Joint aches...erm... lots of caffeic acid won't be helping that (perhaps you could neutralise at least some of the acid by including dandelion leaf or celery seed in your coffees?), but there may be something deeper causing systemic inflammation. As you know, I've chatted to various people on this board about possible causes of inflammation, during the past few months (e.g.
http://rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=64495 ).
Weight struggles...mmm...thyroid, perhaps? I'm sure you've already thought about that but have you thought about it in conjunction with the adrenals? i.e. they're both part of the endocrine system...
..and, of course, the thyroid may play back into the hair thing. I suppose at least trying a bit of iodine/kelp wouldn't do any harm.
Funny how I seem to be drawn into many, many conversations lately that happen to run somewhat convergent with my own health issues and associated research. Almost like it was 'meant to be' in some way. :weird Weird, and I'm not a 'New-Ager' but neither am I unjustly in denial about it. So...at the risk of sounding like a darned broken record... :whisper have you had yourself tested for metals? They can screw up thyroid and adrenal function...and they can induce systemic inflammation... I KNOW, I KNOW, I sound like a broken record with metals lately, and I confess I'm therefore almost embarrassed to even suggest this, but all the same...here we are, discussing issues which, like it or not, DO potentially tally.
Your late nights are, of course, probably due more to caffeine and adrenal fluctuations more than anything else, but it is interesting to note that Hg-toxic individuals may typically be night owls (although that may be due to the disrupting effect of mercury upon the endocrine system, as already discussed). You'll find all this in Andy Cutler's books.
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...Or maybe you've been anaemic and/or hypothyroid for some time, leading to a lack of 'get-up-and-go', and have then sought out caffeine to compensate, the caffeine then stressing the adrenals.
The joint inflammation might be due to straight liver congestion (e.g. stones due to poor previous diet, dietary inadequacy of taurine, glycine, lecithin or whatever, or due to liver overwhelm from some toxin other than heavy metals).
Also, bowel toxicity due to poor previous diet could tie in with liver difficulties, but I know from previous discussions with you that you're intimately familiar with bowel cleansing etc. so this seems unlikely.
Poor bowel function might not just result
from poor diet but actually contribute
to malabsorption of nutrients from your present-day healthy diet. Hair needs a good supply of nutrients just like any other part of the body. Interestingly, a healthy bowel with good balance of healthy flora is apparently able to yield large amounts of B-vitamins. B-vitamins are vital for good hair growth.
Another possible cause for the liver and inflammation issues could be intestinal or liver parasites, but then I'd be questioning why your immune system and bile were failing to reasonably fight parasites off...which (potentially, at least) goes back to heavy metals etc.
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