Quote from Hermes on November 20, 2023, 2:37 pm

@sand I'm sorry to hear that your symptoms haven't improved much, but look on the bright side: You have actually managed to bring those vitamin A levels down by 76%. You are actually detoxing. So that's great news. It's still unbelievable to me how much faster Grant detoxed so much vitamin A in the first few years that every time he tested again, the number came back to 0.1, basically maxing out the sensitivity of the test. I have never seen anyone detox vitamin A that quickly after that. I really wonder why it takes the rest of us many more years to even reach basically imperceptible levels of vitamin A in the blood. Also, he regained 75% of his overall health in the first four years of the detox diet, after which the line flattens out rather quickly, with only small but steady improvements over the next few years (see graph below from his last health update). This is puzzling. Others stick with it for four or five years and don't report such dramatic improvements. So you're not alone in your frustrating grind to improve your health. Thank you for the update, I especially appreciate you providing us with lab values for vitamin A, something we rarely see around here.

Quote from puddleduck on November 20, 2023, 5:08 pm

Thanks for the update, @sand! 😁 Slow but steady, eh? Painfully slow, I imagine it feels at times...

But getting flexible has gotta be good for the fascia! 😎

A couple ideas (I forget if you’ve already tried this stuff before, sorry to repeat it if so):

1) Ever try the topical magnesium spray on your legs? 

2) I was reading the “Charcoal Times” website after another detoxer was telling me about successfully using charcoal poultices, and there was an article about a lady using them to improve her eyesight. Though I am a bit skeptical of that and haven’t tried it, I did increase my charcoal intake substantially (tablespoons, not teaspoons) when I was sick recently and it gave instant relief...felt like it was sucking out toxicity from my head somehow. I took thiamine and zinc, too, but I didn’t need as much as I usually do when hit with a virus.

I think some of us got VA stored in our brains somehow...and that it leaving that location is particularly unpleasant...maybe that’s why you have so many symptoms in that general area (scalp, eyes, face)? Anyway, rootin’ for ya and hopin’ it gets more pleasant for ya soon. 🤞

Quote from sand on November 21, 2023, 10:46 pm

@christian yes, the detox part is great. I would like to see the people talking about what a waste serum retinol tests are when looking at those data. As far as Grant detoxing faster, did he ever provide serum retinol tests first years? Maybe he started at a very low level?

@puddleduck oh yeah, painfully slow <3 thanks a lot for the suggestions. My magnesium levels are actually normal, 3.4mmol/L, but it might not matter? I can try it, though, but I suspected my leg cramps might have something to do with low calcium? Also my skin issues? Problem is that supplements really doesn’t seem to agree with me, I tried calcium and eggshells for some time.

charchoal just made me really constipated 🙂

Quote from Liz on November 28, 2023, 1:32 am

Hi Sand, I do agree re: serum tests. They don't have to mean squat. If I remember correctly there has been vA poisoned case studies with low serum Retinol 🤔

However, there was a drop since 2017 also, May I ask what your diet and lifestyle was between 2017 and 2020?

Re: calcium, high blood calcium is usually an indicator for hypervitaminosis A. Low Ca I have never really looked into other than it indicates low Ca and/or low vD and/or kidney issues. Symptoms include muscle cramps and stiffness. I have never had any of my blood minerals out of range so I have never bothered looking into it. Ca is a buffer against acidity though.
If you're Mg levels also are low, hypocalcemia can be secondary. If your vD is low hypocalcemia is probably primary.

But I am sure you have looked in to this already. Either way you probably need more minerals in your diet, which is a shitty thing for me to say without having analyzed your diet so I appologize beforehand. Either way I am sorry you have not had better success than you have. 3,5 years is a long time.

Quote from Inger on November 28, 2023, 2:10 am

@sand, your cramping sounds like restless legs to me. I used to have that on and off.

Quote from lil chick on November 28, 2023, 7:54 am

I also have these problems (restless legs) and true cramps (hideously painful).

My interests lately are about moving lymph along, try brushing your feet and legs in the direction of your heart when having those leg problems.   And cold seems to make the circulation of everything slower, so make sure your feet aren't cold at bed time. I also think that there may be a connection to wrong breathing/asthma.  (wrong breathing can lead to poor circulation in the extremities).

Potatoes seem to make foot and leg cramps worse, and there have been some discussion of the solanine that green potatoes contain.  If you are eating potatoes, be pickier about trimming any green away, and don't eat green chips.

Quote from sand on January 2, 2024, 4:48 pm

I had a few weeks with really bad eyes again, no idea what caused it. It could be that I have RLS. One more thing that started on this diet. My facial skin is still peeling off like nothing else. Comical, this.

I have to stretch so much before going to sleep, and sometimes, like now, sleep is impossible. If I am able to go sleep, I might wake up having to stretch my legs.

If anybody can help me with my RLS, though, I would be eternally grateful. Or whatever this that I have in my legs is…

@liz between 17-20: very active lifestyle, vegan for 2 years, struggling with eyes after Accutane etc… I believe serum retinol levels tell us something, when you can pick up trends like this. With a constant diet, that is… I believe everyone should get them. Too much speculation and too little data on this forum.

My vD and Mg look normal

@inger did it go away?

@jessica2 doesn’t the body upregulate PTH to get more Ca out of the bones, if Ca is low?

My phosphate is elevated: 1.68mmol/L (normal range 0.75-1.65).

Quote from lil chick on January 3, 2024, 6:21 am

Hi Sand, have you seen my posts about molybdenum?   You might want to add a molybdenum source or two to your daily diet.   For me, what it appears to be is this:   molybdenum deficiency causes fast heart rate and breathing.   That is when my RLS starts.   Fast heart and breathing, legs restless, NO SLEEP.  

As stated in my prior post, keeping the feet warm and not eating green potatoes also helps.   Not drinking alcohol is huge.    I think the molybdenum is being run down by various detox processes.  

I call it "asthma" but there is no coughing or wheezing.  However, it does seem to also be triggered on days of housecleaning.  

Quote from lil chick on January 3, 2024, 6:29 am

There used to be a notion that I've seen on the inter webs that putting soap down in your bed (!)  helped with restless legs.  I suppose it it strongly alkali -- and our enemy is an acid.    I've never tried it!