Aloe Vera and gut issues...

Hi ya'll, Just a simple question that has been gnawing at me...

Have been dealing with leaky gut, c-diff and s.i.b.o for two years now and I'm trying my best to heal gut.

My diet is clean, taking Colostrum LD, S-Boulardii, Cat's Claw, Turmeric, Mastic Gum, Probiotics, Sauerkraute, Marshmallow Root in the middle of the night and slippery elm inner bark tea which feels so good on tummy.

I've tried drinking Aloe Vera juice and it burns my gut, like when I accidentally ate something spicy.

Is Aloe Vera supposed to do that, or is my body telling me to wait a while and try it again later?

Some people have allergies to aloe vera. I am one of those. I got a scrape on my arm and put some on it and I blew up into a huge rash. I stay away from it now, including ingestion.

Just so you know that you can be allergic to it. I am not saying you are, but it is possible.

If it is not allergies...

Make sure the aloe vera is the organic INNER FILLET version (it's more expensive than the "whole leaf" version but doesn't contain the outer leaf so it's less bitter and probably also less acidic). And I agree w/ Krimpet - Lily of the Valley is a great brand. There are LOTS of products out there that have a bunch of other stuff in them - both the kind you ingest and the topical kind. Always go for the pure versions.

I also have made good progress with my gut issues by drinking bone marrow broth or at least good chicken or vegetable broth and incorporating a good binder is very helpful. Be careful with fiber - it can sometimes be a little rough on a raw tummy.

-p
-p

Tummy issue is bone broth for me. I love the organic turkey broth made by Pacific. It only has
Turkey Stock (Water, Turkey*)*
Onion*
Cider Vinegar*
Rosemary Extract*

SUITABLE FOR THESE SPECIAL DIETS

Lower Sodium, Low Fat, Fat Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Wheat Free, Yeast Free

PeteZa, I used to make beef bone broth myself in the crockpot. It was a huge drama and it went bad fast. (I can't smell or taste very well, so that was part of my problem. I would eat food that had gone bad and not know it. Hubby smells my leftovers before I eat them now.)

The Pacific turkey bone broth sounds good and it's a decent price. Going to give it a try!

*****

Pirouette, Yup, gut is very sensitive. Sometimes I get an instant response, other times it takes longer for the burn to set in.

My LLDO has helped me through many health issues. In fact, he asked me if I was bitten by a tick. We are a team. He gives me the ball (knowledge, rx's, supplements), and I run with it, which is what I'm doing now.

- I believe Colostrum, Cat's Claw, Tumeric, S-Boulardii and Mastic Gum are antimicrobials. They are taken with food except Mastic Gum. It's taken one hour before breakfast and at bedtime.

- Haven't delved into other pathogens in gut as of yet. The antiviral I'm taking is Valacyclovir for EBV, pulsed four days on, three days off. Will be on it for around two more months. It used to be hard on me, but not so much now days.

- Have no clue if gut has the right ph or proper enzymes. I do eat Sauerkraut at least once a day. As for probiotics, I take Jarrow-Dophilus EPS with 8 strains and 25 billion per capsule. I tried taking it first thing in the morning and it hurt my gut, so take it with food now. Will try taking it at bedtime.

- Right now, LLDO's goal is to heal leaky gut and kill yeast/fungal overgrowth. When those things have been corrected, then we'll move on to Lyme & co.

I've been re-reading your post on the 'New to Lyme' about yeast/fungal overgrowth. It has helped me change some things I was doing wrong.

That is awesome that your DO is a good partner! (osteopathic physician)

So, knowing you have yeast/fungal issues - I can just throw out there that you will be battling digestive and GI issues in general until that is rebalanced - sorry. So I'm glad it's a priority. And like I mention in that y/f thread - it is VERY difficult to beat when it's at the stage of causing or exacerbating leaky gut without effective and powerful anti fungal Rx. A lot of people want to do it naturally, for really good reasons. But they just aren't strong enough and take too long (as more damage continues) and you also then run the risk of developing resistance and jeopardize the "management phase when the naturals aren't as effective. Y/F is a beast.

I also wanted to suggest that if you aren't having success with the Valcyclovir to try another one. I had to try a couple before I found one effective enough for my EBV load and whatever else was going on. And once I found the right one I made progress and I also had to take high doses for about a month starting out - and then I moved to lower doses and was on it for about a year. Also, be sure you're on liver support w/ the antiviral Rx (Milk thistle seed worked for awhile and then I had to add in burdock root).

Have you ever met with a nutritionist? Like, a really advanced nutritionist - not someone who just helps people lose weight. This might be helpful if you can find the right person. There is other testing of digestive "stuff" - amino acids, fatty acids, and other levels that might help indicate if your digestion is effective.

You might also do searches here for threads about leaky gut. Here is other info on gut health that I really found interesting and helpful:
Leaky gut
www.thefooddoc.com/diagnoses/leaky_gut
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3294327

Also, have you heard of Palsy of the gut? Not sure if this fits your symptomology but this is something I also struggled with that challenged my GI function or perhaps caused it--who knows. But it improved significantly when I started taking abx for bart.
www.lymenet.de/literatur/vtsherr_gut.htm

OK - I'm out of ideas... maybe something else will come to me later. I really identify with this struggle - of all of the areas and complications of lyme & co and everything that comes along with it - leaky gut was the most frustrating. So, may the force be with you!

-p