Plant Poisons and Rotten Stuff – The Blog

First, determine whether you are sensitive to sulphites. This is a tricky experiment to perform, not because it is hard to get hold of sulphites, but because it is dangerous. If you have asthma or are prone to extreme reactions, you may want to determine whether you are sensitive to sulphites based on your history. If the reactions are controllable, you may want to determine with a test.

If you are sensitive to sulphites, you may be low on sulfite oxidase. Cofactors for this enzyme are heme and molybdenum. As far as I can find out, low sulfite oxidase can be caused by:

• Depletion of molybdenum
• Tungsten poisoning
• Damage to pterin/folate metabolism
• Porphyria-impaired Protoporphyrin IX production (part of the enzyme)
• Severe anaemia (heme is part of the enzyme)
• Genetic polymorphisms resulting in inefficient versions of SUOX

In my case, sulphites in wine give me asthma, sickness, and diarrhoea.

Try supplementing the cofactor molybdenum to see if it improves symptoms.

After establising this, find out if you are sensitive to MSM (methylsulfonomethane or methylsulfanylmethane). If you are sensitive to sulphites you probably will not tolerate MSM as it also requires sulfite oxidase in order to be converted to useable sulphate.

In my case, MSM gives me asthma.

Find out if you can tolerate magnesium sulphate (epsom salts). Inorganic sulphate is not well absorbed from the gut and can sometimes cause unpleasant reactions because it is broken down in the gut into sulphites. It is better taken in a bath or a footbath. Be sure not to attribute bad reactions to magnesium sulphate to the sulphate, it may be the magnesium that is the problem. Try ensuring a balance of calcium and magnesium.

In my case, I cannot tolerate epsom salts, even with calcium supplementation, even when taken only in baths and not orally. I get horrible heart-rhythm disturbance after using it.