[Daniel]

Hey ,

Nightshades are a group of plants that can protect themselves from insects and bugs by producing certain chemicals. These chemicals are nature’s variation of insecticides.

Solanine for example is such a compound that you can find in nightshades like potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, goji berries and peppers (Bell peppers, chilli peppers, cayenne, etc)

While nightshades are completely healthy for most people, they are a common (but not always) food sensitivity in those with joint pain, IBD, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and other inflammatory autoimmune diseases.

Ankylosing spondylitis is a form of arthritis that causes chronic spine inflammation. Avoiding nightshades can be something you could consider.

That being said, the supplements I recommended earlier can also be used with Ankylosing spondylitis. Following an anti-inflammatory lifestyle is definitely something that could help. I know your husband followed an anti-inflammatory diet which helped. Other things that can help the healing process are having a focus on good quality sleep and avoiding stress.

If you are unsure if your husband sleeps well, just ask him the question if he feels he has enough energy for the day when he wakes up.

If you like some more detailed tips around those topics, let me know!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Personally, I have no experience with this test, so I can’t speak to that. It looks to me like a special kind of food sensitivity test.

The test does this by looking at changes in the volumes of white blood cells. The idea is that once white blood cells have released their mediators, they shrink in size. In this way, they test how your white blood cells react to different foods.

Compared to the KBMO food sensitivity test (which you can find here), they use a different approach. I only know that KBMO has been used much more in the functional medicine world and has built trust with its results.

You could try the MRT test if you would like. The advantage is that histamine is also mediated by white blood cells. I only can’t speak about my experience with this test.

Did you ever consider finding help from an osteopath? A big factor why you might still be experiencing acid reflux might also be caused by the position in which your stomach is. Perhaps an osteopath can be of help here.

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Three years of stress is a long time to be stressed… I hope there is some pressure relief possible for you in the near future!

Stress can influence health for sure. The way stress influences your health is unique to you and your circumstances though. Both the frequency you need to go to the toilet and hair loss can be caused by stress, but still in different ways. Here are some things to consider:

Stress can influence nutrient absorption
Nutrient deficiencies like iron and zinc can cause hair loss. These minerals need to be sufficient in your diet of course, but for absorption, these minerals also need strong stomach acid. Testing iron can be done by your doctor as well. An iron deficiency can also cause anemia. Other symptoms of anemia are looking pale, feeling fatigued, shortness of breath, mouth ulcers, an inflamed tongue, brittle nails or even the desire to eat ice or other non-food things.

The HCl dosing challenge can give you a clue as to if you are deficient in stomach acid. Just remember that this challenge isn’t a diagnostic tool.

Other nutrients that play a role
Proteins, Selenium, B vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin D play a role as well. How much vitamin D are you supplementing with? And do you know your current serum levels? All these nutrients are also needed for a healthy thyroid hormone balance. In fact, a slow thyroid can also cause hair loss, which brings me to the next topic.

Stress and thyroid function
If you are sensitive to cold, feeling fatigued, depressed, constipated or have unexplained weight gains, these are all extra symptoms that could point to having a slow thyroid.

Stress raises reverse T3 and blocks the action of the metabolic active T3. If you aren’t sure how this all works, I recommend you watch this explanation.

Attached below I have added a handout that will dive into details of what nutrients you should be focussing on.

If you recognize more symptoms I would recommend you watch the full Thyroid Balance course, but as a bare minimum, this video will explain to you how to test your thyroid.

Hairloss & hormones
Elevations in androgens can also cause hair loss. If you experience hormonal imbalances in sex hormones, this might be worth exploring.

Stress, hair loss & auto-immune issues
In some auto-immune diseases the immune system attacks the hair follicle. Just asking: do you have any that you know of?

Stress & Urination
Ongoing stress can lead to frequent urination. Making sure you get enough electrolytes (for example by making sole) could help you. But basically your body, in a parasympathetic dominant state, will lose water. The long-term solution will be addressing stress.

Another possible reason why you might lose water is the fasting process which you are going through. If the body gets depleted from glycogen (the cells storage form of glucose) your cells will lose water.

This is actually normal and might not be something you should worry about too much.

If you experience these symptoms also when you’re not fasting, this might be more related to a parasympathetic state. If your stress is emotional in nature or caused by for example work-related seeking out somebody who can give you another perspective on your personal situation can be really valuable. Here you can find recommendations that might be helpful to you!

If you like to test your stress hormones I would really recommend the Dutch test.

Last but definitely not least: we have a full course that talks about stress hormones called Adrenal Balance. If you haven’t seen this course, I would really recommend you watch it!

Let me know what resonates with you!
[Thyroid Nutrition.pdf]
[Hydrochloric acid supplement recommended dosage challenge.pdf]

[Daniel]

Hey ,

I think your husband is lucky to have you! There are some interesting patterns on them. Some things might be low-hanging fruits. Others might need a deeper dive. Unfortunately, labs without symptoms are a little hard to interpret. Perhaps you could give us some insights into his top 5 symptoms, diet, sleep and stress levels.

For now, I will do the best I can with these lab results. Let’s start with the low-hanging fruits first:

His vitamin D is really low. This can lead to several symptoms like fatigue (and yet not sleeping well), less resilience to fight of infections, weakness in the muscles, feeling depressed,  and a low vitamin D that can even result in back and joint pain. Since you know his serum vitamin D levels, I recommend you look at one of my favourite documents on the platform: The vitamin D handout. It will provide you with a protocol for the dosages.

His B12 levels are also clinically low. Symptoms that a low B12 can cause are fatigue as well. A vitamin B12 deficiency like this probably will cause in time anemia. It doesn’t show up in his labs yet, but if a deficiency like this isn’t addressed it is my experience that it is just a matter of time.

A B12 deficiency can be caused by several reasons. It might not be in his diet (is he on a plant-based diet?). It can be caused by hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid) as well. If your husband is willing to explore these options, I recommend he at the very least watch these 3 movies:
• Signs of hypochlorhydria
• Causes of Hypochlorhydria
• Stomach Acid Support

His cholesterol is elevated. This might be caused by insulin resistance or the imbalance in the thyroid hormones that show up in his lab report.

Let’s break this down:

Insulin resistance
His HbA1c is elevated. This is caused by sugar molecules sticking to hemoglobin and is often caused by dysregulated blood sugar levels. Perhaps he can recognize himself in the next set of symptoms: strong cravings for sweets or caffeine, fatigue (again!), tingling sensations in the body, ravenous hunger, weight gain, difficulty concentrating, feeling jittery or shaky between his meals and even a blurred vision can be a symptom.

If he is on a carb-rich diet, temporarily lowering the carbs will help him address this. The blood sugar regulation course might be interesting for him. If he is only interested in what he should alter in his diet, he can watch this video:
• Dietary Guidelines & Sample Daily Meal Plan

If he likes a deeper dive, these videos are also important for him. Especially with more advanced stages of insulin resistance, we can see thyroid hormones be unbalanced as well and therefore it would be good for him to understand the differences between the phases since the recommendations are also slightly different.

I grouped the videos together for you right here:
• The Phases of Dysfunction: Phase 1 & 2 Signs & Symptoms
• Insulin Resistance & Phase 3 to 5 Signs & Symptoms
• Supplement & Lifestyle Considerations: Phase 2
• Supplement & Lifestyle Considerations: Phase 3 to 5

Thyroid Disbalance
On his labs his TSH is suboptimally elevated. His free T4 is also elevated, but his metabolic most active thyroid hormone is in range. Since there are a few scenarios possible, I would like to know a bit more about his symptoms first.

While his metabolic health and vitamin D might contribute to fatigue and his TSH is suboptimally high (like the brain is feeling it needs more energy) he seems to produce thyroid hormones in the upper half of the reference range.

If he despite the high thyroid hormones feels fatigued, he might on a cellular level not accept the hormones.

Here are some reasons why a slow thyroid might be considered: 
• A slow thyroid can contribute to elevations in cholesterol.
• A slow thyroid can contribute to a decrease in SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin)
• Alkaline phosphatase is suboptimally low which could be caused by a zinc deficiency. A zinc deficiency can cause a slow thyroid and influence the immune system as well.
• Vitamin D is really low, which can also contribute to slow thyroid symptoms.

With his set of labs, he could also feel normal: the fatigue caused by the vitamin D deficiency and the insulin resistance might be compensated by the elevations in thyroid hormones.

With these labs, symptoms of a fast thyroid are also an option. An overactive thyroid gland can cause heart palpitations, sensitivity to heat, and nervousness, anxiety and irritability.

If you like to dive deeper into what is at play, I really recommend a full thyroid panel (just click here for the video).

I hope you have some starting points to help your husband here. Good luck!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

What you can do in the meanwhile might depend on the root cause. Do you know your current blood pressure? If it is on the low side without changing the dose of your medication, you could discuss lowering the medication with your GP.

Magnesium is not in your supplement stack might help you to lower blood pressure as well. A magnesium deficiency can also contribute to higher blood pressure levels.

Making sure you have enough nutrients to support thyroid function can be something you could focus on as well. The library has a great document for that right here.

Assessing stress levels can also be a game changer. Think big on this topic! Work pressure, and emotional stress from relationships, friends or families are only part of that. Think also about other stuff like loneliness (yes, also if you are in a relationship!), spiritual fulfilment, resentment, sadness, setting the bar high for yourself (or others), shame, blame… all these things are examples you could consider.

If insulin resistance is at play, lowering blood sugar can help. Smoothies can be a great source of nutrients, however, they can be a source of fast digestible sugars. Feeling fatigued after drinking a smoothy can be a sign that your body doesn’t deal well with the amount of sugar in them.

The tingling sensation in your fingers can be caused by slow thyroid, insulin resistance and anemia. The low hemoglobin is an anemia usually caused by an iron deficiency. But a B12, folate and B6 deficiency can also cause another type of anemia.

If you consume enough iron, you might want to try the hydrochloric acid dosage challenge. I have attached the protocol below. Stomach acid is needed for iron absorption, but it heavily influences the amount of B12 absorption as well.[Hydrochloric acid supplement recommended dosage challenge (1).pdf]

[Daniel]

Hey ,

You can do pull-ups? Be proud! Very proud!!

What stands out to me at the moment is the low fT4. It is in the lower half of the reference range. Do you experience symptoms of a slow thyroid (feeling fatigued, perhaps easy cold, hair loss, trouble concentrating, or just watch this video)?

It would be worthwhile doing a full thyroid panel. In the thyroid course we have a video here that explains what a full thyroid panel looks like. A slow thyroid can cause slower processing of cholesterol, which can contribute to elevations in cholesterol.

The HbA1c from 2022 was indicative of some insulin resistance and it dropped which can be indicative of improvements in insulin sensitivity. It is a good sign but only a fasting insulin test will provide you with the knowledge of how much insulin resistance is actually going on. As I mentioned earlier: insulin resistance can contribute to elevations in blood pressure. It can also contribute to elevations in cholesterol.

Your diet looks really nutritious! I do have some follow-up questions though. Is there stuff you crave? Sweets? Do you feel saturated? Do you consume dinner? And how much juice do you consume daily?

Concerning your question about pure encapsulations – I’m not exactly sure if it is really true and what it means for supplement quality, but I will come back to you on this question!

[Daniel]

, I’m not based in Dubai (although I would love to!), so I don’t know exactly how fast the order will go. Fullscript only delivers in the US, so you will need to use a company like Boxit4Me or Shop&Ship to redirect your order. These mail forwarding companies provide local addresses worldwide. You will need to use their US mailing address when placing your order with Fullscript.

If I order, it will take me about 2 weeks.

By grain-free, I just mean a normal diet without grains (minus the food sensitivities!). An anti-inflammatory diet can be a good starting point if it worked before. Here are some tips you might want to add:
• Make sure your anti-inflammatory diet has protein sources. They can be plant-based!
• Food sensitivities can develop to all foods, especially to foods you consume regularly. Working on gut healing simultaneously can reduce the chance of developing new food sensitivities.
• Chances are big some gut healing needs to be done. I would recommend watching the full gut health masterclass!

Here are some brands I trust on GLA and Omega 3 supplements:
• OmegAvail Hi-Po from Designs for Health (800mg of EPA + 800 mg of DHA in triglyceride form. It is also molecularly distilled)
• OmegaGenics® EPA-DHA 1000 from Metagenics (710 mg of EPA and 210 mg of DHA)
• Take it with food.

GLA:
• GLA 240mg from Designs for Health
• OmegaGenics® GLA 240 from Metagenics

Collagen is a good supplement. It can help with gut healing. And you are right, collagen can also help with joint health. But it is important to understand why the joint pain is there first. I can only do an educated guess, but this is a reason that occurs on regular bases:

Sometimes immune complexes (for example: the complexes that are formed after the immune system dealt with undigested food molecules) can accumulate in joints. This can in time lead to these types of symptoms.

Proteolytic enzymes taken on an empty stomach could help to break down immune complexes, especially to counter the joint pain. You could for example try this one:
• Intenzyme Forte by Biotics Research

[Daniel]

Hey ,

I was just looking at your earlier posts. I saw you were also taking Enalapril for your high blood pressure. Longer use of Enalapril can in some cases also cause an iron deficiency.

Enalapril is an ACE inhibitor (a common type of medication used to treat high blood pressure). Which is good of course! The downside however is that ACE inhibitors can bind to zinc. This nutrient is also necessary to produce white blood cells.

Although measuring zinc can be quite difficult this study showed that 6 months of Enalapril use, lowered zinc in a type of white blood cell called monocytes. Zinc is also an important nutrient for making the white blood cells function. If you aren’t using zinc, you might want to consider it.

Since you were diagnosed with high blood pressure, it makes me wonder about earlier lab results as well. Insulin resistance can cause high blood pressure as well. Your blood glucose looked fine, but it doesn’t rule out insulin resistance 100%. I would consider checking fasting insulin to determine if insulin resistance is at play.

A magnesium deficiency can also elevate blood pressure, just like stress.

If you like we could help you dive deeper into different lifestyle causes of high blood pressure.

Are you taking calcium supplements? If so, make sure your vitamin D levels are optimal and you have enough vitamin K2 that transports calcium out of the blood. Otherwise clacium supplements can also contribute to elevations in blood pressure.

An impaired Nitric Oxide production can also cause hypertension. Focusing on foods with nitrates can be beneficial. Think of foods like beets, garlic, dark chocolate, leafy greens, nuts and seeds and watermelon.

Let us know if you would like to know more!

[Daniel]

 With supplements I usually don’t differentiate. But some lifestyle factors can stimulate phase 1 detoxification:
 
• Coffee
• Alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases (enzymes that that catalyse the oxidation of aldehydes)
• Smoking (this effect is caused by flavin monooxygenases in sigarette smoke)
• Stress (the enzyme monoamine oxidase is also goes through liver detoxification)
• half of all pharmaceutical drugs are metabolized via just five CYP enzymes: CYP1A2, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP3A4. I’m not saying stopping medications by the way, but if phase 1 goes faster as phase 2, free radicals tend to build up.
• There are genetic factors involved as well
• Some supplements influence phase 1. St. John’s Wort induces CYP2C9. 
• Detoxification should also be done from a place of strength in your life. If you are for example struggling with inflammation, disease or stress, this can cause strong reactions of the body.
• Charred meat can upregulate phase 1
• High insulin…

I know the list is long (and perhaps a bit late), but perhaps you can pick out some stuff you can use!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

How are you doing? Do you feel more confident with your routine? What are the changes you made?

[Daniel]

Hey ,

From what I can tell from these labs is that the immune system is struggling with fighting something. Recently I posted in the ‘General Tips’ section a tip that explains what nutrients you need to support the immune system and what the lab values mean. If you are interested, you should read it!

Hemoglobin is low. Usually this is an indication of a low iron. Complaints like fatigue, looking pail, having memory & concentration problems can occur. Iron can sometimes be removed from the blood stream by the body if an infection is longer lasting. Infections might also go undetected when they are simmering. Often the iron is then stored as ferritin. I would recommend checking iron and ferritin as well.

Elevations in cholesterol can be caused by several reasons: a slow thyroid, insulin resistance, eating a lot of fast digestible carbs like sugar or a diet high in saturated fat.

Labs without symptoms are hard to interpret.

Perhaps you could tell us more about your diet & lifestyle. What are the top 5 symptoms? How is your diet? What are your stress levels? The more details the better!

 

[Daniel]

Hey ,

What you might have done by removing red meat and eggs is removing food sensitivities. Are you familiar with this?

In a nutshell, food sensitivities are caused by foods that aren’t digested well and penetrate the gut lining. The reason why these foods penetrate the gut lining can vary. Here are examples of some reasons: stress, gluten, and a lack of fibre in the diet which can cause the microbes to feed off the gut lining creating holes or an overgrowth of bacteria.  

Because the lining lets undigested foods through, the immune system gets quite busy. If the immune system sees these foods daily, it can lead in time to a more aggressive response of the immune system. The remnants left behind can cause problems elsewhere in the body. This is an image we regularly see with autoimmune problems.

Some general tips that can help:
• Get vitamin D up (I usually aim with my customers at a serum level of 50 ng/ml. Make sure you use a vitamin D supplement which contains vitamin K2 as well. I usually recommend liquid vitamin D/K2 from thorne. Vitamin D is an important nutrient that helps the body with inflammation. It also is needed to close the ‘tight junctions’ between the cells in the lining of the gut.
• If you like to work with anti-inflammatory supplements, here are some supplements you could consider as well:• Fish oil – depending on disease progression and severity, the dosage needs to be sufficient for a therapeutic effect. Research shows anywhere from about 2,000 mg to 6,000 mg of EPA+DHA may be beneficial.
• Curcumin has anti-inflammatory effects. If you are looking for a good supplement, make sure you choose a liposomal form or a supplement that contains the Meriv phytosome complex. This ensures that the curcumin in it has a high bioavailability. I usually recommend 1,000-2,000 mg per day. A supplement that I often recommend is again from the brand Thorne: Curcumin Phytosome.
• GLA in the form of borage or evening primrose oil has an anti-inflammatory effect as well and you could try this as well.
• The food recommendations I often make are to remove gluten and dairy. Preferable having a grain-free diet for a while!

In the presence of autoimmune disease often microbial imbalances and infectious drivers play a role. Having a stool test might give you some insight into what plays in the gut. GI Maps from Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory is a stool test that I often recommend.

I know your question was different, but I hope you can use some of these tips as well!

Good luck!

[Daniel]

 This was done with pleasure! If you have any further questions, let us know!

[Daniel]

 I am unfortunately unfamiliar with the exact details of biofield testing. I guess there are parallels, but I don’t know enough about the details!

[Daniel]

Hey ,

Personally, I have no experience with biomeridian testing. I know what it is and I know there isn’t much research about it. To me, this is an essential part of how I give my clients advice. I’m also a Tai-chi teacher, and in eastern medicine, I have some trust (but it does depend on the doctor!). However, I studied physics and astronomy as well and let me explain why there are divided reasons into scientific communities about devices that measure energy in general. 

The terms spiritual energy and energy in physics aren’t the same. This can create a syntax discussion. Physicists consider energy as something you can’t measure. We can only measure the effects of energy. Let me give a few examples:
• A moving car has kinetic energy. But we can’t measure the energy, but we do measure the speed and we can calculate the kinetic energy the car has.
• A laser can shoot light (or photons) on a surface and create heat. The laser has an energy we can calculate from the light we measure or the heat that it creates, but we can’t measure energy directly.
• Thunder and lightning have energy, but we can only measure sound and the light that is created as a result of the electrons that jump from a cloud to the surface of the earth.

A device used for biomeridian testing will probably measure potential differences as a result of free-moving electrons. Materials that move these free-moving electrons well are conductors, while materials that move electrons badly are called isolators.

Fat for example doesn’t guide electrons well and is a good isolator, while a little water with a salty solution (like water on a salty skin or sweat) conducts really well. Therefore the results can be influenced by wet skin or a salty skin. Because of this, a device like this isn’t going to ‘see’ the inside of the body really well.

Another argument that is often used for explaining such devices is that the device can measure frequencies of vitamins and minerals. Theoretically, it can be done, but it is very very hard and it requires very sensitive equipment. Minerals are often bound in molecules. For example, 70 percent of iron in the body is bound to hemoglobin. But to measure those frequencies requires a really deep understanding of how the molecule is built as well. On top of that free iron and iron stored in other molecules probably resonate on different frequencies. From a scientific point of view, we are far away from that type of accuracy.

That being said, these are rationals – not scientific facts. I do know people who really benefited from sort like methods like bioresonance for example. I also know people who didn’t benefit at all. It might be that the mechanism of action isn’t described by the current science. Skilled holistic practitioners can also use their many backgrounds in their advice. But since there isn’t a lot of literature on the topic, I myself often recommend other methods.

Magnesium, supplements and abnormal reactions in the body
In practice, we see that everyone can respond a little differently to supplements. There can be genetic differences. The origin of your symptom may not yet be fully understood and magnesium might not have been the right approach. Perhaps you can share more about your symptoms and the results of the tests you did. We might be able to shed another light on your situation!

Acid reflux
Acid reflux can be caused by quite a few things. I mentioned there might be more reasons causing you to have acid reflux besides a magnesium deficiency. Did you for example consider:
• A hiatal hernia? This is when the stomach is partly pushed through the diaphragm.
• Food sensitivities?
• An insufficiency in zinc? Or vitamin B1?
• Are you a fast eater? Eating fastly can also cause acid reflux. A magnesium supplement won’t be able to help then.
• Medications? If you are on any, some medications can contribute to acid reflux. Proton pump inhibitors can for example cause low stomach. When people have a reduction in stomach acid, the acid can sometimes leak back into the esophagus if the LES(lower esophageal sphincter) doesn’t close well. 

NSAIDs can irritate the mucus layers causing damage and an increased sensitivity to stomach acid. Medications that are prescribed for osteopenia/osteoporosis can cause damage to the stomach lining. 
• A slow thyroid? A slow thyroid can cause low stomach acid as well
• H. Pylori? An overgrowth of this bacteria is often the cause of ulcers. Ulcers in the stomach usually leads to lower stomach acid production. However, if the ulcer is in the duodenum, it could cause the overproduction of stomach acid. Usually, this type of ulcer is more rare, but it happens.
• Did you ever had surgery on the stomach? Surgery can also be a root cause.

Common triggers of acid reflux are also well documented. Foods like alcohol, spicy foods, peppery foods, tomato sauce, citrus juices, coffee, black tea, things with mint (also consider toothpaste, chewing gum, mints and tea here!), chocolate and fried foods all can trigger acid reflux.

Stress can also be a big root cause of acid reflux. How would you describe your stress levels currently? Are you sitting down for dinner and are you able to eat slowly?