Anxiety off the scale. Please can you help?

[des yeux]

Thank you Pied. I was a bit worried to take vitamin D, thinking that it would make me absorb even more calcium. I am having my vitamin D levels measured next week. About six months ago, they were 68 nmol/L (ref 50-125). Is that too low? And I know so little about the correct ratio of Vit D to Vit A, which is another reason why I was fearful to take extra vitamin D. Perhaps I should just take a low 2,000 ius per day. I eat 1 oz of liver each day but that is only about 160 ius of vitamin A, according to Cronometer.
I am wondering what you would consider a high dose of Progest-E? I am nervous of Aspirin but perhaps even a baby aspirin (about 80 mg) daily would be a good place to start?
Thank you for reminding me that hope is not optional! Yes, all will be good - because I am 100% dedicated. I hope you go well, also.

I think you worry quite a bit. : ) Yes that Vitamin D is quite low, I believe your vitamin D is around 27 ng/ml, so you need to double that. 4000 IUs per day should get you to a better place over time given you're in the UK. If you have access to tests then adjusting the dose based on that is best, e.g: supplement 4000 IUs/day for 3 weeks then test. Make sure your supplement is clean though if you are taking that much internally, and multiply by 20 if you wanna take topically.

For the Progest-E, a quarter of a teaspoon is 100mg. I have taken that a few times as a man when I wanted to obliterate a migraine and didn't care about the testosterone blocking effect. I think you should try that and if possible, cycle two weeks off, two weeks on. It makes the same dose much more effective.

For the aspirin, if you can stand the taste of 'aspirin water', then just pour warm water over a standard aspirin and stir then wait to cool down and drink it. I never had a problem doing that or when recommending that to a friend.

Another thing that was mentioned here that you can try is cyproheptadine or benadryl even to calm your sympathetic nervous system down. And just doing whatever you need to obliterate the anxiety really, be it eating, strong incadescent lights, or even cuddling etc

 

[Tilly-J]

Perfect timing.
My husband is with the kids at a college football game.
So im wrapping Christmas gifts and catching up here on the forum.

The bad news is- if you have already made up your mind regarding parameters- there is nothing I can say that can help you.

The good news is- if you try it your way, and don’t get the results you want- you can come back to this post.

There is no one way to heal. But with your hx and data- I would pay a lot of attention to what Kelj, Kayla Rose and myself have to offer.

Starch was wonderfully healing for me.
It really seemed to settle my adrenals down; which in turn helped my estrogen dominance.

I want to back track and add- eating balanced macros is of utmost importance.
You don’t want more stress on your body, especially adrenals, with working overtime regulating your blood sugar.
I shot for most meals roughly 40/30/30 or 50/20/20.
Roughly.
Don’t get dogmatic or hyperfocused on that. But please be aware.

What did I eat for two years as I went from near death to wholeness?
Pretty much anything that agreed with me.
That tasted good.
That I could digest.
That I enjoyed eating.
That my temps seemed to peak with.

What I was forced to eat- or not eat- was...
No whole foods.
Why?
I simply could not eat enough to meet my caloric demands to heal (***I got stuck in pseudo recovery that way one year in***); nor was my digestion strong enough for all that food.
I needed processed food much to my hesitation.

What I eat now is whatever I want.
My digestion is still iffy at best. All those years and years and years of malnourishment took its toll.

If you want sizes-
I was at a size 0. A 0/2. American sizing.
I went up to a size 12.
Im now at a 4/6.
The weight came off effortlessly.

Im 48 years old now btw.
Im in recovery for about a year now.
So I was 45-47 doing this with children at home and a husband.

I was fat. I was so very very bloated. (See Pinas link to that refeeding syndrome data).
But here’s the thing: about three months in- after weeks and weeks of rest (zero activity) - I felt good. I was healing.
I went diabetic. I absolutely believe I did.
But- I trusted my body. Not clinical data. Not YouTube videos. But my body- it was working so hard for me to find balance again.
It didn’t fail me!
God’s design is too wonderful for us to understand.

Experiment.
It’s your greatest source of knowledge.
But be open minded.
No fear.
Stop reading.
Stop limiting.
Stop overthinking.



Reach out anytime.
YOU got this.

Thank you for giving me more of your time. I will go with your good news scenario - trusting in 'my' way and modifying 'my' ways as I go. But in these early days, I will keep referring to what you guys have written me here and I will seek out more from Kayla Rose.

I do need to tweak my macros, thank you for alerting me. Protein is tricky due to histamine reactions (eggs and fish very difficult - I manage about 100g ground beef) but perhaps these will lessen in time. My safest protein is milk and feta cheese at the moment (no headaches with these), so perhaps I need to keep these in place, whilst keeping on with the starch and I think I need to increase saturated fat, to reach that 50/20/20 level. Getting the balance right between sensible listening and responding on the one hand and over-thinking with fear on the other is hard.

I do have one more pressing question please! Did you aim for a set number of calories each day when you were in the early days of your recovery phase? I think I have read that 3,000 is minimum. Did you have a minimum? I hope I do not annoy you by asking that question because I know you are encouraging me to stop limiting and experiment. Fearful habits die hard, but mine are dying slowly.

It is so reassuring to hear you say that you had to do processed foods. I have been beating myself up for craving it. I shall ease up on myself and allow myself to go for what is most easily digested. So messed up in the digestive/absorptive department for so many years. Thinking about anti-microbials, antifungals and all sorts of fancy protocols (which some people on this forum seem to do at great length) seems beyond me at the moment. Did you just trust to food and rest to at least sort out your own digestive issues?

Speaking here with real people, you and others, is beyond words reassuring. You said you went diabetic too, you knew you were fat and bloated but you healed. And I shall too. Thank you for saying I might reach out to you. I shall keep that close to my heart, but will be very mindful that you live in a busy family environment (and to think you healed with all the responsibilities of being a mum and a wife also). I live with my 90 year old mum but she is amazing for her age - she walks 2 or 3 miles every day, she looks after her ailing friends, she dances and cooks and bakes like crazy and - yes, she loves her homemade food and she eats WHATEVER takes her fancy. She is a wonderful cook but knows nothing about nutrition! And here am I drowning in pseudo-nutritional theories and sick.

I must let you go.

 

[Gustav3Y]

View: https://youtu.be/CxLvcaxb5Fw

Hasn't she dropped this approach since then? She is way thinner now and talk about "body positivity" not being for her in her latest video.
Also one cannot pay too much seriousness to people who need videos to get a sponsorship, generate views, create a "splash" to get views.
Not saying that is a bad video by any means, just keep in mind there is always is an agenda to content creators, especially in the fitness will be the body.

 

[Peatful]

Hasn't she dropped this approach since then? She is way thinner now and talk about "body positivity" not being for her in her latest video.
Also one cannot pay too much seriousness to people who need videos to get a sponsorship, generate views, create a "splash" to get views.
Not saying that is a bad video by any means, just keep in mind there is always is an agenda to content creators, especially in the fitness will be the body.

Pretty much agree with you here.
What I like about Steph is that she is a good visual documenter. As in how her body responded with bloating and muscular skeletal issues and the emotional aspects of the refeeding journey.

Steph’s blind spots are her constant need for public approval, her immersion in the “health” industry (combined with SM), her immaturity and her resting on her phd laurels.

She is healthy now. And eats whatever she wants iirc. She didn’t drop anything. Like me- her body healed itself when fed and no longer hungry.

 

[Gustav3Y]

She didn’t drop anything.

She said herself in latest video, watch it.

 

[Peatful]

@Tilly-J

No minimum. None.
I literally ate all day.
I ate all day. For several months.

As stated before- my digestion was shot. But how was limiting food going to heal me?
My approach was to dive in; lay a foundation; and address digestion issues once I figuratively and literally had more energy to do so.
This doesn’t mean I pushed through endotoxin symptoms per say. It just means I didn’t continue to eat irritating foods. I just moved on to what did work for me- which was mostly processed foods.

Two important things:
1- the biggest surprise was the blessing of freedom. Not just food freedom- the healing went deeper than that. It’s quite miraculous.
2- note I say i ate food. Food. Meaning I hardly drank anything. I found liquids really difficult on my digestion. I wanted milk- but even on cereal- I did better with yogurt on cereal or dried cereal vs liquid.
Worth noting.

You say you’re craving certain processed foods.
Eat them. Enjoy them!

She said herself in latest video, watch it.

I don’t follow her due to said reasons. Thx for the heads up.
I surprised however- she’s quite proud of herself and is writing a book on her journey. Seems odd she would no longer eat freely. It negates the point.

 

[Gustav3Y]

I am paraphrasing, but it's something like this, when she did "body positivity" that was the trend and that was the test, but now the new trend/people have moved to "body neutrality" so doing that. And there is a new sponsor.
Considering that she is very warm and positive in the video, maybe these details may not be apparent at first or could be well not given any mind.

 

[youngsinatra]

Excessive copper is promoting anxiety, sympathetic drive, excessive neurotransmission of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin (making you very anxious, even paranoid) while reducing GABA. (main inhibitory neurotransmitter)

I‘d drop the almost daily oz of ruminant liver, which has too much copper and vit A.
Eat more red meat or ground beef for zinc, iron and B6, which all help with zinc utilization, which opposes copper, reduces adrenaline and promotes GABA.
Pair the meat with some easily-digested starch and salt.
Acetylcholine also helps with calming down the sympathetic nervous system. So something like whole eggs (dietary choline), 1-2 g of CDP-choline as a supplement, higher dose B1 supplementation could help.
Glycine can also help calming things down, by promoting GABA and acting as a methyl buffer, which prevents overly high levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.

If you need something quick acting - try a gram of niacinamide with a meal and see if that calms you down. It‘s very good at reducing excessive neurotransmission acutely. Even if it helps, I‘d try to find more long-term suitable solutions, because B3 can seriously disrupt methylation and liver health in the long term - but short time usage is fine. It was a lifesaver for me for a while, when my anxiety and almost paranoid psychotic episode was really bad.

 

[Phosphor]

I suggest you find an Advanced Practitioner of Eden Energy Medicine. From what I see, you have a very clear Triple Warmer imbalance and that CAN be corrected. As it gets corrected, you will start making better decisions and calm down over time. My introduction to Eden Energy Medicine was seeking help for severe PTSD, which is also a Triple Warmer imbalance. I went to an EEM-AP, she worked on me for an hour and a half, I felt nothing at the time, figured "ah well another thing tried," paid her, and left. The next day I woke up and the PTSD was GONE. Since it was also an ingrained energy pattern, it slowly crept back but I had learned this COULD be relieved. Since then I am free of PTSD and have taken up the study of Eden Energy Medicine myself because it is so incredibly powerful, and it is NOT WOO-WOO. There are Advanced Practitioners in most English-speaking countries.
All the best.

 

[DMF]

What have you done for your mind - emotional psychological help... ?

 

[Jennifer]

I’m very sorry for your suffering, @Tilly-J. My heart goes out to you. If it’s not too personal a question, have you sought professional help? I won’t pretend to know the nature of your eating disorder, and this is just my non-professional opinion, but I believe for many people, EDs are more than just a metabolic disorder, there’s a soul/emotional component to them and what seems to me, fear and a need for control due to life experiences, oftentimes traumatic in nature, and without getting to the root cause, like a shape-shifter, the need for control can take on new forms—for example, going from anorexia to orthorexia—keeping the painful cycle going.

As much as I respect the members on this forum, they don’t know your personal context. You deserve to have someone you can confide in who knows your history and triggers and can help with navigating your fears and old patterns of thinking as they surface, especially when you feel like utter rubbish and start to doubt yourself, something likely to happen during recovery as you’re discovering a new way of being and your body is readjusting to match you. I’m not sure if this will be of any help to you, but one thing I have found helpful while overcoming disempowering beliefs and patterns is to care for myself like I’m my daughter, speaking to myself kindly, feeding myself nourishing foods that I crave and surrounding myself with love and that which makes me feel alive.

It can be terrifying letting go, even of the things that are hurting us, but I believe there’s beauty in the process. The way I see it, you’re finding yourself and I believe it’s your birthright to discover who you are and love who you discover. It’s your right to nourish your body the way you see fit, to consume the foods you enjoy, to honor your uniqueness, something I believe is your gift to the world and a loss for it if not expressed. You have a right to be your own authority and to know your personal power—the only one you need permission from to be you is you. Please don’t feel ashamed of your experiences—for being human. Be in awe of the gift that is you and your life and if you can, fill yourself up with so much love there’s no room left for the ED.

For you :


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqcNwKkL0GY

 

[danishstargazer]

I would be very interested to see where your hormones are in terms of estrogen, test , progesterone. I bet they are very low ?
I dont have a lot of advice but to eat whatever you want and stop with all the orthorexia. don't even follow all the Peat protocols until you are feeling better and are not underweight. I truly think that until you stop restricting anything- you cannot get over an eating disorder. Sounds like intuitive eating would work maybe if you can even get back to your intuition and tastebuds. I would think that a Matt Stone approach at this point is better than trying to fix your thyroid ( Ray Peat ) bc it is probably not the issue. Also , it looks like you need WAY more magnesium ... I would start with Epsom Salt baths and a lot of them.

 

[Tilly-J]

@Tilly-J

No minimum. None.
I literally ate all day.
I ate all day. For several months.

As stated before- my digestion was shot. But how was limiting food going to heal me?
My approach was to dive in; lay a foundation; and address digestion issues once I figuratively and literally had more energy to do so.
This doesn’t mean I pushed through endotoxin symptoms per say. It just means I didn’t continue to eat irritating foods. I just moved on to what did work for me- which was mostly processed foods.

Two important things:
1- the biggest surprise was the blessing of freedom. Not just food freedom- the healing went deeper than that. It’s quite miraculous.
2- note I say i ate food. Food. Meaning I hardly drank anything. I found liquids really difficult on my digestion. I wanted milk- but even on cereal- I did better with yogurt on cereal or dried cereal vs liquid.
Worth noting.

You say you’re craving certain processed foods.
Eat them. Enjoy them!

I don’t follow her due to said reasons. Thx for the heads up.
I surprised however- she’s quite proud of herself and is writing a book on her journey. Seems odd she would no longer eat freely. It negates the point.

Thank you for saying it so simply:
'I literally ate all day, for several months.'

It was a surprise to hear that you drank hardly any fluid, but I can now fully get why.

I am overwhelmed by what I have to do. I have started, but I am not by any means into that place of surrender yet. I wish I was because it is agony in this twilight zone. and I so can feel that 'blessing of freedom' pulling me on. None of your shared words will be wasted.

 

[mostlylurking]

I am so very desperate. I feel uncomfortable asking for help like this but I am now paralysed by fear and indecision. I have spent hours each day over the past six months reading threads on this forum, reading some of Dr. Peat's articles, reading Functional Performance Systems. I am so overwhelmed and wonder if I am beyond help. If there is anyone who might be able to guide or reassure me, I should be so grateful, so very grateful.

This is my story. I hope you will not be put off if I admit that I have had anorexia since I was 16. I am now 59, but I still feel young, even though I feel very sick. I have not started to live yet and I long to begin. I am ready to do anything, eat anything, in order to be the best I can be, to give something back to the world. I have allowed anorexia to destroy every area of my life. There has been no let-up, ever. The stress of trying to recover has almost destroyed me. But not quite, which is why I am here now.

In my early 20s, I reached 4 stones on two occasions. Since then I have battled every day to help myself. On an anxiety scale of 1 to 10, I have lived every minute of every day at 8 or more for 30+ years. I am pretty tough and resilient but am not almost without hope and the legacy of physical and emotional distress is almost too much for me to bear. But I have read of stories of recovery on this site, of support given and advice offered, not to mention the amazing wealth of shared knowledge and I wonder if I might tap into this.

I was Paleo for about 20 years (I survived, but hardly thrived), with a brief interlude of Keto (disastrous), but had been eating a high starch diet (oats, rice and starchy vegetables) prior to coming here about six months ago, feeling quite unwell, with horrendous SIBO and many other issues. I had not eaten sugar for 40 years. Now I do, but I have read of Haidut and VisionofStrength and others cautioning those who jump into a 'Peat-like' way of eating without regard to their unique metabolic states. Mine is shot at and I do not know what to do to support it. I am very worried that I am only making a bad situation even worse. What if I am now just overwhelming my liver and building up a non-alcoholic fatty liver and other metabolic disasters? I know so little and, as yet, I feel too unwell to Perceive, Think, Act for myself, but this is my goal.

My morning oral temperature is 36.4/36.5
Later in the morning = 36.7 - this is the highest all day

Blood pressure = 103/63 (I feel very dizzy)
Pulse = 63

Six months ago, having been eating sugar and dairy for only six weeks:
TSH = 1.32 mu/L

Serum cholesterol = 5.5 mmol/L
Serum TG = 2.92 mmol/L

Serum ferritin = 259 ug/L (ref: 14 - 186). I was eating about 300 g ground beef daily.

HbA1c = 44 mmol/L (ref: 20-41). I have never been under 40 for the last 10 years, even when I ate NO starch and only a small amount of dark chocolate.
Blood glucose = 5.5 (early morning)

I am underweight at 43.5 kg (96 lbs), 5'4", BMI about 17. It is uncomfortable to sit and lie down. My ribs are prominent. I have muscle wastage.

I experience CONSTANT anxiety/adrenaline flow on a massive scale (because I do not know how to heal myself and fear the dreadful consequences of living in this wired and undernourished state). I feel short of breath and dizzy, my heart is pounding and my nerves are alive.

I have peripheral neuropathy which began in my feet and is now in my arms and hands. Has my body catabolised my myelin sheath as a result of undernourishment over so many years or is this another manifestation of extreme anxiety/adrenaline flux. Am I short on some B vitamins? Are my electrolytes very out of balance?

I experience constant MASSIVE HUNGER - should I listen to this message and just eat more, but more of what? I have learned here about the Minnesota Starvation Experiment. I have read posts by Kelj (Abdominal Fat is A Phase Following Calorie Restriction) and her brave journey from under-eating to good health. I want to do the same, but where to start?
Or is excessive hunger just uncontrolled hypoglycaemia? Am I about to tip over into full-blown diabetes driven by cortisol and adrenaline? Can I eat myself out of metabolic disorder into metabolic order?

I have SIBO badly with furred tongue, sticky saliva (starches dreadful) and chronic constipation (all my life). Cascara Sagrada only makes worse (but perhaps I did not take enough. How much?). I rely on magnesium oxide as a laxative (it doesn't always work). Stools mustard in colour and unformed, or nothing at all.

My voice is husky and I have to clear my throat very often. My throat is irritated by refluxed acid - but I think I must surely have low stomach acid?

My liver? I cannot go more than one or two hours without food (in fact I am hungry before I finish eating, almost), but is this just an indulgent craving for sugar? Am I now eating to promote a non-alcoholic fatty liver?

My heart feels to be under enormous stress from anxiety and I fear a stroke. I also fear vascular calcification - how to test?

My muscles feel in a state of rigidity and this is getting worse. I experience spasms daily in my calves. I used to dance and swim and hike and do yoga. I am becoming more and more inflexible, with much muscle wasting (going upstairs takes effort now). This is all causing me HUGE distress. Now I do only a short walk each day, but I do not allow myself to sit for very long at a time. I keep as active as possible around the house.

Ligaments and tendons feel dried out, taut and are prone to frequent injuries which never fully heal and repeat themselves.

I experience histamine flares (severe headaches and flushing and eye pain) which makes food choices (especially proteins, bone-broth and fruit juices very limited - probably mast cell dysregulation.

Severe osteoporosis (diagnosed mid-20s). T score minus 4.5. I am very fearful of spontaneous fracture. (Jennifer, I have read your amazing logs from beginning to your last post. You inspire me greatly. The simplicity and nourishment of your current diet of mostly goat's milk and cheese, I think, attracts me very much, but I think I might be consuming already too much calcium).
No mediation for bones. No menstrual cycle from ages 18-35. About 10 cycles from 35-50. Regular monthly cycles from ages 56-58 when my weight was above 45kg. This is the magic figure for me. I may even have enough stored eggs to cycle more if I can get my weight up to 45kg again and then more. My major goal.

Organic Acid Test, ten months ago, showed high oxalates. I have unwittingly eaten a high oxalate diet all my life, so now very wary of many green vegetables, glycine, collagen and dark chocolate, etc.

Sleep - poor. I crash out from mental exhaustion at 10.45 p.m. but wake always at 2.00 a.m. After that sleep is very fitful as anxiety rules with rapid heartbeat and early-morning sweats. I do not eat through the night.

I am ashamed to be able to list all the above. I cannot believe that this is where I have ended up, having tried so hard to achieve recovery over so many years.

My overriding concerns are:
What and how much to eat to gain weight and strength and metabolic vitality
How to decrease adrenaline and cortisol surges - do I eat my way out of these states and with what foods?
How to respond to cravings for sweet, energy-laden foods, without promoting diabetes and damaging my liver?
How to manage peripheral neuropathy?
How to improve digestion and assimilation?

I do not think the label anorexic applies to me any longer, but orthorexic certainly does. I do believe, however, that I can find my way out of this, even this late on.

If there is someone here who could help me to save my life, I feel that I could breathe again and my anxiety levels would begin to reduce already. What a wonderful thing it would be to have confidence in what I am eating. Such a relief.

What I eat:

7.30 a.m.
120 g frozen mango (warmed)
360 mls hot goat's milk, semi-skimmed, pasteurised, with 1/2 tsp sugar and few grains salt, 1 tsp instant coffee
1 raw egg yolk (egg whites set off headaches)
15-20 g raw, honey

10.30 a.m.
Repeat as above

1.00 p.m.
200 g very sweet stewed apple
100 g ground beef - most of the fat skimmed off
360 mils hot goat's milk with 1/2 tsp sugar, few grains salt, 1 tsp coffee
15-20 g raw honey
25 g white chocolate

4.00 p.m.
25 g white chocolate
360 mls hot goat's milk with 1/2 tsp sugar, few grains salt (no more coffee for rest of day)

6.30 p.m.
1 large sweet pear (warmed)
Carrot salad with tsp olive oil and tsp apple cider vinegar, salt
40 g Feta cheese
15-20 g raw honey
360 mls hot goat's milk
25 g white chocolate

10.00 p.m.
25 g white chocolate
360 mls hot goat's milk with 1/2 tsp sugar and few grains salt

1 oz ox liver every other day

Cannot eat fish or oysters re bad histamine reactions - headache etc
Cannot drink OJ ditto

Surely I am eating too much sweet food i.e. chocolate and honey but I cannot resist and would eat more if I did not restrain myself sharply. I am driven to eat these foods and this upsets me because it must be a bad thing to do.
Whatever I eat, I feel dizzy and hungry and anxious. It is so very hard to live whilst all this is going on continuously.

I am hardly comfortable physically after eating so much food but I do not imagine that the process of refeeding can ever be a comfortable experience.

But if someone here tells me to change, I will do so.

Cronometer:
2,400 calories
115 g protein
280 g carbs
89 g fat

Calcium 2,900 mg

But am I consuming too much calcium? In his article, 'Calcium and Disease: Hypertension, organ calcification, & shock, vs respiratory energy', Dr. Peat says:

'When cells are stressed or dying, they take up calcium, which tends to excite the cells at the same time that it inhibits their energy production, intensifying their stress. A cramp or a seizure is an example of uncontrolled cellular excitation. Prolonged excitation and stress contribute to tissue inflammation and fibrosis.'

I fear this is me and perhaps this explains the tightness and cramping in my body. It is fibrosis and I am putting myself at risk of a stroke.

But I also understand that excessive cortisol is associated with vascular calcification. So perhaps milk is okay but my high levels of cortisol are definitely not okay. Am I allowed to continue to drink milk for the ready completeness of nutrients and calories which it gives me? How to do I lower cortisol?

Supplements:
Energin - only 20 drops per day - topically
Magnoil - only 20 drops per day - topically
Kuinone - 1 drop every other day - topically
Progest-E - 3 drops before bed on my gums

If you have followed me this far, I thank you so much. My mind is tortured night and day by all that I have written and I long to find peace. I have every intention of getting my life back on track. I will not become a wizened, old, osteoporotic woman. That is not the real me! And so much of what I read on this forum is so very motivating. Thank all of you who keep the forum working so smoothly.

Kindest regards

Have you investigated the possibility that you suffer from beriberi? Your symptoms point to a severe thiamine deficiency. Your diet is devoid in thiamine. Your diet is high sugar which exacerbates the thiamine deficiency.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Deficiency - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

Anorexia is a symptom of thiamine deficiency.

Thiamine deficiency induces anorexia by inhibiting hypothalamic AMPK - PubMed

Obesity and eating disorders are prevailing health concerns worldwide. It is important to understand the regulation of food intake and energy metabolism. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is an essential nutrient. Thiamine deficiency (TD) can cause a number of disorders in humans, such as Beriberi and...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

thiamine deficiency and anxiety:

Thiamine supplementation reduces anxiety in severely alcohol dependent men – Atlas of Science

The caustic effects of alcohol on the gastrointestinal tract as well as lifestyle factors impacting dietary habits can lead to severe nutritional and vitamin deficiency in individuals with chronic alcoholism.

atlasofscience.org

Do you have a physician? Injections of thiamine hcl may be very helpful because you sound like this has been going on for a very long time. Otherwise you could simply try taking some thiamine hcl with water and evaluate what happens. When I took about 300mg of thiamine hcl I got complete relief within 45 minutes from my lactic acid inflammation and my temperature increased by a full degree.

additional links

You searched for beriberi - Hormones Matter

www.hormonesmatter.com

How Can Something As Simple as Thiamine Cause So Many Problems? - Hormones Matter

Is thiamine deficiency too simple to explain the devastating nature of the systemic adverse reactions to some vaccines and medications?

www.hormonesmatter.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/EONutrition/videos?view=0&sort=da&flow=grid excellent videos on thiamine; start with the oldest that address thiamine(set to be at the top but may not hold)

 

[Gustav3Y]

If some of the recommended things backfire, do not get discouraged, people here talk like everything is surefire, but it is not as simple.
The best is to report any negative something.

 

[Tilly-J]

Excessive copper is promoting anxiety, sympathetic drive, excessive neurotransmission of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin (making you very anxious, even paranoid) while reducing GABA. (main inhibitory neurotransmitter)

I‘d drop the almost daily oz of ruminant liver, which has too much copper and vit A.
Eat more red meat or ground beef for zinc, iron and B6, which all help with zinc utilization, which opposes copper, reduces adrenaline and promotes GABA.
Pair the meat with some easily-digested starch and salt.
Acetylcholine also helps with calming down the sympathetic nervous system. So something like whole eggs (dietary choline), 1-2 g of CDP-choline as a supplement, higher dose B1 supplementation could help.
Glycine can also help calming things down, by promoting GABA and acting as a methyl buffer, which prevents overly high levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.

If you need something quick acting - try a gram of niacinamide with a meal and see if that calms you down. It‘s very good at reducing excessive neurotransmission acutely. Even if it helps, I‘d try to find more long-term suitable solutions, because B3 can seriously disrupt methylation and liver health in the long term - but short time usage is fine. It was a lifesaver for me for a while, when my anxiety and almost paranoid psychotic episode was really bad.

Hello, I have heard you talking about over-methylation on several other threads. I was not sure where I might lie. You think I am an over-methylator? Thank you for explaining the risks of high copper in relation to low zinc. I will stop liver and take zinc picolinate at 20 mg (elemental)?

A nutritionist 'diagnosed' me with pyroluria some 2 years ago and there was a long time when I was taking Biomedica's BicoZinc and therefore consuming at least 50 mg zinc and 30 mg B6 daily and perhaps a bit more. I have since of course read that Dr. Peat cautions strongly against B6 above 10mg (and of course know he does not recommend supplements per se). I wonder if I have done any damage?

I have noted Pina's comment above about the need for B1 as well as your own here, but have struggled in the past to take due to it causing headaches in whatever form I take it. I have just read an old post by Tristan Loscha, in a thread of 2019 - 'Theory: Sugar is a metabolic 'activator', works well if body has enough nutrients' where he lists the risks of low B1:

Muscle pain
Congestive Cardiac failure
Peripheral neuropathy
Eye movement problems
Hypothermia
Hypotension
Autonomic neuropathy

I have scared myself silly because I have every one of the symptoms, which have all become significantly worse since I have been having Peaty foods (fruit/juice, milk and a little starch!). I just didn't realise the risks of eating this way if not in peak condition. Tristan Loscha also says that lots of thiamine deficiency is not reversible. Oh dear - these sorts of comments make me feel physically sick and have my anxiety off the score again. My own fault for reading, I know, but so hard when one is trying to get well.

I don't think that I can do glycine because I have high oxalate levels and I think there is a route from glycine to hydroxyproline which would not be ideal for me. But I will definitely consider choline.

Thank you for your comments.




** then says that some of these outcomes will not be reversible. I have just gone and taken about 30 mg of B1. I do hope that I will be the exception to the rule and be able to reverse what I am experiencing.

But having just taken B 1 now, I am worried that it will imbalance other Bs. I should much prefer to get my vitamins from food, but it would seem that most Peaty foods contain minimal levels of B1. I wonder how others here deal with this, or do many of you take Energin and other supplements. I have read Red Sun cautioning against B vitamins when glucose oxidation is poor. At least I think that is what he was saying. Forgive me please if I have got this wrong. I am such a beginner.

 

[Tilly-J]

Have you investigated the possibility that you suffer from beriberi? Your symptoms point to a severe thiamine deficiency. Your diet is devoid in thiamine. Your diet is high sugar which exacerbates the thiamine deficiency.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Deficiency - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf

Anorexia is a symptom of thiamine deficiency.

Thiamine deficiency induces anorexia by inhibiting hypothalamic AMPK - PubMed

Obesity and eating disorders are prevailing health concerns worldwide. It is important to understand the regulation of food intake and energy metabolism. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is an essential nutrient. Thiamine deficiency (TD) can cause a number of disorders in humans, such as Beriberi and...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

thiamine deficiency and anxiety:

Thiamine supplementation reduces anxiety in severely alcohol dependent men – Atlas of Science

The caustic effects of alcohol on the gastrointestinal tract as well as lifestyle factors impacting dietary habits can lead to severe nutritional and vitamin deficiency in individuals with chronic alcoholism.

atlasofscience.org

Do you have a physician? Injections of thiamine hcl may be very helpful because you sound like this has been going on for a very long time. Otherwise you could simply try taking some thiamine hcl with water and evaluate what happens. When I took about 300mg of thiamine hcl I got complete relief within 45 minutes from my lactic acid inflammation and my temperature increased by a full degree.

additional links

You searched for beriberi - Hormones Matter

www.hormonesmatter.com

How Can Something As Simple as Thiamine Cause So Many Problems? - Hormones Matter

Is thiamine deficiency too simple to explain the devastating nature of the systemic adverse reactions to some vaccines and medications?

www.hormonesmatter.com

https://www.youtube.com/c/EONutrition/videos?view=0&sort=da&flow=grid excellent videos on thiamine; start with the oldest that address thiamine(set to be at the top but may not hold)

Thank you. I was just posting off to Young Sinatre when your so helpful reply arrived. At least three of you here have now suggested thiamine deficiency. I am totally convinced and thank you all for alerting me. I do not think my GP would understand if I asked for a B1 injection but I shall now most definitely persevere with getting my daily intake up to what you suggest, 300 mg, even if it does cause me headaches. Perhaps slowly upping my intake each day, will bring relief to some of my symptoms and, thereby, relief to my frazzled and anxious mind! Such a vicious circle. I can hardly believe that I have become this crazy being, when I set out to help myself. I do hope that I can reverse all this. May I please ask if you still take thiamine in supplement form (perhaps with a balance of other Bs) or whether you rely totally on food? And if the latter, how do you do that?

 

[Tilly-J]

If some of the recommended things backfire, do not get discouraged, people here talk like everything is surefire, but it is not as simple.
The best is to report any negative something.

Oh thank you. How did you know that I am feeling a little bit overwhelmed whilst at the same time so very grateful to all those who have reached out to me. As I said above, just learning how to use this Forum is proving quite an challenge and I know that I am not doing it right. I do hope that Blossom will not be upset by my mistakes.

 

[Gustav3Y]

Being bombarded with info when you are in good health can be overwhelming let alone when not feeling good at all.
For some dealing with a lot of intellectual subjects can cause more anxiety, especially if they aren't small intellectual talk (I think we can agree we have reach that point too in history)

 

[TheCalciumCad]

Replenishing NAD levels significantly reduces anxiety as most 'mood disorders' are from low NAD levels (due to chronic stress, malnourishment etc). If you can find a filler free Niacinamide powder and work upto say 250mg daily (with for example a large glass of OJ or a solid high carb meal) over a few weeks that should restore NAD levels and potentially improve alot of things aswell.

Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) For Lowering Stress & Anxiety? - Shut Up Mind!

Is niacinamide an effective treatment for anxiety and depression? Yup, it is!

shutupmind.com