So I have tried normalflore for a week now and the first two days seemed to be the most successful where I was taking two drops with each meal it felt similar to an SSRI it was strange. After that I was increasing the dosage and it seemed the more I took the more disconnected with reality I felt. I also started to get a strong pain and stiffness when i bend my back and I am pretty certain its from the normalflore although theres a slight possibility it could be from yoga.
I have finally finished the first vial now and started a new one today and I already feel a big difference with the new one. Maybe the longer it is exposed to air the less effective it comes so now I am sealing it with cling film. I have read that it is fine to keep them at room temperature but what do you think about putting vials in the fridge?
I'm also thinking about buying the multivitamin you mentioned to see if it makes it more effective as right now I'm not feeling much.
Yeah, I cover mine with cling film. They recommend you use the vial immediately after opening so perhaps it does degrade very quickly. It just seems a shame to throw away most of the vial but I guess it's not too expensive. I can only tolerate one or two drops daily so it's not going to be the cure for me. Not sure about refrigeration having any benefit, the bacteria are happy at room temperature.
You can try the multivitamin if you want, I've been trying to pin down the ingredient(s) in it that seems to help. It contains vitamins, fruit & vegetable extracts and sweeteners like sorbitol and stevial glycosides. I bought some Sorbitol and Xylitol, they are what's called "sugar alcohols" and if you remember, I mentioned previously that Normaflore bacteria like to consume Sorbitol and Xylitol in particular as seen in this research article:
https://mic.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/13500872-141-7-1745I've started reading into sugar alcohols (they aren't alcoholic but they just resemble the molecular structure of ethanol). I found out that there is one called mannitol which is found in sweet potatoes and mushrooms, so I'm wondering if mannitol is the reason for my ability to eat unlimited sweet potatoes and pretty much no other forms of carbohydrates. Mannitol is being used to treat Parkinson's disease currently and I believe Parkinson's starts in the gut from dysbiosis.
These sugar alcohols have the ability to kill bacteria and also have a prebiotic effect, Xylitol can kill harmful forms of Streptococcus bacteria and thus change the microbiome of the mouth and gut. I've just started taking Xylitol and it has possibly had an impact on my symptoms, I'll know for certain when I gradually up the dose over the coming days. The sorbitol seemed to have less of a positive impact, whether that's because of the product quality I don't know, it's hard to find sorbitol and the one I bought doesn't say anything about where it was manufactured or the purity.
Finally, I continue to take 1 drop of normaflore daily. I have ordered some Mannitol powder and another sugar alcohol called Erythritol. I will be testing a number of these sugar alcohols and will provide an update.