Concerns With Health Protocol

Laura said:

For example, it seems that I just cannot tolerate a LOT of plant products such as antifungals (taken internally) even stevia! I gave up xylitol for a bit, started using stevia... after about a week, my arthritic pains were so bad I was going into herniated disc status. Really, REALLY bad. Intractable pain, couldn't get up or down, hardly could walk or sleep. The only thing I had done was give up xylitol for stevia. I cut out the stevia, went back to the xylitol, and the condition cleared up.

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Oh my... I know that the wrong food can do much harm to one's body but I am still amazed when I read descriptions such as yours, although reading it helps me make the connections within my own body much more easily. And you also have problems with anti fungals...hmm, I'm really inclined to think that that's what's been messing up with my gut these past months. The problem was likely already there due to too much previous consumption of carbohydrates and high lectin content food, the anti fungals have probably simply exacerbated it.
I'm glad you're feeling better though, that must have been miserable!

The excerpt you've added was very enlightening, to say the least. The book is on my amazon basket, I'm reading "Fiber Menace" (also a good read on gastrointestinal disorders) and will head for The Vegetarian Myth next.

Gastroparesis sounded like a good possibility when I did a search, but from what I came across, apparently it can be diagnosed with a gastroendoscopy. I had one done about 3 weeks ago, not so much to check my stomach or duodenum but my esophagus which has been damaged in the end of last year. Apart from the detected esophageal damage, the stomach and duodenum came out normal...whew, that's a relief.

In any case, I'm putting together a list of supplements to order and I think I will include betaine hydrochloride (mentioned by the author). Interestingly, betaine hydrochloride had been previously recommended to me to help what seemed to be overall slow metabolism, a result that came out on a hair analysis test I did about 1 and half years ago.

Gertrudes said:

In any case, I'm putting together a list of supplements to order and I think I will include betaine hydrochloride (mentioned by the author). Interestingly, betaine hydrochloride had been previously recommended to me to help what seemed to be overall slow metabolism, a result that came out on a hair analysis test I did about 1 and half years ago.

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Are you taking a digestive supplement?
I must admit that I struggled a lot until I started taking one with betaine HCI in - it made a huge difference. Ox bile has also made a huge difference to both my energy levels and how 'sensitive' my guts are to the higher fat diet (I hadn't realised the one I was taking didn't have it in until a few weeks ago - oops).
Now foods Super Enzymes are pretty good (haven't been able to find any digestive aids without fillers, so these are the best I've found so far).

I'd forgotten (as it hasn't happened for so long) but if I felt bloated I'd take a digestive aid and it would calm me right down.

RedFox said:

Now foods Super Enzymes are pretty good (haven't been able to find any digestive aids without fillers, so these are the best I've found so far).

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Yeah, that's the one I'm taking as well. Although the recommended dose of betaine HCI in the analysis I mentioned was much higher then what is contained in Now foods capsules. I can't remember exactly how high, but it was higher.

I think my intestines are inflamed, it feels like something irritated what already was a sensitive state and made tings worse, so I'm going to try to get the inflammation down. I'm ordering magnesium, potassium, aloe vera, peppermint (supposedly good for IBS) and oxy cleanse.

I'm reaching the end of the book "Fiber Menace" which is proving to be a very enlightening read. The author has a strong case for how fiber affects our diet in a very negative way. The conclusion I am reaching regarding my own health issues is that I likely suffer from dysbacteriosis, a condition where there is lack of good bacteria. I probably have been suffering from this on and off for years, as occasionally the shape of my stools seem to indicate, and it is now more prevalent. The anti fungals have likely wiped out all my good bacteria and I need to replace them.

Another thing that he mentions and that is making me re consider a lot of my previous approaches to bowel dysfunctions, is that indigestible fiber creates large stools that only strain more the colon leading to its forced enlargement, desensitization, and constipation. This is summarizing to the extreme what he says in a whole book. Up till here so far so good, but what caught my attention is that he says that as the good bacteria is wiped out, we then start adding soluble fiber supplement or excess soluble fiber foods that indeed gives one the impression of having become regular again, altough what in reality is happening is that fiber is working as a laxative, making us fiber dependent and aggravating the condition even more. He calls this latent constipation. In young people the condition might pass undetected, they are still experiencing seemingly normal bowel movements, but as you get older, or if you have any other digestive issues the condition will start showing its true face, latent constipation eventually gives in and become IBS, Crohn's disease, and on and on, a number of afflictions. This also explains why most people become constipated when transitioning to a low carb diet, or simply low fiber diet, we're simply feeling the withdrawal symptoms of a laxative - fiber. I'm getting to the part of the book where he explains how to transition safely.

He also mentions how regular use of muscle relaxants inhibits the proper functioning of peristaltic movements which are crucial for a normal bowel movement. This makes me think of the use of too much magnesium on a regular basis. By too much, I mean enough for us to feel its effects on our bowel movements. So what I'm thinking right now is that magnesium (amongst similar supplements) for bowel movement purposes once in a while can be very helpful and should be used, however, on a long term it may be very detrimental. It is probably best to replace good bacteria and eliminate the possibility of dysbacteriosis (good bacteria are vital to produce stools and keep its moisture) and address all other nutritional factors (less fiber and more meat and fat as advised be author, and as we're pretty much doing here, although our concern is more focused in eliminating carbs, not necessarily fiber). This way we are maintaining integrity of peristaltic function.

Just some things I've been thinking about lately.