Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Ceruloplasmin test #6

Less than 24 hours after I showed up at the lab to get stuck with a needle again, I have received the results.  This time, I opted for the ceruloplasmin only in order to save money.  The result was a score of 23.0, which is 92% of the low edge of “healthy.”  That’s short of the 23.8 that I was shooting for but I’ll take it.  It’s an increase of 1.9 units in 19 days or exactly 0.1 per day, which is on par with previous increases.  I had feared that the zinc and whole food C that I had been taking would interfere with the production of new ceruloplasmin but that was not the case.  Good news there.  My first test was a 17.9 back in July and as recently as early October, it was only 18.2.

I have little doubt that another 3 weeks of treatment with the Liver Beef would pull me up to the magic number of 25 but if you’ve been reading my training log, you know that’s not an option.  The fatigue is simply intolerable and towards the end, even the adrenal glandular did not provide much relief.  In my last attempt to run, I was honestly trying my best and could not better 31 minutes for 3 miles.  My personal record for that distance is 18:29, set during a 5K time trial in early September.

Okay, so if my copper numbers are getting better and better all around, why do I feel worse and worse?  This underscores my point that a complete picture is necessary to determine the status of one’s health.  Until I get good results in the Zn/Cu/Mag panel as well as the hair and neurotransmitter tests, symptoms will be present.  While one measure may be improving, others are getting worse and vice versa.  I expect to get the hair test results within 2 weeks, which should reveal the cause of the fatigue.  I can see 2 possibilities: 

1)      A flip to slow oxidation.  That’s my hope and something that I had thought of many times before but it has yet to happen.  Why might this time be different?  The copper, choline, zinc, and Vitamin A are designed to lower tissue Na and K.  Add to that my Cal/Mag combo, which also lowers Na and K and has also increased the fatigue in recent days.  In theory, simply modulating my adrenals with ADHS and staying off the liver will almost certainly re-build adrenal function and raise my Na and K to normal levels.  That is a path to ultimate victory.
2)      More toxic metals such as cadmium or mercury being released into my tissues.  If these toxins were stuck in my liver, which is no doubt stronger now, it is a good thing that they are out but it will take time for them to clear out of my tissues and the fast oxidation may actually look worse than usual on this test.  That’s fixable but a long and difficult process.
3)      The final question that needs to be answered is this:  I do believe that although it may take several months, I can get the Cp up to 25 by simply taking the liver pill once per week.  Will such a low dose produce symptoms?  What will happen to my ceruloplasmin if I stay off the liver over the long haul?  Can I maintain it in the mid-20s or will it fall back to the 18-range again?  If the latter is true, I’ll have to do the whole thing again with the liver pill.  That would SUCK!  Overall, I feel better about my prognosis.

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