My name is Danielle Thatcher and here is my story of the rabbit hole I fell into with MJ when we met Dr. Kruse on his vacation:
When I first sat down to write about my experience with meeting Dr. K, I had the highest of hopes of writing something that would and could inspire many. But when I did sit down to write…. I had nothing. Literally, nothing. My mind was blank. I take that back, I have the notes that Dr. Kruse so willingly wrote down for me and the notes that MJ took as well. But I spent an entire day with this great man, and my mind is blank. Pretty scary for a 45 year old woman!
Before I forget, this is only one of the supplements Dr. Kruse asked me to consider with my doctor for me. Pregnenolone. If you have insufficient levels of pregnenolone, you can have memory loss, sleep disorders, depression, fatigue, symptoms that mimic Alzheimer’s and other debilitating conditions. I am experiencing many of these symptoms, so I am sure to take my supplements and just waiting for everything to “click” and this machine to start functioning again properly.
The good news that he gave me, was that I do not appear to have any auto-immune diseases right now. I’ll take every piece of good news I can get.
The three of us did a lot of walking (thank you for carrying my cooler all day Doc) and a lot of talking. I felt like a little kid with all of my “WHY” questions. Dr. Kruse, why is this happening? Dr. K, why does this not work? Dr. Kruse, Dr. Kruse, Dr. Kruse… this is how my day went. I have a book that I recently got for my grandson called the “Little kids First Big Book of Why”.
I laughed because I realized that I was similar to these little kids. I had so many questions and Dr. K always had an answer. I felt like I was 4 years old and so curious about everything, why this and why that. I was such an eager student wanting to soak in every word. He was the most patient and giving teacher. He answered everything honestly and without a filter. Some of it was hard to hear, but his goal is not to appease me. He often says about the truth that, “it can set your free, but the first time you hear it, it can piss you off. So true. The truth is make us realize we need to embrace our discomfort. It is to make me realize that I need to get really uncomfortable if I want to improve my health.
He looked over my labs and was not excited at all by what he saw. He told me that I need to get with my physician and get my thyroid functioning before anything else will start working. Now mind you, I have never been a person who has had much energy or ever really felt “great”. Also in the past 2 years, I went from 123 lbs down to 107 pounds and then up to 168 pounds. My hormones and thyroid are wreaking havoc on my body. I did not appreciate how peri-menopause and menopause can really alter a women’s body so radically and so fast. I look down at myself sometimes, and wonder whose body this is.. I don’t even recognize myself. He also told me to consider eating lots of seafood to keep Alzheimer’s disease at bay. Considering that both of my maternal grandparents suffered from this horrible condition, this was a huge eye opener for me.
Dr. Kruse told me that until I get my family life and a few others things under control, that my health would not improve. I always knew this deep down inside, but the way he explained it, it felt like little light bulbs were going off and saying “wow, I didn’t realize this could impact my health the way that it has”. I had many “ah haaaa” moments during our day, it was a bit overwhelming. He couldn’t stress enough the difference the way men and women think. As women, we are natural born mothers, with motherly instincts. Always wanting to protect our young (even if my youngest is 19 and an adult, I just find it hard to stop). But this is what keeps me from getting optimal and healthy. Putting everyone else’s needs ahead of mine and “enabling” them. Funny how I always prided myself on being such a great mom and making my kids independent, but when I REALLY looked at it, they are still running to me for everything, and I have no one to blame but myself. I let this happen. Needless to say, changes are being made in my household. All of my family is not thrilled because now they have to fend for themselves…. but that is their problem. I need to focus on me and fixing myself. I’ve encouraged them to get on board health wise with eating and other suggestions, but they will do it for a day or two and then be over it. Its not an easy road for many, and you really have to WANT IT… I am in this for the long haul. Dr. Kruse suggested to me that it was time for the babies to leave the nest (I have a 19 and 22 year old daughter). So to all the women out there, you must take a good hard look at yourself and see what needs to be done for you to thrive. It may not be fun or pretty, but change is the answer. It appears evolution craves change and our species abhors it. That insight make me realize just what a mismatch might do.
I asked MJ to take notes so I could really hone in to what Dr K was saying. MJ is a wonderful woman. We met online, in a group forum, and I think the 2 burnt out housewives decided for once, to do something for ourselves, so we decided to meet up in Orlando. I feel like she is a long lost sister. We had so much fun and so much in common, mostly prioritizing others before us. I’m so glad I got “out of my comfort zone” and went for it. Thank you MJ for sharing this great day with me. I believe I have a new lifelong friend.
Dr. Kruse asked me to consider how I should spend my day by looking at these issues after looking at my labs to give me an insight and context:
**Sun— Look at the sun every morning… very first thing!!! Let your brain know that it is morning. It sets the the cortisol/DHEA/melatonin cycle by lowering AM cortisol naturally
**BOB — Release of oxytocin . I really thought that perhaps my husband had talked to Jack about this and this was his way of getting sex every day. I learned however that oxytocin can be gotten other ways outside of orgasm too. It can also be given in Rx form by intranasal sprays! I sort of was making light of it and suggested that BOB (boyfriend on batteries) is another alternative. I learned that oxytocin was the second most important anti oxidant in the brain to combat inflammation. DHEA is number one and melatonin is number three. The book I bought in the Life Extension store also backed up these claims about oxytocin too.
**BAB — start my day off with lots and lots of protein. This one is difficult for me. I have never been a breakfast person, never mind eating seafood at 8 a.m. But, again… choices and changes… that’s what’s going to get me where I want to be. Since it has been difficult for me, maybe this is why I have been struggling for years? I guess this is why Jack always reminds us of Einstein’s definition of insanity. When you do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome and you do not get it……it is time for a change.
**Seafood— rich in Iodine. I was thrilled to hear this. I love seafood. The oyster tasting, well, that was completely out of my comfort zone. I don’t do raw, but I tried it. It felt rather disgusting to me, but I did it. Will I eat raw oysters again? Perhaps. But I think I will start off with some nicely steamed oysters first.
**Sleep…. Probably the single most important part in getting optimal…and artificial light, what a mess this can do to your brain. You can catch me nightly wearing my ever so chic “low blue light” glasses. I hear that the next blog post will all be about this specific area. Stay tuned optimizers!!!
LABS… they are your mirror.. Labs dont lie:
This picture was on the wall in our hotel. It really seemed to fit the moment, and what Dr. Kruse was trying to convey to me, as we all need to face our truths…
I have an entire sheet of paper (of notes that MJ wrote down) and it is all about the hormones. FSH, DHEA, testosterone, progesterone. All need some major work. I would encourage everyone, men and women to get their levels checked. It’s always good to have a baseline to start, but you also need to find out your levels. Even the healthiest of people most likely require supplements for continued health. I hate to take pills, but I do what I have to. Dr. K also told us that you cant out supplement a bad diet. Supplements have a place and a role but nothing replaces real Epi-paleo Rx for food.
I had an educational phone consultation with Dr K. a few months ago. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but he told me (the night before in an email) to send him any recent labs, symptoms and what my goals are. The next morning, we spoke and he was very easy to talk to. I am no brain surgeon and was concerned that he would bombard me with medical lingo and I’d be totally lost. So not true. He was the very same in person as well. Don’t get me wrong, he did use some terminology that I wasn’t familiar with, but he would put it into context so that your average person could interpret. I encourage every single person to have an educational consult with this man. He has such an amazing mind and so willing to share it with us all.
To sum things up, this was an opportunity of a life time. Looking back, the only thing I would have changed would be that due to my “brain fog” and very poor memory, I should have recorded our time together. I am sure there are tons and tons of things he told me that I am not able to post because I simply don’t remember. It’s sort of funny how life throws people into our lives and at certain times, we don’t always know why there are there. I think MJ convincing me to come there with her was more than fate. She is pretty healthy and will continue to be healthy if she does the work required by the good Doc. I was there so that MJ could see what would become of her if she did not do the work. I wish I had a different perspective on health many, many years ago. Unfortunately, my thinking was very common in the sense that I didn’t think of health care as preventative, rather something to go to after I got sick. I have changed in many ways and I will continue to forever. I will be a student for life!!! I hope to be able to come back to this forum and blog and share my success story with all you very soon. until then…….
“when the student is ready….. the teacher will appear”………………
THIS is the power of Epi-Paleo when coupled with extraordinary talent and the determination of the human spirit!
I’ve worked with elite athletes before and its hard to fathom the amount of work that it takes to get where you are. Georgia-Rose, you’re awesome and inspiring.
wow.
Thank you for sharing this…it’s anecdotes like this that displace my fear of cold come September 15…
Love this. Thank you for sharing it.
That is a wonderful story.. Congratulations to Georgia.!
The mind is mischievous. It goes on befooling; it plays so many mischiefs that one is not aware of. The first mischief is: A wise man shares his wisdom and one immediately jump upon it and reduces it into knowledge. The second mischief is: A wise man helps one to be oneself and one starts to work hard imitating the wise man – one tries to be like him.
The wise man wants you only to have insight into things so that you have your own light. But you don’t want insight, you want clear-cut instructions. You don’t want to accept your responsibility towards yourself; you want to throw the whole responsibility on the shoulders of the wise man. Then you feel at ease. Now he is responsible; if something goes wrong, he is responsible. And everything is going to be wrong, because unless you take your responsibility nothing is ever going to be right.
Nobody can put one right except oneself.
The master simply teaches you to be a master of yourself – that is the true function of a master. He does not want you to depend on him. But the mind goes on playing these mischiefs. The mind wants you to depend.
And the mind always tells you, “To believe in the master is simple. You need not work hard – what is the point of working hard? Just look: Newton discovered gravity, now nobody else needs to discover it again and again. Once he has discovered it you can read it in the books. It took him years; for you it may take only hours to understand it. Why bother to discover it again?”
This is true about all knowledge and beliefs, but it is not true about real wisdom. That has to be discovered again and again. Jack can only share his whole journey with us, but then we have to move on our own.
The mind is always for the shortcut; and the mind is always for the easier, for the cheaper way. And those are the things which drive you again and again onto wrong paths.
Beware! Mind always gives you sugarcoated poison. But it tastes sweet only in the beginning; in the end it is going to poison you. Wisdom may not taste so sweet in the beginning – it in fact never tastes so sweet, it is bitter – but it purifies you. Dogma is sweet in the beginning, wisdom is sweet in the end. And whatsoever proves sweet in the end is the true thing.
The master can only indicate. He is a finger pointing to the moon. But the mind plays mischief: it clings to the finger – some may even start sucking the finger.
A Zen master, Nan Yin, used to say to his disciples, “Please don’t bite my finger – look at the moon!”
Thanks Jack! for pointing to the moon..
Wow what an inspiration! Thank you so much for sharing!
Here is some more CT research making waves. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-stanford-cooling-glove-steroids.html
Wow what a fantastic account! Georgia I applaud you for going against the grain. I can only imagine the looks you got from all the other girls while you downed all that fat! Sitting in ice baths twice a day is not easy, but you stepped outside the box and it’s awesome that you did so well. This also speaks to the power of your own spirit. Great job and congrats to you and Dr. Kruse!!!
I feel that fortuneatley I am passed the point of ‘worried if this is the right thing, or what people think of me doing this, or if I do it and still don’t see results (right away) etc.’ b/c it’s that deep down innate feeling that you know you’re doing the right thing. Ever since I’ve increased my seafood things have gotten so much easier for me. (I’ve also really tightened my bed-time/wake-up too). There’s just something about seafood…something…DHA going to my brain, and probably better hormone signalling to my brain too.
So, this story is definitely inspiring and I’m SO happy for Georgia!! I’m so glad to see someone at that age working so hard! She definitely has a strength of character.
Thanks again Dr. K and all who participate on this blog!
I slowly learn what is right for ME and not anyone else, not Dr. K, not MJ (b/c she has some cool things going on), not anyone. I mean obviously eating seafood is ‘like Dr. K’…but you know what I mean…the fine tweaks and understanding MY body/hormones.
Georgia and Jack that is truly amazing! I have trained gymnasts for 35 years. I also am a Level 10 gymnastics judge. I fully comprehend the strength, flexibility and neurological complexity involved in competing as an Olympic all around gymnast. WOW sums it up!
Fantastic!
Inspiring…and another arrow in our quiver, starfish.
Georgia, congratulations. I am sending this to my granddaughter who is 14 and wants to be a professional ballerina. she has been training since she was 7years.
@ resurgent comments. I especially liked para 4 about insight and wanting clear instructions. I noticed I’ve become like this lately and realized it has to do with my altered thinking due to hormone and inflammation. I remember before I would eagerly jump into learning what I needed. So unless you know about someones body chemistry status you might think they have control over their thought process when they actually don’t.
So while I respect the old masters they didn’t have to contend with people who have eaten toxic food, been exposed to artificial light etc. It’s a different world now.
Jack acknowledged this in a way when he responded to someone who though someone else might be a ‘troll’ by commenting that because of their illness process they might not be thinking right. I mean this in a helpful way.
I’m inspired by the double “Aargh” (my fave word these days) then doing it anyway. Thanks for the soul food!
More validation: This was in the Life Extension Update today: An article appearing online recently in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine affirms a benefit for external cooling in sedated patients with septic shock. Septic shock is an inflammatory state resulting from the spread of infectious agents in the bloodstream, which can cause fever, low blood pressure and organ failure. The concept of cooling septic shock patients is controversial, as fever may play a role in the body’s defense against pathogens, however, reducing fever can help elevate dangerously low blood pressure.
The current study included 200 adults with septic shock and fever who were receiving an infusion of vasopressor drugs to normalize their blood pressure. One hundred one subjects underwent external cooling under sedation for 48 hours, resulting in a reduction in body temperature to 36.5° to 37°C. Vasopressor dose was lowered to maintain normal blood pressure when indicated.
Participants undergoing cooling began to experience a reduction in body temperature after two hours. At twelve hours, those treated with cooling had a significantly greater need for a decrease in medication dose. This group also had a higher prevalence of shock reversal during their intensive care unit stay, and lower mortality at two weeks.
“The benefits and risks of fever control in patients with severe sepsis remains a matter of controversy,” stated lead author Frédérique Schortgen, MD, PhD, of the Henri Mondor Hospital in Créteil, France. “In our study, external cooling to achieve normothermia in patients with septic shock was safe, accelerated hemodynamic stabilization, decreased vasopressor requirements, increased the rate of shock reversal, and decreased early mortality.”
“Larger studies are needed to confirm the positive effects of cooling on mortality we observed and to examine whether fever control provides any additional benefits in patients with severe sepsis.”
@becca this is why the bacteria I used in my bio hack did not scare me a bit. Cooling helps immunity. And CT is a lot cheaper and safer than ABx in my view.
Totally inspiring. First the story of Mike M., now Georgia. I hope her teammates make note and decide to start going for optimal.
Do not forget CT 13 guest blog about CT either.
Congratulations and you look great! I’m glad the cold water and fat came through for you!
Oh to have the courage and wisdom of Georgia Rose at such a young age! Way to blaze the path to optimal and show us what is possible!
Well Georgia, you certainly put to rest the theory that wisdom is a trait of the aged!
Plus, your experience certainly drives home the point Dr. Kruse has been stressing about the superior benefits of epi-paleo vs paleo! I’m printing this out for the door of my fridge and yes, by the tub, too …as it will make perfect “CT time” reading!
My heartfelt gratitude, for sharing your inspirating story with us!
Christy
That video is super cool! Ok, so I understand how when tradionally people would say with chronic over exercise that the basal metabolic rate lowered…and therefore a person would have more difficulty getting the goals they wanted (weight loss or performance). Well YA, b/c of the MPK shutting down to preserve itself from apoptosis!
I notice that with the glove it seems quite an easy technique, but it also has a vacuum component in addition to the cold water on the hand. Instead of just ‘a cold hand’. I will make this device myself since it didn’t look too complicated and to avoid commercial price just for a ‘pretty version’ of the glove.
You know…when I started doing CT but dropped off a bit on it in the later Spring…two things I kept constant…1. face dunks and 2. cold showers. The face dunks I really appreciated. When I first read the CT series I really locked into the importance of the face dunks with your explanation of the trigeminal nerve as well as dive reflex it really resonated with me. For example, when people were asking about snorkel…I was like…I don’t think that’s a good idea what about the dive reflex…then I see your answers.
Yes, indeed I love CT! 😀
@Zorica Our brain uses our face to monitor the environment in all mammals. I believe the reason is because mammals have the least amount of hair on their faces as a general rule.
Except for beard and mustache 🙂 Do they serve a physiologic purpose or just for finding mates 😛 Though some women don’t like facial hair and some do lol.
I like my facial hair personally but I’ve gotten the impression after shaving it all off that not everyone does…which I already knew but interesting responses anyway. I guess it might have been partly that I wasn’t making it neat at all and it was growing wildly.
Georgia Rose, thank you so much for sharing your story. It is moving and inspiring.
Jack, does the “glove” mean not having to climb in a tub of ice water? ;-P
@Darleen we had to remove the article because she received some rather crude remarks by email and her parents contacted me. It saddens me what humans have de evolved too.
Here is an email I have received from her mother: Good Morning everyone my name is Dr Maria Downey I am Georgia-Rose’s mama. You will note that I have asked Dr Kruse to remove the story Georgia-Rose wrote. This was due to inappropriate comments/feedback that have been made. She has had some amazing feedback in support of her journey but unfortunately some comments have been crude and unneccesary. I have personally witnessed her Journey and been there through every high and low. She is a very dedicated young gymnast that like any focused athlete will do anything she can to achieve her goals. We are so proud of her for taking steps outside the box and looking beyond the normal to get where she did. Without CT she would not be competing I would not allow her to live on anti inflams and pain medication. I also know the change from paleo to epipaleo for Georgia-Rose made a huge difference to her not just as a gymnast but as a person, not only the body changes regarding inflammation, pain and a decrease in skin folds but also a calmness in personality.
Again I’m so sorry.
Regards Maria
The police are now involved in this as well. Our world is a crazy place. We all need to do better. I think the insurgents are back on the scene.
@ Darleen
Something tells me that the glove and the tub submersion address slightly different things, although it’s all under the same umbrella. The tub seems to have a more direct effect on the skin surface and the temperature affecting those specific receptors. This helps for detoxing etc. It doesn’t seem like with tub soaks you want to lower the body temp. as Jack stated in CT series. The glove seems to target on how to lower internal body temp. So when doing the tub, you want to be careful since this is a public blog and Jack doesn’t want people trying to do something potentially dangerous (public and possible issues with sueing?). So I wonder if the lowering the body temp achieves the same effect…(which is your question)…but I just wanted to get my thoughts out on how the two could be possibly a little bit different. It might be compared to say, the effects of bacon and duck fat being good for you…but for different reasons than the seafood is good for you. (Bacon and duck fat = good for the arachadonic acid) so as to maintain 4:1 ratio of o6/o3 ratio.
Dr K. I am happy to announce one noticeable improvement since our day together. I have been eating seafood at every meal and taking the supplements you suggested and my memory has improved quite a bit. I dont have nearly as many Post Its glued all over my house. I really think the seafood has been a huge help. Heres to epi Paleo!!!!
@Dannielle I am very glad to hear it……. I think as the series develops you might feel even more power behind the suggestions and recommendations. The science behind it is deep.
Thanks so much, Dannielle. It’s great to hear your experience and really helpful to hear your perspective, too. Great news about improved memory, btw!
great post. thank u so much. i like the stuff about the son bab, etc. i”ve had great results w/ pregnenolone. it really picks me up in the afternoon and it helps w/ PTSD. At one time before prednisone, at hi doses it was used for rheumatoid arthritis.
u know me, OCD about trivial stuff, from wikiquote: “Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.
From Narcotics Anonymous circa 1980; in print in an 1981 “approval version” of the Narcotics Anonymous “Basic Text” – see that page for details.
This and variations on it have also been variously attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, Rita Mae Brown, and an old Chinese proverb, but this is the earliest known appearance and probable origin.”
What a great story. Thanks for posting. I can sure relate to the brain fog!
@Dannielle improved memory Whoot whooot!!! I am so proud of you, I see how hard you have been working to make these difficult changes in your home, and your food pics look amazing. I’m also eating more seafood, but yours looks so much better, I am coming for dinner! LoL Big hugs to you girlfriend, I can’t wait to follow you on this journey xoxo….
@lina 😀
Re looking at the sun: u have 2 interpret it correctly: don’t damage u’r eyesight. but be up and about at first light and get exposed to it. it is a figurative and not a literal statement. the other interpretation is that the sun at the moment of dawn is kinda of faint.
@.lina it has been found in some papers. This is why many people think that oxytocin is not only the sex hormone but the hormone of society and culture
the wiki backs up Dr. Kruse
“Recent studies have begun to investigate oxytocin’s role in various behaviors, including orgasm, social recognition, pair bonding, anxiety, and maternal behaviors.[1] For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the “love hormone”. The inability to secrete oxytocin and feel empathy is linked to sociopathy, psychopathy, narcissism,[citation needed] and general manipulativeness.[2] However, there is some evidence that oxytocin promotes ‘tribal’ behaviour, combining trust and empathy with the in-group with suspicion and rejection of outsiders.”
here’s the thing about wikipedia articles. anybody can edit them. the gold nuggets in them is in the references. i myself have authored one or two, or maybe a dozen wikipedia articles. usually the interplay of editors of opposing views gives a fair article. It appears recently that a certain femme du NY did some nasty editing on Jimmy Moore’s page, b/ it was repaired.
check out the article i started on pumphead syndrome. the only reason, i fantasize, i might have started it so i can put in there that Dick Cheney was a pumphead, but it got zapped immediately.
Lina, I had never heard of that, but one thing I did forget to mention in my post is how important it is for all us to just get away for a day and be with our friends. Dr K said we should do it as often as possible. I, for one, know how much better I feel after spending some time with good friends and doing some laughing. Laughter is great medicine 🙂
Dannielle
thanks for sharing your experience w/Jack! While I haven’t met him in person, my husband has and both my consults and his experiences reflect your first hand experience. For those of us on a path to wellness and optimal – we have a champion, some one who wants us to succeed in our pursuit of health….
Yes, Gretchen… He truly is a champion. You could just see his passion for teaching others. MJ and I were in awe watching him “work his magic” at the Life Extensions Store. It was like a rock star walked in. LOL. He has touched so many lives and I am sure he will continue to do so for a very long time.
Danielle, you’re smart to have started your journey now. I’m 65 and it’s been a lot tougher for me now with the passage of more time. I’m getting there though and so will you.
Jack, I am sickened that you had to take down Georgia Rose’s story. Thank goodness I had the foresight yesterday (2nd sight?) to print it out. I want hubby to read it. He injured his back about 6 years ago on the job and ultimately had to have surgery on his back and then later on his neck. He is still in pain and now sits in the shower letting hot water pour over him. He won’t listen that he’s doing the wrong thing. Maybe Georgia Rose’s story will change his mind.
Jack, awesome Brain Gut series! Did you happen to catch the Animal Planet show called Mermaids: The Body Found? Evolution, from apes to “mermaids”. Very interesting!
@Lori I did not. today I was writing Brain Gut 15-20.
Darleen, it’s never too late to start a new journey. I’m very grateful that I found Jack, this forum and the other great people that I’ve met along the way. Wishing you the best of health and continued success on your journey. Keep us posted 🙂
Thanks for the article, Dannielle. Very illuminating. Yes, your brain fog is reversable. I’m in my 50’s and I feel like I’m going backward in time. Even before I started taking pregnenolone, I was remembering where I put something 4 days ago, remembering where DH put something yesterday, and even was able to ‘multitask’ well at work again. I don’t bother to make notes of so many things now; I’m confident I won’t forget. Finding Dr. K’s website has been a godsend.
Instead of posting Georgia’s story on the public blog, would you all consider emailing it to your members?
I think we can do that……..I will ask Misty about it.
Nonchalant, that is great news!!! I am working so very hard to alleviate this brain fog. I used to be able to keep everything in my head, no notes needed. I see that others such as yourself, have done it and are doing well. That gives me hope and encouragement that in time , with doing the necessary work, I too will have it back. Thanks for the comments.