Eosinophilic Esophagitis Treatment: Alternative Health

My son was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis at the age of 18 mths, and his GE told me the count of 52 and 33 was the highest he'd ever seen. He referred us to an allergist and the battery of test showed that he was allergic to most things under the sun! With diet elimination and steroids his EE count was doing ok but I wanted him off steroids cause he's on a lot of meds for other things. Then one day someone who I trusted told me that they had had cancer stopped taking doctor's medicine and started taking ginger and turmeric pills. So I thought about it and decided that since my son never had any pain, I'll stop giving him steroids put him on these tablets and scope him within the year. I got the results of his scope yesterday and with the combination of a GF diet and these pills his count was 5!

I should mention that my husband is a physician who clearly does not believe in alternate medicine, but EE is an inflammatory disease and ginger and turmeric are anti inflammatory!

An eating disorder only recognized since about 30 years ago is called EE for short. It is way under diagnosed, and often mistaken for acid reflux, and even celiac disease. A simple blood test can diagnose celiac disease, but when that comes back negative, you may need to do a scope of the esophagus to do a eosiniphil count. A lot of doctors don't even watch for an elegated count, or know what it means, but that's EE if it is. Basically it means your body is attacking itself bacause of an allergy causing inflamation. The result is coughing, throwing up some or all foods around the time of ingesting an allergen. When there are many allergens, it can cause malnutrition and even death if they can't figure out what to avoid. Not being a skin allergy, the doctor way of diagnosing is faulty at best. The only way I've found to help and we believe now cure it, is a muscle test to know what the allergy is, and then using a proceedure called NAET to permanently cure the allergy. It could be done at home yourself, but as it's not as likely to succeed without a trained professional. Some are better than others too. We found a chiropractor who has been curing people of allergies and allergy related diseases for 15 years. It's not exactly a home cure, but it's so helped us! With people everywhere still saying that EE is incurable, I just want to get it out there that this has been a life saver. Please pass it on.

I have been suffering with eosinophilic esophogitis for over 30 years now. I was originally diagnosed with a shotzki's ring, then acid reflux, and now “ee”. After years of struggle and well over 20 throat dialations a doctor finally recommended I go get tested for food allergies. After I did, I was amazed by how much I'm actually allergic to! The list is long but the biggest problem foods for me are the following: Soy, Beef, peanuts, eggs, almonds, lobster, yeast, etc. All of these foods I have been eating for years with no “visible” symptoms.... it wasn't until I stopped eating all these allergens that I noticed a change in my ability to eat. The problem is that these foods would very slowly affect my swallowing. For years I blamed chicken, French fries, and other foods for my dysphasia but then later realized that chicken wasn't he problem it was the breading on the chicken. French fries weren't the problem either but the oils it was cooked in.

Out is all the foods I'm allergic to SOY has to be the worst. It is in absolutely Everything! It's in ice cream, chocolate, crackers, oils for bread at sandwich fast food places, the entire menu at steak-n-shake, almost all gum, etc. This poison has no real nutritional value and is used as a binding agent and/or filler for many products. You must read the ingredients in Everything!

So I hope this helps somebody out there that is struggling with the same problems I have experienced. I'm hoping to avoid ever having another throat dialation by simply avoid the problem foods. I used to drink “ensures” and other protein drinks to supplement my poor ability to eat only to find out years later that the ensures contain soy and other ingredients that were part of the problem.

By the way, if you love chocolate and can't find any that doesn't contain soy lecithin, Kroger sells a brand called “Green & Blacks” dark chocolate that is soy free!

Also, a teaspoon of baking soda and a glass of water works better than the antacid medication they prescribe you and is better for you. (Although I'm not a doctor just a guy of whom has had real-life experiences with these problems for years and am winning the battle! )

Good luck to all!

My daughter is 17 and had Eosinophilic Esophogitis. She was diagnosed at 1.5 yrs. She has had a Mickey g-tube since 1.5 rs old. She's also been on canned medical food for yrs. I recently started blending her fresh foods for her via g-tube. I'm using a homemade vegetable broth that consists of carrots, celery, onion, garlic & ginger. I use a crock pot for about 7 hrs.

I have also looked into Ayurveda. There are 3 spices that they recommend for dietary issues. There are cumin, coriander, fennel, cardamom & ginger. I added 1/4 tsp of each spice, except for ginger which I used fresh. Once the broth is done I use it as a base for her homemade smoothie supplements. In those I use raw & unfiltered honey, hemp powder, ground quinoa, ground flaxseed, ground lentils, super greens powder & hemp milk. She seems to be doing very well but we are due for another upper endoscopy soon. We'll see!

Hi my son is 4 and was diagnosed 6 months ago with EE. I am a nurse and I am on the pursuit to find the cure, as physicians dont seem to know too much about this disease. When he was born they told me he had GERD and Colic. After many doctors, they went in did a biopsy and voila we now know what it is. We then did the elimination diet, went back in scoped and no eosinophils, great, however 4 weeks after he was vomiting 10-14 x a day.

Currently I took him off prevacid and I am trying the alternative route (chinese medicine). He is back on all foods due to chinese teas including ginger and we have 1 more week, no vomiting for 2 days and then yesterday only 1x. I must exhaust this avenue before I start pumping him up with steroids, etc. We havent gone down the road of a gtube because he is gaining weight. Let me know if I can help in anyway.

EOSINOPHILIC ESOPHAGITIS

Try reading about leaky gut. I was diagnosed with EE several years ago after I had a gallbladder surgery, and they overdosed me on antibiotics. Several weeks later, I ended up developing leaky gut syndrome, which I believe is the altrenative medicine's name for the same condition. I could not eat anything without having an allergic reaction, and was down to just lettuce and brown rice and cooked vegetables. The only raw items I was able to eat was lettuce. I also ended up not only being allergic to mostly all food, but became severely chemically sensitive as well. It took me over a year and a half being on probiotics and supplements, mainly Zinc,digestive enzymes, NAC, and l-glutamine to help rebuild my intestines. I also did plenty of colonics and sauna treatments to help detoxify my body. Finding a good naturopath is extremely important. Especially someone who can test you for deficiencies.

When you take antibiotics, it destroys all bacteria, whether good or bad. The good bacteria never have a chance to colonize in the gut unless you replenish by taking probiotics. The bad bacteria end up creating tiny holes in your intestines. When you consume certain foods, the undigested proteins cross the blood barrier through these holes, and cause an allergic reaction.

I currently am on several vitamins and supplements daily, but I am now able to have a wider range of choices to eat from. I recommend also getting an ALCAT test to figure out what foods you may be intolerant to. These foods can be trigger foods, and set you up with a whole host of immune reactions from other seemingly safe foods.

Currently I try to avoid all gluten containing products as well as corn, soy and especially sugar. Try limiting your fruit to only two pieces, and make sure that they are not too sweet. Green apples work well. Get plenty of vitamin D (sunshine, fresh air, and spiritual time, and try to relieve stress through exercise. Stress makes it much worse.

Good Luck.

I have been struggling with EE as well. Been following the elimation diet. Easier to swallow now. Have not had a repeated EGD. Gave upeggs, milk-dairy(cheese), nuts/tree nuts/coconuts, soy, fish, and gluten. I had a hard time at first, very hungry loaded up on rice and potatoes. For me the rice milk was the best alternative for someone who loved skim/2% milk. Tried to balance fat with veggies. Tried to supplement with a rice protein powder for amino support. You can mix it with water, applejuice or rice milk. I also added blueberries or strawberries. It's more expensive but very smooth.

My son is 6 1/2 years old and was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE) 3 years ago. We found that he was allergic to corn (which is in everything!). Turns out its all the processed corns such as hgh fructose corn syrup and maltodextrin. When we cut everything out of his diet that Had any type of corn or corn bi product he got better. We didnt think he had it anymore. For some reason it has came back. He was tested and his eosinophils are high again. They put him on Flovent and it is so expensive! Around $500 for a 3 month supply! I can't afford this medication and there is no generic for it. He has so many allergies, seasonal and non-seasonal that the best thing for us would be to go all natural. I welcome all suggestions and would love to hear what has worked for you or your children. Thank you.

J_stone: I've read that once your gut heals, you can tolerate more stuff you were allergic to. This has happened to me. I've been pretty strict (not too strict tho) with eating mostly natural stuff, and I must say, I can now tolerate many more foods IN MODERATION. If I go overboard, I feel it.

So you can try a natural diet, but you should know it's not a life sentence: it's a healing stage.

I have severe Oesophagitis. Am under care of a Specialist. He told me to give up tomatoes and bread. I didn't believe about the bread, but I have tested it, and he was right! . I occasionally indulge in a slice of healthy grain bread, but have found it's not worth it. What I have found remarkable for it is Coconut oil. It has lots of healthful qualities, (don't believe the propaganda about bad fats). It's a good fat, especially for hypothyroidism. Also, I have recently begun symptoms of Fibromyalgia, which I believe from lots of research ( Dr Low) is caused by extremely high oestrogen/very low progesterone. Oestrogen dominance causes hypothyroidism. I can keep the pain under control with a mix of coconut oil and Turmeric/Boswellia tablets, (which I have to buy from America). This combination will keep me far from any cancer threat as well.

Hi Hillary. Have you guys tried only introducing brown rice, sweet potatoes, turkey, you know real bland dairy free, gluten free foods? I have had a host of issues with my stomach and esophagus since medicines made me ill in 2008. I used a bland diet to heal. Then my daughter who was born in 2013, began having lots of digestive issues and we did a massively strict diet and have her on some homeopathy to help clear her viral load and cleanse her system since it is clogged and having reactions. We did brown rice, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, chicken, turkey, asparagus, carrots, papaya/banana/wild blueberry shakes with coconut milk every day, olive oil, sea salt, coconut oil and everything steamed and introduce these and then if they do well, slowly introduce more....she is still gluten dairy, egg, chocolate, etc. free but she is doing sooooo well!! And they wanted to see her up at a city hospital when she first had issues but my husband and I knew right away *we both have GI issues ourselves) to try her diet and reach out to a good naturopath/alternative healthcare practitioner. So much love and healing to your little one. I am currently coping with the amount of stress we just went through for so long. So happy to see her not in pain now and doing better, no blood in stools, etc.

Help. My teenage daughter was just diagnosed with EOE. She is about to go off to college and I am worried about her being able to eat at school. What supplements would be good for her to take. It seems like everything she eats makes her feel bad. She takes a probiotic and l-glutamine. We have tried an array of different natural supplements but not have been a great help. All the traditional doctors want to do is pump her full of steroids but I want to find the source. Her symptoms are troat pain, burning, stinging, stomach pain, fatigue, nausea. She has waves of being hungry and then nauseous. She is a distance runner and needs to eat alot of calories.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis it is not just caused by GERD. New studies in the last couple of years have found that is also caused by food allergies disorder. Unexplained dysphasia and vomit. In < 15 or more per high field test Studies have a correlation with Celiac too. I had dysphagia for years. I stopped eating dairy, lactic acid and gluten. after eating this food I had food impaction in my esophagus. I am happy to see that new studies have found the problem that is not related to GERD Studies and testing are promising in the next 5 years.

Has he tried taking Claritin? I was very sick two years ago with many of the same things, and to my surprise, a Dr suggested taking Claritin every day for a few months. I never heard that Claritin could help with allergies to food, but it made all the difference! Also stay away from acid-producing foods, tomatoes, caffeine, onions, garlic, gluten (inflammatory) Eat MALANGA (like a potatoe- but very digestive) boil as you would prepare mash potatoes, save some of the water boiled to soften the whip, and make sure it has salt. Very creamy and healing! Drink Bone broth, also very good for healing the tummy. Papaya too. God bless and bring you back your health.

Renna. Not sure if you will see this since your post is over 3 years old, but I wanted to let you know about the 6-food elimination diet. You can read about it online. It has worked really well for me. I've had no issues for over a year. I eliminated dairy, wheat/gluten, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts, soy, fish and shellfish. So I eat all veggies, fruits, seeds like pumpkin and sunflower, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, etc. Also, I always drink plenty of water AFTER I eat to cleanse my esophagus (since it seems to be a contact allergy and I have other contact allergies like to nickel ). Hope this helps!

I don't mean to be rude, but your husband is doing the exact opposite of what he's doing. He's going to die of the disease if you keep going like that.

Why would he be eating all the foods you can't when you have EOE. You aren't supposed to eat wheat, gluten, nuts or dairy.

Those are the worst foods possible.

they are also the some of the 7 most allergic foods that are known.

he need to be on the 7 food elmination diet and get on steroids B4 he gets esophagus cancer.

Renna, I read online what you said about your husband having EOE.I was also diagnosed with EOE about a yr. ago, and my gastroenterologist wanted me to use an inhaler called Flovent, which I didn't t get because it is expensive and it can cause a yeast infection in your throat and I don't t need that..

I did see online that you can use slippery elm capsules or powder or marshmallow root capsules or powder. I have been using the slippery elm, and I do not drink dairy or eat any dairy products. It said online to avoid wheat, soy dairy, nuts, seeds shellfish or (any fish). I hope this helps in some way and I will pray for your husband, and hope he feels better soon. Please pray for me, I do appreciate it.

Hi J_stone from Indy: I agree with Mmsg from Europe.

In the book, Digestive Wellness (Lipski), they found that one-third of children with eosinophilic esophagitis also had asthma (in fact, EE is being called "asthma of the esophagus"). Allergic reactions to foods, mold, dust and pollen appear to play a big role. Even people on medication need to restrict/eliminate allergy-inducing foods or they won't improve, regardless of what drugs they take.

Here is what they recommend:

• Go on an elimination-provocation diet
• Quercetin: This will diminish, relieve and prevent allergy symptoms and protect esophageal tissue. Quercetin is very effective when combined with grape seed extract or pycnogenol.
• Probiotics: This will balance gut ecology and immune system function.
• Digestive enzymes
• DGL licorice: soothes inflammation and stimulates repair.
• Folic acid: Protects mucous membranes.

Can you work with a naturopathic doctor? That way the ND could tailor any supplements to your child's weight and severity of symptoms.

I would highly recommend borrowing Digestive Wellness from your library (or buy it, but if funds are tight, borrowing is a good option). It has instructions on the elimination diet and the various types and dosages of probiotics. Good luck! Bess

I was cured of Fibromyalgia by alternative MD. Liver function test showed phase 1 to be extremely functional and phase 2 to be almost completely dysfunctional. I was put on a diet replacement to heal liver function and the FM went away! All the chemicals released by phase 1 were not being carried out of my system by phase 2 so it got stored in interstitial sites between cells! Thus caused chronic nerve aggravation and pain. I used far infrared sauna to help eliminate the poisons in those miriad microscopic sties. It took a year to recover completelty. My liver function had been compromised from being under anesthesia for several hours of an operation.

When the esophagus is irritated nothing feels good and at night the problem worsens. I tried eating bananas every hour at night it is the only thing that worked. after few days I feel better. I tried all the remedies for four weeks and nothing worked as good as the bananas.

I suffered with Acid Reflux, hiatal hernia, gastritis, etc. for years, which in the past year turned into esophagatis. Many years of prilosec, nexium, prevacid, etc. Apple cider vinegar did nothing for me. I read your post on banana's and tried them, after dinner, and I have not felt so good in years. I have tried numerous natural remedies, including plantains, and cabbage juicing. The bananas are a great help, although I'm not saying they are the "cure" , they have definitely helped a lot. To the point where I can have a sip of coffee, in between green tea, kefir and yogurt. Daily doses of plain yogurt, not the sugared up stuff, have helped alot also. I could go on, but will cease for now.

I wanted to follow up on my original comment up top. While I do believe that NAET still helped, I think now as someone else mentioned, that it was just a temporary patch job. My daughters allergies would have been never ending if we hadn't of found a chiropractor who deals with the whole body through the Brimhall method. They are now in every major city and getting very popular. Anyhow, through our chiropracter we were exposed to the thought of building up my daughter's immunity through food too. We read about that book on gut that was mentioned above, and it made perfect sense.

Lately we realized not only the reason why she got the EE in the first place, (a round of antibiotics in her first year... That made her sick a lot that next year... ) but we found the missing puzzle that further agravated it; grains. Actually, after going grain-free for awhile I realized that the grains weren't the problem, as they had been a healthy part of every culture's diet... It is the methods they are prepared with. In particular, the quick toxic yeast we have has only resently been used as a culture. It use to be wild sourdough starter that we soaked flour with. Come to find out that removed phytic acid and gluten, while adding probiotics and vitamins! All cultured foods would heal the gut, not hurt it... So eat up that batch of sourdough starter pancakes, that sourdough pizza, cake or the like, just make sure it has an 8 hr. soak with wild sourdough starter. (You can get it free online!)

Barbara Our daughter had a lifetime of tests, medications, you name it we tried it.

We contacted Tony Pantellaresco on youtube as an effort to solve her undiagnosed unresolved health problems.

He told her to blend every bit of food she ate. We used a 20 dollar oster blender. To help it work we added bone broth or mct oil or butter or coconut milk.

She made our version of bulletproof coffee. 1 cup of coffee in a blender 1 tsp mct oil a heaping teaspoon of kerrygold 1 scoop of collagen. Blend 10 to 15 seconds. Drink

All the different meds and supplements never did a thing. This worked and she went to work for the first time in 5 years.

She can now be normal. You might find this to be the answer to the mystery. Simple and safe. Janet

Oops - sorry about that! I did read those. I also forwarded the blog to my cousin so he can familiarize himself with naturopathic medicine and hear/see what people who are using it to contend with EE are experiencing and suggesting.

Simultaneously, I reached out to an ayurvedic practitioner, who suggested contacting KH Khalsa, a master healer in naturopath modalities (in either Oregon or Washington state) for treatment since the case is so severe. Khalsa does on location and also tele-treatment. He has many years experience and credentials are strong. Anyone familiar?

Dear Jen,

I have given toddlers turmeric without giving them capsules. If I need to get a little one to take turmeric, I mix it with some honey (not for children under a year), yogurt, or apple sauce. I don't mix the dose into a large amount of anything in case they don't like it. If it doesn't taste the best, at least it is over with in one spoonful and then they can chase it with something else. You may find it works differently for your child and that is fine.

A capsule of something is about 1/5 of a teaspoon. For my toddlers I would give 1/16th teaspoon each of ginger and turmeric mixed with something, yogurt or whatever, for a dose. If that didn't accomplish what I wanted, I would try 1/8 teaspoon of each as a dose.

With turmeric, always make sure child stays hydrated and is still having normal bowel movements. Some find it to be constipating.

~Mama to Many~

My husband has eosinophilic gastroenteritis which is much less studied that EoE, however we are using budesonide. He is on an elimination diet but keeps having reactions without adding foods. We are trying some essential oils now. Research essential oils for allergic reactions and inflammation. I don't know how you would the budesonide or oils for esophagitis but it may be worth looking into. The oils we are currently taking by mouth are lemon, peppermint, lavender, frankinsense, and thieves. He is also taking a probiotic and Ninxia Red.

My 12yo son had mild EE, but serious abdominal pain just left of and below the navel for a few months. He had some lymphoid nodularity in his terminal ileum on colonoscopy. We have him on zinc l-carnosine (polaprezinc) and soy-free diet. He is amazingly better. Try googling zinc and eosinophils or zinc and gastric mucosa to get a better idea of what zinc does. Best of luck.

Hi Jean, if you could please share more about the protocol you followed to overcome the Fibromyalgia that would be very helpful to others. Can you please share the name of the Alternative MD as well? Thank you!

I am a 33 yo Female diagnosed EE 2 years ago through biopsy. This led me to get skin prick allergy tested and I was shocked to learn that at 31 I had 14 food allergies I had not had in my teens when I was 1st tested. My allergies including wheat, onion, chicken, peanut & green beans comprised about 90% of what I had been eating. My doctor put me on budesinide and the compounding pharmacist made it a suspension liquid that is easier for me than puffing the inhaler and swallowing the medicine. I've been asthmatic so long I totally kept inhaling every time I tried to take it. It was a GOD send!! Dysphagia and nausea was eliminated almost immediately and I only had to take it a week or 2. Now I just take it as needed.

Elimination diet helped with alot of my symptoms- no more headaches (Daily, debilitating stress headaches $thousands of dollars in meds, MRI's and testing only to find no known cause and was on Lortab 10's 2x a day just so I could hold a job), less asthma, less fatigue, less anxiety and also it increased the range of motion in my neck by reducing the inflammation in my neck and shoulders. Before I felt so bad all of the time I didn't realize how inflexible I had gotten. My Dr.s just kept saying exercise more, that I was getting older and was out of shape. :(

I still have insomnia, anxiety, IBS symptoms, occasional dysphagia and I am always bloated with water retention- I mean BAD bloated whether I am taking the steroids or not. It hurts to sit for more than an hour because I'm so bloated with water. After 2 years on elimination diet- my food allergies have mysteriously disappeared as quickly as they came. I only have a slight allergy to peanuts, but still have EE symptoms because I have many inhaled allergies like pollen and dustmites- but I have always had those allergies. My Dr.s don't know what has reversed my allergies (Lord knows it wasn't anything they did).

Last year I started eating only organic foods, much more whole foods- no processed stuff (Mainly because processed foods are all made with wheat and things I am allergic to) I wash my fruits and veggies religously and I try to grow a couple of veggies on my patio when I can. That way I know what's on them. My husband is a hunter so we ate mostly meat he killed which is very organic and untreated with antibiotics. I also started eating yogurt pretty regularly because it was convenient for me to pack for lunch since sandwiches were out of the question. I believe that my diet accidentally becoming more probiotic and less antibiotic and that along with getting away from the allergens has helped my intestines heal. This started me reading about leaky gut syndrome. Intestinal wall is damaged- leaks large protein molecules of food you eat across into bloodstream- white blood cells attack that protein and instantly you have food allergies. Before you are identified EE/ or allergic your Dr. may treat the symptoms with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and antacids all of which further destroy the flora in your GI tract that is thought to protect your guts from leaking and you have a perpetuatal cycle. Stress, processed food diet and antibiotically treated food are also thought to destroy flora in the tract.

So elimination diet made me better- next I decided to start an actual probiotic regimen. 2 weeks in and I am not bloated AT ALL!! Since I've been sick I gained 30-40 Lbs. I felt hungry all the time, I craved sugar, I was exhausted so I didn't excercise and my body was in anaphylactic shock daily for years before I was diagnosed. The day I started elimination diet I was so sleepy for 3 days all I did was sleep. I hadn't taken a nap in almost 5 years my constant adrenaline rush made me too anxious to rest well. It was hard for me to diet because I would eat chicken and whole wheat when I did which was what I was allergic to. I'm still a big girl but Jeans with no bloating and no muffin top is such a blessing for me!!! I'm eager to learn more about the possible probiotic/ EE link and am currently looking into digestive enzymes, but haven't had time to read much about it. Is the probiotic thing anything you have looked into?

Hi Elena...I think that your son has candida and possibly other pathogenic infections in his intestinal tract. Esophigitis, stomach problems and allergy symptoms are well known to be associated with candida as the cause. If your son has a white tongue(instead of a healthy pink tongue) this is another positive indication for candida.

To check your son for candida you can also do this simple questionnaire:

Online Candida Questionnaire

Unfortunately, doctor's tests are not very accurate at diagnosing candida imbalance or dominance from just stool or urine tests.

There is an effective child's protocol for candida that Walter Last recommends for getting rid of parasites as well as candida -- here is the link to the protocol:

Walter Last's Child Candida Protocol

Also, I would avoid giving your son any antibiotics whatsoever. Antibiotics will make the candida condition much more virulent and your son's condition will just get worse and spread. See this link.

For more explanations concerning Walter Last's approach on how to get rid of candida/parasites -- see this link.

I have been working with a private autism group of parents and they have been using Walter Last's Protocol(including turpentine) on their children with serious ASD disorders with some remarkable physical and mental improvements. Children with autism are always usually heavily infected with parasites, candida and other associated bacteria. It is the waste toxins from these pathogens -- particularly from candida -- that cause these mental and physical problems.

My son is almost 3. He was diagnosed with EE over a year ago. Since that time, so much allergy testing has followed. He has many positives including anaphylactic and environmental. A few weeks ago, after being on a limited diet omitting all of the things he tested positive to, he had another scope, only to find that his esophagus is still in tough shape. They are trying one last diet, removing all the common allergens, whether testing positive to it or not. After 6 weeks, another scope will follow. If he doesn't look better, the recommendation and next step from Children's Hospital Boston EE clinic, is to insert a feeding tube and doing an elimination diet, after 2 weeks of oral foods. Has anyone gone this route? Is this scarier for me than it really is? I am looking for input either from parents who have gone this route or parents with children who have the same issues but took other measures. Thanks for all of the information posted so far. Angel

Hi,
Sounds like one of my grandchildren. Come to find out that he was a celiac as was his mother and her dad. All went on a gluten free diet. No one has anymore digestive problems.

I am glad that you are doing so much better. I have found that I am more healthy also by cooking all my on food, bread and not eating any thing made/processed in the store. I do not eat sugar, white flour, white potatoes, no dairy, no animal products. My diet consists of vegetables frozen or fresh cooked, some raw, brown rice, whole flour(nonbromated, non-enriched), chickpea flour, rice flour, flax seed, sea salt, coconut oil, a little olive oil, lots of fruit(not real sweet) Since I am eating healthy I do not take 40 units of insulin every day, maybe 5 units 4 times a week. I do take some vitamins and minerals every day, and I have taken some probiotics for my digestive system. I drink kefir sometimes, and I make my own now. I have made kombucha tea, and have drank some of it also. I feel like a new person now. God is good and full of mercy.

I have three children with eoe. They have been on Flovent for several yrs. Over the past 9 months they have been on the 6 food elimination diet at their Dr's suggestion. Two of the kids were clear on the last scope and are adding egg back into their diet. My youngest has been on the 6 food elim. Diet and taking flovent. If he is not clear on his next scope Dr. is suggesting ng tube. I need some advice quick. The ng tube for 6 weeks would help determine if his eoe is food driven, but I hesitate to go to that extreme. Our chiropractor had my son take a stool analysis test which showed the following:

4Candida albicans

Commensal/Bacterial Overgrowth Detected:

Klebsiella/Enterobacter/Serratia Group - moderate

Alpha Hemolytic Streptococcus - Moderate

Klebsiella pneumoniae - moderate

Chiropractor is suggesting 3-6 months to get my son's gut working properly instead of the ng tube. I am very confused and would like some advice.

Thanks

I would go with what the chiropractor is saying. Go to youtube and watch Dr. Natasha McBride's videos on the GAP diet. It is all about healing the gut. Also on youtube some good videos by Donna Gates on the Body Ecology diet which is similar. Many people have had great success with both of these protocols.

Before I knew what I had, I was using lemongrass, myrtle and myrrh essential oils to treat what I thought was a thyroid problem. I would rub it on my throat and put it on the bottoms of my feet as well. It helped immensely. I could swallow without discomfort within minutes of doing this. Soon after I found out I had eosinophilic esophagitis. I'm now researching oils specific to Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Next week I plan on starting a daily regimen of myrhh, basil, frankincense and cinnamon along with Manuka honey. A great natural remedy but I can't imagine a 3 year old swallowing it willingly and essential oils aren't always recommended for ingestion for children - but oils on his feet or externally on the esophagus could help.

Hi Khloe, I know I am responding to an old post, but hoping to get a response from you. I also developed many food allergies after taking several doses of antibiotics. My gallbladder and apendix were also removed a few years before developing these allergies. My son was also diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis and as you can tell we are dealing with many food allergies. He is allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, seafood. Its been difficult helping him since so many things have these items. Me on the other hand have a horrible corn allergy and at the same time developed allergy to almonds, soy, wheat, carrots. It has been a night mare for the family. Can you tell me what probiotics you took and dosage for zinc, I glutamine. What is NAC? I am usually the guinea pig before I give things to my son. How are you feeling now? Its been 6 years since your post. Your response would be greatly appreciated.

I have recently been diagnosed with EE and would like to find a more holistic treatment than what my Gastroenterologist is prescribing since he seems incapable of answering my questions satisfactorily. He has told me to stop eating fish, eggs, milk, soy, nuts, and wheat. Since i'm mostly vegan i asked him what i should eat and he replied, "i don't know just do what you can" He has prescribed Flovent HFA 220mcg which is an steroid asthma inhaler 2 puffs on my tongue 2x a day. Hoping that the steroid will be then swallowed down to my esophagus. Because one of the side effects of this action is yeast infections i'm supposed to mouthwash with baking soda several times a day. After every 5 or 6 months he wants me to come in for endoscopes. This just isn't really acceptable in my opinion so i'm here looking for some better options. I have done some muscle testing for my allergies but not 100% sure on my results. Seems that I should reduce my soy intake. Would love to hear more detail on how you and others (if there are others) have dealt with this. My Dr said that they have only very recently diagnosed this problem in adults. Thanks!

When my husband and I first started dating, he was 26 years old. He warned me about this thing that happens to him where food gets stuck in his throat and he can't breathe until he makes himself throw up to get it out. Well, I got to witness this happen on several occasions over the next 6 years and became very concerned because every episode got just a little scarier. Finally, one day it happened while on vacation and not from food. He simply took a drink of water and it took 2 minutes for him to stop choking and start breathing again. He is an all-around typical guy who likes sports and no nonsense, so for him to admit how scary it was, was kind of a big deal.

His mother finally informed me that he had very severe acid reflux as an infant and threw up all the time until he turned a year old. After that, he was a perfectly healthy child until his 20's when the choking began.

When we returned home from vacation, we immediately made an appointment with his Dr to be referred to a GI for an endoscopy. The endoscopy revealed he had Eosinophilis Esophagitis and high levels of eosinophils and the "sticky rings". The Dr referred him to get tested for food and environmental allergies (even though he doesn't get allergy symptoms except the occasional sniffle in the spring and fall). She also put him on Omeprozale and a steroid inhaler that is swallowed. He takes the Omeprozale daily and the inhaler every few months. His allergy tests revealed ZERO food allergies and just a few seasonal allergies that weren't that bad.

Taking the medicine daily, along with chewing small bites and slowly and avoiding sticky foods such as breads has really helped. He also tries not to drink beer and that helps as well. He has a few other symptoms that have minimized since then as well including the constant bloody noses he used to get and waking up gasping for air sometimes at night. The snoring has also improved.

Two months ago, his father finally admitted to us that he used to have the same choking issues and eventually grew out of them. THEN his younger brother started having the issues at 30 years old. (husband is now 33). His brother just got an endoscopy and turns out to have EoE as well. However, his brother had severe asthma and allergies growing up, but no food allergies either. All seems to be hereditary in this family with the EoE.

Now we have an 8 month old son who has had terrible reflux since day 1 and has been on Zantac since 2 weeks old. I am terrified he will end up with the same choking issues and EoE.

Has anyone ever experienced this without food allergies? Also, do multiple family members have it?

Thank you.

Yes, I have been through this for over 3 years. I have switched to gluten and sugar free diet and once a day I drink 1 teaspoon of ACV in a glass of water. I have found a connection with the lymph nodes at the top of my spine and difficulty swallowing. When times are bad it feels like swelling from ear to ear at the bottom of my skull. The ACV has helped this. I am also starting on lymphatic massages. I hope this information helps, it has been a long struggle for me and at last I feel like I have some kind of control.

I am 39 y.o., and also have zero food allergies according to the skin prick test.

I started having daily choking, severe pain, and laryngitis at age 35... which resolved only at age 39 when I went onto an elimination (no alcohol, milk, soy, wheat, egg, nuts, fish, shellfish) diet.

I went from eosinophil count over 100 (eye-popping) to "undetectable" within 2 months. Apparently 5% of EOE sufferers are like me, and don't show allergies on the blood test. If I take 1 sip of alcohol, or 1 bite of sushi & soy sauce, I'm back to severe pain and choking within 12 hours later. Swallowed budesonide really tames the EOE down again... nothing else including fluticasone seems to even touch it.

Hope this helps.

Same exact symptoms as him and same treatment for last several years. Need annual esophageal dilations to widen passageway and ease eating. Now looking to utilize more homeopathic remedy and lessen reliance on meds.

Mala, My five year old son was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis two years ago. He also has a mountain of allergies. I had to take him off of the steroids a year ago due to severe behavior issues. Can you please tell me what kind of ginger and turmeric pills you gave your son?

Hi Margaret,

I got them from online at Puritan Pride. I have him on 800mg of turmeric and 550 mg ginger once a day.

Hi Mala! I would like more information about the treatment that you did with your child to treat eoe. My son is 6 now but he's been diagnose with it since 18 month. He is better with the diet, but doctor insist in keep treating him with steroids which we are trying to avoid. Thank you

Mala, My cousin's 2 yr old son has a very severe case of Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Neither acid reflux nor diet nor steroids is working. The boy is in the hospital every other week. Drs are suggesting removing most of his esophagus!! I am familiar with natural medicine but he is not. How did you manage (timeline, pace, etc) the transition from western to natural medicine?

Dear Sarah,

I am not Mala. Hopefully she will see this post and be able to share advice with you.

I am assuming you have read over the posts on this website about EE. I thought Ed, Timh, and Mt all had good ideas. We have used nettles and turmeric for small children with good success.

I don't think I have seen on the EE page anything about kefir, but I would encourage that if possible. Milk kefir is really amazing and healing. If dairy is not tolerated, there is always coconut milk kefir or water kefir.

I am hopeful that your cousin will be able to find a solution for her child. Having to remove the esophagus would be absolutely dreadful.

Please keep us posted.

~Mama to Many~

How did you get your 18 month old son to take ginger & turmeric pills my 20 month old son can't swallow pills. What kind of dosage did you give your 18 month old? Thanks.

Do you think it would help if I applied it topically?

I have a 5 year old daughter that is looking at being diagnosed with eosinophilic esophogitis. They are wanting to "try" PPI's and another endoscopy to officially diagnose her, but I am trying to stay away from that. Based on her last endoscopy her doctor is willing to try Budesonide to try and bring her some relief, but I of course would prefer to avoid that if possible too. I would love to hear any update on how things have continued for other kids after trying alternatives to the medications!

5 year old with EE and multiple allergies. Diagnosed at 18 months. We do steroids for 4-6 months and then stop it for next 18 months, and start again for few months as inflammation slowly comes back. This way we try to minimize steroids intake. We do turmeric honey as well, but not sure if it is actually working or not. Turmeric for sure not fully fixing it as inflammation comes back. But possibly delaying the comeback, as Endoscopy images after 18 months of no steroids dont look bad, but EE count is +ve, needing steroids again for few months. This way I don't blindly rely on natural stuff and also don't blindly give him steroids. Just balancing act, I guess.

Can you tell me what pills exactly you used? Searching for alternatives for my 4 year old.

My husband now 29 got diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis 5 years ago. We tried everything, he was seeing a research doctor that put him on all kinds of meds that just made him feel so sick. He had to quit his job drop off college for a while. This keeps going on and off he is never feeling good and when he is it never lasts. We decided to go a more hollistic approach and tried the eimination diet. He is allergic to most fresh fruits and vegetables which makes it difficult for him to be healthy. His health has suffered greatly and the worst part is that his immune system is compromised and he gets sick all the time. He had an epsidoe last month when he tried to eat bannans and has been so sick since nothing he eats goes well he has gone down from 160lbs to 133 and keeps losing more weight. I am scared and feeling helpless. Currently he is taken supplements and we are trying clay in his drinks. His diet is mostly organic brown rice potatoes almond milk and occasionally other things such as eggs apple sauce yogurt peanut butter and sprouted bread. We tried gluten free but it made him sick for some reason. I am worried mostly now about immediate remedies. It is important for him to put on some weight and recover a little before we try anything else.. Any suggestions? I would really appreciate it

Stinging nettle helps with allergies. Calamus root helps with the digestive system. Swedish bitter is also helping with the digestion. Calendula, Sage are anti-inflammatory. Manuka honey and garlic are natural antibiotics.

@Renna: First try and get some kill on the infection by sipping Colloidal Silver water. A few hrs away from C.S. use Zinc Lozenges, and before retiring place a 10,000 iu Vit-A softgel in mouth and burst between teeth; Swallow gently so as to let the vit-a coat the lining of the esophagus.

For esophagus health in general, explore the possibility of gallstones and Primary Bilary Cirrhosis. Herbs to use immediately to improve digestion are Fennel and Ginger.

Hello Renna, I second Timh from Ky, Usa recommendations. That is the best approach. Colloidal silver to kill pathogens, zinc to increase immunity, vitamin A to heal. In addition, you can take 1 tsp of Licorice Root Powder mixed with 1 tsp unpasteurized honey. Licorice root powder increases the juices secretion of mucus membranes from the mouth through the rectum. Good Health.

When I was allergic to corn, cans all had a corn liner to take the taste of the metal away, I'm not allergic anymore.

J_stone--please be aware that dairy cows could be fed corn in the winter to produce more milk. This would affect the cheese and butter too. Mmsg is right-on with moderation because of what is happening to our food supply. Genetically modified grasses and grains (GMO's) have tainted our food in one way or another.

If food is being engineered to last longer it seems to me the creatures in the food are surviving and when we use anti-bacterial soaps and hand sanitizers we could be killing off the defenses. I JUST DON'T KNOW... But there has to be a reason so many people keep getting sick. The hospitals are no longer safe. People are going in to get fixed and are coming down with worse ailments than they went in with if they don't die. This has been on the news more than once.

J, sorry for the short reply but short on time, please refer to my post on my son's leaky gut. It has been hard but similar protocol may help your son. Just use the search box or look up under ailments.

Diagnosed with EE and H. Pylori

An endoscopy has diagnosed my 13 year old son with EE and the H. Pylori bacteria. As an infant his pediatrician assured me that his condition was due to the fact that he was a "happy spitter." An upper GI was done when he was 5 however results were negative. At 13 he 5' 8" and weighs 138 lbs but he vomits easily and uses the restroom almost immediately after eating.

His Dr. has recommended an elimination diet (no milk, milk-products, wheat, soy, nuts, fish and eggs), Flovent and Protonix for the EE diagnosis. For the H. Pylori bacteria he will be on antibiotics and Doxycyline for 2-weeks.

Thank you for all the posts because we are just starting on this journey and it is helpful to read what others have gone through. I will definitely look up Dr. McBride's youtube and book along with the Osteopath treatment. I will keep you posted.

Hi, try keeping all grains, seed's and nuts out of his diet, and use slippery elm powder. People have had wonderful results for Eosinophilic Esophagitis using this.

And keep sugar out as well as candida can be the cause of it in some people. Also, mold, fungus, and viruses. As a virus will hide in your system for years go quiet and then repeatedly attack you at different times. And the dysphagia, swallowing problems may be caused by many things, but I had it from medications. Love Andrea C xxxx

I have been diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis 2 years ago but I have been suffering from it for the past 8 years or so. Can anyone help me get better?