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ShanMan's progress
@wavygravygadzooks Are you kidding me? I have 3 bottles of zinc picolitane here. 😀 But I don't know I was using chelated zinc and after watching dr.Smith I am using picolinate and I don't see any difference how I feel from it. I will try some chelate again and will see..
Quote from PJ on September 19, 2023, 5:03 pmHi @shannon Thanks for taking the time to share your progress here. May I ask why you are skeptical of zinc picolinate? I remember @wavygravygadzooks made a great post about how his thinking was that it (zinc picolinate) worked "too well" on the ND forum. I can't remember the specifics about what he said, I thought I would be able to go back and re-read but he was unfortunately silenced/deleted from there as a dissenter. Thanks in advance.
I am skeptical because Chris Masterjohn pulled up some studies that showed Picolinate as more of a chelator in that it forms a strong(er) bond with Zinc that cells likely cannot metabolize to produce a Zinc ion.
I am certainly not 100% on this, but....the logic of using something else like an amino-acid or two (like Zinc Bisglycinate, what I chose) seemed reasonable.
I've actually stayed away from adding Zinc for a couple weeks now. I do tend to be in the 20-30mg range already with my consumption of beef currently.
Well, I'm only hypothesizing based on my experience and some publications...I am nowhere near 100% certain that zinc picolinate is no good. Lots of people claim to have improved using it, I just wouldn't take a bunch of it all the time, particularly if you already have other good dietary sources of zinc like meat. I suspect that zinc citrate, zinc glycinate, and zinc gluconate are probably better utilized though, and that zinc picolinate is only available as a supplement because companies can market it as having a "higher absorption rate" and make more money by introducing competition.
Fwiw I've been borderline low/low zinc for years. Zinc piccolinate never helped raise or keep my zinc levels up so I have been sceptical of it for some time. I have switched to bisglycinate.
(However now iron panel is fine, only ferritin on the low side still, slowly creeping upwards. No supps only food. That to me is a sign of healing, as all markers were shit rock bortom for many years. So I believe zinc will come around as well).
Quote from wavygravygadzooks on September 22, 2023, 11:03 amWell, I'm only hypothesizing based on my experience and some publications...I am nowhere near 100% certain that zinc picolinate is no good. Lots of people claim to have improved using it, I just wouldn't take a bunch of it all the time, particularly if you already have other good dietary sources of zinc like meat. I suspect that zinc citrate, zinc glycinate, and zinc gluconate are probably better utilized though, and that zinc picolinate is only available as a supplement because companies can market it as having a "higher absorption rate" and make more money by introducing competition.
I revisited that youtube video of Chris M. and I also read the comments under the video where many people support zinc Picolinate and like they say. Just because you urinate out more zinc after ingesting zinc picolinate than other forms of zinc doesn't mean your body can't use it. It actually can mean that the body can simply absorb more of the picolinate form therefore will eliminate more as well.. I will buy another form as well and will take both of them just in case..
Time for an update this May 2024.
Overall, things are GREATLY improving for me. Dizziness is largely gone, weight (and strength) is up, and sun sensitivity is largely gone! Tinnitus is still with me, but generally muted. Way muted compared to the start.
I did introduce egg yolks (normally 3-4/day nowadays) and butter (normally about 1-2 tbsp) along with switching from rice to sourdough made with mainly spelt.
Monthly highlights
October 2023 - Same diet (apple/banana, rice/beans/beef), ended up coming down with COVID while in Denver (low oxygen).
Symptoms: Was feeling better going into the COVID, but COVID was extremely rough. It felt like not only did COVID hit me, but also a large outbreak of HSV-1 (severe cold sores) alongside EBV (throat was RAW like the original EBV). It probably did not help that I had a decent multi-hour sun exposure the day COVID hit me. In retrospect, not getting sun exposure or Vitamin D probably set me up for a large failure. And, being in a low(er) oxygen environment did not help recover oxidative measures.
November 2023 - Same diet
Symptoms: COVID recovery was rough. It felt like I was partially drunk (maybe from the different forms of retinol flooding from the liver?). In any case, things started improving at the back of the month. I ended up losing about 5 lbs during COVID recovery.
December 2023 – Added egg yolks (raw) into smoothies…1st 1, then 2, then 4-5/day, but largely the same diet. Even took rice cooker and blender on trip so I could maintain my general diet.
Symptoms: Actually had a few days where the tinnitus bumped up HARD, but after the initial wave, things started settling down and greatly improving. I believe this is from unclogging LRAT mainly, and allowing a higher degree of processing stored carotenes.
January 2024 – No change in diet.
Symptoms: Symptoms still good. Actually had a few days of light alcohol drinking (on a business trip, social pressure), and tolerated it fairly well.
February 2024 – Started messing with adding other spices (pepper, onions), modest amounts of Kombucha, and lemon/lime in water.
Symptoms: Started getting “gallbladder” stabbing pains. I actually believe this is from trying to use collagen powder (about 10-15g / day)
March 2024 – Removed the additions, but started ramping up sourdough made largely with Spelt flour. Also pulsed a tbsp or so of “european butter” after watching Meri’s anhydroretinol discoveries.
Symptoms: Very big change in improvements…attributable to the added betaine. Some days I did get slightly dizzy, but these were likely from the messing around with barley flour (higher in beta-glucans that stimulate bile flow). Also believe that my sun-exposure sensitivity is largely gone. Several 10,000 IU+ exposures with very little symptoms.
April 2024 – Largely unchanged, but added more retinol from European butter on a regular basis. Stepped down to 3 eggs, sometimes 4. And, down to ~4-5 bananas instead of 6-7 bananas.
Symptoms: Very big change in improvements…attributable to the added betaine. Some days I did get slightly dizzy, but these were likely from messing around with barley flour (higher in beta-glucans that stimulate bile flow). Sun exposure sensitivity is indeed gone. I do think that keeping protein down to the ~100g range seems to be key to keeping RHR down (probably from BCAAs)
May 2024 – Diet largely unchanged.
Symptoms: Improvements continue to hold. Strength is definitely improving (alongside weight which is now around 160 lbs, up from a low in the 148-150 range). Tinnitus is markedly more stable and generally lower.
Recent blood tests:
- Retinol appears to have peaked
- Blood counts / WBCs are recovering
- Testosterone is recovering
- Liver enzymes are still high, but in normal range