The Cheapest, Quickest, and Most Effective Treatment for CIU

So, it’s been a while since I posted,  mainly because it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a flare up of CIU (Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria). I’ve been fortunate that a once daily Zyrtec and a vitamin regimen has been enough to keep mine under control. I’ve experimented with skipping a dose, but have never gotten more than 36-48 hours without early symptoms appearing that sent me running for a Zyrtec. A week ago I had the worst flare up I’ve had in years. Strangely it was just on my scalp this time. After a lot of thinking, reading, and experimenting, I think I understand what brought it on and how to treat it for good.

A few weeks ago I learned that I have a MTHFR gene mutation following a comprehensive metabolic blood workup. Apparently a lot of people have it. There are two different kinds. You can have MTHFR 677, 1298, or both, and either can be homogeneous or heterogeneous, meaning you either have a gene from one parent or both. There are a number of ailments now believed to be associated with these two mutations, including neurological conditions. Fortunately I only have 1298ac which is heterogeneous. So basically, the body just doesn’t utilize folic acid very well. If you have 677 and it’s homogeneous, you’ve got to take a purer form of folic acid that your body can actually use known as methyfolate, since your body cannot convert folic acid into methylfolate on its own. If you are heterogeneous or just have 1298 like I do, your body can use folic acid but perhaps not efficiently, so methylfolate can also be beneficial. Niacin also slows down the process of converting folic acid to methylfolate. I was taking high dose Niacin for 4 months trying to correct my lipid profile. Taking Niacin and methylfolate at the same time is like trying to drive with one foot on the gas and one on the brake. The symptoms I was experiencing primarily was low energy and brain fog later in the day. Since dropping the Niacin and taking methylfolate and methyl-B12 daily that improved pretty quickly.

One of the primary effects of a 1298 mutation is the ability of the body to rid itself of toxins. So gradually over time you accumulate a lot of toxins stored in the body that are not removed efficiently. In addition to toxins the methylfolate process in the body plays a part in histamine management. Histamine is very important in the body for a lot of reasons including brain function, but as you CIU sufferers know it’s the cause of the hives. It got me thinking about whether my CIU was attributed to toxins in the body and poor histamine control due to the MTHFR mutation. The treatment for this is to take methylfolate and methyl-B12 but high dose Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Milk Thistle are especially helpful in detoxing the liver and causing it to release fatty deposits storing toxins. So I tweaked my vitamin regimen again adding Milk Thistle also.

About the same time I changed up my vitamins I switched to a Low Carb High Fat ketogenic diet. That’s unrelated to CIU but an effort to correct my lipid profile and high risk factors for heart disease and pre-diabetes. Since I wasn’t snacking as much during the day, for some reason I wasn’t drinking as much water as I had been. Also since cutting out all processed food and not eating out as much, I was eating mostly fats, meat, and home cooked veggies which were much lower in sodium. Mix in a couple weeks of high stress with a new job plus dehydration and I had a full blown raging flare up of CIU. Taking double doses of Zyrtec did not help at all. After reading someone’s post in a forum about chronic dehydration and allergies, I started putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I think the detoxing regimen was kicking in and releasing toxins but the lower water intake wasn’t allowing me to flush the toxins from the body or maybe just caused the hives directly. So here’s what I did next…

I started drinking a lot of water, at least 80 ounces a day. As you can imagine, I made frequent trips to the bathroom. I realized water was not enough. I had to add sodium to help retain fluid to correct chronic dehydration. Once I increased my intake of sea salt and continued drinking at least 80 ounces of water a day, by day 4 the hives were going away and barely came back on day 5. On day 6 no hives symptoms at all. Day 7 I skipped the Zyrtec altogether. I may take it tomorrow if there are any symptoms to taper off the dose gradually every other day.

Chronic dehydration is tricky to notice because you stop being thirsty after a while. Your body adapts in part by increasing histamine, raising blood sugar, cholesterol, you name it. By re-hydrating all of those come down naturally. So now I’m wondering if my CIU outbreak 4 years ago was really the result of chronic dehydration, toxicity, or both. I’ll continue taking the methylfolate and vitamin regimen and drinking a LOT of water for other health reasons as well, but I’m betting the hives do not return. If you’re struggling with CIU and have exhausted all other options, this is a cheap one to try by drinking water and eating salt. Get your blood tested for MTHFR mutations also if that doesn’t help you. I hope this helps at least a few others as it did me.

Trying an Antioxidant Vitamin Cocktail

I’ve been doing well and have been very stable with urticaria. It has been under control with one Zyrtec a day plus vitamins, yoga, & meditation. I’m trying to modify my diet further, and I’m changing up my vitamin/supplement regimen.

I’m trying Dr. Andrew Weil’s antioxidant cocktail for a few weeks instead. I hope to get off Zyrtec for good eventually. Here’s the cocktail recipe if you’re interested:

Source: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet

Vitamin C, 200 milligrams a day.

Vitamin E, 400 IU of natural mixed tocopherols (d-alpha-tocopherol with other tocopherols, or, better, a minimum of 80 milligrams of natural mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols).

Selenium, 200 micrograms of an organic (yeast-bound) form.

Mixed carotenoids, 10,000-15,000 IU daily.

The antioxidants can be most conveniently taken as part of a daily multivitamin/multimineral supplement that also provides at least 400 micrograms of folic acid and 2,000 IU of vitamin D. It should contain no iron (unless you are a female and having regular menstrual periods) and no preformed vitamin A (retinol). Take these supplements with your largest meal.

Women should take supplemental calcium, preferably as calcium citrate, 500-700 milligrams a day, depending on their dietary intake of this mineral.

Men should avoid supplemental calcium.

Other Dietary Supplements

If you are not eating oily fish at least twice a week, take supplemental fish oil, in capsule or liquid form (two to three grams a day of a product containing both EPA and DHA). Look for molecularly distilled products certified to be free of heavy metals and other contaminants.

Talk to your doctor about going on low-dose aspirin therapy, one or two baby aspirins a day (81 or 162 milligrams).
If you are not regularly eating ginger and turmeric, consider taking these in supplemental form.

Add coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to your daily regimen: 60-100 milligrams of a softgel form taken with your largest meal.

If you are prone to metabolic syndrome, take alpha-lipoic acid, 100 to 400 milligrams a day.

My Journey Into Real Happiness

I first meditated almost two years ago. At first it was a purely an attempt to gain control over an immune system out of control and stress consuming my life. I experienced an immediate change in my health and was able to get off a lot of prescription meds soon after with the help of vitamins and supplements.

For almost a year afterwards meditating was something I did sporadically as needed, when I had time for it. It was an exercise in self-help. While I continued to derive health benefits from the practice, the principles, and natural vitamins, I didn’t take it seriously.

About 9 months ago I began sitting with more regularity, at least weekly. When I picked up Sharon Salzberg’s book Real Happiness in January of this year, it gave me tools to deepen the practice and engage it more fully.

I began sitting for several times a week until I was sitting everyday by the end of the 28 day journey through the book. By the time I finished the book mindfulness was no longer just something I did sitting on a cushion in the corner. I began practicing mindfulness throughout my day. I continued the practice since February, sitting almost daily with a few exceptions. I also learned not to beat myself up for missing a day or getting off course.

A month ago I decided to go through the 28 days of Real Happiness again and made a serious commitment to sit at least 20 minutes a day everyday from now on. This practice became much easier with the support of my wife and kids who recognized it was here to stay, and I hope also saw that I was more pleasant to be around as a result.

The second 28 days has just ended, and I have really enjoyed the journey. There were several not so pleasant moments on the cushion such as dealing with a monkey mind, difficult emotions, or sleepiness, but I had discovered a way to work with those moments so that even they were included in my practice.

While I intended to just sit at least once a day, I quickly found myself sitting twice a day most days of the week. It was no longer something I had to make time for. It was something I truly wanted to do, and it began to feel more and more like the path that felt right for me.

This is how I came to the practice of mediation or how the practice came to me. It’s something that I have committed to continue and make a regular part of my life. The challenge is “taking the practice off the cushion,” seeing how it affects everyday life, and trying to practice mindfulness and lovingkindness in each of those moments. I don’t always get it right, but at least I’m aware and awake for perhaps the first time. When I blow it, I can always start over and just begin again.

Don’t Scratch the Itch… Watch It

Sometimes meditation comes easy but most of the time it doesn’t. Our bodies can be rest-less and our minds scattered. In either case I’ve found that doing a body scan meditation can “distract” my monkey mind from all its thoughts and focus my attention elsewhere. I often get caught up in trying to stop thinking rather than just observing what is taking place, and I’ve found that a body scan can center me and help me get back on track.

You can move your focus throughout your body and feel the sensations you are experiencing. This is usually helpful where there is pain, discomfort, or distraction. Rather than scratch the itch or rub the pain, you can just be with the feeling. Inevitably it goes away or becomes less of a distraction after a few moments of attention. You notice that for that time you weren’t focused on the 100 thoughts racing through your head but were just there with the pain or sensation for that time.

A type of body scan that seems to really help me is to do a sensory scan. Something as simple as checking in with all of your senses. I’m sitting. I feel the weight of my body on the cushion, the pressure of my legs folded on one another. I feel the breath enter my lungs and the movement of my abdomen inhaling and exhaling. I feel the tension in my back from not sitting erect. I hear the rain outside, the birds singing. I hear the fan turning slowly. I smell the soap I used. I smell the candles burning. I feel the warmth of the candle flame on shining on my face. I taste the lingering hint of morning coffee. I see the candlelight flicker. I see the water drip down the fountain. I’m feeling calm, peaceful. Oh, wait a minute… My mind isn’t racing any more. I’m not caught up in the 10,000 things. I’m just here, paying attention. Now I can just breathe.

Relief through Meditation

Few things have helped me regain a sense of wellness and control over chronic idiopathic urticaria like meditation has. An auto-immune disease is a body in overdrive. While we may never discover the root cause of our inflammation, the health benefits of meditation are numerous. I think a lot of people may be hesitant to practice meditation because it may be new and unfamiliar. It is not a religion, although it has roots in many religious traditions.

If you are new to meditation or looking to deepen your practice, I highly recommend Sharon Salzberg’s new book Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation. It is a 28-day program of guided meditation to gradually introduce you to the practice in a very simple and easy to understand and follow guide. It comes with an audio CD with several guided sessions as well. I wish you well.

Maintenance Mode

My CIU has been under control since the end of 2009 for the most part. One generic Zyrtec a day does the trick for me, as well as daily supplements Vitamin D, C, Fish Oil, & Multi-Vitamin. I’d love to get off the Zyrtec, but I’m thankful that it’s a downgrade from the more expensive Xyzal as well as the other anti-histamines and prescription meds. I can’t go more than 36 hours without Zyrtec or my skin starts feeling like it’s crawling. I still rack my brain trying to figure out when and how this all started and what the potential cause could be. No answers yet, but I’m still searching.

Thanks to all who have shared their experiences and successes on my first post. Your input helps all of us, if only to know we’re not the only ones dealing with this. I would probably still be having major flareups if not for the info I learned from other people who have found a way to live with CIU. Keep posting, share articles and comments, and come back often.

A new home

After receiving so many views and comments on my initial post on Living with Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria in October 2009, I think it’s time to give the conversation its own home in cyberspace. There are so many topics that have come from the comment thread discussion that really deserve further discussion, and I hope this blog will be a good place to post new and relevant articles and links related to CIU relief and research. Please check back often and comment, comment, comment. There are many more people out there suffering and living with CIU than you know. Your words of encouragement mean more than you know to those looking for answers.

Living with Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

If you have Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria, I doubt I have to explain what it is, or you wouldn’t be searching the internet for relief. There are links galore on symptoms and possible causes, but idiopathic means the cause is unknown and so is the cure. I don’t know my “triggers.” I don’t think there are any. 99% of all urticaria is auto-immune related and unrelated to an allergy, but I do know that Aspirin, Ibuprofen, or Naproxen is like throwing gasoline on a fire for me. Steroids are NOT a long term solution. If you’re on them, talk to your doctor and get off them ASAP. They can do more damage than they can help. I have read several articles that cite studies saying that the anxiety experienced by chronic idiopathic urticaria is similar to patients recovering from triple heart bypass surgery. I believe it. I don’t like writing about this. It’s embarrassing and extremely frustrating. Even more frustrating is trying to find relief.