Merry... err... Happy Holidays

Sorry I haven't been posting much.  Lots of experimentation, questioning and thinking.

I'm feeling pretty darn good.  The only SIBOesque symptom I have on a regular basis is bloating, although that could be related to the permeability that's still lingering or the H. Pylori (if that's still there) or my inability to digest protein well coupled with my lack of digestive support due to H. Pylori protocol.  I've had constipation a few times in the last month but not horrible.

Feeling much better after working on the adrenals.  I have been using the adrenal glandulars, DHEA and licorice root.  I've worked up to one drop (1.2mg) of DHEA with breakfast and one drop with lunch.  That was ROUGH.  For the first 3-4 days I was sooooo irritable, angry and just climbing out of my skin.  I don't know how bodybuilders ever survive actual hardcore steriods.  Phew!  If you recall my ND recommended I work up to 3 drops, 3 times a day and honestly I don't know that that kind of dose is warranted.  Less is more!  I've been using a couple of drops of licorice with lunch to help extend my cortisol since afternoons are my biggest drop in energy.  I have not added in the Pregnenolone yet.

I ordered some mushrooms from Four Sigma Foods after listening to this podcast from Ben Greenfield.  He can be a little out there but I believe he is smart and does his research on things that he himself uses.  Like me he is also interested in a lot of self experimentation.  So while mushrooms themselves are a big NO NO for SIBO I decided I'd give them a whirl since they can be so supportive of the other issues I am dealing with (thyroid, adrenal).  And my husband LOVES mushrooms so if I don't like them I'm sure he will.  I ordered the Lion's Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps and Chaga bundle since they were on sale plus there was a coupon for an additional 15%.  It's still listed on their site but I'm not sure it's still active.  I wanted to try the hot chocolate blends but they have nightshades and I'm avoiding those for now.

After finishing the digestion portion of my nutrition certification class and learning a lot about the structure of the intestinal lining I decided to try coconut elimination for a while.  I cannot put coconut on my skin or lips without them getting super chapped.  It takes about 3 days and then the skin feels like it's going to be peel from my body.  It's weird.  The intestinal lining is made of epithelial cells, obviously different from the skin, but seemingly a lot more delicate.  As I've restricted my diet more and more I've added in more coconut oil and more coconut milk.  Given the response of my skin I thought it would be good to take a break and see what happens.  Oh and I was negative on the Array 10 which is part of why I kept ignoring my external reaction.

After listening to Dr. Keller on the Phoenix Helix podcast and her extreme caution about probiotics I cut back on them for a while.  I don't know why.  I was a patient of hers and didn't find her methods super effective.  It only took a few days for me to realize I feel so much better when I take a ton of various probiotics.  I resisted listening to the podcast for a long time and now I know why.  Of course Dr. Ruscio came out with his own video and said if you tolerate things there is no reason to get rid of them.  That speaks to me a lot more than possible unnecessary restriction.

I got my UBiome results back.  I haven't had a time to really dive into them but I can tell you the reporting is so much faster and more detailed and easier to understand than The American Gut Project that I did before.  And UBiome often runs smoking deals where you can get 3 kits and run time lapse self experiments on your gut biome to see how much of an impact your treatment or diet or exercise or whatever impacts your bacteria.  Fascinating!

I hope everyone enjoys their holiday season whatever they celebrate!  Remember to take time to take care of yourself.  You deserve it!

Current Protocol

Adrenals:

• Adrenal Glandular - 100mg breakfast and lunch
• Licorice Root - a few drops with lunch (helps extend life of cortisol)
• Cordycepts - one tablet with breakfast
• DHEA sublingual - up to 4 drops with meals (haven't added this yet)
•  Pregnenolone sublingual - up to 4 drops with meals (haven't added this yet)

Thyroid

• Zinc - breakfast and dinner
• Wobenzyme-N - 5-10 caps, 3 times a day on an empty stomach.  WOW!  Just looked through my notes and found that.  Wonder if she meant 5-10 separated into 3 doses or up to 30 a day!  That's a ton of pills!

SIBO/Gut Support

• Digestive enzymes with meals
• Lion's Mane at bedtime*
• Acetyl L-Carnitine at bedtime*
• L-Glutamine between meals and at bedtime
• Zinc L-Carnosine between meals and at bedtime
• Iberogast before meals
• Megaspore - 2 caps with lunch
• Orthobiotic/PrescriptAssist/Primal Defense (rotating) - between meals

H. Pylori

• Mastic Gum - 2 caps with meals
• NAC - 1 cap with meals
• Biocidin - before meals (both kills and provides biofilm disruption, contemplating switching to Interfase Plus and Allimax)

*Lion's mane and Acetyl L-Carnitine are thought to help with nerve regeneration in the small intestine.  Even though I've had lifelong motility issues I don't recall having the bloating or other issues until after the two food poisoning incidents 6 years ago.  I'm running off the assumption that they were the tipping point.  Although to be honest I don't remember a heck off a lot about my health from the first couple of years of my son's life.  My adrenals just tanked after my pregnancy and it's all a blur.

Has it really been that long...

I would blame it on the holidays but I really don't get all up in arms about it.  We don't make many obligations and we don't buy gifts.  What did happen is I got a whopper of a cold from my son just after Thanksgiving.  I even ended up taking Mucinex D several days.  For him it landed in his chest for me it socked into my sinuses.  I really didn't feel that bad but ended up draining out a lot of bloody mucus and my massage therapist said my sinuses felt really puffy.  The draining was almost worse than when it was stuck.

Oh and I had another screw put in my jaw just as I was getting sick. That helped a lot!  And another screw came out yesterday (meaning I took it out).  They wanted to cut my gums and screw into my cheekbone but I said no. (Um, no way in hell!).  It makes sense to pull on the jaw if you are trying to intrude the teeth but to pull on the cheekbone to push up into the jaw just seems like you are asking for trouble.  

I finally finished up my Matula tea treatment for the H. Pylori.  I have another month of the biofilm buster (biocidin), Mastic gum and licorice root and then I retest.  I can't wait to be able to take Betaine and/or Ox Bile again.  I just feel like I am not breaking things down and my digestion feels more sluggish.  I do not like it.

I've been taking adrenal glandular support and licorice root when I remember to help prolong the life of the cortisol circulating.  I need to add in DHEA and Pregnenolone although I am toying with adding Cordycepts first.  My mentor is against this, she feels that formulas provide a better synergistic effect.  

I went over my thyroid tests with the ND on Monday and my thyroid hormones were borderline so no need to supplement, Yay!  But my TPO antibodies were in the high 200's. She thinks it's due to the H. Pylori treatment.  I'm hoping so!  She recommended Wobenzyme-N to help bring the antibodies down by reducing inflammation.  I've heard great things about proteolytic enzymes.  Livestrong calls bullshit on them but they help the body break down protein so if I don't feel like they are having a benefit outside of meals I can take them with meals since I can't break down protein completely by myself.

Oh and no more itching!  Ha!  Stupid ass lactase!  In light of the Hashimoto's confirmation it's back to LDN.

Damn Dairy

I cut out the Resolor (lactose) a couple of nights ago and the itching has all but gone away. The little bit of residual itchiness is just due to dry winter skin something I've always dealt with.  As much as I really want to incorporate dairy in my life it's just not going to work.  I think I can probably handle ghee on occasion without consequence but clearly daily consumption is just out.  My Cyrex testing all came back completely negative for dairy but I hadn't eaten it for 4 years prior to testing.  However, there were some foods that came back positive on the Cyrex testing that I have never, ever eaten.  Quite interesting.

Energywise I am hanging in there.  I ran out of thyroid hormone a few days ago.  I will get the results of my thyroid testing back in the week and meet with Dr. Pomeroy to go over results.  My new adrenal supplements will be here tomorrow so I will add glandular support this week. 

I'll post my updated supplements in the coming week for anyone who is interested.

Let the negotiations begin..

The last couple of days I have been reading through Aglaee Jacob's book.  I had dismissed it for one reason or the other the last several times I checked it out from the library.  I guess desperation has finally set it.  I was interested enough in the copy I checked out that I purchased it on Amazon, it was only $5.99 on Kindle (they always sucker me in!).  Her elimination phase diet consists of protein, fat and vegetables, specifically zucchini (peeled and seeded), carrots, green beans and spinach.  Wednesday night I was all in.  Today having not even started the diet, I'm already negotiating.  "I didn't react positive to kale (or broccoli or bell peppers) on my Array 10, surely I can eat those", my brain argues.  It's been a good day with minimal itching so that doesn't help strengthen my resolve :)  I didn't really start itching until I took my Resolor.  Could be just a mind thing since I know it has lactose. I'm going to see if I have any refills on my LDN script, switch to that, see if I calm down a bit.

Dr. Ruscio released another SIBO podcast this week.  


Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I eat dead food...

according to Ayurveda, the sister science to yoga.  Ayruveda says food should be prepared fresh and eaten right away. Leftovers, items that have been frozen or canned are apparently dead and do not feed the body.  I can only seem to chew veggies if I cook the bejeezus out of them so I'm sure there is not much nutrition left to them at all.  Is it worth eating them at all??  A friend posted this on her fb group a while back but I promptly ignored it.  There's   I'm eating too much, not taking my time and chewing enough (hard with all the orthodontia) and just feeling overly full most of the day.  I am off all ox bile and HCL while I treat the H. Pylori and that's not helping at all.  I read today that the itch can come from H. Pylori (my friend always suggests histamines, which I DO NOT want to hear!).  I'm banking on the pylori (and lactase) for now since it's primarily after meals and all freaking night after my Resolor. Need to do something about that.

And I was reminded of this today which has a lot of similarities but with actual science behind it.

As I mentioned before if I eat the same thing every day my digestion stays spot on but I am really feeling the need to shake up my diet.  I feel swollen and kind of gross.  I'm eating waaaaaay too much chocolate.  I keep threatening elemental (which would not be good for my adrenals or thyroid) or just scrapping the whole lot which wouldn't been good for my SIBO.  I need to come up with a reasonable middle ground.  I just can't imagine not reaching for my frozen jars of (dead) soup.  I did drag out the dehydrator today and dehydrated some kale.  I pulled out a raw bread recipe book in hopes of making some raw wraps out of greens and herbs.  We'll see how well I tolerate them.  I really don't want to pull out my juicer, it's just a beast and I hate cleaning it.

I do know I need to make the time to do my daily yoga practice, meditate 12 minutes a day (that's the minimum necessary for positive brain benefits) and take time to read.

Alright, enough bitching and moaning for now :)  Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Ghee fail

I've become progressively more congested in the sinuses and itchy as I've continued experimenting with ghee so I've had to let it go.  I really want to incorporate dairy in some fashion as it can be so healing for the gut but I need to come to terms with the fact that if I am reacting it's not a healthy for me.  Bummer!

Which brings me to Resolor which is produced with lactose, the stupidest thing ever.  The first enzyme you generally lose in a compromised gut is lactase.  Duh!  I itched all night last night even though I took it with lactase.  I may need to go back to LDN or switch to LDE then back to LDN.  My motility is spot on as long as I don't vary my diet AT ALL.  Not the best way to live and be healthy.  

Update on things...

I had labs run as far back as 2011 that showed my alkaline phosphatase low.  I asked my ARNP why and she just shrugged it off as did the ND (who was sure I had candida) back in 2013.  I did a few searches on doctor Google but didn't come up with anything.  I spoke with the ND from my nutrition program last week and she took one look at my labs and said, "wow you have a big zinc deficiency! Your alkaline phosphatase should be around 70.  That could be a big reason why you are not converting T4 to T3".  Mine has been hovering in the 20's and 30's. 

This is information from HealthGuideInfo.com (not sure how reliable they are):

"Reduced alkaline phosphatase levels are associated with a number of conditions including zinc deficiency; folic acid deficiency; low levels of phosphorus; vitamin B6 deficiency; vitamin C deficiency; excessively high vitamin D intake; malnutrition involving inadequate protein assimilation (this can also be caused by hypochlorhydria – low production of stomach acid); Celiac disease; hypothyroidism; anaemia or inadequate parathyroid gland function."

Um, okay then!  I know I have inadequate protein assimilation and I'm def having thyroid issues.  

On to the DUTCH results.  Turns out I have true adrenal insufficiency.  Try as it might, my body is not producing much cortisol at all.  My body is just doing a really good job utilizing what does come out.  The low cortisol metabolites indicate that my body is hanging onto the cortisol in circulation as long as it can.  My strong, resilient genetics at play once again.  What I need to do?  Be kind to my body and give it the time it needs to rest and heal.  Add in Zinc glycinate supplementation, add in some adrenal glandulars and a bit of DHEA and pregnenolone to support my adrenal function.  She also wants to see some current thyroid labs and feels like I probably need to be on a natural thyroid medication like WP Thyroid or Nature-throid.  I don't like that but I also don't like feeling run down and cold all the time.  

She said that maybe since organs and tissues are not keeping up with demand they are shutting down hormone production to make me rest.  That seems really dramatic but true of humans today.  We push on and on ignoring all the subtle, and not so subtle, clues to slow the heck down and let the body rest and replenish.  

I just really don't want to give up hot yoga now that I'm back in the studio.  It feels so good to be HOT.  I'm just going to have to limit myself to one or two days a week of hardcore hot stuff and make sure I plan for ample rest afterward.

My digestion stays good if and only if I am super strict with my diet.  If I eat the same thing I have been eating for months then everything stays spot on and my weight starts to reduce. If I try to add something new I bloat, gain and am generally pretty freaking irritated.   I made a chicken "noodle" soup with the canned broth I made from chicken heads and feet and that did not go over well at all.   None of the vegetables were new so I assume it was the broth. Frustrating to say the least.  It seems like it is taking me forever to get through this H. Pylori program.  Definitely need to practice my patience.  Just in time for the holidays!

Another must listen from Dr. Ruscio

I love a provider who is always exploring and shifting their beliefs based on actual research. I just have not found that in conventional medicine nor the ND's I have seen locally.  I love that he touches on living your life, stress, supplementing with probiotics and the need for occasional gut checks (which made me think I should have checked for everything instead of just H. Pylori!).

Stress and the Microbiota - Episode 37

DUTCH

First of all, the timing is hilarious.  Mike Mutzel interviewed the Medical Director of Precision Analytical the company that makes the DUTCH test.  They talked in a secret geek code for snippets of time which made to hard to follow, enough to make me listen 3 times trying to get it all. I loved her statement that we need to stop saying adrenal fatigue (or burnout) because the adrenals don't stop making their hormones, the whole hormone system is off from repeated stressors.  In our case a big part of the problem is SIBO and the amount of nutrients the bacteria steal from us.  I think it has a big impact on our ability to make neurotransmitters and to properly synthesize all these hormones correctly and man we feel it! In a weird coincidence I got my DUTCH results the same day I listened to the podcast.  I watched a lot of Precision Analytical videos but they seem to be on an older report so it didn't match up well.  

I have an appointment tomorrow evening to go over the results with Dr. Pomeroy (the medical director of my nutrition certification program).  It will be good to make heads or tails out of all this.  

So what do I think so far???  My thyroid may be playing a big part.  I've wanted to think I can get off my thyroid medications (S-R T-3) but all these hormones have such an interplay that I may have to just suck it up and realize I just may never convert T-4 to T-3 effectively. Dr. Keller believed I wouldn't kick SIBO until I straightened out my thyroid, maybe she had a point.  So on to the results.  I stopped using any adrenal support 2-3 weeks prior to testing and immediately started feeling better.  If you remember from my previous post supplementing caused my cortisol to plummet.  Off supplements my cortisol bounced back and boy could I feel it.  Not like I was ready to conquer the world but I enjoyed physical activity again, it didn't feel so hard.  So it appears my body makes a decent amount of cortisol but shunts much of it to cortisone, the unusable form.  It can synthesize it back and forth in various parts of the body.  My sex hormones are all low and it looks like I have issues with hormone methylation.  My cortisol metabolites were all low which means while I am making plenty of cortisol my body just isn't processing it, my actual metabolized cortisol was really low.

The program I am in likes to supplement hormones (DHEA and Pregenolone) to get the body back on tract but I'm not sure it's necessary, especially when you do a more indepth test like this and find out it's not about the actual production of the hormone itself but more the body's ability to process those hormones into usable forms.  How do I support that other than the obvious, heal the gut?  Not sure.  Stay tuned.

Bulletproof

I really would love to know who my ancestors were and what they overcame.  I have some resilient kick ass genes.  I know it kind of sounds braggish, but seriously I have nothing to do with it.  So my tummy got a little iffy with the first cup of Matula tea but I've been pretty darn good ever since. My body just seems to adjust, adapt and move on with it.  I seriously must have been a saint in a past life to be so blessed.  

My paternal grandfather passed away at 97 after having a heart attack and multiple bypass surgery in his 70's.  My maternal grandmother will turn 98 in a couple of weeks.  Until recent years she was still kicking butt, living on her own.  Shingles are what finally took her down. She broke a hip, bounced back.  Felt something was off, went to the doctor and they eventually discovered a tiny bit of colon cancer (removed it, no treatment required) and off she went.  She started to have some digestive issues that I think were likely SIBO related. Then a couple of years ago she got shingles that left her bedridden for weeks.  Being immobilized like that in your 90's take a hard toll and she never really regained her strength, try as she might.  She is stubborn and Christian science so the thought of supplements just pisses her off.  I really think they would have helped (I wasn't quite as knowledgeable at the time either).  A couple more falls and another broken hip and the family made her transition to assisted living. She still a fighter but she's winding down pretty quickly since she's been there and even more resistant to supplements (the house physician isn't all that supportive here either and he has to write an order for everything she takes.  If he had his way everyone would take Centrum and Tums - yikes).  Don't even get me started on her birdlike diet.  I think she survives off soup and breads (just like in the Depression days).

Anyways, I digress.  I'm doing great as long as I don't eat veggies.  Ugh!  Seriously???  I ate that cup of vegetable soup yesterday and it made me feel tired and yuck.  I just finished up my usual stir fry for lunch and I just want to plop on the couch and put in a dvd.  I ate 1/2 a baked potato (no skin), hot dog and a homemade nut butter cup for dinner and felt fine which is wrong on so many levels!  Can't believe it the veggies that are causing me malaise. Ah well, I'm going to make myself go outside and walk.  Fresh air always helps.

Which brings me to my love of Jasmine tea, not really, but go with it.  I drank tea on Sunday no problem (except the buzz which I didn't need in the midst of my yin yoga!).  I read over the weekend that H. Pylori does not like green tea, which is what jasmine tea is.  I've been having problems off and on with green tea for at least 5 years.  It was 3 years ago that I puked from drinking jasmine green tea (that only happened once so wasn't enough of a deterrent ;).   Which makes me wonder if the H. Pylori has been at a problematic level since way back then. Hmmmm...

The itching is finally gone 99% of the time, thank goodness!  My midsection is covered in tiny little scabs that you can't see but you can feel.  TMI but you know why else are you hear but to learn about the woes of a fellow SIBO sufferer.

It's the veggies

I love my veggies.  I usually eat a big stir fry one meal and vegetable soup with another.  For breakfast I have been sticking with an offal muffin and bulletproof hot chocolate.  I don't itch until I eat veggies at lunch.  Today I had a bit of veggie soup with lunch and got super nauseous.  It was also day one of Matula tea which is no joke.  I drank it this morning and my stomach immediately started churning.  For 1/2 hour I wasn't sure if it was going to stay down.  It did but I felt a little iffy all day.  I was looking forward to late afternoon yoga but my tummy was not having it so I waited until it settled and went for an evening walk instead.  Gotta pay attention to what your body is telling you.  About to lose WiFi, it shuts off at 9:30pm so I get to bed on time :)  Goodnight all!

Starting Matula tomorrow

My stomach has been feeling pretty normal since getting rid of the Betaine HCL and the bitters.  I think I was just burning the crap out of my vulnerable stomach lining.  I haven't changed my diet at all yet.  I just finished up my 50 hr Yin Yoga teacher training today and didn't want to upset the apple cart too much until that was done.

I started the Mastic Gum and NAC last week and tomorrow I will add in the Matula tea (upon rising and at bedtime) and add in the DGL prior to meals.  Not sure about this.  My itching has been coming and going.  Seems more related to FODMAPs than anything else.  I still worry about my inability to chew/digest protein without the support.  It would be so much easier without worrying about the SIBO so much.  

My BM still often feel incomplete (since stopping ox bile).  TMI, I know but at least things are still moving.  I worked up to 1/2 of a 1mg tablet of Resolor by accident really.  One night I was distracted and took a half pill instead of a quarter and did okay so I have stayed there.  

I tried to go down to 7.5mcg of my SR T-3 but started to feel cold, tired and my digestion a little more sluggish so I bumped back up to 15mcg.  Maybe that's my sweet spot for now.  r really should test my overall thyroid function again but in order for it to be submitted for coverage by my insurance it has to be ordered by a doctor and I don't want to schedule an appointment just to get a lab req.

My DUTCH test results should come back this week and I'll be able to meet with the medical director via phone to go over them.  Hopefully will provide some insight into what is going on with my hormone conversion.

Love and Be Kind to Yourself

Most all of us take our body for granted.  It struggles and we just keep eating what we want even though it sends us signals, quiet and loud, not to.  I say this as I drink a cup of Jasmine tea which is making me nauseous.  It only does this sometimes so I keep drinking it.  It has even made me puke once, at a child's birthday party.  Embarrassing!  Why do I keep drinking it?  I love it.  I wasn't reactive on the Array 10 (some excuse).  The only other thing I really drink is water.  How boring!  But clearly, CLEARLY I shouldn't be drinking jasmine tea. My body has been kindly asking me not to and I'm a bitch and ignore it.  

I've been thinking a lot about this today as I have been so itchy and yucky feeling in general, knowing I have flagellated bacteria burrowing into the lining of my digestive tract does not help (have you SEEN the pictures???).  I need to listen to my body.  I'm not digesting protein well (haven't for eons and duh keep eating it) and I can't really chew it properly in the first place so I need to work on decreasing my consumption while increasing amino acid support insert *gag* here.  I need to be eating more soups, green juices and I need to try smoothies again with perhaps ginger or cinnamon to make them "hotter".  In Ayurveda they said cold foods dampen digestive fire and I really don't need my ability to digest dampened at all. I've been afraid to try hemp but I've got to do better about giving my body an opportunity to heal.

No plan yet but you can be sure it will include drinking cabbage juice.  Which Katie swears is delicious.  Okay, not so much.  I've got several digestive health books on request at the library.  I've perused them all before but need to take another look.  Hoping to formulate a plan and start slowing incorporating some things over the next week.  I probably should do it before my weird outrageously expensive African tea gets here.  That supposedly can cause some mucho bad reactions for a short period of time.  I am just so done.  I was contemplating going elemental and just climbing into bed.  Instead I will get my butt outside and walk the dogs.  Just keep moving forward!

Priorities

I watched Dr. Kalish on The Digestion Sessions today. I own them but completely didn't stop and think that maybe someone had covered H. Pylori. He loves H. pylori because it causes such a wide variety of issues but is fairly easy to get rid of so patients get better quickly. Like all gut issues it can have a far reaching impact. He treats both conventionally and herbally, depending on the individual patient.  When using herbs he likes mastic gum combined with Oregano or Olive Leaf and DGL. He feels that DGL is very important to reducing inflammation, soothing and healing the gut. I'm going to go for it.  I filled out paperwork to become a patient of Dr. Ruscio over the weekend and he asks you to prioritize your health issues. You would think SIBO would be number one but it's not. Intestinal permeability trumps it all. I know, I know, you can't heal IP without getting rid of the bugs but I feel we need to do everything we can to help protect the integrity of the stomach and intestinal lining while treating. I learned that lesson the hard way!

Dr. Kalish also feels that H. Pylori can have an impact on your adrenals and often he works on adrenals for a couple of months before treating the HP.  Been there, done there. Wonder what kind of impact it has on the results of adrenal testing.  I just submitted my DUTCH test after what turned out to be a stressful week.

Here is a link to an article Dr. Keller did on SIBO and gums. However, on the Cyrex Array 10 they combine mastic gum with gum arabic so it's unclear which I am reacting to or if it's both. Oh well, if I react to mastic gum I can give it to my husband or son. My guess is one or both of them will test positive and yes I will have them both tested.  Husband could be asymptomatic and give it back to me in my comprimised digestive state.

A weekend of investigation

I've been taking Betaine HCL and so many antibacterials since starting this journey almost 2 years ago.  It seems really odd that now Helicobacter Pylori (HP) has overgrown. How and why are the questions that took over my weekend.

The stomach keeps the ph around 1.7, very acidic.  HP likes the ph above 4.  In order to accomplish getting the ph this high HP releases urease.  Part of the conventional triple antibiotic protocol is Omeprazole (aka Prilosec).  Sounds counterproductive to include a PPI but omeprazole permanently disrupts HP's ability to make urease enabling the ph in the stomach to come down to a normal ph between 1-2, an acidity which the HP cannot survive.  The chyme (food sludge) is a ph of 2 when it is transitioned to the duodenum of the small intestine.  The acidity stimulates hormone production which raises the ph, the rise in ph stimulates the release of bile acids.  HP can occupy the stomach or the duodenum or both.  Seems like eradicating it from the stomach would be easy, just lower the ph and the HP can't survive.  Getting HP out of the duodenum with it's higher ph seems a little more tricky.

This evening I had an appointment with the medical director of my nutrition certification program and asked her why Betaine HCL is contraindicated and she said that the HP strip away the protective mucosa from the walls of the stomach in order to imbed themselves more easily in the stomach wall.  This lack of mucosa leaves the stomach wall vulnerable and the acid will burn it and could cause ulcers.  I think I'll stop messing around with trying to lower the ph!

So this 30 day protocol was her recommendation:

• Matula tea - 1 cup upon rising and 1 cup at bedtime prepared exactly as instructed.  Expensive but has a money back guarantee.
• Mastic gum - 2 capsules, 3 times a day with meals (soothes the gut, I'm on the fence here as mastic gum can feed SIBO but maybe with the Biocidin would be okay)
• NAC - 1 capsule, 2-3 times a day (helps with healing)
• Douglas Laboratories Licorice Root - 1-2 capsules, 2-3 times a day 15-20 minutes before meals (soothes the gut, I'm on the fence here as DGL can feed SIBO but maybe with the Biocidin would be okay)
• Biocidin or Interfase Plus to help with any possible biofilm formation

So I was under the impression that I did something wrong to create an imbalance in my ph that allowed HP to overgrow but she said that it common to have HP along with Blastocystis Hominis and it's only when the Blasto is eradicated that the HP shows up. And it often takes 6-12 months after Blasto is gone for it to show up.  I was kind of thinking I screwed myself with the Ox Bile.  It was the only real thing I did different other than the guar.  Maybe not, maybe it is all just a coincidence.  

She also indicated that feeding is only appropriate when trying to get rid of hydrogen SIBO not methane but I know that Pimental is having his patients with methane use guar along with his Rifaximin protocols.  She also feels (and I really want to believe her) that this has been the missing piece in my healing and that once the HP is gone my SIBO will leave too. That would be nice!  We'll see.

Links I found interesting

Some articles I have found interesting:
Is stress damaging your gut?

And videos:
SIBO patient follow up with Dr. Ruscio - it's all well and good IF and only IF you are symptom free (for the most part anyway).  There are those of us (me) whose numbers are really low but still have symptoms.  Frustrating to say the least, especially when those last few numbers don't want to budge.

Recipes I'm contemplating:
keto peanut butter fudge bars by RuledMe - I have a hard time getting enough fat without consuming dairy or intact nuts (can't chew them well enough), coconut or chocolate.  So many fat bombs are chocolate and I already eat too much of it!  In this recipe I will sub ghee for butter and coconut milk fat for heavy cream.

This podcast was quite interesting:
High Intensity Health with Dr. Russell Jaffe - they touch on SIBO at around 48ish minutes and what he has to say pretty interesting.  Not sure he understands how recalcitrant SIBO can be for some of us!

Resolor

I've been itchy.  Not the typical middle of the belly itch that indicates I've eaten something reactive but along my sides.  Resolor has lactose in it so my guess was that was the culprit so I bought some lactase enzymes to see if it helped.  I'm still taking 0.25mg (or 1/4 of a tablet).  Turns out the culprit may be H. Pylori.  That is why my stomach has felt so weird and that is likely why I have been itchy again.  Which leads me to - what in my last protocol got the H.Pylori into such a tizzy when it really didn't give me much of an inclination that it there before???  

Doing research over the weekend in prep for the meeting with the ND medical director of my nutrition program.  But also seriously contemplating filling out the form to see if Dr. Ruscio will accept me.  The SIBO, thyroid, adrenal and now H.Pylori mess is getting to be too overwhelming and I'm a questioner so I have a hard time trusting that providers have knowledge of it all.  I know Dr. Ruscio does because he talks about all these things in his podcasts and he was at the SIBO Symposium.

Hello H. Pylori

Ya unwelcome intruder. Not sure what this means in terms of treatment. I know conventional is a couple of different antibiotics and Prilosec which sounds terrible with the SIBO I have left!  The array 10 showed I am reacting to mastic gum so that's out. Will meet via phone with the medical director of my nutrition program on Monday to see what she recommends.  The hits just keep on coming!  Ha!

Free to watch until Wednesday

The Sacred Science

I like stuff like this, maybe you will too.  Made me think about the book The Loving Diet (nope don't have it yet but it's on the short list).  

That said, my weight is creeping back up about 1/2 lb a day without be enjoying those extra calories, and my belly is getting bigger, up almost an inch in the last 3-4 days.  Discouraging to say the least.  May need to start digging deeper.

Doing the 5 spot will provide a physical clue, maybe I need to start exploring the mental/emotional ones too!

uBiome sale!

http://ubiome.com/pages/buynow

All test kits 50% off until Halloween!  I got the 5 spot.  Always had sinus and gum issues, what kind of bacteria lurk there???  I get to find out in 4-6 weeks!

They emailed me this link/code http://ubiome.refr.cc/2KJD2L4 for 10% off.  Is it really on top of the 50% off?  I don't know but you can try!  

Update - you will not get an extra 10% off on top of the 50% off.  But if you miss the sale then at least you still get 10%!

Results finally - Breath Test #8

Results from May 2015. Breath test number 7.

Results from this month after gacking down guar gum with my herbal kill supplements.  

Not really what I was expecting given that my C and bloating have pretty much resolved. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.  And it's not negative (like it says) because any methane at or above 3 is positive and really you shouldn't have any methane at all. And if there were no methanogens to eat the hydrogen gas, the hydrogen numbers would be higher. That said, I'm not having any real SIBO symptoms, maybe a little mild bloating throughout the day but not enough to change what I wear (I'm really self conscious when I have a gut and great at hiding it).  I am having D which is a super nice change.  Those with C understand :)

AND notice the date tested is 10/17, a full 10 days ago.  I sent an email questioning why I didn't get the results sooner, especially since I called on the 21st and was told they weren't ready.  Their response:

Hi Shari,

Our turn around time for sending results to the ordering provider for tests taken with kits at home is no later than 2 weeks from the date the completed kit is received in the lab. After samples are tested, they also must be interpreted and the results finalized before we release the results. This depends on how many other kits we received ahead of your kit.

We also do not release results directly to patients unless/until we receive a signed release of information form.

For SIBO tests taken here at the clinic, the turn around time for results is faster, either same day or next day.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Best,

Audra
--
Audra Lee, M.S.
NCNM SIBO Lab
P 503-552-1931
F 503-444-6709

My response was along the lines of "the numbers are the numbers", it's not like they add any sort of interpretation or add a narrative or really anything.  I also may have said I recommend to others in the SIBO community that they find another lab with a reasonable turnaround time :)

Okay, enough ranting!!  

I'm good where I am so I'm just going to sit on it for awhile, continue with the MegaSpore and hope that the hype is right and it does contain the number one strain used in Europe to treat SIBO.  Although I've never seen anyone from Europe actually talk about MegaSpore or using probiotics in the forums (I guess if their SIBO is gone they wouldn't need to be there too!).  I'll stick with low FODMAPs for at least 6 weeks and decide what to do then.  Until then I'll focus on getting my adrenals and thyroid noodled out.  My worry is until this infecton is gone nothing else will heal.  Guess time will tell!

And I've bounced back

Not sure what the bloat was about those couple of days but it had me a bit worried.  Back on track now.  Finally down a few pounds but man I feel empty and hungry a lot.  And trust me I eat a lot of food and a ton of fat.  It just seems like it moseys on through my digestive tract instead of sitting like an undigested brick which is what I am way more accustomed to.

Super anxious to get my breath test results.  How much do you want to bet the test sheet will say the results were read days ago.  Need to let it go.  It's out of my control and I wouldn't change anything right this minute regardless.  

And I have some bigger fish to fry at the moment.  My midterm practical is two very short days away and they haven't sent me my mock client information to review.  Gaaaaa!  

Off to take a Yin yoga class from my very favorite teacher.  A round trip commute of over 2 hours for an hour long class but it will be so worth it and I'll get errands done along the way.

Mother F'ing Bloat

I ate one tiny baked good with almond flour, coconut flour, eggs, and maple syrup with dinner last night.  I ended up bloating, not horribly, just about an inch.  From which ingredient I don't know.  I'm not supposed to eat eggs, it wasn't high in FODMAPs.

Today I ate lunch in a rush and bloated, again an inch.  Not bad but I am disappointed.  I'm trying to keep an open mind and not take it as a bad sign.  If my test comes back clean only to have me relapse before I even get the results I will be incredibly pissed.

Things have been..... um..... incomplete since I took out the bile and added in the Resolor.  I added back in a little bit of bile with breakfast and it was very effective.  It only takes a tiny bit now to get things moving.  Contemplating increasing the Resolor back up to 0.5mg. I just don't want to force my body off it's normal schedule.

The Digestion Sessions Coming Soon (again)!

November 1-8, all 25 talks will be free.

http://digestionsessions.com/

Resolor - Day 2

Ahhhh, much better!  I took 1/4 of a 1mg tablet an hour before bed last night.  My stomach did some mild gurgling and contracting but no mad dash for the bathroom.  I feel like it moved things along as they would more normally transition.  No headaches, no hunger.  I wouldn't say my morning trip to the bathroom was normal but much closer than the night before last!!

It's weird to not be taking a bunch of stuff to keep my bowels moving.  I have taken magnesium every night for as long as I can remember at least until I added in the ox bile.  If you're bound up, look into it.
Article on WiseGeeks, not sure how accurate but I like the explanations
An article from Livestrong

Having some excellent discussions regarding SIBO, Intestinal Permeability and testing with the mentor group for the nutrition certification course I am taking.  It's so much fun to bounce around ideas.  Their current standard is to recognize that while someone likely has SIBO you should test for IP instead and treat that first.  My belief is it should be the other way around. Who cares if you have IP if you have SIBO.  The IP will resolve once SIBO goes away and you can't repair IP until SIBO is gone.  It scares me a little that I think talking about all this is so much fun.  I also got a package during lunch and was sad to discover it was Amazon and not my DUTCH test.  There is seriously something wrong with me!

Resolor - Day One

At the SIBO Symposium Dr. Seibecker said, take someone with constipation and give them diarrhea and they won't mind much.  Take someone with diarrhea and give them constipation and they will NOT be happy.

I took Resolor for the first time last night at bedtime.  I cut a 1mg pill in half.  About an hour later my gut started contracting, not painful but noticeable from my stomach all the way down. I was out of bed and in the bathroom expelling everything and I mean EVERYTHING shortly after. To the point of almost being nauseous.  This was exactly what was going through my head. Ha ha!

At the end I was starving, not sure my body was done digesting my dinner :) and a bit head-achy, which is understandable since it was almost instantaneous dehydration. I had measured my belly at bedtime so measured again and I was down more that 1/2 inch. Wowsa!  I know there are people who take a ton (more than 2mg) without any relief and I think this shows either the power of methane gas and it's ability to paralyze the gut or ICC damage from food poisoning.

For now I'm taking Ox Bile completely out.  I was taking around 250mg with meals.  Tonight I will cut one of the Resolor caps into quarters so I am taking 0.25mg.  I'll eat dinner earlier and take it an hour before bedtime to see if that makes a difference.  Fingers crossed!

Pardon my venting....

Right on the breath test box it says something like results must be taken within 2 weeks of testing.  That will be 2 days from now.  So I called NCNM, squeaky wheel gets the grease and all. They called me back and said the results will be sent to my provider around the 27th.  I said, he marked the form so results would come directly to me.  Oh yes he did, he replied, so you will need to fill out a Release of Information.  A Release of Information to get my OWN results????  Are you kidding me.  And then he said something about an additional 7 day waiting period that may be waived but it was hard to follow.  I said on the box it says that the sample must be tested within 14 days.  Oh, it will be, he said but they need time (7 days apparently) to get the numbers on a piece of paper and faxed out.  That's such bullshit!!  If you have had the breath test done in person you know that the sample goes in the machine and at the end the results are spit out.  There's no lengthy analysis that happens.  No off to the radiologist for interpretation.  It's not frigging rocket science.  

Mark my words this is the LAST time I will be using the lab at NCNM.  For those of you who need a breath test your provider can get them elsewhere for the same price or cheaper with a 1-2 day turnaround. This is another option for your provider to use.  And if you don't have a provider you can order your own test from Australia, although it's an additional $30 for shipping and I can't imagine the turnaround is quick given the time it takes to get a package mailed internationally, but I'd be money it's still quicker than NCNM!!!  You can also get them from directlabs.com but it's $289 (ouch!).

Things to consider.

10-reasons-your-sibo-is-not-healing

I'm also hearing amazing things about her book.

Still twiddling my thumbs, waiting on results.  Meanwhile my gut feels weird a lot of the time, empty to the point of maybe being a bit raw.

I take my H. Pylori test tomorrow and hopefully my DUTCH test comes in the mail tomorrow so I can take that also.  I need some answers!

WTF?

I've spent my morning running back and forth to the bathroom.  This NEVER happens. Would be nice to have my breath test results!  Are all the methanogens gone and now I just have a bit of hydrogen left swinging me more to the D side of things?  I've changed nothing the past couple of days, not a thing.  I did find a Nutricology Ox Bile that is 125mg.  Will be good to reduce my dose.  I have been taking 500mg at meals and that seems almost too much. Keeps things moving but almost too good.

Needless to say I have things planned today!  I can't be running to the toilet all day!  Arg.

Oh and my weight's going back up even though I haven't changed diet or exercise.  Weird. It's all about the bugs!

Waiting on results....

It's been a week since my last antimicrobials and will be a week tomorrow since my breath test.  Since then I've just been sticking to a strict low FODMAP, mostly AIP diet.  The AIP part is only because so many of those foods showed up on my Array 10.

My belly still seems pretty big.  Inflammation?  Bloat?  I don't know but it seems to be slowly getting smaller.  My weight is slowly coming down.  My BM's have been spot on which is amazing since I'm not taking Magnesium at bedtime.

So what am I doing these days?

• Glutamine 2-3 times a day
• Zinc L-Carnosine 2-3 times a day
• Iberogast before meals
• Ox Bile with meals
• OrthoBiotic with breakfast
• Primal Defense between breakfast and lunch
• MegaSpore Biotic with lunch
• LDN at bedtime (will be switching to Resolor in a few days)

While waiting for the DUTCH test to arrive I have slowly (purposely) run out of all the adrenal support I was taking.  The only thing I am taking is Gaia Adrenal Health, it doesn't have additional DHEA or pregnenolone or adrenal gland, it's just herbs and I actually feel better.  It's also just so nice to be taking less supplements.

Other news...... we got a new car and a rooster.  The car is a used Toyota Highlander Hybrid, great gas mileage and will be good for camping.  Car shopping sucks and it's nice to have it done with.  The rooster was offered up on our neighborhood buy nothing fb group.  I was planning on eating him (she knew that when she gave it to me), but he's so pretty and funny and isn't crowing, so he's sticking around. Roosters are not allowed in the city, as long as he keeps his beak shut he's good :)  

A Good Article from Chris Kresser

http://chriskresser.com/why-diet-alone-is-not-enough-to-treat-sibo/

I think we do need to take out the most problematic foods to make life more liveable when discovering SIBO and possible triggers, but to be so restrictive as to remove them all could just possibly make the bacteria go dormant, which means lots more treatment with little success.  I personally would have much rather kept my diet the same if it meant that the killing would be easier, quicker and less expensive!

Great Post for those with SIBO

I wish I was this good with my thoughts and words!

http://sibowithhope.com/2015/10/08/words-of-wisdom-for-sibo-newbies/

Diatomaceous Earth

Yes I did!  I bought some diatomaceous earth and drank 1/4 tsp in water today.  It made me feel kind of weird.  It's supposed to help your body detox, kills parasites (not that any could survive in my body after all the protocols I've done) and has minerals in it.  I won't be doing it daily but I'm going to try to do it a few times a week.  On other days I may drink bentonite clay.  Just playing around to see if I feel any different if I use some detoxing products.  They are supposed to be really great for die off symptoms (and have been recommended by my various ND's) but since I've never experienced die off I've never used them.  Will be interesting to see if they have an impact on how I feel, will help reduce my inflamed gut and get rid of the extra freaking 7 lbs I'm lugging around.

My Resolor arrived today.  I must admit, I'm a little scared.  It's supposed to be some pretty potent stuff.  I think I will wait until Monday to start it.  Perhaps swtich the Motilpro to mid-morning with my Primal Defense and do Resolor at night instead.  I think adding it in to everything I'm already doing would be recipe for disaster since I seem to be in a really good place right now.

My bad is almost 100%, my massage and chiro appt tomorrow should get me the rest of the way there.  I pulled out my Becoming a Supple Leopard book and my The Role Model book to work on stretching out my hip flexors and rolled my belly.  It helped so much.  Tomorrow should get me the rest of the way there!  Yay!

No more guar!

I've only got one or so more days of my kill supplements so I am stopping the guar gum and will just take the supplements with my meals.  Tomorrow will be my last day of Allicin, Oregano and Biocidin.  I ran out of Olivirex a day or two ago.  I have two more days of Berberine. Will do the follow up breath test on Friday or Saturday.  Then wait on pins and needles for who know how long for the results. That's always the worst part.  Although it will be easier this time because I am need a break from all the killing. Really the worst part is going back to being super strict with diet which means cutting back on avocados :( and no more sweet potatoes (the ferment potential is just too high) and NO MORE FRENCH FRIES or potatoes or leftover potato skins no matter how much I want them.

Have I told you how much I like Ox Bile.  Ha ha.  It makes things so smooth and easy.  Why didn't any of my NDs tell me about this little trick???  Since bile activates Rifaximin I wonder if it be beneficial to take it during treatment??  Dr. Pimental says that once Rifaximin goes into the large intestine there is no more bile so the Rifaximin crystalizes and passes right through without disturbing the large intestine flora.  Wonder if taking excess bile would keep the Rifaximin active throughout the colon??  That would be bad...  Hmmmm.  

I have yoga teacher training for the next 5 weekends and I just put my back out last weekend.  Thanks to my chiro it's healing quickly this time.  Her orders, no sitting. I've been doing way too much sitting (and reading in bed) and not enough yoga and walking which I used to do daily.  I call it taking a break, but I'm really just getting out of shape obviously since I can't bend over to pick up my hat without throwing my back out.  Standing is not comfortable and the first time I walked I thought I was going to have to call someone for a ride home but everything loosened up halfway through the walk and I'm been improving ever since.  My massage therapist had Monday and Tuesday off this week so I can't see him until Thursday.  Ah well, gives me a chance to resolve some of the resulting muscle spasms a bit before he digs into them.  And my husband loves me so much that he has sympathy muscle spasms in his back.  Good times!  LOL!  Seriously, I'm not complaining at all, we have a lovely easy life 99% of the time.  It's hiccups like this that remind you to get off your ass and take care of yourself.

Off to tackle laundry mountain!

I may be overdoing it!

I have been drinking guar gum with my morning and afternoon kill supplements.  I just can't do it after dinner so I've been making sure to include some starchy carbs with dinner.  All good but then the starchy carbs evolved into rice, refried beans, sweet potatoes, avocado, plantain chips, oh my... and up goes the bloat and up goes the weight.  I definitely need to get myself under control. LOL!  Especially since I'm nearing the end of my supplements.  It's one thing to feed the little bastards to keep them active, it's another thing to provide them with an endless smorgasboard!

Sometimes I need a treat..

I eat chocolate ALL the time, like almost every meal.  I love it so much.  With leaky gut though, those every day repetitive foods can sometimes become a sensitivity because they don't stay where they are supposed to be and the assault is relentless.  So I kicked myself in the butt and made an old favorite recipe from my Raw Energy book.

1 cup walnuts
1 cup pecan (you can use all walnuts or even sub in some yummy mac nuts)
1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
a touch of sea salt

Whirl it all together in the food processor to the consistency you like and form it into balls. I'd opt for small ones if you are concerned about FODMAPs and the carbs in the honey. I'm feeding so I scarfed on waaaaay too much!  Ha!  No wonder I'm a lil porker these days :)

Day 9 - Feeding and killing

I have been bloating something awful but that is to be expected when you drink guar gum twice a day.  I drink it with the morning and afternoon doses of kill supps (biocidin, Olivirex, allicin, oregano, Candibactin-BR).  After dinner I just can't stomach it so I make sure I eat carbs with dinner to feed the little buggers.   Feeling hopeful this morning as there was a dip in my weight even after eating a ton of french fries with dinner (which would usually put me up at the very least 1/2 lb).  Fingers crossed.  Once I run out of supps I will take a breath test which arrived in the mail yesterday.  But ya, feeling hopeful today, which is a nice thing. Could be the probiotic/resistant starch enema I did at bedtime too.  Who knows :)

Oh and for those of you who use NCNM for breath tests (or your providers use NCNM), this new resource may have a much quicker turnaround time and I believe they use Quintron.  It's $20 more than NCNM but if you need fast results it may be worth it to you.  I have not used them, just heard about them through one of my groups.  For Lactulose breath test provider has to request, of course, but I think it's as easy as making a call.  My ND was complaining to me at the last visit about how NCNM constantly changes their procedure and he had to just through hoops to get tests (make an account, print a form, then fax it in) when he used to simply pick up the phone and make a call.

Not saying you're fat

but there's another summit that starts today and the lists of guests is good.  Sometimes there are some valuable nuggets in the most unlikely places.  About to listen to Dr. Datis Kharrazian.

http://www.metabolismweightlosssummit.com/

Ox Bile

If you listen to the interview of Dr. Siebecker on Dr. Ruscio's podcast you may have missed the little tidbit of Dr. Ruscio saying he has patients with constipation add in Ox Bile (Dr. Siebecker thought it was a great idea).  It's not a prokinetic by any means but it will cause loose stools if you take more than your body needs and it's antimicrobial.  And, you know me, I'm all about experimenting.  I gotta tell you it's not expensive, I think I paid less than $10 for a bottle of 100 500mg caps at my local Super Supplements and it's made my bm's nicer, easier, especially while carbing and killing, both of which tend to bind me up. Not that you wanted to know that!

Listen to the Holistic Oral Health Summit this week and found the chart he presented sooooo interesting. The dentist (Gary Larsen) said that when he pulls root canaled teeth he has been surprised time and time again how patients come back and report resolution of other health conditions (autoimmune, heart arrythmias, psoriasis, etc).  He presented a chart similar to this one.  Pretty interesting stuff and I'm definitely going to compare my root canals to the chart.  Not saying I'm going to yank any teeth out but would be interesting to see if any symptoms correlate with the teeth I have canals in.  According to him, teeth are porous and live teeth constantly weep (sort of) to flush out microbes.  When you root canal the teeth they lose this ability and can become a festering mess that you can't really feel because the nerves to the tooth have been removed. I have had a lot of dental issues so hoping to learn some things this week about what I can do to support and resolve them.

Nausea

Switched to the herbals yesterday and by dinnertime I was nauseous.  Not like "oh crap I'm going to puke" just queasy.  I skipped the post dinner guar gum, took everything and went to bed.  This morning I got queasy again but before I had taken all the herbals and after I had take the L-Glutamine.  I switched from capsules to powder which is much, much stronger.  Clearly they use quite a bit of filler when they make capsules in factory as opposed to when you make them at home out of pure L-Glutamine.  Need to back off and ramp up a little more slowly.  At least I quickly figured out the culprit!

Lot's of chatter yesterday about Atrantil amongst my SIBO friends on fb.  Seems that that small study may have been done using employees of the company??, and that some practitioners are reporting bad reactions like dry heaving.  And for those it did help they rebounded bad once they ran out of samples.  No thank you, not that desperate yet.

So this whole timing thing with all the various supplements I am taking is making life difficult.  Thank goodness it's only temporary.  I've decided to take my kill supps between meals with guar gum.  So it's even more coordinating of spacing meals, spacing kill supplements from probiotics, taking my bitters and Iberogast 20 minutes before meals.  Not taking too much at once and getting nauseous.  Bedtime can be the worse.  One night I had 16 pills out, plus the guar.  Need to space the nightime stuff so it's not so much at once.  Maybe dinner before 6, kill supps and guar around 8 and then motility/gut healing supps at bedtime.  We'll see!

R&R

I had a 2 hour Results and Recommendations appointment with my mentor yesterday.  We went over the results of my adrenal tests and she has concerns over my patterns and the fact that with supplementation my DHEA has gone through the roof and my cortisol into the toilet, my sex hormones aren't where they should be given the supplementation as well. There seems to be some conversion issues that the DUTCH test can help clarify.  If you have been here a while you will remember back in February when I got my first adrenal test that this was the one I wanted but didn't do because of the expense.  Now I've paid for 2 adrenal tests and still need the DUTCH test.  Pretty annoying.  Sometimes we should just listen to our gut!!!  LOL!

So, it's pretty much stick with adrenal support and work on stress reduction, light exercise until I have the test done and we can see what's going on.  She recommended UltraLife Mucosa Max but I explained to her that these types of products often feed the SIBO and she thanked me for the information.  She admitted that she doesn't know a heck of a lot about SIBO and that given that I have gone through it I probably know much more than her.  To me this is an indication of a good practitioner, someone willing to admit their lack of knowledge and either listen to information you've gathered or refer you to someone with more expertise.  She doesn't like that I am taking Betaine HCL given that my last H. Pylori test was a little over a year ago.  I'm not that concerned but she wants me to test.  With all the crap I swallow I don't see how I could have acquired H. Pylori!

The other advice she gave which was surprisingly similar to an exercise my yoga teacher wants us to do is make a list of things that essentially take away your power/energy, make you feel stressed, etc. and do what you can to reduce those things.  There are going to be things of course that you can't get rid of (my biggest stressors are physical -  SIBO and my orthodontics) so for those you need to see if there is a way you can better deal with those stressors, deep belly breaths if you are stuck at your desk, meditation, EFT or something else when you are home and have make the time.  My yoga teacher also had us make a list of those things that feed us, give us energy and try to make time for more of those things.

So today I start:

• 1 tsp guar gum in 8 oz of water
• 20 drops Biocidin
• 2 capsules Olivirex
• 2 tablets Candibactin-BR
• Oregano essential oil in a capsule
• 2 capsules allicin

I'm doing it on an empty stomach this time after breakfast, after lunch and after dinner.

Oh, and my belly pain seems to be gone for the most part. Yay!  Love my visceral manipulation.

This is interesting

I've never tried Atrantil but this study while REALLY small looks intriguing.

Good appointment, horrible commute!

My ND may be super hard to get an appt with, but his prices are reasonable and he gets the job done.  I walked in and he asked, "what are we doing today?".  I explained that I was having lower abdominal pain and so he did visceral manipulation.  He was so great about describing what he was doing on a picture of the body - sort of pulling my uterus away from my rectum (sorry, TMI I know!) and making sure they was proper movement in the tissue down there.  It's not uncomfortable at all.  He also showed me a spot on the colon where the nerves from the small intestine branch in and he wants me to massage it to stimulate it daily.    He asked about how my SIBO was and I said would like a prescription for Resolor and a breath test.  He hadn't heard of Resolor, which isn't surprising because his focus is not SIBO but did not hesitate to give me a prescription after I explained what it does and the dosing that is on Dr. Siebecker's site.  After I explained what happened with Dr. Keller (increasing prices to $500/hr with a 1/2 hr skype appt required to receive breath test results) he happily logged on, set up an account and ordered me a breath test even checking the box so the results come directly to me.  So nice!  It takes at least 3 months to get just a follow up appointment with him so it's nice that he realizes he doesn't want the hassle of having to send out test results himself. He was pretty shocked that Dr. Keller raised her prices that high.

So on to the guar gum.  It is still gross but if you stir quickly and chug it goes down fine.  I've been eating FODMAPs too and honestly I'm suddenly feeling pretty darn good, not sure if it's because my bugs are fed and happy or if it's because they are dying.  Either way, I need to do a probiotic/resistant starch retention enema tonight to help the good guys in my colon out. 

I've also jacked up my prokinetics so that could be helping.  I was in Seattle for my appt yesterday so decided to splurge and eat something I normally wouldn't.  I was contemplating Thai even though last time I ate it I felt like crap for days.  Hunger led me to gluten free, vegan, aoili pizza at the Flying Apron.  I had to stop in to pick up a couple of donuts for my son and just couldn't resist.  Not what most people would consider a cheat! But seriously, how easy is it to find gf/df pizza without tomato sauce that's actually edible!?!

So I'm currently taking Rifaximin, Allicin, and Oregano with guar gum 3 times a day - breakfast, mid day and bedtime.  For prokinetics I'm doing Iberogast with meals, Motilpro mid morning, and Motilpro, LDN and Magnesium at bedtime.  Resolor is supposed to be the strongest prokinetic so I am eager to see if I can reduce some of the other stuff by adding it slowly in (I asked for a script for 0.5mg pills).  Once I'm done with the Rifaximin I'm going to add in Biocidin, Olivirex and Candibactin-BR and continuing with the Allicin and Oregano.  Not sure if I'm going to continue with the guar at that point or just eat FODMAPs.  After I'm done I'll test and see where we are at.  If I'm not clear at that point I may just give up :) Not really, but I'll definitely need to give my good colon bacteria a break.

After my appointment I raced down the freeway only to get completely stopped by the President of China.  They completely closed the two highways he was traveling, waited for them to clear and he drove down them, during rush hour. What a freaking mess! There were police on every single overpass. It would have been much cheaper, not to mention less disruptive and more efficient, to put him in a helicopter!  45 minutes to Seattle, 3 hours home.

Also got a call that our stolen vehicle has been recovered. It was in the process of being stripped but the sheriff's office put it back together and drove it out of the woods. The thief left behind their key, and their kid's booster seat and their tools. Who takes their toddler out with them boosting/stripping cars????