No Biofeedback, Ever?

[Lecarpetron]

Hi all, I’m a 32 y/o female who has been following Peat/Matt Stone/NaPD for almost a year. I have a history of skeletal developmental issues (craniosynostosis, multiple osteochondroma), and I started focusing on nutrition about a year ago when out of nowhere I was diagnosed with osteoporosis.

I feel like I’ve been eating everything with 4 legs but the table, raw milk+OJ but not overdoing liquids, avoiding vegetable oil, etc. I quit running. I added 2 tabs of NDT, progest E, and some other stuff, but...I feel like nothing ever changes. Good or bad. And I’m definitely paying attention. I read so much on here that’s like “if I eat old meat, my left eyebrow twitches for 16 minutes.” “If I drink more than 3.68 oz coffee, I get heart palpitations.” “Aspirin makes my left nostril think about bleeding.” But I never get ANY of this biofeedback!

I suspected supps weren’t working because I simply wasn’t eating enough. But whenever I do a random cronometer check, I’m at 2500 cal with nothing obvious missing. Should I be eating more? More thyroid? Do I just give it more time? Be stricter about things like gluten and starch? Something just isn’t right if I can drink half a bottle of progest E and not even feel calm, let alone anesthetic effects.

I fail every measure of healthy metabolism at this point. Very slow digestive transit (I need 1 T Natural Calm and 1 tsp Hydro C in the morning at least), insomnia, teeth are a mess, poor energy, acne/dry skin. I try to be patient because I know I am trying to correct generations of severe undereating, but dang, I need a sign that something is going in the right direction. Has anyone else ever experienced this complete and total lack of biofeedback?! Oh, wait - I experienced one “good” thing, I got my period back, but it came with horrific cramps and acne so I don’t know if that counts

It was a toss-up where to post this, I picked digestion because I think that's my worst issue.

 

[artemis]

Welcome to the forum, Lecarpetron!

Haha, I was just thinking this same thing this morning. I can eat literally ANYTHING, and cannot discern any reaction/response to it. I ate super-clean for 6 weeks (no processed food at all), didn't feel any different. Then said "the hell with it" and splurged on pizza, fast food, whatever, ate a bunch of candy this past Easter, etc. Felt no difference at all. Most folks on here seem so super in-tune with their digestion that if they accidentally eat a pea, they will experience gastro distress for a few days! I can't relate. And like you, I am definitely paying attention. It's weird.

 

[SarahBeara]

You guys just need to get in touch with your inner hypochondriac like the rest of us. :p

But seriously, it's not a blessing at all to feel all your stress in your gut. It makes me feel quite fragile and I think the definition of good health is resilience to occasional non-healthy things.

 

[Lecarpetron]

Thanks, guys. I do wish I could "feel" stress because then I could more quickly assess whether changes are actually removing the stress. I know the stress is there - or else I would have fast digestion, I'd be able to fall asleep, my teeth wouldn't break, etc. The only thing I'm resilient to is stress removal effort!

A common trope in my profession is that there is rarely a smoking gun solution to a problem, but rather a combination of little things more likely comprises "the" solution. But I feel like it's impossible to tinker with combinations of little things when I get zilcho biofeedback.

 

[Parsifal]

Check your temps and hearth rate to see variations of your metabolic rate.

 

[Lecarpetron]

HR pretty constant at ~80.

Temps good on waking (97.8-98.2 depending on cycle), but then plummet soon after and don't hit 98.6 until around 2pm. Then they stay high, sometimes still 99.0 at bedtime, frustrating. I tried Steve Richfield's Fix Your Bodytemp hot shower/dress like an eskimo routine and that didn't really do anything. The millisecond I stepped out of the shower my temp went back down.

This is part of the no biofeedback I'm complaining about - I try to stuff my face/get sunshine/move (as much as possible with my desk job) during mid-morning and it seems nothing will warm me up before 2pm.

 

[Parsifal]

Where are you taking temps? Under the tongue?

 

[Lecarpetron]

Yep, under the tongue. I let the thermometer sit there for a minute to warm up before I turn it on.

 

[squanch]

history of skeletal developmental issues
osteoporosis
teeth are a mess

Just came here to say you should definitely give k2 (mk4) in higher doses a try.
Also some magnesium (mg bicarb or mg chlorid).

 

[Lecarpetron]

Thanks, Skally. Currently doing 1 drop with 1 drop Nutrisorb and 5000 IU D3. Maybe I will go for broke and megadose K2.

 

[Sheila]

Dear Artemis, and by extension, Lecareptron, and welcome here.

I find it extra-ordinary that you, Artemis, of all people should refer to zero gut feedback. Your art is out of this world, just stunning, so I presumed you would be so in touch internally!
But obviously that thought is quite wrong, an absolute non sequitor. Maybe your world is entirely digestible to you, thus no symptoms there? Move along nicely please, nothing to see?
Could you express symptoms elsewhere per chance? Changes in nervous system demenour or your ability to express yourself with your art?
Are your painted angels suddenly wonky or something after fast food? Or is it that you eat with joy, gay abandon or something and thus what you eat is incidental?
I have often wondered what part unconscious patterns, programs, thoughts have regarding our well-being eg. who we believe we are, what energy we believe we have, how safe the world is for us.
I would welcome your thoughts Artemis and please forgive my thread-jack Lecareptron, it might just help us both.
Thank you
Sheila

 

[mayweatherking]

yeah i hyper evaluate my body... it is not really a good thing, be happy you dont have nostrils tht clog or other random issues like your eyebrow twitching.. basically no magnesium going into the cell lol.

i'd say bloodwork is your best bet.. haidut has said prolactin is one of the best indicators of health status on the roddy show... ive been doing vit D, prolactin, and cholesterol to test myself and see where i'm at. if my cholesterol is low, it tells me i need to eat more sugar, if my prolactin or D is off, those are also signs i need to change something. get more calcium, get more D so the calcium gets to where it needs to go type stuff.

 

[Diokine]

Cool thread, I love paying attention the clues my body is giving me.

I think in some regard it is good to experience a reaction from food or something else, like noxious chemicals. One could imagine that in states where energy production is low throughout the body, influence of estrogen is high, androgens are low, doing something like eating a whole pizza or being in a car with gnarly air fresheners might not effect you as much.

If you are cruising with pretty good metabolism, then you might experience some disruption, increased serotonin, histamine, etc. If you have an incredible metabolism, and don't react to anything... we can envy you. I've found a few markers that really clue me in to what's up, besides typical gastric distress or diarrhea or something.

- That sneezy feeling. This can be caused directly by serotonin release (or activation) and is a really good indicator of that kind of activity in the body. If I sneeze at all after coffee in the morning, I'll know that my body is a little more sensitive to serotonin and histamine than usual. This can be caused by blood sugar dropping too low during sleep, long cloudy days, whatever. I'll try to get more sunlight that morning before I go to work, and I'll try to be exposed to bright sunlight squinting as much as I can. I have to walk between two buildings are work pretty regularly, so this is really convenient.

- Tension in my face or "stiff" eyelids, especially the left one. This tends to show up when my temps are running a little low, thyroid status is a little depressed, hands and face aren't warm and pink. I typically take it to mean thyroid function is inhibited and my cells mitochondrion aren't phosphorylating oxidatively. Sometimes I just feel kind of this way throughout the day, and not much helps. I'll try and focus on a lot breathing techniques and pump sugar, salt, and sunshine. Salted, fresh ripe OJ with a little bit of magnesium bicarbonate and 5 minutes outside in direct sunlight will usually set me up for at least a a few hours.

- Plugged nostril/s or clogged sinuses in the morning. I'll sometimes get pain or pressure in my ears. Something really knocked me out of whack here. Might hit some aspirin.

- Incredible fatigue, both eyelids heavy, need a nap. This is almost always the result of eating something that has a lot of PUFA and is glutaminergic, for instance chinese food. Happens with things you think might be safe but are loaded with MSG like substances and lots of PUFA (like nearly everything)

What else do you guys notice?

 

[artemis]

Dear Artemis, and by extension, Lecareptron, and welcome here.

I find it extra-ordinary that you, Artemis, of all people should refer to zero gut feedback. Your art is out of this world, just stunning, so I presumed you would be so in touch internally!
But obviously that thought is quite wrong, an absolute non sequitor. Maybe your world is entirely digestible to you, thus no symptoms there? Move along nicely please, nothing to see?
Could you express symptoms elsewhere per chance? Changes in nervous system demenour or your ability to express yourself with your art?
Are your painted angels suddenly wonky or something after fast food? Or is it that you eat with joy, gay abandon or something and thus what you eat is incidental?
I have often wondered what part unconscious patterns, programs, thoughts have regarding our well-being eg. who we believe we are, what energy we believe we have, how safe the world is for us.
I would welcome your thoughts Artemis and please forgive my thread-jack Lecareptron, it might just help us both.
Thank you
Sheila

Hi Sheila,

Thank you so much for the kind words about my art.

I have indeed always eaten with abandon. I love food, love to eat -- I can honestly say that I have yet to find a food that I don't like. I have been told that I touch my food a lot, though I'm not aware of that. I've been this way for as long as I can remember, I could eat more than anyone around me. Just love that full, satiated feeling. But it never lasts long, I'm always hungry again in a few hours. Here it is midnight and I'm having another meal before I go to bed.

I can always paint, whether I've eaten junk food or clean food, whether I'm in a good mood or a bad mood, whether I'm by myself and it's perfectly quiet, or there's a house full of other workers doing loud work around me. The only time I really can't paint is when I'm hungry! So no, there's no effect on my work no matter what I've eaten. All that seems to matter is that I have eaten something!

As far as expressing symptoms elsewhere, I guess I do, over this past year especially. This has been the worst year of my life health-wise. I started having really high blood sugar last April, at least that's when I discovered it (started "Peating" the previous November). Even went to the ER once. They gave me an Rx for Metformin, which I took for a month, it didn't work. Then I decided I was not going to go down that traditional meds route, and started seeing a naturopath. Nothing improved with her, either (that's when I did the 6 weeks of super-clean eating). After hearing my symptoms and looking over my bloodwork again, she said there was a good chance that I had parasites. You may remember this, you were kind enough to offer some help back then. I've done all sorts of pharmaceuticals and herbs and cleanses, over and over, and I'm pretty certain I don't have them anymore, yet my high blood sugar remains. I haven't posted much lately due to being super busy with work, but also because I just don't have anything new to report. I'm still struggling with the same problem. I've tried everything I've seen on here: haidut had a post about high-dose aspirin, I tried that. He also had a post about high-dose biotin, I tried that too. And the other B vitamins, brewer's yeast, and all the rest. Tried various herbs that the naturopath suggested, meditation, etc. -- no change. It seems like some switch was flipped a year ago, and I just can't seem to flip it back. Blood glucose is stuck around 300 no matter what I do. I'm at a loss. Guess I'll go get some more blood work done and go from there.

Really sorry for hijacking the thread. Mods feel free to move.

 

[Sheila]

Dear Artemis, thank you, so you have one bio-feedback 'tell' - hunger! I'm sure there's something profound here for you in this, but I know not what!

And dear Lecarpetron, you are restoring yourself much earlier than many on here, so please take heart. Many of us older girls (the others are going to hate that!) are living proof that much is possible!
That your periods have recommenced is great, they are a real canary-in-the coalmine for many, despite your current pain. Definitely progress. Definitely a communication.
So now perhaps you can watch them and work on what makes them easier etc., maybe aspirin a few days in advance will help, is one month different to another, and see what you pick up from there - what you want to try, to eat, to do rather than what is sometimes considered 'standard operating procedure' here.

Soren, at post #4, wrote the most beautiful piece today about his journey, and that it is, and has to be, different for each of us.
Hello. My Story, Success With Peat And Health Interests
I hope it helps to give you strength for your next steps.
All the best,
Sheila

 

[Lecarpetron]

Mayweather, bloodwork sounds like foolproof biofeedback, I just moved so am looking for a doctor who won't think all of this is crazy.

Thanks for the kind words, Sheila Plato's cave allegory is perfect. I think I'm at the stage of watching everyone else frolic in sunlight and desperately wanting to join, but seeing 9 billion potential paths there and not sure which to try next.

And keep posting your strongest/best biofeedback...they are so interesting to those of us who just get radio silence!!

 

[tara]

Lecarpetron

I read so much on here that’s like “if I eat old meat, my left eyebrow twitches for 16 minutes.” “If I drink more than 3.68 oz coffee, I get heart palpitations.” “Aspirin makes my left nostril think about bleeding.” But I never get ANY of this biofeedback!

Lol. I seldom get anything this clear either, and I always wonder at those that do.

You guys just need to get in touch with your inner hypochondriac like the rest of us. :p

Yep, under the tongue. I let the thermometer sit there for a minute to warm up before I turn it on.

Mine (digital) takes more than 5 mins to warm up.

As another possible factor to consider - how's your breathing? Habitually relaxed, nasal, diaphragmatic? At night too?

 

[Lecarpetron]

Eh, I have sinus issues but try not to mouth breathe...tongue pushed on roof of mouth, plus I use the Lip Trainer Patakara. Definitely room for improvement with breathing relaxed/from the diaphragm, and who knows how I breathe at night. I would not have guessed that this would be a "low hanging fruit," so thanks for the suggestion tara!

 

[tara]

I would not have guessed that this would be a "low hanging fruit," so thanks for the suggestion tara!

I've not heard of the lip trainer. Is that to strengthen your lips and surrounding muscles so they stay shut more easily the rest of the time? Sounds cool. How do you find it?

The lowest hanging fruit for me on this was taping my mouth shut at night (for more than a year) and a couple of stints with a belt round my chest to get my diaphragm activated. And just knowing it's important.
Along with Buteyko and others, Peat recognises the importance of good CO2 levels for lots of functions. Can make a difference quite quickly to relaxation - even just a couple of gentle breath holds can sometimes give me some noticable relaxation - does that count as biofeedback?:) Peat has suggested bag breathing a few times a day. There are few threads with various ideas people have used.

 

[Lecarpetron]

Exactly. It's all the rage in Japan, they claim it helps not only with oral posture but also with neurological issues, digestion, and acne. I ordered it online, it didn't come with English instructions but I watched a YouTube video.

Off to read bag breathing threads