Item — HN Reader

Very much yes.

For years I started getting this fluid buildup in my ears. At best, I felt occasionally dizzy. At worst, it felt like my brain was in constant "I feel like I have a cold and I'm so slow to think".

Short story: I've drastically reduced carb intake (letting myself cheat a little on Sat.) and definitely no alcohol. The effect has been amazing. I feel 10-15 years younger. My brain is back. Fluid's gone. So many other body things have improved: no joint pain, no weird rashes. I used to get these awful colds, but if I've had a cold this year, I can't even remember, it must have have been tiny.

It's wild how many folks now who I talk to who have similar symptoms and never try to simply cut out the damn carbs and watch as they eat tons of sugar and alcohol. It's really worth a try giving those up for a week and see how you feel.

I've written about this before on HN so won't rehash everything (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21053034).

When I was younger (up until I was around 35) I could eat all the junk food I wanted with no ill effects. I could drink alcohol and rarely felt bad the next day. Now (I'm 49) even small amounts of alcohol make me feel bad later on. If I eat a bunch of junk food I feel like I'm hungover.

I still drink occasionally but it has to be a pretty special occasion for me to have a second cocktail. I still love junk food but I've cut way, way back on it because the sugar hangover isn't worth it.

Other than pretty much constant tinnitus and occasional bouts of cedar fever (I'm in Central Texas), I feel pretty good most of the time. I know I need to get more exercise and I'm working on that by doing bodyweight exercises and rowing. I'm not really getting any stronger, but I feel like I'm at least maintaining where I'm at.