Hi Nicola,

The people who did my hair analysis must be reading from the same hymn book. Thanks for the info. It isn't just a test result, it's also got some interpretation information and some suggestions for supplements and diet. I have to say I'm rather unsure about those and I want Dr. Peatfield's advice. One of the recommendations, for example, is to eat a low-fat diet. This is not only unhealthy for most people, but particularly for me. I've loved healthy fat all my life and the Paleolithic diet suits me down to the ground. There's no way I'm cutting out butter, coconut oil and salad dressing, I'd feel horrible, and I'd also never feel full.

My own analysis does say that I have sluggish thyroid and adrenals. Dr. Peatfield might see the same and it might help him in suggesting a treatment regime. I already treat my adrenals as best I can, and I'm not ready for something like Armour because I tried a small amount and couldn't handle it. I've started proesterone cream too, which should hopefully help with some of these things.

My calcium/potassium ratio chimes in with this; it is high. So some concrete evidence that there are some problems.

The question, though, is why. I know that a hair test for mercury can be unreliable. But I've been chelating heavily for months and if I am toxic it should be there in my blood, pulled out by the chelators. It's below the lowest reading on the graph, as are most heavy metals. I think it's safe to say that mercury is no longer a problem for me. So what is causing my problems? As I said above, I hope it's candida because I wouldn't know where to look next. I can't see anything that was happening in my life that would have precipitated such a sudden illness. Dr. Peatfield says that something probably "got at" me. Goodness knows.

I'm trying to stop eating sugar -- a big problem lately -- so that I can have a go at dealing with any candida (in anticipation of using an anti-fungal soon), and so that when I take my tests the adrenaline one isn't affected by what the sugar does to my system. But I have to admit I'm struggling. I have this sense of everything being hopeless and joyless and pointless. I feel anxious, irritable, sluggish, fogged and tearful. I want to do what's healthy but I can see myself having a chocolate bar at some point in order to prevent myself from becoming a basket case. I've got to be OK for school and for this trip I've organised Thursday night with 60 students.

At least I know I can stop the DMSA for now. I'm sticking with the ALA and am just working on taking fewer, higher doses during the day, because it seems to be propping my immune system up and I get ill whenever I quit it completely.

Thanks for the help Nicola. Guess I'll post here in a week or so and say whether I seem to be getting any reaction once I start taking the anti-fungal.