Has anybody with leaky gut/allergies found this helpful? How long did you take it for and what did you eat alongside it?
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
Have you tried this yet? My suggestion would be to see if the doc could give you one or two doses to try first. It is a pretty expensive meal replacement.
When hubby first got sick 11 years ago and we had no idea what was wrong with him one doc suggested this to help heal gastritis. Hubby could not tolerate the supplement. It had too much glutamine in it which was being converted to glutamic acid in his brain and caused seizure like episodes wtihin 15 or 30 minutes of each dose. Also increased tremors.
I would suggest taking resveratrol (Japanese knotwed source) as discussed in the Healing Lyme book to see if that would make the supplement easier to tolerate. But the book had not been written back then and it was years before we could explain such a weird reaction to such a "good" product.
This is not medical advice, just my opinion based on hubby's experiences.
There are many more options for healing the G.I. If this supplement does not work you could try slippery elm or comfrey for example. And licorice is good also if you don't have problems with high blood pressure.
But even more important is to figure out why you have a leaky gut -- parasites or candida or allergies or bartonella are just a few of the possible causes.
Unless you can eleiminate the cause it will be very difficult to heal the G.I. regardless of what you take.
Bea Seibert
Posted by ukcarry (Member # 18147) on :
Thanks, Bea,you're only too right about figuring the cause! I have spent many years trying to address candida, have tried also taking supplements for leaky gut, have avoided the obvious allergens and taken plenty of probiotics. I have also had some recent NAET sessions.
My gut symptoms, however, continue to deteriorate. I have a lot of nausea now [which could be a reaction to cardicor/bisoprolol for heart rhythm problems], continued bloating, stomach aches, upper abdomen swilling, churning, growling and increasing worries about 'urgency'.
A few weeks ago, I had violent food poisoning, which seems to have made all the above worse. I am having to travel to see a top chiropractor regularly at present for bad coccyx problems and his treatment gives me intense anxiety because of the stomach and 'urgency' issues
I had my gall bladder out a few years ago, so I don't know if that's a factor.
I haven't tried Ultra Sustain, but 20 years ago did a month of Ultra Clear. I was wondering about trying a rare foods elimination diet, but also considering trying US to give my digestive system a rest.
I have tried at times both slippery elm and some licorice, including in teas.
I have always assumed that candida and other bacteria had caused leaky gut and food intolerances and have tried to approach them all at once, as to me the gut won't heal with supplements like glutamine, zinc etc if yeast are still a problem....and heavy metal chelation seems to worsen the candida etc.
It is hard now for me to develop a proper plan and my UK LLMD is emigrating at the end of the week. She had earlier suggested GAPS diet, but I thought an elimination diet might be sensible first.
I am so sorry that your husband had such a bad reaction to Ultra Sustain and thank you again for your helpful thoughts.
Posted by Tammy N. (Member # 26835) on :
Bea is so wise (thanks for your many great posts).
uk - have you tried parasite treatment? I'm about to start treating again any day now. Just today my doc said a lot of my food sensitivity issues, etc. are probably related to the parasites I have. Food for thought.....
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
Thanks for all the compliments. I just try to share what hubby and I have learned on this long medical journey. If it helps someone else then that is great.
One other obvious possibility is gluten sensitivity or celiac.
I just picked up the May/June 2012 issue of a health magazine called "Well Being Jounral."
It has one of the most informative articles I think I have ever read about celiac and gluten sensitivity.
One very interesting statement "When it comes to the effects on gluten in the brain, exposure to gluten in a sensitive individual essentially shuts down blood flow to the frontal and prefrontal cortex."
The article included a list of the most common true potentially cross-reactive compounds --
Some sort of allergy elimination diet does sound like a good starting point in trying to figure out if there is a trigger for your symptoms.
Also need to be aware that B12 and folic acid are both critical nutrients for the G.I.
Bea Seibert
Posted by Tammy N. (Member # 26835) on :
And B12 and folic acid are big issues to do with MTHFR. Which I have (homozygous), which I am trying to learn more about. Ugh....I'm only at the tip of the iceburg....so much to learn on the topic. But realize I cannot get better without addressing.
Sorry uk, didn't mean to hyjack your thread. Or, actually, maybe you should look into MTHFR also (not necessarily for this digestive issue, but for the rest of the health picture.)
Bea - have you looked into MTHFR for your hubby? (He is so lucky to have wonderful you in his corner:)
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
One other suggestion -- another article in the same magazine was about vinegar. Hubby does not take vinegar with meals but he has taken betaine HCL for years. He had a heidelberg test (sp?) once that showed he does not produce enough stomach acid.
I know some people think you can't use vinegar on a candida diet, but the article specifically says that the "Body Ecology Diet" which is a very good book recommends sipping 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water to stimulate production of hydrochloric acid for digestion.
Vinegar has antiseptic properties that prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and viruses in the digestive tract and it does not interfere with the normal healthy bacteria.
The article actually cited numerous studies showing that washing produce in vinegar solution (1 part vinegar to 3 parts water)killed more bacteria than using chlorine bleach or antibacterial soap.
The bloating and some of your symptoms could indicate lack of sufficient stomach acid.
Bea Seibert
Posted by sbh93 (Member # 30429) on :
This product saved my life, literally. I've recommended it before. I would do it again if necessary.
Posted by ukcarry (Member # 18147) on :
Thank you again for the suggestions:
Bea, my mother was a coeliac: I was negative on tests for it years ago, but have been following a largely gluten-free diet for 11 years...though do have rye sour dough sometimes. I eat gluten-free oats too sometimes and am avoiding yeast apart from my occasional red wine treats. I have largely followed an anti- candida diet since 2003.
Your list of cross-reactive foods was interesting and I have finally decided to stop coffee for the moment [was only having one a day].
Bea and Tammy, I am on methylation support [B complex, sublingual B12, Actifolate] and liposomal glutathione [also precursors].
I have recently experimented with both apple cider vinegar and later, Hcl Betaine and am not sure how long to give them, as nausea, pain etc are worse this week.
Last week I took 2 doses of KIB500 [UK name]...1st Line/thiocyanate in USA and did get a headache, extra fatigue etc, so am also wondering if that has affected me in some way.
Sbh93, how long did you use the Ultra Sustain for and did you use it as a standalone or with foods? Did it soothe your intestines and help to pinpoint allergies afterwards?
Many thanks,
Carry
Posted by ukcarry (Member # 18147) on :
I forgot to mention parasites and often wonder about them: I did a round of Vitaklenz some years ago and then a month of Humaworm 3 years ago and a short round of Ivermectin from an LLMD[only 3 doses one month and then again].
Have also done a 2 cycles of Clarkia, a taken a product with uva ursi, GSE, often take wild oregano oil and am taking some olive leaf extract at present.
It is hard to know when you have given something a fair go!
I never see clear signs of parasites
Posted by sbh93 (Member # 30429) on :
I used it for two months while my gut healed before starting abx treatment. I definitely ate other foods; it is not meant to replace meals but to be a supplement. As so much food was causing reactions in me, my diet was limited, and the sustain helped me gain weight and needed nutrients.
Posted by ukcarry (Member # 18147) on :
Thank you, sbh93. I hope you are able to eat more widely now.