Diet for Pyrrole Disorder
by Sue Kira, Naturopath & Clinical Nutritionist
Foods to avoid and good foods to eat with pyrrole disorder
How to treat pyrrole if you are a Vegan/Vegetarian
Case study 2: Treating pyrrole with diet
For comprehensive information about pyroluria, including testing, treatment and much more, please go to my page – All about Pyrrole.
What is pyrrole disorder?
Some of the following information about pyrrole disorder has been reproduced from my True Vitality website.
Pyrrole disorder, which is also know by other names such as Mauve disorder, kryptopyrole, pyroluria or kryptopyroluria, is considered a biochemical imbalance of our haemoglobin synthesis which can be genetically influenced or acquired through environmental and/or emotional stress, inflammation, oxidative processes, and can be especially triggered by conditions like ‘leaky gut syndrome’, heavy metal toxicity and the use of antibiotics without rebalancing the good flora of the intestines.
Or more simply…
Pyrrole is a chemical that is present in everybody, usually in small amounts, as a waste product of normal metabolic processes in the formation of our red blood cells. Pyrrole disorder (Pyroluria) is a biochemical disorder which occurs when the levels of pyrrole become too high and toxic. This disrupts the functions of the body and brain, especially the functions that need B6 and Zinc to work efficiently for hormones, digestion, the immune system and neurotransmitters (brain chemistry).
Pyroluria is a very complex disorder and not yet fully understood. What we do know from current research is that excessive pyrrole is an effect of oxidation (think of the rusting process – which is oxidation). This happens because something else is happening in the body such as disease processes, inflammation, leaky gut, heavy metals or other conditions.
Along with these disorders, there can also be a glitch in the bio-chemical conversion processes especially in the liver, where a chemical substance does not convert properly to another bio-chemical substance needed by the body. The result is an increase in toxic pyrrole which depletes your body of many nutrients that are needed to make other functions work efficiently.
The body in its innate wisdom knows that to clear toxic pyrrole safely from the body, it must use certain vital nutrients to safely clear the toxins via our urine. This is the liver’s job – which it does to most toxins. More info at the page: All about Pyrrole
For those with pyrrole disorder, the good news is that pyrrole disorder can be successfully managed and potentially eliminated by dealing with the underlying cause/s, rebalancing the body, and taking care of yourself, so you can live a normal and vitality filled life.
Signs and symptoms of pyroluria
There can be many symptoms that relate to the damage that pyrrole can create. These include: signs of zinc deficiency such as white spots on fingernails; immune system issues; signs of B6 deficiency such as hormonal issues and mental health imbalances; imbalances in blood sugar levels; allergies; migraines; fatigue and other health issues.
Diagnosis of pyroluria / pyrrole disorder
Pyrrole disorder itself (not the causative agent) is diagnosed via a specific urine test that measures the level of pyrrole being excreted by the body. Bear in mind that if the body is inadequate in certain nutrients and antioxidants, the body may not clear excess pyrrole effectively through urine. That is why most practitioners also test for other associated substances at the same time as testing for pyrrole levels.
There are many important factors to consider. When looking at the whole picture we need to investigate underlying conditions such as leaky gut, heavy metal toxicity or other disorders. This is why I cannot stress enough the importance of using a knowledgeable health practitioner for support to work through these areas.
Treatment of Pyroluria/pyrrole disorder
In many cases, pyrrole is treated, or supported with vitamins and minerals such as B6 and zinc, as well as other specific vitamins and minerals along with the use of certain good fats alongside treating any underlying causes or triggers that may cause or exacerbate this condition.
Many feel much better with this supplementation, whereas others will react to the very supplements that are meant to help them. This is because the same glitch in the biochemical pathway that triggered the cascade of events that leads to pyrrole disorder is still there and cannot always be treated with supplements alone – or at all in some cases.
If your body can handle supplements that’s great, but there are many who cannot (or simply can’t afford to keep taking supplements) and need an alternative. That alternative can be their diet.
Because there is nearly always gut and liver involvement with pyrrole disorder, it is important to be mindful of anything that can harm the liver or gut. It is very common for those with pyroluria to have sensitivities (known or not known) with substances like caffeine, alcohol and even certain foods like gluten, dairy products, and especially sugar as these can have detrimental effects on the gut and liver.
Other substances like paracetamol, codeine and any drugs that affect the liver will place extra burdens on a liver that is having to deal with clearing the excess pyrrole. These drugs also rob the body of glutathione, a very important antioxidant in the body and because pyrrole is an oxidation process, depletion of glutathione is certainly not good.
Ensure that you don’t stop any prescription drugs without a discussion with your medical professional. Other options for pain relief can be the ibuprofen class of drugs or anti-inflammatory herbs, spices and oils (as prescribed by your health care provider). Some of these may still affect the liver but not rob the body of as much glutathione.
Just treating excess pyrrole may not remove or alleviate the condition, even though you may feel better for a while. It’s important to work with an experienced health practitioner to find and treat the cause, in combination with the necessary support to clear the excessive pyrrole from the body.
Leaky gut and pyroluria
I believe there are a few factors that make pyrrole happen. One is genetics, two is stress (mental, physical, emotional, illnesses) and three is conditions like leaky gut syndrome, SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth and/or heavy metal toxicity, most of which can be triggered by the stress factors mentioned. Plus throw in a few other things such as environmental factors, EMF’s and hey presto, you have pyrrole disorder.
There are many who say that pyrrole and leaky gut go hand in hand and that you can’t have one without the other. I tend to agree as I know in clinic, and personally, that supporting the gut can go a long way to treating pyrrole successfully. Do get tested for ‘leaky gut’ (also known as ‘intestinal permeability’) and if you have it, then apart from your practitioner’s advice you can also look at the diet for leaky gut for more information. The diet for pyrrole includes foods for leaky gut so you will be covered in that regard.
Pyrrole disorder and diet
For many, the best way to treat pyrrole disorder is with supplementation, but there are those who find they are too reactive to the supplements for pyrrole, can’t get the dosage balance right, or simply just can’t afford on-going treatment. This is where diet can have a huge impact to support the body to clear pyrrole.
I found a higher percentage of my clients with pyrrole disorder responded better to a good diet than many of the supplements used to treat pyrrole disorder, especially if they looked after themselves during stressful times.
Often the reaction to supplementation was due in part at least to other genetic variants (SNP’s) which meant they didn’t convert these supplements well, which also became toxic in their body. These people would often feel ok or a lot better for a few days on supplements and somewhat ‘cured’, but then crashed with new symptoms or a return of old symptoms (which happened to me – more on this soon).
Stress can really elevate pyrrole levels. Getting sick is a stress and more oxidation on the body, which is when extra care needs to be taken with your diet. The big issue is that during stress, people are often very tired and just reach for ‘quick fixes’, easy snacks and take-aways to fuel their body, but after a while it feels like the ‘wheels are falling off’ and they can’t cope.
If this sounds familiar, particularly around known stress times, then careful planning of your meals is needed, even with the addition of fresh-frozen yummy healthy meals to help get you through these patches.
Please note that the following diet related information cannot replace a pyrrole treatment program that may need high doses of supplements initially, nor the treatment needed for any underlying factors causing the elevation of pyrrole levels in the first place. However, combining supplements and any prescriptive advice from your practitioner alongside a good diet will go a long way to improve results.
For those with relatively low pyrrole levels, the right diet may be enough, provided stress levels are managed along with any other health imbalances. A nutritious diet can also be very beneficial to help parents who have difficulties giving supplements to their children because of issues such as swallowing of capsules, taste issues with powders or feeling sick after taking supplements.
Most importantly the following suggestions can be worthwhile and an excellent adjunctive therapy for good health and other conditions including hormonal imbalances, digestion problems and neurotransmitter imbalances e.g. mental health problems.
Most importantly, speak to your prescribing practitioner if you are sensitive to pyrrole support supplements.
If you react to any of the gut healing foods, talk to your practitioner to see if you have a histamine intolerance. Some strong under-methylators have histamine imbalances that don’t allow them to tolerate high histamine foods such as bone broths and fermented foods, at least until the gut is healed. For more information go to my article about the Low Histamine Diet. Those with histamine intolerance may also find the Low FODMAPs Diet helpful as this diet can help to reduce histamine levels.
For more information about under and over methylation, see my article – What is Methylation.
Foods to avoid and foods to eat with pyrrole disorder
Foods to avoid with pyrrole disorder
Anything that affects the liver or gut in a detrimental way is not going to support pyrrole disorder, so avoid preservatives, food colours, nitrates (think ham or bacon), alcohol, gluten, dairy, and additives. Any foods you are allergic or intolerant to will be detrimental to your gut and pyroluria. Keep foods simple, pure and unprocessed to help your liver and digestive system, including your overall good health.
Good foods to eat with pyrrole disorder
The most important nutrients in foods for pyrrole disorder are B6, zinc, selenium, vitamin E, boron, omega essential fatty acids, and magnesium.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 plays a central role in clearing pyrolle from the body, but B6 has many other cool roles such as supporting liver detoxification, balance hormones, metabolise carbohydrates and produce red blood cells. Vitamin B6 is an important vitamin to make neurotransmitters such as GABA, dopamine and serotonin, which all require vitamin B6 for their synthesis.
Foods rich in B6
These include rice bran, many herbs and spices, garlic, pistachio nuts and dry roasted hazelnuts. Any kind of liver has a lot of vitamin B6 – turkey & chicken livers provide the most. All organ meats are rich in B6. Yellow-fin tuna, Atlantic salmon and egg yolks contain good levels of B6. Sunflower and Sesame seeds (e.g. as Tahini) are a great addition to salads and as a snack. Pork and chicken are also awesome zinc rich foods along with other grass-fed/pasture raised meat rich in B6 and zinc.
Zinc
Apart from helping our body to bind and clear pyrrole from the body, zinc has many other roles, such as supporting our immune system and is great for skin and hormonal health.
Foods rich in Zinc
Zinc rich foods include: oysters and other seafood such as crab and lobster; beef and lamb; spinach both cooked and raw; other green leafy vegetables such as amaranth leaves, endive, radicchio and rocket; pumpkin and squash seeds, sunflower seeds, chia and flaxseeds; nuts such as cashews, pine nuts, pecans, almonds, walnut, peanuts, and hazelnuts; mushrooms; beans such as mung beans, black beans, adzuki, chickpeas and kidney beans.
Vegan and vegetarian diets are naturally quite high in copper, the antagonist to zinc. So if you are a vegan/vegetarian you will probably need to use a zinc supplement with the diet to get the right balance of zinc to copper ratio. Speak to your practitioner about this.
Selenium
Selenium is often overlooked as a valuable nutrient for pyrrole disorder. Selenium is one mineral that I always see is super low in a hair mineral analysis for anyone who has pyrrole disorder. Because pyrrole disorder tends to create a lot of oxidation, selenium is a very powerful anti-oxidant which is important. Selenium helps the liver to clear any excess toxins by binding to them so they can be safely excreted. It is especially good for binding to mercury, commonly seen in those with pyroluria.
Foods rich in Selenium
Brazil nuts have the richest source of selenium and you only need to eat a few per day to get all the selenium you need for normal balance, or eat just a few more to top up your levels (but no more than half a cup in total a day). Other sources of selenium include grass fed beef, chicken, turkey, liver and fish.
Vitamin E
Another powerful anti-oxidant, vitamin E is often used in conjunction with the other nutrients to keep the levels of oxidative stress down created by pyrrole disorder.
Foods rich in vitamin E
These include almonds, spinach, sweet potato, avocado and sunflower seeds.
Boron
Boron helps to feed the brain and assist with absorption of other nutrients. One of boron’s attributes specifically for pyrrole disorder is to help clear glutamate from the brain. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter that often creates nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, decreased eye movements called strabismus and other reactions (like those caused by mono sodium glutamate – MSG). Too much glutamate can burn out your nerve cells and create neurological symptoms. Zinc also helps to reduce glutamate damage.
Apart from having boron rich foods and avoiding MSG, another way to keep glutamate under control is to eliminate gluten and casein from your diet. It’s important to exclude glutamate and aspartate and anything that sounds like these from your food and supplements.
Glutamine is a frequently recommended supplement, but glutamate and glutamine can change into each other. This means that the use of glutamine, say for gastro intestinal support, can at times increase the level of glutamate.
Elevated levels of glutamate deplete your levels of glutathione (GSH), which is an important antioxidant and metal detox agent used by your liver. Depleted GSH leads to increased inflammation and can exacerbate leaky gut and increase pyrrole levels.
Foods rich in Boron
Many plant-based foods offer wonderful amounts of boron. Some of the best include hazelnuts, peanuts, brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, avocado, broccoli, bananas, prunes, oranges, red grapes, apples, pears, raisins, most vegetables, chickpeas and many other beans and legumes.
Omega essential fatty acids
There is much agreement about how good fats are needed for a healthy body. These include: Omega 3 fatty acids, which contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) found in linseeds and walnuts; eicosapentaenioc acid (EPA); docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in all seafood; and Omega 6 fatty acids in nuts, seeds, seed oils, eggs and evening primrose oil.
For most people, the Omega 3’s need to be higher than the Omega 6’s, but with pyrrole disorder it can be reversed for some, but not for others. There is no clinical test to show which is right for you, so the best way to work this out is by trialling supplements. Once you have established which fatty acids are best, you can then use the food sources to keep your levels stable (or supplement if that works better for you).
For example, if you take evening primrose oil and you feel good, then the Omega 6 fats suit you best. If you feel no different or worse, then try fish oil supplements containing Omega 3 fats. Be sure to get a quality fish oil as some cause reflux and contain mercury, so are not good to trial. Again, if you feel good from a fish oil supplement, or are drawn to eating loads of fish then Omega 3 fats are right for you. If one type of Omega fat makes you feel sick and horrible then go for the other one.
If your body loves each of these types of supplemental fats, then a diet containing foods with both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids will best cover your needs. Each type of fat has special unique properties, so the more variety of fats you can eat, the better. Let’s look at some of them….
Foods rich in good fats
These include: flaxseeds, walnuts, mustard seeds and other nuts and seeds; sardines, salmon and fish in general; scallops and prawns/shrimps; brussels sprouts, collard and turnip greens, spinach, kale, green beans, romaine lettuce and avocado; coconut oil and coconut products; summer and winter squash; legumes and foods made from legumes such as soybeans, tofu, and miso; fruits such as strawberries and raspberries; animal foods including beef, lamb, chicken, duck, turkey and eggs – but only if they have been grass/pasture fed.
Be aware that sometimes the same type of fat (omega 3 or 6) can react differently from different sources. It is worthwhile to honour how your body feels and eat what feels right for you – and not because someone says it’s good for you.
For example, I can tolerate and love most shellfish and white fish, but with the more fatty fish like salmon and tuna I can only eat a little or I will feel sick. Similarly, I can eat heaps of saturated fat in coconut and feel good, whereas my husband can’t tolerate too much coconut oil, but he can eat lots of lamb and the fat around it – but I can’t tolerate even a small amount of lamb fat. Chicken fat or pork fat I can eat with no issues. So it’s not always just the type of fat.
Feel what your body needs when you eat fats.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a relaxation mineral to help us to handle stress, which is really important for those with pyrrole disorder. Stress elevates pyrrole levels, which means anything that can reduce stress will be beneficial – and magnesium is great for this job. Some people need strong doses found in supplements, but it’s also worthwhile to have plenty of magnesium in the diet as this is how it is best absorbed by the body. Magnesium also plays a role in controlling inflammation, nervous system balance (helping with depression), supports energy production pathways and creates and maintains bone integrity.
Foods rich in magnesium
Rich sources of magnesium can be found in all leafy greens and other green veggies, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), soy beans, sesame seeds, quinoa, black-beans, sunflower seeds, cashews and navy beans. To get enough magnesium from your diet it is important to have at least 1½ cups of greens each day plus a variety of the other food sources of magnesium. If you can’t manage this, then a supplement may be useful for you, but please talk to your practitioner about dosages and types best for your needs.
How to treat pyrrole if you are a vegan/vegetarian
As mentioned in the zinc section, vegan and vegetarian diets are naturally quite high in copper, which is the antagonist to zinc, meaning that copper pushes out zinc. If you are a vegan/vegetarian then you will need to use a supplement alongside the diet to get the right balance of zinc to copper.
Some of my vegan/vegetarian clients had been to an integrative doctor and were told they needed to eat meat, because meat is a good source of zinc, and because there is so much copper in a vegan diet that it can be hard to get enough zinc naturally. Most were understandably very upset with this notion; some were even told that they would not heal unless they gave up being vegan. This was totally against their religion and belief systems to do so and they would do anything else to NOT have to eat meat.
I reassured them that they could indeed eat a vegan diet, but they must supplement with zinc. The dose depends on two factors. One is how high their copper level is and the other is how high their Caeruloplasmin level is. Caeruloplasmin is what binds to copper to make it relatively safe (depending on the amount) in the body. Copper is needed in trace amounts for many things including good hormone balance, but in high levels or in an unbound form (without enough Caeruloplasmin) it can be toxic.
For more information on Caeruloplasmin, copper and zinc ratios, please read my article about tests to find out why you have pyrrole.
Important:
Before you commence a new diet, see your medical or health care professional for qualified guidance about what foods and supplements are best for your body. While on the diet do not stop any medications or supplements previously prescribed unless advised otherwise by your medical or health care professional.
During the early stages of a new diet, you may experience symptoms such as fatigue, headaches or body aches, which can occur because your body is detoxifying. However, if you are unsure about a symptom at any time, check immediately with your medical or health care professional.
Case study 1: My story
by Sue Kira, Naturopath & Clinical Nutritionist
Since I was diagnosed with pyroluria in 2009, I have been extensively researching everything about pyrrole disorder, methylation defects, genetics, gut healing and pretty much anything that remotely relates to pyrrole and the underlying reasons why certain people didn’t respond the way I thought that they should to certain treatment regimes.
Over the last 28 years in my practice I have witnessed remarkable transformations for thousands of my clients because of recommended dietary, supplementation and lifestyle changes. I’ve had a huge number of successful outcomes, but there were also those that just seemed to ‘fall through the cracks’ who I couldn’t really help as much as I would have liked.
I was one of those. When I took supplements for certain ailments over the years, they often made things worse, but when I ate the right foods to help heal a condition, that worked very well.
As I began to really understand pyrrole disorder and the associated genetic influences, it took things to a whole new level as I realised that the key was understanding how to use specific nutrient foods to support certain genetic defects…and that made all the difference.
I’ll explain. In the late-80’s I had a miscarriage which I put down to not having enough folate in my system. I already knew that I reacted to folic acid tablets and couldn’t take them. Also if I took B6, which is supposed to help with morning sickness (which I had) I would get anxiety and the morning sickness became more severe. Many other supplements also created reactions in my body.
Leading up to my next pregnancy about a year later, I knew I had to look after myself in other ways, particularly with diet and lifestyle. So every day, I ate strawberries and three cups of leafy greens which are both full of natural folate. During the first trimester of pregnancy I couldn’t stomach the greens so I had lots of organic home grown strawberries each day. I also focused on foods rich in B6, B12, iron, folate and magnesium.
My choices helped me to keep the next two babies who are now my darling (adult) children.
Moving forward to 2009, I visited an integrative doctor about my hot flushes that weren’t responding to the herbs etc that I had successfully prescribed for many of my clients. She suggested testing for pyrrole, about which I had very little knowledge. I was diagnosed with pyrrole disorder and recommended to take high doses of zinc and B6 supplements, which actually gave me anxiety and made my menopausal symptoms worse.
So I started to extensively research pyrrole and realised there was much more to pyroluria than just having elevated levels of pyrrole – there were genetic influences, amongst other things. Consequently I had a genetic test and continued to delve into this fascinating field.
My genetic tests revealed that I had a compound homozygous genetic defect (that means both parents gave it to me) to a gene called MTHFR, which is related to folate. It meant that if I took folic acid I would feel terribly ill. It also explained why I miscarried because I did not have enough folate in my system due to genetics and the fact that I previously took the contraceptive pill, a folate robber.
I also had many other genetic variants in my profile, but once understood, they all made sense and helped to explain certain situations such as hormone issues, digestive issues, the miscarriage and immune irregularities over the years.
With certain genetic defects, it is important to know that some can be supported quite well with certain supplements, but for others, you may find it more healing to use food or a combination of food and supplements to best support your body.
This is not just about healthy eating, but also about focusing on key foods that support what you need at the time.
I’m not saying that you need to know all about your genetics, but it is helpful to see a practitioner who understands genetics, because we now know that certain symptom profiles relate to certain genetic variants, and how you respond to certain supplements also helps to tell your story.
So don’t give up on your practitioner if what they put you on didn’t help, or even made things worse, as this in itself helps to unravel what is going on in your body and why. Greater understanding gives greater power to heal.
I still take supplements such as magnesium from time to time and the occasional vitamin C and zinc tablet if I feel I’m coming down with something, plus a probiotic most days, but everything else is done by diet.
The reason I share this with you is to help you to understand the power of diet and lifestyle factors when treating metabolic disorders such as pyroluria.
There are many people who say that pyrrole disorder doesn’t even exist, that it’s a made-up disorder. But I can assure you from the hundreds of clients I’ve treated with pyrrole disorder and its associated conditions over eleven years, it certainly exists for them and the treatments do work. I have seen the amazing effects that diet and lifestyle changes had on most of my clients with pyroluria.
When I say treatments, for some this is a supplemental regime plus diet, while for others who cannot manage supplements such as vitamin B6 because of a genetic variation, then diet is really the best ‘treatment’.
And then there are lifestyle factors – the responsibility to look after your mental health and not overburden your body with toxins, chemicals, alcohol, caffeine and sugar and particularly, finding ways to handle stress, without needing substances to do so.
In my case, I like to have quality ME time – walks in nature or a beach or beside a river, regular exercise, massages, Epsom salt baths, meditation, gentle yoga, reading, swimming lazily in a pool (tea bagging as some call it), spending time with my loving husband Rod and our dog Ralphy, plus catching up with our (grown up) kids, avoiding violent or racy TV shows and getting to bed early.
Normal stuff really, but making sure that I don’t let stress build up. Even when I was young, I knew that stress, late nights and poor eating habits affected my immune system. Now I know why.
Some say that pyrrole disorder is nothing more than ‘leaky gut’ and heavy metal toxicity, and I can agree in part with this, but genetic variations also have a role to play in this disorder. But we can’t blame genetics, because this is where epigenetics comes into play. Essentially this means that how we live is far more important than a defective gene or ten.
Because of the way I now live and eat, I don’t have pyrrole disorder anymore…but if I don’t continue to look after myself, then it can quickly return.
I would say that how we look after ourselves and what we eat are the most important things in our lives.
For more information about Pyrrole Disorder please click here
Case study 2: Treating pyrrole with diet
Client name and identifying information changed
At the age of 56, Cathy’s chiropractor, who was treating her spine, also prescribed magnesium and B vitamins, but Cathy reacted to the B vitamins. The chiropractor suspected that Cathy may have something he had heard about called pyrrole disorder. He organised tests for Cathy, but because he didn’t really know how to treat it, he referred Cathy to an integrative doctor.
Cathy’s HPL was a raging high 307 (which was one of the highest scores I had seen at that time, although I have since seen much higher). Due to this high score, the integrative doctor prescribed super high doses of B6 and zinc, even though she told him that she previously reacted to B6. Like many of my clients, she was told to ride through the discomfort and eventually all would be better.
Cathy persevered with the high doses for two weeks and suffered from huge anxiety, which she hadn’t experienced before (apart from exams), insomnia (another new symptom), tingling fingers from the high B6, and burning urine from the vitamins trying to flush out of her system (along no doubt with some of the pyrrole). She then returned to the doctor only to be told the same thing, keep taking the same dose.
Because Cathy felt the doctor didn’t really listen to her, she looked up practitioners experienced with pyrrole disorder and found me. The first thing I did was suggest she have a break from her nutritional medication to allow her to come back to base level. Within a few days she started to feel normal again, apart from her symptoms of an aching back, neck, shoulders and headaches, which is why she saw the chiropractor in the first place.
Apart from the back problems, Cathy also had constant bloating, recurrent thrush (vaginal yeast/candida infection) and regular sore throats, something she had suffered from since she was a child.
When young, Cathy had recurrent tonsillitis and was prescribed antibiotics for nearly every month of her life until she had her tonsils removed at the age of 12. She then got recurrent chest infections and sore throats. No doubt the overuse of antibiotics affected the microbiome of her gut, which severely affected her immune system and gave her ‘intestinal permeability or leaky gut’, which we confirmed with tests.
We ran some intolerance tests which showed a strong intolerance to both dairy and wheat (gluten also showed, but not as strong as the wheat itself) plus a few other milder reactions to foods such as cashews, peanuts and oranges…and much to her disgust, chocolate.
So, a big change of diet was necessary for Cathy. We eliminated the intolerant foods and included a gut repair program, plus a candida cleanse, which included a SIBO diet for a while. We rebuilt her immune system with immune boosting foods and included foods to support pyrrole disorder. This all occurred over a five-month period and after that time she had no back pains at all (no inflammation), no headaches, no infections, heaps more energy and when we retested her pyrrole level, it was 30.
A score of 30 was still high enough to treat but certainly nothing like the original 307. We then continued to leave out the reactive foods for the time being and continued with the diet for pyrrole support along with a straight magnesium supplement (with no extra vitamins) to continue to help her back, as her work involved lifting a lot of of heavy boxes.
Six months later Cathy’s pyrrole reading was only five…very normal.
I encouraged her to continue with this diet, but every now and then when ‘things got the better of her’ she would fall in a heap again and I would discover that she had slipped up with her diet and gone back to her old ways.
She needed me to advise her to go back onto the pyrrole support diet and magnesium and to take care of herself without the late nights and eating the wrong foods. By doing this, Cathy was back on track in next to no time.
For more information about Pyrrole Disorder please click here