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Where to start on gut treatment

Messages
13
Where to begin e.g. what are different gut issues and how know if I have them?

Is there a page on the forum about this - I can't find anything.

Thank you kindly for any advice.
 

echobravo

Keep searching, the answer is out there
Messages
137
Location
Norway
I would buy the book The Plant Paradox. Then see if a lection avoidance diet would help. Might alleviate leaky gut ..and autoimmunity that follows. Also go low carb, reduce sugars. Take a CSA stool test to see if you have dysbiosis, candida etc. Check if you have upper gut infection, e.g. H.Pylori antibodies. Vitamin C at night to reduce SIBO. Fermented foods. Prebiotics like inulin. Resistant starch for colon flora. Intermittent fasting. Olive leaf extract and others that will reduce upper gut bacteria and yeast.
 
Messages
97
Location
Vancouver, WA
It's a good question. I doubt there is a one-size-fits-all answer, so it will depend upon what sort of issues and symptoms you have.

Here's my experience so far;
I've had long-running issues with IBS-d that seemed to coincide with symptoms of fatigue, malaise, and low mood. When I recently tested positive for Lyme disease and was treated with doxycycline, my IBS symptoms improved. I took a yeast supplement called Sacromyces boulardii at the same time. My symptoms did not completely disappear, but they clearly improved.

But I noticed that I was feeling malaise immediately after eating a meal - horrible brain fog and fatigue. A little web searching brought up the idea of a Candida albicans problem in my gut. I just started using some over-the-counter remedies and I might be seeing some improvement.

I'm hoping that getting my gut condition improved will help my overall health enough to allow my body fight off recurring EBV and other potential smoldering infections. (Some of my EBV titers were crazy high, which might be evidence of past reactivations of EBV.)

Do you have any gut symptoms?

Good luck,
Paul M.
 
Messages
1,478
my gut issues have been improved somewhat by eating a wide variety of different foods but limiting my carbs to <25% of total energy (<150g per day). I limit high histamine foods but don't follow a rigid set of rules. I eat live yoghurt every day but don't take any probiotics. The diet modification has nearly eliminated the constant alternating constipation and diarrhoea symptoms and by eating less carbs the bloating has gone away. My symptoms are mild compared to some though. Most of my issues now seem to be due to high histamine. I notice I get the runs (sorry tmi). when pollen count is high or I've been near animals (I'm allergic to most).

I may have also benefited a lot from the methylation protocol I've been taking over the last year ....since I was very b12 deficient.
 

perchance dreamer

Senior Member
Messages
1,691
Three things greatly alleviated my IBS. It's not totally gone, but is a fraction of what it was before.

First, although I tried really hard to be in denial about this, I eliminated dairy to see what happened, and I got some good symptom relief. So I avoid dairy now for the most part.

Second, I started drinking George's Aloe Vera Juice, which I get on Amazon. It's made a big difference, too.

Still, I was having some problems, so I asked my doctor about it. He suggested CBD oil for IBS, and it helped a lot. I use Plus CBD Oil capsules in the 10 MG dosage.
 
Messages
1,478
@arewenearlythereyet Do you know the status of your genetic makeup wrt MTHFR?

I'm compound heterozygous 1298/677 yet seem to be doing okay. Taking supplements such as MethylCobalamine didn't produce a dramatic improvement.
No, I'm a bit in the dark as to my genetics. I've had a 23&me kit sat on my desk for over 6 months. I've paid for it so I really should send it off even if it's just to rule it out.

When I first got ill I was tested for b12 and folate etc. Both were quite low. I managed to get a lot of improvement in the cognitive malaise by taking oral supplements, progressed onto the Fredd/rich sublingual protocol and I'm now on subdermal b12 oils which has had a dramatic effect on cognition and other symptoms. I also take creatine which takes some of the pressure off of methylation. I'm pretty sure my long term carbamazepine prescription has also had a part to play in folate depletion which hasn't helped things. I don't think that's the whole story though.
 

Carl

Senior Member
Messages
362
Location
United Kingdom
@arewenearlythereyet Do you know the status of your genetic makeup wrt MTHFR?

I'm compound heterozygous 1298/677 yet seem to be doing okay. Taking supplements such as MethylCobalamine didn't produce a dramatic improvement.
The only improvement that Methylcobalamin produced was less of a reaction to foods due to it's effect on T suppressor cells when large doses are taken. I got more of an improvement from hydroxycobalamin which really helped a lot. Methylcobalamin short circuits normal B12/SAM-e processes whereas Hydroxycobalamin allows it to function more normally.

I have not had a genetic test but I suspect that my MTHFR is seriously impaired based upon family history.
 
Messages
1,478
The only improvement that Methylcobalamin produced was less of a reaction to foods due to it's effect on T suppressor cells when large doses are taken. I got more of an improvement from hydroxycobalamin which really helped a lot. Methylcobalamin short circuits normal B12/SAM-e processes whereas Hydroxycobalamin allows it to function more normally.

I have not had a genetic test but I suspect that my MTHFR is seriously impaired based upon family history.
Should have said that I take a mixture of hydroxy and methyl now I'm on the transdermal oils which is loads better than the methyl sublinguals.
 
Messages
97
Location
Vancouver, WA
Wow, you're way ahead of me on that topic. I'll have to research the topic of Methylcobalamine vs Hydroxycobalamine.

Here's a question for others;

Do you experience malaise or a slump after eating a meal?
 
Messages
13
Thankyou very much for the replies which have given a lot to think about.

I don't eat food with sugar added - haven't for years - i.e. cake, puddings etc.

But four or five days a week I eat fruit for afternon snack e.g. two apples or nectarines - I am trying to cut back because the sugar may be giving me candida. But it's difficult to think of replacements. One thing I've noticed is my tongue is quite white and furry, something must be causing this.

My mother is allergic to dairy, it makes her arthritis worse. I don't have milk because it tastes strong and poisonous. But I eat live yoghurt on a bowl of oats in the morning.

I don't want anything leaking into my blood stream that shouldn't.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
But four or five days a week I eat fruit for afternon snack e.g. two apples or nectarines - I am trying to cut back because the sugar may be giving me candida. But it's difficult to think of replacements. One thing I've noticed is my tongue is quite white and furry, something must be causing this.
"The Food Intolerance Bible" by Anthony Hayne is a great resource. It has lots of great self-quizzes to help you figure out your issues.

Candida can be white and furry. An anti-candida diet and Nystatin and Diflucan can help.

Sounds like you have food allergies or intolerances (which can make you feel lousy after a meal, in answer to @pcmenten 's question).
 

kangaSue

Senior Member
Messages
1,851
Location
Brisbane, Australia
But I noticed that I was feeling malaise immediately after eating a meal - horrible brain fog and fatigue.
Similar to those with Short Bowel Syndrome, some people with ME/CFS ferment carbs into d-lactate and an elevated level of that of that can cause a lot of neurological symptoms.
Do you experience malaise or a slump after eating a meal?
Postprandial hyperemia perhaps?