New Here And Looking For Any Guidance That Can Be Given**

[mma22]

Hey guys, i have been perusing the website for a little while and hesitant to post because i have been trying to do things my way to get healthier but i cant reach it alone it seems. I will try and keep it as short as i can (even though it has been a long road). I am a 32 year old male who has for the better part of the last 10-15 years been dealing with issues. It was first brought on through my mother passing away when i was in high school. That was when i remember going through the first wave of symptoms. It was a huge stressor in my life and i do not deal with stress very well. I was fatigued often and had hormonal imbalances (acne, mood swings, etc). Then came the narcotics/alcohol phase for a few years to come which damaged my body even further. When i became sober around the age of 24, my body bounced back but showed moderate signs of hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. At age 25 i went through a terrible relationship and break up with a girlfriend and thats when things have never been the same. My energy levels are usually very low with bad crashes which will cripple me for days in my bed. I have seen multiple doctors and naturopaths. I have had multiple blood CBC's which showed high TSH and low FT4. They didn't test for any other thyroid unforntuately. I also did saliva tests for AF which usually showed something different every time but did always show very low neurotransmitters. My diet is very on point and very clean considering its the only thing i have complete control over. It seems any stressor, physical or mental sends me in a down ward spiral. The only thing i can do is work and i have no social life because i never know how i am going to feel. It has been this way for the past 6 years roughly. My symptoms have progressively gotten better and i do not have breakouts, as much fight or flight and mental fog as before but am still battling with the following:

- Cold limbs
- Low energy where i need to take a nap mid day almost everyday
- Not finding the right words to speak- Mental fog
- Cannot tolerate physical stress. I will become super wired and then crash for at least a day or two after
- De-personalization- I walk around like a zombie but when i feel good i have the most energy out of anyone.
- Electrolyte imbalance which gets temporarily better with sea salt water (I can actually feel my fingers becoming dry and wrinkly and thats when i know i am about to get tired and a crash is coming)
- Mood swings
- Bad anxiety
- Fight or flight with crashes right after
- Low libido
- Waking up in the morning somtimes nauseous and cant get energy for at least 30 minutes to get out
- Waking up in the middle of the night and also urinating at least twice in the middle of the night
- Super dry eyes in the middle of sleep at night

These are just to name a few. I have tried Dr Lams protocol for AF which really didn't help. I have tried Dr Wilsons protocol as well and it helped slightly but then i would have a crash that would set me back. I have tried a slew of herbs and literally have 100's of bottles of stuff in my house. I am currently on the following:

- Ashwagandha
- Adrenal extract from Dr Wilson
- Magenisum/ Calcium (split throughout the day
- Pantethine
- Digestive enzymes
- Licorice

I just added in 40 mg of DHEA and 10 mg micronized pregenolone. The pregnenolone has really helped increase my aldosterone as my fluid levels are more constant. I also have more energy and am feeling more lively and into life a little more (as weird as that sounds). I do however have itchy nipples which i assume means my estrogen levels are high.

I dont want to go on too much of a rant. But at this point i am going to an endocrinologist and just telling them to order the works. I am going to get full thyroid panel and ACTH stim test, dhea, preg, estrogen etc. Can anyone maybe give me some insight as to what exactly else to ask them to test. I want to make sure i get everything in one test and that way i can further identify what is going on. I have come along way but i need to take my life back and not "shotgunning" the problem. I havn't even been able to get into a relationship with anyone in years because it is super unfair considering i never know how i am going to feel. Any suggestions on the blood work or anything else for that matter would literally mean the world to me. Thanks again and sorry for the long post.

 

[Velve921]

Sorry to hear about your troubles my friend...hang in there!

Many people Im sure will chime in and be of assistance. A couple thoughts I have:

1. I would read Dr. Broda Barnes work on hypothyroidism. He will talk about his experiences with using temperature and pulse as guidance for his diagnosis.
2. I would read the book, "Rules of the Game" by Neil Strauss. This book can be largely helpful with mindset, social dynamics, and understanding authenticity in essence to improve relationships. This book is a quick read and you can do 1 lesson a day.

 

[mma22]

Thanks ewlevy1. I will look into both for sure. I have a script for t3 and am trying to avoid using it until i have more clarification on what is going on in my body. I know my thyroid is definitely not working correctly but am not sure if its due to secondary symptoms due to my adrenals being off. The toughest part of the whole thing is that there is so much conflicting info on different supplements to take from so many different sources. Until i found this website i was told pregenolone will increase cortisol but in fact many believe here it will lower it. I feel good on it (Maybe activating gaba receptors) but tried to exercise last week and crashed worse than i ever did. Maybe it was because i didn't have enough cortisol to compensate and made my adrenals work even harder on a burnt out system. What a roller coaster of emotions.

 

[Velve921]

I can understand your frustration. Before I came across Dr. Peat I was always under the impression that focusing on adrenal support is a good option for metabolic recovery and coping with stress. My understanding now is that focusing on adrenal support could be misguided as it should not be used as a primary source of energy. Also, through steroid pathways adrenal hormones appear to generally sit as a last resort and thyroid hormone sits at the top; in other words, I found by fixing thyroid function that everything else cleaned itself up with regards to improving energy and stress resistance. Focusing on thyroid and pregnenolone support was a strong beginning place for me as far as supplementation.

Foods and lifestyle choices that are instrumental in reducing stress for me thus far are:

Fruit, Orange juice, ice cream, salt, gelatin, coffee, milk, coconut oil, Epsom salt baths, and reducing exercise.

I coach professional athletes who are under constant stress, fruit, juice, ice cream, salt, coconut oil, coffee, and Epsom salt baths have been game changers for them; these are guys that may do 20 hours of hyperventilating activity a week; diet has been powerful for these adrenaline junkies, therefore I believe correcting the diet is paramount.

There are many other aspects of supplementation, foods and lifestyle choices that are a strong focus, but the above our my mac daddies for reducing stress.

 

[bluewren]

Welcome @mma22

Good luck on this voyage of discovery. Can I suggest you make changes slowly and carefully..... I went hell for leather and suffered consequences (anxiety, palpitations, insomnia amongst others).

This forum is full of valuable info, which will lead you to MORE valuable info. You are on a wonderful journey!

Good luck!

P.S. Prolactin would be a good addition to your blood request.

 

[mma22]

I can understand your frustration. Before I came across Dr. Peat I was always under the impression that focusing on adrenal support is a good option for metabolic recovery and coping with stress. My understanding now is that focusing on adrenal support could be misguided as it should not be used as a primary source of energy. Also, through steroid pathways adrenal hormones appear to generally sit as a last resort and thyroid hormone sits at the top; in other words, I found by fixing thyroid function that everything else cleaned itself up with regards to improving energy and stress resistance. Focusing on thyroid and pregnenolone support was a strong beginning place for me as far as supplementation.

Foods and lifestyle choices that are instrumental in reducing stress for me thus far are:

Fruit, Orange juice, ice cream, salt, gelatin, coffee, milk, coconut oil, Epsom salt baths, and reducing exercise.

I coach professional athletes who are under constant stress, fruit, juice, ice cream, salt, coconut oil, coffee, and Epsom salt baths have been game changers for them; these are guys that may do 20 hours of hyperventilating activity a week; diet has been powerful for these adrenaline junkies, therefore I believe correcting the diet is paramount.

There are many other aspects of supplementation, foods and lifestyle choices that are a strong focus, but the above our my mac daddies for reducing stress.

This is an eye opening concept. Going to try and read some threads on what you are talking about tonight and start focusing on thyroid. I appreciate you taking the time out to write this post. Its stuff like this that gives me a tad bit of hope and makes me push a little more to try and hone in on what is going on rather than the shotgun approach. I will do a little more reading and post back with any questions i may have. U da man.

 

[mma22]

Welcome @mma22

Good luck on this voyage of discovery. Can I suggest you make changes slowly and carefully..... I went hell for leather and suffered consequences (anxiety, palpitations, insomnia amongst others).

This forum is full of valuable info, which will lead you to MORE valuable info. You are on a wonderful journey!

Good luck!

P.S. Prolactin would be a good addition to your blood request.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I will add prolactin to my list. After reading about it im surprised they don't ask for prolactin labs more often. Ill have to read more in depth about it

 

[mma22]

Sorry to hear about your troubles my friend...hang in there!

Many people Im sure will chime in and be of assistance. A couple thoughts I have:

1. I would read Dr. Broda Barnes work on hypothyroidism. He will talk about his experiences with using temperature and pulse as guidance for his diagnosis.
2. I would read the book, "Rules of the Game" by Neil Strauss. This book can be largely helpful with mindset, social dynamics, and understanding authenticity in essence to improve relationships. This book is a quick read and you can do 1 lesson a day.

Hey man, took my temp today. Was 96.6 waking up and low heartbeats per min. I took 2.5 mcg of t3 twice today and my level was 98.6 all day. Might cut back a tad as i was little hot and temp went to 99 at once point. I felt awesome and remember what it feels to have a sense of life in me. Been trying to understand the diet a little more and have had oj with my meals to balance blood sugar. No crashes or hypo all day. I appreciate your responses.

 

[Richiebogie]

Hi mate!

You can plug your daily diet into Cronometer or NutritionData websites to check how much energy, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals you get each day.

The %Daily Values may have been determined based on a high seed/grain/legume diet. If you cut out these foods high in phytates you should be able to absorb more minerals from your food.

Similarly high oxalate foods like spinach can reduce absorption of calcium, so consider reducing them.

On the other hand you can use tannins in tea and coffee to deliberately reduce the uptake of iron. Men who don't give blood tend to get too much iron which hangs about in our tissues causing problems.

Glad you are already seeing positive results from your discoveries here.

 

[tara]

mma22

I have come along way but i need to take my life back and not "shotgunning" the problem.

One of the reasons I value Peat's work is because it gives a more comprehensive picture, not just shotgunning. Hope you find a way forward with this. I'd guess you've got good odds of getting improvements.

My diet is very on point and very clean considering its the only thing i have complete control over.

Want to spell this out a bit more - what have you been eating? Approximate calories?

- Magenisum/ Calcium (split throughout the day

May be wrth keeping this one, or making sure you get generous Ca and Mg from other sources.

- Digestive enzymes

I don't think this is something Peat generally recommends, but there are people here who report benefit from using digestive enzymes when the system is struggling to produce enough.

The herbs I have my doubts about.

I just added in 40 mg of DHEA

IIRC, that looks like quite a high dose of DHEA - maybe take a look at some of Haidut's posts on DHEA. If you feel good with the pregnenolone, I imagine that's doing you good. If not, you could drop it for now, and maybe consider it again in the future. Also probably OK to experiment with more of this one if you want to/if it seems to have good effects for you.

While you await further test results, if you have a numbers for TSH, that could be interesting, and you can also measure your own body temp and resting heart rate to get a bit of an idea of how your base metabolism is going on (along with calories) - these last two can also give you day to day/week to week indicators about the effects of changes you make.

If you haven't yet started on them, I'd recommend reading and/or listening to Peat's articles (Ray Peat) interviews, and other sources (Ray Peat Resources & Quotes | Ray Peat Forum). They can be challenging, but the more you read/listen, the easier it gets.

 

[raypeatclips]

I just added in 40 mg of DHEA

I do however have itchy nipples which i assume means my estrogen levels are high.

That dose of DHEA could raise estrogen, according to haiduts posts.

 

[Mittir]

Licorice is estrogenic. Young people makes about 12-15 mg of DHEA.
RP recommends upto 10 mg for male and there is good results
just from 2-3 mg. He mentioned that people got enlarged liver
from high dose of DHEA. He mentioned that excess DHEA can easily
convert to esrogen. 40mg is a very big dose. DHEA should be taken
with fat like butter or olive oil to minimise liver damage.
Here is RP's article on DHEA
Progesterone Pregnenolone & DHEA - Three Youth-Associated Hormones

 

[LUH 3417]

Hey guys, i have been perusing the website for a little while and hesitant to post because i have been trying to do things my way to get healthier but i cant reach it alone it seems. I will try and keep it as short as i can (even though it has been a long road). I am a 32 year old male who has for the better part of the last 10-15 years been dealing with issues. It was first brought on through my mother passing away when i was in high school. That was when i remember going through the first wave of symptoms. It was a huge stressor in my life and i do not deal with stress very well. I was fatigued often and had hormonal imbalances (acne, mood swings, etc). Then came the narcotics/alcohol phase for a few years to come which damaged my body even further. When i became sober around the age of 24, my body bounced back but showed moderate signs of hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. At age 25 i went through a terrible relationship and break up with a girlfriend and thats when things have never been the same. My energy levels are usually very low with bad crashes which will cripple me for days in my bed. I have seen multiple doctors and naturopaths. I have had multiple blood CBC's which showed high TSH and low FT4. They didn't test for any other thyroid unforntuately. I also did saliva tests for AF which usually showed something different every time but did always show very low neurotransmitters. My diet is very on point and very clean considering its the only thing i have complete control over. It seems any stressor, physical or mental sends me in a down ward spiral. The only thing i can do is work and i have no social life because i never know how i am going to feel. It has been this way for the past 6 years roughly. My symptoms have progressively gotten better and i do not have breakouts, as much fight or flight and mental fog as before but am still battling with the following:

- Cold limbs
- Low energy where i need to take a nap mid day almost everyday
- Not finding the right words to speak- Mental fog
- Cannot tolerate physical stress. I will become super wired and then crash for at least a day or two after
- De-personalization- I walk around like a zombie but when i feel good i have the most energy out of anyone.
- Electrolyte imbalance which gets temporarily better with sea salt water (I can actually feel my fingers becoming dry and wrinkly and thats when i know i am about to get tired and a crash is coming)
- Mood swings
- Bad anxiety
- Fight or flight with crashes right after
- Low libido
- Waking up in the morning somtimes nauseous and cant get energy for at least 30 minutes to get out
- Waking up in the middle of the night and also urinating at least twice in the middle of the night
- Super dry eyes in the middle of sleep at night

These are just to name a few. I have tried Dr Lams protocol for AF which really didn't help. I have tried Dr Wilsons protocol as well and it helped slightly but then i would have a crash that would set me back. I have tried a slew of herbs and literally have 100's of bottles of stuff in my house. I am currently on the following:

- Ashwagandha
- Adrenal extract from Dr Wilson
- Magenisum/ Calcium (split throughout the day
- Pantethine
- Digestive enzymes
- Licorice

I just added in 40 mg of DHEA and 10 mg micronized pregenolone. The pregnenolone has really helped increase my aldosterone as my fluid levels are more constant. I also have more energy and am feeling more lively and into life a little more (as weird as that sounds). I do however have itchy nipples which i assume means my estrogen levels are high.

I dont want to go on too much of a rant. But at this point i am going to an endocrinologist and just telling them to order the works. I am going to get full thyroid panel and ACTH stim test, dhea, preg, estrogen etc. Can anyone maybe give me some insight as to what exactly else to ask them to test. I want to make sure i get everything in one test and that way i can further identify what is going on. I have come along way but i need to take my life back and not "shotgunning" the problem. I havn't even been able to get into a relationship with anyone in years because it is super unfair considering i never know how i am going to feel. Any suggestions on the blood work or anything else for that matter would literally mean the world to me. Thanks again and sorry for the long post.

i'm responding to your post because i feel like i've been in a similar situation as you since i was a teen. i can't deal with stress well and it has negatively impacted my ability to socialize, achieve things that i want to achieve and build relationships with people. i feel like i've had a significant decline in health since breaking up with my boyfriend several years ago. the stress of the break up and my impotence or paralysis in being able to take on adult responsibilities has taken a huge toll on me.
i was really depressed, anxious, and anti-social so i began dr. wilson's protocol. it's hard to follow it perfectly but i abided the best i could. it did not help me at all. instead i became severely constipated and had to take tons of gb3 which would then give me loose stools. always had an anxious, overwhelming feeling of impending doom. couldn't really socialize because i was too busy judging everyone for eating sugar and then when i would cave and eat sugary things i would feel terrible about my lack of "will power". i think dr. wilson is a quack. i was really desperate to feel better. his writings are pretty anti-life and he's all about protecting yourself and cutting yourself off from the world and not getting raped. als

i don't have a specific illness, was seeing a functional medical dr for allergies at one point but he just told me to do a Mediterranean diet and take quercitin. just generally vague symptoms that manifest emotionally and physically.
i am 25 year old female and always had intense sweating/chills/feverish feelings since i can remember. i had surgery at 16 for hyperhidrosis of hands/feet (they clamp a nerve) but it just distributed the sweat to my trunk. my hands and feet will be super cold but still sweating. sometimes i will be walking in the winter and get drenched in sweat even though i feel like I'm not exerting that much energy. if I'm nervous or in a situation that makes me nervous (which is often) i sweat like crazy. strange though because people are always telling me I'm so zen and have such a calming presence.
i would wake up in the middle of the night to pee anywhere for 2-10 times. when i stopped taking the endoment supplements and following dr. wilson the frequency decreased. i still wake up but def not the amount that i used to. my adrenals will vibrate sometimes so i too was convinced i had adrenal fatigue and tried so many different indian and chinese herbs. including lots of acupuncture.

i experimented with psychedelics a lot in my late teens and 20s and had plenty positive experiences and profound insights but always oscillated between extremes of existence and could never really find my flow in life/heal from strange emotional & physical symptoms.

i have been reading dr. peat's writings the past few days and eating a bunch of fruit, milk, etc. and i feel better than i have felt in so long. i have been drinking raw milk for quite some time but was eating no sugar. was mostly just eating cooked veggies, sardines, lamb, and blue corn chips and sitting in my house too tired/depressed/mad to do anything.

the other night right before i discovered this forum, i was the closest to what i imagine people consider an anxiety attack. i felt so overwhelmed i went out and bought a pouch of tobacco but it didn't taste very good so i threw it out. next i got myself boylan's root beer since i could not find any mexican coke and i felt the most relaxed i have in months. drinking it was an automatic sedative which i desperately needed at that moment. also want to note that doing dr wilson's protocol my skin always had elevated red bumps and looked pretty shitty in general. people were always telling me i look tired. like i would be walking down the street and strangers would tell me "you look tired". the past few days my skin is super clean and even-toned, more so than it has been in forever.

like else someone said licorice is very estrogenic. i was drinking lots of herbal teas which definitely contributed to waking up 10 times a night to pee.

you mention mood swings - i was diagnosed as bipolar at 14 h/e only took antipsychotics for a brief time bc i was always paranoid regarding medical establishment even as a kid. its something i struggle with too but i can say that i feel really happy the past few days. and not the "I'm so happy i have to cry" extreme but just like i'm happy and chill. the entire time i was doing nutritional balancing i was either super depressed and having suicidal feelings or happy to the point of mania.