Surprise! We are still giving Ellie coconut oil.
When we stopped the dosage because she was having horrific respiratory symptoms and it was too much for her body to adjust to, she was fine for one day, had the most amazing lets-take-a-picture poop on day two, and then day three began to have all kinds of crazy symptoms like something was wrong. It was as if I was watching the fungus take back over her body, and I realized that we had made SOME ground and I didn't want her to give it up! So we added back in 1/4 teaspoon of coconut oil per day and have been holding strong there ever since.
She is doing great, eczema cleared, and seems to be more of the pace she needs. We are learning a lot about healing and the myths and truths behind die off and detox. The trip to see the new Dr. helped with that a LOT.
So for now we move sooooper.sloooowly. So slowly that it is painful for this impatient mama. A little bit of coconut oil....figuring out how to make fermented coconut water...and on to purchasing a lovely bunch of coconuts!
Showing posts with label die off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label die off. Show all posts
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Die Off
As we have transitioned Ellie onto the GAPS introduction diet (designed for healing), we have begun to use the phrase 'die off' more and more frequently. It has taken us quite some time to figure out what 'die off' is, and how it specifically applies to Ellie. I have listened to other moms talk about it, researched it, and checked various GAPS support groups for more information. What is die off? How do you know if what you are seeing is die off or a reaction? When do you know if it is too much die off? Can things other than a probiotics cause die off? The questions kept coming, both in our house and in my conversations with other moms of protein intolerant kiddos. I certainly do not have the answers, and am far from being a doctor, but here are some tips on what I have discovered.
Die-off is a positive phrase used to describe negative symptoms that can happen when introducing a probiotic, or probiotic food. In my limited experience, it does not seem to be a medical expression used or understood in the traditional western MD office, but then again, probiotics are not usually discussed there either. The reason? My favorite GI said that there are not adequate studies showing that they make a difference. I found this peculiar so I checked the references used by Dr. Campbell-McBride when writing an entire chapter on the medicinal use of probiotics. In the index of my GAPS book I found FOURTY-FOUR (44) accepted medical references. Way to go Western Medicine (insert sarcasm here).
So, the question remains, what is die off? The body is a host to millions of bacteria. They need to live happily together in a harmonious balance for us to be at our peak of health. Unfortunately there is an unmeasurable list of things that will get them all out of wack. The most common ones discussed are antibiotics, illness, and refined sugar. All of these things and many more cause an imbalance, and symptoms ranging from allergies to eczema to asthma to who-knows-what can erupt. When you disrupt these out of balance bacteria they die, hence the 'die off' effect. The death of the overgrown buggers release extra toxins into the body systems. The 'die off' is usually seen as increase in problematic symptoms. Most common is eczema or rash. But it can be an increase in ANY of the symptoms that your body is suffering from as a result of this unhealthy condition. Unfortunately this is unique to every single individual, so while some are common, there is no way to say exactly what it will be.
Ellie's die off has ranged from mild to severe flares with her eczema, to reflux, to acidic poop, to a more bloated belly than normal. These symptoms have all mimicked an FPIES reaction/fail at some point and have been very confusing to push through. The more bizarre symptoms have included a change in tongue color, itchy nose, emitting a sweet smell, and regression in speaking. Her symptoms were worse when we first began the diet of broth, and also at the introduction of her probiotic. With each slight increase in the probiotic dose her die off flares for a couple of days and then goes away.
I fully expected her worst die off to be seen with the introduction of a purchased, in the bottle multiple strain probiotic. I was wrong. When we were finally able to begin giving her fermented cabbage juice (like the juice from sauerkraut made of only cabbage) her die off was the worst yet. We started with only 1/8 of a teaspoon of juice in one bottle per day, and stayed there for a couple weeks. It was hard on her. We then finally increased the dose to 1/4 teaspoon in one bottle per day, and her eczema went berserk. She was waking at night crying and scratching. She never did this while even on formula (corn). Dr. Campbell-McBride responded that this was her body ridding itself of toxins. Holy cow! How many toxins could her little body possibly be hanging on to? After about a week of her nighttime episodes I reduced the fermented cabbage juice back down to only 1/8 teaspoon. In a few weeks we will try increasing the dosage again. I now understand why the fermented vegetables are such an important part of her diet. One more win for natural foods.
For those of you who have made it this far and are actually looking for information on die off, I will include this last note: die off can occur from food. There is a short list of probiotic foods that can cause die off, specifically in those with severe gut dysbiosis. Let's take the bone broth, for example. I did not recognize some of Ellie's symptoms as die off when we first started her on the bone broth and meat. (cut me some slack, there was a lot going on!) But now looking back I see them clearly. How does that work? The bacteria in the intestine (and body if it has spread) has to eat. It LOVES to eat those yummy carbs that you ingest through sugars, starches, grains, etc. When you restrict your diet to that which requires very little or no digestion, the food passes right on by, starving those nutrition robbing bacteria....which then die. The final result = die off.
Ta Da! Die off: the mystery behind the words is not much of a mystery after all. It is simply bacteria...dying off.
Die-off is a positive phrase used to describe negative symptoms that can happen when introducing a probiotic, or probiotic food. In my limited experience, it does not seem to be a medical expression used or understood in the traditional western MD office, but then again, probiotics are not usually discussed there either. The reason? My favorite GI said that there are not adequate studies showing that they make a difference. I found this peculiar so I checked the references used by Dr. Campbell-McBride when writing an entire chapter on the medicinal use of probiotics. In the index of my GAPS book I found FOURTY-FOUR (44) accepted medical references. Way to go Western Medicine (insert sarcasm here).
So, the question remains, what is die off? The body is a host to millions of bacteria. They need to live happily together in a harmonious balance for us to be at our peak of health. Unfortunately there is an unmeasurable list of things that will get them all out of wack. The most common ones discussed are antibiotics, illness, and refined sugar. All of these things and many more cause an imbalance, and symptoms ranging from allergies to eczema to asthma to who-knows-what can erupt. When you disrupt these out of balance bacteria they die, hence the 'die off' effect. The death of the overgrown buggers release extra toxins into the body systems. The 'die off' is usually seen as increase in problematic symptoms. Most common is eczema or rash. But it can be an increase in ANY of the symptoms that your body is suffering from as a result of this unhealthy condition. Unfortunately this is unique to every single individual, so while some are common, there is no way to say exactly what it will be.
Ellie's die off has ranged from mild to severe flares with her eczema, to reflux, to acidic poop, to a more bloated belly than normal. These symptoms have all mimicked an FPIES reaction/fail at some point and have been very confusing to push through. The more bizarre symptoms have included a change in tongue color, itchy nose, emitting a sweet smell, and regression in speaking. Her symptoms were worse when we first began the diet of broth, and also at the introduction of her probiotic. With each slight increase in the probiotic dose her die off flares for a couple of days and then goes away.
I fully expected her worst die off to be seen with the introduction of a purchased, in the bottle multiple strain probiotic. I was wrong. When we were finally able to begin giving her fermented cabbage juice (like the juice from sauerkraut made of only cabbage) her die off was the worst yet. We started with only 1/8 of a teaspoon of juice in one bottle per day, and stayed there for a couple weeks. It was hard on her. We then finally increased the dose to 1/4 teaspoon in one bottle per day, and her eczema went berserk. She was waking at night crying and scratching. She never did this while even on formula (corn). Dr. Campbell-McBride responded that this was her body ridding itself of toxins. Holy cow! How many toxins could her little body possibly be hanging on to? After about a week of her nighttime episodes I reduced the fermented cabbage juice back down to only 1/8 teaspoon. In a few weeks we will try increasing the dosage again. I now understand why the fermented vegetables are such an important part of her diet. One more win for natural foods.
For those of you who have made it this far and are actually looking for information on die off, I will include this last note: die off can occur from food. There is a short list of probiotic foods that can cause die off, specifically in those with severe gut dysbiosis. Let's take the bone broth, for example. I did not recognize some of Ellie's symptoms as die off when we first started her on the bone broth and meat. (cut me some slack, there was a lot going on!) But now looking back I see them clearly. How does that work? The bacteria in the intestine (and body if it has spread) has to eat. It LOVES to eat those yummy carbs that you ingest through sugars, starches, grains, etc. When you restrict your diet to that which requires very little or no digestion, the food passes right on by, starving those nutrition robbing bacteria....which then die. The final result = die off.
Ta Da! Die off: the mystery behind the words is not much of a mystery after all. It is simply bacteria...dying off.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Farmer's Market
Saturday morning I headed to the Davis Farmer's Market. If you are out of the area and have never been to this particular farmer's market you are missing out. I spent a few hours there quizzing vendors on their wares, and was extremely pleased to find a resource for grass fed beef - NOT finished with grain. I loaded up on bones for stew and headed home to make Ellie her beef broth.
We decided to give her a day to rest and re-coop, because the two scoops of formula in each bottle of almond milk was making a HUGE difference, and she was bounding around the house once again. For whatever the reason, the corn formula had not brought back the reflux or the reaction symptoms (though we had yet to see another poop to be sure).
I was now convinced that part of her problem had been the die off effect of her intestines. I believe that she may have to get worse before she can get better since her intestines are over run with an imbalance of good and bad bacteria. When this is disrupted and bacteria die off, toxins are released into the system and can cause side effects. If this is documented and understood to happen in 'regular' people, it makes sense that it could happen to an extreme for Ellie. My goal is to manage the die off and make it a gradual transition, and going cold turkey to the almond milk was just too much for her little system to take.
Saturday night I loaded the fridge and freezer with home made beef broth, and prayed that I was making the right choice. The nutritionist had wanted us to try lamb, so this could not be too far out there, right? At least beef would be a little bit more affordable than a toddler on a diet of rack of lamb!
We decided to give her a day to rest and re-coop, because the two scoops of formula in each bottle of almond milk was making a HUGE difference, and she was bounding around the house once again. For whatever the reason, the corn formula had not brought back the reflux or the reaction symptoms (though we had yet to see another poop to be sure).
I was now convinced that part of her problem had been the die off effect of her intestines. I believe that she may have to get worse before she can get better since her intestines are over run with an imbalance of good and bad bacteria. When this is disrupted and bacteria die off, toxins are released into the system and can cause side effects. If this is documented and understood to happen in 'regular' people, it makes sense that it could happen to an extreme for Ellie. My goal is to manage the die off and make it a gradual transition, and going cold turkey to the almond milk was just too much for her little system to take.
Saturday night I loaded the fridge and freezer with home made beef broth, and prayed that I was making the right choice. The nutritionist had wanted us to try lamb, so this could not be too far out there, right? At least beef would be a little bit more affordable than a toddler on a diet of rack of lamb!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Fearful Mommy: part 2
We began transitioning Ellie onto the home made almond milk. The allergist wanted me to transition over the period of a month, while the nutritionist wanted me to start introducing new foods right away, and those two things did not match. I decided that if the corn formula was not good for her, we needed to transition faster than a month. Her nutrition depended on it, so within 4 days we had her on 100% almond milk. It was not going well. Her intake was down dramatically, and about every 3rd or 4th bottle she was vomiting. I think that if I was on 100% almond milk, I would vomit, too.
By Wednesday of that week I began to be seriously concerned for dehydration. I couldn't tell if her clumsiness and lethargic behavior was due to reaction, die off, or just plain lack of food. It was also the first day we had to take her out of the house. We had plans to take Moriah to the SF Academy of Sciences homeschool day, and she was looking forward to it tremendously. We packed up two thermoses of hot almond milk, and headed out, just like we would do for formula.
The day went OK, though her intake was low as usual. Her daily 50-60 ounces was down to about 25, and this day was no different. Late that afternoon we headed home, and she was hungry. She quickly downed a bottle in the car, and then suddenly as we entered the foothills during rush hour traffic, she began vomiting. She projectile vomited so hard that she was having trouble breathing, and she wasn't stopping. Jason crossed four lanes of traffic to stop on the shoulder, and I barely had enough room to open the door. I jumped out, grabbed her out of her seat, and held her upside down, up the hill we were next to, as she continued to heave. This was scary enough that for the first time her 5 year old sister verbalized 'Mommy I am sad for Ellie too!'.
What in the world? I was puzzled. We cleaned up as best we could and piled back in for the remainder of the ride home. I grabbed the thermos and smelled. It was rancid. Stupid, stupid mommy! It never even occurred to me that the almond milk would store differently and needed to be refrigerated and not hot. And in my head I knew - she was so used to eating things that hurt her tummy or that tasted nasty, she just ate it. The whole bottle. 8 ounces of rancid almond milk.
By the time we got home, got cleaned up, and got the kids into bed, I was exhausted. I found myself on my knees in the bedroom once more, looking for wisdom and direction. And the mommy guilt was horrific.
We had just finished day four of only almond milk. Her body was thinning, and her skin was changing. She was groggy, clumsy and lethargic, but her eyes were brighter and less dull. The results were confusing, and no doctor could give me direction. I had to rely on my mommy instincts, what information I had been able to piece together, and pray for direction from the God who made her. At this point what I knew was that the almond milk was perhaps better than the formula, but not enough to sustain her. And I was convinced some of what I was seeing was a 'die off' effect in her intestines, making her sicker.
I made the decision to try hemp next. Following GAPs guidelines, I made a paste of the hemp protein powder I had purchased, and applied it to her wrist while she slept. I covered it with a bandaid, and went to bed.
By Wednesday of that week I began to be seriously concerned for dehydration. I couldn't tell if her clumsiness and lethargic behavior was due to reaction, die off, or just plain lack of food. It was also the first day we had to take her out of the house. We had plans to take Moriah to the SF Academy of Sciences homeschool day, and she was looking forward to it tremendously. We packed up two thermoses of hot almond milk, and headed out, just like we would do for formula.
The day went OK, though her intake was low as usual. Her daily 50-60 ounces was down to about 25, and this day was no different. Late that afternoon we headed home, and she was hungry. She quickly downed a bottle in the car, and then suddenly as we entered the foothills during rush hour traffic, she began vomiting. She projectile vomited so hard that she was having trouble breathing, and she wasn't stopping. Jason crossed four lanes of traffic to stop on the shoulder, and I barely had enough room to open the door. I jumped out, grabbed her out of her seat, and held her upside down, up the hill we were next to, as she continued to heave. This was scary enough that for the first time her 5 year old sister verbalized 'Mommy I am sad for Ellie too!'.
What in the world? I was puzzled. We cleaned up as best we could and piled back in for the remainder of the ride home. I grabbed the thermos and smelled. It was rancid. Stupid, stupid mommy! It never even occurred to me that the almond milk would store differently and needed to be refrigerated and not hot. And in my head I knew - she was so used to eating things that hurt her tummy or that tasted nasty, she just ate it. The whole bottle. 8 ounces of rancid almond milk.
By the time we got home, got cleaned up, and got the kids into bed, I was exhausted. I found myself on my knees in the bedroom once more, looking for wisdom and direction. And the mommy guilt was horrific.
We had just finished day four of only almond milk. Her body was thinning, and her skin was changing. She was groggy, clumsy and lethargic, but her eyes were brighter and less dull. The results were confusing, and no doctor could give me direction. I had to rely on my mommy instincts, what information I had been able to piece together, and pray for direction from the God who made her. At this point what I knew was that the almond milk was perhaps better than the formula, but not enough to sustain her. And I was convinced some of what I was seeing was a 'die off' effect in her intestines, making her sicker.
I made the decision to try hemp next. Following GAPs guidelines, I made a paste of the hemp protein powder I had purchased, and applied it to her wrist while she slept. I covered it with a bandaid, and went to bed.
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