Messages

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: CURE: Gut Improvement From All Bran Buds Fiber

« on: October 01, 2016, 08:52:12 pm »

Interesting that you post this as I've been researching fiber also - specifically soluble vs insoluble.   After a long spell of a calm GI, I'm in trouble (again).    I think it's because I have a tendency
to gradually load up on too much insoluble fiber via raw foods/veggies, which also makes me vulnerable to bacterial infections if I get at all careless about washing the stuff.    Those clamshell containers of "pre-washed" greens/veggies?   Don't trust that they are clean - Consumer Reports had an article about them, and said not to trust them, they found bacterial samples and recommended washing the stuff thoroughly.   And I was eating a ton of this stuff via smoothies or salads.    It probably was just a matter of time.

My understanding is that you need a good balance, the insoluble acts as a laxative, while the soluble fiber is key to calming the GI system and making one more regular by forming a gel and keeping the colon more 'full'.   So as Joe says, the "All Brans" cereal  does contain psyllium powder, which is a great source of soluble fiber.      I wonder if your fiber balance is just low on the soluble?     

I had issues starting a month ago, so, I've cut out the raw stuff and only eat cooked veggies, and started eating more soluble fiber via oatmeal and quinoa, a little rice (temporary: not fond of it - too much arsenic) and it's really helping.     Some other good sources of soluble are bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, avocadoes, mangoes, papaya, squash, turnips, parsnips, and mushrooms.     

What is the rest of your diet like now?   Have you tried other forms of soluble fiber?

Hey, thanks for the info about the "prepackaged washed veggies". I have had several run-ins with major gut attacks lately. I'm back to work however and the stress is definitely making things work. I have however been eating more pre-washed veggies as of late and I'm wondering if they are not clean at times and that is what is making me sick. Major gut cramps like Ive been punched in the stomach with gas and bloating.

These days my diet is pretty limited as I'm scared to eat a lot of things. Been experimenting with no gluten, then no dairy, etc but just cannot find a way to get my gut right.

The Bran Buds were working well for a few weeks but then I got an attacked and had to stop them because I wasn't eliminiating very well. So not sure what the heck is going on..

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / CURE: Gut Improvement From All Bran Buds Fiber

« on: September 04, 2016, 12:14:14 am »

Hey guys, great to see all the continued posts about gut health.

I'm still working on my long standing gut health issues and have had some minor improvements here and there with probiotics/etc but then when I returned to work my gut issues flared up big time, as did my insomnia. This went on for several weeks and then I spoke to a co-worker who has crohns disease and he suggested I try a certain fibre cereal that his GI specialist put him on years ago. According to him, this stuff "saved his life". He told me that the GI specialist he saw years ago was nearly 80 years old and told him a story about how not all fibre is the same. In particular, how many fibre supplements do not have the correct type of fibre with the accompanying micronutrients to be effective. As many of you know, my health issues and struggles have been severe over the past 3 years and I thought why not, I have nothing to lose.

No word of a lie, my gut issues improved within 2 days of starting this stuff. I take 1/3 cup with each meal. I think my gut issues resolved by 80% by the end of the first week. I'm seeing continuing improvements each week. I have tried many types of fibre supplements and they always make me bloated and worse off. This stuff has improved bowel consistency and motility in a very noticeable way.

All Bran Buds:
https://www.allbran.ca/en_CA/products/all-bran-buds-cereal-product.html?gclid=CJLJgv209M4CFQIFaQodbBAD9Q

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: CURE: Lactobacillus Acidophilus NCFM & Bifidobacterium Lactis Bi-07

« on: September 03, 2016, 11:46:22 pm »

It seems to me that once I added a probiotic to my regimen, specifically Metagenics Ultra Flora (which contributes
Lactobacillus Acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium Lactis Bi-07)  that things really started to improve.

Just curious, which specific Metagenics UltraFlora were you using? There are several:
http://www.vitepro.ca/UltraFlora.html?gclid=CM_B5Kqw9M4CFQaPaQoduEIPKg

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Donating Blood Helped My Physical Endurance

« on: August 21, 2016, 11:10:51 pm »

If you haven't already, you may want to research/test for hemochromatosis. The primary treatment for this genetically inherited disease is blood donation.

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: CURE: Lactobacillus Acidophilus NCFM & Bifidobacterium Lactis Bi-07

« on: August 21, 2016, 11:02:40 pm »

When it comes to gut bacteria its about diversification. My ND told me to always rotate different brands of probiotics. Take one kind for a month then switch to a different brand and keep switching. Try to buy brands that have many different strains. There are thousands of different strains of bacteria and you need to build up the best diversity that you can. And the whole hype of bacteria not surviving gut acidity, buying enteric coated probiotic capsules etc, is just that - hype. If you think about it, where do we get the bacteria in the first place? From different fermented foods, raw foods, your hands, etc. How were these obtained? By eating them. Your food was never enteric coated and the good bacteria always survive. I have heard it said that the acid in your stomach will kill the good bacteria, but in actual fact many species of good bacteria actually create acid as part of their metabolic process. They THRIVE in acid.

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: CURE: High Dose Vitamin C Destroys Influenze Virus

« on: July 21, 2016, 12:01:07 am »

Check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTXSTGGRvKY

It describes a miracle cure from IV vitamin C administration.

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Lyme Disease and Hypogonadism

« on: June 28, 2016, 09:21:35 pm »

The issue with Lyme is there doesn't seem to be proper testing for it. The current tests (rarely if ever done in Canada that I know of) can have false positives and negatives. I asked a few doctors up here about Lyme and they said "their really isn't a test for it".

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Does Lifting Weights Use Up Your Testosterone?

« on: June 28, 2016, 09:15:25 pm »

From what I understand, lifting weights can boost your testosterone levels as muscle tissue builds.

BUT

Excessively exercising or exercising when you are exhausted can raise inflammation and cortisol levels causing testosterone levels to actually drop...

So I would think exercise in proper moderation is the key. I think I have actually been overdoing exercise. I worked with a trainer recently and he said I should change my weight and reps. I was doing 12 reps at 3 sets of all my exercises and wasn't ever seeing improvement. Instead, my trainer wants me to do 4-5 reps at 3 sets with heavier weight (80% of my one rep max). I have been working out like that more recently and I find I feel better after a workout and feel stronger. My workouts are shorter but more intense. If I go back to light weights and longer duration, I get weak and tired feeling towards the end.

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Fish oil

« on: June 11, 2016, 04:25:28 pm »

My ND has myself and many other patients on this:

http://www.seroyal.com/super-efa-liquid-orange.html

It tastes fine and keeps well in the fridge.

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Severely puffy eyes when waking.

« on: June 11, 2016, 04:21:11 pm »

Are your eyes puffy all the time or only when you are out walking? If they are not puffy all the time then likely E2 has nothing to do with it. If they are only puffy when you are out walking, you may have an allergy to something outside like pollination or pesticide sprays that cities use at this time of year..

It's waking. As in when I wake up.

Sorry about that, I should learn to read

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Severely puffy eyes when waking.

« on: June 10, 2016, 05:11:01 pm »

Are your eyes puffy all the time or only when you are out walking? If they are not puffy all the time then likely E2 has nothing to do with it. If they are only puffy when you are out walking, you may have an allergy to something outside like pollination or pesticide sprays that cities use at this time of year..

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: How to Lower Inflammation Through Exercise

« on: June 10, 2016, 05:08:22 pm »

I was reading an article on adrenal fatigue a while back which indicated that moderate exercise is beneficial for recovery but that over-exercising will negatively impact recovery from adrenal fatigue. My own experience is that if I moderately exercise (brisk walk for 1-1.5hrs) I usually feel better but if I go to the gym and do a 20 min bike and then weight lifting routine, I'm very sore for 2-3 days afterwards with a burning/tearing sensation in all the muscles.

A buddy of mine was a marathon runner and he experienced overtraining syndrome in one instance. Everything was going ok and then he started losing his appetite. It worsened to the point where he could only eat soup and had to quit training for the marathon. I definitely think overdoing exercise is much more harmful than we think.

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Connection between body fat and GERD

« on: June 09, 2016, 03:16:51 pm »

I've been eating a little extra citrus, and drinking water infused with lemon, and the heartburn stopped.

On the other hand, I noticed that tomatoes or tomato sauce tend to trigger heartburn.

See: https://www.floridahospital.com/blog/why-heartburn-sufferers-should-avoid-tomatoes

Both citrus fruits and tomatoes are acidic, but the former helps reduce heartburn, and the other triggers it. Any theories why?

Yes, for people who have mild stomach acid deficiency, adding external acids like lemon can help to alleviate the problem. Another very popular product that many have success with is apple cider vinegar, one tbsp. with a 1/2 cup of water before a meal. For others that have more significant deficiency, Betaine HCL is required.

Some people just don't tolerate tomatoes that well. In addition, it may really depend on where you get your tomatoes. There are many store bought tomatoes that never see a speck of soil, they are grown in hydroponic grow operations with lots of artificial fertilizers and chemicals etc. Its amazing how we might think we are eating healthy, but in reality we may not be with foods grown in large farms with pesticides, etc.

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Connection between body fat and GERD

« on: June 07, 2016, 09:01:32 pm »

Wow, good info. Thanks.

I'll lay off the anti-acids, and all the more reason to keep the extra pounds off!

PPI's are what can really kill you (and your sex life):

http://www.peaktestosterone.com/PPIs_Proton_Pump_Inhibitor_Erectile_Dysfunction

Have you seen LEF's novel "raft-forming" alginate solution?

http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2013/11/block-acid-reflux-to-prevent-esophageal-problems/page-02?p=1

Hey Peak, I really liked your page on PPI's. The FDA warning you quoted says it all. You may want to add as another possible solution for GERD at the bottom of your article the issue of LOW stomach acid and Betaine HCL supplementation. There are lots of articles on GERD and low stomach acid to reference on line. Plus, Iv'e directly experienced ending GERD with Betaine HCL. As a side note, I know a few guys that have been taking PPI's for quite some time and several of them have now tested positive for magnesium deficiency and have symptoms of low Mg.

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Testosterone, Hormones and General Men's Health / Re: Connection between body fat and GERD

« on: June 06, 2016, 05:44:43 pm »

Xrayguy, so if what you're saying is true, then apart from temporary relief, anti-acids could actually be making the problem worse?

Correct.

So if you have GERD, a conventional doctor will give you an antacid or even a protein pump inhibitor (like Nexium, Prevacid, etc). This then takes your stomach acid down to almost nothing, and your GERD symptoms disappear. Its not possible to have GERD if there is no stomach acid present. PPI's are 90%+ effective in shutting down HCL production so if you are already low, it will shut it down to almost nil. The problem is with no stomach acid, you can no longer denature protein into amino acids and there is no stomach acidity to trigger other processes downstream (like bile and digestive enzyme release). Over time, you will become depleted in essential nutrients and become very unwell. PPI's were designed as a SHORT TERM treatment (2-4 weeks) for healing bleeding ulcers etc. If you even read the warning sheets on PPI's they will state they are only for short term use, but doctors have people on them for years completely shutting down their stomach acid production. Inevitably these patients end up with a host of health issues as a result.

Again, GERD may not be from having an excess of stomach acid but rather the acid is in the wrong place (esophagus). The acid is in the wrong place because there isn't enough acid to facilitate quick breakdown of food and emptying of the stomach. Then subsequently, not enough bile and digestive enzymes are excreted for proper food breakdown which causes gas putting pressure on the LES allowing stomach acid to get into the esophagus where it shouldn't be.

I know a guy that was on PPIs for about a month for GERD. The GERD went a way but he started getting headaches and sore muscles. He felt just awful. He went off the PPI and the headaches and muscle aches went away after a few days.