5ar has many more functions than its effect on the androgen system. It also plays a role in balancing GABA and Glutamate in the brain (via allopregnanolone) which I believe is why many have insomnia and some even have spasm for lack of GABA.
Messing up 5ar also messes 3a-HSD which has a multitude of non sexual functions all over the body.
I think what we have is a systemic imbalance in many hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters, neurosteroids and plenty of other stuff influencing all kind of cell activities. Many unrelated to the sexual hormones or reproductive system; like dry skin, deregulated body temperature, burning eyes and yes, digestion (which have to do with the vagus nerve, serotonin and the acetyl-Choline complex from what I understand.)
I also agree with your point about the AR and the androgens, but there’s a lot more to it. And there’s also more to fasting and low carbs diet.
I reckon Pfs and other diseases with similar effects people have on this forum are, at least in part if not completely, due to damage done to our epigenome.
Fasting or going low carbs (zero carbs), activate sirtuins protein that can repair epigenetic damage and regulated the de-metylase enzyme. Fasting and being ketogenic produces BetaHydroxyButyrate which acts in synergy with those sirtuins in repairing the epigenome. (I have citations for this but I’m typing on my phone so if anyone is interested I’ll provide them)
I’ve done it for two years, along with weight lifting, and I look younger, have evidence of epigenetic repairs and most of my pfs symptoms are gone. I crashed 27 months ago.
I started the success story thread to give us hope, but also to find out the commonalities. Low carbs diet, fasting and exercise are some of them.
This disease is definitely sticky but I believe there are natural ways to fix a natural reaction our body had to the drugs we took (and some here didn’t even took drugs). Our epigenome is meant to change based on what happens is our environment, polution, chemicals and even stressful relationship. It has mechanism to fix itself in nature, but this is normally done when the body is under acute stress: cold, heat, fasting, exercising with depleted glycogen etc… Things that were happening on a regular basis 20000 years ago but don’t anymore in our opulent society unless we choose to do it.
I believe there’s hope.
I wish you all the best.
Ozeph