Excitotoxins

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Sandy14

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27
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
07/2020
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US
State
NY
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Westchester
Has anyone heard from a reliable medical source about excitotoxins? I've been reading articles written by Russell Blaylock, who I have since discovered is viewed as a major "quack" by certain media sources (he's regularly on NewsMax and Info Wars).

<commercial link removed>

Basically, any food processed that removes products from protein sources (like protein powders, gelatin, broths) contain large amounts of free glutamate and this is viewed by him as dangerous to the neuron health. I'm really conflicted: I read the article and it seems logical. He is a retired neurosurgeon. But, he also sells loads of products and newsletters/books to make large profits. I'm on board to eliminate processed foods from my diet but don't want to give up bone broth, protein powder or any of the supplements that have gelatin listed as an ingredient.

Has anyone ever discussed this topic with their ALS specialist?

Thank you,

Sandy
 
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This is a guy who referred to vaccines as "medical genocide" -- there is no support in medical literature for any of his harmful, deadly claims.
 
Blaylock has endorsed views inconsistent with the scientific consensus.
(inconsistent).

Blaylock is 75 years old. Yes, he is a retired neurosurgeon. Thank God.

Neurosurgeon turned pitchman... another Pillow Guy.

“(He's regularly on NewsMax and Info Wars)”

That says a lot of his last gasp to hold onto notoriety, relevance,
importance, audience and maintain popularity. My opinion.

Sandy, you wrote…

“I'm really conflicted: I read the article and it seems logical.”

That is NewsMax and Info Wars’s intent and stay tuned to their
programming/sites.
 
Thanks for your response! FWIW, I am a science/math guy who never believed any of this outside-the-box stuff before, but I must admit I've read a lot up on this stuff and while most seems silly, some seems to make sense. While I agree this guy's resume underscores him as a commercialized nut job, I still feel like there's a lot of sense behind chemicals like MSG and aspartame over-exciting the neurons and potentially killing them. I'd certainly like to see more scientific tests done, while it seems there's only one or two mice studies that have been done - not by the mainstream scientific community and therefore likely not with the right protocols controls in place. At the same time, I see no harm in staying off MSG and aspartame, the bigger question is how far do I reach beyond those two named additives into other categories that people report is another name for MSG or aspartame (like "natural flavors", "spices" and a few other terms)?
 
I'm playing it safe. First, I never liked processed food so it wasn't a big stretch to get it out of my diet (I've recently re-introduced Organic Greek Yogurt.)

I started taking collagen peptides last Summer. While my skin, nails, and hair looked great, I noticed way more fasciculations. I switched to type 11 collagen peptides to support my joints, but same thing. I even ordered organic bone broth powder with the same result. It may just be a coincidence. I do know collagen works and many people use it for joint issues and other things. Bone broth helps your gut. It did mine. Then I got a migraine which was the first one I've had in well over ten years. I stopped the peptides and haven't had a migraine since.

In my book, collagen peptides and organic bone broth are very good for a number of health issues. I only stopped based on my experience.

That said, I think cutting out processed food is good for all health conditions. I also think organic is better than non organic.

When I was working on my doctorate in naturopathic medicine, I learned a lot about macro- and micro-nutrition. It was going to be my second career. People are afraid of things they don't know. Skepticism can be a good thing but, in our case, I think we need to take extra precautions.

I think, by now, people know to stay away from MSG and aspartame. I don't buy anything that has "natural flavors" unless I speak with the company. This recently came up when I found I loved a certain brand of Almond milk. It was flavored with coconut. The natural flavor turned out to be coconut extract and I was good with that.
 
Exactly, Kim. Bone broth helped my gut too. We also call the manufacturers any time we see "natural flavors" or "spices" in the ingredients for a food product I want to consume. And, definitely, it certainly can't hurt to stay away from processed foods. What's really bothering me though is 2 things: 1) he warns to also stay away from red meat if you're a PALS, and 2) he warns to stay away from all protein powders. These are 2 things that contribute a lot to my diet.
 
I think if red meat is grass fed and finished, it will be good for you. The ratio of Omega 3 to 6 in grass fed and finished meat is way higher than traditional beef. I have a long history of low ferritin and I eat red meat twice a week with Vitamin C. I was finally able to get off iron supplements this year.

I avoid protein powders. If I were to need one, I’d choose organic whole egg protein. I make sure I eat four eggs a week. Pasture raised, organic.
 
Wow, you are so knowledgeable, Kim! Thanks for your responses. FWIW, I only eat grass-fed beef, but I feel like there's really no major downside to avoiding red meat for at least a month and watching what happens. The eating red meat with Vitamin C also makes a lot of sense since C is known to break down glutamate. I take Vitamin C w/ Lipoic acid pumps twice daily and also buffered ascorbic acid supplements..
 
Vitamin C also helps your body to absorb iron. So when you go off beef, eat leafy greens with your vitamin C.
 
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