Latest research (Oct 1998)

Hallopals,

More research, partly in the literature, partly on the self. Some about a
potential new "bad food", but some about some potential new "good foods", too.

1) Tea tree oil: The news here is that it has taken me about 10 days to get
over the itchiness and urges that appear to have come from taking tea tree oil
internally. That is, it acts very much like a "bad food". This is in keeping
with the itchiness I got after using it externally on a regular basis. Since
it is used as an accelerator for absorption of other chemicals through the
skin, it looks like what happens is that chronic use of the oil to stop the
external itching leads to some some other component of the oil being absorbed
systemically, causing itching "from the inside".

My guess is that the component of the oil that may be responsible is limonene.
But if that is the case, then other people who respond similarly should be
advised that various mint compounds are related to this chemical (such as
menthol, peppermint, spearmint, and eucalyptus), and these chemicals would
probably cause the same reaction, too. It may be a coincidence, but I date
the start of my pulling from about the same time that I recall eating at least
a roll a day of spearmint LifeSavers (somewhere around age 13).

2) Gluconates and alpha hydroxy acids: I have dug further into the gluconic
acid connection (people using "potassium" are using potassium gluconate, a
salt of gluconic acid). Mindful of the fact that I have found few foods to be
"good foods", I noticed that two of these few "good" ones, dry red wine and
unsweetened yogurt, have something in common with gluconates. Dry red wine
not only has tannins; it has tartrates (that make it tart--of course, from
tartaric acid). "Live" yogurt not only has acidophilus bacteria; it has
lactates (that make it lact--I mean sour, from lactic acid).

What is in common with gluconic, tartaric, and lactic acids are that all three
are alpha hydroxy acids ("AHA"s). These are the chemicals used by
dermatologists for dissolving the "glue" that holds layers of skin together,
for loosening and sloughing old wrinkled skin in so-called chemical peels.
You can also buy these ingredients in costly preparations to use in the home.
This family of relatively mild organic acids also includes glycolic, citric,
and malic acid. Five of these six are found naturally in food sources:
tartaric in grape juice, lactic in soured milk, glycolic in sugar cane juice,
citric in citrus juices like lemon or orange, and malic in apple juice. The
sixth, the gluconic acid used for mineral supplements such as calcium,
ferrous, magnesium, potassium, and zinc gluconates, is artificially derived
from glucose.

What I find interesting about these chemicals is that they have yet another
connection with a disorder that appears related to TTM, namely, psoriasis.
The diet that is the most popular one for helping people with psoriasis
(Pagano's diet) starts with a three to five day body purge. During this time,
people eat only a) apples all through it or b) grapes all through it or c)
citrus fruits all through it, and no other foods or even fruits, and ending
the purge with a big serving of d) yogurt. There is no good reason given for
the choice of these foods, but the idea behind the purge is that the digestive
tract has to be cleared of unspecificed "toxins". It is my guess that perhaps
what is happening is that the choice of these foods is directly attributable
to the effect of the alpha hydroxy acids on intestinal yeasts: either directly
to their cell walls, or indirectly to their ability to attach themselves to
the walls of the small intestine. I find even the length of time significant:
it does take about three to five days from most "bad" foods to have a peak
effect and start to decline.

So, I have done some experiments. I have never really tested fruit juices
before, pro or con. After drinking lots of apple and orange juice, I find no
adverse effects. In fact, they seemed to help me get over the tea tree oil
baloney.

Therefore, tentatively based on these observations, I think that there may be
some additional "good" foods: apple, grape, and orange/lemon/lime juice, as
well as apples, grapes, and oranges/lemons/limes themselves. In addition, it
might be that one quick (within a day or so) way to break out of a really bad
pulling spell would be to pig out on these fruits. Yes, they will send you to
the bathroom, but this might be a good thing (no, I haven't tried it yet).

Further thoughts on fruits: it still seems best to avoid raw tomato seeds (so
also, possibly, tomato juice), and grapefruit in general (the latter being
well know as having an inhibitor that interferes with certain "good"
detoxifying enzymes). I'm not sure what the acid is in bromelain/papain
fruits (the "you can't make Jello with this" fruits such as pineapple and
papaya ), but I bet they are also in the alpha hydroxy category and therefore
these fruits, too, may be doubly good. But it may not simply be the case that
fruit = "good"; some other fruits, for example melons, are not particularly
tart, so they probably would be neutral, or to be avoided for their sugars.

On both of these topics: more info as it comes available. In the meantime,
I would greatly appreciate hearing people's observations.

John

(as always, this is John's personal research, and no claims are being made to any of this being thoroughly tested or that it WILL work etc).