# 7 Weeks into Psyllium Husks daily.. My report.



## ericlahey (Jun 12, 2013)

Hey everyone,

7 weeks ago I posted on the forums about my start to a better life with Psyllium Husks. I have been travelling Asia since the start of the year and the time to find some helpful fixes was long overdue. I had a chance whereby I didn't need to worry about consequences from trying out different solutions as didn't have a job, could stay in all day if needed and had plenty of time to test things out properly from the advice on this forum I have read for past few years.

I started on Calcium Carbonate which is part of Linda's advice. I found that this must only work well for people with Gall Bladders removed. As made things worse for me over a few weeks of trials at proper dosages. Clearly I don't have the acid bile problems experienced by others!

Then went onto herbal remedies from traditional Chinese pharmacies aimed at what they call an 'overly hot stomach'. This stuff kind of worked but in the wrong ways. It made me feel pretty good, but didn't stop the D.

I then started Psyllium Seed Husks (I talk about my initial experiences more clearly here http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/163815-my-12-year-story-finally-i-have-found-some-relief/). Well it's been 7 weeks since starting on it, and things definitely worked well before I started moving around again. Its far better than it was before taking these things but to make sure they work the most effective, YOU NEED to take them 3 times a day 30-60 mins before a meal with plenty of water and have a good amount of space between doses. Otherwise they don't work anywhere near as well. I found that starting the day off with the first dosage and an hour later having my breakfast of a large bowel of proper cereal with milk (proper cereal meaning actual grain cereal with natural ingredients, i.e. no chocolate, just cocoa!!) made my stomach resilient to everything I threw at it for the rest of the day, and finished with a perfect BM almost every time. Again I will stress, that if you want this to happen, take it prescribed, at the recommended times, etc.. When you interrupt things by not taking it or taking it too close togethers, etc.. Then it doesn't work as well (but still helps a lot!).

So you might be asking, what else have I tried since being on the road again daily. Well in China they have this pretty awesome stuff that is also available in some western countries, but under a different formulation I think. Its called SMECTA (Montmorillonite Powder). The stuff was actually invented in China and is a clay derived formula aimed at reducing the gastric / stomach aches, pains and groans, reducing inflammation of the gut and clearing up diarrhoea quickly. See image of the packet here >> http://i.imgur.com/2O2Ff9J.jpg

I also read about a limited study in the effects of it's use with combination of Immodium. It worked really well for IBS-D sufferers as the immodium acted immediately, with the SMECTA helping medium term. In terms of relapse in the weeks after treatment, the patients on the combination therapy had less relapse.

It's annoying in a way, as when you are travelling you can try eating as simply as possible and take multiple things, but IBS is just a no-mans land, it strikes the worst when you least need it! But since being on the psyllium (even after taking less regularly and at bad timings) and then taking SMECTA after any loose bowel movements, I have been able to spend every day, all day without worrying about toilet trips. So for me it's working. And I would recommend this SMECTA stuff to anyone finding no help in any other treatments in 'resetting' their bowels to a healthy working order during inflamed periods. Thank god that China sells the stuff, because try finding any pepto or other western medicines is near to impossible, it turns out though, they had the real solution all along!


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