Omg...i Might Be On To Something

[Rachel--24]

Rachel, just wanted to remind you that chlorine in water dissipates over a few hours. You might be able to save your self some money by prewashing all your fruits and veggies in "old" water and just doing a quick rinse with filtered water.

I'm worried about alot of other things in the water...like metals, bacteria, (other impurities I dont know abouit) etc.

Because I'm so sensitive I've been using the same water I drink (distilled or purified) to wash any veggies. I think its made a difference too.

Now that I'm doing frozen veggies instead its been even better.

I never knew much about chlorine in the water until recently...I'm seriously avoiding the chlorine now....even brushing my teeth with my own water. I'm taking a chelator for mercury and it will bind with clorine before it gets to metals...so because of that I want to avoid chlorine as much as possible in order to make the chelator more effective.

Also, with regard to the same process, when you run your water all of the dissolved gases have the opportunity to escape into the air. Not sure how sensitive you are, but if you run a bath without filtration, you might want to leave the fan on to clear the air.

I always have a fan on when taking a bath or shower. I notice when I'm at my own house the past few months I'm noticing a very strong odor when I turn on the water....its more noticeable as the water heats up. I dont know if its sulfur or something else??

Could this happen because of the fact that I'm not home all week so water is sitting in pipes or something?? I'm thinking whatever it is....I probably shouldnt be breathing it.

I'm hoping that the new filtered showerhead I got will take care of this to some extent. I have to wait maybe 2 more weeks to get my filter for the bath.

Last night at BioSET she was telling me it would be a good idea to take some Epson salt baths to help detox. I've done this before but its been awhile. She then said...."Oh....but you should also get one of those bath balls that removes chlorine from the water first....Chlorine is nasty stuff!"

I was really excited to say that my "bath ball" is on its way.

[Rachel--24]

Rachel,

I am supposed to be tested for molds soon....ugh. I'm going to ask about the cigarette stuff, too.

L

Laura,

I still dont know if I've got any infection of a pathogenic mold but I do seem to have very bad issues with mold that shows up in BioSET and ART. I took a blood test but it was only specific for Aspergillus...this is the one which keeps showing up for me. There is some significance but I'm not sure what yet.

It could just be that my immune system is highly sensitized to it....especially since I used to smoke but since it showed up very strong in my ART session I think there might be more to it than just sensitivity.

There are some pretty effective meds that can be taken for fungal infection.

[CarlaB]

Rachel, it could be that you're just not home enough to run the water and it's old water in the pipes. At our old house we had well-water from a very good well. If we were out of town for a week, we'd come back and the water would smell. In the case of well-water, I think it's agae.

If you just run the water for a while, the smell should go away.

[Rachel--24]

I dont have time to tell specifics about my session last night but I was doing really bad for about a week. I was getting more toxic...I could feel it. I started getting a little depressed the past couple days and even shed a couple tears for the first time in 2007.

I didnt even go to work Monday and Tuesday.

I was really fighting the "sadness" because I knew it was from becoming more toxic. The biggest problem was with the chemicals. It was very clear that I wasnt detoxing well because when someone walked by with perfume it was circulating through my body....I can actually feel it kind of circulating in my system and then I start tasting it on my tongue. I get little hot flashes from it and my mind has been in a major fog. I complained ALOT at work yesterday and people had to help me with little things cuz my mind wasnt working too well. I was totally spacing.

Everyone was asking me what happened because its been months since I've felt that bad. I was soooo toxic. It was taking 1-2 hours to get someone's perfume out of my system.

When I went to treatment last night I told her I'm toxic and I think I might have too much sulfur in my system. I told her I think sulfur from foods is building up.....I know that its causing me problems.

We went through a bunch of stuff and in the end found out that my sulfur pathway wasnt open. It used to be clear but something happened and it got blocked. I had to get re-treated last night and today I'm not so toxic anymore.

I dont know if its "co-incidence" or not but even people at work could tell that I got better since yesterday.

The same perfumes that were totally killing me yesterday are now back to normal...which is still pretty bad. I can deal with "bad" but when it gets like it was the past few days its pretty much unbearable and I cant function too well.

In order to detox the metals (and anything else) all of my pathways need to be open. I guess I'm getting to know my body pretty well because I knew something wasnt right with sulfur.

I'll post more detail about the session later cuz it was pretty interesting (to me anyways).

[Rachel--24]

I feel really lucky to work with really caring and understanding people. Everyone takes care of me and has consideration.

Yesterday when I was super toxic....a lady with strong perfume walked by my dept. and her perfume was killing me. I was trying to recover and then they called me to the front to open a checkstand. When I was up there the freakin lady ended up in my line.

There was a guy I work with also in my line. He wasnt actually working...he was shopping. I dont really know him....we've never had a conversation. Anyway...I was kind of stepping away from the direction of the lady since she reeked so bad. I guess he noticed and he volunteered to take my place in the checkstand and check out the lady's groceries (she was next in line) and he wasnt even working!!

How cool is that!! I didnt even know that he was aware that I was sensitive to perfumes.

Today I totally thanked him....he saved me. He said he could smell how strong her perfume was....it was even bothering him. He said he knew I was sensitive to it since I always take down the dryer sheets from the display and shove them in the back room.

Anyways....people are always really cool like that but I thought that was especially nice of him since he doesnt even really know me and he wasnt on the clock.

It was one of those random nice things that people do to make someones day a little better.

[AndreaB]

I feel really lucky to work with really caring and understanding people. Everyone takes care of me and has consideration.

Anyway...I was kind of stepping away from the direction of the lady since she reeked so bad. I guess he noticed and he volunteered to take my place in the checkstand and check out the lady's groceries (she was next in line) and he wasnt even working!!

How cool is that!! I didnt even know that he was aware that I was sensitive to perfumes.

Today I totally thanked him....he saved me. He said he could smell how strong her perfume was....it was even bothering him. He said he knew I was sensitive to it since I always take down the dryer sheets from the display and shove them in the back room.

That's great Rachel! That was very nice of him.

[dlp252]

Aw Rachel, I love to hear stories about nice people like that! Gives me hope, lol.

[miamia]

Miamia, it's nice to hear your update!

It does take STRONG meds to get rid of this. My pharmacist said that I'm taking higher than the highest dose recommended by the manufacturer of Mepron ... I mentioned the doxy was high, too, and he said yes it was. It takes a lot to kill these bugs.

Sorry you were feeling so bad. I don't think it will set you back, I think it's normal to feel bad once in a while with the treatment.

Laura, since you're starting your abx this weekend, I wanted to mention that I found putting lemon in my water (I use one lemon per day) and taking charcoal helped get me over the herx. You can't take the charcoal near any other medication, supplement, etc., so I keep mine beside my bed and take it when I wake up in the middle of the night since my daily med schedule is hard enough to keep! I drink the lemon water all day long.

Carla

what exactly does the lemon water do?

[CarlaB]

Carla

what exactly does the lemon water do?

I have no idea! LOL I think it must alkanlinize the system, even though lemons are acidic, they alkalinize the body. I read about it on Lymenet and I remember my LLMD mentioning it.

[CarlaB]

Miamia, here's something I found on lemon water.

So What Are the Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water?

Apart from being an amazing body alkalizer/alkaliser, lemon water also gives the following health benefits:

• Lemons are antiseptic
  
• Lemon water has excellent digestive properties and can ease heartburn, bloating and other digestion problems
  
• Lemon water cleanses and stimulates the liver and kidneys
  
• Lemon juice contains calcium, magnesium and potassium
  
• Lemon juice has been known to relieve asthma
  
• Lemon water (hot) offers relief from cold and flu symptoms while providing some much needed Vitamin C
  
• Lemon juice is a great skin cleanser
  

[Rachel--24]

P.S. How do you guys like my avatar I just added?

Love it...its nice when you can "see" the person who is posting.

Carla's new avatar is nice too.

My home computer is broken so I'm stuck with this avatar for awhile.

[CarlaB]

Love it...its nice when you can "see" the person who is posting.

Carla's new avatar is nice too.

My home computer is broken so I'm stuck with this avatar for awhile.

Thanks.

Bummer on the broken computer ... the avatar is nice, though.

[Debbie65]

How do you add your avatar? Whenever I

[Rachel--24]

Ok...so I go to my appt. last night and she asks me how I'm doing. I told her I'm really really toxic....I told her about sulfur issues etc.

She started running through different things on the computer. I like Denise because she tries to figure out whats going on. She asks questions and then checks various things on the computer to see if she can find out whats causing what.

Apparantly I was having some issues with mercury and other metals. She left and talked with Anna....came back and told me that I got re-sensitized to mercury somehow but that Anna says it shows that something we're doing is working. Mercury must have came out of "hiding" and is now in the bloodstream....I became sensitized to it again.

She said maybe killing off candida with antifungals or maybe Anna'a miasm treatments for candida are causing the mercury to be released from the candida. I told her I'm not taking antifungals anymore but that I did start on the NDF. She said the NDF would do it for sure...NDF is gonna be pulling alot of metals out so that is likely what caused it.

I told her I'm barely taking anything ....only 1 drop (I increased) and the stuff goes after other things (chlorine pesticeds, etc.) before it gets to metals. She said its still gonna be pulling some metals out.....even at a small dose.

I asked if everyone gets improvement on the NDF....she said yeah.....it definately detoxes metals and people do get better. I think maybe she sees more positive results due to the fact that they can monitor a person and de-sensitize when necessary as well as keeping the detox pathways clear. I dont think *everyone* would detox mercury with it....some people will react to it and some people will have blocked pathways so might not do well on any chelator.

I told her I dont think I'm excreting the metals or whatever else the NDF might be binding with. I knew I shouldnt be feeling that toxic if things were moving out of my system.

She said that I am excreting it....I just feel bad because its getting stirred up in my system.

I told her my Dr. said I shouldnt feel anything....that if I feel any worse it means I'm not excreting. She said she would disagree with that because I just started treatment and mercury getting stirred up and moving through my system is going to cause some type of symptoms.

She asked if I was feeling brain-fogged...yeah...I was BIG-TIME feeling it. I couldnt get anything done at work because I was just spinning my wheels. I couldnt focus. She said this is from the mercury getting pulled out.

I still felt WAY too toxic though....and I was still worried I wasnt excreting anything. Even if my reactions were caused by food or something else entirely I was worried about continuing to take NDF if there a possibility I was feeling bad because it wasnt getting detoxed.

I was asking her how can I know if I'm excreting or not?? She said to her....if someones pathways are open...then they are excreting.

I was also worried about sulfur...I told her how all the sulfur foods are causing alot of problems. I dont know for certain if its sulfur but I suspect something is up with those foods.

She started testing for sulfur stuff on the computer and it wasnt showing any sensitivities to sulfur. I told her that I also test fine for garlic but I know for sure that I'm not fine with it. I definately have some problem with garlic.

She then decided to check the liver detox pathways. I've been cleared for all of them a few months back. Everything was coming back fine but then I had a problem with one and then a few more. She was looking at it and I saw the word "Thiol". I knew it was related to sulfur. I asked "Does that mean I have a problem with the sulfur pathway??

She went to talk to Anna and then decided to just go through the entire sulfur pathway just to be sure....so she got out the trays/vials for that pathway.

The first tray had all the "sulfur" stuff and I wasnt having any problems with it...I think I only reacted to one or two out of the whole tray. She said it looked ok....it wasnt bad.

Then I moved on to the other tray which had other "thiols" which are all part of the sulfur group.

These are examples of thiols...

Methanethiol - CH3SH

Ethanethiol - C2H5SH

Coenzyme A

Lipoamide

Glutathione

Cysteine

Dithiothreitol/dithioerythritol (an epimeric pair)

2-Mercaptoindole

So I ended up having alot of things come up in that second panel....mostly related to cysteine. After I'd reacted to about 3 she said "Uh-oh"...and then I just kept reacting to more vials in the tray. I think I responded to maybe around 8 vials.

I said "Does this mean I have a problem with the sulfur pathway?"

She said yeah....that the pathway isnt open.

I asked if this would cause problems with sulfur foods?? She said not all of them...some more than others....like garlic which is very specific for that pathway.

She said the pathway got reversed and its not clear anymore.

From what I read about mercury I think the reason my sulfur pathway isnt working right is directly related to mercury inhibiting enzymes and causing liver dysfunction.

Mercury, in its various forms, has a great affinity for certain minerals, as well as protein and non-protein molecules in the body. Mercurials have a great attraction to the sulfhydryls or thiols. The mercury atom or molecule will tend to bind with any molecule present that has sulfur or a sulfur-hydrogen combination in its structure.

This process of combining with a metal to form a complex in which the metallic ion is sequestered and firmly bound is called chelation. A thiol is any organic compound containing a univalent radical called a sulfhydryl and identified by the symbol -SH (sulfur-hydrogen). A thiol can attract one atom of mercury in the ionized form and have it combine with itself. Because it is a radical, it can enter into or leave this combination without any change. Mercury and lead both have a great affinity for sulfur and sulfhydryls and are capable of affecting the transsulfuration pathways in the body.

The primary sulfur-containing protein amino acids in the body are cystine, cysteine, methionine, and taurine. There is also a sulfur-containing tripeptide (having three amino acids) called glutathione that is composed of glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine. Sulfur exists in a reduced form (-SH) in cysteine and in an oxidized form (-S-S) as the double molecule cystine. Whenever mercury binds to one of these sulfur-containing molecules, it reduces the molecule's availability for normal metabolic functions.

So I ended up having to get treated for mercury again and also my sulfur pathway. I was really super cold...she said my hand was feezing and it wouldnt get warm. This is what happens when I get super toxic. She said its the bacteria and yeast changing my body temp.

So then she was going through the process of seeing what parts of my body are being affected by these problems. She started asking me about depression and if I was getting depressed.

I told her I was pretty happy until the past few days...then I started getting down about things. She said it was showing up on the computer that I'm getting depressed. I told her it always shows that my emotions are affected with everything that we test. She said it was specifically saying "depression".

So yeah...I told her I cried a little the day before and that usually I have a very positive outlook but then the past few days I got depressed a little and started thinking I'll never get better and things like that. I said I know its because I'm toxic.

She said it was showing up that the problem with the detox pathway was affecting neurotransmitters and causing depression. So she put some other vial in my glass pertaining to that....to try to help it.

I told her the Dr. said I'm definately going to need to graduate to a stronger chelator like DMPS. I told her I cant even do the challenge now and since the chemical chelators are sulfur compounds I'm scared of how my body will respond to so much sulfur.

She said its good that I'm not doing the challenge yet but by the time I get to these things and actually start something like DMPS...I will not be in the same state that I'm in now. She said by then I'm not going to be so reactive and sensitive to sulfur...by then metals will have been chelated with the NDF and I'll be doing alot better. I'll be able to handle the treatment at that time.

When I was lying in the treatment room with my glass....she came back in and took my glass. She had a bunch of vials in her hand and I guess she thought she spaced out and forgot to put the mercury and other metals in my glass. She didnt though...they were in my glass and the ones in her hand were duplicates.

So then we had to start the treatment all over again.

So thats about it....whatever she did last night made a definate improvement and I had more color in my face today. People could tell right away that I was feeling alot better...and my mood was really good too.

I took a full drop of NDF today and had no problems. My goal is to get up to 3 drops two times a day.

[CarlaB]

How do you add your avatar? Whenever I

[Rachel--24]

How do you add your avatar? Whenever I

[Debbie65]

I used to grade spelling papers for a high school English teacher way back in high school. I'd grade the whole day's worth at the end of the day without an answer key ... wrong spelling always stands out to me!

My current avatar file was small enough. In the past I used the program that opens pictures on my computer to resize it. Every time I've done it, I have to re-figure out how to do it! Maybe someone else will know how. I tried to figure it out again and couldn't.

Nou I

[Rachel--24]

I just wanted to mention to anyone here that is trying to detox.....dont eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. I learned that grapefruit juice really reduces the livers ability to detox....by about 40%!

This means that toxins will remain in your system alot longer due to the grapefruit juice slowing down the livers ability to detox...which could cause a definate worsening of symptoms and also may cause the immune system to become sensitized to things which are staying in the body too long.

[confused]

Debbie...the pic cant be larger than 50KB. My photos are always too big.....I resize them with Adobe photo software. I'm not sure how others do it.

you can always use paint that comes with windows to reseize all pics

paula

[AndreaB]

I just wanted to mention to anyone here that is trying to detox.....dont eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice. I learned that grapefruit juice really reduces the livers ability to detox....by about 40%!

This means that toxins will remain in your system alot longer due to the grapefruit juice slowing down the livers ability to detox...which could cause a definate worsening of symptoms and also may cause the immune system to become sensitized to things which are staying in the body too long.

Is that just grapefruit or would all citrus apply to that? If it's just grapefruit I'd have to assume it has something in it that other citrus doesn't.

[Debbie65]

I digress from the avatar question now to ask about the grapefruit.

Isn

[Rachel--24]

I digress from the avatar question now to ask about the grapefruit.

Isn

[Rachel--24]

Is that just grapefruit or would all citrus apply to that? If it's just grapefruit I'd have to assume it has something in it that other citrus doesn't.

Andrea...its not a citrus thing...its just grapefruit.

[Rachel--24]

Here is an article about grapefruit...

Grapefruit: Friend Or Foe??

During the winter months, many American produce consumers search for fruits and vegetables which are ripe in the season and providing significant health benefits. One such fruit, the grapefruit, provides a plethera of health benefits. But, to the opposite extreme, the grapefruit can also lead to significant health complications. As a produce consumer, understanding both the benefits and health hazards associated with grapefruit will ensure a more pleasant produce indulging experience.

Grapefruit. The thought conjures up thoughts of large, red, pink, yellow and orange fruit varieties with a luscious pink, sweet and sour treat. In the United States, most grapefruit orchards are found in Florida with a few grapefruit orchards scattered through south Texas, California and Arizona. Growing profusely in the tropical sun, the grapefruit can grow with little watering, requiring, at most, water every seven days in the midst of the hot summer sun.

Chocked full of vitamins, the grapefruit provides significant health benefits to the produce consumer. Within the pectin of the grapefruit lies a rich source of soluble fiber. On a salad, this pectin will provide an added benefit to a healthy meal. In addition to fiber, the grapefruit juice provides for a rich source of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and folate. For produce consumers interested in preventing heart disease, maintaining cholesterol and boosting the immune system, grapefruit is a versatile produce to consider.

Unfortunately, grapefruit may not be a fruit appropriate for all produce consumers. Because grapefruit inhibits specific enzymes of the liver, the addition of grapefruit in the diet of some consumers, may result in a more potent reaction. While the condition is most commonly known to occur in those consumers who are taking prescription medications, namely Buspar, Viagra and those taking statin medications to reduce high cholesterol, the grapefruit is also detrimental to consumers who are not on these medications.

Specifically, produce consumers who indulge in caffeinated products may realize a greater response to caffeine, when consumed with grapefruit, as the grapefruit works to negate liver enzymes thereby resulting in a more potent caffeine response. This is of special concern to patients suffering from cardiovascular health complications.

With a signifiant number of consumers purchasing grapefruit each day, it is undoubtedly one of the most sought after fruits. As a lover of grapefruit, however, it is imperative to understand the potential health risks and benefits so as to ensure the most optimal of health outcomes.

For more information regarding grapefruit and the diet implications, visit www.whfoods.com.

[Debbie65]

Grapefruit has an effect on certain liver enzymes slowing down detox. Some drugs can have interactions with grapefruit because the liver cant break down the drugs and they end up reaching dangerous levels in the body.

About medications...

Here are some drugs that interact with grapefruit...

Antibiotics: clarithromycin, erythromycin, troleandomycin

Anxiolytics: alprazolam, buspirone, midazolam, triazolam

Antiarrhythmics: amiodarone, quinidine

Anticoagulant: warfarin

Antiepileptic: carbamazepine

Antifungal: itraconazole

Anthelmintic: albendazole

Antihistamine: fexofenadine

Antineoplastics: cyclophosphamide, etoposide, ifosfamide, tamoxifen, vinblastine, vincristine

Antitussive: dextromethorphan

Antivirals: amprenavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir

Benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment: finasteride

β-blockers: carvedilol

Calcium channel blockers: diltiazem, felodipine, nicardipine, nifedipine, nimodipine, nisoldipine, verapamil

Erectile dysfunction drugs: sildenafil, tadalafil

Hormone replacement: cortisol, estradiol, methylprednisolone, progesterone, testosterone

Immunosuppressants: cyclosporine, sirolimus, tacrolimus

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors: atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin

Opioids: alfentanil, fentanyl, sufentanil

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: fluvoxamine, sertraline

Xanthine: theophylline

How do you do that thing where you can quote and answer questions from lots of people at once?