What other pills are you taking ? I have read that both things you ate taking listed are strong anti inflammatories. Ask your nutritionalist about glucosamine. That is supposed to rebuild tissue also I believe.

not sure of time on this program but you would have to give it sometime for holistic approach..i do not think it works so short term..but ask your provider how much time she or he felt to see some positive results..

Jeane, I'm still taking cipro and just started a probiotic.
Rebe0505, the nutritionist said it would take a few months before I start to feel better.
Right now it's all trial and error and I've already stopped the chiaseeds and went back to metamucil in the mornings and everything else holistic I take away from the cipro. It's been very difficult and frustrating too, especially the pain, I take half a tylenol 3 for the pain, but I think that creates more pain by slowing things down....I feel like I'm running in circles.

I know that a lot of people have been making a fuss over oregano oil as a way to completely get off the antibiotics.

My one caution is that it's a mistake to assume that concentrated plant products are better for you than prescription pharmaceuticals. They may in some cases work well for you, and in some cases may have fewer troublesome side effects. In other cases the opposite will turn out to be true. What you can usually be sure of with supplements is that they have had little or no scientific testing for safety or efficacy, and the doses of the active ingredient(s) may vary enormously between batches, varying (for example) by season of harvest.

If it has antibiotic properties then it's an antibiotic, whether or not it requires a prescription or FDA approval or any attention to the particular bacteria it acts on.

There is nothing wrong with trying different approaches, however you can't let yourself get worse with an experiment gone awry. As the Kenny Rogers song goes, "you have to know when to hold em, and know when to fold em." Definitely you should experiment, just don't let it run amok on you. Good luck.

tinat i agree with ct barrister i would not let myself be in pain while waiting to see if it works..maybe the best thing to do is continue with the cipro etc while trying these other things and then after a few months start to wean off antibiotic to see if the holistic stuff can work on its own..that is if you want to give it a try..

i mentioned oregano drops to dr. shen and he is having his assistants do some research on it..he seems to be taking that seriously..so will be interesting to see if it helps anyone,and if so if it is a better alternative than antibiotics with less possible side effects..

Rebe0505,

I am trying the Holistic Approach NOW after so many years of being on drugs there has to be another way.

One thing my Holistic dr has me on is plenty of supplements and just to eat organic. Eating foods that are not organic like animals who are fed all sorts of chemicals is a bad thing. Why put bad bacteria in your body yet taking Pro-biotics is counter productive. Same thing with fresh veggies and fruit.

I have noticed some differences already. One of the supplements I take before meals has worked wonders for me. I used to have tons of gas problems and would take 4 Beano's which never worked. Well this supplement I am on has improved that for sure.

You need to find out what foods cause a bad reaction in your own body. I posted something about the ELISA/ACT Test. Please check this out.

Rocket

There was a kid who did a high school experiment on oregano vs. Flagyl. The oregano was much more effective on killing off the bad bacteria even in much lesser quantities. You can find the video somewhere on youtube. He also used himself as part of the experiment. He has Crohn's disease and it helps keep him in remission. From my understanding, The only thing about oregano is it needs to be taken only on an as need basis and that it's great for on and off maintenance. I've heard it works VERY fast! Many people who claim success say to take 2 to 4 drops at night with a drop or two of peppermint oil in a capsule with liquid coconut oil. They take a good probiotic in the morning. There are many high quality essential oil companies who constantly test the potency of every batch to make sure the quality remains consistent. You're more likely to develop an allergy to antibiotics like Cipro and Levaquin than essential oils if your not already allergic to the particular item. The efficiency of essential oils is undeniable. Just because big pharma doesn't care to study them (because they can't be patented and make them trillions of dollars) doesn't mean they are dangerous when used as directed. Oil of oregano has been used for thousands of years as a way to kill of bacteria such as ecoli, salmonella, and other general bacterial infections. It actually has a much better and longer track record than antibiotics. People like to dismiss things they don't know about and I don't blame them. People can throw caution out at ANYTHING because too much of anything is bad... even water. People who combine natural health with medical care from their doctor are, on average, MUCH healthier than those who don't. At least, that is according to my IBD doctor and her patients. Always tell your doctor what holistic treatments you are taking but don't be scared of it just because it's not from a pharmacy.

I applaud people are are making their doctors aware of these things. However, your medical doctor is in a very tight place. The reason that it is so serious is because if he or she recommends ANYTHING outside FDA rules, he/she is opening him/herself up to malpractice lawsuits. So some MD doctors will automatically dismiss anything that they don't know about. I have a lot of respect for doctors who at least consider alternative methods. I know my medical doctor does. Of course I always recommend only taking these under the guidance of a reputable holistic doctor while informing your medical doctor.

This is all very interesting to me - definitely going to check it out. I will say, not that it's "holistic" but still not super traditional - I'm pretty big on chiropractic. So many other issues have been cleared up as a result (headaches, heart palpitations, irregular cycle). I have scoliosis so it's tricky, and I still have pouch problems but that could be because of the curvature, because of my neck's forward posture, or most likely more my insistence on eating so much candy.

Has anyone tried acupuncture? I did it when I was my sickest with UC and my blood levels did improve on the immune system front for no other reason. I'd love to do it again but it's so expensive... I also go to therapy every week. Turns out I had PTSD from my surgery ordeal - I was one of those severe UC cases where they really thought I was going to die. Something about "slim to none chances" of surviving the surgery. Plus, that time each week to work out the mental stuff I never dealt with also helps me manage my stress responses. I'm hard wired and immediately feel stressed, which my therapist says creates a chain reaction in my body - especially my GI tract.

Anyway those are some of the, not holistic, but alternative things I do to manage. Anyone else?

thinking that the oregano oil is possibly the find here..but i want to find out more about how much to take,what kind and can one take it indefinitely..like i have said in other post it still can be advantageous for us to get break from antibiotics..

hearing more and more of its antibiotic properties being quite real and effective..watching my internet friend in ohio carefully..

reason i have not started it because i had to get myself in balance again after using just diet to control pouchitis/s.i.b.o. as you know i reported diet worked for me for months without antibiotic but after a time i was up and down...so back on rotating but 1/2 the dosage because of my diet no question about that..diet has helped me since last oct...infact i tried xifaxin as a rotating antibiotic now..never in 5 years did it work for me but with diet it is working...taking 1200 mil because i happen to have xifaxin in cabinet and they are 200 mil each....but quite sure the 2/ 550 mil would work as others are ..doing.. again more proof diet continues to be a plus for me in my issues with pouchitis/s.i.b.o..

looking forward to experimenting with oregano oil..things are looking up!!!!

Take a look at this post. Some of us are going to try the oregano oil for different reasons. I hope we get updates from the other j-pouchers who posted. It talks about a protocol as well.

http://j-pouch.org/eve/forums/...517080276#6517080276

Cayseebee, I have not tried acupuncture. I would like to. Vanderbilt has an acupuncture center and they work with your doctor's. From what I hear, it's been very successful.