This reader’s experience shows why it is absolutely important to use Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol – or the anti-pathogen treatment of your choice – before and/or during an elemental diet.
“I began the Elemental diet for over 7 weeks. I experienced sustained weight loss and eventually could barely digest water. I was offered hospitalization and learned that I had Candida in my upper gastrointestinal tract (treated with antifungals), E. coli in my urine (treated with IV antibiotic), and C-DIFF (treated with vancomycin).
Many doctors recommend an elemental diet for SIBO because clinical studies have shown it leads to a reduction and elimination of bacteria:
“Treating bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine is complicated by the low effectiveness of antibiotics. Elemental diets have been shown to reduce intestinal flora.”
However, they do not take into account whether there is a mild, moderate or severe previous infection, nor do they identify which pathogens are involved (yeast/fungus, bacteria, mycobacteria). And without high-dose therapeutic probiotic supplementation during and after anti-pathogen treatment, you leave the gut wide open to secondary or opportunistic infections.
In my book, The IBD Remission Diet (Elemental Diet + Targeted Supplement Plan = Spa), after extensive testing with thousands of readers, I recommend that people begin my anti-pathogen protocol at the same time as starting an Elemental Diet.
However, I then did a podcast with Dr. Roy and Debbie Steinbock made it and had an A-HA moment. They start their patients on an anti-pathogen protocol 1-2 weeks before starting the elemental diet! This allows patients to go through all the symptoms of die-off (Herxheimer reaction) before starting the diet.
This ensures that patients are not confused about whether the diet is effective or whether they cannot tolerate the shakes. This way, they know that all of their unpleasant symptoms (diarrhea, nausea, headaches, bloating, fatigue, etc.) are caused by the death of pathogens in their intestines – and not by elementary shocks.
Then, when they start the elemental diet, they continue on the anti-pathogen diet (perhaps they can reduce the dosage at that point, perhaps not yet), but they are better able to assess their body’s response to the elemental shakes and may have fewer adjustment problems because they have already begun to normalize their microbiome.
In Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil protocol, we use a potent brand of wild oregano 5x daily to fight infections hard (wild oregano is effective against viruses, bacteria, yeast and some parasites). And last thing before bed, take a high dose of Natren probiotics. After extensive testing with thousands of readers, we found out This combination of pathogen killing and good bacterial replacement led to the best results with the lowest Herxheimer reaction and the lowest probability of triggering an outbreak. As with anything, start low and slow and gradually increase both the dosage and frequency.
If you don’t like wild oregano or it doesn’t work for you, olive leaf is the next best thing. Some doctors grow whatever infects you and then test different substances (wild oregano, olive leaf, garlic, grapefruit seed extract, etc.) in the petri dish to see which one is likely to work best on your infection. So if your symptoms are severe or do not improveBe sure to book a good naturopath or functional medicine doctor for an examination and a second opinion.
Detailed instructions for Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol can be found in three of my books:
Which book do I need?
If you just want to do an elemental diet, then get the IBD Remission Diet
If you want treatment protocols for ALL issues related to gut disease, as well as healing diets, lifestyle improvements, and other information to create long-term health, get Listen To Your Gut.
If you’re just suffering from an intestinal infection, such as an overgrowth of Candida albicans, C. difficile, or H. pylori, get Jini’s Natural Healing Guide: Intestinal Infections.
Remember that all of my books, videos, etc. are based on a self-directed healing journey. If at any time you feel like you could benefit from the support of a naturopathic doctor, health coach, or other practitioner, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with one! This is why my flagship book is called Listen To Your Gut. Your commitment to listening to your unique body is paramount. If you begin to feel uncomfortable or that a second look or a sounding board would be helpful, please act accordingly. If you want, you can use my list of practitioners who are familiar with my methods, or anyone you “click” with – that’s your gut feeling at work telling you, yes, book with this person.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions, just leave them below!
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s disease and has been medication and surgery free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcasts, television and radio shows in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, giving people hope and vision on how to heal their colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) using all-natural methods. Her books on natural healing of digestive diseases have been sold in over 80 countries worldwide. Jini is married and has three children, nine sheep, 11 horses, a cat and three dogs.
