In 2005, Conor Davis was a sophomore at Wood River High School experiencing an array of health problems uncommon in the majority of his peers: extended migraines, bouts of depression, symptoms that persisted to a point of genuine concern.
Over a period of months, Conor visited several doctors and neurosurgeons to get to the bottom of what was truly ailing him. Painkillers, antidepressants and other instant but temporary remedies were prescribed, but they weren’t doing the trick, acting as band-aids to soften the headaches, but not eliminate them. More testing and observations continued, and it was finally discovered that Conor had been living with heavy metal poisoning his entire life.
The rich mining history that accompanies much of Central Idaho has had lasting effects on the landscape that aren’t fully detectable. At the time of testing for the well that Conor’s family used in their East Fork home, it passed every assessment required of it. However, testing in the 1980s was not as sophisticated as it is today, and the metals that contaminated the Davis’ well settled into Conor’s brain, slowly poisoning his body as the years went on.
It wasn’t until Conor visited local holistic doctor Stephan Siele that he tried a different approach to find an antidote for the toxicity in his body. Conor’s energy levels, both physically and mentally, were taken and measured on a scale of 1000, coming in at the low score of 50. Dr. Siele’s practices in medicine led him to one widely untapped resource: carbonized bamboo. Used mainly in eastern practices, carbonized bamboo is highly porous and absorbs toxins from within the body at a very efficient rate, giving Conor a way to fight the metals sitting in his brain.
From the discovery of carbonized bamboo and its detoxifying properties comes the accidental birth of Flash Black, Conor’s self-started detox supplement. The concept came easily enough—Conor, starting a day out on the wrong foot, takes his daily dose of carbonized bamboo, and notices almost instantly the improvement on his mental clarity and body aches.
Being a young entrepreneur hasn’t been easy, and the road to getting the Flash Black line up and running had its ups and downs. The initial concept for the product was scrapped, allowing Conor to revamp the entire branding strategy to bring it to what is today and how he hopes to see it evolve in the future. “One day I hope to have enough distribution to sponsor professional athletes,” Conor said, “To give them a product they can actually utilize while competing, as opposed to the energy drinks who have their athletes only hold branded materials”.
The Flash Black brand is ever-expanding, and Conor is endlessly working to find new and innovative ways to incorporate carbonized bamboo into powerful products, such as a face mask that was just recently added to the line. He’s also changed his approach at packaging, using black glass to “charge” the molecules within the containers and preserve the contents for much longer than a clear glass or plastic jar would.
As for Conor himself, since incorporating carbonized bamboo into his daily routine, his personal health has increased exponentially. His score on Dr. Siele’s scale is now just twenty points from perfect on a good day, and he’s been able to fully enjoy his love of tele-skiing and an active outdoors lifestyle once more, even taking fourth at this year’s Targhee Resort Big Mountain Telemark Competition.
