BetterCallSaul
Member
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2019
- Messages
- 122
Hello all,
First time posting here, I've discovered Ray Peat through Danny Roddy 2 months ago, and I have learnt so much since. There are some absolute geniuses on this forum, and I'd appreciate some thoughts and observations on my first blood test done, specifically, for hair loss. Firstly thank you to you all for the amazing wealth of knowledge that bounces around this forum!
Without writing a massive blog about my life, I've suffered from hypoglycaemia since my early teenage years.
I have been through some trauma - family break up, period of homelessness, caring for mentally unstable mother, and my own personal depression.
Fast-forward to today - renting my own apartment, living with an amazing girlfriend, brilliant apprenticeship job with a very prestigious company, sponsored degree, living the dream all at 20.... except still suffer from bouts of depression and low motivation and my health from the start of the year rapidly deteriorated which coincided with a new flare up of depression.
I noticed my hair loss around 2 years ago. I would wake up with a pillow covered in hair. It scared me but I ignored it. So I've tried various things - high dose saw palmetto (made me want to kill myself after 3 days, which is not like me at all - literally burned it in a fire) and Stinging nettle root (general negative effect). All with the aim to reduce DHT. My energy plummeted. Intermittent fasting helped with this at first, but then made my energy and health sink like the titanic (high adrenaline to make up for low blood sugar.) Messing with my hormones with DHT/5ar blockers was a terrible idea and I believe it made everything worse.
A few months back I was the heaviest I have been. 5 foot 8 inches, 77kg, 22% body fat. I have always carried a lot of muscle, and it looked oaky despite the high BF% - used to be 14% BF . I had dropped my calories to get shredded to ~1750kcal, and yet it made me fatter. I ate nuts by the bag (Uh-Oh POOFa alert!) which I have stopped. I understand now about metabolism/thyroid/PUFAs, etc.
After browsing through this forum, I now eat 3000kcal min. 60,20,20 (Carb,protien,fat), with a 50:50 ratio of sugar to starch, and more salt! I hit this to a tee everyday for the past couple of weeks with MyFitnessPal and I feel amazing (so long depression... for now), will remeasure my body comp soon but I believe it is improving already. I am using Alpecin shampoo (controversial but contains caffeine, niacinamide, Zinc), and head massages. Keeping gym sessions 3 days a week 45 minutes max. Sleep 8 hours every night. Bi-weekly saunas - red light exposure, and limit PUFA. Hair is growing quicker now, believe some new hairs are sprouting already but time will tell. Feel happier, calmer, more energy, more sociable, and more drive for life.
Supplements:
8000iu D3 (winter in UK is harsh)
Life Xtension vitamin K
(both in morning with eggs)
300mg aspirin with coffee (mornings, aspirin usually only on weekdays)
I try to eat a daily raw carrot, when I remember.
50mg Zinc picolinate (high carb can deplete zinc I believe, makes my hair and nails grow quick!)
400mg Magnesium (sleep like a baby, mad dreams, and bowel cleansing in the morning)
(both before bed)
I've tried 600mg taurine, but it made me feel very tired - tried topical solution on my hair line but gave me a mild rash - threw the pack away.
Okay so blood work:
SHBG - 12.9 nmol/L (range 18.3-54.1)
CRP HS (inflammation) - 6.17mg/L (range <5)
Ferritin (iron) - 176 ug/L (range 30-400)
TSH - 3.71mIU/L (range 0.27-4.2)
Free Thyroxine - 15.200 pmol/L (range 12-22)
Testosterone - 13.6nmol/L (range 8.64-29)
Free Androgen Index - 105.43 Ratio (range 24-104)
Inflammation may be due to laryngitis and a flare up of a gym injury (tendonitis of the groin). - I think I may have Varicocele in my scotum - previous flare ups with dull aches, but nothing recently. Will try to get this checked by a doctor again soon to make sure. (read that this can impact testosterone somehow?)
I have been considered introducing Pregnenolone, Progesterone, Dhea (I have aged a lot the past year too much for my age, and want to feel and look younger again, I also want to raise my T.) - any advice on this?
Any tips to increase SHBG, and in turn lower free androgens? and any other guidance regarding my current hormonal profile? What other tests should I do?
I know this is a long read, any comments would be much appreciated! (I am going test again in a couple of months)
I will be happy to take any questions :)
From today I will document my hair, and we can see together what the outcome is :)
First time posting here, I've discovered Ray Peat through Danny Roddy 2 months ago, and I have learnt so much since. There are some absolute geniuses on this forum, and I'd appreciate some thoughts and observations on my first blood test done, specifically, for hair loss. Firstly thank you to you all for the amazing wealth of knowledge that bounces around this forum!
Without writing a massive blog about my life, I've suffered from hypoglycaemia since my early teenage years.
I have been through some trauma - family break up, period of homelessness, caring for mentally unstable mother, and my own personal depression.
Fast-forward to today - renting my own apartment, living with an amazing girlfriend, brilliant apprenticeship job with a very prestigious company, sponsored degree, living the dream all at 20.... except still suffer from bouts of depression and low motivation and my health from the start of the year rapidly deteriorated which coincided with a new flare up of depression.
I noticed my hair loss around 2 years ago. I would wake up with a pillow covered in hair. It scared me but I ignored it. So I've tried various things - high dose saw palmetto (made me want to kill myself after 3 days, which is not like me at all - literally burned it in a fire) and Stinging nettle root (general negative effect). All with the aim to reduce DHT. My energy plummeted. Intermittent fasting helped with this at first, but then made my energy and health sink like the titanic (high adrenaline to make up for low blood sugar.) Messing with my hormones with DHT/5ar blockers was a terrible idea and I believe it made everything worse.
A few months back I was the heaviest I have been. 5 foot 8 inches, 77kg, 22% body fat. I have always carried a lot of muscle, and it looked oaky despite the high BF% - used to be 14% BF . I had dropped my calories to get shredded to ~1750kcal, and yet it made me fatter. I ate nuts by the bag (Uh-Oh POOFa alert!) which I have stopped. I understand now about metabolism/thyroid/PUFAs, etc.
After browsing through this forum, I now eat 3000kcal min. 60,20,20 (Carb,protien,fat), with a 50:50 ratio of sugar to starch, and more salt! I hit this to a tee everyday for the past couple of weeks with MyFitnessPal and I feel amazing (so long depression... for now), will remeasure my body comp soon but I believe it is improving already. I am using Alpecin shampoo (controversial but contains caffeine, niacinamide, Zinc), and head massages. Keeping gym sessions 3 days a week 45 minutes max. Sleep 8 hours every night. Bi-weekly saunas - red light exposure, and limit PUFA. Hair is growing quicker now, believe some new hairs are sprouting already but time will tell. Feel happier, calmer, more energy, more sociable, and more drive for life.
Supplements:
8000iu D3 (winter in UK is harsh)
Life Xtension vitamin K
(both in morning with eggs)
300mg aspirin with coffee (mornings, aspirin usually only on weekdays)
I try to eat a daily raw carrot, when I remember.
50mg Zinc picolinate (high carb can deplete zinc I believe, makes my hair and nails grow quick!)
400mg Magnesium (sleep like a baby, mad dreams, and bowel cleansing in the morning)
(both before bed)
I've tried 600mg taurine, but it made me feel very tired - tried topical solution on my hair line but gave me a mild rash - threw the pack away.
Okay so blood work:
SHBG - 12.9 nmol/L (range 18.3-54.1)
CRP HS (inflammation) - 6.17mg/L (range <5)
Ferritin (iron) - 176 ug/L (range 30-400)
TSH - 3.71mIU/L (range 0.27-4.2)
Free Thyroxine - 15.200 pmol/L (range 12-22)
Testosterone - 13.6nmol/L (range 8.64-29)
Free Androgen Index - 105.43 Ratio (range 24-104)
Inflammation may be due to laryngitis and a flare up of a gym injury (tendonitis of the groin). - I think I may have Varicocele in my scotum - previous flare ups with dull aches, but nothing recently. Will try to get this checked by a doctor again soon to make sure. (read that this can impact testosterone somehow?)
I have been considered introducing Pregnenolone, Progesterone, Dhea (I have aged a lot the past year too much for my age, and want to feel and look younger again, I also want to raise my T.) - any advice on this?
Any tips to increase SHBG, and in turn lower free androgens? and any other guidance regarding my current hormonal profile? What other tests should I do?
I know this is a long read, any comments would be much appreciated! (I am going test again in a couple of months)
I will be happy to take any questions :)
From today I will document my hair, and we can see together what the outcome is :)