Hello,

I have been following the elemental diet now for almost 6 weeks and have not seen any real improvement with regards to the number of bowel movements and the level of incontinence.

I just started the wild oregano oil protocol last week...what is the purpose of this protocol...is it supposed to help with the problem of bowel movements and incontinence? I read in LTYG that it may take from 2 weeks to several months in phase one...how do you know when to move from phase one to phase 2? What should the indicator be?

Also any suggestions why I haven't seen any results with the elemental with regards to the amount of bowel movements I'm having?

THanks,

Mark

-Well I have been on the elemental diet for pretty much the full 6 weeks...so what do I do should I continue for another week or 2 on the elemental before adding food again?

-I am using the aloe vera and mucosaheal as healing supplements.

-I certainly have more energy and not as much gut pain but I still have frequent bowel movements...averaging 10 a day, mostly in the middle of the night interrupting my sleep.

-What suggestions do you have for me already 6 weeks on the elemental diet.

i am not experiencing bleeding.

If you could please get Jini's opinion on whether i should continue a little longer on the elemental diet or not that would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, Mark.

I corroborate everything that darkangel has already shared with you.

I don't know what your condition was prior to following the IBD Remission Diet, so I'm going to assume it was bad (or you probably wouldn't have followed such a demanding plan) and give my answer from there.

My opinion is to continue with the IBD Remission Diet for another week, in conjunction with the wild oregano oil. Reason: If you reintroduce food before your body is ready for it, you're back at square one if you start having symptoms. Better safe than sorry, basically.

I'm assuming that you were already taking probiotics during your six weeks on the IBD Remission Diet. Please correct me if this is wrong.

It is perfectly normal to experience multiple, liquid bowel movements on an exclusively elemental diet. Probiotics tend to make this a bit easier to deal with (urgency is not so severe), but the liquid bowel movements are still normal. It's also normal for liquid bowel movements to be much harder to "hold" than solid ones.

If you've experienced other improvements (which you have), that's a good sign.

Regarding food reintroduction, it's very important to follow your body's lead on that. Some people are able to transition to exclusively solid food fairly quickly (within a couple of weeks); others need to stretch it out much longer. A lot depends on the severity of your condition initially.

You also didn't mention if you are taking any pharmaceutical drugs or any other supplements (other than the ones recommended in The IBD Remission Diet). This is another thing to look at, as both drugs and certain natural supplements can both cause or exacerbate diarrhea.

Hope that's of some help. Don't hesitate to write back if you need clarification on any of this or have new questions.

All the best,
Nicole

Thanks for your reply Nicole!

I have actually weaned off of the mezavant (lialda in the US) that I was taking..so I'm not on any drugs currently and I'm not taking any other supplements other than those suggested. I will, based on recommendation, try using L-Glutamine.

I will err on the side of caution and continue on the elemental diet for another week. Of course as I introduce solid food again I continue normally on the WOO right? Regarding my condition when I started the IBD remission diet...I had a colonoscopy in July and it showed severe inflammation and that my colon was friable.

Thanks again and I look forward to your reply,

Mark

Any kind of fiber supplement wouldn't be compatible with an exclusively elemental diet.

Another thread that may be of some interest is the following one from the JPT Wellness Circle forum. You can read the existing posts if you're not a member; you just won't be able to add any new ones. This particular one deals with food reintroduction as well as some tips on Jini's Wild Oregano Protocol.

topic1678.html

Take care,
Nicole