Gut issues

My daughter has been having some Gut problems, she doesn't have acid reflux, her stomach rumbles a lot, has gas, she is thin, can't seem to gain weight. She went to a holistic doctor and was given some products to take, one is called Purebiotic and the other one is Probiozyme, she is feeling better, this doctor also had all of her bodily vitamins checked, this doctor said she is checking what is in the cells--it took a long time as she said they have to incubate the samples. Anyway, my daughter was told that she has low B vitamins (even tho. she takes a supplement), the doc said she was to take Glutamine by mouth 3 tabs. 4 times a day, this is supposed to raise her B vitamins and help her immune system and gut issues. She has a concern, as do I, about taking this amount of Glutamine. This doc. also wants her to take a protein drink with whey, also some drinks she calls super foods which contain all kinds of berries, fruits and veggies. My daughter eats lots of green salads, lots of fruit and other veggies, she eats chicken and fish, not too much beef, actually, she doesn't eat enough protein in my estimation, doesn't eat hardly any junk food. So anyway, does anyone have any comments on taking Glutamine, the two probiotic products are helping her gut issues, but I don't know a lot about Glutamine. I have never gotten tests to determine what vitamins I have or don't have in my body, I would think that is a changing thing. Also, I thought that Whey protein powders aren't good, any comments on Whey?

Liz

Liz,

As far as I am concerned l-glutamine is the number one supplement for anyone with gut issues. It was instrumental in curing my radiation proctitis and I take it faithfully every day (1 scoop (5 gram) in water first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed). I think it would be much better to take it in powder form (dissolved in water or juice) than in tablets or capsules.

Hans

Hans:

Thank you very much for your reply, I don't have any gut issues so I really don't know very much on the subject. You are great.

Liz

Hi Hans, This is interesting as gut issues seem to be common complaint among afibbers. If you don't mind could you tell us how you have been helped by l-glutamine. Pre treatment symptoms and post treatment results Thanks, Dennis

Dennis,

You asked for it so here are the gruesome details. After my diagnosis of prostate cancer in 2009 I was given hormone therapy and 35 radiation treatments. This resulted in the development of radiation proctitis (bleeding from the colon and rectum), irregular bowel movements, diarrhea and of course, anemia. I did receive laser treatment for the bleeding, but I ascribe most of my success to the faithful supplementation with l-glutamine. It not only cured the radiation proctitis, diarrhea and irregular bowel movements, but also completely eliminated my irritable bowel syndrome that had plagued me for years.

Would l-glutamine be helpful in the case of afib? I don’t really know, but if you can clearly relate your afib to gut issues then I certainly think it would be worth giving it a trial.

You can find an excellent l-glutamine powder in the afibbers.org vitamin shop [www.afibbers.org]

Hans

Hans, Sorry that you suffered so much through that ordeal and glad you are cured. I'm sure many of us older guys will be wiser because of your sharing these details. Thanks, Dennis

Dennis - when people say 'gut' issues... this term needs refinement as to clarification on location..... ie, stomach tissue or intestinal tract tissue. Both can be players in contributing to AF.

For that reason, I wrote the report on Gut Connections to Afib.

Long ago, I was diagnosed with Leaky Gut Syndrome and Candida overgrowth which took time and effort plus various supplements to heal the intestinal lining. I used several supplement products which were combinations of nutrients that supported mucosal repair. When I briefly had stomach distress, the DGL formulation without artificial sugar was the perfect, quick solution.

My FM MD supervised my healing process. One GI repair powder (GI Revive) can be viewed online is from Designs for Health through Rockwell Nutrition's website... you can scroll down through the ingredient list to see that it does include the L-glutamine that Hans mentions along with a number of other very helpful nutrients that target intestinal repair. I used it for at least six months-- I don't recall exactly-- and I had no problems with Afib that I was aware of at the time.

The components include L-glutamine, N-acetyl Glucosamine, citrus pectin, DGL, Aloe vera extract, slippery elm, mucin, marshmallow root, chamomile, okra, Cat's claw, MSM, quercetin, prune powder and zinc carnosine. There are probably other similar products out there for GI repair but this one worked well for me.

I also recall taking extra zinc and MSM as well.... and a high-dose probiotic is also a must for intestinal tract issues once pathogens are ruled out by testing for intestinal dysbiosis. Often times people think they have a stomach issue when it is really the intestinal dysbiosis that is in play. Ruling out Candida is especially important since that's so very common.

Jackie

The Gut Connection to Afib
[www.afibbers.org]

The 4R Protocol is an excellent way to rehab intestinal issues.
[www.huffingtonpost.com]

GI Revive
[www.rockwellnutrition.com]

Thanks Jackie, As usual you have put a very informative finer point on the issue. I always appreciate your comments. I will reread the gut connection to AF. Thanks, Dennis