Top-down Or Bottom-up?

[Endew]

Is it better to implement just enough short-term solutions to get by the chaos of my daily life and get my moods under control. When the small, trivial matters accumulate and spiral out of control, it keeps me too busy and frazzled and distracted to ever muster up enough resources and focus to really tackle the big, core problems properly. Or should the focus be on the core issues first? The most important things.

 

[Nicole W.]

I think they idea that Ray Peat tries to convey is that small, well placed changes can have big effects. What kind of “solutions” big or small are you vasilating between? Which courses of action are you considering?

 

[Endew]

I think they idea that Ray Peat tries to convey is that small, well placed changes can have big effects. What kind of “solutions” big or small are you vasilating between? Which courses of action are you considering?

Just from my experience over the last year and a half.

Eg. K2 has a 30/30. It has been the most helpful. And on the opposite side carrot salad along with sleeping warm have a 2/30. I have rated the top 50 things on this site for me. The plan is to implement things slowly.

 

[Light]

Or should the focus be on the core issues first?

I also found myself spending a lot of time on the small stuff, and a week or two later I find they didn't really matter, so why bother?
On the other hand, making little steps on a path that moves me foreward really pays dividends, just yesterday I got a call from an organization I knew nothing of, and they sent someone today who really helped me with somethings, and it came to be because of little steps i've been taking in the past two months that somehow accumulated and matured into something good. So my experience is that putting the energy into things that matter is better.

Reading your post also reminded me of an Einstein quote I heared a few weeks ago - 'The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest'.
It works for money and for other things too, putting in small and consistent efforts really pays off in the long run.
The small steps are also easier to sustain than big giant steps that are supposed to change your life in a couple of weeks.
Just my 2c

 

[Blossom]

I also found myself spending a lot of time on the small stuff, and a week or two later I find they didn't really matter, so why bother?
On the other hand, making little steps on a path that moves me foreward really pays dividends, just yesterday I got a call from an organization I knew nothing of, and they sent someone today who really helped me with somethings, and it came to be because of little steps i've been taking in the past two months that somehow accumulated and matured into something good. So my experience is that putting the energy into things that matter is better.

Reading your post also reminded me of an Einstein quote I heared a few weeks ago - 'The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest'.
It works for money and for other things too, putting in small and consistent efforts really pays off in the long run.

So true, great post!

 

[Nicole W.]

I guess you’re asking if you should go straight to the big guns ( what you perceive to be most helpful things at this moment) or cycle through all the suggestions, even if they don’t reap such a big impact or benefit immediately?
Sometimes the little things, like carrot salad, have the greatest effect if you use them consistently over a long period ....so it’s hard to know right away if the carrot salad rating ( for you) is truly a 2/30 or really a 30/30. Rating the suggestions may not be such a good approach since its hard to assess the benefit if you’ve only just implemented or it’s only been a few months. Maybe for some of these suggestions a year isn’t even long enough to realize the full benefit. Lifestyle changes generally amount to slow medicine, I think. Which suggestions have you tried consistently other than K2, carrot salad, for a year and a half?
If you’re trying to be systematic about it I would start with the easiest, least “potential for harm” options first and move towards the riskier side of the spectrum as you go. For example, mood can be improved with sunlight and or redlight, obviously diet, stress reduction if it can be managed, magnesium.... etc... Supplements, hormones and drugs are more of a gamble and sometimes there are bad results, so I would exhaust the safer things first. They may be slower in effect but in the end may have the greatest impact. At least you can say that you tried those things and know with confidence they aren’t getting you there in terms of improvement. If you opt for the more potent remedies I would cautiously add them in one at a time for a week or two before going further. Too many people here use to many hormones and supplements, I think. It seems a little dangerous. Some have had some very unhappy results. I would err on the side of caution with judicious consideration of these substances and have some patience. The body takes a really long time to heal. If there’s a lot of chaos in your life, that would probably best to address first since I’m not sure if any steady progress can be made with Peat’s suggestions if you are really suffering psycho-emotionally. It’s all interconnected after all.

 

[Light]

I guess you’re asking if you should go straight to the big guns ( what you perceive to be most helpful things at this moment) or cycle through all the suggestions, even if they don’t reap such a big impact or benefit immediately?
Sometimes the little things, like carrot salad, have the greatest effect if you use them consistently over a long period ....so it’s hard to know right away if the carrot salad rating ( for you) is truly a 2/30 or really a 30/30. Rating the suggestions may not be such a good approach since its hard to assess the benefit if you’ve only just implemented or it’s only been a few months. Maybe for some of these suggestions a year isn’t even long enough to realize the full benefit. Lifestyle changes generally amount to slow medicine, I think. Which suggestions have you tried consistently other than K2, carrot salad, for a year and a half?
If you’re trying to be systematic about it I would start with the easiest, least “potential for harm” options first and move towards the riskier side of the spectrum as you go. For example, mood can be improved with sunlight and or redlight, obviously diet, stress reduction if it can be managed, magnesium.... etc... Supplements, hormones and drugs are more of a gamble and sometimes there are bad results, so I would exhaust the safer things first. They may be slower in effect but in the end may have the greatest impact. At least you can say that you tried those things and know with confidence they aren’t getting you there in terms of improvement. If you opt for the more potent remedies I would cautiously add them in one at a time for a week or two before going further. Too many people here use to many hormones and supplements, I think. It seems a little dangerous. Some have had some very unhappy results. I would err on the side of caution with judicious consideration of these substances and have some patience. The body takes a really long time to heal. If there’s a lot of chaos in your life, that would probably best to address first since I’m not sure if any steady progress can be made with Peat’s suggestions if you are really suffering psycho-emotionally. It’s all interconnected after all.

Really good advice @Nicole W.
It's really hard to be patient and pace yourself when there's such a wealth of possible solutions and you really really want to feel better

 

[Endew]

I guess you’re asking if you should go straight to the big guns ( what you perceive to be most helpful things at this moment) or cycle through all the suggestions, even if they don’t reap such a big impact or benefit immediately?
Sometimes the little things, like carrot salad, have the greatest effect if you use them consistently over a long period ....so it’s hard to know right away if the carrot salad rating ( for you) is truly a 2/30 or really a 30/30. Rating the suggestions may not be such a good approach since its hard to assess the benefit if you’ve only just implemented or it’s only been a few months. Maybe for some of these suggestions a year isn’t even long enough to realize the full benefit. Lifestyle changes generally amount to slow medicine, I think. Which suggestions have you tried consistently other than K2, carrot salad, for a year and a half?
If you’re trying to be systematic about it I would start with the easiest, least “potential for harm” options first and move towards the riskier side of the spectrum as you go. For example, mood can be improved with sunlight and or redlight, obviously diet, stress reduction if it can be managed, magnesium.... etc... Supplements, hormones and drugs are more of a gamble and sometimes there are bad results, so I would exhaust the safer things first. They may be slower in effect but in the end may have the greatest impact. At least you can say that you tried those things and know with confidence they aren’t getting you there in terms of improvement. If you opt for the more potent remedies I would cautiously add them in one at a time for a week or two before going further. Too many people here use to many hormones and supplements, I think. It seems a little dangerous. Some have had some very unhappy results. I would err on the side of caution with judicious consideration of these substances and have some patience. The body takes a really long time to heal. If there’s a lot of chaos in your life, that would probably best to address first since I’m not sure if any steady progress can be made with Peat’s suggestions if you are really suffering psycho-emotionally. It’s all interconnected after all.

Thank you

 

[Heroico]

I think the treatment the medical conditions of kwashiorkor and marasmus, clarify the approach to supplementation. Impaired energy pathways aren't simply absensces of substances; to the extent that a necessary substance has been lacking for a period of time, there will be a corresponding atrophy of the capacity for absorption of that substance. So, it isn't how much you take initially, but how much you can absorb.

So we can think of a deficiency (including a less than optimal state) as being a more subtle form of marasmus and kwashiorkor (total calorie or isolated protein deficiency). The appearance of these children should be suggestive for you of more subtle states.

Most importantly, the treatment of these children is not to feed them initially. The principles of inpatient treatment from the Wikipedia article on kwashiorkor Kwashiorkor - Wikipedia are below. Note that feeding is way down the list...

WHO guidelines outline 10 general principles for the inpatient management of severely malnourished children:

1. Treat/prevent hypoglycemia
2. Treat/prevent hypothermia
3. Treat/prevent dehydration
4. Correct electrolyte imbalance
5. Treat/prevent infection
6. Correct micronutrient deficiencies
7. Start cautious feeding
8. Achieve catch-up growth
9. Provide sensory stimulation and emotional support
10. Prepare for follow-up after recovery

 

[Heroico]

I should add to above that of course vitamin intake must be managed early- marasmus is a condition associated with thiamine deficiency and so b vitamins must be supplemented with glucose. But the principle of staging management of starvation syndromes is emphasized here, and that marasmus and kwashiorkor should be considered as having subtle symptoms that extend into the less-than-optimal population.