Healing the Gut Tribe ~~ July! - Page 18

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by krankedyann

Since I know kefir is loaded with many more probiotics than yogurt, I'm sure it's a better choice, however how do you know all of the lactose has been consumed?

Not necessarily. Kefir contains more types of bacteria/yeast than the usual 3 strains in yogurt. Kefir has more bacterial count in number than store bought yogurt. But 24 hr. yogurt made at home is just as strong in bacterial count:

The Great Yogurt-Kefir Conspiracy:
http://www.healingcrow.com/ferfun/co...onspiracy.html

It might be your individual gut flora that responds better to one or the other. The beneficial yeasts in kefir really make some people react negatively. Perhaps it's strong die off too.

It's also harder to eliminate all lactose in kefir as I understand it. You have to culture with grains 24 hours, then strain out grains and ripen another 24-48 at room temp. This was from Dom's site or Yahoo group I think.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by MyLittleWonders

I hope you don't mind me asking a quick question here ... we are working on yeast/candida/thrush here with my 1 month old and me. I was wondering if he was too young to start slipping some enzymes into him. We are giving him probiotics 3x a day, and I am taking them too. Plus I have some Candizyme to start taking, and was wondering if there was a reason why I couldn't put some in his mouth at night too ...

I would not do enzymes for any infant under 6 months at least.

I think Natren makes a dairy free Life Start. And Country Life MAXI BABY-DOPHILUS is dairy free too.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by Pattyla

So I got dd's stool results on Sat, ran to my puter and discovered that mcd was down Her results were extremely confusing. No yeast and no lactobaccili and only half the level of bifidous they think is right. Nothing else. After doing some more reserch I have come to the conclusion that the results mean nothing. I fed dd some fruit after reading that result (after nearly a week of no fruit) some cherries at one point and some rasberries at another. Her behavior was awful! Hitting us, fighting sleep even after skipping her nap (usually no nap guarentees a quick and easy bedtime, just lots of night waking) pushing the little girl from up the street. Behaviors I only saw in her when we weren't restricting her fruit. I cut fruit out again after that nightmare. I then posed on pecanbread and found out that the stool test can have false negatives for yeast and that something called the OAT test from great plains is much better.

So she and I are back to no fruit and no honey. (man I hate the taste of stevia ) Not sure how long we will keep this up.
...

I almost forgot! While I was researching trying to figure out my dd's test results I came across a study on pub med that said that excess cortisol has a detrimental effect on the good bacteria in the gut. Not sleeping causes excessive cortisol!

Yep. That is the "vicious cycle" we are in now too re: sleeping and cortisol. I would love that study if you can pinpoint it b/c I'm *constantly* saying this to DH when he is fed up with DS and his sleep problems ... that making DS cry or get agitated only makes him worse.

DS can really only do bananas and cooked pear and it's becoming a nightmare food wise. It's been too long on this very restricted diet.

I also think that he has yeast problems despite 2 stool tests saying it's only bacteria. He just goes completely nuts on juice or raw fruit, just like you describe.

He also just had some virus or reaction or huge die off or something, the poor kid pooped 9x the other day and had a fever. So I don't know what is going on. We've been rotating probiotics lately.

We are seeing a DAN dr. on Monday and I will ask for the OAT but I don't know if it can be done while he is still in nighttime diapers (do you know if it's first AM urine?) Or perhaps we will just treat for yeast and see what happens.

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by JaneS

I would not do enzymes for any infant under 6 months at least.

I think Natren makes a dairy free Life Start. And Country Life MAXI BABY-DOPHILUS is dairy free too.

If Natren makes a dairy-free one I haven't been able to find it. I guess for my DD I'll just have to wait until she starts solids to start her on a probiotic.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't go ahead and start her on solids in a few weeks? I was planning on starting after Labor Day, when she'll be 8 1/2 months old. She sits up alone, has teeth, and is very interested in food, she just doesn't have the pincher grasp yet, but I'm sure she will by then.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by caedmyn

JaneS--I came across a couple of things the other day that you might be interested in. One is the optimal diet--a Polish doctor is supposed to have cured a ton of people from various chronic & terminal diseases with it, basically you eat a ratio of 1 gram/protein to 2.5-3.5 grams/fat to .8/gram/carbs (basically only veggies for the carbs). The other is hydrogen peroxide. This website says it is effective for bacteria problems. http://www.familyhealthnews.com/27.html

What kinds of fats where they eating?

I'm hugely in favor of fats and try to get as much into DS as possible, but I'm finding it hard to plan a daily diet around them with other restrictions.

The H2O2 thing is interesting... I know vitamin C, and certain probiotics, like Reuteri, are known for producing it. DS has been calmer on higher doses of C, we are up to almost 2 grams/day. But then that virus or whatever last week threw us all off.

[Punchy Kaby]

Question about enzymes...
I just got my bottle of Candex (enzymes). How shall I start taking them? The bottle says morning 1 hr before food and then again at night 2 hrs after food. But I know with other enzymes you can take them with a meal. I am Breastfeeding a 7 month old and we have already been through 2 bad die-off cycles (starting SCD and then again starting yogurt)

JaneS-I am going to try your cashew butter cake today...I am really looking forward to it!

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by caedmyn

If Natren makes a dairy-free one I haven't been able to find it. I guess for my DD I'll just have to wait until she starts solids to start her on a probiotic.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't go ahead and start her on solids in a few weeks? I was planning on starting after Labor Day, when she'll be 8 1/2 months old. She sits up alone, has teeth, and is very interested in food, she just doesn't have the pincher grasp yet, but I'm sure she will by then.

Yep, you are right, they recommend their Bifido Factor dairy free instead:
http://store.natren.com/Merchant2/me...egory_Code=002

I don't see why not solids. It's just practice anyways for first few months. I would just go carefully and do a combo of SCD and WAPF principles (no grains).

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by Nolansmum

Question about enzymes...
I just got my bottle of Candex (enzymes). How shall I start taking them? The bottle says morning 1 hr before food and then again at night 2 hrs after food. But I know with other enzymes you can take them with a meal. I am Breastfeeding a 7 month old and we have already been through 2 bad die-off cycles (starting SCD and then again starting yogurt)

JaneS-I am going to try your cashew butter cake today...I am really looking forward to it!

Yes, follow directions to take on empty stomach. (With a lot of water.) This is a crucial part of using cellulase and protease enzymes to kill yeast/bacteria in gut. Otherwise if you take them with food, they are working on the food.

I personally did not see bad die off with Candex when I had thrush while bf'ing but that's just me. Maybe you want to start with one capsule only.

Enjoy the cake!

[JaneS]

Mynn,

The gas means you are not digesting your food fully and it's fermenting in the intestines. I would start on digestive enzymes pronto.

You might want to check on pregnancy safety but since your body produces them anyways, I would personally take them. You can also check around at www.enzymestuff.com or their Yahoo group for any info on pg issues or call Dr. Devin Houston at Houston Nutraceuticals for advice.

Fermenting foods also means intestinal flora imbalance. Because the bad gut bugs like yeast/bacteria eat the unabsorbed food (usually grains and sugars) and grow out of control. They also produce toxins that are just like alcohol that go into your bloodstream and this is the cause of the foggy head, fatigue and dizzy symptoms (adding: and rage and sleep issues) that are known to accompany yeast/candida.

I would also boost your probiotics and your DS's probiotics to 3x day. Sounds like neither of you got a good start on healthy gut flora!

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by JaneS

What kinds of fats where they eating?

I'm hugely in favor of fats and try to get as much into DS as possible, but I'm finding it hard to plan a daily diet around them with other restrictions.

The H2O2 thing is interesting... I know vitamin C, and certain probiotics, like Reuteri, are known for producing it. DS has been calmer on higher doses of C, we are up to almost 2 grams/day. But then that virus or whatever last week threw us all off.

They want 90% to be animal/saturated fats. They don't specifically mention CO but since it's saturated I don't know why that wouldn't be acceptable (or just tweak the diet to fit your needs ).

Does your DS like herbal teas? I've been able to put about 1 Tbsp of CO in a cup of herbal tea...I also put quite a bit in bone broths but I seem to recall you mentioning it was hard to get those into him.

[JaneS]

Saturated fats are right up my alley!

Yes, DS does like herbal teas with or without stevia. I make those in summer cold but never thought of using them warm for CO, hmmmm.

He is very spotty on bone broth consumption. I found that he does really like chicken broth made with rosemary lately. And of course I burned an entire batch of it, dontcha know. Sigh. So I started all over again and that is what he's been using to recover past few days. Usually I do his banana or nut butter pancakes in CO. But goat butter also is supposed to have high amounts of caprylic acid and he eats a lot of that too.

[megincl]

sodium ascorbate for kids

DS has been taking ascorbic acid (chewable), which is really really helping him deal with die-off as he's on antibiotics for yeast and too many anaerobic bacteria in the gut....but, folks here say that he should really be on sodium ascorbate.

i'd love suggestions on sodium ascorbate for kids, if there are chewable varieties (getting him to drink dissolved stuff will be HARD), and how much he should take. he's been taking at least 1500mg of the chewables right now and they are serving him well.

thanks!
megin

[EBG]

Originally Posted by caedmyn

EBG--did you say that at one point you were eating several cloves of raw garlic a day? If so, did you find that it affected your nursing babe at all? My DD's sleep issues are getting worse and worse and my DH suggested that maybe all the raw garlic I'm eating is upsetting her stomach. She's never reacted (as far as I can tell) to anything I've eaten with behavioral changes, colic, or that sort of thing.

Yes and I still do if I don't forget it. Anywhere between 2-6 cloves. I usually add it to my food but sometimes just chew it up and chase it down with water, now that I try to take enzymes between meals.
It never affected my nursling.
The Candidase enzymes and kefir did-her skin and poop - but not the sleeping patterns. The smell didn't seem to bother her either...

Do you see any benefits from garlic? It did give me a huge die-off initially but it's not doing anything any more. Nothing is is helping at this point.

[EBG]

Originally Posted by chasmyn

A peanut is a legume, not a nut. I think that's what you meant to say.

I meant that shea nut is a tuber not a nut. I'm not sure, though.

[chasmyn]

Oh! Shea!

It doesn't look like it (I Googled to check). It looks like it is a fruit, called a nut, and the butter is extracted from the seed. (Wikipedia).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shea

I couldn't find any mention of it being a tuber anywhere.

[WuWei]

Just two comments that may already be common knowledge: there are many fruits that are high in salicylates that have a behavioral response of aggitation, hyperactivity, interrupted sleep: The Feingold program also identifies additives in non-food sources such as aspirin, toothpaste, medicines, and gums. Some of the salicylate foods are:

• Almonds • Apples • Apricots • Aspirin • Berries (all) • Cherries • Cloves • Coffee • Cucumbers • Currants • Grapes/raisins • Nectarines • Oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylates) • Oranges • Peaches • Peppers (bell, chili) • Pickles • Plums • Prunes • Raisins • Rose hips • Tangerines • Tangelos • Tea • Tomatoes • Vinegar (cider, wine) • Wine

Of course, articifical colors and flavors have a similar stimulant affect for our son too.

Also, we use CO 1:1 in most all baking recipes for any oil.

Pat

[jrose_lee]

Other flours?

I would like to make some bread on occasion, but almond flour will break the bank for us Can I use a cheaper nut and make my own flour by putting in the food processor? Would walnuts work for the bread as well? I can get walnuts a bit cheaper here than almonds. Any thoughts?

[sphinxie]

I'm checking out yogurt makers. Can you make 24 hr yogurt, using one of them?

[Mynn]

Thanks so much for the thoughtful response.

[Punchy Kaby]

Originally Posted by sphinxie

I'm checking out yogurt makers. Can you make 24 hr yogurt, using one of them?

I bought the Salton 1 qt maker as other people had said it worked well and was easy. It kept the yogurt at 122 degrees which is too hot. So I then used a heating pad to make the yogurt and it was VERY easy. Just test on top of the heating pad with whatever containers you will be using to make the yogurt and fill them with water. Keep checking the temp over several hrs adjust the temp to stay between 100-110. You don't have to spend any money (unless you don't have a heating pad at home.)