The Critical Role of Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease

Hey Everyone,

I have a story of extreme High Blood Pressure (over 200) and how I corrected it within 15 days, returning it to a good healthy range of 117/73. If you find yourself in a situation where you suddenly have high blood pressure where you had never before I suggest you look for outside influences that might have caused the situation. Let me tell you my story and let you draw your own conclusions.

I am a 53 year old healthy male. I do not take any medications and am proactive with my health. I believe that nutrition (from whole food sources not vitamins from bottles which a very high number on the market are of a synthetic nature and just don't work) is the key to good health. When a problem occurs with my health the first thing I do is sign onto Earthclinic and look for solutions based on a whole foods approach. By whole foods I mean as close to grown from the earth as possible. This means herbs, roots, food based vitamins/minerals, spices, vegetables, wheatgrass, (and so many more) and products made from these).

So last year I had some dental problems which necessitated numerous rounds of antibiotics - 3 rounds of amoxicillin and one round of penicillin over the course of a year. I had a recurring infection in a front tooth. I did not want a root canal instead I opted for an implant and was using the year to save up for the procedure. I foolishly thought that antibiotics could handle any flare ups until I could get the procedure done.

When I went into the specialist to get the implant he checked my blood pressure as he would have to put me under to do the implant. At that moment he bluntly told me that he would not do the implant and that I needed to see my doctor immediately. If I did not, I could suffer a heart attack or stroke at any moment. He went on to say my blood pressure was over 200, well in the danger zone. He refused to do the implant until I was on medication and my blood pressure was in the normal range.

I left the dentist office in shock. I had never had high blood pressure. As soon as I got home I got on Earthclinic looking for help. I found a post on how one cup of Kefir (fermented yogurt drink) every day could help lower your high blood pressure and that a compromised gut biome from taking too many antibiotics could cause a wide range of health issues one being high blood pressure.

By gut biome I mean the healthy microbes and bacteria in your gut that helps you break down food and assimilate it for the body's health. At this point I was willing to try anything. I did not want to go on any medication. I decided I would do a test to see if kefir and fermented food in general would work in lowering my blood pressure. I purchased an inexpensive blood pressure monitoring cuff from Amazon for around $25 and headed to Walmart to purchase some kefir (in the refrigerated yogurt section) and a health food market to get some fermented Sauerkraut and fermented pickles (because they are fermented - I.e. live foods - fermented sauerkraut and pickles must be refrigerated. You'll find them in the refrigerator section of a health store where they sell pickles).

I figured the more fermented food the better. I would drink one cup of kefir in the morning, eat 1/2 cup sauerkraut at lunch and dinner (twice a day), eat 1-2 pickles for snacks, and drink one ounce of the fermented sauerkraut and/or fermented pickle juice a day (fermented juice is loaded with probiotics). One word about sauerkraut, I am not a fan of many of the brands on the market except one - I'm not sure I can say the name on earthclinic but it is one word, begins with B, and is seven letters. I found this brand to be very tasty. They also make the fermented pickles, just as tasty).

The experiment was simple. I would consume the fermented foods in the proscribed manner mentioned above and check my blood pressure every morning before any food or coffee. I didn't notice any change in my blood pressure until around the 5th day. That day it dropped two points. and from there it rapidly dropped. After 15 days my blood pressure was 117/72 in the healthy good range.

I continued with the routine for another two weeks then weaned myself off the kefir. I still eat one 1/2 cup of sauerkraut or one pickle or drink one ounce of fermented juice a day as a good health routine. It has been a year since doing this and I feel so much better. I find I sleep better, have less stress, less depression, and a higher overall sense of well-being. I just had a full doctor's checkup with full blood work and everything came back excellent.

The doctor gave me a clean bill of health. So get out there and try fermented foods - they do work.

In the article, I described how manipulating the gut microbiome using Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) had reduced Parkinson's disease symptoms by 50% or more!

I also said I would update as I found new info about gut microbiome manipulation. Many of you may be aware of how serious a disease Diabetes Type 1 is and how difficult it is to treat with treatments oftentimes not being very effective. I came across a human study yesterday that illustrates just how powerful the effects that gut microbiome manipulation can be on human health.

This newer Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) (2021) used FMT as the means to manipulate the gut microbiome of relatively newly diagnosed (less than 6 weeks) Type 1 Diabetic patients.

This is the title of the study :

Faecal microbiota transplantation halts progression of human new-onset type 1 diabetes in a randomised controlled trial

Here is a link to the full study itself:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7788262/

This study and other recent gut microbiome studies start to give us clues of how broad and how powerful the health effects of microbiota manipulation are in humans!

Art

For Art Solbrig:

Thank you for all the great articles! They are providing signposts for my own search for answers. I just finished reading a book, The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health by Emeran Mayer, MD. Free read on Kindle. Mayer is a 40 year researcher in the gut microbiota. Just wanted to share that and to, mainly, say thank you for your articles and to please keep them coming.

In line with this article, I just found this study that found that aside from the benefits of pistachios mentioned in the original article, pistachios not only increase melatonin in the gut, they also contain one of the highest levels of melatonin of all food sources of melatonin!

https://americanpistachios.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/Jack Losso_ Report to American Pistachio Growers_0.pdf

Frances,

This is a topic that I am interested in.

Butyrate is one of the three predominant short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The other two predominant SCFAs are acetate and propionate. We can increase SCFAs by eating the right types of soluble fermentable fiber which feeds the healthy SCFA producing bacteria in our gut. Prebiotics also increase SCFAs. Increasing SCFAs in this way increase all 3 predominant SCFAs which include butyrate.

Butyrate interacts with the epithelial cells to increase melatonin production in the gut while propionate and acetate increase melatonin receptors in the gut. In turn, melatonin increases SCFA production in the gut in a pro health cycle that is stimulated by increased fiber intake. Together butyrate and melatonin both help repair the gut mucosal barrier which helps to prevent gut permeability (aka leaky gut) and beyond the mucosal barrier they also strengthen the epithelial barrier to further repair gut permeability. This is very important for maintaining the best health.

The downside is that in some disease states, the SCFA producing bacteria can be very low, in which case SCFA production may be minimal and this can allow the mucosal barrier to become perturbed which allows gut permeability to increase allowing bacteria to escape the colon into the general circulation which causes an inflammatory response by the body to attack these bacteria that the body sees as invaders. This inflammatory response results in significant collateral damage as well as further increased inflammation and oxidative stress which is all bad for our health.

Melatonin and the SCFAs have antiinflammatory and antioxidative effects in the gut aside from their ability to improve gut permeability which is very good for improved health. Unfortunately, SCFAs decline with age and decreased SCFA production in the gut results in decreased melatonin and melatonin receptors in the gut and all of this results in ill health and disease. Exercise increases SCFA production as does fasting.

A few vitamins have shown some ability to increase SCFAs. Fasting can also increase SCFAs. Pistachios can increase SCFAs and also contain significant amounts of fiber. Prebiotics can increase SCFAs.

Art

Hi Steve (UK) –

I'm so sorry for your situation. This is not only incredibly difficult for your wife, but it is for you too as her caregiver. You are trying to do what is best for her, not getting the support from doctors, feeling helpless and desperate.

Since she is agreeing to further chemo – this time through an IV port – you will need to support her decision and make her as comfortable as possible throughout the process.

Paracetamol is very hard on the liver (as are most pain relievers), so is there any possibility of getting medical marijuana to help her with the pain? It may even stimulate her appetite. It's in oil form and a few drops are very potent.

https://www.theextract.co.uk/cbd-oil-for-cancer/#Can_CBD_be_used_as_a_complementary_cancer_therapy

If she doesn't feel like eating, giving her nourishing bone broth (either bought or homemade) will help get some nutrients into her and will be easy on the digestion. It's very tasty and soothing.

Your wife may be feeling the cold which could make her pain feel worse. Using an infrared heating pad (greater penetration of heat) will help with that and even assist in relaxation and sleep. Just make sure you get a very good one from a reputable source.

Rubbing magnesium oil on her arms and legs may help get magnesium into her system (with all the goodness that goes along with that great mineral). Plus, a gentle massage will help her feel your love and lessen the pain. If the magnesium oil makes her skin itchy (quite common), just put a little lotion or aloe vera gel on afterwards.

As you know, Art had many great suggestions in his posts to you. Melatonin is definitely a great place to start – try the liquid form if you can and put the drops under her tongue.

I would add Vitamin D3/K2 in liquid form as well. I imagine she is very low in Vitamin D3. Her oncologist/family doctor may have tested her levels already (if not, they should).

By the way, keep a copy of all of her test results for yourself. It's good to know what is being done, by whom, when, what dosage, etc.

Just continue doing the best you can, Steve – that's all anyone can do.

My prayers are with you and your wife.

Take care,

Tessa

Make your own kraut. American Indian style (Eastern) is cut up the cabbage, pack in a large jar, and if needed, add water. Press it down in the jar with something. No salt! Do not tighten the cap because it might crack the jar. Put the jar in a bowl, because without salt and in the heat, it about boils in the jar. This is called summer kraut and if the heat is 80+F, you'll have it fermented in a week to 10 days.

Many thanks to Art from CA for once again sharing his incredible research and experimentation with us in this new article on Earth Clinic.

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/gut-microbiome.html

Jake,

Not everyone is sensitive to lectins and lectins seem to cause specific gut issues that can also be seen from causes other than lectins. Some symptoms that some people experience from lectins are the following :

• Neurological symptoms
• Skin Rash
• Hormonal changes
• Gas
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Abdominal cramps
• Painful and or swollen joints
• Allergy like symptoms
• Fatigue

So as you can see, these symptoms can occur in many health conditions, so how do you determine if they are being caused by lectins or something else? I think if I had some of these symptoms and asked my doctor if he thought they were being caused by lectins, he might look at me as though I were crazy and say something like it is likely IBS or some other bowel issue along that line.

To me if you avoid high lectin foods as much as is practical, that makes sense. What is more important to me though, is why do some people have problems with lectins while others do not, even if they are eating foods known to be high in lectins?

Which brings me to this article that discusses the SCFA, Butyrate and lectins:

https://www.cabi.org/Uploads/animal-science/worlds-poultry-science-association/WPSA-italy-2006/10737.pdf

Here is a relevant quote from the article :

' We can conclude that KB have a clear suppressive effect on feed intake and growth that is greater in the grower than in the starter phase. Due to the addition of SB in starter and grower feeds, feed intake and growth could be restored up to the level of the control group if KB were only used in the starter phase. When KB were used in the grower phase fifty percent of growth reduction could be compensated by the use of SB. '

So this study shows that the SCFA, butyrate, improved the weight loss caused by kidney beans which are high in lectins.

In this next study it is shown that lectins cause intestinal damage :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25599185/#:~:text=Because of their binding properties, an individual with dysfunctional enzymes.

Here is a relevant quote :

' Because of their binding properties, lectins can cause nutrient deficiencies, disrupt digestion, and cause severe intestinal damage when consumed in excess by an individual with dysfunctional enzymes. '

The point being that when you look at the damage that lectins can cause to the gut and compare them to the positive gut health effects of SCFAs, a gut microbiome that is well balanced with sufficient SCFAs, SCFA producing gut bacteria, prebiotics and fiber, the SCFAs plus melatonin may nullify, ameliorate or prevent the damage caused by lectins and this could potentially explain why some people seem to handle lectin rich foods with little or no problem while others may not do so well.

These are fine details of research in this area which is not yet fully elucidated, but this would be my general take on lectins. SCFAs in general have the ability to repair the gut mucosal barrier, tight junctions and the gut endothelium and melatonin seems to add synergy in this endeavor to maintain the gut barrier function and gut homeostasis which should compensate for the negative activity of lectins on the gut barrier function when SCFAs and gut melatonin levels are sufficient. That would be my take on lectins given the available studies. This could potentially mitigate the leaky gut that lectins cause. The following article discusses how lectins can cause leaky gut and the associated gastrointestinal distress :

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/2017-11-29/the-trouble-with-lectins#:~:text=“For those who eat a, syndrome, system-wide inflammation and

Here is a relevant quote from the article :

' For those who eat a lot of raw, lectin-rich foods – vegetarians or those following a plant-rich diet, for example – the higher lectin intake and the resulting gastrointestinal distress like nausea, diarrhea and bloating can weaken the delicate gut lining, triggering leaky gut syndrome, system-wide inflammation and autoimmune or allergic reactions, ” Lipman says. '

That would be my current opinion on lectins based on the studies I have seen.

Art

Hi Madelyn,

Thank you for saying so!

I have tested one type of resistant starch before, potato starch. It is very healthful, but in the potato form, it gave me a ridiculous amount of gas which precluded me from continuing the test beyond one month.

It seems like some of the precursors to Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) can promote gas as part of the process, beans would be one example, but fortunately not all of them do. Pistachios do not seem to give me gas and I usually eat 3 little cups of them a day. The cup I use is like the ones that they use at restaurants to serve a side of dressing in. My particular cup holds exactly 4 ounces of water when filled to overflowing. I use it as a scoop to dip in the bag of pistachios and I fill it to a rounded top 3 times a day and that is my snack food. That allows me to get a consistent amount of pistachios each day.

Those two FMT studies that I linked to in the article transformed the way I look at treating health issues because while I always knew that maintaining a healthy gut biome was good for your health, I never truly realized how important it is, until I read those studies! Their results were fantastic by any measure. The sad part is that the US is not really pursuing FMT as it should and it is just speculation on my part, but I suspect it is because FMT would essentially take trillions of dollars away from the pharmaceutical industrial complex. There is so much money at risk for them that I can see where they would go to great lengths to see that FMT never really gets off the ground here. Those two studies came out of Asia, which is leading the world in the research into FMT.

That is why I wrote the article because it may be able to replicate FMT with none of the reported risks of FMT and it would be less expensive than FMT.

Good luck and good health on your journey, Madelyn!

Art

I too drink a shot of sauerkraut juice every night I also use Keifer in the mornings. I do not eat any wheat at all in anything; I have never felt better. My veggies consist of Bibb lettuce, Napa cabbage, onions, for dressing Apple cider vinegar

I wonder if this link to information about butyrate would interest Earth Clinic readers. It was suggested by an Integrative Medicine site in Canada.

https://www.ihcanconferences.co.uk/butyrates-impact-on-the-microbiome-and-neuro-function-ihcan-conferences-webinar/

pdf of presentation also available. https://www.ihcanconferences.co.uk/downloads/2021/webinars/butyratebodybiowebinarslides.pdf

Steve,

That was at least two weeks ago when I sent that reply and based on your current reply, it sounds like you have not discussed any of it with her doctor and have not attempted to implement any of it and your wife sounds like she is declining. I don't know what to say to that.

I can only guess your wife's condition based on what you are writing here, but it sounds like her liver is compromised and likely has been for sometime. This is immediately dangerous and is likely causing ammonia accumulation in the blood and brain and this could be a reasonable explanation for her state of confusion and loss of appetite, which ammonia buildup in the blood and brain is known to cause. Her doctor needs to be informed of this at once. If the chemo is damaging her liver, her oncologist may have to stop it at least temporarily. You have to get the liver issue resolved first! For now, she is in a very precarious situation with her liver damage. The liver can regenerate over time, but not if it is under constant attack. Once that is resolved, then you can figure out a path forward.

In her current state, you can not give her anything that has even the slightest potential to further damage her liver!!! Fenbendazole has shown that potential. Here is an article discussing it:

https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/516276

As far as someone to talk to about it, you apparently are in the UK and I wouldn't know anyone. There is a possibility that you could do a phone consult with Dr. Shallenberger here in the US, but I doubt that he would discuss anything with you until your wife's liver situation is treated and stabilized. He deals with natural and standard medical treatments in combination. As far as liver recovery, there are a few supplements that are useful, but stopping the damage to her liver is of paramount importance before you can consider those. They can not compete with a chemo agent that may be damaging her liver. It is time for her doctors to do their job to get her liver functioning properly again.

Here is a link to an article that explains how ammonia can buildup in the blood and brain via a damaged liver as the liver can not effectively filter toxins as it normally would.

https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/kidneys-and-the-urinary-system/elevated-blood-ammonia-level

She needs to see her doctor immediately!!!

Art

Hi Rachel,

It would help if you can say which vitamins you are referring to, but in my opinion, the exact opposite is closer to accurate. I will give some examples of common vitamins to try and explain what I mean.

Some B vitamins are naturally produced in the gut such as B1, B6 and B12, but in gut dysbiosis, not so much, and this deficiency can contribute to further gut dysbiosis. In the following study it is shown how vitamin B1 plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome and reducing gut inflammation :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5613172/

In this next example, you can see how vitamin B2 and vitamin C increased the bacteria Blautia and Roseburria. These two bacteria while in the study did not help much with mucositis caused by methotrexate, are well known as short-chain fatty acid promoting bacteria and this is very beneficial for maintaining gut homeostasis in the bigger health picture!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC7823339/

In this next study we can look at how vitamin D can affect the gut microbiome in a positive way as well as help maintain the epithelial, but also have a positive effect on autoimmune health issues :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6985452/

In this study it is shown that vitamin C, D, and B2 have a positive impact on the human microbiome and barrier function as did vitamin E and vitamin A to a lesser extent:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19490976.2021.1875774

So I disagree that vitamins are not beneficial for the gut microbiome and as far as vitamin supplementation in relation to fiber and seeds like pistachios, they should be synergistic together, and here is why. Vitamins increase the more healthful bacteria, but these bacteria need food in order to grow and flourish. Fiber is the food of choice for these health promoting bacteria and pistachios are another source of these health promoting bacteria as well as the fiber to feed them.

I hope this clearly explains my thinking on this subject.

Art

Yes, we had our son tested for food sensitivities, removed those foods to stop the inflammation in the gut. Then you can start rebuilding the normal flora in the gut. Within 3 weeks we saw significant improvement in our son's behavior, communication, and he seemed to be aware of his surrounding for the first time. We made the change when he was 7, he is now 11. He is behind his peers in school but is making steady progress... if you make these changes you will not regret them.

Best of luck.

I have been taking BPC-157 for 2 months now, and I will say I never in my life have taken something that works so well. I had issues with gut inflammation, irritable bowel and bpc took ALLLL of it away, I never felt this much energy and I havent been doing anything to help my health other than take that. at first bpc was a little rough I would take it near bed time it makes me tired and feel a bit weaker. I guess from die off, however after taking for about a month I felt better and better and better and better. my wife recently got covid and I didnt catch it. everyone around me was sick and I never got sick. turns out bpc 157 blocks covid from replicating in the body. insane... the fda just banned bpc 157 which over time I have realized that is because it heals something they dont want healed in people. I bought mine from some where in Australia and had it shipped, this is the pill form I never did the injectable which I might try soon just because of the results im getting.

Vitamin D, Microbiome, Sleep... great info from Dr. Gominak

If Dr. Stasha Gominak is correct, this will be incredible for resolving MANY health problems, as well as maintaining health. She is a neurologist, because of her patients she was drawn into researching sleep disorders, and discovered an amazing link with vitamin D, the microbiome and B vitamins. (As many of you may know, vitamin D does not seem to be a vitamin, but a hormone. There is information from many people. Including Dr. Berg, that it dramatically affects Every system of the body.) According to her, without sufficient vitamin D (60-80 seems to be the sweet spot) we do not sleep well. And sleep is where most of the healing and regeneration takes place. Not only that, vitamin D is critical to the health of microbiome. She has a number of interviews on YouTube as well as a website.

Best wishes! I love bringing this information to Earth Clinic. I really urge everyone to watch one or more of her interviews! I watched three of them, and there was not that much overlap. I first saw a mention of doctor Gominak on this website.

Best wishes to all! Denise

Steve,

That is a lot of pressure on both of you! It can easily be overwhelming and I understand that.

There are studies that clearly show that melatonin can reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and have synergy with chemotherapy. There are also studies that show that melatonin has multiple anti cancer effects on its own. More over, there are studies that show that melatonin is protective of the liver.

If you are living in the UK, melatonin requires a prescription from your doctor or oncologist. Here it is over the counter. Melatonin has an excellent safety profile, even at high dose in humans as the following study illustrates at 250 mg per day for 8 weeks:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC7995760/

Melatonin has also shown benefit in breast cancer (BC) :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC8525668/

This next study shows that melatonin synergizes with Doxorubicin, a common drug used for BC :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC8492618/

The safety of melatonin is very well established and can not be used as a basis for not prescribing it :

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26692007/

The following review goes into great detail to show most of the currently known benefits of melatonin in BC and other cancers :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5503661/

Steve, I could literally go on for a day linking you to studies that clearly state the myriad of benefits of melatonin for various cancers.

The question should not be, "why should we use melatonin as an adjuvant treatment for cancer?"

The question should be, "why have we not already started the patient on melatonin at pharmacological dosing prior to starting chemotherapy to obtain the best possible benefits from melatonin?"

This last review goes into great detail to explain how melatonin protects the liver in disease and injury :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC5412268/

Steve, I think this covers many questions that you or your wife's doctors may have about melatonin as adjuvant therapy for your wife at pharmacological dosing as illustrated in the 250 mg per day study I linked to up higher in this post. A pharmacological dose has an excellent safety profile and clearly shows effectiveness, while a dose of melatonin that is too low will have no effectiveness. To illustrate this point, compare this 10 mg study in diabetic patients to the 250 mg study in diabetic patients up higher in this post :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC7393042/

So clearly a 250 mg dosing regimen has clear and substantial benefit in diabetic patients while a 10 mg dosing regimen has no benefit and in fact it may have a slightly negative effect compared to placebo.

That's the information I have to offer you, Steve, specifically regarding her particular situation. It may be worth showing to your wife's oncologist and doctor if they are hesitant to consider melatonin as an adjunctive treatment for your wife. Best wishes to the both of you and please keep us updated!

Art

Hi Jeremiah,

There are multiple ways that people take Borax. You say that you are taking one teaspoon a day, is that one teaspoon of borax powder, or is it a diluted liquid mix? If it is borax powder, then you are taking 4 times more borax than what you should be taking and that dose taken continuously can cause toxicity which could be making your psoriasis worse. Please clarify exactly how much borax and how often you are taking it. Ted only recommended 4 days per week with no borax for the other 3 days of the week. Doing it Ted's way can allow your body enough time to dump any excess borax you may be taking and this can help minimize toxicity issues. If you are taking it seven days each week, that is an even higher dose and of course, that can increase the potential for toxicity even further.

For myself, borax has had zero discernible effect on my psoriasis for good or bad for well over a decade, but it has kept my severe psoriatic arthritis in remission for that same amount of time, which I believe is approaching 14 years. It will probably be helpful to try and first determine if the borax is the cause of your psoriasis exacerbation and the only way I know to determine that is to stop borax at least temporarily to see if your psoriasis starts to improve again. If your dose is high, you should stop anyway to allow your body to dump any excess borax and to also allow your body time to recover from any toxicity issues caused by a borax dose that is too high. When you let me know more about your dose and what else you are using, I can probably tell you more and possibly offer a suggestion or two!

Art

Art,

MY son is autistic. I heard that a bad gut is one of the big reasons for autism and the behaviour of autistic people. By curing a bad gut the behaviour pattern changes to good. Is there any chance of bringing the communicative skills can be improved. Any other suggestions? Please

Hello natarajan,

All we really have to use as a guide is results that have been obtained using the Fecal Microbiome Transplants and benefits have been shown using FMT for Autism. Here is a link to an article that discusses FMT results in patients with Autism that was done at Arizona State University (ASU) :

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190409093725.htm

I would highly recommend contacting the research team at ASU to find out if they have done further studies or if they think that modifying the diet might be helpful. The following link may also be helpful in your search:

https://designershitdocumentary.com/fmt-treatments-therapies/

Please update us on your findings.

Art

Hi Sue,

Thank you for the compliment!

Regarding the pistachios, I am using the ones with the shells. Regarding the shells, these have nutritional value too and in time I am going to experiment with these hulls to see if I can extract some of the nutritional value from them via different methods such as cold water soaking or similarly to the way you make sun tea and then lastly trying to soak them in hot water such as when making regular tea.

My thinking is there has to be a way to take advantage of the nutrients they contain instead of just throwing the hulls away. Thank you for your question, Sue!

Art

Hi Clare,

I am not a doctor so I can only say what I am taking.

The minimum amount of vitamin B1 that I personally take is 200 mg day and I go as high as 600 mg, but mainly average 400 mg/day. I usually take it in two divided doses, one at or before breakfast and the other dose at or before lunch. I try to avoid taking B-1 later than 2:00 pm because in some people it can cause sleep issues, so I use 2:00 pm as my limit. I do take one vitamin B-50 a day to try and keep the B vitamins in balance.

Pistachios are now my main snack food and I use a little cup such as they use at restaurants for sides like salad dressing. The one I use holds exactly 4 ounces of water when filled to the very top. I scoop this into my big bag of pistachios and fill to a rounded top. I eat 2 or three of these small cups a day.

Melatonin as I have mentioned previously, I take a minimum of 106 mg per night and have done so for many months now, but the idea of rebalancing the gut microbiota is to increase Short Chain Fatty Acids and increasing those will increase gut melatonin production so that supplementing melatonin should not be needed in time. I am mainly supplementing melatonin right now, to test whether it can speed the process up a bit. I expect, that similarly to FMT, it may take 3 months to see good benefit. Melatonin produced in the gut does not cause the "melatonin hangover " that some people experience from supplementing melatonin.

I have not as yet started intermittent fasting and may not need to because my results are fairly good so far.

I am eating oranges and will begin including apples to increase fiber. Apples have pectin which is helpful toward increasing SCFAs. I am trying to keep it as simple as possible and I hope this answers your questions.

Art

FYI, Bubbies actually kills off a portion of the beneficial bacteria before shipping to give their products a longer shelf life (I believe this is on their website). It's best (and more rewarding) to ferment your own products. There are many books and videos on how to do it.

Thanks for posting this! I wouldn't have seen the article otherwise. Smiles and thank you!

Thank you for saying so, Tessa!

If we can get the SCFAs increased, supplementing melatonin should not even be needed anymore as the SCFAs should build it up in the gut to healthful levels which in turn should also apply its positive effects to the gut and the brain via the gut/brain axis!

Art

Hi Simon,

Thank you for the thoughtful words!

It would be helpful if you had given a bit more information, but I will try to work with what you did give.

Diarrhea is difficult because it is common in diabetics, but it can also be caused by the very common diabetic drug, Metformin, which you may be taking. If Metformin is the cause, you will have to talk to your doctor about using a different drug.

If the diarrhea is caused by the diabetes, it is often caused by peripheral nerve damage which is generally caused by consistently elevated blood glucose which is very damaging to the body in general, so improving insulin sensitivity, decreasing insulin resistance and lowering blood glucose would be the long term fix. One supplement that can help improve the gut microbiome, reduce glucose levels, reduce HbA1c, help with diarrhea, improve colitis and help with peripheral nerve damage is Berberine. You will have to test berberine because in some people it can also cause diarrhea, but in some people it helps alleviate diarrhea.

You mentioned that you have histamine tolerance issues and one supplement that has antihistamine effects, lowers blood glucose levels, works synergistically with Metformin, improves insulin resistance, beneficial for colitis and has a positive impact on the gut microbiome is Quercetin.

You might also give thought to Zinc at 50 mg/day to see if it is helpful in dealing with the diarrhea.

You might also be interested in the following related articles :

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/six-supplements-for-diabetes-art-solbrig.html

And this one :

https://www.earthclinic.com/cures/insulin-resistance.html

Regarding the H pylori., I'm going to assume that since you were hospitalized for it, they resolved it and retested after you completed the antibiotic regimen.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

Art

Hi Steve, thank you for saying so!

Since the chemotherapy is known for causing and or exacerbating gut dysbiosis and cancer is too, initially some enzymes to help with the digestive process may be worth discussing with her oncologist.

I have had good results with this one :

https://www.vitacost.com/now-foods-super-enzymes-180-capsules

If she isn't taking melatonin as part of her therapy and recovery from BC, this is something else that the both of you can discuss with her oncologist based on many studies. Here is an example of what current studies are showing :

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC8525668/

Melatonin is anticarcinogenic itself and is synergistic with chemotherapy and radio therapy while also helping to reduce some of the negative side effects associated with both treatments. Melatonin is also noted for gut protective effects which at this point would be quite important.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC8269379/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC8464997/

Any conversation about BC should definitely include melatonin as part of the discussion. Doctors are not always aware of its use for this purpose, but it does not mean that they can't do research on their own into the multiple anticancer effects of melatonin.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC8285388/

Lastly, the use of relevant and potent synbiotics and fermented foods and drinks should be utilized to help start rebuilding the gut biome and putting pathogenic bacteria back in check. Another conversation you can have with your wife's oncologist is the possibility of using FMT as part of that gut microbiome rebuilding process as well as, as an anticarcinogenic.

Art

Look into information about the GAPS Diet. It is about the microbiome, the gut and how it affects the mind and the development of the child.

An excellent, must-read article!

Thank you, Art, for writing this up and sharing.

I've just recently been doing some research myself on increasing resistant starches in the diet to promote a healthy microbiome and heal the gut. Green banana flour appears to be very effective at feeding probiotics and increasing their production of SCFAs. I've even found a couple of recipes that utilize green banana flour. Now after reading your article, I'm inspired to take action! Off to go order some green banana flour and finally start taking the melatonin powder that's been sitting on my counter. I do eat pistachios frequently and will continue to do so! Be blessed!

I believe the brand he was referring to is BUBBIES. They make naturally fermented, live culture sauerkraut and pickles. Yum!

Hi Art -

Thank you for such an informative article on the gut microbiome (our second brain, they say).

I'm also very impressed that you are experimenting on yourself and sharing the results!

As you know, I've used your borax remedies with great success and I now take melatonin on a regular basis (still at the low-dose stage, though).

Excellent work, Art.

Cheers,

Tessa

I can recommend the web site culturedfoodlife.com, They have a wealth of information for cultured food and pro and prebiotics.

Hi Cecilia,

So sorry to hear of your problem. I take 1/4 spoon of Ginger powder and 1/4 spoon of baking soda and mix well in a coffee-cup of water. Sip till finished. I never drink the very bottom full of grit.

I take sometimes 2 cups when needed. It is very bitter, and that's why I sip it. Another thing you should do is take Actived Charcol pills. This will kill parasites, I take 1 pill after supper. DO NOT TAKE NEAR PERSCIPTION MEDS. 2 hours after meds. will be ok. Hope this helps.

God Bless

Gary

Cecilia: I have since come across other people reporting a cure of IBS via vitamin B1 (thiamine). Also came across a doctor who thinks that many people have mild beriberi affecting the gut. I get my thiamine in a bulk bag through amazon. (Benfotiamine is water insoluble. I get either HCl or mononitrate.) I decided to put it in bathwater to make sure it's absorbed through the skin, rather than relying on the gut.

Also, as I wrote, I was blown away how smooth and soft my skin became! I recently did some searching, and it turns out that thiamine rebuilds collagen in the skin. A bonus! :-)

Thanks, Art. Very good and informative article. Curious as to what your thoughts on lectins are? There is a well known doctor who claims they have a very negative impact on gut health and a major cause of leaky gut syndrome. He also says there are lots of lectins in foods such as peanuts, cashews, legumes/beans, green beans, whole grains and wheats among other foods. If you have time to comment, please do. Keep up the great work. I appreciate you.

Peter,

I think digestive enzymes can be useful in some instances and I think it is more useful to try and correct the underlying gut issue, but this can be hard and time consuming to determine what the underlying problem is and then try and correct that.

As an example of a simple use of digestive enzymes, a friend had a dairy intolerance issue where ice cream gave him an overabundance of gas which he was able to avoid by taking the Now Brand Super Enzymes before eating ice cream.

In another friend who had the feeling of indigestion with the urge to defecate everytime he ate, those same digestive enzymes were completely ineffective.

Digestive enzymes can also help some people with gluten intolerance. There are many reasons for digestive issues and digestive enzymes will help with some, but they can make others worse.

Art

Bobbi,

A few things that are useful to fight H. Pylori are: Mastic Gum Oil of Oregano, Monolaurin Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) Colloidal Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) GSE and AgNPs are both biofilm busters which will be important in a long standing overgrowth Probiotics: L . Acidophilus L. Rhamnosus L. Plantarum

Art

I suffered with IBS for years. Solved with energy healing focused on Vagus nerve. Try imagine lighting bolts shooting through the middle of your body, head to toes. Very well known energy healer Adam McLeod held the group therapy for fibromyalgia sufferers. My pains were not gone, but my IBS and tiredness were gone. you can buy his books explaining the procedure.

Thank you, Art, very interesting!

Hello Art,

It would be helpful to know how much B-12, how many pistachios, etc, you are taking each day. There are plenty of us out there who want to experiment right along with you! I've been gut sick for decades.

Thanks,

Clare

I am glad you shared your story. My BP (after anesthesia at the dentist's office three years ago) has gone up to 190/107 and has never come back to normal, which scared me because I consider myself generally healthy eating fruit, some fish and cheese. I also take food supplements. Nothing has worked so far from bio-magnets, Reiki, massage or diet. I am trying fasting now as a last resort. Thank you for sharing. I will do the kefir tomorrow and then see if I get some sauerkraut juice as well. Blessings!

Well done a hero for the battle against disease!!

Recently I have had tooth pains and associated neuralgia in the head ie various types of headaches engendered by the state of my bad teeth. I have no need for anti-biotics, I just do:

Oil pulling three times a day for a week then twice a day. Also used a strong sea salt solution, swish that around the mouth for about 3 minutes three times a day if you can. Complete cure in 3 days.

Oil pulling can be various oils such as coconut oil then after a couple of days run out of coconut oil so used virgin olive oil, mixed about 20% neem oil in to make it even more powerful. take about one or 2 teaspoons and swish around mouth for at least 10 minutes then spit out.

Fantastic Read about Gut Microbiome

Hi everyone, I couldn't recommend more the book of Alanna Collen, 10% Human: How Your Body's Microbes Hold the Key to Health and Happiness Paperback – Illustrated, May 10, 2016 more on this subject. I learned more in one read, than I did over many, many years of putting pieces of the puzzle together.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23644794-10-human

or Amazon:

https://amzn.to/3xecYxR

Cecilia, I recently healed my IBS! It was a complete surprise. I started taking thiamine for other reasons. And got this gift of healing, after 30 years of suffering.

I add two teaspoons of water soluble thiamine (either HCl or mononitrate) to my bath. It's like magic -- another wonderful result is newly soft and supple skin. Best of luck to you! (I do take a B complex orally as well.)

https://www.drhomeo.com/medicine/ignatia-amara-homeopathic-medicine-use-indications-dosage/

Try this homeopathic remedy while looking for a practitioner who will guide you through the treatment.

you can find a medicinal quality seabuckthorn oil on siberiantiger naturals site. this oil saved many people with ulcers from surgeries, healed gastritis, inflamed colons, various erosions including genecological. the site has more information about the oil. There are suppositories with this oil, but unless you buy it directly from a pharmacy, which is impossible unless you live in Russia. they can't be shipped.

Hi Madelyn. It's winter, so I take hot baths pretty often. Every third day or so. I put in 2 teaspoons of the powder. It dissolves. Yes, I do use the Bulk brand. Initially, I used HCl, and noticed the soft skin. Then by mistake I ordered the mononitrate, but it works just as well. I noticed the difference after several weeks of use. And I don't dunk my hair in it, so I know the body absorbs it, since my hair is now softer too, more manageable. And then there is the IBS... this vitamin is a gift that just keeps on giving! :-D

This is incredible! Thanks very ouch for sharing with us, Vera. It just so happens I've begun taking a collagen supplement, which I really fell my body needs. I'll definitely be giving this method of boosting my thiamine levels in order to also support my body's own collagen production.

Hi Sheila,

Thank you very much, that was very nice of you to say!

Art

Hello Peter

try Triphala

or Eno salt fruit if you have an acidity problem.

love Elsa

Grass fed butter is a great source of butyric acid.

Thanks very much for your help Art. Honestly I am so stressed with it all because her stupid oncologist does not listen. The chemo tablets she had been taking prior to this issue were too much because her hands and feet were cracking all over but they still continued treatment which has been going on for a year or more. Her was her liver was only mentioned in aug after a mri where dr said it had lines but because of fluid build up another scan (cat) was done a few weeks ago and Ascites were diagnosed, the dr said it was caused from the disease and she stopped her treatment and said they will give her another type which will cause hairloss and delivered through injection via a tube which she is waiting to have fitted this week. No meds were given for the liver or advice given on diet. Honestl its ridiculous Art if I can see whats happening why cant anyone else. I dont know what to do. Thanks again to all that help. Note: her condition as of a few weeks ago was contained in her bones, there was a cyst on liver but not mets. They also said there were cells in the fluid drained from the bloating.

Research niacin for cancer (liver health) and milk thistle among others.

For gut health research: Butyrate supplement (one in am two before bed), melatonin 1mg/kg split thru out the day, last dose taken with D3+K2 in pm as they synergize each other). Two TBSP coconut oil per day. These are a few top important ones my dr has me take for colon cancer gut health among other things also.

Fenben is a good one alot of people take. I take 3 different anti-parasite/fungals.

Have you reached out to an ND for help?

I have found oncologists only know what they know per protocol (Treat symptoms).

I would fire her current onc and get a new one.

A good vetted ND might be a good idea for your wife at this point.

Cancer protocols are so outdated by decades, still grouping patients in a one size fits all category when it should personalized by now.

I really hope and pray your wife finds answers soon and gets the ascites under control and rid of. I know it must be painful.

I have a few questions that Art may be able to answer. Is it true that if we take supplements that these cause imbalance in the gut bacteria? Would this cancel out the benefits of eating fibre, pistachios, fasting etc?

Hi J,

Do you have parathyroid tumors, because it could be the cause for your elevated calcium. Beware of kidney stones also. Good luck.

By all means look into the GAPS diet. www.gapsdiet.com

Art, in your article you say that FMT is used for IBS, but I can't find out where in the US that they do this. My gastroenterologist still insists they cannot for IBS-D and I would jump at the chance to do it. I've been on ibs drugs so long that I'm concerned about the impact on my liver, but what's better, Viberzi or tons of immodium? Even on Viberzi, I take 6 - 10 immodium per week. I've done the probiotics for years, using dairy kefir, with no change. Recently did a food sensitivity test and find I'm sensitive to just about all my usual foods, so have changed that. I truly think if my gut was corrected, all my issues with insomnia, reflux, and now thyroid would resolve.

GertJr,

The article isn't about FMT so much as trying to replicate what FMT does since use of FMT in the US is fairly scarce. The most advanced studies seem to be coming out of Asia while the US has not completed just 1 study for FMT and PD. The following link may answer some of your questions regarding FMT availability :

https://designershitdocumentary.com/fmt-treatments-therapies/

Good luck and please let us know what you find out!

Art

It is ok to mention the brand. We have the right to choose which is best. thanks.

Sorry you are going through such difficult time. There is more going on than an eye can see. I'd not try any supplements or diet change. I'd recommend to find an experienced acupuncturist and a homeopath. Five Element acupuncturists are trained in homeopathy, but any acupuncturist would work. Ask if they make house calls-some do but charge more.
Homeopathy to my surprise accomplishes more than pharmaceuticals and supplements.

Set your mind for the long term treatment sessions (you are up for months of treatments starting with 2 treatments a week) for the cause of your problem is complex.

Don't try anything on your own, at this point of your suffering you need to be guided.
The only thing I can recommend is to drink warm flax seeds “tea”- simmer flax seeds for 15-20, remove seeds and drink. And absolutely no ibuprofen. Get well soon.

Cecilia, please don't take anything else but a soothing flax seeds tea until you see an acupuncturist and a homeopath. Otherwise you risk worsening of symptoms. Your entire body needs to be brought into homeostasis, and acupuncture could do that.

If you could get a medicinal quality seabuckthorn oil, manufactured in a manufacturing facility in Russia, probably in Altai region, then you can take it - it is a medicine. Don't buy it on Amazon.. Check the Russian shops in your city, but then again read the labels, where and by whom it was manufactured. Your Acupuncturist might have it as well. 90% of this oil on the Market is either fake or for cosmetic purposes.

I can provide the names of trustworthy brands. Let me know. Crazy that even EC blocks my IP address for some reason and it's practically impossible to open russian sites.

Thank you, Michael,

I know an acupunctor but the results don't stay long.

The only Russian in my town have a grocery. I'll go to an homeopath.

Along with adding more anti-cancer foods for gut biome health I also take a butyrate supplement. Testing on the cancer showed butyrate as very high on the list I needed to address.

I read it just yesterday: connecting Byturate levels with ME/CFS!

https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2021/11/10/bacteria-fatigue-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/

Yes, truth. We only use grass fed butter.