Hair test results came back today. Very, very low on all heavy metal toxicities. Other things aren't obviously out of balance but now that Dr. Peatfield is helping me, I'll send the test to him to interpret.

He's a wonderful chap, I really enjoyed talking to him. It was like how visiting a GP ought to be. And it was the first time in my life that I've been talking with someone face-to-face about nutrition and Linus Pauling (etc) without having to try to convince them that I'm not crazy. He was well impressed with my 9g vitamin C a day LOL. In fact he said it's probably why my adrenals aren't completely crashed.

The mysteries to my condition just continue though. He said there wasn't much evidence of obvious adrenal or thyroid problems, though they are possibilities -- especially given my symptoms -- and he thinks my adrenal output is fluctuating. I'm going to get a saliva test and we agreed I'd take it on a Friday, because I stop working for the week on Thursday and crash during the weekend. I'm also getting tests for thyroid metabolism and candida antibodies.

We had a talk about candida; he's got a lot to say on the subject. He was talking about it almost as if it were a clever entity. "It's not sentient," I said, "How do we know, collectively?" he replied. I said it sounded like something that ought to feature in a Doctor Who episode. What was of interest was that apparently you can have candida without the physical symptoms like thrush, coated tongue, allergies, etc, none of which I have ever had. In fact we both said it would be good in a way if I turn out to have candida because he admitted he would be at a loss for what to do next if it isn't.

I must admit I'm mystified too. Apparently the patient he saw before me was pretty far gone, with Hashimoto's, hair falling out, etc -- not difficult to diagnose. Then there's me.

I took a lot of info away with me, including instructions for what to do if I need to treat candida. While I am waiting for this antibody test, I'm thinking it would probably do no harm to go ahead and try a treatment, see if anything happens. He recommends the diet of course (no problems there, I'm a dab hand by now), an antifungal medication (flucanozole), a natural antifungal (caprylate), and probiotics later on. I could maybe get that flucanozole. If I do have candida then I won't stop chelating because it's going to be sequestering some mercury.

Maybe I'll get there in the end LOL.

It has to be said, we need more doctors like Dr. Peatfield. 71 years old, an outcast from the mainstream, and he's still travelling around the country helping people. The term "doctor" is just a formality he said <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks to those here who recommended him to me. At least I feel I'm getting some expert help now.