I’m in the USA for 2 conferences and I just spent 3 super days visiting my brother and his family in Las Vegas. We had a super hike in Red Rocks National Park.
We went early to avoid the heat and it was fabulous until I slipped on some sand when going down a steep section in the way out.
I twisted my ankle and at the time I thought this is bad! This is very bad!
It was a big relief that I was able to walk out. I walked very slowly and used my sister-in-law’s shoulder in the steep sections, always keeping my foot flat.
However when we got home I found I could not put any weight on it at all. The pain was really bad if I tried! How was I going to be able to navigate airports, hotels, conferences, speaking on stages and standing at my booth over the next 10 days?
At Mindshare, I’m thrilled to have been selected to present on The Future of Health, a 5 min TEDx type talk. My topic is: Why Social Anxiety, Introversion and Loneliness can be Lethal and a Simple Nutritional Solution. It will be videotaped and I’ll be sure to share with you.
[UPDATE: January 2020 – Here is the blog post with a link to the presentation and additional information on pyroluria]I’ve also be nominated for a Rising Tide award at Mindshare.
And I’m presenting at the Integrative Medicine for Mental Health (IMMH) conference on “GABA for Anxiety, ADHD, Autism, Insomnia, and Addictions: Research and Practical Applications.”
I had to get it healed as quickly as possible!
I pampered my foot for the next 12 hours, keeping it elevated and alternating between ice and using a compression bandage.
The RICE – rest, ice, compression, elevate – technique really does work.
I was taken care of my my darling nieces and little Rascal, the taco-terrier came to check on me from time to time.
I could not stand on my foot at all that first day. When I did need to get up, I used the crutches. I was keeping well- hydrated so there were frequent bathroom breaks.
I also used arnica cream topically and arnica homeopathic pills orally 3 times a day.
It was pretty painful that first day so I also used DPA (d-phenylalanine), an amino acid which is great for physical pain. I also decided to use GABA, a calming amino acid – this helped me relax and feel calm, sleep better and I suspect it helped ease some of the muscle stiffness and the pain too.
By the next day I was able to walk very carefully and 2 days later I was walking with almost no limp. I did continue with all of the above RICE, arnica, GABA and DPA supplements too.
This is how my foot looks 4 days later. There is slight bruising and very little swelling. I can walk without a limp and can now wriggle my toes with no pain.
[UPDATE: July 2021]
I injured my knee last week (the diagnosis is patellofemoral pain syndrome) and I have been hobbling around (I had to use crutches for 2 days), doing physical therapy sessions, doing home exercises from the physical therapist, and using the RICE, arnica, GABA and DPA approach outlined above. It’s doing so much better in just a week but this injury got me thinking “why does this happen to me and how can I prevent it again?”
I have pyroluria and one of the classic set of symptoms with pyroluria is this: “Joints popping, cracking, or aching; pain or discomfort between the shoulder blades; or cartilage problems” (due to low zinc). That’s my first clue.
Because of the pandemic and being mostly home, I’m not taking the pyroluria supplements consistently. That’s my second clue.
I do have Lyme disease. There is a pyroluria-Lyme connection, and it’s well recognized that the Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete often affects the musculoskeletal system. That’s my third clue.
I also have dietary oxalate and pain issues and with the oxalate-vitamin B6 connection, I suspect this may be my fourth clue.
Now I plan to dig deeper into this particular set of pyroluria symptoms and look at the mechanisms at play that cause knee/ankle/hip/shoulder and other injuries to tendons, joints and cartilage (I’ve had many injuries over the years). It’s fascinating what I’m learning so far.
Stay tuned for an entire blog post on the topic. Until then please do share your experiences below if you have pyroluria and/or Lyme disease and/or dietary oxalate issues, and have or have had a lot of injuries. Keep in mind that just having pyroluria is enough to have these types of injuries and it’s the Lyme and oxalate issues that add to the problems. Having Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) adds to the complexity too.
If you’re new to pyroluria, this blog with my Mindshare video, Why social anxiety, introversion and loneliness can be lethal and a simple nutritional solution, has the following information:
- A brief overview of pyroluria
- A link to the Pyroluria Questionnaire from my book The Antianxiety Food Solution (which has an entire chapter on the topic).
- A discussion on how I first discovered the pyroluria-introversion connection
- And information on loneliness and the sociability/vagus nerve connections
Do you have pyroluria (social anxiety or introversion) or score high on the pyroluria questionnaire?
Have you noticed you are more injury prone when you are not on the pyroluria protocol or that your injuries stopped or became less frequent once you discovered you have pyroluria and started supplementing? And then got worse again when not supplementing?
What kinds of injuries have you had or have now?
Do you also have Lyme disease and/or dietary oxalate issues?
Have you used a similar approach for an ankle or knee injury – RICE, arnica, GABA and DPA?
What other tips do you have for a sprained ankle or knee injury?
In 2009 while on a hike with my then 8 y.o. grandson I injured the top of my left foot when it wedged btw rocks but kept walking briskly a few seconds. I might’ve torn some connective tissue. Went home limping & in pain & applied ice, rubbing in a circle all over the wound ’til the skin was livid red. (More oxygen speeds healing. ) I probably did this several times before heading back to farm work the next day. I never needed crutches & had to walk slowly. By the end of 4 days — I did the ice treatment every day — I was walking normally.
I’ve also used this ice trick for sciatica & muscle soreness. A comfrey soak also has worked wonders. CBD oil, if you find an honest dealer & high quality product, mitigates pain.
I have multiple autoimmune afflictions & am never totally free of pain, but with a vegan keto diet & following NEWSTART, detoxing several times a wk with activated charcoal while fasting — I also do intermittent fasting, except I always try to stay as hydrated as possible — & cilantro extract, the pain has diminished even during the flareups, tho, sometimes severe after overexertion or barometric fluctuations — I’ve been told I have hyperactive barometric muscle sensors — before the very frequent ingestion of charcoal while on a fast with water I have been able to bear it as there are no more extreme but now slighter burning, stinging, aching sensations! Thank God!
Great ideas to try! Thanks I can use this today!
Hi Trudy,
I am really hoping you could help me. I tapered off of Prozac for over 2 years, very slowly and stopped altogether in March 2019. Then I began Tryptophan 100 mg, GABA Calm 125 mg and DLPA 1000 mg and Melatonin 2 mg. Everything seemed ok for 4 months. Then I had read that women should not take amino acids while pregnant and my husband and I were planning on doing an embryo transfer – so I experimented with the DLPA and stopped it for 3 days last month. On the 3rd day of no DLPA, all heck broke loose and I became extremely dizzy and unbalanced. I immediately reinstated the DLPA the following day hoping it would alleviate my symptoms. Unfortunately, my symptoms persisted and became worse. I now believe that I am in protracted withdrawals from stopping the Prozac.
In order to alleviate the W/D, I slowly need to increase the Prozac back into my system. Currently, I am at 1.25 mg which is very low. My concern is Serotonin Syndrome. Since I still take Tryptophan, along with the other amino acids, I am unsure what dose of amino acids to take while I increase the Prozac.
I also am unsure whether it is safe to just stop the amino acids cold turkey now that I have reinstated the Prozac.
I would so appreciate your guidance.
Sincerely,
HopeFloats
HopeFloats
I’m sorry to hear about the issues from stopping Prozac – unfortunately this is very common. I can’t offer specific advice for you via the blog but can share that I have clients take tryptophan with Prozac under the guidance of their prescribing doctor and always 6 hours apart. There is no issue with stopping the amino acids cold turkey.
Oh, bromelain! It’s just magical. And soaks in epsom salts: hot may be counterindicated, but tepid footbaths may soak in some magnesium and help things along.
Angeline
Thanks! My bromelain was at home but I do love it!
I was in the Sinai in 89 and very badly sprained my ankle. The locals called in the shaman from the mountains who arrived at night on camel in a procession with flaming torches. I was quite scared thinking snake venom, AIDS etc. I was almost hysterically relieved when he packed and bound the ankle with seasalt. A standard remedy that works. Not forgetting the incantations. !!!
Pip
So interesting – thanks for sharing!
Glad that RICE helped your ankle heal swiftly.
Similar situation in which upper end of bicep seems to have torn loose. Intense pain when it happened. No swelling or bruising. No more pain after five days, but hard spot in upper arm where the bicep should be smooth.
Six weeks later, using arm without pain, but leery because of muscle disconnect.
Used arnica cream topically; no apparent effect.
Recommendations?
Clyde
I’d see a physical therapist and have them do an assessment
Take the energy away with a sweeping of 1 or 2 hands, or others can sweep the energy away for you. I was taught this technique by a reflexologist. With a sprain or any injury use the hands to throw the energy away. Sweep and throw or flick it away. Lay on your back and throw the pain away with both hands.
The blood is flowing to that area and throwing the energy away keeps it from pooling, swelling and bruising. I have done this many times and after 10 to 15 minutes you can tell if you can move the ankle and toes without severe stabbing pain…you know nothing is broke. I could walk on it after, But also did as others suggested using ice and elevating the injury . But it is always good, if in doubt to have it checked out by a Dr.
These are my favorites:
A great technique to reduce swelling is to dip in ice water. A 5-10 second dip will contract the blood vessels, and then blood flows more strongly, and it will carry away the stuff that is collecting, so the theory goes. Directions are to do it at least 10 times in a two hour period for 7 days. In an acute injury, more can be done.
For example, I dropped something small on my toe, and it wasn’t much of an injury except it hit a blood vessel and swelled up a lot from bleeding under the skin. Ow, ow. Walking wasn’t good. By the evening, it was virtually like it was before.
Another thing that works great for me is DMSO, and there’s lots on the Internet about it. Also dragon’s blood and onycha.
Susan – thanks for sharing!
I believe I have pyroluria. I have had a torn PCL and LCL. Hurt my knee again last year, and by the time I finally had an MRI 3 weeks later, it came back normal. I’d been using DMSO on it, and I suspect that may have had something to do with the MRI coming back normal.
Lisa
Thanks for sharing and glad to hear DMSO helped. It is a sulfur compound and issues with sulfur are also part of all this.
If you are new to pyroluria, my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution”, has an entire chapter on the topic. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
Dear Trudy I hope you will recover soon from your knee injury!
Sanya
Thanks – it’s doing better and better every day!
I’ve had knee issues my whole life, with increased social anxiety and introversion as I got older, eventually diagnosed with Lyme in 2010 for unrelated reasons. Low and behold the knee issues (patellar malalignment syndrome) restarted to resolve with lyme treatment. Stubborn lyme began to respond to treatment, along with social anxiety and resolution of knee issues and some other musculoskeletal issues when supported on the pyrolysis protocol. Some responsiveness of these also to SAMe.
That’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing. Among many other problems, I have patellofemoral syndrome, and was diagnosed with lyme and I’m sure I have pyroluria – along with a number of other things. I would not have thought of patellofemoral or patellar malalignment as being related to infection or nutrition; just body mechanics. But I guess it makes sense that the soft tissue inflammation and injuries caused by lyme, pyroluria, etc., contribute to misalignment. And lyme, etc., could also just cause more inflammation in the joints and maybe even bones (?) that would cause more pain when there is some misalignment.
Ava
Yes they are all very connected and you’ve described some of these connections here. Also, the nutrients that help with pyroluria are also key for joints, tendons and cartilage. And are key for recovery from Lyme and immunity. The Lyme also affects the integrity of cartilage/joints etc and prevents healing, and also uses up our zinc, B vitamins and magnesium etc. Because Lyme is a “stress” on the system, folks with pyroluria lose even more zinc and B6. I’ll be sharing more about all this in the new blog.
Jen
Thanks for sharing. So glad to hear you’ve seen some of these connections during your healing journey. It’s powerful (and wonderful!) to hear that the pyroluria protocol helped your knee issues, social anxiety and accelerated Lyme recovery. Dr. Klinghardt has always advocated for doing the pyroluria protocol at the same time as Lyme treatment for better results. He actually says you can’t recover from Lyme disease unless you do this. Regarding SAMe, this is a sulfur compound and issues with sulfur are also part of all this.
I think you mean “when supported on the pyroluria protocol”? I’m curious which other musculoskeletal issues also improved?
So interesting! Thank you!
I score very very high on the pyroluria questionnaire, and I was diagnosed with lyme last summer, which I treated with cold lasers. I have had terrible knees since I was about 20, and a number of soft tissue injuries and inability to heal. I badly tore my calf about 10 years ago, and my quad muscle when I was about 20. I have a whole bad left arm for unknown reasons; that shoulder and elbow and wrist are troublesome. I did start running and lifting weights at a young age – because I had massive hormonal problems and gained weight practically by thinking about food.
I almost totally ruptured my achilles in May of 2018; it was hanging by a thread. I had repair surgery – and it tore 5 or 6 times after, even though I was being very careful. I found my way to a regenerative doc who did PRP after the 2nd or 3rd tear, and then did stem cells after the 5th or 6th. He and another doctor said he had never seen anything like it; it was just full of holes. I pray the last stem cell procedure, in Dec of 2020, worked. It seems to have.
But, I haven’t had much of a chance to test it because I had pretty major ankle surgery on the other ankle in Feb 2021, 5 months ago. That was a 35 year old injury (I’m 46) that was diagnosed as a sprain at the time, but was actually much more. The MRI before surgery showed cysts and swelling in the bone – which has gotten worse since the surgery, not better. I now have orders that I am not even supposed to ride a bike for the foreseeable future; I am only allowed to swim.
I first learned about pyroluria, through your newsletters and blog, within the last 6 or so months, and started taking zinc and B6 P5P. I was already taking a zinc supplement, but wasn’t as consistent about it as I should have been. I did the liquid zinc test on the tongue and it tasted like water. And I had been taking quality B vits, but not enough B6. I kind of can’t believe I never heard of pyroluria before, I seem to be the poster child for it.
I might also add: I’ve always been very much a loner, if not necessarily shy. The older I get, the more antisocial I become. Being injured for the last 3+ years hasn’t helped, because all of my social activities were active ones.
I find that I’ve developed an anger and irritability that I never had before that I really have to work to keep in check, and it’s not good. But, I don’t even want to be around people anymore; I just don’t enjoy it.
I was very antisocial as a child, and somewhat in college, but had a very social 20s and 30s, and had a lot of fun. I found my people. But over the last several years I just sort of got too emotionally exhausted to want to be around people, and quit being in touch with friends and didn’t have the emotional energy to be the supportive and compassionate person I used to be. I used to be very sympathetic and supportive and would go out of my way to help people, but now I have no patience for it. Now I am always alone and almost never want to see anyone. I kind of have to remind myself to see the few friends I have left – and I enjoy them when I do.
I need to figure this thing out a little more; this information is really helpful.
Ava
Thanks for sharing all this and glad you now know about pyroluria. It will be interesting to see how your injuries reduce and sociability improves. We expect to see improvements in a few weeks and if not, fine tuning is needed.
A few additional comments…when I hear anger/irritability I look into low serotonin with clients (zinc and B6 are also needed to make serotonin and it’s often low with pyroluria).
With a ruptured achilles I always ask about fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro is a common one) prescriptions as this is a known side-effect. More here – The Risk of Fluoroquinolone-induced Tendinopathy and Tendon Rupture https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921747/
Trudy:
Can you please recommend a good Vitamin B6? In either liquid or chewable or a capsule that can be opened and put into liquid.
Thank you.
Pamela
You can find some liquid products in my online store. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-pyroluria-supplements/
Do you have pyroluria and are you prone to these types of injuries?
I was surprised to see the mention of EDS. I had never heard of it but my 15 year old granddaughter was diagnosed with it. All the medicines they give her do not help much. Gabapentin was one she could not tolerate and I am guessing that is different from the GABA you use. Would love to hear more on how you deal with your EDS! And what you use to help. Hoping your knee injury heals quickly and that you figure out how to prevent further injury. Thanks so much for all the time and effort you put into research and sharing of what you learned!
Connie
Thanks for your kind words about my knee – doing better and better each day. And yes I will be sharing more about prevention.
I don’t have EDS myself but have blogged about it here:
I have blogged about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome/EDS here
Joint hypermobility / Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and pyroluria? https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/joint-hypermobility-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-pyroluria/
Social anxiety caused by pyroluria: oxytocin, the vagus nerve, pectus excavatum and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/social-anxiety-caused-by-pyroluria-oxytocin-the-vagus-nerve-pectus-excavatum-and-ehlers-danlos-syndrome/
Pectus excavatum and pyroluria: is there a connection? https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/pectus-excavatum-and-pyroluria-is-there-a-connection/
This Facebook group is a good community support and resource on EDS: Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and the Cusack Protocol
And correct, gabapentin is very different from the amino acid GABA.
My book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” has an entire chapter on pyroluria but no mention of EDS as I discovered connections more recently. If you are new to the amino acids like GABA there is also a chapter on amino acids (and other anxiety nutrition solutions like gluten/sugar/caffeine removal, blood sugar control, gut health). It is a great place to start. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
Does your granddaughter also have anxiety/social anxiety?
I am here in Durban, South Africa, very close to where shops have been looted and burnt. It’s been a horrible experience! The devastation is unbelievable! My daughter and family live in Australia. I came to SA in 1982 from Zimbabwe. I grew up there so went through all the trauma of the bush war etc. I have been taking Ativan for years but managed to cut down to just taking when I needed. I moved to a retirement facility in 2012 when my husband passed away. This has been even more traumatic for me since Covid last year. We were locked in with guards at the gates at one time! The people here are not friendly. We’re locked up at the moment with a 3rd wave. I’m a shy person but definitely suffering from social anxiety now! I’ve also had panic attacks. I get very sore in my joints and muscles and get very stiff. It’s got much worse now and I have been trying to cope but due to a limited income it’s difficult to know what to take. I don’t go to doctors, I am taking zinc and magnesium. I no longer can get Ativan (tranquipam). Is there anything else I can take? Thanks for your help.
Sheila
I am so sorry to hear you are in the midst of all this. I have family and friends there and it’s very disturbing.
With social anxiety/pyroluria, B6 is part of the protocol too. With joint and muscle pain we also always consider dietary oxalates (https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/oxalate-crystal-disease-dietary-oxalates-and-pain-the-research-questions/), gluten, low vitamin D and statin prescription.
Stopping a benzodiazepine cold turkey can be very dangerous so be sure to discuss the with nursing staff there.
Some simple low cost/no cost ideas for anxiety relief include gardening, knitting, laughter, smiling (even when you don’t have something to smile about), music, dancing, grounding/earthing (barefoot on the grass), nature/outdoors/sunshine and also looking at nature scenery, gratitude journal, giving and kindness (maybe help someone else in your retirement home?), vagus nerve support, essential oils, EFT/tapping, meditation etc. Also get rid of toxins, plastics, scented things etc
And as always focusing on real whole foods, reducing sugar, eliminating caffeine and alcohol, and eating for blood sugar control (i.e. protein at breakfast)
Where do I find the pyroluria questionnaire?
Jeanene
I included a link in the above blog but here it is a again https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/pyroluria-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/ For future reference be sure to use the search feature top right on the blog 🙂
It’s also in my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” – which has an entire chapter on pyroluria. More here https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/the-antianxiety-food-solution-by-trudy-scott/
I am a retired massage therapist, retired at age 70, after 25 years , which I loved doing! A year ago at age 75, I accidentally fell on my knees on concrete and cracked both knees and also injured my rotator cuff muscles.
I did all the usual protocols (RICE, soaks, CBD oil etc.) and recovered and able to function more or less normally, but the knees were still painful. Doctors recommended knee replacement surgery, which I will not do.
Three months ago I began using a homeopathic called Silicea at 30X potency, and have experienced a dramatic improvement in pain relief and the rotator cuff muscles appear to have healed by at least 50%.
Homeopathics are very safe to use, and I will continue this protocol until I am painfree. I will continue to monitor my progress will periodic x-rays.
Kathryn
Thanks for sharing and I’m glad to hear about the improvements. Interestingly, this article – Silicea – Homeopathic Medicine its Uses, Indications and Dosage says this: “It has the capability to replace a surgeon’s knife by its remarkable action.” https://www.drhomeo.com/medicine/silicea-homeopathic-medicine-uses-indications-dosage/
The article also mentions how it helps with “prolonged mental exhaustion they have always been prone to” and “settles many disorders of the mind, the marked symptoms being lack of confidence, stamina, and concentration.” Have you noticed additional benefits?
Do you have pyroluria? If yes, the protocol may speed healing further. A good physical therapist is always my go-to too.