The real cause of IED and the solution

If you REALLY are desperate and want to change what's happening to you,
read this and apply in your life. I have spent over 6 years researching
this and working on a solution and I believe I finally found it!


Hi all,
Just found this forum after years and years of research and trying to work
out how to deal with this issue. I had it since I can remember although it
was getting worse with time. To cut the long story short - I've been
looking for a solution to this issue for over 6 years now an I finally
believe I cracked it.
When I had some issues with focusing I gathered that perhaps it's the sugar
so I've cut that out and there was a big improvement. Then I continued my
research on this subject (which wasn't easy because no one knew what I was
talking about) and I decided to cut gluten out, then dairy and processed
foods etc. and I saw improvements each time I changed my diet. I then
started noticing changes in how I felt. Less anger, less periods of
unhappiness, less outbursts of anger and clearer mind.

This allowed me to realise that I have anger issues (I didn't acknowledge
that before probably because this was the only "me" I knew and I didn't
know any different - I always thought that it's other people's fault and
it's them who are provoking me).
This was a pivotal point for me and I redirected my dietary modifications
towards targeting the anger issues with amazing results. After many years
of trial and error I have finally discovered the cause of all this.

I will provide links to articles referring to all this, at the end of this
post, so you can see it's not just my imagination.

The cause

I would appear that in addition to people like us being prepositioned to
those outbursts genetically (there is actually a gene responsible for that
apparently) the trigger seems to be inflammation caused by food and/or
chronically elevated cortisol levels. Worst offender is sugar (which is
unfortunately added to almost everything including meat!) but there are
many others too (FODMAP foods, SCD "illegal" foods, and foods containing
heated oils such as fried stuff, meat from grill or oven etc).

Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to cut out all those foods from our
diet not just because there isn't much left to eat if you do that but also
because you can't eat out, you have to cook for yourself and take your food
with you everywhere.
HOWEVER - if you stick it - low carb (preferably no carb), no junk, diet
with meats and fish that are boiled in water you will be absolutely amazed
what it can do to the way you feel. It seems not only to eliminate the
outbursts but also make the times when you feel good significantly better.
I currently only eat meat, fish, nuts and eggs (with leafy greens and NO
fruits) - I know it sounds horrible but if you felt the way I feel, have no
anger whatsoever with no situation being able to make you angry you'd
appreciate it. I have NEVER felt so calm and tranquil in my life.

Unfortunately you cannot make exceptions - one tiny bit of say chocolate
(for example) and and you're back to where you started. It can be extremely
difficult to work out which foods are causing this, as it can take up to 3
days for the effect to kick in. I noticed that when I stick to the diet
(which can slowly be made less strict by the way) I feel really good even
if I eat something I shouldn't. It doesn't last long though and the
consequences always catch up with me a couple of days later or so.
If I'm not well though the consequences tend to appear within 20-30 minutes
after eating (I'm back to my old self when I can get angry very easily and
I'm generally not that happy)



The cure

Stress also plays a massive role and those with tough childhood or those
that tend to worry a lot, often have issues with chronically elevated
cortisol (which can cause/increase inflammation).
To eliminate inflammation you have to cut out foods that cause inflammation
and decrease cortisol levels (if they are elevated of course)
That means
NO bread of any kind
NO pasta or anything made from grains
NO fruits
NO sweets
NO gluten or dairy
and unfortunately many other things
best not to eat any of the foods from those 2 diets for at least a year
(you can experiment with re-introducing some of it slowly during that
period)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_Carbohydrate_Diet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_FODMAP_diet
I would also VERY highly recommend going into ketosis by not eating any
carbs (like on the Atkins diet) - this REALLY helps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet
(don't be put off by the whole epilepsy thing - read the whole thing)


After following those diets for at least a year (plus all the other bits
described in the SCD diet such as supplementing with probiotics) you can
start adding foods back into your diet SLOWLY and eventually you'll be able
to eat A LOT of the things you used to enjoy so much (best to keep avoiding
gluten and dairy though)
Ideally it would be a good idea to add anti-inflammatory foods
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=anti+ ... ds&spell=1

and supplements

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=anti+ ... upplements

There are plenty of articles and books on this subject - can read a quick summary on here
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchi ... 9p38.shtml


There are also plenty of supplements that can lower cortisol levels such as
Rhodiola, Ashwaganda, Inositol, kava-kava, Boswellia, St Johns Wort a few
more such as Eleuthero root, Hawthorn Berry, Rosehip, Alfalfa herb, Sarsaperilla root - I haven't checked all of them yet and it's best to research yourself anyway
I'm still testing which one works best (for me)

If you go down that route you should first test if yours is indeed elevated first. I tested
mine with a silava test at Genova diagnostics but there are other labs that can do it.
I did 2 tests - one on a day when I was feeling great and one on the day
when I was angry (you can order a test kit and do it at home, as it's
tested in saliva rather than blood) to prove that it is actually related to
the problem.
It may also be worth to test for inflammatory markers (which I haven't done
yet but I'm getting there)
This is a good read about other causes of inflammation - addressing those
issues may be a bit more complicated and could require counselling
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/ ... ress/21484
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Psychiatry/ ... ress/44519

It seems complicated and it requires a LOT of strong will and determination
but really DOES work and trust me it's worth it!


Here's a bit on heated oils for those that don't believe they may cause
reactions
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3704564/


I am absolutely stunned to not be able to find much about it on the
internet. I only saw a handful of articles the major one being written only
a few months ago.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/12/31 ... 63961.html

that can also be helpful
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 162546.htm


I tried providing more links but it turned out some of them were against the forum's policy, so i had to delete them.

If you try any of the above I would REALLY appreciate if you could share
your experience on here.
Thank you. If you know of any articles, doctors or clinics that are
aware of this approach/are treating it I would also appreciate if you could
let me know.
GL


Disclaimer - I am NOT a doctor! Anyone who wishes to try any of the above
should consult their doctor first. All my views are based on research,
logic, common sense and personal experience. I do not claim that following
my advice can cure anything - it appears to be able to do so for me but it
may not be the case for other people.

Hey great informative post and im gonna read more thoroughly when i have time! Thanks! Yeah our diet really matters in our physical and mental wellbeing! Our bodies really are temples and the human body is incredible...and should be treated w respect. I noticed how alcoholism wreaked havoc on my mind. The sugar in booze. I read about it. Id experience hypoglycemia trying to make it thru my workday. Nightmare. Another bad thing is when i was hungover my body would need sugar. I noticed when i ate healthy like a bowl of soup...my mind was clear sharp and focused. I also had boundless energy which is what i want. I do.have anger issues but i just thought that was all psychological...