Re: Is Raw cow colostrum kefir the right thing for my Ulcerative Colitis and dysbiosis

I had the same reaction when I started Kefir. I also was not able to take the primal defense and got very ill, ended up in one of my worst colitis flares yet.

I think what is important to remember when you have colitis is that you are a better judge of your situation and your health than anyone else. Fatigue, bloating, gas - is that the start of a flare or a reaction? Also, some reactions can cause you to go into a flare up so be careful.

Here is what I experienced. I was in a full flare when I started organic, raw, goat milk kefir. The first day I thought I was going to die - horrible gas, pain, diarrhea and pain (did I mention pain enough?). I had done extensive reading on gut flora and based on some information about good bacteria being introduced when there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria I decided to go a couple more days. The second day I still had all of the same symptoms but not as horrible. Third day was a little better, etc. I was eventually able to tolerate kefir and I actually started feeling better. The one thing I will point out though is that many UC sufferers are Lactose intolerant so Kefir is supposed to get around that because the process breaks down the lactose. What sometimes gets overlooked is that UC sufferers are commonly Casein intolerant as well. The Casein protein is present in milk based kefir and you may want to think if that relates to your symptoms. If you are still experiencing symptoms you may want to change your kefir source - the kefir is good but the milk proteins may be your problem.

As far as primal defense - I don't know if this is meant for UC sufferers. I understand the process and I can clearly see where it would benefit any UC sufferer but it was really really rough on my system, I became very ill. I think people throw around the term "die off" too easily. Headaches, fever, cravings, lack of energy - sure, I will buy that as die off... chronic diarrhea (6 or more times a day), bleeding, weakness. pain - not die off. Be careful and make sure you don't make this an endurance contest because some guy told you it is "die off". If you think it is harming you, it probably is. If there is one thing this disease should teach you it is to listen to your own body.

It took longer but it is working better and I am getting healthier (at times I feel healthier than before I was diagnosed) but I have been doing a version of the specific carbohydrate diet, strict elimination of some food that I have sensitivities to (bye, bye, eggs) and generally using common sense and taking an assessment of how I feel a few times throughout the day.

UC is a puzzle of finding out what works for you, I hope you find your path and get to share with others. Tweet