Dave (Nampa, Idaho) on 09/02/2021
Take it all before noon, or insomnia will be a feature. Taper downward, too. The biggest dose first thing. Lowest dose at noon.
Processing sulfur requires molybdenum. You will use up molybdenum consuming sulfur, whether from supp's, food, preservatives, or sulfur chemistry like antibacterials. If your sulfur intake overruns your molybdenum intake, bad things happen. With more sulfur than can be processed, you bacically become allergic to it, until you get more molybdenum and can process it. Insomnia and migraine-like headaches are the standout symptoms.
Sulfur processing happens in the liver in the middle of the night. This is the key time when molybdenum is used up converting consumed sulfurs into forms usable by the body. So, while MSM is best taken in the morning, molybdenum should be reversed. Start dosing mid-afternoon, with the big bang at about 9 pm. If headaches pop up in early morning, increase the last dose of Mo until they disappear. In me, it takes around 1500-2000 mcg to cover 1500 mg of MSM. I don't store much, either. If I reduce the dose, early morning headaches soon follow.
Vitamin C is said to improve absorption. I eat a lot of fruit in the morning. More than about 500 mg of C per day starts to engage loose stool and 2nd and 3rd bowel movements in late morning. So I don't really take C.
Bowel issues from MSM have to do with not absorbing it out of the gut so that the sulfur goes to feeding organisms that should be in small amounts but instead proliferate on the excess sulfur in the gut. The very foul smelling stool is the big clue. Start low dose and work up. Include molybdenum from the start. Without the molly, you don't process. If you don't process, the sulfur in the MSM is in excess. If the sulfur is in excess, you have to stop absorbing. If you stop absorbing, the organisms get overfed deep in the gut. You have gut problems.
MSM and molybdenum are a team. Taking one without the other is the problem.
Replied By Angela (Georgia ) on 09/15/2021
Replied By Dave (Nampa, ID) on 11/16/2021
rosacea type acne: gone.
stiffened soft tissues, joints, ligaments, tendons--specifically achilles tendons, foot tissues, knee issues (I'm a backpacker): these are all pliable and flexible again--no morning stiffness either. I racked up 300 miles pain free this last season. I'm back.
My water bottles don't need weekly sanitizing. Monthly is fine. They don't ever really stink now.
Breathe is always good, even in the morning. No foot odor either.
No burping/farting immediately after carb consumption. I'm guessing small intestinal bacteria/fungal overgrowth is under control.
My dentist was shocked: very low plaque formation (probly the MSM) and lowered sensitivity (probly the moly).
Sleeping better: my liver isn't waking me up at 3am.
My liver felt a little swollen for years: that's gone.
Overall, I'd say the sulfur in MSM basically is used for all aspects of bacteria management.
So, I've raised and lowered the dose of both MSM and moly, using the acne from rosacea as the cue for the MSM and morning headaches as the cue for moly.
MSM: 1500 mg had a good impact, 2000 mg cleared up acne almost completely, 2500 mg has kept things immaculate for 2 months so far. And I mean immaculate--even the back of the scalp, along the hairline of the nape of the neck acne cysts are totally kicked (I'm 55 and that became an issue around 40 or so).
At 2500 mg of MSM (1000 mg at 8am, 1000 mg at 12pm, 500 mg at 5pm) it takes 1250 mcg of moly to balance (250 mcg, taken 5 times a day, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8 pm). The shift of moly toward the evening failed. I began to tolerate the 5pm MSM after months of saturating with moly.
Replied By Madelyn (Idaho) on 11/18/2021
Fascinating post. I also experimented with taking a tablespoon of MSM once or twice daily for a couple months. I didn't notice anything too drastic but I did feel great! I plan on taking it again now trying it this time with molybdenum. was wondering if you could explain what you meant by your last 2 sentences: “The shift of moly toward the evening failed. I began to tolerate the 5pm MSM after months of saturating with moly.” thanks so much!
Replied By Dave (Nampa, ID) on 11/18/2021
Hey neighbor, MadelynMSM is stimulating, heightened alertness. It will give you whatever brand of insomnia you're prone to if too much is taken too late in the day. That's why some folks just bang the whole dose first thing in the morning. I like to spread it. So that last dose of the day takes a little experimenting to get right--where there's a little boost in the evening (no yawniness at 8pm), but no insomnia either. It also matters how quickly you process it using moly. If you've spent years moly deficient, you process very slowly. So a 5pm dose, day after day, isn't going to end well. After saturating with moly for a few months, processing speed comes up and a small late dose becomes possible.
I tried compressing the total daily dose of molybdenum into the late afternoon and evening, but early morning headaches erupted again. Went back to spread out over the day, back to normal. Apparently, when given an adequate amount of moly in the moment, I process. But doubling or tripling the dose of the moment doesn't increase the processing rate. I either eek along at the pace or I don't. Given all of this, the only real course of action is take MSM skewed toward the morning, tapering down toward evening. And then take the moly first thing in the morning, get the processing going, and keep it going through the whole day with further doses, taking care not to overrun the day's moly with the day's MSM. Until additional experiment bears fruit, this is where I'm at.