<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> [My responses are in brackets.] Since September I have been dealing with weight loss (10 pounds, now weigh 95). I am gluten free, sugar free, and dairy free. It is the sugar and carbohydrates that are playing havoc with me. [Those have been problem foods for me too. I can eat starches now, but sugars still are a problem & I expect they always will be.] In the last 3 weeks I have tried an antibiotic to kill, what they say is an overgrowth of bad bacteria, but did not notice any change in symptoms. [You probably have yeast overgrowth as well. Antibiotics won't help that & will likely make it worse. What you need is live culture foods such as raw kimchi or sauerkraut which are available at many health food stores. Better yet, learn to make your own kimche or sauerkraut. Search the web & you'll find recipes.] Then a week ago I used a probiotic for a week with no results. [The only time probiotics helped me is when I took about a dozen a day, but that's gets rediculously expensive & the benefit was only marginal.] Two days ago I started on Viokase, a pancreatic enzyme, and if anything I am worse. [The Viokase is probably a little helpful as long as it's GF, but it's just not everything you need. The product I use (Thorne BIO-GEST) contains pancreatic enzymes that are easy to tolerate because they are from beef source.] My mouth and throat feel really strange--sore and like the throat is going to close, I get terrible stomach aches, air in my throat. [Folic acid deficiency can cause that. I used to have that all the time. Then I found out I was folic acid deficient & started on 1000 mcg of folic acid dissolved under the tongue every day. Within a few days my mouth soreness went away. Folic acid supplements are available everywhere. You also probably need some extra B12 which is also good for a sore mouth.] I ate potatoes last night and that was really a mistake. There is just nothing I can put in my mouth to add calories to the body. [Go to your local health food store & ask for Spectrum Organic Shortening. It's pure palm oil, all natural, non-hydrogenated. Cook with it. Spread it on your rice crackers. Blend it in your beverages. Eat it straight. It really helps sooth an upset gut & adds good quality calories to your diet. Coconut oil is also very healthy. Both retard the growth of yeast & bacteria in the GI track. I saw an improvement in my skin w/i a couple weeks of using this stuff. It has really helped me gain weight too. I've gained about 6 precious pounds. I can now tolerate potatoes, too. Whoo hoo!] The doctors just shake their heads and have no clue. [Conventional, insurance reimbursed doctors are generally useless for this kind of stuff. They don't have the training or the time. What you need is an alternative doctor or a good naturopath.] Because I'm intolerant to so much, I can't take many medications. What is the brand and do you have a prescription for it? [You need to get your gut a bit more settled down before you try any product with HCl in it. The Specific Carbohydrate diet is really good for this. (Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottshall)] ------------------------- I found this in Dr. Joel Wallach's book "Let's play Doctor" ACHLORHYDRIA (loss of stomach acid) Contrary to belief stress will result in loss of stomach acid production. Achlorhydria is also a natural process of aging (perhaps the most significant aging phenomenon) so much so that 75% of people over the age of 50 years require supplementation. Symptoms include "burp/belch and bloat" because the absence of stomach acid allows intestinal bacteria and yeast (Candida albicans) to enter the stomach and ferment high carbohydrate foods (i.e. juice, fruit, breads, etc.) Failure to deal with achlorhydria will result in B-12, calcium and protein deficiencies and the onset of new food allergies as a result of absorption of partially digested polypeptides (relatively large protein fragments). Treatment includes supplementation of betain HCl at the rate of 75-250mb 15-20 minutes before each meal. In the absence of betain HCl 1-2 oz. of vinegar with English bitters (Gentain) may be taken before meals. Additionally, plant derived colloidal minerals tonify the stomach and increase its ability to produce stomach acid. Steve ------------------------ ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com * Send administrative questions to [log in to unmask] *