Intrinsic Factor and Fulvic Acid

 I was told that Fulvic Acid contains Intrinsic Factor and thus I should be able replace my old source with it.  Well, even if it does contain Intrinsic Factor, it was clearly not enough to be effective.  Yesterday was a nightmare in the morning as I once again was in the 6 minute range for a HALF MILE!  This time the culprit was the CBS/NOS pills, which I had been taking at least semi-regularly for the last 2 years without a problem.  Once again, there is a YUGE difference between quitting a pill because it is no longer effective or necessary versus being forced off due to an inexplicable bad reaction.  

Fortunately, I had a good idea of what was wrong and simply taking the rest of my formula yielded no apparent problems.  Just seconds after taking the CBS, WHAM!  Almost an instant negative reaction!  Without the Intrinsic Factor, this is what happens!  I will face days like this with increasing frequency and a new culprit will show up with little to no notice.  Again, I figured that Intrinsic Factor was necessary after all and I was correct.  I was much better by the evening and even took extra CBS without any problems.  In fact, I was able to clock a not terrible 3:42 for the same half mile distance.  

I woke up today hoping to do at least 3-5 miles in but knew immediately that it wasn't going to happen.  My time for just 1 mile was an ABYSMAL 12:56.  Adrenals have spiked again and the only thing that helped was extra Thym-Adren.  Eventually, this spike will calm down and the next few days will get progressively better but if my history is any indication, another one is just around the corner.    

New Formula:

Fulvic Acid

TRS (not sure if it is needed)

Intrinsic Factor (contains B12 and Methyl Folate)

Thym-Adren

B-Complex (not sure if needed)

Cal/Mag

This is a manageable cocktail.  IN THEORY, once the extreme need for Thym-Adren fades, I will have met Criteria number 2.  Can I achieve stability and adequate energy every day?  I'll try and that's all I can do.

Removed from Formula

Lactoferrin

Probiotics

CBS/NOS

Update:

Today, I got exactly what I expected.  2 miles in 21:28 (10:44 pace).  Slight positive split (10:40-10:48) but that's not a concern.  I predict that tomorrow will be 3 @ sub-10.

Fulvic Acid Part 3

 This post will be brief.  It is too soon to celebrate anything but I am showing signs of improvement.  After a period of intolerance in which even ONE drop was too much, I went through another period of insatiable need.  That too appears to have stabilized though I am still better with the Fulvic Acid than I am without it.  In what should be a surprise to NOBODY who reads this blog, my adrenals spiked.  That is common after solving a major problem.  If I didn't take extra Thym-Adren, I'm not sure that I could have made it home safely from Daytona last weekend.  Here are my "workouts" this week

Tues- AM Trial and error reveal need for both Fulvic Acid and Thym-Adren but nothing else made much difference.

PM- ABYSMAL 5:50 for a HALF mile

Wed- Less horrific 9:48 for a full 1 mile

Thu- AM 1.5 mile in 13:30 (9:00 pace)

PM-1.5 miles in 13:10 (8:47 pace).  No Thym-Adren in between.

Now, if I tried to go without any pills, I'm probably just as bad as I was on Tuesday but eventually, the needs will diminish.

Going forward, can I really quit the other pills besides Thym-Adren?

Maybe, but to be honest, I'm afraid to.  I DO think I can quit the Probiotics and Lactoferrin.  

B12, Methyl Folate and TMG?  Not sure but at the very least, I won't collapse if I miss a few doses.

I'll try cutting them out one at a time.  The least likely to go are the B12 and MF.  Not sure about the B-complex or the CBS/NOS.  

Rave: Florida

 Surveys show that the neighboring state to my south is the most visited in the USA.  Nearly half the population has been here at least once.  The vast majority of these visits involve vacations to either Disney World or one of its many beautiful beaches.  I have thoroughly explored this state, including parts rarely seen by tourists, and have been a big fan since childhood.  I have vague memories of going to Disney World as a small child, but my parents took me again at the age of 10, which is just about the perfect age to go.  We also took family trips to Sanibel Island and St. Pete Beach on the southern Gulf Coast.  I also went on a Spring Break trip with my best college friend to Miami Beach.  My first foray into north Florida did not come until my early-mid 20s when I took a beach hopping trip from Jacksonville to Panama City.  Here are a couple of fun facts that may surprise my readers:  It is a 6-hour drive on I-95 from the Florida/Georgia line down to Homestead, which is the gateway to the Keys.  The size of the panhandle is even more surprising.  It is also a 5-and-a-half-hour drive on I-10 from Jacksonville Beach on the Atlantic to the Alabama line just west of Pensacola.  To put that into perspective, that’s about the same time it takes to get from Birmingham to the Kentucky/Indiana border on I-65.  Many times, I was fooled into believing that I was almost to the Gulf Coast after getting to FLA but in reality, I still had almost an hour to go. 

Geography and Climate:

North Florida has a subtropical climate.  Though snowfall is extremely rare, you do get occasional cold days.  You will get the 4 distinct seasons and though the fall foliage pales in comparison with New England and the Blue Ridge mountains, you’ll see some decent colors come mid-November.  I think it’s cool to see what I refer to as “tropical foliage,” which is a palmetto tree right next to bright yellow or red leaves.  The area along the Atlantic coast is almost dead flat but I don’t find the drive to be boring at all.  You will see live oak trees draped in Spanish moss while palmetto trees are ubiquitous throughout the region.  You may see streets lined with taller date palms, but the lush coconut trees won’t be seen until you get down to Vero Beach.  Further inland, you’ll see some hills, but the highest elevation is only about 350 feet above sea level.  I was particularly surprised by the hilly terrain in Tallahassee.   

Above pics are all from north Florida

The Gulf Coast is a great place to visit, with its beaches that rival anywhere in the world but no, I would not want to live there.   Humidity is so brutal in the summer that it is virtually impossible to run longer than 3 miles no matter what the time of day.  In terms of the volume of rainfall, this is the wettest region of the country and is often struck by major hurricanes.  In the summer, it is almost never a total washout but there is a better than 50/50 chance that you will see some rain on a given day.  However, if you go maybe 10-15 miles inland, the humidity will diminish a bit.  On the Atlantic side, you get a dry season from October through May and the overall rainfall is less.  It’s more like 50 inches of rainfall versus 60 on the Gulf.  I definitely prefer the Atlantic in that regard.

Beach season in north Florida runs from about the 1st of April through the end of November.  Yes, I've pushed my luck a couple of times with trips to Pensacola in early December and late March.  It was chilly but tolerable.  In 2020 during the worst of COVID, I went beach hopping over the Thanksgiving holiday and was surprised to find that swimming conditions were quite pleasant in both Flagler (between Daytona and Jacksonville) and Panama City.  Figure that a swim at Daytona in mid-November will feel comparable to the mid-Atlantic in early July.  

South Florida is almost endless summer with a dry and wet season.  At Vero Beach and points south on the Atlantic, you will find streets lined with lush tropical and coconut palms that just won't grow in north Florida.  I looked up the average high temperatures in Daytona versus Vero for the month of January.  Surprisingly, there was a difference of only 5 degrees with Daytona at 69 and Vero at 74 but that apparently does make a big difference.  Also, water temperatures in South Florida usually remain above 70 degrees all year long and there will be just a handful of days in which the air temp will not crack 70.  I went to Miami in January of 2019 and yes, it was warm enough for a swim.  I once looked at water temps and found that on the same day, Daytona had dropped to 62 while Miami was 76.  I've heard that the Gulf Stream and current from the warmer Caribbean allows Miami's water to remain warm all year.    

 

Culture:

A common expression is that in Florida, the farther north that you go, the more Southern it gets.  That's mostly true but there are exceptions.  You will hear distinctive southern accents in isolated rural areas even in south Florida.  This is especially true around Lake Okeechobee.  Miami has a definite Latino vibe while Fort Lauderdale and West Palm are mostly populated by northeastern liberals.  You won't find many Florida natives in Naples on the SW coast but most people there are from the Midwest and tend to be more conservative.  I really haven't seen much of the Tampa area outside of Clearwater Beach and have never been to Orlando outside of Disney World.  I do intend to change that with a Spring road trip from Miami to Tampa.  The Big Bend area is termed as "real Florida" and has an authentic native culture.  Not many tourists visit because there are not much in terms of beaches between Clearwater and Panama City.  The panhandle is pretty much an extension of Alabama while the vibe in Lake City and Live Oak, Florida is pretty much the same as Valdosta, Georgia.  

Beaches:

 You'll find a wide variety.  The Gulf is clearer than the Atlantic but the Atlantic has better and more consistent surf.  Some beaches have soft white sand while others are hard off white or soft brown.  Flagler actually has an orangish tint.  In general, on the Atlantic, you'll find softer sand and clearer water further south but the negative IMO is that it often gets deeper quickly in the south so you can't go out as far.  

Could I live here?

I'll be in Birmingham until I retire but I may consider moving to north Florida.  I'd want to be inland away from the hurricane zone but close enough to both coasts.  Maybe Lake City or Live Oak.  

 

More Fulvic Acid News

 Fulvic and Humic Acid was my last resort.  I was told that it may eliminate my need for all other supplements.  I found that claim to be highly doubtful but with the exception of the adrenal suppressant Thym-Adren, it may very well be the case.  Last week, I stopped taking all my supplements except for the Fulvic Acid starting on Sunday morning.  I made it to Wednesday, in fact Wednesday night before the ill-effects began to set in.  All the other pills including the B-vitamins and Probiotics were ineffective.  The only one that did make any difference was the Thym-Adren.  Even still, this proves that I can make it through a long weekend without the pills.  Perhaps it is only a matter of time before the Fulvic Acid follows suit.  Again, I have only 3 demands which are hardly unreasonable:

-Stable and manageable cocktail of pills

-No extreme dependence on any one treatment

-At least adequate levels of energy every day

I’ve still got a long way to go.  The need for Fulvic Acid is extreme and difficult to regulate as well.  It comes in a powder, and I have to measure it based on teaspoons.  I don’t know my optimal dose.  For a couple days, I took just the residue on the spoon, which was clearly not enough but yes, it was significantly better than nothing.  Then, after that, I responded well to a quarter teaspoon for a couple days.  Unfortunately, that proved to be too much.  On Monday, I did an absolutely pitiful 6:11 half mile after taking a quarter teaspoon but was much better in the evening with a 4:41.  I took the same dose on Tuesday and in the process confirmed that the sugars are NOT in factor in the need/tolerance.  I was somewhat better with a 5:53 opening half mile then actually managed a real workout in the evening with 2.5 miles in 24:08 (9:39 pace) with even splits.  Do I stay with that dose and hope that my system will eventually adjust?  No, I will reduce the dose at least for a while. 

Today was interesting.  I only did the 1/3 mile lap this morning with the Fulvic Acid and clocked a 2:41.8 (8:05 pace).  Then, I took a dosage that I figured was about 1/12 of a teaspoon and expected to be slightly worse.  Nope, I actually managed a 77 second half lap and figured that even if I faded a bit on the back half, I’m still a couple ticks faster.  It was not enough to be significant but encouraging that I did NOT get worse.  Still, if I went with the quarter teaspoon, I’d probably do 11-minute pace if not worse.  Again, it’s hard to regulate and just a few specks really can make a difference.  I’m switching to drops and may actually have to dilute even 1 drop.  Who knows what will happen? 

How exactly does it work:

“Fulvic Acid resolves re-mineralization and oxygenation deficiency in all living organisms. Specific nutrients have been missing from our soils for generations, and their decline is correlated with the explosion of chronic degenerative diseases that afflict us today.

Fulvic acid, a precious component of humic acid, and is known as the only element capable of making nutrients bioactive on the cellular level. In human health and agricultural practices, Fulvic is now widely accepted as the missing nutritional link in human health.”

Based on what is going on, I believe the above claim to be true.  Perhaps, I just need to adjust to it and temporarily reduce the dose and I will meet the demands.

Update:

I've decided to switch to the drops to standardize the dosage.  Just 1 drop.  The last 2 days, I was HORRIBLE in the morning but somewhat better in the evening.  

On Friday, my 2 mile time was 18:45.  Saturday, it was 17:13.  Let's hope for continued steady progress.