Tarmander
Member
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2015
- Messages
- 3,777
Hi everyone,
I decided to start a log to...well...log my thoughts on the journey I am taking with Ray Peat's ideas and some of the health related things I am discovering. People on this forum seem open minded and willing to try new things, so it is my hope that someone will chime in with that idea that breaks the whole thing open, so to speak.
First some background:
I am a type 1 diabetic, I was diagnosed and put on insulin when I was 12 years old, just about 16 years ago. When I was diagnosed I was consumed with the idea of finding ways to manage it, and hopefully one day cure it. I am of the opinion that the genesis and cure for type 1 are right in front of our faces. With a little looking, someone may stumble on something that makes people later slap their foreheads and exclaim "how did we not see this!"
After I was diagnosed I went to a kids camp for diabetics like myself. I have continued to go back to that camp since then, transitioning into being a counselor for young children once a year. I am not the only DC (diabetic counselor), there are perhaps 60 others who I have become friends with. This has given me an opportunity to look at other diabetics and see some similarities between them. Here are some observations I have noticed:
•Clinically, it has been shown that type 1 diabetics suffer a higher rate of depression. I believe the number is about 12%. I have personally experienced this and believe it is because you can never have perfect control of your blood sugar, it will cycle up and down. When it goes down, it causes a spike in stress hormones to attempt to stabilize the blood sugar. This leads to anxiety, adrenaline, being on edge, etc. When you blood sugar goes high, levels of BDNF in the brain fall, you get brain fog, fatigue, etc. So basically most diabetics bounce back and forth between anxiety and depression each day, and there is not much you can do about it except deal the best you can. Many, are into chronic distraction, or drinking, or using tobacco, or anything to take the edge off. Personally I do not drink or smoke.
•Many type 1s tend to have a baby face, and a big booty. They have chubby cheeks and extra fat on their butts, even if they tend to be skinny. They also are prone to stretch marks and have problems building muscle. It is not that they can't be muscular, they can, but it is a lot of work. I have some theories on why this is that I will go into later.
•Of 200+ type 1s I have personally met, not one of them is bald or balding. I have no idea why this is, but even the most stressed out among us, who smokes, drinks, and have all their joints falling apart, still have a full head of hair. Maybe it is selection bias I don't know. Even the older ones are only losing a bit of hair, no premature male pattern baldness.
I have other ideas, but I don't want to make this too long.
In 2012 I was working at a health food store, walking around all day, and taking lots of supplements. I was skinny, about 145 pounds. I have included a picture to give you an idea.
At the time, I was on low amounts of insulin, and most would have considered me pretty healthy. I ate large amounts of vegetables, meat, grains, and butter. However I was going through hell. I could barely sleep a couple hours at a time. I would usually wake up several times per night and stare at the ceiling. If I got four hours sleep straight it was a miracle. I had very low amounts of energy. I did not have any friends because I never went out and lived with my parents. I sat around and read or did other low energy things. Sometimes it was hard to even talk to people. I did not know it at the time as an energy thing, I thought it was just who I was. Right around that time I stopped swimming, because if I swam or did any exercise, I would literally not be able to sleep at all. I felt like I had a fist in my brain clenched so tight I could barely do anything.
I tried Dr. Wilson's hair mineral analysis and the accompanied diet for a couple years with a little bit of success. But at the end I was still pretty depressed, anxious, and my energy levels were always low unless I was stressed out.
Fast forward to the end of 2014 and my reading of Matt Stone's book Diet Recovery. It was like a light bulb went off in my head. My whole life at that point was focused on denying myself the foods I wanted because they weren't healthy. I then read Gwen's writing over at Youreatopia and realized that much of my behavior was similar to someone with an eating disorder. All I thought about was food, and supplements, and trying this or that. I was obsessed with the health of something. I believe she calls it orthorexia, or being obsessed with the healthiness of something or other. It is all just another manifestation of being threatened by food.
I had been reading Peat at the time for about six months, so I decided to take the training wheels off and go for it. I ate whatever I wanted. I limited PUFA, that was about it, but if I wanted it, like a frozen pizza, I would find the one with the least pufa and eat it anyways. I ate a lot. Things I had said I would never eat...potatoes, ice cream, pizza, juice (oh lawdy!), milk. I was constantly bloated and yet I was still hungry. I went through an ice cream phase where I ate maybe two pints of ice cream per day for a few months. If I was hungry, I ate it. People say you can get addicted to sugar. It is bull****. After two pints of ice cream, with juice every day, you do not want any more sugar.
It was probably one of the greatest times in my life. I slept like a baby. I had abundant energy. I was social, I went out on dates, I had a personality and laughed. My relationships with my parents improved and I moved out. I got a better job. It was fantastic. I had confidence, I could talk with people, I did not have anxiety or fear of social situations. Life was good.
I was gaining weight at a good clip however. Some people were noticing and mentioning it, although with how I felt I did not really care. My philosophy was always, if I was outgoing and enjoying life more, then gaining weight was not a problem. If I was shuttered in my house, depressed, lazy, then gaining weight was probably a problem.
Don't worry, I am almost done here. After about six months of this, the honeymoon wore off so to speak. I did not find much interest in new foods. I had eaten to excess everything I had restricted. Pizza is great, but I do not feel much like eating it anymore, same with ice cream. I might eat a pint three or four times a month now. I settled more into the milk and OJ life style because those still taste good for some reason; I don't get sick of them (yet!). I also eat meat, like lamb and chicken, as well as some rice, quinoa, and oats here and there. I can't do the liquid diet fully, I have to have a couple solid meals a day. I don't do a ton of veggies either.
Here is a picture of me about two months ago in June around 195 lbs.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Now onto why I am doing this log. Something popped into my head the other night, and that was that some type 1s seems to be suffering from a light form of Cushings syndrome. Remember the baby faces and stretch marks? Well it just so happens that those with full blown Cushings have very similar symptoms. I have them listed here (source http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... n-20032115):
•Weight gain and fatty tissue deposits, particularly around the midsection and upper back, in the face (moon face), and between the shoulders (buffalo hump)
•Pink or purple stretch marks (striae) on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, breasts and arms
•Thinning, fragile skin that bruises easily
•Slow healing of cuts, insect bites and infections
•Acne
Women with Cushing syndrome may experience:
•Thicker or more visible body and facial hair (hirsutism)
•Irregular or absent menstrual periods
Men with Cushing syndrome may experience:
•Decreased libido
•Decreased fertility
•Erectile dysfunction
Other signs and symptoms include:
•Fatigue
•Muscle weakness
•Depression, anxiety and irritability
•Loss of emotional control
•Cognitive difficulties
•New or worsened high blood pressure
•Glucose intolerance that may lead to diabetes
•Headache
•Bone loss, leading to fractures over time
The ones I have experienced I have put into bold. They are not super symptomatic, but they are there from time to time. I read somewhere, and it stuck in my mind, that cortisol can both increase fat gain, as well as fat loss, depending on what it is paired with. When combined with epinephrine and norepinephrine, you lose weight, you get skinny, etc. My theory is that when I was super skinny but unhealthy, I was basically riding the adrenaline and cortisol wave to unhappiness. When cortisol combines with insulin, the fat packs on. Since eating more, my use of insulin has predictably sky rocketed. My theory is that this is phase I am now in.
However this leads me to several questions. If my observations about cushings, and type 1s in general are true, the main underlying pathology seems to be cortisol. Is the high cortisol caused by type 1 diabetes? Having blood sugar go up and down constantly is definitely stressful and could cause cortisol release.
Or is the diabetes caused by the elevated cortisol? Meaning, could there be some other factor that increased cortisol when I was 12 years old to a level that induced autoimmune type 1 some how? Also, why are none of the type 1s balding?
I don't know, but I will be running experiments. I have been experimenting with MB, estroban, b6, zinc, l-theanine, niacinamide. I have not tried thyroid, aspirin, and do not like how I feel on caffeine. I will update this with any other thoughts I get overtime.
Hopefully this can help me organize, and get a rational explanation for the pathology. Anything anyone knows about insulin's interaction with cortisol, cortisol and auto immune disorders, and type 1 diabetes in general would be helpful.
I decided to start a log to...well...log my thoughts on the journey I am taking with Ray Peat's ideas and some of the health related things I am discovering. People on this forum seem open minded and willing to try new things, so it is my hope that someone will chime in with that idea that breaks the whole thing open, so to speak.
First some background:
I am a type 1 diabetic, I was diagnosed and put on insulin when I was 12 years old, just about 16 years ago. When I was diagnosed I was consumed with the idea of finding ways to manage it, and hopefully one day cure it. I am of the opinion that the genesis and cure for type 1 are right in front of our faces. With a little looking, someone may stumble on something that makes people later slap their foreheads and exclaim "how did we not see this!"
After I was diagnosed I went to a kids camp for diabetics like myself. I have continued to go back to that camp since then, transitioning into being a counselor for young children once a year. I am not the only DC (diabetic counselor), there are perhaps 60 others who I have become friends with. This has given me an opportunity to look at other diabetics and see some similarities between them. Here are some observations I have noticed:
•Clinically, it has been shown that type 1 diabetics suffer a higher rate of depression. I believe the number is about 12%. I have personally experienced this and believe it is because you can never have perfect control of your blood sugar, it will cycle up and down. When it goes down, it causes a spike in stress hormones to attempt to stabilize the blood sugar. This leads to anxiety, adrenaline, being on edge, etc. When you blood sugar goes high, levels of BDNF in the brain fall, you get brain fog, fatigue, etc. So basically most diabetics bounce back and forth between anxiety and depression each day, and there is not much you can do about it except deal the best you can. Many, are into chronic distraction, or drinking, or using tobacco, or anything to take the edge off. Personally I do not drink or smoke.
•Many type 1s tend to have a baby face, and a big booty. They have chubby cheeks and extra fat on their butts, even if they tend to be skinny. They also are prone to stretch marks and have problems building muscle. It is not that they can't be muscular, they can, but it is a lot of work. I have some theories on why this is that I will go into later.
•Of 200+ type 1s I have personally met, not one of them is bald or balding. I have no idea why this is, but even the most stressed out among us, who smokes, drinks, and have all their joints falling apart, still have a full head of hair. Maybe it is selection bias I don't know. Even the older ones are only losing a bit of hair, no premature male pattern baldness.
I have other ideas, but I don't want to make this too long.
In 2012 I was working at a health food store, walking around all day, and taking lots of supplements. I was skinny, about 145 pounds. I have included a picture to give you an idea.
At the time, I was on low amounts of insulin, and most would have considered me pretty healthy. I ate large amounts of vegetables, meat, grains, and butter. However I was going through hell. I could barely sleep a couple hours at a time. I would usually wake up several times per night and stare at the ceiling. If I got four hours sleep straight it was a miracle. I had very low amounts of energy. I did not have any friends because I never went out and lived with my parents. I sat around and read or did other low energy things. Sometimes it was hard to even talk to people. I did not know it at the time as an energy thing, I thought it was just who I was. Right around that time I stopped swimming, because if I swam or did any exercise, I would literally not be able to sleep at all. I felt like I had a fist in my brain clenched so tight I could barely do anything.
I tried Dr. Wilson's hair mineral analysis and the accompanied diet for a couple years with a little bit of success. But at the end I was still pretty depressed, anxious, and my energy levels were always low unless I was stressed out.
Fast forward to the end of 2014 and my reading of Matt Stone's book Diet Recovery. It was like a light bulb went off in my head. My whole life at that point was focused on denying myself the foods I wanted because they weren't healthy. I then read Gwen's writing over at Youreatopia and realized that much of my behavior was similar to someone with an eating disorder. All I thought about was food, and supplements, and trying this or that. I was obsessed with the health of something. I believe she calls it orthorexia, or being obsessed with the healthiness of something or other. It is all just another manifestation of being threatened by food.
I had been reading Peat at the time for about six months, so I decided to take the training wheels off and go for it. I ate whatever I wanted. I limited PUFA, that was about it, but if I wanted it, like a frozen pizza, I would find the one with the least pufa and eat it anyways. I ate a lot. Things I had said I would never eat...potatoes, ice cream, pizza, juice (oh lawdy!), milk. I was constantly bloated and yet I was still hungry. I went through an ice cream phase where I ate maybe two pints of ice cream per day for a few months. If I was hungry, I ate it. People say you can get addicted to sugar. It is bull****. After two pints of ice cream, with juice every day, you do not want any more sugar.
It was probably one of the greatest times in my life. I slept like a baby. I had abundant energy. I was social, I went out on dates, I had a personality and laughed. My relationships with my parents improved and I moved out. I got a better job. It was fantastic. I had confidence, I could talk with people, I did not have anxiety or fear of social situations. Life was good.
I was gaining weight at a good clip however. Some people were noticing and mentioning it, although with how I felt I did not really care. My philosophy was always, if I was outgoing and enjoying life more, then gaining weight was not a problem. If I was shuttered in my house, depressed, lazy, then gaining weight was probably a problem.
Don't worry, I am almost done here. After about six months of this, the honeymoon wore off so to speak. I did not find much interest in new foods. I had eaten to excess everything I had restricted. Pizza is great, but I do not feel much like eating it anymore, same with ice cream. I might eat a pint three or four times a month now. I settled more into the milk and OJ life style because those still taste good for some reason; I don't get sick of them (yet!). I also eat meat, like lamb and chicken, as well as some rice, quinoa, and oats here and there. I can't do the liquid diet fully, I have to have a couple solid meals a day. I don't do a ton of veggies either.
Here is a picture of me about two months ago in June around 195 lbs.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Now onto why I am doing this log. Something popped into my head the other night, and that was that some type 1s seems to be suffering from a light form of Cushings syndrome. Remember the baby faces and stretch marks? Well it just so happens that those with full blown Cushings have very similar symptoms. I have them listed here (source http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-cond ... n-20032115):
•Weight gain and fatty tissue deposits, particularly around the midsection and upper back, in the face (moon face), and between the shoulders (buffalo hump)
•Pink or purple stretch marks (striae) on the skin of the abdomen, thighs, breasts and arms
•Thinning, fragile skin that bruises easily
•Slow healing of cuts, insect bites and infections
•Acne
Women with Cushing syndrome may experience:
•Thicker or more visible body and facial hair (hirsutism)
•Irregular or absent menstrual periods
Men with Cushing syndrome may experience:
•Decreased libido
•Decreased fertility
•Erectile dysfunction
Other signs and symptoms include:
•Fatigue
•Muscle weakness
•Depression, anxiety and irritability
•Loss of emotional control
•Cognitive difficulties
•New or worsened high blood pressure
•Glucose intolerance that may lead to diabetes
•Headache
•Bone loss, leading to fractures over time
The ones I have experienced I have put into bold. They are not super symptomatic, but they are there from time to time. I read somewhere, and it stuck in my mind, that cortisol can both increase fat gain, as well as fat loss, depending on what it is paired with. When combined with epinephrine and norepinephrine, you lose weight, you get skinny, etc. My theory is that when I was super skinny but unhealthy, I was basically riding the adrenaline and cortisol wave to unhappiness. When cortisol combines with insulin, the fat packs on. Since eating more, my use of insulin has predictably sky rocketed. My theory is that this is phase I am now in.
However this leads me to several questions. If my observations about cushings, and type 1s in general are true, the main underlying pathology seems to be cortisol. Is the high cortisol caused by type 1 diabetes? Having blood sugar go up and down constantly is definitely stressful and could cause cortisol release.
Or is the diabetes caused by the elevated cortisol? Meaning, could there be some other factor that increased cortisol when I was 12 years old to a level that induced autoimmune type 1 some how? Also, why are none of the type 1s balding?
I don't know, but I will be running experiments. I have been experimenting with MB, estroban, b6, zinc, l-theanine, niacinamide. I have not tried thyroid, aspirin, and do not like how I feel on caffeine. I will update this with any other thoughts I get overtime.
Hopefully this can help me organize, and get a rational explanation for the pathology. Anything anyone knows about insulin's interaction with cortisol, cortisol and auto immune disorders, and type 1 diabetes in general would be helpful.
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