Aloe Vera Juice: Can anybody tell me if Aloe Vera... - Thyroid UK

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Aloe Vera Juice

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Can anybody tell me if Aloe Vera Juice is suitable for people on Levo? I am taking 75mcg Levo nightly for Hypo. I also suffer greatly with gut problems. Alternate between loose bowel and constipation, stomach cramps, wind. Terrible nausea too and heartburn/acid. My granddaughter suffers with gut problems, bloating, heartburn etc and has been using Aloe Vera Juice with really beneficial effects and wants me to try it. I'm 72yrs old. I've looked at this juice online and as always it recommends consulting doctor if not sure. Well some of us know how helpful consulting our GP's about anything to do with Hypo is!! By the way, I have tried gluten free with very little beneficial effect so any other advice or experience would be welcome.

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14 Replies

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cwill7 years ago

I have no experience of aloe Vera but would suggest that with such a full set of gut symptoms that the first step is a symptom and food diary. I used a good app that gave some good indications over a month of use. I take it that the GP has assessed and not performed any specialist tests or referred you? The FODMAP diet is designed to prevent such symptoms and has been taken further by Alison Siebecker . Think I have correct spelling but has wonderful website of all things gut.

• in reply tocwill7 years ago

Thank you cwill for that. I have mentioned it to my GP on several occasions. No special tests, just the usual 'probably IBS' answer. I have tried to associate certain foods with attacks and I have heard of the FODMAP diet. I know that I have autoimmune hypothyroidsism and gluten free is recommended. I find it very hard to stick to completely gluten free diet so I guess people might say that I should try harder. I will definitely check out the website you have recommended and thank you again for your advice.

cwill• in reply to7 years ago

Well AI issues are linked with both dairy and gluten, both of which are excluded for a time on pretty much all exclusion diets. But obviously what you are doing at present isn’t working so time to read a lot and prepare for the next phase I think. I am on AIP that appears extreme at first but if you do an exclusion diet you don’t want to be half hearted about it or you may never know. Good luck.

• in reply tocwill7 years ago

Many thanks. I will take your advice onboard and make the effort to be strict with myself

• in reply to7 years ago

Yes, it's important to be wholly gluten-free, and give it sufficient time for all traces of gluten to leave your body, before concluding that it's not benefitting you; but "making an effort to be strict" is a very gloomy, negative prospect, and not likely to be helpful in motivating you. Can you think of it instead, along the lines of choosing to eat in a way that's more beneficial to you? Sorry to do a therapist-speak number on you lol, but our self-talk can definitely have an impact on outcomes. 😊

cwill• in reply to7 years ago

I find it interesting that we will take drugs in the approved way or comply pre and post op but mention diet alterations or specific exercise routines and we find reasons not to. My body has been letting me know that it is really not happy for many years now and at some point we have to find a way to work with it. IMHO the more we try to ignore an issue the more entrenched it can become.

SlowDragonAdministrator7 years ago

As you have Hashimoto's it's likely gluten and/or dairy intolerance

Possibly because you may not be adequately treated. Really need FT3 and FT4 tested at same time as TSH

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels stop Thyroid hormone working

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

Ask GP for coeliac blood test first

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

Low stomach acid can be an issue, especially when hypo

Lots of posts on here about how to improve with Apple cider vinegar or Betaine HCL

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/hypochl...

scdlifestyle.com/2012/03/3-...

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Other things to help heal gut lining

Bone broth

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

Probiotics

carolinasthyroidinstitute.c...

• in reply toSlowDragon7 years ago

Thank you. I had test a few years ago when I went to GP with a range of problems including all the above that I mentioned and, weight gain, tiredness, hair loss etc etc. The GP said "the good news is that you aren't coeliac, the bad news is that you have hypothyroidism" The gut problems he put down to IBS (yawn yawn). At no time was autoimmune Hashimoto's ever mentioned and I was not aware that my antibodies were high until I had a private test done in August last year. I had to convince my GP to increase my levo from 50mcg to 75mcg based on the private results. Up to this point I had been on 50mcg since diagnosis a few years ago. When I was recently retested by GP he refused to get a full thyroid range tested saying only TSH was important. I posted this on a recent post here. I am also taking the relevant vitamins. I am going to get another private test done in the spring. (I'm away for 2 months from early Feb until early April) and will hopefully get better advice again from this forum than from my GP. At this point I am thinking that completely gluten free is the only way to go. I'm not being negative when I say I find this hard to do especially when I'm going to Spain for two months and will have to source suitable foods. However, I will really try hard and not be half hearted about it as was mentioned in an earlier reply. I value all advice and comments given and take them very seriously so thank you again.

Clutter7 years ago

Jaydeepee,

Aloe vera can interfere with absorption of prescription meds. See healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

• in reply toClutter7 years ago

Thank you Clutter. That is exactly what I want to know about Aloe Vera. It's so easy to be desperate enough to try anything that people recommend and then end up with more problems. I do take my Levo at night, hours away from any other meds that I take during the daytime because I know they can interfere with levo absorption. Good sound advice, thank you.

• in reply to7 years ago

Hi clutter I've just read the posts on the link you provided. The posts have made my mind up that although the Aloe Vera Juice may be good for some people it's not for me. I guess the answer is that you can't get a quick fix to long term problems so gluten free is the way to go.

Bertwills7 years ago

I’ve had great success calming my IBS by switching to A2 milk. It’s standard milk available from supermarkets with a different form of casein. Check online for more info. Really helped me.

jewelBrite6 years ago

Hi Hidden--I've dealt with gut issues for years as well. I have IBS which led to IC (Interstitial Cystisis). I used to have IBS-D but now I have IBS-C. I have found aloe vera to be a Godsend for me. However, if you alternate between diarrhea and constipation, have you been tested for IBS? Sounds like you might have that, as well as your granddaughter. I would recommend, as others have, the FODMAP diet. Also, taking a digestive aid might help. For me, "DIgest All" by MRM works well. It's available here: amazon.co.uk/MRM-Digest-All...

"DIgest All" has been a godsend for me. I find that I can even have small (SMALL) amounts of dairy (feta cheese, hard cheeses in a salad) if I take Digest All. But generally I avoid dairy, since it bothers me. (I'm lactose intolerant). In checking Amazon UK, I see other digestive aids available. Digest All works for me, but you might find another product that works better for you.

Have you kept a food diary to see what foods really bother you and which ones don't? For me, certain vegetables are a no-no, especially raw. The only legumes I can tolerate are lentils and chickpeas. I love legumes, so I end up cooking my own, soaking them overnight. There's articles online on how to soak legumes so they won't cause you problems.

Be careful with the "High Fiber" Mantra that most doctors will chant. "Eat more Fiber! Drink more water!" they will say. My GP said that. Well, that does NOT work with people suffering from IBS. A high-fiber diet will simply cause stomach pains and terrible bloat/wind. Too much fiber in an IBS system will stop you up and you end up blowing up like a balloon. Too little will do the same thing. Fruit works better for me than vegetables for my fiber, as well as a high fiber organic bread. I tried going vegan, and suffered severe stomach pains, horrible bloat and wind. I can't go all-vegetarian as well for the same reason. Chicken and fish are my choices for meat.

I don't stick to a gluten-free diet but I am low-gluten. It's too hard to give up gluten entirely. And so many products contain gluten. Find out what gluten products stop you up if you don't already know. For me, it's pasta and crackers. Instead I try to eat organic bread with lots of fiber, but not too much. I substitute a gluten-free pasta, but even that sometimes stops me up as well. So I eat organic rice instead. I have started drinking 2-4 ounces of aloe vera juice mixed with 8 ounces of grape juice, but be careful with this. Aloe can cause diarrhea. Since I'm IBS-C, it works for me. I also take Levo. I take my Levo on an empty stomach in the AM and wait anywhere from 30-60 minutes before I eat or drink anything (except water). I try to eat as much organic food as possible, and if that's available, Natural foods with little or no additives or preservatives. I get migraines from preservatives/additives like MSG.

Hope this helps!

helvellaAdministrator• in reply tojewelBrite6 years ago

When you see a user name of Hidden, it means that the person is no longer a member of this forum.

We often close posts that were originated by people who have left - there is no point in wasting our time making replies. Occasionally, the thread might still be active and popular and will be left. More often, it is simply a case of none of the admins noticing!

I shall now be closing this post to replies.

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