youngsinatra
Member
The statement mission of the Root Cause Protocol:
„The RCP is designed to:
1. increase bioavailable COPPER (Ceruloplasmin) in order to...
2. decrease unbound IRON and...
3. decrease the MAGNESIUM burn rate in order to...
4. repair cellular mineral imbalance - the ROOT CAUSE of virtually ALL health challenges.“
— RCP Handbook (The Root Cause Protocol | Handbook Download)
I always found this concept quite fascinating as I have been struggling with low ceruloplasmin/copper mixed with iron dysregulation and magnesium deficiency symptoms for nearly 2 years, but for me, the RCP approach did not work out.
I think Ray‘s health philosophy could (theoretically) help us achieve the goals of the RCP, without following the protocol per-se.
This is just a hypothesis, that I have not yet tested out. But it might be interesting nonetheless.
In the following I want to present the peatarian perspective.
1. How to raise ceruloplasmin:
We know that thyroid hormone regulate ceruloplasmin and serum copper levels by controlling hepatic export and transport protein synthesis.
„In the present paper we show that serum copper levels are regulated by thyroid hormone, which stimulates the synthesis and the export of the hepatic copper-transport protein ceruloplasmin into the serum.“
(Serum copper as a novel biomarker for resistance to thyroid hormone)
„In subclinical hypothyroid subjects, mean serum ceruloplasmin levels were found to be significantly lower in comparison to healthy subjects (p<0.0001).“
(Analysis and establish a correlation between serum ceruloplasmin, serum apelin level and thyroid profile in patients with hypothyroidism and healthy controls | International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences)
„Here we describe a 3-year-old Caucasian girl who was admitted to our Clinic due to pericardial effusion, muscle weakness and weight gain. At clinical examination, she presented with bradycardia, pale and round face, pseudohypertrophy of calf muscles and no pitting edema of the limbs. Routine blood investigations showed high serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferase levels, low serum ceruloplasmin without clinical signs of Wilson's disease, dyslipidemia. Thyroid function tests revealed a picture of severe hypothyroidism associated with HT. After the replacement treatment with L-T4, thyroid-stimulating hormone serum levels gradually decreased, with concomitant resolution of pericardial effusion and normalization of ceruloplasmin levels.“
(Hypoceruloplasminemia: an unusual biochemical finding in a girl with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and severe hypothyroidism - PubMed)
„Compared to euthyroid participants, patients with clinical hypothyroidism had statistically significant (P < 0.05) lower levels of serum copper and ceruloplasmin. The scenario was the opposite in the case of Grave's hyperthyroidism patients. Our study found statistically significant (P < 0.05) higher serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels in Grave's hyperthyroidism patients.“
(Study of copper and ceruloplasmin in hypothyroidism and Grave's hyperthyroidism as compared to euthyroidism: Hospital-based case–control study Bhat VG, Patra R, K. Raju D S, Mohandas G V, Rao N L, - J Indian Prosthodont Soc)
Ray also recommended regular consumption of copper-rich foods like oysters, shellfish and liver.
„A deficiency of copper causes our tissues to retain an excess of iron, so foods such as shrimp and oysters which contain abundant copper should be used regularly." - Ray Peat, PhD
The RCP recommends getting the serum copper to 100 mcg/dl and the serum ceruloplasmin to 30 mg/dl.
("Ideal" Values for Lab Tests - The Root Cause Protocol)
Ray said that the middle of the reference range for ceruloplasmin would be a good level. So roughly 30-40 mg/dl.
2. How to lower the iron footprint?
Ray recommended a low iron diet. He also recommended dairy (calcium) and coffee consumption with iron-rich meals to reduce iron absorption.
„Iron causes cell aging.
Drinking coffee with iron rich foods can reduce iron's toxic effects.
Use shrimp and oysters, etc., to prevent the copper deficiency which leads to excess storage of iron.
Avoid food supplements which contain iron.
Take about 100 units of vitamin E daily; your vitamin E requirement increases with your iron consumption.“
— Ray Peat PhD
He also wrote that a lower iron saturation is protective against cancer (I think he thought <25% was good, but I couldn’t find a quote, so I‘m not 100% sure)
This is in alignment with the RCP. The RCP also recommends a ferritin level between 20-50.
The RCP recommends lowering iron with blood donation.
Ray said:
„Blood transfusions damage immunity, and excess iron has been suspected to be one of the causes for this. People who regularly donate blood, on the other hand, have often been found to be healthier than non-donors, and healthier than they were before they began donating.“
3. How to restore magnesium levels?
Ray said that a hypothyroid person does not retain magnesium well and that a lot of benefits from thyroid supplementation come from increased magnesium retention.
„Magnesium is rapidly lost from cells in hypothyroidism.“ - Ray Peat PhD
„These data indicate that thyroid hormone has a direct stimulatory action on the cellular transport of magnesium. The ability of thyroid hormone, as well as altered extracellular concentrations of magnesium, to influence the cellular transport of magnesium is indicative of a regulated process involving either active transport or facilitated diffusion. A probable but not invariable result of the hormonal stimulation of magnesium transport appears to be a preservation of normal cellular concentrations of magnesium despite a tendency to depletion of extracellular magnesium in hyperthyroidism and to an excess of extracellular magnesium in hypothyroidism.“
(https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/26/10/1081/2717825?redirectedFrom=fulltext)
„You can get enough magnesium from ordinary food if your thyroid let‘s you retain it“ (YouTube: „Ray Peat on magnesium from foods. Thyroid retaining magnesium.“)
4. How to restore mineral balance?
Ray said that thyroid/CO2 regulates mineral balance. So increasing thyroid activity or taking a thyroid supplement should restore mineral balance.
Ray also recommended the consumption of milk, eggs, oysters, shrimp, liver, orange juice and ripe fruits for adequate mineral intake.
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=74oLBrVddFs
The RCP on other hand recommend HTMA testing for mineral balancing.
The big difference between the two remain:
• RCP avoids vitamin D. Ray thinks that vitamin D is helpful.
• RCP does not recommend a high calcium intake. Ray thinks it’s essential for keeping PTH in check.
• RCP avoids hormone therapy. Ray thinks it‘s sometimes necessary to overcome a problematic environment.
• RCP focuses on the adrenals. Ray focuses on the thyroid to ease off the adrenals from compensating for low thyroid function.
• RCP focuses on addressing liver function through diet and supplements. Ray thinks that a hypothyroid person has almost inherently a sluggish liver function.
„The RCP is designed to:
1. increase bioavailable COPPER (Ceruloplasmin) in order to...
2. decrease unbound IRON and...
3. decrease the MAGNESIUM burn rate in order to...
4. repair cellular mineral imbalance - the ROOT CAUSE of virtually ALL health challenges.“
— RCP Handbook (The Root Cause Protocol | Handbook Download)
I always found this concept quite fascinating as I have been struggling with low ceruloplasmin/copper mixed with iron dysregulation and magnesium deficiency symptoms for nearly 2 years, but for me, the RCP approach did not work out.
I think Ray‘s health philosophy could (theoretically) help us achieve the goals of the RCP, without following the protocol per-se.
This is just a hypothesis, that I have not yet tested out. But it might be interesting nonetheless.
In the following I want to present the peatarian perspective.
1. How to raise ceruloplasmin:
We know that thyroid hormone regulate ceruloplasmin and serum copper levels by controlling hepatic export and transport protein synthesis.
„In the present paper we show that serum copper levels are regulated by thyroid hormone, which stimulates the synthesis and the export of the hepatic copper-transport protein ceruloplasmin into the serum.“
(Serum copper as a novel biomarker for resistance to thyroid hormone)
„In subclinical hypothyroid subjects, mean serum ceruloplasmin levels were found to be significantly lower in comparison to healthy subjects (p<0.0001).“
(Analysis and establish a correlation between serum ceruloplasmin, serum apelin level and thyroid profile in patients with hypothyroidism and healthy controls | International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences)
„Here we describe a 3-year-old Caucasian girl who was admitted to our Clinic due to pericardial effusion, muscle weakness and weight gain. At clinical examination, she presented with bradycardia, pale and round face, pseudohypertrophy of calf muscles and no pitting edema of the limbs. Routine blood investigations showed high serum aspartate and alanine aminotransferase levels, low serum ceruloplasmin without clinical signs of Wilson's disease, dyslipidemia. Thyroid function tests revealed a picture of severe hypothyroidism associated with HT. After the replacement treatment with L-T4, thyroid-stimulating hormone serum levels gradually decreased, with concomitant resolution of pericardial effusion and normalization of ceruloplasmin levels.“
(Hypoceruloplasminemia: an unusual biochemical finding in a girl with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and severe hypothyroidism - PubMed)
„Compared to euthyroid participants, patients with clinical hypothyroidism had statistically significant (P < 0.05) lower levels of serum copper and ceruloplasmin. The scenario was the opposite in the case of Grave's hyperthyroidism patients. Our study found statistically significant (P < 0.05) higher serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels in Grave's hyperthyroidism patients.“
(Study of copper and ceruloplasmin in hypothyroidism and Grave's hyperthyroidism as compared to euthyroidism: Hospital-based case–control study Bhat VG, Patra R, K. Raju D S, Mohandas G V, Rao N L, - J Indian Prosthodont Soc)
Ray also recommended regular consumption of copper-rich foods like oysters, shellfish and liver.
„A deficiency of copper causes our tissues to retain an excess of iron, so foods such as shrimp and oysters which contain abundant copper should be used regularly." - Ray Peat, PhD
The RCP recommends getting the serum copper to 100 mcg/dl and the serum ceruloplasmin to 30 mg/dl.
("Ideal" Values for Lab Tests - The Root Cause Protocol)
Ray said that the middle of the reference range for ceruloplasmin would be a good level. So roughly 30-40 mg/dl.
2. How to lower the iron footprint?
Ray recommended a low iron diet. He also recommended dairy (calcium) and coffee consumption with iron-rich meals to reduce iron absorption.
„Iron causes cell aging.
Drinking coffee with iron rich foods can reduce iron's toxic effects.
Use shrimp and oysters, etc., to prevent the copper deficiency which leads to excess storage of iron.
Avoid food supplements which contain iron.
Take about 100 units of vitamin E daily; your vitamin E requirement increases with your iron consumption.“
— Ray Peat PhD
He also wrote that a lower iron saturation is protective against cancer (I think he thought <25% was good, but I couldn’t find a quote, so I‘m not 100% sure)
This is in alignment with the RCP. The RCP also recommends a ferritin level between 20-50.
The RCP recommends lowering iron with blood donation.
Ray said:
„Blood transfusions damage immunity, and excess iron has been suspected to be one of the causes for this. People who regularly donate blood, on the other hand, have often been found to be healthier than non-donors, and healthier than they were before they began donating.“
3. How to restore magnesium levels?
Ray said that a hypothyroid person does not retain magnesium well and that a lot of benefits from thyroid supplementation come from increased magnesium retention.
„Magnesium is rapidly lost from cells in hypothyroidism.“ - Ray Peat PhD
„These data indicate that thyroid hormone has a direct stimulatory action on the cellular transport of magnesium. The ability of thyroid hormone, as well as altered extracellular concentrations of magnesium, to influence the cellular transport of magnesium is indicative of a regulated process involving either active transport or facilitated diffusion. A probable but not invariable result of the hormonal stimulation of magnesium transport appears to be a preservation of normal cellular concentrations of magnesium despite a tendency to depletion of extracellular magnesium in hyperthyroidism and to an excess of extracellular magnesium in hypothyroidism.“
(https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-abstract/26/10/1081/2717825?redirectedFrom=fulltext)
„You can get enough magnesium from ordinary food if your thyroid let‘s you retain it“ (YouTube: „Ray Peat on magnesium from foods. Thyroid retaining magnesium.“)
4. How to restore mineral balance?
Ray said that thyroid/CO2 regulates mineral balance. So increasing thyroid activity or taking a thyroid supplement should restore mineral balance.
Ray also recommended the consumption of milk, eggs, oysters, shrimp, liver, orange juice and ripe fruits for adequate mineral intake.
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=74oLBrVddFs
The RCP on other hand recommend HTMA testing for mineral balancing.
The big difference between the two remain:
• RCP avoids vitamin D. Ray thinks that vitamin D is helpful.
• RCP does not recommend a high calcium intake. Ray thinks it’s essential for keeping PTH in check.
• RCP avoids hormone therapy. Ray thinks it‘s sometimes necessary to overcome a problematic environment.
• RCP focuses on the adrenals. Ray focuses on the thyroid to ease off the adrenals from compensating for low thyroid function.
• RCP focuses on addressing liver function through diet and supplements. Ray thinks that a hypothyroid person has almost inherently a sluggish liver function.
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