Ray Peat Email Advice Depository

goodandevil

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May 27, 2015
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978
"Dr peat, my wife is on one grain of armour. She tried progesterone before and her temps rose above 99, but she felt unwell. How much less armour would you reccomend she take upon restarting progesterone, which i believe you said is a teaspoon to start? Additionally, would progesterone compensate for low cholesterol?
Most gratefully,"

"It's usual to start with just a couple of drops of progesterone; depending on your symptoms, that amount could be repeated, as needed. Thyroid tends to lower cholesterol, converting some of it to progesterone. Both cholesterol and progesterone are involved in the response to thyroid."
 
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
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My email was about my wife's tinnitus. She also has one hand that shakes a bit.

Ray wrote back:

Endotoxin can produce those effects. Keeping the digestive system free of inflammation often helps, and a daily raw carrot is sometimes enough, sometimes a supplement of thyroid or progesterone helps. The endogenous opioids can have one-sided effects, and they are increased by endotoxin. Having well cooked mushrooms every day, and avoiding green salads, unsaturated fats, grains and beans are other helpful things. A supplement of niacinamide and other B vitamins sometimes helps.


Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2013 Jan;51(1):5-11.

The effect of naltrexone on the perception and distress in tinnitus: an

open-label pilot study.

Vanneste S(1), Azevedo A, De Ridder D.

(1)Brai²n, Tinnitus Research Initiative Clinic, University Hospital Antwerp,

Edegem, Belgium. [email protected]

OBJECTIVE: Tinnitus is a perceived sensation of sound without actual acoustic

stimulation. Currently there are no standardized drug therapies for the treatment

of tinnitus patients. A potential novel treatment for chronic tinnitus is

naltrexone. Tinnitus can be considered an auditory phantom phenomenon similar to

phantom pain. Naltrexone acts predominantly on μ-opioid receptors which are

present in multiple areas of the brain, including the thalamus, dorsal part of

the anterior cingulate, insula, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and ventromedial to

orbitofrontal cortex. These areas overlap with the areas involved in

tinnitus-related distress. The aim of the present study is to investigate three

doses of naltrexone, namely 5, 12.5, and 50 mg and determine their influence on

tinnitus complaints. We conducted a 4-week single-center, open-label treatment

study.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 86 patients received the drug treatment, while 30 patients

received no treatment.

RESULTS: Overall tinnitus distress was significantly reduced for the drug

treatment group, while for the waiting control group this was not the case. No

significant effect could be obtained for tinnitus intensity. A closer look at the

data indicates that this effect is mainly generated due to a significant

difference in the 50 mg drug treatment group for tinnitus distress.

CONCLUSION: our results indicate that naltrexone might have an effect on tinnitus

distress and more particularly higher doses of naltrexone.
 
Joined
Apr 21, 2013
Messages
181
Dear Dr. Peat,


I’m 34/male.


Why would T3 or something like high-dose caffeine+aspirin induce water retention, often within minutes of ingestion? It also happens at a lower dose of the pro-thyroid substance when followed by a burst of physical activity. Strangely, simply high-dose caffeine improves body tone at the expense of a very shrunken penis owing perhaps to its progesterone increasing effect. It manifests itself as puffiness of the chest and abdomen. My thighs become much larger and jiggly while my calve muscles lose definition. The overall puffiness usually resolves at least partially overnight. I also have spider angiomas on the inside of my thighs close to the knee indicating high oestrogen. However, the strange thing is that the water-retention problem doesn’t really go away even using strong aromatase inhibitors like letrozole or exemestane, neither with a few weeks of high dose zinc or even vitamin E.


Are there circumstances when exogenous thyroid or pro-thyroid substances can lead to an elevation in the body’s oestrogen load? The usual explanation from the literature is that excess thyroid increases SHBG levels and because of the different binding capabilities of the steroids to the SHBG, the effective androgenic/oestrogen ratio is adversely affected. Others suggest that thyroid is flushing the oestrogen from the tissues and into the bloodstream; it’s an intermediate state one has to soldier through. Some argue about a copper toxicity syndrome. And there are those who argue for nutrient deficiencies, or even a down regulation of 5aR activity.


A lot of folks on raypeatforum.com also report similar experiences, so I was wondering if you could shed some light on why this is happening?
Ray Peat said:
Have you checked your weight before and after those events, and noticed the quanties of urine afterward? It could be that the changes are produced by shifts in circulation and muscle tone. Too much caffeine can cause a surge of adrenaline, which can cause shifts of fluids and tone.
 

dd99

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Apr 26, 2014
Messages
434
I asked Dr Peat about alopecia areata.

Ray Peat said:
Hypothyroidism is often a factor, and I think the “autoimmune” process is promoted by endotoxin and nitric oxide from bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine; a pregnenolone supplement can improve response to thyroid supplements. Well cooked mushrooms and bamboo shoots have antiinflammatory, antiseptic effects that can reduce inflammation and might reduce the stress-induced fat deposition. If you don’t get regular sun exposure, vitamin D supplements might help.
 

paymanz

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Jan 6, 2015
Messages
2,707
i asked about how to use naltrexone, and also asked on safety of pramipexole and Ginkgo biloba.
Ray Peat said:
I have seen good results from using naloxone for 3 or 4 days; naltrexone has similar effects. Doses of one milligram or less can sometimes be effective. I don’t consider pramipexole to be safe. Ginkgo is fairly safe.
 

paymanz

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Jan 6, 2015
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Ray Peat said:
They(Conjugated linoleic acid(CLA) and Butyric acid) aren’t necessary, but the CLA in cream and butter are probably responsible for some of their good effects.I use 1% milk, some butter and hydrogenated coconut oil, to keep polyunsaturated fats to a minimum.
 

meatbag

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Jan 15, 2016
Messages
1,771
Asking about depression, anxiety, motivation, recovering from traumatic brain injury (concussions), inability to focus and concentrate, puffy nipples (gynecomastia), progesterone, pregnenolone, and thyroid.

Pregnenolone and progesterone are the most important things for the after-effects of concussions. Pregnenolone, if it’s pure, doesn’t have any side effects, so it’s safe in large doses. 100 mg per day is usually an effective amount (I took 3000 to 4000 mg per day for a year, with no side effects). Progesterone is usually helpful in moderate, physiological amounts, maybe 20 to 30 mg per day (with food), but more would be o.k. if the effects seem better. The frontal lobes of the brain are involved in focussing attention and planning, and these hormones stabilize the major frontal lobe nerves. Vitamin D and calcium are essential for the protective effects of these hormones, so it would be good to have a vitamin D blood test. Many people, when they don’t get much direct sunlight exposure, need about 5000 i.u. of vitamin D3 per day to keep the blood level around the normal 50 ng/ml.
 

milk_lover

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Aug 15, 2015
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Question on DHEA I sent to Dr Peat and he kindly gave me an answer.

My question:
"I started supplementing DHEA (3 x 5 mg a day, at least six hours between doses) four days ago with a lot of full-fat milk to bypass the liver metabolism of DHEA and possibly avoid converting it to estrogen. I am 26 years old. Do you think what I am doing is reasonable? What else can I do to make DHEA more androgenic than estrogenic? My family have noticed that my teeth are whiter than usual lately, could DHEA be responsible?"

Dr Peat's response:
"Thyroid and other antiinflammatory things (even aspirin) help to prevent conversion to estrogen. Since stress can quickly decalcify teeth, a good state without stress should make teeth whiter."

hmm interesting connection between teeth color and stress levels.
 

5magicbeans

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Mar 6, 2013
Messages
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Age
59
I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on electrotherapy to treat injuries. Is it beneficial?

"It can accelerate healing, especially bone."
 

paymanz

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Jan 6, 2015
Messages
2,707
asked him about Nigella sativa(black cumin seed):

Dr Peat said:
The quinones in the oil are very interesting, but I haven’t had any experience with them. They could have great biological value, but other things in the seeds might be allergenic.
 
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Jayfish

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Apr 18, 2016
Messages
256
Question: do you supplement with a glycine source.


"I occasionally use some powdered gelatin for things like making marshmallows, but usually I get my gelatin from soup, such as ox-tails. lamb shanks, or chicken backs and wings."
 

Jayfish

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Apr 18, 2016
Messages
256
Question: do you believe a fiber free diet is possible in context of gut health and transit time for elimination.

"I’ve had a fiber-free diet for many years."

This is an interesting response and I might ask if he could elaborate at all. I think we are all under the impression that RP eats some amounts of fiber, carrots, mushrooms, turnips, fruit, etc. I'm wondering now if these are more recommendations but not necessarily what he actually eats.
 

milk_lover

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Aug 15, 2015
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My question to Ray Peat: Do you think pregnenolone might decrease prolactin and estrogen? Would a ratio of 2:1 (pregnenolone:DHEA) help mitigate DHEA conversion to estrogen, given no more than 15 mg of DHEA is ingested in a day? Sorry if this question has been asked so many times before.

Ray Peat's answer: "Yes, I think pregnenolone can protect against stress and conversion of DHEA to estrogen; larger quantities would be o.k."
 

dfspcc20

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Dec 9, 2015
Messages
633
Regarding lunala (half moons) on the fingernails-

"I always had them before I took thyroid, have never had one since then. I don't know what they mean."
 

dfspcc20

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Dec 9, 2015
Messages
633
Regarding Meniere's disease-

Hypothyroidism leads to increased estrogen and nitric oxide, and a decreased serum osmolarity (increased dilution of body fluids) and hyponatremia. Salt, magnesium, calcium, aspirin, antihistamine, progesterone, tetracycline (or minocycline, doxycycline) and thyroid can correct the fluid imbalance.

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004 Feb;130(2):226-8.
Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in patients with Ménière's disease.
Brenner M(1), Hoistad DL, Hain TC.
(1)Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University, St Louis, MO, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of hypothyroidism in a population of
patients with Ménière's disease (MD).
DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study comparing the use of thyroid hormone
supplements between patients with MD and controls.
SETTING: Outpatient neurology clinic specializing in the management of patients
experiencing dizziness.
PATIENTS: Fifty patients who met the 1995 American Academy of Otolaryngology
criteria for MD and 50 controls matched for age and sex also experiencing
dizziness.
RESULTS: The 50 patients who met the criteria for MD were identified from a
database of more than 2000 patients with dizziness seen over a 5-year period. Of
these, 16 (32%) were taking thyroid hormone supplements in contrast to 2 (4%) of
the 50 matched controls (P<.001). The median age of the patients with MD was 60
years, and 5 (19%) of the 26 patients younger than 60 years were taking thyroid
hormone supplements, compared with 11 (46%) of 24 patients 60 years or older
(P<.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the severity of
hearing loss, pattern of hearing loss, or prevalence of bilateral hearing loss
between patients with MD who were taking thyroid hormone supplements and patients
with MD who were not.
CONCLUSION: Ménière's disease is associated with corrected hypothyroidism.

ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 1997 Sep-Oct;59(5):292-5.
The possible effect of pregnancy on Ménière's disease.
Uchide K(1), Suzuki N, Takiguchi T, Terada S, Inoue M.
(1)Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Kanazawa
University, Japan.
There are few reports on the course of Ménière's disease during pregnancy. We
report here the clinical course of Ménière's disease before, during and after
pregnancy and discuss the possible effect of pregnancy on Ménière's disease and
the treatment of Ménière's disease during pregnancy. In the present case, the
vertigo attacks increased up to 10 times per month during early pregnancy, when
the serum osmolality was significantly below normal at 268 mosm/kg.
As the
pregnancy proceeded, the serum osmolality normalized and the vertigo attacks
decreased in frequency. The vertigo attacks were treated by oral isosorbide and
intramuscular injection of low-dose diazepam. The coincidence of the decline in
osmolality with the increase in vertigo attacks points to serum osmolality as a
possible factor in the effect of pregnancy on Ménière's disease.

Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2010 Oct;43(5):1029-40.
Premenstrual exacerbation of Meniere's disease revisited.
Andrews JC(1), Honrubia V.
(1)Department of Surgery, Northridge Hospital Medical Center, 18350 Roscoe
Boulevard, #518, Northridge, CA 91325, USA. [email protected]
Some women with Meniere disease demonstrate exacerbation of symptoms during the
premenstrual period. It is believed that the hormonal stress of the premenstrual
period acts on the volatile inner ear with Meniere disease to result in
dysfunction. Migraine, Meniere disease, and the premenstrual period may be a
complex interaction leading to exacerbation of symptoms. Having patients maintain
a daily calendar of symptoms, diet, and menses can be helpful in understanding
the disease as well as instigating treatment monitoring. Most patients can be
effectively managed with dietary sodium restriction and a loop diuretic.
Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Nurs Res. 2001 Sep-Oct;50(5):286-92.
Changes in Ménière's disease responses as a function of the menstrual cycle.
Morse GG (1), House JW.
(1)Division of Nursing, California State University, Dominguez Hills 90747, USA.
[email protected]
BACKGROUND: Ménière's disease is a complex, progressive disorder of the inner ear
evidenced by characteristic responses including vertigo, hearing loss, and
tinnitus. Though considered equally common across sexes, several recent studies
describe women's increasing reports of symptom exacerbation during the
perimenstruum. Empirical evidence proving this relationship is limited with no
study exploring women's symptom reports using appropriate methodological
procedures for menstrual cycle research.
OBJECTIVES: To establish the relationship between menstrual cycle phases and
Ménière's disease responses. Specific aims included comparison of Ménière's
disease responses between menstruant women and men (control group) and
examination of women's Ménière's disease responses and their relationship to
their diverse menstrual symptom patterns.
METHODS: Using a longitudinal, descriptive design, 12 men and 13 women were
recruited via Internet and participated in daily data collection procedures over
three study phases.
RESULTS: Results showed that Ménière's disease responses were similar for men and
women participants. Women with premenstrual magnification patterns did not vary
with cycle phases. However, vertigo (P < .05) did decrease significantly
postmenses for women with premenstrual syndrome patterns.

CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study provide evidence that a unique relationship
does exist between the menstrual cycle and Ménière's disease responses for some
women. Knowledge gained from this study is beneficial in identifying the
importance of appropriate clinical assessment methods of menstruant women with
Ménière's disease. Recommendations include further research with larger samples
and testing of different symptom management strategies for women of different
perimenstrual symptom patterns.

Hear Res. 2000 May;143(1-2):23-8.
Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS/NOS II) in the hydropic
cochlea of guinea pigs.
Michel O(1), Hess A, Su J, Bloch W, Stennert E, Addicks K.
(1)Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, University of Cologne,
Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, 50924, Cologne, Germany. [email protected]
Immunohistochemical investigations of the guinea pig cochlea, using a specific
antibody to the inducible isoform of NO synthase (iNOS/NOS II), have been
performed 3 weeks after closure of the right endolymphatic duct (n=7).
Endolymphatic hydrops, the morphological substrate of Meniere's disease, became
evident by distension of the Reissner's membrane. iNOS expression could be noted
in endothelium, spiral ganglion cells, in nerve fibers, in supporting cells of
the organ of Corti and cells of the spiral ligament. Temporal bones of
non-operated controls (n=6) as well as of sham-operated animals (n=3) did not
show structures positive to iNOS. These findings imply that iNOS-generated NO
could be involved in the pathophysiology of cochlear dysfunction in Meniere's
disease.

Neurosci Lett. 1999 Apr 2;264(1-3):145-8.
Expression of inducible nitric oxide-synthase in the vestibular system of
hydropic guinea pigs.
Hess A(1), Bloch W, Su J, Stennert E, Addicks K, Michel O.
(1)Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, University of Cologne, Germany.
[email protected]
Immunohistochemical investigations of the guinea pig vestibular system, using a
specific antibody to the inducible isoform of NO-synthase (iNOS/NOS II), have
been performed 3 weeks after surgical closure of the right endolymphatic duct (n
= 7). Endolymphatic hydrops (ELH) of the right temporal bone became evident by
excavation of the Reissner's membrane in all seven animals. Those animals
revealed iNOS-expression in ganglion cells, in the wall of blood vessels and in
nerve fibers of the right vestibular system, while the corresponding left
temporal bones and temporal bones of non-operated controls (n = 6) as well as of
sham-operated animals (n = 3) did not show any iNOS-positive structures.
iNOS-generated NO could be involved in the pathophysiology of vestibular
dysfunction in Meniere's disease.

Vestn Otorinolaringol. 1973 Mar-Apr;35(2):18-21.
[Treatment of Méniére's disease, otogenic vestibulopathies and motion sickness by
the method of rectal administration of sodium bicarbonate suppositories].
[Article in Russian]
Potapov II, Volkov IuN, Barnatskiĭ VN, Kuznetsov AG, Aslamazova VI.
 

Parsifal

Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2015
Messages
1,081
Regarding CBD:

Hi dr. Peat,

I know that you don't really like cannabinoids and think that the hype around cannabis for cancer is exagerated but I wanted to know what you think about CBD? I think that you said that cannabinoids where involved in fatty acid synthesis and nitric oxide? Is that the case for CBD?

Thank you very much!


It can probably be helpful for lowering nitric oxide in some situations, but there’s some evidence that it increases prostaglandins, which could be harmful in a person whose tissues have a lot of PUFA. The acidic form, CBDA, seems likely to be more broadly protective.

J Toxicol Sci. 2014;39(5):711-6.
Down-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by cannabidiolic acid in human breast cancer cells.
Takeda S1, Okazaki H, Ikeda E, Abe S, Yoshioka Y, Watanabe K, Aramaki H.
Metastases are known to be responsible for approximately 90% of breast cancer-related deaths. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is involved not only in inflammatory processes, but also in the metastasis of cancer cells; it is expressed in 40% of human invasive breast cancers. To comprehensively analyze the effects of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), a selective COX-2 inhibitor found in the fiber-type cannabis plant (Takeda et al., 2008), on COX-2 expression and the genes involved in metastasis, we performed a DNA microarray analysis of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, which are invasive breast cancer cells that express high levels of COX-2, treated with CBDA for 48 hr at 25 µM. The results obtained revealed that COX-2 and Id-1, a positive regulator of breast cancer metastasis, were down-regulated (0.19-fold and 0.52-fold, respectively), while SHARP1 (or BHLHE41), a suppressor of breast cancer metastasis, was up-regulated (1.72-fold) and CHIP (or STUB1) was unaffected (1.03-fold). These changes were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR analyses. Taken together, the results obtained here demonstrated that i) CBDA had dual inhibitory effects on COX-2 through down-regulation and enzyme inhibition, and ii) CBDA may possess the ability to suppress genes that are positively involved in the metastasis of cancer cells in vitro.
Free full text
 

Parsifal

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Aug 6, 2015
Messages
1,081
Hello dr. Peat,

I wanted to know what you think about Quantum Physics, Einstein's theories and mainstream physics theories, especially in the context of biophysics for the body and consciousness?

What do you think about the Orch Or theory from Penrose for example?

I think that I remember that you said that the Electric Universe Theory is better?

Thank you very much!

With an orientation of radical empiricism and process philosophy, I have some sympathy for Einstein’s project and his reluctance to accept quantum theory. I think the quantum theory was created by philosophically inadequate people.
Conventional views of electrons were built on just a few kinds of experiment, and I think new approaches to understanding matter will be found. While I think consciousness is electronic, I don’t think it’s appropriate to think of it as being just inside cells (much less simply a matter of synaptic interactions). Electricity’s space-filling property is relevant. The process (or background, that we call body or self) that gives continuity and meaning to our perceptions and actions is something that’s always happening, and people usually turn their attention away from it when they aren’t in some practical or objective activity. The organism has many potential intentions, and if we let our attention respond, they can appear as hypnagogic images or dreams. Ordinary metabolism, and its variations, are always producing these parallel spaces, and their quality varies under the influence of various metabolites and “dopants.” I think the electric universe is analogous to the electric organism.
cleardot.gif

@haidut

...........

[ moderator edit: related thread RP Email Advice Discussion: Consciousness Is Electronic / Dreaming ]
 
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