Iodine and Potassium Iodide

[Ant22]

Yeah, from what I understand this applies to all polyunsaturated fatty acids. They play physiological roles in cold-blooded species, but the requirements for warm blooded creatures are virtually zero. The whole idea of "essential fatty acids" (omega 3s and 6s) is based on a massive assumption that there is a "phospholipid bilayer" cell membrane surrounding cells, supposedly made up of these essential fats. This is just a theory, and is has been disputed on several occasions. I will open a thread with the research at some point in the future.

Omega 3s and 6s are probably only required daily in extremely small amounts, such as that contained in two eggs or so. It is needed for growth of the fetal nervous system etc, but the DHA contents is basically the same in newborns of vegetarian mothers as it is from mothers who consumed large amounts of omega 3, which suggests that DHA synthesis is under tight physiological regulation (even when there is little dietary source).

Thanks for this summary, Keyhole. The idea that we don’t need to add EPA / DHA supplements has been quite a revelation, as many of alternative doctors such as Dr. Mercola and Jack Kruse still recommend high intake of EPA and DHA. So it will be interesting to learn more about the recent research disputing these claims.

Keyhole,

I feel the same as Ant22 and aleana that this sheds a lot more light on the importance of the PUFA research. So far it seems like you were on to an important missing piece at least for me.

Thank you.

Yup, for me too :) I'm really grateful for all the information on PUFAs, especially fish/krill oil because very few sources of information on PUFAs I came across talk about fish/krill oil. I took it for 9 months and was clueless until I came across Keyhole's post. So if my little theory of krill oil being responsible for my symptoms is correct, I would probably still be in the dark.

I agree that more research is needed in this area but for me personally it seems to be safer to avoid all PUFAs, including fish/krill oils. They may work for some people but not for everyone. Epigenetic factors again maybe?

What makes me wonder is the fact that this thread on Aquatic Ape Hypothesis was quoted earlier as a possible reason why our bodies need iodine. This could potentially also mean that we do in fact need omega 3 in higher amounts?

But maybe we're better off having them from actual fish? Despite krill oil being a potential issue for me, I haven't noticed a similar reaction to fish (although I don't have it daily). Maybe there are nutrients in fish that protect against side effects of PUFA metabolism?

 

[Keyhole]

"Antarctic krill oil [...] is also a source of an extremely potent, naturally occurring protective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, a carotenoid known as astaxanthin. This along with naturally occurring phospholipids, can actually improve the use and protection of EPA and DHA in the body and brain better than conventional fish oil."

I think it is fair to assume that Krill oil contains all of those antioxidants simply because the fats EPA and DHA are so unstable. Those naturally occuring antioxidants are adequate to prevent oxidation in the Krill's body. But are they enough to prevent oxidation upon entering a human's body? That is questionable.

Although if we consider the possibility that the antioxidants were efficient to temporarily prevent oxidation, then what happens next to the EPA and DHA? It gets stored within membranes of certain cells and within the adipose tissue. The following occurs:

Scenario 1 =
1. Anything which triggers the stress response stimulates the HPA axis to release adrenaline and cortisol
2. Adrenaline surge subsequently leads to the activation of phospholipase A2 enzymes
3. Phospholipases release PUFA fatty acids from cell membranes (stored DHA, EPA, AA, GLA, DGLA etc)
4. Those PUFA either begin circulating - inhibiting thyroid, stimulating estrogen synthesis, increasing serotonin, etc. / OR remain in cytoplasm (or even the membrane), are targeted by oxygen species and inevitably undergo lipid peroxidation, and then the metabolites go on to essentially destroy the mitochondria of that cell.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids of membrane lipids are prime molecular targets of free-radical damage. A major product of lipid peroxidation, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), is highly cytotoxic and can readily react with and damage protein. In this study, the effects of HNE on intact cardiac mitochondria were investigated to gain insight into potential mechanisms by which free radicals mediate mitochondrial dysfunction. Exposure of mitochondria to micromolar concentrations of HNE caused rapid declines in NADH-linked but not succinate-linked state 3 and uncoupled respiration. The activity of complex I was unaffected by HNE under the conditions of our experiments. Loss of respiratory activity reflected the inability of HNE-treated mitochondria to meet NADH demand during maximum rates of O2 consumption. HNE exerted its effects on intact mitochondria by inactivating alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. These results therefore identify a potentially important mechanism by which free radicals bring about declines in mitochondrial respiration.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9425076

Lipid peroxidation is elevated in diseased regions of brain in several neurodegenerative diseases. Acrolein (2-propenal) is a major cytotoxic product of lipid peroxidation and its adduction to neuronal proteins has been demonstrated in diseased brain regions from patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Mitochondrial abnormalities are implicated in several neurodegenerative disorders, and mitochondria are targets of alkenal adduction in vivo. We examined the effects of acrolein upon multiple endpoints associated with the mitochondrial involvement in neurodegenerative disease. Acrolein inhibited state 3 respiration with an IC(50) of approx. 0.4 micromol/mg protein; however, there was no reduction in activity of complexes I-V. This inhibition was prevented by glutathione and N-acetylcysteine. Acrolein did not alter mitochondrial calcium transporter activity or induce cytochrome c release. These studies indicate that acrolein is a potent inhibitor of brain mitochondrial respiration.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11342003

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Increased lipid peroxidation, decreased levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and increased levels of 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), F(2)-isoprostanes, and F(4)-neuroprostanes are present in the brain in patients with AD. Acrolein, an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydic product of lipid peroxidation has been demonstrated to be approximately 100 times more reactive than HNE and is present in neurofibrillary tangles in the brain in AD. We recently demonstrated statistically significant elevated concentrations of extractable acrolein in the hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala in AD compared with age-matched control subjects. Concentrations of acrolein were two to five times those of HNE in the same samples. Treatment of hippocampal cultures with acrolein led to a time- and concentration-dependent decrease in cell survival as well as a concentration-dependent increase in intracellular calcium.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11053772

Another possible scenario is going into ketosis (or a low carb diet) when you have a lot of stored PUFA.
1. PUFA begin to circulate continuously - because you are in "fat burning mode".
2. PUFA activates aromatase enzymes (estrogen synthase) ===> which causes estrogen dominance. Naturally, this couples with progesterone suppression and lowered androgens (or the body may produce excess androgens ie testosterone to attempt to counteract the effects of estrogen), HPA axis activation, and thyroid suppression.
3. PUFA not only inhibits thyroid gland, but inhibits at least 4 other thyroid related process.
4. Low thyroid and high estrogen puts stress on the liver. It can no longer deal with all of the excess stress = toxic load goes up in general because of this.
5. Low thyroid inhibits stomach acid production and cholesterol's conversion to bile acids ===> Digestion begins to fail. SIBO can easily occur in this state, leaky gut and all other associated processes.
6. "Food allergies" appear, chronic autoimmunity etc.

Obviously, this is only one of probably countless scenarios which can occur. Different people have different capacities to deal with different toxic loads, so may not happen in all cases. There is clearly no "one size fits all". But IMO there is some pretty clear evidence that PUFA (in any significant quantities and in any form) does not suit any human being. Could be wrong, but the evidence seems quite conclusive, and theoretically it makes sense why this would be the case. We are bombarded with PUFA and estrogen/estrogen-like compounds in our environment, so it seems counter intuitive to consume any more than is unavoidable.

Yeah, from what I understand this applies to all polyunsaturated fatty acids. They play physiological roles in cold-blooded species, but the requirements for warm blooded creatures are virtually zero. The whole idea of "essential fatty acids" (omega 3s and 6s) is based on a massive assumption that there is a "phospholipid bilayer" cell membrane surrounding cells, supposedly made up of these essential fats. This is just a theory, and is has been disputed on several occasions. I will open a thread with the research at some point in the future.

I would be interested to read this, hoping that it won't be too dense :D I wonder what the other theory is regarding the makeup of the cell membrane and which studies they base that on.

Cells, Gels, and the Engines of Life by Dr Gerald Pollack is a comprehensive collection of the data on this topic. The first section of the book truly makes a mockery of the 'inpermeable phospholipid-bilayer cell membrane' hypothesis. Since you have some background in biology, I understand that you are probably fairly familiar with the "sodium-potassium pump" theory of cellular ion gradient regulation. In short, this theory was based on assumption that cell water is the same as bulk water (for example, that found in a glass of water). The data quite conclusively shows that cell water exists as a liquid crystalline gel state, otherwise known as "structured water" or the "fourth phase of water".

Protein is the most abundant macromolecule within the cell, making up the cytoskeletal architecture. Protein posesses a negative charge, which naturally attracts water, since water is a dipole. Water then binds to the proteins hydrophillic outer surface and can continue to do so in layers, or lattices. When water clusters are alligned in this crystaline-state lattice, sodium is naturally excluded from the system (due to sodium's electrical properties and the size of its hydration shell). Potassium has a strong affinity for protein, and due to it's own properties can quite easily enter the cell to "fit in" to this crystaline water lattice. This whole process is passive. In other words, no ATP is required. And the cellular contents are essentially held in place via electrical induction of this gel.

How this relates to the phospholipid bilayer membrane is that the whole theory of a semipermeable lipid membrane was constructed in order to explain the observation that cell contents did not "spill out" of the cell. In other words, scientists believed/still do believe that "aqueous solution" makes up the contents of the cell, so to keep the contents held inside the cell, there needs to be a hydrophobic membrane. Then, to explain the observation of sodium exclusion/potassium uptake, they created a theory of "membrane pumps". And to explain the membrane fluidity, unsaturated fats were attributed to be the source of this. The evidence actually shows that cell membranes are made up of 50-80% protein. and "fluidity" is more likely due to protein unfolding. For a more in-depth and evidenced presentation, I highly recommend the book to all who are interested in getting a more objective perspective of cell physiology.

 

[Keyhole]

hey keyhole, you asked for what purpose i decided to take the fish oil, from what i said above.. is there a situation where it would be beneficial?
seeing how i felt headaches for the 2 first day of use, I decided to take it today with all my breakfast ritual, also with the nac, thinking maybe it would negate the headache, and today i didn't have any so i wondered what changed ? is it because i added the nac ? (breakfast + b2, b3, selenium, magnesium, lugol, fish oil, nac, )

FWIW I am not medically trained, therefore don't think I qualify for giving out any specific advice to take or not to take something. If it were me, I would personally not take the oil, but that is just my decision. If you feel it helps you, then by all means do experimentation.

In response to your question, I think the NAC probably helped with detoxifying to byproduct toxic metabolites of the fish oil. So just from basic chemistry, I think its likely that body temperature oxidises a significant amount of the unsaturated fats, and produces some products. One of them is called Acroelin, and NAC has been shown to bind with and aid in the detoxification of this substance.

Acrolein is highly water soluble and can rapidly enter bodily tissues. It is known to rapidly form conjugates with cellular glutathione (GSH), cysteine, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and/or thioredoxin.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4306719/

 

[Keyhole]

Then my symptoms finally began to improve when I started the iodine protocol (December 2015) and started eating meat again (March 2016).
I finally felt like I got my life back, gosh, after all these years of sleepwalking I just couldn’t believe it!

But then, out of the blue, my symptoms came back in June 2016, six months after I started the iodine protocol. I just couldn’t make them go away, my condition would improve for a couple of days only to return again. It was nowhere near as bad as before iodine but not as good as between March and June 2016 either.

Yeah, looks like there may be some thyroid issues. What is your temperature regulation like? Do you get cold hands and feet? I think Iodine can be amazing to kick start the thyroid again, but I think iodine deficiency is only a piece of the thyroid puzzle.

Just so you know, in the 1940's physicians in the US were accustomed to test for thyroid issues in many patients. The main variables were: internal body temperature, pulse rate, achilles heel reflex, and other symptoms (not limited to the "hypothyroid symptoms" commonly promulgated by mainstream medicine). I think there was one estimate given by perhaps Dr Broda Barnes that up around 40% of the people tested who subclinically/clinically hypothyroid.

Fast forward a couple of year, when the thyroid blood panel became available and was purported to be effective, the 40% figure apparently went down to less than 5%! Because the blood tests appeared "healthy", people were no longer treated for hypothyroidism. According to Dr Ray Peat, blood tests are innaccurate measures for how well thyroid is being utilised by cells, although can provide some insight into the bigger picture if interpreted correctly. There is simply no way of testing this in a lab. Supposedly, the most effect way of testing is tried and true method of symptoms and physical examination.

It might seem strange that 40% of people showed up as hypothyroid, but when we consider that grains, plastics, estrogens, and other thyroid suppressing influences became ubiquitous in the 20th century, it is not surprising. In addition, traditional cultures used to regularly supplement thyroid hormone by consuming brains, blood, and glandular material. Eating purely muscle meat also provides the body with excess tryptophan, methionine, and cysteine - which suppress thyroid. The natural antidote to these inflammatory proteins were the inhibitory amino acids like glycine and proline, found in the collagen and bones of the animal, but people do not consume these parts of the animal any longer.

Another piece of the puzzle was reading your posts about PUFA’s earlier this year in another thread (https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,43449.msg703463/topicseen.html#msg703463). I now suspect PUFA's were actually the main trigger from the beginning: the vegetarian diet obviously relies on vegetable oils and I used them a LOT. When I read your posts I cut them out almost completely - but I was still taking krill oil.

Unfortunately, PUFA has the uncanny ability of hiding in tissues. So even when someone completely cuts out PUFA, it is still probably going to be stored in vast quantities. Any time stress occurs, the PUFA is released (see above post to Oxajil). This perpetuates the problem, and too much released at once can really hamper liver function (among other things), which consequently leads to many other issues. Hence why I think it is important for those who have underlying thyroid problems or stored PUFA to limit the release of PUFA through various means. That way, it may gradually be released over longer periods of time and be more manageable to detoxify.

What prevented me from coming to the above conclusions was the fact that I’ve actually read plenty of reviews and studies proving benefits of krill oil. Heck, even some people on here said they felt better when they were taking it.

Yeah, well its important to remember that omega 3 does have some partial benefits in that it suppresses the metabolism of omega 6s to inflammatory eicosanoids. Although there are other ways to do this, and I don't see omega as the most viable option, simply because it seemingly perpetuates the problem in other, indirect ways.

What makes me wonder is the fact that this thread on Aquatic Ape Hypothesis was quoted earlier as a possible reason why our bodies need iodine. This could potentially also mean that we do in fact need omega 3 in higher amounts?

It's possible. I have stated elsewhere on the forum that I think that unsaturated fats may act as environmental signals which convey specific information to the organism. Namely, that hibernation/a low energy state is approaching. We see this in many species, both plant and animal. The unsaturation of their tissues changes depending on which time of year it is. Hibernation in animals, and TOPOR in plants relies on unsaturated fatty acids, and seems to be the signal for animals to:

1. become insulin resistant (to gain adipose fat to sustain winter hibernation)
2. inhibit thyroid function to lower the metabolism (high metabolism would lead to starvation for an animal with no food)

It would also make sense that ketosis should be coupled with winter, unsaturation, cold temperatures, and low metabolically stressful conditions. In other words a low energy state. It is well known that ketosis produces less free radicals. Free radicals are a major problem with PUFAs in the body, so it makes sense that less should be produced. For more information on this topic, this blog is helpful: PUFA in evolutionary and environmental context

Perhaps there is a physiological role for PUFAs in humans living in traditional winter conditions, but that has changed now IMO.

My feelings on this are that we are not living in our traditional environment. Anyone can argue for eating the way that our ancestors evolved to eat, but to me this seems futile. We live in chronically stressful environments, with artificial light 24/7, and insane amounts of environmental toxicity. We are bombarded every single day. Therefore, a different strategy is called for IMO. I tend toward thinking that providing a constant supply of simpler, more readily accessible fuel is the safest way to approach the situation. Controversial yeah, but that's where I'm at at the moment.

But maybe we're better off having them from actual fish? Despite krill oil being a potential issue for me, I haven't noticed a similar reaction to fish (although I don't have it daily). Maybe there are nutrients in fish that protect against side effects of PUFA metabolism?

Yeah thats probably true. There are so many compounds contained within a food, and the information that food holds, the synergistic interaction of all those nutrients probably mitigates any negative effects. However, I don't believe this applies to artificially extracted oils.

 

[Joe]

As a result of my own research I got tests for Hemochomatosis and MTHRF done in September last year. They both came back positive and managing those conditions with supplements helped quite a bit. But I just couldn’t get to the point I was at during the second quarter of 2016. Bouts of fatigue and brain fog were still there. I was happy I finally got some answers, especially that these conditions explained many other symptoms I had since I was 14 but I still felt they weren’t the complete answer.

Maybe it will take a little more time to deal with the Hemochromatosis and MTHFR and get back on track? The way you felt on iodine might have been a temporary boost as a result of the iodine and getting back on proper food, but with some time the build up of toxins would take its toll again. Are you giving blood regularly for the Hemochromatosis? Since MTHFR poses problems for toxin elimination, maybe regular saunas would be a good idea?

 

[Oxajil]

Thank you for your response, Keyhole. :) I'll have a look at your recommendation.

 

[onemen]

So maybe having probiotics on an empty stomach isn't so good for their survival? You could just skip the stomach entirely and use a probiotic enema for maximum survival rate.
https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,42951.0.html

Thanks Lainey, will experiment taking the probiotics with fibery and fatty lunch also thanks for the link on this enema stuff.

 

[goyacobol]

Keyhole,

I appreciate the thoughts and references. I know you are being cautious and that's good too IMO.

FWIW I am not medically trained, therefore don't think I qualify for giving out any specific advice to take or not to take something. If it were me, I would personally not take the oil, but that is just my decision. If you feel it helps you, then by all means do experimentation.

I think you have given us some practical ways of looking at PUFAs and I intend to keep learning so thanks for that too. I tend to agree with what you are saying here:

But IMO there is some pretty clear evidence that PUFA (in any significant quantities and in any form) does not suit any human being. Could be wrong, but the evidence seems quite conclusive, and theoretically it makes sense why this would be the case. We are bombarded with PUFA and estrogen/estrogen-like compounds in our environment, so it seems counter intuitive to consume any more than is unavoidable.

This certainly gives me food for thought (no pun intended).

 

[goyacobol]

Keyhole,

I appreciate the thoughts and references. I know you are being cautious and that's good too IMO.

FWIW I am not medically trained, therefore don't think I qualify for giving out any specific advice to take or not to take something. If it were me, I would personally not take the oil, but that is just my decision. If you feel it helps you, then by all means do experimentation.

I think you have given us some practical ways of looking at PUFAs and I intend to keep learning so thanks for that too. I tend to agree with what you are saying here:

But IMO there is some pretty clear evidence that PUFA (in any significant quantities and in any form) does not suit any human being. Could be wrong, but the evidence seems quite conclusive, and theoretically it makes sense why this would be the case. We are bombarded with PUFA and estrogen/estrogen-like compounds in our environment, so it seems counter intuitive to consume any more than is unavoidable.

This certainly gives me food for thought (no pun intended).

Just as an afterthought I was thinking about how we process information and whether we are missing some of the importance of sharing information that we feel we are not qualified to share.

I think as long as we are cautious the way Keyhole is by being honest about our credentials it up to the reader to verify and reach a critical conclusion. In doing that we still can learn a lot about subjects that we never imagined we would.

Here is something I just read that the Cs said:

Q: (V) Okay, now listen guys: if I don't go to school to get an education, and, in other words, to get the degree and get the
credibility, then how am I going to be able to do any work? (L) Did you ever think that the people you would want to work with
wouldn't come to anybody with a traditional degree?
A: Laura, let us answer.
Q: (L) I'm sorry. I'll butt out.
A: Why do you think you need a degree?
Q: (V) Well, the professional world here on planet Earth is built around degrees. I'm sure you are aware of that.
A: Incorrect!
Q: (L) People with degrees are in bread-lines... I'm sorry... I'll shut up. (V) Well, my goodness... so then I...
A: Disinformation cleverly and carefully orchestrated.
Q: (L) For what purpose?
A: To mislead.
Q: (V) To mislead in what way? What am I being led away from?
A: Not just you.
Q: (V) All psych students are misled?
A: All humans.
Q: (L) Are you saying that the public school system, including the college system, is deliberately designed and implemented to fill
one's brain with false knowledge, to perpetuate Lizzie rule?
A: Close but this manifests at lower levels too.

FWIW I think that makes learning more fun.

 

[Ant22]

(...)
Maybe it will take a little more time to deal with the Hemochromatosis and MTHFR and get back on track? The way you felt on iodine might have been a temporary boost as a result of the iodine and getting back on proper food, but with some time the build up of toxins would take its toll again. Are you giving blood regularly for the Hemochromatosis? Since MTHFR poses problems for toxin elimination, maybe regular saunas would be a good idea?

Thank you for your reply Joe, I guess the issue is quite complex and it will take a while before it gets to a manageable level. Expecting quick and stable results after a lifetime of dietary abuse would be ambitiously optimistic so I may be a little too impatient here.

Unfortunately I can't just give blood for the Hemochromatosis: I tried to but in order to be a donor there is a minimum weight requirement of 50kg which I don't meet. I am a 43kg heavy “beast" who's already given up any hopes of ever putting on weight :)

Since a lot of the symptoms I experience are common for both Hemochromatosis and MTHFR, I’m getting full spec blood tests done during my April holiday in my home country (it’s much cheaper compared to where I live now). Depending on the results, I may ask a family member who is a nurse / phlebotomist for a little favour ;) I think it would be good to try it and see if it actually makes any difference.

And as for MTHFR and saunas, I do want to get the infrared blanket next month. Someone suggested it in another thread before but this month the arrival of central heating bills and Easter holiday flight tickets gave me a slight financial heart attack ;)

I do my best to support the liver as much as I can with supplements, diet and lifestyle choices and in fact making a huge difference. So I guess I do see a light at the end of the tunnel :)

 

[Joe]

Thank you for your reply Joe, I guess the issue is quite complex and it will take a while before it gets to a manageable level. Expecting quick and stable results after a lifetime of dietary abuse would be ambitiously optimistic so I may be a little too impatient here.

Yeah, it's understandable but you really do have to be patient and try different things to correct imbalances.

Unfortunately I can't just give blood for the Hemochromatosis: I tried to but in order to be a donor there is a minimum weight requirement of 50kg which I don't meet. I am a 43kg heavy “beast" who's already given up any hopes of ever putting on weight :)

I know what you mean!

Since a lot of the symptoms I experience are common for both Hemochromatosis and MTHFR, I’m getting full spec blood tests done during my April holiday in my home country (it’s much cheaper compared to where I live now). Depending on the results, I may ask a family member who is a nurse / phlebotomist for a little favour ;) I think it would be good to try it and see if it actually makes any difference.

Maybe you could also do a test for the gene mutation for hemochromatosis? If you have it, you might be able to get it done as a medical procedure at the standard blood bank. I can testify that giving blood definitely reduces the amount of iron in the blood. What were your ferritine levels the last time you checked?

And as for MTHFR and saunas, I do want to get the infrared blanket next month. Someone suggested it in another thread before but this month the arrival of central heating bills and Easter holiday flight tickets gave me a slight financial heart attack ;)

In that case, maybe a local gym that has a sauna and once or twice a week?

 

[Turgon]

And as for MTHFR and saunas, I do want to get the infrared blanket next month. Someone suggested it in another thread before but this month the arrival of central heating bills and Easter holiday flight tickets gave me a slight financial heart attack ;)

In that case, maybe a local gym that has a sauna and once or twice a week?

If it helps, I have an older FIR sauna blanket that I haven't used in years. I was going to sell it on kijiji but could ship it to the UK if you can eventually cover the cost of that. Unfortunately it's around 7 years old but I just checked to make sure and everything seems to be in good working order. It would probably be around $130.00 CDN to ship by boat.

 

[Ant22]

Since a lot of the symptoms I experience are common for both Hemochromatosis and MTHFR, I’m getting full spec blood tests done during my April holiday in my home country (it’s much cheaper compared to where I live now). Depending on the results, I may ask a family member who is a nurse / phlebotomist for a little favour ;) I think it would be good to try it and see if it actually makes any difference.

Maybe you could also do a test for the gene mutation for hemochromatosis? If you have it, you might be able to get it done as a medical procedure at the standard blood bank. I can testify that giving blood definitely reduces the amount of iron in the blood. What were your ferritine levels the last time you checked?

Thank you for getting back to me Joe :) I had the test done in September last year and the result was positive for heterozygous C282Y mutation in the HFE gene. The reason why I want to get a full spectrum test done is that with this variant I should actually be a carrier, symptoms are apparently only likely to occur in 25% of cases. Apart from severe stomach aches I've had on and off since I was 14, other symptoms overlap with the MTHFR issues (also tested in September 2016 and the result was positive for homozygous A1298C). But when I look at MTHFR symptoms I'm a bit baffled because I just don't tick a lot of boxes - whilst I do for hemochromatosis. So until I get proper blood work done I'm kind of trying to shoot a moving target.

As for ferritin levels, I've only ever had my iron checked as my doctor said it was enough. The result was right at the top of the acceptable spectrum so my doctor concluded that no further tests were needed. At that point I didn't know enough so when I asked about serum ferritin levels I was told this was "basically the same thing as iron" and that was the end of the conversation. This is why I'm getting tests done back home. Hopefully my doc will be more open to further discussion when presented with actual test results. It's kind of sad that I have to go through all the hassle but oh well, character building I guess ;)

Also, whatever symptoms I had improved massively when I started taking iodine. Although they did come back later on (as mentioned above) they haven't been as bad as before iodine.

And as for MTHFR and saunas, I do want to get the infrared blanket next month. Someone suggested it in another thread before but this month the arrival of central heating bills and Easter holiday flight tickets gave me a slight financial heart attack ;)

In that case, maybe a local gym that has a sauna and once or twice a week?

I already do outdoor military fitness training as I've never been much of a gym person. Saunas are quite expensive here but you just gave me an idea: if I can find a reasonably priced gym that has a sauna I could just pay for monthly gym membership and only use the sauna.

Thanks again!

 

[Ant22]

And as for MTHFR and saunas, I do want to get the infrared blanket next month. Someone suggested it in another thread before but this month the arrival of central heating bills and Easter holiday flight tickets gave me a slight financial heart attack ;)

In that case, maybe a local gym that has a sauna and once or twice a week?

If it helps, I have an older FIR sauna blanket that I haven't used in years. I was going to sell it on kijiji but could ship it to the UK if you can eventually cover the cost of that. Unfortunately it's around 7 years old but I just checked to make sure and everything seems to be in good working order. It would probably be around $130.00 CDN to ship by boat.

Thanks for the offer Turgon, that's super kind of you! I've already emailed a couple of gyms to ask if they have a sauna and if it's included in the price of the membership. If I find one that is reasonably priced I think I'll skip the blanket. But if not then I'll get back to you by the end of tomorrow if that's OK :)

 

[Turgon]

And as for MTHFR and saunas, I do want to get the infrared blanket next month. Someone suggested it in another thread before but this month the arrival of central heating bills and Easter holiday flight tickets gave me a slight financial heart attack ;)

In that case, maybe a local gym that has a sauna and once or twice a week?

If it helps, I have an older FIR sauna blanket that I haven't used in years. I was going to sell it on kijiji but could ship it to the UK if you can eventually cover the cost of that. Unfortunately it's around 7 years old but I just checked to make sure and everything seems to be in good working order. It would probably be around $130.00 CDN to ship by boat.

Thanks for the offer Turgon, that's super kind of you! I've already emailed a couple of gyms to ask if they have a sauna and if it's included in the price of the membership. If I find one that is reasonably priced I think I'll skip the blanket. But if not then I'll get back to you by the end of tomorrow if that's OK :)

No worries. Most large gyms ideally do have a sauna included as part of the overall membership so hopefully you do find one and it helps with your health issues. I've got some MTHFR mutations and do notice a lot of positive effects from using the sauna. Also Jack Kruse has talked a bit about how getting proper sunlight in the morning (purple UV light) while grounding to the earth as well as some cold adaptation or showers can also go a long way.