How To Increase Serotonin For Gut Motility

[yerrag]

For 4 days my mom has not had bowel movement.

This was after 3 days of diarrhea, which I suspect to be the side effect of Fluconazole, anti-fungal, on her, which was administered during the same days she had diarrhea.

I informed our doctor about this condition. And she suggested the use of prokinetics drugs. I told her we would discuss our options.

[I also had been giving my mom twice daily 250mg doses of niacin, which I had used together with magnesium to restore her nervous system functions, which I believe was impaired by Levaquin toxicity, aggravated by hypoglycemia induced by use of a parenteral formula (Kaviben Peripheral) which contained significant quantities of purified soya oil.

Prior to her diarrhea incident, she had shown signs of steadily improving over a 2-week time frame, where she had to be force fed a formula I made to replace the commercial liquid food available: Nepro, Ensure, Glucerna etc. Doctors had advised either NGT or PEG, which my mom had forbade earlier. The other option was parenteral nutrition, which in the previous hospital visit turned out to be a disaster, as I described in the previous paragraph.

My osterized food (OF) had honey, virgin coconut oil, bovine colostrum, lamb meat (low aspartate/glutamate-less excitatory), and had calcium, Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, magnesium, and niacin; which would provide nutrition to help restore her nerves. During this time, her dehydrated and out-0f-balance electrolyte levels were being corrected thru IV.

My mom was able to recover from her catatonic state and was starting to eat by herself, and could start to read and had started to talk. It was at this point that her diarrhea started.]

I had stopped giving niacin today, which is a serotonin antagonist. Serotonin is needed for peristalsis, which makes bowels move.

What would you suggest I do to restore my mom's peristalsis?

 

[yerrag]

Since tryptophan is not in the market, I'm just having her eat more foods high in tryptophan.

And I'm giving her fruits high in soluble fiber such as pineapple. This will cause the gut to produce endotoxins, and then it will spur production of serotonin. Hopefully, the tryptophan from food gets used to produce serotonin.

 

[Bahaa El wazzan]

Yerrag let her eat starches every meal

For me i eat huge bowl of white rice
With a ppound of broccoli

Focus on starches and vegetables

Good luck for her

 

[Bahaa El wazzan]

Fruits will cause her diarrhea again

Let her eat crackers and rice and vegetables

 

[yerrag]

Bahaa, how does the crackers and rice enable bowel movement?

I've always avoided serotonin, hence stopped eating soluble fiber to avoid endotoxins, which cause nitric oxide and serotonin to be produced. Yet now I'm faced with a situation where I need serotonin, because my mom has had no bowel movement for 4 days. I figure it must be serotonin that's lacking in her gut. Normally, there is enough serotonin in the gut to enable peristalsis, and this is what makes our bowels move naturally. But after days of antibiotics followed by antifungals, and with intake of niacin (which is a serotonin antagonist), my mom may be short of serotonin in her gut. She is taking probiotics to replenish her gut bacteria, and that would help. But I would like her gut to return back to where it has enough serotonin, and this is where fibrous fruits such as pineapple would help.

The solubility of pineapple fibers would increase the water volume trapped in the fibers in the large intestine. It would create endotoxins, and the endotoxins will spur serotonin to be produced.

That is the logic behind my approach. I know this is not normally how a discussion would focus on, as most of the time we are trying to remove endotoxins from our gut as well as reducing serotonin. But sometimes what we see as bad is not really bad, but we are just used to seeing them as bad guys when in reality they have a good reason for being. In just the right amount, they are good.

 

[Bahaa El wazzan]

I passed through the same as ur mom

I started starches 2 days ago

Let ur mom limit her dairy intake to maximum a cup of milk a day

Fungus are from inflammated intestin and colon that will cause her fungus in her tongue and will cause her constipation then hemmorroids

Then she will lose all her electorolytes

Human body needs everything
Even xortisol and serotonin

The body needs everything in moderation

For me toast work good

I eat 1 toast before any meal

Fruits are not that much fiber

Give it a try

 

[paymanz]

If what ray thinks matter for thou,he says thyroid is what you need for good intestine mobility.

But for your question I think drinking a little bit of glycerol can do the trick.one or two teaspoon.

Or magnesium supplement!

 

[Bahaa El wazzan]

Magnesium will irritate the stomach and cause unhealthy diarrhea which will let her lose all her electrolyte

Stop all kind of supplements for her

Does she have white tongue ?
Metalic mouth taste ?
Is she having an inflammated gut ?
Swelling on abdominal region?

If u have a cow
Drink her milk
U and ur mom

If u dont . Dont even trust organic milk or raw or whatever

Let her stop milk and orange juice

Let her eat solid food

Before she got ulcer as i did

And until now im taking fking meds

Let her eat mostly
Rice or crackers or bread or toast
Before any meal
Before any cup of coffee


Yesterday was the first day i got mostly healed
After i started that starchy diet

Now no pain no swelling
No bloody poop

Im so thankful
That i listeneed to my dad after all
As he is a doctor

He has the same beliefs as raypeat

But he told me
We need every hormone
We need estrogen we neeed testosterone we need cortisol we need serotonin


Thanks to my dad
I was really dying
That i failed most of my classes in that semester

Im so interested in ur mom situation
Keep me posted please

Thanks in advance

 

[co2islife]

One thing that has helped my girlfriend is the co2 baths which I sell. Everytime she uses it and especially sleeps in it, the functionality of her gut improves very noticeably.

I talk about it at the bottom of this page - Bathing in Pure CO2 Overnight While Sleeping – Carbogenetics

I'm not sure if she would be into an alternative method such as this. My girlfriend has had major chronic inertia for 20 years and has been on medication for it since then but nothing helps as much as the co2 baths.

Steve

 

[tara]

Hi Yerrag,
You've seen this article of Peat's? Suggests emodin as a key active ingredient of aged cascara sagrada may be safer than serotonin-raising tactics for getting gut moving.
Cascara, energy, cancer and the FDA's laxative abuse.
Don't know if there are other compounding/conflicting issues for your mother that would make it less safe for her.
Cascara sagrada can cause diarrhea if you use too much, so if you try it start small. May take a few hours to have effect. Should reduce bowel inflammation, so increasing lumen, and may also help improve bowel energy for needed peristalsis.

Steve's suggestion of CO2 bath might be helpful (unless she has conflicting breathing condition). Short of the full CO2 bath, worth checking if she is mouth breathing while awake or asleep. If during sleep, a chin strap might help. I think this is because, along with many other effects, chronic hyperventilation -> reduced CO2 levels (which you tend to get with mouth breathing) tends to reduce the blood supply to the gut, and can also cause muscle tension in unhelpful places. Any other techniques to calm and reduce breathing may be helpful too. Apparently some people can help get the bowel moving with a series of short breath holds, or a concerted effort at reduced breathing for a few minutes. More could be better, unless there are particular contraindications. Low CO2 levels from chronic hyperventilation can interfere with many healthy processes.

Making sure feet are warm? Cold feet can slow me down.

Before I read Peat, I used to resort to kiwifruit on the rare occasions I got persistent troublesome delay - quite effective. Not sure if it works by irritating the gut or by the serotonin it contains itself.

I hope it goes well for her.

 

[marcar72]

Just eat 3-4 bananas a day maybe...

 

[goodandevil]

For 4 days my mom has not had bowel movement.

This was after 3 days of diarrhea, which I suspect to be the side effect of Fluconazole, anti-fungal, on her, which was administered during the same days she had diarrhea.

I informed our doctor about this condition. And she suggested the use of prokinetics drugs. I told her we would discuss our options.

[I also had been giving my mom twice daily 250mg doses of niacin, which I had used together with magnesium to restore her nervous system functions, which I believe was impaired by Levaquin toxicity, aggravated by hypoglycemia induced by use of a parenteral formula (Kaviben Peripheral) which contained significant quantities of purified soya oil.

Prior to her diarrhea incident, she had shown signs of steadily improving over a 2-week time frame, where she had to be force fed a formula I made to replace the commercial liquid food available: Nepro, Ensure, Glucerna etc. Doctors had advised either NGT or PEG, which my mom had forbade earlier. The other option was parenteral nutrition, which in the previous hospital visit turned out to be a disaster, as I described in the previous paragraph.

My osterized food (OF) had honey, virgin coconut oil, bovine colostrum, lamb meat (low aspartate/glutamate-less excitatory), and had calcium, Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, magnesium, and niacin; which would provide nutrition to help restore her nerves. During this time, her dehydrated and out-0f-balance electrolyte levels were being corrected thru IV.

My mom was able to recover from her catatonic state and was starting to eat by herself, and could start to read and had started to talk. It was at this point that her diarrhea started.]

I had stopped giving niacin today, which is a serotonin antagonist. Serotonin is needed for peristalsis, which makes bowels move.

What would you suggest I do to restore my mom's peristalsis?

Urea seems to be working wonders on my digestion. Dose is 2 grams a few times a day. Some people take 100 grams or more for cancer. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B...words=urea&dpPl=1&dpID=41G0pX585dL&ref=plSrch

VisionofStrength turned me onto it. I have an uncle inintensive care who has electrolyte problems as well and from what I'm reading, and what VOS has told me, Urea is excellent for correcting electrolytes (hyponatremia especially). Besides this, the obvious questions would be thyroid status and has she tried cascara? The urea seeme to be helping my gi problems tremendously.

 

[yerrag]

If what ray thinks matter for thou,he says thyroid is what you need for good intestine mobility.

But for your question I think drinking a little bit of glycerol can do the trick.one or two teaspoon.

Or magnesium supplement!

I was surprised that my mom has good thyroid. Her temperature is right around 36.5C. With salt in her diet, it hits 37C. Her TSH, at 0.18, is amazing. Glycerol sounds harmless, and something that simple might work. Is that what's used in suppositories? As for magnesium, I think my mom has had enough supplementation. I've been putting about 1250 mg /day included in her food (when I was giving her liquid food, or osterized food) and when she's back to regular eating, I include as much in her vegetable juice or orange juice.

Im so interested in ur mom situation
Keep me posted please

Thanks Bahaa. Do you know why starch helps relieve constipation?

I talk about it at the bottom of this page - Bathing in Pure CO2 Overnight While Sleeping – Carbogenetics

Steve, thanks for letting me know of your girlfriend's good experience using the CO2 bath. I'm pretty sure CO2 works very well. I have a paper bag handy when my mom is lacking energy. Once she was so down and couldn't eat. I used paper bag breathing on her, and shortly after she was eating already. I wonder how much more she would have benefited from CO2 bath therapy.

You've seen this article of Peat's? Suggests emodin as a key active ingredient of aged cascara sagrada may be safer than serotonin-raising tactics for getting gut moving.
Cascara, energy, cancer and the FDA's laxative abuse.
Don't know if there are other compounding/conflicting issues for your mother that would make it less safe for her.
Cascara sagrada can cause diarrhea if you use too much, so if you try it start small. May take a few hours to have effect. Should reduce bowel inflammation, so increasing lumen, and may also help improve bowel energy for needed peristalsis.

Thanks for showing me the article Tara. I bought a bottle of capsules made by Nature's Plus. Each capsule has 100mg (25-30% standardized, equiv to 25-30mg). She took one capsule late afternoon. Directions says 1 capsule/day. I wonder if I should increase dosage later.

Just eat 3-4 bananas a day maybe...

Funny you should say that. In the Philippines, we have many varieties of bananas. There is one variety called Lakatan that does what you suggest, and helps relieve constipation. Then there is another variety called Latundan, that helps solidify runny stool. I'd have to admit I didn't use this method this time. I felt my mom's constipation runs deeper. She had diarrhea for 3 days before she got this constipation. And it was no coincidence my mom was given an anti-fungal Fluconazole, right after a regimen of strong IV antibiotics.

rea seems to be working wonders on my digestion. Dose is 2 grams a few times a day. Some people take 100 grams or more for cancer. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B...words=urea&dpPl=1&dpID=41G0pX585dL&ref=plSrch

VisionofStrength turned me onto it. I have an uncle inintensive care who has electrolyte problems as well and from what I'm reading, and what VOS has told me, Urea is excellent for correcting electrolytes (hyponatremia especially). Besides this, the obvious questions would be thyroid status and has she tried cascara? The urea seem to be helping my gi problems tremendously.

That should get me interested more in urea, as I've heard of it in some Ray Peat interviews. That would come in handy for correcting electrolytes, which my mom had earlier. Was your gi problem resolved because of electrolyte imbalance that was addressed by using urea?

 

[Bahaa El wazzan]

Well i donno
I believe its full of fiber

Im losing alot of weight of starches
And im building muscles
And im feeling like full of energy

For me i hate any kind of supplement

So i always focus on food

Bananas are really good

But vegetables and starches eaten together

For a very good bowl movement

While vegetables make the fiber work smoothly

I boil a pound of broccoli
And cook a cup of rice white rice

Is she still constipated ?

 

[goodandevil]

I was surprised that my mom has good thyroid. Her temperature is right around 36.5C. With salt in her diet, it hits 37C. Her TSH, at 0.18, is amazing. Glycerol sounds harmless, and something that simple might work. Is that what's used in suppositories? As for magnesium, I think my mom has had enough supplementation. I've been putting about 1250 mg /day included in her food (when I was giving her liquid food, or osterized food) and when she's back to regular eating, I include as much in her vegetable juice or orange juice.

Thanks Bahaa. Do you know why starch helps relieve constipation?

Steve, thanks for letting me know of your girlfriend's good experience using the CO2 bath. I'm pretty sure CO2 works very well. I have a paper bag handy when my mom is lacking energy. Once she was so down and couldn't eat. I used paper bag breathing on her, and shortly after she was eating already. I wonder how much more she would have benefited from CO2 bath therapy.

Thanks for showing me the article Tara. I bought a bottle of capsules made by Nature's Plus. Each capsule has 100mg (25-30% standardized, equiv to 25-30mg). She took one capsule late afternoon. Directions says 1 capsule/day. I wonder if I should increase dosage later.

Funny you should say that. In the Philippines, we have many varieties of bananas. There is one variety called Lakatan that does what you suggest, and helps relieve constipation. Then there is another variety called Latundan, that helps solidify runny stool. I'd have to admit I didn't use this method this time. I felt my mom's constipation runs deeper. She had diarrhea for 3 days before she got this constipation. And it was no coincidence my mom was given an anti-fungal Fluconazole, right after a regimen of strong IV antibiotics.

That should get me interested more in urea, as I've heard of it in some Ray Peat interviews. That would come in handy for correcting electrolytes, which my mom had earlier. Was your gi problem resolved because of electrolyte imbalance that was addressed by using urea?

I didn't have an electrolyte imbalance personally, although my sodium could've been higher. I think the urea just stipped the inflammation and increased the lumed diameter. Regarding the magnesium supplement, what form do you give her? Magnesium oxide is very good at causing diarrhea. Regarding her thyroid status, i would try giving her some taurine and see if her temps drop, to rule out cortisol, although as you say, if her temperature was even higher with increased sodium that probably indicates good thyroid function. I would rule out cortisol to be sure.

 

[yerrag]

Good news! 5 hours after I gave my mom cascara sagrada, she had bowel movement, and it was effortless! Before I gave my mom cascara, I had to lie to our doctor, who had given orders to administer a prokinetic drug called Motilium. I told her to hold off for a day, as I was afraid for any untoward interaction with the cascara I had "already given" her. I'm pretty sure it was the cascara that saved the day. The Yayaema chlorella tablets may have helped. The prune juice may have as well. But what really pushed the bowels over the edge was the cascara. Thanks Tara, and to you all who gave me very helpful insights and solutions to consider. I'm just glad I didn't have to go through a lengthy process to find one that works right off the bat.

I didn't have an electrolyte imbalance personally, although my sodium could've been higher. I think the urea just stipped the inflammation and increased the lumed diameter. Regarding the magnesium supplement, what form do you give her? Magnesium oxide is very good at causing diarrhea. Regarding her thyroid status, i would try giving her some taurine and see if her temps drop, to rule out cortisol, although as you say, if her temperature was even higher with increased sodium that probably indicates good thyroid function. I would rule out cortisol to be sure.

I was giving my mom plenty of sodium thru my homemade osterized food, and the doctor was confounded why she couldn't bring her sodium levels down. But during that time, her temperature was at playing at a range of 36.8 to 37.4, and they were concerned if she was having a fever due to an infection, which was proven negative with blood and urine tests. I eliminated salt in her food, and a day or two later her temperature dropped to a range of 36.5 to 36.8C. Odd thing is that when her sodium was high, her potassium couldn't get to an acceptable range. It caught up finally when her sodium levels came to within normal range.

What Ray Peat said about women with many children applies to my mom. She likely has plenty of residual progesterone, which has been very protective. And perhaps that is a reason why her thyroid is good, with her temperature and with her TSH being very low at 0.18.

As for magnesium, it was chelated magnesium oxide. It didn't cause diarrhea during the time I was feeding her osterized food, which had magnesium mixed in. Probably it was because the magnesium wasn't taken as a tablet but mixed in the food that mitigated the diarrheic effect. I also made magnesium oil from magnesium chloride and water, and had been having it applied on her skin. It was going through the skin, and helped greatly during the time when she had difficulty eating. Magnesium oil made from magnesium chloride is more absorbable thru the skin than one made from epsom salt, magnesium sulfate. In an earlier magnesium oil made from epsom salt, I could see a lot scale-like residues forming on skin a few minutes after application.

I'm going to order the urea that you linked to earlier. I'm becoming more and more fascinated with these simple chemicals (vinegar, baking soda, magnesium, etc.) as well as herbs (cascara sagrada). It is becoming a reality for me, rather than a theory, that simple substances have powerful effects and impact on our health, and that after applying Ray Peat ideas in restoring my mom from a very catatonic state to being very functional at her ripe old age, I am more disillusioned and bear an anger towards the way patients are treated at hospitals. Without Ray Peat, I would have been at a false sense of peace accepting a "renowned" neurologist's prognosis that my mom's mind has gone the way of an old engine. But I can see now that she is still the little engine that could.

 

[thirdcatgy]

Try a good bit of watermelon 30 minutes before your first meal.

OR if u want increase bile production u need some vit c, selenium, zinc and NAC. No need for a large dose of any - maybe half a cap of each with cup of water between meals.

 

[Giraffe]

I was surprised that my mom has good thyroid. Her temperature is right around 36.5C. With salt in her diet, it hits 37C. Her TSH, at 0.18, is amazing.

TSH doesn't say so much. Has T3 been tested?

that simple substances have powerful effects and impact on our health

Does your mum get some sunshine daily? :)

 

[yerrag]

TSH doesn't say so much. Has T3 been tested?

No T3. But T4 at 1.04 Range at 0.70 - 1.48

Doctor requested the test. I have no other confirmation other than her TSH and temperature. It would be hard for me to do an Achilles Reflex test on her. She was responsive to salt increasing her temperature. Perhaps that says something, as goodandevil mentioned. I'm thinking if there was a downside to a very low TSH reading. Perhaps her pituitary gland needs a checkup?

Does your mum get some sunshine daily? :)

She gets indirect sunshine daily by staying in a patio with open windows to the garden. However, the sun doesn't shine directly on her. Her vitamin D3 levels were low, so to me that meant direct sunshine is needed. She needs to take long enough garden strolls to get the benefit of sunshine. When she gets back home that will be part of her new routine.

Currently, she is on vitamin D3 supplementation. The sun's rays not that direct as in summer. We have 3 months of cool weather, the downside is the sunshine is weak. Plants and my koi love it. I love it too. But need to spend more time soaking in the sunshine.

 

[yerrag]

Try a good bit of watermelon 30 minutes before your first meal.

OR if u want increase bile production u need some vit c, selenium, zinc and NAC. No need for a large dose of any - maybe half a cap of each with cup of water between meals.

Thanks. Aside from helping with oil digestion and assimilation, what does bile do?

What does the watermelon have? I may have a hard time finding watermelon now, would cantaloupe be a good substitute?