C success with Vit C and Magnesium
#224289 - 11/11/05 09:22 AM
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Hi, all.
I'm now seeing a naturopathic doctor. I called her because she also is a licensed acupuncturist, and I was interested in trying that for my bloating and C.
She wanted to try some other things first, including an allergy elimination diet. As she put it, doing acupuncture would be like pouring water in a bucket with a hole in the bottom if there was an underlying problem, such as an allergy. She also told me to start taking magnesium for its stool-softening effect and vitamin C for it's laxative effect (it works by drawing water into the bowels). Additionally, she had me take a probiotic (brand is Culturelle).
I am happy to report that the supplements have effectively relieved my constipation. I go at least once daily, and the stools are comfortable to pass, which is a huge improvement.
I started by taking 1000mg C and 200mg magnesium twice a day. After a week at this level, I increased to double that amount: 2000mg C 2x daily and 400mg mag 2x daily. I take the Culturelle once a day in the morning.
Last weekend I got my schedule messed up and missed several doses in a row, and I went back to being constipated and having hard stools. After 2-3 days of taking the supplements as directed, I'm back to doing well.
I looked up vitamin C on this site before posting, to see if the information were already here. The only entry I found made it sound really scary, but I think that is due to this site being based more on D problems.
We still have not found a solution for the bloating. Some of it may be a food intolerance--I'm still in the testing phase. I anticipate that we will also try acupuncture at some point. I'll keep you posted on my results.
Best wishes to everyone.
--Erojustice
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To clarify, do you take a total of 800mg of magnesium in a day? And what type/brand? Citrate, Oxide, Glyconate, chelated?
Also, what type/brand of vit c are you taking--slow release, buffered, crystals? And you take a total of 4000mg a day of this?
Are you taking an SFS or anything else?
What type of foods are you eliminating and do you think that has helped with your C? Have you pinpointed any foods yet?
Please keep me updated on this...this gives me a little hope! I've also read some scary things about Vit C and how hard it is on the gut. So, I've stared clear of this one!
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Hi, Cyndi. I'm glad to be able to offer you some hope!
Quote:
To clarify, do you take a total of 800mg of magnesium in a day? And what type/brand? Citrate, Oxide, Glyconate, chelated?
Yes, 800mg per day. The doc didn't specify any particular type or brand, and since I don't have the bottle with me, I actually have no idea what it is. I'll check and repost, maybe this weekend but probably Monday.
Quote:
Also, what type/brand of vit c are you taking--slow release, buffered, crystals? And you take a total of 4000mg a day of this?
Yep, 4000mg, which seems huge. The doc said not to get the buffered kind but didn't specify further.
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Are you taking an SFS or anything else?
Yep. Before seeing the naturopath, I had worked myself up to 1 T of acacia fiber that I drank in 4 c of fennel tea in the morning. I was also taking 200mg of 5-HTP twice a day in the hope that it would act like an antidepressant. So, I grant that this is quite a cocktail, and it can be hard to say definitively that one thing in particular is working. The acacia fiber definitely helped, but my C improved *dramatically* after I added in the vitamin C, magnesium, and Culturelle.
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What type of foods are you eliminating and do you think that has helped with your C? Have you pinpointed any foods yet?
I'm not sure whether the elimination diet has helped the C. I'm doing a lot of things at once, so like I said, it's hard to know what is doing what. I have seen some reduction in bloating but not anything dramatic. The diet eliminates dairy, wheat, soy, corn, citrus, alcohol, refined sugar, chocolate, and artificial colors/flavors for at least 10 days. (I did 14 days. Plus, as a "pesce-vegetarian," I also avoid meat except for fish.)
The diet sounds pretty horrible, but if you already know how to eat vegetarian and have some familiarity with alternative foods and access to a good health food store, it is relatively painless. Except for the no booze part!  If you decide to try a diet like this, I'd recommend a good, easy vegetarian cookbook, like "The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home."
On day 11, you start adding stuff in one day at a time. So far I have only tested soy, and it seems to have caused an increase in bloating. This is disappointing, since soy is a large part of my diet. But, I also happened to eat cauliflower at one meal, which is known to be gassy. So I may retest soy later. There are so many variables, it can really get confusing!
I should add that my bloating and C symptoms never were as severe as those of many people on this site, so I never was very motivated to change my diet radically. But, I have felt very good on this elimination diet--it's such a healthy way of eating--and I've lost 5 pounds, so I think I will try to continue generally in this vein. (But I'm definitely gonna have a drink!)
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So what exactly do you eat if you can't eat corn or wheat? What type of breads, cereals do you eat?
Could you also post the brand/type of magnesium you are taking? Why did she say no buffered? That is suppose to be easier on the tummy. 
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Hi, Cyndy.
Quote:
So what exactly do you eat if you can't eat corn or wheat? What type of breads, cereals do you eat?
I should have made clear that I'm not trying to follow the IBS diet at all while I'm doing the allergy elimination diet. My premise, at least for the duration of the trial, is that I have a food intolerance, not IBS.
But, to answer the question, I'm eating a lot of rice. Other allowable grains are oats, spelt, quinoa, millet, and some others. There is a great millet and flax sandwich bread by a company called Sami's that is available at my health food store. I'm also eating a lot of beans, veggies, and fish.
To do this diet, you have to be willing to cook, since, as the doc put it, you need to avoid pretty much anything with an ingredient list, barring some diet-friendly foods from the health-food store, like Indian pappadums made from chickpea flour. The diet isn't "pain-free," but it isn't especially painful, either. This weekend my boyfriend cooked me a wonderful meal of pan-seared tuna steak, roasted potatoes, and salad. I did not feel at all deprived!
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Could you also post the brand/type of magnesium you are taking? Why did she say no buffered? That is suppose to be easier on the tummy.
Solaray magnesium as magnesium amino acid chelate and magnesium oxide. The C is Nature's Plus, as ascorbic acid. It's high-potency and sustained release. I don't know why the doc recommended against buffered, and now I'm beginning to question whether she actually said that or if I decided to avoid it because she didn't specifically say to get that kind. I'll ask her on Friday when I see her next.
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You'll have to let me know if she thinks buffered or even the vit C crystals are okay. I've read others have had success with the crystals.
Does she want you to continue to increase the Acacia?
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She is very supportive of my taking acacia and wants me to continue--in fact, she says she would recommend that just about everyone take a fiber supplement. Since my C is under control now, I'm not planning on increasing the dosage beyond the tablespoon I take daily now.
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Be careful about too much magnesium. I used it for quite a while - it helped tremendously with constipation. However, while taking it I developed severe dry eye --- never made the connection until several weeks after I stopped taking it. Needless to say - I went through the cycle several times before making the connection.
Ciao,
Liza
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