Instead of rushing this to completion by 16.08.2010 as previously stated, this is getting very complicated so will develop this over the next weeks so that it can be trusted instead. However, I will include the draft as I develop it, as seen below.
It is fair to say, before embarking headlong into taurine supplementation, I have realised that nuts in my diet and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) was also taking part in this process. The levelling of my cholesterol, I first associated with a neglect for my supplements along with a bit of alcohol during a stag weekend, actually happened to coincided with not eating nuts, especially brazil nuts and dropping the NAC. I will be expanding on this with cholesterol results and listing my new diet and supplements as I buil this new saga.
Taurine is the most abundant free amino acid in the skeletal muscle of the body and is involved in around 300 processes. (We've seen similar reported before, in that the same could be said about magnesium and other minerals and vitamins.) It is synthesised by the body from cysteine which is synthesised from methionine, (if one eats enough nuts), and is used to produce bile salts from cholesterol which take a part in the regulation of blood sugar levels and fat stores. (One doesn't need to be that intelligent to suddenly realise it is involved with the all those symptoms common in the failing health and obesity with a modern diet.) Before we go to much further, I want to plant this seed in your mind. - There have been so many studies conducted with taurine, hence the involvement in 300 processes, but no one seems to have tied in all of the key processes into the whole story. Bear with me, and lets assume that taurine is responsible for transport of the necessary ions in and out off cells; so cells with no easy access to taurine will not function or may well die. I may be overstating taurines importance, but its probably not too far from the mark. I then ask the question; why from the medical profession worldwide, is there no advice given to governments worldwide, leading to advice on taurine rich foods and its precursors methionine and cysteine, yet advice is readily given to reduce sodium salt and saturated fats in our diets? In theory a healthy working body should easily regulate excesses of sodium salt and probably saturated fats. They really should look at the cause instead of the symptom of sodium salt leading to high blood pressure and cardio-vascular problems as I have stated before. I have been involved in the field of DNA and molecular biology all my life, but would not claim to be an expert. However, it is my view that one cannot blame all illnesses on genetic abnormalities alone and it is too easy to follow that fashion. As my first boss said to me in the early days of molecular biology, once DNA analysis is complete, virologists will still be needed to prove the findings related to disease for the final conclusion. Why is it that the first test a GP initiates is for a symptom further down the chain to diagnose diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis and not cellular content of taurine or cysteine? If taurine is low, it could explain one of the main reasons for many of these complaints. Looking at a few symptoms for Diabetes 2 for example:
Taurine Stimulation of Calcium Uptake In the Retina
Quote '..taurine is most abundant in the retina compared with other tissue types and because of studies linked taurine deficiency with visual dysfunction'
I am not going to list every reference I have come across claiming calcium, magnesium or potassium deficiency may be responsible for this symptom, but needless to say as taurine is involved with the transport of calcium, magnesium and probably potassium, so taurine deficiency may well be the most likely common link.
Not my first intended reference, but an article which helps this argument. Anyway taurine and bile salt products are known to regulate of blood sugar levels and fat stores -Diabetes Information hub
In hindsight and with my experience over the past two years, I would propose the following scenario. There are other possible reasons for taurine deficiency other than smoking, which we will come to later so stay with me. Due to the fact that I smoke, it is a fact that vitamin B6 levels would be low, so as this is required in the process of synthesising taurine from methionine through cysteine, this is an obvious reason for being deficient in taurine. So why did an increase in magnesium help my Rheumatoid Arthritis? The higher my levels of magnesium, the more chance the lower amounts of taurine could be utilised and it follows that the excess calcium could be utilised. This has been a hard job balancing the calcium and magnesium over these past two years. So what happens to the excess of calcium when the taurine and magnesium is low? Calcium was deposited in my joints and soft tissue to cause the obvious tendonitis pain and leading to the auto-immune response associated with RH. Now; I cannot find the trusted references, which suggest magnesium or calcium can be leached through the skin in the presence of high concentrations of vitamin D3, but I can say that during higher sun exposure, itchy spots which I am now convinced is excess magnesium or calcium, form on my hands and after my holiday in the sun, larger itchy spots pretty much over other areas of my body. Has anybody tested the content of the tiny white spots associated with sun rash? After taking taurine, 2 servings of 3g for two days those spots cleared up. They reappeared towards the end of my holiday, because I relied on the lesser dose of more expensive 500mg tablets, as I did not want to take a white powder through customs. Taurine or rather bile salts synthesised from taurine are associated with absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin D, so I assume it also is responsible for transporting vitamin D from the skin produced by synthesis with UV light. I have also managed to increased my dietary calcium intake with no calcific tendonitis/ RH effects as reported in previous updates below.
I would suggest this is a circular process involving the need of taurine to produce more; that is, if taurine production relies on magnesium and vitamins for synthesis then it requires itself to produce the bile salts to transport those vitamins, which requires vitamin D to transport cholesterol and all sorts of permutations that get far to complicated to follow. So repeated low vitamin D levels over the years during winter periods, loss of magnesium, due to weekends of rather more than recommended alcohol intake, (guilty), excessive exercise, (guilty), bad diet during those weekends due to being in the pub, (guilty). Perhaps, only for a few months or years in ones life, but these things together with perhaps infective illnesses and prescribed drugs, it is quite easy to see how the taurine levels can spiral downwards. If that also starts affecting the intake of vitamin B6 in non smokers, the whole systom really would start to break down. Perhaps, a real reason for the aging process.
I now have a straight forward simple solution to my health. The theory may not be accurate, but it works and is exactly the kind of way I would finalise most problems I encounter.... until someone puts me right, it is right for me. So I had a relapse: The cause for this was another family do with cream on desserts, followed by consuming two pints of milk which was going spare during a trip up to Glasgow two days later. Within a few hours, I was suffering form the intense pain of calcific tendonitis in my shoulder that I had not had for 18 months. Stupidely, I had assumed that the higher levels of vitamin D and the reduced level of the magnesium supplement would stop the calcium causing this problem again. However, taking half the daily magnesium supplement at four hour intervals it cleared it up within 12 hours instead of the 3 days it would normally last.
According to some sources, when you have healthy levels of vitamin D, the body has no real mechanism to stop the gut from taking in calcium. So I made four crucial mistakes: My low vitamin D level was measured in late winter and I was wrong to assume I had a problem metabolising vitamin D from sunshine. As most of my tendonitis and joint pain used to hit me in spring and during holidays, quite the opposite was true it would seem. (Just see in other websites the explaination of temperature, sweating and all sorts of wierd reasons people put forward for arthritis being worse in summer.) The second mistake was that I did not need to worry about calcium anymore.
This is quite confusing, as I was sure that magnesium was stored to a certain extent at the joints, but sources I have read say that magnesium is not stored by the body. A bit worrying, as I cannot see the possibility of getting the recommended RDA from natural sources and I must have been losing a lot more with the exercise I was doing. So the third mistake was neglecting to take the second serving. (AND I say serving, because it is a supplement and not a medicine.)
I think I neglected to point out in this long backward history, that for a while, I was drinking low calcium bottled water, (Ashbeck, Tesco's) while the magnesium mopped up the excess calcium. I have had it in the back of my mind that my family come from Yorkshire and my father has connections with Ireland and France. Either way, Scandanavian influences on Ireland and Yorkshire would suggest ancestors who were more suited to regions with natural water of higher magnesium content and lower calcium content. I also believe I have recognised at least 7 members of our family with related problems. I will rectify this fourth mistake by buying this water permanently.
Magnesium Orotate 3x 500mg twice a day Now I realise my mistake.
Zinc 15mg with breakfast. (Immune system and skin - for potential calcium spots on skin)
Vitamin D 25 micrograms with breakfast. (I may stop this in summer and reduce it to 2 a week in winter.)
Glucosamine Suphate-Chondroitin 360mg-400mg twice a day
Vitamin C 2x or 3x 1000mg (Immune system, but mainly to clean out my liver.)
Calcium Orotate 3x 500g on exercise days. (Contains correct ratio of magnesium.)
Blackstrap Molasses and Chelated Iron every-now-and-again, or Guinness. I have a heart monitor to help me exercise safely, but found I was struggling to below my fat burning limit 146bpm or even 153bpm for more intense rides. Thinking that I had covered the important things with the above and bananas, the only thing I could think of was the iron content carrying oxygen. So when this happens, I take the Molasses and Iron, though Guinness is favourite.
Why the Orotates? They work! I am not going to advertise this directly as they are expensive. I seem to remember that they were developed for people with chronic liver problems and though I would not rule out a problem with my liver, hence the vitamin C, they are more easily absorbed. The magnesium Orotate does not seem to cause the diarrhoea problems associated with other forms when taking higher doses. Why the calcium? After cycling and dieting without losing any weight, the magnesium supplements started the weight loss, but after couple of migraines directly after cycling, I realised I was low on calcium. Taking this controlled amount of calcium with the vitamin D, I lost half a stone in 9 days with no migraines. It has been shown that intracellular magnesium increases weight loss and that higher calcium levels in MEN contribute to weight loss. My theory is that this form of calcium gets to the blood stream and the liver to help with this process, which the other forms don't. Besides, Calcium is needed for energy during exercise, but I do not know why calcium in milk, water and cream causes me so many painful joint and skin problems. Perhaps they contain something else.
Besides this, I keep to a normal diet, with acceptable amounts of milk, cheese and eggs, but do make sure I get enough fish.
I realise we are all different, but from what I hear, the depleting levels of minerals in our foods are affecting two thirds of the population of the western world, and I am not going to accept joint pain and general feeling of ill health as a sign of growing old. Anyway, not many people at 50 years of age and no exercise for twelve years, breathless with uncontrollable pain in most joints end up being able to cycle 20 km/hour 11 hours a week, (when work allows) within 18 months. You never know, I might even give up smoking, now that my restored mineral levels have stopped me constantly craving for something.
Every time I plan to summarise what I have discovered, I find another bombshell to delay it. Although I had corrected my joint problems with Magnesium, I still did not have the energy I expected would come with it. So knowing that Calcium with Magnesium is required for a persons energy, I started to introduce calcium back into my diet, happy in the knowledge that the magnesium had cleared up the excess. I was dissapointed to experience on at least three occasions incredible itchy lumps forming under the skin, so cut down on both the magnesium and calcium well below recommended doses on the supplements. I will now list the events with the theory I have had since discovering the importance of magnesium. Eventually, I will link to the best sources of information and give references, but I want to do this carefully as there are so many sites providing this information, but some of them are trying to sell products or miracle diets.
I have been slim, very fit and healthy up till about ten to fifteen years ago when my lifestyle took a turn for the worst; mainly due to my job. I could eat as much as I wanted and still stayed slim as I was cycling in excess of 200 miles a week. Over the last fifteen years I have put on over two stone but I still have well formed muscles. In the last three months, I have strived to keep my diet to around 2,500 kcals, but my weight is constant. Recently, I have tried to cycle hard for one hour each day and been more strict with the diet, but the weigth was still not falling off as I expected. I have had the theory for a long time, that dieting will obviously also minimise those vitamins and minerals essential for breaking down fat, leaving a person the same weight but having no energy.
Wow! Magnesium certainly does. From my old biochemistry book, Mg++ is key in the synthesis of the essential enzymes to breakdown lipids stored in the adipose tissue. (That is the fat cells.) . Furthermore there is a paper which has studied the lack of availability of free magnesium in the body of obese people. Studies have also shown Calcium to be a significant factor in the blocking of insulin to lay the fat reserves in the first place, but only in men. Sorry ladies! Quite a few websites suggest that magnesium is best absorbed on its own without calcium.
Since learning of my low vitamin D levels and making the most of the brilliant sunshine, I now have an excellent tan. Armed with the above information, taking 375 mg magnesium orotate one hour before morning and evening meals and 1.5g calcium orotate with morning and evening meals, I do not get the itchy lumps. I can only assume this is due to the recovery of my vitamin D level. Even better, after the initial fits of sneezing only fifteen minutes after the first dose of calcium, I can breath through my nose, which is something I have struggled with for years. I find my hour cyling ride is easier and increased my average speed by two mph. Only five days so far but my weight has dropped to a consistant 2lbs below my lowest yo-yo weight. More pleasing is that the fat is visibly reducing and muscles are becoming toned.
I do have a theory, but first the facts. For men the recommended daily intake is 350mg and women is 300mg and is increased for over 50 year olds. Magnesium helps to form the structure of strong bones, but this, I would imagine is growth and repair. It is common knowledge that Vitamin D defficiency causes rickets and I guess a lack of magnesium would cause weak bones; so I feel sorry for the children who are not eating their broccoli and nuts, as their life is going to be hell in adulthood. The most significant storage of magnesium for daily use is around the bone, and I believe this is what should be restored. The problem I have is with the discrepency between recommended daily intake and the foods yielding magnesium. The most significant source seems to be from broccoli, which needs to be well boiled to release the magnesium. However, there is no way a person would eat that quantity every day to achieve that RDA. I am now of the opinion that I will need to take these supplements every day if I want to stay as healthy as I am, but probably reduce it. I fully intend to do more work on this, but it would be more helpful if this was officially researched. The biggest problem for someone like me is that even if I could persuade my doctor to give me regular blood test for magnesium, calcium and vitamin D, this will not give any help at all with the correct levels in the body and cells. My theory is that as small young people we build up these reserves, but as we grow bigger our needs becomes greater, the reserves gradually deplete. As adults, alot of us partake in coffee drinking and the odd beer or two, whcih significantly flushes magnesium out of the system. Although, I do not know if it is possible for magnesium to be stolen from the bone structure itself, I believe the joint problems and bone wear and tear would be what everyone accepts as symptoms of getting old. Maybe that is why the NHS, Food Standards Agency and government are promoting low salt diets to tackle cardiovascular problems. I thought it was sheep-like stupidity that they believe a factor which fataly raises blood pressure in magnesium defficient people already suffering from cardiovascular problems would not create magnesium defficiency in healthy people. I now realise they would be stupid to promote magnesium supplements to tackle this as the last thing they need is for us to live twenty years longer.
I will expand and develop this diagram and introduce references in the future, but in the meantime, try to check out the observations used to explain the causes of cardivascular problems yourself and do the same with the facts. Even better, if you have the patience, try using biochemistry books to substantiate these facts. Also, if you feel the need to correct me on any mistakes, (I know there will be some), please send me an email. Likewise, surely someone has correllated this properly already, so if you have seen it, I would be interested to know. It doesn't take a super intelligent person to realise that the observations of the symptoms leading to heart disease and stroke are not the real cause. On the other hand magnesium may only be one candidate from many. It's a shame 'nanny' can't furnish us with the real facts.
Trickling the last bit of blood out of the stone, ( managed to get my GP to test for Para-Thyroid problems), the vitamin D level was low in my blood. Apparently, this was still within acceptable ranges, except it was at minimum. Well OK, I have learnt not to argue with these ridiculous statistics, as it is a waste of time. So vitamin D along with magnesium is required for the transport of Calcium. This brings everything together; I am one who tans easily, so I am vunrable and my work for the past 10 years has kept me stuck in darkened offices. Just as a simple explanation for those diagnosed with a Calcium deficiency who do not get the obvious symptoms of Pseudo-Gout, it's like having a lorry load of calcium to deliver, and the diesel/(magnesium) runs out and the pump-attendant/(vitamin D) has not turned up for work. There is plenty of calcium around, but is not in the required place.
I got a ticking off for diagnosing myself from the Web. However, I did point out that I searched for ideas on the Web, but all my evaluations are carefully worked out with the help of my biochemistry books and studying metabolic pathways and the physical effects of taking these suppliments. I'm still waiting for a re-occurance of my so called Palandromic Rheumatoid Arthritis and it has been more than six months. I can carry out strenous exercise for 2.5 hours without to much effect on muscles and joints and correct any small discomfort the following day with the correct mineral adjustment. So even the odd bit of stiffness or cramp-type ache I get the following day, which I used to accepting as normal after overdoing it a bit, I can put right in a matter of minutes with the right mineral.
In the coming weeks, I'm going to archive all this below, summarise what I have found, and hopefully give an insight on why we are asked to eat five pieces of fruit a day, why the recommended daily intake of some minerals are impossible to achieve with a normal diet, stress why it is very unlikely that anyone could be Calcium defficient, and tie up the reason why we just accept these defficiencies are due to old age. Of course everyone is different, but many of these things will apply to most.
One search I saw hitting my website was 'how long does it take to correct for magnesium defficiency?'; hopefully, I can explain that as well, but is very dependent on age, alcohol, smoking, diet and how long your body has been using up the stored magnesium in your bones. I will give a more precise idea in my summary. Lets make this clear- I am not a doctor and just publishing what I have discovered personally after the NHS system and Food Standards Agency have let me down by using ludricrous statistics. Probably not true, but what if mediteranian people were really healthy because their water from volcanic mountains was high in magnesium and if they moved to the southern area of the UK, their cardio-vascular problems may suddenly appear no matter how much olive oil was in their diet. What I want to see in these statistics, is the inclussion of all the possible control data as well and not a typical jump to a conclusion.
It will still take a few more visits to my GP and Rheumatologist for more blood tests to establish the truth, but I can now do the following. Touch my shoulder blades with both hands, windmill both arms and do 10 press-ups and 10 pull-ups. These are things I would not have attempted over the past two years. The only pain I have is in one knee, caused by 38 years of damage. This is the only downside of the reduced inflamation. On 18/09/2008 this notice read: I am typing my arthritis investigation similar to a diary while I learn about my problem. I make no excuses for some of the wrong directions I go down, as this is a very new subject for me. I am absolutely fed up of reading, 'cause not known', and am determined to find the cause in me! Troubleshooting automated molecular biology procedures is part of my job and cannot, in my opinion, remember failing on one. This has questionably more permutations than I would normally deal with, but I am determined. Well that determination paid off! I am leaving my 'Red Herrings' below, and gradually work through to edit them accordingly as I have time. I know it is a mess, but the reason for this is that some of these things may still be useful.
While searching for why phosphate or sulphate in my medication was causing adverse affects, I came across an article on Calcific Tendonitis. Arthritis Research Campaign I can tell you the air was blue after reading the symptoms for 'What is an attack of acute calcific tendinitis usually like?'. I had explained exactly these symptoms on at least three occasions. This led to Wikipedia, which was not the best source of information. During the next few days, I am going to add some relevent information to cover the arguments, but in the meantime I cannot improve on the background information referenced here. I would strongly recommend reading both pages of the first! The only thing I would say now, is that I find it very difficult to imagine how a balanced diet can possibly provide the required RDA of Magnesium. Why do GPs not automatically test for electrolytes before any other complicated diagnosis? I believe that I would have died of a heart attack within 10 years without this realisation, and am still banging my head against a brick wall to persuade my GP and Rheumatologist what the real cause is. I think this proves it, but do not open this while your having your dinner! Seen it in the toe nails. It clearly shows how the calcium is migrating through the nail, and not yet reaching the top. I did notice this the day after starting the magnesium supplement, but didn't think to photograph it. The raised CRP levels in blood may well be an indicator of heart disease in Arthritis sufferers. Is it not obvious that this goes hand in hand with salt deficiency? I wonder how many other forms of arthritis may be relieved using magnesium supplements, or how many people have been wrongly diagnosed and are dependent on harmful drugs to bring down the CRP levels. If the estimates of the percentage population deficient in magnesium are to be believed, I would guess there is a lot of these poor people around.
I will soon add information, but include the list here as food for thought
I intend to start a counter-campaign against the low salt diet recommended by the food standards agency, but more over, want to bring people's attention to the magnesium deficiency it is causing in the population.
The majority of people I meet up with, both young and old show the telltale signs of magnesium deficiency, having brittle or brown nails with distinct lines showing a lack of calcium, especially in toenails. Magnesium is responsible for the transport of calcium, and without it the calcium is deposited in soft tissue such as muscles, leading to fatigue and perceived joint problems; calcium would also be deposited in arteries, leading to cardiovascular disease and strokes.
The evidence presented by the low-salt campaign is generally flawed, as the population chosen for their statistics are normally people who already have cardiovascular problems, and none of these studies ensure that all other vital minerals and vitamins are at a correct level. It is over the next few years that we shall see that the low-salt campaign will take its toll.
Magnesium is rated the fourth most important mineral in the body. I would argue it is the most important, as it is required in the process of regulating salt balance by excretion in the kidneys, regulating heart beat and in the enzymatic processes for storing and retrieving food reserves.
The process of dehydration and magnesium loss in healthy people can be attributed to a low salt diet. The process in the kidneys requires a reasonable balance of minerals; magnesium is used to regulate water and salt, and is generally re-absorbed within this reasonable balance. If salt levels are low, more water is excreted and magnesium is not absorbed so efficiently. This is very dangerous as sources of magnesium in food is not so abundant; broccoli seems to be the best source along with peanuts to name just a couple of food sources, but two large sprigs of broccoli give less than 33% of recommended daily intake. I for one, do not eat broccoli every day and don't eat peanuts because they are normally salted. During summer and for people who exercise regularly, this water and magnesium loss will result in steady dehydration and salt loss until regulation is impossible.
People on diets may become deficient in magnesium and as it is essential in the enzymatic processes of recovering stored food resources, this could explain why the weight loss slows after the initial good results. Perhaps magnesium suppliments while dieting could help.
It is particularly worrying that drinking habits in younger people will also lead to the loss of magnesium due to the dehydration process.
I would agree that in a person who had a deficient diet may benefit from a lower salt intake, as this may well be tying up the precious minerals essential for regulation and other processes essential to life, but this is not the answer to the problem. The answer is to provide all essential minerals and vitamins in excess, and allow the body to regulate itself properly. The body has been doing this far better over these hundreds of thousand years than these stupid so-called experts.
From the age of nine till early twenties, I suffered from cramp and dull aches in my legs which were relieved by drinking water with a teaspoon of salt and I also suffered frequent unexplained joint problems which I put down to a hereditary weakness. Now, just short of 50 years of age, I was recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis after getting repeated intense shoulder pain and eventually pain in my wrists and hips, (groin). I discovered independently from any advice from my rheumatologist, that supplementing my diet with Magnesium Citrate 100mg 4 times a day, 2 bananas a day and plenty of water cleared up my so-called Rheumatoid Arthritis within six days. A concern that my father died from one massive heart attack only 5-8 years after some form of arthritis set in, lead to the discovery of this idea through a pursuit of why high blood C-Reactive Protein levels had some relationship with heart disease.
My wife does not use any salt in her cooking, and I no longer led the athletic lifestyle which would have highlighted the need for this salt. Bathroom scales with a body fat function we bought a couple of years ago suggested my body water was low, and I strongly believe that I have gradually become low in salt and began dehydrating gradually over the past 15 years, leading to this complete breakdown in salt regulation. I also believe this may well have induced the magnesium deficiency leading to failed calcium transport and it then being deposited in soft tissue as calcium pyrophosphate. I also could not work out why I had only normal to high blood pressure of around 130/86 with my new sedentary lifestyle even when I was smoking and drinking a little higher than the recommended alcohol intake, but while using this diet, my blood pressure gradually increased to moderate hypertension, and then after stopping smoking settled down nicely back to ideal. (My father did not smoke!)
I have searched the references for why excess Sodium Chloride causes high blood pressure and only get the abstracts, as subscribing to so many journals is to expensive as an individual. This is why we need to rely on these experts to assess these papers correctly. Some of the abstracts I have seen, actually use a population suffering from heart disease, which suggests some bias in the findings that a reduction of salt in their diet lowered the risk of heart attack. Without being able to read all these papers and articles, I cannot see whether these subjects proved to have normal levels of all other electrolytes and whether a healthy population was used for comparison. I will stop myself from listing the obvious sarcastic comparable tests. I now read that clogging of the arteries can be caused by calcium deposits rather than fat, as I had previously been led to believe. This could explain why my father may have died so suddenly without a previous history of heart disease, and why so many apparently healthy athletic types die from sudden heart attacks with no warning. This now makes me realise that if calcium deposits in my muscles are so high that they are causing arthritis type symptoms, my arteries are probably in a terrible state. It also begs the question as to why the testing of electrolytes in blood is not carried out more routinely.
Bearing in mind that magnesium deficiency may be an hereditary key, magnesium deficiency will probably exhibit different symptoms within the family. There seems to be a close relationship of psoriasis and calcium gradient in the skin and again magnesium is key in the transport of calcium. Experts in skin complaints seem to recognise the itchy blister type spots as calcium spots, (at last a verification of this symptom from a reliable source), whereas rheumatologists do not recognise them as a side effect of some forms of arthritis. A problem of specialism I think. First searches reviel a publication that implies vitimin A and vitimin D together with magnesium would be the first theory to tackle this problem, and at the moment I strongly believe calcium is normally in excess due to it's abundance in most diets. However, I would suggest that a deficiency related to vegitarianism such as B vitamins is a more likely line of enquiry. This will be my next study. Note: The absence of calcium in the right place is as likely to be magnesium deficiency rather than calcium deficiency, and more calcium without correcting magmesium levels will only make matters worse.
I was forced to give up on my dream to become a doctor at an early age, as my inability to learn masses of irrelevant material did not suit the exam system. Instead, I rose to a humble senior technician in research. I left this to pursue a career which better suited my 'problem solving' skills after the frustration of having to teach no end of academics who could not seem to grasp the basic concepts of putting this vast knowledge into practice. The argument from these so-called experts would be that I am not qualified to give this advice. Well excuse me, but I have only been working on my case for the last four weeks and came up with the reason for my symptoms; the people with the 7 years of training and lifetime experience did not. I used basic principals of human metabolism taught at A-Level and did not use flawed statistical studies. Without this, I would probably have been dead from a heart attack within the next couple of years, and may well still die early, because I have to rely on the medical profession I am upsetting here to put right the mess my body is likely to be in. In the pursuit of churning out publications to enhance their careers, the care of ensuring all relevant influences fundamental to arriving at the correct conclusion seem to be waved. Unfortunately, the public does not have the ability to check this data is correct, as these publications are generally restricted to journals requiring expensive subscriptions. For this reason, we have to rely on the experts to get this right. If the level of expertise shown from these salt-diet statistics is what we are to expect, perhaps there should be some regulation to prevent this advice being forced on the public globally. For example, I did come across an abstract which suggested magnesium suppliments after a heart attack may help reduce the risk of subsequent attacks. Well blow me down with a feather! Did it take seven years of training to forget the role of magnesium? Would it not have been better to prove the obvious reasons before producing a paper with such a title. The title could have read magnesium deficiency has proved to be the cause of a large percentage of cardiovascular disease. I don't know about you, but I feel that would have more impact and is probably true.
Having recently been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, the Rheumatologist must have thought I was mad, appearing quite ecstatic that I had been diagnosed with a horrible disease. The truth is; I was pleased that the reason for the intense joint pain had been found, as these attacks were becoming much more frequent. My thoughts are that it may well be controlled before it threatened my working life. The Rheumatologist copied me on my blood test levels for ESR, CRP, Rheumatoid Factor and Uric Acid and my thoughts were that I could use a common sense approach to help with my treatment. Unfortunately, this is not a set of complex mathematical equations I am normaly used too, but more of a contradictory balance of diet and drugs.
So on to the internet: Yes, high Rheumatoid factor, CRP and ESR along with joint pain is a perfect diagnosis for Rheumatoid Arthritis. So during the delay of getting my proper prescription, I took the correct dose of Diclofenac Sodium, which I normally would stop after the pain went away, cut down on coffee, had a daily dose of cider vinegar with honey and off course, drunk the Guinness, as alcohol in moderation is supossed to be helpful. After a few days I was beginning to feel an overall improvement, and realised a stiffness which had obviously crept up on me over the years was disappearing. Rheumatoid Arthritis can also cause inflammation of the heart membrane and lining of the lungs. (I have to say that in the first few days of self-treatment, my shortage of breath seemed to disappear as well). However, after ten days, I was aware of the stiffness coming back and a dull pain in my knuckles which I never had before. I then realised I had accepted the fact that all of a sudden I had constant pain without the long pain free periods in between and this may not be the complete answer to my condition. So after comparing my symptoms over the years with information on the internet, I could be forgiven for jumping to the conclusion that my condition was closer to a diagnosis of polyarticular gout and looked for reasons why gout may cause a raised Rheumatoid Factor and raised C-Reactive Protein level
Firstly, I would refer you to an article which answered the final question to convince me. How Uric Acid Causes Gout Pain. (My searches keep finding this website and I am beginning to think this is the most useful source of information I have found. In summary, as uric acid levels in the blood reach saturation, crystals are deposited around the body and especially at the joints and cause the immune response which leads to the painful inflamation. As these crystals are dissolved when the uric acid levels in the blood drop or the saturation level is increased, this may also lead to inflamation as the crystals become exposed again. It also explained my personal experience with the medication. My prescribed medication has helped, in that I do not suffer the extreme pain associated with a flare-up, as it has kept down the inflammation. On the other hand, I would not normally have had a 'flare up' during this time and has left me with the constant lesser pain of 'crystals' in my joints. This led me to search for an alternative solution. I now realise that this may still be the same explanation for my condition with the calcific deposits being the trigger for the raised Rheumatoid Factor and CRP levels.
Unaware that my uric acid levels were not actually that high, I purchased a Blood Uric Acid Monitoring System. Blood Uric Acid Monitor to check the effects of various foods in my diet. I have re-written this in case it may be of help for gout sufferers.
Potentially the increase of Sodium alone in a body deficient in all salts could lead rapidly to high blood pressure and heart attack! In my case this was not a very wise thing to do at all.
In my search for information of reducing Uric Acid in blood, due to my concern with the relationship of heart failure, I came across this article. (And Guess What? Same Website!) Treating Gout with Baking Soda. I must stress the warnings given. The healthy body relies on a strict balance in chemistry, so excessive intake of any food or chemical can adversely affect it and act as a poison. The effect of an imbalance is what probably caused the gout in the first place, so I would avoid putting my body chemistry in turmoil with another imbalance.
For the test sent away by your GP it is normal to fast for 12 hours prior to taking the blood. Perhaps fasting ensures the body uses energy stores which produce higher levels of Uric Acid in gout sufferers, but something tells me this might not be the best test. After receiving the Uric Acid Monitor, I tested my level at 6.8mg/dL, read the baking powder article and decided to give it a careful go and monitor my levels. I took a spoon of baking powder in a pint of water, and some 4 hours later the test was a terrible shock! 8.9mg/dL. After a long time of worry but realising my joint pain was less, I came to the conclusion expected, that I had raised the pH of my blood resulting in more uric acid in solution, but I was not getting rid of it. I then realised that I have so much uric acid stored as crystals in my body that I might very well be getting rid of it but it was being replaced from these deposits. Thinking I could achieve a level baseline to test medication and diet, I set out a plan to purge my body of my uric acid deposits. (Please do not assume the monitor is unreliable; I have a lifetime of laboratory experience and even though these test strips are quite expensive, have checked this with controls and multiple readings).
My idea was that for a a maximum of four days, stop medication, do not touch the bad foods and use the Bicarbonate of Soda instead of the baking powder. I would follow the article, with just a couple of changes. The first was to decrease the Sodium Bicarbonate dose to three times a day and follow it with two pints of water at regular intervals inbetween to flush everything out. In these first two days I can give the Uric Acid level pattern as follows: Early morning after breakfast 8-9 mg/dL. Three hours after Sodium Bicarbonate dose, 6-8mg/dL, (with the two pints of water and frequent visits to the loo during those three hours). One hour after next dose of Sodium Bicarbonate 8-9mg/dL and after two hours and two pints of water, 4-5mg/dL. I repeat this once more during the evening without tests. Over five days, this pattern repeated until I did appear to achieve an overal lower uric acid level and some relief using this treatment. I now realise that my uric acid levels were not that high, and this was not my problem, but I have left it here in case my approach may be useful to real gout sufferers. One day using Baking Soda did make me realise I had a problem with phosphates, as this appeared to cause pain to return to my joints. This helped me to discover the exact symptoms of Calcific Tendonitis and I have put a theory as to why the phosphate may have caused problems in the Glucosamine Sulphate section below. I am still unsure why this treatment seemed to relieve my condition, but I do believe this increased my body water which my fancy bathroom scales suggested was low, and maybe it was just the increased water that helped.
(I have left this here, as I think it is even more relevent now that I have found that my condition is neither gout or rheumatoid arthritis.) It seems to me that easy patient turn-around is achieved by treating the pain and the inflammation without investigating the cause; but does that not mean repeatedly returning for adjustments to treatment and for side affects?. Don't get me wrong, I have every respect for the knowledge and experience of General Practitioners and the Specialists, and wouldn't want to upset them because I need their help. In my job, there is a bit of research and development and a lot of troubleshooting. I pride myself with routing out the cause, and if the cause cannot be fixed, only then will I look for a workaround. Take the scenario of the rusty chassis on a car. You can paint over it to hide it cosmetically, but if you don't stop the corrosion, you might find that one day your arse is being dragged along the road. I realise that diagnosis for this type of complaint is not easy as there is such a cross over of symptoms and treatment, and not all people are the same. I believe there must be a lot of people who are suffering needlessly because their medication helps, but is not quite right. I do think that a concerted effort should be made to investigate what imbalance maybe causing the uric acid deposition in a each patient, instead of continuing with what 'nearly works' for the majority because the reason is unknown. Perhaps for some, the problem could be corrected at source. In the long run this should decrease the need to keep returning for brief consultations and workarounds, and avoid people like me worrying if heart failure could be the cause, or vice-versa, or even a viscous circle of both. Maybe, take a leaf out of the field service departments' book and follow the plan of reducing repeat call outs by improving customer care. Also, get the government out of health care. As my brother pointed out, 'after the 10 minutes of answering the government directive questions of smoking, obesity, etc, etc, you only have 5 minutes left to explain your symptoms'.
Years ago, I took Glucosamine Sulphate to help with a knee cartilage problem I had since a child. After I ended up with hip and other joint pain, I decided this was making it worse. (I am not the only one to have experienced this.) During my most recent shoulder flare up, I tried Glucosamine again. This time, rather than the usual four days, I suffered for about ten days as the pain moved from my right to the left shoulder and into my wrist and thumb, and then back to my right wrist and thumb and also in my groin, (now I realise it was in my hips). Could this be that my body was developing an immune response to the actions of the Glucosamine Sulphate? Now that I have discovered the likely cause of my condition, I can explain why this may have been a problem, and why I can now take the Glucosamine Sulphate without any adverse affects. During the weeks of my diagnosis, I also perceived a problem with medication containing phosphates and my experiment with Baking Powder compared with Sodium Carbonate also suggested the phosphate in Baking Powder caused an affect. As my condition was likely caused by salt imbalance and deficiency in magnesium, it may be possible that the sulphate and phosphate was responsible for tying up this precious deficient mineral or in the case of the phosphate increased calcium pyrophosphate deposits, making the condition worse. I can honestly say that I have been taking Glucosamine Sulphate for three days since my salt balance has been restored, and my left knee which has been unbearable after the inflammation had gone down, is now beginning to feel a lot better.