Polycythemia Vera Help

[Tbone107]

Hi RPF, I am posting this in hoping that some of you wouldn’t mind chiming in with your thoughts on this and how to help in a Peaty context. I have been following Ray Peat for 6ish months now and have seen great improvements in my health and am now trying to relay that to others in my family.

My father was diagnosed with polycythemia Vera a couple years ago and was wondering if any of you had any ideas on peaty ways to help with this condition.

For context:

Polycythemia vera (pol-e-sy-THEE-me-uh VEER-uh) is a slow-growing blood cancer in which your bone marrow makes too many red blood cells. These excess cells thicken your blood, slowing its flow. They also cause complications, such as blood clots, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Polycythemia vera - Symptoms and causes

Appreciate any help!

 

[Hans]

Pufas, androgens and hypoxia promote the formation of red blood cells.

Boosting thyroid, CO2 and oxidative phosphorylation and lowering iron, lactate, estrogen, cortisol, PUFAs and everything that poisons mitochondrial function would be key.

Has he had blood tests done for thyroid, hormones, etc?

 

[Tbone107]

Yes he has, I believe everything came back “normal” but I will get them and post them for reference.

So general peat living would be good which I believe he will be open to trying. Any supplements or anything else that you think would help?

 

[Hans]

Supplements:

• Niacinamide (6g daily was used in the study) and CO2 breathing (5%) (1)
• Increasing body temperature promotes oxygenation (1). Uncouplers will work well here. Uncoupling also boosts CO2 production.
• Vitamin B1 deficiency promotes hypoxia (2). Vitamin B1 is essential for glucose oxidation, and it also inhibits lactate formation and carbonic anhydrase at higher doses, thus increasing CO2 and oxygenation. Doses of 1500mg might be needed to effectively inhibit carbonic anhydrase.
• Lactate is always elevated with hypoxia, so bicarb, vit B1, methylene blue, biotin, magnesium, etc., will help lower it.
• Methylene blue helps to oxygenate tissue and increase NAD:NADH ratio.
• Excess iron promotes erythropoiesis and inflammation, and aspirin helps to lower iron (3). Even only 325mg daily is enough. Aspirin also rescues the decline is ATP caused by hypoxia (4).
• PUFAs and inflammation promote hypoxia. Vitamin E and aspirin will help.
• Estradiol and glucocorticoids can inhibit erythroid maturation and lead to expanded numbers of erythroid “progenitors” (5).
  
• Circulating calcium and parathyroid hormone is elevated in PV (6). Consuming calcium, magnesium and vitamin K will help lower those.
• Prolactin activated Jak2, which contributes to PV. Dopamine is most likely low and serotonin elevated in PV. Cypro and/or adamantane will help lower serotonin and increase dopamine.
• Histamine and estrogen deteriorate vascular health, whereas CO2, taurine, vitamin C can promote vascular health.

So basically, you want to kickstart his oxidative phosphorylation again, to increase the production of ATP and CO2, both which will promote blood flow and tissue oxygenation, and reduce hypoxia. I don't want to advise a bunch of supplements, because who really wants to live on a bunch of supplements. So diet is most important. Peat style; milk, fruit juice, fruits, other non-gut irritating low PUFA foods, lots of gelatin, etc. A good starting stack (in combination with a good diet) would be B-vitamin (such as energin), vitamin E, aspirin, magnesium (magnoil), methylene blue (oxidal), cardenosine, pyrucet, and high dose vitamin B1 and B3. And then small doses cypro and adamantane for serotonin and dopamine.

 

[Tbone107]

Great stuff.. really appreciate the help and insight. You’re a great contributor to the forum and have helped me so many things.

In regards to thyroid and hormone numbers everything was in normal range for both.

Tsh 1.75 and then t4 was lower half of range and the rest of the numbers were just about exactly middle range. Still working in getting the screenshot

 

[Hans]

I'm happy to help so hopefully the info is applicable and can be of use :).
Another thing to take into consideration is heavy metals. Heavy metals are known to mess with almost everything in the body, and some are also stored in the bone and can induce hypoxia, etc. So, he could have excess iron, lead, mercury, copper, cadmium, etc. Does he have any dental filling? How about the water he drinks, makes food with or showers with?

 

[Tbone107]

Heavy metals could be an issue. My mom is very health conscious (she’s been keto and I’m slowly convincing her on the peat way of dieting) but they have a reverse osmosis water system all throughout their house and she had his dental fillings removed 3-4 years ago but he did have some in for a while.

He does Copenhagen chewing tobacco which is sure could have heavy metals in it.