The next chapter of my story...
As I've alluded in previous posts, while the probiotic solution worked great, it is hard to see it as a long-term strategy. Using it as a one-time medicine for treating gut disorders seems ideal, but given that it's not long-lasted in the gut, it seems improper to use a very particular bacterial strain for a whole lifetime. Mike Fave and Jay Feldman do emphasis this point, and I trust these bioenergetic fellas.
The original gut problems were solved -- so I had to devise a way to stop depending on it for mood boosting.
The tannin question (TQ)
I've mostly forgot about the TQ -- either because I've internalized the avoidance of tannin-rich food (heavy red wine, IPA beers, black coffee, tinctures) or because it got better (it may be correlated to the RQ, or both. I still don't like tannin-rich food.
Probably correlated with GERD.
The reflux question (RQ)
The RQ has also become secondary to me, as it's mainly solved. I get some when I'm stressed out (happens rarely-- I'm a chill dude) or when I drink a lot but otherwise it's rarely consciously bothering me. I believe I still get a small amount of reflux in the morning, that I'm used to, and to me it is clearly linked to the overall kidney health debated later in this post.
According to Masterjohn, GERD can be linked to histamine intolerance. I've tested this theory and took some histamine clearance drug, but I haven't noticed a major change. In the end it may be related to methylation problems, ultimately related to some B vitamins, or copper or selenium deficiencies, which explains why peating may have greatly improved the issue.
Peating mostly solve GERD for me.
The mood question (MQ) : a lindy solution
The solution for mood boosting is a lindy, tested and frankly benign thing : taking caffeine. The studies on this topic are plentiful. Drinking cappuccinos, Coca-Cola and Red Bull have been efficient ways to uplift the mood at any time in the day. It's radically effective. I still limit myself to 2 per day as to not desensitize my body to the effect of caffeine.
The 'basal rate' of mood is, to me is purely depending on life situation, but it certainly can be cheated away by our metabolism -- but it's hard to make it a long-term solution. Caffeine is an easy fix.
The salt question (SQ) : trials and tribulations
A few months ago I had a violent episode of puking my guts out after a night of too heavy drinking -- for a whole day I couldn't eat or even drink anything and vomited every 3 hours. The next day the reflux were back and I definitely felt in a state of unbalanced hydration. I was suddenly very salt-focused and I found back my pre-Peat eating patterns -- almost exclusively salty food, lots of cheese (I am also french) and a disdain for fruits and sugary stuff. I also felt particularly "ancient": I had some trouble speaking, a slight dyslexia and some eye glare problems, which are all things I used to have more or less frequently before peating (BP).
I felt bloated and uneasy. I guess my mood was great though during this period though.
This last episode confirmed to me that the electrolyte question, the kidney question -- in one word the salt question-- the SQ -- is of upmost importance to me. I happen to have a slightly damaged kidney on one side (birth defect).
I've previously been reporting on the link between hormonal and kidney health, so it's no wonder a kidney imbalance can trigger all kind of problems. This is my main working theory.
While the reflux issue essentially normalized (I almost don't feel it), I still feel very heavily salt-focused and have been getting lower back pain in the morning, most likely due to kidney pain. In fact my appetite is so diminished that it's problematic -- I have no motivation to eat other than stopping stomach cramps. To be fair I have never had a strong appetite since my late teen and it has caused problems. While the starchier fruits (banana, apricot, sometimes apple) and berry fruits are okay (mulberry), I can't stand the other ones. Starches are a safe bet for me -- but I frankly don't eat anything yearningly, except maybe heavily salted food. I have been diagnosed with low potassium last year and should definitely get blood work done for kidneys and electrolytes -- I have been K-maxxing since then.
Funnily enough, drinking a few glasses/pints of alcohol seems to appease my kidney, and doesn't trigger reflux in the next morning (up until a certain amount). I definitely think alcohol is lindy and in fact protective in smaller doses (virtually all of the studies on alcohol says so, even the ones pretending to disprove its benevolent effects).
A key component of kidney health is a balanced K:Na ratio -- usually advised to be 2:1 to 3:1. Eating fruits and vegetables and sometimes drinking coconut water (careful though, as it is very K-rich) is a sure way of improving the ratio, as is supplementing in potassium citrate.
Apple cider vinegar in water and other citrate based-compounds are well tolerated by people with hurt kidneys, and probably helps (per Dr. Berg on YouTube). I have not noticed strong effects but have been very irregular in my use of ACV, so it's not really relevant.
I write these mainly for myself but I'm honored if you've made it thus far, thank you!
