A brief interlude: personal update, supplements con’t
I spent about 2 weeks somnolent as hell, which I think was due to too much magnesium (or the wrong kind of magnesium?), so the naturopath was wrong on that one, at least regarding the dosage.
The ALA/LA supplements, as they always do, seemed to improve everything (mood, skin, hunger levels) for a few days, but then all improvements stopped and reversed.
They seemed to increase impulsiveness, impulse buying, and other such behavior in me. Also, in the hours directly after I tookthem, I would become quite edgy and manic, and my imaginary homunculus (wait – how can I be sure he’s imaginary?) would develop a sort of Tourette Syndrome. A lot of internal cursing, is what I’m saying. The thing is, about a day or two into the regimen, I had a really good day when I was actually upbeat, and of course I kept wanting to chase that dragon.
I’ve been trying to bring my vitamin D levels up via supplementation (Carlson’s drops), again per the naturopath. I’m not sure I feel any different (even with the single initial week of megadosing at 100,000 IU back in December), but then the naturopath did say it might take 3-4 months to get my blood levels into optimum range. In any case, this variable is totally confounded with the simultaneous supplementation with iodine.
That said, I find that SUNLIGHT is delightful and mood enhancing.
Another thing I never found improved anything is coconut oil. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tasty (thought I prefer butter!), and I’m sure it’s very healthful. I just never notice any qualitative difference in my life from consuming it.
I cerainly notice a difference (initially) from supplemental “essential” fatty acids, be they fish oil, LA, ALA, etc. The problem is that it’s not always a good difference. Perhaps there is a sort of doseage curve, or intermittent dosage cycling might be beneficial.
I’ve noticed large impacts as well. If I take omega-3s too late at night, they keep me up.
I’ve also noticed different effects from fish oil versus cod liver oil. Still figuring that one out.
It’s all so fascinating and ill understood! Too many omega-3s OR omega-6s make me manic and strung out – it’s like a drug. Once every few months, I’ll accidentally get just the right amount, but I can never repeat the results!