New DX seeking answers

[prober]

Hello everyone,

I'm so happy to have found this site. I have a DX of MC after not knowing for so long. I went thru the regimen of common TXs, but only found temporary relief from prednisone. The MC came back after stopping this.

Then I decided to do Dr. Young's Miracle Diet. This is an alkaline diet and pretty strict. I'm am still in a transition phase, but the D is gone, but I still have gas and an odor that would send a skunk running. I eat a lot of veggies, but stray often and have eggs, chicken, turkey, and other acidic food.

Now I see that I may be gluten intolerant. I never really explored that possibility, but was was found negative by doctor. I stopped eating things with gluten for a fews days and didn't see a change, so I thought I was clear. Now, after reading some posts, I see that I may be intolerant after all.

I went to Enterolabs and the tests are hundreds of $$$. How honest is this? What other ways can I find what my intolerances are? I want to change my user name. How do I do that? And what is a Phoggle map?

Thank you,

Patbro

[ant]

Dear Patbro

Yes Enterlab is expensive (as everything to do with health seems to be these days). If you have MC the odds are on (without further testing) that you are Gluten and Diary intolerant. Also about 50% that you are soy and other legume intolerant.

If you do not want to do Enterlab testing you could look at doing an elimination date to work out your intolerances.

Wishing you all the best in your search for the right treatments that will lead to remission.This board will be your best resource to explore and I am sure others will give their suggestions and responses.

Best, Ant

[JoAnn]

to our wonderful family. I just posted a short (?) synopsis to lisa about my mc journey. Gluten is the big monster for almost all of us and in my case I also was shocked to find I was dairy, soy, and egg intolerant through Enterolab testing. I've since discovered I can tolerate eggs in baked goods and am eating duck eggs (from my own ducks) and they don't bother me. Soy is as hard or harder on me as gluten is. You've found the best place to help you along on your journey, and it is a journey. Tex will be along to give you more advice and help. JoAnn

[prober]

Hi Ant and JoAnn,

Thanks for responding. I'm going GF for a while, but how long before I can do a self-check? I don't do dairy now, but I eat soybutter every day and it is tolerated because I haven't had D since May.

I started the alkaline diet in March and the D was gone by May. I also have a water ionizer that can produce a PH of 10.5 and an ORP of -800MV. That is a very high antioxidant quality. I also did a myriad of supplements that were were recommended by Dr. Young, "The PH Miracle Diet."

Does anyone else have an alkaline diet or tried it? And does anyone know how to change your user name?

Patbro

[tex]

Hi Patbro,

Welcome aboard. Not everyone with MC has food sensitivities, but the percentage is pretty high, among the members of this board.

To answer your question about Enterolab, yes, they are legitimate. The lab is fully accredited, and the last time I checked, there were absolutely no sanctions filed against the owner by the state board of medical examiners. Our experience shows that their tests for food sensitivities are the only way to go, if you want laboratory verification, because their stool tests are much, much more sensitive than the blood tests that are used for that purpose. The blood tests are notorious for false negative results.

It's difficult to say whether or not they are expensive, since they don't really have any competition - no other lab gives reliable results for tests of this type, so that means that a comparison would involve comparing the cost of their tests, with the cost of tests that provide worthless results. Worthless results are overpriced at any price. I note that they have at least one competitor offering DNA testing, but their DNA test is priced at less than half the cost of the test offered by their competitor. So their genetic test certainly isn't overpriced.

As ant mentioned, an alternative method is to do an elimination test program. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to go about it:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=732

I'll reset the system so that it will allow you to change your username in your profile. That option is usually turned off, in order to prevent troublemakers from registering and trying to pull various shenanigans, so after you make your change, please let me know, and I'll reset the option so as to prevent possible security breaches in the future. You should be able to see the option to change your username in your profile. If you cannot find it, please let me know.

A Phoogle map shows the location of a member, (or members), and is visible only to registered, logged-in members. For example, if you click on the "Phoogle" button at the bottom of my posts, you can see where I am located. That function doesn't seem to work correctly sometimes for new members, though, due to a glitch that causes interference with the "Blogs" option, (I think). I really need to remove one or the other of those two options, but I'm not sure which one should go, so I continue to postpone the decision.

Again, welcome aboard, and I hope you can find your solution here.

Tex

[Linda in BC]

Hello Patbro and WELCOME to the Potty People Site!
I just want to say Hi. Sorry, I know nothing about the alkaline diet but am glad you have found some relief from it.

Linda

[wonderwoman]

Regarding the Phoogle Maps

That function doesn't seem to work correctly sometimes for new members, though, due to a glitch that causes interference with the "Blogs" option, (I think). I really need to remove one or the other of those two options, but I'm not sure which one should go, so I continue to postpone the decision.

Tex, FYI it also doesn't work for me here and yet it does on all other sites. I have had a technician at the Apple store look at it and he also couldn't figure out why it doesn't work here.

[tex]

Charlotte,

It doesn't work because of a conflict with a code modification that was added later. I'm pretty sure the Blogs are the culprit, but I didn't discover the problem until I had added many other modifications, (some of which I have since removed, without resolving the problem), so I can't be absolutely sure which one holds the conflict, but I'm pretty sure it's the Blogs, because that one required a heck of a lot of code changes and added files. Whatever the glitch is, it is not likely to be one that can be located, (in all those thousands of lines of code), so resolution will probably require the complete removal of the Blogs feature.

I would love to correct the problem, and I will be more than happy to do so, if no one has any serious objections to removing the Blogs feature, but I don't want to do it if someone would rather we keep the blogs.

It still works for those of us who added our data before the Blogs feature was added to the operating code. Click on the "Phoogle Map" button at the bottom of this post, and you'll see what I mean.

Tex

P. S. Unless the guy at the Apple store is an expert php programmer, he wouldn't have a clue as to why it doesn't work, anyway, and even if he is an expert php programmer, since this is a highly-customized board, tracking down code problems on customized boards usually requires many hours of intensive scrutiny, with no guarantees of success.

[wonderwoman]

Click on the "Phoogle Map" button at the bottom of this post, and you'll see what I mean.

Yes, Tex, it worked for your location. It's not important to me that it be fixed, I was just mentioning that it didn't work for for me.

[Gabes-Apg]

hey Patbro
gday from australia

I figured out my intolerances via elimination diet - it takes time and patience and is still a work in progress.

I ate gooey rice and poached chicken until i had minimal D with minimal meds required, then slowly started to add foods. i woudl try small sample for one meal, wait for 2 days, and try that food again if i ate it three times with no reaction it got the tick. I didnt disregard a food first off if there was a mild reaction.

Keep a food diary and track reactions to each meal, via this i found out that for me i cant eat carrot and cauliflower in the same meal, seperate they are fine.

My body is much happier with well cooked gooey almost baby food, so as much as possible that is what i eat to maximise my energy levels.

as i work full time, I generally will only try something new on the weekends if i have had a good week (ie minimal to no symptoms) lately life has been a bit chaotic and i have been having mild symptoms so i have put trying things on hold. within 5 months of this process i confirmed Gluten, Yeast, Dairy, Soy intolerance.
I can have small amt of dairy but react badly to soy so for each of us the reaction to certain ingredients vary (taht is where the food diary comes in)

I havent taken meds for MC symptoms for about 2 months now, if i have a mild reaction i just let it happen. SO i am managing reasonable health (while working a demanding job) with Diet only and some acupuncture and naturopath support.

hope this helps
welcome to the family

[Zizzle]

Welcome Patbro,
I don't know much about the alkaline diet, but I do understand that acid-producing diets are probably to blame for much of our societal ill health. The most recent Nutrition Action Healthletter (published by CSPI) had an eye-opening article about acid diets being the cause for our bone and muscle loss as we age (not the lack of dietary calcium from dairy). A leading osteoporosis researcher at Tufts was able to halt bone and muscle loss by adding potassium bicarbonate supplements, but argued that we should not all start taking bicarb, we must eat more fruits and vegetables and less grains. I understand meat is acid-producing, but grains and sugar seem to be a worse culprit, especially since we eat much more of them. I am trying to follow that wisdom with my diet. I'm lucky I can tolerate most vegetables and fruit, even raw. So I try to eat alot of vegetables, fruit and meats, with minimal grains. That means I don't buy too many gluten-free processed foods and breads. Sounds like the alkaline diet is doing good things for you!

[tex]

I have mixed feelings about this whole acid/alkaline diet issue. Someone is always dreaming up new ways to make money, by promoting ways to "improve" health, by altering the pH of the gut. I don't buy it. For one thing, everyone who dreams up those plans, seems to be selling something, either treatments, or a book, or enzymes, or whatever. That's a red flag.

The fact of the matter is, the enteric nervous system is going to regulate the pH of the GI tract as it sees fit for optimum digestion and optimum overall health. Why do we think that someone promoting digestion-altering ideas, knows better than the enteric nervous system? Acid is first introduced into the food stream in the mouth, as a precursor to actually eating, (anticipation), and as a component of the saliva that is added to the food as we chew and swallow it. The initial flow of saliva helps to stimulate the parietal cells in the stomach, to cause them to ramp up the production of gastric acid, in preparation for the food to soon follow. The acid serves two vital purposes:

1. It initiates digestion, by beginning the process of breaking down the tissues of the food that we eat.

2. It kills most bacteria that might happen to be hitchhiking with the food.

As soon as the chyme, (the partially-digested food), leaves the stomach, and enters the duodenum, it is infused by a wide array of enzymes, and other chemicals that are supplied by the duodenum, the liver, (bile, to aid in fat digestion), and the pancreas, (insulin and bicarbonate). The bicarbonate neutralizes the acid that was introduced upstream, and from then on, the pH of the lumen does not vary much from neutral.

So what if we flood the digestive system with bicarbonate, or take a proton pump inhibitor, to prevent the gastric parietal cells from producing acid? Well, for one thing, in the long run, the bacterial balance in the gut eventually becomes distorted, as "bad" bacteria that are normally killed by stomach acid begin to proliferate. For another thing, we will probably be bothered by indigestion, because by reducing the acid level in the stomach, food cannot be properly digested, and that problem cannot be corrected further down the line in the GI tract. Incomplete digestion will be the result.

Alkaline diet advocates will argue that eating an alkaline diet is not the same as "flooding" the digestive system with bicarbonate, and that's quite true, of course. Obviously, though, it's a step in that direction, so the possibility of the consequences described above will enter the picture on a gradual scale.

As far as the leading osteoporosis researcher at Tufts, who was able to halt bone and muscle loss by adding potassium bicarbonate supplements, but argued that we should not all start taking bicarb, is concerned, his advice about not taking bicarbonate is right on target. The benefits to retention of bone and muscle in that research is most likely due to the potassium component of the supplement, not the bicarbonate component. Potassium is essential for utilization of calcium in the development of new bone tissue - bicarbonate is not. If the goal of the research was to prove that an increased pH would be beneficial to bone and muscle stability, the most common form of bicarbonate would have surely been used, (sodium bicarbonate). Since it was not, you can bet that there was a valid reason, IOW, a pre-conceived agenda.

I'm not saying that an alkaline diet is bad, (nor am I implying that an acid diet is good, bad, or whatever), I'm just saying that it's not nice to try to fool mother nature, because the enteric nervous system is in charge of digestion, and trying to "fool" it is probably futile at best, and bad for health at worst. The bottom line is, I don't believe that an "alkaline diet" will cause any serious problems, but in the long run, I would be very surprised if there were any significant benefits, because the enteric nervous system operates the gut, according to it's genetic programming.

The paleo people ate whatever they could find, and whatever they could run down and kill, that didn't try to kill and eat them first. Obviously, they didn't worry about pH levels in their gut. They were bigger, stronger, and generally healthier than we are, mostly because they didn't have anyone trying to sell them processed foods, and no one told them what to eat - they ate whatever was available, and 100% of it was real food, not garbage disguised as food.

Obviously, this is just my opinion, but that's the way I see it.

Tex

[MBombardier]

Question for ya, Tex... When I drink ACV for my GERD, I do what is recommended on the Earth Clinic site, and that's 2 Tbl. of ACV and 1/4 tsp. baking soda to neutralize the acid. The thinking is that if the ACV is drunk by itself, the body will add what it needs to fix the pH of the ACV. I have done some research to figure out if this is really necessary, but haven't really found anything more than anecdotes. It works with the baking soda, although I do get some heartburn from time to time after drinking it. Do you have an opinion about this?

[tex]

It works with the baking soda, although I do get some heartburn from time to time after drinking it. Do you have an opinion about this?

Well, yes I suppose I do. I don't understand the purpose of using baking soda to neutralize the acetic acid. That's roughly the equivalent of drinking plain water. I don't understand how that's supposed to provide any benefit. I thought the purpose of drinking ACV was to make sure that the gastric side of the lower esophageal sphincter is exposed to a pH low enough to insure that the sphincter remains closed, thereby preempting the possibility of acid reflux. I see some sites recommending ACV at a pH of 5.0 to 7.0. I don't understand how that can be beneficial. At a pH of about 4.5 and above, some bacteria can grow in the solution - obviously, that's not good. The pH of good ACV is moderately acidic, (2.8 to 3.0), which should be sufficient to help keep the sphincter closed, even after dilution. Of course, the pH of gastric acid produced by the stomach, and used for digestion. runs around 2.0 and below. IOW, I didn't even realize that anyone buffered the ACV, before drinking it, so I looked it up on the Earth Clinic site. Here is what I found:

For the record, we are not big fans of adding baking soda to apple cider vinegar, nor are we fans of adding any kind of sweetener to the acv/water solution. The baking soda works great for some people, but causes severe side effects in others.

Heartburn is usually caused by poor digestion, due to insufficient stomach acid, so I guess I'm wondering why you use the baking soda to neutralize the acid.

The recommendation that I see on their home page says:

Revised 10/01/2008:

As you know, Earth Clinic has recommended the standard 2 teaspoons in 8 oz of water 3x a day for years now. For more severe conditions, we recommended 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in 8 oz of water 3x a day. We now think that less vinegar, more water is an optimal way of taking apple cider vinegar daily unless you are treating an acute condition like acid reflux, cough, bronchitis, or sore throat (in which case the stronger concoction of 2 TBS ACV to 8 OZ of water 3x a day recipe is suggested).

I see all sorts of discussions on various websites about ACV being unique among vinegars, because it leaves an "alkaline ash", but I don't see how that's relevant to the primary use, namely to prevent acid reflux. It's the actual pH of the solution in the stomach that matters, and that has to be acidic, if maintaining the closure of the lower esophageal sphincter, (LES), is to be enhanced. If the pH behind the LES is neutral, reflux is virtually guaranteed, but it may not even be noticed, since there will be no burning sensation. The problem is, that encourages the LES to lose it's muscle tone, because it will be relatively relaxed most of the time. If the pH behind the LES is alkaline, then the reflux can cause a burning sensation similar to acid reflux, and it can cause a caustic burn, which maybe just as damaging as an acid burn.

It is a fact that most people who use PPIs for awhile, (at least several months), will get worse reflux if they stop using the product, than they had in the first place, because the LES slowly loses it's muscle tone, and has to be retrained, before it will function properly. IOW, PPIs are "addictive", in the sense that anyone who stops using them will have serious difficulty withdrawing, because of the damage that PPIs cause to the functional ability of the LES.

Tex

[MBombardier]

I've seen that quote on the Earth Clinic site, but it's like they don't want to say "Don't listen to Ted!" because they just issue a standard disclaimer about readers not being doctors and just offering information and opinions. And they even give him his own link over on the right-hand side. There seem to be quite a few testimonies about the baking soda doing the trick better than just the plain ACV.

Frankly, I've wondered about the pH issue with the baking soda and the ACV. It doesn't seem to make sense, especially when I sometimes have heartburn just from drinking the ACV. So... I'm going to start drinking it without the baking soda, and see what happens. Thanks, Tex!