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New Member ! New to everything ! My Beginning
Hello I am new here and since two days I have the feeling to be on the right track. I plan to document my process here and would appreciate your help. Thank you in advance for the people who are reading this text now. Please do not judge me. I know no normal person would do what you are about to read. I regret it deeply.
About me: I am David, I am 28 years old and I am a furniture designer. My work is my passion and I still want to achieve a lot, so I take this very seriously and am grateful for every tip.
When I was a teenager I got acne relatively late, at the age of 17. Well, no wonder from today's point of view. I started smoking and drinking a lot of alcohol (mistake no.1), I was a vegetarian and ate mainly pasta and pesto. When I was 18, I was put on antibiotics for 3 years (mistake no.2), which helped my skin and probably caused extreme damage to my body. When that stopped working I was given (and if I could change one thing in my life retrospectively it would be what follows now) the drug acnenormin / isotretinoin (mistake no.3) for more than 4 years. The dosage was 20mg every other day approximately. So 10 mg per day. My skin was great, I was fine and very productive for the first 2years. At some point my hair started to get very weird at the roots. Very frizzy hair, lots of little curls and one day it became less and less. At that time my dermatologist also said that I had been taking the medicine long enough and that it was enough. I was happy. I was also more panicky than normal at the end, more nervous and so on. Since I had a very time-intensive study during this time, when I stopped the medication in the summer of 2019, I first really researched what was happening in my body and I became afraid that I had damaged my intestines forever. I even had a colonoscopy done and nothing was found. Today I know that I have leaky gut, but fortunately not Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. Anyway, I also quit smoking that summer and tried to eat very healthy and what resulted was a depressive episode in my life. I was even on the verge of taking an anti-depressant, but luckily didn't tolerate it. Then I took fish oil regularly until a few weeks ago because I thought it was healthy (mistake no.4).
To roughly summarise my history before I get to the ailments:
10 years of smoking, 3 years of antibiotics, 4 years of isotretinoin (10mg a day), cod liver oil (about 3 years), lots of vegetables with beta carotene like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots and oxalates instead of meat etc.
Suffering:
In the winter of 2021 I had an extremely stressful time; I had a huge assignment, my graduation and issues with a stalker - shortly followed by episodes of panic, insomnia and the full works. I managed it all somehow and then in the 2022 Spring, weird skin problems started, I got thick inflamed pimples on the temples of my face. Mostly on the right side and I knew that wasn't acne. This is different because I've never had skin problems in that area in my life. I was given antibiotics and luckily it only worked for 2 weeks. Then it started again. I ate a healthy diet by my standards but from today's point of view, full of oxalates and vitamin A. I had a lot of skin problems. Then I went to an alternative practitioner and she found an elevated zonulin level in a stool sample and said I had leaky gut and a bad colonisation. It made sense but I was also a bit surprised as I never had stomach pains etc. after eating. Secretly I thought: I think there is something else. I was told to eat a histamine-free diet because my DAO was too low and I was told to cut out milk and eggs (because I reacted to the enzyme). What followed was a histamine-free diet with a lot of vitamin A. I had a lot of sweet potatoes and squash. Constantly sweet potatoes and pumpkin (which I felt I tolerated best). My main problems came and went. It was very strange. Sometimes they were there, sometimes they were gone. I took retinol in my skincare and it helped sometimes well sometimes not. In autumn 2022 (mistake no.5) I took tretinoin as a cream (2 times a week) on advice. My inflammations disappeared completely. I was happy. I could also eat more diversely again, as I had the feeling that this histamine-free diet was somehow wrong.
---> Then in January 2023 came the shock: I did a workout at home every day and felt very good. One day my eyes turned red. I didn't think anything of it. Until one day they were quite red and hurt. Then I read that people who take vitamin A creams can get meibomianglands dysfunction and I got scared. I went to a very good dry eye doctor full of panic who said I still had them. But they are inflamed and I have short and long in the mix as far as the meibomian glands are concerned. He sees this especially in people with rosacea. And it suddenly made sense. Those pimples on my face were rosacea. My skin had become so sensitive to the sun over the last 2-3 years that I only went out wearing Spf 50. Every time I was in the sun, I felt uncomfortable and it just didn't do me any good. He told me to go back to a low-histamine diet and I started to forget everything I had learned so far and what conventional medicine had advised me. I read, eyes burning, but I didn't care. I came up with the carnivore diet and thought, surely this is the solution. I'll heal my gut with that. Then I watched some videos with Nutrition with Judy and among them was an interview with Dr. Garrett Smith. Then I knew I had more than just leaky gut. I knew that the reason why I have this leaky gut is probably vitamin A poisoning. This is then probably the reason for my inflamed eyes and my inflamed skin and certainly for my broken hair and nails.
I know that everyone reading this is probably wondering how stupid you can be and do so much crap to your body. I ask myself that every day. I don't want to cry either! I don't want to be a victim and I want to tackle the problem. If I can only eat 3 things for the next 3 years, then I will. I'm starting my dream Master's degree in September, for which I got a scholarship, and I managed to apply and get through it despite inflamed eyes. I'm not giving up, I think things will get better from now on.
Why am I writing in this forum? I've just been researching the whole topic for 4 days. I have this month off and want to deal with it as much as possible and take the first steps. I am currently seeing a new alternative practitioner and when I have another consultation with him, I will tell him about it and hope he is open to the subject. I would then also write here what he recommends and compare it if necessary.
What am I doing right now: I currently eat only organic pasture-raised beef. As steak or minced meat. Since yesterday I have been frying my food with Beef Tallow (previously with ghee), but Tallow is supposed to contain a lot of vitamin A. I am simply confused about what I can and cannot eat.
Today I ate a peeled cucumber and half a peeled apple as I just don't need to go to the toilet.
I take magnesium and a few mineral salts daily and have stopped all other foods. I have been on the meat diet for 4 weeks. I sometimes have good days and sometimes strange days. What is annoying is that my eyes have been inflamed again for 3 days. Could be because I was on the computer a lot or ate wild salmon 3 times for breakfast.
My skin has improved as I now apply a cream called Ivermectin and a BHA serum now and then. Sunscreen every day and a hat I have to take when the sun is shining. I have very thin delicate skin ...
What do I want to find out:
Start:
How do I start, what to look for and how do I not poison my detox even more. What is important in the beginning, at what point can I expand the diet detox etc.?
Nutrition:
First of all, what I can eat and what helps me detox. What worries me is that with the carnivore diet I hardly ever have to go to the toilet. I am a bit worried about how the toxins will be removed?
Then I read the book by Sally K Norton and I think that oxalata are also not so optimal and I would like to avoid them as much as possible in my diet. Especially the constant recommendation of oatmeal bothers me.
I am also concerned about FoodMaps and histamine....
tests:
How can I test my liver and what kind of tests are best? Once I have found out, I would like to do this together with my alternative practitioner, I think he is open. But before that I want to find out exactly.
Information:
Where can I get the best information?
I am already reading Grand's books and was wondering if the Love your Liver programme by Dr. Garrett Smith is worthwhile? Is anyone in this group? What kind of information is available there or is it so scarce that you should actually end up booking a consultation directly ?
Otherwise it is certainly good to know what to do/take during the detox to avoid getting into setback. Having an accurate list of what you can eat and then putting that together. I definitely want to avoid oxalates and food maps as much as possible until the leaky gut is better.
Whoever has read this far, thank you very much. I have tried to keep this as short as possible and if it really gets rid of my problems I will design us all a huge table where we can have a vitamin A free dinner !
David
Yes you have to poop. So stop with meat only diet. Just relax you don't have to avoid "all plants because they all have some plant toxins.." Diet heavy on red meat only will give you iron overload, zinc/copper imbalance and all kinds of deficiencies in things that are not in red meat.. Try to eat "normal" and balanced diet you need fiber. Soluble fiber from oats, mushrooms, legumes if you can tolerate them.. For you it is not about what you can eat, but what you can't eat. Just stay away from foods that are crazy high in vit A like liver, don't drink 2L of whole milk a day, don't juice carrots or sweet potatoes fries every day. If you think that you need to limit oxalates as well just stay away from foods that are very high in oxalates like spinach and don't eat bag of almonds or cashews every day, but don't limit your diet on no vit A, no oxalate foods. You just damage your body even more.. I would strongly suggest hair tissue mineral analysis so you can see what type is your metabolism and what micronutrients are missing. I am assuming that you will be low in things like iodine, selenium, molybdenum, chromium etc.. 4 years on accutane that is a lot and nobody knows what it depleted in your body. You will be probably low in vit K2 for sure as well. So just relax and don't cut everything from your diet. Eat normal balanced meals meats, starches and fiber from veggies, legumes, oats.. Good fats keep egg yolks in your diet.. You have to poop at least once a day otherwise you will not detox anything..
Hi @david-2! Welcome here. 🙂
What @jiri said about the importance of elimination is true! 😂
I know that everyone reading this is probably wondering how stupid you can be and do so much crap to your body. I ask myself that every day. I don't want to cry either! I don't want to be a victim and I want to tackle the problem. If I can only eat 3 things for the next 3 years, then I will.
Most of us have been there, so we “get it.” As you have already noticed, the healing process involves an amount of grief...We sure put our poor bodies through a lot. 😖😭💛 But there are members here who are seeing positive changes, even after accutane. 🙂 Check out @orion’s log, if you haven’t. He has been doing this since 2018, and had taken cod liver oil and accutane, too.
I have very thin delicate skin ...
The recent “Antidote?” thread by @pattycake might have some helpful information for you on that topic. Our skin requires unadulterated omega 6 fatty acids to be healthy. Sunflower seeds are an excellent lowish-oxalate source of omega 6. Another low-oxalate source of omega 6 I tolerate well is a product called “hemp hearts,” which are most affordably available at Costco or in bulk bags online. Both of these foods are low in beta carotene.
I am already reading Grand's books and was wondering if the Love your Liver programme by Dr. Garrett Smith is worthwhile? Is anyone in this group? What kind of information is available there or is it so scarce that you should actually end up booking a consultation directly ?
I have been a member of Dr. Smith’s online community since 2019, and have had a couple of one-and-one consultations with him as well. Both his course and the consults were helpful to me.
In his online consults, he primarily addresses specific minerals relevant to optimizing the detoxification of vitamin A. He generally doesn’t seem to diagnose or offer treatments for specific illnesses during these consults. In my case, a serious zinc deficiency was identified, and addressing that has helped my health in so many ways!
His course offers a good starting overview, and includes nutritional supplement suggestions, as well as binder/fiber suggestions. I never followed his food-lists, but rather did what worked for me. He doesn’t focus on oxalates at all, though there are several members of his community who find it helpful to do so. Some of the supplements he suggests weren’t the right fit for me, though many were. His information on fiber (Karen Hurd’s Bean Protocol, essentially) and activated charcoal have been hugely important in my case.
It is an interactive course. Members can post questions and comments. Dr. Smith is actively posting and responding. There’s a DM feature. I have met some lovely people there! However, Dr. Smith does engage in censorship of his community, which has prompted those with critiques of his course to post here. It is worth seeking out and reading their critiques.
Overall, I appreciate and recommend his work, but I urge others to use their individual judgement when learning from him. He is a fallible human being with blindspots (like all of us), and it is important to be cognizant he is engaging in an experiment. We all are.
It can’t be stated enough: we are all learning. No one has all the answers, and one person’s answer might not be your answer.
A big part of the healing process is learning to listen to and trust your own body.
Otherwise it is certainly good to know what to do/take during the detox to avoid getting into setback. Having an accurate list of what you can eat and then putting that together. I definitely want to avoid oxalates and food maps as much as possible until the leaky gut is better.
I used the USDA Food Database to make my list when I got started. Here is a list you may download based on the same data:
https://ggenereux.blog/discussion/topic/low-no-vita-food-list/#postid-106
I have tried to keep this as short as possible and if it really gets rid of my problems I will design us all a huge table where we can have a vitamin A free dinner !
That sounds awesome! 😎 I hope this is a positive step for you. Just be mindful of the experimental nature of this intervention, and be open to engaging in trial and error as you go. Trust your body to let you know what it needs! I look forward to reading more updates from you, and I wish you the best as you get started.
Garrett Smith's work is very worthwhile. nutritiondetective.com
He has videos going back that you can find on youtube and elsewhere from his weekly Love Your Liver livestreams that are very helpful. I came from a keto/paleo decade and injured myself last year while looking at carnivore with organ meats. Detox of vitamin A is negligible without learning and working with parameters outlined by Dr Smith and Grant Genereux. They work together for good reason. Fiber is needed to remove toxin filled bile. youtube channel nutrition detective has plenty of hours of helpful videos before you spend any money working with Dr Smith. Reading Grant's books are an excellent first step. Good luck. It can get better. thank you.
Hi David! Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
Hi David. I second what Jiri says. Eat real food. Don't lock yourself into a food prison. Stress is making everything worse. Soluble fibre imo are VERY important, I drink a lot of psyllium throughout the day and it has helped my stress levels tremendeously. I do not recommend any supplements unless blood work says deficient, like zinc. Supplements can make everything worse. Just focus on eating well, get those soluble fiber in, stress management, good sleep and rest. The body heals when in "parasympathic mode". Karen Hurds work has helped me a LOT, I combine that with low ox (as that is a huge issue for me). I do absolutely not recommend anything Garret Smith, unless you want to be sucked into a cult with major fears of anything outside the leader's recommendations, where anyone who rightfully critizises him gets banned.
This is going to take time. So try to live your life as best as you can. Focus on school and friends. Don't let your life evolve around food analyzing symptoms on a day-to-day basis. Good protein (meats, eggs), good fiber sources (beans, psyllium, oats, Apples, barley, whatever you can tolerate in the amount you can tolerate...), carbs as needed, and the body will take care of this for you over time.
Tune in to your needs. I do low fat dairy, which is frowned upon by some in here. But it has helped me a lot due to my oxalate issues. I go by cravings, and I usually crave plain natural yoghurt and a few days later the craving go away again. Just try to not listen too much to some expert. There is a lot of valuable information on here, but you know your body best so you will have to figure out what works for you, and that requires a lot of patience.
@liz "This is going to take time. So try to live your life as best as you can. Focus on school and friends. Don't let your life evolve around food analyzing symptoms on a day-to-day basis. "
This is huge one. Because if you stop living and just focus on your health, diet etc. for years and years most people even if they can fix their health they can't live normal life anymore. They develop other issues like social anxiety, much lower tolerance to stress etc..
Thank you very much for all your answers! I am very pleasantly surprised and already realise that everyone has to find their own way. I have definitely noticed that I have to be careful that I don't go into a spiral and think all the time that you are so sick and everything is so bad.
My best approach now is to find out what nutrient deficiencies I have and what I can eat / tolerate best that is low in vitamin A. Yesterday I ate beef steak and jasmine rice, which was good, because I need carbohydrates to get full and white rice has very little vitamin A and oxalates and can be a very good side dish (for me).
I think once I've found these things out, I can dive a little deeper and see what I can take to support detoxification, there are some recommendations and then you probably have to give it time. I think once you have found out what you can take, you shouldn't make a science out of it (unless you get problems) and just trust that the body will regulate itself again in time and then also reckon with the fact that it can take 2-3 years. I also think that stress management and nice moments, things that make you feel good and inspire you are just as important for recovery as nutrition, detoxification etc.
Like everywhere, balance is important and the key. Above all, you have to find out for yourself what you can eat outside to have a social life. Currently, steak and sushi come to mind. Lets see !
But as I said, I'm still so new to the whole topic. I'm sure I'll ask a few questions from time to time, and I'm sure I'll get different answers. But I really enjoyed reading all your answers and was very pleased. It's also good to know to be a bit critical of Garret Smith's content and to remember that he also wants to make money with it, as various aspects often play into it. Although I also believe that there is a lot of knowledge and truth in his theories. You probably have to find that out for yourself what fits best, just like with nutrition.
Lots of hugs,
David
The posts of Orion gave me really hope and I had the feeling he kept it very simple. I love Simplicity ! 🙂
Hey folks: I have a consultation with my alternative practitioner this week and would like to have my vitamin A levels tested. What would you recommend? What is the best way to determine them? (Liver biopsy is out of the question, of course)
It would probably also make sense to have my copper levels tested at the same time and then to have a hair and blood analysis done to see which nutrients/minerals I am lacking.
Do you have any other recommendations?
I am currently in Germany, if that makes any difference.
David 🙂