Fatigue & Brain Fog

[jsid]

^^^ Ok thank you. Funny, I have been tracking my calories the whole time and 2000 cals was def getting me no where as as site suggests. I was taking all sorts of vitamins as well so I can confirm that too! I think when I started hitting 2500k I noticed my anxiety just disappeared and life finally seemed a little bit easier. But of course I still had no energy and libido was sparse. But boy was it tough to get that down. There is no way I could have gotten down 3.5k. I dont know how these people were doing it. I think juice for me was a big help.

I think it took me about 3 months to finally be able to get in 3k. At this level I noticed my hunger came back and I could finally eat large meals and then be able to eat again an hour later with no problems. I finally feel like a bottomless pit again! I'll shoot for 3.5k this month then based on the site and report back. Perhaps this could help with the last bit of my issues and some much more needed energy.

Ironically, I have always been one of those type of people who could just eat whatever I wanted and never gain a single pound so underrating just destroyed me! Appreciate the comments and suggestions.

And sorry jsid, didnt mean to hijack your thread here, but hopefully all this can help you recover much faster than it took me.

Aha no worries man. Thanks again to everyone for all the replies!

 

[natedawggh]

Hey guys:

I'm very new to Dr.Peat but I've really liked what I've read so far. So a little about me I'm a 22 year old male 5'8.5 115 pounds. I deal with constant fatigue no matter how long I sleep for which has been going on for about 4 years.

Usually after 8 hours of sleep I'm way too tired to get up. It takes me about 10 hours have enough energy to get out of bed. I've had a sleep apnea test done which came back negative. I also deal with chronic brain fog 24/7. Lack of concentration,memory (which is terrible), unable to retain information,very low sex drive, hazy vision and basically never feeling completely in the moment (usually stuck in my head) I also have a very hard time putting on weight. Over the last 4 months I've cut out dairy, wheat, beef, avocado, pineapple, grains and alcohol. All things I'm sensitive too according to a food allergy test other than the grains. I've felt about a 30-40% improvement in fatigue and brain fog but I'm still affected by It every day. My diet consists of fruit like apples, bananas, organs, vegetables, chicken and salmon. I eat 3 meals a day. I also consume 2-3 L of reverse osmosis water a day.

Now a couple times over the course of the 4 years on nights I've drank alcohol heavily I've awoken feeling perfectly fine.This doesn't happen all the time just a few times.All symptoms gone and just a general feeling of how life should be. This feeling last for a couple hours before all my symptoms slowly return then I end up feeling worse than usual.

I've had some blood test done which are posted below. Would anyone have any insight on what could be going on. Really want to get my life going. Thanks!

DHEA/S 19 (Elevated) Range 3-10/pg/ml
Progesterone 23(Normal) Range 5-95
Androstenedione > 1000(Elevated) Range 151-350
Estrone 207 (Elevated) Range 30-58
Testosterone 77(Normal) Range 60-135
Estradiol 3 (Normal) Range 1-3
DHT 106
FSH 62 Range <125
LH 19 Range 10-25
So obviously really high numbers. Also my testosterone shows normal but for a 22 year old male I feel like it should be alot higher.

I also got a TH1 TH2 cytoken test done as I've read it contributes to brain fog. Alot of my numbers came back high and low.

IL 2 - High
INF Gamma - High
IL 4 - High
IL 17 - Low
IL 10 - High

I've also been checked for Lyme and Arthritis which came back negative. My Thyroid, Iron,Potassium,Calcium, and B12 levels are fine. So ya that's basically were I'm at now any feedback or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

WHOA STOP WITH THE WATER.
Seriously. You are drowning your body from the inside. If you have any sort of compromised metabolism, and you do, your body cannot properly manage the normal amount of water a person might get, let alone 2-3 liters a day. if you need more info on this go to Ray's website and read about water and thyroid. This is where your brain fog is coming from. Only drink when you're thirsty and add salt to your diet.
'
You said Thyroid is fine but what did you have tested. if you didn't have your T3 tested you need to, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't off, considering your other numbers (of course your TSH will be high, but doctor's don't recognize that as bad).

Yes, your T should be higher. Take a good zinc supplement (NOT one with soy or silica! People take these and then say Zinc doesn't work, they are stupid people).

Addition of vitamin E can lower estrogen (again, take natural, NOT synthetic)

Taking Niacinamide can increase your energy output and thus your Testosterone and brain energy. I take up to 3 grams a day divided, and at least 1.5 grams.

Magnesium Chloride can be a substitute for thyroid medication, and is excellent for health. Really everyone should be taking it all the time, and would very much improve your condition.

 

[tara]

Niacinamide: High doses may be fine and helpful to you, but beware that they can drop blood sugars fast and low for some people, because it facilitates sugar oxidation. Some people get headaches from high doses. But some people get losts of benefits from higher doses, and you might be one of them. I am not aware of any reason not to take more unless you get a bad reaction to it, for the reasons above - just giving you a heads up in case you try it and have trouble. Peat ususally recommends 50-100mg 2 or more times a day.

Peat usually recommends zinc in the form of oysters, rather than as supplements. Not saying you shouldn't use supplements, just putting Peat's view in here.

I agree about too much water.

 

[haidut]

Hey guys:

I'm very new to Dr.Peat but I've really liked what I've read so far. So a little about me I'm a 22 year old male 5'8.5 115 pounds. I deal with constant fatigue no matter how long I sleep for which has been going on for about 4 years.

Usually after 8 hours of sleep I'm way too tired to get up. It takes me about 10 hours have enough energy to get out of bed. I've had a sleep apnea test done which came back negative. I also deal with chronic brain fog 24/7. Lack of concentration,memory (which is terrible), unable to retain information,very low sex drive, hazy vision and basically never feeling completely in the moment (usually stuck in my head) I also have a very hard time putting on weight. Over the last 4 months I've cut out dairy, wheat, beef, avocado, pineapple, grains and alcohol. All things I'm sensitive too according to a food allergy test other than the grains. I've felt about a 30-40% improvement in fatigue and brain fog but I'm still affected by It every day. My diet consists of fruit like apples, bananas, organs, vegetables, chicken and salmon. I eat 3 meals a day. I also consume 2-3 L of reverse osmosis water a day.

Now a couple times over the course of the 4 years on nights I've drank alcohol heavily I've awoken feeling perfectly fine.This doesn't happen all the time just a few times.All symptoms gone and just a general feeling of how life should be. This feeling last for a couple hours before all my symptoms slowly return then I end up feeling worse than usual.

I've had some blood test done which are posted below. Would anyone have any insight on what could be going on. Really want to get my life going. Thanks!

DHEA/S 19 (Elevated) Range 3-10/pg/ml
Progesterone 23(Normal) Range 5-95
Androstenedione > 1000(Elevated) Range 151-350
Estrone 207 (Elevated) Range 30-58
Testosterone 77(Normal) Range 60-135
Estradiol 3 (Normal) Range 1-3
DHT 106
FSH 62 Range <125
LH 19 Range 10-25
So obviously really high numbers. Also my testosterone shows normal but for a 22 year old male I feel like it should be alot higher.

I also got a TH1 TH2 cytoken test done as I've read it contributes to brain fog. Alot of my numbers came back high and low.

IL 2 - High
INF Gamma - High
IL 4 - High
IL 17 - Low
IL 10 - High

I've also been checked for Lyme and Arthritis which came back negative. My Thyroid, Iron,Potassium,Calcium, and B12 levels are fine. So ya that's basically were I'm at now any feedback or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Btw, have you been tested for prolactin? Here is why:
http://www.kjim.org/journal/view.php?number=15554

"...Elevation in serum prolactin has been associated with increased dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or its sulfate (DHEAS) levels, suggesting that prolactin may play a role in adrenal androgen secretion1–3). Moreover hyperprolactinemia in women has been reported to be associated with multiple androgenic abnormalities as well as elevated adrenal androgens4–6). The association, however, has not been universal."

Given that your adrenal hormones are high, it may be a good idea to test for prolactin to see if it is causing some of your symptoms. I suspect it will be elevated as it affects thyroid function and yours seems to be low.

 

[kineticz]

Given that your adrenal hormones are high, it may be a good idea to test for prolactin to see if it is causing some of your symptoms. I suspect it will be elevated as it affects thyroid function and yours seems to be low.

Hi Haidut, sorry to pick your brains some more.

How does prolactin affect thyroid function?

 

[haidut]

Given that your adrenal hormones are high, it may be a good idea to test for prolactin to see if it is causing some of your symptoms. I suspect it will be elevated as it affects thyroid function and yours seems to be low.

Hi Haidut, sorry to pick your brains some more.

How does prolactin affect thyroid function?

By burdening the liver and decreasing the conversion of T4 into T3. The increased estrogen and serotonin will also harm the liver. Also, I think prolactin directly increases TSH which would make it essentially a thyroid inhibitor.

 

[jimmyquick]

Given that your adrenal hormones are high, it may be a good idea to test for prolactin to see if it is causing some of your symptoms. I suspect it will be elevated as it affects thyroid function and yours seems to be low.

Hi Haidut, sorry to pick your brains some more.

How does prolactin affect thyroid function?

By burdening the liver and decreasing the conversion of T4 into T3. The increased estrogen and serotonin will also harm the liver. Also, I think prolactin directly increases TSH which would make it essentially a thyroid inhibitor.

Good thread!

Now I know why I have absolutely zero energy whenever my lab work shows high prolactin.

 

[haidut]

Given that your adrenal hormones are high, it may be a good idea to test for prolactin to see if it is causing some of your symptoms. I suspect it will be elevated as it affects thyroid function and yours seems to be low.

Hi Haidut, sorry to pick your brains some more.

How does prolactin affect thyroid function?

By burdening the liver and decreasing the conversion of T4 into T3. The increased estrogen and serotonin will also harm the liver. Also, I think prolactin directly increases TSH which would make it essentially a thyroid inhibitor.

Good thread!

Now I know why I have absolutely zero energy whenever my lab work shows high prolactin.

Yeah, and it's not only prolactin to blame. Basically, pituitary and thyroid (oxidative metabolism) are antagonistic to each other. I your pituitary is overactive as shown by high GH, prolactin, TSH, ACTH, etc this usually means oxidative metabolism is in the drain. I guess if only ACTH is up and the other pituitary hormones are down then you may at least be running on adrenals (cortisol and adrenalin). That's not good either since it's basically Chushingoid metabolism. But your best bet is (if you can achieve it) low pituitary and high thyroid activity.

 

[oxidation_is_normal]

Now a couple times over the course of the 4 years on nights I've drank alcohol heavily I've awoken feeling perfectly fine.This doesn't happen all the time just a few times.All symptoms gone and just a general feeling of how life should be.

jsid, this is interesting to me because I have had the exact same experience. I don't drink often, and drinking heavily doesn't usually result in it... But yes, about 4 times I've had insane clarity after a night of heavy drinking. Woke up super sober on my own before 8am, lasted many hours. The only thing I can think of is the alcohol wiping out nasty stuff in the gut (it worked best with absinthe). It's pretty amazing, so I'm still curious about the causes.

 

[jsid]

Now a couple times over the course of the 4 years on nights I've drank alcohol heavily I've awoken feeling perfectly fine.This doesn't happen all the time just a few times.All symptoms gone and just a general feeling of how life should be.

jsid, this is interesting to me because I have had the exact same experience. I don't drink often, and drinking heavily doesn't usually result in it... But yes, about 4 times I've had insane clarity after a night of heavy drinking. Woke up super sober on my own before 8am, lasted many hours. The only thing I can think of is the alcohol wiping out nasty stuff in the gut (it worked best with absinthe). It's pretty amazing, so I'm still curious about the causes.

Ya tell me about it lol. It's so frustrating because it's almost like a tease of how amazing life could be. I've upped my calories and took alot of advice that I've recived here and I'm feeling a bit better but have a long ways to go. I've also ordered a comprehensive gut test to see if there's anything nasty going on in my stomach so I'll let you know what the results are!

Also just a personal question what's your height and weight? I'm finding alot of people with brain fog issues are underweight. Just curious on my end lol.

 

[gretchen]

Reduce your blue light exposure. Use blue blocker glasses and/or a blue light cut on your browser. Get sunlight (for red light) from 8-11 in the morning. To reset your brain, go outside as soon as you get up in the morning. Reduce all light after dark and try to get to sleep as early as possible. At night when you go to sleep, set your phone to airplane to reduce EMF.

Work on your diet only after you've dealt with the sleep and light issue.

 

[IWishIWasRich]

My diet consists of fruit like apples, bananas, organs, vegetables, chicken and salmon. I eat 3 meals a day. I also consume 2-3 L of reverse osmosis water a day.

Unless you are eating an absolutely ridiculous amount of bananas there is no way you are getting even close to enough calories.

Where's the fat? add in some coconut oil.
Try goat milk/cheese (preferably raw) if you're sensitive to cow dairy.
Drop the chicken and salmon and eat some lean white fish and other seafood instead.
Some starches might help too. Potatoes, yams, masa harina, sourdough bread. See what works best for you.
Drop that fancy water and drink some fruit juice instead. 2-3 L of extra fluid is probably to much, try 1 L.
Also oysters and liver. Everyone should be eating oysters and liver

Forget those blood tests for now. Try getting up to 3000-4000 kcal a day first.


I would also be interest in when and how your problems started. Most of us seem to have very similar problems. Lots of early 20's males too.
Really starting to think that staying inside and staring into a computer screen all youth while probably masturbating way too much has something to do with it..

Oh yeah right, stop masturbating!
Find an ejaculation frequency that works best for you once your libido is back (1-2 times per month is a good place to start)

He's 5'8'' and aparently doesn't even exercise, why would you need 4000kcal a day? j**** c****. I hope you are at least doing gym and whatnot.
According to my calculations shouldnt around 2900 be enough?

How do you guys keep track of calories and macros anyway? I tried once, and I was definitely undereating, at around 1800, but considering I basically sit all day and walk for like 40 minutes on a treadmill I have at home, I don't feel like eating more.

 

[IWishIWasRich]

Reduce your blue light exposure. Use blue blocker glasses and/or a blue light cut on your browser. Get sunlight (for red light) from 8-11 in the morning. To reset your brain, go outside as soon as you get up in the morning. Reduce all light after dark and try to get to sleep as early as possible. At night when you go to sleep, set your phone to airplane to reduce EMF.

Work on your diet only after you've dealt with the sleep and light issue.

I suffer from similar stuff (see my thread) and in the morning its mission impossible going out. As I explained in my thread, after I have my banana milkshake and OJ and I attempt to go the gym, I just want to sleep a lot, it sucks. Its 5 in the morning now! yep im ****88, but at night its when i feel better (still not ok but better than when I wake up). Even if I go to 1 in the morning to sleep, I wake up at 9 feeling like ***t.
Should I force myself to wake up and go to the gym for a week, get some sun and eat more even if it feels like ***t at the begining?
I also hope the mineral supplement i bought will work, I also bought k2 by thorne. Other than that I dont take any other supplements.

When I think about eating more tho, I dont even know what to eat. Should I just increase the quantiy of whatever I eat regularly? my mom cooks so I can modify breakfast and evening meal (I have 4 meals daily).
Would an easy way be to drink more milk? I have milk 2 times daily, so I could increase the quantiy since its usually just a regular glass size, what if I change glass to bowl size?
I dont know, here is my thread for more info:
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=6581
Im 5'9'' and about 125 lbs

 

[IWishIWasRich]

Reduce your blue light exposure. Use blue blocker glasses and/or a blue light cut on your browser. Get sunlight (for red light) from 8-11 in the morning. To reset your brain, go outside as soon as you get up in the morning. Reduce all light after dark and try to get to sleep as early as possible. At night when you go to sleep, set your phone to airplane to reduce EMF.

Work on your diet only after you've dealt with the sleep and light issue.

I already set it to airplane mode EMF and use Flux for the computer screen and phone screen.
What are other methods to redude EMF?

 

[tara]

He's 5'8'' and aparently doesn't even exercise, why would you need 4000kcal a day? j**** c****. I hope you are at least doing gym and whatnot.
According to my calculations shouldnt around 2900 be enough?

How do you guys keep track of calories and macros anyway? I tried once, and I was definitely undereating, at around 1800, but considering I basically sit all day and walk for like 40 minutes on a treadmill I have at home, I don't feel like eating more.

No need to be rude.
Some people benefit from gym, some don't - depends on state of metabolism etc.
You've probably got a bit of catching up to do foodwise too - don't hold back if you get hungry for 4000 cals or more yourself (this viewpoint of mine comes from youreatopia, not Peat).

 

[IWishIWasRich]

Why is J**** C**** censored? lol

And no, there's no way i can stuff 4000kcals without feeling like puking. 2900 seem enough to make progress in the gym. Not having a good body is depressing so I have no other options than working out to fix that.
The problem is the ones I explaiend in my thread, something is making me tired (I haven't been at the gym for a year now, so that's out of the equation).

 

[tara]

Why is J**** C**** censored? lol

Read the rules: 1.a. Be polite and respectful.

 

[tara]

And no, there's no way i can stuff 4000kcals without feeling like puking. 2900 seem enough to make progress in the gym. Not having a good body is depressing so I have no other options than working out to fix that.
The problem is the ones I explaiend in my thread, something is making me tired (I haven't been at the gym for a year now, so that's out of the equation).

I am not suggesting you stuff 4000 cals into yourself if you are not hungry for it. The 2900 you mention may be enough for you, although if you are pushing yourself hard and frequently in the gym you may need more. But I do suggest that if your appetite starts demanding 4000 cals or more, don't hold back. Because you seem to have been undereating for a while, your body probably has a bit of rebuilding to do. Sometimes this requires extra energy, as signalled by extra hunger.
Undereating is a fairly common straightforward cause of not having sufficient energy to meet demands.

 

[pboy]

jesus forgives you

 

[oxidation_is_normal]

Height 5'9'
Weight 165lbs
I've never been underweight - always very athletic. You eat gluten?