In case you haven’t seen the recent comments from a fellow sufferer, we may now have a few new leads to pursue in our search for cause and cure for the broken record thing (or AMLs/auditory memory loops).
Like me, J discovered that cortisol and stress seemed to have an effect on the AMLs, making them worse.
But unlike any of the rest of us (that I know of) J also made a connection between his gut problems and the AMLs. Turns out he had a couple of parasites that had been causing IBS symptoms.
Now, I have assumed all along that it can’t be cortisol alone, since most of us have had stressful times without getting AMLs. My assumption is that something must change us at some point to make us susceptible to the AML effects of cortisol. But I didn’t know what, since each of us has come into this problem through different doors.
In my case it was hormonal changes at menopause. For another sufferer it came after the birth of her second baby. For still others it starts after a traumatic period in their lives or after taking an antidepressant, or for no apparent reason at all. And then there’s the 6-year-old boy who may have had it all his life.
So here we have J who says his AMLs started after he’d begun having gut issues. He also noticed that he had allergy symptoms/runny nose when the AMLs were worse, suggesting histamine was involved. And when he takes antihistamines (and large doses of vitamin C and magnesium) the symptoms ease up.
I’ve just recently learned that histamine is responsible for stimulating the release of stomach acid to digest food, as well as creating those inflammatory reactions to allergens we’re more familiar with. I don’t know how to connect the dots yet, but this may be meaningful.
J finally learned that his gut problems were caused by a couple of parasites: Blastocystis Hominis and Dientamoeba Fragilis. And when he completed treatment to get rid of them, the AMLs subsided. It’s not clear from his comment whether the AMLs completely went away.
He does say that he believes the parasites were not the direct trigger for the AMLs, but rather the stress of the infection and his body’s reaction to the parasites may have been the actual trigger. This may fit in with those whose AMLs have started after some form of traumatic/stressful event.
As it turns out, I’d had some gut tests myself a few years back and I hoped the parasite angle might be a fresh clue in this mystery. But when I checked my test results I found that I did not have any parasites. So I’m back to the assumption that it may not be the specific triggering event that matters, only that our bodies respond to a variety of events in the same way.
So we may or may not not have a new clue, but perhaps a few more tools for fighting this madness: antihistamines, high doses of vitamin C and magnesium, for dealing with the histamine/allergy issues…plus the Relora and phosphatidyl serine to suppress cortisol.
I’ll do more research and hope to hear more from J.
Wishing you all peace…and quiet. -Pat
Histamine is also important in controlling the sleep-wake cycle, as an antagonist to GABA. Just as anti-histamines make you sleepy, histamines are important for waking you up in the morning. (Of course, they’ll also keep you wired at night, and this could be related to ingestion/digestion of foods…)
Also, if you ever have the symptom of itching in your “nether regions,” you might experience a burst of itchiness right before you fall asleep at night, and again right as you wake up.
Lastly, for those interested in trying 5-HTP or melatonin precursors, I’ve found that I get very restless “semi-conscious” sleep. That is, I feel like I spend the whole night wondering “am I asleep?” … and then I wake up in the morning. It’s a terrible way to spend the night.
Hi, for years I would get red/blotchy when I drank beer but after my daughter was born in 07 it would happen after I ate certain foods. Frustrated I went to an allergist who tested me for a bunch of differant things. One thing got red and blotchy it was the control histamine. So now I am seeing a holistic Dr and I mention this. He goes straight to parasites and tests me for that. I failed his test and was truely shocked how he went straight to that. So now I am taking something he gave me and waiting to see whats next.