Glutamate Kindling for a Post-Viral Fire

(Tired brain- AI image by Troy Roach with the help of Copilot, --10th Oct 2024)

Johny Harris thinks he knows why everyone in the modern/Western world is tired. He is not talking about MECFS or LongCovid, but this theory could explain why post-viral diseases are on the rise in many countries.

A video link, ...but here is a short summary of the relevant data:

There are two steps:
1. The main culprit is too much neurological stimulation/choices which leads to glutamate overload.

2. This is made worse by a lack of rest/sleep to flush out the glutamate.
(Kat Boniface of Renegade Research has a much more complex/detailed glutamate theory she is cooking up. Follow her if you want to know more about the details behind glutamate.)

Johny Harris cites the relevant research in the video if you are interested, but the conclusions are quite obvious.

Why does this matter to me if I have a post-viral illness?

Much like my HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) thesis, we are empowered in our recovery when we have knowledge of factors which might have made us more vulnerable to LongCovid or MECFS. This has nothing to do with blame or responsibility. It is only meant as empowering data to help guide and understand what we need to do to heal.

Actionable tasks:

1. Reduce any and all stimulation -- including thinking! -- to the lowest level possible. This will help stop the glutamate overload. This is why brain training as a form of mental pacing is so helpful for many people. Laying down in a dark room is helpful, but futile if the brain is stuck in a loop. Reduce "thinking/decision making", especially emotions and stress to give the mind time to heal.

For example, I stopped watching the news and reduced online and social interaction. Unfortunately, the pull to read research kept me "on" more than is optimal. Nobody is perfect... self-compassion is the only way to get through this nightmare.

2. Quality Sleep. Buy a sleep tracker (they are not perfect, but they should provide fairly objective data to compare over time). Focus on getting more deep sleep and deep sleep continuity to help the brain flush out waste.

Deep sleep tracking helped me decide which interventions were helping or hurting. I still have work to do on the deep sleep continuity, but my sleep quality is quite good thanks to 100 small interventions backed up by data -- not just how I felt.

3. Lymphatic and glymphatic massage. Help the brain heal by staying hydrated, with electrolytes and fuel. A few minutes of self-massage a couple times a day can do wonders over time. The brain can't flush out waste if the head, neck and chest are blocked.

Reduce Kindling for Long-term Health:

You can reduce the chances of crashes or new onsets of disease by doing deep dives into what makes you tick.  Understanding what drives you is often referred to as the "core-beliefs". This is a long and hard road that each person needs to take alone or with guidance from experts. 

One example from my journey is that I found out (through online videos on CBT) that I have always been "hypervigilant". I see this as a mostly positive trait that has helped avoid many bad situations, but it is also taxing and it is often wasted mental energy which takes time to notice and turn off when unnecessary. Being hypervigilant in a warzone can save your life... carrying that same level of being "on" all the time is a waste of energy when back in a safe environment.

Why is MECFS on the rise?

The chronic information overload on the brain is the perfect kindling for Post-viral disease. This is getting worse since we now are exposed to 2 to 3 times as much information on a daily basis as we were 30 years ago. Getting acute covid multiple times a year dose not help either!

There are many other factors such as diet and social media, but these have been mentioned many times.

-Troy Roach
linktr.ee/thenicotinetest

"Take care of yourself!... and if you can, take care of someone else too."