Re: Constipation + Bloating

[Guest guest]

Stephania is a binder........

[ ] Constipation + Bloating

I'm on the following...

4 X 3 Knotweed

1 X 3 Smilax

30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

30 drops X 3 Stephania

30 drops X 3 Red Root

This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

Any suggestions/ideas?

I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS stress

on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

 

I have problems with the same thing unfortunately. When we are having a lot of

die off it impairs and pulls down our adrenal glands. If the adrenals are taxed

then you can't have a BM and get bloat and irritability. I use Adrenal Support

drops twice daily from Nutramedix and then Magnesium is crucial, but not oral

magnesium as it feeds the bugs. I just ordered my transdermal magnesium from

ancient herbs per my ND and hoping that helps as it has been 3 days of no BM's

and Im miserable! I hope this helps

 

Hugs

From: <canefan18@...>

Subject: [ ] Constipation + Bloating

Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 7:28 PM

 

I'm on the following...

4 X 3 Knotweed

1 X 3 Smilax

30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

30 drops X 3 Stephania

30 drops X 3 Red Root

This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

Any suggestions/ideas?

I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS stress

on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I have found that every time I get up to 12 knotweed a day, I start getting

irritable and i/o constipation I get the opposite. I can't sleep because my

nervous system is buzzing. I thought it was the eleutherococcus but when I

stopped that, nothing changed. When I stopped the knotweed, everything calmed

down. So I started slowly and have had the same reaction 3 times. I just

worked back up to 12 knotweed and couldn't sleep all night. I'm a nervous

wreck! So I think that my limit with it must be around 8-9/day. I'd try

cutting out one herb at a time to see what happens. I could tell after only 2

days, then I started back up on a lower dose.

I thought I was passing blood because of the bright orange/red urine but it's

just the knotweed. It seems to have a lot of action in the body and it feels

like, while it isn't a stimulant per se, it does get things reved up (just my

layman's opinion). I think it is really making me herx too.

Are you taking probiotics? VERY important for the gut on any treatment. I also

drink a little (1T.) of raw apple cider vinegar with a glass of water a few

times a day. This is great for candida. I add a pinch of stevia and it makes

it sweet like cider. Very delicious but bad on the breath! I also take

chlorella and bentonite clay. Oh, and triphila is an Ayervedic herb combo that

is great for regulating things. It " tones " the colon. I've used it for years,

very safe and helpful.

good luck!

judy

On Sep 1, 2010, at 10:28 PM, wrote:

> I'm on the following...

>

> 4 X 3 Knotweed

> 1 X 3 Smilax

> 30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

> 30 drops X 3 Stephania

> 30 drops X 3 Red Root

>

> This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

>

> It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

>

> Any suggestions/ideas?

>

> I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

> I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

> I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

>

> Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

>

> Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS

stress on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello

I take a colon cleanse product I make

It's fiber ( psyllium, flax seed, fennel seed, bentonite clay, marshmallow root,

etc) & a stimulating tincture ( cascara segrada, licorice rt, barberry rt,

mullein, et )

This did the trick for me' to avoid the major constipation I had been having

I take it 2-3x/ day

No bloating

Wishing you Light & Love & Ease of well being

Randy

On Sep 1, 2010, at 10:28 PM, " " <canefan18@...> wrote:

> I'm on the following...

>

> 4 X 3 Knotweed

> 1 X 3 Smilax

> 30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

> 30 drops X 3 Stephania

> 30 drops X 3 Red Root

>

> This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

>

> It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

>

> Any suggestions/ideas?

>

> I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

> I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

> I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

>

> Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

>

> Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS

stress on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I use vitamin C (the C-Salt mentioned in Buhner's book) from Wholesale

Nutrition- www.nutri.com - 800-325-2664. It SERIOUSLY counteracts constipation.

Start at a LOW dose! Vitamin C also supports collagen production.

[ ] Constipation + Bloating

I'm on the following...

4 X 3 Knotweed

1 X 3 Smilax

30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

30 drops X 3 Stephania

30 drops X 3 Red Root

This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

Any suggestions/ideas?

I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS stress

on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

[Guest guest]

I find even the tiniest amount of Stephania to be incredibly binding (even 8

drops of Quintessence does it to me). If you stop the Stephania, I think you'll

feel better.

>

>

> I use vitamin C (the C-Salt mentioned in Buhner's book) from Wholesale

Nutrition- www.nutri.com - 800-325-2664. It SERIOUSLY counteracts constipation.

Start at a LOW dose! Vitamin C also supports collagen production.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> [ ] Constipation + Bloating

>

>

>

>

>

> I'm on the following...

>

> 4 X 3 Knotweed

> 1 X 3 Smilax

> 30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

> 30 drops X 3 Stephania

> 30 drops X 3 Red Root

>

> This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

>

> It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

>

> Any suggestions/ideas?

>

> I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

> I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

> I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

>

> Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

>

> Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS

stress on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> I thought I was passing blood because of the bright orange/red urine but it's

just the knotweed. It seems to have a lot of action in the body and it feels

like, while it isn't a stimulant per se, it does get things reved up (just my

layman's opinion). I think it is really making me herx too.

for me it worked pretty much opposite; I had terrible vertigo/nausea before

starting the Buhner herbs, and it disappeared for 95% after just two weeks of

low dose knotweed. Apart from some gut irritation (bloating etc.) I haven't

noticed any bad effects, or obvious herx reactions.

As often, everyone is different so you have to experiment what suits your body.

[Guest guest]

>

>

> I use vitamin C (the C-Salt mentioned in Buhner's book) from Wholesale

Nutrition- www.nutri.com - 800-325-2664. It SERIOUSLY counteracts constipation.

Start at a LOW dose! Vitamin C also supports collagen production.

I have tried several VitC products and they all cause severe bloating as soon as

I get to 1 gram a day or so; enough to sometimes keep me awake at night

If I take more (I have tried up to 2-4 gram a day) I also get nausea, maybe as a

result of a disturbed but.

[Guest guest]

Wow you guys responded fast. A lot of good information here... I appreciate it.

The biggest thing I'm learning with this protocol is that Buhners max dosage...

is way too high lol

I think when most people start out on the protocol they strive to hit maximum

dosages(4X4) in most the herbs. Reality is.... that's gonna be extremely hard!

I'm finding that, at my weight (140 lbs)... I need to aim for a much lower

dosage. (3x3 or less!)

I'm taking a break from herbs this weekend. (added VSL#3 today)

When I start on Monday I'm going to use Eluetherococcus by itself for a week.

Then get to 3x3 knotweed

Then 1x3 cats claw

I'll remain at that dosage for awhile.

I'm going to leave stephania, red root (until i treat co's), and smilax (until i

feel really comfortable adding back in)

> >

> >

> > I use vitamin C (the C-Salt mentioned in Buhner's book) from Wholesale

Nutrition- www.nutri.com - 800-325-2664. It SERIOUSLY counteracts constipation.

Start at a LOW dose! Vitamin C also supports collagen production.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > [ ] Constipation + Bloating

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > I'm on the following...

> >

> > 4 X 3 Knotweed

> > 1 X 3 Smilax

> > 30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

> > 30 drops X 3 Stephania

> > 30 drops X 3 Red Root

> >

> > This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

> >

> > It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

> >

> > Any suggestions/ideas?

> >

> > I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

> > I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

> > I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

> >

> > Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

> >

> > Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS

stress on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

This is the only thing that has helped me with constipation since I got Lyme.

http://www.iherb.com/Aerobic-Life-Mag-O7-180-Capsules/17762?at=0

It is NOT a magnesium supplement. You don't get cramping and it's not habbit

forming.

Good luck!

Connie

[ ] Constipation + Bloating

I'm on the following...

4 X 3 Knotweed

1 X 3 Smilax

30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

30 drops X 3 Stephania

30 drops X 3 Red Root

This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

Any suggestions/ideas?

I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS stress

on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

[Guest guest]

Hi Connie!

 

Does the oxygen part of it cause any Herx type efects for you?

 

Hugs

From: Connie Blaze <connieblaz@...>

Subject: Re: [ ] Constipation + Bloating

Date: Thursday, September 2, 2010, 5:43 PM

 

This is the only thing that has helped me with constipation since I got Lyme.

http://www.iherb.com/Aerobic-Life-Mag-O7-180-Capsules/17762?at=0

It is NOT a magnesium supplement. You don't get cramping and it's not habbit

forming.

Good luck!

Connie

[ ] Constipation + Bloating

I'm on the following...

4 X 3 Knotweed

1 X 3 Smilax

30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

30 drops X 3 Stephania

30 drops X 3 Red Root

This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

Any suggestions/ideas?

I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS stress

on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

[Guest guest]

Absolutely!

Connie Blaze

[ ] Constipation + Bloating

I'm on the following...

4 X 3 Knotweed

1 X 3 Smilax

30 drops X 3 Eleutherococcus

30 drops X 3 Stephania

30 drops X 3 Red Root

This ^^^ is causing constipation, irritability, and bloating

It's not Lyme related. It's def herb related.

Any suggestions/ideas?

I've already dropped cats claw and that didn't make a difference.

I stopped smilax today and that didn't seem to do anything.

I'm gonna stop Stephania tomorrow morning and monitor that.

Could the Knotweed be too high? (that is the highest I've been on)

Grrrr I'm very frustrated. I went the herbal route thinking it'd be LESS stress

on the Gut. Now I don't know what to think.

[Guest guest]

I've never heard that oral magnesium feeds the bugs! Is that true?

Connie

I use Adrenal Support drops twice daily from Nutramedix and then Magnesium is

crucial, but not oral magnesium as it feeds the bugs. I just ordered my

transdermal magnesium from ancient herbs per my ND and hoping that helps as it

has been 3 days of no BM's and Im miserable! I hope this helps

Hugs

[Guest guest]

>

> I've never heard that oral magnesium feeds the bugs! Is that true?

I have heard this more often from alternative practitioners and never seen any

scientific proof for it (i.e. proof that oral Mg supplementation increases Bb

numbers).

Magnesium is one of the more abundant minerals in our body, plenty of it in the

skeleton and the muscles (to name a few places). You can't 'starve' the bugs for

Magnesium, our own use is probably magnitudes higher than what the Bb bugs

consume so you would only be hurting your own body. Supposedly one can also take

Mg in through the skin, but why would that be different than ingesting it? the

Borrelias are in the tissues, not in the gut.

I don't doubt that some people have certain effects when supplementing oral Mg,

but I don't think those effects are caused by increasing Bb numbers ...

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I used to be a regular on this forum, haven't posted for ages tho....been on the

Buhner herbs for over a year now. Hi Knotweed, how's it going?

For me it was the japanese knotweed and andrographis that gave me my stomach

issues but never constipation. (I understand that andro isn't in Buhners list

anymore but I still take it anyway)

I was wondering if any of you are taking herbs to detoxify your liver? Maybe

that is why everyone here has the constipation problem...not sure but

maybe...milk thistle is just plain good for us lymees anyways cuz we often have

elevated liver counts. Cats claw can be hard on the liver too. Milk thistle

detoxes the liver and helps to get things moving again.

After taking these herbs for over a year now I don't have stomach issues

anymore. Almost makes me think that maybe the stomach issues are caused when we

are killing the LD in our guts...herx of the stomach maybe? Who knows tho.

Take Care,

Chris

[Guest guest]

I am no scientist about it, but seems to me that they have to come out

of hibernation to feed, so feeding them as long as you are also killing

them might be fine. Some docs do oral magnesium.

Love and prayers,

Heidi N

I've never heard that oral magnesium feeds the bugs! Is that true?

Connie

[Guest guest]

>

> I used to be a regular on this forum, haven't posted for ages tho....been on

the Buhner herbs for over a year now. Hi Knotweed, how's it going?

Hi maybe slight improvement over the last year; have used little herbs

lately, and not cured (but not sure if it is Lyme that I'm fighting).

> I was wondering if any of you are taking herbs to detoxify your liver? Maybe

that is why everyone here has the constipation problem...not sure but

maybe...milk thistle is just plain good for us lymees anyways cuz we often have

elevated liver counts. Cats claw can be hard on the liver too. Milk thistle

detoxes the liver and helps to get things moving again.

I don't think milk thistle 'detoxes', the liver detoxes itself.

But it helps protect the liver (from what I remember it slows down certain detox

routes, which may mean it lowers the strain on the liver). Agree it is very

important. And yes, I have heard many times that catsclaw can increase liver

enzymes (which CAN be a sign of liver damage, not sure if it is real damage

though).

> After taking these herbs for over a year now I don't have stomach issues

anymore. Almost makes me think that maybe the stomach issues are caused when we

are killing the LD in our guts...herx of the stomach maybe? Who knows tho.

or maybe it is because of the other bad bugs that are getting killed in the

stomach/gut? I don't think there are many borrelia's in the stomach and most of

the gut, the environment doesn't suit them. And your gut adapts to what you are

feeding it, like most organs it can adapt to the environment.

[Guest guest]

> Have you improved in the year on Buhner herbs?

Hi Jazzman,

I have definitely improved with the Buhner herbs but as usual it is so

complicated. IMHO, for the treatment of chronic LD, a combination of herbs,

antibiotics, diet, exercise, detoxification, stress reduction and emotional

healing is necessary.

In my case I was misdxd with MS in 2004 but never took the MS meds. Instead I

began taking herbs to help kick-start my immune system. I have only had one MS

attack and that was when I was dxd almost 7 yrs ago so the Buhner herbs must be

doing something good.

I figure I've had LD and company since I was a kid…around 1980 or so. I was

tested in Canada in 2005 and 2007 but the results came back negative...I wasn't

real confident with these results so decided to check for myself. I got a 6 wk

rx for minocycline in 2008. I figured that either the presence of, or the lack

of a herx would be better proof than an inaccurate test result. The Herx was so

unbearable I quit taking the mino within a wk. That was when I became convinced

that I had LD.

I started taking cats claw instead of mino and experienced a more manageable

herx. I was also taking other supplements like gingko, acidophilus, milk

thistle, CoQ10, B12, folic acid,B6, etc. Oh yeah, I modified my diet too right

from the start.

In January of 2009 I went for my last MRI, the week before I started taking the

Buhner herbs; cats claw, smilax, boneset tea, stephania, red root, andrographis,

siberian ginseng and japanese knotweed. I have also taken artemisia annua off

and on. I found that smilax and stephania root weren't doing too much for me so

I dropped them after a couple months.

In January of 2010 I sent my blood to Igenex. It was CDC positive by WB for LD.

That was a year after starting the Buhner herbs….As far as symptoms go at that

point I had seen a reduction of maybe 25% or so overall. I decided it was time

to go one step further and started taking minocycline. I also took 1 ½ mths

worth of tinidazole and another round of artemisia annua. I continued to take

andrographis, cats claw, japanese knotweed and ginseng. During this period I saw

a dramatic reduction of symptoms. I heard that in addition to being a cystbuster

tinidazole kills babesia and that has got me thinking how complex the

relationship is between the coinfections and LD. For instance, biofilms are

communities containing both the Lyme bacteria and the coinfections so when we

open up the biofilm with cystbusters (such as grapefruit seed extract,

serrapeptase, tinidazole etc) we have to be ready to treat the coinfections. I

have also realized thru experience that many of the symptoms that I have

attributed to LD may actually be caused by babesia cuz every time I do a mth of

artemisia annua I feel so much better. I have just ordered some artemisinin to

see whether this stronger version of artemisia annua will help further.

BTW the Drs here refuse to accept LD as my diagnosis lol. As far as they are

concerned I have MS. I have an appointment with my neurologist for Oct. and am

sure he will want a new MRI. I can't wait for the MRI results to see how my

self-mediated treatment has affected my brain lesions. With any luck there will

be a major reduction. Wouldn't that be a shock to my Drs lol!!

[Guest guest]

> Hi maybe slight improvement over the last year; have used little herbs

lately, and not cured (but not sure if it is Lyme that I'm fighting).

I am definitely not cured either...sucks!! Sorry to hear that.

Do you mean the coinfections that you are fighting ? I have been noticing that

my rbc's are looking parasitized lately and I can't seem to find any

spirochetes, which is a switch. I have also noticed that artemisia annua seems

to really help my symptoms right now. I am starting to wonder if some of my

symptoms (brain fog, memory losss, swollen glands etc) aren't being caused by

babesia infection.

> I don't think milk thistle 'detoxes', the liver detoxes itself.

I was just reading about glutathione and saw this:

" Silymarin (milk thistle) enhances detoxification in the liver by preventing the

depletion of glutathione "

So I guess it doesn't actually detoxify but it enhances the process.

> or maybe it is because of the other bad bugs that are getting killed in the

stomach/gut?

That is very possible.

Take Care,

Chris

[Guest guest]

>

> In January of 2010 I sent my blood to Igenex. It was CDC positive by WB for

LD. That was a year after starting the Buhner herbs….

was that your first IgeneX test? Maybe I asked before already, sorry ... just

wondering what is going on. CDC positive happens with just a small group of

lymies, so I think that says a lotl.

I was CDC positive (well, the EU version of that) before starting treatment and

still positive (from the well known lab in Cologne, Germany) after 1 year of ABX

and over a year of Buhner herbs. However, after treatment I only had IgM and IgG

p41 bands (which offially doesn't even prove it is lyme). You have to start

wondering what exactly we are treating ...

> During this period I saw a dramatic reduction of symptoms. I heard that in

addition to being a cystbuster tinidazole kills babesia and that has got me

thinking how complex the relationship is between the coinfections and LD.

that's great!

> For instance, biofilms are communities containing both the Lyme bacteria and

the coinfections so when we open up the biofilm with cystbusters (such as

grapefruit seed extract, serrapeptase, tinidazole etc) we have to be ready to

treat the coinfections. I have also realized thru experience that many of the

symptoms that I have attributed to LD may actually be caused by babesia cuz

every time I do a mth of artemisia annua I feel so much better. I have just

ordered some artemisinin to see whether this stronger version of artemisia annua

will help further.

keep in mind that the cystbusters do other things, like activating the prophage

(virus) in Borrelia. It could be doing all kinds of things, difficult to

predict. But if it works for you, good of course

> BTW the Drs here refuse to accept LD as my diagnosis lol. As far as they are

concerned I have MS. I have an appointment with my neurologist for Oct. and am

sure he will want a new MRI. I can't wait for the MRI results to see how my

self-mediated treatment has affected my brain lesions. With any luck there will

be a major reduction. Wouldn't that be a shock to my Drs lol!!

good idea, I finally have an appointment with my neurologist end of the month;

maybe I should try - for the benefit of science - if they can do another MRI.

After 3 years of being denied treatment, they accepted me again because of

neuropathy in the fingers - a new symptom that need not be a Lyme problem.

I had lots of MS-like lesions on the MRI in 2006; he told me then that sometimes

they disappear. But maybe that isn't even necessary for recovery, our brains are

very flexible.