Hi Kathy,
I'm just thinking out loud here — none of this can be proven. The probiotics may have had nothing to do with the origins of your MC. The timing may have just been a coincidence. But I've always been apprehensive about using bacterial supplements (probiotics) to modify our digestive system. I personally believe that doing that amounts to playing a game with our health at stake, without knowing all the important rules (risks). Because ultimately, we don't have the foggiest idea how those bacteria actually interact with our own gut biome. We just hope that they will play nicely together as they have been shown to do in most people's gut. But anything that has the capacity to modify our digestive system in a good way, almost surely also has the capacity to modify it in a bad way, as well. Look at antibiotics used for the digestive system, for example. Sometimes they help, and sometimes they just create additional problems. Nothing is perfect.
Tex
Juicing for MC
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Re: Juicing for MC
Your post caught my interest because I have had "success" (if you can call it that) with vegetable (not fruit) juicing. As background, I have celiac and MC. I am at my best when I eat primarily meat and very limited starchy (but cooked to mushy) root vegetables (I typically eat taro and cassava because it is readily available where I live). I obviously don't eat gluten (because of the celiac), but if I eat dairy, grains, vegetables (even cooked to mush) fruits or other carbohydrates, I bloat, have gas and lose stools. I have some bloat with the limited carbohydrate diet I describe above (but much less than if I eat grains, fruit, etc.), but I'm off the drugs and generally feel ok. I'm working to get rid of the last amounts of bloat, but am struggling to find a solution.grannykathy wrote:I have a nice juice machine that has been on the shelf for a while because I got lazy. I use to especially like apple/celery/carrot juice. Would that be a healthy option for me since I wouldn't be getting the fiber from the pulp?
Oh well I just did a search and found some posts. Didn't look like it was really recommended so.............
At any rate, I started to juice (vegetables only) because I had low energy, and was concerned I was not getting nutrients (due to the lack of fruits and vegetables in my diet). When I drink vegetable juice, I have more energy. It could of course be imagined, but I reliably have more energy when I drink the juice. When I don't drink the juice, I have low energy.
Make of that what you will, but I am interested in whether others have tried vegetable (not fruit) juicing, and any results. I am very skeptical that vegetable juice could benefit me so much, but I'm having trouble attributing the boost in energy to anything else.
Also, I welcome any thoughts on my diet and how to get rid of the last symptoms (bloat). I suppose I could go 100% carb free, but that would be difficult to maintain (and I question whether it would be healthy). Thanks all. This board is the best.
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grannykathy
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bttory
I'm sure some of the knowledgeable people on here will have some answers for you. I'm still in the asking questions phase as opposed to answering right now. Wondering what all vegetables do you juice? Do you do more than one at a time? I love carrot juice and use to add celery to it. I also like apple in that same concoction but have been told fruit has too much sugar for me right now.
I'm sure some of the knowledgeable people on here will have some answers for you. I'm still in the asking questions phase as opposed to answering right now. Wondering what all vegetables do you juice? Do you do more than one at a time? I love carrot juice and use to add celery to it. I also like apple in that same concoction but have been told fruit has too much sugar for me right now.
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grannykathy
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tex
I just never imagined that probiotics could ever be "bad" for you. They sure are promoted by everyone, including Doctors as being something we should all be taking. And I guess you're saying they could in some cases be good, but we just don't know for sure. So could the ones we get through food such as yogart also be bad for us at times?
Gabes-Apg
I'm sure you're right that all those factors played into it. I tend to think that it was the last thing that was going on with me that caused my problem when in fact it all has a cumulative effect and just finally came to a head in January of my 69th year of life. And I think you are right when you said I should be thankful in came in retirement years as opposed to my working years. I can't imagine dealing with this and trying to work. I am praying my 20 yr old grand-daughter gets her issues straightened out soon and doesn't have to deal with it ongoing. She's a busy girl and doesn't have time for all this.
I just never imagined that probiotics could ever be "bad" for you. They sure are promoted by everyone, including Doctors as being something we should all be taking. And I guess you're saying they could in some cases be good, but we just don't know for sure. So could the ones we get through food such as yogart also be bad for us at times?
Gabes-Apg
I'm sure you're right that all those factors played into it. I tend to think that it was the last thing that was going on with me that caused my problem when in fact it all has a cumulative effect and just finally came to a head in January of my 69th year of life. And I think you are right when you said I should be thankful in came in retirement years as opposed to my working years. I can't imagine dealing with this and trying to work. I am praying my 20 yr old grand-daughter gets her issues straightened out soon and doesn't have to deal with it ongoing. She's a busy girl and doesn't have time for all this.
Kathy,
Here's the problem as I see it: If our digestive system is in good condition to begin with, then probiotics probably won't cause any problems, because our digestive system is designed to handle most types of bacteria. But if our digestive system is in a somewhat "fragile" state (for want of a better word), and already struggling for stability and tranquility from other issues, then a probiotic will do one of three things:
1. It might be able to stabilize things and take our digestion to a more stable, robust state.
2. Or it might have no effect at all.
3. But if things don't go as planned, the added bacterial conflict, or turmoil, or whatever you want to call it, might tip our digestive health the wrong way and add to the instability. Our immune system, already dealing with (too many) other issues, might feel overwhelmed and be unable to deal with everything (because our vitamin D and/or magnesium is deficient) and begin to perceive the added bacteria as not just foreign bacteria, but as invaders that are there to do harm. It can also make that mistake about some of the bacteria that were there to begin with and don't normally cause any problems. At any rate, that's when the situation gets out of hand and turns into an inflammation event that leads to MC.
But in defense of the probiotic, remember that the Alieve had almost surely already inflamed your intestines. And the Nexium and the antibiotics used to fight the C.diff had depleted your magnesium, so your digestive system was already a time bomb just waiting for the "final straw". At least that's how I see it.
Tex
Here's the problem as I see it: If our digestive system is in good condition to begin with, then probiotics probably won't cause any problems, because our digestive system is designed to handle most types of bacteria. But if our digestive system is in a somewhat "fragile" state (for want of a better word), and already struggling for stability and tranquility from other issues, then a probiotic will do one of three things:
1. It might be able to stabilize things and take our digestion to a more stable, robust state.
2. Or it might have no effect at all.
3. But if things don't go as planned, the added bacterial conflict, or turmoil, or whatever you want to call it, might tip our digestive health the wrong way and add to the instability. Our immune system, already dealing with (too many) other issues, might feel overwhelmed and be unable to deal with everything (because our vitamin D and/or magnesium is deficient) and begin to perceive the added bacteria as not just foreign bacteria, but as invaders that are there to do harm. It can also make that mistake about some of the bacteria that were there to begin with and don't normally cause any problems. At any rate, that's when the situation gets out of hand and turns into an inflammation event that leads to MC.
But in defense of the probiotic, remember that the Alieve had almost surely already inflamed your intestines. And the Nexium and the antibiotics used to fight the C.diff had depleted your magnesium, so your digestive system was already a time bomb just waiting for the "final straw". At least that's how I see it.
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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grannykathy
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Hi Kathy
I have always had a high energy level even when I was having a flareup. I finally bought me one of those fit trackers and on some days I walk from 8 to 10 miles a day (I like to hike). I believe myself it is the straight organic carrot juice I have been daily drinking for 19 years that has helped with this energy level, but I could be wrong. For the past 7 months I have been in recovery I just eat meat protein 2 to 3 times a day, for fruit I eat the one banana. I eat lots of sweet potato chips or fries and lays potato chips. For snacks I eat cashew butter, gf bread, rice cakes and the enjoy life cookies. I am maintaining a good healthy weight. All and all I feel I am on a steady course for remission.
Nancy
I have always had a high energy level even when I was having a flareup. I finally bought me one of those fit trackers and on some days I walk from 8 to 10 miles a day (I like to hike). I believe myself it is the straight organic carrot juice I have been daily drinking for 19 years that has helped with this energy level, but I could be wrong. For the past 7 months I have been in recovery I just eat meat protein 2 to 3 times a day, for fruit I eat the one banana. I eat lots of sweet potato chips or fries and lays potato chips. For snacks I eat cashew butter, gf bread, rice cakes and the enjoy life cookies. I am maintaining a good healthy weight. All and all I feel I am on a steady course for remission.
Nancy
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grannykathy
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nhotch
That sounds great Nancy. I would love to have that kind of energy. I did juice a few carrots this morning. I did 4 fairly large carrots and only got 1/2 glass of juice - like maybe 4 oz. I didn't have organic carrots. Will have to make a trip to a neighboring town to get those. I live in a very small town. It never took that long to get a glass of juice back when I was doing carrot/apple/celery juice. I guess the carrots just don't put out much by themselves. My energy level stinks right now. Its all I can do to get my dishes washed without having to sit down. So ready for that to change. Funny you mentioned the potatoe chips. I had a few Lay's potatoe chips this afternoon. I felt really guilty eating them like I was going to doom myself. But the ingredients are just basically potatoes and oil. But of course its not good oil so thats what I worried about. I've been using coconut and olive oil for everything. Hope your recovery is in the last stages and you continue feeling better all the time.
That sounds great Nancy. I would love to have that kind of energy. I did juice a few carrots this morning. I did 4 fairly large carrots and only got 1/2 glass of juice - like maybe 4 oz. I didn't have organic carrots. Will have to make a trip to a neighboring town to get those. I live in a very small town. It never took that long to get a glass of juice back when I was doing carrot/apple/celery juice. I guess the carrots just don't put out much by themselves. My energy level stinks right now. Its all I can do to get my dishes washed without having to sit down. So ready for that to change. Funny you mentioned the potatoe chips. I had a few Lay's potatoe chips this afternoon. I felt really guilty eating them like I was going to doom myself. But the ingredients are just basically potatoes and oil. But of course its not good oil so thats what I worried about. I've been using coconut and olive oil for everything. Hope your recovery is in the last stages and you continue feeling better all the time.