Konnor..

Are you on cortisone? The brown spots are one of the symptoms of Addison's disease -- extremely low cortisol.

iolite

>>I really struggle to rationalise that the complete decline of my health is due to post nasal drip, despite it being one of the first symptoms to show up. I tried a few nasal sprays to no avail at the time. No doubt it was nasty steroidal stuff that added to the problem.

I suggest the post nasal drip was a symptom brought on by an underlying and probably longer term imbalance of flora, and compromised immunity. But the PND led to the set of symptoms you go on to describe. Definitely the swallowing, breathing...I should go back and copy other symptoms I believe are physically caused by PND.

The underlying issue, the imbalance, adrenal/immunity stuff needs to be addressed also. But my feeling is that if you have acquired some sort of pathogen in the sinuses - you're in a whole new category and have more work (like I do) ahead than those dealing with general flora imbalance, adrenal dysfunction, stomach acid (lack thereof) issues, etc.

>>About a year later I began to have hypoglycemia with more regularity and my diet was horrid. This of course running alongside a long term type A personality - shy, driven, sensitive etc and the drip.

Type A - there you go. A blessing and a curse.

>>I also can't point to major events that would have acted as a trigger, such as a trauma or exposure to any toxins, and have move house and offices since being ill which makes me think environmental factors aren't an issue. Taking out dairy and sugars also hasn't helped - which I am now sensitive to. Admittedly I'm probably not living in the most sterile of environments buts its not too bad. I don't notice any relief when away from home.

If it has taken residence in your body - you won't.

>>Still I certainly need to listen to my body. What's prevented my recovery is trying to get to that logical first step of good digestion and elimination.

Agreed.

>> It's never really happened, resulting in a chronically stressed liver

How do you know your liver is stressed?

>>and a constant pounding of my adrenals and toxic build up. My attempts to follow Dr Lam's protocol even in minute doses has failed - Quantum C - wired, Liposomal C - wired, pantethine - a little better but still wired, even standard ascorbates don't feel quite right.

I'll need to look into Dr. L and this protocol. Sounds interesting.

>>I have been an avid reader of Hv forums and like his factual approach. Adapting his suggestions to my case has been tricky as herbs also tend to be stimulatory or cause adverse reactions. For example I don't digest oatbran, ricebran or yeast very well at all and get buzzed out from a B-complex. Therefore I struggle to see how I can get the foundational support for stomach acid, to them implement bitters effectively. I have an unopened bottle of grape bitters and may just give it a fair old crack of the whip for a few weeks to give it a chance. Anything that aids the liver is going to help but then again I'm back to square one with the sluggish bowels and potentially dumping toxins (Although I'd be quite up for a healing crisis just to feel like progress I can build on!).

Have you tried TMG? Probably. Sorry for all the q's.

>>We are desperately short of resources here in the UK so trying to find a lab that will take a culture will be an interesting challenge. Agreed I could use a little bit of info regardless of how small as I'm getting too many mixed messages from the body (thanks body).

Actually, the UK has some of the best organizations for Aspergillus. Not sure about other organisms, but I'd look at some of the UK's Asper websites.

>>Currently taking a gander at all the natural nasal remedies out there - silver, GSE, Oregano oil, oil pulling, neti pot rinse, Xylitol and may try a couple to begin. A standard salt water rinse seems fairly inexpensive and these sorts of supplements/herbs fortunately are on the cheaper end of the spectrum. However I doubt my immune system is in a position to respond (Darn this negative thinking!).

I have found Grapefruit-Seed-Extract helpful. Oil of oregano also, but trying to stay away from it currently - pretty hard core and kills as much good as it does bad.

Have you tried boron? ("Tri-boron") None of the sprays have helped me all that much - same with the neti or irrigation. Pushes everything into the ears. Makes matters worse. But everyone is different.

I sure wish you luck going forward. I'd give anything a try. But I do think if you can get some sort of identification you'll be in a better position to address what's really going on.

Good luck to you. You have my interest and empathy.

fruits are not bad, just don't mix them with other food plus don't eat them on empty stomach. I went through this, been testing all kind of diets and paleo is the only one. Expect effect within few weeks. Carbs are not that important as may think.
read here:
http://www.vitaminb17.org/paleo_diet.htm


Whenever I eat grains I can expect next day or so my belly like ballon pressing my heart and lungs up - hence hiatal hernia and problems with breathing, allergy and the whole list of other problems. Also irritated esophagus causes swallowing problematic.

Your wired state could be just your system being out of whack rather than reaction to things you're taking in. I don't feel like I got a lot of understanding from my research about the different weird states that the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system can get into. Here's one guess, though: Low blood Sugar promotes cortisol release and cortisol can get you wired. Low blood Sugar could come from poor nutrient absorption. I highly recommend the ketone test strips to see if you're burning lots of fat. That period for me seemed to coincide with breathing difficulty, so I wonder if you're in a similar state.

So I'm guessing you need to find a way to get nutrients absorbed. Easily digested, low-fiber, low-residue foods. I've got a book here that recommends a chicken broth-only recovery for GI "flare-ups". Turkey and white rice might also work well for you. If you're vegetarian, there may be non-animal alternatives, but if you can't figure any out soon, eat the turkeys and get well and then go save a bunch more turkeys from their suffering. Aside from diagnostic possibilities, I highly recommend you do not let your blood Sugar fall. You might consider getting yourself a blood glucose monitor so you can know just where your levels are at. Don't skip meals. Eat small, frequent meals.

When I fasted I had no idea what I was doing. I only knew that I seemed to be having a reaction to everything I ate. This is before I realized that my adrenals could be implicated in the whole mess. I think my adrenals were in good enough shape that I could fast without crashing badly. I also dropped about 40 pounds (about 18kg or 3 stone) over that winter. Miserable, really. But I'm doing lots better now. As can you be.

My guess is that the key for you would be getting nutrients and having your GIT settle down then getting a good amount of mental reprogramming in the form of relaxing/meditative activity. Having hope helps, but I know that having no clear answers and having no clear direction can be very despair-inducing. You _can_ make progress and you _can_ get well.

Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine that also can make you relaxed and drowsy. The antihistamine effect can help reduce the symptoms of digestive intolerance and the relaxation can help you get to sleep. Keep in mind that it is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor as well -- it potentiates serotonin. This means it'll improve your mood over the course of few days, but it also means that you will want to be careful about taking 5-HTP, a serotonin precursor, because you can have too much of a good thing.

That said, 5-HTP is another good supplement. It can help you fall asleep and it provides the building blocks for serotonin, so it can help improve your mood. But, as mentioned, be careful about taking this in conjunction with any serotonin reuptake inhibitor (like diphenhydramine, Prozac, etc.).

Both the 5-HTP and the diphenhydramine you'll want to test the effects of before taking them regularly to make sure you don't make yourself giddy and them come crashing back down. Improved mood fosters resistance to binging.

Melatonin is also a good supplement for resetting your internal clock and promoting sleep. Try just 1mg a half hour before bed. It's also a nice, strong antioxidant.

Avoid bright lights an hour before bed, especially blue lights.

Make sure to get some sunshine and fresh air. Go for walks in nature frequently if you can. Lean on your good friends and good family if there are any that can be helpful. If not, that's okay, I had basically no one except the fine folk here. You _can_ do it.

Quercetin sounds like a good choice for you. I believe it's both antiinflammatory and a digestive aid. Boswellia serrata may also be good for improving gut health and it's antiinflammatory. Bromelain and papain may be good digestive enzymes for you to take, and they synergize, so it's good to take them together. I suggest focusing on your digestion and blood sugar levels.