I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 2 months ago. As part of the diagnositic process they tested fecal samples for bacteria, ova and parasites. They did a blood work-up to look for signs of infection. These tests all came back negative. How important is it to have the specialized lab tests for additional bacterial/fungal organisms? Are there any clinical signs in symptoms or UC onset that would indicate whether I might have an infection that should be treated with Wild Oregano Oil? I have no personal or family history of problems with the lower gastrointestinal tract. I have eaten a whole-food, primarily organic diet for the past 10 years. I rarely, if ever take antibiotics. How do most people with UC decide whether to do the Wild Oregano Oil treatment for UC?

Hi Sem,

I don't know whether you had a routing doctor-prescribed screen for infection, or whether you paid for a specialized screening.

Unless you paid for the test yourself, from somewhere like Great Smokies lab (stool) or ImmunoSciences Lab (blood), you probably were not tested for an extensive range of pathogens. So you may very well have an infection that hasn't been diagnosed. Remember, mycobacterium can only be detected by testing for the DNA of the organism.

It will be interesting to hear what others reply, but for my opinion, I say go ahead and just start with 5 drops per day of Wild Oregano in the morning and see how that makes you feel. Then follow your gut as to how you should proceed. Just remember to follow with probiotics if you're on it for 2 weeks or longer.

Jini

Hi, Sem.

I have Crohn's, not ulcerative colitis, but thought I'd share my experience and hope others will, too, so we can pool knowledge.

The only thing I've ever been actually diagnosed with is Crohn's; except for some routine stool tests, which turned up nothing, I've never even been tested for pathogens. So when I first tried Wild Oregano Oil, it was because when I read about it in Listen to Your Gut, that was one of the things I felt the urge to try.

However, based on my body's response to it, I have no doubt that there was some infection present which the Wild Oregano Oil helped to clear up. In my case, I suspect MAP and possibly other microorganisms, as well.

I'll also share that in my locale, there currently seems to be some stomach bug going around. My oldest son just got over it (vomiting & lots of diarrhea) and my younger son and husband are still suffering. I think I had a mild case of it as well, but it just so happened that I was already taking Wild Oregano Oil. I have no doubt that that is why I, the one in the family who already has compromised health AND who is doing all the nursing, bathroom-cleaning, laundry, etc. (so lots of exposure to the germs), got off the lightest...just a bit of nausea and two episodes of diarrhea. When my older son got sick, I increased my dosage of Wild Oregano Oil slightly, started taking Emergen-C in addition to the Ester-C I already take, started taking Astragalus and continued with the probiotics at bedtime.

I guess we're all different and some of us might only feel comfortable taking a powerful medicinal herb if we had been tested and showed a clear need for it. And nothing wrong with that. But I just thought I'd share my experience as someone who has used it successfully just by listening to the feedback my body gives me, even though I've never had any really thorough lab tests done.

Nicole

Hey Nicole,

Many tummy bugs are bacterial, but even if they're viral, this treatment will still work:

Get you husband and kids to take the Natren probiotics (all three) asap.

If you want the fastest relief, then sip 1tsp. of each powder in 6 ounces of filtered room temperature water every hour or two until vomiting and diarrhea stop. Don't worry if they vomit up the probiotics, just keep going and the good bacteria will eventually overwhelm the bad.

For slower results (but easier compliance -especially with kids) take the same dosage as above (but cut in half for kids and mix in apple juice), 3 times per day.

You can get your whole family over this bug superfast and never have to suffer like this again once you get in the habit of reaching for the probiotics at the first sign of trouble.

We've used this treatment for about 6 years now -even with super-virulent bugs where pretty much everyone we knew was vomiting/diarrhea for up to 3 weeks, those in my family who started as soon as the bug started going around, avoided contracting it entirely. Those who caught it and follwed the 1-2 hour dosing were cured in 24 hours, on the 3x/day dosing, they were cured in 2-3 days.

hope that helps.
Jini

Just wanted to write to say that Jini's suggestion to give everyone probiotics did indeed make a big difference.

My two sons took the probiotics....1/4 tsp. of each of the powders every hour in water, plus 1/2 tsp. of each of the powders in water at bedtime. I also gave the kids small doses of maitake mushroom extract a couple of times a day and once their digestive systems were clearly calming down, I started letting them each have two or three envelopes of Emergen-C each day, which they consider a great treat. My husband chose not to take any of these (like some other men I know, he really doesn't like taking ANYTHING "medicinal").

But guess who recovered about twice as fast?

Hopefully, seeing how much faster the kids recovered will convince him to utilize some or all of the same strategies next time!

Nicole

Great job Nicole!

And next time a tummy bug starts going around, you can just give the kids the bedtime dose and hopefully they'll avoid contracting it at all.

I've been giving my kids Astragalus and Maitake every few days (I put them in hot water in decorative shot glasses - so they love it, feels really special) to keep the flu season at bay and so far no one's come down sick - thank god.

Jini