Not all probiotics are created equal. I had been taking Ultimate Flora on a fairly regular basis. It was successful in lowering several markers of gut dysbiosis such as arabinose and beta-alanine but it did nothing for sensitivity to certain vitamins and minerals. I’ve taken Calcium several times just to gauge the reaction even though it is not a part of my regular formula. Early last week, only half of one of those pills would cause a terrible reaction. My whole body tightened up and my mood immediately became darker. When I tried to run, I was struggling for a 9:30 pace and had to quit early.
Again, for the last time, THERE IS NO WAY THAT A SMALL DOSE OF A BENIGN MINERAL should trigger that type of reaction even if it takes my chemistry in the wrong direction. As long as this type of thing occurs, I am vulnerable to similar reactions to pills that ARE PART OF MY FORMULA. Many others that should be helpful in theory are not options because I have the same unexplained intolerance (Liver and IP-6). Moreover, a need for a certain vitamin or mineral could flare up without notice such that I can barely function without it. Then maybe a week or two later, not only do I not need it anymore, I become just as intolerant to it as I am to Calcium. That’s exactly what happened with Vitamin C after the blood donation.
How does my life look under this situation? I can work, live independently and travel throughout the United States and Canada. Many others would love to be able to say that. Most days, I am able to slog through a few easy miles. However, I could never be happy long-term and would almost certainly be alone for the rest of my life. Also, for the last time, chemical imbalances exist independent of your attitude and external circumstances so getting in balance is the only way out. Needless to say, that is unacceptable. What is the cause? I still don’t know for sure but the smart money is on defective enzymes and a marker that has yet to be tested but is stratospherically high. Unless, I can fix that problem, I may be able to manage the condition but I don’t believe that I can ultimately recover. Down to one of my last resorts, I tried a new probiotic called Syntol AMD.
How does Syntol AMD differ from other probiotics? It does not contain as many cultures as Ultimate Flora so on the surface, it may not look as good. However, what sets it apart is its enzyme blend that is combined with live bacteria and spore germination.
Now, the results after 10 days: If I take Calcium after taking the probiotic, it's almost like I never took anything at all. The effects are minimal if not marginally positive. That's exactly what should happen after a small dose of a simple mineral or vitamin. Most likely, anything else that has given me an inexplicable problem in the past will no longer be an issue. That could be YUGE in the upcoming weeks. If the blood donation did not lower my Ferritin as much as I hoped, IP-6 can do the job and I should not have to worry about a sudden intolerance to it.
I would also like to report that symptoms of depression are almost completely GONE! I'd like to say that it's because of a massive spiritual breakthrough but that's not the case. I still have serious issues of lack of trust in the Lord and who can blame me after getting burned so many times by false hopes? Again, it's all about chemical balance. Most of the serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain. Therefore, by improving my gut health, I have increased the production of a MAJOR feel good chemical and did it without pharmaceuticals.
Sounds like a miracle huh? Not so fast. One good week does NOT mean that I am cured! I've learned that the hard way many many times. Hate to say it but I won't believe it until I see the balanced medical report even if I am running well. The biggest concern right now is my low tolerance for the probiotic itself. This issue really has not improved over the last 7 days or so. If I take only 1 Syntol pill, I will have slight muscle soreness, which will slow me down by about 10-15 seconds per mile. Again, that type of situation is HIGHLY preferable to the extreme sensitivity and if that's the final outcome, it's acceptable to me.
The bottle's directions say to take up to 8 of those pills in the beginning before tapering down to a maintenance dose of 1-2. If I take 2 pills, the soreness and weakness will become significant (more like :30/mile). One day, I tried 4 pills and it took a monumental effort to run 8:30 pace on a junk run and had an absolutely NASTY stomach ache for the rest of the day. Fortunately, the company believes this is a detox reaction, which does make some sense. It seems counter-intuitive but if I have a level in the stratosphere, I've got to bring it down slowly or it will be a total shock to the system. Still, the fact that after 10 days, I am still significantly weakened by an extra dose is unnerving. In fact, I'll actually do my best if I forego the Syntol until after the morning workout. Today was reminiscent of the Crazy J of old. I had to slow down at the end to hit my target pace and it felt too easy BUT the soreness kicked in harder immediately after the Syntol dose. If I develop a complete intolerance to it, you can pretty much stick a fork in me. I could try another substitute product from the same company or add another to allow me to tolerate it but I don't like my chances with either approach. The best case scenario is to stay with the current probiotic and hope the tolerance improves with time.
I said earlier that I expected a resolution one way or the other by late October. It's early October now and I've got to say that my prognosis looks a LOT better that it did just one month ago. I'm going to ride this formula until race day in 2 weeks. I think the safest thing to do with the probiotic is to forego it before the race but carry it in my pocket. That way, if an unexpected sensitivity flares up and I hit the wall early, I still have a chance to salvage a respectable showing.
Options after the race:
-Take the Syntol only on an as needed basis (once every few days) I know the sensitivity will kick in with a VENGEANCE if I stop it completely.
-Deal with the mild soreness and sluggish feeling and hope the tolerance kicks in soon
-Switch to another probiotic (Floraphage). It's from the same company and probably milder but also probably less effective.
-Add Neprinol from the same company, which helps clean the blood and may reduce the side effects.
WE SHALL SEE.
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