Hair Loss, Abdominal Problems, Possible Fatty Liver

[narouz]

- The only issue with thyroid is that TSH must be lowered to less than 1 if possible. So I'll drink more coffee+lots of sugar to make that happen.

What was your TSH number, Strong?
I'm sorry if I missed it.

 

[Strongbad]

My blood work result is all here, since I can't edit my original thread, anymore: http://www.raypeatforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=6486&start=60#p81925

It's 1.180. The normal range is 0.45 - 4.5

 

[EIRE24]

I agree with you. Recently I tried to go starch free and it absolutely ruined me. Broke out in acne, weak, tired and stomach cramps all the time. Since adding back in starch in the form of rice and potatoes everything is starting to pick up again.

When you went starch free, did you substitute the calories you were getting from starch with sugar or other sources? If not you were undereating.

I started to include starch because it was the only way I could hit my calorie goals.

Yes I did, I was actually probably eating more calories from sugars but I must add that I dropped my fat consumption and replaced most of it with sugar. My fat consumption probably averaged 40 grams from things like coconut oil, cocoa, cheese and milk. I still have some or most of the problems I picked up while doing that although starch has helped.

 

[jimmyquick]

Hang in there Stongbad. You sound exactly like me about 5 months ago so im positive it will only get better for you. Here are a few things that allowed me to really start to heal quickly (hair wise as well) so I hope I can help you in some way.


1) Serum chloride - I dont see too many people addressing this at all (other than Haidut who also pointed this out to me) . In my experience, its impossible to really know what foods are actually causing you real problems when your not digesting them properly and absorbing the nutrients (even protein for that hair!)

When my chloride levels were like yours my digestion was absolute ***t, especially when it came to digesting peat foods except fruit. Ironically, shitty processed foods were also no problems for me. (I think this was the sodium content that helped with the crappy foods, but it looks like you had that covered. Taurine was also a big help. Since you don't want supplements (which I completely agree with) might want to try some scallops or other high taurine foods. The irony is we think we cant handle certain types of foods, but once metabolism improves and chloride is back up, you can pretty much, and should be able to eat anything. It took me about 6 months but now I can eat foods that were giving me some big issues before. Also, a good way to test this is to take some betaine HCL and see if that same food still gives you problems. This made me realize it was my chloride/stomach issues, not that specific food! So if Chloride is low, your not absorbing the nutrients you need anyway, so in my opinion, it might be wise to address this first.

And if HCL isn't your style, taking thyroid will boost this as well and should fix it fairly quickly as Haidut pointed out and might be a good course of action from your high cholesterol. I took some NDT for a month and holy sh*t it fixed a ton of issues very very quickly. This alone was a big stress reliever knowing how much of my problems were just being caused by a low metabolism. I really think once you address the chloride you will find you can starting eating a great deal of peat foods with no issues, absorption will improve, and stress will become no existent.

This will also help to remove the stress that you seem to have associated with eating or looking for that perfect diet or supplement that will fix your problem. The irony here is that it doesn't exits. I say this no to deter you, but in hopes that you may realize that you are doing anything wrong. You're simply experimenting, so dont be too hard on yourself. Think of it as a game, you will figure it out. Try to focus on on any progress you have made and celebrate it.


Another thing I had to work on and realize is that eating should be fun and enjoyable. ( I knew I was messed up when it no longer was) Eating should not be work and worrisome wether its good or bad for you. I destroyed my health when I started obsessing what foods where good and what was bad from reading "health" forums. I sure we can all find something bad about every single food. As stupid as this sounds, really try and think of all the food your are ingesting as nourishing your hair, not whether or not it could be making it worse, every time you eat. Try to really be grateful for it, take your time and really savory and enjoy it.


Also, as for stress. Are you finding yourself being obsessive to the point where you are manic and just cant seem to stop thinking about worse case scenario situations? I had this when I was malnourished and underrating. Nothing I could do mentally (ie bag breathing, meditation) could get me to calm down. Getting adequate calories, digesting food properly, and large doest of fruit for the vit c have been a huge help for me. Again maybe some thyroid just for a small time to help your brain realize this is possible. I now cant even remember the last time time I had any stress, even being told the worse news it just seems to be easily shrugged off. When I was malnourished, I was so worried about everything. Like even opening my email for fear I could not handle any problems.

Good to see your prolactin is normal. However, it could have been high when your hair first started thinning since you waited a bit to get the labs done and it could have caused some calcification as it pulls calcium out of the blood. You may also want to do some really deep scalp massages. I had super high prolactin and my scalp became quite hard in the thinning areas. So check this if you haven't already seen it. If your scalp is hard in the thinning areas its been calcified and breaking it up should help allow more blood flow. This alone has stopped my thinning, dandruff, and redness. My hair still sheds like crazy sometimes, but its def new growth. I'll post some pics down the road for some inspiration for you. Im certain you will figure this out and get it back.

http://jdmoyer.com/2015/04/13/hair/


As for cortisol, since you are already stressed your adrenals are probably being slammed in overtime. Someone please correct me if im wrong, but when they are overworked I believe that use up vit c very quickly. And then when they know they are low in C they freak out and pump out even more cortisol . For me, ive noticed if im lacking fruit for a few days and I tend to start to feel a bit of weird anxiety. Just a more prone to worry come feeling. But without fail, taking a bit of C (about 1 gram broken up over the day and I chill right back out once again)

Anyway just wanted to chime in. Looks like your already go some stellar advice already. Big fan of trying to listed to your body, asking yourself what taste/sounds good, and get that stupid voice out of your head telling you this is good and bad, healthy or not healthy. Try and have some fun with this. My hair is growing back, I no longer have stress, and I literally was in your same boast not too long ago. Im sure it wont be long before you helping the next guy or gal who is flipping out about his or her hair.

 

[YuraCZ]

It's funny I have exactly the same chloride serum as Strongbad.. I know that my digestion is ****88 up...

 

[jimmyquick]

It's funny I have exactly the same chloride serum as Strongbad.. I know that my digestion is f***ed up...

Actually, I just looked my up six months ago. It was freaking 95!

It was awful. Food would just sit in my stomach. I'd eat a single banana and feel full for house. It was almost impossible to get enough calories. Took a while but may want to try any of this that I mentioned above.

Smelling the food a few times to generate more saliva
Looks of chewing (tried to digest most of the food in my mouth before swallowing)
Salt
Taurine based foods, plus supplements each meal
Betaine HCL (although I think Haidut mentioned dangers of this in the long run but it def helped food go down faster) Id take one or two if I felt the food not moving ha.

And of course Thyroid - this made the biggest difference by far.

 

[ravster02]

.

Well done for getting some blood work done, I'm sure you'll agree that it's quite eye opening to see what's going on as opposed to guessing all the time.

Anyway, it seems we have similar chloride levels and based on what you said re: cramps and certain foods causing pain, it may be a good idea to take digestive enzymes. I'm contemplating taking some too since I bloat after eating anything.

I'd be wary about increasing caffeine intake if you're already stressed.

Have you considered taking cyproheptadine for your high cortisol? Below you can see my cortisol results, before and after taking 1mg cypro at night. Cortisol not nearly as high anymore and I feel a lot better during the day, there's still room for improvement but better nonetheless.

 

[YuraCZ]

It's funny I have exactly the same chloride serum as Strongbad.. I know that my digestion is f***ed up...

Actually, I just looked my up six months ago. It was freaking 95!

It was awful. Food would just sit in my stomach. I'd eat a single banana and feel full for house. It was almost impossible to get enough calories. Took a while but may want to try any of this that I mentioned above.

Smelling the food a few times to generate more saliva
Looks of chewing (tried to digest most of the food in my mouth before swallowing)
Salt
Taurine based foods, plus supplements each meal
Betaine HCL (although I think Haidut mentioned dangers of this in the long run but it def helped food go down faster) Id take one or two if I felt the food not moving ha.

And of course Thyroid - this made the biggest difference by far.

I don't have smell my whole life..

 

[robertf]

before meals drink this to help digestion in stomach

1-3 lemons squeezed
pinch or a lot more of salt
lots of sugar or to taste
ginger juice/ginger powder
3-6 ounces water

you can omit the sugar or ginger and experiment with ratios, you might fnd that a lot of ginger and salt help a lot or is irritating

if your appetite increases a lot from the drink then it's a sign it will work, i get ravenously hungry from this especially the ginger.

 

[YuraCZ]

Schweden bitters are really good for digestion..

 

[Strongbad]

I try to take as little supplement as possible, since I over-supplemented during the beginning months of Peating (it didn't work out well). But in this case, I decided to buy Betaine HCL this morning and popped in 5 capsules. Wow, it made a huge difference! The pain/discomfort disappeared and it feels so relaxing. But then, I popped in another capsule and the symptoms started again! So I overdosed by 1 capsule. Will stay on 5 for now, then and slowly lower the dosage as things get better...

Will eventually omit betaine HCL supplement in favor of betaine HCL food like beets. But for now, it's a quick fix.

You guys are right, everything starts with the digestion. I mean, what's the point of gulping lots of Peatarian's food if stomach can't digest and absorb the nutrient? No wonder my thyroid doesn't get any better. It lacks nutrient due to insufficient digestion.

I really thank you guys for recommending me to take the blood test and analyzing it in detail. It's so less frustrating when you know what the issues are and how to fix them. Previously, I had no direction, I was confused, I followed the diet but had no improvement. At least now, I know what to work on.

 

[robertf]

If the problem started again it means you are still underdosing.

The idea is to slowly increase the dose until you feel a slight acidic burn, this is your threshhold, then back down just under this point.

 

[Strongbad]

So current goals:

- First and foremost, improve stomach acid level. Until thyroid recovers, use HCL betaine supplement for quick fix then slowly go off it: http://www.raypeatforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3656#p43859

I don't know about betaine test, but I would NOT take betaine. It is a methyl donor, so it increases methylation, which may lead to cancer in the long run. It is also used in the synthesis of methionine, which is a bad amino acid in Peat-world.
A much safer option, with many other benefits, is taurine. Here is a study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21294907

- Upping taurine intake. Just bought some scallops and will buy other taurine-rich food in the future :)
- Will do things to improve digestion: smelling and chewing food, (some but not much) salt, lemon.
- Will take thyroid-enhancing food. I have nothing against NDT and cypro since undoubtedly they are proven to work well with lots of Peatarians :). It's just that if I can enhance thyroid function via food, I might get all the thyroid-enhancing benefits without all the side-effects of the supplements.

Haidut recommends to drink more coffee: http://www.raypeatforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5376

Based on Ray's writings about caffeine being a surrogate for thyroid hormone, this study showed that caffeine suppresses both TSH and growth hormone (GH). Ingestion of Cynoplus or other equivalent product containing both T4 and T3 has been shown to have the same effects. The effective human dosages were 300mg-400mg caffeine for TSH suppression and 500mg-600mg for GH suppression.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6104718

"...Caffeine lowered serum TSH and GH in a dose-dependent manner with ED50 values of 30 and approximately 50 mg/kg, respectively. TSH levels were depressed 1 to 6 hr after injection and correlated with serum caffeine levels greater than 20 micrograms/ml. The decrease in serum TSH was followed by decreases in serum 3,3',5-triiodothyroxine and thyroxine 4 hr after caffeine administration. Theophylline and theobromine had effects similar to those of caffeine on hormone levels."

BTW, I fixed my issue with coffee (despite being hypothyroid) by taking lots of fructose powder with it. It actually makes me relaxed and kinda sleepy now, which is a great. Usually I had jitters and nervousness.

- Will reduce cortisol via food. I don't know how yet, but I figure it's avoiding/reducing certain food while adding/increasing other food. Instead of cypro, I'll take more coffee for now (and lots of fructose powder with it).
- Will try the scalp massage. I'd do anything for my hair at this point. Handstand, scalping, whatever.
- Try to be less stressed out. Damn, it's so hard, especially when the hair keeps falling out everyday! It's a vicious cycle. Less hair -> becomes stressed out -> more less hair -> more stressed out -> more hair and on and on and on

 

[Strongbad]

If the problem started again it means you are still underdosing.

The idea is to slowly increase the dose until you feel a slight acidic burn, this is your threshhold, then back down just under this point.

Thank you robertf! I'll keep that in mind

 

[jimmyquick]

I try to take as little supplement as possible, since I over-supplemented during the beginning months of Peating (it didn't work out well). But in this case, I decided to buy Betaine HCL this morning and popped in 5 capsules. Wow, it made a huge difference! The pain/discomfort disappeared and it feels so relaxing. But then, I popped in another capsule and the symptoms started again! So I overdosed by 1 capsule. Will stay on 5 for now, then and slowly lower the dosage as things get better...

Will eventually omit betaine HCL supplement in favor of betaine HCL food like beets. But for now, it's a quick fix.

You guys are right, everything starts with the digestion. I mean, what's the point of gulping lots of Peatarian's food if stomach can't digest and absorb the nutrient? No wonder my thyroid doesn't get any better. It lacks nutrient due to insufficient digestion.

I really thank you guys for recommending me to take the blood test and analyzing it in detail. It's so less frustrating when you know what the issues are and how to fix them. Previously, I had no direction, I was confused, I followed the diet but had no improvement. At least now, I know what to work on.

Good deal bro! As the food gets digested better, EVERYTHING else will start get better and should start compounding in your favor. You may not even need thyroid as it becomes easier and easier to eat more calories and your thyroid should respond in kind. I think I only took it for about a week or so before I no longer needed it. It's def a mental relief to figure out what the heck was going on with blood work so well done!

 

[BingDing]

FWIW, I disagree with haidut about betaine. Not sure where that comment was made but I think DNA methylation/cancer and methionine is about 10% of the story. Those are the only things RP has said about methylation so unless one studies it the other 90% will remain unknown.

This thread and its links cover it all: viewtopic.php?t=4693

 

[cout12]

I can't tolerate any starch at all when Im drinking milk. Starch prevents the milk from being digested well for some reason.

How I get my extra carbs is from sugar syrup that I make from water and sugar. I add 2 tablespoon to every orange juice and milk I drink. It adds more carb and also for some reason the sugar makes it easier to drink more juice and milk so I end up drinking maybe 30% more than I would have. You could actually even try fructose powder instead of sugar and see if it works for you.

Then I still really like to have some solid food in me so I eat safe fruit/vegetables until I'm full like once or twice a day. Probably isn't much calories but it feels good and who knows maybe the fiber is good?

Anyway my digestion is not perfect but it's a lot better than I was doing with rice and potatoes. For a while I was eating mostly cheese and ice cream and not that much milk and I could eat potatoes with it fine, but when I decided to start drinking a lot more milk I couldn't eat any starch anymore

 

[Onehumin]

if your metabolism is going in the right direction one should notice it in 90 days even less depending on the age and past med history.
Peat has made a coupe references in his audio interviews that caught my attention about the regulating of the metabolism.
What is it that people who follow this eating approach believe about the causal factor that switches on the metabolism for the day? Peat says energy and biology are interdependent.
i see many people believe energy to be about the process around sugars of all kinds.
i think Dr. Peat doesn't recommend a specific diet because he knows there is such a vast difference in people that science cannot answer that question, only provide clues and we must intuit our way based off all the information and experience we have as we learn about our bodies.

True, if your liver is Not functioning properly then all these theories are skewed immediately.
when one organ or gland is compromised the whole organism must adjust. we can be distracted by thinking in parts but this body is a complex integrated energetic structure with a biological component not the other way around.
You cannot treat one thing and not affect the next in the human body yet there is so much speculation about what minerals, protein etc, we need. We all have different requirements everyday and there will never be two days the same or two people the same so there is no right way or Peat way.
He can only share what lies he has uncovered about nutrition and what he has seen from his observation. There are many healthy people who know nothing and follow no scientific path yet they are great examples of having found their way to abundant health.

if something doesn't work we must adapt, adjust and move forward. We do not all need thyroid or this or that, we would be best served by living in a way that produces no ill emotional feelings first and if we are all about keeping the stress hormones to a minimum, but living in a bad relationship, with an unsatisfactory job and no healthy creative outlet, then this is a major problem to be addressed first, NOT THYROID for all. If your hormones are crashed and your under 50 then your challenge is beyond food and meds, This in my opinion is far too young for hormonal disruption, yet its common!!!
Ray says most blood work isn't accurate, we know that to be true. We can take all the supplements and we may be shaky and half stoned, and feeling bad but doing all we can, So then this isn't the answer is it?

Ray speaks of getting PUFAs out of the body, this is a form of detoxing the unhealthy fats. There are many foods and herbs that naturally detox tissue. Now i hear him discovering herbs because he recognizes the chemical make up of the plants and he can relate to this, but this knowledge has been around for thousands of years.
still he learns and he will study quietly, experiment and write about his findings. when he updates his position people will have to adapt, but the goal is growth and health.
No matter what we ingest we have to eliminate the waste to be healthy, so detoxing is a natural process to healthy cell function.
Who is implementing a cleansing phase into to health regime?

Why not clean the pipes before you put in clean fuel?

Many times organs move from a dysfunctional state to a functional state simply by NOT making them process.
its like a vacation. we know how that works, or we should.
So, cleaning your liver, kidneys, bowels and lymph system is a good start and when the function comes back then you can balance them out with added nutrition if they still need help.
KIcking a tired organ or gland into gear by forcing it to be stimulated when it may be tired from over stimulation is backwards, 180 degrees backwards, upside down.
it may need rest and recovery first, then it can be brought back online.
Sometimes to move forward we need to step back first.

Just a thought Peaters!

 

[tara]

@Onehumin,
I think there is some recognition in this forum of the value of rest and recovery - eg sleep, avoiding over-exercise.
Several tactics suggested by Peat serve to support detoxification, eg raw carrot salad, maybe including a little vinegar, bamboo shoots, coconut oil, occasional activated charcoal, cascara sagrada, all to aid in removal of endotoxins and excess estrogen from gut to reduce absorption and reduce the burden on the liver. Providing all the nutrients needed by the liver to support it's role in detoxification - eg sugar, protein, micronutrients, sometimes coffee, niacinamide.
And Peat also points to the value of avoiding unnecessary additional toxins - limiting ingestion of PUFAs, heavy metals, goitrogens, phyto- and xeno-estrogens etc.

 

[BibleBeliever]

Now I have frequent discomfort on my lower right abdomen area. Whenever I eat moderate amount, get slightly stressed out (even by playing Candy Crush game), or giving a little "push" while urinating gives me discomfort on the abdomen. I also have random adrenaline rush and adrenal fatigue (yes, I'm aware it's because of hypothyroidism) every now and then. My liver also feel sluggish handling all these calories that I've been consuming, 2500-3000+ daily.

I avoid PUFA, I've been hardcore on Peating diet. I consume fructose, milk, saturated fat food, lots of carrots and underground vegetables like onions, cucumber and ginger etc. I also gulp lots of sodium carbonate (baking soda) and salt to reduce prolactin. I take aspirins, niacinamide, vitamins and lots of the supplements that're covered in the forum. I've been all-out Peating since Day 1. 2500-3000+ calories per day.

And what do I get? Weak upper 95 F to mid 96F body temp. If I'm lucky, I'll hit mid 97F, but that's if I get extremely active the entire day and consume load tons of calories. I also gain lots of weight, bloated stomach, water retention problem, sluggish digestion. And yes, more hair shed...

I have a similar abdomen issue before I started PEATING. I ate very little carbs and sugars, especially for how active I am. When I added sugars (mango, raw honey, palm sugar, etc.) the feeling there usually goes away. My stress levels are at an all time low whenever I have enough sugar. If you are avoiding PUFAs and still find a slow metabolism then you should up your coconut oil consumption.
I consume about 6-15 tablespoons of coconut oil a day amongst all the other foods I eat. I eat lots of sea salt, which I find boosts metabolism even more. Sometimes 20-30 grams of it a day. My morning coffee is usually 3 tablespoons of coconut oil, 50grams plus of gelatin, 2 tablespoons of raw honey, 2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses and a lot of sea salt.
After consumption I will begin to sweat profusely and feel incredible energy and strength.

It doesn't sound like you are getting much protein, no eggs or gelatin?

I am extremely active, usually have to move tires all day by hand. Some days you do 60 000-90 000 lbs. Then I will often work out after work. I used to do this always with low carb, sometimes only 1 tablespoon worth of sugars a day and less than 50 carbs. I found extraordinary stress began to rise. Often at work I would become incredibly agitated and aggressive while moving tires alone in a trailer. Extreme pain and depression and various other terrible ailments arose. I would consume a spoonful or two of raw honey and almost miraculously all negatives would turn positive. I often would begin laughing in great excitement. Sugar is a great ally.

There is another factor although I don't think Peat talks about it a lot, is iron. He does speak about how negative iron is, however I do not recall if he speaks about how it slows the metabolism.

This comment from: Iron Behaving Badly: The Role of Iron Overload in Metabolic Disease

"
Duck Dodgers

MAY 10, 2015 AT 9:07 PM

Chris,

Did you know that the obesity epidemic can be traced directly to iron fortification?"

His evidence isn't studied and very much correlative. However I believe it to be rather accurate. I have found that I can eat a lot more food and burn it off since I have done many forms to lower iron levels. Such as consumption of activated charcoal, ip6, daily tart cherry juice and strong coffee/milk with every iron-rich food. I experimented with incredible dosages of ip6, about 20 times the recommended dose. I believe it is the strongest to lower iron. However it has negative effects, in that it chelates important minerals too and can cause digestive issues and very negative temporary cleansing effects.
Interestingly sugars increase the absorption of iron. So I wonder if someone is high in iron, then has negative reactions from consuming sugars due to this?

Nevertheless I digress. You should be careful with baking soda: Milk Alkali Syndrome (explicit)
I have read elsewhere, but can't find the links of many potential dangers of overuse, but I can't verify the data.