Supplements To Help Heal A Damaged Leaky Gut?

[LFitts]

My daughter, diagnosed celiac in November, so gluten free nearly two months now, is having a hard time no matter what she eats. She has a tremendous amount of damage - seen on her endoscopy / colonoscopy - and her GI told us that it will take 6 months to a year for her body to heal.

My question is what have are you taking to promote healing? I would like to add digestive enzymes, more probiotics (currently she eats yogurt and drinks kefir), and maybe Vitamin C in addition to the multivitamins she takes. What has worked for you? I can't stand watching her suffer after eating for a year! I know that we probably need to cut out the dairy, but she is very resistant to this. For those of you who have cut out milk, do you have an easier time with cheeses? I am open to suggestions and trying to learn -- all of this is still quite new to us.

[IrishHeart]

I would honestly suggest cutting out dairy just for a while. Sorry she has to forego cheese for a bit, but temporary lactose intolerance is quite common with celiac and as the villi regrow and her gut heals, she'll likely get that easy digestion of dairy back. If not, she could take LactAid pills.

You can substitute in So Delicious coconut milk and coconut ice cream products.

They taste great!

Jules Shephard a celiac who is also a gluten-free/DF baker and chef has many suggestions for those who need to be both

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Probiotics and digestive enzymes can help until your daughter's digestive tract heals more.

My hunch is the dairy may be causing the problem..

Honestly, raw kefir can be difficult for her gut right now as it can cause diarrhea.

Just some thoughts.

Hope she feels better soon!

[Seifer]

I have heard that bone broth/gelatin is good for healing digestive tract, it contains lots of the amino acids glycine and proline utilized in mucus membranes and such

[nvsmom]

L-glutamine is supposed to be good for healing. Before I was dignosed, I used to take it around really tough weight workouts and it really improved my healing time and next day stiffness. Many around here say it helps the gut too.

Nettle (I think it is) is supposed to be good for reducing inflammation as well.

Papaya enzymes are supposed to aid digestion and may help.

Otherwise, the others gave what I consider to be good advice.

[strkngfang]

I agree, that the dairy has to go. There is also Almond milk, that is lactose free and tastes good. If you decide to try the glutamine, be careful, because it will cause nausea in some people. I've tried two different products containing it for healing and I couldn't stomach either one. Apparently this happens to more people than you would think. Best of luck to you.

[LFitts]

Here's our action plan so far.

Remove dairy / replace with almond milk or rice milk.

Drastically reduce sugar - we have replaced it with local honey, but trying to continue to cut out more.

Add daily tablet form acidophilous, kefir smoothie (says its over 99% lactose free), and water kefir for probiotics.

(I had not heard that kefir can cause problems -- she seems to handle the smoothies really well)

Broth daily, even if it's just a little, and pineapple for the enzymes.

Coconut oil and milk in place of vegetable oils and milk in recipes.

Multivitamin plus additional Vitamin C, B complex.

As much whole food as possible.

She's currently also taking a daily prilosec to keep stomach acid down, and bentyl for stomach cramping / pain as needed.

Oh, and aloe juice? Are any of you taking aloe juice? I love aloe so much for external injuries that I feel drawn to using it for her internal healing as well. From reading about it, it seems that a lot of people are using it for digestive health.

[JNBunnie1]

It is likely with this diet change that the prilosec will become unnecessary,

just something to keep in mind. Sounds like you are on the right track!

[1desperateladysaved]

It may be a good thing to test nutrient levels. Then you can give only the needed nutrients. I did a nutra-val test for mine.

[ClayD]

My humble opinion is: Forget the suplements right now, and focus on finding a good diet that she (and you!) can both enjoy together.

Being gluten-free & Dairy-free can be difficult at first, until your find a trusty arsenal of your favorite meals and snacks that you can prepare or pick up. Look at all the Blogs, talk to your GI doc., and consult a nutritionist if you can afford it.

I would also recommend looking into the "Paleo Diet"...aka The paleolithic Diet. It's a grain free, Dairy free way of eating that generally satifies everyone in the family: Lots of meat, broths, vegetables, fruits and whole foods, that can really be delicious.

I wish you well! You're a great mother for doing your best!

C.