A pattern has clearly developed in my daily life at this point in the year, I think. It can be summarized as "running headlong from one deadline to the next." There is not yet any screaming accompanying the running, so I think this okay, if not really desirable. I'm making the deadlines, I just don't feel like I'm getting any breaks while I do it.
A couple changes in my supplements lineup have occurred in the last couple weeks. First, the N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC for short) has become a once a day thing. I'd mentioned using this previously when I traveled to my in-laws' house, because they have mold somewhere in their 200+ year old house and it makes me a grumpy, sad, anxious mess. Since I had such good results with it last visit, and since there's precedent for people with autism having shoddy biological detoxification systems, my doctor and I decided to try it once a day.
I have... since been more positive and calm, to the point where it has been undeniably noticeable. Which, pretty much means it's had a huge effect, because I am really not sensitive to those kinds of changes, normally. So, definitely a good change there. I might end up upping the dose to 2/day while I visit my inlaws this year, and seeing if the results are good.
The other changes were more scientifically based. My blood tests show I am still somewhat deficient in iron, and definitely deficient in vitamin D despite the supplements I take for both of those, so the solution, for now, is just to take more per day. This is going to entail having a bedtime snack from now on, because unfortunately the iron supplement, while chelated for easier absorption and digestion, still makes me sick to my stomach. But I can look forward to increased energy levels, which is awesome as far as I'm concerned.
Honestly, managing all these pills is kind of annoying, but if you'd told me three years ago that I would feel this good every day, I probably wouldn't have believed you. I feel so much healthier, clearer-headed, and more energetic, which is really helpful to managing my life. Astonishing what proper nutrition can do for a body. I'm so grateful that my parents are willing to pay for the care of my LENS-doctor and for the supplements, because I surely couldn't afford this myself right now.
I grew up knowing the importance of taking a multivitamin, and I took one every day in college, but it made me sick to my stomach, so I didn't like it much. And I can't honestly swear to you that the One A Day/knockoff grocery store version did a whole lot for me. Which, if everyone else had the same experience, might explain the "vitamin pills just make your urine full of expensive substances" thing I keep hearing about.
The vitamins and minerals in the supplements I take (Designs for Health, if anyone needs a good supplier) are specifically formulated to be easy to absorb. Magnesium is an easy example. I need a good amount of magnesium every day. If you go to the grocery store, you will find plenty of magnesium supplements. But if you look at their ingredients, you will find that they are almost invariably one particular kind of magnesium: magnesium oxide. This form of magnesium does not absorb into the body well, and is functionally all but useless for someone like me.
The other relatively common form of magnesium on the store shelves is magnesium citrate, which absorbs a little better but also acts as a laxative, which makes it dubiously useful unless you also have constipation issues. I still have a bottle around just in case that problem comes back, but I suspect I'll have to throw it out soon, as I've had it for years now. My magnesium supplement, while much more expensive than the supplements on the store shelves, is a formula called di-magnesium malate. It absorbs very easily, which makes it ideal for me and other people with sensitive biochemistry and poor absorption rates. The zinc, the iron, and the vitamin D supplements I take have similar stories to the magnesium story I've described. This is because the government doesn't regulate the supplement industry very well, if at all, and so almost anything goes.
I wish everyone could afford the kind of care and careful nutritional monitoring I'm able to have. My mental state three years ago was like living in perpetual grey fog compared to what it is now.
I didn't quite mean to go on this long about the supplements, oof. I'll be brief with the rest. I'm starting to snack on mixed nuts. This has been a favorite habit of my dad's, and recent research suggests strongly that it supports brain function, giving you better memory, focus, and attention. There's also separate research that suggests it reduces your rate of heart disease. Mixed nuts are expensive, by comparison to candy and cookies, but like those unhealthy foods, their shelf life is almost forever. So it's probably a good step forward. There is now a bowl of mixed nuts at my computer, within easy reach, so the next time I'm feeling snackish I can lazily reach for it, rather than making plans to get cookies or something.
Beyond those changes, and the weather suddenly remembering that it's winter, things are keeping on keeping on. I'm on track to have Christmas presents ready for holiday celebrations, which is exciting because the sooner I take care of all that, the sooner I can ignore that pile of stress. I'm looking forward to not having to care!
A couple changes in my supplements lineup have occurred in the last couple weeks. First, the N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC for short) has become a once a day thing. I'd mentioned using this previously when I traveled to my in-laws' house, because they have mold somewhere in their 200+ year old house and it makes me a grumpy, sad, anxious mess. Since I had such good results with it last visit, and since there's precedent for people with autism having shoddy biological detoxification systems, my doctor and I decided to try it once a day.
I have... since been more positive and calm, to the point where it has been undeniably noticeable. Which, pretty much means it's had a huge effect, because I am really not sensitive to those kinds of changes, normally. So, definitely a good change there. I might end up upping the dose to 2/day while I visit my inlaws this year, and seeing if the results are good.
The other changes were more scientifically based. My blood tests show I am still somewhat deficient in iron, and definitely deficient in vitamin D despite the supplements I take for both of those, so the solution, for now, is just to take more per day. This is going to entail having a bedtime snack from now on, because unfortunately the iron supplement, while chelated for easier absorption and digestion, still makes me sick to my stomach. But I can look forward to increased energy levels, which is awesome as far as I'm concerned.
Honestly, managing all these pills is kind of annoying, but if you'd told me three years ago that I would feel this good every day, I probably wouldn't have believed you. I feel so much healthier, clearer-headed, and more energetic, which is really helpful to managing my life. Astonishing what proper nutrition can do for a body. I'm so grateful that my parents are willing to pay for the care of my LENS-doctor and for the supplements, because I surely couldn't afford this myself right now.
I grew up knowing the importance of taking a multivitamin, and I took one every day in college, but it made me sick to my stomach, so I didn't like it much. And I can't honestly swear to you that the One A Day/knockoff grocery store version did a whole lot for me. Which, if everyone else had the same experience, might explain the "vitamin pills just make your urine full of expensive substances" thing I keep hearing about.
The vitamins and minerals in the supplements I take (Designs for Health, if anyone needs a good supplier) are specifically formulated to be easy to absorb. Magnesium is an easy example. I need a good amount of magnesium every day. If you go to the grocery store, you will find plenty of magnesium supplements. But if you look at their ingredients, you will find that they are almost invariably one particular kind of magnesium: magnesium oxide. This form of magnesium does not absorb into the body well, and is functionally all but useless for someone like me.
The other relatively common form of magnesium on the store shelves is magnesium citrate, which absorbs a little better but also acts as a laxative, which makes it dubiously useful unless you also have constipation issues. I still have a bottle around just in case that problem comes back, but I suspect I'll have to throw it out soon, as I've had it for years now. My magnesium supplement, while much more expensive than the supplements on the store shelves, is a formula called di-magnesium malate. It absorbs very easily, which makes it ideal for me and other people with sensitive biochemistry and poor absorption rates. The zinc, the iron, and the vitamin D supplements I take have similar stories to the magnesium story I've described. This is because the government doesn't regulate the supplement industry very well, if at all, and so almost anything goes.
I wish everyone could afford the kind of care and careful nutritional monitoring I'm able to have. My mental state three years ago was like living in perpetual grey fog compared to what it is now.
I didn't quite mean to go on this long about the supplements, oof. I'll be brief with the rest. I'm starting to snack on mixed nuts. This has been a favorite habit of my dad's, and recent research suggests strongly that it supports brain function, giving you better memory, focus, and attention. There's also separate research that suggests it reduces your rate of heart disease. Mixed nuts are expensive, by comparison to candy and cookies, but like those unhealthy foods, their shelf life is almost forever. So it's probably a good step forward. There is now a bowl of mixed nuts at my computer, within easy reach, so the next time I'm feeling snackish I can lazily reach for it, rather than making plans to get cookies or something.
Beyond those changes, and the weather suddenly remembering that it's winter, things are keeping on keeping on. I'm on track to have Christmas presents ready for holiday celebrations, which is exciting because the sooner I take care of all that, the sooner I can ignore that pile of stress. I'm looking forward to not having to care!
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