Peating Family, Depression And ADD, Success Story

[Donmar]

Thank you Pina for all the great suggestions!!

 

[Nina]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/96751/ I took arsenic as example, since it’s common in our foodstuff, combined to pesticides. Water, rice, chicken, apples and apple juice, to name a few, are other sources.

Most interesting, LucH. I'd read the case report!
This made me think of a recipe I know, to cook rice to reduce arsenic. I posted it here.

 

[LucH]

Most interesting, LucH. I'd read the case report!

Part two: Case report –
Excerpt from “The Thyroid Madness II”, by By Benjamin Lynch, ND. Methylation, MTHFR and Thyroid Dysfunction. Chapter 12. 2015

A beautiful healthy boy is born to a healthy woman and father. This child is raised on infant formula from the beginning because the mother did not want to breastfeed. The mother did not realize that infant formula containers, and most canned foods, are high in biphenyl a (BPA)6 which is known to reduce T4 levels in pregnant women and decrease TSH in male newborns.7 The newborn grows up and is now eating some baby food consisting of rice. Rice is com¬monly high in arsenic. The little one is now a toddler and munching on arsenic containing non-organic apples, applesauce, apple juice and rice with chicken.8 The mother knows to filter drinking water but bought only a filter that removes chlorine. Again, due to lack of awareness, the mother has been seriously exposing her child not only to organophosphate pesticides but also arsenic from a myriad of sources: water, rice, chicken, apples, apple juice, and apple sauce to name a few.
The toddler is now showing signs of slowed mental function but it is being missed as he not quite at speaking age. However, at 2 1/2 years old, the parents are starting to get concerned because their little guy is not communicating well and showing signs of frustration. They go to speech therapy which helps a little but not as much as they like.

The haunting question arises, “Is our son autistic?”
They take their son to their GP and find that the boy’s TSH is perfectly fine - right at 2. It’s missed.
The TSH should be higher but is being artificially lowered. How? The son is drinking and eating from plastic bottles and canned foods containing BPA and playing with soft-squishy ‘rubber’ toys - con¬taining phthalates.9 Of course, TSH alone is a worthless marker. The thyroid issues may have been identified if T3 and T4 were measured. Regardless of what thyroid test was ordered, the underlying cause of environmental exposure affecting this child is really the pressing issue.

The child is now 6 years old, still struggling with speech, energy and cognition. They’ve been gluten-free and dairy-free now for over a year with some improvements — but not enough. They’ve tried the GAPS diet, PALEO diet, Feingold diet - all with some success but nothing lasts. The parents are sick with grief and learn through the grapevine about MTHFR and methylation. They begin to hope once again.
After waiting for six months to get in to meet this new physician, they get on the airplane and fly across the country with their child. Immediately, the physician goes through the history of the child’s in utero experience, newborn diet, exposures and full timeline of sig¬nificant events. The physician also inquires about the health of both parents and their family history. She learns that cancer and cardio¬vascular disease are an issue in the mother’s history and depression and schizophrenia are an issue in the father’s history. In a matter of minutes, the physician turns to the parents and states, “It appears that your son has some significant environmental exposures which are affecting his ability and his methylation. I suspect there are some genetic contributions to this as well. I would like you to get some genetic and methylation testing done. ”

Having absolutely no clue with what just happened, the parents sink in their chairs and think that it’s done. After a moment of pause, the father sits tall in his chair and asks, “Doc. Let me get this straight. You believe that the environment is affecting our boy’s ability to speak and think — but beyond that —you also believe that it's genetic and there’s no hope to turn this around?”

Smiling from ear to ear, the physician leans forward, places her hand on their child’s shoulder and states, “We’ve work to do here. It’s going to take some time but I have experience in significantly help¬ing children like yours — so much so they can develop normally. You’ll have to learn how to clean up the environment, which foods to eat and which to avoid along with understanding how chemicals affect our biochemistry. Just because you both have a family history of car¬diovascular, cancer and mental dysfunction does not mean we cannot reduce your risk — and at the same time — reduce your son’s risk. Let’s get started shall we? Read this book — and this one. Watch this video and let’s get the testing done.”
Excited, they move to the next room and manage to get fasting blood, urine and send it out for analysis. They also have a great time watching their son having a blast spitting into a tube for DNA analysis.
Ten long weeks later, results come back and it’s learned that the boy has low creatinine, normal TSH but low T4 and T3, normal anti-TPO and anti-TG, MCV and MCH is elevated, glutathione is low, urinary lactate elevated, serum folate is high while serum B12 is normal and the SAM:SAH ratio is definitely off. Arsenic is elevated. Homocysteine is fine. Vitamin D is low. Nitric oxide and nitrotyrosine are both elevated. Lipid peroxides are up. Urinary taurine is high but blood taurine levels are low along with low magnesium and low zinc. Selenium is high. Serum ferritin is per¬fect. Histamine levels are normal. The genetic testing shows the boy is compound heterozygous MTHFR, homozygous for PON1, GAMT, PEMT and DAO.

The parents have seen stacks and stacks of lab work before but never anything like this. It’s completely and utterly foreign yet they know since there are so many irregular markers, it must mean there is hope at restoring them. However, they are seriously concerned about the genetic findings.
At first, their physician spends some time explaining how critical the methylation pathway is and what it does. She mentions a few of the key functions of methylation:
• supports neurotransmitter formation (serotonin, norepineph¬rine, epinephrine) and elimination (dopamine, norepineph¬rine, epinephrine, histamine)
• builds compounds so cell membranes are healthy and intact
• eliminates harmful compounds such as arsenic
• supports immune cell formation
• builds creatine to support muscle and speech

Nodding on this, the mother speaks up, “Doc, I see that the TSH is normal but T3 and T4 are low. You going to put him on some thyroid meds?”
The doc proceeds to explain why this is happening and does agree that some intervention is needed until the boy’s biochemistry is reestablished. She recommends a natural desiccated thyroid with both T3 and T4, along with iodine, magnesium, zinc and some adrenal support. It is made clear that this is a short term intervention and commonly, she does not need to even address the thyroid directly in order for it to restore its natural function.
Next, after reassuring the mother is happy about the thyroid intervention, the doc proceeds to explain how the low functioning thyroid is contributing to the boys slowed cognition and desire to dress more warmly than his peers.

“His desire to wear warmer clothes is because his metabolism is slower than it should be. A slower metabolism means less energy production and less energy production is less heat produced. The biggest issue here is metabolism and energy is produced by the mitochondria. If mitochondria are not sup¬ported, and I can see your son’s aren’t due to his elevated lactate levels, then his ATP formation is low. Low ATP causes entire body dysfunction. So, yes, we need to support his thyroid - and we will today - but since he has likely had long term thyroid dysfunction, we also need to restore his mitochondrial function. If we don’t support his mitochondria and support his thyroid, we will drive him into a deeper fatigue. Ever hear the saying ‘Beating a dead horse? Well, the mitochondria are tired and if the thyroid hormone gets in there and starts beating on them to do work, initially your son will improve, but long term, he may not. So today you are going to walk out of here with some mitochondrial support as well as thyroid support. ”

Wide-eyed, the mother inquires, “If you think we may be beating up his tired mitochondria with thyroid meds, maybe it’s best if we don’t do those right away — at least until we restore his mitochondria?”
Relieved, the physician states, “This is my preferred method of approach, yes; however, I want you both to be reassured that we are addressing his thyroid. Many times, parents are concerned that I am not doing that unless I give a script, so I will give a script until the parents see that their child is making some progress. Then they believe in my approach and I can then remove it. The resulting outcome of restoring the thyroid from an underlying function approach is so much more lasting and effective. ” “My recommendations today then are this, and I want to hear your thoughts on them as well when I am finished”:

1. Support his mitochondria right away with some key nutrients such as D-Ribose, NADH, CoQ1O, riboflavin and a touch of adenosyl cobalamin, which is the mitochondrial form of vitamin B12.
2. Install a comprehensive water purifier such as Akai or Berkey and install a chlorine shower filter. If he takes a bath, use a special blend of vitamin C to remove the chlorine prior to him getting in the bath.
3. I’d like to see him take Epsom salt baths for added magnesium and sulfate. Not too hot.
4. Support his vitamin D, magnesium and zinc. Magnesium and zinc are really important to help him convert T4 to T3. Vitamin D has a receptor on every cell in the body - so he definitely needs this. We’ll have to also watch his Vitamin D 1,25 levels as well - which are not commonly checked.
5. Start him on a very low amount of liposomal glutathione — a few drops a day — and monitor. Work up as we can - slowly. The thyroid produces hydrogen peroxide which is a pro-oxidant and quite damaging. He already has known oxidative damage so the glutathione will help - and also so will some healthy fatty acids such as fish oil and vitamin E; however, I really want to run a RBC Fatty Acid panel on him today. Stupid that I didn’t do that last time - but I can only take so much blood in one visit - especially on a child.
6. Maintain his gluten and dairy-free diet. Also go soy-free. Some great recipe books are this and this one.
7. Make sure he is eating some form of healthy protein - such as eggs, grass-fed beef, home-cooked beans, organic free range chicken, wild salmon, quinoa are some good examples.
8. Limit his exercise right now. Don’t let him work too hard as his mitochondria need to restore. Exercise helps increase the number of mitochondria - which is great - but too intensive of exercise will deplete him. Walks, bike rides, shooting hoops are great.
9. I want to address his folate and B12 deficiency but I am not going to do that until we get his mitochondria working better. If we support his B12 and folate deficiency right off, this will put further demand on them which we don’t want to do right now I am giving him a touch of adenosyl cobalamin today which will support his mitochondria directly and you’ll continue that as he needs. We’ll likely be able to start tacking his B12 and folate deficiency in a couple weeks. I believe his mitochondria will love the nutrients we’re giving him and then be able to handle the B12 and folate.
10. We need to limit how much sulfur he is getting right now - just for a few days. Sulfur helps eliminate neurotransmitters and also thyroid hormone - and we know that he’s low in thyroid and likely some key neurotransmitters as well.
11. Since his SAM:SAH ratio is so off, has GAMT snp and he has speaking difficulties, I am going to prescribe some creatine bound to magnesium. In fact, take this bottle now, add one scoop to a glass of water here and have him drink it. It has a very subtle easy taste - add some of this D-ribose to it as well.
I really like this drink called MTHFRade which is a combina¬tion of D-ribose, creatine and electrolytes.
12. I really want to start him on phosphatidylcholine as well. If you notice he tends to get some depression since starting this, I want you to stop and let me know. If he does get depressed after start¬ing the phosphatidylcholine, that tells me his serotonin levels are low. However, I don’t think he will have that problem because you mentioned his tendency to anger and poor sleeping. This tells me his serotonin is likely doing more than ok - especially if he’s eating carbs. Carbs really boost serotonin. The magnesium, zinc and B6 will help this as well.
13. Avoid the dirty dozen fruits and vegetables. We need to really reduce the organophosphates as they are affecting his thyroid
- and more.
14. Identify phthalate containing products in your home. A great book is ‘Slow Death by Rubby Duck.’

“Let’s do this for one month and then revisit. You don't need to fly out here. We can manage by phone. ”
“How does all this sound? Overwhelming a bit I know — but I can tell you — I really believe you’re going to see some significant milestones. I also believe you’re going to start seeing his thyroid improve. We’ll recheck his thyroid after a few months. We’ll do that RBC Fatty acid test today though before you go. ”
After looking at each other, the father reaches for his wife’s hand and smiles, saying, “Yes. You definitely overwhelmed us but at the same time, it’s very refreshing that you explained what he needs, why and what the plan is over the next few months. It makes sense. There’s no denying it will be a bit of a challenge in the beginning to adapt but it’s exciting to know the potential is there. Thank you. ”
While nodding in agreement, the mother comments, “Agreed. I do have a few more questions though about these genetic findings. Do we need to be concerned or what action are you taking towards them? I’ve heard about MTHFR and it seems to be a pretty important finding. I’ve no idea what the others are. ”
“Due to time, I will have to give you this paper on each of these genes. If you’ve any questions, we can address next time over the phone. We are addressing each one of these right now — absolutely — either directly or indirectly. ”
Since you are not in this doctor’s clinic, let me explain each of these key genetic defects for you.


End of part 2.
Luc H.

To be contnued if interested:
=>MTHFR: WHAT IS IT?
MTHFR is a gene which produces an enzyme called methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase. This gene is found in every cell of the body and its main purpose is to produce the body’s most useful form of folate called methyl folate.

 

[Nina]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/96780/ Thank you Pina for all the great suggestions!!

Anytime!

 

[Nina]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/96821/ End of part 2.
Luc H.

To be contnued if interested:

Wow. I certainly never met this kind of doctor...
So what happens next?!!!

 

[LucH]

Wow. I certainly never met this kind of doctor...
So what happens next?!!!

This is the end of the "case report". But readers wants now more details about metylation defects:

Excerpt
When our bodies do not methylate with ease, we suffer from immune system problems, hormone balance problems, digestive problems, energy problems, brain problems including moods and memory just to name a few. Abnormal methylation blocks normal function of almost all our cells and tissues!

Details on this docu, from Wally Taylor MD

LucH


HOW COMMON IS THE MTHFR DEFECT?
It depends on your ethnicity. Chinese, Italian, Hispanics or Mexican ethnic groups have nearly a 50% likelihood of being heterozygous for the MTHFR C677T defect and 20% to 30% are homozygous. 'This means that nearly 1 in 2 of these individuals will have a MTHFR enzyme functioning at 65% and 1 in 4 will have a MTHFR enzyme functioning at only 30%.10
In a nutshell, it’s very common.
Dr Rodney Russell

 

[Such_Saturation]

I tried this active B9, it felt very energetic for the mind especially. It stopped doing anything after two weeks though.

 

[schultz]

It's always interesting to hear about the effects of a Peat style diet in younger people as there is not much out there in regards to this. I enjoyed what you had to say. My daughter is 2 years old in September and my wife and I were "Peating" before we conceived. We have no other children to compare to and no before and after kind of story, but my daughter seems incredibly healthy. She threw up once but that was like a year ago. She has had a cold (or whatever it was) a couple times as well I guess but other than that she hasn't been sick (as a baby she would spit up sometimes, but I am not counting that as vomiting). My wife even gave birth in our living room. She is pregnant again now, so we will see how this one turns out.

 

[Nina]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/96976/ It's always interesting to hear about the effects of a Peat style diet in younger people as there is not much out there in regards to this. I enjoyed what you had to say. My daughter is 2 years old in September and my wife and I were "Peating" before we conceived. We have no other children to compare to and no before and after kind of story, but my daughter seems incredibly healthy. She threw up once but that was like a year ago. She has had a cold (or whatever it was) a couple times as well I guess but other than that she hasn't been sick (as a baby she would spit up sometimes, but I am not counting that as vomiting). My wife even gave birth in our living room. She is pregnant again now, so we will see how this one turns out.

This is wonderful!

 

[charlie]

https://raypeatforum.com/forums/posts/97250/ This is wonderful!

:1

 

[Deleted member 5487]

It's okay if the changes you are doing with the food take some time. It IS overwhelming at first, and your family might not appreciate a complete change of menus and habits in a short time.

I made things very complicated at first. If I were to start again simply, I would begin by introducing/encouraging:

• 
  coffee/decaf with milk/cream
  raw carrot 20-30 minutes before supper
  Ice cream for dessert or at bedtime
  Spending time in the sun
  Orange juice/oranges
  butter

Those are easy and make a difference.
Then I would go on with the rest.
Removing gluten made a huge difference in my family, but I had experience on this so it was easy.

First of all, most commercial gluten-free products are not worth it, except some rice pasta and flour mixes. Bread tastes like cardboard and has oils in it. The texture is not appetizing. It's so expensive. And eventually your goal would be to limit starches as much as possible. So don't try to substitute bread, think differently.

Bread is mostly an issue for breakfast and lunch. For dinner, it's easier to do without.

So for breakfast, I know some people here have Rice Krispies, even if it's not ideal. It works. I'm looking for an organic, non-iron-fortified version... but in the meantime we love Rice Krispies.

When I stopped cooking my eggs in olive oil, it struck me how good they taste in butter! with salt! scrambled eggs, fruits, fruits, and more fruits. Cheese. Juice.

Actually, to make things simple you could focus on those keywords/ideas:

• 
  Snacks (as opposed to heavy meals)
  Fruits
  Soups (with bone broth)
  meat/fish with white rice-butter-salt (can be a family meal life-saver)
  don't go for "ideal" : aim for "good enough", or "better"
  Did I say snacks?

Commercial Jell'o is probably not ideal but it's a staple in my fridge!

Potatoes fried in coconut oil... (the refined oil - has no taste). Mucho appreciated.

I'll be back with the stew recipe.

Peating is more difficult when you are the family's cook! when I'm alone, I don't even think about food, I just snack and go on with my life.

Also, I found it useful to take notes. some kind of journal of symptoms, changes, improvements.

Came on here looking for anyone who has experienced rice krispies. I ate like half a tray of rice krispie treats made with marshmellows and butter. The next morning it was like I was a new man. I believe that it absorbs better than any carb source out there. My libido has also shot through the roof.

 

[Sobieski]

Came on here looking for anyone who has experienced rice krispies. I ate like half a tray of rice krispie treats made with marshmellows and butter. The next morning it was like I was a new man. I believe that it absorbs better than any carb source out there. My libido has also shot through the roof.

Even better than plain sugar?

 

[Deleted member 5487]

Even better than plain sugar?

Probably not

 

[coffeelover]

For breakfast, we have orange juice, eggs, rice cereals, or gluten-free pancakes, with café au lait. My son (13) sometimes has a decaf with a lot of sugar.

Lunches are very hard to prepare. No sandwiches, and no school cafeteria (if possible), and almost everything is home-cooked. Masa harina muffins (Ark's recipe is great: http://blog.arkofwellness.com/corn-muff ... sa-harina/ with chocolate chips), fruits, orange juice, cheese, left-overs in a thermos, greek yogurt or milk pudding. It'a lot of planning.

We both work from home, so sometimes I'll do an omelet, or I just have fruits, cheese, coffee and ice cream. During the day I often cook bone-broth in the slow-cooker.

When the kids come back from school or day camp, they are greeted with a raw carrot of course, sometimes with hummus or a bunch of fruits. Timing is everything!

For supper, we'll have bone-broth soup twice a week (I do a Pho soup, a potato-sausages soup, and a spinach-brocoli soup). My daughter loves homemade paté on crackers. I do fried rice. Smoked oysters with cream cheese on crackers. Cod with parmesan. mashes potatoes. Arepas.

Before bed, my son always has warm milk and sugar.

The kids do not eat 100% peat-style, and it's ok. They don't have 40+ years of pufa in their system, and I think the focus should be about good taste and good nutrition for now. I do spend a lot of time cooking.

Hi @Nina , what is the reason for the decaf coffee? Is he drinking it because he likes the flavor or for a health benefit? Asking because my 9 year old loves coffee and always asks for it but I have only been letting her have a splash of regular coffee in her milk. She has been having anxiety attacks though so if there's some health benefit for kids I'd love to know!