Headache for the Last 8 Years
Dear Ted,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this email.
I have struggled for so long and tried so many ways to get get well I feel like giving up the search for a cure and just accepting the pain will be with me forever.
I have tried bodywork, acupuncture, every medication know to man. I have had X rays, CT scans, MRI's. I had a wonderful year of remission but now am in the same place I started going back down the dark road of headaches. Headaches that lead me to take Excedrin migraine daily. Which in turn leads to extreme stomach pain which leads me with nowhere to go and no way to heal the pain.
I will start from the beginning.....
About 8 years ago I turned and hit my nose really hard against a metal pole.
I was stunned but there was no bleeding. I had an x ray and I had a slight fracture to my nose. I went on with my life. I did however recently find out that I do have a deviated septum.
A couple of months later I went from California where I live to visit Family in Kentucky. While driving from Kentucky to South Carolina I stopped in Tennessee. After eating in a restaurant that smelled moldy I had a regular breakfast and one mimosa we continued to drive when suddenly I had the worst headache of my life come on. It did not let up even after I took a nap. I also started to get stomach problems like diarrhea. I thought is was just from the drink I had and the traveling. These problems came and never left. Not only did they not leave they got worse and worse.
I got home and had headaches that were so debilitating that I woke up and went to bed with them. I was seen by a doctor who said I had a sinus infection. I had never had one before but I thought all of these symptoms would get better once I treated the source of infection.
They did not get better they got worse and worse. I thought I wasn't going to be able to work any longer they were so bad. I finally got the attention an Internal Medicine Doctor who said come into the ER and we will do a CT scan. The CT scan showed nothing and I pushed for help desperately. They gave me medication to lower my blood pressure so my blood vessels wouldn't pound so hard. I already had low blood pressure so it dropped my heart rate pretty low and I would get dizzy. I stopped this. They gave me a low dose anti depressant and that did not help. I have tried numerous pain medications and nothing helped. Finally they let me have the MRI I had asked for. They found that I had some damage in the white matter of my brain on the right side. I was 30 now and they said we just don't study 30 yr old brains so were not sure how normal this kind of deterioration is. If you were 60 this kind of deterioration would be normal. They sent me off with saying maybe it's MS. I worried for a year that I would come up with MS or a Tumor I thought for sure I was dieing. My dad has PML and it is a very rare brain disease. Usually you only have this if you have something like cancer or aids but he had neither and the JC virus was still able to attack his body. This made me more scared that I truly had a serious disease.
I had begun to feel like sometimes when I would step my foot would go deeper into the ground than where the floor was. I also had such bad Irritable Bowel I can not describe how painful it was. I ran to the bathroom constantly. I had toilet paper in my car because it always hit so hard that if I wasn't within 3 min of a bathroom I was in trouble. My stomach cramped so bad that I was forced stop my car on the side of the freeway to relieve my diarrhea.
I was desperate for help. The doctors just kept offering more drugs and I kept trying them. I was on 2 prilosec a day, 2 - 4 Excedrin migraine, lots of pepto and anything else that would slightly dull the pain. I went and did bodywork and acupuncture for one year and although it was a great emotional help for me it did not take away the pain.
One day I started feeling really full all the time. That went on for a while. Then I started feeling not hungry. Which is rare for me since I am a vegetarian and have been since I was 18. I eat a lot. Then one day I got nauseous and starting throwing up for days. I realized I did not have the flu and that I was sick. I went to the doctor. I had already done a sygmoidoscopy and now they wanted to do an endoscopy. They told me to keep taking the prilosec. Well I tried to make the appt but they scheduled me 6 months out. I could eat nothing but noodles and push ups for some reason. I was nauseated all the time.
Additionally, I suffered years of chronic heartburn. Even eating toast would give me heartburn.
Finally one day my stomach started hurting so bad it felt as if someone had stuck there fist in my sternum and was just squeezing it.. I ended up in the hospital. They gave me something to help my severe heartburn and took an ex ray of my stomach. I was backed up majorly which seemed strange to me since I had diarrhea like 4 times a day everyday not to mention hemorrhoids and blood sometimes in my stool and sometimes from the hemorrhoids. They thought it was H pylori and had me start antibiotics. It was not H pylori and they had no suggestion on how to help me.
The next day a friend sent me to a nutritionist and I really did not want to go. I assumed no one could help me and I was probably just dieing and the doctors were to stupid to figure out what it was.
The nutritionist read my blood and said I wasn't that bad that she could help me.
She said I had parasites so bad that they were getting more of my blood than I was, I was also severely anemic, I had very bad candida and a pretty bad zinc deficiency. I stopped taking the antibiotics and started on her program.
My stomach was so messed up I ate nothing but vegetable soup for 2 weeks for all of my meals. I also quit smoking immediately. I added a little yogurt and cottage cheese because the nutritionist thought I should. Prior to that I only ate butter for dairy. I also started a shake that would take down the swelling in my body and start to repair the lining of my esophagus and stomach. I stopped all medication and the detox was painful and long.
I was told I had to get all of the fat out of my body so we could get the toxins out.
I started on food but avoided all sugar even fruit. I also stayed on protein shakes and lots of vitamins. The program program was adjusted to treat my symptoms. 4 months later I saw results. I also went from weighing 135 to 117. I am about 5"7. Although I saw great results the program was financially draining me. I stayed healthy for the following year even though I followed less than half of what the program required.
Then slowly the heartburn came back, headaches were next and I went back to the nutritionist again. She thought it was hormone related. Now that the parasites and candida were gone we could see the true issue. I was saliva tested and my progesterone was only 38 and should have been between 300-2000. I started back on a topical natural progesterone not to mention other herbs and vitamins. I took the progesterone every day except for my during my menstrual cycle and 3 months later the headaches were completely gone. I was so happy I thought we had found the issue. The heartburn was still there. I didn't care though I just wanted to be done with the headaches.
The nutritionist minimized the dose of progesterone to be taken only two weeks prior to my menstrual cycle. This caused the headaches to come back again. I attempted to increase the dose but the headache were still there. I had also taken a trip and got sick when I went to Kentucky. On the flight back my ears got plugged and I felt like my ear drum burst. It did not but I never got completely well from this sickness. I was left with phlegm in my throat all the time. The phlegm would rotate between being clear and yellow. I was always trying to clear my throat. I would feel like I couldn't swallow right and would have to turn my head upside down to attempt to get get the phlegm out.
I quit smoking again for good and I thought this would take the phlegm issue away but it did not.
I gave up on the nutritionist again and went to the doctor and started taking a synthetic progesterone. I tried it for 3 months without success.
My stomach has begun hurting again. I think its the beginning of an ulcer. My headaches are out of control. They are the worst during my cylcle. They go from being migraines to daily tension headaches. My headaches generally start between 10:00-2:00pm. I also have phlegm in my throat all the time even though I have quit smoking for 1 year now. I also get cramping in my neck, chronic pain in upper back and sometimes my joints will swell especially my ankles and knees.
I also wound up with a rash on both sides of my shin in the same place. On one side the rash attacked a 10 yr old burn scar. The doctors think it is eczema and gave me a steroid cream.I also have red spots on my cheeks that are not going away.
I have been allergy tested and the test showed that I was not allergic to anything they tested me for.
I still take excedrine.
I still take prilosec.
I am 34 years old but I feel 70. I just want my life back. I want to have a baby. I want to go to work and not worry about managing my pain everyday. I just want a better quality of life for myself and those around me.
I welcome any suggestions you may have and appreciate you listening to my story.
Please only use my first name if this is posted.
Kind Regards
Dear S:
The conditions appear to be a leaky gut syndrome that initiated the headache, so even with a detox program that wouldn't work if the leaky gut wasn't taken care of directly. The brain injury white damage white matter tend to lower the immune system as it is the control centers of the body anyway. The mold exposure made it worse, especially if the body is already metabolic acidosis as shown in the issue of acid reflux and taking prilosec. Long term can lead to aggravating conditions. It was the mycotoxin that was causing the headache. Apparently the mycotoxin has already entered and taken refuge and is what causes the present day acid reflux and leaky gut syndrome. Irritable bowel is an unusual one it may mean the lack of sea salt or low sodium in the urine which lowers natural immunity in the urinary tract.
What happens is this: the head injury leads to neural function that damaged white matter. The brain's immune system becomes lowered. Whenever a white matter of the brain quite often the body becomes metabolically acid if the neural system is damaged.
The same can also happen if the person were exposed to hydrocarbons, aspartame, chlorine, fluorine and heavy metals found in drinking tap unfiltered water. They damage the neural system. A mycotoxins from the molds are quite damaging, so unsurpringly causes a headache. Whenever the body is metabolically acidosis, the body's immune system are down and fungus or mold exposure is quite often the cause of acid reflux, which lead to taking prilosec. Which really isn't dealing with the cause of the problem.
Although I prefer a more direct method and just kill the fungus through the use of alkaline and borax remedy. Long term prilosec made the condition worse that lead to a leaky gut syndrome. The organism is a fungus like infection which spread from the top esophagus right down to the intestinal system.
It is of interesting note that when a fungus exposure occurs the body's hormone becomes suppressed or overexpressed itself. In some conditions moldy exposure tends to cause two things, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), in some instances lead to lack of progresterone and excessive estrogen. This leads to having problems bearing a child. But the same mold exposure that creates mycotoxin can also lead to hypothyroidism, especially with exposure to halogens from bleached white bread, white flour, and wheat products. All these promotes fungus growth, but at the same time are bleached from bromination process which lowers the body's available iodine system. Hence a kelp supplements is taken to increase the iodine while avoiding moldy products, fermented products, beer, wine, cheese (fermented - has mycotoxin), antibiotics (made from fungus and molds - has mycotoxins), and acid forming foods (supports fungus growth, such as sugar and fructose).
So the issue appears to be simply,
1) correct the white brain matter of the brain, 2) kill off the acid reflux, 3) resolve the leaky gut, 4) get rid of the fungus condition, and 5) correct the glandular functions.
The reason why supplements don't work appears to be dairy consumption. Most dairy products including yogurt is an anti-nutrient. I actually found out the hard way in a cancer person where the supplements which used to worked well suddenly stopped working all day. Apparently the person was taking two cups of yogurt and it rendered the supplements useless for the entire day. The milk protein casein engulf all foods and prevented their absortption, and hence an antinutrient.
Headaches of this condition is simply from three things: a damage white matter, autotoxification from leak gut, and a mycotoxin poisoning from the moldy fungus. My own simple remedy for mycotoxin is BHT 500-1000 mg once a day. BHT seems to neutralize aflaxtoxin, but believe it also neutralizes other mycotoxins too.
1) To correct the white brain matter, a couple of supplements are needed, 3-4 day a week of hydergine and piracetam. Vitamin C sodium ascorbate (no calcium) 1000 mg x 3, and baking soda 1/2 teaspoon in 1/2 glass of water twice a day. Some vitamin B complex, in form of B50, taken once a day 4 days out of a week, for a month or two. If further attention is needed, then only 5 mg of lithium citrate to help neural growth of the brain's white matter. Some granulated lecithin to help with myelination of the brain's white matter. Reduction of the inflammation in the brain with two supplements 1000 mg of fish oil and 1000 mg of evening primrose oil for only 3 or 4 days out of a week.
Quite often the single most important supplement against the headache is the vitamin C sodium ascorbate 1000 mg x 3 (no calcium) for a couple about a week usually goes away. If not an additional magnesium gluconate or magnesium citrate should help. If the brain's white matter is high in heavy metals healing won't proceed with glutathione and L carnosine is not taken. Both 500 mg each a day should help. If a person happens to be a doubting Thomas, then checking for hair mineral analysis may be revealing. The most common one I see with similar conditon is calcium is too high or off the charts, very low iodine or none at all, and high zinc or high copper. Carnosine supplements would reduce the heavy metals. Taurine is neuroprotective. In fact I have seen some people who STILL have a headache after vitamin C is taken may go away if a taurine supplements were taken. It occurs because some people simply don't eat fish, or the fact that a damaged brain may require more taurine. It should be noted that in building the brain, the brain has high vitamin C, GLA (from evening primrose oil), EPA, and DHA from fish oil. Hence the supplements mentioned here focuses on rebuilding the brain. However I haven't as yet dealt with mycotoxins, so BHT should neutralize that one with 500 mg at least to 1000 mg of BHT.
The other issue is when dealing with white matter a brain STILL cannot heal if the brain is not sufficiently alkaline enough to "cool down the brain". If the headache is still there, then a stronger alkalizing remedy is needed here, which is my modified version of the carbicarb remedy where I added potassium to neutralize the alkaline sodium to put less stress on the cells. The carbicarb remedy is more or less 1/4 teaspoon ot sodium carbonate + 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda + 1/8 teaspoon of potassium bicarbonate (or tripotassium citrate) in 1/2 to 1 glass of water. This will alkalize the brain within about 30 minutes and there is a feeling of cooling down of the brain and reduction of stress whenever the brain is sufficiently alkaline. A simpler baking soda would not work without the addition of the sodium carbonate. A sodium carbonate's common name is often called washing soda, but in medicine they use this in recovery from brain damage by protecting against excessive acidity from brain trauma victims and reviving dogs from brain trauma too.
2) kill off the acid reflux,
A remedy that slowly kills off the fungus like acid reflux is the baking soda or the lime and baking soda remedy. The simplest is 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 glass of water at least taken twice a day. A lime and baking soda is 2 tablespoon of lime juice plus 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 glass of water twice or three times a day, on an empty stomach. It takes about three weeks to neutralize the acid reflux slowly but surely.
3) resolve the leaky gut, A common remedy I used for acid reflux is magnesium chloride, 250 or 500 mg a day, or possibly magnesium citrate 500 mg a day. Pantothenic acid B5, plus B50 taken for 4 days out of a week seems to help. The b complex can either be B50 or B100, where B100 has mostly 100 mg of each of the b vitamins. People with acid reflux seems to have a b deficiency as well as a fungus like organism and hence baking soda and B remedy is the one I used.
4) get rid of the fungus condition, A fungus condition will often be killed with sufficient baking soda but the mycotoxins needs to be neutralized with BHT as mentioned previously. However, avoiding all fermented products and fungus product seems to be important factor. This includes potatoes (potatoes skin has fungus hence, mycotoxins). They are also high in calcium which tends to promote fungus mycotoxins. Antibiotics, mushrooms, wheat product all tend to have mycotoxins too. Avoiding dairy product is important since they are anti nutrients as mentioned before. Selenium may have some antifungal properties too.
5) correct the glandular functions. I prefer corrrecting problematic glandular functions through iodine and borax remedy I often used. For example, a good source of iodine are the kelp between 250-500 mg a day at least for a couple of days out of a week, namely taken once every two or three days. A borax remedy the mixture is often 1/8 teaspoon for woman's dose dissolved in one liter of drinking water taken throughout the day. This has a tendency to normalize the hormones and cause glandular function to normalized. It is also antifungal. Perhaps the borax remedy can be taken three days out of a week or four days or more. That depends on the people's individual need. For example I may be happy to take it for 2-3 days out of a week would be fine for me too.
The above should take care most of the problems, if I happen to forget something here just email me for more questions.
Ted
