{"id":610,"date":"2011-10-13T12:00:29","date_gmt":"2011-10-13T19:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/?p=610"},"modified":"2022-09-30T12:13:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T19:13:28","slug":"pyroluria-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.everywomanover29.com\/blog\/pyroluria-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"Pyroluria Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pyroluria<\/p>\n

This questionnaire will help you identify whether you might have pyroluria, a social anxiety condition. The physical and emotional symptoms below are caused by deficiencies of vitamin B6<\/sub> and zinc. When you experience high levels of stress, vitamin B6<\/sub> and zinc will be further depleted, so you may notice worsening symptoms and more anxiety.<\/p>\n

Based on my review of questionnaires and results of pyroluria tests for hundreds of clients, I\u2019ve grouped the most common or classic signs and symptoms first. I\u2019ve also labeled the symptoms that could be directly related to low levels of vitamin B6<\/sub> or zinc so you can individualize your supplements and dosages. Symptoms without these designations are due to a deficiency of both vitamin B6<\/sub> and zinc. Check off any of the following signs or symptoms that apply to you:<\/p>\n

Most Common Signs and Symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Being anxious, shy, or fearful or experiencing inner tension since childhood, but hiding these feelings from others
\n2. Having bouts of depression or nervous exhaustion
\n3. Poor dream recall, stressful or bizarre dreams, or nightmares (low vitamin B6<\/sub>)
\n4. Excessive reactions to tranquilizers, barbiturates, alcohol, or other drugs, in which a little produces a powerful response (low vitamin B6<\/sub>)
\n5. Preferring not to eat breakfast, experiencing light nausea in the morning, or being prone to motion sickness (low vitamin B6<\/sub>)
\n6. White spots or flecks on the fingernails or opaquely white or paper-thin nails (low zinc)
\n7. Liquid zinc sulfate having a mild taste or tasting like water (low zinc)
\n8. Poor appetite or having a poor sense of smell or taste (low zinc)
\n9. Joints popping, cracking, or aching; pain or discomfort between the shoulder blades; or cartilage problems (low zinc)
\n10. Pale or fair skin or being the palest in the family, or sunburning easily, now or when younger
\n11. Disliking protein or having ever been a vegetarian or vegan
\n12. Being sensitive to bright sunlight or noise
\n13. Upper abdominal pain on your left side under the ribs or, as a child, having a stitch in your side as you ran
\n14. Frequent fatigue
\n15. Being prone to iron anemia or low ferritin levels
\n16. Tending to have cold hands or feet
\n17. Having frequent colds or infections, or unexplained chills or fever
\n18. Reaching puberty later than normal or having irregular menstruation or PMS
\n19. Having allergies, adrenal issues, or problems with sugar metabolism
\n20. Having gluten sensitivity
\n21. Neurotransmitter imbalances, especially low serotonin
\n22. For women, belonging to an all-girl family or having look-alike sisters
\n23. For men, having a mother from an all-girl family or a mother with look-alike sisters, or all the females in the mother\u2019s family bearing a strong resemblance to each other
\n24. Avoiding stress because it upsets your emotional balance
\n25. Tending to become dependent on one person whom you build your life around
\n26. Preferring the company of one or two close friends rather than a gathering of friends; becoming more of a loner as you age
\n27. Feeling uncomfortable with strangers
\n28. Being bothered by being seated in the middle of the room in a restaurant
\n29. Being easily upset by criticism<\/p>\n

Less Common Signs and Symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n

30. Stretch marks or poor wound healing (low zinc)
\n31. Crowded upper front teeth, many cavities, or inflamed gums or wearing braces (low zinc)
\n32. Bad breath and body odor (or a sweet, fruity odor), especially when ill or stressed (low zinc)
\n33. Being prone to acne, eczema, herpes, or psoriasis
\n34. Reduced amount of hair on your head, eyebrows, or eyelashes, or prematurely gray hair
\n35. Difficulty recalling past events and people in your life
\n36. Focusing internally, on yourself, rather than on the external world
\n37. Tending to have morning constipation
\n38. Tingling sensations or muscle spasms in your legs or arms
\n39. Feeling stressed by changes in your routine, such as traveling or being in new situations
\n40. Your face looking swollen when you\u2019re under a lot of stress
\n41. Cluster headaches or blinding headaches
\n42. One or more of the following: a psychiatric disorder, schizophrenia, high or low histamine, alcoholism, learning and behavioral disorders, autism, Down syndrome, Lyme disease (and\/or coinfections), mold toxicity, heavy metals, MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome), multiple chemical sensitivities, Alice in Wonderland syndrome, introversion, Ehlers Danlos syndrome, pectus excavatum and other connective tissue disorders, mutism, dystonia, dental issues, dietary oxalate issues, vagus nerve issues<\/p>\n

If you check off 15 or more items, especially the more common ones, it\u2019s highly probable that you have pyroluria.<\/p>\n

I typically start my clients with zinc (30 mg), vitamin B6 (100mg) or P5P (25mg) and evening primrose oil (1300mg), plus a good multi-vitamin (with manganese and no copper) and a multi-mineral and sometimes additional magnesium.<\/p>\n

For the zinc I have found Opti-zinc (without copper)<\/span> to be very well absorbed by most of my clients. Using the liquid zinc sulfate\/zinc status test is a useful way to assess your zinc levels.<\/p>\n

We increase zinc based on the zinc test and the vitamin B6 based on dream recall. And obviously social anxiety symptoms too.<\/p>\n

This questionnaire and information is taken from chapter 7 of my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution:<\/em> How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings, <\/em>available in major books stores and via Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is based on my experience working with many clients with pyroluria, along with information from Depression-Free Naturally<\/em> (2001), by Joan Mathews-Larson, Nutrition and Mental Illness<\/em> (1987), by Carl Pfeiffer, and Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders<\/em> (2001), by Eva Edelman.<\/p>\n

And this version of the questionnaire reflects a few updates made since my book was published in 2011.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

11\/5\/2013 update<\/strong> – since doing this post, I’ve done a number of other posts related to zinc, vitamin B6, pyroluria and even introversion\u00a0 and I am including links to some of them here:<\/p>\n