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Is It Really Worth Losing Sleep Over Anything?

Published on April 20, 2023

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There is a global crisis that seldom makes the headlines – it’s about sleep. Specifically that we are not getting enough and it is costing us our health, relationships and our capacity to work and govern.

Unsustainable work hours, artificial light, the rise of electronic devices and norms that preference night time socializing, have shifted the window of time we have for one of the most important activities in our day and for our health.

Despite decades of research, exactly why we need to sleep still remains somewhat of a mystery to modern science. Some of the theories include:

Evolution theory: this says that sleep is a way to immobilize us at night when we are most vulnerable to predators. However, it ignores the fact that being awake when you are more vulnerable to predators is probably a smarter strategy!
Restoration theory: posits that sleep helps to restore the energy we lose during the day whilst awake. A strong proof point for this theory is that animals lose immune function and die after just a few weeks without sleep. A 2020 Harvard study suggests that this is due to the accumulation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) in the gut.
Energy conservation theory: suggests that sleep serves to help us conserve energy, from times when energy was in short supply.
Brain plasticity theory: explains sleep as a critical process for enabling changes in the structure and organization of the brain, required for health.

Whilst none of these theories have been fully proven, there is much research to prove the dangers of not sleeping enough, with increased risk of obesity, accidents, metabolic disorders, autoimmune conditions, cognitive decline, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and morbidity, just to name a few. In fact, in the US alone, 7 of the 15 leading causes of death are linked to insufficient sleep.

How much each of us needs depends upon our life stage, health and genetics. Most healthy adults need between 7-9 hours whereas babies can need up to 18 hours per day and school aged children approximately 10 hours. As we age past 60, our sleep tends to get shorter and lighter with more awakenings. Some research suggests that adults on average are now getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night.

What Triggers Us To Sleep?

The increasing busyness in our lives has overridden many of the natural cues to sleep. Exposure to artificial light delays the secretion of melatonin, which is needed to prepare us for shut-eye. Night time socialization keeps us overly stimulated past the point where we might have felt naturally tired. Longer work hours and shift-work require us to work through fatigue and at times of the day when we would normally not be awake.

There are two vital biological processes at play in all of us which work in sync to trigger sleep: circadian rhythms and sleep-wake homeostasis. The relative force of social and work pressures will influence how much we override these processes, however ultimately our bodies will win. Humans cannot survive without sleep. As outlined earlier, after just a few weeks without it, our immune systems shut down and we die.

Circadian rhythms control the timing of our sleep – making us sleepy at night and waking us up in the morning. Our body’s biological clocks (based on a roughly 24 hour cycle) control our circadian rhythms. Biological clocks comprise protein molecules which interact with cells throughout the body. Virtually every tissue and organ in the body has its own biological clock.

Circadian rhythms are influenced by environmental cues such as light, however they will still function in the absence of these cues, which is why you can wake up once you’ve had enough sleep if you’re sleeping in a blacked-out room. Each of us have different circadian rhythms (e.g. the morning larks and the night owls) and our rhythms shift through our life stages, for example there is a shift to later sleep times during adolescence. Researchers have also identified genes involved in regulating our biological clocks. When one of these genes – translin – was removed from fruit flies, they had difficulty falling and then staying asleep.

Sleep-wake homeostasis controls the need for sleep, with this drive becoming slightly stronger every hour we are awake. Light exposure generally has the greatest influence over our sleep-wake homeostasis, with special cells in the retinas of our eyes communicating with the brain to regulate wakefulness. Other factors that influence sleep homeostasis include medical conditions, stress, diet, medical and other drugs, and our sleep environment.

Our circadian rhythms are set by a tiny region of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) – located in the hypothalamus. When it senses changes in light and other natural cues, the SCN tells the pineal gland (a small pea-shaped gland in the brain) to release melatonin, inducing sleep.

What Happens When We Are Asleep?

Clusters of neurons in our brains become extra active in order to send us off to sleep, with neurotransmitters including GABA calming down the cells that would otherwise keep us awake through arousal. When exposed to reduced light, the pineal gland produces a hormone called melatonin which contributes to feelings of tiredness. The secretion of melatonin shifts to later in the night during the teenage years, hence why adolescents tend to find it hard to go to bed early and generally need to sleep later in the morning.

Whilst asleep, we cycle through different stages: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep, the latter of which encompasses three distinct phases:

Stage 1: the changeover from wakefulness to sleep, where our heartbeat, eye movements and brain waves slow down and our muscles relax. This stage lasts only a few minutes.
Stage 2: this is the prelude to deep sleep. Further slowing of body systems continues from Stage 1, eye movements stop and our temperatures drop. Our brain waves continue to slow but are punctuated with brief moments of heightened electrical activity.
Stage 3: is where breathing, brain waves and heart-rate are at their slowest. This is the stage needed to feel most refreshed when you wake. In a normal sleep cycle, typically 1-2 hours are spent in this deep restorative sleep stage. It is usually quite hard to wake someone in this stage.

During REM sleep, our eyes move from side to side, breathing, heart-rate, brain wave frequency and blood pressure increase to similar levels seen in wakefulness. This is the stage in which most dreams occur. During REM sleep our muscles remain paralyzed, presumably so we can’t act out our dreams. We spend approximately 2 hours per night dreaming, but not all of us can recall our dreams.

Busy brains. As we can see from examining the different stages of sleep above, our brains are highly active whilst we are asleep. During sleep, the brain is processing information from the day and storing it as memory. It is thought that memory consolidation takes place in both REM and non-REM sleep. A mouse study conducted in 2012 found that deep sleep also flushes cerebrospinal fluid through the brain, removing toxins that have built up during the day – a sort of brain detox if you will.
A symphony of hormones. A number of different hormones are secreted whilst we are sleeping. The pituitary gland releases growth hormone which enables growth and repair. This is why sleep and rest are particularly important for growing children and teenagers, athletes (to enable full recovery from sport) and those recovering from illness. The stress hormone cortisol decreases during the first 2 hours of sleeping only to peak just after we wake so that we can take on the day. The hormones leptin and ghrelin, critical to appetite regulation, are also higher whilst asleep.
Immune function. During sleep, the immune system releases cells called cytokines and T-cells which help the body counter inflammation, stress and trauma. Research shows that sleep plays an important role in immunological memory.
A relaxed nervous system. Whilst asleep – our fight-flight system relaxes, which helps to regulate our blood pressure. Researchers have found sleep deprivation increases blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease.

Clearly, this mysterious process about which we still know relatively little is vital to our health. So what happens when we don’t sleep enough?

The Effects of Too Little Sleep

The Brain and Neurological Function

Lack of sleep reduces activity in the hippocampus – a part of the brain that plays a key role in memory and learning, executive functioning, and emotional processing. It also monitors our decision-making centers to track our past choices. This explains why getting a good night’s sleep is a better strategy than pulling an all-nighter for an exam or work task in which memory is required. Even a single night of poor sleep affects executive function. Sleep deprivation also affects parts of the brain involved in decision-making, attention and concentration, especially vigilance, and mood.

After missing just one night of sleep, the mesolimbic pathway (a neural circuit controlling pleasure and reward) in the brain is strongly stimulated, leading to a feeling of euphoria. The neurotransmitter dopamine modulates this process. Whilst initially this may feel good, the rise in dopamine leaves you at greater risk of addiction and impulsivity. Combined with the effects of sleep deprivation on executive function, memory and decision-making, rashness and risk-taking can quickly follow as less sleep ensues. Research suggests that if the mesolimbic pathway is continuously activated, permanent brain damage may result.

The profound effects of sleep on the brain has led researchers to conclude there are strong links between sleep deprivation and neuropsychiatric diseases, including anxiety disorders, bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s, and substance abuse.

Nervous System and Immune Function

Sleep loss dials up the sympathetic nervous system, which can lead to a rise in blood pressure and an increase in the stress hormone cortisol. During non-REM sleep, parasympathetic activity is dialed up whilst sympathetic activity is dialed down. This means that insomnia and sleep deprivation leads to an over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system both during sleep and wakefulness. The central nervous system modulates our immune system – activating the HPA axis to release glucocorticoids and activating the sympathetic nervous system which releases pro-inflammatory cytokines. As a result, high levels of sympathetic activity favor pro-inflammatory pathways, with damaging effects for our immune function.

Cardiovascular System

During the peak of the economic boom in Japan in the eighties, sleep deprivation was blamed for a large number of deaths – referred to as “karoshi” (death from overwork) – caused by cardiovascular events. Research has found a strong association between increased hypertension and poor sleep (less than 5 hours) in middle-aged people. This is thought to be caused by disruption to autonomic nervous system regulation.

A number of studies have demonstrated a correlation between sleep disruption and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, specifically acute myocardial infarction. The mechanism is thought to be due to the effect of sleep deprivation on increasing sympathetic nervous system activity, and elevating catecholamine (stress hormone) levels.

Digestive System

The intricate relationship between the gut and the brain involves feedback loops, which are influenced by and in turn influence circadian rhythms and sleep regulation pathways. Hence, research is increasingly pointing to strong links between sleep disturbances and gastrointestinal problems, particularly stemming from the immune effects of sleep deprivation.

Proinflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8), which are produced as a result of sleep dysfunction, are also implicated in gastrointestinal diseases, including gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), inflammatory bowel disease, and colorectal cancer. For example, sleep disturbances are associated with an increase in flare-ups of Crohn’s disease. Elevated levels of IL-8 are found in the gut mucosa of patients suffering from GERD. IBS patients show high levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF. Researchers studying mice with colitis found that sleep deprivation worsens their inflammation. Further, IL-6 is known to be a key growth factor for colon cancer.

The relationship between poor gut health and sleep is a complicated one because poor gut health is known to impact adversely on sleep, contributing to a vicious cycle of declining sleep quality and worsening gut symptoms. This chicken and egg situation can make it challenging for researchers to accurately pinpoint what came first – the poor sleep or the poor gut health.

Endocrine and Metabolic Effects

Research points to a strong association between sleep deprivation and a number of serious metabolic and endocrine disorders, including diabetes mellitus. Alarmingly, a 2015 study on dogs found that one night of poor sleep had the same deleterious effects on insulin of 6-months eating a Standard American Diet (SAD). Slow-wave sleep (SWS) in particular is thought to play a critical role in glucose homeostasis, with slow-wave sleep suppression leading to reduced insulin sensitivity.

When sleep is insufficient, key hormones controlling appetite and food intake – ghrelin and leptin – are also disrupted. Hence, short sleep duration is implicated as a risk factor in obesity, among both children and adults. A survey on sleep duration and insomnia in more than 1.1 million Americans between the ages of 30-102, found higher body mass indexes (BMI) among those chronically sleeping less than 7–8 hours per night. A study of six year olds found that persistently low sleep durations (less than 10 hours per night) was associated with a 4.2x greater risk of obesity than children sleeping 11 hours per night.

Research finds dysregulation of lipid profiles associated with sleep disturbance. A study of more than four thousand women and men over the age of 20 found women sleeping less than 5 hours a night or more than 8 hours per night had high serum triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol. A larger longitudinal study of over 14,000 young people found that short sleep duration was a risk factor for hypercholesterolemia, particularly among young women.

Sleep is also critical for healthy bones with circadian clock genes playing a key role in the regulation of bone mass. For example, night shift work and its reduction in sleep duration has been found to alter bone metabolism. A 2010 study of 70 Chilean nurses found a higher prevalence of osteopenia among night shift nurses compared to day shift nurses. Several other studies draw links between night shift workers and lower bone density and higher fracture risk however more in depth research over longer periods of time is likely needed.

How Can We Improve Our Sleep?

It is clear that the dangers of too little sleep are numerous, so what can we do to reverse the trends in worsening sleep?

Clearly, individual change alone will not be enough. Social pressures and our 24/7 culture and economies have a lot to answer for in driving unhealthy sleep patterns. The social impacts of poor sleep are enormous with a greater risk of workplace accidents and poor health costing us and our governments dearly. For example, a 2016 RAND study found that sleep deprivation cost the United States $411 billion and 1.2 million working days per year in lost productivity. An employee who has worked for 17-19 hours has the performance ability of someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.05% (the legal limit in the US is 0.08%).

Fixing the global sleep crisis requires all of us to play a part and will require, among other things, rethinking our attachment to unfettered economic growth and the unsustainable work patterns and lifestyles this creates. For example, what would happen if we paid workers the same but expected them to work a shorter week? British research suggests the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, with ⅔ of UK businesses operating on a 4 day work week reporting improvements in staff productivity, almost 80% of staff reporting higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress and over 60% of staff taking fewer sick days. And what if the start time for high schoolers was shifted back a little, as the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended, to enable them to get adequate sleep given their later melatonin release? These and more are all questions that require more attention.

Whilst large-scale social and cultural change like this takes time, there are plenty of things that each of us can do in the meantime to boost our sleep. Here are a few:

Make sleep top of your to-do list. As this article has highlighted, the effects of too little sleep are diverse and deep, yet for so many of us, sleep depends upon how well we progress through our to do lists. What if we flipped this on its head and made sleep top of our to-do list? Perhaps we would find it a lot easier to get everything done or realize, with the benefits of our enhanced executive function from proper sleep, that we were being unrealistic in what we were trying to achieve and instead set more realistic goals.
Take a look at your nutrition. Getting good quality wholesome food throughout the day is critical for sleeping well. Under-eating is associated with poor sleep and greater awakenings. Under-eating during the day can also lead to overeating at night, landing you in bed with a stomach full of undigested food that keeps you awake or leads to poor quality sleep. Including some carbohydrate in your evening meal has been found to help with the release of serotonin and tryptophan, both of which are critical for sleep. Finishing your evening meal a good few hours before bed so that you are not going to bed with a full stomach also helps with sleep, so that your body can focus on rest and repair rather than digesting that huge meal you just ate.
Dial down light and stimulation. Prior to the invention of electricity and electronic devices, we tended to go to bed soon after the sun set and wake when it rose. Nowadays we can stay up 24/7 with the constant stimulation of devices, artificial light and changing work patterns. Electronic devices and lights emit high levels of blue light which block the release of melatonin more powerfully than any other form of light at night. This is why switching off the devices a couple of hours before bed is a good idea. Alternatively, you can install apps like f.lux which reduce the amount of blue light being emitted from your screen. Or invest in a pair of blue light blocking glasses that you put on as the sun sets.
Darkness, quiet, cool. Make sure that the place where you sleep is free from light intrusion. You can get black-out blinds to help with this or simply hang extra material/blankets over your existing curtains, for a cheaper option. Your sleeping quarters should also be quiet and cool.

Our quality of sleep affects everything: our health, happiness, work, and economies. Greater leadership within governments and workplaces is needed to shift our cultures away from the trajectory they are on where getting less sleep is worn as a badge of honor. At the end of the day, there are very few things that are worth losing sleep over, considering the dangers of sleep deprivation.

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This article was published originally on January 28, 2021.

Solving the Medically Unsolvable: Thiamine, Oxalates, and Other Complicated Health Issues

by Elaine Sullivan

Published on January 12, 2023

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solving the medically unsolvable thiamine

Welcome to a very complex tale of connecting dots between life long symptoms and a current state of severe food intolerances and vitamin deficiencies. Outside of the food safety zone, my symptoms become so severe that I cannot function. Within, there are some symptoms but very tight regimes of high maintenance food prep, supplements and lifestyle strategies keep life manageable, gratefully, without medications.

I learned how to keep these symptoms under control through health groups on Facebook, not a place one would expect to find health answers, but when doctors fail, patients like me are left with little recourse. We either remain ill or we figure it out ourselves. It seems there are many of us in the same situation, saddled with complex conditions for which doctors have little input. Modern medicine seems to have little to offer in disordered energy metabolism (affecting every system), ailing mitochondria, and vitamin deficiencies. My doctor trained in GI disorders missed the fact that my gut was causing migraines for the same reason my neurologist did, compartmentalization. Neither considered mitochondrial dysfunction. Neither considered thiamine or other nutrient deficiencies. I had to figure that out myself.

Early Childhood Memories: Longstanding Symptoms

As a little girl there was no need for me to speak because I got everything I needed through my sister. This resulted in a spell at Easter Seals, an institution for those on the autism spectrum. When I hear of delayed speech in children today I think, “Oh, the Feingold website and diet”. Delayed speech, hyperactivity, red ears or flushing—a low salicylate diet can help. I wish my mom had known about the Feingold organization, but they didn’t yet exist.

During gym class, my teacher running cold water over my wrists in the bathroom to try to turn the color of my face back to a lesser shade of crimson. An EKG revealed nothing and I was told to drink more fluids.

There was also walking and talking during sleep and then the dreaded sleep paralysis. I had a fabled allergy to a chocolate Easter basket. Then dyslexia showed up when I first tried to draw my letters.

In school, I struggled to hide my loud stomach gurgles and painful hiccups. Semi regular digestion disasters ruined some special occasions, but all was still under the radar. Painful calf muscle cramps were in the middle of the night, so no one knew and they wouldn’t have been recognized as a mineral deficiency anyway. As an adult my calf muscles were extremely tender to the touch, which, I now know, points to thiamine deficiency.

The most obvious harbinger of future troubles was motion sickness. Struggling to not barf in the back seat of our station wagon. Should I look at my coloring book, at the road, at my legs? Those symptoms haven’t changed in 40 years, I noted on a recent windy drive up to Kings Canyon. That same reaction, tunnel vision, dizziness, and nausea, has been triggered for me on perfectly level ground. It comes from chemicals called amines found in common foods such like bananas.

Persistent and Increasingly Complex Symptoms in Adulthood

Alcohol Intolerance and Arrythmia

I often witnessed my intolerance to alcohol, but didn’t think of it as a symptom. That facial flushing happened multiple times every day and it was impossible to pinpoint all the triggers until I learned about histamines. It didn’t actually hurt, but left me exhausted, because along with it came “The Throb”. This is a feeling of my heartbeat all over the upper half of my body, but different and with a broader reach than my usual variety of heart arrhythmias. I remember a physical therapist refused to work on me until I saw a doctor because my carotid artery was pulsing so visibly that it scared her. The ultrasound came back normal. I still have the throb intermittently everyday and now I understand it, like disordered sleep, to be a symptom of dysautonomia, another sign of thiamine deficiency.

Post Food Coma

I used to fall asleep while driving, always post-snack. I fell asleep while talking to my fiancé’s parents—after a meal of pizza. If I were to eat dairy right now, I would be asleep within 30-40 minutes. Unlike a nap, it feels like I have been drugged. Richard Deth is the doctor whose studies showed why casein and grain-free diets work for the autistic population, and thus, many in the chemically sensitive population as well. It has something to do with peptides crossing the gut barrier (leaky gut) and hitting opioid receptors. I trusted that his research spoke to my symptoms when a Google of opioids showed somnolence and constipation are the first two symptoms. There are other competing theories, though. That thiamine deficiency has created a state of hypersolomnence well described in this article due to pure lack of ATP. It has also been suggested that I’m so low in B2 and B12 that I can’t make melatonin, so one hit of dairy is a shock and the newly created melatonin suddenly makes me sleep. I’m not sure how that could tie into the constipation, though. Yet another connection to my known low folate status is that cow’s milk down regulates folate receptor autoantibodies (FRAs), so going dairy free is very important. It may be that all of these items contribute. Whatever, the cause however, falling into a dead sleep upon eating is not healthy and something I had to figure out.

From High Grain Pescetarian to Low Carbs and High Fat

In an effort to overcome some of my symptoms, in 2010 I went from a high grain, mostly vegetarian diet, to a more primal or Paleo diet. With this diet change, I thought I was finally on the right path to health because so many of my symptoms suddenly disappeared. The one I was happiest to leave behind was a painful condition called Interstitial Cystitis (IC). My skin was perfectly clear for the first time in adulthood. I was less anxious, with no panic attacks or depression like before. I felt full all the time and lost weight easily. I attribute those positive changes to removing grains (for my SLC19A1 glitch), processed foods (my latent salicylate sensitivity) and some improvement in B12 levels (depression) due to the addition of red meat.

Unfortunately, some darker changes were happening that took me years to connect to this diet. Terrible neck and shoulder pain and new insomnia with an “electric vibration” lead me to a diagnosis of spinal stenosis. PMS symptoms and migraines were suddenly more frequent and worse. It took me years to figure this out, but what I finally determined was that I was making and storing a lot of oxalates, the mineralized crystals best known for kidney stones.

This all makes sense to me now in terms of oxalates. Susan Owens, from the Trying Low Oxalates (TLO) group often talks about how IC can be the oxalates “speaking to us” and although painful, it is better that they are moving out rather than moving into cells or into bones for storage. I believe that my body switched from “excrete mode” for oxalates and into “storage mode” due to something about my diet change. It could be that the higher fat content created oxidative stress which started or increased the endogenous production of oxalates that I tested positively for years later. I never would have guessed my bone spur was from nutrition or disordered metabolism. My doctor and I had blamed some unremembered injury from yoga practice. I have a PubMed case study of spinal stenosis with photographs inside the bone spur showing millions of oxalate crystals. When I dump oxalates, and when I am not doing well in general, I have right side nerve pain (the side of the stenosis) that could additionally be demyelination from low B12. I’ve found topical magnesium is magical for this, thanks to the TLO group.

The increase in PMS symptoms was also oxalate related. I had always come down with IC right before my period and it makes sense that the body would take advantage of the cyclic aspect of menstruation to ditch oxalates and many other TLO group members confirmed this experience. I recognized all my PMS symptoms in a TLO file about the variety of ways our bodies “dump” oxalates.

2012 1^st Health Crisis: SIBO, Migraines, and More

After 6 years of eating “Primal”, I moved out of state and had a disabling increase in migraines, insomnia, flushing, dizziness, light sensitivity, fatigue, and heart palpitations. Doctors and normal test results were not helpful. I ended up on low dose Amitriptyline (a strong antihistamine), which put my sleep back in order and allowed me to work again. The worst of the problem was solved until I learned that anticholinergic has the word choline in it, so this drug is terrible for the mitochondria. This 3 year long mistake is so typical of what can happen when laypeople have to take charge of their own health.

Another diet-induced problem: After years of eating like this, I was only able to go to the bathroom once every 5 days, with tears in my eyes. I saw myself in a description of SIBO—Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth. A GI doctor agreed and I tested positive. I found thousands of people on SIBO Facebook groups not getting better with antibiotics, so I waived off his recommendations. Reintroduction of potatoes and supplementing with resistant starch corrected the problem—thanks, Internet. If only I had read Paul Jaminet’s warning about low carb diets years earlier. Later, I noted that my GI doctor’s recommendation of Miralax for constipation would have made me so much worse, as it contains polyethylene glycol, a derivative of ethylene glycol, the main ingredient in antifreeze, and a quick way to fill your body with oxalates.

At this time though, I had no idea what histamine, oxalates or salicylates were. I had tried a food journal for migraines, but my neurologist told me to only watch for cheese and wine. Well, there are a whole lot more foods than that in a histamine foods list, not to mention other chemical categories. Foiling my journal attempts was also the bucket theory. Once emptied, by a migraine for example, I was able to consume high histamine foods without any problem. It is the build up over time that leads to the bucket “spill over”. Hence, my pattern of fine health and digestion at wedding rehearsals, but then sick at the actual wedding the next day—my bucket had filled.

I was eating very “clean” and I thought healthfully. I enjoyed avocado, cactus paddles, eggs, onions, bell peppers spinach, sausage etc. for breakfast. Assorted root vegetables roasted in duck fat. 2 iced coffees per day. Snacks of Greek yogurt with fresh berries and local dates. Sweet potato roasted in orange peels, braised meats, dark chocolate and nuts. Ninety percent of my food was homemade. I always had frozen homemade soups and chili on hand plus I dabbled in fancier recipes from magazines. Although I had cut out grains and processed foods, the variety I was eating and my cooking skills were growing every year. In the next three months, my out of control reactions would cause me to take a quick but deep slide down the elimination diet rabbit hole, and land with only 12-15 safe foods.

The 2015 Crash: Salicylate Sensitivity, Tinnitus and Migraine

With the notion that my migraines, flushing and stomach gurgles were tied to the SIBO, and that natural antimicrobials were safer than antibiotics, I embarked on a high dose oil of oregano (a high salicylate) treatment to kill the SIBO with a Registered Dietitian. I can’t blame her, as neither of us knew that my previous occasional ear ringing and swollen eyelids were signs of latent salicylate sensitivity, nor that it was common in those with early speech delay. I had a terrible time on the oil of oregano, but stuck with it through the abnormally long protocol, because I was told to expect symptoms of “die off”. That period was like one long migraine with breaks only for prodromes, in which tiny flashing lights in my peripheral vision combined with distinct feelings of disassociation. I was poisoning myself, taking in chemicals that my body could not detoxify quickly enough. During the last week of treatment, I connected one stomach reaction to a high histamine meal and read everything I could about Histamine Intolerance. Immediately I stopped eating all high histamine foods and began to take supplements known to help—vitamin C and quercetin. I stopped the Amitriptyline once I read that it suppressed DAO production, an enzyme that degrades histamines. I continued to eat dates and raw honey until I tied the honey to another massive migraine (salicylates). A dear stranger on the Histamine Group pointed out to me that tinnitus is usually a salicylate symptom and not a histamine symptom.

I joined the salicylate group and started lowering salicylates in my diet. It seemed impossible to tell what I was reacting to. I stopped all supplements, I quit all caffeine and started eating from the “Fail Safe” diet lists. I changed all personal care products to salicylate-free. This started to calm my system down. The thing they don’t seem to know or mention at the Failsafe is that when you start dropping foods and you don’t know that you have an oxalate issue then you can accidentally trigger an oxalate dump, which can be very dangerous.

Now the high dose vitamin C was kicking in and creating more oxalate problems, as it can convert to oxalates in the body within two weeks. My body was out of control. Ears were ringing off the hook. The “throb” and abnormal heart palpitations were magnified 10 fold. I was in a 2^nd full blown health crisis, unable to work. Sleep, migraines, palpitations, tinnitus became unbearable. The ear pressure felt like my ears were blocked. After a 6 year hiatus, my painful IC was back every evening.

The quercetin, a methyl donor, had been building up as well. The worst night I woke every 40 minutes or so throughout the night from night-terror-dreams with my heart pounding so strongly that it made me feel nauseous. I had one strange day where my throat tightened up, but a cold never developed. I dropped and broke three plates and two drinking glasses in 3 days. I experienced high anxiety and could not drive on a freeway. I had to go through this type of experience two more times before I learned that it was due to methyl donors. The last time it happened, I burst a blood vessel in my eye. A hard-won PSA: you can potentially stop a methylation crisis with Niacin.

On April 30th, I saw an ear/hearing/allergy specialist who said my hearing was still good, and to see my neurologist about the tinnitus. I did two things that turned the sinking ship around that day. I ate a meal of all high ox foods, which stopped my giant ox dump. The nightly interstitial cystitis symptoms disappeared. Second, I restarted the Amitriptyline and finally began to stabilize and sleep through the night.

Post Health Crisis

This is what I have learned so far:

If I eat or touch high salicylate plants, my ears get short bursts of ringing plus a different type of tinnitus at night—pulsatile, so that I cannot keep my head on the pillow. I also get swollen eyelids with dark circles underneath. It can quickly turn into styes and blepharitis. Before I learned how to control it with diet, I got peeling lips, watery, itching and red eyes, excessive thirst, and feelings of dissociation before migraines. Also, insomnia and inner ear drainage feelings.
If I eat high histamine foods I get migraines as well as stomach bloating and loud gurgles followed by hiccups, light sensitivity, heart palpitations, stuffy nose during and after eating, and dizziness upon bending over. From some chemical smells I get a spot on the back of my neck that will start itching like crazy. The same spot I scratched as a child. I found my chronic low blood pressure to be associated with migraines as well.
If I eat high oxalate foods I get a return of the interstitial cystitis and dramatic muscle cramps.
If I eat dairy I either fall asleep or suffer severe brain fog within 40 minutes, plus constipation the next day. If I eat it consistently, the interstitial cystitis returns, I think due to fat malabsorption.
If I eat white rice or raw fish, I get sciatica pain at night, due to the drop in thiamine. (Interesting that German doctors systematically prescribe thiamine for sciatica pain)
If I eat fruit or any simple sugars, I get bloating and stomach gurgles. This could be a result from the simple sugars “popping” thiamine out of cells.

“The Killer Strategy” and Another PSA

I returned to my GI doctor for help, thinking that SIBO was the root of all my food intolerances. Begrudgingly, I took his antibiotic, the standard for SIBO treatment. My last appointment with him was the day he recommended a second round of Rifaximin after the first had left my test numbers 4 times worse.

The risk with antibiotics is that each time a round is taken, good bacteria that help produce thiamine and other vitamins, get wiped out with the “bad”. What if in SIBO, the bacteria are moving from the large intestines into the small to help us? Maybe they are sent to help digest our foods because our vitamin levels are not sufficient enough? Susan Owens regularly cautions our group,

“Please remember that these microbes compete for turf and form alliances. Antimicrobials do not understand or honor those distinctions and right now we are at a place of profound ignorance.”

We do know for a fact that certain antibiotics will wipeout a specific bacteria that helps us degrade oxalates. From the TLO group, here is the list of antibiotics to avoid if you want to keep your Oxabolactor Formigese bacteria alive and degrading oxalates for you:

azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, clindamycin, doxycycline, gentamicin, levofloxacin, metronidazole, tetracycline and nitrofurantoin.

Most of these are quite common. I’ve taken multiple rounds of at least four of them.

A Different Framework for Treating Complex Illness

After the failed Rifaximin treatment, I thought that if I could stop the endogenous production of oxalates, (for which I had tested positively), then I could get salicylates back. Since both ride the transsulfuration pathway, it seemed logical that oxalates, a toxin, could bump salicylates off that pathway and leave my body with a salicylate overload. Oxalates also trigger the inflammasome, which could explain my histamine symptoms. So enthusiastically, I embarked on a B-vitamin supplement protocol prescribed by an experienced practitioner based on my OAT test results. At the end of that long, bumpy and educational journey, I was still only stable enough to work, and having to walk the tightrope of restrictions plus ongoing symptoms that never resolved.

Still Searching…

Dr. Derrick Lonsdale’s work on Thiamine Deficiency (TD) had always been a part of the conversations at TLO because deficiencies in B6 and/or thiamine will cause the body to produce oxalates. That is definitely one piece of my puzzle. My many out of range plasma amino acid markers attest to this, plus OAT test results. Another piece, the genetics angle, made sense to pursue since I had experienced many of my symptoms intermittently since childhood.

I met with genetics counselor John Cantanzaro. He told me to never eat grains because I was homozygous for SLC19A1. The meaning of this genetic glitch is that I am deficient in folate (vitamin B9) and thiamine (B1) due to a transporter defect. I have so very many symptoms attributable to thiamine deficiency that I am not deterred by lack of testing. As close readers of this publication know, there is no accurate way to test for thiamine in the US because the all labs have stopped offering the transketolase test. (As of this writing, it is available in Barcelona, but good luck finding someone to interpret, I am told.)

A potential second genetic puzzle piece has also been found. The brilliant scientist and researcher Susan Owens, owner of the TLO group, has pointed out that four other SNP’s in the SLC family could also create thiamine transport issues plus many other problems pertinent to my situation. SLC’s 22A1, 22A2, and 22A3 move around neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, choline and acetylcholine. Perhaps that is why I have only been asleep between 3 and 6 am a handful of times in the last few years. They also are important in immune function, regulating T cells and B cells. Perhaps that is why I have fluctuating but distinct symptoms of Babesia (faux bruising, sweating, angiomas). These transporters are related to salt intake and regulation, possibly explaining my life long salt cravings, need to pee and drink water with abnormally frequency. What really got my attention was that these transporters also move salicylate and are related to how histamine and stomach acid are handled.

It seems there is currently no test for these transporters. There is also no other competing hypothesis for why anyone would have all three chemical issues—histamine, salicylate and oxalates. There is no currently practicing M.D. who can help with this, but there are plenty of us on the FB groups who have all three. It can be very disturbing for me to witness people constantly entering the groups, with signs that they have no idea what is in store for them. Some fare better than I did, finding stability after only eliminating that one category. For most of us though, it becomes a frenzied learning journey, trying to read fast enough to keep up with our changing symptoms and to not make things worse accidentally by doing the wrong thing. There are some who end up in the hospital with anaphylaxis. Others from dumping oxalates too fast–which is potentially fatal and the hospital staff would never able to recognize what was happening. I am still not sure what type of medical ID tag I need to warn my future caretakers in case of an emergency: “No vitamin C, no salicylic acids, no benzos, no Tylenol, no “biologicals” (vaccines), etc, etc.”.

How To Fix SLC19A1, the Broken Transporter?

Lately, I have started spacing my thiamine supplements further apart, thinking that if the transport is limited then I need to load the bus more frequently with smaller amounts. I also space my B6 apart from thiamine in case one inhibits the other. I recently trialed choline and finally found a crack in the relentless insomnia. Sadly, it led to some over-methylation symptoms. For thiamine support, I eat no simple sugars, including fruit, and no diuretics or processed foods. I even gave up lentil pasta for fear thiamine would get lost in the cooking water. Additionally, bicarbonate, rutin, no D-ribose are avoided. Do I need manganese? I don’t know how to overcome the transport problems and get the vitamins into my cells. I found a mitochondrial doctor, but he charges $800 for a 1 hour visit and does not accept insurance. A local naturopath is willing to give me IV, but that seems like too much at once for the transport theory. He said an injection into muscle would last longer than IV, but are there any examples of success with this theory? I am also currently pursuing the genetics angle with a Whole Exome test whose price has recently come down from outer space.

More Dietary Approaches

In 2016, I decided to try eating the opposite of what I had been eating, so in addition to my food restrictions, I went high carb, low fat vegan. Again, there were good and bad changes. My triglycerides fell from over 300, out of range high to out of range low (indicative of thiamine deficiency). They rebounded to within normal range when I reintroduced lean meat. The keratosis pilaris on my upper thighs disappeared. But I lost too much weight, which also corrected with a reintroduction of lean pork and eggs. I tried to reintroduce low oxalate grains in June and that resulted in a week and a half of drenching sweats every 20-40 minutes both day and night as well as losing my period.

Lately, I’ve been encouraged to take a hard look at B2, B12 and iron. Test markers show them all low in spite of high supplementation and my brief stint at veganism surely did not help. A ferritin of 20, within range on my Quest report, is actually very deficient and 70 is my new target level. To raise B2, I need selenium, iodine, molybdenum and iron. For all of this, I am to dramatically increase fish and liver in my diet, plus add more molybdenum, Brazil nuts (carefully, as high oxalate) and slowly titrate in methyl B12 topical oil, then retest plasma and OAT in two months.

The roots for this plan are found in two excellent websites. This one on B12 and another here on dementia. Here my known deficiencies in iron, B2, thiamine, B12 and folate, my sensitivity to methyl donors, my out of range low 3-mehtylhistadine (muscle wasting) and my high markers for succinic acid and citric acid (wasted energy) are all described as precursors to dementia.

Have you seen the movie “The Dallas Buyers Club”? Matthew McConaughey’s character seems entirely relatable to me in his need to operate so far outside of the traditional medical system to find help. Not one of my traditional doctors, requested the tests above. I had a doctor tell me my sleep issues were from never adjusting to the time difference from Chicago to LA. I had an eye doctor tell me that there were no dietary interventions for chronic blepharitis, although it is a symptom of both salicylate sensitivity and thiamine deficiency. Before I tested positive (3 times) my main doctor told me SIBO only happened to people who had stomach surgery. I’ll stop there.

This tale ends with deepest gratitude to my “team” for sharing the maps above and how my symptoms and markers could connect to it. These people have never met each other, nor me in person. Amazingly, most have been free of charge, but required an enormous amount of time, digging and learning to find.

Susan Owens and the moderators at TLO; Chandler Marrs, who connects so many of us to Dr. Lonsdale’s work through this brilliant publication and her work on FaceBook groups; the many strangers and friends on FB who have responded to my questions and shared their insights at crucial times along the way; Tim Steele; John Cantanzaro; Donna Johnson; Dawn Tasher; local naturopath Dr. Simon Barker, the Salicylate Sensitivity FB group, wonderful websites like the Healing Histamine and the many brilliant patient/researchers at Phoenix Rising. Thank you!

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More people than ever are reading Hormones Matter, a testament to the need for independent voices in health and medicine. We are not funded and accept limited advertising. Unlike many health sites, we don’t force you to purchase a subscription. We believe health information should be open to all. If you read Hormones Matter, like it, please help support it. Contribute now.

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This article was published originally on October 11, 2017.

Cerebellar Damage and Segmented Sleep

by Arlyn Smith

Published on March 7, 2022

3249 views

Very often, I am accused of hypocrisy, of touting the importance of rest, but not doing it myself. Rest and sleep are incredibly important to human function. Unfortunately, the portion of my brain that regulates sleep is damaged. Indeed, I am as physically exhausted as the next person at times. My eyes become sore, and I become incredibly clumsy. My brain screams for sleep, but I am physically unable to sleep. My brain won’t turn off.

“Try melatonin or tea!” I have. “Try having a psychiatrist prescribe sleep aids!” I’ve done that. I wasn’t sure why they didn’t work but they didn’t, and they made my symptoms worse. Until last year, I thought I must have some form of extreme, treatment-resistant insomnia. After a routine MRI, my neurologist saw a brain abnormality indicating spinocerebellar ataxia. I now understood why the insomnia treatments didn’t work. I had organic brain damage, not psychiatric insomnia. My reason for poor sleep is not remotely psychological. Point blank. I have brain damage. My brain is unable to physically function in the same way as would a healthy one.

I want to make something crystal clear. Brain damage does not equal mental problems or mental incapacity. It is literally having a damaged brain. For example, my brain is damaged due to a stroke and subsequent coma. Miraculously, the damage was done mainly to my cerebellum. This affects primarily physical activity, such as speech and motor coordination. The lack of oxygen supply to my cerebellum caused it to atrophy. It is now only 2/3 the normal size. I now know that it has shrunk even more. I have only a quarter of my cerebellum functioning. This means I function at 25% of my physical capability and am required to work 4x harder than everyone else just to be able to speak and function in the same manner as them. I have no cognitive problems. This is a common misconception, that brain damage means some form of mental degradation. This is simply not true. There are numerous portions of the brain that can be damaged without affecting one’s cognitive function.

The Segmented Sleep Trend

Back to my problems with sleep. I have had severe and intractable insomnia since the injury. My sleep is highly segmented and I am lucky to get a few hours at a time. In trying to resolve this, I have done a lot of research. When I first began looking into segmented sleep, I almost doubled over in laughter. Apparently, segmented sleep is trendy and sought after. I suppose sleeping for several short periods throughout the day is cool. Much of my research on this subject yielded the benefits of segmented sleep. The underlying concept is that lesser amounts of sleep throughout the day can enhance productivity and foster a sense of greater rest. Proponents of segmented sleep proclaim that sleeping 8 consecutive hours is not natural and that since it was commonly used by our ancestors in pre-industrial times, perhaps we ought to use it as well. They contend that sleeping for an eight-hour spell is a recent phenomenon, only coming to pass in industrial human society as a means to live by a clock, rather than by nature and the sun. According to some professionals, segmented sleep, if used correctly, is beneficial and a more natural way to rest.

Many consider it contrary to circadian rhythms, however, and if segmented sleep is not by choice, it presents more problems than it solves. I agree. In my case, segmented sleep is not by choice. It is relative to the cerebellar injury I sustained years ago and presents many problems for me. I may not fall asleep until midnight but then I wake up at 3 am. I am exhausted by 7 am but must be awake all day. While sleeping for two, 4-hour stints may have been suitable at some point in history, it is not exactly wonderful with only one shorter stent and no ability to sleep later in the day. In this regard, the modern clock definitely affects sleep.

Negative Effects of Segmented Sleep

Strangely enough, this lack of sleep does not affect me negatively, cognitively. I honestly cannot explain that one. It does affect my ability to move and speak though. I am aware of my exhaustion when I have physical problems. The lack of sleep causes difficulty with movement and walking. My speech becomes slurred as if I am drunk. Since I have been sober for over 8 years, when this happens, I have to reassure those around me that I have not consumed any substances. At this point, most people in my life are aware of my situation and the cause of my slowed physicality.

At this point, the segmented sleep has been with me for years and no physician has been able to resolve it but I continue to research and seek help. I am planning to see a neurologist who specializes in sleep disorders soon. I am hoping that they can find a solution that my other doctors have not been able to. Sleep disturbances are not pleasant, no matter their origins. If anyone reading this also suffers from segmented sleep from cerebellar injury and has found resolution, please reach out.

For now, solidarity from yours truly at 3:04 am!

We Need Your Help

More people than ever are reading Hormones Matter, a testament to the need for independent voices in health and medicine. We are not funded and accept limited advertising. Unlike many health sites, we don’t force you to purchase a subscription. We believe health information should be open to all. If you read Hormones Matter, like it, please help support it. Contribute now.

Yes, I would like to support Hormones Matter.

Photo by Quin Stevenson on Unsplash.

I’ll Sleep When I Am Dead: Connections Between Diet, Sleep, and Health

by Lisa Hazelgrove

Published on January 10, 2022

4472 views

My journey into discovering what it means to be well began over 60 years ago, when Coca Cola’s popularity burst on the scene back in the late 60’s early 70’s, when a McDonald’s big Mac could be purchased for 49 cents, and Wonder Bread’s claim to fame was “Helps build strong bodies 12 ways.” Instead of eating a nutritious lunch, we were snookered into believing that bologna, whose first name was Oscar and was sandwiched between two slices of white bread, a Tab soda, and a bag of Charles chips was considered a healthy meal. It was anything but healthy and it left us feeling empty, with grumbling stomachs and an unsteady blood sugar level. I lived on these types of foods for decades as my health declined. I did not learn until I was 44 years old that my poor food choices were not only affecting my health but my capacity to sleep. I never slept. When I cleaned up my diet, sleep improved. Unfortunately, the improvements were short-lived because my thyroid became overactive with onset of Graves’ disease. This too, I largely resolved with diet, supplements, and alternative therapies, as conventional medicine seemed to make me worse and all that was offered were drugs and/or surgery. Although I am not yet recovered, I am much better than I was. This is my story.

Early Childhood: Skinny, Unattractive, and Sickly

As a child, I was very thin and clumsy. Nowadays, I probably would have been considered anorexic. I did not have an appetite due to the postnasal drip running down the back of my throat like a sieve. All I could eat on our weekly trip to McDonald’s was half of a regular size hamburger with no condiments. I remember picking through my food with my fork to dig a hole, hoping somehow the food would fall into the hole and disappear, or wishing the dog was inside so that I could hand off my vegetables to him.

The food I consumed came from what is considered a SAD diet (Standard American diet). It originated from the fast-food industry, had no nutritional value whatsoever, and laid a poor foundation for what I believe was my general unwellness. I was never well as child or young adult. As a result of my poor eating habits, allergies, buck teeth, breathing problems, and fitful sleep were my constant companions. I was labeled skinny, unattractive, and sickly. The Weston A. Price Foundation would have had a field day reviewing my overall health relationships. From inadequate nutrition to underdeveloped and overcrowded dental health which then led to poor physical health. I looked like a raccoon with dark circles under my eyes. I was a mess – (spoken with a thick southern accent.)

My mother did her best by encouraging me, providing what she considered to be a balanced diet, general health, and sleep basics, but over time, my body developed poorly, and I suffered miserable allergies to everything. Allergy shots were the recommendation for all of my environmental conflicts. I was left battered and bruised and they did not even work. Eventually, to combat the allergies, they removed my tonsils. This is a barbaric answer to solving a health issue, just remove the organ. I found out much later that the tonsils are an important part of our immune system.

Young Adulthood: Bone Demineralization and Costochondritis

I managed to make it through high school unscathed except for mononucleosis and skin irritations that could be traced back to a poor diet. College brought about new challenges when it came time to eat. This was solved by the plethora of quick meals that provided little to no vitamins or minerals, and of course, my sleep habits continued to decline.

At age 27, I was diagnosed with costochondritis. This was brought about by a rigorous exercise routine at the gym, in the name of getting healthy. “Let’s Get Physical” was the song that sent everyone running to the clubs to get fit and trim, but my lack of essential nutrients caused extreme damage to my ribs. Looking back, I find it hard to believe that I had two relatively healthy children, but then, they received most of the nutrients that were being ingested and I was left with zero. I was eating healthy salads, but I had no clue that my bones were breaking down.

By the time I reached age 39, I could now add osteopenia, depression, sleep deprivation and menopause to my list of infirmities. Nine medications and 75 pounds later, I would also be able to add obesity to my list. It was almost as if this deterioration had catapulted me into a rapid aging process. This makes sense, as Matthew Walker sleep expert, author, and professor at UC Berkley says, ‘the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life’.

Connecting Poor Diet to Poor Sleep and Everything Else In Between

While I was struggling with my own health issues, my son developed his own. At age 12, he confessed to me and my husband that he wasn’t sure he wanted to live anymore. Around the same time, my mother died. This was enough to send anyone over the edge, but my son needed me, so it was time to put my big girl panties on and get answers to why this was happening. I began connecting the dots. We both had depression, allergies or asthma, symptoms of ADD and the “piece-de-resistance” we didn’t sleep! Upon further investigation, I learned that we were both anxious all the time. Could the poor diet and sleep deprivation be behind our illnesses? Turns out they were.

From that point forward, I cleaned up our diet. My husband came home one day to find me chucking all the processed food into the garbage. We began drinking water instead of soda or other flavored drinks and I began to research sleep, nutrition, and energy medicine. This was now my passion. I was determined to not only repair the damage I had caused with the decades long poor diet, but to give my son the gift of healing and create a reason for him to live.

Polypharmacy Induced Vertigo: Enough is Enough

In 2003, I would unlearn everything I thought I knew about wellness. It began with trip to the ER to investigate vertigo. I was sent home with no information as to why I had vertigo other then they could do an MRI if needed. Could the very medications I was taking (9 prescriptions) be behind this malady? My nurse practitioner helped me to slowly detox from the medication I was taking for depression, and this is when I began seeing a nutritionist and using something called magnet therapy. I had read a study on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) that showed promise as a novel antidepressant treatment. It was in 1831 that Michael Faraday discovered that electrical currents can be converted into magnetic fields and vice versa. How fortuitous I was introduced to a company that was utilizing magnets as wellness tools.

The nutritionist performed what is called microscopy. His assessment was dead on. He said, ‘I bet you’re tired all the time’. He also asked if I was on a statin, to which I replied ‘yes, but that I was trying to find a better alternative’. He suggested a liver/gallbladder cleanse and whole food supplements that would support these organs. If it were not for his intervention, I doubt that I would have my gallbladder today. I’m honored and humbled to have known Ted Aloisio and learn about how “Blood Never Lies” his book and his teachings that forever changed the quality of my life.

Thyroid Storm

Another pivotal time for me was September 2017. I wound up in the emergency room. My heart felt like it was about to be launched like a projectile right out of my chest. It was skipping beats too. I had lost a lot of weight with my new focus on nutrition. I thought I was just shedding the old me that was full of emotional discord, bad nutritional habits, and unearthing the real me that was hiding inside. I was in denial. In reality, I had not been feeling well for over a year. My sleep was horrible. I was lucky if I got 5 hours a night and there was a lump on my neck which scared the living hell out of me.

Here, I was a teacher of wellness, and yet was the poster child for being unhealthy. Surprise, surprise you have a problem with your thyroid Ms. Hazelgrove. The official diagnosis was thyrotoxicosis with nodule. My heart was reacting to a hyperactive thyroid, which was being fueled by an autoimmune condition called Graves’ disease. I was immediately put on propranolol for my heart. I asked if it was going to interfere with my sleep and was told that it would not. He lied. I was already having issues the very first night with melatonin production due to the influence of this particular beta-blocker. Beta blockers reduce melatonin release.

I was getting only 2 hours of sleep, so I started Hemp oil two days later. I was not about to go back into the depths of depression because of sleep deprivation. My visit to my primary physician 21 days later was short and sweet. After reviewing my blood lab results and the ultrasound, he had his office manager call me to tell me I was toxic and needed to find an endocrinologists immediately. My T3 was 13, which was extremely high. I agreed to go on methimazole in the meantime so I could look at options, but according to the endocrinologist, I had only the one option. “What am I going to do now?’ I thought to myself. My head was spinning. I knew I had to get away and think. ‘Can’t I just heal it by eating better, sleeping more, and eliminating stress?’

I am truly blessed to have such amazing friends and one in particular had offered to let me stay at her cottage for a weekend. This was about a month into my engorged thyroid, which was now causing me dreadful bouts of diarrhea. I had to wear a diaper on my trip down there, as my bowels were now in charge of my life. I got there and unpacked. This was not an easy task because my body was running “Mach 2 with my Hair on Fire.” Since the thyroid controls metabolism and mine was hyperactive, it felt like I was exercising 24/7. Maintaining energy was a continuous struggle, like a rollercoaster going up and down multiple times a day. I was in the fight or flight mode continuously and my body was in a constant state of catabolism, in order to fuel the persistently heightened metabolism.

Limited Options from Conventional Medicine

My visits with the endocrinologists started out cordial but didn’t end well. I stayed on methimazole for three months, to see if the numbers could be brought down – which they did eventually lower, but the liver enzymes went up and the level 10 pain was unbearable. The only option I was given was nuclear medicine, which meant using radioactive iodine to destroy my thyroid and test the nodule to see if it was cancer. I was told a needle biopsy would not be accurate. I didn’t like the side effects of radioactive iodine and the fact that it increased my chances of breast cancer, which was already an inherited trait in my family. The endocrinologist didn’t want to perform any tests or protocol to see if the nodule was cancerous until these numbers were in a more manageable range and scheduled a second appointment for 5 months later – 5 months!

This was not acceptable to me and so in the meantime, I began researching, and implementing other strategies. I had a friend who owned a wellness center, and I began using sound and infrared sauna therapy. I met with a colleague who recommended a liver cleanse and supplements to help with the healing process. When I had my lab tests done in January, all the numbers looked good, but the liver enzymes were still elevated. I remember the doctor telling me that I shouldn’t stay on the methimazole very long. When I questioned if the medicine had caused the increase in the liver enzymes, she became defensive and said that she didn’t think it was the medicine. Somehow, it was my fault that I didn’t want her to perform a test using radioactive iodine to see if I had cancer, which could inevitably cause cancer down the road.

When I saw her again in February, she asked about the methimazole. I told her that because my liver enzymes were high and so, I had stopped taking it and started taking Iodoral, a high potassium-based iodine supplement. There is much research on this form of treatment. She was not happy. She said that if the nodule was cancer, then it could have now spread to my liver and that could be the reason for the high liver enzymes. She continued to deny that the liver enzymes were elevated because of the methimazole. It was at this point, I mentioned that the nodule had receded. Her response was that nodules just doesn’t disappear. She then grabbed my throat with such force that it hurt. Needless to say, she was fired.

In March, I began seeing a practitioner that specialized in thyroid issues. He recommended running blood tests to see if there were any other autoimmune issues. Sure enough, I also had the Epstein-Barr Virus. I visited another practitioner that did thermographic imaging. The tests did not show any inflammation in the breasts or the thyroid area. March, I went back to my PCP and my blood tests looked good but continued with the propranolol because my heart rate was still elevated. It was also recommended that I keep a close watch on my eyes, so my eye doctor was enlisted to get his perspective on the pressure and strain the Graves’ disease can have on the eyes. In July, I went back to the PCP. He said that I shouldn’t do so much research into nutrition, that knowledge can be dangerous and referenced the Garden of Eden.

Discovering Energy Work

While all of this was going on, I finished my certification for the Emotion Code Technique (link to a reference The Emotion Code | Energy Healing Method | Discover Healing). In August, I started to learn how to meditate and in September started breast milk protocol (Milk Therapy: Unexpected Uses for Human Breast Milk (nih.gov)) to see if I could address a mitochondrial energy reboot and the autoimmune issue. I was gifted about a month’s supply of frozen milk from someone who owned an organic farm. Since breast milk has stem cells and T cells, maybe it could help increase neutrophils and help reverse the autoimmune disease. I read a blog by the medical medium that had talked about pregnancy and thyroid issues. It begged the question, what if my last pregnancy could have been the final straw to being so nutritiously energetically depleted that there was now collateral damage. Interestingly enough, my mom wasn’t able to breast feed me. So maybe this was another missing piece to my poor health.

January 2019, I had to go back on propranolol. I continued with sound and infrared sauna therapy each week. I am forever grateful to my friend who offered this treatment. Some weeks were just hard to rally around with energy to do even the simplest of tasks. Mind you I’m still running my Wellness teaching and coaching business but on a much smaller scale. February through April I concentrated on being a grandmother, you never know how much time we have with family. Easter Sunday, I met with a practitioner to experienced Pranic healing for the first time. This was definitely the icing on the cake as far as energy work is concerned. I went home feeling better that I had felt in years, but this too was short lived. In June, I was able to get away to the beach, which always rejuvenated me. Meditation continued to also give me some peace in between the thyroid revolution I was enduring, and it gave me a chance to learn different approaches to this incredible way to connect to our inner spirit. In September, I began to learn how to incorporate medicinal cooking and more about Ayurveda herbs. In November, my friend closed her wellness center and I had to teach my class at the University of Richmond from a chair again. My daughter came through with some more of her frozen breast milk, which seemed to help somewhat, but again, I would plateau.

Searching For Healing Amid a Pandemic

The pandemic brought us all a year we will never forget. It started with a high note but then April we would all experience dare I say it the new normal. The best thing I can say about 2020 is I continued to search for healing. I figured I had tried all I could to modulate the physical, so now I would elevate the spiritual side of me. We are after all spirit mind and body why not explore how this can facilitate and streamline the healing process? I began to learn all I could about Pranic healing. Each day I would incorporate my spiritual practice of meditation and cleansing of dirty energy. This worked well with my emotion code technique of taking out the trash of old emotional baggage that doesn’t serve us and can even cause illness. I was still teaching my class and now doing online podcast educating others how to create wellness. I began doing a lot of blogging about my journey of healing encouraging others and planting seeds of hope. Being at home gave me the opportunity to also do research and take classes to learn what I could about healing the whole self; a time windfall that otherwise wouldn’t have presented itself if it weren’t for the pandemic.

Discovering Thiamine

In April of this year, the eye doctor noticed an increase in eye pressure, which he wasn’t sure if it was due to the Graves or if it could be glaucoma. When I went back in July and it was still there, I was referred to an eye specialist to investigate further. I am now seeing more cross-eyed, and it appeared to be worsening. In October, I learned about thiamine – vitamin B1 and began taking 500-1,000 mg a day. Wow, immediately my neck felt cooler, and the headaches I had been suffering from subsided. When I saw the doctor again in November and questioned whether or not the eye problems could be related to a thiamine deficiency, he got agitated and said he was not a nutritionist. He wanted to know if I had been tested to see if I was deficient in the first place. I guess physical improvement is not a sign of progress or healing.

It was around the same time that I also learned about pyrroloquinoline quinone and added that to what I was already taking. This is what I am currently taking: Kenzen Mega Daily 4® , Kenzen Omegagreen plus DHA®, Kenzen Immunity® (14 medicinal mushrooms), Jade GreenZymes® (Gluten Free barely grass which has SOD/Superoxide dismutase an antioxidant), Kenzen Vital Balance shake®,(® from Nikken), Lithium, Iordoral, Bilberry, Ginkgo Biloba, Resveratrol, L Carnitine, N Acetylcysteine, Siberian ginseng, Boswellia – Frankincense, Vitamin B1, Cal-mag-zinc, D3 & K2, Ubiquinol + Pyrroloquinoline quinone, Astragalus tincture, oil of oregano, tincture, Bugleweed tincture, Sarsaparilla tincture, Artichoke tincture and cod liver oil. I drink a tea everyday with elderberry, Chamomile, fennel, hibiscus, and green tea because of ECGC (epigallocatechin gallate); which inhibits cellular oxidation and prevents free radical damage to cells.

While I am not fully recovered, I am doing much better, in part because of dietary changes that have allowed me to sleep longer, and more soundly which has enabled me to achieve a parasympathetic or healing response. I am hopeful that 2022 will bring to light some interesting answers. I have an appointment with a doctor of Chinese Medicine soon and looking forward to improved health. Stay tuned to find out what happens next on my journey navigating the road less traveled.

We Need Your Help

More people than ever are reading Hormones Matter, a testament to the need for independent voices in health and medicine. We are not funded and accept limited advertising. Unlike many health sites, we don’t force you to purchase a subscription. We believe health information should be open to all. If you read Hormones Matter, like it, please help support it. Contribute now.

Yes, I would like to support Hormones Matter.

Sleep Hygiene: A Prime Mover of Health and Wellness

by Bryant Manning

Published on May 8, 2017

2067 views

Sleep: The First Issue to Address to Improve Health?

There are various areas in a lifestyle that positively and negatively impact our health, but none more impactful than Sleep Hygiene. Sleep is responsible for resting the mind and body, of course, but so much more. Our brain is the central headquarters for decision-making, memory storage, recall, involuntary process management (digestion, heartbeat, metabolism, breathing, network communications, etc.) and emotions. With such a huge load and expensive set of tasks to perform, restoration is imperative for optimal efficiency. When proper sleep is a consistent part of a person’s regiment, these processes and the vast amount of working parts that are reliant upon their contributions are like a well-oiled machine. Let’s take a look at when sleep lacks consistency.

Circadian Rhythms and Health

Our incredible brain contains an internal clock that manages our sense of timing for a 24-hour cycle. This cycle is referred to as the circadian rhythm. This mechanism helps to regulate our sleep and awake processes. A very special region of the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the master clock that connects with various brain regions. One important connection is the pineal gland that secretes the powerful sleep inducing hormone melatonin. The presence of melatonin is essential for deep sleep and restorative processes to take place. One important restoration of sleep is clearing adenosine and other waste products that accumulate during the waking hours (Interesting fact: Coffee works by blocking the effect of drowsiness that comes from the buildup of adenosine).

Sleep Is Necessary for the Brain and Body

This master clock is not the only clock in our bodies. There are trillions of clocks within our cells that communicate with each other to regulate processes like digestion, metabolism and fat regulation. In a healthy individual, these clocks work in synergy with the master clock. When these clocks are out of sync, health takes a hit. For instance, animal studies show that when rodents are fed outside their normal feeding schedule, that is, against their internal clocks, they gain more weight than rodents fed the exact same diet but on a schedule. It appears, that when the hypothalamus is in rest mode from the absence of blue ultraviolet light and nighttime eating occurs, there are cascading effects that impact the digestive process, the regulatory process of metabolism and adiposity (fat) retention causing inflammation.

Human studies, like ones performed by sleep researcher David Dinges of the University of Pennsylvania found that sleep disruption impairs cognitive ability. In one study, sleep was restricted to 4 hours for the target group while an another group was allowed 6+ hours of uninterrupted rest. Both groups were given problem solving and memory retention tasks to perform. The results were clearly demonstrated that the group with less sleep performed poorly compared to the rested group. This study was a short term test that begs the question of how would these subjects be affected in a long term study? There were many studies with substantial sample sizes performed by Marie-Pierre St-Onge that not only observed an increase of food intake of sleep deprived subjects, but measured food cues by using an fMRI to view activity of food rewards in various brain regions.

Sleep deprivation stimulates the risk/reward regions of the brain that compromise executive option generators to stave off impulsive stimuli. This reaction is what I refer to as the Gambler’s Nightmare because it heightens the consideration of ignoring conventional wisdom and going with risky behaviors more readily. How does this work? A night of shortened sleep with a visual cue (advertisement) of that oh-so-delectable sugary donuts first thing in the morning, can arouse an attack on conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom suggests that the importance to lose some pounds to bring down high blood pressure, to lower glucose blood levels and omit demon foods, is all that we need to focus on. However, the powerful influence of food cues on the basal ganglia (the gatekeeper to actions to be taken) can bypass the prefrontal cortex (planning, weighs pros/cons). Donuts happen to be full of refined sugar that are deep fried in (possibly reused) hydrogenated vegetable oil that will wreak havoc on health…

But one donut won’t hurt…

Can one lousy night’s sleep be that much of an impact on health?

To properly assess the impact of this one night scenario we must look at it in context, beginning with the last meal from the previous evening. Ask yourself these questions:

Was this meal roughly two hours before bedtime? Our bodies are regulated to produce melatonin once the blue UV rays of the sun have declined in which we refer to “night”.
Were your eyes exposed to artificial light from lamps, television, computes, mobile devices or other emissions of blue light within minutes of bedtime?
Once all devices and lights were turned off, are the curtains in your bedroom the “light blackout” version?
Are there any electric clocks that emanate blue lights or night lights that brighten your room throughout the night?

Any or all of these mentioned, will slow the production of melatonin telling your brain that you’re not ready for deep sleep where the restorative processing begins. By the time you reach deep sleep, it’s time to get up and start the day. The delay in reaching deep sleep means your brain will not ready to face the day. This begins the cascading effects of impulsiveness, decision making and physiologically impacts poor decisions we otherwise wouldn’t make. If we’re willing to be honest, most of us will not and have not just experienced this chain of events for one night. Our busy lives and ability to rationalize, allow this scenario to be recycled many times over before we realize what is happening. Sleep hygiene, thus, isn’t solely about length of sleep or quality, but the balance between both entities in synergy.

Optimizing Sleep

Optimizing sleep hygiene is often perceived as difficult because we are not conscious during this process. It is easier than we think. Here is how we begin to give our health a proverbial shot in the arm.

Stop eating at least 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.
Do not consume any beverages containing caffeine at least 4 to 5 hours early before bedtime.
Begin to reduce blue UV Ray light from artificial light sources (bright light bulbs, television, computers, mobile devices, etc.) an hour to 2 hours before bedtime.
Reduce stimuli an hour before bedtime. Do not read materials that are challenging or require cognitive problem solving. Do not listen to music that arouses stress hormones. Take soothing bath/shower. Demonstrate a deep appreciation/gratitude for the day, kiss/hug/express forgiveness to loved one(s).
Perform tasks that reduces work to be completed in the morning. Put out clothing, prep breakfast/lunches for family, place book bags/briefcase by the door, etc..
Meditate/pray/reflect an hour before bedtime.

Make all of the bullet points a set schedule every night that occurs at the same time each night consistently. This will set the circadian systems and cement the processes for beneficial outcomes.

Invest in your health and wellness with a solid commitment to sleep hygiene!

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sleep

What Triggers Us To Sleep?

What Happens When We Are Asleep?

The Effects of Too Little Sleep

The Brain and Neurological Function

Nervous System and Immune Function

Cardiovascular System

Digestive System

Endocrine and Metabolic Effects

How Can We Improve Our Sleep?

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