Hello! It’s Linsy again, here this week to answer another question we received on the blog in regards to Jini’s post: Using Bentonite Clay for Gut Problems.
The activity, interactions, and questions I’ve received from you all so far have been fantastic, so don’t feel shy and please ask away if you have any questions! I will do my best to answer – and of course, consult Jini for her wisdom as well!
The question I’ll be speaking on this week reads:
“I’m drinking bentonite clay (Sonnes #7) first thing in the morning and before bed to help with die-off from candida cleanse. I find it helps with that, but that I’m extremely bloated and filled with water, especially in my stomach/gut – I’m essentially distended with water. This happened with other brands as well. Any thoughts on this and how to deal with it? Thanks!”
There are several scenarios that came to mind after reading this comment, so today I will share my thoughts based on my own experiences using bentonite clay.
#1.) The FIRST thing that comes to mind is bloating as a symptom of “die-off.”
If you’re familiar with the Herxheimer effect, it’s basically a “die-off” of bad bacteria in your gut. Bloating can sometimes be a symptom of this, as the bentonite clay is pulling these dying pathogens out.
I actually always experience bloating on binders. I personally believe it’s a part of the die-off process, so I make sure I’m opening detox pathways while using binders – which brings me to the SECOND thought which came to my mind after seeing this reader’s comment…
#2.) It’s important to make sure detox pathways are open while using binders!
In my experience, if the toxins pulled out by binders were not being eliminated properly, I would have a reaction.
If this is the case, what I do (still to this day) is use an infrared sauna, take quercetin, and a liver tone supplement – all products found in the LTYG Shoppe! These helped to open my detox pathways so the bentonite clay could express the toxins properly.
Why is the liver cleanse or support so important? With IBD, most of us have a leaky gut – so we may have some toxins floating around. The liver helps remove toxins out of your blood, which is a lot of work – and is why the liver can benefit from some support! The minerals found in the liver tone Jini recommends contain what the liver needs to boost its ability to perform.
Note, however, that Jini says: “If you have active IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), these herbs may be too strong for your gut and you may want to wait until you have had no bleeding for 2-4 months before using these. And then start VERY slowly and test for tolerance as you go. If you have no bleeding – only inflammation – then start with just a few drops once per day and gradually build up from there, if tolerated. Follow the instructions in Chapter 2 of my book, Listen To Your Gut, for introducing new supplements.”
I agree with Jini wholeheartedly on this. It is powerful but can also really help with people who are having reactions and/or Herxing to clean everything out. I started with just 1 drop and worked my way up to 3 drops. Once I did 4, and that was too much for my body – so for right now, 3 drops are plenty sufficient. I can literally feel my body detoxing when I use it, which is great in prep for anti-pathogen treatments – or other things that I know may potentially cause a reaction!
The only other thing I would add to Jini’s recommendations is don’t mix this liver product with anti-pathogens, even on the same day. Because in my opinion, BOTH cause the liver to work so tremendously hard, and taking both in 1 day – even when separated by food, etc. – may be too much detoxing, especially with IBD flares.
I personally space these products out by a few days. Coming soon I will provide more deets on how I prep for anti-pathogens to make a smooth and easy HERX free transition with these products!
The SECOND product I take while using binders/detoxing to open my detox pathways is Quercetin. Quercetin actually affects our gut, as it has been known to inhibit the growth of certain bacterial species – it’s a super-cool study you can read here, if interested.
Quercetin can also help support the liver, so again – we want to assist our bodies in properly eliminating the toxins the binders are helping to pull out.
#3. The THIRD thought that comes to mind when bloating while using bentonite clay is that the bentonite could be “stuck” in your system.
In this case, if it were me, I would go on a full elemental, liquid-only diet until the bloating and distillation goes down. I would not use any anti-pathogens, however, but an infrared sauna is great!
I personally use infrared saunas as a way to open up my detox pathways, and Jini has also written a blog post on how to use an infrared sauna for IBD detox & healing support.
#4.) The FOURTH thought that came to mind is the possibility of your body just not tolerating bentonite clay.
If this is the case, Jini wrote a post on using activated charcoal as a treatment for Crohn’s.
#5.) The FIFTH thought that came to mind is looking at the mind/body/spirit portion of this issue.
Is there an emotional component to this reaction?
Any reaction that we have to a supplement and/or treatment could have an underlying EMOTIONAL component, as we may actually be attaching that healing modality with a trauma we experienced! This could be a smell, a sound, or a feeling from that treatment or supplement that may cause us to go back to our trauma state – and then we have a reaction.
This reaction, though, is not as a result of the current supplement or treatment, but it is our bodies reacting to the trauma, creating a physical response! This could be because we felt unsafe (like we did during a traumatic experience) thus our bodies label this modality or supplement or treatment – or whatever it is! – as “unsafe.”
This actually happened to me recently, and I’m working on a video + blog post so I can share my experiences with you all. Keep an eye out for that soon!
#6.) The SIXTH thought that came to mind is to make sure to unblock any negative energy.
I TAP when these reactions happen to me, to open everything and move things freely! You want free-flowing movement and energy in the body to detox. Any emotional blockages may be stopping the detox process and not allowing the bentonite clay to do what it needs to do.
As I mentioned earlier, we may have a trauma response to a certain healing method we tried – and THIS is where acupressure tapping comes into play. This is why Jini created an awesome course that teaches you how to tap for any issues that arise in the moment, as well as past traumas. I strongly recommend you go try a free session with Jini if you haven’t already!
#7.) Lastly, you may just need to switch up your binder.
Activated charcoal is a great option, and I’ve also had great results with a product called GI Detox.
Thank you for tuning in today! I hope this provides some practical help, as well as hope for anyone who is struggling with similar issues. There are always other options or ways to work through an issue, so don’t ever feel you are trapped if one treatment isn’t working for you!
Thanks again for joining me, and until next time – happy healing, and always listen to your gut!
I was taking quercetin and it affected my thyroid because it blocks thyroid medication, although it really helped with my allergies, so avoid quercetin if you have thyroid disease.
Thank you for reaching out, sharing your story, and this info! Yes, that is true, quercetin can potentially interfere with thyroid function, so if you are on thyroid meds please consult your physician before beginning supplementation.
If it were me and quercetin was not an option, I personally think Jini’s Bone Matrix could be a great alternative. It contains selenium which is fantastic for thyroid support, and selenium is an antioxidant – which can help with detoxing.
I really appreciate you bringing this up and your insight! Thanks again!