3 ms·

So I suffer from multiple autoimmune conditions and moving to a pescatarian diet (vegan + fish) has had a large moderating effect on my symptoms. I’m trying it

So I suffer from multiple autoimmune conditions and moving to a pescatarian diet (vegan + fish) has had a large moderating effect on my symptoms. I’m trying it based on some research for Neu5gc (that I first saw referenced here on HN) because… well it seemed harmless to try. This makes me wonder if this fatty acid may also/instead be a/the casual factor. Human bodies have so many confounding factors tracing these things is very difficult. Very happy to see more research.

mentos 3y ago
For what it’s worth I started developing auto immune symptoms after my exposure to Covid (nerve pain in my face, legs, feet, inner ear was burning and had a lack of balance, fatigue, trembling) only thing that resolved it was exercise (moderate to heavy weight lifting) and a strict carnivore diet over 3 months. I’d probably put more stock into the exercise but my working theory was low testosterone and poor diet was preventing me from recovering. 3 years later and if I go a few months without exercise the nerve pain starts to come back in my face heh
zackmorris 3y ago
A I've gotten older, I've found that my overall health mostly starts in the gut. I got hit with a form of chronic fatigue syndrome from leaky gut in 2019 that was so bad that I burned out and lost the ability to work for about 6 months. A variation of the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is what worked for me: * Avoid wheat and most grains (rice and corn are fine) * Avoid milk and young cheese (cheddar is fine but YMMV) * Avoid FODMAPs like beans, other legumes and nightshades * Get back to macro nutrients like bacon & eggs for breakfast, meat & rice, etc * Get back to micro nutrients like spinach for iron and a thyroid supplement for iodine * Seek holistic approaches like ashwagandha to restore hormone balance * Build gut health with probiotics and get treated for parasites if necessary * Look into supplements like glutamine and colostrum which rebuild the gut * Decrease caffeine and stress which lower the activation threshold for nerves in the gut to purge its contents * Drink a gallon of water per day, from one large container if necessary, to accommodate ADHD/autism symptoms * Exercise by alternating weightlifting and walking each day, about 60 minutes ideally Each food damages the villi in the small intestine at a different rate, but the gut only regenerates twice per week. Gluten causes some of the worst damage, which remains hidden until middle age when the ability to regenerate starts to decrease. Now I believe that GMOs and processed foods are so damaging not due to stuff like preservatives, but because low cost means a higher percentage of fillers like gluten. It took 3-5 years but I'm able to eat FODMAPs again, tolerate milk every day and even eat wheat a couple of times per week. I consider myself to be in remission but must be mindful of what I eat. I'm also hopeful that long COVID studies will reveal some of the disease mechanisms at work in these types of undiagnosable conditions. Gaslighting (not believing patients as they describe symptoms) is still a huge problem in western medicine.
- temeritatis 3y ago
  Looks like a solid approach. I've mostly gravitated in the same direction after my last "mystery disease". I would add yoga/meditation and mindfulness to that list as well as the importance of sleep. Sleep seem to impact me more than anything else. I used to be up all night working and coding. I like the night. But it seems more and more obvious to me how bad this is for my wellbeing. That, and also to get enough natural sunlight during the day, but this is also intimately linked with sleep of course.
  - datameta 3y ago
    Mindfulness meditation is hugely important. The amount of gain from 10 minutes a day is clearly noticeable after a week or two. I personally often feel better right after do it (even though that isn't expressly the goal).
- datameta 3y ago
  Some thoughts. About the bacon, try to avoid frying it too hard. In general heavily fried food contain acyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are inflammatory and carcinogenic through increased oxidative stress. With that said, I very lightly fry my eggs and don't feel negative effects. With supplements like Ashwaghanda and St. Johns Wort make sure to check that they don't have an interaction with medication - these two in particular tend to interact widely. Indeed proper water intake is hugely important. And as for walking, even 7000 steps per day can be considered light-medium exercise.
  - zackmorris 3y ago
    Thanks, good points! I've been migrating away from pork on my journey towards vegetarianism, but it really helped me in the beginning. It has something like tryptophan that works as an antidepressant for me. Also good advice on supplements, please talk to a doctor before taking any besides a daily multivitamin. It's contraindicated for stuff like multiple sclerosis where a stronger immune system just causes more damage.

mentos 3y ago

For what it’s worth I started developing auto immune symptoms after my exposure to Covid (nerve pain in my face, legs, feet, inner ear was burning and had a lack of balance, fatigue, trembling) only thing that resolved it was exercise (moderate to heavy weight lifting) and a strict carnivore diet over 3 months. I’d probably put more stock into the exercise but my working theory was low testosterone and poor diet was preventing me from recovering. 3 years later and if I go a few months without exercise the nerve pain starts to come back in my face heh

zackmorris 3y ago

A I've gotten older, I've found that my overall health mostly starts in the gut. I got hit with a form of chronic fatigue syndrome from leaky gut in 2019 that was so bad that I burned out and lost the ability to work for about 6 months. A variation of the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is what worked for me: * Avoid wheat and most grains (rice and corn are fine) * Avoid milk and young cheese (cheddar is fine but YMMV) * Avoid FODMAPs like beans, other legumes and nightshades * Get back to macro nutrients like bacon & eggs for breakfast, meat & rice, etc * Get back to micro nutrients like spinach for iron and a thyroid supplement for iodine * Seek holistic approaches like ashwagandha to restore hormone balance * Build gut health with probiotics and get treated for parasites if necessary * Look into supplements like glutamine and colostrum which rebuild the gut * Decrease caffeine and stress which lower the activation threshold for nerves in the gut to purge its contents * Drink a gallon of water per day, from one large container if necessary, to accommodate ADHD/autism symptoms * Exercise by alternating weightlifting and walking each day, about 60 minutes ideally Each food damages the villi in the small intestine at a different rate, but the gut only regenerates twice per week. Gluten causes some of the worst damage, which remains hidden until middle age when the ability to regenerate starts to decrease. Now I believe that GMOs and processed foods are so damaging not due to stuff like preservatives, but because low cost means a higher percentage of fillers like gluten. It took 3-5 years but I'm able to eat FODMAPs again, tolerate milk every day and even eat wheat a couple of times per week. I consider myself to be in remission but must be mindful of what I eat. I'm also hopeful that long COVID studies will reveal some of the disease mechanisms at work in these types of undiagnosable conditions. Gaslighting (not believing patients as they describe symptoms) is still a huge problem in western medicine.

temeritatis 3y ago
Looks like a solid approach. I've mostly gravitated in the same direction after my last "mystery disease". I would add yoga/meditation and mindfulness to that list as well as the importance of sleep. Sleep seem to impact me more than anything else. I used to be up all night working and coding. I like the night. But it seems more and more obvious to me how bad this is for my wellbeing. That, and also to get enough natural sunlight during the day, but this is also intimately linked with sleep of course.
- datameta 3y ago
  Mindfulness meditation is hugely important. The amount of gain from 10 minutes a day is clearly noticeable after a week or two. I personally often feel better right after do it (even though that isn't expressly the goal).
datameta 3y ago
Some thoughts. About the bacon, try to avoid frying it too hard. In general heavily fried food contain acyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are inflammatory and carcinogenic through increased oxidative stress. With that said, I very lightly fry my eggs and don't feel negative effects. With supplements like Ashwaghanda and St. Johns Wort make sure to check that they don't have an interaction with medication - these two in particular tend to interact widely. Indeed proper water intake is hugely important. And as for walking, even 7000 steps per day can be considered light-medium exercise.
- zackmorris 3y ago
  Thanks, good points! I've been migrating away from pork on my journey towards vegetarianism, but it really helped me in the beginning. It has something like tryptophan that works as an antidepressant for me. Also good advice on supplements, please talk to a doctor before taking any besides a daily multivitamin. It's contraindicated for stuff like multiple sclerosis where a stronger immune system just causes more damage.