Posted by Larry Hoover on September 3, 2004, at 9:06:01
In reply to diagnosed with pyroluria - need help!, posted by tendency on September 2, 2004, at 16:23:27
> I've just been diagnosed with pyroluria from (what I'm told is) the best lab for this testing in the country. I've also, independantly, had my zinc blood levels tested and they were low, this, even after taking 60mg of zinc per day. Also have done a 'zinc tally' (involves keeping 1T. of some liquid zinc solution in mouth for 10 seconds and see if you have an unpleasant reaction. Tasted like tap water to me).
There are four dedicated zinc tranporters (different subtypes). I don't know what to make of your failure to respond to zinc supps (unless you were so very poor that your body isn't doing a whole lot of things very well).
A couple of questions. Are you a dude, or a dudette? I can't remember the person that links to "tendency". Second, do you eat meat?
> For treatment it's being recommend that I jack my zinc dose up to 150mg/day and take 300mg b6/day. Is this advisable?
That is a huge amount of zinc. Is the person recommending it a doctor? Are they going to monitor your response (as in weekly blood tests)? If your uptake improves, at that dose, there can be serious toxic consequences. There's nothing wrong with that dose of B6 (you could probably quintuple it without problem), but you should never take a lone B vitamin. In addition to the B6, always take a B-complex.
> Just what is pyroluria?
With all due respect to Dr. O'Flaherty, the Pfeiffer folk (Walsh et al), and others, the disorder designated as pyroluria is a theoretical construct. The finding of pyrroluria (it really ought to have two rr's) is one thing. It's a real empirical measurement. The implications (the disorder designated as pyroluria) is a theory. I cannot find corroborative medical or biochemical evidence for the theoretical form of pyroluria.
It is believed that plasma pyrroles chelate (bind) zinc and vitamin B-6, and the kidneys inadvertently pull those nutrients out of the blood while disposing of the pyrroles themselves. The obvious treatment is to resupply the body with zinc and B-6. However, I have not yet found just what it is that predisposes to the excess formation of pyrroles in the first place. I'm going to keep on that, but I'm still in 'daddy mode' until tomorrow, so you're just getting the 'off-the-top-of-my-head' reply.
> What should I do about my low zinc levels? Thanks!
Take zinc. But make sure you get retested! It's like starting on lithium therapy....the dose is adjusted based on bloodwork, not on intake per se.
I really think there's a lot more nutritional stuff to consider, but there's no real hurry here. It took years (probably) for your system to get this unbalanced, and it's going to take months (at least) to nudge it back to a healthy equilibrium. More, anon.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:385742
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040901/msgs/385946.html