Any EBF mammas ever tried Dairy/Protien enzymes?

[crystleyz42]

For mom to take to help break down the proteins in her body so they don't get passed on to baby via breastmilk:

http://www.amazon.com/Assist-Dairy-Protein-Digestive-Enzymes/dp/B000N81F44

or

http://www.amazon.com/Foods-Dairy-Digest-Complete-Vcaps/dp/B0013OUODA/ref=pd_sbs_hpc_2

Anyone out there tried something like this?

[crystleyz42]

Here's my crackpot hypothesis on why I'm going to experiment with taking enzymes to see if my BFing DS becomes less sensitive to the milk and soy in my diet (he still gets none directly):

The 'hypoallergenic' formulas are manufactured by extensively hydrolyzing the proteins of either soy or dairy so sensitive/allergic babies can tolerate them. Hydrolysis is the process of using peptides (enzymes) to break the amino acid bonds of a protein chain into smaller compounds.  These smaller units don't seem to bother baby's guts as badly as the larger, unbroken ones do. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolyzed_protein  Formula, is a deal-breaker for me, though.  I am committed to BFing my children until they wean on their terms.

When BFing, any soy/dairy proteins in my diet are escaping via my (leaky??) gut into my bloodstream and into my milk.  DS drinks and gets an irritated gut.  My hypothesis is that if I can make my system work better at breaking the proteins down, they won't get passed onto DS in such large chunks, and therefore won't irritate his gut so badly.  My hope is that this might allow me to enjoy a modest amnt. of dairy without causing disrupted sleep/gut issues in him. 

Like many mothers in here, I find the choice between food and sleep is a killer.

So, my plan is this:  continue with my current elimination of soy and dairy for 2 weeks to get to my baseline.  Then, start taking a digestive enzyme blend that specifically breaks down dairy and proteins.  Then, slowly re-introduce modest amnts of dairy, and then soy back into my diet and see what happens.

I report back after my 'experiment' is done.  Any feedback or suggestions are welcomed!!

It should be noted that I am no medical professional, and that I barely scraped by with a 'C' in chem, so take this under advisement should you decide to try this at home.  :)

[northwoods]

I don't have any advice, but I'm interested in the responses and in the results of your experiment.

I've given up dairy, and it seems to be making all the difference. But I'd sure love my morning yogurt and afternoon chocolate chip cookie!

[crystleyz42]

I'm only starting day 2, so nothing to report yet, except that I went to the health food store yesterday and purchased:

http://www.nowfoods.com/Products/M077103.htm

and

http://www.nowfoods.com/Products/ProductsbyCategory/Category/M102852.htm?cat=Digestive%20Support

and I've been soy/egg free for a week and dairy free for 48 hrs.

I'll report back if I notice any improvement in DS's fussiness level.  None yet.  In fact, he hasn't napped since Friday and has been up every 2 hrs at night  (11 months old) for the last few months.  When my DD started this behavior back in 2007, I got shingles from the exhaustion, so I'm hoping to avoid going down that path again.  (She was dairy sensitive).

[gabbyraja]

I'm wondering if you're also taking steps to heal your leaky gut (and by definition your ds' leaky gut)? I think if you did this you'd have the 1-2 punch that would probably eliminate your problems. I'm also delving into enzymes, but have been working on my leaky gut for many weeks already.

[crystleyz42]

How does one know when one has one?  What does one do to heal it?

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by crystleyz42:

So, my plan is this:  continue with my current elimination of soy and dairy for 2 weeks to get to my baseline.  Then, start taking a digestive enzyme blend that specifically breaks down dairy and proteins.  Then, slowly re-introduce modest amnts of dairy, and then soy back into my diet and see what happens.

 This is exactly my own plan.

DD seems to be reacting to dairy and eggs (and probably soy) so I have eliminated all these from my diet for a month now.

I'm planning to re-introduce both of them soon in small amounts with digestive enzymes.

I've already started taking the enzymes (bought the Garden of Life ones) along with my main meal each day but have not yet tried any dairy or eggs.

But boy are they making me hungry?

I'll report back as well. It'd be interesting to see where this takes us!

[gabbyraja]

Originally Posted by crystleyz42 

How does one know when one has one?  What does one do to heal it?

From everything I've been reading, if you have allergies/intolerances/sensitivities, you have a leaky gut.

When food is broken down to its smallest possible state, then enters your blood stream, your body sees it as food and does not react. Your body should only let it through once it's been fully digested. If your intestine is irritated and/or not doing its job, for reasons such as candidiasis, parasites, etc, it becomes less of a barrier. It allows larger particles, not fully digested, into your bloodstream and your body does not recognize it as food but as an invader, and reacts. These particles in the blood stream are used to make your milk, your baby is equally enzyme deficient (since the enzymes would come from you but you have none to spare) and he/she reacts also.

So, typically people have things going on that makes them improperly digest food AND their intestines are "leaky", and this is a perfect storm for allergy. I'm working on my candidiasis and improving my HCL acid production, through TFs, and taking enzymes to give my pancreas a break. I'm also taking an herbal wormer, a few supplements (such as Blue Ice FCLO, biotin, glutathione, sodium ascorbate, magnesium). And I'll begin taking "bitters" tomorrow. They soothe and heal the gut, supposedly in as little as 3 days. I'm quite excited to see how this program helps myself and my children. I learned a LOT of this info here on MDC over the past 2 months. The rest (with EXCELLENT background anatomy info, etc) from the book Allergies: Disease in Disguise by Carolee Bateson-Koch. I understand it all so much better now. And she says she uses this successfully to heal many allergies in 6-12 weeks. I have to hope.

[crystleyz42]

I don't have any food allergies/sensitivities that I know of, and I'm regular as rain with no bloating, cramping, etc...  I try to watch my fiber intake, and have always taken probiotics.  But, I've had my gallbladder removed, so I know I don't digest like someone with an unaltered GI track would.

My DD was IgE positive for dairy -- got that from her father's side -- in 2007, so I gave up dairy to keep nursing her until she weaned in 2009.  DS is now showing similar symptoms (e.g. sleep issues) so I'm on the quest to see if it's the same thing, and if enzymes help so I can have a modest amnt of dairy w/o killing his sleep.  Neither of my kids had much in the way of symptoms -- maybe a little gas, but no loose stools, rashes, etc -- their only 'symptom' was ridiculous, horrendous, insomnia.  I'm talking sleeping as little as 6 interrupted hours in a 24 hr period for WEEKS on end.  It sucks.

Status report:  I'm on day 4 of the enzymes/elimination.  DS is napping again, and bedtimes are less of a fight.  Night waking is still an issue though.

Edited by crystleyz42 - 2/1/11 at 4:00pm

[crystleyz42]

I think it's working!

I gave up dairy/soy/eggs for 7 days.  I added the enzymes last Tuesday.  Today is Wed, and I've been back on dairy since Sunday night with no ill-effects.  Babe is taking 2 naps a day and not fighting bedtime any more.  Nightwaking is down, too.  Still abstaining from eggs/soy, but dairy was always our worst culprit.

[Gingercat]

I've been meaning to write as well: I think that it is working for us too!

I gave up dairy/soy/eggs for over a month now and started eating some along with an enzyme each time since last Saturday.

So far so good, no (visible at least) blood in her stools, that was our only reaction after all.

Also been taking an enzyme along with my main meal every day, regardless of its ingredients, and notice that I'm no longer bloated and DD hardly has any gas any more! 

Will stay in touch!

[DevaMajka]

This is a really interesting idea and experiment! I'm subbing because it might come in handy for me.

Ds isn't sensitive to dairy (that I can tell, though he's not at baseline yet) but I wonder if enzymes would help with other foods. He does react to some things via breastmilk. If digestive enzymes help with that, it would make it a lot easier to figure out what he's reacting to.

[icy02]

I love this and I'm so happy it seems to be working for you ladies!! I've been dairy free for over 4 months and tried to re-introduce small amounts of dairy but me and my DS2 both reacted badly to it. The only supplements I take is a prenatal and a cal-mag-zinc. What exactly should I take (enzymes and anything else) to help heal my own body? Then how long should I wait before trying dairy again?? I'm so anxious to hear from you because I would LOVE, LOVE just one slice of pizza!!

[gabbyraja]

which enzymes w/which foods http://www.enzymestuff.com/basicswhichenzyme.htm

food sensitivities http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionsensitivities.htm

[Gingercat]

Well I'm happy to report that I'm doing the enzyme "experiment" for two weeks now and are doing great!

I'm eating all kinds of dairy and eggs with no apparent problem thus far.

OK I haven't tried pizza yet but had lasagna the other day and we were both fine.

I'm taking these enzymes  http://www.iherb.com/Garden-of-Life-O-Zyme-Ultra-Ultimate-Digestive-Enzyme-Blend-180-UltraZorbe-Veggie-Caps/7796?at=0 that help with protein, carbohydrate, fat and dairy digestion.

I find that taking just one does the trick for us, but you can take up to three capsules with each meal.

Hope you enjoy your pizza soon!