New here -- giardia infection and now L-MC
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Jon,
Both doctors used some version of autonomic response testing/muscle testing/kinesiology. You can google those for a real explanation if you're not familiar with it, but the doctor basically asks your body what the problem is and your body responds with different muscle responses (strong/weak) to indicate accordingly. I think of it as a medical lie detector test - even if your brain and mouth know/say one thing, your body will react based on what it knows to be true. We never know how much to believe it but three years of every other allopathic and holistic/integrative method has produced no results so we figure why not.
Both doctors used some version of autonomic response testing/muscle testing/kinesiology. You can google those for a real explanation if you're not familiar with it, but the doctor basically asks your body what the problem is and your body responds with different muscle responses (strong/weak) to indicate accordingly. I think of it as a medical lie detector test - even if your brain and mouth know/say one thing, your body will react based on what it knows to be true. We never know how much to believe it but three years of every other allopathic and holistic/integrative method has produced no results so we figure why not.
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JamesEcuador
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 6:59 pm
Hi Eric
It sounds like a similar problem to me although I am still living in Ecuador and bound to keep being infected by parasites. I think parasite testing is pretty decent in mainland Ecuador because it's such a common condition. Like you, I also have that slight hope that our parasite induced MC and related gut issues and food intolerances are not permanent and that once I leave Ecuador to live in the UK which I plan to do next spring, I may "cure" myself. However, I have a sneaky feeling this is going to be for life and if it is, well so be it.
I was a bit premature in my post above as a few days later I went back to loose stools and constipation and for weeks wasn't sure why which was totally frustrating. Then, about 3 weeks ago, after advice I received here, I cut out Listerine mouthwash (a suspected gluten cross contaminant) and a day later and ever since, I've had normal BMs which I know is rare for this forum (I still have other symptoms such as tiredness, body aches and nausea in the morning but I think they are gradually improving). I now only eat at home and eat a diet with the same 5ish ingredients every day.
My recommendation for your wife is to give a very strict diet a try. It has worked wonders for so many people on here and you have nothing to lose than to give it a whirl for a few months and note down any changes in symptoms.
It sounds like a similar problem to me although I am still living in Ecuador and bound to keep being infected by parasites. I think parasite testing is pretty decent in mainland Ecuador because it's such a common condition. Like you, I also have that slight hope that our parasite induced MC and related gut issues and food intolerances are not permanent and that once I leave Ecuador to live in the UK which I plan to do next spring, I may "cure" myself. However, I have a sneaky feeling this is going to be for life and if it is, well so be it.
I was a bit premature in my post above as a few days later I went back to loose stools and constipation and for weeks wasn't sure why which was totally frustrating. Then, about 3 weeks ago, after advice I received here, I cut out Listerine mouthwash (a suspected gluten cross contaminant) and a day later and ever since, I've had normal BMs which I know is rare for this forum (I still have other symptoms such as tiredness, body aches and nausea in the morning but I think they are gradually improving). I now only eat at home and eat a diet with the same 5ish ingredients every day.
My recommendation for your wife is to give a very strict diet a try. It has worked wonders for so many people on here and you have nothing to lose than to give it a whirl for a few months and note down any changes in symptoms.
James,
We're pretty sure she's tried diet to the greatest extent possible. She has been gluten, dairy, and soy free for years. During that period, she's tried eating based on various allergy tests includling Enterolab. She's tried SCD, GAPS, paleo, Winston Price/Nourishing Traditions plans, FODMAP, etc. without any luck. For many months she's been grain free, rotating meats while eating mostly non-starchy vegetables - to battle candida as much as to treat MC.
The only noticeable relief she had was during a 30 day herbal parasite cleanse. Stools were varied but were better than usual with normans mixed in, but other symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, flaky scalp, hair loss, mood, mucus/yeast presence, etc. all improved. Since the cleanse, she has started feeling crawling sensations and it seems parasites may have scattered in an attempt to escape the herbs. She had a few weird skin things that appeared to have been parasites trying to exit the body.
Her GI and corresponding infectious disease department brush off parasites and say they aren't a problem. When challenged with her improvement on an herbal parasite cleanse, the only input they had was that my wife may have underlying viral issues which could cause the autoimmune issues, either by stimulating it or overworking and depleting it. She does have viral symptoms on occassion and one of the two doctors I mentioned detected four viruses in addition to a number of parasites when muscle testing.
Her first real diagnosis was celiac disease back in 2009 by blood antibody test. She never had the small intestine biopsy while ingesting gluten so we sometimes think an underlying parasite/infection (lyme, etc.) was triggering immune responses, including food sensitivities which might explain antibodies against gluten. We've read a small number of accounts of misdiangosed celiacs who learn their gluten sensitivity was actually caused by lyme or parasites and antibody levels dropped after treating the infection even when they started eating gluten again. Probably not the case for most folks, but interesting nonetheless.
It's just as possible she has MC like everyone else here but with the added complication of parasites. Upon treating the parasites, her MC may behave more textbook and respond to her diet.
We're pretty sure she's tried diet to the greatest extent possible. She has been gluten, dairy, and soy free for years. During that period, she's tried eating based on various allergy tests includling Enterolab. She's tried SCD, GAPS, paleo, Winston Price/Nourishing Traditions plans, FODMAP, etc. without any luck. For many months she's been grain free, rotating meats while eating mostly non-starchy vegetables - to battle candida as much as to treat MC.
The only noticeable relief she had was during a 30 day herbal parasite cleanse. Stools were varied but were better than usual with normans mixed in, but other symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, flaky scalp, hair loss, mood, mucus/yeast presence, etc. all improved. Since the cleanse, she has started feeling crawling sensations and it seems parasites may have scattered in an attempt to escape the herbs. She had a few weird skin things that appeared to have been parasites trying to exit the body.
Her GI and corresponding infectious disease department brush off parasites and say they aren't a problem. When challenged with her improvement on an herbal parasite cleanse, the only input they had was that my wife may have underlying viral issues which could cause the autoimmune issues, either by stimulating it or overworking and depleting it. She does have viral symptoms on occassion and one of the two doctors I mentioned detected four viruses in addition to a number of parasites when muscle testing.
Her first real diagnosis was celiac disease back in 2009 by blood antibody test. She never had the small intestine biopsy while ingesting gluten so we sometimes think an underlying parasite/infection (lyme, etc.) was triggering immune responses, including food sensitivities which might explain antibodies against gluten. We've read a small number of accounts of misdiangosed celiacs who learn their gluten sensitivity was actually caused by lyme or parasites and antibody levels dropped after treating the infection even when they started eating gluten again. Probably not the case for most folks, but interesting nonetheless.
It's just as possible she has MC like everyone else here but with the added complication of parasites. Upon treating the parasites, her MC may behave more textbook and respond to her diet.
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JamesEcuador
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 6:59 pm
Sorry I should have checked your previous posts first, I wasn't aware your wife had tried all those food options.
I live in the Galapagos Islands and work for an international non profit organisation. I'm saying this because it sets the scene for an interesting case study of delicate bellies and parasites. We have lots of foreigners (like me) who come and spend time on the islands and everyone at some stage seems to pick up the same dodgy gut symptoms of parasite infections. We are recommended to do what the locals do and "de-parasite" every 3-4 months without any real stool testing to identify our parasites. The most common are giardia and blastocystis hominis and I've been confirmed to have both with proper tests in continental Ecuador several times over the last two years. Most people's reactions to these problems are "oh I've got parasites again", they do their deparasiting and life continues without any apparent complications. Only in my case have I heard of severe food intolerances developing from just "living" on the islands and I haven't heard of anyone else who has developed MC. My problems came on around a particularly stressful time at work. Parasites plus stress turns on MC for a very small population and unfortunately that has included me.
Obviously I have no results to back up anything, but my hunch is that the MC continues to cause me grief rather than the parasites.My thinking is based on how many other people exposed to parasites I know of don't seem to have any significant food intolerences. Once parasite induced MC is turned on, I don't think there is a way off turning it off and it's a permanent condition that can only be managed by getting the MC back into remission with diet and perhaps medication.
Like you, I wish I knew the complete answer but for the moment I'll just keep trying to work it all out with the support of this fine group of people!
I live in the Galapagos Islands and work for an international non profit organisation. I'm saying this because it sets the scene for an interesting case study of delicate bellies and parasites. We have lots of foreigners (like me) who come and spend time on the islands and everyone at some stage seems to pick up the same dodgy gut symptoms of parasite infections. We are recommended to do what the locals do and "de-parasite" every 3-4 months without any real stool testing to identify our parasites. The most common are giardia and blastocystis hominis and I've been confirmed to have both with proper tests in continental Ecuador several times over the last two years. Most people's reactions to these problems are "oh I've got parasites again", they do their deparasiting and life continues without any apparent complications. Only in my case have I heard of severe food intolerances developing from just "living" on the islands and I haven't heard of anyone else who has developed MC. My problems came on around a particularly stressful time at work. Parasites plus stress turns on MC for a very small population and unfortunately that has included me.
Obviously I have no results to back up anything, but my hunch is that the MC continues to cause me grief rather than the parasites.My thinking is based on how many other people exposed to parasites I know of don't seem to have any significant food intolerences. Once parasite induced MC is turned on, I don't think there is a way off turning it off and it's a permanent condition that can only be managed by getting the MC back into remission with diet and perhaps medication.
Like you, I wish I knew the complete answer but for the moment I'll just keep trying to work it all out with the support of this fine group of people!
James,
You've written a very enlightening post. Like you, I can only guess, but based on the type of experiences and comparisons that you mentioned, I'm convinced that your assessment is right on target.
One of the primary differences between your situation and the lives of most of the locals there is the stress that we bring with us, even when living in such a tranquil setting. There's something about modern society and our lifestyles that inherently imposes upon us (teaches us?) a type of stress that the human body was apparently never designed to handle. And I'm more convinced than ever that stress is an absolutely essential part of the environment that leads to the development of MC.
Thank you for sharing your valuable insight.
Tex
You've written a very enlightening post. Like you, I can only guess, but based on the type of experiences and comparisons that you mentioned, I'm convinced that your assessment is right on target.
One of the primary differences between your situation and the lives of most of the locals there is the stress that we bring with us, even when living in such a tranquil setting. There's something about modern society and our lifestyles that inherently imposes upon us (teaches us?) a type of stress that the human body was apparently never designed to handle. And I'm more convinced than ever that stress is an absolutely essential part of the environment that leads to the development of MC.
Thank you for sharing your valuable insight.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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JamesEcuador
- Adélie Penguin
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 6:59 pm
Being a Brit married to a latina and living in a third world country has given me a crash course in trying to chill out a bit more! Having said that, where I live is not the Galapagos you see on TV. I'm one of a population of 30,000 in my local town which is already too crowded considering we live in the middle of such a unique ecosystem. I also have to deal with ineptitude on a large level, mostly down to over bureaucratic and in some cases corrupt practises from institutions, affecting both my work and personal life. I suppose my problem has been letting these things bother me so much when most people can let these issues pass. I just wish now that I could go back to a particular period around 8 months ago when I had intense workload and stress which turned on my abdominal pain which is now the most serious of my symptoms that I can't seem to shake off. If I could go back to that moment, I'd have a strong word with myself that's for sure. My worry now is that I've turned something on that was turned off for 34 years previously and perhaps it will be too late to turn off properly ever again. I'll keep trying thoughtex wrote: One of the primary differences between your situation and the lives of most of the locals there is the stress that we bring with us, even when living in such a tranquil setting. There's something about modern society and our lifestyles that inherently imposes upon us (teaches us?) a type of stress that the human body was apparently never designed to handle. And I'm more convinced than ever that stress is an absolutely essential part of the environment that leads to the development of MC.
Tex
