Cure Gastrointestinal Disorders

I have had a phytobezoar and have found kiwi fruit helpful instead of coco cola. I cannot find any information on bezoars on your web site.

After more than 20 miserable years of abdominal pain I finally found something that is working for me: Serrapeptase High Potency (2 cápsulas a day with empty stomach) and DMSO (topical and by mouth). I also have changed my diet: no gluten. No dairy. No sugar. Lot of raw vegetables. Meat, fish, Poultry, seafood. No nuts. Now I'm loocking for masage therapy. I'm 70% better so far. Thank you Lord!!

Probiotics only help in the first stages of gastritis. It does get worse so this might help for a while but it will get worse if you don't heal the stomach lining.

My prayers go out to Ted I wish and hope he makes a full recovery, in my mind he is a great man, and we need him in this world, get well Ted please, I have had upper GI distress for sometime now, it comes with intense bloating feeling like I am going to explode after eating, and needed to burp but could not..One of the remedies I have tried with some success is Sauerkraut I make my own with red cabbage and 1 or 2 tablespoons of Himalayan Salt so I know what it contains. I use Ginger ale to get me to burp, this works to relieve the symptoms. Sometimes I have to use Pepcid I hate to use it but it works for me. But what I would really like to know is what the underlying cause is and can it be cured. Anyone have any thoughts on this.

Look into horsetail: http://www.mariatrebenherbs.com/67/77-horsetail/itemid-0

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Alternative Treatments

I found your website while searching for holistic options for the treatment of polpys associated with the genetic disorder Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). I was diagnosed with FAP in April 2010. I was 47 at the time and my GI had only one other patient with FAP. In July 2010 they removed all but 21 cm of my colon due to hygrade displasia, but later confirmed that it had not broken the colon wall so no further treatment was needed. At the time of my original diagnosis they saw hundreds of polyps in the lining of my stomach. These are typically non-cancerous, but my last biopsy in September 2012 came back abnormal and the polyps have continued to multiply. My GI doctor did not prescribe any medical treatment to slow or stop the growth of the polyps in my stomach. He took a wait and see attitude and scheduled me for another EDG six months later and recommended I find an IM doctor to manage my overall health.

I immediately found a very good IM doctor who was concerned that I was not on any treatment to slow the growth of the polyps and immediately put me on an RA medication due to the medical studies showing success in retarding the growth of polpys.

I'm concerned about the risks associated with the RA medication. I've searched the internet for other options, but most relate to colon polyps. I would appreciate any insight, information or advice regarding holistic options for the treatment of stomach polyps associated with FAP.

I would consider my health to be good; however, my diet is still evolving. Finding foods that I can digest or tolerate has been a challenge. I've eliminated all red meats, broccoli, onions, cabbage, corn, dairy (on occassion I still use sour cream), and limit the amount of leafy greens due to digestion issues. I do take acidophilus daily as well as digestive aids. I do have hypothyroidism, which was diagnosed back in 1999.

Thank you for taking the time to read my e-mail submission. I wish I would have found your website months ago.

I have been taking Ibuprofen on and off for pain associated with a medical condition for years. Three years ago, I woke up with terrible stomach pain, like somebody had punched me in the stomach. I was nauseous but wasn't vomiting. At first I thought I had a stomach flu, but while I was sitting in a clinic, I realized what the pain was from. I'd taken too much ibuprofen over the previous days-more than the maximum allowed. The diagnosis (without any test to verify) was gastritis-irritation of the stomach lining. The doctor prescribed an acid inhibitor and I started to feel better after a few days. By the time I got a gastroscopy, if I'd had any damage, it had healed by that time (it took close to a year to get it done). I continued to take an acid inhibitor on the days I was taking more than about 600mg of ibuprofen, or if I was taking it for several days at a time. I was taking ibuprofen for about 7-10 days a month maximum.

A couple of weeks ago I'd been taking low doses of ibuprofen for more consecutive days than usual, but was not taking the acid inhibitors as I'd run out. After a few days, even with low doses of ibuprofen, I had another attack and ended up in the hospital. Same problem as three years ago. The doctor prescribed a very strong acid inhibitor. I looked into it and started researching the medications as well as natural cures.

From what I understand, here's the problem: The ibuprofen or any NSAID, can damage the stomach lining with prolonged use, and can even cause an ulcer. The acid inhibitor simply stops acid production so that your own natural stomach acid doesn't burn your damaged stomach lining causing the pain it caused me. It doesn't protect your stomach from the damage, as I was led to believe. So I started to explore how I could protect my stomach. First of all, I stopped taking the NSAIDS and am just living with my pain. Secondly, my research shows that there are natural ways to actually protect and heal your stomach. Here's what I found:

-Slippery Elm coats the stomach lining and protects it. I am taking 2000mg twice a day on an empty stomach. You can take it in capsule form or bulk powder (about 1tsp), just mix it with water. There are a couple of things to keep in mind-do not take any other vitamins at the same time, as you will not be absorbing as much out of them. Also, I'm not sure about this one, but it may double the half life of other medications, for example, acetaminophen, meaning if it was meant to stay in your system for 4-6 hours, now it will last 8-12, setting you up for an overdose.

-Aloe Vera juice. Up to 80mL a day

-L-glutamine. So far I've seen up to 3000mg a day as an acceptable dosage.

-B12. Because you're likely to have a deficiency as it's often not well absorbed in these cases.

Make sure you eat small amounts of food every few hours and follow a diet recommended for ulcers. Do a google search on that.

Here's why I believe acid inhibitors are bad for you. You need stomach acid to digest your food! Acid inhibitors are over prescribed. The symptoms of acid overproduction and underproduction can be the same, but it's unlikely that people over 40 have an overproduction of acid. Acid reflux is often caused by a lack of acid in the stomach, so food isn't getting properly digested and is coming back up the esophagus, causing the burning sensation. Cut the acid production even more by taking acid inhibitors and you really start messing with your system. I recently found out from a friend (after telling him of my issues) that he had been diagnosed with GERD several years ago and was put on acid inhibitors. He got sicker and sicker and wasted away to nearly nothing, losing 50 lbs in just a couple of months. He nearly died. His problem? His original symptoms were caused by an UNDERPRODUCTION of acid, and the acid inhibitors made it nearly impossible to digest his food.

How can you avoid this? If you have acid reflux, try drinking some apple cider vinegar diluted in water. If your symptoms improve, you have an underproduction of acid. If they worsen, then you may in fact have an overproduction.

First thing is to change your diet, and don't rely on pharmaceuticals for everything! What kind of logic is it to prescribe one thing, only to prescribe something for the damage the first thing causes???

After only a few days on the remedies I mentioned above, I'm already feeling better. I've also learned about MSM for pain, and will try it instead of NSAIDs next time the pain is unbearable from my other ailment. Good luck to you all!

Bradshad, why don't you do just that??! It seems that sticking to veggies and animal protein for awhile, does good for many things. You can also try some of the parasite cleansers here on EC.

Hi, has anyone had Klebsiella (a bacteria) in there gi tract and successfully got rid of it? I had a stool sample come back positive for it and the holistic lady im working with put me on Uva Ursi for 2 weeks then Berberine for 2 more. Well the month is almost up and the bloating and other symptoms have not subsided. I read it likes starches and have a feeling I need to just eat veggies and meat for awhile. Please help. Thanks.

... Forgot to add that many soaps are made from glycerin because when you add any fat, like glycerin or glycerol (which is a triglyceride) to a strong alkali to make soap -- it is no longer an oil or fat -- but it becomes soap. Glycerin has been used for centuries in traditional soap-making.

Hi Rsw... Glycerin in toothpaste and all edible food fats and oils tend to cover the teeth, thus inhibiting teeth re-mineralization. I also use Ted's Sodium Bicarbonate method for brushing teeth and 3% Hydrogen Peroxide or an Iodine based mouth wash. If you use soap as toothpaste -- just use any kind of ordinary organic soap without parabens etc in it. A bar of soap, when used for teeth cleaning will last you well over a year and so you will also save money by using soap as toothpaste as well.

I really don't expect people to adhere rigidly to the anti-candida diet but you should also understand that the less strictly you adhere to this diet -- then the longer it will take for you to heal from your candida and other associated gut problems. This really depends on you and is your own choice. And this also depends on the urgency and your own dedication and willpower to get rid of the candida. The African woman who healed all her candida and other considerable problems within six months also allowed small amounts of carbohydrates in her own diet. But if people do strictly follow both the anti-candida protocol and the diet -- I believe that most could heal themselves in about 4 months.

Hi Bill, Thanks for the information on soap for toothpaste. Every soap in my house, as well as the four kinds of toothpaste without fluoride that I have, all contain glycerin. Is it necessary to buy the soap recommended in the DR's post or is there a more common type that will work? Also having difficulty adhering to the candida diet, especially at breakfast since I don't care for eggs and I'm still hungry if I eat a banana and green tea. Don't want to eat vegetables for breakfast but no cereal, bread, dairy or sugar make it seem like that's all that's left! Thanks for all the useful information you provide and your references to Ted's protocols, too.

I'm reading alot of gastro problem posts here where people's fungal and bacterial problems seem to persist or always recurr. The reason for this is because many bacteria including H pylorim C diff etc are able to protect themselves against antibiotics and the body's defenses by living inside protective lipid biofilms. This has only been discovered recently. Biofilms are like lipid (fat or oil) based micro-slime wherein bacteria as well as viruses and fungi can also live and communicate via chemical signalling. So first, you need to disrupt the biofilms to completely expose these pathogens before you can successfully kill and get rid of the offending bacteria or other pathogens. Candida also uses biofims in the gut.

So, how do we get rid of these lipid biofilms without using unnecessarily complex, expensive and side-effect causing drugs? Simple. Soap will disrupt biofilms easily just like detergent disrupts and disperses fats and oils on your clothes. You create washing soap by reacting any alkali usually sodium hydroxide or sodium carbonate are used with a fat or oil. Biofilms are made from fat. Therefore alkalizing the intestines will also create soap in the intestines (by reacting with residual fats in the food and in the bile). Sodium Bicarbonate also reacts directly with the biofilms(also a fat) to form soap and destroys it. At the same time, you must take a remedy that directly kills the bacterial/fungal problem. That's the strategy in a nutshell.

In my opinion, both candida and H pylori usually occur due to a lack of stomach acid which protects against incoming bacteria in food and these pathogens also arise due to a lack of bicarbonates which are normally excreted with pancreatic enzymes to create an alkaline environment necessary for main stage digestion. This lack of bicarbonates essentially creates and allows an acidic intestine and allows protective biofilms to form the perfect environment for creating candida and bacteria like H pylori and C diff. Bicarbonates, when mixed with fats create soap. Soap disrupts biofilms thus completely exposing the pathogen. Then you can directly attack the bacteria/fungus to get rid of it. This greatly reduces persistence and recurrence of such problems because the pathogens now have nowhere to hide and cannot protect themselves anymore by using biofilms in the intestines.

Tooth plaque is also caused by bacteria that can hide in biofilms. Here is some significant research by Dr Gerard Judd in an angry letter to the American government who advises using soap as toothpaste to clear biofilms and plaque bacteria from teeth:

http://www.life-enthusiast.com/news/o_dental_health.htm

Dr judd was 38 years in research and spent 18 years in fluoro-organics research. He also has some fairly scathing things to say about fluoride too.

Alternative and simple methods of getting rid of H pylori are many. You can use food grade 3% Hydrogen Peroxide or Lugol's Iodine(solublizes fats) or colloidal silver(with hydrogen peroxide) or herbs like olive leaf, cat's claw, peppermint tea or tumeric(Curcumin).

Taking the ACV or lemon/lime remedies are not alkaline enough to destroy the biofilms. I discovered this only recently when I was treating an African woman for systemic candida plus many other bacterial gut problems. I kept urging her to take Ted from Bangkok's sodium bicarbonate with water remedy as well because I wanted her to alkalize her blood. Eventually she started taking it, and immediately I noticed that she started to recover swiftly with much reduced symptoms -- and this can only be because the fungal and bacterial biofilms were completely destroyed by the alkaline BS. Thus, with the fungus and pathogenic bacteria completely de-cloaked and exposed - the other protocols she was taking were enhanced and worked much better to clear the pathogens from her gut completely.

I must finally add here that Ted's Carbicarb remedy would probably work even better than just BS and water to destroy biofilms -- because carbicarb is more strongly alkaline. This however is only a theory of mine -- I haven't tried it yet.

The essential gist of this post is simply that if you alkalize daily using the suggested remedies(Sodium Bicarbonate or Carbicarb) as well as taking anti-fungal and anti-bacterial protocols, then the persistence and recurrence of your gastro problems should be greatly reduced and/or eliminated completely because of the elimination of biofilms from the gut -- and you will also heal more quickly.

Although dietary changes can go a long way, you will also need to make lifestyle changes. A big one for Americans is to lose some weight. For those that smoke you need to stop as well.

I'd been reading a lot about colloidal silver online and as I have reactive arthritis in my toes thought I'd give it a go, taking 20ml twice a day. (no luck yet after 4 weeks).

In the meantime, my husband contracted gastro with fevers and chills and after 3 days of me nagging, he finally took the massive dosage of 200ml of CS in water, followed by another glass of water (recommended by the manufacturer). Half an hour later his fever was gone, colour had returned and he was mucking around and that was that, he was cured!

However..the morning after I was doing the shopping and started to get hot and cold flushes and stomach cramps. Made it back home and followed the same regime as my husband with the CS, and timed it. Ten minutes - fever had dropped. An hour later - stomach cramps gone and never returned.

As someone who contracts gastro at the drop of a hat, you can imagine this has made me very happy!

If you have digestive problems get you some Siberian Pine Nut Oil. It really works. I was on Nexium for 5 years, up to two a day and still much pain. Couldn't eat much of anything. After a week of Pine nut oil I decreased pills to one a day, then every other day. I was able to eat most anything and no pain! I still take it once a day and am off medication. Feeling great. It's worth every penny!!!

I've been experiencing gastritis for about nine months. This was brought on after persistent giardia and antibiotics. Glutamine and olive leaf extract both help, and recently I've found that pine nut oil is helpful too. None of these have cured me of my problem but all have helped. I'm going to try Cayenne, ACV and Aloe Vera now that I've found this site.

I had both for decades and cured BOTH OVERNIGHT; this is how.

I took Pro-Biotics (acidopholis, lactobacilicus etc) you must get from vitamin store and take LIVE CULTURE COUNTS over 100 billion daily. If it works for u then keep it up for a week and anytime you need to take antibiotics (be sure to separate the times by 3 hrs or they will counteract each other)

Hi Janjan -
I have a seriously sensitive stomach, aqnd I take both ACV and Blackstrap Molassas every morning before eating. Not at the same time though some people do.

A word of advice - Start slowly and work your way up - do not start at the high doses you see listed here.... If someone says to take three tablespoons... Start at one a day (or even less) and work up to the full amount slowly!

You can overwhelm your system if you start out too fast, or try to do too many things at the same time in the beginning. :)

Good Luck!

Can anyone advice whether its alright for those who have gastric problems to take ACV & BSM in the morning before breakfast? Regards, Jan

Purple cabbage juice is amazing and almost immediate in its ability to reduce acid. I had a peptic ulcer and was very sick. Purple cabbage juice worked better than the prescribed medications. I used a juicer and sometimes mixed carrots or spinach in the juice.

I have just come down with some of the symptoms of Gastro and decided to check the site, I see 2 things I know that have not been mentioned.

First off Apple Cider Vinegar taken in a large straight dose (shot glass) and undiluted by drinking very little water afterwards can knock out a new Gastro problem by having the Acid in the Vinegar literally kill the infection, this can also be taken preventatively if you think you are going to eat anything dodgey. Yes ACV was mentioned but this reason wasn't.

The other is Coconut, or coconut oil. Why it works I'm not sure, it might be that it knock out infections but it may be other reasons too.

I have heard you can eat biscuits with coconut for a sweet cure, can even help really chronic cases.

Stomach ulcer/gastritis

I suffered on and off from severe stomach pain. In the past chamomille tea and mastic gum got quickly rid of it. Last winter it got worse and the above remedies did not help anymore. I tried drinking raw cabbage juice for 7 days and that helped a lot. But I still had occasional flare-ups. I tried pine nut oil and that helped to cure it completely.

Sulfur/ rotten egg burps are a tell-tale sign of giardia infection.

You can get it from contaminated water/ice, eating raw veggies/ fruit washed in contaminated water or handled with dirty hands, as well as from anything that has been handled with hands that have trace amounts of feces on them.

That's why it's so important to always wash hands after going to the bathroom!

You will need to ask your doc to test your stool to confirm.

It's treated with Flagyl antibiotic for 5-10 days.