Results of Hospital visit to see Bowel Specialist yesterday. MY alternative approach : Probiotics are better!

[Poppy_the_cat]

Sadly my 4 month long awaited hospital visit was a disappointment as I feared.

My gluten intolerance has escalated to the status of no doubt being Coeliac - the specialist agreed with me on this point, though to 'prove' it she said I would have to submit myself to a punitive gluten diet to make myself seriously ill. my response was of course negative to such a suggestion! My last severe attack last November left me totally prostrate for over 8 weeks! I live in fear of repeating anything similar.

Although I was offered a colonoscopy, I was warned of the possible danger of ripping the intestine wall as a possibility during the intervention. I therefore, have elected to have a further stool test first which will measure levels of inflammation first. Other than that the only thing I was offered was medication in the form of a slow muscle relaxant - purely a symptom-suppression approach which would resolve nothing, so I declined.

When I tried to discuss a different approach attempting to re-seed the gut with probiotics, I was told that if I wanted to 'go down the road and find some sort of dietician who might be able to help as some people had reported some sort of benefit for having gone'...then maybe I could 'try it !!!'

I was somewhat speechless. I left it at that...

Instead I believe that our excellent Dr. Michael Mosley is on the right track when he urges us all to take care of our 'gut'.

Thyroid, diabetes, heart issues and arthritis are all affected by problems in the gut.

Just think if this aspect were treated with the importance it deserves, how much better people's lives would be and how reduced the strain would be on the NHS!

Its a NO-Brainer.

All of theses conditions and related illnesses are sadly viewed in isolation be it due to pressure from the Medical establishment not wanting to accept new thinking, or the big Parma Corps that have greater powers than governments to impose their will upon us.

I personally have waited for this hospital appointment before deciding to act on my own account.

I found a few days a go an interesting link and tried to post it, but cannot seem to see it anywhere? I is composed of a 10 minute video that is very instructive. I will attempt to give a precis version of it as I feel it is very well explained in very simple

It explains the links with Hashimoto's, heart conditions, diabetes, arthritis, chronic fatigue and depression etc- essentially all autoimmune conditions that are directly influenced by the state of the gut.

The ideal optimum functioning ratio for a healthy gut should be:

85% Probiotics (good bugs) : 15% bad bugs.

The video explains the 3 major DO NOT EAT foods which feed the bad bugs on our intestine, which must be avoided at all costs if at all possible. The third one 'fruit & vegetables' came as a surprise, purely because of the toxicity of pesticides. In the USA they tested strawberries and found that there were 15 pesticides present! Some of them so toxic they are linked to cancer & dementia. They therefor, urge us to buy organic whenever it is possible to safeguard against against these hidden poisons,

Also explained by this company is the fact that the majority of probiotics produced take 2 years from the time they are produced and bottled to when they get laid out on the shelf ready for purchase and by that time the probiotics are long since dead.

Also the majority of tablet form probiotics cannot survive the stomach acid and never get to their destination in tacto!

This company has created a liquid, 'live' format that they claim survives the stomach acid. They go into a lengthy explanation and then offer the product for sale.

Everything they explain is excellently put forward. However, I did my research and have found that one can purchase 'water kefir grains' from the internet. I have done so and will 'grow' my own kefir probiotic drink for myself.

I also did further research to understand more how it "worked", because being lactose intolerant I wanted to understand how it would work with 'water'. I searched for "how can I add sugar to make water kefir if I am supposed to avoid sugar?" I found another website which explained a woman's journey to killing off Candida albicans. She adds cinnamon to her water kefir. And most importantly she explains that during the creation of the kefir, the kefir grains consume over 80% of the sugar that they are fed, and then continue to consume the sugar in the gut that the nasty Candida is feeding upon inside us!

Also the article explained that the home-grown live culture kefir had a greater concentration of probiotics than most shelf sold probiotics!

So it sounds like a win-win situation.

The American video is very instructive and very well laid out, but the home-grown kefir solution is less expensive by far and may even have a higher concentration than the official 'dropper' solution.

As I say I have sent off for my kefir grains.

I am going to pursue a regimen that includes the drink in my daily routine. I will keep a diary and will report upon my progress.

Having suffered from severe diarrhea since March amongst other things, like the Catalans who are taking matters into their own hands, I am going to do the same as I aim to beat my 'hitherto undisclosed autoimmune condition that affect my connective tissues' (quote form my very helpful, but stumped GP), improve my hashimotos, improve my gut, dare I say attempt to repair my leaky gut, reduce my inflammation- severe pains in hands and feet and generally regain some energy in the process.

There are a few books that are excellent- written by our brilliant Dr Mosley who does frequent programmes on British TV, with these in hand and the kefir I will make a difference to my health.

Watch this space!

Best Wishes to all, everywhere all over our beautiful planet!

Together, being caring and generous, sharing info and experiences we can overcome, its just a matter of finding the first piece of the puzzle, I think this might be it!

Poppy-a-very-excited-cat! Am optimistic for the first time in years!

[BadHare]

I drink up to a litre of organic dairy kefir a day. It's supposed to be alright for those who are lactose intolerant as this is what the kefirans feed on. I came across it after trying to find information on vitamin K, & that it's high in, so good for the bones as well as digestion. It's also high in B12 which can be an issue for vegetarians if we're not careful. I bought 10g of tiny 2-3mm grains, that I strained with a tea strainer. Now, I use a colander, & regularly have to break them up when they grow over a centimetre, & have to keep the batches in rotation in the fridge to stop them fermenting too fast. I don't think water kefir thickens, but I've found smaller grains ferment faster, & make the dairy kefir thicker. Too many grains to milk ratio gives it a grainy texture, but it's fine to drink & not unpleasant.

I post these & several other CK links regularly: chriskresser.com/kefir-the-...

chriskresser.com/the-thyroi...

chriskresser.com/how-to-res...

Ths website is really good for growing advice & any issues with your culture being unhappy: yemoos.com/ There's a page on water grains.

Kombucha is also interesting to grow, but I feel it's more of a benefit to increasing stomach acid for improving digestion, than kefir.

Good luck, & I hope it helps you!

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to BadHare]

Thank-you for your very informative and helpful reply.

I do not know enough about these kefir grains and will benefit by learning form the Kresser site and experimenting I am sure as I am convinced all of our collective problems with thyroid have a bearing in our gut health. I am developing more an more strange things that seem to be confusing my GP as well as the specialists I am seeing that I feel I must look deeper to see where there could be issues and from what I have read I believe the lack of a healthy gut flora could be a big issue for me.

I am awaiting the kefir grains that I have ordered with great anticipation and will try them as well as read up on the Kresser website for further advice. I also intend to keep a diary to chart my progress.

Its 5 days since I have returned from Sicily; my stools are not as healthy as they were after the 4th day I was there, but I am hoping to use the kefir as soon as possible to maintain the greatly improved stool consistency I had when abroad at the very least.

Of late I am also experiencing a greatly increased level of pain in my upper body joints, shoulders, neck and back, with my hands being particularly painful and fingers feeling swollen and unable to bend properly...for the last 8 weeks or so, so i am hoping that Kefir will come to the rescue!

Many thanks for your great advice.

Best Wishes

Poppy

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to BadHare]

May I ask how long you have been drinking this organic kefir for?

Could you explain the benefits?

Thank-you

Poppy ;0)

[BadHare in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

At least 5 years.

The benefits are described in the articles & links I posted earlier.

For me personally, I find it a good source of protein, so I am not hungry. As a vegetarian, I have found a high fat/low starch diet suits me best, & I tend to only want starchy foods if my protein intake is inadequate. I also found my erratic digestion improved a lot, & it initially it boosted my B12, though I have absorption issues with this vitamin for the past year. I'm hoping the long term benefits of K2 will prevent osteoporosis, but having no bone density scans to compare, I can't say how effective this is. My immune system definitely improved, before the increased temperature increase I have from taking thyroid hormones. I rarely have any food cravings aside from wanting to drink kefir when I'm hungry or thirsty. I find it very convenient way to get nutrients with as much daily effort as making a pot of tea. It mixes well with things I like to eat: I do a second fermentation by adding fruit in the afternoon, & find it useful for eating a lot of chia & linseeds which I soak in kefir for my supper. I eat nuts, too, so this provides me with at least 20g of protein. I consider it a food rather than just fluid. A lot of the reasons why I like dairy kefir so much won't be available from water kefir. If I don't feel well, which is quite often, I won't eat rubbish as long as I've been eating it. There's probably more, but I can't think of any off the top of my head. Mainly, I find it tasty & nutritious, & I miss it when I'm away from home!

Mel

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to BadHare]

Wow, so much information to take in.

It all sounds very, very good. I will start on the water kefir seeing as I have ordered the grains...and will attempt to go for milk directly from a local farm and when I am brave enough try it as what you say about its protein value sounds fantastic. I feel optimistic.

Thank-you for all your help.

;0)

Helen

[BadHare in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

Hopefully the water kefir will fortify you enough for the dairy kefir to work. Dairy grains gan be fermented in a water substrate, so if they're the same balance of micro critters, I'm sure you can intriduce your grains to milk.

I've just found two farms within travelling distance, so I'll be trying raw milk later in the month.

Mel

[Angel_of_the_North]

If you are lactose intolerant rather than casein intolerant, you can make ordinary milk kefir as the grains eat the lactose. No good if you are vegan, of course. Shoudl be made with whole milk, preferably

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thanks for your reply.

I know I cannot drink milk of any kind in this country, because of the higher temperatures used for pasteurisation I am guessing- yet I can drink semi-skimmed milk in Italy & Catalonia??

I drank a milk kefir some months back earlier in the summer and was very ill as a result. I cannot even tolerate certain gluten free foods, so to be honest I will opt to go with the water/ or coconut kefir option for the time being. As it is a road of discovery and an attempt at self-empowerment I can only learn along the way, avoiding at all costs anything that makes me any iller than I am already.

To be told in the hospital that the only way they can 'certify' that I am a coeliac on paper is to feed me gluten etc, quite frankly is a non-starter! Therefore I am staying away from anything that is vaguely cow dairy in origin as I do not as yet know enough about exactly what it is that I have.

Many thanks for the suggestion nonetheless, much appreciated.

Poppy

[BadHare in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

There are farms that sell raw milk, if you look for somewhere local to you, or that will deliver. I want to try some this winter, when it's cool enough to post, though it will be less beneficial once the cows aren't grass fed.

rawmilk.simkin.co.uk/

I usually buy whole unhomogenised organic. It's easy to tell which milk the kefir prefers by the amount of carbon dioxide it produces, & the end result.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Poppy_the_cat]

What about goat milk or certified A2 milk - much Jersey and Guernsey milk is A2? Or just get raw milk - apparently some shops have raw milk machines but we get ours from a local farm

[Poppy_the_cat in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I shall explore the possibility from local farms.

Thank-you.

[Poppy_the_cat]

Golly, I am totally new to all this. I just hope I have the mental brain power, because the brain fog is really bad a the moment, I just hope I can join up all the dots and understand it all !!

Thanx