Simply the BEST supplement for IBS that I have ever taken!
I've been suffering from IBS-C for over 10 years now. I've been prodded, probed and violated by doctors and gastroenterologists. I've gone through a battery of tests (H.Pylori, flexible sigmoidoscopy, barium enema, food allergy tests, gluten sensitivity tests), and all said the same thing -- perfectly healthy! Well that's good news and bad news when you have symptoms that have radically changed your diet, caused Insomnia, anxiety, regular discomfort and problems with travelling, to the point where going on vacation doesn't even sound like fun. All of this, and additionally, in the past year I started having horrible symptoms of acid reflux and extreme intestinal sensitivities. Additionally, I noticed that my intestinal problems were coincident (or preceeding) illnesses like frequent colds, etc. Perhaps no surprise as the intestines are the largest component of your immune system. Yet, this is far from any kind of explanation... Whereas I used to eat habaneros and jalapenos regularly -- practically overnight, something changed. A tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper could keep me tossing and turning in bed for hours. I suspect that the problems I was having were made significantly worse after I had a bit of food poisoning. After that, it seemed like virtually anything could set me off. If I ate anything, even 4 hours before bed, I'd have gas moving around my intestines all night. I've tried dozens of supplements. Some had marginal effects. Others did nothing for me. Then, while researching yeast/bacterial imbalance in the small intestine "SIBO", I found this nugget: "L-glutamine helps reduce the symptoms of IBS by protecting the integrity of the mucus membrane inside the large intestine. The digestive process can subject the intestine to harmful bacteria, resulting in increased intestinal permeability, which introduces bacteria into the bloodstream. The intestine uses more L-glutamine than muscle tissue, and supplementation helps alleviate intestinal irritation by blocking bacterial infiltration. It also enhances immune cell activity in the gut, which inhibits infection and inflammation and soothes the intestinal tissue." Wow! I've tried half a dozen other amino acids, with pretty much no effect. But on the surface, this sounded like another possibly beneficial thing to try. Semi-reluctantly and marginally optimistic, I decided to follow the recommendations on the website. I bought the following supplements: Twice a day for reducing yeast and attempting to fix bacterial flora problems: Klaire Labs Interfase Plus x2 Allicidin (strong garlic supplements) x1 Peppermint Oil & Oregano Oil x1 AND L-glutamine (as much as 20g/day!) To be honest, I'm not sure if all of the other stuff is doing anything, but I don't have the gas problems I was having. I will stop taking those when I've finished the bottles, as I they should have done their job by then. I'm planning to follow those up with a good probiotic for a month. BUT almost miraculously, I found that the L-glutamine seems to be doing exactly what was claimed. So if my symptoms ring a bell for you, do yourself a favor and and try L-glutamine. I use this product in the middle of the day at work -- but I prefer the powder form at home. I mix 5g with water 2-3 times per day. I've been sleeping so much better, and I'm feeling better than I have in years. I started feeling better the first time I took this. I was certain it was helping after a few days. I'm just shocked that for the small fortune that I've spent searching for a supplement that did ANYTHING, the most benefit came from one of the most inexpensive products I've tried. Relevant information for those considering using this for IBS related issues: I've been taking this and unflavored bulk L-glutamine powder from myprotein.com for 2 weeks now. I started at about 2g/day and noticed improvement immediately. I have since ramped up to 15-20g per day, as recommended from the doctor's websites that I've read. The other things I use are listed above. And I also take a liquid multivitamin, turmeric/curcumin, D3 (in the winter months) and occasionally magnesium citrate/oxide blend as an osmotic laxative when I think my IBS might be flaring up. If ever I think that this is just a placebo, I'll update my post. But as of right now, I feel that couldn't give this inexpensive little amino acid enough stars
Read More...