November 2014

One Family’s Experience with Periodic High Fevers – PFAPA

Published on November 25, 2014

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Somewhere around the third time my daughter had a fever of 105-106 degrees, I began to think, “There might be more to this.” I mean, of course you worry when your child has a fever; especially when they are scary high like these, but the doctor said, “it’s not unusual for young kids around 2 years old to get up to 10 colds a year.” Still, I thought these fevers were odd. They came on quickly and did not respond well to ibuprofen. She was so hot, and yet, she wanted to be all covered-up during the episodes. This was strange. I used to “accidentally” spill her sippy water on her so I could get her out of her pajamas to cool off. I was desperate.

On several memorable occasions at 2 AM, I got into a cool bath with her to help bring down the fever after a double dose of ibuprofen failed us. I later learned it’s better to get in to a lukewarm tub and trickle cool water in to slowly cool them off. I suppose the oddest thing about the fevers was that she was completely fine in between fevers.

I began to keep track of the fevers and pretty quickly I had an excel chart that showed regular 4-5 week spaces between fever episodes. I went to the doctor and showed them my graph. They were unconvinced. I stayed with the practice but changed doctors (Tip: ask the nurses who is the best diagnostician).

Our new doctor said, “These are worth checking in to.” I think by then we were up to 6 to 8 episodes. She sent us to an infectious disease consult at a children’s hospital in a major urban area. The infectious disease specialist treated us like people with too much time and money on our hands. Her attitude was that we were likely creating problems because our life was obviously too blessed. Looking back, I understand that these doctors see really awful cases like children with HIV. Our daughter, on the other hand, presented as the picture of health because she was apparently well between episodes. I guess I’m still a little bitter about that experience, but I learned from it too.

The infectious disease consult doctor had said, “How do you know it wasn’t an ear infection or strep throat that caused the fevers?” From there forward, every time my daughter had a fever we went to the local clinic and had them document the fever and rule out strep or ear infection.

Our new doctor did appreciate the pattern and suggested we try a rheumatology consult next. I later learned that she had grown up with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis herself and was very sympathetic to our experiences. She even offered to make a house call at one point. Around this time, I began to take my daughter in for the “rule out” doctor visits unmedicated. Now the nurses were a little freaked out that I hadn’t given my child Tylenol or Ibuprofen before coming in with a child that had an extremely high fever. I’m not a doctor so I’m definitely NOT advocating ignoring or not treating fevers, but I will say that the sense of urgency around the diagnosis increased. They could now see vividly, in the flesh, how completely miserable our daughter was. Plus, they now had their own data collected in the doctor’s office showing a 105-106 degree fever.

I think that doctors are human and being able to see it in person is impactful. Our doctor ordered blood work and chest x-rays during two of the episodes. (Tip: always do radiology before blood work on a toddler who feels miserable. After a blood draw, it’s hard to get them to trust any other “procedure.” I can still see my husband encircling her arms and holding her still for the blood draw, while she hollered, in toddler speak, “No. no. no! I all done this! I all done this!”). Her X-rays were clear and blood work was ok except an elevated CRP.

By now my work was beginning to suffer a little, not too much but enough that some of the senior partners noticed. I had missed some important meetings. A senior partner meaning well said, “You know kids just get fevers.” By then, however, I had read several articles on the Internet about the differential diagnosis of fevers of unknown origin. I knew there that the possibilities ranged from benign to really scary. Consequences could be deafness or even death. Again, I am not a doctor, but I dare you to stay chill after you read about amyloidosis and other fun facts around Hyper IgD syndrome, TRAPS, Muckle Wells, Kawasaki’s Disease etc. I wondered what did people with less resources or “really important jobs” do?

Next we went to Stanford Pediatric Rheumatology, about an hour’s drive away. My excel charts were taken seriously. They said, “We think we know what this is, but it’s a diagnosis of exclusion. Let’s get some genetic tests started.” We were thinking Hyper IgD because my husband is Dutch and that’s a little more prevalent in Dutch descent. Honestly, they were so interested we couldn’t help but wonder if they thought there might be a paper to publish in her case. They also tried to take our daughter’s blood pressure and she imploded. (Tip: don’t make the blood pressure machine look like the blood draw seat, too many bad memories.)

This new doctor turned out to be wonderfully caring and gentle. He keyed in on a symptom we didn’t even know our daughter had. He said, “if a child that is 2-3 years old and is consistently asking to be carried when they are otherwise very interested in doing things themselves, that’s something to pay attention to.” He looked for joint pain signs. We left with a prescription for a steroid. The steroids did drop the fever, but also, provoked a shorter recurrence interval. We learned later that this is hallmark of the syndrome she would eventually be diagnosed with PFAPA – Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis Syndrome.

We had also been given a really strong prescription for liquid Naprosyn that had a risk of stomach damage. So to be safe we also got AXID too. She had to take one medicine to protect her stomach so that she could take the other medicine. The Naprosyn worked like a charm knocking the fever down; which was something, since double doses of Ibuprofen had not worked in the past. The physician said that many fevers are adaptations to boost immune response. He urged me not to think of our daughter as frail. Our daughter takes after her father, even keeled, long and lean with no desire to eat just because something tastes good if she wasn’t hungry. So between that and walking early, she didn’t have a lot of toddler chubbiness so it was easy to think she wasn’t “robust.”

Our next visit to the rheumatology clinic miraculously timed out to be when she was having an episode. Again, the looks of alarm as to why I hadn’t medicated my child, but the doctor immediately spotted something we had all missed. Her knuckles were slightly swollen. I also told the doctor that her breath smelled funny to me right before a fever. It was slightly sweet and a little dark, like morning breadth but lighter. He said I wasn’t the first to bring up the smell idea.

Since the genetic tests came back negative we were told it was likely PFAPA and given the option of a couple of treatment routes. We elected prophylactic cimetidine. We chose this because this drug had been in use for some time for other purposes and seemed to carry the lowest risk of side effects. The drug is more typically prescribed to slow stomach acid production. Pretty quickly the prophylactic effects of the cimetidine kicked in. By the time she was 4 our daughter could pour the cimetidine in her dosing cup (supervised of course) and slug it back like a champ. Now all of these medicines tasted horrific so she would get a dessert as a reward. The reward substitution strategy worked and she was pretty compliant even though the medicine was nasty in liquid form. It seemed like things went pretty well, once in a while she did get a stomach ache, but we had follow up visits and were without fevers for several years.

It was interesting that after the fevers were suppressed she actually got more “normal” colds. During the long fever diagnosis period even though she started preschool at two years old, she was almost never sick besides the fevers. Though before the fever episodes began she did have several ear infections which prompted us to take her off cow’s milk and add fish oil to her diet.

At some point we began to think she was just a little more tired than would be normal for an otherwise happy kid. We wondered if it could be the cimetidine. Around the age of five years old, we began to drop her cimetidine dose and ultimately phase it out. She had a fever or two but the periodic fevers did not recur.

Her health at 11 years old is pretty solid now except for a needle phobia and airborne allergies to anything that flowers and to dogs. She’s had good luck treating the allergies with SLIT therapy. For a time, there was some concern that she might be borderline asthmatic but she swims on a team and can comfortably run 5k.

I do continue to Google PFAPA to see what has been learned since our experience with it. This led me to the work of this site in getting science socialized, direct to patients. I always tell any new doctor that she had PFAPA, just in case they know of a new correlate, and I tend to be a bit more reactive about family health. I suppose I figured nobody else would advocate for us unless I was hyper vigilant.

PCOS and Endocrine Disruptors

by Robyn Srigley

Published on November 24, 2014

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Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the body’s endocrine (hormonal) system. They can affect everything from normal development, reproductive fertility to neurological health. Unfortunately, endocrine disruptors are everywhere in our society. And there are many different types.

Some examples of endocrine disruptors include dioxin, PCBs, DDT, other pesticides and bisphenol A (BPA). Many of us have heard of the risks associated with various pesticides and the BPA in our plastics. These little guys can hide out everywhere – in our household cleaners, personal care products and cookware.

Endocrine Disruptors and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is characterized by a group of signs and symptoms. These include excess androgens, insulin resistance, cysts on the ovaries, hirsutism (excess hair growth), acne, weight gain, irregular periods, depression and more. As PCOS is a hormonal disorder, anything that effects our production and/or filtration of hormones (like endocrine disruptors) will affect PCOS. Many studies have been conducted around this very topic.

Bisphenol A (BPA). Let’s talk about one of the most prevalent and widely-researched endocrine disruptors: bisphenol A. BPA is a chemical generally used in plastics and the lining of some metal items. For the consumer, BPA is found mostly in the lining of cans, plastic water bottles and containers. Now, this may not sound too bad but the BPA in these containers can seep into your food and drink- posing serious health risks.

Just a few of the many health risks associated with BPA exposure include:

Reduced number of oocytes (eggs in our ovaries)
Lowers successful number of births
Heightens stress response and anxiety
Increases testosterone
Reduces function of estrogen receptors
Developmental problems in fetuses and children
Impaired glucose metabolism (blood sugar problems)
Cancer

PCOS and BPA

Fetal Exposure. Several studies have been conducted to test the connection between BPA use or exposure and polycystic ovarian syndrome. What scientists have estimated is that a woman is much more likely to develop PCOS if there was BPA exposure as a fetus. This means that if your mother used canned foods lined with BPA or lots of BPA-containing plastic containers and bottles during her pregnancy, it could have contributed to your PCOS[i][ii].

Increased Testosterone. These studies have also show that BPA exposure leads to increased levels of testosterone. The reason for this is because BPA exposure is linked to decreased filtration of testosterone. A few studies have noticed this correlation.

Estrogen Dominance. Another connection between PCOS and BPA is an increase in estrogen production. Remember, there are many types of synthetic estrogens, but the most prominent endogenous (those made by the body) estrogens include: estrone, estradiol and estriol (high in pregnancy). Generally in PCOS, testosterone and estradiol reign high, with the body unable to produce enough progesterone. This can create what has been called estrogen dominance[iii]. This is bad news for women trying to balance their hormones.

BPA and other endocrine disrupting chemicals contain estrogen-mimicking compounds (xenoestrogens) that increase our body’s supply of the hormone. As we know, approximately 50% of women with PCOS are overweight. These xenoestrogens are fat-soluble, meaning that they get stored in fat. So, the more overweight a woman is, the more likely her symptoms of PCOS and estrogen dominance will be severe.

Glucose Metabolism. There is one more way that endocrine disruptors are bad for women with PCOS, and that is glucose metabolism. Insulin resistance and blood sugar issues are extremely common in women with PCOS[iv]. Scientists have discovered that endocrine disruptor exposure alters glucose metabolism and pancreatic function[v]. The pancreas is our blood-sugar-regulating hub, so this is bad news. Risk of developing diabetes is also heightened.

How to Avoid and Detox Endocrine Disruptors

Glass Cookware and Food Storage. Many of the endocrine disruptors we are exposed to are in some way related to our foods. Canned foods often have a BPA liner on the inside, which seeps into our food. We store our food in plastic containers and bottles that are made with BPA. It’s important to find alternatives to these storage methods to reduce our exposure.

Try using glass storage containers and bakeware instead of plastic. Glass is sturdy, easy-to-clean and can last a lifetime. A small investment in glass storage will go a long way to reducing your exposure. Another thing to try is avoiding cans lined with BPA. Generally, companies won’t tell you if a can is lined with BPA, but the ones that don’t use it will put it on the label. Not sure? Avoid canned foods altogether and only use fresh foods.

Whole Foods Diet. We all know we should eat for health and that whole foods are better than packaged foods, but how many of us are really doing this? We lead such busy lives it can be difficult to grasp the concept of cooking fresh, from scratch. If you are concerned about exposures to endocrine disruptors, eating fresh foods will drastically reduce your exposure. And for a bonus, – use organic fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats wherever possible. Endocrine disruptors are also in the pesticides, hormones and antibiotics used to cultivate conventional foods[vi]. Still not sure? Why not try purchasing a share of a local farm that you trust. These are called CSAs, or community-supported agriculture. You pay a fee and get a weekly box of fresh goodies during the growing season.

Natural Remedies for Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors

Sweat. The skin is our largest organ. It’s also one of the ways our bodies detoxify. When you sweat regularly, the body is able to filter and release excess toxins, chemicals, hormones and other substances- this includes BPA. Sweat regularly through exercise, saunas and hot baths. But make sure to rehydrate your body with pure, clean water afterwards!

Lemon Water. Speaking of hydration, pure, filtered water is a huge helper for our bodies in filtering toxins. When we drink warm water with fresh lemon juice upon waking, it helps our bodies release toxins that is has filtered while we were sleeping. It also helps to set our digestion for the day, so we are better able to prevent toxins from getting into our bloodstream in the first place.

DIM. Diindolymethane (DIM) is an antioxidant and phytonutrient compound found in brassica family vegetables. These include broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage and kale. Studies have shown DIM to have superior abilities to reduce excess estrogens and risk of some female cancers such as breast cancer[vii]. This is a supplement that could be useful for women with PCOS who have estrogen overload due to endocrine disruptors. DIM will safely bring the estrogens back into balance and restore healthy tissues. This can be helpful in hormonal weight gain, excess androgens and PMS issues.

Probiotics. Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria that reside in our gut. They help to regulate our immune system, digestion and so much more. They have become quite popular lately and are added to a variety of foods. Probiotics can also be taken in supplement form.

Probiotics detoxify endocrine disruptors like BPA because they are able to break them down[viii]. When this happens, those harmful chemicals are excreted through our bowels. Some examples of probiotic foods to include in your diet every day are plain, unsweetened yogurt, kefir, kombucha, raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut, kimchi or pickles, and raw apple cider vinegar.

BPA and other endocrine disruptors can wreak havoc on women with PCOS, and may even contribute to the syndrome developing in the first place. Prevent further complications from these chemicals by balancing your hormones, losing weight if necessary and enjoying a whole foods diet full of phytonutrients like DIM. And don’t forget to avoid sources of BPA like plastic containers and food cans as much as possible. When you take care to do these steps, PCOS may become more manageable.

References

[i] Eleni Kandaraki, Antonis Chatzigeorgiou, Sarantis Livadas, Eleni Palioura, Frangiscos Economou, Michael Koutsilieris, Sotiria Palimeri, Dimitrios Panidis, and Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis. Endocrine Disruptors and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Elevated Serum Levels of Bisphenol A in Women with PCOS. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2011 96:3 , E480-E484.

[ii] Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Linda C. Giudice, Russ Hauser, Gail S. Prins, Ana M. Soto, R. Thomas Zoeller, and Andrea C. Gore. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement. Endocrine Reviews 2009 30:4 , 293-342.

[iii] Slater, W. (n.d.). The Role of Estrogen Dominance in PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/estrogen-dominance.html

[iv] Dach, J. (2014, May 19). PCOS, BPA and Endocrine Disruptors Part Three. Retrieved November 15, 2014, from http://jeffreydachmd.com/2014/05/pcos-bpa-endocrine-disruptors-part-three/

[v] Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Linda C. Giudice, Russ Hauser, Gail S. Prins, Ana M. Soto, R. Thomas Zoeller, and Andrea C. Gore. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement. Endocrine Reviews 2009 30:4 , 293-342.

[vi] Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Linda C. Giudice, Russ Hauser, Gail S. Prins, Ana M. Soto, R. Thomas Zoeller, and Andrea C. Gore. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement. Endocrine Reviews 2009 30:4 , 293-342.

[vii] A Super-supplement for Hormone Balance: DIM. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://blog.healthybynaturehwc.com/2013/08/06/a-super-supplement-for-hormone-balance-dim/

[viii] Gallaghan, H. (2013, December 5). 7 Ways to Drain BPA From the Body. Retrieved November 19, 2014, from http://www.activistpost.com/2013/12/7-ways-to-drain-bpa-from-body.html

About the Author. Robyn Srigley is the The Hormone Diva, holistic nutritionist, author and speaker. Robyn helps women replace anxiety with joy to open possibility in their lives and have a positive impact on the next generation. Robyn’s struggle with PCOS helps her with clients suffering from PMS, PCOS, Endometriosis and much more.

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Two Steps Forward One Step Back: Diary of Gardasil Injury in Japan

by Lim Suk Ho

Published on November 19, 2014

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Momoka received her first dose of the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, in March of 2012. Prior to the vaccine she had mild asthma but was otherwise healthy and active. She was a vocalist and a bass guitarist in the high school band. In 2007, after possible exposure to rabies in Laos, she had three rabies injections. When the family moved to Japan, Momoka also received Hepatitis A and B, the Japanese encephalitis vaccines, as well as the vaccine for measles and rubella. There were no adverse reactions of note to these vaccines. It is only after the HPV vaccine that her health began to decline.

The following represents a diary that Momoka’s mother kept regarding her health after the Gardasil vaccine. The authorship of the article was granted to Mr. Lim, the chiropractor treating Momoka by request of the family. The article was written in Japanese and translated by a friend of Hormones Matter.

First Year Post Gardasil Vaccine – 2012

Momoka was in Year 9 at school and actively involved in school life as a student councilor. She also very busy for preparing high school entrance exam. The symptoms lasted a long time, but were not considered very serious, at least initially. Nevertheless, I decided not to go forward with the third Gardasil injection.

March 27 – First injection of Gardasil (15 years old).
April 15 – Headache started and lasted for 5 days, during this period appetite decreased.
April 20 – Fell, she said ‘I cannot understand why I fell”.
April 23 – Pain in foot, x-ray showed swollen ligament.
May 9 – Lump was found at the injection site that was painful and hot. The pain disappeared in several days.

June 2 – Second Gardasil injection
July and August – Headache occurred only several times, no serious symptoms.
November 22 – Headache. Symptoms of cold lasted for some time from this day.
November 27 – Headache and shoulder pain. Shoulder swelled. Something flying in front of eyes.

Second Year Post Gardasil Vaccine – 2013

From January through March 2013 Momoka was studying hard for her entrance exam and fortunately there were no clear symptoms.
April 20 – Diarrhea continued, but she was fine on the weekend. We suspected the diarrhea to be psychogenic, and visited a psychosomatic medicine (psychiatry) department, and a Chinese medicine was prescribed. The diarrhea and gastrointestinal distress continued off and on through February of 2014.
April 25 – Visited an internal medicine department, Momoka was diagnosed as ‘irritable bowel syndrome’, prescribed trimebutine maleate and etizolam.
April 28 – Momoka became emotionally intense and shouted around.
May 4 – Heart palpitations began. The palpitations became more frequent as time passed.
May 7 – A rash appeared on her chest. She was continuously depressed in May.
July 23 – Felt dizzy and visited a pediatrician. She was diagnosed as orthostatic intolerance (Postural Orthostatic Tachycaria Syndrome – POTS). No medicine prescribed.
July 25 – Momoka became depressed without reason. She suddenly started to cry. We visited a psychosomatic medicine department and she was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and ADHD. She was prescribed Zoloft and Landsen for one week. During that time, she experienced severe sleepiness. She slept almost all day. After finishing the course of the medication, the sleepiness disappeared gradually.
August 15 – When her cousin piggybacked on her, pain in the back started and lasted for one week, but her mother suspected that the cause is not the piggybacking.
August 27 – Started to have treatment for ADHD with Concerta, but the palpitation was so bad, and she stopped taking the medicine after three days.
August 30 – Had a counseling session in a psychiatric department recommended by her school, and ADHD was denied. Since Momoka’s sister is diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder and ADHD, I did not think Momoka had suddenly developed ADHD, but did not fully appreciate this until seeing the school psychiatrist.
October 31 – Complained of foot pain, but there seemed to be pain sometimes before this point.
November 3 – Pain in the bottom of eyes, dizziness.
November 8 – When got up in the morning, could not move the neck, the pain was strong, visited an orthopedics, given a poultice. She thought that it was because she was holding a guitar.
November 15 – Her neck and feet still painful.
She had diarrhea often in December, neck pain continued for a long time and she felt that this pain would not disappear forever. Since she started her high school, there was even one day she was fine. After the summer, her mental strength came back, so we thought this was not psychogenic.

Third Year Post Gardasil 2014

January 2 – When got up in the morning, she complained of neck pain. This time it was painful even when it was not moved. She was lying down whole day while growling. Her uncle, who is a physician suggested that Momoka sprained her neck during sleep.
January 3 – The neck pain weakened, but she had severe malaise, and after this day she often complained of severe malaise. (Around this time, slight involuntary movement started to appear in legs).
January 18 – Fever around 38 degree Celsius.
January 19 – Strong pain in the neck.
January 20 – Pain in the whole body. (Around this time, diagnosed as straight neck by an orthopedics.)
January 24 – Since palpitation continued, visited a cardiovascular medicine department and used a Holter monitor. She was diagnosed as premature ventricular contraction and they decided there was no need for treatment.
January 27 – Tonsillitis.
February 3  – Severe palpitation and pain in body.
February 7 –  Small toe swelled and became painful.
February 8  – Symptoms like hypoglycemia, small toe was diagnosed as chilblains by an orthopedics.
February 11 – Severe hunger and dizziness.
February 12 – Cataplexy when coming back from school.
February 17 –  Fingers of one hand swelled and became painful, x-ray results were normal, in the evening fingers of the other hand also swelled.
February 18 – Blood test in a pediatric clinic, CRP normal, white blood cell normal
February 20 – Detailed results of blood test showed no suspect of collagen disease, etc. February 21 – She complained of knees making sounds and could not walk in a normal way.
February 22 – Walking slightly improved, but there was still pain. We started to suspect that this was HPV vaccine injury after joint swelling on February 17. If she did not have this symptoms, we would be still visiting around hospitals a lot. From the end of February, under the guidance of chiropractor Mr. Lim, she started leg and foot exercises, stopped eating sugar and took a large amount of vitamin B (Vitamin B1, B2, and B6). She also took good quality salt.
March 1 – Received 1st chiropractic treatment by Mr. Lim.  The pain in neck, which had continued for half a year, disappeared.  Pain did not return on the following day.  This was a huge surprise to Momoka, and she had decided to overcome her problems caused by Gardasil with chiropractic treatments.
March   3 – Headache.  Felt like the inside of the head was tickled, and felt sick. Contacted Mr. Lim. Hypoglycemia was suspected and a piece of chocolate was taken. The symptoms soon disappeared (this might be caused by continuing a diet without sugar for one week). Complained of taste disorder.
March 4 – Pain on the left half of the body. Lost appetite and could not eat even rice soup.
March 6 – Felt good and played the piano after a long absence.
March 7 – Severe pain in left chest. The pain moved to feet in the evening.
March 8 – The pain continued, but she determined not to take a pain killer and endured the pain. The pain in neck was the maximum.
March 9 – Fever at 37.7 degree Celsius
March 10 – Slight fever continues. Surprisingly, although there was severe malaise, the pain in the neck and foot was weak, and there was no pain at all on the back.
March 14 – Second chiropractic treatment by Mr. Lim. This time, she had the treatment next day as well. We stayed in the town where the clinic was, the cost to travel to the clinic is around $400 dollars. Treated also with a poultice. After this day, when a pain appeared, a poultice was applied, and the pain in that area always disappeared by the next day.
March 16 – Strange pain appeared in small toe, which did not disappear by warming or massaging. The pain was induced even by touching with a cloth.
March 20 – Started a bath with citric acid.
March 25 – Severe palpitation.
March 28 – Stormed by depression. The same kind of depression as when she visited a psychosomatic medicine department last summer.  Difficult to concentrate whatever she was doing.  The arm was heavy, so immersed it in a citric acid bath.
March 29 – Third chiropractic treatment by Mr. Lim particularly around neck and arms. The pain in the neck and back greatly decreased.
April 1 – Pain as if water was boiling in feet. Such a degree that she could not walk.
April 3 – Started to take Protein (whey), but she did not like the taste and stopped in three days.
April 8 – Sever vomiting and diarrhea.
April 15 – Panic attack.
April 19 – Fourth chiropractic treatment by Mr. Lim.  Her back became flexible.
April 24 – Could not concentrate, could not take a note in lessens, lost way in the school, and nearly collided with a utility pole.
April 25 – Spasm through legs.
May 16 – Cracked toe bone. Sounded like she kicked a stair because of irritation. From the beginning of May,she became sensitive to an antiperspirant spray, and her body started jerking.
May 27 – This symptom disappeared by an ultrasonic treatment with a gel by Mr. Ono (who was a student of Mr. Lim).
June 13 – Severe pain in body after a long absence.
June 17 – Started to take supplement for digestive system. She said that she could hear grit grinding in her neck.
June 23 – Felt sick in late afternoon, around 8 o’clock in the evening she had difficulty in breathing and palpitation. Was this caused by wheat? (She had noodle for lunch and biscuits in late afternoon). Just on that day, Mr. Lim told that she should stop eating wheat.
June 25 – In the morning, all of the pain in neck, which was lasting for a long time, disappeared.
June 26 – She said that all of the strange feel in the heart disappeared.
June 27 – Her appetite had returned and she ate a lot of food from the morning.
June 28 – Her eye sight became faint. Probably due to fat of horse mackerel. Pain in the feet.
June 29 – The pain in the feet disappeared by the morning. This kind of quick disappearance of pain was the first time.
July 6 – Started supplement for the second stage, which was for caring liver function.
July 10 – Her eyesight dropped.  Tested and found to have a slight degree of astigmatism.  She had hypoglycemia, which was cured by eating plum.
July 12 – Severe stomatitis lasted for several days.
July 20 – She began taking additional supplements made from natural ingredients for improving liver function as part of the second stage of treatment.
July 30 – Taking Vitamin B2 and B6.
August 3 – Strange feel in the heart and spasm disappeared.
August 26 – School trip to Tokyo. Spasm in her body and difficulty in breathing started after evening meal. Spasm in her body and difficulty in breathing started after evening meal. Mr. Lim advised to take Vitamin B2, a large amount of water, pickled plum, citric acid, lemon and sea salt. The symptoms disappeared in a few hours. This may be caused by busy schedule of the trip, and Momoka also participated in a whole-day concert two days before the trip.

From September onward, no major symptoms. When Momoka kept sitting for a long time or became too tired, the muscle pain or the back pain occurred. However, there were no symptoms in the heart, involuntary movement, panic disorder, and muscle weakness.

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The Anatomy of a Migraine

by Angela A Stanton, PhD

Published on November 17, 2014

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What is the anatomy of a migraine? Do migraines have an anatomy, a location map, in the same way heart disease does? Sure, migraine happens in the brain and we feel the pain in our head if there is pain – not all migraines come with pain, but does the pain guide us to a causative anatomy of the migraine the same way a heart attack does to the heart? No, it does not; at least not in the same way a blocked artery points to the cause of heart attack. The symptoms of migraines correspond to no specific regions of the brain, except in the case of the aura migraine, which points at the visual cortex. Only about 15% of those with migraines have auras. For 85% of the cases, we do not have the anatomical location of the migraine understood. Most science seems to consider aura and non-aura migraine different in nature and cause. Are they? Maybe not.

Most migraines are not connected to the symptoms we feel (nausea, dizziness, IBS, RLS, anxiety, nausea, vomit, etc.) and because of the variety of symptoms, there is nothing to guide us, such as a scan of the arteries for heart or a stroke. Another contributing factor is that there are no pain sensing nerves in the brain. All pain is felt by the trigeminal neuron receptors that are located on the meninges of the brain. That is, the pain we feel as migraineurs is disconnected from the actual location that causes migraines. To find the anatomy of a migraine, we need to go beyond the symptoms and the pain of the disease, beyond the visible disturbance of the eye in the aura, to the underlying cause for these symptoms.

For much of recent history, migraine research has revolved around two discrete theories of migraines: vascular and non-vascular mental illness. The two schools of thought were merged into what is now called neurovascular disease. But the latest findings suggest that there is more to migraines than neurovascular disease.

Migraine as Vascular Disease

For much of the 20^th century, migraine was considered to be a vascular disease. This meant that migraine pain was caused by cranial blood vessel dilation or constriction. Still today we can see many over-the-counter migraine drugs that constrict blood vessels with caffeine in order to constrict the vascular structure of the brain (and the heart and the rest of our body). Alternatively, many doctors still prescribe beta blockers that reduce blood pressure and loosen arteries for easier blood flow and reduced constriction. If migraine is a disease of vascular nature, what causes the cranial vasodilation changes, particularly if these changes do not affect the heart or other parts of the body? This is the first clue that migraines are something more than just vascular in nature.

Migraine as Non-Vascular Mental Illness

The second prominent theory in migraine research attributes migraine pain to alterations in neurotransmitters, specifically, serotonin. Research is confusing on whether migraineurs have less or more serotonin than non-migraineurs. The possible serotonin connection brought us the many prescription drugs containing, increasing, or decreasing serotonin in the brain (triptans, SSRIs and others). Today, most migraineurs receive at least one serotonin enhancing drug; some I know receive serotonin blocking drug but that represents the minority. I was one of the millions of migraine patients who received serotonin enhancers (triptan) and also one of the millions of migraineurs for whom these medications did not work.

Again, I must ask, if there is a serotonin deficiency or overflow in migraineurs, what causes it? And if it is a deficiency as is proposed to be the case for most migraineurs, isn’t this the same proposed deficiency as in depression? Why then don’t most who are depressed also suffer from migraines or why do those who suffer migraines as a result of lack of serotonin not suffer depression? It is not clear to me that there is any connection between serotonin and migraine since most migraineurs I know are not at all depressed and most depressed do not have migraines. This tells me that something is not right with the concept of identical treatments for such two completely different illnesses.

Serotonin is created by a normally functioning brain. Why it is deficient, or in some cases, elevated in the brain of migraineurs has always puzzled me. It still puzzles me that others didn’t ask why neurons cannot produce the right amount of serotonin on their own or why physicians so easily prescribed drugs to add or enhance what the brain was not making. Should we not find out why the neurons are not producing serotonin in the first place? Wouldn’t this help us better treat and maybe even cure migraines?

Migraine and New Research

The most recent theory about migraines involves the aberrant electrical discharges associated with migraine and a phenomenon called cortical spreading depression:

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) and depolarization waves are associated with dramatic failure of brain ion homeostasis, efflux of excitatory amino acids from nerve cells, increased energy metabolism and changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF). There is strong clinical and experimental evidence to suggest that CSD is involved in the mechanism of migraine, stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury. (Lauritzen et al., J Cereb Blood Flow Metab)

Researchers have linked CSD to the eminent onset of migraine pain. Such a rapid change in brain ion homeostasis can affect changes in neurotransmitter concentrations, causing cranial vascular dilation and ionic imbalance with depolarized regions. These changes can evoke what migraineurs sense as pain but one has to ask by what mechanisms are these ionic brain changes initiated and by what pathways do they elicit the pain. For the first question, let us return to the concept of neural dehydration and salt deficiencies as possible instigators.

A Unified Theory of Migraine Pain

A new report shows migraines, seizures and strokes are all about ion (sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, and oxygen) homeostasis. These particular models looked at how changing potassium ion concentration affects brain activity and how seizures and migraines have similar underlying mechanisms. Potassium’s job is to work both inside and outside of the neurons helping to balance homeostasis by ensuring that potassium ions are in the correct place all the time. Potassium is a diuretic substance and helps in the removal of excess or used water from the cell. If there are too many potassium ions inside or outside of a neuron, with all else remaining constant, the neuron will end up dehydrated because of the osmotic gradient.

The overabundance of potassium and a depletion of both extra-cellular sodium chloride reduces water, and changes the pH balance (acidic level) of the neuron (Costa et al., The Journal of Headache and Pain). Recall from my earlier post: Dehydration and Salt Deficiency Trigger Migraines, that channels on the membrane of the neuron allow for leaks using osmotic gradient to balance the internal and external ionic content. Because ionic homeostasis balance is required for a healthy brain, the ionic balance must be true for all electrolyte elements, including sodium as well. Not enough sodium can cause a potassium overabundance that can trigger migraines because the neuron is not able to generate electricity or retain water.

In Dehydration and Salt Deficiency Trigger Migraines, I talked about the importance of hydration and explained how that works at the cellular level. I introduced the sodium-potassium pumps and their role in keeping the cell hydrated. Through the sodium-potassium pumps sodium ions and potassium ions head in and out of the neuron when proper electric currents are established. For the electric current, the ionic balance of sodium and chloride is essential so that the pumps can open and close. There are also osmotic channels through which leakage of ions may happen depending on higher or lower levels of ions inside versus outside the cell—the osmotic gradient.

The phenomenon of cortical spreading depression is a slow spreading electrical surge corresponding to depolarized regions of migraine initiating locations. It is initiated by ion imbalance where the normal homeostasis has been lost. Here the sodium-potassium pumps do not function properly; the channels leak too much potassium and water, magnesium and oxygen out from the neuron. If these ions cause imbalance, trouble ensues. Even a small, unnecessary increase in potassium outside the cell can lead to seizures and by association to migraines.

It’s All About the Ions

So, beneath the vascular and non-vascular definitions of migraine, the neurotransmitter imbalances and the hyper-excitability of neurons in the certain brain regions associated with migraine, are simple variations in ionic balance, responsible for the onset of migraine and the possibility of vasoconstriction or relaxation changes as a consequence. Too much or too little of one or more ions, evokes changes in brain’s electrical activity that can lead to migraines or seizures. Where in the brain those changes occur determines the type of symptoms a migraineur experiences. For example, with aura migraine the anatomical initiating migraine location is the visual cortex. The migraineur sees the aura with eyes also closed. So what the migraineurs sees is happening inside the brain and not outside. The visual cortex’s function is to translate the light signals it receives into meaningful images of objects. The CSD is an electric storm that the visual cortex interprets as aura. The aura usually starts with a blind spot. It is my belief that the blind spot represents the region of neurons that is the cause of the migraine; the depolarized region that the CSD is trying to activate.

Concluding Remarks

The overall neuron-behavior is very complex but today we can say with a high degree of conviction that:

Migraines are caused by malfunctioning neurons as a result of ion imbalances.
Ion imbalance can be visualized by regions of depolarization.
Depolarized regions demonstrate the anatomy of the disturbance.
Hydration and maintaining proper ionic balance (correcting salt deficiency, magnesium deficiency, potassium excess or deficiency) is important for migraineurs since the slightest ionic imbalance can cause a migraine.

From my perspective, I am glad to see the most recent attempts at understanding physiological problems in the brain behind the migraine. This is a very important shift in migraine research – looking beyond the symptoms for a cause. Nevertheless, I am still looking for answers. How does the ion balance become so disturbed that it initiates a migraine? Why does this happen for some folks and not others? Those are the questions, researchers and clinicians need to address. My theory is that the depolarized regions of the brain result from disturbances in homeostasis and ion balance which are precipitated by dietary deficiencies. We need to determine the proper amounts of each mineral and micronutrient required for the well-functioning brain to reduce migraine.

Sources:

Clinical relevance of cortical spreading depression in neurological disorders: migraine, malignant stroke, subarachnoid and intracranial hemorrhage, and traumatic brain injury. Martin Lauritzen, Jens Peter Dreier, Martin Fabricius, Jed A Hartings, Rudolf Graf, and Anthony John Strong; J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. Jan 2011; 31(1): 17–35. Published online Nov 3, 2010. doi: 10.1038/jcbfm.2010.191 PMCID: PMC3049472
Cortical spreading depression as a target for anti-migraine agents. Cinzia Costa, Alessandro Tozzi, Innocenzo Rainero, Letizia Maria Cupini, Paolo Calabresi, Cenk Ayata and Paola Sarchielli1; Costa et al. The Journal of Headache and Pain 2013, 14:62
Interpreting fMRI data: maps, modules and dimensions. Hans P. Op de Beeck, Johannes Haushofer & Nancy G. Kanwisher Nature Reviews Neuroscience 9, 123-135 (February 2008)
Mechanisms of migraine aura revealed by functional MRI in human visual cortex. Hadjikhani N1, Sanchez Del Rio M, Wu O, Schwartz D, Bakker D, Fischl B, Kwong KK, Cutrer FM, Rosen BR, Tootell RB, Sorensen AG, Moskowitz MA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001 Apr 10;98(8):4687-92. Epub 2001 Apr 3.
Unification of Neuronal Spikes, Seizures, and Spreading Depression. Yina Wei, Ghanim Ullah, and Steven J. Schiff ; The Journal of Neuroscience, 27 August 2014, 34(35): 11733-11743; doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0516-14.2014

Warning to Floxies: Beware of New Med for Psoriatic Arthritis

by Debra Anderson

Published on November 13, 2014

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My husband suffered from a mild adverse reaction to fluoroquinolone antibiotics three years ago. He went on to develop psoriatic arthritis from his floxing approximately one year later. Psoriatic arthritis is a painful skin and joint inflammatory condition. He avoided taking any medications for this condition until just recently.

This past week he saw our rheumatologist who prescribed a brand new drug that has just come out on the market to treat psoriatic arthritis. The drug is called Otezla. The doctor told him that this medication was different than all of the other medications used to treat psoriatic arthritis because it does not suppress the immune system. He told him that the only known side effects that were seen in trials were diarrhea (which is supposed to get better the longer you use it), headaches, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, sinus problems and severe depression. The depression is so severe though and include suicidal ideation.

The doctor suggested that the Otezla, for the most part seemed harmless, and its side effects seemed nothing compared to all the other toxic drugs out there to treat this condition. So, my husband said he would give it a try and started the drug, three days ago.

Individuals prescribed this drug begin at a lower dose, 10 mg and titrate up to near a 100mgs within about month. Currently, because Otezla is so new, patients can only get the drug from their doctors. Physicians are being given one month trials of the medications from the pharmaceutical company to offer to their patients. If it works, the patient then orders directly from the manufacturer. Pharmacies are not distributing it yet.

My husband looked at the drug literature that came in the packet but it really did not give much information since it is just now being distributed out to the general market. The only thing that the literature can report is what was seen in the study trials and for the most part it just confirmed what the doctor had told us in clinic. The technical information was listed. The mechanisms of how the drug worked, how it is excreted and metabolized was in there but my husband did not understand much of it. Like a fool, I did not take the time to read it because I am dealing with my own health issues now.

The first day my husband used the Otezla, he had no problems, no side effects. We thought great, this is going to work without all the risks of the other drugs.

The second day he had to take two pills, one in the morning and one at night and again. Again, he did just fine.

The third day he woke up feeling very tired and began aching more than normal. Nevertheless, he decided to continue taking the drug. He took one pill in the morning and by that night he was really hurting all over; to the point that he was having a hard time walking and moving. Like a fool, he said he wanted to give it one more day and so he took the next pill.

That next morning, the fourth day, he could barely get up and was having severe pain in most of his tendons. He did stop taking the drug, but it was already too late. By that evening he could no longer move his right wrist without severe pain; pain that brought him to his knees. He also noticed his blood pressure was steadily climbing and his heart rate was abnormally high even at rest. The diarrhea then began with the stomach pain and now all his muscles were painful to touch. He was in bad shape.

He got on the internet and began searching for patient reports of side effects for Otezla. Lo and behold, there are already sites focused on Otezla side effects, though they are difficult to find (here, here) with all the marketing hype around this drug. Page after page on the search shows nothing but positive PR and how wonderful this drug is. He found reports tendon tears, all over muscle pain and nerve pain along with a host of what sounds very similar to post fluoroquinolone reactions – floxing symptoms. He also found a study on this drug that talked about this drug being shown to cause Achilles tendon ruptures and tears as a possible problem that should be listed in the literature but has not yet been put in there*. So, I said get me the drug literature paper so I can read it!

OMG! This drug is almost identical to the fluoroquinolones. Its active ingredient is Apremilast, not neldaxic acid. Both drugs use similar pathways. It has warnings not to be mixed with steroids, NSAIDs, Rifaximan and Phenobarbitol. Great, my husband was taking NSAIDs along with Otezla.

The paper then goes on to explain that this drug does not suppress the immune system like the other ones on the market, though it suppresses an immune activator called PDE4 (phosphodiesterase). However, many of the documents I read state that they do not know exactly how or why it works in half of all people or even how use it to treat psoriatic arthritis; meaning they really do not know what this drug is truly doing at the cellular level to the people taking it. DAMN IT!!!!!

Worse yet, in many using Otezla, it may cross the blood brain barrier and causing depression, psychosis and even suicidal thoughts and tendencies (sound familiar, Levaquin!) This drug literature was very similar to the early warnings for fluoroquinolones.

This new chemical, which is the active ingredient in this drug known as Apremilast was based on the thalidomide molecule, but it supposed to work differently. They are marketing it for autoimmune disease and if it goes over well they will expand on it to try and come up with better treatments for other autoimmune diseases like RA, Lupus, Crohns, etc…

Needless to say, my husband has stopped the drug but is now floxed even further. He did go to the ER because his wrist was so bad. In the ER, they determined that he has a swollen and possibly torn ulnar nerve that is damaged just before the wrist. His Achilles tendon is now flaring today as well and he has been put in braces for both wrists and ankles. He is in terrible pain and on Oxicodone for the pain because he has been told not to take any NSAIDs from here on out due to after effects of Otezla.

Our lives where shattered when my husband, my daughter and myself took Cipro for a stomach infection three years ago; a stomach infection that turned out to be nothing more than a virus. I was hit the hardest. My daughter had a moderate adverse reaction and my husband only mildly. My daughter and I have gone on to develop spondyloarapthy with Crohn’s and many other fluoroquinolone related problems. My husband went on to develop psoriatic arthritis but, for the most part, he could function with little problem. Now three years later and another drug, similar to the fluoroquinolones, has once again hit our family and shattered what was left of it. My husband is now very bad and we do not know if or when he will recover. This is very scary. I wrote this story to warn other floxies, individuals suffering from post fluoroquinolone reactions, not to take this drug.

*At the time of publication, Hormones Matter does not have access to that study.

Listening to the Body: Healing Post Cervarix

by Lim Suk Ho

Published on November 11, 2014

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This is a story about Yumi, who is now in her first year of university. She had her first dose of the HPV vaccine, Cervarix in October 2011, when she was 16 years old. Prior to the HPV vaccine, Yumi was healthy and played sports at school. She was a member of the baton twirling team.

After the first HPV vaccine injection, she complained of pain and heaviness in her arm. She suddenly started to put on a lot of weight, slept a longer hours, and also complained of headache, but her mother did not pay too much attention to her complaints.

Yumi had second shot of Cervarix in November 2011, she also had pain and the heavy feeling in her arm. Since the doctor who gave the injection told them that there would be some pain, and other minor side effects, Yumi’s mother and the doctor did not pay much attention to her symptoms early on.

Yumi had third dose of Cervarix in April 2012. In May, intensive hair loss had started. At the same time, she complained of headache, tiredness, swelling in her arms, slight fever, and taste disorder. She had three menstrual periods per month when previously her periods were regular. Sometimes Yumi became confused and could not understand simple tasks like telling time. She forgot how to read understand Chinese characters, and could not go to school every day. Her days and nights were reversed with a sleep disorder. She had continuous spasms in her arms that lasted for about one month after the third Cervarix injection.

The swelling in her arms tended to worsen when Yumi participated in hard practice of the baton twirling club in her high school, and after the practice she could not go to school for a few days. This pattern was repeated many times.

Medical Testing and Failed Treatments post Cervarix

Around June 2012, Yumi was taken to a hospital in order to examine her brain. She had various tests including MRI, and her pituitary gland was also examined. All results came back normal. Yumi was taken to various other hospitals, but there were no treatments except for the one given for the alopecia.

At the end of July 2012, Yumi was recommended to receive steroid IV for 3 days as a treatment for the alopecia, and she was hospitalized for 3 days. After that, her weight continued to increase. Her hair also continued to come off, and sometime in August she lost almost all the hair on her head such that she needed a full wig. After that, hair started to grow again and came off again, this was repeated several times.

In December 2012, her hair finally started growing again continuously, and by the end of March 2013, she could go to a hair dresser and had her hair trimmed to a very short style. However, in April, her hair started to fall out again and she needed her full wig at the beginning of May. In summer 2013, almost all her hair on the head disappeared.

Menstrual Problems Post Cervarix

Another problem that Yumi was the increase in menstrual periods, three per month. In August 2012 she began seeing a gynecologist. She was tested for hormones, the results were that both male and female hormones were much lower than the normal values. The doctor could not understand the reason, and only prescribed a Chinese medicine for increasing the female hormone. However, the medicine was too bitter, and Yumi could not take it. She occasionally took ibuprofen for the pain, but apart from that no further test or treatment were carried out.

In summer 2013, Yumi’s mother asked the doctor if Yumi could have another steroid IV treatment for her alopecia, they were told that due to a possibility of other side effects the doctor could not recommend it. The doctor of the alopecic department could not understand why the hair once had grown back was lost again, which does not occur usually.

Also in summer 2013, she had another test for hormones, and this test showed that her male hormone increased and female hormone was just within the normal range. The gynecologist could not understand why the menstruation disturbance did not improve even though the hormone levels were normal.

Around this time, Yumi’s mother started to suspect that these symptoms were side effects of HPV vaccine, and asked these two doctors the possibility, but they did not take it seriously at all.

Chiropractic and Holistic Care for Cervarix Reactions: From Chiropractor LIM SUK HO

In February 2014, Yumi’s mother read a blog by someone who was suffering from side effects of the HPV vaccine, and found a story about a chiropractor. She contacted the writer and got my address. They visited me and I told I believed the symptoms were due to side effects of Cervarix, the HPV vaccine. They seemed to be relieved that the cause became clear, delighted to hear that the symptoms might disappear, and surprised when I pointed out other symptoms (her neck and shoulder swelling, her back crouching, rashes on the back and spots on the head and face, thyroid gland swelling, adhesion between shoulder blade and body wall, lumbosacral joint fixation, cervical spine kyphosis, front neck abnormal swelling, extremities being cold, etc.)

Yumi had a chiropractic treatment on that day, and she immediately felt that her body became lighter and was delighted. By that time, she had stopped seeing the doctor in the alopecic department and the gynecologist since they could not offer further treatments, so she had decided that she was going to receive only the chiropractic treatment from now on.

First, Yumi had the chiropractic treatment once in two weeks, and had advice about food and supplement in order to improve her digestive system. She was told to eliminate sugar, which she found difficult to do initially. Since she could not eat some of her favorite foods, there were a lot of tears and arguments between mother and daughter. The symptoms gradually subsided, and Yumi could go to school again. The number of days she spent all day in the bed due to headache, tiredness, slight fever, etc. started decreasing, and around April 2014 when she started at university, her condition had really improved. Her period became normal, and she could go to the university every day.

In July 2014, Yumi’s weight has returned to normal, she has no headache, tiredness, or sleep disorder. She can spend normal days, and she is enjoying her study, part-time job, and social life with her friends.

She has recovered even to a degree that she has visited US for one month this summer. When she was back from US, her mother saw Yumi’s hair growing all over the area of her head.

It will take only a little more to complete Yumi’s journey to overcome the side effects of Cervarix, the HPV vaccine and to return to her life as it was prior to HPV vaccine or to even much healthier life.

Using Chiropractic Care to Treat Post Cervarix Reactions

The following are treatment methods I employ.

Using a special gel for an ultrasound technique, venous blood is discharged to vein and lymphatic vessel, and influx of fresh blood to the capillaries from arterioles is promoted. The amount of local circulating blood can be easily increased using this ultrasound technique with application of the gel, which is formed from natural components.

Subsequently, in order to promote discharge and flow of interstitial fluid, fixation, rubbing, and twisting between muscle, fascia, and ligament are released. This fixation, rubbing, and twisting caused the systemic pain in Yumi’s case (I would say that more than 70% of her pain was caused by these).

Only after the preparative conditioning is completed, that is, blood flow is maintained, pain is removed, stimulation to the central nerve system is carried out, joint movement of limbs are secured, and sufficient nutrients are provided from diet, etc., we can start the treatment by the chiropractic method to the spine, including approaches to the pelvis, the lower thoracic spine, the upper thoracic spine, and the cervical spine.

In the chiropractic, usually, we do not use any therapeutic instruments at all, but in the case of HPV vaccine injury, we need to use instruments in order to tackle the problem that has been left for a long time.

The body site to be adjusted changes case by case. This adjustment enables the amount of circulating blood to the corresponding central nerve system to be changed. The point is input of an appropriate stimulation from the peripheral receptor or effector to the central nerve system.

Supplement and diet are totally depend on individuals according to the degree of damage, the site of damage, etc. In general, improvement of the digestive system has the priority.

Message to Chiropractors about Treating HPV Vaccine Injured Patients

We need to remember that vagovagal reflex occurs after the sympathetic reflex has occurred. That is, it is not a short-term problem, but both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system of the autonomic nerve are continuously being damaged at the same time. Normal chiropractic treatment is not very effective and it takes longer than usual. As in the theory, first, try to calm down the sympathetic nervous system, and when the digestive system becomes nearly fully recovered, we can start treatment with the parasympathetic nervous system. The sign for the time to start parasympathetic nervous system adjustment as a main treatment is when the marks, rashes, acne, etc. on the back of a patient have disappeared. These rashes keep appearing and disappearing when I see a patient on a once-a-week basis. By examining thoracic segments of the vertebral column, an area that is rigid and is not flexible should be taken care of.

Editor’s note: this post was written originally in Japanese and translated into English by a friend of Hormones Matter.