I started having stomach problems about 3 years ago. Every morning I would wake up and feel nauseated and always have to have a bowel movement at least 3 times before I even left work. Slowly over time, I figured out that I was experiencing a form of IBS. So I started trying different remedies and treatments I found online to treat what I had.<br /><br />I tried:<br />Gluten Free<br />Peppermint Oil<br />Kombucha & Asparagus Extract<br />Cutting Out Chewing Gum<br />Eliminating Dairy<br />Juice Fast<br />Aloe Vera Extract<br />No Nicotine<br />Cutting Energy Drinks<br />Starving Myself<br />Apple Cider Vinegar<br />Allergy Medicine<br /><br />After 3 years I pretty much figured I'd have to live with the cramps all day and the constant need to go to the bathroom. I found an article from a forum from a woman that said she had cured her IBS and several people's IBS that she knew by using:<br /><br />10-30 Grams L-Glutamine<br />15 Million Count Probiotics<br /><br />I bought Now Foods Glutamine, and probiotics here on Amazon called &#34;Pro-15&#34;<br /><br />I drank 15 grams of Glutamine, twice a day. And took 2 capsules of the Pro-15 probiotics. I started to see results within the first day. Slowly over the course of 2 weeks I felt completely healed. It's now been 2 months and I can safely say that I am cured. I'm starting to remember what it's like to have a normal digestive system again. I only have one bowel movement a day and I never have to rush to the bathroom, no matter WHAT I eat.<br /><br />I'm still in disbelief that I'm actually normal again. I have my life back. I can finally go on trips, go out with friends, make plans to leave the house first thing when I wake up, and all without having to worry about whether or not there will be a bathroom nearby. I just want to say thank you to Now Foods for making a high quality Glutamine source. It literally changed my life

The role of L-glutamine in the gut is diverse. Perhaps the most important, glutamine can be digested directly by the gut. For those of you concerned with leaky gut, it plays an important role in restoring/maintaining gut function. Furthermore glutamine is the precursor to glutathione which is the master enzyme which regenerates all of your stress enzymes.<br /><br />The problem is in times of high stress or trauma your body's consumption of glutamine will greatly exceed any typical supply. Which is why for almost any gut related condition, doctors and other authorities recommend 2 to 3 gm of glutamine daily.<br /><br />The protocol given to me by my new doctor of functional medicine. I saw her about three weeks ago about a gut condition which may be Candida and leaky gut.<br /><br />Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic which fights gut inflammation . I used Jarrow's S. boulardii .<br /><br />PGX is a form of glucomannan which has been specially processed so fiber quality is preserved. Take 3x per day.<br /><br />About 3 gm of glutamine daily. I prefer to dissolve in about 2 cups of water and I take it to bed with me . When I wake up in the middle of the night that's when I'll drink it all. It is best taken on an empty stomach. When my stomach was at its worst, I would often just double up on this dose of glutamine. However, don't do this regularly. Glutamine is involved in the production of GABA and changing your GABA levels can alter your mood. I did notice a lessening in the pain the very next day when I doubled up on the glutamine.<br /><br />Bob's Red Mill unmodified potato starch is a resistant starch. Resistant starches resist digestion, they are broken down by your probiotics and they do not raise your glucose level. Resistant starches feed your gut directly and they are anti-inflammatory. Dissolve 1 tablespoon in water, take up to three times daily.<br /><br />Collagen:Your gut needs collagen to heal.You can get collagen by either drinking bone broth or by taking collagen supplements.<br /><br />Vitamins: the truth is you need all your vitamins if you want to heal from a major trauma. so you need a good multivitamin . The problem is most of the vitamins out there, centrum, one-a-day are lousy vitamins. they just aren't bioavailable. Getting a good multivitamin is fairly tricky many vitamins cannot be absorbed unless they are present in absolutely the correct ratio whereas others will completely block the absorption of one or another vitamin or mineral. Just make sure you get enough magnesium and zinc. The two most important minerals and they are fairly bio-unavailable in most forms. You need to research this carefully.<br /><br />Initiate protein synthesis: healing is by definition the production of new proteins to replace that which is broken or missing. You need to eat 30 g of proteins in one sitting in order to initiate protein synthesis. Nutritionists recommend doing this at least three times per day if you are trying to recover from major trauma or medical condition. 30 g of protein is rather a large amount. Five large eggs contains 30 g of protein. I have difficulty eating such large amounts in one sitting, therefore I tend to take all the protein I would normally eat in one day and concentrated into a meal. I eat all my other foods veggies etc. at other meals.<br /><br />Support for broken digestion: Symptoms include gas, bloating , diarrhea, stomachache /heartburn , gut cramps and GERD.<br /><br />HCl<br />Digestive enzymes<br /><br />You want to use the HCl and the digestive enzymes under the supervision of a doctor. If it turns out that you don't need it you could end up burning a hole in your stomach.<br /><br /> I had actually been using a variant of this protocol for almost a year with some limited success . But after I switched to the doctor's version, after three weeks my digestion seemed almost normal.<br /><br />What were my mistakes?<br />You need to take the glutamine on an empty stomach. I've been taking it during the day but apparently my stomach wasn't nearly empty enough.<br /><br />I was using very crappy fiber. Metamucil is not good stuff. Bad fiber will feed your probiotics, yes, but it will also feed other less desirable organisms in your gut. The difference between the Metamucil and PGX is a universe apart.<br /><br />I was using too many probiotics. Yes too many probiotics. It turns out Saccharomyces boulardii is the correct probiotic to use if you want to heal gut inflammation. All the other probiotics I was taking were just competing for a very limited resource (the fiber) and apparently they outnumbered the Saccharomyces and it never really took off.<br /><br />That was it.<br /><br />Update: My gut seems mostly healed up using this protocol. Recently, I added N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) to my line up. NAC is used primarily to support glutathione (this is the master stress enzyme that controls regeneration of all your other antioxidant/stress enzymes). I noticed I seemed to recover better from stress when I remember to take glutamate. In fact, I lost about 1.5 inches from my waistline but didn't lose any weight. This could only happen if my stress levels drop and my metabolism stopped depositing fat preferentially at the waist (stress belly).. Then when I ran out of glutamate, the waistline started to creep up again. It's starting to drop again now that I've gotten my next bottle.<br /><br />The protocol to support glutathione:<br />Supplement with n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC)<br />Supplement with glutamate<br />Supplement with magnesium glycinate (magnesium tends to be depleted if you're under stress. The glycinate is required to make gluthionione)

I suffered from Leaky Gut Syndrome for years. I finally stumbled upon a combination treatment of Fivelac, Udo' 8 probiotics, and L-Glutamine. I am cured! It took about 6 months to work, but after 20 years of suffering, I can now eat just about anything I want. I was off of corn, wheat, chocolate, cane sugar, coffee, and so much more. I was not a good dinner guest. Anyway I started with 5 lac and the probiotic. It was working, but soooo slow and I was dependent on the 5 lac. If I missed even a day, the symptoms would come back. After a couple of years, I read about the L-Glutamine and it made the difference. After about 6 months, I was able to let go of the five lac. I still take the L-Glutamine and the probiotics but if I miss a few days there seems to be not backlash. I will always take the probiotics because it is just a good practice for health, especially at my age - 63. Also, I recommend Source Naturals Digestive enzymes. So, when all my older friends are complaining that they can't eat spicy Mexican or Thai foods, or that they have developed lactose intolerance, etc, etc., I munch away. The combo of L-Glutamine (and I LOVE Now Brand anything), Udo's 8 probiotics, and Source Natural's Digestive enzymes is a small price to pay for having the digestion of a much younger woman.

I rarely write reviews and actually this is more of an observation but I wanted to let people know that you have to start VERY slow w this product. I found out the hard way! In my quest to heal my gut, I read up on L- Glutamine and this was a recommended brand by a few of the articles I read. I took two flat teaspoons in the morning and then again in the afternoon and soon felt horrible. Hot flashes, flushing, nausea, heart racing and anxious to name a few. I went back and did some more research, thinking it had to be the LGlutamine. It is important to start out at a very low dose. I am taking 1/2 teaspoon twice daily and am tolerating. I’ll move up to 1 teaspoon after 5 days and go from there. Most research shows better absorbed on an empty stomach and everything I’ve read says, do not take it with a hot beverage. Hope this helps!

I just want to say that I have never written a review on a product before. I also did not get this item at a discount or for free. I have IBS and an a peptic ulcer and acid reflux and chronic constipation. I was surfing the web and someone mentioned this product. I thought I had nothing to lose I have tried everything in the world to feel better. Omeprozole works but my hair falls out like crazy when I take it even for a few week. I have to tell you how miserable life has been this last year or so. I never feel good and I never go tot the bathroom and my tummy burns all day long. I have thought of quitting my job because I can't stand being there and feeling like this. Sorry for the long intro on my problems but I have to say this stuff has changed my life. I have regular bowel movements and no heeart burn and no burning tummy or trapped gas anymore. I take two 1/2 tsps daily. One in the morning when I get up and one at dinner time. I can eat whatever I want. I feel like I did 10 years ago. This stuff also helps your hair. It makes it grow, it changes the texture to a softer texture. I also have noticed a change in my thyroid function. I have to eat a ton to put on weight. I just got back from my honeymoon and I ate like a pig for a week and came back and only weigh 1 pound more then when I left. I used to be cold and shivering all the time, even when others said it wasn't cold but now I'm warm and very seldom get cold. Look up L-Glutamine and thyroid function and see what other's have to say if you doubt me.

I've been using this product for 3 weeks, titrating it very slowly to ensure I would not experience any negative side effects. I noticed that shortly after I started using this product, my symptoms of leaky gut and systemic candida increased. Initially I thought maybe it was something that I was eating, but I knew better - I've been on a very strict anti-candida diet and I knew it wasn't anything I had eaten to cause a spike in my symptoms.<br /><br />I finally decided to call NOW Foods to determine where this glutamine is sourced from and where it's manufactured. When I called, they lady said, &#34;It's sourced from non-GMO corn and it's manufactured in either China or Korea, but I'm not really sure....but it's quality checked here in the United States.&#34; I was floored. First of all, how do you not know exactly where your product is coming from? Furthermore, how can one expect me to believe they have the highest quality control protocol for their products if they can't tell me where the ingredients are coming from?<br /><br />So, needless to say, I tossed the remainder of the supplement away. I don't know how long it will take for product to be completely cleared of my body, but I will no longer purchase products from NOW Foods. Too many risks with added metals, etc., that could potentially make my delicate digestive system even worse.