Remedies For The Newly Diagnosed?

[jess-gf]

So, it's been about a week and a half since I was diagnosed and I am curious as to if there are any herbs, vitamins, oils, teas, etc etc that I should be taking to speed up the healing process and ease my symptoms while my body is adjusting to being gluten free.

I bought a gluten-free gummy multivitamin (VitaFusion) today at the grocery store and I'm going to start taking those. They don't have iron though :/

I have found that drinking ginger tea can help take the edge off an upset stomach too. Even better if it's fresh - I peel a bit of ginger root, grate it so that it looks like pulp, then add a tsp to a cup of hot water with lemon and honey. Smells and tastes pretty good too.

Anything else that I should be doing?

[rosetapper23]

L-glutamine is oftentimes used to promote healing of the gut in people with celiac. Otherwise, healthful eating of foods high in nutrients may help, too. If you're iron anemic, you might wish to ask your doctor if you can get intravenous iron for a few weeks to boost your ferritin level while your body begins to absorb nutrients better. Some doctors don't realize that iron can be given intravenously; if this is the case, he/she should check with the infusion department at the local hospital.

[GFshay]

I'm also looking for things to aid the process. Lots of people have talked about enzymes-- which ones have worked for people? Are there any drawbacks to starting them before giving my own body a chance to get itself balanced(like ending up dependent on them)?

I've discovered that candied ginger from Trader Joe's helps settle my stomach, and Benadryl helps if I've got bad cramping (I guess it relaxes your muscles and helps w/nausea too)... but I bought a multivitamin and it makes my stomach a bit upset. My mom says it's because it has iron, which can be tough to digest...

[fattycat]

I'm wondering along the same lines too! I've been on Nexium, Dicetel and Medilac for about 3 weeks now. Today I forgot to take the Dicetel and Medilac after breakfast and by midday I had gas coming out of both ends and it felt like knives were being stabbed into my stomach! I don't want to be on meds but without them I'm not digesting, can't sleep and have pain

[Skylark]

There is no issue with enzymes and they help some people. Try a mix with papain and bromelain. Bromelain is nice stuff because it's a little anti-inflammatory as well as helping digestion. L-glutamine is good. Vitamins will be less of a problem if you take them just after a meal, on a full stomach. They are also absorbed better that way. The supplement I'm on makes me downright queasy if I take it on an empty stomach but it's no problem with a meal.

The other thing you'll want to do is eat foods that are probiotic. Yogurt is great if you tolerate dairy. Lactobacilli replace "bad" bacteria and help the gut heal. Other probiotic foods are sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, kefir, and tempeh (check the latter two for gluten grains). You can also pick up a gluten-free probiotic at the health food store if both soy and dairy are out of the question. Fattycat, look for a great probiotic drink called Yakult that's made in Japan.

[jess-gf]

Hmm.. I have a bottle of Acidophilus in the fridge, I could start taking that regularly too.

[jess-gf]

Wow, VitaCost has some good deals it seems. SourceNaturals appears to be gluten free. I found some L-Glutamine and Bromelaine I'm thinking about getting. Open Original Shared Link Open Original Shared Link

[jess-gf]

Wow, VitaCost has some good deals it seems. SourceNaturals appears to be gluten free. I found some L-Glutamine and Bromelaine I'm thinking about getting. Open Original Shared Link Open Original Shared Link

I also found some cheap b12 lozenges that dissolve under your tongue, which is nice for me because I hate swallowing pills - makes me feel like I'm about to choke Open Original Shared Link Not sure if they're gluten-free though: "Other Ingredients: Sorbitol, Natural Flavors and Magnesium Stearate"

Maybe I'll just go with SourceNaturals again and pay a couple bucks more Open Original Shared Link

[Skylark]

The SourceNaturals B12 is better anyway because it's methylcobalamin. That's one of the forms your body naturally uses. SourceNaturals is supposed to be a pretty decent brand of vitamin.

[jess-gf]

Should I get additional b12 if my gummy multi has some in it? My gummy has "Vitamin B-12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 6 mcg - 100%"

[Skylark]

The RDA of B12 is only 6 micrograms. The sublingul you were looking at is 1000 micrograms (1 mg). If you're going to supplement B12, your gummy is a drop in the bucket!

[burdee]

So, it's been about a week and a half since I was diagnosed and I am curious as to if there are any herbs, vitamins, oils, teas, etc etc that I should be taking to speed up the healing process and ease my symptoms while my body is adjusting to being gluten free.

I bought a gluten-free gummy multivitamin (VitaFusion) today at the grocery store and I'm going to start taking those. They don't have iron though :/

I have found that drinking ginger tea can help take the edge off an upset stomach too. Even better if it's fresh - I peel a bit of ginger root, grate it so that it looks like pulp, then add a tsp to a cup of hot water with lemon and honey. Smells and tastes pretty good too.

Anything else that I should be doing?

If you have a regular doc (internist), request blood tests such as CBCs to check iron levels, plus tests for vitamin D, B12 and folate levels. Celiac disease destroys the villi which absorb many important vitamins and minerals. If you only recently began to abstain from gluten, you may need intramuscular B12 injections in order to absorb B12, rather than relying on vitamin pills.

I agree with taking L-glutamine, which is great for healing the intestines and the stomach, if you ever have H. Pylori.

I also drink ginger tea when I feel nauseas, cold or have cold symptoms like a sore throat. During the holidays you might find candied ginger in the fruitcake supply area. It's just ginger root which has been cooked in sugar syrup and rolled in granulated sugar. So it's a great, healthy treat and even improves digestion, if you eat that for dessert after a meal. One small piece is usually enough for me, but if you love ginger, you might tolerate more.

[fattycat]

I'll have to talk to my doctor about enzymes because I'm not sure where to get them in Korea.

I eat yogurt daily, drink Yakult and other probiotic drinks, drink ginger tea and use ginger in cooking, but have problems with miso and kimchi etc because of other allergies. I'm also currently on a probiotic (gluten free) but if I take it without the other medications I'm on my stomach is a mess. Any other suggestions?

[quincy]

I'm wondering along the same lines too! I've been on Nexium, Dicetel and Medilac for about 3 weeks now. Today I forgot to take the Dicetel and Medilac after breakfast and by midday I had gas coming out of both ends and it felt like knives were being stabbed into my stomach! I don't want to be on meds but without them I'm not digesting, can't sleep and have pain

I have been gluten free since May 1st 2010. I was taking 20mg of Prilosec up to that point and had to keep taking it for at least several months. However, I went to a doctor who practices Functional Medicine and she put me on a regimen of Digestive enzymes with meals, a fantastic gut healer/soother called GI Revive, and a multi vitamin that contained more than the Daily recommended dose. I was also given a probiotic to overcome the bad bacteria that accumulates from years of imbalance.

My nutritional evaluation blood work showed low b6 and b12 and a deficiency in neurotransmitters as a result of the b6 loss. Also a deficiency in Vit D and iron.

the point of saying all of this is in my opinion if you have been diagnosed with celiac it is imperative that you consult a nutritionist or preferably a doctor who is a functional medicine practitioner so that you can be evaluated on which vitamins/minerals/ essential fatty acids you are lacking in so that you can target correctly.

I cannot say enough about the GI revive. YOu can get it online from amazon though it is a bit expensive. but well worth the cost even if you only need it for a few months. it has a mixture of everything needed to speed healing of your gut. I got it much cheaper from my nutritional doctor. Hope this helps!

[fattycat]

Yes, I really need to get that B12 and B6 test done. Though they were low in 2006 when I had my negitive celiac blood work I haven't been able to convince a doctor to do the tests now. Going to have to raise some blood hell!

[GFshay]

Do they sell GI Revive in small amounts, or samples? I am curious to try it but worry I might have a negative experience and then will be stuck with a bunch. Has anyone had problems with GI Revive? I went into a Hi Health (vitamin/supplement store) and was completely overwhelmed by various enzymes, probiotics and different L-glutamine powders...

[twinkle-toez]

L-glutamine is good.

I heard on a nutrition podcast (a highly credible series actually) that alot of glutamine supplements are derived from wheat protein. Have you heard anything about this or know if there are safe brands?

[dbhickma]

I've been taking Free Form L-Glutamine 500MG from Source Naturals once a day. It's yeast, dairy, egg, gluten, soy, and wheat free. I honestly don't know if it's doing any good because I still fell horrible. Will see in time if it works. Thanks for the other posts!