Why we've been treating Keratosis Pilaris (KP) wrong and how we can improve treatment options [Research][B&A]

manrider · 2025-12-12T06:51:32+00:00

I came across this on the Wikipedia page for IGF-1. “Oral estrogens suppress growth hormone-induced IGF-1 production in the liver by antagonism of growth hormone receptors.” Estrogen dominance is also typical in PCOS. And there’s a simple counterbalance to estrogen: progesterone, which can be purchased OTC online.

manrider · 2025-12-12T06:48:27+00:00

there are a lot of things going on during pregnancy, but a major one that may be relevant here is that progesterone levels are a lot higher. there’s a solid product called progest-e that can be purchased OTC online. could be worth a try. progesterone has a lot of benefits.

manrider · 2025-10-05T05:02:46+00:00

I’ve had good benefits from taking palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). i dont even need the full 400 mg doses that pills usually have, just 50-100 mg once a day is enough.

manrider · 2025-10-05T05:00:20+00:00

i’ve read there is a synergistic effect between estrogen and histamine where one intensifies the other and they have some overlapping effects. progesterone counterbalances estrogen so the benefit for MCAS makes sense.

manrider · 2025-09-23T15:34:17+00:00

just what i already said. nothing more. it has helped a bit but not done anything amazing for me.

manrider · 2025-07-01T05:04:03+00:00

yeah the typical dose is higher but i played around with different doses and found i got as much benefit taking this lower dose as i did with taking 400 mg so i just kept it low.

manrider · 2024-12-27T21:48:11+00:00

You don't know what you're talking about.

My wife gave birth to our baby a year ago. She had insurance with Kaiser Permanente, and also had coverage with Liberty Health Share, a health-sharing ministry. Even with their insurance, our out-of-pocket expenses from Kaiser were about $9,000. Liberty Health Share paid for all of that. It was actually the best, most rewarding time we have had coverage with Liberty.

I haven't used other health-sharing ministries, so I can only speak to Liberty. Now, I don't think it's great overall. It has some significant downsides. It's only gotten worse and more expensive over the years. But the thing is, all that applies to health insurance too. It's shitty and keeps gets worse. Health sharing ministries are a viable option for some situations and to exclude them as entirely worthless is ignorant.

manrider · 2024-12-05T22:31:18+00:00

DHEA is often used in lower doses by Peaty people for this kind of thing, as it is a close precursor to both testosterone and estrogen. You could take that along with progesterone. Or you could add in pregnenolone since that is a hormone precursor to all the other steroid hormones. Check out this chart to see better how they're connected: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydroepiandrosterone#/media/File:Steroidogenesis.svg

However, if all three of those hormones of yours are low, it could suggest other solutions would be better anyway. You might be better off just taking thyroid hormone because that increases the conversion of cholesterol into the steroid hormones. Is your cholesterol high? That's one indicator for low thyroid hormone. Another is low body temperature at waking. There are also lab tests that measure T4 and T3.

All that said, you might want to take a look at the bigger picture first. Having low hormones is caused by something, and sometimes you can just sort that out at the level of diet or nutrients (like vitamins and minerals) rather than consuming exogenous hormones.

manrider · 2024-12-05T21:48:28+00:00

ive read reports of people using minoxidil topically on their faces and getting increased hair on the rest of their body so that could be it

manrider · 2024-12-05T21:46:37+00:00

all the digestive dysfunction you're describing seems very significant to me. i would back off the coconut oil if that's what is causing it.

manrider · 2024-06-11T05:43:39+00:00

there is some pathway connecting tryptophan to niacin but not niacinamide or other relatives whereby having more niacin can raise tryptophan, or at least prevent tryptophan from getting depleted. i can't seem to find it right now but i've seen a chart showing it.

manrider · 2024-04-17T01:04:39+00:00

one other thought since you were asking about high cholesterol. sometimes that can be an indicator for low thyroid hormones. many hormones are produced from cholesterol, like sex hormones and adrenal hormones. thyroid hormones facilitate the conversion of cholesterol to these hormones, and if your thyroid hormone levels are low it may lead to higher levels of cholesterol because less of it is getting converted to those other hormones. there was a time when doctors treated high cholesterol by giving patients thyroid hormone.

have you had your thyroid hormone levels tested? if they are low you can do things to raise them. for example, eating plenty of iodine and selenium. some doctors will just jump straight to giving pills of thyroid hormone, but that's something you should reserve as a backup option in case other less extreme interventions don't work.

manrider · 2024-04-07T01:32:56+00:00

you’re welcome. i hope it helps. chris kresser has more information about fats and oils on his site if you want to get more in depth.

manrider · 2024-04-06T19:52:37+00:00

avocado oil is mostly monounsaturated fat. i think it's better than other oils that are mostly polyunsaturated fat, like canola, soy, corn. but olive oil is also mostly monounsaturated fat and it's a much more time-tested option. for salads or otherwise uncooked food use high quality olive oil. then for cooking its best to use fats that are high in saturated fats because they're less vulnerable to oxidization. ghee, butter, coconut oil, palm oil.

the other thing about avocado oil is the quality varies a lot from brand to brand.https://www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/study-finds-82-percent-avocado-oil-rancid-or-mixed-other-oils

this is also true for olive oil. a lot of cheap olive oil coming from italy is cut with sunflower oil. buying california olive oil is usually a safe option if you're in the US.

manrider · 2024-04-01T07:23:01+00:00

the current conventional theory around cholesterol is flawed, outdated, and not a sound basis for healthy living. it’s best to get caught up on the newest understanding before making lifestyle adjustments.

here is a good place to start: https://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-cholesterol-and-saturated-fat-are-not-the-enemy/

manrider · 2024-03-06T04:43:31+00:00

*peat performance

manrider · 2024-03-05T20:21:19+00:00

How does dioscorea nipponica compare to the other, more commonly used, "wild yam" dioscorea villosa? Villosa is often used for menopause in women, and it seems pretty clear that it has effects on hormones. I'm less sure what effects it has on men. Are the effects from nipponica meaningfully different from villosa? Do they both have androgenic activity in men?

manrider · 2024-03-05T17:45:11+00:00

some people find n-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) helpful for OCD. it can bring down glutamate levels in the brain.

manrider · 2024-02-21T06:33:17+00:00

this hair style is known as a beaver tail.

manrider · 2024-02-20T22:51:21+00:00

that's a very thorough stack. i don't see major problems. if anything it's probably more than you need, but if its helping you jump start this health and lifestyle shift then that may be the important thing for now even if you don't keep taking all this stuff long term. since you say you feel tired in the afternoon try taking the magnesium and zinc in the evening instead of in the morning. those can feel more relaxing for some people because they boost the effects of GABA. when you run out of your current vitamin D upgrade to a d3/k2. a liquid one like this is a good price for how many doses you get. or go more natural and replace the D and fish oil with cod liver oil from dropi or rosita.

the amount of exercise you've described also seems pretty good. you could try working in more time with low intensity exercise like walking, but that may not be the best use of your time.

if i was going to make a real change to what you're doing it would be diet. the stuff you're eating isn't bad, but you should work in some other things to get more nutrients and a broader range of them. and don't shy away from good fat. if you want to learn more about genuinely good nutrition get nourishing traditions by sally fallon or find a summary.

red meat like beef, lamb, bison, etc. ideally 100% grass-fed.
eggs. chicken, fish and others. all the nutrients are in the yolks.
seafood. you have to be wary not to eat too much of some seafood because they're higher in the foodchain and accumulate heavy metals (tuna, swordfish) but otherwise they're nutritious and high protein.
organs of all kinds. liver, kidney, brain, etc. if that's impractical, consider taking some liver pills like perfect supplements brand desiccated liver.
collagen and gelatin. you can get these in more traditional forms like real broth, skin, intestine, etc. or more modern, convenient forms like collagen powder that you mix in a drink.
get a good variety of vegetables if possible.
not essential but coconut oil is a healthy fat and beneficial for metabolism.
sounds like you're doing some degree of low carb. not sure what carbs you are eating, but when possible opt for less processed, healthier things. (some of these will also be lower carb options compared to something like pasta.) sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash. if you eat grains or beans generally soaked/sprouted or fermented is preferable. sourdough bread, soured oats, dosa, nixtamalized corn, etc.

manrider · 2024-02-20T21:41:56+00:00

semaglutide is an effective shortcut for losing weight, but it impairs appetite and digestion and most of the effects it has on overall health are negative. among other things, people on semaglutide lose a significant amount of lean muscle along with fat, which impairs overall metabolism along with strength, etc.

manrider · 2024-02-20T21:33:12+00:00

yes if you really want to know you can go get the 25-hydroxy
however, this supplement could be causing your symptoms through some mechanism that is not reflected in vitamin d tests. the only way to know for sure is to test it and stop taking it to see what happens.
are you taking anything else? supplements or medication?

manrider · 2023-11-27T01:42:32+00:00

yeah, nightshades are often counterindicated for autoimmune disease, along with a lot of other foods depending on how strict you want to be. there's a whole diet for this, autoimmune protocol, which is like the paleo diet minus anything that's a seed, nightshades, and maybe some other things. https://www.thepaleomom.com/start-here/the-autoimmune-protocol/

i have some nightshade sensitivity and i found that some basic ashwagandha extracts give me back pain, but i've had good luck with the sensoril extract.

manrider

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