Should I consider taking L-glutamine for digestive problems?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 22-year-old male. I have been experiencing digestive issues for the last two years. During the initial stage of the illness, I lost some weight and had not recovered it since then. I feel slightly better than before, but I have not been able to recover from my digestive issues fully. I have become very skinny and not gaining weight, not even some grams.

Recently, I had my USG abdomen, ESR, CRP, LFT, CBC, and stool routine checked. All reports are normal except for the stool test, which says the presence of excess food remnants and vegetable cells in it. What should I do? Please suggest to me if I need to take any supplements. Also, I heard L-glutamine is an excellent supplement for healing intestinal walls. Should I consider taking it?

Please help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You have digestive issues on and off. You are not gaining weight as well as your stool report shows some part of undigested food particles. According to Ayurveda, you need to balance your agni or digestive fire. As you have asked about L- glutamine. It is an amino acid which is used in protein synthesis. L-glutamine is good for digestive health and is given as a supplement to those whose body is unable to synthesize it or who lack it. It is naturally present in some foods like dairy products, some meats, beans, cabbage, etc. You can take it with the recommendation of your physician.

I advise you to adopt healthy eating habits rather than taking any supplements artificially. Here I am suggesting some medicines and some lifestyle changes to make your digestive system stronger. First of all, try to split your three big meals into five small meals because it will be easy for your body to digest small meals. Avoid spicy, junk food, tea, coffee, and cold drinks. Avoid alcohol and smoking if you do. Avoid taking raw vegetables and prefer homemade food. Try to take one cup of buttermilk every day in the afternoon with a pinch of ginger and cumin powder. It will act as an excellent intestinal cleanser. If you do not want to add ginger and cumin, you can only take buttermilk. Do not watch television while eating. Chew your food properly. Try to have water or juice at room temperature rather than in very cold form. Sleep adequately at least for 6 to 8 hours. Sleep before midnight. Do vajrasana after having food for 5 to 10 minutes. Do walk daily.

As far as medicine is concerned, start taking Draksharishta (Draksha, Piper nigrum, Piper longum) 3 tsp twice a day with water for four weeks. It will help you in both conditions as it will improve your digestion and also help with your weakness. Take syrup Liv 52 (Himsra, Kasani, Kakamachi) one tablespoon twice a day with water for four weeks. It will also assist in improving your digestion. If you face a hyperacidity problem, then you can take syrup Himcocid when required. You can take two teaspoons of water after food for acidity only if necessary. Apple, banana, pomegranate, and curd all help in the condition of loose motion. So, you can take these in the conditions when you pass loose stool frequently. Adopt these habits, and these medicines will improve your digestion. As a result, you will eat in a normal pattern, so your weight will again start increasing. Do not take any supplements to increase your weight right now. Because your digestive system is already not unstable, it can upset it again and also have short-term effects that is, as long as you take them till then your weight will increase.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.