Gut-Rehab Plan from Protein Power Lifeplan

[moises]

Hello all.

I just registered. I am in the process of gathering all the materials required for the gut-rehab plan as explained in pages 147-9 of the Protein Power Lifeplan. I found this forum by searching for information on the whey powder the Drs. Eades use.

I've ordered 3 containers of Immunopro and now I'm nervous since I read that it can upset the digestion and upset digestion is the entire reason I am trying this plan.

I've been low-carb for about 20 years. It definitely helps my digestion. I still have a lot of problems with burping (belching, eructation). I have been keeping my effective carbs around 54 mg/day. I used to have diarrhea frequently before I went low card. The probiotic Align from Proctor and Gamble seems to provide some additional help.

I have followed the protocols in Pimentel's book A New IBS Solution. Twice I have gone on an Elemental Diet, using a product called Vivonex Plus. The Eades's Gut-Rehab plan has some family resemblance to an elemental diet. But it uses whey protein powder instead of the more completely digested elemental amino acids. The big plus of the Eades's plan over the off-the-shelf elemental diets is that the latter are filled with carbs in the form of maltodextrin.

I have taken l-glutamine numerous times in the past and it didn't help me. Maybe in combination with the Immunopro it will make a difference.

If anyone has any experience--firsthand or secondhand--with the gut-rehab regimen, I'd be very happy to hear about it.

Thanks.

[Belfrybat]

Welcome to the group! I have no personal experience, but suggest you search the forum for Hawk's posts. She has multiple health issues, but recently has been doing this routine.

[moises]

Thanks for the welcome and the heads-up about Hawk. I see she's doing whey and glutamine too.

[hawk]

hey moises... I just saw your post. I was going to make a new thread and lo and behold...here it is already.

I have had a miserable year. Right now it just seems to be getting worse. I finially decided to bite the bullet and also get rid of dairy. Also no low carb pasta. Nothing. Meat...mostly red and rare. That seems to be the only thing that does not make my stomach hurt. I am drinking green tea. Taking probiotics. Antibiotics set this off again. Everything I eat makes my sinus, nose and throat swell and I can hardly breathe. It makes it hard to wrok out. I find though that forcing myself to work out feels better in the long run.(no pun)I can eat spinach and broccoli if I chew it well and eat it in small amounts. Prok kills me and stops me up. Dairy stops me up. Swells me up. Chicken is giving me hives. I have eaten a couple handfuls of walnuts. Peanuts are now giving me asthma. I tried the whey and it is not helping. I was thinking today of looking for an egg white protien.

any ideas from you??

[moises]

Hi Hawk,

Nice to hear from you, though I wish you had better news.

First, have you seen a gastroenterologist and had all the standard tests to rule out the usual suspects?

If you have, then you might want to look at Pimentel's book on IBS. I twice tried the antibiotics he recommends and was not helped. But his dietary recommendations along with my own decision to take the probiotic Align did give me a modest (10-15%) improvement.

I love nuts, but can't handle them. I spent a lot of money buying "soaked" nuts and they were no more tolerable than the others.

My Immunopro whey protein arrived today so I should start this gut-rehab tomorrow. I cannot say that I am looking forward to it, having endured similar regimens before. But, nothing venture, nothing gained.

[moises]

Yesterday was day 1. There is substantial fatigue. I only managed 3 feeds, instead of the recommended 4-5. My first feed, I mistakenly used 2 tablespoons of l-glutamine instead of 2 teaspoons. I took less glutamine at lunch and dinner.

I did have bloating, which is listed as a side effect of Immunopro, but bloating is one of my main problems anyway, so it's difficult to attribute the bloating to the gut-rehab.

I am doing this program based on the PPLP chart saying I should get 34 grams protein/day. The caloric intake is minuscule. I get 540 calories/day from the Immunopro and maybe 63 grams/day from the Blue Ice Gold Therapeutics Cod Liver Oil blend.

Call it 600 calories/day. Looks like I won't go to the gym and work out until I finish this regimen.

I slept OK last night. There was some digestive upset, but not severe.

Today I will premix the solution and take it with me. Yesterday I made it fresh for each "feed".

[moises]

Yesterday, Sunday, was day 2. I sipped the stuff the entire day. The Immunopro label says that it's not good to gulp it. It's better to swish it around in the mouth to start the digestive process there.

I still have fatigue. There were some abdominal cramps early this morning before getting out of bed.

On Saturday I had a mild headache. Fortunately, it was gone on Sunday.

Today is the beginning of the work week. I decided to go to the gym this morning, not to work out, but to take a sauna and a steam bath. I saunaed for 22 minutes, took a quick cold shower, and then lasted 8 minutes in the steam bath. That was it. I took a long cold shower and went to work.

I made up today's concoction last night. There is no literature that I can find that states how far in advance one can mix the Immunopro with liquid. It's a lot more convenient for me to prepare it before going to bed.

[hawk]

I would mix it when I use it. It is protien isn't it? I can't stand protien more than a couple hours after I mix it. I am doing the whey tomorrow with L glutamine....all day. i have a busy day but I need to. Right now I am so bloated I could scream. I was really good today too. So I am going to stop eating food again and see how long I can stay on this . I hope more than a day.

[moises]

Hey Hawk,

Ok. It's too late for today. I mixed "breakfast" and "lunch" last night. But tomorrow I'll mix it in the morning.

Yesterday, Monday, was day 3. I forgot to mention that I've been using Ketostix every day. They have not registered any ketones. I opened the package July 5, and it says they expire in six months, so I assume they are still functioning. Three successive days on virtually no carbs and they don't show any ketones.

If I remember correctly, the Eadeses justification for the gut rehab plan is twofold: plug the leaks between cells in the small intestine and starve the bacteria that migrated from the large intestine into the lower reaches of the small intestine. The latter is called SIBO--small intestine bacterial overgrowth.

I am feeling worse as the days on this plan progress. Yesterday my bowel movements were more frequent and today they are getting looser. I am hoping this is the oft-mentioned Herxheimer reaction, or die-off reaction, which occurs when the small intestine's micro-organisms give up the ghost. I must admit I am quite sceptical, since I have experienced countless programs which made me feel worse, but the being healed part never followed.

[moises]

Yesterday, Tuesday, was day 4. My gut bothered me all day. Lots of flatulence. I felt like I was going to have to run to the bathroom at any moment with diarrhea, but that didn't happen.

Today my alarm was set at 5 am but I got up at 4:40 for a bowel movement. Later in the morning I did have diarrhea.

[moises]

Yesterday, Wednesday, was day 5. The flatulence and burping was less than Tuesday's. No diarrhea after the morning.

Today there was another loose bowel movement in the morning. I suppose this could be lactose intolerance, but I don't think that I am that sensitive to the tiny amounts of lactose in the Immunopro whey protein concentrate.

I have almost used up all the Immunopro. I don't think I have enough to last me all day tomorrow. Probably I will eat real food tomorrow starting at lunch. So, I will have made it a 6.5 day gut-rehab program. I don't know if I am supposed to be feeling better now, but I don't (feel better).

I am debating whether to add some high-carb carrots to my meat tomorrow, or just stick with asparagus, celery, or spinach. My rational brain tells me that latter. And, since it's been almost a week without food, I'll follow my rational brain for at least tomorrow. Maybe longer.

[moises]

This is it. I get to eat real food when I get home from work tonight. My organic chicken and organic celery are in the crock pot. I'll probably fry some organic eggs in goose fat too.

Yesterday, Thursday, was day 6. Large amounts of flatulence in the evening. I don't think it's the Herxheimer reaction. Maybe I should have taken lactase to break down the 10 mg of lactose I consumed daily with my whey protein concentrate.

This morning I had no bowel movement but my gut is still rumbling and acting up. The only thing that feels good is the thought that this will be over tonight.

[moises]

Yesterday was my seventh and last day. I will summarize my results in this last post.

I know this might appear as an exercise in narcissism, but my reasons for posting all of this go beyond that. When I read of the gut-rehab plan in PPLP, I immediately searched the internet to read of other people's experiences on the plan. I could find none. Given the breadth of PPLP's sales and the breadth of the internet, I found the absence of any documented accounts of the gut-rehab shocking. My goal for posting this is to take a small step in rectifying the absence of publicly available accounts of the efficacy of the plan.

Yesterday was a bad day. I had a very loose and uncomfortable bowel movement and my gut was bothering me the entire day. I ate real food last night, finally. My sleep last night was disturbed by gut discomfort.

This morning I can feel that overwhelming fatigue start to dissipate.

My overall assessment is that this gut-rehab plan did not rehabilitate my gut. My symptoms were exacerbated, not improved.

This is, of course, an anecdote. Your mileage, as they say, may vary. I would like nothing more than to see a serious study done of the efficacy of this plan.

[bellyoffire]

I tried the gut rehab for 2 days. My minimal protein requirement is 34 gs. I did 6 shakes for 2 days. Maybe I need more protein but I was so hungry and had a lack of energy all day.

My problem is constipation. Over a year ago, my bowels locked up and I was having bowel movements every 4 days. My friend did an iridology scan and there is a lot of inflammation in my body, especially around the bowels. I keep an eye on my eyes to see if the inflammation changes. I have dramatically changed my diet over the last year adding omega 3 fish oils and pro biotics.

I found that if I eat a couple servings of fruit a day, it helps me to have a bowel movement or two.

I am cutting out dairy and gluten to see if that helps.

I did the gut rehab for 2 days. It locked me up for 2 days. So I went back to eating food and adding fruit back. I am back to having bowel movements.

I may try the gut rehab again for a few days but add fruit? Is that ok? I really don't know what to do about that. I don't like being backed up.

[gitfiddle]

I don't know about the rehab and fruit, but I can tell you that magnesium is an excellent supplement for constipation. It also helps in lots of other ways. Don't bother with magnesium oxide, which is very common in the grocery stores, but go for a chelated version. Magnesium Citrate or Picolinate or Asporate are all good.

[bellyoffire]

I get 300 mg a day of magnesium. I also tried taking an additional amount of another 200 mg a day. Didn't help.

[gitfiddle]

I take 450 daily, but everyone's different. Your own doctor knows you best.

[bellyoffire]

I don't have a doctor. I resolve my own issues myself. If there is something I don't know about, I have a couple doctor friends I consult with.

I decided to pop one of my herbal laxitives last night and start the gut rehab again. That seems to help me out so far.

My minimum protein requirement is 34 grams. That is never enough. To combat the fatigue, I upped it to 50 grams today.

So far that seems to be helping with fatigue. Took my protein l-glutamine mix at 7:45 am, its 11;15 am and I feel fine.

Will see how it goes over the next day or two.

[gitfiddle]

If there is something I don't know about, I have a couple doctor friends I consult with.Same here. I think that's better. Good luck!

[bellyoffire]

Interesting that I have improved. I did the gut rehab and it seemed like things were getting worse.

Since I increased the amount of protein, I was able to do the shakes without the fatigue & hunger.

I also had a few latke potato cakes one night :eek:

The only thing I have changed in my diet is to remove wheat and corn (breads, and snacks).

I have only been eating eggs, meat, nuts, seeds, fruit, whey protein shakes, and vegetables.

I am having regular bowel movements but sometimes I do still get stopped up for a little while.

[James L]

Yesterday was my seventh and last day. I will summarize my results in this last post.

... When I read of the gut-rehab plan in PPLP, I immediately searched the internet to read of other people's experiences on the plan. I could find none. Given the breadth of PPLP's sales and the breadth of the internet, I found the absence of any documented accounts of the gut-rehab shocking. My goal for posting this is to take a small step in rectifying the absence of publicly available accounts of the efficacy of the plan.
...

My overall assessment is that this gut-rehab plan did not rehabilitate my gut. My symptoms were exacerbated, not improved.

... I would like nothing more than to see a serious study done of the efficacy of this plan.

moises and bellyoffire,

Thank you both for posting your experiences with the PPLP gut-rehab regimen. When I read that chapter it makes sense to me, and it appears that the Drs. Eades had some success in using it to treat patients when they were operating their clinical practice. But they never provided any summary of the results that they obtained with their patients.

I don't expect any regimen to work for all of the patients all of the time. But it is definitely beneficial to have documented reports from the "field", so to speak, from people who have tried the regimen, whether it worked for them or not. So thanks again for your reports.

[LisaS]

My minimum protein requirement is 34 grams. That is never enough. To combat the fatigue, I upped it to 50 grams today.
34 grams per what? Per Day - way too low. Are you sure you didn't miscalculate or misread and it is really more like 34 grams per meal at 3 meals a day? That would be more realistic for an adult of any size.
at 34g of protein per day (if that is what you are doing) you've got to be getting minimal fat - and fat will help keep things moving. Please re-read what you think you read about protein. Most people here probably get at least 100 g of protein per day if not 1g/lb of body weight.