Surely an Auto-Immune Disorder?

[jacksonsean]

I wanted to share an update with regards to the great progress my body has made in dealing with POIS.

At my worst, about 3 years ago an orgasm (even a nocturnal emission) would keep me in bed for about 3-4 days and affect me significantly for two weeks.

Over the past two years the effect of POIS slowly started to decrease in severity with some periods being worse than others.

However in the last 6 months I have seen significant improvement (more excelled in the last month and a half) to the point where I can have 4-5 orgasms a day and still be able to function in a normal fashion. There is still a slight lethargic-ness being brought on by orgasm but that is decreasing daily.

About 6 months ago I decided to go gluten free (I can't really remember why, I just thought that I would try it), my POIS started improving significantly so I started to do a lot of reading that related gluten intolerance to auto-immune illnesses. I found a lot of research that linked a decreased in efficiency of ones digestive system to auto-immune illnesses (sometimes referred to as 'leaky gut syndrome'). I knew that I suffered from poor digestion and bowel movements, and many food allergies which seemed to agree with the connection.

Therefore I decided to take steps to attempt to 'heal' my digestive system, these were them main changes I made:

- Gluten free diet (many people find gluten hard to digest)
- Not eating after 6pm (Undigested food gives the body less chance to repair the digestive system as we sleep)
- Spent more time stood up or walking rather than sitting or lying down (being in an upright position supposedly aids digestion)
- Only eating unpasteurized dairy (many people find lactose hard to digest without lactase)
- Eating smaller portions (obviously makes it easier for your body to digest all the food)
- Eating more fermented/pro Bacteriol foods

Very soon after implemented the last 5 steps my sinuses totally cleared up (first time in my life), I could drink/eat as much dairy as I liked (first time in 5 years) and my POIS symptoms decreased incredibly.

I am by far the happiest I have ever been since the age of about 12, (when I first moved to this country and for the first time had a steady supply of gluten and pasteurised milk haha).

[Colm]

Good to hear of your successes !

I agree with much of what you say here and your experiences about gluten reduction "potentially" impacting Auto-immune problems and making POIS symptoms worse. Similar with dairy and the sinus related issues of POIS.

When I eliminated (out and out) dairy products as much as possible about 15 years ago, my serious headaches with POIS reduced (although I still to this day need the daily cortisone spray).

Over a year ago, when I also started reducing gluten and taking less wheat, I think I also noticed some improvements - in particular awakening in the mornings didn't feel like 'having been run over by a bus' in the night.

As I'm older, the 4-5 times a day isn't as much of a problem as it was in my 20's.

I think your behavioural change related suggestions below are worth trying. Hard to be disciplined to follow, because as you feel a bit better, you naturally want the trigger stuff.

However, POIS is there, but potentially this is about what makes things worse or what reduces and improves the fall-out of POIS. Not sure these strategies will actually cure chronic POIS.

Good news to hear you have found good relief however.

Hopefully the good Dr. K & team can look at this issue in terms of the Vagal nerve connection with digestion also.  I think others may have mentioned this. A long wait, but hopefully it'll all come together for us in 2014.

Here's an article that I saw and posted some months back about this (autoimmune and gut problems).

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8843/10-signs-you-have-an-autoimmune-disease-how-to-reverse-it.html

[Daveman]

I wanted to share an update with regards to the great progress my body has made in dealing with POIS.

At my worst, about 3 years ago an orgasm (even a nocturnal emission) would keep me in bed for about 3-4 days and affect me significantly for two weeks.

Over the past two years the effect of POIS slowly started to decrease in severity with some periods being worse than others.

However in the last 6 months I have seen significant improvement (more excelled in the last month and a half) to the point where I can have 4-5 orgasms a day and still be able to function in a normal fashion. There is still a slight lethargic-ness being brought on by orgasm but that is decreasing daily.

About 6 months ago I decided to go gluten free (I can't really remember why, I just thought that I would try it), my POIS started improving significantly so I started to do a lot of reading that related gluten intolerance to auto-immune illnesses. I found a lot of research that linked a decreased in efficiency of ones digestive system to auto-immune illnesses (sometimes referred to as 'leaky gut syndrome'). I knew that I suffered from poor digestion and bowel movements, and many food allergies which seemed to agree with the connection.

Therefore I decided to take steps to attempt to 'heal' my digestive system, these were them main changes I made:

- Gluten free diet (many people find gluten hard to digest)
- Not eating after 6pm (Undigested food gives the body less chance to repair the digestive system as we sleep)
- Spent more time stood up or walking rather than sitting or lying down (being in an upright position supposedly aids digestion)
- Only eating unpasteurized dairy (many people find lactose hard to digest without lactase)
- Eating smaller portions (obviously makes it easier for your body to digest all the food)
- Eating more fermented/pro Bacteriol foods

Very soon after implemented the last 5 steps my sinuses totally cleared up (first time in my life), I could drink/eat as much dairy as I liked (first time in 5 years) and my POIS symptoms decreased incredibly.

I am by far the happiest I have ever been since the age of about 12, (when I first moved to this country and for the first time had a steady supply of gluten and pasteurised milk haha).

This ties in very well with the research that Dr. Komisaruk will be doing. The vagus nerve is very involved with the digestive system, among many other things.

I agree, and have taken on a much more natural healthy diet.  Not sure I've gone as far as you, but the effects are very noticable.

If Dr. Komisaruks work shows something, there are potential remedies that might not mean such strenuous diets (although it never hurts to eat healthy, but many of us just can't).

[Stef]

Jacksonean, Colm and Daveman (and Everyone Else!) --

Your posts about eliminating certain food groups are very interesting!

Here's a link to an article that I came upon one year ago in the online version of the New York Times.  I found it so intriguing that I saved it on my desktop --
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/magazine/the-boy-with-a-thorn-in-his-joints.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

It occurred to me that some allergic symptoms (or bona fide autoimmune conditions) experienced by some POIS sufferers may occur in addition to POIS (but are not caused by POIS).
There are so many people, both men and women, reporting that they feeling much better after they stop ingesting certain food groups that are known to cause sensitivities.  Pains disappear, skin improves, etc.

At any rate, I hope you get a chance to read this article.  I think the story is nothing short of a miracle!

Stef

[Colm]

Thanks for sharing that Stef,

Really interesting article, one that encourages removing Gluten, explains "Leaky Gut" and gives an interesting family health story.

The child's cure from his chronic pain as a 3 year old plainly exposes the dilemma between pharmaceutical approaches and why it's important to remain open that "there isn't a pill for every ill".
 

[storygeekz]

Just ate raw carrot, red cabbage, lettuce, and spinach. I feel better

[b_jim]

Gluten free diet never improved my Pois... but sugar free diet did.

Each time I eat sugar before and just after orgasm I have two reactions :
First, I have typical diarrhea 2-3 hours after ejaculation.
Second, the more I eat sugar and bad carbs, the more I have "flu-like" symptoms (in fact, hot flashes) and more my Pois will be longer and with higher symptoms.

Second point may be explained by testosterone/dopamine theory.
But the first point make me think something with intestine is possible.

If i make a comparison to explain my feeling :
Pois is fire,
Orgasm is the spark,
Sugar is the gas.

If I stop the gas, the fire will be low.  If I add more gas, the fire will be high.

[Prancer]

Just ate raw carrot, red cabbage, lettuce, and spinach. I feel better

And that's a good point...I should add that the other day I also had raw carrot & I felt a little bit better after. Carrot is also a great "on the go" food, something that I can carry around with me, sort of like an ice cream cone except not as delicious, but healthier and still pretty tasty for a vegetable!!

[Jmari]

Thanks for sharing everyone, I may look in to the dieting approach. As for this being an auto-immune disorder, can anyone tell me that they have seen an auto-immune specialists and or have medication that they use to treat auto-immune symptoms such as Methylprednisolone. Also curious about ADD medicine such as Strattera or vyvanse?

[LAPOISSE]

Jackson,

Your post is very encouraging ; Digestion problem due to gluten can  lead to malabsorption and to various different deficiency. thus deficiency could explain cognitive problems...the typical deficiency  linked to cognitive problem is B12 ; I've supplemented it already but maybe not enough

Having greasy and sticky faeces is typical with gluten problem because the fat is not properly digest.Besides, gluten people doesn't get weight for the same reason. I definitely find myself in that

I still don't see the link between digestion and sexual activity/orgams...but as mentioned by Daveman, it could be the vagus nerve

I'll try a gluten free regimen for at least 2 month to see what happen(kind hard as my diet is basically composed of bread and past ; ) )

good luck to all

[b_jim]

I'm ok with what you wrote about gluten and possible malabsobtion of fats and b12 (+mg). But a bloodtest is needed to find. I'm foolowing free-gluten diet but I'm not really enthusiastic because the last time it was a failure.

I catch a cold this week and after orgasm my symptoms increase. I had itchings and even if anti-histamines didn't help i think something like that is involved.

Other point is the role of pancreas : enzymes and insuline are steroid-dependant . If testosterone drop after ejaculation and pancreas has a buffering effect for steroids, it might disbalance insuline and enzymes secretion. Exactly what I think, except for saccharase.

Anyway, it will took 6 months of gluten-free diet for a non-celiac subject to eliminate gliadin.

[LAPOISSE]

If there is an infinite chance that I'm POIS free in october 2014, I have no problem to live without bread, pasta and pizza ; )

[Daveman]

If there is an infinite chance that I'm POIS free in october 2014, I have no problem to live without bread, pasta and pizza ; )

I've been on a carbohydrates diet (for other reasons, one of which is to loose weight), and that means low gluten. In general I feel healthier, but I've attributed that to having lost weight.

Carbos load you up as well, especially if you don't do as much exercise as you should.

I don't know how much you can reduce glutens and not carbs.... to note if there's a difference between them. We don't really know if it's the reduced glutens or carbs that make us feel better. (Or do we?)

[LAPOISSE]

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-carbohydrates.php

Try to eat  N? 1/2/4/5/7/8/9 (in the same meal ; ) of this list and then the other numbers..then you'll surely know ; )

[Ccconfucius]

Gluten free diet never improved my Pois... but sugar free diet did.

Each time I eat sugar before and just after orgasm I have two reactions :
First, I have typical diarrhea 2-3 hours after ejaculation.
Second, the more I eat sugar and bad carbs, the more I have "flu-like" symptoms (in fact, hot flashes) and more my Pois will be longer and with higher symptoms.

Second point may be explained by testosterone/dopamine theory.
But the first point make me think something with intestine is possible.

If i make a comparison to explain my feeling :
Pois is fire,
Orgasm is the spark,
Sugar is the gas.

If I stop the gas, the fire will be low.  If I add more gas, the fire will be high.

can you do gluten free with low glycemic. From my experience it is hard because alot of gluten free food also mean highg-lycemic.

[sameer7777]

can u please help me what to have as suger free diet ......what to have in breakfast /lunch / dinner

[LAPOISSE]

Hi Sameer,

I think no one talked about sugar free diet here ; I've been sugar free for month but it didm"t help significantly. I've a have a very strong intuition about gluten and I'm 95% sure that we have a digestion/problem either as a primary cause or as a consequences of something else. Gluten is the ideal culprit but it could be something else that cause the malabosrption.

I've been taken green tea sups for 2 weeks and gluten free for some days and has 2 O this week end ; So far I dont feel the usual crash, My sinus cleared out,  and as  colm i had no bus rolling on me on the night ; ) ; It could be placebo effect but I'm not sure.If  I 'm that sensible to the placebo effect it means it can be used to solve the problem and the psycho part is POIS has a important role.

i'm also on peppermint sups..The idea is to put my digestive system in the best condition possible and to see what happen....i'll report it to you.

[b_jim]

I didn't eliminate the idea that BOTH are culprits ... for different reasons  

Sugar triples or more  my Pois symptoms. No placebo, I experiment this since 5-6 years.
Explanation ? Not 100% sure but scientific study shows 75g of glucose = -25% testosterone and causing secondary hypogonadisme . Andropause 's symptomes like hot flashes are possible.
Clearly insuline and testsosterone are linked.

GLuten, of course malabsobtion. I don"t believe opiod peptids theory FOR MYSELF because my porphirin test is negative.
I have changed 1 point compared to my last free gluten diet : I take multi-vitamin + good quality magnesium + vitamine D. Mg + Vitamine D seems to work together.
I suspect vitamine D to be linked to testosterone and then temporarly drops just after ejaculation.

For breakfast I eat eggs and self-made bread (wihout gluten) or gluten free cereals (a bit expansive) + other things (coconuet, almonds, dry fruits.....).
First sign without gluten free diet : much less muscles fasciculations. My fasciculation is a permanent symptom but highly increased after ejaculation and sign of magnsium lack + adrenaline in blood.  Placebo ? Possible, time will say the truth.

[caveeater]

I wonder if SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) could be connected to POIS. I am currently waiting to get tested for SIBO as I have problems digesting carbs and vegetables (I get bloating and brainfog), so I am basically just eating meats and fats right now. SIBO is apparently quite common and at the root of most cases of IBS as well as causing problems absorbing nutrients etc.

I feel so much better mentally since cutting out carbs. My diet now is mostly ketogenic.

[Disaster]

I have two autoimmune disease besides POIS. I have been gluten free for 2 years and it does nothing. Gluten free does not improve autoimmune symptoms but it may give people a placebo effect that is always good. Only POIS people it will physically help are Celiac or gluten allergic people. Everyone should test for both thoroughly. Celiac is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune disease come in pairs over 50% of the time. Meaning many people have more than one like both Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis as an example. So if you are celiac then that is a good indicator that POIS may be autoimmune itself.