Well, I finally emailed Ray Peat about the temperature question. I was hoping he might give some specific information, like do you insert the thermometer in the front of the mouth or in the heat pockets further back. But he didn't say anything that specific. I asked what he considers the most reliable way to measure the temperature for evaluating thyroid function and he said,

"I think oral temperature is reliable, some of the ear thermometers give strangely variable results."

So I guess we can agree oral is most reliable. But why Sol's directions said NOT to insert the thermometer in the heat pocket but most everything I read online says to do that, I am stumped! Did your directions say WHY you shouldn't place it there, Sol?

I also asked him what he thought about supplementing with Vitamin E, and he said, "Avoiding PUFA, the vitamin E requirement becomes very low after a couple of years, and things like liver, eggs, milk, and orange juice will provide enough. I occasionally use a little vitamin E on my skin with other oily vitamins."

I am still waiitng on a straight answer from Peat. He just keeps answering my questions with more questions. Sigh...

I may have to bug him again in a few days....

Cathy, when taking the temp, the goal is to get closest to core.
The pocket is closest when using oral.
Did you read The Happy Homotherm and how they came to their conclusion?
It's a quick read and really makes sense.

I don't know, I will try to find the instruction paper, and will post exactly what it says if I find it. It didn't say not to put the therm in the pocket, just not to put it too far back.
sol

Found it. There is a diagram of the lower jaw, with various temps taken in 5 different places. These are the readings it shows:
in front of tongue, just behind lower incisors 97.7
to the side/front, next to premolars 97.9
directly in front of tongue attachment point center 98.1
between side of tongue and #2 molar (near heat pocket) 98.4
IN the heat pocket 98.8

I interpreted this to mean too far forward gives too low a temp, but too far back (I was wrong in my previous email) IN the heat pocket the temp reads higher. I thought it meant higher than "normal"?

Given that this isn't very clear, sounds like Jem's advice is best, and would have a person taking the temp in the same place every time.................

Sheesh, sorry to have opened such a can of worms. I now wish I hadn't said anything re temps..............

Oh, well, in finding the instruction paper, I also found the instructions to my blood pressure monitor, which I'd been looking for over a year. So it wasn't a total loss for me, but I am sorry for the confusion I caused (sorry Cathy, sorry Scarlet).
sol

Where is the pocket?

If you follow this link, you will see an illustrated diagram, showing where the heat pockets are:

http://www.free-ed.net/sweethaven/M...t.asp?iNum=0204

This thread has been very educational. Through personal experience and some research, I think Peat is right about a lot of things. Here is my one issue: this way of eating seems too expensive for me! I usually spend no more than $5 a day for food and if I were to drink 2 quarts of milk and a quart of OJ, I would already be over $5.

Would this cheaper menu be ok?

B: 2 eggs, 2 strips bacon, potatoes fried in CO and a glass of OJ
L: Carrot salad, baked potato with butter and cheese
D: Homemade beef broth, some meat, roasted veg, and fruit for dessert

Thanks!

Dr. Peat recommends 75 to 100 grams of protein per day so you would probably be just about at the minimum protein requirement, as long as you eat enough meat.

2 strips of bacon = 7 grams of protein
2 large eggs = 12 grams
6 oz.Potatoes = 2 grams
8 oz. OJ = 2 grams
6 oz baked pot. = 2 grams
1 oz. cheddar = 8 grams
1 cup beef broth = 4 grams
4 oz. cooked beef = 37 grams

TOTAL PROTEIN = 74 grams


It would be good if you could add a bedtime snack of some cheese and OJ or some Haagen Dazs vanilla to up the protein a little and increase the calcium and potassium.

What type of roasted veggies are you talking about? Peat considers a lot of vegetables to be somewhat toxic, except for the root veggies and potatoes.

All that protein isn't cheap, I know, but I figure I save a ton of money by not buying any vegetables except potatoes and carrots, no grain products, no packaged or processed stuff. My grocery shopping is a snap now, takes no time at all!

Cathy

Thanks for the quick reply!

The vegetables would probably potatoes, carrots, squash.....that is probably it.

I suppose I could get extra protein from some gelatin during the day.

Cheese and OJ before bed would be ok.

Thanks again!

Peat's response re cortisol and delayed sleep phase syndrome:

"The metabolic rhythm should correspond to the light-dark rhythm, because darkness is a basic biological stress, and sleep is protective against the stress of darkness. Since TSH has many maladaptive effects, and rises along with prolactin and cortisol during the night, some thyroid taken at bedtime helps to reduce the stress, moderating the TSH rise while keeping the blood sugar from falling too fast. Ice cream (i.e., sugar and fat with a little protein) at bedtime has a similar effect, reducing the rise of adrenaline, cortisol, etc., with the result that the morning cortisol peak will be lower, preferably below the middle of the common range, and then it should decline in the afternoon".

Yes, that is similar to what he told me, and I have found the ice cream before bedtime really helps with my delayed sleep disorder.

Did he address the issue of whether it is a problem if someone's cortisol is low?

Cathy

I'm guessing I need a new cortisol saliva test. My last one was 2 years ago, at which time I had a morning level right where he says it should be, but my pm level was way over range..............so without a new test, guess I won't know what I should be doing.
But I don't think I can re-test until I've been a couple of months without any HC. I'll call ZRT and ask them to be sure.
thanks very much for posting Peat's response,
sol

Gelatin is pretty cheap if bought in bulk.

But regular grocery store milk is cheap also, and I think I remember Peat writing that he would use it if that was all he had access to. Grocery brand cheese is cheap here too, when it is on sale, and I buy it in 2 lb bricks and freeze it.
Not sure it is completely wise, but I'm saving my dairy budget for ice cream!
sol

Another Peat success story! I gave up eating sugar in 2003 because I was having a lot of blood sugar crashes and assumed it was due to the sugar I was eating, not all the muffins, pasta, breads, etc. I figured the weight would fall of me, since I needed to lose 100 pounds, but I only lost 2 pounds in 6 months! When I had my lab work done in December of that year, my liver enzymes were elevated and I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and pre-diabetic.

From then until I started following Ray Peat's guidelines, I continued to avoid sugar, most of the time. And during the next 7 years, my liver enzymes continued to be elevated when I had my yearly lab work done, and I progressed from pre-diabetic to diabetic in November of 2009.

Now, 6 months after following the Ray Peat guidelines, (and resuming eating sugar on a daily basis), I recently had a complete metabolic profile done due to an intestinal infection. The results came back completely NORMAL. No more fatty liver! No more elevated liver enzymes for the first time since 2003! Glucose in normal range.

Thank you, Ray Peat!