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jimmylegs wrote:let's hope we can get that number movin on up!!

I know I must have mentioned this somewhere else, but this would seem the correct place to report back.
I took 100 mg zinc/4 mg copper (50/2 twice a day) for about one month. I did a 7 day washout before testing and starting the Zn/Cu and also a 7 day washout after the month of Zn/Cu supplementation then I got another serum Zn and serum Cu test.

Before
Zinc .77 mcg/mL
Copper .98 mcg/mL

After
Zinc 1.09 mcg/mL
Copper 1.03 mcg/mL

getting there now, way to go! push the zinc to 1.2 and the copper to 1.15 and you'll be all set (i prefer to see these numbers in ug/L aka mcg/L so that i can say 120 and 115)

definitely glad that zinc level has started to cooperate, finally. i think it's tougher in your case, given the level of legume/phytate intake.

Tuesday, I will be asking for more Zinc and Copper tests for I have been taking 50 mg/2 mg MWF for a month now. I will be ready for the blood draw with a 7 day washout completed.
Thanks, I will keep the legume/phytate intake in mind.

it's really great that you have such ready access to regular testing, thx! you're one of the lucky ones

50/2 x MWF sounds like an ideal strategy to get you the rest of the way

Yes. A friend said the doctor was good and had an open mind, and indeed he does. He is a D.O. Also he said that lab tests are lot cheaper than DMD's which I don't go for anymore for a number of reasons. I got tired of feeling sick.

lab tests are WAY cheaper than DMDs that is for sure.

Quick question - I just had my regular (3 month) appointment with my neuro and he asked me about supplements. I mentioned that I was continuing to take what he recommended (fish oil, D3, B12), but also added magnesium and zinc. He was fine with the mag but not too pleased with the zinc. He indicated that because zinc is an immune system booster, he was concerned about potential effects (related increased MS activity).

JL (and anyone else) - any comments on this?

pushingForward wrote:Quick question - I just had my regular (3 month) appointment with my neuro and he asked me about supplements. I mentioned that I was continuing to take what he recommended (fish oil, D3, B12), but also added magnesium and zinc. He was fine with the mag but not too pleased with the zinc. He indicated that because zinc is an immune system booster, he was concerned about potential effects (related increased MS activity).

JL (and anyone else) - any comments on this?

That's a bonkers way of regarding zinc. A bazillion processes are dependent upon zinc...many of which have nothing to do with immunity. You'll feel it if your cuzn superoxide dismutase flops (big anti oxidant). You'll also have problems optimizing vitamin d according to JL. That isn't to say blindly supplement zinc. Get your serum zinc and copper tested and supplement or diet (with zn:cu balance) your way to optimal levels (JL recommends zinc 120, copper 115).

hey there lol anon, you beat me to it excellent points.

my 2c, 'immune booster' is as much a misnomer as the term 'normal'.

ms patients have low zinc status compared to healthy controls.

i see no sense whatever in ignoring a nutrient deficit for fear of an immune system 'boost'.
afaic, zinc 'boost's your immune system by giving your body the tools it needs to operate said immune system properly.

Multiple impacts of zinc on immune function
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlel ... ivAbstract
Even though zinc is essential for virtually all processes in the human body, observations during zinc deficiency indicate that the absence of this trace element most severely affects the immune response. Numerous investigations of the cellular and molecular requirements for zinc in the immune system have indicated that there is not just one single function of zinc underlying this essentiality. In fact, there is a wide range of different roles of zinc in immunity. This review summarizes the recent developments in three of the major fields: the role of zinc as a second messenger in signal transduction, the importance of zinc for immune cell function, and the competition for zinc between the host and the pathogen, a concept known as nutritional immunity. ... In mice, zinc treatment suppressed TH17 development and related autoimmune disease

Nutrition, geoepidemiology, and autoimmunity
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 7209002006
As well represented by the impaired immune function of malnourished individuals encountered in developing countries and the incidence of specific diseases following local nutrient deficiencies, nutrition and immunity have been linked to each other for centuries while the specific connection between dietary factors and autoimmunity onset or modulation is a more recent acquisition. Autoimmune diseases manifest limited prevalence rates in developing countries while numerous immunity-related claims have been proposed in the field of functional foods. Nevertheless, over the past years multiple lines of evidence have supported a major role for specific dietary factors (including vitamin D, vitamin A, selenium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and flavanols) in determining the immune responses involved in infections, allergies, and autoimmune diseases. Interestingly, the link between nutrition and autoimmunity may well contribute to the geoepidemiology observed for numerous conditions. In general terms, most data that will be discussed herein were obtained in experimental or animal models while human data from real-life clinical settings or randomized clinical trials remain largely unsatisfactory. Our current knowledge on the beneficial impact of nutrition on autoimmunity prompts us to encourage the search for evidence-based nutrition to support the everyday diet choices of patients.

Good stuff above on zinc, etc.

I got some lab results back today.
Mg now 2.0 mg/dL which is down from 2.2 about 5 months ago. In the last month I have taken very little Mg (whereas, before, I took loads of Mg, oral and transdermal ) and I have been feeling it in increased spasticity and tightness in the legs/hips and tightness in the upper back muscles.. Now things are starting to get real obvious that I need Mg to bring the spasticity down. It is just that getting my Mg level up is tough.

perhaps now might be the time to start in on the dietary mag component. today i got most of mine from spinach, peanut butter, and a mix of brown and wild rice. as for the supplement side of things, i took one 180mg mag glycinate.

jimmylegs wrote:perhaps now might be the time to start in on the dietary mag component. today i got most of mine from spinach, peanut butter, and a mix of brown and wild rice. as for the supplement side of things, i took one 180mg mag glycinate.

I'm really not up to preparing much food yet. Preparing the salmon thing the other day was grueling.
I am pursuing magnesium injections or IV, though.

On the positive side, my head has been a lot clearer most of the time with the increased intake of real water (not R.O.W.).

Blood re-drawn today for serum Zn and serum Cu.
Tomorrow, blood will (probably) be drawn for RBC magnesium test.
I am working on getting magnesium IV's and/or injections.
The doctor's statement that people with MS are magnesium wasters is seeming more and more accurate in light of my situation these days, especially.

sounds good re zinc and copper

so how many daily mgs are you at from food at this point?

Not much.