6 ms·

Not OP but I live in a different country where I barely speak the language. I can turn on the TV in the morning and depending on how easy or difficult it is fo

Not OP but I live in a different country where I barely speak the language. I can turn on the TV in the morning and depending on how easy or difficult it is for me to parse what they are saying, tells me how sharp my mind is that day. Similarly to the sibling comment, I spent years struggling. There were points where I sat down to write a super simple Craigslist scraper and couldn't do it, my working memory was so poor that it was like I couldn't hold more than 2 or 3 concepts or ideas/variables in my head at the same time. This task is something that I knew just a few years before I could have whipped up in 30 minutes or less.

Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
Thank you for taking the time to answer. Do you use any tools like OP to help with your lifestyle? I know memory is a complex problem even for those who don't usually face explicit issues like you do; but does common memory retention practices like 'spaced repetition' made any positive improvements for you?
- dualthro 6y ago
  Definitely. Most of the time I'm pretty sharp, although I definitely have days where I basically can't get anything done. I have just started using Anki to great effect (preparing for programming interviews is a nightmare if your brain is a sieve). Since I know that my symptoms are almost entirely caused by diet, I have written down everything that I've eaten, every supplement that I've taken, every hour that I've slept, every noise or pain I feel in my stomach, and information about all of my bowel movements since 2017. I thought I had things under control last year, and didn't take any notes for 2 months. Now I have an issue with H2S bacterial overgrowth, essentially a sulfur sensitivity. "If it can be measured, it can be managed." The fact that I moved to Europe in October to avoid the pandemic and election nonsense, hasn't helped me. There are tons of supplements and tests that I would be able to get in the states that are simply unavailable in the country that I'm residing in. Pretty frustrating, and tbh, I can't wait to get back, hopefully late spring/summer.
  - badactor 6y ago
    You seem to be as fanatical about solving this issue as me, I'd love to hear what tests you want to get. Unfortunately, I have terrible brain fog, which mostly affects my working memory. This has plagued me for over a decade. As you noted, programming interviews are a nightmare. Through the autoimmune protocol diet I discovered caffeine has a negative impact on me. I've noticed a small, but not insignificant improvement through cutting out all caffeine. Previously, I drank several cups of coffee a day. I also took genetic testing and found I have some MTHFR mutations plus some other things, including a supposed indicator that I'm sensitive to caffeine, reaffirming my earlier findings. I've also cut out folic acid completely. However, I take these test results with a grain of salt, since there is mixed evidence of SNPs actual being of importance. I've also experimented with probably 30+ supplements. I'd say more than half the time, my brain fog worsens when supplementing. I've finally settled on just melatonin and glycine at night. With these, I actually remember my dreams, which I take as a good sign. Anyway, I've done very little blood testing recently, but in the past, a standard blood panel came back normal. Again, would love to hear what testing you had in mind.
    - dualthro 6y ago
      I have all manner of stomach/digestive issues on top of the brain fog stuff, although that is generally related. I have definitely spent thousands of dollars on supplements, tried probably hundreds of them. I want to get the TrioSmart breathe test to figure out specifically what my intestines are infected with, I want to get as comprehensive a food sensitivity testing panel done as possible. There are also lots of supplements that I know would help me that are not available where I am, for example bismuth (pepto bismol). In your case, I would recommend getting some L Glutamine power and taking a bunch of that in the morning and at night. That would likely fix your brain fog or at least go a long way. Best resource I've found is brainhealthbook.com . What is your email? I'll reach out and we can discuss ideas, theories and strategies further.
  - Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
    I have posted this problem 'Easy way to record diet, lifestyle habits'[1] on my problem validation platform. Hopefully we would be able to find some solutions. You're welcomed to join the discussions. [1]https://needgap.com/problems/187-easy-way-to-record-diet-lifestyle-habits-notes-lifestyle https://needgap.com/problems/187-easy-way-to-record-diet-lif...

Abishek_Muthian 6y ago

Thank you for taking the time to answer. Do you use any tools like OP to help with your lifestyle? I know memory is a complex problem even for those who don't usually face explicit issues like you do; but does common memory retention practices like 'spaced repetition' made any positive improvements for you?

dualthro 6y ago
Definitely. Most of the time I'm pretty sharp, although I definitely have days where I basically can't get anything done. I have just started using Anki to great effect (preparing for programming interviews is a nightmare if your brain is a sieve). Since I know that my symptoms are almost entirely caused by diet, I have written down everything that I've eaten, every supplement that I've taken, every hour that I've slept, every noise or pain I feel in my stomach, and information about all of my bowel movements since 2017. I thought I had things under control last year, and didn't take any notes for 2 months. Now I have an issue with H2S bacterial overgrowth, essentially a sulfur sensitivity. "If it can be measured, it can be managed." The fact that I moved to Europe in October to avoid the pandemic and election nonsense, hasn't helped me. There are tons of supplements and tests that I would be able to get in the states that are simply unavailable in the country that I'm residing in. Pretty frustrating, and tbh, I can't wait to get back, hopefully late spring/summer.
- badactor 6y ago
  You seem to be as fanatical about solving this issue as me, I'd love to hear what tests you want to get. Unfortunately, I have terrible brain fog, which mostly affects my working memory. This has plagued me for over a decade. As you noted, programming interviews are a nightmare. Through the autoimmune protocol diet I discovered caffeine has a negative impact on me. I've noticed a small, but not insignificant improvement through cutting out all caffeine. Previously, I drank several cups of coffee a day. I also took genetic testing and found I have some MTHFR mutations plus some other things, including a supposed indicator that I'm sensitive to caffeine, reaffirming my earlier findings. I've also cut out folic acid completely. However, I take these test results with a grain of salt, since there is mixed evidence of SNPs actual being of importance. I've also experimented with probably 30+ supplements. I'd say more than half the time, my brain fog worsens when supplementing. I've finally settled on just melatonin and glycine at night. With these, I actually remember my dreams, which I take as a good sign. Anyway, I've done very little blood testing recently, but in the past, a standard blood panel came back normal. Again, would love to hear what testing you had in mind.
  - dualthro 6y ago
    I have all manner of stomach/digestive issues on top of the brain fog stuff, although that is generally related. I have definitely spent thousands of dollars on supplements, tried probably hundreds of them. I want to get the TrioSmart breathe test to figure out specifically what my intestines are infected with, I want to get as comprehensive a food sensitivity testing panel done as possible. There are also lots of supplements that I know would help me that are not available where I am, for example bismuth (pepto bismol). In your case, I would recommend getting some L Glutamine power and taking a bunch of that in the morning and at night. That would likely fix your brain fog or at least go a long way. Best resource I've found is brainhealthbook.com . What is your email? I'll reach out and we can discuss ideas, theories and strategies further.
- Abishek_Muthian 6y ago
  I have posted this problem 'Easy way to record diet, lifestyle habits'[1] on my problem validation platform. Hopefully we would be able to find some solutions. You're welcomed to join the discussions. [1]https://needgap.com/problems/187-easy-way-to-record-diet-lifestyle-habits-notes-lifestyle https://needgap.com/problems/187-easy-way-to-record-diet-lif...