Scalp Itchiness After Started Peating

[Waynish]

I wonder about topical anti-fungals... Like rinsing the scalp with an essential oil & salt bath - potentially even with turpentine.

 

[Kelj]

I wonder about topical anti-fungals... Like rinsing the scalp with an essential oil & salt bath - potentially even with turpentine.

Coconut oil is anti- fungal. Pine tar soap is anti-itch.

 

[Motif]

Coconut oil is anti- fungal. Pine tar soap is anti-itch.

Overtraining and undereating is Intersting.

I'm skinny, but pretty muscular.
Maybe way too little protein for me?

 

[Jamesme]

Hi,

I've suffered from head itching and hair loss for 15 years (mpb), in the last six months after lots of research and experimenting i've managed to stop the itching and move my hairline forward about a 1cm and it continues to get better.

This is my theory which relates to my hair loss and may not be the reason for anyone else's.

I worked out that these were the times when my head started itching which i conclude are all related to heat:

1/ Heavy exercise and/or frequent sauna use, lots of head itching after;
2/ holidays in hot country's, i was sweating like a mad man when everyone else seemed not too, lots of head itching after being out in the sun;
3/ not washing hair for 2 to 3 days or using hair gel, lots of itching if i didn't wash hair for a few days and same day itching if i used hair gel;
4/ gluten, i guess itching from inflammation.
5/ eating anything sugary starts the head itching straight away, i guess the sugar raises metabolism and produces more heat

So, my 'theory' is this, the body is getting too hot and wants too release the heat via the top of your head, if something is blocking the heat from being released it releases histamine to start you itching. My metabolism and body temperature were very low from years of under eating and work stress.

The pores on the top of the head which release the heat are becoming blocked by sebum or dirt/hair gel.Whilst Inflammation squashes the pores and stops them releasing heat. All guess work.

My second part is related to the liver. I've had liver problems previously and when i do the sebum (which only seems to be released in the mpb area) increases 10 fold, when i fixed my liver problem the sebum reduced. More sebum, more blocked pores < only in the mbp area.

I tried everything to stop the itching, inc nizoral shampoo which helped but didn't stop it, what did stop it though was 50/50 acv/water left on overnight. Ths acv may have dissolved what was blocking the pores.

What has helped my hair regrowth is dermastamp and massage also taurine. Does the dermastamp and massage clear out the pores, i don't know.

So it probably all starts with low metabolism which lowers body temperature. When you try and increase the body temperature the itching starts.

I took me a long time to get my body temperature up without starting all the itching.

When you start getting the itch you could try rinsing your head in very cold water and see if it helps.

I may have it all wrong but that's what worked for me, good luck.

 

[Bushido1]

Hi,

I've suffered from head itching and hair loss for 15 years (mpb), in the last six months after lots of research and experimenting i've managed to stop the itching and move my hairline forward about a 1cm and it continues to get better.

This is my theory which relates to my hair loss and may not be the reason for anyone else's.

I worked out that these were the times when my head started itching which i conclude are all related to heat:

1/ Heavy exercise and/or frequent sauna use, lots of head itching after;
2/ holidays in hot country's, i was sweating like a mad man when everyone else seemed not too, lots of head itching after being out in the sun;
3/ not washing hair for 2 to 3 days or using hair gel, lots of itching if i didn't wash hair for a few days and same day itching if i used hair gel;
4/ gluten, i guess itching from inflammation.
5/ eating anything sugary starts the head itching straight away, i guess the sugar raises metabolism and produces more heat

So, my 'theory' is this, the body is getting too hot and wants too release the heat via the top of your head, if something is blocking the heat from being released it releases histamine to start you itching. My metabolism and body temperature were very low from years of under eating and work stress.

The pores on the top of the head which release the heat are becoming blocked by sebum or dirt/hair gel.Whilst Inflammation squashes the pores and stops them releasing heat. All guess work.

My second part is related to the liver. I've had liver problems previously and when i do the sebum (which only seems to be released in the mpb area) increases 10 fold, when i fixed my liver problem the sebum reduced. More sebum, more blocked pores < only in the mbp area.

I tried everything to stop the itching, inc nizoral shampoo which helped but didn't stop it, what did stop it though was 50/50 acv/water left on overnight. Ths acv may have dissolved what was blocking the pores.

What has helped my hair regrowth is dermastamp and massage also taurine. Does the dermastamp and massage clear out the pores, i don't know.

So it probably all starts with low metabolism which lowers body temperature. When you try and increase the body temperature the itching starts.

I took me a long time to get my body temperature up without starting all the itching.

When you start getting the itch you could try rinsing your head in very cold water and see if it helps.

I may have it all wrong but that's what worked for me, good luck.

Thanks for the long response.

What you are saying there actually can be applied to my situation.

I wasn't experiencing any itching while in a low carb (0 sugar) diet and then as soon as I started eating sugar and foods that raised my body temperature I started experiencing itching.

Now that my body temperature is achieving healthier levels, around 97.5F after breakfast (it was 96.5F before) the itching is slowly subsiding.

Could you please expand on the complete regimen that you used to progress the hairline 1cm? That is insane!

I have been eating a strict Danny Roddy/Peat diet for over 2 months now but my hairline hasn't seen any improvements at all. Not sure if I should do something else besides of focusing on diet to work on that.

Also, it would be great if you could put some before/after pics for inspiration! (you can always blur your eyes or crop the picture)

 

[Motif]

Whether it is fungus or allergy, the symptom of itchiness or any other symptom is a result of your immune system reacting to a threat to the health of the body. It is well known in eating disorder recovery circles, this response of the body when it is finally being given enough calories and the nutrients that come with those calories. When restricting, people report feeling no pain or unpleasant symptoms. The body is not able to repair much. There is no energy for it. Then, when they begin to eat more, they suddenly feel shocking amounts of pain and other symptoms of repair. They wonder, what is going on? I'm eating now. Shouldn't I be feeling better? What is causing the symptoms of pain, itching, aching or anything else, is the body being nourished by enough calories for energy and glucose (absolutely necessary for every cell) and the nutrients for building blocks. It is healing that causes pain. Until this fact is absorbed, people are going to continue to focus on the pain as the problem to be eliminated no matter how and take NSAID's or worse to stop the pain which stops the healing, too. This is how pain becomes chronic. The only thing that sugar is doing, is balancing the system. The body knows how much sugar it needs and from what source. If eating in a completely intuitive manner causes unpleasant symptoms, trust your body is working to correct it's issues which have been caused by restriction and the symptoms will end on their own when the repair is complete. If you never restrict again, your body will tweak everything that needs to be tweaked during the night, every night, without your being aware of it. That is a true state of health achieved.

I upped my sugar extremely a year ago. Absolutely nothing changed.

 

[somuch4food]

I upped my sugar extremely a year ago. Absolutely nothing changed.

If you read the post carefully, it's not really sugar... It's as much calories and nutrients as the body needs with a focus on high carbs.

I tend to agree, but I have found most packaged and prepared foods to be subpar. I've started baking batches of muffins or cookies in the morning to snack on whenever I'm hungry and I feel way better with those than what I bought in stores before. I think it's mostly because packaged foods almost all contain horrible PUFA oils.

 

[Motif]

Sorry it's not that easy.
I upped carbs of all kinds. Many people did with chronicle issues like mine and it did nothing positive for most of them.

 

[Kelj]

Sorry it's not that easy.
I upped carbs of all kinds. Many people did with chronicle issues like mine and it did nothing positive for most of them.

The only reason to emphasize carbs in these conversations is that carbs have been vilified for a long time and that idea has damaged a lot of metabolisms. I could not say whether you needed to up your carb intake at all. It depends where you were in your food intake before. What is true is no one else can tell you if you need to eat a particular thing and in what amounts. You are experiencing chronic health issues in a way unique to yourself. Only your body can direct you to complete wellness. In my experience, it will do so rationally and methodically. Anything else is tinkering and guesswork. I'll give you a few ideas of how this works which I experienced firsthand and others that I have worked with have experienced. I had some chronic problems that were setting in. Arthritis in my hands and knees, rosacea, extreme fatigue, overweight, a recurring, excruciating pain from my shoulder to my fingertips, tmj, lipofuscin. I had been very low carb for a while and tried intermittent fasting. I had had a long-standing suspicion of sugar as a factor in poor health from a young age. I started researching Ray Peat's work and saw the reason and science behind the necessity of sugars in the diet. Combining this with my research into what Ray refers to as "the fundamental rationality of the organism", I let this influence me to throw out all the "rules" I had learned from my formal nutrition education I have, as a result, completely eliminated all the above health issues. I followed only my body's desire for food. What, how much and when. Many of my experiences I have seen in others who do the same thing. The body will gradually trend toward upping your carb intake and lowering your meat intake. There may be, however, times when you eat a considerable amount of protein. It may be from dairy only or meat or both. There may be times when you don't want meat, at all. You may really love cheese for a while, then you can't stand the thought of it. When I used to deny myself sweets, I could devour a carton of ice cream, but there has been one in my freezer for over a month. I just don't feel like icecream right now, but I know I will one day. Sometimes I'll drink large amounts of lemonade, then on another day orange juice is what my body must have. Recently, I started wanting beer, after hating it my whole life. Regularly, my body wants Pepsi followed by club soda with lemon or lime juice squeezed in. Generally, my body asks for drinks, but some days it demands much less. Following this true intuitive eating without any rules, my body seems to demand much more calories in the middle of the day than at either end, just as we find in the meal patterns of many ancient cultures. Sometimes I really want some highly processed packaged food and sometimes only raw vegetables will feel like the right thing. These thoughts about the right food at the right time are so specific, I know they are not random. I have become completely well and thinner by eating what I wanted in much greater amounts than ever before with plenty of sugar and "processed" foods. I'm grateful to Ray for tackling the carb dogma, but I don't believe just upping them willy nilly will be the thing your body needs. It's not the whole story. The story is about trusting the fundamental rationality of your body. It knows what it needs and is, of course, connected to your brain. Something that never happened. I never once craved a vitamin pill, mineral supplement, or protein powder. I craved food.

 

[lampofred]

This might sound kind of weird, but I think repeatedly breathing into your left nostril, retaining for as long as you can, and breathing out through your right nostril will shift hormones towards regrowth of hair because doing stimulates your right brain and reduces the activity of your left brain.

 

[Motif]

The only reason to emphasize carbs in these conversations is that carbs have been vilified for a long time and that idea has damaged a lot of metabolisms. I could not say whether you needed to up your carb intake at all. It depends where you were in your food intake before. What is true is no one else can tell you if you need to eat a particular thing and in what amounts. You are experiencing chronic health issues in a way unique to yourself. Only your body can direct you to complete wellness. In my experience, it will do so rationally and methodically. Anything else is tinkering and guesswork. I'll give you a few ideas of how this works which I experienced firsthand and others that I have worked with have experienced. I had some chronic problems that were setting in. Arthritis in my hands and knees, rosacea, extreme fatigue, overweight, a recurring, excruciating pain from my shoulder to my fingertips, tmj, lipofuscin. I had been very low carb for a while and tried intermittent fasting. I had had a long-standing suspicion of sugar as a factor in poor health from a young age. I started researching Ray Peat's work and saw the reason and science behind the necessity of sugars in the diet. Combining this with my research into what Ray refers to as "the fundamental rationality of the organism", I let this influence me to throw out all the "rules" I had learned from my formal nutrition education I have, as a result, completely eliminated all the above health issues. I followed only my body's desire for food. What, how much and when. Many of my experiences I have seen in others who do the same thing. The body will gradually trend toward upping your carb intake and lowering your meat intake. There may be, however, times when you eat a considerable amount of protein. It may be from dairy only or meat or both. There may be times when you don't want meat, at all. You may really love cheese for a while, then you can't stand the thought of it. When I used to deny myself sweets, I could devour a carton of ice cream, but there has been one in my freezer for over a month. I just don't feel like icecream right now, but I know I will one day. Sometimes I'll drink large amounts of lemonade, then on another day orange juice is what my body must have. Recently, I started wanting beer, after hating it my whole life. Regularly, my body wants Pepsi followed by club soda with lemon or lime juice squeezed in. Generally, my body asks for drinks, but some days it demands much less. Following this true intuitive eating without any rules, my body seems to demand much more calories in the middle of the day than at either end, just as we find in the meal patterns of many ancient cultures. Sometimes I really want some highly processed packaged food and sometimes only raw vegetables will feel like the right thing. These thoughts about the right food at the right time are so specific, I know they are not random. I have become completely well and thinner by eating what I wanted in much greater amounts than ever before with plenty of sugar and "processed" foods. I'm grateful to Ray for tackling the carb dogma, but I don't believe just upping them willy nilly will be the thing your body needs. It's not the whole story. The story is about trusting the fundamental rationality of your body. It knows what it needs and is, of course, connected to your brain. Something that never happened. I never once craved a vitamin pill, mineral supplement, or protein powder. I craved food.

Most people eat exactly like this.

 

[somuch4food]

Most people eat exactly like this.

No, they don't. There is a difference between addiction and intuition. They are influenced by dogmas from authorities and ads from companies. They follow their brain not their body.

They eat meat at every meal because that's what a meal is. They finish their plate even if they're not hungry anymore because their parents taught them to. They eat veggies in the hope that that will keep them healthy, since veggies are good for you. They avoid high fat meals and red meat because they are bad for you. They use PUFA oils instead of butter because saturated fat is bad, etc. I can continue on like this.

That's where I was last year. I'm gradually eating more intuitively. It's difficult to get rid of what you were taught.

I did not eat meat for supper sunday since it's the last thing I felt like eating. I have also been craving some milk. I'm finding many fruits and veggies make me feel worse and so, I'm eating less of them. I would have continued to eat them in the past since they are supposedly good for you.

I find a true craving doesn't go away until you eat enough of that food. I've been thinking about milk all week long. I will be buying some today.

 

[Motif]

But what if they are craving pufa's?

 

[Motif]

Sorry, but honestly most people eat exactly like this. They eat what they are craving for.
Thats for sure not the key to health.

 

[Motif]

I was craving peanut butter. Bought some. Skin break out. Awesome.

 

[Motif]

@somuch4food

Just was reading another post of you.

So you consider to eat a low thiol diet etc and you have many intolerances ?
So how does this "eat what you crave and you're gonna be fine" attitude fit in this?

 

[somuch4food]

But what if they are craving pufa's?

I don't see how you could be craving refined PUFAs. Have you tasted them?

It's probably high fat, or high calories that one would be craving.

I was craving peanut butter. Bought some. Skin break out. Awesome.

A bad experience like this one should influence you not to return to said food for a while... You could also ask yourself what you were craving in peanut butter. The fat, the minerals, the vitamins, some comfort food. You have to work this yourself to get somewhere better.

@somuch4food

Just was reading another post of you.

So you consider to eat a low thiol diet etc and you have many intolerances ?
So how does this "eat what you crave and you're gonna be fine" attitude fit in this?

I eat what I crave, but this doesn't mean I'm gonna be fine in the short term. If I trend toward better health over the course of a month, I'm happy with it. I burn myself all the time with bad choices.

I'm exploring low thiol since I'm trying to figure out why I react badly to many foods, especially colored fruits and vegetables. Thankfully my symptoms are not debilitating, just annoying and energy draining.

 

[Kelj]

@somuch4food

Just was reading another post of you.

So you consider to eat a low thiol diet etc and you have many intolerances ?
So how does this "eat what you crave and you're gonna be fine" attitude fit in this?

The intolerances become tolerances when you persist in eating first, enough calories to ensure the energy for repair of the digestive tract, liver and enzyme production, etc. And second, exactly what your body is wanting to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs. The symptoms of a body doing major repair on metabolism and organs can be annoying and even painful. A body in an energy depleted state is not repairing as it would if there was more energy. It is common in those who were restricting calories to have felt no pain and had no particular symptoms, to have pain, skin breakouts, itching, muscle spasms and more when they increase calories. Why do it, then? Because the state of nothing being able to repair and work optimally is what leads to cancer, heart disease, liver failure, kidney failure, macular degeneration and other too common outcomes. The mega increase in blood sugar issues is a result of deranged energy metabolism. A body that has the ability to switch to fat burning to protect itself from a carb famine is going to begin to experience a rise in blood sugar. It is an adaptive, protective response of the brain to keep itself and other vital tissues nourished with the necessary glucose. It is a symptom of an emergency metabolism from malnourishment, not a disease. It is a stress metabolism. It is not supposed to be permanent. It is because these problems have become so common in many cultures that I disagree that everyone is eating in the way I describe in my other comments. This is what I see every day: people who think calories are to be avoided at all cost. There are tricks for this. Don't eat until noon (called intermittent fasting). Or, just skip some meal. Don't ever snack. Look at the calories per serving on the food label and choose the item with the lowest. Talk about a dessert being "sinful". Go on a diet, especially before your wedding because you have to "fit into the dress you've bought in too small a size (and then wonder why you gain weight when you eat again during the honeymoon and say it's because you're eating too much food together as a married couple). Eat a box of donuts one day because you are craving it so much and then "be good" the next day and eat a salad. Do that over and over and wonder why you get fatter and fatter (it is not eating the donuts that is the problem. It is the inconsistent calorie intake when you don't eat a box of donuts the next day. Salad has virtually no calories, especially when you use the low-fat dressing you think you should). Don't eat after six p.m. Eat on a small plate to fool yourself into thinking you've eaten enough. Put your fork down between bites so you don't "shovel in" too many calories. Eat more fruits and vegetables because they are low calorie. Steam your food because you don't have to cook it in oil. Avoid fat because fat has double the calories of protein and carbohydrate. So, buy low fat milk. Don't read or watch TV while you're eating because doing so will distract you and you won't realize you've eaten too much. If you wake up hungry and can't get back to sleep, you're just dehydrated. Drink some water and you'll be fine. It takes 20 minutes to know if you're full, so don't take second helpings until that amount of time has elapsed. Go on a fast. "Save your appetite" if you are going out in the evening. Don't drink your calories. You ate too much during the holidays, so make a resolution to go on a diet and regularly hit the gym. Find out how many calories you'll burn taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Park at the farthest point in the parking lot. Wear a Fitbit. Track your steps. I'm sorry for going on, but I wanted to illustrate the sheer number of ways people have been brainwashed by the "fitness" media culture to view calories as an enemy to be avoided or "burned". And when the government passes laws requiring the calories to be labeled at fast food restaurants and talk about banning or taxing soft drinks it becomes almost a matter of law to cut calories. This is how people I see eat. If they are not doing these things they are slim AND well. We haven't even included here the formal "diets" they try over and over. This is the increasing cultural obsession that has led to obesity and chronic illness. The orthorexic concern over ingredients is also part of the problem. Polyunsaturated fats are an element of many healthy foods. It is my experience that intuitive eating will allow you to eat the right amount of these without storing them and you can absolutely return to health, even if you sometimes consume them. Obviously, they play a role in our bodies and are part of the natural food supply. The body can take us beyond guesswork about what is safe.

 

[somuch4food]

A body in an energy depleted state is not repairing as it would if there was more energy. It is common in those who were restricting calories to have felt no pain and had no particular symptoms, to have pain, skin breakouts, itching, muscle spasms and more when they increase calories.

That's the part that's most difficult to understand with the whole refeeding thing. There are symptoms that will be from injuries dealt to the body from eating the wrong food and symptoms that are coming from healing. It's difficult to decipher which is which. The best I have come up with is to use a bigger time frame. Is there progress from week to week, month to month?

I'm trying to find the food with the least negative impact on my general well being that responds to my craving. Asparagus sounded like a good idea, but that was not really a craving and it worsened my insomnia. I think that was the remnants of my being taught that one needs to eat veggies to be healthy.

 

[Kelj]

That's the part that's most difficult to understand with the whole refeeding thing. There are symptoms that will be from injuries dealt to the body from eating the wrong food and symptoms that are coming from healing. It's difficult to decipher which is which. The best I have come up with is to use a bigger time frame. Is there progress from week to week, month to month?

I'm trying to find the food with the least negative impact on my general well being that responds to my craving. Asparagus sounded like a good idea, but that was not really a craving and it worsened my insomnia. I think that was the remnants of my being taught that one needs to eat veggies to be healthy.

I came to realize that calories are the body's #1 need. I knew my recovery was assured when I put all foods on the table and stopped reading labels. The body will get the nutrients it needs if we are eating what it desires in abundance. The body without energy will have problems like rosacea and hypoglycemia, just as examples, but these gradually go away with persistent regular energy intake. There are symptoms of recovery, but it takes trust that the body knows how to recover and these issues, like pain, will resolve when the repair is done. Insomnia sometimes occurs during recovery. The body requires food during the night when our glycogen stores in the liver are depleted. Healing requires a lot of energy. The hardest part is letting go of the intellectual control of what we are eating. If we do our job and just eat from the abundance out there, assuming we are privileged to live in such a place, we will recover. Your body does not want to damage itself. We started to damage ourselves when we started to tell the body "no" about food.