Ready To Give Up

[raypeatclips]

Yes, I stated that my D has been below the reference range when last tested. This has happened at least 3 times over the years. I've been getting sunlight every day and even some light tanning.

I tested negative for C. Diff. Mentioned that I took minocycline last year and it didn't help much.

Yes, as I said I'm trying to see an endocrinologist. I have a court date to dispute the decision of the insurance company in a few days.
I'm expecting that my prolactin is high, probably PTH too, and will try to have others tested.

My libido is not non-existent. I think it's just suppressed by stress hormones. I had some success with the ergot derivatives, and AI supplements from idealabs which seem to point to prolactin and estrogen. On the recent lactose-free milk and fruit diet I noticed my libido was much stronger, and I was having erections throughout the night. In addition to fat solubles, TUDCA, energin, and the aminos I took uridine for a bit which supposedly increases the number of dopamine receptors. Also, the weather was idea, I was incredibly warm and had great bloodflow during this time. Unfortunately I couldn't maintain this diet and the effect was lost. I wonder if this info still makes the 5-AR theory plausible? I know that social isolation shuts down the 5-AR pathways, and IIRC exercise opens them, so maybe it plays a part.


There definitely is a psychological component to this. This is admittedly bizarre, or overthought but I feel my trauma manifests through this obsession now; Like this sense of betrayal I carry has transferred to my diet. I can't trust anything I put in my mouth because it always turns against me in some way. My diet is literally all I think about anymore, and is another layer I will need to overcome to get out of isolation.

My biggest problem right now and over the last year or so is that I no idea what to eat. My short term goal is just getting enough calories every day, but doing that in a way that doesn't cause a histamine reaction or inflame my colon is seemingly impossible. I can't gauge my reactions to food because they all seem to lead to that same conclusions: allergies, constipation, blood sugar disregulation, no libido, moodiness.

Don't underestimate the importance of simple vitamin D compared to some flashy and exciting sounding supplement. Getting vitamin D levels into a sufficient range should be the base of everyone on here's "regimen" before they move onto other things later. Sun might not be good enough to raise levels. Consider uvb bulbs, tanning beds, or supplementation. Whichever you react best and feel most comfortable with. You have a verified vitamin D deficiency by blood test, and I think you should aim to fix this, before going down other unverified and theoretical issues you might have.

 

[oldfriend]

Don't underestimate the importance of simple vitamin D compared to some flashy and exciting sounding supplement. Getting vitamin D levels into a sufficient range should be the base of everyone on here's "regimen" before they move onto other things later. Sun might not be good enough to raise levels. Consider uvb bulbs, tanning beds, or supplementation. Whichever you react best and feel most comfortable with. You have a verified vitamin D deficiency by blood test, and I think you should aim to fix this, before going down other unverified and theoretical issues you might have.

Thanks, I have done all 3 to bring up my D levels. Do you have a recommendation for a safe amount of D to supplement?

 

[Blossom]

Don't underestimate the importance of simple vitamin D compared to some flashy and exciting sounding supplement. Getting vitamin D levels into a sufficient range should be the base of everyone on here's "regimen" before they move onto other things later. Sun might not be good enough to raise levels. Consider uvb bulbs, tanning beds, or supplementation. Whichever you react best and feel most comfortable with. You have a verified vitamin D deficiency by blood test, and I think you should aim to fix this, before going down other unverified and theoretical issues you might have.

 

[Blossom]

According to Dr. Coimbra (a doctor treating autoimmune disease with high doses of D) 10k is a paltry dose requiring no dietary calcium restriction. He said that's the amount a young healthy person makes from 20-30 minutes of mid day full body sun exposure.

 

[raypeatclips]

Thanks, I have done all 3 to bring up my D levels. Do you have a recommendation for a safe amount of D to supplement?

What are your levels now? Peoples opinions vary on whats safe to dose, I've seen between 1,000-10,000IU mentioned a lot, its quite individual. I personally never reacted well to D supplements I took orally, topically didn't budge my levels, so I am resorting to UVB bulbs at the moment.

 

[walker_in_aus]

Mate I feel for you - you sound trapped and miserable! I'm not sure either if anyone suggested it but taking a break from analysing and supplementing, and focusing on environmental health could be really helpful. The only few times I've had relief from chronic inflammation of my gut are when I've had hypnotherapy for anxiety, and one time for two days at the start of a long holiday where I was completely care free. Sometimes I think that the stress of trying gut cures makes it worse than just working from the top down and addressing the messed up ness that is my subconcious.
Also, living near the sea and getting morning sun etc, avoiding excess technology use, trying to make some social connections... Always helps me.

 

[Arctic Fire]

Sorry you've had such a rough path to get here.

Big picture (stuff you may already be doing, but worth emphasizing):
(1) Keep experimenting -- Peaty stuff or not -- and record the results in a quick & dirty way so you can spot patterns. There will be long runs of failures, but you learn from every experiment, and you don't need a high success rate to make meaningful progress.
(2) It's hard to solve complex problems when you feel overwhelmed. Get whatever support you can from sane, non-abusive people, preferably offline.

Details:
(1) I second the recommendation to try cascara sagrada for constipation. Great stuff.
(2) Well-cooked mushrooms promote gut health and inhibit aromatase. You need both effects.

Good luck, man. I hope you get the help you need.

 

[Terma]

---- On Sun, 12 Aug 2018 XX:XX:XX -XX:XX Xxxxx Xxxxx <xxxxx@xxxxx> wrote ----

[...] Can you tell me what you typically eat in a day? [...]

What I consume now is not what you should eat. When I improved a little, I was eating more of:

Potatoes, Sardines (At about 1-3g of Omega-3 per day; I suspect the beneficial agent was actual PhosphatidylSerine, but there are no saturated supplements of this on market), Mushrooms, Broccoli; but Potatoes and Sardines can increase acetylcholine signaling, probably oxidative stress, and this was apparent (NAC + antioxidants required), Vit C (~300-1000mg/day? Extended release), Sometimes Copper Glycinate (? Does not feel good; liver is definitely superior with/despite the Vit A)

TUDCA (1000-1500mg/day), NAC (~1-2g/day?), Progesterone (3-9mg at night?) + Tianeptine Sodium (? Don't do this), tons of Magnesium Citrate, Vit D oil capsules (? Soybean and Flaxseed capsules), Vit K2 MK7 (100mcg every 1-3 days?), lots of Zinc Gluconate (50-100mg every 1-2days?)

Agmatine Sulfate (1-5g/day? extreme dosage), Adamantane (? Forgot), Riboflavin (50mg-400mg? Morning), Alpha-GPC (?),

And about 20 other supplements on and off. I don't quite remember everything else, there was way too much, sorry.

Here's what I consume now:

Frozen chicken breast (70-100g protein? Not ideal, loads of MET, TRP, and too much total(?) NAD for gut in this), Hydrolyzed collagen (3-15g/day?), white basmati rice, white thai & japanese sticky rice, unpasteurized honey, sometimes frozen fruits, sometimes coconut milk in cans (not ideal), Veal liver, Shrimp and Scallops (? I think Scallops are great, although maybe a little high in purines polyamines?)

About 200-250g carbs/day? Sometimes more.

Food-only diet does NOT work for me.

Lysine HCl (0-4g/day), Taurine (1-3g), Magnesium Asparate + free Glycine (Glycine 1-3g/day?), Magnesium Gluconate, Calcium Carbonate (500mg-1000mg/day?), Zinc gluconate (50mg every 2-5 days?), Various B vitamins (every 2-3 days), Riboflavin in morning (every 1-2 days, ~50-100mg), Benfotiamine every 3 days (250mg?), Nicotinic acid (50-200mg every 2 days?), Topical (only) Niacinamide every 3-7 days (250mg? No idea), Selenomethionine (200-400mcg every 2 days), (Methylfolate or folinic acid (800-1600mcg every 2-3 days?), Methylcobalamin (5000mcg/week - PHD recommended dosage), Alpha-GPC (~500mg), Tyrosine and Phenylalanine (2g morning?), Potassium Iodide (~300-400mcg morning), Potassium Bicarbonate (~2g K a day? in mg of K) partially mixed with some Ascorbic Acid (200mg-500mg/day?), Vit E with gamma tocopherols (unknown), sometimes extra NaCl (~1-3g Na/day? Cl not good for me), Chelated trace minerals supplement of Molybdenum+Chromium+Vanadium+Zinc+Copper+Boron (every 2-4 days?)

Caffeine powder every 1-3 days (50-200mg/day), Methylene Blue every 3-4 days (100mcg-5000mcg; been reconsidered this, but no apparent damage), 5a-DHP (every 2-6 days?), sometimes CDP-choline with food (carbs), Pregnenolone (

Sarcosine (every 2-3 days, about 2-3g ~every 2-3 hours), Phenibut (5g every 7 days, don't do this)

(I might have mixed up mcg vs mg, don't **** this up lol)

Couple minutes UVB light every 3-4 days

[Used red light ocassionally - 840nm I think + a generic red-tinted incandescent - and it definitely had an effect - but not always positive; increases oxidative stress if you overdo it, much like UVB... did appear to increase metabolism, but suprisingly I never had terrible hypothyroidism to begin with, only subclinical or TSH about 2-2.5 at the worst]

I've had incredibly serious health issues requiring this: Fluroquinolone toxicity (extreme joint damage), ME/CFS, Accutane exposure, Psychiatric disorders (low dopamine, OCD), Massive gut problems (IBS-D?), Undiagnosed immune disorder(s), Massive skin problems (Body-wide acne, terrible stretch marks) , Obesity, Cortisol and stress damage[, Insomnia and circadian rhythm obliteration since about 16-21 years old]

Half of those are not resolved. Major difference with you: I never really had low libido (despite Accutane). [and I do NOT have low Testosterone, surprisingly]

[The Canadian medical system directly caused about half of these disorders, and solved not a single one of them; yes I've taken 5-6 different antibiotics]

Successfully fixed obesity a few years ago on (separately) Vegetarian (Beans+wheat) and Potatoes + Sardines diets, but due to serious medial issues re-gained much weight since. There were periods I consumed a lot of fructose and fat, and tons of cheese, to gain the weight back.

This is probably the last time I'll write that, but I'm so tired I must be forgetting things. Enjoy my total trainwreck of a life.

[Edit: Scallops; Red light]

[Note: T4/T3/NDT always sucked for me - TUDCA always worked better and increases T3]

 

[Terma]

I should clarify though: I had good reason to believe that Progesterone+Opioids (Tianeptine) improves 5-AR function.

I hypothesize that explains some opioid addictions. But it's completely unsustainable. It also lowers androgens significantly, likely requiring exogenous Testosterone to compensate (for those people). That said, it explains a significant part of my improvements, since I had never low Test to begin with, so my body could take it, in that respect.

[Likely Agmatine + Adamantane + Riboflavin + 5a-DHP + White Rice explains a more recent part of my gut improvements]

[Sorry, I had to edit this a couple times]

 

[Terma]

Also, I ended up on this forum mostly because of Fructose. I disagreed with Jaminet on it. I think it can be beneficial if not used to extremes [HOWEVER Jaminet is right that it's very damaging to liver when combined with PUFA, especially Omega-3 - this avoidance is part of his diet, and makes it understandable], and the distortions in literature are mostly due to rat experiments and oxidative stress (in liver, easily prevented by Alpha-GPC, glycine, NAC, Vit C). [and ridiculous temporal over-dosing]

So although you might need to cut it out, don't get the impression it's a good long-term solution.

 

[Terma]

Physchologically, the only thing that ever helped me was listening to highly motivating (even epinephrine-driven) music like this, I have no idea if this will work for you, but it's the whole reason I post in the music thread, something about defeating adversity, and also why it's hard for me to tell you to stop nicotine (it puts things into perspective a little):

 

[Terma]

@Moderators: if you want to split this thread off at this point, it would make sense, it's pretty loaded...

 

[brainfog]

How do u eat? Do you sit down with all electronics turned off and only paying attention to what you doing? And noticing that you are calm etc? If not start there.



Bio-Hacking Ideal Health In The Modern World

If you try this and noticing that you are stressed. Thats good! This might be your problem... eating while stress leads to bacterial eating your food and: "...bacterial endotoxin is usually the basic problem causing hormone imbalance, by being a chronic burden for the liver,
keeping it from storing enough sugar to process thyroid and the other hormones effectively.” - Ray Peat

I think its a matter of strenghetning the pathways. I noted the first time i tried eating "in the moment" that i was stressed ALL TIME. I just coulndt be calm. I think I ate 20 min without being calm. But with time it got better. And i noticing that i was able to relax AND MY STOMACH GOT REALLY WARM!!! But sadly i stop doing it. I dunno why... Maybe its to easy and boring. Turn off everything and be in the moment when eating... But thanks to this tread im gonna start doing this again every time when eating.

 

[Blossom]

What are your levels now? Peoples opinions vary on whats safe to dose, I've seen between 1,000-10,000IU mentioned a lot, its quite individual. I personally never reacted well to D supplements I took orally, topically didn't budge my levels, so I am resorting to UVB bulbs at the moment.

Perhaps you could benefit from micellized vitamin D?
https://coimbraprotocollifestyle.com/what-is-micellized-vitamin-d3/

 

[Terma]

Missed something in post above and now can't edit it (kind of important):

Pregnenolone (100mg every 7-13 days, NEVER daily)

If you try this and noticing that you are stressed. Thats good! This might be your problem... eating while stress leads to bacterial eating your food and: "...bacterial endotoxin is usually the basic problem causing hormone imbalance, by being a chronic burden for the liver,
keeping it from storing enough sugar to process thyroid and the other hormones effectively.” - Ray Peat

That's true, but he never explains the pathway details enough, and makes his research unsearchable as a result. Also the TMAO from bad/choline eggs breakdown by gut organisms will do this. This is somewhat searchable through correlation and part causation by the FoxO1 protein specifically in hepatocytes.

 

[Constatine]

I've been through the whole candida thing and my case it was pretty bad. I am now completely recovered, though I still avoid alcohol and such. In my experience it doesn't really matter what the majority of your diet looks like under most circumstances. The only thing that's going to work is antifungal substances and a good lifestyle over time. Anything that comes in a pill bottle or that you can buy in a supplement store is overpriced, of low quality, and likely has fillers that reduce gut immune function. Something that seems to work is a diet high in coconut oil: Manipulation of Host Diet To Reduce Gastrointestinal Colonization by the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida albicans. Cinnamon, turmeric, peppermint, and even tea all have pretty good anti candida properties. Cinnamon especially inhibits candida in very low concentrations.

 

[oldfriend]

I've been through the whole candida thing and my case it was pretty bad. I am now completely recovered, though I still avoid alcohol and such. In my experience it doesn't really matter what the majority of your diet looks like under most circumstances. The only thing that's going to work is antifungal substances and a good lifestyle over time. Anything that comes in a pill bottle or that you can buy in a supplement store is overpriced, of low quality, and likely has fillers that reduce gut immune function. Something that seems to work is a diet high in coconut oil: Manipulation of Host Diet To Reduce Gastrointestinal Colonization by the Opportunistic Pathogen Candida albicans. Cinnamon, turmeric, peppermint, and even tea all have pretty good anti candida properties. Cinnamon especially inhibits candida in very low concentrations.

I definitely have fungal issues, jock itch, biofilm, and mucus. There's a thread on here about fungus being a potential cause for IBD. What do you think about Guafenesin? Seems it has the potential to deal with candida and biofilms at the same time but that's mostly an inkling. This article mentions it has similar properties to peppermint (The Role of Guaifenesin in Fibromyalgia.). Apparently it inhibits excitatory amino acids, and increases glycine. Both are a plus, and I do notice a sense of calm when I take it. However, like peppermint it also increases the chance of developing hiatal hernia similar to peppermint. Will watch for this. The article also says that it increases uninary calcium excretion. Might not be good long term.

Yesterday was the worst day I've had in a long time. Running on cortisol, headache, fatigue, gas, suicidal ideation. Started eating potato which, in the past, has inflamed my gut so much I was sh***ing ribbon the next day. Expected the worst, but I had a relatively normal BM today compared to the past month or so. Just goes to show that I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. Energy is better, might have enough to pack the rest of my apartment as I have to be out on Thursday. Anyways, I think I'm going to go ahead with Josh Rubin consultations, unless anyone has a better idea?

 

[Terma]

@oldfriend I have no idea about consultations and seriously am not reliable (sorry, even pushing it now), but Jaminet addressed Candida, before anyone in paleo knew what they were doing. He was the one to point out that carbs are necessary for the immune system to deal with fungus, and low-carb can backfire in the long-run, and tons of related stuff:

Q & A - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet

Hi Chris,

1) Symptomatically. It typically infects inner epithelial surfaces (mouth, sinuses, digestive tract, urinary tract, vagina) and the vasculature. It releases a lot of toxins, usually causing skin symptoms such as acne and substantially reducing athleticism, strength, and ability to build muscle.

2) I haven’t heard of Candida causing psoriasis, but a Candida infection will suppress anti-fungal immunity and make you more vulnerable to the skin-flourishing fungi like Malassezia or Pityrosporum.

3) Yes, infections of the brain do cause depression. Not sure how common Candida specifically is as a cause of depression.

4) Antifungals (eg Chinese medicine, nystatin, fluconazole), probiotics, fermented vegetables, polysaccharide digesting enzymes, antifungal foods. A long-term project.

Hi ET,

Thanks for all the “blabla,” I love hearing that.

I do stand by our vitamin D recommendations. For healthy people, 40-50 ng/ml is best for Europeans and 30-40 ng/ml for Africans – though more data is needed, especially for tropical peoples.

In disease, it’s less clear where the optimum may be. Read Vitamin D Dysregulation in Chronic Infectious Diseases - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet, The Amazing Curative Powers of High-Dose Vitamin D in Aging and Autism - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet. As you’ll see, in infectious diseases often 25OHD is low (as you’ve experienced) while 1,25D is high. The cause of this pattern is poorly understood, and it’s not clear whether anything should be done about it.

So I would be cautious about going over 5,000 IU/day D supplementation even if 25OHD remains low. Anything above that is a pharmacological dose and you are altering your body’s evolved vitamin D levels. It might help, but be aware that there’s little evidence on what is optimal and you are experimenting.

The vitamin D pattern does support your self-diagnosis of a chronic infection, so the next step should be diagnosing the pathogen involved and treating it with antimicrobial drugs. You might consider a 1,25D test just to confirm the pattern. If 1,25D were also low, then vitamin D supplementation would have more to recommend it. If 1,25D is high, I would look for antibiotics/antimicrobials.

Dangers of Zero-Carb Diets, II: Mucus Deficiency and Gastrointestinal Cancers - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet
Blood Lipids and Infectious Disease, Part II - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet
How to Recognize and Fix a Brain Infection - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet [this probably causes incorrect armchair diagnoses from candida sufferers using coconut]

It's almost annoying, but basically "Jaminet did it first" before most others. Not to take away from what Constantine said, but fatty acids in coconut are popular by nearly every alternative diet (that includes Candida), and far as I could tell it ends up coming back.

 

[oldfriend]

@oldfriend I have no idea about consultations and seriously am not reliable (sorry, even pushing it now), but Jaminet addressed Candida, before anyone in paleo knew what they were doing. He was the one to point out that carbs are necessary for the immune system to deal with fungus, and low-carb can backfire in the long-run, and tons of related stuff:

Q & A - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet


Dangers of Zero-Carb Diets, II: Mucus Deficiency and Gastrointestinal Cancers - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet
Blood Lipids and Infectious Disease, Part II - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet
How to Recognize and Fix a Brain Infection - Perfect Health Diet | Perfect Health Diet [this probably causes incorrect armchair diagnoses from candida sufferers using coconut]

It's almost annoying, but basically "Jaminet did it first" before most others. Not to take away from what Constantine said, but fatty acids in coconut are popular by nearly every alternative diet (that includes Candida), and far as I could tell it ends up coming back.

I’m ruling out coconut oil as a possible trigger right now. I used butter to fry boiled potatoes whereas in the past I would often eat potatoes with coconut oil.

 

[oldfriend]

How do u eat? Do you sit down with all electronics turned off and only paying attention to what you doing? And noticing that you are calm etc? If not start there.



Bio-Hacking Ideal Health In The Modern World

If you try this and noticing that you are stressed. Thats good! This might be your problem... eating while stress leads to bacterial eating your food and: "...bacterial endotoxin is usually the basic problem causing hormone imbalance, by being a chronic burden for the liver,
keeping it from storing enough sugar to process thyroid and the other hormones effectively.” - Ray Peat

I think its a matter of strenghetning the pathways. I noted the first time i tried eating "in the moment" that i was stressed ALL TIME. I just coulndt be calm. I think I ate 20 min without being calm. But with time it got better. And i noticing that i was able to relax AND MY STOMACH GOT REALLY WARM!!! But sadly i stop doing it. I dunno why... Maybe its to easy and boring. Turn off everything and be in the moment when eating... But thanks to this tread im gonna start doing this again every time when eating.

Thanks for the tip! I will definitely try this