I just had my 6 month follow up on my vitamin D deficiency. A couple months ago I realized I'd been taking the prescription for D2 of 50,000 units a week, for two years, with little upward movement in my blood levels. I also had a bit of tummy trouble on the day of the week that I took it. I decided I'd had enough of that, so I switched to D3 (lanolin derived) from the HFS. It meant more pills to get the 50000 units a week, but now it means fewer pills because my levels finally bumped up. My endocrinologist was surprised that I'd started absorbing it after all this time, then I admitted to the switch, and she agreed that I definitely absorb it better. I'm now taking a more normal 1000 IU a day. I also had a follow up bone scan, as it was starting into the osteopenia range a couple years ago, but now it's just right.

Last night I cleaned up my house pretty well, as I needed a bit of a workout anyway. It was weird to do as much as I did without feeling tired afterward. Maybe part of that is attitude, since I consider it a gentle workout I'm doing something for myself at the same time...that takes out some of the drudgery. I think I really do just have more energy. Housework is never quite the workout I'd like, though I do try to do squats and lunges at every opportunity, even if it's inefficient.

It's so weird for me to have any sort of renewal at this time of year, but I'm feeling it. Since bipolar can be a problem for Explorers, this diet and exercise plan must be helping me solve it.

What is my alternate universe? If I hadn't found BTD would I have taken phen-fen and or vioxx, and how many antidepressants, and how many other prescriptions and interventions. What would the side-effects have been? Explorers may be the most vulnerable to the side effects. Even though BTD wasn't quite the harmony and synergy that the explorer diet is, it was definitely better than anything else out there. I daresay that I've found my match here, however, with Explorer GTD.