ORAL PROTOCOL

Supplement Stack

Every oral supplement, why it's there, and what it needs to actually absorb. Most supplements fail because the cofactors are missing. These don't.

Schedule — revised Week 4 (Sep 2, 2026)

The stack moved to a 16:8 intermittent fasting schedule. Last food ~7 PM, nothing until noon. This changed when everything is taken, not just what.

Morning — fasted

BPC-157 injection only. No food, no supplements. BPC-157 absorbs fine without food, so the fast stays unbroken.

Noon (~12:00–12:30)

Main meal — chicken or fish, super greens, nuts, chickpeas, fruit. Full supplement round taken after eating.

Evening (~5–6 PM)

Smoothie with raw cacao. Second round: aspirin, resveratrol, Lion's Mane, red beet powder.

Aspirin
2 × 325mg = 650mg, twice daily (1300mg/day)After noon meal + evening

Blood thinner for DVT — active clots in both legs. Inhibits platelet aggregation and reduces clot propagation risk. Taken in place of ibuprofen, naproxen, and acetaminophen, which blunt the prostaglandin signaling that BPC-157 depends on for tissue repair.

Absorption / Cofactor: Always with food to protect the stomach lining — never in the fasted morning window. Note the total antiplatelet load: 1300mg aspirin + fish oil + resveratrol all push the same direction. Worth reviewing with a doctor given the DVT picture.
Fish Oil (Nature Made)
1200mg / 720mg Omega-3 (EPA+DHA), 1 softgelAfter noon meal

Natural blood thinner important with DVT. Potent anti-inflammatory via prostaglandin pathway modulation. EPA+DHA support angiogenesis and nerve repair. The 720mg Omega-3 is the number that matters — not total fish oil weight.

Absorption / Cofactor: Needs dietary fat. ✓ The noon meal covers it — fish or chicken plus pistachios, walnuts and almonds. EPA is particularly relevant for neuropathy and platelet aggregation.
Organic Red Beet Powder
700mg/capsule × 3 capsules, twice dailyAfter noon meal + evening

Dietary nitrates → nitric oxide → vasodilation → increased blood flow to the ankle. One of the few oral supplements that measurably increases peripheral blood flow in the short term.

Absorption / Cofactor: Vitamin C preserves nitric oxide from oxidation — take together. ✓ Your C is in the same round. Avoid antibacterial mouthwash — it kills the oral bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrite, the first step in the pathway. Replaced the Spring Valley tablets as of Week 4.
Vitamin C with Rose Hips
1000mgAfter noon meal

Collagen synthesis — every step of collagen production requires Vitamin C. The ankle wound cannot close without it. Rose hips add bioflavonoids that extend C's activity and bioavailability. Also preserves the nitric oxide produced by the beet powder.

Absorption / Cofactor: Works synergistically with zinc for wound closure — both needed simultaneously. ✓ Zinc in the same round. Water soluble, no fat needed.
Zinc Picolinate
50mgAfter noon meal

Required for every stage of wound healing — from initial inflammation through proliferation and remodeling. Zinc drives keratinocyte migration (skin closure), immune cell activity at the wound, and collagen cross-linking. A wound that won't close almost always involves zinc deficiency.

Absorption / Cofactor: Take with Vitamin C (enhances absorption). ✓ Both in the same round. Must be taken with food to prevent nausea — the noon meal handles this. Do NOT take at the same time as calcium or iron.
Copper (chelated)
3mgAfter noon meal

Balances zinc. High-dose zinc (50mg) depletes copper over time because they compete for the same absorption transporter. Copper is also required for collagen cross-linking (lysyl oxidase enzyme) and angiogenesis — both directly relevant here.

Absorption / Cofactor: ~3mg copper for every 50mg zinc. ✓ Ratio correct. Chelated form absorbs better than copper oxide.
Magnesium Glycinate
150mg (reduced from 300mg in Week 4)After noon meal

Vasodilation, nerve function, muscle health, cofactor for 300+ enzymes. Glycinate is the best-absorbed form and least likely to cause GI issues. Critical for the neuropathy picture — magnesium is required for nerve signal conduction, and it's also what keeps supplemental potassium inside the cells.

Absorption / Cofactor: Needs Vitamin D3 for transport and B6 to enter cells. ✓ Both in stack. Flag: 150mg is on the low side for an adult male with neuropathy — most therapeutic protocols run 300–400mg. If nerve pain creeps back, this is the first dial to turn.
Potassium
300mgAfter noon meal

Blood viscosity, circulation, electrolyte balance. With DVT and sluggish venous return, potassium helps maintain proper fluid pressure gradients in the vessels. The 16:8 fasting window also increases electrolyte turnover.

Absorption / Cofactor: Requires magnesium to enter and stay in cells. ✓ Both taken together. The sea salt added to the daily water bottles supports the sodium side of the balance during the fasted hours.
B-Complex Liquid (NUSAVA)
B12 5000mcg · B6 3400mcg · B1 2400mcg + niacin + folateSublingual, after noon meal

Nerve repair, energy metabolism, red blood cell production. B12 deficiency mimics and worsens neuropathy — the sublingual delivery bypasses stomach absorption issues entirely. B1 (thiamine) is critical for nerve function. Niacin (B3) supports cellular energy and vasodilation.

Absorption / Cofactor: ✓ Dropper held under the tongue and swished before swallowing — this is the right technique; it bypasses the intrinsic factor requirement for B12. B6 works synergistically with magnesium.
Vitamin D3 + K2 (MK-7)
D3 5000 IU · K2 100mcgAfter noon meal

D3 activates wound healing genes and is required for magnesium to be transported properly. K2 (MK-7 form, 72-hour half-life) directs calcium away from arteries and into bone — critical with DVT and the clotting picture.

Absorption / Cofactor: Both fat-soluble — must be taken with fat. ✓ The noon meal's fish and nuts cover this better than a fasted morning would. MK-7 is the right K2 form: 72-hour half-life vs MK-4's 4 hours.
Lion's Mane Extract
1000mg × 2 servings/dayAfter noon meal + evening

Added Week 4. Stimulates nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor — the signals that drive peripheral nerve regeneration and remyelination. This is the most directly on-target addition for the neuropathy side of the picture, which BPC-157 was carrying alone.

Absorption / Cofactor: Fat-soluble compounds benefit from being taken with a meal. Neurotrophic effects are slow — expect a 4–8 week horizon before any change in nerve sensation is attributable to it, not days.
Resveratrol
500mg × 2/dayAfter noon meal + evening

Added Week 4. Sirtuin activator — it switches on the same repair pathways that NAD+ and NMN fuel. Also an antioxidant and mild vasodilator with some evidence for endothelial function, which matters with DVT.

Absorption / Cofactor: ✓ Pairs directly with NAD+ and NMN — resveratrol activates the sirtuins, NAD+ powers them. Poorly absorbed on its own; take with fat. Note: mildly antiplatelet, stacking on top of aspirin and fish oil.
NAD+
300mgAfter noon meal

NAD+ is required for every energy-producing reaction in the cell and for the sirtuin repair enzymes. As we age it declines. Cellular energy is the fuel for all the repair work being asked of the body — angiogenesis, collagen synthesis, nerve regeneration.

Absorption / Cofactor: ✓ TMG covers the methyl drain. ✓ Resveratrol now in stack activates the sirtuins that NAD+ powers — the pairing is complete for the first time.
NMN (Force Factor Longevity)
2 capletsAfter noon meal

NAD+ precursor, running the same pathway from the other end. Raises cellular NAD+ and activates sirtuin repair pathways.

Absorption / Cofactor: ✓ TMG in stack — methyl groups covered. ✓ Resveratrol potentiates the sirtuin activation.
TMG (Trimethylglycine)
750mgAfter noon meal

NMN and NAD+ supplementation depletes methyl groups over time. TMG donates the methyl groups that keep homocysteine in check. Without it, fatigue and elevated cardiovascular risk develop within weeks of running NMN + NAD+.

Absorption / Cofactor: Take with NMN and NAD+. ✓ Same round. Also supports liver function and is cardiovascular-protective — a good fit given DVT.
Ashwagandha (KSM-66)
1300mg (back to a single product as of Week 4)After noon meal

Cortisol reduction, stress response, anti-inflammatory adaptogen. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which directly impairs wound healing by suppressing immune function and collagen synthesis. KSM-66 is the best-studied full-spectrum root extract.

Absorption / Cofactor: Fat increases absorption. ✓ Noon meal covers this. Simplified back to one product from the two-product setup that ran Days 8–25.
Absorption Synergies

The combinations that actually work — and why.

The Fasted Window
16 hours fastedBPC-157 (fasted AM)Autophagy

Nothing but the injection until noon. The extended fast lets autophagy run — the cellular clean-out that a first-thing breakfast shuts off. BPC-157 needs no food to absorb, so the fasted shot costs nothing and the window stays intact.

Nerve Regeneration
Lion's Mane (NGF)B1 + B12 (sublingual)MagnesiumBPC-157

Lion's Mane raises nerve growth factor, B12 and thiamine supply the raw material for myelin repair, magnesium enables the nerve signal conduction itself. The one axis where the new stack is stronger than the old one.

The Wound Closure Stack
Vitamin CZincCopper

All three required simultaneously for collagen synthesis and wound closure. C handles hydroxylation of proline, zinc drives cell proliferation, copper cross-links the collagen chains. Missing any one breaks the chain.

Vascular Nitric Oxide
Red beet powder (nitrates)Vitamin C (preserves NO)BPC-157 (VEGFR2 signaling)

Dietary nitrates dilate vessels. Vitamin C prevents NO from oxidizing before it reaches the ankle. BPC-157 signals new vessel growth. Three mechanisms hitting blood flow simultaneously.

Magnesium Activation
Vitamin D3Vitamin B6Magnesium GlycinatePotassium

D3 is the gatekeeper — without it, magnesium can't be transported efficiently. B6 gets it into cells. Potassium stays in cells when magnesium is adequate. All four together or the chain breaks.

Cellular Energy / Longevity
NMNNAD+TMGResveratrol 500mg

NMN and NAD+ raise cellular energy but drain methyl groups. TMG replenishes them. Resveratrol activates sirtuins that NAD+ fuels. Skip TMG and you'll feel the depletion within weeks.

Discontinued in Week 4
Turmeric / Curcumin4 capsules AM + 4 PM (Days 7–~25)

The primary anti-inflammatory for the first three weeks, dropped in Week 4. Nothing in the new stack replaces its NF-κB suppression — Lion's Mane and resveratrol act on different pathways. If inflammatory pain returns, this is the most likely reason.

Second Ashwagandha ProductA 1,400mg and a 1,500mg formula, ~4 caps each, AM and PM (Days 8–~25)

Simplified back to a single 1300mg KSM-66 product. A meaningful reduction in total daily adaptogen load.

Beetroot (Spring Valley tablets)4 tablets AM + 4 PM

Replaced by organic red beet powder capsules, 700mg × 3 twice daily. Same nitrate target, different product.

Bacon & Eggs BreakfastDaily, first thing (Days 1–25)

Eliminated with the move to 16:8 fasting on Sep 2. It was the fat cofactor for the fat-soluble supplements — that role has moved to the noon meal's fish and nuts, which covers it.