Sunmountain's Log

I'm glad to hear the water retention is gone. I'm not sure if this will be of any help, but here are some herbs recommended for the entire intestinal system (colon health)...

Single Herb - Detoxifiers
- Dock Family
- Slippery Elm
- White Oak Bark

Single Herbs- Strengtheners
- Mullein
- Chickweed
- Dock Family
- Marshmallow

I can't remember if I told you already, but goldenseal has accumulative properties so it's only for short term use. I believe the other berberine containing herbs like Oregon grape root, barberry and yellow dock(?) don't have this effect so they can be used for extended periods.

For your temps, if you find that adding more Cynoplus doesn't help, maybe try herbs that target all your endocrine glands, including herbs that target the adrenal glands specifically? This is what I've been doing and it seems to be helping.

I mentioned the adrenals because they produce the steroidal hormones and neurotransmitters and you say you feel better moods with preg. I'm wondering how yours are doing. Do you happen to know what your average blood pressure is? Your top number (systolic) will tell you how well your adrenals are functioning and your bottom number (diastolic), how well your kidneys are functioning.

My daytime temps have been consistently 98.6 since the switch to all fruit, but I started taking endocrine and adrenal formulas and my temps shot up to 99 degrees. It did drop to 98.4 all of a sudden and I was disappointed until I went to the bathroom and found I started my period.

One interesting thing is I didn't get my usual "the world would be better off without me" depressive episode right before break through bleeding. Because of this, I was completely unaware that I was about to start. This makes 6 periods out of 7 months; a record for me.

For an herbal abx - I'm currently taking an anti-parasitic formula for two weeks and an anti-bacterial/anti-fungal formula for a month. The anti-bacterial formula includes pau d'arco, black walnut hulls, cat's claw bark, goldenseal root, olive leaf extract, usnea lichen, thyme leaf, butternut bark and barberry root.

I only have a small list of herbs that Ray has either recommended to me personally or he mentions in interviews/his articles so I'm not sure if he'd approve of all the ones above.

Out of curiosity, what is in the LiverCare?

sunmountain said:

Hi Peata,

Yes, I think I'm also now recognizing that what I thought was blood sugar problems might have been stomach acid issues. Good to know that moving dinner earlier and elevating head helped you so much.

I did eat dinner earlier yesterday at 7 and didn't sleep till midnight, though I did lay down elevated on a bunch of pillows until I slept, and I slept with about 2 pillows. So perhaps a proper elevation with the acid pillow that will arrive tomorrow will help.

Thanks for sharing your Pepcid experience; it's very helpful. What's confusing in my case is that I had such a positive response to it starting the day after the endoscopy for a couple of days. It was just as Haidut described. But then since two days the reflux started, and Pepcid isn't working for reflux so far. I am still going to continue Pepcid for now, given it is still helping sleep minus the coughing.

Also I drank a lot fresh OJ yesterday, albeit with baking soda. I'm sure that aggravated things. I'm going off the OJ for now and will try clover honey for the carbs.

I'll try the Carafate today and for a few days. Damn the aluminum. I wish there was a way to chelate it or something. I do intensely dislike the thought of having to drink aluminum.

Good to know you can get back on the coffee. How did you know when your stomach healed?

Glad the dramamine is working for you. I have been taking glycine with tea or coffee, but I read a post I think by Haidut that glycine and taurine raise stomach acid. But I don't know if it's a lot or just a little, so that the benefits outweigh the costs. So I'm a bit unsure about the glycine right now.

A piece of good news is that my doc (mother goddess, yeah!) has called in an increase in prescription WP Thyroid which I want to try. She had originally called in like a quarter grain, and I emailed her saying I was already on cynoplus equivalient of 3/4 grain, and that I wanted to try 1/2 grain twice a day. She just called it in!

Click to expand...

Dr Axe promotes the use of glycine to treat acid reflux.
The Most Important Amino Acid You Don’t Know About

Hi Jennifer,

Wow! That's a ton of useful information! Thanks!!

Ashwagandha and thyroid together was too much. I felt tender in my throat and stopped both. TSH turned out 1.2 the day I stopped. Was ok after a couple of days, but started feeling achy again. Pulse went back up to mid 80s. I decided to go with Ashwagandha alone this time since it addresses both adrenals and thyroid. Pulse is now mid 70s but figuring out dose is challenging. I got a tincture which makes it easier to titrate it up.

Am thinking of adding a bit of Kanchanara since it improves T4 to T3. Will also help with any inflammation of gland.

Thanks for the warning about goldenseal. I've been meaning to switch to something else. I'll pick up a berberine complex today probably. Goldenseal helped with BM.

I've been speculating that there may be yeast overgrowth in my intestines as much as bacteria. I don't think I have parasites.

Your antibacterial/antifungal sounds great. Do you mind sharing where I can get it?

What are you taking for adrenals? Sorry if I asked this before.

That's very interesting to know about the blood pressure readings. I'd love to understand it more...is there anything I can read up on it?

Also what does it mean for goldenseal to be accumulative? Accumulate where?

Your progress sounds great! Thanks a ton for your continued support!

Sunmountain:

I don't know if you got your question answered about overuse of goldenseal, but here are a couple of links I found. I've used it in the past but not regularly; however, I'm going to have some on hand soon when my daughter has her wisdom teeth removed.

And if Jennifer is tuning in here, or anyone else knows the answer to my question: If having dental surgery/extraction performed, is it helpful to begin taking goldenseal before the procedure?

The Wonders of Goldenseal - Good Works Wellness
Goldenseal: A Natural Antibiotic & Cancer Fighter - Dr. Axe

Thanks-

Sorry, sunmountain. For some reason, I don't receive alerts when you've updated.

But anyway...you're welcome! :)

I hope the Ashwaganda alone is working out well for you. That's a smart idea getting the tincture so you can control the dose better.

I'll look into Kanchanara. It sounds promising.

I bought Dr. Morse's parasite M formula (the antibacterial/antifungal) because the bulk herb supplier I was getting my herbs from was out of stock on the herbs he recommends for treating it. I bought it at Our Botanicals because they give a discount on bulk orders and I was also ordering for my mum, dog and grandmother.

Parasite-M 450 mg - 90 Vegicaps

For smaller orders...

This place has the lowest prices I've come across and does free shipping on orders over $50:

Highest Quality of Natural Herbs

This site is similar to iherb and vitacost and does free shipping on any size order:

Parasite-M 450 mg - 90 Vegicaps

Same thing with the adrenals. While waiting for the herbs to come back in stock, I bought his formula. If you want to make your own, the herbs he recommends are a combination of astragalus root, parsley root & leaf, bayberry root bark, Jamaican sarsaparilla root, juniper berries, prickly ash bark and Siberian ginseng (also known as eleuthero root).

I sent you the pdf of Dr. Morse's book, right? If not, just let me know and I'll send it again. If you go to Module 2.8 The Endocrine Glandular System, under the heading of the adrenal glands he talks about blood pressure readings there and also under Module 5.4 Adrenal Gland Weaknesses = Female and Male Reproductive Disorders.

I hope you had a good week. :)

classicallady said:

Sunmountain:

I don't know if you got your question answered about overuse of goldenseal, but here are a couple of links I found. I've used it in the past but not regularly; however, I'm going to have some on hand soon when my daughter has her wisdom teeth removed.

And if Jennifer is tuning in here, or anyone else knows the answer to my question: If having dental surgery/extraction performed, is it helpful to begin taking goldenseal before the procedure?

The Wonders of Goldenseal - Good Works Wellness
Goldenseal: A Natural Antibiotic & Cancer Fighter - Dr. Axe

Thanks-

Click to expand...

Hmm...that's a good question, classicallady. I'm not really sure.

This is purely a guess but because goldenseal is said to strengthen the nervous system and is a great anti-inflammatory, especially for the glandular system, my thought is it may help your daughter's nervous system better cope with the stress of having teeth pulled as well as keeping inflammation down, not only in the tissues directly impacted by the extraction, but also the tissues in that general area, particularly the glands in the throat? So it might be beneficial that it already be circulating in her system when the surgery is performed?

However, the one thing I'd be concerned with is any possible drug interactions. I'm not sure what is given during an extraction procedure and if your daughter already has the goldenseal in her system, it could be a potential problem? Maybe find out ahead of time and if there's no interaction concerns, she could start taking it before the surgery?

Hi Classicallady,
Many thanks for the links to goldenseal. I look forward to reading them. Just to let you know, my daughter was getting frequent UTI's and went on antibiotics each time. With the last one, she couldn't get rid of the burning etc. So I gave her what I was taking then for my stomach bloating: a capsule that I filled with goldenseal tincture topped off with 3-4 drops o_0. She was on it about 2 weeks I think, then stopped because she said she was ok.

Yesterday she restarted the goldenseal o_o capsule again on her own, saying the feeling was coming back. Today she said it's getting better so she'll stay on it for some more days. So for her it seems to be helping with the UTI issue. Though I've informed her to use it short-term, and maybe rotate it with something else, which I need to find out what.

Jennifer,
Thanks for the reply! Please send me the PDF; I'm curious to read more about the adrenals. Well, I'm doing something different because Ashwagandha alone was also difficult to manage on my own. So I'm seeing an MD homeopath in my area, well-known, whom I'd seen a few years ago pre-Peat very briefly. At the time, he'd recommended bioidentical progesterone, Preg, and DHEA in addition to the levothyroxine I was already on, but I wasn't ready to do hormones back then (Dr. Peat changed my understanding of them). If I had done as he had suggested then, perhaps I would have had better luck balancing my hormones and energy levels.

Anyway, he has put me on an adrenal formula (non-homeopathic) which includes Panax ginseng and rhodiola among other things. At first I felt good, then bad with hot flashes and tachycardia. I started taking progest-e along with the formula and eventually the symptoms resolved. But even though I felt bad, it clearly helped with energy and achiness. When I started it, he had me off thyroid as my T3 was high. Today I did labs, and depending on results, he will probably put me on a homeopathic thyroid called Thyroidinum 30C. He is hoping it might be enough (if not, then back to non homeo but maybe at a lower dose). I would be glad to reduce my dose of thyroid!

Also, for my dysbiosis he recommended unpasteurized fermented food made by a local business -- but eaten in a small quantity only "like a condiment" he said. I felt comfortable with that quantity, knowing folks here warn about the lactic acid issue. I've been eating it about a week now, and maybe I'm imagining it but feel like something is happening maybe. Too early to tell yet so fingers crossed.

Meanwhile my daughter met with his colleague yesterday who also practices the same kind of medicine, and she has also been put on an adrenal formula (different one). She has been complaining of fatigue and backache for many months, and I'm wondering if stressed adrenals are behind her frequent UTI's and then Trich and respiratory infections all freshman year. Again, fingers crossed.

All this talk about adrenals is making me wonder, what does Dr. Peat say about stressed adrenals. I know he has written a lot on cortisol, adrenalin, etc., which if I understand it, are generally considered bad due to being constantly elevated. Not sure how his thinking ties in with the idea of stressed adrenals, if at all.

Hi sunmountain,

Your doctor sounds great. I hope he'll be of much help to you. :) Out of curiosity, does the adrenal formula your doctor put you on have black cohosh in it?

Back when I was having gallbladder attacks, Ray had recommended belladonna so I bought some homeopathic belladonna 200ck and it worked well at calming the spasms. This is one reason I decided to go back to herbs. I've had positive experiences with ones I've used in the past, some of which Ray recommended, and then when I found Dr. Morse's work I decided to try them again, but this time in conjunction with my current diet. Hopefully, you'll get positive effects from the Thyroidinum like I got from the belladonna.

In regards to your daughter's frequent UTIs and back pain, it's my current understanding that a weak bladder and kidneys are usually involved and because the adrenals affect the kidneys, I wouldn't be surprised if they're involved, too. Every tissue in us seems to affect one another. I looked through Dr. Morse's book and he says back pain in the lower to mid back suggests weak kidneys.

Here are a couple quotes from Ray on the adrenals...

"Low cholesterol is behind serious adrenal failure, because raw cholesterol is raw material all of Pregnenolone, progesterone, DHEA, and cortisol. If your cholesterol is low and thyroid is low, you can’t make any of these. If you don’t make enough of these other steroids, then you will turn any trace of cholesterol into Adrenaline or Cortisol and get ecess cortisol, so you can get either adrenal failure or adrenal over activity, as a result of having a sick liver or any underactive thyroid." - Ray Peat

“Thyroid is needed for the adrenals to function well, and adequate cholesterol, as raw material. It’s popular to talk about ‘weak adrenals,’ but the adrenal cortex regenerates very well. Animal experimenters can make animals that lack the adrenal medulla by scooping out everything inside the adrenal capsule, and the remaining cells quickly regenerate the steroid producing tissues, the cortex. So I think the ‘low adrenal’ people are simply low thyroid, or deficient in cholesterol or nutrients.” - Ray Peat

The only thing I'm unclear of here is whether or not these animals were exposed to stress (including the stress from having a weak thyroid and/or deficiencies) while their adrenals were regenerating. It's fine to say that the adrenal cortex regenerates very well, but under what conditions? Since we don't live in the bubble that is a lab setting, I'd be curious if these experiments included real world conditions.

But regardless, I think it's smart that you're still taking your thyroid into consideration since everything in the body works together, making it far more complex than a single gland/organ weakness. I'm pretty much targeting every tissue/system in my body with all the herbs I'm taking. No lie! I figured I'd cover all my bases and hopefully between that, my diet and meditation (dancing ), my body will have all the support it needs to work its magic. It's been a slow and sometimes very unpleasant process, but it's working. :)

I'll get that pdf to you. :)

Jennifer said:

Hmm...that's a good question, classicallady. I'm not really sure.

This is purely a guess but because goldenseal is said to strengthen the nervous system and is a great anti-inflammatory, especially for the glandular system, my thought is it may help your daughter's nervous system better cope with the stress of having teeth pulled as well as keeping inflammation down, not only in the tissues directly impacted by the extraction, but also the tissues in that general area, particularly the glands in the throat? So it might be beneficial that it already be circulating in her system when the surgery is performed?

However, the one thing I'd be concerned with is any possible drug interactions. I'm not sure what is given during an extraction procedure and if your daughter already has the goldenseal in her system, it could be a potential problem? Maybe find out ahead of time and if there's no interaction concerns, she could start taking it before the surgery?

Click to expand...

@Jennifer and sunmountain: Thanks for the replies, sorry I haven't been checking the site for a bit.

My daughter's extractions went as well as impacted wisdom teeth go, but no cakewalk for sure. I bought the goldenseal (Nature's Way brand) as insurance, checked w/the oral surgeon, who wanted to make sure it wasn't an issue with bleeding (they don't recommend aspirin for pain post-op for this reason), and he said it looked ok. Nevertheless, we didn't use the goldenseal, but went with homeopathics pre- and post-op (which I would have done anyway), which seemed to be enough to augment with the anti-inflammatory and initial pain meds. We're thankful things went well, had a very gentle-touch doctor, good recuperative time and little swelling/pain, now about 1 week post-op. If anyone here is facing 3rd molar extractions, I'd be happy to share what worked for us. I didn't want to do antibiotics or chlorhexidine rinse, so we made it without those at least!

Thanks again for your input!

sunmountain said:

Hi Classicallady,
Many thanks for the links to goldenseal. I look forward to reading them. Just to let you know, my daughter was getting frequent UTI's and went on antibiotics each time. With the last one, she couldn't get rid of the burning etc. So I gave her what I was taking then for my stomach bloating: a capsule that I filled with goldenseal tincture topped off with 3-4 drops o_0. She was on it about 2 weeks I think, then stopped because she said she was ok.

Yesterday she restarted the goldenseal o_o capsule again on her own, saying the feeling was coming back. Today she said it's getting better so she'll stay on it for some more days. So for her it seems to be helping with the UTI issue. Though I've informed her to use it short-term, and maybe rotate it with something else, which I need to find out what.

Click to expand...

Sunmountain:

How is it going with your daughter's case? Hope the goldenseal helped and she's over her UTI by now. btw- I know this site is all-things-Peat, but if anyone can shed some light on his views about goldenseal, that would be interesting.

A homeopathic remedy can be used along with allopathic or herbal medicines and could help strengthen her response:

5 best Homeopathic Medicines for UTI - Homeopathic Specialist‎ Dr Harsh Sharma

Hi Jennifer and ClassicalLady,

The adrenal complex I'm taking doesn't have black cohosh. It has:
Energymax™ Complex: Targeted blend of D-ribose, panax ginseng which
• promotes healthy energy levels by raising the level of the body’s energy fuel, ATP
• supports healthy cognitive performance

MuscularEnergy™ Complex: Combination of malic acid and rhodiola rosea which
• plays a key role in energy producing Kreb’s Cycle
• has an adaptogenic affect to support physical activity

Mitrochondria Energizer™ Complex: Powerful duo of acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid which
• acts as a catalyst for ATP production in mitochondria
• improves mitochondrial function while promoting healthy cognitive function

Metabolism Plus™ Complex: Natural, non-stimulation blend of pyruvic acid and 7-Keto DHEA which
• naturally increases, without artificial stimulation, resting metabolism
• multiple studies show increased fat utilization (fat loss) as an energy source
• promotes fat loss through thermogenesis

HeartStrong™ Complex: Hight potency Co Q10 and L-Taurine which
• is used by the body to transform food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy on which the body runs
• promotes healthy heart and gum tissue
• modulates the immune system
• promotes healthy heart beat and cell wall stability

Key Nutrient Blend: pantothenic acid, vitamin B-12, magnesium and potassium which
• are essential nutrients involved in producing, transporting and releasing energy from fat
• promotes healthy neuromuscular function and muscle contractions

I take two capsules in the morning. If I take a third later, I get the flashes. However, two is not enough for energy all day, though it is enough to have improved my thyroid labs and make me function more or less.

I am now completely off thyroid. Labs a week ago were very promising...TSH below 4, and T3 and T4 at low normal. I say promising because we are still adjusting things, and based on past experience, TSH could have hit 8 without any thyroid supplementation.

After labs, my homeo doc wanted to put me on a thyroid formula, but I asked him if I could try Ashwagandha, and he thought it a good idea. So I'm back trying to figure out a dosage on my fav herb. There really is nothing else like Ashwagandha for me: the mood effects alone are worth it, though it helps my muscles no doubt. I had become pretty unmotivated and very brain foggy, and it makes me lively (according to family members) and smiling!

I am taking it in a whole herb tincture form, and because it is in addition to the adrenal formula, I can take only a tiny bit of it, like 0.25ml or less at a time.

Somehow the adrenal formula brought back the insomnia. Maybe something in it is raising night cortisol. So Ashwagandha helps with sleep too, though since I'm only taking a little of it, I still have insomnia. But maybe it will build up in the system after a while and help more with sleep, or maybe I will be able to increase its dosage.

As for my daughter, she too is on an adrenal formula containing rhodiola, Ashwagandha, Eleuthro, maca, and holy basil. Hers doesn't have all the other stuff in it as mine, and no ginseng. She was also given glandulars. She is reporting better energy, for which I'm thankful. But here is the interesting part. She is also showing better motivation, and she says focus is a bit better. She has been reading up her neuroscience text since a couple weeks in order to survive the course in the Fall. She just had her period and says it wasn't as heavy as usual. So I'm really excited about the benefits of these herbs for her, especially, and if her focus continues to improve, they will basically be a miracle!

Unfortunately, the UTI returned full on. The goldenseal helped for a while, then she said it wasn't helping and stopped, and the UTI came back full force. She's now on a different antibiotic. I'm praying that the herbs kick start her immune system. I'm also thinking about what to give her as a preventative after the course. Maybe d-mannose and a berberine complex? She's been able to follow the protocol pretty well with the help of a pillbox, so I'm hopeful.

Both she and I are eating the unpasteurized fermented food, for me as a condiment sized portion. I don't know if it's that or the herbs but I'm getting a second poop more often these days, which then is a reasonably good emptying out. Stomach is still bloated, but a bit less.

Classicallady, the homeo link you posted is very interesting. I'll ask her homeo doc to see if she has a preventative remedy. Did you order those off the website? Glad your daughter's extraction went so well. You both did such a great job managing it!

Thanks for those quotes, Jennifer. My cholesterol is 212. However my thyroid has been up and down the past months, so that could have shot the adrenals, or just....stress. After much thinking through, I've made the decision to take time off from work until I fully recover. Even a part time job that I enjoy has been too much stress. It feels great that I can sleep in and spend the day as I want, which involves a lot of cooking and grocery shopping. Although I have now decided to travel more, and will be away a lot this Fall into next year possibly.

Are you still taking thyroid, Jennifer?

sunmountain said:

After much thinking through, I've made the decision to take time off from work until I fully recover.

Click to expand...

I honestly think that's one of the best things you could do for yourself.

sunmountain said:

Classicallady, the homeo link you posted is very interesting. I'll ask her homeo doc to see if she has a preventative remedy. Did you order those off the website? Glad your daughter's extraction went so well. You both did such a great job managing it!

Click to expand...

You can buy most of these remedies at your local health food store, or online at supplement etailers. The key is finding the right one(s). The link I gave is more informational to perhaps which remedy sounds closest to the symptoms of UTI your daughter is having. If she has a homeopath they may have remedies on hand. And there are remedies that can be used constitutionally for support in the long term. Hope this helps. It sounds like she's working with a homeopath, but if you would like a recommendation, I can provide that.

I hope you will find some relief and healing with your current plan, and that your daughter's UTI fully resolves.

sunmountain said:

Are you still taking thyroid, Jennifer?

Click to expand...

I second what Blossom wrote. You seem to be in a good place with your diet and supplements and I think taking time off to give yourself some much deserved TLC will have a huge impact on your healing. I'm really happy for you that you're able to do this for yourself. :)

No, I stopped taking thyroid after I developed those anxiety attacks from it last year. It seems my body tolerates hormone and isolated supplements as poorly as it does all pharmaceutical drugs. So now I keep things as simple and natural as possible and stick to simple foods and the whole herbs, including fresh herbs in my cooking, just to aid in tissue regeneration. I only take a few herbal formulas, but they're packed with so many herbs (only whole herbs/roots) that I'm targeting every system in my body.

Anyhow, it sounds like your daughter is on a similar herbal formula as me. I'm glad it's working so well for her and hope her UTI resolves quickly. And I'm glad the Ashwaganda is working out well for you. Does your doctor have any guesses as to what in the adrenal complex could be causing your hot flashes? I'm only familiar with the herbal portion of it. Maybe haidut might have an idea since he's so well versed in supplements?

Thanks for the suggestion to ask Haidut, Jennifer! I did and below is his reply:

"The 7-keto DHEA and ALCAR are very well known to cause insomnia. Also, the ALCAR is not very Peaty as it promotes fatty acid oxidation. You can search for "carnitine" on the forum for more info."

I'm going to ask doc to switch me to daughter's formula which has herbs only, or some other with herbs only.

That's great! I'm glad haidut was able to help you. He's a smart cookie. :)

Things are really not good these days.

My daughter has nonstop UTI, BV, yeast going on. Antibiotic after antibiotic. Diflucan. She's supposed to leave for college Aug 20. I'm supposed to somehow get her seen by a uro-gyn before that.

My SIL says she was in such a cycle twenty years ago and ended up under general anesthesia and massive dose of antibiotics injected into her bladder. How does present-day antibiotic resistance complicate that?

Meanwhile, my homeo doc put me on a second formula, one with glandulars and thyroxine free. It did not suit me. I took it yesterday and today. Each time, I got jittery and panicky, and it was hours before I calmed down. It has in it thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, spleen, and 900mcg iodine. I knew the iodine is unpeaty but went along thinking I'd at least try it for a few days. I can't tolerate it at all. Meanwhile the first formula for energy is definitely raising estrogen and pge is only partially combatting it. My daughter says I'm very emotional and irritable these days.

I'm starting to wonder if I have "advanced adrenal fatigue." I can't tolerate relatively small quantities of Ashwagandha, which is an adrenal stimulant, and I can't tolerate this glandular formula, which probably also stimulates adrenals along with other things. Maybe my adrenals are so depleted right now that they can't tolerate anything.

I ran into a website by Dr. Lam, who does seem to know a lot about adrenal fatigue, and also mentions that the same supplements that can calm adrenals become stimulators in cases of advanced adrenal fatigue.

Has anyone heard of Dr. Lam? I'm considering if I should try his approach. There's also Jennifer's Dr. Morse.

I also saw another integrative doc who does the Genova testing, and he gave me a kit. I'm wondering if it might not be better to wait with it until I figure out who to work with for my adrenals.

Just looked up more on Lam. Too many negative reviews.

Update:

First the good news. After total panic over the nonstop antibiotics my daughter was taking for a year, I got her to talk to a herbalist who knows his stuff, and with whom I had consulted years ago. He put her on a high dose of berberine for a week, and she was cured. Hallelujah. The home UTI test came negative. Unbelievable.

I also got her to see an integrative doc (before we consulted the herbalist) for fatigue. This doc treated her with a herbal formula and glandulars for adrenals and balancing HPA axis. After 3 months of this, her cycle went from 34 to 30 days, and PMS much better.

But the really interesting change is that her focus and attention issues resolved! She found this out when she went back to college late August and began studying for a heavy duty course. She says she now studies like "normal people." Does not need focalin. I know she is very motivated, so I don't know if the herbs made a difference to motivation, but they sure improved focus. She scored an A in her mid-term, which is important to her (though I keep telling her a B is great). I think the ability to focus when she needs to is life changing for her. It melts the frustration she felt earlier -- she said she knew the subject but just couldn't get it out fast enough (processing speed), or leaving things till last minute because of the inevitable frustration. She says she's now pacing herself and getting the work done every day in order to keep up.

Hallelujah.

Ok, and that's where the good stuff ends.

I'm still stuck with the big belly. My thyroid has stabilized on T4. I developed some sort of senstivity to T3 over the summer, and even small amounts would give me palps. I'm doing fine on 25mcg T4. It's enough to take away the aches and pains and give me some energy. On top of that, I've gone back to supplementing B vitamins, which keep me chugging along during the day. I still don't have enough stamina to exercise, but that might have to wait until the stomach resolves. I've stopped the homeo doc's energy formula because the carnitine in it was keeping me awake.

I finally did the genova test, and the results were unexpected (maybe I was hoping for some big bad bug). I have overgrowth of Klebsiella Oxytoca, and my bug diversity is low. I don't have parasites or yeast (I was counting on having yeast). Senstivity testing showed the KO sensitive to several antibiotics. I wanted to start with tetracycline but the doc wanted augmentin first. I've done four days of augmentin, and absolutely nothing has happened. He also has me taking a probiotic, and I've added s. boulardii on my own to prevent yeast. Possibly the probiotic (or the antibiotic) is causing a problem because the bloating is OUT OF CONTROL. My stomach is huge and uncomfortable. The doc agreed I could get off the augmentin in a week, but I might stop it sooner. Probiotics in the past have caused bloating.

The genova test did not show any malabsorption. And I'm making tons of pancreatic enzymes. Three inflammation markers were negative. The low diversity bacteria that are there are doing their job, per doc. They found lactobacillus but couldn't culture it.?? This is all surprising. I'm wondering if my stomach is inflamed, and if these inflammation markers catch that.

The constipation is weird. I have one BM daily in the morning, with a 50-70% evacuation. Then nothing for the rest of the day, though I get progressively heavier as I eat. Occasionally I'll get lucky and have a second. I don't understand what kind of bug this is that allows me one BM daily and no more.

Some interesting things picked up on the way. My liver enzymes are good, thanks to Livercare, but ALP is high. So homeo doc recommended a herbal elixir. One very nice side effect of this was softer BM (sorry, TMI). Another is mild diuresis which I still need. But ultrasound shows normal GB and bile ducts etc. I guess bile does a lot more than emulsify fat; it also disinfects and moves stool along.

Very disappointed about the augmentin. Don't understand why it didn't work if sensitivity testing showed it would kill the Klebsiella. I guess I'll ask to try the tetracycline next. I have a box of Pen-V-K. If the antibiotics don't work, I don't know what next. Smartpill earlier this year showed motility was ok, although recently the gastroparesis is back which is not surprising since the stomach is inflated ALL the bloody time.

Adding: Memory problems are significant now. Both long and short term. Recently met two college friends separately, and each reminisced about my past, and I couldn't remember a single thing! They might have been talking about someone else. Very afraid I am developing dementia. My grandmother died earlier this year after 20 years of dementia.

sunmountain said:

Update:

First the good news. After total panic over the nonstop antibiotics my daughter was taking for a year, I got her to talk to a herbalist who knows his stuff, and with whom I had consulted years ago. He put her on a high dose of berberine for a week, and she was cured. Hallelujah. The home UTI test came negative. Unbelievable.

I also got her to see an integrative doc (before we consulted the herbalist) for fatigue. This doc treated her with a herbal formula and glandulars for adrenals and balancing HPA axis. After 3 months of this, her cycle went from 34 to 30 days, and PMS much better.

But the really interesting change is that her focus and attention issues resolved! She found this out when she went back to college late August and began studying for a heavy duty course. She says she now studies like "normal people." Does not need focalin. I know she is very motivated, so I don't know if the herbs made a difference to motivation, but they sure improved focus. She scored an A in her mid-term, which is important to her (though I keep telling her a B is great). I think the ability to focus when she needs to is life changing for her. It melts the frustration she felt earlier -- she said she knew the subject but just couldn't get it out fast enough (processing speed), or leaving things till last minute because of the inevitable frustration. She says she's now pacing herself and getting the work done every day in order to keep up.

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Hi sunmountain, how are you doing now?

Also curious if the berberine has kept the UTI and BV away for your daughter?