My experiment with supplements

If anyone cares, I'm going to be forum-blogging (perhaps weekly for little while) my experiments with supplements. I am trying them to reduce my prednisone use as I appear to have run out of medicine options, the diets I have tried (that I am capable of staying with) have not helped. My plans is to add or increase a supplement every week. I am keeping a daily symptom journal.

My usual symptoms on 8mg of pred and 100mg 6MP is 1-2 stools per day. They range over the full range of formed-ness. There is blood about 1/3 of the time, sometime quite a bit.

On July 28th I went on Spectrum fish oil, eight caps per day, which equals 2400mg of combined DHA and EPA. I did not see any improvement, so I upped it after a week-and-a-half to twelve caps a day for 3600mg. This is a more appropriate level I've read has been used in studies.

One week ago, I added Turmeric - Bluebonnet 2caps/2X for 1800mg of curcumoids per day. In addition to having Surcurmin, the stuff is a powerfully dye and I was hoping it would cauterize my colon. In fact it does my make stools a bit yellow, but not what as much as I expected.

I think my symptoms may be a little better now, thought colitis work in cycles so the jury is definitely still out. No blood this week, and just one stool per day, though the form is still quite abnormal. I have decided today to up the Turmeric to 6X per day. Also, tonight I added George's Aloe Vera juice (2oz/2X per day). You've got to be kidding about this stuff, it looks and tastes just exactly like water. I know it supposedly has all these great Aloe Vera compounds in it, but how nice would it be to sell water at $24/gallon! Well, we'll see if it helps.

Of course, if things get better, how will I know which supplement is helping? I won't. I'll have to figure out that happy problem later, if it comes to it!

I really like the turmeric. I might up my boswellia and see what happens.

I bought some bee propilis to start next weekend. opened a capsule and felt it - weird stuff! Kind of like resinous dirt. PB4 - do you consider this and fiber something that simply helps symptoms (to bulk up stool, for example) or do they heal?

Princesa - Vitamins are still a mystery to me, in regard to which ones are important to take more of for UC and how much more. As for Georges, I was originally picturing its gel healing the colon topically, but obviously the liquid will get absorbed long before that. I guess it's good for systemic healing too then?

I've now been on fish oil for four weeks and tumeric for two weeks and I started taking Aloe Vera juice last weekend. The past week wasn't great - had a bleeding/D episode for a few days. Also felt tired and vaguely ill part of the week. I think it was just part of the UC cycle, but I stopped taking the Aloe Vera anyway because I don't "get it". Assuming it wasn't the Aloe, that means I haven't seen any improvement yet from the supplements.  Some spokesperson I'd be.

Anyone, now I add Bee Propolis to the mix. It is some potent smelling stuff! By the way, drinking all these pills is somewhat of a chore. Takes two glasses of water twice a day. Inevitably some gagging occurs.

Anyone have any strategies for drinking liquid fish oil? I have to switch to a drinkable oil - I am maxed-out with the pills I can take, mostly because of the 12 huge fish oil capsules.

pb4 - Even the Bee Propilis capsules are strong smelling! Not really a problem, though.

Maybe mix it with some pure pineapple or orange juice?

:)

Well, another week has passed. I have been on fish oil for five weeks, turmeric for three weeks, and bee propolis (1cap/2X day) one week. This week was good. One movement per day and no blood. However, form is no better. Bee propilis is difficult to take because of the smell, but I think its a keeper. No side effect from these supplements except I I have been somewhat tired and muddleheaded the past two weeks. Maybe my WBC has dropped? I never found a good fish liquid that is not cod liver oil, so I'll probably switch to more concentrated capsules I found made by NSI.

Just realized (not sure why it took me two years!) that I have been taking too little probiotic. My pills only have 7 billion bacteria, so I switch today to VSL#3 which has 500 per packet.. They recommend 1-2 packets per day for mild colitis and 4-8 packets for active colitis. They cost $3 per packet, so this better be impressive. Took one pack this morning and feel like there is a battle between good and evil going on in my colon right now, so maybe it is helping.

Signing off,
Ben

Sounds interesting. You should document your useage on a blog so it is more readily available. Maybe it will help some people.

I notice that Kombucha Tea helps me when I start seeing symptoms of a flare. I have downed a few bottles for the benefits. They don't taste great but you get used to the flavor. http://www.synergydrinks.com/

I've tried a lot of supplements, herbals and vitamins. I haven't really found the right combination but I am still looking. A few things I want to try are Curcurmin, Boswelia, CalMag, Digestive Enzymes, DGL, Bee Propolis, Grapefruit Seed Extract.. It's hard to notice any difference because, as you said, things get better and worse and for me, I am not in a flare, just experience a little gas here and there. I also already take a bunch of herbals so it's hard to know where the improvement came from.

I have tried a lot of stuff in the past and never saw significant improvement. It is kind of discouraging. Things I have tried include, ginger, omega3s, DHA, Holy Basil, Bitters Compound, Black Walnut, Slippery Elm, Bioperine, Probiotics, Coconut Oil, SCD Diet, Psysillum Husk, Folic Acid, Vitamin A & D, Peppermint, Antioxidants.... I've tried more but I can't think of anything else right now. I am not going to stop trying things because I figure it can't hurt.

I want to try this

http://www.vitacost.com/New-Chapter-Organics-Probiotic-Colon-trade#ProductDetails

Some supplements can form the stool, but not reduce the inflammation. This may help symptoms some (ie number of times to bathroom) but won't help the disease. Back when I was first diagnosed, I thought I would solve it with only fiber and probiotics. In retrospect, I was barely taking any probiotic (just 2 billion) but I *was* taking a large amount of fiber. My stools were more spongy, and I really though it was going to work, but then the next flare hit a couple weeks later and I just had more spongy D. Anyway, I wonder if fiber works on the source of the problem, such as reduce the incidence of bleeding colon ulcers, or if it just helps symptoms.

Ben

Nevermind, I see how much you're on now, it's more than me.

I want to make clear that at this point I think I am seeing *perhaps a modest* improvement over before I started this supplement test. If I don't see blood for another week or two and am hence able to lower the pred, then I'll a lot more convinced.

The reason I place a lot of stake on stool form is I believe it is an indication of the general health of the colon. The times I have been on 40mg of prednisone, form has been perfect - "textbook" quality, if you will. I'm nowhere near that now.

Have you tried diet modification? Worked for me (although its tough), far better than prednisone or other drugs.

I take bee propolis (as I have been for almost 6 yrs now) and a good probioitic and found that it still works wonders, infact even before I added the probiotic the bee propolis was already doing wonders for me...I wouldn't discount the BP, it's a natural antibiotic effect along with anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antifungal, and all those outweigh the benefit of the antibiotic which in turn probably helps limit the bad bacteria anyway.

The bee popolis was the only thing that has kept my bleeding at bay, haven't had blood ever since I started taking it.


:)