[L]ast night, something very unusual happened. When I lay down to sleep right after taking my 11 PM chelation dose, I realized within a couple minutes that my energy level was way too high. My first thought was that I had finally hit the wall with my fish oil titration. I had just increased my dosage in the morning to where I estimated my tolerance lay and above which I get insomnia.
But after a few more minutes of relaxation breathing – I use the ‘sa ta na ma’ breath to which I normally respond immediately – I realized the problem wasn’t fish oil because that is strictly a brain phenomenon which leaves my body able to relax deeply (without sleeping). This was different. My body was energized.
I was unusually warm and it also felt like my blood pressure and heart rate may have been elevated a little. I actually got excited when I realized this could be the power surge I’ve been waiting for over the last 5 or 10 years. Although I detest insomnia, I became very hopeful that I was finally experiencing the repair of my broken Krebs cycle. I’ve tried a lot of supplements in the past many of which were stimulating but in ways that always felt draining and wrong.
I also had some sharp needle-like itching on one of my wrists and maybe on my calf where I had rubbed magnesium oil a few hours before bedtime. I came to believe recently that pushing up my magnesium is critical, but my bowels didn’t tolerate the increase from 1200 mg to 2100 or even 1800 mg magnesium citrate. So yesterday, I had purchased two brands of magnesium glycinate which is supposed to absorb better than most and taken my first 100 mg of it a couple hours before bedtime. I had also mixed up a batch of magnesium oil using the Nigari flakes left over from a similar attempt to raise my magnesium years ago.
So, knowing I was in trouble, I ate something, put coconut oil on the itches, splashed water on myself and turned the fan on, took some more GABA and tried again. Still no sleep. I repeated this process a few times and eventually fell asleep after about an hour. That left only about 2 hours and 20 minutes before the first dose alarm. I slept lightly and even woke 10 minutes before the second dose alarm. Slept very little and lightly after the second alarm.
This light sleep was highly unusual because I was very fatigued after not sleeping well the night before.
Today, running on little and poor quality sleep a couple nights in a row, I should’ve been a wreck. I had planned to forfeit my horseback riding and offered the spot to my oldest daughter. However, at the last minute she decided not to go, so I rode anyway to test my ‘power surge’. I did use some extra D-Ribose before and after the ride, but it was still hot and long (temp in the low 90s and two hours in the sun). My strength and energy held up unusually well, better than they have when I was actually rested.
After lunch and a nap, I went out to vitamin Shoppe for more ALA, to Target for a better thermometer, and to Whole Foods for pulled chicken and brisket. After all that, I’m still standing, more or less! Normally, I lie on the couch for the rest of the day after the horseback thing.
Something really strange and wonderful is happening but I don’t know why. Here’s what changed in the past couple days:
- Yesterday evening before bed I applied my topical iodine in a new place, under the sternum. According to CureZone, this produces energy for some people, although I’m skeptical.
- First use of magnesium glycinate, although just a tiny amount.
- First use of magnesium oil.
- Was on day five of my first extended round.
- Had three days of vitamin B6 (P5P) under my belt – 50 mg three times a day.
- Had three days of additional zinc (+ 45 mg), molybdenum (+2,000 mcg) and taurine (+500 mg) under my belt – all (including the B6) related to the atrocious hair test results I received this week…
So what happened? My bet is on the magnesium. It’s often recommended as a sleep aid, but years ago when I tried taking it at bedtime, I found it made it more difficult for me to sleep. Maybe that was a sign. Maybe over the past couple months my magnesium supplementation put me close to a tipping point where my Krebs cycle was close to turning on with a little push.
I don’t know, maybe it’s a combination of things. Anyway, I’ll be very careful not to apply magnesium oil in the afternoon or evening again. Hoping to sleep well tonight!
Great work! Interesting observation. Do you take other magnesium besides the oil? I do foot baths or full soaks each day I’m on round, plus a lot of mag. oxide from the LS ALA capsules too (though oxide is an awful form).
Thanks Tara, I’m taking about 1400 mg a day of magnesium glycinate… have been thinking about doing the full epsom soaks as I’m so impressed with the value of magnesium now. But, I’m thinking it’s not going to happen for lack of time.
Something interesting happened today that leads me to believe I was right about the magnesium being the critical factor for my energy surge. I skipped my morning magnesium oil application today and skipped my midmorning magnesium supplement. Later, when I went to check my body temperature, it was substantially lower than it has been for seven days. Surprised, I rechecked my temperature about seven times.
Then I thought, maybe I should apply the magnesium oil now. Within 10 or 15 minutes of applying the magnesium oil my temperature had risen to about where I expected it should be. Not only that but I can feel the heat being generated minutes after applying it… it’s a little hard for me to believe but when you look up magnesium you’ll see it’s involved in body temperature regulation and energy production. So, I must absorb a tremendous quantity when I apply the magnesium oil.
I can’t believe all the stuff you try and benefit from! You are definitely on the fast track to recovery, I just think you are a rare bird to be able to tolerate so many things. Get your ALA up a little more, and you’ll be recovered by Thursday of next week 😉
Thanks for the laugh Tara, I’m kind of holding my breath today to see if this was just a flash in the pan… by the way, noticed on FDC you use magnesium oil. Have the side effects diminished when you use it every day? Have you thought of mixing your own to lower the cost?
Speaking of ALA, yesterday I noticed Solgar makes a 60 mg which is a nice bump up from 50 so I bought a couple bottles to have handy when I’m ready to increase.
Great about the 60 mg capsules. I had noticed them at Vitacost as well, but wondered about the thioctic acid form. Is that the standard form, but others just don’t label it? I wish Solgar made 100 mg capsules. I have been nervous about using cheaper brands (I was tolerating Natrol and doing really well with it, but had bad reactions to both Kirkman and Natural Factors). I worry that the quality and consistency between capsules might not be that great, and since I can’t do a 100 mg dose with Solgar, I just put in another order with Living Supplements. I do well with them, and trust the quality of the ALA itself, I was just hoping to not have to deal with paying a little more, waiting for the shipping/arrival, and the fact that the highest they come in, until next summer, is 50 mg. Next summer, they told me they plan on bringing out a 100 mg capsule — I’m hoping to be in much better shape by then!
Regarding the magnesium oil, I don’t use it every day, rather every few days (since I do baths and foot soaks more frequently), but I have noticed that it doesn’t sting as badly as it did when I first started a couple months ago. I think it would sting if I tried applying it to a new place on my body though, I mostly put it on my forearms and legs. I hadn’t thought of making my own with espom salts, as Josette mentioned. Great idea. I’ll probably do that for the refill.
Regarding ALA, I did Kirkman when I was at lower doses and then I have been using VRP since I went up to 100 mg. These have worked very well and have the added benefit of beeing quite small.
But now that I was going to reorder, they had redesigned the webpage and my account was gone. So I ordered Natrol 100 mg from IHerb instead and I am glad to hear that those worked ok for you, Tara.
Another thing that I noticed when looking around for ALA is that many brands offer a 600 mg alternative! There must be loads of people out there eating this stuff with their mercury fillings still in……
I checked the ingredients on the Solgar before I bought it and it didn’t have anything unusual… Only have two more doses in my seven day round and I’m done, but, I could easily continue. I’m just can’t stop because I don’t want to push too hard too fast. Tara, did you ever do long rounds?
I put on my second magnesium oil today and experienced almost no itching or stinging, so in 2 days it seems my skin got happy with it. Did get a rash on my chest but that could be the iodine too…
Viking, happy to hear you have some Natrol on the way, and yes, I too, have noticed many bottles of 600 mg ALA out there. It really makes me wonder if people with fillings (which I think we could assume that a good number of people taking it have amalgams in) are able to tolerate such doses, especially when probably only taking it once or twice a day. I can’t imagine not feeling badly from it, even if they’re not your typical symptomatic mercury individual…
Eric, the thioctic acid was listed as the form, right after it says Alpha Lipoic Acid on the label, not the ingredients. I’m sure it’s fine, I just have the OCD tendency to fear something is not right when it’s different than the others.
Congrats on the 7 day round! If you can do 7 days at 50 mg of ALA, I would guess you’d be ready to do 60 or 75 mg for a 3 day round. Your call. My game plan was to up my mg’s 3 mg every round or so, wanting to get up to 100 as soon as I could. Once I got there, at Round 30, I noticed I could also start extending my rounds.
I’ve been doing 5 days on, 4 off, and feel really comfortable with this schedule. I start to get a headache, distorted vision, feel like I’m on drugs, etc. by the last couple doses of Day 5. This last round I got 2 extra doses in, into day 6. I’m suspecting, with time, I’ll be doing 6 day rounds, 7 day rounds, etc. I think I’d rather do it that way than continue to go much higher than 100 mg.
Took a little bit of digging to figure out this ‘thiotic acid’ question. I see what you are referring to on iherb.com but the bottles I bought are different, no mention of thiotic acid… Hopefully it’s not just a different label on the same product! I’m sure I’ll know when I start taking it however, because I seem to be pretty sensitive to increases. Thanks for flagging that:)
I think I’m going to stay at 50 mg and go for a 10 day round next. Still happy working out the supporting supplements. Going to start lithium tonight at a very low dose. Have read amazing things about it, lol: http://tahomaclinicblog.com/lithium-the-misunderstood-mineral-part-1/
Those side effects you describe on day five sound pretty serious… but it sounds like you’ve adapted pretty well to get up to 100 milligrams so I bet those side effects will slip away too.