As I have discuss previously, even small amounts of many substances, including good old Vitamin C, cause me quite difficult side-effects (unusual for a normal person; probably normal for a person with ME/CFS). When I take it regularly for several days, Vitamin C gives me a little boost of energy, mainly in the morning. Unfortunately it also gives me insomnia, anxiety, and mild tachycardia.
I really feel like Vitamin C is an important vitamin especially for CFS patients, and it's supposed to make supplements I'm taking like beta glucan work better. Enter holy basil, an adaptogenic herb that has a calming and relaxing effect. It helps keep the anxiety at bay if I take it in addition to the vitamin C. The only drawback is it only lasts about 5-6 hours before wearing off. If I take some right before I go to bed, it wears off while I'm sleeping and I wake up too early. I take more, but sometimes there isn't enough time to fall asleep again before I have to get up. (Well, I don't really "have" to get up, but if I don't it will screw up my sleep rhythm even more than it already is.)
If I am able to maintain this vitamin C+holy basil combination for the long term I might try a new form of the vitamin being produced by a couple different companies, lypho-spheric vitamin C. It can supposedly reach blood levels of the vitamin that are comparable to IV C. But overall I am hoping that even the smaller doses I am taking (less than 1500mg/day, spread out over the course of the day) will help my immune system and health in general. An abstract of a review article written by Bayer states that, among other positive effects, vitamin C "was found to improve components of the human immune system such as antimicrobial and natural killer cell activities."
I hope you try the lypo-spheric vitamin C. It's helping me.
ReplyDeletePatricia
Hey great blog thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've just started Holy Basil, yesterday was wonderful! I hope it continues.
I just tried Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) which is supposed to help a lot of folks with CFS. For me it wiped out my Adrenals and fast. I'm taking Adrenal supps (B5, Maca) with the Holy Basil. I've gotten what I assume to be cortisol reducing effect from many supps like L-Carnitine, L-Glutamine.
Have you tried Phosphatidyl Serine at bedtime? That does a great job of reducing cortisol if that's what you need.
I take a buffered C now but am very sensitive and have to be careful. I have had some success recently with Diet. I'm in between the Paleo, SCD and Candida diets. I'm defintely off sugar and carbs (grains). The diet change was a drastic step but worth it. My GI is much much better for it and I've lost 10 pounds almost immediately.
I read you recently have been taking Beta-Glucans and AHCC. I've tried both and they gave me a huge herx. Similar ot what I experience on ABX herbs like (Olive, Oregano, etc).