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I suffered from chronic diarrhea for years which I attributed to Crohn's disease. This seemed obvious since diarrhea is a very common symptom of Crohn's, but it

• Schroedingersat 4y ago
  You can put stronger/commercial detergent in the pre-wash dispenser (or just dump it wherever before running) and then a small amount of castile soap + citric acid (or just citric acid) in the main dispenser.
• throwaway2037 4y ago
  This post is incredible. How did you get the idea to experiment with your dishwasher? Another question: If you wash dishes by hand, is everything OK?
• nano9 4y ago
  I have a similar tale to tell. Ever since I've taken activated charcoal regularly, I have felt considerable improvement in my digestion and overall well-being. I feel happier, even. The charcoal is "sourced from non-GMO coconuts" which I don't necessarily believe but I take it as a sign that it's a higher quality product instead of repackaged industrial waste (like a lot of the market probably is). I take 1000mg of activated charcoal per day and feel better. It is paradoxical, because all charcoal does is absorb. It makes me think that everything we put into our bodies nowadays is poison. And if all charcoal does is absorb, maybe most foods are a net negative. My interest in fasting has piqued as a result. I think we are entering an era of rampant industrialization wherein the products (food, soaps, cookware coatings, packaging materials, etc.) are not necessarily the best products on the market, but simply cost effective enough to put on the shelves--meaning if waste can get on the shelf through clever marketing and engineering then it will.
  • rapnie 4y ago
    Not directly related to the food products as your refer to them, but a couple of years ago there was the big Cradle-to-Cradle "Waste is Food" hype. Loved by many companies and governments. As a result in The Netherlands this whole paper bureaucracy appeared where through all kinds of tricks you can transform almost any waste back into 'building materials' that are good for the market again. In many cases waste processing became extra profitable. Companies get paid for waste removal at some industry, do the magic transformation tricks, and sell building material at premium price. So waste = food = money literally without much processing, and effectively just waste = money. A process where waste conveniently disappears on paper only and is spread out over the lands without many people complaining. It is like waste processing of the 60's but way smarter.
    • noduerme 4y ago
      Literally "spread out over the lands"... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/19/us-states-toxic-sewage-sludge-pfas-farmers https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/19/us-state...
• michaelteter 4y ago
  While searching for causes, did you also look at ways to strengthen/rebalance/improve your GI system? I'm not sure if this will turn out to be quackery or snake oil, but the Super Gut book by William Davis makes some believable claims as to common causes of digest issues (along with solutions).
  • XorNot 4y ago
    A HN poster recommended L. Reuteri supplements a while back, and I cannot recommend them enough: 6 months on and I've been able to completely drop a prucalopride prescription and have almost eliminated what used to be frequent and fairly crippling gut pain. The key I found was at about the 2 month mark things seemed to be getting worse, but after that a dramatic improvement. I was able to stop the supplements after the 3 month pack, though 6 months on there was some regression so I'm taking another round (which seems to have improved things). It might not be possible for whatever reason to sustain the culture in my intestine, but it's been the first actual improvement I've had in decades. Available as BioGaia, I recommend trying it if you have IBS symptoms.
    • michaelteter 4y ago
      This is good to hear. The Super Gut book describes a somewhat involved process in stages, with the latter rebuilding stage involving growing your own high population cultures; so it's nice to know that comparatively low effort supplements can be effective. The first stage of resetting, as described in the book, was to rebuild the lining of the intestine. Forgive my imprecision in describing it, as I have forgotten the details and don't feel like digging. The issue is that many of our foods are made with emulsifiers (baked goods, ice creams, etc.), and emulsifiers cause thinning of the intestine walls. That in turn creates a less than optimal environment, causing losses of good bacteria as well as increases/movements of bad bacteria. Fortunately that first stage is pretty easy - making clove tea with a couple other ingredients daily. I actually found it pleasant after the first few days. And then I read about clove tea and discovered that it's already a big thing, but where I grew up we've never heard of it!
    • slv77 4y ago
• hardwaregeek 4y ago
  I’m curious, did you ever try using less detergent? Like cutting one of those pouches in half? It’d be messy but maybe it’d work.
  • hjadal 4y ago
    Theres also liquid or powder detergent, which allows you to use a fitting amount for the dishwasher load.
    • SV_BubbleTime 4y ago
      Liquids have enzymes or bleach. They might have oxiclean instead of bleach but apparently the two best cleaning agents don’t exist in liquid together very well. Powder is better. Pods are just powder.
      • insane_dreamer 4y ago
        You can also get dissolvable tablets (basically powder stuck together).
      • amanaplanacanal 4y ago
        But the pods have too much detergent. Since there is no detergent in the pre-wash, they put too much in the main wash.
        • tharkun__ 4y ago
          I always break a corner off the pod and crumble it into the pre-wash partition since watching the video nerdponx in the sibling thread posted (found it through a different post maybe a half year or so ago also here on HN). I also do the hot-water priming when I remember to.
  • nerdponx 4y ago
    Don't use the damn pouches! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rBO8neWw04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rBO8neWw04
• m463 4y ago
  I wonder about sulfates, specifically SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate - which has many whack-a-mole names). SLS is a surficant, and although not named in this study, it has been shown in other studies to interfere with mucous membranes (canker sores, etc) I would wonder if that happens in the gut too. It is in many things. toothpaste, shampoo, dishwasher and laundry detergents, and lots more Since people are trying to avoid SLS, MANY tricky marketing synonyms have appeared to obfuscate ingredient lists: https://chem.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/rn/151-21-3 https://chem.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/rn/151-21-3
  • hgomersall 4y ago
    There's apparently evidence that emulsifiers added to food are problematic regarding mucus membranes, as well as gut biome. We try to avoid foods that contain them as additives as much as possible (and they really are everywhere).
  • blibble 4y ago
    > Since people are trying to avoid SLS, MANY tricky marketing synonyms have appeared to obfuscate ingredient lists: this seems to be almost the definition of evil people are trying to avoid something specific that makes them ill, so they try to hide it from them instead? scum
    • jamal-kumar 4y ago
      The best part is all SLS does is contribute to the foaming of the toothpaste, that's literally all it does (Same thing in soap). It's just to give some psychological idea that foamy toothpaste cleans better. Something like a focus group in the 1950s came up with this ingredient.
      • kragen 4y ago
        no it's a surfactant surfactants emulsify lipids in polar liquids like water such emulsification is crucial to many kinds of cleaning because cell membranes are lipid bilayers surfactants also can cause cytolysis, maybe relevant if you're trying to get bacterial films off your teeth, and sds is commonly used for this in bio labs surfactants also often foam but this is irrelevant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_dodecyl_sulfate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_dodecyl_sulfate
• version_five 4y ago
  I worked in an office where I eventually realized I got annoying to bad GI problems whenever I drank the water (won't describe in detail but very atypical and I at first wondered why it only happened when I was in the office), and someone else there once mentioned they had the same problem. I always used the office-services provided glasses to drink out of, and reading this it seems very likely it could have been residue on them
  • heavyset_go 4y ago
    Might also be the result of shitty water treatment or softening, or even the state of the water source, water main and pipes in the building. Some water softening is done via agents like EDTA, which are also used heavily in soaps and detergents.
    • datavirtue 4y ago
      I have seen five gallon bottled water grow algae. It was from a professional water service to the office.
      • heavyset_go 4y ago
        Yup. I once found out that I had been drinking water from a source that had mold growing all inside the water fountain's plumbing itself. It explained why I constantly felt like shit, given my mold allergy.
  • noduerme 4y ago
    True story... Years ago, my friend (let's call her "Alice") and I put it together that whenever we went over to "Bob's" house for dinner we both got the runs. Finally, one of us mentioned it to Bob and he immediately blamed his wife: "I've told her," he said, "sometimes she doesn't wash the soap off the plates well enough." Something like that had never occurred to me. Sheer speculation, but it made some sense, as the dinners themselves were fairly basic.
  • Vrondi 4y ago
    I had issues severe enough to visit a gastroenterologist, which turned out to be caused by a water filter that wasn't being changed. I stopped consuming water going through that filter, and all symptoms went away within a day or two. It was stunning.
• runnerup 4y ago
  There are so, so many cases like this with modern chemicals. Air fresheners in office bathrooms being another major “ghost” aggravation is another one. In general I low-key proselytize the practice of removing excess stuff from air using HEPA and carbon filters to make a space smell better, rather than adding even more shit to the air (candles, scented sprays, etc). Also the benefits of using “free and clear” products. And using just water or water+soap with a rag to clean countertops/surfaces rather than weird chemical disinfectants that leave a microbial-toxic film of chemicals on the surfaces like Pledge. I personally use marijuana-growing carbon scrubbers to clean my home air, see TerraBloom products. It’s made a massive difference for my family.
  • phil-martin 4y ago
    This really interests me, and I want to set up a similar system. Can you describe the massive difference it’s made for family?
    • runnerup 4y ago
      I live in the middle of a lot of chemical plants. They have leaks constantly, like 3-5 moderate events per week. Different chemicals cause disparate effects on my wife and I, but often manifests as anxiety, asthma, lethargy, general sense of being very uncomfortable. Additionally we have two cats and a dog in a small apartment and sometimes they pee on the carpet/etc. The carbon scrubber reduces the noticeable chemical plant effects down to just once a week, and greatly minimize that as well. Has completely eliminated stress caused by residual pet pee vapors. We do have a bissell big green machine that we use regularly to clean the carpets and lots of HEPA air filters for dander, pollen, and other particulates. But knocking out VOCs using a carbon scrubber has truly been wonderful. Works very very well whenever we get new furniture etc that offgasses for a week or so.
  • avanai 4y ago
    OK I read this as carbon-scrubbers which grow marijuana. I dunno, maybe it helps oxygenate the air. Or maybe I haven’t had coffee yet.
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• starfallg 4y ago
  We stopped using any toothpaste with Sodium Laureth Sulfate in it and our whole family stopped suffering from mouth ulcers. There's a lot of commonly used chemicals that are irritants and disrupt how the body works, but are underneath the threshold of toxicity.