Redundant / Tortuous Colon; Is There Cure?

[Zpol]

I have not come across any RP comments on this. Can anyone lead me to any info on this topic? Firstly, I don't understand if it's congenital or a symptom of something else, I've only found conflicting info on this. It's supposedly rare but considering all the illnesses it's associated with I have a suspicion that it's just under-diagnosed because people usually try to avoid getting colonoscopies, for obvious reasons, but it's the only way to diagnose.

"Practically everyone with this abnormal colon suffers from the same symptoms and illnesses - severe IBS pain/flatulence/bloating, severe constipation/haemorrhoids/rectal bleeding, malabsorption syndrome/leaky gut, hypothyroid, anemia, many food allergies/intolerances/celiacs disease, candida/yeast, insomnia, liver sluggishness, PMS issues, depression, moodswings, anger, exfoliative chelitis of the lips (super dry and rapid daily peeling), hypoglycemia (at times), chronic fatigue/weakness/fainting, adrenal fatigue and many times asthma or shortness of breath, and usually very dark circles/bags beneath the eyes etc...this eventually can lead to diabetes, arthritis and colon cancer/chrons disease/colitis." ​

Me personally, I have not found a good way to tackle the issues caused by this, Aloe ferox, and aged cascara sagrada bark help with transit but not the other symptoms. I've tried exercise, rebounding, strength training,
I used to take hour long walks daily and that did not help, fiber, no-fiber, fat, low-fat, etc.

I hope someone here has some leads on this!

 

[raypeatclips]

Have you had your vitamin D levels tested? Peat suggested to me some bowel inflammation symptoms could simply be a vitamin D deficiency. I had my levels tested and they were firmly within deficient levels.

There are a large number of studies linking vitamin D levels to things such as colon cancer, IBS, general GI issues. I am still going through them but I posted one of them yesterday:

https://raypeatforum.com/community/...sing-calcium-hypercalcemia.25182/#post-362303

 

[Zpol]

Heh!.. I was literally just reading that post. Good points to consider for my case since I do have Vit D deficiency. Although, back when I was in 'good' range, in the 50s ng/mL, I was still having these issues. I'll go back and finish reading it and see if it should be even higher. I'm taking 8 drops (4000 IU) Estroban two times per day but need to get more sun.
Thanks for the link.

 

[Zpol]

I emailed Dr. Peat. Below is my email and below that is his response...

"My intestines are basically deformed, my GI doctor says my colon is "big and floppy". My concern is that this underlying issue may be preventing me from healing from the other diseases I have despite all the healthy lifestyle and dietary practices I do. The main issues stemming directly from redundant colon are chronic constipation and malabsorption syndrome. I also have Celiac and get flesh pain from dairy, corn, rice, and additive gums (feels like bruises all over). I have gotten my PTH checked recently and it is well within normal range, although serum blood calcium was a bit high for my age, phosphorus (from phosphates) was a bit high too. I have "high oxidative stress" (as diagnosed by my physician) due to too high ratio of copper to zinc. Also, I have hypothyroid (which i take medication for), Raynauds syndrome, allergies, methylation issues, chronic fatigue, recurring viruses (including herpes zoster), and I often have serious pains and illnesses that doctors don't have explanations for. I am female 40 years old.

I am taking 1200mg of aged cascara bark daily for the constipation, sometimes I take aloe ferox instead. I've been on these for about 15 yrs. Sometimes I have to take an additional saline enema. I would really like to not be dependent on these or any supplements if possible and I don't know if cascara will continue to work for me forever.
Do you think it's even possible to be off all supplements and medications if one has redundant colon? Have you got any other information about this issue and how to keep it from causing other health issues?"​

Dr. Peat's response...

"I think cascara is safe to use for as long as it’s needed, but it’s important to have a properly aged form that doesn’t add to the inflammation. When it’s well aged, the color of the dry powder should be similar to roasted coffee, and when it’s moist, it should be almost black, like bitter chocolate. When the intestine is over-sensitive, the normal range for vitamin D and TSH isn’t very relevant. It’s best to have serum vitamin D between 50 and 80 ng/ml, and to have the TSH at the extreme low end of the normal range. Does your supplement contain any T3? Have you checked your temperature and pulse rate when using the supplement?
Besides the grains and gums, it would probably be helpful to eliminate starchy fruits and vegetables. Some fibrous foods (raw carrot, cooked mushrooms or bamboo shoots) are helpful for reducing inflammtion. Keeping the ratio of dietary calcium to phosphate high is important, for example using milk and cheese, rather than meats and fish. Selenium, from having sea food about once a week, helps with thyroid function."​

 

[Diokine]

I would recommend examining the role of insulin in gut pathology and hyperproliferation in this context. It would be prudent to maintain diligence in encouraging insulin sensitivity and to avoid hyperinsulemia. A reduced feeding window and consuming carbohydrate and saccharide during active waking hours are good strategies for this. At least 20 minutes of elevated heart rate during the day is also very important for insulin sensitivity.

Liver health is also especially important, one aspect of this kind of disease is liver congestion leading to increased input resistance to the portal circulatory system. This will cause blood to pool in lower pressure areas, especially the colon which is already struggling to maintain proper tone due to adrenergic fatigue. Choline and proper supplementation of water soluble B vitamins may help in this regard. Limiting excessive fructose intake may be prudent as well.

Zinc is also incredibly important for proper maintenance of intestinal and colonic epithelium, and in sickness functional zinc deficiency is extremely common.

 

[Zpol]

I would recommend examining the role of insulin in gut pathology and hyperproliferation in this context. It would be prudent to maintain diligence in encouraging insulin sensitivity and to avoid hyperinsulemia. A reduced feeding window and consuming carbohydrate and saccharide during active waking hours are good strategies for this. At least 20 minutes of elevated heart rate during the day is also very important for insulin sensitivity.

Liver health is also especially important, one aspect of this kind of disease is liver congestion leading to increased input resistance to the portal circulatory system. This will cause blood to pool in lower pressure areas, especially the colon which is already struggling to maintain proper tone due to adrenergic fatigue. Choline and proper supplementation of water soluble B vitamins may help in this regard. Limiting excessive fructose intake may be prudent as well.

Zinc is also incredibly important for proper maintenance of intestinal and colonic epithelium, and in sickness functional zinc deficiency is extremely common.

Thank you. This the kind of info I need. You're the second person this week to emphasis the importance of a reduced feeding window to me. I was thinking 5 - 6 small meals throughout the day was best for maintaining blood sugar and hence insulin sensitivity. I've had to do small meals due to gastroparesis and gastritis for the last few years but those issues have somewhat improved to the point I think I can start eating more at each meal. Interestingly, my lower guts feel better with 3 meals per day, no snacks, it was my stomach and esophagus that were problematic if I ate too much. I used to exercise daily (walking, strength training, yoga) until the gastroparesis, gastritis, GERD and LPR got really bad. I'll get back on that.
I currently eat two eggs per day for choline...not sure if that's enough. I have some MitoLipin which is 'non-cholinergic' but equivalent to the choline in 1 or 2 eggs I believe. I've heard Chris Masterjohn recommend choline supp's but I know they come with some dangerous side effects.
I do take a Zinc supp; my doctor believes this will help.

Limiting excessive fructose intake may be prudent as well

This I need to work on too. Fruit digests way better than protein for me so I tend to overdo it and not get enough protein.

Thank you kindly

 

[Zpol]

More from Dr. Peat,

"Using a little T4, especially at bedtime, besides the T3, to keep the TSH from rising above 0.4 would probably reduce the intestinal inflammation. It would be good to check your estrogen, cortisol, and progesterone occasionally; higher progesterone protects the intestine."​