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Sunbathing, UV, IR and agitation
I'm copying here from a different thread so that we can separate the topic of sunbathing from Grant's "book" post (yesterday).
Quote from Rachel-2 in Colorado on April 26, 2021, 3:52 pmGrant, This is a project I can get behind. I only started in October, but I have been participating with Dr. Smith's network and have learned so much in that time. I have had my own pitfalls that I would like to warn others and help to create a document that is shareable to new people. The first and possibly the most challenging is an introduction that could be given to treatment professionals to help them wrap their heads around what a patient is doing.
Before you begin, you should know:
Cautions on Sun, Ultraviolet (UV), Infrared and Blue Light exposures
I have a link to study that says that blue light shined on eye retina cells destroys them if the contain Vitamin A, and this doesn't happen if the cells do not have vitamin A. I've been wondering if we need to cut back on our screens and be careful to use more eye protection until we are detoxed. Do the orange glasses work?
Supplements you should NOT take and what to do instead:
Vitamin D - For me, stopping Vitamin D supplementation meant that I was wanting to get UV exposure to start making my own D. This drove me to UV and Infrared exposure and I really wish I hadn't.
I wonder if there would be a better way to dovetail into the diet and test the waters. I was very low A intake for several months, then UV exposure started messing with my skin, and then starting on psyllium ramped up cholestasis that I didn't even know that I had. I would be willing to write my story on that and maybe there could be several cautionary testimonials throughout this book. Dr. Smith was warning not to ramp up soluble fiber too quickly, and I thought I was heeding that advice, but I really had no idea that the limits were that sensitive, even for me.
This is really interesting. For the first time In about 10 years I started sunbathing. The sun is still very mild. The air is cold but I could still really feel the sun on my skin. I actually had a very pleasant feeling in my skin but my detox symptoms have gone crazy since doing this. I wasn't sure if it was just coincidence or not. My skin all over has become very dry. I might just stick with vitamin D. Even vitamin d aggravates symptoms in high doses. What dose do you take? If I increase vitamin D too much my tinnitus gets worse, but interestingly enough since sunbathing my tinnitus has also got worse. Of course this could all just be a massive coincidence. and something else could be too blame.
I too have tinnitis
I too had taken high dose Vitamin D for years due to low test and trying to manage my level to the target of 60-80 ng/mL
My plan is to stick to protecting my skin until I feel I have truly detoxed (3 years). I am also NOT taking any supplemental D3. I need to get another blood test to see what is it currently.
I am 6 months solid on the Garrett Smith plan.
First I used a reptile light on my back being very careful and consistent nearly every day for 1-2 months. Sometimes I felt a little slight burning feeling in my skin, but then it would go away.
Then I went to a tanning salon and did mixed UVA=UVB in an "angel" bed that is supposed to not allow you to burn. COMPARE: I had done this one year earlier for 2 months at the same salon, in the SAME BED and never had ANY problem. In the UV bed, I protected my face and upper chest and neck for part of the times in the bed. IMPORTANT: I did not experience itching on face, chest, or neck.
I also did infrared light in a separate bed on the same days. Again, same bed, same procedure as a year prior when I was NOT on the detox ( I was on AIP Paleo diet at the time).
I did that salon as described above about 3 times (could have been 4). The itching increased all over my body, however, it was worst on my back. On my back I developed acne (two different kinds). I NEVER HAD ACNE LIKE THIS. My skin has been clear since I became a young adult. This acne has persisted 4+ months.
I developed classic symptoms of cholestasis - itching all over, but worst in legs, feet and hands first. It was very good timing because Garrett Smith was releasing information in his network about cholestasis--otherwise I would not have identified it as such. All of his predictions about it seem to be true, and the remedies for it have worked. For example, the cholestasis symptoms ramped up very quickly when I started ADDING Psyllium (a type of soluble fiber) plus extra charcoal (orally)<--This is the logical cause of the cholestasis. It was very clear in the timing. I am now 2 weeks from the moment that I started doing VERY LOW FAT AND Very low on soluble fiber. I have converted over to insoluble fiber sources, more meat, less fat, and tartaric acid (cream of tartar and lots of raisins). Each day I am getting a little bit better.
I am very happy that this has taught me some lessons AND that it has helped me to self-diagnose that I probably had cholestasis for many years and these triggers including Low A, have given me the knowledge that it is indeed my liver that has cholestasis. I was at times ready to give up on the Low A diet, but this has helped me to feel that I am on the right path and that I need to understand more and protect my liver as much as I can. I do play around a little bit with eating small amounts of butter and a very small amount of oil. So far, it "feels correct" for Dr. Smith's guideline on 2 Tbsp of butter max per day for those who need it. I am not underweight, so I don't need it. But, I also noticed the skin on my legs going dry, so I will just figure this thing out and probably will have a little butter per day or every other day until I see best results. I will not go above 2 Tbsp. per day.
@neil @rachel-2 I've been using a Sperti Vitamin D lamp all winter. I'm pretty sure it's fully restricted to UVB output (no UVA or UVC). I'm not sure if it's increased my detox, but I haven't gotten obvious symptoms from it like @rachel-2. I think it's very much preferable to generate Vitamin D from natural sunlight, but a UVB lamp may enable Vitamin D production with less agitation of Vitamin A in the skin due to an absence of UVA and UVC. I would only use Vitamin D supplements if you really can't do either of the above.
Also, keep in mind that cholesterol is needed both for natural Vitamin D production in the skin and for bile acid production. If you don't eat enough fat in your diet, your body has to generate its own cholesterol, and it's limited in this ability. I've written about this elsewhere, but I think it's very important to keep sufficient fat in your diet and to limit fiber that impedes the absorption of fat. I suspect some of Garrett Smith's clients and followers are running into problems from too little fat, too much fiber, and binders like charcoal.
@wavygravygadzooks Thank you for the information. What foods have you been eating to get fats?
@neil I'm on a carnivore diet, so all my fat is from animals and is mostly saturated fat. Probably 2/3 comes from the fat that's already on the meat (steaks and ground), and the remaining 1/3 from added tallow (bison, beef, lamb). Butter or ghee would be a decent choice if you're not avoiding dairy, but they have more carotenoids and I think more preformed Vitamin A as well. If you don't want animal fat, I would say coconut oil is your best bet. I would steer clear of unsaturated fats, the worst of which are seed oils, but even olive oil and avocado oil have enough unsaturated fat in them to readily become oxidized, rancid, and contribute to inflammation in the body - definitely don't heat unsaturated fats if you can help it.
Glad you are improving your cholestasis symptoms. I wasn’t quite sure if you were blaming psyllium and charcoal for your cholestasis or the UV treatment ramping up detox that then exposed a previous problem? I ask because I’ve found the reverse - with the soluble fibre & charcoal helping cholestasis. I know that too much soluble fibre doesn’t suit everyone and that charcoal can cause constipation but I’ve not thought they are causative for cholestasis.
Quote from Jenny on April 27, 2021, 2:48 pmGlad you are improving your cholestasis symptoms. I wasn’t quite sure if you were blaming psyllium and charcoal for your cholestasis or the UV treatment ramping up detox that then exposed a previous problem? I ask because I’ve found the reverse - with the soluble fibre & charcoal helping cholestasis. I know that too much soluble fibre doesn’t suit everyone and that charcoal can cause constipation but I’ve not thought they are causative for cholestasis.
Jenny, No, I am not blaming the psyllium. Sorry for the rushed answers/text. (I'm parenting 2 teens at home and this year has really stretched me a bit thin on being able to participate as deeply as I would like to do.) So, what I meant was that i think there is a rate of detox (which is obviously very individual) and that I exceeded my threshhold for rate of detox. Prior to experiencing and discovering the cholestasis symptoms, I wouldn't have thought of it as a myriad of substances being detoxed; I would have just thought of it as Vitamin A detox. But, now I look at it more as having had a long term experience of liver damage, in part due to Vitamin A, but also other things, and that the "detox setback cycles" --at least in my case-- are really just too much recirculating of toxins because my liver can only handle so much at a time (with bile recirc, etc.) I am saying that adding psyllium and/or charcoal was the wrong substance for me, but more likely the wrong AMOUNT of those substances.
That makes sense Rachel. That’s how I’m thinking about it too.
Here are my thoughts, as usual, intuitive, not scientific.
IMO, we are supposed to get sunlight. IMO, we evolved in a VA mess.
I've always enjoyed sunbathing. I do it all year round. I live in a pretty far north place (on the border of the state of new hampshire).
I don't do it for very long, really under 5 mintues a day.
In the winter, I sit for 5 minutes with no hat and gloves on the sunny side of my house at noonish. When it warms up, I put the bikini on and sit for 5 minutes in that.
When I have to work outside for extended periods of time, or beach it, I'm all about covering up, because I easily burn. But I'm not adverse to a half an hour or so in the sun. I never use sun screen.
There is always a period of time at the beginning of the sunny part of the year that there will be some itchiness. I don't see that as bad.
I've seen adults my age who appreciate sun and fresh air and they seem to be very well and happy in their bodies. I don't think we have to hide. But we may need to ramp up slowly.
I think there might be something adverse about thinking of ourselves as handicapped. I want to live.