Mastic gum side effects

[KassyS]

mospnb wrote:

<quoted text>
Hi, Hi, you refer to atrophic gastritis, did you have the Type A or Type B Gastritis and was it caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori or Autoimmune in origin?

My gastritis was caused by an h pylori infection which I had for at least 4 years. Not autoimmune, however when I took mastic gum it caused such damage and disturbance that it not only injured my liver and kidneys but damaged the acid producing cells and I can no longer produce intrinsic factor so I have pernicious anemia. I used the mastic to get rid of the h pylori and this is what I was left with. Prior to that my B12 was normal. I was producing acid and I had no digestion issues, just a burning in my stomach under the breast when it was empty or if I ate something spicy or anything that irritated it. I had no symptoms of pernicious anemia and did not have it before mastic gum. Bear in mind that some things are so toxic to the body that in an effort to try to get rid of it the immune system becomes overactive and then start to go haywire and attack your own body. I am therefore not an advocate of mastic gum after that horrendous experience. My life is destroyed as a result.

[KassyS]

Sharon wrote:

<quoted text>
I couldn't have said it better, excellent observation and insightful. I just had this experience this week when I pulled two muscles in my back, it was so painful I went to the doctor and in "his" knowledge according to the "education" he had, he offered me muscle relaxers and Lora-tab for pain. I declined and went to the professional on natural health. I spent some time talking about what was happening in my body. He recommended Curamin, and after reading the information I decided that was to be my choice. I started taking it Thursday, and one side of my back pain has totally subsided, and the other side is doing so much better. I am still in some pain, but I know that while taking this I am not masking the pain, but allowing the natural solution to work, I also do not have to put up with the side effects from the doctors solution. I have nothing against doctors, after all I did seek a doctors assistance with my back and when I had H.Pylori, but then I made the decision that I felt comfortable with. Again, thank you for your explanation, that is what I have been trying to say for some time now. Now, lets move on to letting people make their own decision about their own treatment. Sharon

So why did you even go to the doctor in the first place if you knew you were going to decline his treatment? Moreover, you did not even give the treatment he offered a chance to work, so you cannot say that it would not have worked or that it would have caused you side effects because you did not even use his suggested treatment. That makes absolutely no sense to me!

[Sharon]

KassyS wrote:

<quoted text>
So why did you even go to the doctor in the first place if you knew you were going to decline his treatment? Moreover, you did not even give the treatment he offered a chance to work, so you cannot say that it would not have worked or that it would have caused you side effects because you did not even use his suggested treatment. That makes absolutely no sense to me!

Kassy, if you saw a sign that said "cross with the light only as doing otherwise could cause you bodily injury", wouldn't you consider that sign before you stepped out into the street? I was no different when I considered the side effects from the medication that "might cause me bodily injury". I am not a non-believer in doctors as I have indicated before. I wanted to be sure I didn't have a kidney problem or something else because it was a back ache. Let me explain why I usually choose to go the natural route. I have Atrial Fibrilation (AFIB) which is a misfiring of the heart. It simply means that similiar to someone who has seizures in the brain my heart seems to have seizures when it misfires. It beats very rapidly and erratic. And, yes, I was professionally diagnosed with that 6 years ago by a specialist in misfiring of the heart. I was put on what was supposed to be the answer (Beta Blockers), and they almost killed me because they lowered my already low blood pressure. So, I pursued the natural route. I studied AFIB and found it is not a life threatening condition, you just have to be careful not to go too long because it can throw a blood clot. I found that many people greatly reduced their episodes by diet change and certain supplements. I am proud to say that I am now down from an episode of AFIB every two months to 3 episodes a year, that is a 50% reduction. I am telling you all of this to tell you why I refused the doctors treatment. He recommended Lora-Tab and muscle relaxers, I asked him if either had irregular heartbeat as side effect. They both had that as a potential side effect. So, if you were me, would you have taken a chance on going into AFIB or would you have sought a second treatment? I went to the "certified" holistic health professional at my health food store and told him my problem. He showed me several products and I chose the one that naturally lowers the pain threshold so the body can do its own work to correct the problem. I am happy to say that after a week on it (with absolutely no side effects), my right back muscle is healed and my left one is probably 75% healed, and I believe that is because I took the natural means to lower pain with no side effects so my body was able to do its work without having to fight all of the side effects connected with the medication. I think I am rather smart to not take everything a doctor says as being gospel but to look into all avenues of treatment. I have learned a long time ago that even though we live in a instant gratification society, I don't have to live there. Sure, the Loratab would have helped the pain, sure the muscle relaxer would have helped the pain, however with all of the side effects listed and with my known inability to take most medications I made the right decision for me. As I have said over and over that may not be the right decision for someone else, I have a high threshold for pain, others may not, I also have a high probablity of side effects from any medication, so that makes me apprehensive. So, that is why I went to the doctor Kassy, again, my personal decision whether it "makes sense" to you or not. Sharon

[KassyS]

Sharon wrote:

<quoted text>
Kassy, if you saw a sign that said "cross with the light only as doing otherwise could cause you bodily injury", wouldn't you consider that sign before you stepped out into the street? I was no different when I considered the side effects from the medication that "might cause me bodily injury". I am not a non-believer in doctors as I have indicated before. I wanted to be sure I didn't have a kidney problem or something else because it was a back ache. Let me explain why I usually choose to go the natural route. I have Atrial Fibrilation (AFIB) which is a misfiring of the heart. It simply means that similiar to someone who has seizures in the brain my heart seems to have seizures when it misfires. It beats very rapidly and erratic. And, yes, I was professionally diagnosed with that 6 years ago by a specialist in misfiring of the heart. I was put on what was supposed to be the answer (Beta Blockers), and they almost killed me because they lowered my already low blood pressure. So, I pursued the natural route. I studied AFIB and found it is not a life threatening condition, you just have to be careful not to go too long because it can throw a blood clot. I found that many people greatly reduced their episodes by diet change and certain supplements. I am proud to say that I am now down from an episode of AFIB every two months to 3 episodes a year, that is a 50% reduction. I am telling you all of this to tell you why I refused the doctors treatment. He recommended Lora-Tab and muscle relaxers, I asked him if either had irregular heartbeat as side effect. They both had that as a potential side effect. So, if you were me, would you have taken a chance on going into AFIB or would you have sought a second treatment? I went to the "certified" holistic health professional at my health food store and told him my problem. He showed me several products and I chose the one that naturally lowers the pain threshold so the body can do its own work to correct the problem. I am happy to say that after a week on it (with absolutely no side effects), my right back muscle is healed and my left one is probably 75% healed, and I believe that is because I took the natural means to lower pain with no side effects so my body was able to do its work without having to fight all of the side effects connected with the medication. I think I am rather smart to not take everything a doctor says as being gospel but to look into all avenues of treatment. I have learned a long time ago that even though we live in a instant gratification society, I don't have to live there. Sure, the Loratab would have helped the pain, sure the muscle relaxer would have helped the pain, however with all of the side effects listed and with my known inability to take most medications I made the right decision for me. As I have said over and over that may not be the right decision for someone else, I have a high threshold for pain, others may not, I also have a high probablity of side effects from any medication, so that makes me apprehensive. So, that is why I went to the doctor Kassy, again, my personal decision whether it "makes sense" to you or not. Sharon

How were you so certain that the alternative treatment would not have posed the very same side effects or even more? After all natural remedies are not regulated and thus the side effects are not widely known. So you still took a big chance with the natural treatment as far as I can see because it could have ended up with disastrous consequences for you. Fortunately it did not. At the same time your actions indicate that you do not trust your naturopath to diagnose you so you went to the doctor. So it is so strange that you would trust the naturopath's recommendation for treatment and trust his advice that the treatment is safe, so why not trust him to diagnose you as well? I'm just saying.

[felicia]

Thanks for the tips. I have had some success with N Acetyl Cysteine to combat H. Pylori. I took 600 mg. a day for two weeks and my IBS symptoms have pretty much disappeared. I will probably do another round next week for another 2 weeks, in case there are still bacteria lurking around. Everything I read about this amino acid seems to indicate that it is also a potent anti oxidant and has many other benefits besides its effect on H. Pylori. How does it work? It is disables the bacteria´s ability to produce urease if I remember correctly, so the bacteria eventually can not adhere to the intestinal wall and eventually die. There has been at least one clinical test on humans (at the dosage I used) and it proved to be quite successful.
Check with your doctor as those with kidney disease need to be careful with this (it is a form of the amino acid cysteine, which can present a problem for those with a history of kidney disease). Also, you will need to increase your intake of vitamin C threefold to prevent kidney stones (which occur infrequently. I did find I experienced delayed gastric emptying but it was no big deal. Drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses a day to prevent formation of stones. Hope this was helpful

[felicia]

Also, great news! There is a product that they are using in Japan called Dr. Piro. Hopefully it will be approved soon and on the shelves in the US and Europe soon. Dr. Piro is a yogurt which is innoculated with an H. Pylori vaccine and has been proven effective against H. Pylori in clinical trials. It is being used now in Japan, Korea and another Asian country I can´t recall at the moment. Look it up online. You can read the studies. The vaccine was produced and patented by a medical food company. I will be researching if the vaccine is available in any other form so that it can be imported more easily. In the study the yogurt was taken three times a day for one month. It works very much like N Acetyl Cysteine in that it works on the production of urease, etc. When I have a chance I will post more detailed scientific info on this product, but in the meantime look it up online. It is very good news for H Pylori sufferers and looks very promising!

[felicia]

PS When I took the N Acetyl Cysteine I also supplemented with probiotics and am still taking them. Also continue to supplement with L Glutamine. Again check with your doctor. L Glutamine is very important aid in repairing intestinal damage. Also, noticed during the course of N Acetyl Cysteine treatment that I was feeling extremely happy after a time and more energetic. Coincidently I read the other day on internet that it has been used successfully as an anti depressant for the depressive part of bipolar disorder and they believe that it will also be useful in other types of depressions. I was not depressed (that I was aware of), but even my husband noticed a change in my behavior and commented. L glutamine suplementation may possibly be useful too for mild depressions and even bipolar, in my opinion, because both of these supplements increase low levels of glutathione which have shown to be deficient in individuals suffering from bipolar disorder and other depressions. Lots of stuff on the internet about this connection, including at least one major clinical study. Consult with your doctor if you are bipolar and currently on medication for this condition.

[Sharon]

KassyS wrote:

<quoted text>
How were you so certain that the alternative treatment would not have posed the very same side effects or even more? After all natural remedies are not regulated and thus the side effects are not widely known. So you still took a big chance with the natural treatment as far as I can see because it could have ended up with disastrous consequences for you. Fortunately it did not. At the same time your actions indicate that you do not trust your naturopath to diagnose you so you went to the doctor. So it is so strange that you would trust the naturopath's recommendation for treatment and trust his advice that the treatment is safe, so why not trust him to diagnose you as well? I'm just saying.

Kassy, After this response, I will not waste my valuable time and energy responding to you any longer. What part of "it is my decision about how I handle my health" don't you understand? You don't have the right to question my health decisions, I am the only one responsible for "my" decisions. I use both doctors and holistic experts, and always have, so let me try to explain one last time why I do this. After consulting with them I make the decision on what I want to "take a chance on" based on what I learn from both of them. I think that you have a problem with challenging anything that a person does which is quite evident in some of your past post, I recall you even said a certain supplement provider is demonic. So, I will continue to post my experience (as you also have the freedom to do), but I will not be responding to your challenges about my life decisions. I wish you the best in all your endeavors to heal your body, I am sorry you had a bad experience with Mastic, but that does not give you the right to challenge other people in their health decisions. It is my belief that many have come on this site and have been turned off by what they have read in some of the post, so we have actually lost people because of this banter all the time, so I am not going to be part of it any longer. That is not what this forum is about. Again, I wish you the best. Sharon

[KassyS]

Sharon wrote:

<quoted text>
Kassy, After this response, I will not waste my valuable time and energy responding to you any longer. What part of "it is my decision about how I handle my health" don't you understand? You don't have the right to question my health decisions, I am the only one responsible for "my" decisions. I use both doctors and holistic experts, and always have, so let me try to explain one last time why I do this. After consulting with them I make the decision on what I want to "take a chance on" based on what I learn from both of them. I think that you have a problem with challenging anything that a person does which is quite evident in some of your past post, I recall you even said a certain supplement provider is demonic. So, I will continue to post my experience (as you also have the freedom to do), but I will not be responding to your challenges about my life decisions. I wish you the best in all your endeavors to heal your body, I am sorry you had a bad experience with Mastic, but that does not give you the right to challenge other people in their health decisions. It is my belief that many have come on this site and have been turned off by what they have read in some of the post, so we have actually lost people because of this banter all the time, so I am not going to be part of it any longer. That is not what this forum is about. Again, I wish you the best. Sharon

I did it to show what a hypocrite you are! I have seen many posts where you told persons to take mastic gum and even told them what dosage to take. So how is that "letting people decide" as you have been telling me to do on this forum? How convenient for you isn't it? All the best to you too. You need to re-read the posts that you have made here in the past. Such hypocrisy. Your arguments are hypocritical and contradictory.

[silvie]

Vass wrote:

<quoted text>
I was wondering the same thing. I have done research online and I have not found a thing. I have chewed it twice during my pregnancy. I hope it's okay!

It doesnt wok right away it takes a month or two very safe. If our prenant you should talk to a homopathy doctor. Its safe but its herbs so I would check.

[silvie]

It takes a long time at least two months, and you should change your diet gluten free and drink alot of water...

[KassyS]

Yes, we all know that chemicals or conventional meds are not safe for everyone. I have never disputed that but my argument all along is that the side-effects are known, documented and listed even on the very product. With herbs that is never the case because they are untested and unregulated the side effects are not widely known. I have a problem therefore when people come on this forum and others online and say this herbal pill is 100% safe and has no side effects whatsoever. Oh come on! Everything has side effects. So people need to stop spewing lies and claiming something to be free from side effects. There are people who will fall for the lies like I did in taking mastic gum believing at that time what was being said about it not having any side effects. I do not care who on this forum wants to dislike me or my arguments because I did not come here to be popular!

[silvie]

KassyS wrote:

<quoted text>
My gastritis was caused by an h pylori infection which I had for at least 4 years. Not autoimmune, however when I took mastic gum it caused such damage and disturbance that it not only injured my liver and kidneys but damaged the acid producing cells and I can no longer produce intrinsic factor so I have pernicious anemia. I used the mastic to get rid of the h pylori and this is what I was left with. Prior to that my B12 was normal. I was producing acid and I had no digestion issues, just a burning in my stomach under the breast when it was empty or if I ate something spicy or anything that irritated it. I had no symptoms of pernicious anemia and did not have it before mastic gum. Bear in mind that some things are so toxic to the body that in an effort to try to get rid of it the immune system becomes overactive and then start to go haywire and attack your own body. I am therefore not an advocate of mastic gum after that horrendous experience. My life is destroyed as a result.

Mastic Gym has no side effects did you drink lots of water? I wuld do the BIO Plus if you wanna clen thing out do it for a month, do the manuka honey, and try grapeseedextract with the mstic gym, remember your body is getting use to these things and you ave soo much toxixs its now affecting our organs, causing you to be sick.Please try the grapeseed before you eat in the morning and stop taking the mastic gym try to change your diet to gluten free give your body a cleanse. I spoke with a doctor in homepathy and you have to give it a chance. What are you eating? Meat! Soda? Bread? Milk? all these things are toxins sorry to hear that your going through this..you must drink a least a gallon of water..no milk no sugar, just fruits, veggies have you heard of a book called the the healthist way to cook foods, you might want to go raw. So lets say you gonna make steam veggies do for 2 minutes only add lemon juice and maybe a little drop of oil and pink salt is better cause it cleans you stomach. Also try poaching your fish or meat for4 minutes in broiler. I had to eat like this for months everything...

[Vera]

Hi,I am new to this forum.I have H Pylori for a long,long time.I could not treat with antibiotics,because I have an aneyurism on my kidney and Hep B.Searching the net I find something I want to share with you.Here is the blog of Amy King:
http://amyking.wordpress.com/2009/02/20/im-so...
I start the treatment a month a go,in fact 2 month a go.The first month I took just Lansoprazole,to stop the reflux acid,and calm a little bit,because I was vomiting 3-4 times a day.The second month I started for the first week just with the half of the treatment.

[Vera]

the second week I took a full dose,up to now.I started the treatment,on 4 august so has been one month up to now.I will take for another month.Very important with this treatment is the diet.You have to go gluten free,sugar free,(even the sugary fruit)are not aloud,you are not aloud to eat cheese,milk,yogurt,fry food,etc...I have in a morning organic oat gluten free ,blueberries,one soft egg,and wholemeal bread.Plenty of salmon,chiken,vegetable soup,herbal tea,evian water for the rest of the day.They said that the sugar feed bacteria,and I believe is true.So try to have just alcaline foods.
In 2 weeks time I need to go and have the test again,this is because my doc give some antibiotics,and want to see if the bacteria has gone.I never took antibiotics because my heart start racing and I end up in hospital.Has hapened to me about 4 yrs a go when I tried to eradicate with antibiotic.I took them just for 2 days.So,have a look at Amy's King blog and also I will let you know in say 3 weeks time,if my helicobacter has gone or not.Wish you all the best!
Sorry for my writing,english is my second language

[Nita]

Ever since I had my gallbladder removed, I have had trouble with gerd. My worst symptom was trouble swallowing food. Next was the bloating, gas, sleep apnea. My doc put me on Aciphex. I have been on that for 2 years. Lately It has been getting worse. I have been vomiting and getting bad headaches. Not to mention how proton-pump inhibitors cause bone fractures. I decided to go off of Aciphex and try mastic gum 2 days ago. I was told it takes 2-3 weeks to work. I'm debating if I should go back to my doctor. I am so tired of all this!

[Vera]

Hi Nita,have you been tested for helicobacter pylori? my advice is to ask your doctor to send you to have endoscopy.Your symptoms are not because you removed the gallblader,and yes the mastic gum is good but if you have helicobacter need treatment.

[Mikaela]

Hi Kassy,

You mentioned that the mastic gum damaged your stomach parietal cells. I was wondering what kind of test you did to find this out?

I ran into some stomach issues after taking mastic gum for a month, but I was also taking other herbs, so I don't know which one was the culprit.

[tina]

Hey guys been reading about all the positive things with mastic gum..could someone tell me what the DGL is not sure...I want to try the mastic gum and DGL treatment since this is my last dose of antibiotics...it seems like since this occurred alittlle over 4and months ago it is affected alot of other symptoms ..I also take a script of oravastatin for cholesterol and ativan at night and loritab when needed will this mastic gum be safe if on other meds..don't want to ask doctor because they will not suggest that I use it anyway ...I am in need of advice here since this seems to be stressing me to other sickness such as loss of memory lost 40and lbs no appetite and vision problems at times I have read in other forums that other people were experiencing these symptoms also ...so therefore will my meds intercede with mastic gum and DGL treatment if I can find out what DGL treatment is..please help im not financially able to go here and there ..thanks

[KassyS]

Mikaela wrote:

Hi Kassy,
You mentioned that the mastic gum damaged your stomach parietal cells. I was wondering what kind of test you did to find this out?
I ran into some stomach issues after taking mastic gum for a month, but I was also taking other herbs, so I don't know which one was the culprit.

I had normal b12 results prior to taking mastic, was producing good acid and I had absolutely no digestion issues. My only symptoms from the h pylori infection before mastic was a burning below my breast, a pain in the left arm radiating to shoulder, frequent burping and flatulence. When I took mastic gum it started out with cramps which I thought were tolerable but by the 13th day on the product I was in SEVERE HORRIFIC PAIN. After that came all the problems: constipation, no appetite, no hunger feeling went to A&E to seek medical attention, found out protein coming leaking from the kidneys into the urine, liver damage and then the b12 fell dramatically leading to a test called intrinsic factor antibody which detected that I have pernicious anemia. I did not have it before as I was absorbing well but the mastic gum caused an explosion in the stomach that it inflamed the cells and in the process also caused my immune system to go haywire, because the immune system became confused by the FOREIGN OBJECT which was mastic that was not supposed to be there. If you go on life enhancement website they explain that mastic gum ALTERS THE SHAPE of h pylori so that the immune system can then get help get rid of the bacteria but this is a dangerous thing because it essentially is manipulating the immune system, so basically my organs are damaged, my stomach cells are damaged and my immune is out of control leaving me with autoimmune condition. Many autoimmune conditions are TRIGGERED BY INGESTION OF TOXIC SUBSTANCES.