Maybe cholesterol could be up as a response to increased toxins in circulation…
When I was still reacting to sunbathing, several things would make the symptoms worse: alcohol (even just a shot glass 20% alcohol); 400iu dry-E (d-alpha tocopherol succinate); ~1mg celadrin (a blend of cetylated, esterified fatty acids); 100mg riboflavin; 250mg niacinamide; mitolipin (single serving). At the time I found some explanations as to why each of these things might be having their effects, by variously inhibiting liver detox capacity / upregulating conversion of retinoids into active metabolites / flushing retinoids out of storage and into circulation / increasing bile flow (however I didn’t make a note of my sources I’m afraid). So you could experiment, and see if any of the same substances also affect you negatively…
I also found that taking activated charcoal prior to sunbathing would ameliorate (but not entirely stop) the reaction. Presumeably the sun exposure- particularly on the torso- was stimulating bile flow, and without a binder in the intestines ready to sequester the toxic conjugates of the bile acids they were irritating the intestines (leading to pain and swelling) and getting re-absorbed into the blood stream (leading to brain-fog, joint aches etc). Being intentional about including bile-binders in your diet or supplementing them should be helpful if re-circulation of toxic bile is part of your problem, regardless of whether the toxin is retinoids or copper or something else. However, given your history of liver consumption, those two are prime suspects.
For more information about vit A toxicity and people’s experiences with attempting to detox it there is Grant Genereux’s ebooks, blog and forum. (Initially I was put off that Grant and others don’t consider vit A to be a vitamin at all. However, if you keep an open mind and read all the evidence he has accumulated it does seem that requirements, for non-gestating adults at least, are minuscule if any). There is also the paid love your liver community, although some people have had negative experiences with Dr. Smith. Personally I have cut out the biggest sources of retinoids (liver, orange fruits and vegetables, dark leafy greans) but continue to eat eggs and (unheated) butter since they have very helpful constituents, and also because an extreme low-A diet can precipitate debilitating symptoms in some people, presumably due to flooding their detox systems with substrate at a faster rate than can be safely processed. To support detox I supplement taurine, betaine, low-dose B-vitamins, some zinc, liposomal colostrum, and activated charcoal (separately). Unfortunately I don’t tolerate beans, but for many people they are excellent for bile-binding purposes.
When I was still reacting to sunbathing, several things would make the symptoms worse: alcohol (even just a shot glass 20% alcohol); 400iu dry-E (d-alpha tocopherol succinate); ~1mg celadrin (a blend of cetylated, esterified fatty acids); 100mg riboflavin; 250mg niacinamide; mitolipin (single serving). At the time I found some explanations as to why each of these things might be having their effects, by variously inhibiting liver detox capacity / upregulating conversion of retinoids into active metabolites / flushing retinoids out of storage and into circulation / increasing bile flow (however I didn’t make a note of my sources I’m afraid). So you could experiment, and see if any of the same substances also affect you negatively…
I also found that taking activated charcoal prior to sunbathing would ameliorate (but not entirely stop) the reaction. Presumeably the sun exposure- particularly on the torso- was stimulating bile flow, and without a binder in the intestines ready to sequester the toxic conjugates of the bile acids they were irritating the intestines (leading to pain and swelling) and getting re-absorbed into the blood stream (leading to brain-fog, joint aches etc). Being intentional about including bile-binders in your diet or supplementing them should be helpful if re-circulation of toxic bile is part of your problem, regardless of whether the toxin is retinoids or copper or something else. However, given your history of liver consumption, those two are prime suspects.
For more information about vit A toxicity and people’s experiences with attempting to detox it there is Grant Genereux’s ebooks, blog and forum. (Initially I was put off that Grant and others don’t consider vit A to be a vitamin at all. However, if you keep an open mind and read all the evidence he has accumulated it does seem that requirements, for non-gestating adults at least, are minuscule if any). There is also the paid love your liver community, although some people have had negative experiences with Dr. Smith. Personally I have cut out the biggest sources of retinoids (liver, orange fruits and vegetables, dark leafy greans) but continue to eat eggs and (unheated) butter since they have very helpful constituents, and also because an extreme low-A diet can precipitate debilitating symptoms in some people, presumably due to flooding their detox systems with substrate at a faster rate than can be safely processed. To support detox I supplement taurine, betaine, low-dose B-vitamins, some zinc, liposomal colostrum, and activated charcoal (separately). Unfortunately I don’t tolerate beans, but for many people they are excellent for bile-binding purposes.
