Need Help For Chronic Constipation And Digestion Problems

Guacamayo

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I've been suffering from IBS related symptoms since early 2008. I had developed autoimmune hyperthyroidism (Grave's disease) at the beginning of 2008 and the IBS symptoms began more or less around the same time. Originally it was mainly lots of flatulence with alternating diarrhea and constipation , and then around September/October 2009 I went to a Chinese Herbalist/Acupuncturist and the symptoms became mainly lots of flatulence with 1 - 2 bowel movements/day. Around mid-2011 it became simply constipation in addition to the ongoing farting. This may have been due to the amount of medication I was taking for the hyperthyroidism that may have been keeping me in a slightly hypothyroid state (I know that T3 and T4 numbers should be in the top part of the range, whereas mine were at the lower end, indicating a chronic slightly hypothyroid state) , or it could have been an unrelated worsening of digestive issues.


At the beginning of February 2014 I made some dietary changes and took out all gluten and most grains from my diet for a period of 6 months. At the same time I also stopped eating any raw fruits/vegetables for 2-3 months (I ate only stews/soups and boiled fruits like in a compote), except for 200g of grated carrot with apple cider vinegar, olive oil and salt before breakfast (I've been eating this on and off since February 2014). And I also began drinking 1-2 cups of bone broth per day for a few months. Within 2-3 weeks I began to have proper comfortable bowel movements around 3-4 times/day (once before breakfast, and then once after breakfast and lunch, and usually after dinner). However, I could only get several hours' sleep at most (probably due to the lack of starches in my diet) and my hairline began to recede a lot quicker at around this time too. This state of health continued until early 2016 (even after I had started adding in small amounts of grains/starches to my diet). I should just mention that throughout this period I could still not go more than 1-2 days in a row eating meals that consisted of starches (e.g. rice (be it jasmine or whatever else), buckwheat, potato) without the constipation symptoms returning. This was strange because when in February 2014 I suddenly began to have normal bowel movements, I was still eating grains for lunch and dinner, but had only switched out raw vegetables for boiled vegetables. Even now, adding only a quarter of a non-starchy potato to a bowl of soup will prevent me from having a normal BM that morning or throughout the day.


Another thing I noticed was that my thyroid autoimmune antibodies started falling significantly beginning early - mid 2014 until early- mid 2015. The Graves disease antibodies (TRAB) disappeared completely, but the Hashimoto's antibodies (TPO Ab) went down but did not disappear completely. The TPO Ab stayed at that low level from early-mid 2015 till mid-2016 when they shot up again. They actually shot up again right after I tried the advanced SIBO-C protocol recommended by Brisson on Fix Your Gut. However, I also started practicing the Wim Hof method at the same time, so it may have either been one or the other that caused this reaction, or it may have been something else entirely. Anyway, the TPO and Thyroglobulin Ab have stayed up for the past year. So basically since the beginning of 2014 I have had Hashimoto's antibodies present, with my thyroid results showing that I'm slightly hypothyroid (my T3 and T4 were in the lower part of the normal range). However, as I mentioned before, I was having normal bowel movements throughout this time.


As an aside, my constipation is more of a problem of peristalsis than it is with small pebbly stool. I occasionally will get that small stool, but almost all the time its a soft stool (sometimes formed, sometimes unformed) and it feels like the peristaltic motion is not working properly and I just have stool that won't move. Usually when I do get a formed stool, then its usually accompanied by straining and its not like I used to pass formed stools in prior years, when everything would be comfortable. Also, usually when I do get these constipation symptoms its accompanied by pain in the upper back (around the ribcage) and underneath my right/left rib. I think this may be a form of fibromyalgia. For example, when I do a liver cleanse along with taking the necessary supplements, the constipation will remain but at least the pain goes away.


After September 2016 my constipation symptoms began to slowly return (at the same time as my antibody numbers began to slowly worsen). I was having around 2-3 bowel movements per day, but was only completely evacuating after breakfast, and then felt like I still had to go after lunch and dinner. I also had to start up again on laxatives, taking senna once per week and high-dose vitamin c twice per week in the mornings. Prior to this I would only take senna/high dose vitamin c maybe once or twice a month at most. Also, it was at around the same time that my constant farting symptoms started to disappear (I forgot to mention that the flatulence issue did not go away at all until around about September 2016). This was something that I had noticed earlier, that if my flatulence symptoms improved (usually after a FODMAP-style diet) then my constipation would usually worsen.

As of writing, I can only have an incomplete BM in the morning right after eating my carrot salad, and usually again after breakfast. However, it's not a complete evacuation and I'll still have that feeling throughout the day like I need to go. And I'm no longer getting any BM after lunch or dinner. It just feels like the food is sitting there in my stomach and not digesting/moving down towards my intestines.


I've also had a thick coated tongue throughout this entire period that only went away during March - April 2014 (a few weeks after I suddenly began to have normal bowel movements). I've no idea why this happened. I know that for 1-2 weeks prior to developing a normal-looking tongue I had stopped eating fruits, however after I had started up again, my tongue still remained clear. In subsequent years I have again tried going 2-3 weeks without fruit but have seen absolutely zero noticeable change. The only supplement/substance that seems to have any effect on my coated tongue is licorice. It doesn't remove the white coating completely, but I would say that 75% is removed. This is something that I can't find an explanation for, but I'm hoping that someone here would be able to come up with a reason why out of all the supplements I've tried, licorice (at a 2.5mg/day dose) is the only one that mostly clears up my tongue for the day.


Throughout 2016 and 2017 I've tried redoing some of the dietary changes that I made in February 2014 when I suddenly began to experience a relief in all my symptoms (except the insomnia) but nothing has worked. I've tried drinking 2-3 cups of bone broth/day for 1-2 months and that had no effect. The low-starch stew and soup diet is not really working as well (although the soup that I eat for breakfast is probably the only thing that helps me), and the main symptoms its giving me are just worsened sleep. I've tried going gluten-free again for several months and have seen no improvement in IBS symptoms or antibody numbers. Similar results with dairy-free for 1-2 months, and sugar-free for 1-2 months.


As for my blood test results, they usually show the following: I have low protein markers. This is probably due to my inability to properly digest the food that I'm eating - whether it be protein, starches, or lactose (I'm lactose intolerant) - rather than eating a low-protein meal. I've tried adding HCL, digestive enzymes (from a range of brands, including Enzymedica Gold) and taking bitters before meals (in doses from small to large) but that hasn't helped me in raising my blood protein count or alleviating the constipation symptoms.

For the past several years I've had a chronically low RBC (slightly below range) and WBC (always border-line at the bottom of the range). My estrogen is high, and my testosterone fluctuates from test to test between low and normal. I'm neither Th1 nor Th2 dominant but a mix of both, and my Th17 is fine. According to a saliva test taken late last year my cortisol is slightly high and my DHEA is low. My iodine is also always low, but after supplementing iodine (with selenium) for several months I didn't see any improvement in any of my symptoms.

My stool tests show a low amount of the good bacteria (lacto, bifido, the good E.coli) and a low amount of the unhelpful bacteria as well (including the negative E.coli). As I may have mentioned, I've tried both prebiotics and probiotics for a long period of time and saw no improvement (in huge doses as well). They also show that I don't have any yeast overgrowth (so the coated tongue is not due to a yeast overgrowth but something else) and that I don't have any parasites or H Pylori.

From February 2014 to 2017 I had been eating mostly gluten free. Nowadays I will usually go several weeks without eating bread, and if I do eat bread then its usually no more than a few slices a week and mostly one of the ancient grains like organic kamut or organic spelt. Otherwise, wheat has the exact same effect on my digestion as any other type of grain. That's why I limit it, and not so much because of the gluten.

My diet since February 2014 has been mostly as follows:

- Before Breakfast: 200g of grated carrot with one tablespoon of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and sprinkle of salt (I will take a one week break from this every 4-8 weeks).

- Breakfast: A vegetable soup which consists of grated beets, carrots, cabbage, and chopped onions, turnips, capsicums, chillies, tomato paste, and occasionally mushrooms (around 5 days a week, and then twice I'll have either omelette/organic oatmeal/bircher muesli/corn flakes with almond milk or 1-2 cups of unhomogynized organic milk or raw goats milk ). If I add potatoes/sweet potatoes or taros to this soup then it'll constipate me for that day. A small slice of bread won't have that effect. However, anything more than a small slice, will. The oatmeal, muesli, omelette, and cereal all have a constipating effect but I need to vary my breakfast and cannot be on soups 7 days/week.

- Lunch: Boiled vegetable stew consisting of turnips/pumpkins/rutabaga/onions/celery/carrot/broccoli/(pretty much any root vegetable and any bulky vegetable that can be stewed). I'll add 2-3 tablespoons of millet/buckwheat/rice to my plate in addition to this and mix it all together. For meat I eat beef, chicken, lamb, pork. For seafood I eat mostly sardines, calamari, tuna, sockeye salmon. I may eat around 5 eggs a week, but mostly that is when I don't have access to other protein sources, and I always eat them with the yolk still runny. I may also have a cucumber or tomato on the side. Sometimes some slices of avocado. I'll usually eat around 60g of cheese after lunch on most days. This cheese can be of any type e.g feta/cheddar/parmesan/gouda/etc.

- Dinner: The same as lunch but in a smaller portion and usually without cheese.

Around once or twice a week I'll do a vegan diet, where I eat everything as above, but replace the proteins with tofu/lentils/mushrooms.

- Snacks: Once between breakfast and lunch and once between lunch and dinner. The snacks usually consist of any type of fruit which is available, usually bananas, apples, melons, cherries, grapes, or oranges. Around once a week I'll have canned or smoked sardines as a snack. Most days of the week I'll also snack on some sunflower seed/sesame seed brittle cookies or nut-based cookies with some dark chocolate and dried fruit (dates/apricots/prunes) during that long break between lunch and dinner.

I drink water throughout the day and will have lemongrass/chamomile tea with meals. I'll drink coffee a few times a week in the morning just for the boost in energy and mood. I may be completely off-base here but I have a sneaking suspicion that coffee does worsen my constipation by perhaps aggravating my stomach. That's why whenever I do drink it, it's usually after breakfast when I've already had my BM or sometime during mid-afternoon.

I'm male, 32 years old with a mixed Russian/miscellaneous East European/Ashkenazi ethnic background, and I work from home. Lifestyle-wise, I would say that I am pretty fit. I work out with weights at the gym twice per week, jog once per week, and exercise regularly throughout the other days. I lived by the beach for around a year and I was getting at least an hour of sun everyday (mostly mid-morning), in addition to being in the ocean for around 15-20 minutes, but that did absolutely nothing for my bowel problems. If anything I find that my constipation symptoms became worse after I'd been out in the sun for anything longer than 20-30 minutes. Other than that, I still get around 30 minutes a day of sun and my vitamin d levels are more or less fine. That is, they're in range and just below the middle of the range. However, I should not that my face has a chronic yellowy complexion, even if the rest of my body is more tanned. I've heard that that is probably due to a large amount of toxins in the body.

P.S.

In addition to the above, I can also say that I've tried almost every diet/supplement under the sun and haven't had any positive long-term results. I've tried taking T3 (in doses up to 25 - 40mcg in the mornings with no serious effect on constipation symptoms however I still take it most days at around 25mcg during the morning before breakfast because I suspect it may be doing something helpful). The T3/T4 combo didn't help that much and neither did the natural thyroid.

I've tried the following and had no positive results in terms of my constipation symptoms: Amino acids(BCAA), MSM organic sulfur crystals, systemic enzymes (serrapepatase and wobenzym), oregano oil, colloidal silver, berberine, atrantil, lactoferrin, curcumin, zinc, vitamin a, vitamin b complex, triphala, NAC, l-glutamine, n acetyl glucosamine, glutathione (liposomal and other forms), haritaki, grape seed extract, olive leaf extract, 5htp, glycine, d-limonene, vitamin k2, tudca, vitamin b6, vitamin b9. I've also tried different liver cleanses, in addition to herbs and supplments from both Ayurveda and TCM practitioners but neither provided me with any tangible benefits in terms of digestion. Although, as I may have mentioned before, the TUDCA did seem to help in alleviating the pain that I would get with my constipation symptoms, however other supplements may have helped in this respect as well, such as the systemic enzymes and perhaps the bone broth too.

I realize this post is quite long but I wanted to start off as thorough as I could possibly be (on a forum of this nature) in regards to the history of my health. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions as to what my issue could be, because as I've mentioned, I've tried almost everything, and what worked for me 4 years ago for around a year is no longer working. In fact I suspect it simply may have been a cortisol stress response to suddenly taking out all starches from my diet. This could explain why I was hardly sleeping when I was having normal bowel movements and now that I'm sleeping better again, my bowel movements are worse. I know that @tyw has helped some on this board and there are some other users whose names I can't recall now who've also been able to help others. I'm hoping that someone out there will be able to help me out of this rut that I've been in for all these years.
 

Motif

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In my case ox bile was the only thing that really helps with it. Large Amounts. But too much can be pretty bad if you try, so start slow
 
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Guacamayo

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I've tried TUDCA several times which by most accounts should have a similar effect to ox bile, and I saw no improvement whilst I was on that for several weeks (other than a decrease in pain).

Or would you say that ox bile provides a significantly different effect to TUDCA?
 

Amazoniac

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:wave:

I'm surprised that you're not from Netherlands; we all are. This alone causes health issues.

If you can't move for now, here are some considerations to get by:
- It looks like you can benefit from more potassium and magnesium, I know it sounds random but I did read what you wrote. Even though you didn't mention, you must have tried magnesium before. What form?
- It also looks like a lot of cooked carotenes, especially given the presence of plenty of fat.
- No sun exposure for now? It can help balance the carotenes, it's not imaginary in my experience. Vit D supplements can worsen constipation.
- Have you tried vit C in human doses?
- Gelatin?
- The diet is bulky but are there enough calories (Cirion, 2018)?
- What about sodium bicarbonate (with orange juice or before meals in a bit of water) and acetate? Have you tried these?
 

Blossom

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What about sodium bicarbonate (with orange juice or before meals in a bit of water) and acetate? Have you tried these?
Did you forgot to include the source on this one (Obi-wan, 2018)?
 
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Guacamayo

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I will try out the ox bile and see how it goes.

In response to @Amazoniac, I have tried supplementing magnesium before for a number of months and it had no effect. I tried both the spray-on "Ancient Minerals" magnesium oil and both magnesium citrate and oxide. Magnesium citrate didn't have any real positive effect in terms of keeping me regular, however when I did take it in huge amounts (somewhere around 1.5 - 2g of elemental magnesium if I remember correctly) then it would have a bowel cleansing effect similar to high-dose Vitamin C. The same thing occurred with Magnesium oxide. The only issue is that I feel like I become quickly accustomed to the dose and have to increase it after several times to get the same effect. Also, with magnesium oxide to get that same bowel-cleansing effect I have to take around 5-6 grams of magnesium oxide powder. And it also feels like the high-dose magnesium and vitamin c just give me "the runs" so to speak. It's not like senna where I have a large BM that feels like I've completely emptied myself. It's more like a quick, immediate, but incomplete cleanse. Upping the dose makes no difference.

As far as potassium, I have tried eating a very-high potassium diet to no avail.

Currently (and since the past several months) I'm not eating as much cooked carotenes as before (I'm not eating any cooked pumpkin, sweet potato, or carrots) and it hasn't made any difference.

As I mentioned, sun exposure made no difference even when I was getting over an hour a day (during Spring, Summer and Autumn in beach-side Sydney) and now that I'm living at a high-altitude (800 metres above sea level, and also in a hot and dry climate) I'm still getting around 30 minutes altogether throughout the day.

I've tried vitamin c, but it didn't really help. Only high-dose vitamin c has a laxative effect.

I should also mention that I've previously had pain in my stomach/gastritis and every time the pain gets worse it seems that my symptoms worsen. However, even when there's no pain my chronic constipation is still there. Vitamin C is one of those substances that aggravates gastritis and so I try to use it as rarely as possible (usually comes out to once a week).

I mentioned above, I've tried gelatin and no effect, regardless of the dosage. The same story with collagen. I still eat bone broth on most days but I'm not noticing any effect on my digestion.

I can't provide numbers right now, but there are definitely enough calories in my diet (although, as I mentioned above, I'm not absorbing much of the food I'm eating). My blood markers show that my protein is always low and I usually will see bits of food in my stool which means whatever I am eating, I'm digesting and absorbing very little of it. However, as I mentioned above, I don't want to aggravate my stomach by increasing my food intake beyond measure.

I haven't tried acetate, however I do add 1/2 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon of soda to a glass of water a few times a week to balance out my acidity/alkalinity. However I always take it between my meals since some sources say that soda lowers stomach acid. I don't take orange juice (with or without the soda) because when I did drink it regularly (the cold-pressed store-bought kind, both with and without pulp) it did nothing for me.
 

Amazoniac

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I will try out the ox bile and see how it goes.

In response to @Amazoniac, I have tried supplementing magnesium before for a number of months and it had no effect. I tried both the spray-on "Ancient Minerals" magnesium oil and both magnesium citrate and oxide. Magnesium citrate didn't have any real positive effect in terms of keeping me regular, however when I did take it in huge amounts (somewhere around 1.5 - 2g of elemental magnesium if I remember correctly) then it would have a bowel cleansing effect similar to high-dose Vitamin C. The same thing occurred with Magnesium oxide. The only issue is that I feel like I become quickly accustomed to the dose and have to increase it after several times to get the same effect. Also, with magnesium oxide to get that same bowel-cleansing effect I have to take around 5-6 grams of magnesium oxide powder. And it also feels like the high-dose magnesium and vitamin c just give me "the runs" so to speak. It's not like senna where I have a large BM that feels like I've completely emptied myself. It's more like a quick, immediate, but incomplete cleanse. Upping the dose makes no difference.

As far as potassium, I have tried eating a very-high potassium diet to no avail.

Currently (and since the past several months) I'm not eating as much cooked carotenes as before (I'm not eating any cooked pumpkin, sweet potato, or carrots) and it hasn't made any difference.

As I mentioned, sun exposure made no difference even when I was getting over an hour a day (during Spring, Summer and Autumn in beach-side Sydney) and now that I'm living at a high-altitude (800 metres above sea level, and also in a hot and dry climate) I'm still getting around 30 minutes altogether throughout the day.

I've tried vitamin c, but it didn't really help. Only high-dose vitamin c has a laxative effect.

I should also mention that I've previously had pain in my stomach/gastritis and every time the pain gets worse it seems that my symptoms worsen. However, even when there's no pain my chronic constipation is still there. Vitamin C is one of those substances that aggravates gastritis and so I try to use it as rarely as possible (usually comes out to once a week).

I mentioned above, I've tried gelatin and no effect, regardless of the dosage. The same story with collagen. I still eat bone broth on most days but I'm not noticing any effect on my digestion.

I can't provide numbers right now, but there are definitely enough calories in my diet (although, as I mentioned above, I'm not absorbing much of the food I'm eating). My blood markers show that my protein is always low and I usually will see bits of food in my stool which means whatever I am eating, I'm digesting and absorbing very little of it. However, as I mentioned above, I don't want to aggravate my stomach by increasing my food intake beyond measure.

I haven't tried acetate, however I do add 1/2 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon of soda to a glass of water a few times a week to balance out my acidity/alkalinity. However I always take it between my meals since some sources say that soda lowers stomach acid. I don't take orange juice (with or without the soda) because when I did drink it regularly (the cold-pressed store-bought kind, both with and without pulp) it did nothing for me.
Starting your day with something that prevents fermentation (such as carrot salad) can be constipating if you're already prone to it. This alone causes constipation in some people, but on the other hand it should be helping you to prevent absorption of toxins. Perhaps consuming it as your last meal of the day?

There are other forms of magnesium that are worth trying, I wouldn't dismiss it. Even Zeus' topical product is worth experimenting with.
Ray Peat Email Advice Depository
Raj also recommends to supplement thyroid hormones with some magnesium along.

Does you enjoys coconut water? Sometimes it is difficult to remain hydrated without causing electrolyte disturbance.

Have you tried to neutralize ascorbic acid with sodium bicarbonate (yerrag, 2017) to prevent that? Using an amount that when added to diet gives you about 1 g of vit C a day (but you might need more).

What about a heat lamp on abdomen? Sometimes toxins from constipation paralyze intestinal movement further, light has an effect and can help to energize those tissues back.

Improper mastication (Ferraro, 2018) shouldn't cause, but shouldn't help either.

Have you tried to consume only goat dairy for some weeks?

I would not underestimate the orange juice and sodium bicarbonate combination, it can be quite useful. Acetate is worth trying, there are various posts about it.

As a last resource you can try coffee enemas for some days to normalize it, which will relieve one part of the bowel, and then things have a chance to get moving.
 
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Guacamayo

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I start my day with a glass of warm water and then the grated carrot. I find that I have a better BM after the grated carrot than if I were to skip the grated carrots altogether. I could try it at the end of the day as well. But are you suggesting that I eat it both as my first meal and last meal, or just try it as a last meal at the end of the day?

I'm not dismissing magnesium. I know that it is helpful for overall health, however when I take it long-term, it doesn't help in relieving my constipation symptoms.

I do enjoy coconut water. Are you suggesting that I drink more of it, and if so, how much? All the water I drink now is plastic-bottled mineral water(with more calcium than magnesium), so I'm quite sure that my minerals are slightly imbalanced, but again, not by so much that would lead to constipation.

The vitamin c that I have is a buffered vitamin c powder (buffered with magnesium, zinc, potassium). This makes it more gentle on digestion than straight ascorbic acid, and perhaps I don't need to neutralize it with bicarbonate in this case? I will give it another go and supplement 1g of vitamin c a day and see if it gives results, however last time I tried it, it had no effect.

I'll try the heat lamp on the abdomen and see if that helps. What type of heat lamp would you recommend?

I'm quite sure that improper chewing isn't the issue, because I've spent several days eating meals that were completely blended as smoothies, and that didn't improve my constipation symptoms. On the other hand, it didn't worsen my symptoms either, and I did find that on most occasions after I finished those blended meals the food didn't feel like it was just sitting in my stomach and not digesting. However, that didn't translate to better bowel movements.

I haven't tried consuming goat dairy only for a few weeks, however I have gone dairy-free for 1-2 months on several occasions and did not see an improvement in any symptoms. I can say the same thing about sugar. In large doses it does worsen my constipation, however when I cut it out of my diet for 1-2 months I see no improvement in symptoms.

I should mention that I do try and limit my sugar consumption because I do find that when eaten in large amounts it has a similar effect to what a high-fat meal would have - sugar crash and a feeling of exhaustion within an hour or two after a meal. This is especially more pronounced during the mornings. I find that I'm better able to handle sugar and fat during the afternoon/evening.

When you recommend the orange juice and soda combination, how often and when do you recommend to take it? I'll also give acetate a go, but from what I've read it's more of a band-aid solution.
 

Peatful

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@Guacamayo
Estrogen slows my transit time tremendously.
Too much estrogen ~> too much serotonin ~> more endotoxins....
Don’t know if you looked at that angle at all to unravel a complex issue.
 

Motif

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Just started 500 mg ox bile per meal again.
Really the only thing that helps me
 

Amazoniac

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I start my day with a glass of warm water and then the grated carrot. I find that I have a better BM after the grated carrot than if I were to skip the grated carrots altogether. I could try it at the end of the day as well. But are you suggesting that I eat it both as my first meal and last meal, or just try it as a last meal at the end of the day?
Yes, I read that. It's difficult to know what's in the combination that helps, maybe it's just the fact that the digestive system starts to work and it's encouraged to move (especially since you add T3 to the story), but then since the first meal is too antiseptic, as it travels further down the intestines it affects how other meals are digested. Have you tried carrot-apple juice occasionally as the first meal? I suspect it can be better to eat the fibrous antiseptic meal at the end of the day and pay attention to how it's affecting you.

Regarding other meals, some people have weird gut reactions to Solanaceaes.
I'm not dismissing magnesium. I know that it is helpful for overall health, however when I take it long-term, it doesn't help in relieving my constipation symptoms.
It's difficult to find a condition that doesn't benefit from increasing its intake, a little at a time should suffice if you think that your diet isn't providing enough.
I do enjoy coconut water. Are you suggesting that I drink more of it, and if so, how much? All the water I drink now is plastic-bottled mineral water(with more calcium than magnesium), so I'm quite sure that my minerals are slightly imbalanced, but again, not by so much that would lead to constipation.
Coconut water can be a good source of magnesium. I guess the amount is according to taste.
The vitamin c that I have is a buffered vitamin c powder (buffered with magnesium, zinc, potassium). This makes it more gentle on digestion than straight ascorbic acid, and perhaps I don't need to neutralize it with bicarbonate in this case? I will give it another go and supplement 1g of vitamin c a day and see if it gives results, however last time I tried it, it had no effect.
Yeah, it's been neutralized. It's better to spread the doses throughout the day. In my experience it goes well with taurine.
I'll try the heat lamp on the abdomen and see if that helps. What type of heat lamp would you recommend?
There are threads on the forum about it. I prefer the ones that give a continuous spectrum rather than specific frequencies (LED). Red infrared lamps are worth trying.

If you have issues with malabsorption, it can make the situation worse for increasing your requirements beyond what you can replenish. B12 might be an example. By the way, since you mentioned a yellow skin hue, have you tried it before?
When you recommend the orange juice and soda combination, how often and when do you recommend to take it? I'll also give acetate a go, but from what I've read it's more of a band-aid solution.
I don't know, it's better not to use food as tool, but if you enjoy orange juice, adding a bit of sodium bicarbonate is something that Raj suggests.
It is a band-aid, but when you have enough of those they might help in making a permanent change.
 
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rei

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Fasting is very healthy for the digestive system and fibre downright cancerous. I remember seeing a study where removing fibre from the diet caused a dose-response decrease, with 0% fibre group being 0% affected.
 

Amazoniac

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Daniel11, 2017?
Man, 2015 (except that he's suggesting LED). There's no need to lie down like a cadaver, I bet she would have her fingers intertwined if it wasn't for the light, but it's an useful position because the muscles from the region are allowed to relax.

For people dealing with digestive issues, it isn't good to start your day with the food that can worsen what you're trying to address. For example, if you're dealing with a lot of fermentation, it isn't a great idea to start it with the most aggravating or problematic food. I think the best time to introduce such food is after the noons, when the pace has already been set; it can't be too late otherwise it can have a negative effect on sleep.
In the case of Guacamayo, which happens to be surviving outside of Netherlands, starting the day with a food that can stop fermentation and increase constipation might worsen it (not that this is the cause). But it's something that can be advantageous by the end of the day.
 
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Guacamayo

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@Peatful I did mention in the original post that my estrogen levels have been high every time I've had my hormones tested. I've tried different methods for getting them down, including eating lots of mushrooms, taking 3-4mg of progesterone per day, etc., but I'm not sure if that had any effect. If it did have an effect and my estrogen levels did indeed go down(remember, I'm not testing my hormones every month but maybe a couple of times a year at most), then I can say that it didn't translate into better digestion or relieving my constipation. However, I am still seeking some sort of safe long-term dietary/lifestyle change that I can make that would keep my estrogen levels down. Obviously the grated carrot every morning isn't the solution, and supplemental progesterone seems like a stop-gap solution since it also lowers testosterone.

I've heard taurine mentioned a lot in relation to its positive effects on the thyroid and other areas, and to be honest it's one of the few supplements that I have yet to try. I know that glycine is usually recommended for gut health, but what about taurine?

@Amazoniac I'm not sure if you're asking in relation to B12 or the red infrared heat lamp, but I have tried supplementing B12 in the past and didn't get much benefit. My B12 levels are in range, but usually at the bottom part of the range or below the half-way point of the range. And the pale/yellowish hue to my face doesn't go away when I supplemented any of the b vitamins. It just seems that even when I'm very tanned, my face will be the first part of my body to lose that tanned complexion and revert back to that yellowish sickly hue after I haven't been out in the sun for a few days (whereas the rest of my body stays tanned). This is something that I find rare among healthy people.

In relation to the infrared heat lamp, I know you mentioned that there are threads on this forum about it, but what is a continuous spectrum one that you would recommend, or could you at least link to a page that discusses a good one? And would the continuous spectrum heat lamps differ in their effect on digestion from the red infrared lamps? In that link you provided above it seems that the researchers from Flinders University used blue-light due to its more excitatory properties.
 

Amazoniac

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Sep 10, 2014
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Not Uganda
I was reading it again, but your diet seems nutritious.

Is it possible for you to try less T3 at a time with meals that have enough magnesium?
Which B-complex did you use?
When you avoided dairy for a while, did you replaced what was eliminated?
Do you eat your meals without feeling hungry?
Are they always appetizing or you eat for the sake of habit?
Have you tried to eat more phosphorus to disfavor its balance with calcium?
Do you supplement anything other than thyroid hormones?
Do you eat those goitrogens (broccolo, rutabaga, turnip, etc) in two meals daily?
Are your legumes sprouted and cooked enough?
How is the quality of your shower water?

This is Zeus in 2013, we were not even born yet:
Red Light Experiment (120V Vs. 130V)

Speaking of him:
Taurine Reverses Thyroid Inhibition Due To Fluoride
 
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JustAGuy

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Jul 21, 2018
Messages
141
Please try Betaine Hcl and lowering protein intake while eating smaller meals more frequently. I have managed to reduce my white tongue by 80% so far for the first time in years. For me the more protein I eat the worse it gets. I have the EXACT same thing that food just feels like it’s sitting around in the stomach doing nothing. High dose Betaine HCl and low protein intake help enormously. I just eat very spread throughout the day and supplement with an essential amino acid blend. My nails and facial hair grow 2-3x as fast as before currently. In addition my nailbeds are way stronger and hair feels even thicker than it was (I am blessed with very good hairline genetics so this was not a problem, it just feels even thicker and stronger than before).
 

Peatful

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Dec 8, 2016
Messages
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@Guacamayo
Yes- I surely missed that when I scanned your data (I’m a tl;dr girl unfortunately).

So, you have your culprit.
The dreaded estrogen serotonin endotoxin malady that I myself have yet to fix.
If I do, I will report back in.

Oh, and regarding taurine.
I’m a bone broth or gelatin or hydrolyze collagen person and dont take something like that separately. I try food as medicine first.
 

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