Peaches, follow up - the day didn't get better.
I share my personal story as an example that I own the copyright to and for educational purposes. As a public health educator, I saw that even as odd as I am, there are others with similarities to me.
There was a lovely push for Mental Health Awareness and share your story! It didn’t turn out to be that good of an idea. Most people don’t want to hear too much detail about others, they have enough details of their own to think about. Oh, good point. Even sharing that I am a trauma survivor and asking for someone to stop because I was triggered led to being accused of Playing the Victim card. No, I was trying to use a survivor strategy - ask for a timeout. State a personal need for quiet.
So, I learned - just leave, maybe say good-bye first, but it is up to me to protect myself because society is not ready to hear about how bad mental illness can be, and every day if the causal factors are never identified, which they usually aren’t. There are 34 points on my risk factor list now Going out on a limb and I did need to figure out and cope with most of them an on a daily basis, for me to have more good days than bad days.
Yesterday, later on, I had a few mini-meltdowns, went to my room several more times, and this morning was still in a mood whirl. And I self-injured a little, cried more, and have had stress related gut pain. Organic tofu with a little thyme, apple cider vinegar and non fortified Nutritional Yeast Flakes settles a little better than most foods. Tapioca pudding is gentle too, but I need to make more. I did make beans but it didn’t get the extra veggies to be soup. Too busy, too worn out, got another shingle/s or two in the last week. Burning the candle at both ends can singe your middle ;-)
I remembered later that night that I had also eaten a small amount of carrot shreds in two Nori rolls. I splurged on a prepared food, and it was dark when I ate a couple once I was in my car.
Following a restricted diet is not easy, or fun, but self-injury and extreme emotional dysregulation is also not fun.
It is not helpful to talk about making better choices, or choosing wisely, when the problem is lack of cognitive function. There is no decision-making during histamine excess. I have learned to just remove myself because any attempt to explain is never effective. People just understand things from their own past experiences. She sounds angry, she must be angry.
Women tend to self-injure when under emotional duress, on average more than men, while men may be more likely to turn violent emotions outward and harm others and maybe kill themselves afterwards (not true for all women or all men). When women are a danger to others, they can be a big danger. There are a few examples of nurses who took the lives of a lot of patients before being caught. The worst harm can be done by those who think they are helping. Some people may want a merciful end, but it should be their choice.
My mother is n=2 and has been much better, much less panic and extreme anxiety on a low histamine diet and supplement routine. Now there is more boredom which is easier to cope with than constant fear. She also self-injures during the panic by biting her finger. There is an endorphin release possibly with self-injury, (ref), or it is grounding to feel something, anything, when the mind is whirling with so much anxiety or fear.
Self-soothing is also possible - soft touch, loving oneself hugs, brushing hair, putting on body lotion. Ten deep breaths. Mantra repetition might help replace negative thoughts - “I breathe in love.” “I breathe out peace.” Or on the inhale “This to”, exhale “shall pass.” When in the weird mood, more normal strategies aren’t really that easy to Just Try It! The brain is not thinking normally and is more reactive to whatever stimulus is present. Coping strategies that can help - turn off music with lyrics, try to go somewhere quiet and private and maybe darkened too.
"Treating Self Injury, A Practical Guide," by Barent W. Walsh, Ph.D. (2006): https://www.guilford.com/books/Treating-Self-Injury/Barent-Walsh/9781462518876
The website provides a pdf link for a 25-page practical guide with Reproducible Materials for treating self-injury. It includes client screening forms, safety contract, and an extensive section on breathing techniques for self-calming. https://www.guilford.com/add/forms/walsh5.pdf
There is a lot of negative attitudes about people with suicidal urges - just emotional manipulators or attention seekers. That can happen too, I have seen it first-hand in someone else, however more ten year olds are successfully completing suicide - that is not seeking attention, that is seeking an Exit door. Why? should be the big question. Why are so many young children suffering so badly that they kill themselves? Modern life has too many toxins and not enough nutrients is the short answer. Allergies are worse now, and are linked to the increase in traditional vaccines, along with asthma and more earaches. The increase in screen time and flickering lights should also be considered as an “allergen” - it triggers allergy mast cells and causes inflammation = an allergic response to flickering lights.
Survivors work to figure out what a problem involves and then work to solve whatever factors the problem involves. Survivors don’t wait for someone to provide a boat and row it for them.
I had removed a lot of possible histamine foods but had forgotten that peanut butter may also be a problem. It was on my own handout I noticed when updating it, (Histamine Food Lists), and it made a final big difference in more good days and fewer bad moments to remove peanut products from her diet. It has helped to switch her to almond butter. I also added a few extra herbal supplements for her in addition to pomegranate juice and CBD drops twice a day.
Maybe I should try some of the herbals too, or just resist peaches and carrots better. Extra high dose niacin helps when I am having a flair up. I take 1000 mg three times a day instead of twice, usually with a little melatonin fifteen minutes prior. I have also been using an extra spoonful of black seed oil and added an artemisinin as it is easier on the gut than Wormwood tea. Health is not something we just get for nothing, or something we can simply just buy with a doctor prescription. That is the glittery promise - take a pill you will feel better. Maybe, sometimes, but for how long will it work? Will tolerance develop? Will side effects or chronic damage occur?
Herbal supplements I added for my mother’s panic/anxiety, histamine excess and/or sound sensitivity, which can mean brain signaling is over-active, not being inhibited soon enough, rather than the person’s hearing is suddenly more acute. I try to have her do an Epsom salt hand soak once a week for magnesium sulfate absorption.
One mix: Deep Calm, Sonus Complete, contains: Passion Flower Herb powder - 290 mg (take 2 capsules - I have been giving one), Marshmallow Root powder - 220 mg, Corydalis lutea 4:1 - 200 mg, Prickly Pear, 20:1 - 100 mg, and California Poppy Seed - 90 mg. The product is designed for calming or pre-sleep. The company has a product for sound sensitivity which my mother has problems with but it seemed to have an immediate histamine effect on her.
The CBD drops help her sound sensitivity over time. Forgetting today’s drops will affect tomorrow or the next day’s over-active startle response. The pomegranate juice helps with the anxiety/constant panic and can calm within a few minutes. The Deep Calm also seems to help calm within a short time frame.
I also added: Marshmallow root - 480 mg; Nettle - 900 mg; Milk Thistle - 350 mg (I take Milk Thistle too - liver/detox support); Hawthorne (take two) - 1050 mg; and a Histamine Blend SP-33 (take two) - 1000 mg proprietary mix of Montmorillonite Clay, Horehound (aerial), Mullein (leaf), Wild Cherry (bark), Barberry (root), and Peppermint (aerial).
Other supplements I provide: CoQ10, Methyl B complex, Trace Mineral mix or a methyl one-a-day, zinc, quercetin, vitamin C, and Vitamin D3.
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If there was a point - it is Retinoic Acid over-activation and/or histamine excess is a serious problem that can be life threatening. Parents, children, and adults deserve accurate answers from health care professionals - not medications that just add worse side effects. Many dangerous psychiatric drugs are being given to children and even toddlers, and often it is the Foster Children who aren’t adequately protected from the medical system.
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
Endorphins: The brain’s natural pain reliever, July 20, 2021, health.harvard.edu, https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/endorphins-the-brains-natural-pain-reliever