O
oldfriend
Guest
I'm new to the forum, relatively new to Ray Peat, and not so new to diet and persistent GI issues and a general but debilitating malaise. I've been diagnosed with CFS, IBS, Gastritis, Chronic Fissures, etc. etc. I began working with a new GP recently who ran a series of panels and quickly came back with a diagnosis of 'Pregnenolone Steal Syndrome'.
My estrogen, cortisol, and glucose levels are on the high side, while my Free T, DHEA, Progesterone, Pregnenolone, and Vitamin D are all on the low side. Apparently my ongoing gut inflammation is responsible for the high cortisol and resulting PSS diagnosis. I was also surprised that my total Testosterone levels are quite normal or even high, while my Free T levels are quite low.
Unfortunately this is as far as I could get with this particular GP though, as this Hormone Therapy approach is new for him. He recommended something called HOPE therapy (High Fiber, Omega 3 Oils, Probiotics, Enzymes....dairy is bad, meat is bad, chia seeds are good, grains are good) that seems to based on a program some TV personality established. This in combination with OTC hormone therapy will apparently correct my impaired digestion and lower cortisol I won't dismiss the hormone supplementation, but I've been around long enough to know that this approach to diet is not an effective one for me. This reluctance seemed to anger my GP, and it was later when I tried to discuss alternative options like cyproheptadine that I discovered he could only see the world through HOPE-colored glasses.
So, other than a referral back to the GI doctor and a seemingly less endless wait to get an appointment, I'm pretty much at a loss of what to do next.
I got turned onto Matt Stone after a bout of GAPS and FODMAP-induced constipation, and almost instantly started moving my bowels again. But it wasn't long before I started having bad reactions to the cow casein and high starch. I had a brief interlude with SCD, but wanted to incorporate some of the Matt Stone ideas after a few weeks. That's when I discovered Ray Peat and this forum. I like a lot of Ray Peats ideas as they seem to reflect what I've intuitively learned about diet and how it affects my body over the years. Still, I'm struggling to work out a good baseline diet and thought I would ask for some advice here ( relating to diet, supplementation, and lifestyle in fact).
Here's what I'm trying so far:
Breakfast:
OJ with gelatin, sometimes add MCT oil and honey
Yogurt - Goat Milk (SCD style) or Coconut Milk
Fruit
Lunch:
Meat - Liver, Ruminant, or Shellfish
Bone broth soup with gelatin, root vegetable/squash and coconut oil
Fruit
Cheese or Yogurt
Afternoon:
A juice version of the raw carrot salad with coconut oil (is this a big no-no?)
Dinner:
Same as lunch
Snacks:
Fruit
Cheese
Yogurt
Pork Rinds
Jello
Supplementation:
Multi-vitamin
B complex
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
L-5-MTHF
Digestive Enzymes with every meal
Cascara Sagrada every other night before bed
Lifestyle:
Heat Lamp for 20 mins 3-4 times a day
I feel like I'm currently needing to increase my protein intake, and decrease my fat, meat, and lactic acid intake but I'm very reluctant to add dairy that isn't fermented or aged. Cheese already feels like a gamble as it can be constipating if eaten too frequently. I have an issue with casein and egg (both yolk and white) allergy going back to when I was a child. Goat milk seems to be more tolerable, but then there's the issue of lactose. SCD claims that lactose is a big concern for digestively-challenged folks and tends to feeds the bugs that live in my large intestine. My experience has not disproven this theory. Perhaps it is a good idea to use a product like Lacteeze drop in my milk to reduce the amount of lactose while I get reacquainted with dairy? The only drawback I can see is that it contains glycerin.
The other thing I'm concerned with is my dependence on fiber. I already skin and cook veggies into submission, but I wonder if the volume of fiber I eat is keeping the inflammatory process alive and well.
I do know from past experience that there is a delicate balance for me, as too low fiber leads to slow moving bowels and painful (hard stools) BMs.
With supplementation, I'm gearing up to order my first round of hormone cocktail. The way it was explained to me, all hormones are derived from the master hormone Pregnenolone. Why then does it make sense to order Preg., Prog., and DHEA and not just triple my dose of Pregnenolone? I suspect that the answer might be that my adrenals are bypassing the process of conversion to Progesterone and DHEA to produce more Cortisol? I just ordered Cyproheptadine from alldaychemist.com and am considering Cynoplus as well. Any thoughts?
Last but not least, the heat lamp thing. I've been using it for a few days now, and I like it. My question is how often, and where? I read thyroid and testes somewhere. What distance should I keep from the heat lamp? Also, any words of caution with heat lamp use?
Thanks in advance!
My estrogen, cortisol, and glucose levels are on the high side, while my Free T, DHEA, Progesterone, Pregnenolone, and Vitamin D are all on the low side. Apparently my ongoing gut inflammation is responsible for the high cortisol and resulting PSS diagnosis. I was also surprised that my total Testosterone levels are quite normal or even high, while my Free T levels are quite low.
Unfortunately this is as far as I could get with this particular GP though, as this Hormone Therapy approach is new for him. He recommended something called HOPE therapy (High Fiber, Omega 3 Oils, Probiotics, Enzymes....dairy is bad, meat is bad, chia seeds are good, grains are good) that seems to based on a program some TV personality established. This in combination with OTC hormone therapy will apparently correct my impaired digestion and lower cortisol I won't dismiss the hormone supplementation, but I've been around long enough to know that this approach to diet is not an effective one for me. This reluctance seemed to anger my GP, and it was later when I tried to discuss alternative options like cyproheptadine that I discovered he could only see the world through HOPE-colored glasses.
So, other than a referral back to the GI doctor and a seemingly less endless wait to get an appointment, I'm pretty much at a loss of what to do next.
I got turned onto Matt Stone after a bout of GAPS and FODMAP-induced constipation, and almost instantly started moving my bowels again. But it wasn't long before I started having bad reactions to the cow casein and high starch. I had a brief interlude with SCD, but wanted to incorporate some of the Matt Stone ideas after a few weeks. That's when I discovered Ray Peat and this forum. I like a lot of Ray Peats ideas as they seem to reflect what I've intuitively learned about diet and how it affects my body over the years. Still, I'm struggling to work out a good baseline diet and thought I would ask for some advice here ( relating to diet, supplementation, and lifestyle in fact).
Here's what I'm trying so far:
Breakfast:
OJ with gelatin, sometimes add MCT oil and honey
Yogurt - Goat Milk (SCD style) or Coconut Milk
Fruit
Lunch:
Meat - Liver, Ruminant, or Shellfish
Bone broth soup with gelatin, root vegetable/squash and coconut oil
Fruit
Cheese or Yogurt
Afternoon:
A juice version of the raw carrot salad with coconut oil (is this a big no-no?)
Dinner:
Same as lunch
Snacks:
Fruit
Cheese
Yogurt
Pork Rinds
Jello
Supplementation:
Multi-vitamin
B complex
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
L-5-MTHF
Digestive Enzymes with every meal
Cascara Sagrada every other night before bed
Lifestyle:
Heat Lamp for 20 mins 3-4 times a day
I feel like I'm currently needing to increase my protein intake, and decrease my fat, meat, and lactic acid intake but I'm very reluctant to add dairy that isn't fermented or aged. Cheese already feels like a gamble as it can be constipating if eaten too frequently. I have an issue with casein and egg (both yolk and white) allergy going back to when I was a child. Goat milk seems to be more tolerable, but then there's the issue of lactose. SCD claims that lactose is a big concern for digestively-challenged folks and tends to feeds the bugs that live in my large intestine. My experience has not disproven this theory. Perhaps it is a good idea to use a product like Lacteeze drop in my milk to reduce the amount of lactose while I get reacquainted with dairy? The only drawback I can see is that it contains glycerin.
The other thing I'm concerned with is my dependence on fiber. I already skin and cook veggies into submission, but I wonder if the volume of fiber I eat is keeping the inflammatory process alive and well.
I do know from past experience that there is a delicate balance for me, as too low fiber leads to slow moving bowels and painful (hard stools) BMs.
With supplementation, I'm gearing up to order my first round of hormone cocktail. The way it was explained to me, all hormones are derived from the master hormone Pregnenolone. Why then does it make sense to order Preg., Prog., and DHEA and not just triple my dose of Pregnenolone? I suspect that the answer might be that my adrenals are bypassing the process of conversion to Progesterone and DHEA to produce more Cortisol? I just ordered Cyproheptadine from alldaychemist.com and am considering Cynoplus as well. Any thoughts?
Last but not least, the heat lamp thing. I've been using it for a few days now, and I like it. My question is how often, and where? I read thyroid and testes somewhere. What distance should I keep from the heat lamp? Also, any words of caution with heat lamp use?
Thanks in advance!
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