The Wurst
August 31, 2023 8:51 AM Subscribe
What can you recommend for alternative treatment of an intestinal issue?
Could be a particular kind of practitioner or maybe a particular treatment.
3 or 4 months ago, I got food poisoning. I don’ t recall the cause, probably chicken or pork.
(You know the AskMefi “should I eat it” posts? My reaction is usually "Eh it’ll be fine.”)
Anyway after a couple days of what we’ll call intestinal distress and it was fine. Except that I notice one spot (lower left gut) is often “active”. It is not painful. It just feels like something is happening there. Looking at anatomy drawings, it appears to be the large intestine. Like the thing that came with the food poisoning, bacteria I would presume, never quite left. Fwiw, BMs are normal.
I’m kinda down on western/allopathic medicine at the moment, my experience in the last few years having been to address the symptoms not fix the problem.
No crystals. No homeopathy.
3 or 4 months ago, I got food poisoning. I don’ t recall the cause, probably chicken or pork.
(You know the AskMefi “should I eat it” posts? My reaction is usually "Eh it’ll be fine.”)
Anyway after a couple days of what we’ll call intestinal distress and it was fine. Except that I notice one spot (lower left gut) is often “active”. It is not painful. It just feels like something is happening there. Looking at anatomy drawings, it appears to be the large intestine. Like the thing that came with the food poisoning, bacteria I would presume, never quite left. Fwiw, BMs are normal.
I’m kinda down on western/allopathic medicine at the moment, my experience in the last few years having been to address the symptoms not fix the problem.
No crystals. No homeopathy.
In our house, the answer to almost any digestive tract complaint is "more water" and "more fiber." An old doc* I knew used to swear by Fibercon. You can "ramp up" over a couple of days so you don't dive into the deep end and .... experience more discomfort.
(As above, probiotics [maybe/especially in any foods you like/tolerate] are always a good idea too; yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut/kimchi, etc. Maybe not at the same time.)
*obvs not your doc, and not medical advice.
posted by adekllny at 9:58 AM on August 31, 2023 [3 favorites]
(As above, probiotics [maybe/especially in any foods you like/tolerate] are always a good idea too; yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut/kimchi, etc. Maybe not at the same time.)
*obvs not your doc, and not medical advice.
posted by adekllny at 9:58 AM on August 31, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm a person who gets diverticulitis from time to time, so I'm very attentive to my bowels and the amount of fiber I get. My guess -- and OMG IANYD -- would be that your bowel would probably love a bit of "bowel rest" to start off. Which might be a day or two of just suuuuuper easy-to-digest food like broth, juice with no pulp (like apple juice), popsicles or the like. It's not mega pleasant to eat that way, and might feel like hardship, but if you can manage it, do it for 24-48 hours.
After that, I'd focus on fiber. Many people eat less fiber than they think they do, so you might want to spend a week or so focusing very carefully on it, tracking it, even measuring your portions of various foods, just to get an idea of what an adequate amount of fiber looks like. Try to get yourself to 25-30+ grams of fiber every day, and see if that helps. There are supplement forms that come in powder (to mix into liquid) or gummies, so you could add a few of those.
Good luck!
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:13 AM on August 31, 2023 [5 favorites]
After that, I'd focus on fiber. Many people eat less fiber than they think they do, so you might want to spend a week or so focusing very carefully on it, tracking it, even measuring your portions of various foods, just to get an idea of what an adequate amount of fiber looks like. Try to get yourself to 25-30+ grams of fiber every day, and see if that helps. There are supplement forms that come in powder (to mix into liquid) or gummies, so you could add a few of those.
Good luck!
posted by BlahLaLa at 10:13 AM on August 31, 2023 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Addendum: Just talk to a friend. She suggested psyllium husk
posted by falsedmitri at 10:30 AM on August 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by falsedmitri at 10:30 AM on August 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Nthng the above but I'd also suggest , if you are otherwise healthy and not immunocompromised, Saccharomyces boulardii as an additional thing to try if the above doesn't remedy your issues.
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:33 AM on August 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:33 AM on August 31, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yes, psyllium husk is great, capsules are easy. Fermented foods - kimchi, fresh sauerkraut, some active yogurt, etc., may help rebuild your intestinal flora. Most Americans don't eat nearly enough fiber. Vegetables, beans,whole grains, fruit, in quantity. It's possible to damage an area of your digestive system, and it takes time to heal.
posted by theora55 at 11:39 AM on August 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 11:39 AM on August 31, 2023 [2 favorites]
Prebiotics are foods that feed the “good” bacteria in the gut and many prebiotic foods are also rich in fiber which can also help with digestion (oatmeal, apples, potatoes, bananas).
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-are-prebiotics/amp/
posted by forkisbetter at 1:20 PM on August 31, 2023
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-are-prebiotics/amp/
posted by forkisbetter at 1:20 PM on August 31, 2023
My doc and I have been working on my symptoms of diverticulosis for a year now, We did 2 rounds of antibiotics, probiotics, fermented foods, psyllium, FODMAP diet (that was my idea from reading askmetafilter) and she finally came upon an off-label soution called colestipol which (as she puts it) "Knits the material together" (I forget what word she actually used). It worked like a charm. After a year!
Have you tried a clear liquid diet for a few days? That often helps. At least, it gave me a break between episodes.
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 8:35 AM on September 1, 2023
Have you tried a clear liquid diet for a few days? That often helps. At least, it gave me a break between episodes.
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 8:35 AM on September 1, 2023
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posted by H21 at 9:34 AM on August 31, 2023 [2 favorites]