Naturopathy

Update 5/4/2015
My naturopathy regime has changed. I ended up with a different naturopath that appears to be more attuned to my requirements. Please refer to http://shikzblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/leaky-gut-syndrome-damaged-microvilli.html for further information.

Update 15/7/2013
Ok so still taking naturopathy. I don't mind taking it on a long term basis because it's all good for you regardless on whether you are unwell or healthy. Slight changes to what I'm taking:

- Just before breakfast and dinner I take Nutrition Care Gut Relief. Here's a link to detailed information about the ingredients. http://www.vitalityandwellness.com.au/Nutritional-Supplements/gut-relief-compound. I believe this helps to repair cell damage and reduce inflammation.

- After every meal I take a herbal tea. At the moment the tea just consists of peppermint and chamomile, but before I took a tea which had ginger, peppermint, chamomile, marshmallow (not the candy :P), and lemon balm. That was a very nice tea and all very safe to take.

- With breakfast I'm taking one Thompson's Kava tablet. Here's some info on Kava. http://thompsonsnutrition.com.au/kava/index.html. It's meant to help with stress and anxiety. Apparently meant to help numb the inside a little as well.

- Before bed I'm taking Symbiotique Probiotics in powder form. I just take it with water. It's got a good strain of probiotics. Better than tablets and yakult.

I'm still symptomatic daily but sometimes I feel that it is becoming a little more tolerable, except for of course around that time of month. So hopefully with continuing with what I'm doing things will gradually get better. *Fingers crossed*

Update 10/6/2013
So I've been taking the naturopathy treatment for about a month now. I do believe that the treatment is helping to calm things down a little, but I still have daily symptoms.

There's been a slight change from what I was taking previously. I'm still taking probiotics, herbal tea, Lavandula and fennel drops. The only change is that I've currently stopped taking slippery elm and taking a product twice a day called 'BioMedica EnteroCare' instead, which consists of the following ingredients:

Glutamine
Slippery Elm
Apple Pectin
Prebiotics
Probiotics

My understanding is that this product is meant to help aid in the recovery of damaged cells. Apparently it helps to reduce healing time after operations.

I saw a gastroenterologist recently and he pretty much said that in cases of post infectious IBS the first two to three years is bad and usually after this time symptoms start to improve. All you can do in the interim is attempt to take products, such as herbal teas, relax and follow special diets to try to relieve symptoms until the body neutralises.


2/5/2013
I started to see a naturopath a few weeks ago and she put me on a treatment to assist with healing my digestive tract, improving my strength and reducing my anxiety and depression. After a few weeks I actually think that I'm starting to feel a little better. It's still early days but severity of pain has seemed to lessen. There's still a bad flatulence level, but she mentioned that with time that will improve as well.

I am taking the following naturopathic treatment:
1. BioCeuticals Symbiotique probiotic powder upon waking and before bed
2. Slippery Elm before each meal
3. Customised herbal tea after each meal
4. Nutri Medicine Lavandula compound before bed
5. Fennel drops

The probiotic is to help improve gut flora. Even though I was taking yakult everyday this is a stronger probiotic. Not as strong as VSL#3, but more for taking long term. And because you're taking one teaspoon morning and night you're saving a lot of money as it lasts longer.

The inner bark of the slippery elm tree has been used as a herbal remedy for centuries. Native Americans traditionally used slippery elm in healing salves and poultices for wounds, boils, ulcers, burns, and skin inflammation. On contact with water, slippery elm powder becomes mucilaginous (slimey, gel-like) in texture which accounts for the majority of its medicinal properties. It has demulcent (soothing) actions on all mucous membranes, including those of the digestive tract, urinary and respiratory tract and also soothes the skin on contact. It also has astringent effects, tightening the surfaces on which it contacts, providing an effective barrier to bacterial infection and alleviating diarrhoea. Slippery elm is also rich in nutrients and can be used as a gruel for infants, invalids and patients with intestinal inflammation.

The customised herbal tea consists of zingiber officinale, mellissa officinal, mentha piperita and althaea officinale. Similar to Iberogast but stronger, and apparently better for the digestive tract when taken in tea form. It's used to assist the food to digest and reduce gut spasms. It also has healing properties.

Lavandula Compound is designed to naturally help relieve the symptoms of nervous tension, stress and anxiety. It is also a mild sedative and assist with a better nights sleep. I believe this is prescription only.

Fennel is used to reduce flatulence and aid in digestion.

So I will continue taking this treatment. It definitely hasn't had a negative impact so far. Will inform you of progress after a months time.

Motilium for Gastroparesis

3/5/2013
Future Update

I would have to say that Motilium has not really been effective for me. I have now reduced to taking once a day before dinner and will eventually stop altogether. I have recently started a naturopathic treatment which actually seems to be helping a little so far. Please see my post on Naturopathy for further details.


29/3/2013
Motilium (a.k.a. Domperidone) is an antidopaminergic drug and used generally to suppress nausea and vomiting, as a pro kinetic agent and for promoting lactation.

There is some evidence that domperidone has antiemetic activity. Domperidone is used in the treatment of nausea and vomiting. In Italy it is also used for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), as well as for hiatal hernia.

Domperidone has also been found effective in the treatment of gastroparesis, a stomach motility condition, and for paediatric gastroesophageal reflux (infant vomiting).

So I've been taking Motilium for about three weeks now for my gastroparesis. Good news is that there hasn't been any negative side effects. Problem is symptoms do not appear to be improving much at all.

I plan to take it for another month to see if it helps in any way, but to be honest, I was sort of expecting to see results straight away. Perhaps I need to give it a little time.

I'm Engaged!

I realise to some that this may be off topic, but in a way, it isn't. IBS can take over a person's life for years, and although it currently has stopped me from socialising, working and dancing, it hasn't changed me as a person. I still have my views and opinions, my beliefs and scepticism, and my love and admiration for my partner. And despite the limitations, frustrations, hatred and disappointments related to this illness there is still a little light glowing in the darkness. No matter how unworthy you think you are there are others out there that think otherwise.

I hope for all those suffering, despite the difficulties, that you do manage to find a little happiness.

xoxo
Shikz

New IBS Website!

12/01/13

Oops, forgot to update. The website is working just fine. It is very informational and has a forum for discussion.
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23/4/13

Ok, there is something technically wrong with the website. It's stopped working for some reason. Will need to look into it. However, you can still visit for information relating to different available treatments for IBS.

The data collection process is what's causing me a little grief.

Will keep you posted to when it is fixed.

Shikz

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Hey Guys,

Ok, so the website I have been working on is up on the internet. The link is below.

www.ibs-experiment.com

It's still not 100% complete, but it's getting there.

Grabbed the following info from the website:

This website aims to gather the knowledge and experience from each individual that currently has or have had IBS by creating a database of information on treatments that are most effective and plot this information into a visual graph available for the public. 

FYI, the website currently does not have enough data yet, but I would really appreciate it if people would go visit and contribute wherever they can.

You can write comments on each of the different treatments, submit answers or even make any requests or recommendations by simply writing to admin@ibs-experiment.com.

I want this website to be for the people so any idea or contribution is welcomed.

Thanks,
Shikz

Enzymes low, Gastroparesis & Hypersensitivity

30/3/2013
I tried digestive supplements for only 4-5 days because they seemed to make symptoms worse, so I stopped them immediately.

6/2/2013
Yes, I am still suffering on a daily basis. Wish I could provide those who are suffering with better news.

Is this difficult to cope with? Definitely. Have I had enough? OMG yes! Is this ever going to end? Wish I knew.

Rewind

About a month ago I caught up with my Gastroenterologist to discuss the results of my colonoscopy and he did find something. My enzyme levels were low in lactase, sucrase and maltase. These enzymes are important because they help to digest the foods.

In addition to the colonoscopy I went through a Gastric Emptying test. This test found that my rate of digesting liquids and solids took roughly double the time of an average person. In other words I have Post Infection Gastroparesis. Yeah, I didn't know something like this existed either. And yes, it does explain why I have so much gas because the food is staying in me for longer and fermenting longer.

The low enzymes and gastroparesis go hand in hand. I'm sure that if my enzyme levels increases my rate of digestion would increase as well. My homeopath and dietition recommended that I take enzyme supplements for a little to aid in my digestion until my body goes back to normal. Makes sense. Could give this a try. Might help? Only one way to find out.

So after every single test I have done, and I have done A LOT, I believe I have come to the conclusion of the specifics of what is currently wrong with me. 

1. My enzyme levels are low

2. My bacteria is imbalanced

3. I have post infection gastroparesis (the rate of my digestion is too slow)

4. I have oesophagitis (inflammation of the oesophagus) / acid reflux

5. I have hypersensitivity in the gut (e.g. [analogy] someone decided to bleach their teeth too much and as a result their gums nerves became very sensitive so whenever they ate something it hurt)

I guess all of this equates to IBS in a nutshell? Have I solved the riddle of IBS?

So now that we've figured out everything that is wrong. What can we do to fix this?

 1. Take enzyme supplements and continue with homeopathy (which is meant to aid in enzyme balance)

 2. Keep eating yogurt and/or yakult everyday, or some other probiotic

 3. Hopefully when enzymes are balanced this will increase rate of digestion, but in the interim do the following:
 - eat 6-8 meals a day
 - eat slowly and always have a single course only
 - small early light dinner - chew food thoroughly
 - soft to liquid consistency meals will digest easier
 - soft well cooked meats such as fish, and chicken
 - eat small amounts of hight starch foods such as rice, bread and pasta
 - eat fruit, vegetables and salads - soups are proven to cause less bloating than solids
 - drink Ensure Plus 2 or 3 times a day (Ensure plus is a liquid supplement drink full of vitamins and minerals that aid in health, strength and immunity and is easy to digest)

 4. Take somac everyday

 5. Try to avoid stress as much as possible

With the above, if you have IBS I'm not suggesting that you go out and start eating enzyme supplements, but it might not hurt to discuss with your doctor the possibility of having low enzymes, bacteria imbalance, gastroparesis, etc.

I hope that this information has been helpful for some people and I hope that it will help towards putting an end to the suffering.

Shikz

P.S. I'll let you know how the enzyme supplements go. I haven't started to take them yet. Will start within the week.

On the Mend: Status 4

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

 I hope that you all had a wonderful christmas and new years despite all the abdominal pain and discomfort. :|

 Thought I would keep everyone in tune as to progress since it's been a while since I last wrote.

 So I've been on Homeopathy medicine for about 5 months now. Alas, I still experience pain every day, so do I believe that it's working? After such a long time most likely not, will be honest, but I'm still taking the homeopathic treatment. It's not making it worse so I guess I have the slightest hope that it may be doing something. False hope perhaps?

 My boyfriend believes that I'm getting better, however, I can't tell anymore. I guess it's just been so long and so much suffering that I no longer can distinguish anything anymore. I probably already mentioned this before, that I probably won't be able to tell if I'm getting better until the pain completely disappears. Perhaps Glen is right, it's only a matter of time. No treatment will provide relief.

 I know, probably not the answer you're looking for.

 It is bizarre really. I did have a colonoscopy performed and the specialist checked for everything, but nothing was found. Amazing how nothing can cause so much pain and distress. Makes no sense, yet it exists. And there's my 2 seconds of D&M.

 Despite the negative news, which I apologise for, I do intend to continue working towards a solution, even if it is just a matter of time. Keep in mind though that all the treatments I've tried may not necessarily be very effective on me, but may be effective on you.

 I am currently in the process of creating a website. The idea of this website is to see which treatments people have tried which are most effective for the majority. Sort of like a stats website for IBS treatments. I'll let you know when the site is ready. I'm hoping the information gathered will be useful in the future for others and myself suffering from IBS.

Homeopathy

30/3/2013
Ok, so I've been taking homeopathic medicine for about 5 months. I still suffer daily symptoms, however, symptoms have seemed to lesson a little. Having said that that may not have been the result of taking the homeopathic medicine. It could be a combination of good diet, rest, vitamin and mineral supplements, some conventional medicine and time.

Initially when I saw the homeopath he said the treatment will take three months. Five months later and there wasn't much improvement. To me that is an indication that the treatment is not working and it's time to move on.

30/10/2012
Ok, so along with Iberogast I decided to also start homeopathy, which I started on 9th September. I started Iberogast mid August, but after a month I didn't really feel much different so I thought adding homeopathy to the mix wouldn't hurt. I already knew that homeopathy was safe from research. First I'll give you a little explanation of what homeopathy is and then mention the additional things I have been doing recommended by the homeopath.

Homeopathy
Reference: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Homeopathy


Homeopathy (or homoeopathy) is a holistic system of medicine based on the theory of treating ‘like with like’. It claims to stimulate the body’s own healing response to disease, using specially prepared, highly dilute preparations. Homeopathy claims to treat the symptoms of a wide range of illnesses including allergies, asthma, eczema, hay fever, headaches, stress and respiratory infections. 

The cornerstone of homeopathic philosophy is the ‘Law of similars’. This law or principle is based on a long-held belief (by ancient healers like Paracelsus) that substances that produce symptoms in a healthy individual can be used to treat similar symptoms in a sick person. Modern homeopathy was founded in the 18th century by a German physician, Dr Samuel Hahnemann.

An example of this principle is coffee. Coffee can aggravate some people who are sensitive to its stimulating effects. These people may experience increased mental and physical alertness, along with an exaggerated response to stimuli. People who present at a homeopathic clinic with symptoms of insomnia, headache, irritability and an overstimulated nervous system may be prescribed a dose of Coffea cruda,which has been prepared according to homeopathic principles. Practitioners believe that this will settle the symptoms of insomnia in these people.

Homeopathic medicines are made from a variety of sources, such as plants, animals and minerals. They are prepared according to strict guidelines set out in international pharmacopoeias. Homeopathic medicines are considered safe and free from serious adverse reactions.

Sometimes symptoms may temporarily get worse before they get better. This ‘aggravation’ of symptoms can be part of the homeopathic treatment. However, you should tell your homeopath if you have these reactions. Your homeopath may refer you to a doctor or other healthcare practitioner if necessary.

Additional

In addition to taking the homeopathy I am still taking Iberogast three times a day. I was also told to take fresh coconut water daily. I drink about half a coconut a day because I am quite petite and read that too much coconut water can have a laxative effect, something I really want to avoid. 

The homeopath also told me to eat some raw carrot after dinner every night. This is meant to help improve the enzymes in my stomach somehow. I don't understand the specifics.

He mentioned to eat alfalfa sprouts daily, which I do not do. I should, but it is all just a bit too much for me.

He mentioned to not eat too much protein, which makes sense because red meat is hard to digest. Well for me it is. I've always found it a bit tough to eat too much red meat so I am currently avoiding red meat and have reduced drinking Sustegen daily to two to three times a week.

I'm not allowed to drink large amounts of liquid (inc. water) during or just after a meal. Not sure why. Maybe to reduce bloating? I'll ask the homeopath next time I see him. 

He also mentioned to avoid onions and garlic, which is also mentioned in the FODMAP Diet.

Light exercise is recommended, not heavy exercise. For example, something like yoga.

I am also still taking Activia every day, which he has encouraged. It also doesn't hurt to eat foods rich in folic acid (folate), such as spinach, broccoli, papaya, corn, etc. Research has shown that folic acid has a role in the prevention of colon cancer. Patients with the inflammatory bowel condition ulcerative colitis are particularly at risk for colon cancer, and folic acid may play an even greater role of protection for this group. Cervical cancer prevention can also substantially benefit from folic acid supplementation. The vitamin can also prevent esophageal, stomach and pancreatic cancer.


Refer to http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/folic-acid-foods/ for details on foods with folic acid.

Hmmm, what else? That's all I can think of at the moment. The homeopath said it would take about three months of treatment to fix me up. I am both hopeful and skeptical because I do not want to keep my hopes up too high. I am tempted to give an update of my progress but I want to give it another month.