Planet Thrive

Lately I’ve spent so much time thinking about CFS and healing. Despite the continual search for a causative organism like XMRV I still believe that CFS is a disease of overwhelming toxicity caused by the cumulative effect of stressors over time (along with possible genetic weaknesses). This toxicity of stressors is what has so weakened the adrenals, CNS, GI tract, and immune system so we cannot defend against ordinary stressors. If you prove me wrong then I’m OK with that. But for now I would like to help as many people as possible to heal and to live the best life they can live.

Illness is not compartmentalized to one organ or system of the body but is an imbalance of the whole person. Unlike the way Western medicine treats, illness is not an isolated event. If we want to heal then we have to support, nourish, detoxify, rest, and entertain the entire system (play, fun, and joy are part of wellness). More and more research supports that illness starts and also heals in the GI tract. Our GI tract is the center of our health and healing universe. Most of our immune system is in the GI tract. We absorb nutrients (and toxins) in the GI tract. And as we are beginning to see if we heal the GI tract then we can heal from everything from anxiety, depression, digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, allergies, asthma, type-1 diabetes, fibromyalgia and even CFS.

My 3 week old granddaughter was given a prescription for Prilosec for what they diagnosed as acid reflux. Is she going to take the toxic poison? NO! She’s taking baby probiotics instead!!!

Probiotics are dietary supplements that contain live bacteria such as lactobacillus or bifidobacteria. These microbes in the GI tract aid digestion and absorption of nutrients, boost immune system and protect against harmful bacteria.

Researchers, led by A. Venket Rao of the University of Toronto, found that giving patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) a probiotic for two months not only boosted so-called “good” bacteria in their stomachs, it also led to a significant decrease in their anxiety symptoms.

We were quite excited with the fact that these were positive results and we felt that probiotics truly have a role to play in the management of neurophysiological disorders such as anxiety, such as depression and other symptoms associated with that. Rather than going into medications, which may result in side effects, it’s a safe, it’s a very easy way to manage problems such as that. – A. Venket Rao of the University of Toronto, journal BMC Gut Pathogens.

People with CFS experience profound and persistent fatigue along with neuropsychological problems, such as cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression, gastrointestinal problems and many are diagnosed with digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. Tests have also shown that they often are deficient in so-called “good” bacteria in their GI tract.

Now emerging science is on to a good thing. Rather than focusing on toxic medication to give an inefficient band-aid to symptoms some researchers are finally looking at what is normal healthy physiology and how bringing the organism back to healthy functioning is what is going to produce wellness. We need to have certain microbes flourishing in our GI tract in order to be healthy.

We’re beginning to see that bacteria levels in the GI tract may influence behavior related to anxiety and depression for example. And by taking probiotics you can simply “crowd out” the more toxic stomach bacteria that are linked to an increase in depression and other mood disorders. Having the good bacteria in your GI tract will produce compounds that get to the brain and help the brain to manage problems associated with behavioral and mood problems, such as anxiety and depression.

People taking probiotics will have a marked improvement in their digestion, experience less bloating and gas and a reduction in inflammation.

AHHHHHH, inflammation!

Inflammation is the culprit behind illness and disease. One of the many reasons I recommend eating an alkalizing diet. Acidity in the body produces inflammation!

Bugs in the GI tract also help in the production of B vitamins that are so necessary for the efficient running of our nervous system.

So if you’ve been diligent in your diet and everything else I recommend but don’t seem to be improving you need to focus more on healing your GI tract beginning with taking probiotic supplements.

Our natural healthy probiotic levels are easily damaged by factors such as poor diet, stress, alcohol, hormonal fluctuations, cigarettes, surgery and drugs (STRESSORS!!!).

One of the problems with Western medicine is that it has falsely led to the belief that there are quick fixes in the way of popping a pill to “cure” illness. The reality is that there are NO quick fixes for illness and for CFS particularly which is a systemic train wreck, you simply must work on the entire system with my healing formula and add supplements as necessary.

HEALING FORMULA: Real whole food alkaline diet + restorative sleep + elimination of toxins and stressors + being positive and hopeful + regular graded exercise and pacing + consistency + supplements + meditation + time.

Other nutrients that support and encourage healing in the gut include:

• Glutamine. This is an amino acid important for maintaining structure and function of the intestine, as well as metabolism. Glutamine has been shown to improve mucosal damage from radiation and chemotherapy, for example. Glutamine helps rebuild the GI tract lining.
• Methionine and N-acetyl cysteine. These are sulfur-containing amino acid precursors to glutathione (GSH), a key antioxidant for protecting cells from free-radical damage.
• Larch. Derivative nutrients from this conifer have immunologic, metabolic, and growth-factor benefits for healing leaky gut.
• Kiwifruit. This edible berry encourages the epithelial cells in the mucosal barrier to proliferate, and for this reason helps heal existing damage from leaky gut.
• Zinc. Research suggests supplementation with this metallic element “tightens up” the leakiness of a hyperpermeable intestine — and helps prevent its recurrence.

I take Glutamine along with high dose probiotics daily! People with CFS have low thresholds for any changes in their bodies so start out slowly and increase your dose as tolerated so that you won’t have any problems.

More reading: The yoghurt cure: Probiotics are good for our digestion. But they can also combat flu, allergies and bad breath

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is an extremely complex and heterogeneous condition. Emerging research suggests that nutritional influences on MDD are currently underestimated. MDD patients have been shown to have elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increased oxidative stress, altered gastrointestinal (GI) function, and lowered micronutrient and ω-3 fatty acid status. Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is likely contributing to the limited nutrient absorption in MDD. Stress, a significant factor in MDD, is known to alter GI microflora, lowering levels of lactobacilli and bifidobacterium. Research suggests that bacteria in the GI tract can communicate with the central nervous system, even in the absence of an immune response. Probiotics have the potential to lower systemic inflammatory cytokines, decrease oxidative stress, improve nutritional status, and correct SIBO. The effect of probiotics on systemic inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress may ultimately lead to increased brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). It is our contention that probiotics may be an adjuvant to standard care in MDD. Major depressive disorder: probiotics may be an adjuvant therapy, Alan C. Logana, Martin Katzmanbemai, Received 5 August 2004; accepted 17 August 2004. published online 14 October 2004.

A poorly appreciated truism is that the information contained within the mammalian genome is insufficient for full development of several organ systems, notably the gut, immune system, and other sensory organs. The required information is derived from the environment, including the microbial environment. This suggests that the microbiota is a source of regulatory signals, some of which may be suitable for exploitation for therapeutic purposes. Indeed, it could have been deduced from comparative studies of germ-free and conventionally colonized animals almost half a century ago that the gut microbiota influences the development and maturation of the digestive and immune systems. In some instances, the signals involved have recently been defined molecularly. This opens the possibility of a “bugs to drugs” program of discovery, in which the gut ecosystem is explored as a repository from which bioactives or novel drugs might be mined and translated to human health care. The future of drug discovery in gastroenterology is likely to reside in the lumen! “Gut Microbes: From Bugs to Drugs,” American J. Gastroenterology 2010;105: 275