A New Peaty Theory On Varicocele - Low Grade Intestinal Infection. Need Suggestions

TreasureVibe

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My latest theory on what might be causing my varicocele, is that it is caused by pelvic pressure, due to intestinal infection.

What got the ball rolling was the following website about varicose veins by a certified herbalist from New Zealand, which mentions the following:

"The two main contributors to varicose veins are pelvic pressure and/or sticky blood. What those terms mean and what you can do about them are discussed below.."

"Pelvic pressure: causes & treatments

Pelvic pressure is what happens when 'something' in your pelvis or your lower abdomen puts pressure on the large blood vessels that supply blood to-and-from the legs thereby causing blood to pool and eventually give rise to the classic swelling of a varicose vein.

There are four main causes of pelvic pressure:

Excess weight
Pregnancy
Misalignment (of pelvis)
Abdominal bloating"

"Abdominal bloating

Bloating in the abdomen is another major cause of varicose veins. Not just about being overweight, this is when the belly has a taut, distended quality that is frankly quite uncomfortable!

The two most common causes for abdominal bloating are food intolerance - written up in detail here, or a chronic low grade infection in the gut - written up here"

He advices garlic or wormwood for treating the intestinal infection and when the infection is gone hawthorne to strengthen the heart so that blood gets pulled from the venous system more effectively every pulse. He says patients with antibiotic resistant infection would still eventually respond to wormwood and says wormwood is the most effective.

I have some abdominal bloating myself. Although not severe, when examined closely I can tell there is some there. Since I don't have the other 3 causes that are mentioned, this the only one left. The abdominal bloating is caused by the low grade intestinal infection. Maybe due to gas being produced, although I do not suffer from severe flatulence.

My personal experience so far after years of trying things:

- IP-6 managed to decrease my varicocele for a few hours. A Ray Peat forum member said this was due to the decrease in endotoxin.
- pushing my belly out decreases the varicocele significantly. Works especially when done by holding breath during diaphragmatic breathing. The pressure in the pelvic area is lowered by the temporary creation of more space in the area where the intestines sit by the expanding of the belly possibly.
- an erection also decreases my varicocele to a great extent. This might point to the venous network the penile veins and varicocele are both connected to, being congested.

This theory might also explain those anecdotal recommendations of vitamin C and garlic with people saying they had some success with these, both which can reduce endotoxins and kill pathogens in the gut. It also would explain why certain exercises work in decreasing varicocele severity, as they simply lower pelvic pressure through the pelvic floor muscles or other muscles.

There is 1 report online of a woman who says her husband had his varicocele disappear, and the only thing he did was take a probiotic. What probiotic was not mentioned, and the disappearance of this man's varicocele might be coincidental but this is still worth mentioning.

The herbalist treats his patients by giving 4 400 mg organic wormwood (artemisia Absinthium) capsules (1600 mg total) every night before sleep for 4 to 6 weeks.

Another way of doing it he says is taking 4 to 6 medium sized garlic cloves daily 2 to 3 times a week for 6 weeks.

I'm not sure if artemisia Absinthium (wormwood) is a good option because in another topic on here it was possibly named as a cause for neuropathy. This might be due the thujone in it among more. I also dislike garlic's blood thinning effect.

So I'm in need of good suggestions here of what I can use to put this theory to the test. I would prefer natural options first over drugs.

I was adviced the following 2 herbs in another topic: yellow dock root, sage.

I am open for antibiotics and drugs. So if there's safe antibiotics or drugs out there that I can use I would wanna hear about those too. I heard Ivermectin and albendazole being named in another topic.

Link to page on varicose veins of herbalist website:

Richard Whelan ~ Medical Herbalist
Page of his website on gut infection:
Richard Whelan ~ Medical Herbalist
Page of his website on wormwood:
Richard Whelan ~ Medical Herbalist ~ Wormwood

I would love to hear your guys suggestions!

@haidut @Blossom @Travis @Inaut @tara @raypeatclips @ecstatichamster @Dolomite @CLASH
 

xeliex

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I went to the urologist with recurring pain on one side that had since resolved.

He reported that everything was normal but that it is common in his practice to attribute such symptoms to radiating pain from the hip flexors and from IBS/IBD.
 
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I've seen some posts similar to this when I came on here to research The Vertical Diet and learn more about carbohydrates, thyroid and testosterone. And generally if you're not in excruciating pain in the groin and haven't done any topical steroid treatments suggested, but facing chronic problems this can be caused by general weakness and tightness of the glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings, quads, calves, foot muscles, core, adductors and abductors, lower back etc. Nerves along the spinal column going into the pelvic floor can effect things like this, if you have a herniated disk, or subluxation that creates tension on the spine. Best recommendation is see a chiropractor that approaches relief and strength rehab. Daily decompression routine and yoga with breathing. Often it is the hips that need to be decompressed from sitting. There would be a lot more cases of varicocele if it was because of intestinal inflammation. Prostatitis would be a far better cause and of course estrogen is a main concern for the prostate. Limit all endocrine disruptors, and do a choline and betaine flush to detox estrogen via Christopher Walker. And definitely work on losing fat to around ~15%. Sleep Apnea could be the 'silent' problem you may not even know you have and that stress is interfering with the pituitary, hypothalamus, and pineal gland during sleep. If sleep apnea is a concern you have to work on aerobic capacity and optimal sleeping positions. I've went through more than a few beds that haven't held up and I suggest a memory foam mattress or mattress topper, or some organic air mattress. High insulin levels, blood glucose, amino acids in all relation to sleep, this is something I will be researching for optimal sleep state.

Horse chestnut is in the product redwood by Chris and promotes blood flow throughout the lower limbs, Vitamin C, Hawthorne berry extract and other herbs are easily researched. These are far better options than antibiotics or any drugs.. If you do have intestinal inflammation, try doing an elimination diet, and incorporate coconut oil, carrot, and charcoal and have a hcl supplement to help digest food, Vitamin d has profound effects on digestion. Eating fruits with small seeds can be problematic, and a source of diverticulitis and create abdominal pressure. You kind of said it yourself 'Abdominal pressure- (weak pelvic floor and anterior pelvic tilt) or sticky blood from high carbohydrates and high fats. Dehydration can also cause sticky blood as well and use salt and electrolytes when drinking water than bs plain 'spring water'. Ionized water helps repel platelets. Grounding as well. I'm seeing a common trend in this forum and it's part of this change that I'm trying to do myself and see better results, and that's tracking exactly what you're eating, how much drinking, how much salt, and vitamin and minerals. And that gives you a lot more to work with when it's time to get blood work.

It's far easier to work in a method of prevention for health, in all things from personal care products, diet, supplements, blood work, environment, lifestyle choices, etc it can get a bit neurotic, but a method of action needs to be taken as well and often that relates to the hardest thing to do, exercise and learning how to create a functional body free of muscle imbalances and chronic stress and often that does go outside of your comfort zone and changing habits.
 
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HOT SHOWERS - CHLORINE/HALOGENS - HYPOTHYROID - TESTOSTERONE - IODINE - DANDRUFF - HALOGENODERMA

Via Ben Greenfield

https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/biohacking-articles/how-to-biohack-your-testosterone/

Iodine

Iodine is an essential mineral, which means it must acquired via diet. Iodine is critical in your brain and central to the active thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). Severe deficiency in iodine can result in reduced cognition or cretinism. The thyroid gland absorbs iodine from the blood to make thyroid hormones. Approximately 15–20 mg of iodine is concentrated in thyroid tissue and hormones. Still, 70% of the body’s iodine is distributed in other tissues such as mammary glands, eyes, salivary glands and testicles.

Iodine is most abundant in seaweed and seaweed based products such as nori wraps. Daily intake of iodine should be at least 75–150 micrograms per day, and for adults, an upper intake level is 3000 micrograms.

Lack of iodine in the body (especially in the thyroid gland) can cause various health problems. The most common one is hypothyroidism. Men with primary hypothyroidism have subnormal responses to luteinizing hormone (and GnRH) and their free testosterone concentrations are also reduced.

It has been noticed in rats that by increasing iodine supplementation the mean weight of the testes also increased quite a bit. However, the epididymal sperm counts went down a bit.

One possible explanation for the higher occurrence of hypothyroidism and hypogonadism in men today when compared to say like 30 years ago, is an increase of environmental toxic halogens like fluorine, chlorine and bromine. When concentrated enough in the body, they will replace iodine’s locations inside the cells (especially in thyroid cells and Leydig’s cells).

So it is critical to have enough iodine in your system to also optimize testosterone production. Some people have even taken this further by painting their testicles with Lugol’s iodine (which is highly concentrated potassium iodine). Yes, you heard me right: you can put iodine on your testicles.

The iodine protocol that doubles your testosterone also includes adding supporting minerals such as selenium, magnesium, vitamin C, oral iodine, co-factors for ATP (B2 and B3 vitamins) and salt. The anecdote by hundreds of testimonials here is that many people did significantly elevate their testosterone production with possible straight stimulation of the Leydig cells by iodine, which would have then lead into removal of other halogens. The hypothesis for this therapy seems legit, but unfortunately there hasn’t been done any clinical nor animal studies.

A word of caution: Do not take excess iodine and do not over do this (it will cause pain in the scrotum area because of the sensitivity of the skin). This is a potentially dangerous biohack, so be careful. As a medical doctor, I wouldn’t recommend this to my patients right away

////


There's certainly a loopback mechanism in people that have hypothyroidism, they absolutely find comfort in hot showers or baths. Increasing exposure to chlorine, halogens and additional metals. Cold showers although promoting cortisol and adrenaline rushes, keeps shower times short. A sauna tent would be a far better choice for hypothyroidism and a simple method of losing weight same as ice pack vests. An entire life of these halogens stuck in the body. And here I have just discovered the term halogenoderma and advanced skin eruptions and notably this can happen from bromine, Pakistan has this problem it's apparently in the water, and also with brominated vegetable oils in sodas ( does anyone know Supreme Patty?). How much do these halogens have to do with the calcification of the scalp and effecting hair growth and structure? This has really put things into perspective. I've scrolled through Facebook recently and guys I've went to school with have receding hairlines at the age of 23!!! I'm not too sure exactly how a carbon shower filter would suffice and a whole water filtration system is certainly not a possibility. So I guess it has to be fast luke warm showers and more iodine supplementation.
 
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Increasing CO2 tends to lower edema, including abdominal bloating. Have you tried high dose thiamin? What about acetazolamide? Using them together should be an interesting thing to try. I haven't used it yet, so I can't say anything about my personal experience with it, but I read that it's a good idea to increase sodium, potassium and bicarbonates in order to avoid mineral imbalances/ acidosis while using one substance or the other.
 
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TreasureVibe

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Although this theory is close I'm not sure if it's completely effective. Upon taking Wormwood I noticed a noticeable decrease in abdominal bloating, with purging feelings in the bowels. Feel better afterward.

Noticed that distended veins on the sides of my feet were now more normal sized. I bet this theory definitely resolves varicose veins in the legs.

But. For varicocele I have a new contender: Ocotillo tincture.

"
PELVIC CONGESTION
The bark is best known as a pelvic decongestant, and this indeed where it tends to shine in clinical practice. Southwest herbalist Michael Moore said of Ocotillo:

“It is useful for those symptoms that arise from pelvic fluid congestion, both lymphatic and veinous…. Most hemorrhoids are helped by Ocotillo, as are cervical varicosities and benign prostate enlargements.”"

"Ocotillo is used in cases of poor circulation in the pelvic area, which is usually accompanied by a heavy, bloated feeling of congestion, slight abdominal swelling, hemorrhoids, or the frequent urge to urinate. Most of these symptoms are caused by pelvic lymphatic congestion. This herb can help the assimilation of dietary fats, helping to make circulation more efficient. The portal blood supply circulates around the digestive tract, removing fats, and metabolic waste from the cells which make up the intestines themselves. Improving portal blood circulation and lymphatic drainage from this area affects nearby organs such as the uterus or prostate in a positive way, increasing circulation to them significantly."

I hope I can motivate anyone with varicocele to try out a tincture of Ocotillo. It was named first by Deborah Frances ND as a pelvic decongestant herb to be used.
 
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TreasureVibe

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Are you able to rebound @TreasureVibe ? That should also help moving lymph congestion out.
I could buy one of those mini-trampolines! Thanks for the idea!

Ocotillo seems very promising though, in combination with red root which tones the liver and spleen. There was a recent study where researchers connected an enlarged spleen to causing varicocele so taking red root will have its own benefits besides being a strong lymphatic mover.

I tried stone root once few days ago. But I could already feel that it was only a venous circulatory boosting effect that it had and I had read that as well. The varicocele started swolling because of it. So I could already tell there was no use for it for my varicocele and wouldn't want to risk trying it for now because it might worsen it.

Ocotillo however has a complete different effect, being a very strong lymphatic mover in specifically the pelvic area. But the purported effects it should have according to what is written down say that this lymphatic effect in the pelvis also has an effect on circulation in the area.

I'm going to order a fresh bark ocotillo tincture and fresh red root tincture today and try it out.
 

BNOC98

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Any updates on your varicocele situation @TreasureVibe? I've recently been diagnosed with a small varicocele on my left testicle which has been a little uncomfortable and I your theory about pelvic imbalances makes sense to me since I've been recovering from an Achilles Tendon tear over the last 6 months so my hips have become a little unbalanced, hopefully reestablishing strength in this area will improve my varicocele.
 

Vinny

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I'm interested in an update too.
 

Daft

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I can corroborate I have had chronic intestinal bloating and unilateral varicocele for ~3 years(on one side, confirmed by ultrasound), which used to be so severely sensitive I couldn't sit with my leg touching it or else it would be irritated, and the pain would go up into the abdomen, like its a nerve, vein or muscle attached being strained too. The varicocele came when the bloating particularly became worse, and very strongly suspect the link. Also often have hydrocele (swelling size of whole testi). The pain and severity of past is gone but I still get the "filling up" and hydrocele often, and still have a chronically bloated abdomen. I have IBS-C and the varicocele "filling up" can also relate to irregular bowel movements/incomplete evacuations/stool remaining in rectum, which also can cause the testis to remain retracted for abnormally long periods and not for appropriate reasons(such as when cold) instead of relaxing and hanging low as it should normally.

Daily psyllium husk heaping tablespoon has been a simple solution to alot for me (and the adequate dose I've found), mainly to normalize the stools but the bloating still isn't so relenting.
 

Vinny

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I can corroborate I have had chronic intestinal bloating and unilateral varicocele for ~3 years(on one side, confirmed by ultrasound), which used to be so severely sensitive I couldn't sit with my leg touching it or else it would be irritated, and the pain would go up into the abdomen, like its a nerve, vein or muscle attached being strained too. The varicocele came when the bloating particularly became worse, and very strongly suspect the link. Also often have hydrocele (swelling size of whole testi). The pain and severity of past is gone but I still get the "filling up" and hydrocele often, and still have a chronically bloated abdomen. I have IBS-C and the varicocele "filling up" can also relate to irregular bowel movements/incomplete evacuations/stool remaining in rectum, which also can cause the testis to remain retracted for abnormally long periods and not for appropriate reasons(such as when cold) instead of relaxing and hanging low as it should normally.

Daily psyllium husk heaping tablespoon has been a simple solution to alot for me (and the adequate dose I've found), mainly to normalize the stools but the bloating still isn't so relenting.
Thanks for that
 

YamnayaMommy

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Any update on your theory that pelvic
congestion causes varicosity?

I am trying to troubleshoot a large varicose vein in my right leg that appeared after my first pregnancy and worsened over the course of the second and third pregnancies.

When I asked a hematologist whether the varicose vein was due to pregnancy hormones or to mechanical obstruction in the pelvis, she said the latter. Supposedly during pregnancy a growing uterus can impinge one the vena cava, causing varicosities in the right leg.

That was a partially satisfactory explanation because the varicosity appeared only in my right leg; my left is fine.

however, the varicosity first appeared about 11 months AFTER I gave birth to my first child. If pelvic congestion caused it, why did it appear 11 months post partum?

Another theory is that lactation caused my body to move calcium out of tissues and into milk. If calcium is necessary to maintain integrity of vein walls, perhaps it’s the lactation that caused it?

And then it grew worse during second pregnancy, abated somewhat in post partum period, and then got REALLY bad during third pregnancy. In addition to a big snaky vein on right shin, a purple patch or web of small spider veins appeared on the inside of my right ankle. They’re all improved ten months post partum, but still ugly and I am vain and want them gone. They are worse if I’m standing or hot. After a hot shower they’re the worst.

maybe pelvic congestion weakened the right leg veins, then the extended lactation robbed them of calcium, and then whatever awful hormonal crap that goes on during pregnancy and lactation got to them too.

I want to give baby #3 a full year of mommy milk and then see if vein goes away after ending breastfeeding and following a peaty diet.
 

seraph94

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Although this theory is close I'm not sure if it's completely effective. Upon taking Wormwood I noticed a noticeable decrease in abdominal bloating, with purging feelings in the bowels. Feel better afterward.

Noticed that distended veins on the sides of my feet were now more normal sized. I bet this theory definitely resolves varicose veins in the legs.

But. For varicocele I have a new contender: Ocotillo tincture.

"
PELVIC CONGESTION
The bark is best known as a pelvic decongestant, and this indeed where it tends to shine in clinical practice. Southwest herbalist Michael Moore said of Ocotillo:

“It is useful for those symptoms that arise from pelvic fluid congestion, both lymphatic and veinous…. Most hemorrhoids are helped by Ocotillo, as are cervical varicosities and benign prostate enlargements.”"

"Ocotillo is used in cases of poor circulation in the pelvic area, which is usually accompanied by a heavy, bloated feeling of congestion, slight abdominal swelling, hemorrhoids, or the frequent urge to urinate. Most of these symptoms are caused by pelvic lymphatic congestion. This herb can help the assimilation of dietary fats, helping to make circulation more efficient. The portal blood supply circulates around the digestive tract, removing fats, and metabolic waste from the cells which make up the intestines themselves. Improving portal blood circulation and lymphatic drainage from this area affects nearby organs such as the uterus or prostate in a positive way, increasing circulation to them significantly."

I hope I can motivate anyone with varicocele to try out a tincture of Ocotillo. It was named first by Deborah Frances ND as a pelvic decongestant herb to be used.
I have tried ocotillo for one month and it didn’t have any effect on the size of varicocele.
 

BNOC98

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800mg per day of magnesium resolved my varicocele. I personally use magnesium bicarbonate
 

BNOC98

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No it was a small one tbh but you could see a visible lump through the ballsack, only grade I but it had started to get pretty uncomfortable to sit for any prolonged periods of time and walk. You can make magnesium bicarbonate water by mixing magnesium hydroxide with carbonated water. The carbonic acid from the dissolved CO2 reacts with the hydroxide to give you magnesium bicarbonate. You can buy magnesium hydroxide cheaply from Bulksupplements and any brand of carbonated water from the store will do or you can make it if you have a soda stream. The cool thing about magnesium bicarbonate is that it only exists in aqueous form, and it is the form typically found in nature such as in rivers and streams and could've been how palaeolithic man got lots of their magnesium (I don't think it's feasible to get it all from food especially when foods high in magnesium are often high in phytic acid which binds to the magnesium making it unavailable e.g. spinach). Also it is cheaper and much more bio-available than most other pill forms of magnesium such as oxide, citrate, malate etc. those boast between 5-15% bioavailablity, whereas bicarbonate boasts up to 50% IIRC but don't have the source for that.

Been doing that for over a month at this point and the pain started to fade after a week or so and the lump dissappeared within 2.5 weeks. Will continue until I've run out of my supply of carbonated water then will probs lower the dose.

Here's a video showing how to make it:

It's pretty easy to make and much easier to get a good sized dose (800+mg) than compared to its pill form. E.g. 800mg of elemental Mag is 500ml in Mag bicarb water compared to swallowing up to 8 pills so I don't think you have anything to lose considering how cheap it is. Also fewer laxative effects since higher bio-availability (I've personally not experienced any at this dose.
 

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