The main events that caused me to turn to internet porn and develop a habit:
Relationship crash > loss of home > move back in with parents > testicular cancer > removal of testicle > unable to work/loss of job > chemotherapy > long term unemployment > work part-time > work full-time > physically injured at work > IBS/emotional stress > chronic pain > made redundant again - employer claimed my job no longer existed (global company) > legal proceedings against employer for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination > out of court settlement for employment/disability claim > ongoing injury claim > major mental and physical stress due to legal action, financial hardship from being out of work > depression > diagnosed with post-traumatic stress > IBS/emotional stress > commence antidepressant > get back to work after long-term unemployment > diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called vitiligo, which particularly likes to depigment skin over the face, hands and genitals resulting in prominent white patches that some people confuse with fungal infections and even leprosy! > discontinued antidepressants as felt I no longer wanted to be sedated, decided I wanted to deal with problems rather than ignore them, felt antidepressant were not helping as claimed with compulsive behaviour (e.g. viewing internet pornography) and unhappy with side effects like weight-gain, muzzy head, clumsiness, also feared they may be contributing to vitiligo somehow?
Since being ill with cancer I discovered how diet can massively enhance health and wellbeing, then I learnt how extreme stress can affect the digestion and cause Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and how that can lead to autoimmune diseases, the vitiligo really encouraged me to see what I could do for myself as conventional doctors are very limited in their outlook and treatment of the disease. From following something close to ?The Wahls Protocol" stopped the progression of my vitiligo and I have even seen repigmentation begin? I learnt how stress reduces stomach acid production to suboptimal levels, which allows half digested proteins into the bowel and how that can trigger abnormal immune responses and adverse interactions with the nervous system in conjunction with an unhealthy/leaky gut. It wasn?t long until I discovered the importance of gut bacteria and health, how they can heal a damaged gut wall, produce vitamins, help absorb minerals etc. In Dr Perlmutter?s book ?Brain Maker? I learnt how 80% of a healthy person?s serotonin is made by ?good? bacteria in the gut, how they produce other neurotransmitters like calming GABA, reduce cortisol levels, and how pathogenic bacteria can cause anxiety and "autistic behaviours" (including compulsive behaviours) through toxins they excrete. I now work in healthcare and see on an almost daily basis how urine infections adversely influence peoples behaviour (which is accepted without question).
I thought I want to take advantage of this knowledge (along with more established tools like exercise and mindfulness) to improve my wellbeing and to help me through times of extreme stress, so I started experimenting with prebiotics and cycling different products of probiotic bacteria to improve my gut diversity with strains shown to positively relieve symptoms of stress, IBS and inflammation, while working on getting rid of unwanted pathogenic microbes like yeast overgrowth and ?bad? bacteria (signs of which include adult acne, bowel issues, offensive smelling stools, think strong vomit or eggs as opposed to a more faint barnyard odour).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25449699
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23759244
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974015
Bifidiobacterium Infantis 35624
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/45582675_Desbonnet_L_Garrett_L_Clarke_G_Kiely_B_Cryan_JF_Dinan_TG._Effects_of_the_probiotic_Bifidobacterium_infantis_in_the_maternal_separation_model_of_depression._Neuroscience_170_1179-1188
Other resources I found helpful:
Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
http://humanfoodproject.com
In my opinion nurturing my microbiome through diet, prebiotics, probiotics, exercise and healing my gut lining has reduced my stress levels and improved my feelings of wellbeing and calm better than the antidepressant Citalopram (which I have been off for well over a year now) and without any side-effects. I also respond differently and better to stressful situations. It was quite unexpected for me to see my compulsive urge to surf porn sites melt away.
Relationship crash > loss of home > move back in with parents > testicular cancer > removal of testicle > unable to work/loss of job > chemotherapy > long term unemployment > work part-time > work full-time > physically injured at work > IBS/emotional stress > chronic pain > made redundant again - employer claimed my job no longer existed (global company) > legal proceedings against employer for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination > out of court settlement for employment/disability claim > ongoing injury claim > major mental and physical stress due to legal action, financial hardship from being out of work > depression > diagnosed with post-traumatic stress > IBS/emotional stress > commence antidepressant > get back to work after long-term unemployment > diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called vitiligo, which particularly likes to depigment skin over the face, hands and genitals resulting in prominent white patches that some people confuse with fungal infections and even leprosy! > discontinued antidepressants as felt I no longer wanted to be sedated, decided I wanted to deal with problems rather than ignore them, felt antidepressant were not helping as claimed with compulsive behaviour (e.g. viewing internet pornography) and unhappy with side effects like weight-gain, muzzy head, clumsiness, also feared they may be contributing to vitiligo somehow?
Since being ill with cancer I discovered how diet can massively enhance health and wellbeing, then I learnt how extreme stress can affect the digestion and cause Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and how that can lead to autoimmune diseases, the vitiligo really encouraged me to see what I could do for myself as conventional doctors are very limited in their outlook and treatment of the disease. From following something close to ?The Wahls Protocol" stopped the progression of my vitiligo and I have even seen repigmentation begin? I learnt how stress reduces stomach acid production to suboptimal levels, which allows half digested proteins into the bowel and how that can trigger abnormal immune responses and adverse interactions with the nervous system in conjunction with an unhealthy/leaky gut. It wasn?t long until I discovered the importance of gut bacteria and health, how they can heal a damaged gut wall, produce vitamins, help absorb minerals etc. In Dr Perlmutter?s book ?Brain Maker? I learnt how 80% of a healthy person?s serotonin is made by ?good? bacteria in the gut, how they produce other neurotransmitters like calming GABA, reduce cortisol levels, and how pathogenic bacteria can cause anxiety and "autistic behaviours" (including compulsive behaviours) through toxins they excrete. I now work in healthcare and see on an almost daily basis how urine infections adversely influence peoples behaviour (which is accepted without question).
I thought I want to take advantage of this knowledge (along with more established tools like exercise and mindfulness) to improve my wellbeing and to help me through times of extreme stress, so I started experimenting with prebiotics and cycling different products of probiotic bacteria to improve my gut diversity with strains shown to positively relieve symptoms of stress, IBS and inflammation, while working on getting rid of unwanted pathogenic microbes like yeast overgrowth and ?bad? bacteria (signs of which include adult acne, bowel issues, offensive smelling stools, think strong vomit or eggs as opposed to a more faint barnyard odour).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25449699
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23759244
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974015
Bifidiobacterium Infantis 35624
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/45582675_Desbonnet_L_Garrett_L_Clarke_G_Kiely_B_Cryan_JF_Dinan_TG._Effects_of_the_probiotic_Bifidobacterium_infantis_in_the_maternal_separation_model_of_depression._Neuroscience_170_1179-1188
Other resources I found helpful:
Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
http://humanfoodproject.com
In my opinion nurturing my microbiome through diet, prebiotics, probiotics, exercise and healing my gut lining has reduced my stress levels and improved my feelings of wellbeing and calm better than the antidepressant Citalopram (which I have been off for well over a year now) and without any side-effects. I also respond differently and better to stressful situations. It was quite unexpected for me to see my compulsive urge to surf porn sites melt away.