Jini,

1. Is it advisable to use Oregabiotic (made by North American Herb & Spice Co.) instead of oregano oil? They claim Oregabiotic has other wild spice oils with strong antifungal, antibiotic and antiviral properties.

2. Have you heard anything about another source for the DNA MAP test? And how accurate are these DNA tests? Is there such a thing as a false positive or false negative? I had always heard MAP was nearly impossible to test for accurately.

Thanks,
Chris

Hi Chris,

Yes, Oregabiotic should be fine to use. No one has trial-tested it yet though, so be sure and let us know how it goes and if there are any other effects.

Haven't heard back about the MAP testing yet, will post here when I do. Regarding accuracy, I'm sure results vary widely depending on the lab and of course in any test there's going to be a margin of error. If you want to be sure about ANY test results, get tested by two different labs.

all the best,
Jini

Thanks again, Jini, for your reply.

Actually, I did take Oregabiotic the first time I did the elemental diet. I found the oregano oil difficult to tolerate (really burned my mouth and throat, and caused a lot of burping). The Oregabiotic capsules are somewhat time-released, and I found them easier to take. Just wanted to make sure they were okay.

Best,
Chris

I spoke with North American Herb & Spice (manufacterer of Oregabiotic and one of the two that Jini recommends in her book). They said that Oregabiotic is very strong, the maximum strength oregano/spice oil blend product on the market. One capsule is equivalent to 40 drops of their regular strength oil. It aso contains other wild spice oils with potent anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Finally, because it's encapsulated in beeswax, it has a slow-release effect as it passes through the digestive tract. This could be useful for those who have an infection in the more distal parts of their intestine, i.e. the colon.

I'm guessing that 2 capsules per day would be more than enough, since the maximum dose Jini recommends for oregano oil is 10 drops 5x/day. 2 capsules would be equivalent to 80 drops total, but spread out throughout the day and night if you took one in the morning and one before bed.

Only thing to watch out for is if you're having more than 3 bowel movements per day, transit time through the GI tract may be too rapid for the capsule to dissolve properly.

Also, don't know the effect of the other oils on IBD - test it and see.

take care,
Jini

By the way, I did post it under it's own heading, but Immunosciences Lab no longer does MAP testing, and due to new regulations, they say there are no labs in the USA that are allowed to do the DNA/RNA tests for MAP at this time.

Jini

There is only one way to get a MAP test, but it requires being under the care of a physician at Texas Tech University who works with Dr. Naser, the microbiologist who is the leading expert on MAP testing. I spoke with this physician, whose name I don't want to post online because I'm not sure if he'd appreciate a flood of calls/emails. If you choose to work with him, you'd have to fly to El Paso, do a colonoscopy so he can confirm the diagnosis and have "pre-treatment" pictures of your gut, and have blood drawn for the MAP testing that will be performed by Dr. Naser in Florida. If you are positive, he would then treat you using his version of the RMAT protocol, which is a cocktail of three antibiotics for a minimum of 6 months.

I don't want to go the antibiotic route, so I chose not to work with him. If you are interested and sufficiently motivated, PM me and I'll give you his info (which I found by researching and calling around).

Chris

Hi, Chris.

When you were talking with the makers of Oregabiotic, did they happen to tell you anything about using their product with probiotics (like Jini recommends in her Wild Oregano Oil protocol)?

The fact that it has a slow-release effect is quite interesting, especially, as you say for someone whose infection is in the colon.

However, for that reason, I'm also wondering whether the typical minimum of two hours between the oregano oil and the probiotics would be sufficient.

Just wondered if you might already know from your research into the product.....

Thanks!

Nicole

Nicole,

That is an excellent question, and one that has occurred to me as well. The advantage of Oregabiotic, as you point out, is that it is encapsulated in beeswax and thus has a slow release effect throughout the intestine. I was told that one capsule of Oregabiotic is equivalent to 40 drops of oregano oil; however, that doesn't factor in the other potent wild spice oils present in Oregabiotic.

The disadvantage, again as you point out, may be that because of the slow release effect it would be necessary to take probiotics several hours after taking Oregabiotic. I'm not sure about this, however, because I assume it does take some time for the probiotics to progress through the digestive tract as well.

One strategy I've been considering is this: take a capsule of Oregabiotic in the early morning, upon rising. Take another just before mid-day. At 6:00 PM, take 5-10 drops of oregano oil. Then take probiotics at 10:00 PM before sleep. This is obviously for Phase I of Jini's protocol. I'm not sure how it would work with Phase II or III. Perhaps the oil is a better choice in those circumstances.

Best,
Chris