Two days ago, I was bedridden with flu-like symptoms, itchy, weeping eyes, severe sinus congestion and sneezing. I felt like I might be looking forward to a 2-week major flu. I was dizzy and fatigued. If I worked at an office, I would have had to call in sick. (I can’t call in sick at this job).
When these symptoms didn’t progress into a chest cold, I held out hope I might be having an allergic reaction to the pollen of a region to which I’d previously been immune. I’d been away from this area for several years and had experienced allergy symptoms only 3 times before, years ago in different places of he world, including here.
After sharing my complaints in the Monday newsletter, I received dozens of well-wishing emails from subscribers, most with advice for my condition. By far the most common advice I got was to take megadoses of vitamin C, like 3 grams per day. Many subscribers to FKTV are MD physicians. Many are also holistic/integrative doctors and/or nutritionists.
I’d only managed to run out to the store for some generic Zyrtec (cetirizine hydrochloride) before I became too incapacitated by that stuff to drive back to the pharmacy to get vitamin C. (Zyrtec could easily be re-branded as a sleeping pill). However, I’d ordered the Molecular Hydrogen tablets after hearing about them from Dr. Nick Delgado before my trip to California and these were waiting for me when I arrived back.
So, I tried dissolving one tablet of the effervescent hydrogen in 16 ounces of water and I took 1 Zyrtec about every 4 hours (when the previous dose wore off). I ended the day with a handful of melatonin gummies, with 2mg each, before sleeping for a glorious 10 hours. I got the latter as an impulse-buy, because they were offering the second bottle for free. The first day, I awoke with a slightly stuffy nose.
The next day I repeated with the hydrogen water and only took 2 Zyrtec toward the end of the day and repeated the melatonin gummies. I know – I exaggerated on the melatonin (easy to do with gummies). This definitely made for some pretty vivid dreams but today, I have zero allergy symptoms!
Biochemist Tyler LeBaron, here explains how hydrogen therapy works. This brief talk is a bit science-y but for me, the biggest take-aways are the following:
- Hydrogen is extremely bioavailable.
- Hydrogen is a selective antioxidant whose only by-product is water, whereas, vitamin C is an antioxidant, which donates its electrons, leaving behind compounds, which still need to be metabolized (often resulting in digestive issues).
- Hydrogen only affects the most cell-damaging radicals, which is good, because we don’t want to disrupt beneficial free radicals, like nitric oxide, which aid in vasodilation.
All I can say, is that, 2 days and 2 tablets dissolved in 16 oz. water and 2 full night’s sleep later, my sinuses are not clogged, I don’t need to take Zyrtec anymore and there are beautiful blossoms everywhere, crocuses, daffodils, forsythia, magnolia, cherry, white ones on trees, that I don’t know what they are, the oak trees have little green buds, the pine tress are pollinating, the beach plums, etc., etc.
Spring has sprung in Eastern Long Island. A family of swans is hanging out on the little white bay beach 60 feet from my tiny shack. It’s glorious and my allergies are gone!