Posted by janejane on March 20, 2010, at 10:56:00
In reply to Re: Amino acid testing, posted by bleauberry on March 19, 2010, at 20:35:14
Thanks for your thoughts, Bleauberry.
I guess I should give a little more background. I went to this doc because she has experience with bioidentical hormones and I have been wondering whether part of my depression might come from low estrogen and/or progesterone. She ordered some tests and I'll get the results next week. We also talked a little about diet but since we only had 1/2 hour scheduled, couldn't cover much. I'm hoping we'll be able to do that in the future. I think she suggested the amino acid testing since I mentioned trying tryptophan. I'm unclear how results would be interpreted and it is definitely one of my concerns. She did mention that she had some vegan patients for whom the test turned out to be useful.
As far as mercury and yeast, I should give an update.
I did have that work done by the biological dentist. Two crowns and a replacement filling. But he didn't think it was a good idea to remove existing crowns to check underneath for amalgam because trying to do so would risk losing the teeth. (I didn't realize that could happen as I thought the worst case scenario would be breaking the crown -- apparently the whole tooth could break, which would be really bad since then I would need an implant to replace it.) He said the main threat is from mercury that's exposed to saliva anyway and that any amalgam under a crown would be much less harmful. I know that other experts say that you must get rid of every last bit (especially if you want to do chelation therapy), but I'm not sure it's worth the risk of losing teeth just to check for something that might not even been there (keep in mind that I have 5 old crowns). I might try to see another biological dentist to get a second opinion. I can't say I feel any different since the procedure was done. I did take the supplements you recommended.
As far as yeast goes, I have been taking that Candida Clear product by Now Foods that I told you about. It has a several anti-candida herbs in it. I know some people say it's better to cycle the different herbs but since I wasn't sure that yeast was a problem I thought I would try it and see if there was any effect before committing to a more comprehensive program.
I haven't noticed any changes in mood, but I think my usual discharge might be a little clearer (it was always slightly whitish), suggesting perhaps that I had a chronic low-grade infection. (I've only had vaginal yeast infections with noticeable symptoms a few times in the past so I'm thinking it might always have been there, but under the radar.) I never really had digestive issues and there has been no change there. I've also been taking saccharomyces boulardii ("yeast against yeast") in addition to some other probiotics. I had no herx reaction so maybe the infection was mild, I don't know. Do you have any advice as to how long I should continue taking the supplements?
I really don't think lyme would be an issue since my depression started before I moved to an area that has ticks. Plus, I'm just not an outdoor type person so I'm not sure when I would've been exposed.
The blood type test is an interesting idea. I just checked and it looks like you can order one online pretty cheap.
A different doctor did do some tests to check for celiac. Results were normal but I showed the new doc the results and she said that doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't affect me.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what the hormone tests say. Low estrogen might help explain my low serum copper, plus I have other symptoms that jibe with it. Assuming that everything is normal there, how do you think I should proceed given the new info I've provided you? What other tests should I ask for?
Well thanks again for your help, Bleau, plus anyone else out there who might have some insight.
poster:janejane
thread:939977
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20091202/msgs/940171.html