Wednesday, May 23, 2007

A Cure for Lactose Intolerance?!

Could it be? Could it really be?! A couple months ago I found a pamphlet which offered a cure for lactose intolerance. Details were a bit sketchy and the product isn't exactly FDA-approved yet, but like the optimist I am it nearly brought tears to my eyes to know a product like this actually exists. Of course, before mailing in the $150 check, I did some extensive Googling to see what kind of reviews it got. I also sought the advice of a doctor friend. Neither ended up dissuading me. Most reviewers thought the product worked for them more or less, and the doc said that it's definitely possible to reintroduce lactobacillus (which is what breaks down lactose) into your system, though it might not remain there forever.

So here I go. I've been lactose intolerant for about 9 years now and believe me, consuming milk, ice cream and cheese without all the nasty side effects would be a godsend.

It's a 38-day stint where I have to take a powder every day and forgo any sort of dairy product. That's the hard part. I'm a sucker for cheese and even though it gets me gassy for hours I live through it because I love it too much.

I'm about 5 days into it and so far, well, I'm hanging in. (Check out my diary here.) On the 35th day, I get to drink a glass of milk. Ooh~ how exciting. I don't remember the last time I did that. I'll report back on this 'lil experiment, but for the next month or so don't count on me filing away any pizza reviews.... or gelato... or creamy pasta. ~Sigh~

Check out my one-year update here!
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14 comments:

BoLA said...

OMG! Could it be? Will it work? You'll have to give me a detailed report!

I would LOVE to drink a whole glass of REGULAR milk one day!!! :)

Aubrey said...

Dude...that is fantastic news! I hope it works for ya. I've just decided to live with my intolerance and I think my body gave up on so now I do full creme anything and live fine (most of the time) but this would make all of our lives incredibly better. Wow...just an incredible thing if it works.

Douglas Cress said...

Its strange that you have to stop eating dairy for this product to properly function - one might think the opposite.

I wish you the best of luck on your quest to reintroduce dairy - a gift from the food gods.

Miss Tiffie said...

OMG! I hope it works, if it does I'm so getting it too.

foodette said...

Interesting - lactobacillus is one of the probiotics in yogurt. Most people who are lactose intolerant can have yogurt for this reason. It could work, but I guess I don't understand the difference between having that product and any other probiotic? Also, I didn't think lactobacillus could live in the powdered form. I am very interested in learning if this works for you! I sure hope it does - either way probiotics are very healthy so it should only help with your ability to digest vitamins and minerals properly.

Keep us posted!

Pirikara said...

Thank everyone for your support. Hey Foodette...I sure hope that lactobacillus does exist in powder form cause otherwise I have no idea what I've been taking these past 2 weeks~! We shall see...

foodette said...

pirikara, I hope so too - keep us posted!

Erin S. said...

I will be watching to see how this goes--my dad turned lactose intolerant late in life, and I'm hoping the same doesn't happen to me.

Anonymous said...

Hey-

I just came across your blog. My wife tried Lactagen and it worked for her. Its awesome- she can now have dairy products without symptoms. this really helps when we go out. she doesn't have to worry about everything she easts.

Anonymous said...

You might want to check out www.lactoseintolerant.org they have some great info on LI.

J

Pirikara said...

Hello Anonymous~ I'm glad it worked for your wife. Please let me know if sense notices signs of regression.

And thanks Bob for the link. heheh Lactagen was on the top of the list. I'm at the point where I'm seriously thinking of going on another lactose program. I miss being lactose tolerant. sniff~

Eric Rubin said...

i've got very similar digestive problems and I found that a great way to get my dose of probiotics is by eating Laloo's Goat Milk Ice Cream. This woman started the company a few years ago and the ice cream and frozen yogurt is made from, you guessed it, goat milk.

There is a very good explanation here: http://www.goatmilkicecream.com/sharethelove.php

Pirikara said...

Oooh thanks for the info! I just might try it. =)

Anonymous said...

I was wondering the dosage, grams and frequency...in case my friend wants to take lactobacillus.