This is interesting.... I'll look further into it.

Thanks for posting.

Not sure who your thanking MrsD, but heres another link with more info regarding the Seriphos any way

peace

melon

That last sentence sums it up, IMO. I got tested, found out which ones are low, (pregnenolone, cortisol, and testosterone, in my case) and I'm supplementing those in a way as close to the body's natural way as I could find - pregnenolone and B5 - which the body converts to all the other adrenal hormones.

The improvements in the way I feel have, IMO, proven worthwhile. My pain levels are down, emotions under better control, more energy, and just overall feeling "better" than before.

Follow-up testing has been pushed back until after the first of the year; depending on the results, I'll continue what I'm doing, reduce dosage to a much lower maintenance level, and/or address any still-depressed levels more directly. We're trying to take a conservative logical, tailored approach.

Doc

I hadn't thought about the fact I had also been in pain for a couple of years. I don't know if low cortisol could cause PN but that measured, conservative approach to exploring the possiblity is a good way to look at it. I think people vary in what their bodies will tolerate without protest and as they learn more about genetics they may find idiosyncratic causes for a lot of conditions.

They seem to be beginning to acknowledge that the inhaled steroid I am on can cause cortisol depletion. I was on my full dose when I had the adverse events, I thought I might have been moving towards an adrenal crisis as well and carefully tapered down. I saw an article in one of the journals for pulmonary medicine which stated that 'mild deficiencies are common and not considered to be of clinical significance'. That makes me angry, the med I'm on is commonly given to asthmatic children and most of the cases of crisis have occurred in kids. I'm not sure if you have already mentioned it Mrs. D, but it is also listed as one that can cause B12 deficiency.

Neuro, this is pretty low tech and won't work if cold triggers your pain as well, have you ever tried keeping your feet cool? I go barefoot all the time at home and sleep with my feet poking out from under the blankets. I don't like it but it works for me.

Horses have good 'vibes' too, they have had some success with riding programs for autistic kids. Its common knowledge among horse people that a good old horse will take care when ridden by a child. I'm still wondering how the Chinese restaraunt caught the sea gulls...
Zygo

I dont think it would be too hard, some one feeding in front while someone nets them from behind ,pickled seagull used to be dish in these parts a bit like in iceland , I was more interested in stealing all the calamari - which they got really angsty about ( probably because they actually had pay for it ?? ) lol

As it happens I used to use an inhaler years ago for my asthma , but only used it for emergencies - I don't know it was ever factor as I rarely used it.

What I do notice is that my neuropathy seems to coincide with the peak times of Cortisol in the sense its better at night - esp midnight onwards and worse from early morning 7-8 am when it starts to rise. Perhaps this is partly why i stay up late and why mornings are extra bad too given the sleep deprivation is supposed to raise it too cortisol levels too.

melon

I'm trying nowadays to pay attention to symptoms and patterns. I've noticed that the nap followed by tingling in hands and feet is typically followed by heat.

My hands and feet get cold quite often now, so I've been trying to nap lately to get them warm again. It invariably works even if the nap is short.

Anyway, I think it must be vascular, as suggested, at the same time as nerves are affected, or shortly thereafter.

I wonder what cortisol does to/for/with/against B12. Stress of course typically affects cortisol levels and we know stress depletes B12.

Whatever chemical it is that's being released after I nap - I wish I knew what it was. Then I'd take more of it from other sources. The 'tingling' isn't painful or annoying; it's almost comforting. It seems to be related to the body's effort at healing.

I have not yet found a medical reference that shows that "stress" depletes B12.

If you have one I'd like to see it.

There are laymen oriented sites on the net that clump Bcomplex together as helpful for "stress". But I do not think that the B12 in them is adequate for supplementation.

More on B12.
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocente...ns/vitaminB12/

When body parts get cold and then warm up, tingling is typically felt by everyone.

There is a long list of hormones and other substances that are released before, during, and following sleep. Many of them are dependent upon ambient light, which is naturally controlled by sunlight (day and night). This changed significantly only a little over a century ago as electric lighting became common in homes & workplaces, raising havoc, for the first time, with human circadian rhythms. So part of it depends on how you take your naps; time of day, light or dark room, blindfolds, etc. (The amount of light necessary to bring about these changes is small enough to penetrate eyelids; even some/most blind people get enough light somehow to effect these changes).

So even if you knew the list of substances, you would then need to determine which one - or ones in combination - out of dozens (hundreds?) produced the effects you mention.

Messing with these substances is risky unless there is a legitimate medical need/reason to supplement them artificially, and even then there are still risks attached - as with anything we take in - there's an equation of benefit vs. risk that needs to be addressed. There are LOTS of natural substances & hormones that we could take artificially that would make us "feel" better/good. Some athletes do it for "performance enhancement", and as with street drugs (and some of the hormones athletes take are now considered street drugs) these substances make the takers feel great at first, and then the hell (and problems) begins....

For example, endorphins (a.k.a. "endogenous morphine") are opioid-like hormones that can make us feel better in a lot of ways, and have many useful functions when released naturally/normally, but too much of them can result in depersonalization disorder, and sudden cessation is believed to play a part in postpartal depression/psychosis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorphin

Messing with these substances and their delicate balance requires a lot of research, testing, and monitoring, and should only be considered when there is proven medical need and guidance/supervision. The same can be said for many of the supplements and natural substances marketed online and elsewhere. Natural ≠ safe.

Doc

Doc

Haven't been able to look into it very much as computer is gimpy, google
cortisol and microphage migration inhibitory factor. Kind of hard to understand the biochemistry and I'm not sure if I have it all straight but it stated cortisol stimulates MMIF which is a cytokine that intensifies pain and was said to eventually override the pain killing effects of cortisol. I wondered if the pain and stress of PN stimulated cortisol and the resulting MMIF stayed around longer when cortisol levels dropped, caused more pain which again stimulated cortisol which again stimulated MMIF. I don't know if I have it all straight at this point or if its is too complicated for us to understand anyhow.
Zygo

I am now exploring endocrine disorders relating to PN. The US govt website says:

"Systemic diseases — disorders that affect the entire body — often cause peripheral neuropathy. These disorders may include: Metabolic and endocrine disorders. Nerve tissues are highly vulnerable to damage from diseases that impair the body's ability to transform nutrients into energy, process waste products, or manufacture the substances that make up living tissue."

I've had chronic fatigue for a long time and suspect adrenal sufficiency. (I never have reserves for a crisis.) I don't know if you need a disease per se, as the article suggests, to get PN, or simply any kind of endocrine weakness that is systemic and/or chronic.

I wonder how common PN is with those who have CFS.

Since Magnesium and Taurine deficiency both impair the body's ability to transform nutrients into energy, presumably deficiency in one or especially both can lead to PN.

Stress, which is a common known cause of PN, incidentally, depletes Mg. Lack of meat in your diet can deplete Taurine.

I used to have a lot of stress and have not eaten much meat since 1999.