
In the far past I remember reading that various other non-dairy cultures have said that Europeans "stink" due to their butter intake.
I was thinking about how all (many?) high vitamin-A foods have a buttery essence, though.
I wonder if what we consider "buttery" is actually vitamin-A's flavor? (Good example: one cup BUTTERNUT squash: 22869 IU 457% RDA)
Go over and take the pillow case off of your oldest pillow (yes, the one that is stained yellow/brown) and smell it. That is the smell I mean. Perhaps this is the smell of retinoic acid? Or used up Vitamin A? One of my kids called it a "meaty" smell.
Several people here have said that suddenly their sense of smell comes back. Perhaps that is so for me. I'm smelling that smell here and there, and I wonder if sweat that smells like this is yet another sign of being a person who is high vitamin A!
I'm smelling that smell especially places where sweat goes. My shoe closet. My home-office chair where I often plunk down after gardening to cool off. My down comforter. My gardening hat.
I rarely sweat in winter, but come spring I notice that I'm the stinkiest in April, when I build up those first few spring sweats in the garden. Frequent sweating is probably very important for detox.
For me, this explains why European culture is so big on SOAP, even though making soap is hard work and even dangerous (using lye etc).
I also want to talk about gingivitis, as this is a common complaint here, and one of mine. Up until now, I would say my gingivitis has been about the same, ie.. going slowly downhill and not good, but yet not at the top of my list of worries either.
I go back and forth about whether I should floss or not because flossing seems so irritating.
So, this week I went back to flossing and seem to have upset the apple cart. Or maybe triggered my body to "work" on the gingivitis?
My gums feel inflamed. I've seen other areas "flame out" when the body decides to work on them. Could this be a good thing?
I have found that brushing and flossing my teeth after each meal helps a lot. Attached is a website with some recommendations.
Thanks Fred! That article seems pretty thorough! I wonder if someday it will say to "cut back on vitamin a"?