u/kilogplastos-12

Hi beautiful people,

what natural heavy metal detoxifiers would you recommend nowadays? Fulvic acid, zeolite, chlorella, or something else?

I’ve been dealing with chronic health issues since I was around 10 (I’m 25 now), including constant fatigue, brain fog, poor stamina, inflammation, digestive issues and nutrient deficiencies despite eating very clean last 3 years and correcting my deficiencies.

I suspect there’s some underlying chronic infection going on, and I’m also wondering whether heavy metal accumulation could be contributing to my issues.

Curious what you guys have personally used and what actually helped you!

I’ve been dealing with systemic health issues for 10+ years — poor exercise tolerance, fatigue, brain fog, low-normal hemoglobin, recurring nutrient deficiencies, inflammation and GI-related symptoms.

I’ve been correcting my deficiencies and I can actually see improvements through my bloodwork — my MCV has gone 99 → 97 → 96 → 95, my hemoglobin has improved compared with my older levels, and my inflammation markers have come down. But something underneath still seems to be driving these deficiencies in the first place. My current thought is that my body may have been using a lot of nutrients while constantly dealing with some kind of chronic infection/inflammatory burden.

The biggest question for me is: what infection could actually be behind this? Bacterial possibilities such as H. pylori, Borrelia/Lyme, Bartonella or other persistent bacterial infections? Parasites/protozoa such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba, Babesia or intestinal worms? Or a persistent/reactivated virus such as EBV, CMV or another herpesvirus? I’m especially interested in anything capable of causing long-term inflammation, GI problems, malabsorption or increased nutrient requirements.

I’ve already tried quite a lot naturally. I’ve been taking wild oregano oil for roughly the last year, did high-dose propolis, and have also experimented with cat’s claw and short-term goldenseal. Right now I’m doing a high-dose clove-bud hot-water extract. Interestingly, whole cloves have repeatedly reduced some of the sharp pains I experience. ( i am kind of lost in what to do next if the clove high dose does not work…. )

At the same time I consistently make sure my
vitamins, minerals and other nutritional cofactors are covered through both diet and supplementation. ( these are optimal for me regarding intake please dont mention this in the comments. I have been working on these for alot of years)

For anyone who had a similar unexplained systemic problem for years: what infection or underlying issue did you eventually find, which test actually found it, and which herbs or natural compounds helped you most?

I’ve been dealing with systemic health issues for 10+ years — poor exercise tolerance, fatigue, brain fog, low-normal hemoglobin, recurring nutrient deficiencies, inflammation and GI-related symptoms.

I’ve been correcting my deficiencies and I can actually see improvements through my bloodwork — my MCV has gone 99 → 97 → 96 → 95, my hemoglobin has improved compared with my older levels, and my inflammation markers have come down. But something underneath still seems to be driving these deficiencies in the first place. My current thought is that my body may have been using a lot of nutrients while constantly dealing with some kind of chronic infection/inflammatory burden.

The biggest question for me is: what infection could actually be behind this? Bacterial possibilities such as H. pylori, Borrelia/Lyme, Bartonella or other persistent bacterial infections? Parasites/protozoa such as Giardia, Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba, Babesia or intestinal worms? Or a persistent/reactivated virus such as EBV, CMV or another herpesvirus? I’m especially interested in anything capable of causing long-term inflammation, GI problems, malabsorption or increased nutrient requirements.

I’ve already tried quite a lot naturally. I’ve been taking wild oregano oil for roughly the last year, did high-dose propolis, and have also experimented with cat’s claw and short-term goldenseal. Right now I’m doing a high-dose clove-bud hot-water extract. Interestingly, whole cloves have repeatedly reduced some of the sharp pains I experience. ( i am kind of lost in what to do next if the clove high dose does not work…. )

At the same time I consistently make sure my
vitamins, minerals and other nutritional cofactors are covered through both diet and supplementation. ( these are optimal for me regarding intake please dont mention this in the comments. I have been working on these for alot of years)

For anyone who had a similar unexplained systemic problem for years: what infection or underlying issue did you eventually find, which test actually found it, and which herbs or natural compounds helped you most?

Hi beautiful people with a good heart,

I wanted to get your thoughts on something. I’ve been dealing with health problems for a really long time, probably since I was around 10 years old and I’m 25 now.

Over the years I’ve struggled with constant fatigue, extremely poor stamina/exercise tolerance, shortness of breath with exertion, brain fog, anxiety, high heart rate during exercise, cold hands and feet, dry skin/hair, poor recovery, dizziness, difficulty gaining weight, digestive issues, inflammation and recurring problems maintaining optimal nutrient levels. I’ve spent years improving my diet, nutrition and lifestyle and my bloodwork has improved quite a bit, but I still don’t feel like I’ve addressed what’s actually driving everything.

I strongly suspect there’s some kind of chronic/deep infection or microbial issue behind all of this, although I haven’t identified the organism or location yet.

I’ve experimented with several antimicrobial herbs over the years, including oregano, Cat’s Claw and others, but unfortunately haven’t had lasting success with them. :( Right now I’m trying a higher-dose propolis protocol and have been doing that for 4 days now max 1 week, so I’m interested to see what happens with that.

Something really interesting I’ve noticed is whole clove buds. Whenever I get these sharp pains (caused by pathogen probarly in the gut), eating/swallowing 1–2 whole cloves seems to calm them down pretty consistently. Since clove/eugenol has antimicrobial, antifungal, antiparasitic and antibiofilm research behind it, it makes me wonder whether the cloves could actually be targeting whatever microbial issue I’m dealing with. Obviously 1–2 whole cloves isn’t a particularly concentrated amount, which made me interested in trying a stronger preparation.

I’ve now come across people making a hot-water clove bud extract/decoction, simmering a larger amount of whole cloves in water and drinking the extract throughout the day.

I’m really curious what you think about this, especially given how consistently I’ve noticed a response from whole cloves.

Hey beautiful people,

I’m curious about people’s experiences with herbs and natural antimicrobials for persistent/chronic or difficult-to-reach infections

I’m particularly interested in herbs that have research or personal experiences behind them for things such as bacteria, fungi/yeast, parasites, viruses, biofilms, intracellular pathogens, persister cells and microbial resistance mechanisms.

I’ve had unexplained health issues for 10+ years, including fatigue, poor exercise tolerance, brain fog, inflammation and recurring nutrient deficiencies. My bloodwork has improved significantly after correcting deficiencies and working on my health, but I’m still trying to understand what originally drove everything. One possibility I’m investigating is a persistent microbial/infectious issue, although I don’t currently know whether an infection is actually present or what organism it would be.

I’ve already used wild oil of oregano on and off for around a year. I feel it helped certain things, but obviously oregano doesn’t necessarily cover every organism or reach every potential site in the body.

I’m currently experimenting with Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa) and will probably trial Goldenseal Hydrastis canadensis afterward. I’ve also been looking into propolis , garlic, bee pollen and some other botanicals.

What I’m particularly interested in is: which herbs have you found most useful for stubborn/deep infections, especially when the organism wasn’t initially known?

I’m also interested in combinations where different herbs have different roles—for example, one targeting the organism directly while another targets biofilms/quorum sensing or supports immune function.

If something genuinely made a difference for you, I’d love to know which herb/extract you used, the specific infection or organism (if you eventually identified it), how it was diagnosed, how long you used it, and whether you used it alone or alongside conventional treatment.

I’m starting to think there’s some kind of chronic infection or gut issue causing malabsorption and low-grade inflammation in the background, because I can’t explain why my body has been like this for so long. Atleast 12+ years. I am 25 years now.

I’ve had long-term B12/B9 issues, low-normal blood counts, inflammation and a lot of symptoms for years. I’m correcting the deficiencies now, but I keep thinking there must be an underlying reason why I became deficient in the first place.

Interestingly, after starting B12 treatment and getting the cofactors in place, my total WBC count dropped quite a bit. Part of me wonders if that means my immune system is calming down now that the deficiencies are being corrected and the infectiok is being “killed” slowly? rather than staying constantly “on” against something that may have been there for years.

Has anyone here had something similar where a chronic infection, H. pylori, parasite, dysbiosis or another gut/inflammatory issue was causing malabsorption? What ended up being your root cause?

I’m honestly 50/50 on what form of B9 to use right now.

I know I have a severe folate deficiency, but I’m unsure which form makes the most sense if I need a high therapeutic dose, like 10+ mg/day, while recovering.

Would you guys choose folic acid, folinic acid, or 5-MTHF for high-dose treatment? I’m mainly looking for experiences from people who had a serious/long-term folate deficiency and actually had to use higher doses to recover.

I’m honestly 50/50 on what form of B9 to use right now.

I know I have a severe folate deficiency, but I’m unsure which form makes the most sense if I need a high therapeutic dose, like 10+ mg/day, while recovering.

Would you guys choose folic acid, folinic acid, or 5-MTHF for high-dose treatment? I’m mainly looking for experiences from people who had a serious/long-term folate deficiency and actually had to use higher doses to recover.

I’m honestly 50/50 on what form of B9 to use right now.

I know I have a severe folate deficiency, but I’m unsure which form makes the most sense if I need a high therapeutic dose, like 10+ mg/day, while recovering.

Would you guys choose folic acid, folinic acid, or 5-MTHF for high-dose treatment? I’m mainly looking for experiences from people who had a serious/long-term folate deficiency and actually had to use higher doses to recover.

I’m going to trial **high-dose 5-MTHF: 15 mg/day (5 mg 3x daily)**.

I’m recovering from what seems to be a **long-standing severe B12 + folate deficiency**, probably going back many years. 10+ years. I’m already doing **methyl-B12 injections**, iron, B-complex, magnesium, zinc/copper, trace minerals and the other cofactors, and my diet is also very nutrient-dense. The cofactors are in check and i get everything needed to heal.

So at this point I strongly suspect **folate is the main bottleneck**. I was already taking folinic acid + lower-dose 5-MTHF, but I don’t think it was enough for the amount of recovery my body is going through. (Inflammation needs healing and my body needs to create RBC and everything that comes with the healing phase requires high dose folate in beginning atleast?)

I’m going to keep the rest of my stack stable and see what happens with **5 mg 5-MTHF 3x daily**.

I’m going to trial **high-dose 5-MTHF: 15 mg/day (5 mg 3x daily)**.

I’m recovering from what seems to be a **long-standing severe B12 + folate deficiency**, probably going back many years. 10+ years. I’m already doing **methyl-B12 injections**, iron, B-complex, magnesium, zinc/copper, trace minerals and the other cofactors, and my diet is also very nutrient-dense. The cofactors are in check and i get everything needed to heal.

So at this point I strongly suspect **folate is the main bottleneck**. I was already taking folinic acid + lower-dose 5-MTHF, but I don’t think it was enough for the amount of recovery my body is going through. (Inflammation needs healing and my body needs to create RBC and everything that comes with the healing phase requires high dose folate in beginning atleast?)

I’m going to keep the rest of my stack stable and see what happens with **5 mg 5-MTHF 3x daily**.

I’m going to trial high-dose 5-MTHF: 15 mg/day (5 mg 3x daily).

I’m recovering from what seems to be a long-standing severe B12 + folate deficiency, probably going back many years. 10+ years. I’m already doing methyl-B12 injections, iron, B-complex, magnesium, zinc/copper, trace minerals and the other cofactors, and my diet is also very nutrient-dense. The cofactors are in check and i get everything needed to heal.

So at this point I strongly suspect folate is the main bottleneck. I was already taking folinic acid + lower-dose 5-MTHF, but I don’t think it was enough for the amount of recovery my body is going through. (Inflammation needs healing and my body needs to create RBC and everything that comes with the healing phase requires high dose folate in beginning atleast?)

I’m going to keep the rest of my stack stable and see what happens with 5 mg 5-MTHF 3x daily.

Why can folate requirements become so high during recovery from a long-standing B12/B9 deficiency?

I’ve probably been deficient for 10+ years. I’ve been taking 800 mcg folinic acid 3x/day + 250 mcg 5-MTHF 3x/day, but I’ve come to the conclusion that this may still be too low for my recovery.

I’ve got iron and the other cofactors covered, so I’m mainly wondering about folate now.

For people who had a long-term deficiency: did you also need much higher folate doses, at least in the beginning of recovery, before you started improving properly?

Why can folate requirements become so high during recovery from a long-standing B12/B9 deficiency?

I’ve probably been deficient for 10+ years. I’ve been taking 800 mcg folinic acid 3x/day + 250 mcg 5-MTHF 3x/day, but I’ve come to the conclusion that this may still be too low for my recovery.

I’ve got iron and the other cofactors covered, so I’m mainly wondering about folate now.

For people who had a long-term deficiency: did you also need much higher folate doses, at least in the beginning of recovery, before you started improving properly?

I’ve tried folate already, but it seems like my current dose may just be too low for recovery from a long-standing B12/B9 deficiency. I’m now looking more at higher-dose folinic acid or 5-MTHF.

For those who had a real folate deficiency, what doses/forms worked best for you and how did you increase them?

I’ve already had some helpful advice from people here, but more experiences/tips are always welcome.

If somebody has been struggeling with chronic mitochondria issues ( low enegry , anemia etc etc )

TTFD or benfothiamine should be taken?

Hi beautiful people,

I’m currently 7 weeks into daily methyl-B12 injections. I’m now 25 years old, and looking back I honestly think I’ve had a chronic B12 deficiency for 13+ years. It all started with low blood counts ( Chronic low-normal hemoglobin , hematocrit , RBC) and severe shortness of breath during soccer. No matter how much I trained, my cardio never improved.

About a month after starting methyl-B12 (together with high-dose folate and the other cofactors), my MCV suddenly increased to 99 fL. Before treatment it was always around 90–92 fL. I actually think it may have gone even higher because I didn’t test at the peak. My latest CBC showed it slowly coming back down to 97 fL.

My ferritin and cofactors intake through supplements also look optimal. Because i know alot of people are going to ask about this. But trust me this is covered on my part.

To me this feels like a positive sign that my bone marrow is finally responding, but I’m curious what you all think.

I still have plenty of symptoms like dry facial skin, low energy at times, and I haven’t properly tested whether my exercise intolerance has improved yet.

For those of you who recovered from a long-term B12 deficiency, what did your healing timeline look like? When did you really start noticing improvements in your symptoms? Any tips or encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

Beautiful people,

I’m 6–7 weeks into methyl-B12 injections, and the last 1–2 weeks I’ve been insanely tired. My muscles feel so weak, like I have no energy at all.

My cofactors are all in check, so I’m pretty confident that’s not the issue.

It’s pretty much confirmed that I’ve had chronic low B12 (and low B9), which likely caused downstream issues like anemia and possibly thyroid problems and more issues.

One thing that stood out was that after starting B12, my MCV suddenly increased to 99 fL, making me think the macrocytosis had been masked before.

Could this just be part of recovery, or could I be burning through to much iron thinking i am taking enough? while making new healthy red blood cells? I’m currently taking 30 mg elemental iron. Has anyone experienced something similar?

Hi everyone,

I was wondering how much elemental iron everyone took during recovery from a B12/B9 deficiency.

I believe I've finally found my root cause, which was primarily a B12 deficiency (with low folate as well). Interestingly, after starting methyl-B12 injections, my MCV actually increased, suggesting the macrocytosis may have been masked before, possibly by low iron availability.

My Hb, Hct and RBC had always been at the low end of normal for years rather than showing classic megaloblastic anemia.

From what I've read, the first few months of recovery can be a period where the bone marrow is producing a lot of new, healthy red blood cells, which can increase iron requirements.

I'm currently taking 30 mg elemental iron liposomal bisglycinate daily, but I'm unsure whether that's enough during this recovery phase.

For those who recovered from long-standing B12 deficiency, how much elemental iron did you take, and did you find you needed to increase it while recovering?