Whenever my rapa gets here from India I plan to start taking it. But before I do, I’d like to get a baseline set of measurements. I have regular comprehensive blood work (CBC, chem and hormonal). But honestly, I’m not sure anything in those panels would change regardless of the effect of the rapamycin. Not least of all because I have no blood results that are less than excellent, my blood pressure is low, my weight is fine.
The things that I am hoping to improve are not measured that way. For example, I’d like to improve my learning and retention, recovery from injury, and neurological resilience (I’ve been recovering from Bell’s Palsy—unsuccessfully—for 8 months.)
What are the key items worth tracking to determine if there is any measurable effect once I begin the regiment? Here’s what I plan but it is entirely arbitrary and I am interested in suggestions.
Lean muscle mass/ fat percentage
Strength
Hormone changes
I’ll be watching other things—but they aren’t easily measured. For example,
Changes in memory, learning, etc.
Reduced pain in my shoulder and hands
Additional dexterity when playing the violin
Acceleration of neuroregeneration from the Bell’s Palsy.
What am I missing? One caveat: I am ONLY interested in tracking to determine any Rapamycin effect. I have no interest in quantifying every dimension of my body or life. Just thinking about that bores me.
Pretty good list… hopeful the palsy is improved… neurological dysphagia a problem I had for years vanished after 6 months… 2 years…going now… choking… swallowing issues free.
Maybe watch for changes in joints reducing…becoming looser… and less or no pain.
With inflammation reduced… so are the little beginnings of arthritis. Lower back pain. Stiffness in hands, fingers and toes.
Definitely keep me in the loop on the neurological improvements.
This is a frequent source of discussions… at some point I guess we should pull the data together in a single thread but here is what we have right now…
Just to add… you mentioned " I’d like to improve my learning and retention, recovery from injury, and neurological resilience ", and I think this is great and I’ve been also wondering about ways to measure the cognitive element…
and let me know if you think there are any good measures that might be suitable for you and what you are trying to achieve. I’d love to get some good, easily accessible measures for brain / cognitive function over time that we can track while on these longevity drugs and supplements, etc.
I have tons of arthritis—last year I got a replacement big toe joint. None of that is surprising given my athletic history. Where it most matters is in my right hand. Holding the violin bow is extremely uncomfortable after just 10 or 15 minutes. I don’t have any low back or other pain except where there are known injuries like in my shoulder where the tendon is significantly torn. But torn tendons should heal with enough rest. And mine has been resting for over a year since I haven’t been able to swim since I got the palsy and can’t blink one of my eyes.
But if the rapa could accelerate the nerves healing in my face—and help my brain to relearn coordinated facial movement— that would be fantastic!
I think one of the issues why people don’t always see changes… is that rapamycin works within your system. So for me the aging change was a neurological issue of choking. For someone else on this site… the neurological issue was thrusting jaw. That person on this site stated it was remedied.
Your neurological issues that were normal now they’re not… but it is possible to repair. I definitely have arthritis joint pain gone. Particularly my lower left thumb.
If the issue is new a sudden change… good chance rapamycin can regenerate it back to normal.
Many younger users on here have no health issues… yet.
So they have nothing to report. However, maybe they are preventing future issues by using rapamycin.