The problem with Phil's time frame is that stuff like the prostate problem was preexisting and has slowly gotten worse over the last 10 years to the point that I finally had to up the meds.
Yes, I knew that. I wasn't trying to give the impression that your history didn't extend back any further. I was focusing on the recent worsenings that you reported and noticed that they pre-dated the drought, so the drought doesn't seem a likely cause of most of the worsenings if they did start worsening 18-24 months ago like you reported.
I also pointed out that my eyesight was at +2.5 when I started this adventure 6+ years ago. It then dropped a bit too +1.75 and has slowly climbed back up to +2.75. From where I started this is only a +0.25 overall gain from the initial starting point in 6 years, again rather amazing from the eye docs perspective.
Yup, and maybe the relapse is just natural progression, but then again maybe not.
The UTI's have been with me for about 30 years (I started getting them in the 1980's) and usually rear their ugly heads every 2-5 years. Neither the frequency of infection nor the intensity of the infections has changed much since I went to ZC. In other words, ZC has had no measurable effect.
Yes, thanks for being honest about ZC not being the end-all and be-all as some folks at ZIOH seem to claim.
I wouldn't dismiss all hope of any improvement or the possibility that there might be other therapies beyond ZC and increased water intake. Consider that my chronic UTI's, chronic kidney stones and too-dark urine had been with me for 11 years. When I asked a urologist if diet might have anything to do with it, he got angry and nearly shouted that it had nothing at all to do with and that the only treatments were antibiotics and water and he said that it was likely that I would have recurrences of kidney stones throughout the rest of my life. After months of those treatments not helping much, I decided to search for other possible therapies and eventually came across gluten-free/casein-free diets and eventually Paleo diets. Cutting out gluten cleared up my urine within weeks and going Paleo and then raw Paleo helped more and I haven't had a UTI or kidney stone issue in the 11 years since eliminating gluten. If I had not questioned the urologist's opinion I likely would still suffer from chronic UTIs and kidney stones to this day. You've already eliminated gluten and eat Paleo and eat plenty of raw meats/organs, but perhaps there are other changes you could make or therapies you could try that might provide some benefit for you. It's at least theoretically plausible that you aren't quite doing currently what works best for you and you have said in the past that when ZC stops working for you, you'll consider change.
If you remember, I had purposely decreased my water intake to help reduce the frequency of urination from the BPH. This reduction in water intake happened to coinside with my starting ZC and I assume the acid urine (5.0-5.5 ph) created by ZC was a contributor but not the total cause for the stones. I upped the fluid intake back to normal and have had no further problems other than having to use the bathroom a bit more often throughout the day.
Yes, I already noted in your history that you upped your water intake. In my case, increasing water intake was not enough and that may not be the only available therapeutic option.
The only real new issues are the slow weight gain and the minor allergy symptoms.
Right, and issues that aren't improving or even are worsening are also of potential interest, so it was wise that you reported them to give a fuller picture.
The whole point of eating paleo is that we shouldn't have to diet to maintain our weight as the paleo lifestyle should take care of that for us. All we should have to do is eat until we are satisfied - at least that is the theory. The question now is, "is the theory correct?"
In my and other peoples' cases it appears to be. The question is, why isn't it true in your case? To figure that out, it seems that one area of potential explanation would be what are you doing differently from people for whom the theory appears to hold true, such as other raw and cooked Paleo dieters, Stone Agers and hunter gatherers who don't/didn't appear to have much in the way of problems with chronic body fat gain, chronic allergy symptoms and so forth.
The only thing that really stands out might be the rendered fat as I've only been using this consistently for about 2 years. Before that it was raw fat that I ordered monthly with the meat and ground and added myself. I may go back to this and see if the problem clears up.
Yes, I knew that was relatively recent, which is why I mentioned it. Like I said, that would probably be the first thing I would try, because it is a clear change you've made, it's relatively easy to change back, it's something you've done before and don't seem to mind doing, and it would put you on the same footing with most of the rest of us and thus better enable comparisons.
It might also be the Texas drought, and over that I have no control.
Have the symptoms worsened during the last 24 months (during the drought)? Trying a different meat source is another option.
My point in mentioning all the little niggly things with eyesight, BPH, UTI' & etc was to make it very clear to readers of this journal that ZC is not the is all, be all, end all, cure for everything that ails you.
Of course, but I used to assume that I was stuck with my chronic UTI's, kidney stones, allergies, worsening myopia and night vision, and other problems for the rest of my life and that it was all just a normal part of aging, but I eventually learned otherwise, so it may not pay to dismiss too quickly the possibility of improvement.
Danny Roddy has suggested that I expand my tests to include thyroid hormones, some stressor hormones, CO2, and lactic acid. I'll probably start here and see what the tests look like before doing much else. Will report results and my thoughts here as usual.
It can't hurt.
In the mean time, I'm still here and enjoying life, so don't go out and hire the professional mourners just yet.
Too late, already done.
