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No More Burning Skin
Today I have tried 800 mcg of methylfolate (jarrow) after a few days break and I have a deficit again ....Better mood, energy, brain works better. And I have found this, link between folate deficiency and asthma:
@bludicka, interesting about the methylfolate. I don't tolerate it at all - not folic acid or methylfolate (itching, acne, up all night, etc.). But I do get some from the massive quantity of potatoes I eat.
If adrenal fatigue is a thing, then I may very well have it, and it could be causing all of the allergic symptoms. Just haven't found a way to successfully treat it yet.
@eliza1275 Alcohol intolerance symptoms - with overtaxed ALDH, ADH enzymes:
https://www.allergycliniclondon.co.uk/alcohol-allergy-intolerance/
Things as oxalates, some sulphur foods can cause that these enzymes are exhausted. I had now problems with oxalates (a lot of potatoes, chocolate, some nuts) and some of these symptoms.
For anyone who is interested, I have come to find out that my problems are not largely due to vitamin A toxicity, but instead severe allergic reactions. I went to the allergist, and this time had all environmental allergens tested in addition to foods. Previously, I only had foods tested and came out with only a couple allergies - it didn't make sense why every fruit and vegetable was making me itch and burn. The results this time showed that I am severely (as severely as possible!) allergic to all grasses, several trees, and ragweed. When I look at the foods that bother me, they all cross-react with one or another of these. In fact, that is why I do not tolerate rice, except for a small amount of well-cooked white rice, where most of the allergens that cross react with grass have been stripped away and reduced. Potatoes have a mild cross-reactivity with grass, but I can tolerate them well cooked without skin (and luckily, in potato chip form). I remember wondering why three orange wedges made me stay up all night itching and burning - now I know, grass cross-reactivity. And how a few slices of well-cooked skin-removed summer squash caused the same reaction - ragweed cross-reactivity. It even explains why I cannot eat grass fed beef.
In addition, I do believe that I have a sulfite sensitivity, since I can't tolerate black pepper or sulfites added to foods, but my reaction to sulfites is different.
So I guess I am going to continue eating mostly conventional beef, potatoes, potato chips (I tolerate sunflower/safflower oil because most of the ragweed allergens are not present in oils), and occasionally blueberries, sweets like marshmallows, white rice, and refined flour products.
I am not against the vitamin A theory; I do believe that when I took A supplements my skin became worse and I developed pitted scars from acne. I am just glad to finally understand why I personally was having problems with some low vitamin A foods.
So pleased to hear you have some answers to your problems Eliza. Do they know why you are so allergic? I now tend to think allergies are not the route cause of problems but just another layer caused by another route cause if you know what I mean. I never stop asking why? Drs love a diagnosis as if it’s the answer to everything.
@eliza1275 Do you have a good idea of what the root cause of your allergies are? You don't think it is vA toxicity? I think Grant mentions allergies as being a sign of vA toxicity.
Thanks for your comments. I have had severe allergies since I was a child. I remember walking around all spring with the skin around my eyes red, sore, and weeping from scratching. I also had terrible insomnia as a child, and vomited often. My parents were adamant about giving me vitamins everyday as a child, which included not only a multi-vitamin, but also individual vitamins such as beta-carotene. It is possible that vitamin A toxicity caused my allergies, but they have never gone away, even when I stopped taking vitamins as an adult. The only way I avoid my allergies is by eating peeled potatoes and beef.
Also, I should note that all of this got so much worse after having a baby. I have read (don't have the source right now) that during pregnancy, the immune system decreases so as not to reject the baby, and then it comes back after giving birth, and that women who expose themselves to allergens during pregnancy will have a stronger immune response after giving birth. When I was pregnant, I noticed that I didn't react to apples or carrots during spring, and I basically ate whatever I wanted. After pregnancy, my tolerance for foods was lower than ever.
For many it might not be enough to just remove vA or other toxins if they have changed the gut or something else significantly. I haven't had much if any improvements after going low A for over a year, though coffee enemas and activated charcoal have helped tremendously with the headaches. I took A supplements and ate many carotenoids for 4 years before having the worse health of my life. I also had some of the same health problems as child as I do now and your comment about you taking supplements as a child triggered a memory in me. I remember that we had Flinstone chewables in the house when I was fairly young but don't know if I took them or if so for how long.
An update: I am now incorporating a few vitamin A foods in my diet, and doing better than ever. I have more energy, sleep pretty well, and feel better mentally. I am eating beef, chicken, turkey, blueberries, bread, butter, potatoes, iceberg lettuce, butter lettuce, sunflower oil, potato chips, pretzels, and some herbs and spices. I really believe that my issues were due to allergic cross reactions (I am severely allergic to all grasses, ragweed, and several trees), which got worse after pregnancy. Now, taking certain supplements including methylated b vitamins, molybdenum, and NAC seems to help.
Also, I wanted to document some of the negative reactions on a high vegetable diet and carnivore diet that I no longer have.
High Vegetable Diet: Dry eye and inflamed pinguecula, bloating, low thyroid, rashes, itchy skin, insomnia, depression
Carnivore Diet: Dry eye, severe acne, fatigue, constipation, feeling cold, worsened Raynauds, low thyroid, insomnia, depression
@eliza1275 Hey, just curious if you checked your blood retinol status?