Exciting (for me) news
The iodine post was an unfinished draft, so I finished it; is on topic. This is the post I was thinking about. Academic publishing goal for the schizophrenia/ histamine/ NfKb/hyperinflammation series.
The exciting news - earlier this year I was invited to submit a paper for academic publishing, something on the topic of phytonutrient metabolites for nociceptive pain control. I said yes with a general pomegranate and pain review as a possible submission. As the Retinoic acid series grew, I saw that it could fit the nociceptive pain theme.
Typically, nociceptive pain is thought of as the bang on the thumb - a wound. Neuropathic pain is when a nerve is being pressed or activated continually - nerve pain which may present in a diffuse regional way rather than a sore thumb. Wounds may have both nerve and nociceptive pain. Inflammation can cause pressure that leads to pain of both types. Migraine headaches may involve both nociceptive pain due to the pressure of inflammation or dilation of blood vessels and neuropathic pain from pressure on nerves by dilated or inflamed blood vessels.
Histamine excess can cause the milder pain of chronic allergy symptoms, or the more severe pain of migraines, or the mental anguish of severe mania, anxiety or suicidal urges of histamine hyperexcitability. Self-injury through indirect means such as addiction or reckless behavior might occur, or actual self-injury. The pain of suicide ends for the patient yet lives on in the surrounding family or friends who might not understand the extreme irrationality of histamine excess.
Akathisia - drug side effects most frequently described as restless or trembling legs. Other mental effects can occur, and suicide is not infrequent for sufferers. The problem may also involve histamine excess. A clinical trial with the antihistamine diphenhydramine (Benadryl TM) found that it did help many of the cohort - but it made them sleepier. (2) Using anti-histamines as the main treatment has been difficult because histamine helps regulate our wakefulness. (other references)
God sent the message niacin when an akathisia sufferer was at his wits end (my words) and asked God for help. Reminder, you have to row your own boat – you have to take the niacin and the Redditor did. Nothing has helped my akathisia more than a niacin flush. : Akathisia (reddit.com) He wrote that the niacin flush is itchy for a little while, but “Anything is better than the akathisia.”
People need to understand the severity of a problem that is little discussed when psychiatric or other drugs are prescribed and there is little help for once it occurs. The “side effect” can be more of a permanent brain change even after withdrawal from the drug. Something happened that is not well understood yet. The symptoms may start while on a drug, or during withdrawal or even years later for some people. Psychiatric drugs are a more common cause, but other medications have been a factor too.
Clinically we may see a visibly restless leg constantly moving – but you don’t see that the brain may also be in a similarly “constantly fidgeting” state of extreme anxiety or mania or whatever the person is thinking about. Suicide might be because life is just that bad with ongoing histamine excess.
It turns out that niacin reduces the NfKb pathway which would help put the brakes on the positive feedback loop of the hyperinflammation histamine excess cycle.
“These data suggest for the first time that niacin inhibits vascular inflammation in vivo and in vitro via downregulating NF-κB signaling pathway.” (Si, et al, 2014)
“No exactly relationship was discovered between S. aureus internalization into bMEC and antimicrobial peptide expression, while niacin inhibited S. aureus-induced NF-κB activation in a dose manner. These dates suggest that inhibiting NF-κB activation may be the potential mechanism of niacin on modulating S. aureus internalization into bMEC.” (Wei, et al, 2014)
And glyphosate likely speeds it up. See the recent post in the series: Going out on a limb - #25 - excess Glyphosate. #26 - Microbiome health. #27 - low Tryptophan.
The graphic is getting a little busy, but more encouraging. I also find the niacin flush very helpful, for clarity of thinking, improved energy level and reduced congestion. I increase to three doses a day if I feel cold or autoimmune symptoms starting up, (swollen lymph nodes, congestion, tired, achy).
The academic paper will be a challenge, both for quality and organization. I will have 12,000 words to make a case for pomegranate products for histamine excess in schizophrenia and other neurocognitive conditions and akathisia. It may take some sleight of hand on my part - magic - to compact the main points of the series into 12,000 words. To help with the razzle dazzle I can have up to 15 Figures and Tables that won’t add to the 12,000 word count - and double bonus - the Reference List can be as long as it needs to be. (The Abstract doesn’t count in the 12,000 either.)
It is an open access journal, reputable, not Nature or the Lancet ( ;-), and for the article type, Hypothesis & Theory, there is a fee ($3225). I am not going to look at that as a stopper to try. I may ask for underwriters though - Producers - whom I could acknowledge in the Acknowledgements section. Public Health is free to the Public, but not free to produce. Open Access journals are like that too - not free to produce. The fee pays for the ongoing site maintenance for displaying the full-text articles, and the editorial staff and reliable peer review process. Someone with University backing might have the funding for the fee provided through their workplace. Independent researchers might fundraise or self-pay. The journal also has a scholarship type application if the fee is prohibitive.
First, I have to finish the paper and make it through peer review — drum roll - for submitting a pomegranate paper (and nutrition) to a Pharmacology journal.
Excited.
Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.
Reference List
Nothing has helped my akathisia more than a niacin flush. : Akathisia, reddit.com https://www.reddit.com/r/Akathisia/comments/lhznvw/nothing_has_helped_my_akathisia_more_than_a/
Vinson DR, Drotts DL. Diphenhydramine for the prevention of akathisia induced by prochlorperazine: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Emerg Med. 2001 Feb;37(2):125-31. doi: 10.1067/mem.2001.113032. PMID: 11174228. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11174228/
(Wei, et al, 2014) Wei Z, Fu Y, Zhou E, Tian Y, Yao M, Li Y, Yang Z, Cao Y. Effects of niacin on Staphylococcus aureus internalization into bovine mammary epithelial cells by modulating NF-κB activation. Microb Pathog. 2014 Jun-Jul;71-72:62-7. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2014.03.005. Epub 2014 Apr 13. PMID: 24727647. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24727647/
(Si, et al, 2014) Si Y, Zhang Y, Zhao J, Guo S, Zhai L, Yao S, Sang H, Yang N, Song G, Gu J, Qin S. Niacin inhibits vascular inflammation via downregulating nuclear transcription factor-κB signaling pathway. Mediators Inflamm. 2014;2014:263786. doi: 10.1155/2014/263786. Epub 2014 May 27. PMID: 24991087; PMCID: PMC4058495. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24991087/ (Accessed: 1 Nov 2022)
Very exciting - I have a special interest in pomegranate today as I just picked the first one from my young tree. All the best with organising all that info!