theorem of indirection, i guess.
Heavy alcohol use and marijuana are both known to impact memory and recall directly.
Discontinuing both of those explains changes in memory. Attributing this to microbiome changes does not follow.
The association between gut microbiota and cognitive decline: A systematic review of the literature
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027153172...
It shows ”Gut microbiota modulation improves cognition in adults with early impairment. Diet, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation share mechanistic pathways and that evidence clarifies how microbiota-targeted strategies support cognitive health.”
The action could be explained due to an anti inflammatory action by the gut biome.
That paper commits one of the major sins of many microbiome papers which is to attribute all benefits of diet change to the microbiome. Like the parent commenter it gets drawn to the idea that all changes in the body can be traced back to the microbiome and assumes that it explains everything, but that’s obviously not true.
However, when someone is taking two powerful substances with direct brain action and known modulators effects on memory, blaming anything else in the body is bad logic.
And who said they don't do this (long term) exactly through their affecting the gut microbiome?
They do not exert their primary effects via microbiome modulation. This is obvious because the effects occur nearly immediately upon consumption, whereas microbiome change from what you consume is a gradual process.
The question I have is: Why has microbiome become the explanation for everything? What would lead you to believe that microbiome would be the explanation for this, when the direct action upon the brain is so much more direct and obvious? Microbiome is an interesting area of research but how did we get to this point where some are ignoring the obvious and trying to construct alternative microbiome based explanations for things like alcohol and marijuana impairing memory?
Which is orthogonal as to whether those direct actions also affect long term memory.
>They do not exert their primary effects via microbiome modulation.
Who said anything about primary effects?
Might the reason be that we're constantly finding new important ways it affects things, or that we see major changes to seemingly orthogonal issues from targetting the gut microbiome directly?
But I've been able to cut for months at a time. Whenever the cut happens, I feel my brain sort of "return" roughly a week or two in.
I'm not sure how to explain it other than something like fog clearing. Obviously makes some intuitive sense when you read it.
However, as someone that has consumed alcohol somewhat regularly (sometimes more, sometimes less) since college, it's bizarre to think about that consumption in retrospect. In effect, years and years of "fog" - it makes me wonder how different or similar life would have been without that fog.
Can't change the past now, but a data point and strong signal for the future.
(less/no simple sugars, much more vegetables and starches/fibers, regularly eating 4 corn/20 plant oatmeal few times a week)
What does this mean?
Here's the recipe. I'm using norwegian 5-grain oatmeal that has oats, wheat, barley, rye and spelt:
Recipe: Use two parts oatmeal (either 4-korn or 5-korn). Add one part nut mix and one part seed mix. So for 50 g of oats, add 25 g of nuts and 25 g of seeds.
Seeds: 30% flaxseed 30% chia 20% pumpkin seeds 20% sesame
Nuts: 4 parts walnuts 2 parts pecans 1 part Brazil nuts
P.S.: since most of these ingredients are pretty cheap (oatmeal used to be poor mans food), you can upgrade to Eco versions of these and get much better taste, without going that much up in price. Especially nuts.
Also, I have the nutmix and seed mix pre blended in 2 liter jars, so that I only have to mix them once a month or two.
I had an infection and was prescribed antibiotics, and needed to pause the esomeprazole. I asked gemini about it and it suggested I take two probiotics while on the antibiotics, Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. I noticed after a few days that I wasn't getting heartburn, and started putting the pieces together.
After the antibiotics ended, with still no heartburn, it recommend I add rhamnosus gg to the mix. So now I take all three daily and rarely get heartburn. It's been quiet a shock
Foods to eat, oatmeal, lentils.
Ginger tea, activated charcoal tabs.
Most all of that works very well to support gut bacteria so throwing some probiotics in as well can help. The gummy kind available in generic or Digestive Advantage work well!
I even once read that someone noticed an issue they tried to clear up for years with doctors went away on day 3 of a water fast. No, he wasn't going to fast forever. But he was shocked the first relief he ever had was that day. From there he solved his problem once his eyes were opened a bit.
I'd personally try all ground beef for a week or two. It won't kill you. Is it ideal? Probably not. But you will not have any problems from that short trial. Then add things slowly until you have a whole good diet you like.
Look into low-FODMAP diets if you haven't already.
For example
>I stopped drinking heavily and using other drugs, i.e. marijuana
Like the primary change you made was to cut out using a whole bunch of drugs with known, significant neurological effects.
Wow, it must be those gut microbes!