Read all ‘G.I. Issues’

Q. I take fiber (Konsyl) everyday after breakfast with my vitamins and mom just called me about Metamucil and the bottle says not to take it 1-2 hours before or after meals. What is the reasoning behind this? Does it make the meds less effective? – Lisa

Posted in Ask The Experts, G.I. Issues on February 21, 2012 by admin

OUR RESPONSE:

Fiber can bind, that is some of its purpose. For mom I would do first thing in the morning and just before bed and then some time in between, so that not every dose is with food. As for making meds less effective, if you have been taking things a certain way and the med is working whatever way we need it to do, then the amount taken has been adjusted around how she has been taking it. As an example if something says take on an empty stomach and the person has been taking with food and their tests show fine, then I do not necessarily change the person to empty stomach since we will most likely get a very different effect if they take on an empty stomach.

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Q. I am going to have a gastric bypass in may or June & they said I would loose some hair at the beginning & I should check on what I needed to do to help from looseing to much & keep hair growing. What do you recommend? -Cheryl

Posted in Ask The Experts, G.I. Issues, Weight Loss, Women's Health on by admin

OUR RESPONSE:
Hopefully they have talked to you in great detail about food choices that you will need to follow, since this can be a part of this lose. Protein is essential for hair follicle health, so gastric bypass really effects how you digest and break down protein, so you will need to look at a protein powder and use this on a daily basis to maintain protein status. With this protein, the follicle will need biotin, b-vitamins (you will need to do B-12 separately as an under the tongue lozenge, since your B-12 breakdown will be changed) and omega 3’s (preferably fish oil, since digestion of fats is also compromised with gastric bypass so flaxseed breakdown will be difficult). I recommend Biotin Forte from Integrative Therapeutics, since this is Biotin and B vitamins together and it is a high potency. A B-12 of at least 1000mcg daily dissolved under the tongue, not only is this important for the body, but great for metabolism. A fish oil with Vitamin D would also be great and I would recommend a fish oil with an EPA>1200mg and a DHA>900mg. The vitamin D will be helpful to the thyroid and since this system can show hair lose if compromised the D will help here. I am a big believer in strong, health organs of elimination, kidney, liver, gastro-intestinal tract, and when one is compromised the other two will have to take on more work. Another place where hair health is seen is in the kidneys, so if the above options do not do all we need them to do, then we will need to look further. Good Luck.

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Q. My daughter had one spot which the dr. informed us was Molluscum- he told us it would go away naturally but could take a long time. It is now spreading (intial spot was on her torso)- She now has spots on her arm so clearly it’s spreading. Do you have any treatments for this? – Holly

Posted in G.I. Issues, Kid's Health on December 13, 2011 by admin

OUR RESPONSE: I would start with a few things, first make sure that she is doing Vitamin D and Omega 3’s and then we really need to hit her immune system. I would recommend Astragalus, we will use this in viral warts also so the cross-over for molluscum will work just as well. As for dosing on the Astragalus regardless of age I would recommend 3 capsules twice daily.  As for Vitamin D and Omega 3’s I would dose based on age and weight, so if you want to stop in we can discuss what dose would be most appropriate. The last thing to add in would be a probiotic.  I would recommend Orthobiotic once daily preferably at bedtime. There is huge immunity in the intestinal tract so we need to keep that strong and if it is slightly off we can see issues in the skin. Let me know how it is going and if we need to address something further then we can do so.

 

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Q. I have a Vitamin D deficiency and IBS so Vitamin D supplements cause constipation. Any suggestions? – PJM

Posted in Ask The Experts, G.I. Issues on November 30, 2011 by sundaymuniz

OUR RESPONSE: Even though this is not a common occurrence I have seen it happen before, so my first suggestion is that you take your Vitamin D with your Omega 3 (fish oil or flaxseed) and make sure the EPA is > 1200mg and DHA is > 800mg. These good fats are not only beneficial for the digestive system but should help assist with processing of other nutrients like Vitamin D. If this is still an issue then let’s work on the digestive system and improve it so your intestinal tract is not so reactive. A probiotic, enzyme and other digestive support may me in order. If we need to work this further please send a question or stop in to Nutritional Designs.

 

Thanks

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Q. What can I use to help with bloating? – Tequila

Posted in Ask The Experts, G.I. Issues on by sundaymuniz

OUR RESPONSE: The first thing that I would have you start is a solid digestive enzyme.  This can come in a few forms, something as simple as apple cider vinegar or a tablet product called Biozyme.  I would recommend that you use the enzymes to help the digestive process, so take just before you eat a meal, every meal, but no need at snacks.  Realize that what you’re eating may be to blame, so make sure that you are eating enzyme rich foods such as fruits and vegetable, pineapple, asparagus, beets, artichokes, onions, ginger etc…. Another approach to make sure that you are covering the basics is to make sure that you are drinking enough water, the digestive system needs water.  So hydrate with water, not juice or coffee or milk, but water.  My rule for water is your weight divided in half and that is how many ounces of water you should drink per day. If you have any more questions regarding this approach let us know.

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