Recoil is the worsening of symptoms after removing the excess B6. Recoil is discussed in the literature.
Authors of Bernard Jortner’s 2000 paper entitled, “Mechanisms of Toxic Injury in the Peripheral Nervous System: Neuropathologic Considerations” described the increase of symptoms for weeks after stopping supplementation. In their words, “Interestingly, such sensory effects progressed for a period of weeks despite cessation of dosing and a return to normal of serum pyridoxal phosphate (B6) levels”. The authors of this paper called this period coasting. Berger, AR, et al, 1992 paper, “Dose Response, Coasting and Differential Fiber Vulnerability in Human Toxic Neuropathy” also uses the term coasting for symptoms that continue to progress for two to three weeks despite the ceasing of the supplement AND the return of serum blood levels to normal. The B6T Smart Understanding B6 Toxicity Facebook group has relabeled the period Recoil. Coasting implies that the symptoms remain the same. They do not.
Recoil then is the increase of symptoms after removing the excess B6. In the Jortner paper, the amount of B6 ingested was between 12 mg to 56.9 mg daily. In the Berger paper, the amount was between 1 g and 3 g daily. The subjects in the Jortner paper were symptomatic at 7 months for the lower dose and at 1.5 months for the higher dose. The subjects in the Berger paper were symptomatic between 4.5 and 7 months for the lower dose and between 1.5 months to 3.5 months for the higher doses subjects. The Jortner reported symptoms were altered sensation, gait abnormalities and abnormal electrical expression of quantitative sensory thresholds. The symptoms for the Berger paper were sensory symptoms, numbness, pins-and-needles sensation in toes, mild gait imbalances, Lhermittes’ sign and abnormal quantitative vibration and thermal thresholds. The hydration status was not measured in either of these papers. The amount of B6 in muscle storage was also not measured.
As both the Jortner and Berger paper revealed blood work has to come down to normal for the symptoms to start progressing. The B6T Smart – Understanding B6 Toxicity Facebook group has experienced this increase of symptoms once the excess B6 is removed AND the dehydration is corrected. In most cases, once members start the hydration section of the B6T Protocol they begin curing the dehydration. Recoil then starts soon after. In year two of the Facebook group being active, the B6T Protocol was adjusted down to just two to three liters of water. It was recognized immediately that members were not getting their B6 blood work lowered quickly. The B6T Protocol was increased back to the original three to four liters of water. Simply put, B6 blood work needs to be normal for Recoil to start. This is explained soon.
We head back to the research to examine the possible reasons for the increase of symptoms during the first few weeks during Recoil. Berger gives us an explanation that matches the group’s experiences. He states, “Additionally, despite progressive symptomatology, the serum pyridoxal phosphate levels of subjects 1, 2 and 4 soon returned to normal. These features suggest that clinical progression was not due to a persistently elevated body burden (excess B6 in the blood), but either due to TOXIN REMAINING IN THE LOCAL NERVE ENVIRONMENT OR TO PERSISTENT NEURONAL METABOLIC CHANGES THAT SLOWLY REVERSED.” We will discuss the toxin remaining in the nerve environment in Rebound. We want to shed some light on the metabolic changes that slowly reverse here in Recoil.
In Coburn’s 2015 summary of the literature, he states, “Ebadi (1981) noted that vitamin B6 is involved in the synthesis of metabolism of multiple neurotransmitters in addition to GABA including dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, tyramine, tryptamine, taurine, histamine and even acetylcholine indirectly”. We know with research that excess B6 increases GABA, serotonin and dopamine – three neurotransmitters known to help with pain management. If you remove the excess B6 then you are decreasing the production of these three neurotransmitters. Your body starts feeling the pain that these neurotransmitters were blocking.
Coburn et al, 1991 Study, “Responses of Vitamin B6 Content of Muscle to Changes in Vitamin B6 Intake in Men” also suggest that the nervous system needs time to adjust to decreased intake. Canham, JE, et al, show that abnormal encephalograms were observed when vitamin B6 intakes dropped from high to normal as well as from normal to low. These studies show that the electroencephalographic abnormalities returned to normal as the study progressed.
The increase of symptoms in Recoil is then your body trying to adjust to the decreased load of a neurotoxin that created chaos in other body systems. This corresponds to members stating that Recoil to them feels like they are going through some type of withdrawal when they remove excess B6. The withdrawal is your body adjusting to the decreased intake of B6. These are the metabolic changes that slowly reverse that Berger briefly discusses.
The Jortner paper does not state the time frame that symptoms ceased. The higher doses Berger paper state that symptoms disappear between four to eight weeks. The research then implies that even with higher doses of B6 your symptoms will be gone in eight weeks. Two problems exist with the final conclusions. First, the subjects removed the neurotoxin once symptoms appeared which implies that nerve damage was minimal. Second, there was no follow-up with the subjects three months, six months, a year or two years after the end of the study.
What does this mean for the person reading this recovering from B6 toxicity? Expect the unexpected. Every, every, every, every day the Facebook group is asked, “is this new symptom part of recoil?” We depend upon members who have been through Recoil to answer these questions. 95% of the time the new symptom for one person is a symptom that another member has experienced and had healed or is healing. It is very important that you join the B6T Smart is Understanding B6 Toxicity Facebook group for support during this time. It is also good to review the symptoms from both the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and member reported symptoms from the Facebook group. If any new symptom creates concern or alarm please go to the emergency room and/or follow up with your doctor.
Next, we will discuss Rebound.