On this page:
1 - Supplements
2 - Supplement explanations
Before I start with what we were on and what we added, I have recently learned about the huge value of magnesium and coconut oil. Please review the Resources page, the Special Report under Updates and the information from Butch under Others.
Supplements (Kay)
This is a list of the supplements Kim is now taking in 2013. We have added to, supplemented, and modified the list as we have continued to study and learn. Later we will explain the reasoning behind each supplement on the list.
Krill Oil - 500 mg
Astaxanthin - 4 mg (could start with a higher dose as initially there is a lot of free radicals to clean up)
CoQ10 - 200 mg
Tumeric - 750 mg (if combined with pepper, tumeric absorbs better. )
Magnesium - Jigsaw magnesium called MagSRT 4 caps per day thru jigsawhealth.com or Remag by Dr. Carolyn Dean at https://www.rnareset.com/products/remag-magnesium-solution?variant=13899661319. Aussie Trace Minerals at https://www.seamineral.com/products-aussie-trace-minerals.html. Another magnesium used by Butch Machlan was food grade magnesium chloride flakes. It can be purchased through www.myworldhut.com. One pound of it will last a long time. The instructions on the bag is for making tofu, but Butch said to put 1/2 teaspoon of the flakes in one quart of water. We use a cup of this each morning to take our supplements. (We also only take one of the Jigsaw caps in the morning and then two in the evening.) It has almost no taste. The flakes need to be kept in a tight container as they can dissolve in a humid environment. Kim also takes a cup of this magnesium water with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder 1/2 hour before starting his EWOT therapy. (Information on EWOT is in the 2017 update for May and June.)
Vitamin D3 - 5000 IU daily if Vitamin D levels are low. Otherwise go for that much every other day. Sunshine also is a great source of VItamin D. It is better absorbed if taken with Vitamin K2.
Calcium-mineral supplement call Mezotrace 315 mg (stopped giving this to Kim in 2016 as he struggles with things like kidney stones or heal spurs if he gets too much calcium.) Magnesium tells calcium what to do in the body and if there is not equal amounts of calcium to magnesium, calcium gets out of hand and creates problems like calcification.
Our December 2011 visit to Dr. Jared Nielsen resulted in the following supplements being added.
In our January 2012 meeting with Dr. Nielsen, we eliminated the last two items, but continued the others for 4 months.
In January of 2012, we added on the advice of the ALS doc in Boise:
Vitamin C - 1000 mg
Vitamin E - 1000 mg
Creatine - 1 tsp in the AM mixed with the magnesium
Then we visited some herbalists in Tennessee and we added.
Proteolytic Enzymes, started with 12 per day, now at 6 per day. Brand Trevinol.
Probiotics, started with 6 tabs per day, now do one. Brand is iFlora, 16 strains, 32 billion cells, 2016, no longer take probiotics as gut has healed
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) 100 mg per day (it helps detoxify the liver)
Gingko Biloba - 60-80 mg per day
Phosphatidylserine - one 100 mg tablet both AM and PM (Stopped taking this in 2016)
Acetyl-L-carnitine - 400 mg per day (No longer take this)
Vitamin B complex - take a sublingual one made by Superior Source
Coriander 1 capsule per day. It is cilantro which rids the body of mercury. If you like it, just eat fresh cilantro. An essential oil of cilantro may be even more powerful than a capsule or the fresh food. DoTerra carries a good brand.
In April of 2012 on our visit to the TN docs, they had Kim take Vitality C, a high dose of Vitiamin D. One teaspoon was 4000 mg. That was a higher dose that previously and believe that the value of Vitamin C in detoxing many toxic mediums is very valuable.
Essential GHS is a liquid form of glutathione. 1 tsp provides 433 mg of glutathione. Took this for one year and then discontinued as the cost went up. Replaced with drops of essential oil of grapefruit in his drinking water.
3 tablets of Amazing Grace Wheat Grass tablets – very alkaline to balance the acidity of carbonated water. Wheat grass should probably not be taken long term.
Melatonin – 5 mg (or more depending on needss) at night before going to bed.
Testosterone - Kim’s testosterone levels were low and he takes a prescription dose of testosterone by injection but that is the only prescription he takes and it is a natural hormone. We feel this was critical to maintaining his strength. Sometimes women can be low in testosterone and need supplementation. Testosterone can be obtained in a cream and rubbed on the back. Both forms require a doctor’s prescription, but should be easy to obtain, if you are diagnosed with ALS.
We do adjust the supplements from time to time as we learn of new things that may be of help. Sometimes we drop something to see if there is a change.
We did begin the four essential oils on his feet in January of 2012 and continued them for almost a year. As of the spring of 2017, we began doing them again as we have come to realize that they are valuable. There is a good description of our early use of essential oils on our 2014 update in the month of April. Even in 2018, we continue to use essential oils. The Breathe essentail oil is one that we have used a lot when Kim is having a bit of difficulty breating.
Supplement explanations (Kay)
We order most of our supplements from www.swansonvitamins.com. They are reasonably priced, shipped very expeditiously and have a huge selection of almost everything you can imagine. www,vitacost.com may be another good resource.
Here is just a little note from Dr. Mercola’s site about the value of each one.
Krill Oil - 500 mg (I order it from SwansonVitamins.com)
“I believe krill oil is the perfect substitute for fish consumption as krill is not plagued with the problem of heavy contamination. Being on the bottom of the food chain, krill simply do not have enough time to accumulate dangerous levels of toxins like other marine sources. Krill has been shown to be beneficial for a really wide range of health issues, including: Support for concentration, memory and learning, Blood sugar health, Healthy joints, with an increase in joint comfort, Fighting signs of aging, Protection for cell membranes, Cholesterol and other blood lipid health, Healthy liver function, Relief of normal PMS symptoms, Bolstering your immune system, Healthy mood support, Optimal skin health.”
Astaxanthin - 4 mg (I order it from SwansonVitamins.com)
“What Makes Astaxanthin Special? There are many properties that make this carotenoid unique. Here are the main differences: 1) Astaxanthin is by far the most powerful carotenoid antioxidant when it comes to free radical scavenging: astaxanthin is 65 times more powerful than vitamin C, 54 times more powerful than beta-carotene, and 14 times more powerful than vitamin E. 2) Astaxanthin is far more effective than other carotenoids at "singlet oxygen quenching," which is a particular type of oxidation. The damaging effects of sunlight and various organic materials are caused by this less-stable form of oxygen. 3) Astaxanthin crosses the blood-brain barrier AND the blood-retinal barrier (beta carotene and lycopene do not), which brings antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection to your eyes, brain and central nervous system and reducing your risk for cataracts, macular degeneration, blindness, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. 4) Astaxanthin is soluble in lipids, so it incorporates into cell membranes. 5) It's a potent UVB absorber and reduces DNA damage. 6) It's a very potent natural anti-inflammatory. CoQ10 - 200 mg (I order it from SwansonVitamins.com) Here is a newer article on the value of Astanaxthin: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/15/benefits-of-astaxanthin-to-your-health.aspx
“CoQ10 is required for your cells to produce energy, and is an integral part of helping cells take fat and other substances and convert them into usable energy. CoQ10 can also help protect your body from free radical damage. Free radicals are oxygen atoms deficient in electrons that become highly reactive. This in turn causes potential damage to your tissues and DNA. It is because of its powerful antioxidant protection that CoQ10 is often recommended for a wide variety of heart-related conditions, such as heart attack, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, which require extra protection from free radical damage. There's also evidence that CoQ10/ubiquinol is beneficial for Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, and even cancer, and that large doses may be justified in those cases. In addition, CoQ10 is believed to play an important role in preventing premature aging in general by preventing telomere shortening, which can slow or potentially even reverse the aging process.”
Tumeric - 750 mg (I order it from SwansonVitamins.com) can be 500 mg if taken with black pepper.
From Dr. Mercola’s site: “Said Dr. David Frawely, founder and director of the American Institute for Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico: “If I had only one single herb to depend upon for all possible health and dietary needs, I would without much hesitation choose the Indian spice Turmeric. There is little it cannot do in the realm of healing and much that no other herb is able to accomplish. Turmeric has a broad spectrum of actions, mild but certain effects, and is beneficial for long term and daily usage. Though it is a common spice, few people, including herbalists know of its great value and are using it to the extent possible. It is an herb that one should get to know and live with.” More on Tumeric: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/17/Super-Spice-Secrets-This-Miracle-Spice-Stops-Cancer-Alzheimers-and-Arthritis.aspx
Magnesium
A number of studies have previously shown magnesium can benefit your blood pressure and help prevent sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, and stroke. For example, one meta-analysis published earlier this year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition2 looked at a total of seven studies collectively covering more than 240,000 participants. The results showed that dietary magnesium intake is inversely associated with risk of ischemic stroke. But its role in human health appears to be far more complex than previously thought, and—like vitamin D—its benefits may be more far-reaching than we‘ve imagined. GreenMedInfo.com's database project has indexed over 100 health benefits of magnesium so far, including therapeutic benefits for: Fibromyalgia, Atrial fibrillation, Type 2 diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, Migraine, Aging, Mortality.
Magnesium is critical for oxygen intake.
Magnesium also plays a role in your body's detoxification processes and therefore is important for helping to prevent damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins. Even glutathione, your body's most powerful antioxidant that has even been called "the master antioxidant," requires magnesium for its synthesis. More on magnesium: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx
Vitamin D3 - 5000 IU if your levels are low – I like a sublingual tablet that melts under your tongue by Superior Source. Comes in 5000 IU in a tiny tablet. Can get at SwansonVitamins.com
“Vitamin D is not “just a vitamin” that is necessary for strong bones. Rather, Vitamin D is the only known substrate for a potent, pleiotropic (meaning it produces multiple effects), repair and maintenance seco-steroid hormone that serves multiple gene-regulatory functions in your body. Each cell in your body has its own DNA library that contains information needed to deal with virtually every kind of stimulus it may encounter, and the master key to enter this library is activated vitamin D. This is why vitamin D functions in so many different tissues, and affects such a large number of different diseases and health conditions. So far, scientists have found about 3,000 genes that are regulated by vitamin D. Receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones. And researchers keep finding health benefits from vitamin D in virtually every area they look. In this latest study, researchers found that people with the lowest average vitamin D levels had a 124 percent greater risk of dying from all causes and a 378 percent greater risk of dying from a heart problem! Those are massively increased risks -- risks that could have been avoided simply by optimizing vitamin D.” Much more on Dr. Mercolas’s web site.” I (Kay) am sure that is part of the reason I got cancer was that my Vitamin D levels were very low. That can happen when you live in the northern regions of the country where you can get no Vitamin D in the winter. Did my cancer docs recommend Vitamin D? No, they said take a drug. Be sure to get Vitamin D3.
Calcium-mineral supplement call Mezotrace 315 mg Calcium, plus other minerals, I get it from Swansons. We obviously need calcium, but it must be balanced with the other minerals, especially magnesium. Calcium intake should equal magnesium intake. Taking too much Calcium is no better than not enough.
Melatonin - The Good Lord gave us both day and night. In the day we work, and at night we are suppose to sleep. In our modern world, we defy that pattern with electricity, etc., that allows us to stay up as long as we want at night. The way we are built, our melatonin starts its production as the sky starts to darken. If we go to bed in a dark room, the melatonin production will continue through the night. If we get up and flip a light on or if we stay up way to late, the melatonin production stops or does not get a good start. What does melatonin do? Melatonin is a great cancer fighter. And it helps produce glutathione which is our master antioxidant that gets rid of free radicals. People with ALS (PALS) have way too many free radicals. PALS need glutathione so do what you can to make your melatonin work properly. Your bedroom should be dark, covering windows if necessary. I tucked cardboard behind my curtains for several years. I made blackout curtains for the windows in the motor home that we lived in the winter of 2012-2013. You should not have a radio with a bright clock light in the room. You should get rid of as much electrical stuff near your bed as possible. I think a flashlight with a small blue light will not shut off your melatonin if you need to get up in the night. I believe a good part of Kim’s ALS trouble stems from owning two businesses, worrying all the time and not sleeping at night, getting up at all hours and flipping on the light. I have read that going outside at sunset will trigger the brain into realizing that it is bedtime and time for melatonin production.
I learned of a book called Lights Out - Sleep, Sugar and Survival by T.S. Wiley. The first 150 pages are kind of technical and a bit of a difficult read, but there is some valuable information there. The author is female. She suggests dimming the lights in the evening, getting away from the blinking lights of the computer/TV/iPad, etc, is important for getting ready to sleep. She recommends kind of a hybernation routine. Eating carbs in the summer when the fruit ripens and there is more light so we sleep less. But as winter comes on, she recommends that you eat only 25-45 carbs per day and get 9 1/2 hours of sleep. She thinks that there is so much obesity because we have set ourselves up to live in endless summer. We stay up way to late and never quit eating carbs. Interesting thought.
She has 7 recommendation for eating that may be worth sharing.
1. Protein is essential. No protein, no neurotransmitters or immune function.
2. Fats are essential. Make sure they are good fats.
3. Don't eat packaged or processed foods.
4. Don't eat anything labled "low fat" or "nonfat".
5. Only eat as many carbohydrates as you need in a day, in season.
6. Eat only fresh fruits and vegetables.
7. Drink a decent amount of plain water, the original beverage.
Next subject. We had a friend tell us that he has been using a miracle tea and it has helped him feel a lot better. The website is www.mymiracletea.com or www.miracledetox.com. The website indicates that it helps you get rid of parasites among other good benefits. That could be a big issues with ALS patients, so it may be worth looking into. It may be a great help with constipation issues.
1 - Supplements
2 - Supplement explanations
Before I start with what we were on and what we added, I have recently learned about the huge value of magnesium and coconut oil. Please review the Resources page, the Special Report under Updates and the information from Butch under Others.
Supplements (Kay)
This is a list of the supplements Kim is now taking in 2013. We have added to, supplemented, and modified the list as we have continued to study and learn. Later we will explain the reasoning behind each supplement on the list.
Krill Oil - 500 mg
Astaxanthin - 4 mg (could start with a higher dose as initially there is a lot of free radicals to clean up)
CoQ10 - 200 mg
Tumeric - 750 mg (if combined with pepper, tumeric absorbs better. )
Magnesium - Jigsaw magnesium called MagSRT 4 caps per day thru jigsawhealth.com or Remag by Dr. Carolyn Dean at https://www.rnareset.com/products/remag-magnesium-solution?variant=13899661319. Aussie Trace Minerals at https://www.seamineral.com/products-aussie-trace-minerals.html. Another magnesium used by Butch Machlan was food grade magnesium chloride flakes. It can be purchased through www.myworldhut.com. One pound of it will last a long time. The instructions on the bag is for making tofu, but Butch said to put 1/2 teaspoon of the flakes in one quart of water. We use a cup of this each morning to take our supplements. (We also only take one of the Jigsaw caps in the morning and then two in the evening.) It has almost no taste. The flakes need to be kept in a tight container as they can dissolve in a humid environment. Kim also takes a cup of this magnesium water with 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder 1/2 hour before starting his EWOT therapy. (Information on EWOT is in the 2017 update for May and June.)
Vitamin D3 - 5000 IU daily if Vitamin D levels are low. Otherwise go for that much every other day. Sunshine also is a great source of VItamin D. It is better absorbed if taken with Vitamin K2.
Calcium-mineral supplement call Mezotrace 315 mg (stopped giving this to Kim in 2016 as he struggles with things like kidney stones or heal spurs if he gets too much calcium.) Magnesium tells calcium what to do in the body and if there is not equal amounts of calcium to magnesium, calcium gets out of hand and creates problems like calcification.
Our December 2011 visit to Dr. Jared Nielsen resulted in the following supplements being added.
- S-Acetyl Glutathione – I per day
- Oxicell cream - rub on bottom of feet 3 x per day – both are free radical fighters
- Candicidal – I tablet per day for fungus
- X-Viromin – 1 tab 3 x per day
- AC3-nano – 1 tab 3 x per day
- Gluten Flan – 1 tab 3 x per day.
In our January 2012 meeting with Dr. Nielsen, we eliminated the last two items, but continued the others for 4 months.
In January of 2012, we added on the advice of the ALS doc in Boise:
Vitamin C - 1000 mg
Vitamin E - 1000 mg
Creatine - 1 tsp in the AM mixed with the magnesium
Then we visited some herbalists in Tennessee and we added.
Proteolytic Enzymes, started with 12 per day, now at 6 per day. Brand Trevinol.
Probiotics, started with 6 tabs per day, now do one. Brand is iFlora, 16 strains, 32 billion cells, 2016, no longer take probiotics as gut has healed
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) 100 mg per day (it helps detoxify the liver)
Gingko Biloba - 60-80 mg per day
Phosphatidylserine - one 100 mg tablet both AM and PM (Stopped taking this in 2016)
Acetyl-L-carnitine - 400 mg per day (No longer take this)
Vitamin B complex - take a sublingual one made by Superior Source
Coriander 1 capsule per day. It is cilantro which rids the body of mercury. If you like it, just eat fresh cilantro. An essential oil of cilantro may be even more powerful than a capsule or the fresh food. DoTerra carries a good brand.
In April of 2012 on our visit to the TN docs, they had Kim take Vitality C, a high dose of Vitiamin D. One teaspoon was 4000 mg. That was a higher dose that previously and believe that the value of Vitamin C in detoxing many toxic mediums is very valuable.
Essential GHS is a liquid form of glutathione. 1 tsp provides 433 mg of glutathione. Took this for one year and then discontinued as the cost went up. Replaced with drops of essential oil of grapefruit in his drinking water.
3 tablets of Amazing Grace Wheat Grass tablets – very alkaline to balance the acidity of carbonated water. Wheat grass should probably not be taken long term.
Melatonin – 5 mg (or more depending on needss) at night before going to bed.
Testosterone - Kim’s testosterone levels were low and he takes a prescription dose of testosterone by injection but that is the only prescription he takes and it is a natural hormone. We feel this was critical to maintaining his strength. Sometimes women can be low in testosterone and need supplementation. Testosterone can be obtained in a cream and rubbed on the back. Both forms require a doctor’s prescription, but should be easy to obtain, if you are diagnosed with ALS.
We do adjust the supplements from time to time as we learn of new things that may be of help. Sometimes we drop something to see if there is a change.
We did begin the four essential oils on his feet in January of 2012 and continued them for almost a year. As of the spring of 2017, we began doing them again as we have come to realize that they are valuable. There is a good description of our early use of essential oils on our 2014 update in the month of April. Even in 2018, we continue to use essential oils. The Breathe essentail oil is one that we have used a lot when Kim is having a bit of difficulty breating.
Supplement explanations (Kay)
We order most of our supplements from www.swansonvitamins.com. They are reasonably priced, shipped very expeditiously and have a huge selection of almost everything you can imagine. www,vitacost.com may be another good resource.
Here is just a little note from Dr. Mercola’s site about the value of each one.
Krill Oil - 500 mg (I order it from SwansonVitamins.com)
“I believe krill oil is the perfect substitute for fish consumption as krill is not plagued with the problem of heavy contamination. Being on the bottom of the food chain, krill simply do not have enough time to accumulate dangerous levels of toxins like other marine sources. Krill has been shown to be beneficial for a really wide range of health issues, including: Support for concentration, memory and learning, Blood sugar health, Healthy joints, with an increase in joint comfort, Fighting signs of aging, Protection for cell membranes, Cholesterol and other blood lipid health, Healthy liver function, Relief of normal PMS symptoms, Bolstering your immune system, Healthy mood support, Optimal skin health.”
Astaxanthin - 4 mg (I order it from SwansonVitamins.com)
“What Makes Astaxanthin Special? There are many properties that make this carotenoid unique. Here are the main differences: 1) Astaxanthin is by far the most powerful carotenoid antioxidant when it comes to free radical scavenging: astaxanthin is 65 times more powerful than vitamin C, 54 times more powerful than beta-carotene, and 14 times more powerful than vitamin E. 2) Astaxanthin is far more effective than other carotenoids at "singlet oxygen quenching," which is a particular type of oxidation. The damaging effects of sunlight and various organic materials are caused by this less-stable form of oxygen. 3) Astaxanthin crosses the blood-brain barrier AND the blood-retinal barrier (beta carotene and lycopene do not), which brings antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection to your eyes, brain and central nervous system and reducing your risk for cataracts, macular degeneration, blindness, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. 4) Astaxanthin is soluble in lipids, so it incorporates into cell membranes. 5) It's a potent UVB absorber and reduces DNA damage. 6) It's a very potent natural anti-inflammatory. CoQ10 - 200 mg (I order it from SwansonVitamins.com) Here is a newer article on the value of Astanaxthin: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/15/benefits-of-astaxanthin-to-your-health.aspx
“CoQ10 is required for your cells to produce energy, and is an integral part of helping cells take fat and other substances and convert them into usable energy. CoQ10 can also help protect your body from free radical damage. Free radicals are oxygen atoms deficient in electrons that become highly reactive. This in turn causes potential damage to your tissues and DNA. It is because of its powerful antioxidant protection that CoQ10 is often recommended for a wide variety of heart-related conditions, such as heart attack, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, which require extra protection from free radical damage. There's also evidence that CoQ10/ubiquinol is beneficial for Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, and even cancer, and that large doses may be justified in those cases. In addition, CoQ10 is believed to play an important role in preventing premature aging in general by preventing telomere shortening, which can slow or potentially even reverse the aging process.”
Tumeric - 750 mg (I order it from SwansonVitamins.com) can be 500 mg if taken with black pepper.
From Dr. Mercola’s site: “Said Dr. David Frawely, founder and director of the American Institute for Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico: “If I had only one single herb to depend upon for all possible health and dietary needs, I would without much hesitation choose the Indian spice Turmeric. There is little it cannot do in the realm of healing and much that no other herb is able to accomplish. Turmeric has a broad spectrum of actions, mild but certain effects, and is beneficial for long term and daily usage. Though it is a common spice, few people, including herbalists know of its great value and are using it to the extent possible. It is an herb that one should get to know and live with.” More on Tumeric: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/02/17/Super-Spice-Secrets-This-Miracle-Spice-Stops-Cancer-Alzheimers-and-Arthritis.aspx
Magnesium
A number of studies have previously shown magnesium can benefit your blood pressure and help prevent sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, and stroke. For example, one meta-analysis published earlier this year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition2 looked at a total of seven studies collectively covering more than 240,000 participants. The results showed that dietary magnesium intake is inversely associated with risk of ischemic stroke. But its role in human health appears to be far more complex than previously thought, and—like vitamin D—its benefits may be more far-reaching than we‘ve imagined. GreenMedInfo.com's database project has indexed over 100 health benefits of magnesium so far, including therapeutic benefits for: Fibromyalgia, Atrial fibrillation, Type 2 diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, Migraine, Aging, Mortality.
Magnesium is critical for oxygen intake.
Magnesium also plays a role in your body's detoxification processes and therefore is important for helping to prevent damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins. Even glutathione, your body's most powerful antioxidant that has even been called "the master antioxidant," requires magnesium for its synthesis. More on magnesium: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/17/magnesium-benefits.aspx
Vitamin D3 - 5000 IU if your levels are low – I like a sublingual tablet that melts under your tongue by Superior Source. Comes in 5000 IU in a tiny tablet. Can get at SwansonVitamins.com
“Vitamin D is not “just a vitamin” that is necessary for strong bones. Rather, Vitamin D is the only known substrate for a potent, pleiotropic (meaning it produces multiple effects), repair and maintenance seco-steroid hormone that serves multiple gene-regulatory functions in your body. Each cell in your body has its own DNA library that contains information needed to deal with virtually every kind of stimulus it may encounter, and the master key to enter this library is activated vitamin D. This is why vitamin D functions in so many different tissues, and affects such a large number of different diseases and health conditions. So far, scientists have found about 3,000 genes that are regulated by vitamin D. Receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones. And researchers keep finding health benefits from vitamin D in virtually every area they look. In this latest study, researchers found that people with the lowest average vitamin D levels had a 124 percent greater risk of dying from all causes and a 378 percent greater risk of dying from a heart problem! Those are massively increased risks -- risks that could have been avoided simply by optimizing vitamin D.” Much more on Dr. Mercolas’s web site.” I (Kay) am sure that is part of the reason I got cancer was that my Vitamin D levels were very low. That can happen when you live in the northern regions of the country where you can get no Vitamin D in the winter. Did my cancer docs recommend Vitamin D? No, they said take a drug. Be sure to get Vitamin D3.
Calcium-mineral supplement call Mezotrace 315 mg Calcium, plus other minerals, I get it from Swansons. We obviously need calcium, but it must be balanced with the other minerals, especially magnesium. Calcium intake should equal magnesium intake. Taking too much Calcium is no better than not enough.
Melatonin - The Good Lord gave us both day and night. In the day we work, and at night we are suppose to sleep. In our modern world, we defy that pattern with electricity, etc., that allows us to stay up as long as we want at night. The way we are built, our melatonin starts its production as the sky starts to darken. If we go to bed in a dark room, the melatonin production will continue through the night. If we get up and flip a light on or if we stay up way to late, the melatonin production stops or does not get a good start. What does melatonin do? Melatonin is a great cancer fighter. And it helps produce glutathione which is our master antioxidant that gets rid of free radicals. People with ALS (PALS) have way too many free radicals. PALS need glutathione so do what you can to make your melatonin work properly. Your bedroom should be dark, covering windows if necessary. I tucked cardboard behind my curtains for several years. I made blackout curtains for the windows in the motor home that we lived in the winter of 2012-2013. You should not have a radio with a bright clock light in the room. You should get rid of as much electrical stuff near your bed as possible. I think a flashlight with a small blue light will not shut off your melatonin if you need to get up in the night. I believe a good part of Kim’s ALS trouble stems from owning two businesses, worrying all the time and not sleeping at night, getting up at all hours and flipping on the light. I have read that going outside at sunset will trigger the brain into realizing that it is bedtime and time for melatonin production.
I learned of a book called Lights Out - Sleep, Sugar and Survival by T.S. Wiley. The first 150 pages are kind of technical and a bit of a difficult read, but there is some valuable information there. The author is female. She suggests dimming the lights in the evening, getting away from the blinking lights of the computer/TV/iPad, etc, is important for getting ready to sleep. She recommends kind of a hybernation routine. Eating carbs in the summer when the fruit ripens and there is more light so we sleep less. But as winter comes on, she recommends that you eat only 25-45 carbs per day and get 9 1/2 hours of sleep. She thinks that there is so much obesity because we have set ourselves up to live in endless summer. We stay up way to late and never quit eating carbs. Interesting thought.
She has 7 recommendation for eating that may be worth sharing.
1. Protein is essential. No protein, no neurotransmitters or immune function.
2. Fats are essential. Make sure they are good fats.
3. Don't eat packaged or processed foods.
4. Don't eat anything labled "low fat" or "nonfat".
5. Only eat as many carbohydrates as you need in a day, in season.
6. Eat only fresh fruits and vegetables.
7. Drink a decent amount of plain water, the original beverage.
Next subject. We had a friend tell us that he has been using a miracle tea and it has helped him feel a lot better. The website is www.mymiracletea.com or www.miracledetox.com. The website indicates that it helps you get rid of parasites among other good benefits. That could be a big issues with ALS patients, so it may be worth looking into. It may be a great help with constipation issues.