First Time Bloating Issues Despite Charcoal, Cascara And MB

[Durey]

So I've been trying to improve my gut health recently and took 20g of activated charcoal before I went to bed and then every other day 3 tablespoons for a week. On the days I didn't take the AC, I took half a teaspoon of cascara at night. I've also been taking around 10-20mg of MB every day to help with various issues.

Around the time I began taking the AC I noticed that my belly was getting bloated during the day, really pregnant-looking. There was also some pain and tenderness of the abdomen. A distended belly is something I've never experienced before, except very rarely after huge restaurant meals. I tend to get gas after eating fiber (one of the reasons I tried the AC), but usually without discomfort and never with a bloated belly.

Now I wonder what went wrong. I've been eating more or less the same foods for the last 2.5 years, I don't have more stress or less daylight and I didn't introduce any new supplements. The only thing I changed recently was the addition of more baking soda than usual: half a teaspoon in 100ml of water first thing in the morning and the same before going to bed.

Oh, and a couple weeks before the bloating issues started I took a pinch of sulfur powder three days in a row (what Peat recommends for parasites). I don't think I have parasites, but as I eat raw egg yolks and the occasional raw liver, I took it just to be on the safe side.

Could it be that the charcoal removed lots of bacteria and led to a yeast overgrowth? Or did it change the balance of the microbiome in an unfavourable way?

 

[Amazoniac]

Charcoal is known for slowing things down in some people, and if you already had minor problems with fiber and gas, it can be that it just became more pronounced as the food had more time to ferment.
It's only worth diminishing your fiber intake to compensate if the constipation persists.
But don't take my word for it..

 

[Durey]

I still have a bowel movement almost every day, but yes - the last dose of charcoal came out two days after its intake and not with the first BM after taking it, so it definitely slowed things down a bit. Today I had two bowel movements and my belly looked normal until the late afternoon. I ate one overripe banana, one cherimoya and had some milk. While I was eating I could feel my belly distending already and now I have a full-blown bloat. Even when constipated I've never had this before (and I was badly constipated in my pre-Peat days). Now it happens every day and my last dose of charcoal was about a week ago.

 

[tara]

The only thing I changed recently was the addition of more baking soda than usual: half a teaspoon in 100ml of water first thing in the morning and the same before going to bed.

That's quite a bit of baking soda. May be useful if you need it, but if you don't need it it could potentially cause trouble (the severe case is milk-alkali, esp if supplementing calcium as well) eventually. If it were me, I would not use that much unreacted baking soda without monitoring UpH somehow - most easily with pH strips (ideally ~6.3-6.7). If it's averaging over 6.8 I wouldn't supplement baking soda.

Baking soda could also be expected to have some neutralising effect on stomach acid, so it might mean the food you eat under those conditions doesn't get broken down as quickly or thoroughly in the stomach?

 

[Durey]

Thank you, tara! I've stopped the baking soda for now. It gave me a nice energy boost and it helps with muscle fatigue. I also thought it would be better to get some of my sodium with carbonate instead of chloride. I did measure my pH when I took it and it was almost 7, if I remember correctly. For some reason I thought that this was a good value, but it seems the baking soda might not be the best supplement for me right now.

I hope this won't lead to long term problems or overgrowths of who-knows-what. The bloating makes me feel full and slightly nauseous and food doesn't appeal to me at all.

 

[tara]

Thank you, tara! I've stopped the baking soda for now. It gave me a nice energy boost and it helps with muscle fatigue. I also thought it would be better to get some of my sodium with carbonate instead of chloride. I did measure my pH when I took it and it was almost 7, if I remember correctly. For some reason I thought that this was a good value, but it seems the baking soda might not be the best supplement for me right now.

If it's between 6.8 - 7 on average I'd count that as slightly on the alkaline side, but not severe.
I'll be curious if removing it improves your digestion again.

 

[Durey]

My urine was still alkaline today (7.1), but the bloating and discomfort is not as bad anymore. I rubbed some Emodin on my belly and took a few drops of it and it seems to help with the bloat. I've cut back on my dairy intake and will keep an eye on my pH.