Posted by Larry Hoover on August 3, 2003, at 5:32:09
Earlier this year, I tried adding Enada NADH to my supplement regime, as it had showed some rather encouraging efficacy in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome, one of my multiple diagnoses. CFS can be very debilitating, as the fatigue triggered by even trivial exertion can be totally overwhelming. Despite that pattern, a CFS sufferer can develop greater resiliency by very carefully exercising and resting; exercising not to exhaustion, and resting before the fatigue hits. Using that model, I had improved considerably over a period of years, but by any definition, I was still disabled by the condition.
So, on Ron Hill's suggestion, I tried NADH. Ever since I've been on it, and with only one conditional issue to consider, I have yet to find myself overwhelmed by fatigue. That is, simply put, unprecedented. I have pushed myself harder than I have in years, since before CFS took over my life, and I haven't crashed yet.
The conditional factor to consider is adequate sleep. Without it, I do begin to crash, so it will remain a major focus of my decisions. I went through a period of drug-withdrawal rebound insomnia, and it hurt me. But once I got that cleared up, I began to feel restored again.
So, here I am taking NADH for CFS, but I've noticed other changes which correlate with NADH use. I don't *know* that they're caused by my taking NADH, but they are substantial changes, each one unprecedented in my life, and only occurring coincident with my NADH use. They are:
1. Reduction in the tendency to sunburn. I'm a classic redhead, capable of getting a painful sunburn in as little as ten minutes. I used to joke that they developed sunscreen for me, personally. Even with SPF30, I could get sunburned in a couple of hours. I can sunburn in the shade of a tree, from light reflecting off the nearby lake. I sunburn through closed windows in a vehicle. I'm sure you get the picture.
This year, however, I have yet to get a sunburn. Period. And I have used sunscreen only once. I just haven't bothered. I haven't felt the need. I put on shorts for the first time, went out at midday to go shopping, and didn't get a hint of a burn. No complaints, but....<shrug>
2. Reduction in hayfever symptoms. I'm allergic to tree pollen, grass pollen, moulds, ragweed.... I've been in the formal care of an allergist (specialist MD) for many years, and I've tried desensitizing shots and experimental drugs etc., but nothing really changed. I have had to take twice the recommended dose of antihistamines, and use topical steroids (eye drops and nasal sprays), all my adult life. Without them, I can't even see, let alone stop sneezing/blowing my nose.
Not this year. I mostly forget to even use the antihistamine, and haven't touched the steroids once. I used to be able to tell you the species that was pollinating, just by time of year and my symptoms (no kidding!). When barley, wheat, or field corn started pollinating, I had to stay indoors. It just isn't a problem, this year.
3. Virtual elimination of asthma. My asthma is really a complication of my extensive allergy to inhaled irritants, but I'm also reactive to other substances than merely pollen and spores. To control the inflammation and mucus formation, I've relied on pretty much the maximum allowable doses of inhaled steroids. Whatever keeps me breathing, right?
This year, the only times I've used my steroid inhalers is when low-level ozone is high. Ozone at the surface of the Earth is caused by photochemical smog, which arises when there are a combination of precursors in the air, and the right weather (which is common in summer). Mix nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and water vapour in warm air, and add ultraviolet light, and one product is ozone. That's the stuff that causes your rubber bands to break, and plastic stuff to get brittle, and your garden hose to crack. Ozone is a profound respiratory irritant (along with nitrogen and sulphur oxides, also found in smog). So, when air quality is low, and health warnings are issued, I already knew about the problem. My asthma told me. But it seems that the allergens aren't triggering it this year. Just the pollutants/irritants.
Even with meds I've historically used every day, I'm really using them p.r.n. (as needed). That's just how my brain works. If I need them every day, I use them every day. So, it's easy for me to use less of a drug, if I don't sense that I need it. And I haven't needed them, this year.
All I know is that these are unprecedented and substantial changes, representing marked differences from my historical patterns. What works for me, though, may not work for you. That's the problem with anecdotes. You can't find a pattern in one person's experience.
Just thought I'd share my experiences with everyone.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:247722
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030802/msgs/247722.html