#-KNOW the system is endogenic. even when all other symptoms apply.

[tommyssupercoolblog]

Yesterday i saw a comment where someone said that d//$m//-p alters aren't real because systems have to be truamagenic....which, my support of endos aside- we're a truamagenic system and I'm still here. Being truamagenic doesn't even stop those alters from forming. They argued however, that these things were mutually exclusive, because only endogenics would have those alters because they'd have to "literally be a baby" to split...

.....DESPITE the fact that people with DID/OSDD can split alters way, way later in their lives than the first initial split. The first one is caused by childhood trauma, but they can and do continue depending on circumstances and the system in question, as well as other traumas that happen later since ur brain is ALREADY plural.

Something you gotta remember- and that this blatantly reminded me of- is that people usually form the prejudice FIRST and then find evidence/arguments to support it. This is why forwarding studies or taking apart arguments doesn't work esp when someone is trying to exclude someone else- they're "protecting" themselves from the people they don't like and using any means to do it. They've already made the decision not to include them because they don't like them, and they are finding resources they can use to do that. It's not about evidence, so really you just have to distance yourself from it and remember that there isn't a fight here- it's not worth jumping into battle when they simply aren't going to listen.

You deserve better than that. Just keep moving.

[anameistoohard]

Oh boy, lets open that can of worms

There's a LOT of discourse with endo vs anti-endo stuff (endogenic system=plural system not formed by trauma if you don't know 🙂). Like, death threats coming from both sides kinda thing. We try to stay out of it. But it's easy to accidentally stumble into it if you're not familiar with some of the nuance. So we want to share some observations as like, a crash course. (And apparently we had a lot to say lol.)

This post isn't really to debate how plurality forms. Just to give some context as to why so much hate is flying between these two groups.

Basically, you have 2 extremes. (And everyone in between obviously)

On one side you have people making up extra rules on top of the diagnostic criteria to exclude and gatekeep anyone who doesn't meet "their level" of disordered. (I've literally heard people say "you can't be a system, you're not as traumatized as me"). A lot of accusations of faking come from this bunch. Too much internal communication? Faker. Too many non-human alters? Faker. Too many or not enough alters? Faker. You can't win with them even if you have a diagnosis.

We've noticed a lot of parallels between this group and transmeds. You need to have x level of dysphoria to ride this ride. You can't be trans if you don't want xyz treatment. You need to reach my arbitrary bar of "trans enough". Enbys and everyone else are fakers. That kind of bs.

But on this side you also have a lot of people who just want to be taken seriously. They want to be validated by their diagnosis and feel hurt when people say or do things that they think will compromise that validity. They, at least initially, come from a place of sincerity not malice. But they fall into the trap of trying to be "one of the good ones".

On the other extreme you have the wild west. Things people treat as fact aren't codified with the same scrutiny as the DSM-5 or ICD-11. This breeds its own confusion and misinformation. We've seen people conflate plurality with things like maladaptive day dreaming, lucid dreaming, adhd, and (applying it to other people with ferocity to the point of harassment) metaphors of all things.

They have a spaghetti at the wall approach that reminds me of a less extreme MOGII (an attempt to define just about every possible form of gender and sexuality). It's a messy patchwork of ideas. We've seen 8 different labels that all mean the same thing and are being used by exactly no one. Redundancy and hyperspcificity, that's the name of the game. But frankly we like this if for no other reason than we want to see what sticks, what becomes mainstream.

We've seen people from this group attack people as badly as the anti-endo group. Openly mocking people for having trauma or saying vile shit like "traumagenics kys". They feel threatened by the exclusionary nature of diagnoses. But instead of taking their frustration out on the systems of power they take them out on normal people. After all if you're diagnosed, you "represent the system"... I guess. Equally bull shit.

But this is also where the edge cases go, the exclusions, those that don't fit into a neat little box. The DSM excludes people whose plurality is accepted as part of their culture or religion. These people don't suddenly stop being systems just because they're accepted, but they're distinctly not disordered. They don't meet the clinical definition of DID or OSDD. Same goes for someone whose symptoms are mild enough to not cause "clinically significant distress". You also have people who don't want to be pathologized or have been failed by the medical system.

So lastly, a warning: When dealing with plural stuff, it's very easy to go stumbling into a mine field.

Tldr: I would always rather land on the side of letting too many people in than exclude people who needed the support. However, no matter your in-group, some people take things too far. Like, ffs don't attack people. 

-Taylor & Mark

[hiiragi7]

Honestly, it's talked about a lot just how rigidly medical many anti-endo spaces are, but I don't think it's talked about nearly enough how pro-endo spaces often fall into the exact same rhetoric. In fact, I have seen many pro-endos who push for even more strict medicalization than anti-endos do with regards to CDDs.

I cannot count the amount of times I have seen a pro-endo system say "I cannot have DID because I did not experience this specific type of severe abuse" or "I cannot have DID because my trauma didn't happen before the age of 9" or "I cannot have DID because I can still function fairly well in my daily life".

By making statements about what kind of trauma needs to happen, or quoting rigid age ranges for DID, or drawing lines in the sand at how disabled you need to be in order for it to count as "disordered enough" to be DID, pro-endos very much frequently fall into the exact same arguing points as anti-endos in order to seperate themselves from DID even if they claim to be against and mock the strict medicalization of DID often seen in anti-endo circles.

Despite claiming all the time that the rules are not as rigid as anti-endos make them out to be, pro-endos still often view DID as something "other" and create similar strict rules and binaries surrounding DID. It's especially prominent in systems who call themselves OSDD, who view OSDD as "less bad DID" and so cling to the OSDD label when their symptoms actually align more with DID. The lines they draw between OSDD and DID very often just show a lack of understanding of what DID's diagnostic criteria actually describes based on their own misconceptions about what DID is, which tends to be very narrow and specific. (Not to say everyone with OSDD is actually DID, of course, but it is a much higher number than people are really comfortable talking about.)

A lot of the time, this is very heavily related to downplaying symptoms as well as misinformation about what DID is. However, when downplaying is related to trauma, it is also a massive issue that the pro-endo community largely does not know what trauma is, either. Similar strict binaries and rules that people make about DID are also applied to the concept of trauma as a whole; especially when trauma has been so discoursified and used as an arguing point to harm endogenic systems, many systems are not comfortable talking about trauma at all.

We see this not only as it relates to dissociative disorders (ex., "Emotional neglect isn't enough to cause DID, you have to have been physically or sexually abused and I wasn't so I cannot have DID") but also as it relates to origins, particularly with things like traumagenic vs. stressgenic. Many pro-endos have very extreme ideas about what counts as trauma, and so do not believe they are traumatized if whatever their idea of "severe abuse" is was not present. Many who were abused in less overt ways or who dealt with trauma that was not related to abuse (ex., chronic stress, major surgeries, or natural disasters) tend to believe they are endogenic and non-disordered because they do not fit the picture of "trauma survivor" they have stereotyped in their head.

A lot of systems also have very narrow ideas of what a trauma response looks like, and believe it only ever looks like classic PTSD symptoms. If they do not have PTSD symptoms such as flashbacks or nightmares, there is a tendency to say "I am not traumatized".

Pro-endo spaces absolutely need to become more comfortable discussing and sharing information on disorder and trauma, because the current lack of knowledge is depressing at best and a barrier to recovery for many systems at worst. I do feel that syscourse has definitely worsened a lot of the pro-endo community's avoidance of discussing trauma and dissociation and the push to seperate experiences into anything except "traumagenic DID", though I do also feel it's related to unchecked trauma responses and internalized ableism as well. There's a lot of nuance and complexities to be found there, and this isn't a problem that can be solved overnight, but I do believe it can get better.

[edible-emerald]

gonna try and make a proper pinned post lmfao

LINK TO A THERIAN DISCORD SERVER THAT I OWN THAT'S SUPER COOL AND AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD JOIN

SYSCOURSE CODE: 👍/❤️🗯/📘/🔺🔶/🔵/🌘🌕/🟧/🌲/🌥️☀️/💭/🐊/🐌🐞/🐳

PLURAL CODE: ❓/❓/🔥/🌴/❓🐏/❓/⚡/ (We're still figuring a lot out)

A LOT OF THIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE WE KNEW WE WERE PLURAL WE'LL UPDATE SOON I PROMISE MOST OF THIS APPLIES TO THE HOST

Howdy. You can call me Emerald, Calypso or Syren. My pronouns are she/they/xe/it. (Girlflux) Usually any are fine to use but they do fluctuate, so ask. Even if you use listed pronouns when I don't want you do I don't usually care all too much. I'm aromantic/asexual, EXTREMELY romance repulsed, and a minor.

Because I am a minor, I ask that adults respect their own DNIs if they have that. If you don't, you may interact; but I get defensive, argumentative and anxious very easily, especially around adults.

Idk how I never added it but my mental disorders and disabilities are: ADHD (Diagnosed at age 9) Depression (Diagnosed at age 11) Social anxiety (Self diagnosed) Autism (Highly suspected/in the process of pursuing a diagnosis) Some sort of trauma disorder (Suspected, talking with my therapist about possible PTSD) OCD (Suspected) DID/OSDD (We're a sys(let) so the chances are relatively high, plus other symptoms)

We're desirdae! We use a lot of desirdae & dissomei labels, however some major ones are desirfakesui, desirpermateen, desirworsen, desirpermadaydream, and a few others.

On most websites I use the username edible_emerald, including discord and ao3.

Median. I'm still figuring out this identity and questioning it so it's kinda a placeholder and we're gonna try and become more distinct but keep that in mind. Simply plural is calypsoooo, if you friend me tell me your tumblr username when you do (I may decline sorry)

We're a Mixed Origin system! More specifically, Esogenic and our term, Hexabyssgenic. if you have a problem with it than block button is there for your convenience <3

I'm a therian, my theriotype is Northwestern wolf. I'm questioning Mermaid/selkie/siren and Lynx/wild feline, along with something winged. I’m also mermaidhearted and have other hearttypes that I’ve been too lazy to figure out but I will eventually

I post art sometimes

Also I like to write!! :3

I'm currently hyperfixating on MCYT, specifically KSMP, LSSMP, UU, Park/PVPciv, and Whitepine. Some previous hyperfixations include LU/TOTK/TLOZ, TOH, CSMP, KOTLC, TADC, HH, HB, MD, TOS (1 and 2), and chess. I write fanfiction a bit and you can find my writings on my ao3 account (edible_emerald)

I run a plethora of sideblogs, ask if you're curious

I can reclaim the slurs faggot, retard and tranny but I don't really use them very often, unless you talk to me in dms/discord than I do a little bit more lmfao

I will update this when I remember stuff lmao

I will try to respect your boundaries, but I may forget and accidentally misgender you, etc. Please correct me if I do! Also I tend to be petty a lot, so I will probably argue with people. If you'd rather I just leave it, you can let me know and I'll drop it. I'm too autistic to realize otherwise lmao

My only DNIs are that bigots and radqueers DNI. I also ask that Harry Potter and DSMP fans DNI *UNLESS* I interact first, then you're welcome to.

Also, astrothetherian supporters go the fuck away. We've been harassed by them and sent literal SA threats by them. If you think that's acceptable than stop pretending you care about trauma survivors BECAUSE WE ARE ONE.

As for my other DNIs, I don't have any, anyone can interact. You will want to keep in mind that I'm:

Pro endogenic/tulpamancer/willogenic systems

Neutral on the whole 'the term tulpamancy is cultural appropriation!' argument because i've seen different accounts from different people and some of them are Tibetan Buddhists and some of them aren't and idek what to believe atp

Pro self-diagnosing (with research)

Anti proship/conship <- shipcourse is really really stupid btw. Unless you say "fiction doesn't affect reality" i do not give a shit like at all. and if you respond "all proshippers think fiction doesn't affect reality" i will probably block you (unless we're moots) BECAUSE SHIPCOURSE IS STUPID AND I REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED.

Neutral on lesboys

I block freely though.

Click the link below to help Palestinians in need. It's free and only takes a few seconds!

I really love these userboxes :3 below the cut is just a bunch more userboxes

[sophieinwonderland]

Reminder, Plural is an Inclusive Term and Plural Tags Are Inclusive Spaces

Recently, there has been an anti-endo who has been plagiarizing endogenic posts. This, while frustrating, isn't too much of a surprise. Anti-endos aren't exactly known for their creativity, and most of the contributions to the plural community have always come from the pro-endo side while the anti-endo side prefers to leech off of our accomplishments like parasites while attacking the community that made the resources they depend on.

If this were simply about the plagiarism though, I wouldn't be posting this in anti-endo tags. I would be very happy to leave the anti-endo tags alone so long as anti-endos stay in their lane and far from our community.

I think if anti-endos allow the pro-endo community to have our spaces to ourselves, then they can have their hate tags to themselves.

But our community tags include the plural tags.

For those unaware, "plural" was first coined in the 90s as an alternative to the heavily medicalized "multiple."

We don’t claim that every multiple system/household is a happy loving cooperative one. What we do question is the *identification* of “real multiples” with the characteristics or symptoms of a psychological disorder. We go further: we question by what right or authority doctors and therapists are given sole jurisdiction over the definition of “an individual”.

This is one reason our clan encourages use of the word “plural” rather than “multiple”. “Multiple”, even standing by itself, brings to mind MPD/DID, “multiple personality disorder”, “dissociative identity disorder”, which are specific diagnoses created by the medical/therapeutic community. “Plural” is a much more neutral word, more commonly heard in the context of grammar than psychiatry. (The other reason, of course, is that plural can be construed to have a broader meaning, applying to anyone(s) anywhere on the continuum who experience themselves as plural in some way. )

"Plural" is, and always has been, an inclusive term. And the "plural" tags are thusly inclusive spaces that should be free from hate.

If they aren't, if our community isn't allowed to exist in peace, then I can't promise that anti-endo tags will be free from my posts.

I am aware that my presence in your tags may cause distress to some. I mean, part of the reason some anti-endos claim to have made the Sophiecourse tag about me was because they claim to find my presence as an outspoken pro-endo triggering.

I want to acknowledge this so we're all on the same page, and you can understand that I know exactly what I'm doing when I promise to continue to crosspost into anti-endo tags if anti-endos continue to invade ours. Collective punishment isn't something to resort to lightly, but it seems to be the only way to get anti-endos to stay in their own spaces and out of inclusive ones.

So with that, I kindly request that the anti-endo community please speak on my behalf to the user who has been stealing pro-endo posts, and ask that they stop posting in inclusive plural spaces. Especially if you or your friends are distressed by my presence in anti-endo tags.

Ultimately, I believe that both spaces can exist in peace. So let's work together to keep system spaces safe for everyone.

[anonymousfield]

first of all i think you only believe the endogenic community is toxic is because of how you are against them. i have seen so much non syscourse talk and so many respectful endogenics. i dont mean to discredit anyone who has been harassed my endogenics but it isnt true that that applies to all endogenics or even a majority.

you may not have understood my point but i know many others did. its really not my problem that you thought it was comparing the two cause i really couldve substituded any other disorder. i originally was going to use OCD. it doesnt matter what disorder i use, my point was that those with the disorder dont own the symptoms. i never said "anxiety disorders are comparable to OSDDID" i said OSDDID doesn't own the concept of plurality just like how anxiety disorders doesnt own the concept of anxiety.

ok and then you missed where i said traumagenic systems can also be nondisorders but i guess we will just move past that. i have no clue how you think you are being polite if you said "i can be polite. i can be courteous" with means to apply it to this conversation. you called me sick in the head which is actually an ableist insult. anyway, there is other medical research that recognizes endogenic systems. i dont compile the resources myself so im going to be linking someone elses post that has links to resources. also no clue where you got the 5% from when you talked about religious systems. endogenic systems do deserve to be in plural spaces. theres so much anger from some parts of the DIDOSDD community about endogenics being in a shared space. i think having areas where people talk about just DIDOSDD is good but you can't boot specific plurals out of general plural spaces, those are shared. and then your comment about endogenics "constantly" trying to intrude your spaces i just think isnt true. constantly is a big word. if you mean they are trying to use plural spaces well they are allowed to. also i know of quite a few anti endo DIDOSDD systems that come into pro endo spaces and harass others so clearly this is something that happens on both sides.

then again i have said i am not comparing DIDOSDD experiences with anxiety disorder experiences probably 10 or something times at this point but you still want to keep saying that i do.

if anti endos think they own plurality because its a symptom of their disorder then guess what? as someone with an anxiety disorder, we own anxiety! if you do not have an anxiety disorder you cant be anxious! if you are anxious without an anxiety disorder then you are a faker and harmful to the anxiety disorder community!

(this is a joke)

[sysmedsaresexist]

(Thank you)

1. Can you be a system with absolutely no idea what caused you to split? Or to not be aware of your trama at all?

I’ve only very recently come to terms with the fact that I have trauma and haven’t done any work on it yet. I don’t have an event I can point to and go “this traumatized me.”

2. What does it feel like to have an alter front?

3. Are systems usually aware they’re a system before they’re diagnosed?

4. Do alters always know what they look like beforehand? Previously I thought alters knew everything about themselves but one of the answers I got mentioned hosts sometimes helping to figure out names.

I'm curious what kind of answers you've gotten to these so far that made you seek us out, of all people, lol

1. Can you be a system with absolutely no idea what caused you to split? Or to not be aware of your trama at all?

Absolutely, both of these scenarios are not only possible, but completely normal. We're going to switch these around and talk about them in the opposite order, starting with, "not aware of trauma at all". The purpose of a system is to hide trauma. When you're young and going through traumatic situations, and you dissociate, what usually happens is one of two things. Either the child mentally goes away (dissociates, imagining being in a different situation, ignoring what's happening to them in the moment), or they imagine actually being someone else ("this isn't happening to me, it's happening to someone else, I'm (fuck it, uh) Zoro, and I, Zoro, can handle this"). Both of these scenarios lay the groundwork for the creation of a system, and both cases lead to the loss of memory of traumatic events when a child experiences that extreme level of dissociation over prolonged periods.

What this means is, there is no one event that creates a system. It's event, after event, after event, until the child can no longer form a cohesive sense of self. They've become too reliant on dissociation as a coping mechanism, these dissociated parts have taken on a life of their own, and a child's identity has become so fractured and they're so confused that they can't tell who or what they are, and the memories of why are scattered between these parts.

It's not as easy as pointing to an event and saying, "That was it. That was what happened, that's what did this to me-- to us."

This sort of plays in to the next point of, "why did a specific alter split." And this can apply to childhood, later, hell, today, ten years ago, fifteen years from now. It's not always as easy as pointing to a specific event for each alter, either. Some alters take months and years after an event to come forward and make themselves known. This can make pinning down their "origin" almost impossible. What made them could have happened a long time ago. Sometimes it's not a specific event, but a combination of several events, just like in childhood. Are your parents always fighting? Maybe, by the tenth time they're blowing up at each other and you're curled up in your room trying to ignore it, a part finally splits to help you handle that stress. It wasn't specifically the tenth fight-- it was the combination of ALL of the fights.

2. What does it feel like to have an alter front?

This depends. I'm old. I've experienced a lot of different feelings when someone else fronts. When I was kid, it sometimes felt like I was asleep. No memories of it, just blissful darkness, no real time loss, things would go dark for what felt like ten minutes, and then I'd be back, several hours later, barely even realizing I had missed an entire day. I also had pretty bad maladaptive daydreaming, and sometimes I would go into my daydreams while another alter took over. I just thought this was normal. I was just REALLY good at multi-tasking, you know?

When I got older, and I learned more about what was happening, sometimes it would feel like a battle to the death-- two of us fighting desperately for front. Sometimes it honestly felt like a punch to the head-- a knock out when I lost, unpleasant darkness, fear, anxiety, what was I going to come back to? Other times, when I won, I was left with a massive headache and exhausted. Sometimes I welcomed the break, and over time, it became easier. It became like watching things happen through a foggy window. Sometimes I wanted to do something, and I couldn't, and sometimes I felt helpless and lost. As communication got better, I could see more clearly, I could ask for things to happen, I could occasionally... steal a moment, use a hand, set something straight on the counter that was bothering me.

When an alter fronts, it can feel like a lot of things, depending on the situation, depending on communication levels. There's no "one way" or "right way".

3. Are systems usually aware they’re a system before they’re diagnosed?

I would say, in the age of the internet, it's more likely than not that someone is aware they're potentially a system, than it is for them to be completely unaware at the time of diagnosis. Before the internet, before you could just google symptoms, a lot of people weren't aware prior to diagnosis. Even these days, it's not unheard of for someone to only find out around the time of diagnosis, because you don't always realize you're losing time, or have amnesia. Your alters aren't always so completely different that the people around you notice and point it out. The entire point of this disorder is for it to be unnoticeable. It really just depends on the person, their exposure to information about the disorders, and how bad their dissociation is. Some know, some don't. Some go seeking therapy for help with other issues and eventually it just comes out over time that you have something else going on. Sometimes you suspect, and you go to therapy specifically for it. It's different for everyone.

4. Do alters always know what they look like beforehand? Previously I thought alters knew everything about themselves but one of the answers I got mentioned hosts sometimes helping to figure out names.

Not at all. It's actually really common for alters to be... essentially blank slates in the beginning. Let's look at the example above, of the child dissociating out of a bad situation. If they're going away into their daydreams, the body is essentially left unattended. Any alter that forms in that moment could considered to be "blank" at the start. In the other scenario, you know who Zoro is, what they look like, what they like and dislike, what their history is. It doesn't even need to be a character you know of, maybe you, like me, had MaDD, and you'd become one of your characters, your OCs. I had one.

She was strong and had superpowers and was beautiful and confident-- and that was one of my first alters. I imagined being her often enough that I could eventually take the other route, disappear into my mind while she handled it herself (this was totally normal multi-tasking, apparently). She knew who and what she was right off the bat. What she looked like, her history, her personality. In the first scenario, that alter may or may not come up with that information on their own. They may remain blank until communication is good, and then they might start to grow, maybe you do help them find a name, maybe they find it years later on their own. Again, there's no "one way". It depends on the circumstances.

-

You sent a second ask with some more questions, and I think this leads into the next one.

Is it normal for an alter to feel more comfortable in the body than the original host?

Like, you look in a mirror and you think “yeah this is [alter name]” Not really as a negative or positive feeling, just a neutral and true one. Being trans (or mistaking the presence of a different gender alter [the alter in question] for it?) might also effect this.

This can happen, yes! In the case of my OC/alter, of course she looked like me. She was everything I wanted to be when I was a child. She can look in the mirror and say, yup, definitely me. This is what I've always looked like, and I'm perfection.

I have another alter that just... isn't bothered by appearance. He looks in the mirror and it's like, "yup, I guess so, cool -finger guns-"

There's a lot of reasons some alters might be more comfortable in the body than others, and they're all totally normal.

-

And finally. The last question:

What is a tupla?

This is, surprisingly, a very loaded question.

First, right off the bat, the use of the term tulpa is cultural appropriation. I don't claim to be an expert, but to put it simply. The actual practice of tulpamancy is nothing, NOTHING, like what it's being used for in system circles. Here's a really, REALLY good post on how it's been twisted from the original practice and westernized.

The more accepted terms in system circles are willogenic, parogenic, and thoughtforms. These are "headmates" that are intentionally created. They're imaginary friends brought to life through meditation and practice. Some systems claim to be DID/OSDD and say they've intentionally created some alters, making them "mixed origin" (it's more likely that someone has convinced themselves that it was intentional and their choice in an attempt to feel a sense of control over their situation). Some endogenic systems claim to have intentionally created their entire system (which, because on the levels of dissociation needed to create alters, I don't believe is possible without a traumatic origin).

I hope this all helps, I hope it all made sense, if you have more questions, let me know!

[misinformedgenic]

The last post on this god awful blog

Hello, I ask everyone who see’s this to unfollow this blog, if you are following me. I can’t look at the reblogs and posts I posted anymore, without feeling incredibly embarassed and I know that I am being aggressive to the people who gave me notes but you know what I don’t care.

(Overall trigger warning: trauma,syscourse,swearing and apologies.)

My message for those who are anti-endogenic:

(tw: abelism,mental ilness)

The truth is, whether all systems are formed by trauma or some can be born that way or it can be formed by something else, it really doesn’t matter. All endogenic systems are just trying to exist and communicate their experiences, and instead of listening and supporting those who might experience their plurality differently from you, you just villanize them and insult them and do the exact same thing that neurotypicals have been doing to us for YEARS. Calling us fake, saying we are trying to get attention, saying we should be ashamed of ourselves for “appropriaiting” from people who had a more severe form of an illness or was priveliged enough to get a diagnosis . If you are traumagenic and you haven’t had that kind of experience, I genuinely envy you. That shit was done to me and it really hurt me. People called me attention seeking for saying I was depressed,or had social anxiety or that I was transgender, or that I was traumatised or plural when all I was trying to do was be myself openly and to accept myself. Why is it that when someone who experiences some sort of plurality and they don’t feel comfortable assosciating their system with trauma, you jump straight to accusing them of something as awful as FAKING or BEING A THIEF!

And yes I know being endogenic means it’s not an illness, but being called a fake for expressing who you truly are when you’ve been forced to hide who you are is such a awful experience. How could you be so callous and careless to even risk that happening to someone else, even once more, in this cruel world. Even if every single endogenic system, who says I can’t help being a plural, was trauma genic, they still associate themselves with that word, endogenic. When you say something horrible about endogenic systems, you are doing so much damage to those people. I mean, to assume without a shadow of a doubt that every single “veritable” endogenic system is actually traumagenic with the limited amount of understanding of DID/OSDD IN ITSELF, as opposed to how this phenomenon could work outside of a disordered framework, really shows you have your head far up your ass. But even then, it doesn’t matter because whether they ended up being traumagenic or not, according to science, no one deserves that treatment.

Even then,in regards to the post on this blog that got the most notes, we need to understand that people with plurality are forced to label their pluraility as a symptom of a disorder. Many systems who needed psychiatry and systems who didn’t and just masked themselves mingled, and they shared terms. This is still happening today, more then ever.

(Just in case you want to know, fictive is not a term used in psychology or psychiatry. It literally came from the soul bonding community, and people who are anti endogenic are still using it. If you don’t believe me use a web browser, and provide some sources to prove otherwise. I didn’t know this, and I’m not going to tag the OP who told me this,because I’m not sure whether they want to be tagged, but thank you. I felt pretty humiliated but it helped to come to realize what I was doing was wrong and that my opinions were wrong, and it helped me to become a kinder and more understanding individual.)

And we need to understand that systems shouldn’t be forced to be involved in exploring their plurality through a lense of trauma, because for many it doesn’t make sense because thats not how they experience it. Even if it is repressed memories ,sometimes or always, systems need a space to be systems without talking about trauma or applying trauma to it. DID and OSDD spaces are not providing that and in those spaces trauma is going to be talked about. Systems shouldn’t have to force themselves to think about trauma and go through pain, just to be able to call themselves a plural and have people acknowledge and accept them.

My message for any endogenic systems and their supporters:

I apologize for everything that you had to go through, from me and my behaviour. My behaviour was terrible and none of you deserved it at all. You deserve so much more than what you get from the anti-endogenic crowd, and you are absolutely valid, and I hope that in the future things will be easier all of you. You deserve love, acceptance and support, and I hope that nobody will ever be able to take that reality from you. You are doing nothing wrong by just being a plural, and it’s really sad that people were and still are fighting about this. Fuck anyone who says otherwise. 

Conclusion:

(tw: s***** abuse,ableism,self hatred)

I know I was guilty of what I criticized, and that is really embarassing, but I’m glad I realize that now. I admit I was angry because I was jealous and bitter and I didn’t understand the history properly around this community or how it formed. I went through a lot of online g******g and s***al abuse and my experience with being a system was horrible, I had to deal with alters who had horrible del****ns and wanted to incite gruesome s*** h*** and wanted to k*** me. My system has introjects of my a****rs and random men I see on the streets making pe****ted comments at me pretty much all the time, and I was really jealous of systems who could experience the joys of being a system while avoiding the horrible parts. It made me feel worthless and inferior, because all the interesting and fun parts of being a system could be paraded on TikTok or whether and displayed by people who weren’t f***ed *p and dis*****ng like I was. I am not saying that’s the only basis as to why anti-endogenics hold their opinions, but I am saying this because if you ever see those anti-endogenic posts of mine somewhere and I am very passive agressive or vicious, that’s where it comes from and it isn’t objective or fair.

end of abuse trigger warning.

I decided that I am going to delete all the mean comments I made on other people’s posts that didn’t get any response, so that not another person has to see it again, and for which did get a response I am going to apologize to all those I harmed. If you want to respond to my argument, I can’t stop you from reblogging and making a comment, and that’s your freedom on this website, but I am not going to be replying because discourse on here is so nasty and I’m just done with that. I would rather help contribute to a community of people who feel isolated and who will be empowered by building a culture around plurality, whether that be around trauma or not. I’m tired of focusing on my trauma, it’s in the past and I don’t give a shit about it. It just sucks and I hate it and I am done with it. I will need therapy for it of course,yadi ya, but in terms of my limited free time on this earth I would rather contribute to making people feel happy and supported then argue and be angry about something that is kind of pointless anyway.

So bye, I would like to make a normal system blog in the future and we’ll be using the same names but for now I need to shut the fuck up and reflect. 

- Luca

Also hey, on a additional note, my name is Milo and I allowed my name to be associated with this blog and it was irresponsible and unkind for me to do promote this kind of thinking. I am really sorry for any harm I caused by being a part of this blog. Additionally Stanley understands that his post on pride flags was inaccurate and he made some very nasty comments/did some nasty stuff to, he is very sorry to all those he harmed with his previous posts. He is in a really bad situation at the moment, which has gotten worse over time, he is a trauma holder and he is in a lot of emotional turmoil,so neither me or Luca wanted him to be involved in writing this specific post, but that doesn’t mean what he did was okay and all three of us recognize this now.

Best regards,

Milo.

[imjustaf444keriguess]

(i slept and i feel a bit better, although i should probably focus on other things after this reply)

you mention it was "from a blogger who did confirm they were endogenic and just posted a one off "plural culture is" post." but when i read "plural culture is" i think of those blogs who just post anons mostly. there's even one that uses "plural culture" (or used to use it) even though they're anti endo themselves. the term plural is meant to encompass ANY plural experience, disordered and medicalized or not.

"As for what I personally would consider more than the most surface level things about plurality, to me it's the emotion and the struggles behind it, not connected to just the symptom of having alters." do you mean the trauma and PTSD symptoms? because that's separate from the plural experience, and can affect your experience of plurality, but that just sounds like you're referring to, you know, the trauma and disordered part of your experience? especially because after you say "Especially the negative parts about it such as not having a sense of self whatsoever, or not recognizing yourself in the mirror.", which... doesn't apply for all systems or plurals, and definitely is more of a trauma or PTSD thing than a plurality thing.

also "there are so few people who experience the negatives, or at least post about it" do YOU post about the negatives of your plurality/systemhood all the time? i know i don't, but we don't really share our system much online in a direct "hey, i'm a system!" way. half of the reason why we don't post about our system is due to it being personal, private, and trauma related, so of course i'm not gonna spread that out wildly on the internet (i'm not an idiot kid anymore luckily).

(the other half is because if we did share the nice and fun stuff, we'd get fakeclaimed and seen as "too happy" and "not experiencing the negatives", even though we're just a system and as a human being living in the world today, we want a happy space and tumblr is a place where you can make your own safe space and not have to deal with the negatives.)

also, again, as you say "Once again, this may just be affected by who might've blocked us and who we have blocked ourselves.". people aren't gonna vent to strangers, most the time. especially if they're older and have experienced the trauma or seen other people be traumatized by expressing themselves online. you can see systemscringe and fakedisordercringe reposting people simply existing, making fun of them and creating toxic spaces. people like that and many disrespectful anti-endos cause endos and pro-endos to want to guard their spaces, to keep them safe. i know i immediately feel like i've walked into a bad space when i enter and they're fakeclaiming endos in their rules, even if i'm technically "traumagenic" and shouldn't be affected by that. people want SAFE spaces, and many people make tumblr's tags unsafe.

so, the main people who do post stuff like that there that wouldn't have already blocked you, are probably 16 and new to tumblr and just exploring their system feelings for the first time and don't know about heavy syscourse or what "seems obvious".

also, about the people in your inbox, you should be able to block them, or turn off anon asks for a bit, because some people like to use syscourse to be mean to others and yell at "the bad people", instead of trying to make their spaces safe for all systems and plurals. thats cause they prefer sending anon hate instead of being kind to fellow systems that need it. they aren't worth your time if they're just sending hate (although if they're sending critiques, like my reblogs to you, then stop, listen, consider, and if it's actually still worthless to you, then delete and block.)

Is it just me or do endos just post the most surface level things about plurality??

I saw a post saying "Plural culture is having to explain to your friends why you sometimes don't remember things and act different."

Like sure that's true but it's like one of the most well-known things ever, it's been said hundreds of times.

It honestly strengthens my belief that these people really don't know what plurality is beyond Tumblr and maybe a Wikipedia page or two. It just makes it seem like they didn't put much effort into learning what plurality actually is beyond the most well-known things about it.

-Charlie and Kirill

(PRO/ENDOS DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS POST.)

[midnight-fox-boy]

I want to emphasize that you don't need to be suffering all the time to have a disorder. You don't have to be in a constant state of grief, or pain, to have a mental health disorder. Your existence does NOT have to be defined by suffering.

Now this post is specifically about DID/OSDD but some of this sentiment can apply to other mental health disorders as well! So keep that in mind

Disorders do impact your life, but that impact doesn't have to consume your life. Having DID/OSDD can be hard at times, and can even be overwhelming, but that doesn't mean you have to always be suffering.

I think many people who claim to be "endogenic" are, for lack of a better phrase, in denial of this. You don't have to be suffering to have DID/OSDD. I know it's hard to accept that you may have a disorder, because it is scary, and to an extent, I can't blame people for latching onto something that's.. "nicer" and not as scary. But, in reality, terms like "endogenic" are damaging.

When people are scared and searching for answers online, because that's the norm, they search for answers to explain what they're going to, and naturally, many people, especially minors, will likely go to the least terrifying answers. If you can just be this way and be born this way, then maybe it isn't as scary as thinking you went through a lot of trauma or abuse. But you physically cannot be born this way. Trauma is what causes one to have alters, and to be fragmented.

By spreading this misinformation about OSDD/DID and disorders in themselves, you're giving room for people to latch onto something that's more harmful in the long run. And yeah, these disorders aren't always sunshine and rainbows and come with real challenges, they are not purely terrifying. It can take time to accept, that is true, but in reality, a lot of us live this way and are generally very happy people.

My system and I are generally happy, despite the challenges and unknowns, we ARE happy. Despite our anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms, we are happy.

And as a system, it is very much triggering to be seen as "bad" or "gatekeepy" because we know trauma is what makes us the way we are, and is the ONLY way to make us the way we are. And the fact that many people who claim to be endogenic are minors, is honestly terrifying to me. I truly feel many people who claim to be endogenic are in denial of trauma, or simply don't remember it. And not remembering your trauma is very very common, even a disconnect from your trauma and not seeing it as "bad enough" is very very common.

I'm a nonbinary trans person. The same sentiment used against transmeds, is used against us systems who know endogenic isn't a real scientifically proven concept. Dysphoria is proven to not be required to be trans, but endogenic is not scientifically proven to be a real concept.

You cannot have alters without dissociation, you cannot have alters without trauma.

I do not hate people who claim to be "endogenic", it's just incredibly triggering to see these people in the DID/OSDD tags. To see traumagenic systems who support them filled in the tags. I have to check every single system blog I reblog from to make sure they aren't endogenics or support them.

It was NOT easy to accept that I have OSDD. it was NOT easy to accept that the trauma I went through impacted my brain as much as it did....but here I am. I am real, we do exist, and we just don't want to see further harm pushed on people who are literally traumatized.

The resources for us are very limited, especially for people like me and my partner system who live in a rural area on state provided insurance, but we have to deal with what we can access...and for the most part, thats only general therapists with knowledge in trauma, but definitely lacking in knowledge about dissociative disorders.

So to anyone reading this...you do not have to suffer all the time to be disordered, you do not have to view "disorder" as a bad or dirty concept. We are breathing living beings who just want to live our lives to the fullest extent possible for us.

PLEASE stop seeing "disorder" as this taboo thing, nobody wants to be disordered, but we don't get to choose this, and to see the word "disorder" thrown around as the worst possible fucking thing is painful. I've always been disordered, that is my whole life. And I'm pretty damn proud of who I am and how far I've come, even if I'm not on "the same level" as peers my age.

[bhrttrainingacademy]

Think There is No Research To Support The Use of BHRT? Think Again!

I am sure you have read or heard someone say that there is no research to support the use of bioidentical hormones, often referred to as Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy BHRT for short. One the other hand, proponents declare that there is plenty of supporting evidence.  Who is right? There certainly is a lot of conflicting information about bioidentical hormones and BHRT presented on the internet and thru the media.  There is no wonder health care providers as well as patients are confused. I will help sort it all out in this blog.

Why the Confusion About BHRT Research Anyway?

Before I dispel the misinformation regarding the so-called lack of research on BHRT I want to address why there is even an argument in the first place. I propose that the main reason many have come to the conclusion that there is no research to support the use of BHRT is that when they peruse the data looking for studies on BHRT there isn’t much to find. That is because of this word “bioidentical” – it is not yet a medically accepted word.  It is more of a marketing or slang word.  All the same, personally I think it is an accurate way to describe hormones that are biologically identical to human endogenously produced hormones. (For more details read my previous blog WHAT ARE BIOIDENTICAL HORMONES AND ARE THEY SAFE FOR YOUR PATIENTS) When searching through medical data, what you dofind are studies on estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone.  The hormones often used in studies arebioidentical hormones. However, they do not use the word “bioidentical”, just the name of the real hormone as in estradiol, for example.

BHRT Research

 Actually, there are decades of published studies that first started showing up as early as 1976.  In addition, there are recent popular studies including the Keeps Study, the Danish Study, WHI, The Pepi Trial, E3N, and the Danish Nurses Cohort Study that shed more light on this debate.

Here is a summary of what these studies demonstrated in regard to bioidentical hormones:

Bioidentical hormones have distinctly different effects.

Patients report greater satisfaction with HRT using progesterone vs progestin.

Progesterone is associated with a diminished risk for breast cancer compared to increased risk with progestins.

Progestins have a variety of negative cardiovascular effects including reduction of HDL, etc.

Estriol, estradiol, estrone and CEE have different physiological effects.

Transdermal estradiol is not associated with the same risk as oral estradiol.

Hysterectomized women treated with estradiol showed significant decrease inbreast cancer and mortality​.

Estradiol can be continued for at least 10 years without an increase in adverseevents and does not result in increased risk of breast cancer or stroke​.

Research Comparing Bioidentical Hormones to Non-Bioidentical

Even more compelling is research that compares the effects of bioidentical hormones to non-bioidentical hormones. Non-bioidentical hormones are hormones that have a different molecular structure than human hormones. These include Conjugated Equine Estrogen (CEE), Ethinyl Estradiol, or Medroxy Progestin Acetate for example. Here is the summary of what you need to know from the citations comparing non-bioidenticals to bioidenticals.​ I will share the references below for your review.

Bioidentical hormones convey more favorable or equally effective results than non-bioidentical hormones.

Bioidentical hormones are equally or more effective for these key symptoms sleep, mood, and vasomotor symptoms

Bioidentical hormones have been shown to improve lipid profiles, be safer, and lack side effects demonstrated with non-bioidenticals.

The risks associated with CEE and progestins in regard to breast cancer and cardiovascular events have not been reported with bioidentical hormones.

One of the most important things we have learned is that you cannot extrapolate the results from research done on one type of hormone and then apply it to a different type of hormone.  I recall the days when some uninformed medical professionals contended that all hormones are the same. That does not agree with what we know from basic chemistry – the molecular structure determines its properties.

Let it no longer be said there is no research on bioidentical hormones or they have not been shown to be safe.​  As you can see there isreputable data and furthermore bioidentical hormones have been demonstrated to be safer than their non-bioidentical counter parts.

I am convinced that patients prefer to work with open-minded, well-informed practitioners on this topic.  In fact, they are looking for you right now.  In addition to the fact that BHRT is evidenced based, not a fad compliance is very high.  Some clinicians estimate compliance is at least 90% or higher. As you know compliance on conventional HRT is very low.  Potential reasons for the poor compliance are assumed to be side effects or fear. In my 25+ years of experience in the field BHRT, women are seeking BHRT which makes them feel so much better.  Patients are well read now and want their providers to be resources they can trust to help manage their hormones.  With that in mind, in view of the growing body of research, as a provider you can confidently recommend and even begin to learn how to prescribe and implement BHRT into your practice.

Further Reading

Keeps Study

http://www.menopause.org/annual-meetings/2012-meeting/keeps-report

KEEPS study showed low dose estrogen and progesterone started within 5 years of menopause improved depression, anxiety, and cognitive function in healthy women without increased risk of CVD.

E3N

Int J Epidemiol. 2015 Jun;44(3):801-9. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyu184. Epub 2014 Sep 10.​

Data analyzed on 98,997 women concluding that progesterone regimens compared to synthetic progestin were associated with significantly lower breast cancer risks, and women that took HRT consistently were at lower risk of breast cancer than women who took HRT occasionally.

Fournier A, Berrino F, Clavel-Chapelon F. Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: results from the E3N cohort study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008; 107(1):103-111.

Another European 8 yearlong cohort study on postmenopausal women on transdermal estradiol and progesterone found no increased risk for breast cancer.

De Lignières B, de Vathaire F, Fournier S, et al. Combined hormone replacement therapy and risk of breast cancer in a French cohort study of 3175 women. Climacteric. 2002; 5:332-340.

Danish Nurses Cohort Study

Effect of hormone replacement therapy on cardiovascular events in recently postmenopausal women: randomized trial.

BMJ 2012;345:e6409

Br J Cancer. 2005 Apr 11;92(7):1293-7​

Conducted on 19,898 women 45 years of age and older found the highest breast cancer risk to be in women who used continuous combined estrogen with synthetic progestin.

Stahlberg C, Pedersen A, Lynge E, et al. Increased risk of breast cancer following different regimens of hormone replacement therapy frequently used in Europe. Int J Cancer. 2004; 109:721-727.

Research published in JAMA found CEE and estradiol equally effective in relief of hot flashes but CEE has long-term risk of blood clot, stroke, and MI.

Nelson HD. Commonly used types of postmenopausal estrogen for treatment of hot flashes.

JAMA. 2004; 291(13):1610-1620.

PEPI Trial

Long term study on cardiovascular effects of both synthetic progestins and micronized progesterone with CEE. 

Writing group for the PEPI trial. Effects of estrogen or estrogen/progestin regimens on heart disease risk factors in postmenopausal women. The postmenopausal estrogen/progestin interventions (PEPI) trial.

JAMA. 1995; 273:199-208.

NON-BIOIDENTICAL VS BIOIDENTICAL HRT – COMPARATIVE STUDIES

Bioidentical hormones convey more favorable or equally effective results than non-bioidentical hormones.

1 Stanczyk FZ. All progestins are not created equal. Steroids. 2003; 68:879-890.

2 Place V, Powers M, Schenkel L, et al. A double-blind comparative study of estraderm and premarin in the amelioration of postmenopausal symptoms. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1985; 152(8):1092-1099.

3 Writing group for the PEPI trial. Effects of estrogen or estrogen/progestin regimens on heart disease risk factors in postmenopausal women. The postmenopausal estrogen/progestin interventions (PEPI) trial. JAMA. 1995; 273:199-208.

 4 Good W, John V, Ramirez M, et al. Double-masked, multicenter study of an estradiol matrix transdermal delivery system (Alora™) versus placebo in postmenopausal women experiencing menopausal symptoms. Clin Ther. 1996; 18:1093-1105.

5 Stahlberg C, Pedersen A, Lynge E, et al. Increased risk of breast cancer following different regimens of hormone replacement therapy frequently used in Europe. Int J Cancer. 2004; 109:721-727.

6 Nelson HD. Commonly used types of postmenopausal estrogen for treatment of hot flashes.

JAMA. 2004; 291(13): 1610-1620.

7 Fournier A, Berrino F, Clavel-Chapelon F. Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: results from the E3N cohort study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008; 107(1): 103-111.

8 De Lignières B, de Vathaire F, Fournier S, et al. Combined hormone replacement therapy and risk of breast cancer in a French cohort study of 3175 women. Climacteric. 2002; 5:332-340.

Bioidentical HRT Effective for Symptoms (Sleep, Mood and Vasomotor), Safer, Lack of Side Effects, No Risk of Breast Cancer, Improved Lipid Profiles.

1 Stahlberg C, Pedersen A, Lynge E, et al. Increased risk of breast cancer following different regimens of hormone replacement therapy frequently used in Europe. Int J Cancer. 2004; 109:721-727.

2 Fournier A, Berrino F, Clavel-Chapelon F. Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: results from the E3N cohort study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008; 107(1): 103-111.

3 De Lignières B, de Vathaire F, Fournier S, et al. Combined hormone replacement therapy and risk of breast cancer in a French cohort study of 3175 women. Climacteric. 2002; 5: 332-340.

4 Grady D, Vittinghoff E, Lin F, et al. Effect of ultra-low-dose transdermal estradiol on breast density in postmenopausal women.Menopause J North Am Men Soc. 2007; 14(3):1-6.

5 Simon JA, Bouchard C, Waldbaum A, et al. Low dose of transdermal estradiol (E2) gel for treatment of symptomatic postmenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol. 2007; 109(2):1-10.

6 Montplaisir J, Lorrain J, Denesle R, et al. Sleep in menopause: differential effects of two forms of hormone replacement therapy. Menopause. 2001;8(1): 10-16.

7 Gambacciani M, Ciaponi M, Cappagli B, et al. Effects of low-dose, continuous combined hormone replacement therapy on sleep in symptomatic postmenopausal women. Maturitas. 2005; 50:91-97.

8 Zegura B, Guzic-Salobir B, Sebestjen M, et al. The effect of various menopausal hormone therapies on markers of inflammation, coagulation, fibrinolysis, lipids, and lipoproteins in healthy postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2006; 13(4):643-650.

The risks associated with CEE and progestins in regard to breast cancer, cardiovascular events have not been reported with bioidentical hormones.

1 Stanczyk FZ. All progestins are not created equal. Steroids. 2003; 68:879-890.

2 Fournier A, Berrino F, Clavel-Chapelon F. Unequal risks for breast cancer associated with different hormone replacement therapies: results from the E3N cohort study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2008; 107(1):103-111.

3 De Lignières B, de Vathaire F, Fournier S, et al. Combined hormone replacement therapy and risk of breast cancer in a French cohort study of 3175 women. Climacteric. 2002; 5:332-340.

4 Santen RJ. Risk of breast cancer with progestins: critical assessment of current data.

Steroids. 2003; 68:953-964.

5 Schairer C, Lubin J, Troisi R, et al. Menopausal estrogen and estrogen-progestin replacement therapy and

breast cancer risk. JAMA. 2000; 283:485-491.

6 Schindler A. European Progestin Club. Differential effects of progestins. Maturitas. 2003; 46: S3-S5.

7 Grady D, Vittinghoff E, Lin F, et al. Effect of ultra-low-dose transdermal estradiol on breast density in postmenopausal women.Menopause J North Am Men Soc. 2007; 14(3):1-6.

8 Simon JA, Bouchard C, Waldbaum A, et al. Low dose of transdermal estradiol (E2) gel for treatment of symptomatic postmenopausal women. Obstet Gynecol. 2007; 109(2):1-10.

9 Montplaisir J, Lorrain J, Denesle R, et al. Sleep in menopause: differential effects of two forms of hormone replacement therapy. Menopause. 2001; 8(1): 10-16.

10 Gambacciani M, Ciaponi M, Cappagli B, et al. Effects of low-dose, continuous combined hormone replacement therapy on sleep in symptomatic postmenopausal women. Maturitas. 2005; 50:91-97.

11 Zegura B, Guzic-Salobir B, Sebestjen M, et al. The effect of various menopausal hormone therapies on markers of inflammation, coagulation, fibrinolysis, lipids, and lipoproteins in healthy postmenopausal women. Menopause. 2006; 13(4):643-650.

12 Rossow J, Anderson G, Prentice R, et al. Writing Group for the Women’s Health Initiative. Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women. JAMA. 2002; 288(3):321-333.

13 Wassertheil-Smoller S, Hendrix S, Limacher M, et al. Effects of estrogen plus progestin on stroke in postmenopausal women. The women’s health initiative: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2003; 289(20):2673-2684

14 Porch J, Lee I, Cook N, et al. Estrogen-progestin replacement therapy and breast cancer risk: the women’s health study (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 2002; 13:847-854.

15 Statement on the estrogen plus progestin trial of the Women’s Health Initiative. ACOG News release. 2002.

[armmjcards]

What We Know About Marijuana and Crohn’s Disease

Crohn’s disease causes many aggravating symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and more. It’s a terrible affliction that causes a lot of pain to those who suffer from it. While typical medication or surgery can’t provide much value, cannabis can. Cannabis for Crohn’s disease is an excellent way to manage symptoms, particularly abdominal pain and nausea. And, it comes with many other general benefits that are helpful for managing seizures, PTSD, and more you may not even know about. For all the info on Crohn’s disease, weed, and how you can manage your symptoms, keep reading.

General Health Benefits

Before going into the specifics of marijuana and Chrohn’s disease, we’re going to outline the general benefits of cannabis usage. There are many different compounds of cannabis available, but the ones you’re going to see most often in a medical setting are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is considered a psychoactive compound — it’s responsible for the mental aspects of a high and how your perception of reality shifts. CBD gives more physical benefits, easing pain, nausea, and anxiety. Getting a balance of both promotes pain-reducing and overall mindfulness.

Specific Crohn’s Disease Benefits

When it comes to marijuana and Crohn’s disease, these are the specific benefits you receive:

Decreased inflammation

Pain-relief

Anxiety lowering

Suppressing nausea and vomiting

Growing appetite

By using cannabis for Crohn’s disease treatment, you can alleviate your pain, nausea, and vomiting, and better regulate your food intake.

Pain Alleviation

The first and foremost benefit of using weed for Crohn’s disease is pain alleviation. In a scientific study in 2005, “Cannabis Alleviates Symptoms of Crohn’s Disease,” the journey and benefits of marijuana and Crohn’s disease were documented through a series of questionnaires. Crohn’s disease sufferers described their symptoms, their cannabis usage habits, and the results of it. They were able to rate the symptoms they suffered from zero to ten. As the study continued, the patients saw huge improvements to their appetite, nausea, depression, pain, and more. Read the study for more details on pain alleviation.

Decreasing Inflammation

Cannabis’s ability to curb inflammation was documented in a 2004 study titled “The Endogenous Cannabinoid System Protects Against Colonic Inflammation” through the Journal of Clinical Investigation. While the study does not go specifically into the area of marijuana and Crohn’s disease, it talks about how powerful cannabis can be as an anti-inflammatory. The researchers recognize cannabis’s potential for intestinal disease conditions, including Crohn’s disease, and how it can be applied therapeutically in the future.

Lowering Disease Activity

Cannabis’s effects on disease activity were shown in the 2011 study, “Treatment of Crohn’s Disease with Cannabis: An Observational Study,” through the Israel Medical Association Journal. The study looked closely into 30 Crohn’s disease patients and their experiences with cannabis. All of them claimed their usage decreased disease activity. That means their symptoms and incidents of irritable bowel movements went down.

And More

This study doesn’t stop with disease activity. It covers marijuana and Crohn’s disease in depth. One particular topic that’s brought up is how the anti-inflammatory benefits of weed for Crohn’s disease, when combined with the general sense of well-being it gives patients, offer the right balance for easing the physical symptoms and subjective experiences with the disease. Put simply, using cannabis for Crohn’s disease treatment is shown to work, and there are plenty of other studies that confirm it.

The Best Strains

Not all cannabis strains are created equal. When it comes to marijuana and Crohn’s disease, in particular, Sativa offers the best benefits. Sativa has a high concentration of THC, so it offers more mental benefits than strains high in CBD. These products specifically are the ones that are recommended for alleviating Crohn’s disease:

Willie Nelson – appetite

Hash Plant – inflammation

Lemon Jack – fatigue

Medicine Man – pain relief

Jean guy – pain

Everyone is different, though. You can start with these, or pick out something on your own and see how it feels. You’ll be sure to find the right choice for your symptoms with a little patience.

Methods of Consuming

For marijuana and Crohn’s disease, there are three primary ways to use cannabis: Smoking, vaping, and edibles. Smoking is the most common method. Used by getting a rolled cigarette/joint or with a bong. It has the fastest effects, but it wears off quickly and can be bad for the lungs. Vaping is a cleaner alternative that has similar effects, but without being as bad for your lungs. Edibles are getting more and more popular, and are the most recommended when it comes to cannabis for Crohn’s disease. They can be taken at any time, don’t have any lung effects, and will last longer. They will take longer to kick in though, so you’ll need to be a bit more patient.

Potential Side Effects

While there are many benefits to marijuana and Crohn’s disease, there are still some side effects to be wary of, including:

Anxiety

Dry Mouth

Excessive hunger

Red Eyes

Drowsiness

Dizziness

Giddiness

Paranoia

Most of the time, these won’t be serious and just mean you’ve taken too much or that product didn’t react well with your system. Crohn’s disease and weed are all about moderation and finding the right choice for yourself. As long as you know how to calm yourself down and make it through the rest of the high, you’ll turn out okay. And you’ll know more about what not to do the next time around.

Discover the Benefits for Yourself

There are a number of great benefits when it comes to marijuana and Crohn’s disease. You can reduce your pain, lower your anxiety, and limit the amount of disease activity you experience. There are many studies that directly illustrate how effective cannabis is for Crohn’s disease treatment, which you can look through for more info. There are also many different strains for you to choose from. While Sativa is recommended, you’re more than welcome to try out different products and see what’s best for yourself. As long as you use it responsibly, you shouldn’t run into any issues during your treatment.

If you have any questions on this topic or cannabis in general, feel free to contact us. Start the journey to your medical marijuana card with Ozark MMJ Cards.

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[firedrake]

Okay, I am EXTREMELY confused. We are a trauma-based multiple system who won't use most "therapeutic" terminology - including "DID," bc that definition does NOT describe us. I get the mental illness/health care issue. But I am completely lost over "system." Doctors use it BECAUSE it means "assemblage/combination of things/parts forming a complex/unitary whole" OR "any assemblage/set of correlated members." Clearly 1 or another meaning applies to BOTH types. Why is this of ALL words so offensive?

Also, while we have no fictives (& don’t like them), we DO have a few people who come from other places, & most people here CAN visit other systems (I assume that’s what “hopping”–no idea what “fusion” is). So - does that mean we get to be called a “real” multiple system - we have the diagnosis & everything! - or do those people & experiences outweigh our trauma basis? I truly get how annoying the little teenage “All my favorite characters live in my head!” types can be, but where is the line?

Hello, anon. I’m sorry you are confused. I will do my best to help you understand these issues. Before I get into that, though, I wanted to say if you do not agree with your diagnosis, you should look into speaking to a different professional about it to get a second opinion.

Terminology

You are incorrect about the history and usage of the term system in regards to multiplicity. System was coined over a century ago by professionals for their DID/OSDD patients. There’s plenty of scholarly texts that document this usage and they’re not that hard to find if you want to do some research. But here’s some if you don’t have the time.

This is why you’ll often find people saying “system” is a DID/OSDD term. System (in regards to multiplicity) has been synonymous with DID/OSDD throughout psychopathological history, which is why so many people get confused or upset whenever someone calls themself something like “endogenic system.” Considering the history of the term system, “endogenic system” is no different than saying “endogenic DID.” Can you see why that would confuse or offend someone?

This isn’t the only issue regarding people without DID/OSDD calling themselves systems. You can read more about this here if you’re interested.

System Hopping / Walk Ins / Etc.

In your ask, you said you believe you can travel into other people’s minds which, while can be a spiritual belief, is often used as an abuse or manipulation tactic. I do not know your experiences but please practice spirituality SAFELY and do not enforce your beliefs onto others.

DID/OSDD systems can not system hop. We are incapable of system hopping since our systems and alters are psychological based. There is research behind this. Alters are dissociated parts of the mind. Things like walk ins, alter death, and system hopping are impossible for DID/OSDD systems, since alters are a psychological phenomenon. They split in response to trauma/acute stress and having DID/OSDD. However, alters can also have spiritual beliefs. They can have past life memories, kin memories, and even pseudo memories of a “life before the system,” but this does not mean they originated outside the body.

DID/OSDD systems can also be coerced or manipulated into thinking they’re experiencing system hopping, or have delusions about it. We can also be misinformed or misinterpreting our experiences. For example, I used to think I had walk in alters because I didn’t know how alters formed. I thought they were walk ins because I didn’t remember a traumatic or stressful event happening that would’ve caused them to split (which is incredibly common in DID/OSDD-1a, it’s called amnesia).

Here is a section I wrote on things that can happen in DID/OSDD systems that can mistaken for things like system hopping or fusion (which are not possible in DID/OSDD systems). It has some resources as well.

I am extremely, extremely against calling your spiritual practices “system hopping.” If you are going to be practicing this, please call it astral traveling or something else that does not conflate with DID/OSDD. Calling it “system hopping” makes DID/OSDD systems (big emphasis on the system part) think that they are also capable of this, which is misinfo. It can harm them and literally put them in danger of being abused.

Misinfo harms people. In some cases it can lead to them misidentifying and normalizing their symptoms. This can prevent them from seeking help- then their symptoms worsen. It can also lead to them accidentally spreading misinfo as well, which can harm other systems. I’m speaking from personal experience, as someone who used to identify as a gateway system with walk ins because I blindly believed what I was told on the internet.

Fictives

There is a lot of stigma around fictives and I know they’re usually associated with “fake systems.” However, you should know that fictives are a clinically and academically acknowledged type of alter in DID/OSDD and have been mentioned in many sources. They are clinically called fictional introjects, or introject alters. I tend to avoid calling them fictives because I do not know where this term originated and it usually gets confused with fictionkin.

I don’t know what your prejudice against introjects is but please understand that, just like any other alter, people with DID/OSDD do not have a choice in their formation.

You can read more about fictives here.

Conclusion

It’s fine to not agree with your diagnosis. I got misdiagnosed with ADHD once and literally every psychiatrist I met with after that agreed that it didn’t fit me at all. However, there’s something I’d like to point out to you. In the first ask you sent, you said you won’t use your diagnosis label because it doesn’t describe you- yet in the second ask, you’re using it as a gotcha.

If you don’t agree with your diagnosis then you shouldn’t be attributing your experiences to DID. You said yourself that it doesn’t fit and you don’t label yourself by it. Please don’t flip flop between not claiming your diagnosis then claiming it when it’s convenient to prove a point. Take some time and think to yourself, why do you want to claim DID/OSDD terms and spaces if you say the diagnosis doesn’t describe you?

The whole point of what these “gatekeepers” (aka DID/OSDD systems) fight for in the syscourse is that we don’t want people without DID/OSDD in our community. We don’t want them in our spaces, we don’t want them appropriating our terms, we don’t want them stealing our resources from us, we don’t want them spreading misinfo about our disorder, we don’t want them adding to the stigma we already have to deal with, we don’t want them speaking over us, and we especially don’t want them acting like the spokespeople for our community- silencing our voices and encouraging others to do the same.

I am not saying non-DID/OSDD multiples have to stop believing in what they are. I’m asking them to listen to the people they have privilege over and stop speaking over them for fuck’s sake. If a minority tells you you’re appropriating their terms, use a different term! It’s not that hard. I’ve even listed some alternate terms here, if you’re interested.

[mindfulbilling]

Types of Acupuncture

1.                     Traditional Chinese Acupuncture

If you want to apply traditional Chinese acupuncture, you must necessarily know that millenary worldview of the person and their environment, which is based on principles of Taoism and Confucianism: Yin and Yang, understood as opposite, complementary and interdependent energies, and the Theory of the Five Movements that classifies nature and its phenomena as belonging to water, wood, fire, earth or metal.

Under these principles, man is an entity between heaven and earth, and health is a state of harmony dependent on his surroundings and his internal world.

In acupuncture, this worldview determines:

1.      the categorization and systematization of "acupuncture" points,

2.     the vital energy or "Qi" (pronounced chi) and the meridians through which it circulates,

3.     the causes of the disease

4.     the role of internal organs

5.     the diagnostic process

According to traditional Chinese medicine, pain is caused by an imbalance between Yin and Yang and this imbalance can manifest itself at the level of organs, viscera, muscle, skin, vessels, tendons and meridians.

The interrogation, observation, examination of the pulse, the tongue and the areas through which the meridians run allows examining the patient, questioning not only the person verbally but also the effects that the disease produces in them, in their emotional life and relational that generate an enriching context for the consultant and therapist that facilitates a diagnosis, and therefore, an adequate therapy.

2.                     Western acupuncture

Western acupuncture is based on the Western way of looking at the world. That is, choose from all the points used for low back pain, for example, those that are repeated the most or that have had the best results in the treatment of this ailment. It certainly requires general acupuncture knowledge, but it is far from the diagnostic and therapeutic process used in traditional Chinese medicine.

It is important to take into account the differences of these two acupuncture modalities when reading systematic reviews and meta-analyzes of results of acupuncture versus other therapies, whether Western or Eastern. When reviewing these studies, it is obvious that they are not comparable for analysis and differ in the characteristics of the patients and the treatments applied. Due to this, the concluded results have a low level of evidence.

Techniques associated with acupuncture

Along with the insertion of needles, other complementary techniques can be used that can be associated with the therapy. Among these we have:

1.       Moxibustion: It consists of the application of heat directly on the needle or by means of cylinders or cones derived from the combustion of the Artemisa Vulgaris plant. It can be applied without the insertion of needles, but following the same points described for acupuncture and according to the required therapy.

2.       Electro acupuncture: There is also the possibility of connecting the needles to electrical stimulation equipment, modifying the frequency and amplitude of the applied current.

3.       Suction cups: It consists of the use of air suction cups on areas and points, which can be made of ceramic, glass, wood or other related materials.

4.       Laser puncture: It is the stimulation of acupuncture points with laser equipment specially designed for this purpose.

3.                     Variants of acupuncture

Traditional acupuncture uses standard size needles, which have been described for a long time. However, during the evolution of this knowledge, some variants have appeared that, following the belief that certain areas of our body are the abbreviated representation of the cosmos, perform therapy in localized areas of the body, with smaller needles, where they are found. represented all the parts of our organism. Such as auriculotherapy, skull puncture, hand puncture and foot acupuncture.

In auriculotherapy, the pinna is represented by our body. Its therapy requires much smaller needles than traditional ones and has the same objective as traditional acupuncture. Pins or seeds are also used to stimulate the ear points.

Modality and technique

A regular acupuncture session involves inserting needles into the body, of different lengths and thicknesses, at painful points (called Ashi points). In addition to the stimulation of these points with needles, other points are stimulated according to the pathology that the patient has. The WHO has classified 409 stimulation points, also distinguishing regional and distal points. During each session no more than 12 needles are inserted.

Obtaining the so-called “De Qi” is considered essential, which is a sensation of pain, numbness and / or heaviness at the insertion point. The needles are held for 20 to 30 minutes, and insertion, mobilization, and removal are based on the underlying pathology. All this in aseptic conditions, and with single-use and disposable material to guarantee maximum patient safety.

In general, 6 to 10 sessions are required with a frequency of one to two times a week, depending on the clinical picture, to achieve a response to treatment. Between the 3rd and 4th session, good results should already be observed. If not, the diagnosis and the points used can be reconsidered.

 4.                  Chronic pain and acupuncture

The use of acupuncture as an auxiliary therapy for the management of chronic pain requires some necessary conditions, as premises of rigor and protocol:

1.There must be a basic diagnosis prior to the start of therapy. Thus, the patient will benefit from effective Western treatments and, above all, it will be avoided to delay the diagnosis of a potentially serious condition, such as a spinal metastasis in the lumbar spine or pain of coronary origin.

If during the course of the sessions symptoms or warning signs appear (persistent, nocturnal pain, etc.), do not hesitate to contact the doctor who referred the patient or request support from the corresponding specialist as it could be a complication.

2.  The patient must continue with the pharmacological treatment indicated by his treating physician. It often consists not only of medications, but also of physical therapy, and psychological and / or psychiatric support.

3. All these therapeutic modalities should be understood as adjuvants in the healing process. In addition, in case you are with other complementary therapies and under the principle of “ primum non nocere ” (the first thing is to do no harm), it is convenient to know the reasons for that choice and to be able to make the respective suggestions according to the existing evidence and the own experience.

5. Physiological mechanisms of analgesia in acupuncture

The mere fact of inserting a needle into a muscle determines local effects, such as the release of ATP, the peptide related to the calcitonin gene (CGRP) and substance P and regional effects such as the local increase in blood flow and the release of endorphins.

Segmental inhibition effects at the medullary level are also described, which have been demonstrated in humans. This is similar to what occurs in trigger point dry needling techniques used in physical therapy. Furthermore, a non-negligible percentage of insertion points are shared by both treatment modalities.

However, evidence from studies in experimental animals and in humans shows that traditional acupuncture puncture involves complex mechanisms at different levels of the central and peripheral nervous system, which differ from those obtained with sham acupuncture. Lewith et al. demonstrated an analgesic effect in 40–50% of subjects undergoing sham acupuncture and an effectiveness of 60% in those undergoing true acupuncture.

Neurophysiological studies in animals and humans show that acupuncture increases the pain threshold by activating the endogenous analgesic system, raising the levels of certain endogenous opioids and / or neurotransmitters such as serotonin. In fact, Mayer et al. demonstrated that acupuncture analgesia was antagonized with the use of naloxone in humans, an observation already carried out in animal models. Electro-acupuncture studies indicate that low-frequency stimulation induces the release of enkephalins and beta-endorphin, while high-frequency stimulation releases dynorphins.

Other important conclusions that have been obtained from neurophysiological studies in acupuncture are the following:

-Nociceptive afferent pathways are essential for acupuncture analgesia.

-The acupuncture-induced increase in pain threshold is gradual, with a maximum effect at 20–40 minutes, followed by an exponential drop with a half-life of approximately 16 minutes, even when stimulation is maintained.

-Prolonged acupuncture stimulation over time leads to tolerance, which is mediated through the release of the octapeptide cholecystokinin at the central level.

-Immunocytochemical studies indicate that both pain and acupuncture activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

-Through the study of neuroimaging (PET, SPECT and functional MRI) performed on volunteers, it has been established that the hypothalamus plays a central role in the analgesia provided by this method; that there is significant overlap between the central nervous system pain and acupuncture pathways, suggesting that acupuncture stimulation could affect central pain processing; that superficial puncture and that of traditional acupuncture activate two different central pathways, yet both generate clinical analgesia.

6.Indications

In 1979 the WHO identified 49 diseases in which the use of acupuncture was recommended. In 1996, at a conference sponsored by the WHO ( WHO Consultation on Acupuncture , Cervia, Italy) its indications were classified according to the degree of evidence for each nosological entity.

The German Acupuncture Society recognizes indications in diseases of the locomotor system, in neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, gynecological, respiratory, skin, ophthalmological and miscellaneous diseases.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers its indication in pain, allergy and asthma; in the rehabilitation of strokes and drug dependence, while the National Institute of Health (NIH for its acronym in English) of the same country indicates that acupuncture can be used widely in nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, dental pain, headaches (migraine, tension headache), low back pain, asthma, menstrual pain, fibromyalgia, and myofascial pain. Other reviews point to its effectiveness in cervical pain and knee osteoarthritis.

·        In the case of non-cancer pain, the main indications are;

·        Musculoskeletal diseases.

·        Lumbar and lower extremity pain.

·        Headaches

·        Knee osteoarthritis.

·        Neuralgia.

·        Persistent postsurgical pain.

·         Others: Pain associated with the temporomandibular joint, nausea and vomiting (for example, post chemotherapy or in the first trimester of pregnancy) and fatigue associated with malignancy.

7. Pregnancy and acupuncture

Pregnancy is considered a relative contraindication. There are certain points, especially in the abdomen and some distal ones, that are avoided because of the potential capacity to generate uterine contraction. Other authors point out that there are no contraindicated points, as long as an atraumatic puncture technique is used. From a practical point of view, it is recommended to make explicit to the pregnant woman, prior to obtaining informed consent, the potential adverse effects of acupuncture and to obtain authorization from the obstetrician.

Mindful Billing & Management LLC provides professional insurance billing services to holistic practitioners With a personal touch. We are here to help you, give us a call (305)204-1090

[cristinajourdanqp]

The Role of Supplementation in Keto: What’s Uniquely Useful

Yesterday, I explained my rationale for supplementation in a Primal lifestyle. Today, I’m going to get a bit more specific and discuss the role of supplementation on a keto diet. As a diet founded upon the restriction of an entire class of macronutrients, keto seems like the perfect candidate for stringent supplement requirements. And if you go around the web asking other people, you’ll find plenty of opinions, lists, and recommendations for this or that supplement that you absolutely must take or face certain death and disfigurement.

I disagree.

Done well, keto needs no overt supplementation. That said, some supplements can be useful.

Most of yesterday’s post applies to anyone trying to cobble together a healthy diet in the 21st century. Everyone’s access to ancient wild plant foods is limited. Most people spend too much time indoors and need vitamin D to make up for it. We can all benefit from having a reliably healthy, convenient meal replacement on hand, and most people aren’t eating enough collagen. But what are the supplement considerations unique to keto dieting?

Creatine

For most people, keto seems to slightly compromise top-end glycolytic power—the type of energy you need to push high-volume, high-intensity efforts in the gym and in the world. We simply don’t carry around the same amount of glycogen as your standard carb-loader, and if you’re trying to do the same activities as the carb-loader, you may lose top-end power.

That’s where creatine comes in. By increasing muscle phosphocreatine content, it provides instant energy for intense movements. It doesn’t last long, but we can recycle it with a short rest. The best sources of creatine in the diet are meat and fish, which you’re probably eating. But a little extra creatine monohydrate works well.

MCT Oil

Medium chain triglycerides aren’t essential on keto. You can be perfectly ketogenic by burning and converting longer chained fatty acids, both dietary and endogenous. But MCTs are nice to have around because they boost ketone production directly and can really help someone during the transition. Lately, I’ve been whisking some of the powdered MCTs into a little hot whole milk or cream and adding that to my coffee. Placebo or not, I definitely notice an increase in mental alertness and focus.

Antioxidants

All the issues preventing people from getting adequate doses of phytonutrients in “regular” diets become compounded on keto diets for two simple reasons:

Some of the richest sources of antioxidants are too high carb for keto dieters to eat on a regular basis. I’m thinking of purple sweet potatoes,

Many keto dieters mistakenly assume that all plant foods are off limits. This eliminates the best sources of antioxidants, like low-sugar berries and non-starchy vegetables.

You can avoid much of this by accepting that unlimited leafy green vegetables and moderate doses of berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries are okay on keto, but a dedicated antioxidant supplement providing a broad spectrum of phytonutrients drawn from the entire plant kingdom is a nice buffer. I recommend Primal Master Formula, but then again, I’m biased. Whatever you choose, take on an irregular basis. Much of the benefit we get from these plant compounds is hormetic, and taking it every day can reduce the effectiveness.

Sodium

Early on in the process of keto adaptation, you’re losing a ton of sodium. You’re losing water as you expend glycogen, which flushes out sodium. Your insulin levels are low, which further reduces sodium retention. As readers of this blog, you’re probably training, which expends even more sodium through sweat. And since you’re not eating any more pre-cooked processed junk food, which tends to contain a lot of salt, you’re probably eating less sodium than before.

The symptoms of low sodium include fatigue, headaches, extreme thirst, and a reduced ability to tolerate physical activity, especially in hot weather.

Salting your food to taste and drinking salty bone broth should be enough for most people, but I sometimes find it helpful to have some sparkling water with lime juice and a generous pinch of sea salt in the morning.

Potassium

In order to maintain proper sodium-potassium balance, the body responds to declining sodium by shedding potassium. This is critical, because potassium is one of the basic electrolytes our cells need to perform basic functions. I don’t know about you, but I like my cells to function.

Some of the best sources of potassium include bananas, potatoes, and other starchy foods that are off-limits to most keto eaters. You can make up for it with avocados and leafy greens, but in the early days, when sodium is low and potassium drops to balance it, some extra potassium can really help.

Magnesium

Some keto diehards question the relevance of magnesium, seeing as its most famous physiological role is in preserving and maintaining glucose tolerance and reducing insulin resistance. If you’re not eating much glucose, what’s the point of all that magnesium?

Magnesium does a lot more than help you process glucose, though. It’s important for bone health, nerve and muscle function, immunity. It also helps preserve potassium, which many keto dieters can miss out on.

We can get it from plenty of low-carb foods, like almonds and pumpkin seeds, but those come with a hefty dose of omega-6 fatty acids. There’s nothing inherently wrong with eating some whole food omega-6 fat. It’s just that eating pumpkin seeds to hit your magnesium requirements means you’ll go way over your omega-6 limits.

Choline

A keto diet is a high-fat diet. Most people who go keto are coming from a decidedly lower-fat diet. Maybe not a low-fat diet, but a lower-fat diet. In order to process all that fat, your liver needs to be equipped with the nutritional tools it requires to function. Choline is first and foremost a powerful regulator of hepatic fat metabolism. In order to manufacture the very low density lipoprotein particles that transport fat from the liver, we need choline. Without it, the liver accumulates fat.

This isn’t just true in “normal” diets deficient in choline. Mice on a strict keto diet deficient in choline manage to lose weight, but gain significant liver fat.  The higher the fat intake, the higher the choline requirements. The more fat you eat in a choline-deficient state, the more fat your liver will store. Saturated fat seems to require more choline than other types of fats, which has particular relevance for the Primal keto dieter.

And another thing: If you’re watching protein intake—as many keto dieters find they must do—you may be eating less methionine, an amino acid found in meat, eggs, and dairy that can offset the choline requirement. Lower protein from meat and other animal foods, lower methionine, higher choline requirements.

The average man, woman, and child already eats too little choline. Keto dieters, whose choline requirements are probably higher than the average person, will need even more.

For liver health, basic choline bitartrate is fine.

Prebiotics

Yesterday, I explained why prebiotics are so useful. They feed and support your healthy gut bacteria. Their metabolism by said gut bacteria create beneficial short chain fatty acids that feed your gut cells, improve the health of your gut, and have nice systemic effects like improved glucose tolerance and a lower risk of colon cancer. They can help counter diarrhea and/or constipation, depending on what’s ailing you.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, they can be tough to get on keto. Truly green (unripe) bananas are probably safe sources of resistant starch, a potent prebiotic. Leeks, garlic, and Jerusalem artichokes are great sources of inulin, another potent prebiotic. And all the miscellaneous produce that you eat on keto, from leafy greens to raspberries to broccoli to cabbage, will provide prebiotic fodder for your gut bacteria.

A really quick and easy way to get prebiotics is with raw potato starch (for resistant starch) and inulin powder. There’s also a good amount of inulin in Primal Fuel (along with MCTs from the coconut milk).

And, yes, you don’t need any of these things in supplement form.

You can get MCTs from coconut fat, or you can just make your ketones from your own body fat and dietary fat exclusively.

You can get antioxidants from non-starchy veggies and low-sugar berries and fruits.

You can get creatine from red meat and fish.

You can get enough sodium by salting your food to taste, or maybe drinking some salty bone broth.

You can get potassium by upping the intake of avocados, leafy greens, and pretty much any other low-carb plant food.

You can get magnesium from almonds, seeds, and leafy greens.

You can get choline from liver and egg yolks.

You can get low-carb prebiotics from green bananas, leeks, and garlic.

It’s just that having some supplements on hand can really help, particularly during the transition as you get the hang of this new way of eating.

That’s what I’ve got. Now I’d like to hear from you.

What supplements do you consider most useful on a keto diet?

Thanks for reading.

Want to make fat loss easier? Try the Definitive Guide for Troubleshooting Weight Loss for free here.

[watsonrodriquezie]

The Role of Supplementation in Keto: What’s Uniquely Useful

Yesterday, I explained my rationale for supplementation in a Primal lifestyle. Today, I’m going to get a bit more specific and discuss the role of supplementation on a keto diet. As a diet founded upon the restriction of an entire class of macronutrients, keto seems like the perfect candidate for stringent supplement requirements. And if you go around the web asking other people, you’ll find plenty of opinions, lists, and recommendations for this or that supplement that you absolutely must take or face certain death and disfigurement.

I disagree.

Done well, keto needs no overt supplementation. That said, some supplements can be useful.

Most of yesterday’s post applies to anyone trying to cobble together a healthy diet in the 21st century. Everyone’s access to ancient wild plant foods is limited. Most people spend too much time indoors and need vitamin D to make up for it. We can all benefit from having a reliably healthy, convenient meal replacement on hand, and most people aren’t eating enough collagen. But what are the supplement considerations unique to keto dieting?

Creatine

For most people, keto seems to slightly compromise top-end glycolytic power—the type of energy you need to push high-volume, high-intensity efforts in the gym and in the world. We simply don’t carry around the same amount of glycogen as your standard carb-loader, and if you’re trying to do the same activities as the carb-loader, you may lose top-end power.

That’s where creatine comes in. By increasing muscle phosphocreatine content, it provides instant energy for intense movements. It doesn’t last long, but we can recycle it with a short rest. The best sources of creatine in the diet are meat and fish, which you’re probably eating. But a little extra creatine monohydrate works well.

MCT Oil

Medium chain triglycerides aren’t essential on keto. You can be perfectly ketogenic by burning and converting longer chained fatty acids, both dietary and endogenous. But MCTs are nice to have around because they boost ketone production directly and can really help someone during the transition. Lately, I’ve been whisking some of the powdered MCTs into a little hot whole milk or cream and adding that to my coffee. Placebo or not, I definitely notice an increase in mental alertness and focus.

Antioxidants

All the issues preventing people from getting adequate doses of phytonutrients in “regular” diets become compounded on keto diets for two simple reasons:

Some of the richest sources of antioxidants are too high carb for keto dieters to eat on a regular basis. I’m thinking of purple sweet potatoes,

Many keto dieters mistakenly assume that all plant foods are off limits. This eliminates the best sources of antioxidants, like low-sugar berries and non-starchy vegetables.

You can avoid much of this by accepting that unlimited leafy green vegetables and moderate doses of berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries are okay on keto, but a dedicated antioxidant supplement providing a broad spectrum of phytonutrients drawn from the entire plant kingdom is a nice buffer. I recommend Primal Master Formula, but then again, I’m biased. Whatever you choose, take on an irregular basis. Much of the benefit we get from these plant compounds is hormetic, and taking it every day can reduce the effectiveness.

Sodium

Early on in the process of keto adaptation, you’re losing a ton of sodium. You’re losing water as you expend glycogen, which flushes out sodium. Your insulin levels are low, which further reduces sodium retention. As readers of this blog, you’re probably training, which expends even more sodium through sweat. And since you’re not eating any more pre-cooked processed junk food, which tends to contain a lot of salt, you’re probably eating less sodium than before.

The symptoms of low sodium include fatigue, headaches, extreme thirst, and a reduced ability to tolerate physical activity, especially in hot weather.

Salting your food to taste and drinking salty bone broth should be enough for most people, but I sometimes find it helpful to have some sparkling water with lime juice and a generous pinch of sea salt in the morning.

Potassium

In order to maintain proper sodium-potassium balance, the body responds to declining sodium by shedding potassium. This is critical, because potassium is one of the basic electrolytes our cells need to perform basic functions. I don’t know about you, but I like my cells to function.

Some of the best sources of potassium include bananas, potatoes, and other starchy foods that are off-limits to most keto eaters. You can make up for it with avocados and leafy greens, but in the early days, when sodium is low and potassium drops to balance it, some extra potassium can really help.

Magnesium

Some keto diehards question the relevance of magnesium, seeing as its most famous physiological role is in preserving and maintaining glucose tolerance and reducing insulin resistance. If you’re not eating much glucose, what’s the point of all that magnesium?

Magnesium does a lot more than help you process glucose, though. It’s important for bone health, nerve and muscle function, immunity. It also helps preserve potassium, which many keto dieters can miss out on.

We can get it from plenty of low-carb foods, like almonds and pumpkin seeds, but those come with a hefty dose of omega-6 fatty acids. There’s nothing inherently wrong with eating some whole food omega-6 fat. It’s just that eating pumpkin seeds to hit your magnesium requirements means you’ll go way over your omega-6 limits.

Choline

A keto diet is a high-fat diet. Most people who go keto are coming from a decidedly lower-fat diet. Maybe not a low-fat diet, but a lower-fat diet. In order to process all that fat, your liver needs to be equipped with the nutritional tools it requires to function. Choline is first and foremost a powerful regulator of hepatic fat metabolism. In order to manufacture the very low density lipoprotein particles that transport fat from the liver, we need choline. Without it, the liver accumulates fat.

This isn’t just true in “normal” diets deficient in choline. Mice on a strict keto diet deficient in choline manage to lose weight, but gain significant liver fat.  The higher the fat intake, the higher the choline requirements. The more fat you eat in a choline-deficient state, the more fat your liver will store. Saturated fat seems to require more choline than other types of fats, which has particular relevance for the Primal keto dieter.

And another thing: If you’re watching protein intake—as many keto dieters find they must do—you may be eating less methionine, an amino acid found in meat, eggs, and dairy that can offset the choline requirement. Lower protein from meat and other animal foods, lower methionine, higher choline requirements.

The average man, woman, and child already eats too little choline. Keto dieters, whose choline requirements are probably higher than the average person, will need even more.

For liver health, basic choline bitartrate is fine.

Prebiotics

Yesterday, I explained why prebiotics are so useful. They feed and support your healthy gut bacteria. Their metabolism by said gut bacteria create beneficial short chain fatty acids that feed your gut cells, improve the health of your gut, and have nice systemic effects like improved glucose tolerance and a lower risk of colon cancer. They can help counter diarrhea and/or constipation, depending on what’s ailing you.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, they can be tough to get on keto. Truly green (unripe) bananas are probably safe sources of resistant starch, a potent prebiotic. Leeks, garlic, and Jerusalem artichokes are great sources of inulin, another potent prebiotic. And all the miscellaneous produce that you eat on keto, from leafy greens to raspberries to broccoli to cabbage, will provide prebiotic fodder for your gut bacteria.

A really quick and easy way to get prebiotics is with raw potato starch (for resistant starch) and inulin powder. There’s also a good amount of inulin in Primal Fuel (along with MCTs from the coconut milk).

And, yes, you don’t need any of these things in supplement form.

You can get MCTs from coconut fat, or you can just make your ketones from your own body fat and dietary fat exclusively.

You can get antioxidants from non-starchy veggies and low-sugar berries and fruits.

You can get creatine from red meat and fish.

You can get enough sodium by salting your food to taste, or maybe drinking some salty bone broth.

You can get potassium by upping the intake of avocados, leafy greens, and pretty much any other low-carb plant food.

You can get magnesium from almonds, seeds, and leafy greens.

You can get choline from liver and egg yolks.

You can get low-carb prebiotics from green bananas, leeks, and garlic.

It’s just that having some supplements on hand can really help, particularly during the transition as you get the hang of this new way of eating.

That’s what I’ve got. Now I’d like to hear from you.

What supplements do you consider most useful on a keto diet?

Thanks for reading.

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