Warrior's Health Journal & POIS Protocol

[Warrior]

I'm noticing that I seem to tolerate canned navy beans and microwaved packets of whole rice seemingly well. Tested the canned navy beans for quite some time now. I wonder if this is because of how they've been processed, cooked, pressurised, etc.

Edit: still get some symptoms from the rice but it’s definitely minimal compared to reg white rice ??

[Warrior]

Brief update:

Seeing a new specialist here in Australia. He has quite a decent following on YT: Byron Herbalist.

Will be exploring and testing a bunch of things. Getting Organic Acids Test (OAT) test done. This will help diagnose potential candida/fungal issues and provide a lot of interesting data overall. Will be playing with a bunch of different adaptogens and herbs. High dose TTFD is also something he's suggested. We're aiming to gather more actual data about my condition. He thinks it's all very interesting. 

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On another note, today I had huge epiphanies on using the mind to heal. Thanks to Muon's quote,

21 February 2025 from channel Limbic Recovery: "How I recovered from POIS after years of struggle (Brain retraining saved me)"
https://youtu.be/qXiMCRlKiTo

I discovered this new YouTube channel. Connected a lot of dots with my experiences in meditation and consciousness. I think brain retraining is definitley being slept on by most including myself. DNRS, Joe Dispensa, Primal Trust are some different resources that teach the fundamentals of using the mind to heal physiology.

Our mind has more conscious control over our body's physiology than what western culture understands. Physiology, biochemistry, hormones, and physical states are absolutely influenced and effected by mind. All these practices simply work towards altering the physiology, biochemistry, and physical health state through mind.

There is no doubt that POIS and many other complex chronic conditions stem from physical causes (some stemming from mental causes as well). That doesn't change any of this. You can manipulate the body's biochemistry and physiological processes through mind. That's all it comes down to.

So from here onwards I am going to do a deep dive into all this stuff. Tackling my condition from physical and mental means.

Just for clarity's sake, my POIS symptoms are the most benign and under control they've ever been. I can release as desired. My food sensitivities are what negatively effect my quality of life and long-term health. My main goal is to completely cure my food sensitivities (and in doing so, POIS should also be cured as they are interconnected into the same condition).

I may as well call my current health condition: 'Interconnected Chronic Food Sensitivities & POIS'

I also wonder about applying the volume of a Vipassana retreat to brain retraining. Meditation and brain retraining in this context are very similar and share a lot of overlap. In theory, you could vastly improve the speed of results from brain retraining by simply undertaking an intensive retreat.

[Warrior]

Frequent methyl donor supplementation is still necessary long-term, regardless of how much I release or what diet I’m on. It’s the only supplement I need to consistently take.

When I stop taking my B complex for a week, I begin to get symptoms that I associate with a depletion of methyl donors.

I start getting more anxious than usual, weird facial sensations, brain fog, dusky etc. These all improve significantly when I take methyl donors again.

However the B complex I’ve been relying on for the past few years equally continues to give me side effects. So currently trying to identify the most important nutrients within the B complex. I’ve stated this numerous times but never actually gotten around to doing it lol.

Starting off with methyl B12, folic acid, and B6. Haven’t taken B complex for ~ week or so, and began feeling symptoms today. Took b12, folic acid, and b6 and immediately felt better. Will see how I feel in the coming days as well.

[picasso1122]

Frequent methyl donor supplementation is still necessary long-term, regardless of how much I release or what diet I’m on. It’s the only supplement I need to consistently take.

When I stop taking my B complex for a week, I begin to get symptoms that I associate with a depletion of methyl donors.

I start getting more anxious than usual, weird facial sensations, brain fog, dusky etc. These all improve significantly when I take methyl donors again.

However the B complex I’ve been relying on for the past few years equally continues to give me side effects. So currently trying to identify the most important nutrients within the B complex. I’ve stated this numerous times but never actually gotten around to doing it lol.

Starting off with methyl B12, folic acid, and B6. Haven’t taken B complex for ~ week or so, and began feeling symptoms today. Took b12, folic acid, and b6 and immediately felt better. Will see how I feel in the coming days as well.

hi , man.my sincerely greetings. i hope  you to be good.
i feel in debt about  your video and i  want to say  though my symptoms are not quite the same as your but they are some similarities.
i just wondered how you ever tried anticholinergic drug like Baclofen. these thing make me feel better. i tried them for considerable amount of time and that makes me feel better. if you haven't tried one maybe it is not a bad idea to play this kind of drug on trial

[Warrior]

My cluster appears to respond to nicotinamide. Today took 1g total (500mg x 2) an hour or so apart. Approx 1-3 hrs later, had a Thai lunch w/ white rice. Normally this would trigger food sensitivities but this time nothing.

My meal also contained Thai milk tea. Not sure if tea combination w/ nicotinamide may influence outcome.

Day before took methyl B12 1000mcg, B6 100mg, and 500mcg folic acid. Had a Fishbowl meal & distinctively remember immune system activation, symptoms etc. Methyl donors improve POIS & symptoms overall, but do not provide any 100% temporary alleviation like nicotinamide appears to do. My intention with taking B3 today was more to try and reduce excess methylation symptoms, but seem to have inadvertently proven nicotinamide’s mysterious medicinal benefit for POIS. I must seek to clarify nicotinamide’s role in my stack moving forward.

Only realised this in hindsight today.

Documenting for future reference.

At some point, I will clarify this further. I’ve always had interesting results with B3, but never been able to empirically validate & repeat results long-term. Gino’s thread is also interesting.

So nicotinamide appears to provide two distinct medicinal uses for POIS, but maybe their medicinal outcome is related:
— reduces excess methyl donors in circumstances when excess B vitamins or methyl donors are consumed, as part of protocols
— mysterious unknown medicinal effect for temporarily alleviating POIS & complex cluster symptoms

Warning: niacin and nicotinamide are two different forms of b3. The type will determine different toxicity dosages. Overdosages of b3 can cause liver damage.

[Warrior]

I suspect those who respond well to methyl donors for POIS do not seem to tolerate glycine well, and therefore will probably need to rely on B3 for excess methyl buffering. There appears to be something in the POIS complex condition that creates a sensitivity to glycine.

That appears to be the case for my cluster at least. Nicotinamide or niacin (B3) are very effective for reducing excess methyl donor symptoms and side effects.

Edit: seem to tolerate and receive better medicinal benefit from nicotinamide compared to niacin. Overall I just seem to feel better w/ nicotinamide whereas niacin tends to make me feel a bit more anxious. Not sure of the reasoning or if it’s a dosage thing etc but for now will stick with nicotinamide going forward.

[Warrior]

Riboflavin is very balancing. Body appears to work better with more. 400mg can be useful for “strange” conditions/side effects according to Masterjohn.

[Warrior]

Interesting video on D3 supplements vs natural sunlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ul-hYTaQ4I

From this point onwards, I rely 100% on direct sunlight exposure for increasing and maintaining optimal D3 levels for POIS.

Also cleaned up my main protocol page info: https://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=3964.msg42080#msg42080

[Warrior]

I've noticed a significant improvement in my food sensitivities, mood, and POIS since increasing vitamin D3 through direct sunlight.

Not sure how long this will last, but it seems to be more effective than what I used to experience with supplementation alone.

Of course I am not surprised that I am feeling better with D3 as I've documented that countless times in the past. It has been a pivotal part of my protocol for quite some time now.

I am surprised I seem to be getting better results through direct sunlight as opposed to supplementation (even when supplementation was supposedly working and I had super high serum levels to prove it).

Edit 18/3/25: Fixing D3 via sun also fixed droopy eyes. Before was definitely D3 deficient though, so I think it simply fixed the droopy eyes, mood etc by sheer fact of elevating D3. Low D3 gave me droopy eyes and poor mood.

[Progecitor]

I've noticed a significant improvement in my food sensitivities, mood, and POIS since increasing vitamin D3 through direct sunlight.

Not sure how long this will last, but it seems to be more effective than what I used to experience with supplementation alone.

Of course I am not surprised that I am feeling better with D3 as I've documented that countless times in the past. It has been a pivotal part of my protocol for quite some time now.

I am surprised I seem to be getting better results through direct sunlight as opposed to supplementation (even when supplementation was supposedly working and I had super high serum levels to prove it).

The reason may be that sunshine also lowers cholesterol at the same time, so it is kind of a 2 in 1 remedy.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8935479/
Additionally there may be a psychological component, which could affect your mood and by a biofeedback loop maybe your physiology as well. Being outdoors provides a lot of fresh air, which also seems to help with POIS.
I really hate the ocular photophobia, which often makes it excruciatingly painful to go outside. A few years ago I regularly had to do intense physical work under the blazing sun. Interestingly a few hours into my job I would often experience a reduction in ocular photosensitivity. This may have been a combined benefit of sunshine, fresh air and exercise. However by the time I used to finish my work exercise intolerance symptoms would dominate and the next morning would start out the usual awful way. So I have to question the practical applicability.

[Warrior]

Food sensitivity symptoms accumulate when repeatedly tested. If I eat a non AB meal w/ starches after 7 days of eating strict AB, the inflammation is minimal if at all visible/felt. If I continually eat non AB foods daily for 3 days straight for example, by the 3rd day I really start to feel the negative symptoms and depletion at intense levels.

[Warrior]

Since normalising D3, methyl donor supplementation has not been as necessary. Low D3 worsens POIS, mood, food sensitivities. Can also probably give the illusion of needing more B complex/methyl donors when really I just needed more balanced D3.

D3 and methyl donors work in tandem for normalising majority of my cluster symptoms it seems.

Side effects from b complex/methyl donors are likely just excess. Nicotinamide helps to remove/normalise excess. Can probs drop frequency of B complex to once per week with normal D3 lvls. Moving forward, I will make sure I have adequate D3 by sitting in the direct sun, before taking B complex.

D3 is priority #1.
B complex/methyl donors is priority #2 after initial replenishment.

[Warrior]

New rule for my protocol:

D3 needs to be prioritised before B complex/methyl donor supplementation.

Since redialling in my D3 through direct sunlight, I no longer feel like I need to take the B complex as often. Haven’t taken it in weeks.

In the past, unconscious low D3 worsened symptoms and subsequently led me to believe I needed more methyl donors. This causes side effects like apathy and anhedonia from excess B vitamins and methyl donors.

This would also explain in the past when I stated I no longer need to take the B complex as often. Only true when D3 is dialled in. Dial D3 in before considering taking more B complex.

[SchizoPIOS]

Hey warrior, wanted to ask if you drink coffee?
I drink decaf, sometimes when I drink it my eyes become very very sensitive to light like I just released several times, I just had a decaf latte 2 hours ago and within 5 minutes watching the screen was uncomfortable, I felt fine all day otherwise and had an amazing night of sleep last night, woke up feeling great.

Also what do you think of potatoes and sweet potatoes? Been a huge fan of them ever since last year, weirdly enough sweet potatoes make me feel really happy after I eat them, but I still prefer regular potatoes for taste. This is unrelated to POIS, just wanted to ask, coz I noticed you are intolerant to starch, personally Im fine with veggie starch and rice if its cooked properly (most people struggle to cook rice properly), if I eat home cooked rice Ill feel bad but in asian restaurants I have no problem and adore the taste. Wheat and oats is a gamble, sometimes they pass through fine other times it will give me insane brain fog and bloating.

Also I tried eating less meat to reduce libido but holy crap my blood sugar was all over the place, eating a cookie or something slightly sweet affected blood sugar way too much and I was craving meat badly, but after 5 days of reducing meat my groin area felt really great, felt like there was better circulation.

[Warrior]

Hey warrior, wanted to ask if you drink coffee?
I drink decaf, sometimes when I drink it my eyes become very very sensitive to light like I just released several times, I just had a decaf latte 2 hours ago and within 5 minutes watching the screen was uncomfortable, I felt fine all day otherwise and had an amazing night of sleep last night, woke up feeling great.

Also what do you think of potatoes and sweet potatoes? Been a huge fan of them ever since last year, weirdly enough sweet potatoes make me feel really happy after I eat them, but I still prefer regular potatoes for taste. This is unrelated to POIS, just wanted to ask, coz I noticed you are intolerant to starch, personally Im fine with veggie starch and rice if its cooked properly (most people struggle to cook rice properly), if I eat home cooked rice Ill feel bad but in asian restaurants I have no problem and adore the taste. Wheat and oats is a gamble, sometimes they pass through fine other times it will give me insane brain fog and bloating.

Also I tried eating less meat to reduce libido but holy crap my blood sugar was all over the place, eating a cookie or something slightly sweet affected blood sugar way too much and I was craving meat badly, but after 5 days of reducing meat my groin area felt really great, felt like there was better circulation.

Yes I drink coffee and love doing so. I have found it beneficial for my POIS cluster. It's even in my protocol.

I love potatoes but unfortunately I am sensitive to them like many other starches. My food sensitivities at the moment have improved compared to my past and I do enjoy alternative foods now probably more often then ever, especially in the evenings. But my sensitivities are not benign enough to be eating them in every meal. The inflammation builds with each meal until it becomes unbearable, clearly dysfunctional and downright dangerous.

To paint a picture, if I eat a Thai meal w/ white jasmin rice, meat and veggies - this is what I might experience:

Within 15-45 minutes, symptoms begin to gradually increase.
Symptoms peak 1.5-2 hours in.
Symptoms gradually decrease.
Symptoms completely resolve within 6 hours or so, depending on the volume and type of starches/foods consumed.

The most obvious symptoms are heightened nervous system (like I am in a fight or flight state), more depressed/anxious, and randomly distrubuted body aches through out the body (hands, arms, shoulders, legs, feet, face, etc).

So if I didn't experience this after eating sensitive foods, I wouldn't restrict foods. Restricting foods is not good for health long-term. I only do it out of necessity.

I am continuing to work with a herbalist and have recently completed an OAT (Organic Acids Test) but have yet to receive results from lab. I am also super bullish on brain retraining methods but have yet to seriously try them.

[Warrior]

Since going keto and returning to AB, I have unlocked a new level of metabolic flexibility.

This has resulted in some significant changes in how my body works. I am able to get energy now from both fat and carbohydrates, whereas before, my body was stuck in a permanent state of carbohydrate burning for energy. This made sticking to animal-based really difficult. If I tried eating a fatty steak w/ fruit for example, I would get a severe headache, lethargy, etc.

I can now eat fat and fruit (carbs) together and my body is able to digest both relatively well, regardless of quantities. For example, I can eat a large fatty steak for lunch, and get immediate energy afterwards. Then 20 minutes later eat a big fruit bowel w/ orange juice and have no problems w/ energy or motabolism.

Some odd changes I have noticed since unlocking metabolic flexibility:

- I am able to tolerate methylfolate completely fine now. This was previously not possible.
- I no longer tolerate supplemental D3 (no idea why) - causes absolute havoc on my mind/dopamine. This may or may not be related to high dosages I've done in the past. Regardless, I opt for natural direct sunlight
- I respond well to salt for fixing most electrolyte issues - this was previously not the case, and never felt satisfactory to the 'keto flu' symptoms i used to experience. No matter how much sodium, potassium, or magnesium I took, I still had headaches, etc
- I am able to go longer periods of time without eating carbs. Previously this was not possible, I would feel physically sick and get severe headaches. However the trade off is that I do notice my mood tanks, which previously did not occur (probably because the physical symptoms acted as a feedback loop to encourage me to eat before mood tanking).
- No longer “need” red meat or eggs. I don’t notice much difference before or after eating them, aside for their macronutrient content and long term micronutrients. Whereas before, I would notice not feeling as good if I went days without eating red meat or eggs.

This makes eating strict animal-based much much easier, given I am able to derive energy from both fat and fruit carbs accordingly. I no longer need to take minimum 4 bananas daily when on strict AB. I can just eat fatty meat and fruit intuitively, deriving energy from both. My body is able to seemlessly flick between carb and fat burning as needed.

I still sense my body is able to deepen the metabolic flexibility. It's probably at around 85% efficiency for fat burning.

[Warrior]

OAT (organic acid test) results are in. I got GPT to interpret, but I am waiting on a consultation with my herbalist. In the mean time, this is what my OAT test is indicating (GPTs interpretation). OAT is commonly used for understanding complex chronic diseases.

1. Fungal/Yeast Overgrowth
Elevated Markers: Citramalic, 5-Hydroxymethyl-2-furoic, Furan-2,5-dicarboxylic, Furancarbonylglycine, Tartaric, Arabinose

Interpretation: Strong signs of fungal overgrowth, particularly from Aspergillus and possibly Candida.

Recommendations:

Antifungal therapy: Either prescription (e.g., Nystatin or Fluconazole) or botanical (e.g., oregano oil, caprylic acid, berberine).

Probiotics: High-quality, multi-strain probiotic (25–50 billion CFU/day).

Dietary adjustments: Avoid sugar, refined carbs, and fermented foods that can fuel yeast.

Consider follow-up testing: Mycotoxin testing for further fungal species insight.

2. Bacterial Overgrowth
Elevated Marker: Hippuric acid

Recommendation:

Digestive support: Probiotics, possibly antimicrobial herbs like garlic, neem, or berberine.

Reduce paraben exposure: Avoid parabens in cosmetics, lotions, processed foods.

3. Elevated Oxalates
Elevated Markers: Oxalic (88), Glycolic (87), Succinic (8.7)

Interpretation: Suggests fungal overgrowth and possibly issues with oxalate metabolism.

Recommendations:

Calcium citrate with meals to bind oxalates.

Vitamin B6 (50–100 mg/day), magnesium, NAC, and taurine to support oxalate processing.

Low-oxalate diet: Avoid spinach, beets, nuts, soy, and chocolate.

Antifungal treatment: Since yeast may be a key source.

4. Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Markers: High 3-Methylglutaric and 3-Methylglutaconic acids

Recommendations:

Mitochondrial support supplements: CoQ10 (100–200 mg/day), Acetyl-L-carnitine (1–2 g/day), Riboflavin (B2), Niacinamide (B3), and Vitamin E.

Investigate possible environmental toxins with a GPL-TOX or heavy metals test.

5. Neurotransmitter Imbalances
Findings: Low VMA, high HVA/VMA ratio, low 5-HIAA

Interpretation: Suggests low norepinephrine/epinephrine, dopamine dominance, and low serotonin.

Recommendations:

Support neurotransmitter synthesis:

Vitamin C (500–1,000 mg/day) and copper for dopamine beta-hydroxylase support.

Tryptophan or 5-HTP for serotonin (monitor carefully).

Avoid aspartame.

Consider genetic SNP testing (MAO, COMT, DBH).

Mood support: Use SAM-e, adaptogens (ashwagandha, rhodiola), or amino acid therapy based on symptoms.

6. Vitamin Deficiencies
Low Markers: B6 (pyridoxic acid), B12 (methylmalonic), B2 (glutaric), Vitamin C, CoQ10

Recommendations:

Start with a broad-spectrum B-complex with activated forms (e.g., P5P for B6, methylcobalamin for B12).

Add Vitamin C (buffered if sensitive).

CoQ10 for mitochondrial and antioxidant support.

7. Toxicity Indicators
Elevated Succinic and 2-Hydroxyhippuric acids

Recommendations:

Reduce or eliminate aspartame and exogenous salicylates.

Consider a detox protocol: sauna, niacin (Hubbard protocol), glutathione or NAC.

Look into environmental toxin testing (e.g., Great Plains GPL-TOX).

[Warrior]

And now bring it together with all of my anecdotal insights, I have asked GPT to draw conclusions based on OAT and my own protocol. I will do a deeper, cleaner, and clearer AI prompt soon, but for now this is interesting:

Key Themes from the OAT:
Fungal/Yeast Overgrowth
Confirmed by elevated Arabinose, Tartaric, Aspergillus metabolites.
Matches improvement with monolaurin, cordyceps, garlic, and low-carb/keto.

Neurotransmitter Imbalance
High HVA/VMA ratio ? dopamine dominance, impaired DBH function (? norepinephrine/epinephrine).
Low 5-HIAA ? low serotonin, can underlie anxiety, gut dysfunction, and poor sleep regulation.
Matches symptoms like POIS, nervous system oversensitivity, mental fatigue.

Mitochondrial & Methylation Dysfunction
Elevated 3-methylglutaconic + succinic acid = mitochondrial impairment.
Low B6, B12, B2, vitamin C = cofactor deficiencies (some may be secondary to fungal overgrowth and stress).
High sensitivity to methyl donors = already tight or dysregulated methylation cycle.
Matches benefit from nicotinamide, SAM-e, but only when vitamin D and cofactors are in place.

Oxalate Overload
Elevated oxalic/glycolic = significant yeast- and gut-derived oxalates.
Improvement with electrolytes, low-oxalate/keto foods, and beef/organs matches.

Putting It Together — What’s Going On?

1. Chronic Fungal Dysbiosis ? Oxalates, Immune Stress, Neurotoxins
This is likely a root cause: disrupting nutrient absorption, oxidizing mitochondria, and triggering brain fog/social withdrawal symptoms.

Yeast toxins inhibit DBH, interfere with methylation, and generate oxalates ? nervous system reactivity + cognitive fatigue = POIS.

2. DBH Inhibition = Dopamine Trapping
Your body makes dopamine but struggles to convert it ? norepinephrine.

Symptoms: wired-but-tired, emotional flatness, delayed reaction, poor focus, hypersensitivity after ejaculation or food.

3. Methylation Is Fragile but Previously Deficient
SAMe helped—so you likely had a methylation block or backlog.

Now that it’s resolved, you're functioning in a tighter window, and too many methyl donors (esp. B12/folate) tip you into apathy/anhedonia—a classic sign of "overmethylation."

4. Vitamin D as a Gatekeeper
You noticed that low D3 mimics methylation deficiency—that tracks.

Vitamin D is central to neuroimmune regulation, methylation gene expression, and gut barrier defense.

Your sensitivity to methyl donors may only show up when D3 is low, making D status your “regulatory bottleneck.”

5. Animal-Based Keto Calms Neuroimmune Inflammation
Reduced oxalates, lower insulin, lower fungal food supply, high cholesterol for steroid hormone synthesis.

Improves gut, brain, hormonal stability.

Explains why starchy plants + fiber = symptoms, but steak + eggs = peace.

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GPT Functional Hypothesis:
A long-standing systemic fungal burden suppressed immune function (low neutrophils), disrupted neurotransmitter metabolism (especially dopamine ? norepinephrine), and sensitized the nervous system to both ejaculation and food antigens, producing a merged POIS/food-sensitivity syndrome. This was exacerbated by oxalate overload, nutrient depletion, and impaired detox. When the fungal burden is reduced and cofactors are restored, symptoms resolve.

[Warrior]

New (rough) supplement regime based on OAT (to be updated):

--Anticandida strategy will be headed by my herbalist

--Nicotinamide 250-500mg
--B6 25mg
--Copper 2-4mg for 4-12 weeks, retest lvls in 3 months or so
--Vitamin C 500mg, ideally buffered [check whether normal ascorbic acid is ok, or oxalate risk - buffered might be safer?]
--CoQ10
--NAC/Glutathione

[Aladin]

And what is the success of this? (symptoms before-after)