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Psyllium husk

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
This was going to be a question for @Gondwanaland -- I hope you don't mind me tagging you here instead. I saw you mention in an old post that you couldn't take Psyllium Husk because it's goitrogenic. I was searching but couldn't find any evidence of this?

I was also wondering if anyone knew any other negative effects associated with PH?

The reason I ask is because I seem to respond quite well to substances that immediately cool down gut inflammation. I was doing well with Chia seeds but possibly due to the magnesium content, they crash my adrenals quickly and make me very weak. I also sometimes take Ambien to sleep and because of my adrenals, it can end up wearing off too quickly and I wake up in a panic. I find if I take something to 'coat' my stomach beforehand, I sleep through the night without issue; the Psyllium Husk worked well for this purpose last night. But I am concerned if it has any negative effects on the thyroid, because I already show issues in that department.
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
I was doing well with Chia seeds but possibly due to the magnesium content, they crash my adrenals quickly and make me very weak.
It is more likely due to the linoleic acid. It can have adverse effect on men's hormones. LA definetly crashes my adrenals. Here is a blog post warning against Chia seeds.
This was going to be a question for @Gondwanaland -- I hope you don't mind me tagging you here instead. I saw you mention in an old post that you couldn't take Psyllium Husk because it's goitrogenic. I was searching but couldn't find any evidence of this?
Many people benefit from it. Not me. You might be familiar with the many posts by Hip about beneficial supplements. I don't benefit from any of them, being the worse offender Flax seed oil (high Linoleic Acid).
 
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outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
Many people benefit from it. Not me. You might be familiar with the many posts by Hip about beneficial supplements. I don't benefit from any of them, being the worse offender Flax seed oil (high Linoleic Acid).

Thanks for the reply. I did try the psyllium husk before bed last night and feel unusually depressed today. Do you know the mechanism through which it could act pro-inflammatory?
 
Messages
50
Location
UK
I find if I take something to 'coat' my stomach beforehand, I sleep through the night without issue; the Psyllium Husk worked well for this purpose last night.

If you want something to coat your stomach, look into the properties of Slippery Elm. I find it helpful and less irritating than psyllium husk.
 

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
If you want something to coat your stomach, look into the properties of Slippery Elm. I find it helpful and less irritating than psyllium husk.

Thanks, I will pick some up today. Is it a 'binder' in the sense it needs to be taken away from medication? It's recommend that psyllium husk is taken 1-2 hours away from meds.

also, does it have any propensity to cause a 'herx' or die-off?
 
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Messages
50
Location
UK
Is it a 'binder' in the sense it needs to be taken away from medication?

Yes, I think it can reduce absorption of meds and supplements, just like psyllium husk.

Edit : Actually, I don't think it binds to meds and supplements. I think that it coats the mucosal lining of the gut and reduces absorption by reducing the contact between the gut and meds/supplements. But this is just what I've always assumed - I don't know for certain.

does it have any propensity to cause a 'herx' or die-off?

Not that I'm aware of.
 
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Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,665
Location
Alberta
I'm sensitive to goitrogens (one leaf of sui choy was enough to make me feel worse). I did try psyllium husk at some point, but didn't notice any effect on my symptoms, so I'd say it doesn't seem to be strongly goitrogenic. Flax seeds are supposedly goitrogenic too, but I haven't noticed any problems from them. I haven't tested my reaction to brassicas for years, so I'm not sure that my sensitivity hasn't just reduced.

The other possibility is that psyllium and flax prevent iodine from being absorbed through the gut, and brassicas release isothiocyanates that prevent the thyroid gland from functioning properly. If so, iodine in food taken after the fibre has passed though the small intestine should be absorbed normally. I'll let someone else figure out how long it takes for the fibre to leave the small intestine.
 

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
I tried the slippery elm last night before bed, in combination with ambien. I have to be careful with sleeping pills because I'm weak, but sometimes I'm more concerned about the prospect of not sleeping.

Anyway, for whatever reason, the combination was bad and I feel very weak and 'sick' today. I had issues combining ambien with antimicrobial herbs, presumably due to the die off created, but slippery elm sounded more benign.
 
Messages
50
Location
UK
I tried the slippery elm last night before bed, in combination with ambien. I have to be careful with sleeping pills because I'm weak, but sometimes I'm more concerned about the prospect of not sleeping.

Anyway, for whatever reason, the combination was bad and I feel very weak and 'sick' today. I had issues combining ambien with antimicrobial herbs, presumably due to the die off created, but slippery elm sounded more benign.

I've never heard or read of anyone reacting to Slippery Elm before. I'm sorry it didn't help, and gave you a bad night. :(
 

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
I've never heard or read of anyone reacting to Slippery Elm before. I'm sorry it didn't help, and gave you a bad night. :(

No problem. It could be placebo. I feel better in certain respects, worse in others. It's always hard to tell what something is doing when you're very sick already.
 

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
I've never heard or read of anyone reacting to Slippery Elm before. I'm sorry it didn't help, and gave you a bad night. :(

The only thing I've read is that some fibers can feed sibo though I wasn't sure if that would occur from one dose?
 

Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,665
Location
Alberta
Don't give up on something after one minor bad possible result. It might just have been a coincidence. Some things produce different responses the first time or two you take them. I usually test things at least three times, unless they produce really serious bad responses. I usually leave a couple of days between tests of new things, to watch for delayed effects and to avoid other factors.

Also, testing multiple things at the same time is confusing. You might have something helpful, but lose the opportunity to benefit from it because the other thing you took with it cancelled out the positive effect.
 

outdamnspot

Senior Member
Messages
924
I read a post on a blog yesterday saying that mucilaginous fiber can activate the immune system (TH1 or TH2 branch, depending on the fiber) which can make things worse for some people? That might explain why psyllium husk and slippery elm both made me feel 'sick'?