A Wish For More Energy

[GreekDemiGod]

I have been on a low-to-almost-zero vitamin A diet for over 2 years now.

I had clinical hypervitaminosis A - and excluding it did help a few symptoms, but just the elimination of it wasn’t sufficient to make progress in regards to gut health, liver function and my other health problems.

I think targeting the sluggish liver is key. That requires work on phase 1, 2 & 3 of liver detoxification — including sulfation, methylation, acetylation, glucoronditation, elimination etc.

Thanks for chiming in.

It's been a couple of days since I stopped taking liquid D3 completely. And reduced my VA significantly, but I am far from strict low A. I just stopped eating eggs and cheese. My craving for them is currently low.
I've been eating beans daily. Beef (ground beef and sirloin) for protein. White rice, millet, corn tortillas as starch. Apples/ apple juice, pears, bananas, raisins.
Main supplements I take are Taurine and caffeine
So far, I definitely don't feel worse. If anything slightly better. The combination of starch and protein gives me blood sugar stability, I feel mentally and emotionally stable.
But it's definitely way too early to draw conclusions.

 

[Dr. B]

I've now stopped supplementing D3 (Thorne). The only benefit I got from it is that I haven't gotten sick ever since taking it regularly.
But I suspect it's causing calcification, and it's the reason my body feels stiff and older.
I've read enough convincing reports on Twitter and Reddit that there can be real downsides with supplemental D3.

@Jonk I had them tested last year, 30 ng/mL. That's when I started taking high-dose liquid D3.

What dosage of D were you doing? What if you just do 1000IU D3 daily?
If not that, what if you do 1000IU D3 four times a week?

 

[GreekDemiGod]

What dosage of D were you doing? What if you just do 1000IU D3 daily?
If not that, what if you do 1000IU D3 four times a week?

I was using 8-10k IU daily because I wanted to experience notable benefits, like more energy, a better mood, better libido. I doubt 1k would have helped in that regad.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

I mentioned on another thread of yours, have you explored the Grant Genereux / Garrett Smith ideas on Vitamin A yet? I have some of your issues from Peating, I recently stopped after 4years as I accepted it was making some things much worse and throwing more aspirin/vitamins/sugar/coffee etc at it was never going to work.

I remembered your suggestion. I started shifting to a low VA approach very recently.
Are you still doing low VA?

 

[GreekDemiGod]

It's been almost a week on Low VA. I haven't been very strict yet, haven't measured my daily A intake, I don't use Cronometer anymore, but I stopped eating eggs and liver completely, and most forms of dairy. And most importantly, I stopped taking D3.
I've also slept between 8 - 9.5 hrs daily.
In summary, I feel slightly better on all fronts. Morning stiffness has slightly reduced since dropping the D3. My overall health, and mental/ emotional state feels more stable. On Peat, I would have an awful day, followed by a good day, on and on. Now everything is more stable., from day to day.
I assume the starch and fiber gives me better blood glucose stability/ regulation.
I also noticed yesterday at the gym how my face was more oily (more sebum production), like it was in the past before eating high VA. So I assume it's the VA that had a drying effect on my skin in the past few years.

My bloating is worse with starch and fiber, unsurprisingly. I've been eating red kidney beans daily too.

 

[charlie]

You are about to achieve the title of your thread. :)

My bloating is worse with starch and fiber, unsurprisingly. I've been eating red kidney beans daily too.

Starch/fiber has a sweet spot. It is good to play around with the amount taken in and as time goes on more is tolerated.

 

[Dr. B]

It's been almost a week on Low VA. I haven't been very strict yet, haven't measured my daily A intake, I don't use Cronometer anymore, but I stopped eating eggs and liver completely, and most forms of dairy. And most importantly, I stopped taking D3.
I've also slept between 8 - 9.5 hrs daily.
In summary, I feel slightly better on all fronts. Morning stiffness has slightly reduced since dropping the D3. My overall health, and mental/ emotional state feels more stable. On Peat, I would have an awful day, followed by a good day, on and on. Now everything is more stable., from day to day.
I assume the starch and fiber gives me better blood glucose stability/ regulation.
I also noticed yesterday at the gym how my face was more oily (more sebum production), like it was in the past before eating high VA. So I assume it's the VA that had a drying effect on my skin in the past few years.

My bloating is worse with starch and fiber, unsurprisingly. I've been eating red kidney beans daily too.

Were you supplementing vitamin A previously, or just getting it from food sources?
For me the retinyl palmitate supplemental form of A actually gives me more oily face skin and an oily scalp. I wonder if it was dropping the D3 that actually is causing your oily skin? Since it apparently can lower the levels of A

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Were you supplementing vitamin A previously, or just getting it from food sources?

Just from food sources.
I did use a bottle of Estroban about 2-3 years ago.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Woke up this morning feeling the best I’ve felt in weeks when waking up. By that, I mean feeling how every healthy human should normally feel, nothing out of the ordinary.
Lessening of stiffness, and lessening of brain fog especially.
Brain feels more active, more alive, ready for work. Hope this lasts.

 

[Truth]

Woke up this morning feeling the best I’ve felt in weeks when waking up. By that, I mean feeling how every healthy human should normally feel, nothing out of the ordinary.
Lessening of stiffness, and lessening of brain fog especially.
Brain feels more active, more alive, ready for work. Hope this lasts.

Hi, excellent,
has the bloating you're feeling improved?

 

[GreekDemiGod]

I've been listening to G. Smith livestreams daily. Says that constipation types don't make enough bile/ not enough bile gets to the intestines, and it goes into the blood, or stomach (bile reflux). Also says that poor bile is the cause of SIBO (debatable).
I also went easier on soluble fiber, it definitely has a constipating effect for me. Still eating beans and oatmeal daily, hoping tolerance will build up.
He also recommends frequent activated charcoal, but warns of constipating effects.

So he recommends soluble fiber + charcoal to fix the bile, but both have a constipating effect for me.

For constipation he recommends
oral Magnesium (lowest absorbable forms, Oxide)
PHGG
Nicotinic Acid
prunes

Last time I tried PHGG, it bloated me. Will try it again and titrate slower.

@Truth No, bloating has not improved. I wish. It's not that simple for me.

 

[youngsinatra]

Soluble fiber and activated charcoal are used to bind up bile in the gut and prevent its recirculation.

But if one does not secrete enough bile, soluble fiber/AC can worsen constipation, digestive issues in my experience.

I think G. Smith actually recommends B1, niacin, folate, B12, selenium, zinc, molybdenum, lactoferrin to increase bile flow itself.

 

[InChristAlone]

SIBO is definitely associated with poor bile flow. They give SIBO to animals by blocking bile flow. I believe I have poor bile flow as well.

 

[InChristAlone]

Also I'm surprised potassium wasn't on the list. Potassium deficiency can cause constipation.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Also I'm surprised potassium wasn't on the list. Potassium deficiency can cause constipation.

Yes. Forgot about that one.
I'm not so sure about supplemental Potassium, I tried in the past without any effects and I'm cautious of supplementing high dose Ptassium.
I try to get it from fruits.

 

[InChristAlone]

Yes. Forgot about that one.
I'm not so sure about supplemental Potassium, I tried in the past without any effects and I'm cautious of supplementing high dose Ptassium.
I try to get it from fruits.

Yeah I don't trust supplemental potassium either. I'm sure you get enough from fruit. It's more likely bile flow if activated charcoal binds you up.

 

[Dr. B]

Soluble fiber and activated charcoal are used to bind up bile in the gut and prevent its recirculation.

But if one does not secrete enough bile, soluble fiber/AC can worsen constipation, digestive issues in my experience.

I think G. Smith actually recommends B1, niacin, folate, B12, selenium, zinc, molybdenum, lactoferrin to increase bile flow itself.

@GreekDemiGod

That’s interesting Im also wondering about taurine? Taurine and activated charcoal both have constipating effects. I think taurine causes much more severe constipation than charcoal, comparing 1 gram to 1 gram.

Too many egg whites or eggs are also constipating for me

Do you know why taurine would be constipating? Some sort of relationship with bile right. Also you mentioned soluble fiber, what about insoluble fibers


Magnesium glycinate definitely seems to be somewhat constipating, whereas magnesium oxide or aspartate are more tolerable and dont seem to cause issues. Citrate seems to have more of a laxative effect.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

That’s interesting Im also wondering about taurine? Taurine and activated charcoal both have constipating effects. I think taurine causes much more severe constipation than charcoal, comparing 1 gram to 1 gram.

I’ve been taking 3-5g of Taurine daily for the last couple of weeks, spreader through the day. It has a calming effect, but other than that, I don’t feel much from it.
I think it even triggers bile/ acid reflux for me.
And my constipation has not improved with it, perhaps worsened, since my last round of antibiotics.
I use Cascara daily for the constipation and started again on Magnesium Oxide.

 

[Truth]

@GreekDemiGod Hi,

if your constipation is severe, honeycomb can commonly help

Have you ever tried dates?

 

[GreekDemiGod]

2 weeks Low VA & no supplemental D3

Slow, gradual improvements continue to add up. I feel stable, as previously emphasised. Everything goes in a straight line. My mental state is stable. Far from ideal, but I don’t have strong bouts of depression or irritability. I suspect it’s because of better blood sugar regulation.
Energy levels are stable on most days. Not yet close to the ideal. This week I’ve felt the same as last week, things have stagnated a bit.
Performance in the gym is good, I’m making weekly progress again.
Morning stiffness keeps reducing.
My body temperatures are also stable from day to day. Definitely not lower than before Low A. I believe a high carb diet is the no. 1 factor for high thyroid functioning, Calcium or Vitamin A are secondary or perhaps not required.
No changes in libido.

I bought some Niacin and Lactoferrin to experiments starting next week.
No signs of detox happening. I might have to track my A intake for a couple of days.
And I’m eating quite a bit of fiber. Beans and oats daily.