Diplopia resulted from post four day fast diet - Please warn your listeners
Dr. Huberman, I have been a huge fan of intermittent fasting for several months. Recently, I watched the limitless television series on National Geographic, which stars, Chris Hemsworth, and Peter Attia one of the episodes was about fasting for four days. I assume you’ve watched the show. I did my first four day fast the day after Christmas just a few weeks ago. My experience paralleled the show exactly, including the heightened sense of euphoria on day 3 to 4. I ate a dinner on the fourth evening of salmon and grilled vegetables just like the show. I continued eating properly for the next several days. Given how successful I was I felt it would be a great idea to do another four day fast with some of my business associates. Two weeks later this Fast went very well for the first three days. It should be noted that I tested my blood and key tones several times a day and everything was going as expected until the morning of the fourth day. on the morning of the fourth day, my blood sugar went down below 60 and the monitor flashed. I assumed this was not a good thing and decided not to finish the final 12 hours of the four day fast. I had a breakfast of eggs and bacon later that evening, because I hit my absolute ideal weight, I had a dinner of spaghetti, a couple of Negroni‘s, dessert, etc. Two days later I ended up in the emergency room with what they initially thought was either a stroke or a tumor in my brain. After six hours of investigation and tests, it was determined that I had some kind of neurological issue as I was having severe double vision. The next day and ophthalmologist confirmed that by ingesting such a heavy Cabo loaded diet immediately after fasting for four days that I sent my body into almost a diabetic shock, and the result was frying the nerve endings in the muscle that controls my right eye. My right eye was stuck against my nose for the first week or two, but is slowly moving to the right now. The ophthalmologist said that given I was in excellent condition otherwise, that there was a good possibility that I would regain my vision in 3 to 4 months. Given how many people are in to fasting these days, I think it would be prudent to disclose this risk, as I did not understand that there was a protocol for coming out of , a longer-term fast. Since I did this, I have been using the Levels and InsideTracker to help ensure I regain my sight. For now, I have been wearing an eyepatch and playing the role of a modern day pirate for my grandkids. I would hate to see anybody else go through what I have been going through and thought it would be helpful to hear from you if you have any other thoughts on this issue, or if you could warn your listeners that there is something more to fasting when you do it for a longer period of time. I would appreciate any feedback that you could give me as I am obsessed with your podcast and have been building my own protocol based on all of your recommendations on multiple podcast. thank you for all the incredible podcast that you produce as they have absolutely changed my life for the better, and at 63 years old, I am in arguably better shape than I have been over the past 10 to 15 years now. All the best, Tim Rose.
Gratefulness
Hi Andrew, In your episode about gratefulness, you mentioned that the best way to achieve the benefits of gratefulness is receiving sincere gratitude for something you’ve done for someone else. This is not a question, but an expression of gratitude for what your work has meant to me. I initially heard you speak on the Joe Rohan Experience in June of 2022, and thought you were very logical, well spoken, with counterintuitive but thoughtful recommendations for things like cold exposure. I then listened to episode 80 where you explained neuromodulators and their effect on the brain. From there I was immediately hooked. I have been listening to your podcasts, reading books by your guests, and trying to implement many of the principles and practices you discuss ever since. Having you explain the science behind both mechanism and protocol have allowed me to have a much better understanding of the brain and body. I’m a 40 year old male, and this is like being given the manual to what it means to be human for the first time ever. There has been some trial and error, but what I’ve learned about sleep, light exposure, body chemistry, nutrition, exercise, NSDR, alcohol, supplementation, stress, social connection, and many other subjects (who knew I’ve been breathing wrong this whole time?!) have changed my life completely. Last June, I was by all accounts doing fine to any outsider. I had a decent relationship with my partner, two healthy kids, a good job, and was in average shape for someone my age. Inside though, I had always felt like I was ‘leaning away’ from life. I was insecure with my relationships, with the security of my job, and with my sense of self and capabilities. I never felt like I was in charge of my life — just struggling to get by and trying to look forward to the next deadline, vacation, purchase, or distraction. My life hasn’t magically become perfect over the past 9 months, but because of your work I feel like I’ve been able to ‘lean forward’ into my life for the first time in my 40 years. I get sunlight every morning, exercise, take a cold shower, focus on my work, eat mostly unprocessed foods (including fermented foods for the micro biome!), take Creatine, Omega 3, and Magnesium, spend quality time with my loved ones without relying on alcohol or drugs, and get consistently good sleep 80% of the time. As a result, I’ve dropped 30lbs, drastically reduced my stress levels, have much better relationships with the people in my life. And, for the first time ever I feel truly optimistic about the future. In your recent episode with Sam Harris, he mentioned not “reading the comments”, but I hope this one crosses your desk. If you could see me writing this it would look very silly, because I’m sitting outside a store in the cold (I’m from Canada) in my vehicle with tears streaming down my face. I had never been able to cry, or really even access my emotions before, but this is what your work has meant to me. Thank you so much for everything that you do.