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Rapid Gum Recession
So I am trying a few things. In addition to including fruit back into my diet in limited quantities (peeled apples and raisins), I am taking small doses of vitamin C, plus lactoferrin, thinking that @wavygravygadzooks is onto something with the idea of iron dysregulation playing a part in acute gum disease - something that I've experienced off and on my entire life but especially lately since Covid (in October) and concurrent herpes infections.
The iron hypothesis also makes sense: if I have somehow functionally deficient iron levels (not enough for my body's own use) yet overload (too much iron available for microbes), then that would explain why I continue to get worse illnesses and more frequent ones than the rest of my family, ever since going low vitamin A. Dealing with Vitamin A overload seems an essential piece of the puzzle, but also seems to "uncover" other issues that don't always go away quickly. 🙁
Chris Masterjohn just published a very interesting overview of iron metabolism in patients with "long" Covid, and I think it's relevant: https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/covid-19/2022/01/24/iron-for-post-c-word-hair-loss-and-fatigue "Iron for Post-Covid Hair Loss and Fatigue"
Today I began taking Vitamin K3, because I feel like calcium is also involved in this, and I have never been able to tolerate calcium supplements in any way.
My gum pain has been reduced since beginning the lactoferrin. I'll report back if things continue to improve or get worse.
@Hermes, I'm just taking the cheapest pure lactoferrin I could find...nothing special. I can't tell yet if it's making a difference, but things are marginally better than last week. I've been taking vitamin C/vitamin K/lactoferrin once per day. Why does Garrett Smith think his lactoferrin is better?
Well, some have reported different experiences from the lactoferrin by Garrett Smith. He claims that his product is derived from French cow's milk, while supposedly others are derived from whey as a by-product of cheese-making. Also, it maintains the natural mixture of apolactoferrin and holo-lactoferrin. And finally, he suggests trying his product if in the past lactoferrin didn't work or the reaction to it was very strong. You find these statements all on the product page at https://nutritiondetective.com/
At this point, I've tried supplementing just about every nutrient that could be related to gingivitis and haven't seen any notable improvements. I haven't tried antioxidants like Alpha Lipoic Acid yet, but I may give that a try soon.
My latest conclusion is that my body must be in a very acidic state. That would certainly explain all the fatigue and muscle twitching/cramping I've been having. My gum problems started after I changed from an all meat and fat diet to one with white rice at every meal. Meat is already fairly acidic in nature, but adding a bunch of white rice may have tipped me over the edge. Having a history of oxalic acid and retinoic acid problems is obviously playing a big role.
I've decided to remove white rice, keep my carb intake to a minimum via low-sugar fruit and low-carb tubers like turnip, and maximize intake of citrate/citric acid via magnesium citrate, potassium citrate, calcium citrate, and fruit high in citric acid. I'm also going to experiment with higher doses of buffered ascorbic acid. I'm going to go back to trying to get more calories from fat and not go overboard on the protein.
@beata-2 @sarabeth-matilsky Have either of you considered elevated acidity to be a component of your health issues? Beata, maybe you are benefitting from high amounts of Vitamin C due to problems with acidity...your blood blisters kind of remind me of the cherry angiomas and broken capillaries that I've been getting, which might be related to a heightened need for Vitamin C.
This is a long shot, but I recently found out that I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a genetic defect in collagen production. It has 13 types and one them is Periodontal. That may be the one I have, as I had early periodontal problems in spite of excellent dental habits. I have an appointment to find out more and get tested. It is worth checking out. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34324282/ The Ehlers-Danlos Society has a lot more information.
This is REALLY interesting, thanks! Although yet again, few action steps. I did find a few websites with nutritional supplement recommendations, based on what looks like one hypothetical paper recommending various supplements for EDs. I am currently taking a few of them already based on @wavygravygadzooks and others' thoughts: vitamin K, lactoferrin, vitamin C, and now whey protein powder (which has a lot of calcium). I hope that my sons and my prognosis are not as terrible as it can be for those who suffer badly...but the thing about my son and me both is that we DO have loose ligaments! I have also had periods of time when I bruised very easily, and also recently suffered with varicose veins. So this feels fairly timely. I'll be curious if anyone else has other ideas about this.
My mouth feels marginally better lately, but not fabulous at all.
I honestly never know what to make about the whole alkaline/acidity in the blood thing. Is it actually possible to have the pH be that different within our bodies?? And how on earth could one affect it positively or negatively?? Anyway, I just know that if macronutrients could affect it, I will never try low-carb again, because it nearly destroyed me and my hormones for good. I do well with moderate starch, moderate fat, moderate protein, and low-protein is also bad for me.
My mouth is marginally better this week, but that's not saying much, and it's not great.
Quote from Sarabeth on February 21, 2022, 7:50 pmThis is REALLY interesting, thanks! Although yet again, few action steps. I did find a few websites with nutritional supplement recommendations, based on what looks like one hypothetical paper recommending various supplements for EDs. I am currently taking a few of them already based on @wavygravygadzooks and others' thoughts: vitamin K, lactoferrin, vitamin C, and now whey protein powder (which has a lot of calcium). I hope that my sons and my prognosis are not as terrible as it can be for those who suffer badly...but the thing about my son and me both is that we DO have loose ligaments! I have also had periods of time when I bruised very easily, and also recently suffered with varicose veins. So this feels fairly timely. I'll be curious if anyone else has other ideas about this.
My mouth feels marginally better lately, but not fabulous at all.
There is no cure for EDS, but there is a lot we can do to manage it. Specialized exercise can help, but you must be very careful not to let anyone treat you who doesn't know how to do it properly. (Perhaps gene therapy at some point.) I am just thrilled to finally have a name to put on all my weird symptoms!
I was already doing all the nutrition stuff (perhaps I might have been sicker if I wasn't.) Everyone who sees my test results thinks I am perfectly healthy! Zero plaque in my heart and arteries, zero plaque in my brain, a score of 98% in bone density, no glaucoma in my eyes as would be expected at my age, and the gyn said I have the uterus of a 17 year-old. And yet I am obviously far from healthy because of the neurological symptoms, the pain, POT (postural orthostatic tachycardia), and other problems I now know are related to EDS. I can see that it has been there my whole life; my mother told me I was a "blue baby," that I didn't breathe spontaneously at birth. "Floppy Baby" Syndrome is another thing listed as part of one kind of EDS.
If your son has symptoms too and you are both hypermobile, I'd say you likely both have EDS. There are support groups and FB groups where you can learn a lot and find out what doctors specialize in it in your area. Good luck; we have to figure this out because we both have family members who will suffer if we don't. Stay in touch.
Judy BB