My Personal N=1

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AB
Do you follow strict Paleo?
Just wondering as, I'm reading some negatives from the Ayurvedic perspective.

The problem of strict Paleo diet can lead to imbalance and the do's and don'ts seem to vary depending on which Paleo diet book one looks at.

Some people can get in a pickle if one is not careful.
Seems if one ingests the wrong meats it can create excessive heat, dull digestion, increase the indigested food toxins and cause that dullness in the mind.
 
Hi Angel,

There are as many definitions of "paleo" as there are authors and bloggers about the subject. Each one of them claims to have THE definitive paleo.

I don't eat grains except for occasional rice to stick sushi together (non gluten grain).

I rarely eat other starches such as potatoes (I see them as empty calories) but I have been learning to make properly fermented poi.

I eat all kinds of meat but not processed meats with chemicals in them. That said I don't eat chicken or pork unless I can't avoid it without being rude. It's impossible to find pigs or chickens that haven't been fed grains and soy.

So I mostly stick with the ruminate animals (beef, venison, lamb, goat) and seafood. These have the best omega 3/omega 6 ratio.


Ayurvedic medicine has some very valuable information in it but it also has a substantial amount of absolute hogwash. I don't take it too literally.

The "food toxins that cause dullness in the brain" are the ones put there as preservatives, fake flavors and colors, etc. Stuff invented long after Ayurvedic medicine.

What exactly is "dull digestion"? If you mean sluggish or slow, then no, paleo is the opposite.
All food ingested causes "heat" in that it takes body energy to metabolize it. One food does not cause more "heat" than another. That is where Ayurvedic medicine strays into mythology.
 
Excuse my stupidity but what do N=1 mean.
I been doing coconut water having force myself if I could get melatonin I would.i don't live in anywhere resembling tropical island(I wish)but do live by sea North Sea.i want do something similar but those things impossible to get here.but do have odd two headed herring so a wonder anyone near me still breathing.
I wish you all the best and really hope it works
 
When a scientific study is done, they record how many people (or rats) are being studied by saying N=35 or N=10,000 or whatever number. This thread is my study using myself as the lab rat but there is only one rat in this study, me.

Melatonin works great for some kinds of epilepsy and makes others worse so be careful with that stuff.
 
I can't get it in uk they think we to stupid to know what good or bad..n-1 is because you first only you if two of us it be n-2etc.i can't remember how got equal sign sorry..
I looking at carton of coconut water trying psych me self up drink it
 
AlohaBird said:
Hi Angel,



What exactly is "dull digestion"? If you mean sluggish or slow, then no, paleo is the opposite.
All food ingested causes "heat" in that it takes body energy to metabolize it. One food does not cause more "heat" than another. That is where Ayurvedic medicine strays into mythology.
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According to this article I'm reading. The article is just something I've picked up from the local health food shop ... "from a mental perspective, meat is considered "Tamasic", one of the three universal qualities used to describe the mind in Ayruveda. When Tamas accumulates the mind it can cause dullness, heaviness and eventually depression. For this reason excessive meat consumption is not recommended in Ayrveda or Yoga."

Interestingly, the few meats considered cooling rather than heating include the buffalo, rabbit, venison and goat.

I think what matters is trying to maintain a balance.
Any method of dietary approach requires that we all don't fall in the trap of getting too intense or strict with things.
 
Blonde Angel said:
I think what matters is trying to maintain a balance.
Any method of dietary approach requires that we all don't fall in the trap of getting too intense or strict with things.
Click to expand...
I agree but I also think that whatever reasoning we use to make decisions about what to eat/not eat should have some basis in science and facts.

Ayurvedic "medicine" is mostly mythology and mumbo jumbo. Sorry, I don't mean to offend you personally but that is what I think.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda
 
Well I have got two things going on right now that could easily be seizure triggers but yet I seem to be doing fine.

The lady I love most in the world as if she were my mother has been in the hospital for what was supposed to be a "no big deal" back surgery but then has developed all kinds of complications such as pericarditis (which is an infection around the heart) and TIAs other wise known as "mini strokes". When you are 85, there is no such thing as a no big deal operation.

So I think I have been a bit stressed out by that and let my physical guard down and then managed to get sick myself. Not eating much, not sleeping, cortisol running rampant and then a bug sneaks in past the defenses. Whatever I have is definitely not a cold or a flu but it is some kind of respiratory infection (not sure if it's viral or bacterial). I've been running a high fever and coughing so hard it hurts sometimes but no nasal issues although my ears feel pressure like when you're in an elevator.

I've basically been in the house since Saturday since I believe in keeping your germs to yourself when possible. I've been working on it with broth and lemongrass tea and such but it is one tenacious bug.

I'm due for another cutback in the meds on Sunday (the 1st). Hopefully things are on an even enough keel with the help of that Holden's Hope cannabis paste that I can weather all these storms. I may need to jump on a plane and head to San Diego soon depending on what happens in the next few days with my "2nd" mom. It's not good to fly when you're sick though and I wouldn't be helping her any by bringing germs into her room so I need to hurry up and get well.
 
Maybe worth holding off on the next ramp-down interval until you shake the respiratory bug and get past this stressful patch?
 
from a mental perspective, meat is considered "Tamasic", one of the three universal qualities used to describe the mind in Ayruveda. When Tamas accumulates the mind it can cause dullness, heaviness and eventually depression. For this reason excessive meat consumption is not recommended in Ayrveda or Yoga.

Interestingly, the few meats considered cooling rather than heating include the buffalo, rabbit, venison and goat.
Click to expand...

Buffalo, rabbit, venison and goat tend to be lean meats that are grass-fed. So for that reason they are probably a healthier choice than other meats that may be fattier or grain-fed (regardless of the underlying dietary philosophy).
 
I remember my son doing report For A'level biology aspartamate it made for freighting reading mainly of manfactures somewhat unscrupulous .Just psyching myself up for drink of coconut water how you drink that stuff I having stop heaving thought of it but going slog it out drink pint
 
Nakamova said:
Maybe worth holding off on the next ramp-down interval until you shake the respiratory bug and get past this stressful patch?
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I seem to be doing a bit better this morning. The cough seem to have changed from one that hurt to one that is productive, getting out what needs out. So I think I'm on the mend. Actually washed my hair and put on clean clothes too.

Nakamova said:
Buffalo, rabbit, venison and goat tend to be lean meats that are grass-fed. So for that reason they are probably a healthier choice than other meats that may be fattier or grain-fed (regardless of the underlying dietary philosophy).
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Yes, I would leave pork and poultry out just because of the junk they are fed. And of course the Ayurvedic system leaves beef out but that is not surprising given that India is home of "the sacred cow". But physiologically a grass fed cow and a buffalo are not that different. Not everybody has access to buffalo meat but I would suggest grass fed beef as a viable alternative. I've been eating lots of venison since moving to Hawaii. delicious stuff.

seagull said:
I remember my son doing report For A'level biology aspartamate it made for freighting reading mainly of manfactures somewhat unscrupulous .Just psyching myself up for drink of coconut water how you drink that stuff I having stop heaving thought of it but going slog it out drink pint
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Does the coconut water you are trying to drink have aspartame in it? If so, blech! I wouldn't drink that.

If it is just coconut water with no additives and you still don't like it then don't drink it.

It's a good source of both potassium and magnesium but it's not magical.
 
Hey AB
Are you feeling better with that cough? the reason I ask is that my girls school has had an outbreak of one staff member being diagnosed with Whooping cough. It starts like a cold/flu like symptoms but it also has an ongoing cough and fever.
You basically do a blood test or nasal swab for diagnosis.
NB.
Better off with a blood test because a school staff member(from my girl's school) got tested via nasal swab it had an "inconclusive " result had a blood test which was positive.

Unlike colds and flu which is viral/... whooping cough is bacterial and requires certain antibiotic treatment otherwise symptoms reoccur.
So if there is a lingering cough it may be worth checking....

To date 2 staff members have contracted Whooping Cough from the intial infection 2 weeks ago.
 
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I'm pretty sure I've been vaccinated against whooping cough but that is scary that it is making a comeback.

Doing better. Today was my first day out of the house in over a week. I had my appointment with my Hawaiian healer which did me a world of good unknotting everything that gets knotted by either lying in bed or o a couch for a week. I feel so much better.

Then I did some grocery shopping and then went out to the grand re-opening of the restaurant in the one and only hotel on the island. (It closed due to a kitchen fire a couple of years back and has been under re-construction). I'm so pleased. it really has good food. It is the only "cloth napkin restaurant" on this island.

It felt good to get out and about. Walked around town a bit, did some shopping, went to the bank, ran into friends who all said, "where have you been?" Nice to be a part of a community that notices if you are gone.

It looks like I am going to be heading to San Diego for Thanksgiving then coming back here for Christmas. It all depends on how my 2nd mom is doing. She is still in the hospital but sounding much better.

It's funny how parallel her illness and mine were. Coughing, fever, chest congestion. We were on the phone talking to each other in between one or the other of us having a coughing attack. Of course when you are 85, everything is more serious health wise. I'm hoping to kick this one to the curb naturally without resorting to antibiotics.
 
AlohaBird said:
The biggest argument against many "alternative" treatments is that they are not proven at the level of large scale double blind placebo controlled trials.
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I'm so glad my doctors didn't wait for these 'large scale double blind placebo controlled trials' to be finalised before they administered vitamin B6 to me over 44 years ago, as an alternative, natural treatment. This helped to control what is now known as 'PNPO Deficiency'. This is the root cause of my seizures and possibly my Dyslexia and Asperger's Syndrome (an Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)).

There are approx. 35 known cases of 'PNPO Deficiency' written about in today's world scientific literature. On a world scale there are still not enough cases of PNPO Deficiency to conduct 'large scale trials' of any kind on.

If it is true that I am the oldest known case of 'PNPO Deficiency' in the world, then 'n' really did '=1' for me *. My medical history goes back further than the year when 'PNPO Deficiency' itself was first discovered (2002).

In 1990, with my doctor's consent, I introduced a multi B complex tablet to my daily medication - again - an alternative, natural treatment . It stopped a visual aura I was experiencing almost every day. I discovered the multi B complex tablet myself, though my own research.

My condition is extremely rare.

**DO NOT ALTER ANY MEDICATION WITHOUT YOUR DOCTOR'S CONSENT**

* The team of geneticists who conducted my genetic test have informed me that I am the oldest person they know of with this condition. I am so grateful for the work they have done and continue to do regarding the genetics of Vitamin B6 Dependent Epilepsies.

Additional reading:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/180789

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3528064/

http://pndassoc.org/pdf/Surtees.pdf

http://www.nel.edu/23_3/NEL230302A02_Luboshitzky.htm

http://memo.cgu.edu.tw/cgmj/3301/330101.pdf
 
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Hi Andrew,

Yes I remember you telling us about your case on the "What is/isn't worth it?" thread. Very interesting. You're right that waiting for "gold standard" testing would not have helped you any.

Even if yours is a very rare medical disorder that causes a specific nutrient deficiency, in my opinion, it still has a wider generalizability in that it shows how much nutrients do matter.

Some people with seizures and some neuros talk about the functioning of the brain as if it were a separate entity from the human body. They write off "idiopathic" seizures as, "Oh, it's genetic." or "Oh, I'm just a little cross-wired".

It seems so self evident to me that the fuel you put into any system is crucial in how well it will run.
 
Plain coco nut water...my son was doing something about santos the people who make sweeteners that's how he came to find out about it all
 
Artificial sweeteners are definitely not something I want in my body.



Well I am 5 days into the second step down on my Valproic Acid and I feel great. Sleeping beautifully with no disturbances.

I have tried cutting my meds before but was always working it from different angles. I tried cutting both the Phenobarbitol and the VpA both at once and that was OK at 25% each but any further and I wasn't sleeping well.

Also tried cutting the Phenobarbitol alone which also worked up to the 50% off point where again I started having sleep disturbances.

When I say "disturbances" I mean everything including not being able to get to sleep or waking up frequently or waking up feeling like a seizure is coming on and then not being able to get back to sleep.

This is the first time I have tried it from the VpA angle first. The neuro has a point that the VpA has a much shorter half life so if I experience any problems with titrating down, I would know about it sooner and be through with it sooner.

So far so good. The neuro has me on a very conservative schedule of one pill less each month. I would really like to chuck the whole bottle right now but i am going to stay with his schedule in the hopes that it will be the long term solution.
 
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