Need Help for IBS-C and Parasites Causing Bowel Issues

Posted By Tyler (Edmonton, Alberta) on 07/09/2022

I love all the comments and great information provided here! (Hence the 5 stars).

I feel silly starting a thread about this but I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on herbal concentrates? I purchased a tincture (all organic) called 'Parasite Purge' by Harmonic Arts and the more I research it I feel I jumped the gun and bought a 'remedy' (synonymous to a drug) due to my own darn conditioning. After all, Hippocrates once aptly stated "let food be thy medicine."

Still, diet isn't doing much for my symptoms and I'm at a loss. I eat a 100% organic pescetarian diet, albeit I do consume milk and gluten. Recently I bought some einkorn wheat though and I'm thinking of switching to goat's milk. Can't get unpasteurized though... (Canada).

My symptoms are quite severe. I have frequent constipation, narrow sticky smelly yellow stools, bloating, gas, frequent urination, lack of appetite and insomnia. I make my own muesli, eat frittata & salad or hummus, naan & greek salad for lunch, and dinners are usually clam chowder & caesar salad, vegetarian pizza or salmon, salad & sweet potato wedges. I also use only distilled water and avoid everything with the ingredient 'water' in it (including ACV), unless it says filtered or distilled. As well, I eat nothing refined and only whole foods.

I recently bought a full-spectrum vegetarian digestive enzyme supplement and something called "Concentrace" (containing magnesium and potassium from sea salt). These two things should help me the reduced motility (magnesium for parastalsis and potassium for fluid balance). I'm also hoping this will move me away from coffee dependence, especially since it can deplete electrolytes. I also got some activated charcoal as a chelator to heavy metals released from die offs.

I just don't get it. People who eat junk food all day have far better motility than me and I make sure I get 100% of everything from food each day with ample fiber. As a kid and early adult I ate copious amounts of sugar (some Halloweens were insane, reaching potentially 1 kg of candy in a night). As well, I have 4 amalgam fillings... (terrible things). It's a wonder I'm so thin, though I do have a slightly distended stomach from bloating.

I just don't know how to go about this. Should I avoid all carbs (save from plant fiber)? Also, should a cleanse go for 5 days with 2 days taking probiotics?

I have noticed positive effects from borax and could feel the detox symptoms followed by improved mood/energy. Still, with being so backed up I suppose I should focus on resolving that first. Any advice is greatly appreciated and I'm sorry for such a vague question.

I guess in essence I'd like to know your thoughts on what a multi-stage protocol would look like for IBS-C and (probable) parasites.

Thanks for your time! :-)

REPLY   1      

Replied by Art (California) on 07/10/2022

Tyler,

You may find some relief with peppermint oil soft gels based on this review of studies:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5814329/

Here is a relevant quote from the review :

>>> ' It appears that peppermint oil may have several mechanisms of action including: smooth muscle relaxation (via calcium channel blockade or direct enteric nervous system effects); visceral sensitivity modulation (via transient receptor potential cation channels); anti-microbial effects; anti-inflammatory activity; modulation of psychosocial distress. Peppermint oil has been found to affect esophageal, gastric, small bowel, gallbladder, and colonic physiology. ' <<<

Melatonin should also be helpful at lower dose for IBS-C and higher dose for IBS-D. It has shown relief for multiple symptoms of IBS as outlined in the following review of studies :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3949259/

Here is a relevant quote from the article :

>>> ' Most studies utilized 3 mg at bedtime as the standard dose of trial. The duration of investigation also differ from 2 wk to 6 mo. Chojnacki et al[72] used a twice a day dosing in their study with 3 mg in the morning and 5 mg at night for 6 mo. However, there was no increased sleepiness or gastrointestinal side effects reported (Table (Table2).2). There was a variety of outcome measures from overall IBS score to quality of life. Lu et al[73] examined the effect of melatonin on colonic transit time (CTT) and found that melatonin increased CTT in both control and IBS patients, but only the result in control subjects was significant statistically. In other hand, Chojnacki et al[72] showed that with 6 mo treatment with melatonin, 50% of IBS-C patients showed improvement of constipation. However, all studies had consistently showed improvement in abdominal pain for IBS patients. Song et al[63] also reported increase of rectal pain threshold after 2 wk of melatonin treatment. Finally, Saha et al[27] showed that the overall improvement in quality of life score was 43.63% in melatonin group and 14.64% in placebo group. ' <<<

There are other options, but these two have studies to support their effectiveness over time and seem like a good place to start.

Art

REPLY   4      

Replied by Tyler (Canada) on 07/11/2022

Thank you for these great tips! I used to drink a lot of peppermint tea with milk before bed to help me sleep and although it made me run to the washroom a little more, I felt it did so less than drinking the same amount of water and it got me drinking more than I normally would. I was also far more likely to "go" the next morning.

For some reason I think hydration is my biggest challenge, especially since I like having high salt intake (≈4,500 mg). In spite of this I experience hyponatremia symptoms when I drink more water and this contributes to more dry stools.

Today I started using ionic magnesium/potassium (with 72 trace minerals) and I've noticed I have better water retention already.

Also, gluten was really bothering me. I tried using einkorn wheat instead just today and I love it! I don't feel as bloated and it's far more light, fluffy and easy to eat.

I might try experimenting a bit with changing up recipes too. I find that too many hard to digest vegetables don't agree with me yet I'm just barely reaching my RDI for fiber (95% to 100%).

Things like raw grated carrot, broccoli and onions make me very bloated yet these things are very nutrient dense so it's been hard to avoid them completely.

It's strange to me how it ebbs and flows too (extreme constipation to very healthy BMs). So many things can cause this I think. I'll get on using melatonin, go to sleep earlier, reduce blue light and not drink as much coffee. (3 cups each morning is probably not great).

Thanks again for the helpful information and sorry to ramble. :-/


Back to IBS Q&A