I have had stomach and intestines for years. My Naturopath thinks I have leaky gut. We have tried so many things I can't begin to list them. What has worked for you that finally healed the digestive system? It may just be Lyme and I have only been diagnosed for 8 months. What ABX's are the hardest on the stomach and digestive tract? I seem to have a lot of the fat I eat go through without being digested. I always have an oil slick when I have a bowel movement or even in my urine I see this. That said it better than in the past, but still not good.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Fermented foods is number one. Raw sauerkraut. Homemade kefir. Kombucha. Various sources of bacteria. Infinitely better than capsule probiotics because there is so much more bacteria in fermented foods.
Oil in the bowels can be indicative of gluten problems. Getting off all grains helped my gut more than gluten alone.
Those are the things that helped my gut. it was destroyed .....
Posted by cozynana (Member # 34270) on :
Thanks for the reply. I have done something right.
I have completely been off gluten for 12 years.
I am on Allinia as we speak.
I am also grain free. EXCEPT, I see Allinia has cornstarch and maize flour in it.
I am trying it anyway. If that is the only grain I get maybe I can tolerate it.
I have to keep doing something to beat these critters.
If not, I am going to ask about ivermectin or humaworm.
Does either one work more effective than the other?
I am going to ask about them next time I talk to the LLMD.
I am not to the point of being comfortable to self treat.
I just purchased a small pkg of raw sauerkraut to try as I get off this round of parasite med.
I am hoping the parasite med will relieve most of my issues.
I will look up the HCL supplement. I have never heard about it.
Has your gut recovered. Do you do anything for maintenance?
Thanks again for the suggestions.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
No, I don't do anything for maintenance.
That being said, I DO do things to maintain good health overall as any healthy person should. I eat right. I still don't eat grains very often, though once in a while I enjoy a good pizza and beer.
I no longer have to take HCL (I took Thorne Biogest).
I drink kombucha for its health benefits, but I no longer make kefir. Once in a while I eat sauerkraut, but not daily like I used to.
I don't know which is the best parasite cleanse. I used Humaworm several rounds, but my LLMD wouldn't prescribe anything. I also did Dr. Natura (I LOVE this product, helped TONS!!! And I do a follow up once or twice a year just like they say to).
Posted by Catgirl (Member # 31149) on :
I like Six's suggestions.
I also firmly believe in addressing parasites. That said, I feel like there is a right time and a wrong time to work on them. I probably wouldn't do the parasite work right now, but that's just me (maybe wait until you've healed your gut?).
Cozy, I don't know if you've done this, but I got an allergy test (food) and was shocked to find out how many things I'm allergic to (beef, pork, eggs, milk, etc).
Glutamine helps heal a leaky gut. Also, you might want to take some enzymes to eat the stuff floating around.
Posted by droid1226 (Member # 34930) on :
Hey Six, Did you do the full Dr. Natura cleanse? Is there contraindicated ingredients with people in treatment? I'd like to do a month.
Thanks
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Droid, I did the full Dr. Natura. I did the maintenance a year later. Then this year I did the full maintenance with the Toxinout program.
I was not on treatment other than photons at the time, so you'll want to check your meds to see if there are interactions.
Posted by Maradona (Member # 24552) on :
Six Where we can purchase the cambucha (or can we make that at home),and what do you eat when you exclude grains all of them . How long you worked to fix your gut problems. Thanx Maradona
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Maradona, it took over two years to completely heal my gut. I was well from Lyme, and generally healthy, but there were a lot of foods that still didn't digest and I had to take HCL every meal. Now I can eat normally with no HCL.
I *can* eat grains, in fact, tonight I had popcorn, but I only eat them a couple times per month. I tend to get bloated on grains. It's not until you get off them that you know how you feel when you eat them.
I eat meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and nut butters, and sometimes potatoes, sweet potatoes or quinoa. I do eat dairy. I eat how they talk about on marksdailyapple.com
I buy kombucha at Whole Foods. You can make it at home, but you might want to get familiar with it first. Posted by willbeatthis (Member # 31111) on :
Six, you are a life saver! It is so comforting to know it took you sometime to get your gut healed. I feel that is my biggest problem now and I have figured out a place to get HCL and I have ordered a test for food allergies so I can pull out of my diets the things that are not obvious... like gluten, dairy etc. Those are out... as well as more due to my sensitivities. You have always been such an encouragement and if ever I needed to see one of your powerful messages, it was today.... Many thanks for being a true life saver to so many...
Posted by glm1111 (Member # 16556) on :
Gael...you too... for all your help... Blessings!
Posted by annxyzz (Member # 20404) on :
These will reline and repair mucousal tissue in digestive tract , urinary tract , respiratory tract : bovine colostrum and glucosamine/chondroitin combo . I have read health boards where members say they repaired their bladders and digestive tracts with these .
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
The biggest problem is figuring out what is damaging the gut to begin with.
It could be a food allergy or intolerance -- such as gluten or dairy.
Or there are other bacteria such as h pylori or klebsiella or enterobacter or numerous viruses which can affect the G.I.
You have to get rid of the pathogens -- which could of course include G.I. parasites such as giardia or ascaris -- before you can heal the problem.
Hubby always responded well to olive leaf extract and goldenseal.
When he had gastritis and duodentitis and even mild gastric ulcers -- all found on endoscopies -- he used various herbs to help heal. Combos of licorice and others that his herbalist suggested.
The other biggie for lyme patients is bartonella or BLO (bartonella like organisms). That is a frequent case of G.I. symptoms. Levaquin or cipro or factive can help tremendously if that is the cause of the G.I. symptoms.
Candida can also be an issue.
You need to start marking off the list of possible causes to find the correct treatment before you can start the healing process.
Bea Seibert
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
Just read all of the replies. Someone mentioned glutamine -- generally that is a very good G.I. supplement. But if someone has neurological lyme it can cause increased seizure-like activity so be careful if trying that supplement.
Betaine HCL can be helpful if you do not have enough stomach acid. Hubby took that for years. Also pancreatin and ox bile supplements -- these both help with fat digestion.
Bea Seibert
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- A little bit of L-Glutamine powder in 1/2 cup of water a couple times a day.
It's best for the stomach lining to heal. But, too much can cause irritation of adrenals and nervous system, especially for those with lyme.
If seizures in the mix, best to avoid but you could try just a tiny bit but also be sure to balance with magnesium if it it too excitatory. -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Glutamate cautions in the link below for guidance so you can know how to work up to a dose that may help your stomach heal.
Slippery Elm is also very good, as a gruel.
There are many seeds or legumes that are seen as grains that may be of help as they are easy to digest and have wonderful protein, carb, fat ratio: Millet; Buckwheat Groats; Amaranth; Quinoa; Wild Rice; Black, Red Rices.
Just because you are grain free, may not mean you are gluten free so be sure to check the links here for HIDDEN SOURCES OF GLUTEN:
LL Naturopathic links here, too, with many LL ND articles and books regarding herbal support. -
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Yes, I agree with Bea, there are other things with HCL .... I took Thorne Biogest, which has ox bile.
I'm glad you bumped up this thread if it's what you need. Posted by chaps (Member # 25286) on :
There are some doctors out there prescribing a product called "Repairvite" by APEX.
You take the product with breakfast and with supper while adhering to the strict diet that is provided on the product's insert.
It's supposed to heal the gut in 8 weeks for most cases, longer for tough cases. It works if you can stay on the diet. You will lose weight on this diet. The gut will also get smaller from the swelling going down.
The thing about leaky gut is this: You can heal the gut, but it's usually toxins, i.e., metals, abx, etc. that make the biological terrain favorable for the things that make the gut leaky, such as parasites, fungi, etc.
I would think that it makes sense to get rid of the CAUSE of the leaky gut, then heal the leaky gut, because without eradicating the cause, the leaky gut will only re-develop.
Posted by willbeatthis (Member # 31111) on :
Thank you Chaps and Bea for the great info. Gut issues are no fun... and Bea, especially for the info on Bart. It has been giving me a fit lately (harrowing anxiety at times) and I did not think about why my stomach was giving me such a fit... well, it is back to photons for this girl....
Thanks for all the help here... Blessings...
Posted by cozynana (Member # 34270) on :
Are there any other options to find out if I had an bacteria over growth, infection, etc in the small intestines and large intestines?
My DO wants me to do a Metagenix poop test.
Problem is I have to stop using anti-parasite, anti-acids, and anti-biotics.
I can't go a day without the antiacids without having severe stomach issues.
I mean, the kind that could land me in the hospital.
I don't see that the other two will be a problem.
I really want to be the good paitient, but don't think I can go without the anti-acids.
Then, there is the problem of using an enema to have a bowel movement to get a specimin without
any water or anything to contaminate the culture.
I feel like anything I do is a huge complicated mess.
Any ideas what else I can do to have some test to see if I have E coli, H pylori,etc. I desperately need a Lyme friendly gastro.
located in Ne, Co, or Ks. Please post if you know of any.
I am getting worried about figuring this out.
My LLMD and urologist are working at a snails pace and lack the courtesy to call back in a timely manner.
I don't want to change because it took me an unbelievable amount of work to find docs that believe in Lyme and will treat me.
My own hometown doc basically told me not to come back.
I am sitting here with a kidney stone 1 cm and one 9 m.
I feel like a walking time bomb.
Already had one confirmed kidney stone attack and a probable one about 3 weeks ago.
Blood pressure is going up again like last time I had a kidney stone issue.
Bad day, sorry for the rant. I just want to get some of the load of my back.
Trying to give myself an attitude adjustment and get myself back in a positive mode.
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