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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by G-man885858 on November 6, 2009, at 21:11:36
Hey Everyone!
Do u guys know if Glutamine helps heal the GI tract?
Posted by bleauberry on November 7, 2009, at 5:15:27
In reply to Does glutamine help the GI tract?, posted by G-man885858 on November 6, 2009, at 21:11:36
I do not have the expertise of whether glutamine heals the gut or not, but it is a highly touted supplement for that purpose. I've read the scientific reasoning for that but I don't understand much of it.
My feeling is that no single substance is going to be fruitful, that it requires a comprehensive approach from various angles. Disease of any type is complex.
GI gut problems have, in my view, the primary cause being disbalanced flora...not enough good bacteria, too many bad ones, too much yeast/Candida, penetration of mutated yeast into gut linings. Glutamine won't fix those things. Though it probably will help healing once those things have been corrected.
GI gut issues also demand the necessity of discovering whether gluten and/or dairy are involved. Elimination diets or special lab tests can do that.
Yeast can be treated blindly. Just assume if there are gut problems, it is likely a top issue. Various herbs are strong against yeast...Oil or Oregano, Garlic supplements (the smelly ones, not the de-odored ones), Pau D'Arco tea, Grapefruit Seed Extract, and one of the most potent is Caprylic Acid. For meds, simple and cheap....Diflucan. Candida is tough to get rid of, sometimes weeks or months, so consistency in treatment is important.
And no matter what, a strong potency probiotic needs to be taken daily, along with healthy servings of yogurt. This helps rebalance flora and displace the bad guys so they don't have a place to reside.
Sugar is a big offender. Cut down on raw sugar totally. Avoid the 3 "S"s...sugar, sucrose, sucrolose. Avoid the artificial sweeteners, except for Stevia, which is good and healthy. Keep corn syrup to a minimum. Honey and maple syrup are ok in modesty. Most of the anti-sugar diets for Candida I believe are too extreme.
Antimicrobial herbs, probiotics, low sugar food choices, testing for gluten/dairy tolerance...these are the gut healing guns. Add glutamine later to help heal the actual tissue damage that might have happened.
Three other substances helpful are Licorice root extract, Aloe Vera juice, Marshmallow root. There are others as well.
Basically, glutamine alone? No. As a small part of a comprehensive plan? Yes.
Some gut problems, such as IBS, are immune system mediated, possibly explaining why they respond to oddball things such as immune system modulating herbs, anti-inflammatory herbs, and Low Dose Naltrexone.
Posted by G-man885858 on November 7, 2009, at 12:47:39
In reply to Re: Does glutamine help the GI tract?, posted by bleauberry on November 7, 2009, at 5:15:27
Bleauberry,
I have a big problem with probiotics. Every time I take probiotic pills, I get a wicked cluster headache which prevents me from taking it anymore. I DON'T KNOW WHY!!
Posted by bleauberry on November 7, 2009, at 17:54:03
In reply to Re: Does glutamine help the GI tract? » bleauberry, posted by G-man885858 on November 7, 2009, at 12:47:39
> Bleauberry,
>
> I have a big problem with probiotics. Every time I take probiotic pills, I get a wicked cluster headache which prevents me from taking it anymore. I DON'T KNOW WHY!!To rule out an allergic reaction to something in a particular brand, you should try two other brands to see if the reaction still happens. If it does, then there are two likely reasons for the headaches. Neither of them are the fault of the probiotic. Believe it or not, the headaches could actually be a good clue that you need them.
1. Probiotics have direct effects on our immune system. If your immune system is weak, or if you have a higher than normal pathogen burden, probiotics are going to spark off a Herxheimer reaction (the die-off toxins of pathogenic organisms). Enough of them will be shoved out of place and disrupted by the probiotics that there will a consider amount of death happening. That's a good thing, but feels bad. Intense headaches are one of the most common indications of a Herx, due to the inflammation response.
2. There is a higher yeast/Candida burden than assumed. My doctor thought I had a yeast problem. Before starting me on anti-yeast meds, he first wanted me to remove sugar from my diet. Yeast feeds on sugar. I didn't remove sugar, but I did cut down on it quite a bit. I suffered severe Herx reactions just doing that. The pathogen load was so heavy that even a change in diet caused enough death to create a Herx. When the med was added, it got even worse.
The Herx, as bad as it is, is actually a good thing. It means healing is underway. It usually lasts a few days to a few weeks. As long as it takes for the pathogen load to drop down to insignifcant. Advil or your favorite pain reliever can be used for the pain. Activated charcoal capsules and/or chlorella tabs can be taken (3 hours apart from meals) to absorb the toxins in your gut before they get absorbed into your bloodstream. It doesn't eliminate a Herx, but helps lessen it. Cleavers tincture or Red Root tincture will speed up the lymphatic system to keep detox pathways flowing smoothly.
I can easily see how someone would think that since probiotics give them headaches they can't take probiotics. It is actually just the opposite. They desperately need the probiotics, as well as some anti-yeast herbs or meds, and elimination of sugar, to get the problem under control. Many psych symptoms and physical symptoms are caused by the everyday normal excretions of excess gut yeast. And it brings us full circle back to your original post...GI gut problems. That's what yeast do.
I think the same thing happens with antibiotics. Someone has a viscious reaction to an antibiotic and then assume they had an allergic reaction. If it wasn't hives, itching, stuff like that, it probably was not an allergic reaction. It was a Herx, which meant the antibiotic was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing. It should, however, have had a much lower dose to start and increased slowly.
You also will need to do that. Start very low and increase slowly.
I could be wrong, but it looks pretty obvious to me. Your story is right in line with what thousands of others describe on their journey to healing. The hard part is enduring the Herx, persisting with treatment, and getting to the green grass on the other side.
Posted by seldomseen on November 8, 2009, at 8:20:38
In reply to Does glutamine help the GI tract?, posted by G-man885858 on November 6, 2009, at 21:11:36
I think it might be prudent before jumping in with a bunch of advice to get some more information here.
Heal the digestive tract from what? What's going on that you want to treat with glutamine?
Seldom.
Posted by seldomseen on November 8, 2009, at 8:31:45
In reply to Re: Does glutamine help the GI tract?, posted by bleauberry on November 7, 2009, at 17:54:03
"It was a Herx, which meant the antibiotic was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing. It should, however, have had a much lower dose to start and increased slowly."
IMO administering an antibiotic in this fashion just increases the likelihood that it won't work at all.
This is the end of the thread.
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