POIS is gone!

[demografx]

Great, John!

[Charles_b]

That’s great news - congrats!

Imma try to replicate your regimen - when did you take the caprylic acid and oregano oil?  Did you take them far away from your probiotic, since they would likely kill a lot of that good bacteria?

Also, have you been using Pepto Bismol at all, or are you off that completely?  Are you still taking any of the supplements you listed?

Sorry for all the questions - I appreciate the info you are sharing.

[John21]

That’s great news - congrats!

Imma try to replicate your regimen - when did you take the caprylic acid and oregano oil?  Did you take them far away from your probiotic, since they would likely kill a lot of that good bacteria?

Also, have you been using Pepto Bismol at all, or are you off that completely?  Are you still taking any of the supplements you listed?

Sorry for all the questions - I appreciate the info you are sharing.

I did not consider to take the antibiotic separately, so maybe it didn't have any effect if the caprylic acid and oregano oil would counteract it.  I have not taken the main supplements in weeks, haven't taken PB since the beginning of the experiment. I am still taking turkey tail extract but not really for POIS but just for general health (although it is claimed to be good for the gut). I am also still taking the probiotics just to use them up.

[hapl]

Very interesting - as you say, does sound like it could be something like persistent H Pylori which can cause all kinds of non-specific symptoms, along with SIBO or other gut problems.

Did you take the mastic gum at any particular times?

[John21]

Very interesting - as you say, does sound like it could be something like persistent H Pylori which can cause all kinds of non-specific symptoms, along with SIBO or other gut problems.

Did you take the mastic gum at any particular times?

Yes I took it at breakfast and supper.

[Charles_b]

Very interesting - as you say, does sound like it could be something like persistent H Pylori which can cause all kinds of non-specific symptoms, along with SIBO or other gut problems.

Did you take the mastic gum at any particular times?

Yes I took it at breakfast and supper.

One more question John - when on your three week protocol, did you feel worse at the beginning of it?  I’m on day 5 and having major bloating and insomnia, even POIS type symptoms without arousal.

At any point did it feel like the fog lifted for you?

[John21]

Charles_b, I did not feel worse on the protocol. I always have insomnia and I didn't notice any change in that. The only change noted during the 3 weeks was that I initially was kinda constipated. I attributed it to the mastic gum and backed off a little. I was initially taking it 3 times per day per the bottle but backed off to 2x per day and that was ok. I think anyone taking it should start small and build up from there as tolerated.  Maybe start with once per day and see how that goes. It is probably a good idea to ramp up for all of these supplements.

This is holding for me, still zero symptoms post orgasm.

[Limejuice]

Congrats John!

Like you did, I have gut issues too and take supplements to support gut health that work well (but are not perfect).  I'll try your stack and specifically the mastic gum.  Any tips you recommend when trying this (time of day, empty/full stomach, side effects, things to know)?

Thank you!

[John21]

Congrats John!

Like you did, I have gut issues too and take supplements to support gut health that work well (but are not perfect).  I'll try your stack and specifically the mastic gum.  Any tips you recommend when trying this (time of day, empty/full stomach, side effects, things to know)?

Thank you!

Limejuice! Another old timer! I didn't really do anything special, just took them as described at breakfast and supper. The only recommendation I would have is what I mentioned to CharlesB, start small and build up especially with the mastic gum. That one seemed to constipate me at 3 times a day so I backed it down to 2 and that was fine. But I think I have read online of other people having side effects from it like Charles did.  I'm sure I've read the recommendation somewhere online to go slow with it. Hope it helps!

[Limejuice]

Haha, we've been around the block...

Appreciate the advice and will start slow.  The amazon order of supplements arrives Wednesday.

Glad your doing so well!

[John21]

Oops I just remembered another thing I was taking at the time, Manuka honey ( some sites claim that it helps fight h-pylori). I forget exactly how often but generally I was just using it in the AM on my bread instead of regular honey. I'll add it to the list.

Here is what I took for 3 weeks:
Mastic gum 400mg  2x/day
L-Glutamine 5g  1x/day
Caprylic acid 22.5mg 2x/day
Oregeno oil 180mg 1x/day
probiotic 1x/day
Manuka honey (1x or 2x /day)

On occasion I sometimes included one of these:
Pepto Bismol (262mg tablet x2)
NAC 800mg
Taurine 1000mg
Vitamin C

[hapl]

Do you still believe the mastic gum was the main thing, or do you have any sense of which supplement(s) were the most helpful?

[John21]

Do you still believe the mastic gum was the main thing, or do you have any sense of which supplement(s) were the most helpful?

That is what I am thinking but I could be wrong, maybe there are other dominant players. Some of these are not cheap so it wouldn't hurt to start with one or two and see how it goes. This was not a thought out protocol, I just grabbed everything that I could imagine that would counteract a h-pylori or h-pylori-like bacteria (or virus?).  This shotgun method worked but it wouldn't hurt to try portions of it.

[demografx]

Limejuice! Another old timer!

Come on over & see which POISers were here way back when. (Just click the link below the graphic).

John21 is a famous POIS historical figure. He was the very first POISer to ever bravely post on the internet at our predecessor site, Naked Science Forum/POIS thread - - in February, 2007!

https://tinyurl.com/47yk3jwd

[John21]

He was the very first POISer to ever bravely post on the internet at our predecessor site

 I'm not sure of the bravery, more like timidly and in desperation, lol. Thank God for the internet.

[demografx]

He was the very first POISer to ever bravely post on the internet at our predecessor site

 I'm not sure of the bravery, more like timidly and in desperation, lol. Thank God for the internet.

[Limejuice]

An update on my attempt from your success, John. I bought the mastic gum Monday at Vitamin Shoppe (due to delayed shipping on Amazon's part and my impatience).  It's been 3 days taking 500mg 3 times daily 30 minutes before meals.  You were right - the cramping/knots are real. This supplement is noticeably interacting with my stomach and intestines.   The feedback, while negatively feeling, is a positive sign that change could be taking place. However, from your timeline, it's far to early to confirm if the supplement is actually benefiting my body. The other supplements I'm taking as well, and have in the past (all except the mastic gum). These aren't and haven't provided any physical feedback. Perhaps they can support the mastic gum though. So just an update from your protocol.  Thanks

[demografx]

Limejuice (and John), sending your post to an outside donor/POISer, thank you!

[Progecitor]

Do you still believe the mastic gum was the main thing, or do you have any sense of which supplement(s) were the most helpful?

That is what I am thinking but I could be wrong, maybe there are other dominant players. Some of these are not cheap so it wouldn't hurt to start with one or two and see how it goes. This was not a thought out protocol, I just grabbed everything that I could imagine that would counteract a h-pylori or h-pylori-like bacteria (or virus?).  This shotgun method worked but it wouldn't hurt to try portions of it.

I haven't tried mastic gum yet, but it certainly looks interesting. I just wanted to point out that this may have been yet another case of PPARs reprogramming as mastic gum is also a PPARpan agonist. Some of the other things you took also have effects on PPARs.
Research suggests that the effects of Chios mastic gum (Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia, CMG) on lipid metabolism could be mediated by peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs). Oleanolic acid, oleanonic acid, and gallic acid (components of CMG) are known to act on PPARs. PPARs regulate lipid metabolism, cell differentiation and proliferation, and immune responses, and are structurally similar to steroid hormone receptors.
PPARs also function as transcription factors, aiding lipid synthesis and oxidation, glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory and immunoregulatory gene expression via activation of cell signaling pathways.
https://sci-hub.se/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10068-018-0307-3

[Clues]

Thanks for your updates on mastic gum guys! Very interesting. I'm currently using several supplements and dieting with the aim of improving my gut health. I'm not sure if it's the microbiome or what, but my gut has been in poor shape for as long as I can remember. I've recently gone from thinking of it as a symptom to thinking of it as a potential primary cause, or at least a contributor to a vicious cycle of some sort.

Unfortunately mastic gum isn't sold anywhere here in Norway for some reason. I'll have to import it which is fairly expensive for my current budget. Hopefully I can give it a try at some point!