Here I am finishing up week four of Olive Leaf Extract. It is a powder which comes in gel capsules. I started with it by dumping out 2/3 of the contents and taking it mid morning an hour after breakfast. The next day it made a definite change, it firmed up the stool, which is an improvement. I waited to see how long that effect would last, and it lasted for about two days. Then I took another partial capsule, but in the ensuing days, and weeks, the effect of OLE seemed to be just the overall system slowdown as I call it, that I have experienced with other remedies. I have not been able to move past the 1/3 capsule every 2-3 days. It is moving toward constipation, and I've had lots of pain and discomfort. I've been taking about 1/4 tsp of each of the two Natren probiotics that I tolerate well each evening before bed.

So---- what do I do? How can I continue to take something that causes such pain? I do better just putting up with loose stool, using food remedies and taking the meagre dose of probiotics.

Any ideas are welcome.

Hi, karoe.

Well, as I think you already know, constipation can be just as much a symptom of an imbalanced gut flora as can diarrhea.

And unfortunately, that isn't something that typically gets fixed quickly, especially not when it's a long-standing imbalance - which it typically is for someone with IBS or IBD.

Here is what I would suggest doing. (Know that it is based on me and my successes - you may be different. So take whatever part of it "clicks" with you, if any, and go with that.)

One of the central ideas Jini has shared in LTYG is that the answers lie inside each one of us. She's given us a framework that worked for her and has worked for many others (including me), but it's up to each one of us to connect with ourselves and decide what changes in which areas we need to make when.

It's easy for me to say, karoe, that whether you take oil of oregano or olive leaf extract or probiotics (as much as you tolerate), all of those will work to normalize your bowel flora.

But more importantly, what do you think? When you take some time out from life and step back, what do you think your body is telling you about olive leaf extract? What do you think it is asking for? Literally ask yourself: What are you asking me for? What do I do next? Should I go this way or that? See what answers you get from yourself, almost with the attitude of a child listening to a story: what happens next?

The important thing is that you need time and space to do that. I've been exceptionally busy lately and have experienced a recurrence of some eczema that I'm prone to. And I've felt inner pressure because I know this is a sign of my being stressed and I know other symptoms will come if I don't get it sorted out but I simply felt stuck in a whirlwind of too many things to do. Even knowing all this, I kept feeling stuck until something inside me snapped (which, fortunately, happens a lot sooner than it used to - that "something" is an ally!) and said, "You ARE going to take some time out and that's that!" And it was only then, with the house to myself, doing some journaling that I came up with the changes - and they're actually pretty small - that I needed to make to get done what I needed to and keep my balance at the same time. Anyway, that's me.

What's you? (Rhetorical question.)

Warmly - you've been on the board for some time and it's been interesting to correspond and think about your questions -

Nicole

Nicole--

Thanks very much for your response. Yeah, I am not having any luck with this stuff. What does my body tell me to do? Try the Cedars-Sinai protocol for IBS-- you know, Dr. Pimentel's approach. I just keep thinking back to how unbelievably good I feel three years ago when I was on erythromycin for 10 days. I got his book and it's full of interesting infomation. This man has seen a lot of IBS patients, in fact there are two full pages on brain fog which up till now, NOBODY has ever talked about. (I have it and it makes my life a misery) He even mentioned that it happens in the afternoon, and people feel the need to take a nap! He feels that it is the entire system being flooded with toxins that the liver is no longer able to filter out. Sounds just like what I've got, I'll tell you!

I have an appt with my Kaiser Permanente gastroenterologist in early Nov. Let's see what he knows or what he is willing to do for me. I will need to have a breath test and who knows if he is willing to go to the trouble.....

Again I thank you for your posts and interest. If you have access to medical journals (see Medline, at most libraries) you might want to take a look at the work that's being done with the bacterial overgrowth. Jini's book even talks about MAP bacteria and the doctors in Australia who have treated that in Chron's patients with great success. Maybe this gut stuff has finally become big enough to attract some big research dollars.

Hey, karoe.

Well, I'd love to hear how it goes for you, as long as you'd like to share. I really am interested.

Susan has shared her experience with Dr. Pimental's approach and it would be great to hear from someone else, as well. Information is always good.

Have you also read Morris's posts in the section on Interesting Articles & Research? His daughter has been on two pharmaceutical antibiotics (Flagyl & Cipro, I think), and human fecal retention enemas and has been doing well. I hope he'll continue to give us updates.

For myself, I've had terrific success with following Jini's Wild Oregano Protocol, combined with all the other changes I've implemented.

The interesting thing is, whichever method we go with, they all have an underlying goal in common: to normalize gut flora. That really is a cornerstone treatment.

And as we continue to pool information, in a way it won't matter whether the big research dollars come or not - although, it's great if they do!

I'd like to share a word of encouragement that I shared with someone else recently, as well, about doctors, if I may.

My youngest brother-in-law was born with a congenital heart defect and required several surgeries during his childhood. Researching and contacting doctors and surgical methods and dealing with insurance companies basically became my mother-in-law's career for a number of years...I really have a tremendous amount of respect for what she achieved. She had very specific ways that she wanted her son to be treated and while she eventually had to travel from Massachusetts to Oregon to get the criteria for surgery that she set met (he had a local pediatrician for day-to-day stuff and they went to Boston for general diagnostic tests), she did indeed find a doctor with whom she was entirely comfortable as a partner for his care.

If your current doctor doesn't want to cooperate with pursuing the route you feel strongly about - well, there are more where he came from...

Have a good weekend, karoe, and hope to hear from you again!

Nicole

Nicole. Thanks for your post. I have decided to get as much information out of this doctor as possible and if he won't help me (I expect him NOT) to help me, I will ask for a referral in the community. I can also go to the company which makes the SIBO testing equipment and ask them for a doctor in Atlanta that works with the protocol. I am really interested in using the erythromycin's prokenitic properties to help me work with olive leaf or oregano oil. It sounds like the safest approach. I'll let you know.