Hello And Thanks

[Nokoni]

Hello all. I'm a mid-sixties male in Northern Virginia, USA, and I've been benefiting tremendously from this community, so mostly I'd just like to express my gratitude.

First, thanks to Charlie and the other moderators for maintaining what is, for me, the greatest health resource that's ever existed. This is the only forum I've ever joined so my experience is somewhat meager, but the topics are comprehensive, the organization is sensible, the mods seem to be active and judicious, the functionality is very good, and the aesthetics are a pleasure. Great job all the way around.

And then many thanks to all the contributors, obviously, as well. I have been extremely impressed with the quality of discussion. The wealth of knowledge they bring to discuss, critique, extend, and explain Ray Peat's work is truly amazing. Original insights, illuminating debate, links to research, occasional humor -- all are greatly appreciated.

And special thanks to Haidut. I've been reading and studying Ray Peat for a long time, but I could never quite put it all together until discovering Haidut. How odd that it took a Bulgarian rebel, of all things, to translate Ray Peat into English. And as if that wasn't enough, he then proceeds to make many of the more inaccessible elements of the Peat project simple and practical with his wonderful supplements. As a result, all of the health issues I've accumulated over the years are at least ameliorated and some are gone. I look better, sleep better, and feel like a kid again, with better concentration and improved resilience, even pleasure, dealing with once dreaded chores. I feel like I've been transformed. What's more, because of a comment Haidut made with respect to sourcing, I've even been able to cure one of my cats of a nasty problem that made him miserable for years. He's on my desk as I write, and my gratitude is immense.

So thanks again to everyone. I'm very, very glad to be here.

 

[charlie]

I'm very, very glad to be here.

Glad you are here.

First, thanks to Charlie and the other moderators for maintaining what is, for me, the greatest health resource that's ever existed.

 

[Giraffe]

Welcome to the forum, @Don. Glad to hear that the forum helped you. Thank you for the kind words.

 

[Lilac]

I enjoyed reading this.

 

[Wagner83]

Hello, do you mind mentioning what was particularly helpful (supplements, diet etc...) ?

 

[Nokoni]

Hello, do you mind mentioning what was particularly helpful (supplements, diet etc...) ?

Certainly. I’m honored to be asked and delighted to comply. It’s the least I can do considering what I owe you and others.

My daily diet includes lots of sugar, lots of cheese, and a fair amount of gelatin. A burger with bun, a slice of pizza, a couple of eggs -- these each come up several times per week. Chicken and pork are infrequent. Here and there some banana bread or a couple of cookies. We cook most of our own food, and most things are cooked with coconut oil, some with butter. The sugar is sugar, not fruit. Much of the cheese is cheese sticks. The gelatin is regular jello with enough extra gelatin to make it almost rubber. So pretty standard Peatish except for the starch. Pretty minimal PUFA.

To compensate for lack of fruit I take supplements. The big four minerals for me are magnesium (couple ounces of mag bicarb following Dan Wich’s recipe), calcium (from cheese and one antacid daily), sodium (baking soda, salt), and potassium (K citrate), all several times per day. Then a bit of zinc and selenium daily, bit of lithium and copper weekly.

Vitamins A, D, and E are in Haidut’s ratio -- 10000, 2000, and 100 IU’s respectively, for each of 2 applications daily. Vitamin K, 12 mg. Vitamin C, as ascorbic acid, 1/8th tsp t.i.d. Vitamin B, one B50 b.i.d., and 1/8th tsp of both niacinamide and thiamine in a tsp or so of water splashed on my face, back, knees, etc. (The niacinamide is fantastic for arthritis.)

Cats and dogs include coffee, several cups per day, thyroid, 1/4 gr. b.i.d., aspirin, 10 gr. t.i.d, theanine, 100 mg b.i.d., taurine, 1/8th tsp t.i.d., creatine, 1/16th tsp b.i.d., pregnenolone, 10 mg b.i.d., DHEA, 3 mg b.i.d., and progesterone, a small dollop of Peat’s formula, b.i.d.

All of the above is essential, I believe, but it’s really only good enough to make me feel a bit better, and maybe somewhat slow my progression to the grave. Which brings us to Haidut’s little shop of magic.

Cyproheptadine is amazing. Mood much better, more relaxed, sleep better, and most importantly, gut issues gone, for both me and the cat. Sayo-friggin-nara and halle-friggin-lujah. I started with 1 drop, 1 drop, and 2 drops at night, which was good for the first week or so, then that became too much and I now take 1 drop each night.

Androsterone is likewise amazing. Much better outlook, much greater confidence, but only to an appropriate level, not to the chest-thumping level, and improved libido. You can actually hear the difference in the timbre of my voice. I take 1 drop t.i.d., initially on the coconuts, which I prefer, but which is not really convenient, so just on the skin now.

And then Oxidal, the last thing I tried, starting maybe a week ago. To me, that stuff is rocket fuel. It’d been sitting on the shelf for a month or so, other things I’m trying probably settled down enough, time to give it a try. Grab the little bottle, turn my wrist up, put a drop. Whoa! Oh yeah! It’s a blue dye, ferchrissakes, and it’s running all over! So I had a wrist Rorschach test for a couple days, but I felt it within minutes. A very nice little boost, nice and smooth, and it lasts quite a while. I tried it various places and it’s just a hassle to deal with. I really want this, but ay caramba, let’s just try it in water, see if it ruins the cup, stains my teeth. But no, no staining issues that way at all, and if anything, it’s even more effective than transdermal. One drop, a mere 400 teeny-tiny micrograms in the morning, and I feel great all day long, and then sleep like a teenager at night, wherein I might regain consciousness for one reason or another, and just snore on, like oh, it’s daylight out, snore some more, the cat’s at the door, yeah, in a bit, sweetie, snore on, the cat’s back, yeah, ok, guess I should get up now, but knowing if he went away I could sleep til noon. Like I said, like a teenager.

So nothing lasts forever, and tomorrow it may all come crashing down, but for the moment at least I feel very good, much better than merely well. And other folks, with a different genetic and environmental legacy, may fare differently as well. But I certainly wish you Godspeed in your quest and offer my sincere thanks to you and everyone here, and especially to Haidut, for whom the prayer “may he stay safe” is ever on my lips.

 

[lollipop]

@Don

Very interesting, thank you for sharing I also have greatly benefited from this forum and also, like you, appreciate the debate, new insights, clarity about Ray Peat's thoughts and ideas. A win-win forum.

 

[Wagner83]

Thanks a lot for your thorough reply, cyproheptadine has good feedback, did you get any weight gain on it?

I take 1 drop t.i.d., initially on the coconuts, which I prefer, but which is not really convenient, so just on the skin now.

Indeed it sounds like you are doing fairly well.

 

[Nokoni]

I enjoyed reading this.

Thank you very much.

@Don

Very interesting, thank you for sharing :) I also have greatly benefited from this forum and also, like you, appreciate the debate, new insights, clarity about Ray Peat's thoughts and ideas. A win-win forum.

My pleasure, and yes, an amazing resource.

Thanks a lot for your thorough reply, cyproheptadine has good feedback, did you get any weight gain on it?

Most welcome. Cypro did seem to increase hunger, and I may have gained a pound or two, but the extra hunger seems to have subsided. I'm tempted to credit the Oxidal but that's just a guess. Even so, I felt like the cypro took me from being notably sick (though I wasn't fully aware of it until I felt the improvement) to being significantly better, and if gaining some weight came with it then my ego would just have to suffer.