Brain chemistry test

[Chumbimba]

Does anybody know where to go to get your brain chemical levels checked out like serotonin and dopamine. I would like to do this before taking psychedelics. 

[Michael569]

Tell us more about your lifestyle and your current diet. Neurotransmitters get impacted by these a lot and maybe there are things you can do before burning 500$ on private testing. 

[Chumbimba]

I eat better than I did before. I am currently living with my EX girlfriend and her family so my diet is there diet, and they eat fast food every night and day but nothing too unhealthy. I eat all meats. no dairy and no cheese. I eat eggs and a lot of wheat products (I am trying to cut down). NO SUGAR AT ALL ! 

My personal diet though is chicken, fish and turkey only. Lots of fruits and vegetables, eggs. I go to the gym at least 3 times a week.

Lifestyle is very minimal. Trying to cut out television. (YouTube is my weakness). I read and meditate. I don't have many friends/Hobbies

 I work full time at a call center but I need a new job.  I took MDMA 2 years ago and I am worried I might have done damage to my serotonin receptors because I have not been as happy since. 

[Michael569]

1 hour ago, Chumbimba said:

my diet is there diet, and they eat fast food every night and day but nothing too unhealthy

 Can you give a few examples of these fast foods? Do you eat these on daily basis? 

[Chumbimba]

Taco bell: Beef and Rice Burrito or Del Taco chicken burrito 

Long John Silvers : Fried Fish and French Fries 

Fried Chicken from Albertsons

Popeye's chicken sandwiches 

So yeah pretty unhealthy shit but they pay for me to eat so I dont complain. When I make my own meals though they are generally health and I can't cook on their stove.

 

[Michael569]

Thanks for sharing. I think this definitely needs to be the first step for you to address. 

We don't often realise it but getting deliveries we have no control over the content of salt, sugar, saturated fats, oxidixised cholesterol, rancid oils that have been re-fried 100 times that day, additives, msg, hydrogenated trans fats. All these things will be impacting your body on cellular level. 

Each cell in your body is wrapped in a fatty coating called phospholipid bilayer, this is kinda a protective layer that the cell selectively allows substances to pass through. This layer is dependant on the type of fat we eat. If we eat too much-saturated fat from animal foods, the membrane becomes stiff and the cell starts having trouble communicating with the "outside world". This is also a predisposition for insulin resistance. If the cell becomes too resistant, it cannot accept nourishment and starts malfunctioning, the mitochondria struggle to produce energy, we become sluggish, tired, brain fogged....do you see where I am going? 

And so, I'd challenge you to remove all the takeways from your diet and take full responsibility for your meals. You could buy something like a Mediterranean cookbook or some sort of plant-based book. Learn few batch cook recipes and start putting them in practice. You want foods with less oils, less calories, less friend animal flesh. Half of every plate should be only mixed vegetables, than add legumes or other wholegrains, and a clean source of protein. Replace any carbonated and sweet drinks with water. 

Just by doing this, I bet you'll start to feel more energised in few weeks without needing private testing. It does not have to be a neurotransmitter problem, I would pinpoint it down to cellular level where cells struggle to produce sufficient energy and work optimally. 

Good luck !!

 

 

[Amandine]

Hello @Chumbimba I've written a bit about neurotransmitters here, you'll find some info in the links provided. 

Great advice from @Michael569 ?

Good luck with your diet, you do a great job when you're on your own, lean protein and complex carbs (fruit & veg tho' I'm not sure about the wheat part, it all depends what products), well done anyway! ? 

I hope your living arrangements improve soon. 

Edited February 26, 2020 by Amandine