hb8847
Senior Member
- Messages
- 432
- Location
- United Kingdom
About 8 years ago I began to experience a worrying cognitive decline and severe depression. This gradually worsened over the course of a few years and nothing I could do would reverse it (medication, therapy, etc)
Eventually this started to get better once on a whim I decided to radically alter my diet (giving up gluten, dairy, sugar and processed foods in particular - I had already given up alcohol and caffeine several months prior to no avail).
This was a big eye opener to me as prior to this point I had had no physical symptoms - just cognitive and 'mental' - and it showed me the root of my problems could be related to food and potentially the gut.
This was 2014. After about a year of gradually getting better I then suddenly came down with what felt like a heavy fever. I had aches in my joints, my voice was so hoarse I could barely speak, I had a full body fatigue, and had developed some eye-coordination problems that made it difficult to read.
I didn't get better from it. In fact I gradually got worse and worse in this regard to the point where I developed severe CFS and would be out of breath after minor activities like brushing my teeth.
Long story short - I have since managed to turn things around somewhat by working with a gut specialist to rectify a suspected bacterial dysbiosis. In particular I spent a long time taking antifungals which seemed to help considerably.
I have also identified with the help of a doctor that I have a bad histamine intolerance, likely also caused by the bacterial dysbiosis.
Towards the end of this treatment however I noticed I began having problems with foods that are low histamine and previously hadn't been an issue. Now it wasn't only gluten and dairy etc but pretty much all foods I could try - things like chicken, organic vegetables, anything I tried I would have reactions to and it was making my life intolerable.
The only way I could endure would be to go a few days not eating anything to let everything settle down. This sensitivity would extend to medications, and even the capsules of supplements would give me bother. All this made me suspect I had developed some autoimmune condition.
I have since found out that these sensitivities go away if I supplement with B12. Specifically it has to be methylcobalamin. I have taken a genetic test which has confirmed I have MTHFR variants that make me susceptible to a B12 deficiency. Interestingly though I also develop problems if I also supplement with methylfolate - I get bad brain fog and what feels like heavy inflammation.
This has led me to suspect that I still have bacterial dysbiosis - perhaps worsened by the removal of fungus but without replacing with healthy bacteria - and which is simultaneously preventing proper absorption of B12 whilst itself producing an excess of folate. (Hence explaining why B12 helps but folate hinders).
1. I'm wondering whether anyone has any insight as to what specifically might be going on here with the B12, such that it pretty much immediately resolves my food intolerances, and without which things suddenly start to become problematic really fast?
Currently my issue is that supplementing with B12, whilst is essential in preventing food intolerances, seems to lead me to 'overmethylate' at even a low dose, which furthers my inflammation. Essentially I have high inflammation regardless of what I seem to do with B12.
2. It feels to me like I have an autoimmune condition, and whilst the long term solution is likely to be found by resolving my gut dysbiosis I'm wondering if anyone has any experience here with immunosuppressants? Are they an option I should be considering?
Thanks in advance.
Eventually this started to get better once on a whim I decided to radically alter my diet (giving up gluten, dairy, sugar and processed foods in particular - I had already given up alcohol and caffeine several months prior to no avail).
This was a big eye opener to me as prior to this point I had had no physical symptoms - just cognitive and 'mental' - and it showed me the root of my problems could be related to food and potentially the gut.
This was 2014. After about a year of gradually getting better I then suddenly came down with what felt like a heavy fever. I had aches in my joints, my voice was so hoarse I could barely speak, I had a full body fatigue, and had developed some eye-coordination problems that made it difficult to read.
I didn't get better from it. In fact I gradually got worse and worse in this regard to the point where I developed severe CFS and would be out of breath after minor activities like brushing my teeth.
Long story short - I have since managed to turn things around somewhat by working with a gut specialist to rectify a suspected bacterial dysbiosis. In particular I spent a long time taking antifungals which seemed to help considerably.
I have also identified with the help of a doctor that I have a bad histamine intolerance, likely also caused by the bacterial dysbiosis.
Towards the end of this treatment however I noticed I began having problems with foods that are low histamine and previously hadn't been an issue. Now it wasn't only gluten and dairy etc but pretty much all foods I could try - things like chicken, organic vegetables, anything I tried I would have reactions to and it was making my life intolerable.
The only way I could endure would be to go a few days not eating anything to let everything settle down. This sensitivity would extend to medications, and even the capsules of supplements would give me bother. All this made me suspect I had developed some autoimmune condition.
I have since found out that these sensitivities go away if I supplement with B12. Specifically it has to be methylcobalamin. I have taken a genetic test which has confirmed I have MTHFR variants that make me susceptible to a B12 deficiency. Interestingly though I also develop problems if I also supplement with methylfolate - I get bad brain fog and what feels like heavy inflammation.
This has led me to suspect that I still have bacterial dysbiosis - perhaps worsened by the removal of fungus but without replacing with healthy bacteria - and which is simultaneously preventing proper absorption of B12 whilst itself producing an excess of folate. (Hence explaining why B12 helps but folate hinders).
1. I'm wondering whether anyone has any insight as to what specifically might be going on here with the B12, such that it pretty much immediately resolves my food intolerances, and without which things suddenly start to become problematic really fast?
Currently my issue is that supplementing with B12, whilst is essential in preventing food intolerances, seems to lead me to 'overmethylate' at even a low dose, which furthers my inflammation. Essentially I have high inflammation regardless of what I seem to do with B12.
2. It feels to me like I have an autoimmune condition, and whilst the long term solution is likely to be found by resolving my gut dysbiosis I'm wondering if anyone has any experience here with immunosuppressants? Are they an option I should be considering?
Thanks in advance.