SULPHUR BRAIN FOG AND FATIGUE- is there a link?

 ​WHAT ARE THIOLS - and why should we avoid them? 

• A Thiol is a sulfur compound which occur in many foods including garlic, onion, cabbage, coffee, chocolate, beans, chlorella and coriander leaf.
• All are foods that we're encouraged to consume as part of a healing diet 
• Thiols are also present in supplements such as broccoli sprout powder, N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) and Glutathione (GSH)- again commonly prescribed supplements for detoxification & health.
• Thiols are also known as mercaptans a term derived from the Latin ‘capturing mercury’ due to their affinity for & binding to MERCURY (Hg) the most toxic & damaging substance known to man. 
• Thiols can be mono or dithiols meaning they have one or two metal binding sites respectively. 

SYMPTOMS OF HEAVY METAL TOXICITY

• At first this seems a beneficial approach however the thiol in food & supplements are mono-thiols and as such their bond with Hg is not a strong one and only serves to redistribute metals around the body causing symptoms typical of heavy metal poisoning. 
• Gastrointestinal disorders, 
• diarrhoea, 
• reduced cognitive function (fuzzy brain),  
• depression, 
• tremor, nervous system disorders, 
• yeast overgrowth, 
• fatigue, 
• immune and autoimmune conditions.  

WHY AVOID THEM?

• Knowing that cysteine contributes to protein structures in the body helps to explain the mechanism by which heavy metal toxicity and damage might occur in the body as mercury binds tissue, enzymes, neurones and mitochondria causing a wide range of symptoms and disarray.
• It’s for this reason that a low thiol diet for many relieves their symptoms of heavy metal toxicity including brain fog and fatigue. 
• Dietary thiols don’t affect everyone (with heavy metal burden) in the same way- this depends upon their levels of sulfur amino acids which in excess may lead to excitotoxicity, damage to neurones & vessels as well as those symptoms described above. 
• The list of thiol containing foods is extensive, therefore the diet can be quite restrictive. Particularly for those who have additional food intolerances. 

*SEE FOOD LIST BELOW

• Most importantly the sulphur compounds found in these foods are essential to health in the long term so that a low thiol diet should only be undertaken
  1. As a short term trial (10 - 14 days) to determine if is helpful. If you do feel a marked improvement in symptoms then this points to heavy metal toxicity and warrants further investigation. Around 40 - 50% of those affected by toxic metals do feel better. 
  2. To reduce the symptoms of heavy metals whist taking measures to reduce the body burden of metals so that these foods might eventually be returned to the diet. 

WHAT NOW

• Book a consultation with our Nutritional Medicine Practitioner Jillaine Williams. 
• She will arrange a trial of low thiol foods for 7 - 10 days looking to see if there is a distinct improvement in symptoms
• She will then test your minerals and metals using hair mineral analysis
• Jillaine can help to interpret your results- as hair tests do not read as ‘high’ or ‘low like a blood test. 
• She can also provide access to Low thiol recipes & meal plans. 
• Speak to Jillaine for more information on low dose, oral Chelation *
• A good deal of caution and care is required when addressing the removal of mercury. Recommendations to use chlorella, coriander, or thiol-rich supplements NAC, Glutathione and alpha lipoic acid have potential to do harm. I recommend reading the books including Andrew Hall Cutler’s Amalgam Illness listed below.

HIGH THIOL FOODS: the list is not exhaustive. Speak to Jillaine for details. 

• eggs
• dairy products, whey
• legumes
• cabbage 
• bok choy 
• cauliflower
• broccoli
• brussels sprouts
• kale
• turnips
• asparagus
• the onion family
• chocolate
• coffee 
• coriander leaf
• chlorella 

*A chelator is a molecule with two or more thiol groups and thus binds mercury and other metals extremely tightly to escort them out of the body.
REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
©2019 Jillaine Williams BHSc Nutritional Medicine 

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