Healing the Gut Tribe-October - Page 7

[Punchy Kaby]

This is OT, but so cool I have to share...

I performed tonight for all of the Supreme Court Justices! It is intimidating being around such intellectual and powerful people! They all look so much smaller than I imagined . We got to walk through the actual courtroom too. I was speechless, all I could say is 'Wow!.'

[flowmom]

Originally Posted by sphinxie

Can anyone tell me about sources for well-priced, good quality COL and enzymes--for someone in Canada, specifically Vancouver?

Spectrum Supplements in Montreal ships free in Canada if your order is over $100. They carry Houston Neutraceuticals enzymes (the chewables are great for kids). They also carry CLO.

[caedmyn]

Originally Posted by p1gg1e

Mmm I like that kombucha in mango I'm so confused really about it though its fermented and its contains yeast but the probiotics are amazing in it... like eating raw sauerkraut... everything I read says those are a no - no but Sigh its killing my yeast and I feel better :

As far as I can tell, the anti-candida diets are usually referring to regular pasturized sauerkraut, which is made with vinegar, as a no-no.

[flowmom]

Crohn's Disease advice?

I could really use some advice for a local AP mama who is shell-shocked because her husband had a sudden onset of Crohn's Disease a couple of months ago and is now disabled by severe joint pain (so bad he has to crawl to the bathroom).

1. Any good links on Crohn's & gut healing?
2. She wants to try SCD (friends got her the book) but she is a vegetarian so she is really struggling with how to plan meals and cook for her dh - any good sites with support or strategies for transitioning onto the diet?

[Nosy]

Best tips for healing a baby's gut?

Hi, I'm new here and trying to jump in on this thread while I can still keep up with it. I've read the healing the gut sticky, but I'm wondering what you all think might be appropriate for healing the gut of a 9 mo old. My 9 mo old DS has allergies to soy, nuts, & chocolate (react by spitting up after nursing). He is having trouble gaining weight. I have terrible breastmilk supply problems, else I would try to continue exclusively breastfeeding him (with no introduction of solids). He currently nurses mostly, but I have given him yogurt (would like to make my own raw milk yogurt, but haven't figure it out yet) & a few low on the allergy scale fruits & vegetables (pears, squash). He had antibiotics through me at birth and has had yeast problems since birth.

So is everything appropriate for a baby so young? Is it better just to do the healing the gut protocol for me and assume things will trickle down? I'd really like to get him feeling better. As an aside my 2.5 year old has asthma and some allergies, so he could probably benefit, too. Thanks for all I've learned so far from these informative monthly threads.

[mamajaillet]

I'm new here.

Hello everyone, I have posted a few time in the alleries forum, and tried to get through last month's thread here, but started too late, and just couldnt' get to the end to post and into.

I am still learning a lot about all of this, and know that we have some gut issues. My dd who is 5 mo is sensitive to dairy, and we are doing an elimination diet to see if we can find any other triggers, her skin is a little dry in patches, and her bum is so red (although it is clearing up, been on TED for almost 2 weeks). I am also realizing that my first probably has some triggers too, and I just didn't know enough before to recognize the signs.

So...I hate to ask questions that you have probably answered for so many finding there way here, but I am still trying to sort through some info in my head. If my dd is reacting to things through bm, does that mean I have a leaky gut? Is that the only way these proteins get through? Does it mean that I have the same sensitivities?

And if our guts are all messed up, do we have yeast problems too? We have never had thrush (in 5 years of nursing), I've never had a vaginal yeast infection either. However, my ds craves sweets (don't most kids?), but we haven't ever had sugar in our home--just b-day parties and such, and not until he was two. He craves fruit and jelly and cereal, and he is crazy when he has these, even fruit. Likewise, I have sweet cravings too. I can't imagine giving up grains, I tried to really limit them the first week of our elim diet, and I just can not digest meat like I can grains. Without the grains, I can't go to the bathroom.

I feel so overwhelmed at this point, but committed to healing us, and learning all that I can. I just thought we were so healthy, and I suppose on one level we were, we didn't eat junk. But I suppose none of that matters if our guts are wacky.

Anyways, I have realized that some of you mamas know more about all of this than my ND, so I am here to learn!!

Blessings.

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by Nolansmum

This is OT, but so cool I have to share...

I performed tonight for all of the Supreme Court Justices! It is intimidating being around such intellectual and powerful people! They all look so much smaller than I imagined . We got to walk through the actual courtroom too. I was speechless, all I could say is 'Wow!.'

Very cool!

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by Nosy

Hi, I'm new here and trying to jump in on this thread while I can still keep up with it. I've read the healing the gut sticky, but I'm wondering what you all think might be appropriate for healing the gut of a 9 mo old. My 9 mo old DS has allergies to soy, nuts, & chocolate (react by spitting up after nursing). He is having trouble gaining weight. I have terrible breastmilk supply problems, else I would try to continue exclusively breastfeeding him (with no introduction of solids). He currently nurses mostly, but I have given him yogurt (would like to make my own raw milk yogurt, but haven't figure it out yet) & a few low on the allergy scale fruits & vegetables (pears, squash). He had antibiotics through me at birth and has had yeast problems since birth.

So is everything appropriate for a baby so young? Is it better just to do the healing the gut protocol for me and assume things will trickle down? I'd really like to get him feeling better. As an aside my 2.5 year old has asthma and some allergies, so he could probably benefit, too. Thanks for all I've learned so far from these informative monthly threads.

Right now you should be focusing on healing yourself. Anything you take (supplements, enymes, probiotics, etc.) will transfer through your bm to your babe. Have you looked into anything to increase your supply?

Have you looked at the sticky at the top of the forum? There's tons of good info there.

Helping my dd is what brought me here. DD was about 9 months at the time too. Little by little she's healing as am I. I actually healed much faster than she did and I know that without b'milk she would've been far worse than she was/is.

Hang around a while, the mamas here are extremely knowledgeable.

[Panserbjorne]

It is always best to start with yourself...as you heal things will get better. There are plenty of things that are appropriate for your babe, but before you jump in whole hog you may want to do some reading here first.

[Punchy Kaby]

I am really frustrated! I have been so good about not cheating and I am so bloated. Bloated all day, all night, even in the morning when I wake up. My uterus area is protruding and it is firm. Actually my belly bloat starts from the bottom of my rib cage and goes all the way down to my pubic area. I don't have any stomach upset or bowel symptoms. Usually if I eat something that doesn't agree I feel it right away as a stomach ache and then the bloat comes. What gives??? I have also gained 5 lbs and have not changed the amount that I eat.

I remember a couple of others talking about this too. Anyone else going through this? Any ideas why this is happening?

[bluets]

i started here for my ds when he was 13 months old or so. i got it in my head that we should test him for leaky gut (before i knew how the test was performed). then i broke out in hives (a first!) and i found out that the leaky gut test involved collecting urine over a 6 hour period - haha. it turned out that *I** was the one with the leaky gut. he might have also had a leaky gut - but if he did, i think he is in the healing process now.

i agree with annikate and firefaery - focus on yourself and your babe will heal along with you (though at a slower pace because dc is healing AND growing, learning, etc).

[bluets]

nolansmum, i got that feeling once when i tried eating tempeh. the next time i tried tempeh, i used beano and didn't have the problem. i can't remember - are you using enzymes? if not, perhaps you should try some.

ETA - i stay far away from tempeh now!

[LovinLiviLou]

Your post sounds a lot like the one I posted here a few months ago! It is quite a journey, and I am still very new to this myself (maybe I'm like apprentice to all the pros that hang out here!), but here are some pointers I'd give you from what I've learned after 3 months on this journey.

Yes, if things are getting through to your dd, you have gut issues. It took me a long time to believe this about myself because I never had any of the things I was reading about. however, after being on the SCD (check out www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info if you haven't been there yet) for 3 months, I realize that I did have some of the symptoms, I'd just come to think they were normal. Now my skin looks great and I feel so much healthier. I've had some emotional ups and downs with die-off and the stress of learning all this and trying to heal a little one, but when those aren't affecting me, I feel great.

Just because you have leaky gut does not mean you have yeast issues, although plenty of folks here have both. Luckily so far we don't, so we''re only having to battle one demon.

I, too, really couldn't imagine giving up grains and was overwhelmed about the introduction diet on SCD because of all the dairy (which I knew I couldn't do with my dd). However, once I bit the bullet and did it, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. I have had to emotionally disconnect myself from food (I'm from the South and a family where EVERYthing centers around food). It's probably emotionally way healthier than how I was before, but has been really hard. I would suggest you check out www.pecanbread.com and their introduction diet if you decide to go the SCD route because it is dairy free.

I agree with ff - take some time to read around. It took me about 3 agonizing weeks to read up and decide I had to do this. For me, it really boiled down to the fact that I was already avoiding so many things, and I decided that if there were a chance to fix this, I should do it. Granted, I knew she may outgrow the issues on her own or that I may do all this and it not help, but I didn’t want to take the chance that she wouldn’t outgrow it and I would forever be wondering if I could have made it all better in the beginning by doing the diet. Plus, I figured it was easier to fix her though me than try to deal with following the diet for a toddler.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by mamajaillet

Hello everyone, I have posted a few time in the alleries forum, and tried to get through last month's thread here, but started too late, and just couldnt' get to the end to post and into.

I am still learning a lot about all of this, and know that we have some gut issues. My dd who is 5 mo is sensitive to dairy, and we are doing an elimination diet to see if we can find any other triggers, her skin is a little dry in patches, and her bum is so red (although it is clearing up, been on TED for almost 2 weeks). I am also realizing that my first probably has some triggers too, and I just didn't know enough before to recognize the signs.

So...I hate to ask questions that you have probably answered for so many finding there way here, but I am still trying to sort through some info in my head. If my dd is reacting to things through bm, does that mean I have a leaky gut? Is that the only way these proteins get through? Does it mean that I have the same sensitivities?

And if our guts are all messed up, do we have yeast problems too? We have never had thrush (in 5 years of nursing), I've never had a vaginal yeast infection either. However, my ds craves sweets (don't most kids?), but we haven't ever had sugar in our home--just b-day parties and such, and not until he was two. He craves fruit and jelly and cereal, and he is crazy when he has these, even fruit. Likewise, I have sweet cravings too. I can't imagine giving up grains, I tried to really limit them the first week of our elim diet, and I just can not digest meat like I can grains. Without the grains, I can't go to the bathroom.

I feel so overwhelmed at this point, but committed to healing us, and learning all that I can. I just thought we were so healthy, and I suppose on one level we were, we didn't eat junk. But I suppose none of that matters if our guts are wacky.

Anyways, I have realized that some of you mamas know more about all of this than my ND, so I am here to learn!!

Blessings.

[motocita]

success!

i took dd to see a traditional chinese medicine doctor and he explained to us that he likes to strengthen the patient's energy first, because sometimes homeopathic remedies don't work if your body doesn't have enough energy to mount a sufficient response to the remedy. he gave us two herb formulas - one to help her body release excessive heat and the other for frailty and weak digestion.

but, the really awesome part of the exam was the accupucture. he did it with a laser since dd is only 2 years old. he also used a scratching type tool to stimulate the energy channels in her legs and arms, right near where the worse eczema is. dd loved it, she got totally quiet and let him do it without any objection. this is very startling because she is usually super phobic of strangers and especially men. afterward on the car ride home she told me she wanted to see that doctor again, so he could do the scratching thing. she really enjoyed it!

it's been 2 days since the visit and her eczema is very noticeably reduced, plus i haven't seen those shiners that i used to see with almost every meal! we've been eating everything again with no reactions. this doctor believes we should strengthen her gut and just eat healthy. he does NT himself so that was great to hear. he did say to avoid wheat (but not gluten) because it's not healthy in general. he says that eczema is very easy to treat.

it really has been like a miracle for my family and i highly recommend anyone here who has access to see an accupuncturist. maybe you can avoid the frustration and trial that we went through with our elimination diet. i wish i had known sooner that this would have worked for us so quickly.

[chasmyn]

Originally Posted by motocita

i took dd to see a traditional chinese medicine doctor and he explained to us that he likes to strengthen the patient's energy first, because sometimes homeopathic remedies don't work if your body doesn't have enough energy to mount a sufficient response to the remedy. he gave us two herb formulas - one to help her body release excessive heat and the other for frailty and weak digestion.

but, the really awesome part of the exam was the accupucture. he did it with a laser since dd is only 2 years old. he also used a scratching type tool to stimulate the energy channels in her legs and arms, right near where the worse eczema is. dd loved it, she got totally quiet and let him do it without any objection. this is very startling because she is usually super phobic of strangers and especially men. afterward on the car ride home she told me she wanted to see that doctor again, so he could do the scratching thing. she really enjoyed it!

it's been 2 days since the visit and her eczema is very noticeably reduced, plus i haven't seen those shiners that i used to see with almost every meal! we've been eating everything again with no reactions. this doctor believes we should strengthen her gut and just eat healthy. he does NT himself so that was great to hear. he did say to avoid wheat (but not gluten) because it's not healthy in general. he says that eczema is very easy to treat.

it really has been like a miracle for my family and i highly recommend anyone here who has access to see an accupuncturist. maybe you can avoid the frustration and trial that we went through with our elimination diet. i wish i had known sooner that this would have worked for us so quickly.

That is wonderful news! Thank you so much for sharing that!

[Annikate]

Originally Posted by chasmyn

That is wonderful news! Thank you so much for sharing that!

That is great news motocita and something I will definitely keep in mind!

[Pattyla]

I think we are finally really getting somewhere with dd.

The die off crazy behavior has abated. And she just seems more centered and settled than ever before. She has also gained 4 lbs since early July! She has always been very thin and she is very thin no longer. She is pretty proportional now (actually a higher percentage for weight than height for the first time ever.) Her belly is begining to stick out some which has me a bit concerned. It isn't really fat, just round. I'm not sure if this is normal or not since her belly has always been really flat. She is getting to be quite solid. No real rolls of fat but then at her age there shouldn't be, but just solid body mass. I can tell she is so much healthier than she ever was before.

Me, I'm in die off I think. I feel vaguely like I have the flu (body aches). I'm trying some liver support to help me with this and plenty of epsom salts baths.

The big changes for me and dd is that we started kombucha and lots of it (4-6 oz a day for her) and more probiotics in general. Reuteri 2x a day. Colostrum for both of us but I think that one is helping her more than me.

I've got my first batch of homemade kombucha going now. Hopefully it will work and I'll have some in another week or so.

The bad news for me is I tried taking a probiotic with rice starch in it and it gave me a stomach ache. I was really hoping to be able to try rice soon. I miss getting to take comunion and if I could do rice I was going to put rice crackers into the comunion plates so that I could eat those. Plus it would be nice for our budget to be able to eat some cheap filler foods.

The other big news in my life is that I have set up a child care exchange with a neighbor that gives me one morning a week off and probably hired a college student for another morning. (Still need to have her and dd meet). Just knowing that I'll be getting some help takes such a load off my shoulders.

Oh and I have been getting acupuncture. Well my acupuncturist is pg and due soon and had the guy who will be replacing her while she is on materinity leave in meeting her patients the other day. He apparently knows quite a bit about candida (my acupuncturist specalizes in fertility) and did a special needling to address that. I feel noticably different ever since. My digestion is better, I have more energy. I noticed a lot of positive changes in my cycle from the work that she has been doing on me but never an immediate change like I felt this time. I'm excited to see how he can help me.

[Pattyla]

Originally Posted by motocita

i took dd to see a traditional chinese medicine doctor and he explained to us that he likes to strengthen the patient's energy first, because sometimes homeopathic remedies don't work if your body doesn't have enough energy to mount a sufficient response to the remedy. he gave us two herb formulas - one to help her body release excessive heat and the other for frailty and weak digestion.

but, the really awesome part of the exam was the accupucture. he did it with a laser since dd is only 2 years old. he also used a scratching type tool to stimulate the energy channels in her legs and arms, right near where the worse eczema is. dd loved it, she got totally quiet and let him do it without any objection. this is very startling because she is usually super phobic of strangers and especially men. afterward on the car ride home she told me she wanted to see that doctor again, so he could do the scratching thing. she really enjoyed it!

it's been 2 days since the visit and her eczema is very noticeably reduced, plus i haven't seen those shiners that i used to see with almost every meal! we've been eating everything again with no reactions. this doctor believes we should strengthen her gut and just eat healthy. he does NT himself so that was great to hear. he did say to avoid wheat (but not gluten) because it's not healthy in general. he says that eczema is very easy to treat.

it really has been like a miracle for my family and i highly recommend anyone here who has access to see an accupuncturist. maybe you can avoid the frustration and trial that we went through with our elimination diet. i wish i had known sooner that this would have worked for us so quickly.

How did you find an acupuncturist to treat your dd? Mine just treats adults. Hmmm... Actually after my experience last week dh was wondering when we could take dd in. I pointed out that she wouldn't put up with the needles. I do know of another tcm acupuncturist. I'll have to look into that.

[Punchy Kaby]

motocita-glad to hear you are having success with the accupuncture!!

Pattyla- happy to hear success for you and dd too! I can't remember how long you have been doing this diet...I'm envious that you are making your own kombucha! After only a few bottles I am hooked. Keep up the good work!

bluets-You are right, I ate something I wasn't ready for and I am paying the price. I think it was the nuts.

I was reading on pecanbread that it is common to have a flair up in symptoms again after 3-4 months on the diet. (I have been on SCD for almost 4 months) The weeker pathogens die first and the hardier ones are left to cause troubles that surface arounde this point. I am going to do the intro diet again for a few days, basically restarting the diet. Pecanbread suggests juicing 2 carrots + 1 clove garlic and taking with food 1-2X per day to help kill off the yeast and bacteria. Is there any way to juice a carrot without a juicer?

[motocita]

Originally Posted by Pattyla

How did you find an acupuncturist to treat your dd? Mine just treats adults. Hmmm... Actually after my experience last week dh was wondering when we could take dd in. I pointed out that she wouldn't put up with the needles. I do know of another tcm acupuncturist. I'll have to look into that.

this acupuncturist is actually a pediatrician. he told me that about 50% of the kids are OK with needles and the rest aren't. we're going to try a needle or two next week. i've had acupuncture myself - about 5 years ago when i had terrible stomach cramps with almost every meal. i seriously thought i was going to die a couple of times. my mom had a lump in her breast that was malignant and a different acupuncturist had gotten rid of it for her and it was such an unbelievable thing that i took a chance and went in for my stomach thing. it took about 4 months of acupuncture (about once every 4-6 weeks) and totally disgusting herbs everyday, but i came out of it with the strongest stomach i've ever had! plus a bunch of other benefits. i thought acupuncture was only for adults too.