Bentonite clay?

[Allison]

My husband has been having a Crohn's flare for the last few days. I'm always researching 'natural' ways to help him, and was reading about Bentonite clay (to detox the colon AND control diarrhea) and wondered if any of you have tried it, and if it works?

I was specifically looking at Dr. Schulze's Intestinal Formula 2 and wondered if anybody here is familiar with his products and have tried this one (I've used some of his other products with success).

Thank you!

 

[Jennifer]

Sorry no I haven't. I'll bump your thread in case someone else has though.

 

[Spooky]

Hi Allison, I also have a husband who has Crohns, and I have also been trying to find out if Bentonite Clay is a good thing. My husband was having horrible bouts of D after his resection and is now on Questran and it has been a life saver for sure, but like you I would love to find something natural that would do the same thing. He is also on Pentasa, but not sure if that has ever really helped him. I will let you know if I find anything good about the Bentonite.

 

[crohnsdoesntexist]

This is an old thread, so hopefully it's still helpful to you!! I say better late than never!

But I was diagnosed with Crohn's 2 years ago & I've tried everything to get it under control. Conventional medicine was doing nothing for me, (besides prednisone but nobody wants to be on that!) ...so I recently turned to holistic medicine to treat my Crohn's. I'm proud and I will shout it out right now that Bentonite Clay, DIET, and probiotics has absolutely changed my life!!!! I take 2oz of liquid bentonite clay per day & now follow the blood type diet..... and I honestly feel like I never got sick. I was at my wits end & ready to accept the fact that I was on my way to surgery. Trying the clay was pretty much my last resort. Thankfully it worked & I highly recommend giving it a chance!!! I now have a totally new mindset that Crohn's doesn't exist... I think our bodies just won't or cannot tolerate certain things & Crohn's *symptoms* is our body trying to get our attention! I'll be writing a book one day!!! LOL

Feel free to email me if you have any questions about the clay. A really helpful site is aboutclay.com ....and I buy my clay from:
http://stores.homestead.com/Gifts4Healing/-strse-The-Living-Clay-Detox-Liquid/Categories.bok

 

[Allison]

Thank you for the replies. I haven't posted on here in months because I forgot my password, and just finally had it reset. Can't believe it was last June that I started the thread! (And thank you, Crabby, for bumping it for me.)

Spooky, how is your husband doing now? I hope he is feeling better and things have calmed down for him. It's sad and hard to watch our hubbys suffer.

Crohnsdoesntexist, thank you also for your information. I will take a look at the website you gave. What type of probiotics do you use? Are you on a diet such as the SCD, or have you just learned what foods you can and cannot tolerate?

In my reading on Crohn's I'm always running across things to consider... latest being pH testing. Has anybody done that to determine your acid-alkaline balance?

 

[mickey]

I was leery of trying the clay and thankful that I only had taken a little, in case I had a reaction to it. I certainly did and it was not pretty. My husband (who is fine), did not have any trouble. However, seeing that the motility of the colon is not working properly with Crohns, it is a risk that the clay may not move through as it should. I had that problem and it was extremely painful. I can not take the colon cleanses either, as those also set me over the edge. I came to find out psyllium is corn and I can not tolerate that. It almost has an adverse reaction. So, I was lerry of the clay. I found that a clear diet of broths, etc., for a good week will help clean me out and start anew. Add the probiotics (I use Healthy Trinity) and Bikram yoga, food enzymes...and that may help turn things around. have to consider this a lifetime change and continue it to keep the Crohns at bay. good luck!

 

[Allison]

Wow Mickey, I'm sorry you reacted to the clay and glad you didn't take too much of it. Did the clear liquid diet help with pain also? My husband's symptoms are fairly controlled now, but he is having some pain and I'm trying to find something to help. I'll check into the Healthy Trinity probiotics.

What brand of food enzymes do you use? I took some myself and had a reaction to them after a couple of weeks (which from what I understand is very rare, which is too bad - they worked great as an aid in digestion. I don't have Crohn's).

 

[mickey]

Yes, clear diet helped with pain. The most expeditious thing I do that helps with pain is the belly rubs. Begin on lower right side (ascending colon) and go upward over belly button (which should be used as center of circle) and then down around left side (descending colon) and down around to right side. Repeat for at least five minutes. You can do watching tv, in car, etc. by himself or someone doing it for him. My husband has done it when I have been in excruciating pain (after a meat meal) and actually out at a restaurant or at home. Seems to help the circulation of the digestive tract, as well as bringing blood to the area to help heal it. A Chinese doc recommended it.

I do not have the food enzymes near me, but was recommended at Whole Foods by one of their staff. I tried a few. Some you take before eating, some during meal; depends.

Oh, make sure he is not drinking any carbonated beverages (can cause bloating/gas/pain) nor alcohol. Both can cause inflammation and pain. I would highly suggest a few weeks of ginger tea. I drop a small, peeled piece of ginger in a pot of hot water and drink warm, or will sometimes keep at room temp, throughout the day. Helps calm stomach and heal as well.
Hope this helps!

 

[crohnsdoesntexist]

Crohnsdoesntexist, thank you also for your information. I will take a look at the website you gave. What type of probiotics do you use? Are you on a diet such as the SCD, or have you just learned what foods you can and cannot tolerate?

"Optimal Health" is the brand of probiotics that I currently take. It has 12 strains of healthy bacteria, opposed to a lot of the probiotic supplements out there now that only have a couple strains. It's called "Flora Plus" and here's the link to that as well --- http://stores.homestead.com/Gifts4Healing/-strse-91/OHS-FloraPlus/Detail.bok

The diet I'm on is called the 'Blood Type Diet'... I started it about a year ago - after my first visit to a holistic doctor. Since then I've seen soooo many positive results. The Blood Type Diet's main purpose is to reduce inflammation, which obviously plays a HUGE role in Crohn's. Each blood type has it's own diet specifications, with certain foods acting as "medicine" and other foods acting as "poison". A food that is beneficial to blood type O, per say, could cause inflammation in somebody with an A blood type. That's the simplest explanation I can give, but I have lots of information on it if you'd like to know more. I strictly eat whole foods now, (SO much different than when I was first diagnosed)! and even though it took awhile to regain control of my life, it was definitely worth the wait!

Your husband is very lucky to have you there for support! Coming from a Crohn's patient - it means alot to have somebody around who understands!

 

[Allison]

Mickey and Crohnsdoesntexist, I never did thank you both for your posts of 3-12-12 (better late than never). Lots of helpful information there.

How are both of you doing now?

 

[mickey]

For the most part, doing well, thanks. Today I picked up the Digestive Enzymes (Whole Foods carries Enzymedica Digest Gold) and more Healthy Trinity probiotics. Live on the stuff. However, found out Yarrow also contains the same strain of healthy bacteria as H. Trinity, but much less, so I ordered some of that. I have read up on some studies regarding it and it shows that it does help. I felt immediate relief, so I do not go without the probiotics and have only recently added back the enzymes.

I was also reading up on enzymes for my dogs and it speaks about processed foods reducing our enzymes. If eating more raw/natural diet, you do not need the enzymes.....caused me to reaccess my diet and try to improve it. Always working on it!