another poss, just info from wiki:
Quote:
Diverticulitis develops from diverticulosis, which involves the formation of pouches (diverticula) on the outside of the colon.
Patients often present with the classic triad of left lower quadrant pain, fever, and leukocytosis (an elevation of the white cell count in blood tests). Patients may also complain of nausea or diarrhea; others may be constipated.
Less commonly, an individual with diverticulitis may present with right-sided abdominal pain. This may be due to the less prevalent right-sided diverticula or a very redundant sigmoid colon.
An initial episode of acute diverticulitis is usually treated with conservative medical management, including bowel rest (ie, nothing by mouth), IV fluid resuscitation, and broad-spectrum antibiotics which cover anaerobic bacteria and gram-negative rods. However, recurring acute attacks or complications, such as peritonitis, abscess, or fistula may require surgery, either immediately or on an elective basis.
so, while yours doesn't sound acute, there are some things you can do as an alternative to broad-spectrum antibiotics. besides, antibiotics would be working against your acidophilus!
there's a lot of research out there based on finding alternatives to regular antibiotics due to increases in resistance. feeding antibiotics to livestock is even banned in the EU apparently:
http://tinyurl.com/y7j2qdso what other choices...
http://tinyurl.com/6ljm7yQuote:
medium chain saturated fatty acids are well known for their virucidal effects against viruses with lipid membranes as well as against numerous other pathogenic microorganisms... the lauric oils such as coconut oil or palm kernel oil... can provide a unique source of both antimicrobial lipids and needed calories.
http://tinyurl.com/fvxvqQuote:
lauric acid, the major fatty acid from the fat of the coconut, has long been recognized for the unique properties that it lends to nonfood uses in the soaps and cosmetics industry. more recently, lauric acid has been recognized for... food use... antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal functions... improves the immune system's anti-inflammatory response.
http://tinyurl.com/5qqcmhQuote:
Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidative activity of laurel, sage, rosemary, oregano and coriander essential oils
Baratta, MT | Dorman, HJD | Deans, SG* | Biondi, DM | Ruberto, G
Journal of Essential Oil Research [J. Essent. Oil Res.]. Vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 618-627. Nov-Dec 1998.
The essential oils obtained from five commercial samples of Sicilian aromatic plants, laurel, sage, oregano, rosemary and coriander were analyzed by GC/MS and assayed for their antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities. Twenty-five different genera of bacteria and one fungal species were used in this study as test organisms. The oils showed a high degree of inhibition against all the microorganisms tested. The highest and broadest activity was shown by the oil of oregano, while the oil of sage was the least effective. The antioxidant activity of the oils was measured by the modified Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Species (TBARS) assay, using egg yolk and rat liver as oxidable substrate, in absence and in presence of the radical inducer 2,2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (ABAP). The activities were compared with those of alpha -tocopherol and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT, butylated hydroxytoluene). The oils showed different effectiveness, the oregano oil being endowed with the highest activity. Chemical components of the oils, lipid composition of the substrates and the increased amount of peroxyl radicals played a fundamental role in establishing the different antioxidant activities of the oils.
a study in pigs (i can't figure out what the exact compounds were though!) bottom line, essential oils can be effective without messing with your acidophilus.
http://tinyurl.com/3qv9ngQuote:
In this study, sixty-six essential oils/compounds were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 and E. coli O157:H7. Sixteen out of 66 were found to have strong antimicrobial property... nine were further studied for their antibacterial effects... Most of the oils/compounds demonstrated high efficacy against the pathogens with little inhibition towards lactobacilli and bifidobacteria which are beneficial bacteria, the members of the normal microflora...
from an in-vivo human dental study...
http://tinyurl.com/4qxu6aQuote:
Rinsing with the essential oil mouth rinse can have long-lasting effects in reducing anaerobic bacteria overall as well as Gram-negative anaerobes and VSC-producing bacteria.
i had been under the impression years ago that coconut oils weren't good for cholesterol or something like that? but this looks like something positive and far more recent than my last read:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15329324
Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid parameters and in vitro LDL oxidation.
looks like you can get it in gelcaps too.
i have tried oil of oregano and let me tell you, it is certainly not chocolate syrup, but wow you can tell it is getting down to business in there. i have drops but i will definitely go for capsules next time because it's pretty pungent stuff.