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Badgerstripe,The blood tests that Dr. Goldmeier ordered are very basic tests. So, it isn't surprising that nothing showed up that could potentially point to an immunological problem, a hormonal imbalance, or an inflammatory condition (these are just some examples).He may be a wonderful psychiatrist -- I have no idea if he is or isn't -- and may even have some worthwhile techniques to offer that could help lower a bit of the stress that POIS induces. But his work-up from a medical standpoint sounds far from complete, especially in a condition as complicated (and, to date, mysterious) as POIS.Is Dr. Goldmeier a psychiatrist? Does he have any other specialty?I ask because I'm trying to understand his involvement with POIS and why is he referenced so frequently on this forum. I've found him on the databases that we use, but could not determine why he's considered by some of the forum members as a POIS expert. This is not to cast any aspersions -- I really don't know his background. Input would be appreciated!(The fact that his office lost your first set of blood tests is not a good sign, just FYI.)I wish you the best of luck with the allergist that you'll be seeing. However, keep in mind that POIS might not be an allergy (it might be, but nobody knows yet!).It's all very frustrating, and I can only imagine what it's like to try to go through a POIS workup without any basic, scientific research having been undertaken.Best wishes to you!Stef Thanks Stef for your feedback, Dave and Demo and all others who have commented on my post.Lots to say and not sure i can cover it all!I went to Dr Goldmeier because several people recommended him on this forum and he happens to operate 2 miles from my house..and being on the NHS its free...!Firstly, if I thought Dr Goldmeier was saying that POIS was purely psychosomatic or just "in my head" I would have been out of there quite quickly believe me! I have had previous experience of that with food allergies and a childhood physical defect that was not discovered until i was 7, involving extreme pain, so that attitude is guaranteed to anger me.I didnt get that impression from him however, rather that he owned the fact that no-one really knew what causes POIS and that it may have more than one cause, maybe different for different people. His professional background isas a clinical lead in a Uk. National Health Service Sexual Health Function clinic, see:http://www1.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/people/d.goldmeier/He does not seem to be a psychiatrist and other papers he has written seem to have a strong biochemical content.In this initial appointment I didnt really expect more than the basic blood tests to be done, i hope there will be more. As this is a large NHS clinic I dont think its a reflection of him personally that the first lot of blood samples got lost.It seems fairly obvious to me that the overwhelming nature of the mental "low" and brain fog of the first day or so of POIS has a brain chemistry cause so I am willing to try options like mindfulness to tackle this, it has had some positive effect on my anxiety and the depressed feeling of POIS but at the moment it is minimal, partly because i am not practicing it very avidly.To determine what is really going on I believe brain MRI scans before, during and after O plus blood tests for hormone levels would need to be conducted plus more investigation into the physical aspects of POIS. At this stage I appreciate that on the NHS this not all going to happen immediately, it also seems logical that an experimental approach would be helpful. Therefore it seemed appropriate when Dr G and I discussed it that I should try 8 weeks or so of mindfulness before an appointmnt with an allergist became available with the option of trying a strong antihistamine after that.So that's where i am.. open minded yet with i think a healthy scepticism of the medical profession where there can sometimes be an over adherence to established medical dogma or pet theories. it's all very complicated!!! I wish myself and all of us good luck in navigating POIS and discovering its cure.
Hey guys,Its been a while since I've posted. I recently watched this TED talk on pornography and the effect it has on the brain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSF82AwSDiU&feature=youtu.beDopamine is mentioned several times, and its a neuro transmitter we have discussed quite often in this forum (eluding to the fact that dopamine might play a part in POIS).Admittedly, I do have quite a long history of watching porn (normal for most guys i guess). The points raised do make sense to me. The presenter says that watching online pornography has a reward seeking effect, and doing this repeatedly over many years has adverse affects on the brain - just like an alcoholic or drug user. Our primitive brains aren't wired for it.There is even a reddit group called 'No Fap 90 days' - a bunch of guys trying to stop watching online pornography.Its all very interesting, and I think that if it has such a big affect on people, POIS could also fit in in some way. Because I'm so desperate for a lifestyle change, I reckon im going to give it a go and delete all pr0n off my PC, and not watch it at all for a few months and see what happens. My brain might just rewire itself...
It’s often mentioned that Niacin doesn’t work for everyone, and it could well be, BUT I have worked recently with at least 3 people on a one to one basis to help with the use of niacin, and it is a VERY precise process. If it’s not done JUST RIGHT, it doesn’t work. So I’m certain that many who have tried it and failed have just not applied the “rules” correctly and given up too soon.It’s really worth trying to make it work, because when it works it’s amazing. I suggest that if you are one of those for which it hasn’t worked, that you get in contact with one of us on a one on one to try to see if you can’t make it work. I haven’t spoken to any of the others yet about this, but I’m sure ObserverCenter for instance would be glad to help out.If you are one for which it works, perhaps you can volunteer here to receive PMs to help guide someone through. They are just simple things that one might miss or “do wrong”, but they make all the difference in the world.It would be a shame to be suffering when it isn’t necessary.Besides, if it is just a procedural thing, then we can move one step closer to understanding the mechanisms. If it’s just procedural but we think it’s a non-compatibility, then we understand the mechanism improperly. We misunderstand the reason for it not working in some.
Please check your mail inbox from about 3 years ago.
Badgerstripe,I have had a lot of experience with mindfulness and meditation. Not as practiced now as I used to be, it's sort of like sports in that way, but with more than 5 or 6 years of intense study and practice, something stays with you.There was a time when I believed that meditation could help cure anything. It gives you highly focused access to normally subconscious aspects of your mind. You can feel things happing inside of you, that can actually be verified physically, and as such you also have access to methods to change them.Alas, there are just some things that you cannot modify, like altered or damaged brain circuitry whether external or hereditary for instance. I have seen depressive people on meditation programs seemingly get better, but short times after stopping their medicines they are back down in the grunge again.Do their mindfulness if you wish. The only way to understand. It may lighten the load for a little while.But is it a lifestyle, to battle an uphill battle against a physical ailment? My impression is that one can drive themselves to the same level of stress by trying to “cure the uncurable” with mindfulness, as the original failure of sex to relieve your anxieties is supposedly causing you right now. What’s more, the practice of “mindfulness” IS like sports. It doesn’t come easy nor have much benefit until you begin to master it. It drives me crazy to see someone dedicate, months, following a lead like this, just to realize……. That he has POIS.
Its often mentioned that Niacin doesnt work for everyone, and it could well be, BUT I have worked recently with at least 3 people on a one to one basis to help with the use of niacin, and it is a VERY precise process. If its not done JUST RIGHT, it doesnt work. So Im certain that many who have tried it and failed have just not applied the rules correctly and given up too soon.
Jason (13 yrs old) has TS with OCD.ADD has not been formally diagnosed, although he has problemswith organization, distractibility, and the ability to switch gears.My son has had allergies since he was a baby. Heis sensitive to red dye #40 with tired splitting headaches whichmake him scream until he is exhausted and sleeps. This, of course,hasn't happened in several years since he has avoided the dye.He also is allergic to sulfa, molds, dust, grass, trees, and most airborn allergens. He has been on the vitamins below for 1.5 months and theteachershave said that he is a different kid.
He has had a set back this week due to a newsemester with a new schedule, plus a very moldy, rainy few days. Wegave him a little extra calcium-magnesium and one extra vitamin B3.He said that this gave him relief from his symptoms (he has neversaid this before with anything else)
I solidified my theory on the premise that Jasonis probably mildly vitamin B6 dependent. He was either born requiring high amounts of B6, and/or B6 antagonists attacked early in his first yearof life. B6 antagonists are hydrazines (plant growth regulators,tartrazine, etc), DOPA found in certain beans, penicillinamine, antioxidants inpetroleum, many drugs including penicillin, erythromycin, phenobarbital,tetracycline, corticosteroids, sulfamethoxazole, etc.
Amino acids began building up in his system, from decreased transamination, etc. Serotonin became decreased from tryptophan not being able tobe utilized. Allergies developed (which is in association with low B6),I believe allergy produces swings in histamine levels which causesa constant fluctuation in neurotransmitters capable of producing mood swings and rages.The conservation of vitamin B6 (when not abundantly available) causes it to be used by the prevailing neurotransmitter system at any given time, leaving other neurotransmitter systems less than optimally functional. Histamine receptors have been found to triggerdopamine receptors directly.Histamine is also a neurotransmitter affected by deficient vitamin B6. Its receptor sites are probably increased to compensate. Kinins releasedinto the body's tissues in response to immune complexes can damagethe blood brain barrier, thus altering the sensitivity of brain cells toacetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, histamine, epineprine andnorepineprine.L-dopa doesn't readily form dopamine in B6 deficiency,so probably dopamine is reduced causing an increase indopamine receptor sites along with an increase in the norepinephrineand epinephrine (which are formed from dopamine) receptors sites.
These increased receptor sites make the nerves more excitable andfalse transmitters or true neurotransmitters can set them off withexplosive qualities. These false transmitters canbe phenolic substances, such as food additives, drugs, etc.
The B3 is needed due to tryptophan's inability to be broken down to nicotinic acid withoutadequate B6. ..... So, if Vitamins B3 and B6 are being used for histamine production, then serotonin production suffers. - this implicates the immune system in the problem
OK I'm posting this to get some brainstorming going on our next major post on Reddit, this time to r/askscience. The following is written as if it were to be posted there. That's scary, as there is so much information in this! But anyways, this has to do with a man's notes about his son's Tourette's Syndrome and vitamin B6. There is a strong possibilty from my reading that this has something to do with POIS. The pathophisiology is incredibly complicated, so I hope that those in r/askscience can help us! Please add to this, come up with more, etc. Check out the source here: http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=197.0 - (I will probably remove much of this quoted material and just put this link in the Reddit post)Here goes:Niacin works. It seems to work for everyone once they understand the precise procedure they must follow in order to get relief. But why does it work? This does not get immediately explained by the immunologic theory that we have now. If it's possible that their is another factor involved that can bemanipulted, we want to know. Now. This disease is awful.The main thing this is of interest to us: This man believes his son benefits from vitamin B3 (Niacin) due to tryptophan's inability to be broken down to nicotinic acid withoutadequate B6. The material of interest:We are interested in a document written by a man whose son has TS (Tourette's Syndrome), and has graduate level education in biochemistry. I have divided his points by paragraphQuoteJason (13 yrs old) has TS with OCD.ADD has not been formally diagnosed, although he has problemswith organization, distractibility, and the ability to switch gears.My son has had allergies since he was a baby. Heis sensitive to red dye #40 with tired splitting headaches whichmake him scream until he is exhausted and sleeps. This, of course,hasn't happened in several years since he has avoided the dye.He also is allergic to sulfa, molds, dust, grass, trees, and most airborn allergens. He has been on the vitamins below for 1.5 months and theteachershave said that he is a different kid.This is obviously a strong motivation for this man. Let's continue:QuoteHe has had a set back this week due to a newsemester with a new schedule, plus a very moldy, rainy few days. Wegave him a little extra calcium-magnesium and one extra vitamin B3.He said that this gave him relief from his symptoms (he has neversaid this before with anything else)His postulate:QuoteI solidified my theory on the premise that Jasonis probably mildly vitamin B6 dependent. He was either born requiring high amounts of B6, and/or B6 antagonists attacked early in his first yearof life. B6 antagonists are hydrazines (plant growth regulators,tartrazine, etc), DOPA found in certain beans, penicillinamine, antioxidants inpetroleum, many drugs including penicillin, erythromycin, phenobarbital,tetracycline, corticosteroids, sulfamethoxazole, etc.He explains what knowledge he has gained about this problem:QuoteAmino acids began building up in his system, from decreased transamination, etc. Serotonin became decreased from tryptophan not being able tobe utilized. Allergies developed (which is in association with low B6),I believe allergy produces swings in histamine levels which causesa constant fluctuation in neurotransmitters capable of producing mood swings and rages.The conservation of vitamin B6 (when not abundantly available) causes it to be used by the prevailing neurotransmitter system at any given time, leaving other neurotransmitter systems less than optimally functional. Histamine receptors have been found to triggerdopamine receptors directly.Histamine is also a neurotransmitter affected by deficient vitamin B6. Its receptor sites are probably increased to compensate. Kinins releasedinto the body's tissues in response to immune complexes can damagethe blood brain barrier, thus altering the sensitivity of brain cells toacetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, histamine, epineprine andnorepineprine.L-dopa doesn't readily form dopamine in B6 deficiency,so probably dopamine is reduced causing an increase indopamine receptor sites along with an increase in the norepinephrineand epinephrine (which are formed from dopamine) receptors sites.QuoteThese increased receptor sites make the nerves more excitable andfalse transmitters or true neurotransmitters can set them off withexplosive qualities. These false transmitters canbe phenolic substances, such as food additives, drugs, etc. (Not for Reddit) OMG guys, this hit home. I have had serious, bizarre neurologic complications (less than 1% chance for these reactions) with medications that directly effected norepinephrine and dopamine transmitters that I took for depression and schizo-affective disorder...QuoteThe B3 is needed due to tryptophan's inability to be broken down to nicotinic acid withoutadequate B6. ..... So, if Vitamins B3 and B6 are being used for histamine production, then serotonin production suffers. - this implicates the immune system in the problemThat's what I have now. The note is long. I stopped after the bolded part at the link. I feel we need more short sentences to summarize what is being said so as to get the most amount of people to read thru this as possible. I am beginning to wrap my head around the theory. I believe there is something significant here!
That's what I have now. The note is long. I stopped after the bolded part at the link. I feel we need more short sentences to summarize what is being said so as to get the most amount of people to read thru this as possible. I am beginning to wrap my head around the theory. I believe there is something significant here!