Posted by bleauberry on November 7, 2009, at 17:54:03
In reply to Re: Does glutamine help the GI tract? » bleauberry, posted by G-man885858 on November 7, 2009, at 12:47:39
> Bleauberry,
>
> I have a big problem with probiotics. Every time I take probiotic pills, I get a wicked cluster headache which prevents me from taking it anymore. I DON'T KNOW WHY!!To rule out an allergic reaction to something in a particular brand, you should try two other brands to see if the reaction still happens. If it does, then there are two likely reasons for the headaches. Neither of them are the fault of the probiotic. Believe it or not, the headaches could actually be a good clue that you need them.
1. Probiotics have direct effects on our immune system. If your immune system is weak, or if you have a higher than normal pathogen burden, probiotics are going to spark off a Herxheimer reaction (the die-off toxins of pathogenic organisms). Enough of them will be shoved out of place and disrupted by the probiotics that there will a consider amount of death happening. That's a good thing, but feels bad. Intense headaches are one of the most common indications of a Herx, due to the inflammation response.
2. There is a higher yeast/Candida burden than assumed. My doctor thought I had a yeast problem. Before starting me on anti-yeast meds, he first wanted me to remove sugar from my diet. Yeast feeds on sugar. I didn't remove sugar, but I did cut down on it quite a bit. I suffered severe Herx reactions just doing that. The pathogen load was so heavy that even a change in diet caused enough death to create a Herx. When the med was added, it got even worse.
The Herx, as bad as it is, is actually a good thing. It means healing is underway. It usually lasts a few days to a few weeks. As long as it takes for the pathogen load to drop down to insignifcant. Advil or your favorite pain reliever can be used for the pain. Activated charcoal capsules and/or chlorella tabs can be taken (3 hours apart from meals) to absorb the toxins in your gut before they get absorbed into your bloodstream. It doesn't eliminate a Herx, but helps lessen it. Cleavers tincture or Red Root tincture will speed up the lymphatic system to keep detox pathways flowing smoothly.
I can easily see how someone would think that since probiotics give them headaches they can't take probiotics. It is actually just the opposite. They desperately need the probiotics, as well as some anti-yeast herbs or meds, and elimination of sugar, to get the problem under control. Many psych symptoms and physical symptoms are caused by the everyday normal excretions of excess gut yeast. And it brings us full circle back to your original post...GI gut problems. That's what yeast do.
I think the same thing happens with antibiotics. Someone has a viscious reaction to an antibiotic and then assume they had an allergic reaction. If it wasn't hives, itching, stuff like that, it probably was not an allergic reaction. It was a Herx, which meant the antibiotic was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing. It should, however, have had a much lower dose to start and increased slowly.
You also will need to do that. Start very low and increase slowly.
I could be wrong, but it looks pretty obvious to me. Your story is right in line with what thousands of others describe on their journey to healing. The hard part is enduring the Herx, persisting with treatment, and getting to the green grass on the other side.
poster:bleauberry
thread:924801
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091107/msgs/924881.html